 Flash

Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday called on the German people to be optimistic in the year ahead and to confront hatred with humanity and cohesion in her annual New Year's address.

"As we pursue our lives and work, we tell the terrorists that they are murderers full of hatred, but they do not determine how we want to live," said Merkel in her speech.

"It is particularly bitter and repulsive," she said, referring to the terror attacks in German cities of Wuerzburg, Ansbach and Berlin.

However, the pictures of the bombed-out Aleppo in Syria showed how important it was that Germany had also helped "the people who actually need our protection over the past year" to gain a foothold in Germany and to integrate, said the Chancellor.

The country would do its utmost to ensure its citizens' security in freedom, said Merkel.

"You will be stronger than terrorism, we are stronger together," she added.

Where political or legal changes are necessary for the security of the citizens, the German government will quickly initiate and implement the necessary measures, she assured.
154 killed in 'gunfights' in 2016: HR

Jessore Correspondent :

A total of 154 people were killed in 'gunfights' across the country in the outgoing year 2016 while some 463 cases of torture by the police were taken place, said a report revealed by human rights organization in Jessore on Saturday.

Biboy Krishna Mallik, executive director, Rights Jessore told that the report was prepared on newspaper reports.

The report said a total of 651 cases of missing were taken place across the country during 2016 of who 77 are women, 303 men, 178 male children and 93 female children. Of the missing, some 41 people were rescued.' Indian Border Security Force killed a total of 35 Bangladeshis, abducted 48 and tortured 27 Bangladeshis', the report added.
1.46cr books distributed in 3 dists

Staff Reporter, Kishoreganj :

The National Textbook Festival- 2017 was celebrated across the district yesterday with the distribution of new text books among the students of school, madrasha and vocational training centers at free of cost.

A total of 74 lakh and 10 thousand text books were distributed among 9 lakh and 86 thousand students pre-primary to secondary level students for- 2017 academic session. Deputy Commissioner Md. Azimuddin Biswas formally inaugurated free text books distributing programme by giving books to the students at a function in Government Adarsha Shishu Biddaloy in the town yesterday..

District Primary Education Officer Md. Sajjad Hossain presided over the function. Kishoreganj Municipality Mayor Md. Pervaz Miah, District Education Officer A.K.M Shajahan, Social Services Department Deputy Director Mohammed Robiul Islam, CAB President Alam Sarowar Tito, District Press Club President Mostafa Kamal, Senior journalist Subir Basak, Saiful Malek Chowdhury, Ashraful Islam, Sakauddin Ahmed Rajon were also present on the occasion.

Dinajpur Correspondent reports: At least 71.66 lakh text books were distributed among the students of different educational institutions under 13 upazilas here yesterday.

District Education Officer Azhar Ali said, "On Sunday, at least 50 lakh 53 thousand and 25 books were distributed among the students of 962 secondary schools, dakhil and ebtedayee madrasas and vocational SSC institutions of the upazilas. In the meantime, 95 per cent books have been sent to the upazilas."

He further said, "Against the demand of 37 lakh 8 thousand and 768 books in secondary level, 8 lakh 82 thousand and 125 books in dakhil level, 3 lakh 76 thousand and 62 books in ebtedayee level, 81,120 books in vocational SSC level, and 4,950 books in vocational dakhil level, at least 90 per cent books have been sent to the upazilas."

Acting Primary Education Officer Samesh Majumder said, "At least 21 lakh 12 thousand and 888 books are distributed among the government and non-government primary schools of the 13 upazilas on the first day of the New Year. Of the total demand, 99 per cent have been sent to the upazilas."

He further said, "At least 3 lakh 2 thousand and 592 books were distributed to the students of class I, 2 lakh 89 thousand and 476 for class II, 5 lakh 41 thousand and 614 for class III, 5 lakh 22 thousand and 462 for class IV, and 4 lakh 56 thousand and 744 for class V will be distributed."

Meanwhile, all preparations have been taken to distribute the new books among the students on the first day of the New Year, he added.

Dupchanchia (Bogra) Correspondent adds: The National Textbook Festival -2017 was celebrated in Dupchanchia upazila of Bogra yesterday with the distribution of new textbooks among the students free of cost. The teachers and students of the different education institutions including Dupchanchia Sammilito Pre-cadet School started making gathering in the school premises from early in the morning and it continue till noon with different formalities.

Before distributing the books among the students a discussion meeting was arranged in Dupchanchia Sammilito Pre-cadet School play ground. Principal Emdadul Haque presided over the meeting. Member of the managing committee Tayej spoke as special guest. Among othger, Golam Muktadir Sabuj, Mizanur Rahman, Shama Pada, Shamima Akter Sumi, Nargis Khatun, Meghla, Golam Rabbany, Rina and Hosne Ara spoke in the function.

The National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) has printed Braille system textbooks for the visually challenged students and it also printed pre-primary books in the languages of five small anthropological groups which was distributed free of cost on January 1 rendering education method.


China won't let anyone make 'fuss' about its territory: Xi

Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks during a New Year greetings broadcasted in Beijing.

Reuters, Beijing :

China will never allow anyone to "make a great fuss" about its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights, President Xi Jinping said in his New Year's address, while China's top official in charge of Taiwan ties warned of risk ahead in 2017.

China's increasingly assertive moves to push its territorial claims in the disputed South China Sea, including building artificial islands, has unnerved its neighbors.

"We adhere to peaceful development, and resolutely safeguard our territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests," Xi said, in comments carried by state media late on Saturday.

"Chinese people will never allow anyone to get away with making a great fuss about it," he said, without elaborating.

China claims most of the South China Sea. Neighbors Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims.

While Xi made no direct mention of self-ruled Taiwan, aside from extending New Year's greetings to them, the head of China's policy-making Taiwan Affairs Office in his New Year's message said that 2017 would see uncertainty.

"Looking ahead to 2017, the situation in the Taiwan Strait is complex and serious, and the development of relations are facing many uncertain factors and risk," Zhang Zhijun said, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

China hopes that people on both sides can show resolve and courage, to ensure the "correct direction" of the peaceful development of ties and work to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, he added.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said on Saturday that Taiwan will be "calm" when dealing with China, but uncertainties in 2017 will test the island and its national security team, even as she recommitted to maintaining peace.

China is deeply suspicious of Tsai, who it thinks wants to push for the formal independence of Taiwan, a self-governing island that Beijing regards as a renegade province.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump angered China last month when he spoke to Tsai in a break with decades of precedent and cast doubt on his incoming administration's commitment to Beijing's "one China" policy.

China's military has become alarmed by what it sees as Trump's support of Taiwan and is considering strong measures to prevent the island from moving toward independence, sources with ties to senior military officers said.
Trumps praise of Putin could signal a new day for US policy

Vladimir Putin has put relations with the US on hold until Donald Trump replaces Barack Obama.

AP, Honolulu :

Moscow is hoping Donald Trump will reconsider the sanctions the U.S. is levying in response to its finding of election hacking, a wait-and-see strategy bolstered by the American president-elect's own approving words for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Putin has essentially put relations with the U.S. on hold until Trump replaces President Barack Obama on Jan. 20. Though his foreign minister encouraged him to slap back at Washington for the sanctions imposed by Obama, Putin decided that Russia wouldn't immediately retaliate.

"Great move on delay (by Putin)," Trump wrote Friday on Twitter. "I always knew he was very smart!"

Praise for a longtime adversary at odds with a sitting American president is remarkable for a president-elect - and the latest signal that U.S.-Russia relations, among other policies, could be getting a makeover from Trump.

Whether he steers the U.S. toward or away from Russia is shaping up as the first major test of his foreign policy disposition and his willingness to buck fellow Republicans, who for years have argued Obama wasn't being tough enough on Russia.

In response to the election hacking he blames on Russia, Obama ordered sanctions on Russian spy agencies, closed two Russian compounds and expelled 35 diplomats the U.S. said were really spies. Brushing off Obama, Putin said Russia would plan steps to restore U.S. ties "based on the policies that will be carried out by the administration of President D. Trump." Not only would Russia not kick Americans out, Putin said, he was inviting the kids of all U.S. diplomats to the Kremlin's New Year's and Christmas parties.

"At this point, they're trolling Obama," said Olga Oliker, who directs the Russia program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The Obama administration said it had seen Putin's remarks but had nothing more to say.

Russia denies the U.S. intelligence community's assessment that in an attempt to help Trump win the presidency, Moscow orchestrated cyber breaches in which tens of thousands of Democrats' emails were stolen and later made public. Trump, too, has refused to accept that conclusion and insisted the country should just "move on," though he has agreed to meet next week with intelligence leaders to learn more.

Notably, after the U.S. on Thursday issued a report it said exposed Russia's cyber tactics, Putin's aides didn't offer any specific rebuttal. The report included detailed technical information like IP addresses and samples of malware code the U.S. said Russia uses.

One utility company, Burlington Electric Department in Vermont, reported Friday that it had detected the malware on a company laptop that was not connected to its grid systems. Burlington said, "We took immediate action to isolate the laptop and alerted federal officials of this finding."

There's little certainty about how Trump will actually act on Russia as president. Though he's praised Putin as a strong leader and said it would be ideal for the two countries to stop fighting, he also suggested this month the U.S. might mount a new nuclear arms race, triggering fresh anxieties about a return to Cold War-style tensions.

Ambassador Michael McFaul, Obama's former envoy to Russia, said while Trump has defined his top objective as "getting along with the Kremlin," Putin has higher goals, including the lifting of economic sanctions and, ideally, U.S. recognition of Russia's annexation of Crimea.

"Obviously, Putin's not responding because he's waiting for Jan. 20," McFaul said in an interview. "He's got these much more important objectives to him than getting into a tit-for-tat response with the outgoing administration."

Trump's warm outreach to Putin, combined with picks for secretary of state and national security adviser who are seen as friendly to Russia, have left hawkish Republicans with a particularly unpleasant choice: look hypocritical for backtracking on their own tough talk, or risk a public rift with their party's new president.

In the House, many Republicans who have long called for tougher sanctions have been silent or vague about Obama's penalties and Trump's positions. But a handful of GOP senators have shown they have no intentions of letting up pressure on the Kremlin.

"We intend to lead the effort in the new Congress to impose stronger sanctions on Russia," Republican Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said in a statement. McCain, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, scheduled a hearing next week on "foreign cyber threats" in an attempt to further spotlight Russia's actions.




New UN chief urges New Year`s resolution: `Put Peace First`

President Barack Obama pauses for media to take their places as he meets with United Nations Secretary-General-designate, Antonio Guterres, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington.

AP, United Nations :

Antonio Guterres took the reins of the United Nations on New Year's Day, promising to be a "bridge-builder" but facing an antagonistic incoming U.S. administration led by Donald Trump who thinks the world body's 193 member states do nothing except talk and have a good time.

The former Portuguese prime minister and U.N. refugee chief told reporters after being sworn-in as secretary-general on Dec. 12 that he will engage all governments - "and, of course, also with the next government of the United States" - and show his willingness to cooperate on "the enormous challenges that we'll be facing together."

But Trump has shown little interest in multilateralism, which Guterres says is "the cornerstone" of the United Nations, and a great attachment to the Republicans' "America First" agenda.

So as Guterres begins his five-year term facing conflicts from Syria and Yemen to South Sudan and Libya and global crises from terrorism to climate change, U.S. support for the United Nations remains a question mark.

And it matters because the U.S. is a veto-wielding member of the U.N. Security Council and pays 22 percent of the U.N.'s regular budget and 25 percent of its peacekeeping budget.

Immediately after the United States allowed the Security Council to condemn Israeli settlements in the West Bank on Dec. 23 in a stunning rupture with past practice, Trump warned in a tweet: "As to the U.N., things will be different after Jan. 20th," the day he takes office.

Trump followed up three days later with another tweet questioning its effectiveness. "The United Nations has such great potential but right now it is just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time. So sad!"

John Bolton, a conservative Republican and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said in an interview with The Associated Press that Guterres would be well advised "especially given the incoming Trump administration" to follow the model of his predecessor, Ban Ki-moon, and do what member governments want.

If he tries to follow what Ban's predecessor, Kofi Annan, did as secretary-general and try to be the world's top diplomat and what some called "a secular pope," Bolton said, "I think especially in the Trump administration, he would run into big trouble very quickly."

Guterres has made clear that his top priority will be preventing crises and promoting peace.

In the first minute after taking over as U.N. chief on Sunday, Guterres issued an "Appeal for Peace." He urged all people in the world to make a shared New Year's resolution: "Let us resolve to put peace first."

"Let us make 2017 a year in which we all - citizens, governments, leaders - strive to overcome our differences," the new secretary-general said.

He has said there is enormous difficulty in solving conflicts, a lack of "capacity" in the international community to prevent conflicts, and the need to develop "the diplomacy for peace," which he plans to focus on.

Guterres has said he will also strive to deal with the inequalities that globalization and technological progress have helped deepen, creating joblessness and despair especially among youth.

"Today's paradox is that despite greater connectivity, societies are becoming more fragmented. More and more people live within their own bubbles, unable to appreciate their links with the whole human family," he said after his swearing-in.

Guterres said the values enshrined in the U.N. Charter that should define the world that today's children inherit - peace, justice, respect, human rights, tolerance and solidarity - are threatened, "most often by fear."

"Our duty to the peoples we serve is to work together to move from fear of each other, to trust in each other, trust in the values that bind us, and trust in the institutions that serve and protect us," he said. "My contribution to the United Nations will be aimed at inspiring that trust."

Guterres won the U.N.'s top job after receiving high marks from almost every diplomat for his performance in the first-ever question-and-answer sessions in the General Assembly for the 13 candidates vying to replace Ban, whose second five-year term ends at midnight on Dec. 31.

In an interview during his campaign with three journalists, Guterres said the role of secretary-general should be "an honest broker, a consensus builder" who engages as much as possible, in many circumstances discreetly.

"It's not just to have a personal agenda, because it would be regrettable or ineffective, or to appear in the limelight. No. On the contrary, it's to act with humility to try to create the conditions for member states that are the crucial actors in any process to be able to come together and to overcome their differences," he said.

Whether the Trump administration will join Guterres and U.N. efforts to tackle what he sees as "a multiplication of new conflicts" and the myriad problems on the global agenda remains to be seen.

Trump's choice as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley who is the governor of South Carolina, has a reputation as a conciliator, which could be very useful especially in dealing with the Security Council and the four other permanent veto-wielding members - Russia, China, Britain and France, all of whom have their own national agendas.




Banking sector faces good borrower's crisis

Only 4 out of 56 banks find good borrowers

Kamruzzaman Bablu :

Number of good borrowers in banking sector is decreasing gradually as only four banks provided interest rebate to only 36 borrowers for their satisfactory records as of July 2016, sources said.

Among 56 state-owned, private and foreign commercial banks in the country, only 36 have reported to the central bank that they did not find any good borrowers in the year of 2015.

Besides, some 16 banks kept lump sum provisions against potential payable interest rebate last year, but could not pay a single penny for want of good borrowers in last year.

However, the four banks who gave interest rebate to their good borrowers are- Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited (IBBL), Mutual Trust Bank Limited (MTBL), Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank (RAKUB) and Hong Kong Shangri Banking Corporation (HSBC).

Earlier on July 28 in last year, the central bank asked all scheduled banks to provide information about good borrowers including the number of good borrowers, amount of interest rebate and provisions maintained against potential payable rebate.

In response to the Bangladesh Bank's instruction, 53 banks have reported their status but three of them Sonali, Prime and Dhaka Bank did not respond.

The total provision maintained by 16 banks against their potential payable rebate was Tk72.76 crore last year, of which Islami bank provided interest rebate of around Tk11 crore, MTBL Tk1 crore and RAKUB around Tk2 lakh, according to the central bank data.

Bangladesh Bank (BB) moved against the bank's reluctance to help good borrowers.

The information includes the number of good borrowers with interest rebate and the amount of rebate given during 2015 and 2016.

The banks have been asked to determine potential good borrowers with interest rebate during the year 2015 and 2016.

The letter also warned that action will be taken against those banks that will not provide their good borrowers with interest rebate by the end of 2016.

Earlier in March in 2015, the central bank offered good borrowers 10 percent rebate on interest accrued against their loan accounts through issuing a circular.

According to the incentive package, the borrowers whose loan accounts remain unclassified continuously for three years and comply with all terms and conditions of approval will be entitled as good borrowers.

At the end of three years, good borrowers would receive 10 percent rebate on their loan interest for every previous year.

The benefit will continue if the clients are identified as good borrowers at the end of every year. The policy will remain valid till further instruction.

The circular also advised the banks to take measures to award good borrowers through an annual programme.

The central bank came up with a set of facilities to encourage good borrowers at the time when big defaulters were having blessings in many ways.

In January 2015, the central bank announced a special rescheduling policy for the defaulters of big loan worth over Tk500 crore.

In December 2013, Bangladesh Bank also relaxed the loan rescheduling policy to favour the big borrowers who failed to make instalment payment due to political turmoil.

BB observed that banks are willing to favour defaulters but reluctant to award good borrowers, said a senior executive of the central bank.

In this perspective, the central bank took a hard line and wanted to ensure benefit for good borrowers, he said.

The country's banking sector has regularised a total of Tk1,13,775 crore loan from July 2013 to December 2015 during political turmoil following the national poll held on January 5, 2013.

Of the total amount, banks have rescheduled Tk82,392 crore and restructured Tk31,383 crore.

Of the rescheduled amount, a loan of Tk30,000 crore was regularised, taking the advantage of relaxed policy while Tk52,244 crore in compliance with the rescheduling policy.

Bangladesh Bank observed that the recovery of rescheduled loans under the relaxed policy was unsatisfactory.


CTV introduces 6-hr telecasting programme

Bangabandhu Sanskritik Jote greeting Director General of BTV SM Harunur Rashid at the inaugural programme of 6-hr telecasting programme of Chittagong Centre of Bangladesh Television on Saturday.





Chittagong Centre of Bangladesh Television (CTV) entered in new chapter of unveiling six hours programmes from 1st January .

After introducing the six hours program from Chittagong Centre, the long- cherished dream of the Chittagong has been fulfilled. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the new six hours program of CTV formally on Saturday through video conference from Gonobhaban .

Information Minister Hasanul Hoque Inu was present at gonobhaban on the occasion. The video conference at Chittagong arranged at Deputy Commissioner's Conference Hall where Minister for Housing & Public works Engr. Mosharraf Hossain, city mayor AJM Nasir Uddin, former Mayor Mohiuddin chowdhury exchanged views with the Prime minister.

Works Minister felicitated the Prime Minister for fulfillment of the dream of Chittagong for six hours CTV program . From now CTV will telecast six hours program from 5 pm every day instead of one and half hour. Among others, Moinuddin Khan Badar MP, Fazle Karim Chowdhury MP, Nazrull Islam Chowdhury MP, Waseqa Ayesha Khan MP, Divisional commissioner Md. Ruhul Amin, Director general of BTV SM Harunur Rashid, govt officials, representatives of civil society and TV artists were present at DC conference hall on the occasion, a district administration sources said .

Meanwhile Combined Artists community of Chittagong hailed the Prime Minister for fulfilling the long cherished dream of Chittagong for unveiling the six hours CTV program from yesterday.


2016 milestone for combating militancy



The law enforcement agencies have achieved a significant success in 2016 in controlling militancy with capturing top leaders of the banned militant outfit Neo Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB).

"We have seen a rise in militancy from the very beginning of this year (2016) and later in middle (of the year) the militant attack on Holey Artisan Bakery. But, the scenario has totally changed after the bakery attack as the law enforcers have conducted successful drives against militants one after another and the latest one was Ashkona dragnet," a security and strategic analyst, Maj Gen Abdur Rashid (rtd), told BSS on Sunday.

Considering the successful dragnets against the neo JMB in which many operatives of the militant organization have been captured and 35 others including some top brasses killed, he said, "We can describe 2016 as the year of success in curbing militancy."

"We have brought under control the activities of the militants as the police have successfully stopped regrouping of the neo JMB with capturing its top leaders and killings some others," additional commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Monirul Islam told.

Islam, also the chief of the Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of DMP, said some of the top leaders of the illegal outfit were killed in security drives while many others were either sentenced to deaths or life or different jail terms.

According to police and RAB, around 40 JMB members were killed, some surrendered and some others were captured during recent drives of the law enforcers.

On the other hand, JMB's 64 operatives were sentenced to death, 154 to life term imprisonment and 242 others to different jail terms in cases of various attacks.

Besides, law enforcers arrested 1,792 JMB men in different cases while 2,043 were charge-sheeted in different cases.

The JMB suffered a huge setback with execution of death sentences of it top leaders including Maulana Shaikh Abdur Rahman, his second-in-command Siddiqul Islam Bangla Bhai, military commander Ataur Rahman Sunny, think-tank Abdul Awal, Majlish-e-Sura members Khaled Saifullah and Salahuddin. "In a single incident of cross-country bomb explosions on 17.

August in 2005, a total of 161 cases were lodged accusing 660 members of the JMB. Of them, 103 cases have already been disposed of while 58 cases are under trial," media wing director of RAB Commander Mufti Mahmud told BSS earlier.

Courts awarded death sentences to 15 JMB men, life term to 118, different terms to 116 while acquitted 118 of the charges in the cross-country bomb explosions cases, sources said.
Canadian academic calls on DU VC



Dr Asit K Sarkar, Professor Emeritus of Canadian University of Saskatchewan, called on Dhaka University (DU) Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique on Saturday at the latter's office.

Dean of the Faculty of Social Science of DU Prof Farid Uddin Ahmed, Dean of the Faculty of Biological Sciences Prof M Imdadul Hoque, Dean of the Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences Prof ASM Maksud Kamal and Director of the Institute of Nutrition and Food Science Prof Nazma Shaheen were present on the occasion.

During the meeting, they discussed about strengthening ongoing joint collaborative academic and research programs on technology, environment, arsenic, food security and agriculture being conducted by DU and University of Saskatchewan.

Prof Arefin thanked the guest for his visit to the university and expressed his keen interest in its academic and research activities.
Over 23 killed, dozens injured

Police and rescue workers search a boat for victims at Muara Angke port in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Reuters :

Twenty three people were killed and dozens injured on Sunday after a fire ripped through a boat carrying nearly 250 people to islands north of the Indonesian capital Jakarta, the city's search and rescue agency said.

The Zahro Express caught fire shortly after leaving Muara Angke port in North Jakarta. The cause of the fire was thought to be a short circuit on a power generator, said police.

"Thick smoke suddenly emerged, blanketing the cabin," said survivor Ardi who was being treated in a Jakarta hospital. "All passengers panicked and ran up to the deck to throw floats into the water. In a split second, the fire becomes bigger coming from where fuel is stored," said Ardi, who was on the boat with his son.

The boat was towed back to port where a Reuters witness saw victims in body bags being removed from the badly charred ship.

According to the head of Jakarta's search and rescue agency, Hendra Sudirman, 248 people were on board, more than double the previous estimate of 100, and out of more than 200 people rescued, 32 were being treated at hospitals in Jakarta.

Sea accidents are frequent in Indonesia, a sprawling archipelago, with vessels often overloaded and having too few life jackets on boat.




Allow UN to probe Rakhine issues: EP



The European Parliament (EP) has asked the government of Myanmar to allow the UN and other outside observers to assist in investigating recent events in RakhineState's Maungdaw district. The EP also urged the military and security forces to stop immediately the 'killings, harassment and rapes' of the Rohingya people, and the burning of their homes.

It made the call in a resolution on the situation of the Rohingya minority in Myanmar on December 15. The European Union (EU) in Bangladesh shared resolution's text on its official Facebook page on Sunday. The resolution underlined the need to appropriately prosecute those responsible, and provide adequate redress for victims of violations.

The EP urged Myanmar to immediately allow humanitarian aid to reach all conflict areas and displaced people, and demanded the government and the civil authorities of Myanmar immediately end the terrible discrimination and segregation of the Rohingya minority. The European Parliament called on Myanmar to lift all unnecessary, discriminatory and disproportional restrictions in RakhineState, and also called on it to improve its cooperation with the UN, including the UNHCR and Special Procedures Mandate-holders.

The EP particularly called upon Bangladesh to allow the entry of Rohingya refugees, whilst acknowledging the efforts already made by Bangladesh to host several hundred thousand refugees. The Parliament said it is extremely concerned about the reports of violent clashes in northern RakhineState and deplores the loss of lives, livelihoods and shelter and the reported disproportionate use of force by the armed forces of Myanmar.

It confirmed that the Myanmar authorities have a duty to investigate the October 9 attacks and prosecute those responsible, but that this must be done in accordance with human rights standards and obligations. Bangladesh says around 50,000 people have fled Myanmar and entered Bangladesh since October 9.





Myanmar will, however, send a special envoy soon to see and evaluate the situation of Rohingya people. Myanmar State Counsellor and leader of the National League for Democracy Aung San Suu Kyi will send the envoy. Myanmar Ambassador in Dhaka Myo Myint Than is in touch with Foreign Ministry officials here to fix the visit and engagements in Dhaka.




Boro yield cost up due to power crisis

Anisul Islam Noor :

The cost of boro production is likely to increase this season as about four lakh irrigation pumps did not get electricity connection despite fulfilling the desired condition set for power connection, sources said.

As a result, irrigation cost of diesel run pumps jumped from Tk 4,500 to 5,400 per acre while the electricity-run pumps charge Tk 3,000 to 3,600, according to Directorate of Agriculture Extension data.

The statistics showed that at least 12.6 lakh irrigation pumps out of 16.5 lakh run on diesel which costs 50 per cent more than the pumps running on electricity. Diesel-run pumps raise overall cost of boro cropping by at least 5 per cent.

The concerned authorities did not extend power connections on a large scale for irrigation pumps mainly because of shortage of power supply and lack of distribution facilities, said a power division official.

He added overload in power distribution network would now affect the farmers forcing them to run their irrigation pumps for the boro cropping in 2017 on expensive diesel.

'This year, we had decided to provide all applicants with power connection from available power distribution lines for boro irrigation excepting the overloaded lines,' Rural Electrification Board Chairman Moin Uddin told reporters on Sunday.

Officials of Rural Electrification Board said providing of new power connections at a much higher rate than that of increasing distribution capacities has mainly raised overload in distribution networks.

The board has provided two to three lakh new power connections per month during the last two years while it had provided only 3.30 lakh connections for irrigation pumps since its inception in 1978, they said.

'It is the government who gives priority to households to provide with the new power connections in the rural areas keeping the demand for irrigation ignored,' said Consumers Association of Bangladesh energy adviser M Shamsul Alam, also an electrical engineering professor.

Farm economist Golam Hafiz Kennedy, also a professor at agriculture business department of Bangladesh Agricultural University, said the government and the authorities concerned should explore every possible way to minimise the cost of cropping, particularly the crop like Boro.

Traditional negligence in giving priority to the different factors of cropping would pose a serious threat to the food security in the long run, he said. He suggested expediting power connections to the irrigation pumps.

According to a government estimate, about 3.5 crore tonne rice was produced in the country in 2016 irrigation season and 1.9 crore tonnes of the rice was produced in boro season.

Some 3.3 lakh irrigation pumps, approximately 20 per cent of the total pumps, got power supplies from the Rural Electrification Board, according to the official data provided by the power division.




UN gets its new Secretary General: He is to be a strong voice of justice

UN Secretary General - it is the one crucial administrative post occupied by a person from whom the list of expectations is not only global but endless. Understandably, some of the difficulty lies in the very job description itself, but however, despite all complications UN Secretary Generals have delivered commendable feats, and also failed to live up to expectations.



Antonio Guterres took the reins of the United Nations on New Year's Day, promising to be a "bridge-builder" and our first expectation in this regard would be to begin his milestone journey along UN's core belief based on multilateralism. An evident paradox of today is that despite greater connectivity, societies have become more fragmented. More and more people are living within their own bubbles, unable to appreciate their links with the rest of the human family, and it's perhaps here where the new SG could play a vital role in bridging the gaps.



After sworn in as SG last December, he is reported to have stated to focus on engaging all governments with one another - and, of course, all governments with the next government of the United States. However, given the new US president-elect's reported lack of enthusiasm on multilateralism, his job is likely to get one full of probable difficulties.



We believe, the former Portuguese prime minister and UN refugee chief, Mr. Guterres will address this particular challenge with others intelligently. Our foremost expectation from him would be that he won't resort to preferential treatments, in terms of peace negotiations, providing security and financial support. He should also prove his value and leadership by addressing some of the key challenges and crisis of the modern world today, that is to say - handle the Syrian and refugee crisis, plight of the Rohingyas' and middle east's ongoing political dilemmas, Palestine peace process along with other global issues like climate change with the equal degree of importance and astuteness.



That having said, there is a clear lack of capacity and combined enthusiasm among the international community, in terms to prevent and solve manmade conflicts. It would be highly appreciated if the new SG makes it a goal to make the community more united and equally responsive towards global challenges.

More generally, the moral duty of ensuring peace should be the top priority for the new UN Secretary-General. Not that the new SG will always be successful, because success depends on state powers. He must be morally strong so that injustices find a powerful protest in him.



Wish Mr. Antonio Guterres the best of luck on his appointment as the new UN Secretary General.






`Religious extremists behind MP Liton killing`

Staff Reporter :

Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Sunday blamed religious extremists for the 'cold blooded' murder of Gaibandha lawmaker Manzurul Islam Liton.

"MP Liton was killed in a planned manner. Initially, it appears to be a cool blooded murder of extremists group. They will have to pay heavily for this," he said in a press briefing after an urgent meeting of Awami League leaders in the afternoon held at the party's Dhanmondi office in the capital.

Liton, ruling Awami League lawmaker of Gaibandha-1 constituency, was shot dead by unidentified assailants at his home in Sundarganj upazila of Gaibandha district on Saturday evening.

"The extremist religious groups involved in the MP Liton murder will have to pay a heavy price," Quader said.

Quader also the Road Transport and Bridges Minister said, "We want to say in clear terms that the communal force has launched a brutal attack at a time when the preparations were going on in a festive mood across the country to welcome the New Year."

The minister said, no evil force will be able to thwart the "onward trend of development" of the country.

"Bangladesh is advancing fast. The government with the help of people will resist those who are patronising killers to create anarchy in the country," said the minister.

Four men stormed the MP's house in Bamondanga area around 6:00pm and shot him in his guest room. So far police nabbed 18 persons in this connection.
18 picked up for quizzing Hartal at Sundarganj: Janaza at JS Plaza today

Staff Reporter :

Police have picked up at least 18 persons from different parts of Gaibandha district for questioning over the murder of Sundarganj MP Manzurul Islam Liton.

"We have so far detained 18 people on suspicion that they might have involved in the murder," Atiur Rahman, Officer-in-charge (OC) of Sundarganj Police Station told The New Nation on Sunday night over phone.

"They have taken to police custody for interrogation over the murder. If their involvement is found they will be shown arrest in this case," he added.

Liton's sister Mahmuda Khatun alias Kakoli on Sunday night filed a murder case with the police station accusing several unknown persons.

Meanwhile, the autopsy of Liton was conducted by a forensic team of the Rangpur Medical College and Hospital (RnMCH) on Saturday night.

"Liton died following 'excessive bleeding' after the shooting. Five bullets injury marks were found at his body," Narayan Chandra Shaha, the Head of the RnMCH told reporters at a media briefing on Sunday. He said the final autopsy report will be handed over to the police soon.

In the meantime, the body of slain lawmaker was flown to Dhaka by a helicopter on Sunday afternoon for holding his second Namaz-e-Janaza to be held at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangshad Bhaban at 10:00am today (Monday).

His body was kept at BIRDEM Hospital's mortuary.

Earlier, the first Namaz-e-Janaza of MP Liton was held at Rangpur Police Lines School and College playground at 12.45pm on Sunday.

Wrapped with the national flag, the coffin of Liton was brought the playground where AL Joint Secretary Jahangir Kabir Nanok with other senior leaders placed floral wreaths on the coffin on behalf of the party's Central Committee.

Led by Additional District Magistrate of Rangpur Rabiul Islam, a smart contingent of police forces gave a guard of honour and bugle played the last post before the Janaza.

AL Organising Secretary of Rangpur Division BM Mozammel Haque, MP, Mayor of Rangpur Sarfuddin Ahmed Jhantu, Divisional Commissioner Kazi Hasan Ahmed, DIG of Rangpur Range Khondker Golam Faruk, Acting President of District AL Mamtaz Uddin Ahmed, General Secretary Advocate Rezaul Karim Raju, City AL President Shafiur Rahman Shafi took part in the Janaza, among others.

Thousands of local people and AL activists and leaders of other political parties also joined the Janaza.

Meanwhile, a dawn-to-dusk hartal was observed in Sundarganj upazila of Gaibandha protesting the murder of MP Liton.

During the hartal, supporters of MP Liton and AL activists blocked the rail line at Bamondanga Rail Station around 7:30am halting train movements on the rail route.

"All the shops and business establishments and educational institutions at the municipality area remained closed due to the hartal but no unpleasant incident was reported," said the Sundarganj OC.

Liton will be buried at his family graveyard today (Monday) after Asr prayers




New Year, new books, students jubilant

Students and teachers including guardians are celebrating National Textbook Festival-2017 on the first day of the New Year. Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid is seen at the inaugural festival at Azimpur Govt Girls\' High School and College campus on Su

Staff Reporter :

New Year, new books. National Textbook Festival marked special jubilation among the students who were given textbooks free of cost across the country on Sunday.



The students were seen very joyful and smiling after receiving the new books.



Bahalul Ahmed Fahim, a Class VIII student of Nilkhet High School, said, "It was very enjoyable that I got all the new textbooks on the first day of the New Year. I thank the government for giving us books."



Rabby Hossain, a student of Hafez Razzak Jameya Islamia Madrasha was overwhelmed with joy to receive his textbooks from the Education Minister.



"I am very, very happy," he said. "I never thought that I would take new books from the Education Minister."



Rifat Hossain, who brought his son, a third standard student of Government Laboratory School, to collect his books.



Rakib Ahmed, a Class-V student of University Laboratory School and College, said, "I am very happy getting the new books."



His father Shamsul Islam told The New Nation that it was very exciting moment when my son was receiving books from the finance minister.



Education Ministry and Primary and Mass Education Ministry organised the National Textbook Festival in separate places in the capital.



Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid inaugurated the festival on behalf of the Education Ministry at the Azimpur Government School and College ground while Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith introduced the day as the Chief Guest at Dhaka University Playground. Primary and Mass Education Minister Mostafizur Rahman Fizar was present there.



Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid said, the quality of the textbooks will be the next challenge of the government.



"It is also a big challenge for us to ensure the standard of the education," he said.



"Previously, textbook distribution could take up to three months," said the Education Minister. "Many students dropped out or slipped through the cracks. Now, we hand them their new text books on the very first day of the year."



Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina formally inaugurated free textbook distribution programme by giving textbooks to the students at a function in her official Ganobhaban residence on Saturday.



A total of 36 crore 21 lakh 82 thousand and 285 textbooks will be distributed among the 4,26,00,000 pre-primary to secondary level students for 2017 academic session.



Alongside the regular textbooks, Braille books will be available for visually disabled students and pre-school educational materials will be available in the native language of 5 ethnic minority groups and learning development guides and study guides will be available for teachers.
The Undead Archives

I have finally salvaged my pre-Blogger TDR archives and added them into Blogger. They are almost totally in the form of one giant post for each month. And the formatting strayed from the originals. Sorry. But historians everywhere can rejoice that this treasure trove of my thoughts is restored to the world.
Country

United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe
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.
The news staff at The Southern voted on the biggest stories of 2016 for Southern Illinois. Here are the top 10 stories that defined the year in our region.

1. No state budget  again

When it comes to Illinois government, 2016 ends much as it began, with Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and the Democratic-controlled General Assembly at odds over the budget and the governors agenda.

A stopgap spending plan thats been funding most state operations since July ends when the clock strikes midnight on New Years Day, plunging public universities, community colleges, social service providers and others who depend on the state back into fiscal uncertainty.

Anyone who was hoping for a quick resolution to the impasse after the November election was sorely disappointed.

After gaining six seats in the next General Assembly, which will be seated Jan. 11, the Illinois Republican Party renewed its attacks tying Democratic lawmakers to House Speaker Michael Madigan, who also chairs the state Democratic Party.

Meanwhile, several Democrats have started testing the waters for potential 2018 gubernatorial campaigns.

Rauner and the four top legislative leaders met a few times in November and early December, but the governor walked away after he said Democrats declined to offer a budget proposal. Democrats say thats his job.

And so the stalemate continues, with Rauner insisting on changes that he says would boost economic growth and Democrats calling for those issues to be dealt with separately from the budget.

Jak Tichenor, interim director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University, said none of this bodes well for 2017.

Were in a terrible place, and its not going to get much better, if any, in the new year, he said.

2. Election 2016

This year saw a lot of political change.

On the national level, Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in a wildly bitter campaign for president.

Locally, three longtime incumbents will see their time in office come to an end in early January. With that, three new lawmakers will take office at the same time.

David Luechtefeld, who has been the 58th District State Senator since 1995, decided not to run again this past year after he was drawn out of his district in the 2011 remapping. State law allowed Luechtefeld to run one more time in his old district without moving, which he did in 2012.

Paul Schimpf won the election over Sheila Simon for the seat in November.

"We worked really hard and I'm happy with the results," Schimpf said in November. "I'm humbled by the trust that the voters of the 58th Senate District have placed in me. I think the voters recognize that if we're going to solve the problems our state has, we're going to need hard work and partisan cooperation and humility and I think I'm able to provide all of those things."

In the 59th District, former Harrisburg Mayor Dale Fowler defeated Gary Forby, D-Benton. In the 117th House District, Republican Dave Severin defeated Democratic incumbent John Bradley.

Longtime incumbents were upended in both races. Both races also had a lot of cash involved.

The Forby-Fowler race was the most expensive in Southern Illinois. Combined, they raised $3.73 million, when money spent by independent expenditure committees is included, ranking it third among the five most expensive Senate races in Illinois. Forby raised $48 per vote to Fowlers $31.

The Bradley-Severin race was also expensive. Combined, they raised $3.51 million. Statewide, the race for the 117th District ranked 7th of the 10 most expensive races. Bradley raised just over $2 million and Severin raised about $1.49 million. That breaks down to Bradley raising $85 per vote, and Severin $55 per vote.

Also in the November election, incumbents Terri Bryant and Brandon Phelps retained their seats in the state House, while Mike Bost won re-election in the U.S. House.

3. HUD takeover of Alexander County Housing Authority

In 2015, The Southerns Molly Parker uncovered issues with the Alexander County Housing Authority in Cairo.

They boiled over in 2016, in February, when HUD took over the housing authority. It became the 19th housing authority to be taken over by the federal government in the past 30 years.

Brian Sullivan, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, said the agency loathes taking over local housing authorities, and only does so as a last resort.

We only do it in the most extreme cases and only when its required to protect the health and safety of family who, like all of us, are looking for a decent place to call home, Sullivan said in a February story.

It is one of five housing authorities, which are entities of local government, that the federal government currently has charge of, joining housing authorities in East St. Louis; Lafayette, Louisiana; Wellston, Missouri; and Gary, Indiana.

U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, whose district includes the area, credited the work of The Southern Illinoisan with bringing issues to light, in addition to the public outcry and organization of citizen activists in Cairo that followed, with pushing HUD toward the significant step the federal government took on Monday to seize governance of the ACHAs operations.

We have been talking with HUD on the issue ever since (The Southern Illinoisan) broke the story to try to figure out the best way to handle this, Bost said in a story in February.

Since February, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said Illinois lawmakers should rewrite the statute that governs the appointing process for local housing authority board members.

And shortly after that, a class-action lawsuit was filed in federal court in May on behalf of current and former Alexander County Housing Authority residents to remedy allegations of rampant discrimination based on race and family status and rent overcharges. The lawsuit names as defendants the ACHA and four past executive directors: James Wilson, Martha Franklin, Tom Upchurch and Joann Pink.

4. Tim Beaty shooting

Early on Easter morning, Tim Beaty, a decades-long fixture in Carbondale's punk rock music scene, was shot and killed. He was found unresponsive on March 27 in his home on West Walnut Street, which was located next door to a house where a shooting at a party occurred. Police said their investigation determined that Beaty was an uninvolved bystander who was not participating in the party.

He reportedly attempted to aid students who fled the party when shots were fired.

An outpouring of emotion followed.

"He just had a way of making everything fun," said his friend and PK's bar manager Curtis Conley in a story from April. "He's just very charismatic.

"It was never about money or fame," Conley said of Beaty's music career. "He just wanted to play."

Conley said hundreds of people stopped by the bar after the shooting to share memories of Beaty. Many people even drove in from out of town as word of the devastating news hit friends who had since left Carbondale, he said.

In September, as part of the Lost Cross anniversary party, a show at Hangar 9 honored Beaty.

Beaty was part of several bands, according to his obituary: Hateful Dead, Cash Gal, 50:50, Dammit Boys, Bourbon Knights, Blast Radius, Conniption Fits, Back Stabbeth, Hippie Repellant, Birth, Lick My Butt and Balls, Venger, It Burns, The Touch, Bellyman, Plastic Jesus and Creepy Smell.

Several arrests were made in connection with the shooting, in which Nehemiah Greenlee was also injured, although one suspect still has not been arrested.

5. Trey Harris shooting

Gun violence was an ongoing story in Carbondale in 2016, and it continued when Carbondale Police Officer Trey Harris was shot July 31 during a pursuit. He was released from a St. Louis hospital a few days later.

The incident happened as officers were responding to gunshots being fired in the area of the 700 block of North Robert A. Stalls Street. While driving toward the source of the gunshots, the officers identified a tan Pontiac Grand Prix driving away from the area at a high rate of speed. As officers attempted to stop the vehicle, and a pursuit was initiated.

During the pursuit, at least one suspect fired several gunshots from the fleeing vehicle, striking the police car and Harris, and police ended the pursuit. Shots were not returned by the officers. Harris was shot in the face.

In August, the Southern Illinois Miners hosted a Stand Up for Blue night and Harris threw out the first pitch before their game at Rent One Park.

Its just a great show of support, said Carbondale Deputy Police Chief Stan Reno. We couldnt ask for anything more. Were proud and thankful to spend time with Trey (Harris) and let folks meet him and encourage his recovery.

No one is currently charged with the shooting of Officer Trey Harris, but a statement released by the Carbondale Police Department indicated that three Salina, Kansas men might have been involved in the incident.

In 2016, at least 15 people have been injured in at least 14 separate shooting incidents. Thats more than any year in the past decade.

Carbondale Police Chief Jeff Grubbs noted that half of the shootings are over drugs, particularly cannabis.

Around half the incidents youre looking at in 2016, the lowest common denominator is drugs, and in particular cannabis, he said in a story from August.

6. Pfc. Iubelt killed in Afghanistan

In November, the region lost Pfc. Tyler Iubelt, who was killed by a suicide bomber at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan.

Loved ones and public officials throughout Southern Illinois called Iubelt, 20, of Tamaroa, a true American hero who made the ultimate sacrifice for this country. A soldier in the U.S. Army, Iubelt was stationed in Afghanistan.

The attack also killed Sgt. John W. Perry, 30, of Stockton, California. Both men died of injuries sustained from an improvised explosive device in Bagram, Afghanistan. The soldiers were assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Special Troops Battalion, 1st Sustainment Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

Iubelt left behind a wife and an infant daughter.

Iubelts body was flown in to Scott Air Force base, then made the trek down to Du Quoin for the funeral. Along the way, friends, law enforcement and first responders, military colleagues and other supporters lined the route to salute, wave flags and quietly pay their respects  from inside and outside Scott Air Force Base, to Nashville, on to Tamaroa and finally, Du Quoin.

One of the most dramatic displays along the route was three miles of American flags, the Avenue of Flags of Honors. Chip Shaffer and Larry "The Flag Man" Eckhardt led 150 volunteers in putting up about 2,900 flags, on both sides of a 3.1 mile stretch leading into Du Quoin.

The funeral was attended by Gov. Bruce Rauner and U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, and included about 50 members of the Patriot Guard.

7. Miners fight for health benefits

As the year wound down, it became closer to reality that miners could lose their pensions and health care benefits. Those benefits are in jeopardy for thousands of aging coal miners as numerous coal companies have filed for bankruptcy in recent years and successfully sought to shed their obligations to employees in Chapter 11 reorganizations. Retirees fear there may be more bad news in the years ahead as demand for coal continues to fall.

In December, lawmakers in Washington passed a short-term spending bill  averting a government shutdown and extending health care benefits to retired coal miners through April 28.

In September, our own Molly Parker went with the 13 buses packed with United Mine Workers of America retirees and supporters to Washington to rally on the U.S. Capitol lawn to demand lawmakers to act on legislation to protect retirees' pensions and health care benefits.

UMWA President Cecil Roberts called the workers the most patriotic people on Earth in a fiery speech. Some of the people who stayed overnight last night have to stay overnight on the way back, Roberts said. Some people rode a bus with no air conditioning. But you just kept on coming on. Only the United Mine Workers would do that.

Mike Bost was one of the lawmakers who addressed the crowd that day.

We know from our own history about the times when people were buried quite often and just left, Bost said in September. Then you stood up and you fought for your rights, for a good wage, for benefits  for health benefits, for a pension. People stood with you to make sure that happened. Folks, were not going to walk away right now.

It still remains to be seen about happens come April, but some who attended the September rally saw it as a last-ditch effort. Larry and Charlotte Dawson, of Mulkeytown, said they made the trip to Washington, D.C., because they couldnt imagine what would happen to their family if those benefits are not there.

This is all we can do, Charlotte Dawson said in September. This is our last stand.

8. January flooding

When it was all said and done, Alexander County officials reported more than $1 million in damages.

In Wolf Lake, the levee held. We were lucky, said Clear Creek Levee District Commissioner Mitchel McLane. We didnt know what was gonna happen.  I think we dodged a bullet on this.

South of Wolf Lake, the overtopping of a levee, followed by a levee breach west of the Alexander County community of Olive Branch, caused widespread damage to homes and farms.

In Grand Tower, officials worried an unfinished construction project on the levee might cause it to bust. By the time floodwaters started receding, the district had experienced 23 slides, but no breaches, and little property damage.

Most of Southern Illinoiss Mississippi River levees have received a U, or Unacceptable rating from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, making them even more vulnerable to breaches during a flood.

In September, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously approved an amendment introduced by U.S. Rep. Mike Bost that could help facilitate reconstruction of the Len Small Levee in Alexander County.

9. Mollys Law signed

In July, during an event at Southern Illinois Airport, supporters gathered to watch Gov. Bruce Rauner and State Rep. Terri Bryant sign two bills, collectively known as Mollys Law.

The bills extends the statute of limitations for wrongful death cases and allows a lawsuit to be brought within five years after the date or the death, or within one year after a criminal case against a perpetrator concludes, and increased fines for public bodies for not releasing information that has been requested under the Freedom of Information Act to $10,000, plus $1,000 for each day information is withheld.

The law was named after Molly Young, a 21-year-old woman who died in 2012 from a gunshot wound to head in the apartment of former boyfriend, Richie Minton, who was a Carbondale Police dispatcher at the time. Several questions have remained about Youngs death, including whether she was murdered or committed suicide.

Larry Young, Molly Youngs father, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Minton in June 2014, two years and three months after Molly Youngs death, but the case was dismissed by Jackson County Circuit Judge W. Charles Grace because Larry Young failed to file the lawsuit within two years of his daughters death, as required by statute.

I can remember what I felt when Larry left and just thinking this is an impossible task before us, Bryant said in July. I promised Larry that we would do everything that we could do to seek some kind of justice in this case.

Rauner said Mollys Law is important protection for families and victims who have suffered from violent action who need to bring justice and closure from that process.

10. Heroin epidemic

In March and April, The Southerns Molly Parker did a series of stories on the heroin epidemic in Southern Illinois.

Across the country, heroin, along with prescription drug abuse, is a growing problem. Southern Illinois is no different.

The exact extent of the problem is difficult to identify, because the data from years past on overdoses and fatal overdoses is scarce. New state laws are trying to change that.

Law enforcement officials are reporting a rise in heroin, and illegally obtained prescription drugs, flowing through Southern Illinois communities. And county coroners in the region say they are responding to an increasing number of fatal overdose deaths related to heroin use.
The anticipation and thrill of hearing your dog let out that unique sound that tells you he has a strike -- or has located the scent of a raccoon -- is one of the things that entices you back to coon hunting again and again, according to Elliott Shuler of Holly Hill.

Knowing your dog, you can tell whether its a hot hunt with the coon running right ahead of him or if its (an) old (trail) and he has to work it, Shuler said. You can kind of imagine it in your mind, and your heart gets to racing.

Its just as rewarding if your dog trees the coon right away or if he has to search out and follow the trail, he said.

Shuler is a veteran coon hunter who is geared up for the 52nd Grand American coming up the weekend of Jan. 6-8 in Orangeburg. Hes participated in every Grand American Hunt except one since 1991, and won two of them.

He and his dogs, Texas Style Zippo and Edisto Swam Squeaky, took the title in 2007 and 2015, respectively. He owned the dogs along with a friend, Michael Cochran.

This year, Shuler is running Zippo and three other dogs he owns jointly with other people. He says hes hoping to bring home the title again. In addition to the Grand American, hes taken part in hunts all over the country. But that was when he was younger, Shuler said.

Every time, Im hoping to win, he said. But to win, youve got to have a lot of luck, have things go your way and a good dog as well, Shuler said.

Coon hunting is hard work for the dogs, he said.

Sometimes the dogs follow the raccoon a long distance through deep, flowing water before treeing it, he said.

It takes a special dog to stay in the water so long, Shuler said. But thats a skill the dog acquires after they spend a lot of time in the water, he said.

Shuler said he gets attached to his dogs. His favorite, and the best one he ever owned, was a dog he raised himself.

Grand Nite Champion Horse Range Rebel had staying power, Shuler said. You could turn him loose and he was gone, he said. Hed find a coon and keep going till he treed it whether he had to go 200 feet or two miles, Shuler said.

He had a lot of heart and lot of drive, he said. The territory never got too hard for him.

He placed in a few races, but he could do a lot better now, Shuler said.

I was not a very good handler. I didnt know what I was doing.

More than 600 dogs have been entered in next weeks hunt, said Harry Ott, a member of the Grand American Board of Directors. And 105 vendors have signed up. Visitors will be able to purchase everything from hunting dogs to hunting supplies, arts and crafts, food and more at the Orangeburg County Fairgrounds.

Ott said he expects that 30,000 to 35,000 visitors will be in Orangeburg for the event. Thats a boost for local restaurants and hotels, he noted. People will be coming from all over the state and from as far away as Texas, Illinois, Indiana and New York.

More area is open for the hunt this year than last year, Ott said. So much water was still standing from the October flood that some places normally used for hunting werent open, he said.

The Grand American Hunt, which is sponsored by the United Kennel Club, is Orangeburgs largest annual event and the third largest such event in the nation.
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.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
President Ilham Aliyev has congratulated the people of Azerbaijan on the occasion of the Day of Solidarity of World Azerbaijanis and the New Year.

"Dear fellow compatriots! Year 2016 is about to be consigned to history. It has been one of the most challenging years for the national economy. Azerbaijan is an integral part of the global economy. The global economic recession continued in 2016. In addition, in the aftermath of the oil prices plummeting three- to fourfold on global markets, our revenues have dramatically declined. Under such circumstances, we could find a way out of this predicament only by conducting profound reforms, and we achieved that.

Azerbaijan has managed to maintain its economic sustainability and ensured economic stability. The drastic and comprehensive economic reforms carried out this year have opened up great horizons and prospects for our future development. I would also like to mention that despite all the difficulties, our countrys non-oil industry has grown by 5 per cent and agriculture by more than 2 per cent this year. We have managed to safeguard our currency reserves this year. This is also a very important issue because our economic potential and financial resources precondition both economic and political independence.

All social programs were over-fulfilled in 2016. New settlements and townships for the internally displaced persons were built. Even though 2016 was a year of crisis, population incomes have increased by 7 per cent. The average wage has risen by 9 per cent.

In other words, despite all the difficulties, Azerbaijan continued to develop in 2016. Let me reiterate that the decisions made this year, in particular the steps towards economic diversification, will yield fruit. At the same time, we have taken significant steps to diversify our exports, because our currency revenues have dropped in the wake of a reduction in oil revenues, and we can fill this gap by developing non-oil exports.

Our international positions were further reinforced in 2016. The number of our friends has increased, while the forces opposed to us, those conducting occasional campaigns against us are leaving the political firmament. Azerbaijan has managed to make great strides in international organizations. In particular, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Non-Aligned Movement have adopted very important documents in relation to the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. The Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh is top of our foreign political agenda. I can say with confidence that our political and diplomatic positions have become even stronger over the past year. No country of the world recognizes and never will recognize the self-styled Nagorno-Karabakh formation. The conflict must be resolved on the basis of Azerbaijans territorial integrity. There is no other option. The four UN Security Council resolutions must be fulfilled. The presidents of the co-chair countries dealing with this issue, the OSCE and other organizations have repeatedly pointed to the unacceptability of the status-quo.

Year 2016 will also remain in history as one of our glorious military victories. For the first time since 1994, Azerbaijan has managed to liberate a portion of its lands from the aggressors. By preventing an Armenian armed provocation in April, our army dealt a devastating blow to the enemy and freed a portion of our occupied lands. Thousands of hectares of lands in Agdara, Fizuli and Jabrayil districts have been freed from the aggressors. The Azerbaijani army is currently in control of tens of thousands of hectares of land.

We did have martyrs. May Allah rest their souls in peace. The Azerbaijani people, the Azerbaijani soldiers and officers demonstrated true heroism. Our flags currently fly over the freed territories of Agdara, Fizuli and Jabrayil districts. While visiting the liberated lands, I said under the Azerbaijani flag again that the people of Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani state would never allow a second Armenian state to be established on our lands. The April battles are a glorious page in our history. The April battles are a historic victory for us. This victory brings a settlement of the conflict closer.

Year 2016 also brought us great sporting success. Our athletes made a historic achievement in the Rio Olympic Games. By winning 18 medals, Azerbaijan proved yet again that it is a sporting nation and that Azerbaijani athletes are among the best. For the number of medals, Azerbaijan finished in 14th place among 200 countries, seventh in Europe, second among post-Soviet republics and first in the Muslim world. This is a huge sporting achievement for us. At the same time, this victory is a demonstration of the power of our people, our state.

This year we also marked the 25th anniversary of our independence. Our servicemen and sportsmen delighted us with their victories on this occasion.

Important steps were taken to ensure energy security in 2016. The implementation of the Southern Gas Corridor project is well under way. On the initiative of our country, a meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council was held in Baku for the first time. In the final resolution at the end of the meeting, all participating countries and international organizations reaffirmed the leading role of Azerbaijan. The Southern Gas Corridor is a project being implemented on the initiative and with great financial support from Azerbaijan. It is a historic project. After the project has been executed and all work has been finalized, Azerbaijan will receive a huge profit. Therefore, all our plans have been successfully implemented this year. I am sure that this gigantic transnational project will be commissioned in a timely manner. At the same time, the volume of gas to be produced from Azerbaijans new gas fields was also determined this year. Thus, the Southern Gas Corridor will be fed not only by the Shah Deniz gas but also by gas from the Absheron field.

I believe that we have also taken historic steps in the area of transport security this year. As you may know, the construction of the East-West transport corridor, which has been under way for many years, is drawing to completion. Azerbaijan has taken very important steps for the commissioning of the North-South transport corridor. It is possible to say that Azerbaijans share of the work related to the East-West and North-South transport corridors has been completed. We have completed all work in a short period of time and will do our best in the future to put these important transport arteries into operation as soon as possible.

A referendum was conducted in Azerbaijan in 2016. The referendum was held in a free and transparent atmosphere. All exit-polls confirmed the official results of the referendum. International observers also acknowledged that the referendum was held in a free and transparent manner, there were no irregularities and it fully reflected the will of the Azerbaijani people. The results of the referendum represent our peoples support for our policies. I would like to thank the people of Azerbaijan very much for this support and confidence. I would like to convince the people of Azerbaijan again that I will do everything in my power to further protect the interests of our state and people.

Year 2016 was declared a Year of Multiculturalism in Azerbaijan. Our country has hosted a number of prestigious international events this year. Azerbaijan has demonstrated to the world again that representatives of different religions, nationalities and ethnic groups can live together in one country, under the same sky and in dignity. Azerbaijan is a country playing an exceptional role in the promotion of the ideas of multiculturalism in the world.

Dear fellow countrymen, it is the Day of Solidarity of World Azerbaijanis today. I salute all Azerbaijanis of the world and send them all my best wishes. They know and should know that a strong and powerful Azerbaijani state stands by them at all times.

Dear brothers and sisters, I wish you a Happy New Near and the Day of Solidarity of World Azerbaijanis. Please accept my wishes for good health and happiness. Happy holidays!" said President Ilham Aliyev in his congratulatory address.
The UN Security Council on Saturday unanimously adopted a draft resolution submitted by Russia and Turkey on a comprehensive resolution of the Syrian crisis, including the ceasefire regime and political talks between the Syrian government and opposition groups in Astana, Kazakhstan in January 2017, Sputnik reported.

On Friday, Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin said Moscow hopes the UN Security Council will take up a vote and unanimously adopt a draft resolution on Syria, which is based on talks and documents issued in Astana, Kazakhstan on Thursday.

The draft resolution has been unanimously adopted as resolution 2336, current SC President Spanish Envoy Roman Oyarzun Marchesi said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Thursday that the Syrian government and armed opposition groups had reached an agreement on a nationwide ceasefire in Syria and on readiness to start peace talks.

Putin called on the Syrian government, armed opposition and all countries with influence on the situation in the Arab republic to support the reached agreements and to take part in the anticipated talks in Astana.

A nationwide ceasefire between the Syrian government and opposition factions came into force at midnight on Friday. Russia and Turkey serve as guarantors of the ceasefire deal, which paves the way for negotiations between the warring parties.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday said Turkey will continue to fight against terrorism and its backers "till the end.", Anadolu agency reported

Erdogan has issued a written message following the armed terror attack at an Istanbul nightclub early Sunday, which killed at least 39 people including a police officer and injured 69 others.

President Erdogan said the "vicious attack" in Istanbul clearly showed that terror does not discriminate but "aims to hurt and kill."

"Turkey is firm on doing whatever it takes to protect its citizens' safety and peace in the region," the president said. "Turkey will stand together and not give passage to dirty games of terrorists."

The president added that those who attack people's peace aim to "create chaos."

"I offer my condolences to our citizens', to our foreign guests' and to our security officer's families and wish a speedy recovery to those injured," Erdogan said. "We are dedicated to eradicate attacks and threats to our country."

The attack comes three weeks after twin bombings in Istanbul killed at least 45 people, most of whom were police officers.
By Azernews









By Amina Nazarli

New Year, marking the beginning of new intention, new ideas, and new actions, has come!

So, it means new beginning in life, new hope and new cheer and also indicates the beginning of new plans and activities.

The festive holiday uniting many peoples of different faiths and races is the most remarkable day for billions of people on the Earth. This is the very holiday gifting majestic and wonderful feelings, joy and happiness.

With the start of the new year ahead, its a perfect time to think about making a new beginning in your life.

Azerbaijan is celebrating the New Year with colorful performances, concerts, contests, and parties that last through the night.

Baku is full of images of roosters, souveniers and predictions. People are excited with upcoming changes and despite there is no certain forecasts on that 2017 will be perfect, hope and peoples mood are the most important things.

The New Year celebration is a family holiday and most Azerbaijanis spend this day at home, surrounded by their nearest relatives and friends, talking about past and laughing on some funny stories.



The table is served always with traditional national dishes. There is a tradition to unite beyond a delicious lunch and right before the midnight they give a toast to the year.

Traditionally a New Year Tree (like Christmas-tree) is decorated in a house at approach of December 31 which is removed only after the Old New Year passes January 13. A necessary attribute of celebration is Shakhta Babah, a character like Western Santa Klaus.

New Year is a wonderful holiday that reminds everyone about their childhood. We can feel the approach of that day even a month ahead because the whole city is hung with garlands, noisy Santas ask to take a picture with them and decorated Christmas trees are everywhere!

On the New Years Eve even adults are ready to believe in miracles and to come back in their childhood, expecting their dreams to come true.

Azerbaijan meets New Year with fireworks at the Baku Boulevard and start after the Clock Tower chimes midnight.

Every year thousands of people gather in the city center to view how spectacular fireworks paint the cold winter sky over the city with bright colors, immersing visitors in the New Years atmosphere.

This year, 2017, is a year of Fire Rooster, symbolizing strength, power, energy, movement, renewal and leadership, which in combination with the temper of the ambitious representative of the sign will fill the year with great prospects and a lot of life-determining moments.
Non-resident Indians (NRIs) who have been unable to exchange the recently banned Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes until December 30, can do so up to June 30, said the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).



Resident Indian citizens who were abroad from November 9 to December 30 can avail this facility up to March 31, the Indian Express quoted an RBI statement. NRI citizens, who were abroad during this period, can exchange their defunct notes up to June 30, 2017, RBI said.



While there is no monetary limit for exchange for the eligible resident Indians, the limit for NRIs will be as per the relevant FEMA Regulations (Rs 25,000 ($367) per person), it said. Citizens can avail this facility in their individual capacity once during the period on submission of ID documents, and on submission of documentary evidence showing they were abroad during the period and that they have not availed the exchange facility earlier, the RBI said.



The statement added that no third party tender will be accepted under the facility. On fulfilment of the terms and conditions and the genuineness of the notes tendered, it said, adding admissible amount will be credited to the tenderers KYC (Know Your Customer) compliant bank account. This facility will be available through Reserve Bank offices at Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and Nagpur.



According to RBI, Indian citizens resident in Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan and Bangladesh cannot avail this facility. Any person, aggrieved by the decision of the Reserve Bank may prefer an appeal to the Central Board of the Reserve Bank within 14 days of the communication of such refusal to him, it said. Such representations may be addressed to the Central Board, Reserve Bank of India, Secretarys Department, it added.
Thirty-nine people were killed and 40 wounded in an attack in a nightclub early Sunday as they were celebrating the new year, a report said.



Around 1:15 a.m. Sunday, the gunman shot a police officer who was guarding the front gate at the Reina nightclub, Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin was quoted as saying in a CNN report.



"He entered the club and attacked innocent people who were there to celebrate the new year. It was a cruel, cold-blooded act," the governor said.



There have been no claims of responsibility. The fate of the attacker was also unclear.



Witnesses in the club said they heard a loud noise, then a security officer told everyone to get out.



One victim said he didn't know how many attackers there were, but he saw one person and hid.



"I got shot in the (expletive) leg, man," he told journalists in English as he was taken into an ambulance. "These crazy people came in shooting everything."



The attacker, who has not yet been identified, opened fire inside the high-end nightclub in the busy Besiktas neighbourhood, according to Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu.



US and Turkish officials called it a terrorist attack, making it the first of 2017.


Twenty-one flights were cancelled by Dubai Airports last night (December 31) due to thick fog in the emirate, a report said.



The emirate's airport operator stressed that it is working with its strategic partners and carriers to restore flight schedules, reported Wam, the Emirates official news agency.



"Severe fog in Dubai last night has caused numerous delays to Emirates flights arriving and departing at Dubai International Airport," a spokesperson for Emirates Airline said.



The carrier apologised for the inconvenience caused, and said that the safety of its passengers and crew is of utmost importance and will not be compromised.



Emirates urged customers to check their flight status for the latest information regarding their flights.



Dubai's budget carrier flydubai said since last Wednesday, thick fog has reduced visibility to less than 100 metres, sometimes, affecting its flights and operations at Dubai International Airport and Al Maktoum International Airport.



Tens of flights were cancelled, delayed or diverted to other airports, disrupting passengers' schedules, a spokesperson for flydubai noted.



The carrier spared no effort to minimise the effect of this "exceptional situation" on passengers and restore schedules to normal as soon as possible, the spokesperson said, and stressed that the safety of passengers and crew is a top priority.




A former Cheyenne high school teacher has pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution and has been sentenced to probation.

James Zlomke, 48, entered the plea on Dec. 19 in Laramie County Circuit Court.

Charging documents say Zlomke, a former science teacher at East High School, solicited an undercover federal agent posing as a 19-year-old woman in an online ad.

The arrest came as part of a police department sex trafficking sting during Cheyenne Frontier Days in July.
DENVER  Educator and documentary filmmaker Patricia McInroy was raised in Casper and visits family in Wyoming frequently.

Her documentary, Clara, Angel of the Rockies, will air on Wyoming PBS at 11 a.m. Jan. 8.

The 30-minute film is the winner of PBS To The Contrary: All About Women  Womens History U.S. Category. McInroy decided to make the documentary with her own funds in order to help spread Clara Browns story of hope to others.

Brown was born in Virginia around 1800 and freed in 1856, when her owner, George Brown, died in Russellville, Kentucky. Brown then made her way west, where she set up a laundry business for miners in Colorado and made a small fortune, which she shared with others.

The film was recently screened at the Rivers Edge International Film Festival in Paducah, Kentucky. McInroy traveled there to attend the screening and also visit the town where Clara Brown had been enslaved.

In Colorado there are some people who have heard of Clara Brown and some landmarks to honor her, but nobody in Kentucky had heard of her, said McInroy.

In addition to McInroy, there is another Wyoming connection to the film as well. According to McInroy, Gwen Scott, who is a Clara Brown re-enactor and key interview for the documentary, was born in Sheridan and lived there until age 12.

My film is an attempt to fill in a small part that is missing from a much larger picture and PBS is a great place to do that, so I feel lucky to have won. The historical story of Clara Brown is one of hope and, as human beings, I think we could all use more hope, McInroy said.

Since the opening of the National Museum of African American History in Washington, D.C., in September, more than 100,000 people have passed by the statue of Clara Brown. The statue is positioned next to a slave cabin at the museum.

McInroy plans to donate 10 copies of the film to the Black American West Museum in Denver and hopes to recover some of her expenses on the film through DVD sales.

Ultimately, my personal hope is that regardless of gender, race or religion, each person who sees this is inspired by the amazing story of how Clara Brown and how she was open to people of a wide variety of colors and religions. It would be wonderful to see us all carry those ideals forward somehow, McInroy said.

McInroy is a graduate of the University of Missouri journalism program and has an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She currently teaches at Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design and The Denver School of Photography. Also a graduate of Casper College in 1989, McInroy was employed as a full-time photographer at the Casper Star-Tribune from 1995 to 1997.

To see a trailer for the documentary, visit vimeo.com/193411212.
CASPER  Darrel and Ellen Black celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Dec. 30, 2016.

Darrel Black and Ellen Abernathy were married Dec. 30, 1966, at First Presbyterian Church in Rapid City, South Dakota.

She was born in Sturgis, South Dakota, and graduated from Rapid City Central High School in 1965. She started her college education at Black Hills State College in the fall of 1965.

He was born in Winner, South Dakota, and graduated from Winner High School in 1964. He started his college education at Black Hills State College in the fall of 1964.

They met in their fall semester of 1965 at Black Hills State. They both worked at the college cafeteria.

In the summer of 1966, he enlisted in the Air Force and did basic training at Amarillo Air Force Base in Texas. They were married while he was on leave.

In August 1967, she was able to join him in Spain, while he was stationed there.

Their daughter, Miriam Black-Saari, was born in Spain in 1969. She has two sons, Stephen and Jordan Hanley, and daughter, Ryann, from a previous marriage. She lives in Chicago.

Their son, Eric, was born in Fort Collins, Colorado. He is married to Shawna Willy-Black and they have two daughters, Eleanor and Audrey, and reside in Portland, Oregon.

In October 1970, he was honorably discharged from the military while stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base, Rapid City.

Upon his discharge, he decided to enter a career in finance and banking. After 15 years in consumer loans in South Dakota, Colorado and Wyoming, he started a new career challenge that led him to First Interstate Bank in Casper, where he was a vice president and commercial lender. He was employed there for a total of 20 years and retired in October 2005. He remained a contract employee for an additional eight years after retirement.

In 1972, she finished her bachelors degree in education at Black Hills State and then taught fifth and third grade in Casper for a total of 31 years before her full retirement in June 2006.

She remains very active as a watercolor artist and is a member of Casper Artists Guild, where she instructs watercolor classes at Art 321.

Their hobbies include fishing, hunting and travel. They both enjoy their annual elk hunting trip to Grand Teton National Park. She is her husbands number one hunting and fishing partner, and he is very fortunate and grateful.

An anniversary celebration for family and friends will be announced later.
Casper College hasnt been immune to the cuts that have reached all corners of public education in Wyoming. Officials estimate the school has lost between 8 percent and 10 percent of its state funding this year.

But president Darren Divine isnt panicking. His sky might be cloudy, but it isnt falling.

We can handle 10 percent, he said.

Those clouds started gathering last year. The Legislature instituted a 1.5 percent cut, which the Wyoming Community College Commission kept away from its seven colleges by cutting money set aside for health insurance reimbursements. That money wouldve given money to colleges for their employees health plans, but Matt Petry, the chief financial officer for the commission, said his organization still plans to have the funds to pay out that money.

Then, later in the spring, as revenue projections painted a grim picture, the commission learned it would have to institute a nearly 8 percent, or $20.2 million, cut across the board. A declining energy sector has shaken public education, which faces a $700 million funding shortfall in the next two-year budget cycle. The University of Wyoming has lost around $42 million in funding during this fiscal year and has announced $29 million in cuts for this year and the next.

In Casper, the college had to cut more than $2 million and stands to lose even more over the next fiscal year, Petry said, citing commission projections. Part of community college funding comes from local mills on property taxes, a revenue source thats been trending downward in Natrona County, he said.

Divine acknowledges that those cuts hurt. But he says its just belt-tightening. The college kept the cuts from classrooms. It hasnt laid off teachers or frozen hiring.

Instead, the school cut operations budgets across the campus. It worked to become more efficient, cutting back on faculty release time and leaving a handful of positions, like the director of testing, unfilled. The university also examined all of the associations it belonged to. Fees attached to participation are often relatively small, but when theyre added up, its substantial, Divine said.

He advocates looking at the funding crisis holistically.

In understanding budget cuts in Wyoming, I really think you have to go back and you cant look at it in a vacuum, he said Thursday. You have to go back and look at what the funding level was before.

Wyoming funds its education system, from kindergarten to Casper College and the University of Wyoming, very well, Divine said. Petry said that the state usually ranks in the top three or five for its academic spending.

Relatively speaking, compared to other states, community colleges in Wyoming are in better position than other states for cuts at this time, Petry said. Still, he said, caps on how much of certain funding can be saved by Wyoming community colleges at the end of the year can hurt at time likes this, when money is tight and savings are needed.

Divine said cuts to one of the most well-funded education systems in the country may seem harsh, but they arent fatal. Previously, he worked at the College of Southern Nevada. Nevada, he said, does not fund education like Wyoming does, so cuts at his previous college slashed a lot deeper than reductions here.

Hes not panicked, but Divine is alert. Lessons in Nevada have him wary about mid-year cuts. Hes worried about reductions that could come around this time of year because his budget is set. Half of his yearly money has been spent, and more of it is already allocated elsewhere.

But Divine isnt expecting mid-year cuts. He said that community colleges might face small cuts, below 5 percent, in the coming months.

Do I anticipate more cuts? Yeah, he said. But I dont think theyll be dramatic.

Divine said thats about the best he could expect, given the climate. But if Casper College had to take the same level of cuts that it took in the past year, it would be tough, he said.

Potential cuts also hurt differently depending on when theyre handed down, Divine said. For instance, spring is typically the hiring season. Last spring, when the reductions were announced, Casper College had several job offers out, and Divine had to decide whether to pull the offers.

He didnt.

The last thing I want to do is let somebody go who is already here, he explained. The next last thing I want to do is let somebody go that we made an offer to.

Petry said it was too early to predict what the Legislature would do. Still, he pondered a doomsday scenario.

The governors cuts back in April totaled about $250 million, he said. Worst case scenario, the Legislature could call for $150 million in cuts statewide.

Or, he stressed, lawmakers could opt for something smaller or nothing at all. Its too early to tell, especially given that an official revenue projection will be released during the session, he said.

Divine said he was calm going into the legislative session, which starts Jan. 10.

Itll end up where it ends up, he said. I dont see it being a doomsday scenario. Its just not.
If you live in Marana or northwest Tucson and you're a movie fan, you've been living in a fantasy land of $5 movies since October at Harkins Arizona Pavilions 12.

The theater dropped its ticket prices to five bucks back in mid-October just as schools were letting out for fall break. (The deal is only good at the Marana theater, 5755 W. Arizona Pavilions Drive off Interstate 10 and Cortaro Road.)

And then they decided to keep the good times rolling by extending it to year's end.

That would, presumably, be today, but the good folks at Harkins said this week that they aren't sure exactly when prices will go back up to the $9 plus per ticket we paid post-full-price holiday. All we could get out management was that it would continue into January. That could mean that it will stop after Sunday, or maybe through Monday since the New Year's Day holiday is actually recognized on Monday, not Sunday, Jan. 1.

Whenever they decide to do it, we're thankful for the extra day  or two or three or however many they see fit  to check out a $5 flick.
This is a very 21st century story, hatched on the most 21st century of gadgets  a cell phone.

So of course it starts with a text message.

Julie Burdick  who owns The Green Monkey consignment boutique  needed a logo for her jewelry line, something she does on the side she jokes, as therapy. The working name: Swaggy Monkey. She fired off a text to Jennifer Senger, The Green Monkeys former manager and self-taught artist who handles the shops social media.

In 10 minutes, Senger sent over a pic of a black Sharpie sketch of a monkey head wearing a crown of gold lettering that spelled Swaggy Monkey. The crown, naturally, was jauntily perched at an angle.

Immediately, the wheels started turning.

Thats so cool, Burdick, whos also a residential real estate appraiser, shot back. We need to do more.

Senger continued to sketch and send, and Burdick came up with more products that the logo could adorn.

That was Sept. 24. By the end of October, Swaggy Monkey was more than a backdrop for Burdicks dangly beaded earrings, it was emblazoned on home accessories as well as yoga wear, including T-shirts and tank tops, along with cheeky sayings like heavily meditated and namaste in bed today.

I think its limitless, says Senger, who manages upscale womens Shoe Boutique in St. Philips Plaza.

So Swaggy Monkey  available at the boutique, 5575 E. River Road, and freshly launched online at swaggymonkeyapparel.com  is steamrolling ahead with bra tops, leggings, a lightweight wrap, headbands and fluffy-as-a-cloud sweatshirts that range from $12-$81. While Burdick and Senger buy from an L.A.-based manufacturer  they hope to one day manufacture themselves  its local Puffin Screen Printing that adds that stately simian.

While the logo might be just a head, Swaggy Monkey is quickly evolving into a business with a heart.

Theres so much negativity out there, says Burdick.

Part of that is our current cultural climate, but it really hit close to home when Burdicks 11-year-old niece in Jackson, Michigan, recently complained about problems in her sixth-grade class. The girls teacher had already been planning a session on bullying, so Burdick issued a challenge to the class to come up with a T-shirt slogan to promote kindness. The just-selected winner: Respect is like a boomerang; throw it out there and itll come back to you.

The snappy phrase will be emblazoned onto shirts that the students can sell, with proceeds going back to the class for a party.

Already in the works are Swaggy Monkey shirts aimed at pre-teens with positive mantras like Its about kindness and Its about respect.

Burdick and Senger plan to present their kindness challenge to local schools, too.

A philanthropic bent has long been a part of The Green Monkeys M.O. The boutique, which opened in 2008, supports The Haven, a nonprofit that helps women recovering from substance abuse. The Green Monkey donates its gently used, unclaimed items which stock the programs boutique that outfits the women for job interviews. Its not just a wardrobe boost but one for their self esteem, too.

For them its wonderful  its like someone said you can go to the store and shop for free, says Joyce Morgan, The Havens chief of clinical services. You act how you dress. It really helps them change their mannerisms and approach. We find a huge, dramatic change. They look great.

Burdick says she loves helping a good cause.

Thats what its all about  giving back.
A new effort by migrant-aid workers to search desert areas west of Tucson for illegal border crossers who died led to the discovery last week of four sets of skeletal remains near Ajo.

The discovery of human remains near Hat Mountain on Dec. 18 and in the Growler Valley in the following four days brings the total number of remains found in the desert since Jan. 1 to 155, according to the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner.

The remains of more than 2,700 people, many of them undocumented border crossers, have been found in Southern Arizona since 2001, medical examiner records show.

All of the recently discovered remains were found in desert areas and consisted of pieces of bone, such as skulls or jaws, that were obviously very, very old, said Deputy Ryan Inglett, a spokesman with the Pima County Sheriffs Department.

The remains were discovered during the first week of a new volunteer program, made up of aid workers from the Ajo Samaritans and the No More Deaths chapters in Tucson and Phoenix, that focuses on areas near Ajo that have not been thoroughly explored, Genevieve Schroeder, a spokeswoman for No More Deaths, said via email.

The Ajo area is arguably the most remote and deadly area along the entire border, she said, noting the extreme heat, lack of water and shade, and long distances without roads or towns.

The fact that illegal immigrants cross the border through the Ajo corridor illustrates that border enforcement policy continues to drive migration into increasingly perilous terrain, she said.

Coming across human remains in these areas is sad and infuriating, Schroeder said. These are deaths caused by global inequalities and an inherently inhumane border policy  prevention through deterrence.

As a result of that policy, which began in the 1990s and was designed to funnel migrants away from urban areas and into the wilderness, the threat of death, and further, of disappearance, is leveraged against migrating people, she said.

The Border Patrol did not respond to questions about the claims made by No More Deaths, but the agency issued a statement saying Tucson Sector agents partner with foreign and local authorities through the Missing Migrant Program to gather pertinent information which may lead to a rescue, recovery, or identification of deceased migrants.

Although apprehensions in Southern Arizona have fallen precipitously since peaking in 2000, authorities and aid workers continue to find bodies in the desert, and families still look for lost loved ones.

Fingerprint identification records provided by the Border Patrol show 339,000 individuals were arrested in fiscal year 2000. In fiscal year 2015, agents arrested 54,000 individuals.

But the 133 human remains reported by the Pima County medical examiner in fiscal year 2015 and the 146 in fiscal year 2016 follow the trend of between 100 and 250 sets of remains found annually in recent years.

As was the case with the remains found last week, many of the remains are skeletal, which indicates they are not recent deaths.

While migrant deaths rightfully receive attention, Schroeder said, the numerous cases of migrants who have gone missing while crossing the border is an equally important crisis.

More than 800 people along the length of the U.S.-Mexico border called the Missing Migrant Crisis Line in 2015 to report a friend or family member had gone missing while crossing the border, according to a Dec. 7 report from No More Deaths and the Coalicion de Derechos Humanos.

A looming question is how many undiscovered human remains are on the Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range southwest of Ajo, where access for aid workers is restricted, Schroeder said.

The Dec. 7 report attributes many of the missing migrant cases to a Border Patrol practice of chase and scatter, in which agents come upon groups of people who run away into dangerous terrain. The report acknowledges that chase is the sole method of apprehension available to agents if border crossers do not surrender to them.

But it can have tragic consequences, such as the March 2015 death of Jose Cesario Aguilar Esparza, who died after falling from a cliff while running from agents during a border-crossing attempt.

In the report, the groups describe missing migrants as disappeared, the word used most often by callers when they describe their missing loved ones. It also is a term widely used in Latin America to refer to people kidnapped and killed without explanation by authoritarian regimes. The report cited a 2006 United Nations definition of enforced disappearance, in which a state policy causes disappearances but does not target specific individuals.

Along the U.S.-Mexico border, the disappearance of hundreds of border crossers is not a natural or inevitable phenomenon, but rather a direct consequence of U.S. border-enforcement policies and practices, the report said.

In response to the report, the Border Patrol issued a statement saying many migrant deaths result from smugglers who knowingly victimize people wanting quick passage across the border.

Smugglers lie, telling their customers their passage will be safe, but in reality, the terrain is treacherous and the conditions are extreme, the agency said. Many are led to their deaths by smugglers more concerned about making money than they are about the lives of others.

The Border Patrols Tucson Sector has 36 rescue beacons, and all agents are trained to handle immediate medical needs while in the field, including 230 agents trained as emergency medical technicians and 54 Border Patrol Search, Trauma, and Rescue agents, the agency said.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the parent agency of the Border Patrol, values human life and collaborates with foreign and local authorities and organizations to educate potential migrants about the true dangers of crossing the border illegally.
The Tucson Rodeo Parade Museum will provide limited funding to help schools tour the museum.

Schools can apply to receive help with transportation cost, though the program will not be offered during Tucson Rodeo week, which stars on Feb. 16, 2017.

The program was made possible through funding from the Bert W. Martin Foundation.

The museum provides an opportunity for students to learn about the history of Tucson and southwest Arizona. The tour of the museum typically lasts about an hour or more.

To apply, visit www.tucsonrodeoparade.org.
Although prospecting was undertaken as early as the 1850s in what became known as the Mammoth Mining District or the Old Hat Mining District, it was not until 1881 that mining intensified.

Located 3 miles southwest of the town of Mammoth on the San Pedro River, the area on the east flank of the Black Hills, a low range north of the Santa Catalina Mountains, saw the development of the Mammoth, Mohawk and New Year properties occurring on what came to be known as the Mammoth vein after its discovery by Frank Schultz.

A 30-stamp amalgamation mill financed by profits made from the discovery of gold ore at the Mammoth Mine by C.R. Fletcher and associates was conveniently built at Mammoth to process the ore from surrounding mines. The mill was heightened to 50 stamps after Mammoth Gold Mines Ltd. acquired the property in 1889.

The Mammoth Tiger Extension Mine, also known as the Ford Mine, was discovered in 1879, reportedly shipping a small quantity of high-grade lead/silver ore shortly thereafter. By 1920 it was shut down due to the expense associated with water removal.

A 900-foot shaft sunk from the neighboring Collins, Mammoth, Mohawk and New Year mines to the east successfully drained the water from the Ford Mine.

By the time it was acquired by the Mammoth-Tiger Extension Mining Corp. in 1942, it consisted of 1,400 feet of underground workings along with a retimbered shaft, a new gallows headframe and the mucking out of all the winzes, stopes and tunnels.

Mining engineer Sam Houghton optioned the New Year Group of mines in 1926.

The development of a 140-foot-deep shaft followed with the discovery of profitable quantities of gold, vanadium and lead.

Despite the Great Depression, rising gold prices in 1933 enabled Houghton to promote his mines. That year, the New Year mines and the Mohawk Mine were acquired by the Molybdenum Gold Mining Co., a subsidiary of the Molybdenum Corp. of America. The company, employing 32 men, continued to develop the underground mines while erecting a cyanide plant.

In 1934, the company was shipping several carloads of ore to the Molybdenum Corp. refinery in Washington, Pennsylvania. An onsite 200-tons-per-day gravity concentration and cyandidation mill was built in 1935.

As business increased, the mill was modified to handle 300 tons of ore per day, replete with a gravity concentrating plant consisting of six concentrating tables. The tailings were then sent to a cyanide leaching plant for recovery.

In 1939, the Mammoth-St. Anthony Mining Co. Ltd. acquired the Mohawk and New Year mines from the Molybdenum Gold Mining Co. The consolidation of mines, including that of the Mammoth Mine, under the control of a single company resulted in the formation of the town of Tiger, which reached a peak population of 1,800 people.

Mining operations at Tiger were focused on producing strategic metals during World War II.

The U.S. military sent several dozen men to aid in mining operations at Tiger because of a lack of manpower due to wartime conscription. Tiger was also the site of only one of two plants that could successfully process molybdenum and vanadium from other metals.

The mining property was purchased by the Magma Copper Co. in 1953, and operations were suspended due to the declining market prices for lead and zinc.

Credited with having produced 400,000 ounces of gold, 1 million ounces of silver, 3.5 million pounds of copper, 75 million pounds of lead, 50 million pounds of zinc, 6 million pounds of molybdenum oxide and 2.5 million pounds of vanadium oxide, the Tiger property was later worked by lessees for gold-bearing tailings and later subject to reclamation under BHP Billiton Ltd.

Tucson Wash just west of the Tiger property connected the towns of Mammoth and Oracle in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

It is now a popular adventure excursion for off-road vehicles and mineral collectors seeking wulfenite crystals at the Ford Mine accessible from the wash.
As a 10-year-old diagnosed with brain cancer, Luis Yucupicio was most upset that he couldnt play outside with his friends.

He didnt realize what was happening.

The first brain tumor was diagnosed in 2003. Chemotherapy, radiation and surgery became his reality for the next six years.

I was just a kid, says Yucupicio, now 23. I had symptoms of a tumor, but I didnt know. I thought I hurt myself.

Until the morning he woke up with the right side of his body paralyzed.

I flopped to the floor after I got out of bed, he says. It numbed my tongue, and I couldnt speak.

He spent a year in chemotherapy and radiation, went into remission for several years and then relapsed.

In 2007, a new tumor was discovered, launching another round of chemotherapy and radiation.

He relapsed again in 2008 and then again in 2009.

After the last surgery in 2009, I wasnt supposed to walk, he says. I ended up walking while I was still in the hospital.

He has been in remission since then but the right side of his body is still mostly paralyzed. Once right handed, he has since learned how to use his left hand. An artist and writer, he found the hand switch actually improved his drawing.

In the beginning when they told us about it, he was only 10, says Marta Yucupicio, his grandmother and an activity coordinator for a Pascua Yaqui Tribe senior center. They told us it was a cancer that wasnt curable, and it was in his brain and that he probably wouldnt live past the age of 14.

Each relapse hit him harder, with maturity making him feel more acutely the differences in his body and the realities of cancer.

He estimates that he missed about six months of elementary school and six months of middle school, but he pushed on, doing what he could of the work sent home by teachers.

Whenever possible, he went right back to school. He missed his friends.

While a student at Mansfeld Middle School, classmates held a fundraiser with blue bracelets that had the word Believe and Yucupicios first name on them. The money raised bought him a PlayStation 2  games such as Guitar Hero kept his fingers strong.

In elementary school and middle school, (classmates) treated me like a fragile little creature, he says. I didnt want people afraid of me. In high school, they treated me like a regular person, not like a sick or fragile kid.

Yucupicio graduated from Tucson High Magnet School in 2011, with only his math processing skills significantly influenced by the cancer. His high school friends and family got him through, pushing him to do more, to try more, to keep going.

When people ask, he tells them he wouldnt trade his past for another.

I wouldnt have changed, he says. I would have been a little jerk. I took life for granted. Every day is a gift.

Yucupicio just completed his associates degree in social services at Pima Community College this semester. He plans to devote his life to helping youth, particularly those grieving. Next, hell head to Arizona State Universitys School of Social Work.

On most Mondays, Yucupicio volunteers with Tu Nidito, a local nonprofit that supports grieving children.

Yucupico was once on the receiving end of the agencys services. Now he facilitates support group sessions.

I met some of my best friends through the hospital, and we wouldnt be the people we are today, he says of his treatment at what is now known as Banner  University Medical Center Tucson. I lived in a bad neighborhood, so I would have turned out to be the worst. I love people. I live to help people. That is what shaped my idea of helping.
Vera Rubin's ties to Kitt Peak

Vera Rubin was among many famous astronomers who used the telescopes on Kitt Peak to make breakthroughs.

Rubin, who died on Christmas at the age of 88, used two of the NSF telescopes managed by the National Optical Astronomy Observatory to observe the motions of near and distant galaxies to provide early proof that some unseen matter in the universe caused them to spin at a faster rate than the laws of physics predicted.

Rubin and colleague Kent Ford attached Ford's Image Tube Spectrograph to the 2.1-meter and the Mayall 4-meter telescopes to gather proof for their exploration of a phenomenon that came to be called "dark matter."

Rubin's work, controversial at first, is now the accepted basis for an explanation of how the largest gravitational force in the universe comes from matter that does not emit light.

In an interview for the book "Observatories of the Southwest," Rubin told authors Douglas Isbell and Stephen E. Strom that access to the telescopes on Kitt Peak shaped her professional life. "From the start, Kitt Peak was very special because it would accept applications from any astronomer," she said.

The one downside to the innovative instruments being brought to Kitt Peak telescopes is that it restricts the use of them, said Jim Ulvestad, director of NSF's Division of Astronomical Sciences.

The only non-success is that our constrained funding means they are not fully open-access anymore, but all are doing very productive science." he said.

Rubin was the recipient of every major honor in her field and was awarded the National Medal of Science by President Clinton in 1993.
Help India!

By Soroor Ahmed, TwoCircles.net,

A few days before the September 30 verdict of the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court the entire Minority Cell of Lok Janshakti Party, the junior alliance partner of Rashtriya Janata Dal in Bihar, merged with the ruling Janata Dal (United) of chief minister Nitish Kumar. Though Lok Janshakti Party of Ram Vilas Paswan is not as strong as Lalu Yadavs outfit nor were the Muslim leaders of much reckoning yet it was quite an embarrassment for both the leaders.

Support TwoCircles



That is ancient history now. Five days after September 30 verdict on Ayodhya the Minority Cell president of the ruling Janata Dal (United), Abu Talib Rahmani, almost with all the Muslim leaders, joined the Rashtriya Janata Dal. Sensing that the entire JD(U) Minority Cell will merge with the RJD the Janata Dal (United) state president, Vijay Chaudhary, dissolved the organization. So it was back to square minus one for the ruling party in Bihar as those who joined its Minority Cell recently were left high and dry.





Nitish Kumar interacting with BJP leader and Deputy CM Sushil kumar Modi [Photo: Topnews.in]



Abu Talib Rahmani, though new to politics, was much promoted by the chief minister Nitish Kumar, who badly needed a Muslim face. Some of the Muslim LJP leaders joined the Janata Dal (United) before September 30 because Izhar Ahmed, the sitting MLA of the party, was denied ticket on the plea that he had neglected his assembly constituency. As Izhar himself quit the LJP and engineered a coup of a sort by taking away the Minority Cell of his party the Janata Dal (United) was quick to give ticket to him.

But the case of Rahmani is rather different. By the time he quit the Janata Dal (United) and with all his supporters joined the RJD the ticket distribution work was almost over. So it was not just lure of ticket which forced the cross over as in the case of the LJP Minority Cell. It was the sudden change of situation at the grass-roots level and pressure from below that these Muslim politicians, who care more for their own political ambition rather than anything else, were forced to switch sides.

The situation has changed to such a level that now the chief minister Nitish Kumar is reluctant to share dais with none else but the former deputy Prime Minister, Lal Krishna Advani and partys chief spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad, lawyer of Sri Ram Lalla Virajman in the Ayodhya case. Though Nitish has a very good personal relation with both these leaders, the revival of old Babri Masjid memories is coming in the way of sharing platform with them publicly. The by-product of the verdict is that it opened the old wounds and demolished the media-created moderate image of Advani. So Nitish now wants to maintain distance with him.

Secondly Ravi Shankars address to the media at Lucknow just after the court verdict has embarrassed the Janata Dal (United) no end. That television shot is no less damaging to Janata Dal (United) than the June 12 advertisement showing Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar clasping each others hand.

So while Ravi Shankar was felicitated elsewhere in the country in Bihar the BJP people are not rejoicing over the court verdict because of the pressure from Janata Dal (United). This notwithstanding the fact that Ravi Shankar belongs to Bihar and hails from the family of Sangh Parivar.

As Nitish had one leg each on two boats sailing in opposite direction the crisis was bound to crop up sooner or later. Unfortunately for him this happened just on the eve of the Assembly election, one of the greatest political challenges of his life.

While the Congress too is trying to win over the heart of Muslims the problem with the party is that it has no leader in Bihar. Besides, the verdict also revived the Congress suspicious track record on the issue. So none else but the RJD-LJP alliance is likely to reap the benefit. For all his faults Muslims still trust Lalu Yadav so far secular commitment is concerned. He is a time-tested leader known for his tough stand against the communal forces. Nitish lacks that quality. His silence on Gujarat when he was the railway minister is being discussed openly in the Muslim society now.

True Nitish did try to win some support of Muslims but being a partner of BJP he had repeatedly succumbed to the pressure of the partner. For example he often claims that he had opened some of the old cases of Bhagalpur riots and constituted N N Singh Commission in this regard yet the appointment of K S Dwivedi as the IG (Operation) some months back is being openly discussed in the Muslim society now. This notwithstanding the fact that none of the Muslim leaders or Urdu media dared to raise the issue earlier. Dwivedi was the SP of Bhagalpur during the infamous 1989 riots and was indicted by the Bhagalpur Riots Inquiry Commission way back in 1995. The Report held him wholly responsible for that anti-Muslim pogrom.

Though Lalu Yadav too did not take any action against him yet during his and his wifes regime Dwivedi was at least denied promotion and dumped in the police hierarchy. Nobody heard of him during the rule of husband and wife.

Political situation often changes when the battle line is drawn and not when the society is in dormant stage. So the election campaign provides an opportunity for many pressure groups to operate in favour or against some political party.

As the Ayodhya verdict came just before the assembly election in Bihar where Lal Krishan Advani was arrested on October 23, 1990 by the order of none else but Lalu Yadav history is bound to haunt. A week after the verdict those Muslims who deserted the RJD, LJP and Congress to join the Janata Dal (United) are suddenly finding themselves in no mans land.

A senior doctor who has a house in a Muslim dominated locality of Delhi has an interesting story to tell. He said that a day before the Ayodhya court verdict the son-in-law of one of the leading lights of the Babri Masjid movement rang him up asking him that he wants to shift to his house for a couple of days as he is not feeling very comfortable and secured in that posh-locality of the National Capital Region.

As the said son-in-law of the leading light of the Babri movement is a very good friend of the doctor, who narrated the story to this correspondent, the latter said that you are most welcomed. What is surprising is that his wifes elder sister is now contesting assembly election in Bihar from the Janata Dal (United).


Help India!

By TwoCircles.net special correspondent

Lucknow: Hundreds of Muslims attended the protest march at Lucknow on Sunday against the Saudi Arabian interference in Bahrain and killing of innocents in Libya by NATO forces. The protest was organised at the call of Imam-e-Juma and eminent Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawwad.

Support TwoCircles



Prior to protest, a rally was held at Maqbara Saadat Ali Khan at Hazratganj and later the protestors proceeded to Shahnajaf Imambara.







The protestors later submitted a 13 point memorandum addressed to the Prime Minister (PM) through the District Magistrate (DM) demanding immediate end to the attacks on Bahrain, Libya, Syria and other countries. The clerics also announced that a massive protest will be held outside Bahrain embassy in New Delhi on Friday.

Earlier, addressing the protestors, Maulana Jawwad stated that Saudi Arabia is following dual policy. It is killing the innocent Muslims in Bahrain but is silent over their killings in Palestine by Israel. It has dispatched its army in Bahrain but has turned a Nelsons eye towards Palestine, said Jawwad. Jawwad also warned the USA for atrocities in the region.







Shaher Mufti Maulana Abul Irfan Miyan Farangi Mahli in his address stated that the Muslims should unite against the Saudi regime. The Saudis refer themselves as servant of the holy mosques but they have constructed plush hotels where the Israels and USA citizens enjoy their state. Such trend should be brought to any end and there should be equality for all, he said.

Imam, Tile Wali Masjid, Maulana Fazlur Rehman Waizi also decried the US attacks on the Libya and demanded an immediate pullout of NATO forces.

The protest march passed in front of DM residence, Sibtainabad Imambara and later culminated at Shahnajaf Imambara with a dua by the clerics. The protestors also performed matam and raised slogans.







Maulana Kalbe Jawwad



In another development, the All India Shia Personal Law Board (AISPLB) also announced on Sunday that it will stage protest in front of Bahrain embassy in New Delhi and later at Jantar Mantar on Thursday. We will hold the protest on Thursday against the Saudi governments intervention in Bahrain. It will be a peaceful protest which will be attended by large number of clerics, said spokesperson, AISPLB, Maulana Yasoob Abbas.


Help India!

By Mohammad Sajjad,

Born on 27 October 1875, at a village, Daudnagar, near the historic village of Vaishali, Shafi Daudi (1875-1949), was the founding President of the district unit of the Congress in Muzaffarpur (Bihar), in June 1920; the Shafi Manzil, was the venue of the meetings. He, along with few more companions like Ramdayalu Singh (1881- 1944), Radha Mohan Singh (d. 1961; of village Kamalpura, Paroo), Bindeshwari Prasad Varma, etc., went to Calcutta to attend the special session of the Congress in September 1920.

Support TwoCircles



By that time, Muzaffarpur had already become an important centre of the national movement. As a matter of fact, since 1857, Muslims were taking the lead both in modern education as well as in subsequent anti-colonial political assertion. Syed Imdad Alis Bihar Scientific Society (1868) and few other initiatives resulted into emergence of a sizeable section of educated middle class, more particularly among the Muslims, in Muzaffarpur.





Maulana Shafi Daudi [Photo Courtesy: bibliography.com.pk]



In 1908, Khudi Ram Bose was hanged till death for having resorted to violent revolutionary activities; he had intended to kill the unpopular judge Kingsford, but ended up killing two ladies. The same year Annie Besant had visited the town and established Theosophical Society, which later on threw up leaders of the Home Rule Movement, as recorded in Janakdhari Prasads memoir, Kuchh Apni Kuchh Desh Ki (1970). In the Seminary School, the Bihari Students Conference (1916) was organized, presided over by Annie Besant. On 15 April 1917, Gandhiji visited Muzaffarpur, stayed at the Shafi Manzil while on his way to Champaran; he also went to the kothi of indigo planter (Nilaha Sahib) at Daudnagar (another village of Muzaffarpur, which was the ancestral place of Mazharul Haqs father). In 1913, a branch of the Anjuman-e-Khuddaam-e-Kaabah (Abdul Bari, Firangi Mahal, Lucknow) was opened by Abdul Waheed and Khan Bahadur Syed Mahmud, who was teaching in Berkley. In 1889, inspired with the Darul Uloom (Deoband), the madrasa, Jamiul Uloomwas established by Hafiz Rahmatullah Ahqar (d. 1927), who was an important leader of the national movement. By 1920 the anti-colonial politics had started becoming more assertive.

Thus a host of freedom fighters emerged among the Muslims in Muzaffarpur, viz. The Aijazi brothers, Abdul Wadood, Hakeem Ruknuddin, Abdul Khaliq, Mohammad Ishaq, Mohamamd Hakeem, Badruzzaman, Abdul Majeed, Hafiz Nabi Hasan, Nematulllah Razi, Abdul Ahad, Mohammad Zahuruddin, Badrul Hasan, Advocate, Khan Bahadur Syed Ahmad Husain, Syed Mehdi Hasan, Moulvi Matiurrahman, Moulvi Abdul Ghani, Moulvi Hasan Jaan, Mohammad Ismael, Mohammad Yaqub, Tajammul Husain, Syed Mubarak Ali, Noor Hasan, Abbas Vidyarthi, and many more.

On returning from the Calcutta Congress (Sept 1920), Daudi first of all addressed a huge gathering in the premises of a school at the Bhagwanpur railway station near Vaishali. Through such efforts, now the Congress programmes started becoming popular among the common people. On 15 October 1920, the provincial Congress formed a committee of four people including Mazharul Haq and Shafi Daudi. This is how the organizational structure of the Congress started becoming stronger. On 7 December 1920, Gandhiji again visited Muzaffarpur along with the Ali brothers. Once again the Shafi Manzil was privileged to be the place preferred to stay at by these history- makers.

After the Nagpur session (1920) of the Congress, law courts came to be boycotted; Daudi gave up his lucrative court practise (of around Rs three thousand a month) and started adjudicating the disputes either at his home or at the district headquarters of the Congress at the Tilak Maidan in Muzaffarpur which became hub of nationalist activities. On the death of Tilak in 1920 a target was fixed to raise a fund of Rs ten million from across the country. It was due mainly to the efforts of Daudi that Muzaffarpur contributed Rs one lakh to the fund.

Charkha Samitis were formed in villages. During 26 January to 5 February 1921, as many as 56 meetings were held in the villages; training camps were opened which threw up local leaders. The state became vigilant upon Daudi and imposed certain restrictions like prohibiting him to address public meetings, against which Rajendra Prasad raised his voice of protest in the council. Daudi had succeeded in starting quite a few schools for nationalist education, in burning the foreign imported clothes, etc. On 30 October 1921 the Superintendent of Police entered in his diary that the people of Muzaffarpur have great trust in their leader Daudi who had made the district an important centre of the Non Cooperation Movement.

The same day the police raided Daudis house and arrested him alongwith few other people including Maghfur Aijazi (1900-1967), and Abdul Wadood (1955). With this a vacuum of leadership in Muzaffarpur came. Thanks to Mrs Zubaida Daudi who accepted the challenge to lead and addressed the pre-scheduled public meeting till Lateef Husain succeeded persuading Ramdayalu Singh to take over the lead. The popularity of Shafi Daudi can be gauged by the fact that in protest against his arrest, a large number of peasants surrounded the collectorate. The Collector wanted to put Daudis property to auction but he found no bidder. Inside the jail he was subjected to torture leading to popular protests making the colonial state bow down and Daudi was then declared a political prisoner.

Inside the jail he evolved a unique form of prayer offered by both Hindus and Muslims together. In December 1922 he was released and he joined the Gaya Congress, after which he joined the Swaraj Party, contested the Municipality elections and became its President. In March 1924 he contested for the District Board, from Patepur which he lost at the hands of an European candidate Danby, a planter. His contemporaries admit that this was beginning of the manifestations of caste and community based frictions within the Bihar Congress as well as in the national movement. This electoral defeat of Daudi was taken as reluctance of the common Congress cadres in granting proportionate share of power to the Muslims.

In Gaya, Hadi Husain (the brother of Sir Sultan Ahmad) underwent similar experiences which had hurt even Hasan Imam. From then onwards the Congress came to be dominated more by the Bhumihars and Rajputs whereas the Muslims and the Kayasthas began to be marginalized. G. McDonald has interpreted it in two ways, on the one hand the Bihar Congress now got rural elites as its leaders, and on the other hand they were more from the abovementioned two upper castes of Hindus. Rajendra Prasad in his Autobiography has also expressed his concern about the anguish of Daudi after his marginalization in electoral politics. Daudi was disillusioned and his alter dissociation witht eh Congress had a lot to do with the politics of the 1920s.

In 1924, Daudi was elected for the Central Assembly (separate electorate was applicable in the Council elections). In 1926-27 elections the Swarajists had tough days against the Mahasabhites like Moonje, Malaviya, Lala Lajpat, etc. In Bihar however the Swarajists had not seen as bleak scenario. It was due mainly to Daudi. He wrote a letter to Motilal Nehru expressing his hard work in the electoral campaign, wading through knee-deep water on the bullock carts, and ensured peoples support, more particularly of Muslims, to the Swaraj Party.

Daudi was however still favouring joint electorates with some reservation of seats for the Muslims, which he insisted on in the Madras session of the Congress (1927). The Puruliya session of the Bihar Congress presided over by Shah Mohaamd Zubair also insisted on reservation of seats for the underrepresented groups under the joint electorate. Meanwhile the Simon Commission was announced. On 30 Janaury 1928, Daudi presided over a meeting in the Anjuman Islamiya Hall, Patna, where he exhorted to sink the communal differences in order to put up a strong resistance to the Simon Commission. On 3 February, the day Simon Commissionw as landing in India, Daudi addressed from the Jama Masjid, Muzaffarpur exhorting people to boycott it, and he himself proceeded to Patna to lead a students procession against it along with Rajendra Prasad, Baldev Sahay, and Abdul Bari.

Subsequently, the Motilal Nehru Report came. On 18 October 1928 there was a public meeting of Muslims outpouring dissatisfaction against the Nehru Report. This was preceded by such meetings in various district headquarters of Bihar. In August 1928 he had reiterated it at the All Parties Conference, Lucknow. Motilal Nehru did not endorse it; rather he bluntly snubbed him, which shocked him deeply and he left the Congress-Swaraj Party. On 9 December 1928, an All Parties Conference of Muslims was convened to know the Muslim reaction on the Nehru Report. This conference passed many resolutions including communal amity, joint electorate, reservation for Muslims in the central assembly, provincial autonomy, and complete independence for India, whereas the Nehru Report had contented itself on Dominion Status.

In 1929 he helped Mian Fazl-e-Husain of Punjab to found the All India Muslim Conference. Daudis Urdu bi-weekly, Ittehad , from Patnas Qaumi Press, Bankipore, worked a lot towards popularising the political programmes of the Muslim Conference. The Congress loss was the gain of the Muslim Conference, which was increasingly becoming the Muslim Leagues eye-sore. As the Conference was for joint electorates and the League was for separate electorates. For most of the duration of 1924-34, Daudi was member of the Central Assembly and he left his mark both on the streets as well as inside the assembly.

In 1931, during the Civil Disobedience Movement, in the North West Frontier Province, the Red Shirts of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan had undergone police excesses. Daudi left no stone unturned in getting the responsible officers transferred by taking the issue up with the Governor and the Inspector General of Police, and got the imprisoned freedom fighters freed from incarceration. Daudi was a part of the delegation of the Round Table Conference-II, which had gone to London, and along with Allama Iqbal and Shaukat Ali he had toured certain parts of the world where he propagated his struggle against colonialism.

In the earthquake of 1934 he undertook the relief works on a very big scale. The Congress office of the Tilak Maidan in Muzaffarpur was confiscated by the government, hence the contiguous land of two and a half bigha was given to the office to operate the relief works; it was a land belonging to the Servants of India Society of Gokhale, hence it came to be known as Gokhalepuri. And the building was named Hridaya Sthali after Hridayanath Kunjru, the Secretary of the Society. Gandhiji inaugurated the building on 23 April 1934.

The Muslim Conference gradually lost its relevance particularly after the Communal Award (1932). Meanwhile the ex-Khilafatists of Punjab had formed the Majlis-e-Ahrar. Daudi contested 1937 elections on the Majlis-e-Ahrar, and lost it to Badrul Hasan of MIP. He tried to re-establish his law practise in the Muzaffarpur court, became the Public Prosecutor. Gradually, more on account of failing health and old-age ailments, he went back to his village Daudnagar, and became part of the Jamaat-e-Islami, which was founded in March 1941 by Maulana Maududi (1902-79). In 1947 he dissuaded the Muslims of his village and locality from migrating to Pakistan. His nephew Col. Mahboob Ahmad (1920-92), the second Lieutenant in the British Indian Army, was with the INA of Subhash Bose, whom he had first met at Singapore in early 1943, and by July 1943 he joined the INA, also toured different parts of Bihar persuading people to remain undaunted in the face of the 1946 massacre, and exhorted them not to migrate to Pakistan.

In January 1949, Daudi breathed his last at his ancestral village Daudnagar.

Could this story of Daudi be taken as yet another instance of Muslim alienation against the Congress denial of adequate share in the structures and processes of power during the freedom struggle? This question perhaps needs a debate, leaving at least one thing undisputed that Daudi was the founder of the district unit of the Congress in Muzaffarpur and his contributions to the freedom struggle cant ever be forgotten, notwithstanding his experiments with many political formations.

[Note: This is an abridged version of my essay, Ek Ahad Saaz Shakhsiyat: Shafi Daudi , published in Jamia, Urdu quarterly, vol. 100, Nos. 4, 5, 6, April-June 2003, pp. 33-50. Details in my forthcoming monograph, Contesting Colonialism and Separatism: Muslims of Muzaffarpur, Bihar, since 1857].



Mohammad Sajjad is Assistant Professor at Centre of Advanced Study in History, Aligarh Muslim University (India)
Help India!

By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,

New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party leader and former Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind kejriwal extended his support to the Dalit rape victims of Bhagana on Tuesday.

Support TwoCircles



About 100 Dalit families from Bhagana village in Haryanas Hissar district are sitting on dharna since April 16 at Jantar Mantar and even met the then Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, on April 27. Shinde, who is himself a Dalit, had assured to look into the matter. But so far nothing has come out of this.They have also met the Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, but in vein.







On Tuesday evening Arvind Kejriwal visited the protesters at Jantar Mantar and assured of all possible support to help the victims get justice. He was accompanied by AAP leader Yogendra Yadav, who had contested the Lok Sabha election from Guragaon, but lost. Yadav had visited them earlier too. Several AAP workers, in their trademark caps were also present at the dharna site.

Arvind Kejriwal reminded the protesters that the Congress and BJP have trapped the people of this country by playing politics of caste. He urged the voters to fight united against the vested interests for justice.

On June 4, as the Delhi Police had forcibly removed the tent of the protesters early in the morning, AAP had issued a strong statement condemning the incident.

The protesters from Bhagana are demanding justice for the four teen aged Dalit girls who were raped by the dominant land holding Jats from the same village.

On March 23, away from the media glare, as the election campaigns were in full swing four girls, belonging to the Balmiki community in Bhagana village were allegedly kidnapped by a group of Jat boys and gang-raped. They were dumped at Bhatinda railway Station, about 170 Km away, where they were found in almost unconscious state by the village head and their relatives a day later.

To file even the FIR, they had to sit on dharna and call local champion of Dalit causes, Ved Pal Tanwar. Under pressure police filed the FIR but victims families were not satisfied and they sat on dharna outside the District-Headquarter (Mini-Secretariat). Seeing no actions and progress in the case, they eventually moved to the National Capital on April 16.

According to a protester, few days back some officials from the Home Ministry had also visited the dharna site and urged them

Related:

Bhaganas Dalit victims seek justice; protest at Jantar Mantar

Send us to Pakistan, but dont ask us to go back to our villages, say Dalit victims of caste violence in Haryana


Help India!

By Special Correspondent, TwoCircles.net,

Solapur/Bhopal: Mahmooda Bi, mother of Khalid Muchale, one of the eight under-trial prisoners encountered on October 31, has rejected all the three ongoing state investigations in the case and has petitioned for an independent probe at the Jabalpur High Court.

Support TwoCircles



Muchale and seven other under-trial prisoners who were lodged in Bhopal central prison under the allegations of being members of banned organization SIMI were killed in an encounter near Bhopal on the morning of October 31.

Following this encounter Madhya Pradesh government initially felicitated police officials involved in the encounter killing, but after pressure mounted, it ordered for enquiry into the encounter killing. Presently, the MP government has initiated three investigations: Inquiry entrusted to a Senior IPS Officer and in charge of Special Investigation team at Bhopal, a Magisterial inquiry into the matter by a Sub Divisional Magistrate Baresiya and an inquiry by a retired Judge of Madhya Pradesh High Court Justice S K Pande.

Subsequent to the controversial encounter, many petitions were filed before Jabalpur High Court including one by Mahmooda Bi praying for an independent probe into the matter. Almost all such petitions have been rejected by the High Court so far maintaining that no interference is required into already initiated inquiries. Mahmooda Bis writ is still pending before the High court.

Mahmooda Bi has rejected all the investigations directed by MP government and said, No matter how many inquiries are initiated to investigate the matter, it will yield no reasonable results unless such inquiries are done out of the influence of the authority whose genuineness in handling the matter is challenged.

How can it be the fair investigation when the order for probe itself calls my son a SIMI terrorist even though he was only an undertrial prison and none of the court ever judged him to be a member of any banned organization?, she questioned.

She was referring to the November 2, 2016 order of District Magistrate, Bhopal for a Magisterial Inquiry in which the deceased undertrial prisoners were regularly referred to as SIMI terrorist.

My son had a problem in his one leg and it was impossible for him to jump from even the height of 3 feet, but jail break is not being investigated in by this inquiry, she further said.

Mahmooda Bi also objected to the probe under retired High Court Judge S K Pande as she says the order of inquiry by MP government to him clearly states that the undertrial prisoners were faraar (absconding) and thus restricts the commission from conducting inquiry into the alleged jail break assuming it to be indisputable.

Mahmooda Bis Counsel Advocate Pathan, who filed the writ petition, told TwoCirlces.net, When the accusations are directed against the local police personnel then it would be desirable to entrust the investigation to an independent agency.

He also added, Even the orders of probe by the MP authority itself pre-judge jailbreak to be a genuine one and calls eight deceased under trials as terrorist. Then how can one rely on the outcome of the investigations? For the fair probe, the probe should be handed over to the agency over which MP government will have no control.

Pathan further said that Mahmooda Bi had also asked for an inquiry into the alleged killing of head constable Ramakant Yadav inside prison on the fateful night.

The death of Ramakant Yadav should have been made part of the investigation by the MP government but surprisingly it is missing from the entire probe ordered by the state, Pathan stated raising substantial doubt over state.
. H e denies he ever made any promises to break . H e flip-flops sometimes within a single sentence. He is impulsive and reactive, meaning what he does comes more as a reaction to what other people are doing around him than because of any core set of beliefs. I can predict with great confidence that Trump will lash out at people who he believes have slighted him. But who will he lash out at, what will be the consequences of a presidential lashing, and how will the rest of the powers that be react to his antics is very very hard for me to guess. Even though the grades for my 2016 predictions ended up being a lot better than I expected , I write this post with some trepidation. The new president is particularly unpredictable, except when he is not. He breaks promisese denies he ever made any promises to breake flip-flops sometimes within a single sentence. He is impulsive and reactive, meaning what he does comes more as a reaction to what other people are doing around him than because of any core set of beliefs. I can predict with great confidence that Trump will lash out at people who he believes have slighted him. But who will he lash out at, what will be the consequences of a presidential lashing, and how will the rest of the powers that be react to his antics is very very hard for me to guess.





And yet, this is what I do. Even if I am totally wrong, it will still someday be fun to look back and see how wrong I was. Without further ado, the tradition continues. H ere are my blind guesses predictions for 2017. As always , these are what I think will happen, not necessarily what I want to happen. And I have tried to limit my predictions to thin g s that I will be able to deem right or wrong at the end of the year. (So no, for example, "th e economy will be better" instead, I will make a prediction about the unemployment rate, the market averages, or some other measure of the economy that I can check.)





1. Donald Trump will not be impeached in 2017, nor will there be any congressional proceedings or hearings exploring impeachment. (Just throwing that out there because several people I know seem to assume he will very quickly get himself impeached, even though we have our current Congress )





2. Trump's approval rating will be 35% or less at the end of 2017, according to the Gallup 3-day average approval poll.





3. Some kind of repeal or partial repeal of the Affordable Care Act (aka the ACA or Obamacare) will pass Congress and will be signed into law by Trump, but it will not co mplet el y end the health care exchanges before the end of the year.





4. There will be an effort to pass a privatization of social security or otherwise turn it into some kind of defined contribution system, but that effort will not pass in 2017,





5. There will be some effort to make major changes to Medicare such as turning the government run insurance program into a private insurance system with "premium support", at least for people who do not currently have medicare, but that effort will not pass in 2017.





6. The NLRB will undo the union election procedures instituted in 2015, either because of one of the court challenges (unlikely) or because reversing the election rules will be a condition of the agency's funding (very likely).





7. Scalia's seat on the Supreme Court will be filled by the end of 2017 by someone nominated by Trump and confirmed by the Senate.





8. There will not be any other vacancies on the Supreme Court in 2017.









10. The U.S. will have new war somewhere in the world in 2017 (to be a "new war" it has to be more than what we are currently doing. That is, more than drone attacks in places that the U.S. is already droning, like Somalia, Yemen, Pakistan, or Libya , more than bombings in Syria and Iraq where we are already bombing , and more than the (relatively) small number of special forces and advisers in Iraq. Also any kind of military intervention in Afghanistan will not count as a new war as that would just be an extension of the current war there)





11. Fran c ois Fillon will become president of France in 2017.





12. The Iranian presidential elections will not result in protests like the 2013 election did.





13. Although there will be a lot of bad-mouthing of the deal by the Trump administration, the Iran and the P5+1 will still be abiding by the terms of the Iran nuclear deal reached in 2015 at the end of the year.





14. There will be at least one major (more than five people killed or at least ten people injured) attack by a neo-Nazi/white supremacist group in 2017.





15. While some of Donald Trump's cabinet picks might have a hard time during their confirmation hearing, none will be rejected by the senate. (This does not rule out a candidate withdrawing)





16. President Trump will continue to lash out at people on twitter throughout the year, no matter how much trouble that causes both at home and abroad and no matter how much the prevailing wisdom is that his use of twitter is a very very bad idea.





17. Ivanka Trump will be a fixture in the Trump administration throughout the year, no matter what those pesky anti-nepotism laws say.





18. Trump will not significantly separate himself and his family from his business holdings and so there will be regular allegations of influence peddling and corruption surrounding the Trump administration.





19. The Trump maternity leave plan will not become law in 2017 and will barely be mentioned by anyone within the administration throughout the year.

20. The U.S, will still be a part of NAFTA at the end of 2017.

21. There will not be any major (wor th more than $1 billion) wall-building project on the border with Mexico .

22. There will be some kind of Muslim registration system in the U.S., although it probably will just be a registration system for people who emigrate or visit the U.S. from certain Muslim-majority countries.

23. There will be no blanket legal ban of Muslims coming to the U.S.

24. Congress will pass and the President will sign some kind of national "religious freedom" law intended to allow anti-gay bigots to avoid doing bu siness with gay people , but it will be immediately challenged in court and will not be in ef fect at the end of 2017.

25. The UK will invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty and the cou ntry will begin talks about the terms of its withdrawal from the EU. But there w on't be any agreement about the terms of the withdrawal or even any substantive progress before the end of 2017.

26. The Scottish parliament will pass a resolution demanding a new independence referendum in 2017, but the referendum will not be held before the end of the year.
CHENNAI: Entire Tamil Nadu is in a state of shock, as the state Chief Minister Puratchi Thalaivi J Jayalalitha died at the Apollo Hospital in Chennai after she suffered a massive cardiac arrest on Sunday evening.

Hundreds of AIADMK supporters have gathered in front of the hospital, and the Director General of Police has ordered tight police security in and around the premises to ensure safety in case of any bad news. In the meantime, an AIADMK worker has attempted suicide in front of the hospital, and he has been rushed to the hospital.

Latest updates.

7:00 a.m. - The funeral will be held at 4:30 p.m. at Marina Beach

5:00 a.m. - Tamilnadu declares 3 day holiday for schools and colleges.

12:05 a.m - Jayalalitha dies at Apollo Hospital

8:00 p.m. PM Modi tweets, '#prayforAmma' instead of '#RIPAmma', she is still with us.

7:00 p.m.: Jaya still on life support, showing some response.

6:00 p.m: News of Jaya's death surface, but Apollo and party deny.

3:00 p.m. AIADMK MLA's meet and name Panneerselvam as Jaya's successor

1:30 pm IST - Amma's condition worsens, next few hours extremely critical.

1:00 p.m. ; Apollo doctors took 45 minutes to revive her after the attack.

10:30 a.m. - Doubts over India vs England 3rd Test at Chennai, two venues on stand by.

10:15: Rajinikanth speaks to TN Governor and enquired about Jaya's health

10:00 a.m. - The US shuts Chennai consulate for the day, security tightened.

Watch Jaya funeral live

9:55 a.m.: Union health Minister sends 4 AIIMS heart specialists.

Deeply saddened at the passing away of Selvi Jayalalithaa. Her demise has left a huge void in Indian politics.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 5, 2016

9:45 a.m.

- Jayalalitha back in ICU.

9:30 a.m. IST - 'Amma is perfectly fine now after the heart operation', say's Apollo Hospital.

AIADMK MLAs called to Apollo Hospital, asked to sign declaration to make Panneerselvam the successor! #JayaHealth  Srini Mama (@SriniMama16) December 5, 2016

The Director General of Police has asked all the police officials to report in their respective stations before 07.00 AM.

The Central Home security has also asked neighboring states like Kerala and Karnataka to stay vigilant suspecting riots if any mishap happens.

AAJ TAK news live

Apollo Hospital, through their press release, confirmed that J Jayalalitha is now in the Intensive care unit, and she has been given treatment by specialized cardiologists, pulmonologists, and other staffs.

According to latest updates, the hospital officials have also sought help from specialists from London who have previously treated the CM.

All the AIADMK MLA's are now in the hospital, and they are all praying for the speedy recovery of their leader.

Opposition leaders K Karunanidhi and Stalin too extended their prayers to the iron woman of the South.

Earlier, on yesterday night, Tamil Nadu Governor C Vidyasagar Rao reached the hospital from Maharashtra and made a quick visit to the hospital. Interestingly, the Governor left the hospital without making any comments on Jayalalithaa's health.

Jayalalithaa was first admitted to hospital on September 22, 2016, and party officials told that it had been done due to dehydration. But later, things became worse, and she was there in the ICU for many weeks. Last month, she was discharged from ICU and was staying in a specially equipped room.

Condolences to Ms Sasikala and to the new CM Thiru Paneerselvan ....both like family members to late Amma. May God give you strength.  Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) December 5, 2016

Many Indian politicians, her well-wishers, and party workers are tweeting for her speedy recovery.
This is the time of year when guests wear out their welcome.

Your kid comes home from college for Christmas and, after emptying the kitchen shelves and your coin jar, refuses to return to campus.

Your aunts and uncles fly in from Antwerp for the holidays on open-ended plane tickets, and make you nervous by asking where they can file change-of-address cards. Your cousin Eddie shows up in his RV with a snot factory of a dog, insists upon emptying the toilet tank into your sewer and says something about leaving next month.

Wait, no, that last scene was from National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. Ive watched so many holiday movies this month, I no longer can differentiate reality from fiction.

If ever there were a year to disassociate oneself from reality, it was 2016. It was truly a horror, on par with Aunt Gladys fruitcake. We cant seem to go a week without losing a beloved celebrity, which is just one of many reasons why we cant wait for 2016 to take the hint and take a hike, already.

It was bad enough when we lost David Bowie and Merle Haggard and Glenn Frey. Not to mention Prince, Gene Wilder and Alan Rickman. As well as Gordie Howe, Arnold Palmer and Muhammad Ali. Then this month, 2016 delivered final blows with the deaths of Alan Thicke, John Glenn and George Michael. Truly there is no justice in a world where Prince, Ali and Wilder die and Ryan Lochte continues to live.

Of course, there are more important things in the world than celebrities deaths. Many Americans remain in mourning over the presidential election. Theyre certain the Cheetoh in Chief will dismantle democracy and nuke half the eastern hemisphere. Ill worry about that later: Surviving 2016 is a day-by-day affair.

Britains membership in the European Union didnt last the year, nor did Brangelina. Creepy clowns lurked everywhere, as did kids playing Pokemon Go. Which is the greater scourge? Let the Supreme Court decide: But with the death of Antonin Scalia, its split evenly between liberals and conservatives until the Cheetoh appoints a new justice, possibly Chewbacca Mom.

This was a turbulent year. Officers and suspects shot one another; protesters sought to block a pipeline; and terrorists attacked Brussels, Orlando and New York. You couldnt drink the water in Flint, Michigan, and you couldnt swat a mosquito anywhere without worrying about contracting Zika.

Refugees flooded in from Syria, Harambe the gorilla was shot and all of a sudden no one could figure out which bathroom to use. The Chicago Cubs won the World Series and Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize. It was a confusing year, indeed.

There was good news in 2016. Americans can bring back cigars and shortstops from Cuba now without breaking a trade embargo. We invented self-driving cars and arrested El Chapo. Oh, and we all got 10 new Wells Fargo bank accounts.

But history will show this was a year to forget. Like cousin Eddie and the relatives from Antwerp and your precious little undeclared seventh-year senior, 2016 long ago wore out its welcome. Its time to move on.

RIP, 2016. The only thing about you that makes us happy is that youre almost gone.

Editors note: As if to prove the columnists point, 2016 claimed Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds between the writing and publication of this column.
Istanbul - As the New Years Eve party reached climax, a gunman opened fire, killing 35. The gunman was dressed in a "Santa Claus" costume as he went on his murderous tirade. According to the Independent News website, the rampage took place in a nightclub. Hundreds of people were celebrating the turn of the year before the gunman opened fire.

Reports claim that the gunman killed a police officer and civilian before storming doors. The club, packed to capacity, had 700 people packed inside. The gunman managed to kill 35, including 15 foreigners in the Ortakoy district.

The gunman also injured dozens more.

Interior minister Suleyman Soylu claims that 69 are in the hospital for their injuries. On top of all that, the gunman is still at large. The gunman escaped after killing as many as he could before escaping out of the door and into the party crowd. Escape was easy, experts say, due to all the fireworks and screaming people outside. It is still unclear if this was "jihad," because Islamic state has no made any claim to the abomination.

Istanbul nightclub terror attack: Toll rises to 39, says Turkish Interior Minister https://t.co/5bXbTjnfCX  VelloreTN (@Vellore_TN) January 1, 2017

Search under way

According to the Independent, Soylu had this to say: "Efforts to find the terrorist are continuing," he said.

"Our security forces have started the necessary operations. God willing he will be caught in a short period of time." Locals say that people were jumping into the waters of the Bosphorus strait, to escape.

Motives are not clear at the moment, but police hope to find out more soon. The attack started around 1.30am local time.

Local Turkish media broadcasted the footage outside from CCTV footage. The footage recorded the Santa dressed gunman walking around before the attack.

What we know

Witnesses said he was speaking Arabic, not Turkish, which suggests he was not a Turkey native. Vasip Sahin, the governor of Istanbul, claims that this was terrorism.

Yet, he did not put a name on who was responsible.

https://t.co/L5TnAMdlov

World morns with Turkish people tonight  Martin K O'Connor (@e1af38f6dbad458) January 1, 2017

According to the Independent, Sahin had this to say: The attacker - in the most brutal and merciless way - targeted innocent people who had only come here to celebrate the New Year and have fun. Amid search efforts, police have blocked off the area, in hopes of finding the "Santa." President Obama has condemned the attack and has offered assistance in investigating the massacre.
Researcher overlooks the Yongshu Reef of Nansha Islands on a scientific research ship. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

China will release marine environmental forecasts for three reefs on the Nansha Islands starting on New Year's Day in order to meet the rising challenges of environmental protection in the South China Sea, marine disaster prevention, scientific research, and maritime navigation safety, according to the State Oceanic Administration (SOA).

The SOA has reportedly carried out the construction of five projects including a Marine Observation Center and facilities used for scientific research, on Yongshu Reef, Zhubi Reef and Meiji Reef.

On January 1st, marine meteorological and hydrological observation, as well as conventional marine environmental monitoring, will begin operation, reports chinanews.com.

There are frequent marine accidents and disasters in the South China Sea.

Forecasts around the reefs will mainly include information on waves, tides, sea surface temperature, winds, tropical cyclones, and marine disaster warnings, which will be released daily on the website nh.hyyb.org.

Meanwhile, information will be sent to relative governmental departments and maritime companies or institutions via fax or short message service.
SINGAPORE - Singapore condemns the attack at a popular nightclub in Istanbul on the first day of 2017 which has resulted in the loss of many lives and injuries, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in a statement on Sunday.

MFA said the ministry extended the deepest condolences to the bereaved families and wish those injured a speedy recovery. The ministry also revealed there are no reports of any Singaporeans directly affected or injured by the incident thus far.

According to the Istanbul governor, at least 39 were killed and 40 others wounded in a shooting attack on a popular nightclub in Istanbul early Sunday morning.
BEIJING - China condemned the terrorist attack on a nightclub in Istanbul during New Year's celebrations, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Sunday.

"China firmly opposes all forms of terrorism and is willing to work with the Turkey and the international community to maintain regional and world peace and security," Hua said.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has sent a message of condolence to his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, according to Hua.

A gunman stormed into Reina nightclub early Sunday morning and shot at hundreds of people gathering there for New Year celebrations, leaving at least 39 killed and over 60 injured. Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin described the shooting spree as an act of terrorism.
Modi said all concerned in the banks have been told to focus on reducing inconveniences posed by curbs on cash withdrawals.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday set out a stern warning of tough action against the dishonest people even as he announced a slew of sops for senior citizens, farmers, rural housing, women and small entrepreneurs to soften the blow of demonetisation.

He also assuaged the honest people that the government will act as a friend to them so that their difficulties are eased.

Among the sops announced in his address to the nation at the end of 50-day demonetisation period, Modi said senior citizens will get 8 per cent interest on deposits of up to Rs 7.5 lakh for 10 years and deposit of Rs 6,000 into accounts of pregnant and lactating women in rural areas to meet medical expenses.

For farmers, he announced that banks will not charge interest for 60 days on loans taken from district cooperative central bank and primary societies for rabi crop.

For construction or expansion of a rural house, 3 per cent interest will be waived on loan of up to Rs 2 lakh.

From the PM's basket Cheaper home loans for weaker sections. Credit guarantee for MSMEs doubled from Rs 1 crore ot Rs 2 crore. No interest for 60 days on loans taken by farmers from district cooperative central bank and primary societies for rabi crop. Senior citizens will get 8 per cent interest on deposits of up to Rs 7.5 lakh for 10 years.

Announcing two new schemes under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, he said 4 per cent interest subvention on loans up to Rs 9 lakh and 3 per cent on loan up to Rs 12 lakh.

The law will take its course with full force. The government will help the honest and protect them and see their difficulties are eased. How honest will gain from the government. This government is a friend of good people and wants to build on the good environment for the people to return to goodness, he said.

Acknowledging that serious offences have been committed by some bank and government officials taking advantage of situation, he said they will not be spared.

Modi said all concerned in the banks have been told to focus on reducing inconveniences posed by curbs on cash withdrawals since demonetisation.

He however did not say when the restrictions on withdrawals will be lifted.

He said banks should also use the opportunity to break from break from traditional lending to prioritise their lending to poor and vulnerable sections.

Prime Minister asked political parties to move away from holier-than-thou attitude and come together to take some steps to ensure transparency and free politics of black money and corruption.

We cannot allow this fight against black money or corruption to slow down, he said.

He said time has come for a serious debate on breaking the endless cycle of elections and cutting down on administrative expenses by holding Parliamentary and assembly elections simultaneously.

Modi also announced raising credit guarantees for MSMEs and concerting kisan credit card to rupay cards.

We cannot allow this fight against black money or corruption to slow down, he said.
Please turn JavaScript on and reload the page.

Loading...

Checking your browser before accessing the website.

This process is automatic. Your browser will redirect to your requested content shortly.

Please wait a few seconds.
Even when the top local story of 2016 was over it wasnt. Four elections were not enough. The presidential vote was counted twice, after all.

Theres even a dim possibility that some of the election races planned for 2018 could be moved up to 2017.

The endless election cycle grinds on in Chippewa County.

In its wake, Republicans continue to control the Assembly, Senate and the governorship in Wisconsin, and starting in January will control the U.S. House, Senate and presidency.

Chippewa County voted twice for Donald J. Trump for president, once in the Republican primary in April and again in the Nov. 8 presidential election. The Trump victory became even more substantial with a recount, with the president-elect picking up seven votes in the county while Democrat Hillary Clinton had an additional vote.

For those who love elections, there will be up to two more early next year. If needed, there will be a primary on Feb. 21. Then there will be a general election for local offices on April 4.

The outgoing year had plenty of other interesting stories in Chippewa County.

It was hard to get around in the county at various points of the year, with major bridge construction being done in Chippewa Falls and the town of Lafayette.

An Eau Claire man, Kenneth Patterson, was murdered in March. Two men are charged in his death and are due in court in 2017.

And the use of methamphetamines and opiods continued to increase, leading to several community sessions throughout the county.

But the impact of the elections topped the news for 2016 and offers a clue about what will happen in 2017.

Looking forward

It was a long, long journey, new 67th District state Rep. Rob Summerfield of Bloomer said of going through a primary and then the general election.

But he said it was worth it, making him appreciate what the job will entail once he starts next month.

Summerfield said once the state budget proposed by Gov. Scott Walker comes out, he will go through it with an eye on how it could be fixed to help residents of the 67th District.

Being a freshman, theres a lot of learning involved, Summerfield said.

He is looking forward to the dialogue on how to resolve the debate over funding for transportation projects, saying there are differing views from the governor, Assembly and Senate.

I think we will have a lot of good ideas, Summerfield said.

Kathy Bernier said the state budget will be the top priority during the next Legislative session.

The Lake Hallie Republican plans to hold listening sessions in the 68th District to see what residents want. She said she will look at the governors priorities and weigh them with local priorities.

Bernier said she wants to be part of rewriting the states tax code, making it simpler and clearer.

I certainly want my two cents in that, she said.

She is also considering changes in who can request an election recount.

Our laws requesting a recount are lax, to say the least, she said.

She added: I would like to achieve some sort of solution on Department of Transportation funding.

She said a 1 percent increase in sales tax could produce nearly $1 billion for road projects, and local governments could share in that revenue.

Neither Bernier nor Summerfield think there will be another legislative district next year as a result of a November ruling by a Federal court that the state Legislative map was unconstitutional.

This may ultimately go before the Supreme Court, Bernier said, adding it would be good to get clear direction from court on redistricting.

I think its going to be tied up in the courts for awhile, Summerfield said. My assumption is nothing will change. Maybe (in) 2018. But I really dont know at this point.

Election after election

Februarys primary narrowed the field for the District 3 seat on the County Board. In the presidential primary in April, County voters preferred Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders over that partys eventual nominee, Hillary Clinton.

Also, that election installed seven new supervisors on the 15-member Chippewa County Board, and led to the defeat of both the County Board chairman, Paul Michels, and the vice-chairman, Henry Shakal.

A school referendum for an addition to the Bloomer Middle School won by six votes, while a referendum to provide more funding passed in the Lake Holcombe School District.

The August primary narrowed the field for the 67th Assembly District, which covers part of Dunn County and most of Chippewa County. Republican incumbent Tom Larson declined to run again because of health problems.

Summerfield triumphed over three opponents to win a place on the November ballot, while Democrat Dennis Hunt of Chippewa Falls won his partys nomination.

In the Nov. 8 election, two school referendums in the Chippewa Falls district failed, including one to replace Stillson Elementary and another for a new high school.

In the Legislative races, Summerfield won the 67th seat with an easy victory over Hunt. In the 68th District, Bernier topped Democrat Howard White of Altoona to win another term.
Santa Claus did not surprise children at the Viet Nam National Pediatric Hospital this Christmas.

A whole bunch of Santa Clauses did.

The Santas were members of the Charity Singing Group, who had raised money by singing on the streets of the capital city.

For several weeks, two or three days a week, between 7-11pm, the group carried loudspeakers and microphones and went around the area surrounding the night market in Ha Noi, singing and asking people to contribute to their fund.

Comprising people of all ages and walks of life, members of the group share two passions: singing and helping poor people.

Established in May, the group has raised over VND282 million (US$12,000) to support many poor patients in the capital city pay their medical bills.

The idea for the group came to Tran Phuong Anh, manager of a small hair salon in the city without much thought.

I love singing bolero songs everyday, which annoys my neighbours sometimes. One day, I asked myself why cant I sing on the street and see if any passers-by would donate to my charity box. I thought about it for half-an-hour and decided to go ahead, Anh recalled.

Giving: The Charity Singing Group has received a lot of support from the public. Photo courtesy of Charity Singing Group

The very next day, in the afternoon, Anh and a friend hit the streets with their sound equipment. Their first performance went pretty well. In just two hours, they raised over VND1.6 million ($70). Approximately the same amount of money came in on the following days.

After the success of her three first performances, Anh received a lot more support from her friends. The first money collected was donated to a school building programme in the northern province of Son La and for the treatment of five-year-old Vang Mi Cha, who accidentally got shot in the head.

The groups work was quickly recognised and supported by the Department of Social Work at the National Pediatrics Hospital.

After each donation, they received a letter of thanks, and the department also provided information and pictures of the patients who needed help. This helped the group post specific information on the banners they made for their performances.

Social media sites like Facebook or Youtube boosted their popularity and many expressed their desire to join the group. From an initial four members, the group has grown to 30 regular members who directly get involved in its operations, and it has another 986 members on its Facebook page.

There is no special requirement to be part of the Charity Singing Group, Anh said. We work with a voluntary spirit. No salary, no reward. There is work for anyone. Some members are not good at singing at all, but they are still with us since the early days.

On average, there are about ten members that join the groups outings. Those who can sing well take turns to perform, while others carry the donation box or carry the banner and letters of thanks.

It is a sensitive thing to ask for other peoples money, so we need to win their trust with these letters and real pictures of the patients who need help. It is too much to expect people to put money into our charity box without actual evidence, Anh said.

We raise about VND4 million ($176) per night, five per cent of which is spent on the operational part, like buying new microphones, printing banners or making uniforms. The rest is donated to meet the medical expenses of many poor patients across the city at the Viet uc Hospital or the National Pediatric Hospital.

The group has also contributed to other charity events like Pink Mid-Autumn Festival or Pink Christmas for poor children, held at the National Pediatrics Hospital. They recently supported flood-affected residents of Huong Trach and Phuong ien communes in Ha Tinh Province with a donation of VND34 million ($1,500).

Santas by the dozen: The Charity Singing Group presented poor patients at the National Pediatrics Hospital with VND30 million (US$1,300) this Christmas. Photo courtesy of Charity Singing Group

The increasing number of its members led to another idea: Cleaning the streets that the Charity Singing Group passes through. The motto is: The streets are clean whenever we go.

People living in areas around the Old Quarter are now used to seeing the Charity Singing Group, and they are welcomed without reservation.

Im keen on listening to them singing. They sing very beautifully, and it is even more beautiful that they do it for charity. The streets are cleaner and get more lively when many of them arrive, said Luong Anh Quan, a resident of Hang Tre Street.

Anh said the encouragement and affection that theyve received in recent months will keep the group motivated.

We have so many unforgettable memories like being invited to drink iced tea or eat plums, fried cakes for free by street vendors, or being charged just half the price when the motorbike keepers find that we are members of the Charity Singing Group. We can never forget seeing the elderly living in old houses throwing to us money with rubber bands around them, or wading through water to collect rubbish on rainy days.

I want to divide the group into several smaller ones to sing over a larger area to collect more money, and to help more people, not just poor child patients but also others like the disabled or the homeless.

I hope that our group will continue to give a helping hand to many small lives, which is also our slogan. VNS
Truong Thanh Thuy, dubbed Queen of Startups by BBC and included in the "Forbes 30 Under 30" list, was diagnosed with lung cancer last September. She shares her stories and life experiences through a private blog that has attracted thousands of followers who have spread her story far and wide. She speaks to Quynh Tran about the insights she has gleaned from her cancer experience.

Inner Sanctum: It has been over two months since you started writing a diary about your struggle against cancer on your personal blog. How has everything changed and how have you spent your days while fighting the disease?

The day I shared the cancer diary on my personal blog, I was both determined and scared. I was so worried I could not sleep that night. I went back and forth and asked myself, Does this medicine work?, How bad are the side effects?, Will my stomach bleed until I die?, and Will I get rashes all over my face until I cannot recognise my own face anymore?

I had a hundred, actually a thousand questions, but I knew this was a battle I could not avoid.

I received thousands of messages from my friends from around the world; some wrote such long blogs, others texted very short messages such as Stay there, I will come visit you! I received a lot of genuine concern, but I found it too hard to respond. I felt both angry and blessed, feeling fortunate and unlucky at the same time.

I am okay, I responded to people, since it was extremely tough to actually express what I was feeling to those who had not walked in my shoes.

Inner Sanctum: In your fight against cancer, have you ever felt fear, despair and experienced crying episodes? How did you manage to overcome negative feelings with your natural positive way of thinking?

The first time I heard I had lung cancer, I returned to my room, numbed by thousands of questions in my head: Cancer?, Why is this happening to me?, How will a normal person react to the news?, Should I cry?, But why must I cry?

It was such a strange feeling  I was neither sad nor angry. I tried to compare it with all the other first time emotions I have experienced in the past: the first time I loved someone, the first time I was betrayed by someone, the time I got rejected by a university, when I fell on the mountain all by myself, was involved in a car accident and when my closest friend passed away.

(My cancer) was not like any of those incidents mentioned above. I could not cry, even though I was aware I had to deal with the fact that I am going to die of cancer one day. But then I realised everyone has to face death, sooner or later.

Inner Sanctum: Recently, you launched a project to support Vietnamese cancer patients, which is called SCI (Salt Cancer Initiative). How long have you nurtured this idea and how will it be introduced to the public?

The idea started when I learnt I had cancer. I began to do a lot of research, which I realised would benefit other cancer patients as well, and read lots of information on my disease, so that I could find effective treatment. However, just providing useful information is not enough for cancer patients.

SCIs charity programme is not aimed at giving presents or money to cancer patients. The idea is to connect with other patients and to support them spiritually, bringing them warmth and power in the fight against cancer.

Armed with this purpose, and the fact that I had an opportunity to experience treatment in the United States and participated in activities for cancer patients, I was able to meet people who had miraculously survived the disease. I want to provide these experiences to Vietnamese cancer patients, introduce them to new experiments and help them live positively with this disease. More than that, I want to give them encouraging information on successful treatments taking place around the world.

Inner Sanctum: What do you think is the most significant impact of SCI on the lives of Vietnamese cancer patients?

I want all cancer patients to have opportunities like me. They will not have to fight the disease alone. They have me by their side, and a community and organisations to share with them and encourage them, offering them the best, the power and the hope to overcome the disease.

Over the past two months, besides receiving treatment, I also had a chance to take part in public activities for cancer patients in the United States, such as yoga, meditation and sharing classes for young patients. In my yoga class, there is a 93-year-old woman, who found out she had cancer 14 years ago, but she continues to be perspicacious and practices yoga every day.

I also met a 21-year-old boy. The first time he got cancer was when he was less than one year old, and he has undergone chemotherapy, radiation oncology and several operations. He cannot see anymore but still fights bravely. All my friends also shared stories about how their relatives stayed strong during the treatment process.

Getting cancer is something like having children. No matter how many books you have read, how many stories you have heard, you will never be quite ready to deal with it until you or someone in the family is diagnosed with cancer.

In Viet Nam, it is easy to find information about reproduction and children. However, those who get cancer always feel lonely and lost, with no one to rely on, and have to fight all by themselves. However, we should not have to fight alone, wishing for a miracle to happen. We can together share the experience, so no matter if we win or we lose, there are no regrets.

Activities such as yoga, playing a musical instrument, or travelling seem normal, but I believe many have not experienced this even while they are healthy. So why dont we try to look at life in a different way, instead of counting the days left for us to live? We should see cancer as a chance to live again, to treasure ourselves and people around us more.

Many travel companies have agreed to help cancer patients by giving them a monthly credit enabling them to travel.

Inner Sanctum: How many volunteer members does SCI have and how do they connect with companies? In the future, beside SCIs publicly announced programmes, what more can SCI offer to patients in Viet Nam?

Responding to a Facebook post of mine on translating books for patients, nearly 100 medical students and doctors from around the country have taken part in this activity. At present, they are divided into small groups to support different projects.

SCI is still seeking ways to corporate with businesses, which are offering support programmes to provide patients and their relatives with more information. Besides this, SCI will organise conferences on cancer involving doctors and professors from the US and Vietnamese doctors and patients.

Inner Sanctum: Can you say something to the youth and those who are fighting the disease like you?

Before I shared my story, I knew a total of only five patients, out of which four passed away. However, after I opened up about my story, I now know more than 10 people who are living their lives to the fullest despite this deadly disease. We have to live with the cancer every day, whether we like it or not. We also now get to meet young patients in person, not just see them on TV screens.

So lets see cancer as a way by which God is testing our strength. This challenge is hard and exhausting, but we do not need to fight alone!  VNS
PARIS  Millions of people around the world shrugged off terror jitters to ring in 2017 in style, as Sydney kicked off the party with a spectacular fireworks display that lit up its iconic harbour.

Revellers crammed into major cities to celebrate New Year with security tightened amid fears large crowds of people could present a target for extremists.

Getting the festivities started was Sydney, where around 1.5 million people thronged Australias biggest city to watch midnight fireworks erupting from the Harbour Bridge.

Crowds in Hong Kong also flocked to the waterfront to watch fireworks explode over Victoria Harbour while in Japan thousands packed the streets of Tokyo to release balloons into the air.

Celebrations swung into Europe with the night sky over Moscows Red Square literally painted red by the fireworks.

And nearly 500,000 people were expected on Pariss famous Champs-Elysees, where the Arc de Triomphe was lit up with a colourful countdown to 2017 and the word "welcome" in dozens of languages.

The raucous celebrations drew to an end a year of political shocks, from Britains vote to leave the European Union to the election of maverick leaders in the United States and Philippines.

It has also been a year of celebrity deaths from David Bowie to Prince and Mohammed Ali.

2016 was also a year of bloodshed and misery that has seen the war in Syria, Europes migrant crisis and numerous terror attacks dominate the headlines.

Fireworks explode over Victoria harbour during New Year celebrations in Hong Kong on January 1, 2017. AFP/VNA Photo

'Tonight is about fun'

The violence continued on Saturday, with twin bomb blasts killing at least 27 in a busy market area in central Baghdad.

But this did not stop people flooding the streets of the Iraqi capital to celebrate and families in evening dress headed to swanky hotels for parties.

Fadhel al-Araji, a 21-year-old from the neighbourhood of Sadr City, already had his beer in the back of his car.

"Tonight is about fun... Everybody can do what they want and nobody cares.

We need a night like this, Iraq needs it," he said, behind the wheel of his beat-up Toyota.

In the shattered Syrian city of Aleppo, 20-year-old student Abdel Wahab Qabbani was also determined to see in 2017 in a positive frame of mind.

"The last two years, I didnt go out for New Year. This time, Im going to party," he said.

The Gulf emirate of Dubai marked the new year with its usual gigantic pyrotechnics off the worlds highest skyscraper, Burj Khalifa, as well as other landmarks.

This years celebration passed without problems, unlike last year when a fierce blaze broke out at a nearby tower.

'Concrete blocks'

But revellers did have to contend with reinforced security measures and a heightened police presence.

There were some 2,000 extra officers in Sydney after a man was arrested for allegedly making online threats against the celebrations and garbage trucks were deployed to block any attempt to plough a vehicle into the crowd.

Following a deadly attack on a Berlin Christmas market on December 19, the German capital beefed up security, deploying extra police, some armed with machine guns.

"This year, whats new is that we will place concrete blocks and position heavy armoured vehicles at the entrances" to the zone around Brandenburg Gate, said a police spokesman.

However, visitors seemed undeterred by recent events as they began to gather under a freezing Berlin sky for a series of concerts ahead of a large midnight fireworks display in the area.

A view of the fan zone with the Brandenburg Gate (back) during New Years Eve celebrations in Berlin, Germany, December 31, 2016. EPA/VNA Photo

In Paris, there will be fireworks again, after muted 2015 celebrations following the massacre of 130 people by jihadists in the French capital.

Nearly 100,000 police, gendarmes and soldiers will be deployed across France against the jihadist threat and President Francois Hollande inspected the security measures on the Champs-Elysees.

Brussels, meanwhile, reinstated its fireworks show after last years was cancelled at the last minute due to a terrorist threat.

With more than a million people expected to turn out to watch the ball drop in Times Square, New York is deploying 165 "blocker" trucks and some 7,000 police.

Extra security was also in place in Moscow, Istanbul and London.

'Leap second'

Rome stationed armoured vehicles and greater numbers of security forces around the Coliseum and St Peters Square, where Pope Francis will celebrate a "Te Deum" hymn of thanksgiving.

In a Mass earlier Saturday, the pontiff urged people to reflect on the plight of the young as the year drew to a close.

"We have created a culture that idolises youth... yet at the same time paradoxically we have condemned our young people to have no place in society," he said.

Elsewhere, issues other than terrorism threatened to dampen the party.

Up to two million people were expected at Rios Copacabana beach. But with Brazil mired in its worst recession in a century, the fireworks have been cut to just 12 minutes.

And normally boisterous Bangkok was seeing in the new year on a more sombre note as the nation grieves for King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died in October.

Nevertheless, revellers will at least get one extra second to enjoy the nights festivities.

At the stroke of midnight, there will be a "leap second" decreed by the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service to allow astronomical time to catch up with atomic clocks that have called the hour since 1967.  AFP
Local business expands, hires

CEDAR FALLS  Impact Marketing, a 15-year-old Cedar Valley-based marketing agency, has relocated to Cedar Falls at 1501 Technology Parkway.

The reason is due to increased client growth, said James White, Impacts CEO. The new location is about triple the size of Impacts previous office. An open house to show the new location, next to the Pipac Center, will be in the spring.

As a result of the growth, the firm added social media strategist Taylor Henrichs and account executive Ken Houser, who brings more than 20 years of sales experience. Joe Ehrich also recently joined the firm as a copywriter/marketing strategist.

For more information, call 232-4332 or go to www.impactmt.com.

FSA names new county member

TOLEDO  The Tama County Farm Service Agency has named Darren Thiessen as a member of the county committee. The Farm Service Agency is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and provides assistance through disaster assistance, conservation, commodity and price support programs and farm loans.

His term begins today and represents Carlton, Columbia, Highland, Howard, Indian Village, Richland and Toledo townships.

Hawkeye to host

tax presentation

WATERLOO  The Waterloo/Cedar Falls Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday in Tama Hall at Hawkeye Community College.

There will be a presentation, Tax Updates/ICN Meeting, by Joe Kristan of Roth & Co. PC. The chapter will provide free pizza and drinks for this session.

The public is welcome to attend this free event. Contact Deb Jungling at deb.jungling@episervice.org for reservations.

4-H training

session planned

INDEPENDENCE  The Youth Engagement Strengthens 4-H training session for 4-H volunteers in Buchanan County will be held at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 19 at Heartland Acres in Independence hosted by Iowa State University Extension.

The training is designed to teach volunteers how to engage youths in intentional, meaningful ways and will define youth engagement, identify strategies that support positive youth adult partnerships and gather resources to aid in engaging youths in core principles of positive youth development.

For more information contact Alexia Hamlett at Buchanan County ISU Extension and Outreach, 334-7161 or ahamlett@iastate.edu.

Farm show set

in Quad Cities

ROCK ISLAND, Ill.  The Quad Cities Farm Show will be Jan. 15-17 at the QCCA Expo Center in Rock Island.

The show will feature more than 200 companies showing new technologies, supplies and outdoor power equipment.

Show admission and parking is free. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 15, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 16 and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 17.
FAYETTE  Since 2000, approximately 170 Upper Iowa University students have traveled to a dozen states, a commonwealth and four countries to provide volunteer services to local residents.

As part of the Universitys Alternative Spring Break program, teams of college students and their chaperones are placed in communities to engage in positive social action and education

This years participating students have chosen to help citizens of Belize in March 2017. In an effort to offset travel costs, they hosted a fundraiser recently.
CEDAR FALLS  A plan outlining more than $266 million in city projects over the next five years will go before the City Council for a public hearing Tuesday.

It is the citys 2017-22 Capital Improvements Plan, more or less a wish list of 186 different projects.

The document does not authorize individual projects. Those would be coordinated each year through the annual city budget process. City Finance and Business Operations Director Jennifer Rodenbeck reviewed the plan with Mayor Jim Brown and the City Council at a recent work session. Projects in the plan support four main council goals: infrastructure maintenance of streets and sewers; flood recovery; the citys annual street repair program and a plan to install permeable alleys where practical.

The overall plan presumes the city will keep at least 25 to 30 percent of its bonded debt capacity in reserve for emergencies. It includes about $9 million in quality-of-life projects supported by the general property tax levy or library levy and hotel-motel tax.

Major projects include:

Cedar River dam safety improvements and riverfront whitewater development, $4.3 million in 2020, including $1.4 million in bonding for dam safety improvements and $2.9 million in recreational and riverbank features, to be funded with $800,000 in flood reserve funds and $2.1 million in grants and private fundraising.

Cedar River levee improvements in 2016-20, $6.7 million, funded in large part by a flood mitigation sales tax revenue grant through the state. The project is subject to final approval by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

A street and park in the McMahill First Addition, $1.7 million in 2017-19, with funding shared by the city and Cedar Falls Schools, concurrent with the construction of a new elementary school.

Annual street repair program, $26.3 million over five years, funded by local option sales tax, now its 25th year since Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area voters first approved it.

Greenhill Road extension from Hudson Road to West 27th Street, $7.1 million in 2016-18, including $2.8 million in federal and state funding, $3 million in city bond revenues and the balance in local option sales tax and Cedar Falls Utilities funding.

Center Street improvements in the North Cedar area, $2.3 million in 2017-19, funded with $1.5 million in flood reserve money, a $300,000 grant and storm water, CFU and local option sales tax money contributing.

Iowa Highway 58 and Viking Road interchange, $26 million in 2016-18, with $16 million in state funding subject to final negotiation, and city tax increment financing.

University Avenue, $42.3 million in 2016-20, including some $3.8 million in access road work, using $20 million in state money and $21.3 million in city funding including road use taxes, local option sales tax, storm water, sewer and CFU funds, plus a $500,000 state safety grant and $450,000 from the Black Hawk County Gaming Association.

New public safety building, $7.25 million in 2016-19, funded by general fund savings and a possible $750,000 Black Hawk County Gaming Association grant.

Dry Run Creek sanitary sewer, $12.5 million in 2016-18, funded by sewer rate increases and a sewer revenue bond sale.

Possible sanitary sewer nutrient removal facility plan at $42 million, funded by sewer rate increases. The timing is unspecified. City staff and consultants have been working with state officials to develop a nutrient reduction strategy with Iowa Department of Natural Resources officials.

Sewage treatment plant digester rehabilitation, $9.6 million in 2020-21, funded by sewer rate increases.

In April the City Council approved sewer rate increases of 9 percent per year over three years to fund some of the sanitary sewer and sewage treatment items.

The council meeting begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall.
WATERLOO  The City Council will be asked to sweeten its development incentives to bring a fried chicken eatery to a new downtown strip mall.

N & S Property LLC, a company owned by Rodney and Patricia Anderson, is working to improve the building at 401-409 Franklin St. to house Harolds Chicken, a 65-year-old chain restaurant from Chicago.

The strip mall built in 2013 currently houses Earth Beauty Supply and once served as home to Popcorn Heaven.

An original development agreement council members approved in May 2013 called for the city to buy the half-block WBM Marine building formerly on the site and deed it over to N & S Property.

The Andersons, at their own expense, then tore down the blighted marine building and constructed the multi-bay strip mall with a minimum value of $700,000.

An amended development agreement slated to be considered by the City Council at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in City Hall would add three years of 50 percent property tax rebates on the development while boosting the minimum assessed value on the building to $800,000.

City planning staff said new businesses in the strip mall will benefit the Walnut Neighborhood Association and downtown. It is also in the citys consolidated east-side tax-increment financing district.

The strip mall is one of several new projects in the Franklin Street corridor in recent years, including a $10 million renovation of the KWWL-TV building and a new CVS Pharmacy at Franklin and U.S. Highway 63.

Other scheduled council business includes:

A resolution adding University Avenue to the citys list of priority snow routes. The Waterloo Street Department took over plowing the former state highway last fall after a transfer of jurisdiction from the Iowa Department of Transportation.

A 4:50 p.m. work session on proposed changes to the citys ordinance governing bus benches. The city is required to improve some bus benches and phase out others over time under an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice to meet requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
CEDAR RAPIDS  Its all but certain the Iowa Legislature will have a minimum wage debate this year. Maybe two.

Republicans, who will control state government when the Legislature convenes Jan. 9, dont like the hodge-podge of minimum wages being set by county boards in Linn, Polk, Wapello and Johnson counties. That means there will be attempts to pre-empt local governments from setting their own minimum wage rates.

Whats less clear is whether GOP lawmakers also will raise the states 10-year-old $7.25-an-hour minimum wage.

Attempts to raise the minimum wage occur almost every year, but the current debate is driven by those county decisions. In September, the Linn County Board of Supervisors voted to establish an $8.25 per hour minimum wage with annual increases to $10.25 on Jan. 1, 2019. That followed decisions in Polk County to go to $10.75 by 2019, and $10.10 in Johnson County this year and in Wapello County by 2019.

That patchwork system doesnt work, House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, R-Clear Lake, said, echoing comments by House Majority Leader Chris Hagenow, R-Windsor Heights, and Gov. Terry Branstad.

Certainly, I do know today that the vast majority of lawmakers are concerned with pre-emption. Thats the focus, but I dont know where it ends, Upmeyer said.

Varying minimum wages are a burden to business, especially those that operate in multiple counties, according to Mike Ralston, president of the Iowa Association of Business and Industry. Even within Johnson County, there are different minimum wages in effect because four cities returned to $7.25 and one approved a rate between the state rate and the county-approved minimum wage.

Ralston called the wage differentials an impediment to business development that increases costs for employers.

Branstad, who signed a bill in 1989 that created Iowas minimum wage then at a $3.35 hourly rate, agrees the various rates create confusion and a hardship on employers. Branstad has been coy about whether he would support an increase. Lawmakers must look at whats fair and realistic, the governor said, but added $15 an hour is unrealistic.

Democratic lawmakers and liberal interest groups argue even $15 an hour is not enough to support Iowa families. A report from the Iowa Policy Project showed in many counties a single parent with two children would need a wage of at least $20 an hour to meet family expenses without government support.

Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement spokeswoman Bridget Fagan-Reidburn and Progress Iowas Matt Sinovic said their groups will not accept any pre-emption legislation that would lower workers wages.

It is politically untenable for Republicans to simply pre-empt the local wage ordinances and force Linn County, Johnson County, Wapello County and Polk County back down to $7.25 an hour, because they would be voting to reduce wages for thousands of Iowans, Senate Minority Leader Rob Hogg, D-Cedar Rapids, said.

Republicans arent going to lower anyones wages, Upmeyer said.

Were going to clarify what is the state minimum wage. (Employers) can pay whatever they like, she said.

Besides, Hagenow said, Its because those individual counties have deviated that we need to act.

Some Republicans agree with Hogg its time to raise the state minimum wage, Hagenow said, but they havent landed on a number yet. In 2015, Sen. Rick Bertrand, R-Sioux City, a business owner, joined Democrats in voting for a minimum wage hike.

In addition to raising the minimum wage, House Minority Leader Mark Smith, D-Marshalltown, would like to see the state follow Johnson Countys lead to tie future increases to the cost of living.

Hoggs not entirely sure the hodgepodge Branstad complains of is a bad thing.

I actually see benefit of local control, because different parts of the state are in different places, he said. For some communities, raising the minimum wage is a way to attract workers. I can see a role for local control because it allows communities to compete for workers.

Democrats generally support a minimum wage increase, Hogg said, but that is only part of a more comprehensive approach we have to good jobs, good benefits and broad prosperity.

The minimum wage is a straight-forward, easy issues to understand, but there are a lot of other things we need to be doing, he said.
First in a series of stories looking at issues facing the 2017 Iowa Legislature.

DES MOINES  In 2011, Republican Gov. Terry Branstad marked his triumphant return to the Statehouse by declaring there was a new sheriff in town.

Now, soon-to-be-installed Senate Majority Leader Bill Dix, R-Shell Rock, said voters delivered a message in 2016. They expect Republicans to kick the door in at the Capitol with a bold conservative agenda. That process officially begins next week.

The winds of change are likely to reshape state policies in a number of areas. Republicans will hold a 59-40 majority to the House and a 29-20-1 edge in the Senate.

A changing of the guard also is a near certainty at Terrace Hill. Branstad is expected to be confirmed as the next U.S. ambassador to China, making Kim Reynolds governor, probably in mid-session.

When the 87th General Assembly convenes Jan. 9, it will be the first time one party holds complete control of state government since Democrats in 2007-08.

Conservative expectations are running high from GOP interestgroups to talk radio. A host of issues repeatedly blocked by Senate Democrats will finally see action. Cutting taxes and regulations, expanding gun rights, restricting abortion and curtailing collective bargaining will all be on the table.

Boy, it is clear that Senate Republicans and House Republicans and the governor and lieutenant governor want to act, they want to get something done, and well see what that is, said Mike Ralston, who has led the Iowa Association of Business & Industry for a dozen years.

Ralston said GOP lawmakers have prepared for this opportunity to govern. They want to do something good for Iowa but dont over-reach, he said.

Chris Ingstad, president of Muscatine-based Iowans for Tax Relief, agreed Republicans have their best chance to make significant changes at the state level in two decades. But as folks will tell you who were there a number of years ago, just because you get all three  House, Senate and the governors office in Republican control  its no slam dunk that all of these issues can be addressed or addressed to everyones satisfaction.

House Majority Leader Chris Hagenow, R-Windsor Heights, said the new landscape presents a chance to take big leaps forward. While there is a sense of urgency, he expects the new GOP direction to span more than two years going forward.

Minority Democrats fear the worst and hope for the best.

Outgoing Senate President Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque, said Democrats will work with the new GOP majority, but will stand tall and firm in areas where there is a philosophical divide.

If thats what theyre going to pursue, just ideological legislation, it could be a long two years, she noted.

Senate Minority Leader Rob Hogg, D-Cedar Rapids, said Democrats will focus on jobs, education and standing up for Iowans  especially in the roughly 70 counties losing population.

There are going to be things that people have taken for granted for decades that could be at risk, he said.

Dix said Republicans hope to focus on policy changes that will make the biggest difference for Iowans. That means recognizing government has a spending problem rather than a revenue problem.

States that are growing the fastest are the ones that are exercising fiscal discipline, making sure that government is there to insure an environment where success can take place, regulations that make sense but dont punish and put people through a lot of extra hoops that cost money, he said.

The new GOP leadership opens 2017 facing a shortfall in the current state budget year of more than $100 million due to slow revenue growth that requires significant spending reduction by June 30.

Sen. Charles Schneider, R-West Des Moines, Senate Appropriations Committee chairman beginning next week, said budget-makers will look for areas where the state is duplicating programs or funding unnecessary services.

Everybody knows budget is tight and revenue is down, he noted. People dont expect us or are not really expecting us to approve a lot of additional spending. People have recognized that we do want to reduce the size of government, we do want to create and find efficiencies and we do want to root out wasteful spending.

Branstad spent last week preparing a two-year spending plan he will submit Jan. 10 in his Condition of the State address.

The governor said he favors selective reductions rather than an across-the-board cuts to balance this fiscal years budget. He wants to protect K-12 schools, property tax credits and Medicaid from new reductions. He also wants to give schools up to 2 percent spending growth for the next two fiscal years and have funding approved in the sessions first 30 days.

House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, R-Clear Lake, has indicated a willingness to fund K-12 schools early in the session, but is hesitant about making a second-year commitment. Republicans want a better sense of how state tax collections will look and want to make income tax reductions.

Legislators agree with Branstad on current-year spending cuts, which Upmeyer conceded will be no small task.

Im not minimizing it. We will have to go in and really search for those opportunities, but I think we can do that, she said.

We have a $7.3 billion budget, so while not minimizing the difficulty of finding $100 million certainly that should be achievable, Upmeyer added. So were going to go through the process and find some places where we can surgically accomplish that.
Alcohol abuse is related to voting for Hillary Clinton.

In a cynical age of false news, you may wish to believe the following is untrue or a misrepresentation of data. You might even imagine this is nothing more than an attempt to be satirical.

But no, my friends. I am required by this fine publication to inform you when I am utilizing fiction. This is real research, which is at least as good as some financed by government grants.

I was looking through a copy of the AARP Bulletin and came across a map of America segmented by the individual states rates of excessive drinking. The measure was specifically defined as the percentage of adults 65 or older who report binge or chronic drinking in each state. Binge drinking was defined as five-plus drinks on one occasion during the past month by men and four-plus for women. Chronic drinking was defined as more than two drinks per day for men, and more than one drink for women. The data was extracted from the 2016 Americas Health Ranking Senior Report.

The map looked strangely familiar. In fact, it looked remarkably like the election maps of the last election.

So I compared the excessive drinking data per state with the percent of the total vote that went for Hillary Clinton per state (including the District of Columbia). Sophisticated statistical programs at the university were called upon to crunch the data. Indeed, the same programs that could tell us how soon the Arctic ice will melt and how long it will be before we all die from global warming.

The correlation between voting for Clinton and senior alcohol abuse was 0.62, which is a remarkably high association when dealing with human affairs.

The statistic utilized is elementary and easy to interpret. It is what is formally called the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient. The index indicates the degree of association between two variables and can range from -1 to +1. If the correlation is squared, it indicates the amount of variation of one variable that can be accounted for by the other.

This means about 40 percent of the differences between states, with regard to the percent of the voters who went for Clinton, can be accounted for by the excess drinking habits of the states senior citizens.

The correlation does not tell us what causes the association, only that the two measures are related. So we are free to postulate possible scenarios.

It could be that people who voted inebriated pulled the lever for Clinton, but we can reject that hypothesis based on its hopefully small likelihood.

Perhaps, in general, people who drink excessively like Clinton, or particularly dislike Trump enough to vote for her.

Or, given seniors are more likely to retain the cultural values of their youth, having to live in a state where the voters actually liked Clinton has driven them to drink.

It is this scientists opinion the last hypothesis would appear to be the most correct.
Two motions to dismiss charges against a former substitute teacher at Chippewa Falls Senior High School facing two counts of exposing a child to harmful materials were rejected by Judge Steven Cray on Thursday.

Instead, Cray continued a $5,000 signature bond for Merlin H. Kardin, 70, of Fall Creek. He is scheduled to return to court at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 18.

According to a criminal complaint, Chippewa Falls Police were told on Oct. 20 several students had seen Kardin view pornographic images and videos on a school computer during a science class on Oct. 18. A student also reported that Kardin viewed pornography in a math class on Oct. 20.

Defense attorney Harry Hertel of Eau Claire argued that Wisconsin case law says a person must make a knowingly and affirmative act of offering or presenting harmful material to minors to be prosecuted.

But Cray said that wasnt in the jury instructions in the case Hertel was citing in his motion.

It didnt say thats the only possible definition, Cray said.

The judge said the prosecution alleges if you expose the screen to a group of people, you intended it to happen.

Hertel also argued that, as a paid teacher, Kardin qualified for immunity granted under state law to district employees.

Assistant District Attorney Wade Newell said the immunity was intended to protect teachers and school libraries from being prosecuted for having what some people could consider questionable material.

He makes it sound like a janitor in the school gets this blanket immunity, Newell said of Hertel.

Cray said while there is immunity, there are conditions that go with it. While he dismissed Hertels motion, he said it could return later if Hertel developed his argument.

There will be issues we will be looking at in the future, Cray said.

Hertel said the defense has not yet seen images police took from Kardins school computer and would like to see them as soon as possible.
CEDAR RAPIDS -- A Waterloo woman who possessed heroin with intent to distribute near Morris Park in Waterloo was sentenced Thursday to 21 months in federal prison.

Michelle Hanson, 28, received the prison term after an Oct. 3 guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl near Morris Park last March 2.

At the guilty plea, Hanson admitted she sold heroin and fentanyl out of her Waterloo home, which was located near Morris Park. A search of her home by the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Task Force resulted in the seizure of more than 12 grams of heroin and six patches containing fentanyl.

Hanson was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade to 21 months imprisonment. A special assessment of $100 was imposed. She must also serve a six-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Hanson is being held in the U.S. Marshals custody until she can be transported to a federal prison.

Iowa Falls home

damaged in fire

IOWA FALLS -- Fire crews battled a house fire in Iowa Falls Friday.

The fire was reported about 11 a.m. at 136 S. Oak St.

The house was reportedly severely damaged in the blaze.

Traffic stop brings charges

CLERMONT -- A Clermont man faces several charges following a vehicle stop early Saturday.

Will J. Schott, 22, was found to be intoxicated during the traffic stop by a Fayette County sheriff's deputy about 2:20 a.m. at the intersection of Stone Street and Larrabee Street in Clermont.

Schott was arrested for first-offense operating while intoxicated, carrying weapons, driving while his license was revoked, open container, operating without registration, no insurance, careless driving and putting debris on the highway.

Intersection sees

2nd crash in 9 days

CEDAR FALLS  Two people avoided serious injuries in a crash north of Cedar Falls on Saturday.

Two vehicles collided at the intersection of North Union and Cedar-Wapsi roads at about 1:30 p.m. It was the second serious crash at that intersection in less than two weeks.

According to Black Hawk County Sheriff Tony Thompson, a driver of a pickup truck heading east on Cedar-Wapsi Road stopped at a stop sign at the intersection but didn't see a sedan heading south on Union Road. The vehicles collided, and both ended up in ditches on either side of Union Road.

The driver of the sedan had to be helped from the vehicle, but both drivers declined medical treatment at the scene.

The intersection was the scene of a crash that injured four people Dec. 22. Janesville First Responders and Janesville Fire Rescue responded to the scene along with Cedar Falls police and fire departments, the Black Hawk County Sheriff's office and Iowa State Patrol.
past daily news Sep 13 (1) Sep 09 (15) Sep 06 (12) Sep 04 (10) Sep 03 (10) Aug 31 (17) Aug 29 (14) Aug 26 (13) Aug 22 (11) Aug 21 (12) Aug 19 (21) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (10) Aug 10 (10) Aug 08 (9) Aug 07 (10) Aug 06 (10) Aug 05 (8) Aug 03 (8) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (7) Jul 31 (14) Jul 29 (1) Jul 27 (7) Jul 25 (5) Jul 24 (10) Jul 22 (11) Jul 19 (16) Jul 17 (6) Jul 16 (10) Jul 15 (13) Jul 12 (7) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (8) Jul 08 (8) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (5) Jul 05 (8) Jul 04 (11) Jul 03 (8) Jul 02 (7) Jul 01 (5) Jun 30 (8) Jun 28 (7) Jun 27 (8) Jun 26 (7) Jun 25 (8) Jun 24 (6) Jun 23 (6) Jun 22 (9) Jun 20 (5) Jun 19 (9) Jun 18 (8) Jun 15 (9) Jun 13 (13) Jun 11 (11) Jun 09 (19) Jun 06 (10) Jun 04 (10) Jun 03 (8) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (5) May 30 (5) May 29 (6) May 28 (7) May 27 (7) May 26 (6) May 25 (4) May 23 (6) May 22 (6) May 21 (4) May 20 (7) May 19 (9) May 18 (4) May 17 (6) May 16 (5) May 15 (7) May 14 (3) May 13 (3) May 12 (9) May 10 (3) May 09 (7) May 08 (4) May 07 (3) May 06 (5) May 05 (8) May 03 (9) May 02 (1) May 01 (5) Apr 30 (8) Apr 29 (5) Apr 28 (4) Apr 27 (7) Apr 26 (12) Apr 25 (4) Apr 24 (8) Apr 23 (7) Apr 22 (5) Apr 21 (3) Apr 20 (1) Apr 19 (5) Apr 18 (3) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (6) Apr 15 (5) Apr 14 (2) Apr 13 (4) Apr 12 (2) Apr 11 (4) Apr 10 (3) Apr 09 (3) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (5) Apr 06 (3) Apr 05 (10) Apr 04 (2) Apr 03 (3) Apr 02 (9) Apr 01 (7) Mar 31 (10) Mar 30 (6) Mar 29 (7) Mar 28 (5) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (10) Mar 25 (4) Mar 24 (5) Mar 23 (10) Mar 22 (6) Mar 21 (5) Mar 20 (11) Mar 19 (8) Mar 18 (5) Mar 17 (4) Mar 16 (11) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (7) Mar 13 (7) Mar 12 (5) Mar 11 (3) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (5) Mar 08 (6) Mar 07 (8) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (12) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (8) Mar 02 (6) Mar 01 (8) Feb 28 (7) Feb 27 (5) Feb 26 (6) Feb 25 (7) Feb 24 (3) Feb 23 (6) Feb 22 (4) Feb 21 (3) Feb 20 (1) Feb 19 (6) Feb 18 (4) Feb 17 (4) Feb 16 (2) Feb 15 (5) Feb 14 (3) Feb 13 (6) Feb 12 (6) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (6) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (6) Feb 06 (4) Feb 05 (2) Feb 04 (3) Feb 03 (5) Feb 02 (1) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (8) Jan 30 (2) Jan 29 (4) Jan 28 (1) Jan 27 (4) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (4) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (2) Jan 20 (2) Jan 19 (3) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (2) Jan 16 (7) Jan 15 (6) Jan 14 (4) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (5) Jan 11 (4) Jan 10 (5) Jan 09 (4) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (4) Jan 05 (5) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (2) Jan 01 (1) Dec 31 (5) Dec 29 (4) Dec 28 (5) Dec 26 (3) Dec 25 (2) Dec 24 (3) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (4) Dec 21 (4) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (3) Dec 18 (2) Dec 17 (1) Dec 16 (4) Dec 15 (2) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (7) Dec 12 (5) Dec 11 (4) Dec 10 (3) Dec 09 (2) Dec 08 (2) Dec 07 (4) Dec 06 (4) Dec 05 (1) Dec 04 (5) Dec 03 (3) Dec 02 (5) Dec 01 (6) Nov 30 (5) Nov 29 (10) Nov 28 (6) Nov 27 (2) Nov 26 (3) Nov 24 (2) Nov 23 (5) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (3) Nov 20 (6) Nov 19 (2) Nov 18 (5) Nov 17 (5) Nov 16 (3) Nov 15 (2) Nov 14 (3) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (2) Nov 11 (4) Nov 10 (5) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (5) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (5) Nov 05 (4) Nov 04 (5) Nov 02 (4) Nov 01 (4) Oct 31 (9) Oct 30 (9) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (2) Oct 27 (6) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (6) Oct 24 (3) Oct 23 (6) Oct 22 (4) Oct 20 (3) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (5) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (4) Oct 15 (5) Oct 14 (2) Oct 13 (4) Oct 12 (7) Oct 11 (5) Oct 10 (4) Oct 09 (5) Oct 08 (10) Oct 07 (1) Oct 06 (10) Oct 05 (6) Oct 04 (8) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (4) Oct 01 (6) Sep 30 (5) Sep 29 (1) Sep 28 (6) Sep 27 (6) Sep 26 (5) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (6) Sep 23 (5) Sep 22 (7) Sep 21 (6) Sep 20 (6) Sep 19 (5) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (5) Sep 16 (5) Sep 15 (5) Sep 14 (6) Sep 13 (4) Sep 12 (5) Sep 11 (7) Sep 10 (6) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (3) Sep 07 (4) Sep 06 (8) Sep 05 (6) Sep 04 (7) Sep 03 (3) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (5) Aug 31 (8) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (6) Aug 28 (6) Aug 27 (1) Aug 26 (4) Aug 25 (3) Aug 24 (7) Aug 23 (4) Aug 22 (4) Aug 21 (4) Aug 20 (7) Aug 18 (5) Aug 17 (8) Aug 16 (8) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (5) Aug 12 (4) Aug 11 (2) Aug 10 (5) Aug 09 (4) Aug 08 (8) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (3) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (4) Aug 03 (10) Aug 02 (9) Aug 01 (8) Jul 31 (1) Jul 30 (3) Jul 29 (2) Jul 28 (11) Jul 27 (10) Jul 26 (10) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (5) Jul 23 (3) Jul 22 (2) Jul 21 (7) Jul 20 (10) Jul 19 (8) Jul 18 (7) Jul 17 (1) Jul 16 (10) Jul 14 (7) Jul 13 (6) Jul 12 (11) Jul 11 (7) Jul 10 (5) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (8) Jul 06 (4) Jul 05 (6) Jul 04 (6) Jul 03 (7) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (2) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (7) Jun 28 (5) Jun 27 (8) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (6) Jun 23 (4) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (8) Jun 18 (2) Jun 17 (3) Jun 16 (4) Jun 15 (3) Jun 14 (7) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (7) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (2) Jun 09 (8) Jun 08 (8) Jun 07 (8) Jun 06 (10) Jun 05 (14) Jun 04 (6) Jun 03 (6) Jun 02 (8) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (7) May 30 (2) May 29 (7) May 28 (7) May 27 (2) May 26 (4) May 25 (5) May 24 (4) May 23 (5) May 22 (5) May 21 (5) May 20 (3) May 19 (10) May 18 (6) May 17 (3) May 16 (6) May 15 (2) May 14 (3) May 13 (5) May 11 (1) May 10 (5) May 09 (3) May 08 (4) May 07 (2) May 06 (4) May 05 (6) May 04 (5) May 03 (5) May 02 (1) May 01 (6) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (7) Apr 28 (8) Apr 27 (9) Apr 26 (14) Apr 25 (6) Apr 24 (6) Apr 23 (7) Apr 22 (1) Apr 21 (8) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (6) Apr 18 (4) Apr 17 (7) Apr 16 (1) Apr 15 (8) Apr 14 (1) Apr 13 (7) Apr 12 (10) Apr 11 (7) Apr 10 (2) Apr 09 (2) Apr 08 (4) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (6) Apr 05 (6) Apr 04 (9) Apr 03 (4) Apr 02 (5) Apr 01 (2) Mar 31 (5) Mar 30 (4) Mar 29 (8) Mar 28 (5) Mar 27 (9) Mar 26 (4) Mar 25 (5) Mar 24 (11) Mar 23 (10) Mar 22 (9) Mar 21 (10) Mar 20 (11) Mar 19 (5) Mar 18 (7) Mar 17 (3) Mar 16 (7) Mar 15 (6) Mar 14 (6) Mar 13 (9) Mar 12 (6) Mar 11 (3) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (5) Mar 08 (6) Mar 07 (13) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (3) Mar 04 (7) Mar 03 (4) Mar 02 (5) Mar 01 (6) Feb 28 (6) Feb 27 (4) Feb 26 (5) Feb 25 (6) Feb 24 (6) Feb 23 (9) Feb 22 (6) Feb 21 (7) Feb 20 (8) Feb 19 (6) Feb 18 (3) Feb 17 (4) Feb 16 (6) Feb 15 (5) Feb 14 (7) Feb 13 (5) Feb 12 (3) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (5) Feb 09 (9) Feb 08 (8) Feb 07 (7) Feb 06 (10) Feb 05 (7) Feb 04 (2) Feb 03 (8) Feb 02 (7) Feb 01 (5) Jan 31 (4) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (7) Jan 28 (3) Jan 27 (7) Jan 26 (8) Jan 25 (6) Jan 24 (6) Jan 23 (5) Jan 22 (4) Jan 21 (6) Jan 20 (8) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (8) Jan 17 (12) Jan 16 (5) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (8) Jan 12 (6) Jan 11 (6) Jan 10 (7) Jan 09 (4) Jan 08 (6) Jan 07 (4) Jan 06 (6) Jan 05 (9) Jan 04 (9) Jan 03 (4) Jan 02 (6) Jan 01 (8) Dec 31 (2) Dec 30 (1) Dec 29 (5) Dec 28 (4) Dec 27 (8) Dec 26 (4) Dec 24 (5) Dec 23 (7) Dec 22 (12) Dec 21 (4) Dec 20 (7) Dec 19 (3) Dec 18 (5) Dec 17 (3) Dec 16 (1) Dec 15 (7) Dec 14 (10) Dec 13 (7) Dec 12 (12) Dec 10 (3) Dec 09 (6) Dec 08 (7) Dec 07 (12) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (13) Dec 04 (6) Dec 02 (8) Dec 01 (8) Nov 30 (6) Nov 29 (7) Nov 28 (7) Nov 27 (4) Nov 26 (8) Nov 24 (2) Nov 23 (5) Nov 22 (11) Nov 21 (7) Nov 20 (3) Nov 19 (10) Nov 18 (7) Nov 17 (6) Nov 16 (11) Nov 15 (10) Nov 14 (7) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (5) Nov 11 (12) Nov 10 (4) Nov 09 (14) Nov 08 (10) Nov 07 (11) Nov 06 (8) Nov 05 (5) Nov 04 (11) Nov 03 (9) Nov 02 (10) Nov 01 (8) Oct 31 (12) Oct 30 (5) Oct 29 (5) Oct 28 (5) Oct 27 (11) Oct 26 (13) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (10) Oct 23 (8) Oct 22 (5) Oct 21 (11) Oct 20 (8) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (5) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (6) Oct 15 (4) Oct 14 (9) Oct 13 (10) Oct 12 (11) Oct 11 (9) Oct 10 (10) Oct 09 (7) Oct 08 (5) Oct 07 (10) Oct 06 (9) Oct 05 (14) Oct 04 (9) Oct 03 (12) Oct 02 (4) Oct 01 (9) Sep 30 (5) Sep 29 (7) Sep 28 (13) Sep 27 (10) Sep 26 (11) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (9) Sep 23 (7) Sep 22 (10) Sep 21 (12) Sep 20 (12) Sep 19 (4) Sep 18 (5) Sep 17 (7) Sep 16 (11) Sep 15 (8) Sep 14 (5) Sep 13 (8) Sep 12 (8) Sep 11 (6) Sep 10 (10) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (9) Sep 07 (8) Sep 06 (11) Sep 05 (2) Sep 04 (8) Sep 03 (2) Sep 02 (6) Sep 01 (9) Aug 31 (9) Aug 30 (7) Aug 29 (9) Aug 28 (4) Aug 27 (8) Aug 26 (6) Aug 25 (5) Aug 24 (8) Aug 23 (4) Aug 22 (5) Aug 21 (2) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (6) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (4) Aug 16 (6) Aug 15 (3) Aug 14 (4) Aug 13 (7) Aug 12 (6) Aug 11 (3) Aug 10 (5) Aug 09 (8) Aug 08 (9) Aug 07 (7) Aug 06 (7) Aug 05 (7) Aug 04 (7) Aug 03 (11) Aug 02 (6) Aug 01 (9) Jul 31 (11) Jul 28 (7) Jul 27 (11) Jul 26 (5) Jul 25 (5) Jul 24 (1) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (2) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (8) Jul 18 (6) Jul 17 (7) Jul 15 (4) Jul 14 (2) Jul 13 (6) Jul 12 (10) Jul 11 (11) Jul 10 (2) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (5) Jul 06 (6) Jul 05 (3) Jul 04 (6) Jul 03 (5) Jul 02 (3) Jun 30 (8) Jun 29 (5) Jun 28 (6) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (4) Jun 25 (1) Jun 24 (5) Jun 23 (11) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (5) Jun 19 (7) Jun 17 (4) Jun 16 (7) Jun 15 (4) Jun 14 (6) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (4) Jun 11 (6) Jun 10 (6) Jun 09 (8) Jun 08 (6) Jun 07 (8) Jun 06 (7) Jun 05 (5) Jun 04 (7) Jun 03 (1) Jun 02 (9) Jun 01 (5) May 31 (8) May 30 (7) May 29 (5) May 28 (5) May 27 (4) May 26 (4) May 25 (4) May 24 (3) May 23 (5) May 22 (2) May 21 (3) May 20 (7) May 19 (11) May 18 (1) May 17 (7) May 16 (3) May 15 (4) May 14 (3) May 13 (4) May 12 (4) May 11 (11) May 10 (2) May 09 (6) May 08 (6) May 07 (2) May 06 (3) May 05 (4) May 04 (5) May 03 (8) May 02 (4) May 01 (4) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (13) Apr 28 (5) Apr 27 (7) Apr 26 (5) Apr 25 (5) Apr 24 (2) Apr 23 (7) Apr 22 (9) Apr 21 (11) Apr 20 (2) Apr 19 (2) Apr 18 (5) Apr 17 (5) Apr 16 (6) Apr 14 (5) Apr 13 (2) Apr 12 (9) Apr 11 (10) Apr 10 (6) Apr 09 (5) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (10) Apr 06 (7) Apr 05 (7) Apr 04 (7) Apr 03 (9) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (9) Mar 29 (7) Mar 28 (4) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (6) Mar 25 (3) Mar 24 (8) Mar 23 (7) Mar 22 (4) Mar 21 (10) Mar 20 (6) Mar 19 (6) Mar 17 (7) Mar 16 (11) Mar 15 (6) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (4) Mar 12 (6) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (9) Mar 08 (10) Mar 07 (4) Mar 06 (5) Mar 05 (3) Mar 04 (2) Mar 03 (4) Mar 02 (5) Mar 01 (5) Feb 28 (3) Feb 27 (8) Feb 26 (9) Feb 24 (11) Feb 23 (8) Feb 22 (9) Feb 21 (8) Feb 20 (7) Feb 19 (4) Feb 18 (9) Feb 17 (6) Feb 16 (5) Feb 15 (7) Feb 14 (11) Feb 13 (2) Feb 12 (5) Feb 11 (5) Feb 10 (3) Feb 09 (10) Feb 08 (9) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (2) Feb 05 (9) Feb 03 (7) Feb 02 (5) Feb 01 (7) Jan 31 (4) Jan 30 (5) Jan 29 (6) Jan 28 (5) Jan 27 (2) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (7) Jan 24 (8) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (14) Jan 20 (8) Jan 19 (10) Jan 18 (11) Jan 17 (9) Jan 16 (5) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (9) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (7) Jan 11 (7) Jan 10 (2) Jan 09 (7) Jan 08 (6) Jan 07 (10) Jan 06 (8) Jan 05 (7) Jan 04 (9) Jan 03 (8) Jan 02 (5) Jan 01 (14) Dec 30 (13) Dec 29 (13) Dec 28 (9) Dec 27 (5) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (7) Dec 24 (4) Dec 23 (5) Dec 22 (4) Dec 21 (8) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (8) Dec 18 (9) Dec 16 (8) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (5) Dec 13 (8) Dec 12 (4) Dec 11 (17) Dec 09 (8) Dec 08 (5) Dec 07 (10) Dec 06 (12) Dec 05 (6) Dec 04 (8) Dec 02 (6) Dec 01 (7) Nov 30 (9) Nov 29 (6) Nov 28 (11) Nov 27 (6) Nov 26 (15) Nov 24 (7) Nov 23 (15) Nov 22 (9) Nov 21 (6) Nov 20 (11) Nov 18 (11) Nov 17 (13) Nov 16 (8) Nov 15 (13) Nov 14 (7) Nov 13 (7) Nov 12 (3) Nov 11 (13) Nov 10 (13) Nov 09 (6) Nov 08 (9) Nov 07 (6) Nov 06 (4) Nov 05 (12) Nov 04 (8) Nov 03 (9) Nov 02 (8) Nov 01 (6) Oct 31 (10) Oct 30 (8) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (8) Oct 27 (15) Oct 26 (10) Oct 25 (10) Oct 24 (13) Oct 23 (9) Oct 21 (8) Oct 20 (13) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (11) Oct 17 (8) Oct 16 (14) Oct 14 (9) Oct 13 (11) Oct 12 (9) Oct 11 (13) Oct 10 (7) Oct 09 (15) Oct 07 (7) Oct 06 (11) Oct 05 (18) Oct 04 (14) Oct 03 (1) Oct 02 (10) Sep 30 (11) Sep 29 (11) Sep 28 (11) Sep 27 (15) Sep 26 (7) Sep 24 (9) Sep 23 (11) Sep 22 (7) Sep 21 (17) Sep 20 (20) Sep 19 (4) Sep 18 (11) Sep 16 (10) Sep 15 (12) Sep 14 (9) Sep 13 (12) Sep 12 (14) Sep 11 (4) Sep 10 (8) Sep 09 (9) Sep 08 (5) Sep 07 (13) Sep 06 (15) Sep 05 (8) Sep 04 (11) Sep 03 (10) Sep 02 (12) Sep 01 (12) Aug 31 (14) Aug 30 (14) Aug 29 (8) Aug 28 (8) Aug 27 (9) Aug 26 (12) Aug 25 (6) Aug 24 (8) Aug 23 (12) Aug 22 (6) Aug 21 (5) Aug 20 (6) Aug 19 (9) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (7) Aug 16 (11) Aug 15 (2) Aug 14 (12) Aug 12 (15) Aug 11 (11) Aug 10 (6) Aug 09 (7) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (5) Aug 05 (7) Aug 04 (7) Aug 03 (4) Aug 02 (5) Aug 01 (5) Jul 31 (7) Jul 30 (5) Jul 29 (9) Jul 28 (8) Jul 27 (8) Jul 26 (7) Jul 25 (6) Jul 23 (8) Jul 22 (6) Jul 21 (5) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (5) Jul 18 (15) Jul 15 (14) Jul 14 (5) Jul 13 (6) Jul 12 (12) Jul 11 (8) Jul 10 (3) Jul 09 (11) Jul 08 (8) Jul 07 (7) Jul 06 (10) Jul 05 (4) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (5) Jul 02 (7) Jul 01 (8) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (10) Jun 28 (8) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (2) Jun 23 (11) Jun 22 (5) Jun 21 (7) Jun 20 (3) Jun 19 (7) Jun 18 (10) Jun 17 (11) Jun 16 (5) Jun 15 (5) Jun 14 (7) Jun 13 (14) Jun 11 (6) Jun 10 (8) Jun 09 (9) Jun 08 (11) Jun 07 (14) Jun 06 (16) Jun 03 (8) Jun 02 (12) Jun 01 (5) May 31 (7) May 30 (15) May 28 (7) May 27 (5) May 26 (21) May 25 (14) May 24 (10) May 23 (7) May 22 (8) May 21 (11) May 20 (5) May 19 (4) May 18 (10) May 17 (11) May 16 (5) May 15 (6) May 14 (7) May 13 (12) May 12 (10) May 11 (7) May 10 (13) May 09 (4) May 08 (7) May 07 (3) May 06 (6) May 05 (9) May 04 (14) May 03 (7) May 02 (10) May 01 (10) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (9) Apr 28 (5) Apr 27 (9) Apr 26 (8) Apr 25 (8) Apr 24 (6) Apr 23 (14) Apr 22 (16) Apr 21 (11) Apr 20 (7) Apr 19 (16) Apr 18 (8) Apr 17 (7) Apr 16 (10) Apr 15 (8) Apr 14 (5) Apr 13 (11) Apr 12 (10) Apr 11 (8) Apr 10 (12) Apr 09 (5) Apr 08 (13) Apr 07 (9) Apr 06 (11) Apr 05 (15) Apr 04 (7) Apr 03 (15) Apr 02 (5) Apr 01 (11) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (10) Mar 29 (8) Mar 28 (7) Mar 27 (12) Mar 26 (8) Mar 25 (8) Mar 24 (7) Mar 23 (15) Mar 22 (17) Mar 21 (9) Mar 20 (8) Mar 19 (4) Mar 18 (16) Mar 17 (8) Mar 16 (19) Mar 15 (13) Mar 14 (7) Mar 13 (20) Mar 11 (5) Mar 10 (11) Mar 09 (13) Mar 08 (13) Mar 07 (7) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (9) Mar 04 (10) Mar 03 (16) Mar 02 (16) Mar 01 (13) Feb 29 (8) Feb 28 (6) Feb 27 (16) Feb 26 (10) Feb 25 (6) Feb 24 (12) Feb 23 (14) Feb 22 (9) Feb 21 (11) Feb 20 (8) Feb 19 (12) Feb 18 (12) Feb 17 (11) Feb 16 (8) Feb 15 (9) Feb 14 (7) Feb 13 (10) Feb 12 (11) Feb 11 (13) Feb 10 (5) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (13) Feb 05 (10) Feb 04 (11) Feb 03 (7) Feb 02 (19) Jan 31 (21) Jan 29 (11) Jan 28 (10) Jan 27 (13) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (5) Jan 24 (2) Jan 23 (8) Jan 22 (13) Jan 21 (11) Jan 20 (9) Jan 19 (13) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (11) Jan 15 (7) Jan 14 (13) Jan 13 (9) Jan 12 (9) Jan 11 (5) Jan 10 (8) Jan 09 (7) Jan 08 (7) Jan 07 (6) Jan 06 (11) Jan 05 (7) Jan 04 (7) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (8) Jan 01 (5) Dec 31 (10) Dec 30 (9) Dec 29 (7) Dec 28 (9) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (1) Dec 25 (5) Dec 24 (6) Dec 23 (6) Dec 22 (7) Dec 21 (6) Dec 20 (7) Dec 19 (13) Dec 18 (16) Dec 17 (10) Dec 16 (13) Dec 15 (11) Dec 14 (8) Dec 13 (4) Dec 12 (9) Dec 11 (10) Dec 10 (12) Dec 09 (10) Dec 08 (13) Dec 07 (7) Dec 06 (12) Dec 05 (8) Dec 04 (11) Dec 03 (12) Dec 02 (16) Dec 01 (14) Nov 30 (10) Nov 29 (11) Nov 28 (15) Nov 27 (16) Nov 26 (11) Nov 25 (9) Nov 24 (13) Nov 23 (10) Nov 22 (1) Nov 21 (7) Nov 20 (12) Nov 19 (10) Nov 18 (11) Nov 17 (11) Nov 16 (10) Nov 15 (3) Nov 14 (10) Nov 13 (14) Nov 12 (8) Nov 11 (13) Nov 10 (10) Nov 09 (6) Nov 08 (9) Nov 07 (11) Nov 06 (12) Nov 05 (17) Nov 04 (12) Nov 03 (11) Nov 02 (5) Nov 01 (12) Oct 31 (11) Oct 30 (11) Oct 29 (10) Oct 28 (18) Oct 27 (16) Oct 26 (11) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (12) Oct 23 (11) Oct 22 (14) Oct 21 (12) Oct 20 (17) Oct 19 (12) Oct 18 (13) Oct 17 (15) Oct 16 (14) Oct 15 (10) Oct 14 (16) Oct 13 (12) Oct 12 (13) Oct 11 (8) Oct 10 (12) Oct 09 (21) Oct 08 (22) Oct 07 (19) Oct 06 (18) Oct 05 (6) Oct 04 (17) Oct 03 (13) Oct 02 (14) Oct 01 (13) Sep 30 (14) Sep 29 (15) Sep 28 (12) Sep 27 (11) Sep 26 (15) Sep 25 (13) Sep 24 (9) Sep 23 (10) Sep 22 (12) Sep 21 (8) Sep 20 (4) Sep 19 (12) Sep 18 (12) Sep 17 (16) Sep 16 (21) Sep 15 (14) Sep 14 (7) Sep 13 (5) Sep 12 (10) Sep 11 (16) Sep 10 (7) Sep 09 (8) Sep 08 (10) Sep 07 (7) Sep 06 (5) Sep 05 (8) Sep 04 (9) Sep 03 (8) Sep 02 (11) Sep 01 (10) Aug 31 (4) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (1) Aug 28 (10) Aug 27 (8) Aug 26 (8) Aug 25 (14) Aug 24 (4) Aug 23 (3) Aug 22 (5) Aug 21 (13) Aug 20 (9) Aug 19 (13) Aug 18 (3) Aug 17 (3) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (6) Aug 14 (8) Aug 13 (7) Aug 12 (12) Aug 11 (9) Aug 10 (8) Aug 09 (14) Aug 08 (6) Aug 07 (1) Aug 06 (4) Aug 05 (8) Aug 04 (6) Aug 03 (6) Aug 02 (2) Aug 01 (6) Jul 31 (6) Jul 30 (3) Jul 29 (6) Jul 28 (8) Jul 27 (7) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (6) Jul 23 (5) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (7) Jul 20 (5) Jul 18 (6) Jul 17 (5) Jul 16 (4) Jul 15 (9) Jul 14 (2) Jul 13 (8) Jul 12 (1) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (8) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (3) Jul 07 (13) Jul 05 (2) Jul 04 (5) Jul 03 (6) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (7) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (3) Jun 28 (1) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (7) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (6) Jun 23 (9) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (3) Jun 19 (4) Jun 18 (7) Jun 17 (7) Jun 16 (7) Jun 15 (11) Jun 12 (6) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (10) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (3) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (2) Jun 05 (9) Jun 04 (8) Jun 03 (9) Jun 02 (6) Jun 01 (4) May 30 (7) May 29 (9) May 28 (13) May 26 (8) May 25 (5) May 24 (2) May 23 (8) May 22 (9) May 21 (7) May 20 (4) May 19 (6) May 18 (7) May 17 (8) May 15 (9) May 14 (5) May 13 (8) May 12 (6) May 11 (6) May 09 (7) May 08 (6) May 07 (11) May 06 (7) May 05 (4) May 04 (11) May 03 (5) May 02 (4) May 01 (9) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (4) Apr 28 (9) Apr 27 (4) Apr 26 (3) Apr 25 (5) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (10) Apr 22 (8) Apr 21 (9) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (4) Apr 18 (8) Apr 17 (7) Apr 16 (4) Apr 15 (6) Apr 14 (8) Apr 13 (3) Apr 12 (6) Apr 10 (2) Apr 09 (4) Apr 08 (5) Apr 07 (5) Apr 06 (2) Apr 05 (2) Apr 04 (5) Apr 03 (7) Apr 02 (7) Apr 01 (12) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (3) Mar 29 (1) Mar 28 (2) Mar 27 (6) Mar 26 (2) Mar 25 (5) Mar 24 (4) Mar 23 (7) Mar 22 (4) Mar 21 (6) Mar 20 (9) Mar 19 (9) Mar 18 (8) Mar 17 (9) Mar 16 (7) Mar 15 (11) Mar 13 (5) Mar 12 (12) Mar 11 (9) Mar 10 (12) Mar 09 (4) Mar 08 (5) Mar 07 (5) Mar 06 (5) Mar 05 (5) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (11) Mar 02 (5) Mar 01 (8) Feb 27 (9) Feb 26 (9) Feb 25 (8) Feb 24 (6) Feb 23 (4) Feb 22 (3) Feb 21 (6) Feb 20 (3) Feb 19 (10) Feb 18 (9) Feb 17 (7) Feb 16 (5) Feb 15 (2) Feb 14 (8) Feb 13 (12) Feb 12 (8) Feb 11 (10) Feb 10 (7) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (3) Feb 07 (2) Feb 06 (7) Feb 05 (4) Feb 04 (11) Feb 03 (5) Feb 02 (7) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (5) Jan 30 (8) Jan 29 (12) Jan 28 (6) Jan 27 (8) Jan 26 (13) Jan 24 (8) Jan 23 (12) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (10) Jan 20 (8) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (9) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (11) Jan 14 (4) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (7) Jan 11 (6) Jan 10 (2) Jan 09 (6) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (6) Jan 06 (4) Jan 05 (4) Jan 04 (3) Jan 03 (6) Jan 02 (2) Jan 01 (3) Dec 31 (6) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (6) Dec 28 (4) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (2) Dec 25 (3) Dec 24 (5) Dec 23 (7) Dec 22 (5) Dec 21 (4) Dec 20 (4) Dec 19 (5) Dec 18 (8) Dec 17 (5) Dec 16 (9) Dec 15 (7) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (10) Dec 12 (10) Dec 11 (9) Dec 10 (10) Dec 09 (11) Dec 08 (5) Dec 07 (5) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (9) Dec 04 (3) Dec 03 (8) Dec 02 (10) Dec 01 (6) Nov 30 (1) Nov 29 (3) Nov 28 (9) Nov 27 (3) Nov 26 (7) Nov 25 (12) Nov 24 (3) Nov 23 (8) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (3) Nov 20 (12) Nov 19 (6) Nov 18 (10) Nov 17 (12) Nov 16 (5) Nov 15 (5) Nov 14 (12) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (7) Nov 11 (8) Nov 10 (7) Nov 09 (6) Nov 08 (5) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (6) Nov 05 (12) Nov 04 (9) Nov 03 (6) Nov 02 (14) Nov 01 (3) Oct 31 (6) Oct 30 (7) Oct 29 (9) Oct 28 (9) Oct 27 (3) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (8) Oct 23 (4) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (4) Oct 20 (2) Oct 19 (11) Oct 17 (6) Oct 16 (7) Oct 15 (7) Oct 14 (8) Oct 13 (5) Oct 12 (8) Oct 11 (6) Oct 10 (5) Oct 09 (11) Oct 08 (10) Oct 07 (8) Oct 06 (3) Oct 05 (7) Oct 04 (8) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (10) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (7) Sep 29 (6) Sep 28 (5) Sep 27 (8) Sep 26 (11) Sep 25 (11) Sep 24 (15) Sep 23 (8) Sep 22 (9) Sep 21 (4) Sep 20 (8) Sep 19 (9) Sep 18 (10) Sep 17 (10) Sep 16 (5) Sep 15 (5) Sep 14 (7) Sep 13 (5) Sep 12 (5) Sep 11 (8) Sep 10 (6) Sep 09 (7) Sep 08 (5) Sep 07 (2) Sep 06 (4) Sep 05 (7) Sep 04 (11) Sep 03 (7) Sep 02 (7) Sep 01 (2) Aug 31 (3) Aug 30 (1) Aug 29 (10) Aug 28 (5) Aug 27 (4) Aug 26 (10) Aug 25 (6) Aug 24 (9) Aug 22 (11) Aug 21 (8) Aug 20 (12) Aug 19 (8) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (4) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (6) Aug 14 (4) Aug 13 (7) Aug 12 (8) Aug 11 (7) Aug 10 (12) Aug 08 (5) Aug 07 (6) Aug 06 (6) Aug 05 (8) Aug 04 (5) Aug 03 (4) Aug 01 (7) Jul 31 (6) Jul 30 (12) Jul 29 (4) Jul 28 (5) Jul 27 (7) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (8) Jul 23 (8) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (8) Jul 20 (6) Jul 19 (3) Jul 18 (8) Jul 17 (2) Jul 16 (7) Jul 15 (6) Jul 14 (9) Jul 13 (10) Jul 11 (9) Jul 10 (8) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (7) Jul 07 (7) Jul 06 (7) Jul 05 (10) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (6) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (8) Jun 30 (5) Jun 29 (6) Jun 28 (1) Jun 27 (15) Jun 26 (10) Jun 25 (9) Jun 24 (16) Jun 23 (6) Jun 22 (12) Jun 20 (6) Jun 19 (8) Jun 18 (10) Jun 17 (6) Jun 16 (7) Jun 15 (5) Jun 14 (5) Jun 13 (13) Jun 12 (7) Jun 11 (14) Jun 10 (3) Jun 09 (2) Jun 08 (2) Jun 07 (7) Jun 06 (16) Jun 05 (7) Jun 04 (18) Jun 03 (12) Jun 02 (8) May 31 (3) May 30 (6) May 29 (6) May 28 (7) May 27 (4) May 26 (4) May 25 (6) May 23 (4) May 22 (8) May 21 (5) May 20 (6) May 19 (2) May 18 (9) May 17 (1) May 16 (5) May 15 (5) May 14 (7) May 13 (7) May 12 (7) May 11 (4) May 10 (4) May 09 (5) May 08 (10) May 07 (4) May 06 (13) May 05 (4) May 04 (10) May 02 (2) May 01 (5) Apr 30 (9) Apr 29 (6) Apr 28 (3) Apr 27 (4) Apr 26 (9) Apr 25 (9) Apr 24 (7) Apr 23 (11) Apr 22 (7) Apr 21 (3) Apr 20 (10) Apr 19 (6) Apr 18 (5) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (6) Apr 15 (7) Apr 14 (11) Apr 13 (4) Apr 12 (5) Apr 11 (9) Apr 10 (4) Apr 09 (6) Apr 08 (6) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (6) Apr 05 (10) Apr 03 (9) Apr 02 (9) Apr 01 (12) Mar 31 (4) Mar 30 (9) Mar 29 (10) Mar 28 (7) Mar 27 (8) Mar 26 (8) Mar 25 (15) Mar 24 (11) Mar 23 (8) Mar 22 (7) Mar 21 (14) Mar 20 (6) Mar 19 (11) Mar 18 (11) Mar 17 (12) Mar 16 (8) Mar 15 (8) Mar 14 (13) Mar 13 (8) Mar 12 (10) Mar 11 (8) Mar 10 (7) Mar 09 (3) Mar 08 (12) Mar 07 (15) Mar 06 (16) Mar 05 (9) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (12) Mar 02 (20) Feb 28 (11) Feb 27 (8) Feb 26 (11) Feb 25 (6) Feb 24 (14) Feb 23 (5) Feb 22 (6) Feb 21 (8) Feb 20 (11) Feb 19 (7) Feb 18 (4) Feb 17 (8) Feb 16 (11) Feb 15 (3) Feb 14 (10) Feb 13 (4) Feb 12 (10) Feb 11 (7) Feb 10 (7) Feb 09 (4) Feb 08 (6) Feb 07 (5) Feb 06 (4) Feb 05 (10) Feb 04 (5) Feb 03 (4) Feb 02 (4) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (3) Jan 30 (5) Jan 29 (2) Jan 28 (6) Jan 27 (3) Jan 26 (2) Jan 25 (5) Jan 24 (7) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (4) Jan 21 (5) Jan 20 (5) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (7) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (5) Jan 13 (4) Jan 12 (5) Jan 11 (3) Jan 10 (5) Jan 09 (6) Jan 08 (6) Jan 07 (3) Jan 06 (1) Jan 05 (4) Jan 04 (5) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (6) Jan 01 (2) Dec 31 (6) Dec 30 (1) Dec 29 (5) Dec 27 (1) Dec 26 (2) Dec 25 (4) Dec 24 (8) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (1) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (8) Dec 18 (3) Dec 17 (4) Dec 16 (3) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (4) Dec 11 (4) Dec 10 (7) Dec 09 (5) Dec 08 (2) Dec 07 (5) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (10) Dec 04 (9) Dec 03 (4) Dec 02 (2) Dec 01 (8) Nov 29 (5) Nov 28 (7) Nov 27 (5) Nov 26 (9) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (5) Nov 23 (6) Nov 22 (5) Nov 21 (12) Nov 20 (12) Nov 19 (10) Nov 18 (4) Nov 17 (3) Nov 16 (8) Nov 15 (7) Nov 14 (7) Nov 13 (6) Nov 12 (12) Nov 11 (6) Nov 10 (3) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (10) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (5) Nov 05 (9) Nov 04 (4) Nov 03 (4) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (3) Oct 31 (10) Oct 30 (4) Oct 29 (11) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (7) Oct 26 (7) Oct 25 (6) Oct 24 (7) Oct 23 (11) Oct 22 (2) Oct 21 (7) Oct 20 (4) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (7) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (8) Oct 15 (5) Oct 14 (5) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (7) Oct 11 (20) Oct 10 (2) Oct 09 (4) Oct 08 (21) Oct 07 (20) Oct 06 (34) Oct 04 (24) Oct 03 (21) Oct 02 (3) Oct 01 (7) Sep 30 (3) Sep 29 (5) Sep 28 (6) Sep 27 (5) Sep 26 (6) Sep 25 (5) Sep 24 (2) Sep 23 (8) Sep 22 (4) Sep 21 (3) Sep 20 (9) Sep 19 (11) Sep 18 (5) Sep 17 (7) Sep 16 (6) Sep 15 (3) Sep 14 (7) Sep 13 (8) Sep 12 (11) Sep 11 (7) Sep 10 (6) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (3) Sep 07 (6) Sep 06 (10) Sep 05 (7) Sep 04 (7) Sep 03 (5) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (8) Aug 31 (5) Aug 30 (7) Aug 29 (10) Aug 28 (7) Aug 27 (6) Aug 26 (6) Aug 25 (3) Aug 24 (8) Aug 23 (6) Aug 22 (6) Aug 21 (8) Aug 20 (8) Aug 19 (4) Aug 18 (2) Aug 17 (5) Aug 16 (7) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (4) Aug 12 (6) Aug 11 (6) Aug 10 (4) Aug 09 (8) Aug 08 (6) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (6) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (12) Aug 03 (3) Aug 02 (4) Aug 01 (10) Jul 31 (3) Jul 30 (7) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (6) Jul 27 (4) Jul 26 (5) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (7) Jul 23 (10) Jul 22 (8) Jul 21 (5) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (7) Jul 18 (9) Jul 17 (10) Jul 16 (11) Jul 15 (5) Jul 13 (5) Jul 12 (9) Jul 11 (11) Jul 10 (12) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (8) Jul 06 (9) Jul 05 (10) Jul 04 (8) Jul 03 (10) Jul 02 (12) Jul 01 (8) Jun 30 (5) Jun 29 (6) Jun 28 (23) Jun 27 (18) Jun 26 (12) Jun 25 (14) Jun 24 (15) Jun 23 (11) Jun 22 (11) Jun 21 (15) Jun 20 (9) Jun 19 (8) Jun 18 (11) Jun 17 (7) Jun 16 (6) Jun 15 (6) Jun 14 (6) Jun 13 (5) Jun 12 (6) Jun 11 (9) Jun 10 (10) Jun 09 (9) Jun 08 (6) Jun 07 (2) Jun 06 (6) Jun 05 (4) Jun 04 (3) Jun 03 (4) Jun 02 (3) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (3) May 30 (5) May 29 (8) May 28 (7) May 27 (2) May 26 (2) May 25 (8) May 24 (7) May 23 (6) May 22 (9) May 21 (6) May 20 (5) May 19 (6) May 18 (9) May 17 (10) May 16 (11) May 15 (5) May 14 (11) May 13 (6) May 12 (7) May 11 (7) May 10 (5) May 09 (3) May 08 (10) May 07 (8) May 06 (11) May 05 (5) May 04 (9) May 03 (3) May 02 (2) May 01 (5) Apr 30 (5) Apr 29 (8) Apr 28 (6) Apr 27 (4) Apr 26 (9) Apr 25 (11) Apr 24 (4) Apr 23 (11) Apr 22 (7) Apr 21 (5) Apr 20 (7) Apr 19 (10) Apr 18 (8) Apr 17 (10) Apr 16 (8) Apr 15 (4) Apr 14 (5) Apr 13 (7) Apr 12 (11) Apr 11 (6) Apr 10 (7) Apr 09 (6) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (9) Apr 05 (10) Apr 04 (7) Apr 03 (2) Apr 02 (6) Apr 01 (4) Mar 31 (3) Mar 30 (4) Mar 29 (3) Mar 28 (5) Mar 27 (10) Mar 26 (5) Mar 25 (4) Mar 24 (5) Mar 23 (7) Mar 22 (6) Mar 21 (9) Mar 20 (5) Mar 19 (5) Mar 18 (9) Mar 17 (2) Mar 16 (8) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (10) Mar 12 (10) Mar 11 (2) Mar 10 (1) Mar 09 (6) Mar 08 (4) Mar 07 (4) Mar 06 (3) Mar 05 (3) Mar 04 (7) Mar 03 (6) Mar 02 (8) Mar 01 (9) Feb 28 (6) Feb 27 (3) Feb 26 (8) Feb 25 (7) Feb 24 (3) Feb 23 (4) Feb 22 (4) Feb 21 (7) Feb 20 (4) Feb 19 (4) Feb 18 (2) Feb 17 (1) Feb 16 (6) Feb 15 (6) Feb 14 (5) Feb 13 (4) Feb 12 (7) Feb 11 (2) Feb 10 (2) Feb 09 (5) Feb 08 (5) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (4) Feb 05 (9) Feb 04 (3) Feb 03 (3) Feb 02 (10) Feb 01 (9) Jan 31 (5) Jan 30 (8) Jan 29 (5) Jan 28 (3) Jan 27 (4) Jan 26 (5) Jan 25 (6) Jan 24 (5) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (3) Jan 20 (3) Jan 19 (7) Jan 18 (3) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (8) Jan 15 (7) Jan 14 (9) Jan 13 (1) Jan 12 (7) Jan 11 (1) Jan 10 (3) Jan 09 (3) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (4) Jan 06 (2) Jan 05 (3) Jan 04 (5) Jan 03 (4) Jan 02 (4) Jan 01 (4) Dec 31 (3) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (5) Dec 28 (8) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (2) Dec 24 (4) Dec 23 (4) Dec 22 (7) Dec 21 (5) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (6) Dec 17 (4) Dec 16 (5) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (8) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (6) Dec 11 (8) Dec 10 (5) Dec 09 (4) Dec 08 (4) Dec 07 (7) Dec 06 (7) Dec 05 (6) Dec 04 (6) Dec 03 (7) Dec 02 (1) Dec 01 (6) Nov 30 (2) Nov 29 (8) Nov 28 (16) Nov 27 (7) Nov 26 (5) Nov 25 (2) Nov 24 (6) Nov 23 (5) Nov 22 (5) Nov 21 (5) Nov 20 (15) Nov 19 (8) Nov 18 (2) Nov 17 (3) Nov 16 (5) Nov 15 (7) Nov 14 (6) Nov 13 (9) Nov 12 (7) Nov 11 (8) Nov 10 (3) Nov 09 (5) Nov 08 (8) Nov 07 (9) Nov 06 (9) Nov 05 (1) Nov 04 (4) Nov 03 (8) Nov 02 (6) Nov 01 (3) Oct 31 (6) Oct 30 (7) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (4) Oct 26 (4) Oct 25 (8) Oct 24 (4) Oct 23 (1) Oct 22 (6) Oct 21 (1) Oct 20 (8) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (10) Oct 17 (6) Oct 16 (15) Oct 15 (4) Oct 14 (5) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (9) Oct 11 (7) Oct 10 (1) Oct 09 (5) Oct 08 (7) Oct 07 (3) Oct 06 (8) Oct 05 (5) Oct 04 (3) Oct 03 (7) Oct 02 (6) Oct 01 (6) Sep 30 (8) Sep 29 (6) Sep 28 (13) Sep 27 (10) Sep 26 (8) Sep 25 (8) Sep 24 (8) Sep 23 (3) Sep 22 (7) Sep 21 (9) Sep 20 (7) Sep 19 (8) Sep 18 (4) Sep 17 (3) Sep 16 (4) Sep 15 (8) Sep 14 (5) Sep 13 (7) Sep 12 (7) Sep 11 (9) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (10) Sep 08 (4) Sep 07 (12) Sep 06 (13) Sep 05 (15) Sep 04 (5) Sep 03 (4) Sep 02 (6) Sep 01 (9) Aug 31 (7) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (8) Aug 28 (11) Aug 27 (2) Aug 26 (6) Aug 25 (15) Aug 24 (6) Aug 23 (8) Aug 22 (5) Aug 21 (6) Aug 20 (7) Aug 19 (2) Aug 18 (5) Aug 17 (5) Aug 16 (11) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (9) Aug 12 (4) Aug 11 (5) Aug 10 (6) Aug 09 (5) Aug 08 (7) Aug 07 (9) Aug 06 (4) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (4) Aug 03 (8) Aug 02 (9) Aug 01 (10) Jul 31 (11) Jul 30 (4) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (11) Jul 27 (4) Jul 26 (7) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (4) Jul 23 (8) Jul 22 (5) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (10) Jul 19 (6) Jul 18 (9) Jul 17 (6) Jul 16 (7) Jul 15 (6) Jul 14 (4) Jul 13 (7) Jul 12 (8) Jul 11 (6) Jul 10 (14) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (4) Jul 06 (9) Jul 05 (8) Jul 04 (5) Jul 03 (8) Jul 02 (5) Jul 01 (5) Jun 30 (6) Jun 29 (3) Jun 28 (3) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (8) Jun 25 (3) Jun 24 (5) Jun 23 (14) Jun 22 (11) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (8) Jun 19 (7) Jun 18 (4) Jun 17 (3) Jun 16 (12) Jun 15 (12) Jun 14 (10) Jun 13 (10) Jun 12 (9) Jun 11 (6) Jun 10 (12) Jun 09 (4) Jun 08 (3) Jun 07 (12) Jun 06 (6) Jun 05 (7) Jun 04 (6) Jun 03 (3) Jun 02 (4) Jun 01 (8) May 31 (4) May 30 (3) May 29 (8) May 28 (7) May 27 (4) May 26 (3) May 25 (5) May 24 (9) May 23 (16) May 22 (12) May 21 (11) May 20 (7) May 19 (10) May 18 (8) May 17 (8) May 16 (10) May 15 (8) May 14 (5) May 13 (1) May 12 (6) May 11 (9) May 10 (9) May 09 (10) May 08 (9) May 07 (6) May 06 (5) May 05 (7) May 04 (10) May 03 (7) May 02 (9) May 01 (10) Apr 30 (4) Apr 29 (9) Apr 28 (12) Apr 27 (9) Apr 26 (4) Apr 25 (5) Apr 24 (9) Apr 23 (4) Apr 22 (7) Apr 21 (8) Apr 20 (9) Apr 19 (6) Apr 18 (4) Apr 17 (2) Apr 16 (4) Apr 15 (10) Apr 14 (7) Apr 13 (5) Apr 12 (7) Apr 11 (7) Apr 10 (7) Apr 09 (6) Apr 08 (7) Apr 07 (10) Apr 06 (8) Apr 05 (8) Apr 04 (9) Apr 03 (6) Apr 02 (4) Apr 01 (4) Mar 31 (11) Mar 30 (12) Mar 29 (16) Mar 28 (8) Mar 27 (10) Mar 26 (12) Mar 25 (6) Mar 24 (9) Mar 23 (3) Mar 22 (12) Mar 21 (12) Mar 20 (14) Mar 19 (8) Mar 18 (7) Mar 17 (8) Mar 16 (4) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (9) Mar 12 (6) Mar 11 (5) Mar 10 (13) Mar 09 (8) Mar 08 (10) Mar 07 (12) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (4) Mar 04 (2) Mar 03 (3) Mar 02 (12) Mar 01 (8) Feb 29 (11) Feb 28 (5) Feb 27 (3) Feb 26 (13) Feb 25 (10) Feb 24 (13) Feb 23 (10) Feb 22 (9) Feb 21 (18) Feb 20 (6) Feb 19 (7) Feb 18 (9) Feb 17 (5) Feb 16 (9) Feb 15 (7) Feb 14 (6) Feb 13 (5) Feb 12 (6) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (8) Feb 09 (5) Feb 08 (8) Feb 07 (10) Feb 06 (7) Feb 05 (7) Feb 04 (5) Feb 03 (11) Feb 02 (4) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (12) Jan 30 (7) Jan 29 (7) Jan 28 (7) Jan 27 (12) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (11) Jan 24 (4) Jan 23 (6) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (12) Jan 20 (11) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (6) Jan 17 (11) Jan 16 (9) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (3) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (9) Jan 11 (9) Jan 10 (10) Jan 09 (5) Jan 08 (10) Jan 07 (5) Jan 06 (6) Jan 05 (8) Jan 04 (5) Jan 03 (8) Jan 02 (7) Jan 01 (7) Dec 31 (10) Dec 30 (11) Dec 29 (6) Dec 28 (5) Dec 27 (10) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (5) Dec 24 (7) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (9) Dec 21 (8) Dec 20 (8) Dec 19 (5) Dec 18 (1) Dec 17 (5) Dec 16 (6) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (13) Dec 13 (8) Dec 12 (7) Dec 11 (9) Dec 10 (12) Dec 09 (7) Dec 08 (11) Dec 07 (9) Dec 06 (11) Dec 05 (10) Dec 04 (6) Dec 03 (8) Dec 02 (6) Dec 01 (14) Nov 30 (7) Nov 29 (8) Nov 28 (8) Nov 27 (6) Nov 26 (9) Nov 25 (10) Nov 24 (12) Nov 23 (10) Nov 22 (10) Nov 21 (10) Nov 20 (4) Nov 19 (4) Nov 18 (8) Nov 17 (9) Nov 16 (9) Nov 15 (12) Nov 14 (6) Nov 13 (9) Nov 12 (3) Nov 11 (9) Nov 10 (10) Nov 09 (10) Nov 08 (7) Nov 07 (8) Nov 06 (10) Nov 05 (8) Nov 04 (7) Nov 03 (10) Nov 02 (11) Nov 01 (10) Oct 31 (5) Oct 30 (8) Oct 29 (8) Oct 28 (8) Oct 27 (11) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (10) Oct 23 (5) Oct 22 (14) Oct 21 (10) Oct 20 (8) Oct 19 (11) Oct 18 (13) Oct 17 (7) Oct 16 (6) Oct 15 (9) Oct 14 (7) Oct 13 (12) Oct 12 (13) Oct 11 (9) Oct 10 (8) Oct 09 (9) Oct 08 (7) Oct 07 (12) Oct 06 (8) Oct 05 (13) Oct 04 (11) Oct 03 (7) Oct 02 (5) Oct 01 (14) Sep 30 (12) Sep 29 (12) Sep 28 (11) Sep 27 (11) Sep 26 (7) Sep 25 (10) Sep 24 (3) Sep 23 (7) Sep 22 (8) Sep 21 (8) Sep 20 (8) Sep 19 (7) Sep 18 (5) Sep 17 (14) Sep 16 (7) Sep 15 (11) Sep 14 (13) Sep 13 (11) Sep 12 (9) Sep 11 (5) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (13) Sep 08 (11) Sep 07 (11) Sep 06 (16) Sep 05 (1) Sep 04 (10) Sep 03 (8) Sep 02 (8) Sep 01 (7) Aug 31 (1) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (2) Aug 28 (3) Aug 27 (6) Aug 26 (8) Aug 25 (5) Aug 24 (5) Aug 23 (6) Aug 22 (7) Aug 21 (6) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (9) Aug 18 (7) Aug 17 (7) Aug 16 (10) Aug 15 (2) Aug 14 (5) Aug 13 (5) Aug 12 (10) Aug 11 (5) Aug 10 (4) Aug 09 (8) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (5) Aug 06 (12) Aug 05 (5) Aug 04 (7) Aug 03 (6) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (14) Jul 31 (7) Jul 30 (7) Jul 29 (13) Jul 28 (10) Jul 27 (6) Jul 26 (7) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (4) Jul 23 (12) Jul 22 (14) Jul 21 (6) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (12) Jul 18 (9) Jul 17 (4) Jul 16 (6) Jul 15 (8) Jul 14 (15) Jul 13 (8) Jul 12 (10) Jul 11 (6) Jul 10 (6) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (6) Jul 07 (9) Jul 06 (15) Jul 05 (6) Jul 04 (10) Jul 03 (6) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (11) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (4) Jun 28 (8) Jun 27 (8) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (11) Jun 24 (9) Jun 23 (10) Jun 22 (8) Jun 21 (8) Jun 20 (6) Jun 19 (5) Jun 18 (15) Jun 17 (8) Jun 16 (13) Jun 15 (15) Jun 14 (11) Jun 13 (6) Jun 12 (15) Jun 11 (7) Jun 10 (7) Jun 09 (18) Jun 08 (20) Jun 07 (17) Jun 06 (9) Jun 05 (9) Jun 04 (12) Jun 03 (13) Jun 02 (14) Jun 01 (8) May 31 (13) May 30 (8) May 29 (6) May 28 (8) May 27 (17) May 26 (8) May 25 (13) May 24 (12) May 23 (9) May 22 (4) May 21 (4) May 20 (11) May 19 (14) May 18 (6) May 17 (10) May 16 (4) May 15 (5) May 14 (28) May 12 (9) May 11 (17) May 10 (15) May 09 (12) May 08 (5) May 07 (4) May 06 (10) May 05 (8) May 04 (10) May 03 (5) May 02 (6) May 01 (8) Apr 30 (8) Apr 29 (12) Apr 28 (6) Apr 27 (11) Apr 26 (12) Apr 25 (6) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (5) Apr 22 (10) Apr 21 (19) Apr 20 (13) Apr 19 (11) Apr 18 (11) Apr 17 (5) Apr 16 (12) Apr 15 (11) Apr 14 (17) Apr 13 (6) Apr 12 (16) Apr 11 (10) Apr 10 (1) Apr 09 (18) Apr 08 (14) Apr 07 (6) Apr 06 (10) Apr 05 (21) Apr 04 (12) Apr 03 (4) Apr 02 (13) Apr 01 (8) Mar 31 (10) Mar 30 (11) Mar 29 (10) Mar 28 (8) Mar 27 (6) Mar 26 (12) Mar 25 (15) Mar 24 (10) Mar 23 (12) Mar 22 (12) Mar 21 (8) Mar 20 (4) Mar 19 (11) Mar 18 (7) Mar 17 (7) Mar 16 (9) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (4) Mar 13 (2) Mar 12 (14) Mar 11 (13) Mar 10 (7) Mar 09 (9) Mar 08 (17) Mar 07 (5) Mar 06 (7) Mar 05 (13) Mar 04 (10) Mar 03 (14) Mar 02 (12) Mar 01 (18) Feb 28 (8) Feb 27 (2) Feb 26 (9) Feb 25 (13) Feb 24 (17) Feb 23 (13) Feb 22 (12) Feb 21 (11) Feb 20 (11) Feb 19 (16) Feb 18 (17) Feb 17 (15) Feb 16 (15) Feb 15 (15) Feb 14 (10) Feb 13 (8) Feb 12 (10) Feb 11 (15) Feb 10 (11) Feb 09 (13) Feb 08 (10) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (6) Feb 05 (15) Feb 04 (15) Feb 03 (11) Feb 02 (14) Feb 01 (15) Jan 31 (11) Jan 30 (9) Jan 29 (19) Jan 28 (9) Jan 27 (9) Jan 26 (16) Jan 25 (19) Jan 24 (17) Jan 23 (8) Jan 22 (15) Jan 21 (9) Jan 20 (11) Jan 19 (7) Jan 18 (9) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (7) Jan 15 (12) Jan 14 (9) Jan 13 (14) Jan 12 (11) Jan 11 (13) Jan 10 (8) Jan 09 (8) Jan 08 (20) Jan 07 (11) Jan 06 (11) Jan 05 (8) Jan 04 (14) Jan 03 (6) Jan 02 (7) Jan 01 (7) Dec 31 (14) Dec 30 (15) Dec 29 (7) Dec 28 (10) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (3) Dec 25 (11) Dec 24 (9) Dec 23 (9) Dec 22 (15) Dec 21 (12) Dec 20 (11) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (16) Dec 17 (6) Dec 16 (12) Dec 15 (14) Dec 14 (11) Dec 13 (10) Dec 12 (6) Dec 11 (10) Dec 10 (17) Dec 09 (11) Dec 08 (12) Dec 07 (16) Dec 06 (11) Dec 05 (5) Dec 04 (12) Dec 03 (15) Dec 02 (15) Dec 01 (12) Nov 30 (16) Nov 29 (7) Nov 28 (11) Nov 27 (13) Nov 26 (13) Nov 25 (16) Nov 24 (15) Nov 23 (10) Nov 22 (10) Nov 21 (4) Nov 20 (8) Nov 19 (9) Nov 18 (16) Nov 17 (11) Nov 16 (11) Nov 15 (10) Nov 14 (9) Nov 13 (6) Nov 12 (10) Nov 11 (12) Nov 10 (15) Nov 09 (9) Nov 08 (10) Nov 07 (6) Nov 06 (7) Nov 05 (12) Nov 04 (14) Nov 03 (10) Nov 02 (13) Nov 01 (9) Oct 31 (9) Oct 30 (11) Oct 29 (18) Oct 28 (13) Oct 27 (23) Oct 26 (12) Oct 25 (14) Oct 24 (20) Oct 22 (18) Oct 21 (18) Oct 20 (19) Oct 19 (12) Oct 18 (11) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (18) Oct 15 (8) Oct 14 (11) Oct 13 (9) Oct 12 (13) Oct 11 (6) Oct 10 (7) Oct 09 (27) Oct 08 (14) Oct 07 (10) Oct 06 (9) Oct 05 (7) Oct 04 (10) Oct 03 (6) Oct 02 (9) Oct 01 (13) Sep 30 (12) Sep 29 (13) Sep 28 (8) Sep 27 (9) Sep 26 (8) Sep 25 (14) Sep 24 (4) Sep 23 (14) Sep 22 (20) Sep 21 (11) Sep 20 (6) Sep 19 (9) Sep 18 (14) Sep 17 (8) Sep 16 (17) Sep 15 (6) Sep 14 (11) Sep 13 (9) Sep 12 (4) Sep 11 (7) Sep 10 (14) Sep 09 (12) Sep 08 (17) Sep 07 (12) Sep 06 (13) Sep 05 (9) Sep 04 (20) Sep 03 (16) Sep 02 (16) Sep 01 (10) Aug 31 (13) Aug 30 (4) Aug 29 (9) Aug 28 (6) Aug 27 (8) Aug 26 (11) Aug 25 (10) Aug 24 (14) Aug 23 (12) Aug 22 (13) Aug 21 (10) Aug 20 (13) Aug 19 (15) Aug 18 (8) Aug 17 (10) Aug 16 (8) Aug 15 (3) Aug 14 (11) Aug 13 (12) Aug 12 (15) Aug 11 (10) Aug 10 (17) Aug 09 (6) Aug 08 (13) Aug 07 (11) Aug 06 (13) Aug 05 (11) Aug 04 (11) Aug 03 (10) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (6) Jul 31 (10) Jul 30 (21) Jul 29 (14) Jul 28 (13) Jul 27 (16) Jul 26 (10) Jul 25 (15) Jul 24 (17) Jul 23 (15) Jul 22 (15) Jul 21 (19) Jul 20 (17) Jul 19 (9) Jul 18 (7) Jul 17 (26) Jul 16 (18) Jul 15 (20) Jul 14 (16) Jul 13 (19) Jul 12 (11) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (13) Jul 09 (11) Jul 08 (8) Jul 07 (12) Jul 06 (16) Jul 05 (9) Jul 04 (5) Jul 03 (15) Jul 02 (11) Jul 01 (14) Jun 30 (13) Jun 29 (19) Jun 28 (8) Jun 27 (9) Jun 26 (16) Jun 25 (22) Jun 24 (17) Jun 23 (11) Jun 22 (15) Jun 21 (14) Jun 20 (8) Jun 19 (17) Jun 18 (10) Jun 17 (10) Jun 16 (17) Jun 15 (13) Jun 14 (14) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (13) Jun 11 (15) Jun 10 (25) Jun 09 (10) Jun 08 (23) Jun 07 (14) Jun 06 (20) Jun 05 (10) Jun 04 (11) Jun 03 (12) Jun 02 (21) Jun 01 (14) May 31 (10) May 30 (14) May 29 (8) May 28 (23) May 27 (20) May 26 (16) May 25 (13) May 24 (12) May 23 (10) May 22 (18) May 21 (14) May 20 (12) May 19 (18) May 18 (14) May 17 (13) May 16 (4) May 15 (7) May 14 (16) May 13 (13) May 12 (8) May 11 (18) May 10 (8) May 09 (7) May 08 (13) May 07 (11) May 06 (15) May 05 (18) May 04 (17) May 03 (7) May 02 (5) May 01 (11) Apr 30 (19) Apr 29 (21) Apr 28 (18) Apr 27 (16) Apr 26 (8) Apr 25 (11) Apr 24 (9) Apr 23 (20) Apr 22 (23) Apr 21 (5) Apr 20 (16) Apr 19 (13) Apr 18 (6) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (16) Apr 15 (18) Apr 14 (13) Apr 13 (14) Apr 12 (9) Apr 11 (3) Apr 10 (16) Apr 09 (14) Apr 08 (12) Apr 07 (18) Apr 06 (7) Apr 05 (11) Apr 04 (9) Apr 03 (19) Apr 02 (17) Apr 01 (16) Mar 31 (16) Mar 30 (22) Mar 29 (16) Mar 28 (16) Mar 27 (19) Mar 26 (31) Mar 25 (25) Mar 24 (26) Mar 23 (27) Mar 22 (22) Mar 21 (22) Mar 20 (13) Mar 19 (21) Mar 18 (20) Mar 17 (24) Mar 16 (18) Mar 15 (9) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (29) Mar 12 (15) Mar 11 (11) Mar 10 (11) Mar 09 (20) Mar 08 (12) Mar 07 (6) Mar 06 (21) Mar 05 (22) Mar 04 (19) Mar 03 (9) Mar 02 (20) Mar 01 (11) Feb 28 (11) Feb 27 (27) Feb 26 (15) Feb 25 (18) Feb 24 (17) Feb 23 (19) Feb 22 (24) Feb 21 (10) Feb 20 (14) Feb 19 (25) Feb 18 (16) Feb 17 (19) Feb 16 (23) Feb 15 (8) Feb 14 (11) Feb 13 (25) Feb 12 (16) Feb 11 (12) Feb 10 (18) Feb 09 (12) Feb 08 (14) Feb 07 (8) Feb 06 (27) Feb 05 (28) Feb 04 (24) Feb 03 (17) Feb 02 (20) Feb 01 (23) Jan 31 (16) Jan 30 (20) Jan 29 (26) Jan 28 (17) Jan 27 (21) Jan 26 (24) Jan 25 (16) Jan 24 (14) Jan 23 (16) Jan 22 (17) Jan 21 (19) Jan 20 (21) Jan 19 (17) Jan 18 (13) Jan 17 (14) Jan 16 (10) Jan 15 (21) Jan 14 (16) Jan 13 (19) Jan 12 (30) Jan 11 (14) Jan 10 (11) Jan 09 (8) Jan 08 (23) Jan 07 (13) Jan 06 (21) Jan 05 (15) Jan 04 (18) Jan 03 (9) Jan 02 (12) Jan 01 (15) Dec 31 (18) Dec 30 (7) Dec 29 (13) Dec 28 (11) Dec 27 (8) Dec 26 (6) Dec 25 (8) Dec 24 (28) Dec 23 (12) Dec 22 (12) Dec 21 (17) Dec 20 (19) Dec 19 (19) Dec 18 (22) Dec 17 (24) Dec 16 (17) Dec 15 (29) Dec 14 (22) Dec 13 (12) Dec 12 (22) Dec 11 (24) Dec 10 (25) Dec 09 (18) Dec 08 (15) Dec 07 (21) Dec 06 (24) Dec 05 (30) Dec 04 (28) Dec 03 (26) Dec 02 (22) Dec 01 (33) Nov 30 (23) Nov 29 (9) Nov 28 (18) Nov 27 (25) Nov 26 (17) Nov 25 (23) Nov 24 (27) Nov 23 (12) Nov 22 (10) Nov 21 (15) Nov 20 (23) Nov 19 (23) Nov 18 (24) Nov 17 (21) Nov 16 (20) Nov 15 (13) Nov 14 (15) Nov 13 (27) Nov 12 (23) Nov 11 (19) Nov 10 (21) Nov 09 (13) Nov 08 (16) Nov 07 (16) Nov 06 (32) Nov 05 (24) Nov 04 (20) Nov 03 (29) Nov 02 (12) Nov 01 (15) Oct 31 (20) Oct 30 (22) Oct 29 (27) Oct 28 (20) Oct 27 (23) Oct 26 (21) Oct 25 (15) Oct 24 (23) Oct 23 (26) Oct 22 (27) Oct 21 (28) Oct 20 (24) Oct 19 (13) Oct 18 (9) Oct 17 (30) Oct 16 (8) Oct 15 (20) Oct 14 (14) Oct 13 (17) Oct 12 (16) Oct 11 (8) Oct 10 (19) Oct 09 (22) Oct 08 (16) Oct 07 (18) Oct 06 (23) Oct 05 (7) Oct 04 (15) Oct 03 (21) Oct 02 (17) Oct 01 (22) Sep 30 (25) Sep 29 (20) Sep 28 (17) Sep 27 (13) Sep 26 (20) Sep 25 (15) Sep 24 (24) Sep 23 (23) Sep 22 (18) Sep 21 (20) Sep 20 (11) Sep 19 (24) Sep 18 (25) Sep 17 (25) Sep 16 (19) Sep 15 (21) Sep 14 (15) Sep 13 (10) Sep 12 (23) Sep 11 (23) Sep 10 (25) Sep 09 (25) Sep 08 (17) Sep 07 (3) Sep 06 (17) Sep 05 (14) Sep 04 (24) Sep 03 (16) Sep 02 (11) Sep 01 (19) Aug 31 (20) Aug 30 (11) Aug 29 (24) Aug 28 (24) Aug 27 (16) Aug 26 (26) Aug 25 (21) Aug 24 (15) Aug 23 (19) Aug 22 (15) Aug 21 (25) Aug 20 (27) Aug 19 (19) Aug 18 (24) Aug 17 (14) Aug 16 (10) Aug 15 (15) Aug 14 (16) Aug 13 (21) Aug 12 (30) Aug 11 (19) Aug 10 (8) Aug 09 (12) Aug 08 (17) Aug 07 (21) Aug 06 (26) Aug 05 (23) Aug 04 (21) Aug 03 (12) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (19) Jul 31 (21) Jul 30 (25) Jul 29 (29) Jul 28 (23) Jul 27 (17) Jul 26 (11) Jul 25 (21) Jul 24 (14) Jul 23 (15) Jul 22 (19) Jul 21 (15) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (10) Jul 18 (15) Jul 17 (22) Jul 16 (18) Jul 15 (21) Jul 14 (20) Jul 13 (7) Jul 12 (9) Jul 11 (29) Jul 10 (19) Jul 09 (17) Jul 08 (26) Jul 07 (21) Jul 06 (18) Jul 05 (14) Jul 04 (20) Jul 03 (17) Jul 02 (24) Jul 01 (23) Jun 30 (23) Jun 29 (18) Jun 28 (16) Jun 27 (16) Jun 26 (17) Jun 25 (23) Jun 24 (32) Jun 23 (29) Jun 22 (8) Jun 21 (17) Jun 20 (25) Jun 19 (28) Jun 18 (19) Jun 17 (25) Jun 16 (23) Jun 15 (9) Jun 14 (11) Jun 13 (14) Jun 12 (22) Jun 11 (19) Jun 10 (17) Jun 09 (15) Jun 08 (16) Jun 07 (7) Jun 06 (29) Jun 05 (27) Jun 04 (24) Jun 03 (22) Jun 02 (22) Jun 01 (13) May 31 (9) May 30 (26) May 29 (19) May 28 (15) May 27 (15) May 26 (23) May 25 (13) May 24 (12) May 23 (24) May 22 (13) May 21 (21) May 20 (18) May 19 (16) May 18 (7) May 17 (12) May 16 (25) May 15 (24) May 14 (23) May 13 (19) May 12 (17) May 11 (8) May 10 (6) May 09 (14) May 08 (21) May 07 (26) May 06 (14) May 05 (14) May 04 (3) May 03 (3) May 02 (24) May 01 (13) Apr 30 (15) Apr 29 (24) Apr 28 (24) Apr 27 (11) Apr 26 (8) Apr 25 (13) Apr 24 (27) Apr 23 (15) Apr 22 (21) Apr 21 (19) Apr 20 (17) Apr 19 (8) Apr 18 (20) Apr 17 (27) Apr 16 (27) Apr 15 (21) Apr 14 (8) Apr 13 (8) Apr 12 (7) Apr 11 (7) Apr 10 (22) Apr 09 (15) Apr 08 (15) Apr 07 (17) Apr 06 (14) Apr 05 (5) Apr 04 (12) Apr 03 (19) Apr 02 (17) Apr 01 (19) Mar 31 (25) Mar 30 (13) Mar 29 (9) Mar 28 (16) Mar 27 (23) Mar 26 (22) Mar 25 (17) Mar 24 (25) Mar 23 (16) Mar 22 (13) Mar 21 (24) Mar 20 (27) Mar 19 (20) Mar 18 (24) Mar 17 (17) Mar 16 (11) Mar 15 (6) Mar 14 (20) Mar 13 (28) Mar 12 (30) Mar 11 (20) Mar 10 (21) Mar 09 (12) Mar 08 (8) Mar 07 (17) Mar 06 (20) Mar 05 (19) Mar 04 (15) Mar 03 (17) Mar 02 (8) Mar 01 (12) Feb 28 (16) Feb 27 (17) Feb 26 (8) Feb 25 (23) Feb 24 (15) Feb 23 (8) Feb 22 (10) Feb 21 (24) Feb 20 (14) Feb 19 (24) Feb 18 (19) Feb 17 (27) Feb 16 (13) Feb 15 (11) Feb 14 (15) Feb 13 (13) Feb 12 (13) Feb 11 (21) Feb 10 (16) Feb 09 (15) Feb 08 (10) Feb 07 (17) Feb 06 (21) Feb 05 (17) Feb 04 (14) Feb 03 (23) Feb 02 (5) Feb 01 (8) Jan 31 (17) Jan 30 (22) Jan 29 (23) Jan 28 (10) Jan 27 (24) Jan 26 (12) Jan 25 (9) Jan 24 (12) Jan 23 (19) Jan 22 (19) Jan 21 (14) Jan 20 (21) Jan 19 (12) Jan 18 (8) Jan 17 (20) Jan 16 (14) Jan 15 (23) Jan 14 (8) Jan 13 (20) Jan 12 (9) Jan 11 (7) Jan 10 (18) Jan 09 (11) Jan 08 (18) Jan 07 (13) Jan 06 (12) Jan 05 (12) Jan 04 (11) Jan 03 (10) Jan 02 (9) Jan 01 (9) Dec 31 (12) Dec 30 (11) Dec 29 (6) Dec 28 (9) Dec 27 (13) Dec 26 (15) Dec 25 (8) Dec 24 (6) Dec 23 (8) Dec 22 (5) Dec 21 (6) Dec 20 (14) Dec 19 (17) Dec 18 (14) Dec 17 (14) Dec 16 (13) Dec 15 (9) Dec 14 (9) Dec 13 (11) Dec 12 (16) Dec 11 (18) Dec 10 (4) Dec 09 (24) Dec 08 (11) Dec 07 (19) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (26) Dec 04 (15) Dec 03 (20) Dec 02 (17) Dec 01 (11) Nov 30 (10) Nov 29 (18) Nov 28 (21) Nov 27 (10) Nov 26 (22) Nov 25 (16) Nov 24 (12) Nov 23 (8) Nov 22 (18) Nov 21 (9) Nov 20 (17) Nov 19 (16) Nov 18 (16) Nov 17 (5) Nov 16 (9) Nov 15 (21) Nov 14 (17) Nov 13 (20) Nov 12 (16) Nov 11 (13) Nov 10 (9) Nov 09 (10) Nov 08 (16) Nov 07 (15) Nov 06 (18) Nov 05 (19) Nov 04 (16) Nov 03 (11) Nov 02 (5) Nov 01 (17) Oct 31 (17) Oct 30 (21) Oct 29 (9) Oct 28 (16) Oct 27 (6) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (16) Oct 24 (18) Oct 23 (14) Oct 22 (17) Oct 21 (10) Oct 20 (6) Oct 19 (8) Oct 18 (11) Oct 17 (12) Oct 16 (14) Oct 15 (19) Oct 14 (15) Oct 13 (11) Oct 12 (9) Oct 11 (10) Oct 10 (23) Oct 09 (13) Oct 08 (15) Oct 07 (20) Oct 06 (13) Oct 05 (4) Oct 04 (16) Oct 03 (17) Oct 02 (17) Oct 01 (20) Sep 30 (17) Sep 29 (9) Sep 28 (8) Sep 27 (14) Sep 26 (20) Sep 25 (19) Sep 24 (13) Sep 23 (11) Sep 22 (9) Sep 21 (5) Sep 20 (8) Sep 19 (21) Sep 18 (12) Sep 17 (20) Sep 16 (16) Sep 15 (10) Sep 14 (6) Sep 13 (18) Sep 12 (14) Sep 11 (24) Sep 10 (17) Sep 09 (16) Sep 08 (16) Sep 07 (10) Sep 06 (20) Sep 05 (13) Sep 04 (23) Sep 03 (14) Sep 02 (12) Sep 01 (11) Aug 31 (11) Aug 30 (13) Aug 29 (18) Aug 28 (14) Aug 27 (21) Aug 26 (10) Aug 25 (8) Aug 24 (10) Aug 23 (17) Aug 22 (15) Aug 21 (14) Aug 20 (20) Aug 19 (20) Aug 18 (7) Aug 17 (9) Aug 16 (11) Aug 15 (12) Aug 14 (14) Aug 13 (19) Aug 12 (14) Aug 11 (6) Aug 10 (12) Aug 09 (7) Aug 08 (18) Aug 07 (16) Aug 06 (16) Aug 05 (20) Aug 04 (12) Aug 03 (8) Aug 02 (12) Aug 01 (14) Jul 31 (16) Jul 30 (16) Jul 29 (11) Jul 28 (8) Jul 27 (9) Jul 26 (17) Jul 25 (20) Jul 24 (17) Jul 23 (11) Jul 22 (18) Jul 21 (7) Jul 20 (10) Jul 19 (14) Jul 18 (11) Jul 17 (15) Jul 16 (12) Jul 15 (10) Jul 14 (8) Jul 13 (8) Jul 12 (17) Jul 11 (18) Jul 10 (16) Jul 09 (13) Jul 08 (10) Jul 07 (12) Jul 06 (8) Jul 05 (16) Jul 04 (14) Jul 03 (17) Jul 02 (13) Jul 01 (16) Jun 30 (19) Jun 29 (7) Jun 28 (19) Jun 27 (21) Jun 26 (27) Jun 25 (23) Jun 24 (23) Jun 23 (12) Jun 22 (9) Jun 21 (18) Jun 20 (15) Jun 19 (24) Jun 18 (21) Jun 17 (13) Jun 16 (9) Jun 15 (9) Jun 14 (18) Jun 13 (24) Jun 12 (18) Jun 11 (23) Jun 10 (25) Jun 09 (24) Jun 08 (27) Jun 07 (5) Jun 06 (25) Jun 05 (30) Jun 04 (23) Jun 03 (22) Jun 02 (16) Jun 01 (17) May 31 (18) May 30 (19) May 29 (17) May 28 (23) May 27 (15) May 26 (10) May 25 (19) May 24 (16) May 23 (16) May 22 (27) May 21 (20) May 20 (26) May 19 (6) May 18 (8) May 17 (20) May 16 (8) May 15 (18) May 14 (5) May 13 (21) May 12 (9) May 11 (8) May 10 (12) May 09 (18) May 08 (11) May 07 (27) May 06 (12) May 05 (16) May 04 (19) May 03 (14) May 02 (18) May 01 (18) Apr 30 (25) Apr 29 (27) Apr 28 (11) Apr 27 (10) Apr 26 (18) Apr 25 (10) Apr 24 (29) Apr 23 (29) Apr 22 (14) Apr 21 (15) Apr 20 (20) Apr 19 (22) Apr 18 (16) Apr 17 (32) Apr 16 (12) Apr 15 (21) Apr 14 (21) Apr 13 (15) Apr 12 (13) Apr 11 (14) Apr 10 (16) Apr 09 (20) Apr 08 (36) Apr 07 (22) Apr 06 (11) Apr 05 (28) Apr 04 (20) Apr 03 (29) Apr 02 (32) Apr 01 (18) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (9) Mar 29 (15) Mar 28 (22) Mar 27 (24) Mar 26 (17) Mar 25 (17) Mar 24 (13) Mar 23 (5) Mar 22 (12) Mar 21 (15) Mar 20 (18) Mar 19 (19) Mar 18 (16) Mar 17 (10) Mar 16 (6) Mar 15 (18) Mar 14 (24) Mar 13 (18) Mar 12 (18) Mar 11 (17) Mar 10 (13) Mar 09 (12) Mar 08 (18) Mar 07 (25) Mar 06 (16) Mar 05 (16) Mar 04 (22) Mar 03 (17) Mar 02 (6) Mar 01 (23) Feb 29 (19) Feb 28 (25) Feb 27 (26) Feb 26 (23) Feb 25 (12) Feb 24 (13) Feb 23 (15) Feb 22 (26) Feb 21 (31) Feb 20 (12) Feb 19 (21) Feb 18 (15) Feb 17 (10) Feb 16 (15) Feb 15 (19) Feb 14 (15) Feb 13 (25) Feb 12 (20) Feb 11 (9) Feb 10 (7) Feb 09 (28) Feb 08 (20) Feb 07 (22) Feb 06 (20) Feb 05 (19) Feb 04 (14) Feb 03 (16) Feb 02 (28) Feb 01 (37) Jan 31 (27) Jan 30 (31) Jan 29 (18) Jan 28 (14) Jan 27 (10) Jan 26 (18) Jan 25 (26) Jan 24 (34) Jan 23 (21) Jan 22 (21) Jan 21 (18) Jan 20 (18) Jan 19 (18) Jan 18 (26) Jan 17 (24) Jan 16 (23) Jan 15 (30) Jan 14 (20) Jan 13 (18) Jan 12 (24) Jan 11 (11) Jan 10 (23) Jan 09 (22) Jan 08 (17) Jan 07 (17) Jan 06 (9) Jan 05 (18) Jan 04 (15) Jan 03 (19) Jan 02 (14) Jan 01 (6) Dec 31 (12) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (15) Dec 28 (11) Dec 27 (7) Dec 26 (10) Dec 25 (16) Dec 24 (13) Dec 23 (16) Dec 22 (11) Dec 21 (26) Dec 20 (28) Dec 19 (14) Dec 18 (25) Dec 17 (23) Dec 16 (19) Dec 15 (22) Dec 14 (38) Dec 13 (26) Dec 12 (25) Dec 11 (27) Dec 10 (31) Dec 09 (15) Dec 08 (30) Dec 07 (31) Dec 06 (27) Dec 05 (38) Dec 04 (25) Dec 03 (27) Dec 02 (15) Dec 01 (36) Nov 30 (23) Nov 29 (17) Nov 28 (23) Nov 27 (13) Nov 26 (16) Nov 25 (14) Nov 24 (18) Nov 23 (21) Nov 22 (21) Nov 21 (24) Nov 20 (20) Nov 19 (23) Nov 18 (17) Nov 17 (17) Nov 16 (34) Nov 15 (25) Nov 14 (17) Nov 13 (21) Nov 12 (18) Nov 11 (9) Nov 10 (15) Nov 09 (9) Nov 08 (9) Nov 07 (12) Nov 06 (8) Nov 05 (4) Oct 29 (1) Oct 01 (1) Jul 29 (1) May 11 (1) Jul 11 (1)
John O. Lane passed away Friday, Dec. 30, 2016, surrounded by his loving family, after a courageous battle with cancer.

He was born Aug. 11, 1944, in Chippewa Falls, the son of O. Ward Lane and Mildred Konechney. He spent his entire life on the family farm in Bloomer.

John graduated from Bloomer High School in 1962. He worked on the family farm, and also as a carpenter for Reuban Rosenbrook. He then went on to work at Falls Dairy in Jim Falls, for 39 years. John was an excellent mechanic, welder and all-around handyman and could repair anything.

John married Kathleen Moe Sept. 3, 1985. Together they had a great appreciation for nature. John passed along his love of nature to the grandchildren.

They especially enjoyed the many rides with grandpa, back to the woods to feed the deer.

In 2002, a parcel of their land was set aside for the first Wisconsin Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), with Governor Scott McCallum in attendance for the groundbreaking ceremony.

John was a dedicated hunter, fisherman and marksman. Many people came for modification or repairs of their guns and fishing rods.

In his retirement years, John enjoyed farming the land for his friend and neighbor. During those years, he made daily trips to feed the deer, kept his trails clear, and made sure there was enough wood to burn for the next several years. If he couldnt be found at home, you could be sure he was off visiting a neighbor, or was at Cedar Bay sharpening his pool skills.

Johns summer months were spent fishing the waters of Marshmiller Lake. His fish tales were true, as we have the pictures to prove it. Once November rolled around, it was all about hunting the almighty buck. He enjoyed the camaraderie that came with the hunt, as well as passing along his many skills to his son-in-law and grandson.

One of Johns great loves was spending time in the county forest, where he was also a volunteer. All of the time spent on the water and in the woods is where John found the most peace in his life.

John had a heart of gold and was always willing to help a neighbor or stranger in need.

John is survived by his wife of 31 years, Kathy; his brother, Jim (Jackie) Lane; stepdaughters, Kris (Eric) Arneson, Diana (Mike) Steinmetz, Josi (John) Beaudette; stepson, Kim Halverson; nephew, Ben (Cory) Lane; niece, Sarah Lane (Trevor Sikkink); grandchildren, Jolie Wittrock, Jeremy Arneson, Jake and Keri Steinmetz, Isabelle Nicolai, Josh and Luke Beaudette; great-niece, Lilly; great-nephew, Max; and great-grandchildren, Chloe and Kaitlyn. He was dearly loved by his brothers and sisters-in-law, as well as the many friends whom he held dear and had long-lasting relationships. He will be missed by all who knew him.

John was preceded in death by his mother and father; grandson, Brandon Arneson; and his beloved beagle, Sadie.

John always said he hardly ever left Chippewa County, but he had more fun than most people in his beloved Dutch Flat.

A memorial gathering will be held Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017, at the Bloomer Town Hall on Highway 40. Friends and family are welcome to join us from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. A meal will be served at 6 p.m.

The family would like to thank their wonderful hospice nurse, Cheryl, for her excellent care.

Schriver-Thompson Funeral Home & Chippewa Valley Cremation Services in Bloomer is assisting the family. To sign the guestbook or share memories please visit www.thompsonfuneralhome.com.
Central, Herreid-Selby, Warner just 1 win away from state title games

Aberdeen Central, Warner, Herreid-Selby and Hitchcock-Tulare are all just one win away from high school football championship games.
home Entertainment George Michael net worth estimated at A105 million

Music icon George Michael is believed to have left great wealth a an estimate of 105 million or $130 million a despite being extremely generous to charities, family, and friends while he was alive.

The estimate on Michael's net worth was provided by Britain's Sunday Times, which comes up with "rich list" of top earners in the U.K. and Ireland on an annual basis. He places 22nd on Time's top 50 "millionaire" musicians, which also have the likes of Paul McCartney, Elton John, Mick Jagger, Phil Collins, and Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin.

Michael's wealth includes multimillion-dollar homes in North London, Oxfordshire, Los Angeles, and Sydney, as well as an extensive collection of expensive fine arts which he had amassed with former partner Kenny Goss.

It is believed that part of the "Careless Whisper" crooner's wealth will be left to his godchildren, including children of his celebrity friends. Such include Roman and Harley Kemp, whose parents are Wham! bandmate Shirlie Holliman and Spandau Ballet bassist Martin Kemp, The Daily Mail reports.

Meanwhile, Daily Mirror suggests that Geri Halliwell's daughter Bluebell, godchild of Goss, will also receive a portion of his estate.

The star's sisters, Melanie and Yioda, and his partner, Fadi Fawaz, are also expected to be recipients of the wealth that he left behind.

Stories of Michael's extreme generosity follow news of his death on Christmas day. Despite his many charitable deeds, which are often carried out anonymously and discretely, and enjoying a luxurious lifestyle, it is believed that Michael had managed his fortune well.

He amassed his vast wealth from selling over 100 million albums, going on big tours as part of the 80s duo WHAM!, and later, as a solo performer.

The star would also reportedly appear at smaller and private events. In New Year's Eve in 2006, billionaire Russian Vladimir Potanin reportedly paid him 1.78m for a private gig. Meanwhile, Topshop owner Sir Philip Green spent 1.5m to have Michael perform at his 55th birthday celebration in 2007.
Despite Altice USAs willingness to extend contract negotiations, this morning Morgan Murphy Media, the media conglomerate and owner of the KXLY Channel 4 ABC affiliate, blacked out its station from Suddenlink customers in Idaho as it seeks a significant fee increase of over 75 percent more than its current rate. Altice USA offered a fair market price to carry KXLY-ABC Channel 4 and asked its owners to keep its stations on our Idaho Suddenlink lineup while negotiations continue. The owners of KXLY-ABC Channel 4 refused Altice USAs request to keep it station on for Suddenlink customers and pulled its programming.

Altice USA issued the following statement:

Morgan Murphy Media, the media conglomerate and owner of KXLY-ABC Channel 4 in Idaho, has blacked out its station from our Suddenlink lineup unless we and our customers agree to an outrageous increase in retransmission fees, over 75 percent more than its current rate. Rapidly increasing fees charged by broadcast stations and content companies are the greatest contributor to rising cable bills, and we are working hard to keep those costs as low as possible for our customers.

We want to continue to carry KXLY-ABC Channel 4 at a reasonable rate, and call on its owners to stop holding our customers hostage and put their station back on our Suddenlink lineup while we negotiate an agreement that is fair for our customers.

Retransmission Rate Increases

The owners of local broadcast stations (such as Morgan Murphy Media) charge distributors (such as Altice USA) retransmission fees to carry their stations even though their content is available for free over the air. The cost to carry these stations continues to rise with broadcasters demanding higher fees which, in turn, leads to rising costs for consumers. With broadcasters having content available for free over the internet, and over the air via an antenna, we are working to keep retransmission costs down for our customers.

Suddenlink customers can watch episodes of many ABC shows online for free at ABC.com. For more details, Suddenlink customers can visit www.suddenlink.com/onyourside.

About Altice USA

Altice USA, a subsidiary of Altice Group (Euronext: ATC, ATCB), is the fourth largest cable operator in the United States, delivering residential and business services to 4.6 million customers across 20 states. Providing high-quality products that keep customers connected, Altice USA (through its Optimum, Lightpath and Suddenlink brands) offers digital cable television, high-speed internet, voice, WiFi and advertising services. For more information, visit www.alticeusa.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170101005015/en/

Altice USA

Lisa Anselmo, 516-803-2362

Lisa.anselmo@alticeusa.com

or

Janet Meahan, 516-803-3947

Janet.meahan@alticeusa.com
[dropcap]A[/dropcap]n attacker believed to have been dressed in a Santa Claus costume opened fire at a crowded nightclub in Istanbul during New Years celebrations, killing at least 39 people and wounding close to 70 others. At least, 16 foreigners including two Indians were among 39 people killed. The attacker was armed with a long-barrelled weapon but no one knows who has carried out the attack. Unfortunately, the innocent people who were celebrating New Year were gunned down in most merciless manner.

Istanbul has been facing problems. Firstly, one needs to question, does history have an influence of the potential future problems of a city or a country?

In 2016, there were many terror attacks, which started from Ataturk Airport attack, on an average bombing and killings have occurred every month. Istanbuls Ataturk Airport was targeted by a group of suspected Islamic State suicide bombers killing at least 38 people and wounding many others. The attack was linked to Turkeys success against Kurdish rebels as well as steps Ankara took on towards mending strained ties with Israel and Russia. Turkey has suffered several bombings in recent months linked to Kurdish or Islamic State group militants.

Turkey occupies a unique spot in global geopolitics and straddles between the West and Asia. In the past, the nation has been widely criticised as being an ally of terrorism and terrorist activities because of its deliberate non-engagement/non-reaction towards fighters crossing into Syria from its borders. Turkey and Europe also have a disturbing relationship.

Though, Turkish authorities have made consistent efforts to crack down on Islamic State cells in the country, Stein argues that the Islamic State has well-established networks in Turkey.

While such homegrown terrorism networks are not a problem unique to Turkey, according to Stein, the nation woke up to the danger too late  the crackdown against Islamic State networks and propaganda started very late.

Radicalisation will remain a threat to Turkey, and drafting policies or signing air-base agreements with the West will not resolve it. This terror can be attributed to Turkeys lackadaisical approach towards securing its borders and ignoring the large number of foreign fighters using Turkish territory to go in and out of Syria. According to Stein, the well-established networks in funnel men and material to the Syrian civil war and cities such as Gaziantep in Turkeys western Anatolia region is where suicide vests and explosives used in the Islamic State attacks carried out in Turkey.

Turkey, since 2014 has been clear about wanting to fight the Islamic State, despite the turmoil that persists within the countrys fragile cultural and economic state. With great proximity to the Islamic State, from a geographical perspective, Turkey has greater chances of striking fatal blows to the Islamic State. Its alignment with the West and its strong resolve to end Islamic State (owing to the three years of attacks it has had to endure because of the Islamic State) has primed Turkey as an obvious target.

This had multiple consequences in the coming years, after a series of attacks in 2015, the Ankara bombings cost the lives of 102 people.

The Islamic State had threatened Turkey in 2013 with dire consequences  a series of suicide attacks  if Turkey wouldnt reopen its Syrian border crossings. Since then, attacks grew manifold and in 2014, 49 Turks were abducted by Islamic State  the Turkish government first paid the Islamic State for their return and later exchanged close to 180 militants. 2014 was seminal because Turkey officially joined forces with the US to fight against the IS  this was perhaps the first such vocal move by Turkey and a clear stand against the Islamic State. In the same year, according to Atwan, Turkey joined France and Britain to develop methods to identify returning fighters who might pose a risk at home. It is also after this that the Turkish authorities decided to arm the Kurdish population in combating the IS, despite its legacy of conflict and distrust with the Kurds.

The economic transformation of Istanbul has stimulated a growth of population in Turkey, and a huge increase of urbanization, as in any country during a development. If this kind of transformation develops too fast, the risk of failure increases from diverse aspects. Since Turkey isnt experiencing an equally fast development as Mexico, and the standard of living is comparably higher in Istanbul than it was in Mexico City in the mid 20th century, the possibilities for Istanbul to solve the housing problems are substantially big.

Infrastructure, is of great importance for Istanbul but it is well functioning. If the substructure isnt developed enough, Turkey will not be able to achieve further economic progress. The heavy traffic in Istanbul will make matters further worse. With rising population of a city, the demand of expanded subway system, roads and other ways for commuters to travel grows.

There is an urgent need of addressing many issues before everything goes drastic.

(Inputs from various sources)
Hackers have breached into the official website of the countrys anti-terrorism force National Security Guards (NSG).

The website was hacked on Sunday by a group that identified itself as Alone Injector. The group defaced the site with an abusive message against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

An image of police thrashing civilians was also uploaded on to the sites homepage with the accompanying text calling for Free Kashmir.

Hacking and cyber attacks have recently been in the news after a hacking group called Legion made a slew of attacks on the official Twitter accounts of Congress VP Rahul Gandhi, absconding businessman Vijay Mallya and even the Indian National Congress. The group was found to be posting abusive tweets from all these accounts.

They even went on to provide specific details about the absconding liquor baron, including Mallyas passport, residency permit in the UK, domestic and overseas assets, letters and more.
The AIADMK general council appointed Sasikala Natrajan the general secretary, passing a unanimous resolution enabling the close aide of late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to hold the reins of the party. This is a right approach in the right direction. In what seemed like a carefully coordinated action to elevate Ms. Sasikala to the top post, banners were kept ready outside the venue of the general council meeting venue. By doing so, the party cleared the air and there was no difference of opinion. Instead of showing signs of split when party mentor M.G. Ramachandran died, the party cadre settled the difference outside and made a unanimous decision. The party cadre revealed show of strength and gave DMK and other regional parties in TN a shock treatment. Chinnamma will rule the roost as cleverly did by Amma Jayalalithaa. AIADMK proved that unity is of foremost importance as the party still have 4 1/2 years to run the government without infighting.

Nickil Akhilesh Krishnan

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
This link will take you to an external web site. We are not responsible for their content.








Web Toolbar by Wibiya













Web Toolbar by Wibiya

Humanity is on a path towards a future where the line between man and machine will not exist as we know it today. Artificial Intelligence has breached the sanctity of the human body. Pacemakers, prosthetic limbs and, most recently, robotic limbs, no longer awe the average person for they are already commonplace.

This seemingly inexorable march towards a human existence dominated by artificial intelligence begs a question:

How many intelligent artificial body parts can a human mind accept before it affects its humanity?

Perhaps, though, we are missing a more important part of the equation - how is that a question that makes so many shudder continue to not be asked loudly and widely? Why is it that the answers we receive do not ever really address the question?

Noted researcher and author, Nigel Kerner, touched on the issue almost twenty years ago in his book, 'The Song of the Greys'. His years of deep investigation into the alien life forms known as Greys led him to an onerous conclusion:

"People will be encouraged to see... Greys... as no threat, but a boon to humanity.... The 'takeover' will be peaceful, effortless and complete. The vast majority of the planet will not even be aware that our planet is no more in human hands.

In any war, each side seeks to surround the enemy and gather intelligence from within its midst to weaken him. The first stages of war between humanity and alien-origin AI, it seems, are already uunderway.

Almost every device around us employs some level of artificial intelligence. Today, the term 'Internet of Things' (IoT) refers to entire homes, buildings and grids interconnected by waves of communication we can neither see nor sense, which are controlled by huge electronic brains of which we do not know the location.

The speed with which we have allowed this phenomenon to envelop our collective lives hints ominously at an inside job, a Trojan horse.

"Are we being conned by a huge conspiracy controlled by a small hidden powerful cartel of alien sponsored genotypes within the governments of superpowers? A cartel that reaches past presidents and prime ministers?" asks Nigel in his essay 'Sim Card Man'.

If the conspiracy could reach that far up the chain of command, it would make sense that there many more agents working to manipulate the human race into a sense of complacency.

Noted futurist and theoretical physicist, Dr. Micho Kaku applies such a strangely benign view to the issue. Speaking to National Geographic in November 2015, when asked if the advanced machines of the future could be detrimental to human wellbeing, he said:

Well have plenty of timedecadesto put a chip in their brain to shut them off if they have murderous thoughts.

Had he stopped there, the answer would be relatively innocent. However, he continued:

I think we should merge with them. Why compete with robots when we can take the best attributes of robots and incorporate it into our body?

If you never considered that humanitys future could be hijacked by lower and cross-dimensional sentient intelligence whose reach permeates all our lives every minute or every day, perhaps it is time to question why.








Web Toolbar by Wibiya

The end of Cold war and dismantling of mighty Soviet Union along with dissolution of Socialist system in East Europe, Russia, having lost the Cold War to USA, was forced to lay down for years as its allies began dropping the Kremlin and joining the USA and Europe through NATO and EU, one by one. Further, dismantling of anti-West military alliance Warsaw Pact increasingly weakened Russia as it gradually lost its influence globally.

Over years since the Sept-11 hoax, Russia and its strong leader President Vladimir Putin have gained in international importance in the comity of nations, notwithstanding the occasional reverses they were subjected to by US led western nations.

In recent times Russia has raised its role and prestige first with its annexation of Crimea and then by sending its military to Syria, where USA is helping the anti-Assad forces, to defend President Assad and his autocratically illegal regime. Fall of Aleppo has considerably added to the prestige of efficacy of Russian military operations

By confrontation and cooperation as effective tool Moscow played its card rather too well for alliance particularly with USA so that the west cannot operate without Russia.

Notwithstanding economic sanctions of USA and Europe, Russian economy is not shrinking because of its natural resources, oil output and arms sale.

As such, one thing is plain today: the world cannot ignore Vladimir Putins Russia and America has to take into consideration the views of Russia in world affairs. Twenty-five years after the humiliating collapse of the Soviet Union, President Putin is well on his way to making Russia the ubiquitous state and indispensable partner of his dreams, expect Russia to be very active on the diplomatic, military, and cyber fronts.

Syria offers the most dramatic illustration of Russias ambitions. It was the Russian Air Forces brutal bombing campaign that turned the tide in Syrian President Bashar al-Assads favor.

Syria offers the most dramatic illustration of Russias ambitions. It was the Russian Air Forces brutal bombing campaign that turned the tide in Syrian President Assads favor.

Strategy

And the week before Christmas, Putin hosted Turkish and Iranian officials for political talks on how to end the civil war in Syria. US Secretary of State John Kerry was nowhere to be seen as he busy with Mideast peace process by shoring up support for the UNSC vote for Palestine state. Nor is he expected to be invited to Russian-planned talks in Kazakhstan between the Syrian government and opposition.

Maybe, Moscow thinks USA is sincere about peace in Syria and other Arab nations. Now the Kremlin has made no secret of its intention to thwart the USA, and the West more broadly, whenever it sees fit. In a foreign policy concept document published this month, Moscow framed its view of the world as a competition in the form of dueling values, and announced it intended to prevent military interventions or other forms of outside interference justified on humanitarian grounds. Russia reserved the right to react very strongly to unfriendly actions, including retaliatory or asymmetrical measures.

True, Russias oil-dependent economy is weak, its state structures inefficient, its soft power limited. But it has a strong military that is getting stronger, and Putin is ready to use it. Russian troops have intervened in Georgia, Crimea, eastern Ukraine, and Syria. Those operations have boosted Russias military confidence. They could be tempted to use military force more easily than before, if they think that will give them influence.

Especially nervous in the wake of Russias invasion of Crimea are the three Baltic States - Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia - NATO members neighboring Russia, which has been bolstering its military forces in the region. According to the NATO treaty, an invasion of Estonia, Lithuania, or Latvia would mean war. But US President-elect Trump hinted on the campaign trail that he would not necessarily feel obliged to come to their aid. And there is much speculation about the prospect that Trump would be more conciliatory toward Moscow than has President Obama.

However Trump and Putin get on, Russia and the West will remain divided over fundamental issues, not least Washingtons plan for a global missile defense system. Moscow considers the scheme a threat to its national security, the foreign policy document made clear. If the USA goes ahead with it, Moscow reserves the right to take adequate retaliatory measures.

Split

In the USA, a conservative split over Putin is emerging as the old guard clashes with rising hard-right nationalists over the direction of foreign policy under a president Trump. Traditional Republican hawks like Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and John McCain of Arizona continue to view Putin as a danger to the West. Based on standard conservative objections to Putins disregard for personal freedoms, human rights, and his challenge to the West in Europe, Senator McCain says the Russian leader is a thug and a murderer and a killer. He cites shadowy killings of Russian dissidents, Russian undermining of Estonia, dismembering of Ukraine, and precision Russian airstrikes on civilian hospitals in Aleppo, Syria.

Some close observers of the Trump transition speculate that Mitt Romney was ultimately passed over in the search for a secretary of State in part because of his perspective from the 2012 presidential campaign that Russia is Americas chief geopolitical foe  a view in line with a traditional Republican national-security outlook but at odds with the Trump camps perspective on Putin. But Pat Buchanan wrote in 2013 that instead of seeing Putin through an old Cold War paradigm, conservatives should see Putin as a defender against the militant secularism of a multicultural and transnational elite.

More recently, some of Trumps closest aides  including Steven Bannon, named Trumps chief White House strategist, and Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, who will be national security adviser  extol the Russian leader for his strong defense of national sovereignty, his promotion of traditional values, and his war against radical Islam. Bannon told a gathering of European conservatives that the Judeo-Christian West should focus more on Putins promotion of traditionalism and values that support the underpinnings of nationalism. In August, General Flynn, a campaign adviser to then-candidate Trump, said Putin should be considered a partner in the global war on radical Islamism.

Theres no doubting Putins opposition to sexual minorities and his deep disdain for what he sees as a decadent West. In his often-cited 2013 state-of-the-nation speech, the Russian leader defended Russias traditional values against the Wests so-called tolerance, which he condemned as genderless and infertile and for promoting the equality of good and evil. But Putin holds very strongly that anything blurring the line between men and women is something to be fought. But hes not a racist, he leads a vast country of diverse cultures, hes proudly built mosques in Moscow. However, experts warn, anyone seeing Putin as some kind of crusader for white, Christian, European culture is misreading the Russian leader. Some of these other crusades being assigned to the Russian leader are part of a white-supremacist narrative that has little to do Putin

Gaining in popularity

When last week the United Nations Security Council proposed a resolution praising outgoing Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for supporting the worlds lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community, Russia stood up to its Western colleagues to oppose it. The wording about sexual minorities, whom Russian President Vladimir Putin disdains, was replaced with a benign reference to the most vulnerable and marginalized. The Security Council's split on Bans promotion of LGBT rights may be a small thing at the UN. But it offers a partial clue as to why Putin, once roundly condemned in Western circles as a dangerous authoritarian, is increasingly viewed in a positive light by conservatives across the West  by the Trump wing of the Republican Party, but also by right-wing leaders in France and other European countries. They consider Putin as an ally, though may not be reliable one. The turnaround in the Russian leaders image in the USA can be ascribed almost completely to Trumps repeated contrasting of Putins strong leadership and President Obamas weakness. The result is that people who admire Trumps rhetoric and style now see Putin in a positive light as a man of action. They see Putin as a leader who was dealt a weaker hand than the president of the United States, but who has somehow been able to play it better.

A new poll released this week by YouGov shows that in the US, self-identified Republicans viewing Putin as very or somewhat favorably rose from 10 percent in July 2014 to 37 percent today. Even the uproar this week over Russias hacking of the presidential campaign and reports Putin signed off on the operation are taken as a mere gimmick and do not seem to be spawning universal condemnation of the Russian leader and his tactics.

However, none of them think the sanctions on Putins country could be lifted. Now instead of facing near universal rejection in the West over his oppressive governance at home, his seizure of Crimea, and his intervention in Syria on behalf of a despot, Putin is for some a hero. Nationalist conservatives see Putin as defending sovereign nationhood in the face of globalization, and traditional values against an onslaught of threatening forces: from multiculturalism and cosmopolitanism to nontraditional sexual identity and radical Islam.

Putin does not promote white supremacy

The revalorization of Putin as a Hero may be most visible in the Trump camp of Putin admirers, but there are signs the more positive image of the Russian leader is trickling down to Republican voters. The YouGov poll released this week not only shows an uptick in support over the past two years, but also a decline in antipathy. Nearly half of Republicans  47 percent  still view Putin somewhat or very unfavorably  but those seeing him very unfavorably collapsed from 51 percent in 2014 to 10 percent now. If you look at public opinion in the United States, there were pretty universal negative views of Putin up to this summer, Darden says. Then we had the Republican nominee sounding very pro-Putin, and the public shifted shockingly quickly.

Actually, that shift came only among Republican voters  surveys like YouGovs show that Democrats have as negative an opinion of Putin as ever.

Putins rising favourability in the US has more to do with politics than with the Russian leaders values now touted by some Trump nationalists. Its really the people who are opposed to Obama who are revising their view of Putin. Its pure partisanship that says, Putin was the enemy of Obama, therefore he must be a pretty decent guy.

In spite of all strenuous efforts by Washington, Russia could not be made a US satellite nation to serve its global interests like many third world powers and even a few Europe nations do.

Putin cannot be pro-America leader.

Russias anti-satellite weapon readiness

Even while trying to notionally reset relations with the West, Russia has also been continuously improving its military capability. Russias latest anti-satellite weapon launch makes I the point amply clear.

Once more, Russia has conducted a successful test of an anti-satellite weapon on December 22. It was the fifth time the weapon, a PL-19 Nudol missile, had been tested. Some military analysts have expressed concern over the test, saying that it was a provocative demonstration of Moscow's might on a relatively new military frontier: outer space. But they suggest that it's more about Russian posturing than an imminent threat.

Over the past few years, the United States, Russia, and China have been gradually beefing up their space-based weapon capabilities, focusing on anti-satellite defense strategies and technology. With modern militaries and much of the world's economy dependent on the information and communication systems supported by satellites in orbit, it has become a higher priority than ever to protect assets outside of the Earth's atmosphere. If a direct conflict were to break out between space-capable powers, it seems likely that the battle front lines would be drawn thousands of miles above the surface of our planet.

The latest test of the Nudol missile took place on December 16. The launch originated from a facility near Plesetsk, about 500 miles north of Moscow, and was apparently successful, despite CNN reports that no debris was detected by US monitoring stations, meaning that no test target was destroyed. "We monitor missile launches around the globe, but as a matter of policy we don't normally discuss intelligence specific to those launches," Strategic Command, overseer of US space operations. "We remain concerned with growing space capabilities around the globe, particularly those of China and Russia, since both countries are developing or have developed counter-space capabilities."

Both Russia and China have conducted successful anti-satellite weapons tests in recent years. Russia may have also developed kamikaze satellites designed to disable other satellites by crashing into them, and China's military-run space program has also seen massive development in multiple areas at the orders of Chinese President Xi Jinping. "We have demonstrated ASAT [anti-satellite] capabilities in the past. And we have very high accuracy capability to monitor the threats."

Concerns over Russia's recent antagonism toward the West in the form of Syrian intervention, invasion of Ukraine, and the alleged hacking of the Democratic National Convention in order to influence the outcome of the recent presidential election, suggest that USA is likely to remain committed to ensuring there are no warlike surprises coming from the Russian space program. The Pentagon's budget for space-based programs currently stands at $22 billion per year, which includes considerable funding for defense against emerging orbital threats.

Russia has flexed its muscles in orbit even during the cold war, the space race between the US and the then-Soviet Union helped to define worldwide politics during the second half of the 20th century. But after the cold war ended and Russia down, the USA became the only space-faring superpower for years, with most subsequent conflicts occurring between non-space capable countries and non-state organizations, leaving the possibility of satellite attacks by powers like Russia remote and unrealistic until only recently. Just wanting to let everyone know they are back to being a world power to be reckoned with, under Putin and clearly due to his leadership and standing up to the USA.

But while Russian President Vladimir Putin's attempt to reestablish Russia's position as a global superpower may be worrying to the Western powers, this test is mostly hot air. "It's just posturing."

Today, Russia is a new military power even with less economic prowess. There is no way the West could utilize it for advancing its capitalist or imperialist goals.








Web Toolbar by Wibiya

New Year greetings eagerly awaited provide an opportunity with optimism to be happy, join other millions out there to have fun and frolic. A hectic activity of felicitations and joviality through greeting cards, exchange of gifts generates a blooming economic movement. One may, perhaps, pessimistically ask what is good about a happy new year when contrarily it should perhaps be a day of reckoning as living human beings lose a year pushing all closer to the grave or cremation.

The stark factuality depicts a scenario of so much bad happening in the world and pessimism apart; it looks like we witness the triumph of evil over good. Last year around this time we had amongst us hundreds and thousands of our fellow species looking forward to celebrate another New Year and make merry. But for many it was not to be and now all those missing ones were consumed either by natural calamities, criminal mindset, and terrorism including state sponsored terrorism. The recent carnage of rammed vehicle in a Christmas gathering in Berlin, Children in US schools, killings in Pakistan, India, Burma (Myanmar), Middle-East or Kashmir facing multiple genocides are glaring examples of triumph of evil over good for the world to ponder about.

The history of New Year celebrations take us to the fact that Roman pagans observed the occasion by engaging in drunken orgies believing in the chaotic world being ordered by the gods. The Christian celebration of Jesus circumcision on January 1st according to Jewish tradition was an occasion when child Jesus was formally given his name. This also signifies that the circumcision is traditionally seen as the first time the blood of Christ was shed.

The celebration of the New Year on January 1st is a new phenomenon keeping in view the historical data available that Egyptians, Phoenicians and the Persians began their new year with the fall equinox. The first time the New Year was celebrated on January 1st was in Rome in 153 B.C.; though the claim is disputed as the month of January did not exist until around 700 B.C. Judaism on Line (simpletoremember.com) records "In 46 B.C. Julius Caesar introduced a new, solar-based calendar that was a vast improvement on the ancient Roman calendar which was a lunar system that had become wildly inaccurate over the years. The Julian calendar decreed that the New Year would occur with January 1, and within the Roman world, January 1st became the consistently observed start of the New Year."

The new tradition followed popularly like celebrating end and dawn of the New Year in public squares or city centres finishes off with a large majority indulging in drink, dine and dance involving kisses, hugs leading to unbridled indulgence of passions. Many more out there prefer to stay indoors thinking to be rational to avoid any trouble. Some hold parties inviting friends and relatives while others get a thrill from costume parties and the culminating point firework displays. January 1st is usually a holiday and very rightly so as people in the New Year eves activity become exhausted and worn out. The nostalgia of previous nights enjoyment makes people feel lazy to get involved with the usual routine the following day.

The uniqueness of the occasion is a reminder that there is no other moment in the year getting this sort of attention. The motivation of survival or as some believe the fear of death becomes the driving force to share something good or purposeful for which most of the people seem to be in agreement. The facilities provided by technology allows millions to share the joy watching television or interact through internet, telephones and social media to unanimously exchange Happy New Year greetings wherever.

The celebration also gives contentment and relief for having survived unscathed from any serious mishap or trouble for the year gone by. Who has seen the next year phrase rings the bells about the uncertainties, ups and downs and even failures or successes keeping one guessing about futuristic view of the times ahead. So the chance of grabbing moment of happiness, in spite of the risks, takes precedence for man or woman to avail it.

Death is inescapable and people deal with fear of death differently; some turn to religion and others pin every man made cataclysm on religion. Stephen Hawking the world famous theoretical physicist revealed that "God did not create the universe but our universe followed inevitably from the laws of nature." However, the entity nature and its origin have not yet been defined, interpreted or comprehensively explained. The tussle between believers and non-believers in religion is on and perhaps will continue for a long period of time but as some unknown quipped "All sciences will end in religion".

To sum it up, humans do need a break and for the most long stay on our planet becomes as short as asking someone living in nineties if he or she remembers when he or she was in school and the answer invariably comes looks like only yesterday and how the time slipped by, one keeps wondering. The prime of youth does not give anyone time even to think about this short span of life. Thus only alternative always would be to make best use of time according to ones capability and perception. So at best, make merry, enjoy and have fun to exchange the golden words VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR.








Web Toolbar by Wibiya













Web Toolbar by Wibiya

Although it is widely assumed to be early days yet there is this hard truth the African politics can simply not do without post-elections violence. Africa is a bit young when it comes to the practicing of democracy but that can no longer be used as an excuse for the various degree of damage done to people and property. At the end of every major election various lives are lost as well as properties worth millions of dollars due to the inability of certain elements within the African society to contain their joy or anger. Those who are declared victorious tend to go a bit far in their celebrations to the point of daring their opponents. On the other hand, those on the losing side also employ various defensive mechanisms that always end up in violent confrontations among members of the major political parties. The violence is even pronounced when an incumbent government loses to the main opposition party.



A clear example can be made from countries like Ghana and Gambia who recently held their general elections to elect a President. What happened in Gambia is nothing to write home about as the whole country was on the verge of being thrown into a civil war. As far as Ghana is concerned, the peaceful West African country has been regarded the beacon of African democracy. Their ability to organise peaceful elections is never in doubt but the tension in the country could almost be cut with a knife at a point in time.

With most countries in Africa taking the bold step of democratically electing their leaders, it seems that it will take a bit longer for the general populace to come to terms with how to play the political game democratically. Even when the whole election process has been rated as peaceful, there are always certain elements within the society who simply cannot stay away from violence. A case in point is the recently held elections in Ghana which had numerous reported cases of post-election violence even to the point that sympathizers of the two main political parties started engaging in violent activities. This is even in Ghana, a country that has been making use of the ballot paper since 1992 so one can guess how the situation might be in those African countries that are not yet matured democratically. The situation now is even worse with the inception of the various social media sites which allows political opponents to post various articles online. This has further fuelled the fire of post-election violence as tempers are raised to a boiling point by these numerous articles which tend to be untrue.

It remains to be seen as to how long it will take Africa to rid itself of post-election violence but the sooner the better.
You have permission to edit this article.

Edit Close
Birthdays are always times to celebrate, and here at the Aiken Standard we are tremendously excited about a birthday thats rapidly approaching.
Despite the war in the Middle East and the need to face down Russia in Europe, the US has not veered away from its pivot to the Pacific, announced five years ago. In fact, the focus on the Pacific is entering a new phase, which will see the most advanced US aircraft deployed in the region, to demonstrate American commitment andif necessarydeter or defeat hostile actors.

In this next phase, Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter said in September in Coronado, Calif., the US will continue to sharpen our military edge so we remain the most powerful military in the region and the security partner of choice. He added that the US is already sending our best people and platforms into the region.

A planned pivot, phase three, would see even greater investments targeted at ensuring US capabilities in the Pacific region stay the best, the SecDef said.

The US cant simply ignore North Koreas continued saber-rattling and march to nuclear-capable missiles, or turn a blind eye toward Chinas aggressive attempts to control trade routes through the South China Sea. This will be true no matter what happens in Syria, along Russias periphery, or in other global hot spots.

This region, Carter said, with half of humanity, half of the worlds economy, is the single most consequential region for Americas futureand indeed for the worlds.

As soon as practical, the US plans to send and deploy F-35 fighters and KC-46 tankers to the Pacific region. The continuous bomber presence in Guam, now in its 12th year, has become more intense and more public. Recently, all three types of US strategic bombers were deployed to the theater at the same time.

The Defense Department is going to hone its partnerships in the Pacific even as we qualitatively upgrade the United States own force posture in the region and prioritize some big bet investments in advanced technologies, Carter said during a press conference after a recent Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting in Hawaii.

Underscoring Carters remarks, the US put on a formidable display of military hardware for ASEAN defense ministers at JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam. On static display were a B-1 bomber and F-22 stealth fighter, an Army AH-64 Apache, and Navy P-8 and P-3 maritime patrol planes. Two F-22sbased at Hickamroared overhead, and another B-1, deployed at the time to Andersen AFB, Guam, made a low pass over the base and the international visitors.

Fight Tonight

The aircraft represent the Air Forces commitment to put its most advanced fightersF-22s and soon F-35sand bombers on constant rotation to the region.

More than 46,000 airmen in the region are ready to fight tonight because, in the event of any contingency, the first call will be for airpower, Pacific Air Forces Commander Gen. Terrence J. OShaughnessy told Air Force Magazine.

Simply put, airpowers unique attributes offer commanders speed and the flexibility to effectively address the tyranny of distance, he said. He noted two recent missions: C-130s from the 374th Airlift Wing in April responding to an earthquake in Japan, and the September overflight of deployed B-1s to South Korea in response to nuclear tests by North Korea.

Carter, in his Coronado speech, said the military is ensuring our continued air superiority and global reach through investments in the Air Force fleet and plans for future deployments of those aircraft. More than $12 billion will be spent on the new B-21 stealth bomber in the next five years, he said, while USAF will invest about $16 billion during the same period on the KC-46A tanker. It will see plenty of use to help shrink the Asia-Pacifics vast distances, Carter said.

The US military is also spending more than $56 billion over the next five years to buy more than 400 F-35s for the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps. These investments come as partner nations, such as Australia, make their own investments in the F-35.

The real story of fifth generation capability is that this is not just a US story, OShaughnessy said. It is really a story about a coalition of partner nations that will operate this platform in the very near future.

PACAF is planning to base two F-35 squadrons at Eielson AFB, Alaska. That will double the services fifth generation presence in the Pacific, when counted with F-22s assigned to JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. Aggressor F-16s will remain at Eielson to develop the skills of the fifth generation fighters and visiting air forces alike.

We arent replacing other aircraftwere adding two squadrons of the worlds premier fighter to send a clear message about how important the Pacific is to our future and to underscore that the rebalance is real, OShaughnessy said.

North Koreas recent testing of both ballistic missiles and nuclear materials has earned a number of responses from PACAF. Four times in 2016, PACAF flew flexible response missions, with F-22s, B-52s, B-1s, or F-16s flying alongside South Korean aircraft to demonstrate the ironclad US commitment to our allies in South Korea, in Japan, and to the defense of the American homeland, OShaughnessy said.

The response to North Koreas threats has not come from aircraft alone. The US and South Korea agreed this year to a new deployment of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missiles to South Korea to deter or block North Korean action.

The US remains committed to defending our allies against any threat with the full spectrum of American military might, Carter said during an Oct. 20 joint press appearance with South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo at the Pentagon. Thats why were adapting our force structure on the peninsula.

The ASEAN ministerial meeting in late September came during a rocky episode between the US and one of its most stalwart Pacific allies: the Philippines.

As it has been for decades, our alliance with the Philippines is ironclad, Carter said in September. He noted the recent signing of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) to modernize the Philippine armed forces, and the dispatch of Air Force C-130s and airmen to the country for joint training.

Shortly after the C-130s arrived, though, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte visited China and said he planned to break off military relations with the US.

The US has Lost

In this venue, your honors, in this venue, I announce my separation from the United States, Duterte said. Both in military, not maybe social, but economics also. America has lost.

A week later, he said the US could forget the EDCA and that he looks forward to a time when Filipino soldiers are the only military inside his country.

US officials maintain they will continue to cooperate with the Philippines, despite the conflicting messages.

Daniel R. Russel, the assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, said in October that there is a lot of noise and uncertainty associated with cooperation with the Philippines at this moment, but the US is working through it. He added that weve been through a lot worse in our 70-year history.

Though PACAF is troubled by this recent rhetoric, military-to-military relations remain robust and multifaceted, OShaughnessy insisted.

Chinas actions in the South China Seafrom building up reefs into manmade islands, to restricting the freedom of other nations to sail in international watershave prompted some of the strongest words and actions from Washington.

Beijing sometimes appears to want to pick and choose which principles it wants to benefit from and which it prefers to try to undercut, Carter said in Coronado. For example, the universal right to freedom of navigation that allows Chinas ships and aircraft to transit safely and peacefully is the same right that Beijing criticizes other countries for exercising in the region. But principles are not like that. They apply to everyone, and to every nation, equally.

To counter this, the Air Force has sent multiple deployments to conduct international patrols of the sea. Air Force A-10s from Clark AB in the Philippines patrolled the area, and future rotations in that region are expected to continue.

Were working to train with our partners in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region and were using our Air Force assets to conduct freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea, service Secretary Deborah Lee James said at AFAs Air, Space & Cyber conference in September.

On every corner of the map, our airmen are engaged with allies and partners to enhance global security and stand tall against aggression, highlighting that more airpower is needed in the area to protect freedom of navigation, she asserted.

At the ASEAN meeting in September, Carter pushed the other countries to raise their involvement in countering China.

Any nation and any militaryno matter its capability, budget, or experiencecan contribute, Carter said as the meeting convened. And thats important because, as we see at meetings like this one here today, every nation has a stake in ensuring this networks success and every military can make a vital contribution to regional security.

In 2017, US Pacific Command will convene ASEAN partner nations in a maritime exercise to improve information sharing in the  maritime domain, Carter announced. This exercise will be in addition to large-scale exercises with other nations in the area, including the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, which has seen more Chinese involvement.

The US will continue to stand with our allies and partners and will continue to fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows, Carter said in Coronado. With the military component of the rebalance, the US aims to help the region to meet these challenges and to remain the primary mainstay of security in the Asia-Pacific.

Adversity and danger

Chinas island-building and North Koreas missile and nuclear tests have raised collective concern among Pacific nations, OShaughnessy said. Adversity and danger are bonding our allies and partners ever closer and have led to increases in engagements and training, he said.

In 2016, PACAF airmen participated in more than 200 engagements and exercises with partner nations. These have included large-scale events such as Cope North, Red Flag-Alaska, and Rim of the Pacific, as well as smaller operations such as a B-1 training mission with Royal Australian Air Force joint terminal attack controllers. This was the first such joint exercise in more than 10 years, OShaughnessy said.

There will be an even higher tempo of these exercises as more Air Force assets flow into the theater and interoperability with partners becomes even more important, he said.

These engagements offer invaluable opportunities to train together, develop relationships, and become more interoperable as we assess how to best leverage and complement one anothers capabilities in the event of a crisis or contingency, he said.

PACAF is concentrating on other, emerging powers such as India, Vietnam, and Indonesia, and engaging them in new ways. In November, PACAF and Indonesia launched Cope West, the first time in nearly two decades the US and Indonesian air forces have flown in fighter combat training.

It isnt just fighter training, either: PACAF has increased humanitarian assistance and disaster relief training alongside combat training to let those missions kick off in high gear when the call comes, OShaughnessy said.

PACAF needs to be able to respond to possible aggression to its forces throughout the region, as its footprint increases, he continued. The service is reviewing its force posture, protection, agility, and command and control to be ready.

With our posture, we are exploring opportunities to pre-position assets so we can shorten our logistics tail and reduce our response times in crisis or conflict, he said.

Though he would not mention specific locations, OShaughnessy said PACAF is looking at a number of bases, including stand-in forward bases that can offer quick access to hot spots in a contingency, even though they could face a high threat level. The command is reviewing its balance of the other stand-off bases that are removed from hot spots but can still be used to move combat power over vast distances, he said.

While the Air Force across the world has a history of being agile to project power in areas such as US Central Command and US European Command, the Pacific provides a unique challenge in its massive size.

For this theater, we need to increase the scale and scope of those operations, OShaughnessy concluded.
Traditional and exotic recipes for this genuinely Jewish dish.

What makes a recipe authentically Jewish?

Its not a simple question; Jews are known for adapting their cuisine from the various countries they have lived in.

But there is one dish that many identify as genuinely Jewish  the iconic Shabbat Cholent.

Why cholent? Because cholent was born out of need.

The Torah asserts that we are not allowed to kindle a fire on the Shabbat (Exodus 35:3). In addition, cooking is among the 39 categories of work not allowed on Shabbat.

Because of this, the Jewish community had to become creative with their cooking on Shabbat. Theres an added benefit too. Its a mitzvah to delight in the light of Shabbat. How better to do this then with a hot meal shared with family and friends!

Cholents origins are from the Middle East. From there it spread to North Africa, and by the 9th century, it was already found in Spain. In time, it made its way to Eastern Europe. (1)

Ashkenazi-style cholent was first mentioned in 1180, in the writings of Rabbi Yitzhak of Vienna. Before the birth of electricity in Europe, a pot with the collected, uncooked ingredients was brought to the local baker before sunset on Fridays. The lids of the pot were sealed with a paste of flour and water to ensure proper cooking.

With the bakers oven fired up, the pots found a home. Nothing was disturbed until the next midmorning, when the baker would open the door and give the still-hot pots back to the families on their way home from Synagogue.

The same practice was observed in Medieval Spain, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, and Uzbekistan where black pots of Adafina, Scheena, Dfina, and Bokla, respectively, were placed overnight in the bakers ovens.

The different components in this overnight stew are a reflection of the Jewish geography they originate from. For example, the Moroccan Scheena is often made with chickpeas, rice or hulled wheat, potatoes, meat, and whole eggs, while the Tunisian Dfina often incorporates lambs feet and cardoons, a relative of the artichoke.

Before the slow cooking style became all the rage, we had our cholentand whatever style of cholent you choose to cook, you will no doubt appreciate the glorious scent that will encircle your home. For this is the aroma of Shabbat.and this is the aroma that our people have come to love and cherish throughout the ages.

Morrrocan Scheena

Serves 8

2 cups raw long grain white rice

3 tablespoon vegetable oil

4 pounds of short ribs or other fatty meat

1 medium onion halved

1 cup of cooked chickpeas, prepared from half a cup

4 dates

1 whole garlic head, unpeeled

6 to 8 raw eggs (one per person) in their shells

4 medium boiling potatoes, peeled and halved

4 medium sweet potatoes peeled and halved

2 tsp of salt

1 tsp of pepper

Saute the rice in a small skillet, for three minutes, with a tablespoon of oil, stirring constantly. Wrap the rise loosely in cheesecloth and set aside. In a large skillet, saute the meat and onion in the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil until browned, approx. 10 minutes.

Put the chickpeas and dates in a deep lidded pot, Dutch oven, or crockpot.

Place the meat and garlic head on top. Put the rice, in its cheesecloth, on top of the meat. Arrange the eggs in their shells on top of the rice. Top with both kinds of potatoes. Add the salt and pepper, and enough water to cover the ingredients.

Bring to a boil, simmer for 15 minutes, cover and remove from stove.

Place in a crockpot on low and cook overnight.

To serve, separate the contents, placing the eggs in one dish, the rice in another and the potatoes and meat in another.

Recipe from The Sephardic Table, Pamela Grau Twena, 1998.

Tunisian Dfina or Harissa

Serves 8

4 to 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion sliced

1/2 head of garlic chopped

2 lbs. of chuck meat, cut into chunks

1 lb. of cracked wheat (can get in any Middle-Eastern store)

4 carrots peeled and cut in 2" to 3"pieces

3 to 4 stalks of celery cut in 2" pieces

1 teaspoon harissa (mild or hot, your choice)

1 tsp. ground coriander

1/2 tsp. ground caraway

1/4 tsp. pepper

3/4 tsp. salt

Water to cover

In a heavy Dutch oven, saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until lightly golden. Add meat chunks and continue to saute the meat.

Add the cracked wheat which you will have checked for pebbles, etc. and rinsed in cold water and drained. Add spices, harissa, and chunks of carrots and celery and cover with water to about 2" above the contents of the pot.

Bring to a boil and simmer for at least 1 hour, until most of the water has evaporated.

Just before Shabbat, transfer to a crockpot on low. Check the water level, and add some more if needed and let it continue to cook overnight.

Recipe provided by Simone Greenbaum, Jewish Food List.

Ashkenazi style cholent

Serves 6 to 8

Half cup of Aduki beans

Half cup of Lima beans

4 to 6 Chicken quarters (legs and thighs)

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Garlic powder to taste

Paprika to taste

2 potatoes quartered

1 sweet potato cut into thick slices

1 carrot, peeled and quartered

Half a cup of Barley

One Fourth of a cup of wheat berries

3 to 5 tablespoons of Tamari Soy Sauce

1 Bay Leaf

The night before you prepare this dish, put all the beans in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Allow to soak overnight. Before cooking, drain beans and discard any stories and dried-out beans.

Take out a 6-quart pot. Season chicken with spices, salt and pepper (if desired cumin and coriander can also be used). Place chicken on bottom of pot. Add potatoes, sweet potato, onion, carrot and drained beans. Add water to cover. Add barley and wheat berries.

Bring cholent to boil. Add tamari and bay leaf and simmer for at least one and a half hours. Add water when necessary, making sure water is one inch above ingredients. Place on blech before Shabbat. Keep pot tightly covered.

Variation, substitute one pound veal and one pound flanken for the chicken.

Recipe from Spice and Spirit: The Complete Kosher Jewish Cookbook, Lubavitch Women, 1990.

Parve (Vegetarian) Cholent

Serves 6 to 8

1 cup of mixed beans of your choice

Half a cup of barley

2 large onions, diced

2 large potatoes, cubed

1 large sweet potato, cubed

4 to 6 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 tablespoon salt

2 teaspoons pepper

2 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons of Hawaich (Yemenite spice, optional)

2 teaspoons of turmeric

Pinch of ginger (optional)

Soak the beans overnight in water. Drain.

Heat olive oil in a large pott and saute onions for five minutes or more until translucent. Add the remaining ingredients and continue to saute until slightly browned.

Add 4 cups of boiling water and cook, covered, on low heat, for about one and half hours. Add water if necessary (the cholent has to be covered with a layer of liquid in order for it not to dry out overnight)

Place on Shabbat hotplate (blech) or place in a crock pot on low until lunch is served.

Recipe from The Seven Fruits of the Land of Israel, Chana Bracha Siegelbaum, 2014
Cherokee County officials have identified a man killed Saturday morning in a fire at a Cedar Bluff campground.

Coroner Jeremy Deaton said Donald Terry Naylor, 67, was killed in a fire reported at 6:06 a.m. at Big Oak Campground.

Leesburg, Tucker's Chapel and Sand Rock fire departments responded, and found multiple camper trailers involved. Naylor's body was found inside one of the campers.

The Alabama Department of Forensic Science will conduct an autopsy.

The State Fire Marshal's Office, Cherokee County Sheriff's Office and the Cherokee County Major Crimes Unit are investigating the cause of the fire.
At noon, more than 2,000 people took part in the Flora-Bama's annual Polar Bear Dip in Perdido Key, Fla. on Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. (Brian Kelly/bkelly@al.com)

At the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, rain pelted Orange Beach and Gulf Shores, and the rain lasted through most of the night.

The forecast for Sunday didn't look good, but the rain moved out by Sunday morning and the sun came out just in time for the Flora-Bama's annual New Year's Day Polar Bear dip at the Alabama-Florida state line.

And the people came.

In droves.

By 11 a.m., hundreds of people had taken to the Main Tent to enjoy a bloody mary or beer. At 11:45 a.m., about 2,500 people had gathered under the sun on the beach behind the infamous beach bar. Many were dressed in some outrageous costumes while some sported swim suits. Not only did the rain clear out, but the ominous clouds did too, revealing a warm sun with a temperature of around 71 degrees.

At high noon, thousands rushed headlong into the Gulf of Mexico, meeting rough surf but warm water. Many came right back to the beach while others lingered in the water.

"It really didn't feel that cold," said Rebecca Williams of Mississippi. "I thought it would be colder but maybe I'm just buzzed."

Pat McClellan, one of the original owners of the Flora-Bama and a founder of the Polar Bear Dip said it was one of the largest crowds he'd ever seen in more than 30 years.

"I think it's become a phenomenon along the Gulf Coast with a mix of locals, tourists and snowbirds who all come together for this great time," McClellan said.

Inside the Main Tent, folks gathered for red beans and rice and live music with Johnny Barbato who belted out his brand of Southern Rock.

Bailey Gutierrez of New Orleans, LA. was joined by 35 of her closest friends, all of whom were wearing matching black customized shirts. "You know, it started a few years ago as just a few of us then grew to a large group of us coming to do this for the weekend," said Gutierrez.

Gary Lott of Mobile didn't go into the Gulf at noon sharp. "I'm just enjoying watching the people here," he said. "All my years here I've never done this but I'm glad I finally did. It was a lot of fun."
A child was shot and killed at a New Year's Eve party in Athens early Sunday morning.

According to Limestone County Sheriff Mike Blakely, officers responded to a home on Buckskin Drive at approximately 12:06 a.m., where they found a five-year-old girl had been shot in the chest.

She was pronounced dead at Athens-Limestone Hospital.

Blakely said the 25-30 people at the party first denied hearing or seeing anyone shooting, but police found several shell casings in the yard where the little girl was shot. Witnesses later said a man fired several rounds in the yard.

People at the home identified the shooter as Fidel Rodriguez Canchola, and said he fled the scene on foot before deputies arrived. Blakely and Investigator Lance Royals located Canchola around 7:20 a.m. and arrested him.

Canchola, 34, is charged with criminally negligent homicide and his bond has been set at $5,000.

Deputies said there was no information to show the shooting was intentional.

The victim's name has not been released.

Updated at 4:26 p.m. with mugshot and charges.
New York will be ringing in 2017 in style.

Times Square will host its annual New Year's Eve celebration complete with the annual ball drop at midnight and you can join in the fun from wherever you are.

Hosts Allison Hagendorf and Jonathan Bennett along with street correspondents Andrea Boehlke and Jeremy Hassell will kick-off the six-hour New Year's Eve celebration at 6 p.m. EST when the star of the show, the Times Square Ball, is introduced.

Hagendorf, Global Head of Rock at Spotify, network television host, and live announcer of the MTV Video Music Awards and MTV Movie Awards, will return for her fifth year as the Times Square New Year's Eve Event Host. Bennett, star of Mean Girls and host of Cake Wars, will be the webcast host for the first time.

Performers will include Gavin DeGraw, Rachel Platten and Silento.

The USO Show Troupe will perform their popular "A Military Salute" to honor the Armed Forces.

Times Square history

Revelers have been gathering in Times Square for a New Year's Eve celebration since 1904.

The first event was the brainchild of Adolph Ochs, owner of the New York Times, and included an all-day street festival culminating in fireworks to the delight of the more than 200,000 attendees.

In 1906, the city banned fireworks so Ochs arranged to have a large, illuminated seven-hundred-pound iron and wood ball lowered from the tower flagpole precisely at midnight to signal the end of 1907 and the beginning of 1908.

The event has changed multiple times during the last century - including the dimming of the ball due to wartime restrictions in 1942 and 1943 - but continues today, drawing as many as a million people to the ball drop ceremony on Dec. 31.

How to watch

The Times Square 2017 Webcast is also available for live viewing on Android and Apple devices with the Times Square Ball App and is viewable on mobile browsers at TimesSquareNYC.org, NewYearsEve.nyc, and TimesSquareBall.net.

You can also watch the livestream below:
Turkey Attack

Ambulances rush on the scene of an attack in Istanbul on early Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017.

(STR / AP)

ISTANBUL -- An assailant believed to have been dressed in a Santa Claus costume opened fire at a crowded nightclub in Istanbul during New Year's celebrations, killing at least 39 people and wounding close to 70 others in what the province's governor described as a terror attack.

Gov. Vasip Sahin said the attacker, armed with a long-barreled weapon, killed a policeman and a civilian outside the club at around 1:15 a.m. Sunday before entering and firing on people partying inside. He did not say who may have carried out the attack.

"Unfortunately (he) rained bullets in a very cruel and merciless way on innocent people who were there to celebrate New Year's and have fun," Sahin told reporters.

Private NTV news channel said the assailant entered the Reina nightclub, in Istanbul's Ortakoy district, dressed in a Santa Claus outfit.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the man was still on the run, adding: "efforts to find the terrorist are continuing."

"Our security forces have started the necessary operations. God willing he will be caught in a short period of time," the minister said.

At least 15 of the dead were foreign nationals, Soylu said, without providing information on their nationalities. Five of the victims were identified as Turkish nationals while authorities were still trying to identify the rest of the victims. At least 69 people were being treated in hospitals, four in serious condition, Soylu said.

Three or four of the Turkish victims may have been employees at the nightclub, he said.

"This was a massacre, a truly inhuman savagery," Soylu said.

The minister said the attacker was believed to have left the club wearing "different clothing" to those he entered the club in. He said the attacker is believed to have carried out the assault alone.

"Four of the injured are in very serious condition," said Health Minister Recep Akdag. "There are several foreign nationals among the wounded."

Some customers jumped into the waters of the Bosporus to escape the attack, the report said.

Sinem Uyanik was inside the club with her husband who was wounded in the attack.

"Before I could understand what was happening, my husband fell on top me," she said outside Istanbul's Sisli Etfal Hospital. "I had to lift several bodies from top of me before I could get out. It was frightening." Her husband was not in serious condition despite sustaining three wounds.

Police with riot gear and machine guns backed up by armored vehicles blocked the area close to the Reina nightclub, one of the most popular night spots in Istanbul. Several ambulances flashing blue lights arrived on the scene, some taking wounded to hospitals.

The White House condemned what it called a "horrific terrorist attack" and offered U.S. help to Turkey.

White House spokesman Eric Schultz said President Barack Obama was briefed on the attack by his national security team and asked to be updated as the situation developed. Obama is vacationing in Hawaii this week with his family.

National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said the attack on "innocent revelers" celebrating New Year's shows the attackers' savagery.

"Our thoughts are with victims and their loved ones. We continue to work to prevent these tragedies," European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini tweeted.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Twitter: "Tragic start to 2017 in Istanbul. My thoughts are with those affected by the attack on people celebrating New Year and with the Turkish people."

An estimated 600 people were celebrating inside the club that is also frequented by famous locals, including singers, actors and sports stars. Several shocked revelers were seen fleeing the scene after the attack and the music fell silent.

The country has been rocked by a series of deadly attacks in 2016 carried out by the Islamic State group or Kurdish militants, killing more than 180 people.

On Dec. 10, a double bomb attack outside soccer stadium -- located near the Reina nightclub -- killed 44 people and wounded 149 others. The attack was claimed by Turkey-based Kurdish militant group, the Kurdish Freedom Falcons. Nine days later, an off-duty Turkish riot policeman assassinated Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov at a photo exhibition in the capital, Ankara. The government has suggested that a movement led U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen was behind the killing -- an accusation the cleric has denied.

Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag vowed that Turkey would press ahead with its fight against violent groups.

"Turkey will continue its determined and effective combat to root out terror," Bozdag said on Twitter.

Security measures had been heightened in major Turkish cities, with police barring traffic leading up to key squares in Istanbul and the capital Ankara. In Istanbul, 17,000 police officers were put on duty, some camouflaged as Santa Claus and others as street vendors, Turkey's Anadolu news agency reported.
The Hague, Netherlands  Three Dutch citizens were arrested last week on suspicion of recruiting for the hard-line Islamic State (IS) group in its armed struggle in Syria and Iraq, as tensions between radical Muslims and Hollands far-right Pro Patria organisation continue to rise.

The men detained come from The Hague, the city that positions itself as an international city of peace and justice, and which Islamic State sympathisers have also named Jihad City. Mayor of The Hague, Jozias van Aartsen, said during a press conference that they had caught big fish who had sown hatred and incited terrorism on social media and news sites.

One of those detained is 32-year-old Azzedine Choukoud, known as Abou Moussa, a charismatic Dutchman of Moroccan descent. He has been involved in demonstrations in recent years, and has been in contact with fighters in Syria. In a YouTube video, he congratulated the Muslim community on the establishment of the caliphate in Iraq and Syria. A few young men hold up a black IS flag in the background.

According to the Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service, the Islamic State movement in the Netherlands amounts to a few hundred followers and several thousand sympathisers. Edwin Bakker, director of the Centre for Terrorism and Counterterrorism at Leiden University, estimated that The Hagues Islamic State supporters consists of 200 men.

Every Muslim is basically in favour of the establishment of an Islamic state. by - Abu Hafs, Salafist preacher

They come from Schilderswijk neighbourhood, which the media have renamed the sharia triangle. This neighbourhood primarily houses immigrants, as do many neighbourhoods in large Dutch cities  in this case more than 90 percent of the population are immigrants. Dissatisfaction is common and unemployment, crime, and poverty rates are higher than in the rest of the country.

Flying IS flags

Over the past few months, several pro-Gaza demonstrations have been held in the district, at which a number of people were seen waving IS flags. The radical anti-immigrant, right-wing organisation Pro Patria (For The Fatherland) then held counter-demonstrations.

No jihad in our street, shouted the Pro Patria demonstrators. Their March for Freedom went straight through the Schilderswijk area, and the mobile unit of the Dutch police force had to keep the two groups apart. The website De Ware Religie (The True Religion), which the government claims glorifies the jihadist ideology, and which the men arrested on August 28 wrote for, reported on the battle for the Schilderswijk.

For more than a year, police in The Hague have investigated people who are joining IS and its sympathisers. Five suspects are currently detained. According to the General Intelligence and Security Service, the war in Syria and, especially, the declaration of the caliphate have been a magnet for potential jihadists.

Some 100 to 200 Dutch citizens have gone to Syria and Iraq to fight, and 33 of them come from The Hague. A few recently made themselves heard in a video, in which they reported on their territory monitoring in the abandoned city of Aleppo. At least 14 Dutch citizens are known to have died in Syria.

Several dozen religious fighters have since returned and it is feared that they will carry out attacks in the Netherlands. An attack by a returned fighter occurred in neighbouring Belgium on May 24 at the Jewish Museum in Brussels, where four people died.

Police officers arrive to stop a protest against Muslim radicals and Islamic State in The Hague in August [EPA]

The Dutch cabinet announced a number of measures against religious fighters on August 29. More options will be introduced to revoke Dutch citizenship, and steps will be taken to counter the spread of radical and violently religious information on the Internet. Imams should be prevented from inciting hatred and key figures should ensure that young people are not radicalised, authorities said.

Jihad city

The Hagues problems with radical Muslims are not new. Since 2000, popular Syrian imam Fawaz Jneid has given fierce sermons from the Salafist As-Soennah mosque. He has called for the deaths of critics of Islam, such as the politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali and filmmaker Theo van Gogh. A member of a radical group in The Hague, de Hofstadgroep, killed the filmmaker in 2004.

All sorts of deradicalisation programmes followed the 2004 killing, and the As-Soennah mosque had to change its course. The mosques board now states on its website about the Islamic State group: No sensible person wants to associate themselves with the bloody onslaught of this aberrant group, let alone sympathise with it.

An organisation that speaks on behalf of 380 mosques in the Netherlands, the Contactorgaan Moslims en Overheid, distanced itself from the IS after the pro-IS demonstrations as well. In a press release, they called it shameful that some Muslim young people have sympathy for IS. We interpret these rebellious expressions in the light of social dissatisfaction with their own position, it said.

In conunction, most Muslims in the radical scene are wary about stating their support for Islamic State, especially after the recent arrests.

Every Muslim is basically in favour of the establishment of an Islamic state, claimed the Salafist preacher known as Abu Hafs. He is the spokesman for the Bewust Moslim group. But it is premature to judge whether the IS is the designated party, he continued. Not enough is known about the organisation, and the opinions among Muslim scholars are divided.

Ali Abu Safiya, spokesman for Moslims in Dialoog, a similar platform, said only a small part of the Muslim community in the Netherlands supports the IS unconditionally and applauds everything they do.

A larger group condemns the IS entirely. Like the vast majority, we are not for or against the IS, but we have a more nuanced position, he said.

According to Abu Safiya, the one-sided, inaccurate reporting about Islamic State and the demonisation of its sympathisers is a major reason for the increasing sympathy for the group.

Demonstrations against IS

Kurds demonstrate against the violence in northern Iraq in Arnhem, The Netherlands, in August [EPA]

Meanwhile, various opponents of IS plan to demonstrate against the organisation again. Kawan Rauf, who fled to the Netherlands in the 1990s from Iraqi Kurdistan, told Al Jazeera he has organised a demonstration on September 7 in Amsterdam.

The goal, among other things, is to request that the government urge the United Nations to protect oppressed people in Syria and Iraq. He said he doesnt understand IS sympathisers in the Netherlands. How can you support a murder machine?

Rauf knows 25 of the 500 Dutch Kurds who are fighting against the IS in the Middle East. Ive tried to stop them but I dont know how I would react if my mother or my sister were abducted and raped, he said, noting his family returned to Iraqi Kurdistan because things had been good there in recent years.

Rauf said he hopes many different groups will come to the demonstration, including Sunni Muslims.

The Dutch-Syrian activist Andre Abdallah will be there, he told Al Jazeera. Members of his family are Christians, living in the northern Syrian city of Al-Hasaka. The people there have nowhere to flee. The border between Turkey and Iraq is closed and the IS is now only 20km away, he said, expressing concern for all groups threatened by IS, not only Christians.

The right-wing organisation Pro Patria said it plans to demonstrate against IS in The Hague again on September 20. The leader of the anti-Islam Freedom Party, Geert Wilders, and the arch-conservative organisation Nederlandse Volks-Unie said it would join in.

The Muslim Defence League Holland and the local Islamic Partij van de Eenheid (Unity Party) plan to demonstrate on the same day against the increasing discrimination against Muslims.

Pro Patria said it wants its demonstration to take place again in Schilderswijk. However, Mayor van Aartsen has stipulated that no more demonstrations can take place in residential neighbourhoods for two months, only in designated locations.

The ban came as a relief for many residents and business owners in the neighbourhood who, according to van Aartsen, also longed for the recent arrests of the ideological pyromaniacs, referring to the radicalised youth.
The last time Gholam saw his wife and two children was in the brief moment before a high wave split their boat in half and catapulted the dozens of people on board towards the sea.

In the chaos of October 16, 2015, Gholam, an Afghan refugee from Kabul, held his eldest sons head above water so that he could breathe. But overcome by rough winds and unable to see in the darkness, he could not find his wife, their four-year-old son or their nine-year-old daughter. More than a year later, he still recalls desperately hanging on to a piece of wreckage as the shards of wood dug into his palms and feet.

Gholam, his son and others were eventually rescued when a large ship crossed their path and transferred them to the Turkish coastguard. A 24-hour search-and-rescue patrol found some of the missing alive and others dead, but Gholams wife and two young children were not among them.

I thought, if they died, then where are their bodies? Gholam said, speaking to Al Jazeera under a pseudonym. As weeks passed with no word, he took matters into his own hands, starting to search for his family on his own.

Thousands of refugees still brave the dangerous sea voyage to Europe across the Aegean Sea each year, but for every refugee that reaches Greece successfully, there are others who are never heard from again. Many are thought to be dead, with some buried in unmarked graves. The process to identify them is mired in bureaucratic and logistical hurdles, leaving their families in limbo.

According to Maria Landri  a coordinator for the tracing services department of the Hellenic Red Cross, a department that aims to assist these families  there are currently 900 cases open, while 114 cases have been solved since 2014. This represents only a fraction of the more than 4,400 missing persons, according to the International Organization for Migrations Missing Migrants Project.

Many are probably dead, although there is a lack of accurate data, said Fragkiska Megaloudi, a spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Greece.

The identification of missing persons and unidentified bodies requires an effective system to allow data to be exchanged among European authorities, Megaloudi told Al Jazeera. The lack of a comprehensive database for deceased people, the sheer size of the migrant flows that has significantly impacted on Greeces forensic services, and the limited human resources and logistical equipment have hindered the identification of the deceased.

United Rescues, a fledgling organisation founded in 2015, has stepped in to assist in these searches, with a volunteer base spread out across Europe. Initially focused on rescuing refugees from the sea, United Rescues later opened a separate search division amid overwhelming demand. The organisation is currently looking into around 250 cases.

INTERACTIVE: Why on earth would anyone do this?

Thousands of people contact us, Sarah Chaara, the groups founder, told Al Jazeera. But we cant accept all of them  only what is possible for us to help track down. Struggles with government bureaucracies are commonplace, she said, because of the groups volunteer status.

Often, United Rescues helps families by conducting its own initial investigation first, and then submitting official request forms to the Red Cross. The enquirer must be an immediate family member to be eligible to benefit from the tracing service.





One of the cases being pursued by United Rescues is Gholams. In 2015, with the help of a volunteer, he began his search in Canakkale, Turkey, from where the ill-fated boat had left on its voyage to the Greek island of Lesbos. From there, they visited police stations, hospitals, morgues and detention centres in six Turkish cities: Ayvacik, Izmir, Aydin, Balikesir, Bursa and Istanbul. Two weeks later, there was still no trace of Gholams family.

Everywhere he went, he had a lot of hope. Before we entered the detention centres, he was optimistic, but we were getting negative information all the time and it was hard, said a volunteer who assisted in Gholams case.

By October 2016, Gholam had rented an apartment in Istanbul and enrolled his son in school. He refuses to leave, wanting to be nearby should his wife and children be found.

Some sources from the municipalities told us people were being kept in closed camps with no access to phones. Based on this, I believe my family is alive, Gholam said, referring to a network of refugee detention centres in Turkey that have been condemned by Amnesty International.

READ MORE: The fishermen of Lesbos saving refugee lives

Among the more complicated cases that United Rescues has come across is Bonitas. A Palestinian refugee from Syria, she arrived in Greece by boat in July 2015, following her husband, who had arrived a few months before. Anticipating border closures, he urged her to carry on to Germany without him, saying that he would meet her soon after sorting out a land sale.

He told me go now, and to wait for him. He said he was waiting for a paper from his family in Syria to sell the land, said Bonita, who did not provide her last name.

As the weeks passed in Germany with no word from her husband, she grew worried. Four months on, she learned that he had called his family and Syria and told them that he did not want to be found. An investigation by United Rescues suggested that Bonitas husband may have been recruited by an illicit network, although the details were unclear.

He said he would come after me. He told me to wait for just a day. To this day, I havent heard his voice, Bonita told Al Jazeera, breaking down into tears. I love my husband; I will wait for him.

Late last year, the Red Cross held a series of workshops with Greek judicial and government authorities, forensic experts and law enforcement agencies, focusing on how to coordinate to formulate a legal framework for a central database of missing persons.

This system will not only benefit Greece, but may also allow for information-sharing, either at a national level or between European states and migrants countries of origin, in order to clarify the fate of the missing and give the families answers, Megaloudi said.

For now, Wessam, an Iraqi refugee currently seeking asylum in Sweden, will have to continue to wonder what became of his two young sons, Abbas and Mohamed, who disappeared after their boat capsized near the Turkish coast in September 2015.

Until now, he said, we are waiting.

Follow Samya on Twitter: @samya_kullab
I am an Afghan first But if our life is under threat, if our families are faced with risks, we have to leave.

Kabul, Afghanistan  Hidden in plain sight, on a poorly lit busy road, the exteriors of the Asmayee temple are deceiving  a plain, old building that could easily be confused for any other building in Kabul.

In contrast, the mosque next door stands out with its beautiful, intricate architecture. The call for evening prayers from the mosque intertwines with the sounds of the Hindu chants resonating from within the halls of the temple.

Several finely dressed, middle-aged women, move in and out of the many rooms of the vast temple complex, offering prayers and lighting candles. There are seven rooms built in a circle that serve as the temple for the various Hindu goddesses and gods, and one expansive hall, colourfully decorated and covered in Persian carpets, that serves as the community prayer room.

The women celebrate separately from the men. There is also a separate dining hall and community kitchen for the men and women who come to the temple.

Ramnath, 25, explains that this is because the culture among Afghan Hindus is predominantly Pashtun.





Over the years, Hinduism in Afghanistan survived and thrived in Pashtun-dominant provinces, resulting in a confluence of cultures that combines practices and rituals of the region.

If you go up the hill, there is another small temple of the Sherawali, says Ramnath, referring to the Hindu goddess Durga by one of her many names.

It was said that years ago, a white river of milk flowed down from the foot of the statue of the goddess to Kabul. This is how this place got its name joy-e-sheer, which translates to stream of milk from Dari, Ramnath tells as the men gather quietly in one of the rooms over a cup of tea.

Ramnath, like many Afghans, only uses one name.

Of course, those are reminiscent tales of the past. Who can tell how much of that legend is true? he adds.

READ MORE: Inside the little-known kitchen of Afghanistans Sikhs

A history of diversity and repression

Afghanistans history is full of such anecdotes and lore about a substantial thriving community of Hindus and Sikhs who have called this country their home over the centuries.

There is a place in Jalalabad where it is believed Guru Nanak visited in the 15th century and is very sacred to the Sikhs in Afghanistan, says Rawail Singh, an Afghan Sikh civil rights activist, adding that Jalalabad, to the east of Kabul, continues to have a substantial Sikh population.

But, sociologists note, the population of Hindu and Sikh minorities has seen a drastic decline over the past several decades.

If you go through the evidence and data from the 1970s to date, you will be able to see how drastically their population has fallen, says Ehsan Shayegan, an Afghan researcher with Porsesh Research and Studies Organization studying the minority religions of Kabul.

In the 70s, there were around 700,000 Hindus and Sikhs, and now they are estimated to be less than 7,000, Shayegan says.

Although there is no census data available in the country to estimate exact numbers due to years of war and conflict, the community members themselves speculate that there are perhaps no more than a few thousand Hindus and Sikhs left in Afghanistan today.

It is estimated that Hindus and Sikhs make up around 3,000 Afghans scattered across provinces of Kabul, Nangarhar and Ghazni, says Singh. In 1992, they were a 220,000-strong community, just before the start of the civil war in Kabul. It was also around the same time that our problems started, he says.

According to Singh, during the years of Mujahideen rule and the civil war in the early 90s, after the fall of the Soviet-backed government, were the worst for Afghan religious minorities.

We were harassed, our lands were forcefully taken, we were persecuted and even killed for even slightest display of our faith. Kidnappings of Hindus and Sikhs were rampant, he recalls.

Many Hindus and Sikhs who spoke to Al Jazeera agreed that in comparison, the Taliban regime that followed, although extremely conservative and discriminatory, offered a relief from the repression of the Mujahideen.

Under the Taliban, we were often required to identify ourselves in public by wearing a yellow armband, but were largely left alone, Singh explains.

OPINION: Taliban peace talks  First empower the minorities

Religious persecution

After the United States invasion in 2001, many Hindus and Sikhs who had fled the country in the last decade retuned, including Singh and Ramnath, who had briefly moved to India and Pakistan with their families.

The first few years of the Karzai regime were very prosperous, shares Amarnath, Ramnaths older brother, in Pashto, one of Afghanistans national languages.

However, things quickly started to deteriorate as Mujahideen groups returned after President Hamid Karzai came to power and gained positions in government and ruling structures.

Persecution started again, and several big and small warlords forcefully took away lands belonging to the Hindu and Sikh minorities, Singh says.

Threatened and afraid for their lives, many have felt compelled to leave again. There were around 100 families in Khost, but theyve all left because of the conflict and moved either to India, or are in Kabul, says Ramnath. He moved his family from Khost, a city also in the east of the country, to Delhi in 2009, but he continues to work in Kabul.

OPINION: New Afghanistan: Mujahideen need not apply?

There are no Hindus in Khost today, he says.





Despite the continued violence in the country, religious persecution remains the strongest motivator for Afghan Hindus leaving the country.

At the Hindu temple, people say the temple hasnt faced any direct threat so far. We have been left to practise our faith in peace, one man says.

If we dont hurt anyone, why would anyone want to hurt us? Ramnath adds.

The security of the country is deteriorating for all  whether they are Hindu or Muslim. When you leave the house in the mornings, you cant guarantee youll return alive in the evening, he says.

On December 29, 2016, an Afghan Sikh Nirmohan Singh, fondly known as Lala Dilsoz, was killed by armed gunmen in Kunduz. The city has has seen repeated bouts of heavy fighting where the Taliban has made attempts to capture the city. An outcry from the Hindu and Sikh communities and other Afghans followed the murder, with some community leaders reportedly appealing to the Indian Prime Minster Narendra Modi to rescue the remaining Afghan Hindus and Sikhs by providing them asylum in India.

The emigration figures are serious, with Afghanistan producing significant numbers of refugees  second only to Syria, according to a UNHCR report. The Taliban has gained more ground than the last 15 years and even the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group (ISIL, also known as ISIS) has dug roots in parts of the country.

However, despite Ramnaths reluctance to admit this, Hindus in Afghanistan are leaving because of religious discrimination and social exclusion, insists Shayegan. Incidents of systematic and institutional discrimination have even made local headlines, although many more go unreported, he says.

Singh agrees. There is only so much a community can tolerate. We cant practise our faith openly; our children cant go to school because of harassment; we cant even cremate our dead without being stoned by the public, he says, referring to the 2012 incident when civilians and security forces prevented them from performing funeral rites at their ancient cremation grounds, parts of which had been taken over by armed locals.

Institutionalised discrimination

With years of war and internal conflict, the minorities in Afghanistan have fallen through cracks, where even the international and local civil organisations often fail to notice and recognise the plight of the Afghan Hindus and Sikhs.

Kamal Sadat, Afghanistans minister of culture and information, agrees that the treatment of the minority groups hasnt been fair, but says the government is taking necessary steps to address the matter.

It is indeed tragic how our Hindu and Sikh brothers have been treated over the years. Theyre an integral part of our history and community, and we are working to improve their conditions, he told Al Jazeera, adding that the government was looking into all allegations of land grabbing made by Sikhs and Hindus.

The problem, however, lies in the inadequate systems and institutions that were brought in place post-2001, according to Shayegan.

Our new constitution was drafted to imitate some of the best model constitutions of the world, but they are still inadequate when it comes to supporting a pluralistic system of democracy, he says. He notes, for example, the example of Article 62 that prohibits non-Muslim Afghans from becoming president of the country.

The constitution guarantees equal rights to all Afghan citizens in Article 22 and then contradicts itself in Article 62 by excluding a section of the population, Shayegan points out.

Furthermore, courts that operate on laws emulating Islamic religious law are sometimes unsuited to the needs of the religious minority populations. When we go the courts, at times they ask us if we are even really Afghan. Cant a non-Muslim be an Afghan? he asks.

Despite the discrimination, Afghan Hindus and Sikh strongly identify with their national identity.

Of course, I am an Afghan first, Ramnath answers fiercely when asked about his Afghan identity. This is our land, the land of our ancestors. We owe our loyalty to the soil of Afghanistan  we are Afghans, he says.

But if our life is under threat, if our families are faced with risks, we have to leave, he adds with some sadness.

At the Hindu temple, the men huddle together in rooms for a shared meal of delicacies of sweet rice made with raisins, sweets, and dried fruits. In the evening, they sit around in a candle-lit courtyard talking and speculating over the future of Afghanistan, a country they love dearly.

As of now, I would not want my children in Delhi to return to this life in Kabul, says one of the older men. Maybe if the situation changes and things get better, they might come back to better Afghanistan, he says.

God willing, everyone replies.
Hundreds of endangered turtles have been killed in recent weeks, with some sold to restaurant customers as goat meat.

Sharma, Yemen  At least 250 critically endangered turtles in a national protectorate in Yemen have been killed by humans within the past month, according to area residents and officials.

Sharma Protectorate, a nesting place for rare green turtles, is a two-hour drive east of Mukalla, the capital of Yemens eastern Hadramout province. Visitors to the protectorate have been wreaking havoc: snatching one turtle after another, slaughtering them, taking their meat and leaving behind eggs and viscera to decay.

The killing of the turtles has increased at an alarming scale, Sheikh Amen Bakhwar, a turtle conservationist and the head of the Environment Friends Association in Addis al-Sharqia district, told Al Jazeera.

Months of turtle hunting has left the area stinking of carrion and has turned its beaches on the Arabian Sea into a hub for stray dogs.

This is like hunting any other animal, Mohammad, a young man who did not provide his last name, told Al Jazeera as he left his tent to catch a turtle.

Like many other hunters who come here, Mohammed and his friends are not ashamed of their turtle hunting  nor are they convinced that it is threatening the species survival. We have heard the same warnings for ages, but look. There are some turtles on the beach, said Mohammeds friend, as they prepared to kill another one.

Marine biologists, however, believe that years of human predation have made a big dent in the number of turtles arriving ashore to lay eggs here.

Mohammed Abdullah al-Dohail, the head of the Department of Marine Biology at Hadramout University, told Al Jazeera that hawksbill turtles have already died off in the area and that the green turtles will face the same fate, if their killers are not stopped.

They have committed carnage against the turtles. by Abdulla Attamimi, director of the district that includes Sharma

They butcher female turtles who make a landfall to lay eggs, Dohail explained. They catch them the moment they leave the sea and do not wait for them to lay their eggs.

Dohail said that the beach was teeming with turtles a decade ago: Ten years ago, as many as 50 turtles nested in this beach during procreation season, compared to several turtles in an hour now.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula had controlled parts of Hadramout, including Sharma, for about a year before being ousted. The al-Qaeda fighters had sealed the protectorate, banning people from visiting the area  not to protect the turtles, but to launch an oil-smuggling operation from an old, neglected seaport there.

Although local residents agree that the turtles enjoyed a respite from human predators during the days of al-Qaeda control, marine biologists say that oil spills and loud trucks likely upset the turtles, which prefer nesting on quiet shores.

In response to the reports of mass turtle slaughter, the governor of Hadramout ordered local officials to visit the protectorate and assess the damage. Abdulla Attamimi, the director of the district that includes Sharma, told Al Jazeera that he was appalled by the view of slain turtles scattered across the beaches.

They have committed carnage against the turtles, Attamimi said.

Local officials, including the coastguard and security services, held an emergency meeting and approved a number of disciplinary procedures against turtle hunting. Those who kill turtles would be ordered to pay a fine of 100,000 Yemeni rials ($400) and be jailed for 24 hours. Those who disrupt the turtles by firing machine guns  some people go to the area to practise firing guns  would be ordered to pay 50,000 rials ($200), have their guns seized, and spend a day in jail.

To enforce these new regulations, salaries must be secured for as many as 20 guards to be deployed around Sharma. Attamimi said that his office is seeking almost $1,000 in monthly salaries for the guards, and another $1,000 for renovating an abandoned house to host the guards.

Our top priority is deploying the guards and providing them with equipment to do their job, he said.

Attamimi urged international conservationist organisations to help him with the funds for paying guards and building a fence around Sharma, but no one has yet positively responded to my appeals for help.

INTERACTIVE: Yemen conflict  Who controls what

But securing the necessary funds will not be easy. The poverty-stricken country is in the midst of a civil war between supporters of Yemens internationally recognised government and a Saudi-led military coalition on one side, and the Houthi rebels and forces loyal to Yemens former president on the other.

Rescuing the threatened turtles in Sharma has taken a back seat to more serious issues, including saving people from famine.

Visitors [to Sharma] have increased in the last couple of years, despite the trouble around the country. They sell turtle meat to restaurants, who serve them as goat meat, Attamimi said.

However, the lack of funding has not impeded locals from working to protect Sharma. Attamimi said that local volunteers have been cleaning the picturesque beaches of plastic waste and dead turtles, and enlightening visitors about the stakes of killing off the rare turtles.
While history does not repeat itself in full details, it always shows us some patterns that we should always consider.

It was another first for the US president-elect, Donald Trump, before he moves into the White House. Using just 140 characters on Twitter to explain his future nuclear policies he tweeted: The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes.

For sure, neither Richard Nixon, who negotiated the first nuclear non-proliferation treaties with the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War, nor the Star Wars champion Roland Reagan would have achieved such a reductive feat!

Not even George W Bush with all his linguistic and semantic shortcomings would have so recklessly ventured to tackle such a very dangerous topic. In this tweet, however, Trump didnt make any spelling mistakes as he has done in previous messages.

When asked to explain what he meant, Trumps communication aides said his aim was to send a message to terrorist groups and rogue states.

But what about nuclear rivals like Russia and China, and how could they perceive and understand Trumps tweet? Wouldnt they find themselves obliged to take similar action? What also about other nuclear-armed countries like India and Pakistan?

Wouldnt this impetuous posturing create a warmongering atmosphere, so to speak?

Usual suspects for scapegoating

Trumps aides, judging from their previous excuses wouldnt care and will always find scapegoats to blame.

The most likely culprit to hold accountable time and again could be radical Islam and its authoritarian nature, as the Wests new populists and alt-rightists constantly claim.

Frances elected leader of the centre-right, Francois Fillon, with his recently published book, Beating Islamic Totalitarianism, is running for the presidency in next years election on this platform.

So, is Islam going to be the enemy to be targeted, rightfully or wrongfully, by the new populists of Europe and the US and, even by Russias ultra-nationalist Vladimir Putin?

And will that be used to cover the genuine reasons of an increasingly looming confrontation between the West on one hand and Russia and China on the other?

Lets hope a bit of reason will prevail before all of us witness the consequences of the real reasons unfold in front of our eyes.

Similar patterns from a century ago

While history does not repeat itself in full details, it always shows us, in retrospect, reasons that some of those momentarily in charge might try to ignore.

Elaborating further on the historic dimension, lets inspect the landscape that preceded the World War I and II. This should enable us to figure out the alarming similarities between then and now.

In the late years of the 19th century, a rivalry arose between a hegemonic colonial power, Britain  with its vast colonies across the globe  and a rising power, unified Germany demanding its share of resources and proper place in the world.

Today, there is a hegemonic power, the US that is trying to stay at the forefront and, there is a rising power, China that is trying to be an equal partner.

Let us hope then that Islam as a religion - and with its overwhelming peaceful majority - will not be made the scapegoat for more belligerence and false targeting as the alt-rightist camps on both sides of the Atlantic, and in Putin's Russia are trying to do. by

Then, rivalries in Europe were also on the rise between competing empires and states, a repetition that can be seen today in a similar multipolar game between the NATO powers on one side and Russia and China on the other.

Before the outbreak of the World War I, nationalist feelings reached chauvinistic heights across the Western and Eastern Europe. People and politicians were complaining about open border policies.

Today, the liberal values of democracy are giving way to growing nationalist feelings and policies, as nation states are engaging in discourses such as France First or America First or Russia First and even China First. In other words, globalism is in regress.

Before the WWI, religious and sectarian violence was gaining momentum, especially in the Balkans, parts of which were under Ottoman Empire rule. Today, the spiral of sectarian violence seems unstoppable, as wars rage so viciously in many parts of the Middle East, leaving hundreds of thousands of people dead and millions more either internally displaced or refugees in other countries.

Enduring legacy of white supremacism

In the 19th century and up to the outbreak of the WWI, talk of white supremacy was so prominent. The French philosopher Ernest Renan was a clear personification of racism with his degrading attitudes towards Islam and Muslims (PDF).

Three years following the end of WWI in 1918, American professor Theodore Lothrop Stoddard published two books which were and still are very relevant to this discussion.

The first one was titled The Rising Tide of Colour Against White World Supremacy, 1920. The second was published the following year under the title The New World of Islam.

In the first book, Stoddard, a Harvard graduate, laments the declining numbers of white people all over the world and says the Asian continent of was once the land of the white race only.

Today, we can hear similar cries echoing across the US and in Europe and more loudly  especially following the victory of Trump.

Stoddards second book is a warning about the threats that rising Islam in the Arabian Peninsula, in the early years of the past century, might pose to the modern world. Back then, there was no Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) nor al-Qaeda committing horrendous crimes, yet Islam was perceived as a threat. Why?

OPINION: White supremacys inferiority complex

At that time, almost all Arab and Muslim countries were under colonial occupation and most liberation movements in these countries were carried out by nationalist and patriotic people.

The world then suffered from economic recession which, in the US, culminated into the Great Depression of 1929, 10 years before the outbreak of WWII.

In Europe, Adolf Hitlers notions of Aryan supremacy were a contributing prelude to that war.

The need for a new understanding

Today, populists are taking control in the US, Poland, Hungary, France, Britain and others. Ultra-nationalist cries are getting louder.

Economic conditions are bringing more hardship and religious violence is claiming more lives. Sabre-rattling is becoming more ominous in the South China Sea, in the North Pole and in Eastern Europe, as well as in the Middle East.

In times of peril, as history shows, people grow more intolerant and start looking for perceived enemies to blame.

The deplorable attacks by the so-called radical Islamic movements like ISIL and al-Qaeda are just a single frame in this scene of conflict, sabre-rattling and heightened tension; though no one can defend or justify these crimes.

OPINION: Reforming Islam or the relationship with Islam?

Let us hope then that Islam as a religion  and with its overwhelming peaceful majority  will not be made the scapegoat for more belligerence and false targeting, as the alt-rightist camps on both sides of the Atlantic, and in Putins Russia, are trying to do.

Let us also hope that, following the first wave of the Arab Spring revolutions, the Arab society will develop a new and proper understanding and implementation of the truly peaceful nature of their religion, as reflected in the precepts of the Holy Quran and the prophetic guidance.

This is a much-needed development for Muslims, in view of the enlightened imperatives of modern times.

Ahmed Al Sheikh is the former chief editor of Al Jazeera Arabic. He worked for BBC Arabic before joining Al Jazeera in 1996. He has worked in the media field for almost 40 years.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
The schism in the fabric of Syrian society is very evident and yet intricate at the same time.

We will take revenge from everyone who kept silent and everyone who applauded the death of all innocent immaculate souls in Aleppo, Hosam Al-Bakri, a teary-eyed youth refugee told me, referring to the recent recapture of Aleppo, considered as a fateful victory for the Syrian regime over the armed opposition.

Assad is worse than ISIL, believe me, he continued. This judgement may raise a few eyebrows, but it shouldnt, as this is an inevitable sentiment of young people watching their fellow countrymen killed in cold blood and evacuated from their homes.

Aleppo was a key battleground in the war between forces loyal to the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and rebels who want to overthrow him.

After the heavy air strikes carried out by the regime forces and supported by Russian troops, the rebels were forced to withdraw from the city. Tens of thousands of civilians  in the aftermath of an agreement  fled Aleppo, most of them with the bitter taste of evacuation, after enduring years of war.

Poverty, despair and hunger for revenge will drive the evacuated youth to restore their honour and self-worth. The evidence of this intense yearning is becoming more visible, warning all of us about an even more complicated situation in Syria.

Pledges of regain

We will come back  our love is written on a wall in Aleppo. A photo of it went viral on social media, as it represents the brutal heartbreak of a couple whose love nest was besieged Aleppo.

The war-torn love story must have alleviated the burden of the six years of fighting in Aleppo, the one thing they could never forget. And this spark of brave love might very well veer into an ugly form of combat to regain Aleppo, forcing the dire situation to go around in circles.

The destruction of their loved ones lives is the driving force for many young Syrians to get revenge against the regime for obliterating their families, houses, lives and everything else in its path. Panicked shrieks surround the casualties in the hearts of the youth.

The vengeful feelings are not restricted to just millennials. When we grow up, we will return to liberate Aleppo is another viral video showing two kids promising to return to their home city. Its chilling to see children make this vow.

What kind of revenge?

So, while the lust for revenge is unavoidable, the question is what kind it will be? The choices seem to be either fighting alongside the opposition to death, in an endless war, or joining extremist groups, as the evacuated head to Idlib, where Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly known as the al-Nusra Front) and others control most of the territory.

Young Syrians now have a disheartened view of the military opposition, regardless of how many battles they win, and joining this group becomes less worthwhile, as the chasms between opposition wings were one of many reasons that led them to lose their city. Joining the ranks of the rebels is fraught with danger for many Syrian youths.

So, why are youth more likely to join extremist groups? And do they have another option for salvation?

If the revenge valve exploded in Syria, the current death toll would seem minor compared to what will happen next. by

Recent research done by the Thomson Reuters Foundation revealed that the need to earn a basic living, a desire for a sense of purpose and revenge are the key factors that push young Syrians into joining extremist groups.

People can find a new meaning to their life in extremism. Extremism opens a door to a new life where they are wanted.

It is undeniable that these groups are very adept at the be a part of something rhetoric that draws in young people who have lost a sense of purpose and belonging during the war.

OPINION: Time to reclaim our suffering

Another study done by Quantum Communications provides some insight into the desire for youth to align themselves with extremist groups and that motivation varies.

A lot of current members are revenge seekers who consider themselves part of a group that is being repressed by the West or someone else (PDF).

Pending a world full of youth joining the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the question remains: would this revenge be unilateral?

Blood feud in return

Revenge manifests itself in many ways, not just in anger, but also pride, as crowds in west Aleppo were seen celebrating the massacre the regime perpetrated.

The schism in the fabric of Syrian society is very evident and yet intricate at the same time. One might have the feeling that the two sides are total strangers, as though they are not from the same country. On one side, mourners bewailing their victims and on other, happy citizens praising the victory.

But are there any justifications of this harebrained kind of revenge?

Some in the Alawite, Christian, religious minorities and other groups of Sunni have rallied around the Assad regime, which is preferable to ISIL. These groups see themselves as a target menaced by the brutal power of extremist groups.

The sectarian chasms are not the only reason of retaliation. The popular revolution turned into a ruthless and armed civil war that forced them to witness the demolition of their country.

To twist the knife, thousands died from random bombs dropped by the opposition, killing many regardless of their political affiliation, only because they lived in the regime-controlled district.

Salvation from perdition

If the revenge valve exploded in Syria, the current death toll would seem minor compared to what will happen next. The only way out of this bloodbath is the political compromise between the Syrians themselves and the international powers involved.

This option seems to be the most ridiculous, least honourable, solution for the youth whose hearts are full of hard feelings, while unfortunately being the only rational solution.

The fake victory the regime achieved on the backs of the dead in Aleppo will be repeated several times against the attack and retreat of the army opposition.

OPINION: Whitewashing Assad and his allies must be challenged

Batoul Karbijha is a Syrian journalist covering Middle East and North Africa affairs, based in the Netherlands.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Attackers of prison south of Manama kill one police officer and free prisoners held on terrorism charges, police say.

Armed men have attacked a prison in Bahrain where inmates convicted over anti-government protests are held, killing one policeman and allowing an unknown number prisoners to escape.

Security forces launched a manhunt for the attackers and the escapees, the interior ministry said on Twitter on Sunday.

The attack took place at Jau prison south of the capital Manama.





An armed attack on the Jau Reform and Rehabilitation Centre resulted in the death of policeman Abdul Salam Saif, and the escape of a number of inmates convicted of terrorist crimes, the ministry said.

A Bahraini court in January last year sentenced 57 men to 15-year jail terms for taking part in a 2015 riot inside Jau prison.

Bahraini security forces tear-gassed and beat inmates at the prison while trying to quell clashes that erupted during family visits, local human rights group Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights said at the time.

In June, 17 prisoners broke out of Al-Hadd jail, east of Manama, but the authorities recaptured 11 of them the next day.

Bahrain has been rocked by unrest since its Sunni authorities crushed Shia-led protests in 2011 demanding a constitutional monarchy and an elected prime minister.

Hundreds of Shia have been arrested and many have faced trials over their role in the demonstrations.

Shia protesters continue to frequently clash with security forces in areas outside Manama.

The Sunni-led government blames Al-Wefaq, the countrys largest opposition movement, for the upheaval, accusing the Shia party of pursuing an Iranian agenda.

Al-Wefaq, for its part, denies the allegations, saying it wants to see the establishment of a constitutional government in the small Gulf kingdom.
Emmanuel Niyonkuru becomes first serving government minister to be killed since political instability began in 2015.

Burundis environment minister, Emmanuel Niyonkuru has been shot dead by unknown assailants in the capital Bujumbura, police said.

Niyonkuru, 54, the countrys water, environment and planning minister, was killed by a criminal with a gun on his way home to Rohero, around 00:45, according to a tweet sent by police spokesman Pierre Nkurikiye. He added that a woman has been arrested following the assassination.

#Burundi Criminalite: Assassinat du Ministre de l'Eau et Environnement : Une femme qui etait avec lui arretee pour enquete  NKURIKIYE Pierre (@PierreNkurikiye) January 1, 2017

The murder, the first of a serving government minister since Burundi sank into turmoil over President Pierre Nkurunzizas controversial bid for a third term in 2015, comes after months of relative calm.

Also on Twitter, Nkurunziza offered his condolences to the family and all Burundians, vowing the crime would be punished.

At least 500 people have been killed and 300,000 have fled the country since unrest began in April 2015.
Controversial regulation imposes ban on political or religious activities at odds with the government.

A new law has come into force in China, tightening control over foreign not-for-profit organisations operating inside the country.

The law, which was announced last April, provides what the government says are long overdue reforms to regulate the activities of the thousands of NGOs operating in China.

The new regulation bans political or religious activities at odds with the Chinese government. It also states that NGOs must not undermine or damage Chinas national interests.

Coming at the end of a year that has seen a crackdown on human rights lawyers and other activists in China, critics of the new law say it will lead to an erosion of civil society.

Critics believe it has been left deliberately vague so the nation can interpret it any way it wants.

Activists also see it as a further attempt by President Xi Jinping to strengthen his grip on power.

What Xi Jinping wants to do, most likely, is take the NGO space, which was kind of operating in a grey area, and make it fully come on board, so the government can see and control everything, William Nee of Amnesty International told Al Jazeera.
After last New Years spate of sex assaults, German police question hundreds of men appearing to be of African origin.

Police in the German city of Cologne say they screened hundreds of men seemingly of African descent on New Years Eve as part of a precautionary measure in reaction to last years allegations of robberies and sexual assaults.

By early Sunday, police had received reports of two women being sexually assaulted in Cologne. One suspect was arrested.

Colognes police said in a tweet on Saturday, the men were stopped at two main train stations in the city so that officers could question them and check their identities.



Authorities fielded more than 1,500 officers across Cologne for New Years Eve celebrations in response to criticism that they failed to stop hundreds of robberies and sexual assaults, blamed largely on men of North African origin, a year ago.





Police installed new video surveillance cameras to monitor the station square in Cologne this New Years Eve.

Hundreds of Nafris screened at main railway station, Cologne police tweeted using a colloquial expression for North Africans. With the tweet, the police showed a picture of a large group of men waiting behind barriers.

Last years attacks in Cologne, where police said the suspects were mainly of North African and Arab appearance, heightened criticism of Chancellor Angela Merkels decision to allow more than one million asylum seekers into Germany in 2015 and 2016.

This year, police at the flashpoint central railway station and on trains targeted large groups of men of North African origin, checked the identity papers of some 900 people, and ordered many of them to leave the area.

City police chief Juergen Mathis denied criticism on social media that a police focus on men from Maghreb countries amounted to racial profiling, arguing many had acted in an aggressive manner.

I reject such criticism, Mathis told a press conference. The clear aim was to prevent similar events to those of last year.

In January 2016, police in Cologne said they had received upwards of 516 criminal complaints from individuals or groups in relation to assaults on New Years Eve. There were at least 133 charges in the northern city of Hamburg.

The incidents set off a vicious debate over immigration in Germany.
US president-elect voices doubt about security of private online communications, saying no computer is safe.

President-elect Donald Trump says he is knowledgeable in the field of cyber-hacking and no computer is safe when it comes to keeping information private.

Trumps statement to reporters during his annual New Years Eve bash expressed new scepticism about the security of online methods of communication his administration is set to use.

You know, if you have something really important, write it out and have it delivered by courier, the old-fashioned way  because Ill tell you what: no computer is safe, Trump said.

The billionaire businessman has repeatedly cast aside allegations by US intelligence agencies that Russia tried to influence the presidential election through hacking.

President Barack Obama ordered sanctions on Russian spy agencies last week, closed two Russian compounds, and expelled 35 diplomats the US alleged were really spies. The Russian government has denied the allegations.

READ MORE: Company raises alert over Russia-linked malware

Trump plans to meet intelligence officials in the coming days to learn more about the allegations. He said he wants US officials to be sure, because its a pretty serious charge. He pointed to intelligence failures over the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq before the US invasion.

And the 70-year-old president-elect declared himself well-versed in the field of hacking.

I know a lot about hacking, he said, and hacking is a very hard thing to prove, so it could be somebody else.

He added cryptically that he also knows things that other people dont know. And so, they cannot be sure of the situation.

While Trump may be against computers, hes still planning lots of Twitter use.

When an ABC News interviewer asked whether Trump would continue his highly unusual  and deeply controversial  approach of making major policy statements over Twitter, his communications director Sean Spicer replied, Sure, why not?

With all due respect, he continued, I think it freaks the mainstream media out that he has this following of over 45-plus million people that follow him on social media, that he can have a direct conversation.

Spicer added: Business, as usual, is over  Theres a new sheriff in town.
Attacker still at large after at least 39 people were killed during New Years Eve party at Istanbuls Reina nightclub.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has condemned the nightclub attack that left 39 people dead, saying Turkey will continue to fight against what he called terrorism and its backers until the end.

Erdogan issued a written message after the attack at Istanbuls Reina club early on Sunday morning, as police searched for the gunman.

They are working to destroy our countrys morale and create chaos by deliberately targeting our nations peace and targeting civilians with these heinous attacks, Erdogan said in the statement.

Offering his condolences for those who lost their lives, including foreign guests, Erdogan said, Turkey continues its combat against terror and is absolutely determined to do whatever is necessary in the region to ensure its citizens safety and peace.

Of the 21 dead identified so far, 15 were foreigners. Nationals of Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Lebanon and Libya were among those killed, Turkish family minister, Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya was quoted by the state-run Anadolu news agency as saying.

Another 69 people were injured in the attack.

READ MORE: Reina nightclub  Party hotspot of Istanbuls elite

Heavily armed police blocked the street in front of the nightclub in the Ortakoy neighbourhood, as crime scene investigators were inside searching through piles of mangled chairs, tables and pieces of clothing left behind by partygoers during the attack.

Turkish police boats were patrolling the Asian side of the Bosporus, on the other side of the club.

Police said the suspected gunman was in his mid-20s and spoke in broken Turkish.

Governor Vasip Sahin said the attacker, armed with a long-barreled weapon, killed a policeman and a civilian outside the club before entering and firing on people partying inside.

A terrorist with a long-range weapon  brutally and savagely carried out this incident by firing bullets on innocent people who were there solely to celebrate the New Year and have fun, he said at the scene.

The Reina lies on the shore of the Bosphorus Strait and is one of Istanbuls best-known nightclubs, popular with locals and tourists alike.

At least 500 people were thought to have been inside when the attack happened.

There has been no claim of responsibility so far for the attack, but experts say suspicion points towards the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group, which has repeatedly attacked civilians in Turkey in recent months.

Al Jazeeras Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from Istanbul, said security services believe the timing and target suggest ISIL involvement. Eight ISIL members had been detained, suspected of preparing a suicide attack on New Years Eve, she said.

The Reina nightclub is not only frequented by partygoers, but also used as a venue by businessmen and diplomats to conduct meetings, she added.

Koseoglu said those in the club reported seeing up to three attackers, carrying Kalashnikovs.

A witness quoted by the Hurriyet newspaper said she had seen two attackers.

Two people were shooting with weapons, she said. Suddenly, people started to run. My husband told me not to be afraid. He jumped on top of me. People ran over me. My man was shot in three places.

TALK TO AL JAZEERA: Erdogan  Will do everything for stability of Turkey

Turkey, part of the US-led coalition against ISIL, faces multiple security threats including fallout from the war in neighbouring Syria.

It has seen repeated attacks and bombings blamed on ISIL, also known as ISIS, as well as the Kurdish fighters of the PKK in recent months.

The PKK and its affiliates are known to target mostly members of Turkeys security forces rather than civilians.

The attack comes less than two weeks after the Russian ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, was assassinated while giving a speech at an art gallery in the capital Ankara.

On December 10, twin bombings in Istanbul killed at least 45 people, most of whom were police officers.




The Barada Valley region is not part of the ceasefire because of the presence of the rebel group Jabhat Fateh al-Sham

Hundreds of civilians fled a mountainous region outside the Syrian capital on Sunday where government forces battled several armed groups, including one excluded from a recent nationwide ceasefire.

The Syrian military said some 1,300 people fled the Barada Valley region since Saturday. The region has been the target of days of air strikes and shelling despite the truce, which was brokered by Russia and Turkey and appears to be holding in other parts of the country, despite some reports of fighting.

The truce went into effect early Friday, and the government and the opposition are expected to meet for talks in Kazakhstan later this month.

OPINION: How blood feud is growing among the Syrian youth

Russia, a key military ally of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, and Turkey, a leading sponsor of the rebels, are acting as guarantors of the agreement, which excludes Jabhat Fateh al-Sham  formerly known as al-Nusra Front  and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group.





On Saturday, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution supporting efforts by Russia and Turkey to end the nearly six-year conflict in Syria and jump start peace negotiations.

The military said those fleeing Barada Valley were relocated to safer areas and their names were registered by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent.

Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said there were buses in the region ready to evacuate civilians, but could not confirm how many people had left.

He said the Barada Valley region is not part of the ceasefire because of the presence of Jabhat Fateh al-Sham.

The Barada Valley Media Center said Lebanese Hezbollah fighters were firing on villages and towns in the water-rich region as Russian and government aircraft carried out raids for the 10th consecutive day on Saturday. The Lebanese group has sent thousands of fighters to Syria to bolster Assads forces.

The Barada Valley is the primary source of water for the capital Damascus and its surrounding region.

READ MORE: Clashes erupt near Damascus despite truce

The government assault has coincided with a severe water shortage in Damascus since December 22. Images from the valleys Media Center indicate its Ain al-Fijeh spring and water processing facility have been destroyed in air strikes. The government says rebels spoiled the water source with diesel fuel, forcing it to cut supplies to the capital.

The Syrian Observatory and the Aleppo Media Center, an activist collective, reported government air strikes on rebel-held villages near the northern city of Aleppo, which was recently returned to full government control.

State news agency, SANA, said two suicide attackers blew themselves up in the coastal city of Tartus, killing two security officers who had stopped them shortly after midnight, as residents were celebrating New Years Day.

A news website close to Irans Revolutionary Guard, meanwhile, said General Gholam Ali Gholizadeh, a veteran of the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, was killed fighting in Syria. It did not provide further details. Iran is also closely allied with Assad.
Armed group claimed responsibility for the attack, which also wounded 17 people including civilians.

ISIL members attacked an Iraqi police checkpoint near the southern city of Najaf, killing seven policemen as government forces in the north made more gains against the fighters in Mosul, their last major stronghold in the country.

The Najaf attack, which involved gunmen and a suicide car bomb, followed blasts a day earlier in Baghdad that left 29 people dead, a reminder of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levants continued ability to operate away from territory under its control.

The attack near Najaf, 500km south of Mosul and 180km south of Baghdad, happened when two vehicles travelling through the desert were stopped at a police checkpoint around al-Qadisiya town, local police sources said.

READ MORE: Baghdad  Double bomb attack hits Al Sinak market

The driver detonated an explosive load and the second vehicle fled. Police pursued it and killed the two assailants inside.





The security forces fought back, killing the attackers and blowing up the car, an interior ministry statement said.

They were planning to head to Najaf to blow themselves up there, interior ministry spokesman Saad Maan said, referring to the holy Shia city 40km to the north.

In a statement distributed online by supporters, ISIL claimed responsibility for the attack, which also wounded 17 people, including civilians. It said four gunmen had opened fire before detonating explosive vests, and then a fifth assailant launched a suicide car bomb.

It was not immediately possible to reconcile those accounts.

Attacks in the overwhelmingly Shia south of Iraq are rare, but there have been infiltrations from the western desert of Anbar in recent months.

Najaf is considered a religious capital for Iraqs Shia majority and has always been seen as a major potential target for ISIL, which views Shia Muslims as heretics.

Mosul battle

The recapture of Mosul would probably spell the end for the groups self-styled caliphate in it areas seized in 2014, but ISIL would still be capable of fighting a guerrilla-style insurgency in Iraq, and plotting or inspiring attacks on the West.

Since the US-backed offensive began on October 17, elite forces have retaken a quarter of Mosul in the biggest ground operation in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi has said the group would be driven out of the country by April.

The second phase of the campaign launched on Thursday, following weeks of deadlock, has pushed ISIL out of several more areas despite fierce resistance.

The fourth day of the renewed push saw incremental advances on the eastern and southeastern fronts.

A military statement said the counterterrorism forces had retaken part of Karama district.

A federal police officer said Iraqi forces had taken near total control of Intisar and Siha neighbourhoods, and were clearing Salam.

OPINION: Saddams death gave birth to Saddams in other guises

Iraqi forces have retaken around two-thirds of the eastern half of Mosul from ISIL since the start of the offensive, a top commander said Sunday.

From east Mosul  more than 60 percent has been retaken, Staff Lieutenant-General Abdulwahab al-Saadi, a top commander in Iraqs Counter Terrorism Service (CTS), told AFP news agency.

Although the fighters are vastly outnumbered in Mosul, they have dispersed themselves among residents, hindering Iraqi forces who are trying to avoid civilian casualties. Despite food and water shortages, most civilians have stayed in their homes, rather than fleeing as had been expected.

Thousands more people have fled their homes since the militarys new push began, many under the cover of darkness to avoid detection by ISIL.
Attacker still at large after killing 39 and wounding 70 in New Years Eve shooting rampage at upmarket Reina club.

A manhunt was on in Turkey for at least one assailant who shot dead 39 people in a crowded Istanbul nightclub during New Years celebrations and fled the scene.

About 70 others were wounded, three of those people in critical condition, Binali Yildirim, Turkeys prime minister, said on Sunday.

Interior minister Suleyman Soylu described the attack as a massacre, a truly inhumane savagery.

Our security forces have started the necessary operations. God willing, he will be caught in a short period of time, Soylu said.

Police said the gunman was in his mid-20s and spoke in broken Turkish.

The attacker, armed with a long-barreled weapon, killed a policeman and a civilian outside the popular Reina nightclub at around 1:15am before entering and opening fire on people partying inside, Istanbul governor, Vasip Sahin said.

Yildirim said the attacker left a gun inside the venue and escaped by taking advantage of the chaos that ensued.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack and authorities did not name any suspects. The bloodiest attacks that Turkey endured in 2016 were the work of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) or outlawed Kurdish fighters.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vehemently condemned the terror attack in Istanbuls Ortakoy neighbourhood in the first hours of 2017 and offered condolences for those who lost their lives, including foreign guests.

Of the 21 dead identified so far, 15 were foreigners. Nationals of Saudi Arabia, India, Morocco, Israel, Lebanon, Belgium and Libya were among those killed, authorities said.

READ MORE: Reina nightclub  Party hotspot of Istanbuls elite

On Sunday, heavily armed police blocked the street in front of the nightclub in the Ortakoy neighbourhood as crime scene investigators were inside searching through piles of chairs, tables and pieces of clothing left behind by partygoers during the attack.

The Reina lies on the shore of the Bosphorus Strait and is one of Istanbuls best-known nightclubs, popular with locals and tourists alike. Turkish police boats patrolled the Asian side of the Bosphorus, on the other side of the club.





At least 500 people were thought to have been inside when the attack happened.

NTV broadcaster said the gunman fired between 120 and 180 rounds in the seven-minute attack, during which many revellers threw themselves into the freezing waters of the Bosphorus to escape death.

Al Jazeeras Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from Istanbul, said security services believe the timing and target suggest ISIL involvement. Eight ISIL members had been detained, suspected of preparing a suicide attack on New Years Eve, she said.

The Reina nightclub is not only frequented by partygoers, but also used as a venue by businessmen and diplomats to conduct meetings, she added.

Koseoglu said those in the club reported seeing up to three attackers carrying Kalashnikov assault weapons.

A witness quoted by the Hurriyet newspaper said she had seen two attackers.

Two people were shooting with weapons, she said. Suddenly, people started to run. My husband told me not to be afraid. He jumped on top of me. People ran over me. My man was shot in three places.

Turkey, part of the US-led coalition against ISIL, faces multiple security threats, including fallout from the war in neighbouring Syria.

It has seen repeated attacks and bombings blamed on ISIL as well as fighters from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in recent months.

READ MORE: Erdogan  Istanbul nightclub attack aims to create chaos

The PKK and its affiliates are known to target mostly members of Turkeys security forces rather than civilians.

The prime ministers office issued a media blackout on the events and asked media to refrain from broadcasting and publishing anything that may cause fear in the public, panic and disorder and which may serve the aims of terrorist organisations.

Security measures had been heightened in major Turkish cities, with police barring traffic leading up to key squares in Istanbul and Ankara.

In Istanbul, 17,000 police officers were put on duty, some disguised as Santa Claus and others as street vendors, Turkeys Anadolu news agency reported.
South Korean president Park Geun-hye has denied allegations that she conspired with a longtime friend to extort money and favours from companies, accusing her opponents of framing her.

In a meeting with a selected group of reporters on Sunday, Park denied that she gave her jailed friend, Choi Soon-sil, extraordinary sway over government decisions, South Koreas Yonhap news agency reported.

It was the first time Park spoke to the media since South Koreas opposition-controlled parliament voted on December 9 to impeach her over the scandal, which has seen millions of people protest in recent weeks.

The matter is under investigation, so I cant make detailed explanations that might put both sides in trouble, but what I can assure you is that I have never conspired with anyone or did anything to give favours to someone, not even by a bit, she said.

The Constitutional Court has up to six months to decide whether Park should be permanently removed from office or be reinstated.

She has denied wrongdoing previously, but apologised for carelessness in her ties with Choi, a friend for four decades, who has also denied wrongdoing.

Park was quoted on Sunday as saying that the decision by the countrys national pension fund to back a merger between two Samsung Group affiliates was a just policy decision made for national interest, and that the deal was supported by many brokerage firms at the time.

The merger in 2015 of Samsung Group affiliates Cheil Industries Inc and Samsung C&T Corp has become central to the investigation of the scandal that led parliament to vote last month to impeach Park.

Park, 64, is also accused of colluding with Choi to pressure big businesses, including Samsung, to make contributions to non-profit foundations backing presidential initiatives.
With much of the country on the verge of starvation, food trafficking has become one of the biggest businesses.

When hunger drew tens of thousands of Venezuelans to the streets in protest last summer, President Nicolas Maduro turned to the military to manage the countrys diminished food supply, putting generals in charge of everything from butter to rice.

But, instead of fighting hunger, the military is making money from it, an Associated Press investigation shows. Thats what grocer Jose Campos found when he ran out of pantry staples this year. In the middle of the night, he would travel to an illegal market run by the military to buy pallets of corn flour  at 100 times the government-set price.

The military would be watching over whole bags of money, Campos said. They always had what I needed.

With much of the country on the verge of starvation and billions of dollars at stake, food trafficking has become one of the biggest businesses in Venezuela. And from generals to foot soldiers, the military is at the heart of the corruption, according to documents and interviews with more than 60 officials, business owners and workers, including five former generals.





As a result, food is not reaching those who most need it.

Lately, food is a better business than drugs, said retired General Cliver Alcala, who helped oversee Venezuelas border security. The military is in charge of food management now, and theyre not going to just take that on without getting their cut.

After opposition attempts to overthrow him, the late president, Hugo Chavez, began handing the military control over the food industry, creating a Food Ministry in 2004. His socialist-run government nationalised farms and food processing plants, then neglected them, and domestic production dried up.

Oil-exporting Venezuela became dependent on food imports, but when the price of oil collapsed in 2014, the government no longer could afford all that the country needed.

Food rationing grew so severe that Venezuelans spent all day waiting in lines. Paediatric wards filled up with underweight children, and formerly middle-class adults began picking through rubbish bins for scraps. When people responded with violent street protests, Maduro handed the generals control over the rest of food distribution, as well as the countrys ports.

The government now imports nearly all of Venezuelas food, according to Werner Gutierrez, the former dean of the agronomy school at the University of Zulia, and corruption is rampant, jacking up prices and leading to shortages.

If Venezuela paid market prices, wed be able to double our imports and easily satisfy the countrys food needs, Gutierrez said. Instead, people are starving.

READ MORE: Cash chaos in Venezuela after banknote withdrawn

The Food Ministrys annual report shows significant overpayments across the board, compared to market prices.

Whats amazing about this is, its like a clean form of corruption, said Carabobo state legislator Neidy Rosal, who has denounced food-related government theft worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Its like drug trafficking you can carry out in broad daylight.

By putting the military in charge of food, Maduro is trying to prevent soldiers from going hungry and being tempted to participate in an uprising against an increasingly unpopular government, said retired General Antonio Rivero. Venezuelas military has a long history of coups against governments and Maduro has arrested several officials for allegedly conspiring against him from within.

They gave absolute control to the military, Rivero said from exile in Miami. That drained the feeling of rebellion from the armed forces, and allowed them to feed their families.





The Defence Ministry and presidential press office refused to answer repeated calls, emails, and hand-delivered letters requesting comment. In the past, officials have accused the opposition of exaggerating the problem of corruption for political gain. They have said the militarys hierarchical structure makes it ideally suited to combat the real culprits: right-wing businessmen trying to bring down the economy.

And yet the corruption persists, from the port to the markets, according to dozens of people working in Puerto Cabello, the town that handles the majority of Venezuelas food imports.

Bribes are also required for any missing paperwork and can exceed $10,000 for a single shipping container, customs worker Aldemar Diaz said.

Sometimes, you actually want to do it legally, but the officials will say, dont bother, he said.

Luis Pena, operations director at the Caracas-based import business Premier Foods, said he pays off a long roster of military officials for each shipment of food he brings in from small-scale companies in the US.

You have to pay for them to even look at your cargo now, he said. Its an unbroken chain of bribery from when your ship comes in until the food is driven out in trucks.

READ MORE: Venezuela  Patients dying as crisis hits hospitals

Lieutenant Miletsy Rodriguez, who is in charge of a group of national guardsmen running security at the port, said people are just looking to scapegoat the military. If her unit wasnt around, looting would be even more widespread, she said.

The majority of us are doing our best. And, sooner or later, well catch people who are not doing the job right, she said.

In Puerto Cabello, hungry residents said it feels like corrupt soldiers are taking food off their childrens plates.

Pedro Contreras, 74, watched more than 100 trucks carrying corn rattle onto the highway and walked stiffly into traffic to sweep up the kernels that had sifted out. He planned to pound them into corn flour that night to feed his family.

The military is getting fat while my grandchildren get skinny, he said. All of Venezuelas food comes through here, but so little of it goes to us.
A Gainesville man flipped his car into a ditch when he was driving home drunk from a friends house Friday, Gainesville Police said.

At about 11:18 p.m., David Alan Hall, 55, was driving his silver 2012 Toyota Camry northbound on Northwest 34th Street when he tried to make a left turn at the junction of Northwest 34th Street and 34th Boulevard to continue onto Northwest 34th Street and missed the roadway, according to a police report.

David Alan Hall

A witness watched Halls car roll into the ditch and flip over, according to the report. During the accident the Northwest 34th Street and Northwest 34th Boulevard road sign was destroyed.

Hall told officers he wasnt injured, according to the report.

When police arrived, Hall was outside of his car looking inside of it for his cell phone. Officers noticed Hall had red, watery and droopy eyes and struggled to balance and talk, according to the report.

Officers smelled alcohol on Halls breath, and he told police he was coming from a friends house, where he said he drank one beer, according to the report.

Hall performed poorly on field sobriety tests and was taken to the Gainesville police station for a breathalyzer test. Police noted his blood-alcohol levels were 0.163 and 0.177, which is roughly double the legal limit, according to the report.

Police arrested Hall on charges of driving under the influence and causing damage to property. Authorities took him to Alachua County Jail where he was released on his own recognizance Saturday morning.

As of press time, Hall could not be reached for comment.

mkornfield@alligator.org

@merylkornfield

Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now
How do you stop good people from careening over a cliff? How do you protect decent Jewish philanthropic women from aligning with groups who would be quite happy to hurt them in many ways?

A Women's March is scheduled for Saturday, January 21, 2017. The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), which I joined over 30 years ago as a life member, is joining forces with groups that have neither Jewish nor American interests at hand. And far too many of the NCJW members are either willfully blind or simply ignorant of the nefarious background of many of the "partners" marching at this event. NCJW needs to review its principles, one of which includes "efforts that counter attempts to delegitimize Israel."

NCJW members were informed that "[a]lthough the values espoused by all the organizers are certainly those of NCJW, [the march is scheduled for] Shabbat. But, given that [they] are an organization based on Jewish values, not an orthodox observant group, it was finally decided that it was more important to be a part of this coalition."

First of all, no one has to be an orthodox Jew to observe the Sabbath. According to Jewish law, Shabbat regulations can be broken only if it is a matter of life or death. Thus, "[w]hen treating on Shabbat a patient who is critically ill, or when dealing with an individual whose life is in danger ... one is commanded to 'violate' the Shabbat. This applies even if there's a doubt whether it is  or could evolve into  a life threatening situation." The National Council of Jewish Women deems it acceptable to disregard a key pillar of Jewish life.

The first clue to the march is that it is a "social justice" event. It is important to perceive that "[o]ppression is the fixed constant of Social Justice Warriors[.] The only thing justifying their oppression is their victimhood. To oppress, they have to perpetuate the myth of their victimhood. They are always the beleaguered minority under siege by the people who don't want to be oppressed or who don't even know they exist."

According to Marcus Ellsworth, the march "will be taking a stand against the racism, misogyny, Islamophobia and classism that Trump and his administration represent." Furthermore, "with a strong socialist core, these protests are standing up to the entire political system and all forms of oppression."

Some of the groups planning to march are DisruptJ20, Bend the Arc Jewish Action, Code Pink, Human Rights Watch, National Network for Arab American Communities, Oxfam, and Planned Parenthood, to name only a few.

So let us take a closer look at some of the groups participating in this march.

The DisruptJ20 site calls "on all people of good conscience to join in disrupting the ceremonies [because] Trump stands for tyranny, greed, and misogyny. He is the champion of neo-nazis and white Nationalists, of the police who kill the Black, Brown and poor on a daily basis, of racist border agents and sadistic prison guards, of the FBI and NSA who tap your phone and read your email. He is the harbinger of even more climate catastrophe, deportation, discrimination, and endless war. He continues to deny the existence of climate change, in spite of all the evidence, putting the future of the whole human race at stake."

Thus, "[f]rom day one, the Trump presidency will be a disaster. #DisruptJ20 will be the

start of the resistance. We must take to the streets and protest, blockade, disrupt, intervene, sit in, walk out, rise up, and make more noise and good trouble than the establishment can bear[.]"

An ostensible Jewish group, Bend the Arc "seeks to 'create a just, fair and compassionate America' by 'mobilizing ... Jewish resources' to promote 'equality and justice for disenfranchised residents of our nation.' Bend the Arc 'condemns voter ID laws as barriers that make it harder for communities of color, women, first-time voters, the elderly, and the poor to cast their vote,' and finally, Bend the Arc 'calls for comprehensive immigration reform that creates a path-to-citizenship for millions of illegal aliens currently residing in the United States.'" Bend the Arc used to be known as Jewish Funds for Justice. According to Daniel Greenfield, "it is currently headed by Stacy Cotler who is an anti-Israel protester." "[A]n article in the Saudi lobby's Washington Report states that Cotler was working with Women in Black. She appears as a signatory on a Not In My Name petition calling for war crimes charges against Israeli soldiers."

What makes this particularly intriguing is that Bend the Arc is now getting a boost from George Soros's son, who wants "to play a more active role in the 2016 election with the launch of new political action committee focused on representing the views of Jewish Americans  beyond foreign policy." Thus, Bend the Arc will "back progressive candidates by making direct contributions to their campaign committees. It will focus on issues such as income inequality, marriage equality, social justice and immigration reform."

As Greenfield ruefully explains, "who better to show the real experience of American Jewry than the son of a Hungarian Nazi collaborator whose father described his own mother as a Jewish anti-Semite and who blamed Jews for anti-Semitism. Anyway this whole thing is already as incestuous as any Soros project. The PAC is drawing on Soros' Democracy Alliance donors, a project for using big money to hijack elections. The whole thing will officially be run by Hadar Susskind of Soros' J Street."

Oxfam is an international relief organization that condemns Israeli defensive measures against terrorism and supports the boycotts of Israeli products. In fact, on January 29, 2014, actress Scarlett Johansson announced she was quitting her role as an ambassador of Oxfam, since the group "is opposed to all trade with products from Israeli settlements which it holds are illegal under international law. Ms. Johansson signed a contract to be the first brand ambassador and spokesperson for SodaStream, the Israel business making products that allow people to produce carbonated sodas." Ironically, the "SodaStream factory in Ma'ale Adumim employs 1,300 workers; of these 442 are Palestinians from the West Bank and 237 are Palestinian citizens of Israel, all of whom receive the same benefits as Israeli workers. Apparently their salaries are far higher than those paid by Palestinian employers. Unquestionably, Palestinians would suffer from the closure of this factory."

Human Rights Watch "directs a disproportionate share of its criticism at Israel. Following an April 2002 counterterrorism operation by the Israeli military in the Palestinian refugee camp of Jenin, the organization issued a report charging that 'IDF [Israeli Defense Forces] military attacks were indiscriminate,' and that 'Israeli forces committed serious violations of international humanitarian law, some amounting prima facie to war crimes.' Contrary to HRW's charges, which echoed Palestinian propaganda, a United Nations report later exonerated the Israeli forces."

As Gerald Steinberg notes, "similar political attacks using the language of ethics and morality have taken place in connection with false massacre claims, related to the intense fighting information." "Almost nobody checks their accuracy, and this process is a central pillar in the war to delegitimize Israel." In fact, between 2004-2006, "ideological attacks against Israel took up one-third of the entire activity of Human Rights Watch."

More recently in January of 2016, Human Rights Watch issued a lengthy report claiming "how [Israeli] settlement businesses contribute to Israel's Violations of Palestinian Rights"  a continuing demonization of Israel amidst high-sounding ideas, many of which are factually incorrect.

Then there is Code Pink. According to John J. Tierney, "Code Pink are serious and very radical political activists. They subscribe in varying degrees to strands of Marxist, neo-Marxist, and progressive left-wing thought[.]"

"Code Pink describes itself as a 'grassroots peace and social justice movement.' It is anti-everything about America  against the U.S. economic system, against U.S. foreign and domestic policies and against the American culture of 'racism' and 'sexism.'"

Tierney asserts that "Code Pink's leaders are not pacifists  they are revolutionaries. They are not devoted to peace  they are dedicated to political turmoil." Like so many of the Women's March groups, "Code Pink is part of a global network of leftwing activists. Individuals in the network may pursue diverse issues and programs, but all are united in opposition to the U.S."

Finally we have Linda Sarsour, one of the national co-chairs of the anticipated January Women's March. Billed as a "social media maverick," Sarsour has been the civic engagement coordinator for the National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC). Honored by Obama as a "Champion of Change," Sarsour "supports the Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions (BDS) Movement, a Hamas-inspired initiative that uses various forms of public protest, economic pressure, and court rulings to advance the Hamas agenda of permanently destroying Israel as a Jewish nation-state."

Sarsour favors a one-state solution, where an Arab majority and Jewish minority live together within the borders of a single country. In October 2012, she stated that "nothing is creepier than Zionism." In addition, she has maintained the falsehood that "Palestine existed before the State of Israel." On Rachel Maddow's television program, Sarsour maintained that there is a nationwide epidemic of Islamophobia and Muslim "kids being executed in the United States." Sarsour played a central role in pressuring the New York Police Department to terminate its secret surveillance of Muslim mosques and organizations suspected of promoting extremism or terrorism. Furthermore, Sarsour is deeply involved in the Black Lives Matter Movement  despite its anti-Semitic overtones.

This is just the tip of the iceberg.

Eileen can be reached at middlemarch18@gmail.com.
I have proposed a reform of the Electoral College that would return power back to state legislatures, would end the myth of "popular vote" for president, and would end voter fraud in presidential elections in every state chose this reform: place the selection of presidential electors back where it was in the first decades of the republic and have those electors chosen directly by state legislatures.

As folks commenting on my article noted, we ought also to repeal the 17th Amendment and have state legislatures again reclaim the power to pick United States senators. That change, though, would require 38 state legislatures to go along  the minimum number to ratify a proposed amendment  and that is a tough thing to do, no matter how good the reform.

There is another reform in how presidential electors are chosen that would transform presidential elections and has already been adopted by Maine and Nebraska: have those presidential electors attributable to the state's apportioned House seats elected by congressional district and have those two presidential electors attributable to the state's two senators elected statewide.

Why would this be good? Presidential candidates today need spend little time or attention in those states that either will be carried by that candidate no matter what or will not be carried by the candidate no matter what. The Constitution does not envision a president being elected because most Americans want him, but rather because the different parts of America, each with different interests and values, find him acceptable.

States are the proper level of government to make that choice, but the most populous states today can safely ignore whole sections of the state because large metropolitan areas swamp the votes of less populous parts of the state. What that means in a reliably leftist state like California is that the third of the state in the rural eastern ridge, who will be outvoted in statewide elections, really have meaningless votes not only in the presidential race, but in senatorial races as well.

If the electoral votes of California were chosen by congressional districts, then the voters in Republican-leaning congressional districts would have an incentive to vote, as would voters in swing districts. What would be true of rural Californians would be true of upstate New Yorkers, downstate Illinoisans, and so on. These effectively disenfranchised Republican voters would have a reason to go to the polls in presidential elections.

What is interesting is how this would have affected recent presidential races. In 2016, assuming that congressional districts voted the same way for members of the House as they did for president, in the presidential election, Donald Trump would have won 247 electoral votes from those electors chosen by congressional district and 60 votes from the 30 states he carried, giving Trump 307 electoral votes instead of the 304 he got in the Electoral College as it is now.

In 2012, making the same assumption (congressional districts would vote the same for president as for House member), Mitt Romney would have won 282 electoral votes and won the election. In 2008, John McCain would have lost with 220 electoral votes instead of 173. The changes in electoral votes reflect the fact that each state, still, would cast two votes statewide (as the Senate portion of the state's electoral vote) but that the few big states upon which Democrats rely would give some votes to Republican presidential candidates.

There would be some advantage to Republican presidential candidates, but the primary effect would be to make much more of America relevant in presidential elections without allowing big cities (with Democrat machines who typically engage in substantial voter fraud) to determine the winner of the election. Presidential candidates who actually campaigned all over the nation would find those efforts rewarded as scores of congressional districts that have historically been in "safe" states for one party or the other would be winnable.

This ought to be the response to Democrats whining for the next four years about the need to have a national popular vote. Adopt the reform of Nebraska and Maine, which would have the practical effect of encouraging millions of Americans to vote in presidential elections and substantially increase the number of electoral districts in presidential elections by splitting large states into many smaller districts.

Here is another thought: conservatives should ask California and New York, if the state governments there care about more than just their party winning the White House, to take the lead with this reform.
My mothers almost ninety-eight years old. While in relatively good physical and mental health considering her advanced age, she has in recent years developed a very strong denial of death and its effects, infusing a level of irrationality to some exchanges with her.

On a recent visit, we had this conversation:

Mother: I cant understand why your father doesnt call.

Me: Mother, you know hes been dead for eleven years.

Mother: Yes, I know that, but I still dont understand why he hasnt called.

Me: Dead men cant call.

(Brief pause)

Mother: He could call collect.

Obamas political death -- the Russians have tagged him a political corpse -- is spurring him and his administration to deny it by undertaking a series of ever more outrageous acts to preserve what he considers his "legacy." Michael Walsh summed up Obamas week: Stab Israel, provoke Russia, grab land -- even the nuttiest Leftist has to admit Obama is out of control.

Obama hopes his partys diminished power over his two terms will be without effect. President-Elect Trump and those who support him see it differently -- the corpse is spewing toxic pathogens, which will not survive a thorough cleansing.

As a culmination of his eight years in office in which he was unsuccessful in persuading Israel to commit suicide by caving in to further Palestinian demands to give up yet more land for no peace or even a recognition of its right to exist, he manipulated a UN resolution which would have the same effect.

Secretary of state Kerry followed up with an attempted justification of the betrayal of Israel in the UN. The speech was so outrageous that Britain and Australia rebuked it. I Indeed, it was so bad that it resulted in a rare show of bipartisanship as leaders of both parties were critical of it:

In his remarks, he may finally have done what eight years of Obamas anti-Israel acts have failed to do -- made clear the anti-Semitic basis of this animus, thereby weaning more Jews from the Democratic Party.

In this context of claiming that Israeli policy was leading toward one state, or perpetual occupation, Kerry admonished: If the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or democratic. It cannot be both. Presumably, Kerry was referring to the fact that Israel has a significant Arab-Muslim population. He conveniently did not mention, since it must never be mentioned, the vow of Mahmoud Abbas (the Palestinian leader Kerry sees as Israels peace partner) that, In a final resolution, we would not see the presence of a single Israeli -- soldier or civilian -- on our lands. Implicitly, of course, if Kerry is saying that a country with a Muslim minority cannot maintain its Jewish character and still abide by democratic principles, then neither can the United States maintain its Judeo-Christian character and still abide by democratic principles -- notwithstanding that our Judeo-Christian character is the basis for our belief in the equal dignity of all men and women, a foundational democratic principle. It is a principle one does not find in classical Islam, the law of which explicitly elevates Muslims over non-Muslims and men over women.

As the author makes clear, the Department of State had no problem when it oversaw the drafting of the constitutions of Iraq and Afghanistan as democratic Islamic states.

Democratic Party efforts to defeat Trump through ginned up riots, slanderous accusations of racism, homophobia, sexism and anti-Semitism having failed to schlep the unappealing Hillary Clinton into the winners circle, moved on to Obamas efforts to delegitimize his successor. Electoral College intimidation, riots, pointless recounts werent enough to do that job. This week, Obama claimed that Russians hacked the election. No proof of this has been offered up, nor can it. Even Rolling Stone was not persuaded and found that the joint FBI/Homeland Security report released by the administration didnt make that case.

This report is long on jargon but short on specifics. More than half of it is just a list of suggestions for preventive measures. [snip] But we don't learn much at all about what led our government to determine a) that these hacks were directed by the Russian government, or b) they were undertaken with the aim of influencing the election, and in particular to help elect Donald Trump. [snip] Nothing quite adds up.

Nevertheless, ignoring how unsecure were Hillarys and the DNC communications systems, using this pretext, Obama decided to expel 35 Russians with diplomatic standing and shut down two of their compounds.

Rolling Stone called this an oddly weak and ill-timed response

Tom Lipscomb had a stronger characterization: Never in the diplomatic history of the United States have 35 members of any diplomatic mission been sent home while our nations were not at war. Obama is clearly insane. There was no consultation with any other branch of the government on this, I would have him interned in Hawaii pending mental examination and swear in Biden for the duration.

David Goldman was more temperate but not the least bit less critical: Let's see: John Podesta and the DNC rig the Democratic primaries to favor Clinton against Sanders, which is blatant abuse of power if not outright criminality. Someone leaks the emails and exposes Podesta's misdeeds. This makes the DNC look bad. And now Obama et. al. claim that LEAKING the evidence of DNC misdeeds was the crime, rather than the misdeeds themselves. That's a better (if less economical) definition of Chutzpah than the fellow who kills his parents and asks for leniency on the grounds that he's an orphan.

Iowahawk also had some thoughts on this.

John Podesta, like 100% of everyone who has ever had a email account, received a password phishing email. He fell for it. According to some accounts, the phishing email had Russian fingerprints/characteristics in its metadata. Whatever the case, the password purloiners downloaded his emails, which eventually got into the hands of Wikileaks, who made them public. The emails were mildly embarrassing, revealing frequent circle jerking between the DNC and journalists. Mostly embarrassing to media. At the time of their release (Oct) they were hardly covered by any media, and largely dismissed as a big fat nothingburger. Not one of the people whose emails were revealed has ever disputed their authenticity or provenance. Fast forward to December. The October nothingburger has now magically transformed into vote hacking and election hacking. New narrative: treasonous Trump operatives conspired with Putin to hypnotically mesmerize Clinton voters into pulling the wrong lever. This is not Alex Jones or angry conspiracy kook Facebook uncles, its the NYTs, the WaPo, our beloved State Radio. How effective has this been? If polls are to be believed, 50%+ of Democrats believe the Russians literally modified vote tallies.

Vladimir Putin swatted away the administrations response, and in this statement from the Kremlin clearly refused to be baited by this untoward provocation:

We regard the recent unfriendly steps taken by the outgoing US administration as provocative and aimed at further weakening the Russia-US relationship. This runs contrary to the fundamental interests of both the Russian and American people. Considering the global security responsibilities of Russia and the United States, this is also damaging to international relations as a whole. As it proceeds from international practice, Russia has reasons to respond in kind. Although we have the right to retaliate, we will not resort to irresponsible kitchen diplomacy but will plan our further steps to restore Russian-US relations based on the policies of the Trump Administration. The diplomats who are returning to Russia will spend the New Years holidays with their families and friends. We will not create any problems for US diplomats. We will not expel anyone. We will not prevent their families and children from using their traditional leisure sites during the New Years holidays. Moreover, I invite all children of US diplomats accredited in Russia to the New Year and Christmas childrens parties in the Kremlin. It is regrettable that the Obama Administration is ending its term in this manner. Nevertheless, I offer my New Year greetings to President Obama and his family. My seasons greetings also to President-elect Donald Trump and the American people. I wish all of you happiness and prosperity.

With less publicized actions, the administration is cranking out thousands of regulations in an effort to tie the incoming administrations hands.

President Obama's lame duck administration poured on thousands more new regulations in 2016 at a rate of 18 for every new law passed, according to a Friday analysis of his team's expansion of federal authority. While Congress passed just 211 laws, Obama's team issued an accompanying 3,852 new federal regulations, some costing billions of dollars.

Hes also instituting job killing midnight lawsuits and rushing to fill job openings in federal agencies.

Hes still grabbing up ever more land and placing it under federal control.

When you think of a national monument, you probably think of a beautiful statue or some stately structure that honors a former president. They're nice to have, nice to go look at. You probably don't think of a "national monument" as 1.5 million acres of land that contains crucial natural resources the nation needs, but thanks to the national monument designation, can't touch. Welcome once again to the final days of the Obama presidency, in which the whole point is to take abuse of executive power to new and, Obama hopes, irreversible new heights. Screw your neighbors. Screw your own country. You've got nothing to lose at this point, and you think you've come up with a way to do it that leaves your successor helpless to reverse your abuses once you're gone. One day it's drilling in the Atlantic and the Arctic. The next it's the de facto declaration of war against one of your best allies. Now you've decided to make official what you've long believed -- that all property ultimately belongs to the state, whose primary interest in said property is to prevent said land from ever benefiting the people in any way. And if that means you're seizing 1.5 million acres on the thinnest of premises, hey, you're Barack Obama. At this point, it's what you do: [snip] Obama sees governing as a form of ideological combat. However much he may pretend he wants to help Trump get off to a good start, his actions say exactly the opposite. This gigantic federal land grab is only the latest example of Obama cleverly abusing executive powers in his waning days to hamstring the incoming administration, while structuring his actions in such a way that Trump can't simply revoke what Obama has done.

President-elect Trump is cutting short the usual inaugural parade and limiting the number of balls so he can hit the ground running. Hell need to if he is to purge these toxic actions.

Happy New Year to you all. Its going to be a new day here in the nations capital and, I hope, around the country and world.
As Newt Gingrich said in 2011, The Palestinians are an invented people.

In 1964, the Palestine Liberation Organization was formed to liberate Palestine through armed struggle. But it took years for the notion of a Palestinian people to crystalize. In 1967, they were not recognized as such, nor were they considered a party to the conflict. Security Council Resolution 242 passed after the 67 war, made no mention of them.

The US as a matter of policy, promoted the PLO as the representative of the Palestinian people and forced Israel to accept them in peace discussions at the Madrid Conference in 1991.

In 1993, Israel signed along with them the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements (Oslo I) and in 1995 the Interim Agreement on the West Bank (Oslo II) but these Accords made no mention of giving them a state.

Surprisingly, President George W. Bush gave it the first official nod for the first time in his vision speech of 2002. This speech came about in response to enormous pressure from Saudi Arabia which was demanding the creation of such a state. Even so, it was conditioned on the Palestinians fighting terror, not aiding it or abetting it. In fact, there were many other pre-conditions to the creation of the state. But the US and the world quickly forgot about the preconditions and went forward with the idea that the Palestinians were entitled to a state.

Then in 2004, Bush gave a very important letter of assurances to PM Sharon in order to support his plans for disengagement.

The United States will do its utmost to prevent any attempt by anyone to impose any other plan. Under the roadmap, Palestinians must undertake an immediate cessation of armed activity and all acts of violence against Israelis anywhere, and all official Palestinian institutions must end incitement against Israel. The Palestinian leadership must act decisively against terror, including sustained, targeted, and effective operations to stop terrorism and dismantle terrorist capabilities and infrastructure. Palestinians must undertake a comprehensive and fundamental political reform that includes a strong parliamentary democracy and an empowered prime minister. Second, there will be no security for Israelis or Palestinians until they and all states, in the region and beyond, join together to fight terrorism and dismantle terrorist organizations. The United States reiterates its steadfast commitment to Israel's security, including secure, defensible borders, and to preserve and strengthen Israel's capability to deter and defend itself, by itself, against any threat or possible combination of threats.[..] As part of a final peace settlement, Israel must have secure and recognized borders, which should emerge from negotiations between the parties in accordance with UNSC Resolutions 242 and 338.

In this letter, which amounted to a contract, Bush committed the US to prevent any other plan being imposed. He also committed the US to Israels security and reiterated Israels right to defensible borders. By affirming Res 242, he was affirming that Israel need not vacate 100% of the land.

Within a couple of months of President Obamas inauguration in 2009, he repudiated this contract. In response to this and other indicators, I wrote that Obama intended to impose a solution on Israel. I explained on these pages in 2009 that he had to repudiate it because the contract if allowed to stand, committed the US to oppose the imposition of any other plan.

Obama then forced Netanyahu to recognize a Palestinian right to a state in his Bar Ilan Speech in June 2009 in which Netanyahu said:

In my vision of peace, in this small land of ours, two peoples live freely, side-by-side, in amity and mutual respect. Each will have its own flag, its own national anthem, its own government. Neither will threaten the security or survival of the other.

He went on to stipulate two demands or preconditions: namely the new state must be demilitarized and must recognize Israel as the State of the Jewish people. This was the first time Netanyahu or his party embraced the two state solution. Obama was satisfied even with all the pre-conditions and stipulations. He got what he wanted. He would ignore the stipulations. And this resolution does just that.

Next, he backed the Arab Peace Initiative, which called for 100% withdrawal, contrary to Res 242, albeit with mutually agreed swaps.

Then he demanded a complete building freeze, even in Jerusalem. Even so he could not get any concessions from either the Arab League or from the PA as compensation. Having no other choice, he backed the PAs demand that, as the price of the PA entering negotiations, Israel should release over 100 Arab prisoners with blood on their hands. Israel agreed, though no one had any expectations that the PA would compromise. This prisoner release was in effect another freebie for them.

After strenuous efforts to achieve an agreement, Obama backed off but demanded that there be a continued freeze and nothing be done to make untenable the two-state solution.

But he hadnt given up. By engineering the passage of Security Council Resolution 2334 declaring the establishment by Israel of settlements in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, has no legal validity and demanding 100% withdrawal, he, in effect, was getting the Security Council to back his parameters for a peace agreement, namely 67 lines plus swaps, with a divided Jerusalem.

This, in other words, is a demand by the international community that all lands east of the 67 lines be free of Jews (judenrein, as the Nazis used to put it). That would include the Jewish neighborhoods in the eastern part of Jerusalem. Thus, the lands east of the 67 lines must be ethnically cleansed of the 900,000 Jews that live there. A majority of which Jews were born there.

The Security Council underlined that it will not recognize any changes to the 4 June 1967 lines, including with regard to Jerusalem, other than those agreed by the parties through negotiations. Thus the Jews were denied the Temple Mount, the Old City, including the Jewish Quarter, the Holy Basin and the Western Wall, otherwise known as the Kotel.

This resolution completely overturned Res 242, which was passed 50 years ago and which was the cornerstone of all subsequent initiatives like the Oslo Accords, the Roadmap and the Bush letter of 04. Throughout this entire period, all US presidents stressed the need for direct negotiations to settle all disputes. Any concessions that Israel made along the way were conditioned on the basis of direct negotiations to come.

This resolution removed from such negotiations, the ultimate borders, the fate of the settlements, the requirement that the borders be defensible and whether to create a state.

In the Oslo Accords, Israel made major concessions to the Palestine Liberation Organization representing the Arabs by inviting them into the territories and granting them autonomy in Areas A and B as demarcated by the Accords, believing that all Israeli safeguards in the Accords would protect her. Keep in mind that the Accords did not promise the Arabs a state nor did they proscribe settlement activity.

Prior to signing these Accords, Israel insisted that the PLO accept Res 242 as binding. This was important to Israel because it stipulated that Israel need only withdraw to recognized and secure borders. This new resolution negates all Israeli safeguards but not the concessions made by Israel. To do so is unconscionable.

On the one hand, the UN continually accuses Israel of violating international law and declares the settlements illegal by international law; yet, on the other hand, it ignores salient facts and binding contracts. The resolution thus violates the international legal order itself. The UN should be governed by law not by caprice.

Another example of invoking a law that doesnt exist is the clause which cites the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by force. Howard Adelman makes short shrift of this proposition. There is no such law.

This resolution is built upon the proposition that the settlements are illegal by international law. But what if they arent? The UN holds that the lands in question are subject to the Fourth Geneva Convention, which applies whenever a High Contracting Party (HCP) i.e., a country which signed the convention, belligerently occupies the land of another HCP. But in this case the lands in question were not the land of a HCP but were unallocated land under the Palestine Mandate.

PM Netanyahu appointed a commission consisting of one retired High Court Judge and two senior lawyers to study the matter. In 2014, it issued the Levy Report, which concluded that the FGC does not apply. But even if it does apply, it doesnt prevent Jews from voluntarily settling on the lands. And keep in mind that the Palestine Mandate gave Jews the right of close settlement on these lands, which right has never been terminated, nor can it be.

This matter has never been determined by a court of competent jurisdiction and thus the UN has no right to treat it as settled law.

To use the vernacular, Israel is being railroaded into creating a Palestinian state on all the territories captured 50 years ago, contrary to law, the facts, and existing agreements. Everything is twisted to label Israel a violator of law, when in fact it is the UN that is the violator. All this on behalf of an invented people who didnt exist 50 years ago.
As Europe reignites with separatism, as the British exit the EU, Quebec will, in a typical example of Gallic contrarianism, do the opposite, and probably finally settle down into accepting the Canadian federation.

As an American, in my youth, I was taught rather erroneously in geography class that French was a second language in Quebec. During a class visit to Montreal in my early teens, I was soundly disabused of this. It was the first language in Quebec. Even those who could speak English, made a point of refusing to do so.

Of course, this was the time of a resurgent Quebec nationalism, inflamed a few years earlier by Charles de Gaulles famous July visit to Montreal's World Fair - Expo '67 - where he uttered the (in)famous words:

Vive le Quebec! Vive le Quebec Libre! - Charles DeGaulle

from the City Hall balcony.

The French-speaking crowd roared with applause.

De Gaulle, chiefly a right wing quasi-authoritarian who aligned himself with France's Republican ideals, should have been anathema to the young Montrealers. At that time, Quebec was breaking ties with its traditional past and the Catholic Church during Quebec's 60's Quiet Revolution. This was the age of hippies and free love. A fossil like de Gaulle should not have attracted them.

De Gaulle was upset that the British [Les Anglais] had won the French and Indian Wars two hundred years earlier in the 18th century, and that France had to abandon her children in Canada to the English. He decided to get a shot in favor of Quebec nationalism.

Apparently, no one informed the General that France had gotten even about 16 years subsequently during the American Revolution when France would prove instrumental in England losing America [Amerique]. Payback with interest. There was no need to even a score that was already in France's favor.

But, France felt humiliated after WWII, and overshadowed by Les Anglo-Saxons [America and Britain]; and so, to prove France's independence, de Gaulle led France on some rather self-destructive foreign policies just to show the world that France had a mind of it own, even if de Gaulle's own mental clarity was suspect. Frankly, he was just acting petulant and childish.

Canada was not pleased and wanted de Gaulle out of the province ASAP. A resurgent French identity had been asserting itself for a while in Quebec - it had always been there - but de Gaulle's comments were fuel to the fire. They were intended to be.

The history of Franco-English relations in Canada is mixed.

Yes, the English abused the Francophones in Canada. There had been the ethnic cleansing of the French from Acadia, which landed a lot of them in Louisiana. Yes, the Anglo-elite of Quebec had looked down on the French and treated them as peasants. Yes, the French language was starting to die out to the weight of English influence by the 20th century.

But there was another side to the story.

When England absorbed Canada in the 18th century, she tailored a set of laws to make the Quebecois happy. These were called collectively the Quebec Act, which established the Catholic Church in Quebec, and allowed Quebecers to live under French civil legal practices, rather than English common law. On top of that, Quebec was granted provincial claims down into the Ohio valley.



Think about it. Intolerant Protestant England awarded the Quebecers a set of concessions that were granted nowhere else in their empire. Had England made such concessions to the Irish, half of the Anglo-Irish wars would never have occurred.

Of course, America's Protestants were furious at this concession to the Catholic Church, and scared that that their civil rights and protections under common law would be taken away. Worse yet, Quebec would be ruled by appointees rather than elected representatives. Finally, Americans were not going to surrender the Ohio Valley, which they had recently fought against France to acquire just a decade earlier, back to the Quebecois, who might as well be the French.

The Quebec Act was sheer deceit by Britain, which framed the law to weaken the increasing strength of the English Colonies. It was meant to ensure that should the Colonies rebel, Quebec would remain loyal, which it did, as was demonstrated at the Battle of Quebec City in 1775, which, sadly, America lost. The Quebec Act had purchased Quebecois loyalty; and the Catholic clergy, which prospered by it, were keen to cultivate a pro-British attitude, selling out their culture for privileges they did not enjoy in Britain. No wonder American considered the Quebec Act one of the Intolerable Acts.

The clergy had betrayed Quebec's chance at true liberty. Clerical privilege would come to haunt the Quebecois when news broke out about decades of hidden child abuse in Catholic institutions in the 20th century. The Quebcois would finally come to rue the concessions given to the Catholic Church; and by the 60's they were fed up of clerical influence, and secularized the province during the Quiet Revolution.

The Quebecois would end up keeping the French identity without the strong Catholicism - essentially arriving at the same social arrangement that France had started in 1789 during the French Revolution, two centuries earlier; which is what the Catholic clergy and the British had originally connived to prevent.

In spite of real social differences, Canada's Confederation Act of 1867 allowed for either English or French to be used and accorded equal rights. Yet, Quebec would remain a small thorn in Anglo-Canada's side for the subsequent century, with ethnic tensions and draft dodging being popular during World War II.

The Quebecois, however, would not discard their French identity. They demanded French language preferences in Quebec and a host of concessions from Canada, such as bilingual packaging in Canada.

The decline of French was arrested, but at the cost of Anglophones leaving the province.

The study of young anglophones and francophones also suggests that anglophones are more likely to report having been victims of discrimination on the basis of language than members of the French-speaking majority. - Montreal Gazette

The worm had turned. 78% of Quebecois are native in French. Only 8% are native in English, though bilingualism is common among 43% of the population. Arabic - Arabic?! - yes, Arabic is in third place at 2%, with Spanish a slight bit behind. Don't panic yet. A good portion of those Arabs are probably French speaking Lebanese Christians.

The majority of Canadians of Lebanese origin are Christian. In 2001, 42% of the Lebanese community in Canada said they were Catholic, while 11% belonged to a Christian Orthodox sect and another 10% belonged to a Protestant denomination or other Christian group. - Statcan

Canada has had six prime ministers who were native speakers of French - one in the 19th century - three more who were fluent in French, and five more who were passable. This is not a record of strong prejudice. At one quarter the population of Canada, Quebec is well represented.

Yes, there was some prejudice in the past. Manitoba, though founded by French Metis, had only English only laws until 1985; but to be fair, Quebec laws still insist on preferences for French. It is true that the Orangemen, descendants of Anti-Catholics from Northern Ireland, had some clout; but now there are more Catholics in Canada than Protestants. And millions of Anglo-Canadians are now taught French in school. So who really won the culture wars?

Separatists lost an independence referendum in 1995 by a very small margin. However, since then, even through separatism is growing all over the world, it is dying out in Quebec. The Quebecois are sitting pretty. They are masters in their own province; and absolutely equal outside it. There will always remain a separatist base, but it is no longer significant.

Most importantly, the Quebecois are subsidized by the rest of Canada. Maybe not the worst case on a per capita basis, as some maritime provinces are highly subsidized. But still, Quebec is subsidized by English-speaking Canada.

I think the Quebecois realize that staying in Canada for all its faults - historical and otherwise - has far more positives for them than negatives. They are in control of their language. Religious prejudice is dead. Things look good for them. Why fix what is no longer broken?

The epic collapse of Quebec separatism - Macleans

I wish more polities around the rest of the world were so wise.

Mike Konrad is the pen name of an American who wishes he had availed himself more fully of the opportunity to learn Spanish in high school, lo those many decades ago.
No Islamic country will take in Palestinians (nor the refugees in the Middle East or North Africa), nor will any deed them unused land. They want Islam to eradicate Israel's very existence and make no secret of this. Instead of assisting "refugees," they opt for the West's submission to hijra, or spreading Islam through migration, they rely on the moral narcissism of Europe, led by Angela Merkel.

Merkel's New Year's Eve speech is insight into what we can expect in the future. Merkel's nation is both under attack and in the midst of a revolution that seeks to undo the submission to Islam her administration has facilitated. For security in Cologne, politicians had police hire Muslim security guards on New Year's Eve 2015, but on New Year's 2016, they "protected" Germany by barring a peaceful march by those who disagree with Merkel. By following the pattern of absurdity, we may predict what comes next.

In 2015, Merkel took front and center to become the "greatest woman" and leader in Europe when she said, "We will take them all!"  regardless of the cost to her own nation or the nations of Europe. She nullified the "refugee agreement" and brought a torrent of Islamists from the Middle East and North Africa whose own ideology is to conquer Europe. She was hailed throughout the world by the political elite and mainstream media. She is now running for re-election.

What can she do as an encore?

She can offer a two-state solution.

Merkel, and the EU in general, can "demonstrate their compassion" to the Islamic world by ceding lands that are already, de facto, under Islamic control, and come out to show Israel and the world, by example, how to obtain "peace" with Islam.

Merkel has already taught European children what it is like to live a "normal" life where the military must stand guard over Jewish and Christian houses of worship, schools, and businesses, as well as the great monuments of European culture  all specific targets of Islamists. She has taught European children what it is like to grow up in an Islamic nation, living under the incessant threat of violence, fearful of "insulting" the ideology, whether by appearance (women), music, art, literature, or education. What's next? Merkel needs another "grand gesture" to reaffirm European supremacy.

Where to begin to demonstrate this new road to "peace"? With more than 900 "no go zones" admitted to by the various governments, this should not be a difficult choice.

Molenbeek? Marseille? There are Trappes, Nantes, Birmingham, and so many others. If I am to guess based upon Merkel's personality, the land will be outside the border of Germany. She does not mind imposing upon others.

Of course, the expense would not change: in many locales, Islamists do not work, but live off the European taxpayer, fulfilling their belief that it is their "due" that their ideology calls for. Yielding sovereign land to them would not necessarily cost taxpayers much more. That a "few" Europeans that will have to "sacrifice" their homes for the "greater good" might help ease the guilt of national socialism and "European imperialism" so often cited by Islamic historical revisionists.

The results are predictable, making haste toward the inevitable civil war, preceded only by the short-lived honeymoon of celebration. As a supremacist criminal ideology, Islam is never satisfied; even when a land is 100% under its control, the violence continues. With Iran's newfound ransom cash, importing military weapons into one of these "two-state solution" enclave would come under "sovereign privacy" supported by the U.N.

Such a grand gesture might be what it takes to finally awaken those who slumber in London, Paris, and Berlin, giving voice to the courage of Geert Wilders.

While the European nests are well feathered, they may bicker about having 52 genders, or compete as to who is the most moral, most tolerant, and the most offended. But when the realities of war return to Europe, survival instincts displace the absurd and illogical.
Let's add former president Cristina Fernandez to the list of "Latinas of the left" in huge political trouble in Latin America.

We learned that Argentina will reopen the 1994 case of the bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires.

Frankly, it's the right thing to do. This is a summary from Daniel Politi:

The original case was filed by Alberto Nisman, the prosecutor whose mysterious death in 2015 convulsed the country. Three judges on the Court of Cassation, Argentina's highest criminal appeals court, voted unanimously to reopen the criminal complaint, which accused Mrs. Kirchner and her foreign minister, Hector Timerman, among others, of sealing a deal with Iran to cover up the role Iranian officials were said to have played in the bombing of the Jewish community center, which killed 85 people. An appeal to the Supreme Court by Mrs. Kirchner is possible, but legal experts say it could face challenges because the Court of Cassation did not issue a final ruling on the case, but rather called for a new investigation. "Of course we are going to appeal," said Alejandro Rua, Mr. Timerman's lawyer. "This case has been plagued with violations of constitutional guarantees. And if we run out of local instances of appeal, we are going to the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights."

In reality, this may just be the beginning of other worse charges of corruption. She also will have to answer for massive corruption involving public works.

I believe that this is more damaging for two reasons. First, it's more recent. Second, it has to do with pocketing money or taking care of friends, a couple of issues that have many in Argentina referring to the former president with names that I can't repeat here.

Another "Latina of the left" is already out of power  i.e., Dilma Rousseff. She was impeached and removed last summer as president of Brazil.

The third Latina is President Bachelet of Chile. She faces a few corruption problems of her own, but she is not likely to be forced out of office.

Her biggest mistake was messing with Chile's economy, the envy of Latin America. She had to please the anti-Pinochet left and ended up getting the middle class angry at her. After all, why mess something that works?

What do these ladies have in common? They governed as left-center presidents who ended up betraying all the promises of transparency and decency they made.

Let's hope 2017 brings down a few of their lefty brothers in Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador.

P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
"Here we are as in olden days, happy golden days, of yore..."

Christmas was awesome! Since moving to Florida 16 years ago, this was Mary's and my first Christmas back to Baltimore for the annual Christmas Eve festivities at my dad's home. My four younger siblings, their kids, and their grandkids were there. The Millennial girls prepared a delicious homemade feast. We joined hands in a huge circle for Dad to say grace.

Dad, 89, caught me by surprise. Passing the baton of family leadership, Dad said his time was running out, and they should come to me as patriarch of the family.

I'm a mystery to many in my family: the embarrassing traitorous black political activist they see in the media bashing their beloved Obama. So when patriarch Dad said this is my beloved son, hear ye him, that was huge. It is a responsibility I take very seriously.

As chairman of the Conservative Campaign Committee, I am with our team in a secured underground bunker in an undisclosed location, planning our strategy for assisting the implementation of The 100 Day Plan (Donald Trump's Contract With The American Voter). Just kidding about the bunker.

While I did not become a Christian preacher like my dad, politics is my ministry. This battle goes beyond Democrats vs. Republicans, conservatives vs. liberals. We battle not against flesh and blood, but spiritual wickedness in high places: good vs. evil. No, I am not saying everything Republican is good. I am saying 99% of the modern Democratic Party's agenda is anti-God, anti-America, and anti-traditional wholesome values. If you believe you're a chicken trapped in a human body, count on the Democrats to pass legislation to fund your feather implants and force us to celebrate your chickenization.

During the debates, Trump said partial-birth abortion is wrong. Hillary's shocking retort was a woman has the right to kill her baby on the day of delivery. Then she used the left's tactic of attempting to brand anyone who thinks otherwise a male Neanderthal who hates women. Evil, folks.

Trump's landslide electoral victory was clearly a repudiation of the left's agenda, from forcing Americans to allow men to use restrooms with their daughters to dethroning America as the world power.

I am convinced that many still do not comprehend the Left's disdain for us normal Americans, God, traditional family, and country. Forcing the left's minority agenda down our throats is all that matters, trumping national security and American lives. Therefore, no tactic is too deadly, divisive, or evil. This is the arena in which we fight. Some on our side still don't get it, wanting to bring an olive branch or a knife to a gun fight.

With blood coming out of their eyes from hate and rage, the left is committed 24/7 to branding Trump's election illegitimate and blocking our 100 Day Plan.

Leftist actor Charlie Sheen tweeted that he wishes for the death of Trump.

Extreme leftist Democrat Rep. Maxine Walters vowed, "I'm going to fight him every inch of the way!"

Make no mistake about it, folks: all the left's vitriol against Trump is really their hatred for us, everyday Americans. CNN's hate-filled leftist Van Jones slandered Trump voters, calling them angry white racists against a changing country and a black president.

Even leftist columnist Maureen Dowd had to admit that this election was Americans rejecting Obama's and the left's agenda. "Mr. Trump received over 62 million votes, not all of them cast by homophobes, Islamaphobes, racists, sexists, misogynists or any other "ists."

So here we are, folks. The inauguration is weeks away. The left, true to its evil nature, is still being obstructive, spewing fear and hate, including celebs refusing to perform at the inauguration. Fine. This is God's way of providing an opportunity for other deserving artists.

I'm so excited about 2017. However, the left ain't stoppin', and they ain't goin' away. I cannot express enough how crucially important it is that we stay alert and protective of our 100 Day Plan, doing everything legally possible to push it through.

I feel like singing, "Happy days are here again...The skies above are clear again...So let's sing a song of cheer again...Happy days are here again!"
To students of history, the United States' failure to enlist enough faithful partners within the Middle East to eradicate ISIS should come as no surprise. After all, this isn't the first time a Western power has faced such challenges abroad.

In 1894, Alexandre Yersin discovered the role rats played in spreading the bubonic plague, a disease that posed a threat to all of humanity. As such, France's ensuing deratisation campaign in Hanoi must have seemed like a logical and even necessary measure at the time. Nevertheless, its effects were catastrophic.

Soon after the turn of the 20th century, France's anti-peste program in Hanoi had evolved to the point to where France was paying Vietnamese residents one cent for each rat tail handed over to the authorities. Thousands of rat tails began to pour in.

However, the French authorities' delight in seeing so many rat tails was to be short-lived. That delight quickly turned first into shock and then into disgust as the same authorities began to encounter tailless rats roaming the streets of Hanoi as well as rat-breeding enterprises in the suburbs. Instead of deceasing the rat population, France's deratisation efforts had actually increased it!

We learned from this experience that a rat with no tail can still procreate and also that a procreating rat, under certain circumstances, can be a good thing for quite a few people.

Today, ISIS is the rat with no tail, and like the Hanoi rat population at the turn of the 20th century, ISIS's recent growth is largely due to a dangerous mix of good intentions and perverse incentives.

The large masses of refugees flowing into the West are a prime example. Clearly, people of goodwill want to help others in need, and would-be refugees clearly want what is best for them and their families.

In order to reach the West, these would-be refugees merely have to fight the rat of ISIS enough to escape its clutches and profess to the West that they disapprove of ISIS's ways. They don't have to kill it; in fact, the eradication of ISIS would be counter to their efforts.

As a result of this dynamic, the number of Syrians who received U.S. training and are currently fighting ISIS is paltry. While General Austin reported that number to be "four or five" in September of 2015 (Why General Austin couldn't get a hard number, I will never know; he is a general, after allwell, is it four or is it five, dammit?), it may be slightly higher today, but it certainly remains pitifully low and dreadfully insufficient.

And while the Middle East is being stripped of the human capital required to eradicate the threat of Islamic extremism, intellectuals in the West are pontificating as to whether or not the helping of these refugees is worth the uptick in terrorist attacks or its effects on parents' decisions as to whether or not to send their daughters out to enjoy New Year's celebrations.

I, however, would like to pose a far simpler question: isn't a rat with no tail harder to trap and kill?
Obama has accused the Russians of interfering with our election. He imposed sanctions against Russian and expelled about thirty Russians. It is the big news on the mainstream media, talk shows, and columns and blogs on the Internet.

The supposed interference is that the Russians hacked John Podesta's and the DNC's emails and gave the emails to WikiLeaks. The emails released by WikiLeaks show that Hillary lied and sold access to the State Department, and Obama lied when he said he did not know that Hillary had used a private email server until he saw it on the TV news.

Obama and the MSM refer to the emails as "interference" with our election make it appear that the Russians hacked into voting machines. This was the argument made and rejected by the Pennsylvania federal court in Jill Stein's Petition for a Recount.

The counter-argument is that the Russians, or whoever hacked the emails, did a public service to reveal the evidence that Hillary and Obama lied. They did the job that the MSM and much of the conservative media failed to do.

So why is Obama doing this? He cannot believe that Hillary lost to Trump because he, Michelle, and Joe Biden campaigned furiously, daily, for Hillary, and Obama told voters that his agenda was on the ballot.

Obama believes he could have won if his name had been on the ballot. But he put his agenda on the ballot by campaigning for Hillary. He told voters he would take it as a personal insult if the Democratic Party base did not vote for Hillary.

Trump campaigned to get rid of Obamacare, cut tax rates, build a border wall, defeat ISIS, enforce immigration laws, cancel the Iran nuclear sellout, and renegotiate trade deals. Trump campaigned to undo the Obama agenda. Trump won, and Obama cannot accept it.

Obama knows that his agenda was defeated and rejected, especially with his weakness on fighting Islamist terrorism. Syria and Iraq are in shambles due to the rise of ISIS and the failure to deal with Syria. Iran is now the dominant power in the Middle East. Russia is on friendly terms with Iran and is expanding its influence in the Middle East.

Obama's response to clean up his legacy is to act tough with the Russians, accusing them of interfering with our election. He pretends to care about the sanctity of the election. This is a sham. He did not care when the N.Y. Times illegally published Trump's private tax returns.

He opposes requiring photo identification of voters on the basis that it is a barrier to voting.

He dropped the prosecution of the New Black Panther party for a clear case of voter intimidation in Philadelphia during the 2008 election.

Moreover, Obama ridiculed Romney in 2012 when Romney said Russia was our geopolitical foe. Obama said: "The 1980s are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back because the Cold War's been over for 20 years[.]" But now he is using Russia for political purposes to attack the Trump win and salvage his legacy.

Obama knows he can talk tough, impose some sanctions, and expel thirty Russians because there is no risk of Russian retaliation with twenty days left in his administration.

Putin does not take Obama seriously or respect Obama because of Obama's failures in Syria, in Libya, and with ISIS, not to mention the apology tour immediately after his election.

Further, Putin and the rest of the world saw Obama betray Israel, our closest ally with Britain. You do not establish respect even with enemies when you betray your closest ally.

In summary, Obama is desperate to salvage his legacy and reputation. He will meet this week with Democrats in Congress to try to stop the repeal of Obamacare as part of his legacy campaign.

But Obama cannot change the facts. Obama blaming Putting and expelling thirty Russians highlights that Obama's legacy is that he deported more Russians than Islamist terrorists and illegal aliens and was tougher on Russia than on Iran, our number-one enemy, the principal supporter of Islamist terrorism.
The Obama administration is attempting to hamstring the successor Trump administration by hiring large numbers of new staff, and promoting existing employees before it leaves office. Lisa Rein and Juliet Eilperin report in the Washington Post:

Several federal agencies are accelerating hiring in the final days of the Obama administration to ensure that as many new employees as possible are in place before President-elect Donald Trump imposes a promised hiring freeze. Leaders at these agencies are filling open positions with transfers and outside hires and are making internal promotions before Trump takes office Jan. 20, according to internal documents and interviews.

It appears that a prior agreement is being flouted:

Sean Spicer, the incoming White House press secretary, said in an interview late Friday that an agreement was struck in November that no new hires would be made after Dec. 1. After the election, the current administration notified us there would be a hiring freeze as of Dec. 1, he said. The understanding was that there would be a full accounting of anyone put on the payroll after then. (snip) According to an OMB official who asked for anonymity to discuss a private conversation, OMB senior adviser Andrew Mayock told Trumps transition team executive director Rick Dearborn at a Nov. 21 meeting that the administration intended to halt any new SES hires as of Dec. 7. While Dearborn asked for a list of any new hires in that category after the election, and Mayock acknowledged that request, the official said, Mayock did not commit to providing such a list. The moratorium also applies to promotions from non-Senior Executive Service civil service positions, the official added.

So far, Trumps incoming press secretary Sean Spicer is declining to make a fuss over what might be at best a misunderstanding. But there is evidence that yet another poison pill strategy is being attempted by the outgoing Obama administration, intended to constrain the actions of the next president.

The internal pressure to hire is so intense in some corners of the government that at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is bringing on hundreds of employees, human-resources officials were ordered to cancel their year-end holiday vacations to process paperwork and make offers to new hires. An internal agency update there, issued on Nov. 17, instructed officials that all involved should be ready for an all hands on deck approach to implement the 45-day Hiring Plan (Plan) to address a potential hiring freeze. The agencies rushing to bring on new employees include not just Fish and Wildlife but also the Transportation Security Administration, the National Park Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and parts of the Agriculture and Labor departments.

All the more reason why civil service reform, including the ability to lay off or terminate employees, is needed.

Hat tip: Ed Lasky
A federal judge in Texas has struck down rules issued by HHS that would force doctors to help with gender transition procedures for transgender people even if it vioilated their religious beliefs.

Conserviatve groups hailed the decision as a victory for reliigious freedom.

This is a common-sense ruling: The government has no business forcing private doctors to perform procedures that the government itself recognizes can be harmful, particularly to children, and that the government exempts its own doctors from performing, said Lori Windham, senior counsel at Becket Law, which filed a lawsuit against the new federal regulation. Todays ruling ensures that doctors best medical judgment will not be replaced with political agendas and bureaucratic interference. The new regulation applied to over 900,000 doctorsnearly every doctor in the U.S.and would have cost healthcare providers and taxpayers nearly $1 billion. The government itself does not require its own military doctors to perform these procedures. It also does not require blanket coverage of gender transition procedures in Medicare or Medicaideven in adultsbecause HHSs experts admitted research is inconclusive on whether gender reassignment surgery improves health outcomes, with some studies demonstrating that these procedures were actually harmful. But a doctor citing the same evidence and using their best medical judgment would have faced potential lawsuits or job loss.

The fact that the new rules might even harm patients didn't seem to matter to pro-transgender groups.

Washington Post:

Civil rights groups had hailed the new health rules as groundbreaking anti-discrimination protections. The Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund said the new U.S. Health and Human Services regulations advised that certain forms of transgender discrimination by doctors, hospitals and insurers violated the Affordable Care Act. But a coalition of religious medical organizations said the rules could force doctors to help with gender transition contrary to their religious beliefs or medical judgment. OConnor agreed in his 46-page ruling, saying the rules place substantial pressure on Plaintiffs to perform and cover transition and abortion procedures. The rules were set to take effect Sunday. Plaintiffs will be forced to either violate their religious beliefs or maintain their current policies which seem to be in direct conflict with the Rule and risk the severe consequences of enforcement, OConnor wrote. Transgender rights advocates have called that a far-fetched hypothetical, saying a person would not approach a doctor who lacked suitable experience and expertise. The Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund criticized the injunction as contrary to existing law and said it expects the ruling to be overturned on appeal. Judge OConnors conclusion that transgender people and persons who have had abortions are somehow excepted from protection is deeply troubling, legally specious, and morally repugnant, said Ezra Young, the organizations director of impact litigation.

In other words, because only a few doctors will be forced to perform services that violate their religious beliefs, the ruling is bogus. Talk about a legally "specious" argument! To force anyone to violate their religious beliefs in service to a political agenda is not only wrong, but unconstitutional.

The case now goes to the appeals court where it faces an uncertain fate. The courts have been increasingly willing to grant transgender people rights to services based solely on their own notions of "gender identity." But this issue is not like the bathroom issue, which is a matter of interpreting cultural and traditional practices. The Obamacare rules are a threat to religious liberty and we can only hope an appeals court views it the same way.
For some reason, a widespread belief exists that the president of a college or a university (or even a 2-year junior college) deserves to live a life of luxury. No fewer than 30 higher education presidents are earning over a million dollars a year, compensation that rightly should outrage families indebting themselves to pay tuition.

The sad truth is that higher education has gone from being a calling to a racket, in all too many cases. And the rot extends from the top to the bottom of the status hierarchy. Arguably, higher education is the biggest industry on the country, and certainly for many families with children in college, it is the second most expensive purchase in a lifetime, after a house. That pile of money draws all sorts of scavengers.

Meet Dr. DeRionne Pollard, president of Montgomery College, the biggest junior college in the state of Maryland:

Heather Hunter of the Daily Caller reports on the luxury she spends on herself and her wife.

Dr. Pollards current contract shows that she receives a $281,000 salary with a possible five percent annual bonus. In addition, she has a $3,000 housing allowance each month for her home. All of her work-related travel plus her wifes travel costs are covered.

Why are taxpayers paying for a spouses travel? And not just the backpacking sort of travel: NBC reported on her questionable expense of spending $1,792 for a five-day hotel room at the Marriott Wardman in northwest D.C. The hotel is only about 30 minutes from her house.

Over 300 bucks a night to spare her the ordeal of a 30 minute commute? How is that a justified expenditure for the taxpayers of Maryland?

Records show that she averages 13 trips per year and has traveled to cities like Napa, California; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Honolulu, Hawaii; Austin, Texas and other cities. Since 2013, she spent $70,000 in her travel expenses. She spent more than $6,000 on upgrading plane seats for both herself and her wife. In addition, they spent $3,700 for extra and overweight baggage. During the summer of 2015, she spent more than $3,400 on airfare and upgrades to Honolulu and Austin for conferences. While in Honolulu, Dr. Pollard spent $2,776 for a hotel room. While in Austin, she racked up $2,753 for her hotel plus spent $80 for breakfast and bought two dinners on the same night  one for $80 and another for $127. Despite the colleges payments on her leased Infiniti Q70, she reportedly uses a pricey car service and in one instance, spent $292 to travel 15 miles for a radio interview about how to make community college more affordable. The NBC I-Team reports that the college is now paying about $10,000 per month to rent yet another vehicle, this time an SUV, and pay for an off-duty police officer to pick Dr. Pollard up at home and drive her to work each day starting in February, the college began paying $52 per hour for this armed driver to work between 10-to-15 hours a day.

Here is what I believe to be a picture of the luxury-loving couple that flies first class, eats expensive meals, and stays in luxury hotels. All in the name of "higher education."

Of course, Pollard defends her lavish living style:

I do travel regularly to attend conferences hosted by organizations such as the American Association of Community Colleges; Black, Brown & College Bound; and the Association of Community College Trustees, among others. The topics of these meetings have included issues relevant to our mission, such as closing the achievement gap, economic and workforce development, institutional transformation, contemporary issues in higher education, and much more. These topics are critical to student success and require our attention, she wrote.

And people like me, who think she is abusing her position and the good will of taxpayers toward higher education, just dont get it:

She maintains that Montgomery Colleges Board of Trustees has the utmost confidence in her and her team. The Board believes that the news story was based on an antiquated view of community colleges and failed to appreciate such colleges complex, 21st century mission, Dr. Pollard responded.

Dr. Pollard calls herself "Dr." because she has a PhD in educational leadership and policy studies in higher education from Loyola University Chicago. Sounds pretty rigorous. I wonder what her contribution to knowledge was in her dissertation? A doctorate is supposed to indicate actually expanding the range of human knowledge.
CNN anchor Don Lemon has copped the honor of the first on-air Trump-hater meltdown of 2017, year one of the Trump presidency. Sour Lemons behavior was so disgraceful and out of place during a celebration of the New Year that the network brass cut his audio feed just after midnight when he began speak of awful 2016. But by then he already had been drinking on-air (quaffing tequila with co-host Brooke Baldwin), and had his ear pierced before viewers eyes.

To be fair, Lemon has reason to dread 4 years of Trump:

The UK Daily Mail summarizes, and provides an excellent series of screen shots.

If 2016 was painful for Lemon, then he saw the year out in appropriate fashion, getting an ear piercing live on air. As midnight approached in Louisiana, the host tweeted: #CNN producers & @brookebcnn trying to convince me to get a tattoo or a piercing of some sort. Should I? #cnnnye' And it wasn't an empty threat either, as he recruited a piercer shortly afterward to stick a needle through his earlobe live on television. 'If this hurts I'm going to be so mad,' he winced as co-host Brooke Baldwin gripped his hand tightly in support.

It got even worse:

As the brass bands started to play Auld Lang Syne in New Orleans - and #drunkdonlemon trended on Twitter - the cameras cut away to crowds of joyful revelers. But the mics of hosts Lemon and Brooke Baldwin stayed on, so that the shots of fireworks and hugging were accompanied by the sounds of clinking glasses. 'Happy New Year,' Lemon can be heard saying. 'Oh my god! I need a little more - pour me a little more - a little more - perfect. That had a big head on it.' 'I can't hear a damn thing,' Lemon says to Baldwin, who agrees. Then he continues: 'So 2016 was awful...' And suddenly the sound dips away completely. Footage of New Orleans crowds plays silently for five seconds. Then the sound comes back - minus Lemon and Baldwin.

An embedded video is below of the travesty on the broadcast feed of a purported news network. Their decision on what to do about newsman Lemons unprofessionalism will tell us a lot about CNN's own professional standards. As they are Trump-haters in a hole, I advise them to keep digging and pretend that nothing has happened.




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.






About The Author



Lance Schuttler



Lance Schuttler graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in Health Science and is Director of Creative Health Non-Profits for Personable Media. He is passionate about holistic and naturopathic medicine as well as helping to bring awareness to an efficient, sustainable and health-promoting transition that our worlds current socio-economic model is rapidly undergoing.

This article was first seen at sitsshow.blogspot.com ) The Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte is not backing down. Just one day after calling out U.S. ambassadors as CIA spies , Duterte has now criticized the top of the elites pyramid: The Vatican.After the Vatican staged a photo exhibition to commemorate victims of the drug war happening in the Philippines, according to RT.com President Duterte lashed out at the Vatican and did not hold back:You say Duterte killer. You priests, you blame me for the deaths of thousands of drug addicts, even those who died in hospitals, you still blame me. But you are the ones who killed Christ.The president also said that the Vatican hasnt helped in any way to end the drug war:[They dont do] anything against illegal drugs. They never bothered to help. The Church is not giving anything even if they collect so much. My statement is full of sarcasm because they [priests] have been criticizing me. They are hypocrites.Duterte also said that he believes in God and Allah, but does not believe in organized religion and that the Vaticans religion is about gold hoarding, as well as putting the fear of hell into its followers:Do not believe it. That is what that religion is all about, they are instilling fear that you will go to hell if you are a sinner. But you will only know if there is indeed a hell if you die Be careful about religion, it is about gold. It is about gold. They have not done anything. Where is their God and their grace? There is the hypocrisy of it all.Duterte then went for the jugular:Catholicism is a sordid religion. It is about time to show you its history. Pope Leo was sired and even had sex with his child.While the pedophilia statement could be argued, what cant be argued is that fact that the Vatican has paid out over $4 billion dollars to victims of sexual abuse by priests and clergy of the Vatican, according to the National Catholic Reporter . In other words, while it might be difficult to prove today that Pope Leo was a pedophile, it is well known that the Vatican itself has had a major and sinister problem with pedophilia and sexual abuse.Earlier this year, President Duterte was set to visit the Vatican to apologize to Pope Francis for calling the pope a son of a w***e, but ultimately decided against the trip.The Philippines president has quickly gained a reputation for speaking his mind and telling people exactly what he thinks. Last week, he threatened to burn down the United Nations:You go and file a complaint in the United Nations, I will burn down the United Nations if you want. I will burn it down if I go to America.He also called Zeid Raad Al Hussein, a United Nations official, an idiot and son of a b****.This guy [Zeid] is either the joker or crazy. You UN officials, sitting there on your a**es, we pay you your salaries. You idiot, do not tell me what to do Who gave you the right? Please shut up because your brain is lacking there. Go back to school. You United Nations, you do not know diplomacy. You do not know how to behave to be an employee of the United Nations. You do not talk to me like that, you son of a b**ch.While Duterte has been speaking his mind for awhile now and publicly distancing himself from the U.S. and aligning with Russia and China, this latest call out of the Vatican for gold hoarding, incest and pedophilia takes it to the highest level. The times we live in are getting extremely interesting. This could even turn into a spectacle of what will Rodrigo Duterte say and do next?
Bollywood celebrities spill the beans on their plans for the first day of 2017.

Before you knew it, another year has passed! Finally the roller coaster that the year 2016 was has come to an end, and the much-awaited 2017 has arrived, bringing along with it a chance for everyone to start afresh and breathe life into a promising new year. It is popularly believed that what we choose to do on the first day of the year is an indicator of how the rest of it will go. Looking forward to a new start, our stars have decided to shed the baggage of the previous year and mark a new beginning of an eventful year.

Sunny Leone

What are you going to do on the first day of 2017?

Ill be working on the first day of the year, which is exactly how I wanted to start my year. I know it might not sound fun, but I love that I'm working. I have an appearance set for today.

Three things that you wanted to happen in 2016, which did not happen?

I dont look at my life this way. Im very pleased with everything that I did in 2016. I always try and focus on what I did than what I did not. I had the most amazing year and when things were bad, I learnt from the bad. If I made mistakes I learned from my mistakes too.

In 2017, what is that one thing that you would like to give up?

I would like to give up coffee completely. Not sure if thats possible, but Ill try.

What's on your travel list this year?

Well, I know I am going on a family vacation with my in-laws to Mexico. Im very

excited about it.

Three things you wish to accomplish this year?

I would like to have more patience and would want to spend more time with my family. I also want to see my cosmetic line-up do well, and work on projects that are meaningful to me.

What is your New Year resolution?

I usually dont make resolutions but I would definitely like to spread more awareness for animal rights.

Sharman Joshi

What are you going to do on the first day of 2017?

Im going to sleep and meet my friends later and spend some time with my family. I may be shooting too.

Whats your hangover mantra?

I barely get a hangover. I drink only to keep company, not otherwise.

Sharman Joshi

Three things that you wanted to happen in 2016, which did not happen?

Honestly, Ive had a fairly good year, more so than what I had expected or wanted, so I cannot complain but I surely want more from 2017.

One thing that you would like to give up in 2017?

Id like to give up a few of my lazy ways, and would want to be more social.

What's on your travel list this year?

I want to visit Turkey, China, Swiss Alps and many more places.

What do you wish to accomplish this year?

More hit films, more plays and more fan love.

Kalki Koechlin

What are you going to do on the first day of 2017?

I'm going to sleep in the sun.

Three things that you wanted to happen in 2016, which did not happen?

Decriminalising homosexuality, being disciplined enough to write without a deadline, and despite it being a regular monthly occurrence I never end up having a pad handy when I get my period.

Kalki Koechlin

In 2017, what is that one thing that you would like to give up?

Non-vegetarian food.

What's on your travel list this year?

Unplanned, spontaneous trips.

Three things you wish to accomplish this year?

I want to do a new stage performance of some kind, find a way to make feminism less misunderstood and figure out the difference between hai and hain.

Neha Dhupia

What are you going to do on the first day of 2017?

The first and most important thing is to go out for breakfast to one of my most favourite places in New York called Sarabeth with friends, and then Ive enrolled for a workout special which is called resolution class. So, Im going to stay healthy. Im going to make my resolutions and if life goes as planned, Im going to remember them at least till the end of the year or the end of the month but it always falls flat on my face. So, pretty much do the usual and try and be good.

Neha Dhupia

Whats your hangover mantra?

Ive partied hard; who knows where the night is going to go, who knows whats going to happen the next day, but Im not a crazy drinker so a hangover shouldnt be an issue. At least I hope I havent spoken too soon!

Three things that you wanted to happen in 2016, which did not happen?

Well, Im always a sucker for travel, so I wish I had travelled more. There is always a craving to see a fitter version of myself and thats endless. I also wanted to spend more time with my family, but family time is never enough, no matter how long you get.

In 2017, what is that one thing that you would like to give up?

What Id like to give up in 2017 is caffeine. Im hugely addicted to my tea and coffee. I say that every year but I never manage. But then again, a few vices are not so bad!

Whats on your travel list this year?

I want to just explore more of South America, especially Cuba. Im really enchanted by that part of the world.

Three things you wish to accomplish this year?

One would definitely be to produce more and have better content for Big Girl Productions, my production company that I launched in 2016. I think I definitely want to stay away from my phone, because I feel like it takes too much of my time between Instagram, Facebook, Twiiter, social media and my life. I need to have a digital detox. And the third thing would be to travel around the world a little more, with my family of course.

Whats your New Year Resolution?

I never have one, but off the top of my head, I think Id like to stop hitting the snooze button because I do that and I always get delayed by those extra 10 minutes and it takes my day down. So, yes, stay away from the snooze button.

Sayani Gupta

What are you going to do on the first day of 2017?

On the first day of 2017, Im shooting for my new film. Its the best way to spend the first day of the year. Ill have to be on set at 9 am so thats a pretty early start to the year. But I am not complaining.

Sayani Gupta

Whats your hangover mantra?

Ginger Ale. Thats my magic potion to cut hangovers.

Three things that you wanted to happen in 2016, which did not happen?

Well, Jagga Jasoos was to release. I was to take a trip to Bhutan and travel through the North East India.

In 2017, what is that one thing that you would like to give up?

Nothing at all.

Whats on your travel list this year?

I am already travelling for a shoot. But I have to do the North East and Bhutan trips that are remaining from last years wish list. I also want to do a Europe tour and visit Vietnam, Cambodia and Iceland.

Three things you wish to accomplish this year?

I would definitely want to start training more rigorously. I also want to pick up a new activity like surfing. Lastly, I want to learn the guitar properly. Not to forget taking at least three holidays without work.

Richa Chadha

What are you going to do on the first day of 2017?

I will sit on the beach, have a pina colada and relax.

Whats your hangover mantra?

I may not party all night. I dont like crowded clubs in our country. Hangover can best be avoided by not drinking, or having equal quantities of water and alcohol.

Richa Chadha

Three things that you wanted to happen in 2016, which did not happen?

I wanted Hillary Clinton to win, because her opponent means doomsday for the environment. I wanted to read more. I also wanted to make a big announcement, for which the time is not right presently.

In 2017, what is that one thing that you would like to give up?

Id very much like to stop being too hard on myself.

Whats on your travel list this year?

The whole wide world  always! In particular, I want to visit Kenya, Ladakh and revisit Japan in the cherry blossom season.

Shweta Tripathi

What are you going to do on the first day of 2017?

Detox for the year that has been.

Whats your hangover mantra?

Water, lots of salad and a massage.

Shweta Tripathi

Name something that you wanted to happen in 2016, which did not happen.

I am a certified scuba diver and I wanted to do my advance course last year. That is pending.

In 2017, what is that one thing that you would like to give up?

At least 40 per cent of the procrastination I do.

Whats on your travel list this year?

Bali is my favourite destination and Ill be going there in March. I also want to visit Japan.

Three things you wish to accomplish this year?

A commercial film, a new skill set and I want to produce my own projects.
The entire area has been cordoned off and an alert has been sounded in neighbouring districts to nab the prisoners.

Policemen look on after five prisoners escaped from Buxar Central Jail in Buxar. (Photo: PTI)

Patna: Five convicts, including four serving life terms, escaped from the Buxar Central Jail late Friday night by scaling the prison wall, raising questions over security of jails and prompting the administration to suspend three officials. District Magistrate Raman Kumar said today that the jailbreak took place between midnight and 3 am. A manhunt is undwerway to nab the convicts.

The district administration said a dhoti, rods and pipes were recovered near the wall from where they escaped late on Friday night. The incident is being seen as a major breach in security. The Home secretary of state Amir Subhani has ordered a high-level probe into the incident.

According to officials here, a two-member team has been constituted to probe the matter. On Saturday, the jail administration suspended three jail wardens for lapses in security and dereliction of duty.

Four of the inmates, who escaped jail were serving life terms and one of them was convicted for ten years, Buxar SP Upendra Sharma said.

The entire area has been cordoned off and an alert has been sounded in neighbouring districts to nab the prisoners, but no progress in the case has been reported so far. Sources from Buxar informed this newspaper that the incident occurred in less than 24 hours after the jail was extensively raided by the district administration.

A similar incident had occurred a few days ago in Bhopal where Simi terrorists had fled jail and were later killed in an encounter by the police. Sources said, Five prisoners, who escaped Buxar jail Friday night were hardened and dreaded criminals.
UP Cabinet Minister Azam Khan and Mulayams cousin Ramgopal Yadav were also present at the meeting.

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday addressed over 200 of his supporters at his residence, minutes after his expulsion from the Samajwadi Party (SP) had been revoked by his father and SP chief Mulayam Singh.

According to reports, the CM told his supporters that we have to save the party. He added that he had no ambitions of becoming the Chief Minister again after the elections, and had fought with his father and uncle only to ensure that SP comes back to power in the state.

I am not doing all this to defy Netaji (Mulayam). Netaji is your leader, but for me, he is both leader and father, Akhilesh said addressing party MLAs including some of those who he had given tickets for the polls.

Reports suggested that Akhilesh again blamed Amar Singh for the turmoil in the party, saying, Those who are outsiders, who often go to London after creating problems for the party are trying to weaken the party with the help of the BJP.

Amar Singh had met Shivpal and Mulayam in Lucknow on Tuesday, a day before the SP chief declared a list of 325 candidates, said reports.

UP Cabinet Minister Azam Khan and Mulayams cousin Ramgopal Yadav were also present at the meeting.

On Saturday, SP chief Mulayam Singh made a U-turn, just 24 hours after expelling his son from the party for 6 years.

With the writing on the wall loud and clear after Akhilesh mustered an overwhelming majority of party MLAs in his support, Yadav asked his younger sibling and state SP chief Shivpal to announced revocation of the expulsion of the two.

"On the SP supremo's directive, expulsion of Akhilesh and Ramgopal from SP is being revoked with immediate effect," the Shivpal Yadav, who has a running feud with the Chief Minister, tweeted after hectic confabulations.

"I am coming after having met party chief Mulayam Singh along with CM Akhilesh Yadav. Netaji has given the order that the suspension orders of Akhilesh and Ram Gopal are terminated with immediate effect," Shivpal said.
Police later took Kumar to Urban Estate station, where he is being interrogated.

A man on Sunday threw a shoe at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal while he was addressing a rally against demonetisation in Rohtak, Haryana. (Photo: ANI/Twitter)

Rohtak: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday faced a shoe attack while addressing a public meeting here against demonetisation during which he targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The shoe, however, missed its target and the youth was nabbed.

The incident took place this evening when Kejriwal, the convenor of Aam Aadmi Party, was addressing Tijori Tod Bhanda Fod rally against the demonetisation move.

The shoe was hurled towards Kejriwal when attacked the Prime Minister over the demonetisation decision, terming it as a "scam".

"The shoe did not hit Kejriwal ji," said AAP's senior leader from Haryana, Navin Jaihind, who was also present.

AAP workers overpowered the youth and he was later handed to police at Urban Estate station. Police said they were interrogating the motive behind the act.

The accused identified as Vikas (26), was a resident of Mori Makrana village, district Dadri in Haryana, a senior police official told PTI.

"He is graduate and unemployed. When we questioned him, he said that he was hurt by Kejriwal's statements on the SYL issue which went against Haryana's interests. At the time of being questioned, the youth did not seem to be in sound mental condition," the police official added.

Kejriwal said the incident proved Modi?s "cowardice". "Maine kaha tha Modi ji Kayar hai. (I had said Modi is a coward), that is why he sends his stooges to throw shoes...but you may throw shoes or conduct CBI raids, that will not stop me from speaking the truth about demonetisation scam..," he said.

Attacking the Prime Minister on demonetisation, he said the move had "made poor farmers stand in long queues for their own money."

Kejriwal alleged that the BJP leadership had sounded their near and dear ones before announcing demonetisation.

He termed demonetisation as the "biggest scam" in the country post Independence.

Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia also targeted Modi and criticised demonetisation, claiming it had failed to achieve the desired objectives of ending corruption, black money, fake currency and funding of terror networks.

"On the contrary, it has hit all sections of the society, especially the common people," he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Jaihind claimed that AAP will win 100 of the 117 seats of the poll-bound Punjab state.
Sources said that Mohammad maintains cordial relations with major political leaders of Kerala.

Kozhikode: Kerala-born, Saudi-based entrepreneur Shaikh Rafik Mohammed, 42, has been appointed Major General of Kyrgyzstan, in a first for an Indian in the Central Asian country.

Mohammed assumed the prestigious post in the presence of defence minister Ali Mirza at an official ceremony held in Kyrgyzstan. He holds Kyrgyzstan nationality, conferred by former President Kurmanbek Saliyevich Bakiyev, whom he had met in his late 20s while working in Iran.

Mohammed, who heads the construction firm Gammon Middle East in Saudi Arabia, used to be an adviser to Kyrgyzstans President, and the latest appointment is in recognition of his contributions to the country, sources in Dubai said.

Mohammed, known as Rafi here, is the son of late Abdul Hameed and Fathima of Eravannur, 12 km from Kozhikode, Kerala. He studied up to seventh class at a local school in Eravannur. According to his sister Rukhiya K.M., Mohammed left for Mumbai at the age of 20 and then for Gulf.

We are all elated by his elevation to the prestigious post. He called us on Saturday and we spoke a lot. He last visited Kozhikode in 2007, Rukhiya said.

Mohammed, who has an Iranian wife, has made it big from a humble background. His father was a fisherman who struggled hard to make ends meet.

Mohammeds neighbour and distant relative Azis U.P. says he maintains a warm relation with his birthplace. It was Rafik who gave Rs 25 lakh for the construction of a madrasa recently. He will reach out to anyone in time of need, Azis said.

Sources said that Mohammad maintains cordial relations with major political leaders of Kerala. Dubai reports said Mohammed, after selling the successful project to the Iranian government, went to Kyrgyzstan and presented a similar project to Kurmanbek, then a governor who was preparing to contest presidential elections. After Kurmanbek won the elections, he appointed young Rafik as his chief adviser.

He developed wide network of friends in the Central Asian country, which has witnessed a rapid flow of foreign investment and a shift from socialist mode of development to a capitalist mode of production, reports said.
Alone Injector group posts objectionable messages against PM Modi, anti-India content.

The NSG website is maintained from the forces Delhi headquarters and primarily gives information about the agency.

New Delhi: Website of countrys elite security force, National Security Guards, was hacked early Sunday morning apparently by some Pakistan-affiliated operatives who defaced it by posting some objectionable messages against Prime Narendra Modi. The hackers also posted some anti-India content on the anti-terror agencys official site.

Initial investigations by multiple security and intelligence agencies have revealed that the website was defaced by some hackers being supported by Pakistani agencies. As soon as the hacking was noticed early Sunday morning the NSGs URL, www.Nsg.Gov.In, was blocked soon from the Delhi-based headquarters.

The hackers, who identified themselves as Alone Injector had posted abusive comments on the sites home page. Though initial investigations have revealed involvement of some Pak supported groups but we have launched major probe to get more details and ascertain the exact identity of the hackers. We have also taken adequate security measures to secure the web sites and data of other security and defence agencies, a senior intelligence official said.

The NSG website is maintained from the forces Delhi headquarters and primarily gives information about the agency, its origin and operations. The National Informatics Centre (NIC) has already been informed about the incident which is said to have initiated corrective measures.

The elite commando force has been involved in important counter-terror operations like the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack and its Black Cat commandos also prove security cover to some top VIPs. The force was raised in 1984 as a highly specialised unit to deal with terror and piracy activities.
Political parties, instead of being banisters of democracy, have become canisters of black money.

Joseph La Palombara and Myron Weiner have written that political parties are a feature of modern and modernising societies. But conservatives and founders of nation-states like George Washington, Lord Bolingbroke and Mahatma Gandhi were not comfortable with the idea of political parties which are, by their very nature, divisive of the organic unity of the nation. M.N. Roy and Jayaprakash Narayan favoured a party-less democracy. It may be an ideal but not practical. It is well-nigh impossible to think of a democracy without political parties which provide a vital link between the civil society and the government.

However, political parties did not get any recognition in the Indian Constitution until 1985 when the Constitution (52nd Amendment) Act, popularly known as the Anti-Defection Act, came into force. It created the Tenth Schedule in which the words political party found mention for the first time, though still not in the main body of the Constitution. However, the Supreme Court has recognised the significance of the party system in a catena of cases.

In Kanhaiya Lal Omar v. R.K. Trivedi (1986), it held, political parties have to be there if the present system of government is to succeed. Again, in Dhartipakar Madan Lal Agarwal v. Rajiv Gandhi (1987), it reiterated that in parliamentary form of democracy, political parties play a vital role. In Rama Kant Pandey v. Union of India (1993), the Supreme Court held, for a strong democratic vibrant government, it is necessary to have a parliamentary system which involves a majority as well as a minority so that there is full-fledged debate on the controversial issue on the floor of the House. This is best achieved through the party system. In this case, the court was asked to adjudicate on the legality of Section 52 of the Representation of People Act, 1951, which provided for the countermanding of an election in the exigency of the death of a candidate of any recognised political party but not in the case of the death of an independent candidate. The court decided that the differential treatment accorded by

law to party candidates does not fall foul of Article 14 (right to equality).

However, political parties, instead of being banisters of democracy, have become canisters of black money. The Election Commission of India (ECI), in a laudable move, delisted 255 political parties which did not contest elections and existed merely on papers. It is suspected that these are fronts for laundering black money as political parties get exemption in the income-tax.

The EC has also made a very sensible recommendation to reduce the amount of cash donations to political parties from `20,000 to `2,000 . Cash donation is the biggest source of black money which is used by political parties during elections. According to returns filed by political parties to the income-tax department and the EC, almost 80 per cent of their funds come from cash donations. It means no one knows the source of their income.

This black money surfaces at the time of elections. The reports of the Santhanam Committee on Prevention of Corruption (1964) and the Wanchoo Committee on Direct Taxes Enquiry dwelt on the issue and highlighted the problem of black money making its way into the political system.

In 1968, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi banned corporate donations to political parties. The stated objective was to obviate the influence of large business houses on politics, but allegedly it was to choke the supply of funds to the right wing parties as she apprehended that corporate bodies were more enamoured of them. Ironically, this ban gave a fillip to cash donations which political parties encouraged in the absence of corporate donations.

The ceiling imposed by the RP Act on the expenses of individual candidates becomes meaningless as there is no such limit on the expenditure incurred by the candidates political party, friends and relatives. The Supreme Court tried to curb the scourge of black money in Kanwar Lal Gupta v. Amarnath Chawla (1975) by ruling that the money spent by the political party and friends to advance the prospects of the candidate fell within the ambit of Section 77 of the RP Act and would be counted as candidates expenses. The court was emphatic that it produces anti-democratic effects in that a political party or individual backed by affluent or wealthy would be able to secure a greater representation than a political party or individual who is without any links with affluence or wealth.

The courts reasoning is impeccable. But it sent an alarm signal as it was likely to impact the petition challenging Indira Gandhis election pending in the court. Parliament, without losing time, opened a foxhole by amending Explanation 1 to Section 77(1) clarifying that expenditures by the party and supporters not authorised by the candidate would be exempt from the candidates expenses. Unfortunately, the court upheld this amendment in P. Nalla Thumpy v. Union of India ((1985). However, in Gadak Y.K. v. Balaseb Vikhe Patil (1994), the apex court stressed on the need to repeal the explanation pointing out that the spirit of the provision suffered violation through the escape route provided by the explanation. In Gajanan Krishnaji Bapat v. Duutaji Raghobji Meghe (1995), the Supreme Court emphasised the need to prescribe by rules the requirements of maintaining true and correct accounts of the receipts and expenditure by political parties by disclosing the sources of receipt as well. However, the courts advice remained a cry in wilderness.

The apex court was again seized of the problem of donation and its transparency in Common Cause v. Union of India (1996). The petitioner alleged violation of the provisions of Section 13A of the Income-Tax Act and Section 293A of the Companies Act by political parties with regard to their income and expenditure. Ban on the corporate donations was lifted in 1985 by adding Section 293A to the Companies Act. The law mandated all political parties to maintain accounts, issue receipts for voluntary contributions above the prescribed limit and of getting their accounts annually audited. Of the 15 parties approached for their response, except the Janata Party, headed by Subramanian Swamy, none could claim that it was complying with the legal requirements. The court held that political parties which had not been filing returns of income for many years were guilty of violating the statutory provisions of the IT Act, and directed the Union finance secretary to conduct an investigation against each defaulter political party and to initiate action in accordance with the law since the IT authorities had been solely remiss in the performance of their duty.

The court also ruled that the expression conduct of election in Article 324 of the Constitution bequeaths sweeping powers to the EC, during the issue of conduct of election, to issue directions and seek details from political parties regarding their expenses and scrutinise them properly.

Elections are the fountainhead of black money. It is heartening that the government has welcomed the ECs move. Black money cannot be extirpated without reforming political parties and electoral system.

The writer is a senior TV journalist
The Congress vice president is a staunch critic of the governments decision to demonetise the high-value notes.

New Delhi: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said he will be travelling for the next few days, apparently taking a break for New Year, even as his party announced a month-long protest to expose the biggest scam of demonetisation. I will be travelling for the next few days. Happy New Year to everyone, wishing you and your loved ones success & happiness in this coming year, Mr Gandhi tweeted.

He did not mention where he was travelling to. But last year too, Mr Gandhi had taken a nearly two-month-long break and was criticised for his absence as several Congress leaders were unaware of his whereabouts. Mr Gandhis absence for the next few days come at a time when Congress has announced to launch a month-long protest to expose the governments biggest scam of demonetisation.

Mr Gandhi also reiterated his demand, asking the Prime Minister to lift the restrictions on cash withdrawals immediately and deposit Rs 25,000 in the account of every BPL family.

He took to Twitter to highlight his demands ahead of Mr Modis second television address to the nation after his surprise November 8 announcement to withdraw Rs 1,000 and old Rs 500 currency notes.

He advocated immediately abolishing charges on digital transactions and called for Income and Sales taxes rebate of 50 per cent to small-scale shopkeepers and businesses.

On January 2-3, all the state Congress leaders would go to the district headquarters and expose the real face of demonetisation. On January 3-4, state-level meetings would be called, while on January 6, all the district collectorates would be gheraoed by Congress leaders and workers. On January 9, the Mahila Congress cadre, along with the workers of the other wings of the party, will stage countrywide protests, the theme of which would be Garib ki jeb khali, bajao thaali

The Congress vice president is a staunch critic of the governments decision to demonetise the high-value notes. He has dubbed the move the single most arbitrary decision in the history of the world affecting 1.3 billion people.

Communications Incharge of the Congress Randeep Surjewala alleged that demonetisation had given birth to new black markets. He said One market is to convert old notes into new notes for commissions ranging from 20 to 30 per cent which is happening with tacit and at times, active complicity of the government and its officials as various raids have exposed.

The first phase of the protests would end on January 10, while the next two phases would be over by the last week of January
ts possible that the cure for violence could be spread through the same networks of friends as the violence itself.

Violent acts tend to cluster through social networks, and they spread like a contagious disease spreads from one person to another. (Photo: Pixabay)

Adolescents who engaged in violent activities were more likely to have friends  and friends of friends  who had been violent, a new study shows.

Violent acts tend to cluster through social networks, and they spread like a contagious disease spreads from one person to another, the studys senior author Brad Bushman said in a phone interview.

A psychology and communications professor at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Bushman analyzed interviews from the 1990s with nearly 6,000 American students in grades seven through twelve.

Compared to students whose friends had never hurt anyone, kids with a friend who had badly hurt someone were themselves 183 percent more likely to report having badly hurt someone, too, the report in the American Journal of Public Health shows.

If a friend had pulled a weapon on someone, the youth were 140 percent more likely to have pulled a weapon, and if a friend had been involved in a serious fight, the youth were 48 percent more likely to have been in a serious fight. Interviewers asked the students to name up to five boys and five girls they considered friends at their schools.

In male students alone, the likelihood of seriously hurting someone rose 82 percent for each additional friend who had seriously hurt someone.

The association extended beyond immediate friends and friends of friends with four degrees of separation for serious fights and three degrees of separation for threatening someone with a weapon.

Its the first study we know of to see how far it spreads  up to four degrees, which is pretty amazing, Bushman said. Dr. Gary Slutkin, an epidemiologist and infectious-disease control specialist, fully expected the results.

Youre doing what your friend is doing, whos doing what his friend is doing, whos doing what his friend is doing, he told Reuters Health. Youre not thinking about consequences. Youre thinking about what your friends do.

This is one of now hundreds of studies that, if you add them all up, theres no way of seeing it other than violence being a contagious epidemic health problem, said Slutkin, founder of Cure Violence at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health.

He has long thought about violence as a contagious disease and has worked to stop it in communities throughout the world by identifying the perpetrators and intervening in the same way he did with HIV carriers.

When it was his mission to figure out how to stop the spread of HIV in Africa, Slutkin realized that explaining the deadly nature of AIDS failed to convince young men to wear condoms. But they would use condoms to protect themselves against the disease if they thought their friends wore them.

Slutkin has applied his understanding of friends motivating friends for better or for worse in his work fighting street violence throughout the world.

By employing former gang members to interrupt and prevent violence, he has seen communities slash violent crimes by 40 to 100 percent, he said. Punishment has not worked to control the spread of violence, Slutkin said.

People are very comfortable with punishment, and it is not the way of out this problem, he said. Its like treating a patient over and over again with the wrong medicine. Its possible that the cure for violence could be spread through the same networks of friends as the violence itself, Bushman said.

Punishment is not a main driver of the changing of behavior, Slutkin said. In order to get behaviors to change, you have to be interactive with people in your own peer group and see that youre getting approval from your own peer group, he said.
Friends with Benefits is a Hollywood flick that revolves around the lives of a couple in a no-strings attached sexual relationship.

The National Rural Health Mission in the state created quite a buzz on social media after it used Friends with Benfits stars Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake to promote vasectomy. (Photo: Twitter)

The government in Kerala recently used some Hollywood inspiration in order to get the public to pay attention to its birth control schemes. The National Rural Health Mission in the state elicited laughs on the Internet after it featured Friends with Benfits stars Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake on a poster to promote vasectomy.

Friends with Benefits is a popular Hollywood flick that revolves around the lives of a young man and woman in a no-strings attached sexual relationship. Apparently the state government thinks that this makes it perfectly okay to co-opt the movie's protagonists for advertising a public health scheme. The unusual ad reads: Now family planning is safe in the hands of man. No-scalpel vasectomy done using simple, safe and modern technique, use NSV (no scalpel vasectomy) and get Rs 1100.

Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis promoting family planning and vasectomy in Kerala. pic.twitter.com/B5OsXxFHeq  Hakuna Matata (@TheFraudMallu) December 26, 2016

Not too long ago, a college in the same state publicly displayed a poster welcoming fresher students that featured two well-known adult film stars.
Bengaluru girl Nirupa Rao has been awarded the Young Explorers Grant to pursue her calling.

Shes a fervent illustrator, with a passion for all things botanical. Thanks to her talent and interest, 26-year-old Nirupa Rao has been awarded the National Geographic Young Explorers Grant. Talking about how she bagged it, Nirupa says, I applied for the grant last year. The grant funds individuals aged between 18 and 25 years, who are working in some way to understand and improve the natural world  from archaeologists and anthropologists, to ecologists and conservationists and anything in between.

For a few years now, Ive been pursuing the art of botanical illustration, and wanted to apply it to Indian plant species. As a medium that lies somewhere between art and science, its a wonderful way to draw peoples attention to a subject that they wouldnt otherwise be very interested in.

Nirupa now intends to take her passion forward by creating a book that can open the minds of young Indian children to the magical world of plants that exist in our own backyard, the Western Ghats. She will be working on the project with her botanist cousin, Siddarth Machado, her sister, Suniti Rao and award-winning photographer Prasenjeet Yadav. Its really encouraging that National Geographic has recognised the potential of the medium by supporting this book of Indian botanical paintings. Featuring the weird and the wacky, the carnivorous and the parasitic, the poisonous, the stinky and the unimaginably valuable, it aims to be the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory of the plant kingdom, she reveals.

A Bengaluru girl, who did some of her schooling in Singapore and went to university in the UK, Nirupa has studied a range of subjects, from art and art history, to sociology and politics. I had a short stint with the Childrens Department at Bloomsbury Publishers in London  the same department that published the likes of Harry Potter and I was so completely in awe of how they managed to make educational content so magical. Since then, Ive longed to create content like that for an Indian context. I have been drawing for as long as I can remember, she says.

Coming from a family of botanists and plant lovers, the illustrator opines that the secret lives of plants are most often overlooked. Plants often trick or deceive in order to attract pollinators, sometimes by emitting rotten smells that flies are drawn toward, or sometimes by bearing flowers that resemble bees! There is a wealth of incredible books on animals, but the same is not true of plants. Wed love for Indian children to be able to name their favourite tree or flower as easily as they can name their favourite animal, says the artist, who wants to write her book in rhyme as she wants to make it fun and accessible.
West Bengal CM slams PM address for no mention of note ban deaths, releases list.

Kolkata: Reacting sharply to Prime Minister Narendra Modis much-awaited speech on demonetisation on New Year eve, chief minister Mamata Banerjee said it did not answer any of the questions which are troubling the common man.

Modi Babu wanted 50 days to deliver promises. He badly failed. PM who runs nation in the name of Suddhikaran just underwent Buddhiharan. Promises broken. Promises derailed. People are not beggars. He has snatched common mans financial rights, she tweeted.

Describing his speech as heartless, baseless, she even slammed Mr Modi for not mentioning 112 people who died standing in the queues outside banks and ATMs.

Financial Emergency continues in the name of black money cleanup. Money not available in banks. Still no concrete solutions to problem, she said in another tweet.

Dismissing the PMs speech, she said: Modi babu, empty vessels make the most noise.

Scoffing at Mr Modis previous claim that scrapping of high-value notes was aimed at eliminating black money and fake currency from the country, Ms Banerjee wanted to know why Mr Modi did not disclose any statistics which could throw light on his stated objectives.

Where are the figures of Demonetisation? How much of black money recovered? What did the nation gain after 50 days of excruciating pain? she tweeted shortly after Mr Modis address to the nation.

She pointed out that the prime minister failed to address the main issue and tried to divert the attention of the people. Ms Banerjee argued that the speech showed that Mr Modi had taken over the job of Arun Jaitley.

PM deviated from actual agenda of black money & #Demonetisation PM just took over post of Finance Minister and made pre-Budget speech. So the FM was missing from this advance Budget Speech made by PM, she tweeted.

In a clever twist of semantics, Ms Banerjee said demonetisation will lead to Mr Modis departure. The year 2017 will mark the year of Demoditisation. This will be the New Year Resolution of all 125 crore people of this great country, she tweeted.

Earlier, continuing her attack on the Centre, she asked why restrictions on cash withdrawal limit should persist even after the completion of 50 days of demonetisation. Modi Babu, public are not beggars of your government. Why are there still restrictions on the cash withdrawal limit? 50 days are now over. How can you take away the right of citizens to withdraw their own hard-earned money? she tweeted. Calling the PM arrogant, she held him responsible for the deaths of 112 people while standing in queues either outside the banks or ATMS since November 9 and released a list containing the names of those deceased.
Paul is also accused of promoting the company and misleading people to deposit money in the firm.

Kolkata/Bhubaneswar: A special court in Bhubaneswar on Saturday rejected the bail plea of Trinamul Congress MP Tapas Paul, arrested for his alleged involvement in Rose Valley chit fund scam, and sent him to three-day CBI custody.

Paul was produced in the court of Special Chief Judicial Magistrate, CBI, P.K. Mishra. Against the plea for a five-day remand of Paul, the court allowed CBI to take him into custody for three days.

The cine star-turned politician was one of the directors of the tainted chit fund group that allegedly duped investors in Odisha, West Bengal and some other states.

Paul is also accused of promoting the company and misleading people to deposit money in the firm. He was also charged with giving senior posts to his family members in the company, a senior official said.

In its chargesheet submitted in the court on January 7, the CBI had accused the ponzi firm of duping investors of Rs 17,000 crore, of which Rs 450 crore is from Odisha alone. The firm was active in Odisha and had 28 branches in the state.

Paul was brought from Kolkata in the morning and taken to the CBI state headquarters. From there, he was sent to the Capital Hospital for medical examination before being produced in the court.

During the court appearance, the CBI furnished a letter that Paul had sent to the Securities and Exchange Board of India in June 2010, claiming he had purchased a land from Rose Valley and wanted to learn from the market regulator whether the compnay had a bad record. While producing the letter, the CBI dismissed it as bogus, saying the MP had never purchased any such land. He had sent this bogus letter with the objective to divert the course of investigation, a CBI official said.

CBI sources said a special investigation team led by DIG N.K. Singh; CBI Superintendent of Police, Bhubaneswar, Rajeev Ranjan and investigating officer will interrogate Pal.
The neighbours also stated that the dog was being deprived of basic comforts and necessities.

Mumbai: The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) on Saturday received a letter from PETA and PFA (People for Animals) requesting it to change one of its dog handlers for his alleged cruelty to the Labrador named Holly who works for Customs. In their letter, the NGOs stated that the dog handler, Sandeep Pednekar, does not take care of the dog, keeps her tied up outside despite there being a room allotted for her by Customs, and physically abuses her including giving her electric shocks using a mosquito killing racket. They further alleged that the dog was not fed properly and not given adequate water to drink. The letter written to the chief commissioner of customs, zone III, requests immediate action against Mr Pednekar.

Nirali Karodia from PFA, has written the letter which reads, It has come to our notice that a Labrador named Holly has been subjected to cruelty by her handler Mr Pednekar. It has been alleged that Mr Pednekar does not take care of the dog and keeps her tied outside the house throughout. It has been represented to us that even though a room has been allotted by the customs department for the dog, she is kept tied outside without proper food and adequate water She is physically tortured which includes electric shocks with a mosquito killing racket.

Animal welfare officer, Meet Asher from PETA, spoke to Pradnyasheel Jumle, deputy commissioner, air intelligence unit, before visiting Mr Pednekars residence and then wrote to the chief commissioner of customs, Devendra Singh, about the alleged cruelty to Holly. According to Mr Asher, the dog had been tied using an extremely short lease which restricted her movement. During the visit, it was observed that there was no water bowl or bedding and neighbours revealed that the dog was kept in this condition every single day. The neighbours also stated that the dog was being deprived of basic comforts and necessities. The treatment meted out to the dog amounts to cruelty and is a punishable offence under section 11 (1) (a), (f), (g) and (h) of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
The accident took place immediately after the bus crossed the toll naka.

Mumbai: A major accident was averted in Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) around 10 am on Saturday when a bus that was climbing up a slope near Kanheri Caves started descending and toppled over due to brake failure. The accident took place immediately after the bus crossed the toll naka.

According to eyewitnesses, the bus would have fallen in a gorge were it not for a tree. Around 20 of the 31 passengers in the bus were injured. While eight of a family  one member of which is a doctor  managed on their own and left for BPT Hospital, the rest were rushed to Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Municipal Hospital. Most of the injured, apart from the bus attendant and a female passenger who fractured their hand and hipbone respectively, had minor injuries, and they were discharged by 2.30 pm.

The incident has highlighted the poor condition of the buses in the park. According to sources, staffers have been frequently highlighting the issue. Passengers, too, had raised similar concerns in the past. The park currently has one service for Kanheri caves, but it being a weekend and the last day of the year, the authorities on Saturday had arranged for an additional service, for the lion/tiger safari, and the safari bus was being used to ferry passengers to the caves and back.

After the accident, the department started utilising two of their patrolling vehicles. Visitors were left waiting for a ferry bus for an hour after the mishap. Ganesh Gosavi, a resident of Chembur, who was among the other park visitors waiting for the bus for an hour, said the long wait had dampened his spirits. Prajakta Jadhav, whose aunt suffered a hipbone fracture, had come to Mumbai to visit her relative in Airoli.

Ahmad Anwar, the chief conservator of forests of SGNP, said that the people were taken care off after the accident and there were no major injuries, apart from those suffered by two passengers.
The contention of the trust is that it should not be made to suffer due to the governments mistake.

Mumbai: The Mumbai Education Trust (MET), founded by beleaguered NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal in 1989, has approached the Bombay high court saying that it is unable to start a new law college in Nashik because of alleged negligence on the part of the government. The courts vacation bench has now issued notice to Savitribai Phule University, Pune, asking it to file an affidavit in reply to the petition claiming that though the university forwarded recommendation for commencement of the law college by MET, the state denied receiving any such recommendation.

The petition, filed by senior counsel Mihir Desai and advocate Shalab Saxena, contends that MET wants to start a new law college on land allotted by the government in 2004. The lawyers on Friday informed Justice K.K. Tated that though the trust has spent a huge amount and is ready with necessary infrastructure to start the law college, the government has not granted sanction for the same, saying it did not receive recommendation from Punes Savitribai Phule University through which the law college was supposed to be started. The petition alleges that the university under RTI gave copies of documents that show that recommendations were forwarded by it to the government within the stipulated time. However the government denies receiving them.

The petitioner has requested the court to call records and papers of the petitioners case to find out if the state government has misplaced the documents and also direct the government to issue requisite approval so that it can start the law college for academic year 2017-18. The contention of the trust is that it should not be made to suffer due to the governments mistake.
By any standard, 2016 has been an awful year.

A New Year is a time of look forward to new beginnings, new adventures, new explorations. It says something about human beings innate optimism, that however bad the previous year has been, we gather together with a cheerful spirit on New Years Eve (which is only partially due to the glass in our hand), and enter the next year with unwarranted hope. But an irrational confidence in the future is what keeps us going, doesnt it?

By any standard, 2016 has been an awful year. The rise of uncontrollable terrorism in the name of Islam has polarised nations and has made the liberal state an anomaly. The Brexit vote in Britain, which overcame all logical economic objections, has mired the UK into an uncertain future. The arguments that won the vote were all based on falsehoods  like a sudden influx of immigrants from the European Union, especially Turkey (therefore, Muslims); the amount of money going out from Britain every day as subsidy for EU, and so on. Prejudices and lies posing as facts have trumped rationality and truth.

Trumped, of course, is the right word to use because Donald Trump, the man who on January 20 will become the next President of the United States of America, has waged his whole campaign on stoking up prejudices and peddling lies. These prejudices, lying dormant till now, are all out in the open, and Americans are no longer afraid to shout them out loud. (I am reminded of what happened in our country some years ago, when L.K. Advani unleashed the worst kind of sectarian and communal feelings with his countrywide rath yatra which culminated in Ayodhya and was a precursor of the demolition of Babri Masjid. Its a frightening indication of how far we have come in the last few years, that Mr Advani is now considered a BJP liberal).

Mr Trump has shown that in the America of today, it doesnt matter if your personal history is colourful (Is that the right word to use for something thats all black?). It doesnt matter if your attitude to women is that of a caveman; it doesnt matter if your corporate success is based on not paying taxes (in fact, thats a sign of your genius); it doesnt matter if all the facts and figures you give about Obamacare and other Democratic initiatives are patently a pack of lies. All this is ok if you can sell your vision of the new American Dream, in which the rich pay less taxes and somehow the poor benefit; where you deport people who make an honest living in menial jobs (even though no American wants them); where you brand all people of one particular faith (Islam) as potential threats and promise to keep them out.

As I write this, the sheer impossibility of the electability of a candidate of this kind dawns on me. Yet Mr Trump is President-elect! And his presidency throws up the possibility of huge dangers to the world in 2017. Because while Mr Trumps campaign was mainly based on an isolationist and inward-looking US, his other strongly-expressed opinions will impact the world. The most important are his views on the uselessness of the United Nations, his belief that global warming is a lie, his challenge to Russia to restart the nuclear arms race and his threat to nuke anyone attacking US ships or troops. If only we could dismiss them as the rantings of an irrelevant madman!

At home, everything that happened in the first 316 days was overshadowed by the last 50 days, due to a measure some people insist on spelling as demonisation. The end-of-the-year (2016) and the beginning-of-the-year (2017) riddles were the same: Is demonetisation good or bad? My answer is: That depends. Thats not hedging the bets. Its only to say that your answer depends on whether you live in India or in Bharat. I use those terms in a completely secular way, using them only to indicate economic class.

If you belong to India, which means to an economic level guaranteeing you a fair degree of financial comfort, you will say demonetisation is good. Thats because you have credit and debit cards, Internet and phone banking, servants to stand in bank queues when you do need cash. You can also give your domestic staff many years salary in advance, put your money in your multiple bank accounts etc.

However, if you belong to Bharat, you have had it. Here you are daily-wage earners, pushing carts for a living or selling bananas or vegetables or doing masonry/carpentry and similar jobs on a day-to-day basis. If your employer says I have no cash to give, you give him credit, and survive on savings you do not have. I will swipe my card to pay you, the employer says, but you have never seen a swipe card machine, except in the movies. If you are a farmer, its infinitely worse. You have only heard of credit and debit cards, you do not have a bank account, and the middleman who buys your produce and exploits you royally even in normal times, does so even more now. All of us have seen photographs of mounds of vegetable which farmers could not sell, and had to throw out because they were rotting away. The incredible, scarcely believable thing about this is that the people of Bharat, the very same people who are the hardest hit because of demonetistion, still support Narendra Modi and the BJP, as recent local election results have shown.

So, then, we have three inexplicable consequences of actions taken in 2016: Brexit, Mr Trump and demonetisation, the results of all three springing a big surprise for those who think that human beings, by and large, behave in a logical and rational manner. The only possible answer is that in a fraught, uncertain world, the average person is looking for a movement, a near revolution. Brexit and Mr Trump provide that in their constituency; in ours, people  especially of Bharat  who face corruption in small, medium and large ways in everything they do, think that Mr Modis measure will overnight rid India of this evil.

That it wont, will tie in with the failures that Brexit and Mr Trump will bring to the UK and the US. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what we have to look forward to in 2017.
Amiridiss charred body was found Thursday in Rio in his burned-out rental car.

Rio De Janeiro: Greeces ambassador to Brazil was murdered in a plot hatched by his Brazilian wife and her police officer lover, who confessed to the crime, officials said Friday.

The envoy, Kyriakos Amiridis, 59, was killed on Monday by the officer, Sergio Gomez Moreira, Rio homicide division chief Evaristo Pontes told a news conference. Amiridiss charred body was found Thursday in Rio in his burned-out rental car, a day after his wife, Francoise de Souza Oliveira, declared him missing.

Ms Oliveira, 40, and Mr Moreira, 29, both admitted to having an affair, police said. The pair are in custody, along with Mr Moreiras 24-year-old cousin, Eduardo Moreira de Melo, who allegedly also took part. According to the homicide division chief, Ms Oliveira denied participating in the murder itself, but confessed she knew of the crime.

Amiridis, who was named ambassador this year, had been on a family vacation with his wife in the north of Rio de Janeiro since December 21. They had been due to fly back to the capital Brasilia on January 9. His wife had originally told police that he had left the Rio apartment they were staying in, taken the car and not returned.

But her version had contradictions, and after Amiridiss body was found in the burned-out car under a bridge, police took Ms Oliveira in for more questioning, and also detained Mr Moreira. Traces of blood were reportedly found on a sofa in the apartment Amiridis and Ms Oliveira had been using, leading investigators to believe he had been killed there, then his body was placed in the rental car and driven to the spot it was found.

Mr Pontes said that Ms Oliveira had offered her lovers cousin $25,000 to help with murdering the ambassador. Mr Moreira acknowledged that he and Amiridis had a physical fight, and that he had strangled the ambassador in self-defence.
Trump says that he knows a lot about hacking and that it's "a very hard thing to prove."

West Palm Beach: President-elect Donald Trump says that "no computer is safe" when it comes to keeping information private.

Trump spoke to reporters briefly before his annual New Year's bash at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.

He says that, if you have something important, you should "write it out and have it delivered by courier, the old-fashioned way. Because I'll tell you what - no computer is safe. I don't care what they say."

Trump has been reluctant to accept allegations by US intelligence agencies that Russia tried to influence the US election through hacking.

Trump says that he knows a lot about hacking and that it's "a very hard thing to prove."

Hundreds of club members and their guests are joining Trump to ring in the new year.
China maintains a standing threat to use force to achieve its goal of absorbing Taiwan.

Taipei: Taiwans leader on Saturday urged China to engage in calm and rational dialogue to maintain peace, vowing not to give in to Beijings recent moves to threaten and intimidate the self-ruled island.

As long as we can be calm, rational, and maintain a flexible attitude, I believe we should be able to find a solution that allows both sides to maintain peaceful and stable relations, President Tsai Ing-wen said in a year-end news conference. Tensions have grown since China suspended contacts with Ms Tsais administration in June over her refusal to endorse Chinas claim that Taiwan and the mainland are part of a single Chinese nation.

China maintains a standing threat to use force to achieve its goal of absorbing Taiwan. Referring to such recent actions, Ms Tsai said Beijing had been gradually returning to the old ways of dividing, suppressing and even threatening and intimidating Taiwan. We hope that this is not a policy decision of the Beijing authorities.

We will not yield to the pressure nor go back to the old ways of confrontation, Ms Tsai said. Beijing has ratcheted up efforts to diplomatically isolate Taiwan, intervening to prevent the islands participation in international forums and establishing diplomatic relations with former Taiwan allies Gambia and Sao Tome and Principe.

Whether cross-strait relations can be turned around next year depends on our patience and belief, Ms Tsai told reporters. Ms Tsai is scheduled to transit through the when she travels to Central America in January, stopping in Houston and San Francisco.
Park's meeting with a selected group of reporters was the first time she spoke to the media since lawmakers impeached her in December.

Seoul: Impeached South Korean President Park Geun-hye has vehemently rejected accusations that she conspired with a longtime friend to extort money and favors from companies, accusing her opponents of framing her.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency says Park denied Sunday that she gave her jailed friend, Choi Soon-sil, extraordinary sway over government decisions and also refuted allegations that her administration blacklisted thousands of artists for their political beliefs.

Park's meeting with a selected group of reporters was the first time she spoke to the media since lawmakers impeached her over the scandal on December 9. The Constitutional Court has up to six months to decide whether she should be permanently removed from office or be reinstated.
Indian spy, naval manoeuvre in Pakistans dossier to UN.

Islamabad: Pakistan would hand over a dossier on alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav and evidence of attempted violation of maritime boundary by an Indian submarine to incoming UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Monday, his first working day after assuming office.

Pakistans Permanent UN representative Maleeha Lodhi will officially pass on the dossier to Mr Guterres at the UN headquarters in New York, Dawn reported, citing officials. Soon after assuming office incoming UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres will get a feel of Pakistan-India rivalry as Islamabad is set to raise the issue of Indian interference with him, the paper said.

Pakistan claims that Mr Jadhav, an Indian navy officer and an alleged operative of Indias intelligence agency RAW, was caught by its security forces earlier this year. His capture was announced in March and was flaunted by military as proof of Indian interference and state-sponsored terrorism. The government, which had pledged to expose alleged Indian hand in terrorism in Pakistan, domestically faced a lot of criticism for the delay in presenting to the international community evidence of Mr Jadhavs alleged involvement in subversive activities.

Responding to criticism in the Senate, adviser on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz had on December 7 said that insufficient material had been delaying the finalisation of the dossier. It is not that material has been provided and its lacking in English and we are overcoming it. The (provided) material, in our view, was insufficient, Mr Aziz had told a meeting of the Senate Committee of the Whole House.

The required additional information has now been made available and the dossier has been completed, the paper said, citing the officials. The officials did not share the specifics, but said it would contain proof that India was allegedly patronising terrorism in Pakistan. The new UN chief would also be informed about the attempt by an Indian submarine to intrude into Pakistani waters.

New year move:
Islamic State targets crowded market ahead of New Year celebration

Iraqi men carry the body of a man killed at the site of twin bomb attacks at a busy market in Baghdads central al-Sinek neighborhood on Saturday. (Photo: AP)

Baghdad: Twin blasts ripped through a busy market area in central Baghdad Saturday, police said, shattering a relative lull in attacks in the capital and marring preparations for New Year celebrations.

Two suicide bombers attacked the Al-Sinek area, killing at least 29 people and wounding 53, a police colonel said. An officer in the interior ministry and a hospital official confirmed the toll.Many of the victims were people from the spare parts shops in the area, they were gathered near a cart selling breakfast when the explosions went off, said Ibrahim Mohammed Ali, who owns a nearby shop.

Torn clothes and mangled iron were strewn across the ground in pools of blood at the site of the wreckage near Rasheed street, one of the main thoroughfares in Baghdad, an AFP photographer said. Twin terrorist attacks were carried out by suicide bombers in Al-Sinek neighbourhood, an official from Baghdad operations command told AFP.

The area is packed with shops, workshops and wholesale markets and usually teeming with delivery trucks and labourers unloading vans or wheeling carts around. The attack was claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group via its propaganda agency Amaq, which reported the martyrdom operation in Al-Sinek neighbourhood.

Baghdad has been on high alert since the start on October 17 of an offensive, Iraqs largest military operation in years, to retake the northern jihadist stronghold of Mosul. ISIS has tried to hit back with major diversionary attacks across the country but has had little success in Baghdad. Saturdays twin bombings were the deadliest in the capital since the start of the Mosul offensive.

Huge crowds were expected to gather on Saturday evening in Baghdads streets to celebrate the New Year for only the second time since the lifting in 2015 of a years-old curfew. Last year revellers turned out for celebrations that lasted most of the night despite an already tense security backdrop.

A year on, the ISIS jihadist group appears to be on its last legs and is defending its last bastions in Iraq but the going has been tough for the tens of thousands of Iraqi forces on the ground. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had vowed earlier in 2016 that his forces would rid the country of ISIS by the end of the year but the Mosul operation has been slower moving that expected.

This week he told a televised news conference that Iraqi forces would now require at least another three months. The jihadists are vastly outnumbered in Mosul but they have had more than two years to build up their defences in the city where Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed a caliphate in June 2014. Elite Iraqi forces have battled their way into the city mostly from the eastern side, but they barely control half of the citys eastern sector.
Thae Yong-Ho, Norths ex-deputy envoy to UK who defected to the South, says Kim may launch it in 2017-end .

Seoul: North Korea is in the final stages of developing an intercontinental ballistic missile, leader Kim Jong-Un said on Sunday, adding the country had significantly bolstered its nuclear deterrent in 2016.

We are in the final stages of test-launching the intercontinental ballistic missile, Kim said in a 30-minute televised New Years speech, pointing to a string of nuclear and missile tests last year.

Pyongyang had soared as a nuclear power, he said, adding it was now a military power of the East that cannot be touched by even the strongest enemy.

The country carried out two nuclear tests and numerous missile launches last year along in pursuit of its oft-stated goal  developing a weapons system capable of hitting the US mainland with a nuclear warhead.

We have seen marvellous feats for bolstering our military power, including the fact that our preparations for test-launching an intercontinental ballistic missile are in the final stages, Kim added.

Analysts are divided over how close Pyongyang is to realising its full nuclear ambitions, especially as it has never successfully test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

But all agree it has made enormous strides in that direction since Kim took over as leader from his father Kim Jong-Il, who died in December 2011.

A senior US defence official said last month that the North has developed the capability to pair a nuclear warhead with a missile and launch it, but has not mastered bringing the weapon back from space and onto a target.

There are growing concerns of fresh provocations by Pyongyang following last months impeachment of South Korean President Park Geun-Hye, which has left the country with a caretaker leader  Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-Ahn.

On relations with South Korea, Kim said the North was willing to hold hands with anyone who wishes to improve North-South ties. But he denounced Seoul for pushing inter-Korean relations to their worst state.

We must launch all-out efforts to pulverise actions by anti-unification forces like Park Geun-Hye, he said.

Kim called for an end to the Souths annual joint military exercises with the United States  a perennial thorn in North-South ties.

Unless they stop the war of annual exercises, the DPRK (North Korea) will keep increasing military capabilities for self-defence and preemptive striking capacity with a main emphasis on nuclear force, Kim said.

Kim, wearing black-rimmed glasses and a dark Western suit and tie, delivered his speech from behind a lectern in a wood-panelled room in the ruling Workers Party Central Committee Office Building in Pyongyang.

No audience was shown although the address was regularly interrupted by what appeared to be canned applause.

Although Kim did not make a specific reference to the incoming Donald Trump administration, he called on Washington to make a resolute decision to withdraw its anachronistic hostile North Korea policy.
The victims are Abis Rizvi son of former Rajya Sabha MP and Khushi Shah, said External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

A ambulance believed to carry a victim leaves the area as Turkish police officers block the road leading to the scene of an attack in Istanbul. (Photo: AP)

Istanbul: Two Indians are among 39 people killed in the Istanbul nightclub attack on Sunday during New Year's celebrations. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj confirmed the death of the two Indians.

"I have a bad news from Turkey. We have lost two Indian nationals in the Istanbul attack. Indian Ambassador is on way to Istanbul," External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted.

"The victims are Mr. Abis Rizvi, son of former Rajya Sabha MP and Ms. Khushi Shah from Gujarat," she said.

The Indians are among the foreigners including an 18-year-old Israeli woman and a Belgian national who were killed in the attack in which around 70 others were injured.

"There are foreigners and Turks, but the majority are foreigners. From different countries -- Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Lebanon, Libya," said Family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya, quoted by the Anadolu news agency.

Authorities have said 39 people were killed, including at least 15 foreigners, and 65 others wounded. However Turkish officials have yet to give details on nationals of which foreign countries were killed and wounded.

Belgium's foreign ministry has confirmed a Belgian-Turkish dual national was killed in the attack while Paris said three French nationals were injured.

The Israeli foreign ministry said a young Israeli woman was killed and another Israeli wounded.
Rights group Amnesty International said Saudi Arabia carried out at least 158 death sentences in 2015, coming third after Iran and Pakistan.

People protest against the execution of Nimr al-Nimr. (Photo: AP)

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia carried out 153 executions in 2016, according to a tally based on official announcements, slightly down from the year before.

The ultra-conservative kingdom is one of the world's most prolific executioners and has a strict Islamic legal code under which murder, drug trafficking, armed robbery, rape and apostasy are all punishable by death.

Rights group Amnesty International said Saudi Arabia carried out at least 158 death sentences in 2015, coming third after Iran and Pakistan.

Amnesty's figures do not include secretive China.

Murder and drug trafficking cases account for the majority of Saudi executions, although 47 people were put to death for "terrorism" offences on a single day in January.

They included prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, whose execution prompted Iranian protesters to torch Saudi diplomatic missions, leading Riyadh to sever relations.
Hello Esteemed Members ,



I had a query . I was recently awarded a 189 visa and I traveled to Sydney for a couple of days with my family before the stipulated must travel date. IS there a way I can check somewhere that things are in order and I have met the requirement ? I wanted to insure that all is good and I can travel in the next few years or so .





Thanks and I appreciate your help.



Ravi
Hello!

First of all, happy new year everyone.

I'm a bit concerned. I went to log into my immi account today and it doesn't let me, claiming the username or password is wrong, nor does it let me either get a new password or recover my username, claiming there's an error.



I'm a bit concerned. I haven't received any correspondence from them. Can you tell me if anyone else is having a problem?



Thank you for your time.
Awaiting approval on my onshore partner visa application - low risk country. Waiting about 15.5 months now. In July, received a request to submit the form 80 as well as medicals. Promptly provided that information. A month ago received another request for one document from my sponsor - we submitted this promptly too. Since about one month ago, when they asked for the most recent document, when I log into immi - it says "application assessment in progress" by my name on the main log in screen....my partner's sponsorship application which is right below mine, still says "submitted" and not even "received" yet ---mine went to "received" 15.5 months ago when I got my bridging visa. Oddly enough, right next to my partner/sponsor's name (when I actually go into his application) it says "approved" between his name and birthdate. So confusing, because this showed up before the information they needed from him (one missing doc) was even submitted. I have emailed but just gotten the generic email and nothing since. Any input? Is this normal? How long after you got your "assessment in progress" did it take for approval? Thanks and happy new years everyone
The Chrysler that was once owned and driven by Barack Obama has already switched owners twice, but other elements that were once touched by the 44th President of the USA are beginning to appear for sale on the Internet.While these items may not be as directly linked to automobiles as Obama s former car was, we will write about them just because they are somewhat neat.A pair of chairs that was on Barack Obamas tour bus has appeared for sale at an auction organized by a company from Boston. Those two seats are branded with the writing Obama 08 President, and they carry the original campaign logo. Apparently, both of them were on Obamas official campaign bus.Both chairs were used in the 2008 presidential campaign, and they are set on circular wooden swivel bases. They are reclinable, and they height can be adjusted just like any decent office chair. Until now, theres nothing that special about them, but here comes the coolest part about this pair of seats. RR Auctions has a letter of provenance from the primary bus driver of the 2008 Obama campaign. Mr. Glenn Childress has kind words to say about the 44th President of the USA, and he attested that Obama spent most of his time on one of the chairs while he was on the bus and touring the U.S. in the hope of becoming President.The auction house expects these items to sell for over $6,000, and we are sure they will be purchased by a big fan of Barack Obama. At the end of the day, the person that buys them will have a unique set of chairs to place in his or her office, and any one of them is a great conversation starter for those silent moments in a meeting behind closed doors.
Volkswagen has signed a memorandum of understanding with the government of Rwanda for the implementation of an integrated mobility concept.

The concept provides for app-based mobility solutions such as car sharing and ride hailing to be offered in Rwanda. For this purpose, an environmentally compatible local vehicle production facility will be established in the capital city Kigali to cover vehicle demand for the integrated mobility concept. In addition, possibilities of training initiatives for the local population are being investigated together with other German companies. Rwanda is well-suited to be a pioneer of new mobility solutions as it has a population of young tech-savvy people and its capital Kigali is seen as the most connected city in Africa.

The concept includes app-based mobility solutions, such as car sharing and ride hailing services, as well as the establishment of a local production facility in accordance with the environmental standards of Volkswagens Think Blue Factory initiative. The vehicles required for the new mobility solutions in Rwanda are to be taken entirely from local production. Volkswagen South Africa is forging ahead with this initiative in Rwanda together with Volkswagens Kenyan partner DT Dobie based on current experience from the establishment of production in Kenya, according to Volkswagen.

Volkswagen said its commitment to Rwanda also includes the training of local people. The possibility of cooperation for the establishment of a technical academy is being investigated together with other German companies. In the long term, the objective is to generate employment, know-how transfer and sustainable growth.

Volkswagen added that other factors that make Rwanda well suited to the integrated mobility concept includes its young, tech savvy population and countrys commitment to sustainable energy production.
At least two severely drunk airline pilots have been arrested before allegedly trying to fly passengers over the holiday period. The most recent incident was a Sunwing Airlines captain who was found passed out in the cockpit early Saturday while his flight was being boarded in Calgary, Alberta. The unidentified pilot had to be revived before he could be led off the aircraft and initial breath tests indicated a blood alcohol content of more than .24, three times the legal limit for driving a car in Alberta. Security staff, gate agents and flight crew colleagues all reported his odd behavior and called authorities. We tested him approximately two hours after we took him into custody and he still blew at that extreme level, Calgary Police Sgt. Paul Stacey told Global News. So I cant tell you when he had his last drink but he was pretty high. So it probably wasnt too long before we took him into custody is my guess. The pilot, a Slovakian national working in Canada on a temporary permit, was to command the 737-800 first to Regina, Saskatchewan, to pick up more passengers before going on to Cancun. Sunwing found a replacement and the flight took off about two hours late. Police said they had to wait until the original pilot was sober enough to appear before a judge before they could charge him formally. The other incident took place on the other side of the world and the prelude was caught on video.

In that case, the pilot of a Citilink aircraft going from Surabaya, Indonesia, to Jakarta last Wednesday was hauled off the plane after passengers revolted when they heard him slurring his preflight announcements. Several of the 154 passengers got off the plane and demanded a replacement. He was also confronted in the cockpit but its not clear whether that was before or after the passenger complaints. That was also caught on cellphone video. The pilot, identified at Capt. Tekad Purna, was caught on a surveillance camera as he weaved his way through security, dropping the contents of his briefcase and other items on the floor before lurching toward his aircraft. Purna and two senior airline officials subsequently resigned. The pilot had committed serious violation of standard operation procedure that endangered passengers, President Director Albert Burhan told Western Journalism. We apologize for the discomfort. I have to be responsible for that and therefore I and my production director resign.
Charles Drexler/Twitter

Three people died when a Piper Arrow and a Luscombe collided near McKinney, Texas, Saturday. The aircraft were near Aero Country Airport when they came together. One crashed onto a road and another hit a storage yard and caught fire, burning some of the goods in the yard along with the airframe. The occupants havent been identified. There is no official word on the circumstances of the crash but witness Rodney Livermore had a clear view of the crash sequence.

They were making a turn and one of the planes slid into the other, Livermore told local media. You heard a loud crash and bang. One of them came straight down. The other one had a little control, but it was coming down. There was no stopping it. Aero Country Airport is privately owned, public use facility with a 435260-foot asphalt/turf runway (17/35) and is operated by the property owners at the airport.
31 December 2016 13:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Members of the Platform for Peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan have addressed the peoples of the two countries on the occasion of the New Year.

The outgoing year 2016 was remarkable for Armenians and Azerbaijanis for the creation of the Platform for Peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan by the citizens of our countries. For the first time during the whole period of confrontation, the civil society activists of Armenia and Azerbaijan have put forward an initiative to achieve the peace between our countries and to find a lasting solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through dialogue in the spirit of mutual consent and understanding, said the Platforms New Year address.



This initiative has enjoyed a broad public support from many political and public figures as evidenced by the positive feedback received by the members of the Platform. We firmly believe that the goals proclaimed by us will help broaden the cooperation with the members of the public in the two countries, with our initiative being supported by all the judicious citizens who stand for peace and happy future of their peoples.



We have no doubt that the principled and consistent cooperation of the all the peace-loving sides, which have united around the Platform for Peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, will help to rid our peoples of the hatred and enmity against each other, bring a solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the long-awaited and lasting peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.



However, unfortunately, the meaningless war is still knocking at the doors of our peoples, claiming the lives of young people, as it happened during yet another clash on the border on December 29, 2016. We extend our sincere condolences to the families of those killed in Azerbaijan and Armenia, added the Platform.



The future of our peoples lies entirely on our shoulders. The citizens of our countries expect to move forward, they want to go the path of development and progress. We are all responsible for the bright and peaceful future of our generations, said the Platform for Peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Let us stop wasting our power on hostility, accusations, grievance and quarrel, added the Platform.

The appeal was signed by:

From the Armenian side  Vahe Avetyan, human rights activist, writer; Vahan Martirosyan, leader of the public association National Liberation Movement of Armenia, Susan Jaghinyan, journalist, deputy chairman of the public association Meridian; Vahagn Karapetyan, member of the Writers Union of Armenia; Anahit Sinanyan, civic activist; Armen Karapetyan, civic activist.

From the Azerbaijani side  Rovshan Rzayev, member of the Management Board of the Azerbaijani Community of Nagorno-Karabakh; Kamil Salimov, professor of the Baku State University; Shalala Hasanova, journalist, chairman of the public association Support for the Development of Public Relations; Novella Jafarova, chairman of the public association Society for Protection of the Rights of Azerbaijani Women named after Dilara Aliyeva; Pervane Mammadova, civic activist; Rasim Agayev, member of the Union of Journalists of Azerbaijan.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
1 January 2017 18:36 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

This is an act of bloody terrorism against humanity that occurred during New Year's celebrations, Novruz Mammadov, deputy head of Azerbaijani presidential administration, chief of the administration's foreign relations department, tweeted on January 1.

"We always stand with the people of Turkey in fight against terrorism", Mammadov tweeted.

An attacker killed at least 39 people, including a police officer, in a gun attack on Reina, a popular night club in Istanbul, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu announced on January 1.

Sixty-nine people were also wounded in the attack that was carried out before 1:30 a.m.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
1 January 2017 14:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Two citizens of Azerbaijan were injured in the terrorist attack in Istanbul, Hikmet Hajiyev, spokesman for Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry, told Trend on January 1.

Azerbaijans Consulate General is now working closely with law enforcement agencies of Turkey, Hajiyev said.

An attacker killed at least 39 people, including a police officer, in a gun attack on Reina, a popular night club in Istanbul, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu announced on January 1.

Sixty-nine people were also wounded in the attack that was carried out before 1:30 a.m.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Thank you for reading!

Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading.
The Tyee has published my article Is English a Dying Language? Of Course. Excerpt:

The 2016 list of banished words is out, and they certainly deserve banishment. But the English language  at least the English I learned in the mid-20th century  has much graver problems.

Websters Third Dictionary came out in 1961 and triggered huge disputes in the print media  not to mention newfangled radio and TV. Websters Third was descriptive, not prescriptive. That is, it said this is the way people speak and write, instead of saying this is the correct way to speak and write. It even included the expression aint.

In hindsight, that dictionary may have done more to bring on the 1960s and the Me Decade of the 1970s more than LSD or the Vietnam War. The principle of Websters was Do your own thing, not Do what I tell you to do. While it scandalized prescriptivists, it liberated everyone else.

But it didnt quite liberate me or my generation. Wed gone to school in the 1940s and 1950s, when correct English was drilled into us. By Grade 8 or so, I could diagram a sentence on a blackboard like any other junior-high grunt. Breaking down a sentence into its parts was just a necessary skill for a mid-century kid, like dissecting a frog or stripping down a rifle.

But when I stumbled into teaching English in Vancouvers early community college system in 1967, I found myself at a loss. My students were just a few years younger than I, Canadas first baby boomers. But they seemed innocent of correct English as college students should understand the term.

So I spent the next 40 years or so teaching adults what Id learned in junior high, and watching their eyes glaze over as I tried to explain pronoun case, subject-verb agreement, and the difference between lay and lie.

English under siege

I was not alone. Twentieth-century English was under siege from 1970 on. Usage experts like William Safire and Edwin Newman fought side by side on the battlements against the barbarians. I stole their stuff to use as handouts, and it seemed to work.

I also used Chaucer with my students to show how spelling and pronunciation had changed since the 14th century. Chaucers English became the standard, I told them, because it was the dialect of London, where the money and power were. Now the money and power were on this side of the Atlantic, and various American dialects were contending to become the standard.

Correct English has always been the language of the rulers. Mark Twain shocked the world by writing good fiction in the dialect of small-town Missouri in the 1840s; in effect, like John the Baptist, he was prophesying who the new rulers would be.
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
A Hillsborough Air Force veteran is already planning to raise new flags outside his home after his old ones were stolen.

Tom Horan from Sun City Center was away on holiday trip

American flag and POW/MIA flag stolen from 30 foot flag pole

Horan's neighborhood home to many veterans, former military

It was supposed to be a fun holiday trip to visit his family in Texas. However, Air Force Veteran Tom Horan from Sun City Center told us someone took advantage of him while he was out of town.



"I was shocked," said Horan. "It was like a punch to the stomach."



Upon returning home, Horan found his American flag and POW/MIA flag at the top of his 30 foot flag pole were gone. The rope the flags were attached to, as well as a solar light used to keep the flags on display through the night, were also missing.



Horan filed a report with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, but it isn't likely the flag will be found or returned.



Horan served in the U.S. Air Force between 1960 and 1965 during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He traveled the world as a Military Police Officer, and often helped raise the flag wherever his company was stationed.



"It's a personal blow to me and the millions of American's that have been killed and the tens of millions that have been wounded," Horan said.



In the Kings Point neighborhood of Sun City Center where Horan lives, American flags fly outside dozens of homes. More than half the people that live in the neighborhood are former military.



The incident has only hardened the Horan's resolve to honor his country and the memory of soldiers lost and wounded. He said he plans to buy a new flag, and hopefully with some help from volunteers, he'll raise it soon.



Horan went on to say the new flag will be a bigger one, sending a message to the thief that the resolve of a veteran is one thing they can't take.
American Legion Post 173 in Holiday was packed for breakfast on New Years Day, but there was only one thing on everyones minds.

Everywhere you go, theyre talking about it, bartender Debra Nelms said. You can hear them.

Brazen burglar steals $10,000 from American Legion post

Burglary took place on Dec. 15

Burglar cut hole in roof to steal safe

Theyre talking about a burglary that happened there on December 15.

A burglar cut a hole in the roof, made their way through the attic area and cut a second hole in the ceiling to drop into a back office. Once inside, they grabbed a small safe containing $10,000 in cash and hoisted it back through the hole in the ceiling.

The burglar used a power saw to cut a hole in the roof to get inside @BN9 pic.twitter.com/Mai32evZkb  Sara Belsole (@sbelsole) January 1, 2017

The burglary took about one minute and was caught on surveillance cameras.

"Somebody knew the layout of the building, Mark Eherts, who does maintenance at the post, said. It wasnt just a random job. Its someone who knows the building."

Eherts said most of the money inside the safe was raised to provide service dogs to disabled veterans.

"Its sickening, Eherts said. Its sickening because we raise money for the vets that serve us and we are trying to give back and someone comes in and takes the money and go."

The thief left a power saw behind on the roof.

The American Legion post added a camera on the roof to bulk up security.

Two weeks after the burglary, the VFW across the street was also burglarized.

"Its just crazy, Nelms said. I just cant believe this. Its scary."

The Pasco County Sheriffs Office said the burglar was picked up by a red-colored Toyota Tundra that fled east bound on Bartelt Road.

If you have any information, call 1-800-706-2488 or leave a tip on the Pasco County Sheriffs Office website.


To continue following the latest news and information for Bedfordshire and surrounding areas, simply enter your full postcode below
A man and a pensioner rushed to hospital following an attack by a group in Portrush early on Sunday.

Two men have been arrested following an attack in Portrush which left two needing hospital treatment.

Shortly before 3am on Sunday it was reported that a group of males had assaulted two men and smashed the windows of a car and damaged a window of a house in the area.

A 44-year-old man was taken to hospital for treatment for a suspected broken arm and bruising to his body, and a 69-year-old man was taken to hospital for treatment for lacerations to his head.

Police arrested two men, aged 32 and 34, following an incident in the Dhu Varren Park area of Portrush during the early hours of this morning, Sunday 01 January.

The two suspects were arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, criminal damage and possession of an offensive weapon.

They have since been released pending further police investigation.

Detective Sergeant Gallagher is appealing for anyone who witnessed the incident or anyone with any information that can assist with the investigation to contact Detectives in Coleraine on 101 quoting reference number 373 of 01/01/17.

Information can also be passed anonymously via the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Airlines operating UK-bound flights from Heathrow will now pay 10 less per passenger

A cut in domestic passenger charges at Heathrow Airport has come into force.

Airlines operating UK-bound flights from the west London hub will now pay 10 less per passenger, which represents a saving of more than a third compared with last year's price.

Heathrow claimed passengers could save more than 500 million over the next 20 years if the discount is reflected in lower air fares.

The airport's plan to build a third runway ha s been chosen as the Government's preferred option for increasing capacity in south-east England.

Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye said: " Heathrow promised to do more to help Britain's economy grow stronger. I'm delighted that we're able to come good on that promise with our new 10 domestic discount.

"Putting over 500 million back into the pockets of British families and businesses will help to spur growth in every part of the UK."

From January 1 departing domestic flight charges for point-to-point and transfer passengers fell by 35%, to 19.13 and 14.35 respectively.

This reduction is set to last through to 2037 as long as it is "in the public interest and there is a justification", a Heathrow spokesman said.

The airport commissioned economic consultancy Frontier to carry out r esearch into the impact of the discount, which revealed that passengers flying to Edinburgh could save the most money at an estimated 6.2 million each year.

This is followed by Aberdeen (3.9 million), Manchester (3.3 million) and Belfast (3.2 million).

Tony Hallwood, a director at Leeds Bradford Airport, said: " This is welcome news, showing commitment to invest in and grow regional air connectivity between Leeds Bradford Airport and London Heathrow.

"British Airways have now carried over 500,000 passengers on the London Heathrow route and the lowering of charges will help to stimulate further growth in demand."

The 500 million figure published by Heathrow takes into account its proposals for up to 25,000 more annual flights from 2021, which could see new domestic routes to destinations such as Newquay, Liverpool and Dundee.

A draft National Policy Statement setting out why the Government believes a third runway at Heathrow is the best airport expansion option for the UK is expected to be published in the coming weeks, with the launch of a public consultation.

From March regional airline Flybe will begin serving the airport for the first time. It will operate 40 flights per week to Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

:: Here are the total estimated savings for passengers through to 2037 as a result of the reduction in domestic route charges, according to Frontier:

Aberdeen 82 million

Belfast 66 million

Edinburgh 130 million

Glasgow 73 million

Leeds Bradford 18 million

Manchester 69 million

Newcastle 45 million

Inverness 23 million

Prospective new routes 52 million.
Parts of the UK are set to be gripped by icy conditions, as a cold snap kicks off the new year.

A "yellow" weather warning for ice has been issued for Scotland, Northern Ireland, the North of England and the East Midlands, the Met Office said.

Icy patches are likely to form on roads and pavements as temperatures dip below freezing on Sunday evening and overnight into Monday.

Showers of rain, sleet and snow are expected, and higher ground in the affected areas could accumulate between 2-5 cm of snow.

The warning extends until 11am on Monday, with people being warned they could experience "difficult driving conditions and slippery pavements".

Met office forecaster Emma Boorman said it was a cold start to the year that could see large parts of the UK wake up to frost.

Temperatures in parts of Scotland and the North of England could "quite easily" reach as low as minus 4 or 5C (23-25F), she said, due to a large area of high pressure allowing northerly winds to bring cold air into the UK.

Warning motorists to be aware of icy spots she said: "Take extra caution on the roads, leave extra time. There could be a few icy patches on untreated surfaces, and the showers could be quite nasty too.

"If you do run into a shower, particularly in the northern third of Scotland, there could be a wintry element of sleet and snow particularly up on the hills.

"Because the breeze is coming in from the north, we tend to see the showers mostly affecting the coasts of Scotland, England and Northern Ireland," she added.

Towards the south of the country, she said: "There's been an awful lot of cloud and rain through the course of the day so overnight that's going to be finally making its clearance and the temperatures will be falling away accordingly, so not quite as cold as it will be further north but still a chilly night."

Large swathes of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland could wake up to a light frost on Monday morning, she added.

The South East was the only place that could be immune because it was the area which had held on to the cloud and rain the longest on Sunday, with temperatures of around 2-3C (36-37F).
The pilot scheme involved the Drake Music NI charity and post-graduate students from Queen's University

Teenagers whose disabilities prevent them playing ordinary instruments have taken part in a pioneering project working with technology experts to design alternative ways to make music.

The pilot scheme involving the Drake Music NI charity and post-graduate students from Queen's University enabled five young people to design their own bespoke control units using the latest computer science.

Drake Music NI's tutor and chief executive Michelle McCormack wants the initiative to be rolled out in special needs schools, day centres and arts venues across Northern Ireland to help unlock musical creativity in many more children and adults with disabilities or learning difficulties.

For the past 25 years, Drake has worked in Northern Ireland assisting people with a range of disabilities who want to play music but do not have the gestural control to play everyday instruments.

They create switch pads and control units to work with the body parts the students do have control over. They have studios in Belfast, Newry and Londonderry and make regular visits to schools and day centres.

The recent design project, in partnership with Queen's Sonic Arts Research Centre (SARC), took their work a step further by allowing students to get involved from the outset in a design process to create their own unique musical solution.

"This has given independence for someone who prior to this has had to be a passive music maker," said Dr McCormack.

"They are now active and it's their own sound. It's absolute independence on their own terms."

After initial discussions with students on what would suit them, the Queen's-recruited designers built individual electronic interfaces to play music through digital platforms. The process culminated with an ensemble performance at SARC in Belfast with the students using their tailor-made control units.

The project followed a similar design session involving a small group of adult students.

Dr McCormack said the success of the two initiatives had paved the way for more widespread use of the technology. She is now aiming to raise the necessary funds.

"On a wider level, disability arts and music are important for creating a truly inclusive society and they contribute to the work happening in wider society to counter the discrimination, marginalisation, misunderstandings and stigmatisation faced by disabled people," she said.

"That's why these kinds of events and inclusion in music making are so important."
Government officials have ruled out forcing the owner of Patrick Pearse's handwritten surrender letter to sell it to the state.

The note, which marked the end of the 1916 Rising, failed to reach the 1-1.5 million euro guide price at auction in December.

Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Heather Humphreys subsequently signed it into the Register of Cultural Objects - a tome of records held in Killarney - preventing the unidentified owner from taking it out of Ireland.

It is the first time anything other than a painting in the National Gallery has been put on the protective list.

Officials in the minister's office have since dismissed speculation that a compulsory purchase, known as a vesting order, was being lined up.

"The issue does not arise in this case," a spokesman for the department said.

But the minister has already raised the prospect of the owner availing themselves of a 1.2 million euro tax break if it is donated to the state.

Pearse wrote the letter in his prison cell on April 30 1916.

Auctioneers regarded it as one of the most historically significant artefacts from the rebellion years to have been offered publicly.

It was on display in the GPO.

The ownership of the letter was at the centre of a dispute in the run-up to auction as it was originally said to have been part of the archive of the Capuchin Franciscan Order of priests.

The order has stated that Capuchin priest Fr Columbus Murphy received the letter from Pearse, three days before his execution, to be delivered to the commander of the rebels in the Four Courts.

Stuart Cole, director of James Adam and Sons in Dublin where the auction was held earlier in the month, said the owner, who does not live in Ireland, intends to put the letter back on public viewing while the government considers its next move.

"The owners intend to put it back on public display rather than leaving it in a bank vault or an auctioneer's vault," he said.

Diarmaid Ferriter, professor of modern Irish history at University College Dublin, said: "The department was very clear and adamant that it was not going to buy the letter. There was no ambiguity.

"You'd have to wonder why the export licence was refused unless something has changed in the meantime. I suspect that maybe something is going on behind the scenes."

Professor Ferriter has no knowledge of government efforts to keep the letter in Ireland but said the entire controversy ignites debate about ownership of documents associated with the Rising and the foundation of the Republic.

The letter was withdrawn from sale in Dublin when bidding stopped at 770,000 euro.

The owner paid 800,000 euro for it at auction in 2005 despite a guide price as low as 50-70,000 euro.
Two migrants were injured scaling the 20ft fence and were taken to hospital by Spanish police

More than 50 Moroccan and Spanish border guards have been injured repelling about 1,100 African migrants who attempted to storm a border fence and enter Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta, according to Spanish authorities.

A regional government spokesman said 50 Moroccan and five Spanish officers were injured when hundreds of migrants tried to enter Spanish territory.

The spokesman said two migrants managed to reach Spanish soil. Both were injured scaling the 20ft border fence and were taken to hospital by Spanish police.

Another 100 migrants climbed the fence, but Spanish agents sent them straight back to Morocco.

Last month, more than 400 migrants breached the fence at Ceuta.

Hundreds of sub-Saharan African migrants living illegally in Morocco try to enter Ceuta and Melilla, Spain's other North African enclave, each year in hope of getting to Europe.

Most migrants who try to cross are intercepted on the spot and returned to Morocco. Those that make it over the fences are eventually repatriated or let go.

Thousands more try to reach Europe by crossing the Mediterranean Sea, often in small craft unfit for the open sea.

Also on Sunday, a ship of Spain's maritime rescue service rescued 52 migrants trying to reach Spain's southern coast in a small boat.

AP
Impeached South Korean President Park Geun-hye has vehemently rejected accusations that she conspired with a long-time friend to extort money and favours from companies, accusing her opponents of framing her.

In a meeting with a selected group of reporters, Ms Park denied giving her jailed friend, Choi Soon-sil, extraordinary sway over government decisions and dismissed allegations that her administration blacklisted thousands of artists for their political beliefs, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported.

It was the first time Ms Park had spoken to the media since South Korea's opposition-controlled parliament voted on December 9 to impeach her over the scandal, which has seen millions of people protest in recent weeks.

In her meeting with reporters, Ms Park denied the accusations, saying she was "totally framed", according to Yonhap.

"The matter is under investigation, so I can't make detailed explanations that might put both sides in trouble, but what I can assure you is that I have never conspired with anyone or did anything to give favours to someone, not even by a bit," Yonhap quoted her as saying.

The Constitutional Court has up to six months to decide whether she should be permanently removed from office or be reinstated. On Friday, the court said Ms Park cannot be forced to testify at her impeachment trial, which is about to enter its argument phase.

Ms Park's downfall came after state prosecutors in November accused her of colluding with her friend to bully companies into giving tens of millions of dollars to foundations controlled by Choi and also allowing Choi to interfere with government decisions from the shadows.

They have handed the investigation to a special prosecution team focusing on proving bribery suspicions between Ms Park and the Samsung Group, which is suspected of sponsoring Choi in exchange for government favours.

A former health ministry official was arrested on Saturday over suspicions that he forced the National Pension Service to support a merger between two Samsung affiliates last year.

The deal shaved the fund's stake in one of the companies by an estimated hundreds of millions of dollars, but allowed Samsung vice chairman Lee Jae-yong to promote a father-to-son succession of leadership and increase the group's corporate wealth.

Investigators are trying to confirm whether Ms Park instructed government officials to help the merger go through and then had them press Samsung to provide Choi with money and favours.

AP
Antonio Guterres has taken control of the United Nations but US support for the world body remains questionable (AP)

Antonio Guterres has begun the first day as the United Nations' new secretary general with a New Year appeal to the world: "Let us resolve to put peace first."

The former Portuguese prime minister and UN refugee chief made the plea just after taking over the reins of the United Nations from Ban Ki-moon, whose second five-year term ended at midnight on December 31.

Mr Guterres said the only way to help "the millions of people caught up in conflict, suffering massively in wars with no end in sight" was for people, governments and leaders to "strive to overcome our differences".

"All that we strive for as a human family - dignity and hope, progress and prosperity - depends on peace," he said.

Mr Guterres has said he will engage all governments "and, of course, also with the next government of the United States" and show his willingness to co-operate on "the enormous challenges that we'll be facing together".

But US president-elect Donald Trump has shown little interest in multilateralism, which Mr Guterres contends is "the cornerstone" of the UN and great attachment to the Republicans' "America First" agenda, saying the world body's 193 member states do nothing except talk and have a good time.

As Mr Guterres begins his five-year term facing conflicts from Syria and Yemen to South Sudan and Libya and global crises from terrorism to climate change, US support for the UN remains a question mark.

And it matters because the US is a veto-wielding member of the UN Security Council and pays 22% of the UN's regular budget and 25% of its peacekeeping budget.

Immediately after the United States allowed the security council to condemn Israeli settlements in the West Bank on December 23 in a stunning rupture with past practice, Mr Trump warned in a tweet: "As to the UN, things will be different after Jan 20th" - the day he takes office.

Mr Trump followed up three days later with another tweet questioning its effectiveness, saying: "The United Nations has such great potential but right now it is just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time. So sad!"

John Bolton, a conservative Republican and former US ambassador to the UN, said Mr Guterres would be well advised "especially given the incoming Trump administration" to follow the model of his predecessor Ban Ki-moon and do what member governments want.

If he tries to follow what Mr Ban's predecessor, Kofi Annan, did as secretary general and try to be the world's top diplomat and what some called "a secular pope", Mr Bolton said: "I think especially in the Trump administration, he would run into big trouble very quickly."

Mr Guterres has made clear that his top priority will be preventing crises and promoting peace.

In the first minute after taking over as UN chief on Sunday, he issued an "appeal for peace", urging all people in the world to make a shared New Year's resolution to put peace first.

"Let us make 2017 a year in which we all - citizens, governments, leaders - strive to overcome our differences," he said.

He has said there is enormous difficulty in solving conflicts, a lack of "capacity" in the international community to prevent them and the need to develop "the diplomacy for peace", which he plans to focus on.

Mr Guterres has said he will also strive to deal with the inequalities that globalisation and technological progress have helped deepen, creating joblessness and despair, especially among the world's youth.

"Today's paradox is that despite greater connectivity, societies are becoming more fragmented. More and more people live within their own bubbles, unable to appreciate their links with the whole human family," he said after his swearing-in.

Mr Guterres said the values enshrined in the UN Charter that should define the world that today's children inherit - peace, justice, respect, human rights, tolerance and solidarity - were threatened, "most often by fear".

"Our duty to the peoples we serve is to work together to move from fear of each other, to trust in each other, trust in the values that bind us, and trust in the institutions that serve and protect us," he said.

"My contribution to the United Nations will be aimed at inspiring that trust."

Mr Guterres won the UN's top job after receiving high marks from almost every diplomat for his performance in the first ever question-and-answer sessions in the General Assembly for the 13 candidates vying to replace Mr Ban, whose second five-year term ended at midnight on December 31.

In an interview during his campaign Mr Guterres said the role of secretary general should be "an honest broker, a consensus builder" who engages as much as possible, in many circumstances discreetly.

"It's not just to have a personal agenda, because it would be regrettable or ineffective, or to appear in the limelight. No. On the contrary, it's to act with humility to try to create the conditions for member states that are the crucial actors in any process to be able to come together and to overcome their differences," he said.

Whether the Trump administration will join him and UN efforts to tackle what he sees as "a multiplication of new conflicts" and the myriad problems on the global agenda remains to be seen.

Mr Guterres also wants to reform the UN to make it "nimble, efficient and effective", saying it must "focus more on delivery and less on process, more on people and less on bureaucracy" and ensure the more than 85,000 UN staff working in 180 countries are being used effectively.

AP
US President Elect Donald Trump has warned 'no computer is safe'

Donald Trump warned guests at his New Year's Eve party that no computer is safe and suggested people should send letters instead of emails for highly sensitive communications.

The US President-elect made his comments to reporters and celebrity guests, including actor Sylvester Stallone, who were gathered at his annual party at the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida.

Mr Trump, who claims to rarely use emails or computers in spite of his fondness for tweeting, said: You know, if you have something really important, write it out and have it delivered by courier, the old-fashioned way.

"Because I'll tell you what: No computer is safe. I don't care what they say.

Mr Trump has repeatedly cast doubt on claims Russian hacking was responsible for the leak of Hillary Clinton's private emails during the race for the White House.

He told his guests: I know a lot about hacking. And hacking is a very hard thing to prove, so it could be somebody else."

He cryptically claimed to know things that other people don't know, and so they cannot be sure of the situation".

President Barack Obama ordered sanctions against Russia this week, expelling 35 diplomats said by US intelligence to be spies.

The Russian Government has denied the allegations of espionage but President Vladimir Putin declined to retaliate by expelling US diplomats from Moscow.

That decision prompted Mr Trump to praise Mr Putin for being very smart.

Mr Trump plans to meet with intelligence officials next to week to learn more about the allegations of Russian espionage and has said he wants US officials to be sure, because it's a pretty serious charge".
Nacogdoches, TX (75965)

Today

Cloudy in the morning, then thunderstorms developing later in the day. High around 80F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms, some strong during the evening, then skies turning partly cloudy overnight. Damaging winds, large hail and possibly a tornado with some storms. Low 51F. SW winds shifting to NW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%.
In the ongoing discussion on the death penalty, which President Duterte wants to return so as to strengthen the rule of law, it is useful to note that the world - and the Philippines with it - has long debated this issue in the United Nations.





In 1966, the UN General Assembly, of which the Philippines is a founding member, adopted the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) which, together with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, make up what is known as the International Bill of Human Rights. The Philippines signed the ICCPR on December 19, 1966, and ratified it on October 23, 1986.





In 1989, the General Assembly adopted the Second Protocol on Civil and Political Rights, calling on all states to abolish the death penalty. The Protocol was a treaty signed by 83 states, including the Philippines. The Philippines signed the Protocol on September 20, 2006, and ratified it on September 20, 2007.





In between these 2 international agreements, the Philippines became the 1st Asian country to abolish the death penalty when the nation ratified the Constitution in 1987, but Congress could reimpose it should the need arise. In 1993, such a law was passed to address the rising criminality in the country. 7 convicts were executed in 1999, followed by a moratorium in observance of the Catholic Church's "Jubilee Year." In 2003, 2 men were about to be executed when new evidence came up that exonerated the 2.





All the while, the Commission on Human Rights vehemently opposed efforts to reimpose the death penalty. It said it was not convinced that the death penalty is the answer to rising criminality. The proper response, it said, lies in effective law enforcement, quick and impartial delivery of justice, and a responsive penal system. "To mete out to criminals the very final and irrevocable and inhuman verdict of death is tantamount to punishing them for the failure of the system," it declared.





Today we are again in the middle of debate on the death penalty. Right after he won the presidential election last May, President Duterte said he wanted Congress to restore the death penalty - by hanging - for convicts involved in illegal drugs, gun-for-hire syndicates, and for those who commit "heinous crimes" like rapists and robbers who kill their victims.





We are also in the middle of a nationwide anti-drug campaign in which thousands have already been killed, many allegedly for resisting arrest - moving some to ask if there is still need for a death penalty to discourage criminals.





The critical debate on this issue will soon be taking place in the halls of Congress. Along with all the legal arguments and all the Philippines' commitments to the international community, the Church has also weighed in against the ancient system of "a tooth for a tooth, a life for a life." More than a legal issue, it will be a moral and ethical one which will determine what we really are as a people.

 | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE!

Source: tempo.com.ph, Editorial, December 30, 2016
Disused gallows in Smyrna prison, Delaware, 1991

In employing the death penalty, the U.S. insists it abides by international law. But it declines to make the most important international commitment - to reject the penalty as a violation of human rights.





Last week, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a resolution calling for a worldwide "moratorium on the use of the death penalty" - the 6th that the U.N. has approved in the past decade. Each one has gained the support of more of the organization's members. The latest vote was 117 countries in favor to 409 against. (31 abstained, and 5 did not vote.) In addition to a call for a halt to executions worldwide, the resolution urges countries that maintain the death penalty to increasingly restrict its imposition and to apply international laws that protect the rights of those facing the penalty. The rights include that a death sentence may be imposed only for the "most serious crimes," defined as intentional crimes that have "lethal or other extremely grave consequences," and that execution be carried out only after "a final judgment rendered by a competent court," following a legal process that insures a fair trial and that provides access to appeal to a higher court and the opportunity to seek a pardon or a commutation of the sentence.





At the General Assembly, the United States cast one of the nay votes. Stefanie Amadeo, the deputy representative to the U.N. Economic and Social Council, explained the country's position, which is basically unchanged since the U.S. opposed the 1st resolution against the death penalty, in 2007: "The ultimate decision regarding these issues must be addressed through the domestic democratic processes of individual Member States and be consistent with their obligations under international law," which does not prohibit capital punishment. The position reflects the American reality of supporting the death penalty in principle, but increasingly outlawing it in practice. As Jeffrey Toobin reported recently, the U.S. maintains the death penalty under federal and military law and under the laws of 31 states - even though only 5 states conducted executions in 2016 and executed only 20 people in total, the lowest number in 25 years.





Global norms

The U.S. stresses the importance of observing global norms. "Just as the United States is committed to complying with its international obligations," Amadeo said, "we strongly urge other countries that employ the death penalty to do so only in full compliance with their international obligations." Meanwhile, in the past 40 years, the U.S. Supreme Court has increasingly sought to restrict the application of the death penalty to the worst of the worst offenders - 1st, to people who commit the most heinous murders and, then, only to adults who commit them, excluding youth under the age of 18. In addition, it generally takes a decade or more for a state to carry out an execution because of challenges to a death sentence allowed under due process of law.





Among the states with the death penalty, 12 have not carried out an execution for a decade or more, and another five have not executed anyone for at least 5 years. In California, where the last execution was in 2006, there were 750 people on death row as of December 2nd. Rather than being executed (the state has executed only 13 people since 1978) it is much more likely that a death-row inmate will die as a result of natural causes or suicide.





Roger Hood, an emeritus professor at Oxford, and Carolyn Hoyle, who directs Oxford's Centre for Criminology, last year published the 5th edition of "The Death Penalty: A Worldwide Perspective." Their book documents the many ways that people are sentenced to death in violation of international law - for drug-trafficking, for example, rather than for "the most serious crimes," in unfair proceedings and with no opportunity to ask for clemency, and while imprisoned in terrible conditions. These and other realities, they write, are moving "the debate about capital punishment beyond the view that each nation has, if it wishes, the sovereign right to retain the death penalty" to persuading "countries that retain the death penalty that it inevitably, and however administered, violates universally accepted human rights." Countries that employ the death penalty and insist that they are abiding by international law, including the U.S., decline to join in making the most important international commitment about the penalty, which is to reject it as a violation of human rights.





There has long been a gap between the idealism that the U.S. expresses when boasting of its dedication to the rule of law, especially the protection of individual rights, and the reality of its persistent refusal to abide by major international human-rights commitments. The U.S. was a leader in the development of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which the U.N. adopted in 1948, but stopped supporting the international system to carry it out because, among other reasons, Jim Crow laws directly violated the declaration. There is a sizable list of human-rights treaties - on the Rights of the Child, for example, and on the International Criminal Court - that the U.S. has signed but not ratified. Even when the U.S. ratifies treaties, the government often adds a caveat that excludes protection of some basic rights.





As a result, the U.S. has ended up in some rough company, particularly when it comes to the death penalty. In the past generation, the number of countries that have stopping using the death penalty has doubled, from about 50 to about 100. Of the 57 member states of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and of the 35 member states of the Organization of American States, only the U.S. carried out executions last year. The countries that executed the most offenders were, in order, China, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United States. China executed thousands of people, though its secrecy about its use of capital punishment makes it impossible to know exactly how many. Excluding China, Iran (with close to 1000 or more), Pakistan (326), and Saudi Arabia (158) executed almost 9 out of 10 people put to death worldwide - "often after grossly unfair trials," according to Amnesty International, and "for crimes - including drug trafficking, corruption, 'adultery,' and 'blasphemy' - that do not meet the international legal standards for the use of the death penalty." In 2015, according to Amnesty International, at least 1634 people were executed, an increase of more than 50 % from the year before and the highest number in a quarter of a century. (The organization expects to release figures for 2016 in the spring.)



The influence of the U.S. on the death penalty worldwide





The United States, in other words, ranks with countries that conspicuously are not in full compliance with their international obligations. And its responsibility is sometimes worse than guilt by association. As Maya Foa, the director of the death-penalty team at Reprieve, an international human-rights organization, told me, "The U.S. clearly leads and influences global death-penalty practice. Our partners, who are lawyers and human-rights defenders in jurisdictions that retain the penalty, tell us that the use of the death penalty by the U.S., a 'developed' nation, is used to justify the death-penalty practice in the jurisdictions they work in." Reprieve is providing legal and investigative assistance to people facing execution in 11 countries, in Africa, the Middle East, and South and Southeast Asia, and in the U.S.





In August at a rally in Istanbul, after the failed coup attempt in Turkey, the BBC reported, the country's President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said, "They say there is no death penalty in the E.U. ... Well, the U.S. has it; Japan has it; China has it; most of the world has it. So they are allowed to have it. We used to have it until 1984. Sovereignty belongs to the people, so if the people make this decision I am sure the political parties will comply." He said that the Turkish people might want to restore the death penalty to punish those responsible for killing hundreds of citizens during the attempted coup. That has not happened yet, but, if it does, its purpose, Erdogan suggested, will be a display of cold-blooded power.





The influence of the U.S. on the death penalty worldwide has sometimes been constructive. In 1976, for example, when the Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional for a state to make the death penalty mandatory for any crime, it marked the beginning of the decline of mandatory death sentences around the world. "The fundamental respect for humanity underlying the Eighth Amendment," the Court said, "requires consideration of the character and record of the individual offender and the circumstances of the particular offense."





The Indian Supreme Court employed this logic when it struck down the mandatory death sentence in the country's penal code, in 1983. The legislature, it held, could not compel judges "to shut their eyes to mitigating circumstances and inflict upon them the dubious and unconscionable duty of imposing a preordained sentence of death." More recently, the Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide reports, 18 other countries have followed suit and struck down the mandatory death penalty, including almost every Caribbean nation and Uganda, Malawi, and Kenya.



Replacing Justice Scalia





In their latest edition of "The Death Penalty," Hood and Hoyle write optimistically about the U.S. example: "Those who campaign for abolition worldwide can hope that it will not be many years before the U.S. Supreme Court will be able to find that the majority of states, in line with a majority of countries worldwide, does not support the death penalty for anyone." Donald Trump has said that he will replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia - the Court's most vehement defender of the death penalty for almost 30 years - with someone in his mold. But, even when that happens, there will be a possibility that Justice Anthony Kennedy will join the Court's moderate liberals in striking down the death penalty, for reasons Justice Stephen Breyer articulated in 2015: "The Court in effect delegated significant responsibility to the States to develop procedures that would" insure the fairness of the capital-punishment system, he wrote. "Almost 40 years of studies, surveys, and experience strongly indicate, however, that this effort has failed." If the Court continues to uphold the death penalty, on the other hand, the gap between the U.S. and a large and growing majority of the rest of the world will continue to increase.





Source: The New Yorker, Lincoln Caplan, December 31, 2016. Mr. Caplan, a former New Yorker staff writer, is a senior research scholar at Yale Law School and the author of the new book "American Justice 2016: The Political Supreme Court."

 | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE!
When Albany resident Sandra Davis walked out to her car the day before Thanksgiving, she discovered it had been towed. She was parked in a handicap space at her Santiam Terrace apartment, which she is authorized to do, but she had forgotten to hang her permit on her rear-view mirror.

According to the Albany Police Department, her car was never supposed to be towed in the first place. When the driver from Portland-based Retriever Towing called police at 1:30 a.m. to check if the car was allowed to be in the spot, dispatcher Shawna Weaver-Fallert said it was, and directed the driver not to tow it. But the driver towed it anyway.

The tow cost Davis $470, and she had to go all the way up to Salem to get her car back.

The incident caught the ear of Albany Mayor Sharon Konopa. She wants to make it harder for towing companies to prey on residents, and so has directed her staff to look into ordinances from other communities that cap fines and limit the way tow drivers can decide to hook a car up. As it stands, Albany has no law to address such behavior.

Theyre definitely price-gouging and taking advantage of vulnerable populations, she said.

Konopa isn't the only government official taking a look at the practice of towing companies: A state legislator says he's planning to introduce a bill that would place restrictions on the way towing companies can do business. Sen. Chuck Riley of Hillsboro is blunt when he describes how some towing companies do business: "What they do is they steal cars," he said.

Towing fees

Davis' neighbor, Ann Smith, had her car towed for the same reason last Christmas Eve. She had to pay $500 to get hers back.

"That was a really nice Christmas Eve present, to go through that," she said.

Davis has lived at Santiam Terrace for 10 years, while Smith has been a resident for three. Both said there were no parking issues before Retriever Towing contracted with the management company a little over a year ago.

"There's no reason for any of these apartments to have towing companies coming around," said Smith.

Absent any laws to cap the fines drivers can charge, Davis and Smith, like many others, were at the mercy of the driver. She said when she traveled to Salem to get her car, she asked what would have happened had she been there when the driver hooked up her car.

He said, If you get smart with them, they will jack the price. They can set their rate, she said. Theyre bottom feeders, thats all they are.

Contracts

In the case of Retriever Towing and Santiam Terrace, the company has a contract with the apartment complex to tow vehicles that are blocking fire lanes or in violation of other rules.

But the parameters under which tow drivers can decide to take a car are vague. Unlike law enforcement, which will tow a car only if it is blocking traffic of safety corridors, companies like Retriever can tow any vehicle violating posted conditions. These include parking backward in a spot or having not displaying a handicapped parking permit.

Cascade Management, the company that maintains Santiam Terrace, did not respond to emails requesting information regarding their contract with the towing company.

Retriever Towing also did not respond to multiple requests for an interview.

But it's a situation that's familiar to Albany police officers.

Albany Police Lt. Brad Liles said he regularly encounters vehicles he could simply have towed, but he first attempts to contact the driver or issue a warning.

If its not blocking traffic, then we dont tow it, he said. But the drivers (for the towing companies) have a monetary incentive to take the car.

Chris Schendel, code compliance officer with the Albany Police Department, said he regularly deals with such scenarios.

Its an environment thats ripe for abuse, he said. I cant imagine being in subsidized housing and being hit with a $400 tow bill.

Albany Police Capt. Eric Carter added that towing companies with contracts will patrol for cars they can take.

The bottom line is they drive down here looking to find violations, he said.

While larger contract towing companies sometimes operate under what has been called predatory towing practices, the smaller, local companies will avoid it, according to Van Beckner, the president of Albany-based AA Towing president.

Nobody in Albany does them because theyre bad business. he said, but he noted that a company coming down from Portland doesn't have to worry about burning bridges in the community.

Beckner said there is a need for tow companies to maintain the rules in apartment complexes, but also that the rates need to be regulated.

Its definitely something that ought to be reworked, he said, adding that companies like Retriever know they can make money by patrolling late at night.

At two in the morning, youre going to get cars, he said.

And while Beckner avoids the predatory towing business, he also said he makes sure to charge between $150 and $200 per tow, which is within the boundaries of Portlands fee limit for towing.

The law

According to Oregon Revised Statute 98.812, tow truck drivers are required to take a photograph of the infraction and keep it on record. They must also provide the license plate number to police before towing. In terms of fees towing companies can charge, the statute reads, "A tower is entitled to a lien on a towed vehicle and its contents for the tower's just and reasonable charges and may retain possession thereof until the just and reasonable charges for the towage, care and storage of the towed vehicle have been paid," assuming that the tower has complied with a variety of stated conditions.

Riley, the state senator from Hillsboro, said he believes his new bill will fix loopholes in the law: First, he said, the bill would put some restraints on the towing companies: They would have to be summoned to deal with specific parking violations. The bill also strengthens the requirements on towing companies to provide documentation of infractions. The law as written does require a driver to take a photo of the vehicle and the alleged infraction.

But the law left a gap, Riley said: "When we wrote the law back in 2007, we forgot to say, 'And you have show it to somebody.'"

Riley said because the drivers aren't required to show the photo, they never do.

"Oh, they are just the worst," he said. "So if we can get the person who authorizes the tow to sign off, but also require the driver to actually show that signature to authorities, hopefully this time we'll have the solution."

For her part, Konopa said it may be difficult for a municipality to regulate the prices towing companies charge, but part of her hope is to possibly regulate where a towed car can be taken.

Maybe we can pass an ordinance that says they cant take the car outside of Albany, she said.

She expects to see suggestions from city staffers this month.

Corvallis City Manager Mark Shepard said his city does not have any ordinances on the books to stop predatory towing, but said when it becomes aware of such practices, it moves to drop the company as a service provider to the city. Like Albany, Corvallis does not have ordinances in place to govern towing contracts between a company and a private entity.

In the meantime, Sen. Riley said he has support for his bill among his legislative colleagues, but allowed there might be some opposition.

"When you put something in place to regulate a problem, the people who are abusing it will always oppose it," he said.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said that water charges will not be the issue to bring down the Government.

The minority coalition has pledged for a vote on charges in the Dail by the end of March.
Turkish police are hunting a gunman who opened fire at an Istanbul nightclub during new year celebrations, killing at least 39 people and wounding nearly 70 in what authorities said was a terror attack.

The attacker, wearing a Santa Claus hat at one point and armed with a long-barrelled weapon, killed a policeman and a civilian outside the Reina club at around 1.15am. He then entered and fired on people inside, governor Vasip Sahin said.

CCTV footage shows that the assailant wore a Santa Claus hat for part of the attack, which unfolded despite increased security measures.

The footage, obtained by AP from Haberturk newspaper, shows the male assailant dressed in black and carrying a rucksack as he shoots the police officer.

Footage taken by a different camera shows him inside the club in Istanbul's Ortakoy area wearing different clothes and a Santa Claus hat.

Reina owner Mehmet Kocarslan, interviewed by Dogan news agency, said police had boosted security measures in the wealthy neighbourhood and its vicinity.

The measures included tents at key locations with a 24-hour police presence and complementary efforts by the coast guard at sea.

"Despite all these precautions by police forces, unfortunately this painful event took place. We don't know what to say," he added. "We are at the point where all words end."

Three Lebanese citizens were wounded in the shooting, including the daughter of a member of parliament, Lebanon's Foreign Ministry has said.

The ministry said via state media the three Lebanese were lightly wounded. It said they were the daughter of Estephan El Douaihy and two men.

An Israeli woman has also been identified as one of the victims. Israel's foreign ministry said 18-year-old Leanne Nasser from the Israeli-Arab town of Tira was killed.

She was celebrating with three friends at the nightclub when the gunman broke in and opened fire. Her friend Ruaa Mansour, also 18, was moderately wounded and another two friends were unharmed.

Turkish interior minister Suleyman Soylu said the attacker, who has not been identified, is still at large, adding: "Our security forces have started the necessary operations. God willing he will be caught in a short period of time."

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: "I vehemently condemn the terror attack in Istanbul's Ortakoy neighbourhood in the first hours of 2017."

Offering his condolences for those who lost their lives, including "foreign guests", Mr Erdogan added: "Turkey continues its combat against terror and is absolutely determined to do whatever is necessary in the region to ensure its citizens' safety and peace."

Mehmet Dag, 22, saw the suspect shoot at a police officer and a bystander. "I was in shock at the scene," he said.

Mr Dag said the suspect then targeted security, gunning them down and entering the club. "Once he went in, we don't know what happened. There were gun sounds and after two minutes, the sound of an explosion," he said.

IPhone footage filmed by Mr Dag shows a police officer lying on the ground outside the club, and then a woman. Mr Dag tells the woman, who is lying on the floor face down in a pool of blood, "my sister, you will get better".

He calls an ambulance and footage shows ambulances and the lights of an Istanbul bridge when the sound of gunfire rings out inside the club.

Another witness, Sinem Uyanik, said she saw several bodies inside the club and her husband Lutfu Uyanik was wounded but not seriously.

"Before I could understand what was happening, my husband fell on top me," she said outside Istanbul's Sisli Hospital. "I had to lift several bodies from on top of me before I could get out."

The private NTV news channel said the assailant entered the nightclub, on the European side of the Bosporus waterway, dressed in a Santa Claus outfit. The minister said the attacker is believed to have carried out the assault alone and left the club wearing different clothing.

At least 15 of the dead were foreign nationals, Mr Soylu said. Five of the victims were identified as Turkish nationals while authorities were still trying to identify the rest.

At least 69 people were being treated in hospital, four in serious condition, Mr Soylu added. Three or four of the Turkish victims may have been employees at the nightclub, he said.

About 600 people were celebrating inside the club that is often frequented by famous locals, including singers, actors and sports stars.

"This was a massacre, a truly inhuman savagery," Mr Soylu said.

Mr Sahin said: "Unfortunately (he) rained bullets in a very cruel and merciless way on innocent people who were there to celebrate new year and have fun."

Some customers jumped into the waters of the Bosporus to escape the attack, the NTV report said.

Police with riot gear and machine guns backed up by armoured vehicles blocked the area close to the club, one of the most popular nightspots in Istanbul.

The White House condemned what it called a "horrific terrorist attack" and offered US help to Turkey.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent Mr Erdogan a message, saying: "It is hard to imagine a more cynical crime than killing innocent people during new year celebrations. However, terrorists don't share moral values. Our common duty is to combat terrorists' aggression."

German chancellor Angela Merkel sent her condolences to the victims, saying "terrorists ... have carried out an inhumane and devious attack on people who wanted to celebrate the New Year together".

"My thoughts this morning are with the victims, their families and friends," she said.

Lebanese president Michel Aoun condemned the attack in a letter to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying all countries should coordinate in fighting terrorism.

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini tweeted: "Our thoughts are with victims and their loved ones. We continue to work to prevent these tragedies."

Pope Francis decried the attack, carried out on what he called a "night of good-wishes and hope".

He told pilgrims and tourists in St Peter's Square in Rome that he was close in prayer to the many dead and to their families, to the wounded and the entire Turkish people.

- AP
US president-elect Donald Trump has said "no computer is safe" when it comes to keeping information private, expressing new scepticism about the security of online communications.

Mr Trump, who rarely uses email or computers despite his frequent tweeting, told reporters during his annual New Year's Eve party at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida: "You know, if you have something really important, write it out and have it delivered by courier, the old-fashioned way.

"Because I'll tell you what: no computer is safe. I don't care what they say."

Mr Trump has repeatedly cast aside allegations by US intelligence agencies that Russia tried to influence the presidential election through hacking.

US intelligence services believe Russia ordered cyber-attacks on the Democratic National Committee (DNC), Hillary Clintons campaign and other political organizations, in a bid to influence the election in favor of Trump. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and FBI released an analysis of the allegedly Russian government-sponsored hacking groups blamed for the breaches.

Earlier this week Barack Obama ordered sanctions on Russian spy agencies, closed two Russian compounds and expelled 35 diplomats the US accused of being spies.

The Russian government has denied the allegations.

'I know a lot about hacking'

Mr Trump, who has said that he plans to meet intelligence officials next to week to learn more about the allegations, wants them "to be sure because it's a pretty serious charge".

He pointed to intelligence failures over the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq before the US invasion and declared himself an expert in the area.

"I know a lot about hacking. And hacking is a very hard thing to prove, so it could be somebody else," he said.

He added, cryptically, that he also knows "things that other people don't know. And so they cannot be sure of the situation".

During the Trump party, hundreds of guests gathered in the Mar-a-Lago grand ballroom, including action star Sylvester Stallone and romance novel model Fabio. Reporters were invited to watch as guests arrived.

Earlier, Mr Trump gave his press pool the slip, travelling to play golf at one of his clubs without journalists on hand to ensure the public had knowledge of his whereabouts.

A member of his golf club in Jupiter, Florida, posted a photo on Twitter of Mr Trump on the greens on Saturday morning and said about 25 US Secret Service agents accompanied the president-elect. Reporters had not been advised of the visit.

Transition aide Stephanie Grisham confirmed Mr Trump had made a "last-minute trip" to Trump National Golf Club Jupiter, about a half-hour drive from Mar-a-Lago. He returned to the estate at mid-afternoon.

Ms Grisham said that she and other aides were not aware of the trip and "appreciate everyone's understanding".

"We are in the home stretch of this transition period and don't anticipate any additional situations like this between now and inauguration," she said.

Mr Trump, both as a candidate and during the transition, has often scoffed at tradition, such as allowing a group of reporters to follow him at all times to ensure the public knows where he is.

Not long after his election he went out to dinner with his family in Manhattan without informing the pool of his whereabouts.

The practice is meant to ensure that journalists are on hand to witness, on behalf of the public, the activities of the president or president-elect, rather than relying on second-hand accounts.

The White House also depends on having journalists nearby at all times to relay the president's first comments on breaking news.

Trump aides appear to have made an effort in recent weeks to offer additional access, allowing reporters to camp out outside a doorway at Mar-a-Lago to document staff and cabinet candidates' arrivals and departures.

Aides are also providing information about his meeting schedule.

Every president and president-elect in recent memory has travelled with a pool of journalists when leaving the White House grounds.

News organisations take turns serving in the small group, paying their way and sharing the material collected in the pool with the larger press corps.

Before he went golfing on Saturday, Mr Trump tweeted an unusual New Year's message to friends and foes: "Happy New Year to all, including to my many enemies and those who have fought me and lost so badly they just don't know what to do. Love!"

With the arrival of 2017, another New Year's message moved on his Twitter account at about midnight.

This one was decidedly more upbeat and carefully prepared - illustrated with a photo that included his holiday message next to it, including a hashtag and abbreviation referring to his campaign slogan: Make America Great Again.
Dorothy F. Buckingham, age 91, formerly of Corvallis, died Dec. 26 in Monroe. Please share your thoughts and memories for the family at www.demossdurdan.com

Barry G. Brandt, age 74, died Dec. 24 at his Monroe home. Please share your thoughts and memories for the family at www.demossdurdan.com

Diane K. Wheatley, 68, formerly of Corvallis, died Dec. 20 at home in Yuma, Arizona. A celebration of life will be held at a later date.

Laretta Marie Childers, 79, of Sweet Home passed away Dec. 29. Sweet Home Funeral Chapel is handling arrangements (www.sweethomefuneral.com)
Another rate cut by the US Fed was not en-ough to bring the oil prices down significantly. The rate cuts are not...
Peter Spicer at home with some of his ANU Refectory band memorabilia from the 1990s. Credit:Rohan Thomson Everyone has a favourite ANU Bar story. But Peter Spicer, former events manager of the ANU Refectory, easily has the best. Spicer was the refectory's events manager between 1992 and 1997: a time before online music streaming and Facebook when bands actually had to hit the road to gain any significant exposure. "That was the most prolific time in Australian touring history for international and Australian touring artists," he said.

"It was just prolific - you just had great Australian bands like Midnight Oil, Hunters and Collectors, The Church - just all the great Australian bands of that particular era touring and it was commonality to see them once a month at the ANU. "Touring was like their bread and butter and it was without the Facebooks and Twitters we have now so the promotion was really in your face with a lot of posters - it was a totally different marketing environment." Thanks to Spicer, "I saw them before they hit the big time" has become the catch-cry of ANU Bar regulars from a number of decades. "The highlight was just seeing bands come through - new bands," Spicer said. "I remember Beasts of Bourbon were touring and touring manager Kate Stewart said, 'Pete I've got this new band coming out with Beasts called You Am I,' and I remember just saying, 'Jeez that's a silly name."'

"That was it. These bands were coming up through the ranks - you'd see them rise to fame - watching Tex Perkins come through with the Cruel Sea and watching them play to 100 people - and then four months later playing to a 1700 capacity room. "It was crazy and I remember bringing these huge bands to Canberra - these humungous bands from the States - and they were essentially just playing in an eatery!" The crowds grabbed their beers and rolled in for hip-hop, Australian rock, indie and even country music over the years. And each November between 1990 and 1996, the nation's metal fans would roll in for Metal for the Brain, a charity concert that got its start at the ANU Refectory and played there for six years. It drew the best metal bands from across Australia and is one of former Alchemist frontman Adam Agius's favourite ANU Bar memories. Metal for the Brain was established as a fundraiser for Canberra teenager Alec Hurley, who, in 1990, was rendered a quadriplegic after a fight outside a Canberra nightclub.

"It was the highlight of every band's touring schedule - if you got a spot at Metal for the Brain at the end of the year, you had a successful year," Agius said. "We'd often put on bands that weren't popular but were really trying. And I suppose at that stage we [with fellow bandmate Rod Holder] were the two most influential people on the metal scene in Australia. "At the end of the day we knew we'd made some money for a good cause and we'd brought the entire metal community together, it was great - I've got nothing but fond memories." Alchemist played more than 30 gigs at the bar over the year, and the musicians would hit gigs like Mud Honey and The Young Gods in the mid-90s for inspiration."[Knowing the bar is closing] has been hard to deal with - I've got so many great memories at the ANU but you know what? Change - you can't stop it," Agius said. "It's not good to lose venues - music at a grass roots level is becoming a thing of the past - people are only interested in superstars or going to the pub and listening to a blues cover band.

"I know the plans [for Union Court] are all in flux and this could go one way or the other but I'd be shocked if they didn't provide at least one live music venue, so look - one thing dies, and a new thing arises." What does Peter Spicer reckon we need in a new venue at ANU? "If they're targeting the live music scene then it has to compete with other venues around Australia in providing the infrastructure and production values," he said. "It's an old building - it's gotta come up with the times, you can hold on to history and hold on to the memories but that was 25 years ago and it has to change. "It has to be a relevant venue and it has to cater for a new audience and that'll be a wonderful thing."

So many gigs, so many stories. We asked three Canberrans to share their favourite ANU Bar memories. Public Enemy, 1997 Public Enemy. Credit:Gabriel Wilder Back in the late '90s, Public Enemy toured to Canberra.

Out of sheer curiosity, a large proportion of Canberra's indie crowd (myself included) forked out the $40 (heaps back then) for tickets and went along to the ANU Bar. I, for one, was not going to miss it for the world, which is silly, really, because today, I remember relatively little about the show itself, although I recall there were several  as in six or seven - large dancers in complex black costumes whose main role was to strike poses along the edge of the stage, and the crowd was filled with a remarkably diverse cross-section of Canberra's live-music-loving community. I wasn't much of a fan then and I can't truly say I am now, but it goes down as a particularly memorable night, both as a uni bar gig and a night on the town. There had been some preposterous rumour going round that the band's official after-party would be held at the Red Room (now Hippo Bar). The place was completely packed, when suddenly someone looking out the window saw a black van with tinted windows pull up in Garema Place.

Sure enough, the whole group suddenly appeared at the top of the stairs, and before anyone could say "Shake Your Booty", Chuck D had taken over the music. Flavor Flav, wearing an eccentrically large clock around his neck, actually called me a "pretty lady". The whole night lasted well into the wee hours as everyone shook their booties and fought the various powers that  were, back then. Sally Pryor

Canberra Times Arts Editor Nirvana, 1993 Nirvana played ANU Bar just weeks after Nevermind went platinum. Credit:Andrew Meares

Steve Hyde had booked the gig in through Steve It was at the inception of grunge - when Nevermind came out it was a pretty groundbreaking record. So then they toured and they played the bar - at the time the capacity was 1790 people - there were more than that inside and there was probably 2000 or 3000 people outside just having a look because it had sold out quite quickly. It escalated quite badly because Channel 10 turned up with their camera crew just to get some shots of the gig and as soon as they turned the camera light on and started taking footage the outside crowd just went beserk. They were breaking down the glass doors, ripping them off the hinges - you know, it went down as one of those legendary gigs, if you weren't there, you should have been.

The sad part was Nirvana weren't actually that crash hot!



Peter Spicer

Former Events Manager, ANU Refectory, and founder of BMA Magazine Powderfinger, 1996 Powderfinger. The first real concert I went to was Powderfinger supported by Jebediah in 1996 at the ANU Bar. I remember it for also being the first time I crowd-surfed, after which I was told unceremoniously that people "my size" shouldn't crowd-surf.

In the past few years, Cell Block 69 have been responsible for some of the most fun nights I've had at the Bar. I'll be sad to see it go. I heard the ANU Drama Lab is also going [as part of the redevelopment of Union Court]. I performed my first solo Canberra Comedy Festival show "Man Baby" at the ANU Drama Lab in 2014. Both people who attended thought it was very funny. It was a great place to perform, you just got the sense that some great performers had done amazing things there in the past. One of them was definitely not my role in the Secret Show in last year's Canberra Comedy Festival.
The first time Mark Parton was told he couldn't do something, he was 11 years old.

He had recorded a phantom call of the 1977 Melbourne Cup on to a cassette and brought it into school to show his mates.

New Liberal Member for Brindabella Mark Parton. Credit:Jamila Toderas

Even though he sounded like Mickey Mouse, everyone reckoned it was pretty cool and he started producing them more often.

But Parton was told he would never become a professional race caller because he was colour blind.
When Kenan Toker enrolled to study electrical engineering specialising in power generation, he thought he would be training for a job in a growth industry full of opportunities.

But after graduating with his engineering degree earlier this year, Mr Toker, 24, from the Sydney suburb of Mosman, struggled to find a job.

"When I started studying I thought of it as the up-and-coming area," he said. "A lot of electrical power infrastructure around Sydney needs to be replaced over the next 10 or 15 years. That was a big part of me choosing that field.

"But there seem to be very few opportunities available."
Welcome to the first Column 8 of 2017 with two messages.

"May the quest for a gentler tomorrow, a worthier self and a better world inspire us all to lament and protest, praise and reproach, smile at life and above all not take ourselves too seriously in 2017," writes Meri Will, DY.

While from Ron Elphick of Buff Point. "Sir, So, now, like yeah, y'know? Stay well, all. Just keep that date with Column 8 and 'avagoodone." So kind.

Also words of caution for next Christmas from Heather Harman of Tuncurry. "At my friend's Xmas celebration there was more than just pork crackling. When pulling a stubborn bonbon she and her husband ended up on the floor resulting in two cracked ribs."

Too much history to print on Catalinas. From Malcolm McGregor of Balgowlah, member of The Catalina Memorial Club. "Capt P. G.Taylor obtained four Catalinas after WW2. A24-385 was presented to him by the Prime Minister, Mr Menzies. It became VH-ASA and named Frigate Bird II. It was the first plane to fly Sydney to Chile, in 1951, and carried official airmail. My cousin's husband was navigator on A24-59 bought by John Fairfax in 1947. I would love a small memento from the A24-59 as a memory of my cousin's war efforts."
Each new year brings, via the National Archives' release of cabinet documents, previously unseen insights into past decisions that shaped the nation.

This year, the archives released minutes from 1992 and 1993  from before and after Paul Keating's "sweetest victory of all" in the 1993 election. Australia, then emerging from recession, was grappling with its identity. Mr Keating wanted to break from the past. He promoted multiculturalism, a republic, a new flag and the right of gay men to serve in the military. He continued to deregulate the economy, privatising government-owned businesses and shifting workers away from award rates of pay onto enterprise agreements. The High Court delivered the Mabo decision and his government passed the Native Title Act into law. The pace of change was immense.

Vietnamese boat people arrive in Australia in the 1980s.

Mr Keating oversaw another change that was overshadowed by other events: his government introduced mandatory detention of asylum seekers who arrived by boat.

What's striking about this decision now is that what was then seen as a "crisis" involved a mere trickle of boat people. Just 438 had arrived over 26 months, most from Cambodia. By comparison, the later influx during the Gillard government, which led to the botched "Malaysia solution", involved almost 100 times as many asylum seekers over a similar period.
If the government has a Senate headache now, it will be reaching for the migraine tablets at the prospect of a One Nation disintegration. One Nation's history, its character and its record in the term of this Parliament rate it a real possibility that Pauline Hanson could lose control of her Senate posse during this parliamentary year. Pauline Hanson faces a challenge in keeping her party united. Credit:Andrew Meares As Malcolm Turnbull likes to quote John Howard, "politics is the iron law of arithmetic". The credibility of his government rests on getting the numbers in the Senate to pass his legislation, and the Senate's arithmetic is already tricky enough. On top of the Coalition's 30 votes, the government needs another nine to get anything done. If Labor and the Greens don't oppose, no problem. But without the support of either or both the other major parties, the government must look to the crossbenches. The Senate that the Prime Minister insists is working already looks more like a Mad Hatter's Tea Party than an austere house of review. One Nation senators are already free to vote against their party. One of them, Malcolm Roberts, has declared his allegiance to Queenslanders ahead of his party. How much more intractable will it be if the number of crossbench voting parties increases from the current five (One Nation, Nick Xenophon Team, Derryn Hinch's Justice Party, Jacqui Lambie Network and David Lleyonhjelm's Liberal Democrats) to six or seven or more, if Family First regains its place and One Nation make a habit of going it alone?

If the High Court decides after a hearing in February that the election of the since-resigned Bob Day of Family First was invalid because the lease arrangements for his electoral office breached the constitution, his place could go to Labor. That gives the government one less crossbencher to have to horsetrade with. But if the High Court decides Day's election was valid, Family First keeps the seat. For the rogue former One Nation senator Rod Culleton to stay in the Parliament two things need to happen. His Supreme Court challenge to the Federal Court's declaration that he is bankrupt needs to succeed, and the High Court challenge to his eligibility to be elected to Parliament while facing a larceny charge needs to fail. Whatever happens, no-one can bank his vote. Before breaking with One Nation last month he several times voted in opposition to his party, most notably scuppering One Nation's deal with the government to support a 15 per cent rate of tax on backpacker incomes. If he is thrown out because of the bankruptcy ruling, his Senate seat reverts to his former party, a potential plus for Hanson. But if it's the High Court that finishes him, an automatic recount would most likely give it to his brother-in-law Peter Georgiou who was second on One Nation's Senate ticket. That is not a prospect Pauline Hanson relishes. One Nation plans to contest 36 seats in the next Queensland state election which Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is expected to call in the first half of this year. It also plans to challenge the Nationals at the Western Australian election in March by appealing to unemployed mining workers, alienated farmers and young voters. Donald Trump's stunning victory has emboldened those who subscribe to his style of anti-politics. In Australia Pauline Hanson is their elder statesman. But she will need all the leadership skills she possesses, maybe more, to command loyalty from her party of outsiders and conspiracy theory-prone renegades and mould them into a cohesive force. Success has beaten her before: no sooner had One Nation won 11 seats in the 1998 Queensland election than three of its elected MPs baulked at head office control to split the party; by 2001 it was down to three seats.
If the ratios are unnerving  the notion that the fates of so many could be determined by so few  then the line-up is downright Kafkaesque.

Amid all this frivolity, though, is a list that's genuinely frightening  a troubling sign of what the world has become, or maybe just a grim reminder of what it's always been. Forbes magazine's " Most Powerful People ": an index of 74 individuals  one for every 100 million people on the planet  " whose actions mean the most ", according to Forbes contributor David M. Ewalt.

It's that time of the year again. In an effort to celebrate or sum up  or maybe just expunge  the events of a year that's just wound up, we've become obsessed with rankings.

Russian President Vladimir Putin: No. 1 on the Forbes list of most powerful people. Credit:Alexei Druzhinin

It's worth a look, though, at the close of a year that, according to one BBC broadcaster, "punched truth in the face", because the candidate right at the top is Russian president Vladimir Putin, who's not too busy denying his complicity in Syrian war crimes to plot the release of a cache of 19,000 emails hacked from Democratic National Convention, thereby clinching electoral victory for none other than No. 2 on Forbes' list, US President-elect Donald Trump; a man whose disregard for the truth has become the pivotal theme of 2016.

That these two contenders have clawed their way to pinnacle of this dubious list says less about their worthiness than their willingness to wield power  to do whatever's required to get it, and to hang on to it at all costs. And if there are some admirable inclusions  such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel, one of only six women  that's little comfort. The fact remains that Forbes' list is populated by such a disturbing number of criminals and psychopaths and it reads like a who's who of global tyranny.

For budding megalomaniacs out there who want to know what it takes to make their way into such exalted company, you'll need power  read: control  over lots of people and in lots of places. You'll also need resources. Read: money. But, hey, the two usually go together. For a lesson in the bifold benefits of power and money, refer to this year's winner and runner-up, both of whom have made an art form of hitching their business dealings to their political interests.

And if you're lucky enough, or maybe corrupt enough, to have found your way to absolute power, you'll also need to be prepared to flex your muscle, according to Forbes, because, goodness knows, there's no point sitting idly by, twiddling your thumbs. Kim Jong-un, for instance, gets the big tick because, according to Ewalt, he's prepared to "punish dissent with death". Hats off, then, to the North Korean dictator. And to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, too, who has earned himself a spot on the coveted list despite, or maybe because of, his enthusiasm for extrajudicial killings, some by his own hand.
"[A]ny softening of approach by the government in relation to unauthorised arrivals in this country, including their custody, will be an invitation to persons without genuine claims to pursue the same route."

This warning against boat people echoes the politics of Tony Abbott's "stop the boats" campaigns of 2010 and 2013, and the so-called "Tampa" election of 2001, won by John Howard after his government tried to stop a boatload of refugees from reaching the Australian mainland.

A group of Vietnamese boat people arriving in Australia.

Yet the words belonged to then Labor immigration minister Gerry Hand in April 1992, who implored his cabinet colleagues to introduce mandatory detention of asylum seekers who arrived by boat.

Newly released cabinet archives show that Mr Hand, from Labor's Left faction, also warned that, if the government failed to "maintain strict border controls and regulate who is allowed into the ... community, there is a grave potential for Australia to become an easy target for spontaneous mass movement".
Now, just to be absolutely clear, the following is not based on fact. It is pure fantasy. Today's column is deliberately outrageous and completely fabricated and intended only in the spirit of jest and good humour in honour of the Australian love of self-deprecation. It's called satire people, so be a good sport and don't call the lawyers.

And yes, that means it's time for PS's annual wish-list of the stories any self-respecting (or otherwise) gossip columnist would love to see come true.

A baby for power couple Rupert Murdoch and Jerry Hall via high-tech genetic engineering would be amazeballs. Credit:Gareth Cattermole

Top of my wish list for 2017 is a new baby. But not just any baby for Rupert Murdoch and Jerry Hall, who already have 10 children between them. I'm hoping the crinkly power couple kick off 2017 by announcing the pending arrival of their first child together (so that's Rupert's seventh and Jerry's fifth; keeping up?).

While not quite via a stork, the new bub is the product of some high-tech genetic engineering of the Jurassic Park variety, with one of 60-year-old Jerry's famous long hairs and an old toenail from 85-year-old Rupert providing enough DNA for a team of top scientists working around the clock in a laboratory deep under Rupert's Manhattan headquarters to create a bouncing baby boy. Rather than wait for a usual human gestation, the little tyke is raised from a tiny speck on an Agar plate and brought into the world as a fully formed baby in less than a week. The couple name him Adam.

The birth of baby Adam does not go down well with Rupert's third ex-wife Wendi Deng, who summons their daughters Chloe and Grace for a family summit at her compound in Beijing.

Jerry harbours serious suspicions when the girls insist they babysit, an offer Jerry wisely declines.
Prime Minister Paul Keating announced homosexual men and women would no longer be banned from serving in the Australian Defence Force in November 1992 but only after an internal battle in cabinet.

The Minister for Defence Senator Robert Ray strenuously opposed lifting the ban.

Internal disputes: Minister for Defence Robert Ray with Paul Keating in the early 1990s. Credit:Andrew Taylor

He tabled a report on November 23, 1992 seeking to defer further consideration of homosexual policy in the ADF until a comprehensive survey of attitudes and opinions held by ADF commanders and members was completed.

"The proposal will be supported by ADF members and ex-service organisations," Senator Ray said.
Eighteen years since independence, Papua New Guinea was starting to cut ties with Australia and the Keating government was struggling with ways to maintain the relationship.

PNG prime minister Paias Wingti was trying to diversify foreign and commercial relations away from Australia, under the banner of "Look North".

Former PNG prime minister Paias Wingti was pursuing a "Look North" agenda. Credit:Palani Mohan

Since his 1992 election he had postponed his first official visit to Australia, but a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade report to the cabinet in November 1993 noted he had visited Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Nauru and devoted a lot of energy to developing relations with Malaysia, including encouraging a Malaysian logging company to set up a newspaper, and seeking to secure Malaysian investment in the Lihir gold project.

"The Wingti government is more aggressively nationalistic and reformist than its predecessors," DFAT said.
A two-year-old girl has died after she was found unconscious in a backyard pool in Macquarie Fields on Sunday evening, the 15th drowning death in NSW over the holiday period.

Emergency services attended a home on Atchinson Road following reports a toddler was pulled unconscious and not breathing from the pool about 6.10pm on Sunday.

NSW Ambulance paramedics commenced treatment on the scene before taking the child to Liverpool Hospital in a critical condition. However, she later died.

Police officers have commenced investigation into the incident.
NSW Roads Minister Duncan Gay says the so-called Sydney gateway  a key component of the controversial $16.8 billion WestConnex motorway project  could be completed earlier than its scheduled opening to traffic in 2023.

Despite the proposal for a link to Sydney Airport and Port Botany forming one of the original justifications for WestConnex, the government has provided little detail on the exact shape of the "Sydney gateway".

Apart from providing a direct connection to WestConnex, the gateway has been cast as crucial to long-term plans to cope with worsening congestion on roads in and around the airport.

Mr Gay said the construction of the gateway would "come in on the end" of that for the M4-M5 link  the third and final stage of WestConnex  and "certainly we are open to be able to start it at different times".
Two men have been charged after an alleged incident that resulted in two taxi drivers and a marshal being assaulted in Fortitude Valley early on New Year's Day.

Police will allege about 3.15am on January 1, two men approached a 71-year-old taxi marshal at a cab rank on Ann St.

Two men have been charged over an incident at a Fortitude Valley taxi rank on January 1, 2017.

The men allegedly grabbed the man's torch, pulled him into the middle of the road and tried to head butt him.

Two male taxi drivers, aged 21 and 41, came to the marshal's aid and the two alleged offenders were detained until police arrived a short time later.
One man has died and two others are fighting for life after suffering drug overdoses at a large party in southern Queensland on Sunday morning.

Police were called to the private property south of Hardgrave Road in Mount Lindesay, south-west of Brisbane on the New South Wales border, about 10.20am.

Officers were confronted by a large party with as many as 500 people in attendance and found several people showing an adverse reaction.

Paramedics attended and commenced CPR on one man who later died at the scene, while two other men were airlifted to Gold Coast University Hospital and Toowoomba Base Hospital in critical conditions.
Southbound lanes of the Bruce Highway near Caboolture have been reopened after a fatal accident on Monday morning.

A police spokesman said traffic is not too heavy, and should bounce back to normal shortly.

The highway was closed near the Caboolture exit after the accident, which occurred about 4am on Monday.

Police believe a woman was struck by a car after she got out of her pulled-over vehicle.
Police have charged a 14-year-old boy after a four-wheel-drive crashed into a house at the Gold Coast on December 27.

It will be alleged about 11.30pm a driver lost control of the vehicle, ran into a fence, flipped down an embankment and crashed into a house on Keegan Circuit in Currumbin Waters.

Police have charged a 14-year-old boy with a string of offences including dangerous and unlicensed driving after a four-wheel-drive crashed into a Gold Coast house on Tuesday. Credit:Penelope Liersch - 9 News Gold Coast

Police said all of the occupants of the vehicle, who were believed to be youths, fled the scene and no one was injured during the incident.

A 14-year-old boy has been charged with unlawful use of a motor vehicle, driving unlicensed, unregistered and uninsured, driving without due care and failing to comply with duties of a driver involved in a crash.
A learner driver caught drink driving told police he had got behind the wheel because he was the "least drunk" of anyone else in the car.

Police pulled over the car after it was seen travelling the wrong way up Little Bourke Street - a one-way street in Melbourne's CBD - about 3.45am on New Year's Day.

The offence occurred on Sunday. Credit:Melissa Singer

The driver, a 20-year-old from Werribee, was pulled over just hours after the city fireworks display,

He returned a positive preliminary breath test and later returned an evidentiary breath test result of 0.187 per cent.
A Victorian man is dead after being hit by an illegal firework in Gippsland during New Year's Eve celebrations.

Emergency services were called to an area overlooking the beach in Hollands Landing, near Sale, about 9.35pm following reports of a man injured by a firecracker.

The grassy area next to Lake Victoria where the fireworks were ignited

Paramedics began treating the 46-year-old man from Springhurst in northeastern Victoria for upper body injuries but he died at the scene. The man died in a clearing down a gravel road and on the banks of Lake Victoria, just outside the small town.

Zack Condick and Luke Coombe were staying at a property which borders the clearing. The pair were with friends and had been in a boat moored only a few metres offshore to watch the 9.30pm fireworks at Loch Sport, on the other side of Lake Victoria.
You might want to hit the beach or your local swimming pool on Monday before most of us head back to work on Tuesday, with very hot weather predicted over the next two days.

A warm top of 31 degrees has been forecast for Perth for the first day of 2017.

But much hotter weather has been predicted for the next two days before a cool change kicks in later in the week.

The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast a very hot 37 degrees for Perth on Monday.
Nailbiter: Astros survive in Game 5, take control of World Series in 3-2 win

The Astros are one win away from the second World Series title in their history because of the greatest bullpen in postseason history.
Yardley Friends Meeting at 65 N. Main Street in Yardley will host the documentary Organic Roots on Friday, November 18 at 7 p.m. Join director Al Johnson for a showing of this film followed by a discussion of the last 50 years of this movement. Organic foods are part of our life today and a tool in our concern for...
Unlock 30+ premium stories daily hand-picked by our editors, across devices on browser and app.

Full access to our intuitive epaper - clip, save, share articles from any device; newspaper archives from 2006.

Curated newsletters on markets, personal finance, policy & politics, start-ups, technology, and more.

Pick your 5 favourite companies, get a daily email with all news updates on them.

26 years of website archives.
The upward swing in Delhi Metro Rail Corporations (DMRCs) recharge revenue has reversed after it stopped accepting demonetised notes, and the earning has dipped to Rs 2.5-2.7 crore a day. The recharge amount touched Rs 16.18 crore on November 10, after demonetisation was announced on November 8, since the government allowed old 500- and 1,000-rupee notes to be used for this.
Foxconn, the biggest contract manufacturer for Apple, is setting up its first iPhone manufacturing unit in India in Ahmedabad, as the worlds most valuable company looks to increase presence and replicate its China success in the country.
French automajor said that for the next five years it will launch one new product in India.

Sumit Sawhney, Country CEO and Managing Director, India Operations said that the company plans to launch at least one new product every year, over the next 5 years, beginning with some exciting product innovations starting next year.
The past year has been a highly successful and an eventful one for the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), which achieved significant milestones in the domains of launch vehicle, satellite, applications and space exploration.
Interacting with local Industry members on bilateral trade relations in New Delhi on Thursday, Czech Republic envoy to India Miloslav Stasek says there is a lot of scope for trade and investment in his home country. He said: Highly educated workforce, low-labour costs, a convenient tax system among others make the Czech Republic a perfect investment destination.



The session was organized by PHD Chamber of Commerce, as part of the continuing efforts to increase Indias bilateral trade with other countries.

Stasek added:Tthe investment incentives, including a 10-year tax holiday to the investors launching or expanding production in Czech Republic, besides incentives to the technological centres and strategic service centres, are good reasons to invest in the Czech Republic.

The ambassador shared that the Czech Republic also extends investment incentives in the form of financial support for creating jobs, financial support for training, financial support even up to five per cent of the cost of strategic investments to the investors.

Sharing that substantial opportunities exist for Indian companies Stasek said Czech Republic looked forward to collaborate in areas of engineering, power- thermal, hydro, nuclear and solar, mining technology, equipment for treatment and water management, civil aviation, health, equipment for food industry and agriculture, education, and Research and Development.

Talking of the trade volume between the two countries, Stasek shared that Czech exports amounted to $653 million in 2012 while Indian exports valued at $594 million in the same financial year.

Major imports from Czech companies to India are cars, machinery, energy facilities, turbines, chemicals, etc, while India exports car parts, tractor parts, electrical equipment, pharmaceuticals, chemical products, machinery (drives and shafts), besides iron and steel and apparels.

Citing that the Czech Republic exported to the European Union alone upto 91.3 per cent and the imports from the European Union standing at whopping 74.2 per cent, makes it all the more conducive for investment, he added.

Earlier speaking on the occasion, Dalip Sharma, Director, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said, We need to accelerate our efforts for the growth of bilateral economic cooperation, particularly in view of the current economic scenario. There is a need for greater synergy of efforts between the business communities of the Czech Republic and India to accelerate the two way cooperation.
Railway -- roughly 20,000 -- may soon be part of the social safety net as the government is weighing a cess of 10 paise on every rail ticket to bring them under the ambit of schemes run by retirement fund body EPFO.

This will be part of the government's overall efforts to bring over 40 crore unorganised sector workers under the social security net of the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO).

A back-of-the-envelope calculation suggests that this will help mobilise about Rs 4.38 crore every year, which will be enough to provide basic minimum facilities like PF, pension and group insurance to .

Indian Railways issues 10-12 lakh rail travel tickets everyday, including 58 per cent reserved tickets. Thus, the move can help mop up about Rs 1.2 lakh every day for the purpose.

Chairman of the Central Board of Trustees, EPFO's apex decision-making body, Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya assured the members to look into the proposal mooted by employee representative Ashok Singh.

Singh, the Vice-President of Indian National Trade Union Congress, had floated the proposal at the CBT meeting in Bengaluru on December 19.

A senior ministry official said, "The labour ministry will soon take up the proposal with Indian Railways and the finance ministry for levying the cess, which will be a negligible amount for passengers, but would help bring these 20,000 workers under the social security net of EPFO."



The official is hopeful that the cess could be announced in the forthcoming general budget, which is likely to be tabled in Parliament on February 1, 2017.

The proposed cess of 10 paise is on every ticket sold by Indian Railways. It will not be levied per passenger. One ticket sold by Indian Railways can have multiple passengers.
The big-bang announcements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on New Year eve to alleviate the pain of may fall short of easing the problems of Indias 140 million farming families because most of the measures do not address the difficulties arising out of the cash crunch.
An Afghan migrant has reportedly attacked a Bible-reading woman in a refugee camp in Austria.

The 50-year-old woman was attacked by a 22-year-old Afghan migrant whose identity has not been disclosed by the authorities yet, reports the Khaama Press.

According to the local media reports, citing the police authorities, the man has confessed he attacked the woman and described 'personal issues' as the motive behind the attack.

The woman was invited to read Bible by some residents of the Asylum center which apparently angered the migrant.

The authorities have said the woman sustained minor injuries and was apparently saved by her thick clothes after attacked with the kitchen knife.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Afghanistan has invited newly elected Pakistan Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on a visit to the country after the latter called up the top leadership to convey his New Year wishes.

While speaking to the leadership, including the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, Gen. Qamar pledged to work together for sustainable peace in the region, reports the Express Tribune.

"#COAS called Afg President, CE & Army Chief on tel. Conveyed best wishes for 2017 & pledged to work together for peace in the region. #COAS said that peace in both countries is in greater interest of the Region. Afghan ldrship invited COAS for a visit to Afghanistan," tweeted DG Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Amid the allegation of causing feud in the Samajwadi Party, party MP Amar Singh on Sunday left for Delhi from London on Sunday and is expected to meet Mulayam Singh Yadav tomorrow.

Samajwadi Party general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav, earlier in the day demanded for Singh's ouster from the party.

"The Executive of the Samajwadi Party wants sacking of Amar Singh immediately," Ram Gopal Yadav said while addressing a party convention at the Janeshwar Mishra Park in Lucknow.

Singh, however, on Sunday insisted that he is not behind the feud in party chief Mulayam Singh's family.

"I just want to request the people putting allegations against me that please let me live. If unnecessarily I am being looked as a reason of the feud in the Samajwadi family then Mulayam Singh must leave me and should relieve me," Singh said.

He further requested Mulayam to save him for being portrayed as a villain in the family feud.

"I have no idea, who is getting tickets from the party and who is not. Some people are putting inappropriate posters against me, burning my effigies and blaming me for the family feud in Samajwadi Party," he said.

Singh further said that if Samajwadi party chief truly believes that he has manipulated the party leader then he should reveal it to everyone.

In a dramatic turn of events, the Samajwadi Party on Saturday revoked the expulsion of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Ramgopal Yadav, a day after they were ousted from the party for six years over anti-party activities.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Newly appointed Army Chief Lieutenant General Bipin Rawat on Sunday paid tribute at Amar Jawan Jyoti. He also received Guard of Honour.

General Bipin Rawat had on Saturday taken over as the 27th Chief of Army Staff (COAS).

The General Officer was tenanting the appointment of the Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS) of the Indian Army from September 1, 2016.

Former army chief General Dalbir Singh, after an illustrious career spanning over four decades, handed over the baton to General Bipin Rawat in a ceremony held at South Block today.

General Dalbir Singh laid a wreath at Amar Jawan Jyoti and was accorded a guard of honour at the South Block Lawns prior relinquishing as COAS.

Amongst numerous achievements, the tenure of General Dalbir Singh was operationally significant wherein a high tempo of operations was maintained in J&K and North East.

General Bipin Rawat was commissioned in the Fifth Battalion of the Eleven Gorkha Rifles in December 1978, from Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, where he was awarded the 'Sword of Honour'.

The General has vast experience in high altitude warfare and counter insurgency operations.

He commanded an Infantry battalion, along the Line of Actual Control in the Eastern Sector; a Rashtriya Rifles Sector and an Infantry Division in the Kashmir Valley, a Corps in the Eastern theatre and the Southern Command.

He has tenanted instructional appointments at Indian Military Academy, Dehradun and at Army War College, Mhow.

Lieutenant General Bipin Rawat has held important staff appointments at Directorate General of Military Operations and Military Secretary's Branch at Army Head Quarters (HQ).

He has also been Major General General Staff (MGGS) at HQ Eastern Command. The General Officer commanded a Multinational Brigade, in a Chapter VII mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC).

An alumni of Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, the Higher Command and Defence College Courses, the General Officer, during the span of over 38 years service in uniform, has been awarded for gallantry and distinguished service with the UYSM, AVSM, YSM, SM, VSM, COAS Commendation on two occasions and the Army Commander's Commendation.

Academically inclined, he has authored numerous articles on ' Security' and 'Leadership', which have been published in various journals and publications. He was awarded M. Phil in Defence Studies from Madras University.

He has a Diploma in Management and another Diploma in Computer Studies. Lieutenant General Bipin Rawat has also completed his research on military media strategic studies and was awarded Doctorate of Philosophy (Ph.D) from Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut in 2011.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ruling Awami League (AL) lawmaker Manjurul Islam Liton has been shot dead by unknown attackers in Gaibandha.

Liton, ruling Awami League lawmaker of Gaibandha-1 constituency, was killed by four men in the Sundarganj upazila of the district, reports the Daily Star.

Critically injured Liton was rushed to the Rangpur Medical College Hospital where doctors declared him dead.

Police could not immediately give any specific reason behind the attack.

Asked whether the incident had anything to do with internal conflict of the local AL or militancy, Ashraful Islam, Superintendent of Police in Gaibandha, said they were investigating the matter.

Meanwhile, strongly condemning the killing of MP Liton, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday asked the law enforcement agencies to bring the killers to book.

Hasina said the vested quarter killed Liton following "the path of their politics of killing".

Leaders and activists of local AL and its associate bodies demonstrated at several places in Gaibandha and Sundarganj upazila last night.

Blocking the railway lines at Bamondanga Railway Station, they demanded the attackers' arrest and punishment.

Liton had drawn widespread flak after he allegedly shot a 10-year-old boy in Gaibandha on October 2, last year.

He was arrested on October 14 at Uttara in the capital but later granted bail.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh on Sunday insisted that he is not behind the feud in party chief Mulayam Singh's family.

"I just want to request the people putting allegations against me that please let me live. If unnecessarily I am being looked as a reason of the feud in the Samajwadi family then Mulayam Singh must leave me and should relieve me," Singh said.

He further requested Mulayam to save him for being portrayed as a villain for the ongoing family feud.

"I have no idea, who is getting tickets from the party and who is not. Some people are putting inappropriate posters against me, burning my effigies and blaming me for the family feud in Samajwadi Party," he said.

Singh further said that if Samajwadi party chief truly believes that he has manipulated the party leader then he should reveal it to everyone.

In a dramatic turn of events, the Samajwadi Party on Saturday revoked the expulsion of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Ramgopal Yadav, a day after they were ousted from the party for six years over anti-party activities.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has said that if his party is elected to power it will reduce tax rates in order to increase its collection, and added that the political elite does not want tax reforms to take root.

He made the remarks while addressing the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) at its head office on Saturday, reports the Express Tribune.

"If our party comes to power, it will reduce tax rates in order to increase its collection. Tax collection is a big problem in Pakistan because people do not trust institutions," said Khan.

"How can our leaders expect people to pay taxes when they themselves evade them?" he asked.

He said Pakistan was unable to receive the desired foreign direct investment (FDI) because foreign investors believed their capital was not safe due to prevalent corruption in the country.

"Credible research shows that those countries that have high levels of corruption receive low FDI. Similarly, in case of Pakistan, corruption is a big hurdle in the way of attracting FDI," he stressed.

During the discussion, PTI MNA Asad Umar commented that unless the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) machinery was overhauled, tax reforms could not be brought in Pakistan.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan has said he would accept the verdict given by the new five-judge larger bench on the Panamagate case, constituted by the newly elected Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar.

"We were confronted with the electoral rigging in 2014 and Panama Papers leaks in 2016 and we can only hope 2017 would not be the same. We welcome the formation of a new bench to hear the case and will accept its decision," the Express Tribune quoted him as saying in a press conference in Karachi on Saturday.

Imran added that he hoped the Panama leaks matter "will be done" in January.

The PTI leader went on to say that he was disappointed with former chief justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali as the latter could have avoided the delay in the hearing but he instead proceeded on vacations.

The five-judge bench, headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, will hear the high-profile case on January 4 which includes Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, Justice Gulzar Ahmad, Justice Azmat Saeed Sheikh and Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan.

The top court in November took up a slew of petitions seeking Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's disqualification in the wake of Panama Papers, which in April revealed that the PM's family members had stashed money in offshore companies.

The outgoing chief justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, who was also heading the bench and conducted 10 hearings of the case, adjourned the case till first week of January. With his retirement the old bench was dissolved.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Of the 39 people killed in Istanbul nightclub attack on New Year's Day, 16 were foreign nationals, said Turkish Interior minister Suleyman Soylu.

Sixty-nine others have also been injured after a gunman reportedly dressed as Father Christmas entered and opened fire at the crowd in Reina nightclub, reports the Guardian.

The Turkish Minister said that the gunman was still on the run, contrary to earlier statements by authorities that the gunman had been killed.

The city's governor, Vasip Sahin, said the attacker, armed with a long-barrelled weapon, killed a policeman and a civilian outside the Reina club at about 1.45am before moving inside.

Sahin described it as a "terror attack" but gave no further details. There have not yet been any claims of responsibility.

It is thought up to 600 people were inside the club, an exclusive hotspot popular with tourists and local residents that sits on the bank of the eastern side of the Bosphorus.

Security has been increased across the city following the attack in the district of Ortakoy. The US embassy has told its citizens to avoid the area and urged them to contact relatives to let them know they are safe.

.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Absconding liquor baron on Sunday snubbed Narendra Modi's pro-technology rhetoric and said that he hopes Prime Minister Narendra Modi can guarantee that the investigating agencies are impartial and the enforcement agencies embrace his calls for use of technology in the new year.

In a series of tweets, Mallya said the prime minister advocates the use of technology while the enforcement agencies don't take his words seriously and refuse to use technology.

He also asked the "dynamic, forward thinking, and corruption free" prime minister to guarantee that investigative agencies under his control are fair, impartial and legal.

"In 2017, I would only hope that PM Modi ji's vision can be correctly fairly legally and impartially executed by his government. Our esteemed PM speaks about use of technology even for farmers. Wonder why enforcement agencies refuse use of technology," he tweeted.

"Will our dynamic forward thinking corruption free PM care to guarantee that criminal agencies under his control are fair impartial and legal," he added.

The absconding liquor baron is facing loan default case of over Rs 9,000 crores.

The former Rajya Sabha MP, who left India last March and is reportedly living in London, is wanted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) have hinted at going hard at the fugitive business tycoon.
Absconding liquor baron Vijay Mallya on Sunday snubbed Narendra Modi's pro technology rhetoric and said that he hopes the Prime Minister can guarantee that investigating agencies are impartial and the enforcement agencies embrace his calls for use of technology in the new year.

In a series of tweets, Mallya said the Prime Minister advocates about the use of technology while the enforcement agencies don't take his words seriously and refuse to use technology.

He also asked the "dynamic, forward thinking, and corruption free" Prime Minister to guarantee that investigative agencies under his control are fair, impartial and legal.

"In 2017 I would only hope that PM Modi Ji's vision can be correctly fairly legally and impartially executed by his Government. Our esteemed PM speaks about use of technology even for farmers. Wonder why enforcement agencies refuse use of technology," he tweeted.

"Will our dynamic forward thinking corruption free PM care to guarantee that criminal agencies under his control are fair impartial and legal," he added.

The absconding liquor baron is facing loan default case of over Rs. 9,000 crores.

The former Rajya Sabha MP, who in March escaped out of India last March and is reportedly living in London, is wanted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The government and the RBI have hinted at going hard at the fugitive business tycoon.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Naresh Uttam, the newly-appointed chief of Samajwadi Party's Uttar Pradesh unit, on Sunday voiced his support for Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav while categorically stating that there is no place for those who do not abide by the party's policies.

"Everybody has a place in this party, those who believe in policies of the party," he said while reacting to Shivpal Singh Yadav's expulsion as the Uttar Pradesh Samajwadi Party chief.

Uttam, who is also a Member of the Legislative Council, said that his aim would be to ensure victory for Samajwadi Party in the next polls and make Akhilesh the Chief Minister for another term.

"I will try to follow the footsteps of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. I will try my best for strengthening the state and party and I have the blessings of Mulayam Singh Yadav ji," he added.

Earlier in the day, Akhilesh appointed Uttam as the new Samajwadi Party state president.

The appointment came soon after Akhilesh was anointed Samajwadi Party president at a convention of the party in Lucknow, despite Mulayam calling the meeting and the decisions taken there illegal.

Earlier in the morning, amidst reports of the Akhilesh camp mobilising the supporters for the convention, Mulayam in a letter issued by the party declared the meeting 'unconstitutional' and warned of strict action against anyone who attended it.

The meeting adopted three resolutions through voice vote. First, that Akhilesh should immediately replace Mulayam as the party's chairman and that the founder of the party should be given the role of 'chief mentor'.

Second, Akhilesh's uncle, Shivpal Yadav, should be removed from the position of UP state president of the party with immediate effect.

Third, Amar Singh, also seen by the Akhilesh faction as the main troublemaker, should be expelled from the party immediately.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
After the Madhes-based parties renewed their pledge to support the holding of local elections, Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has agreed to table the Constitution Amendment Bill in Parliament, possibly on Monday.

An agreement was reached on Saturday between senior leaders of the CPN (Maoist Centre) and leaders from the Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha during a meeting held at the Prime Minister's Baluwatar residence, reports The Kathmandu Post.

The meeting comes a day after Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba assured the Morcha leaders of taking the amendment process forward.

In a statement issued after the meeting, Prime Minister Dahal said the Morcha leadership agreed to his proposal of holding the local, provincial and federal elections within January 2018, the constitutional deadline.

The government is now left with a daunting task of bringing the main opposition CPN-UML on board the larger political process. The second largest party has been obstructing parliamentary proceedings for a month pressing the government to roll back the amendment bill.

In addition, Saturday's agreement also fails to specify what road the agitating parties would take if the amendment bill fails to garner a two-thirds majority in Parliament.

Meanwhile, Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party Vice-chairman Hridayesh Tripathi said the agitating parties would decide their move depending on the fate of the bill.

Sadbhawana Party Chairman Rajendra Mahato said the Morcha would not take part in the elections without the amendments. He said they would stick to this position until the UML supports the bill.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has said that his country is all set to test an intercontinental ballistic missile, adding the last stage preparation for the same is almost complete.

"Research and development of the cutting-edge tech weapons are actively progressing and strengthening our defense capabilities, including last stage preparation of tests for Intercontinental Ballistic rocket launch have been continuously succeeding," CNN quoted Kim, as saying in a televised address on New Year's Day.

Kim's speech was full of usual self-congratulatory, lofty proclamations and anti-Western rhetoric.

Referring North Korea as a nuclear and military power in the east, Kim said the DPRK would keep increasing the military capabilities for self-defense and pre-emptive striking capacity with main emphasis on nuclear force unless the US and its vassal forces stop nuclear threat and blackmail and unless they stop the war exercises which they stage right close to us under the pretext of annual exercises.

Head of the US military's Pacific Command, Admiral Harry Harris, had said in a December speech that combining nuclear warheads with ballistic missile technology in the hands of a volatile leader like Kim Jong-un is a recipe for disaster.

A senior defence analyst at the Rand Corporation think tank, Bruce Bennett, said North Korea doesn't have good enough missile and rocket technology to deliver a nuke despite Pyongyang's apparent progress on a warhead.

According to the Yonhap News Agency, Thae Yong-ho, formerly No. 2 at the North Korean Embassy in London, said in a news briefing that Kim Jong-un had made it a party policy to finish nuclear development within the earliest time possible after the ruling party's meeting earlier in May.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) Karachi chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman has urged people of the city to join in a march to express solidarity with their Muslims brothers in Syria and Myanmar.

The JeI has finalised its arrangements for the 'Umaat-e-Rasool' march to be taken out today, reports the Daily Times.

The march is being taken out to spread awareness in society and to express solidarity with oppressed Muslims in Myanmar and Syria, particularly in Aleppo.

The JeI has already taken stakeholders of the society on board in connection with the march.

Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan chief Senator Siraj-ul-Haq will be leading the Umaat-e-Rasool march. Jamaat Islami Karachi delegations led by city chief Hafiz Naeem Rehman had approached all prominent religious scholars in the city to gain their support on the issue.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav on Sunday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of causing disruption across the nation post demonetisation.

"He is behind all the disruptions in the country. Without even thinking, he brought anarchy. He is governing the nation and he is the reason behind all the trouble that is taking place post demonetisation," Lalu told ANI.

Lalu said that the address made by prime minister through his address was very disappointing.

On Saturday Prime Minister Modi announced several post demonetisation sops for the poor, middle class, pregnant women, senior citizens and farmers in a televised address to the nation.

He said that two new middle income categories have been created under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana in urban areas; loans of up to nine lakh rupees taken in 2017, will receive interest subvention of four per cent and loans of up to 12 lakh rupees taken in 2017, will receive a interest subvention of three per cent.

Thanking bank officials for working hard during demonetisation process, Prime Minister Modi said the decision will force the corrupt and black money hoarders to come into the economic mainstream.

The Prime Minister also said had former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, and legendary freedom fighter K. Kamraj and socialist Jayaprakash Narayan been alive, they would have welcomed the government's decision to scrap Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 notes and blessed the nation's citizens for their stoic and courageous approach and support for the decision.

"Economists have a consensus that cash should be in mainstream of economy. If Shastri, Kamaraj or other great leaders were alive, they would have blessed us. Citizens want to be back in the economic mainstream," he said.

He also said strong measures would be taken against bank officials who have been working in hand and gloves against unscrupulous persons in converting the black money into white.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has called upon the critics of the quality of education in the country to play a more helpful and frontline role for improvement of education standard rather than just commenting over it.

"I would like to tell those who raise a question about the standard of education in the country that all things don't take place overnight and we didn't get what is the explanation of the level of quality," the Daily Star quoted Hasina as saying while inaugurating free textbook distribution programme for the academic year 2017.

"I think the critics should come forward with how it (problem) could be solved," she said adding, "We would have become happy if we had got the level of quality of education from those who are critical about the quality of education... We would have become happy if the critics of quality of education visited the areas and spent time there where the standard of education is not right."

Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid and Primary and Mass Education Minister Md Mustafizur Rahman also addressed the ceremony.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcements for the poor and weaker sections of the society, saying the "country will become stronger with these schemes".

"I Congratulate Prime Minister for schemes announced for different sections of society, especially farmers and middle class, as the nation cannot progress until they do. I am sure the country will become stronger by the decisions announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday," Singh told ANI.

He also said the scheme announced for pregnant women was especially very praiseworthy.

Prime Minister Modi in a address on Saturday night launched schemes for farmers, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, new mothers and senior citizens. While appreciating the fellow countrymen on the ways in which demonetisation has shaped.

Prime Minister Modi in his speech said the following:

The Government will take care of interest for 60 days for farmers who had taken loans from district coop, central bank. He said Rs 20,000 crore in NABARD fund will give loans to farmers. In 3 months, almost 3 crore Kisan Credit Cards will be transformed to RuPay credit cards. With these they will be able to sell and buy at any place, and will not have to visit banks to withdraw money.

Just like agriculture, MSMEs are also important, for which the government has launched special initiatives. For small entrepreneurs, credit guarantee raised from 1 crore to 2 crore. Loans taken by non-banking financial companies will also be covered in this.

Small businessmen and Shopkeepers will now be able to get more loans. For small businesses, the government has raised cash credit limit is to 25 per cent from 20 per cent.

In another landmark decision aimed at reducing deaths of mothers during childbirths, pregnant women will get Rs. 6,000 for their delivery, vaccination and nutritious meals. The money will be transferred directly to their accounts.

Senior citizens will be assured 8 per cent interest on their deposits up to Rs. 7.5 lakh.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Congress Party on Sunday alleged that the Samajwadi Party stands exposed and divided courtesy the ongoing dispute within the ruling party in Uttar Pradesh.

Congress leader Meem Afzal told ANI that the recent war of words within the Samajwadi Party camp is bringing disrepute to it in the run up to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.

"They released an order in the morning and by the evening they came out with another. These recent incidents are bringing a bad name for the Samajwadi Party," he said.

"From now onwards the people of Uttar Pradesh and I also believe that there is no unity within the Samajwadi Party," he added.

The Congress leader's reaction came after Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav expelled party general secretary Ramgopal Yadav from the party for six years while terming the decisions taken in the executive meet as "unconstitutional and illegal".

"This meet was called without consulting the secretary of the party and the proposal passed in it is illegal. Stringent action will be taken against the people involved in it," said the letter issue by Mulayam.

"This meet was called without consulting the secretary of the party and the proposal passed in it is illegal. Stringent action will be taken against the people involved in it," said the letter issue by Mulayam.

Earlier in the day, Ramgopal called on party leaders and workers to declare Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav as the party president.

In a dramatic turn of events, the Samajwadi Party had on Saturday revoked the expulsion of Akhilesh and Ramgopal, a day after they were ousted from the party for six years over anti-party activities.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The State Bank of India (SBI) after experiencing a surge in deposits on Sunday announced a rate cut in lending rates by 90 basis points for maturities ranging from overnight to three-year tenure.

The country's biggest lender by assets called for an overnight marginal cost of funds-based lending rate (MCLR) keeping the three-year loan rates at 8.15 percent from 9.05 percent previously.

The banks have received an estimated 14.9 trillion rupees (USD 219.30 billion) in old 500 and 1,000 rupees notes from depositors since the government unexpectedly banned the banknotes on November 8 last year in a bid to counter black money.

Although India's gross domestic product grew 7.3 percent in the July-September quarter from an year earlier, the fastest pace of growth among large economies, much of that has been led by consumer demand.

Lower lending rates will be welcomed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), which has cut the policy rate by 175 basis points since the start of 2015 but has felt banks were being too slow in cutting their lending rates.

The SBI's decision to reduce its benchmark lending rate by 0.9 percent will also trigger cuts across other banks.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Condemning the brutal attack on an Istanbul nightclub last night, defence expert Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) D.S. Grewal on Sunday said the world must take serious steps to finish terrorism; otherwise one day terrorism will finish the world.

"No country is taking sufficient action against terrorism. The world must take serious steps to actually finish terrorism, otherwise, it will finish the world. It is a demon which will kill its creator," said Grewal.

He further said the way people were killed in the attack shows that there is no humanity left.

Another defence expert, Qamar Agha, appealed to the international community to criticize the incident and called for some serious action to curb terrorism around the world.

Of the 39 people killed in Istanbul nightclub attack on New Year's Day, 16 were foreign nationals, said Turkish Interior minister Suleyman Soylu.

Sixty-nine others have also been injured after a gunman reportedly dressed as Father Christmas entered and opened fire at the crowd in Reina nightclub, reports the Guardian.

The Turkish Minister said that the gunman was still on the run, contrary to earlier statements by authorities that the gunman had been killed.

The city's governor, Vasip Sahin, said the attacker, armed with a long-barrelled weapon, killed a policeman and a civilian outside the Reina club at about 1.45am before moving inside.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A zoo in Himachal Pradesh's Kufri hill station, home to several endangered species of birds and animals, is attracting visitors in large numbers.

Situated 9,000 feet above the sea level, the Himalayan Nature Park is giving people a chance to see some of the very rare species up close.

Most of the species at the zoo, like Himalayan Tahr and musk deers etc, are seriously endangered due to hunting or loss of their habitats, particularly breeding sites.

Special care is provided to such species, ensuring that they can survive in a high altitude environment.

"This park houses many endangered species and has many Schedule I species also, like Himalayan Tahr, western tragopans, leopards and gorals, even musk deer also, we have recently procured," said Rohit Sharma, a veterinarian at Himalayan Nature Park said on Friday.

"And while you go through the park, you can enjoy the flora as well as the fauna and it is the only zoo where you can see the nature very close by and enjoy the trail also," he added.

Bird and animals included in Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act are protected and the highest penalties have been prescribed to punish any offences like hunting etc.

Awestruck visitors were seen clicking pictures of their favourites.

The zoo is also a hit among tourists coming from all across the country.

"I saw a lot of different species that I have never seen before. Leopard was my favourite. I could see the leopard very close by and the peasantry was also really good with a lot of varieties and the Tahr and the bear, they were really good," said Rani Chandra, a tourist from Chennai.

The zoo authorities hope to conserve the endangered species and help people understand the wildlife better.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The United States has strongly condemned the terrorist attack on a night club in Istanbul while extending condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims and to the people of Turkey.

"We will remain in close touch with Turkish authorities throughout the investigation," said U.S. State Department Deputy Spokesperson Mark C. Toner.

"We stand in solidarity with our NATO Ally Turkey in combating the ongoing threat of terrorism. Sadly, this heinous attack is only the latest effort to kill and maim innocent civilians," he added.

Toner said that these attacks only reinforce the strong determination of the U.S. to work with the Government of Turkey to counter the scourge of terrorism.

At least 35 people were killed and 40 others injured in an armed attack at an Istanbul nightclub early Sunday.

Governor Vasip Sahin described the attack in Ortakoy, Besiktas, as "cruel" and an "act of terror", reports Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu.

"At 1.15 a.m., a terrorist carrying a long-barreled weapon martyred the police officer waiting outside, and then martyred another citizen to enter the club. He then carried out this violent and cruel act by spraying bullets on innocent people who were celebrating the New Year," Sahin said.

The investigation is underway and the governor's office would provide further updates, he added.

The attack comes three weeks after twin bombings in Istanbul killed at least 45 people, mostly police officers.

According to a report by the Guardian, as many as 600 people were thought to have been in the club when the attack happened. Some people jumped into the waters of the Bosphorus to escape and were being rescued by police.

Government officials have said there was one attacker and added that he has been killed.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Despite Pakistan's repeated claims that Kulbhushan Jadhav is an Indian spy and has been booked for terrorism, the suspect has never been produced before any magistrate.

Even though the Pakistan Government released a video confession of Jadhav in which he is shown accepting that he had been assigned by the RAW to promote unrest in Balochistan and Karachi and had been working with the Baloch student organisations and insurgents and terrorist groups for the same.

Still, no media has ever seen him nor has he been granted consular access despite repeated calls from India.

According to reports, India issued a total of six note verbales to the Pakistan Foreign Ministry last year for consular access to alleged Jadhav.

A note verbale is an unsigned diplomatic communication, which is less formal than a letter of protest but is used to forcefully remind the receiving nation of its diplomatic obligations.

While Pakistan claims that Jadhav is a Commander-rank officer with the Indian Navy, New Delhi maintains that he retired from the Navy in 2002 and had nothing to do with the Indian Government when he was arrested allegedly from Balochistan.

Pakistan will tomorrow present to the United Nations a report on Jadhav and evidence of attempted violation of maritime boundary by an Indian submarine.

This comes just weeks after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said earlier in December that the dossier on Jadhav contained just statements, adding that additional evidence was yet to be collected.

However, no one not even any media person has seen Jadhav personally even as they are briefed about him regularly.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
There was ruckus at the Samajwadi Party (SP) office in Lucknow on Sunday evening with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's supporters forcibly entering the premises and removing Shivpal Yadav's nameplate from his office.

Moments after party general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav announced Akhilesh as party's president, Mulayam Singh Yadav sacked the former from the party for six years for the second time in last three days.

The party's founder leader has also called a party convention on January 5.

At the party's executive meet earlier today in Lucknow, Ram Gopal proposed Akhilesh's name for party president's post. The meeting, which was termed 'unconstitutional' by Mulayam, also saw Ram Gopal proposing the removal of Shivpal as the state unit's chief and ouster of Amar Singh.

Meanwhile, Mulayam has also expelled Akhilesh loyalists Kiranmoy Nanda and Naresh Agrawal from the Samajwadi Party.
At least 39 persons, including two Indians, were killed and 69 injured as a sole gunman opened fire at people celebrating the New Year at a famous nightclub in Istanbul early on Sunday, authorities said. A manhunt has been launched for the gunman.

"According to security work and information, the attacker is a single person. Wearing a coat and pants, he entered inside.... There are reports that he tried to get out with a different outfit," said Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu, according to the Hurriyet Daily.

He said security forces were engaged in trying to apprehend the attacker.

Soylu also said that 20 of the victims have been identified so far, out of which 15 have been identified as foreign citizens, while five of them were reported to be Turkish.

Family and Social Policies Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya said that Saudi Arabian, Moroccan, Lebanese and Libyan nationals were among those injured in the attack on the high-end Reina nightclub at the busy Besiktas area.

Two Indians were among the victims, Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said.

"I have a bad news from Turkey. We have lost two Indian nationals in the . Indian Ambassador is on way to Istanbul," she said in a tweet.

"The victims are Mr. Abis Rizvi son of former Rajya Sabha MP and Ms.Khushi Shah from Gujarat," she said on another tweet.

The Minister spoke with the bereaved families, including Abis' father and former MP Akhtar Hassan Rizvi, to express her condolences and oversaw the visa arrangements for their travel to Istanbul.

An Israeli woman was among the dead, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said, while Belgium's Foreign Ministry said that it feared one of the deceased may be from Belgium.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the attack and said that the motive for the attack is not clear. He blamed terror groups "trying to create chaos".

"They are trying to demoralise our people and destabilise our country. However, we, as the nation, will never give passage to these dirty games, further uniting together and preserving our calmness," Erdogan said in a statement.

At least 69 people were being treated in hospital, officials said, of which four in a serious condition.

Eyewitnesses described panic and confusion as the attack unfolded.

"We were having fun. All of a sudden people started to run. My husband said don't be afraid, and he jumped on me. People ran over me. My husband was hit in three places," one club-goer told the newspaper.

According to one witness who survived by hiding himself, he did not know how many attackers were there but he saw one gunman at least.

"I got shot in the leg," he said while being taken into an ambulance. "These crazy people came in shooting everything."

"After the gunfire everyone started to run toward the terrace. We ran as well. There was someone next to me who was shot and fell on the floor. We ran away and hid under the sofas," said another eyewitness.

Turkish media said some people jumped into the sea to escape as the nightclub is close to the Bosporus Strait, prompting a rescue operation by the Coast Guard. There were reportedly as many as 700 people in the nightclub at the time of the attack.

The news received a strong response, as world leaders, including those of Poland, Iran and Greece, condemned the attack.

US President Barack Obama offered to help Turkey with the investigation and "expressed condolences for the innocent lives lost", said the White House in a statement.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also condemned the "cynical" murder of civilians. "Our shared duty is to decisively rebuff terrorist aggression," he said.

Despite no group yet claiming responsibility, Turkish authorities characterised the attack as the work of terrorists.

US officials also called it a terrorist attack, making it the first of 2017.
Afghanistan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah invited new Pakistani Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa to visit the country, the media wing of the Pakistani military said.

The invitation was extended by the Afghan leadership during a telephone conversation with General Bajwa, according to a statement by Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Major General Asif Ghafoor, Dunya News reported on Saturday.

Gen. Ghafoor added that the call was made by General Bajwa on the eve of the New Year.

"#COAS called Afghan President, Chief Executive Officer & Army Chief on telephone. Conveyed best wishes for 2017 & pledged to work together for peace in the region," Gen. Ghafoor said in a Twitter post.

The latest conversation between the new Pakistani Army chief and the Afghan leaders came as relations between the two countries have been witnessing an all-time low during the recent months.

The Afghan officials have not commented on the report so far.

Afghanistan has long been criticising Pakistan for its reluctance to act against the terrorist groups using its soil to plan and coordinate attacks in the region, including the Taliban and Haqqani terrorist network. The Afghan officials believe these groups have leadership councils based in the main cities of Pakistan.

--IANS

soni/vt

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A convention of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's supporters on Sunday elected him as the Samajwadi Party's new chief in place of party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav.

There was a roar of approval when party leader Ramgopal Yadav proposed that Akhilesh Yadav be the new National Working President and also declared that Shivpal Yadav would no more be the state party President.

The gathering of thousands of Samajwadi Party activists and numerous legislators supporting Akhilesh Yadav in the Samajwadi Party's internecine conflict also announced the sacking of Mulayam confidant Amar Singh.

The special meeting stopped short of expelling Mulayam Singh, saying he would be the party's "Marg Darshak".

Shortly after Ramgopal Yadav's announcements, Akhilesh Yadav declared he continued to regard "Netaji" -- as Mulayam Singh is widely known -- as his father but spoke harshly against Shivpal Yadav.

Shivpal Yadav, he thundered, had been working against the interests of the party.

"I am ready to sacrifice everything for Samajwadi Party," Akhilesh Yadav said. And to another roar from the gathering, he thanked everyone who have stood by him in the ugly war within the state's first family.

He said he had been given the responsibility of returning the Samajwadi Party to power in the country's most populous state when it goes for fresh elections this year.

Akhilesh Yadav also made it clear that he would take action against those "who act against the party".

Ramgopal Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav were both expelled for six years from the Samajwadi Party by Mulayam Singh on Friday. The decision was revoked a day later -- ahead of the Sunday convention.

--IANS

mr-vn-spk/py

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With the electrifying performances of One & One, Anish Sood, DJ Shaan, Dutch duo Bassjackers and DJ KSHMR, the tenth edition of Sunburn, the popular electronic dance music festival, ended here on a high note.

California-based DJ KSHMR, who felt privileged to perform at the gala, said: "It was such an emotional night to close to a thousand of fans at Sunburn 10. Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and a great year ahead."

All the stages on Saturday night were star-studded -- whether it was techno, trance, house music or the main stage. Music lovers in the city were high on energy and in a party mood that was amplified by all the artistes who performed.

While VAEYA, Jay Ramani, Sonic Species and Vertical Mode on the Psy Trance stage kept the crowd engrossed in their progressive and psychedelic music, One & One, Raiden, Genova and Goa's Anish Sood got the party started at the Main Stage, playing the high energy sets that they are famous for.

The Rayban Stage started with a magical performance of Olly Esse, followed by Ankur Sood, Akade, Paratra, and Vinayaka who played a collection of refreshing deep house and techno; and it concluded with the performance of Arjun Vagale.

There was also a performance by Marnik, followed by DJ Shaan and the Dutch duo Bassjackers, who sent the crowd into an overdrive by performing "Fireflies", "Memories" and "Wave Your Hands". And then, started the much awaited performance of KSHMR.

The Kashmiri-American, who has built a thriving brand around his electrifying big room productions, played an ideal New Year's Eve closing set. He played "Secrets", "Voices", "Creep "and most of the recent tracks from his label and fused some Bollywood numbers that created madness for a while among the crowd.

On the overwhelming response on the last day of the four-day extravaganza, Karan Singh, CEO, Sunburn, said in a statement: "The event witnessed a colossal turnout with some of the biggest headliners, top class security measures and world class production and design inspite of facing some preliminary problems as we are at a new venue."

The Sunburn fest was earlier held in Goa annually.

This year, the event was streamed live in five cities.

Singh also thanked the Maharashtra government and associated partners for their support to make the festival happen.

--IANS

aru/rb/vt

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Majority of British people believe that fascist views are on the rise globally in the wake of Donald Trump's victory, Brexit and the spectre of the far-right in mainland Europe, according to a survey.

There were surges of hate crime in the US following Trump's victory and in Britain after the Brexit vote, not to mention the brutal murder of MP Jo Cox by a man with far-right links, said the study by BMG Research, conducted for the Independent newspaper.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd also recently proscribed a far-right organisation for the first time in Britain, making its membership a criminal offence.

BMG pollsters, who are members of the British Polling Council, asked participants whether they thought "the number of people with fascist views in the US is increasing, decreasing or about the same?"

A majority of 53 per cent said they believed it is growing, just three per cent said they thought the number of people is decreasing, while 20 per cent said it is about the same.

When the same question was put in relation to Britain, some 46 per cent said they believe the number of people with fascist views in Britain is growing, with three per cent saying it is decreasing and around a third believing it is about the same.

Looking at Europe, the figures were broadly similar, with 48 per cent saying they believe the number of people with fascist views is growing, the Independent reported on Sunday.

BMG Research Director Michael Turner said: "With age comes experience, which may explain why our polling shows that it's older Britons who are most likely to feel that fascist views are on the rise, particularly in Europe."

He added: "Remainers are much more likely than Leavers to feel that fascist views are increasing at home. Around six in ten, 59 per cent, of those who voted to stay in the European Union feel that fascism is on the rise in Britain, whereas just four in ten Leavers, 41 per cent, feel the same."

"However, both Remainers and Leavers are much more united on the view that fascism is rising on the continent, with some 57 per cent of Remainers and 52 per cent of Leavers saying so in the poll."

According to reports, some 900 incidents of hate crime occurred in the US in the 10 days following the Tump's shock victory.

Official Home Office statistics have, as in the US, revealed an equally worrying hate-crime spike in Britain since the vote to quit the EU.

In July, there was a 41 per cent increase in the number of racially or religiously aggravated crimes recorded by the police.

They correlated with earlier figures which showed the number of alleged racially or religiously aggravated offences rose by 58 per cent in the week following the June Brexit vote.

--IANS

soni/vt

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A deal has been signed to end Joseph Kabila's 15-year rule in Congo, but the President himself has yet to add his signature, the media reported on Sunday.

Under the deal, Kabila will lead a transitional government until elections and an opposition politician will serve as Prime Minister, the BBC reported.

The country was facing a crisis as dozens of people have died in protests since Kabila failed to step down earlier in December when his mandate expired.

After the electoral commission cancelled the scheduled vote, citing logistical and financial difficulties in organising them, Kabila formed a 74-member transitional government and said elections would be held in 2018.

Representatives of Kabila and his long standing rival Etienne Tshisekedi have been locked in negotiations brokered by Catholic Church leaders since December 8.

"Today, we are happy to head up a political compromise," said Archbishop Marcel Utembi, who heads the church body which mediated the talks.

has not had a smooth transfer of power between any leaders since independence from Belgium in 1960.

Kabila took over in 2001 following the assassination of his father Laurent Kabila.
The European Union (EU) on Sunday strongly condemned a terrorist attack in Istanbul that left at least 39 people dead.

"In my personal name and that of the whole European Commission, I would like to express my heartfelt condolences to you and my solidarity with the victims and their loved ones," European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said in a message to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Xinhua news agency reported.

"It is our common responsibility to repel . Let me assure you and through you the people of Turkey that you can count on our continued support in this endeavour," he added.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, along with Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, also extended condolences to Turkey and denounced the attack.

"We strongly condemn all acts of and confirm our continued commitment to working with the authorities of Turkey in preventing and combating these threats effectively," they said in a joint statement.

A lone gunman sprayed bullets at the people celebrating new year at Istanbul's famous Reina nightclub late Saturday after killing a police officer.

At least 39 people were confirmed dead, including both Turkish and foreign nationals.

--IANS

pgh/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
"Uncommon Sense", a biographical film on architect Laurie Baker became the first Indian documentary ever to be selected to ArchDaily's yearly 'Architecture Documentaries to Watch' for 2017.

Filmed over three and a half years and directed by his grandson, Vineet Radhakrishnan, the social documentary covers Baker's remarkable life story. It also examines his pioneering socially and environmentally relevant building philosophies and how his radical, innovative ideas re-defined the role that an architect and architecture can and should play in society.

The curated ArchDaily documentary list includes a collection of the most critically acclaimed, popular and often under-represented films and documentaries that provoke, intrigue, inform and beguile.

Previous films that were featured include the Oscar-nominated "My Architect" on Louis Kahn, films by the BBC, Al Jazeera, and on some of the most famous architects in the world such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Rem Koolhaas, Norman Foster and Frank Gehry.

Born in Britain and one who did his professional education there, Baker, influenced by Mahatma Gandhi, came to India and worked for two decades trekking the Himalayas and its vicinity, helping the local people. During that time, he met his future wife, a medical professional and a Keralite.

But it was not until he reached the state capital in the early '60s that he turned into full-time architecture and etched a name for himself for low-cost housing till he passed away here at the age of 90 in 2007.

Every year, the prestigious and much anticipated list of 'Architecture Documentaries to Watch' is selected and published by ArchDaily, one of the most visited architecture websites worldwide with over 500,000 daily readers, 60,000 member architects worldwide and 160 million page views per month.

In the latest 2017 edition of the list, the film on Baker wrote itself into record books by becoming the first ever Indian film to find a place in the list.

--IANS

sg/rb/vt

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Delhi Chief Minister on Sunday blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a shoe attack on him here in Haryana.

A young man hurled a shoe at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader as he was addressing a rally. It hit an edge of the stage but fell short of Kejriwal who was speaking against demonetisation.

AAP activists immediately pounced on the attacker but Kejriwal repeatedly urged everyone to spare him.

"I have again and again said that Modi is a coward," the AAP leader thundered amid the commotion. "Today his supporter hurled a shoe at me. Modi doesn't have the guts to face us straight. He sends his agents."

Later, Kejriwal tweeted: "Modiji, we can also do this but our cultural values don't permit us to do this.

"I will keep on exposing the truth behind demonetisation scam and the Sahara-Birla bribery despite your CBI raid (on my minister) or shoe attack on me."
Air Marshal Anil Khosla on Sunday took over charge of the Indian Air Force's Shillong-based Eastern Air Command (EAC), a defence statement said.

A flying instructor and a fighter strike leader with over 4000 hours of accident free flying, Khosla, who was currently Director General (Inspection & Safety) at the Air Headquarters here, succeeds Air Marshal C. Harikumar who has moved to head the Western Air Command.

Commissioned in the fighter stream of Indian Air Force in December 1979, he has flown different variants of Jaguar, Mig-21 and Kiran aircraft and is equally experienced in both ground attack and air defence roles with a specialisation in maritime operations.

Khosla also holds two M. Phil degrees in military studies and has the distinction of standing first in the order of merit in all the courses he attended.

--IANS

rs/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Hollywood Sign, a landmark and American cultural icon located in Los Angeles, was vandalised on Sunday to read "Hollyweed", celebrating the recent legalisation of recreational marijuana in California.

According to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), surveillance footage caught one person dressed in all black sneaking up to the sign around 3 a.m. and spending about an hour and a half transforming the O' s to E' s by two pieces of black trap with graphic of anti-nuclear war and love, Xinhua news agency reported.

Robert Payan of LAPD was quoted by the Los Angeles Times as saying that it could be a News Year prank or a work of "thrill seeker". So far LAPD was reviewing security footage to try to track down the trespasser but had not any suspect.

Local media believed that the modification could be a reference to Californians voting on November 8 last year to legalise recreational marijuana in the state, which joined six other states and the District of Columbia from 2017 in allowing the drug's non-medical use.

The incident was not the first time that the sign had been changed to other words.

Danny Finegood, who passed away in 2007, was made famous by changing the sign to "Hollyweed" on January 1, 1976, in celebration of the state's then more relaxed marijuana laws taking effect.

In 1987, some Caltech students changed it to read the name of their University.

--IANS

lok/

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A man in Brazil has killed his former wife, son and nine others celebrating the arrival of the New Year, before shooting self, the BBC reported on Sunday.

The unidentified man was carrying several firearms when he stormed the family house in Campinas, around 100 km from Sao Paulo, BBC reported quoting police.

Another three persons were wounded. The murder occurred just before midnight, police said. Neighbours had heard blasts but thought they were fireworks.

They were alerted after one of those injured escaped to a neighbour's house to plead for help.

"When we opened the gate to go into the street to see the fireworks, the celebrations, a wounded person came into our yard. He entered, asking for help," the neighbour, Christiano Machado, said.

The 40-year-old gunman, who refused to accept the divorce proceedings with his wife, shot himself in the head after the shooting spree, Efe news reported.

Nine women, the gunman and the boy were pronounced dead at the scene and one person died while being treated at the hospital.

--IANS

pgh/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 22-year-old man was stabbed to death and two others injured by a group of four to five persons during a clash with their group on New Year's Eve, police said on Sunday.

Three persons have been detained in this connection, a senior police officer said.

The incident took place on late Saturday when Vishal, a resident of Sanjay Camp, went along with 10-11 of his friends for the New Year party to the nearby Vivekanand Camp in Chanakyapuri area.

When he, along with his friends, reached the venue, four to five unidentified persons attacked them with sticks and knives. Vishal received multiple knife wounds on his body, while Sahil and his brother Aman were also injured in the incident.

"On being informed, local police rushed to the spot. Vishal was admitted to the Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital, while Sahil was taken to the Safdarjung Hospital, from where he was discharged on Sunday. However, while undergoing treatment, Vishal succumbed to his injuries on Sunday morning," Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police R.P. Meena told IANS.

He said it prima facie seemed a case of old enmity between the groups, adding: "We have identified four to five persons. We have also detained three persons for interrogation, including Aman."

During the interrogation, Sahil and Aman told interrogators that they were trying to rescue Vishal. But owing to contradictions in their statements, their involvement in the killing of Vishal cannot be ruled out, he said.

"Some more persons can be involved in the case. The investigation is on," the officer said.

Meanwhile, hundreds of angry local residents protested with the body of Vishal and blocked the Ring Road at Dhaula Kaun around 4 p.m, demanding immediate arrest of the culprits. This led to traffic disruption on the busy road for at least 30 minutes.

According to police, Vishal, who worked as a sweeper in a local school, was pursuing his graduation from the School of Open Learning (SOL).

--IANS

sp/nir/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India is likely to turn 3,500 fertile acres into "No-Man's Land" on its eastern border with Myanmar as construction of a fence has started between the existing border pillars demarcating the two neighbouring nations.

The fencing is going ahead despite an agitation by Naga villagers who said the move will affect their livelihood as the area has been used by them for years.

The district administration, located in the border town of Noklak, has begun preparations to seal off farmers' passage to the 3,500 acres of land, according to sources.

Village Councils say the fencing between existing border pillars 139 and 146 will leave 10,000 villagers belonging to the Khiamniungans Naga tribe, living on both sides of the border, without a livelihood.

Seeking the urgent attention of both the Indian and Myanmar governments, the Khiamniungan Tribal Council (KTC) has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Myanmar President U. Htin Kyaw, urging them to halt the fencing work, as they were not consulted on the issue.

"In the history of Khiamniungans, though divided and living separately across the imaginary boundary between India and Myanmar, there have been no land disputes and encroachments. Our land and people cannot be divided by any external forces or aggressors by putting up fencing and drawing any imaginary lines under the guise and pretext of national security," said the letter which is with IANS.

According to the KTC, the border pillars were set up in the 1970s on agricultural lands without understanding that people on both sides belonged to the same community.

"We have been using the land for Jhum cultivation for so long. Though the border pillars were set up in the middle of our lands all of a sudden, we did not object as it did not stop our people from passing through. Now all of a sudden what is the meaning of constructing fencing between the border pillars?" S. Puthein, Chairman of Village Council Dan, a village of Khiamniungan on the Indian side of the border, told IANS.

When contacted, the Ministry of Home Affairs said that India was not involved in the construction of the fence.

"Ministry of Home has not proposed any fence on the Indo-Myanmar border. On this issue the MEA has been apprised as it is their subject. We have told our people that there will be no construction in our zone and also there will no construction in non-construction zone. Assam Rifles will ensure that," Pradeep Gupta, Joint Secretary (Border Management) in the ministry, told IANS.

"If the Myanmar government is doing this, then we will ensure that no construction is done in the 10 metres of no-construction zone. The government is trying to clear all the doubts of the locals living in the border areas on this," said Gupta.

Sripriya Ranganathan, Joint Secretary, (Bangladesh, Myanmar) in the Ministry of External Affairs, was not available for comment.

Myanmar, the only Southeast Asian country which shares a 1,600-mile-long border with India, serves as its gateway to the other 10-member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Four North Eastern states -- Arunachal Pradesh (520 km), Manipur (398 km), Nagaland (215 km) and Mizoram (510 km) -- have unfenced border with Myanmar.

In 2013, the Indian government had to stop fencing work across Manipur's border with Myanmar following allegations that it passed through Indian land in many parts.

Khriezo Yhome, an expert on Indo-Myanmar affairs at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) said: "It is important for the two countries to understand the ground realities. The fencing will have an adverse impact on the lives of local people living there."

He said the challenge was that, on the ground, the boundary lines are not crystallised. "India and Myanmar have a free movement regime (FMR), which allows local tribals to travel 16 km on each side of the boundary. In such situation, if the fencing comes, then it will be contradicting the FMR," Yhome told IANS.

A lot of villagers from the Myanmar side come to the Indian side to buy basic essentials. "The boundary lines cut across houses, lands and villages of the tribal people living there. This is not just confined to Nagaland but in several bordering areas of Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Manipur," said Yhome.

(Rupesh Dutta can be contacted at Rupesh.d@ians.in)

--IANS

rup/hs/sac

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom would not be attending the New Year's Day service in Norfolk, eastern England, as she was still recovering from a heavy cold, Buckingham Palace said on Sunday.

The Queen, 90, also was unable to attend the Christmas Day service at the St. Mary Magdalene Church near her Sandringham residence due to her illness, Efe news agency reported.

The Palace said the royal was still suffering from cold symptoms and so had decided she would not be attending the service along with other members of the royal family.

Despite the state of her health, the Queen did attend private family Christmas celebrations in Sandringham, where the British royal family traditionally gets together for festive celebrations, the media reported.

The Queen and her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, 95, arrived at Sandringham a day later than planned as they were suffering from heavy colds.

Buckingham Palace recently said the Queen would cease being the patron of more than 20 charity organisations before her 91st birthday on April 21.

--IANS

soni/vt

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Facing an uncertain future, the 14-year-old conjoined twins were on Sunday shifted from the local Niloufer Hospital to the State Home.

On New Year's Day, Veena and Vani stepped into the state-run shelter, moving out of the children's hospital, which had been their home since their parents abandoned them due to poverty in 2006.

With the risk in surgery increasing and chances of separating them slimming, the Telangana government shifted them out of the hospital.

The staff and residents of the State Home welcomed the conjoined twins with New Year greetings. A girl was holding placard with the New Year greetings as the twins reached the shelter run by the Department of Women Development and Child Welfare for women in distress and victims of atrocities.

The state government took the decision in August last year to shift the twins but it could not be implemented as the girls were reluctant.

The twins had been living in a hospital room for over 11 years and had developed a bonding with the caretakers. On many occasions, they had stated that they want to stay at the hospital.

However, taking care of the Siamese twins was proving a burden for the cash-strapped hospital. The hospital authorities were of the view that taking the girls out of the hospital was also essential for their psychological development.

The hospital officials had earlier asked the parents to take home the girls. However, N. Murali, a daily-wage labourer in Warangal district, and his wife Nagalakshmi said they have no means to take care of the twins in this condition.

No surgery could be performed to separate them due to the risks involved. They were examined by experts from Singapore and London in the past.

In 2015, doctors from the All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) had visited Hyderabad and examined the twins.

Although the Telangana government came forward to bear all the expenditure for the surgery, it could not be performed as the doctors said this could endanger the lives of the twins.

--IANS

ms/nir/vt

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A "fire to fight fire" treatment billed as a potential breakthrough in the fight against disease, including cancer, could back-fire and make the disease more damaging in some circumstances, a new research has found.

It showed that introducing 'friendlier' less-potent strains into a bunch of disease-causing microbes can lead to increased disease severity.

"Our study shows that a promising disease management strategy may not always be effective and indeed may have damaging unforeseen consequences," said lead researcher Ivana Gudelj, Professor at Exeter University in Britain.

The research showed that far from being a "silver bullet" to weaken disease, the practice of introducing pacifist microbes into a host could make the aggressive pathogen stronger, which could hamper disease management.

Until now, introducing friendlier cousins, which do not cause severe disease, into a population of pathogens has been shown to reduce disease severity and damage to the infected host.

It has been suggested that this approach could be an effective way of treating cancer, and research so far has proved effective and promising.

For example, scientists have already produced encouraging results in the fight against Clostridium difficile infections that are so common in our hospitals.

In this study, the scientists tested this strategy using a plant pathogen, and found the therapy could go dramatically wrong, with devastating consequences for the host plant.

The team investigated the devastating rice blast disease.

They introduced a mixed population of the fungus that causes this disease into rice, where the mixture included an aggressive strain and a pacifist mutant.

They expected that the overall disease severity would decrease because of the presence of the pacifist strain.

However, they found the opposite. The rice plants succumbed to much more severe disease.

The research, published in the journal eLife, showed that the therapy can in some circumstances have the opposite effect, and that the way the pathogen would behave can be unpredictable, leading to more severe disease.

The research highlights the need for these new strategies to be carefully tested before they are used therapeutically.

The scientists used cooperation theory and mathematical modelling to identify the reason for their surprising result.

They found that in some circumstances pacifists "helped" aggressive microbes to be more efficient in utilising resources obtained from the host.

"We find that the mechanisms driving our unexpected findings when treating rice blast infection are pertinent for many diseases involving bacterial and fungal pathogens," Gudelj noted.

--IANS

gb/sm/vt

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Mama Ayesha's, a popular restaurant in Washington D.C. known for its Presidential Mural featuring every US President from Eisenhower to Obama, will not add President-elect Donald Trump to the mural until the restaurant can afford to make the update.

"While there remains room for two additional Presidents to be added, we currently do not have the budget for this addition," Xinhua news agency quoted Amir Abu-El-Hawa, whose family owns the restaurant, as saying.

"President-elect Trump has yet to take office and will occupy the oval office for the next four years. When the funds are available and the budget allows for it, Mr. Trump will join the rest of the Presidents on our wall," he wrote in an e-mail sent to the local newspaper Washingtonian before the New Year's Eve.

"This decision is strictly a financial one and not in any way political, as both Republicans and Democrats alike are featured on our mural," Abu-El-Hawa wrote.

The restaurant has been at the same location since it opened its doors as the Calvert Cafe in 1960, according to a report from the Washingtonian.

The mural depicts its founder "Mama" Ayesha Abraham and the US Presidents. She was a Muslim and Arab woman immigrated from Palestine to come here.

"This is Mama welcoming the Presidents to DC," says Abu-El-Hawa, who is her grand-nephew.

Abraham left the restaurant to Abu-El-Hawa's father and his uncle when she passed away in 1993. The artist Karla "Karlisima" Rodas began painting the mural, which was supported in part by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, in 2007 and finished it in 2009.

--IANS

lok/

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The wife of the murdered Greek ambassador to Brazil has been jailed after being accused of masterminding his killing in a suburb here.

A Rio court on Saturday ordered Francoise Amiridis, the 40-year-old Brazilian to be placed in provisional custody for 30 days. She had been married to Kyriakos Amiridis for 15 years and they had a 10-year-old daughter, Xinhua news agency reported.

Rio police said she had been jailed in a feminine wing of Bangu prison, the largest in the city.

Francoise was arrested on Friday, along with a policeman who has an affair with Francoise and is suspected of having murdered the ambassador.

The policeman's cousin was also arrested for involvement in the case.

They confessed Francoise offered them 80,000 reais ($24,400) for the murder.

Kyriakos Amiridis, 59, was found dead in a burnt car below a bridge in Novo Iguacu, a northern suburb of Rio, on Thursday.

Greece's Foreign Ministry on Saturday said the death of Amiridis was tragic.

"We express our deepest sorrow at the tragic death of ambassador Amiridis who throughout his diplomatic career served Greece conscientiously and responsibly," the ministry said in a statement.

The 59-year-old diplomat assumed duties as Greece's ambassador to Brazil in January 2016. He had served in Rio de Janeiro as consul from 2001 to 2004, it said.

--IANS

py/

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The death of 60 people in the derailment of the Sealdah-Ajmer Express around 50 km from Kanpur comes just a month after the Patna-Indore Express derailment in which more than 150 people were killed and more than 200 injured. These accidents reflect the sorry dichotomy between the Indian Railways inability to run a safe, dependable and comfortable system and its ambition to operate bullet trains.
The government has asked banks to provide information to the (I-T) Department about savings accounts where deposits have exceeded Rs 2.5 lakh (Rs 12.5 lakh in the case of current accounts) after November 8. If the deposits are higher than past levels or deviate significantly from what a persons savings are expected to be, based on the I-T returns he has filed in the past, he could receive a notice from the department. As the government has gone into overdrive against black money, many more notices are expected this year.
Upstaging Mulayam Singh Yadav, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav was on Sunday anointed the Samajwadi Party (SP) president in place of his father at a party convention in Lucknow which also proposed the expulsion of "outsider" and removal of Shivpal Yadav from the post of UP chief.

Minutes after Mulayam Singh Yadav termed the convention called by Ram Gopal Yadav as "unconstitutional", the meeting unanimously decided to crown Akhilesh as head of the SP.

After a brief truce in the ruling SP on Saturday, the open war in the party was all out in the open with the convention declaring Akhilesh Yadav as party president.

The proposal was met with a huge applause by party cadres gathered at the sprawling Janeshwar Misra Park amid chilly conditions.

Ram Gopal also moved a proposal to make Mulayam Singh, the founder president of the party, as party patron and removing Shivpal Yadav from the state unit post.

Earlier this morning as soon as the convention got underway at the Janeshwar Misra park, Mulayam Singh issued a letter declaring the convention as unconstitutional.

"Today a so-called convention has been convened by Ram Gopal. This is against party constitution and discipline. This has been convened to damage the party," Yadav said in the letter.

Although Mulayam warned that participation in the convention will be taken as indiscipline and action will be initiated against those attending it, almost all the senior leaders who had been longtime associates of Mulayam shared dias with Ram Gopal and Akhilesh.

Soon after being proposed as the national president of the party, Akhilesh Yadav said his respect for his father was more than ever and that he would stand against those conspiring against the party.

"Those who conspired against the party, damaged it and also posed problems before the national president...Should know that my respect for the national president (Mulayam Singh) will be more than before," the chief minister said.

"...People might raise questions and level allegations but I said this before and say it again that as his son if there is any conspiracy against the party and him it is my duty to stand against them", he said.

"I had said that I was ready to step down as state unit president earlier too... He had made me the CM and gave me a chance to work...", he said.
Two workers were killed and five others injured in a blast today at a fireworks unit at Keezha Nilai Kottai here, police said.

The injured have been admitted to the government hospital here, where the condition of one of them is stated to be critical.

Fire tenders from in and around the town rushed to the spot and doused the flames after a two-hour operation, they said.

The unit was making fireworks for temple festivals, police said, adding the cause of the blast is being ascertained.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
2016 saw the worst political crisis in Uttarakhand marked by a major revolt against Chief Minister Harish Rawat by his own party's MLAs which caused his ouster from power and imposition of President's rule in the state which lasted for nearly two months till his reinstatement after the intervention of courts.

Before the political upheaval started in the state, injury sustained by a police horse named Shaktiman during an anti- government protest demonstration by Opposition BJP also dominated the national scene. The horse sustained injuries on one of its hind legs after getting entangled in a hole. BJP MLA Ganesh Joshi was charged with lashing the horse during the demonstration causing its collapse and was arrested.

The horse contracted infection due to its injured leg which had to be amputated with the help of doctors from abroad. However, the horse could not be saved as it died after battling infections caused by the injury for over a month on April 20.

In the hot political atmosphere of the election-bound state, Rawat was also accused of being hand-in-glove with the mining, land and liquor mafia prompting BJP to go to people of the state with these issues through a parivartan yatra which was addressed by prominent party leaders like its chief Amit Shah and Union ministers Manohar Parrikar, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Suresh Prabhu, Radhamohan Singh, Dharmendra Pradhan and J P Nadda.

Congress also took the battle to the people's court through its "Satat Sankalp Yatras" attacking BJP for its undemocratic ways and doing injustice to the state by denying it central funds.

The 16th year of Uttarakhand, which was carved out of Uttar Pradesh in 2000, was indeed a defining, coming-of-age year also for Indian democracy as the prolonged face-off between the state and the Centre caused the courts to pull up the executive for the haste with which it had acted.

The trouble was triggered by the discontent long smoldering in the Vijay Bahuguna camp of the ruling Congress since denial of ministerial berths or significant PCC positions to his loyalists and a Rajya Sabha ticket to himself.

It finally flared up on March 18 when as many as nine party MLAs revolted against Rawat seeking a division of votes on the appropriation bill along with the rest of the Opposition in the state assembly the moment Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal asked State Finance Minister Indira Hridayesh to table the collective legislation on the state's annual budget.

Unprecedented pandemonium ensued in the House as BJP MLAs and the nine Congress rebels together demanded a division of votes on the legislation. The House was later adjourned amid prevailing din and the appropriation bill was declared as passed.

The rebel Congress MLAs along with BJP legislators went to Governor K K Paul to claim that the the Rawat government had been reduced to a minority and urge him to pave the way for the formation of a new government by dismissing it.

In view of the prevailing circumstances, the Governor



invited the chief minister to prove his majority on the floor of the House. As Holi was around the corner, Rawat asked for a time after the festival and the Governor directed him to go for a trial of strength in the assembly on March 28 giving him ten days' time for the purpose which did not go down well with the BJP legislators who opined that it would give the ruling party a lot of time for horsetrading.

MLAs who had rebelled against Rawat by standing in solidarity with Opposition legislators in the assembly were served show cause notices under the anti-defection law by the Speaker prompting BJP and rebel Congress MLAs to accuse him of acting as a Congress leader despite occupying a constitutional post.

The political goings on in Uttarakhand took a dramatic twist on March 26 when rebel MLA Bahuguna's son Saket released an alleged sting CD at a press conference in Delhi purportedly showing Rawat negotiating a deal to buy rebel party MLAs' support to save his government.

The Home Ministry immediately sent the CD to Chandigarh- based Forensic Lab for testing which submitted its report urgently. The Cabinet recommended imposition of President's rule in the state citing collapse of constitutional machinery and took the President's assent.

Citing Constitutional breakdown, the state was brought under President's rule on March 27, just a day before the government was to go for a floor test. In the afternoon the Speaker disqualified the rebel MLAs.

Both the sides went to court with Rawat challenging imposition of President's rule.The Supreme Court as well as the Uttarakhand High Court pulled up the Centre for showing undue haste in imposing President's rule in the state without giving the state government a chance to prove its majority.

The political crisis apparently blew over with the intervention of the courts which asked Rawat to go for a court monitored floor test in a house with a substantially reduced strength sans the rebel MLAs.

The disqualified MLAs were not allowed to vote in the floor test and the chief minister scraped through the exercise paving the way for his reinstatement in the top office in less than two months of his dramatic ouster.

The disqualified MLAs later joined BJP. Besides the nine rebel Congress MLAs, party MLA from Someshwar Rekha Arya also joined BJP taking the number of MLAs deserting Congress to 10. Meanwhile, BJP MLA from Ghansali Bhimlal Arya and BJP MLA from Bhimtal Dansingh Bhandari quit their party to join Congress.

Though the political crisis apparently ended with Rawat's reinduction in office, the period that followed saw a lot of inveighing between the two warring sides with the ruling Congress holding the Centre responsible for the crisis and Opposition BJP blaming rifts within the government and the communication gap between an autocratic chief minister and his MLAs for the mess.

Congress accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah of engineering defections within the party and dislodging a democratically-elected government as part of a larger conspiracy to topple non-BJP governments anywhere in the country.First it was Arunachal Pradesh and now it was Uttarakhand, they said.
Legal issues concerning large conglomerates like Tatas, Birlas, Ambanis and Adanis hogged the limelight in 2016 in the Supreme Court where Narendra Modi Government faced the acid test on the legality of its path-breaking policy decision on demonetisation.

The year 2016 also saw the swinging fortunes of some corporate czars like Mukesh Ambani, whose Reliance Jio cleared all roadblocks in the top court to offer voice services on its 4G spectrum and liquor baron Vijay Mallya, who faced its wrath for fleeing the country.

Mallya's partner in promoting a Formula One team Subrata Roy, the embattled Sahara chief had better luck in the apex court which allowed him to come out of over two years of incarceration in the Tihar Jail to arrange around Rs 40,000 crore for refunding the investors.

Sahara was also in the news for the wrong reasons, along with the Aditya Birla Group, as they were accused by an NGO of allegedly paying bribes to top politicians including Modi who was then the chief minister of Gujarat.

However, the top court, from the very beginning, questioned the credibility of the materials that formed the basis of the allegation, which the NGO claimed was based on documents recovered from the premises of the two business houses during the income tax raid in 2013 and 2014.

But, the fag end of the year saw the Democratic Alliance (NDA) government trying hard to defend the pre-midnight announcement of November 8, 2016 by the Prime Minister declaring cessation of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes as legal tender, as the Supreme Court asked a volley of searching questions over a period of time to push it for taking corrective measures to check the inconvenience faced by the people.

The government, which was initially struggling to justify its demonetisation decision, got a sigh of relief when the top court refused to interfere with it and referred the matter to a five-judge constitution bench to consider nine issues framed by a bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur.

Amidst these developments, Anil Ambani's Reliance ADA Group failed to defend in the top court the order of the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity allowing its Sasan Ultra Mega Power Project (UMPP) to recover Rs 1,050 crore worth of alleged dues from power distribution firms.



Tatas suffered a jolt over the land acquired in Singur in West Bengal for its small car plant for Nano, which was shifted to Gujarat. The verdict came as a huge setback to Tata Motors which had sought Rs 1,400 crore damages from the state for the losses it had suffered at Singur.

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zones Ltd (APSEZ), India's biggest private port operator which had won the contract for the Rs 6,000-crore Vizhinjam Port Project in Thiruvananthapuram, was also embroiled in legal wranglings in the Supreme Court which paved the way for resumption of hearing before the Green Tribunal on pleas seeking withdrawal of environment clearance to it.

The apathy of builders in not handing over possession of flats to customers on time, prompted the homebuyers to rush to the Supreme Court which dealt sternly with many of them like Unitech, Parsvnath, Supertech and DLF by making stinging remarks like "sink or die" and directing the realtors to return the money to its investors.

The callous attitude of the builders forced not only the general public, but even the high and mighty like Olympic medallist Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, the Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, to approach the apex court, which in one case directed Parsvnath developers to hand over possession of a flat in Gurgaon to him within two days.

Mallya, the liquor baron known as 'King of Good Times', ran into rough weather and fled to the United Kingdom creating a huge controversy here. He was taken to task when a consortium of lending banks moved the apex court which asked him to make a complete disclosure of his properties in India as well as overseas.

The court also pulled up Mallya for not giving details of $40 million which he had allegedly received from British firm Diageo Plc in February this year.

Default in payment of loans by big business and corporates was one issue which on regular intervals saw the apex court expressing unhappiness. While dealing with a 2005 PIL, it directed the RBI to provide a list of companies which were defaulters of bank loans of over Rs 500 crore.

Later, after perusing the RBI report, the top court noted that 57 borrowers had defaulted on loans worth a whopping Rs 85,000 crore and asked the central bank why their names should not be made public.

However at the fag end, it said that disclosure of names of such debtors will not lead anywhere as the major issue was to address the "root cause" of accumulation of non-performing assets (NPAs).
Three persons have been arrested from Uttam Nagar and Saket in connection with the murder of a contractual employee of Delhi Tourism department, police said today.

Acting on a tip-off, police spotted Pankaj Sharma and Dharmender Yadav at Uttam Nagar yesterday. In order to evade arrest Pankaj fired at the policemen, but the duo were arrested after a scuffle, a police officer said.

The third accused, Vivek Kashyap, who is Pankaj's brother-in-law, was arrested from Saket, the officer said.

Brij Bhushan Prasad, a contractual employee at a liquor vend in Yusuf Sarai under Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation (DTTDC) was killed in south Delhi's Mehrauli area last month.

The accused had thought that Prasad used to carry cash proceeds of the liquor vend for that day home and hatched a plan to rob him, said DCP(South) Ishwar Singh.

On December 20, when Prasad was on his way home after closing the liquor vend, he was attacked by some persons who also fired at him. His car was vandalised. The victim was taken to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

"During investigation, it was revealed that even though Prasad was not involved in public dealings at his workplace, he could be seen handling the sale proceeds of the vend in the late evening hours," Singh said.

The vend was frequented by many servants, delivery boys and restaurant employees in the evenings to purchase liquor for their employers.

"It was learnt that since the incident took place, at least four to five local delivery boys and some other blue collar workers were reported absent. After further scrutiny, two to three suspected persons could not be traced and their absence from their workplaces also couldn't be explained," the DCP said.

The images of the accused were also captured CCTV cameras near the site of the incident which led to their arrest.

"During interrogation it was revealed that Vivek, who used to visit the liquor vend frequently, had on several occasions seen Prasad counting cash," Singh said.

Prasad used to leave for home in his car with some bags. Vivek thought that the victim used to carry the cash proceeds from the liquor vend home and told Pankaj Sharma about it.

"Pankaj hatched the plan and brought in Dharmender and two other accomplices," the officer said, adding efforts are on to nab the other two accused.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
At least five people were killed over the New Year's weekend in the Mexican resort city of Acapulco, including three men found decapitated in a central neighbourhood.

The three severed heads were found Saturday on a residential street on the roof of a car, with the bodies inside. The killings were confirmed by a law enforcement official who was not authorised to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Elsewhere in the city, a police officer was slain by unknown gunmen while assisting at the scene of a traffic accident near the beach and a taxi driver was gunned down in his cab.

Another police officer was shot dead yesterday in Atoyac de Alvarez, about 90 kilometres from Acapulco.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As many as 3659 industrial units have been established in the Himachal Pradesh during the last four years with an investment of Rs 3581.48 crore providing employment to 48422 youth, an official spokesman here said.

In addition, the State Level Single Window Clearance and Monitoring Authority approved 283 industrial proposals involving investments worth Rs 13262.27 crore and employment potential of 26,680 persons, he said.

Besides 7054 employment opportunities were created by effective implementation of Prime Minister Employment Generation Programme and loans worth Rs 23.93 crore were distributed to the youth to start their self-employment ventures.

With a view to giving boost to industrialisation, three state of the art industrial areas with world class facilities are being developed in Una, Kangra and Solan districts to facilitate the entrepreneurs.

Land measuring 72-82-74 hectare has been transferred for developing industrial area at Kandrori in Kangra district at a cost of Rs 88.05 crore. Similarly, Rs 95.77 crore would be spent on developing an industrial area at Pandoga in Una district, the spokesman said.

A Technology Centre is coming up at Baddi with a cost of Rs 102 crore and land measuring 100 bighas had been provided at Bhatoli-Kalan village for this purpose. The centre provide technological support and tooling facilities to micro, small and medium sector enterprises and also help in skill development and up-gradation of unemployed youth.

In order to boost export from the State, Inland Container Depot has been set up at a cost of Rs 14.42 crore at Baddi while a Trade Centre with an investment of Rs 10.81 crore and a Ware House at a cost of Rs 26.89 crore have been established at Baddi, he said.

Further, a Common Effluent Treatment Plant had been constructed at Baddi at a cost of Rs 12 crore and a Labour Hostel has been constructed at Bathu in Una district at a cost of Rs 4.46 crore.

The spokesman said that the Pollution-free and peaceful atmosphere, rich natural resources, un-interrupted power supply, sound infrastructure, attractive incentives and responsive administration are major incentives which make Himachal, a favorite destination for the entrepreneurs.

To attract industrial investment, 'Industry by Invitation' has been mooted and the state government is organizing special investor's meets in different parts of the country.

The government has reduced electricity duty applicable to industrial enterprises in case of Extra High Tension from 17 per cent to 13 per cent, for existing medium and large industries from 15-17 per cent to 11 per cent.

For new medium and large industries electricity duty has been fixed at 5 per cent for first five years while for existing small scale industries the rate has been reduced from 9 to 5 per cent.

Further, for new small scale industries, it has been fixed at 1 per cent for first five years and to facilitate the entrepreneurs, the Government has decided to reduce the stamp duty by fifty per cent on sale deed or lease deed for setting up a new industry.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Over 3,300 cases of traffic rule violation including over 500 cases of were registered in the city on the New Year eve.

"There were 565 cases of and we collected Rs 3.87 lakh in fine (from guilty drivers)," a senior traffic police official said.

Thirteen people were booked for rash and negligent driving, while 207 people were caught for riding two-wheelers without helmet.

The traffic police also fined about 690 people for parking in a no-parking areas.
Representatives of more than 80 countries will be participating in the five-day 'Vibrant Gujarat Global Trade Show' which will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 9.

Gujarat Revenue Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama today told reporters that Presidents of Kenya and Rawanda, Prime Ministers of Portugal and Serbia, deputy Prime Ministers of Russia and Poland, and ministers of Sweden and Japan are also likely to be here to participate at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit.

"We have 1,500 representatives from eighty countries participating in the trade show which will be inaugurated by PM Modi on January 9. The show will have two parts -- on January 10 and 11, there will be business seminars, and on January 12 and 13, the exhibition will be open for visitors," Chudasama said.

The pavilions at the trade show, to be held at the exhibition ground here, will have industries from various sectors like automobiles, agro and food, aerospace and defence, energy and petrochemicals, environment, health care, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, among others, said Chudasama.

"Special focus has been given to international organisations, women entrepreneurs, MSME and start-ups. We have offered discount between 50 and 90 per cent to women entrepreneurs, start-ups and MSMEs. In all, around 1,500 entities will participate," he said, adding, around 15-20 lakh people are expected to visit the trade show.

"Demonetisation has had no effect on bookings, especially by MSMEs which have responded very well. We have adopted revenue neutral approach for deciding on rates," principal secretary, tourism, S J Haider said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Global water technology company A O Smith Corporation is exploring acquisition opportunities in the country but has not been able to close a deal due to high price expectations of promoters.

"We have looked for acquisition opportunities in India..We will continue to evaluate opportunities but price expectation of sellers in India are very high and it does not make financial sense to acquire," A O Smith Corporation Chairman and CEO Ajita Rajendra told PTI.

A O Smith Corporation, which entered into water purification business after acquiring a Chinese company, said China and India are the two main future growth drivers.

"We have long terms growth targets from our India business and growth rates in India is significantly higher. We expect India business to grow in double digits. India is very important market for us and we will continue to invest here," Rajendra said.

However, at present, Indian market accounts for 1 per cent of the company's global turnover while China contributes 30 per cent.

A O Smith Corporation, which became the first water heater company from the US to enter India in 2008, has invested USD 75 million in India so far.

In May 2015, A O Smith Corporation appointed Parag Kulkarni as new managing director for India operations.

The company, which manufactures residential water heaters and recently launched a line of residential water treatment products for the Indian market, had reported turnover of over Rs 130 crore last year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
For the 20th year in a row, activists in Meghalaya celebrated the arrival of the New Year by diving into a pool filled with ice blocks with a resolution to fight social ills that plagued this north eastern state.

The spectacular midnight dip took place at the Saw Aiom swimming pool at Pynthor in the city where 22 activists celebrated for the 20th year without fail.

Led by former influential student activist, and a convener of the Mait Shaphrang Movement (MSM), Michael Syiem, people from all walks of life took a dip at the sub-zero temperature pool, filled with ice blocks.

66-year-old Disil Nongrum who celebrated his 20th jump said the dip is special to him as he welcomed the New Year with a prayer for health, strength and wisdom to face the challenges of life.

Michael Syiem said, "The midnight dip is a sober celebration which has more to do with determination and strengthening of the inner self to face the challenges of life".

He said, such a gutsy act would help the participants to take firm resolves for their endeavours throughout the New Year.

A similar custom of midnight swim to welcome the New Year is also prevalent in Argentina and some parts of Russia.

In addition, the New Year was welcomed with full fervour by people of Meghalaya - from solemn waits in their private fireplace to parties in hotels and private places and the government sponsored midnight party at the Polo grounds.

Renowned bands like Soulmate, Instinct, HEAR, Dossers Urge besides DJ Favian and DJ Knack entertained the crowd till dawn.

Prior to the New Year's countdown, the revellers were invited to take a pledge to keep the state clean and green.

An initiative of Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, the Shillong Midnight Festival is being organised by the East Khasi Hills District Arts and Culture Society.

Governor V Shanmuganathan prayed for well being of the people.

In his message, Shanmuganathan said, "May the New Year be a messenger of peace, joy, progress and prosperity of all. Let us pray for the blessings of God".

Wishing people A prosperous New Year, Chief Minister Mukul Sangma in his message said, "May the spirit of unity and solidarity continue to inspire and guide us to work together in creating a more inclusive and sustainable society for the growth and prosperity of the state and the Nation as a whole".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Frosty relations between Kabul and Islamabad have put a brake on Afghanistan's ambitious plans to boost fruit exports, seen as vital to providing farmers an alternative to poppy cultivation which fuels the Taliban insurgency.

Pomegranates and grapes have long been the pride of Afghan agriculture, but exports from the landlocked country have suffered due to poor air connectivity and frequent border closures by the country's regional nemesis Pakistan.

The sight of hundreds of long-haul trucks stuck along border towns became all too common in 2016, with tonnes of fruits and perishable items going to waste and forcing some farmers to return to the more lucrative cultivation of poppy.

"We invested huge sums of money on growing fresh fruits in our orchards," grape farmer Abdul Samad from Panjwai district in southern Kandahar told AFP.

"We are very frustrated that Pakistan frequently shut the border during harvest season. We have no choice but to return to poppy farming. It will fetch us a lot more money than fruits."



Pakistan sporadically shut the main border crossings as tensions flared due to firing incidents between the troops of both nations.

Pakistan announced last June it was planning more check posts and fencing along the 2,600-kilometre frontier to filter the flow of militants.

The move prompted consternation from Afghanistan which does not officially recognise the so-called Durand Line as the international border.

In 2015 around 52,000 tonnes of pomegranates were exported to Pakistan, the UAE and India. Last year the exports dropped to 15,000 tonnes, a small fraction of the total production. Other fruit exports also suffered.

"We were ready and hoping to export up to 40,000 tonnes of grapes from Kandahar, but Pakistan closed the gate for 17 days (in October), not allowing our traders to export their produce," said Nasrullah Zaheer, head of the Afghan chamber of commerce in Kandahar.

Agriculture Minister Assadullah Zamir accused Pakistan of using border security as a pretext to sabotage Afghan exports and shield its own farmers from competition.

"This is not the first time that border closures have happened. We had exactly the same issue in 2015 during harvest time," he said, without stating the estimated monetary losses.

"But we are here to support our farmers and the government is willing to cover a part of alternate transportation costs such as air cargo," he added.

New Delhi recently announced it would launch an air-cargo link between Afghanistan and India that will help it bypass its border issues and open new markets for traders.

The plans, however, remain at initial stages, frustrating farmers.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today removed Shivpal Singh Yadav as Samajwadi Party's Uttar Pradesh unit chief and appointed MLC Naresh Uttam in his place, soon after being anointed its "president" at a disputed national convention.

Akhilesh has made Uttam the new president of SP's state unit, replacing Shivpal, party leader Rajendra Chaudhary said.

The appointment came soon after Akhilesh was anointed SP president, upstaging his father Mulayam Singh Yadav at a national convention of the party in Lucknow, despite Mulayam calling the meeting and the decisions taken there illegal.

Mulayam issued a hard-hitting letter saying the national convention had not been convened with permission of the national president and so decision taken there were illegal.

Soon after Uttam's appointment, Akhilesh supporters took control of the party office and removed Shivpal's nameplate outside his room, despite a heavy deployment of police personnel outside the office this morning.

Uttam, who is also a Member of Legislative Council, said his aim would be to ensure victory for Samajwadi Party in the next polls and make Akhilesh chief minister for another term.

Asked about ticket distribution, he said "party president" Akhilesh will decide the tickets for the remaining seats.

Uttam also addressed party workers in the office.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A gene mutation that protected ancient hunter-gatherers from cognitive decline may have become mismatched in our modern sterile lifestyles, making us prone to the risk of diseases like Alzheimer's, a new study has found.

Researchers at Arizona State University in the US examined how the apolipoprotein E (ApoE) gene might function differently in an infectious environment than in the urban industrialised settings where it has mostly been examined.

All ApoE proteins help mediate cholesterol metabolism, and assist in the crucial activity of transporting fatty acids to the brain.

However, in industrialised societies, ApoE4 variant carriers also face up to a four-fold higher risk for Alzheimer's disease and other age-related cognitive declines, as well as a higher risk for cardiovascular disease.

Researchers wanted to examine the potentially detrimental effects of the ApoE4 allele in environmental conditions experienced throughout our species' existence.

"For 99 per cent of human evolution, we lived as hunter gatherers in small bands and the last 5,000-10,000 years - with plant and animal domestication and sedentary urban industrial life - is completely novel," said lead author Ben Trumble.

"I can drive to a fast-food restaurant to 'hunt and gather' 20,000 calories in a few minutes or go to the hospital if I'm sick, but this was not the case throughout most of human evolution," he said.

Due to the tropical environment and a lack of sanitation, running water, or electricity, remote populations like a community of Amazonian forager-horticulturalists called the Tsimane face high exposure to parasites and pathogens, which cause their own damage to cognitive abilities when untreated.

As a result, one might expect Tsimane ApoE4 carriers who also have a high parasite burden to experience faster and more severe mental decline in the presence of both these genetic and environmental risk factors.

However researchers found that those Tsimane who carried ApoE4 and had a high parasitic burden displayed steadier or improved cognitive function.

This indicated that the allele potentially played a role in maintaining cognitive function even when exposed to environmental-based health threats.

For Tsimane ApoE4 carriers without high parasite burdens, the rates of cognitive decline were more similar to those seen in industrialised societies, where ApoE4 reduces cognitive performance.

"It seems that some of the very genetic mutations that help us succeed in more hazardous time periods and environments may actually become mismatched in our relatively safe and sterile post-industrial lifestyles," Trumble said.

For example, several studies have shown potential benefits of ApoE4 in early childhood development. ApoE4 has also been shown to eliminate some infections like giardia and hepatitis.

The research was published in The FASEB Journal.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Gujarat BJP today felicitated more than 8,000 village heads (sarpanches), who won the recently held polls, and attributed the victory as people's endorsement of PM Narendra Modi's demonetisation move.

Though Gram Panchayat polls are not fought on party symbols, ruling BJP claims that 80 per cent elected representatives at more than 10,000 panchayats are associated with the party.

These "pro-BJP" village heads were today felicitated at a function at party headquarter here in the presence of senior party leaders, including state BJP chief Jitu Vaghani, Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani and Union Minister Parshottam Rupala.

Addressing the gathering, Vaghani claimed rural voters gave a "fitting reply" to Congress for it's stand on demonetisation.

"Congress mislead people on demonetisation by saying that people will vote against BJP for this decision. However, rural voters have rejected them and elected those who were associated with BJP," said Vaghani.

"This victory is an endorsement to our PM's decision. It is the beginning of the end for Congress in Gujarat," said Vaghani.

During the function, around 15 newly-elected village heads were invited on the stage and felicitated by the BJP leaders. These included Kantaben Patel, who has been elected as the sarpanch of Panchot village of Mehsana.

Earlier on December 21, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi addressed a rally near Panchot, where he slammed Modi for his decision to ban high currency notes.

Taking a jibe at Gandhi, Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani urged state Congress leaders to organise some more rallies of Gandhi across Gujarat ahead of Assembly polls, slated to be held in the later part this year.

"Congress was defeated by BJP-supported sarpanch candidate in Panchot, where Gandhi addressed a rally. I urge state Congress leaders to arrange some more rallies in the state, as it will only help BJP. The Gram Panchayat results are just a trailer of Assembly polls. We are confident of winning with two-third majority," said Rupani.

Union Minister Rupala said the Centre is committed to provide maximum funds directly to Gram Panchayats for developmental works.

"Centre has alloted Rs 2 lakh crore to all the Gram Panchayats across the country this time. This fund will be directly given to these local bodies. It is the duty of sarpanchs to ensure its best utilisation," said Rupala.

He urged newly elected sarpanches and members to take part in the training sessions to understand the nuances for day-to-day functioning.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The British public is fearful of the rise of fascism around the world in the wake of Donald Trump's election victory in the US and the Brexit referendum in the UK, according to a new survey released today.

The study by BMG Research for 'The Independent' newspaper also showed that most people think the number of individuals holding fascist views is increasing in the UK and on the continent as well.

A majority of British people now believe the dark shadow of fascism is spreading across the United States following Trump's shock victory in November 2016, it said.

BMG pollsters asked participants whether they thought "the number of people with fascist views in the United States of America is increasing, decreasing or about the same?"



53 per cent said they believed it is growing, just three per cent said they thought the number of people is decreasing, while 20 per cent said it is about the same.

When the same question was put in relation to the UK, almost half, some 46 per cent, said they believe the number of people with fascist views in Britain is growing, with three per cent saying it is decreasing and around a third believing it is about the same.

Looking at Europe, the figures were broadly similar, with 48 per cent saying they believe the number of people with fascist views is growing.

BMG Research Director Dr Michael Turner said: "With age comes experience, which may explain why our polling shows that it's older Britons who are most likely to feel that fascist views are on the rise, particularly in Europe."



He added: "Remainers are much more likely than Leavers to feel that fascist views are increasing at home.

Around six in 10, 59 per cent, of those who voted to stay in the EU feel that fascism is on the rise in the UK, whereas just four in 10 Leavers, 41 per cent, feel the same.

"However, both Remainers and Leavers are much more united on the view that fascism is rising on the continent, with some 57 per cent of Remainers and 52 per cent of Leavers saying so in our latest poll for 'The Independent'.

Official UK Home Office statistics have revealed an equally worrying hate-crime spike in the UK since the vote to quit the European Union.

In July, there was a 41 per cent increase in the number of racially or religiously aggravated crimes recorded by police.

They correlated with earlier figures which showed the number of alleged racially or religiously aggravated offences rose by 58 per cent in the week following the June Brexit vote.

In 2017 elections in France, Germany and Holland are expected to see far-right parties make stronger bids for power than at any moment in recent history.

BMG Research interviewed a representative sample of 1,507 UK adults online between December 1 and 5.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has said that it is not obliged to reveal under the Right to Information (RTI) Act whether views of the Chief Economic Advisor and the Finance Minister were taken before the sudden announcement of of high-value currency notes by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 8.

The RBI feels this query cannot be answered under the RTI Act as it does not comes under the definition of information under the transparency law.

The applicant wanted to know whether the "views of Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley were taken before announcement was made".

"Query is in the nature of seeking opinion from CPIO (Central Public Information Officer) which is not defined as information as per Section 2(f) of the RTI Act," the RBI said in response to an RTI query.

Asked whether the information sought will fall under "seeking opinion" from the CPIO, former Chief Information Commissioner A N Tiwari said, "No. It does not. It is a fact sought by an RTI applicant. The CPIO cannot say an opinion has been sought from him."

"How it can be called seeking opinion? Whether someone was consulted or not is a matter of record. Had the question been that should views be taken then it would mean taking opinion," former Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi said, expressing surprise at the response of RBI CPIO.

The definition of information covers "any material in any form, including records, documents, memos, e-mails, opinions, advices, press releases, circulars, orders, logbooks, contracts, reports, papers, samples, models, data material held in any electronic form and information relating to any private body which can be accessed by a public authority under any other law for the time being in force".

The query was also sent to the Prime Minister's Office and the Finance Ministry but it remained unanswered even after 30 days of filing of the RTI application.

The applicant had also sought to know the designation and the names of officials who were consulted before scraping of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes.

"The information sought relates to sensitive matters pertaining to discontinuation/withdrawal of bank notes. The information is exempt from disclosure under Section 8(1)(a) and (g) of RTI Act," the RBI said.

The monetary policy regulator also did not disclose if the decision to demonetise currency notes worth Rs 20 lakh crore was opposed by any official or minister, saying the information sought is "hypothetical" in nature.

It also cited Section 8(1)(a) of the RTI Act to deny minutes of deliberations related to .

Section 8(1)(a) of the RTI Act exempts from disclosure the information which would prejudicially affect the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security, strategic, scientific or economic interests of the State, relation with foreign State or lead to incitement of an offence.

Information sought under Section 8(1)(g) would endanger the life or physical safety of any person or identify the source of information or assistance given in confidence for law enforcement or security purposes.

The RBI has been denying information related to crucial aspects related to citing exemption clauses.

It recently refused to give reasons behind the demonetisation move.

Earlier, it had denied to Mumbai-based RTI Activist Anil Galgali information about distribution of currency to banks between November 9 and November 19 citing Section 8(1)(g) of the RTI Act.

The central bank did not give any reason as to how this section would apply in the case of information sought by Galgali.

RTI Activist Venkatesh Nayak, who was also denied deliberations on demonetisation by the RBI, said: "While confidentiality prior to announcing the demonetisation decision is understandable, continued secrecy after its implementation is difficult to understand when people are facing problems due to shortage of cash."

He said the refusal to disclose the minutes of the board meeting where the decision was taken is "perplexing".
Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi today said the Centre and Haj Committee of India had started preparations to ensure a smooth and hassle-free Haj pilgrimage this year.

Inaugurating a renovated office of Maharashtra State Haj Committee here, Naqvi said it was the responsibility of the government to provide best facilities to Haj pilgrims and his ministry was working on a war footing for this.

"Every state should construct a Haj House and Minority Affairs Ministry is ready to help. We have written to the states in this regard," he said.

"The Centre is working hard so that like last Haj, this year's Haj is also smooth and comfortable. For the first time, Minority Affairs Ministry had sent a delegation of officials to Mecca to take stock of preparations (last year). This time also a delegation of senior officials will visit Saudi Arabia," he added.

Arrangements for Haj pilgrims were discussed at a meeting in December with Saudi ambassador to India Dr Saud Mohammed Alsati, he said.

"During the last Haj too the Saudi Arabian authorities cooperated a lot. We have received several important suggestions on Haj pilgrimage and we are moving forward keeping in mind these suggestions," the minister said.

A review meeting was held two months ago where issues of accommodation and transport facilities for Haj pilgrims, among other things, were discussed, he said.

Discussions were also held with Civil Aviation Ministry to ensure availability of aircraft with modern facilities for pilgrims, he said.

Applications for this year's Haj would be accepted from January 2 to January 24.

About 99,903 people went to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for Haj from 21 embarkation points across India through the Haj Committee of India last year. Besides, 36,000 pilgrims went for Haj through private tour operators.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Chinese national carrying an undeclared amount of Nepali Rupees 8.4 million has been arrested here.

Zhao Yi was arrested from a hotel at Jyatha in the heart of the capital on Friday, police said.

Cheques of a Nepali bank were also siezed from the arrested foreigner, police said, adding that his passport was also found in the hotel.

Yi has been sent to Metropolitan Police Circle in Lainchaur for further investigation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The government and opposition parties in the DR Congo have clinched a hard-won deal over President Joseph Kabila's fate, ending a political crisis that sparked months of deadly unrest.

Under the terms of the deal, Kabila will stay until the "end of 2017" but a transition council will be established, headed by opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi.

In addition, a prime minister will be named from the opposition ranks.

The talks were launched by the Roman Catholic Church to ward off violence as Kabila's second and final mandate ended on December 20 with no sign of him stepping down and no election in sight.

The final deal was signed after 13 hours of negotiation yesterday and only after several last-minute hitches nearly derailed an accord.

According to a working document for the deal previously seen by AFP, Kabila guarantees that he will not seek a third mandate.

In return, the opposition accepted the president remain in office until handing over to an elected successor.

The opposition had previously demanded his immediate departure from public life.

The Catholic Church, which plays a key role in the vast central African country of some 70 million people, launched the negotiations on December 8 and had initially hoped to see a deal before Christmas.

Voters in DR Congo were originally to have chosen a new president in 2016, but the authorities said the electoral registers must be revised, a huge enterprise in a country almost the size of Europe.

And in a highly controversial ruling, the constitutional court said Kabila could remain in office until an election was held.

The ruling fed opposition fears that he planned to amend the constitution to allow him to run for a third term.

Kabila, 45, has been in power since the 2001 assassination of his father Laurent at the height of the Second Congo War.

He was confirmed as leader in 2006 during the first free elections since independence from Belgium in 1960, and re-elected for a second term in 2011 in a vote marred by allegations of massive fraud.

Sixteen representatives met on yesterday, comprising eight from the opposition coalition, called Rassemblement ("Gathering"), and eight from the government and groups which had signed a deal with the regime in October.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The death toll climbed to 17 in the coal mine collapse at Lalmatia open cast coal mine of Eastern Coalfields Ltd (ECL) even as rescue operations were today underway at the site.

R R Mishra, officiating CMD of ECL, a Coal India subsidiary today said, "One more body has been recovered. Despite dense fog in the area, rescue operation is underway."



Sniffer dogs have also been pressed into service, he said.

Mishra had yesterday said, "We are carrying on the rescue operation in a systematic manner so that the situation does not aggravate as the debris is too much and it should not fall."



Danger zones have been declared around the place of incidents to restrict the entry of people there. Moreover, police and CISF officials have been stationed to restrict entry of people in the danger zone, he had said.

Central Mine Planning and Design Institute (CMPDIL), the consultancy arm of Coal India Ltd, has deployed magneto meters along with imaging system for locating magnetic and conductive material up to a depth of 80 meters, the statement said.

The incident occurred at around 7.30 PM on December 29 when a massive mound of earth came crashing down on excavators at Lalmatia open cast coal mine of Eastern Coalfields Ltd (ECL), the worst such disaster in over a decade.

The rescue operations was launched immediately after the incident.

Senior officials of Director General of Mines Safety (DGMS) had arrived at the site and launched an inquiry into the incident.

13 excavators and dump trucks which were swamped under the debris were recovered.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Demonetisation was to bring attitudinal change among people, like what major initiatives Prime Minister Narendra Modi had taken in the last two and half years including Swachh Bharat mission aimed at, says Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu.

"Modification of mind" and bringing in transformation have been Modi's mission, he says.

"If you look at the major initiatives of the last two and a half years, this keenness for change in mindset is clearly evident. Modiji wants the people to think and act different.

"What is Swachh Bharat mission? It basically asks the citizens to think twice before throwing any waste in the open.

"This note withdrawal also is aimed at changing our outlook towards money and the way we handle cash and the way we account for it. It is a major behavioural modification project. Demonetisation is also to bring attitudinal change among the people," he told PTI.

Recalling what prime minister told him before launching the Swachh Bharat scheme, Naidu, who is also Urban Development Minister, said the project should not be made a political or a government event.

"I was not able to understand it initially when he told me don't make it political or government. Then he came with the next sentence -- make it a people's movement. That is the attitudinal change he wanted to bring.

"Even Bill Gates, when he was extending support to Swachh Bharat told me, Mr Naidu money is not the issue, mindset is the issue," he said.

Naidu also referred to various initiatives of the government such Mudra Yojana, 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' schemes, saying while one was aimed at changing the attitudes of banks towards supporting the weaker sections the other was all about changing attitudes towards women.

"You see the change it has brought in Haryana also with regard to man-woman ratio," he said.

The minister said Modi was now stressing on crop insurance, which is all about changing the attitudes of farmers.

"People talk of insurance but they are not willing to pay their premium. So now he has given an attractive offer, I pay part of your premium, you also join. You give them confidence, because there was frustration growing and farmers were committing suicide," he said.

Citing the case of subsidies, the senior minister said



the prime minister asked the rich to give up LPG subsidy.

"Some people mocked at the idea, but he has shown that 1 crore 10 lakh people have voluntarily given up their subsidy and that is going to be given to poor people. Five crore people are going to get gas connections. This LPG subsidy is again a simple attitudinal change. He got huge response," he said.

Naidu said India is now aspirational and after Modi became the prime minister, the aspirations have further gone up.

"In essence, it involves a whole range of attitudes about himself, about surroundings and the society and about the country. Because Mahatma Gandhi said that Swarajya should be converted into Surajya," he said.

Citing another example of bringing attitudinal change, he said, "There is clamour for free power throughout the country for agriculture purposes. And also freebies. He is not tempted by that. He has shown to the country, in spite of not giving free power, you can still win the elections.

"Power rates are comparatively higher in Gujarat than in other states. But he brought an attitudinal change in the people, saying what is required is not free power but assured power, quality power," he said.

Naidu said, "Instead of populism, we are implementing 'peopleism'. Empowering the people. Making the individual as the central focal point of development. Make them to stand up on their own with self respect. Modiji does not believe in populism, he believes in peopleism.

"People are central to our schemes, thinking to our attitude. He does not believe in populism for political gain. Note withdrawal or note change is one such example."



He said the prime minister "does not hesitate to take hard decisions in national interest. I would say he is a crusader".

Naidu said simply by populism alone one cannot win the elections.

"They brought Food Security Act before the election. They brought MGNREGA. They came down to 44. The question is the benefits should reach the people and people should be at the centre of the developmental strategy. And then commitment. Here the leader has commitment and people have confidence in the leader.

"Otherwise do you expect people to stand in queues for hours together, have sufferings also for this many number of days and all. They know they are queuing for their better future," he said.
Egyptian authorities today arrested a senior judge as they press a rare investigation into corruption at a top court, judicial sources said.

Wael Shalabi, secretary general of the council of state, an administrative court, was arrested at dawn and taken in for questioning, the sources said.

His arrest comes days after the Administrative Control Authority responsible for tracking corruption arrested the council's chief procurement officer, Gamal el-Labban.

Media reports said Labban was detained after a huge amount of cash was found at his home.

He reportedly had in his possession 24 million Egyptian pounds (USD 1.3 million, about 1.2 million euros) as well as USD 4 million and two million euros.

Prosecutors ordered Labban's detention for four days pending an investigation.

After Labban's arrest, Shalabi submitted his resignation to the council of state which accepted it on Saturday. In a statement, it also pledged to investigate all procurement contracts reached over the past five years.

A prosecution official today said Shalabi may be implicated because the procurement department at the council of state cannot finalise deals unless he signs the paperwork.

Recordings of calls made by Labban showed that Shalabi was "involved in many" aspects of the current investigation, said the prosecution official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

He gave no further details.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who has pledged tough economic reforms to cut public spending, has vowed to crack down on corruption.

On Wednesday, he said that anyone found guilty of wrongdoing would be prosecuted, stressing that "no one is too big for accountability".

It is rare for Egypt to investigate alleged corruption inside its judicial institutions.

Watchdog Transparency International ranks Egypt as 88th out of 168 countries on its corruption perceptions index.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Shapoorji Pallonji Group firm Eureka Forbes, a leading consumer goods company, has launched its first 'made in India' model to consolidate its position in the segment.

The company which has set up a unit at Bengaluru, plans to manufacture its entire range of air purifier for its domestic as well as global markets from here, as per its long-term strategy.

Priced at Rs 31,990, Eureka Forbes has introduced Aeroguard 4s in India and is also exporting it to over a dozen countries.

"This is part of our long-term approach in the market where we are building the category. We are feeding the market for long-term based on the inputs, which we have," Eureka Forbes CEO - Direct Sales and Senior VP, Marketing, Marzin R Shroff told PTI.

Eureka Forbes has invested around Rs 40 crore towards building its air purification business.

"We have invested over Rs 40 crore towards building our business on air purification. This includes a manufacturing facility and state-of-art research, development and certification capabilities inhouse," he added.

The company is using the new facility for other products as water purification devices for its global markets.

At present, Eureka Forbes has a range of eight model of air purifier and except Aeroguard 4s, rest are manufactured in China. However, the company has plans to manufacture them here one by one in its long term approach.

"Most models in the future will be produced and scaled up from here. Today, we are learning and testing the market. However, in the future, like we have done in Water, all models will be manufactured in India," he added.

The Bengaluru plant has a capacity to roll out 100,000 units per annum which can be extended to 500,000 units per annum.

"We have already started working on the second model. It takes around 12 to 18 months to design and develop a model," Shroff said.

According to Shroff, although, presently there is not any quality specification for the air purifiers here, but Eureka Forbes is getting its its range certified from world renowned German 'GUI-Lab', known for highest standards of air quality.

"All products (air purifier) whether they are made in China or India, are launched after they certify it," he added.

Eureka Forbes is also exporting Aeroguard 4s to global markets from its Bangalore unit to around 13-14 countries.

The Mumbai-based firm has presence in categories as water and air purification systems, vacuum cleaners and security systems. However, its water and air purification business contributes around 70 to 75 per cent of total turnover.

Shroff had earlier told PTI that Eureka Forbes aims to become a USD 1 billion company by 2020.

Eureka Forbes, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Lux International, operates in over 48 countries in Europe, North and South America, and Australia.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The family members of two absconding accused in 2008 Malegaon blasts case have demanded an "immediate and fair inquiry" into the claim made by a suspended Maharashtra ATS officer that the duo was dead and falsely being shown as "alive" by probe agencies.

Maharashtra ATS former senior inspector Mehmood Mujawar, in an application filed before a magistrate court in Solapur, claimed that Sandip Dange and Ramji Kalsangra, accused in the Malegaon blasts case, are "no more".

"I am not aware of the whereabouts of my husband since 2008. I am not aware in what condition he is. A fair inquiry should be conducted into the claims made by Mujawar and information should be shared with us," Kalsangra's wife Laxmi, 50, told journalists here today.

She said that the remains of her husband should be handed over to her, if he is really no more. "We should be given his remains so that we can perform his last rites according to religious rituals," she added.

Dange's father V K Dange, 80, also demanded a fair probe into these new revelations.

"At least, I should be informed whether my son is in this world or not," he added.

Police said that Kalsangra was a resident of MP's Shajapur district while Dange belongs to Indore.

Maharashtra ATS visited Indore on several occasions earlier in search of both the accused, said officials.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A six-year old boy was hacked to death, allegedly by his father, who then inflicted injuries to himself at Bhatar in Burdwan district today.

A police officer said Prahlad Majhi, a day labourer, allegedly stabbed his six-year old son Krishna Gopal Majhi to death during an altercation with his wife.

Majhi then inflicted injury on himself and was taken to Burdwan Medical College and Hospital by neighbours who were alerted by the screams of the child's mother, the officer said.

Majhi was in critical condition with deep gash on neck, attending doctors informed police at the hospital.

The neighbours told police that the couple had heated altercation after Majhi came to house in intoxicated state from a picnic and got infuriated when the wife protested his conduct, the officer said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Foreign investors pulled out a massive $4 billion from the Indian capital market in December following rate hike by the US Federal Reserve.

This was the third month of outflows by foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) and most of the outflows by the overseas investors have been witnessed in the debt .

The latest FPI outflow took place following a withdrawal of Rs 49,700 crore on a net basis from the capital market (equity and debt) in last two months (October-November).

Prior to that, had poured in Rs 46,000 crore in the capital market in preceding three months (July-September).

The US Federal Reserves rate hike was certainly one reason for the outflow as the week leading to the announcement saw the maximum outflows as investors exited, expecting a lower spread with a US rate hike. Independent of that, it appears that the sharp rally in November in Indian gilts could have also led to profit booking by in the debt segment, Fundsindia.com Head of Mutual Fund Research Vidya Bala said.

Net withdrawal by from equities stood at Rs 8,176 crore in December, while from the debt market was Rs 18,935 crore, translating into a total outflow of Rs 27,111 crore ($3.98 billion), depositories data showed. The pullout by FPIs started in October 2016 following uncertainty over the US election results and similar trend was observed in other emerging .

This year, so far, FPIs have invested a net sum of Rs 20,566 crore in stocks, while they pulled out Rs 43,645 crore from the debt market, resulting in a combined net outflow of Rs 23,080 crore.

As of December, equities still remain positive on inflows for the 2016 calendar. It was the debt market that was witness to massive FPI outflows in December. The net outflows in the month of November and December alone accounted for 92% of the net outflows in debt market, thus far this calendar, she added.
Friendship Benches - simple wooden seats with trained community "grandmothers" who listen to and support people living with anxiety, depression and other common mental disorders can improve the lives of millions of patients in developing countries, a new study has found.

Six months after undergoing six weekly "problem solving therapy" sessions on the Friendship Benches located at health clinics in major cities in Zimbabwe, participants showed significant differences in severity of depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts.

The practitioners were lay health workers known as community "grandmothers" who were trained to support people with common mental disorders.

The innovative approach holds the potential to significantly improve the lives of millions of people with moderate and severe mental health problems in countries where access to treatment is limited or nonexistent, researchers said.

Patients with depression or anxiety who received problem-solving therapy through the Friendship Bench were more than three times less likely to have symptoms of depression after six months, compared to patients who received standard care, according to the researchers from University of Zimbabwe, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and King's College London.

Patients were also four times less likely to have anxiety symptoms and five times less likely to have suicidal thoughts than the control group after follow-up.

Fifty per cent of patients who received standard care still had symptoms of depression compared to 14 per cent who received Friendship Bench.

About 48 per cent of patients who received standard care still had symptoms of anxiety compared to 12 per cent who received Friendship Bench, and 12 per cent of patients who received standard care still had suicidal thoughts compared to two per cent who received Friendship Bench.

The Friendship Bench intervention was also shown to be well suited to improve health outcomes among highly vulnerable individuals.

About 86 per cent of the study's participants were women, over 40 per cent were HIV positive, and 70 per cent had experienced domestic violence or physical illness.

Dixon Chibanda, a consultant psychiatrist, co-founded the Friendship Bench network in response to the appalling shortage of evidence-based treatment for people with mental disorders in Zimbabwe, a problem common throughout Africa.

While about 25 per cent of the country's primary care patients suffer from depression, anxiety and other common mental disorders, Zimbabwe (population 15 million) has only 10 psychiatrists and 15 clinical psychologists.

The study was published in the journal JAMA.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a bid to strengthen capital base of public sector banks (PSBs), the government has allowed 12 lenders to raise nearly Rs 3,000 crore via preferential shares over and above the Rs 22,915 crore capital support committed to them in July last year.

The Finance Ministry granted approval to 12 proposals of PSBs to raise a sum of Rs 2,914.038 crore through preferential allotment and permission given to raise Rs 200 crore by United Bank of India through QIP mode.

The government had already infused a sum of Rs 25,000 crore in 19 PSBs during FY 2015-16.

"A budgetary provision of Rs 25,000 crore has been made for 2016-17 and the government has already allocated Rs 22,915 crore to 13 PSBs on July 19, 2016 of which 75 per cent has been allocated in first tranche while remaining amount will be released on assessment of performance of PSBs, the Department of Finance in its year-end review for 2016 said today.

As regards consolidation in the banking space, it said, the Union Cabinet in June 2016 had approved the proposal of acquisition of assets and liabilities of subsidiary banks i.E. State Bank of Bikaner & Jaipur, State Bank of Hyderabad, State Bank of Mysore, State Bank of Patiala, State Bank of Travancore and Bhartiya Mahila Bank (BMB).

With regard to financial inclusion, as many as 26.03 crore accounts have been opened under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), out of which 15.86 crore accounts are in rural areas and 10.17 crore in urban areas.

Deposits of Rs 71,557.90 crore have been mobilised and 19.93 crore RuPay Debit cards have been issued under PMJDY. Zero balance accounts has been reduced to 23.86 per cent.

Aadhaar seeding has been done in 14.43 crore account under PMJDY, while 99.9 per cent households out of the 21.22 crore households surveyed have been covered under PMJDY.

As on December 23, 2016, out of total requirement of 1,27,198 fixed location 'bank mitras' in sub service areas (SSAs), 1,26,985 'bank mitras' have been deployed by banks.

Out of 1,712 claims lodged, 1,626 claims have been disposed of under accidental insurance cover of Rs 1 lakh under RuPay debit card.

Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) cumulative Gross enrolment reported by banks, subject to verification of eligibility, etc. Is over 3.08 crore, while Rs 9.88 crore under Pradhan Mantri Suraksha BimaYojana (PMSBY) as of December 28.

A total of 38.23 lakh subscribers have been enrolled under the Atal Pension Yojana (APY) with a total pension wealth of Rs 1,344.70 crore. Out of the total subscribers, 19.74 lakh subscribers have been enrolled during 2016 (up to December 15, 2016).

To make APY more attractive, the Ministry modified some



rules and gave an option to the spouse of a subscriber in case of pre-mature death to continue contributing to the account of the subscriber, for the remaining vesting period, till the original subscriber would have attained the age of 60.

The earlier provision was to over lump sum amount to spouse on the premature death (death before 60 years of age) of the subscriber.

During the year, the government also started Stand-Up India Scheme with objective to provide bank loans between Rs 10 lakh to Rs 1 crore for greenfield enterprises set up by SC, ST and women entrepreneurs and extending effective handholding support to them.

As on December 23, total number of loans sanctioned under Stand Up India Scheme is 15,341 (Women: 12,055, SC: 2,568 and ST: 718).

Under Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) loan disbursement of Rs 77,916.54 crore was done to 2.12 crore beneficiaries till December 9. Out of this, there were 1.68 crore women entrepreneurs who benefited.

The Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act, 2002 (SARFAESI Act) and the Recovery of Debts Due to Banks and Financial Institutions Act (RDDB & FI Act) have been amended for speedier resolution of defaulted loans through 'Enforcement of Security Interest and Recovery of Debts Laws and Miscellaneous Provisions (Amendment) Act, 2016'.

The government proposes to bring in a comprehensive central legislation to deal with the menace of illicit deposit taking schemes.

The government had earlier constituted an Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) for identifying gaps in the existing regulatory framework for deposit-taking activities and to suggest administrative/ legislative measures, including formulation of a new law, to cover all relevant aspects of 'deposit-taking'.

The IMG had finalised its report and recommended a number of legislative and non-legislative/administrative measures.

The IMG's legislative recommendations included the enactment of a new central legislation called the Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes and Protection of Depositors' Interests Bill (Banning Bill) in order to tackle the menace of illicit deposit taking schemes.

The revised draft legislation, titled the "Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes and Protection of Depositors' Interests Bill, 2016" (Version 2.0), has been uploaded on the website of the Department of Financial Services on November 17, 2016 seeking comments from the public on the Draft Bill to reach on or before December 17, 2016.

The Banning Bill seeks to bring out a clear demarcation between regulated and unregulated deposit schemes, comprehensively define deposit takers, and provide strong penal provisions for different offences.
A high alert has been sounded here after bird flu was reported at Keranga village in Khurda district of Odisha.

"Following reports about H5N1 avian flu influenza, we are on high alert and are keeping a close watch on the development round the clock," Sundargarh Collector B S Punia said.

"A team of experts will arrive from Bhubaneswar to take stock of the situation," he said.

A task force meeting comprising officials from the administration, health department, Rourkela Municipal Corporation and Rourkela Steel Plant was held to take stock of the situation, officials said.

As a precautonary measure, the administration has shut down Indira Gandhi Park, a major tourist destination in the city, for an indefinite period.

The decision was taken in view of the report about the presence of H5N1 virus received from National Institute of High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (NIHSAD) in Bhopal, Punia.

Sub-Divisional Medical Officer Pushpa Mishra advised people to use masks and report about any death of birds and also anyone feeling uneasy.

In the last one week, dead crows were found in the local Central Industrial Security Force colony.

Subsequently, three pelicans, two white ibis and one duck were found dead in quick succession after which samples were sent to the Bhopal laboratory.

Meanwhile, a team led by joint director of disease control, B K Parida and a scientist arrived at Rourkela from Bhubaneswar. Four rapid response teams have been formed to keep an eye on the development here. The teams have been formed with experts drawn from different departments.

The Odisha government had on December 28 formally launched culling of chicken suspected to be affected by H5N1 virus at Keranga village under Khurda district.

The villagers also came forward to support the culling operation after they were made aware on the impact of the bird flu which may also affect human beings, according to Fisheries and Animal Resources Secretary B P Sethi.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman, who played the adoptive mother of Dev Patel's character in "Lion", says she could really relate to him as a maternal figure on the film's sets.

The 49-year-old star said she is looking forward to see where Patel's career takes him in the future, reported Femalefirst.

"I was maternal to him. I was pretty much in character playing the role... I really just related to him as a mother. I would go up to him and stroke his hair and touch his face and hold his hand. He gave permission for that, which was terrific...

"I also think now you'll see Dev as a leading man, not as an Indian man or anything other than a leading man. I look forward to his journey into all of that now," Kidman said.

The movie directed by Garth Davis is creating major Oscar buzz, thanks to its successful run in Hollywood award season.

The movie is based on the true story of Saroo Brierley, a young Indian boy who gets separated from his brother and mother when he ends up 1,000 miles away from his home, lost at a train station in Kolkata.

He gets adopted by an Australian family but eventually tracks down his lost family in India via Google maps years later.

Patel is already nominated in the best supporting actor category at Golden Globe awards.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Renewing its demand, India today asked Pakistan for consular access toKulbhushan Jadhav, arrested on charges of espionage, and Nehal Ansari, who was caught for illegally entering the country from Afghanistan apparently to meet a girl he had befriended online.

India called for consular access to the two after it exchanged with Pakistan the lists of their citizens including civil prisoners and fishermen languishing in each other's jails as per provisions of the bilateral Consular Access agreement.

The External Affairs Ministry said India remains committed to address on "priority" with Pakistanthe humanitarian matters, including those pertaining to prisoners and fishermen in each other's country.

"In this context, we await from Pakistan confirmation of nationality of those in India's custody who are otherwise eligible for release and repatriation.

"We also await consular access to those Indian nationals in Pakistan's custody for whom it has so far not been provided including Hamid Nehal Ansari and Kulbhushan Jadhav," the MEA said in a statement.

The Pakistani security forces had arrested Jadhav from Balochistan in March and alleged that he was a serving officer in the Indian Navy and deputed to the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

Jadhav has been accused by Pakistan of planning 'subversive activities' in the country.

India has acknowledged that Jadhav had served with the navy but denied that he has any connection with the government.

Ansari, a Mumbai resident, had crossed over illegally to Pakistan from Afghanistan in 2012 reportedly to meet a girl he had befriended online and then went missing.

He was later arrested and tried by a Pakistani military court, which pronounced him guilty of espionage.

The agreement on Consular Access, signed on 21 May 2008, provides that a comprehensive list of nationals of each country lodged in other country's jails has to be exchanged twice each year, on January 1 and July 1.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India and Pakistan today exchanged for the 26th consecutive year the list of their nuclear installations under a bilateral agreement that prohibits them from attacking each other's atomic facilities.

"India and Pakistan today exchanged, through diplomatic channels simultaneously at New Delhi and Islamabad, the list of nuclear installations and facilities covered under the Agreement on the Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear Installations between India and Pakistan," the Ministry of External Affairs said.

The agreement, which was signed on December 31, 1988, and entered into force on January 27, 1991, says that the two countries will inform each other of nuclear installations and facilities to be covered under the agreement on January 1 of every calendar year.

This is the 26th consecutive exchange of such lists between the two countries, the first one having taken place on January 1, 1992.

The two countries also exchanged, through diplomatic channels simultaneously at New Delhi and Islamabad, the lists of nationals (including civil prisoners and fishermen) of each country lodged in their respective jails as per provisions of the Agreement on Consular Access, the MEA said.

The agreement on consular access, signed between the two countries on May 21, 2008, provides for exchanging a comprehensive list of nationals of each country lodged in their jails twice each year -- on January 1 and July 1.

"India remains committed to addressing with Pakistan on priority the humanitarian matters, including those pertaining to prisoners and fishermen in each other's country. In this context, we await from Pakistan's confirmation of nationality of those in India's custody who are otherwise eligible for release and repatriation. We also await consular access to those Indian nationals in Pakistan's custody for whom it has so far not been provided including Hamid Nehal Ansari and Kulbhushan Jadhav," said an MEA statement.

The Pakistani security forces had arrested Jadhav from Balochistan in March and alleged that he was "a serving officer in the Indian Navy and deputed to the Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW)".

Jadhav has been accused by Pakistan of planning "subversive activities" in the country.

India has acknowledged that Jadhav had served with the navy but denied that he has any connection with the government.

Pakistan has so far turned down India's request for consular access to Jadhav, whom Pakistan claimed to be a RAW spy.

Ansari had crossed over illegally to Pakistan from Afghanistan in 2012 reportedly to meet a girl he had befriended online and then went missing.

He was later arrested and tried by a Pakistani military court, which pronounced him guilty of espionage.
Ties with Pakistan and China which were on the centrestage of Indian diplomacy saw a "deterioration" in the year gone by, according to foreign policy experts who feel that the relationships are unlikely to see any forward movement in the new year.

The foreign policy establishment here has reached the conclusion that "no war, no peace" situation in the relationship with Pakistan will persist in 2017 given that it is not doing anything to stop terrorism directed at India.

The year gone by also saw growing distance between India and its traditional ally Russia and hardening of Chinese positions on two strategically significant issues to New Delhi -- NSG and Masood Azhar, whose designation as terrorist by the UN was blocked by Beijing last week.

Foreign policy experts like G Parthasarathy, Kanwal Sibal and Naresh Chandra maintained that relationship with Pakistan "deteriorated" in 2016 and even with China there was no forward movement in ties.

Parthasarthy, however, said India has made it clear to both Pakistan and China that it won't ignore their actions which have a bearing on the country's security.

"For the first time with Pakistan and China, we are responding. In case of China for example, we now have taken a position on the (disputed) South China Sea...," Parthasarthy said.

And with Pakistan, India has been able to convince the world that Prime Minister Narendra Modi tried his best to improve the ties and since they inflicted Pathankot and series of attacks on India, the government told Pakistan "enough is enough" by carrying out surgical strikes, the former High Commissioner to Pakistan added.

India had also launched a major diplomatic offensive to isolate Pakistan internationally following terror strikes including Pathankot, Uri and Nagrota.

"I think the message is loud and clear to both Pakistan and China that it takes two to tango. We are willing to reach out to you. But if you choose to remain totally ignoring what are our interests, we will react... The position is clear that anybody who harms our interest will pay a price without being provocative," he added.

However, most of the foreign policy experts also feel that the Indo-Pak ties are not expected to see any early breakthrough in the new year.

The establishment here also have come to a realisation that India has to live with the "no war, no peace" situation vis-a-vis Pakistan, a senior government source said.



"With China, relationship has deteriorated despite the fact that the Prime Minister and Chinese President Xi Jinping met three times in 2016 and Modi raised the issues which are of concern to us. The outcome has not been satisfactory because not only there is no change in China's position but they are asserting their negative position on our NSG membership quite openly," Sibal said.

On growing distance between India and its traditional ally Russia amid increasing proximity between Moscow and Islamabad in 2016, Sibal, a former Foreign Secretary, admitted that it was a matter of "concern".

"Yes, it is a concern because the (Indo-Russia) relationship has been stable right from 50s till today. We had ups and downs but they were manageable... If that relationship begins to erode then it is a problem for us because Russia remains our major defence partner," Sibal said.

Former Indian Ambassador to the US, Chandra also noted that despite India's protest, Russia did military exercises with Pakistan.

The South Block sources, however, played down China scuttling India's NSG bid as well as blocking Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Azhar's listing as terrorist by the UN, saying there will always be differences between any two countries but the maturity is that "one should not allow these differences to become conflicts".

The sources also maintained that though the developing equations between Pakistan-Russia and Pakistan-China needed to be "monitored" but it was not an "alarming" situation.

One of the high points in Modi's foreign policy has been his personal equation with outgoing US President Barack Obama and now it remains to be seen that how the Indo-US ties would pan out in the new year given that President-elect Donald Trump's approach towards India is unknown even though he has made right remarks about Indians.

During the last year of Obama's presidency, India and the US also signed a strategic defence pact under which the country became US' "major defence partner".

The year gone by also saw development of military dimension in Indo-Afghan ties. India already has an effective economic cooperation programme, having spent more than USD 2 billion and committed another billion dollars earlier this year.

The government's demonetisation decision saw foreign missions lodging strong protest over cash shortage and calling for easing the restrictions on cash withdrawal. Dean of Diplomatic Corp Frank Hans Dannenberg Castellanos, who represents over 150 missions, even termed the restrictions "serious breach" of Vienna Convention.

The year 2016 also saw Modi's high-profile visits to a number of countries including Japan, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Iran, Mexico, Switzerland, South Africa and Belgium.
An Indian-origin Saudi-based entrepreneur has been appointed Major General of Kyrgyzstan, a rare military position occupied by an Indian in the Central Asian country.

Shaikh Rafik Mohammed, who hails from Kerala, was appointed Major General of Kyrgyzstan by Ali Mirza, Defence Minister of Kyrgyzstan at an official ceremony held in the country, Khaleej Times reported.

It is a rare military position occupied by an overseas Keralite, said Omar Abu Baker, media adviser of Rafik.

Rafik, whose family resides in Dubai, holds Kyrgyzstan nationality conferred by its former President Kurmanbek Saliyevich Bakiyev whom he casually met in his 20s while working in Iran, the report said.

Rafik was invited by the Kyrgyzstan government to take up the prestigious military position in view of his earlier contribution to the country.

"Rafik left Kerala at a young age and he could complete only his primary school education. He went to Mumbai where the young man learnt all the tricks of business and from there to the Middle East. He has worked in the UAE, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Kyrgyzstan," his media adviser added.

He migrated from Calicut in Kerala before completing his fifth-grade schooling culminated in his recent appointment as Major General of Kyrgyzstan, the report said.

While there are scores of successful business tycoons in the region, this could well be the first time a Malayali has occupied a top military leadership of a foreign country.

Rafik earlier worked as an adviser to the former Kyrgyzstan President Kurmanbek Saliyevich Bakiyev whom he met in Iran where the young Indian entrepreneur was developing a major steel plant.

After selling the successful project to the Iranian government, Rafik went to Kyrgyzstan and presented a similar project to Kurmanbek, then a governor who was preparing to contest presidential elections.

After Kurmanbek won the election, he appointed young Rafik as his chief adviser - a milestone in his career in his mid-twenties.

Rafik developed wide network of friends in the Central Asian country which has witnessed a rapid flow of foreign investment and reversal of socialist mode of development to a capitalist mode of production, the report said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spoken on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the conflict in Syria and "continued security cooperation", his office said.

The talks came as the 15-member UN Security Council unanimously voted to back a Russian-Turkish peace plan for a ceasefire in Syria and the launch of new peace talks for the war-wracked country.

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this evening... Spoke by telephone with Russian President Vladimir Putin," the premier's office said in a statement yesterday.

"The two leaders discussed developments in the region, with emphasis on Syria and continued security coordination in this sphere, which has already proven itself in preventing misunderstandings," it added.

During a visit to Moscow in April, Netanyahu discussed with Putin military cooperation between the two countries aimed at preventing confrontations between their warplanes in Syrian airspace.

In June, Netanyahu visited Moscow again and talks with Putin centred on "the implementation of these arrangements," the premier's office said at the time.

Russia is a key ally of the Syrian government and has been fighting to bolster the Damascus regime since last year.

Along with Turkey, which backs the armed opposition, they brokered a ceasefire across Syria that entered its second day yesterday and held despite sporadic clashes in parts of the country.

Moscow and Ankara also say the truce aims to pave the way for peace negotiations later next month in Kazakhstan, also organised by Syria regime ally Iran.

Turkey and Russia have said the talks in the Kazakh capital Astana aim to supplement UN-backed peace efforts, not replace them.

Israel is opposed to the Syrian government and has sought to limit its involvement in the conflict.

But Israel has carried out sporadic sorties against the militant Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah, which is fighting alongside the Syrian regime.

Israel fought a devastating war with the Iran-backed Hezbollah in 2006.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An attack that killed 39 revelers in an Istanbul nightclub overshadowed New Year celebrations around the world to ring in 2017.

The massacre stoked fears that large crowds of people cramming into major cities could present a target for violent extremists.

Festivities in New York, where a crowd estimated at nearly a million people packed into Times Square, apparently went off without a hitch, however. Security was very tight.

Revelers screamed with glee and couples kissed at the raucous instant when the traditional ball dropped at the Big Apple's ionic crossroads. Fireworks lit up the sky and the voice of Frank Sinatra singing "New York, New York" rang out.

President-elect Donald Trump sent his best wishes to the American people.

"Looking forward to a wonderful & prosperous 2017 as we work together to #MAGA," Trump tweeted at the stroke of midnight.

Following truck attacks in Berlin during Christmas and in Nice over the summer, New York deployed some 7,000 police and dozens of garbage trucks to prevent vehicles from crushing the crowd.

"It's the best place in the world to be on New Year's Eve," said Alma Alanis, a lawyer from Mexico with her companion, Eduardo Chavarria. They arrived at midday and spent hours waiting for the big moment.

Sydney kicked off celebrations attended by some 1.5 million people with a spectacular fireworks display that lit up its iconic harbour.

Crowds in Hong Kong also flocked to the waterfront to watch fireworks explode over Victoria Harbour, while in Japan thousands packed the streets of Tokyo to release balloons into the air.

Celebrations swung into Europe with the night sky over Moscow's Red Square literally painted red by the fireworks.

And around half a million people thronged Paris's famous Champs-Elysees, where the Arc de Triomphe was lit up with a colourful countdown to 2017 and the word "welcome" in dozens of languages.

Under the watchful eye of some 2,000 military police, around two million people watched a fireworks display on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach that while impressive was shortened this year due to a severe economic crisis.

The raucous celebrations drew to an end a year of political shocks, from Britain's vote to leave the European Union to the election of maverick leaders like Trump in the United States.

It has also been a year of celebrity deaths from David Bowie to Prince and Mohammed Ali.

2016 was also a year of bloodshed and misery that has seen the war in Syria, Europe's migrant crisis and numerous terror attacks dominate the headlines.

The violence continued yesterday, with twin bomb blasts killing at least 27 in a busy market area in central Baghdad.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An attack that killed 39 revelers in an Istanbul nightclub, Turkey, cast a shadow on New Year celebrations attended by millions of people around the world on Sunday to ring in 2017.

The massacre, which also wounded at least 40 more people as panicked clubgoers jumped into the Bosphorus, stoked fears that large crowds of people cramming into major cities to celebrate the New Year could present a target for violent extremists.

Sydney kicked off celebrations  under tightened security around the globe  attended by some 1.5 million people with a spectacular fireworks display that lit up its iconic harbor.

Crowds in Hong Kong also flocked to the waterfront to watch fireworks explode over Victoria Harbour, while in Japan thousands packed the streets of Tokyo to release balloons into the air.

Celebrations swung into Europe with the night sky over Moscow's Red Square literally painted red by the fireworks.

And around half a million people thronged Paris's famous Champs-Elysees, where the Arc de Triomphe was lit up with a colourful countdown to 2017 and the word "welcome" in dozens of languages.

Under the watchful eye of some 2,000 military police, around two million people watched a fireworks display on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach that while impressive was shortened this year due to a severe economic crisis.

The raucous celebrations drew to an end a year of political shocks, from Britain's vote to leave the European Union to the election of maverick leaders in the United States and Philippines.

It has also been a year of celebrity deaths from David Bowie to Prince and Mohammed Ali.

2016 was also a year of bloodshed and misery that has seen the war in Syria, Europe's migrant crisis and numerous terror attacks dominate the headlines.

The violence continued on Saturday, with twin bomb blasts killing at least 27 in a busy market area in central Baghdad.

But this did not stop people from flooding the streets of the Iraqi capital to celebrate and families in evening dress headed to swanky hotels for parties.

Fadhel al-Araji, a 21-year-old from the Sadr City neighborhood, already had his beer in the back of his car.

"Tonight is about fun... Everybody can do what they want and nobody cares. We need a night like this, Iraq needs it," he said, behind the wheel of his beat-up Toyota.
Thirty-nine people, including many foreigners, were killed when a gunman reportedly dressed as Santa Claus stormed an Istanbul nightclub as revellers were celebrating the New Year, the latest carnage to rock Turkey after a bloody 2016.

The assailant shot dead a policeman and a civilian at the entrance to the Reina club, one of the city's most exclusive nightspots, and then went on a shooting rampage inside, Turkish officials said.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the attacker escaped and was now the target of a major manhunt, expressing hope the suspect "would be captured soon".

Soylu said in televised comments that of 21 victims who have been identified so far, 16 are foreigners and five are Turks. Another 69 people are being treated in hospital.

"The attacker - in the most brutal and merciless way - targeted innocent people who had only come here to celebrate the New Year and have fun," Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin said at the scene on the shores of the Bosphorus.

Many revellers threw themselves into the water in panic and efforts were under way to rescue them, NTV television said.

Dogan agency said there were two gunmen dressed in Santa Claus outfits, although this has yet to be confirmed.

Television pictures showed party-goers - including men in suits and women in cocktail dresses - emerging from the nightclub in a state of shock.

Sahin said the attack began at 1:15 am today (local time), just after hundreds of revellers had seen in 2017 at the club in the Ortakoy district on the European side of the city.

"What happened today is a terror attack," he said.

Dogan reported that some witnesses claimed the assailants were "speaking Arabic" while NTV said special force police officers were still searching the club.

There has been no claim of responsibility.

The attack evoked memories of the November 2015 carnage in Paris when Islamic State jihadists went on a gun and bombing rampage on nightspots in the French capital, killing 130 people including 90 at the Bataclan concert hall.

From Sydney to Paris, Rio to London, security had been boosted over fears that the New Year festivities could present a target for violent extremists.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Amid the chill in Indo-Pak ties post Uri attack, water became another issue of face-off between the two neighbours during the year gone by with India virtually freezing talks with Pakistan over the 56-year-old Indus Water Treaty (IWT).

The government's recent constitution of a high-level task force to look into IWT's strategic aspects and its strong view of World Bank setting up separate mechanisms to entertain Pakistan's concerns over two projects in Jammu-Kashmir suggest it may not soften its stance over the issue this year or near future.

The government in 2016 saw some progress in implementation of Namami Gange programme after it took two years to work out action plan: it started work on phase I of cleaning the river and sanctioned 41 STPs development/rehabilitation projects of 808.23 MLD capacity.

It also approved Rs 2,446 crore for development of ghats and crematoria and floated a committee to frame draft Ganga Act to ensure speedy implementation of the programme, which is dear to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Until now, 128 projects have been given approved under the programme at an estimated cost of Rs 9,419 crore.

The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation identifying 99 irrigation projects, many of them in drought-prone areas, for fast-tracking their completion within three years and releasing two tranches of funds through NABARD until now for the purpose were other key developments in 2016.

The Centre's efforts to launch the nearly Rs 10,000-crore Ken-Betwa river-linking project, the first such attempt at connecting inter-state rivers, early last year did not materialise. The project, which received sanction from National Wildlife Board in August, still awaits forest and environment clearances. In addition, the government is yet to finalise funding pattern for the national project before launching its ground work.

Among other issues, the government approving an amendment to Inter-State Water Disputes Act, 1956 to set up a single permanent tribunal to adjudicate in disputes among states over sharing river water subsuming existing dispute-specific tribunals was another significant step.

Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti refused to comment on the future of the IWT, which neither India nor Pakistan can revoke unilaterally.

Sources though maintained the situation apropos to the water distribution pact was "exceptional" given the treaty had weathered all hostilities between the two countries ever since it was framed in 1960.

"It was a very strong step taken by the government (in September). We had not been in such a situation in the past, it is an exceptional situation. The Indian government though will strive to exploit country's due rights under the treaty," a source said.

On the river-linking project, Bharti expressed hope that



the programme envisaged during previous NDA government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee will start taking shape this year with launch of work on linking Ken and Betwa rivers, flowing in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh respectively.

"In 2017, our target is to launch the river linking project as soon as possible. We also intend to start phase II of Ganga after launching phase-I last year.

"We will try to complete through states works on 23 irrigation projects for which we started releasing funds this year. We plan to start some other river-link projects too," she said.

With several states fighting over sharing of river waters including that of Cauvery (Tamil Nadu and Karnataka) and Krishna (Andhra Pradesh and Telangana), the ministry also donned role of a mediator in 2016 on instructions of the Supreme Court.

Bharti also had to play peacemaker between Odisha and Chhattisgarh governments, which are fighting over sharing Mahanadi river water.

2016 also saw Central Water Commission teams fanning out to parts of the country after nearly two-third of the swathes fell dry due to drought so as to suggest ways to tackle scarcity - notwithstanding water being a state subject.
The Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to implement the new crop insurance PMFBY in the ongoing rabi season, covering a dozen crops including wheat and paddy.

With this, total number of states and union territories implementing the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), launched early 2016, has reached 27.

"The state has finalised the tender. The state-level coordination committee on crop insurance (SLCCC) met last week and finalised the notification," a senior Union Agriculture Ministry official told PTI.

The notification will be issued any time soon. Paddy, maize, wheat and some oilseeds will be covered under the scheme, he said.

Although the state is implementing the policy almost towards the end of the rabi sowing, farmers can still take up PMFBY as the central government has extended the deadline for enrollment till January 10.

The J&K government had sought the Centre to give permission to cover horticulture crops, especially apple, mango and saffron under PMFBY, but its proposal was denied.

The state had last offered the crop insurance scheme NAIS (National Agricultural Insurance Scheme) for 2013 kharif (winter) crops, under which 4,545 farmers had enrolled insuring a sum of Rs 1,858 lakh, while the claims to the tune of Rs 2.34 crore was given to about 183 farmers.

It had also offered Weather-based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBCIS) in 2014, under which 1,364 farmers had enrolled insuring total sum of Rs 461 lakh and Rs 30 lakh claims was given to all those who had taken the policy.

These two crop insurance policies were merged to launch a new crop insurance scheme PMFBY, under which farmers pay very nominal premium and get full claim for the crop damage.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Deposits in Jan Dhan account have more than doubled to Rs 87,000 crore in 45 days post demonetisation, prompting the tax department to "dissect" information relating to such deposits, a top government official said.

Besides, the tax department also has data on small cash deposits between Rs 30,000-50,000 made in 4.86 lakh accounts totaling to Rs 2,000 crore.

Between November 10-December 23, the total deposits in reported is Rs 41,523 crore in 48 lakh accounts.

This, together with the total deposits of Rs 45,637 crore as on November 9, takes the aggregate amount in to over Rs 87,100 crore.

"All these information received on are being dissected. If it is found that money deposited in these accounts belong to some other persons, necessary action will be taken at appropriate time," the official told PTI.

Cash deposit between Rs 30,000 and Rs 50,000 have been reported in 4.86 lakh accounts till November 30, taking the total deposits in such quantum to Rs 2,022 crore.

The official further said that inflows of funds into Jan Dhan accounts was the highest in the first week after demonetisation at Rs 20,224 crore, but after that the deposits went down substantially.

"The inflow of funds in Jan Dhan accounts after the first two weeks was below Rs 5,000 crore per week and thereafter it got reduced to about Rs 1,000 crore per week," the official said, adding that the deposits have come down significantly after the tax department warned people not to allow their accounts to be misused for converting black money into white.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on November 8 announced junking of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, and replaced the currency with new Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 notes.

After setting a cash deposit limit of Rs 50,000 in Jan Dhan accounts, the government had on November 18 cautioned account holders that they will be prosecuted under the I-T Act for allowing misuse of their bank accounts through deposit of black money in Rs 500/1,000 notes during the 50-day window till December 30.

The directive came against the backdrop of reports that some are misusing other persons' bank accounts to convert their black money into new denomination notes.

As per latest data available, Rs 12.10 lakh crore in form of old 500 and 1,000 rupee notes have returned into the banking system till December 12, 2016. It was estimated that now defunct notes constituted 86 per cent or Rs 15.45 lakh crore in circulation.
Online healthcare firm Just Relief plans to invest around Rs 20 crore (USD 3 million) on business expansion and technology upgradation in next 12-15 months.

"We have plans to invest USD 3 million over period of next 12-15 months for business expansion and new technologies," Just Relief CEO Amit Goel told PTI.

The company maintains its own inventories of medicines and provides home delivery service across 11 cities including Delhi NCR, Haryana and Punjab.

"We are looking to expand medicine delivery at home service to 35 cities by first quarter of 2017. Besides, we are expanding online lab test service to 25 cities by end of March 2017 and 50 cities across Haryana and Punjab by September 2017," Goel said.

The company has its mobile application operational on Android and Apple iOS platform that also provides doctor search facility in Delhi NCR.

"Close to half of the total investment will be made on new technologies. We will invest on digitising medical records and e-prescriptions so that in coming days we are able to deliver medicine to patient even before the customer is back home," Goel said.

He said that company will continue to operate medicine deliveries using its own inventory and online path lab test facility will be expanded in partnership with aggregators.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday demanded a "white paper" and an independent inquiry on demonetisation, dubbing it as the "scam of all scams" even as he claimed that the reputation of Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has been tarnished globally under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Terming Modi's new year-eve speech a "sham", Kejriwal sought responses from the prime minister and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on the amount of money deposited and the eventual gain out of the 50-day-exercise that was announced on November 8.

" is the biggest scam of independent India and is entirely guided by and corruption. The scam of all scams.

"We demand that an independent inquiry be conducted and a white paper be released on the what was gained and lost due to demonetisation," Kejriwal told a press conference at his residence in New Delhi.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led by Kejriwal has been one of the staunchest critics of the currency ban measure since the beginning. The AAP chief has been addressing rallies across the country on the issue and has also levelled allegations of personal corruption against Modi.

"The PM has become a subject of ridicule internationally. Big economists of the world are talking ill about the whole exercise. Dr Manmohan Singh commanded respect internationally but Modi has destroyed the reputation of PM's office," Kejriwal said.

Referring to Modi's December 31 address to the nation, Kejriwal said it was hollow as he did not speak about the gains and losses arising out of the shock currency move. The schemes could have been announced even without enforcing any such measure, he said.

Taking on the stated objectives of the measure, Kejriwal said that Modi had said it will achieve four objectives--reduce corruption, curb black money, reduce terrorism and circulation of fake currency.

It has neither managed to curb black money nor reduce terrorism or circulation of fake currency as fake Rs 2,000 notes are available in the market. It has not yielded any tangible benefits and has instead led to a spike in corruption, Kejriwal said.

"Around 100 people have lost their lives. People's houses have been ruined. Paytm has been the biggest beneficiary of . What did we achieve? BJP had informed its rich friends about the measure.

"It is a matter of inquiry whether bribe was taken for leaking prior information about or was it shared for free. BJP has been running the racket of exchanging notes," he said.

"Modi is talking about a cashless economy. First of all he should make BJP cashless that is accepting donations in cash. There's a list of 648 people who have Swiss bank accounts. PM should have announced that these people will be arrested," he added.
Laser walls and smart sensors will be installed at the Indo-Bangla International Border in West Bengal to plug the porous riverine and unmanned terrain and keep a tight vigil to check infiltration and terrorism.

"Very soon laser walls and smart sensors will be installed at the Indo-Bangla border especially in the porous riverine area and in the areas that do not have proper fencing. It will be done on an urgent basis so that it becomes operational by the next year," a top BSF official told PTI on the condition of anonymity.

According to BSF officials, a pilot project will take off within a few months in the Indo-Bangla riverine border area in West Bengal.

"The pilot project will start in a few months once we get the equipment and other things that are needed. The areas, where lasers and sensors will be placed, have already been identified," another official said.

A team of technical experts will handle a pilot project for deploying technological solutions in riverine areas and the areas that lack fences.

"The smart sensors will be monitored through a satellite- based signal command system. They will have night and fog operability tools. The mechanism is -- sensor blips and alerts border guards," said the official.

The paramilitary force is using the Farheen laser wall technology at the Indo-Pakistan border and has reaped benefits through better management of the borders.

BSF DG K K Sharma and other top officials of the force recently toured the Indo-Bangla border area in West Bengal and Tripura.

According to BSF sources, installing laser walls and remote sensors is part of the Centre's plan of keeping a tight vigil at the Indo-Bangla border following inputs from intelligence agencies that terrorists and anti-national elements are exploiting the unfenced areas and riverine borders.

"The matter of laser walls and smart sensors in West



Bengal was on the back burner. But it came up after the terror attack in Dhaka a few months ago as there were intelligence inputs that terrorists and anti-national elements were exploiting the unfenced areas and riverine borders," said another official.

Of the 4,096 kilometer-long Indo-Bangladesh border, 2,216.7 is in West Bengal.

The decision to install laser walls in areas where barbed wire fences could not be erected due to the treacherous terrain or marshy riverine topography was taken by the BSF two years ago.

The Union Home Ministry and BSF expedited the installation and activation of laser walls on the western front after the Pathankot terror attack. It was suspected that terrorists had breached the border in Bamiyal area in Punjab.

Meanwhile, the proposal submitted by BSF's South Bengal frontier to the West Bengal government for land needed for erecting fences in a highly sensitive 81.7 km area has been approved.

The state government has approved it and asked the district magistrates to procure land and hand it over to us, the BSF said.
A Jalandhar-based man has been held at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) for allegedly entering the facility using a cancelled e-ticket to drop off his girlfriend.

Officials said the man, identified as V Singh, was caught by CISF officials late last night when he exhibited suspicious behaviour inside the terminal area.

Singh used his original passport and a cancelled e-ticket to gain entry into the airport as he wanted to see off his girlfriend who was travelling to Bangkok.

"He was handed over to Delhi Police for further action under criminal laws," officials said.

Entering the airport terminal is prohibited for any person except valid fliers, bonafide employees and staff working at the facility or people with prior special permission.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Thirty-nine people, including many foreigners, were killed today when a gunman went on a rampage at an exclusive nightclub in Istanbul where revellers were celebrating the New Year.

As police launched a dragnet for the assailant, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the carnage sought to sow chaos and undermine peace, but that Turkey would never bow to the threat.

The shooting spree at the waterside Reina nightclub was unleashed when 2017 in Turkey was just 75 minutes old, after a year of unprecedented bloodshed that saw hundreds of people die in strikes blamed on Kurdish militants and jihadists and a bloody failed coup.

The assailant shot dead a policeman and a civilian at the club entrance and then went on the rampage inside where up to 700 people were ringing in the New Year.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the attacker had escaped and was now the target of a major manhunt, expressing hope the suspect "would be captured soon".

He added that of 20 victims identified so far, 15 were foreigners and five were Turks. Another 65 people were being treated in hospital.

Many revellers threw themselves into the water in panic. Dogan agency said the gunman was dressed in a Santa Claus outfit, although this has yet to be confirmed.

Soylu said the gunman had arrived with a gun concealed underneath an overcoat but subsequently exited the venue wearing a different garment.

No-one has yet claimed responsibility for the bloodshed.

Family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya indicated there were many Arabs among the wounded. Jordan said three of its nationals mere killed while the Tunisian foreign ministry said two Tunisians lost their lives.

An Israeli woman was killed and another injured, Israel's foreign ministry said.

Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin said at the scene on the shores of the Bosphorus that the attacker "targeted innocent people who had only come here to celebrate the New Year and have fun".

Television pictures showed party-goers -- including men in suits and women in cocktail dresses -- emerging from the nightclub in a state of shock.

Erdogan said in a statement that with such attacks, "they are working to destroy our country's morale and create chaos".

Turkey would deploy every means to fight "terror organisations" and the countries supporting them, Erdogan said, without giving details on which groups or nations he was referring to.

The attack evoked memories of the November 2015 carnage in Paris when Islamic State jihadists went on a gun and bombing rampage on nightspots in the French capital, killing 130 people including 90 at the Bataclan concert hall.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The External Affairs Ministry has come down hard on Jamia Millia Islamia University for its "apathy" in implementing the MoUsit had signed with three Palestinian universities during President Pranab Mukherjee's landmarkvisit to Palestine in October 2015.

In a strongly worded letter to Jamia Vice Chancellor Talat Ahmad, Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar sought an explanation from the university on why the MoUs were at a "virtual standstill", adding the institute's approach seems to be a hurdle in moving forward.

The Minister said during his recent visit to Palestine, it was brought to his notice that no follow-up action has been initiated on the MoUs signed between Jamia Millia Islamia and the Palestinian Universities.

Akbar also asked the Jamia Vice Chancellor to provide details to the government urgently on status of other MoUs and agreements signed by the premier institution with universities from other countries.

"Over a year has passed since it was signed but Jamia has not shown any inclination to activate this MoU. The Palestinian side is keento move forward, but apathy seems to be a hurdle.

"We would like to know, soon, asto why there has been no movement," Akbar said in the letter.

When contacted, a Jamia official said the university was keen to implement the MoUs signed with Al Quds, Al Istiklal and Hebron universities and approached the Ministry of Human Resources Development for granting funds to implement the pacts which provide for capacity building initiatives and academic exchanges.

In the letter, Akbar said the Palestinian education minister is expected to visit India shortly as outcome of the Joint Commission meeting between the two countries two months back.

"The visit could be a potential inflection point for the educationsector cooperation between the two countries. Without follow up, all agreements become infructious.

"Our representative in Ramallah Anis Rajan has always been ready to extend fullest cooperation to you in this regard. Please let me know why the MoUs are at a virtual standstill," Akbar wrote in the letter to Ahmad.

The Minister said capacity building and academic exchanges with friendly countries form an important pillar of India's foreign policy and in this regard Jamia has entered into MoUs and pacts with several foreign universities.

"I wouldalso like to know, on an urgent basis, the status of other MoUs and agreements signed with universities from other countries by Jamia Millia," said Akbar.

The Jamia official said the institute has been making sincere efforts to implement the MoUs but at times the process gets delayed due to procedural difficulties as well as fund crunch.

"We do not have any separate fund to implement the MoUs. So we have written to the HRD Ministry to provide us funds," the Jamia official said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 21-year-old man was arrested for duping people across the country by illegally obtaining credit and debit card details and transferring money in his fake bank accounts.

Sandeep Mandal was arrested in Jharkhand from where his gang used to cheat people, after a complaint was lodged by a person here that someone fraudulently obtained his credit card details and made various transactions from his bank account, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Surender Kumar said in a release.

After getting clues, a police team laid a trap and arrested Mandal from Jharkhand's Girdih district, he said.

The team also recovered items worth lakhs of rupees from him, including an expensive camera, three high-end cellphones, branded shoes and two passbooks.

Police said it is now on the lookout for the kingpin of the gang, which the accused is a member of, Pintu Mandal, allegedly a wanted Naxalite. Pintu's house in Girdih has already been raided and various articles worth lakhs of rupees that the gang bought online have been recovered.

During interrogation Mandal revealed that the gang, which operated form Girdih and used to call up people posing as officials and sought their card details for renewal of the same and then misused the information to fraudulently transfer money in their fake accounts.

"From these accounts they used to make online shopping/ transactions and cheated innocent persons. Further probe of the case is in progress to catch the kingpin of the gang," Kumar said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prominent businessman Mahimananda Mishra, arrested in connection with a murder case in this port town of Odisha, was today taken on remand for four days by the police.

Mishra was taken by the police from Samagol Jail at Kujang in Jagatsinghpur district for interrogation in connection with the murder of a shipping company official, Mahendra Swain on October 26, police said.

Judicial Magistrate first class Digvijay Das had on Thursday given permission to the police for the purpose.

The remand period, which initially was to begin on Thursday, was earlier put on hold because of the ill health of Mishra, Managing Director of Odisha Stevedores Limited (OSL).

Mishra and his close aide Basant Bal, both accused in the murder of Mahendra Swain on October 26, had been shifted from jail to Jagatsinghpur district headquarters hospital on December 27 after they complained of chest pain.

While Bal was later shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, Mishra was on Wednesday taken back to jail as his condition improved.

The court had ordered police remand for both after rejecting their bail pleas on December 27.

The two, who had earlier escaped to Thailand via Kathmandu, were brought to Bhubaneswar on the night of December 26 and taken to Paradip.

With the arrest of Mishra and Bal, the number of persons arrested in the murder case has risen to nine.

Seven persons have already been arrested in connection with Swain's murder.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Muslim taxi driver in the UK was thrashed and punched by a drunk woman and her accomplice with a passerby filming the "horrific incident" and uploading it on social media, media reports said.

Shahid Iqbal, 50, who works as a freelance driver in Normanton in England, said the drunk woman tried to take control of the car before he dropped her at an address in Normanton where he was attacked by her and a man.

The incident, filmed by a laughing bystander who put it on social media, happened after the woman refused to pay her taxi fare, Derby Telegraph reported.

"There was a man and a woman who I picked up and I was taking them to an address in Normanton but I wish I had not. It was a horrific journey. On the way, the woman put her feet on the dashboard, I politely asked her why and if she could put them down," Iqbal was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

"She did not like that and then told me they did not have any money for the fare. The man told her to pay me but she said she did not have money. I carried on driving but then she suddenly lunged across me and tried to take the steering wheel. She said she wanted to drive and she was pushing me," the taxi driver said.

Iqbal, who has been a taxi driver for 10 years, said the early-hours journey turned nasty when the woman started demanding money from him.

"I said just pay me and go. She then started to hit me. She grabbed my phone and started to bite it. I then phoned 999 and told them what was happening. She then went for me again and bit my arm. She was then pushing me and forced me out of the taxi and into the street.

"I tried to stop her but then the man with her started to get angry. She then hit me twice quite hard. He followed that with two really hard punches which were brutal. I fell to the floor and I was in agony," Iqbal said, adding that when he again dialled 999, the man and woman ran away.

Meanwhile, the incident was recorded by a bystander who, Iqbal said, did not try and help.

"What I went through was horrific and totally unjustified. I work very hard and I do not deserve these things to happen. It was terrible. Thankfully I was OK but it could have been much worse," he added.

A spokesman for Derbyshire police said a 23-year-old woman had been arrested in connection with the incident.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
New Lt Governor Anil Baijal today joined microblogging site Twitter in an effort to seek a more productive engagement with the people of Delhi and media, a day after he took oath as Delhi's 20th Lieutenant Governor.

In his first tweet, Baijal wished Delhiites on New Year.

"My dear fellow citizens of Delhi, wish you a very happy and peaceful 2017 with Almighty's blessings for good health, happiness & prosperity," he tweeted.

An official confirmed that Baijal has joined Twitter.

"LG has opened his new official Twitter account - @LtGovDelhi - for more productive engagement with media and fellow citizens," the official said.

Baijal's predecessor Najeeb Jung did not have a Twitter account.

However, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been quite active on the microblogging website. Kejriwal and his Cabinet ministers have even announced government decisions on Twitter, including the sacking of his Social Welfare Minister in August.

Jung and Kejriwal had a fractured relationship and Jung's tenure was marred by tussle with the city government on a range of issues including administrative control of the bureaucracy.

Baijal, 70, yesterday took over as the 20th Lt Governor of Delhi and struck a cautious note on whether his office will stand to repair the ties between the Centre and the AAP government, which had hit a rock under his predecessor.

Baijal "followed" President Pranab Mukerjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on the microblogging site after joining Twitter.

The official said the people of Delhi can post suggestions and views on the official Twitter handle of the Lt Governor.

Hours after his account opened, Baijal had 515 followers including Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal.

Baijal has served in a number of key positions at the Centre, including as the Union home secretary.

He has said addressing key challenges like women's safety, pollution, traffic congestion and strengthening infrastructure would be his priority.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Antonio Guterres takes the reins of the United Nations on New Year's Day, promising to be a "bridge-builder" but facing an antagonistic incoming US administration led by Donald Trump who thinks the world body's 193 member states do nothing except talk and have a good time.

The former Portuguese prime minister and UN refugee chief told reporters after being sworn-in as secretary-general on December 12 that he will engage all governments "and, of course, also with the next government of the United States" and show his willingness to cooperate on "the enormous challenges that we'll be facing together."



But Trump has shown little interest in multilateralism, which Guterres says is "the cornerstone" of the United Nations, and a great attachment to the Republicans' "America First" agenda.

So as Guterres begins his five-year term facing conflicts from Syria and Yemen to South Sudan and Libya and global crises from terrorism to climate change, US support for the United Nations remains a question mark.

And it matters because the US is a veto-wielding member of the UN Security Council and pays 22 per cent of the UN's regular budget and 25 per cent of its peacekeeping budget.

Immediately after the United States allowed the Security Council to condemn Israeli settlements in the West Bank on December 23 in a stunning rupture with past practice, Trump warned in a tweet: "As to the UN, things will be different after Janusry 20th," the day he takes office.

Trump followed up three days later with another tweet questioning its effectiveness. "The United Nations has such great potential but right now it is just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time. So sad!"



John Bolton, a conservative Republican and former US ambassador to the United Nations, said in an interview with The Associated Press that Guterres would be well advised "especially given the incoming Trump administration" to follow the model of his predecessor, Ban Ki-moon, and do what member governments want.

If he tries to follow what Ban's predecessor, Kofi Annan, did as secretary-general and try to be the world's top diplomat and what some called "a secular pope," Bolton said, "I think especially in the Trump administration, he would run into big trouble very quickly."



Guterres has made clear that his top priority will be preventing crises and promoting peace.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today visited his native village of Kalyanbigaha and offered prayers at a temple there for peace and prosperity of the state.

Kumar also garlanded the statue of his mother Parmeshwari Devi on her death anniversary at a park named after his father Kaviraj Ramlakhan Singh at the village in Harnaut block of Nalanda district, an official release said.

He also garlanded the statues of his father Kaviraj Ramlakhan Singh and late wife Manju Sinha.

The CM's son Nishant Kumar and his close relatives were also present on the occasion.

The chief minister also inaugurated an open gym park at his native village Kalyanbigaha and also inspected the park premises, the release said.

Later, Kumar also inaugurated an indoor shooting range, a hostel, basket ball court located at Kalyanbigaha ITI premises.

Kumar, who inspected the indoor shooting range, also interacted with those who were practising at the shooting range. Kumar directed officials to upgrade it to international standard.

Besides, the CM also laid the foundation stone for the construction of the buildings for an outpost and a barack for 30 constables. He also inaugurated the canteen to be run by Khushbu Jeevika society at ITI premises in the village, the release said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Actor Olivier Martinez is reportedly disappointed that his relationship with Halle Berry has ended as the French star "never expected" the two would divorce.

The 50-year-old star, whose divorce was finalised earlier this week, wanted to work things out with Berry, reported People magazine.

"He always hoped that they could work things out. He never expected to be divorced. He and Halle always had a very passionate relationship. There was a lot of arguing, but also a lot of love," a source said.

Berry, 50, and Martinez split in October 2015 after two years of marriage.

The couple has agreed to share physical and legal custody of their 3-year-old son Maceo.

Martinez has chosen to continue living in LA and take on film projects so he can still be with his son.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ahead of the Budget Session, National Conference (NC) working president Omar Abdullah today held a meeting here with his party's legislators and discussed the strategy to be adopted in the Assembly.

A day ahead of the Jammu and Kashmir State Legislature's Budget Session, a high-level Legislative Party meeting of National Conference was held at Sher-e-Kashmir Bhavan this evening with working president Omar Abdullah in the chair, to firm up the party's strategy during the session, NC spokesman said.

NC has been on the forefront in criticising the Mehbooba Mufti-led state government on the over four-month long Kashmir urest and deaths and refugees issue among others.

The meeting was attended by NC members of Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council.

The meeting, which lasted for over one-and-half hour, discussed elaborately the issues to be taken up in the two houses, he said.

At the outset, a two-minute silence was observed as a mark of respect to S Dharamveer Singh Oberoi, a sitting MLC of the National Conference, who passed away the other day.

Abdullah paid tributes to Oberoi while the legislative party placed on record its deep appreciation for the role played by the late leader as a pro-active legislator.

(Reopens NRG-20)



Meanwhile, later in the evening a meeting of National Conference, Congress and CPI(M) was held to devise a joint strategy to be adopted in the state legislature.

Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah presided over the meeting held at his residence.

"To devise a joint strategy and ensure coordination in both Houses of Jammu and Kashmir state Legislature during the Budget Session, beginning in the winter capital tomorrow, a joint meeting of National Conference, Congress, CPI(M) and the legislators of other parties was held here today," a NC spokesman said.

The meeting took place soon after the National Conference legislative party met at Sher-e-Kashmir Bhavan this evening.

Besides CPIM leader Mohammed Yousef Tarigami and Hakim Mohammed Yasin, the meeting was attended by the Pradesh Congress President G A Mir and Vice President Sham Lal Sharma.

"The meeting discussed various issues likely to be taken up in the Budget Session. Held in a cordial atmosphere, the meeting witnessed unanimity over the issues to be raised during the session. The leaders discussed the overall political situation and framed up their priorities in respect of issues to be raised", the spokesman said.

Omar appreciated the unanimity and called for synergized floor management in the session. The meeting was followed by dinner.
Police have registered over 1,500 cases of drunken driving under the three Commissionerate limits here, even as the New Year celebrations in the city passed off without any untoward incident.

Hyderabad City Traffic Police held a special drive to curb drunken driving, rash and negligent driving, overspeeding, triple seat riding on two-wheelers and booked 927 persons, including a woman for drunken driving, a release issued by the Hyderabad Police said.

Traffic officials of Cyberabad Police Commissionerate registered 400 drunken driving cases at 17 checkposts, while traffic enforcement under Rachakonda Police Commissionerate booked 237 in a similar case.

Police had made elaborate arrangements for maintaining security and law and order during New Year celebrations.

The entire 15,000 strong police force of Hyderabad City Police supported by the RAF and Telangana State Special Police had been deployed ahead for the New Year celebrations. 100 SHE teams were also posted in the city throughout the night to take care of women safety, the release said.

Armed Interceptor Teams were deployed in all sensitive areas in Hyderabad City to prevent any incidents of violence.

A fine of Rs 4.03 lakh was collected for drunken driving and other traffic violations, the release added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan today said India's bid at the UN to ban Masood Azhar was "politically motivated" and "replete with frivolous information", two days after its close ally China blocked the proposal to get the JeM chief and Pathankot attack mastermind listed as a global terrorist.

Responding to reports on India failing to put Azhar on the United Nations Security Council's 1267 Sanctions Committee, Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said, "The 1267 Sanctions Committee related to ISIS/Al-Qaeda has rejected a politically motivated proposal by India. Replete with frivolous information and baseless allegations, the Indian proposal had no merit and was primarily aimed at advancing its narrow national agenda.

"The dismissal of this proposal is also a rejection of the Indian attempts to politicise and undermine the work of this important Committee of the Security Council," he said.

"While claiming to denounce terrorism, India has in fact deployed terrorism as an instrument of state policy, and has itself been involved in perpetrating, sponsoring, supporting, and financing terrorism," Zakaria said in a statement.

"The arrest of Kulbhushan Jadhav, a RAW agent and serving officer of Indian navy, and his confession about involvement in terrorist activities aimed at destabilising Pakistan and killing or maiming of Pakistani citizens, is yet another proof of Indian sponsored terrorism in Pakistan."



"With such duplicitous behaviour and blood on its hands", India has little credibility on counter-terrorism, he claimed.

The spokesperson said that in the coming days, Pakistan will share with the United Nations and members of the international community "additional evidence of Indian involvement in terrorism in Pakistan".

"It is clear that India's unfounded allegations against Pakistan are in fact aimed at masking its own terrorist activities in Pakistan, as well as diverting the attention of the international community from the grave violations of human rights and state sponsored terrorism perpetrated by the Indian occupying forces in Kashmir," the statement said.

"Pakistan has made significant contribution and rendered enormous sacrifices in the success of the international community's counter-terrorism efforts. We are deeply committed to this common cause and look forward to continuing close cooperation with the international community in this collective endeavour," the statement said.

China had blocked India's proposal to get Pakistan-based Azhar listed as global terrorist by the UN, citing lack of "consensus" on the issue.

In last nine months, China has twice put technical hold on listing Azhar as designated terrorist that would have forced imposition of asset freeze and travel ban on him by countries including Pakistan.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was riding a tiger that he can't afford to deboard now, former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi today said India was going through an economic crisis and people have lost trust in the financial system.

"Modi is now riding a tiger and he can't even deboard. Initially, he said normalcy will return in three days, then 50 days and now he does not say anything," Gogoi said.

"When will normalcy return? Never in India's history, such restrictions or rationing of my own resources took place," he told reporters here.

He expressed anguish over the fact that "Modi still can not say when normalcy will return and the clouds will be cleared" even though the country has been passing through uncertainty and "this is the danger".

The former chief minister said an economic crisis was going on and only the Centre was to be blamed for this lack of planning and the whimsical decision of Narendra Modi.

"The problem is that trust in Indian financial system is lost. More than 60 changes in rules in 50 days! I have never seen this. People have doubted the office of the prime minister. This is not good for the country," he said.

Talking about the prime minister's address to the nation last evening, the veteran Congress leader said Modi's speech was an election gimmick. "Was it a Budget speech or what? Why is he playing the role of the finance minister? Everyone is suffering," he said.

"So far 105 people have died. Who is responsible for that? No comments on that," Gogoi said.

The former chief minister said BJP had promised a corruption-free government and that was their slogan against Congress with the BJP and its allies coming to power two and half years ago with this.

"But till now, we are only hearing the slogan that they will end corruption. Now they say only demonetisation will solve corruption. This is nothing but a diversionary tactic. They continue to say that black marketeers will be punished, but the question is when" Gogoi said.

Talking about demonetisation impact on Assam, Gogoi said the state was likely to lose Rs 1,000 crore revenue.

He said "due to demonetisation, Assam is likely to lose nearly 12 per cent revenue till March 2017. There is a decrease in sale of goods up to 20 per cent. The excise may lose Rs 100 crore of tax revenue, while it is likely to be a dip of 10-12 per cent for transport department.

"The effect on Assam will be more as we are an agrarian state. The impact of demonetisation on daily labourers, farmers and small industry workers is huge.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India's largest LNG importer has signed an agreement to set up a $950 million liquefied natural gas import project in Bangladesh.

signed a MoU with with Petrobangla to set up a 7.5 million tonnes a year project to receive and regasify LNG on Kutubdia Island in Cox's Bazar and lay a 26-km pipline to connect it to the consumption markets.

"We intend to start marine survey work this month and are targeting 2020 for completion of the project," LNG CEO and Managing Director Prabhat Singh told PTI here.

Singh signed the memorandum of understanding with Petrobangla secretary Syed Ashfaquzzaman on December 30.

The project envisions future expansion and can be used to supply LNG through small barges and LNG trucks to users which are not connected by gas grid.

While what has now been signed is just a preliminary agreement, a formal pact will be signed once a joint venture is agreed between Petronet and Petrobangla.

"We are keen that Petrobangla becomes part of the joint venture (building the LNG) project and are willing to offer them up to 26 per cent stake. But they are not keen to invest due to fund constraints. So we would like them to keep a nominal interest of say five per cent or so," he said.

Petronet, he said, is not looking at partnership with Petrobangla for funds but only for project securitisation. "We want an assurance that they will buy the gas we import," he said.

Singh said his company is also keen to rope in state gas utility GAIL India Ltd in the project at some point of time to help implement the pipeline that is to be laid to connect the import facility with consuming markets.

And others like Indian Oil Corp too can join if city gas projects are to be developed, he said.

"GAIL may be wanting to sell LNG into Bangladesh and then there is this pipeline. So, it will be a great fit if they join the project," he said.

Bangladesh has a lot of unmet demand. Gas demand is projected to more than double to 45 million tonnes from current 20 million tonnes in next 20 years.

"The LNG projects planned will not be able to meet all of this demand," he said.

Petronet's import terminal is expected to be completed within four years.

Excelerate Energy is looking at setting up a floating terminal at Moheshkhali.
On the occasion of New Year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today greeted the nation besides personally wishing President Pranab Mukherjee and Vice President Hamid Ansari.

"Greetings on the start of 2017. May this year bring good health, happiness and prosperity in everyone's lives," he tweeted in the morning.

Later, Modi called on Mukherjee and tweeted, "Met Rashtrapati ji and greeted him on the start of the new year."



He also met Ansari. "Extended new year greetings to Vice President Shri Hamid Ansari."



The Prime Minister also posted pictures of his presenting bouquets the President and the Vice President.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Five policemen, including an SHO, have been suspended for allegedly trying to hush up the "suicide" of an accused in Adarsh Nagar police station in northwest Delhi.

Som Lal was called in by police for interrogation in connection with three cases registered against him on December 28, said a senior police officer.

Presumably fearing arrest after interrogation, he jumped off the police station building, the senior officer said.

The policemen, fearing that action might be taken against them for the death of a man while in custody, dumped his body in a park, he said.

However, the matter reached the ACP (Model Town) and he reported the matter to the DCP (Northwest) Milind Mahadeo Dumbere.

An inquiry was ordered and found the SHO of Adarsh Nagar, an assistant sub-inspector and three constables involved in hushing up the matter, said the officer.

They have been suspended and legal action has been initiated in the matter. Strict administrative and legal action will be taken against the erring policemen, he added.

DCP (Northwest) Milind Dumbere confirmed that five policemen have been suspended.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
New year revelry in Kerala was marred by at least three incidents of violence today with a college student stabbed to death in Palakkad and 12 people getting injured as CPI(M) activists clashed with BJP men in the state capital and with RSS workers in Kannur.

In Kannur, CPI(M) activists clashed with RSS workers over who should write 'Happy New Year' graffiti on a road. Three CPI(M) workers were injured, police said.

The injured were taken to Kozhikode Medical College Hospital and the condition of one of them is stated to be serious, they said.

At Chalayam in Vanjaramoodu of Thiruvananthapuram, six BJP workers and three CPI(M) activists were injured when they clashed during New Year celebrations.

To protest against the attack, BJP has called a 12-hour 'hartal' from 6 AM tomorrow at Manickal and Nellanad panchayats in Thiruvananthapuram.

Sujit (19), a college student, was stabbed to death and his friend, a 16-year-old boy, injured when members of a rival group attacked them at 3 AM during new year celebrations at Kottayamkkad in Elavancherry Panchayat of Palakkad district.

The boy has been hospitalised. Old enmity between two groups may have led to the attack, police said, adding investigation into the incident is on.

Elsewhere, Keralites ushered in the New Year by thronging temples and churches across the state and offered prayers.

Police made elaborate security arrangements to ensure smooth new year celebrations.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Britain's on Sunday missed annual New Year's church service at her Sandringham estate due to a lingering heavy cold.

"Her Majesty the Queen will not attend Sunday worship at Sandringham today. The Queen does not yet feel ready to attend church as she is still recuperating from a heavy cold," a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said.

The 90-year-old Queen has had the cold for more than a week, though she is understood to be well enough to read necessary government papers.

Her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, attended the service after fully recovering from his cold.

The Queen's absence from church on Christmas Day was the first time she had missed the service in many years.

Buckingham Palace stressed that it was a "precautionary measure" and it had "no sense of undue concern".

The New Year's Day service at Sandringham on Sunday is led by the Bishop of Norwich and other members of the royal family are expected to attend.

It is expected that Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, may have travelled to Sandringham for the New Year after they, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, spent Christmas with Kate's family, at Bucklebury in Berkshire.

The monarch has not been seen in public for 12 days since she and Prince Philip caught heavy colds which forced them to cancel their usual train journey to their north Norfolk estate for Christmas.
After continuous electoral debacles in over two years, pitchforked himself to the forefront in the party in a bid to galvanise the rank and file by stepping up his offensive on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a gamble he hopes will pay off in the new year and after.

The year gone by saw Rahul adopting an aggressive position against the ruling BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) on all major issues, from demonetisation and surgical strikes to Rohit Vemula's suicide and JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University) sedition row.

While Rahul's emergence from the shadows of his mother and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi gave the party some reasons to cheer, unabated electoral descent remained a cause of concern throughout 2016.

Congress lost Assam and Kerala to the BJP - and Left Front-led coalitions respectively in May, failing to revive its sagging fortunes having seen a solitary election win in Bihar in 2015.

Even in Arunachal Pradesh, Congress, after an initial respite from the Supreme Court, suffered a major setback when its entire state unit and all but one of its MLAs defected to a regional party to form a government with BJP's support.

On the political front, Uttarakhand was the sole reason for solace to Congress, with the court intervening to restore its government after the imposition of President's rule by the Centre.

Although in West Bengal, Congress made marginal gains, a section of its state leaders was deeply shaken by what they claimed as an "unholy alliance" with the Left, against which the party was pitted directly in Kerala.

On the organisational front, an ailing Sonia Gandhi withdrew herself consciously from the leadership role, getting her son and Amethi MP to step into her shoes in the year gone by.

This resulted in many firsts for Rahul. In November, Rahul chaired his first meeting of the Congress Working Committee which even passed a resolution recommending his elevation as party president.

Later on December 28, Rahul chaired the Congress foundation day celebrations for the first time, addressing his colleagues. In between, while Sonia stayed away from public roles, Rahul emerged as the leader of Congress' strategy in Parliament managing to work with the larger Opposition on the issue of demonetisation.

Rahul's ability to carry the Opposition together, however, remained under question when on the last day of Winter Session of Parliament, senior Opposition leaders from Left, SP (Samajwadi Party), BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party), NCP (Nationalist Congress Party), JDU (Janata Dal (United)) and DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam), pulled out of a joint visit to the President on the matter of demonetisation after he unilaterally went and met the prime minister on farmers' issues.

The Opposition leaders had withdrawn after several days of opposition unity which was evident from the unprecedented coordination on the issue of demonetisation as the year drew to a close.

Every day of the Winter Session, 16 Opposition leaders including arch rivals Left and TMC, SP and BSP met every morning to discuss ways of cornering the government. This unity suffered a blow with Rahul's move of meeting Modi.

It could not be redeemed despite the best efforts of Ahmed



Patel, Political Secretary to Sonia, who attempted to get all Opposition leaders together for a joint appearance at a press conference on demonetisation on December 27. TMC chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee saved the day for Congress by attending this meet with Rahul, at a time when SP, BSP, Left, JDU, and NCP stayed away.

While Opposition unity had its highs and lows, Rahul consistently kept the pressure on Modi post demonetisation even accusing him of accepting bribes from industrialists. By citing 2013 Sahara and Birla diaries, he pitched his stakes too high, as he dared Modi to face an independent probe and come clean.

While BJP accused him of practising hit-and-run politics, Rahul made sure he was everywhere from roads to headlines.

From courting arrest on the one rank one pension (OROP) issue to standing in a queue outside a central Delhi bank ATM, Rahul did all he could to be visible and aggressive.

On demonetisation, Rahul fielded former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to take on the government and dub the move as "organised loot and legalised plunder".

On surgical strikes, too, the Congress led by Rahul, changed a few goalposts by first supporting the government action and then ending up accusing Modi of "hiding behind the blood of soldiers".

Earlier in 2016, Rahul was seen dictating Congress strategy on the JNU sedition row wherein he personally went to the JNU campus to express solidarity with the arrested students. Similarly, after Vemula's suicide, Rahul visited the campus of Hyderabad University to stand with the students. His political critics, however, questioned his absence from Haryana in the aftermath of the Jat agitation which left behind a trail of fear and destruction in the state.

Overall, while Rahul was seen coming into command position and moving closer to his long expected elevation as Congress chief, the party struggled for impact and continued to lose veterans.

The exodus of top guns from Congress continued, be it ex- Chhattisgarh chief minister Ajit Jogi, ex-Uttarakhand chief minister Vijay Bahuguna, former Uttar Pradesh Congress president Rita Bahuguna Joshi or party's Bengal strongman Sudip Burman.

Amid organisational challenges, Rahul led the election campaign in Uttar Pradesh with a historic 2500-km kisan yatra from Deoria to Delhi.

Indicating Congress's willingness to raise election stakes, Rahul even approved, for the first time, hiring Prashant Kishor as a party strategist for poll-bound Uttar Pradesh and Punjab besides naming ex-Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit as the Congress CM face in Uttar Pradesh.

Supporting him in Uttar Pradesh strategy was sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who attended her first ever official Congress meet comprising state leaders signalling her involvement in the process. Priyanka's much-anticipated campaign launch, however, did not happen in 2016.

With elections round the corner in five states this year, all eyes will now be on Congress's first family, which had, in the wake of the 2014 Lok Sabha loss, promised its cadres and people of the country serious introspection and course correction.
The Rajasthan Gujjar Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti today alleged that the state government had "betrayed" Special Backward Communities (SBCs), including Gujjars, by not maintaining status-quo on the 4,000 appointments made under the SBC quota.

Leaders from the Gujjar community, in a press conference here, also accused the state government of "playing with the sentiments of SBC youths".

"The state government has not given joining orders to 28 candidates (from the SBC quota) selected for the post of firemen while those from other castes have got their letters. This is legally not correct," Samiti spokesperson Himmat Singh claimed.

It seems the remaining (of the 4,000) appointments under SBC quota will also meet the same fate, he alleged, adding in a recent meeting with government officials the Samiti had demanded sanctity on appointments even as the High Court struck down 5 per cent reservation to SBCs.

"The Samiti has demanded a concrete solution before January 15 from the state government on the issue," he informed.

Singh cautioned "youths are agitated and we do not want to disturb peace and harmony in the state again".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Russia has finally delivered four Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets to China after a delay of two years as Moscow feared that its fifth generation jet will loose value after Chinese military unveiled its J-20 stealth fighter, official media here reported.

The Su-35 is an advanced version of the Su-30s operated by the Indian Airforce.

The delivery was made on December 25, a portal of the People's Liberation Army reported.

Since the debut of the China's stealth fighter J-20 fighter at Zhuhai Airshow, procurement of the Su-35 fighter jets has gone quite smoothly.

Some say this is the outcome of the close relationship between China and Russia.

However, the latter did not change its stance on the export of the Su-35 until the J-20 fighter was unveiled, state-run People's Daily reported.

Russia believes that with the commissioning of the J-20, the Su-35 will soon lose its value in the Chinese market.

That estimation is the reason for the smooth procurement, the report said.

China has been ramping up its military aviation wing with a number of new fighter jets including two versions of the stealth fighters as well as J-15 a fighter plane to operate from the deck of its first aircraft carrier, Liaoning which has begun live fire drills in the disputed South China Sea.

The construction of China's second aircraft which is home grown one is under in full swing, according to the official media reports.

"One can only be independent when he is self-reliant," the PLA Daily article said expressing hope that the Su-35 fighter jet is the last fighter imported by China.

While China made advances in manufacturing of new type of fighter jets, it is still dependent on Russia for engines as well as avionics.

Under economic crisis Russia for its part has been selling some of its advanced weaponry to China in recent years.

Speculation was rife that Russia which had moved closer to China following hostilities with the Obama administration may move closer to the US once President-elect Donald Trump takes office as he shares better relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 65-year-old school principal, who is also a priest, was arrested today for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor boy at the institute's hostel.

Basil Kuriakose was arrested this morning after a complaint from the 11-year-old boy's mother, who is working in Haryana, police said.

The boy, a student of the residential school affiliated to CBSE at nearby Kunnathunad, was allegedly sexually assaulted in his hostel room on the night of December 21.

The boy revealed the incident to his brother who came to meet him at the hostel.

He alerted their parents, following which the complaint was lodged against Kuriakose, police said.

The principal has been booked under relevant sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, police said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today faced a shoe attack while addressing a public meeting here against demonetisation during which he targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The shoe, however, missed its target and the youth was nabbed.

The incident took place this evening when Kejriwal, the convenor of Aam Aadmi Party, was addressing 'Tijori Tod Bhanda Fod' rally against the demonetisation move.

The shoe was hurled towards Kejriwal when attacked the Prime Minister over the demonetisation decision, terming it as a "scam".

"The shoe did not hit Kejriwal ji," said AAP's senior leader from Haryana, Navin Jaihind, who was also present.

AAP workers overpowered the youth and he was later handed to police at Urban Estate station. Police said they were interrogating the motive behind the act.

The accused identified as Vikas (26), was a resident of Mori Makrana village, district Dadri in Haryana, a senior police official told PTI.

"He is graduate and unemployed. When we questioned him, he said that he was hurt by Kejriwal's statements on the SYL issue which went against Haryana's interests. At the time of being questioned, the youth did not seem to be in sound mental condition," the police official added.

Kejriwal said the incident proved Modi's "cowardice".

"Maine kaha tha Modi ji Kayar hai. (I had said Modi is a coward), that is why he sends his stooges to throw shoes...But you may throw shoes or conduct CBI raids, that will not stop me from speaking the truth about demonetisation scam..," he said.

Attacking the Prime Minister on demonetisation, he said the move had "made poor farmers stand in long queues for their own money."



Kejriwal alleged that the BJP leadership had sounded their near and dear ones before announcing demonetisation.

He termed demonetisation as the "biggest scam" in the country post Independence.

Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia also targeted Modi and criticised demonetisation, claiming it had failed to achieve the desired objectives of ending corruption, black money, fake currency and funding of terror networks.

"On the contrary, it has hit all sections of the society, especially the common people," he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Jaihind claimed that AAP will win 100 of the 117 seats of the poll-bound Punjab state.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Sikh religious preacher Baljit Singh Daduwal was arrested today for apprehension of breach of peace at Qadian town here, police said.

Daduwal was arrested when he was returning from Thikriwal village after attending a religious function with his wife Sukhmeet Kaur and his son Kurban Singh, who were briefly taken into custody, they said.

He was arrested under section 107/151 (when a person is likely to commit a breach of peace or disturb public tranquillity) of the IPC, police said.

The accused has been sent to the Central Jail here after being produced before the Sub Divisional Magistrate, Batala.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe today vowed to achieve reconciliation in the country, even as former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa warned the government against any steps endangering the unitary character of the state.

Both Sirisena and Wickremesinghe renewed hope for reconciliation and economic development to be achieved by the unity government which marks its second anniversary next week.

Sirisena in his new year message called for brotherhood and unity among all communities to achieve reconciliation following the end of the nearly three decades-long civil war in 2009.

Wickremesinghe said despite efforts to break up the national unity government, it would not waver in its commitment to install good governance, democracy and economic prosperity.

Former President Rajapaksa, in his New Year message, warned against any action that endangers the unitary character of the state and its territorial integrity.

His remarks were in reference to the government's efforts to introduce a new Constitution which is expected to grant some form of political autonomy to the minority Tamil community.

The new Constitution is expected to be adopted this year after a nationwide referendum.

The main opposition leader R Sampanthan echoed the Tamil wishes in his message, saying "2017 will be a crucial year in the history of our country".

"Our expectation, is that we should find a permanent and lasting solution to the national question. The new Constitution in the New Year, should bring about this achievement," he said.

The government expects the new Constitution to address the demand of Tamil minorities for political recognition.

With the defeat of the Tamil Tigers in 2009 the Tamil groups have opted for maximum devolution as opposed to LTTE's goal of a separate Tamil homeland.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials on Sunday seized 8.3 kg of biscuits, worth Rs 2.30 crore, allegedly smuggled from Sri Lanka, and detained one person in this connection near here.

The seizure was made when a three-member team of senior DRI officials from Madurai and Tuticorin, acting on a tip-off, intercepted a car and searched it on Madurai-Rameswaram highway at Nagatchi, about 40 km from here, police said.

They took into custody 31-year-old Mujibur Rahman, the lone occupant of the car who hails from Enmanmkondan village near Uchipuli.

The biscuits had been allegedly smuggled from Sri Lanka and were being taken to Tiruchirappalli when DRI officials seized it, police said.

The man along with the and the car had been taken to Tuticorin for further investigation, they added.
Nagaland today welcomed 2017 offering special prayers in churches and homes for a prosperous year ahead.

People in groups moved around greeting 'Happy New Year' to each other while the skies lit up with fireworks heralding the dawn of 2017.

Special New Year services are being organised in churches today to offer special prayers seeking blessing from Almighty for a successful and prosperous 2017 while also offering thanksgiving prayer for the bygone year.

Nagaland Governor P B Acharya has extended best wishes for the New Year to all the communities in the state.

In his message, the Governor said, "as the world wakes up to a new dawn, may the New Year shower the people of Nagaland with new opportunities, vision and success at every step".

He also called upon one and all to "rededicate ourselves for a new era of peace, for reaffirmations in our endeavour, recommit for reconciliation, forgiving one another and embarking on a new journey towards development in all fields of life".

Maintaining that it is the people of the state only who can make Nagaland 'golden Nagaland', the Governor appealed all to "strive together towards making the state peaceful and prosperous".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Accusing the Tamil Nadu government of being lethargic in replacing existing ration cards with smart cards, DMK Treasurer M K Stalin today demanded that the government should explain what it did with the Rs 318 crore allotted for the purpose.

"AIADMK regime continuing to be lethargic is strongly condemnable," he said referring to the government yet again deferring issuance of smart cards for PDS beneficiaries and extending the validity of the existing cards by pasting additional slip.

In 2011, the AIADMK, soon after assuming power, had said that ration cards would be replaced by smart cards adding it was then estimated to cost about Rs 700 crore, he said.

In 2015, Food Minister R Kamaraj had said that Rs 318 crore has been allocated for the Smart Card plan, he recalled.

Stalin, who is also the leader of Opposition in the assembly, said the Minister had also said then that the plan would be implemented in the first phase in Chennai and Tiruchirappalli Districts.

Noting that the plan was yet to see the light of the day, he demanded, "a proper explanation by the government on what happened to Rs 318 crore fund and for what it was spent."



"It is shameful that the government is only focusing on pasting additional slips in ration cards rather than implementing Smart Card plan," he said in a statement.

He wanted to know if the "government has stepped back in the Smart card plan like it did on Food Security Act."



Since the essential commodities being distributed under the Public Distribution System in ration shops were very important for the poor and middle classes, he said Chief Minister Panneerselvam should give utmost importance to the matter.

Panneerselvam should take steps to immediately issue smart cards and end the confusion prevailing for six years on the issue, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Drunk revellers in northwest Delhi's Mukherjee Nagar area attacked policemen who stopped them from harassing a woman on New Year's eve, leaving four personnel injured, police said today.

The incident took place around midnight. A group of men tried to pull down the woman from a bike and harass her.

The accused are suspected to be students preparing for entrance exams and putting up in PGs or hostels in Mukherjee Nagar area.

The policemen posted there stopped the accused, who were allegedly in an inebriated state, from misbehaving with the woman, but were attacked instead.

There were also other students around who vandalised a police vehicle and even tried to break barricades, police said.

In the scuffle, assistant sub-inspector Prakash suffered head injuries, while three other policemen were also injured, they said.

With reinforcements called in, the situation was brought under control in under an hour.

A case under relevent sections of the IPC for destroying public property, attacking a government servant and outraging the modesty of a woman has been registered against unknown persons. Police is scanning the CCTV footage to identify the accused.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Transcription

1 Namibia Law Journal House Style Guide We would like to acknowledge the University of the Witwatersrand s House Style ( ), which served as a guide. The Namibia Law Journal publishes articles as well as shorter contributions in other sections. General style pointers Avoid polite legal cliches such as the learned judge, the learned author, with respect, with the greatest respect, and it is submitted. Try to avoid the other cliches that creep into legal writing such as the way forward, enshrined in the Constitution, and legacies of apartheid. Refer to judges as Angula J or Angula JA, etc. Use we/i argue, we/i will show, etc. instead of clumsy constructions to avoid the use of the first person, I. Write in the active voice. On is usually preferable to upon. Form Use UK English as your spelling default. Use Arial font and 1.5 spacing for all text. Always use footnotes instead of endnotes or parenthetic references in the body text. Rather repeat an abbreviated version of a previous footnote than refer the reader back and forth to other footnotes. The footnote font size is 10 point. The following styles apply to unnumbered headings at each level: Level 1 (title of article): Arial 16 point, bold Level 2 (authors names): Arial 12 point, bold Level 3 (heading of major content division, e.g. Introduction, Conclusion): Arial 14 point, bold Level 4 (subheading of major content division): Arial 12 point, bold italics Level 5 (sub-subheading): Arial 11 point, regular All article submissions require a single paragraph abstract. The abstract should state the principal questions investigated in the article and the outcome of the investigation. Here is an example of good abstracting style: 1 Proposed constitutional amendments envisage the creation of a single apex court for South Africa. If adopted, this will change the system that has existed since 1994 in which the Constitutional Court of South Africa is the court of final instance for constitutional matters and the Supreme Court of Appeal the court of final instance in matters that are not constitutional. Since the distinction between constitutional and other matters is illusory, this change is 1 Example cited from the University of the Witwatersrand House Style. 1

2 welcome. What is not welcome is the manner in which an important change to the structure of the judicial system has been introduced by stealth. It is also undesirable for the Constitutional Court as it is currently constituted to perform the role of the apex court. Quotations should be clearly indicated by double quotation marks, with single quotation marks used only for quotes within quotes. Where a quotation is more than about 50 words in length, it should be indented as a separate paragraph, with a line free above and below it, and with no quotation marks. The source of the cited piece should be given at the end of the statement that introduces the citation. Amendments to quotations are indicated by way of square editorial brackets. Avoid Latinisms. An exception is the use of ibid. in footnotes. In general, unnecessary Latinisms such as in casu should be avoided. Foreign words and phrases. Where Latin phrases are used, they should not be italicised. Italics should be used for foreign words, case names (including the v), titles of books and journals, and for emphasis. Abbreviations may be used provided that the name is set out in full at first mention, followed by the abbreviation in brackets, e.g. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) No full stops should be used in abbreviations, i.e. except for UNESCO, USA, the SWAPO Party ibid. [lower case i, with full stop after d] For abbreviated plurals, use only the s. Thus, it would be 1970s (not 1970 s), and MPs (not MP s). Use % (not per cent). S spellings. Use s spellings rather than z spellings, e.g. recognise, nationalise. Emphasis. Emphasis is indicated by italics. If the emphasis occurs in a citation, the source of the emphasis should be indicated, e.g. [Emphasis in original] or [Emphasis added]. Dates. 1 January 1999, and , the 1980s and 1990s Numbers from one to ten are spelt out in words unless they refer to section or schedule numbers in statutes. Case names: In italics, v (for versus) without a full stop e.g. Brown v White. Please avoid multiple references. Reference only to the official Law Report and the superior court website are necessary. A reference to a specific page should be made as follows, with the first page of the report always referred to first: 2

3 Smith v Jones 1989 (4) SA 123 (D), at 134A C Subsequent references to the same case should be: In footnotes: 1 (ibid.:136). [where the case is cited in the immediately preceding footnote] 2 (ibid.). [where the case and the page reference is the same as that in the immediately preceding footnote] 3 Smith v Jones, at 134. [repeat the abbreviated name of the case rather than refer the reader immediately back and forth to other footnotes] Page rather than paragraph references should be used wherever possible. This is the case for all Namibian Supreme and High Court decisions and all South African decisions. Examples: S v Kandovazu 1998 NR 1 (SC), 4D-E S v Acheson 1991 (2) SA 805 (Nm) ) at 813B-C. The same rules apply to foreign cases. US Bluebook conventions may be used but case names must be italicised both in the text and footnotes and the use of full stops needs to be avoided. Eldridge v British Columbia (1997) 151 DLR (4th) 577, at 631 Romer v Evans 116 S Ct 1620, at 1627 (1996) Brandenburg v Ohio 395 US 444, at 451 (1969) Always write out litigants names in full, i.e. Regents of the University of California not Regents of the Univ. of Cal. The use of brief parenthetical explanations of case holdings and other references is encouraged. Examples: 1 S v Makwanyane 1995 (3) SA 391 (CC) (death penalty a violation of rights to life and human dignity). Cultura 2000 and Another v Government of the Republic of Namibia and Others 1993 (2) SA 12 (NM) (Acts by predecessor Government in terms of Article 140(3) of the Namibian Constitution.) 2 Wisconsin v Yoder 406 US 205 (1972) (compulsory school attendance for children of Amish religious community a violation of free exercise right). 3 Mureinik, E A bridge to where? Introducing the Interim Bill of Rights. South African Journal of Human Rights, 10:31(Bill of Rights seeks to create a culture of government based no longer on authority and coercion but on justification and 3

4 persuasion). Amoo, S and Conteh, M Property Rights of Women In Namibia and HIV/AIDS. A Myth or a Reality? Namibia Law Journal 3:1 (The effect of the HIV/AIDS endemic on the limitation to property rights of Namibian women). Listing references in footnotes should follow the formats below: Books Surname, A, B Surname, C Surname & D Surname (Eds). Year. Title (in italics). Place of publication: Publisher, p [for page or pp for pages]. Surname et al. (Year: pages). [For subsequent footnote references] Chapters in books Surname, I. Year. Chapter title. In Surname, I (Ed.) Title of book [in italics], Place of publication: Publisher, page. Papers in journals Surname, I. Year. Title of article. Journal title [italics, name always written in full], Volume No.(Issue/No.):pages. Newspaper articles Surname, I [if available]. Year. Title of article. Newspaper name [italics], page. Conference papers Surname, I. Year. Title of paper. Title of Conference proceedings publication [italics]. Place of publication: Publisher, page. Surname, I. Year. Title of paper. Unpublished paper presented at the XYZ Conference, Location of Conference, dates of Conference. Internet references Surname, I. Year. Title of document [italics]. Available at last accessed 4

5 on [give day date, month name and year in full]. Law Reform Commission papers Note that the South African Law Commission changed its name to the South African Law Reform Commission in Pre-2002 publications should use the earlier name. Examples: SA Law Commission Issue Paper 3 Customary Marriages (August 1996) 34. SA Law Commission Discussion Paper 76 Conflicts of Law (April 1998). SA Law Reform Commission Discussion Paper 108 Stalking (November 2004). Statutes. When referring to a statute (including an amending statute for the first time), please give its full name and year in the body text, and insert its number and year in a footnote. Thus, it would be Labour Act, 2007 [in the body text] No. 11 of [in the footnote] Subsequent references to the Labour Act, or the 2007 Act [if reference is made to more than one version of it], or simply the Act [if only that specific version of the Act is referred to throughout the text]. Hansard. Parliamentary debates should be cited as follows: NA Debates col 1472 (29 July 1998). NC Debates col 125 (24 February 1999) Treaties and international instruments. Give the ILM reference where available, failing which give the UNTS reference or the full UN Doc or OAU Doc reference. Examples: United Nations Code of Conduct on Transnational Corporations (1984) 23 ILM 626. General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, 30 Oct 1947, Protocol Amending the General Agreement to Introduce Part IV on Trade and Development and to Amend Annex I (8 Feb 1965) 572 UNTS 320. Resolution on an International Development Strategy for the Third UN Development Decade GA Res 35/56, UN Doc. A35/56 (1981). These rules should be confined to the more obscure treaties and instruments. For most of the well-known multilateral treaties, instruments and UN documents, there is no need to give a bibliographical reference. Examples: Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (1963) International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966) International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (1966) 5

6 Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (1980) Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, General Comment 9: The Domestic Application of the Covenant, (1998) Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, Fourth World Conference on Women, 15 September
A manhunt is on in Turkey for the assailant who unleashed a salvo of bullets in front of and inside a crowded Istanbul nightclub during New Year's celebrations in the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, killing at least 39 people before fleeing.

Foreigners were among the fatalities, including Indians, an 18-year-old Israeli woman, a 26-year-old man from Lebanon and a Belgian national, according to the countries' respective foreign ministries and a relative.

Close to 70 were injured in what authorities described as a terror attack. Three of the wounded were in critical condition, Turkey's prime minister said.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vehemently condemned "the terror attack in Istanbul's Ortakoy neighbourhood in the first hours of 2017" and offered condolences for those who lost their lives, including "foreign guests".

The attacker, armed with a long-barreled weapon, killed a policeman and a civilian outside the popular Reina club at around 1:15 am (local time) before entering and firing on people partying inside, Governor Vasip Sahin said.

"Unfortunately, (he) rained bullets in a very cruel and merciless way on innocent people who were there to celebrate New Year's and have fun," Sahin told reporters.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack and authorities did not name any suspects. The bloodiest attacks that Turkey endured in 2016 were the work of the Islamic State group or Kurdish militants.

Turkey is a member of NATO and a partner in the US-led coalition against the Islamic State group. The country is also facing renewed conflict with Kurdish rebels in the southeast, and across the border in Syria and Iraq.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said a suspect has not been identified and that the gunman remains at large. Soylu, describing the attack as a "massacre, a truly inhumane savagery," said three or four of the Turkish victims may have been employees at the nightclub.

"Our security forces have started the necessary operations. God willing, he will be caught in a short period of time," Soylu said.

Private NTV news channel said the assailant entered the upscale nightclub, on the shores of the Bosporus, on the European side of the city, dressed in a Santa Claus outfit.

Security camera footage obtained by The Associated Press from Haberturk newspaper, shows the male assailant dressed in black and carrying a backpack as he shoots down a police officer outside the Reina nightclub.

Footage taken by a different camera shows him inside the venue wearing different clothes and a Santa Claus hat.

However, Turkey's prime minister denied that the gunman wore a Santa Claus outfit.

"There is no truth to this. He is an armed terrorist as we know it," Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told reporters.

Yildirim said the attacker left a gun inside the venue and escaped by "taking advantage of the chaos" that ensued.

Some customers reportedly jumped into the waters of the Bosporus to escape the attack.

Mehmet Dag, 22, was passing by the club and saw the suspect shoot at a police officer and a bystander. He said the suspect then targeted security guards, gunning them down and entering the club.
Private steel major Tata Steel today expressed confidence that the situation would be back to normal in the next quarter after the company's performance was impacted temporarily in November last owing to demonetisation.

December was much better month for Tata Steel than November last affected due to demonetisation, the company's Managing Director (India and South East Asia) T V Narendran said.

The steel industry in the country had gone through a difficult time during the last two years, when the sector faced many challenges from the international market, he said claiming that the situation had also affected steel sector in China in 2015.

The union government had intervened and supported the domestic steel sector when a lot of steel was coming into the country including the dumping of steel from China in 2015, he said.

In fact, one million tonne of steel was coming in from China every month during the period when the government had felt that it would be unfair for them if no immediate steps were taken to protect the domestic steel sector, he said.

Appreciating the initiatives of the government, Narendran said the steel sector had played an important role in the development of the country and it had invested Rs three hundred thousand crore in the country during the last ten years.

Hailing the government initiatives to protect steel sector, Narendran said it had helped the situation to improve from the beginning of 2016 when even the international market had started picking up.

However, the increased cost of coal and iron-ore during last three/four months had put cost pressure on the company, besides demonetisation being another issue affecting the performance of the company, Narendran said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee virtually leads the Opposition offensive against the Narendra Modi Government on note ban, her party Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Sunday made it clear its aim is to play a 'major role' in formation of central government in 2019 and vowed not to stop despite the "vendetta politics", after its leaders faced renewed heat over chit fund scams.

Addressing the 19th Foundation Day programme of in Kokata, its vice president Mukul Roy said the party will work to unite the opposition forces for the next general election.

"As our party and our supremo Mamata Banerjee had opposed the anti-people decision of demonetisation, vendetta will intensify in days to come. But that can't stop from opposing anti-people decision," Roy said.

"We will not stop until and unless we play a decisive role in in days to come. In 2019, will play a major role in government formation by uniting opposition forces," the senior TMC leader said.

His statement came just days after TMC MP Tapas Pal was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for his alleged involvement in the Rose Valley Chit Fund scam.

CBI has accused the ponzi firm of duping investors of Rs 17,000 crore, of which Rs 450 crore is from Odisha alone. The company was active in Odisha and had 28 branches in the state.

"He (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) can arrest all of our MPs, I do not care. This is nothing but vendetta . We will continue with our protest (against demonetisation)," a furious TMC chief had said after the arrest.

TMC leader in Lok Sabha Sudip Bandopadhyay was also summoned by the central agency in the same case.

Another TMC leader Madan Mitra was granted bail by a special court in September after 21 months of his arrest for his alleged involvement in the Saradha chitfund scam.

Suspended TMC MP Kunal Ghosh is also out on bail in cases related to the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam. Ghosh was suspended by the TMC in September, 2013 for anti-party activities after he had started making allegations of involvement of some party leaders in the scam.

Investigation into the ponzi scam, which came to light in 2013, revealed that the Saradha Group had allegedly cheated investors of Rs 1,200 crore in mainly rural areas, as per an official estimate. The CBI had taken over the investigation in June, 2014 following an order of the Supreme Court.

TMC chief Banerjee, who has been opposing demonetisation and demanding its roll back since the beginning, led protests in Delhi besides holding meetings in Lucknow and Patna.

"Started on 1 January 1998 by people of Bengal, Trinamool turns 19 today. We rededicate ourselves to be with the people, for the people, by the people," Banerjee said in a tweet on Sunday.

Banerjee, who was baptised into politics through her stint in Congress first as youth Congress leader and then as MP, floated her party TMC in 1998 following differences with the Congress.

Her party won for the second consecutive time last year in West Bengal Assembly polls.
The prospect of spending the first day of the New Year amid snowy hills drove a large number of tourists to the hill stations in Himachal Pradesh thereby choking the highway leading to these destinations and hotels packed to capacity.

A large number of tourists from Punjab, Haryana and Delhi set off to visit Shimla, Manali, Dalhousie and Dharamsala to celebrate the New Year as the weatherman forecast snowfall.

However, the excessive number of tourists choked the highways and many of them could reach their destinations only in the early morning while a large lot returned due to non-availability of the hotel rooms.

Heavy traffic jams were witnessed at Mubarakpur, Nangal, Bharwaain, Jasoor and Gaggle or at upper Dharamsala.

"Our daily buses from Chandigarh and Delhi to Shimla, Manali and other places ran at snail's pace and reached their destinations about four to six hours late due to heavy traffic jam," a spokesperson of the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) Nanak Chand said.

The hotel owners of Dharamsala, Mecleodganj whose business had taken severe hit post-demonetisation welcomed the instant boost the New Year has triggered in their business.

"Recently, even the advanced bookings were being cancelled. The last two months was a saggy period for the tourism industry in Dharamsala. But the New Year's Eve has changed (our) fortunes," a hotel owner Ram Swroop said.

General Secretary of Hotel Association of Upper Dharamsala Sanjeev Gandhi hoped that the euphoria remains for at least a week.

"The business was not as expected this Christmas, but the weekend has proved profitable. We hope that the tourists will stay till the first week of the next year," he said.

Mcleodganj, the main tourist hub in Dharamsala region, is abuzz with activity as hotels and restaurants are arranging new parties.

While the snow still eludes the Dhauladhars it did not stop the tourists from welcoming the New Year in style as many were seen celebrating and dancing by the roadside on the New Year's eve.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
is planning to do "many big things" after being sworn in as president, his communications director said today, adding that his boss has no intention to stop using Twitter.

Asked by ABC News what "one big thing" the public should expect from the president-elect once he takes office on January 20, spokesman Sean Spicer replied: "It's going to be not one big thing. It's going to be many big things."



Spicer said the Republican billionaire would immediately sign a series of executive orders to "repeal a lot of the regulations and actions that have been taken by this administration over the last eight years that have hampered both economic growth and job creation."



He also confirmed that Trump would institute a five-year ban on senior officials leaving government to become lobbyists, and a lifetime ban "on anyone who wants to serve a foreign government."



When ABC interviewer Jonathan Karl asked whether Trump would continue his highly unusual -- and deeply controversial -- approach of making major policy statements over Twitter, Spicer replied, "Sure, why not."



"With all due respect," he continued, "I think it freaks the mainstream media out that he has this following of over 45-plus million people that follow him on social media, that he can have a direct conversation."



Spicer added: "Business as usual is over... There's a new sheriff in town."



Karl asked Spicer repeatedly whether Trump might reverse President Barack Obama's steps -- including the expulsion of 35 Russian agents -- aimed at punishing Moscow for interfering in the US election.

While suggesting that Obama's action might have been "political retribution" and thus too harsh, Spicer would only say that Trump would delay any decision until he receives an intelligence briefing on the matter.

The president-elect, still working to fill out his new administration, was to return today from his Florida resort to his Trump Tower apartment in Manhattan.
Turkish police are hunting for an assailant who reportedly dressed as Santa Claus opened fire at a crowded Istanbul nightclub during New Year's celebrations today, killing at least 39 people and wounding close to 70 others in what authorities said was a terror attack.

The attacker, armed with a long-barrelled weapon, killed a policeman and a civilian outside Istanbul's popular Reina club at around 1:15 am (local time) before entering and firing on people partying inside, Governor Vasip Sahin said. He did not say who may have carried out the attack.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the attacker, who has not been identified, was still at large. "Our security forces have started the necessary operations. God willing he will be caught in a short period of time," he said.

Private NTV channel said the assailant entered the upscale nightclub, on the shores of the Bosporus, on the European side of the city, dressed in a Santa Claus outfit.

The minister said the attacker was believed to have left the club wearing different clothing to what he entered the club in. He said the attacker is believed to have carried out the assault alone.

At least 15 of the dead were foreign nationals, Soylu said, without providing information on their nationalities.

Five of the victims were identified as Turkish nationals while authorities were still trying to identify the rest. At least 69 people were being treated in hospitals, four in serious condition, Soylu said.

Three or four of the Turkish victims may have been employees at the nightclub, he said.

"This was a massacre, a truly inhuman savagery," Soylu said.

Governor Sahin said: "Unfortunately (he) rained bullets in a very cruel and merciless way on innocent people who were there to celebrate New Year's and have fun," Sahin told reporters.

Some customers jumped into the waters of the Bosporus to escape the attack, the NTV report said.

Sinem Uyanik was inside the club with her husband, who was wounded in the attack.

"Before I could understand what was happening, my husband fell on top me," she saidoutside Istanbul's Sisli Etfal Hospital. "I had to lift several bodies from on top of me before I could get out. It was frightening."



Her husband was not in serious condition despite sustaining three wounds.

Police with riot gear and machine guns backed up by armored vehicles blocked the area close to the Reina nightclub, one of the most popular night spots in Istanbul. Several ambulances flashing blue lights arrived on the scene, some taking wounded to hospitals.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Twitter's manager for China, whose appointment just eight months ago sparked controversy, has announced her resignation but welcomed the growing number of Chinese advertisers even though the service is blocked by Beijing.

Kathy Chen, appointed in April as general manager for the China region comprising mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, made the announcement yesterday evening on her own Twitter account.

"Now that the Twitter APAC team (Asia-Pacific team in Singapore) is working directly with Chinese advertisers, this is the right time for me to leave the company," she said.

Like other Western platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, Twitter is inaccessible in mainland China, blocked by the communist regime's vast system of internet censorship.

Unable to reach local users, Twitter has tried to persuade Chinese companies and media to open accounts to reach a global audience.

Large groups such as the telecoms giant Huawei and state media have made their appearance on the platform.

Chen said that over the past two years, Twitter's advertising base in the China region had grown almost 400 percent.

Her resignation comes two months after the announcement of nine percent cuts in the global workforce of Twitter, which is struggling to attract new users.

Human rights activists and NGOs had taken issue with Chen's resume when she was appointed. In the 1980s and 1990s she worked as a computer engineer for the Chinese army.

Dissident Hu Jia had described the appointment as a "painful betrayal".

Critics were also dismayed by Chen's call on her appointment for "closer partnership" with Communist Party- backed state media.

Twitter is home to a very active community of Chinese intellectuals and dissidents posting from abroad and also from within the country through the use of virtual private networks (VPN).

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two Indians are among 39 people killed in the Istanbul nightclub attack today during New Year's celebrations.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj confirmed the death of the two Indians.

"I have a bad from Turkey. We have lost two Indian nationals in the Istanbul attack. Indian Ambassador is on way to Istanbul," External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted.

"The victims are Mr. Abis Rizvi, son of former Rajya Sabha MP and Ms. Khushi Shah from Gujarat," she said..

The Indians are among the foreigners including an 18-year-old Israeli woman and a Belgian national who were killed in the attack in which around 70 others were injured.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two persons were killed and two others were seriously injured when the private car in which they were traveling went off the road and rolled down 100 metres below the hillside near Kut on Chamba-Chowari via Jot road this afternoon.

DSP police headquarter Bir Bahadur said that the bodies of the deceased had been retrieved from the gorge with the help of the locals and sent for postmortem to community health centre (CHC) at Chowari while the injured persons are undergoing treatment.

The deceased had been identified as Vishal Gaurav aged 27 years resident of Amritsar, Nishan Singh aged 24 years residents of Taran (Punjab), the DSP informed; adding that the injured were Jitender aged 22 years and Sandeep, both belonged to Amritsar.

A case in this connection had been registered at Chowari police station for ascertaining the cause of accident, the DSP said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Attacking Vasundhara Raje government for allegedly "ignoring" farmers and youths, Leader of Opposition in Rajasthan Assembly Rameshwar Dudi and a farmer leader today said it will be a challenge for the BJP government to fulfill expectations of the two sections in 2017.

A BJP MLA also targeted the Raje government over "declining" revenue of the state.

Dudi said people of the state -- youths and farmers in particular -- are quite "disappointed" with the BJP rule which provided "no job" to youths as promised and farmers issues were also "ignored" by the Raje government.

"The government has totally ignored the interest of farmers and youths in the state in their three year rule. It is the challenge for the government in 2017 to fulfill its promises made to them," he said.

He alleged that farmers are not getting adequate water supply from Indira Gandhi canal for irrigation but the government did not take up the issue with Punjab on priority despite farmers agitation.

"The government should convene a special session of the Assembly to discuss the matter and to resolve the water sharing issue with Punjab," he said.

Dudi said farmers and labourers are the "worst affected" due to demonetisation.

Kisan Mahapanchayat national president Rampal Jat also accused the state government of "ignoring" farmers' issues.

"Farmers are facing apathy of the government. They are not getting sufficient price for their produce. The party will have to face consequences if the farmers issues are not taken up positively," he said.

Senior BJP leader and former minister Ghanshyam Tiwari also targeted the government saying the revenue of the government has "declined".

"The government will have to focus on financial management as the revenue collection has reduced," the sidelined party leader said.

"The government will have to pay heed to the public sentiments and party workers," he said.

Rejecting the allegations of Dudi andJat, Agriculture minister Prabhu Lal Saini said the government is committed for the welfare of the farmers in the state.

"The government is working for the welfare and upliftment of farmers and others. Disbursement of Rs 419 crore to 1.98 lakh farmers against crop insurance has been made in the last three years," he said.

Saini said the government last month held an agritech meet with an objective ofensuring economic empowerment of farmers through accelerated and sustainable growth in agriculture.

"The government is also making efforts working with a focus to double farmer's income by 2022," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Although Anthony Bourdain is a legitimate chef, hes best known certainly outside of NYC as the host of some notable TV series, the Travel Channelsand, more recently, CNNs. You can watch the recent episode of Bourdain with President Obama in Hanoi above. Bourdain seems obsessed with the smells of Vietnam. Remember, he dedicated one of his best-selling books,, to Joey, Johnny and Dee Dee . Hs loved the early punk music of NYC and has joked that playing schlocky commercial music by Elton John, Abba and Billy Joel would get you fired in his kitchen.

So a man with those musical sensibilities probably wouldnt surprise anyone with some forward political pronouncements . No, hes not a Trump fan. The day after the electoral college confirmed the bad news, New Zealand writer Alexander Bisley interviewed him for. Not a fan of Trumps nor, as you might guess, a fan of political correctness.

Bisley: What concerns you about Trump?





Bourdain: What I am not concerned about with Trump? Wherever one lives in the world right now I wouldn't feel too comfortable about the rise of authoritarianism. I think it's a global trend, and one that should be of concern to everyone.





Bisley: You're a liberal. What should liberals be critiquing their own side for?





Bourdain: There's just so much. I hate the term political correctness, the way in which speech that is found to be unpleasant or offensive is often banned from universities. Which is exactly where speech that is potentially hurtful and offensive should be heard.





The way we demonize comedians for use of language or terminology is unspeakable. Because that's exactly what comedians should be doing, offending and upsetting people, and being offensive. Comedy is there, like art, to make people uncomfortable, and challenge their views, and hopefully have a spirited yet civil argument. If you're a comedian whose bread and butter seems to be language, situations, and jokes that I find racist and offensive, I won't buy tickets to your show or watch you on TV. I will not support you. If people ask me what I think, I will say you suck, and that I think you are racist and offensive. But I'm not going to try to put you out of work. I'm not going to start a boycott, or a hashtag, looking to get you driven out of the business.





The utter contempt with which privileged Eastern liberals such as myself discuss red-state, gun-country, working-class America as ridiculous and morons and rubes is largely responsible for the upswell of rage and contempt and desire to pull down the temple that we're seeing now.





I've spent a lot of time in gun-country, God-fearing America. There are a hell of a lot of nice people out there, who are doing what everyone else in this world is trying to do: the best they can to get by, and take care of themselves and the people they love. When we deny them their basic humanity and legitimacy of their views, however different they may be than ours, when we mock them at every turn, and treat them with contempt, we do no one any good. Nothing nauseates me more than preaching to the converted. The self-congratulatory tone of the privileged leftjust repeating and repeating and repeating the outrages of the oppositionthis does not win hearts and minds. It doesn't change anyone's opinions. It only solidifies them, and makes things worse for all of us. We should be breaking bread with each other, and finding common ground whenever possible. I fear that is not at all what we've done.





Bisley: In your Brexit episode of Parts Unknown, Ralph Steadman, who illustrated Appetites eye-catching cover, said "I think human beings are still stupid." Does that explain Trump's election?





Bourdain: I don't think we've got the [exclusive] franchise on that. If you look around the world (in the Philippines, in England), the rise of nationalism, the fear of the Other. When people are afraid and feel that their government has failed them they do things that seem completely mad and unreasonable to those of who are perhaps under less pressure. As unhappy and surprised as I am with the outcome, I'm empathetic to the forces that push people towards what I see as an ultimately self-destructive act. Berlusconi, Putin, Duterte, the world is filled with bad choices, made in pressured times.





Bisley: A few years back you were on Real Time with Bill Maher and part of the discussion was about people living inside their own bubbles. What do you think of Bill Maher?





Bourdain: Insufferably smug. Really the worst of the smug, self-congratulatory left. I have a low opinion of him. I did not have an enjoyable experience on his show. Not a show I plan to do again. He's a classic example of the smirking, contemptuous, privileged guy who lives in a bubble. And he is in no way looking to reach outside, or even look outside, of that bubble, in an empathetic way.
The White House condemned the "savagery" of at least one gunman in Istanbul who killed at least 35 people and wounded 40 others as they celebrated the New Year, calling the attack "horrific."



The gunman reportedly dressed as Santa Claus shot dead a policeman and a civilian at the entrance to the Reina nightclub, one of the city's most exclusive party venues, before going on a shooting rampage inside, according to the authorities.

NTV television said many party-goers threw themselves into the Bosphorus in panic after the attack and efforts were under way to rescue them from the waters.

"The United States condemns in the strongest terms the horrific terrorist attack at a nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey, which has left dozens dead and many more wounded," National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

"That such an atrocity could be perpetrated upon innocent revellers, many of whom were celebrating New Year's Eve, underscores the savagery of the attackers."



Price added: "We reaffirm the support of the United States for Turkey, our NATO ally, in our shared determination to confront and defeat all forms of terrorism.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The stars of NBC's "Will & Grace" may reunite once again for a 10-episode revival of the Emmy-winning series, says its guest actor Leslie Jordan.

The official word has yet to come from the Peacock network, but Jordan revealed that former co-stars Debra Messing, Eric McCormack, Sean Hayes and Megan Mullally will all be reprising their roles, reported People magazine.

"It's back. Here's the way it works: (NBC) has ordered 10 (episodes). It'll be for next season, so (the cast will) go in July. And then they'll add the guest cast. I'll get a phone call," said Jordan, who played Karen Walker's frenemy Beverly Leslie on the show.

"Will & Grace" ran for eight seasons and scored 16 Emmy wins out of 83 nominations. All four stars took home Emmy gold for the show about a single woman, her gay roommate and their eccentric friends.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 35-year-old woman was electrocuted to death and two others sustained injuries after coming into contact with a live wire of a tubewell at Azadpur village under Kandhla police station in Shamli district, police said.

The incident occurred yesterday when Kesho Devi had gone with Rekha (25) and Reshu 28 to collect water, they said.

The injured have been admitted to a hospital here and are stated to be serious, police said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chairman Paul Achleitner has ruled out a European merger or a state bailout after the lender's mortgage settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung reported.

The bank, Germany's biggest, last week announced a $7.2 billion settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over its sale and pooling of mortgage securities in the run-up to the 2008 financial crisis.

"The management board in principle looks at everything that could help the business," Achleitner said in an interview with the weekly newspaper published on Sunday.

"At the moment, however, enthusiasm for a pan-European merger is muted as we have other priorities," he said, when asked why Deutsche does not merge with Italy's UniCredit or another lender.

Deutsche, which is trying to simplify its operations to make it more efficient, will keep its investment banking operations and ensure they comply with political and regulatory rules, Achleitner said.

Supervisors including Germany's Bundesbank and the European Central Bank have called for more consolidation in the banking sector, saying there are still too many banks despite a steady fall in the number of branches since the 2008 financial crisis.

Higher capital requirements would put European banks at a competitive disadvantage to their U.S. rivals, Achleitner said, referring to efforts by the Basel committee of supervisors to tighten bank capital rules to avoid a repeat financial crisis.

"The global rules, established with the Basel accord, must not one-sidedly reflect the views of the Americans," Achleitner said.

The former finance chief of Allianz said European banks needed to defend their interests more vigorously against rivals in the United States where lenders are helped by state-sponsored bodies such as Fannie Mae, allowing them to shed part of the risk of mortgages.

"It's obvious that national interests are increasingly being defined and represented in a more robust fashion," Achleitner said. "It's about time that we Europeans stand up for our interests too."

Separately, Achleitner said government aid for players in the financial industry would not become an issue in Germany.

"No one in Germany needs to worry about rescuing banks," said Achleitner, who confirmed he will stand for re-election as chairman at the bank's annual general meeting in May.

By contrast, the Italian government has earmarked 20 billion euros ($21 billion) to bolster its ailing lenders.

The Bank of Italy said on Thursday that total costs for the state bailout of Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena would come to about 6.6 billion euros.
Deposits in Jan Dhan account have more than doubled to Rs 87,000 crore in 45 days post demonetisation, prompting the tax department to "dissect" information relating to such deposits, a top government official said.

Besides, the tax department also has data on small cash deposits between Rs 30,000-50,000 made in 4.86 lakh accounts totaling to Rs 2,000 crore.

Between November 10-December 23, the total deposits in Jan Dhan accounts reported is Rs 41,523 crore in 48 lakh accounts.

This, together with the total deposits of Rs 45,637 crore as on November 9, takes the aggregate amount in Jan Dhan accounts to over Rs 87,100 crore.

"All these information received on Jan Dhan Accounts are being dissected. If it is found that money deposited in these accounts belong to some other persons, necessary action will be taken at appropriate time," the official told PTI.

Cash deposit between Rs 30,000 and Rs 50,000 have been reported in 4.86 lakh accounts till November 30, taking the total deposits in such quantum to Rs 2,022 crore.

The official further said that inflows of funds into Jan Dhan accounts was the highest in the first week after demonetisation at Rs 20,224 crore, but after that the deposits went down substantially.

"The inflow of funds in Jan Dhan accounts after the first two weeks was below Rs 5,000 crore per week and thereafter it got reduced to about Rs 1,000 crore per week," the official said, adding that the deposits have come down significantly after the tax department warned people not to allow their accounts to be misused for converting black money into white.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on November 8 announced junking of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, and replaced the currency with new Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 notes.

After setting a cash deposit limit of Rs 50,000 in Jan Dhan accounts, the government had on November 18 cautioned account holders that they will be prosecuted under the I-T Act for allowing misuse of their bank accounts through deposit of black money in Rs 500/1,000 notes during the 50-day window till December 30.

The directive came against the backdrop of reports that some are misusing other persons bank accounts to convert their black money into new denomination notes.

As per latest data available, Rs 12.10 lakh crore in form of old 500 and 1,000 rupee notes have returned into the banking system till December 12, 2016. It was estimated that now defunct notes constituted 86 per cent or Rs 15.45 lakh crore in circulation.
6 things Vietnam did better than any Southeast Asian country in 2016

Vietnam beat out its neighbors for safety, investment inflows and ... ivory consumption.

Happiest country

Vietnam came in fifth in the Happy Planet Index 2016 ranking compiled by the UK-based New Economics Foundation, which dubbed it the happiest country in Asia.

The country is also well-known for its safe, terrorism-free political environment.

Hanoi: most affordable city to visit

Considering a low-cost vacation? Welcome to Hanoi.

A three-day break to the capitol costs just under $500, according to TripAdvisor, while tourists have to pay at least $600 to spend the same time in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Bangkok (Thailand) and Bali (Indonesia).

Top 10 least expensive cities worldwide rated by TripAdvisor

Students in the U.S.

As of November, Vietnam had sent over 30,000 students to the U.S., ranking first in Southeast Asia and sixth among countries with the most students at American educational institutions, according to the latest U.S. Student and Exchange Visitor Program report.

The current number of Vietnamese students in the U.S. has almost doubled that in 2009, when the country first made it to the top ten with some 16,000 students.

An investment magnet

Vietnam has become an attractive destination for foreign direct investment (FDI); many international corporations establish new facilities in the country, known as greenfield investment.

The country surpassed 13 othersincluding nearby Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailandto top the Financial Times' FDI greenfield index.

Worlds leading Robusta production

Vietnam continues to distance itself from Southeast Asian Robusta producers as the world's top supplier.

Coffee remains Vietnams key export. This year, amid the adverse weather, the country cashed in $3.4 billion from coffee exports, up 26 percent compared to last year.

The hollow of wildlife animals and parts

Vietnam and China have become the world's most notorious market for ivory, rhino horns, pangolin parts and protected animal parts.

Pangolin, tiger and rare bird trafficking are particularly rampant in Vietnam.

In November, customs officials seized more than four tons of ivory from five shipments. Meanwhile, in December, two cases of animal smuggling were foiled.

Police seized a ton of ivory hidden from a container in Ho Chi Minh City last November. Photo by VnExpress/Q.T.

Related news:

> Vietnam in 2016: What a year it's been

> Vietnam's economy expands 6.2 percent in 2016
CAMEROUN :: MESSAGE TO THE NATION, DEC. 31, 2016, BY NFOR, NGALA NFOR, NATIONAL CHAIRMAN (SCNC) :: CAMEROON

Fellow Citizens of the Southern Cameroons, My Dear Countrymen, In the name of the Almighty God who created us a free people and gave us this land, the Southern Cameroons, as our eternal heritage, I warmly greet you all.

We salute all nationals of the Southern Cameroons, at home and abroad, for the unity and the remarkable continuing Resistance in the face of the enemys slaughter of our people. We salute everyone for the continuing protests all over the globe to make known the already 55-year long common terrible suffering of the people of Southern Cameroons under the annexation and brutal colonial occupation and oppression of Republique du Cameroun.

Let us solemnly pause for a minute of silence in memory of yet another batch of our valiant unarmed children butchered by the annexationist Yaounde regime this year while peacefully demonstrating in defence of our inalienable right to self-determination. These young men were cowardly murdered in cold blood. We have given each of them a befitting heros burial for the great sacrifice they made to hasten the Day of our inevitable Freedom. For the supreme price they have paid for our freedom as a people, they will be counted among our brave countrymen who have suffered, and those still to suffer, martyrdom at the hands of a brutish colonizer feeding on the innocent blood of our people. We solemnly pledge to carry on the Struggle in self-defence of our Homeland, come what may, and no matter how long that will take, until we achieve FREEDOM and INDEPENDENCE! We dare the Yaounde Pharaoh to continue with his genocide programme until we are all exterminated, because even if there is just one Countryman still standing he will fight on to the bitter end. We will not give up! We will not surrender! We will not be vanquished! With Truth, Legality and the Creator God on our side victory is ours!

In my message to you at the end of last year 2015, I called on us all to be united, stand strong and courageous so as to make 2016 a year with a difference in our historic, valiant onward legitimate Struggle for self-determination. I also called on all of us to be united and strong in the defence of our Homeland, and in the uncompromising assertion of our right over every inch of it. Without doubt, the year 2016 will be remembered as the year when the anger, pent up frustrations and bitterness against continuing brutal oppression, domination and repression by the Yaounde colonial regime boiled over and opened a new phase in our collective Resistance against a depraved colonizer bent on caging us as slaves until the end of time and looting and plundering our resources and wealth. Let the fair and conscientious world know that the fires of Resistance against colonization by the adjacent State of Republique du Cameroun, ex-French Cameroun, re-ignited this time around by our perceptive and insightful lawyers and teachers, will continue to burn for decades to come if needs be, until our Homeland and its people become free, like all other peoples of the world.

The Yaounde colonial regime instituted in our Homeland a colonial system run by a network of its colonial functionaries, civil, military and police. Under cover of that colonization, the colonizer has proceeded with a consistent pattern of reliably attested egregious human rights violations and the economic rape of our Homeland for over half a century. Making abusive and unprincipled use of its military and applying its policy of generalised military terrorization in our Homeland, the colonizer, determined to make us their footstool, has sought to impose on us its dreadful legal, educational, political, administrative and cultural systems and way of life.

Republique du Cameroun protects its own people and then crosses the frontier and kills, rapes, tortures, abducts, disappears and maims our people and seeks to completely destroy us as a people. The people of Republique du Cameroun raise their flag and then prevent us from raising our own. To add injury to insult, the colonizer unleashes terror on us to force us to respect its flag and other symbols, and to yield obedience to his imposed proconsuls. Republique du Cameroun celebrates its national day but bans our own. It exercises and enjoys the rights that go with statehood and suppress our inalienable right to statehood. It carries on with its life in its own territory, but unlawfully crosses the frontier and presumes to impose its hideous will and ways on us. It seeks to deny us our country, history, culture, heritage and name, and has constantly insulted us as les anglofools, les Biafrais, les enemis dans la maison, les Nigerians, les apatrides, les abandones par les Anglais, ces gens-la, etc etc.

The Southern Cameroons is an Anglophone country in the same way as Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, America etc. is. The term Anglophone in our context does not refer to the language competency of an individual but to the country concerned as having English as its language of public administration, English as its language of educational, judicial and legislative systems. A person from an English-speaking country is one from an Anglophone country even though he might not speak English; and a person from a French-speaking country is from a Francophone country even if he might speak English. Language proficiency does not change the territorial attachment of a person, for if that were so a citizen of Republique du Cameroun who speaks Mandarin would become a Chinese or who speaks English would become say a Nigerian, Kenyan, or even American. All derogatory labels by the Yaounde colonial regime must be rejected and all dehumanising treatment resisted at all cost. Never kneel down! Stand tall! Mental decolonisation is the key to our collective freedom, dignity and independence which will enhance our humanity and identity.

Republique du Cameroun is a former UN Trust territory like British Southern Cameroons. It has no right, whatsoever, to annex our Homeland and to forcibly prevent us from asserting our right to national sovereignty. We say NO! NO! NO! to annexation, foreign domination and alien rule by Republique du Cameroun. We shall and must live our own life on our territory according to our own state culture, values, belief and way of life.

Fellow Southern Cameroonians,

Annexation, foreign domination and alien rule by Republique du Cameroun must end. This is the challenge of our time! History and the call of duty to our Homeland demand our conjoint efforts more than ever before to end this universally proscribed evil. Ian Smith once boasted that Zimbabwe would not be free even in 1000 years. Zimbabwe was free in less than 10 years after his boast. We can therefore rest assured that by the grace of God victory is ours sooner than later. History teaches us that every human product has its expiring date buried in the product and truth will always triumph over falsehood, justice over injustice, and goodness over evil. There is a time for everything. Every beginning has an end. And every colonisation its dooms day!

But remember this. Our victory, sooner rather than later, depends on what we do to set our country and people free. Our freedom will not come through some magic or the intervention of some international body. The international community defends and confirms the right and will of any people who make it effective. This comes from strong faith in our inherent right to be free, our equality with all free humanity and our determination to rise and defend our identity and to govern ourselves. To surrender to foreign domination, oppression and alien rule is to betray divine will for us as a people with equal rights and dignity. Our victory is guaranteed for we stand on the side of truth, legality and progressive history.

My Dear Compatriots,

People who choose to stand outside the bounds of history betray themselves and make themselves slaves of evil forces. The lesson of history is that no colonised or oppressed people ever goes begging the oppressor to tinker with his constitution and to give selected individuals among the oppressed people appointive office and political space within the colonial system. The battle cry has always been simple Freedom! Moses did not beg Pharaoh to amend the constitution of Egypt to give him appointive office in Egypt and to accommodate the Israelites. The battle cry was simple and emphatic, Let my People Go! The National Council of the Southern Cameroons again calls on Republique du Cameroun to dismantle forthwith its colonial set-up in the Southern Cameroons, to immediately withdraw its colonial personnel and forces from our Homeland and to respect its inherited international boundary.

This is our time! The battle cry is RESTORATION and INDEPENDENCE! In the unlikely event of Republique du Cameroun pleading even for a confederacy, it would be a plea coming a little too late. Our ready answer will be NO! NO! The endless beastly treatment and fraudulent conduct we have had these past fifty five years from Republique du Cameroun, is something no other people on earth would possibly acquiesce in or endure. We simply demand to be left alone. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

In the light of our exclusive established personalities under international law we re-iterate that any dialogue or negotiation between Southern Cameroons and Republique du Cameroun must be umpired by the UN. Their characteristic bad faith makes the devil a saint!

I seize this opportunity to invite our religious leaders to truly preach Christ the master of freedom, justice and enduring peace who came to set those in bondage free and to enable man live in happiness according to Gods will. I invite them as the Lords shepherds to courageously stand side by side with the colonised and oppressed people of the Southern Cameroons in defence of the truth, in proclaiming Gods liberation theology, and in strongly decrying institutionalised injustice, organised endless massacres, rapes, tortures, maiming, abductions, and disappearances of our people. We salute those who have not been silent. The silence of any man of God in the face of these unspeakable evils is apt to be interpreted as complicity. We need our own Moses, Desmond Tutu; Martin Luther King Jr. now for tomorrow will be too late!

I salute the renewed consciousness in our valiant youths and the intergenerational responsibility they have gallantly assumed. I adorn their caps with the red father! I call on our women, the dynamic mothers of our Homeland, not to sit on the fence. They are duty-bound, like the Biblical Queen Esther who took determined steps to save her people in Babylon, to throw their full weight behind the ongoing Resistance to save our people from extermination and our Homeland from extinguishment. Nothing overcomes oppression more than focused and purposeful solidarity against a common enemy. We must intensify the Resistance so as to put the Southern Cameroons, within the shortest possible time, on the map of the free world. This is our patriotic duty!

Let me also seize this opportunity to remind the Traditional Rulers and thinking heads of our land as well as the political elite and the politicians that the Southern Cameroons today stands at the crossroads of history. The challenge we face today is far more daunting than the one faced by our political fore-fathers in Nigeria in 1953. Being patriots of high calibre they did not think of selfish interest. They placed our people and our Homeland at the forefront of their well-informed and strategic action. They walked out of the Nigerian legislatures in Enugu and Lagos and returned to our people with whom, in selfless sacrifice, they built the Southern Cameroons nation.

Proud of this historic and patriotic act the SCNC addressed a Memorandum to you the MPs and Senators on November 14, 2016 calling on you to save your people by learning from history and to withdraw from la Republique parliament and move to Buea. Before that November session ended a dynamic and patriotic MP, Hon Joseph Wirba, proud of whom he is and fired up, made history when he in Parliament nailed fear to the cross and courageously told la Republique

establishment that Southern Cameroonians have had enough of their injustices. He is today hailed all over the land.

How many more souls, and for how much long, most the chains and shackles be on our necks and feet before our Traditional Rulers, politicians and thinking heads come to terms with the mournful song of our people crying out, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! If by natures law the lion never gives birth to sheep, where, in our age, are the Endeleys, Fonchas, Ndzis, Fon Achirimbis, and Chief Nyentis, who in the 1950s wrote the name of British Southern Cameroons in gold on the rock of history? Let men and women of timber and calibre prove their worth now. Let us overcome the monster fear, the number one enemy of man. Fear must be killed lest it kills us!

We take judicious note of the barbaric destruction by Republique du Cameroun establishment of the monument built in Douala in honour of J. N. Foncha. As Fru Ndi, a Southern Cameroonian, was in 1992 at gun point robbed of victory in the Presidential election, this recent malicious act has confirmed and re-enforced the fact that we belong apart thus inherently incompatible. We have crossed the Rubicon!

My Dear Fellow Countrymen,

We are condemned by international law, the law of nature and the law of self-preservation to defend and protect ourselves by asserting total control over our territory. We reject the enemy in every way, aspect, manifestation, symbol and symbolism. The Southern Cameroons map, flag and other of our national symbols, including pictures of the makers of the Southern Cameroons from 1954 to 1972 who have been called to eternal glory must be proudly displayed all over our Homeland. Let our national anthem ring throughout the Land. No more singing of the colonizers anthem or commemoration of his national or other festive day. No more listening to or watching the colonizers propaganda outfit, alias CRTV, notorious for spewing poisonous propaganda generated by the Imperial Presidency of Republique du Cameroun and its Ministry of Mendacity, Deception and Regime Image-Laundering.

We must redouble our creative efforts to flush out the enemy from our territory by every means possible. Let us all stand up and fight for our survival! Fight for our Homeland! Fight to be masters of our destiny! Forward ever, backward never! Where law ends, tyranny begins. When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes a duty.

May the good Lord lead us to victory. Happy and prosperous New Year 2017.

Long live the right to self-determination of all peoples!

Long live the sovereign will of the Southern Cameroonian people!

God bless our people! God bless our Homeland, British Southern Cameroons!
"You do have to make sure the story is clear and attractive," he says. It's important, too, to make sure the audience's attention is directed to the most important elements on stage so they can follow the story. Having a character on stage as narrator helps, but there still has to be plenty of well co-ordinated movement around him.
Although more common at latitudes closer to the south magnetic pole, if conditions are right the aurora australis in which the collision of charged particles collide along geomagnetic field lines creates dazzling curtains of red and green can occasionally be seen with the naked eye near Canberra. However, according to Williams, "a camera lens captures the aurora better because it is able to collect far more light than the human eye," adding "it's a bit like a telescope."
It should be remembered that in September 2008, Mr Stanhope, as chief minister, rushed the official opening of the AMC just before the Assembly election of that year, despite calls from within and without Corrections not to do so. This was based on the inadequacy of the design, a more appropriate separation of the remand and sentenced prisoners, and the fact that the AMC was reduced in size from 370 beds to 300. That reduction plus the removal of the gymnasium and chapel from the design was all to save money. The AMC did not receive its first prisoners until March 2009.
"We were on a QF2 flight, and the QF2 the previous day was delayed so we got offloaded off our QF2 to let them go on it, so we missed New Year's Eve and were told nothing."
Promoting the human rights of persons with disabilities has been a key objective of U.S. President Barack Obamas administration both at home and internationally.

Disability rights are not abstract concepts wrote Secretary of State John Kerry. They are about things you can see and touch that make a difference. They are about sidewalks with curb cuts; public buildings with accessible bathrooms; restaurants, stores, hotels, and universities with ramps and elevator access; buses with lifts; and train platforms with tactile strips.

Judy Heumann is the United States first Special Advisor for International Disability Rights. She came to the State Department to help implement the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities -- which the U.S. is a signatory to. During her tenure, she has used diplomacy to promote disability rights worldwide:

According to the World Bank and the World Health Organization at least 15 percent of the worlds population have disabilities

When you are excluding a large percentage of a population, it has economic implications on the country, needless economic consequences  We try to work both with civil societies in other countries and government to make them recognize that disabled people can make the same contributions as other people if those barriers are removed.

Special Advisor Heumann, who is herself a wheelchair rider, has traveled to nearly 40 countries to engage governments and civil society on disability rights. Her team has worked to empower the voices of Disabled Peoples Organizations, helping them to help their governments draft laws that protect disabled persons from discrimination. She has worked within the State Department to expand visitors and exchange programs so that government and non-governmental representatives can learn first-hand how the Americans with Disabilities Act is implemented in the United States.

Special Advisor Heumann and her team have trained State Department staff to create more inclusive environments in U.S. embassies and to recognize and document abuses of disability rights in some countries for inclusion in the Congressionally mandated Country Reports on Human Rights Practices.

Our work, said Special Advisor Heumann Is to encourage disabled people to fight for their rights, to give them their needed information on how to do it  [and] to encourage governments to do ultimately what I think they realize is the right thing.
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 ...
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.
If youre looking to find the most popular and unpopular cars of the past year, the best way to do so is to crunch some numbers.



Thats exactly what Bloomberg did, looking at data showing demand spikes and collapses through November this year, thus coming up with a list of cars that may not be the most popular or the best-selling models, but in terms of growth, theyve definitely stood out the most, be it in a positive or negative way.

Also, while some of these vehicles might look like no-brainers, others, like the Infiniti QX50 or the BMW 6-Series might surprise you  though for completely different reasons. So without further ado, were going to let the numbers speak for themselves.

Growth

#1. Infiniti QX50 (+272%)

As Infinitis second-smallest SUV model, the QX50 fits quite nicely in the driveways of 2016, a year in which crossovers have taken over the world, while even causing declining sales in some of the most popular segments  such as 4-door mid-size saloons. The QX50 may not be as enticing as a Porsche Macan or a brand spanking new Audi Q5, but people seem to like it anyway, according to the data.

#2. Mercedes-Benz GLE (+221%)

And here we thought Mercedes buyers were running out of ways of buying slightly unpractical models such as the CLA, CLS, or any of their Coupe-styled SUVs. But no, it seems that the regular GLE has been doing rather well this year in terms of sales growth, even topping both the E-Class and the GLC in the US.

#3. Volvo XC90 (+202%)

Volvos award-winning all-new XC90 seems to be in just about everybodys top 10 of something. It boasts a completely new platform, engine lineup and styling, and if youre out looking for ways to feel different behind the wheel of a premium SUV, the XC90 might just offer you a fresh take on luxury.

#4. Audi TT (+201%)

Audi has sold about 3,000 TT models in 2016 and considering the times we live in, thats a pretty impressive number. On top of that, the TT has been very successful with reviewers these past 12 months and the fact that it has one of, if not the best cabin in its segment, surely went a long way to attracting new owners.

#5. BMW X1 (+88%)

BMWs all-new X1 is basically the right type of car for 2016. Another small SUV for people who like that sort of thing (mostly everyone nowadays), but also one that is a massive improvement over the car it replaces, from just about all points of view. Its not a perfect car, according to reviewers, but that hasnt stopped people from opening up their wallets.

Decline

#1. Kia K900 (-68%)

It seems that not even LeBron James was good enough to keep the K900 afloat this year. Kias flagship model took a huge tumble in terms of sales and while it may have been quite the novelty item back in 2014, now it just seems to be a step behind the competition.

#2. Chrysler 200 (-65%)

The 200 has clearly struggled to keep up with its rivals from Honda and Toyota lately and thats mainly why FCA is phasing it out. Also, not too long ago, the Chrysler 200 ranked among the 10 least reliable new cars due to issues with its nine-speed automatic transmission.

#3. Fiat 500L (-60%)

The 500L has always been a love it or hate it type of car, and those never tend to do very well when it comes to overall sales. Besides, US buyers would much rather spend money on the 500Ls sibling, the Jeep Renegade  which sort of looks less peculiar.

#4. BMW 6-Series (-46%)

While the BMW 6-Series can be a bit of a jack of all trades, trying to decide between the 4-door Gran Coupe, or the Coupe/Cabrio versions can feel a bit redundant seen as how they dont really differ much in terms of space. So then, could the GC version be the problem? Since buyers obviously prefer coupe SUVs (X6) to saloons, lets go ahead and say yes.

#5. Honda Fit (-43%)

The Honda Fit is generally thought of as a pretty good little car thanks to its excellent interior space to exterior size ratio. However, since this is 2016 and the Fit looks more like a tiny van than it does a crossover, buyers have clearly started to overlook it.
Photo: Julie Bruns

A New Year's Eve snowfall warning is in effect for Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.

Environment Canada issued the warning late Saturday afternoon, with total amounts of about 5 cm expected.

An upper trough dropping south along the coast is producing the very wet snow over the Lower Mainland.

Rapidly accumulating snow could make surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots difficult to navigate.
Photo: The Canadian Press

A Canada Day tradition was being repurposed Saturday night to herald the start of Canada's 150th year.

A massive fireworks display over Parliament Hill  usually reserved for July 1  took place Saturday evening to mark the beginning of 2017 and a year-long birthday bash across the country. A kaleidoscope of colours cascaded behind the Parliament Buildings under a dark, overcast sky. Another display was to take place at midnight.

Revellers took in the festivities under snowy skies. Gov. Gen David Johnston, wearing a parka and toque, was on hand to help kick off a year of Canada 150 events and joined Heritage Minister Melanie Joly in relighting the centennial flame. Candles were distributed to onlookers.

A stage with a giant red and white "Canada 150" banner dominated Parliament Hill. Young people were on hand to carry flags of the provinces and territories.

New Year's Eve events with a 150th birthday flavour were being held in 19 cities across the country, including St. John's, N.L., which will be the first to hit the midnight milestone.

Heritage Department spokesperson Katherine Cyr said the celebration in the capital is set to cost about $2.5 million, and was to include performances by Canadian artists Radio Radio, Brett Kissel and Carly Rae Jepsen.

Joly is in charge of more than $210 million being set aside for 150th anniversary projects and events planned for 2017.

More than three dozen national programs have received federal funding, ranging from history exhibits to a dance day being put on by Canada's national ballet school.

A red leather couch is set to travel the country, beginning with a tour of the North in March and a journey from Newfoundland to B.C. in June and July, after organizers received $155,000 in federal dollars.

Ela Kinowska, the manager of the tour, said it will involve compiling stories shared on the piece of furniture from Canadians about what the country means to them.

"It is a very expensive operation to be in every province so what we get for that is the unifying factor," she said. "It is a nation-building sofa."

The federal government has also established a national infrastructure program to support renovation, expansion and improvement in community and cultural infrastructure.

The initial $150-million program was created by the previous Conservative government, which was accused of doling out much of the money to ridings represented by Conservative MPs ahead of the 2015 election.

The current Liberal government has added a further $150 million for more projects.
Photo: The Canadian Press

A Sunwing Airlines pilot was allegedly three times over the limit before he was escorted off the plane in Calgary.

Police say the pilot boarded the Boeing 737 Saturday for a flight that was scheduled to make stops in Regina and Winnipeg before continuing on to Cancun, Mexico.

But before it took off, police say the gate crew as well as crewmembers on the aircraft indicated he was behaving strangely.

Police allege the co-pilot found the pilot passed out in the cockpit.

"They found him slumped over in the seat. He was the captain," Sgt. Paul Stacey told a news conference.

The pilot was escorted from the plane and later charged with having care and control of an aircraft while being impaired, as well as having a blood-alcohol level exceeding .08 while in care and control of an aircraft.

Calgary Police issued a written statement late Saturday night identifying the pilot as Miroslav Gronych, 37, of Slovakia. The release says his next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 5.

Stacey said police allege the suspect had three times the legal amount of alcohol in his system.

Sunwing spokeswoman Janine Massey praised the rest of the crew for handling what she called a "very unfortunate matter."

"We can confirm that shortly before 7 a.m. local time, the gate agents, first officer and crew of Sunwing flight 595, departing from Calgary and destined for Cancun, determined that the captain was unfit to fly and reported this accordingly," Massey stated.

"The captain was immediately escorted off of the aircraft and the incident is now under investigation with local authorities."

Police said there were 99 passengers on the flight and six crew. Sunwing said the plane took off a short time later with another captain.

"We are very apologetic for any upset that this has caused and would like to assure our customers that safety remains our utmost priority," Massey said.

Stacey said Transport Canada had been contacted and he expected the suspect could face additional charges.

"It had all the potential for a disaster but I'll tell you this much  the likelihood of a pilot on a major airline like this actually being able to take off when they're impaired like that is pretty slim, because there's a lot of checks and balances. There's the other flight crew and there's gate crew and they're all about safety," Stacey said.

"So, I'm not surprised that he got caught before (the plane) left the terminal."

Transport Canada spokesman Dan Dugas said in an email that it is a criminal offence in Canada for a flight crew to work within eight hours of consuming alcohol or while under the influence.
Photo: Contributed

UPDATE: 2:55 p.m.

RCMP say the driver has been ticketed in this morning's pedestrian-involved collision on Pandosy Street.



A white Toyota left the roadway, crossed over the sidewalk and struck an adult male, says Cpl. Jesse O'Donaghey.



Road conditions and speed are believed to be contributing factors in the collision.

Witnesses told police the driver lost control while turning and was unable to regain control. After hitting the pedestrian, the vehicle also struck a tree.



Both the pedestrian and driver were taken to Kelowna General Hospital by ambulance for further assessment and treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.



"Officers at the scene expressed their concern as several motorists continued to travel too fast for the road conditions," O'Donaghey said. "This created hazardous conditions for all emergency services crews at the scene. Which is prompting the RCMP to urge all drivers to slow down, as road conditions continue to be poor."

ORIGINAL: 9:55 a.m.

Castanet has received unconfirmed reports a pedestrian was struck this morning in Kelowna.

The collision happened about 8:30 a.m. on the 1900 block of Pandosy Street.

A patient was reported on the ground, and the air bags deployed in the vehicle that struck the person.

Firefighters and paramedics were on the scene.

Castanet is seeking more information from the RCMP and will update the story as more details become available.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Police in Florence say a bomb squad officer lost an eye and had to have a hand amputated after a suspicious package he was examining exploded before dawn Sunday.

Florence Police Chief Alberto Intini told reporters that the package left outside a shuttered bookshop with links to a group of extreme right activists, CasaPound, had caught the attention of a passing police patrol.

The explosives squad was called to intervene, at about 5 a.m., and that's when the officer was gravely injured, police spokesman Cesare Taraschi said.

The blast was under investigation.

Italy occasionally sees explosions that authorities have blamed on political extremists. The country suffered bombings, slayings and kidnappings during a period of domestic terrorism in the 1970s and early 1980s.

Mayor Dario Nardella says peaceful Florence "isn't represented by the horrors" of the blast.

Florence Cardinal Giuseppe Betori decried criminals who wanted a "bloody passage from the old year to the new."
Photo: Twitter

Los Angeles residents awoke New Year's Day to find a prankster had altered the famed Hollywood sign to read "Hollyweed."

KABC-TV reports Los Angeles police have dispatched a unit to investigate the apparent vandalism.

Police have also notified the city's Department of General Services, whose officers patrol Griffith Park and the area of the rugged Hollywood Hills near the sign.

California voters in November approved Proposition 64, which legalized the recreational use of marijuana, beginning in 2018.
Photo: CTV

One of the bloodiest years on record in Chicago ended with 762 homicides and more than 3,500 shooting incidents.

Police released crime statistics on Sunday that reveal rampant gun violence. Not only were nearly 300 more homicides and more than 1,000 more shooting incidents than there were in 2015, but the total number of homicides was the highest since 1997.

The statistics also show the bulk of the homicides were in five of the city's poorest neighbourhoods on the South and West sides, where violent street gangs are most active.

The police department has long lamented the flood of illegal guns into the city. Sunday's statistics show that the 8,300 illegal guns recovered in 2016 represents a 20 per cent increase from the year before.
Photo: The Canadian Press

After a brief, flawless "Auld Lang Syne," it was all downhill for Mariah Carey on New Year's Eve.

A representative for the million-selling superstar cited technical difficulties for a disastrous appearance on "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest," which aired on ABC and was the subject of widespread mockery on social media.

Carey's mood seemed to range from frustration to resignation as she struggled with the pre-recorded musical tracks. Telling the revelers jammed into Times Square that there had not been a sound check for her hit song "Emotions," she lamented that "we're missing some of these vocals, but it is what it is."

"Let the audience sing," she decided as she paced the stage.

"I'm trying to be a good sport here," she said, adding her own sarcastic review of the performance. "That was ... amazing."

The next song, "We Belong Together," went no better. At times, she lowered the microphone from her mouth and the music, vocals and all, kept playing, making it clear she was lip-synching.

"Unfortunately there was nothing she could do to continue with the performance given the circumstances," Carey spokeswoman Nicole Perna said Sunday.

A representative for Dick Clark productions did not immediately return an email seeking comment.

Carey later tweeted about the night, starting with a brief profanity, throwing in a couple of sad emojis and concluding with, "Here's to making more headlines in 2017."

On Twitter, commentators called the fiasco a fitting end to a traumatic year for the music industry, marked by the deaths of Prince, David Bowie and George Michael among others. One tweeter, referring to the 2016 presidential campaign, joked that Carey's show had been hacked by the Russians.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Turkey's state-run news agency says Kurdish rebels have attacked a police station in a town in southeast Turkey with rocket launchers.

Anadolu Agency says no one was hurt in the attack late on Sunday in the town of Cinar, in the mainly-Kurdish Diyarbakir province.

The agency says security forces launched an operation to catch the alleged assailants.

The rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, have regularly targeted police and other security forces after a fragile peace process collapsed in 2015. Kurdish militants linked to the group have carried several deadly bombings in the country.

The group, which has been fighting for Kurdish autonomy in southeast Turkey, is considered a terror organization by Ankara and its western allies.
Photo: CTV

North Korea's development of banned long-range missiles is in "final stages," the country's leader Kim Jong Un was quoted as saying in his New Year's message.

Kim also threatened to boost his country's military capability unless the U.S. ends war games with rival South Korea, according to Seoul's Yonhap news agency, which monitored Kim's address on Sunday.

Under Kim, who rose to power following his father's death in 2011, North Korea has seen steady progress in its nuclear and missile programs, including two nuclear tests this year. It recently claimed a series of technical breakthroughs in its goal of developing a long-range nuclear missile capable of reaching the continental United States.

U.N. resolutions call for an end to North Korea's nuclear and missile tests.
Missed Delivery?

If missed delivery or wet paper please call our office 909-628-5501 ext 110 Leave a detailed message with name, address, and phone number. Readers must call before 1 p.m. on Saturday. Re-deliveries are available for Chino residents until 1 p.m. Saturdays.

Click Here


remaining of

Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading.
With the exception of credit-card use and self-fueling stations, the process of buying gasoline has changed little since the days of Henry Ford. So with gas prices rising again, seasoned technology innovators see an opportunity to change how people pay at the pump.

Even those who represent gas stations say the sector is ripe for innovation.

Advertisement

"People will drive out of their way to save money on gas, even if they have to spend extra money on gas to get there," said Jeff Lenard, vice president of strategic initiatives at the National Association of Convenience Stores, a trade association for gas stations. "It's a great feeling among consumers to take control of something they previously didn't have control of."

One team hoping to reinvent the market is Upside, a new 13-person company operating out of a co-working space in Washington, D.C.

Advertisement

Founders Alex Kinnier and Wayne Lin once worked at Google before heading east to help build Opower, the Arlington, Virginia-based home energy analytics firm.

Opower became a D.C. success story when it sold to Oracle for $532 million earlier this year.

Upside is getting money and advice from some of Silicon Valley's most exclusive corners. It received an undisclosed amount of seed capital from Formation 8, a venture firm founded by former Facebook chief technology officer Gideon Yu. It is also getting counsel and funding from Hal Varian, a widely published academic who is Google's chief economist.

The company's secret sauce: exploiting a quirk in how gas stations compete for customers.

Upside negotiates discounts on the price of gasoline sold at individual stations and posts them on a map accessible from a smartphone app. Users claim their savings by taking a picture of their receipt, much like the mobile check-deposit services many banks now use.

Other apps, such as GasBuddy, have done this sort of thing for years. Where Upside stands out is on the supply side of the retail equation.

Individual gas stations tend to compete for prices on a corner-by-corner, highway-exit-by-highway-exit basis. Prices can be widely variant from one side of town to the other, but stations that cluster near one another in areas of heavy traffic often compete closely on pricing.

If a gas station on a crowded block cuts its price by even one cent, the others tend to quickly follow suit, not wanting to lose any incremental customers.

Advertisement

Upside exploits that competition by offering its services to just one station in each cluster (whichever reaches out to Upside first), shutting the others out so that competitors have no idea what the "true price" of gas is at that station.

Upside further obscures what the price is by offering a different discount to each user. This reduces the possibility of a price war breaking out; rival stations would have a difficult time figuring out how much they are being undercut.

The D.C. area's fuel market has less competition than, say, an exit on an interstate highway, as stations tend to be less tightly packed. But that has not stopped 650 gas stations in the District, Maryland and Virginia from signing up. Kinnier says Upside is already turning down station owners whose neighbors beat them to the punch.

The company makes money by keeping for itself a small portion of what consumers save when they use the app, an undisclosed cut that represents "a few percentage points" of the customer's total savings.

The service is too new to know whether it will be a success. It is only beginning to draw a following. As of Friday, the app had about 5,000 downloads in the Google Play Store and had an average user rating of 4.2 stars out of 5. The company says it has "tens of thousands" of users in total.

The company's founders persuaded a contact at Uber's D.C. office to send an email blast to its D.C.-area drivers, as part of an unpaid "partnership" that has given the app some devoted users among Uber drivers.

Advertisement

With the help of Hal Varian's economic mind, the company wants to adapt the idea to other markets. The company is laser-focused on the fuel market for now, Kinnier says, but might try to expand to grocery stores later.

The common thread will be using mobile technology to exploit micro-level competition among individual retailers, saving consumers money and taking a cut of the savings.

The company plans to stick to markets for "necessities"; costs people have to incur on a regular basis to live. That would differentiate Upside from the "daily deals" market cornered by Groupon, which has seen consolidation in recent years after initially high hopes.

"It's about helping people do better with the basic necessities in their life," Kinnier said.
Dr. Patrick Blaney does not charge clergy, nuns and other spiritual advisers for dental work at his office in Westmont. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

The nuns always come to the Westmont dentist in pairs, dressed in full habits, to which the dentist adds a white paper bib when it's time for one sister to lean back, open her mouth and say "Aaahh."

Before they head back to their convent in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, Dr. Patrick Blaney tells the Missionaries of Charity to keep him in their prayers  and he doesn't collect a dime.

Advertisement

"He does it for lots of good," said Sister Anna Rychnovska, 34, the superior of the sisters' contemplative house, who had her teeth cleaned by Blaney in mid-December. "Surely this is his motivation. He knows we're serving God so he wants to serve us also. We pray for him. That is our recompense."

Blaney, 62, a deacon at Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church in Westmont, fills cavities, extracts teeth and cements crowns as a gift to religious clergy, nuns and other spiritual advisers. A longtime dentist with a modest yet modern three-room office in downtown Westmont, he has served many of his patients for decades.

Advertisement

"Clergy have a special place in my heart," Blaney said, adding that he started catering to clergy as soon as he graduated from dental school at Northwestern University 36 years ago. "I didn't consider that really a burden.  It was a reward in itself."

But his rationale for providing the complimentary care has evolved over the years. Blaney, who was raised in suburban Evergreen Park and west suburban Downers Grove, said he took after his father, an electrician who would wire and fix anything for anybody who asked. Likewise, Blaney couldn't imagine charging a priest to cap a broken tooth, even when he worked for someone else.

He has had his own practice since 1986 in Westmont, where he and his wife, Jan, live in an apartment attached to his dental office.

But after traveling to Haiti in 2005 to volunteer in a dental clinic, he experienced a moment of conversion. Seeing the happiness and gratitude amid abject poverty, he realized he had to live out his faith more radically.

Suddenly every filling, every dental bridge, every trip to Haiti  at least 20 since then  became an act of ministry. Every morning, his mostly Catholic and evangelical employees pray before seeing the first patient.

"My patients should feel like God is loving them through me," he said.

Blaney believes his patients have helped guide him too.

The Missionaries of Charity have shared the spirituality of their founder, Mother Teresa, who encouraged humanity to "do little things with great love."

Advertisement

And a Protestant pastor in the dentist's chair gave him crucial advice when he became a deacon and started preaching in August: to simply enjoy the privilege of sharing the Gospel.

"As you listen to him, he's been called by God to do what he's doing," said that pastor, the Rev. Patricia Handley, 78, the associate pastor at Christ Church of Oak Brook. "His journey has really been putting one foot in front of the other as God has opened doors for him."

Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >

Blaney doesn't know how many thousands of dollars he has given up over the years.

"If I'm going to keep track of every penny, the Lord is going to keep track of everything I owe him," he said. "If I have a free heart, he will be generous with me."

Of course, like most dentists, Blaney encourages his patients to take better care of their teeth and gums. Even clergy sometimes forget to brush and floss religiously.

But the Rev. Gerald Tivy, 78, a retired priest now living in Northlake, said Blaney doesn't nag or scold.

Advertisement

"His spirituality and Christianity are just part of him, and they boil over in everything he does," said Tivy, who became Blaney's patient when the priest served as the administrator of Holy Trinity years ago. "He does it in a very kind, gentle way. It's almost as if he's patting you on the back and saying 'Well done, good and faithful servant.'"

mbrachear@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @TribSeeker
The crosses were heavy.

Each one was about 4 feet tall, formed from two hefty wooden planks nailed together. A name was scribbled on each one. And an age. And a number.

Advertisement

Like Madison Watson, 4 years old, No. 456.

Or Donald Carter Brunson, 28 years old, No. 522.

Advertisement

Each cross was for one of the more than 750 homicide victims in Chicago in 2016. They were numbered to represent where the death fell on the year's homicide count. No. 1, for example, was the cross for DeAndre Holiday, shot to death Jan. 1., 2016, two hours into the new year.

And on Saturday, the last day of 2016, as hundreds marched down Michigan Avenue with the crosses held high, some were surprised by how much strength it took to carry them.

The crosses were heavy, people agreed. But not as heavy as a casket.

"We're protesting violence. Who are we calling to get involved? Everyone," said the Rev. Michael Pfleger of St. Sabina Catholic Church, who organized the march with the help of Greg Zanis, an Aurora-based carpenter known for installing crosses at the sites of tragedies around the country.

"Every elected official, every government agency, every business and corporation, every mosque, every synagogue and church, every law enforcement official, every parent, neighbor and resident, and every citizen  from children to elders. Everyone. We are calling on all of Chicago to take a stand against violence," Pfleger said.

Before the march, Pfleger and his fellow organizers unloaded the crosses from a truck and lined them up numerically along Pioneer Court, so that families could locate the cross for their loved one based on the day they were killed.

"There!" a girl cried out, sprinting toward the group of crosses marked "April, Numbers 101 to 188." She lifted up one holding a young man's photo and carried it to a crowd of crosses held by others who, like her, had experienced irreversible loss in 2016.

Elsewhere, Daisy Villarreal, 19, smiled down at the cross she was about to carry. It bore her brother's name: Jesus Valois. He was 24, and he died Aug. 21 after being shot near his home in the Homan Square neighborhood.

Advertisement

Before his death, he was excited by the news that he'd be a father, Villarreal said. Her niece or nephew is due Sunday, on New Year's Day.

The family hopes Valois might live again through his child. Perhaps the baby would grow up to be an artist, like his or her father.

"I'm glad to be here," Villarreal said. "A lot of people here are here for the same reason. It's a way to know that it's OK for me to feel this way."

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 17 Cory Williams, far left, a volunteer with St. Sabina Catholic Church, and the Rev. Michael Pfleger, pastor at St. Sabina, unload some of the crosses that were erected along Michigan Avenue on Dec. 31, 2016, to memorialize those killed in 2016 in Chicago. Greg Zanis, of Aurora, constructed over 700 crosses, a cross for each homicide victim. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)

The march itself was mostly silent but for the soft sound of a woman reading off the names of the more than 750 homicide victims. The names filled 29 pages, Pfleger said.

While most marchers held crosses, some carried framed photographs of their deceased loved ones or strung those photos around their necks. Pedestrians halted their shopping as the marchers passed, and a few retail workers huddled behind the windows of their stores, watching through the glass.

During the reading of April's victims, as the crowd was crossing Ontario Street, Lisa Rauckinas, who had traveled from Naperville to spend the day downtown with her husband, Paul, began to cry. She felt shaken by the sight of all the crosses, all the victims' photos. It all made her feel terrible, she said.

Advertisement

One of the marchers broke from the crowd to give Rauckinas a hug, and tell her that she appreciated her compassion.

Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >

"It's just so powerful. So quiet," said Rauckinas, 48. "These people are literally carrying their burdens."

A little more than an hour later, as the marchers approached their end point back at Pioneer Court, Pfleger, marching beside the Rev. Jesse Jackson, noticed a saxophonist playing nearby.

"Find out if he knows 'Amazing Grace,' " Pfleger told an organizer.

He did. The saxophonist played as the marchers dispersed, as victims' families headed home with their crosses. Unclaimed crosses were collected, to be kept for families who couldn't make Saturday's march.

"It means a lot," said Renee Canaday Sr., who had taken time off from his job as a postal worker to honor his son, DeAndre Holiday, the man killed in January.

Advertisement

"I know it's sad, but this all just makes me feel better."

Meltagouri@chicagotribune.com
A Chicago police officer responding to a car chase on the Far South Side shot a man who wouldn't comply, police Superintendent Eddie Johnson announced Sunday.

Around 2:20 a.m., officers tried to pull over a Hyundai that ignored a stop sign in the 12000 block of South State Street. Once the officers got out of their vehicle, the driver sped south and made his way onto the sidewalk.

Advertisement

Police lost sight of the suspect after five blocks but later saw him sideswipe several vehicles in traffic before crashing into another responding police car, Johnson said.

Officers tried to arrest the man, who was still sitting in the driver's seat, but the man wouldn't comply and resisted arrest. A fight broke out outside the car when officers tried to restrain him, officials said.

Advertisement

During the struggle, an officer discharged his service weapon twice, striking the suspect.

The man in his 40s was taken in critical condition to Advocate Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn. Police declined to identify the suspect but said he had a warrant for his arrest.

Three officers also were hospitalized. Johnson said they were all in good condition.

The officer who shot the man has been placed on customary 30-day administrative leave, Johnson said. The Independent Police Review Authority is expected to investigate, as is standard procedure, he said.
An Englewood man was ordered held in lieu of $2 million bail Saturday after prosecutors say he sexually assaulted two girls multiple times.

Samuel Harrell, 37, of the 6200 block of South Bishop Street, appeared in bond court at the Leighton Criminal Court Building where Judge Laura Marie Sullivan ordered him held on charges of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

Advertisement

The abuse of one of the girls took place from January 2013 through December 2015, when she was 12 to 14 years old and Harrell was 33 to 36 years old, according to Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Bob Groebner. The abuse included inappropriate touching, undressing the victim, forcing the victim to have sex and threatening her not to tell anyone, according to prosecutors.

Harrell was 35 when he abused the other girl, who was 12, Groebner said. The victim was at Harrell's home during a school break and went into his bedroom to find that he was watching pornographic videos. Harrell then turned on the camera of his cellphone, which was broadcasting onto the TV, and displayed her genitals onto the TV, according to prosecutors. Harrell is also accused of threatening the victim so she wouldn't tell anyone.

Advertisement

Groebner said the victims told family members, friends and a school counselor about the abuse.

Damon Cheronis, Harrell's attorney, said the allegations were untrue and that the bond was unreasonable because Harrell is not a flight risk, because he knew about the investigation and stayed.

"These are allegations that he absolutely contests," Cheronis said. "Mr. Harrell is pronounced as innocent in this case, there's no corroboration, no physical evidence, no DNA evidence, no medical evidence, just allegations."

Harrell's next court appearance is Tuesday.
An argument between two men at an Uptown bar in the early hours of Jan. 1 ended with the two shooting at one another, leaving both dead. Their deaths ushered in the new year, marking the first and second homicides of 2017 and keeping up 2016's soaring pace of violence.

By the time police were dispatched to the double homicide at 4:30 a.m. there had already been a police-involved shooting elsewhere, according to Chicago police. A man who led police on a car chase, before physically resisting arrest, ultimately was shot by an officer before 3 a.m. That man, whose name was not released and for whom a warrant was issued, was in critical condition Sunday, police said.

Advertisement

The last homicide in 2016 came before 1 p.m. Saturday when a 24-year-old, whose name has not been released, was killed in South Austin in a possible road rage act that might have been retaliation for hitting another driver's Mercedes. According to data from the Chicago Police Department, his death became the 762nd homicide for the year  the most since 1996, when there were 796.

Data kept by the Chicago Tribune tallied at least 781 homicides for the year; the Police Department statistics do not include killings on area expressways, police-involved shootings, other homicides in which a person was killed in self-defense or death investigations.

Advertisement

At a news conference at police headquarters on Sunday, Superintendent Eddie Johnson lamented the gun violence that ensnared the city's West and South sides, casting much of the blame on "anti-police sentiment," and the judicial system's lax sentencing guidelines for repeat gun offenders.

"In many instances, the individuals who chose to pull the trigger are repeat gun offenders emboldened by the national climate against law enforcement and willing to test the limits of our criminal justice system," Johnson said. " These emboldened criminals are responsible for destroying families and communities as well as dozens of attacks on Chicago police officers in 2016."

Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >

On Sunday, CBS "60 Minutes" featured interviews with Johnson, his predecessor Garry McCarthy, the mother of a shooting victim and the Rev. Michael Pfleger, an anti-violence activist and Roman Catholic priest. The national news program focused on the 80 percent decline in street stops by police and a decline in arrests, even as the city's homicide rate escalated.

At the news conference, prior to the national broadcast, Johnson dismissed the notion that the skyrocketing violence could be attributed to a lack of effort by police, citing a 10 percent increase in gun-related arrests and 20 percent more gun recoveries in 2016.

"I still get on the street quite a bit, I'll still talk to gang members," Johnson said. "Almost everyone I talk to will say, 'I knew it was wrong. But I still chose to do it.' The mentality that you'd rather CPD to catch you with a gun than your rival to catch you without it, that's Bizarro World. It shouldn't be like that. We should have a culture where everyone is accountable."

Johnson said he was optimistic that 2017 will be a safer year for Chicago, pointing to several new policing initiatives, including the rollout of data-driven command centers in the violence-plagued Englewood and Harrison districts later this month.

CPD has installed 44 new surveillance cameras across the two districts that police plan to use in tandem with gunfire detection technology, which already allows them to discover shootings on average 5 minutes faster than a typical 911 call.

With these new innovations, deputy police chiefs in these districts will be able to better understand gun violence and alter policing strategies to better combat it, Johnson said.

Advertisement

He also stressed the importance of renewed community engagement, vowing to assign officers to work with community leaders to address quality of life issues. CPD also intends to hire 970 new officers over two years, including roughly 500 in 2017, Johnson said.
BARCELONA, Spain  More than 50 Moroccan and Spanish border guards were injured repelling around 1,100 African migrants who attempted to storm a border fence and enter Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta, Spanish authorities said Sunday.

A regional government spokesman told The Associated Press that 50 Moroccan and five Spanish border guards were injured early on Sunday when the large group of migrants tried to enter Spain.

Advertisement

The spokesman said two migrants managed to reach Spanish soil. Both were injured in scaling the six-meter (20-foot) -high border fence and were taken to a hospital by Spanish police. He spoke anonymously in line with government policy.

A further 100 migrants climbed the fence, but Spanish agents sent them directly back to Morocco.

Advertisement

Last month, more than 400 migrants succeeded in breaching Ceuta's fence in one of the biggest crossing attempts of recent years.

Hundreds of sub-Saharan African migrants living illegally in Morocco try to enter Ceuta and Melilla, Spain's other North African enclave, each year in hope of getting to Europe.

Most migrants who try to cross are intercepted on the spot and returned to Morocco. Those that make it over the fences are eventually repatriated or let go.

Thousands more try to reach Europe by crossing the Mediterranean Sea, often in small craft unfit for the open sea.

Also on Sunday, a ship of Spain's maritime rescue service rescued 52 migrants trying to reach Spain's southern coast in a small boat.

Associated Press
Paulina and Tomasz Zwolen with their newborn daughter Savannah, who was born at 12:31 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017, at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

Tomasz and Paulina Zwolen had plans to be in Vegas to ring in 2017, but their daughter, born at 12:31 a.m. New Year's Day, had other aspirations.

The Chicago couple's daughter wasn't due until March 2. But she arrived early and became the south suburbs' first baby born in 2017. Born eight weeks early, Savannah weighed in at 4 pounds, 2 ounces. and measured 17 inches long.

Advertisement

Sitting in a hospital room in Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn with his wife, Tomasz joked that Savannah decided they couldn't take their trip without her.

"It's kind of hard to believe it," Tomasz, 39, said of having the first baby born in the Chicago area of 2017.

Advertisement

Paulina and Tomasz Zwolen speaking about having their newborn daughter Savannah at 12:31 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017, at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

But this isn't the first time the couple has welcomed a newborn around a holiday. Their two-year-old son, Bryan, was born on Black Friday.

Paulina's pregnancy with Savannah had its ups and downs. She began having complications during her 11th week of the pregnancy and was hospitalized about a week ago for a few days only to return again on Friday.

Tomasz and his son were at the hospital until 9:30 p.m. Saturday. After he had put his son to bed, Tomasz was on Facebook chatting with his wife, who was telling him she was having problems again. Soon after, a doctor called and said they needed to deliver the baby immediately to ensure Paulina's and the baby's safety. Tomasz made it to the hospital by midnight.

"I'm happy that the baby is healthy and that (my wife) is healthy," he said.

Though Savannah will spend some time in the hospital's neo-natal intensive care unit, the couple is optimistic.

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

"All the nurses say she's a strong baby," he said. "We're hoping she is going to be healthy and she's going to be OK."

Savannah Zwolen, born to Paulina and Tomasz Zwolen at 12:31 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017, sleeps at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

He said they plan to tell Savannah about her special birth when she gets older.

The couple also said they were grateful to the nurses in the Women and Infants Birthing Center and in the neo-natal intensive care unit. The hospital gave the couple a basket with gifts to celebrate their newborn's special birth.

Advertisement

"The people here are awesome," Tomasz said, translating for his wife, who speaks Polish.

Paulina, a 29-year-old hair stylist at Estetica in Hickory Hills, also expressed her thanks to her fellow stylists who helped take care of her customers over the holidays.

As for the trip to Vegas, the couple said they hope to eventually go back with the whole family.

Alicia Fabbre is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
Listings are subject to change. Please call the venue in advance. To submit items to the calendar, go to newssunonline.com/community.

Monday

Advertisement

Anime Club: Teens can join the club as they explore manga and anime. Each week the group delves into Japanese culture through the art form and through other activities. 4:30 p.m. Monday, Antioch Public Library, 757 Main St , Antioch, free, 847-395-0874

Tai Chi: Promote serenity through gentle flowing movements performed in a slow focused manner with deep breathing. 12:15 p.m. Monday, Recreation Center of Highland Park, 1207 Park Ave. West, Highland Park, $12-$15, 847-579-4554

Advertisement

Kundalini, Meditation Gong Monday Nights Pulsation Yoga: If possible, close your eyes, focus them on the root of the nose, and observe the flow of breath in and out, out and in. Not only will your mind become more still but your body will respond as well pulse and blood pressure slowing, muscles relaxing, nerves calming. 6:45 p.m. Monday, Pulsation Yoga, 729 W State Route 22, Lake Zurich, $18 drop in or regular class package, 847-989-7792

Monday Night ACoA Group: Adult Children of Alcoholics is a support group for adults who were part of alcoholic and other dysfunctional families while growing up. For more information, visit www.acoa-libertyville.org. 7 p.m. Monday, St. Lawrence Episcopal Church, 125 W. Church St., Libertyville, free, 847-362-2110

National Adopt a Senior Pet Month: The hospital is offering complimentary wellness examinations, senior lab work health screening, personalized ID tag, and heartworm prevention (for dogs) and flea and tick prevention (for cats). These promotions are available for any pet over the age of 8 years old that is adopted from Orphans of the Storm Animal Shelter from now until the end of the year. 11:15 a.m. Monday, Ruth Helen Wolf Animal Clinic and Hospital, 1650 Hollister Dr, Libertyville, free, 847-634-0022

Mundelein and Vernon Hills Rotary Club: Weekly meeting to discuss community service projects and fellowship. Meetings are held at the restaurant each Monday. 12:15 p.m. Monday, Dover Straits, 890 E. US Highway 45, Mundelein, free, 847-949-1550.

Tuesday

Chair Yoga: Experience safe yoga movements and poses that build awareness of your body and breath. This three session series leaves participants relaxed and refreshed. All fitness levels are welcome. 2 p.m. Tuesday, Antioch Public Library, 757 Main St , Antioch, free, 847-395-0874

Highland Park Woman's Club meetings: A 100 year old philanthropic organization meets on the first and third Tuesdays from October through April. Meetings include informative programs and luncheons. 1 p.m. Tuesday, Highland Park Community House, 1991 Sheridan Road, Highland Park, membership $40, 847-681-0249

Camera Club: Share an interest in photography, of any level with programming that includes speakers, friendly contests and field trips. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Lake Forest Place , 1100 Pembridge Drive, Lake Forest, free, 847-744-0610

Advertisement

Families Anonymous: This is a 12 Step fellowship for the families and friends who have known a feeling of desperation concerning the destructive behavior of someone very near to them, whether caused by drugs, alcohol, or related behavioral problems. Any concerned person is encouraged to attend our meetings, even if there is only a suspicion of a problem, on Tuesdays, from 7:30-9:00 p.m., Libertyville Civic Center, 135 W. Church St., Libertyville, free, 847-918-7157

Libertyville VFW Post Meeting: Looking for eligible veterans to join the Post. This is their next monthly meeting. 7 p.m. Tuesday, Libertyville VFW Post 8741, 293 Peterson Road, Libertyville, free, 847-680-8741

Wednesday

First Wednesday Networking Group: Make new connections in a casual breakfast setting. Hosted by the Highland Park Chamber of Commerce. 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, Bluegrass, 1636 Old Deerfield Road, Highland Park, $10 for members, $15 for nonmembers., 847-432-0284

Tarot Readings at Re-Invent Gallery in Lake Forest: Madelyn Sergel of Contemporary Tarot offers tarot readings every Wednesday at the Re-Invent Gallery in Lake Forest. Both by-appointment and walk-in readings are available Wednesdays, scheduled appointments between noon and 2 p.m. and walk-ins 2 p.m.to 4 p.m. Readings range from 5-10 minutes to 20+ minutes, depending on the question and number of cards used. Tarot reading gift certificates are also available. noon Wednesday, Re-Invent Gallery, 202 E. Wisconsin Ave. , Lake Forest, $15-$50; To schedule a reading, e-mail madelyntarot@gmail.com., 224-419-5119

Zumba Gold at the Lake Forest Rec Center: Zumba Gold is a crazy, fun dance exercise class without impact on the joints. It's for everyone. The fees are: $138 persession for members; $172 - $207 per sessionfor non-members. 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, Lake Forest Recreation Center, 400 Hastings Road, Lake Forest, $138-$207 per session, 847-810-3935
Three Chicago men are in custody after shooting a Hammond resident early Sunday during a robbery attempt, the first shooting of the year, Hammond Police spokesman Lt. Richard Hoyda said.

The victim, 28, had left a family party in his car around 3:15 a.m. He parked his car in front of his house in the 7200 block of Northcote, and told his cousin, who'd followed him home, that he would be fine as they were chatting on the phone, a release said. The cousin then drove away, according to Hoyda.

Advertisement

Seconds later, a black man in a silver-colored SUV with an Illinois license plate pulled up to the driver side door and asked, "Where's the party?" Hoyda said. When the victim asked why the man was asking him that, the suspect pulled a gun on him and said, "Give me everything," the release said. The victim then put his car into drive to leave but heard several gunshots.

He'd been shot in the chest, Hoyda said.

Advertisement

Because the victim was still on the phone with his cousin, he gave him the SUV's license plate number, and the cousin was able to call 911 with the information, Hoyda said. The victim located Hammond Fire personnel at the fire station near 173rd Street and White Oak Avenue, where police found him, the release said. He was then taken to Methodist Hospital's Northlake campus in Gary.

Police located the SUV near 171st Street and Calumet Avenue, Hoyda said. Three men in the SUV were taken into custody, the release said.

Hammond has seen a spate of shootings in the last week. In a 19-hour period, five people were shot in three separate incidents.

In 2015, a Highland teen became the county's first homicide victim after a shooting in Hammond early New Year's Day.

Donnovan Williams, 19, of the 2600 block of 44th Street in Highland, was shot at a house party in the 1200 block of Wilson Place. He died taken to Community Hospital in Munster at 4:03 a.m. of gunshot wounds, according to a news release from the Lake County coroner's office.

Hammond police Chief John Doughty at the time described the situation leading to the shooting as "a house party gone wrong."

Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for greater efforts to free the mind, innovate and make breakthroughs in free trade zones (FTZs).

The Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone is a strategic move taken to deepen reform and opening up in the new era, Xi said in recent comments on the Shanghai Pilot FTZ.

He said that going forward the key tasks for FTZs needed to be identified, so that initiative could be taken in reforms, and successes rolled out nationwide.

Over the past three years, efforts have been made by Shanghai municipal government, the Ministry of Commerce and others to overcome difficulties creating the Shanghai Pilot FTZ, with a list of important achievements being copied to other parts of the country, the president said.

Efforts must be made to review the experience of the Shanghai Pilot FTZ construction over the past three years, further free the mind, keep abreast of the highest standards, strive for breakthroughs and locate weak links, in the spirit of five development concepts: innovation, coordination, green development, opening up and sharing, Xi said.

"Over the past three years, Shanghai municipal government, the Ministry of Commerce and other government agencies have been focused on reforms with a keen determination and made substantial headway in the construction of the Shanghai Pilot FTZ," Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said in recent instructions.

Valuable experience has been accumulated for comprehensively deepening reform and promoting the nation's opening up, Li said.

Key tasks and strengthening weak links in efforts to deepen reform and explore FTZs with a broad perspective should be pushed forward, Li said.

Li pointed out that government functions needed to adapt, and there needed to be new growth in markets for FTZs to play a leading role in a new round of reform and opening up.

Since the Shanghai FTZ was launched on Sept. 29, 2013, other Chinese provincial regions now have FTZs, including those opened in Tianjin Municipality, as well as Fujian and Guangdong provinces in April 2015.

Seven new FTZs in the provinces of Liaoning, Zhejiang, Henan, Hubei, Sichuan and Shaanxi as well as Chongqing Municipality were approved in August.

The Shanghai FTZ has seen about 40,000 newly-registered enterprises emerging over the past three years, surpassing the total number for the previous 20 years before the FTZ opened.
You are here: Home

China will strengthen housing market supervision to ensure healthy development of the sector, an official statement has said.

A visitor examines a property project model at a real estate expo in Beijing. [Photo/China Daily]

The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development reported violations of 21 real estate developers, which in hopes of boosting sales, spread rumors, published false information, operated without licenses, or hoarded unsold homes.

The companies will face administrative penalties ranging from business suspensions to fines, with serious cases being transferred to the police.

The ministry said it will continue to act tough on such activities to expel "black sheep" from the market.

It is the latest move by the central government to improve market order in the property sector after irregularities were highlighted when the sector was booming.

The housing market in major cities has shown signs of cooling as a spate of measures were rolled out by local authorities.

Policymakers have called for varied approaches to regulate the property market in the next year, damping speculation and building a long-term housing mechanism.
You are here: Home

Contract for building twin towers in Cambodia, which will surpass the height of Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, was signed in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, on Saturday.

The Wuhan-based Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group Co. Ltd. signed the 2.7 billion-U.S. dollar contract with its Cambodian partner Thai Boon Roong (TBR) Group and Macao-based Sun Kian Ip Holding Co. Ltd.

The 560 meter towers, to be named TBR Twin Tower World Trade Center, will be located in Phnom Penh by the Mekong River and will be 108 meters higher than Petronas Twin Towers.

Under the agreement, Wuchang Shipbuilding will undertake the construction along with the Sino Great Wall Engineering Co. Ltd.

Yang Zhigang, chair of the Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group Co. Ltd., said the company has aimed to undertake infrastructure, shipbuilding and port construction cooperation with countries joining China's Belt and Road initiative.
Tibet Autonomous Region in southwest China reported 11.5-percent GDP growth this year, realizing the 24th straight year of double-digit growth.

The plateau region's GDP reached 114.8 billion yuan (16.5 billion U.S. dollars) in 2016, while the growth target for the next year is exceeding 11 percent, according to statistics announced at an annual regional economic work conference on Saturday.

The figures are impressive given that the country as a whole has slowed significantly from years of breakneck growth rates and transitions to what is known as the economic "new normal."

This year, Tibet achieved a 20-percent increase in its fixed asset investments, which amounted to 161 billion yuan, and raised the incomes of its urban and rural residents by 10 percent and 13 percent, which reached 27,875 yuan and 9,316 yuan respectively.

In addition, the region saw 130,000 people out of poverty and 77,000 people relocated from their inhospitable hometown.

In 2017, Tibet aims to achieve the same goals: 20-percent increase in fixed asset investments as well as 10-percent and 13-percent increases in incomes of urban and rural residents.

Luorong Dradul, an economics professor at Sichuan University who specializes in the Tibetan economy, attributed Tibet's streak to strong support from the central government and other regions of the country.

Tibet's ambitious growth goal for 2017 was set to speed up the pace to build the moderately prosperous society in an all-round way, as the region still struggles with poor infrastructure, weak industry and a lack of market economy-savvy human resources.

Only high economic growth can ensure rapid income growth and therefore expand consumption, according to Zhou Yong, an associate researcher with the region's academy of social sciences.

According to a new aid plan for Tibet's development between 2016 and 2020, 189 projects at a cost of 657.6 billion yuan funded by the central government will be carried out during the period, in a bid to improve people's livelihood, environment, infrastructure, as well as the region's competitive industries.
 Flash

The UN Security Council on Saturday unanimously adopted a resolution supporting the Syria cease-fire arrangement brokered by Russia and Turkey as well as a new peace talks plan among Syrian conflict parties.

The nationwide cease-fire in Syria, agreed upon by the Syrian government and major opposition groups, came into force at midnight local time Thursday, as the latest attempt to end nearly six years of civil war.

It aims to pave the way for new peace talks between the parties set to be held in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan next month.

The 15-nation council "welcomes and supports the efforts by Russia and Turkey to end violence in Syria and jumpstart a political process," and looks forward to the Astana meeting, which it called "an important step" ahead of the resumption of negotiations under UN auspices in Geneva.

According to local monitor group, the nationwide cease-fire is holding in most areas in Syria despite sporadic breaches near Damascus and in the countryside of the northern city of Aleppo.

The chronic conflicts in Syria have killed more than 300,000 people and displaced nearly 11 million others.
 Flash

Police officers stand guard near the site of a terror attack at a night club in Istanbul, Turkey, Jan. 1, 2017. (Xinhua/He Canling)

The death toll rose to 39 in a shooting attack on a night club in central Istanbul early Sunday morning, the Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu told the press.

According to the minister, 20 bodies have been identified, with 15 being foreigners and five Turks. Of the 69 wounded, four are in critical condition.

Earlier Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin described the shooting spree as an act of terrorism, in which a gunman stormed into the popular night club known as Reina in the district of Besiktas, and shot at hundreds of people gathering there for New Year celebration.

A security analyst, who declined to be named, said the gunman, who spoke Arabic, changed his ammunition clips several times in the assault.

The gunman was on the run after slipping out of the night club in chaos. The police were doing their best to catch the attacker.

The roads leading to the scene were closed off, and the authorities have imposed a media blackout on the attack.

Turkey's NTV television said some people trying to escape the shootings jumped into the sea, as the night club is close to the Bosporus Strait, prompting a rescue operation by coast guards.

Sinem Uyanik's husband jumped on her when the shootings occurred and was shot three times. Other people ran over her in panic.

"My husband was full of blood. People were in blood," she was quoted as saying by the Hurriyet daily. "Then we called ambulance and police. Police said 'Don't move or you will be a victim.' We stayed motionless. Then the special operation teams entered inside."

Istanbul and other Turkish cities have come under a spate of deadly attacks over the past year, with the last one also hitting Besiktas on Dec. 10, in which two suicide bombing attacks left 44 dead.

Tight security measures have reportedly been enforced in Ankara and Istanbul for New Year celebrations, including banning entry of trucks, lorries and concrete mixers into some districts.

The U.S. embassy in Ankara, in a message posted on its website on Dec. 23, had advised Americans to stay away from public gatherings for holiday celebrations in Turkey, citing increased security concerns across the country.


Head of the Party Central Committees Commission for Information and Education

Vo Van Thuong (R) and Suzuki Keisuke, Director of the LDPs Youth Division (Photo: VNA)

The Japanese official made the statement at a meeting with Head of the Party Central Committees Commission for Information and Education Vo Van Thuong in Hanoi on December 31st.



He said his party always treasures the relationship with the Communist Party of Vietnam and stressed the importance of increasing youth exchanges in enhancing Japan-Vietnam ties.



Expressing his excitement to revisit Vietnam when the two countries relations are thriving, Suzuki pledged to do his best to contribute to boosting the ties, particularly in promoting Japanese investment in Vietnam.



For his part, Thuong took note of progress made in bilateral engagements in all fields, including those between the two ruling parties after their signing of a cooperation pact in September 2015.



Agreeing with his guest, he recommended delegation exchanges between the two parties, particularly between their young leaders and parliamentarians./.
BEIJING - The Chinese mainland's trade with Hong Kong totaled $274 billion in the first 11 months of 2016, down 7.1 percent year on year, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

The value accounted for 8.3 percent of the mainland's total overseas trade in the January-November period.

Mainland exports to Hong Kong hit $258 billion, a decrease of 9.3 percent year on year, while the mainland's imports from the region saw an increase of 51.9 percent to $16.1 billion.

Hong Kong is the mainland's fourth-largest trading partner and third-largest export market, according to the ministry.

The mainland approved 11,309 Hong Kong-invested projects from January to November, with the actual use of Hong Kong capital reaching $72.8 billion, down 6.8 percent from the same period of last year.

By the end of November, the mainland had approved 397,522 Hong Kong-invested projects, with the actual use of Hong Kong capital reaching $906 billion, accounting for 51.6 percent of the mainland's actual use of overseas capital.
BUENOS AIRES - A tango show in Argentina, a caipirinha in Brazil, a delicious ceviche in Peru, or a weekend beach break in Mexico. All these pleasures may soon be paid for with a wad of crisp 100 renminbi (RMB) bills.

This is a consequence of the growing presence of the Chinese currency in Latin America thanks to the region's deepening financial cooperation with China and the internationalization of the RMB.

On Oct 1, the RMB was added to the International Monetary Fund (IMF)'s Special Drawing Rights basket, a supplement to a shortfall of preferred foreign exchange reserve assets, namely gold and the US dollar.

This has brought the Chinese currency to a new level of international fame, and it is now not unusual to see shopkeepers in Buenos Aires' antiques markets accept RMB from Chinese tourists.

The 100-RMB notes are already frequently used in commercial exchanges in Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Suriname, countries with which China has currency exchange agreements.

The growing cooperation also allows China's UnionPay bank cards to be used in 12 Latin American countries, including Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Peru.

Beyond having the UnionPay logo added to signs that traditionally welcomed only Visa, MasterCard and American Express, the Chinese rival is also seeking to launch UnionPay cards in local markets.

Speaking to Xinhua, Argentinean international relations expert Jorge Castro said the IMF's decision is positively impacting Argentina.

For Castro, who leads the Institute for Strategic Planning, "the use of the RMB as a global currency will accelerate the promotion of Argentinean agricultural exports. Furthermore, the currency will play a larger role in Chinese financing in Argentina."

Juan Pablo Scasserra, director of foreign trade for HSBC Argentina, said earlier this year that "operating in RMB allows Argentinean exporters and importers to negotiate better conditions with their Chinese counterparts, among other benefits."

"Argentina and China have reached a new political level in their relationship, which makes them strategic and integral partners," Gustavo Girado, director of Asia & Argentina consultancy, told Xinhua, adding that the RMB joining the IMF's elite currency club can bring about more opportunities for both countries.

According to Inter-American Development Bank Vice President Alexandre Meira da Rosa, the bank also sees the internationalization of the RMB in Latin America as a positive step, which can make trade easier and open up alternative lines of financing.
BEIJING - China's banking industry recorded more external financial assets by the end of September compared with the second quarter, according to official figures.

China's banking industry, excluding the central bank, reported external financial assets of $827.6 billion dollars by the end of September, up from $777.9 billion at the end of June, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) said.

However, the nation's banking industry witnessed external liabilities growing at an increased pace, reaching $979.6 billion by September, resulting in net external liabilities of $152 billion.

The net external liabilities figure increased from $140 billion at the end of June, said SAFE.

By September, external financial assets of the banking industry reached $633 billion for deposits and loans, with bonds investment reaching $81.8 billion, and other assets, including equity, topping $112.8 billion.

Breakdown figures by currency showed RMB external financial assets were $84.9 billion by September, with US dollar assets reaching $582.3 billion and assets in other currencies standing at $160.4 billion.

SAFE started publishing external financial assets and liabilities banking data for the first time in March.

The data reflects foreign-related business operations of China's banking industry as well as the global allocation of their assets and liabilities, which is important for improving statistical transparency and monitoring cross-border capital flows.
BEIJING - A total of 278 overseas institutions have received quotas amounting to $87.3 billion under the Qualified Foreign Institutional Investors (QFII) program to move money into the country's capital account, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange said.

As of Dec 28, the quota in the RMB Qualified Foreign Institutional Investors (RQFII) program came in at 528.5 billion yuan ($76.1 billion).

China's currency, the yuan, is convertible for trade purposes under the current account, while the capital account, which covers portfolio investment and borrowing, is largely run by the state in efforts to control capital flows in and out of the country.

To gradually open the capital account, the government introduced the QFII and RQFII programs in 2003 and 2011 respectively. They give foreign investors the right to move money into the account, to encourage controlled flows.

The RQFII program is currently open to 18 countries and regions, including the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Britain, Singapore, France, the Republic of Korea, Germany, Qatar, Canada, Australia and Luxembourg.
BEIJING - China's new rules on cash transactions and overseas transfers are not capital control, an economist with the central bank said, dismissing concerns about tightening restrictions on capital outflows.

Banks will be required to report all yuan-denominated cash transactions exceeding 50,000 yuan (around $7,100) to the People's Bank of China (PBOC), down from the current level of 200,000 yuan, said a document released by the central bank on Friday.

Cross-border transfers more than 200,000 yuan by individuals will also be subject to the report process.

In terms of foreign currencies, the report threshold remains at the equivalent of $10,000 for both cash transactions and overseas transfers.

The policy stoked worries that the government is trying to impose capital control in a disguised form.

"It is not capital control at all," central bank economist Ma Jun said.

Ma explained that the responsibility of report will be assumed by financial institutions, and there will be neither extra documentation nor official approval procedures for businesses and individuals. "They will not feel any change," Ma added.

The current each person's annual foreign exchange purchase quota of $50,000 is unchanged, and normal activities, ranging from business investment and operation abroad to individuals' overseas trips and study, will not be affected, Ma said.

The PBOC has said the move aims to improve monitoring of money laundering, financing for terrorists, graft and tax fraud, instead of targeting common business activities.

In fact, world's major countries also have similar rules, Ma said, citing that transactions worth $10,000 or more are subject to reporting in the United States, Canada and Australia.

Regulators in those countries can even adopt stricter rules if necessary after obtaining legal authorization, Ma said.
Editor's note: China's graduates find it increasingly difficult to get a job in the competitive market. Despite the growing number of college graduates, many employers still complain about finding a good job candidate. Are universities doing enough to prepare students for full-time jobs? Should college education be more career-oriented to alleviate this problem?

BlondeAmber (Ireland)

For the most part Chinese universities turn out mainly clones who are unable to function independently. SO many students ask me what they should do after graduation because they have no idea how to use their initiative, think independently or have any strong goals other than 'make a lot of money' - very little idea how to do this.
Police secure area near an Istanbul nightclub, Turkey, January 1, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

ISTANBUL - Police in Istanbul launched a manhunt on Sunday for a gunman who killed at least 39 people, many of them foreigners, at a nightclub packed with New Year's revellers, in an attack officials described as a terrorist act.

The gunman shot his way into the Reina nightclub at around 1:15 a.m. (2215 GMT), just over an hour into the new year, killing a police officer and a civilian as he entered before opening fire at random inside.

Some witnesses spoke of multiple attackers, but officials have not confirmed this.

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said 15 or 16 of those killed were foreigners but that only 21 of the bodies had so far been identified. He said 69 people were in hospital, four of them in a critical condition.

Nationals of Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Lebanon and Libya were among those killed in a gun attack at a packed nightclub in Istanbul on Sunday, Turkish Family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya was quoted by the state-run Anadolu news agency as saying.

"A manhunt for the terrorist is underway. Police have launched operations. We hope the attacker will be captured soon," he told reporters.

The attack again shook Turkey as it tries to recover from a failed July coup and a series of deadly bombings in cities including Istanbul and the capital Ankara, some blamed on Islamic State and others claimed by Kurdish militants.

The club, one of Istanbul's most iconic that is popular with locals and foreigners alike, overlooks the Bosphorus Strait separating Europe and Asia in the city's cosmopolitan Ortakoy district.

Around 500 to 600 people were thought to have been inside when the gunman opened fire, broadcaster CNN Turk said. Some jumped into the waters of the Bosphorus to save themselves and were rescued by police.

Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin said the attacker had used a "long-range weapon" to "brutally and savagely" fire on people, apparently referring to some sort of assault rifle.

U.S. President Barack Obama, on vacation in Hawaii, expressed condolences and directed his team to offer help to the Turkish authorities, the White House said.

Sahin and Soylu both referred to a single attacker but other reports, including on social media, suggested there may have been more, at least one of them wearing a Santa Claus costume which he later ditched in order to escape.

The Hurriyet newspaper cited witnesses as saying there were multiple attackers and that they shouted in Arabic.

"We were having fun. All of a sudden people started to run. My husband said don't be afraid, and he jumped on me. People ran over me. My husband was hit in three places," one club-goer, Sinem Uyanik, told the newspaper.

"I managed to push through and get out, it was terrible," she said, describing seeing people soaked in blood and adding that there appeared to have been at least two gunmen.

Police secure area near an Istanbul nightclub, Turkey, January 1, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

"POLICE MOVED IN QUICKLY"

Dozens of ambulances and police vehicles were dispatched to the club in Ortakoy, a neighbourhood on the city's European side nestled under one of three bridges crossing the Bosphorus and home to nightclubs, restaurants and art galleries.

"I didn't see who was shooting but heard the gun shots and people fled. Police moved in quickly," Sefa Boydas, a Turkish soccer player, wrote on Twitter.

"My girlfriend was wearing high heels. I lifted her and carried her out on my back," he said.

Hurriyet quoted Reina's owner, Mehmet Kocarslan, as saying security measures had been taken over the past 10 days after U.S. intelligence reports suggested a possible attack.

Turkey, a NATO member and part of the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State, faces multiple security threats including spillover from the war in neighbouring Syria.

It launched a military incursion into Syria in August against the radical Islamist group and is also fighting a Kurdish militant insurgency in its own southeast.

The New Year's Eve attack came five months after Turkey was shaken by a failed military coup, in which more than 240 people were killed, many of them in Istanbul, as rogue soldiers commandeered tanks and fighter jets in a bid to seize power.

Istanbul, Turkey's most populous city, has seen several attacks this year, the latest on Dec. 10, when two bombs claimed by Kurdish militants exploded outside a soccer stadium, killing 44 people and wounding more than 150.

In June, around 45 people were killed and hundreds wounded as three suspected Islamic State militants carried out a gun and bomb attack on Istanbul's main Ataturk airport.
Many gather in Times Square in New York city to count down to the New Year. [Photo/Xinhua]

NEW YORK - The New York City Police Department (NYPD) deployed 65 sand trucks and 100 blocker vehicles to guard against vehicular terrorist attacks on Saturday, as up to a million revelers gathered in Times Square to celebrate the new year.

The measures were unprecedented even though there were no direct terrorist threats against the iconic ball-drop ceremony, according to the NYPD.

The sand trucks, each weighing 20 tons and filled with an extra 15 tons of sand, could be seen at every street corner, blocking traffic routes to the vicinity of Times Square.

Approximately 7,000 police officers were also assigned to patrol the streets on New Year's Eve, including heavily armed counterterrorism units and bomb-sniffing police dogs.

The terrorist attacks in Nice, France and Berlin, Germany in the past year prompted New York city authorities to enhance security. Both attacks were carried out by trucks driven into crowds of people, resulting in multiple casualties.

Many revelers expressed their trust in the counterterrorism measures.

"There's really good security in terms of police being around and actively walking around and paying attention to everybody's movement," said Meghan Zammiller.

"There are thousands of police officers on duty, I'm not at all concerned about safety here," said Luo Hongzhi.
JAKARTA - A ferry carrying over 200 people caught fires in waters off Jakarta on Sunday, leaving 23 people dead, 20 injured and 17 others missing, disaster agency official said.

Nine out of the 20 wounded persons are suffering from serious injury and being treated in a nearby hospital, Sefly Madrena, official in charge at Jakarta's disaster management agency office told Xinhua by phone.

Acting Head of Search and Rescue Office in Jakarta Hendra Sudirman disclosed that Zahro Express Ferry with most of tourists on board has been pulled back from the scene to a sea port in Muara Angke of Jakarta.

The fires have engulfed all parts of the ferry made from fiber, but it remains floating, Mr Sudirman said.

"Most of the victims were found near the exit door at the front part of the ship. They may attempt to escape the fires," he added.

Most of the passengers of the ferry were tourists to visit Tidung Island for recreation, according to him.

The Ferry was on route from Muara Angke sea port in Jakarta to the nearby island, he said.
Photo for illustration (Source: VNA)

The organizing board of the contest received 202 entries from the US, the UK, France, Russia, the Republic of Korea, China, Laos and Finland. However, the largest number of entries are from overseas Vietnamese youth and students in the US with 99 entries; the UK, 55 entries and the Republic of Korea, 40 entries.

Most of the entries have diversified content and lively presentation style.

The examiners of the contest selected 15 entries to be awarded, including one first prize, two second prizes, three third prizes and nine consolation prizes.

The first prize was presented to the entry "Building information and data systems about Vietnams sea and islands" by two authors of Nguyen Dinh Phu and Le Quoc Chien from group of VietData from the Vietnamese Youth and Student Association in the US.

The two second prizes belong to Do Cao Son from the Republic of Korea and Bui Minh Dung, a student from the Russian Federation.

The entries winning prizes are given certificates of merit from the Ministry of Information and Communications and the Central Committee of the Vietnam Youth Federation; a certificate from the organizing board of the contest and cash prizes, including first prize worth VND30 million; second prize worth VND10 million; third prize worth VND5 million and VND2 million to consolation prizes.

Particularly, the authors winning first, second and third prizes will join a working delegation of the Ministry of Information and Communications to visit the army and people on Truong Sa island district.

The writing contest aims to promote information and communications of tasks on the sea and islands sovereignty protection and territorial integrity of country.

It contributes to promoting revolutionary tradition, education, patriotism, national pride for overseas Vietnamese youth and students; cheer and encourage ideas, innovations, solutions and practical contributions of overseas Vietnamese youth and students for the task of protecting sovereignty over the sea and islands of the country, thereby improving knowledge and responsibility of the youth for the national construction and protection in the new situation.

The content of the entries focuses on the collection, provision of documented information, historical and legal documents claiming Vietnam's sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos; proposing and introducing innovations, ideas and solutions of youth and students in the fight to protect Vietnams sovereignty over the sea and islands./.
NEW DELHI - The death toll in coal mine collapse in eastern Indian state of Jharkhand has reached up to 17, officials said Sunday.

The mine collapsed on Thursday evening at Rajmahal open cast expansion project in district Godda, about 351 km northeast of Ranchi, the capital city of Jharkhand.

Rescue teams are struggling hard to trace the several labourers feared trapped inside the mine.

"As of now we have recovered 17 bodies from the coal mine," R R Amitabh, a senior official at Eastern Coalfields Limited told Xinhua. "The search is going on to find if someone is trapped inside."

Relatives of the missing labourers are waiting outside the mine.

So far two labourers were rescued alive and removed to hospital for treatment.

"Two persons have met with injuries and treated in hospital. One of them has been sent to Durgapur for further treatment," a government spokesman said.

Though officials refrain from disclosing the exact number of workers inside the mine at the time of collapse. Media reports said at least 60 workers were inside the the coal mine.

Five teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been sent to Jharkhand to carry out searches.

Poor safety standards are often blamed for the mishaps inside the coal mines.

Authorities have ordered an inquiry into the accident to investigate into the causes of the collapse.

Eastern Coalfields Limited, a government of India undertaking has announced compensation of $7,300 to the kins of each deceased in the incident.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye delivers her speech during the inaugural session of the 20th National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, June 13, 2016. Picture taken on June 13, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

SEOUL - South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Sunday denied allegations of wrongdoing in a political scandal that threatens her presidency, saying the accusations against her were "fabrication and falsehood", local media reported.

Park said Choi Soon-sil, her long-time friend, was "merely an acquaintance", and denied Choi was allowed to wield undue and wide-reaching influence over state affairs, Yonhap news agency and YTN television reported.

Park met domestic media reporters on Sunday in the first public event since her impeachment by parliament on Dec. 9. Her fate is in the hands of Constitutional Court judges who have up to 180 days to uphold the impeachment or reinstate her.

She has denied wrongdoing previously but apologised for carelessness in her ties with Choi, a friend for four decades, who has also denied wrongdoing. Choi is in detention while on trial.

Park was quoted on Sunday as saying that the decision by the country's national pension fund to back a merger between two Samsung Group affiliates was "a just policy decision" made for national interest, and that the deal was supported by many brokerage firms at the time.

"I did not have an iota of thinking to help anyone and the thought never crossed my mind," Yonhap quoted Park as saying.

The merger in 2015 of Samsung Group affiliates Cheil Industries Inc and Samsung C&T Corp has become central to the investigation of the scandal that led parliament to vote last month to impeach Park.

The merger has been criticised by some investors for strengthening the founding family's control of Samsung Group, South Korea's largest "chaebol", or conglomerate, at the expense of other shareholders.

The National Pension Service, which had 545 trillion won ($451.78 billion) under management at the end of September and was a major shareholder in the two Samsung affiliates, voted in favour of the merger without calling in an external committee that sometimes advises it on difficult votes.

Park, 64, is accused of colluding with Choi to pressure big businesses including Samsung to make contributions to non-profit foundations backing presidential initiatives.

Park's comments on Sunday were more detailed than previous ones and also touched on allegations of neglience over the handling of the Sewol ferry disaster in April 2014 that killed more than 300 passengers, mostly school children.
Britain's Queen Elizabeth stands on Horse Guards Parade during the ceremonial welcome for Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos, and his wife, Maria Clemencia Rodriguez de Santos, in central London, Britain in this November 1, 2016 file photo. [Photo/Agencies]

SANDRINGHAM, England - Britain's Queen Elizabeth missed a New Year's Day church service on Sunday due to a heavy cold, Buckingham Palace said, a week after the 90-year-old monarch missed a Christmas Day service for the first time in decades.

The world's longest-reigning monarch, who became unwell before Christmas, stayed indoors at her Sandringham country estate in Norfolk, eastern England, while other members of the royal family attended the service.

"The Queen does not yet feel ready to attend church as she is still recuperating from a heavy cold," Buckingham Palace said in a statement.

Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip, 95, were both suffering from heavy colds in the week leading up to Christmas and delayed their journey from London to Sandringham by a day, travelling there by helicopter on Dec. 22.

Philip attended both the Christmas and New Year services. On Sunday he arrived by car before walking into the grey stone parish church of St. Mary Magdalene, but the queen, who is the symbolic head of the Church of England, made no public appearance.

A few dozen parishioners and a crowd of photographers had gathered outside the church on Sunday morning in cold, rainy weather as other members of the royal family arrived.

The queen's daughter, Anne, and her third son, Edward, were among those who attended.

Elizabeth had previously attended the Christmas service at the church every year since the royal family started celebrating Christmas at Sandringham in 1988.

After more than six decades on the throne, the queen has cut back on international tours but still regularly performs official duties around Britain.

The palace announced on Dec. 20 she would step down as patron of several charities and other organisations to reduce her workload.

While Elizabeth's father, King George VI, died at the relatively young age of 56, her mother, known as Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, lived until 101 and was still appearing in public almost up until her death in 2002.

Elizabeth has maintained the popularity of the monarchy despite years of political, social and cultural change since she became queen on Feb. 6, 1952, aged just 25.
Francoise Amiridis, the wife of Greece's Ambassador to Brazil Kyriakos Amiridis, arrives at a police station to be interrogated in connection with her husband's disappearance in Belford Roxo, Brazil, Friday, Dec. 30, 2016. Authorities believe that the ambassador was killed at the home his wife kept in the Rio de Janeiro area, after he went missing on Monday in the city of Nova Iguacu, just north of Rio de Janeiro. [Photo/IC]

RIO DE JANEIRO/ATHENS - The wife of the murdered Greek ambassador to Brazil was jailed on Saturday after being accused of masterminding his killing in a suburb of Rio de Janeiro.

A Rio court ordered Francoise Amiridis, the 40-year-old Brazilian to be placed in provisional custody for 30 days. She had been married to Kyriakos Amiridis for 15 years and they had a 10-year-old daughter.

In a statement, Rio police said she had been jailed in a feminine wing of Bangu prison, the largest in the city.

Francoise was arrested Friday, along with a policeman, who has an affair with Francoise and is suspected of having murdered the ambassador. The policeman's cousin was also arrested for involvement in the case.

The two men confessed Francoise Amiridis offered them 80,000 reais (around 24,400 U.S. dollars) for the murder.

Kyriakos Amiridis, 59, was found dead in a burnt car below a bridge in Novo Iguacu, a northern suburb of Rio on Thursday.

Greece's Foreign Ministry said Saturday that the death of Amiridis was tragic.

"We express our deepest sorrow at the tragic death of Ambassador Kyriakos Amiridis, a friend of Brazil, who throughout his diplomatic career served Greece conscientiously and responsibly," the ministry said in a statement.

The 59-year-old diplomat assumed duties as Greece's ambassador to Brazil in January 2016. He had served in Rio de Janeiro as consul from 2001 to 2004, according to the Greek Ministry statement.

The late diplomat had also served at the Permanent Mission of Greece to the European Union, at the General Consulate in Rotterdam, and at the Greek Embassy in Belgrade during the first phase of the war in Yugoslavia, the statement said.

"A milestone in his career was his term as Ambassador of Greece in Tripoli, Libya, and his decisive role in the evacuation, under conditions of extreme violence, of the Embassy staff, of Greeks in Libya as well as of thousands of third-country nationals from Libya in the summer of 2014," said the statement.
BEIRUT  A nationwide Syrian cease-fire brokered by Russia and Turkey that went into effect at midnight held Friday despite minor violations, marking a potential breakthrough in a conflict that has disregarded high-level peace initiatives for over five years.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported clashes early Friday between troops and rebels in the central province of Hama and near the capital, Damascus. It said that later in the day a man was killed by sniper fire in eastern suburbs of Damascus, becoming the first fatality since the truce went into effect. The group also reported an aerial attack on the rebel-held Barada Valley near Damascus.

The Syrian army denied reports it was bombarding the Barada Valley region saying opposition claims aim to show that the army is not abiding by the truce.

Opposition activist Mazen al-Shami, who is based in the Damascus suburb of Douma, said minor clashes nearby left one rebel wounded. Activist Ahmad al-Masalmeh, in the southern Daraa province, said government forces had opened fire on rebel-held areas.

Several past attempts at halting the fighting have failed. As with previous agreements, the current cease-fire excludes both the al-Qaida-affiliated Fatah al-Sham Front, which fights alongside other rebel factions, and the Islamic State group.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that the cease-fire will be guaranteed by both Moscow and Turkey, and the agreement has been welcomed by Iran. Moscow and Tehran provide crucial military support to Syrian President Bashar Assad, while Turkey has long served as a rear base and source of supplies for the rebels.

If it holds, the truce between the Syrian government and the country's mainstream rebel forces will be followed by peace talks next month in Kazakhstan, Putin said in announcing the agreement. He described it, however, as "quite fragile" and requiring "special attention and patience."

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called the cease-fire a "major achievement" in a tweet Friday. "Let's build on it by tackling the roots of extremist terror," he added.

Russia said the deal was signed by seven of Syria's major rebel factions, though none of them immediately confirmed it, and one denied signing it.
At the conference (Photo: VNA)

The conference was sponsored by the Vietnam Journalists Association (VJA), the Party Central Committees Commission for Publicity and Education and the Ministry of Information and Communications.

The gathering acted as a platform for participants to review accomplishments and shortcomings of Vietnamese journalism and communications over the past 30 years (1986-2016), the period of Vietnams doi moi process, and propose initiatives to strengthen Vietnamese journalisms roles and improve the quality of media coverage.

VJA President Thuan Huu, a member of the Party Central Committee, said that 30 years is a meaningful period during which the reform process initiated and led by the Party has gained historic accomplishments acknowledged by the domestic and international public.

Journalism played a leading role in disseminating and promoting the reform policies of the Party, he said. Journalism has also renewed itself to catch up with the development of the country, meeting increasing demand of the revolutionary cause and gaining many meaningful achievements, he added.

Deputy Head of the Party Central Committees Commission for Publicity and Education, Pham Van Linh, said journalism management and orientation in 2016 underwent encouraging changes. Many news agencies contributed to the fight against corruption, protecting the countrys sovereignty and rejecting incorrect and distorted information by hostile forces.

However, in the context of unpredicted developments in world affairs and new political tasks, journalism has shown shortcomings. Besides new opportunities, journalism has to overcome challenges, Huu said.

Ho Quang Loi, VJA vice president, said that a lot of journalism information lacks orientation and focusses on negative issues. Information that harms Vietnamese customs is still allowed to be published in newspapers.

Many TV programmes air "tactless" content, causing anger among the public, he said.

Discussing journalist ethics, experienced journalist Phan Quang, former VJA president, said The 1995 journalism ethics code of Vietnam mentions uprightness of journalists. However, now there are more and more reporters who sit at home, type on computers and plagiarise others work.

The journalism ethics code of Vietnam was issued a long time ago but has yet to be put into practice, Quang asked.

This year, the Journalism Ethics Code has been adjusted and the revised version will take effect next year.

Journalist Phan Quang spoke highly of the new code, saying that Clause No10 in which press workers must pledge to adhere to the code, is their responsibility and up to their conscience.

Nguyen The Ky, a member of Party Central Committee and General Director of the Voice of Vietnam, said that journalism has developed into various forms. News agencies have focused on renewing and improving news quality.

However, language in the mass media is used improperly in many cases, with carelessly-written words and sentences. Shocking headlines are made to lure readers, but fail to reflect the facts.

Vietnamese language use on media will affect negatively and widely on the public, especially the youth, he said, suggesting relevant agencies complete laws on Vietnamese and language use.

Each news agency should have a unit tasked with overseeing language use, he said.

The conference welcomed nearly 90 thematic reports from journalists and researchers, focusing on three topics: general view of theoretical and specialist skill issues of journalism; practical issues including those related to journalism management, trends of modern journalism and adaptation of Vietnamese journalism; and journalist ethics./.
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
(Photo : Getty Images) A Chinese official responsible of looking into the affairs of Hong Kong and Macau region re-asserted in a recent interview that there is no scope for Hong Kong independence under one country, two systems agreement.

Advertisement

There is no scope for Hong Kong independence under "one country, two systems" agreement, a Chinese official responsible for looking into the affairs of Hong Kong and Macau regions said in a recent interview, asserting once again China's sovereignty over the semi-autonomous regions.



Like Us on Facebook

Advertisement

Hong Kong city has been rocked by pro-democracy movement over the last few months, putting the Chinese government on a confrontational mode against the former British colony.



Wang Guangya, head of China's Hong Kong Macau Affairs Office, asserted China's sovereignty to a Hong Kong-based magazine, "The Bauhinia," which is widely considered a pro-Chinese.



"Hong Kong is an inseparable part of the country, and in no situation is 'Hong Kong independence' allowed. This is a bottom line that cannot be touched in 'one country, two systems'," Wang said.



He claimed that since 'one country, two systems' is still a new political system, new problems and new challenges keep rising, adding that "You can't expect it to be all plain sailing."



Wang categorically stated that Chinese leadership has confidence as well as patience with Hong Kong, provided that the core 'one country' principle is not challenged.



Hong Kong on a Boil since Oath Taking Fiasco



The semi-autonomous city of Hong Kong has been on an edge, ever since two pro-independent lawmakers, Baggio Leung and Yau Wai-ching, allegedly indulged in anti-Chinese activities during an oath taking ceremony on Oct. 10.



Leung and Yau's oaths were immediately declared as "invalid," setting the stage for a nationwide protest that brought thousands of pro-democracy supporters on the street.



Beijing straight away stepped in to curb the protesters, with China's top legislative body interpreting Hong Kong's mini-constitution to stop the two pro-independent lawmakers from assuming the office.



China's decision to amend Hong Kong's constitution was an unprecedented move, as this was only the second time that Beijing reviewed the semi-autonomous city's constitution since it joined Mainland China in 1996.



Advertisement

TagsHong Kong, china, China and Hong Kong, Hong Kong Pro Independence
(Photo : Getty Images) In a bid to save African elephants, China has announced that it will completely put a ban on illegal sale and business of ivory trade by 2017.

Advertisement

China will impose a complete ban on ivory trading and process by the end of 2017, a move that has been openly welcomed by global animal activists and animal right organizations.



The decision is likely to prove major boon for preventing the mass killing of African elephants that is steadily pushing the animal on the verge of extinction.



Like Us on Facebook

Advertisement

"China's announcement is a game changer for elephant conservation. The large-scale trade of ivory now faces its twilight years, and the future is brighter for wild elephants," Carter Roberts, the president and CEO of WWF (World Wide Fund), said.



Chinese state media Xinhua said that Friday's ban would severely affect the businesses of 34 processing enterprises and 143 designated trading venues.



The latest decision comes after a prohibitive order was issued in March putting a ban on import of all ivory and ivory-related products acquired before 1975. The order was apparently issued after animal right activists piled up pressure on Chinese government to curb the illegal ivory trading.



Conservationists claimed that more than 20,000 African elephants were slaughtered last year for illegal trading of ivory, with WWF claiming that only nearly 415,000 elephants are now remaining across the world.



Scientists who have extensively worked on preservation of Savanna elephants claimed that before the European civilization, Africa had more than 20 million elephants. These numbers drastically fell to 1.3 million by 1979 and became even worse in the later years due to boost in ivory trading.



While illegal ivory trading exists across the world, animal right activists consider China as the main hub of the market.



Advertisement

Tagschina, Ivory Trade China, illegal ivory trade, African Elephants
(Photo : Getty Images) Taiwans President Tsai Ing-wen on Saturday accused China of trying to intimidate and coerce the island nation.

Advertisement

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen on Saturday minced no words as she accused China of resorting back to aggressive policies for pressurizing the self-ruled island nation. Tsai, who will soon embark on a week-long Central American tour, was speaking at the year-end conference in Taipei.



Like Us on Facebook

Advertisement

"Step by step, Beijing is going back to the old path of dividing, coercing and even threatening and intimidating Taiwan," Tsai told reporters in the national capital.



The 60-year-old Taiwanese leader hoped that Beijing will not adopt aggressive policies in future course and categorically reminded that such moves have "hurt Taiwanese people's feelings and affected stability across the Taiwan Strait."



However, she asserted that Taiwan "will not bow to pressure" but also maintained that her country "will not revert to the old path of confrontation."



China Piling up Diplomatic Pressure on Taiwan



Chinese leadership has been busy in diplomatically isolating the self-ruled island, ever since Tsai officially assumed the country's presidential office on May 20. The pro-independent leader's confrontational stance on the tricky issue of 'One China' policy is apparently the main reason behind Beijing's diplomatic tirade.



Post Trump's stunning victory in the US presidential election, China has been even more aggressive in its diplomatic mission against Taiwan. This is presumably in response to Trump's unexpected overtures towards the island country, which included an unprecedented move to accept a phone call from Taiwanese president.



This week, China dispatched several aircrafts and warships near Taiwanese water, before scoring a major diplomatic over the island nation after poaching one of its key African ally. Following the loss of key ally, the island nation is now left with barely 19-20 allies.



China now has called on the US to not allow Tsai to make a transit stopover in America during her Central American tour. However, as per the official itinerary, Tsai is not schedule to meet either Obama or Trump during her brief stopover.



Tsai would be visiting Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and El Salvador in a week-long tour that will start on Jan.7.



Advertisement

TagsTaiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan and China, Taiwan's President, china, Cross-Strait relation
(Photo : Getty Images) China and Nepal will hold joint military drills on counterterrorism and disaster management next month.

Advertisement

China and Nepal are set to hold their first ever joint military drills on counterterrorism and disaster preparedness in February in what military analysts would increase Nepal's existing tension with India.



Chinese defense ministry spokesman Yang Yujun said on Friday that China and Nepal are currently "in initial communication" on the planned joint military exercises and that details of the drills will be announced at a later date.



Like Us on Facebook

Advertisement

The Kathmandu Post reported that Nepal has confirmed its joint exercises with China. The two countries reportedly agreed to hold the drills in the northern part of Nepal in the second week of February.



Pratikar-I



This will be the first time that the Nepali Army will hold joint military drills with Beijing. The Nepali military has been holding joint military exercises with other countries including the United States and India.



"Nepal and China have been exchanging military delegations, visits and courses but such kind of drill is taking place for the first time," Nepali army spokesman Brigadier Tara Bahadur Karki was quoted as saying by the paper.



The planned exercises, dubbed Pratikar-I, will involve a platoon-size of troops from both sides and will focus on counterterrorism exercises and disaster management, the defense ministry said.



Underway



Yujun said he had nothing more to add to the details of the proposed military exercises and told reporters that the ministry would provide further details in the coming weeks.



Yujun added that preparations for the joint drills are underway and that the two sides have been in touch to sort out details of the planned joint exercises.



The Kathmandu Post said that the planned military engagement between China and Nepal would create more tension between India and Nepal whose relations have further deteriorated over a protracted border blockade last year.



A Nepalese high-ranking defense official downplayed the joint drills saying the exercises have no "strategic implications" in relation to the country's conflict with India.



Advertisement

TagsChina-Nepal joint military exercises, Nepal, border blockade, military delegations, Pratikar-I, Kathmandu Post, strategic implications, china, President Xi Jinping
(Photo : Getty Images) A Chinese court in Lixia district has convicted 16 people to five years imprisonment in illegal kidney transplant racket case.

Advertisement

A court in eastern China on Friday sentenced 16 people to five years imprisonment in illegal kidney transplant racket case. Many of the accused are medical professionals, while professional details of other accused are still yet to be ascertained.



The Lixia district court in Jinan city said in its verdict that most of the accused resorted to the Internet to spot kidney sellers across the country and later conducted several tests to match the kidneys of sellers and buyers.



Like Us on Facebook

Advertisement

The accused charged nearly $57,000 (400,000 Yuan) from each patient, the court added.



Of the 16 accused, two are reportedly surgeons, one anesthetist, one nurse, and one assistant doctor. Most of them are residents of Jining city in Shandong.



The trail in the kidney transplant case started in November 2014, with case lasting for almost year and half.



It is not clear whether the 16 convicted people will challenge Lixia court's verdict in the higher court.



Owing to lack of donors, the black marketing of Kidney and other organs over the years has seen a huge surge in China.



The Chinese government started storing kidneys and other of convicted prisoners to overcome the shortage problem. However, this practice was discontinued in 2015 following widespread international condemnation.



The government has been able to achieve minor success in registering new legal donors. But this apparently is not enough to meet the overwhelming demands of patients across the country.



Many blame China's poor donor rates for low supply of legal kidneys and other organs in the market. According to a study, China's donor rates stand at 0.6 donations per million people compared with 37 per million in Spain.



Advertisement

TagsKidney, china, Kidney Transplant Case, China Kidney
home US Democrats too 'in love' with abortion to appeal to Christians, says Former Obama faith adviser

Michael Wear, former director of President Barack Obama's faith outreach in 2012, has said that there used to be pro-life supporters within the Democratic Party, but it is now too "in love" with abortion that it cannot appeal to Christian voters.

"The Democratic Party used to welcome people who didn't support abortion into the party. We are now so far from that, it's insane," Wear said in an interview with the Atlantic.

Wear, who is a pro-life evangelical Christian, has helped with faith outreach strategies for Obama's 2008 campaign, but his efforts have been ignored by some state-level officials.

While he was working for Obama, he struggled with some of the administration's policies such as abortion funding and contraception requirements in the Affordable Care Act. He thought that the administration was unnecessarily antagonistic toward religious conservatives when it was defending the said policies.

Wear almost stepped down when a pastor was pressured to withdraw from delivering the 2012 inaugural benediction due to his stance on homosexuality.

He said that Democrats made very little effort to reach out to religious voters during the 2016 presidential campaign.

"Reaching out to evangelicals doesn't mean you have to become pro-life. It just means you have to not be so in love with how pro-choice you are, and so opposed to how pro-life we are," Wear remarked.

He said that many pro-life Democrats have left the party because of its extreme position on abortion.

"A lot of pro-life Democrats were formerly saying, 'My presence here doesn't mean I agree with everythingaI'm going to be an internal force that acts as a constraint or a voice of opposition on abortion.' Those people have mostly left the party," he said.

Author Stephen Markley, who describes himself as a supporter of legal abortion, made the same observations as Wear. In an op-ed for Paste Magazine, he urged the Democratic Party to support and elect pro-life candidates in order for it to compete on the national stage.

A post-election poll suggested that abortion played a major role in the election, especially among pro-life voters. According to Life News, the results revealed that 49 percent of the respondents said that abortion affected their vote. Thirty-one percent said they voted for candidates who opposed abortion while 18 percent said they voted for politicians who supported abortion.
home US Churches offer sanctuary to immigrants as Donald Trump's presidency looms

Some 450 houses of worship have vowed to offer sanctuary to immigrants who are fearing deportation when President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January.

The Washington Post reported that the Department of Homeland Security is already preparing for raids targeting families that crossed over to the U.S. since the start of last year. The operation could be carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customer Enforcement (ICE) agents as early as January, according to sources close to the operation.

The houses of worship are part of the Sanctuary Movement, an interfaith community that was launched with the aim of protecting immigrants from deportation.

According to Raw Story, the movement was started in the 1960s but went through a revival in recent years when the U.S. expanded its operation to deport undocumented immigrants. It has gained even more momentum after the elections when Trump promised to deport as many as three million immigrants with criminal records.

During the 1980s, churches functioned as some kind of an "underground railroad," harboring refugees from South and Central American wars and transporting them to safe areas.

Churches are among the places listed as "sensitive locations" where immigration officers are ordered not to make arrests unless they receive explicit permission from an ICE supervisor.

Rev. Alison Harrington of Southside Presbyterian Church in Tucson, Arizona, who is also a part of the movement, told a group of volunteers that it is uncertain whether churches will remain inviolable under the Trump administration.

"We can't assume that churches and houses of worship will remain safe locations," she said.

More than 4,000 signatures have been collected by the movement to challenge Trump's stance on undocumented immigrants.

"We find ourselves entering a new phase of U.S. history wherein the politics of fear has stoked an atmosphere of racism and xenophobia across the country. The new Administration has pledged to criminalize, detain and deport undocumented people at new levels that will tear families and communities apart," the petition stated, according to The Christian Post.

"As people of faith and people of conscience, we will take civil initiative out of our moral obligation to embody principles of human rights and dignity, and resist any harmful and unjust policy proposals that further undermine due process and lead to racial profiling and discrimination," it continued.
home World Iraqi forces move on to second phase of Mosul operation

Iraqi forces began moving toward the eastern districts of Mosul on Thursday as part of the second phase of the operation to retake the city from the Islamic State.

The U.S.-backed coalition has retaken a quarter of the militants' last major stronghold in Iraq since the offensive began 10 weeks ago.

"At 0700 this morning, the three fronts began advancing toward the city center. The operation is ongoing today and tomorrow and until we liberate the eastern side of the city completely," Lieutenant General Ali Freiji, who was overseeing army operations in the north, told Reuters.

Some 100,000 Iraqi troops, Kurdish security forces, and Shi'ite militiamen are involved in the operation.

State TV has reported that ISIS defenses were disintegrating in areas of Salam, Intisar, Wahda, Palestine, and al-Quds. The military later released a statement saying that the Iraqi flag has been raised in al-Quds.

On Monday, coalition forces bombed the last remaining bridge connecting east and west Mosul in a bid to prevent ISIS from getting across the Tigris River. The U.N. has expressed concern regarding the destruction of the bridges as it could disrupt the efforts to evacuate the civilians.

"The enemy is currently isolated inside the left (eastern) bank of Mosul," military spokesman Yahia Rassol announced on state TV. "In the coming days, Iraqi forces will liberate the entire left bank of Mosul and after that we will tackle the right," he added.

Residents in western Mosul said that the fighting can be heard from the opposite bank of the river.

According to The Sun, as many as 1,000 jihadis have already been killed in the second phase of the operation. An estimated 3,500 ISIS fighters still remain inside Mosul, many of whom are believed to be pressured to join the militants out of fear for their lives.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who vowed to liberate Mosul by the end of the year, said that the operation to drive out ISIS from the city could take three more months.

The offensive has been slowed by the concern to avoid civilian casualties, many of whom chose to stay in their homes despite food and water shortages.

As many as 1.5 million civilians are believed to be still inside the city. According to the U.N., over 114,000 people have been displaced from their homes.
home World Istanbul New Year's terror attack kills at least 35, injures more than 40 in nightclub

A gunman shot his way into an Istanbul nightclub packed with New Year's revelers early on Sunday, killing at least 35 people and wounding more than 40 in what the provincial governor described as a terrorist attack.

The assailant shot a police officer and a civilian as he entered the Reina nightclub before opening fire at random inside. The club lies on the shore of the Bosphorus Strait in the Ortakoy district of Turkey's most populous city.

"A terrorist with a long-range weapon ... brutally and savagely carried out this incident by firing bullets on innocent people who were there solely to celebrate the New Year and have fun," Sahin told reporters at the scene.

Around 500-600 people were thought to have been in the club when the attack happened at around 1:15 a.m. (7.30 p.m. ET), broadcaster CNN Turk said. Some jumped into the waters of the Bosphorus to save themselves and were being rescued by police.

Dozens of ambulances and police vehicles were dispatched to the club in Ortakoy, a cosmopolitan neighborhood nestled under one of three bridges crossing the Bosphorus, and home to clubs, restaurants and art galleries.

Reina is one of Istanbul's best-known nightclubs, popular with locals and tourists alike.

Turkey, part of the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State, faces multiple security threats including spillover from the war in neighboring Syria. It has seen repeated attacks and bombings blamed on Islamic State as well as Kurdish militants in recent months.
home Faith Jesus rescues woman from drug addiction and pact with the devil

A former drug addict who made a pact with the devil made a testimony that Jesus saved her from the sinkhole that she was in.

In a YouTube video, Yvette Castillo shares how an encounter with Jesus Christ rescued her from drug addiction, alcohol, suicidal tendencies, and depression, and basically a life of sin.

Growing up with an alcoholic father and a mother who did not live up to her expectations, Castillo became a misguided and angry teenager. She came to a point where she was boiling with so much hate within that she invoked the power of the devil.

"I said, 'Give me the power to hurt everyone, to stop people from messing with me.'" she said in her YouTube testimony, adding, "I didn't know that I was making a pact with the devil. I knew who I was talking to, but I didn't know how serious it was."

She became a delinquent student and started doing drugs. She was eventually kicked out of school.

She got into an abusive relationship, which led to two abortions. While carrying a child, she left her boyfriend and became homeless, turning to drugs, alcohol, and stealing to support her vices. She took shelter in an abandoned house where she was raped by crack addicts.

She gave birth at a tender age of 14, but not even a child could change her ways. "I no longer had a heart," she confessed. "I couldn't love my kids. I couldn't love myself. I was so drained," Castillo added.

Her next boyfriend paved the way for her redemption. She started serving God but went back to her old ways after being disappointed with the older Christians who she thought were not living according to their faith.

She was lost again for five years, separating from her husband and suffering from suicidal tendencies, anxiety, and depression.

Seeing that her teenage daughter was equally troubled was a turning point for her, after realizing that only God could save her child. After listening to a preacher, her daughter was greatly encouraged.

Castillo was reluctant to get a prayer for herself, but she was surprised when the preacher told her, "God just wants you to know that you and Him are good. He doesn't hold anything against you." The words melted her heart, and she tearfully replied, "I'm sorry, God."

She started going to church again, but she could not give up marijuana that easily. One morning, however, Castillo testifies, she was alone in the park when a voice prompted her to lift her hands up to God. After some reluctance, she finally obeyed, and that was when Castillo says she experienced a miracle.

"I started to cry and couldn't stop crying," she recalls, adding, "I started feeling the presence of God, his holiness, his love, his mercy. It was like I wasn't even at the park. I was in front of His throne. It was God."

Castillo claims she saw a vision of Jesus approaching her and wrapping her in His robe. "When I saw that, I was in tears because I knew that God had made me clean," she shares.

After her unusual experience at the park, Castillo quit drugs once and for all and has not returned to her sinful ways.

"God delivered me. God brought me back even stronger," she says.

According to God Reports, Castillo now lives in Houston with her husband and kids, and she continues to go to church regularly.
home Faith Mark Driscoll offers thoughts on the date of Jesus' birth, links Christmastime to pagan tradition

Was Jesus of Nazareth actually born on Dec. 25? Evangelical leader Mark Driscoll shares his thoughts and offers answers to this question, stating that Christmas Day may be rooted in pagan tradition rather than being the actual date when Christ was born.

Throughout the centuries, Christians have celebrated the birth of Jesus of Nazareth on Dec. 25. However, a close study of the Scripture and historical accounts suggest that the date could not have been Christ's actual birthday.

In a video posted on his official website, Driscoll points out that according to the Bible, shepherds were out in the fields when the Nativity took place. This implies that it was a warm night, otherwise, the shepherds would have kept their flock sheltered from the cold.

Driscoll, who is a pastor at Arizona-based Trinity Church, explains that Christians may have adopted the ancient pagan holiday of Saturnalia, which took place in December, to celebrate Jesus' birthday. Saturnalia, according to the pastor, had themes that were in line with those around the birth of Christ.

"It was time that people gave gifts. It was a time for family. It was a time to eat meals together. It was a time for celebration, and it was a joyful, festive holiday," Driscoll states, describing the Saturnalia holiday.

The questions surrounding the Christmas Story are not limited to the actual date when Jesus was born. Pope Benedict himself questioned some of the stories around Jesus' birth in his 2012 book "Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy of Narratives." He raised, for instance, that "there is no mention of animals in the Gospels."

Mark Goodacre, a professor in the Duke University Department of Religion, explained to TIME that the Nativity story tells of baby Jesus being born in a manger, but Luke could be referring to the lower level of a house, and not necessarily a stable. "They're not in a stable. It's one of the most famous pictures of Christmas there is, of him being born in a stable, and the textual basis for that is very weak," he said.

Nevertheless, the lack of textual proof supporting does not seem to bother a lot of Christians. In a 2014 Pew Survey, 65 percent of American adults accept the Christmas story as fact.
home Faith Pope Francis in tribute to Christians persecuted by Islamist extremists

Pope Francis paid tribute to Christians in the Middle East who have stayed loyal to their faith amid persecution from Islamist militants.

Speaking to thousands of people present for his holiday blessing on the feast of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, in St. Peter's Square, the pope stated that there are more Christian martyrs now than centuries ago.

The head of the Catholic church made mention of the sufferings being experienced by Iraqi Christians, many of whom managed to celebrate their first Christmas since 2013 after their towns and cities are freed from the control of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). According to the pope, such is "an example of fidelity to the Gospel." Francis then praised them for their courage in defending their faith, even though doing so endangered their lives.

The pope added, "Today, we want to think of them and be close to them with our affection, our prayers and even our tears."

When ISIS moved into the northern regions of Iraq, they required Christians to pay a tax and embrace Islam or die by the sword. Most left their homes and sought refuge in the autonomous Kurdish region.

Christians have been fleeing their homes in Syria and Iraq at a growing rate as they face targeted persecution. According to an October report from Open Doors UK, a Christian persecution charity organization, Christians comprised 8 percent of Syria's 22 million population. It is believed that half have fled the country. Meanwhile, in Iraq, there were 1.5 million Christians, but the number has since dwindled to around 200,000 to 250,000.

"We are faced with significant evidence that Middle Eastern Christians are suffering disproportionately, and, in many cases, being targeted because they are Christians," the report reads.

World Watch Monitor ranks Iraq as second and Syria as fifth in its list of 50 countries where it is most difficult for Christians to live in terms of proclaiming and practicing their faith. The list was based on a survey of religious freedom in five areas of life, namely private, family, community, national, and the church.
home US Transgender, abortion-related Obamacare provisions blocked by U.S. federal judge

A federal judge in Texas on Saturday issued a court order barring enforcement of an Obama administration policy seeking to extend anti-discrimination protections under the Affordable Care Act to transgender health and abortion-related services.

The decision sides with Texas, seven other states and three Christian-affiliated healthcare groups challenging a rule that, according to the judge, defines sex bias to include "discrimination on the basis of gender identity and termination of pregnancy."

In granting an injunction one day before the new policy was to take effect, U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor held that it violates the Administrative Procedure Act, a federal law governing rule-making practices.

The judge also ruled that plaintiffs were likely to prevail in court on their claim that the new policy infringes on the rights of private healthcare providers under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

As explained in O'Connor's 46-page opinion, the plaintiffs argued that the new regulation would "require them to perform and provide insurance coverage for gender transitions and abortions, regardless of their contrary religious beliefs or medical judgment."

The same judge issued a similar court order in August blocking a separate Obama administration policy that would have required public schools, over the objections of 13 states, to allow transgender students to use restrooms of their choice.

It was not immediately clear whether the Obama administration, which has just 20 days left in office, would seek to appeal the latest injunction.

White House spokeswoman Katie Hill decried the ruling.

"Today's decision is a setback, but hopefully a temporary one, since all Americans - regardless of their sex, gender identity or sexual orientation - should have access to quality, affordable health care free from discrimination," she said.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, was passed in 2010 with an anti-discrimination section designed to prevent insurers from charging customers more or denying coverage based on age, race, national origin, disability or sex.

The rule in dispute on Saturday was adopted by the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Department to implement those provisions, including definitions for sex discrimination that encompassed transgender and abortion services.

According to the court opinion, gender identity was defined under that rule as "an individual's internal sense of gender, which may be male, female, neither, or a combination of male and female, and which may be different from an individual's sex assigned at birth."

The state of Texas has led a string of legal cases brought by Republican-controlled states contesting various social policies advanced by President Barack Obama, most notably his 2014 executive action to protect millions of immigrants in the United States illegally and give them work permits.

That plan, challenged by Texas and other states, has been barred by the courts. But the U.S. Supreme Court in 2012 and 2015 issued rulings that kept the Affordable Care Act, his top legislative achievement, intact.
home World Imprisoned American pastor's appeal turned down by Turkey court

A Turkish court has denied the appeal for release of an American pastor who was imprisoned for allegedly being a member of an armed terrorist organization.

Pastor Andrew Brunson was initially detained with his wife, Norine, on Oct. 7 in the coastal city of Izmir. The couple, who have been living in Turkey for over 20 years, were accused of conducting activities that were said to constitute a "national security risk" and were scheduled for deportation.

Norine was released on Oct. 19, but the pastor remained in custody. On Dec. 8, Brunson was transferred to a counter-terrorism center and was brought before an Izmir court for interrogation the next day. He was informed that he is facing "terrorism" charges based on a statement from a "secret informant."

The judged mentioned that he is linked with the Fethullah Gulen movement, which is accused by the government of instigating the failed coup in July.

The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which is defending Brunson, said that the charges were unfounded. The organization said that another appeal to a higher court is possible, but it is uncertain how the process will go.

The ACLJ stated that Brunson was previously denied access to his attorney.

"Now, he is allowed visits with his Turkish attorneyahowever, due to an emergency decree in Turkey, those visits are recorded and any notes taken by his attorney are copied. Thus, Pastor Andrew has no attorney-client privilege." the organization said in a statement.

The ACLJ reported that the family was recently allowed to visit Brunson, and the authorities let him keep a copy of the New Testament.

"Although Pastor Andrew has finally been allowed a family visit and some access to his attorney, he is still wrongfully imprisoned and the charge he faces is serious. Pastor Andrew must be released," the ACLJ stated.

"We are continuing our diplomatic efforts to engage the incoming U.S. administration, and moving forward with an appeal of his case," it added.

The ACLJ recently launched a campaign calling for the release of Brunson. To date, the petition has garnered over 142,000 signatures.
90,000 Christians Killed for Their Faith in 2016 Alone, Religion Expert Claims

Out of all religious groups in the world, Christians were the most persecuted for their faith in 2016.

Massimo Introvigne, director of the Centre for Studies on New Religions (Cesnur), told the Vatican Radio that around 90,000 Christians were killed for their faith this year. Moreover, approximately half a billion Christians all over the world were unable to express their faith freely in 2016.

The numbers are quite shocking, what with one Christian dying every six minutes this year, according to Breitbart News. The data was obtained from the Centre for the Study of Global Christianity.

Introvigne added that around 70 percent of Christians murdered in 2016 died because of tribal conflicts in Africa. More often than not, Christians are killed because they refuse to take up arms, citing their conscience as a reason.

"The other 30 percent, or 27,000, were killed in terror attacks, the destruction of Christian villages, or government persecution," he said.

The Catholic Church is considering giving sainthood to exemplary Christians killed in territories controlled by the Islamic State (ISIS). Introvigne said these Christians risked their lives to honour God and spread His Word.

However, there is some good that can be derived from this year's numbers. The number of Christians killed is actually down since the numbers reached as high as 105,000 in 2015. Still, Introvigne said Christians remain the most persecuted religious group in the world.
Human Rights Lawyer Who Disappeared Into Custody In China Is Released

The Christian human rights lawyer who disappeared into police custody in China, arousing fears for his safety, has been released.

Zhang Kai is now back with his parents and northern Inner Mongolia.

Kai, who has worked with Christian pastors protesting China's cross removal programme, was summoned him to his local police station on 27 December.

His sister, Zhang Yan, told sources working with the Christian charity China Aid that he often receives these summons.

He is currently still on bail after a previous detention.

However, the family was particularly concerned this time because he was held for 48 hours.

His plight once again aroused international attention after his mother called drew attention to the case through online media.

One social media user speculated: "They might do something like they did to Yang Hua and frame him with something involving state secrets and use this as a means to arrest him."

Zhang Yan said her brother had been trying to stay out of trouble and spent his time reading and taking care of his fish.

Kai was originally imprisoned in 2015 and then released on bail earlier this year after he "confessd" on television to disturbing public order and endangering state secrets.

He was ordered to return to a police station in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia on 27 December. He was taken into custody and both his mother and sister then received visits from securty officials who told them his release depended on his willingness to cooperate.

His mother told China Aid that security services had been to her and her daughter's homes to have a "conversation". She said at the time: "They urged us to persuade Zhang Kai to keep quiet and cooperate with them. Whether Zhang Kai can go home or not depends on his attitude.

"Our family is in the midst of waiting anxiously. I hope Zhang Kai returns safely. Please pay urgent attention."

Bob Fu, founder and president of China Aid and a friend of Zhang, has described him as a "bold human rights lawyer".

China Aid exposes abuses, such as those suffered by Zhang Kai, in order to promote religious freedom, human rights, and rule of law.
Mom Accidentally Sends Prayer Request to Stranger on Facebook, But His Response Is Amazing

With no money, no transport and no place to stay days before Christmas, a single mother with three kids pleaded for help and prayer through Facebook.

Amy Rickel sent the private message to her friend. But there's one problem: She mistakenly sent her urgent plea for help to a stranger with a similar name, WPXI-TV reported.

But her mistake turned out to be the start of something truly wonderful and amazing  a series of Christmas miracles that happened in nine days just before the celebration of Jesus' birthday.

Amy's message was received by a stranger named Brian Van Boxtel, who has a similar name as Amy's friend.

Van Boxtel could have ignored the mistakenly sent message, but he felt that the woman was truly in dire straits. He asked himself: "What would Jesus do?"

Homeless and jobless, Amy and her children were temporarily staying in a hotel in Green Bay, Wisconsin to be closer to her father's children. When she ran out of money to pay her hotel bills, she could not think of a place to stay for Christmas. Worse, her car conked out.

Amy said she was "bawling and praying and that's when Brian messaged me," telling her he's coming over to pay her hotel billthat's just Part 1 of her Christmas miracles.

After paying her bills, Van Boxtel convinced Rickel to set up a GoFundMe account to help her with her financial crisis.

She did as advised. That's when Part 2 of her Christmas miracles unfolded.

In opening her crowdfunding page, which set a goal of $2,000, she wrote:

"I am a single mother of three children ages 4, 6, and 8. I have recently lost my job and then my car died. We have been staying at a hotel we can no longer afford and all of the shelters that accept kids have long waiting lists.

"My only concern at this point is making sure my kids are safe and warm! Any and all help will be welcomed and received with warm loving grateful hearts, and we as a family will pay it forward as soon as we are able!"

The campaign was an instant success, bringing in more than $2,500.

Her Christmas miracles did not end there. Part 3 was even better.

After reading her GoFundMe message, a woman named Kathy Schumann offered Amy her minivan and her home. "She really tugged at our heart strings," Schumann told WPXI-TV. "And we just felt like this holiday season we couldn't let the kids be out in the cold and we cleared out a room and brought them home."

Topping off her Christmas miracles was what another stranger named Chad Morack did for her. After learning that Amy is a licensed practical nurse, Morack connected her with a recruiting office in Wisconsin. This led to a full-time nurse position for Amy who is set to start working on her new job on Jan. 3.

Amy could hardly believe the series of miracles that started on the day she faced her biggest crisis.

"It's totally restored my faith in more than just humanity, my faith in God," she said.
One Christian Died For Their Faith Every Six Minutes In 2016

One Christian died for their faith every six minutes in 2016.

That is the shocking new figure about to be published in the latest statistics on Christian martyrs.

Massimo Introvigne , director of CESNUR, the Centre for Studies on New Religions, revealed the findings in an interview with Vatican Radio to mark St Stephen's Day, which follows Christmas and commemorates the first Christian martyr.

He said about 90,000 Christians were killed for their faith, that is one every six minutes in 2016.

In addition, there are between 500 million and 600 million Christians who cannot freely profess their Christian faith.

Pope Francis has repeatedly stated that there are more Christian martyrs in today's world even than in the early days of the Christian church during the persecutions of the Roman empire.

The figures will be published in the latest statistics from the Center for Study of Global Christianity.

They actually represent a slight decline on the figure of 105,000 deaths two years ago.

Of the 90,000 deaths, 70 per cent, or 63,000, were killed in tribal conflicts in Africa.

The centre, based in the United States, has included these figures in the statistics because they believe that many of these Christians were slain after they refused for reasons of conscience to take up arms.

The other 30 percent, or 27,000, were Christians who in terrorist attacks, in the destruction of Christian villages and in government persecution, such as in North Korea.

Introvigne said that combining statistics from at least three different US research centres as well as his own, CESNUR, which is based in Italy, and comparing statistics from 102 countries, led him to the estimate of between 500 and 600 million Christians who can not practice their own faith in complete freedom.

"Without wishing to forget or belittle the suffering of members of other religions, Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world," he said.

He agreed that some people might dispute the figures and argue instead that there were just a few thousand or even a few hundred Christians who died for their faith in 2016.

Introvigne said: "When the discrepancies are so large, it is clear that you are counting different things."

If the statistics were just those who had been given a straightforward choice - "Either deny your faith or perish" - the martyrs would number a few hundred.

If they included also those murdered for certain practices to do with their Christian faith, the numbers rise to several thousand.

"But if you talk to people who are killed in a broad sense because they are Christians, then we get to 90,000, or one death every six minutes," he said.

He revealed there were specific cases of Christian martyrs murdered by Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, including some that the Catholic Church is considering for beatification.

"There are Christians who have consciously chosen to remain in these areas and to continue, as they could, to bear witness to their faith.

"Speaking of the Islamic state, we must not forget that the Islamic state also kills many Muslims and that in 2016, according to our estimates, the number of Christians killed for their faith and the number of Muslims killed for their faith, outside Africa and particularly in Asia, is a very similar number.

"Muslims generally are killed by other Muslims: Shia Muslims are killed by Sunni Muslims and this is the most frequent case.

"Sometimes Sunni Muslims are killed by Shiite Muslims, Muslims who do not agree with a certain declination of Islam are killed by extremist Muslims, as in the case of the Islamic State."

He warned of growing intolerance across all countries, which he described as the "antechamber of discrimination" which then in turn is the "antechamber of persecution".

And then he praised the "calm, noble, often exemplary attitude of Christian minorities subjected to all sorts of harassment and who only in rare cases respond to violence with violence.

"In most cases they peacefully demonstrated their faith, very often their persecutors, forgiving and praying for them."
As she spoke to family and friends on Facebook live, Keiana Herndon looked to a future of going back to school.

She also showed off her 1-year-old son, Rylee. Then, the 26-year-old Herndon began rubbing her eyes and face during the Dec. 28, 2016 broadcast.
Happy New Year! I hope your holidays were filled with family and good food. The next time you hear from me we will have begun the 85th Legislative Session, which is set to last 140 days during odd-numbered years. During this time, the Texas Legislature must pass a two-year budget as well as to address existing laws and consider new legislation. It has been an honor to serve as your state Senator since 2007, and I look forward to this next year and working together to make a difference for our state.

During session, I will be writing this column weekly to keep you up to date on what is going on at your State Capitol.

Here are five things happening around your state this month:

1.Electoral College at the Capitol

Members of the Texas Electoral College met in the House Chamber of the Texas Capitol on Dec. 19. The Electoral College, which dates back to the late 1700's, meets after every presidential election to cast the final vote for president and vice president. Our Founding Fathers created the College as a way to create a middle ground between letting Congress and the voters nationwide to elect the president. The collected votes are put into a mahogany box which is then sent to D.C. to be read to both house of Congress. Once the votes are read aloud they are official and final.

2.Sunset Hearing

This month the Texas Sunset Commission held a two day hearing, which is their second to last meeting before the 85th Legislative Session. The first day recommendations were voted on for the Texas Board of Chiropractic Examiners, Texas Board of Nursing, Texas State Board of Podiatric Medical Examiners and the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners. We also heard testimony and discussed the best steps to ensure behavioral health professionals in Texas have the necessary structure and resources to not only serve their licensees but also the public effectively. These included the Licensed Professional Counselors, Social Worker Examiners and Marriage and Family Therapists. The Commission also heard testimony and discussed the Texas Medical Board and the Texas Department of Transportation on the second day.

3.Helping Foster Children

Governor Greg Abbott's criminal justice division recently announced an $8 million grant issued to the Department of Family and Protective Services to provide specialized care and services for 500 foster children who are considered the most difficult to find permanent homes. Many of these children have been victims of crime and have been placed in psychiatric hospitals and residential treatment centers. These children will receive individualized medical care and mental health therapies in a less restrictive and more appropriate setting at four different sites in the state. I believe this is a successful step towards ensuring the children in foster care are receiving the care they need and deserve.

4.Texas African American History Memorial

Recently, the first Texas African American History Memorial was unveiled on the grounds of the Texas Capitol. The monument, made from bronze and granite, is 27 feet high, 32 feet wide and depicts Juneteenth, June 19, 1865, when hundreds of Union troops arrived in Texas and announced the freedom of slaves in the United States. It also highlights the contribution in state history such as cattle, cotton, oil labor and space exploration. Funding for this monument came from private donations and state funding. To learn more about the memorial you can visit www.taahmf.com.

5.Get Involved During Session

I believe ensuring accessibility and transparency are some of the most important things a Legislature can do. It is a positive way for members to remain accountable to the people they serve. One way we are able to do this is by providing many resources online. You can utilize these important resources during the upcoming legislative session by visiting www.capitol.state.tx.us. Through this site, you will be able to view a live stream of Senate and House committee hearings as well as watching both chambers when they are in session.

Another tool available is being able to look up bills by subject and keyword, review bill analyses and learn about the possible fiscal implications of a bill. You may also sign up to receive e-mail notifications when bills of interest to you are assigned to committee and then advance through the legislative process. You can also email me at Robert.nichols@senate.texas.gov if you have questions about any bill. By keeping abreast of happenings in your State Capitol, you ensure accountability and integrity for all Texans.
Here it is a new day, a new year and I'm getting back in the saddle with articles for the Cleveland Advocate, Dayton News and Eastex Advocate.

It has been several months now since I had an article published.

It began when a couple of my doctors changed some of my medications. Due to a combination of health problems with various side-effects of this new medicine, I wound up in the hospital twice with low blood platelets, shortness of breath, hoarseness and unable to talk, and depression, etc. I have not been able to sit at computer and type.

I have been receiving physical therapy at the house lately and have regained some of my strength and balance.

During this time, I managed to get in a lot of TV viewing. One of the programs was the old Lone Ranger programs featuring Clayton Moore.

As I watched these programs, I remembered a story that Judge Ted Poe, now Congressman Poe, told several years ago regarding an incident in his Houston court.

Now to get to the heart of this story, one must know the history of the Lone Ranger. So for the younger generation, here's a brief history.

The Lone Ranger began as a radio program back in 1933. Though the exact date is debated, the accepted date is Jan. 30, 1933, and was broadcast on station WXYZ in Detroit.

For the first three months of the broadcast, George Stenius played the part of the Ranger. Bruce Beemer was selected for the part, which he played before Earle W. Graser replaced him.

In 1941, following the death of Graser from injuries of an auto accident, Beemer was brought back.

The program became an immediate hit. I remember in the 1940s, we youngsters would rush home from school to we could turn in our radio for the latest broadcast.

The last radio broadcast of the Lone Ranger came on Sept. 3, 1954, after a total of 2,956 episodes.

In 1948, the Lone Ranger began broadcasting on the new medium of small screen TV.

Beemer, who had played the part of the Ranger on radio, wanted the television part. Producers felt Beemer didn't have the features they wanted and eventually decided on Clayton Moore.

So on Sept. 15, 1949, the Lone Ranger with Clayton Moore as the Ranger began a TV series that would produce 221 episodes.

During the years of the TV broadcast, Moore made a large number of public appearances and eventually began to wear the Ranger costume more and more and rarely was seen in public dressed in any other attire.

In 1988, Moore flew into Houston airport in 1988 to speak for a charity for disabled children. Upon landing at the airport, it was discovered that a baggage handler had stolen Moore's guns. Later that day the handler tried to pawn the guns in a local shop. The pawn shop operator knew what the handler was up to and called police, who arrested him in the shop.

The trial wound up in Judge Poe's court. During the trial, Moore was called as a witness and came into the courtroom dressed in full Lone Ranger attire, mask and all.

The defense attorney objected and demanded that Moore take off his mask and change clothes.

Judge Poe, known for some outlandish sentences over the years, ruled: "I summarily overruled the objection and Clayton Moore wore his outfit. The reason: outlaws have been trying to find out the identity of the Lone Ranger for years and I wasn't about to be the person to go down in history as the one who unmasked the Lone Ranger."

As for the baggage handler, Edward Louis Young, who was then 43, was convicted of theft of the two guns and the belt. He was sentenced to 10 years probation and fined $5,000.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Welcome to 2017, Houston!

Whether you were ready for the new year or not, the clock counted down and the Bayou City welcomed 2017 with smiles, cheers and loads of dancing.

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: How the world celebrated New Year's Eve 2016

While some Houstonians opted to stay in their pajamas to ring in the new year with their kiddos and close friends, others got dressed up and got down in the city's streets.

The Houston Chronicle staff hit up four very different crowds that rang in the new year out and about. The staff covered the Rockets game vs. the New York Knicks, the classy Ars Lyrica gala benefiting the musical organization, the hip H-Town Countdown at Silver Streets Studios and went clubbing at the Bleu Bar in the Rice Village area.

IMPRESSIVE SHOW: James Harden puts up 53 points in NYE bashing of Knicks

Click through the gallery above to see the sights, smiles and cheers from Houstonians ringing in the New Year all across the city.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Sen. Ted Cruz and other Republicans are hoping to get a bill preventing the federal government from retaliating against businesses or people who refuse service to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer individuals.

The bill, known as the First Amendment Defense Act, was introduce in 2015 and didn't make it far in Congress. With Donald Trump set to become the next president, Cruz is expecting the bill to become a law.

THE DARK SIDE: Ted Cruz has look-alike in 'Return of the Jedi'

"The prospects for protecting religious freedom are brighter now than they have been in a long time," Cruz told BuzzFeed. "Any effort to protect religious liberty has brighter prospects with a new Congress and a new administration." He told the website that a "relentless assault" on religious liberty was an issue for voters.

The bill states, "... the Federal Government shall not take any discriminatory action against a person... with a religious belief or moral conviction that marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman..."

Sen. Mike Lee of Utah is the bill sponsor. Lee's spokesman Conn Carroll told BuzzFeed, "Hopefully November's results will give use the momentum we need to get this done next year."

MAN OF MANY FACES: Real and fictional people who could be Ted Cruz's twin, according to the Internet

The bill also allows people and businesses to sue the federal government for punishment after a refusal of sale or service.

Chuck Smith, CEO of Equality Texas, told TV station KXAN the bill is intended to use religion to hurt people and would be devastating to the LGBTQ community in Texas.

Trump said on the campaign trail that he will sign the First Amendment Defense Act into law to "protect the deeply held religious beliefs of Catholics and the beliefs of Americans of all faiths."

A LOOK BACK: Awful things Trump and Cruz have said to each other

Trump has also said that he would "do everything in my power to protect our LGBTQ citizens from the violence and oppression of a hateful foreign ideology" while campaigning, reports the Associated Press.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

A pair of soldiers from Fort Bliss in West Texas were last heard from on Dec. 19. Now their families are trying to find them.

Jake Obad Mathis and Melvin Jones were last seen traveling in a 2013 Black Chevrolet Camaro with Texas plants HTV-9983.

Neither soldier has spoken with family in two weeks and their phones are off.

FOUND DEAD: Missing woman's ex-husband charged, body found in home

An Army Warriors in Recovery program spokesman said no activity has been recorded on their social media accounts.

Melvin Jones' father, Duane Jones, told KVIA-TV in El Paso that his son was supposed to meet him at the airport with plans to go to the Sun Bowl between North Carolina and Stanford. But, Melvin Jones never showed up.

Jones was last seen with his friend, Mathis, on post. Loved ones weren't aware the two were missing until Mathis failed to report for work.

COURT VICTORY: Judge awards death row inmate new trial in 1992 slaying

Mathis' mother, Kathy Mathis, said her son is now considered "AWOL" by the Army. Jones was on leave until January. He won't be considered Absent Without Leave until then.

The pair must be AWOL for 30 days before the Army will conduct a search for them. And, El Paso police do not conduct missing persons investigations at Fort Bliss, considering it a military matter.

With no clues as to why they're missing, the families say they're taking things into their own hands now and hoping for the best.
A gun-toting man was shot by a sheriff's deputy Sunday morning in southwest Harris County, authorities said.

Just after 8 a.m., Harris County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a weapons disturbance at a home in the 14200 block of Burnham.

A knife-wielding man - who authorities did not immediately identify - was allegedly fighting with his neighbors, according to preliminary reports. It's not clear what sparked the dispute.

He stabbed one man in the hand and then retreated into his trailer and reemerged with a handgun that he fired off repeatedly into the ground, according to a sheriff's office press release.

As deputies arrived, the suspect ran back into the home. Two deputies entered the trailer and demanded that the man come out - but instead, police say he pointed his gun at the deputies.

In response, an 11-year veteran deputy shot the man, who was rushed to Ben Taub Hospital and pronounced dead at 9:05 a.m. No one else was injured in the early morning outburst.

The shooting is now under investigation by the Harris County Sheriff's Office Homicide Unit, the Office of the Inspector General and the Harris County District Attorney's Office.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

LEAGUE CITY - Shaun Hardy's eaves were still festively decorated with Christmas lights Friday when police discovered human remains stashed in his League City home.

The body found wrapped in plastic in the garage is believed to be Hardy's missing ex-wife, Anne-Christine Johnson, according to the woman's mother.

"I am literally devastated right now," Stephanie Johnson told the Chronicle. "All that searching and she was right in the house."

Hardy was taken into custody after the morbid find, police said Friday evening. In a later statement, they said Hardy has been charged with tampering with evidence (corpse)  a second degree felony. He is being held in the Galveston County Jail on $500,000 bail.

The latest chapter in the search for Johnson began around 3 p.m. when League City law enforcement served a search warrant at Hardy's home in the 600 block of Chesterfield.

Initially, police hoped to "secure property" relating to the investigation - but even after their gruesome discovery, authorities declined to say what they'd been looking for.

After realizing the house was a crime scene, police got a second search warrant and found human remains.

"I can't speak on the condition of the remains or where in the house it was found," League City police spokesman Kelly Williamson told reporters. At this point, police can't confirm the body is Johnson.

The 30-year-old waitress vanished three weeks ago, after years of volatile relations with her ex-husband.

Authorities hunted for the mother of two for weeks, and the day before uncovering remains, police launched a new search at an undisclosed location.

The renewed quest came after volunteers with Texas EquuSearch tramped through wooded areas and thick brush for at least two weeks looking for the missing woman.

A fraught relationship

After Johnson disappeared Dec. 8, police said the last person to report seeing her alive was Hardy, who said he saw his ex leave his house and get into a car with a man he could not identify.

Johnson was officially reported missing the next Monday.

Even before Friday's find, police had already labeled Hardy a person of interest because of his difficult relationship with Johnson, who occasionally stayed with Hardy after their 2014 divorce.

When the pair separated, a judge gave Hardy primary custody of their 5-year-old autistic son, Roland. Her older child was already living with Johnson's first husband.

Even after the troubled couple parted ways, the two had a fraught relationship.

In court documents, Johnson alleged that Hardy choked her, pistol-whipped her and tried to drug her during a June 2015 fight.

"Shaun Philip Hardy's violent behavior against me has gotten so bad that he has assaulted me with a shotgun, threatened me with a knife, and choked me," Johnson wrote when filing for a protective order after the blow-up.

"I am afraid that without this protective order, Shaun Philip Hardy will continue to hurt me or even kill me in the future."

At the time of her disappearance, a defunct GoFundMe campaign featured a picture of the mother of two bruised and battered - ostensibly damage done in the June 2015 dispute.

Johnson's court filings came on the heels of a similar set of paperwork from Hardy, who claimed his ex-wife had "engaged in conduct that constitutes family violence" and was "reasonably likely to harass, annoy, alarm, abuse, torment, or embarrass" him.

A judge granted both protective orders but canceled them before the end of the next month.

Finding a new 'mission'

During the weeks-long hunt for the missing mother, police questioned Hardy once by phone and once in person, but eventually - through his lawyer - he refused further interviews.

Stephanie Johnson said she'd already feared the worst.

"I've known and I've been crying for months that this was going to happen," she said.

She said she planned to turn her daughter's death into part of something bigger.

"I'm no expert on abuse, but I'm going to become one," she said. "This is my mission in life."

After her daughter's disappearance, Johnson started receiving messages from women who suffered through abusive relationships.

"This is an epidemic of violence against women, and if her death is going to have any meaning at all it is going to be to put a very public face on the killers of women," Johnson said.

A handful of neighbors watched Friday as League City police taped off the area around the home and continued their investigation.

Kenneth Sparks, who lives down the street, said he came outside after he heard screaming. It turned out to be the 5-year-old boy, who was being put into the care of a family member.

Sparks said he saw a man, presumably Hardy, being led out of the house by police. He was placed into a patrol car as holiday lights twinkled up and down the street.

Brooke Lewis contributed to this report.
The summers final Live on the Waterfront concert was held Wednesday evening at Prince Arthurs Landing. The popular series in Thunder Bay has completed nine weekly shows that began on July 13. Wednesdays concert was unique as it was held one hour later in the evening to mesh with the 10 p.
We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message.
shoveling.jpg

If you're wondering weather you are required to clear your sidewalks after a snowfall, the answer lies in a combination of state and local laws, according guest columnist Mary Bonelli of the Ohio Insurance Institute.

(John Kuntz/cleveland.com/file photo)

Mary Bonelli is senior vice president of public communications for the Ohio Insurance Institute.

Guest columnist Mary Bonelli is senior vice president of public information for the Ohio Insurance Institute (OII) and is responsible for managing the association's varied communications efforts.

As snow blowers and shovels move front and center, you might wonder if you're required to clear a path outside your home. The answer lies in a combination of state and local laws.

Based on an Ohio Supreme Court ruling dating back to December 1993, homeowners don't have a legal obligation to shovel sidewalks if Mother Nature caused the ice and snow accumulation. But this doesn't mean you shouldn't at least try to maintain safe walkways.

The state's highest court upheld an earlier ruling of a guest who attempted to sue a homeowner for a slip and fall outside of their residence. In the case Brinkman v. Ross, the court's ruling addressed slips and falls on private sidewalks or walkways on the homeowner's premises resulting from a natural accumulation of ice and snow. The court cautioned that this does not involve any other type of hazard or set of circumstances. So, if an icy pathway was caused by water from a leaking drainpipe, you may face a different outcome.

About the case

The original case stemmed from a visit by the Brinkman's to the Ross' in February 1989. Ms. Brinkman slipped outside the Ross home breaking her ankle. She sued the hosts in Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. The court threw out the complaint, indicating that it had long been established that Ohio homeowners are not obligated to remove natural accumulations of snow and ice.

The decision was reversed in the court of appeals, saying that if a homeowner knows of a hazardous condition and invites guests to visit, there's an obligation to at least warn them. The case went to the Ohio Supreme Court where this judgment was overturned.

As a result, it's up to your guests and other pedestrians to assume that due to the nature of Ohio winters, there's always a risk of a slip and fall due to the natural accumulation of ice and snow.

But there's more.

Going local: Snow removal ordinances

Cities and municipalities may invoke snow removal ordinances beyond the scope of Ohio law. If your community has an ordinance that requires clearing of residential sidewalks, then you have a responsibility to do so. Some Ohio cities with snow removal ordinances levy fines for not removing snow in a timely manner while others issue warnings.



The Ohio Insurance Institute (OII) suggests checking with your local municipality on possible snow removal policies or requirements. Many provide ordinances online via Conway Greene or other municipal code data base services. A key word search such as "sidewalks to be cleaned of ice and snow," along with your city or municipality, should help you locate relevant ordinances.

Regardless of legal implications, taking time to shovel to the best of your abilities shouldn't be done because you have to, but because it's the right thing to do.

Here is a sampling of Cleveland area snow removal ordinances:

Stow (521.06)

Lakewood (521.06)

Cleveland Hts. (521.04)

Independence (660.05)

Chagrin Falls (543.02)

Mayfield Village (521.06)

Cuyahoga Falls (521.06)

Rocky River (904.05)

For more, see OII's Winter Resource Guide Revisited for helpful how-tos and reminders.

Have something to say about this topic? Use the comments to share your thoughts, and stay informed when readers reply to your comments by using the Notification Settings (in blue) just below.

Readers are invited to submit Opinion page essays on topics of regional or general interest. Send your 500-word essay for consideration to Linda Kinsey at lkinsey@cleveland.com. Essays must also include a brief bio and headshot of the writer. Essays rebutting today's topics are also welcome.
Unknown.png

Cleveland had more homicides in 2016 than in any other year over the past decade, according to an unofficial tally.

(cleveland.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The deadliest year in Cleveland's recent history has come to a close but not before at least 136 people saw their lives cut down by violence.



The number of people killed bested 2015's number by more than 13 percent, according to cleveland.com's unofficial tally. City and county officials will release their numbers in the coming days after making final rulings on suspicious deaths.

Cleveland's uptick in homicides was particularly significant but continued an upward trend that began in 2014 an intensified the following year.

The city contributed the lion's share of homicides in Cuyahoga County, which recorded at least 168 homicides in 2016, according to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office. The latest statistics released by the medical examiner's office only included deaths ruled on by Dec. 13 so the number will grow when final numbers are released.

Gun violence and the heroin epidemic dominated headlines in 2016 as the number of lives claimed by each jumped significantly. More than 500 people died in Cuyahoga County from opioid overdoses.

But, as is almost always the case, it was violence inflicted upon innocent victims that garnered the most attention.

Death comes in an instant

Heartbreaking stories of senseless violence happen every year. Few caused more disquiet than the slaying of Deborah Pearl. The 53-year-old Twinsburg mother was driving to work on a Saturday morning in August when her car was blindsided by another vehicle.

The other driver emerged from his car with a rifle and shot Pearl dead, according to witnesses. The accused, 30-year-old Matthew Desha, is a Marine Corps veteran with no apparent connection to Pearl. He is charged with aggravated murder and the court is awaiting results of a psychiatric evaluation before his case can proceed.

Pearl was a victim of simply being caught at the wrong place at the wrong time. As was Sunny Ravi Patel. The 15-year-old Mayfield boy was working in his family's Mr. Hero restaurant when a robber with a gun burst in. Sunny was shot dead.



The 20-year-old gunman, Daveion Perry, pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Shocking examples of violence did not limit themselves to the county's borders.

In January, two girls - Alyson Mather, 12, and Ruthie Mather, 9 - died when their Northfield Center home was intentional set afire and exploded. Their father, Jeffrey Mather, set the house ablaze and died as well, authorities concluded. Their mother, 43-year-old Cynthia Mather, died of a drug overdose but it was a mystery as to whether it was intentional or she was poisoned.

A closer look at the numbers

Cuyahoga County saw a significant number of gun-involved killings. One hundred thirty-nine of the 168 confirmed homicides involved gunshot wounds, the medical examiner's office reports.

Eighteen homicides were the result of stabbings.

The violence in Cleveland alone during 2016 proves noteworthy against the backdrop of national statistics highlighted in a study published in June by the National Institute of Justice that noted rising homicide rates over the past few years.



Crime data collected by the FBI shows the country's homicide rate rose 11 percent in 2015, "jumping more (that) year than it had in nearly half a century," the New York Times reported.



Cleveland is one of just seven major U.S. cities -- the others being Baltimore, Chicago, Houston, Milwaukee, Nashville and Washington -- that drove approximately 50 percent of that staggering nationwide increase, according to the Times.

Other NE Ohio counties saw violence as well



Lorain County saw a homicide rate nearly double its average, according to its coroner. The county had 18 homicides in 2016.

Lake County reported five, and there were two in Medina County, according to area coroners' offices.

Portage County reported two confirmed homicides and expects to issue two more after homicide rulings are made on the deaths of Sara Marsh and LaShaun Sanders, who police say were killed Nov. 30 at a Ravenna Township home. The suspect, David Calhoun Jr., remains at large.

The Summit County Coroner's Office reported 22 homicides but the office is still working on issuing rulings on additional cases.
UPDATE: Police confirm suspect was shot by troopers in a confrontation

HUNTINGDON, Pa. - Pennsylvania State Police have announced that the suspect in the shooting of a trooper is dead.

James Robison, 32, is suspected of killing first-year Trooper Landon Weaver Friday evening as Weaver responded to a potential violation of a protection from abuse order.

The final act in this latest tragedy occurred shortly before 10 a.m. Eastern time Saturday. State police said they had Robison in their sights shortly after 9:30 a.m., which prompted a massive response from the barracks several miles away.

State Police Commissioner Tyree Blocker joined the officers responding to the scene. The department made it official through a tweet a few minutes ago.

It was not immediately clear whether Robison was shot during the manhunt or took his own life.

Weaver enlisted in the Pennsylvania State Police in December 2015 and was assigned to the Patrol Unit in Troop G in Huntingdon. He's the 97th member of the Pennsylvania State Police to be killed in the line of duty.

Governor Tom Wolf said in a statement that "Landon will always be remembered for his bravery, his sacrifice, and his willingness to serve."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Smart Grid Maine

Central Maine Power technician Gary Sturgis installs one of the first "smart" meters at an apartment building in Portland, Maine, in this 2010 file photo. The meter will give customers detailed information so they can track and manage their energy use. Dick Munson and Josh Knights write that Ohio is lagging in its introduction of smart-grid technology but that the state has a chance next year to move ahead with a range of smarter, more economical energy policies -- while resisting political pressure to re-regulate the state's electricity market.

(Joel Page, Associated Press, File, 2010)

Dick Munson of the Environmental Defense Fund.

Gov. John Kasich recently vetoed legislation that would have stymied energy investments in Ohio, representing a major victory for healthier air and clean energy jobs. However, the struggle to ensure the Buckeye State focuses on a more innovative, modern electricity system continues.

Currently, Ohio enjoys a competitive electricity market in which Ohioans can shop for their power from competitive providers. A recent report from the regional grid operator confirms these markets have led to lower-cost, cleaner energy in Ohio, helping people save money while lowering pollution.

Josh Knights is executive director of The Nature Conservancy in Ohio.

But in 2017. some Ohio legislators will try to overturn existing law, blocking private-sector spending and customer savings.

That effort has serious implications as to whether shareholders or everyday customers must shoulder the costs of existing power plants, especially older, dirty, and uneconomic generators.

Federal regulators have previously blocked bailouts for outdated power plants, but next year is expected to bring fresh attempts to restrict energy competitors and ensure profit protection for electric utilities.

Electricity markets have been changing dramatically. America is seeing unprecedented energy innovation, which - along with market forces like cheap, abundant natural gas - is driving power companies to retire old and uneconomic power plants at an astounding rate. Innovation also is increasing the affordability of diverse, cleaner power options.

In the past few years, for example, solar power costs have fallen 70 percent and wind power costs have dropped 58 percent.

Moreover, research by the Environmental Defense Fund and The Nature Conservancy has found that clean energy measures provide significant upsides for Ohio. Our report, "Grounds for Optimism," calculated that modern, advanced technologies - like energy efficiency and renewable energy - lead to economic growth and new jobs, while helping people save money on electric bills and healthcare costs.

Rather than block such progress, Ohio needs policies that keep markets open to competition so these cost-effective technologies can flourish.

Additionally, there may be an opportunity next year to address modernizing Ohio's electricity grid by embracing modern sensors, smart electric meters, and advanced communications technologies that can increase grid reliability and efficiency. These technologies would allow traditional power companies to improve their power plants' operation, ease renewable energy's integration onto the electric grid, and open the door for clever companies to help customers better manage their energy use, saving money and cutting pollution.

Some studies have found that real-time energy-use data can result in up to 12 percent household energy savings.

Compared to other Midwestern states, Ohio has been slow to adopt these sensors and digital devices, but 2017 could be the year to fix that.

Gov. Kasich is to be commended for ending 2016 by vetoing short-sighted legislation that would have limited Ohio's clean energy economy. For the past two years, the state's energy efficiency and renewable energy standards have been frozen, hampering investment, innovation, and the creation of well-paying jobs.

Before the freeze, the clean energy standards brought significant investment and benefits to the state, supporting more than 25,000 jobs, saving Ohioans more than $1 billion on their electricity bills through energy-efficiency measures, and cutting harmful air pollution. Fortunately, thanks to Governor Kasich, these standards are back on track and the state can reclaim its spot at the forefront of America's clean energy economy.

No doubt the 2017 legislative session will see both challenges to and opportunities for Ohio's energy future.

Rather than hang a "closed for business" sign on state borders, Ohio needs to welcome competitive entrepreneurs. Rather than watch clean-energy investments go to Michigan or Iowa, we need to encourage the in-state development and use of modern, innovative technologies. Rather than return to unaccountable utility monopolies, we need to embrace competitive electricity markets that will foster a more efficient and affordable energy system.

As Ohio seeks to modernize its energy policies in 2017, we look forward to Gov. Kasich's continued leadership.

Dick Munson is the Chicago-based director of Midwest Clean Energy for the Environmental Defense Fund. Josh Knights, based in Dublin, Ohio, is executive director for The Nature Conservancy in Ohio.

*********

Have something to say about this topic? Use the comments to share your thoughts, and stay informed when readers reply to your comments by using the Notification Settings (in blue) just below.
First Britain, then the United States. Now, could China be facing a populist backlash of its own? A growing anti-establishment movement will test the nation's leadership ahead of the 19th Party Congress in late 2017, set to be one of the year's biggest political events.

Yasuyoshi Chiba | AFP | Getty Images

The Congress is essentially a three-week long meeting in which the ruling Communist Party selects and announce the country's next leaders. President Xi Jinping is widely expected to be given a second term but his ability to manage rising socio-economic pressures will be a major theme in the lead-up to the Congress, Nicholas Consonery, senior Asia-Pacific director at FTI Consulting, told CNBC. Although the world's number two economy doesn't hold free elections, citizens are ensuring their voices are heard in other ways. Cynicism with Beijing's economy-first policies has created a new political movement known as the New Left, or neo-Maoism, that supports the egalitarian ideas preached by dictator Mao Zedong.





This is a story happening across Asia, but China is a big part of it. Nicholas Consonery senior Asia-Pacific director, FTI Consulting

"The New Left is characterized by an emphasis on the state power to redress the problems of injustice and other negative effects of privatization, marketization and globalization. It argues for more emphasis on economic justice, not just economic growth at any price," explained Chinese academic Li He in a 2008 paper.

As such, China hasn't remained totally immune to the pronounced anti-establishment wave, a key political leitmotif of 2016 that's upended political consensus across the globe. "We tend to see China as a country that has benefited enormously from globalization," Consonery said. Still, "what we see today, in an environment of widening socioeconomic inequality, is a lot of skepticism within China about orientation towards free trade and open markets." Some economists expect China to overtake the U.S. as the world's largest economy within a matter of years, and its poverty ratiodefined by the World Bank as people living on less than $2 per dayamong its near 1.4 billion population has fallen steeply over the last three decades. Yet according to nonprofit advocacy group The Borgen Project, at least 82 million Chinese still live below the poverty line, while millions more subsist on an annual income of less than $400.



watch now

watch now

watch now

In other countries, a similar tableau of problems have reverberated at the ballot box. In Europe and the U.S., complaints that globalization and open immigration have widened socio-economic inequality resulted in a nationalist-tinged backlash that led to the U.K.'s historic Brexit vote and the ascendancy of president-elect Donald Trump. In South Korea, voters sick of crony capitalism and political scandals are warming up to a politician who likens himself to U.S. independent politician Bernie Sanders.



China under pressure
Someone in the 213 just turned one of California's most recognizable landmarks into a big endorsement for 420.

Los Angeles residents awoke on New Year's Day after a night of revelry to the sight of the iconic "Hollywood" sign mysteriously transformed into "Hollyweed," the work of an apparent prankster. Social media users quickly noticed the howler, and took to Twitter to express their surprise and bemusement.

Tweet 1

Tweet 2

A representative for the Los Angeles Police Department's security services division told CNBC that an unknown perpetrator climbed up the sign and used a tarp to create an effect turning both 'O's in the sign to 'E's. He added that the incident was being investigated as an act of trespassing.

For nearly 100 years, the sign has been both a fixture in Hollywood Hills and a touchstone of Tinseltown's popular culture power. Ironically, the "Hollywood" sign, which has been a prime target of mischief-makers over the years, was once defaced in 1976 for a similar purpose.

According to History.com, a group of students at that time also used tarp to turn the 'Os' into 'Es', in order to celebrate a new law that decriminalized possession of small amounts of weed.

In November, the nation's most populous state voted to legalize marijuana for recreational use, instantly becoming the largest market for pot-based products in the country.

Still, not everyone found humor in the defacement. Veteran television personality Montel Williams ripped the act of mischief on Twitter, saying that he hoped the perpetrators were arrested and charged.

Williams tweet
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan Shannon Stapleton | Reuters

Mayor Sadiq Khan downplayed concerns that London will suffer in the wake of Brexit, telling CNBC in an interview that European Union citizens "are welcome" in the city and "that's not going to change." Last June, U.K. voters decided to leave the EU, but the mayor of London appeared willing to show that the capital would not close its doors. As the calendar prepared to flip to 2017the year when negotiations to exit the European Union are due to startKhan touted London's advantages, some of which might suffer if Brexit erodes key economic and financial perks the U.K. currently enjoys. The estimated one million Londoners who are citizens of other E.U. countries "contribute to London's success whether they're working in the health service, social care, construction, finance, banking," and other sectors, Khan told CNBC in an interview on Saturday. For those reasons, "they will always be welcome here," he said. "They make a huge contribution to our city. That's not going to change," Khan added.



U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May Simon Dawson | Bloomberg | Getty Images

The decision to leave the EU was heavily influenced in part by concerns that the U.K. is absorbing too many new immigrants. However, a great number of E.U. citizens migrating to the U.K. are skilled workers, something London firms covet. Khan, who has been meeting firms across the city, told CNBC that one of their main concerns is to continue to attract talent post-Brexit. Among other advantages, Britain is hoping to retain access to Europe's common market, which currently requires the country to allow free movement of E.U. citizens across borders. "The key is to continue to be able to attract talent. Access to single market is important," he said when asked what concerns businesses have voiced to him. "It's also about a state of mind."

Businesses "don't want us to become inward-looking, they don't us to stop becoming the country and the city we've been for more than a thousand years," he said, adding that the U.K. government should not forget these concerns when negotiating with the E.U.

"It's important that the government understands what London's needs are when it comes to negotiating with the EU," he said, which include "things like the passport of financial services." Critics have pointed out that countries like Switzerland and Norway are not E.U. members, yet have managed to thrive economically. Yet financial firms based in London are concerned that they might lose the right to sell and trade in euros and across Europe if they are not subject to E.U. laws. Khan, however, said U.K. businesses are optimistic about the future. "The good news is that the chief executives, the entrepreneurs, the investors I speak to are optimistic about London, mainly because of our people," he also said.
Nigerian pastor and founder of the Synagogue Church Of All Nations (SCOAN), TB Joshua, has released his prophetic message for 2017.

In a video posted to YouTube recently, Joshua makes a rather alarming prophecy about Nigerias president Muhammadu Buhari and the countrys economy.

The video had already gathered over 100 000 views.

President Buhari will do everything to reject devaluation of the naira  which is a good idea from a good leader. But there will be overwhelming pressure from above him which he will not be able to resist, Joshua says.He goes on to say: Everyone has a portion to be blamed. Let us share the blame and move the country forward.

My president, President Buhari has good intentions. A kings intention cannot be carried out properly without the support of his subjects.

He needs your support to lead us out of the valley. Nigeria, we are in a valley. It is not our president that put us in the valley but generations.

Joshua made headlines in November when he was mocked by Nigerians following his inaccurate prophecy regarding the United States elections.

Joshua had predicted that Hillary Clinton would win the US presidential election in a narrow victory against Donald Trump.

But when the results were announced, Trump, instead, emerged victorious.

TB Joshua is renowned for his controversial prophetic abilities.

He is on record to have predicted major world events, including the death of iconic Michael Jackson, ISIS-inspired terror incidents in Paris and the mysterious diasppearance of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370.
Coronet Head $5 Half Eagle

Five different Mint facilities strike Coronet half eagles By Paul Gilkes

COIN WORLD Staff Assistant U.S. Mint Engraver Christian Gobrecht was faced with the enviable task in 1839 to produce new designs for the gold $5 ha...READ MORE
Coin image courtesy of the Official Journal of the European Union.

Andorras newest circulating commemorative 2 coin honors the 25th anniversary of Radio and Television of Andorra.

Andorras newest circulating commemorative 2 coin honors a milestone in the nations public media.

The coin, released in early December, marks the 25th anniversary of Radio and Television of Andorra, which began broadcasting in 1991.

The obverse of the coin shows a microphone and an antenna circled by several circular lines with the inscription translating to 25th anniversary of Radio and Television Andorra, the year of issuance 2016 and the name of the state of issuance ANDORRA.

Connect with Coin World:

Sign up for our free eNewsletter

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

In total, 85,000 examples of the coin were released.

The reverse carries the common European map design along with the denomination.

The 12 stars of the European flag appear on both sides of the ringed-bimetallic coin.

The 2 coin weighs 8.5 grams and measures 25.75 millimeters in diameter.

Each nation is allowed to issue up to two different circulating commemorative designs annually, with designs of their choosing, though few nations regularly issue the maximum number of designs.

Joint euro programs like the 2015 coins honoring the 30th anniversary of flag of the European Union do not count toward this limit.

All 2 coins are legal tender throughout the eurozone.
Low water on the Mississippi River has high cost

A historically low Mississippi River has backed up barge traffic as demand rises. And there's no real end in sight.
Jan. 2, 1937

(no Jan. 1, 1937 paper)

The first softball game of the 1937 season was played at Capitol Street field New Year's Day, the Mingos defeating Colonel Woods team by a score of 5-2. Joe Shields, Mingo chieftain, struck out four men and allowed four hits. Bob Bock, imported Wisconsin hurler, struck out one, walked two, and allowed six hits while on the mound for Colonel Woods team. Extremely muddy grounds slowed up runners and made fielding difficult, but softball on New Years' Day was something of a stunt.

Jan. 2, 1962 (pictured)

(no Jan. 1, 1962 paper)

NEW YEAR'S DAY SWIMMERS  Thirteen area men dove into the icy water at the upper pumping station New Year's Day, a yearly event for most of the swimmers. Left to right in front area Jim Genkos, 17; John Miller, 21; Ed Hole, 17, and George Vreeland, 22. In back are Carl Dickman, who first started the New Year's Day swimming practice; Dick Gaklik, 23; Duke Mitchell, 17; Ward Mitchell, 20; Bob Mitchell, 19; Bob Thompson, 19; Harvey Hole, 22; Leon Gaklik, 20, and Donald Semple, who wore a skin diving outfit.

Jan. 1, 2007

Four years ago, the Auburn Fire Department dropped the city's first New Year's ball at the stroke of midnight. Although not 1,070 pounds or made from Waterford Crystal like the ball that drops in New York City's Times Square each year, a crowd of families and groups of friends gathered at Casey Park Sunday night to celebrate the start of 2007 in Auburn's own version of the New Year's tradition.

Jan. 1, 2012

It took a few extra months of gestation, but Auburn Memorial Hospitals new maternity unit is now fully open, just in time for the first babies of 2012. The $2.5 million renovation, funded by community and foundation support, got under way last December and had a ribbon-cutting ceremony in July. All the new features, however, werent ready quite yet.

Construction got delayed by a few months at the outset because bids for the work came in above budget. When the ribbon-cutting ceremony came around in July  and still at a second grand opening ceremony in August  there was still paint to be applied, paperwork to be filed and inspections to be scheduled. The seven new post-partum rooms and one new birthing suite didnt open until Thursday afternoon after the state gave its approval earlier in the week.
Police officers stand guard near the site of a terror attack at a night club in Istanbul, Turkey, Jan. 1, 2017. Thirty five people were killed and 40 others wounded in a terror attack on a popular night club in Istanbul early Sunday morning, Istanbul's governor said. (Xinhua/He Canling)

Thirty five people were killed and 40 others wounded in a terror attack on a popular night club in Istanbul early Sunday morning, Istanbul's governor said.

Vasip Sahin said the shooting attack was carried out by one gunman.
To introduce Colman Andrews as an award-win ning food writer, whose newest book, The British Table, is dedicated to rescuing the kingdoms cuisine from ridicule, is doubly insufficient.

Andrews, who resides in Greenwich and grew up in a Hollywood show business family, must rank as one of the nations preeminent food journalists. He has won eight James Beard Awards, many of them as co-founder and later editor-in-chief of Saveur magazine. Even now, he commutes to New York for his day job as (the founding) editorial director of The Daily Meal, a popular and eclectic culinary website.

Meanwhile, The British Table, subtitled A New Look at the Traditional Cooking of England, Scotland and Wales, uses the comic stereotype as a take-off point and is as suitable for the coffee table as kitchen counter. Yes, it has 150 recipes and 100 color photographs. But it also is spiced with essays, excerpts and documentary photos that have more to do with eating than cooking.

Andrews is happy to call The British Table a cookbook, like his 2010 award-winning The Country Cooking of Ireland. But his idea of a cookbook, he says, is as a compendium and goes back to his first, on Catalan cooking in 1988.

My whole concept has been that recipes are fine and Im happy to pass them along, but I always think whats interesting about food is the cultural context, he says. The result are cookbooks that are big, wide-ranging things that incorporate history and literature.

Ever wonder how batter-fried fish got its chips? Andrews attributes the coinage to Charles Dickens, who in The Tale of Two Cities wrote that a farthing could buy a small bowl of husky chips of potato, fried with some reluctant drops of oil.

The citation is one of several in a one-page essay that segues into a working recipe and the polling information that the majority of British still rate fish and chips their favorite meal, ahead of a roast beef dinner with Yorkshire pudding and the English breakfast.

That is the way The British Table operates, flashing back and forth between past and present. Thus, the likes of Dickens, Samuel Pepys and George Orwell share space with celebrated living chefs like Fergus Henderson and Heston Blumenthal. In some cases, Andrews has them almost interact.

In his essay on Hendersons St. John restaurant, famous for its treatment of plain foods like offal or radish or dandelion, Andrews notes it is located near Smithfield, Londons wholesale meat market. It resonates with a description pages earlier of the same Smithfield market, excerpted from a 1930 novel by Arnold Bennett, that Andrews says could have been written yesterday.

Similarly, in his essay on Blumenthal, Andrews notes that even though he is known as the most avant-garde of British chefs, one of his London restaurants, Dinner, specializes in reimagining centuries-old dishes. One is frumenty, a once humble wheat porridge that at Dinner comes flavored with octopus and that Andrews tells readers is crucial to the plot of The Mayor of Casterbridge, by Thomas Hardy.

Dining at places like St. John and Dinner provided part of the inspiration for The British Table. Having a lot of food that was really good and undeniably British, I thought that seems like a really good topic for a juicy book, Andrews says.

He started working in earnest in early 2015 and spent time in the British Library. But he recognizes that I had been doing research without knowing I was doing research on it for years. For Saveur, hed visited Britain often and there was an overlap with his earlier book on Irish cooking. So he knew the territory. Still there were revelations, small and large. In the first category, Andrews (who majored in philosophy and history at the University of California, Los Angeles) was pleased to find a 1769 letter in which the thinker David Hume boasted of his great talent for cookery.

In the bigger picture, Andrews was surprised at how deeply the prejudice about British cooking had penetrated. What I didnt really grasp was that the upper classes 100 years ago ate as well or better than anybody in Europe, he says. It was really only in the late 19th and early 20th century that the food started descending into mediocrity.

The reasons for the decline, he says, are Victorian restraint combined with industrialization and the devastation of two world wars.

Andrews traces his personal interest in food and restaurants to dining out with his parents (his father was a screenwriter and his mother an actress). His Anglophilia began with the so-called British music invasion. As a young man, he wrote more about music than food until 1975, when he was asked to fill in for the restaurant reviewer for the Los Angeles Times. Within a few years he would be editing New West magazine and in a relationship with its restaurant writer, Ruth Reichl. She would move on to the New York Times (and later Gourmet magazine) about the same time he began Saveur.

At home, one of the meals Andrews makes is mince and tatties. Described in the book as the definitive Scottish comfort dish, it is ground beef simmered in oil and served with mashed potatoes.

Joel Lang is an award-winning Connecticut journalist.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Brian Dennehy has no plans to retire, but the veteran actor admits his new show at Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven might be his last big one.

Its certainly the most difficult play Ive ever tried to do, which is why Im doing it, the veteran actor says before heading off to a rehearsal for Samuel Becketts Endgame, a bleak, nonlinear tragicomedy that still puzzles and delights audiences almost 60 years after its first staging.

The 78-year-old Bridgeport natives long and successful career in film and television has given him the freedom to be very picky when it comes to stage work. If a theater job hes offered doesnt scare him more than a bit, Dennehy isnt interested. As a result, the actor has tested his talent and his physical strength against mammoth roles such as Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman and James Tyrone in Long Days Journey Into Night.

Theres scary and then theres terrifying, however. The Arthur Miller and Eugene ONeill plays tell basically realistic family stories in which audiences can eventually find themselves. Beckett deals in absurdity and despair, layered with black comedy, a style which some theatergoers find off-putting.

There are some mysterious things in Salesman, but both of those plays are slices of real life, the Woodstock resident says of the Miller and ONeill classics. Endgame is different. Beckett is delving inside minds and souls and what he sees there. They are very demanding pieces for actors and audiences.

Thats probably the reason theres no intermission, the actor says, laughing, of an audiences inability to escape midway through Becketts surreal tale of two men locked into lives of endless bickering and repetition. Dennehy is playing Hamm, who treats Clov (played by Reg E. Cathey) like his lackey, even though this servant often seems more like the master.

This is the sort of play I love to do, where you have no idea if the audience is willing to go along with you. ... But there comes a point where you just have to say, This is a grown-up piece, Dennehy says of not sugar-coating Beckett in the belief that some people are willing to see theater that poses tough questions about life-and-death issues.

What viewers can hold onto throughout Endgame is the poetry of Becketts language and the surprising humor that bubbles up throughout the play.

Although their theatrical styles are very different on the surface, Dennehy sees many similarities between ONeill and Beckett, especially the quintessential Irish trait of finding laughter in lifes darkest moments.

Thats the essence of an Irish wake, and Ive been to a few of those going back to the days when the box was in the living room, with iron trays filled with ice, the actor says of the hilarious stories hes heard survivors tell about the recently deceased. By the end of it, the loved ones are so exhausted (from laughing) that they cant wait to get the guy in the ground.

Dennehy experienced the similarities between ONeill and Beckett when he did their one-act plays, Hughie and Krapps Last Tape, a decade ago in a single evening at the Stratford Festival in Canada (a few years later, he did the plays at Long Wharf).

They were written about the same time, and I realized that they were essentially the same play. Two older men looking back at their lives. I ended up thinking that they should always be done together.

With his talk of coming to the end of a major phase of his career, I ask Dennehy if he has ever thought about looking back in the form of a memoir.

Im an actor, not a writer, he says, shutting down that notion. Sure, Ive had an eventful life, but a relatively normal one. Ive done right things and wrong things. Actors get too much attention anyway. The real stars are Beckett and ONeill and Miller  the people whose work were doing. Im just dancing to their music, he says.

As far as the difficulty of his current job is concerned, Dennehy says, What the hell? Ive spent my whole life shooting the dice. Why should I stop at this point? ... They cant put you in jail for bad acting.

jmeyers@ctpost.com; Twitter: @joesview
Confiscated ivory are destroyed at Beijing Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Beijing, capital of China, May 29, 2015. The Chinese government on Friday destroyed 662 kg of confiscated ivory, in a move designed to demonstrate its stance against illegal wildlife trafficking. [Photo: Xinhua/Li Xin]

China will gradually stop the processing and sales of ivory for commercial purposes by the end of 2017, according to the central government website.

The decision announced on Friday came after the country imposed a three-year ban on ivory imports in March this year in an escalated fight against illegal trading of wild animals and plants.

The move will affect the country's 34 processing enterprises and 143 designated trading venues, with dozens to be closed by the end of March 2017, according to an official with the State Forestry Administration.

Before that deadline, law enforcement agencies will continue to clamp down on illegal activities associated with ivory, the official said.

The Chinese government's decision also won the praise of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), as it said on its official website that "we celebrate another big win for elephant conservation with China's game-changing decision to end the domestic ivory trade by 2017."

A screenshot of the official website of World Wildlife Found. [CRIENGLISH.com]

It added that two of the world's largest domestic ivory markets, China and the US, had shown great leadership in taking significant stands for elephant conservation and also called on other consumer markets across the world to follow suit.

Carter Roberts, president and CEO of the WWF, described China's decision as a "game changer for elephant conservation." He said that the future for wild elephants will be brighter with the world's two largest ivory markets taking measures to end the ivory trade and he also said the moves will "reverberate around the world."

According to the WWF, China and the US are two of the world's largest consumer markets for wildlife products including the Ivory trade. To completely crack down on the Ivory trade within the two countries, a joint commitment was made in September by Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Barack Obama to impose a near-total ban on elephant ivory in their countries. The US ended its domestic ivory trade in June as new regulations were issued in the country to shut down the commercial elephant ivory trade within its border.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

BRIDGEPORT  An imam and his wife are the proud parents of one of Bridgeports first babies of 2017.

Little Hamza, weighing in at 7 pounds, 3 ounces, arrived at St. Vincents Medical Center at 12:49 a.m. on Sunday, the fourth child for Imam Saleh Mohammed and his wife, Rabia Asnan.

There was a baby who arrived a few minutes earlier at Bridgeport Hospital, but the childs family didnt wish for any information to be released.

Hamzas family, who arrived from Libya eight years ago, lives on Woodmont Avenue in Bridgeport. The infant joins his brothers Mahdi, 7 and Khlaed, 5, and a sister, Mariam, 18 months. The two older children and their tired, but happy, father arrived at St. Vincents Sunday afternoon for another visit with mom and new arrival.

I know around here four children seems like a lot, but in Libya that isnt quite the case, said Mohammed, whos the imam at the Bridgeport Islamic Center. In Libya, four children is actually a small family.

Owing to religious custom, Asnan could not talk to reporters, nor could she appear in photographs at this time.

Hamza was a late arrival.

We originally thought that he was going to arrive in mid-December, Mohammed said. The first calculation had him arriving Dec. 18, but then the ultrasound examination had the birth occurring on Dec. 31.

He said that his wifes obstetrician wanted to induce labor on Monday.

We had an appointment to be here at 7:30 a.m. on Monday  thats when they told us to be here, he said, adding that his wife and the baby will be going home Monday morning.

When the couple first arrived in the United States, they lived in Indianapolis and in Bloomington, Indiana, for a short time. Then they returned to Libya for a few months before settling in Bridgeport for good. Mohammed graduated from the University of Bridgeport.

Also arriving on Sunday, Jan. 1, was Bridgeport Hospitals second baby of 2017, a girl, Arianna Lassus, of Bridgeport

Arianna was born at 5:39 a.m, also weighing in at 7 pounds, 3 ounces. This was the second child for her mother, Caressa Jones of Wade Street, who also has a 6-year-old son, Dominic.

Hes excited to be the big brother and hes anxious to help his mommy take care of her, Jones said. And were doing great!

She said that, like Hamza, Arianna took her time in arriving.

We expected to see her in December, she said in a telephone interview from her hospital bed, adding that she expects to return home on Wednesday.

jburgeson@ctpost.com
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Hello life, goodbye 2016.

Jan. 20  Andres Ayala, the former state senator from Bridgeport who once, ever-so briefly, thought Gov. Dan Malloy was doing him a favor appointing him DMV commissioner, resigns, taking the fall for a troublesome agency fraught with customer-service complaints about long lines, suspended registrations and software glitches.

Feb. 23  Members of the General Assemblys Regulation Review Committee, none of whom are doctors, ignore their own rules and rejects the inclusion of Fabry disease  a genetic disorder that causes severe muscular pain and kills blood capillaries  for inclusion to a list of new afflictions to the states successful medical marijuana program.

Rep. Tom ODea, R-New Canaan, tries an existential, chicken-and-egg approach to actually killing the entire medical cannabis program, by charging that a four-member Board of Physicians within the Department of Consumer Protection acted improperly because it did not have the statutory eight members.

By the end of the year there are 14,978 patients in the program, including 3,047 in Fairfield County, 3,469 in New Haven County and 932 in Litchfield County.

April 27  A resolution that would have added Connecticut to a list of 25 states requesting a national Constitutional Convention collapses in the legislative Judiciary Committee.

The advertised purpose of the convention is to overturn the controversial 2010 Citizens United decision, in which the U.S. Supreme Court allowed unlimited corporate and union money in political campaigns.

Rep. Bob Godfrey, D-Danbury, whose veteran olfactory picks up on aromatic agendas, tells committee members that this particular proposal is backed by ultra-cons and a group called Wolf PAC. The bill fails 26-17.

They want to change the Electoral College, which I would be in favor of, but they also want to put a right-to-life clause in the Constitution, Godfrey says. They want to put a marriage is a man and woman in the Constitution.

May 2  In a last-ditch attempt to sideswipe auto dealers, luxury electric carmaker Tesla promises to locate three dealerships, along with a new regional distribution center in the state, with 275 new jobs. The company, however, wants to steer around the states century-old franchising rules and sell direct to consumers.

But following weeks of sputtering negotiations among Tesla reps, Connecticuts new-car dealers and General Motors, Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, says the deal is dead for the year.

Without an agreement, I couldnt bring it to a vote in the Senate, he says.

May 23  Republicans blast the governor over his planned $22 million award to Westport hedge fund giant Bridgewater Associates , with $150 billion under management. Gov. Dan Malloy says the money is a strategy to foster business growth and therefore income-tax revenue, at a crucial time.

A previous plan to help relocate Bridgewater to Stamford, with the aid of a $115 million state grant, collapsed amid local opposition in Malloys hometown Shippan neighborhood.

June 15  State Democrats, already the target of a federal grand jury probe into Malloys 2014 re-election fundraising, agree to pay a record $325,000 fine to the State Elections Enforcement Commission. It avoids a possible losing state Superior Court decision on its use of $1 million from a federal account that supplemented the $6.25 million grant that Malloy had promised not to enhance without outside cash. The federal account allows contributions of state contractors, who are prohibited from participating in statewide and General Assembly races.

July 1  After the state Supreme Court rules that the repeal of the states capital-punishment law includes those already on Death Row, Russell Peeler Jr., the murderous gangster who ordered the 1999 killings of Karen Clarke and her 8-year-old son Leroy B.J. Brown in Bridgeport, is resentenced in Superior Court to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of release. Rather than occasionally being let out of his cage in the never-ending appeals that made the states death penalty unworkable, Peelers next appearance in the newspapers and TV may be in 40 years or so, when hes in his mid-80s, and finally dies.

Sept. 22  Buffalo builder Louis Ciminelli, previously dropped from a half-billion-dollar redevelopment project around the Stamford train station, is indicted along with two former top aides of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Oct. 19  More than three years after being named designated developer for the Stamford railroad station project, which was led by secretive Darien investment mogul John McClutchy and whose team included Paul Ciminelli, brother of the indicted New York builder, the project is finally rejected by the state Department of Transportation.

Nov. 8  After asking state Democrats for a chance to serve in the state Senate, George Logan, an Aquarion Water Co. executive from Ansonia, now a Republican, defeats 82-year-old Sen. Joe Crisco. The Senate now faces an 18-18 deadlock.

Dec. 21  Gun-toting conservative political wannabe Joe Visconti, who promised to go all the way with his latest independent bid for office before bailing out on the eve of the 2014 gubernatorial race, posts a Twitter photo of a smiling State Comptroller Kevin Lembo with the label Satan Incarnate. Lembo had asked a Mississippi-based group described an extremist anti-gay organization, about its charitable criteria as a member of the a state employee payroll-deduction program.

Ken Dixons column appears Sundays in the Hearst Connecticut Newspapers. You may reach him in the Capitol at 860-549-4670 or at kdixon@ctpost.com. Find him at twitter.com/KenDixonCT. His Facebook address is kendixonct.hearst. Visit Dixons Connecticut Blog-o-rama at blog.ctnews.com/dixon/
Now that it is 2017, some mobile phone users may find they are unable to use their phones, Chinanews.com reported.

All mobile phone users must register with their real-name before the end of 2016 as according to a requirement of China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Those who fail to register cannot make or receive a call or text message after January 1, 2017. They must register as soon as possible, otherwise the number will be cancelled.

Last year the ministry shut down 23,000 illegal voice lines and over half a million illegal service lines. Almost 2,000 number-change software products, such as those hiding the original number, were removed from the shelf, according to the report.

These changes and regulations aim to crack down on telecom fraud.

The real-name registration started in 2013, since then a few problems emerged.

One man, Chen, said when he re-registered last year, several strange numbers were registered under his name he had never used before, and he even owed money on some. He had to pay off the charges before he could cancel the numbers.

The report said some telecom operation stations allow people to register mobile phone or web for others, what they need is only the person's ID card and the phone number. Chen said he once lost his ID card.

To ensure the authenticity of real-name registration, China Mobile, one of three main telecom operators in China, promised to check ID cards at all stores. The stores will be equipped with a device that can read whether a person's ID is valid and no longer sell SIM card online.
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.
Robots in the Kuka stand pour a beer into a glass at the Hannover Messe industrial trade fair in Hanover, Germany, on April 23, 2016.[Photo/Agencies]

Chinese home appliance maker Midea Group announced Friday it has secured approval for its bid to take over German robotics firm Kuka and will complete the deal in early January.

A statement from Midea, best known for washing machines and air conditioners, said the bid will promote the robot and automation technology in China and worldwide.

Midea attaches great importance to Kuka's advantages in products and services, said Fang Hongbo, chairman of Midea, adding that Midea will help Kuka in markets in China and other regions and expand investments.

Midea announced the bid on June 16, offering to pay 115 euros (around $120) per share. It will take 94.55 percent of Kuka after the bid is settled.

In August, Germany's economy ministry gave the green light to the takeover. It then passed through anti-monopoly investigations from the European Union, and countries including Russia and China.

The last barrier was cleared Friday after the bid received approval from the US Committee on Foreign Investment and Directorate of Defense Trade Controls.

One of the world's top four robot makers, Kuka, founded in 1898 and based in Augsburg, has a workforce of 12,000 and its 2015 revenue was nearly 3 billion euros.
Passion: Gary Shipton with one of his newspapers

In a world of seismic political and social change, the need for truly independent newspapers to report events, investigate stories, campaign against injustices and make a real and positive difference to society is imperative.

Indeed, never have they or their websites had a more vital role.

Last year will be remembered for many things, but one of the most insidious has surely been the growth of fake news sites designed to deceive readers, and circulated indiscriminately by social media around the world. It is hard to think of a more democratically destructive development.

As we enter 2017, you might have thought politicians would make the eradication of these hoax story sites a top priority, demanding that the global social media giants  unregulated, unedited and unauthenticated  be made responsible for what they transmit.

Instead it is newspapers that have once again become the target of vengeful campaigners, egged on by powerful figures with shameful secrets they would rather keep hidden and those whose love of free speech extends only as far as their own narrow views.

NOW HAVE YOUR SAY What can be done? Very sensibly, the Culture Secretary has launched a consultation. The zealots of Hacked Off, and their allies in Parliament, are lobbying hard for Section 40 to become law and for Leveson Two to get under way. But this time you get your say, too. If you want to defend the right to read a newspaper like The Mail on Sunday  a newspaper which holds the rich and powerful to account, which fights injustice and which refuses to kowtow to rules set by politicians and a regulator in the pocket of Max Mosley  you can tell the Government this unjust legislation must be repealed and no money wasted on another Leveson Inquiry. Freedom of speech is everyones right  and now is the time to use it. All you have to do is go to mailonsunday.co.uk/freepress. It won't take five minutes... Advertisement

To this end, some politicians, still bruised from the exemplary newspaper investigation into their expenses claims, seem hell-bent on enacting legislation that would entirely neuter newspapers ability to hold anyone in power, to account.

The threat lies in the Crime and Courts Act of 2013 and a clause known as Section 40  a time-bomb that threatens to explode the very concept of a free and fearless press.

Put simply, if implemented, Section 40 could force papers to pay both sides legal costs in any civil action arising from a story, even if that story is found to be entirely true.

For example, a corrupt politician could take a paper to court for exposing his misdeeds, knowing that no matter how weak his case nor how robust the journalism, the newspaper would in all likelihood have to pay colossal costs.

Those costs are likely to run into millions and could encourage a tsunami of unjustified claims, hitting smaller newspapers hardest.

The real costs, however, will be greater still. For its not hard to see where this would lead: editors may shy away from serious investigations, fearing the financial penalties.

Frankly, it is a rogues charter. And it attacks the very foundation of British justice. This is not just an assault on big, national papers.

As the Editor-in-Chief of a group of newspapers in the Sussex area, I know how local papers and their websites are the backbone of their communities.

They cover everything from golden weddings to flower shows; borough councils to NHS trusts; and from magistrates courts to public meetings.

Local newspapers often operate with modest staffs, relying instead on their passion and on the very high levels of reader trust. This type of legislative meddling, and the blackmail that Section 40 threatens, is the last thing they need.

Make no mistake, it is blackmail. Section 40 was plucked out of the rarefied parliamentary air to bully editors into falling into line; only those who signed up to a new State-sanctioned press watchdog would be spared the massive financial penalties it threatened.

The cause of this profound injustice dates back to the phone-hacking scandal and Lord Justice Levesons inquiry which followed.

Although phone-hacking was confined to a tiny number of journalists  and was in reality about a lack of enforcement of existing laws  from Leveson sprang a bodged political contrivance designed to appease bodies like Hacked Off, who have long wanted to curtail the robust free speech newspapers represent.

In the New Year, the Culture Secretary must decide whether or not to implement a piece of legislation so pernicious, so illiberal, it is hard to believe Parliament ever passed it. But it did

A State-created and sanctioned regulatory process was dreamed up under the construct of a Royal Charter. No self-respecting journalist could or should succumb to such a wretched watchdog, which is in reality a mechanism that could be ever tightened in the future.

The press responded to the Governments Royal Charter almost as one, local and national together. They have decisively rejected what is on offer and come up with their own, far more sensible and sustainable, solution.

They have put in place the funding for truly independent regulation under the Independent Press Standards Organisation and have committed themselves morally and contractually to be bound by it.

IPSO is a notable achievement  a body that sits outside state and newspaper proprietor and yet has the power to implement most of what Leveson demanded. In its first couple of years of life, it has proved itself tough and resilient.

Impress claims to be independent, but is bankrolled by former F1 boss Max Mosley, on a mission to reform the Press ever since a newspaper revealed his sado-masochistic orgy with five prostitutes

Despite this, those determined to subjugate the press have instead welcomed Impress, an alternative regulator which has contentiously been approved under the Royal Charter, even though it did so by borrowing IPSOs own code of practice.

Its funding is supplied almost entirely by Max Mosley, the former motorsport mogul who successfully sued the News of the World for printing photographs of him taking part in a sadomasochistic orgy with prostitutes dressed in military uniform.

Impress is now a recognised regulator  meaning there is a real danger the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport could enact the sleeping Section 40. Indeed, that can be the only reason for Impresss very existence.

To the Governments credit, they have not blindly rushed in. Instead, they have launched a public consultation. You can complete it online. It closes this month. And your contribution will be decisive.

In Britain, a tradition of fearless newspapers like The Mail on Sunday has defused civil strife and provoked social and political change for more than 200 years. They are the bedrock of our democracy.

If you believe in a free speech which by definition has the power to offend and to challenge, then support newspaper journalists across the country and respond to the consultation, which takes only minutes to complete. And if you make only one New Year resolution today, let it be to celebrate newspapers and fight to support them against those who would subvert your right to know.

Imagine someone throws a brick through your window. The case goes to court and the brickthrower is convicted. But you are told you must pay for your window  and his brick. An unbelievable injustice?

Yes  but thats just what Britains newspapers face.

In the New Year, the Culture Secretary must decide whether or not to implement a piece of legislation so pernicious, so illiberal, it is hard to believe Parliament ever passed it. But it did.

Under Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act, rushed into law after the Leveson Inquiry, any newspaper that refuses to join a regulator approved under the Governments Royal Charter for the Press, and is sued for libel, will be forced to pay the other sides legal costs  even if the newspaper wins.

Under Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act, rushed into law after the Leveson Inquiry, any newspaper that refuses to join a regulator approved under the Governments Royal Charter for the Press, and is sued for libel, will be forced to pay the other sides legal costs  even if the newspaper wins

EVEN IF YOU WIN, YOU LOSE: If this law is implemented it wont matter if an article is true, lawfully published, serves the public interest and the complaint is thrown out by the court  any newspaper not signed up to an approved regulator will face paying all the costs, every single penny.

FREE TICKET FOR CROOKS, BANKRUPTCY FOR NEWSPAPERS: Costs in High Court legal actions routinely run into hundreds of thousands of pounds  sometimes millions. This legislation gives anyone who wants to silence journalists a free ticket. Newspapers that fight  particularly local newspapers  will face being bankrupted.

WHO WILL EXPOSE INJUSTICE? Most of our greatest injustices are exposed not by MPs or the police, but by newspapers. The MPs expenses scandal; the Rotherham sex grooming cover-up; our own revelations of Co-op bank chief Paul Flowers crystal meth binges  just a few of the investigations that would never have been possible if Section 40 was in force.

WHY NOT JOIN THE STATE-APPROVED REGULATOR? Called Impress, it claims to be independent, but is bankrolled by former F1 boss Max Mosley, on a mission to reform the Press ever since a newspaper revealed his sado-masochistic orgy with five prostitutes. It has just a handful of micro-publisher members, some barely more than online blogs. No mainstream newspaper has joined.

SO WHO REGULATES THE MoS? The Mail on Sunday and 2,600 other newspapers, magazines and websites do not believe the Press can be truly free under rules imposed by politicians. We belong to a regulator which is entirely independent of the Government. Chaired by former Appeal Court Judge Sir Alan Moses, the Independent Press Standards Organisation regularly orders front page corrections and  if necessary  can impose fines of up to 1 million.
Just in the past week or so, the Grim Reaper has harvested George Michael, 53, Carrie Fisher, 60 (pictured), Debbie Reynolds, 84, Richard Adams, 96, Rick Parfitt, 68, Rabbi Lionel Blue, 86, Zsa Zsa Gabor, 99

In 2016 we went into meltdown over so much. Yet it wasnt the UKs Brexit vote for economic euthanasia that triggered the most surprised, even outraged, anguish but the deaths of a slew of celebrities. Bowie, 69, Prince, 57, Alan Rickman, 69, Sir George Martin, 90, Sir Terry Wogan, 77, Ronnie Corbett, 85.

Just in the past week or so, the Grim Reaper has harvested George Michael, 53, Carrie Fisher, 60, Debbie Reynolds, 84, Richard Adams, 96, Rick Parfitt, 68, Rabbi Lionel Blue, 86, Zsa Zsa Gabor, 99  all to wild keening on Twitter. (Madonnas was my personal favourite, in response to Carrie Fishers death: Farewell my friend. Can 2016 f**k off now?)

Each death is, of course, a deep sadness to the family, friends and followers of the deceased, but a national tragedy?

Ill miss Bowie et al as much as any fan  but most of these stars died (please, can we not say passed, it always makes me think of kidney stones) at a perfectly respectable age.

I remind you that the average life expectancy of a male born in 1951 was 66. In 1841 it was 41. So the dear departed mostly had a good innings, especially those who had pursued what we might call party lifestyles.

Indeed, those who lived it large in the 1960s and 1970s were arguably overdue to meet their makers (a 2014 study in Australia surveyed 13,000 rock and pop stars and established that they die on average 25 years younger than the rest of us, which makes even George Michaels death at 53 less surprising than it may seem).

George Michael died on Christmas Day at home in Goring-on-Thames aged just 53

In fact, we should not mourn, but celebrate that they lived so long. Its a blessing most of the stars went out when they did, allowing us to remember them in their pomp and on song, rather than fading into frail senility, longing  as Debbie Reynolds did for daughter Carrie  to be reunited with their loved ones on the other side. Sorry to be blunt, but most of us are living far too long. Medicine is striving officiously to keep us alive, and adult social care is a bottomless pit (the recently announced 900 million over two years for local authorities is a mere Band-Aid: 13 billion is needed).

Baby-boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) arent just leaving their towels firmly on the beach loungers of life when it comes to jobs, housing, status, and wealth. They are also pouring their fortunes into funding research into living even longer. Perhaps for ever!

COUNTRY LIFE IS TOO RACY FOR CITY SOFTY KATE The Duchess of Cambridge with Prince George in September at Government House in Victoria, Canada The Cambridges might be sending Prince George to a boys prep in West London. It cant be because they want to put the scrumptious tot through the pushy rat run in the capital, complete with super-tutors and afterschool Mandarin, rather than send the princeling to the cosy, co-ed local school in Norfolk. Its got to be a town mouse v. country mouse thing. Rural life as a Sloane is non-stop. A man once roared at me over pints of Stag at a pub on Exmoor: Here, its either shag, drink or ride  or all three! reminding me that in her time, Camilla P-B was much admired for never having a bath after hunting. In West London, though, mothers segue serenely from school gates to Pilates to philosophy group and are fat-free, fanatical exercisers, self-improvers and clean eaters. So the choice is not between Norfolk and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Its between metropolitan puritans and lusty hard-riders who regard wine as a soft drink (mummys Ribena!), and who make up for slow broadband with fast living  and I think we know Kates speed. Advertisement

Even the late Silicon Valley guru Steve Jobs said: Death is very likely the single best invention of life. It is lifes change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new.

Yet swish outfits like the Buck Institute in California are busy researching biomedical solutions to ageing, while cryonics and other immortality projects are increasingly big business.

A chap called Aubrey de Grey advocates Strategies for Negligible Senescence and does a TED talk called An End To Ageing. If thats not scary enough, Susan Harper, professor of gerontology at Oxford says babies born this decade could live up to 150 years. 150 years? We cant cope as it is, with the number of over-65s set to increase by almost a third  from 11.6 million today to 15.4 million by 2030. During that time, the number of people over 85 is set to almost double.

Given that this inverse pyramid threatens to squash flat those toiling underneath  ie all the young workers slaving to pay for the pensions and care of the older generations  Im not sure we should strain to cleave to the latest health warnings about alcohol and obesity (Public Health England has warned a whopping 87 per cent of men and 79 per cent of women in middle age are either overweight or obese, drink too much or dont exercise).

No. Eat, drink and be merry, folks  finish up the mince pies and stuffing, for tomorrow we die (as the saying goes, anyway).
What a good thing it is that most criminals cannot read very well. For the Home Office has revealed that nearly half of all recorded crimes now go unsolved, because the police cannot identify the culprit.

Our criminal justice system is like one of those French Foreign Legion forts in the Sahara, where the battlements are manned by cardboard figures.

As soon as the besiegers spot the deception, they can sweep inside, howling with glee.

The Home Office has revealed that nearly half of all recorded crimes now go unsolved, because the police cannot identify the culprit (file photo)

But for the moment we are living in the brief interval before the wicked among us grasp that nothing stands in their way any more. Enjoy it while you can.

Law-abiding classes and criminal classes alike are still fooled by the cardboard figures. They see the occasional police officer whizzing by in a noisy car, or chatting to his colleague about overtime on a public-relations patrol of a wholly safe and tranquil area in broad daylight.

They read of trials, which do actually still take place despite the frantic efforts of the authorities to head them off with restorative justice, cautions, fixed penalties and other negotiations.

There are even prisons, though these are reserved mostly for hardened criminals who have committed so many crimes that the authorities have run out of excuses for letting them off. And they might as well be made of cardboard too, since there are so few staff that the inmates run them, they seethe with illegal drugs and other crime, and very few sentences are fully served.

And there is now an active elite campaign to send even fewer people to prison  which would be stupid even if the actual level of crime and disorder wasnt still shooting up. Which it is. For it is not just the illiterate criminals who are unaware of what is going on. Millions of educated people genuinely believe the crime figures, or dont understand what they mean.

Your eye may have slipped past the word recorded in my first paragraph. But it is vital to know that huge quantities of crime are never recorded at all. This is because the victims of it are afraid of their assailants and know the police are powerless to help, so judge it wiser to keep quiet; or it is because those victims know from experience that nothing will be done if they do complain.

There is now an active elite campaign to send even fewer people to prison  which would be stupid even if the actual level of crime and disorder wasnt still shooting up (file photo)

Or it is because the figures have been blatantly fiddled (as police witnesses revealed to Parliaments Public Administration Committee at its hearing on November 19, 2013). Or it is just because the police are so hard to reach, and so uninterested in investigating unless you have the whole thing recorded in 3D colour with soundtrack and a signed confession from the culprit (I exaggerate slightly, but not much). And who can blame them?

The state prosecutors will almost certainly drop the case anyway, so scared are they of losing in court. Justice is one of many things starved of money by the liberal state.

What we have done is reclassify many former crimes as normal acceptable actions, just as we have succeeded in reclassifying organised ignorance as education and permanent unemployment as self-employment or disability. First it was all the things that fall into the category of anti-social behaviour, including public drunkenness, then vandalism, then shoplifting, now its burglary and car crime. Whats next for normalisation? Mugging?

BBC HAS ITS HISTORY WRONG Pictured: Andrea Riseborough in the BBC adaptation of Agatha Christie's, Witness For The Prosecution Agatha Christies Witness For The Prosecution was a successful play beforebecoming a classic film of the 1950s. Its not a work of genius, but it is a good courtroom drama with a surprise at the end. How could the BBC possibly have made such a mess of it, as it did in its TV version last week? The answer is simple. The BBC cannot leave the past alone, but does not understand that it was really different from the present. It thinks that if it shows enough characters smoking, and shoots everything in a sort of gravy-stained dingy light, it has recreated the 1920s. I think I counted seven people lighting up cigarettes in the first two minutes. After that, I stopped counting in case I got cancer. I also spotted characters, plainly supposed to be reporters, smoking in court during an Old Bailey trial, which in the real 1920s would have earned them a spell in the cells for contempt of court. Having done this, it made most of the characters (including a cat) behave and speak as if they were appearing in EastEnders. A knighted barrister unhesitatingly used the f-word. The police were shown as thugs who arrested a suspect by bursting in on him without a warrant and beating him with truncheons, even though he was asleep in bed. Nobody seemed to know the law of England. Lawyers blatantly and unlawfully coached witnesses. The only Christian (of course) was a plain, sour, repressed lesbian with a secret passion for her mistress, who was then wrongfully hanged. A cat was lingeringly shown licking up its dead owners blood. A character who had been gassed in the war was shown coughing up yet more blood. No doubt this is all much more modern and truthful than the 1957 film version. But it is also much worse, and the portentous music and pretentious camera work only underline that. The BBC licence fee is not collected under the threat of imprisonment to allow people to indulge themselves in this way. Advertisement

This is the origin of the repeated official claim (laughable to the residents of our rougher areas) that crime is falling. No, what is falling is our civilisation. It is falling slowly, like the atmospheric pressure on the Shipping Forecast, but falling all the same.

And all I get for saying so is abuse from police officers who wrongly claim I am attacking them personally. I am not. They are trapped in a system over which they have no power. Yet they must know the truth. So why do they chide me for pointing it out, rather than protest to their chiefs and to MPs about the scandal that grows unchecked all around us?

While I never liked the politics of President Barack Obama - I had some respect for him as an intelligent and thoughtful person, writes Peter Hitchens

While I never liked the politics of President Barack Obama, left, and warned from the start that he was overrated, I had some respect for him as an intelligent and thoughtful person.

His final weeks  in which he seems to have decided to spite his successor with petty, self-indulgent and damaging actions against Israel and Russia  have put paid to that.

Did anyone in authority notice that the culprit of the Berlin Christmas market outrage turned out  yet again  to be a drug-abusing petty criminal?

They almost always are. But the police and security services resolutely look elsewhere for suspects.

This is because they need to believe in conspiracy theories and global plots, as this makes them feel important.

Also they are not interested in the dull work of enforcing the laws against ordinary crime and drug possession. Congratulations to the Italian police for having proper foot patrols after dark.

The interesting thing about peace between Israel and the Arabs is that the more we talk about it, the less of it we get.

The past few years (in which there have been no major negotiations) have been among the quietest in the West Bank in recent times, and many people have managed to get on with reasonably happy lives there, which I should have thought a good thing.
Let's call it the Anglo-Saxon Spring. Brexit. Trump. The Le Pen surge. The Merkel backlash.

The decline and fall of Renzi, Cameron and Obama. Outside of election cycles, most politicians enter each New Year with a strategy for merely staying one step ahead of popular opinion.

They opt for a steady state mode of governance. No shocks, few surprises. Vigorous continuity is the order of the day. But when Theresa May returns to work this week, she will not merely be trying to stay one step ahead of popular opinion. Instead, she will be trying to work out how to wrest control of a revolution.

In 2017, Theresa May has to somehow find a way to navigate her way through alternating visions of a Britannic Heaven and Hades

The past 12 months defied analysis, primarily because there were two 2016s. There was the 2016 where it was bliss simply to be alive. An establishment rocked to its foundations.

She must find a way of reaching out to our warring tribes

The yoke of 50 years of European oppression cast aside. A moment when the British people turned to the political elite and told them politely but firmly: We are the masters now.

And there was the 2016 which saw a nation fall dark. Little England barked. Her xenophobes roared. The ghost of Enoch Powell rose and began to once again stalk the land.

In 2017, Theresa May has to somehow find a way to navigate her way through these alternating visions of a Britannic Heaven and Hades.

Or perhaps more importantly, she has to find a way of reaching out to a critical mass of the warring 52 per cent and 48 per cent tribes who in differing ways have seen their worlds turned upside down over the past 12 months.

To her credit, May appreciates the scale of her task. Though Brexit means Brexit has unwittingly become her catchphrase, she has been adamant from the moment she stepped into No 10 that the Leave vote was simply a symbol of a much wider popular discontent.

She believes the referendum result was about much more than the EU, a Downing Street insider told me. It reflects a far deeper desire for change.

Thats why in the coming months we can expect to see May trying to expand the political conversation beyond the narrow confines of Article 50 implementation and back on to areas of what she calls her social reform agenda.

Housing, education, the criminal justice system, energy prices, broken markets  each of these areas are set to become the focus of Mays attempt to redress what she describes as Britains burning injustices.

Another advantage is she enters the New Year with her opponents in utter disarray. Jeremy Corbyn pledged to mark 2017 by launching his own populist uprising. Then promptly underlined his inability to speak the language of the common man by using his last major interview of the year to compare May to Henry VIII. Outside of the ranks of the Plantagenet Society, it is unlikely this particular sound-bite will secure cut-through.

Jeremy Corbyn pledged to mark 2017 by launching his own populist uprising, writes Hodges

But Corbyns increasingly comical leadership style is becoming a side issue. Of much more significance is the way the Anglo-Saxon Spring has left Britains progressives staggering around like punch-drunk boxers.

Unable to get their bearings, even former moderates are hanging off ideological lamp-posts in a bid to steady themselves.

There is talk of taking the fight to the Brexiteers. Of not surrendering on core principles. Of reshaping the centre ground in the image of the 48 per cent. In other words, precisely the sort of vainglorious rhetoric that consigned the hard-Left to oblivion throughout the wilderness years of the 1980s.

SO if May wants to recast herself as a peculiarly British Spartacus, there is no one to challenge her. She has read the public mood, and the public  to date  have warmed to her unflashy, assiduous ethos. But as 2016 demonstrated, that mood is volatile. And the question is whether our instinctively conservative Conservative Prime Minister can take on the mantle of revolutionary.

'Our Prime Minister cannot afford to simply try to stay a single step ahead of public opinion'

Speak to her Cabinet colleagues, and they will be as one in describing Theresa Mays premiership as being defined by her innate caution. Thats if theyre being polite. If theyre not, they will describe it as being defined by her innate control-freakery.

Take what they say about markets, says one. Her and her team are constantly talking about controlling them. But the whole point about markets is you cant control them. Thats why theyre markets.

The other problem is that to really seize control of the insurgent mood that is abroad, it will require a major change of tempo within Downing Street. In the aftermath of her dramatic accession, Mays primary goal was to generate a sense of stability. And she succeeded admirably.

But now she has to inject some energy and dynamism into her premiership. There is a danger the what is the plan? mantra that currently attends Brexit starts to encompass her wider programme. And on Brexit itself the risk is not of a hard Brexit or a soft Brexit, but a sluggish, stagnating Brexit, which appeals to neither side of the 52-48 divide. Theresa May is no Nigel Farage or Donald Trump  and let us thank the gods for that. But she has to somehow find a way of channelling the forces they have unleashed without aping Trump or Farages dangerous, hypo-muscular nationalism.

'Theresa May is no Nigel Farage or Donald Trump  and let us thank the gods for that'

Yet channel them she must. Because while the Anglo-Saxon Spring of 2016 may not have been characterised by the same violent upheaval as its 2011 counterpart, the energies driving it are potentially no less potent. And no less dangerous.

So yes, we may hear some liberal outrage. Tough choices need to be made on immigration, the ECHR, welfare spending. One or two safe spaces may need to be razed.
The madness of Britains Foreign Aid programme never ceases. The Mail on Sunday has repeatedly shown the folly of working towards a spending target of 0.7 per cent of gross national income, rather than allocating funds on merit.

Among many exclusive reports we revealed the true farce of the disastrous decision to spend 285 million on an airport in St Helena, where it is too windy for planes to land  approved by the now knighted civil servant Mark Lowcock.

Today we disclose that the foreign aid budget is helping wealthy big-name British retailers with grants to assist their suppliers with training and improving conditions.

Permanent Secretary for International Development Mark Lowcock with International Development Secretary Priti Patel

The aim is laudable, but surely these rich and powerful companies can well afford to pay for such things out of their own substantial profits.

The new International Development Secretary, Priti Patel, has been making all the right noises since she took over, and can count on considerable public and media support if she can get the aid monster under control.

Of course this country should provide aid where it is truly needed  our charitable readers strongly support well-targeted and intelligent aid, and so do we. But that is not the same as lax generosity with other peoples money.

As Ms Patel faces the smooth Yes, Minister mandarins whose careers have been built on our ballooning aid programme, she needs and deserves the strong support of Downing Street. Unless the Sir Humphreys realise that No 10 is fully behind her, they will continue to scheme for themselves, rather than serve the country. It is time for Theresa May to intervene.

A fight for liberty

It is alarmingly easy to lose important liberties simply by not paying attention. Look at how obscure legislation and political correctness have limited freedom of speech, by stealth, over the past 20 years.

Now the enemies of press freedom  powerful people with something to hide  see a chance to strike a dangerous blow against the liberty of independent media to investigate them. And they hope you wont notice.

An extraordinary piece of legislation  Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act  could be used to punish free media for telling the truth. This outrageous clause would mean a newspaper that had proved the truth of its story in court could still be made to pay the costs of the person whose wrongdoing it had exposed.

Even for large national newspapers such as The Mail on Sunday, this would be a severe risk. As a Sussex editor, Gary Shipton points out, on Page 42, that the threat to small local newspapers is even greater.

Those who value the free British presss hard-won and priceless ability to hold the powerful to account can act to save it.

On Page 43 we provide details of how you can take part in the Governments consultation on the law. We strongly recommend that you do so.

Britains champions

In these challenging times it might seem a bit bold to wish our readers a very happy New Year, but  as the Honours List rightly underlines  we have much in this country to be happy about.

Not just the thousands quietly doing good with no thought for themselves, but also the uplifting achievements of our sportsmen and women.

We salute them and wish all of you a golden year ahead.
A couple who both have Down syndrome have shared photos of the magical day they wed in a ceremony attended by 200 guests.

Polly and Joe met eight years ago when they were both college students in Sussex, UK.

The pair said their attraction was instant and in May they made things official by tying the knot in a ceremony that included a unicorn throne and singing waiters.

Scroll down for video

Polly and Joe, who both have Down syndrome, have shared photos of their unicorn themed wedding day

'The greatest thing is to love and be loved in return,' Polly said, explaining she hoped their story would touch the lives of others

'Our favourite parts of the day were saying I do, exchanging rings and dancing to Labyrinth', Polly said

Now, the couple have shared photos of their beautiful day with Daily Mail, and Polly hoped their story may help others.

'It would be wonderful if our story could touch the lives of others struggling to cope with any kind of disability or inequality,' she told Rocknroll Bride. 'The greatest thing is to love and be loved in return.'

Polly explained she and Joe wanted their wedding to have a 'festival' vibe, which was achieved with stunning attention to detail.

At one point, Joe could be seen tenderly kissing the hand of his new bride

The couple met eight years ago when they were both college students

With the help of family and friends, tables were strewn with bunches of wild flowers in a variety of colours, while pastel-hued bunting hung from the sides of the reception marquee at Brewerstreet Farmhouse in Surrey.

There was also a plant and flower stall, a plethora of helium balloons in pink and blue as well as waiters singing Ratpack tunes.

'Our favourite parts of the day were saying I do, exchanging rings and dancing to Labyrinth', Polly, who wore a white gown patterned with lilac detailing along with a long white veil, told Rocknroll Bride.

'We also love that so many people came to celebrate with us.'

Polly wore a white gown patterned with lilac detailing along with a long white veil for her big day

The couple, who are keen dancers, enjoyed a dance before saying their vows

The newlyweds enjoyed a kiss after exchanging rings made from vintage silver sugar tongs

The couple love to sing and dance and before saying their vows they played the Abba song I do, I do, I do, with their guests joining in on kazoos.

They then danced to Come What May - the song performed by Nicole Kidman and Ewan MacGregor in the hit film Moulin Rouge - before exchanging rings made from vintage silver sugar tongs.

A particular point of interest for guests was a white unicorn throne where the newly married couple posed for pictures by Leela Bennett Photography.

Bride, Polly, said she wanted the wedding to have a 'festival' feel to it

Around 200 guests attended the magical day to help the couple celebrate their wedding

It was on the throne, that at one point, Joe tenderly took his new wife's hand and pressed it to his lips in a kiss.

The couple also celebrated their nuptials with a cake topped with multi-coloured sprinkles and the words Polly and Joe, alongside a love heart.

Guests received home made jams and chutney as wedding favours and everyone attending the event wore special 'wedfest' wristbands.

'My advice to other couples, especially to young adults with special needs, is to live the dream, believe in yourselves and that anything can be possible,' Polly said.
They are the smallest twins ever born in Britain  and their devastated parents were told there was only a one in ten chance they would survive.

But a year later, a thriving Rylea and Robyn weigh a healthy 14lb each and have celebrated their first Christmas at home with their mum and dad.

The girls were born an astonishing 23 weeks into the pregnancy of mother Claire Cunliffe. Rylea was a mere 15oz, while sister Robyn was a touch heavier at 1lb 3oz.

Claire Cunliffe with partner Jason Comer and twins Robyn and Rylea

Ms Cunliffe, 41, of Cheadle, Greater Manchester, told The Mail on Sunday: 'I can't believe when I look at them now how well they have done. Every time they smile I can't believe how lucky we are to have them.'

Ms Cunliffe discovered she was carrying twins during a routine scan 12 weeks into her pregnancy. 'It was a real shock,' she said.

All went smoothly until she suffered a water infection in November 2015. Doctors at Bolton Hospital found she had actually gone into labour and it was too late to stop it. They told Ms Cunliffe and father Jason Comer, 45, the twins only had a ten per cent chance of survival.

Claire holding Rylea's tiny foot at birth

Miss Cunliffe, who lives with Mr Comer, a floor fitter, said: 'It was staggering just how small they were  but they were perfectly formed. Rylea's hand was only the size of the tip of my little finger.'

When Robyn was three months old she developed sepsis, a severe blood infection. Her lung collapsed but she pulled through.
Precious Ramotswe, owner of the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency  Botswanas only detective agency for the problems of ladies (and others)  was thinking of what her father had said to her.

The late Obed Ramotswe had been such a good man, and such a fine judge of cattle, that many people remembered him.

Even after all these years, strangers would come up to her and say: Your father always used to say, Precious And then they would tell her what he said, and she would say: I remember that very well, although often she was only being polite and she did not remember it at all.

Written specially for the Mail on Sunday, Precious Ramotswe - owner of the No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, thinks about her father and her New Year resolutions

The important test, though, was this: was it the sort of thing he might be expected to say and, if it was, then she felt it was quite all right for her to say that she remembered it.

But now his actual words were coming back to her.

He had been talking about New Year and about what you should think about the old year coming to an end and the new one starting. He had been standing near the cattle pens and the sun had been on his face. And then he had said, in that lovely deep voice of his: Dont forget that even if this year has been good, then next year might be even better  fatter cattle, Precious  fatter cattle!

She recalled how inspiring she had found those sentiments. Yes, it was a good idea to think about what had been achieved over the past year, but it was equally good to think about how one might make the coming year even better.

In other words, the end of the year was just the right time to think about general improvements. Of course, you could not always control what happened: fat cattle depended on good rains, and Botswana was a dry country. But you could always hope that the rain clouds would build up and that the parched land would get the relief it needed.

Now, sitting in her office, gazing idly at the ceiling, she thought of his words and of what she could do to follow his advice.

On the other side of the room, her assistant  now her associate  Grace Makutsi, distinguished graduate of the Botswana Secretarial College but now an experienced detective in her own right, was at the same time reading a magazine and filing her nails. The sound of the emery board she used to deal with her nails grated on Mma Ramotswes ear, but she was unwilling to say anything  Mma Makutsi, for all her good points, could be a bit prickly. In fact, she could be very prickly indeed.

You see in this magazine, began Mma Makutsi, turning a page. It says that the coming year is going to be very important.

Mma Ramotswe glanced at her. Every year is important, Mma. I cannot think of a year when people have said, This has been a very unimportant year  a year that perhaps we should not have bothered to have. 

Mma Makutsi looked at her over the top of her magazine. Hah! That would be a very odd thing to say, Mma. You cant pick and choose what years youre going to have. You have to accept them all.

She paused, and pointed a freshly manicured finger at a page of her magazine. But there are some years, Mma, which are more important because certain very significant things happen  certain unforeseeable events.

Mma Ramotswe shrugged. And exactly what unforeseeable events are you thinking of, Mma?

The question took Mma Makutsi off-guard, but then she smiled. It was a slightly superior smile  the smile of one who had picked up on something illogical in what another had just said.

You cannot answer that about unforeseeable events, Mma Ramotswe. That is because that is because they are unforeseeable  thats what they are.

Mma Ramotswe had to concede the point. But how can they be unforeseeable if theyre telling us theyre going to happen? she asked.

It was Mma Makutsis turn to shrug. They dont explain that, Mma. All they say is that watch out for this coming year.

Then I shall, said Mma Ramotswe. Its very unwise not to watch out.

Mma Makutsi turned the page. And they say here that its very important to make New Year resolutions. She pointed at the magazine again. They say that this is exactly the time when we should be looking at ourselves in the mirror and seeing whats wrong with us.

Mma Ramotswe thought about this. She knew that if she looked in the mirror she would see that she was still very traditionally built. In fact, on the last occasion she had looked in the full-length mirror on the back of her wardrobe door, she had been too broad to fit within the mirror and had been obliged to step backwards across the room before she found her full width encompassed in the glass.

Her husband, Mr J. L. B. Matekoni, had come in at that point; immediately diagnosing the problem, he had offered to find a wider mirror. They make some very wide mirrors, these days, Mma, he had said. This is because many people these days are a bit a bit wider than they used to be. I could easily buy one and fix it on the door for you.

She had thanked him, but declined. It was the beginning of the end if you started to buy larger clothes and wider mirrors  it was far better to try to fit yourself into existing clothes and existing mirrors, even if it was a bit of a squash to do so.

Mma Makutsi continued: Yes, we should look in the mirror and list the things that are wrong with us. Then we should write down a list of resolutions  promises you make to yourself about what youre going to do. You should write them all down, one by one. And then what? Mma Makutsi put a finishing touch to a nail before laying the emery board down on her desk. Then, she said, you should put the resolutions into effect. And if you do She looked intently at Mma Ramotswe. And if you do, then you will become a better person.

The look she gave Mma Ramotswe as she said this was unambiguous. It was clear to Mma Ramotswe that Mma Makutsi thought it highly desirable that she  Mma Ramotswe  needed to become a better person.

Very interesting, said Mma Ramotswe. But now, Mma, I think we should get on with our work. You have your filing to do and I have to draft a letter to that woman who thinks her husband is having an affair and wants us to get the evidence.

Mma Makutsi gave a snort. Of course hes having an affair.

Mma Ramotswe looked surprised. Oh really, Mma? Do you know something about him? Have you seen him with somebody?

Mma Makutsi was dismissive. Oh, I know nothing about this man  in fact, I dont know who youre talking about.

Mma Ramotswe frowned. But how do you know then, Mma, if you dont

She was interrupted by Mma Makutsi, who said: You dont have to know anything particular about a man, Mma, to know what he is getting up to. All men get up to the same things. All men behave in the same way because at heart they are men. That is the big problem, Mma, that women have to face: all men are the same.

She paused, to let her words sink in. Oh, I know you get different types of men, she continued. You get some men who are tall and some who are short, you get men who look like jackals and men who look like hippos. And there are various sorts of men in between, but when it comes to their hearts, Mma, then youll find that they all have the same sort of heart. And that means theyll do the same things.

It was a major speech, and for a few moments Mma Ramotswe did not say anything. Then she spoke. I dont know, Mma Makutsi, she began. We should not be too hard on men.

Oh, I am not being hard on men, Im being realistic. Men have affairs.

Mma Ramotswe sighed. She could have argued with Mma Makutsi; she could have defended men, because there were plenty of good men  she was married to one  but it was an uphill battle disabusing Mma Makutsi of some of her strongly held views.

Not all men, said Mma Ramotswe. Some men, but not all.

That is true, said Mma Makutsi. But I still believe we have to watch men very closely  very closely indeed.

She looked at her watch. I must get on with my filing, Mma. You write your letter to that lady and tell her that we shall be watching her husband on her behalf and there is nothing that we do not notice.

Her husband had better watch out  but perhaps you should not say that in the letter, Mma  not in so many words.

Mma Ramotswe reached for a piece of paper. She thought about what she would say in the letter  she would agree to act for the suspicious wife, but she would warn her that it might be difficult to get any real evidence of her husbands activities.

She would say something like, People who are having an affair do not always have it in the open, Mma. In fact, they very much prefer to have it behind closed doors. So please do not expect us to achieve any miracles

It was best to start off that way, so as not to raise the expectations of the client too much. Then, if they found something, the client would be appreciative and would pay the bill without too much complaint.

Not that Mma Ramotswe over-charged; her fees were extremely modest and, as she pointed out, a few hundred pula was a small price to pay for peace of mind. Or the opposite, of course.

She looked at the headed note paper in front of her. The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency it proclaimed. And then, underneath, in smaller print, were the reassuring words, Under personal management.

She was not quite sure what that meant, as it was difficult to imagine any business  other than a business run entirely by computers or by robots  that could not claim to be under personal management. But it was a good thing to say nonetheless.

She noticed that the piece of paper she had reached for was not virginal, but had on it the words Mma Makutsi, written in pencil. She realised that she had begun to write a note to Mma Makutsi about something or other, and then had been distracted. She had no recollection of what it was about.

She put the piece of paper to one side and reached for another. But then she stopped. She was thinking of what Mma Makutsi had said about looking in the mirror and making a list of resolutions. Well, there was no mirror in the office, but she could still make a list while the matter was fresh in her mind.

She put aside the paper  there was no need to waste that  and reached for a fresh piece. Now, she thought, what are my failings? Tell me, mirror, what needs to be done.

The mirror, when it spoke to her  all imagined, of course  had a high-pitched voice, as a mirror should. You should eat less fruit cake, the mirror said.

Mma Ramotswe felt the back of her neck become warm. Uncomfortable truths always had that effect on her. This mirror knows what its doing, she thought.

She wrote the resolution down: Eat less fruit cake. Be less greedy in general.

The writing down of the resolution made her feel rather pleased with herself.

Putting something down in writing could have that effect, she knew: it made you feel that you had already done what the words told you to do.

She would have to watch that, and so the next thing she wrote was, Dont be so self-satisfied. That was her, not the mirror, but no doubt the mirror would have more to say.

It did. You should be less ready to find fault in others and look at your own faults. Mma Ramotswe frowned. Was she too ready to find fault in others? She did not think so, but then she remembered that only that morning she had told off Mr J. L. B. Matekoni for leaving his clothes on the bedroom floor when there was a perfectly good washing-basket for the purpose.

Who has to pick up clothes left on the floor? she had said. Is there some special machine in the house that does that, Rra?

It had been a good-natured comment, but it was definitely a finding of fault.

And perhaps I should be more understanding of men, she thought. It was very difficult for men to put away their clothes  that was well known. It was just the way that men were designed; they did not see clothes left on the floor. It was a design fault in men.

The mirror was saying something else, and she listened carefully. Youre not a very good typist, Mma Ramotswe, the glassy voice said. You should improve your typing. These days everybody has to be able to type.

Mma Ramotswe closed her eyes. That criticism had cut to the quick, as she was sensitive about her slow typing.

And the mirror was right; these days everybody, even small children, had to be able to type. A few days ago she had even seen a baby with some sort of electronic toy and she formed the impression that the baby was typing.

It must have been a mistake, as babies could not type  not even very modern babies  but it had certainly looked like that to her.

She wrote on her list: You must improve your typing.

And then the telephone rang. It was Mr J. L. B. Matekoni, who had delivered a car to a customer of his garage and needed to be picked up. His two assistants, Charlie and Fanwell, had gone off on some errand, and he wondered whether Mma Ramotswe would be so kind as to drive over to collect him.

I shall have to leave the office for a few minutes, she said to Mma Makutsi. Ill be back soon.

Mma Makutsi nodded. I have a lot of filing to do, Mma. Ill just carry on with that.

Mma Ramotswe was out for just over half an hour, and when she returned she saw that Mma Makutsi was sitting bolt upright at her desk, her eyes fixed on the wall opposite her. There was something about her assistants look that worried her. Had something happened? Had she received bad news?

Is there anything wrong? she asked. Mma Makutsi turned her head very slowly.

When she spoke, her voice was high and strained  rather like the imaginary mirrors voice, thought Mma Ramotswe. How can you be so unkind, Mma?

Mma Ramotswe gasped. Ive been unkind, Mma? Why have I been unkind? Mma Makutsi reached for the piece of paper in front of her. This, she said, holding it up as if it were radioactive. I was looking for something on your desk and I found it.

Mma Ramotswe crossed the room and took the piece of paper from her.

She saw immediately that it was her list of New Year resolutions. Oh, this, she said. This is my list.

I can see that, said Mma Makutsi icily.

Mma Ramotswe looked at it again, and then she realised. Oh my goodness, Mma, she stuttered. Did you think that this was addressed to you?

It has my name at the top, said Mma Makutsi. And usually if a piece of paper has your name at the top, you may assume it is meant for you. At least that is what they taught us at Botswana Secretarial College.

Mma Ramotswe opened her mouth to protest. She could put Mma Makutsis mind at rest; she could easily explain. But she was stopped.

No, Mma, said Mma Makutsi. You have been a mirror for me. You have been a very

cruel mirror, but I understand what you are trying to tell me.

And I shall do my best to achieve the goals that you set out for me. I shall try to keep the New Year resolutions you have written down there.

Mma Ramotswe started to laugh.

Why are you laughing at me? asked Mma Makutsi.

Not at you, Mma, said Mma Ramotswe. At me. She explained about the piece of paper, and as she did so she saw something.

The pencil she had used to write the words Mma Makutsi was of a different thickness from the one she had used to write the list. Evidence  she had evidence.

Youre a detective, Mma, she said, pointing to the paper. Look at the pencil lines. Theyre different  they were written at different times. That proves my story. Mma Makutsi peered at the paper. Then she looked up at Mma Ramotswe, and she began to smile. But they are very good resolutions, anyway. I think I should follow them too.

One size fits all, said Mma Ramotswe.

Mma Makutsi thought about this for a moment. Then she stood up. I shall make tea, Mma, she said. Redbush tea for you, and ordinary tea for me.

Thank you, Mma, said Mma Ramotswe. And should we add that to our list of resolutions, Mma? said Mma Makutsi. To drink more tea?

Mma Ramotswe laughed. That is the best resolution of all, she said.

And perhaps it will be the only one left standing at the end of the year, said Mma Makutsi.

Possibly, said Mma Ramotswe. But perhaps we shouldnt care too much about that. They looked out of the window as they drank their tea.

They might have their faults, thought Mma Ramotswe  as we all had. But the land itself, their country, Botswana, that they saw out of the window  with its acacia trees and its sky and its cattle with their sweet breath and its wide Kalahari that stretched out so far  well, that was perfect.
Supermodel Jessica Hart has revealed how she keeps her body in amazing shape - all while still eating burgers.

The 30-year-old, from Sydney, says she doesn't 'hold back' when it comes to eating the foods she loves, but balances them with healthier meals and regular exercise.

Another trick the model shared in an interview with Women's Health was switching up her workouts so her muscles don't get used to the same routines.

Ms Hart, who has worked with brands including Victoria's Secret said she exercises as much as she can - and her regimen includes pilates, spin classes and yoga.

Scroll down for video

How to get a supermodel body: Jessica Hart revealed how she keeps her body in great shape - all while still eating burgers

She also does circuit training with her personal trainer from her New York City gym, who makes sure she keeps fit by doing burpees, lunges and sit-ups.

She also revealed that a decade ago, she didn't think twice about healthy eating or exercise but said 'everything's changed' since she hit 30.

'As you get wiser, you become more in tune with your body and it just feels better when you nourish it. Im more loving towards myself now,' she told the magazine.

She explained that as a child, her mother had always insisted on feeding her and sister Ashley, who is also a model, plenty of healthy and organic food.

Balance: The Sydney-born model, who has walked the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show twice (right, in 2013) says she loves pizza and burgers, but balances them with healthy food

Change: Ms Hart says she switches up her workouts because otherwise, your body gets used to the same routines

But her favourite meals was anything fried and she craved the foods she wasn't allowed to have.

Now, she understands how those foods make you feel 'gross.'

But she added: 'Dont get me wrong, I still love pizzas and burgers and I eat them, I dont hold back, its just about balancing it.'

And if you're wondering how to maintain a trim figure but still indulge in your favourite fast foods, it's possible.

Treat yourself: Ms Hart shared this image on her Instagram page of a lavish Easter feast she enjoyed earlier this year

London-based nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert recently told Femail the healthiest options on the menu at chains including McDonald's and KFC.

She explained that a hamburger from McDonald's is surprisingly not as bad for you as many might think.

'It may be surprising to some, but the beef is 100 per cent beef now, with no extras In the meat,' she said.
Zelda reads all your letters but regrets that she cannot answer them all personally

I feel responsible for my wifes death

My wife was recently admitted to hospital with a long and deteriorating condition. It got to the point where an operation was the only option. Reluctantly, I agreed that she should take the small chance that the operation would save her.

She never came out of the post-operative coma. The surgeon said that death was inevitable  maybe days, or hours away.

They asked for my consent for her life-support system to be turned off and she died within an hour. I cannot forgive myself for killing my wonderful wife of many years.

My family and friends have been so supportive, but every time I look at her photograph I cant get over the fact that I gave the authority to end her life.

Without her by my side I feel so lonely, and would gladly join her if I were not a coward. I need help. My family and friends think I am coping well, but I am totally miserable and tearful when I am alone.

I am so sorry about the death of your adored and lovely wife. You must miss her desperately. But your grief is getting mixed up with feelings of totally misplaced guilt, which is making you feel even worse.

Please stop blaming yourself for agreeing to turn off her life support. You didnt kill her, she was already dying  as the doctors said, her death was imminent.

You actually did the kindest thing by making sure that she did not suffer any longer. I am sure that she would not have wanted to stay alive in a coma and in pain, and if the situation had been reversed, that you would have wanted her to do the same for you.

You are torturing yourself if you think that she might have recovered if you had not given your consent, because this would not have been the case.

If the doctors had thought there was any chance of this, they would not have withdrawn her life support. It sounds as though you have close family and friends, so please talk to them about how you are feeling.

Also, contact the bereavement charity Cruse (cruse.org.uk, 0808 808 1677). Remember that you and your wife loved each other dearly, and I am sure that you made her very happy in your life together.

Religion is coming between us

I have been married for 20 years to a non-practising Roman Catholic. However, she recently told me that she does not love me any more because, though I am Church of England, I am interested in converting to Islam.

I have visited my local mosque and they were very welcoming. She says we can still be friends, but that if I become a Muslim she would want me to move out of our home. I have also experienced prejudice from my family and friends.

I feel as though the people I love are blackmailing me and they do not respect my right to pursue the religion of my choice. I sometimes suffer from nightmares, panic attacks and anxiety and this is not helping matters.

It must be very difficult for you to feel so torn and upset. Your desire to convert to Islam is perfectly acceptable and, of course, your choice. But you already sound vulnerable  suffering with panic attacks, nightmares and anxiety  so if your wife, family and friends were to reject you, it could be devastating and a very high price to pay.

What you need to decide is if you did convert, could you cope with this? Would the new religion give you the happiness and confidence to be able to live your life and be happy if they were no longer a part of it?

Could this desire be highlighting that you are looking for something more in your life, or that the welcome you received at your local mosque made you feel more wanted and secure?

It is essential that you explore this in greater depth, so either contact the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (bacp.co.uk) or Relate (relate.org.uk).

I have lost all interest in sex

My husband and I have not had sex or even a close, sensual relationship for three years. Its due to my lack of libido since the menopause.

I also have thyroid problems. It causes him a great deal of distress and we have become increasingly resentful of each other. I have asked my doctor on three occasions for help, but with no success.

I am now contemplating making arrangements for him to satisfy his sexual needs outside the marriage. I care for him in all other ways, but I have no sexual desire for anyone. Do I end our marriage so that he can find someone else, or can it survive extramarital affairs?

It does put a strain on a relationship if one partner loses all interest in sex. If the woman has no desire to make love, then it tends to be something she will avoid at all costs.

For the man who still longs for a sexual relationship, it is incredibly disappointing, frustrating and rejecting.

Sadly, many marriages break up over this or the man looks elsewhere. But most women really mind if their husband has an affair.

The reality of your husband making love to another woman would be hard to accept.

What can also happen is that the man falls in love with the other woman, putting the marriage under further threat.

During the menopause, oestrogen and testosterone levels fall, which can affect a womans libido, but this can be treated by hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or testosterone.

Ask your doctor for a referral to a gynaecologist. Tell your husband you are trying to get help and ask him for his support and understanding.

If you have a problem, write to Zelda West-Meads at: YOU, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TS, or email z.west-meads@you.co.uk
There are many things on the fashion horizon to look forward to this year. There will be, we predict with Mystic Meg-like powers, several new denim brands (there always are); countless new jewellery boutiques (bling always does well despite, or because of, a drizzly financial forecast); a zillion new athleisure offerings (though Tory Burch recently told us she prefers the term coming-and-going wear, which sounds instantly more appealing), and new labels by celebrities whose style we genuinely want bottled, including Cefinn by Samantha Cameron and Alexa Chung, who is set to launch an eponymous collection later this year. In the meantime, the new names on the fashion block set to jazz up our New Year include the recently landed Whole9Yards. The label, which has been a big hit in Singapore for years, has a Self-Portrait feel and will be a useful option come summer-soiree season. Blouses and skirts start from 140 and prices go up to 1,200 for a fabulous full-length gown (whole9yards.com). We are coveting everything at The Dayrooms, a curated website and West London store for all things stylish and Australian, and happily offering much more than Bondi-friendly bikinis (thedayrooms.com). Lastly, Intropia (formerly Hoss Intropia) is one to watch for its on-trend 80s knitwear and dressy but laid-back trousers in velvets and metallics. Which, we promise, will see you kitted out for eveningwear in 2017 and beyond (intropia.com).

Jumper, 174, and trousers, 144, both Intropia, intropia.com

Front Rows resolutions include ditching our heavy handbags and carrying our belongings on our backs. Timely, because never have there been so many backpacks to choose from. Smart leather designs from Tory Burch and Anya Hindmarch are on the wishlist, but New Look and Asos also have a great selection.

Backpacks (from left): 410, Tory Burch, toryburch.co.uk; 895, Anya Hindmarch, anyahindmarch.com
Traditional meets exotic at this Oxfordshire farmhouse, where jewel-toned florals add a flourish to country classics

The six-bedroom farmhouse is surrounded by ancient yew topiary, while beyond the lawn lies a wilder area where the boys play. Its not a massive garden, but its nicely contained, so I know where they are, says Willow

THE FAMILY Willow Crossley, floral stylist and author, lives in this 16th-century listed farmhouse in Oxfordshire with her husband Charlie, who owns The Bull Inn, Charlbury, and their sons Wolf, seven, Rafferty, four, and Kit, two. Advertisement

Discovering a passion for flowers was a turning point in my life, says Willow, surrounded by a sea of peonies and dahlias. After a stint working in magazines, followed by a relocation to a vineyard near Saint-Tropez to be with her then boyfriend Charlie, Willow is now immersed deep in the Cotswolds countryside. And she feels more at home than ever. Her talent as a floral stylist emerged as she was writing her second book, Inspire: The Art of Living With Nature, which focuses on home floral decoration projects: Something just clicked  it was like striking gold. Working with flowers makes me happy, she says.

Willow fell in love with the house the moment she first arrived at its front door draped in clematis. We head outside at every opportunity, she says

These days, Willow creates her rustic floral arrangements in a studio outhouse at her Oxfordshire home, where she lives with Charlie and their three sons. This 16th-century listed farmhouse came into their lives after Willow and Charlie moved back to Britain from France.

Willow prepares flowers for a forthcoming event. I can be thinking about and planning wedding flowers for six months. Its your biggest day; youve dreamt about it for years. I remember that need for perfection, says Willow, whose own wedding reception was held at her family home of Vaynor Park in Wales. Her studio is in an outhouse. Magically, it stays cool in summer, but in winter I freeze, she says. I layer up in sweaters, but need to keep my hands free. Time stands still when Im pottering in here. Its my idea of heaven. Willows sweater is by Chinti and Parker (chintiandparker.com). Charlie made the table from scaffolding planks

Charlie craved the space that comes with the country, but I wanted to live the London life for a while longer, she remembers. We discussed it and agreed wed stay in London for a year and see. Within 20 minutes Charlie appeared with his laptop, saying, I know weve decided to wait for a year, but look at this house

Im obsessed with collecting tiny trinkets, from shells to vintage ribbon and spools of thread. I was in my element in the brocantes while living in France, says Willow

His hunch proved right. Four days later we came to see this place and it was perfect, says Willow. We knew nobody here, but now we have so many friends. The children are at an incredible village school and our old friends want to move here. With boutique hotel Soho Farmhouse just up the road, we live in the country, but have a little bit of London on our doorstep.

My study workroom is a haven of remnants, trimmings and finds, says Willow. Photographs include one taken of friends in Saint-Tropez ten years ago and snaps of Willows father, William, with one of his grandsons. I love those pictures: two generations, deep in thought and dressed in similar colours, she says. The wallpaper is from Cabbages & Roses (cabbagesandroses.com)

The house needed lots of paint but had been well looked after. The family spend most of their time in the open-plan kitchen and living room, which is decorated in the soft neutral of Farrow & Balls Dimpse (farrow-ball.com) and the green-grey of Sandersons Swallows wallpaper (sanderson-uk.com). Against these serene backdrops, Willow has added layers of woven and appliqued fabrics in rich jewel shades. Combined with the magenta and creamy tangerine flashes of her floral creations, this home is a perfect melding of exotic warmth and English calm.

Willow carries freshly cut flowers in the garden: I love living here; being surrounded by nature feels life-enhancing, she says

Upstairs, the florals continue in the form of vibrant wallpaper and motifs painted directly on to the walls. Willows updates to the houses traditional core make for a livable, boho take on farmhouse life. With three energetic boys, this house needs to be relaxed and easygoing.

The gorgeous green Aga was already here  its the perfect colour for me, says Willow. The family recently replaced old chairs with this upholstered bench by Oka (oka.com). The boys sit in a row to eat or do homework. Its so much more sociable than separate chairs, says Willow. The units are painted in Studio Green by Farrow & Ball (farrow-ball.com) and the wallpaper is Sandersons Swallows (sanderson-uk.com)

Perhaps thats not so surprising given that Willow grew up in the wilds of Wales, in a home that was a hotchpotch of beautiful fabrics and objects collected by her mother, the artist and writer Kate Corbett-Winder. Willows eye has always been drawn to detail and colour, but these days its natures bounty that she finds most mesmerising. I spend as much time as I can outside  and our boys are the same, she says. But when its time to come back indoors, flowers and foliage bring life and joy into our home.

Our boys love drawing, says Willow. My mother is an artist and I think they have inherited that gene. Im no good at drawing; instead, my creativity is channelled into working with flowers

In the familys big room, as they call it, traditional English meets global traveller. Throws and cushions paired with light-reflecting mirrors make for an original and easygoing space. The lamps are by Oka (oka.com), and the mirrors were from the Hollywood Arms pub in Chelsea, which Charlie used to own and run. When we left London, the mirrors came with us, says Willow. Decorators Notebook (decoratorsnotebook.co.uk) sells similar Indian throws and the cushions are from a selection at Anthropologie (anthropologie.com)

The floral pattern on the bathroom walls was handpainted by Willows friend, the artist Fiona McAlpine (fionamcalpine.co.uk), making it a serene space. Fionas flowing style is just beautiful, says Willow. For a similar towel, try Butterfly Home by Matthew Williamson at Debenhams (debenhams.com). Amelie by Sandberg (sandbergwallpaper.com) is a wallpaper with a similar mood

Willow and Charlies bedroom layers rich jewel shades. I sourced the headboard fabric on holiday in Turkey and we bought the lamp bases in France, says Willow. The headboard was made by Love Nest (mylovenest.co.uk). The cushions and lampshades are from Oka (oka.com), and the bedspread is from Graham and Green (grahamandgreen.co.uk). The chest of drawers was a wedding present from Charlies mother  Sweetpea & Willow (sweetpeaandwillow.com) sells similar. The wall paint is Hague Blue by Farrow & Ball (farrow-ball.com) and paintings by Willows mother Kate Corbett-Winder are among the collection on the wall

The family has two tabby cats, Dotty and Juniper. They are practically identical. Even we cant tell them apart sometimes, says Willow

willowcrossley.com. Willows new book Flourish: Stunning Arrangements With Flowers and Foliage is published by Kyle Books, price 19.99. To order a copy for 15.99 (a 20 per cent discount) until 15 January, visit you-bookshop.co.uk or call 0844 571 0640; free p&p on orders over 15

Words: Jo Leevers
While the AAP government in Delhi feared a steep decline in tax collection post demonetisation, its own accounts book presents a different picture.

Despite a cash crunch, Delhiites spent no less on their purchase. This is evident from the VAT collection by the Delhi government, which remained the almost the same in November and December compared to the months before the currency switch.

Except for the months of July, October and November, the average VAT collection in Delhi was over Rs 1,600 crore every month.

AAP had said tax collection will drop 50 per cent due to note ban

However, in December, the government managed to collect Rs 1,665 crore from VAT even as it expected a shortfall of up to 50 per cent.

According to figures provided by the trade and taxes department of Delhi government, VAT collection stood at Rs 1,665 in the month of December as compared to Rs 1,854 crore in October and Rs 2,023 crore in November when the Capital saw a rise in purchases due to festival season.

Earlier in September, VAT collection reached Rs 1,646 crore.

'There is no dip in government's tax collection. VAT is the biggest source of government's revenue but the collection has remained intact even after demonetisation,' said a Delhi government official.

Despite the note ban, people continued to shop in Delhi which swelled the VAT collection. (Picture for representation)

This is in stark contrast to AAP's claim that the business was badly hit in the Capital after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the currency ban on November 8.

'Tax collection can be 50% low this month as there is no business in Delhi markets. If so, then it would be very hard to pay salaries to government employees,' Delhi's deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia had said in a tweet on December 4.

CM Arvind Kejriwal too has been critical of the demonetisation move and said traders, farmers and poor were the worst hit by the Centre's decision.

When asked, senior officials told Mail Today: 'The VAT collection was high in the month of October because of the festival season and we were expecting the hike in the collection. As a result much affect of demonetisation was not seen in VAT collection.'

According to the tax and trade department, the total VAT collected between April and December 2016 was Rs 15,625 crore.

While the government may match the collections of the 2015-16 financial year, which stood at Rs 20,500 crore, it is likely to fall short of its own target of Rs 24,000 crore for the 2016-17 financial year.

A senior official from the tax and vat department said, 'It will not be easy to collect Rs 9,000 crore in VAT in the remaining one quarter.'

He added that it may even prove tough to match last year's collections.

'It seems that this time Delhi government would fail to achieve the budgetary goal of Rs 24,000 crore. But it may be tough to cross last year's collection,' the official said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in a generous mood this New Year's Eve as he addressed the nation on television, showering a flurry of sops on almost all sections of the Indian people.

He also called the demonetisation a 'Shuddhi Yajna'. While Modi challenged the banking system to work for the poor and the marginalised and change its previous approach.

Modi also announced major tax rebates for farmers and small traders, apart from senior citizens and women.

The address comes against a backdrop of increased scrutiny after the PM had come under fire after his unexpected demonetisation move disturbed the normal way of life in India.

While he accepted that citizens had suffered hardships in 'withdrawing their own money', he also lauded them for their support.

This was Modi's first address to the nation since the November 8 demonetisation announcement.

In his televised address on New Year's Eve, the PM thanked and praised the people for their cooperation for 'supporting' the government banning the circulation of old Rs 500 and 'India has undertaken a historic cleansing drive against black money.

Farmers and poor emerged as the protagonists in PM's script for the New Year

'People have borne pain to vanquish the evil of corruption. There is a reason why the spirit of India can never be extinguished,' the Prime Minister said.

'There will be long term benefits if banks start thinking of the welfare of people beyond their traditional customers. Banks have never had so much money in their systems ever before.'

'Banks should start thinking about the poor, middle class and the lower-middle class. Some banks and some people were involved in serious corruption and they will not be spared.'

Modi asked the political parties to shun their holier-than- thou attitude and free themselves from black money.

'Political parties should not think that they are holier than thou. They need to work towards removing corruption in election funding,' he said.

He, however, admitted that political parties have taken constructive steps time and again for the betterment of the country.

The Prime Minister said: 'Aaj aavashyakta hai ki sabhi rajneta aur rajnaitik dal rajneeti se upar uthke, milke pardarshita laaye, aur uske liye sahi kadam uthaye (The need of the hour for all politicians and parties is to rise above politics and together take the right steps to bring about transparency).'

Revellers enjoyed their drink, while listening to Modi's speech in pubs, hotels and other public places

In his address, the PM also spoke about starting a debate over holding of simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and Assemblies.

This issue has been under discussion for a long time now. The Election Commission is also seized of the matter.

He said: 'It is time we have a constructive debate and find a way to hold all elections across the country simultaneously and get rid of the various cycles of election.'

'The banking system will be taken towards normalcy in the new year,' Modi said.

'All concerned people are directed to restore normalcy in the banking system, particularly in rural and far-flung areas, to end difficulties of people.'

In his 43-minute speech, Modi assured that the ruling National Democratic Alliance is a friend of the honest.

'The law will come down hard against corruption. This government is a friend of the honest and an enemy of the dishonest,' he said.

'People of India were waiting for an opportunity to end this struggle against corruption. Modi said it was unacceptable that only 24 lakh people in the country have declared that they earn over Rs 10 lakh a year.

'We all see big buildings and cars around us. In the big cities, one can find many people with more than Rs 10 lakh income,' he said.

The Prime Minister said this fight for honesty needs to be strengthened.

'It is natural to discuss what will happen with the corrupt. Law will take its own course,' he said.

No 'mitron' but city revelers raise toast

They came hoping to have a field day at a posh south Delhi restaurant.

Social Offline had promised a pint of beer or a shot of liquor for Rs 31 at all its outlets in the Capital, every time the PM Narendra Modi used the word 'mitron' during his New Year's Eve speech.

But at the end of the 40-minute address to the nation, most of them were disappointed.

A Delhi pub Social Offline offered a pint of beer for Rs 31, every time Modi used the word 'mitron' during his New Year's Eve speech

For, the PM chose not to utter the word. Instead he used the word 'doston', another term for friends.

The Social team ran the offer anyway and sold the 'mitron beers' at the said price. Mohit, one of those who had reached Social for the mitron fun said: 'I had three Mitron beers for Rs 100.

'It was a bit disappointing but we had great fun and a good laugh.'

Social media too was full of mitron fun. Wrote one twitterati: 'Modiji saw all your coupon codes and drinking games and shifted to Deshwasiyon instead of Mitron.'

Another one said: 'Modiji didn't mention Mitron even once in his speech!! Is this deMitronisation?'

PM Modi's speech brought in several jokes and cartoons, particularly on his use of the word mitron (friends)

Social media was flooded with sarcastic memes, trolls and drinking games ahead of Modi's address to the nation.

One controversial Facebook page spoofed the Conjuring 2 poster to make it look like PM lurking behind a curtain.

The title read 'Mere Pyare Deshwasiyon 2' and as a footnote, 'Watch the horror unfold on national television'.

But no 'horror story' unfolded and those who tuned into their television found Modi as Santa Clause, though late by five days.

The PM announced a host of sops for farmers, women and marginalised section of society.

Opposition says PM dodged note ban

Mamata Banerjee said 2017 will mark the year of demoditisation

PM Narendra Modi's New Year's Eve speech drew criticism from the Opposition, which demanded a 'concrete reply' from the PM on demonetisation.

Former Union minister and Congress leader Salman Khursheed took a jibe at Modi's speech saying: 'I am very sorry for the poor finance minister. Complete budget was said. But when the budget is announced, it is also told about the money which will come for the schemes.'

'The finance minister will now only have to announce about the source of the money for the announced schemes. Are they going to seize the money which has come in bank accounts? Are they going to make a new law about it?'

Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said: 'We heard the PM's address with so much expectation. His purification process took a toll on people.'

'PM Modi didn't even speak two words about the people who died due to demonetisation. We expected a better roadmap from the PM but he has disappointed us.'
Several hotels in Karol Bagh do not have mandatory licence from Delhi Police, fire department and other government agencies, reveals an Right To Information (RTI) filed by a resident.

The area is popular among tourists and traders as there are close to 300 hotels and guest houses here.

Violation of several mandatory licences has raised serious questions on security and safety of the area.

The RTI shows 42 hotels and guesthouses do not have security licence, while 139 hotels and guesthouses do not have fire clearance

Karol Bagh is centrally located and is famous for whole sale market making it the first choice to stay in the Capital for many travelers.

Over the years, many hotels and guesthouses have mushroomed in the area, however, not many are abiding by the laws.

A Karol Bagh resident Nitin Mittal has filed an RTI to all government agencies involved in licencing and clearance process for making a hotel operational.

The RTI revealed that several hotels flouted the rule. According to an RTI reply by the Delhi Police, 42 hotels and guest houses have not been issued licence by their licencing unit.

Delhi's Karol Bagh has as many as 300 hotels and guest houses

RTI applicant Nitin Mittal also scanned the data available on the Delhi Fire service website which shows that 139 hotels do not have fire clearance.

Delhi police further clarified that there are 10 hotels who have applied for their clearance, but their request is still pending for consideration.

It is mandatory for a hotel or a guest house to get a security clearance from the Delhi police, which are granted after receiving municipal health trade licence, no-objection- certificate (NOC) from landowning agencies and fire department.

RTI applicant Nitin Mittal also scanned the data available on the Delhi Fire service website which shows that 139 hotels do not have fire clearance.

'In the month of November, I filed an RTI with all the government agencies involved in certification process to make any hotel operational. As I was born and brought up in Karol Bagh area, I was curious to know how law abiding the flourishing hotel industry.'

'But the results were shocking. They pose a major security and safety threat as many hotels are yet to get a nod from police and fire department,' Mittal told Mail Today.

The North Delhi Municipal Corporation claim that there are 21 unlicenced hotels operating in Karol Bagh.

'I also wanted to check how responsible these hotels are and their contribution to government in terms of revenue and towards their employees but even in this area, they have Rulebook out of window in city's hotel hub failed,' Mittal said.

RTI reply by Employees' State Insurance (ESI) shows that 203 hotel properties are not registered with them and do not make any contribution as an employer.

The online data of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) also shows that so far only 35 properties in Karol Bagh have taken certification from them.

The hoteliers claim that all the operators follow government norms but the lengthy process of certification may lead to some defaulters.

'We communicate with all hotel operators about the government guidelines, circulars and policy.'

'We also assist them in getting mandatory licences and clearance. But it takes month-long time to get municipal corporation licence.'
Indian Army's Eastern Command chief Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi squashed speculation about his resignation on Saturday, and called up to congratulate Gen Bipin Rawat as the latter took charge as the new Army chief.

'Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi today greeted all ranks of the Army's Eastern Command on New Year Eve. Speaking to officers, he put to rest all speculation about his resignation by stating that he will continue to lead Eastern Command with full professional sincerity hitherto fore,' read an official statement.

'I convey my best wishes and full support of the Eastern Command to Gen Bipin Rawat on having taken over as the Chief of Army Staff,' Lt Gen Bakshi said.

Bakshi called up Bipin Rawat to congratulate him as he took over as Army chief

The Lt Gen is one of the top Army Generals to be superseded in the selection of the new Army chief to succeed General Dalbir Singh Suhag on the latter's retirement on December 31.

He requested that 'speculations and trolling in the media and social media should stop and everyone should focus on contributing their best to the betterment of the Army and the nation'.

He was the senior most Army officer after Gen Dalbir Singh, but was superseded to make way for Gen Bipin Rawat, who took over as the Chief of the Army Staff.

Southern Army Commander, Lt Gen PM Hariz, was the other superseded officer.

There had been speculation about Bakshi's resignation, which were fuelled further when he recently met defence minister Manohar Parrikar, and later went on a three-day leave.

There had been speculation about Bakshi's resignation, which were fuelled further when he recently met defence minister Manohar Parrikar, and later went on a three-day leave. (File picture)

Air Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa also took charge as the 25th Air Force chief replacing Arup Raha on the day.

Gen Suhag, who superannuated on Saturday, said the Army is prepared to meet any challenge.

He thanked the government for providing a free hand to the Army in tackling threats and implementing the One Rank One Pension scheme.

He said infiltration bids had increased during the year and the number of terrorists killed was nearly double the previous year.

Suhag said the Army focused on operational preparedness during his tenure and that when he had taken over, he had asserted the response of the Army to any action against our interest would be immediate, adequate and intense.
Battleground Uttar Pradesh might be returning to its usual political vibrations after Saturday, but the political fluidity created by the Yadav family feud has disturbed the previously assumed poll equations crafted by the Samajwadi Party's rivals, especially the BJP.

While the BJP is watching the situation closely as it brews by the day - Saturday saw a thaw in the 'Chacha- Bhatija (uncle-nephew)' grappling match and the reinduction of chief minister Akhilesh Yadav to his own party as he emerged put his father on the mat in the headcount of MLAs - a stronger Akhilesh, if he emerges so at the end of this bout, might compel the saffron party to rethink its election strategy.

If the CM decimates all internal opposition in his party, the BJP might start looking for a chief ministerial face to take on Akhilesh.

Akhilesh Yadav has emerged as a powerful leader after he was expelled from the party

Highly placed BJP sources said even after Saturday's virtual coup by Akhilesh and the bowing out of his father as well as uncle Shivpal Yadav, they would play the wait-and-watch game as Akhilesh's image among the people might take a hit by the deliberate 'drama' that was orchestrated to make him look good and strong.

Yet a CM face seemed to be an impending reality when Mail Today talked to some of the senior BJP leadership at the national level, but who have been associated with UP for long.

'The situation is very unpredictable as of now. We want to see definitely how the situation concretises. If Akhilesh emerges victorious after this, he will be an extremely powerful force to reckon with.'

BJP leaders feel by distancing himself from his father and shifting the blame of the sins of the party in UP upon his uncle, Akhilesh will enter the poll fray with zero anti-incumbency

'Given the strong inclination of the CM, if he gets Congress on board, he will be in a position to reap once more the Yadav-Muslim vote-bank that got him the seat in the first place. The BJP needs the votes of all castes, forward, backward and Dalits,' said a national functionary of the BJP.

He further pointed out that Akhilesh had played it smart.

'By distancing himself from his father and shifting the blame of the sins of the party in UP upon his uncle, he will enter the poll fray with zero anti-incumbency.'

'We then need a leader of our own to take on him, man to man, so to say; otherwise, selling the party among electorate will become difficult.'

'Interestingly, while the official line of the UP BJP remained that all the SP 'drama' was actually 'advantage BJP',' local leaders told Mail Today that Akhilesh had actually escaped the Parivar minefield stronger, a reflection of which was his intransigent position vis-a-vis his father's or uncle's demands.

Meanwhile, a section within the BJP is counting on the 'intelligence' of the electorate.

'This infighting where Akhilesh is shown to be the vigorous leader trying to eschew the shackles of conventional caste-based politics espoused by Shivpal, with sentimental Mulayam brokering peace deals, has become an old trick now.'

'People can see through it now. It will be counterproductive for SP,' said a UP BJP functionary, requesting anonymity.

CM plays tough with Mulayam

Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav cancelled the expulsion of his son and chief minister Akhilesh Yadav within 24 hours of the diktat that was taken under the influence of his brother and party state president Shivpal Yadav.

Mulayam and Shivpal also accepted all the conditions put forward by Akhilesh who, in turn, denied to bow down.

Mulayam also took back the expulsion of party's national GS Ram Gopal Yadav.

Mulayam and Shivpal also accepted all the conditions put forward by Akhilesh who, in turn, denied to bow down.

Though the decision was presumably taken after mediation by senior party leader Azam Khan, Akhilesh supporters boasted that it was his strength that forced Mulayam to retreat.

On Saturday, both Akhilesh and Mulayam called a meeting of the party MLAs and candidates in a bid to ascertain their loyalties.

While over 200 MLAs gathered at the CMs official residence, barely 20 MLAs and 60 candidates reached the SP headquarters for Mulayam.

Azam Khan had an hourlong closed door meeting with Mulayam, after which he went to Akhilesh's residence.
In a dramatic development, BJP formed a new government in Arunachal Pradesh on with 33 MLAs of PPA led by chief minister Pema Khandu joining the party, two days after he was suspended by his own party that triggered another round of political maneuvering.

Khandu, a former Congress leader, paraded the 33 of the 43 MLAs of Peoples' Party of Arunachal (PPA) before Assembly Speaker Tenzing Norbu Thongdok, who recognised them as BJP members in a House of 60.

BJP had 11 MLAs. The high-voltage political drama began which took place on Thursday night after PPA President Kahfa Bengia temporarily suspended Khandu, his deputy Chowna Mein and five legislators from the primary membership of the regional party for alleged anti-party activities.

33 MLAs of PPA, led by CM Pema Khandu, have joined the BJP

The PPA, an alliance partner of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) government in the state, selected Takam Pario as the new chief minister.

However, on a day of fast-paced developments the political equation changed when majority of the PPA MLAs who initially extended support to Pario, later shifted their allegiance to Khandu.

Khandu broke away from the Congress along with 42 lawmakers in September this year.

The PPA also suspended four other party MLAs including Honchun Ngandam, Bamang Felix, Punji Mara and Pani Taram.

'Lotus has finally bloomed in Arunachal. The people of the state will see a new dawn of development in the new year under the new government,' Khandu told reporters in the Lotus finally blooms in Arunachal Pradesh Assembly premises.

BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav also hailed the installation of a party government in Arunachal Pradesh.

Arunachal Pradesh has now become the 10th BJP ruled state and 14th with BJP alliances.

'Congratulations to CM Pema Khandu and welcome into BJP Parivar,' Madhav tweeted.

The PPA accused the BJP of hijacking its MLAs to install its government in the state.

Addressing media persons, PPA President Kahfa Bengia criticised North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) convener and BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma for remaining a silent spectator during the political crisis.

PPA is a partner of NEDA.

'The NEDA convener instead of coming to the state to resolve the ongoing crisis went to Kenya.'

'He should have deputed somebody to sort out the differences between the MLAs of the party,' Bengia said.
See more news from India at www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome

Rahul left for London on Wednesday to celebrate the New Year

After spearheading the anti-demonetisation campaign over the last 50 days, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi is going on a vacation abroad.

Unlike his trips in the recent past, Rahul has refrained from tweeting his year-end travel plans this time.

According to sources, Rahul left for London on Wednesday and is likely to ring in the New Year abroad.

His trip, a source indicated on Friday, may last a week at least. Sources said Rahul has left on a Jet Airways flight for the Heathrow airport.

Rahul's latest trip comes after an intense period which saw him accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of personal corruption, and happens to coincide with political turmoil in UP due to infighting within the ruling Samajwadi Party and the Modi government's demonetisation.

Troll knives were out as the news of Rahul heading to London for New Years broke

Last year, on December 28, before going abroad for New Year celebrations, Gandhi had tweeted: 'I will be travelling to Europe for a few days. A very Happy New Year to everyone.'

According a report in Times of India, prior intimation of Rahul's foreign trips on social media followed controversies that broke out after his two visits abroad last year.

His trip to South Asian nations lasting two months, led to his absence from the first leg of the 2015 Budget session of Parliament, which invited much criticism and ridicule from political opponents.

His trip to Aspen in September 2015 to attend a conference fell into controversy as it was timed in the midst of Bihar assembly poll campaign.
The markets ended 2016 on a high note, with the FTSE 100 Index rising to a new record of 7,143.

But there are considerable uncertainties about the year ahead, including Brexit negotiations and the early impact of Donald Trumps presidency in the US.

Against this backdrop, Midas has chosen three very different tips for the year, each of which should prove resilient to the wider economic and political environment.

Trouble ahead? Markets are waiting to see what moves Donald Trump will make

TIP 1: Creo Medical's safer and faster way to treat cancer

They are the second largest cancer killer in the world, so many countries, including Britain, have begun to offer screening procedures for bowel tumours to the over-55s. If any suspicious lumps and bumps are discovered, patients are whisked into hospital to have sections of their gut removed.

The procedure is invasive and high risk. About one in 20 people die within 30 days and among those who survive, many suffer from life-changing conditions following surgery.

Creo Medical has devised a safer, faster and much more precise alternative to gastro-intestinal surgery, whereby patients can be in and out of hospital in a day and still have potentially cancerous areas of their gut whipped away.

The company joined AIM on December 9 at 76p a share, the price has risen to 81p and should increase substantially as the groups technology catches on and it becomes increasingly successful.

Creo was founded by Professor Chris Hancock, formerly senior engineer at Gyrus Medical, a UK company that was acquired for more than 920 million in 2007.

Gyrus was at the forefront of developing endoscopes, the long, thin tubes used for keyhole surgery.

Creo has now taken that technology several steps further, enabling keyhole procedures to be completed under local anaesthetic rather than general in an operating theatre.

The companys devices are attached to existing endoscopes and can be used to treat not only problematic lumps in the gut but also tumours in the lung.

Lung cancer is the biggest cancer killer in the world, but treatment is predominantly via chemotherapy and radiotherapy, which cause considerable suffering and do not often result in a permanent cure.

Revolutionary: Creo Medical has created a safer alternative to gastro-intestinal surgery

Creos kit uses microwave technology to gently heat cancerous tissue, effectively rendering tumours benign.

Again, these procedures can be carried out under local anaesthetic, particularly helpful as lung cancer sufferers are often unable to withstand full-blown surgery.

Creo expects to launch its gastro-intestinal devices this year, starting in the UK and on the Continent, and moving to the US in 2018.

The group is also well advanced in gaining regulatory approval for its lung-related devices and others are expected to follow, including a kit for stomach ulcers and pancreatic cancer.

Over the past few years, Creo has won over several important supporters, among them Pentax Medical, a top maker of endoscopic products, which bought a stake in the company before it floated and remains a significant shareholder.

Based in Chepstow, Monmouthshire, Creo has received funding from Finance Wales and from the Department of Healths Invention for Innovation programme, which helps to finance early-stage medical firms.

Many globally renowned endoscopic specialists have also said the companys equipment could transform their work.

Hancock remains on Creos board as chief technical officer, but the company is led by Craig Gulliford, a university colleague of Hancocks turned successful entrepreneur.

Gullifords intention is to offer their devices for free initially to influential members of the medical fraternity to win them over before beginning to charge for their equipment.

Once the company has amassed sufficient converts, it is expected to gain ground relatively quickly, making money from the end of next year.

Midas verdict: Early stage medical companies always carry an element of risk, but Creo Medical seems better placed than most to achieve success and may even find itself on the receiving end of an early takeover approach.

Fundamentally too, this company is in the business of saving and prolonging lives. A buy for the adventurous investor.

Tough times: The Restaurant Group, whose brands include Frankie & Bennys, has had to take radical action

TIP 2: Restaurant Group shares should be back on the menu

Last year was dreadful for The Restaurant Group, Britains biggest casual dining business whose eateries include Frankie & Bennys, Chiquito, Coast to Coast and Garfunkels.

The shares more than halved from 685p to 324p, as like-for-like sales declined, profits fell and the company admitted pricing and menu mistakes at Frankie & Bennys, its biggest chain.

But the group has taken radical action. Several longstanding directors have left and a new team is in place, led by Andy McCue, former boss at bookmaker Paddy Power, where he oversaw the merger with Betfair, delivering record profits along the way.

A strategic review had already started before McCue joined and further news on progress should accompany the full-year results in March.

Analysts do not expect a quick fix  profits are forecast to fall from 87million to 77million with a further decline pencilled in for 2017.

But the group is expected to hold the dividend at 17.4p, putting the shares on a generous, 5.4 per cent yield.

Midas verdict: Casual dining chains are likely to come under pressure in 2017 from rising wages, increasing food bills and the prospect of falling economic growth.

But McCue is smart and is determined to grasp the nettle at The Restaurant Group. At 324p, the shares are too cheap. Buy.

Digital revolution: FreeAgent's online system helps micro-businesses manage their accounts

Tip 3: FreeAgent is flying

There are about five and a half million businesses in the UK today, but 95 per cent of them have fewer than ten staff and more than four million are one-man bands.

These plumbers, florists, IT consultants, hairdressers and such like are primarily concerned with developing their businesses and keeping them afloat.

Keeping on top of their accounts is rarely a priority: rather, it is a chore.

Much of the work has to be done by the business owners  fitted in between a myriad other jobs  and the rest is completed by accountants, who often find the work time-consuming and tedious too.

FreeAgent aims to make life simpler and more cost-effective for these millions of micro businesses and their accountants.

The company joined AIM in November at 84p a share, it is currently trading at 88p and the price should rise considerably over the next few years.

FreeAgent has devised an online system that enables freelancers and micro- businesses to keep abreast of book-keeping and account management simply and effectively.

The system sets up and sends invoices, tracks expenses, provides an up-to-date picture of how the business is performing and, crucially, calculates tax liabilities on an ongoing basis.

The Edinburgh-based company was founded by Ed Molyneux, an Oxford graduate in engineering and computer science, who spent 11 years with the Royal Air Force, including two tours of duty as a Harrier pilot.

In 2006, he built the FreeAgent system to solve his own accounting problems and set up the business a year later with two co-founders.

Initially, Molyneux focused on winning over individual customers, but in recent years he has begun to source customers directly from accountants, a policy which has proved highly successful.

The company has started working with a high street bank too, which is planning to offer FreeAgent software to all new micro- business customers.

The company has almost 45,000 clients, most of whom are extremely enthusiastic about the service they receive.

Sales rose 35 per cent to 5.7 million in the year to March 2016 and are expected to rise by 33 per cent to 7.6 million in the current year.

The group is investing heavily in acquiring new customers and improving its technology, but it should break into profit in 2019, growing rapidly from then.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 1

Trend:

Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev has offered condolences to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the casualties after an armed attack on a nightclub in Istanbul.

We were deeply saddened by the news that many people were killed and wounded in a brutal armed attack when they were celebrating the holiday in a nightclub in Istanbul, said President Aliyev in his letter of condolences.

"We are extremely outraged by this heinous attack against civilians, and support the fight against terrorism in the most severe, resolute and constant manner, he said. We share your grief over this tragedy. On behalf of the people of Azerbaijan and on my own behalf, I extend my deepest condolences to you, the bereaved families, loved ones of those who died and the brotherly people of Turkey, and wish the injured the swiftest possible recovery.

May Allah rest the souls of the dead in peace! added President Aliyev.
Households are being warned to spend or bank all their round pound coins before October, when they will cease to be legal tender.

They will be phased out from March 28, when the new 12-sided 1 coin hits the streets, the Government has announced.

And around the same time, new coin designs will start appearing in the shops, including a Jane Austen 2 and a 50p celebrating Sir Isaac Newton.

New coinage: The new 2 commemorating the Royal Flying Corps; the new Jane Austen 2; the new Sir Isaac Newton 50p; and the new 12-sided 1 coin (from left to right)

About 1.3billion worth of coins are stored in change jars up and down the country, and the current 1 coin accounts for nearly a third of that, the Government said.

Households must 'copper up' and either spend or deposit them before 15 October or lose out.

Replacing 1 notes, 1 coins were first launched on April 21, 1983. The Royal Mint has produced more than 2.2billion round pound coins since that time.

But there have been concerns about round pounds being vulnerable to sophisticated counterfeiters. Around one in every 30 1 coins in people's change in recent years has been fake.

The new 1 coin, which resembles the old threepenny bit, has been hailed as 'the most secure coin in the world', with features including a hologram.

Some of the round 1 coins returned by the public will be melted down and reused to make the new 1 coin, which was announced in the 2014 Budget.

A Jane Austen 2 coin will celebrate the Pride And Prejudice and Sense And Sensibility author, while a Sir Isaac Newton 50p coin will mark the achievements of one-time Master of the Royal Mint.

Also arriving in the spring, the Royal Mint has announced a 2 coin design that will remember the Royal Flying Corps and its contribution to the defence of Britain's skies in the First World War using new aircraft technology. In 1918 the Royal Flying Corps became the Royal Air Force.

And a Jane Austen 2 coin will celebrate the Pride And Prejudice and Sense And Sensibility author, 200 years after her death.

A Sir Isaac Newton 50p coin will mark the achievements of one-time Master of the Royal Mint, whose wide-ranging work paved the way for the introduction of the 'gold standard' system for valuing a nation's currency.

The new 1 coin is made of two metals, with a gold-coloured outer ring and a silver-coloured inner ring. It has an image that changes from a '' symbol to the number '1' when the coin is seen from different angles. It also has very small lettering on both sides of the coin and milled edges.

It will feature the flora of the four nations of the UK emerging from a coronet and is thinner and lighter than the round pound, but its diameter is slightly larger.

Heritage: The new 1 coin will feature the flora of the four nations of the UK emerging from a coronet, while a 2 coin design will remember the Royal Flying Corps

Announcing the date when the new coin will enter circulation, Chief Secretary to the Treasury David Gauke said: 'March 28 should be an important date in everybody's calendar this year - as we will have a new quid on the block.

'This is a historic moment as it's the first time we've introduced a new 1 coin since 1983, and this one will be harder to counterfeit than ever before.

'Our message is clear: if you have a round one pound coin sitting at home or in your wallet, you need to spend it or return it to your bank before October 15.'

Businesses handling cash have been planning and preparing for the new coins.

Helen Dickinson, CEO of the British Retail Consortium, said there will be a transition period during which some vending systems may only be able to accept the old coin.

She said: 'Through the British Retail Consortium, most major UK retailers have been engaged in discussions and planning with the Royal Mint and Her Majesty's Treasury since the March 2014 announcement that a new pound coin would be introduced in 2017.

Deadline: Retailers will stop taking the old pound coins on 15 October 2017.

'Our aim is to ensure that the implementation of the new coin runs as smoothly as possible for our customers and staff. Our combined input into the project means we're confident the new coin will address the issue of counterfeit coins for businesses and the general public alike, and will prove highly secure for customers to use.

'While there will be a natural transition period where some vending systems may only be able to accept the existing pound coin, our industry is committed to ensuring we're fully prepared ahead of the launch in March.'

Association of Convenience Stories chief executive James Lowman said: 'The introduction of a new 1 coin is a positive step toward taking counterfeit coins out of circulation.

'It is essential that retailers are prepared for the introduction of the new 1 coin, as the transition is likely to affect a number of areas of their business especially if they have coin-operated machines such as self-service tills in store.
The year 2016 clocks another death with the passing of The Philadelphia Zoo's beloved Zenda, believed to have been the oldest lioness in the United States at 25 years old.

The zoo said on Friday that the lioness was euthanized after an 'acute decline in her mobility and behavior.'

Zenda, born at the Johannesburg Zoo in 1991, arrived in Philadelphia in 1993 and became a fan favorite over the years.

Scroll down for video

Zenda, the US's oldest lioness, was euthanized at 25 years old on Friday

The Philadelphia Zoo said that Zenda suddenly suffered an acute decline in health and mobility

'She was one of the Zoos most loved and most popular animals,' said the zoo on Facebook.

'This remarkable cat will be missed by staff and guests alike, particularly by the keepers who catered to her changing needs as she grew old,' said Dr. Andy Baker, the zoo's chief operating officer.

He said her last years were happy ones as she and her mates romped around the zoo's large, sprawling enclosures - 'a campus-wide network of see-through mesh trails.'

The popular lioness came to the zoo when she was just two years old from Johannesburg

Zenda loved to prowl along the zoo's enormous campus of mesh enclosures that allowed her a wide area to roam and take in the lush landscape

A special favorite place for Zenda was the zoo's Big Cat Falls, 'stunning landscape of lush habitats and waterfalls,' according to the zoo's website.

'Despite their already advancing age, Zenda and her pridemates were eager explorers of the habitat time-share system allowed by the design of Big Cat Falls when we opened it in 2006,' said Dr. Baker. 'Their engagement was one of the inspirations for our pioneering Zoo-wide trail system concept. Zoo360 - a new way for animals to experience a zoo - is part of Zendas legacy.'

Children loved Zenda and she was described by the zoo as one of their most popular animals

The typical life expectancy of lions in zoos is 17 years, the zoo said. There are six other African lions who live at its Big Cat Falls habitat.

Fans left their comments and photos on the zoo's wall, honoring the graceful beast.
Newborns will get a $200 head start with their savings fund with big-four bank Westpac announcing its 'bump' initiative.

In celebration of the bank's bicentenary year in business, Westpac is offering Australian babies born this year a $200 contribution when their parents set up a savings account.

The purpose of the 'bump' initiative is to help parents and grandparents, foster positive money saving habits for the 300,000 babies expected to be born this year.

The account will only be accessible to the child when they turn 16 years old.

Scroll down for video

Westpac is offering Australian babies born in 2017 a $200 contribution when their parents set up a bank account with the bank (stock image)

Westpac chief executive George Frazis said investing in the next generation of Australians and inspiring good savings habits would have the potential to have a lifelong impact.

'Teaching children to save from an early age is known to have a positive impact on future financial stability, so we're encouraging all parents and grandparents to help kick start this learning process and help them start preparing for a brighter future on this new year's day,' Mr Frazis said.

The offer is eligible to babies born from January 1 to December 31, 2017.

Expectant parents Andrew and Lorraine Donnelly are planning on opening an account for the first child a few months after she is born in February, The Daily Telegraph reported.

'I probably won't put money away for her until she's school age, but any gifts from grandparents will make a savings account a good place to put those funds,' Ms Donnelly said.

George Frazis, Chief Executive of Westpac Group, said: 'Teaching children to save from an early age is known to have a positive impact on future financial stability' (stock image)

Westpac's money saving tips for parents Start small and start early: Start setting a small amount of money aside on a monthly or weekly basis for your child to continue growing. Teach the value of money : Teach children what they need to do to earn money (such as household chores) and show them how that money can buy them what they want. Set goals with your child : Help them work out how much they should spend on what they want, and how much they should set aside. Set a good example : For example explaining why you chose a more affordable option of a supermarket item over the expensive option conveys the importance of looking after money. Source: Westpac Advertisement

Mr Frazis explained with the initial deposit of $200 at birth, along with $20 contributions each week, the child will have about $19,000 in savings when they turn 16.

'That's a significant financial head start for any child and can be put towards future education, life experiences such as a gap year or a deposit on a first home,' Mr Frazis said.

'We've listened to parents and grandparents and believe the Bump Savings account will demonstrate the benefits of long term savings to young people, so by the time they turn 16, they might consider continuing to save their money,' he added.

AMP financial planner Dianne Charman said parents should consider setting up a bank account as soon as their baby is born as money is often the first gifts they recieve.

Ms Charman added that gets parents started into getting into good savings habits for their child.
Teens with violent friends were more likely to engage in violence themselves while peer pressure  and not punishment  was found to be a far more effective way of curbing youth violence, experts say.

The findings are part of a study conducted by a psychology and communications professor at Ohio State University in Columbus, according to Reuters.

Brad Bushman analyzed interviews from the 1990s with nearly 6,000 American students in grades seven through twelve.

His findings suggest that a person's friends are a good indicator of whether that person will commit acts of violence.

Kids with a friend who had badly hurt someone were themselves 183 percent more likely to report having badly hurt someone, a study by an Ohio State University professor found. Above is a stock photo of two youths fighting

'Violent acts tend to cluster through social networks, and they spread like a contagious disease spreads from one person to another,' Bushman told Reuters.

Compared to students whose friends had never hurt anyone, kids with a friend who had badly hurt someone were themselves 183 percent more likely to report having badly hurt someone, too, the report, which appeared in the American Journal of Public Health, shows.

If a friend had pulled a weapon on someone, the youth were 140 percent more likely to have pulled a weapon, and if a friend had been involved in a serious fight, the youth were 48 percent more likely to have been in a serious fight.

When male students were asked to name those whom they considered friends at school, the likelihood that they would seriously hurt someone increased by 82 percent for each additional name of someone who had seriously hurt someone in the past.

The study's main author, Brad Bushman, analyzed interviews from the 1990s with nearly 6,000 American students in grades seven through twelve

The study found that it wasn't just close friends, but friends with up to four degrees of separation that could also reflect on whether a youth was likely to commit acts of violence.

'It's the first study we know of to see how far it spreads  up to four degrees, which is pretty amazing,' Bushman said.

Bushman's conclusions were backed by another academic.

'You're doing what your friend is doing, who's doing what his friend is doing, who's doing what his friend is doing,' Dr. Gary Slutkin, an epidemiologist and infectious-disease control specialist, told Reuters Health.

'You're not thinking about consequences. You're thinking about what your friends do.'

Slutkin is the founder of Cure Violence, an NGO dedicated to reducing crime on the streets of Chicago.

Cure Violence uses the same approach to crime as doctors do in treating epidemic diseases  by going after the most infected areas and finding the source of the disease.

'This is one of now hundreds of studies that, if you add them all up, there's no way of seeing it other than violence being a contagious epidemic health problem,' said Slutkin.

When it was his mission to figure out how to stop the spread of HIV in Africa, Slutkin realized that explaining the deadly nature of AIDS failed to convince young men to wear condoms.

But they would use condoms to protect themselves against the disease if they thought their friends wore them.

Slutkin has applied his understanding of friends motivating friends for better or for worse in his work fighting street violence throughout the world.

By employing former gang members to interrupt and prevent violence, he has seen communities slash violent crimes by 40 to 100 percent, he said.

Punishment has not worked to control the spread of violence, Slutkin said.

'People are very comfortable with punishment, and it is not the way of out this problem,' he said.

'It's like treating a patient over and over again with the wrong medicine.'

It's possible that the cure for violence could be spread through the same networks of friends as the violence itself, Bushman said.

'Punishment is not a main driver of the changing of behavior,' Slutkin said.
Rondo Rousey's mother has leapt to her daughter's defense after she was mercilessly taunted by Amanda Nunes - who beat the former UFC poster girl in less than a minute.

Rousey was resoundingly beaten by Nunes, the bantamweight champion, in her return fight in Las Vegas on Friday night.

The 29-year-old former champion was rocked by a series of massive blows to the head in the opening seconds, and was not able to recover.

Despite the defeat, Rousey's mom remains firmly in her daughter's corner.

Rondo Rousey's mother (left, with Rousey after her fight on Friday) has leapt to her daughter's defense after she was mercilessly taunted by Amanda Nunes - who beat the former UFC poster girl in less than a minute

'All of those who have criticized Ronda for taking a loss so to heart, for not just "shrugging it off" don't understand that what made Ronda so successful is that she cares DEEPLY about winning to an extent that I don't believe the average person can wrap his/her head around,' AnnMaria De Mars wrote on her blog on Saturday.

'Caring deeply about something and working your hardest to achieve it doesn't mean you make the right decisions 100 per cent of the time. Wouldn't it be a nicer world if it did?

'Those of you who want to criticize Ronda, I just want to point out a few things. First of all, I know her better than you and she is a smart, kind, talented, generous, hard-working person.'

De Mars then rattled off a list of Rousey's accomplishments during her stellar career, before taking another shot at those attacking her daughter.

Rousey was resoundingly beaten by Nunes, the bantamweight champion, in her return fight in Las Vegas on Friday night

'She cares DEEPLY about winning to an extent that I don't believe the average person can wrap his/her head around,' AnnMaria De Mars wrote about her daughter (pictured after the fight was stopped)

'Let me suggest that someone who has been world level athlete in two sports, written a best seller, acted in movies and made millions of dollars, all before the age of 30 has a pretty darn good track record,' she wrote.

'On top of that, Ronda has been part of the USADA drug testing since she was 16 years old, never failed a drug test.

'I am very proud of my daughter. As my other wonderful daughter, Maria, told her: "We love you just as much 10 minutes after every fight as we did in the 10 minutes before".'

Earlier in the day, De Mars had said she would like to see her daughter retire, and that she wished she would have done so a long time ago.

Amanda Nunes punches Ronda Rousey in their UFC women's bantamweight championship bout

'Those of you who want to criticize Ronda (left, in April 2016) , I just want to point out a few things. First of all, I know her better than you and she is a smart, kind, talented, generous, hard-working person,' De Mars (right, in March 2016) wrote

RONDA ROUSEY'S STATEMENT I want to say thank you to all of my fans who have been there for me in not only the greatest moments but in the most difficult ones. Words cannot convey how much your love and support means to me, Rousey said in a statement provided to ESPN. Returning to not just fighting, but winning, was my entire focus this past year. However, sometimes - even when you prepare and give everything you have and want something so badly - it doesn't work how you planned. I take pride in seeing how far the women's division has come in the UFC and commend all the other women who have been part of making this possible, including Amanda. I need to take some time to reflect and think about the future. Thank you for believing in me and understanding. Advertisement

'I think making snap decisions like that is probably not the best idea, so I don't know, but I would like to see her retire,' she told TMZ Sports.

'I would like to have seen her retire a long time ago. Who wants to see their kid get hit? She's got a lot of talent in a lot of other things. She could do movies, writing, producing. She's really really smart and beautiful.'

The emotional message came after Nunes shared an edited photo on Twitter almost immediately after the fight, making it look as if she is pushing an upset Rousey in a baby stroller.

The 28-year-old Brazilian champion also appears to be clutching her bantamweight belt, which she earned in July and defended against Rousey.

Nunes, who made $200,000 in the fight versus Rousey's guaranteed $3 million, has relentlessly derided her former rival since her victory, calling for Rousey's retirement and predicting her a new career in film.

Amanda Nunes posted this edited photo on Twitter Friday, shortly after defeating Ronda Rousey in less than a minute at UFC 207

'Forget about Ronda Rousey!' Nunes shouted to the crowd after her victory. 'She's going to go do movies. Forget about her. She has a lot of money already.'

She later added: 'I knew I was going to beat [Rousey]. I'm the best on the planet.'

Rousey, who had been hoping that Friday's fight would turn a new leaf for her career, left the cage pitifully, flanked by her mother.

The former champion suffered the first defeat of her career in November last year against rival Holly Holm. She had been teasing out her return on social media ahead of UFC 207, posting photos of her training and showing off her leaner physique.

The historic fighter's future in the sport is clearly in question. The biggest star in the women's game, who left the arena without giving an interview, is likely considering retirement shortly before her 30th birthday.

Nunes (pictured celebrating her victory Friday) later said: 'I knew I was going to beat [Rousey]. I'm the best on the planet'. She first earned her bantamweight belt in July
The Whitehall mandarin knighted for handing out billions in overseas aid faced fresh embarrassment last night after it emerged that his Cabinet Minister boss has branded such awards an Establishment stitch-up.

International Development Secretary Priti Patel has called for a ban on top civil servants receiving honours just for doing the day job.

She accused mandarins of crowding out the honours system and preventing other members of the community from getting awards.

Permanent Secretary for International Development Mark Lowcock with International Development Secretary Priti Patel

Her provocative views surfaced after a furore over a knighthood in the New Years honours for Permanent Secretary for International Development Mark Lowcock, the civil servant in charge of Ms Patels department.

Tory MPs said it was wrong to honour 165,000-a-year Sir Mark in the face of growing anger over the way the Department for International Development (DFID) spends its 12 billion budget.

Pressure on Sir Mark, 54, mounted after details of Ms Patels outspoken opinions on gongs for mandarins were disclosed. In 2012 she led moves by a powerful group of MPs to stop awards being doled out on a Buggins turn basis. She told an inquiry into the honours system by the Commons Public Administration Select Committee: Some very senior civil servants have several gongs, crowding out the honours system and preventing other members of the community from getting awards.

It led to a clash between Right-winger Ms Patel and Sir Bob Kerslake, the then head of the Civil Service and chairman of the Honours Committee  and a former colleague of Sir Mark.

Ms Patel's views caused a clash with Sir Bob Kerslake, the then head of the Civil Service

She told Sir Bob that voters believed knighthoods and other awards for top civil servants and politicians were a stitch-up and could be bought.

They saw it as the British Establishment handing out gongs to each other, patting themselves on the back and rewarding each other.

Asked if Ms Patel supported the knighthood for Sir Mark, a DFID spokesman last night issued a carefully worded statement saying that she supported the honours awarded by Her Majesty and the Prime Minister.

Asked specifically if she supported the honour for Sir Mark, the spokesman added the words and that includes Mark to the statement.

A Tory politician close to Ms Patel said: Priti does not want to get into a dispute with Lowcock but her views on distributing gongs like confetti to Sir Humphreys are well known and will not have changed. She believes people should be rewarded for outstanding service to the community, not because they are a member of the Whitehall brolly brigade or the right club.

Sir Mark was educated at private school Culford in Suffolk and Oxford University, and has spent his 30-year Whitehall career at DFID, where he helped to implement the controversial decision for Britain to spend 0.7 per cent of its income on overseas aid.

Last month he was accused by MPs of being evasive over who was to blame for building a 285 million airport on the remote island of St Helena, where it is too windy for commercial planes to land.

He received his first honour in 2011 when he was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath. He is a close friend of Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood, who reportedly once shared a flat with him.

Ms Patel, 44, the MP for Witham, Essex, is the daughter of Ugandan immigrants who set up a chain of newsagents in the UK. She was educated at Watford Grammar and unfashionable Keele University.

Since entering Parliament in 2010 she has called for new Whitehall rules to make it easier to remove under-performing permanent secretaries. They should be put on private sector-style four-year fixed term contracts instead of having cushy jobs for life, she said.
Advertisement

Piles of rubbish have been left dumped along the Sydney Harbour in the aftermath of spectacular New Year's Eve celebrations.

An estimated 1.5 million people lined the foreshore to watch the $7 million 9pm and midnight firework displays from the Sydney Harbour Bridge to welcome 2017.

But photographs of the aftermath show a massive $300,000 clean-up is in order, with piles of rubbish lining the usually pristine views.

Scroll down for video

Piles of rubbish have been left along Sydney Harbour in the aftermath of New Year's Eve celebrations

People could be seen sleeping on the grass the morning-after the celebrations

People could be seen sleeping on the grass in Sydney after New Year's Eve celebrations

Empty tents have been left abandoned on the foreshore after people eager for the fireworks used tents to save a space in anticipation

An extra 650 rubbish bins and 60 skip bins had been put out for the 1.5 million revellers

Empty tents have been left abandoned along the foreshore.

Some of the 1.5 million who watched the fireworks in Sydney had camped out around the harbour from Friday in an effort to ensure they had prime viewing.

The cost of removing 60 tonnes of waste from the city will cost $300,000 with 350 council staff on the job after 650 extra rubbish bins and 60 skip bins were put-out.

People could be seen sleeping on the grass the morning-after the celebrations.

60 tonnes of rubbish will cost the city $300,000 to remove in the clean-up

Paramedics had a busy start to 2017 with close to 2,000 calls for medical help taken between 4pm on Saturday and 4am on Sunday

Calls to triple-zero peaked between 2-3am, with 229 calls for medical assistance

Many of the ambulance calls related to drunken behaviour, including minor injuries caused by violence, intoxication and falls from walls, fences and wharves, a NSW Ambulance spokesman said

Assistant Commissioner Nick Fuller told reporters that, as of 1.30am on Sunday, the number of arrests was half what it was last year, an 'outstanding result'

Paramedics had a busy start to 2017 with close to 2,000 calls for medical help taken between 4pm on Saturday and 4am on Sunday.

Many of the calls related to drunken behaviour, including minor injuries caused by violence, intoxication and falls from walls, fences and wharves, a NSW Ambulance spokesman said.

Police patrolling New Year's celebrations across Sydney said they made 15 arrests.

NSW Police said that was a low figure, considering the crowds were the biggest in recent years.

The 1.5 million revellers are pictured dispersing after the midnight fireworks display from Sydney Harbour Bridge

Crowd numbers at many vantage points around the harbour reached capacity by 9pm

The city was abuzz on Saturday night for New Year's Eve celebrations

Assistant Commissioner Nick Fuller told reporters that, as of 1.30am on Sunday, the number of arrests was half what it was last year, an 'outstanding result'.

'From our perspective, we really feel the community heeded our warnings,' he said.

'They planned the night and they've acted in good faith and really seen 2016 out in a positive way.'

The arrests were mainly to do with heavy alcohol consumption and assaults, including some minor assaults on police officers, Assistant Commissioner Fuller said.

The few arrests made were mainly to do with heavy alcohol consumption and assaults, including some minor assaults on police officers, Assistant Commissioner Fuller said

People tuck into some food on Saturday night during New Year's Eve celebrations

People are pictured welcoming in the new year in Sydney after the fireworks display

Whoopsie daisy! Men are pictured on Sydney streets enjoying New Year's Eve celebrations

A man celebrates the new year amongst a crowd of revellers who saw the fireworks display

Crowd numbers at many vantage points around the harbour reached capacity by 9pm, which is 'very unusual', he said.

NSW Police beefed up normal Saturday resources by 2,000 officers.

The celebrations continued on Sunday morning at Bondi Beach, where people stripped off and dove into the surf as the sun rose.

Others were curled up on the sand to sleep off their shenanigans from the night before.

Some of the 350 council staff doing the clean-up on Sunday are pictured picking up rubbish as a woman tries to go on her morning walk

People are pictured walking past piles of rubbish left along the harbour from Saturday night

An empty wine bottle and pizza boxes sit precariously at the edge of the harbour

The lack of swimsuits did not stop a group of revellers from getting into the water, with both ladies and gents stripping down to their underwear to enjoy the water.

Some young women even opted to go without their bras and dared to bare their breasts at the beach in Sydney's east.

The early-morning swim followed a night of massive celebrations where more than one million people descended on Sydney's city centre for the world-renowned fireworks display from the Harbour Bridge.

Two men were killed in fireworks explosions during New Year's celebrations in NSW and Victoria.

An extra 650 bins and 60 skip bins, but 60 tonnes of rubbish still remained along the harbour

A man cleans up a tent in front of a massive pile of rubbish with the Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge as a back-drop

A 46-year-old Springhurst man died next to the beach when a firework went off at Hollands Landing in Victoria about 9.35pm.

A 52-year-old man also died in NSW after being hit in the head by a firework at Budgewoi on the Central Coast at 3am.

Emergency service crews were called just after 3am on Sunday to find the 52-year-old man had suffered a serious head injury.

Piles of rubbish and abandoned tents are pictured lining the Sydney Harbour as a reveller catches some shut-eye

Rubbish bins are pictured overflowing at Sydney Harbour on Sunday after New Year's Eve celebrations

Rubbish is left along the foreshore as people sleep off the night's shenanigans

Despite the efforts of friends and emergency services the man could not be revived.

Police launched an investigation and say initial inquiries suggest the man may have been lighting a firework at the time.

Three people were also treated for injuries in Victoria due to fireworks mishaps.

In Melbourne, up to 450,000 people crammed into Federation Square and along the Yarra River to catch a glimpse the display.

A council worker is pictured cleaning up Sydney streets on Sunday

A reveller is pictured sleeping off the celebrations at the Sydney Harbour on Sunday morning

60 tonnes of rubbish has been left behind on Sydney streets from New Year's Eve

An extra 650 bins and 60 skip bins were put out across Sydney for the celebrations

Firecrackers were position from 22 rooftops for the city's biggest ever pyrotechnic display.

In Brisbane, some 90,000 people lined the banks of the Brisbane River which flows through the city.

While millions crammed into capital cities to enjoy fireworks, thousands of others saw in 2017 at music festivals around the country.

Despite about 80 people getting trampled at Falls Festival in Lorne, Victoria on Friday, there didn't appear to be dampened spirits at the festivals on New Year's Eve.

People frolick in the surf at Bondi Beach on Sunday as the sun rose

Two women go topless and run into the surf at Bondi Beach as New Year's Eve celebrations continue through daylight

A reveller is pictured walking with his camping chair after watching the fireworks display

Sydney has welcomed 2017 in sensational fashion with a huge midnight fireworks spectacular

More than one million people gathered around Sydney Harbour to welcome in the new year

As the clock struck midnight more than $1 million in fireworks lit up the night sky in Sydney

A colourful fireworks and lighting display saw Sydney Harbour better resemble a rainbow

The fireworks were met by large cheers and applause from the millions around the harbour

While the fireworks were the star, a large light show featuring boats on Sydney Harbour was also part of the New Year's Eve bonanza

While Sydney Harbour was home to the main show, there were also smaller fireworks displays at beaches and locations around the city

With a glass of champagne in hand, these revellers said goodbye to 2016 and welcomed 2017

Excited young children look on in awe from the shoulders of their parents during the fireworks

In Melbourne more than 450,000 people crowded into the CBD for a fireworks spectacular

The Victorian capital also had an early display and midnight show, both attended by thousands

Fire crackers and pyrotechnics were packed on to the top of 22 high rise buildings across Melbourne including Etihad Stadium (pictured)

Earlier in the night an impressive 9pm fireworks display included this 'Purple Rain' tribute to musician Prince, who passed away in 2016

Brisbane also brought in the New Year with a bang as 90,000 sat by the Brisbane River

Many families made their way into the Sydney CBD for the early fireworks show at 9pm

The 'family fireworks' was enjoyed by young children, while the adults geared up for the larger midnight performance

Early fireworks around Darling Harbour proved popular for families on New Year's Eve

Earlier on Saturday more than one million revellers flocked to Sydney Harbour to see in 2017

Partygoers crammed into prime locations around Sydney Harbour long before midnight

Picnic rugs, tents and umbrellas were pitched in an effort to secure a prize piece of property

This topless woman received a huge round of applause from the crowd at Falls Festival in Byron Bay

While revellers on Sydney Harbour relaxed as they await the fireworks, music lovers at Falls Festival in Byron Bay (pictured) partied throughout the day in the lead up to 2017

This woman was cooled down with the help of a hose at Falls Festival in Byron Bay, NSW

Bringing an end to 2016 was cause for celebration for this excited group on Sydney Harbour

McMahons point directly opposite the Sydney Harbour Bridge was packed full of revellers

A panoramic image shows the large crowd and numerous tents gathered at McMahons point

More than 2000 plain clothes and uniformed police officers will patrol the harbour all night

Mrs Macquarie's Point is proving a hotspot for tourists with its prime position on the harbour

'New Year's Eve in Sydney and it's a bit crowded,' one woman wrote alongside her photo taken next to the Opera House
On the one-year anniversary of a mother-of-three's disappearance, police announced that her ex-boyfriend is a suspect in her murder.

Marisol Espinoza, 34, was reported missing last December 29 after she didn't show up at the hair salon where she worked in Dallas, reports Fox 4.

At the time, she was staying with her ex-boyfriend, Faustino Valdez, 35, after a fire destroyed her own house.

Marisol Espinoza, 34, was last seen at the house she shared with her ex-boyfriend and mother of two of her children, on December 29

The last person to see her alive was ex-boyfriend Faustino Valdez, 35, who gave an interview to Fox 4 on January 1 saying that Espinoza left for work as usual

Valdez gave an interview to Fox 4 on January 1, saying he had seen Espinoza the morning of her disappearance, but that she got ready for work at their home at the 7700 block of Aurora Street, left, and he never saw her again.

'She left the house fine. She got ready like she always does,' he told the outlet, appearing to choke back tears. 'She took a shower, got ready, put her clothes on and put her makeup on. She kissed me goodbye and told me she was leaving.'

A few days later, Valdez himself went missing. Espinoza's Chevy Tahoe with her purse inside was discovered abandoned a few miles from her house.

It wasn't until March that volunteers looking for abandoned dogs in a wooded area discovered Espinoza's partially clothed body near Dowdy Ferry Road in Southeast Dallas, according to Fox 4.

Police never said that Valdez was a suspect until today.

His family said they haven't heard from him since January 4. Espinoza's family suspects he may have fled to Mexico.

Espinoza, above, worked at a hair salon and didn't show up December 29 which alarmed her coworkers

Her body wasn't found until March when volunteers looking for abandoned dogs found her partially clothed body in a wooded area (above)

The victim and the suspect had two children together, and Espinoza has a third child. Her mother, Rosemary, was given custody of the children.

Friends told the Dallas News they believe it was Valdez who set the very fire that destroyed Espinoza's apartment and forced her to move back in with her ex.

The month that the mom disappeared, a coworker said that the victim said Valdez wanted to get back together, but she wasn't interested.

Valdez's family says they haven't heard from him since January 4 and the victim's family thinks he fled to Mexico - police issued a warrant for his arrest on the one year anniversary of her disappearance

On December 4, he booked a haircut at the salon his ex worked at - under a fake name because she wouldn't see him. An alarmed Espinoza cut his hair anyway, but the coworker said he 'had a crazed look in his eyes.'

On December 12, her home caught fire, forcing the mom, her three kids, her mother and uncle to move in with Valdez.

Valdez had a history of domestic violence with an arrest against a former girlfriend and her mother said she once saw him 'trying to choke' her daughter, according to Dallas News.

Police were also called twice to the Valdez home in two years because Espinoza said he allegedly assaulted her, reported The Desert Sun.

When he disappeared, he was a 'wanted fugitive' in a non-related theft case. He also quit his job shortly before Espinoza disappeared.

'We need help finding the guy,' homicide detective Chuck Young told the outlet.
The small NSW town of Clarence Valley has been dealt another tragedy after a 16-year-old schoolgirl took her own live.

Grafton High School student Emma Powell was found dead on December 23 - the sixth suicide the town on the NSW North Coast has experienced in the past year, The Daily Telegraph reported.

The heartbreaking death of the popular high school student prompted Lifeline North Coast chief executive Allister Donald to declare the situation a 'national emergency', he told the publication.

16-year-old Grafton High School student Emma Powell committed suicide after she was found on December 23, the sixth teenage death in the community in the past year in Clarence Valley

Emma Powell, 16, pictured with her mother Shannon who is making sure Emma's message of breaking down the stigma around mental health issues is heard

Emma's death comes after she lost her good friend Courtney Telfer, 16, in March and the community lost another teenager and footy player Clinton McGrail-Skinner in June 2015.

Emma Powell's mother, Shannon, said her daughter suffered from depression since a young age and after taking a turn on December 19  the night before she went missing - the parents attempted to admit her into hospital.

But after Emma appeared calm on arrival the hospital did not assess her and told the family a mental health worker would contact them the following day.

After never hearing back, her father Michael Powell said the next day Emma appeared in good spirits but said depression was like fighting a battle you cannot see.

'All I can say is that she must have been in a terrible place when she left. She was so happy and joyful, but when she was down she was all consumed,' Shannon Powell said.

'There are just no words. It is such a tragic waste. All I want for her is to come back.'

All the teenagers in the area that had passed away knew each other in a tight community, and the loss of Courtney Telfer struck Emma Powell particularly hard.

Emma Powell had recently spoken to her school colleagues addressing mental health

The brave teenager had recently addressed her school colleagues in a powerful message telling them to reach out for help if they felt overwhelmed.

In her speech she told her school she had felt weak before, but reaching out for help isn't a sign of failure, rather a sign of strength.

Emma broke down the stigma surrounding mental health and her mother said she was thankful for the help mental health workers achieved, but kids needed to be educated on how to cope during dark times at an earlier age.

Mr Donald said Lifeline was teaming up with education, health and mental health representatives in order to prevent further suicides in the area.

The plan is to team up with community leaders active around sport and other social areas to speak to vulnerable children to make a difference early.

13 11 14 is a confidential telephone crisis support service available 24/7 from a landline, payphone or mobile.

Anyone across Australia experiencing a personal crisis or thinking about suicide can contact Lifeline. Regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation our trained volunteers are ready to listen, provide support and referrals.

If you need crisis support call 13 11 14 now. If life is in immediate danger call 000.
The catamaran he and his crew were forced to abandon is now drifting towards the Caribbean Sea, as if determined to finish on its own the transatlantic record attempt that began with such high hopes more than two weeks ago.

Its a source of deep frustration to Roy Finlay, 55, the skipper who spent two years designing and building the 40-foot vessel, as he continues to track its path thanks to the beacon he fitted to the deck.

The Scot called a halt to the Orca II challenge on December 16, just two days into the record bid, to save the life of a crew member, who was suffering kidney problems.

Roy Finlay, 55, called a halt to the Orca II challenge on December 16, just two days into the record bid, to save the life of a crew member, who was suffering kidney problems

Yet Mr Finlay, whose boat designs have won a string of world records, has found to his cost that mud sticks, no matter how unjust.

Eighteen years ago, during his first-ever attempt to set a new record for rowing the Atlantic, he was dubbed Captain Calamity after he and his then crew had a spectacular fall-out.

That crossing had to be abandoned and he was accused of being drunk, lazy and spending the night with a prostitute  all claims he has vehemently denied.

The infamous episode, however, attracted international media attention and lurid headlines, leading to the former Royal Navy divers reputation being damaged.

There have been many successes and further failures in between, but in the wake of his latest bid ending prematurely, he has faced a new storm of criticism and mockery which has cut so deep this time that he has decided to retire from ocean rowing for good.

Finlay with his fiancee and child. He spent two years designing and building a 40-foot vessel

Today, in a searingly honest interview with The Scottish Mail on Sunday, the father-of-three, originally from Bridge of Weir, Renfrewshire, hits back at his critics and pays tribute to the bravery of his latest crew.

For the first time, he also reveals his true thoughts about the disastrous voyage of 1998 which has blighted his ocean racing career.

Now spending some unexpected family time with his German fiancee, Sandra, 40, and their daughter, Zuna, three, in her hometown of Haslach im Kinzigtal, in the Black Forest, he said: As my days of actively rowing oceans are over, I can finally speak openly without fear of recrimination further damaging me.

Its easy to criticise but anything can happen out there. Rowing the Atlantic isnt like rowing down a river. I dont mind criticism if its justified but to be called names is absolutely childish. Im being portrayed as a national idiot, despite having 20 world records. But we collectively sacrificed the record attempt and our boat in favour of saving a mans life. Why cant a crew be credited for just doing the right thing?

Roy Finlay and his crew onboard ORCA II in 2016. In the wake of his latest bid ending prematurely, he has faced a new storm of criticism and mockery which has cut so deep this time that he has decided to retire from ocean rowing for good

Initial reports claimed, incorrectly, Captain Calamity had struck again, with Mr Finlay being the one who needed rescued because of kidney problems, not his crewmate. The crew were also branded clowns for apparently leaving their passports behind on the abandoned catamaran.

He added: I am not Captain Calamity and my crew are not a bunch of clowns who forgot their passports and were stranded in Spain. It really is pathetic stuff and Im tired of the negativity.

The crew had been hoping to raise money for charity and beat the world record for the fastest crossing from Africa to Barbados - set in 2011 by a six-man-crew aboard a boat designed by Mr Finlay - in a time of 31 days, 23 hours and 31 minutes.

They set out from Puerto de Mogan in Gran Canaria on December 14, but had to be rescued two days later when crewmate, George Ardavanis, developed kidney problems.

Mr Finlay in 1998. For the first time he has revealed his true thoughts about that disastrous voyage which has blighted his ocean racing career

Mr Finlay said: Almost from the outset, George was visibly suffering from sea sickness, and his condition became worse. He was physically sick, a perfectly normal consequence of not being used to the sea and perhaps nerves, but by sunrise on the 16th, he was complaining of kidney pains.

I thought thats it. Im not a doctor and the only thing I could do was get him off the boat. I had a decision to make quickly and knew it would have serious consequences but if Id carried on I could have been responsible for his death.

So far south, we were around the limits of rescue helicopter range. I couldve put George on a passing ship but it might not have had the medical capabilities to look after him. Every single crew member was supportive of my decision.

Within two hours of pressing the emergency beacon, which emits a satellite signal to Falmouth Coastguard, in Cornwall, who in turn informed the Spanish rescue services, a helicopter airlifted the 10-man crew to safety.

Concerns over weight restrictions and low fuel, however, meant the men were told to leave their belongings  including a bag with their passports inside  behind on the vessel.

His first ocean crossing was in 1988 as one of a crew of four and which took 35 days, but it is his first record bid as a skipper, on the now notorious Atlantic Endeavour trip of 1998, which still haunts him to this day

As it transpired, the decision was the right one, added Mr Finlay, I think we landed with fumes.

After a brief spell in hospital in Gran Canaria, Mr Ardavanis recovered and returned to the UK, as did the remainder of the crew.

But Mr Finlay is furious at the backlash, particularly the lack of compassion from those with little understanding of what it takes to cross one of the worlds great oceans.

He said: This crew didnt deserve any of this. They are probably the best crew Ive ever worked with. This voyage was two years in the planning, everyone was raring to get the job done.

George was upset and we were upset that it was all over but fortunately theres no long-term damage to his health and thats all that matters.

Before this medical emergency, I was sure wed do well. We got the weather forecast correct and everything had been going well as we steered the boat in heavy seas.

He added: More people have climbed Everest than have rowed the Atlantic. I tell all my crews the most important step they will take is the one from the pier to that boat - because they might not be coming back.

His rowing days may be over but his wish now is to see the crew of Orca II, who were raising funds for charity Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis, given the chance to have a second attempt at the record - with a new skipper

Its physically demanding, cold and wet. It destroys you mentally and can leave you demoralised. There is sleep deprivation and fear - especially during the hours of darkness. You have to be fully alert for the waves coming in from different angles, some 30 feet high. If you arent paying attention you will get rolled. Some waves come over the entire boat and you are drenched multiple times. You row two hours on and two hours off throughout the night, one hour on and one hour off during the day, and sleep in claustrophobic conditions. There is no getting used to it, every crossing is different.

Its not about what goes wrong, its about putting it right. Its a fair fight you might win, you might lose. Whats not fair is when someone tries to achieve something, only to face constant negativity.

Its great encouragement for our up and coming generation of youngsters, whose most dangerous attempts at anything in this cotton wool society will amount to crossing the street, isnt it? Why should they bother sticking their necks out if they are to face ridicule? It completely sends out the wrong message.

As a result, Ive decided to remove myself from further public humiliation. Ive promised my fiancee that that is it.

The couple, who have been together six years, live in a 300-year-old farmhouse on the Spanish island of Majorca, where Mr Finlay, founder of The Ocean Rowing Club of the Atlantic (O.R.C.A), runs his boat design business  the culmination of a life of sea-going which began at the age of four, sailing aboard his familys yacht.

Most of his career in the Royal Navy was spent with HMS Brinton as a diver in the mine counter measures squadron.

He bought his first boat, aged 22, a 23-foot yacht which he moored at the Royal Gourock Yacht club, on the Clyde, and cruised the west coast of Scotland, often solo.

His first ocean crossing was in 1988 as one of a crew of four and which took 35 days, but it is his first record bid as a skipper, on the now notorious Atlantic Endeavour trip of 1998, which still haunts him to this day.

Sixteen days after setting off from the Canaries, he and his crew were forced to dock in the Cape Verde islands, 700 miles off the west coast of Africa, for urgent generator repairs.

By then, the record was out of reach, morale had deteriorated, and his crew of 16 accused him of drinking and laziness, as well as entertaining a prostitute on their boat  claims he insisted at the time they maliciously concocted.

He, in turn, accused them of lacking the stomach for the voyage.

Ive lived with this for nearly 20 years, he said, shaking his head. Its not only affected my ocean rowing business but socially too. Ive never been able to defend myself because of my business but it was all lies designed to destroy my life by a bunch of people who acted like they were on a Sunday school outing.

The truth is that by the time we got to Cape Verde, I was glad we had generator problems so we could pull in. Their behaviour was terrible. There was persistent squabbling among them. I shouldve selected the crew more carefully. Every day there was something. One guy actually hit another for whistling. There was bad feeling on board and when all the allegations were made against me, it had built up into something I just didnt recognise.

He added: After we docked, everyone went ashore for a few drinks. By the time I got back to the boat, there were women there who couldnt return to shore because theyd missed the last water taxi. They were not prostitutes. One I learned later was the chief of polices daughter. They stayed overnight on the boat and left in the morning. Its total fabrication to claim I spent the night with a prostitute and jeopardised the record attempt.

Ever since, Ive been unfairly branded the drunken, lazy, prostitute-seeking Captain Calamity. After their allegations, I lost everything. I lost the boat, I lost my business, I ended up in hospital because of a breakdown, not to mention the embarrassment it caused my family. It took years to overcome.

Thanks to a dogged determination, however, he did bounce back. Successfully crossing the Atlantic in 2007 as part of a team of four in a multi-hull vessel Orca he designed himself, they missed the world record by just one day.

I knew the attempt had to be a success. I knew if I screwed up in any way, Id be Captain Calamity again. Seeing the lights of Barbados, there was a tear in my eye, he recalled.

But highs and lows go hand in hand with transatlantic racing, a sport which has also claimed a number of vessels skippered by Mr Finlays competitors in recent years and which now lie broken on the seabed.

A further attempt by him, this time in Barracuda in November 2013, ended three days in, after a freak wave hit the craft, causing damage beyond repair. Mr Finlay and his crew had to be rescued by helicopter and returned to Gran Canaria.

Theres no guide book for this, he says. Theres no such thing as a perfect crossing and like any extreme sport, theres an element of danger.

But neither is it about ego, its about design and the fastest boat and getting the record. Better to try and fail in my opinion than to have never tried at all.

His rowing days may be over but his wish now is to see the crew of Orca II, who were raising funds for charity Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis, given the chance to have a second attempt at the record - with a new skipper.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 1

Trend:

Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry has condemned the terrorist attack on a nightclub in Istanbul, Ministry said in it's statement.

"Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov has offered condolences to his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Chavushoglu.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs offer deepest condolences to the families and relatives of those killed and wish speedy recovery to those injured.

Treacherous and despicable terrorist actions will not break Turkey's will and determination in the fight against terrorism", said in statement.
An NRL player will face outlaw justice after allegedly smashing a bottle over a bikie's head.

Parramatta Eels winger Vai Toutai was reportedly threatened by the bikie, who refused to press charges, after the alleged brawl in Sydney's west in early December, anonymous sources told The Daily Telegraph.

Toutai, 23, allegedly attacked the bikie after the man made a comment about one of the rugby player's relatives.

The bikie reportedly vowed to exact revenge on Toutai.

NSW police could not confirm the incident when contacted by Daily Mail Australia.

Parramatta Eels winger Vai Toutai was reportedly threatened by a bikie, who refused to press charges after the alleged brawl in Sydney's west in early December

The Eels terminated Toutai's contract after learning of the alleged fight in Sydney's west

Parramatta Eels winger Vai Toutai was reportedly threatened by the bikie, who refused to press charges, after the alleged brawl in Sydney's west in early December

Toutai, 23, allegedly attacked the bikie after the man made a comment about one of the rugby player's relatives

Vai Toutai is pictured wearing a motorcycle helmet in a social media picture. He was let go from the Parramatta Eels over an alleged fight

Vai Toutai allegedly brawled with a bikie, causing the man to threaten the rugby player, according to a report

The Eels released Toutai from his contract after learning of the alleged fight, according to a statement posted on the club's website on New Year's Day.

'The club is aware of an incident that took place in December 2016 and, as per the club's normal protocols, the club kept all relevant stakeholders updated throughout the entire process. This included the NRL Integrity Unit,' the statement read.

'The club and Vai Toutai have agreed to a mutual release from his contract and he will not be with the Eels in 2017.'

Daily Mail Australia has reached out Toutai and his management team for comment.
William Christopher, the actor best known for playing Father Mulcahy on the hit television series M*A*S*H, died on Saturday.

Christopher passed away at his Pasadena, California, home after suffering from cancer. He was 84 years old.

His family confirmed the news to KABC-TV in Los Angeles.

Christopher's agent Robert Malcom said the actor died at 5:10 a.m.

He tells The Associated Press that Christopher's wife says her husband died peacefully.

Scroll down for video

William Christopher (left in 2009), the actor best known for playing Father Mulcahy (right) on the hit 70s television series M*A*S*H, died on Saturday

Malcom said Christopher was diagnosed with cancer more than a year ago and had been in hospice since the beginning of the week.

He is survived by his wife, Barbara O'Conner, and his two sons.

A native of Evanston, Illinois, Christopher began his acting career on the stage, appearing in Off-Broadway productions like The Hostage.

He made his Broadway debut in the British revue Beyond the Fringe.

Christopher left the stage and set out on a long career as a television actor, guest-starring in a number of popular shows including The Andy Griffith Show, Death Valley Days, The Patty Duke Show, The Men from Shiloh, and Good Times.

He made repeat appearances on shows like Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., That Girl, Hogan's Heroes, and The Love Boat.

The cast of M*A*S*H is seen after the 1980 People's Choice Awards. From left: Mike Farrell, Loretta Swit, Harry Morgan, Alan Alda, Christopher, and Jamie Farr

His big break came in 1972, when he was hired to portray Father Mulcahy in the hit series M*A*S*H.

The show, which starred Alan Alda and Loretta Swit and aired weekly on CBS from 1972 to 1983, is considered to be one of America's most acclaimed written television series ever.

'Everyone adored him,' said Swit.

'A great sense of humor and a great humanitarian. He became TV's quintessential padre as Father Mulcahy on M.A.S.H. It was the most perfect casting ever known.'

After the show went off the air, Christopher reprised the role for two more seasons in the spin-off AfterMASH.

His credits of motion pictures include The Fortune Cookie, The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell, The Shakiest Gun in the West, With Six You Get Eggroll, and Hearts of the West.

Most recently, he made guest appearances on hit 90s shows like Mad About You and Murder, She Wrote.
, aged nine and 12, fell with her and were

The Texas mother who fell to her death from a ski lift while her two young daughters were seriously injured did not have the safety bar down, a witness has claimed.

Kelly Huber, of San Antonio, was riding the chairlift at the Ski Granby Ranch, in Colorado, with her girls - aged nine and 12 - on Thursday when all three fell.

The 40-year-old plummeted more than 20ft to her death, while her daughters were seriously injured.

Her nine-year-old daughter was airlifted to Childrens Hospital Colorado and her condition is not known.

Huber's other daughter, 12, was treated and released at Middle Park Medical Center in Granby, where her mother was pronounced dead, the Denver Post reported.

Scroll down for video

Kelly Huber (left and right), of San Antonio, was riding the chairlift at the Ski Granby Ranch, in Colorado, with her girls - aged nine and 12 - on Thursday when all three fell

Allen McGirl, who was three chairs back when the trip fell, wrote on Facebook: 'I can't get out of my head watching that moment'

The chair remained attached to the cable, according to witnesses.

On Saturday, the coroner determined that Huber died from blunt force trauma to her torso and a traumatic rupture of the aorta.

The witness, Allen McGirl from Greeley, who was three chairs back from the family, wrote on Facebook: 'I am so sad to have witnessed the 3 people fall off the chair lift at Granby Ranch this morning.

'If only the mother would have lowered the safety bar, this would not have happened.

'Now the mother is dead and the two little girls will never be the same. My heart goes out to their family.'

A witness says the accident wouldn't have happened if the safety bar had gone up, but it's not yet clear exactly what happened when the three fell from Ski Granby Ranch in Grand County, Colorado. Pictured: one of the ranch's ski lifts

He continued: 'I was three chairs back and saw everything and was warning my group I was with.

'Terrifying. Warning about the swaying side to side. No other chairs were swinging like that.

'The bar hit the sign on the pole and they dropped out. I can't get out of my head watching that moment and cpr for 5 to 10 min.'

'My heart sunk and it just took me very hard,' McGirl, who is a father of young children as well, told Denver 7 TV station.

He said it was obvious that Huber was not breathing when she hit the ground.

The fatal fall is the first in the state in over a decade.

Slope officials immediately shut down the lift to make sure there were no problems with it.

Authorities have not yet weighed in on whether this was the reason the family tumbled out.

'Granby Ranch continues to work cooperatively with authorities to determine the cause of the incident. Our thoughts and prayers also go out to everyone involved in this tragic event,' the ranch wrote on Facebook Saturday.

Huber had been vacationing in Colorado with her daughters and other family members when the tragic accident occurred, authorities say.

Emergency services were called to the slopes at about 10am on Thursday after horrified witnesses saw the Texas family tumble from the Quick Draw Express Lift.

It has not yet been announced how high up the mountain the victims were when they fell from the lift, but Schelly Olson, spokeswoman for the incident command, said they were the only ones on that chair.

But she said many saw the horrific accident: 'People on the chairs in front. People on the chairs in back. People on the hill.'

Huber had been vacationing in Colorado with her daughters and other family members when the tragic accident occurred

The 40-year-old (pictured with her fiance Michael Hunsucker) plummeted more than 20ft to her death, while her daughters were seriously injured

Huber (pictured) died in Middle Park Medical Center, where one of her daughters was reportedly treated and released

While the rest of the resort is now operational, the high speed Quickdraw Lift will remain closed until the inspection by the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board and lift manufacturer is complete.

One visitor to the resort had raised concerns about the lift on Facebook just one day before the accident.

'What's going on with the Quickdraw lift?' Denise Ablin Slucki had asked. ' Seems like it is having frequent mechanical issues.'

One of Huber's daughters was moved from the resort (pictured) to a nearby hospital and is in stable condition; the other was airlifted to Colorado

Huber was a long-time employee of the health insurance provider Aetna, according to a statement from the company.

'She was a loved and respected Aetna employee,' company spokeswoman Anjanette Coplin said in a statement to the Denver Post. 'Our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragedy.'

Chairlift deaths in the US are very rare - only 12 people have died due to malfunctions between 1973 and October this year, three in falls.

The last chairlift fall death in Colorado was believed to have occurred in 2002, the Denver Post said.

America's most deadly ski-lift tragedy happened in Colorado's Vail in 1976 when a seven-year-old gondola, carrying six skiers, plummeted 125ft killing four people.

In 1985, a bullwheel at Keystone Resort failed, throwing 60 people off the Teller Lift. Two later died from their injuries.

The 400-acre Ski Granby Ranch, about 20 miles west of Winter Park, is a family-oriented resort renowned for its beginner ski and snowboarding slopes, and has just four chairlifts.
A sexually abused man who penned a suicide note from a mental health facility about the trauma he endured at the hands of a neighbour has come forward to help other victims.

Jason Gustavs was top of the class when he was 13-years-old, until he was sexually abused 500 metres from his home by Andre Hendricks at the 30-year-old's unit in Cronulla, south Sydney.

His life suddenly unravelled, and he spent years in and out of mental health facilities, and committed armed robbery and drug supply, Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Mr Gustavs specifically requested the paper reveal his identity to show other victims it was okay to come forward.

Jason Gustavs, now 28, was sexually abused as a 13-year-old

'The good years of my life were taken from me. I still feel like that,' he said.

Hendricks, who was born in South Africa, was a photographer posing as a talent scout.

The pair met when Hendricks was 30 and they spent several hours drinking at the man's unit before Mr Gustavs stayed over so he could 'sober up'.

Mr Gustavs later awoke to find Hendricks sexually assaulting him.

Now 28, Mr Gustavs said he ran from the unit, but felt compelled to return when he began receiving threats against his family.

'That put me into a catatonic state,' he told Sydney Morning Herald.

'My mouth and my lips all dried up, I couldn't remember how to brush my teeth, I couldn't communicate, I couldn't go to school.'

Andre Lorian Hendricks was found guilty of 10 child sex offences against Mr Gustavs and another boy between 2002 and 2005

Mr Gustavs did not tell his parents why his life had unravelled until years later, when he wrote a suicide note to his parents from a mental health facility, before trying to take his own life.

But he began opening up and is now an operations assistant at a Sydney hospital and has recently married.

In December, Hendricks was found guilty of 10 child sex offences against Mr Gustavs and another boy between 2002 and 2005. Police believe there may be more victims.

Hendricks had denied the allegations.

He claimed he had consensual sex with the boys when they were over the age of 16.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Mr Gustavs for comment.

Anyone with further information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Lifeline, 13 11 14.

1800 RESPECT, 1800 737 732.
Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull has used his 2017 New Year message to warn terrorists and extremists they will not succeed in dividing Australians.

Mr Turnbull said conflict around the world should make all Australians grateful and proud of its harmonious, peaceful and multicultural society.

But he also warned 'we must never take it for granted' and pointed to recent arrests in Sydney and Melbourne linked to terror plots which he says were designed to undermine the Australian way of life.

Scroll down for video

Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull has used his 2017 New Year message to warn terrorists and extremists they will not succeed in dividing Australians

'Those who have sought to divide us have failed just as those who try to divide us in the future will fail,' he said.

'We will continue to root out Islamist terrorists and violent extremists and put them behind bars, just as our Defence Force will continue to combat and destroy them in Syria and Iraq.'

Mr Turnbull said national and economic security would again be his priority in 2017, and wished everyone a year filled with peace, happiness and love.

In his New Year message, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten reflected on the difficulties Australians faced in 2016, including violence against women and unemployment.

'As a nation, we witnessed unhappiness far too often,' he said.

The Labor leader promised to stand up for the things that matter to ordinary Australians.

'As we look ahead to the challenges of 2017, it is clear that too many people are feeling left out and left behind,' Mr Shorten said.

'We'll keep working hard to build a strong economy that delivers for all Australians.'

Mr Shorten says he hopes 2017 will be filled with joy, good health and success for everyone.
Heather Burkinshaw-Stanley was fired on Saturday from her job as waitress at Waffle House in Newnan, Georgia

The Waffle House restaurant chain fired a waitress from one of its franchises in Georgia on Saturday after she used a gun to scare away three men who robbed the branch of $200.

Heather Burkinshaw-Stanley was let go just two days after she fired her gun while chasing three men who robbed the restaurant in Newnan, Georgia, WSB-TV reported.

Stanley claimed that she was only trying to protect the store and her colleagues.

A spokesperson for Waffle House would not comment on personnel matters.

The incident took place at 2:30am on Thursday, when three men walked into the Waffle House on Highway 29 in Newnan.

The men ordered meals and sat down to eat.

About 20 minutes later, one of the men handed a note to a waitress threatening to shoot everyone in the restaurant unless they received all the money in the cash register.

As the men tried to walk away with $200, another waitress, Stanley, ran to her car parked nearby to get her gun.

As the robbers were getting into their car, Stanley fired a shot into the air.

The three men (above) walked into Waffle House on Highway 29 early Thursday and threatened to kill everyone in the restaurant if they weren't given money

As they headed to their car (above), Stanley ran to her car and grabbed gun

I didnt know if they had guns, she said.

I didnt know if they were going to their vehicle to get another one and could come back and try to get to the safe, so my instinct was to go to my car and get the gun.

This was the third time a Waffle House was robbed in Coweta County, Georgia, since September, according to WSB-TV, though authorities have yet to say whether the robberies are connected.

Stanley launched a GoFundMe page asking for the publics financial assistance.

She then fired a shot in the air, after which the three men sped away from the Waffle House (above)

I safely fired a round in the air in an attempt to scare the robbers who were in the process of getting in their vehicle, she wrote.

[I did so] not knowing if they were retrieving their weapon to return to the Waffle House, she wrote.

My shot must have gotten their attention as they rapidly drove off.

Due to this action of firing a round safely in the air I have lost my job.

After she was fired, she launched a GoFundMe page asking for the public's help in paying her bills and finding a job

I am a mother of three children and have a disabled husband, she wrote.

Being the sole income [earner], short term assistance would be welcomed to help make ends meet until I can secure another job. Any and all donations would be graciously appreciated.

Monies raised will be used to pay for heat and utilities. As well as any care that my family may require until I can find employment.'
Advertisement

Mariah Carey suffered through a nightmare train wreck performance in Times Square on New Years's Eve as technical problems left her completely out-of-syc with her lip syncing track - causing her to storm off stage.

The megastar diva was supposed to herald in 2017 and say good riddance to 2016 before the traditional ball drop by performing two hits, Emotions and We Belong Together.

Indeed, 2016 has been a checkered year for the star during which she has seen her engagement to Australian billionaire James Packer end and started dating her back-up dancer, Bryan Tanaka.

However, on stage in New York City she appeared unable to hear any backing track, so stopped pretending to sing and put a hand on her hip while the vocal track of her voice carried on without her.

Furious with the unfolding disaster in front of millions inside Times Square and watching at home, Carey, who was dressed in a stunning pink bodysuit, began pacing in frustration across the stage.

Trying to keep calm, she stopped and told the crowd that despite the performance falling apart at the seams, 'I'm trying to be a good sport here'.

Her backup dancers bravely carried on, but quickly became confused leading Mariah to say, 'It is what it is. It just don't get any better' - at which point she walked off the stage.

Letting emotion get the better of her, the star also said, 'I wanted a holiday too. Can't I just have one?'

Mariah later tried to brush off the huge blunder, writing 's*** happens' in an Instagram post after the set

Mariah Carey has stormed off stage after she lashed out during her botched New Year's Eve performance, after the wrong lip-sync track played

Carey looked furious as she walked around the stage but did not sing due to the show-stopping technical error

After her second song ended, Carey during her back on the stage and stored off - a full 15 minutes before the clock hit midnight

Mariah later tried to brush off the botched set, saying 's*** happens' in an Instagram post

Carey was noticeably annoyed as she stood by herself on stage (left), before she asked a dancing to lift her leg (right)

'We didn't have a check for this song... we're missing some of the vocals, but it is what it is. I'm just going to let the audience sing,' said the singer before her fit of pique.

'We didn't have a sound check for this New Year's baby, it is what it is.'

'Get these monitors on please.'

At that point, Carey appeared to give up, and went over to one of her dancers and said: 'just for laughs, do the lift.' The dancer then lifted Carey's leg in the air, as she sang a few notes.

'I wanted a holiday too, can't I just have one,' she said as the first song wrapped up.'

After the second song wrapped up, Mariah sarcastically said,'bring the feathers, it just don't get any better,' before walking off.

Mariah later tried to brush off the massive blunder, writing 's*** happens' in an Instagram post after the set.

Carey was visibly annoyed throughout her short performance, and she also vented about her frustrations to the crowd in Times Square

After the second song wrapped up, Mariah sarcastically said,'bring the feathers, it just don't get any better,' before walking off

Mariah Carey performs on stage with a dancer during her set, which was cut short when she stormed off stage after tech glitches

Prelude to disaster: Mariah begins to look uneasy during her Times Square performance moments before she left the stage

Mariah Carey performs in Times Square during the New Year's Eve celebrations in New York

Organizers had been in a panic all evening about whether the diva singer would arrive for her New Year's Eve performance on time

Ready for the ball drop: Chirlane McCray, her husband New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and his wife Yoo Soon-taek pose on stage during New Year's Celebrations in Times Square

Fireworks erupted in Times Square as the countdown hit zero and the clock officially ticked over to 2017

By the time the ball finally dropped in Times Square, Mariah Carey had been off-stage for more than 10 minutes in Manhattan

Thousands cheering in Times Square as the final seconds ticked off for 2016, and the ball dropped on another year in Manhattan

Let the party start: Times Square is covered in confetti as the New Year's Eve Waterford crystal ball is dropped

The ABC broadcast then cut back to Ryan Seacrest, who said: 'Mariah Carey there, on our stage. No matter what Mariah does, the crowd absolutely loves it.'

There had been panic all day after asking earlier in the night what time the famous ball drops in Manhattan.

Booked as the top guest for Dick Clark's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest, the megastar was supposed to herald the start of 2017 as the Waterford Crystal dropped at midnight.

The first alarms bells rang when the star's team appeared not to be aware of the world renowned ceremony, according to the New York Post.

Twitter trashes Mariah for her New Year's Eve meltdown Mariah Carey 's meltdown on national television is the talk of Twitter as 2017 began with a bang. The diva stormed off the stage in New York 's Times Square during the New Year's Eve telecast on ABC after the wrong lip-synced track played during her performance. Carey appeared flustered and on the verge of tears as she declined to sing some lines of her songs. Carey's meltdown became the most trending topic on Twitter, with commenters mercilessly lampooning the songstress. Todd Hall tweeted this quip about Mariah Carey 'bombing Times Square' Andrew Clark tweeted that Mariah Carey's performance gave him reason to watch the telecast 'I'm sitting here singing to Mariah Carey while Mariah Carey is pretending to sing to Mariah Carey,' wrote Sabrina O'Brien 'Who needs to drop the ball for New Years when Mariah Carey already covered it,' wrote this Twitter user Another Twitter user wrote that the jihadist group ISIS 'claimed responsibility' for the meltdown Advertisement

Thomas Rhett performs onstage during Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2017 at Times Square

Joe Jonas of DNCE performs during New Year's Eve celebrations in Times Square on December 31, 2016 in New York

DNCE performs during New Year's Eve celebrations in Times Square on December 31, 2016 in New York

Mikito Horino, left, and kisses his wife, Taki Horino, from Japan, during a new years celebration at Times Square

Producers of the show were so concerned she might be late, that they hired an entire crew to ensure the legendary diva made it to the ball on time.

The panic was sparked when producers asked what time she would arrive. According to the New York Post, Carey's people replied, 'What time exactly does the ball drop?'

An apartment was reportedly booked for Mariah to have her hair and make-up done in at the top of the Times Square hotel, as organizers feared she would not make the trip from her Manhattan apartment in time.

'There's a team of top producers tasked to get her there on time and shepherd her to the stage,' a source said, according to the Post.

DISMAL PERFORMANCE CAPS OFF TERRIBLE YEAR Mariah split from her billionaire fiance James Packer following a dramatic fight in September. According to Australian publication Woman's Day, the billionaire casino don, 48, dumped the 46-year-old pop-star over her 'extravagant spending' as well as a falling out over her new reality TV show, Mariah's World - which aired last month. 'It's all over,' a family friend allegedly confirmed to the publication. 'James had huge reservations about Mariah's new reality TV show and the fact that she was willing to expose their lives to the world.' It was also claimed that the tycoon has allowed her to keep her $10m diamond engagement ring. The pair became engaged in January after a whirlwind romance of less than a year. 2016 has been a checkered year for the star during which she has seen her engagement to Australian billionaire James Packer end Advertisement

Don't drop the ball! Mariah Carey has been assigned a special team to make sure she isn't late for her Times Square gig on New Year's Eve. Her new beau Bryan Tanaka is also helping to make sure she doesn't miss midnight, and was seen carrying her on the stage in rehearsals

Annual tradition: Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin act as hosts for CNN viewers during the events in Times Square on New Year's Eve in New York

Two revelers share a kiss as the clock hits midnight in Times Square in Manhattan to celebrate the new year

Revelers play in the confetti at the start of 2017 at the New Year's celebration in Times Square in Manhattan

Angels: Revelers pose for a photo lying in the confetti during the new year celebration in New York's Times Square

Two more people kiss during the celebrations in Manhattan after the calendar officially rolled over into 2017

Party time: Times Square revelers look ecstatic during the New Year's Eve celebrations in New York City on Saturday night

Raining confetti: Times Square revelers use their phones to catch pictures of the traditional finale of the New Year's Eve celebrations

Fireworks are displayed on the clock of Times Square during New Year's celebrations at Times Square on January 1, 2017

Confetti falls as people celebrate the new year in New York's Times Square in the middle of Manhattan as the clock hit midnight

Protection: People take a selfie with a member of the counter terrorism task force in Times Square in New York

Revelers at the start of 2017 at the New Year's celebration in Times Square in Manhattan, New York City on Sunday morning

Kaitlin Olivi of Yonkers, N.Y., and Lucas Pereira, of Sayreville, N.J., kiss as confetti falls during a celebration of the new year in New York's Times Square

A woman runs after confetti picked up by wind while celebrating the new year at Times Square just after the clock hit midnight

A reveler poses for a photo as she wears glasses that read '2017' in during New Year's Eve festivities in Times Square

People take part in New Year's eve celebrations at Times Square on December 31, 2016 in New York

New Year's Eve revelers - many donning oversized 2017 eyeglasses and green Statue of Liberty hats - filled the iconic square on Saturday hours before the glittering crystal ball was to drop

Officials estimated as many as a million celebrants would descend upon the Crossroads of the World, braving cold temperatures and strong winds to ring in the New Year amid heavy police protection

During the night on CNN, host Don Lemon agreed to have his ear pierced as part of the broadcast

Lemon was part of the CNN team that was broadcasting from New Orleans - meaning he was behind the New York broadcast

In another bizarre moment earlier in the day, Carey had to be carried on stage for rehearsals by her boyfriend and back-up dancer, Bryan Tanaka.

Amid all the diva drama, New Year's Eve revelers - many donning oversized 2017 eyeglasses and green Statue of Liberty hats - filled the iconic square on Saturday hours before the glittering crystal ball was to drop.

Officials estimated as many as a million celebrants descended upon the Crossroads of the World, braving cold temperatures and strong winds to ring in the New Year amid heavy police protection.

Stefania Moran, from Puebla, Mexico, and five friends, who are nannies for families in the United States, traveled to New York to secure a coveted spot in one of 35 metal pens where re-entry is prohibited.

'I've always wanted to come to New York, and this is one of the must-dos before you die,' she said.

Laura Ribera, from Bolivia, said people told her she was crazy for coming.

Revelers Jaimie Johnson, left, Jennifer Johnson, center, and Pam Johnson of Southaven, Mich., take part in the New Year's Eve celebration in New York's Times Square

A sea of commemorative New Year's Eve top hats is seen as revelers watch screens in Times Square on Saturday night

Confetti flies during a test, over Times Square as revelers take part in the New Year's Eve celebration in Manhattan

Revelers gather on Times Square in New York Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016, hours before the ball drops to welcome in the new year

Police move barricades in Times Square on New Year's Eve in New York. There has been additional security in the city for the event

A woman is pictured wearing a celebratory hat and '2017' glasses in Times Square as part of the massive New Year's Eve event

A reveler in Times Square in preparation for the New Year's celebration in Manhattan. The man's head was seen poking above the crowd

Revelers gather on Times Square in New York Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016, to take part in a New Year's Eve celebration

A woman is seen wearing a New Year's Eve 2017 hat during the celebrations in Times Square on Saturday night

Gloria Estefan performs during a concert in Times Square on New Year's Eve in New York

Gloria Estefan was on stage with performers from her Broadway musical, On Your Feet!

'But we wanted to be in New York,' she said. 'Even the people in our hotel were asking us why we would go out there. But I feel safe.'

For more than two decades, security has gradually been tightened for the event. Recent deadly truck attacks in Germany and France brought about another security upgrade this year. Dozens of 20-ton sanitation trucks weighted with an extra 15 tons of sand blocked off streets leading to the celebration zone.

About 7,000 police officers, along with specially armed counterterrorism units and bomb-sniffing dogs, were on guard, police said.

'We're well prepared,' police Commissioner James O'Neill said. 'All New Yorkers should feel safe, especially if you're in Times Square. It is going to be the most protected place in the city.'

This year, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had the honor of pushing the Waterford crystal button that begins a 60-second countdown to 2017.

It was also reported security has been ramped up across the country in Los Angeles for the city's celebrations, in the wake of the shooting in Turkey.

The line-up for the NYE gig also included DNCE, Thomas Rhett, and Gloria Estefan and the cast of her Broadway musical On Your Feet!

The couple were seen getting close in the company of other backing dancers as they prepared for their performance

Mariah grabs onto metal railings as she practices for her showpiece set in the Big Apple

Top billing: The diva is set to ring in 2017 as the headliner for the famous Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest in the closing moments of December 31

Can't be late: Producers are so worried about the superstar not making one of her renowned dramatic late entrances

Getting ready: Organizers prepare for the Times Square New Year's Eve celebrations in New York City
A Reddit user has claimed his landlord has barred him from flushing his toilet unless he inserts coins into a device.

In a Reddit thread, a Melbourne tenant has claimed his landlord installed a dollar coin-operated flush on his toilet and turned to the online network to find out if this was illegal.

The Reddit user claims he understands the idea of having to pay for communal washing but this is taking it too far.

A Melbourne based renter has claimed his landlord installed a dollar coin operated flusher on his toilet (pictured) and turned to reddit to find out if this is illegal

'I understand in our laundry having to pay for the communal washing machine,' he said.

'But I pay the water bill that goes into my apartment. He said it was a government incentive to save water. But then why does he get to collect the money?'

Asking for help the user goes on to explain his neighbour has told him to contact a news station to expose the landlord.

The user posted a comment on reddit and it gained a quick reaction

Many people thought it was real and offered advice on what he should do

People offered their advice in case this was a real post

Others thought it was a hoax and there was no such device in existence

Some other users on reddit responding joked around with puns

'I have spoken to my neighbour and she thinks I should call Today Tonight if the rental advice people tell me that it's not right for my landlord to do this to me,' the tenant said.

'I have looked at their website and you can write them an email with your issue. People like him need to be exposed.'

But after plenty of comments claiming the device would most likely be illegal to install since it means the renter would not have a functioning toilet, there was plenty of skeptics.

One skeptic who did not think the device existed said, 'I'm trying to work out how it would even mechanically operate? C'mon dudes.'
An Australian woman claims she is being prevented from leaving Cuba by authorities after causing a traffic incident while on vacation in the country.

The woman, who identified herself as Rochelle, 27, wrote about her predicament on the online discussion forum Reddit.

According to her story, the Sydney-based school counsellor injured a motorcyclist after failing to stop at a stop sign while driving a rental car in the city of Camaguey on December 12.

She claims Cuban police told her she was not allowed to leave the country until an investigation into the incident was complete.

An Australian woman claims she is being held by Cuban authorities in the city of Camaguey, pictured, after causing a traffic incident while on vacation in the country

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed to Daily Mail Australia they are 'providing consular assistance to an Australian woman in Cuba'.

However despite her lengthy online post, the woman declined to comment on her story when contacted.

In her online post, the woman said she caused the incident after she became 'frazzled by the chaotic mix of cars, motorbikes, bicycles, and horses and carts on the Cuban roads and the narrow one-way street system.'

'The accident was my fault and I have huge regrets about what happened. The motorbike driver fractured his left forearm and the female passenger had bruising to her left forearm and my boyfriend and I were uninjured,' the woman wrote.

The following hours were spent in police custody where she was subjected to a blood alcohol test and questioning by police, the woman said.

'That night the policeman told me that I have to remain in Cuba indefinitely until the injured man's bone heals. At first I didn't believe that this could be true. We had car insurance. It was supposed to cover everything including third party injury. We had it in writing,' she wrote.

The woman wrote she spoke with the crash victim and offered to compensate him, but to no avail.

'I visited the injured man at his house with gifts as is the Cuban way and stayed talking with him and his family for hours,' she said.

According to her story, the Sydney-based school counsellor caused injury to a motorcyclist after failing to stop at a stop sign while driving a rental car in the city of Camaguey

'He is doing well and there is no bad blood between us. However the latest I've heard is that I must stay here for 90 days until the bone has healed and the medico-legal doctor is satisfied.'

In the weeks since the incident, the woman wrote her boyfriend left Cuba to 'start his new job in Australia.'

She wrote that she has been in contact with consulate officials.
A woman has died after she was hit by a car driven by a man known to her following a heated argument.

Police said the woman, 64, was involved in a verbal altercation with a man outside a home in White Rock, near Cairns in far-north Queensland early on Saturday morning.

Officers allege the man got into his car and hit the woman.

A 64-year-old woman has died after she was hit by a vehicle driven by a man she knew following a heated argument. She was taken to Cairns Base Hospital with massive internal injuries from the impact and died at 3am

Another woman, who was also known to her, riding in the front passenger seat got out of the car and fled the scene on foot as the man drove off.

Emergency services arrived at the scene at 1.40pm and rushed the woman to the Cairns Base Hospital.

She had suffered massive internal injuries from the impact and died at 3am.

Police are still looking for the man and the woman involved in the incident.

The Forensic Crash Unit are at the scene investigating.
Tehran, Iran, December 21By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:Iran is going to hold an exhibition on villages, covering a wide range of features from rural music and dance to handicraft, agriculture, architecture, tourism, and fashion, an official told Trend.This will be an economic, cultural, and social event, which aims at helping develop rural industries, the public relations official at the Presidential Department of Rural and Underdeveloped Areas of Iran, Hadis Pazoki said.To be kicked off in early January, the exhibition and a related conference will bring together foreign officials to Iran, for a meeting with First Vice Presdient Eshaq Jahangiri.According to the official, last years exhibition resulted in Saudi Arabia's market getting interested in Iran's rural honey production.The official also said there is a village in Iran the entire population of which has been manufacturing shoes, which are later exported to Austria.
A man allegedly stabbed a dog to death after it became spooked by New Year's Eve fireworks and attacked him.

The dog was with its owner outside an Airds home in Sydney's west when it became frightened by fireworks shortly after midnight and bit a 26-year-old man at a nearby house.

Police allege the man then stabbed the dog before officers were called and he was arrested and charged.

A man allegedly stabbed a dog to death after it became spooked by New Year's Eve fireworks and attacked him (stock image)

The animal was taken to a local vet but had to be euthanised due to the extent of the injuries.

The man sustained lacerations to his leg and groin.

The man has been charged with several offences including torture and killing an animal.

He was granted conditional bail to appear at Campbelltown Local Court on January 23.

The dog became spooked by the New Year's Eve fireworks in Sydney on Saturday night
Mariah Carey's meltdown on national television is the talk of Twitter as 2017 began with a bang.

The diva stormed off the stage in New York's Times Square during the New Year's Eve telecast on ABC after the wrong lip-synced track played during her performance.

Carey appeared flustered and on the verge of tears as she declined to sing some lines of her songs.

Mariah Carey's meltdown on national television is the talk of Twitter as 2017 began with a bang

The diva stormed off the stage in New York's Times Square during the New Year's Eve telecast on ABC after the wrong lip-synced track played during her performance

She stormed around the stage, repeatedly asking for the monitors to be turned on during her performance, before trying to rescue her set by dancing briefly.

However, she didn't last long, and then said into her microphone: 'I'm trying to be a good sport here.'

She then remained on stage as one more song played, before walking off in a huff.

Carey's meltdown became the most trending topic on Twitter, with commenters mercilessly trashing the songstress.

'Hellen Keller could have lip synced to Mariah Carey better than Mariah Carey can lip sync to Mariah Carey,' wrote one Twitter user

Another Twitter user wrote that the jihadist group ISIS 'claimed responsibility' for the meltdown

'Who needs to drop the ball for New Years when Mariah Carey already covered it,' wrote this Twitter user

'I'm sitting here singing to Mariah Carey while Mariah Carey is pretending to sing to Mariah Carey,' wrote Sabrina O'Brien

Mariah Carey's performance reminded some of the infamous duo Milli Vanilli

Andrew Clark tweeted that Mariah Carey's performance gave him reason to watch the telecast

This meme sums up Mariah Carey's apparent lack of preparation before this evening's performance

'Ashley Simpson can rest easy now,' Donna tweeted. 'Mariah Carey just outdid her on the worst lip sync disaster!'

Esther Jenses tweeted that Mariah Carey needed to take lessons from Lionel Richie, who also performed on New Year's Eve

Todd Hall tweeted this quip about Mariah Carey 'bombing Times Square'

'ISIS has officially claimed responsibility for Mariah Carey's performance,' tweeted Brad Benjamin.

'Who needs to drop the ball for New Years when Mariah Carey already covered it,' tweeted another user.

Others compared her to infamous lip-syncers like Ashley Simpson and 80s pop duo Milli Vanilli.

Another Twitter user wrote that 'Hellen Keller could have lip synced to Mariah Carey better than Mariah Carey.'
Dippy the Diplodocus is bowing out of the Natural History Museum after 112 years on display - and his replacement is being readied to take centre stage.

The iconic dinosaur skeleton will embark on a national tour around eight UK locations from Dorset to Glasgow when it moves out on Wednesday - but when this is finished there are no plans for what happens next.

Taking Dippy's place will be the genuine skeleton of a whale that was found on an Irish beach in 1891, and museum staff have been slaving away behind the scenes to get it ready.

After 112 years as the centrepiece of the Natural History Museum, Dippy the Diplodocus is bowing out

Dippy's replacement will be the genuine skeleton of a whale that was found on an Irish beach in 1891

Members of the 3D surface scanning team in the conservation studio at work on a pair of mandibles (lower jaw bones) belonging to the blue whale

A rack holding ribs belonging to the blue whale skeleton being prepared by members of the team

Lorraine Cornish, head of conservation at the Natural History Museum, London, next to a scale 3D replica of the blue whale

Each individual bone has been painstakingly readied individually to ensure that it makes as much of an impression as its famous predecessor.

Dippy became an instantly recognisable symbol of the London museum, standing just inside the main visitors' entrance.

The replica dinosaur was cast from original fossil bones discovered in the Wyoming in 1898 after King Edward VII decided he wanted a version of the original, which was in a Pittsburgh museum.

He came to the Natural History Museum in 1905 and was moved to the central hall in 1979.

But the decision was made to replace him with the whale following Dippy's 112 years of service.

The move went viral on social media with the launch of a Twitter campaign under the hashtag #SaveDippy

More than 32,000 people signed a petition calling on the museum to change its mind.

Tagged pieces of bone belonging to the blue whale skeleton being prepared in the conservation studio at the Natural History Museum

A window offering the public a glimpse into the pop-up conservation studio at the Natural History Museum

A member of staff in the conservation studio at the Natural History Museum, London, works on the whale's consolidation and repair

Kat Nilsson, head of national public programmes at the Natural History Museum, next to Dippy the Diplodocus

The Natural History Museum's head of conservation, Lorraine Cornish, told the Guardian: 'It's like a giant 3D puzzle or Meccano set, and it was never built to be dismantled.

'The pelvis is particularly tricky. And the neck and tail is a bit like a necklace of pearls, but we do like a challenge.

DIPPY'S HISTORY The replica dinosaur was cast from original fossil bones discovered in the US in 1898. He came to the Natural History Museum in 1905 and was moved to the central hall in 1979. Dippy's last day on show at the Natural History Museum will be on January 4. Conservators will take the next 12 months preparing him for his tour, which will last until late 2020. Dippy will be replaced with the real skeleton of a blue whale. Advertisement

'We will miss Dippy, you do bond with these specimens, after all. And he is so iconic, it is about memories and people have such a strong affinity with him.'

The tour will begin at Dorset County Museum, which has a gallery dedicated to Britain's fossil-rich Jurassic Coast.

Dippy will then travel to Birmingham Museum, Ulster Museum, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow, Great North Museum, Newcastle, the National Assembly of Wales, Number One Riverside, Rochdale, and Norwich Cathedral.

Conservators will take the next 12 months preparing him for his tour, which will last until late 2020.

Museum director Sir Michael Dixon said: 'We wanted Dippy to visit unusual locations so he can draw in people that may not traditionally visit a museum.

The venues were chosen from an application list of 90 candidates when plans for the tour were announced last year.

Dippy will spend at least four to six months at each location because he will have to be taken apart and reconstructed at every stop on the tour.

The tour will begin at Dorset County Museum, which has a gallery dedicated to Britain's fossil-rich Jurassic Coast, and will then continue on to seven more locations around the country

Dippy the Diplodocus in the Natural History Museum in 1905. The 70ft plaster-cast sauropod replica, affectionately known as Dippy, has dominated the Natural History Museum's vast Hintze hall since 1979

Dippy the Diplodocus in the Natural History Museum in 1905. Dippy's upcoming tour will begin at Dorset County Museum, which has a gallery dedicated to Britain's fossil-rich Jurassic Coast

A total of 1.5 million people are expected to see him.

The tour is part-funded by the Garfield Weston Foundation which provides grants to a wide range of charities and causes.
Sadiq Khan has dumped the 'Boris bus' because it is too expensive to produce.

Boris Johnson introduced a new fleet of red double-decker Routemasters, in London four years ago, which have folding doors to allow people to get on and off easily.

He described it as a 'stunning piece of automotive architecture' and they were quickly dubbed the 'Boris bus'.

Boris Johnson introduced a new fleet of red double-decker Routemasters, in London four years ago, which have folding doors to allow people to get on and off easily

They use the latest green diesel-electric hybrid technology. In test conditions they produced just half the carbon dioxide of conventional diesel buses.

Transport for London has spent 350million on 1,000 of the new Routemasters at 350,000 each, while a normal hybrid was about 300,000.

Johnson's Mayor of London successor, Sadiq Khan, said he would stall purchases of the the new fleet to save money and freeze transports fares.

And according to The Guardian the TfL's business plan states: 'new capital investment will be reduced significantly as we discontinue purchases of new Routemaster buses'.

A spokesman for Khan told the newspaper that TfL will be investing in a new generation of buses that would help to improve the air quality.

Sadiq Khan has dumped the 'Boris bus' because it is too expensive to produce

Now foreign secretary, Johnson, hoped to have 2,000 on the streets of Britain's capital by 2020.

The buses were designed by Thomas Heatherwick, who gave it a 'modern Londoon look', before being built by Northern Irish firm Wrightbus.
A massive inferno ripped through a Renault garage in east London with more than 70 firefighters tackling the blaze.

Three quarters of the ground floor of the workshop and half of the mezzanine were destroyed by the fire.

Two cars and a van were also destroyed in the blaze.

One 15kg propane cylinder exploded before the fire crews arrived and removed two other cylinders.

Scroll down for video

72 firefighters tackled a massive inferno at a Renault garage in Walthamstow last night

The cause of the fire, which was reported at 7.50pm last night, is not known at this stage

The blaze on Forest Road, close to Blackhorse Road station, was tackled by 10 fire engines

London Fire Brigade Group Manager John Graham, who was at the scene, said: 'Crews were faced with a severe fire and worked very hard in difficult conditions, which they have now brought under control.

'We're working closely with British Transport Police and Transport for London to maintain the Victoria line service.'

Ten fire engines and 72 firefighters were called to the garage on Forest Road in Walthamstow, close to Blackhorse Road train station.

They were called at 7.50pm and the incident was over by 11.22pm.

The cause of the blaze is still under investigation.

Fire crews from Walthamstow, Woodford, Holloway, Soho, Kentish Town, Chingford, Edmonton, Poplar and Stratford attended the scene

The blaze destroyed three quarters of the ground floor of the garage and half of the mezzanine

London Fire Brigade was called to the incident at 7.50pm and it was brought under control by 11.22pm

In a separate incident, 352 people were evacuated from the Aeronaut pub in Acton, west London, before it was gutted by a fire that started just 30 minutes into 2017.

The pub was hosting a 'circus spectacular' with 10 separate acts to see in 2017.

The London Fire Brigade (LFB) said it rescued six people from the first floor flat while 72 firefighters worked to dampen the flames, which were brought under control by 5am.

Acton police station, next door to the pub in High Street, was also evacuated as a precautionary measure.

Around 340 customers and 12 staff fled The Aeronaut pub in Acton, west London, when the blaze broke out at around 12.30am on Sunday

Partygoers enjoying a 'Circus Spectacular' event had to be evacuated from the Aeronaut in Acton, west London, when the fire broke out

Musician Matt Blair said he was rescued from the roof of the building after his performance with double-act Rayguns Look Real Enough.

He tweeted: 'We're fine but 2017 has already got off to a bad start. One of our favourite venues that we just played burned down. Everyone is fine.

'Manic. We were upstairs, had to get on a roof area and luckily found a ladder we could climb down. Scary stuff.

'It was pretty scary and shocking. Physically we're all fine. Just a bit shocked and sad.'

Ian Harries, who was in the pub when the blaze began, said: 'Christmas tree in the main bar set on fire.

'I think somebody knocked a candle into it, but I'm not 100 per cent sure.'

Scotland Yard said three officers who had rushed to help were being treated after inhaling smoke

A spokesman for LFB said: 'Half of the ground floor of the building is alight. The first and second floors, including the roof of the three-storey building, have been gutted by the fire.'

Scotland Yard said three officers from the station were treated for smoke inhalation after they rushed to help.

A fire engine outside The Aeronaut pub in Acton this morning following the blaze last night

Police officers at a roadblock outside the pub in Acton where hundreds of revellers were evacuated last night before it was largely gutted by a fire

The Metropolitan Police said the cause was not believed to be suspicious while the LFB said it was unknown.

Mr Blair said he had heard 'some idiot' used a candle to light a branch on a Christmas tree but he was unable to verify this. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
William Shawcross' comments come after it emerged allegations of links between them and terrorist groups has almost trebled in three years

The head of the Charity Commission has warned that extremism is 'the most potentially dangerous and deadly' problem faced by organisations after allegations soared to a record high.

William Shawcross' comments come after it emerged allegations of links between them and terrorist groups has almost trebled in three years.

The watchdog shared concerns about links between charities and extremism with police and other agencies 630 times in 2015/16, up from 234 in 2013/14.

Four inquires were opened into 'allegations of abuse of charities for terrorist or extremist purposes' over the last year.

The 630 disclosures, which the Sunday Telegraph said was a record figure, related to 'allegations made and concerns about abuse of charities for terrorist or extremist purposes, including concerns about charities operating in Syria and other higher risk areas, in which terrorist groups operate'.

There were 21 reports of a 'serious incident' and more than 70 visits or monitoring cases of charities which were identified as being at greater risk of terrorist or extremist abuse by virtue of their activities or where they operate, a report found.

Mr Shawcross, the commission's chairman, warned of the gravity of the threat currently faced by charities.

He told the Telegraph: 'It is the most dangerous because of the threat of Islamist extremism. It is not the most constant threat - it is the most potentially deadly threat.'

Mr Shawcross called for Muslim charities to help the regulator tackle threats of infiltration from extremists, saying it was within their interests to help avoid being caught up in a terrorist incident such as the murder of fusilier Lee Rigby in London in 2013.

He said: 'A group of Muslim charity leaders came in to complain when I said this the first time and I said, 'Look, we are here to protect you if there were another atrocity on the streets of London, like the murder of Lee Rigby.

'And, if an atrocity like the murder of Lee Rigby were in any way associated with your charity it would be catastrophic for you. We are trying to protect you and protect Muslim charities from that kind of abuse'.'

The watchdog also wants to tackle fraud, financial abuse and protect vulnerable beneficiaries, stepping in during 2016 to stop the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust and Anita Roddick Foundation funding controversial human rights group Cage, the newspaper said.

Cage - whose director is former Guantanamo Bay detainee Moazzam Begg - had attempted to encourage the 'sabotage' of the Government's anti-extremism programme, Prevent, during meetings at universities.

Cage - whose director is former Guantanamo Bay detainee Moazzam Begg - had attempted to encourage the 'sabotage' of the Government's anti-extremism programme, Prevent, during meetings at universities

Mr Shawcross also told the newspaper charities would, in future, have to pay for a new advice line so trustees can take action, following a series of scandals over data sharing and fund raising.

In 2014, David Cameron will announced to tighten the law to help stop charities being used as a front to raise funds for terrorist groups.

The Charities Commission was given the authority to disqualify trustees it considers unfit and to shut down a charity where there has been mismanagement.
A two-year-old girl is fighting for her life after being pulled unconscious from a pool in south-west Sydney.

The girl was found at around 6.10pm on Sunday in the pool on Atchison Road in Macquarie Fields and rushed to Liverpool Hospital.

This incident comes just three days after twins were also killed when they fell into a pool north-west Sydney pool on December 20.

A two-year-old girl is fighting for her life after being pulled unconscious from a pool on Atchison Road (pictured) in Macquarie Fields

Robbie Manago tragically passed away on Thursday three days after his twin sister Charli also perished.

And on Saturday a toddler was pulled from a pond unconscious, breathless and with his skin turning blue, northwest of Sydney.

The 21-month-old boy was rescued by his mother from a pond near their campsite at Wiseman's Ferry on the Hawkesbury River.

The boy is recovering in hospital after being revived before emergency services arrived and airlifted to the Children's Hospital at Westmead.

There have been at least 14 water fatalities in the state since Christmas Day, with three deaths and two other bodies found on Friday alone.

NSW water deaths since Christmas Eve are now more than double the state's road toll for the same period.
Two Iranian refugees have allegedly been bashed by police and immigration officials on Manus Island, Papua New Guinea, for trying to celebrate New Year's Eve.

The Refugee Action Coalition claims the two men - said to be named Mehdi and Mohammad - were joining in an ongoing party when they were confronted by immigration officials.

It's alleged they were told they had no right to be outside the controversial detention centre, before assaulting them with police officers.

The two men are reportedly currently being held in custody without charge.

Two Iranian refugee, reportedly named Medhi (left) and Mohammad (right), have allegedly been bashed at Manus Island detention centre by PNG immigration officials and police

The two men were allegedly left with cuts and bruises to their face and bodies after the attack

In a post on their website, Ian Rintoul, from the Refugee Action Coalition, said it appeared the only crime the men had committed was being outside the detention centre.

'That two refugees could be beaten so badly by PNG police on New Year's eve makes it clear that there is no freedom for refugees on Manus,' Mr Rintoul said.

'We would expect the PNG police to be held accountable for the alleged assault, but the PNG police routinely act with impunity.'

In April, the PNG supreme court ordered the camp be closed, however that decision was rejected by the Australian government.

Mr Rintoul said the alleged bashings of the two Iranian refugees showed how those in detention are treated by some officials.

The incident comes after an Afghan refugee was allegedly attacked by locals wielding an iron bar in August

In April, the PNG supreme court ordered the controversial camp (pictured) be closed, but the Australian government refused

'The latest bashings are just the latest indication of the reality of Australia's offshore detention regime,' he said.

'It's time the government stopped playing politics with the lives of innocent people, and brought all the asylum seekers and refugees to Australia.'
Police in Cologne have detained hundreds of men 'seemingly of African descent' as part of operations to prevent a repeat of attacks in the German city a year ago.

Force chiefs said the men were detained at two main railway stations so officers could question them and check their identities.

Authorities deployed more than 1,500 officers across Cologne for new year celebrations in response to criticism that they failed to stop hundreds of robberies and sexual assaults last year, blamed largely on men of North African origin.

Scroll down for video

Police in Cologne were on guard when people gathered near the city's Cathedral on New Year's Eve

Police officers stand watch in front of Cologne Cathedral, not far from where hundreds of women were sexually assaulted last year

Some revellers this year complained on Twitter that police appeared to be detaining people based on their appearance.

By early Sunday police had received reports of two women being sexually assaulted in the city. One man was arrested and three remain on the run.

The number of police on duty last night, backed by up by hundreds of volunteers and public order officials, was ten times the number last year.

Fireworks were banned in and around the station and the cathedral outside, security zones checked the bags of revellers who came to watch a light show by a Berlin artist and anyone drunk or threatening was turned away.

There were locals who said the light-hearted spirit of New Year's Eve had evaporated due to the overwhelming security presence, but in the wake of the events of 2015 - and the truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin on December 19 - most were grateful for the police operation.

German police officers gather near the Hauptbahnhof before New Year celebrations for 2017 in Cologne, Germany

German Police stand in front of the Cathedral in Cologne, Germany, on New Year's Eve after hundreds of women were attacked in the city

A police spokesman said: 'Overall the situation dissolved quickly and quietly because many parties left the city by train.'

Cologne Police President Jurgen Mathies said: 'On the whole, the security plan worked'.

In total six people were arrested in the course of the evening.

Police had installed new video surveillance cameras to monitor the station square after women were attacked nearby last year.

The attacks in the western German city fuelled criticism of Chancellor Angela Merkel's decision to accept almost 900,000 migrants last year.

A leaked police document revealed the bulk of the crimes were committed in Cologne and Hamburg where 600 and 400 sexual assaults on women were reported respectively.

Authorities increased police presence at hotspots in the major cities, including Cologne.

Policemen walk around the main train station on December 31, 2016 during the New Year's Eve celebrations

German police officers carry barriers near the Hauptbahnhof before New Year celebrations for 2017 in Cologne

A security officer carried out a security check in front of the famous Cologne Cathedral on Saturday night
Ben Wallace told that exercises are being carried out to prepare for such an atrocity

The Minister of State for Security has issued a stark warning that ISIS is plotting a chemical attack on Britain.

Ben Wallace said exercises are being carried out to prepare for such an atrocity.

ISIS has the capabilities to produce their own mustard gas, having already used the tactics in the Middle East.

Troops fighting against the terror group have been left with appalling injuries  including agonising blisters on their skin and badly damaged lungs  in a frightening echo of warfare in the trenches on the Western Front.

Ingredients to make these bombs are fairly common and easy to obtain, as most of them have other, legal uses.

Mr Wallace told the Sunday Times: 'They have no moral objection to using chemical weapons against populations and, if they could, they would in this country.'

As well as having ISIS to deal with, the MP for Wyre and Preston North stated that Al-Qaeda is back on the rise and becoming an increasingly credible threat, and that the biggest threat to the UK is cyber attacks.

He also encouraged citizens to be vigilant and report any suspicious behaviour to identify 'the enemy within', as he fears foreign agents and colleagues could be corrupted by criminal gangs.

'There are traitors, he said. 'The insider threat, as we would call it, is real and can be exploited and there are people trying to do that as we speak.

'If it's hard to get in the front door, then what you try and do is get someone on the inside.'

A report last month described a chemical attack as an 'aspiration' for Isis, but a more conventional attack using guns and explosives still remains the most likely threat.

Two Kurdish fighters were killed in October by an Isis drone fitted with explosives, fuelling fears of a similar attack in the West.

ISIS has the capabilities to produce their own mustard gas, having used the tactics in the Middle East

And earlier this year Morocco's head of counter terrorism, Abdelhak Khiame, claims his unit had smashed 25 ISIS plots in his country in the past year alone - including one in February involving mustard gas.

ISIS terrorists have tried to create chemical weapons abroad and are hoping to one day use them to attack Europe, he claimed.

The terror alert in Britain is still high, with around 200 names on an SAS list of jihadis who could return to Britain to carry out attacks.

Troops have been warned that this operation could be seen as the most important in the regiment's 75-year history and that their success is vital to keep people in the UK safe.

A gunman has opened fire on the Hasan Pasha mosque in Istanbul mosque, pictured just hours after a gunman who stormed a nightclub

Crying relatives gather around the coffin of one of the victims of the Turkish nightclub massacre ahead of a funeral

The warnings come after two attacks in Istanbul put police in cities across Europe on high alert.

A gunman opened fire on a mosque in the city just hours after another stormed a nightclub during New Year celebrations and killed 39 people.

It is unclear who carried out the shootings but recent terror attacks in Turkey have been carried out by groups such as ISIS and Kurdish militants.

The attacks have put police on high alert.

In London, where 2017 was welcomed in with a huge fireworks display around the London Eye, more offficers than ever before had lined the streets.

On guard: Two officers stand at the ready in central London where more than 110,000 people gathered for New Year celebrations

Police officers gathered for a meeting as they prepared to patrol the streets while hundreds gathered to watch the fireworks

More than 3,000 officers patrolled the British capital with guns and sniffer dogs and for the first time ever, armed police were on the London Underground network.

A steel wall was also erected on London's Westminster Bridge to prevent a lorry attack

In Berlin, which is sitll mourning the truck terror attack that killed 12 people earlier this month, revellers around the Brandenburg Gate were guarded by hundreds of armed police.

Cologne: Police officers in the German city stand guard in front of Hauptbahnhof main railway station

Brussels: Revellers queue to get in the De Brouckere square for the fireworks performance as Belgium's police officers conduct searches

In addition concrete blocks and heavy armoured vehicles were put in place along thoroughfares.

And in Paris yesterday, French President Francois Hollande met with beefed up security forces who were guarding celebrations around the Eiffel Tower.
Tehran, Iran, January 1

By Mehdi Sepahvand  Trend:

Turkmenistan has halted gas flow to Iran, the Iranian Oil Ministrys Shana news agency reported January 1.

The news comes just one day after Irans Deputy Oil Minister Hamidreza Araqi said the countrys deal for gas import from Turkmenistan will stay in force for five years.

Speaking after a trip to Turkmenistan where they prevented an outage of gas supply from the neighbor country over dispute on due payments, Araqi said both countries are bound to observe the deal.

Turkmenistan claims Iran has to pay $1.8 billion due payment for gas it received in 2007-08. Iran denies the claim. In that year Turkmenistan reportedly increased the gas price for Iran from $40 to $360 per thousand cubic meters, despite a 20-year deal.

In the evening of December 30 after much speculation about the outcome of the meeting, news outlets reported Turkmenistan had agreed an MoU on gas exports to the Islamic Republic of Iran which meant the country's gas exports to Iran would continue.

Iran was preparing to meet the situations if Turkmenistan halted the supply of gas on December 30. The supply is vital to the domestic sector in some provinces in northern Iran.

The National Iranian Gas Company in an announcement asked the residents of northern Iranian provinces, whose gas used to be supplied from Turkmenistan, to economize on gas so that they will not face a shortage of supply in the cold winter days.

Turkmenistan exported about 25 million cubic meters per day (mcm/d) of gas to Iran in 2015. According to Araqi Iran was recently receiving only 12 mcm/d of Turkmen gas.
Sussex University's students' union has introduced a gender neutral policy to avoid misgendering

A students' union is discouraging its members from using the pronouns 'he' and 'she', to avoid assumptions being made as to how people identify.

Sussex University students' union has released a gender inclusive language policy, which applies to all its meetings, radio broadcasts, communications, societies and elections.

The policy states that preferred pronouns should be stated at the beginning of every meeting, regardless of whether they have been stated at previous meetings, and that gender neutral language should be used when the pronoun is not known.

The policy continues: 'In situations where introductions are not appropriate or where an individual has not directly stated their pronouns, gender-neutral language should be used to refer to them, and no assumptions should be made based on presentation or appearance.

'The gender-neutral pronoun they should be used as opposed to he or she, and the pronoun them as opposed to him or her.

'Individuals whose gender identities are not known should not be described as men or women, and inclusive terms such as person should be used instead.

'The use of gender-neutral language by other students in situations where pronouns have not been stated should be encouraged, although this is impractical to enforce.'

The union's policy indicates gender neutral terms including 'they' should be use in cases where the preferred pronoun isn't known

Anyone who suffers persistent misgendering is told to report their concerns to the elected officers, who will have gender inclusivity training as part of their role.

The policy also insists the person's preferred name be used and their former name not be revealed.

It states: 'Where an individual has a preferred name other than that listed on the database, that name should be used to refer to them. A persons deadname should not be revealed and every step should be taken to ensure that this doesnt occur.'

In 2014, the union marked a 'massive win' and a 'great achievement' when gender neutral toilets signs were placed in 75 of the facilities across the campus.

In December, Oxford University's students' union was forced to deny rumours it had banned the use of the words 'he' and 'she'.

The union published a statement online, which read: 'On the weekend of December 11th, several articles were published stating that Oxford University Students Union had produced a leaflet which told students to use gender neutral pronouns such as ze rather than he or she.

'As far as were aware, the information which has been published is incorrect. We have not produced a leaflet implying that all students must use ze pronouns to refer to others, or indeed to themselves.'

The union went on to make their support for trans students clear and say they would never force anyone to use a pronoun they did not want to.
A vicar who was caught up in an adultery scandal after his Filipino wife left him for TV star Robson Green has been reinstated.

Rev Geoffrey Short OBE was left devastated in June when wife Zoila Herrera Brozus dumped him in favour of the Grantchester star.

He signed a deed of separation from his wife after he discovered about her relationship with Green, who she met in a gym near her home in Wideopen, North Tyneside.

Rev Geoffrey Short OBE was left devastated in June when wife Zoila Herrera Brozus (pictured together, left, as he receives his honours) dumped him in favour of Robson Green (right)

But worse was to followed as he suspended by the Church of England after his first wife, Helen, publicly revealed that she suspected he had been with other women when he suddenly left her in 1996.

An investigation followed, but he is now being returned with 'prayers and support' of Bishop of Newcastle Rt Rev Christine Hardman after 'no grounds' of wrongdoing were found, according to the Sunday Mirror.

A source told the newspaper: 'His parishioners are desperate to see him back.

He is now being returned with 'prayers and support' of Bishop of Newcastle Rt Rev Christine Hardman after 'no grounds' of wrongdoing were found

'While hes been dealing with everything, Green has been filming his detective drama Grantchester for ITV, with Zoila often seen on set. Theyve made no secret of their relationship.'

The clergyman had been working for Barclays in 1990 which saw him regularly travelling to Hong Kong from his home on the Isle of Man, where it is believed he met Zoila.

Helen, who is now married to Gary Campbell, was granted a divorce from Rev Short in 1996. She has had no contact with her ex-husband since the collapse of their marriage.

His firs wife, Helen (left), was dumped after he regularly travelled to Hong Kong from his home on the Isle of Man, where it is believed he met Zoila (right)

Rev Short married Filipina Zoila six years later.

Ms Short said she didn't realise her marriage to the clergyman was over until he said he was leaving.
Advertisement

The Christmas and New Year period is not just a time for festivities - it's also a time for festivals.

At Field Day in Sydney, Lost Paradise on the Central Coast, Beyond the Valley outside of Melbourne and Falls Festivals in Lorne, Byron Bay, Marion Bay and Fremantle - tens of thousands have partied their way into 2017.

The annual events got off to a shocking start with a woman killed in a freak accident at Lost Paradise and more than 80 people injured in a stampede at Falls Festival in Lorne, Victoria.

But in recent days the crowds have come into their own, seemingly excited to be saying goodbye to 2016.

From going topless in moshpits and dressing up in colourful outfits, to rolling down large hills so fast your mates have to help you stop, there has been no shortage of weird and wacky antics from the eager festival revellers.

Scroll down for video

During a hot and overcast New Year's Day in Sydney music revellers relaxed and shared the love at Field Day festival

This man took the term 'Falls Festival' literally, dropping to the ground and rolling down a hill at Byron Bay parklands

With things starting to get out of control on the hill at Falls Festival, a brave friend stepped in to stop the rolling man

Moving at some speed as he rolled down the hill, it took a couple of efforts for the man to be brought to a halt by a friend

The three-day Falls Festival in Byron Bay saw thousands of partygoers flood through the gates to take the top off 2017

From men dressed up in short nurses outfits to women wearing cheerleaders uniforms, the weird and wacky were out in force at Falls Festival on Sunday

At Field Day in Sydney these three women chose to wear loosely flowing clothes, undeterred by the overcast weather

This woman chose to wear a beige coloured unitard to the Field Day festival in Sydney on Sunday

On a packed hill near the main stage, these two women dance and celebrated the beginning of the year on Sunday

With fairy wings on and smiles on their faces, these two women prove you don't have to be a teenager to enjoy festivals

A man in a black singlet holds five cans as he poses in front of a stage next to two revelers at Falls Festival in Byron Bay

On Sunday, just hours after Sydney Harbour was lit up with a $1 million fireworks display, music fans continued to bring colour to the city by flocking to the Field Day festival in a variety of weird and wacky outfits.

Despite many feeling under the weather after a large night on New Year's Eve, 28,000 people flocked to the yearly festival to see a number of local and international artists.

Of those, some 204 were arrested by police, mainly for offences relating to drug possession and supply.

Among them was a 24-year-old woman who was allegedly caught by police carrying 130 ecstasy pills and more than $2000 in cash at the festival.

While those gathered in the shadows of Sydney's CBD wore a number of revealing outfits, it was further north in Byron Bay where things appeared to really get wild.

Scorching heat on day one of Falls Festival saw revellers ditch the dancefloor for swimming pools and some even go topless.

A topless man appears to be enjoying himself on the second day of the three-day long Falls Festival in Byron Bay, NSW

This woman chose to wear a rather revealing black skirt, orange bikini top and a covering of glitter on New Year's Day

A bevvy of revellers took to the shoulders of friends or strangers to get a better vantage point to see their favourite acts

After capital cities around Australia were lit up with fireworks on New Year's Eve, this woman continued to keep things bright and colourful by donning a butterfly crown

As the sun beamed down this woman and a bunch of revellers in a pool were cooled down with the help of a hose

Donning flower crowns and bathers the crowd at Falls Festival were all smiles on Saturday

One of the most popular acts on Sunday was Australian singer Matt Corby (pictured), whose dulcet tones drew thousands of admirers

A young woman momentarily stops dancing to pose for a selfie with her friend at Byron Bay's Falls Festival

A group of young woman frolic through the dusty festival grounds to make their way to the next act

Man festival goers decided to get a better vantage point for their favourite acts by hopping on their friend's shoulders

A young woman with braided hair in Falls Festival singlet sits takes a break to make a phone call in Byron Bay

Punters leg it up a hill - leaving a dusty trail in their wake - as they try to beat the crowds to the next act

This woman and a group of friends relaxed with a colourful array of air seats and a multi-coloured blanket in Byron Bay

From open floral shirts, to colourful dresses and make shift robes, weird and wacky was the order of the day for clothing

While some revellers were happy to take time out to pose for photos, the three-day festival is a balancing act for others

Glitter, face paint and dance moves were the order of the day for this group of friends at Falls Festival in Byron Bay

These two friends seemingly enjoyed the opportunity to ride a bicycle through the Byron Bay parklands on day two of Falls

While some revellers took to the shoulders to enjoy the performances, many more were happy to stand on the hill and dance

While one man channeled his inner viking with a horned hat, another woman chose to use a towel to escape the sunshine

Away from the dancefloors and stages was a makeshift tent city that played home to thousands of music lovers for three days

And the middle of the three-day festival saw the crowd pick up where they left off on the final day of 2016.

Men wore dresses, women rode bicycles through the Byron Bay parklands and thousands packed the hill behind the main stage to get a perfect vantage point for their favourite bands.

But it was one man on the hill who stole the show, making his way to the top of the mound before rolling down at such a rapid pace he had to be stopped by a friend.

The buoyant mood across the festival was a far cry from the scenes at the sister event in Lorne on Friday where a number of people were seriously injured when they were crushed in the mosh pit.

An overcrowded exit during a set from popular band DMAs saw a stampede form and people collapse like 'dominoes'.

More than 50 people were left gasping for air as the stampede unfolded, with many suffering serious injuries.

This reveller was treated to a refreshing drink from a friend as she lay down on the grass at Field Day on New Year's Day

These two women chose to see in 2017 with glitter and sparkle-filled outfits, adding to the colourful feel of the festival

These two friends continued the trend of wearing matching outfits to Field Day, donning identical bright pink tops and skirts

From elegant skirts and tops to raincoats, there were a vast variety of outfits being worn by the 28,000 music lovers

This large group of eager partygoers posed for a photo while having pre-festival celebrations in the lead up to Field Day

Matching outfits were in vogue for this group of four men, who all wore khaki overalls and white singlets to the festival

With plenty of spare time on his hands, former Triple J breakfast radio host Alex Dyson was among the revellers at Field Day

Thousands of revellers took to social media before heading to the festival to share happy snaps from their pre-parties

With the Sydney weather as unpredictable as ever, these two women chose to wear raincoats over their stylish outfits

This group of guys dressed to impress with a series of matching sleeveless yellow Hawaiian shirts for the Field Day party

Among them was Tim Hunt, who was so badly injured he's been left in a wheelchair and unable to return to work.

The organisers of Falls Festival have apologised over the incident, but have defended their safety record saying in more than 20 years of running events it has been impeccable.

Police showed a strong presence across all events, including Field Day where in 2016 there were almost 200 drug-related arrests.

Featuring a mix of local and international artists such as Alison Wonderland and Hermitude, Chance The Rapper, SAFIA and ZHU, the event has become one of the biggest remaining music festivals in Australia.

This large group of keen partygoers seemingly enjoyed some early drinks on Sunday before heading in to the Domain

Despite the overcast weather, hats were seemingly the order of the day for many of the women who flocked to the festival

As the day wore on things began to get wild, with this group of male revellers deciding to clear the crowd and enjoy a wrestle

This pair at Field Day enjoyed the popular Australian act of drinking alcohol out of a shoe - widely known as a 'shoey'

These couples took to Instagram to share some happy snaps before enjoying the enormous Field Day festival to start 2017

While some revellers enjoyed the music, this man also celebrated the beginning of 2017 by drinking a 'shoey'

In Victoria, thousands flocked to the country town of Warragul for the second instillation of Beyond the Valley.

The first day of the festival saw heavy rain and thunderstorms turn the dancefloors into mud pits.

But that did little to deter the moods of those gathered, who not only enjoyed the music, but also took it to the next level and celebrated the beginning of 2017 with a 'shoey'.

A variety of outfits and a large amount of glitter was used across the festival, brightening up the overcast and at times wet Victorian weather.

The large hill behind the festival's main stage was popular from early on Sunday as revellers sought the perfect vantage point

Excited to be ringing in the New Year in style, this group of friends captured their Field Day moment with a selfie

While some men decided to go topless, these two women chose to shelter from the cold weather with raincoats

Thousands of music fans enjoyed Vera Blue at Field Day on an overcast Sydney afternoon
A young man is stuck in a wheelchair for weeks after he was crushed along with dozens of others in a stampede at the Falls Festival.

Tim Hunt, 29, suffered possible broken bones in the terrifying melee and will need skin grafts to cover deep wounds to his right knee and both ankles.

He was one of 80 revellers injured at the music festival in Lorne, Victoria, as hundreds tried to leave DMA's performance.

Scroll down for video

Tim Hunt, 29, is stuck in a wheelchair for weeks after he was crushed along with dozens of others in a stampede at the Falls Festival

He suffered possible broken bones in the terrifying melee and will need skin grafts to cover deep wounds to his right knee and both ankles (pictured)

Nineteen people were rushed to hospital with witnesses hearing bones break and seeing victims covered in blood while others performed CPR.

Mr Hunt described the scene as chaos with people 'falling like dominoes', blood everywhere and chilling screams for help.

'Everyone was just leaving the tent. Being on the hill, the front fell down and no one from behind knew so they kept moving forward. It was like 10 bodies high at points,' he said.

'There was no escaping it... they just kept falling like dominoes. I don't think a lot of people realised at the time how serious it got.

'I was underneath everyone on the bottom. Was pinned down being dragged along the gravel. The force was incredible, people didn't stop coming.'

Mr Hunt described the scene as chaos with people 'falling like dominoes', blood everywhere and chilling screams for help

Mr Hunt will have surgery at Geelong University Hospital on Monday to repair his wounds and expects to stay there at least a week

The hotel manager, who drove to the festival from Adelaide with a group of friends, said the stampede was much worst than organisers claimed.

'They're down playing it quite a bit. It looked like an aftermath of a bomb site, I'm surprised no one was killed,' he said.

Mr Hunt will have surgery at Geelong University Hospital on Monday to repair his wounds and expects to stay there at least a week.

Doctors told him he could not walk for a month, meaning he would not be able to go back to work for a while.

'It was nuts, pretty confronting. I'm one of the luckier ones though, there were a lot more serious injuries,' he said.

The scene at Falls Festival in Lorne after the stampede took place exiting DMAs performance

19-year-old Olivia Jones was injured in the crowd and passed out after becoming trapped

Mr Hunt shared a selfie of himself in his hospital bed joking that he was ready to rejoin the party.

'Almost made it a year without a [hospital] visit. Now someone wheel me back for The Reubens,' he wrote.

Friends joked that as soon as they heard about the stampede they assumed their accident-prone mate would be involved.

Nick Moriarty, 22, was at the front of the crowd leaving DMAs performance, when the overcrowded exit became congested and partygoers started pushing

Nick sustained swelling to his knee and ankle after becoming trapped under bodies

He revealed that some screws from surgery on a previous injury were exposed by the deep grazes on his legs.

'Geelong hospital is nice, might start giving Trip Advisor ratings on these places,' he joked.

Festival organisers released a statement apologising to victims and defending their safety arrangements and handling of the situation.

'With over 20 years of experience running festivals behind us, we are completely devastated by the crowd crush that occurred with patrons exiting The Grand Theatre, and we are beyond shattered that a number of our festival patrons were injured and impacted by this event,' it said.

Falls Festival attendee was hurt in the crowd crush and required bandaging to the both legs

No one sustained life-threatening injuries but 19 people were taken to hospital with serious injuries, police said in a statement

'We care so very much about your experience at Falls, we spend countless hours planning the Falls Festival year-round, with dedicated teams specifically focused on each event site.

'Patron safety is of paramount importance to us and having to address such a serious situation is very distressing for all.

'Despite 24 years of successful operation of Falls Lorne, a confluence of events resulted in a serious incident that will require an investigation into the various contributing factors which will take some weeks to determine, but please be assured it is our utmost priority.'
Saudi Arabia executed more than 150 prisoners under their strict Islamic laws, new figures have shown.

The ultra-conservative kingdom, one of the world's most prolific executioners, punishes crimes such as murder, drug trafficking, armed robbery, rape and apostasy with the death penalty.

According to Amnesty International a total of 153 executions were carried out in 2016, slightly down in the 158 carried out the previous year.

Saudi Arabia executed more than 150 prisoners under their strict Islamic laws, new figures have shown

Murder and drug trafficking cases account for the majority of Saudi executions, although 47 people were put to death for 'terrorism' offences on a single day last January.

They included prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, whose execution prompted Iranian protesters to torch Saudi diplomatic missions, leading Riyadh to sever relations.

Most people put to death in Saudi Arabia are beheaded with a sword and the grisly event can often draw a small crowd.

Human rights group Amnesty International says the number of executions in Saudi Arabia last year was the highest for two decades.

And the level of executions was criticised today by Allan Hogarth, Amnesty International UK's head of policy and government affairs, who said the kingdom is 'making a mockery of justice'.

The ultra-conservative kingdom, pictured, one of the world's most prolific executioners, punishes crimes such as murder, drug trafficking, armed robbery, rape and apostasy with the death penalty

Mr Hogarth told the Independent: 'The death penalty is always cruel and unnecessary, but the Saudi justice system lacks evens the basics of a fair trial system.

'It's truly frightening that its courts are sentencing so many people to death Saudi Arabia is making a mockery of justice and dozens of people are paying with their lives.

'It's time that 'strategic allies' like the UK started speaking out about this shocking state of affairs. For too long Downing Street has bent over backwards to avoid 'offending' the Saudi royals.'




'CRIME OF THE CENTURY': WHAT HAPPENED TO THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERS?

Bruce Reynolds

Gang-leader and mastermind Reynolds was nicknamed 'Napoleon' and after the Great Train Robbery he fled to Mexico on a false passport and was joined by his wife, Angela, and son, Nick.

They later moved on to Canada but the cash from the robbery ran out and he came back to England.

Five years after the heist, in 1968, a broke Reynolds was captured in Torquay and sentenced to 25 years in jail.

He was released on parole in 1978 and moved, alone and penniless, into a tiny flat off London's Edgware Road.

In the 1980s he was jailed for three years for dealing amphetamines.

After his second release, Reynolds went on to work briefly as a consultant on a film about the robbery, Buster, and published the Autobiography of a Thief in 1995. His son Nick said his father died in his sleep in the early hours of February 28 2013.

Great Train Robbers all together at the launch of a book. (L-R) Buster Edwards, Tommy Wisbey, Jim White, Bruce Reynolds, Roger Cordrey, Charles Wilson and Jim Hussey

Ronnie Biggs

Ronald Arthur 'Ronnie' Biggs played a minor role in the robbery, but his life as a fugitive after escaping from prison gained him notoriety. He was given a 30-year sentence in 1964, but he escaped after 15 months by fleeing over the walls of London's Wandsworth prison in April 1965.

After having plastic surgery, he lived as a fugitive for 36 years in first Australia then Brazil, where he fathered a son Michael.

His health deteriorated in 2001 and he returned to the UK voluntarily where he was sent back to prison.

He was finally freed in 2009 on 'compassionate grounds' by then Justice Secretary Jack Straw who said he was not expected to recover. He died in 2013.

Ronald Arthur 'Ronnie' Biggs played a minor role in the robbery, but his life as a fugitive after escaping from prison gained him notoriety

Ronald 'Buster' Edwards

An ex-boxer, club owner and small-time crook who fled to Mexico after the heist but gave himself up in 1966.

Edwards is widely believed to be the man who wielded the cosh used to hit train driver Jack Mills over the head.

Mills' family say he never recovered, and he died seven years later.

Edwards served nine years in jail and then became a familiar figure selling flowers outside Waterloo station in London.

He was the subject of the 1988 film Buster, in which he was played by Phil Collins.Edwards was found hanged in a garage in 1994 at the age of 62. Two wreaths in the shape of trains accompanied his funeral cortege.

Charlie Wilson

Wilson was the gang's 'treasurer' who gave each of the robbers their cut of the haul.He was captured quickly and during his trial at Aylesbury Crown Court in 1964 earned the nickname 'the silent man' as he refused to say anything.

He was jailed for 30 years but escaped after just four months.

He was captured again in Canada after four years on the run and served 10 more years in jail.

He was the final train robber to emerge from prison in 1978.

Wilson moved to Marbella, Spain, where he was shot and killed by a hitman on a bicycle in 1990.

Roy James

Police seize bags of cash following the heist

A silversmith and racing driver, James dreamed of investing his share of the loot in new car technology.

He was nicknamed 'Weasel' and was the chief getaway driver.

James left a tell-tale fingerprint at the gang's farm hideout after the heist and was caught following a chase over rooftops in London.

Jailed for 30 years, he served 12 and later sold silver from a market stall before moving to Spain.

James was jailed again for six years in 1993 after shooting his wife's father and hitting her with a pistol.

He died at the age of 62, soon after getting out of prison.

Brian Field

A crooked solicitor who the gang used for the conveyancing when they bought the farm hideout used after the heist.

Field was arrested and sentenced to 25 years, which was later reduced to five.

He died in a motorway crash in 1979.

Bill Boal

An engineer who was arrested with Roger Cordrey in possession of 141,000.Reynolds said he had never heard of Boal. He claimed Boal was not involved in the robbery and was 'an innocent man'.

Boal was charged with receiving stolen goods and jailed for 24 years, which was reduced to 14 on appeal.

He died of cancer in jail in 1970.

Tommy Wisbey

A bookie and self-confessed 'heavy' whose job in the heist was to frighten the train staff.

Wisbey was sentenced to 30 years and released in 1976.

He was jailed for another 10 years in 1989 for cocaine dealing and later ran a flower stall.

On release from prison he went to live in London and suffered several strokes. He died on Friday, December 30, aged 86.

Bobby Welch

A nightclub owner who was sentenced to 30 years in jail and was released in 1976.

He was later left crippled after an operation on his leg went wrong.

After jail he became a car dealer and gambler in London. He attended Bruce Reynolds' funeral earlier this year.

Gordon Goody

He was jailed for 30 years and released in 1975. Goody moved to Spain to run a bar.

This picture taken on August 8 1963 at Cheddington station shows the Glasgow-London Royal Mail train after it was robbed

James Hussey

A decorator known as 'Big Jim' who was sentenced to 30 years and released in 1975.

Hussey later worked on a market stall and then opened a Soho restaurant.

He notched up a conviction for assault in 1981 and in 1989 was jailed for seven years for a drug smuggling conspiracy with fellow train robber Wisbey.

He died in November 2012, aged 79, from cancer.

Roger Cordrey

Part of the South Coast Raiders gang, Cordrey was a florist.

He was arrested in Bournemouth after having the bad luck to rent a lock-up from a policeman's widow.

He was jailed for 20 years, which was reduced to 14 on appeal.

When he was released in 1971 he went back to the flower business and moved to the West Country. He has since died.

Jimmy White

A former Paratrooper described as 'quartermaster' for the robbery.

White was on the run for three years before being caught in Kent and sentenced to 18 years.

He was released in 1975 and went to live in Sussex. He has since died.

Leonard Field

A former merchant seaman, Field was sentenced to 25 years, which was later reduced to five.

He was released from jail in 1967 and went to live in north London. Believed to be dead.

John Wheater
Nurses and hospital security guards have been promised anti-stab vests and personal duress alarms.

West Australian Labor leader Mark McGowan is vowing to give frontline hospital staff military-style protection to combat skyrocketing assault rates.

'Hospital staff have the right to be safe at work but assaults on nursing staff have almost tripled since 2012, now at 38 per month in 2015,' he tweeted on New Year's Day.

West Australian nurses are being promised personal duress alarms by the Labor opposition

The West Australian opposition says assault rates at hospitals have tripled since 2012

Personal duress alarms (like this model pictured) would be given to frontline hospital staff like nurses

He told his 10,300 Twitter followers a Labor government would provide anti-stab vests for security guards and personal duress alarms for frontline hospital staff, which include nurses.

Mr McGowan described the state's hospitals as a 'dangerous environment' in an ABC interview.

Premier Colin Barnett has accused the opposition of wanting to turn hospitals into 'quasi-military establishments' as Labor aims to end almost nine years of Liberal Party rule at the March 11 state election.

'Yes security is important for medical staff, particularly when they deal with people who perhaps have had too much to drink or are affected by drugs, but those measures are in place,' he said.

Listening: West Australian Labor leader Mark McGowan has described hospitals as a 'dangerous environment'

The Opposition Leader is promising new safety and security equipment for hospital staff

Labor leader Mark McGowan has told his 10,300 Twitter followers assaults on nurses had tripled since 2012

'I don't think we need to turn our hospitals into quasi-military establishments.'

The proposed measures come as rising crystal meth use in Western Australia coincides with an increase in hospital assaults.
The dog was stabbed and shot with a Taser and

Owner Brenda Guerrero, 52, was taken to hospital with serious injuries

Three members of family were attacked by the pit bull mix in Tampa, Florida

A dog viciously attacked three members of a family after its owner tried to put a Christmas sweater on him.

Brenda Guerrero, 52, from Tampa, Florida, was in the backyard trying to put the pit bull mix, named Scarface, into a festive outfit when he attacked her, biting her on the arm.

Her husband Ismael Guerrero, 46, tried to pull the dog off his wife but then the animal started to attack him, reported WTSP.

A pit bull mix attacked three in Tampa, Florida, after owner Brenda Guerrero (right), 52, tried to put a Christmas sweater on him. The dog, called Scarface, was shot with a Taser and tranquilizer before it was caught

After the couple's son Antoine Harris, 22, stabbed the dog in the neck and head, all three were able to escape back into the house.

Tampa police and Hillsborough County Animal Control were called to the scene.

Police shot the pit bull with a tranquilizer dart - at which point it managed to get into the house where there were two young children.

Police then used a bean bag gun and Taser to subdue the dog.

Brenda Guerrero and her husband Ismael Guerrero, 46, were both taken to hospital for their injuries. Mrs Guerrero's injuries are considered serious, but not life-threatening

'Officers responding said the dog was pretty aggressive,' Eddy Durkin with Tampa Police said to WFTS.

'When they Tasered the dog, it was still pulling away and was able to release the prongs from the Taser.'

Both Guerreros were taken to hospital for their injuries and Brenda Guerrero's injuries are considered serious, but not life-threatening.

The dog is currently in the custody of animal control.
An investigation has been launched after Albanian inmates posted pictures of themselves enjoying Christmas in a British jail.

The prisoners at Guys Marsh jail in Dorset sent the images to an Albanian news website with the message: 'Hello Life is fun. We wish all Albanian people Merry Xmas from a prison in England. God may save all of you'.

The pictures, taken from a smuggled phone, show a group of inmates sitting round a dinner table, with full plates and bottles of Coke.

The pictures, taken from a smuggled phone, show a group of inmates sitting round a dinner table, with full plates and bottles of Coke

The prisoners at Guys Marsh jail in Dorset sent the images to an Albanian news website with the message: 'Hello Life is fun. We wish all Albanian people Merry Xmas from a prison in England. God may save all of you'

An investigation has been launched after Albanian inmates posted pictures of themselves enjoying Christmas in a British jail

Some of them are seen waving to the camera, giving the thumbs-up or using their hands to illustrate the eagle on the Albanian flag.

It comes after a video emerged two months ago of prisoners at the same jail enjoying fish and chips, steaks, and partying with vodka in their cells.

When the pictures appeared on the news website, an Albanian national told The Sun: 'I couldn't believe it when I saw the pictures. They are already giving the country of Albania a bad name by being arrested and jailed and now they are making a mockery of the British jail system.'

At the same jail in November, one inmate posted a series of pictures with the mocking hashtag 'jailfies' as well as a picture of suspicious looking substances with the caption 'party night'.

The shocking pictures were discovered by a builder who was accidentally added on Facebook by an inmate and was shocked to learn of the prisoners' alcohol and drug-fuelled lifestyle.

The man, who wished to remain anonymous, was added earlier this year by an inmate at HMP Guys Marsh.

A picture taken from inside HMP Guys Marsh by inmate Richard Parsons of takeaway burgers and fish and chips, which were smuggled into the jail. In the top left corner is a substance suspected to be cannabis, with an estimated street value of more than 100

An inmate posted this picture of thick cuts of steak given to prisoners in the Category C jail - it is not clear how they came into the prisoners' possession. A Ministry of Justice spokesman said an investigation has been launched

Richard Parsons posted a picture of a wad of five 20 notes he had amassed while serving his sentence in another gloating Facebook post

A group of the prisoners pictured eating around a table at HMP Guys Marsh. This image would have been taken on a smuggled mobile phone

A group of inmates including Ryan Phillips (far left), Richard Parsons (right, in grey jumper), Russell Bennett (middle with blonde hair) and Carl Brennan (shirtless, bottom right) pose for a photo taken from inside HMP Guys Marsh

This picture, taken behind bars by Parsons, which he captioned a 'box of hash', a 'box of pollen' (another slang word for marijuana) and a 'few other bits and bobs'. This stash is thought to be worth more than 300

The latest report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons found control at the jail had 'been all but lost' with gangs able to operate freely at the 580-inmate prison.

An investigation was launched by the Ministry of Justice who said prisoners found with mobile phones 'face extra time behind bars'.

Since he accepted the 'friendship' on Facebook, his feed on social media has been filled by pictures of prisoners larking around 'like students'.

Parsons uploaded this series of nine pictures in HMP Guys Marsh with the caption '#jailfies'. All the inmates pictured are easily identifiable as their faces have not been obscured

Pictures also showed the group tucking into takeaways, enjoying thick cuts of steak and swapping prison work-out tips.

It is not known how the food and suspected drugs were smuggled into the prison. The Ministry of Justice said an investigation is underway.

In videos, they were seen partying in their cells and brawling with each other.

They are also pictured on their mobile phones with wads of cash, with joints in their mouths and brandishing bottles of homemade vodka.
A man has been charged with dangerous driving causing death after allegedly hitting a woman with a car following an argument.

Police said the woman, 64, was involved in a verbal altercation with a man whom she knew outside a home in White Rock, near Cairns in far-north Queensland about 1.40am on Saturday morning.

Officers allege after the argument, the man got into his car and hit the woman as he left the scene.

A 64-year-old woman has died after she was hit by a vehicle driven by a man she knew following a heated argument. She was taken to Cairns Base Hospital with massive internal injuries from the impact and died at 3am

Another woman - who was also known to her - was riding in the front passenger seat and got out of the car and fled the scene on foot as the man drove off.

Emergency services arrived at the scene at 1.40pm and rushed the woman to the Cairns Base Hospital.

She had suffered massive internal injuries from the impact and died at 3am.

A 27-year-old Manoora man has been charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death and unlicensed driving.

He is expected to appear in the Cairns Magistrates Court on Monday.

Forensic Crash Unit investigations are continuing.
Hemera/Thinkstock(ISTANBUL) --A manhunt is underway in Turkey for a gunman who went on a rampage inside a crowded Istanbul nightclub during New Year's Eve celebrations early Sunday morning, killing at least 39 people and injuring at least another 69, according to Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu.



The popular Reina club had attracted a diverse crowd of between 400 and 500 patrons from foreign countries as well as Turkey to ring in the new year before the attack by an apparently lone gunman at around 1:15 a.m, authorities said.

Turkish police said one gunman perpetrated the violence. Later, they released on social media photos of men whom they said were the Istanbul nightclub "attackers," images which they said were of the men going through a passport check-in as they entered Turkey.



The attacker, armed with what authorities described as a long-barreled weapon, killed a policeman and a civilian outside of the club before "[raining] bullets in a very cruel and merciless way on innocent people" inside the club, according to Visip Sahin, the governor of Istanbul.



Twenty-four of the 39 killed were foreign nationals, according to Turkey's state-run news agency. Authorities said the foreign victims hailed from Belgium, France, India, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia. He said that five of the victims have been identified as Turkish nationals.

Sources told ABC News that one American was among the nearly 70 people injured. The U.S. is not aware of any Americans dying in the attack, the U.S. State Department said early Sunday.



Authorities are still working to identify the remaining victims of the attack, and of the 69 people who were being treated in hospitals, four are currently in serious condition, according to Soylu, who described the attack as "inhuman."



"This was a massacre, a truly inhuman savagery," Soylu said.



At a press conference Sunday, Soylu said the assailant arrived wearing a jacket and pants, and is believed to have left wearing different clothing.



Soylu said authorities are aggressively searching for the gunman. "Our security forces have started the necessary operations. God willing he will be caught in a short period of time."



Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a statement Sunday, "I vehemently condemn the terror attack ... Turkey continues its combat against terror and is absolutely determined to do whatever is necessary in the region to ensure its citizens' safety and peace."



The U.S. issued a statement offering assistance to Turkish authorities.



"The president was briefed by his National Security Team on the attack in Istanbul," President Obama's principal deputy press secretary Eric Schultz said in a statement. "The president expressed condolences for the innocent lives lost, directed his team to offer appropriate assistance to the Turkish authorities, as necessary, and keep him updated as warranted."



Mark Toner, America's State Department's deputy spokesman said in a statement, "The United States strongly condemns the terrorist attack on a nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey ... We will remain in close touch with Turkish authorities throughout the investigation ... We stand in solidarity with our NATO Ally Turkey in combating the ongoing threat of terrorism."



Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose complex relationship with Turkey was further complicated in December after a Russian ambassador to Turkey was shot dead by a lone gunman fired at him at a photo exhibition in Ankara, Turkey's capital in a widely-seen, on-camera attack, sent Erdogan a telegram of condolences, according to the Kremlin, writing, "It is hard to imagine a more cynical crime than killing innocent people during New Year celebrations. However, terrorists don't share moral values. Our common duty is to combat terrorists' aggression," Putin said.



Turkey has suffered numerous terrorist attacks in recent years, including bombings.



Among the incidents in the country were a suicide attack at a wedding this August and coordinated shootings and bombings of Istanbul's major international airport in June, attacks that killed scores of civilians.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
AURORA  Some celebrate New Years Day by sleeping in and eating a hearty breakfast. Others learn a new hobby or join a gym. But 35 people in Aurora on Sunday decided the best way to start 2017 was to get wet and cold by taking a dip in Cayuga Lake.

The Aurora Polar Bears, a loosely organized group of people who come from all over central New York, have been running into the lake on New Years Day since the groups inception in 1991.

In that first year, Nancie Tengi Saphara and her friend, both bartenders and waitresses at the Aurora Inn, were the only two people who dared to participate in the polar plunge as others looked on. But the event has grown substantially, and Tengi has been by the lake at 11 a.m. sharp every year since.

The size of the crowd is loosely correlated with the weather, Tengi said, and the polar bears saw their largest attendance  74 people  about five years ago on a relatively warm day. Other years, theyre not so lucky.

We had to cut a hole in the ice down at Wells [College] one year, Tengi said, adding that it was about 12 degrees that year.

The plunge has since moved to the Aurora Fire Department dock at the base of Dublin Hill Road, where, this year, scores of village residents and other brave souls came down to rinse themselves of the previous year in Cayugas chilly waters.

Evyn Klipple, 12, looked toward his mother, Eron, as he mentally prepared himself to take the plunge for the second year in a row.

Theres still time to leave, he said, half-joking.

But, about 15 minutes later, Evyn and dozens more high-stepped their way into the lake, many dunking their heads underwater to fulfill personal traditions.

Wearing a pink neon shirt and Spongebob swim shorts, John Ferrini said his 10th year participating was much warmer than many of the previous frozen plunges.

No ice, no slush balls, so it was nice, he said. My thumbs are cold, my feet are cold. Im going to get some breakfast and go home and take a nap.

Catherine Reynolds, 18, said Sunday was the warmest of her four New Years sprints into Cayuga Lake.

Its not anywhere near as bad as I thought it was going to be, the Southern Cayuga High School senior said, adding that she was looking forward to brewing some hot chocolate. Im going to go jump in a hot shower and watch a movie under some blankets.

Aurora Fire Department Captain Dan DiSanto said the villages volunteer department has been on hand every year  just in case.

This year, DiSanto was enveloped by a rubber suit as he drifted out into the lake on a rope, keeping an eye on the shrieking and grimacing participants.

They hook me up with a rope so if anyone needs to be taken out they can pull me out [with them]," he said.

As some of the dippers began running back out of the water, Dennis, Cody and Adam Rossbach embraced about 30 feet from the shore, waist-deep in the lake. The brothers have been participating together for about eight years.

Tengi, the plunges founder, didnt participate this year, but recalled that no matter how much one prepares, the water always feels like shards of glass.

On a warmer day like today, the worst part is getting out and the anxiety of going in, she said. And it takes hours to get your feet warm.

Tengi said the plunge is not her only New Year's Day tradition. Once she returns home to Owasco, she makes chili and lounges with her husband for the rest of the day.

Eron Klipple was more succinct as she outlined the rest of her Sunday: Home, woodstove, soup.
Tehran, Iran, January 1

By Mehdi Sepahvand  Trend:

The Iranian government has ratified a new policy for pricing natural gas distributed across the country.

The Cabinet has ordered the National Gas Company to set the price of natural gas at 1,500 rials ($0.04) per cubic meter in the first eight months of the Iranian calendar year (March 20 to November 20), Mehr news agency reported.

This will revoke the incremental system of pricing, whereby customers in the housing, trade and production sectors had to pay more per cubic meter of gas as the volume of consumption rose.

In the incremental system, which according to the new decision will be applied only in the four cold months of the year, each cubic meter of gas will cost 400 rials in the first-stage consumption (the lowest consumption).

For the tenth-stage consumption (the highest level of consumption considered by the law), each cubic meter of gas will cost 4,800 rials.
A two-year-old girl has died in hospital after being pulled unconscious from a pool on New Year's Day.

The girl was found about 6.10pm on Sunday in the pool on Atchison Road in Macquarie Fields, southwest Sydney.

Paramedics were alerted and rushed the girl to Liverpool Hospital where she later died.

Police are investigating and will prepare a report for the coroner.

A two-year-old girl is fighting for her life after being pulled unconscious from a pool on Atchison Road (pictured) in Macquarie Fields

The incident comes just three days after twins were also killed when they fell into a pool north-west Sydney pool on December 20.

Robbie Manago tragically passed away on Thursday three days after his twin sister Charli also perished.

And on Saturday a toddler was pulled from a pond unconscious, breathless and with his skin turning blue, northwest of Sydney.

The 21-month-old boy was rescued by his mother from a pond near their campsite at Wiseman's Ferry on the Hawkesbury River.

The boy is recovering in hospital after being revived before emergency services arrived and airlifted to the Children's Hospital at Westmead.

There have been at least 14 water fatalities in the state since Christmas Day, with three deaths and two other bodies found on Friday alone.

NSW water deaths since Christmas Eve are now more than double the state's road toll for the same period.
A couple were found dead outside their vehicle on New Year's Eve with their three young sons unharmed in the back seat.

Police discovered Heather Kelsey, 30, and Daniel Kelsey, 32, on the I-4 near DeLand, Florida, after investigating a report of a maroon SUV parked with its hazard lights flashing.

The boys aged from eight months to four years in age, were taken to Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach as a precaution.

Heather Kelsey, 30, and Daniel Kelsey, 32, were discovered by police on the I-4 near DeLand, Florida on New Year's Eve

Police arrived at the scene at 2:08am at mile marker 122 on the eastbound side of I-4 near DeLand

There were no immediate signs of foul play, Volusia County Sherrif Spokesman Andrew Gant told The Daytona Beach News Journal.

Medical examiners will conduct autopsies to ascertain the causes of their mysterious deaths.

Police arrived at the scene at 2:08am at mile marker 122 on the eastbound side of I-4 near DeLand, a report states.

They found Mr and Mrs Kelsey unconscious at the scene and they were pronounced dead a short time later.

Their sons aged eight months to four years were found unharmed in the back of their SUV

Police discovered the couple outside their vehicle around 2am on Saturday

The couple were found on the I-4 near DeLand, about thirty minutes from Daytona Beach

Daniel Kelsey's long-time friend Jerrell Jackson described the pain of coping with his death, which happened on Jackson's 32nd birthday.

Jackson told the News Journal that the couple's youngest son had recently started walking, and that the two were 'doing great' in their new city.

He said in a Facebook post: 'I can tell you Dan was a loving, devoted father (who) did anything for his kids,'
Despite failing to stop the alleged eight-month-long torture of a little boy who was ultimately beaten to death, nine LA sheriff's deputies remain on the beat in the city.

Gabriel Fernandez was doused in pepper spray, forced to eat his own feces and vomit, had cigarettes put out on his skin, and was beaten with a bat and shot with a BB gun - among other atrocities - by his mom and her boyfriend before they murdered him in 2013, prosecutors say.

Four social workers are also being prosecuted because of his death, but the deputies - one of whom allegedly declared that a child being burned with cigarettes was 'not an emergency' - are still at work, the LA Times reported.

Tortured: Gabriel Fernandez died in May 2013. An investigation found he had been burned, beaten, shot in the face with a BB gun and forced to eat his own feces, among other horrors

Trial: Mom Pearl Fernandez (left) and boyfriend Isauro Aguirre (right) face murder charges. Four social services workers also face charges. But the police involved remain on the beat

Gabriel was continuously tortured by Pearl Fernandez, now 32, and Isauro Aguirre, now 36, over the course of eight months in 2013, according to prosecutors.

During that time nine sheriff's deputies investigated Gabriel's home and found nothing amiss - even as his school teachers fretted about his many injuries, which included black eyes, BB-gun marks on his face and burns on his head.

None of the deputies have been prosecuted, but all have been disciplined internally, according to court papers.

State laws forbid disclosing the nature of the discipline, the Sheriff's Department told the LA Times.

Fernandez and Aguirre, who is not Gabriel's father, both go to trial in March for Gabriel's death, both charged with murder and a special circumstance of torture.

And four social workers - Stefanie Rodriguez, Patricia Clement, Kevin Bom and Gregory Merritt - face one count each of felony child abuse and falsifying public records. They will have a preliminary hearing on the 17th of this month.

But only now has it emerged how sheriff's deputies failed the young boy in his time of need - and how they got away with it.

Gabriel had been raised by his maternal grandmother and grandfather, but in September 2012 Pearl Fernandez decided she wanted him back.

Her parents, Robert and Sandra Fernandez, fought the claim, saying that she had struggled with drug use and had a history of physically abusing her other children.

But the state sided with Pearl Fernandez, and Gabriel was signed up to a new school, Summerwind Elementary, where teachers quickly began to notice signs of abuse.

On October 30 that year, Gabriel told his teacher, Jennifer Garcia, that he had been struck with a belt buckle, drawing blood.

Dismissed: Fernanfez's teacher and others repeatedly warned that the boy was being abused but LA sheriff's deputies didn't file the reports that would have triggered an investigation

She then called social services, who assigned his case to one of the four social workers who would ultimately face prosecution. Gabriel told her that his admission to his teacher had been a joke.

Sheriff's deputy Imelda Rizo also investigated, but found no sign of abuse, according to court documents - nor did she file a report.

No further investigation will commence unless a report is filed.

The beatings continued, prosecutors said.

Garcia, realizing that her student was still being abused but powerless to do anything, began to lie on his weekly report card, hoping that she could spare him his parents' fury, according to her testimony.

She also called social workers with each new sign of abuse, she said.

Abandoned: Gabriel was abandoned by the system, even as he attended school with peeling skin and black eyes. Deputies have been disciplined, but not fired or prosecuted

On January 29, 2013, he returned to school after a week away with bruises all over his face and a swollen eye. He told Garcia that his mom had shot him in the face with a BB gun.

Garcia reported this, but it's not clear whether sheriff's deputies investigated.

On February 27, a counselor assigned by social services reported that the eight-year-old boy had written a suicide note.

Deputy Federico Gonzalez visited the home at 2am and was told by Aguirre that the child was fine. The deputy concluded that Gabriel did not have a specific suicide plan and told the boy's mother to be vigilant.

He did not see the child, a report said.

Later in 2013 a sheriff's detective, Vanessa Reddy, investigated a claim that Gabriel had been sexually abused by an uncle.

According to a motion filed by a deputy district attorney, Reddy interviewed Gabriel, but she did not interview the uncle - nor did she file the report necessary to further the investigation.

On April 26, a security guard at the county employment office called 911 to report seeing Gabriel with burns on his face and head.

Deputy Robin Soukup 'screamed' at the guard that a burned child was 'not an emergency' according to a motion by the prosecutor.

Deputy Jonathon Livingston then interviewed Gabriel and Aguirre at their home, before logging that the boy had fallen off a bicycle and there was no evidence of abuse.

Again, no report was filed, so no further investigation took place.

'It is unclear why a child being burned all over his body is not an emergency,' Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Hatami wrote.

'It is unclear why a police report was not filed and if the security guard was interviewed by Deputy Livingston.'

In May 2013, Gabriel was photographed for a Mother's Day project. Those photos, shown to the grand jury, show him with a bloodshot black eye; the skin peeling from his forehead; and what appeared to be bruises on his neck.

Once more, Gabriel said he fell off a bike. Once more Garcia called social services. Once more, nothing happened.

Jason Lee Lasley, a sheriff's deputy at Summerwind Elementary, was sent to investigate on May 16, after Garcia had not turned up to school for several days.

He testified that he had been given the wrong address so could not find Gabriel's home, and that when he called Pearl Fernandez she told him the boy had gone to live in Texas.

He concluded his investigation there. He did not file a report.

Gabriel died just under a week later.

House of horrors: This is where Gabriel's body was found on May 22. He was found to have a fractured skull and pelvis, a burn on his groin and BB pellets under his skin

On May 22, Pearl Fernandez called emergency services to report that her son wasn't breathing.

She told police that the bruises on his body were from playing. That the missing skin on his neck was because he was cleaned hard with a washcloth.

The autopsy told a very different story: Gabriel's skull and pelvis were fractured; he had BB pellets under his skin; his groin had a burn that went all the way through his skin and into the soft tissue.

The medical examiner told the grand jury he had never seen so many skin injuries on a child.

In the wake of the child's appalling death, reforms have been made to the system, including better training for officers and improved information flow between police departments and social workers.

Deputies are now required to file a one-page report for every child abuse call regardless of whether there is evidence of abuse taking place.

But Dan Scott, a retired sheriff's sergeant and longtime child abuse investigator, told the LA Times that Gabriel's case shows issues in how patrol officers treat child abuse cases.

'Law enforcement treats these crimes like second-class crimes,' he said.
A drunk pilot got bumped off his own airplane after his crew found him slumped over in the cockpit with three times the legal alcohol limit in his system, police has said.

Slovakian national Miroslav Gronych, 37, who is in Canada on a work visa, was removed from the Mexico-bound Sunwing aircraft in Calgary airport Saturday. The captain had boarded with five other crew members and 99 passengers just after 7 am. Gronych's bizarre behavior alarmed the gate crew, who informed the co-pilot, the Calgary Herald reported.

Crew members eventually found Gronych slumped over in the pilot's seat and called the police, cops said. The captain was taken to the traffic office and still displayed what authorities called an 'extreme level' of impairment about two hours later.

Gronych has been charged and is expected in court later this week. He is likely to face additional charges from Canadian transportation authorities, police said. The airline has apologized for the 'very unfortunate' incident.

Pilot Miroslav Gronych, 37 was removed from his Mexico-bound Sunwing aircraft (file picture) in Calgary airport Saturday after his crew found him drunk in the cockpit, police said

The pilot had presumably been preparing for the pre-flight when his co-pilot found him, Staff Sergeant Paul Stacey told the Calgary Herald. Officers took Gronych into custody.

'He was showing signs of impairment, enough so that the gate crew were concerned and then they found him actually slumped over in the pilot's seat,' Stacey said.

Gronych still appeared severely intoxicated even about two hours after being taken off the aircraft, the sergeant added.

The plane departed not long after Gronych was removed with another captain, heading for Cancun.

Crew members eventually found Gronych slumped over in the pilot's seat and called the police, who took Gronych into custody at Calgary airport (file picture)

'We are very appreciative of our crew's diligence in handling this very unfortunate matter,' Sunwing said in a statement.

'We are very apologetic for any upset that this has caused and would like to assure our customers that safety remains our utmost priority.'

Gronych has been charged with having care and control of an aircraft while being impaired, and having care and control of an aircraft while over the legal blood-alcohol limit of 0.08. Transport Canada will likely file additional charges, according to Stacey.

A Transport Canada spokesman said the department is reviewing Gronych's records and will not hesitate to 'issue fines and revoke licenses' if appropriate.

Working within eight hours of consuming alcohol or while under the influence is a criminal offence for a flight crew in Canada, the spokesman said.

It is unlikely that the aircraft could have taken off with a drunk pilot, according to Stacey.

'It had all the potential for a disaster but the likelihood of a pilot on a major airline like this actually being able to take off when they're impaired like that is pretty slim because there's a lot of checks and balances,' he said.

Gronych is due in court Thursday.
The Democrat said on CNN today that politicians in her party needed to learn how to talk to working people of all races

Finney agreed with President Obama that the Democratic Party needed to look less like latte-drinking elites

Rather than blaming Russian meddling or FBI Director James Comey's late-in-the-game letter, Hillary Clinton's senior adviser Karen Finney suggested the Democratic nominee faced a 'perfect storm' of problems  and that cost her the election.

'Look, there are any number of things that you could point to to say that it was a mistake that we made that probably has some merit to it, because it was such a perfect storm of a lot of different things,' Finney told Jake Tapper, sitting on a panel of Democrats this morning on CNN's State of the Union.

Finney was trying to push back on the idea that there was some sort of 'magic bullet' that would have changed the trajectory of the doomed Clinton campaign.

Scroll down for video

Karen Finney, a top adviser for Hillary Clinton's campaign, suggested that the Democratic nominee lost because of a 'perfect storm' of circumstances

Karen Finney, appearing on State of the Union today, said she believed the Clinton campaign made mistakes, but there was no 'magic bullet' to change the course of the election

Like many of her fellow Democrats, Finney pointed out the closeness of the race.

'Particularly when you look at the fact that in those Rust Belt states ... that gap is about 70,000 votes that we're talking about,' she continued.

'A majority of those people agreed with [Clinton] on the economy, thought she'd be better on the economy,' Finney said. 'And she's won 2.8 million more in the popular vote.'

While any combination of swing states could have won the Democratic nominee the presidential election, most of the attention has been paid to Republican Donald Trump's flip of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania from blue to red.

After the ballots were counted, President Obama worried that Democrats had been characterized as 'coastal, liberal, latte sipping, you know, politically correct out of touch folks.'

'We have to be in those communities,' Obama continued. 'I became a U.S. senator not just because I had a strong base in Chicago, but because I was driving around down state Illinois and going to fish fries and sitting in VFW halls and talking to farmers.'

Finney agreed with the president and suggested outreach needed to be better.

She reminded Tapper that under Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean, who took over the party in 2005 and concluded his tenure in January 2009, as Obama was being inaugurated, had pursued a '50 state strategy,' which helped the current Democratic president get elected.

'I think we need to learn some of the lessons coming out of this election, no question, in terms of how we talk to working families, whether they are black, white, brown and where those families are located, how we talk to them about the issues they care about,' Finney said.

'So there are so many things we can  some lessons we can learn,' she said.

Finney then flipped back to her previous point.
Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin said another option would be to bring back the Romanov dynasty, which was overthrown exactly a century ago in 1917

Russia should reinstate the monarchy, and appoint Vladimir Putin as royal emperor, says an influential Moscow churchman.

Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin said another option would be to bring back the Romanov dynasty, which was overthrown exactly a century ago in 1917.

'We are a country with monarchic mentality,' he said, at the launch of his new book.

'It doesn't matter that we don't now have formal monarchy, I think we can re-make it with Putin on top.

'Or else with somebody from the Romanov house, or with an elected person as head.'

He insisted: 'While we don't have formal monarchy, we have monarchic understanding that Russia cannot be without a tsar.

'But this tsar must take advice from people, which is why having a nation is so important.'

The archpriest called for 'constitutional reform' to allow the return of the monarchy as he launched his book 'Faith and Life - so there is no litter in your house'.

In the imperial era, the tsar or emperor was also head of the Orthodox church.

Chaplin did not recommend any rules of succession but Putin has two adult daughters, Maria, 31, and Katerina, 30, who in theory could become his heirs if he were to be made tsar under the churchman's scheme.

Katerinia - who uses the family name Tikhonova - is a champion acrobatic Rock'n'roll dancer married to Russia's youngest billionaire Kirill Shamalov, 34.

Her sister Maria is reportedly married to a Dutch businessman husband with whom she has a daughter, making Putin - who is intensely secret about his family life - a grandfather. She took a medical degree and was awarded a doctorate completing her post-graduate research into dwarfism.

The abdicated last tsar Nicholas II was shot by Bolshevik revolutionaries along with his immediate heirs the year after he lost his throne, ending more than 300 years of Romanov rule.

Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin said another option would be to bring back the Romanov dynasty, which was overthrown exactly a century ago in 1917. Pictured is Great Count Georgy Romanov (first from the right) with his mother Maria (first from the left) in Monaco

Pictured is Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna (left) and Great Count Georgy Romanov (right)

Chaplin did not recommend any rules of succession but Putin has two adult daughters, Maria, 31, and Katerina (pictured), 30, who in theory could become his heirs if he were to be made tsar under the churchman's scheme

She took a medical degree and was awarded a doctorate completing her post-graduate research into dwarfism

Katerinia - who uses the family name Tikhonova - is a champion acrobatic Rock'n'roll dancer married to Russia's youngest billionaire Kirill Shamalov, 34

A leading pretender to the defunct crown is 63 year old Maria Vladimirovna, Grand Duchess of Russia, a divorcee who is great-great-granddaughter of Emperor Alexander II.

Her designated 'Tsesarevich' is her son, Grand Duke George Mikhailovich Romanov, 35, who runs a lobbying company in Brussels.

He is on record as saying: 'The time to restore monarchy hasn't come yet.

'But the pre-requisites might appear in future.

'History develops in a spiral and it is possible that a legitimate hereditary monarchy will be in demand by the people of Russia and will serve it well.'

He also praised Putin saying he 'successfully protects the interests of his country'.

Chaplin, 48, was previously spokesman for the Orthodox church in Russia, which has seen a renaissance since the end of Communism a generation ago.

A celibate priest, he last year called for girls to be allowed to wed at 14 and boys at 16, without parental permission.

'It would be good if by the age of 20 our women had several children and made their careers only after 30 or 40 once their children have grown up,' he said.

Vladimir and ex-wife Lyudmila Putin with daughters Maria and Katerina

Tsar Nikolay II with his wife and children. Chaplin, 48, was previously spokesman for the Orthodox church in Russia, which has seen a renaissance since the end of Communism a generation ago

Women who had abortions, or husbands or wives committed adultery, or were convicted of corruption 'should be condemned by everyone and in some cases deprived of property rights', he argued.

He made the proposals to Russia's influential Civil Chamber, set up by Putin.

So-called 'good families with multiple children should leave big cities because such places are full of sin and relocate to agricultural settlements allocated to them by the government', he demanded.

Chaplin made the proposals to Russia's influential Civil Chamber, set up by Putin

He opposes teaching about contraception in sex education classes.

An ultra-conservative, who a survey found to be the second most recognisable churchman in Russia after the head of the Orthodox faith, Patriarch Kirill, he sprang to the defence of a Muslim cleric in southern Russia who called for 'all women' to undergo female genital mutilation (FGM).

'Cutting all women probably isn't necessary. Orthodox women don't need it because they are not promiscuous. Of course God created women to bear and raise children,' said Chaplin.
British Airways crew were left 'vomiting, dizzy and confused' after suspected 'toxic fumes' leaked into the cabin during a long-haul flight.

The London-bound Airbus A380 'superjumbo' was thousands of feet up in the sky when the cabin crew suddenly fell ill and needed to use emergency oxygen supplies.

A leaked internal report on the disturbing alert has now detailed how flight attendants became 'spaced out'  wandering around 'lost' on the plane and 'stuffing' food into their mouths while wearing oxygen masks.

The London-bound Airbus A380 (stock image) 'superjumbo' was thousands of feet up in the sky when the cabin crew suddenly fell ill and needed to use emergency oxygen supplies

Cabin crew union Unite last night said the new details were 'deeply concerning' and criticised British Airways for 'downplaying' the incident.

The airline said no fault had been found with the plane, but yesterday did not reveal what had caused the scare on the flight from San Francisco on October 25.

The report, written by the flight's cabin service director, described how around 40 minutes after take-off the crew noticed a potent noxious smell like burning plastic.

The captain declared an emergency and told air traffic control the problem was 'toxic gas-type fumes'.

The flight was diverted to Vancouver, Canada, where all the double-decker plane' s flight attendants and three pilots were taken to hospital.

The new report, seen by the Sunday Times, said the smell was detected by a door in the main cabin and on the upper deck of the 850-capacity aircraft.

It reads: 'It soon became apparent that more crew were behaving in a non-normal manner ... [with] reports of dizziness, light heads, headaches, nausea, itchy red eyes, metallic taste in mouth, floating-type feelings, flushed, aggression and, most worryingly, forgetfulness and confusion, inability to think straight and converse in normal manner.'

The report said 12 crew members showed worrying symptoms, while nine staff  including the captain  used emergency oxygen (stock image)

The document also revealed senior flight attendants had 'lost' colleagues who had ended up at the other end of the aircraft 'not knowing how they got there'.

Crew were seen 'in corners on [the] floor with blankets over their heads' and also 'stuffing food' in their mouths while on oxygen'.

The report said 12 crew members showed worrying symptoms, while nine staff  including the captain  used emergency oxygen.

It also said crew members had continued to feel ill after leaving hospital  with one collapsing and vomiting at Heathrow.

One crew member on the flight told how staff were 'sobbing' during a debriefing session at Heathrow while some were still off work.

Show business publicist Ciara Parkes, who was also on the flight, said the crew appeared so panicked that she thought they were being hijacked, adding: 'I think that's probably the most terrified I've been in my life.'

She said some passengers had bloodshot eyes while her chest became 'incredibly tight' and she struggled to stand. She said she had suffered from regular headaches ever since.

But British Airways, which has described the incident as an 'odour event', yesterday did not have an explanation for what happened.

A spokesman said: 'Our highly-skilled engineers inspected the aircraft in Vancouver and carried out further tests on its flight back to London. No fault was found.

'The safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority. We have shared our detailed and thorough investigation with the CAA and fully comply with all safety regulations.'

Unite, the union that represents cabin crew members, yesterday called for further investigation into the scare and the wider threat of 'contaminated air' on flights.

A spokesman said: 'This deeply concerning account raises further serious questions over why the airline sought to downplay the incident as a mere 'odour event'.

'That none of the relevant civil aviation authorities have seen fit to investigate what was clearly a serious toxic fume event is equally astonishing.
A couple who left Australia for Scotland after social workers decided they should live apart are facing being split up again after suffering a visa rejection.

John Cruickshank, 81, and his wife Cheryl, 66, moved to Moray in 2012 after social workers said they cannot live unsupervised.

For Mr Cruickshank, the move was a return home, as he was born in Rathven, near Buckie, Banffshire and had emigrated in 1964.

John Cruickshank, 81, with his wife Cheryl. The couple fear they will be split up as the Home Office has rejected her application

He and his wife, from Australia, have been together for 20 years, and used their life savings as well as cash from the sale of their home in Queensland to travel the world.

After dodging Home Office regulations by renewing Mrs Cruickshank's visa from Cyprus every few months, the couple got married in Paphos in 2015 in the hopes of boosting her visa chances.

But her application has been refused and she was told to make arrangements to leave the country in December.

Mrs Cruickshank told the Daily Record: 'I dont know how John would cope if I have to leave. Im his sole carer. We dont want him to go into a home.

Mr Cruickshank has had a series of strokes since they moved to Scotland and he relies heavily on his wife for his daily care

'I dress him, wash him, give him his medication and even have to cut all of his food up and put it in the blender.

'I have to put him to bed and dress and undress him.'

As Mr Cruickshank is housebound, he had to be cared for by a neighbour when his wife was hospitalised for a number of weeks. He has had a series of strokes since they returned to Scotland.

Mrs Cruickshank, who has epilepsy, said: 'He used to care for me when I had bad seizures and now the roles are reversed and I care for John.

'We dont want to be apart and we cant go back to Australia. Weve got great neighbours and we have support  John has children and grandchildren in Fife and Aberdeenshire.'

She told the paper they were told she would have to live in a women's hostel and her husband in a home if they had stayed down under.

While her appeal is processed, she can remain here, buying the couple six to eight months.

However, the Scottish paper reports the Home Office has not received her paperwork.

The pair say they were told they would have to live apart in Australia, and that was the reason they came back to Mr Cruickshank's native Scotland

Mrs Cruickshank added: 'I bring money into the country because of my pension from Australia. We dont know where to turn for help, we just want to be together.'

Angus Robinson, the couple's SNP MP, said: 'It seems to me that Cheryls application to reside in Scotland is perfectly reasonable. They married relatively recently but have been together for many years. This is good reason in itself to be able to live in Scotland.

'Over and above this, Mr Cruickshank has unfortunately suffered significant ill health and, as a result, Cheryl is his carer. This is a deserving case and Im urging the Home Office to take a sympathetic view of their case.'
An arrested teenager managed to steal a police squad car while his hands were handcuffed behind his back.

Dekota Locklear, 18, had a joyride in a stolen New York City Police Department car after he was arrested in Upper Manhattan early on New Year's Day.

He was placed in the back of the vehicle but before police were able to enter the car, he jumped into the driver's seat and drove away.

Dekota Locklear, 18, stole a New York City Police Department car while he was handcuffed. His escape from officials lasted two hours before he was re-arrested

Locklear was stopped after a DWI checkpoint on the Henry Hudson Parkway near West 158th Street around 2am, the New York Post reported.

NYPD Detective Christopher Pisano said it was unknown how he was able to gain access to the front of the car and drive the vehicle if he was handcuffed behind his back.

He said to Lohud: 'It's impressive. That's some sort of Harry Houdini move.'

Police suspect the teen was able to rearrange his handcuffs in front of his body in order to use the steering wheel.

During his getaway it is possible that Locklear was driving with the car's lights and sirens blaring.

Police found the stolen car 30 minutes later in the Bronx and it took officials an additional 90 minutes to find and re-arrest Locklear at around 4am.
The tradition of the New Year's Eve ball drop has its original roots in British maritime practices

Among the most notable of New Year's Eve celebrations around the world, the history of the Times Square ball drop is rich with time-telling tradition.

On December 31st of every year, a glittering orb slowly descends a pole on the roof of the One Times Square building for the minute leading up to the new year.

The ritual started in the early 20th century, when a city-wide fireworks ban forced organizers to find a new way to celebrate the holiday.

When the clock struck 12 to signal the beginning of 1908, a 700lb ball was lowered down the flagpole of the Times Tower for the first time, starting a tradition that has lasted over 100 years.

A ball dropping to mark time is more than just a holiday custom, and has its roots in British maritime practices.

'Time Balls' were first used in England in the 19th century to help ship captains set their clocks while at sea.

When the clock struck 12 to signal the beginning of 1908, a 700lb ball was lowered down the flagpole of the Times Tower for the first time, starting a tradition that has lasted over 100 years

'Time Balls' were used in England in the 19th century to help ship captains set their clocks while at sea

The first balls were built in Portsmouth Harbor in 1829 and the Royal Observatory in Greenwich in 1833, and were large enough to be seen from a great distance, according to Time.

Ship captains used spy glasses to scan the harbor for the balls, which they relied on to set their chronometers, a clock without a pendulum invented by clock-maker John Harrison.

Without landmarks to determine longitude or a stable surface to rest a pendulum clock, it was difficult to accurately tell time while at sea.

The balls were covered in red or black canvas and hoisted up to the top of a pole, and then were released when by the timekeeper when the hour changed. Captains would watch the balls descend and adjust their clocks.

Soon other port cities started following suit, and by 1844 there were 11 similar balls in other parts of the world.

In 1845 the US Secretary of the Navy ordered one to be built on the top of the United States Naval Observatory in Washington, DC.

Built in Portsmouth Harbor in 1829 and the Royal Observatory in Greenwich in 1833 (pictured), these balls were large enough to be seen from a great distance

Between 1845 and the turn of the century time balls gained popularity in the United States and were built in places like the United States Naval Observatory in Washington, DC, San Franciscos telegraph hall and the Boston State House (pictured)

There the practice was somewhat less precise, relying on an oral signal for the ball to be thrown by hand. It would then land on top of the observatorys dome and roll to the roof below, Time reported.

Between 1845 and the turn of the century time balls gained further popularity in the United States and were built in places like San Franciscos telegraph hall and the Boston State House.

The invention of the telegraph eventually allowed time signals to be sent further so the balls dropping could be more automated.

Then and now: The invention of the telegraph eventually allowed time signals to be sent further so the balls dropping could be more automated

The owner of the New York Times, Adolph Ochs, arranged for a wood and iron ball to be built, illuminated with 100 25-watt light bulbs

By the late 19th century the devices were mostly on their way out as far as practical uses, and started to play a more symbolic role in telling time.

Over time they became popular attractions, and before the turn of the hour crowds would gather to watch the balls be released, Time reported.

The iconic Times Square celebration follows this ritual each year on December 31, to mark a new year.

The original Times Square celebration was commemorated with a fireworks show at the New York Time's building in Manhattan, PBS Newshour reported.

The iconic Times Square celebration sees a ball drop on the roof of the One Times Square building for the minute leading up to the new year

One of the most iconic New Year's Eve celebrations around the world takes place in Times Square, where millions of people gather to watch the ball drop

In 1907, the ban was placed on firework shows due to hot ashes that sprinkled the city's streets afterwards.

The owner of the New York Times, Adolph Ochs, decided on a new spectacle to light up the city sky, and arranged for a 700lb wood and iron ball, illuminated with 100 25-watt light bulbs, to be lowered from the flagpole of the Times Tower at midnight on December 31.
Tehran, Iran, January 1

By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:

Iran plans to invest 370 trillion rials (close to $11.5 billion) in developmental projects for the following Iranian fiscal year (to start March 21), President Hassan Rouhani told the national TV January 1.

He said the plan is made thanks to Irans increasing revenues in the wake of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). According to Rouhani, the countrys oil and gas condensates export improved from around 1 mbpd in January 2016 before the implementation of the JCPOA to 2.7 mbpd now.

The revival of the oil industry after the nuclear deal was a great job where about $1 billion was spent to increase crude output, he said.

The president noted that in the first nine months of the current Iranian fiscal year (since March 20, 2016) Irans non-oil export reached $31 billion, with a more than 9 percent improvement compared to a year earlier when Iran was still under sanctions.

In the current Iranian year also, Rouhani said, 17,000 small and mid-size industrial units used banking facilities to get back on their feet and improve their businesses.

He also said that during the past two years, his administration created 700,000 net job opportunities each year, a great improvement from 140,000 jobs per year during the two administration terms before he took office.
A London Underground station was evacuated because a Tube worker burnt his dinner.

Golders Green station in North London was shut down at 9pm on Friday as it was feared there was a fire.

Passengers and staff were asked to leave the smoky station.

Golders Green station in North London was shut down at 9pm on Friday due to a fire alarm

Police later revealed that the incident was caused by a forgetful employee who left a dessert cooking too long.

Barnet MPS tweeted: '#GoldersGreen tube station is currently closed and has been evacuated due to staff member burning his dinner. Will re open shortly.'

While passengers may have been annoyed people in Twitter found the situation very amusing and were keen to know more.

Police revealed that it was an employee burning his dinner that sparked the incident

One tweeter inquired as to what the tube worker was having for dinner.

Barnet MPS replied: 'I can confirm that it was in fact an apple pie that was burned.'

The people of Twitter then suggested cream and custard might be a good idea to put out the fire.

Grumpy PC tweeted: 'Could have at least tried to put it out with custard?'

One tweeter asked what the tube worker was having for dinner and Barnet police replied

The people of Twitter then suggested cream and custard might be a good idea to quell the fire

Passengers and staff were asked to leave the smoky station but it reopened not long after

Another person said: 'I think we all know that lashings of cream was required to quell the fire.'

The station reopened shortly after.

Barnet Police tweeted: 'As predicted, #GoldersGreen tube station is now reopened.'

An account for the Northern Line confirmed: 'Golders Green station has re-opened.'
A former Army reservist accused of stealing 16 guns from an army reserve while on bail for child rape charges has escaped from a Rhode Island prison.

James Walker Morales, 35, of Cambridge was being held at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls, Rhode Island on charges relating to the gun heist, was discovered missing around 11:30pm on Saturday.

Police believe he may be wounded after finding discarded bloodied prison clothing underneath a Route 95 overpass.

Morales is described as a 6-foot-one-inch, 180-pound African-American with brown eyes and black hair and is considered dangerous.

James Walker Morales, 35, of Cambridge was being held at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls, Rhode Island on charges relating to the gun heist, was discovered missing around 11:30pm on Saturday

The investigation suggests that Morales jumped over the barbed wire fence during recreation on Saturday evening, and cut himself on the razor wire during his escape.

He may not have gone far due to his injuries and is believed to be in his home state of Massachusetts, federal authorities told NECN.

Authorities believe Morales stole a car from a Burger King parking lot in Attleboro, Massachusetts at approximately 7:30 am.

The stolen car is a green Chevy Lumina with Rhode Island plate 408696.

Morales is believed to have scaled a building and jumped a razor wire fence during recreation

The escape comes just days before a status conference for his case was scheduled, according to federal court documents.

Morales has been held on federal charges of unlawful possession of a machine gun, unlawful possession of stolen firearms, and theft of government property since November 2015.

In May of 2015, Morales was charged with aggravated rape of a child and indecent assault and battery on a person under age 14.

Morales has been held on federal charges of unlawful possession of a machine gun, unlawful possession of stolen firearms, and theft of government property since November 2015

He was arrested in connection to the gun theft after being tracked by a discarded GPS bracelet he was required to wear after being released on bail for the child rape charges.

An FBI affidavit states that Morales gained access to the Lincoln Stoddard Army Reserve Center through a kitchen window, and then broke into the gun vault by climbing on top of it and using a cutting tool and pry bar to get through several layers of metal and wood.

He then allegedly stole 10 handguns and six assault rifles.

According to an FBI affidavit, Morales broke into the Lincoln Stoddard Army Reserve Center through a kitchen window then used a cutting tool to gain access to the gun vault

Surveillance shows Morales spending more than six hours at the facility making several trips from the reserve to a vehicle, many times with duffel bags.

Morales signed up for the army reserves in September 2008 and in June 2013 was given an administrative discharge. He had been a medical logistics specialist, according to an Army reserve spokesperson.

Two individuals have recently been arrested in connection with the 2015 weapons heist, and face more than 20 years in prison if convicted in mid-March.

Surveillance shows Morales spending more than six hours at the facility making several trips from the reserve to a vehicle, many times with duffel bags

Tyrone James, 29, and Ashley Bigsbee, 27, both of Dorchester, were accused of helping Morales sell some of the stolen weapons.

Bigsbee has already plead guilty to conspiracy to possess and sell stolen weapons, aiding and abetting the sale of stolen firearms and making false statements.
McIver is facing charges of involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct for shooting Diane dead in September

He recently sold $350,000 of his wife's wardrobe to cover bequests in her will

lawyer said the money went to $1.3m barn on the couple's farm in Putnam County

McIver, 74, was supposed to repay it by 2014 but received a three year

A prominent Atlanta lawyer who said he 'accidentally' shot his wife dead owed her $350,000 when she died.

Claud 'Tex' McIver owed the large sum of money to his successful wife Diane McIver, after he borrowed it from her company Clay Management Co. in 2012.

The 74-year-old was supposed to repay the amount with interest back by December 2014 but received an extension until 2017, according to court documents.

Scroll down for video

Claud 'Tex' McIver, 74, who 'accidentally' shot his wife Diane McIver, 63, dead in September owed her $350,000 at the time of her death. He said the money was used to build a barn on the couple's farm in Putnam County

McIver was sitting in the backseat of an SUV when he 'accidentally' shot his handgun at Diane, 63, fatally injuring her in September.

He took the loan from his wife to build a $1.3million barn on the couple's sprawling farm in Putnam County, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

The corporate lawyer said the loan was an idea from his wife, who said it would help with their taxes. He would write off the payments and she could claim it as income.

McIver is facing charges of involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct for shooting his wife in September. He was released from Fulton County jail on December 23 after he posted $200,000 bond

McIver, who turned himself in a few days before Christmas, is facing charges of involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct for the death of his wife.

He posted his $200,000 bond on December 23 and was released from Fulton County jail with an ankle monitor.

He is prohibited to be in possession of any weapons, to have any contact with the friend who was driving the car when Diane McIver was shot, or with anyone at Diane's company, according to 11Alive.

The news of the debt to his late wife comes shortly after McIver held an estate sale of Diane's wardrobe looking to raise $350,000 to cover bequests in her will.

McIver put up Diane's entire collection of clothes, shoes and costume jewelry up for sale in hopes to raise $350,000 to cover bequests in her will

The sale was promoted as ' a fashionista's dream closet' and contained designer clothes, furs and accessories.

According to Peachtree Battle Estate Sales & Liquidations, the company handling the sale of Diane McIver's prized possessions, her sartorial collection includes clothing items by Jimmy Choo, Roberto Cavalli, Chanel, Prada, Christian Louboutin, Louis Vuitton, Dior and Valentino.

Of the 121 fur coats in Diane McIver's closet, one by designer Thierry Mugler still had a $6,800 price tag attached to it.

The estate sale also includes more than 500 pieces of fine Italian and French costume jewelry, leather and suede jackets, evening gowns, as well as 'cruise wear and even ski apparel.

Among the items being sold off are 121 fur coats, including one by Thierry Mugler that originally cost $6,800. Hundreds of pairs of high-end shoes and boots from top designers were also on offer

McIver, a member of the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on Gun Violence, insists that shooting on September 25 was a terrible accident.

Speaking of his innocence, he told the Atlanta Journal Constitution: 'I absolutely did not. She was my life partner. My life as I know it is ruined because of this accident.'

McIver has passed a polygraph test conducted by an examiner who was hired by his attorney, Stephen Maples, reported the station CBS46.

McIver and Diane own an apartment in a luxury complex in Buckhead, Atlanta. They were headed back to their apartment from their farm in Putnam County when McIver shot his wife

During the test, McIver was asked if he intentionally shot his wife, if he knowingly shot his wife, or if he was consciously doing anything with the gun that could have made it go off.

Richard Rackleff, who conducted the lie detector test, said that McIver replied, 'no,' to all three questions, and that the polygraph did not register that he was lying.

Rackleff said McIver appeared to be overcome with grief and cried several times while undergoing the test.

Maples told the AJC that he is baffled by the charges that have been filed against his client, insisting that the husband's actions were not reckless or negligent.

'Were very, very disappointed,' Maples said. 'We feel it was an accident. Hopefully the grand jury would dismiss it when they hear the evidence.'

Maples described McIver as 'very, very embarrassed and very, very humiliated' by the charges.

Atlanta businesswoman Diane was shot dead by husband Tex McIver after a revolver accidentally discharged

The polygraph expert also revealed that in his conversation with McIver prior to the test, the man told him that on the evening of September 25, he was dozing in the backseat of his Ford Explorer SUV when he woke up with a jolt, causing the gun in his lap to fire.

His wife was riding directly in front of him, and the bullet from the revolver struck her in the back, leaving her mortally wounded.

McIver's attorney told the AJC that the reason his client had the .38-caliber revolver in his lap in the first place was because earlier in the evening, as he and Diane were ridding home from their farm in Eatonton, they saw a group of people approach their vehicle.

Mr McIver then asked his wife to take the gun out of the center console and hand it to him for protection.

McIver, right, and his attorney, Cal Leipold, left, had asked the judge to set his bond at $100,000. McIver surrendered his passport and is prohibited to be in possession of any weapons

The husband placed the gun in a plastic grocery bag in his lap and fell sleep. As the SUV was passing by Piedmont Park, Claud McIver abruptly woke up.

Describing that fateful moment to the paper, Mr McIver said: 'I lurched and the gun fired. I must have forgotten it was in my lap. I saw a flash.'

The widower told the paper he is consumed by grief and guilt, and his only desire is to join his wife.

Im down to crying 25 times a day,' he added.

Mark Guilbeau, an investigator with the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that 63-year-old Diane McIver's cause of death has been listed as homicide  the death of a person at the hands of another.

It is unclear whether the gun fired as Mr McIver, pictured on the left outside Atlanta police headquarters, was removing it from a plastic bag, or when the SUV hit a bump in the road

In early October, Bill Crane, a friend of the Atlanta couple acting as a family spokesman, told the paper that Claud McIver had retrieved his handgun, a .38-caliber snub-nose revolver, because they were concerned about unrest in Atlanta related to the Black Lives Matter movement and feared of getting carjacked.

But Mr McIver later denied ever mentioning Black Lives Matter, reported 11Alive.

Crane also told the paper that the revolver was in Mr McIver'a lap when their 2013 Ford Expedition hit a bump in the road and the weapon accidentally discharged, killing Diane.

Diane McIver was president of Corey Airport Services, an Atlanta-based marketing company where she had worked for more than 40 years

It was a tragic accident, he said.

Atlanta Police Sgt Warren Pickard later called into question Crane's account of what went on inside the McIvers' car that night, saying that the friend 'wasn't in the car, so he is not a witness to what happened.'

In an earlier interview with WGCL, Mr Crane had said that the handgun fired as Claud McIver was taking it out of a plastic shopping bag.

Diane McIver was president of Corey Airport Services, a successful Atlanta-based marketing company where she had worked for more than 40 years.

Her husband is a partner in the Atlanta office of Fisher Phillips LLP specializing in labor and employment law. He is also a vice president of the Georgia State Election Board, and as of August, a member of the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on Gun Violence.

The fatal incident took place at around 10.40pm on September 25 as Diane and Tex McIver were riding in the 2013 Ford Expedition from their sprawling farm in rural Putnam County to their apartment in the Buckhead section of Atlanta.

The SUV was riding along Piedmont Avenue, past Piedmont Park, when Claud McIver became concerned about carjackers after seeing some people make their way towards their SUV and asked for the gun.

McIver is a member of the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on Gun Violence

After the shooting, Diane was rushed to Emory University Hospital, where she succumbed to her injures shortly before 1am Monday.

An incident report made no mention of any other occupants of the Ford SUV other than the victim, but Mr McIver said the driver of the vehicle was a close family friend named Dani Jo.

'This is one of those situations were working through very slowly,' police Sgt. Warren Pickard said. 'We want to get it right.'

Diane was a vivacious, beautiful, entertaining woman who was a lot of fun to around, Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills told the station 11Alive.
President Barack Obama reflected upon his accomplishments over the past eight years in a series of thoughtful tweets Sunday as he wished his fellow Americans a Happy New Year.

Obama praised the American people for the 'remarkable progress' they have 'made possible' during his two presidential terms. He pointed out how employment and healthcare have improved under his administration and mentioned clean energy, marriage equality and diplomacy.

'Its been the privilege of my life to serve as your President. I look forward to standing with you as a citizen. Happy New Year everybody,' Obama wrote in the last tweet of the series.

The president's message contrasts with Donald Trump's choice of words for his own New Year tweet. The tycoon chose to taunt his political 'enemies' in a boastful tweet, saying Democrats 'had lost so badly they just don't know what to do'.

President Barack Obama looked back on his accomplishments over the past eight years in a heartfelt series of tweets on New Year's Day to mark the beginning of 2017

Obama praised the American people for the 'remarkable progress' they have 'made possible' during his two presidential terms

Obama invited his followers to begin 2017 by thinking about the changes his presidency have brought.

'As we look ahead to the future, I wanted to take a moment to look back on the remarkable progress that you made possible these past 8 years,' he wrote.

'Facing the worst financial crisis in 80 years, you delivered the longest streak of job growth in our history,' the president tweeted with an accompanying graph.

He reminded his followers that the number of Americans without health insurance had hit an all-time low in 2016, falling at 8.9 per cent.

'We traded foreign oil for clean energy, we doubled fuel efficiency standards, & we acted on a global scale to save the one planet we've got,' his next tweet read.

Obama said his administration had 'strengthened US leadership' and brought home some of its troops.

'From realizing marriage equality to removing barriers to opportunity, we've made history in our work to reaffirm that all are created equal,' he wrote.

His Happy New Year message came one day after Trump posted his own holiday greeting, which had a much different tone.

'Happy New Year to all, including to my many enemies and those who have fought me and lost so badly they just don't know what to do. Love!' the president-elect wrote.

The message appeared to be a thinly-veiled jab at Obama's decision to sanction Russia over its attempts to influence the 2016 presidential election.

Vladimir Putin, who has denied any involvement, opted not to retaliate after the president expelled 35 Russian agents and closed two luxurious Russian-owned compounds.
More than 1,000 migrants stormed a border fence before clashing with police as they tried to reach Spanish territory in North Africa.

The ambush, which police called 'extremely violent and organised', took place just after 4am on New Year's Day and saw one officer lose an eye.

None of the migrants managed to successfully cross into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, bar two who were badly injured and taken to hospital.

More than 1,000 migrants stormed a border fence before clashing with police as they tried to reach Spanish territory in North Africa

Footage shows one man perched at the top of the 20-foot high fence, sitting uncomfortably near rolls of barbed wire, his head hanging down onto his chest.

He slowly climbs down to a space between the fences and lies down as a Spanish policeman fetches him a drink before taking him to an entry back into Morocco.

Of the 1,100 migrants who stormed the border Sunday, just over 100 managed to climb up the external fence and stayed on top for hours.

They tried to open the doors in the fence using iron bars and wire cutters, before assaulting the border guards.

Five Spanish policemen and 50 members of the Moroccan forces were injured.

Ceuta and Melilla, another Spanish territory in North Africa, have the European Union's only land borders with Africa.

The 'extremely violent and organised' ambush took place just after 4am on New Year's Day and saw one officer lose an eye

Of the 1,100 migrants who stormed the border Sunday, just over 100 managed to climb up the external fence and stayed on top for hours. These men were caught between two fences

They are one of the entry points for African migrants getting into Europe, who get there by climbing over the border fence, swimming along coast or hiding in cars.

A similar assault in Ceuta on December 9 saw more than 400 migrants enter the tiny enclave.

On Monday, a French national was arrested for trying to board a ferry out of Ceuta with a camper van where 12 Algerians were found hiding, 'car sick and sweating'.

Separately, coastguards said they had rescued 52 people who were packed onto a small boat at sea south of Malaga on Spain's southern coast.

Footage shows one man perched at the top of the 20-foot high fence, sitting uncomfortably near rolls of barbed wire, his head hanging down onto his chest
A two-year-old girl has tragically drowned after she was found unconscious in a backyard swimming pool on New Year's Day.

Her uncle had discovered her lifeless body in the water around 6.10pm on Sunday after he noticed the pool gate was left unlocked, Nine News reported.

The family was hosting a party at the Macquarie Fields property in Sydney's south-west when the girl's uncle noticed she had been missing for a few minutes.

The uncle, who only wished to be known as Jason, said the New Zealand family was reeling over the tragic death.

'She is everything to us and though she's gone now she will forever be in our hearts and minds,' he told The Daily Telegraph.

'We love you always.'

Scroll down for video

The family was hosting a party at the Macquarie Fields property in Sydney's south-west when the toddler was found floating in the backyard swimming pool on New Year's Day

A two-year-old girl has died after she was found unconscious in a backyard swimming pool

Paramedics attempted to revive the toddler before she was rushed to Liverpool Hospital where she later died.

Police are investigating and will prepare a report for the coroner.

Macquarie Fields acting Superintendent Mark Brett declined to comment on whether the gate was left opened or how the child fell into the pool.

'We are unsure how the child got into the pool area, there are a number of varying reports,' he said as he confirmed the girl had been missing for a 'few minutes'.

'At this stage the child was not seen for a while and we need to work our way through it to establish what the correct facts are.'

He also begged parents to supervise their children at all times, especially around the pool as he paid tribute to the little girl.

'Our prayers and thoughts go out to the child. I can't imagine the grief those people are going through at this stage. It's very hard,' he said.

'Secondly, just a word of warning, please parents, be vigilant with your children especially [with] toddlers [who] do travel really quickly.

'There's a lot of people meeting for the first time in a long time and it's very easy to become distracted.

'Don't assume you know where they are. Be sure you know where they are.'

The girl was found unconscious in the backyard swimming pool on New Year's Day

Emergency services were called to the Macquarie Fields property on New Year's Day

Paramedics attempted to revive the toddler before she was rushed to hospital where she died

The latest incident comes after a spate of drownings in the state, with at least 15 water fatalities reported during the Christmas period.

Toddler Robbie Manago, 23 months old, tragically passed away on Thursday - three days after his twin sister Charli also died.

The Sydney twins were found floating in the pool at their Kellyville home in north-west of Sydney on December 20.

On Saturday a toddler was pulled from a pond unconscious, breathless and with his skin turning blue in northwest of Sydney.

The 21-month-old boy was rescued by his mother from the pond near their campsite at Wiseman's Ferry on the Hawkesbury River.

The boy is recovering in hospital after being revived before he was airlifted to the Children's Hospital at Westmead.

A two-year-old girl is fighting for her life after being pulled unconscious from a pool on Atchison Road (pictured) in Macquarie Fields
A man acted 'not even human' after taking an unknown substance which killed a man and left two others in a critical condition, ravers reportedly said.

Up to 500 people were at the YewbuNYE party at Mount Lindesay, inland along the Queensland and New South Wales border, where police were called about 10.20am on Sunday.

At least five people had begun showing signs of adverse reactions and required urgent medical assistance, police said.

Witnesses Jade and Dylan, from NSW, said they saw a man scream and claw the ground, they told Courier Mail.

Scroll down for video

A man has died and two others are in a critical condition after suffering adverse reactions to an unknown substance at the YewbuNYE rave

Revellers are pictured near the rave along the Queensland and New South Wales border

'He was possessed, crazy, not even human,' Jade said.

The YewbuNYE rave (wristband pictured) was put on by Ubunye

Dylan said medics attended to him until emergency services arrived.

'He was in a tent trying to escape and the medics were holding him still. He was screaming but none of his words were making any sense.'

One man was declared dead at the scene while two others were taken by helicopter to the Gold Coast University Hospital and Toowoomba Base Hospital, both in a critical condition.

The two ravers remain in a critical condition.

Two other suspected patients had run into bushland when emergency services arrived at the scene, and on Sunday evening were not yet accounted for.

The two-day event continued after the incident.

A woman, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told Daily Mail Australia people had been bringing 'bad, bad drugs' into the 'bush doof' scene recently.

Police estimated up to 500 people were at the rave, which under-18s were able to attend if accompanied by an adult

She hadn't been at YewbuNYE, however, she was a regular at similar events.

'You can't pinpoint anyone doing it. It could be the kindest looking person bringing harm.

'A party I went to a while ago some people close to me got spiked with something called liquid fantasy,' she said.

They passed out for hours.

She said the events were usually safe and positive and disagreed with the characterisation bush doofs were just a place to take drugs and 'get cooked'.

'A man has died and two are in a critical condition after suffering an adverse reaction from an as-yet unidentified substance in Mount Lindesay,' police said in a statement on Sunday

A post on social media offered condolences to those at YewbuNYE and encouraged people to take care of each other at similar events

'I got heat exhaustion at one and had many random people around me, some feeding me and some helping with water and to keep me cool.'

'It's just really about everyone from different areas of Australia coming together and having a good time. I've met so many lovely people in the last two years of doofing that I will keep in my life forever.'

But she believed problem with bad drugs couldn't be stopped.

'The way things are going our lovely get-togethers are going to be shut down.

'Police have done all they can and more to try and stop this, it just isn't enough.'

The rave was put on by UBUNYE.

Event organisers had warned party-goers not to bring methamphetamine or GBH. It is not yet known what substance the people had ingested.

Trained medics were onsite, organisers wrote on the Facebook event page, which has since been deleted.

Tickets were $70 but organisers were offering last minute entry for $50, according to social media (tents and cars at the rave are pictured)

The rave had been described in its Facebook event page as a 'movement' for 'like-minded people wanting to gain knowledge and self-growth'

'All of you are responsible for yourself and your own actions. You enter the property at your own risk and in case of emergency please seek advice from security, MedCall EMTs or UBUNYE crew,' the event description said.

'However, we also must look after each other and help anyone in need. Don't be a stick in the mud, help your mates if they need you.'

Tickets were $70 but organisers were offering last minute entry for $50, according to social media.

People under 18 were able to attend if accompanied 'by a responsible adult with valid photo ID'.

The rave had been described as a 'movement' for 'like-minded people wanting to gain knowledge and self-growth'.

The site of the rave at Mount Lindesay, inland at the Queensland and NSW border, is pictured

An ambulance is pictured at the scene. A man is dead, two others are in a critical condition and two other 'suspected patients' ran into bushland and are yet to be accounted for, police said

'UBUNYE will be the unification of all of us. We are all in this struggle and we all have the ability to progress our own thoughts, dreams and visions! This is the start of a MOVEMENT, of like-minded people wanting to gain knowledge and self-growth!

'We can help to create a new future, a new feeling of hope and begin to work towards a paradigm that supports our own unification. We are one. We are many. And we are free to be ourselves,' the Facebook page said.

A 'smorgashboard of audio-technical havoc and delight' was to perform at the event, with acts with names such as Interpulse, Surge, DJ Psyphoria, Short Circuit, Quadrapuss, Oxytokin, Bushology, Autopsy, and many others.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted UBUNYE for comment.

Detectives from the Logan District Criminal Investigation Branch were on the scene and police will prepare a report for the Coroner.
Fans of the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears got more of a show than they anticipated at today's game.

Two protesters climbed the rafters of the U.S. Bank stadium to hang a banner adorned with the US Bank logo, and the phrases '#NoDAPL', and 'DIVEST', urging the company to withdraw their support of North Dakota Access Pipeline.

A statement released by the protesters claims US Bank has $175 million in credit lines to one of the parent companies of the Pipeline, Energy Transfer Partners, according to TIME.

Scroll down for video

Fans of the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears got more of a show than they anticipated at today's game

Protesters climbed the rafters of the US Bank stadium to hang a banner adorned with the US Bank logo, and the phrases '#NoDAPL', and 'DIVEST'

The protesters, one of whom wore a Brett Favre Vikings jersey, were able to climb over a guard rail and mount an overhead rafter to unfurl their banner.

It is unclear how they transported the banner and climbing material in to the stadium, as security has strict limitations on bags brought into the building.

The climbers spoke on the phone to reporters and police officers, explaining their mission and objection to the Dakota Access Pipeline.

The protesters, one of whom wore a Brett Favre Vikings jersey, were able to climb over a guard rail and mount an overhead rafter to unfurl their banner

It is unclear how they transported the banner and climbing material in to the stadium, as security has strict limitations on bags brought into the building

The climbers spoke on the phone to reporters and police officers, explaining their mission and objection to the Dakota Access Pipeline

One protester identified as Sen Holiday said: 'We are here with solidarity from Standing Rock to urge US Bank to divest from the Dakota Access Pipeline.'

The second protester has been identified as Karl Zimmerman, who said: 'The Dakota Access Pipeline is dangerous to any community it passes through. It wasn't safe for the residents of Bismarck, and its not safe for the Standing Rock Sioux.'

They continued: 'Investors have the right to withdraw business contracts from the project, and we urge them to do so.'

Seven rows of seats were evacuated directly underneath the protest in case the worst occurred.

The game, however, continued beneath them.

The climbers looked calm and stable as police and firemen attempted to retrieve them.

One protester identified as Sen Holiday said: 'We are here with solidarity from Standing Rock to urge US Bank to divest from the Dakota Access Pipeline'

The game continued beneath them and several rows of seats were evacuated in case of a fall

They continued: 'Investors have the right to withdraw business contracts from the project, and we urge them to do so'

The media release also stated that January 1st was the original date for the project to be finished.

Following a major public outcry and protesters by the thousands, the Pipeline was stopped from running beneath Lake Oahe in South Dakota, and was celebrated as a victory for human rights.

Proponents of the Pipeline however, intend to move forward, and assert that it is the most viable and economical method for transporting resources and is the self-described 'safest, most technologically advanced pipeline in the world'.
A hotel guest fell ten floors to his death after climbing to his four-star hotel's rooftop with 'girlfriend to see the view'.

John Leonard, 23, died after he fell into a boiler shaft and tragically plunged several stories down into Dupont Circle Hotel's basement in Washington D.C.

The young man from Herndon, Virginia, is believed to have gone on the roof to get a good view of the city, early morning on New Year's Day.

John Leonard, 23, from Herndon, Virginia, fell ten stories to his death after he plunged through a boiler shaft on Dupont Circle Hotel's roof in Washington D.C. (pictured)

He had went on the roof with someone else, possibly his girlfriend, a police spokeswoman told the Washington Post.

Leonard was pronounced dead at the scene when D.C. rescue services arrived after the police were alerted to an unconscious person inside an enclosed area.

It took an hour for a crew that specializes in confined-space rescues to recover Leonard's body, said a spokesman for the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department.

A manager at the Dupont Circle Hotel called the incident 'a tragic accident' in a prepared statement.

There were no details offered of how Leonard got onto the roof or how he fell into the boiler shaft.
Shameless actress Tina Malone has called in police after being trolled on Twitter, it has been claimed.

The 53-year-old was seen entering Huyton Police Station in Mersyside on New Year's Eve.

She has recently been sustaining abuse online from trolls 'body-shaming' her for losing 12.5 stone after undergoing gastric band surgery six years ago.

Upset: Shameless actress Tina Malone has called in police help after being trolled on Twitter

A source told MailOnline: 'She was reporting trolls who had been abusing her after she was pictured taking out the bins in her lingerie a few days ago.

'She was upset and shaken up'.

One Twitter troll wrote: 'What qualities does she have apart from stripping to put the bins out?'

This was followed by a barrage of abusive messages in which she was branded a 'horrible creature' among other things.

Shaken up: The 53-year-old was seen entering Huyton Police Station in Mersyside on New Years' Eve

A source told MailOnline: 'She was reporting trolls who had been abusing her'

Distressed: The source added that Tina 'seemed upset and shaken up' after the trolling

Mersyside Police said it could not comment on an ongoing incident.

MailOnline has contacted Tina's representatives for comment.

In September, Malone said losing weight following her gastric band surgery had changed her life.

But she revealed on This Morning that she has been attacked online after her drastic transformation.

She said: 'I've had more abuse with the last one and a half stone weight loss than I'd with my pregnancy, my nine ops or my gastric band.

On the move: Tina entered the police station in Mersyside though the front door

The former Shameless star emerged from the station after reporting the incident

In September, the 53-year-old said losing weight following her gastric band surgery had changed her life

The former CBB star lost 11st 4lb (72 kg) in 16 months when she had a gastric band fitted in 2010, reaching a size 8 and slimming down to 8st 2lb (51kg)

Bin there, done that: Tina Malone taking out the trash on Wednesday

'It affects my daughter Danielle and my husband Paul. I laugh about it, that's not bravado, that's the truth.

'I feel sorry for the Twitter trolls. They are sat in their room on their own. I say to them, "Maybe you need help, maybe you are unloved or lonely".

'They say I am anorexic and spiralling out of control. But I would never body-shame anyone.'

The former CBB star lost 11st 4lb (72 kg) in 16 months when she had a gastric band fitted in 2010, reaching a size 8 and slimming down to 8st 2lb (51kg).

Malone is best known for playing Mimi Maguire in the Channel 4 series Shameless.

She made a reality appearance in Celebrity Big Brother 6 in January 2009 and a guest appearance in The Chase Celebrity Special in 2013.
Tehran, Iran, January 1

By Mehdi Sepahvand  Trend:

Syrias Foreign Minister Walid Muallem is in Tehran holding talks with senior Iranian officials ahead of political negotiations over the future of the Arab country that are to be held in Astana, Kazakhstan.

For the upcoming talks to succeed, armed groups would have to separate themselves from terrorists and evacuate the suburbs of Aleppo, Muallem said during a meeting with Ali Akbar Velayati, director of the Strategic Studies Center of Irans Expediency Council, Mehr news agency reported.

Velayati, for his part, praised the recent victory of the government forces in Aleppo as the victory of victories.

Muallem arrived in Tehran December 31 at the head of a high-ranking delegation. Earlier in the day, he held talks with senior Iranian officials, including Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani.

In the evening he met with President Hassan Rouhani. During the meeting, Rouhani said the Islamic Republic welcomes Syrias nationwide ceasefire, but warned against the strengthening of terrorists during the truce time in the Arab country.

One must watch out that no opportunity will be created during the time of ceasefire for the terrorists reinforcement, Rouhani.

The ceasefire, which took effect across Syria at midnight December 30, excludes the most brutal of terror outfits operating in the Arab country, namely the Islamic State (aka IS, ISIS, ISIL, Daesh) and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly known as al-Nusra Front.

The truce was mediated by Russia and Turkey, which respectively represented the Syrian government and the anti-Damascus militants.

In a telephone conversation on December 31, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin said the battle against terrorism and terrorist groups in Syria must continue.

The two presidents exchanged views about cooperation among Iran, Russia and Syria ahead of the peace talks due to be held in Astana, Kazakhstan, between the parties to the Syrian conflict.
A 14-year-old girl has died two weeks after the car she was in veered down an embankment, struck guideposts and rolled when she was thrown from the car.

Friends and family are remembering 'beautiful girl' Jada Norford, who died on New Year's Eve after the crash at Dalby, 200km inland from Brisbane in the early hours of December 19.

She was one of four passengers in the car which was driven by a 41-year-old man.

Jada Norford, 14, passed away on New Year's Eve, two weeks after the car she was in veered down an embankment, struck guideposts and rolled

The car veered onto the wrong side of the road about 4.45am at Dalby, struck two guideposts and travelled down an embankment into a dry creek bed before rolling about 50 metres, Queensland police said

The other passengers, including a 17-year-old girl and 15-year-old boy, believed to be Jada's boyfriend, sustained various non-life threatening injuries.

Friends and family have been posting tributes to the teenager on Facebook after her mother announced her death.

'This is Jada's mum and family. With great sadness and heartache we would like to let everyone know Jada passed away peacefully yesterday. Please respect our privacy at this sad time,' a post from Jada's Facebook said.

People grieved the 'angel' and 'gorgeous girl' in response.

'You will forever be in my heart. I love you and I'm going to miss you so much,' her cousin, Mitella Norford, wrote.

People are grieving the 'angel' and 'gorgeous girl' in tributes on Facebook

Jada's mother announced the 14-year-old's death on Facebook

'Rest in paradise baby girl,' a loved one wrote, 'I will miss you dearly'

'I still can't believe it, what a start to the year,' old school friend Raquel Brown wrote.

'You're such a beautiful girl, and now an angel, I just can't understand how someone so full of life could just have it torn from them.'

Another said Jada would 'always be a sister to me'.

'I love you girl  Rest in paradise my sister.'

A friend said Jada was a 'beautiful girl' who was taken too soon.

'I'll miss you so much little mouse, take it easy until we meet again. I can't believe you're gone,' another friend wrote.

Others extended their sorrow to Jada's family left to deal with the grief.

'I am so, so sorry to hear of your loss. Life just doesn't seem fair. My heart goes out to your whole family,' one wrote.

'You're such a beautiful girl, and now an angel, I just can't understand how someone so full of life could just have it torn from them,' an old school friend wrote

The Forensic Crash Unit is investigating the incident, Queensland Police said

'Thinking of you all at this sad time, can't believe this is happening my heart goes to you all. Such a beautiful girl,' another said.

Jada's boyfriend told his 'baby girl' to rest in peace.

He had earlier described her as a 'strong girl' who would get through it.

The Forensic Crash Unit is investigating the incident.

Queensland Police said the car, travelling north on Dalby Kogan Road towards Dalby veered onto the wrong side of the road about 4.45am and left the tarmac.

The car then struck two guideposts and travelled down an embankment into a dry creek bed before rolling about 50 metres.

Jada was 'ejected from the vehicle and sustained critical, life-threatening injuries', a police statement said.

A passing vehicle stopped and people helped perform CPR before emergency services arrived.
She may have been world famous but that didnt stop Carrie Fisher from being star-struck herself by Prince Harry.

The actress, who died last week, once led chat show host Graham Norton on a quest to find Harry in a London club.

Graham, a friend of the American star, tells me the mission started when he bumped into Harry in the gents.

Carrie Fisher once led chat show TV host Graham Norton on a quest to find Prince Harry in a London club

I told Princess Leia. Suddenly she was on a mission to meet Harry, so we were in the lift, looking at every floor.

When they found him, Carrie was extremely excited then Harry confessed he wasnt a Star Wars fan.

He must have been won over  he and Prince William were later filmed as Stormtroopers.

They keep saying theyre just good friends, but Lady Alice Manners and Otis Ferry  son of pop star Bryan  have a strange habit of being snapped snuggling up together.

In one Instagram post over Christmas, the pair, right, were seen cuddling amid a pile of leaves.

They keep saying theyre just good friends, but Lady Alice Manners and Otis Ferry have a strange habit of being snapped snuggling up together

Other photos showed them enjoying each others company on a variety of dates including hunting, horse riding and playing backgammon in their pyjamas at Belvoir Castle  the vast stately home owned by Lady Alices father, the Duke of Rutland.
They're the busty BFFs who became friends on dating show The Bachelor.

And since moving in together, Noni Janur and Kirralee 'Kiki' Morris seem to have taken their friendship to the next level.

The reality TV stars wore the SAME sequin playsuit to celebrate New Year's Eve, both flaunting their ample assets in the plunging outfits.

Scroll down for video

That's awkward! The Bachelor BFFs Noni Janur (L) and Kirralee 'Kiki' Morris (R) wore the SAME sequin playsuit as they celebrated New Year's Eve

Kiki was the first to show off her New Year's look, sharing a romantic photo of herself with boyfriend Jeremy Banks.

The former lads' mag model pouts for the camera, showing off her long blonde locks and flawlessly applied make-up.

The 28-year-old displays plenty of cleavage in the flirty dress, and accessorises with hoop earrings and a jewel necklace

Reality TV stars: Kiki and Noni met while competing for Richie Strahan's heart on The Bachelor

Kiki captioned the photo by making reference to her outfit and her holiday plans with boyfriend Jeremy.

'With my love on the eve of a new year!' she wrote. 'Sparkling in @prettylittlething @jembanks you rock my world baby.'

Just two hours later, and Noni shared her own New Year's Eve selfie - notably wearing the same $60 playsuit.

Roommates! Last year, Noni relocated from the Gold Coast to live with Kiki in Sydney

The swimwear designer, formerly based in the Gold Coast, wore a slick of colourful eyeshadow and swept her hair to one side.

Noni's impressive cleavage was also full display as she smiled playfully for her 47,000 Instagram followers.

'New Years ready wearing @prettylittlething,' she captioned the photo.

BFFs! Kiki and Noni, who live in Bondi, have been inseparable since The Bachelor and often share photos together on social media

Kiki and Noni, who live in Bondi, have been inseparable since The Bachelor and often share photos together on social media.

It comes as Noni prepares to return to 'her island home' Bali for a visit.

She announced her travel plans on Instagram, posting a selfie as she displayed her healthy glow freckled complexion.

Before moving to Sydney, Noni divided her time between Queensland and Indonesia.
She might not be in the Caribbean this New Year, but Chloe Green hasn't missed out on topping up her tan.

The Topshop heiress, 25, hit the beach in Miami on Saturday in an eye-catching jagged bikini.

She revealed the stylish swimwear when she peeled off her pale pink halter-neck playsuit.

Scroll down for video

Sunkissed: She might not be in the Caribbean this New Year, but Chloe Green, 25, hasn't missed out on topping up her tan

Her father Sir Philip Green also didn't spend New Year's Eve at the exclusive Sandy Lane hotel in Barbados for the annual party.

Instead, the businessman has spent the festive season in Miami, in a 21 million modern house with his wife, Tina.

The pair were photographed getting out of his Bentley and Sir Philip was holding 320 Louis Vuitton tennis racket covers.

Meanwhile, his daughter Chloe scraped her hair back into a messy bun and covered her eyes with a pair of circular shades.

She looked to be at the beach alone, enjoying a bit of me time before ringing in the new year.

After a few hours of sunbathing, she climbed back into her playsuit and headed back to her hotel clutching her sandals.

Sir Philip Green was with his wife Tina when he was photographed holding tennis rackets in their Louis Vuitton covers

Stripping off: She revealed the stylish swimwear when she peeled off her pale pink halter-neck playsuit

Beach babe: Chloe scraped her hair back into a messy bun and covered her eyes with a pair of circular shades

Alone time: She looked to be at the beach alone, enjoying a bit of me time before ringing in the new year

Her holiday comes at a time of scandal for the Green family, with dad Sir Philip under fire after he sold BHS for 1 - leaving a 571million hole in its pensions fund.

He has spent Christmas and New Year in the luxurious Sandy Lane resort in Barbados since 1996, but sources claim he has not made his usual three-week booking of the 18,000-a-night beachside villa, allegedly because friends have shunned him over recent bad publicity.

A source told The Sun: 'His friends have all but abandoned him since BHS went bust.

Time to go: After a few hours of sunbathing, she climbed back into her playsuit

'After all these years of lavish parties with the biggest names in the business, he would cut a pretty tragic figure sunbathing on his lonesome at Christmas.'

Sir Philip, has been branded 'the unacceptable face of capitalism' by MPs, sold BHS for a pound to three times bankrupt former racing driver Dominic Chappell in March last year.

It collapsed just 13 months later with the loss of 11,000 jobs and a 571million black hole in its pension fund  threatening the retirement of 20,000 former workers.

Footprints in the sand: She headed back to her hotel clutching her sandals

Keeping it simple: Chloe looked to be wearing minimal makeup for her beach visit

Sir Philip told MPs over the summer that he would 'sort' the pensions crisis.

But earlier this month The Pensions Regulator claimed he had failed to make a 'sufficiently credible and comprehensive offer'.

In an incredibly rare move, it then issued an enforcement notice to compel Sir Philip to strike a deal and warned that it could go after the assets of the businessman and his wife Lady Green.
Miles Teller and his girlfriend Keleigh Sperry were spotted jetting out of Los Angeles on Friday, just over a week after they both survived a car accident in which the actor's vehicle was overturned.

The couple were left uninjured last Thursday after Miles was cut off by an Uber driver, according to TMZ, causing his blue Ford Bronco to turn upside down.

Miles, 29, and Keleigh wore matching sunglasses as they made their entrance towards the transport hub.

Scroll down for video

Recovery mode: Miles Teller and his girlfriend Keleigh Sperry were spotted jetting out of Los Angeles on Friday, just over a week after surviving a dramatic car accident that saw the actor's car flip over

Miles wore a white hat backwards, jacket, and had a cart load of belongings that he pushed forward.

Even with the cart filled to the brim with luggage, he managed to carry a guitar case in one hand.

Keleigh, meanwhile, wore a white sweatshirt, fur jacket, leggings, and boots.

She rolled her suitcase onward while also carrying a glossy leather purse in her hand.

Going places: Miles wore a white hat backwards, jacket, and had a cart load of belongings that he pushed forward

Last Thursday, TMZ reported the news of the couple's terrifying car accident.

The website reported that Miles was furious after the incident, yelling at the driver, 'You f***** up my truck' and having to be restrained from hitting the woman.

Hours later he released a statement on social media.

Checking in: The couple deposited their luggage with the airline

'Me and @keleighsperry are okay. I hope the other passengers are as well. The other driver pulled into oncoming traffic and bad accident was unavoidable,' he began.

'This woman's irrational and ignorant decision put our lives and her passengers in very real danger. Happy we could walk away.'

The War Dogs actor was driving in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles when the incident occurred.

Nice wheels: Keleigh shared a snap of her boyfriend inside her blue truck last year

According to the site, an Uber driver made a left turn in front of Teller.

That caused his car to flip over.

Though Miles was not injured, the two passengers in the Uber were and had to be taken away by ambulance. They suffered minor injuries.

Neither driver had alcohol in their system or was on drugs, the site learned from law enforcement.

Police told TMZ the accident was not the fault of Miles.
She's the 30-year-old Australian model known for her iconic gap-toothed smile.

But posing for the cover of Dolly Magazine in 2000, a teenage Jessica Hart looked almost unrecognisable with a brunette bob, pink turtle neck and stone wash jeans.

Her gap-toothed grin being the only dead giveaway, it was the expose from the now-defunct publication that launched Jessica's booming career in fashion.

Scroll down for video

My how you've grown! Jessica Hart, 30, is only recognisable by her gap-toothed smile as she poses on the cover of Dolly Magazine in 2000 when she was just 13

Jess appeared fresh faced on the cover of the girls' magazine, which is credited with launching the careers of Nicole Kidman and Miranda Kerr, to name a few.

She's known today for her golden locks, but at just 13 instead showed off a slick brunette bob as she posed with her hands in her pockets.

Beaming for the picture, Jess' blue eyes gleamed and her famous smile marked the beginning of her rise to prominence in the fashion industry.

'I am really proud': Jessica Hart admits she is 'lucky' to still be modelling swimwear at 300

It was Jess' aunt who encouraged her to enter the magazine's covergirl competition.

Her mother Rae and younger sister Ashley, who later became a model herself, would watch her win the prize at Sydney's Crown Casino.

With a passion for fashion, Jess later moved to New York to follow her dream of becoming a model.

'It was getting cold in New York': The US-based model revealed this week she is delighted to return to the Australian summer to shoot for the new Seafolly campaign

She has since posed for the cover of Vogue and walked for Victoria's Secret.

After a 17-year career, Jess recently returned as the face of Australian swimwear brand Seafolly for the first time since 2011.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Jessica confessed that although she is excited to be back, that she has her work cut out for her.

Cover girl: Jess appeared fresh faced on the cover of the girls' magazine, which is credited with launching the careers of Nicole Kidman (R) and Miranda Kerr (L), to name a few

'I probably have to work harder and eat better than I did when I shot for Seafolly back then,' she said.

'But for anyone to be wanting me to do swimwear at 30, it is something I am really proud of. I feel incredibly blessed, and I am extremely lucky to be so busy.'

The US-based model was delighted to return to the hot Australian summer to shoot the new campaign admitting that she could 'never get sick of' her home.

'I probably have to work harder and eat better': With age, Jessica admitted that keeping her slim figure is increasingly hard work

'It was just getting cold in New York so it was lovely to come home to Australia and that part of the world is a place you never get sick of.'

Jessica shot the campaign in the Whitsunday's and White Haven Beach before returning to LA to spend Christmas with her mother and sister Ashley.

Pictures posted to Instagram over the Christmas holidays saw the trio dressed in their winter best as they went shopping in The Grove shopping mall.
She's set to move to the Gold Coast to begin work on a new radio show.

But on Saturday, Heather Maltman was celebrating New Year's Eve on Sydney Harbour in a sexy black slip.

The former reality TV star shared an Instagram photo of herself in a racy night dress - and admitted she had a bit too much to drink.

'I'm drunk': She's set to move to the Gold Coast to begin work on a new radio show, but former Bachelor star Heather Maltman was in Sydney to celebrate New Year's Eve on Saturday

Posing with a female friend, Heather wrote in the caption, 'Yey (sic) 2017... I'm drunk. Good night'.

The TV personality made note of her outfit, writing, 'By the way. It's not a dress... it's a slip. And it was awesome.... Go home Heather. You're drunk.'

Heather is known for her trademark tomboy attitude, but she looked very pretty and feminine as she celebrated 2017.

'Give0f**ks': Heather was keen to show off the saucy slip dress, teasing fans in a previous photo by telling them to stay tuned for a 'full picture'

In the photo, Heather's sheer slip - which is usually worn as an undergarment - finished just above her knee.

With her balayage locks curled, Heather was flawlessly made up for the occasion with a pink lip and blushed cheeks.

She wore black strapless heels, but kept a hint of her signature style with a quilted leather backpack worn over her shoulder.

'I'm a better me': Heather recently marked her return to social media by posting a photo with fellow radio host Mel Grieg, claiming she was feeling refreshed after a brief digital detox

It seemed Heather was excited to show off her sultry side in the outfit, teasing fans earlier in the night about her look.

She posted a close-up photo hours earlier with only a hint of the dress on display.

'It's actually a night dress. Wait for full picture. 2017.' Heather wrote, before adding the hashtags 'New years' and 'Give 0 f**ks'.

'I have decided to bail on the world for a bit': Heather seemed in a reflective mood last month, as the TV personality announced she was taking a quick break from social media

These are the latest photos to surface since Heather returned to social media after a two-day digital detox.

Earlier on Saturday, the 30-year-old returned to Instagram with a photo posing alongside fellow radio star Mel Grieg.

'A couple days away with no phone and I'm a better me!!!' Heather wrote.

Headed to the Gold Coast! Heather is relocating to the Sunshine State in 2017, to commence work on a new radio show

Feeling optimistic about the year ahead, she continued, 'Who's ready for 2017? I know I am b**ches.

'Can't wait to move to the Gold Coast for @909seafm and start working on the real stuff that's fun. Go life.'

On Thursday, Heather announced she was taking some time away from social media, deciding to 'bail on the world for a bit'
She has endured a tough year after splitting with her husband Harry Needs in March.

So Rebecca Adlington was certainly quick to bid farewell to 2016 on Saturday as she welcomed the New Year with open arms.

The 27-year-old took to her Twitter page to tell fans she had cried for the last time this year, and that she was more than ready to leave this chapter of life behind her.

Scroll down for video

Ready to move on: Rebecca Adlington was certainly quick to bid farewell to 2016 on Saturday as she posted a fierce message on Twitter telling the year to 'do one'

Clearly ready to move on to 2017, the Olympic medalist fiercely wrote to her 491,000 followers: 'I've shed my last tear of 2016. Now it can go do one.'

The Tweet was met with an influx of support from her fans - with one follower comforting her that 'a new beginning starts tomorrow', while another reassured she was a 'strong, successful & beautiful' woman.

Next posting on her Instagram page, the blonde admitted that the year had seen 'a lot of lows' as well as highs, but that she was looking forward to seeing her daughter grow as she approaches the age of 2.

Tough times: The Olympic medalist fiercely wrote to her 491,000 followers: 'I've shed my last tear of 2016. Now it can go do one,' in light of her split from husband Harry Needs in March

Posting a collage of her top nine photos of the year, she wrote to her fans: 'Safe to say 2016 hasn't been the best year of my life. A few highs and a lot of lows.

'However, I've met some amazing people and had some incredible experiences. From The Jump to the Rio Olympics.'

She later added: 'I hope 2017 brings health, happiness and laughter. Would be nice to go a week without crying too. I can't wait to see my daughter grow and learn more.

Onwards and upwards: Next posting on her Instagram page, the blonde admitted that she was looking forward to seeing her daughter Summer grow as she approaches the age of 2

'She has made me smile everyday this year and I can't wait to share even more amazing memories with her.'

Before she signed off with an ode to her gorgeous toddler, writing: 'She is the best, I'm very lucky to be her mummy. Happy New Year everyone ! #2016 #bringon2017

It has been a difficult year for the swimmer, who separated from her husband of two years, Harry Needs, prior to the Rio Olympics.

Besotted: She gushed of her little girl: 'She has made me smile everyday this year and I can't wait to share even more amazing memories with her'

Back in March, the couple released a joint statement on Rebecca's website announcing their decision to end their 18-month marriage.

The post read: 'Its after much thought and sadness that we confirm our separation. It is on amicable terms and we still remain close friends.

'We move forward with respect for one another and our focus and commitment is on parenting our gorgeous daughter Summer. This will be our only comment on this private matter. Becky and Harry.'

Rebecca wed fellow competitor Harry in Leek, Staffordshire, in August 2014 and they had lived in Stockport with Summer, who was born in June 2015, until their split.

It's over: Back in March, Rebecca and Harry released a joint statement on her website announcing their decision to end their 18-month marriage

Talking to the Irish Mirror a month later, the athlete affirmed that the pair were still on good terms for the sake of their little girl.

She explained to the publication: 'Its not like were not talking, because we are  we talk all the time. We are both just working hard on trying to be good parents, and our total focus is on our daughter.'

However things improved for Rebecca later in 2016 when she helped to present the swimming coverage at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Yet, her personal life once again caught attention during the August games when fans speculated a romance between her and co-presenter Mark Foster.

Happier times: Rebecca wed fellow competitor Harry in Leek, Staffordshire, in August 2014 and they had lived in Stockport with Summer, who was born in June 2015, until their split

Rebecca was seen putting her hand on her co-host's thigh during the coverage, after the former World Champion teased her about 'only winning a bronze' at the London Olympics.

However fellow swimmer Mark laughed off their 'on screen chemistry' at the time by claiming Adlington only touches his leg to get his attention.

'It's been funny the attention we've been getting at the BBC with people remarking on Becky touching my leg,' he began to explain.

'But the reality is that Becky does that simply to get my attention either when she has something to say or else she wants me to butt in.'

Referring to Adam Peaty's gold medal victory yesterday in the 100m breaststroke, Foster added: 'I joked to camera when Becky was crying after Adam's win that it was because I'd just proposed to her! Anyway, it's just a bit of fun.'
It seemed to be a case of weird timing for Nicki Minaj Saturday.

The Grammy-nominated vocalist posted a sexy shot on her Instagram page less than a day after a deadly double-shooting took place at her on-again, off-again beau Meek Mill's Connecticut concert.

In the selfie, the Super Bass songstress, 34, is staring at the camera with a beautiful tropical beach setting in the background, complete with palm trees, a sandy shore and a wooden plank leading to the water.

Scroll below for video

Strange timing: Nicki Minaj, 34, posted this sexy selfie Saturday, less than a day after a shooting claimed two lives outside her on-again, off-again beau Meek Mill's show

Crime scene: Two men were fatally shot in the incident, police said, which took place as the venue was shutting its doors for the night

Tragic: Travis Ward, 31, was identified by authorities as one of the shooting victims

Flash point: Police, seen here at the scene of the shooting, said that the rapper was not linked to the deadly incident

The shot came less than a day after two people were fatally shot, and two others hurt, after Meek Mill's Friday show at Wallingford, Connecticut's Oakdale Theater.

Wallingford Police Department spokeswoman Lt. Cheryl Bradley identified New Haven residents Travis Ward, 31, and Jaquan Graves, 20, as the deceased in the incident, which occurred as the venue was closing for the evening. She told the Hartford Courant: 'We don't know at this point if they were targeted ... if they knew the shooters personally or whether they met at the show and had some sort of dispute.'

The other two men wounded in the shooting were released from a local hospital, and believed to have been innocent bystanders, Bradley said. The 29-year-old rapper, whose name is Robert Williams, was not linked to the shooting, Bradley said, adding that no arrests had been made Saturday.

Power couple: The music-makers were seen together earlier this month in Atlanta at Meek's record release party

Trouble in paradise? Nicki earlier this month raised eyebrows when she hinted at a split with the Philadelphia-born rap artist in an Instagram post

Bradley implored anyone with information in the incident to contact Wallingford police at 203-294-2800.

Nicki on Saturday was slated to take the stage at Miami's club E11even for a special New Year's Eve show. Meek Mill was scheduled to headline a nearby show at the Dream Club.

Jennifer Lopez was initially booked to play E11even for $1 million, but eventually backed out of the gig, opening the door for the Bang Bang beauty's year-ending soiree.

Beauty and the beach: The Saturday shot was one of many stunning beach pics the famed recording artist has posted this month
They met and fell in love on the first season of The Bachelor in 2013.

And since going public with their relationship, it appears slow and steady has been the secret to Tim Robards and Anna Heinrich's lasting romance.

But after more than three years of dating, public pressure is mounting on Tim to finally propose to his longtime girlfriend - so could 2017 be the year it finally happens?

Scroll down for video

Will 2017 be the year? Friends weddings, public pressure and plenty of PDA suggest The Bachelor's Tim Robards (L) and Anna Heinrich (R) could soon be engaged

Sparks flew on The Bachelor from the moment the handsome chiropractor, 33, locked eyes with the 30-year-old criminal lawyer.

Tim later admitted it was clear his feelings were with Anna despite him dating several other contestants on the TV dating show.

'Looking back, even from our very first date, I wouldnt say Id fallen in love, but I was totally smitten, and had the biggest crush on Anna,' he told Popsugar.

'I was totally smitten': Sparks flew on The Bachelor in 2013 from the moment the handsome chiropractor, 33, locked eyes with the 30-year-old criminal lawyer

'It just grew stronger and stronger': Tim said his feelings grew more intense the more time he spent with Anna

'From then it just grew stronger and stronger,' he added.

But in a surprising twist, Tim did not propose to Anna in the show's dramatic finale, instead giving the beauty a diamond promise ring.

'It feels so good to finally be able to acknowledge what my heart is feeling and you have my heart,' he told a tearful Anna.

No engagement! But in a surprising twist, Tim did not propose to Anna in the show's dramatic finale, instead giving the beauty a diamond promise ring

'I have fallen madly and deeply in love with you.'

After the show, the couple were soon a fixture on Sydney's social scene, putting on plenty of loved-up displays at events.

Both landed several endorsement deals, and Anna launched her own blog while Tim started a fitness program, The Robards Method.

In 2015, the reality TV couple also appeared together on Channel Ten's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!

At the time, there were rumours Tim was planning an on-air proposal, which eventually did not happen.

Giving reality another go: In 2015, the reality TV couple also appeared together on Channel Ten's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!

Media success! After The Bachelor, Tim and Anna landed several endorsement deals - and they even graced the covers of Men's Health and Women's Health magazines

Tim and Anna would move in together after dating for 12 months.

Keeping with their fit and healthy lifestyles, the couple picked a stunning two-bedroom Bondi apartment by the beach.

In true reality TV style, they documented the next step with a renovation special on Channel Ten's The Living Room.

A big step! Tim and Anna would move in together in Bondi after dating for 12 months

In early 2016, OK! Magazine reported that Tim and Anna were living separate lives after more than two years of dating.

But the story was denied by the couple's management, who told The Sydney Morning Herald: 'There is no truth to this rumour, or any of those erroneous reports.'

Anna later spoke to Fairfax Media in August about the pressure to get married, and even hinted a proposal was on the horizon.

It's wedding season! Three months ago, Anna and Tim attended the wedding of former Bachelor contestant Katherine Schmidhofer

'I think [the proposal] will come,' she said. 'There has been that [marriage] pressure ever since we got together.'

In the last few months, engagement rumours have intensified as Tim and Anna attended a string of friends' weddings and hens parties.

Tim has also dropped several hints that he was looking to propose to his girlfriend over the festive season.

Always the bridesmaid? In November, Anna attended yet another friend's hens party

He told The Daily Telegraph in December that Christmas is 'about providing people with a fun experience that could change their lives'.

'This year everyone will love the present I have got them,' he added.

Several fans naturally concluded the life-changing experience was a sparkling engagement ring for Anna.

Wedding bells? On New Year's Eve, Tim dropped the biggest hint yet that he was planning to propose to Anna as the couple attended a friend's wedding

The hunk also hinted at an engagement during an appearance on KIIS FM's Kyle and Jackie O show in November.

'It's three years on, so probably getting around that time,' he said.

'I know where I'd probably go to get [the ring]... I know what she likes. I need to steal one of her other ones to find out the size.'

Not yet! On Saturday, Tim posted an Instagram photo of Anna covering her face with delight -with a gold ring visible on her finger. Many fans wrongly assumed it was an engagement ring

On New Year's Eve, Tim dropped the biggest hint yet that he was planning to propose to Anna as the couple attended a friend's wedding/

He shared an Instagram photo of Anna covering her face with delight - with a gold ring visible on her finger. Many fans wrongly assumed it was an engagement ring

If the couple do plan to get married, they will join the ranks of Bachelor 2015 couple Sam Wood and Snezana Markoski, who got engaged just three months after going public with their relationship.
French President Francois Hollande on Saturday said he would visit Iraq on Monday to salute troops which are taking part in a U.S.-led military coalition against the Islamic State, Reuters reported.

"We're not done with the plight of terrorism. We have to keep on fighting it," Hollande said in a New Year address to the nation that was broadcast on French television.

"This is the reason for our military operations abroad, in Mali, in Syria, in Iraq -- Iraq where I'll be going the day after tomorrow to salute our troops."
Coronation Street's Aidan Connor (Shayne Ward) has some serious explaining to do if his secret relationship with Maria (Samia Longchambon) is going to survive.

The love rat failed to show up in court as Maria was sentenced to six months in prison for illegally marrying gay friend Pablo in Cyprus.

And in New Year's Day's episode, Maria is clearly still seething over Aidan's failure to ditch girlfriend Eva Price (Catherine Tyldesley) and support her instead.

Scroll down for video

In the dog house: Coronation Street's Aidan Connor (Shayne Ward) has some serious explaining to do if his secret relationship with Maria (Samia Longchambon) is going to survive

A week after being sent down, Maria finds a sheepish looking Aidan sitting in the visitors room.

Wearing a red inmate bib over a pale pink jumper, Maria gives her lover daggers as she enters the room.

Sitting opposite the cheat, Maria can barely look at him as he reaches over and places an affectionate hand on her leg.

Despite his best efforts, it remains to be seen if the pair have a future together.

No show: The love rat failed to show up in court as Maria was sentenced to six months in prison for illegally marrying gay friend Pablo in Cyprus

Maria had admitted marrying Argentinian tourist Pablo to help him stay in the country to enable him to be with his British boyfriend.

However, her admission of guilt and lack of financial gain from the marriage wasn't taken into account by the judge who wanted to make an example of her.

She bid a tear-jerking farewell to her son Liam prior to her court date, giving him a snowglobe and leaving him in the charge of Maria's brother Kirk who was in court to witness the sentencing.

Fuming: And in New Year's Day's episode, Maria is clearly still seething over Aidan's failure to ditch girlfriend Eva and support her instead

Fans found it hard to watch such a traumatic event on Christmas Eve, with viewer Jenni tweeting: 'Liam's little face. Hard to watch.'

One fan even joked about 'picketing Home Secretary Amber Rudd's office', while another pledged to start a 'free Maria' campaign.

Another fan expressed his satisfaction with keeping his previous 'Free The Weatherfield One' T-shirt.

Deidre Barlow's infamous wrongful conviction for fraud back in 1998, led many Corrie fans to launch a campaign to free her.
She's starting the new year as a single woman following the end of her 11-year relationship with Liev Schreiber.

And while 2016 has changed her life in ways she might never have predicted, it's clear that Naomi Watts is excited to start afresh.

Posting pictures from a bikini break in Mexico, where is is holidaying with friends, the British-Australian actress looked happy and care free.

Scroll down for video

'Girl power!' Naomi Watts rings in the new year as a single woman... with a bikini trip to Mexico

'Ring in 2017!!' she wrote. 'Happy New Year from Mexico have fun everyone!!'

Tagging a couple of her female friends, she wrote: 'dorks, girl power, over excited.'

The images showed blonde Naomi wearing a black bikini and smiling widely on the sand in Mexico.

Couldn't be happier: The images showed blonde Naomi wearing a black bikini and smiling widely on the sand in Mexico

The girls trip comes after reports that the star is 'in a good place' after her split from Liev.

The pair ended their 11-year relationship in September and Naomi, 48, says the most important thing now is ensuring that their sons, Samuel, seven and nine-year-old Alexander, are happy.

She told Australia's Daily Telegraph earlier this year: 'I feel I'm in a good place in my life and I want to make sure my kids are healthy; my kids are happy and things are going to go well. Those are my hopes for me and for all of us.

'I feel like change is always scary, but that's only because transition for anyone is new and you wonder how things are going to go.'

Following their split, Naomi was spotted in the audience at the 49-year-old actor's new Broadway play, Les Liaisons Dangereuses and she believes it is vital for their children that things stay cordial between them.

Still close: Naomi spent Christmas with her ex Liev Schreiber and their two sons

She previously said: 'He's the father of my kids. So it was important to support him.

'I was very curious to see this and all of his work.

'The play is fantastic and really I hope everyone gets to see it because he does some extraordinary work up there.'

The couple announced their split in a joint statement, where they said they felt the 'best way forward' for the two of them - and for their family - was to 'separate as a couple'.

They explained: 'Over the past few months we've come to the conclusion that the best way forward for us as a family is to separate as a couple.
The former lads' mag model-turned-Paleo princess celebrated the New Year just as fans would expect - au naturale.

Nicola Robinson was pictured cuddling up to her celebrity chef husband Pete Evans and their pet dog, Shiko, at their family farm.

In the photo shared to Instagram, the couple look relaxed as they lay down together, with Nicola appearing to be topless.

Scroll down for video

In her Earth suit! Nicola Robinson appeared to go topless for a family selfie with her husband 'Paleo' Pete Evans and their dog on New Year's Eve

The 39-year-old's tanned skin and dark hair was on display as she proudly bared all for the camera.

She wrote in the caption, 'Shiko's getting in early', suggesting the dog was trying to give his owners a New Year's kiss before midnight.

Nicola and Pete met five years ago in Adelaide, and she is often credited for influencing his controversial Paleo lifestyle.

Something different: Before she took on the bizarre 'Nutrition Mermaid' persona, Nicola was posing in lads' magazines under the name Nicky Watson. pictured in September 2009

The former glamour model was previously married to millionaire Warriors rugby league club owner, Eric Watson.

For several years, she also made regular appearances in adult magazines under the name Nicky Watson.

She began dating the celebrity chef shortly after he separated from former wife Astrid Edlinger in 2011.

Glowing: Nicola, who married the celebrity chef in 2016, is credited with influencing Pete's controversial Paleo lifestyle

In 2006, she attempted to dispel her 'trophy wife' title in an hour long 20/20 episode on TVNZ called Nicky Watson - The Naked Truth.

Nicola spoke candidly about having THREE breast enlargements - the first at the age of 21 - and getting her nipples pierced.

Her former drug-taking, failed marriage, threesomes, despair, depression and a suicide attempt were also openly discussed.
Chris Hemsworth and his wife Elsa Pataky celebrated New Year's Eve in style at a party with a VERY sparkly dress code.

The Thor hunk opted for a retro look in a 70s inspired gold suit, while Elsa added a touch of boho chic in flared sequin outfit.

The married couple were joined at the exclusive event by Chris' younger brother Liam, and his fiancee Miley Cyrus.

'Golden New Year with the family!' Chris Hemsworth (R) and his wife Elsa Pataky (L) celebrated New Year's Eve in style at a party with a VERY sparkly dress code

In Elsa's Instagram photos, the genetically-blessed couple pose for the camera in front of a Happy New Year sign.

Chris, 33, wore a shiny gold suit over a black shirt left unbuttoned down to reveal his muscular chest.

His 40-year-old wife also leans for the photo, throwing up the peace sign as one of their friends dances in the background.

Party in the USA! In another snap shared to Elsa's Instagram account, the Spanish actress poses next to her friends, including her future sister-in-law, Miley Cyrus (R)

The Fast And Furious star looks every bit the disco queen in flared golden trousers and a matching sparkly top.

'New Year is coming!' Elsa captioned the picture.

In another photo, the Spanish actress poses next to her friends, including her future sister-in-law, Miley Cyrus.

Ringing in the new year! Elsa posed with family and friends at the fancy dress party

'Golden New Year with the family!' Last year, the Hemsworth family spent the New Year in Byron Bay, NSW, but they appear to be in America this year

Miley Cyrus accessorised in typical quirky style, and appeared to make a lewd gesture as she posed for the photo.

The soiree was most likely held in the US, as Elsa and Chris are currently shooting a film together in New Mexico.

Chris has a lead role in Horse Soldiers, which follows a military effort in Afghanistan to track down Osama Bin Laden after the 9/11 attacks.
Scott Eastwood has certainly been enjoying the sights of Australia recently while filming Pacific Rim: Maelstrom.

And after making headlines for his trip to Bondi with a 'mystery brunette' during his last visit, it looks like the Hollywood star is back to his old tricks.

The 30-year-old took a Sydney Harbour cruise on Friday with a group of beautiful women, including former Bachelor contestant Lisa Hyde.

Scroll down for video

Going swimmingly! Hollywood actor Scott Eastwood enjoyed a Sydney Harbour cruise on Friday with a group of beautiful women but appeared to have eyes for the reality TV starlet

Chatty: The Hollywood actor, 30, has certainly been enjoying the sights of Australia recently while filming Pacific Rim: Maelstrom

The son of Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood and the reality TV star enjoyed a friendly conversation aboard the expensive yacht.

Scott appeared to hang off her every word as he looked at the newly single beauty intently.

Lisa, who was dressed in a flowing white shirt worn over a crop top and shorts, was also joined by several other female guests.

She was spotted laughing while drinking from what appeared to be a glass of champagne.

Making friends! The Bachelor contestant Lisa Hyde was among the many guests on the boat

Friends: The former reality TV star enjoyed a friendly conversation aboard the expensive yacht

However, there was another woman on board who seemed to grab the actor's attention as well during the cruise - a mystery blonde wearing a pair of skimpy denim shorts.

Lisa is understood to have recently split from her long-term boyfriend, TV personality and travel blogger, Tyson Mayr.

While the pair are yet to officially speak about the split, it's understood it was Tyson who ended things with the brunette beauty, following their trip to Italy in September.

Scott travelled Down Under to film scenes for Pacific Rim: Maelstrom. He returned to Sydney after spending Christmas in Los Angeles.

Flirty: There was another woman on board who seemed to grab the actor's attention as well during the cruise - a mystery blonde

Excited: The actor spent New Year's Eve in Australia and was overwhelmed by the fireworks display at Sydney Harbour on Sunday night

He was back just in time for New Year's Eve and was overwhelmed by Sydney's famous annual fireworks display.

In videos shared to Instagram, an excited Scott expressed his delight while watching the impressive fireworks go off.

'Oh my god! This is the best fireworks show ever! Oh my god what!' he's was heard saying in the clip.
For 364 days of the year he is the serious journalist host of CNN Tonight.

But On New Year's Eve, Don Lemon likes to let his (proverbial) hair down, and Saturday night was no exception.

The 50-year-old, who certainly does not look - or act - anywhere near that age, even got his ear pierced live on air.

'Don't get blood on the jacket!': 'Drunk Don Lemon' stole the New Year's Eve show once again by getting his ear pierced live on air

For the second year running, #drunkdonlemon was trending on Twitter.

The New Years festivities saw a concurrent broadcast ringing in the new year across all of America's time zones, in New York, Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

But all eyes were on New Orleans, where Lemon once again was not holding back on the alcohol, getting fully into the swing of the city.

Will I? As midnight approached in Louisiana, the host tweeted: #CNN producers & @brookebcnn trying to convince me to get a tattoo or a piercing of some sort. Should I? #cnnnye'

Love: Twitter lit up with approval, with most agreeing #drunkdonlemon was the best of the New Year's Eve hosts

As midnight approached in Louisiana, the host tweeted: #CNN producers & @brookebcnn trying to convince me to get a tattoo or a piercing of some sort. Should I? #cnnnye'

And it wasn't an empty threat either, as he recruited a piercer shortly afterward to stick a needle through his earlobe live on television.

'If this hurts I'm going to be so mad,' he winced as co-host Brooke Baldwin gripped his hand tightly in support.

Backing: 'If this hurts I'm going to be so mad,' he winced as co-host Brooke Baldwin gripped his hand tightly in support

Look away now: 'Is your mother watching?,' she asked. 'I bet your mom is... Momma lemon, I don't know what he's thinking. At least it's just his ear, you know what I'm saying?'

Ouch! 'Don't get blood on the jacket... it has to go back to Burke's Brothers,' he pleaded before squealing in pain as he was brutally stabbed in the ear

Hangover: all eyes were on New Orleans, where Lemon once again was not holding back on the alcohol, getting fully into the swing of the city

'Is your mother watching?,' she asked. 'I bet your mom is... Momma lemon, I don't know what he's thinking. At least it's just his ear, you know what I'm saying?'

'Don't get blood on the jacket... it has to go back to Burke's Brothers,' he pleaded before squealing in pain as he was brutally stabbed in the ear.

Twitter lit up with approval, with most agreeing #drunkdonlemon was the best of the New Year's Eve hosts.
Radio DJ Mel Greig enjoyed a relaxing two-day digital detox with her friend, former Bachelor star Heather Maltman.

But on New Year's Day on Sunday, Mel Greig was back in full swing, sharing photos from a balcony party she hosted for family and friends.

The 34-year-old personality invited friends including Home and Away star Dan Ewing and his new dancer girlfriend Kat Risteska, 25, sharing a selfie altogether.

Scroll down for video

Ringing in 2017: Mel Greig was back in full swing and sharing photos from a balcony party she hosted on New Year's Day for family and friends, including Dan Ewing (second R) and his girlfriend Kat Risteska (far right), following a two-day digital detox

In the snap, Mel poses with Dan and Kat and another brunette pal and her young child.

The blonde media personality captioned the image: 'The calm before the storm. NYD (sic) balcony party,' adding a monkey emoticon and hash-tags including: 'family photo,' 'classy,' 'hello 2017,' 'smiles' and 'fun times.'

Mel can be seen with her long locks out in loose tousled curls and holds her pet pooch Mia, while Dan looks casual in a grey singlet with Kat smiling alongside him.

Downtime: Earlier in the day, Mel shared to her more than 6,000 followers, an image of Mia sitting between her legs at the beach

Earlier in the day, Mel shared to her more than 6,000 followers, an image of Mia sitting between her legs at the beach, saying they were enjoying a walk before the shenanigans.

On New Year's Eve, Mel shared online a shot of a large bottle of Moet and a smaller one, joking that she was going to give her pet pooch the smaller bottle.

In a reflective post, Mel said 2016 was 'one of the best and worst years' she's had.

Her hash-tags included: 'one for Mia', 'one for mummy' and 'maybe mummy has both.'

Enjoying some champagne: On New Year's Eve, Mel shared online a shot of a large bottle of Moet and a smaller one, joking that she was going to give her pet pooch the smaller bottle

Just after Christmas, Mel and Heather Maltman enjoyed a digital detox and break together as they prepared to ring in the New Year.

The pair enjoyed time at a cottage in Burradoo in NSW's Southern Highlands.

While Mel said how much she enjoyed the girl time, Heather did too, writing online that it's made her 'better.'

Downtime: Just after Christmas, Mel and Heather Maltman enjoyed a digital detox and break together as they prepared to ring in the New Year

'A couple days away with no phone and I'm a better me!!!' wrote Heather on her Instagram page.

'Who's ready for 2017? I know I am b**ches.

'Can't wait to move to the Gold Coast for @909seafm and start working on the real stuff that's fun. Go life,' she added, ahead of her new radio gig.

She also said that 'sometimes you just need your friends.'

Heather previously worried her fans after announcing on Thursday that she was 'bailing on the world' until New Years Eve.

Mel has had a rather tough year last year, with the former royal prank DJ announcing in April her split from husband Steve Pollock.

Hurdles: Mel has had a rather tough year last year, with the former royal prank DJ announcing in April her split with husband Steve Pollock (seen in July 2016)

Last month, she penned a post for Mamamia, opening up about her struggle with endometriosis and her heartbreak about their frozen embryos they have together, having previously done IVF.

'This is a battle that will haunt me for life,' Mel wrote.

'To me, they are my children even as embryos. I went through hell to create them.'

'But the reality is, it is nearing more and more impossible for me to become a mother.'

She added: 'I cant bring myself to destroy them, that doesnt feel like the right thing to do, and I dont want to donate them and see a little Mel running around if I havent had my own children.'
It seems like Amy Adams had a very happy New Year's Eve planned.

The 42-year-old actress was snapped on Saturday loading up on goodies for her evening celebration, at a Los Angeles Pavilions grocery store.

The Catch Me If You Can star, who had a helping hand from her six-year-old daughter with 42-year-old husband Darren Le Gallo, Aviana, was seen leaving the supermarket with a cart full of bags that included paper towels and a couple of bottles of bubbly.

Out and about: Amy Adams, 42, was snapped stocking up on New Year's Eve goodies in Los Angeles Saturday following a busy year on the silver screen

Stocking up: The Arrival star packed her bags in the trunk of her vehicle upon her exit from the upscale grocery store

Helping hand: The critically-acclaimed actress was assisted at the market by her daughter Aviana

Next up: Adams is undoubtedly bracing for a busy film awards season, with her performance in Arrival already racking up numerous nominations

The redheaded beauty kept herself warm on the freezing Southern California day, wearing an off-white knitted sweater, a black scarf, blue denim jeans and knee-high heeled black boots.

The American Hustle actress rounded out the wintry, about town look with a brown camel tote bag and cat-eye sunglasses with brown frames.

While 2016 has gone down as a tough year for many in Tinseltown, Amy has been able to ride the tide and maintain her strong career off a trio of roles in some of the the year's most high-profile motion pictures: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in March, Arrival in November and this month's thriller Nocturnal Animals.

Playing the game: Adams, seen here at the LA premiere of Arrival in November, said that her first Oscar nomination in 2006 paved the road ahead in her career

Her performance in Arrival has already generated some significant buzz: She racked up a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance By an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama for her role as Dr. Louise Banks in the critically-acclaimed sci-fi thriller.

Adams - who also received nominations for her efforts in the hit film at the Critics' Choice Awards and next month's Screen Actors Guild Awards - surely must at least be preparing for a potential Oscar run with the early returns, when nominees for the 2017 Academy Awards are unveiled January 24.

Adams, a five-time Oscar nominee since 2006, spoke with the New York Times earlier this month about how award season tends to take on a life of its own.

Golden ticket? Amy, who played Dr. Louise Banks in the sci-fi thriller with Jeremy Renner, could be in for an Oscar nomination when they're announced in late January

'Its easy to get caught up, not in the nominations - not in the reward-award aspect of it, but just in everything that it becomes,' she said. 'The red carpets and the over importance. Its easy for that to sort of take center stage in that moment, especially when youre a young woman.'

Admitting 'that whole process ... definitely at times is overwhelming,' Adams said that she wouldn't be where she is without it.

'Im always grateful because the nomination for Junebug and campaigning launched what is my current career,' she said of her best supporting actress nomination for the 2005 motion picture. 'So I cant poo-poo the process.'
The Bachelorette star and her beau spent New Year's Eve at a glitzy bar in Melbourne.

But the next day, Georgia Love and Lee Elliott' jetted back to Sydney, to enjoy an afternoon at Icebergs in Bondi.

The couple looked fresh and relaxed as they strolled towards the venue with their arms linked.

Stepping out in style! Georgia Love and Lee Elliot were spotted heading to Bondi Icebergs in Sydney on Sunday to celebrate New Year's Day after seeing in 2017 at a party in Melbourne

Both had ear-to-ear grins on their faces as they walked down the street, only dropping the smile when it came time to focus on crossing the road.

Georgia cut a summery figure in an off-the-shoulder tangerine Kookai playsuit, paired with sand coloured strappy wedges.

She accessorised the look with a black and white clutch, featuring a gold metal trim on the flap.

Look both ways! Lee appears to take Georgia's hand as he protectively approaches the road first

Lee also pulled off a smart casual look with a pair of colourful printed shorts and a white button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

He accessorised with a pair of blue reflective sunglasses, a large silver watch and notably, a Pancare charity wristband.

The couple became ambassadors to the charity, which works to fund research and provide assistance to people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, after Georgia lost her mother Belinda to the disease.

All smiles! The reality television couple looked delighted to be together as they held hands while walking

Georgia enjoyed a close relationship with her mother, who worked as a nurse, and was devastated by her death.

Recently, she and Lee hosted an event which allowed 12 people to go on a 'date' with some of the failed Bachelorette contestants.

The endeavour allowed the couple to donate $10,000 to the charity.
Caitlin Stasey was a familiar face to Australian TV viewers during her teenage years.

And the actress doesn't appear to have aged at all since starring in children's TV programme The Sleepover Club as a 14-year-old, judging by a throwback photo shared to her Instagram on Sunday.

Seen as a fresh-faced 14-year-old on New Year's Eve in 2004, the picture could easily have been passed off as the most recent photo of the now 26-year-old.

Scroll down for video

Younger years: Caitlin Stasey doesn't appear to have aged at all since starring in children's TV programme The Sleepover Club as a 14-year-old, judging by a throwback photo shared to her Instagram on Sunday

Then and now: Seen as a fresh-faced teen on New Year's Eve in 2004 (left) the picture could easily have been passed off as a recent photo of the 26-year-old (right, in April 2016)

She captioned the snap: 'NYE 2004 no rly actually 2004 (sic).'

The Melbourne-born star was soon inundated with disbelieving comments from a portion of her 200,000 followers.

One remarked: 'You've been swimming in the fountain of youth.'

Another user commented 'do you even age?' while another noted 'you look exactly the same'.

Breakthrough: The photo was taken during Caitlin's three-year stint playing Francesca 'Frankie' Thomas in The Sleepover Club, a role which offered her a route into TV in 2003. (Pictured at the Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards in 2006)

Big break: A role in Neighbours came her way in 2005, playing Rachel Kinski in the long-running soap for four years before a number of film and TV roles followed

The photo was taken during Caitlin's three-year stint playing Francesca 'Frankie' Thomas in The Sleepover Club, a role which offered her a route into TV in 2003.

A role in Neighbours came her way in 2005, playing Rachel Kinski in the long-running soap for four years before a number of film and TV roles followed.

Caitlin is currently starring in comedy drama series Please Like Me, while also causing the occasional social media controversy.

The outspoken media personality often 'pushes the boundaries', according to a source at Instagram, defying the site's no-nudity policy to post several risque pictures in the past.

Rebel: Caitlin is currently starring in comedy drama series Please Like Me, while also causing the occasional social media controversy

Freeing the nipple: The outspoken media personality often 'pushes the boundaries', according to a source at Instagram, defying the site's no-nudity policy to post several risque pictures

Speaking to The Sun earlier this year, a source revealed that if she continues sharing 'inappropriate content' her account will be deleted.

'Her photos get removed but she just posts a replacement,' the insider said.

'She takes no notice and will not follow rules. It's only a matter of time before her account gets suspended or deleted.'
Antonio Guterres assumed on January 1 the functions of the UN secretary-general, and will hold the post for the next five years, Sputnik reported.

The UN General Assembly approved Guterres as the world bodys next secretary-general on October 13, 2016. Ahead of the election, he got unanimous support from the UN Security Council (UNSC) members.

He took the oath before the UN General Assembly on December 12, 2016 with then-UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon wishing him success.
She loves a wild night out.

And Kate Hudson, 37, pulled out all the stops for New Years Eve, wearing nothing but a racy black body for a night out with her close pal Chelsea Handler.

The stunning actress was not exactly dressed for the snowy weather in Aspen, Colorado, where she's been celebrating the holidays with friends and her famous family.

Seeing out 2016 with a bang! Kate Hudson, 37, pulled out all the stops for New Years Eve, wearing nothing but a racy black bodysuit from Misha for a night out in snowy Aspen with her close pal Chelsea Handler

Kate teased fans with a peek at her daring wardrobe choice before heading out for the night, sharing a snap of the Misha bodysuit hanging up alongside the cheeky caption:

'And what are you wearing tonight....? #WonderIfIWillBeCold '

And Kate followed through with her outfit choice, flaunting her long legs and bust in the racy number as she enjoyed drinks in a bar with Chelsea.

Skimpy: Kate teased fans with a peek at her daring wardrobe choice before heading out for the night, sharing a snap of the lingerie hanging up alongside the caption: 'WonderIfIWillBeCold'

Opposites attract: Chelsea's wardrobe of full ski wear, complete with goggles and a cosy coat only served to highlight Kate's flesh-flashing look

Party hard star: Kate was joined by British party boy Lewis Hamilton but by this time had added a furry coat from Majorelle

Chelsea's wardrobe of full ski wear, complete with goggles and a cosy coat only served to highlight Kate's flesh-flashing look.

The actress joked about her pal's covered up look in her pic caption, writing: 'Some people are so stuffy @chelseahandler #NewYearsReady.'

The gal pals enjoyed a fun lead up to midnight, with Kate also sharing a clip of the two swinging on a swing in the snow earlier on December 31.

Happy New Years! Kate has been celebrating the holidays with friends and family in Aspen

Best pals: The gal pals enjoyed a fun lead up to midnight, with Kate also sharing a clip of the two swinging on a swing in the snow earlier on December 31

Power couple: Chelsea added her own fun shot of the two checking out the scenery, joking that the two's closeness rivals that of their friends - Hollywood couple, Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi

Chelsea added her own fun shot of the two checking out the scenery, joking that the two's closeness rivals that of their friends - Hollywood couple, Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi.

'Back it up Portia and Ellen. There's a new power couple in town. #2017,' Chelsea declared.

Kate has been enjoying her annual trip to Aspen for the holidays, celebrating Christmas in her favourite spot with her mum Goldie Hawn, step dad Kurt Russell and her siblings, along with her own children.

She's flooded her Instagram account with idyllic snapshots of a winter wonderland getaway this week.

'Best day': Kate has been enjoying her annual trip to Aspen for the holidays, celebrating Christmas in her favourite spot with her mum Goldie Hawn, step dad Kurt Russell and her siblings, along with her own children

Kate posted an Instagram photo amongst loved ones on top of a snowy mountain earlier this week which she simply captioned: 'Best day.'

And on Christmas Eve, the daughter of Oscar winner Goldie Hawn shared an adorable snapshot of her family all dressed in bright red onesies.

They all lined up with their backsides facing the camera as a huge cosy fireplace stood in the background.

'Bottoms up!': On Christmas Eve the Oscar nominee wished her fans a 'Merry Christmas' with an adorable snapshot of her family all dressed in bright red onesies

'From our family yours... bottoms up! Cheers to a very Merry Christmas... Sending love everywhere,' she wrote alongside in a cheeky message.

And she kicked back and relaxed while gazing upon a snowy landscape in a picturesque image she posted on Wednesday.

'Those moments when God says hello,' the mother-of-two captioned the peaceful photo.
They tied the knot in November.

And Jesinta Franklin (nee Campbell) and Buddy Franklin cosied up together on New Year's as they celebrated the big year behind them and all still to come in 2017.

Posting a sweet black and white selfie of the pair to Instagram, model Jesinta, 25, reflected on the year that was, gushing to fans: 'Thank you to each of you for all of your love and support.'

Scroll down for video

'Thank you to each of you for all of your love and support': Jesinta and Buddy Franklin cosied up together on New Year's as they celebrated the year that was and all still to come in 2017

'HNY [Happy New Year] FROM US TO YOU,' Jesinta added.

In the image, the former pageant queen stuns in a black lace plunging top, seemingly worn braless.

The Gold Coast-born beauty added a black material choker and wore a pair of clear and silver aviator shades.

Jesinta had her locks out and in loose tousled curls and had an arm around Buddy, who looked casual in a T-shirt.

'Hope everyone has a great 2017': AFL star Buddy - who plays for the Sydney Swans - also wished fans a Happy New Year on his Instagram page

AFL star Buddy - who plays for the Sydney Swans - also wished fans a Happy New Year on his Instagram page.

Appearing to share a flashback image from one of his and Jesinta's recent trips away, he captioned the shot: 'Happy NY! [New Year] Hope everyone has a great 2017.'

In the snap, Jesinta wears a blue and white striped shirt with a double layer black and silver leather choker and dark tinted sunglasses.

Buddy, 29, meanwhile is fresh out of the water wearing a wetsuit.

Their big day: Jesinta and Buddy married in early November, in an intimate and secret ceremony in the Blue Mountains

Jesinta and Buddy married in early November, in an intimate and secret ceremony in the Blue Mountains.

They got engaged in December 2014 when Buddy gave her a diamond ring worth a approximately $100,000.

Jesinta - who changed her surname to Franklin after marrying - recently posed up for Harper's Bazaar.

The stunner told the publication about why she changed her last name.

Opening up: Jesinta - who changed her surname to Franklin after marrying - recently posed up for Harper's Bazaar. The stunner told the publication about why she changed her last name

'Changing my name meant a lot to Buddy, and we are a team now: Team Franklin,' Jesinta said.

'When we have children, it will be really important,' Jesinta continued.

She said some people have questioned how the decision will affect her career and 'branding' - but insists Buddy is her priority.

'I'm like, "What about the love of my life and the rest of my life?" she explained.
They've jetted off to sunnier climes to ring in 2017.

And Millie Mackintosh and Hugo Taylor certainly looked on cloud nine as they smooched their way through another beach day on December 31 in sunny South Africa.

The couple only had eyes for each other as they packed on the PDA while topping up their tans, but a couple of days earlier Millie displayed some painful looking sunburn on her bronzed skin.

This is the life: Millie Mackintosh and Hugo Taylor certainly looked on cloud nine as they smooched their way through another beach day on December 31 in sunny South Africa

For the last day of 2016, Millie chose a skimpy black one piece for another day by the water with her beau.

The racy number highlighted the fitness fanatic's pert posterior, while she seemed to struggle to keep her assets contained in the strapless design.

Hugo, clad in turquoise swimming shorts, couldn't keep his hands off his gorgeous girlfriend, wrapping her in his arms as they leaned in for a smooch.

Can't keep my hands off of you: The couple only had eyes for each other as they packed on the PDA while topping up their tans

Beach body: For the last day of 2016, Millie chose a skimpy black one piece for another day by the water with her beau

Handful: The racy number highlighted the fitness fanatic's pert posterior, while she seemed to struggle to keep her assets contained in the strapless design

While the couple looked like they'd been working hard on their tans, a couple of days earlier Millie flashed a look at some painful looking sunburn on her derriere.

Sporting a tiny black bikini, red skin was on show as the ex Made in Chelsea star climbed the steps to head back to her villa after another beach day.

Meanwhile, while Millie has been flaunting her enviable figure in a number of saucy swimsuits, she decided to take it one step further as she shared a completely nude snap on her Instagram.

Ouch! While the couple looked like they'd been working hard on their tans, a couple of days earlier Millie flashed a look at some painful looking sunburn on her derriere

Proud of her gym honed physique, the 27-year-old former reality star posted the incredibly saucy snap of her gazing out of her hotel room starkers to her 1.3 million followers earlier on Saturday.

Captioning her naked pic, she cheekily wrote: 'My morning view'.

Holding a mug in her hand, the former Made In Chelsea beauty showcased her pert derriere in the intimate photo as she leans on a railing soaking up the idyllic sea view.

Naked ambition: Millie shared a completely nude snap on her Instagram

Her chestnut locks appear to fall loosely down her chest as she posed to display her tiny waist and toned legs in the sexy snap.

The incredibly sultry photo comes after Millie hilariously denied she had a boob job as she posed up a storm in a black scallop-edged halterneck bikini top and matching retro-style bottoms.

With the two-piece giving her bosom a rather ample boost, Millie joked that she hadn't gone under the knife to achieve her busty look in the accompanying picture caption.

Bust-booster! Millie Mackintosh put on a busty display as she posed in a retro black bikini as she enjoyed her 18th holiday of 2016 in Cape Town, South Africa, on Friday morning

Bootylicious! Millie also shared a smouldering snap in a high cut purple swimsuit. She captioned the shot 'leaving 2016 behind' as she gazed out over the ocean

Cute couple: Millie slipped into another sexy swimsuit for a sweet picture with Hugo Taylor

Alongside the Instagram snap, she wrote: 'I have a high waisted bikini obsession! Loving this one from @arabellalondon and no I haven't had a boob job! That's just how good this bikini is.' (sic)

Wearing her wavy auburn locks tied halfway off her face, the reality TV personality turned fashion designer offset her winter tan with a pair of mirrored circular sunglasses as she headed off for a dip in the sea.

Earlier in the week, Millie and boyfriend Hugo, 30, kept their legion of social media followers updated as they packed on the PDA while watching the sun set.

Isn't life peachy? The ex-reality star showcased her gym-honed figure as she ran into the sea in her black scallop-edged halterneck bikini top and matching retro-style bottoms

Fun in the sun! Wearing her wavy auburn locks tied halfway off her face, the TV personality turned fashion designer offset her winter tan with a pair of mirrored circular sunglasses

Pucker up, baby! Millie and former Made In Chelsea co-star boyfriend Hugo, 30, looked more in love than ever as they packed on the PDA in a social media snap on Thursday

The couple looked more in love than ever as they passionately locked lips while the sun went down behind them.

Admitting he was ending the year on a definite high, Hugo held a glass of champagne in one hand as he wrote beside the sweet shot: 'Magical sun down drinks in Cape Town. Very lucky man!'

In a second envy-inducing snap for followers, Hugo then turned his back to the camera to pose in front of the stunning vibrant sunset of orange and gold.

Millie and Hugo jetted to South Africa on Christmas Day, and have since posted an array of photos on social media from the trip - which marks Millie's 18th holiday this year.

Stunning: Admitting he was ending the year on a definite high, Hugo held a glass of champagne in one hand as he looked out towards a beautiful sunset

Chic: The reality star turned fashion designer looked typically stylish in a blue gingham bardot top and white hotpants as she posed in front of a picturesque back drop with a glass of wine

Puppy love: Bikini-clad Millie showed off her tattooed back as she perched on the beach, while surrounded by adorable pooches during Thursday daytime

Meanwhile, Dog-lover Millie seemed to be in her element as she perched on the sand, while surrounded by adorable pooches.

Stroking one of her canine companions as she grinned away, the lifestyle blogger displayed a pretty butterfly inking on the small of her back as she posed in a aubergine-coloured bikini.

The fitness enthusiast appeared make-up free and wore her auburn locks hanging in loose tendrils around her shoulders.

Millie captioned the snap: 'I made some new friends at the beach.'

Hugo then gave her a run for the money in the tattoo department, showcasing his tanned, heavily-inked back, which featured four large etchings, as he strolled towards the sea in another snap.

Inked up: Hugo gave Millie a run for her money in the tattoo stakes as he showcased four etchings on his back as he wandered towards the sea in another Instagram snap

Although it's been a turbulent year in terms of Millie's personal life - announcing her split and subsequent divorce from rapper husband Professor Green, 33, in the early part of 2016 - she's taken her mind off things with plenty of exotic holidays.

The statuesque beauty left her Instagram followers positively green with envy as she revealed she was on her 18th holiday in 12 months on Wednesday, by posting a snap from glorious Cape Town.

Perfect blue seas and rolling waves proved to be the ultimate back-drop for a gratuitous bikini picture as she strolled towards the camera.

She simply captioned the picture: 'Trying to act natural when the sea is bloody freezing.'

In search of sun: The statuesque beauty left her Instagram followers green with envy as she revealed she was on her 18th holiday in 12 months on Wednesday

Holiday glow: Although it's been a turbulent year in terms of Millie's personal life, she's taken her mind off things with plenty of exotic holidays

Millie's surroundings weren't the only source of envy because the brunette looked like a swimwear model in her tiny black two-piece.

Toned at her middle and lithe of leg, the reality star's superfit figure proved to be the ultimate reward for her months of hard graft in the gym.

Millie and sunglasses entrepreneur Hugo flew Business Class to South Africa in the evening of Christmas Day following a low-key yuletide in London.

This time last year, Millie was celebrating her second Christmas married to rapper Pro Green.

They closely followed it up with a 'make or break' trip to Florence, Italy, in February, which turned out to be their last holiday together.

Christmas looks very different this year: Millie was waking up to beau Hugo and 'the breakfast of dreams' on Christmas Day, following her split from husband Professor Green in February

Quite the contrast... This time last year, Millie (centre with ex-husband Professor Green) was celebrating her second Christmas with her now-ex-husband, her parents and grandfather

The couple announced their separation later that month, two years and six months after tying the knot.

The ill-fated vacation in Florence was to be only Millie's first trip of 2016, since her fairytale reunion with beau Hugo has taken her globe-trotting to Monico, Mauritius, Greece and Antibes, since May.

In fact, by the time Millie and Pro Green's divorce was finalised that month, she was kicking off a string of jet-set vacations with a celebratory trip to Monte Carlo on Hugo's 30th, which came just two days after the paperwork was completed.

Millie and Hugo previously dated back in 2011 when they met on E4 reality show, Made In Chelsea.

Jet-setter: Millie and sunglasses entrepreneur Hugo flew Business Class to South Africa in the evening of Christmas Day following a low-key yuletide in London

Make-up free Millie: The former Made In Chelsea let fans know that she was happily watching the sun rise in South Africa on Tuesday

But the union was not to last and ended rather dramatically when Millie discovered Hugo had cheated on her with her friend, Rosie Fortescue.

At the time, Millie claimed she would always love Hugo, saying in an interview: 'I loved him - those feelings dont disappear  but I just always have to remind myself why were not together.

'I do think that, for the rest of my life, every time I see him, Ill get that feeling in my stomach. I dont think I could ever not get that butterfly feeling.'

Millie and Pro Green announced their split in February after just over four years together. Their two-and-a-half-year marriage was dissolved in just 30 seconds in May.

Full steam ahead! Millie's string of jet-set getaways sped up in May, when she took a break to Monte Carlo for Hugo's 30th birthday just two days after her divorce was finalised

In a statement at the time, they said: 'It is a mutual decision, we still care deeply about each other and would like it to be known that it is on amicable terms and we wish each other well.'

They were granted a decree nisi at Central London Family Court with Millie citing 'unreasonable behaviour' as the reason for their split.

Millie and Stephen started dating in November 2011 after the rapper saw her on the cover of men's magazine FHM.

The rapper contacted Millie through her agent and they had their first date at the Groucho Club in Soho.

They went public at the Brit Awards in February 2012, with Stephen proposing on holiday in Paris just over a year later.

The sweet life: One of her most luxurious holidays was a trip to the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius with a large group on a shoot for Hugo's sunglasses brand, Taylor Morris

Romantic: While her year of holidays began with an ill-fated trip to Florence with husband Pro Green, Millie was ending 2016 with boyfriend Hugo

The couple tied the knot in a lavish ceremony at Babington House in Somerset in September 2013.

Pro Green recently lashed out at Millie in his new track Eye On The Door, rapping about their lack of sex life, drug use and hinting that cheating was to blame for their split.

But in spite of his very public bashing of his ex-wife, the musician admitted last week that splitting from Millie felt like experiencing 'a death.

He told the i newspaper: 'Of course whether youre happy somethings finished or not, it doesnt change the fact that it does still feel like theres been a death.

'An energy thats always been in your presence is suddenly no longer there and youre an idiot if you think thats not going to affect you.'

The rapper has since moved on with model Fae Williams.
Dannii and Kylie Minogue grew up in the spotlight and have gone on to become household names in their own right.

But the popstars were barely recognisable in a sweet flashback shot from their childhood posted to Instagram on Sunday by Dannii, now 45.

In the adorable image, Kylie, Dannii and their brother Brendan are seen posing at the beach and hug one another, smiling as they enjoyed the summer and family time.

Scroll down for video

My, how you've changed! Dannii Minogue (centre) shared a shot to Instagram of herself as a child at the beach, with sister Kylie (right) and brother Brendan (left)

In the snap, Kylie, now 48, wears a two-piece swimming costume and Dannii wears a blue and white frill one-piece.

Dannii captioned the image: 'Long hot Aussie summers.

'Happy New Year to you all after a cool New Year's Day in sunny #Australia,' she told fans, adding the hash-tag: 'Minogue Childhood'.

It comes after Kylie also shared a flashback photo on social media recently, showing herself at Christmas in the 1970s, when she was under ten years old and a child.

Familiar faces: Dannii (R) and Kylie (L) grew up in the spotlight and have gone on to become household names in their own right (seen in December 2015 in London)

Step Back In Time! It comes after Kylie also shared a flashback photo on social media recently, showing herself at Christmas in the 1970s, when she was under ten years old and a child

She has her hair in pig tails and wears a sweet red dress.

Kylie is based in London, while Dannii is based in Melbourne, where she and her siblings were raised.

Dannii recently told The Fix about her close bond with her sister, saying she's always going to her for advice.

'[She's] always a tower of strength, and very classy with how she handles everything.'

'She's physically a tiny little thing, and you just think "Where does all this strength come from?"' she added.

Sisterly love! Dannii recently told The Fix about her close bond with her sister, saying she's always going to her for advice (seen in August 2015)

Dannii shares a six-year-old son, Ethan, with ex Kris Smith, while Kylie is engaged to British actor Joshua Sasse, 29.

Joshua recently told Sunrise that the pair won't tie the knot until same-sex marriage is legal in Australia.

'Why are we anymore important than anybody else?,' Joshua said on the show.

'It's not right, something has to be done about it,' he said of Australia's current laws.

He added that it's likely the pair could one day get married in her native Melbourne, Australia, but the pair simply aren't 'comfortable getting married until this law has passed' and 'will not' be tying the knot until everyone has the chance.

'It's something we have talked about and decided upon,' Joshua said.
Olympia Valance served up a treat for fans as she dined in Bali on Sunday evening.

At first sight, the Neighbours star appeared to be nude as she covered her modesty with a menu from the Slippery Stone restaurant.

However, when uploading the image to her Instagram on New Year's Day, the 23-year-old added the hash-tag 'swear I'm not naked' as she enjoyed a joke with her followers.

Scroll down for video

Illusion: Olympia Valance appeared to be nude in a New Year's photo posted to Instagram on Sunday, as she covered her modesty with a menu from Slippery Stone restaurant in Bali

She captioned the pic: 'Week 1 New Years continues at the amazing @slipperystonebali! Love me some Greek food!

'And I guess that's the last time I take creative direction from Greg for photos,' she added of her boyfriend and photographer, Greg Cannell.

Implying that her boyfriend was to blame for the seemingly risque nature of the snap, Olympia is seen with bare shoulders in the photo, possibly wearing a strapless top or bandeau bikini top.

And while the actress's legs are also mostly uncovered, a small section of her outfit is visible from underneath the menu on closer inspection.

Laid bare: However, uploading to her Instagram on New Year's Day, the 23-year-old added the hash-tag 'swear I'm not naked' as she enjoyed a joke with her followers

Brunette beauty: Implying that boyfriend Greg Cannell was to blame for the seemingly risque nature of the snap, Olympia is seen with bare shoulders in the photo

The couple have been enjoying themselves on the Indonesian island after flying out to celebrate over the New Year.

Olympia and her boyfriend, who reconciled last August after splitting six months earlier, were joined by friends as they counted down to 2017.

The soap star shared a photo of the quartet before they headed off to party at KU DE TA nightclub.

Loved-up: The couple have been enjoying themselves on the Indonesian island after flying out to celebrate over the New Year

Party people: Olympia and her boyfriend, who reconciled last August after splitting six months earlier, were joined by friends as they counted down to 2017

Earlier on New Year's Eve, the brunette professed her excitement for the 12 months ahead in another Instagram post.

Olympia is pictured beside a pool as she poses in a flowing, backless dress.

She wrote: 'In my happy place for the last day of the year. Bring on 2017. I can't wait to see what's in store.'
She recently announced on Twitter she was 'starting the new year with a break-up'.

Now trying to move on from her relationship woes, Marnie Simpson enjoyed a night out on the Toon with her Geordie gal pals including Chloe Ferry as she aims to get over her former beau Lewis Bloor on Saturday night.

The 24-year-old brunette decided to ring in 2017 in a rather daring look as she arrived at her MTV co-star Kyle Christie's New Year's Eve house party, alongside Charlotte Crosby and Sophie Kasaei.

Scroll down for video

Single pringle: Marnie Simpson enjoyed a night out on the Toon with her Geordie gal pals as she aims to get over her former beau Lewis Bloor on Saturday night

Showcasing her long limbs, the Northern Lass slipped into a pair of peep toed over-the-knee suede cream boots that featured saucy lace-up detail as she arrived to the event.

Marnie teased at her toned thighs as she donned fishnet tights for the celebration with her band of gal pals.

She swamped her petite figure in an over-sized black hoodie which she styled as a mini-dress for the evening while carrying her black silver chained handbag in manicured hand.

Completing her NYE look, the reality star wrapped a glittering choker around her slender neck as she worked a pair of clear lens eighties inspired glasses.

Stepping out: The 24-year-old brunette decided to ring in 2017 in a rather daring look as she arrived at her MTV co-star Kyle Christie's New Year's Eve house party

Work it! Marnie teased at her toned thighs as she donned fishnet tights for the celebration with her band of gal pals

Style star: She swamped her petite figure in an over-sized black hoodie which she styled as a mini-dress for the evening while carrying her black silver chained handbag in manicured hand

Taking hair inspiration from Ariana Grande, she worked her glossy raven-coloured tresses into a half up, half down look as she accentuated her pout with a slick of nude lipstick.

Seeming in high spirits, Marnie was joined by her besties including Chloe Ferry, who sported a striking and kooky nude cropped bodysuit.

The 21-year-old arrived at Kyle's house in the figure-hugging that clung to her shapely curves and peachy derriere as strutted her stuff in a pair of ripped knee thigh-high boots.

Taking style notes from Marnie, she also donned a pair of quirky aviater inspired glasses as her brunette locks fell loosely around her face.

In the nude: Seeming in high spirits, Marnie was joined by her besties including Chloe Ferry, who sported a striking and kooky nude cropped bodysuit

Life's a peach: The 21-year-old arrived at Kyle's house in the figure-hugging that clung to her shapely curves and peachy derriere as strutted her stuff in a pair of ripped knee thigh-high boots

Copy cat: Taking style notes from Marnie, she also donned a pair of quirky aviater inspired glasses as her brunette locks fell loosely around her face

Feeling chilly? Despite the freezing temperatures, she opted to forgo a coat for the evening as she sashayed her way to the venue in her barely-there ensemble

In great company: Marnie shared a candid NYE snap with her Geordie Shore crew

Despite the freezing temperatures, she opted to forgo a coat for the evening as she sashayed her way to the venue in her barely-there ensemble.

Meanwhile, former Geordie Shore star Charlotte Crosby flaunted her toned pins in a khaki cowl neckline playsuit, stepping out in a pair of sky-high beige caged heels.

The skimpy number featured a waist cinching gold belt as she worked a lace inspired black choker around her neck as her leather clutch draped over her shoulder.

Flaunt it: Meanwhile, former Geordie Shore star Charlotte Crosby flaunted her toned pins in a khaki cowl neckline playsuit, stepping out in a pair of sky-high beige caged heels

On the tiles: The skimpy number featured a waist cinching gold belt as she worked a lace inspired black choker around her neck as her leather clutch draped over her shoulder

Camo clad: Sophie Kasaei donned a coffee coloured knit for NYE, layering her look with a camouflage jacket

Meanwhile, Marnie's night on the tiles comes after she took to her Twitter page on Friday to sadly admit to her fans that she was 'starting the new year with a break up'.

After first hooking up in the Celebrity Big Brother house this summer, Marnie took to her social media to imply that her and former TOWIE star Lewis' romance had come to an end.

In a cryptic post to her 931,000 followers, she wrote: 'Shout out to all the girls starting the new year with a break up. Yeah, ditto.'

Fans immediately flooded to the reality star's support, with one writing: 'Keep your chin up chick', while another admitted fiercely: 'You can do so much better!'

Back on the market: Marnie's night on the tiles comes after she took to her Twitter page on Friday to sadly admit to her fans that she was 'starting the new year with a break up'

What a bummer: Chloe was left surprised as a pal playfully went to bite her bum

Going in for the kill: Posing for a pic, Chloe didn't notice her friend at first

Take a bite out of it! Chloe was stepping into the venue for her NYE when her pal nipped her on her bottom

The split may come as a shock to fans after Marnie and her former beau, 27, were seen looking besotted at the gym together just four days ago.

The lovers were spotted working up a sweat in Lewis' native Essex before they began to fool around by doing handstands - resulting in the pair collapsing into fits of giggles.

As well as spending much of the Christmas period together, the pair had also enjoyed a sun-soaked break in Mexico earlier this month.

Despite the public loved-up displays however, the duo have endured their fair share of drama over the course of their six-month fling.

Support: Fans immediately flooded to the reality star's support, with one writing: 'Keep your chin up chick', while another admitted fiercely: 'You can do so much better!'

Splitsville: In a cryptic post to her 931,000 followers, she wrote of the breakup with the TOWIE hunk (above): 'Shout out to all the girls starting the new year with a break up. Yeah, ditto'

Marnie first sparked speculation that the pair were over by deleting all previous photos and references to him from her Instagram page in October.

Adding fuel to the fire, Lewis later took to Twitter to post a cryptic message, which read: 'One door closes another one opens thats (sic) how life works.'

Defiantly arguing against them, Marnie was heard retaliating: 'I'm 25 years of age, I'm going home! You're not looking out for us though making me go back to that f**king house.'

Then a week later, she was rushed to hospital after complaining she was in pain, although was released a few hours later.
She splits her time between her native London and Alexander Skarsgard's home town of New York.

And Alexa Chung ensured she turned head on New Year's Eve, as she attended the Soho Grand Annual Black & White Masquerade Ball in a grand headpiece.

Ringing in the New Year in America, the 32-year-old model stood out in the quirky attire.

Scroll down for video

Star of the night: Alexa Chung ensured she turned head on New Year's Eve, as she attended the Soho Grand Annual Black & White Masquerade Ball in a grand headpiece

The intricate star encrusted headband featured a band of stars placed strategically at the end of delicate wires, with longer adornments circling her head.

Beaming as she balanced the no doubt heavy piece on her head, Alexa kept the rest of her look simple.

Opting for barely-there eye make-up and bold red lipstick, she added a touch of blush, letting her bright blue peepers do the talking.

Accessorising: Ringing in the New Year in America, the 32-year-old model stood out in the quirky attire

And working understated elegance to perfection, she accentuated her long lean figure in a floral-patterned cap-sleeved dress.

Accessorising with a faux fur stole, she looked perfectly placed at the grand ball.

And it soon emerged the piece was custom-made by Alexa's friend at very short notice.

Taking to Instagram, Alexa gushed over the extravagant star-encrusted headpiece, writing: 'Oh yeah and with 24 hours notice my friend knocked up this creation.'

The sky on her head! The intricate star encrusted headband featured a band of stars placed strategically at the end of delicate wires, with longer adornments circling her head

Golden girl: Beaming as she balanced the no doubt heavy piece on her head, Alexa kept the rest of her look simple

Posing with screenwriter Matthew Frost: She worked understated elegance to perfection, she accentuated her long lean figure in a floral-patterned cap-sleeved dress

Alexa has been dating Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgard, 40, since last year.

Despite frequently popping over to New York, and supporting him during his most recent film The Legend Of Tarzan, the couple keep their relationship low-key.

Earlier in the year it was rumoured that an engagement could be on the cards between Alexa and Alexander.

'Alexa has told friends that [an English stately home] would be her dream wedding location  and now they are saying that they wouldn't be surprised if an engagement was on the way,' a source previously told Grazia magazine.

'Alexa's relationship with Alex is going great. That's why she was happy for him to meet her family  she would only ever introduce someone she was serious about to them.'

However Alex denied the couple had decided to tie the knot in an interview in July.
Braith Anasta is determined to keep his new relationship private.

The former NRL player's high-profile three-year marriage to Neighbours star Jodi Anasta came to an end in December 2015.

And the 34-year-old told The Daily Telegraph on Monday that he'll approach his budding romance with Bondi personal trainer Rachael Lee in a different way to his marriage.

Scroll down for video

New beginnings: Braith Anasta, who spent New Year's Day with new girlfriend Rachael Lee (pictured), said he's determined to keep his new relationship private after his high-profile split from Jodi Anasta in 2015

'Rachael and I are extremely happy together but we will be keeping this private,' he told the publication.

Braith spent Christmas Day with his new flame and the pair also stepped out hand-in-hand at a New Year's Day party at Bondi Icebergs.

'You learn from your past relationships. Happiness is all I want. I've learnt over the years it is good to keep some things private so we are doing that,' he added.

Loved-up: Braith also spent Christmas Day with his new flame and shared a loved up snap with fans

Lessons learned: Braith has said that he'll approach his budding romance with the Bondi personal trainer in a different way to his marriage with Jodi

Braith and Jodi vowed to remain the 'best of friends' in the wake of their split, with their daughter Aleeia their number one priority.

And nothing has changed on that front for Braith, who says his two-year-old still comes first in everything he does.

He said: 'Aleeia is always my priority, making sure she is happy. She's in preschool now.'

Power couple: Braith and Jodi vowed to remain the 'best of friends' in the wake of their split, with their daughter Aleeia their number one priority

Family first: And nothing has changed on that front for Braith, who says his two-year-old still comes first in everything he does

While the retired sportsman is in the early stage of his new relationship, Jodi has also been moving on.

The soap star was pictured on a romantic getaway with Sydney real estate agent Warren Ginsberg last week.

Byron Bay was the destination as the pair flew to the Gold Coast before the property maven uploaded a cute picture of the pair to Instagram.
She's ditched rainy Britain for sunny Greece to ring in 2017.

And beauty blogger Lauryn Goodman certainly made the most of her sunshine break as she got ready to party on NYE.

The 24-year-old showed off her stunning figure in a striped bikini for a lazy sunbathing session.

Soaking up some sun: Beauty blogger Lauryn Goodman certainly made the most of her sunshine break as she got ready to party on NYE

Lauryn highlighted her toned curves in her printed two-piece, flaunting her flat stomach and ample assets.

The black pink and white top was teamed with a pair of skimpy tie-side bottoms.

After a dip in the pool, she retreated to a sunny spot, lying on her side to show off her pert derriere.

This is the life: The 24-year-old showed off her stunning figure in a striped bikini for a lazy sunbathing session

Curve appeal: After a dip in the pool, she retreated to a sunny spot, lying on her side to show off her pert derriere

With her hair scraped back into a high ponytail and a pair of shades on, Lauryn was dressed for the Greek heat.

On Friday the beauty flashed the flesh in an unusual ensemble which consisted of a black leotard with split black and silver sheer skirt over the top.

The dress fastened in a halterneck style, and featured a plunging neckline which accentuated Lauryn's busty figure.

Striking: Lauryn cut an eye-catching figure as she stepped out in Mykonos on Friday

Lauryn teamed her ensemble with silver studded black towering sandals complete with several straps running up to her ankle.

The sister of reality star Chloe wore her ombre hair straight and sleek over her shoulders while heavy smoky eye shadow and a dash of pink lipstick added to the look.

She accessorised with a delicate silver necklace and black and silver bangles and clutched her phone as she headed out to a jewellery store on the Greek island, emerging with a large black bag.

Made up and ready to go: The sister of reality star Chloe wore her ombre hair straight and sleek over her shoulders with smoky eye shadow and a dash of pink lipstick

The star has been enjoying herself on the island paradise - on Thursday she oozed glamour in a gold swimsuit as she soaked up the sun poolside.

And while Lauryn has been enjoying herself in Greece, her sibling Chloe has been busy hitting the beach further away from home in Mexico.

However, Lauryn did spend a homey style Christmas back in the UK, posting a selfie on the big day which read 'Merry Christmas Everyone. Family Day...'

Pert posterior: The star showed off her toned rear through the sheer ensemble

The star has enjoyed her own taste of fame as the elder sister of the Ex On The Beach star.

She has since become a staple on the reality show scene due to her circle of friends.

Lauryn not only runs her own beauty blog, but is the owner of fashion brand Nineteen Clothing.
She worked incredibly hard to transform her body in 2016.

And Frankie Essex showed off the results of her dedication when she stepped out in Tenerife over the weekend, ready to ring in 2017 with a whole new look.

The former TOWIE star looked sensational in a racy outfit as she took a stroll in the Spanish sunshine.

Looking fab! Frankie Essex showed off the results of her dedication when she stepped out in Tenerife over the weekend, ready to ring in 2017 with a whole new look

Frankie showed off her toned and tanned figure in a bright orange halter neck swimsuit, with peekaboo detail to flash her ample assets.

She teamed the skimpy swimwear with a pair of tiny denim cut off shorts, which showed off her bum as she leaned over to admire some flowers.

A pair of towering wedge heels, a beach bag and shades completed her summery ensemble.

Toned and tanned: The former TOWIE star looked sensational in a racy outfit as she took a stroll in the Spanish sunshine

The ITVBe reality TV star has lost just over 2st in seven months after her weight ballooned to 12st 8lbs when she turned to food in the wake of a painful love split.

Speaking recently about her lowest point, Frankie told MailOnline: 'I've had a year and a half of being sad and depressed and not even wanting to leave the house at times.'

The reality star - who is the older sister of TV personality Joey Essex - previously blamed a bad boyfriend for 'the worst year of her life' in which she contemplated suicide.

Cheeky! She teamed her skimpy swimwear with a pair of tiny denim cut off shorts, which showed off her bum as she leant over to admire some flowers

Joey and Frankie lost their mother to suicide during their teenage years and Frankie said she feared she might 'fall into the same whole'.

She added: 'I want to show everyone that being sad is all in your head and you need to believe in yourself and that you can do it.'

With that, the reality star celebrates her workout DVD in 2017, Frankie Essex Weight Loss Workouts.

She fought her own inner battles to find a love of fitness, explaining that she had to overcome the fear of being judged when she first rejoined a gym and embarked on her weight loss journey.

'Sometimes I think the gym's a bit scary,' she said. 'I didn't go for ages, it's a bit intimidating. Especially being on TV, I felt like everyone was looking at me anyway, and I was bigger and I felt fat.'
A gunman stormed a house party and killed at least 12 people and himself during New Year celebrations in the southeastern Brazilian city of Campinas late on Saturday, Reuters reported.

Police in the state of Sao Paulo said the shooter is believed to have been angry over a separation from his former wife, who was among those killed. Local media reports said the couple's 8-year-old son also died.

A police spokesman could not confirm the identity or age of those killed or whether a child of the shooter, who also remains unidentified, was among the victims.

A neighbor interviewed by the Globo television network said that he and family members heard blasts about a quarter to midnight but did not immediately recognize it as gunfire, not New Year fireworks.

Only when one of those shot ran into their property, bleeding and asking for help, did they realize that someone had been shooting. State police said they were called to the scene at 12:40 a.m. local time.
She hit headlines in December when a video emerged of her appearing to be somewhat worse for wear during a paid appearance at a Christmas party.

And now party-goer Jessie Peirson has slammed Katie Price, claiming she caused a huge relationship rift with her boyfriend Liam Prior.

Telling how Katie allegedly flirted with Liam, supposedly propositioning him publicly while ignoring her, Jessie revealed that she almost split with her beau over the events.

Scroll down for video

Causing a relationship rift? Jessie Peirson has slammed Katie Price (above), claiming she caused a huge relationship rift with her boyfriend Liam Prior

Claiming that Katie 'ordered Liam not to kiss her' when he accepted a prize, Liam apologised for his part in the exchange, explaining he had felt 'on the spot' (Jessie Peirson pictured with boyfriend Liam Prior)

Telling how Katie allegedly flirted with Liam, supposedly propositioning him publicly while ignoring her, Jessie revealed that she almost split with her beau over the events

'She made really disgusting and explicit propositions to my boyfriend both on stage in front of all his colleagues and then after, knowing I was there,' Jessie told The Mirror's Sunday People.

'She was completely out of control and she totally humiliated me.

'She just wouldn't leave it. She kept saying she wanted it 'up the ****'. It was disgusting,' she said.

'She was out of control': Telling how Katie (pictured) allegedly flirted with Liam, supposedly propositioning him publicly while ignoring her, Jessie revealed that she almost split with her beau over the events

Claiming that Katie 'ordered Liam not to kiss her' when he accepted a prize, Liam apologised for his part in the exchange, explaining he had felt 'on the spot'.

Former pop star Dane Bowers and the glamour model - who have a turbulent romantic history - were hired to be the star hosts of the EnergySave Christmas bash in Derby on the 19th December.

The mum-of-five - who was paid 13,000 for the gig then hit headlines for her drunken antics after videos of her foul-mouthed speech and her going topless in the toilets were leaked - but the true chaos the pair caused has now been revealed.

Starting 2017 off as Nicki Minaj! Katie, who vowed on Loose Women to give up drinking, dressed as the American rapper for her New Year's Eve celebrations

Wild: Former pop star Dane Bowers reportedly punched a guest at the now notorious party where his ex Katie shocked guests by swearing and stripping off

Dane, 37, was accused of hitting the company's sales manager Aaron McCormack, 41, during the evening.

The Sun claims that he has admitted the incident is true, but insisted it was 'just a slap'.

However, it seems that even Dane had had enough of Katie's performance - and is said to have stormed out when she referred to a lewd sex act he performed on her when they were together.

The glamour model, who has been married to Kieran Hayler for three years, made the shock confession while uttering obscenities during a speech before sources told The Mirror they were very 'touchy feely'.

Enough is enough: Dane (pictured with the model in 2000) is said to have stormed out of the party when she referred to a lewd sex act he performed on her when they were together

Dane, 37, was accused of hitting the company's sales manager Aaron McCormack, 41, during the evening.

The Sun claims that he has admitted the incident is true, but insisted it was 'just a slap'.

However, it seems that even Dane had had enough of Katie's performance - and is said to have stormed out when she referred to a lewd sex act he performed on her when they were together.

The glamour model, who has been married to Kieran Hayler for three years, made the shock confession while uttering obscenities during a speech before sources told The Mirror they were very 'touchy feely'.

She said: ' My ex-boyfriend actually got me the job tonight, Dane Bowers, the love of my life, before she made the lewd admission: 'Oh yeah he gave me a toe job'.

Drunken: In a video uploaded to Facebook, Katie was seen slurring her words as she harps on about her ex Dane and how he gave her a 'toe job'

Can't stop it: She also belts out some of her fave Whitney Houston tracks while on the mic

She also said: 'I love all my kids, even though Harvey... anyway. Whatever.'

She also referred to him as the 'love of her life' in a bizarre swipe to both Kieran and her first husband, Peter Andre.

The couple dated from 1998 to 2000, before suffering an extremely acrimonious split.

The Sun also reports that managing director Jason Rowan was demanding a refund on her personal appearance fee and branded her an 'obnoxious drunk', claiming that she was unable to stand by the end of the night.

They claim she 'grabbed his crotch under the top table and asked his wife Catherine "Is he f*****g you or me tonight?".'

She reportedly called Jason's 16-year-old daughter a 'c***t' and getting up on stage to call guests 's***s' and 'b******s'.

It is also claimed she screamed: 'I earned my fee. I posed with every f*****g punter who wanted a picture taken.'

MailOnline has contacted a spokesperson for Katie Price and Dane Bowers for comment.

On Wednesday, Katie vowed to stop drinking alcohol during her appearance on Loose Women, but failed to reference the claims stemming from the party.

In trouble when you get home? The 38-year-old glamour model, who has been married to Kieran Hayler for three years, made the shock confession while uttering obscenities during a speech before sources told The Mirror they were very 'touchy feely'

Shocker: Shortly after Katie's CBB confessional, Dane revealed his shock that his former girlfriend was still talking about their two-year relationship
The film is set to hit theaters on February 10.

And on Monday, fans got a peek at the upcoming Fifty Shades Darker movie in an extended trailer released on Monday.

The 2-minute clip features the film's stars Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan in previously unseen footage that gives viewers a closer look at Christian Grey's former lovers.

Scroll down for video

Sizzling: Fans got a peek at the upcoming Fifty Shades Darker on Monday as the new extended trailer was released; Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan

Taylor Swift and Zayn Malik's hit song I Don't Wanna Live Forever plays in the background of the new trailer, which was released after a shorter 30-second TV spot aired on New Year's Eve.

The video, which teases the second installment of the successful franchise based on books by E.L. James, opens up with a montage of Dakota and Jamie's characters - Anastasia 'Ana' Steele and Grey - sharing PDA filled moments.

It also showcases the couple's difficult transition from a BDSM relationship to a regular one.

The characters are seen sharing a sizzling makeout session after getting stuck in a rain storm, as well as cuddling in bed together.

Focused: The 32-second clip features the film's stars Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan in previously unseen footage

In the moment: The characters are seen sharing a sizzling makeout session after getting stuck in a rain storm

Ana is heard saying 'I've never been happier' as she enjoys what appears to be a number of dates with Christian.

The two canoodle on a boat, at a coffee shop and also attend events together as a couple.

They are seen going to a masked ball, with Ana looking incredible in a form-fitting silvery blue dress.

Beaming: Ana is heard saying 'I've never been happier' as she enjoys what appears to be a number of dates with Christian

Total happiness: The two canoodle on a boat, at a coffee shop and also attend events together as a couple

Wow: Ana looked incredible in a form-fitting silvery blue dress and bold red lipstick

As a unit: They are seen going to a masked ball while dressed to the nines

Things take a darker turn when Ana asked Christian if he knows someone who appears to be following them.

The extended trailer gives a closer look at the mysterious figure, who turns out to be a gun-toting submissive called Leila Williams, played by Bella Heathcoate.

The new brunette character was Grey's former BDSM partner who doesn't seem able to let go of the S&M loving billionaire.

Darker turn: Ana sees Leila as she wakes in her sleep , but when she blinks, Leila is gone

Ana sees her as she wakes in her sleep beside Christian, but when she blinks, Leila is gone.

In the clip, Leila shows up to Ana's apartment and points a gun at her.

'Tell me what you have that I don't,' she says, a manic look on her face as she confronts her ex's new flame.

Ana is later seen pointing a gun as Christian tells her that he would never forgive himself if something happened to her.

Scary ex: The extended trailer gives a closer look at the mysterious figure, who turns out to be a gun-toting submissive called Leila Williams, played by Bella Heathcoate

'Tell me what you have that I don't,' Leila says, a manic look on her face as she confronts her ex's new flame.

The second new character introduced is Christian's business partner Elena Lincoln, played by Kim Basinger, who steps into the role of the older woman that seduced him and introduced him to BDSM at the tender age of 15.

Lincoln dons a masquerade mask and a men's suit as she is heard asking Steele: 'You think you're the first woman who has tried to save him?'

Steele insists Grey is a changed man and S&M isn't 'what he wants anymore,' and Lincoln replies: 'But it's what he needs.'

Christian's business partner Elena Lincoln is played by Kim Basinger, who steps into the role of the older woman that introduced him to BDSM at the tender age of 15.

The first film in the series, Fifty Shades Of Grey, was released in 2015.

After the second film, Fifty Shades Darker, is released in February, a third - Fifty Shades Freed - will close out the franchise in 2018.

Protecting herself: Ana is seen pointing a gun with Christian telling her that he would never forgive himself if something happened to her

Trouble has arrived: Christian's also seems to be the target of the masked figure; his car is shown covered in white paint

Unwelcome guests: A woman who turns out to be Leila is seen with Ana in another scene and taken by surprise she is there in her apartment
He spent weeks languishing in the Australian jungle during his stint on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here last month, in which he finished third.

So Adam Thomas is no doubt overjoyed to be back to his glamorous life - as illustrated when he stepped out with his stunning fiancee Caroline Daly to ring in the New Year in his native Manchester on Saturday.

The 28-year-old Emmerdale hunk looked handsome while Caroline oozed sex appeal when she showed off her endless legs in a jumpsuit as the couple enjoyed a night with his Love Island star twin brother Scott and his girlfriend Kady McDermott.

Scroll down for video

Back to their best: Adam Thomas stepped out with his stunning fiancee Caroline Daly in ring in the New Year in his native Manchester on Sunday

Back in June, Adam popped the question to his stunning partner-of-eight-years in an idyllic Dubai proposal and the couple share two-month-old son Teddy.

The happy duo looked as loved-up as ever as they prepared to ring in 2017, with Caroline ensuring she was dressed-to-impress.

Slipping into a wine-coloured jumpsuit, she showed off her endless legs through the perilously slashed front on the one-piece - which extended up to her hips.

Not content with showing off her legs, the mother-of-one also braved the blistering December chill by shunning a coat to show off her shoulders and decolletage.

The whole gang: The couple enjoyed a night with his Love Island star twin brother Scott and his girlfriend Kady McDermott

Sexy stuff! Slipping into a wine-coloured jumpsuit, she showed off her endless legs through the perilously slashed legs on the one-piece - which extended up to her hips

Proving her attention to detail, Caroline boosted her height with a pair of stylish pointed snakeskin heels with a thick ankle strap, while she rounded out the look with a stylish taupe handbag.

Naturally she was flawlessly dolled up, with lashings of smokey shadow highlighting her wide eyes while her straight blonde locks billowed in the wind.

Adam looked dashing in head-to-toe black as he marred smart with casual by pairing a dapper tuxedo jacket with slashed jeans and a crew neck T-shirt.

Happier than ever: Back in June, Adam popped the question to his stunning partner-of-eight-years in an idyllic Dubai proposal and the couple share two-month-old son Teddy

Sizzling: His Love Island co-star and girlfriend Kady looked incredibly chic in a dazzling mini-dress adorned with gold detailing and a thigh-skimming hem

Scott, who soared to fame on last summer's season of Love Island, was twinning his brother in style also as he rocked a checked blazer with skin-tight jeans and shiny pointed shoes.

His Love Island co-star and girlfriend Kady looked incredibly chic in a dazzling mini-dress adorned with gold detailing and a thigh-skimming hem.

The Kent-born beauty allowed her enviably sleek tresses to billow in loose waves while her make-up was heavy-handed yet flawless.

All in! Joining the reality contingent was Ross Worswick, who found fame on the first season of Ex On The Beach in 2014, when he famously bedded Vicky Pattison

Joining the reality contingent was Ross Worswick, who found fame on the first season of Ex On The Beach in 2014, where he famously bedded Vicky Pattison on-screen.

He went on to date TOWIE's Jasmin Walia before the pair split last year and he is now pegged to return to the forthcoming sixth season of MTV's EOTB.

The handsome star, who christened himself Mr Marbella during his first TV stint, looked smart in a checked double-breasted blazer as he held hands with a brunette bombshell.

Here come the girls! Proving the WAGs of the Thomas brothers get along famously, she also shared a sweet snap in which she cosied up to Caroline with the girls posing up a storm

Look at her go! Kady followed suit in the sexy posts as she took to both Twitter and Instagram to display her chic getup to her followers

The lads: Both Scott and Ross appeared to be enjoying a serious bromance throughout the evening as they each peppered their accounts with snaps together

In true reality star style, the whole group were avidly documenting the evening on social media, with Caroline leading the way with a sizzling selfie which she mirrored four times to best show off her stunning getup.

Kady followed suit in the sexy posts as she took to both Twitter and Instagram to display her chic ensemble to her followers.

Proving the WAGs of the Thomas brothers get along famously, she also shared a sweet snap in which she cosied up to Caroline with the girls posing up a storm.

Both Scott and Ross appeared to be enjoying a serious bromance throughout the evening as they each peppered their accounts with snaps together.

Here come the boys: Both Ross and Scott have long been prominent faces on the Manchester clubbing scene - both enjoying success as promoters
Not many people have a photo recording the moment when they first lock eyes with the love of their lives.

But Coco Austin does...and on New Year's Eve she shared the image of herself being introduced to Ice-T at a bar with her 2.7 million Instagram followers.

The 37-year-old captioned it: '16 years ago my life changed forever! I remember this moment when we 1st met.'

Scroll down for video

'This is the actual moment': Coco Austin shared this Instagram snap on New Year's Eve showing her first introduction to the love of her life, rapper-actor Ice-T, 16 years ago

And she added: 'Happy Anniversary to the man I admire so much. I love you (This is the actual moment Ice and I met while shooting a video to a movie he did).'

The couple celebrated their anniversary at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut where they hosted the Winter Wonderland New Year's Eve Celebration.

On New Year's Day the 5ft 2ins beauty shared an Instagram snap of herself in a skin-tight black and gold mini-dress that showed off her voluptuous 39DD-23-40 body as she snuggled up to Ice at the bash.

The smiling 58-year-old rapper and actor, who stars in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, looked sharp in a black suit, shirt and tie.

Still so much in love: The couple celebrated their wedding anniversary at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut where they hosted the Winter Wonderland New Year's Eve Celebration

Dancing queen: The 37-year-old showed off her 39DD-23-40 assets in a skin-tight black and gold mini-dress at the casino bash

Back in 2012, Ice told the Daily Mail what first attracted him to Coco - and it wasn't her most obvious assets.

'It was her teeth, they were the first things I saw,' he explained in the exclusive interview.

'And then I saw her boobs. And then,' he laughed, 'when she turned around, that big butt,' the celebrity elaborated.

Instant attraction: In 2012 Ice-T said what first drew him to Coco were her teeth but went on to admit 'and then I saw her boobs. And then when she turned around, that big butt...'

'There was an instant physical attraction, but I was at a point in my life where I was ready to slow down. I wanted a partner. I wasn't in a position to be dating a beautiful psychopath.'

He added: 'But she was just an honest and giving woman. She's the nicest person, man or woman, I've ever met.'

The couple now share daughter Chanel, who turned one in November.
In 2006, she made reality TV history in her white bikini on I'm A Celeb.

And a decade on, Myleene Klass continues to slip into barely-there swimwear, as she rocked a tiny two-piece during a sun-drenched getaway to Sri Lanka, to ring in the New Year with her daughters, Ava, nine, and Hero, five.

The 38-year-old former Hear'Say star sizzled in her self-designed bikini which boasted a triangle crochet pattern with a sculpted cup and low-slung bottom.

Scroll down for video

Hot mama! Myleene Klass continues to slip into barely-there swimwear, as she rocked a tiny two-piece during a sun-drenched getaway to Sri Lanka, to ring in the New Year with her daughters, Ava, nine, and Hero, five

Myleene, who soared to fame in 2001 on pioneering talent show Popstars, looked sensational in her swimwear which highlighted every aspect of her frame.

The halterneck top helped show off her perky cleavage, which was enhanced by the padded top and bust-boosting neck ties.

Adding to the revealing nature of the Missoni-inspired two-piece was the dangerously low-slung bottoms which teetered far below her belly button.

Proving herself to be a true beach babe, the stunner accentuated her look with gold accents including a dainty body chain and blingtastic watch.

Twit twoo! The 38-year-old former Hear'Say star looked incredible in her self-designed bikini which boasted a triangle crochet pattern with a sculpted cup and low-slung bottom

Out and a pout: Myleene looked sensational in her swimwear which highlighted every aspect of her frame

As she knelt on the beach for her most sultry snap, the brunette beauty looked to the side while pouting - to best enhance her modelling prowess.

Adding to her catalogue of Instagram holiday pictures, Myleene later snapped some up close selfies in which she went totally make-up free.

Showing off her perky cleavage, the former pop star pulled a half-smile while gazing into the camera and allowing her tresses to fall loosely across her face.

The girls! Aside from her plethora of selfies, the mother-of-two also took to the waters with her beloved daughters where the family indulged in some paddleboarding

Clearly feeling more playful later on, Myleene peeled on a pair of superstar-worthy sunglasses while pulling a hilarious pout for the camera.

Aside from her plethora of selfies, the mother-of-two also took to the waters with her beloved daughters where the family indulged in some paddleboarding.

She added a sweet caption on the shot reading: 'Hope you get your break in 2017. As the sun sets here, Happy New Year from the Klass girls.'

Still got it! In 2006, Myleene made reality TV history in her white bikini on I'm A Celeb

Way back when! Myleene soared to fame in 2001 on pioneering talent show Popstars

It seems the trio had a fabulous Christmas, after Myleene told HELLO magazine that Christmas was 'magical' for the girls.

'I hope the magic lasts,' she said. 'But Im not sure for how long it will. They always want to see what Santa has brought me so I have to wrap up something.
The view on Miami Beach was twice as nice on New Year's Day.

Doutzen Kroes was joined by her friend and fellow model Joan Smalls as the pair soaked up the first rays of 2017.

The duo also soaked up plenty of envious stares as they juxtaposed their flawless figures in a tiny bikini each.

Twice as nice! Models Doutzen Kroes and Joan Smalls put on a sexy bikini display as they met up on Miami beach on Sunday

Doutzen, 31, looked gorgeous in a black and cream two piece.

She kept her hair away from her face with the help of a ponytail, accessorizing with a gold necklace, bracelets and a pair of shades.

The aptly named 28-year-old Smalls meanwhile, matched her in an equally skimpy burgundy swimsuit from Acacia Swimwear.

Doubles: The duo also soaked up plenty of envious stares as they juxtaposed their flawless figures in a tiny bikini each

Wow: Doutzen, 31, looked gorgeous in a black and cream two piece

Revealing: The aptly named 28-year-old Smalls meanwhile, matched her in an equally skimpy burgundy swimsuit from Acacia Swimwear

Thanks! Both ladies uploaded snaps to Instagram, giving a shout-out to the sponsor apparently paid for the trip

Both ladies uploaded snaps to Instagram, giving a shout-out to the sponsor apparently paid for the trip.

'Sunday Funday @WSouthBeach @whotels #wsobefaves,' Smalls wrote, while Kroes added: 'Amazing first day of the New Year'.

Doutzen appeared to be enjoying the sun a little bit too much, turning a smidgen rosy as a touch of sunburn appeared to take hold  a no-no for any beach goer, but especially one whose complexion is her livelihood.

Burn baby burn: Doutzen appeared to be enjoying the sun a little bit too much, turning a smidgen rosy as a touch of sunburn appeared to take hold  a no-no for any beach goer, but especially one whose complexion is her livelihood

Family day: The model had been spending New Year's Day with her husband Sunnery James and their daughter Myllena Mae Gorre

Hi! Sunnery was later spotted hugging a hello with Joan as she came over to greet the clan

Nice work: 'Sunday Funday @WSouthBeach @whotels #wsobefaves' Smalls wrote

The model had been spending New Year's Day with her husband Sunnery James and their daughter Myllena Mae Gorre.

Sunnery was later spotted hugging a hello with Joan as she came over to greet the clan.

Earlier this week, the Victoria's Secret model and her love of six years were spotted soaking up the sun in Cancun.

Family time: The couple's two-year-old Myllena Mae seemed to be having a ball

Cover up: Hopefully Doutzen was a bit more careful in her sunscreen application on the tot

Easy up-do: Doutzen kept her hair away from her face with the help of a ponytail

The right jewellery: The model accessorized with a gold necklace, bracelets and shades

So in love: Doutzen cuddled up to her hubby of six years during alone time on the beach

Doutzen has been married to her DJ husband Sunnery since November 2010.

The supermodel gave birth to the couple's first child, son Phyllon, on January 21, 2011.

Three years later they welcomed daughter Myllena.

Sporty girl: The Hunkemoller spokesmodel displayed her athleticism as she kicked a football along the sand

Beginnings: Doutzen has been modelling since her late teens, having landed gigs with Victoria's Secret in the early part of her career

Doutzen has been modelling since her late teens, having landed gigs with Victoria's Secret in the early part of her career.

She officially became an Angel for the brand in the summer of 2008.

In 2014, she ended her time with the brand and in 2016, became the face of Dutch lingerie company, Hunkemoller, with which she has her own line, Doutzen's Stories.
Her wild antics propelled her into the spotlight.

And Jemma Lucy appears determined to maintain her bad girl status as she took to Instagram on Saturday to share a number of steamy selfies in which she stripped down to various states of undress.

The 28-year-old Ex On The Beach star was not content with flashing her extremely ample curves on the photosharing site as she later took to Snapchat to post an explicit video in which she performed a lewd act on a banana.

Scroll down for video

Sunning herself! Jemma Lucy appears determined to maintain her bad girl status as she took to Instagram on Sunday to share a number of steamy selfies in which she stripped down to various states of undress

Jemma found reality fame on the MTV dating show's third season in 2015 before making an explosive return in last year's fifth series - where she was kicked off for various aggressive outbursts.

Since her untimely dismissal, the tattooed beauty has been on a crusade to shock both on social media, nights out and romantic dalliances.

Her latest Instagram spree saw the star, real name Jemma Henley, bare more than ever as she peeled off her clothes to go totally naked on a sunbed.

Using her hands to attempt to protect her modesty, the tattoo model barely hid her surgically-enhanced cleavage as she pouted into her phone.

Shocking: Once again, Jemma was not shy when it came to social media as she shared a lewd clip on Snapchat

Jemma later appeared complacent with her clothes once again as she opted to go topless in another duo of images which laid all her eye-popping assets on display.

After her string of sexy selfies, she then took to Snapchat where she sent shockwaves when she joined a pal in simulating a sex act on a banana.

Jemma's social media spree comes after she spoke to OK! online about her lonely Christmas, when she numbs her hatred for the festive period with alcohol.

She said: 'I usually just get really drunk so I don't have to deal with it. When I was younger it was a really nice, fun time. But as I got older and got sent away from home and sent to boarding school, that's when it started to become a not-nice time.

Out and a pout: Using her hands to attempt to protect her modesty, the tattoo model barely hid her surgically-enhanced cleavage as she pouted into her phone

Oh dear! Jemma later appeared complacent with her clothes once again as she opted to go topless in another duo of images which laid all her eye-popping assets on display

'I would usually get plonked with someone else's family, and you know when you're not with your family and with someone elses, it makes you feel like you're not accepted. You should be with your own family, not with other peoples.'

Prior to her EOTB run, the raven-haired stunner got her first taste of TV fame on Channel 4s Brat Camp in 2005 - a show aimed at troubled teens.

Among her co-stars, Jemma was sent to a US correctional centre following a string of offences including shoplifting atop being expelled from three schools.

Way back when: Prior to her EOTB run, the raven-haired stunner got her first taste of TV fame on Channel 4s Brat Camp in 2005 - a show aimed at troubled teens

Following this she competed on Signed by Katie Price, a reality show hoping to find a protege for the model, before she launched herself into the reality world on EOTB.

During her first run in 2015's third season, she enjoyed dalliances with Kirk Norcross, before returning in series five this year - where she was ejected for her 'unreasonable behaviour' after an array of brawls.

Jemma has gained herself a bad girl reputation during her stints on the MTV dating show after she frequently became embroiled in furious rows with co-stars.
Last year reportedly ended with a second marriage split for Katie Waissel and a stint in rehab for Renee Graziano.

But the Celebrity Big Brother co-stars, who became friends in the Channel 5 house in January, appeared to be leaning on each other on New Year's Day.

The pair were spotted laughing and giggling during an idyllic girls' break to Miami, where they were no doubt looking ahead to better times in 2017.

Scroll down for video

Bouncing back: Katie Waissel (left) seemed to have turned to CBB co-star Renee Graziano (right) in the midst of herreported split from second husband Brian Moote, as they were seen on a girls' break in Miami

In December, it was claimed that former X Factor star Katie had split from her second husband, American comedian Brian Moote, after just one year of marriage.

The heartbroken 30-year-old, who married Brian following a six-month romance, was once again pictured without her wedding ring during her jaunt along the sands.

She had an air of 'carefree' about her, dressed in just a sarong and a bikini top on the sands after encouraging her Twitter followers to make 2017 'the year of YOU'.

Life's a beach! Katie was still not wearing her wedding ring, when she hit Miami beach

Friends: The duo forged a bond on Celebrity Big Brother in 2016

Beside a picture with Renee, she praised her counterpart for keeping her company at the turn of New Year's.

She said: 'What a way to spend my last day in 2016!! On the beach in Miami with my girl @reneegraziano !! Make sure that 2017 if the year of YOU! #2017

Another picture was captioned: 'The sun always shines on the righteous .... Year of YOU!! #happynewyear #2017 #yearofyou #miami #southbeach'

Firm friend: Posting a sweet snap of the pair to her Instagram page, the former X Factor hopeful referred to Renee as 'just gorgeous in so many ways'

Motivational: In another post she said: 'What a way to spend my last day in 2016!! On the beach in Miami with my girl @reneegraziano !! Make sure that 2017 if the year of YOU! #2017'

With that, she appeared to be taking a sly dig at her ex, though the reason for their split is as yet unconfirmed.

A spokesperson for Katie declined to provide further comment to MailOnline in December.

The news emerged three weeks ago, when The Sun claimed the split was the reason Katie has pulled out of playing Princess Jill in a production of Jack and The Beanstalk in Northwich in Cheshire.

Hitting back? Subtly hinting at issues between her and her second husband Brian Moote, Katie captioned another bikini photo 'The sun always shines on the righteous'

All over? Katie has reportedly split from hubby Brian after just a year of marriage

Single lady: Katie jetted to Miami after her 'split' from Brian reportedly made her too upset 'to handle the gruelling regime' of the pantomime she was set to star in, Jack and The Beanstalk

A source told the newspaper: 'Katie and Brian have split, and she is simply too upset to handle the gruelling regime of a pantomime.'

Meanwhile Renee seemed to be looking happier and healthier than ever, following reports that she checked into a rehabilitation centre for depression in November.

According to Radar Online, the 48-year-old Mob Wives favourite would continue with her treatment program for 'probably another month or so'.

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)

While her sister Jennifer Graziano reportedly told the site that her struggles were 'not necessarily drug or alcohol related, she said: 'Its a personal thing. But basically she is getting treated for depression and shes trying to work it out.'

Bouncing back from their plights together, Renee and Katie have been filling their newsfeeds with positive posts about the year ahead, in particular about their friendship.

Previously, Katie used to regularly update her social media with 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
She has made millions off her astonishing good looks and incredible figure.

So Naomi Campbell is naturally keen to flaunt her hottest commodity, as illustrated when she took to Instagram on Sunday where she showed off her phenomenal physique in a bikini-clad snap.

The 46-year-old supermodel looked sensational as she wished her 3.5million followers a happy New Year while also treating fans to a generous glimpse at her famous figure.

Scroll down for video

Sexier than ever: Naomi Campbell is naturally keen to show off her hottest commodity, as illustrated when she took to Instagram on Sunday where she showed off her phenomenal physique in a bikini clad snap

Naomi's career in the spotlight has spanned nearly four decades, after she made her first foray into fame in 1978 aged just seven, when she appeared in the video for Bob Marley's hit Is This Love.

Fast forward 38 years and the stunning model remains firmly in the limelight, having achieved a status as one one of the world's most iconic models.

In her latest social media snap the London-born beauty showed she is ringing in 2017 in style as she slipped into a barely-there pink bikini which highlighted every inch of her incredible figure.

As she looked down at the ground, the profile pose of the image helped show off both her extremely taut stomach but also endless legs.

Hot stuff! She has made millions off her astonishing good looks and incredible figure

While larking around on the shores in the paradise-like setting, the stunning star kicked a leg forward as she complemented her backdrop with the candyfloss pink swimwear.

Partially obscuring her face with a stylish white fedora, Naomi appeared lost in thought as she stood against the turquoise water and white sand.

Reaching out to her millions of fans, Naomi added a caption on the shot reading: '#HappyNewyear my Darlings thank you for your beautiful messages .wishing most Amazing #2017...'

From her granddad to her fans: She went on to quote late South African president Nelson Mandela, who dubbed her an 'honarary granddaughter, as she added: 'Mandela Quote : We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right'

She went on to quote late South African president Nelson Mandela, who dubbed her an 'honarary granddaughter', as she added: 'Mandela Quote : We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right'.

While Naomi was evidently following contemplative as the new year arrived, just days before she was extending a touching tribute to George Michael, who passed away on Christmas day.

Taking to Instagram once more, the iconic model wrote: 'George Michael #my condolences to your family and loved ones , you will never know how many lives you touched with your soulful voice and your fight for LGBT rights. Stand Tall George the Angels are awaiting you !!! May you Rest In Peace #freedom90'.
They have enjoyed four years of marital bliss.

And it is plain to see what James Corden sees in his stunning wife Julia Carey as she stripped down to a chic black swimsuit during their festive family trip to Barbados on Sunday.

The TV producer looked nothing short of sensational in her slinky one-piece as she joined her chat show host husband, 38, and their five-year-old son Max on the beach.

Scroll down for video

Hello there! It is plain to see what James Corden sees in his stunning wife Julia Carey as she stripped down to a chic black swimsuit during their family trip to Barbados on Sunday

James and Julia, who are also parents to two-year-old daughter Carey, have been enjoying a blissful Caribbean break among other stars including Holly Willoughby, who joined them on the sandy shores.

As she stood in her slinky swimsuit, Julia flaunted her showstopping frame in the one-piece which made the most of all her best bits.

Her endless legs were emphasised by the high hips of the scalloped number while her toned arms were further accentuated by the halterneck top.

Ensuring she kept her taut complexion flawless, she pulled on a stylish trilby with her blonde tresses tucked underneath.

Playing around: James was loving life as he played on the beach alongside his sizzling wife

That body! James and Julia, who are also parents to daughter Carey, two, have been enjoying a blissful Caribbean break among other stars including Holly Willoughby, who joined them on the sandy shores

The whole gang: The TV producer looked nothing short of sensational in her slinky one-piece as she joined her chat show host husband, 38, and their five-year-old son Max on the beach

She masked her make-up free complexion with the addition of cat-eye sunglasses, which gave the already stunning look a superstar edge.

Standing on the beach, Julia held something of a mother's meeting as she chatted away to Holly while looking out on the idyllic shores.

After enjoying enough time in her swimsuit, the blonde beauty later pulled on a pair of barely-there denim shorts with a crew-neck white T-shirt - lending her a further beach babe vibe.

Stunner shades: She masked her make-up free complexion with the addition of cat-eye sunglasses, which gave the already stunning look a superstar edge

Here come the girls: As she stood on the beach, Julia held something of a mother's meeting as she chatted away to Holly while looking out on the idyllic shores

Slipping down: After enjoying enough time in her swimsuit, the blonde beauty later pulled on a pair of barely-there denim shorts with a crew-neck white T-shirt - lending her a further beach babe vibe

Making a splash: James was down with the kids as they piled onto a boat

Meanwhile James, who soared to fame playing Jamie Rymer in UK comedy Fat Friends in 2000, appeared to be loving life as he cooled off in the glistening sea with little Max.

As he soaked up the sun beneath the blistering climes, he wore funky green shorts with a bold turtle print - perfectly suited to his setting.

As he played with his son, he ensured the youngster was safe against the searing rays by dressing him in a sun-shielding swimming top with patterned trunks.

Throwing themselves fully into the merriment on the shores, James toted a navy paddle-board before ditching the item and holding Max in the water.

Come here! James and Max were having the time of their life

Oops! The London-born funnyman caused a potential tech disaster as his phone fell into the water

Oops! James dropped his phone on to the sand as he walked along the beach

Any damage? Looking at his luxury phone he ensured there was no damage done

Cripes! A rush to a nearby towel was a possible rescue remedy for the phone

Playing around: James was in full daddy mode on New Year's day

Daddy dearest: The Late Late Show host put on a sweet display with the tot as the pair rocked complementary swimwear in green hues while larking around on the shores

Wrapping up: Later on, James joined Julia in covering up as he pulled on a black T-shirt before dropping his phone in the sand

Later on, James joined Julia in covering up as he pulled on a black T-shirt before dropping his phone in the sand.

A far cry from his humble former life in the UK, James has found huge success and worldwide fame since he replaced Craig Ferguson on the Late Late Show in 2014.

The rebooted series was an immediate success, and the show has since gone on to win an Emmy earlier this year.

Doting: James, who soared to fame playing Jamie Rymer in UK comedy Fat Friends in 2000, appeared to be loving life as he cooled off in the glistening sea

Dipping on down: James immersed himself fully in the warm water

Rock on: As he soaked up the sun beneath the blistering climes, he wore funky green shorts with a bold turtle print - perfectly suited to his setting

Pooling around: Perhaps most famous and popular of all is his iconic Carpool Karaoke segment - which sees James take celebrities out for a spin and sing-a-long in his car

Perhaps most famous and popular of all is his iconic Carpool Karaoke segment - which sees James take celebrities out for a spin and sing-a-long in his car.

Stars such as Jennifer Lopez, Michelle Obama and Stevie Wonder have all taken part in the skit - as well as Lady Gaga most recently, with James copying her infamous meat dress to give the lift.

Talking on ITV's Lorraine earlier this year, James said he owes his success all to his wife - who agreed to make the move stateside at a chaotic time.

Come to daddy! James appeared playful with Max

Hold me close: Attentive father James was holding Max close as they hit the water

Showing him the ropes: James appeared to be guiding his son in his activity

Paddle away! The duo were having a fantastic time as they played around

He said: 'All credit to my wife, who agreed to move when our daughter was five weeks old and our son was three.

'It was a massive undertaking. I work so hard in the week and then at the weekend, you click your fingers and it's like you are in the South Of France.

He then added in his usual witty style: 'Luckily it's our life for the foreseeable future or until I get sacked.'

Moving up: James previously said: 'All credit to my wife, who agreed to move when our daughter was five weeks old and our son was three'

Cooling off: The pair later ventured to their nearest beach bar for a break from the sun
Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 1

Trend:

09:17(GMT+4) An attacker killed at least 39 people, including a police officer, in a gun attack held on Reina, a popular night club in Istanbul, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu announced on Jan. 1, Hurriyet reported.

69 people were also wounded in the attack that was carried out before 1:30 a.m.

04:37(GMT+4) Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin announced that at least 35 people were killed and 40 injured as a result of the attack on the nightclub in Istanbul's Ortakoy district, Milliyet newspaper reported.

04:17(GMT+4) At least two people have been killed and 20 injured after the attack, Milliyet newspaper reported.

According to Turkey's NTV channel, two attackers were involved in the Reina attack. The shooters were wearing Santa Claus costumes, according to media reports.

03:37(GMT+4) A night nightclub in the Turkish city of Istanbul has been attacked, Milliyet newspaper reported.

Many people were injured according to reports.
They're sharing some time in the sun with their three cute children.

But Holly Willoughby and Dan Baldwin looked delighted to be enjoying some time alone in Barbados on New Year's Day, as they snuck in a beach stroll.

Golden from a spot of winter sun, Holly looked positively giddy as she displayed her chic holiday wardrobe with a tan.

Scroll down for video

Glowing: Holly Willoughby looked absolutely delighted to be enjoying some sun with husband Dan Baldwin on New Year's Day

Holly and Dan went barefoot in the sands, holding hands as they escaped their young ones.

She was looking stunning in a Bardot-style beach dress, which sat off her shoulders to facilitate an all-over glow.

Her look was completed with an effortless half up, half down 'do and some simple shades.

Hot holiday wardrobe: The star seems to have packed a fantastic wardrobe for the week away

I do like to be beside the seaside: Holly was wearing a Bardot-style beach cover up

Chatting away: Holly and Dan had escaped their three young children for the afternoon

Whereas Dan, who was forced to squint at the beating sun, seemed to have forgotten his sunglasses.

Her also went shirtless for the jaunt along the beach and added some flair to his beach look in patterned lilac shorts.

The couple have been spreading their responsibilities with children Belle, Chester and Harry as they try to get in some relaxation time at Christmas.

Sun-kissed: The duo had already achieved impressive, all-over tans

Where's Phil: As she takes a break from This Morning, she is also away from TV husband Philip Schofield

Lost your sunglasses, Dan? Dan seemed to be squinting without shades on

Perfect getaway: The duo looked delighted to be spending some time together

Though Holly is taking her annual break from duties on ITV's This Morning, she was never far from the celebrities.

Spotted enjoying a chit-chat on the shoreline with Julia Carey, it became clear that the Willoughbys are holidaying with James Corden and family.

Both mums to a young family, the two blonde bombshells outshone their husbands while they watched the kids in the water.

Friends in high places: Holly was spotted talking to James Corden's wife Julia Carey

Beach babes: The blonde bombshells seemed to chatting away contentedly
It was announced in September that he had split from his wife Zoe Ball.

And Norman Cook certainly looked ready to put this difficult year behind him on Sunday, as he landed in London after an exciting New Years' Eve gig with a smile.

The 53-year-old DJ, who is better known by the name Fatboy Slim, looked in good spirits as he returned home from his club appearance in Parma, Italy - one week after embarking on his first Christmas alone in 17 years.

Scroll down for video

Moving on: Norman Cook, 53, certainly looked ready to put this difficult year behind him on Sunday, as he landed in London after a New Years' Eve gig with a smile

The famous musician kept things low-key in a simple jeans and jumper combo as he touched back in his hometown after the whistle stop visit.

Pulling his suitcase behind him and a package under his arm, the father-of-two looked comfortable and content as he strolled through the airport for home with a smile.

The Praise You hitmaker had helped party-goers celebrate the arrival of 2017 in Cortile Della Pilotta club in Parma, Italy - keeping busy with his music following the difficult breakdown of his marriage earlier this year.

Distracted: The Praise You hitmaker had played a busy New Year's Eve gig in Parma, Italy - keeping busy with his music following the difficult breakdown of his marriage earlier this year

Norman announced he was separating from his wife of 17 years Zoe Ball in September.

However it was later claimed that Norman, who has two children with the TV presenter, had been left devastated by the split, and was hoping for a reconciliation.

A source close to the couple told The Sun: 'Norman doesnt want a divorce. He is distraught the marriage is over. Zoe has had enough but he's desperately hoping she will come back.'

It's over: Norman announced he was separating from his wife of 17 years Zoe Ball in September

The insider continued that the DJ 'adores' Zoe - who he wed in 1999 at Babington House, Somerset - and has always put their 'family first'.

However while Norman no doubt fought back his emotions this Christmas, estranged wife Zoe had cause to celebrate, after remaining sober for six months.

Strictly's It Takes Two host, 46, took to Instagram last week to congratulate herself on an impressive half-a-year milestone, posting an inspiring message aimed at those who pulled her through the tough times.

'Not always easy but feels good #gratitude #sobriety #calmness #strength #justfortoday #love  #merrychristmastome

Looking forward: However it was later claimed that Norman, who has two children with the presenter, Woody (above) and daughter Nelly, was hoping for a reconciliation

'Love & gratitude to some special people who have helped me stay strong xxxxxxxxxx,' she captioned the snap.

Zoe has previously been candid about her struggles with alcohol and in 2014 admitted she broke her sobriety after six years of abstinence, which she first began in 2009 on the morning of New Year's Day following a party of 'total carnage'.

The Strictly: It Takes Two host confessed to Essentials magazine that while she was back to drinking, she kept it in moderation.

'To be honest, I can't handle the hangovers - I'm an all-or-nothing person. But I know that about myself, which is the key to stopping.'
Government, opposition sign DR Congo crisis deal

The government and opposition parties in the Democratic Republic of Congo signed a deal Saturday to end a political crisis over President Joseph Kabila's fate that has caused months of deadly unrest.

Under the terms of the deal, Kabila will stay until the "end of 2017" but a transition council will be established, headed by opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi.

In addition, a prime minister will be named from the opposition ranks.

Congolese President Joseph Kabila (C), seen in November 2016, will stay on until the "end of 2017," under the terms of a new political deal between the government and opposition parties Junior KANNAH (AFP/File)

The talks were launched by the Roman Catholic church to ward off violence as Kabila's second and final mandate ended on December 20 with no sign of him stepping down and no election in sight.
For poor Algerians, mass weddings a chance to celebrate

Gathered in a tent in the Algerian desert, 30 young women are preparing for a big day many thought they could never afford -- a wedding.

Draped in beaded fabrics, the women lift their veils so make-up can be applied to their faces and hold out their hands for henna tatoos, the smell of incense wafting through the tent.

The next day, their 30 grooms gather separately, dressed in traditional robes, their heads wrapped in turbans.

Without the help of charitable association "SOS 3e-age El-Ihsane" many couples in the Sahara desert village of Ain Salah, south Algeria, could not afford a proper wedding RYAD KRAMDI (AFP)

Ornamental swords rest on their laps as they sit cross-legged on carpets outside, listening quietly to chants and drumming as they are shaved and kohl is applied around their eyes.

In the evening, the girls will be brought to the grooms' family homes, lifting their veils to reveal their faces to their new husbands.

"For us, tradition is paramount, a woman is not properly married if she doesn't follow our traditions," says Hadja Hnizga, a volunteer helping to prepare the ceremonies.

The 30 couples, all from poor families, are taking part in a mass wedding organised by charitable association "SOS 3e-age El-Ihsane".

Without the group's help, few would have been able to afford an individual ceremony, which can cost at least 1.2 million dinars ($10,000/8,000 euros) -- the equivalent of nearly two years' worth of earnings at Algeria's minimum wage.

- Costly ceremonies -

The high cost of nuptials in Algeria appears to be deterring some from tying the knot -- there were about 370,000 weddings in 2015, a drop from around 386,000 the year before, despite a rising population.

"In these back country areas, people are poor and need help," says Souad Chikhi, the president of the association that organised the mass wedding in Ain Salah.

An oasis town in the heart of the Sahara in central Algeria, Ain Salah sits near major natural gas production sites, but not everyone here has benefitted.

The 30 grooms in the recent ceremony work in low-wage jobs, some as drivers, others as security guards or agricultural labourers.

The brides are mainly unemployed and after their marriages most of the couples will live with families as they cannot afford their own homes.

Many were thankful that -- despite the other difficulties in their lives -- they were able to have a proper wedding.

"The initiative to finance and help young people is good," said Mohammed, one of the grooms.

"When I heard about this association, like other young people I wanted to take part in this marriage. This association helps those who are in need a lot."

As well as the ceremony itself, the association organised gift baskets to be given to the couples that include appliances, dishes and clothes.

"Thank God, we were able to gather their gifts," Chikhi said. "We were able to pay the dowry for the boy and the girl and I hope that will bring them happiness."

The most modest Algerian marriage costs around 600,000 dinars (4,000 euros) for each spouse, more than two years of minimum wage (150 euros) an expense most can't afford RYAD KRAMDI (AFP)
Philippines says 'fear of Duterte' lessens New Year injuries

Fears that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte would harshly punish revellers who celebrate the New Year with firecrackers caused a "remarkable" decline in injuries, the health minister said Sunday.

The Philippines indulges in an annual orgy of New Year's Eve merrymaking that leaves hundreds maimed as people set off firecrackers and fire guns in the air in a loud and raucous overnight celebration.

But Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial said injuries during this year's revelry were the lowest in 10 years after Duterte said he was considering repeating a ban on firecrackers which he implemented when mayor of his southern home town of Davao.

A man injured by a firecracker during New Year's celebrations is treated by doctors at the Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center in Manila NOEL CELIS (AFP)

"People are now afraid to light firecrackers because of the president," Ubial said.

"They have this impression that somehow they will get caught or they will be punished."

Ubial said 350 were injured by firecrackers and fireworks this year compared to a 10-year average of 1,000.

Duterte, 71, has drawn global criticism including from the United States and the United Nations for a war on drugs that has killed over 5,000 people.

Duterte won last year's elections in a landslide on a promise to eradicate narcotics by killing tens of thousands of criminals.

He also vowed to roll out Davao-style law and order measures nationwide, including banning smoking in restaurants and hotels and curbing drinking in public places.

Duterte last month said he would issue an order to ban people from using firecrackers, limiting their use to community fireworks displays.

"The least that I can say or do is just to issue a warning that it's very, very dangerous," he said pending the order's release.

Duterte said he was concerned about children, who make up most of the victims.

Ubial said the trend continued this year, with a three-year-old suffering a hand injury at Cabanatuan in the centre of Luzon island.

The worst case involved a 15-year-old girl, who slipped into a coma after a stray bullet hit her head while she was watching a fireworks display in Manila's neighbouring district of Malabon.

"This is one of our saddest incidents," Ubial said.
10 on the run after attack on Bahrain jail

Armed men on Sunday attacked a prison in Bahrain where Shiites convicted over anti-government protests are held, killing one policeman and allowing 10 inmates to escape, the interior ministry said.

The security forces launched a manhunt for the attackers and the escapees, the ministry said on Twitter.

The attack took place at Jaw prison south of the capital Manama.

Protesters throw stones towards riot police during clashes in the Shiite village of Shahrakkan, south of Manama on April 5, 2016 following the funeral of a 17-year-old whose family says he died of injuries suffered in a police chase MOHAMMED AL-SHAIKH (AFP/File)

The ministry said four or five members of a "terrorist group" armed with automatic rifles and pistols attacked at 05:30 local time (0230 GMT).

It said one policeman was killed and another wounded in the attack, which allowed 10 prisoners to flee.

Seven had been serving life sentences and three were serving lengthy jail terms for "terrorist acts", the ministry added.

The tiny but strategic Gulf state has been rocked by unrest since its Sunni authorities crushed Shiite-led protests in 2011 demanding a constitutional monarchy and an elected prime minister.

Hundreds of Shiites have been arrested and many have faced trials over their role in the demonstrations.

Police on Sunday set up or reinforced roadblocks near Shiite villages outside the capital, witnesses said.

Despite the crackdown, Shiite protesters have frequently clashed with security forces in these villages.

In June, 17 prisoners broke out of Al-Hadd jail east of Manama, but the authorities recaptured 11 of them the next day.

Bahrain, which is connected to Saudi Arabia by a causeway, lies across the Gulf from Shiite Iran and is home to the US Fifth Fleet.
10-year-old girl used as human bomb in Nigeria New Year's Eve attack

One person was seriously injured when a suicide bomber aged around 10 blew herself up in a New Year's Eve attack in the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri, witnesses and aid workers told AFP Sunday.

The girl approached a crowd buying noodles from a food vendor in the Customs area of the city around 9:30 pm on Saturday and detonated her explosives, they said.

Although no one has claimed responsibility the attack bore the hallmark of Boko Haram Islamists who are notorious for using suicide bombers, mostly women and young girls, in attacking civilian targets.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack in Maiduguri, but it bore the hallmark of Boko Haram Islamists who are notorious for using suicide bombers, mostly women and young girls, in attacking civilian targets Str (AFP/File)

"The girl walked towards the crowd but she blew up before she could reach her target," said witness Grema Usman who lives in the area.

"She died instantly, while one person was seriously hurt after after he was hit by shrapnel."

"(Judging) from her corpse the girl was around 10 years old," Usman said.

An aid worker involved in the evacuation of the body gave a similar estimate of the bomber's age.

"The girl was clearly not more than 10 and this could have made her too nervous, making her to detonate the explosives prematurely," the aid worker suggested.

Borno state police spokesman Victor Isuku, meanwhile, said a second female suicide bomber was caught and lynched by an angry mob. Her bomb was safely detonated by security forces, he said.

In December two girls aged between seven and eight detonated explosives in suicide attacks on market in the city, injuring 19 people.

Authorities blamed the attack on Boko Haram, whose seven-year insurgency has killed 20,000 people and displaced 2.6 million others. The conflict has spilled into Nigeria's northern neighbours.
Syria clashes test fragile truce brokered by Russia, Turkey

Fighting in parts of Syria on Sunday threatened a shaky ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey, whose efforts to kickstart talks towards ending the conflict won backing from world powers.

The nationwide truce between the regime and non-jihadist rebels aims to smooth the way for peace talks in Kazakhstan later this month orchestrated by Damascus's allies Moscow and Tehran and rebel backer Ankara.

The UN Security Council on Saturday unanimously approved a resolution supporting the Russian and Turkish initiative aimed at ending the nearly six-year-old war that has killed more than 310,000 people and displaced millions.

Residents buy petrol on a street in the northwestern Syrian city of Idlib on December 30, 2016 as a truce brokered by Russia and Turkey came into effect Omar haj kadour (AFP)

Air raids and clashes have continued to shake parts of the country since the ceasefire started at midnight on Thursday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group.

Four civilians, two of them children, and nine rebels have been killed since the truce took effect, said the Britain-based Observatory, which relies on a network of sources in Syria for its information.

In northern Syria, regime air strikes on Sunday targeted the rebel-held town of Atareb, the monitor said.

Regime air strikes also hit the Wadi Barada region near Damascus, where the government says rebels last week deliberately targeted water infrastructure that supplies the capital.

On Saturday night, rebels shelled Fuaa and Kafraya, two besieged Shiite-majority villages in northwestern Syria.

In the rebel bastion of Eastern Ghouta east of Damascus, which the government has waged a months-long offensive to retake, opposition fighters exchanged fire with regime forces.

The truce excludes the Islamic State group and former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front.

Saturday's UN resolution "welcomes and supports the efforts by Russia and Turkey to end violence in Syria and jumpstart a political process", and hails the planned talks in the Kazakh capital Astana as "an important step".

The measure also calls for the "rapid, safe and unhindered" delivery of humanitarian aid in Syria.

- 60,000 killed in 2016 -

In Eastern Ghouta's Hammuriyeh area, Syrian activists marked the New Year by decorating a tree with lights and pictures of war victims, an AFP photographer said.

The Observatory says a total of 60,000 people lost their lives in violence across Syria in 2016, more than 13,000 of them civilians.

Syria's conflict began in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests and has since spiralled into a multi-front war involving various sides and international players.

Russia and Turkey say the Astana talks in late January will supplement, not replace, UN-backed peace efforts, including negotiations set to resume on February 8 in Geneva.

Moscow and Ankara have been working increasingly closely on Syria, including on a deal to allow the evacuation of civilians and rebels from the besieged northern city of Aleppo last month.

The fighting in Syria has occasionally spilled over into neighbouring Turkey, with several attacks blamed on IS or Kurdish militants.

In the latest violence, 39 people, including many foreigners, were killed Sunday when a gunman went on a rampage at an exclusive nightclub in Istanbul where revellers were celebrating the New Year.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

Turkey has waged a four-month incursion in Syria that it says is to expel IS and Kurdish fighters from the border area.

Washington has been noticeably absent from the new process to end Syria's conflict, but has called the truce "positive".

Moscow -- which has been supporting Damascus with air strikes since 2015 -- has said it hopes to bring US President-elect Donald Trump's administration on board once he takes office later this month.

On Saturday, in the coastal regime stronghold of Tartus, two suicide bombers blew themselves up at a security roadblock, killing two members of the regime forces.

Key moments in the Syrian conflict Thomas SAINT-CRICQ, Sabrina BLANCHARD (AFP)

Members of the UN Security Council vote on a Russian-Turkish peace plan for Syria at UN headquarters in New York on December 31, 2016 KENA BETANCUR (AFP)

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitor of the war, said Saturday that most of Syria remained calm, despite limited clashes Abd Doumany (AFP)
Foreigners among victims of Istanbul attack

Foreigners including many nationals of Arab countries were among the dead in the New Year shooting rampage at an Istanbul nightclub, officials said on Sunday.

A total of 39 people were killed in the assault at the exclusive Reina club on the shores of the Bosphorus and 65 injured, officials said.

Here is a breakdown of the nationalities of the dead and wounded known so far given by their respective countries:

Turkish special force police officers and ambulances are seen at the site of an armed attack at the Reina nightclub in Istanbul on January 1, 2017 YASIN AKGUL (AFP)

- Saudi Arabia -

Riyadh's consulate in Istanbul said that Saudis were among the victims, but gave no figures. The Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper however quoted a consulate source as saying that five Saudis including two women had died and 11 other people were injured. Al-Arabiya television also spoke of five dead and nine wounded.

- Jordan -

The foreign ministry in Amman said three Jordanians were killed and four injured, the official Petra news agency reported.

- Iraq -

A spokeman for Iraq's foreign ministry said that three Iraqis died in the attack.

- Lebanon -

The Lebanese foreign ministry announced the death of three Lebanese and said another four were wounded.

"I was saved by my passport which I was carrying right near my heart," one of the injured, Francois al-Asmar, told Lebanese television from his hospital bed.

- Tunisia -

The Tunisian foreign ministry said on its Facebook page that one Tunisian and one Franco-Tunisian had died. Tunisia's ambassador to France named the victims as husband and wife Mohamed Azzabi and Senda Nakaa who leave behind a five-month-old daughter.

- India -

India's external affairs minister said two nationals were among the dead, naming them as Abis Rizvi, the son of a former MP, and a woman, Khushi Shah.

- Morocco -

Foreign ministry confirmed that two Moroccans were killed and four hospitalised.

- Israel -

The Israeli foreign ministry said a young Arab Israeli woman, 18-year-old Lian Nasser, had died.

- Belgium -

Belgium's foreign ministry confirmed that a man in his 20s, a Belgian-Turkish dual national, was killed.

- Libya -
Thousands march in Hong Kong to protest bid to unseat lawmakers

Thousands of protesters, chanting "Sovereignty belongs to the people!" marched through Hong Kong on New Year's Day to protest at the governments legal bid to unseat some pro-democracy lawmakers.

The four popularly elected legislators, who led the rally, were the latest targets of a government move which pro-democracy parties describe as a witch hunt.

It came after the city's courts ousted two pro-independence lawmakers for failing to swear their oaths of office correctly, a move backed by Beijing.

Protesters including pro-democracy lawmakers Lau Siu-lai (bottom C), Edward Yiu (behind Lau) and Nathan Law (bottom L) carry a banner reading "Sovereignty belongs to the people!" during a New Year's Day rally in Hong Kong on January 1, 2017 DALE DE LA REY (AFP)

The Hong Kong government now wants to bar the other four legislators for alleged breaches in their swearing-in ceremony and in their oaths of allegiance.

"We can see that under Hong Kong's rule of law, the government, with its unlimited resources, will use legal procedures to bully leaders and representatives with fewer resources," Joshua Wong, a prominent student leader, told AFP at the rally.

"This has shown that 'One Country, Two Systems' is a failure and we should use the 20th anniversary of the handover to reflect on our political situation."

Britain handed Hong Kong back to China in 1997 under a deal which gives it broad autonomy and preserves its freedoms and the rule of law for 50 years. But there are fears these freedoms are being eroded by Beijing.

"The four lawmakers are genuinely concerned about the future of Hong Kong to ensure that our core values will be maintained," Peggy Ng, a retired civil servant, told AFP at the rally.

"Particularly, that our next generations will enjoy the freedoms that I have enjoyed before."

Court proceedings against the four are scheduled to start in February.

Organisers of the march said 9,150 people attended, while police estimated an maximum attendance of 4,800.

A 1,200-strong pro-Beijing committee will elect Hong Kong's next leader in March.

The current unpopular chief executive Leung Chun-ying has announced he will not seek re-election, citing family reasons.

Banners at the march caricatured the likely election candidates and highlighted their pro-establishment positions.

Sunday's rally also sought to raise funds for the four lawmakers to fight the government's challenge in court.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 1

Trend:

The US intelligence warned over such an attack about one week or 10 days ago and measures have been taken, including the sea front, Mehmet Kocharslan, owner of the club said.

The inglorious raved through the place with Kalashnikovs, Mehmet Kocharslan told Hurriyet newspaper.

Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin announced that at least 35 people were killed and 40 injured as a result of the attack on the nightclub in Istanbul's Ortakoy district, Milliyet newspaper reported.
Israeli killed, another injured in Istanbul attack

An Israeli woman was killed and another injured in the New Year attack at an Istanbul nightclub that left at least 39 people dead, Israel's foreign ministry said Sunday.

"The death of the Israeli woman previously reported missing has been confirmed and a second Israeli woman is injured," a ministry spokesman told AFP.

He named the victim as Lian Nasser, 18, an Arab Israeli from the northern town of Tira.

Turkish special force police officers and ambulances are seen at the site of an armed attack at the Reina nightclub in Istanbul on January 1, 2017 YASIN AKGUL (AFP)

Israeli media said that the injured woman was one of her friends.

Turkey is a top tourist destination for Israelis, with tens of thousands visiting each year.
Gambia's Jammeh accuses regional bloc of declaring war

Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has accused the West African regional bloc ECOWAS of declaring war after demanding that he stand down following his defeat at the ballot box.

Regional leaders warned last month that the 15-member ECOWAS would "take all necessary action to enforce the results" of the December 1 poll.

Jammeh retorted in a New Year's speech on Saturday night that the ECOWAS summit decision was "totally illegal" as it violated the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of member states.

Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, seen in 2014, initially conceded presidential election defeat to opposition leader Adama Barrow before reversing his position and refusing to accept the vote a week later ISSOUF SANOGO (AFP/File)

"It is in effect a declaration of war and an insult to our constitution. It is therefore absolutely unacceptable," said Jammeh.

"Let me make very clear that we are ready to defend the country against any aggression and there will be no compromise on this."

Opposition leader Adama Barrow was declared the winner of the ballot in the former British colony and Jammeh -- in power for 22 years -- initially conceded defeat.

But he reversed his decision a week later, condemning "unacceptable errors" by election authorities and calling for a new election.

The Gambia's top court said last month it was adjourning until January 10 a case filed by Jammeh to annul the vote results.

Jammeh's stance has stoked international concerns about the future of the small west African country, with the UN joining African leaders in calling for him to allow Barrow to take the oath of office as scheduled on January 19.

But the 51-year-old strongman has remained defiant.
Turkmenistan halts gas flow to Iran in arrears row

Turkmenistan halted gas supplies to Iran Sunday amid tensions between the two countries over arrears, the Iranian National Gas Company was quoted by oil ministry news agency Shana as saying.

"The gas company of Turkmenistan has cut gas exports to Iran, contrary to the agreement reached, by demanding immediate payment of arrears," Shana cited an official statement as saying.

The two countries have been holding discussions but have not yet reached agreement on the payment and amount of arrears Iran owes to Turkmenistan.

After Turkmenistan halted gas supplies to Iran, the Iranian National Gas Company asked consumers to "pay attention to consumption", but added that with domestic production rising, the country did not need to import gas ERIC PIERMONT (AFP/File)

The Islamic republic uses Turkmen gas in the populated north of the country while its main gas fields are in southern Iran.

The National Iranian Gas Company asked consumers to "pay attention to consumption", but added that with domestic production rising, the country did not need to import gas and could cope by making savings.

Turkmenistan currently exports up to 10 billion cubic meters of gas to Iran, its third largest trading partner after China and Turkey.

Ten years ago, Turkmenistan abruptly stopped its gas exports to Iran in the middle of winter, and demanded a ninefold increase in the price.

According to an oil ministry official, Iran currently produces 700 million cubic meters of gas daily, and imports from Turkmenistan represents only 1.5 percent of domestic consumption.
New Year's attack on packed Istanbul club leaves 39 dead

ISTANBUL (AP)  An assailant believed to have been dressed in a Santa Claus costume opened fire at a crowded nightclub in Istanbul during New Year's celebrations, killing at least 39 people and wounding close to 70 others in what the province's governor described as a terror attack.

Gov. Vasip Sahin said the attacker, armed with a long-barreled weapon, killed a policeman and a civilian outside the club at around 1:45 a.m. Sunday before entering and firing on people partying inside. He did not say who may have carried out the attack.

"Unfortunately (he) rained bullets in a very cruel and merciless way on innocent people who were there to celebrate New Year's and have fun," Sahin told reporters.

Medics carry a wounded person at the scene after an attack at a popular nightclub in Istanbul, early Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin said that an armed assailant has opened fire at a nightclub in Istanbul during New Year's celebrations. Turkish authorities have banned distribution of images relating to the Istanbul attack within Turkey.(IHA via AP)

Private NTV news channel said the assailant entered the Reina nightclub, in Istanbul's Ortakoy district, dressed in a Santa Claus outfit.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the man was still on the run, adding: "efforts to find the terrorist are continuing."

"Our security forces have started the necessary operations. God willing he will be caught in a short period of time," the minister said.

At least 16 of the dead were foreign nationals, Soylu said, without providing information on their nationalities. Five of the victims were identified as Turkish nationals while authorities were still trying to identify 18 of the victims. At least 69 people were being treated in hospitals, four in serious condition, Soylu said.

Some customers jumped into the waters of the Bosporus to escape the attack, the report said.

Sinem Uyanik was inside the club with her husband who was wounded in the attack.

"Before I could understand what was happening, my husband fell on top me," she said outside Istanbul's Sisli Etfal Hospital. "I had to lift several bodies from top of me before I could get out. It was frightening." Her husband was not in serious condition despite sustaining three wounds.

Police with riot gear and machine guns backed up by armored vehicles blocked the area close to the Reina nightclub, one of the most popular night spots in Istanbul. Several ambulances flashing blue lights arrived on the scene, some taking wounded to hospitals.

The White House condemned what it called a "horrific terrorist attack" and offered U.S. help to Turkey.

White House spokesman Eric Schultz said President Barack Obama was briefed on the attack by his national security team and asked to be updated as the situation developed. Obama is vacationing in Hawaii this week with his family.

National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said the attack on "innocent revelers" celebrating New Year's shows the attackers' savagery.

"Our thoughts are with victims and their loved ones. We continue to work to prevent these tragedies," European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini tweeted.

An estimated 600 people were celebrating inside the club that is also frequented by famous locals, including singers, actors and sports stars. Several shocked revelers were seen fleeing the scene after the attack and the music fell silent.

The country has been rocked by a series of deadly attacks in 2016 carried out by the Islamic State group or Kurdish militants, killing more than 180 people.

On Dec. 10, a double bomb attack outside soccer stadium  located near the Reina nightclub  killed 44 people and wounded 149 others. The attack was claimed by Turkey-based Kurdish militant group, the Kurdish Freedom Falcons. Nine days later, an off-duty Turkish riot policeman assassinated Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov at a photo exhibition in the capital, Ankara. The government has suggested that a movement led U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen was behind the killing  an accusation the cleric has denied.

Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag vowed that Turkey would press ahead with its fight against violent groups.

"Turkey will continue its determined and effective combat to root out terror," Bozdag said on Twitter.

Security measures had been heightened in major Turkish cities, with police barring traffic leading up to key squares in Istanbul and the capital Ankara. In Istanbul, 17,000 police officers were put on duty, some camouflaged as Santa Claus and others as street vendors, Turkey's Anadolu news agency reported.

__

Dusan Stojanovic and Mehmet Guzel in Istanbul and Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey contributed.

___

This story has been corrected to say that attack took place just after midnight Sunday instead of on Saturday.

Young people leave from the scene of an attack in Istanbul, early Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. An assailant believed to have been dressed in a Santa Claus costume and armed with a long-barrelled weapon, opened fire at a nightclub in Istanbul's Ortakoy district during New Year's celebrations, killing dozens of people and wounding dozens of others in what the province's governor described as a terror attack. (AP Photo/Halit Onur Sandal)

People leave as medics and security officials work at the scene after an attack at a popular nightclub in Istanbul, early Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. Turkey's state-run news agency says an armed assailant has opened fire at a nightclub in Istanbul during New Year's celebrations, wounding several people.(IHA via AP)

Medics carry a wounded person at the scene after an attack at a popular nightclub in Istanbul, early Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin said that an armed assailant has opened fire at a nightclub in Istanbul during New Year's celebrations. Turkish authorities have banned distribution of images relating to the Istanbul attack within Turkey.(IHA via AP)

Medics and security officials work at the scene after an attack at a popular nightclub in Istanbul, early Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. Turkey's state-run news agency says an armed assailant has opened fire at a nightclub in Istanbul during New Year's celebrations, wounding several people.(IHA via AP)

People talk to medics in an ambulance near the scene of an attack in Istanbul, early Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. Turkey's state-run news agency said an armed assailant has opened fire at a nightclub in Istanbul during New Year's celebrations. (AP Photo)

People walk under rain near the scene of an attack in Istanbul, early Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. Turkey's state-run news agency said an armed assailant has opened fire at a nightclub in Istanbul during New Year's celebrations. (AP Photo/Halit Onur Sandal)

An ambulance rushes from the scene of an attack in Istanbul, early Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. Turkey's state-run news agency said an armed assailant has opened fire at a nightclub in Istanbul during New Year's celebrations. (AP Photo/Halit Onur Sandal)

Medics and security officials work at the scene after an attack at a popular nightclub in Istanbul, early Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. Turkey's state-run news agency says an armed assailant has opened fire at a nightclub in Istanbul during New Year's celebrations, wounding several people.(IHA via AP)

A police armoured vehicle blocks the road leading to the scene of an attack in Istanbul, early Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. Private NTV television said more than one assailant may have been involved in the attack. The attacker or attackers are believed to have entered the nightclub in Istanbul's Ortakoy district disguised as Santa Claus, the station reported. (AP Photo)

Ambulances rush on the scene of an attack in Istanbul, early Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. Private NTV television said more than one assailant may have been involved in the attack. The attacker or attackers are believed to have entered the nightclub in Istanbul's Ortakoy district disguised as Santa Claus, the station reported. (AP Photo)

Young people leave from the scene of an attack in Istanbul, early Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. An assailant believed to have been dressed in a Santa Claus costume and armed with a long-barrelled weapon, opened fire at a nightclub in Istanbul's Ortakoy district during New Year's celebrations, killing dozens of people and wounding dozens of others in what the province's governor described as a terror attack. (AP Photo/Halit Onur Sandal)

Youths embrace near the scene of an attack in Istanbul, on New Year's Day, early Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. An assailant believed to have been dressed in a Santa Claus costume and armed with a long-barrelled weapon, opened fire at a nightclub in Istanbul's Ortakoy district during New Year's celebrations, killing dozens of people and wounding dozens of others in what the province's governor described as a terror attack. (Depo Photos via AP)

Young people leave from the scene of an attack in Istanbul, early Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. Turkey's state-run news agency said an armed assailant has opened fire at a nightclub in Istanbul's Ortakoy district. (AP Photo/Halit Onur Sandal)

Medics carry a wounded person at the scene after an attack at a popular nightclub in Istanbul, early Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin said that an armed assailant has opened fire at a nightclub in Istanbul during New Year's celebrations. Turkish authorities have banned distribution of images relating to the Istanbul attack within Turkey.(IHA via AP)

Medics carry a wounded person at the scene after an attack at a popular nightclub in Istanbul, early Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin said that an armed assailant has opened fire at a nightclub in Istanbul during New Year's celebrations. Turkish authorities have banned distribution of images relating to the Istanbul attack within Turkey.(IHA via AP)

A woman reacts next to an ambulance near the scene of an attack in Istanbul, early Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. Turkey's state-run news agency said an armed assailant has opened fire at a nightclub in Istanbul's Ortakoy district. (AP Photo)
New Yorkers have finally got their long-awaited Second Avenue Subway line - an on-again, off-again, 'believe it when you see it' project that began 45 years ago - but had remained off the rails since the Jazz Age.

A stretch of the new Second Avenue line opened to the public on New Year's Day, with first riders allowed to hop on at noon. Mayor Bill De Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo toasted the new line the previous night and went on a ceremonial first ride, among an invitation-only crowd, about 90 minutes before the New Year's Eve ball drop in Times Square.

Cuomo made the opening of the long-awaited line a priority in recent weeks and on Saturday said meeting the New Year's deadline was a matter of pride. He was determined to show that 'government works' by completing the project on time.

The nearly two-mile segment adds stations along Second Avenue at 96th, 86th and 72nd streets and a new connection to an existing subway line at 63rd Street. The $4 billion development is seen as crucial to alleviating congestion in the nation's biggest subway system, on a line expected to carry about 200,000 riders a day.

Scroll down for video

A passenger cheered as he entered the new, long-awaited Second Avenue subway line on Sunday. The public got to ride on the new train line for the first time on New Year's Day

Passengers peeked out the train doors at the 86th Street station as one of the first trains paused at the platform of the newly-opened train line

The opening of three new stations on the newly opened Second Avenue subway (pictured) marks a decades long plan to bring rail transportation to Manhattan's Upper East Side

Artsy! A passerby stopped to touch and admire a portrait by artists Chuck Close, which graces the wall of the new 86th Street subway station

Pam Miller (center left) and her son Ben Miller (center right) looked over a subway map while riding one of the trains departing from the newly opened 96th Street Station

Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa walked past the permanent installation of artist Vik Muniz's 'Perfect Strangers' at the newly opened 86th Street stop

Mayor Bill De Blasio and his wife Chirlane McCray took part in the opening of the long-awaited new Second Avenue subway line in New York City on New Year's Eve

Governor Andrew Cuomo and his partner, television chef Sandra Lee, raised their glass as they toasted the new subway line at an invitation-only ceremony

The $4 billion new train line (pictured during the opening ceremony Saturday night) opened to the public at noon on Sunday after decades of waiting

'We needed to get this done on deadline because we're New York and when we set the deadline, we're going to get it done,' Cuomo said at the opening ceremony Saturday.

'We needed to show people that government works, and we can still do big things and great things and we can still get them done.'

Cuomo and his partner, television chef Sandra Lee, held their glass in honor of the new Subway line Saturday night. De Blasio and his wife Chirlane McCray were pictured in front of one of the brand new train cars for the inaugural ride.

The entire system transports about 5.6 million riders on an average weekday.

The nearly two-mile segment (pictured) adds stations along Second Avenue at 96th, 86th and 72nd streets and a new connection to an existing subway line at 63rd Street

The $4 billion development (pictured Saturday) is seen as crucial to alleviating congestion in the nation's biggest subway system, on a line expected to carry about 200,000 riders a day

Cuomo (pictured Saturday with Lee) made the opening of the long-awaited line a priority in recent weeks and on Saturday said meeting the New Year's deadline was a matter of pride

The project began in 1972 but stopped due to a fiscal crisis in the city. Major tunneling work finally began in 2007. Pictured, riders finally inaugurate the new line Saturday

The city's transportation board first envisioned a Second Avenue subway in 1929, but the stock market crash and the Great Depression derailed the plan.

Ground was broken in 1972, but a fiscal crisis in the city slammed the brakes on the project again. The project finally got into high gear when major tunneling work began in 2007.

The $4.4 billion section opening Sunday was initially supposed to be completed in 2013. Delays stemmed partly from concerns about construction noise.

Next, the line is slated to expand north into East Harlem. No date has been set for starting that phase of construction.

Long time coming: A Metropolitan Transit Authority employee climbs the stairs to the street from the partly finished track of the Second Avenue subway in 2007

Workers can be seen putting the finishing touches on the new 86th Street subway station on the Second Avenue subway earlier this month

Almost there: A construction worker is pictured cutting stone near an entrance of the unfinished Second Avenue subway just two weeks before the opening

Three weeks out: the escalator leading down to the platform to the Second Avenue subway station at 72nd Street in New York is shown in early December

Work continued until the very last days leading up to the opening. Pictured, workers finish up the Second Avenue subway station at 72nd Street earlier this month

The new 86th Street subway station on the Second Avenue line includes this mosaic by artist Chuck Close. New Yorkers get to admire it on their first ride on the line Sunday

Workers put the finishing touches on the new 86th Street station last week, just in time for the opening. Cuomo was adamant that the project needed to be finished on deadline
US general praises Iraqi forces fighting in Mosul

IRBIL, Iraq (AP)  A senior U.S. military commander on Sunday praised Iraqi forces fighting to recapture the northern city of Mosul from the Islamic State group, saying they were "at their peak" and adjusting well to changing realities on the battlefield.

Brig. Gen. Rick Uribe told The Associated Press he agrees with the forecast given by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi that it would take another three months to liberate Mosul, the last Iraqi urban center still in the hands of the extremist group.

"We are on pretty close to where we want to be," Uribe said, adding that military planners knew that while the initial push toward the city would be quick, progress would become "significantly" slower on the city's fringes.

Brig. Gen. Rick Uribe listens during an interview with The Associated Press in Irbil, 217 miles (350 kilometers) north of Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. In the interview Uribe, a senior U.S. military commander in Iraq, expressed confidence in Iraqi forces fighting to recapture the northern city of Mosul from Islamic State militants. Uribe said he agrees with the forecast given by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi that it would take another three months to liberate Mosul, the last Iraqi urban center still in the hands of the extremist group. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

Speaking in Irbil, capital of the self-ruled Kurdish region in northern Iraq, Uribe said Iraqi forces north and south of Mosul have made progress since a new advance was launched last week after a two-week lull in fighting.

A government campaign to liberate Mosul and surrounding areas in Nineveh province began in mid-October, but most of the major fighting inside the city has been done by Iraqi special forces, known as the Counter Terrorism Service.

Since the new offensive began, the special forces have pushed forward in at least two neighborhoods in the city's eastern sector, while the army's 9th and 16th Divisions also made headway south and north of the capital, respectively. The 9th Division was joined by units of the militarized Federal Police, while the 16th was bolstered by other army units.

Uribe said the Iraqi forces are "at their peak," and "will continue to improve because of the lessons they are learning on a daily basis."

Uribe said Iraqi forces, backed by a U.S.-led coalition, would face a different fight when they cross to the west bank of the Tigris River, saying it will mostly be a "dismounted" battle fought in part on narrow streets, some of which were not wide enough for a vehicle to pass.

"It will be a different fight and they will adjust as they go from the east to the west. They are already planning these adjustments," he said.

He went on to praise Iraqi efforts to avoid harming civilians.

"They have been extremely good at taking care of those civilians. I don't know whether you would have seen this a few years ago," he said. "That was part of the training (by the coalition). You got to treat people with dignity and respect. You cannot go into a city and make it worse than before."

Iraqi authorities have advised the estimated one million civilians believed to be still inside Mosul to stay in their homes until the city is fully liberated, but fears of getting caught in the crossfire have forced at least 120,000 residents to flee. Many are leaving because they have run out of food and money, or lack of essential services like water and power.

Uribe said the coalition airstrikes that targeted bridges on the Tigris inside Mosul were designed to cut off IS supply lines to their fighters in the eastern sector.

"Those bridges are not destroyed, they are only degraded. They will be fixed by the Iraqis fairly quickly once they retake the city," he said.

Uribe also said the U.S. has the "required" number of military personnel in Iraq at present. "You got to remember that we are here as guests of the government of Iraq, they've invited us, they've asked very specifically (for) what they need, what capabilities they need to be able to advise and assist them on the battlefield, not on the battlefield but in their battle," he said.

According to the Pentagon, there are 4,815 U.S. troops in Iraq, including special operations forces. The Obama administration has authorized a maximum troop level of 5,262. That number does not include as many as 1,500 troops on temporary duty or short-term contracts.

U.S. Army armoured vehicles travel in Bartella, around 19 miles (30 kilometers), from Mosul, Iraq, Saturday, Dec 31, 2016. (AP Photo/ Khalid Mohammed)

Brig. Gen. Rick Uribe listens during an interview with The Associated Press in Irbil, 217 miles (350 kilometers) north of Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. In the interview Uribe, a senior U.S. military commander in Iraq, expressed confidence in Iraqi forces fighting to recapture the northern city of Mosul from Islamic State militants. Uribe said he agrees with the forecast given by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi that it would take another three months to liberate Mosul, the last Iraqi urban center still in the hands of the extremist group. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

A U.S. Army armoured vehicle passes by displaced Iraqis, who fled fighting between Iraqi security forces and Islamic State militants, in Bartella, around 19 miles (30 kilometers), from Mosul, Iraq, Saturday, Dec 31, 2016. (AP Photo/ Khalid Mohammed)
Cologne police chief rejects 'racial profiling' claim

BERLIN (AP)  Cologne's chief of police dismissed claims of racial profiling Sunday after officers detained hundreds of North African men in an effort to prevent a repeat of sexual assaults during New Year's festivities in the German city a year ago.

The men had gathered late Saturday at Cologne's main train station and in the Deutz district, across the Rhine river. In an overnight tweet, police had described them as being "seemingly of African descent," prompting online criticism that people were being detained based on their appearance alone.

"I reject this negative criticism," Police Chief Juergen Mathies told reporters. "The clear aim was to prevent similar events to previous year."

Police officers surround a group of men in front of the Cologne, western Germany, main station, Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016, where a string of robberies and sexual assaults last year that were blamed largely on migrants from North Africa prompted nationwide outrage. (Henning Kaiser/dpa via AP)

Hundreds of people were robbed and sexually assaulted during New Year's celebrations in Cologne last year. The crimes were blamed largely on men of North African origin who had taken advantage of chaotic and crowded scenes around the city's cathedral.

Mathies said he had instructed officers to intervene sooner this year. Of the 650 people detained for identity checks, almost all were from North African countries, he said.

"Their characteristics were such that potential crimes could indeed be expected," he added, without elaborating,

About 100 people in all were arrested overnight, while authorities logged about 160 crimes that included almost a dozen assaults or insults of a sexual nature, police said.

Cologne Mayor Henriette Reker said she was "happy and relieved" that the night had passed fairly uneventfully. About 50,000 people rang in the new year in front of Cologne Cathedral, officials said.

Anti-immigration groups seized upon last year's assaults to criticize the government, although police noted that very few suspects came from the same countries as the majority of migrants who arrived in Germany during the previous two years.

Tourists walk through the light installation by Berlin artist Phillip Geist in front of the Cologne cathedral, Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016 where a string of robberies and sexual assaults last year that were blamed largely on migrants from North Africa prompted nationwide outrage. (Oliver Berg/dpa via AP)

Tourists walk through the light installation by Berlin artist Phillip Geist in front of the Cologne cathedral, Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016 where a string of robberies and sexual assaults last year that were blamed largely on migrants from North Africa prompted nationwide outrage. (Oliver Berg/dpa via AP)

A fence is put up on the square in front of the Cologne main station Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016 where a string of robberies and sexual assaults last year that were blamed largely on migrants from North Africa prompted nationwide outrage. (Henning Kaiser/dpa via AP)
Czech fake news watchdog kicks off operations

PRAGUE (AP)  A Czech unit set up to combat fake news ahead of the country's two crucial elections starts operations on Sunday.

The Center Against Terrorism and Hybrid Threats, an analytical section of the Interior Ministry, plans to rebut disinformation that could be spread with the aim of manipulating elections by what the counter-intelligence community believes are Russian-backed websites.

Czechs will likely pick their lawmakers in October. The presidential election is coming up in early 2018.

President Milos Zeman, known for his pro-Russian stance, likened the ministry's efforts to censorship in his annual Christmas speech. But the Interior Ministry says that its new section has neither "a button to turn off the internet" nor the right to remove content from the cyberspace.
Bangladesh police say ruling party lawmaker shot dead

NEW DELHI (AP)  A lawmaker from Bangladesh's ruling party has been shot dead by masked men in northern Bangladesh, police said Sunday.

Manzurul Islam Liton, a national legislator from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League party, was shot at his home in Gaibandha district on Saturday evening, said local police chief Atiar Rahman.

Family members told police that four masked men arrived on motorcycles, entered the house and shot Liton at close range before running away, Rahman said.

He was declared dead by doctors at a local hospital. Police didn't immediately give further details.

Liton had been vocal against religious extremism in Bangladesh.

Obaidul Quader, an Awami League general secretary, told reporters that the attack on Liton was "a planned murder" and appeared to be a "cowardly act of the sectarian forces."

"The state will make sure that religious extremists will pay a high price for this crime," Quader said.

Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority nation ruled by largely secular laws, has been experiencing threats in recent years from Islamist militants possibly inspired by the Islamic State group.

Dozens of atheist and secular bloggers, writers, publishers, members of religious minority groups and foreigners have been attacked and killed in the impoverished South Asian nation in recent years.

In a major attack last July, a group of young men killed 20 hostages, including 17 foreigners, inside a restaurant in Dhaka, Bangladesh's capital. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, but Bangladeshi authorities said it was the work of Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh, a homegrown radical group, and have rejected any IS presence in the country.
Juvenile detention centers struggle with transgender inmates

PORTLAND, Maine (AP)  The nation's juvenile detention centers are largely ill-equipped to handle transgender teens, leaving them vulnerable to bullying, sexual assault, depression and suicide, advocates say.

Young transgender people are too often sent to girls' or boys' lockups based on their anatomy, not their gender identity, and can end up suffering psychologically and getting picked on by other inmates or staff members, according to advocacy groups. Even when they are assigned to detention centers that correspond to their gender identity, they are often victimized.

"There are many systems that are basically clueless as to what the best practice should be, and they end up mistreating transgender girls particularly, just placing them in hallways or handcuffing them to desks," because the institutions don't know where to house them, said Flor Bermudez, detention project director at the Transgender Law Center.

Maine plans to review its practices after a 16-year-old transgender boy charged with setting fire to his house killed himself while on a suicide watch in a girls' unit in the Portland area. The current policy is to house transgender juveniles on a case-by-case basis and not by anatomy alone, in accordance with federal standards.

Michelle Knowles said that her son, Charles, was sad to be in with the girls and that he also struggled with depression, symptoms of schizophrenia and other psychological problems.

"Some of these issues are relatively new to a lot of the people working in the settings," said Shannon Wilber, youth policy director at the National Center for Lesbian Rights, which also works on behalf of transgender people. She said there is "a lot of ignorance and misconceptions around transgender people."

Anne Nelsen, president of the Juvenile Corrections Council, a national organization for juvenile-justice professionals, said in the industry's defense that some juvenile systems are overcrowded and understaffed, lacking clinicians and others adequately trained in dealing with transgender teens.

Nelsen said the profession is still learning.

"Transgender youth are no more common than they ever were, we're just more aware of them," she said. "Students are aware and families are, too. What facilities are seeing now are more transgender youth who are coming out as transgender youth."

The U.S. Justice Department last spring issued a reminder that under the Prison Rape Elimination Act, transgender inmates, including minors, can't be assigned housing based solely on their genitalia. Prisons are supposed to take into account such factors as how much danger these inmates face and their own view of where they belong and where they would be safest.

Advocates say juvenile centers too often put transgender youth in solitary confinement for their own safety. But the federal standards prohibit routine use of solitary for LGBT prisoners and require detention centers to look for alternatives, such as single-person cells within the general population.

One 19-year-old transgender woman told The Associated Press that during two years in juvenile detention centers and a halfway home in Texas, she was housed with boys and repeatedly victimized.

"I constantly told them I don't feel comfortable with being who I am while being around a bunch of boys," said the young woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity after receiving death threats.

She said she went to the hospital twice after being jumped in a secure unit. The first time, other inmates broke her nose, and the second time, they stomped on her and knocked her unconscious, she said. She said that she attempted suicide several times.

"We're constantly having to fail, education-wise, because we have to pay attention to our surroundings at every second of every day, because we don't know who's probably trying to shank us," said the young woman, who had a history of assault charges and was put in juvenile detention at about 16 after threatening to harm her mother.

The Texas Juvenile Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment.

Activists complain also that some mental health professionals in these institutions are not trained in dealing with transgender issues. And policies vary from state to state on whether transgender juveniles are entitled to hormone therapy or other gender-transition treatments behind bars.

Suppressing someone's gender expression, inside prison or outside, can worsen psychological problems such as depression, anxiety and gender dysphoria, the distress of feeling that one's body doesn't reflect one's gender, Bermudez said.

No one appears to collect data specifically on assaults or suicides among transgender juvenile inmates. Even statistics on how many transgender youths are behind bars are scant, though they are believed to make up an outsized share of the nation's more than 500,000 juveniles in lockup annually.

A recent study in the Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law found that 12 percent of youths in detention halls are transgender or gender-nonconforming, meaning they don't dress and act in conventionally masculine or feminine ways. Experts say the percentage of transgender youth in the general population is believed to be far lower than that.

Some state or local governments have adopted solid, fair policies, Wilber said. Santa Clara County in California, for example, says transgender youth can have recommended transition-related treatments, including hormones.
Turkish government officials have said there was one attacker and that he has been killed, the Guardian reported.

Our reporter says police can be seen leaving the scene now, and emergency services activity is beginning to subside, which might suggest the immediate threat is over.

Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin announced that at least 35 people were killed and 40 injured as a result of the attack on the nightclub in Istanbul's Ortakoy district, Milliyet newspaper reported.
Thousands in Hong Kong march for pro-democracy lawmakers

HONG KONG (AP)  Nearly 5,000 people in Hong Kong marched in a New Year's Day protest against an attempt by the semi-autonomous Chinese city's government to disqualify four pro-democracy lawmakers, police said.

Hong Kong's government has started legal proceedings against the four recently elected legislators, who altered their swearing-in oaths to stage apparent protests against the Chinese government in Beijing.

In November, the Hong Kong government won a similar challenge against two newly elected separatist lawmakers after Beijing said that anyone who doesn't properly take their oath should be barred from office. Beijing's intervention fueled growing concern among many Hong Kong residents that China's government is eroding the city's wide autonomy.

Thousands of people march on the first day of 2017 at a downtown street in Hong Kong Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017, to protest against Beijing's interpretation of Basic Law and Hong Kong government's bid to ban pro-democracy lawmakers from taking office. They also demand true universal suffrage, which is not happening in the coming chief executive election in March. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

Some protesters on Sunday held flags reading "Hong Kong independence" and placards in support of the four lawmakers. One of the legislators, Edward Yiu, added phrases about democracy during his oath-taking.

Yiu said that the Hong Kong government's legal move was destroying the city's democratic system, and that lawmakers "must be protected because they are elected by hundreds of thousands of voters."

"It's not just about injustice; it's about protecting our democratic system," Yiu said.

Police said around 4,800 people took part in the march. Organizers said 9,100 participated.

A protester raises a picture of Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying with a Chinese word "Prisoner" on his face during a rally on the first day of 2017 in Hong Kong, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. They protest against Beijing's interpretation of Basic Law and Hong Kong government's bid to ban pro-democracy lawmakers from taking office. They also demand true universal suffrage, which is not happening in the coming chief executive election in March. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)
Spurs beat Watford 4-1 to move into Premier League top 4

WATFORD, England (AP)  Harry Kane and Dele Alli both scored twice Sunday as Tottenham climbed to fourth in the English Premier League with a 4-1 victory over Watford.

Tottenham is seeking a route back into the Champions League next season, through a top-four finish, after being eliminated in the group stage on its return to the competition after a five-year absence.

"It was a solid performance from the start," Alli said, after making it 18 goals from 51 Premier League matches. "Watford started the game really quick and made it difficult for us but, after we got the first goal, it was a pretty comfortable win in the end."

Tottenham's Harry Kane, centre left, hugs Tottenham's Kieran Trippier as he celebrates after scoring a goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Watford and Tottenham Hotspur at the Vicarage Road Stadium in Watford, Sunday Jan. 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland)

Tottenham took full advantage of Manchester City losing at Liverpool on Saturday, with Pep Guardiola's side sliding from third to fifth over the New Year weekend.

Chelsea leads the way, holding a six-point advantage over Liverpool after winning 13 consecutive league matches before making the trip across London to Tottenham on Wednesday.

Chelsea ended Tottenham's title challenge last season when Kane and Alli's combined attacking force was so devastating in scoring and assisting 50 goals in the league.

Their chemistry was on display against a fragile Watford side on New Year's Day.

Watford, which was hamstrung by injuries, contributed to its own downfall with poor defending. Watford, which dropped to 13th, has kept only three clean sheets in its last 24 league games.

Watford looked exhausted after half an hour and Spurs finally making their pressure pay in the form of three goals in 14 minutes.

Moments after Alli had rattled the crossbar with a fizzing shot from 25 yards (meters), Kieran Trippier promptly slid Kane in behind a dozing Jose Holebas. Kane lifted the ball over former Tottenham goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes at the near post in the 27th.

Tottenham doubled its advantage six minutes later with the same trio combining again. Alli looped a pass out wide to Trippier, who whipped a half-volleyed cross to the back post where Kane beat Craig Cathcart to side-foot home.

Son Heung-min, unmarked at the near post, should then have steered in Christian Eriksen's free kick but Alli did find the net four minutes before the interval. Younes Kaboul scuffed a clearance into the unsuspecting Cathcart, who was then outmuscled by Alli and the midfielder sent the ball into the bottom right-hand corner.

The halftime whistle was greeted by boos from Watford supporters and Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris appeared almost apologetic as he hung an arm around fellow Frenchman and former teammate Etienne Capoue.

The home fans' discontent, however, had little impact. A minute after the restart, Spurs hit their fourth. Sebastian Prodl gifted the ball to Kane, who crossed to the back post where Alli had time to control and slide under Gomes.

The only consolation for Watford was Kaboul bundling the ball in from close range in stoppage time.

Watford's Troy Deeney, right, competes for the ball with Tottenham's Kieran Trippier during the English Premier League soccer match between Watford and Tottenham Hotspur at the Vicarage Road Stadium in Watford, Sunday Jan. 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland)

Tottenham's Danny Rose, right, competes for the ball with Watford's Adlene Guedioura during the English Premier League soccer match between Watford and Tottenham Hotspur at the Vicarage Road Stadium in Watford, Sunday Jan. 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland)

Tottenham's Harry Kane, centre, celebrates after scoring a goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Watford and Tottenham Hotspur at the Vicarage Road Stadium in Watford, Sunday Jan. 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland)
New Year's shooting at Milwaukee nightclub kills 1

MILWAUKEE (AP)  Milwaukee police are searching for suspects after a New Year's shooting at a nightclub killed one person, a violent start after a year that saw nearly 150 homicides in the city.

WITI-TV (http://bit.ly/2iwjMEs ) reports the shooting happened just before 5 a.m. Sunday at Dee's Elegance Bar & Grill on Milwaukee's northwest side.

Police say the 37-year-old victim was shot inside the club after an altercation with at least two people. Those two fled after the shooting.

The victim died at the scene. It's Milwaukee's first homicide of 2017.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports a man who was found fatally shot Friday became the city's 142nd homicide victim in 2016, according to preliminary data. About 80 percent of Milwaukee's homicides last year were shooting deaths. Milwaukee recorded 145 homicides in 2015.

___
1st biker trial over 2015 Waco shootings set for April

WACO, Texas (AP)  The first trial over a Central Texas gunfight involving rival motorcycle gangs that left nine people dead, 20 others hurt and more than 150 bikers charged is now set for April, 23 months after the 2015 shootout.

Several charged in the gunfire at a Twin Peaks restaurant in Waco have been seeking a speedy trial.

"In complex cases, it's not uncommon for the trial to occur 18 months to two years after the alleged incident occurred," 54th District Judge Matt Johnson, who will preside over some of the trials, told the Waco Tribune-Herald (http://bit.ly/2hZ5by3 ).

"It's not like we had a shortage of cases before Twin Peaks came along," 19th District Judge Ralph Strother, who also will handle some of the trials, said. "It's just the vagaries of the system, the complexity of the cases and the sheer volume that is present in the criminal justice system."

Strother is scheduled to get the first case, set for April 17. The next one follows in June, with seven cases then alternating between Strother and Johnson each month.

Court records show the seven bikers with tentative trial dates are either Bandidos or Cossacks, motorcycle clubs the state considers to be gangs that had gathered for a meeting.

The first to stand trial likely will be Christopher Jacob Carrizal, his father, Christopher Julian Carrizal, or Jerry Edward Pierson, all Bandidos from Dallas.

McLennan County prosecutors have said that first case is likely to take about two weeks.

Besides pushing for speedy trials and dismissal of charges, attorneys for some of the 155 indicted bikers unsuccessfully have sought a change of venue and have tried to disqualify District Attorney Abel Reyna from handling the cases.

A grand jury in September declined to recommend charges for three Waco police officers who shot bikers during May 2015 gunfight. Prosecutors had asked the grand jury whether the shootings were justified after the officers had been cleared by an internal police investigation.

Ballistics reports seen by The Associated Press show that four of the people killed were struck by the same caliber of rifle round fired by Waco police, and that two of them were struck only by that kind of rifle. Police and the district attorney's office have defended the officers' use of force, saying bikers had also opened fire on police.

The bikers were indicted on a charge of engaging in organized criminal activity.

___
Des Moines police investigate fatal nightclub shooting

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)  Des Moines Police are investigating the death of an 18-year-old man who was fatally shot in a dispute at a downtown nightclub.

Police were called to the 508 nightclub around 3:30 a.m. Sunday to investigate the altercation.

Police Sgt. Paul Parizek says Des Moines resident Frederico Thompson Jr. died at the scene after he was shot.
Selling shark fins now banned in Rhode Island

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP)  Selling shark fins is now banned in Rhode Island.

A law took effect Sunday that makes it a crime to own or sell a shark fin unless it's used for scientific research or in preparing a shark for ordinary consumption.

Rhode Island became the 11th state to ban shark fin sales when Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondo signed legislation into law in June. Hawaii was the first in 2010.

Shark fin soup is popular in Chinese cuisine but animal rights activists say the practice of slicing off a shark's fin and leaving the fish to die is cruel.

The Humane Society of the United States says the laws will help global shark populations recover.
State Department: 35 Russian diplomats leave US

WASHINGTON (AP)  The State Department is confirming that the 35 Russian diplomats President Barack Obama ordered out of the country have departed the United States.

Obama expelled the diplomats, saying they were really spies, and ordered new sanctions on Russian spy agencies for alleged Russian hacking of political sites during the presidential election. Obama also shuttered two Russian compounds in Maryland and New York.
DC hotel guest falls 10 floors to his death in boiler shaft

WASHINGTON (AP)  Police and fire officials say a guest at a Washington hotel died after falling into a boiler shaft on the roof and plunging 10 floors to the basement.

D.C. police spokesman Rachel Schaerr tells The Washington Post (http://wapo.st/2hHcsVu ) 23-year-old John Leonard of Herndon, Virginia, fell around 2:30 a.m. Sunday at the 9-story Dupont Circle Hotel. Authorities say he had gone to the roof with someone else, possibly his girlfriend.

Schaerr says Leonard went to the roof to get a good view of the city.

A spokesman for the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department said crews that specialize in confined-space rescues recovered Leonard's body.
Bruce Willis, Demi Moore donate Idaho theater to troupe

HAILEY, Idaho (AP)  Actors Bruce Willis and Demi Moore have donated the Liberty Theatre in downtown Hailey to a local theater company.

The Idaho Statesman reports (http://bit.ly/2ir425O ) that the formalized gift gives the Company of Fools a secure, permanent space where the theatrical company has performed since 1996.

The couple, who are now divorced, bought the historic movie house in 1995 with the idea of transforming it into a live-performance space. The next year, they encouraged friends Rusty Wilson and Denise Simone to relocate their theater company to Idaho to perform on the Liberty's thrust stage.

In 2013, Company of Fools merged with the Sun Valley Center for the Arts, creating the largest arts organization in Idaho.

Moore and Willis are longtime supporters of the Wood River Valley.

___
Guatemalan navy busts cocaine shipment off Pacific coast

GUATEMALA CITY (AP)  Guatemalan authorities have seized more than 1,500 pounds (680 kilograms) of cocaine from a boat off the coast of the Central American nation.

Police spokesman Jorge Aguilar said Sunday that the Guatemalan navy's Pacific forces intercepted the vessel carrying 35 packages of the drug on New Year's Eve.

Two Ecuadorean men and a Colombian were detained. The cocaine is believed to have originated in Ecuador.
Presidents have the image of attending important and extravagant state dinners and parties, but Philippine President Rodrigo showed his humble side and how indifferent he is from the rest of the Filipinos.



President Duterte spent Christmas just like many of us - with family over Noche Buena. How Duterte spent the holidays will remind us of his humility and how he truly celebrates "Paskong Pinoy".



Advertisement

President Rodrigo Duterte has decided to spend Christmas with family and friends in his hometown in Davao City just like how he celebrates Christmas the past years. Wearing simple clothes and slippers, the president oversaw the Noche Buena preparation on Christmas Eve. In one photo, he was seen standing over the sink probably doing some dishes.



Even the menu and table setting is simple. Buffet-style setting where guests can simply get as much as they can. He also took photos with his partner and the kids, with friends, and family by the Christmas tree, which is mandatory for every Christian household in the Philippines every Christmas.



He opened his home to poor anyone who wants to drop by and greet them "Merry Christmas," especially the poor people who are seeking a Christmas gift from the president.



However, what touched people the most is the president's act of kindness to cancer patients. The president dropped by at the Southern Philippines Medical Center's Children's Cancer and Blood Diseases Unit in Davao City to bring holiday cheer and presents to cancer patients and their family that will be spending Christmas in the hospital.



Visiting cancer patients and distributing gifts to them has been a tradition for Duterte even before he became president. Some people shared that Duterte will distribute gifts to children to somehow make them feel that it is Christmas and make them forget that they are sick.


Pope Francis has used his New Year homily to lament societies becoming 'cold and calculating' and bereft of compassion.

He told the faithful during a mass in St Peter's Basilica that those with 'narcissist hearts' suffer the loss of the 'ties that bind us' and the sense of belonging in society.

Francis said more humility and tenderness are needed in the world, saying those qualities are signs of strength, not weakness. He also expressed concern for what he called 'spiritual orphanhood'.

Scroll down for video

St. Peter's Square at the Vatican was crowded with people as Pope Francis recited the Angelus prayer from the window of his studio

Pope Francis celebrates a new year's Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

'The loss of the ties that bind us, so typical of our fragmented and divided culture, increases this sense of orphanhood and, as a result, of great emptiness and loneliness. The lack of physical, and not virtual, contact is cauterizing our hearts and making us lose the capacity for tenderness and wonder, for pity and compassion,' Francis said.

After the solemn ceremony at the flower-bedecked altar, Francis was set to address the tens of thousands of pilgrims, tourists and locals who were gathering in St Peter's Square.

He said: 'The new year will be good in the measure in which each of us, with the help of God, tries to do good, day by day, that's how peace is created.'

Pope Francis decried the New Year's attack in Istanbul that was carried out on what he called a 'night of good-wishes and hope'.

Pope Francis kisses a statue of the Divine Infant as he celebrates a new year's Mass

Pope Francis is framed by Christmas tree decorations during the Angelus prayer from the window of his studio overlooking St Peter square at the Vatican, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017.(AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

He told pilgrims and tourists in St Peter's Square that he was close in prayer to the many dead and to their families, to the wounded and to the entire Turkish people.

'Unfortunately, violence has struck even on this night of well-wishes and hope,' he said, referring to the attack on an Istanbul nightclub filled with New Year's revelers early Sunday that left 39 dead and dozens wounded.

'In sorrow, I express my closeness to the Turkish people, I pray for the numerous victims and wounded, and for all the nation in mourning,' Francis said.

Pope Francis waves to the crowd from the window of the apostolic palace overlooking St.Peter's square

Pope Francis celebrates a Mass for the Holy Mary on New Year's Day in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

He then prayed that God will sustain 'all men of goodwill who courageously roll up their sleeves to deal with the plague of terrorism and this bloodstain which is gripping the world in a shadow of fear and bewilderment.'

A gunman fired on New Year revellers in an Istanbul night club early on Sunday, killing 39 and wounding about 70 people, before fleeing.
Los Angeles residents have woken up on New Years Day to find a prankster has altered the famed Hollywood sign.

It now reads HOLLYWeeD.

Los Angeles police have dispatched a unit to investigate the apparent vandalism, KABC-TV reports.

Picture

Police have also notified the US citys Department of General Services, whose officers patrol Griffith Park and the area of the rugged Hollywood Hills near the sign.

California voters in November approved Proposition 64, which made the recreational use of marijuana legal, beginning in 2018.

The vandal, dressed in all black, was recorded by security cameras and could face a trespassing charge, said Sgt Robert Payan.

The person scaled a protective fence surrounding the sign above Griffith Park and then clambered up each giant letter to drape the coverings, Sgt Payan added.

The infamous HOLLYWOOD sign was vandalized to say HOLLYWEED last night. So far, one "o" has been fixed. pic.twitter.com/yeT3iaIvF8  Pamela Chelin (@PamelaChelin) January 1, 2017

Hikers and tourists in the hills spent the morning snapping photos of themselves in front of the altered sign before park rangers began removing the tarps.

Its kind of cool being here at the moment, Bruce Quinn told KABC-TV.

I thought we came to see the Hollywood sign, not the Hollyweed sign. But hey its OK with me.
France's Hollande warns against nationalism in last New Year address

PARIS, Dec 31 (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande on Saturday warned against the risks of nationalism in his last New Year address ahead of the election of his successor next spring.

Hollande, who said this month he would not seek a second term in 2017, defended his legacy as president and addressed the policies of the anti-immigration and anti-euro National Front, whose leader Marine Le Pen is set to make it to the second round of the election, if recent polls are correct.

"There are periods in history when everything may change dramatically. We're in one of them," Hollande said an address that was broadcast on French television.

"How can we imagine our country being curled up behind walls, reduced to its internal market, going back to its national currency and, on top of that, discriminating between its own children according to their origins?" he said.

Hollande, who did not directly name the FN, mentioned British voters' decision in June to leave the European Union, and the U.S. presidential election won by Donald Trump in November, as events that demonstrated that democracy, freedom and peace were "vulnerable and reversible".

His comments on Brexit in particular echoed those made earlier on Saturday by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Merkel, seeking a fourth term as chancellor in 2017, described 2016 as a year that gave many the impression that the world had "turned upside down".

In her address, she compared Brexit to a "deep incision" and said that even though the EU was "slow and arduous", its member states should focus on common interests that transcend national benefits.

In a statement following Hollande's address, Le Pen brushed off his criticism.
Congo rulng party, opposition sign deal for Kabila to step down

By Benoit Nyemba and Aaron Ross

KINSHASA, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Congo's opposition leaders signed a deal with the party of President Joseph Kabila on Saturday that will require him to step down after elections that must take place before the end of 2017.

Mediators from the Congo's Catholic church had been heaping pressure on both sides for weeks to sign an agreement aimed at averting a slide into anarchy and possibly another civil war over Kabila's decision not to step down despite his mandate expiring more than a week ago.

If they stick to it, the agreement will deliver Democratic Republic of Congo's first peaceful transfer of power since independence from Belgium in 1960.

"Today, we are happy to head up a political compromise," said Marcel Utembi, President of the Catholic Bishops Conference, before representatives of Kabila's party, including Mines Minister Martin Kabwelulu and Interior Minister Emmanuel Shadary, and its main opposition alliance, signed the deal.

Huge hurdles remain, however. The electoral commission has said elections may not be possible before 2018, and many doubt Kabila really intends to stand down. Several of his supporters have floated the idea of changing the constitution to enable him to run for another term, as other African leaders have done.

Any failure to implement the deal would worsen instability that has seen scores of people killed over the past four months, many of them protesters shot dead by security forces. Police and military killed around 40 people last week protesting when Kabila's mandate ran out on Dec. 20.

"Now that all pretexts for various plots against the republic have been removed, I call everyone to ... to create conditions of true peace and stability throughout the country," Kabila said in a year-end address to the nation, which however did not directly address his own view on the talks.

Diplomats fear growing unrest could trigger a repeat of the wars between 1996 and 2003 that killed millions, unleashed dozens of predatory armed groups and drew in more than half a dozen neighbouring armies.
German police screen hundreds of North Africans at Cologne station

COLOGNE, Germany, Jan 1 (Reuters) - German police said they screened hundreds of North Africans on New Year's Eve at the main railway station in the western city of Cologne, where hundreds of women were sexually assaulted and robbed during celebrations a year ago.

Last year's attacks in Cologne, where police said the suspects were mainly of North African and Arab appearance, fuelled criticism of Chancellor Angela Merkel's decision to allow over a million asylum seekers into Germany in 2015 and 2016.

"Hundreds of Nafris screened at main railway station," Cologne police tweeted using a colloquial expression for North Africans. With the tweet, the police showed a picture of a large group of men waiting behind barriers.

Police installed new video surveillance cameras to monitor the station square in Cologne this New Year's Eve.
Senator McCain says U.S. stands with Ukraine against Russia

KIEV, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Republican U.S. Senator John McCain promised on Saturday continued support for Kiev in the face of aggression from Moscow, as he spent New Year's Eve on the front line in Ukraine's eastern conflict zone.

McCain was one of a bipartisan group of 27 U.S. senators who sent a letter to President-elect Donald Trump in December, urging him to take a tough line against Russia over what they termed its "military land grab" in Ukraine.

"I send the message from the American people - we are with you, your fight is our fight and we will win together," McCain was quoted as saying by Ukrainian President Poroshenko's press service.

"In 2017 we will defeat the invaders and send them back where they came from. To Vladimir Putin - you will never defeat the Ukrainian people and deprive them of their independence and freedom," McCain said after a visit to a military base in the southeastern town of Shyrokyne.

Trump signalled during his campaign that he might take a softer line in dealings with Moscow, repeatedly praising Russian President Putin's leadership.

Trump's election caused jitters in Ukraine but officials in Kiev hope that the incoming president's policies, influenced by Republican hawks and a Republican-voting Ukrainian diaspora, will be friendlier towards Ukraine than his campaign rhetoric might have suggested.

Ukraine has relied on Western support and economic aid since street protests in 2014 which toppled a Kremlin-backed president and were followed by a war with pro-Russian separatists and Russia's annexation of the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine.
Trump leaves open possible Taiwan meet, questions Russia hacking

By Richard Cowan

PALM BEACH, Fla., Dec 31 (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday left open the possibility of meeting with Taiwan's president if she visits the United States after he is sworn in on Jan. 20 and also expressed continued skepticism over whether Russia was responsible for computer hacks of Democratic Party officials.

In remarks to reporters upon entering a New Year's Eve celebration at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Trump said, "We'll see," when pressed on whether he would meet Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan's president if she were to be in the United States at any point after he becomes president. Taiwan's president will be in transit in Houston on Jan. 7 and again will be in transit in San Francisco on Jan. 13.

Trump, citing protocol, said he would not meet with any foreign leaders while President Barack Obama is still in office.

Beijing bristled when Trump, shortly after his Nov. 8 victory, accepted a congratulatory telephone call from the Taiwan leader and has warned against steps that would upset the "one-China" policy China and the United States have maintained for decades.

Talk of a stop-over in the United States by the Taiwan president has further rattled Washington-Beijing relations.

On another foreign policy matter, Trump warned against being quick to pin the blame on Russia for the hacking of U.S. emails. The Washington Post also reported on Friday that Moscow could be behind intrusion into a laptop owned by a Vermont electric utility.

U.S. intelligence officials have said that they are confident Russia was behind the hacks of political figures, which could have played a role in Trump's defeat over Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

"I think it's unfair if we don't know. It could be somebody else. I also know things that other people don't know so we cannot be sure," Trump said.

Asked what that information included, the Republican President-elect said, "You will find out on Tuesday or Wednesday."

He did not elaborate.

But he said that any computer is subject to hacks.

"It's very important. If you have something really important write it out and have it delivered by courier the old fashioned way," Trump said, adding, "No computer is safe, I don't care what they say."

Trump tried to end the year on a positive note, however, despite questions about the future of U.S.-Russia relations because of escalating tensions between Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as Trump's promise to crack down on China's trade practices, which he says unfairly target American workers.

"Hopefully we're going to have great relationships with many countries and that includes Russia and that includes China," Trump said.

But he criticized U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry for earlier this week offering a stark assessment of Israel's policies in the Middle East, which he said could threaten the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state co-existing with Israel. Trump called Kerry's speech "very unfair."

As he wrapped up a four-minute informal chat with reporters, Trump also was asked what his 2017 new year's resolution was.

"Make America great again," he said.
Burundi minister shot dead in capital - police

NAIROBI, Jan 1 (Reuters) - A gunman killed Burundi's environment and water minister early on Sunday, police said, the first senior government figure to be murdered in nearly two years of political violence.

Emmanuel Niyonkuru, 54, was attacked as he travelled home in the capital Bujumbura, police spokesman Pierre Nkurikiye said in a tweet.

Violent protests erupted early in 2015 after President Pierre Nkurunziza said he would seek a third term - a move opponents said violated the constitution and a peace deal that ended an ethnically charged civil war.

At least 450 people have died in clashes between protesters and security forces, tit-for-tat killings and a failed coup, stoking fears of wider unrest in a region still haunted by the 1994 genocide in neighbouring Rwanda.

"The minister of water and environment was shot ... as he was getting home," Nkurikiye said.

Four people had been arrested for questioning, including the owner of a bar that Niyonkuru visited regularly and two security personnel who were guarding his home. The fourth is a woman who was with the minister when he was killed.

President Nkurunziza said on Twitter the minister had been assassinated and offered condolences "to the family and all Burundians".

Nkurunziza won re-election in July 2015 in a poll largely boycotted by the opposition.

Elsewhere in Burundi, police said seven people were injured when an unknown attacker threw a grenade in a church where people were praying.

That attack occurred on Saturday night in Rugazi district, 40 km (25 miles) north of Bujumbura.
Policeman killed, inmates freed in attack on Bahrain prison

MUSCAT, Jan 1 (Reuters) - A policeman was killed on Sunday when armed men attacked a prison in Bahrain, freeing several convicted inmates, the interior ministry said, in what it described as a terrorist act.

It did not provide an exact number for those who had escaped or identify them but said authorities were searching for them.

Thousands of mainly Shi'ite Muslim Bahrainis are in jail on charges ranging from participating in anti-government protests to armed attacks on security forces in the Western-allied Gulf kingdom, where the U.S. Fifth Fleet is based.

"An armed attack on the Jau reform and rehabilitation centre resulted in the death of policeman Abdul Salam Saif and the escape of a number of inmates convicted of terrorist crimes," the ministry said in a statement posted on its Twitter account.

A Bahraini court in January last year sentenced 57 men to 15-year jail terms for taking part in a 2015 riot inside Jau prison, which is located outside the capital Manama. [nL8N159268}

Bahraini security forces tear-gassed and beat inmates at the prison while trying to quell clashes that erupted during family visits, local human rights group Bahrain Youth Society for Human rights said at the time.

Bahrain crushed mass Arab Spring protests in 2011 but continued to suffer occasional outbursts mostly by majority Shi'ites demanding reforms and a bigger share in running the island state wedged between regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Islamic State attacks Iraqi police near Najaf, kills seven

By Isabel Coles and Ali al-Rubaie

MOSUL/HILLA, Iraq, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Islamic State attacked an Iraqi police checkpoint near the southern city of Najaf on Sunday, killing seven policemen as government forces in the north made more gains against the militants in Mosul, their last major stronghold in the country.

The Najaf attack, which involved gunmen and a suicide car bomb, followed blasts a day earlier in Baghdad that left 29 people dead, a reminder of Islamic State's continued ability to operate away from territory under its control.

The recapture of Mosul would probably spell the end for the group's self-styled caliphate in the areas it seized in 2014, but the militants would still be capable of fighting a guerrilla-style insurgency in Iraq, and plotting or inspiring attacks on the West.

Since the U.S.-backed offensive began on Oct. 17, elite forces have retaken a quarter of Mosul in the biggest ground operation in Iraq since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has said the group would be driven out of the country by April.

The second phase of the campaign launched on Thursday following weeks of deadlock has pushed Islamic State out of several more areas despite fierce resistance.

The fourth day of the renewed push saw incremental advances on the eastern and southeastern fronts.

A military statement said the counter-terrorism forces had retaken part of Karama district.

A federal police officer said Iraqi forces had taken near total control of Intisar and Siha neighbourhoods, and were clearing Salam.

"For the fourth day in a row, federal police units supported by the army are on the offensive," he told Reuters at a forward base in Intisar.

An artillery strike on Sunday by the U.S.-led coalition supporting the Iraqi forces struck a mortar position next to two empty school buildings in eastern Mosul.

A U.S. military statement said no civilians were in the area and minimal damage was reported to the buildings, which like hospitals and mosques, are protected under international law.

"While the Coalition takes extraordinary effort to protect civilians and strike appropriate military targets, we will continue to strike ISIL wherever and whenever our partner's lives are in danger in accordance with the Law of Armed Conflict," it said, using an acronym for Islamic State.

FLEEING CIVILIANS

The attack near Najaf, 500 km (310 mile) south of Mosul, happened when two vehicles travelling through the desert were stopped at a police checkpoint around al-Qadisiya town, local police sources said.

The driver detonated an explosive load and the second vehicle fled. Police pursued it and killed the two militants inside.

In a statement distributed online by supporters, Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, which also wounded 17 people including civilians. It said four gunmen had opened fire before detonating explosive vests and then a fifth assailant launched a suicide car bomb.

It was not immediately possible to reconcile those accounts.

Although the militants are vastly outnumbered in Mosul, they have embedded themselves among residents, hindering Iraqi forces who are trying to avoid civilian casualties. Despite food and water shortages, most civilians have stayed in their homes rather than fleeing as had been expected.

Thousands more people have fled their homes since the military's new push began, many under the cover of darkness to avoid detection by Islamic State.

Families leaving Mithaq district on Sunday had to climb over earthen berms the military has built across roads to block car bombs.

One resident reached by phone in eastern Mosul said he had never seen such heavy bombardment. Several civilians were wounded when a mortar fell in his street, but they could not be ferried to the hospital on the western side of the city because air strikes have taken all the bridges out of service.

"One of them is my friend. His stomach is bleeding badly. We found a doctor in the neighbourhood to treat him but I fear he will die if he stays like this for long," he said.

A resident of Karama district said Islamic State had begun forcing residents out of some areas, burning the cars of residents who refused to move.

"They want to clear out the neighbourhood before the Iraqi forces enter," he said.
Last summer, we had some harsh words for Gov. Andrew Cuomo when he decided to stretch out the announcements for downtown revitalization grants over several weeks by holding a series of self-congratulatory press conferences.

The administration rationalization was that by bringing the celebratory announcements to the winning communities around the state, the governor was bringing much-needed attention to the affected downtowns.

The reality was that this was strictly a public relations strategy designed to glorify Cuomo at taxpayer expense (it costs money to transport the governor and his entourage around the state).

Months later, with the state's next legislative session about to start, nothing has changed.

That's the only way we can reasonably view Cuomo's new plan to deliver his State of the State address over a period of several days in municipalities around the state, rather than deliver it to the Legislature in Albany.

The official line is reflected by this quote from Cuomo's chief of staff: "Next month, the governor will bring his message directly to communities statewide, announcing regional initiatives and groundbreaking proposals he will advance in 2017. The governor looks forward to articulating his vision for a stronger, brighter New York in the weeks ahead."

That sounds an awful lot like a bunch of pep rallies and self-proclaimed victory laps. It doesn't sound like a report outlining a strategic vision that the governor would like the Legislature to act upon.

The State of the State always should be about the business of governing. When his popularity was highest during his first two years in office, Cuomo was focused on working with legislators to get things done.

He needs to get back to that priority  and away from the PR games  in order to improve his standing with all New Yorkers and better serve their interests.
The iconic logo and tagline of Nokia is displayed along with the potential look of the upcoming Nokia Edge Android smartphone. (Photo : YouTube/GONE IN 180)

Nokia phones specs, price, release date have been highly searched the past weeks. Nokia Edge and Nokia D1C are on top the searches, signalling the great anticipation of consumers for the company's 2017 major comeback.



Nokia phones were once the dominating basic phones in the mobile industry. Now that is has found its new successor, HMD Global, the company is hoping for a huge comeback this year. With their latest offerings, the Nokia Edge & Nokia D1C, the company hopes for a good start this 2017.



Advertisement

Many people are still curious with what Nokia could offer this year. It is expected that after HMD's acquisition of Nokia, the phone will likely be running an Android OS rather than the usual Microsoft OS. This Android line-up is rumored to be championed by the company's flagship phone, Nokia Edge.



There is still no confirmation on what the Nokia's flagship could really offer to consumers. However, it is being speculated that Nokia Edge will be bezel-less, running on Android 7.0 Nougat with 6GB RAM. Additionally, the upcoming Nokia phone will be within a $450-500 price point, according to Price Pony.



On the other, another budget friendly Android phone will be offered by Nokia as their mid-range mobile. The upcoming mid-range product has been dubbed by many as Nokia D1C. This product line is intended to lure price conscious consumers worldwide.



As of the moment there are still no details about the potential price of Nokia D1C. However, leaks of its specs have been shared online which includes 1080p touchscreen, 2GB of RAM, 13 MP main camera, an 8 MP selfie shooter, and 16GB of built-in storage. Furthermore, it will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 chipset, sporting a 1.4 GHz octa-core Cortex-A53 CPU and an Adreno 505 GPU, according to GSM Arena.



Watch here below Nokia Edge rumored specs presentation:






Gambia leader accuses West African bloc of declaring war

By Lamin Jahateh

BANJUL, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Gambian leader Yahya Jammeh accused West African regional body ECOWAS of declaring war, after it said it was putting forces on alert in case he refused to step down at the end of his mandate this month.

Jammeh, who has vowed to stay in power despite losing a Dec. 1 election to rival Adama Barrow, also promised to defend Gambia against any outside aggression, in a New Year's speech broadcast on state TV.

The veteran leader initially conceded defeat in the vote, then changed his mind days later - raising fears that regional powers might have to intervene to oust him. His mandate runs out on Jan. 19.

Marcel de Souza, commission president for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), said last week it had put standby forces on alert.

In his speech, Jammeh decried "the resolution of ECOWAS on the current situation to implement the results of Dec 1, 2016 presidential election by whatever means possible," apparently acknowledging again that the poll did not go in his favour.

"It is in effect a declaration of war and an insult to our constitution," he said. "Let me make it very clear that we are ready to defend this country against any aggression ... My government will never opt for such confrontation but defending our sovereignty is a sacred duty for all patriotic Gambians."

Barrow's surprise victory and Jammeh's initial decision to concede after 22 years in power was initially seen as a moment of hope on continent where autocratic leaders are becoming more entrenched.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has stepped in as an ECOWAS mediator to offer Jammeh an "honourable exit", but Jammeh said the bloc could no longer fulfil that role.
Deutsche Bank chairman rules out European merger - Frankfurter Allgemeine

BERLIN, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Deutsche Bank Chairman Paul Achleitner has ruled out a European merger or a state bailout after the lender's mortgage settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung reported.

The bank, Germany's biggest, last week announced a $7.2 billion settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over its sale and pooling of mortgage securities in the run-up to the 2008 financial crisis.

"The management board in principle looks at everything that could help the business," Achleitner said in an interview with the weekly newspaper published on Sunday.

"At the moment, however, enthusiasm for a pan-European merger is muted as we have other priorities," he said, when asked why Deutsche does not merge with Italy's UniCredit or another lender.

Deutsche, which is trying to simplify its operations to make it more efficient, will keep its investment banking operations and ensure they comply with political and regulatory rules, Achleitner said.

Supervisors including Germany's Bundesbank and the European Central Bank have called for more consolidation in the banking sector, saying there are still too many banks despite a steady fall in the number of branches since the 2008 financial crisis.

Higher capital requirements would put European banks at a competitive disadvantage to their U.S. rivals, Achleitner said, referring to efforts by the Basel committee of supervisors to tighten bank capital rules to avoid a repeat financial crisis.

"The global rules, established with the Basel accord, must not one-sidedly reflect the views of the Americans," Achleitner said.

The former finance chief of Allianz said European banks needed to defend their interests more vigorously against rivals in the United States where lenders are helped by state-sponsored bodies such as Fannie Mae, allowing them to shed part of the risk of mortgages.

"It's obvious that national interests are increasingly being defined and represented in a more robust fashion," Achleitner said. "It's about time that we Europeans stand up for our interests too."

Separately, Achleitner said government aid for players in the financial industry would not become an issue in Germany.

"No one in Germany needs to worry about rescuing banks," said Achleitner, who confirmed he will stand for re-election as chairman at the bank's annual general meeting in May.

By contrast, the Italian government has earmarked 20 billion euros ($21 billion) to bolster its ailing lenders.

The Bank of Italy said on Thursday that total costs for the state bailout of Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena would come to about 6.6 billion euros.
Three Lebanese killed in Istanbul attack - foreign ministry

BEIRUT, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Three Lebanese citizens were among those killed in a New Year attack on a nightclub in Istanbul that left at least 39 people dead, Lebanon's foreign ministry said.

Four other Lebanese were wounded in the attack, it said, when a gunman opened fire on revellers at a packed nightclub on the shores of Istanbul's Bosphorus waterway.

The ministry named those killed as Elias Wardini, Haykal Mousallem and Rita Shami.
Tanzania's president sacks head of power firm over tariff hike

By Fumbuka Ng'wanakilala

DAR ES SALAAM, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Tanzanian President John Magufuli sacked the head of the state-run electricity company on Sunday after the firm put up tariffs, a move the president said would stymie his plans to industrialize the east African country.

Tanzania's energy regulator on Thursday approved a power tariff hike of 8.53 percent by the Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO), less than half of what the utility said it needed to stem losses.

President Magufuli's office announced the sacking of TANESCO's managing director Felchesmi Mramba in a statement. Hours before the announcement of Mramba's dismissal the president rescinded the price increase.

"It's unacceptable that while we are making plans to build manufacturing industries and ensure more citizens have access to electricity...someone else uses his position to increase power tariffs," Magufuli said in a statement.

About 40 percent of Tanzania's population of around 50 million has access to electricity and the government is aiming to push that rate up to 75 percent by 2025.

Since coming into office a year ago, Magufuli has sacked dozens of public officials as part of an anti-corruption campaign and a new drive to root out government inefficiency.

He appointed a lecturer at the state-run University of Dar es Salaam, Tito Esau Mwinuka, as acting managing director of TANESCO.

The power firm had initially sought an 18.19 percent tariff increase to snap a loss-making trend and clear debts to independent power producers and fuel suppliers.

The tariff hike, which would have taken effect from Jan. 1, was approved by the Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority (EWURA).

Loss-making TANESCO has warned that its "financial capacity will be paralysed" if the power tariff hike is not implemented.

TANESCO has been unsuccessfully seeking loans from the World Bank, the African Development Bank (AfDB) and commercial lenders to turn the company round.
Syrian warplanes resume strikes near Damascus - rebel official, monitors

BEIRUT, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Syrian warplanes resumed their bombardment of the rebel-held Wadi Barada valley northwest of Damascus on Sunday after nearly 24 hours with no air raids, a rebel official and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.

Rebels threatened on Saturday to abandon a Russian- and Turkish-backed ceasefire deal, which took effect on Friday, if the Syrian government and its allies continued to violate it.
Years come and go and likewise time passes through our civilizations adding things to history. The New Year which arrived on January 1, 2017 will not be an ordinary year for mankind in many aspects.

This is a year of transition and ideological conflict because of Globalization Vs Nationalism, International conventions Vs interest of Nation State, Free trade Vs Protectionism, Secularism Vs Religious fundamentalism, Universal values Vs National values. This will create a new era of economic nationalism, and not merely a beginning of another year. It will be an opening of a new era of nationalism in place of globalization. There will be many conflicts of ideas and actions by different States.

This is going to be a new era which will change the entire geo-political structure of the world. Many scholars may give different names and interpretations to this era such as new nationalism, protectionism or economic nationalism. With the growing religious ideologies some academics might argue that this will be a religious (Christian) nationalism. Whatever the interpretation this will definitely be the beginning of an era of many ideological differences among nations based on the religious and racial identities leading to ultra-nationalism among nations.

It is interesting to define the concept of nationalism. Different scholars have given different definitions and explanations in regard to nationalism. In its basic form nationalism is a collective social thought. It demands the freedom from universal global nationalism. This concept contemplates that the foundation of the human society is the nation State. This comprises a collective language, economics, and socio cultural entity, which will be given by a state mechanism and is called the concept of Nation as a result of these conceptualizations.

Thereafter the supremacy of the human race was established and it was unquestionable that humans can suppress all other living beings including animals, flora and fauna on the planet.

When nationalism surfaced in those countries, individual nations began to think each one of them was superior to other nations. As an example, manifestation of State ideology, development of Aryanism as a racial dogma in Germany, growth of Anglo-Saxon ideology and Nazi and occupations based on the religious ideological concepts acted on the belief that there was a targeted select group of people to spread their religious beliefs by force or any other means.

Via religious fundamentalism, countries such as Israel, Iran and Saudi Arabia are predominantly fuelling this ideology to name a few. In contrast to this religion fundamentalism a class concept based on the productivity process has come into focus which is on the premise that it is the division of labour which drives society and its civilization progressively.

It is thought-provoking to study the recent history related to the concept of nationalism. A significant phenomenon occurred after the Second World War in the western world through the Bretton Woods Conference which created a global system of monetary management. This was established to cater for the rules for commercial and financial relations mostly among the western nations. As this system of economic activities around the world was developed, subsequently a general orientation towards a strong market based approach which we called market fundamentalism or neo-liberalism through the Washington Consensus was created especially after 1990. This economic globalization was primarily aimed at opening markets of developing countries to the global market. This is mainly to control and direct the world economy through the instrument of free trade.

To strengthen and establish the economic and social globalization more and more market-based mechanisms were to be established in the world. This was amply supported by the World Bank, IMF,WTO and also to a certain extent some UN mechanisms through many multilateral agreements and covenants.

"To strengthen and establish the economic and social globalization more and more market-based mechanisms were to be established in the world"



On the other hand, the Soviet Economic System was the direct challenge to this market-based economic system which was successfully defeated through military invasions, military coups, and economic sanctions and many more clandestine socio economic strategies used by the capitalistic forces. In doing so the western political leadership was on the premise that there was one solitary universal value system for the entire world irrespective of geographical, racial, ideological, religious and cultural differences among different nations and ethnic groups.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990, Francis Fukuyama in his famous book The End of History and the Last Man (1992) argued that the liberal democracies and free market capitalism of the west and its life style signalled the end point of humanitys sociocultural evolution without any confrontation. He predicted that this as the Universal Value System acceptable to all and there would not be any further evolution in the global socio economic evolution.

On the other hand an entire opposite hypothesis is developed by Samuel Huntington who defines, that the conflict between the socialism, communism and the market based capitalism conflict is now over and there will be a new clash among civilizations. Accordingly, he predicted that religious fundamentalism would grow among and within that nation States especially there would be clashes among Christianity and Islamic fundamentalism beyond nation States.

With recent happenings in the global geopolitical scenario, most of the old concepts have been rejected resulting in an entire new paradigm shift towards individual nations States. The oil crisis occurred in 2008 and the world financial crisis that has occurred during the same period and the Islamic terrorist attacks targeting the western world are not isolated incidents but connected to each other in many ways. This was fuelled by the prediction of the Islamic population exceeding the Christian population and China expecting to be the worlds economic super power by 2020.

Parallel to these drastic changes in the global economic context, China becoming the military super power of the world will be unstoppable and unavoidable. Corresponding to this phenomena there would be many more retrenchments and lost opportunities for the workforce and the business community in the developed world as a result of low cost and inexpensive Chinese products.

The loss of opportunities and worsening of financial stability in the western world has created the ideal breeding ground to surface the contemporary nationalistic phenomena in their countries. Therefore, once again based on the foundation of nationalism or national States a socio economic action is in need for political enterprises. As a result we can see the surfacing of politicians like Nigel Farage in Britain, Mori Lupe in France, Marcus Pretzell in Germany, Trump Phenomena in US, Pauline Hanson in Australia to name a few. In the US it is noteworthy to observe that a powerful section of the Republican Party that believes in this fundamentalist ideology has surfaced predominantly giving dangerous signals to the entire world. All these people and movements were called Alt-right nationalists with far right ideologies based on white supremacist and nationalism. They believe that their white identity is under attack by various multicultural forces and different identities.

As a result a new nationalism is immensely developing among the western nations. Once again national identity, national economy, protective market polices, and social values based on ones national identity are resurrecting their importance especially among the predominantly white nations. Originally as small groups but now with the spread of their ideology in a significant way slowly but steadily these movements are clutching the key political parties in their own countries. The emergence of Trump phenomena is not an isolated incident but as a result of these changes in the global social equilibrium.

"With recent happenings in the global geopolitical scenario, most of the old concepts have been rejected resulting in an entire new paradigm shift towards individual nations States"



During the year 2016, a decisive political phenomenon occurred in the West. Most people identified this as a far right wing movement. However, when we look at this socio political phenomena it was obvious that the real background to this phenomena consists of labourers and the working class in those countries who were frustrated for many years. Therefore, these phenomena occurred not just only for one reason but as a result of many complex multidimensional reasons. This phenomenon will progress further in the year 2017 and may be in a more proactive way.

We, as a country, should look at the options left for our country to progress through this uncertain period. In the Sri Lankan context, Sri Lankas current strategy is to sustain and enhance further our products and services to the western markets and to attract more foreign direct investment especially from the western world and China.

However, due to the neo-nationalism and protectionism now surfacing in their own countries, at the end of the day the developed world will tend to produce their own products and services within their countries. This will create additional restrictions on our export products.

It is prudent and necessary for us to find new markets and opportunities for our products and services. To aggravate this situation further western nations will tend to invest within their own countries to protect their job opportunities and markets. It is evident that Trump will aim to promote coal power generation resulting in drastic global environmental consequences. Learning from this western world will tend to disregard the international conventions for climate change especially the Paris Agreement. They will also violate more openly the human rights, disregard defence treaties such as NATO, economic partnerships and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) etc.

In view of this we need to find new strategies for novel markets and opportunities especially among the Asian nations. This may be through bilateral agreements and regional groupings for new export markets. Another area which needs our attention would be the import substitution strategy to protect and develop domestic production.

The ever escalating trade war between US and China will make huge changes in the global market scenario pivoting the power equation towards China. Therefore, we need to focus and adjust our economic strategies to face this global changes and challenges.

We cannot wait any longer for traditional way of attracting Foreign Direct Investment and opening of foreign markets for our products. We need to enter into a new set of economic strategies and activities.
A reader and a well-known Buddhist scholar mailed a comment in response to my article on Vap full moon day [15/10] entitled, Futility of Abhi-dhamma in the Path of Emancipation with a harsh personal attack saying , You are a skeptic heathenist with a Portuguese name who is trying to  [sorry, the rest is unprintable, but I referred the dictionary and made a short reply thanking him for upgrading my poor vocabulary]; he, however, coaxed me to reminisce down memory lane to mid 1950s, when our teacher, Mrs  Perera was taking a class on Ceylon history at lower school, St Johns College, Panadura. [I wrote part of this true anecdote five years ago in another paper. Let me share it with your readers as well]



She wanted all Pereras to raise their hands. Five of us responded to a rather friendly appeal than a command made to 25 to 30 boys and girls in the class. Among them was Sumana, the only female in the clan of Pereras, who was a distant cousin of mine. It was customary for the class teacher to nominate a girl and a boy to share a common desk and bench. I shared the front row centre desk with Sumana. She was extremely good in her work and occupied the first two places in the merit list, though only one year my senior Sumana always helped me in answering at term tests! It was sixty years ago and being 12 year-olds, we were good friends, classmates, connected and neighbours too.

The teacher continued, They say, if someone kicks a bush a couple of Pereras will toss-away, how many of you would agree? making the entire class roar with laughter. While we the Perera boys were somewhat bemused, agreed with the saying discomforting the teacher herself, but Sumana, the obstinate girl she was, indifferent to the loud guffaw, answered in the negative. She stunned the class, when she rejoined,

Teacher, we Pereras would never crawl inside a bush.

The pin drop silence embarrassed all other non-Pereras and Pereras, including the writer.

I am delighted that there was one good answer from a Perera, replied the elated teacher.

It was when she began her history lesson a few minutes later that we realized she was preparing to talk on the role of Miguel Pereira, the Portuguese administrator in the 16th centurys Lisbon rule over Ceylons coastal belt, which prompted her to gossip about Pereras in the middle of her history lesson. I doubt if they were trained in student psychology or teaching skills six decades ago at teacher training schools; yet we had exceptional teachers then. The name Perera was launched here by the Portuguese along with hosts of other Portuguese names like Silva, Fonseka, Rodrigo, and Fernando, to mention a few.

Whats in a name? that which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet.

-William Shakespeare,

[Romeo and Juliet]



Perera or Pereira is a common name even today in Spain, Portugal, Brazil and even in Goa, the overseas territory of Portuguese India which existed for over four centuries until the early 1960s, when it was annexed by India. The name derives from Pereira meaning Pear tree.

During the evening of my corporate carrier, and in the last lap of working life 12 years ago, once I was assigned to go Katunayake to receive a CEO from one of our Indian principals who owned quite a few Pharmaceutical manufacturing operations in many parts of the world (he was crowned the richest in India in 2014). Their country manager in Sri Lanka introduced me to him mentioning my name with emphasis on Perera, in addition to other decorations. I had a brief chat with him at the lounge before travelling to Colombo separately. The next morning at a meeting with our Chairman CEO, he had mentioned,

That Indian director, who is working for you, a Perera from Goa

So, much so for school and working life blemishes: In retirement, venturing into the interesting but somewhat hazardous endeavour of writing to newspapers; a few years ago I made a suggestion in the-S/Times, asking why not introduce a few Tamil verses and sing the National Anthem in both languages?, to receive some harsh responses from readers, once again a few of them targeting the name Perera. Responses to recent article, Why Buddhism?, we are a secular State; Give Foremost place to Dhamma only, attracted the attention of a few Buddhists, one of them said, Pereras were the people who vandalized temples in the 16th century.

"Perera or Pereira is a common name even today in Spain, Portugal, Brazil and even in Goa, the overseas territory of Portuguese India which existed for over four centuries until the early 1960s, when it was annexed by India. The name derives from Pereira meaning Pear tree"



My generations readers would remember, how the now redundant Independent Newspapers group in mid-1970s slander Trotskyite leader Dr N.M Perera, the Finance Minister, in Sirimavo Bandaranaikes United Front Government by stressing in bold letters Pe-Ray -Raa (meaning toddy is oozing), criticizing his proposal to allow owners of coconut trees to tap two trees for toddy without obtaining a valid licence. The global economic depression resulted in a sky-rocketing of food prices; the entire sugar quota was imported causing a severe load on nations coffers. While a significant section of the population was clamoring for food in the waste bins[remember the 70s?], the the never-say-die factions of party loyalists [a fast disappearing idiotic clan from both camps] walked in procession shouting SEENI-NETHUVA-TE-BONAVA, meaning, lets have tea without sugar, an analogous to a slogan at todays Diabetic-Day- Walk. They say History repeats itself.

"Dr. NM, the minister, who was coined No Money Perera, (Work of smart newspaper men) was forced to introduce the system as an inducement to make jaggery as a home industry and lessen the burden on the budgets sugar component"



Dr. NM, the minister, who was coined No Money Perera, (Work of smart newspaper men) was forced to introduce the system as an inducement to make jaggery as a home industry and lessen the burden on the budgets sugar component. May be he genuinely expected the house wives to use it for jaggery making; but, what did the husbands do is anybodys guess!

However, Independent Newspapers, managed by The Gunasenas, continued their intense denigration not only on the Marxists, but the entire government using a few Sinhala and English journals like Sun, Dawasa and Sawasa, which compelled the UF government of 70-77 to end the drama by sealing their press at Hulftsdorp Hill.

Private print media, in the absence of electronic were never free and fair then [are they now?]. Every government flexed its muscles to restrict them. That was the media freedom in the good old days!

My father, who had qualms about continuing with the name, added another name before Perera to all male siblings, expecting us to drop the Perera somewhere down the line. However, none of the six males was anxious. We all kept on adding dozens of Pereras down to second and third generations.

Proud to be a Perera, kks-
With the Maithri-Ranil unity government approaching the end of its second year in office in an increasingly acrimonious co-habitation, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa is gearing up for a come-back.

Hes in combative mode, claiming that the real SLFP is with him, that he opposes the governments ongoing privatization and hopes to restore to the party the values of its founders. Engaging Colombo-based foreign correspondents in a wide-ranging discussion at his official residence on Thursday he seemed to relish the encounter, starting off by urging reporters to fire away.

MR, the Kurunegala District MP set the tone of the discussion with his smiling response to the very first question, remarking that he would topple the government in the New Year. When it was pointed out that he could not be the leader of the country (owing to term limits on the presidency introduced with the 19th amendment) he indicated that he didnt need to, when he could wield influence by other means (presumably referring to the prime ministerial post).

Not surprisingly Hambantota featured prominently during the forum. The southern district is his home base and has become the locus of both domestic and international attention these days. An intermestic issue perhaps.

"I invited the Indians first. I invited India to come and build a port there  But they didnt want to do that. Then I had to look for somebody else. Then the Chinese came"



MR expressed strong opposition to the Hambantota Port deal under which the government is to give a 80% controlling stake to a Chinese company, and allocate 15,000 acres to the Chinese for an industrial zone. How can you give 15,000 acres? he asked, hotly rejecting the suggestion that the present governments project is a continuation of what he started.

We wanted to give 750 acres for an industrial park. They asked for 1000, I said no. Its the peoples land! he asserted. He was not against the Chinese or Indians or Americans coming here for investment, but against agricultural land being given and the privatization involved, he said. His priority was the countrys development.

He also rejected the suggestion that it was his mistake to invite China. I invited the Indians first. I invited India to come and build a port there  But they didnt want to do that. Then I had to look for somebody else. Then the Chinese came he said. Under the previous business plan the Sri Lanka Ports Authority had control but now the Sri Lanka government has no control over the project, not even over security, said Prof. G. L. Pieris, Chairman of MRs newly formed party - Sri Lanka Podu Jana Peramuna - who was present at the briefing.

The former President who has been faulted in some quarters for his pro-China tilt in foreign relations, described his recent trip to China as a goodwill visit. Asked about reports that he met the Chinese investor company during his trip he said I met everyone. He had told them the way they are doing it is wrong. Prof. Peiris added that China Merchants and Port Holdings Company was sensitive to the land issues faced by people and the need for social stability.

"The docking of a Chinese submarine in Colombo Port in September 2014 was a tipping point in the Indo-Lanka relationship during MRs second term. He could not resist taking a dig at India over its silence regarding the even greater Chinese presence envisaged under the current investment programmes"



The Hambantota Port has been in the eye of the storm from its inception  firstly with concerns on the part of India. The regional power, alarmed at Chinas maritime expansion in general, became more so with Chinas growing footprint in the Indian Ocean region.

The docking of a Chinese submarine in Colombo Port in September 2014 was a tipping point in the Indo-Lanka relationship during MRs second term. He could not resist taking a dig at India over its silence regarding the even greater Chinese presence envisaged under the current investment programs.

Those days the Indian friends were shouting at me  when submarines came to Colombo Port they were very worried  the High Commissioner and all these people. Now they are like mice he said. Asked how he knew that they were not worried now, he said they were not saying so openly as they did before. In a further broadside he added the Indians may be also getting something, like Trincomalee harbour or Palaly (airbase) or KKS (Kankasanturai port).

Regarding Indias displeasure, apparently over not being informed of the submarine visit, he said Beijing always informed India when they came into the Indian Ocean. Without that they wont come.

"Those days the Indian friends were shouting at me  when submarines came to Colombo Port they were very worried  the High Commissioner and all these people. Now they are like mice"

Asked how India, which had helped him defeat the LTTE, shifted to backing his political opponents MR said it was all a misunderstanding. I think the Americans influenced them he said. At another point in the discussion he said he could not understand Indias role.

Ever since the last election which saw his own Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena break away to contest the presidency as a joint candidate, with opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe standing down, analysts have been speculating on the role of India and Western powers in the unprecedented turn of events during that transition.

In hindsight, that election would seem to show how easily Sri Lankas internal political tensions can be exploited by external forces bent on achieving their own strategic ends. However, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry as the saying goes, and with the new government having realized that the Chinese have deep pockets unlike their western friends, ironically today we see Chinese influence becoming stronger than before.

"That was too much for us. We did not know what was going on inside (the party). Our own crowd worked against me. They were inside the party and working against me"



MR, asked to comment on the main factors contributing to his defeat in 2015 said it was their campaign, suggesting that the MS campaign was influenced by the Americans, the Indians and RAW (Research and Analysis Wing, the Indias spy agency). That was too much for us. We did not know what was going on inside (the party). Our own crowd worked against me. They were inside the party and working against me.

When it was put to him that although he succeeded in ending a 30-year war, he had failed to unify the country, the former strongman admitted that there was some truth in that. I thought people must first have their basic facilities. In Jaffna they didnt have anything  no electricity, no roads, no water, no hospitals, no schools. So I thought I must give them those things first. Asked if he had perhaps misjudged the need for reassurances after wars end, and that there was a feeling (in the North) of being suppressed by the military, MR said he did not accept that. After a war  tell me a country that has developed like that?
As the New Year 2017 dawned yesterday, the Rainbow Coalition - which was swept to office with high hopes and expectations on January 8, 2015 - was facing political thunderstorms.

The national government leaders, President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe were optimistic and said the New Year would be a turnaround for Sri Lanka with poverty alleviation, sustainable all inclusive development and measures to curb climate change being given high priority.



But in both parties from front-liners including ministers have publicly made charges against each other with major divisions erupting over the Central Bank Bond scam, the slow rate of progress in probing corruption rackets allegedly involving the VIPs of the former regime and the Draft Bill for accelerated development with the setting up of a highly powerful coordinating agency.

State Minister and Sri Lanka Freedom Party media spokesman Dilan Perera has been in the frontline of the attacks. Recently he even hinted that the Memorandum of Understanding for a national government between the two major parties, might be reviewed in August this year, two years after it was signed. But the President and the Prime Minister have expressed confidence that despite differences and disputes over various issues the National Unity government would continue till 2020 and even thereafter. With Dilan Perera and other ministers openly attacking some of the policies of the United National Party last year, some UNP frontliners have also come out publicly for a counter attack. Last Friday a group of UNP front-liners led by General Secretary Kabir Hashim met President Sirisena for a dialogue on the disputes and the public attacks on UNP leaders. The President reportedly assured them he would take action to maintain unity in diversity so that the good governance administration could continue to consolidate democracy and bring about social justice through a more equitable distribution of wealth and resources.



On New Years eve, President Sirisena went to the Dalada Maligawa where after obtaining blessings he reiterated his sacrificial commitment to national unity, poverty alleviation and curbing climate change. The positive note was sounded in the Presidents New Year message also where he called on all party leaders and members to make a sacrificial commitment to rebuild a new Sri Lanka with multi-religious and multi-racial unity in diversity and economic relief for all, especially the poor. In a New Year message, the Prime Minister also called for a sincere and sacrificial commitment by all to the mission of building a new Sri Lanka. He expressed confidence that despite storms and disputes nothing and no one could bring down the national unity government - an apparent reference to former President Mahinda Rajapaksas recent threat that the government would be brought down this year.

According to most analysts the choice for the national government leaders is clear.

They could either swim together or sink separately plunging the country into the danger of some populist backlash as we are seeing in the United States and Western Europe. As the President and the Prime Minister are stressing, whatever the differences or disputes that may arise there is a vital need for discipline. In both major parties ministers and MPs need to look beyond the desire for personal or party gain and work together for the common good of the country. Though democracy and freedom have been restored to a large extent, discipline and responsibility are also needed for progress and stability. One vital area is the principle of collective responsibility in the Cabinet. Often last year we saw instances where Bills were approved by the Cabinet but later some ministers came out strongly against what they had approved possibly because they had not bothered to fully read the drafts. Just as the President and Prime Minister are calling for the media to exercise its rights in a responsible way, the same principle needs to apply to the cabinet and national unity government. That would be the New Year wish and hope of most of the people.


A large number of people gathered at the Gangarama Temple in Colombo, to seek blessings for the New Year. Pix by Nisal Baduge and Damith Wickremesinghe
'The Legend of the Blue Sea' update: Song Hye-Kyo joins Lee Min-Ho, Jun Ji-Hyun in the SBS drama?

Song Hye Kyo arrives for the red carpet of the 17th Shanghai International Film Festival at Shanghai Grand Theatre on June 14, 2014. (Photo : Getty Images/Feng Li)

Fans of "The Legend of the Blue Sea" are in for some treat. With only seven-episode left, Song Hye Kyo is rumored to join lead stars Lee Min Ho and Jun Ji Hyun in the SBS drama.



Song, who portrayed Doctor Kang Mo Yeon aka Beauty in the 2016 hit drama "Descendants of the Sun," will be playing a pivotal role in "The Legend of the Blue Sea," according to The Korea Portal. She will reportedly transform into a malevolence mermaid queen.



Advertisement

Though nothing has been set in stone yet, many are hoping that her appearance will bring some new twist and turns for Shim Chung (Jun) and Heo Joon Jae (Lee). They also hope that the SBS drama will finally unveil some shocking revelations.



This comes after "The Legend of the Blue Sea" faced a storm of public criticism because of its slow plot development and similar storyline with the 2013-2014 hit drama "My Love from the Star." Hence, producing-directors (PD) Jin Hyuk and Park Seon Hoo decided to unveil key plot developments in the upcoming episodes.



Heo Joon-Jae's strained relationship with his father (Choi Jung Woo) and step brother (Lee Ji Hoon) will be furthered explored as the show goes on, a source from the SBS drama told Korean news outlet iNews 24, as cited by Soompi. The character connections and events, both present and past, are also expected to become deeper and more intertwined.



As the 20-episode drama nears the end of its two-month run, SBS aired a special movie-like episode that told a not-before-seen story between Shim Chung and Heo Joon Jae. The said abridged edition recounted their romance from the Joseon dynasty until the 21st century.



Meanwhile, "The Legend of the Blue Sea" episode 14 will be released on Jan. 04 at 10:00 PM (KST). Here is the preview for the next episode:






A 46-year-old Pakistani national was arrested for possessing Kg 2.136 of heroin at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) by the Airport Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) this evening (1), police said.

The suspect arrived at the BIA from Doha at 5pm today with heroin worth around Rs 2 million in his possession.

The Colombo PNB was conducting further investigations. (T.K.G.Kapila)
A building at New Chetty Street in Kotahena caught fire when a sky cracker fell last night, the Police said.

The Police said the sky cracker had fallen into a gunny bag, which had covered the building.

The Colombo Fire Brigade had doused the fire with the assistance of the Police and residents. No injuries were reported due to the fire, the Police said. The damage due to the fire was yet to be estimated.
Welcoming the new Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres and committing to continue to work closely with the UN, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mangala Samaraweera emphasized the relevance of the Secretary-Generals message for a shared New Years resolution to put peace first, for the entire world community, and for Sri Lanka.

Antonio Guterres officially begins his 5 year term today after being sworn in on the December 12.

Minister Samaraweera stressed the commitment of the National Unity Government of Sri Lanka, under the leadership of President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, to move forward on the path of reconciliation and achieving a durable peace.

Mr. Guterres, a former Prime Minister of Portugal (1995 to 2002) and former UN High Commissioner for Refugees (2005-2015) took the oath of office on December 12, following the Assemblys tribute to outgoing Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who steps down after leading the global Organization for the past 10 years.

In his first official message, the Secretary-General made a global appeal for peace in 2017.

All that we strive for as a human family  dignity and hope, progress and prosperity  depends on peace. But peace depends on us. I appeal to you all to join me in committing to peace, today and every day. Let us make 2017 a year for peace.

Meanwhile, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Residents Representative Ms. Una McCauley stated that The topic of peace is especially relevant as Sri Lanka is uniquely placed to forge a path for long term and sustainable peace. On the dawn of the new year the United Nations remains committed to supporting the people of Sri Lanka on the journey towards peace and reconciliation.

Full text of the Secretary-Generals message

On my first day as Secretary-General of the United Nations, one question weighs heavily on my heart.

How can we help the millions of people caught up in conflict, suffering massively in wars with no end in sight?

Civilians are pounded with deadly force. Women, children and men are killed and injured, forced from their homes, dispossessed and destitute. Even hospitals and aid convoys are targeted.

No one wins these wars; everyone loses. Trillions of dollars are spent destroying societies and economies, fueling cycles of mistrust and fear that can last for generations. Whole regions are destabilized and the new threat of global terrorism affects us all.

On this New Years Day, I ask all of you to join me in making one shared New Years resolution:

Let us resolve to put peace first.

Let us make 2017 a year in which we all  citizens, governments, leaders  strive to overcome our differences.

From solidarity and compassion in our daily lives, to dialogue and respect across political divides From ceasefires on the battlefield, to compromise at the negotiating table to reach political solutions

Peace must be our goal and our guide.

All that we strive for as a human family  dignity and hope, progress and prosperity  depends on peace.

But peace depends on us.

I appeal to you all to join me in committing to peace, today and every day.

Let us make 2017 a year for peace.

Thank you.
We continue to have the most tyrannical and power hungry politicians for many decades. MS/RW formula could have been the right combination to consider reforms in the judiciary, public administration, public expenditure management, anti-corruption, as essentials, if they had strategised, the processes and approaches correctly. Experience, intelligence and good judgement are needed to provide good leadership. Gauthama Buddha had said, it was the WISDOM that was most crucial. Our leaders lack wisdom, fortitude, insight and the vision. Prof. Rufus Fears had said that a politician and a statesman are not the same. A statesman, Fears had argued, is not a tyrant, he is the leader of a free people with four critical qualities: bedrock of principles, ability to judge what is right and wrong and act accordingly, vision and the ability to build a consensus to achieve that vision.



The required reforms are wide-ranging. The development agenda should be handled cautiously with persistence and determination. It should not be overloaded with bad governance. The key to governments effectiveness, ability and the overall capacity to lead the nation successfully lies in a few elements; responsiveness to the people, ability to bring about a good balance democratically to serve their interests; and most importantly enhancing efficiency of the public-sector institutions in implementation of policies. The President and the PM should think smarter and act smarter because the voter is wide awake.



A social scientist had said progressive institutional reforms are pre-requisites for socio-economic development. Establishing rule of law and strengthening the judiciary are the best tools in our struggle for economic and social reform for achieving economic development. We truly need urgent solutions to most burning policies and political dilemmas. Empowerment, participation, integrity, transparency and accountability are remedies to overcome bad governance.



I do not think that PM could succeed by introducing policies that hindered promotion of human rights, freedom, liberty and democratic activities. Former US President Jimmy Carter had said Democratic movements have accounted for the progress of democracies in the Western world. There have been instances where youth had sacrificed their precious lives and successive leaders have disregarded their call for establishment of more democratic governments and institutions. Sir Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Lech Walesa and Dae Jung Kim have proved beyond doubt the importance of democratic governance.

"The key to governments effectiveness, ability and the overall capacity to lead the nation successfully lies in a few elements; responsiveness to the people, ability to bring about a good balance democratically to serve their interests; and most importantly enhancing efficiency of the public-sector institutions in implementation of policies."



It is the government that is responsible for upholding the rule of law. The President and the PM and all elected representatives give an oath that they will uphold the Constitution and do the opposite. They disrespect other laws too. There seem to be one law for politicians and another for ordinary citizens. Where is the equality before law? Let me add, there should be nobody above law. That was their slogan too.



Singaporeans today enjoy full employment and high economic growth, and low divorce, illegitimacy and crime rates. Singapores second Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong had said We must think for ourselves and decide what is good for Singapore, what will make Singapore stable and successful. Shouldnt our leaders also think similarly. Lee Kuan Yew had said To build a country, you need passion. If you just do your sums  plus, minus, debit, credit  you are a wash-out.



Former President Ranasinghe Premadasa endeavoured to build up and improve public sector organization through decision making and by setting up of targets and follow up systems at all levels. He was a tireless task master.



He took the garment industry to villages and saw to it that the path was completely cleared for the industrialists. He hand-picked officers and involved them to carry out instructions to the letter. He was not prepared to accept no for an answer. He got officers transferred who could not live up to his expectations. A workaholic, he could have been rightly named Sri Lankas Deng Ziaoping, if he did not get assassinated. Premadasa was impeached, which he manipulated cleverly using strategy and his powers. Impeachment became a failed exercise.



He introduced P/A Circular 15 of 1990 to streamline the public-sector recruitment policy without political interference - a progressive step that was widely accepted by all communities. Why did the successive governments disregard circular No. 15 of 1990 and push it under the carpet? The President and the PM should now enforce the relevant circular in the name of Good Governance. Amusingly, it has not yet been repealed.



Improving public administration and judiciary should be the only subject to establish good governance. Values such as honesty, integrity, trustworthiness, efficiency etc. are seriously lacking. We should re-introduce a merit-based administrative service and proper devolution of power for strengthening public administration country-wide. We need better public expenditure management, efforts to fight corruption and a more professional public administration. Governance reforms take time perhaps years to produce results. The more we delay, we will be adding more problems for

the future.



"It is the government that is responsible for upholding the rule of law. The President and the PM and all elected representatives give an oath that they will uphold the Constitution and do the opposite."



What the government should do at this moment is enforce all the laws that are already in law books only to promote democracy and good governance; thereby enhancing peoples participation. Why dont they set tasks and priorities for reforms in the public sector? For democracy to gain further strength, good governance must flourish. Citizens should also be allowed to follow more closely the activities and operations of the Parliament in the decision-making process that affects their lives, including governance. By trying to bring in new legislation to create super-ministers, are they trying to introduce autocratic rule in place of democratic rule without the necessary participation or involvement of the people.



JR introduced 1978 Constitution, created Executive Presidency and changed the electoral system to keep UNP in power forever, claiming he needed powers to achieve development and growth. People now hate politicians. Americans hate politics. Because they hear politicians make promises that wont come true  Bill Clinton.



The present politicians during the past few decades had increased inhumanity to country-men and continue to lie. They give all hollow promises. It is because the national policy does not adequately address issues such as inequities pertaining to economic growth, education policy, the care for the disabled, elderly, accidents, suicides etc. Successive governments have withdrawn numerous benefits people had been provided in the name of reducing public expenditure, having denied social and distributive justice. Did they do that purely because civil society in Sri Lanka is fragmented politically, ethnically and in many other ways. We should now consider the possibility of building up one consolidated force to protect the citizens.



Minister S.B. Dissanayake, in reply to a query raised by a journalist said that they were a group of people who loved their health and they need luxury vehicles to travel about to serve the country. They continue to lie and distort reality. If so, having served the country, while enjoying all the luxuries at considerable expense to the people, what have they done? They have created a country over-burdened with massive debt with no hope for a better tomorrow. The PM too fibbed that the imbalance would be corrected under their administration. MPs have been given massive tax concessions running into billions while increasing taxes for poor people!



President and the Prime Minster should not waste more time! As Harvards Marilee Grindle has put it, PM should at least aim for good enough governance. Did PM give up the Litchchavi type rule? Democracy is based on reason, a sense of fair play, and freedom and a respect for the rights of other people  Winston Churchill.
Is there a specific term for a period of time that has made you experience some of the most important moments of your life delivered in the most difficult circumstances? That is how I would describe the year 2016.

As a journalist, my diary is full of events, some of them very ugly. And understandably so, after-all around five months of this year went into a violent phase of unrest for Kashmir.

Up to 85 civilians were killed, around 13,000 injured and many of them tragically lost their sight. As the year comes to an end, what I am penning down here is a collage of personal and professional experiences, emotions, occurrences all put together.

And in the process I hope to provide a glimpse of what people like me have lived through this year in Kashmir.

It was the month of January when I decided to take the big step, tie the nuptial knot. The perfect lady was in sight. So the year certainly began on an exciting note. Professionally also, the first month showed just how it was going to be, CM and PDP leader Mufti Mohammad Sayeed passed away in January itself.

And this triggered a long period of uncertainty over the continuation of the PDP-BJP alliance in the state. Close to two months of playing hard-to-get, Mehbooba Mufti gave nightmares to MLAs, some of them first-timers.

I remember a BJP legislator (first-timer) telling me "kya yaar, abhi toh shuru kiya tha" in utter disdain. Till the last minute, it looked like the woman leader was having a change of heart about the alliance.

But things transformed after she met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The north and south poles were again back together. However, this triggered a barrage of criticism against her.

Most Valley-based commentators analysed this as yet another disaster. Columns were written on how this was akin to PDP betraying its voters. Many already spoke of unrest in the minds of people.

But those in power seemed confident. They rode the initial storms, such as the debates on Sainik colonies, Pandit colonies, and even the potentially phosphorus situation that arose after an incident of alleged misbehaviour with a school girl by an army jawan in Handwara. Five individuals lost their lives in the days to come. But it wasnt allowed to flare up much.

However, the real test started on July 8. That evening, a call from a source said something big had happened in an encounter in Kokernag of South Kashmir. The journalist in me went into a huddle and just a few phone calls confirmed that Burhan Wani, the Kashmir commander of Hizb, was killed.

Breaking news it was. Not many in Delhi studios realised how big it was on the ground. Back home, that night every mobile phone had pictures of Wanis body being widely circulated. He was a young man who had become the poster boy for Hizb by using social media to his advantage.

The most prominent account of how he landed up in the lap of militancy suggests that it was the harassment of him and his brother (both teenagers) at the hands of some securitymen. Wani's encounter brought the entire Valley to a standstill.

CM Mehbooba Mufti.

Reports of protests and violent clashes started pouring in from many parts of south Kashmir the very next day. Till evening it was clear that around 10 people were killed. This meant bad news for the entire establishment.

Peak summer in the Valley had already gone cold. From bustling tourism to the onset of the marriage season - all had become collateral damage. Everyday hundreds of desperate advertisements in local dailies informed people about wedding receptions being cancelled.

Our wedding date was August 7 and we hoped against hope that things would get better. But that wasnt to be. We still decided to go ahead. Only the closest people came home. Most of them arrived just before dawn because nothing would move post the break of light.

During the day, streets were curfewed by thousands of men in uniform and in the evenings, when the military would pull out, the same spaces would be occupied by protesters. Somehow we managed to tie the knot. Friends still call it a curfewed wedding. I however take pleasure in the thought that eventually love won.

Just a few days later, I was back to work. For journalists in conflict, the time when nothing moves is the time when work is at the highest. People were dying every single day, the number of injured mounting; hospitals were crowded by patients with serious pellet injuries.

One afternoon in the ophthalmology ward of SMHS hospital of Srinagar, I witnessed a wailing mother pointing towards her left eye. She was pleading with a bunch of doctors to take it out and give it to her son.

The iron pellets fired by forces as "non-lethal" ammunition had ruptured the inside of the 16-year-old boys left eye. The anger among people was brimming.

While government presence was lacking, bruised locals would vent their anger on anything remotely symbolising authority. And that included media crew as well. Their grudge against us was also about the imbalance in reportage of their plight by some media outlets. Our professional lives were made all the more difficult. But these challenges seemed little compared with the amount and pace of the pain unfolding around.

These months of unrest threw peculiar situations to report. Towards the end of October, when the government, in a bid to restore a semblance of normalcy, decided they would go ahead and hold the annual Board examinations, a sudden spurt in incidents of school burning started.

Close to 30 schools were consumed in the melee. Every right thinking individual including the separatist voices were condemning it. The pain of witnessing institutions of learning being torn apart was evident.

What shattered me personally was a news flash from Anantnag. An SMS read that JNV school Ashmuqam had been set on fire. It was my childhood school. The place that had shaped me up during the difficult times of the 1990s.

I had to go to the spot. I saw my school's walls covered with black soot, burnt furniture and charred academic records. It almost made me cry, but I managed to hold myself back since a television report had to be made and broadcasted.

As we step into the New Year, forgetting the pain of the past would be unfair. The year 2016 has been tough to the Valley. It has left hundreds of hearts pained, scores of lives bruised and many minds scarred.
Pia Wurtabach and boyfriend Marlon Stockinger (Photo : YouTube/DailyShowbiz)

Miss Universe 2016 Pia Wurtzbach and her boyfriend Marlon Stockinger spent the New Year together in Hawaii.



Photos and videos of the beauty queen and her boyfriend surfaced on social media showing the couple enjoyng their time together in Waikiki, Hawaii. Based on the photos in their respective Instagram accounts, the two spent Christmas apart, but spent some time together a week before that in Singapore.



Advertisement

Pia's hot boyfriend is a race car driver and is the first Filipino to win a formula race in Europe. He rose to celebrity status and became well-known nationwide when he started dating Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach.



Wurtzbach is set to fly back to the Philippines for the Miss Universe 2016 slated on Jan. 30. It is unconfirmed if she will be part of the pre-pageant schedule of activities, but the current reigning beauty queen is the main reason why organizers decided to hold the pageant in the Philippines.



Wurtzbach will surely act as the host for the organizers and the delegates of different countries.



Meanwhile, the Philippines is hoping for a back-to-back win with its bet Maxine Medina. Last week, the beauty teased Filipino fans of her signature walk that she will use in the pageant.



The two recently admitted that they are in a relationship. However, the two seldom spend time together as Pia Wurtzbach is currently based in New York City and is travelling worldwide for her duties as Miss Universe. This could be the reason they cannot spend a lot of time together.



In an interview, Marlon revealed that he feels fortunate to get to know Pia Wurtzbach on a more personal level. "It's amazing! Pia is very beautiful, of course, that is the reason why she is Miss Universe. I just feel lucky that we got to meet and we've been seeing each other," he said.


Song Couple (Photo : Twitter/Song Hye Kyo)

It took six months for Descendants of the Sun stars Song Joong-ki and Song Hye Kyo to be seen again together when they attended together the 2016 KBS Drama Award on Saturday. The last time they were seen by fans together was when the two accepted the Most Popular Actor and Most Popular Actress awards at the 52nd Baeksang Art Awards in June.



Advertisement

Seeing them together again when the two were declared Grand Excellence (Daesang) award and one of the three Best Couple awardees excited the fans of the Descendants of the Sun stars that they are now pushing the two to get married. Even if the two stars insist they are not in a romantic relationship and are just friends, some fans nevertheless suggested they get married in Instagram comments.



Instagram Accounts



On Song Hye Kyos account where she posted a photo of herself and Song Joong-ki at the 2016 KBS Drama Award, besides congratulating the couple for their awards, they asked the pair to walk the aisle. Egaadara wrote, Get married please. Hanumauliasgita just repeated, Married married married.



b.p.paopao said the two deserve their awards and added, Wish beauty and her big boss live happily ever after. Dianpermatasari90 suggested Get merried .. waiting.



Song Hye Kyos latest Instagram post got more than 226,000 likes. Noticeably, there appears to be no more Om telolet om meme postings from her Indonesian followers.



Please Marry Her



Likewise, Song Joong-ki posted a photo of himself at the awards night when he also had bromance moments with friend Park Bo Gum. His Instagram post got more than 112,000 likes in one day and elicited more than 800 comments.



Similar to Song Hye Kyos account, his account also got suggestions that the two Descendants of the Sun get married. Anitarg88 asked, Joong Ki please marry Hye Kyo. You too very much together. Please marry her.






Motorola wants everyone to "skip the sevens," particularly the iPhone 7. To do just that, it launched a video that shows off how it convinces "Apple loyalists" to switch to the Moto Z and its Moto Mods. (Photo : Getty Images/ Paul Zimmerman)

After rolling out the latest Android Nougat update on the Moto G4, Moto G4 Plus, and Moto Z, Motorola now started releasing the 7.1.1 Nougat update on the Moto X Style handset as seen on the latest citing in a benchmarking database.



Standing as Motorola's last release for the Moto X lineup, Moto X Style was previously rumored to roll out an updated version on its operating system, as it currently runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow, Mobile reported. Now, the tech company's plan for the Android Nougat 7.1.1 update is coming on the said handset after it was spotted on the GFXBench



Advertisement

In the latest sighting, Motorola is skipping its release for Android 7.0 Nougat, and instead, will install the 7.1.1 Nougat update for the Moto X Style (or "Pure" on customers within United States), alongside the Moto X Play. However, Motorola has not confirmed yet the exact date or timeframe for the release of the said update.



The new Android 7.1.1 Nougat update will come with new features and enhancements, including multi-window support, which allows users to use two apps at the same time and double tap to switch between them.



In addition, the Nougat firmware will fix bugs and also brings performance improvements. With the demand of smartphones to carry big workflows and functionality, the update should save battery and consume less memory when screen is turned off, thus saving battery life.



On another note, Google has improved the notifications panel by integrating the 'reply via notification' feature, allowing users to reply to text messages conveniently without having to open the app. Smartphones with higher screen resolutions could also have a taste of Google's Daydream VR mode in Android Nougat.



According to UHerald, Motorola first rolled out its Moto X smartphones in August 2013, while taking its specialty more on software optimization instead of cutting-edge specifications. Until this year, the company changed its direction from being a software hub for smartphones into high-end featured devices.



So far, other smartphones that are in line to get Android Nougat update include the Moto X Force, Moto Z Play, and the Nexus 6.






S&P 500 3,719.89 DOW 32,001.25 QQQ 260.49 Harnessing Neuroplasticity Allows You to Actually Change the Way You Think. Here's How. How High Can Copper Go? (Ad) eBay or Etsy: Which Is The Better Buy? Paypal Shows Promise With Strong Buy Rating How High Can Copper Go? (Ad) Energy Transfer Raises Guidance, But Stock Lower On Revenue Miss New Revenue Strategy, Strong Earnings, Apple Remains a Buy How High Can Copper Go? (Ad) Papa Johns Falls Flat On Earnings, Shares Set To Rise Bank of England makes biggest interest rate hike in 30 years

S&P 500 3,719.89 DOW 32,001.25 QQQ 260.49 Harnessing Neuroplasticity Allows You to Actually Change the Way You Think. Here's How. How High Can Copper Go? (Ad) eBay or Etsy: Which Is The Better Buy? Paypal Shows Promise With Strong Buy Rating How High Can Copper Go? (Ad) Energy Transfer Raises Guidance, But Stock Lower On Revenue Miss New Revenue Strategy, Strong Earnings, Apple Remains a Buy How High Can Copper Go? (Ad) Papa Johns Falls Flat On Earnings, Shares Set To Rise Bank of England makes biggest interest rate hike in 30 years

S&P 500 3,719.89 DOW 32,001.25 QQQ 260.49 Harnessing Neuroplasticity Allows You to Actually Change the Way You Think. Here's How. How High Can Copper Go? (Ad) eBay or Etsy: Which Is The Better Buy? Paypal Shows Promise With Strong Buy Rating How High Can Copper Go? (Ad) Energy Transfer Raises Guidance, But Stock Lower On Revenue Miss New Revenue Strategy, Strong Earnings, Apple Remains a Buy How High Can Copper Go? (Ad) Papa Johns Falls Flat On Earnings, Shares Set To Rise Bank of England makes biggest interest rate hike in 30 years
S&P 500 3,719.89 DOW 32,001.25 QQQ 260.49 Harnessing Neuroplasticity Allows You to Actually Change the Way You Think. Here's How. How High Can Copper Go? (Ad) eBay or Etsy: Which Is The Better Buy? Paypal Shows Promise With Strong Buy Rating How High Can Copper Go? (Ad) Energy Transfer Raises Guidance, But Stock Lower On Revenue Miss Papa Johns Falls Flat On Earnings, Shares Set To Rise How High Can Copper Go? (Ad) Bank of England makes biggest interest rate hike in 30 years Mid-Caps CommScope, Dycom Outperform Broader Telecom Industry

S&P 500 3,719.89 DOW 32,001.25 QQQ 260.49 Harnessing Neuroplasticity Allows You to Actually Change the Way You Think. Here's How. How High Can Copper Go? (Ad) eBay or Etsy: Which Is The Better Buy? Paypal Shows Promise With Strong Buy Rating How High Can Copper Go? (Ad) Energy Transfer Raises Guidance, But Stock Lower On Revenue Miss Papa Johns Falls Flat On Earnings, Shares Set To Rise How High Can Copper Go? (Ad) Bank of England makes biggest interest rate hike in 30 years Mid-Caps CommScope, Dycom Outperform Broader Telecom Industry

S&P 500 3,719.89 DOW 32,001.25 QQQ 260.49 Harnessing Neuroplasticity Allows You to Actually Change the Way You Think. Here's How. How High Can Copper Go? (Ad) eBay or Etsy: Which Is The Better Buy? Paypal Shows Promise With Strong Buy Rating How High Can Copper Go? (Ad) Energy Transfer Raises Guidance, But Stock Lower On Revenue Miss Papa Johns Falls Flat On Earnings, Shares Set To Rise How High Can Copper Go? (Ad) Bank of England makes biggest interest rate hike in 30 years Mid-Caps CommScope, Dycom Outperform Broader Telecom Industry
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.
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.

Read More
Your Ultimate Investing Toolkit

Sign up for MarketBeat All Access to gain access to MarketBeat's full suite of research tools:

Portfolio Monitoring

Top Stock Lists

Premium Reports

Stock Screeners

Live News Feed

Premium Support

Free for your first month.
The following companies are subsidiares of Pfizer: AH Robins LLC, AHP Holdings B.V., AHP Manufacturing B.V., Agouron Pharmaceuticals LLC, Alacer, Alpharma Holdings LLC, Alpharma Pharmaceuticals LLC, Alpharma Specialty Pharma LLC, Alpharma USHP LLC, American Food Industries LLC, Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Anacor Pharmaceuticals Inc., Angiosyn, Array BioPharma, Ayerst-Wyeth Pharmaceuticals LLC, BIND Therapeutics Inc., BINESA 2002 S.L., Bamboo Therapeutics, Bamboo Therapeutics Inc., Baxter International - Marketed Vaccines, BioRexis, Bioren, Bioren LLC, Blue Whale Re Ltd., C.E. Commercial Holdings C.V., C.E. Commercial Investments C.V., C.P. Pharmaceuticals International C.V., CICL Corporation, COC I Corporation, Catapult Genetics, Coley Pharmaceutical GmbH, Coley Pharmaceutical Group, Coley Pharmaceutical Group Inc., Continental Pharma Inc., Covx, Covx Technologies Ireland Limited, Cyanamid Inter-American Corporation, Cyanamid de Argentina S.A., Cyanamid de Colombia S.A., Distribuidora Mercantil Centro Americana S.A., Encysive Pharmaceuticals, Encysive Pharmaceuticals Inc., Esperion LUV Development Inc., Esperion Therapeutics, Excaliard Pharmaceuticals, Excaliard Pharmaceuticals Inc., Farminova Produtos Farmaceuticos de Inovacao Lda., Farmogene Productos Farmaceuticos Lda, Ferrosan A/S, Ferrosan International A/S, Ferrosan S.R.L., FoldRx Pharmaceuticals Inc., Foldrx Pharmaceuticals, Fort Dodge Manufatura Ltda., G. D. Searle & Co. Limited, G. D. Searle International Capital LLC, G. D. Searle LLC, GI Europe Inc., GI Japan Inc., GenTrac Inc., Genetics Institute LLC, Greenstone LLC, Haptogen Limited, Hospira, Hospira (China) Enterprise Management Co. Ltd., Hospira Adelaide Pty Ltd, Hospira Aseptic Services Limited, Hospira Australia Pty Ltd, Hospira Benelux BVBA, Hospira Chile Limitada, Hospira Deutschland GmbH, Hospira Enterprises B.V., Hospira France SAS, Hospira Healthcare B.V., Hospira Healthcare Corporation, Hospira Healthcare India Private Limited, Hospira Holdings (S.A.) Pty Ltd, Hospira Inc., Hospira Invicta S.A., Hospira Ireland Holdings Unlimited Company, Hospira Ireland Sales Limited, Hospira Japan G.K., Hospira Limited, Hospira Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Hospira NZ Limited, Hospira Nordic AB, Hospira Philippines Inc., Hospira Portugal LDA, Hospira Produtos Hospitalares Ltda., Hospira Pte. Ltd., Hospira Pty Limited, Hospira Puerto Rico LLC, Hospira Singapore Pte Ltd, Hospira UK Limited, Hospira Worldwide LLC, Hospira Zagreb d.o.o., ICAgen, Idun Pharmaceuticals, Industrial Santa Agape S.A., InnoPharma, InnoPharma Inc., International Affiliated Corporation LLC, JMI-Daniels Pharmaceuticals Inc., John Wyeth & Brother Limited, Kiinteisto oy Espoon Pellavaniementie 14, King Pharmaceuticals Holdings LLC, King Pharmaceuticals LLC, King Pharmaceuticals Research and Development LLC, Korea Pharma Holding Company Limited, Laboratoires Pfizer S.A., Laboratorios Parke Davis S.L., Laboratorios Pfizer Ltda., Laboratorios Wyeth LLC, Laboratorios Wyeth S.A., Laboratorios Pfizer Lda., MTG Divestitures LLC, Mayne Pharma IP Holdings (Euro) Pty Ltd, Medivation, Medivation Field Solutions LLC, Medivation LLC, Medivation Neurology LLC, Medivation Prostate Therapeutics LLC, Medivation Services LLC, Medivation Technologies LLC, Meridian Medical Technologies Inc., Meridian Medical Technologies Limited, Monarch Pharmaceuticals LLC, Neusentis Limited, NextWave Pharmaceuticals, NextWave Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, P-D Co. LLC, PAH USA IN8 LLC, PF Americas Holding C.V., PF Asia Manufacturing B.V., PF PR Holdings C.V., PF PRISM C.V., PF PRISM Holdings S.a.r.l., PF Prism S.a.r.l., PFE Holdings G.K., PFE PHAC Holdings 1 LLC, PFE Pfizer Holdings 1 LLC, PFE Wyeth Holdings LLC, PFE Wyeth-Ayerst (Asia) LLC, PHILCO Holdings S.a r.l., PHIVCO Corp., PHIVCO Holdco S.a r.l., PHIVCO Luxembourg S.a r.l., PN Mexico LLC, PT. Pfizer Parke Davis, Parke Davis & Company LLC, Parke Davis Limited, Parke Davis Productos Farmaceuticos Lda, Parke-Davis Manufacturing Corp., Parkedale Pharmaceuticals Inc., Peak Enterprises LLC, Pfizer, Pfizer (China) Research and Development Co. Ltd., Pfizer (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Pfizer (Perth) Pty Limited, Pfizer (Thailand) Limited, Pfizer (Wuhan) Research and Development Co. Ltd., Pfizer AB, Pfizer AG, Pfizer AS, Pfizer Africa & Middle East for Pharmaceuticals Veterinarian Products & Chemicals S.A.E., Pfizer Anti-Infectives AB, Pfizer ApS, Pfizer Asia Manufacturing Pte. Ltd., Pfizer Asia Pacific Pte Ltd., Pfizer Atlantic Holdings S.a.r.l., Pfizer Australia Holdings B.V., Pfizer Australia Holdings Pty Limited, Pfizer Australia Investments Pty. Ltd., Pfizer Australia Pty Limited, Pfizer B.V., Pfizer BH D.o.o., Pfizer Baltic Holdings B.V., Pfizer Biofarmaceutica Sociedade Unipessoal Lda, Pfizer Biologics (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd, Pfizer Biologics Ireland Holdings Limited, Pfizer Biotech Corporation, Pfizer Bolivia S.A., Pfizer Canada Inc., Pfizer CentreSource Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Pfizer Chile S.A., Pfizer Cia. Ltda., Pfizer Colombia Spinco I LLC, Pfizer Commercial Holdings Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer Commercial Holdings TRAE Kft., Pfizer Commercial TRAE Trading Kft., Pfizer Consumer Healthcare AB, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare GmbH, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare Ltd., Pfizer Consumer Manufacturing Italy S.r.l., Pfizer Corporation, Pfizer Corporation Austria Gesellschaft m.b.H., Pfizer Corporation Hong Kong Limited, Pfizer Croatia d.o.o., Pfizer Deutschland GmbH, Pfizer Development LP, Pfizer Development Services (UK) Limited, Pfizer Domestic Ventures Limited, Pfizer Dominicana S.R.L, Pfizer ESP Pty Ltd, Pfizer East India B.V., Pfizer Eastern Investments B.V., Pfizer Egypt S.A.E., Pfizer Enterprise Holdings B.V., Pfizer Enterprises LLC, Pfizer Enterprises SARL, Pfizer Europe Finance B.V., Pfizer Export B.V., Pfizer Export Company, Pfizer Export Holding Company B.V, Pfizer Finance Share Service (Dalian) Co. Ltd., Pfizer Financial Services N.V./S.A., Pfizer France International Investments, Pfizer Free Zone Panama S. de R.L., Pfizer GEP S.L., Pfizer Global Holdings B.V., Pfizer Global Supply Japan Inc., Pfizer Global Trading, Pfizer Group Luxembourg Sarl, Pfizer Gulf FZ-LLC, Pfizer H.C.P. Corporation, Pfizer HK Service Company Limited, Pfizer Health AB, Pfizer Health Solutions Inc., Pfizer Healthcare Ireland, Pfizer Hellas A.E., Pfizer Himalaya Holdings Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer Holding France, Pfizer Holding Ventures, Pfizer Holdings Corporation, Pfizer Holdings Europe Unlimited Company, Pfizer Holdings G.K., Pfizer Holdings International Corporation, Pfizer Holdings International Luxembourg (PHIL) Sarl, Pfizer Holdings North America SARL, Pfizer Hungary Holdings TRAE Kft., Pfizer Inc., Pfizer Innovations AB, Pfizer Innovations LLC, Pfizer Innovative Supply Point International BVBA, Pfizer International LLC, Pfizer International Markets Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer International Operations, Pfizer International S. de R.L., Pfizer International Trading (Shanghai) Limited, Pfizer Investment Capital Unlimited Company, Pfizer Investment Co. Ltd., Pfizer Investment Holdings S.a.r.l., Pfizer Ireland Investments Limited, Pfizer Ireland PFE Holding 1 LLC, Pfizer Ireland PFE Holding 2 LLC, Pfizer Ireland Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer Ireland Ventures Unlimited Company, Pfizer Italia S.r.l., Pfizer Italy Group Holding S.r.l., Pfizer Japan Inc., Pfizer LLC, Pfizer Laboratories (Pty) Limited, Pfizer Laboratories Limited, Pfizer Laboratories PFE (Pty) Ltd, Pfizer Leasing Ireland Limited, Pfizer Leasing UK Limited, Pfizer Limitada, Pfizer Limited, Pfizer Luxco Holdings SARL, Pfizer Luxembourg Global Holdings S.a r.l., Pfizer Luxembourg SARL, Pfizer MAP Holding Inc., Pfizer Manufacturing Austria G.m.b.H., Pfizer Manufacturing Belgium N.V., Pfizer Manufacturing Deutschland GmbH, Pfizer Manufacturing Deutschland Grundbesitz GmbH & Co. KG, Pfizer Manufacturing Holdings LLC, Pfizer Manufacturing Ireland Unlimited Company, Pfizer Manufacturing LLC, Pfizer Manufacturing Services, Pfizer Medical Technology Group (Belgium) N.V., Pfizer Medicamentos Genericos e Participacoes Ltda., Pfizer Mexico Luxco SARL, Pfizer Mexico S.A. de C.V., Pfizer Middle East for Pharmaceuticals Animal Health and Chemicals S.A.E., Pfizer New Zealand Limited, Pfizer Norge AS, Pfizer North American Holdings Inc., Pfizer OTC B.V., Pfizer Overseas LLC, Pfizer Oy, Pfizer PFE ApS, Pfizer PFE AsiaPac Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Australia Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Australia Pty Ltd, Pfizer PFE B.V., Pfizer PFE Baltic Holdings B.V., Pfizer PFE Belgium SPRL, Pfizer PFE Brazil Holding S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE CIA. Ltda., Pfizer PFE Chile Holding LLC, Pfizer PFE Colombia Holding Corp., Pfizer PFE Colombia S.A.S, Pfizer PFE Commercial Holdings LLC, Pfizer PFE Croatia Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Eastern Investments B.V., Pfizer PFE Finland Oy, Pfizer PFE France, Pfizer PFE Global Holdings B.V., Pfizer PFE Ireland Pharmaceuticals Holding 1 B.V., Pfizer PFE Italy Holdco 2 S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE Italy Holdco S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Pfizer PFE Limited, Pfizer PFE Luxembourg S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE Mexico Holding 3 LLC, Pfizer PFE Netherlands Holding 1 C.V., Pfizer PFE New Zealand, Pfizer PFE New Zealand Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Norway Holding S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE PILSA Holdco S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE Peru Holding LLC, Pfizer PFE Peru S.R.L., Pfizer PFE Pharmaceuticals Israel Holding LLC, Pfizer PFE Pharmaceuticals Israel Ltd., Pfizer PFE Private Limited, Pfizer PFE S.R.L, Pfizer PFE Service Company Holding Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer PFE Singapore Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Singapore Pte. Ltd., Pfizer PFE Spain B.V., Pfizer PFE Spain Holding S.L., Pfizer PFE Sweden Holding 2 S.a.r.l., Pfizer PFE Sweden Holding S.a.r.l., Pfizer PFE Switzerland GmbH, Pfizer PFE Turkey Holding 1 B.V., Pfizer PFE Turkey Holding 2 B.V., Pfizer PFE UK Holding 4 LP, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 1 LLC, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 2 LLC, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 3 LLC, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 4 LLC, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 5 LLC, Pfizer PFE spol. s r.o., Pfizer PFE Ilaclar Anonim Sirketi, Pfizer Pakistan Limited, Pfizer Parke Davis (Thailand) Ltd., Pfizer Parke Davis Inc., Pfizer Parke Davis Sdn. Bhd., Pfizer Pharm Algerie, Pfizer Pharma GmbH, Pfizer Pharma PFE GmbH, Pfizer Pharmaceutical (Wuxi) Co. Ltd., Pfizer Pharmaceutical Trading Limited Liability Company (a/k/a Pfizer Kft. or Pfizer LLC), Pfizer Pharmaceuticals B.V., Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Global B.V., Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Israel Ltd., Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Korea Limited, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals LLC, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Pfizer Pigments Inc., Pfizer Polska Sp. z.o.o., Pfizer Private Limited, Pfizer Production LLC, Pfizer Products Inc., Pfizer Products India Private Limited, Pfizer Research (NC) Inc., Pfizer Romania SRL, Pfizer S.A., Pfizer S.A., Pfizer S.A. (Belgium), Pfizer S.A. de C.V., Pfizer S.A.S., Pfizer S.G.P.S. Lda., Pfizer S.L., Pfizer S.R.L., Pfizer SRB d.o.o., Pfizer Saidal Manufacturing, Pfizer Sante Familiale, Pfizer Saudi Limited, Pfizer Seiyaku K.K., Pfizer Service Company BVBA, Pfizer Service Company Ireland Unlimited Company, Pfizer Services 1, Pfizer Services LLC, Pfizer Shared Services Unlimited Company, Pfizer Shareholdings Intermediate SARL, Pfizer Singapore Holding Pte. Ltd., Pfizer Singapore Trading Pte. Ltd., Pfizer Spain Holdings Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer Specialties Limited, Pfizer Strategic Investment Holdings LLC, Pfizer Sweden Partnership KB, Pfizer TRAE Holdings Kft., Pfizer Trading Polska sp.z.o.o., Pfizer Transactions Ireland Unlimited Company, Pfizer Transactions LLC, Pfizer Transactions Luxembourg SARL, Pfizer Transport LLC, Pfizer Ukraine LLC, Pfizer Vaccines LLC, Pfizer Venezuela S.A., Pfizer Venture Investments LLC, Pfizer Ventures LLC, Pfizer Worldwide Services Unlimited Company, Pfizer Zona Franca S.A., Pfizer spol. s r.o., Pharmacia, Pharmacia & Upjohn Company Inc., Pharmacia & Upjohn Company LLC, Pharmacia & Upjohn LLC, Pharmacia & Upjohn S.A. de C.V., Pharmacia Brasil Ltda., Pharmacia Hepar LLC, Pharmacia Holding AB, Pharmacia Inter-American LLC, Pharmacia International B.V., Pharmacia LLC, Pharmacia Limited, Pharmacia Nostrum S.A., Pharmacia South Africa (Pty) Ltd, PowderJect Research Limited, PowderMed, Purepac Pharmaceutical Holdings LLC, Redvax, Renrall LLC, Rinat Neuroscience, Rinat Neuroscience Corp., Roerig Produtos Farmaceuticos Lda., Roerig S.A., Sao Cristovao Participacoes Ltda., Searle Laboratorios Lda., Serenex, Servicios P&U S. de R.L. de C.V., Shiley LLC, Sinergis Farma-Produtos Farmaceuticos Lda., Site Realty Inc., Solinor LLC, Sugen LLC, Tabor LLC, The Pfizer Incubator LLC, Therachon, Thiakis Limited, Treerly Health Co. Ltd, US Oral Pharmaceuticals Pty Ltd, Upjohn Laboratorios Lda., Vesteralens Naturprodukter A/S, Vesteralens Naturprodukter AB, Vesteralens Naturprodukter AS, Vesteralens Naturprodukter OY, Vicuron Holdings LLC, Vinci Farma S.A., W-L LLC, Warner Lambert, Warner Lambert Ilac Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Warner Lambert del Uruguay S.A., Warner-Lambert (Thailand) Limited, Warner-Lambert Company AG, Warner-Lambert Company LLC, Warner-Lambert Guatemala Sociedad Anonima, Warner-Lambert S.A., Whitehall International Inc., Whitehall Laboratories Inc., Wyeth (Thailand) Ltd., Wyeth AB, Wyeth Australia Pty. Limited, Wyeth Ayerst Inc., Wyeth Ayerst S.a r.l., Wyeth Biopharma, Wyeth Canada ULC, Wyeth Consumer Healthcare LLC, Wyeth Europa Limited, Wyeth Farma S.A., Wyeth Holdings LLC, Wyeth Industria Farmaceutica Ltda., Wyeth KFT., Wyeth LLC, Wyeth Lederle S.r.l., Wyeth Lederle Vaccines S.A., Wyeth Pakistan Limited, Wyeth Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Company, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals FZ-LLC, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals LLC, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Limited, Wyeth Puerto Rico Inc., Wyeth S.A.S, Wyeth Subsidiary Illinois Corporation, Wyeth Whitehall Export GmbH, Wyeth Whitehall SARL, Wyeth-Ayerst (Asia) Limited, Wyeth-Ayerst International LLC, and Wyeth-Ayerst Promotions Limited.

Read More
NextEra Energy, Inc. is the largest electric utility holding company in the US. It operates a network of power generation and distribution facilities that include fossil-fuel-generated and green energy. As of mid-2022, the company was capable of generating 58 GW of electricity with nearly 60% of the load produced by green sources including wind and solar. In their view, going green isnt an option, its the solution. NextEra Energy has been recognized multiple times as a leader in clean energy and ESG practices and was ranked the #1 electric and gas utility on the Forbes list of Most Admired Companies.

The company is the result of several mergers that begin with FPL Group. FPL Group is now a subsidiary of NextEra Energy and the third-largest provider of electricity in the US servicing nearly half of Florida. FPL and its affiliates are the single largest provider of renewable energy generated from wind and sun. The group changed its name in 2010 following a decision to shift focus onto renewable energy sources.

Today, NextEra Energy, Inc through its subsidiary FPL serves about 12 million people in eastern and southwestern Florida. The company employs nearly 14,900 people who service 5.8 million accounts. The company is in business to generate, transmit, and distribute electricity to retail and wholesale clients. Electricity is generated through wind, solar, nuclear, natural gas, and coal-fired facilities.

The company is also engaged in the construction and operation of new facilities, specifically renewable power generation, storage, and delivery facilities, and can offer custom solutions tailored to any need. Offerings include tailored services to assist businesses with their transition to clean energy.

NextEra Energy also owns and operates 7 nuclear power stations in Florida, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin generating power for the wholesale market.

Unlike other companies that are targeting net-zero emissions, NextEra Energy has a plan to reach real zero and is investing heavily to reach that goal by 2045. The company had invested nearly $50 billion in green energy infrastructure and initiatives by mid-2022. The plan is to first work on reducing its own emissions and then take its knowledge and expertise to the world.
First of a three-part series.

The multi-lane highway that funnels traffic through the Pantops Mountain corridor is flanked by restaurants, fast-food franchises, vehicle dealerships, shopping centers and sundry businesses.

A few centuries ago, it was a pastoral rise affording unobstructed views of much of Albemarle County. Thomas Jefferson once owned a sizable parcel of the land, and he gave the mountaintop its name.

The third president probably wouldnt recognize the derivation of the name as it has come to be spoken. He fashioned it from the Greek words pant-ops, which means all seeing.

This, as locals well know, has been altered to a pronunciation more descriptive of kitchen utensils than a scenic overlook. Before settlers moved into the region, it long had been the domain of the Monacan Indians.

As settlements moved relentlessly westward, the Monacans were pushed out of the area. By the 1800s, many of them were living near Bear Mountain, in what is now Amherst County.

The history of the development of Pantops starts in 1734, when John Rogers Clark becomes one of the original grantees of the land. He was the father of Revolutionary War hero George Rogers Clark.

No improvements were made to the property under Clarks stewardship. This slowly began to change after 1746, when Jeffersons father, Peter Jefferson, acquired the land.

When Peter Jefferson died in 1756, he left the property to the future president. In 1777, Jefferson purchased additional land next to his inherited parcel, and it was then that he gave the area its name.

Jefferson wanted the land for agricultural pursuits. He also saw it as an ideal nesting place for his youngest daughter, Mary, and her new husband, Francis Eppes.

In a letter Jefferson penned in 1797 to Mary, who also went by the names Maria and Polly, he wrote, Opening and resettling the plantation of Pantops. In 1804, he wrote her that he was leveling and establishing your hen-house at Pantops.

Not long after Jefferson wrote the upbeat letter, he had more painful words to draft. The daughter, who had rarely enjoyed robust health, died on April 17, 1804, several weeks after giving birth.

That sorrowful day, Jefferson wrote, This morning between 8 & 9. aclock my dear daughter Maria Eppes died. The death of his young daughter ended his hope that she and her husband would raise their family on the farm near his Monticello home.

In 1815, James Leitch purchased the property from Jefferson. That same year, the new owner built what is widely believed to have been the first house at Pantops.

The dwelling has been described as a single-story wood-frame hall-passage-parlor house, with a portico the length of the house. The structure and property remained in the family until 1877, when it was sold to the Rev. Edgar Woods.

Woods was the pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Charlottesville. His interests in writing and local history enriched the existing record of the areas past.

Woods also played a role in transforming Pantops from farmland to a hub for business. In 1879, he opened a Presbyterian school for boys he called Pantops Academy.

The schools primary mission was to prepare teenage boys for college and university work. The school attracted students from across the country, as well as from several foreign lands, including Japan, China, Brazil and Germany.

A few years after the school opened, Woods made his son-in-law, John R. Sampson, the principal and he became associate principal. At its height, the academy housed about 70 students and had seven instructors.

As enrollment grew, so did the need for additional buildings. According to records, this resulted in the construction of several large Second-Empire-style buildings on the site.

Second-Empire is an architectural term denoting a style popular during the late 1800s. A photograph of the academy taken around 1906 shows two stately mansions flanking several smaller buildings.

The second half of the 19th century had been a golden age for private education in the area. In addition to Pantops Academy, some of the most prominent private schools were Edgehill School, Piedmont Female Institute, Albemarle Female Institute and Major Jones Charlottesville Institute.

Woods was widely respected, and a comment made by an individual who knew him provides a glimpse into his personality. The admirer said he drew young hearts to love him by firm discipline, and gave to youths an impress of character which is still felt by those who were fortunate to fall under his instructions.

Pantops Academy was proving to be a gateway to success for ambitious young men. And Pantops Mountain, with the critically important Free Bridge at its western terminus, was becoming an important entry point to the island that is Charlottesville.

Next: Growth and change.
A cadre of teachers, police officers and faculty members in Orange County schools has been on the lookout for students without coats, hats and gloves as temperatures drop. With help from the Santa Fund, those students will get the things they need to stay warm this winter.

According to Orange County guidance counselor Dave Kohstall, more than 250 of the countys 6,000 students have received assistance through the Santa Fund thanks to the generous donations of Central Virginians.

Established in 1894, the Santa Fund collects donations to provide vouchers for families to buy shoes, clothing, medicine and other essentials for children in need in Charlottesville and the counties of Albemarle, Buckingham, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, Madison, Nelson and Orange. The Daily Progress and radio station WINA sponsor the annual fund in conjunction with the United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area.

The 2016 fundraising goal is $150,000, just as it was last year, a benchmark passed by just $900. About $122,000 has been raised so far.

Many of the students who have received vouchers this year have come from Orange County High School, where teachers and other staff have been on the lookout for students who seem to lack winter clothing.

We all work together, Kohstall said. If somebody doesnt have gloves, a hat, whatever, we try not to embarrass them, but to call them in and ask if they need something.

Kohstall credits people like Norm Schmidt, an OCHS English teacher, for being vigilant about looking out for students in need.

The vouchers, which are distributed year-round, are sometimes used to purchase hygiene products.

Believe it or not, theres people that do not have indoor plumbing or running water in this county, Kohstall said. Some of the families just dont have the money.

The vouchers are usually redeemed at stores such as Kmart, Marshalls and TJ Maxx, Kohstall said, or at consignment shop Terrys Place in Orange County.

Kohstall said hed like to see more businesses take part in fundraiser. In certain parts of the county, voucher recipients must drive 30 minutes or more to get to a participating store, which can be tough on families that are already in a precarious financial situation, he said.

Lisa Frazier, vice president and finance director of the local United Way, agreed.

Since it can be difficult for parents to find the time and/or transportation for the drive to Charlottesville, having additional options for shopping in Orange would be beneficial for families, Frazier said.

Kohstall expressed sincere gratitude for all those who donate to the Santa Fund.

Our school budget doesnt include anything like this, he said. If we didnt have that, we couldnt help these kids.

Contributions may be mailed to Santa Fund, 806 E. High St., Charlottesville, VA 22902 or be made at thesantafund.com.
Dr. Richard Lindsays medical training started when he was a youngster, often with servings of milk and cookies.

In later years, his medical education escalated to dealing with sobering situations such as ghastly subway accidents in New York City and drug overdoses. During the late 1960s, while serving as a U.S. Army doctor at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, he learned how to treat grievous battlefield injuries.

As Lindsay matured as a person and physician, he came to fully appreciate the foundational medical knowledge he received as a youngster. This structural underpinning had more to do with the value of service than basic life-saving considerations such as stopping bleeding and clearing airways.

My father and grandfather were country doctors, and, as a boy, I would accompany my dad on house calls, Lindsay said recently as he reflected on his childhood in a New York town of about 3,500 souls. He would see the patients, and family members would bring me milk and cookies.

My dad, without a doubt, was the leading citizen in the town, and everybody respected him. I came to realize that, by golly, this is a man who is really contributing and doing something for people. I admired that a great deal.

I learned that, in addition to the personal satisfaction you get from being a physician and helping people, there is a tremendous role you play in terms of helping the community in many, many ways.

To this end, Lindsay co-founded the University of Virginia School of Medicines Department of Family Medicine. After deciding to concentrate his medical efforts on geriatrics, he founded the Division of Geriatrics at the university.

Dr. Claudette Dalton said that when Lindsay founded the Division of Geriatrics, he was virtually the only doctor at UVa specializing in the care of older patients. Since then, a great many doctors have been trained in this increasingly in-demand discipline.

Although Lindsay is retired, he continues to educate and motivate people in the importance of geriatric care and the vital role of caregivers. For many years, he has been active with the Jefferson Area Board for Aging, currently chairing its board of directors.

Lindsay also has been a mainstay on the Governors Advisory Board on Aging, having provided advice and suggestions to eight Virginia governors. The list of organizations he continues to work with on matters of aging are nearly as lengthy and impressive as the academic awards and honors he has received.

When my dad got sick, I went back briefly and took over the practice, Lindsay said when asked how his interest in geriatrics started. Most of the people I saw were older than I was, and I began to realize that they had stories to tell that I had never heard before about my hometown and the people.

I rapidly realized that these people had things to offer, and if you took time to listen, you would profit from it. I also developed an appreciation for the fact that an older person often has more than one illness and often needs support once they leave the hospital.

I found that the big, big piece that is missing, even today, is the fact that the bulk of care for older people is not done by doctors and nurses, but by family members. And so, if you figure out a way to involve them in the equation, get them on the team and train them, you provide an invaluable resource.

This understanding resulted in him founding the Lindsay Institute for Innovations in Caregiving. The organization helps to find resources for caregivers of the elderly and offers grants for innovative research.

Were asking a lot of caregivers these days, Lindsay said. Were getting people out of the hospital much earlier, putting them in a home setting and turning them over to the family caregiver.

And the family caregiver has not in all incidences been trained, and yet theyre doing dialysis, working with pulmonary equipment and doing wound care. Things that doctors and nurses used to do are now being done by family caregivers.

To me, the natural progression was to see if we couldnt help increase medical training for family members. So I bridged from family medicine over into geriatrics and got the team concept going.

Lindsay said the professional accomplishment he is most proud of has been training a generation of doctors  and making them aware that everybody is going to age. He also takes pride in making young people conscious of the fact that, in all likelihood, they will become caregivers, and now is the time for them to start building their own foundation of medical knowledge.

My mom developed Alzheimers and came to live with us here in Charlottesville for a while, Lindsay said. If I hadnt had the background I had, I would have really struggled.

She was pretty far along in the disease, and when I brought her into my home, it was like a nuclear explosion. It was a really difficult time. Therefore, one of my big pitches is getting the younger populations aware of the basic tenets of caregiving.

I continue to do that at the community and college level. I want them to have the information on what the challenges are going to be, and try to make them aware of the fact that they need to prepare for it.
It was a year of hurt and indignation.

In one way or another, many of 2016's biggest headlines, both locally and nationally, were the result of people offending and being offended.

Ideologies clashed, and whether it was from a protest in Lee Park or behind their computer monitors, the offended made their voices heard, and everyone else reacted.

The divisions that came to the fore were nothing new for Charlottesville, being rooted in history, racial tension, civil rights, fear or some combination of the above. But emotions spilled over in 2016.

Some worked to change the status quo, while others fought to maintain it. Grievances were voiced, but little was solved. As the community looks ahead to a new year, perhaps the only way to move forward is to reflect on a year seemingly racked with strife.

While most of the areas biggest clashes arrived in the heart of the election season, its fair to say the first clamor came in early spring, when Charlottesvilles two statues of Confederate generals became a source of contention. In March, Charlottesvilles City Council agreed to consider convening a Blue Ribbon Commission that would determine the future of the citys statues of Gens. Robert E. Lee and Thomas Stonewall Jackson.

Months after winning a seat on the council, then-Albemarle High School teacher Wes Bellamy formally announced the decision at an early-morning news conference in Lee Park, which drew throngs of supporters and protesters alike. Some decried the prominent depiction of a man on the wrong side of history, while others accused them of erasing history and heritage.

Believing the Lee statue to be a symbol of the Confederacy and slavery, Charlottesville High School student Zyahna Bryant sported a petition with more than 500 signatures calling for its removal.

No one should feel uncomfortable when they visit this park, Bryant said at the time, with support from Bellamy, the local chapter of the NAACP, the Charlottesville Pride Community and others.

Leading the charge to safeguard the statue were Confederate heritage and preservation groups that circulated petitions of their own. Although not given a chance to speak at the news conference  a fact they were quick to vocalize as Bellamy spoke  the protesters rallied to keep the statues and their complicated histories intact.

I believe in the South and what it represents. Its country folk and living, said Albemarle County resident Robert Lee Elliott. I hate to see history being changed. ... History is in the past and we need to let things lie the way it is.

The arguments of each side were neither novel nor slight. According to Jeffrey Olick, a sociology and history professor at the University of Virginia, communities around the nation have been debating the representation of the Civil War for decades. Around the world, he said, the debate surrounding public memory of history is more significant  its latent emergence in Charlottesville is part and parcel of what he refers to as the end of American exceptionalism when it comes to difficult memory.

Up until now, these things have been under the surface and repressed, Olick said. Some of the memory politics that have played out elsewhere in the world is becoming more visible in the United States. That may be a sign of fracture or the decline of a consensus about history.

Over the course of the year, a panel was convened and commissioned to evaluate the statues and reinterpret the citys history as it relates to race. By November, that panel recommended that the statues either remain in their respective parks or be moved to the citys McIntire Park, but it stipulated that steps be taken to contextualize them so that history is not hidden.

Nonetheless, the fractures in public opinion about the statues had been exposed and permeated across other issues that erupted in the months that followed. With the backing of the council and newly elected Mayor Mike Signer, Bellamy had taken a hard-line stance; that steadfastness seemed to draw more counters and condemnation through the front doors of City Councils chambers.

Among those taking aim at Signer, Bellamy and the rest of the council was Albemarle resident Joe Draego. He was among those protesting the removal of the statues, and in early June, he brought a new set of concerns before the council.

During the public comment section of the June 20 council meeting, Draego spoke out against the unfettered immigration of Muslims into Charlottesville. During his comments, Draego said that while many Muslims were real good people, others were monstrous maniacs who perpetrated horrible crimes at the behest of their holy scripture.

Signer then interrupted Draego to inform him that his speech had broken a council rule prohibiting defamatory attacks on groups. The council made a quick vote to remove Draego from the meeting, at which point he laid on the floor in protest until police officers dragged him out of the council chambers.

The incident led to a lawsuit from Draego, calling the councils group defamation rule a violation of his constitutional rights to free speech. At the heart of the issue was not anything Draego had said, but his right to express it without being suppressed by a government body.

Ultimately, Draegos cause won out. His comments on Muslims may have been offensive to many, a judge ruled, but the council didnt have the right to suppress them purely because they were offensive. The Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression supported Draegos claim and said that while the council has the discretion to maintain decorum in its meetings, that discretion isnt unfettered.

You cant have rules that are arbitrary, or that can be enforced arbitrarily, or rules that dont provide the speakers with sufficient guidance as to what will be allowed and what wont be allowed, said Josh Wheeler, director of the center. In this particular case, the idea of group defamation really doesnt provide that kind of guidance because you need a court adjudication of that issue. This was just a question of City Council going a step too far in terms of limiting the kinds of speech they thought they could limit.

Draego settled his suit with the council, which in turn dropped its group defamation rule from the books. But Draegos concerns about Muslim immigration were not his alone, a fact that became clearer every day that the nation came closer to the polarizing presidential election.

Then-Republican nominee Donald Trump espoused similar rhetoric on the campaign trail, and while many seemed to take offense to his words and actions, his campaign continued to gain traction against Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton. As Election Day approached, communities around the country saw increasing division in their ideologies and beliefs, and Charlottesville was no exception.

In early October, UVa lecturer and local restaurateur Doug Muir commented on a Facebook post about Black Lives Matter, writing Black lives matter is the biggest rasist [sic] organisation [sic] since the clan [sic]. Are you kidding me. Disgusting!!!

Muir was offended by the actions of the movement, which in turn offended others. Perhaps a signifier of the increasing potency of social media, the comment quickly garnered outrage from students, residents and community leaders. Bellamy took to social media and called for a boycott of Muirs Main Street restaurant, Bellas; within a week of the comment, Muir agreed to take leave from lecturing at UVa. He returned to teaching shortly thereafter.

In an ironic twist of fate, the combination of outrage and social media soon doubled back on Bellamy. In late November, a local blogger published a series of tweets Bellamy wrote between 2009 and 2014 that were widely considered sexist and racist. In them, Bellamy claimed that he hates black people who act white or talk white, that he considers white women to be the devil, that women often lie about the amount of men they have sex with and a number of other things he wrote or responded to.

With greater speed than the outrage from Muirs comments, Bellamy was vilified, with scores of people calling for his removal from the City Council and his teaching position. Leading the charge was blogger Jason Kessler, who first unearthed the incendiary tweets and who has since remained resolute in trying to dig up more dirt on Bellamy.

In the wake of the scandal, the 30-year-old Bellamy apologized for his tweets, saying that he had since learned to become a better man. That stance was instantly challenged by Kessler and his contingent, who believe Bellamys mea culpa offers no respite for those he offended or interacts with on the council or as a teacher. Bellamy has since stepped down from his seat on the state Board of Education and his teaching position, although he remains on the City Council.

Opinion/Editorial: UVa officer incident will reverberate The resignation of a University of Virginia police officer is the best possible outcome in an incident the effects of which will linger long after he is gone.

Amidst the Bellamy drama, UVa was dealing with fallout from the divisive election of Trump. Days after the election, three UVa police officers were put on administrative leave after Make America Great Again was said through the intercom system of their patrol vehicles. A group of students walking nearby overheard the comment and complained to officials. The incident created a groundswell of outrage among some students, who called for the officers to be fired. Days later, one of the officers resigned.

Around the same time, UVa President Teresa A. Sullivan sent an email to students, asking that those upset by the result of the election not become cynical about Americas democratic system, but rather effect change. In the email, Sullivan quoted university founder Thomas Jefferson as saying that UVa students are not of ordinary significance only: they are exactly the persons who are to succeed to the government of our country, and to rule its future enmities, its friendships and fortune.

Sullivans words, while intended to inspire, instead offended some. A counter letter to Sullivan, signed by 469 students, staff and faculty, asked administrators to stop quoting Jefferson. According to the letter, members of the community were disappointed in the use of Thomas Jefferson as a moral compass, referencing his involvement in UVas racist history as a slave owner.

The turmoil of racial tension and political divisiveness of 2016 even crept into the local NAACP. Minutes after being declared the winner of a contentious election for the presidency of the Albemarle-Charlottesville NAACP, incumbent M. Rick Turner lashed out at white people who he claimed had voted against him.

I know we had a lot of white folks coming here to vote against me  mainly because Im a black man, Turner said, deriding what he saw as deviousness from members coming from the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church.

While Turner won the race, he resigned from the post just a month later.

All of this to say: 2016 saw a lot of division. People were louder than ever about the things that set them apart from one another. Olick, the professor, said he believes that many of the cultural differences that set the foundation for these clashes have always been present but bubbled to the surface this year as those who once felt oppressed became empowered to voice their distaste with mainstream views.

Whether this bubbling can be a force for good remains to be seen, but a call for change isnt necessarily a bad thing, he reasons.

Change is good, sometimes, if this can force us to re-evaluate some taken-for-granted assumptions, if it can change the discourse about some institutions that have gotten stuck in a rut or arent necessarily doing their job, Olick said, although that change needs to be focused and intentional, he added. You can go too far; you can throw the baby out with the bathwater.

As is often the sentiment around this time of year, the promise of a new year and a new beginning can bring with it hope  hope for more public unity, for a more peaceful political climate or for positive change.

Local educator and entertainer Charles Alexander, better known as Alex-Zan, says that, regardless of color or creed, everyone can make choices that bring us together.

When all is said and done, were all the same. If a person falls in a manhole and calls for help, more than likely anyone walking by will help them, Alexander said. Youll do that without seeing them  they could be a white supremacist, a Nazi, even a president-elect or Donald Trumps son.

While the transparency of divisive issues may have surged this year, theres still good out there, he said.

Im definitely hopeful for the new year. I have the belief that things will change, he continued. It happens with or without your permission. Its about how we respond to it.
A decade from now, historians will begin making an assessment of President Obamas foreign policies over his eight years in office. A political scientist has more latitude to weigh data already available and offer a tentative assessment of the presidents efforts to advance the countrys national interests.

Any assessment must start with the challenges Obama faced in January 2009.

 Crises in 2009. The dangerous shock to the economy that erupted in September 2008 had the potential to shatter the banking system and trigger a 1930s-style Depression. Draconian measures taken by the Treasury Department and Federal Reserve in late 2008 slowed the decline, but the stock market continued to plummet as Obama took office. He then persuaded a reluctant Congress to pass a massive economic stimulus to help stabilize the economy. The dangerous stock market decline was halted, but recovery from the Great Recession took nearly eight years.

Obama inherited two festering wars in Afghanistan and Iraq that were started under George W. Bush. He sent U.S. forces into Afghanistan in 2001 to crush the Taliban regime that had sheltered Osama bin-Ladens al-Qaida. A new pro-Western regime was installed in Kabul, but the war continued as Taliban insurgents, aided by Pakistan, launched assaults that were only partially contained.

The war in Iraq, launched by Bush in 2003 to oust Saddam Husseins dangerous regime, triggered insurgency and near civil war after the U.S. troop drawdown. Obama pledged during the 2008 election campaign to withdraw all the forces, but by 2010, Iraq faced political chaos without the presence of some U.S. forces to assist the Baghdad government in training a national army. At home, Obama faced a disillusioned public that wanted an end to war and a change in national priorities.

 Elsewhere  As president, Barack Obama shifted his priorities from foreign to domestic affairs and vowed to avoid new commitments abroad, especially in the Middle East. He sought, without success, to improve relations with Russias Vladimir Putin. He shifted U.S. strategic priorities to East Asia, where China challenges Americas supremacy in Southeast Asia.

Obama also wanted to reopen diplomatic relations with Iran after 35 years of hostility resulting from the 1979 hostage crisis. In 2015, he achieved a five-power agreement to suspend Irans nuclear weapons program in return for lifting economic sanctions. In addition, Obama achieved in 2016 an international agreement dealing with climate change.

Nevertheless, Obamas eight-year effort to extricate U.S. military power from the Middle East turned into a major blow to his foreign policy in 2016 and may do lasting damage to his legacy.

Like many liberal-minded political leaders, Obama thought he could sustain U.S. influence abroad by emphasizing Americas democratic values and support of individual freedom.

In May 2009, he delivered a major speech in Cairo, Egypt, a staunch ally, and encouraged freedom-seeking groups there and other Arab countries to press leaders to give them freedom of speech and assembly. Protest groups soon were protesting in the streets of Cairo, calling for President Hosni Mubarak to step down and permit elections.

When Libya rebelled against a brutal dictator, Moammar Gadhafi, Obama blithely observed that it was time for him to go.

Mubaraks resignation following massive protests resulted in free elections and the emergence of the anti-Western Muslim Brotherhood as the new government. It moved steadily against the freedoms that protesters had demanded earlier, and its government brought the economy to near ruin. In 2014, following protest demonstrations in Cairo, Egypts military took control of the country and imposed a new authoritarian government headed by Abdel el-Sissi.

 Tragedy in Syria. Obamas policy in Syria, highlighted by destruction of Aleppo, will be viewed is a dark chapter in U.S. foreign policy. His reluctance to become involved militarily encouraged Russia to intervene with its forces in 2014, especially its air force. As a result, Moscow acquired naval and air bases in Syria and expanded its influence across the Middle East. Two weeks ago, Russia, Iran, and Turkey held talks in Moscow to arrange for peace in Syria. Washington was not invited to attend,

Although Obamas withdrawal from the Middle East is not as dramatic as the humiliating withdrawal from Southeast Asia in the 1970s, the effect on his legacy may be equally severe. However, his decision in December not to veto a unanimous U.N. Security Council resolution condemning Israels expansion of Jewish settlements may in time is viewed as a courageous effort to restore some of Americas waning credibility in the Middle East.

Donald Nuechterlein is a political scientist and author who lives near Charlottesville. Email him at nuechtd@cstone.net.
Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading.

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy
Egypt's foreign ministry said it stands with the government and people of Iraq against terrorism

Egypt has condemned a terrorist attack in central Baghdad that left 29 dead and over 50 injured on Saturday, with two bombs ripping through a busy market in the Al-Sinak neighbourhood.

Egypt's foreign ministry said on Sunday that it stands with the government and people of Iraq in their battle with terrorism.

Saturday's attack was the deadliest to hit the Iraqi capital since mid-October.

Baghdad has been on high alert since 17 October, when Iraq's military launched an offensive to retake the northern city of Mosul from Islamic State group (IS) insurgents. The offensive is Iraq's largest military operation in years.

IS group has tried to hit back with major diversionary attacks on other targets across the country but has had little success in Baghdad. Saturday's twin bombings were the deadliest in the capital since the start of the Mosul offensive.

Egypt has repeatedly expressed its solidarity with the Iraqi government in its military operation to retake Mosul and its fight against IS in general.

Egypt, meanwhile, has been fighting an Islamist insurgency in Northern Sinai. Attacks against security forces in Egypt have mostly been claimed by an Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, a group that defines itself as a branch of IS group.



Search Keywords:

Short link:


In our present system of government, we elect leaders that are given the power to shape and guide a vision for our city. Every few years, we go to the polls to decide who should represent us, selecting a chosen few to make important decisions about our future. We hand them this power with the expectation that these officials will take the time to listen to our needs and respond accordingly.

At the same time, citizens also must take responsibility for their role in this system. Public comment, attending a public meeting, serving on a committee, or even running for office are all ways in which we can participate in this system. Yet, so few take advantage.

Is it truly enough to show up every few years to cast a vote? My answer is a definite no.

This is a two-way street. Officials must support ways for deep citizen engagement, making sure that they hear all voices  from the most privileged to the most needy. At the same time, we as residents must be present and educate ourselves in order to effectively advocate for what is needed in our neighborhoods.

So, how can we effectively create a system that ensures that democracy is effective?

Thirty years ago, this same question arose in Porto Alegre, Brazil. A significant amount of public funding was being focused on the downtown business district, while neighborhoods at the edges of the city suffered from a lack of access to water, sewer, electricity, and educational programs.

In response, the city instituted a program it called The Peoples Budget. Every year, the city worked with residents to listen to their ideas for improving their neighborhoods, trained residents to transition those ideas into actionable proposals, and then gave residents the ability to vote on which projects they wanted to see implemented.

In the most recent year, Porto Alegre allocated more than $71 million, which residents decided how to spend. Studies have shown how this has not only had an impact on civic participation, but also has resulted in vast improvements in health and education.

Similar programs have spread across the U.S. In 2008, they started in Chicago, which renamed the initiative as participatory budgeting, when an alderman set aside public funds for his constituents to decide how to spend. Just last year, 23 of 51 City Council members in New York City allocated more $1million each ($35 million in total) and let residents decide how to spend their tax dollars. Boston initiated a program in which youth are deciding how $1 million of their tax dollars are to be spent each year. Greensboro, North Carolina, became the first city in the South to initiate such a program, allocating $500,000 in its first year.

Why couldnt this take place here in Charlottesville? The Agency Budget Review Team, which is part of a process that determines the citys spending on nonprofits, could be more participatory by responding directly to resident input.

The federal governments Community Development Block Grant program, which provides federal funds to local communities, could make an even deeper commitment to hearing the voices of all those who live in neighborhoods that have been identified as priorities. In fact, the Department of Housing and Urban Redevelopment, which sponsors the program, has already approved participatory budgeting as a means for distributing CDBG funding.

If our elected officials truly care about having an informed, citizen-focused local government, participatory budgeting is a means to make sure that the city is listening to residents needs. At the same time, it is also creates a significant platform for residents to have a role in making sure those needs are met.

Its advantages are not limited to city governance and have applications for student governance and faculty governance at the University of Virginia.

Participatory budgeting actually is starting to happen in Charlottesville. PauseLab, in partnership with a group of local residents, is piloting BeCville. Focused on the south side of downtown, BeCville is listening to the needs of residents, having artists respond to those ideas, and then letting residents vote on $15,000 for public art projects that will affect their neighborhood. This is an initial effort to understand how this process could make an impact in the city.

In the end, the budgets that we create tell a story about who we are and the values that are held in our local government and institutions. Why not make that process more transparent, use it as a training space for greater civic knowledge, and provide a vital mechanism for community input that allows the entire community to have a stake in defining the future of Charlottesville?

Participatory budgeting is a new way of thinking about citizen engagement in the most important policy decisions that our city, Charlottesville, makes.

Matthew Slaats is creative director of PauseLab, where, he says, he works with the community to understand the value of place, and then respond using culture, media, and technology. His work has been exhibited internationally at the Bagabas Beach International Eco Arts Festival, LA Contemporary Exhibitions, and the DC Arts Commissions 5x5 project, among others. He has taught in the Environmental and Urban Studies program at Bard College and previously was executive director at The Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative in Charlottesville.
Culpeper celebrated the first day of the New Year in miscellaneous style, gathering to worship in various churches, eating brunch downtown, exercising in the park and ringing in first beer of the year with eggs and bacon and live music at a downtown brewery.

Much was reported in the past few weeks about how hard and sad 2016 was, yet local residents joined many Americans in keeping an optimistic outlook for 2017.

What a wonderful way to start the New Yearin faith! said the Rev. Jessie Caldwell, one of the pastors at Culpeper United Methodist.

The sanctuary was full for the 10 a.m. combined service in the Oaklawn Drive church during which congregants got good news about one of its ownMal Malinowski was back home. The Culpeper resident recently returned to the U.S. after being jailed in South Korea after he fell victim to an elaborate scam.

He is with his son in Miami, said Caldwell. And I am sure we are going to see him soon!

She said many notes of well wishes were sent from church members during his ordeal, and that some still remained to be given to Malinowski upon his return to Culpeper.

We celebrate with Mal! said the pastor, who went on to give an update on the global, national and local state of the United Methodist Church.

Worldwide, the church has 12.3 million members, said Caldwell, noting its membership was declining in America and Virginia while rising in places like Africa and Asia. The local church is strong, she noted, saying 487 was the average weekly attendance at Culpeper United Methodist.

According to Caldwell, the local church is the largest in the Charlottesville District. It is active in helping the poor in Culpeper and around the world, contributing to efforts to eradicate malaria and providing weekend meals for hundreds of underprivileged children in Culpeper.

Over at Beer Hound Brewery on Waters Place, next to the Depot downtown, Frank Becker cooked up eggs and bacon for Brews Year Day patrons. The local beer-making facility, in addition, unveiled its first brew of the year called Chessiea Scottish whey-heavy 90-shilling ale with chestnuts.

The brewery collaborated with the newly formed Culpeper Brewing Society to make the New Years beer first batch on site, paring it with nibbles from the Culpeper Cheese Company.

I think its going to be a breakout year, Becker said, asked his outlook for 2017.

Thats because the business recently made the large investment to purchase a bottling system. The first-ever six-packs of Beer Hound Brewery beerTeddy and Ole Yella varietieswill be available this week for purchase in local supermarkets, including Weis Markets, according to Becker.

We worked for a long time to get that together, he said.

Look for the local brewery to do tastings this month in local grocery stores and parings with local restaurants and shops in the coming months.

Michael Babbitt, of Culpeper, enjoyed the atmosphere at Beer Hound on a sunny Sunday with mild temperatures in the 50s. He said it reminded him of places he used to frequent when he lived in England.

It has a homey atmosphere where people want to come, Babbitt said.

Asked about 2016, he said it was a hard year.

I am hoping that 2017 is going to be a better year, Babbitt said. Its that time of year when you look at your finances and try to set yourself up for the rest of year.

How is the financial situation looking?

Better, he said.
A number of Egyptian rights lawyers filed a lawsuit against the cabinets recent decision to refer the Egyptian-Saudi re-demarcation deal to parliament for voting

Egypt's High Administrative Court set 7 February to rule on a lawsuit against the cabinets decision to refer the Egyptian-Saudi maritime re-demarcation deal to parliament for voting.

A number of Egyptian rights lawyers filed on Saturday a lawsuit at the administrative court against the cabinets recent decision to refer the deal, which is currently being contested in court, to parliament for voting.

The deal, reached on 8 April between Cairo and Riyadh, would transfer the two Egyptian Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir to Saudi territory.

In June, the administrative court ruled that the agreement is void and that the islands should remain under Egyptian sovereignty.

However, Egypt's State Lawsuits Authority  the body representing the government in legal cases  later filed and won a lawsuit in front of a court for urgent matters to stop the administrative courts verdict from being implemented.

On Thursday, Egypts cabinet approved the agreement and referred it to parliament for voting.

Egypt's High Administrative Court has set 16 January to rule on the cabinets appeal against the June ruling.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


A military court in Upper Egypt's Assiut sentenced on Sunday 175 people to life in prison and acquitted 10 on charges of committing violence and storming the Malawy museum in Minya in 2013.

A further 42 defendants received varying prison sentences.

The defendants are supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi, arrested during unrest that followed the dispersal in 2013 of sit-ins demanding his reinstatement.

Hundreds of those arrested in 2013 were later referred by prosecution to military courts.

Egypt's 2014 constitution gives military tribunals jurisdiction over crimes committed against army facilities and personnel. The article has prompted controversy, with opponents insisting that civilians should not be subject to military trials.

Last May, six people were executed after being convicted by a military court.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


The convicts were found guilty of killing two people including a policeman in 2015

A Giza criminal court referred to Egypts Grand Mufti on Sunday death sentences handed to two Egyptians convicted of murder.

The two were convicted of killing two people including a policeman in 2015.

According to Egyptian law, all death sentences must be reviewed by the country's Grand Muftithe highest Muslim religious authoritythough his recommendation to the court is not legally binding.

The sentence must also be ratified by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi before being implemented.

Last month, an Egyptian court upheld a death sentence for Adel Habara, a Sinai-based Islamist militant convicted of killing a police detective in Sharqiya governorate in 2012. Habara was executed three days later.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Fighting in parts of Syria on Sunday threatened a shaky ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey, whose efforts to kickstart talks towards ending the conflict won backing from world powers.

The nationwide truce between the regime and non-jihadist rebels aims to smooth the way for peace talks in Kazakhstan later this month orchestrated by Damascus's allies Moscow and Tehran and rebel backer Ankara.

The UN Security Council on Saturday unanimously approved a resolution supporting the Russian and Turkish initiative aimed at ending the nearly six-year-old war that has killed more than 310,000 and displaced millions.

Air raids and clashes have continued to shake parts of the country since the ceasefire started at midnight Thursday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor of the war.

Four civilians and nine rebels have been killed since the truce took effect, according to the group, which relies on a network of sources in Syria for its information.

The air strikes and fighting "are unlikely to lead to the ceasefire collapsing, but they are violations of the deal," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.

In northern Syria, regime air strikes Sunday targeted the rebel-held town of Atareb, the monitor said.

On Saturday night, rebels shelled Fuaa and Kafraya, two besieged Shiite-majority villages in northwestern Syria.

Outside Damascus, the Observatory reported exchanges of fire between the regime and rebels in Eastern Ghouta, where President Bashar al-Assad's forces have waged a months-long offensive to retake an opposition bastion.

The truce excludes the Islamic State group and former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front.

Saturday's UN resolution "welcomes and supports the efforts by Russia and Turkey to end violence in Syria and jumpstart a political process" and hails the planned talks in the Kazakh capital Astana as "an important step".

The measure also calls for the "rapid, safe and unhindered" delivery of humanitarian aid in Syria.

In Eastern Ghouta's Hammuriyeh area, Syrian activists late Saturday marked the New Year by decorating a tree with lights and pictures of the war's victims over the past year, an AFP photographer said.

The Observatory says a total of 60,000 people lost their lives in violence across Syria in 2016, more than 13,000 of them civilians.

Syria's conflict began in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests and has since spiralled into a multi-front war involving various sides and international players.

Russia and Turkey say the Astana talks in late January will supplement, not replace, UN-backed peace efforts, including negotiations set to resume on February 8 in Geneva.

Moscow and Ankara have been working increasingly closely on Syria, including on a deal to allow the evacuation of civilians and rebels from the besieged northern city of Aleppo last month.

The fighting in Syria has occasionally spilled over into neighbouring Turkey, with several attacks blamed on IS or Kurdish militants.

In the latest violence, 39 people, including many foreigners, were killed Sunday when a gunman went on a rampage at an exclusive nightclub in Istanbul where revellers were celebrating the New Year.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.

Turkey has waged a four-month incursion in Syria that it says is to expel IS and Kurdish fighters from the border area.

Washington has been noticeably absent from the new process to end Syria's conflict but has called the truce "positive".

Moscow -- which has been supporting Damascus with air strikes since 2015 -- has said it hopes to bring US President-elect Donald Trump's administration on board once he takes office later this month.

On Saturday, in the coastal regime stronghold of Tartus, two suicide bombers blew themselves up at a security roadblock, killing two members of the regime forces.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Iraqi forces have retaken around two thirds of the eastern half of Mosul from the Islamic State group since the start of an offensive in mid-October, a top commander said Sunday.

"From east Mosul... more than 60 percent" has been retaken from IS, Staff Lieutenant General Abdulwahab al-Saadi, a top commander in Iraq's Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS), told AFP.

He was speaking from his headquarters northeast of Mosul, where IS proclaimed a "caliphate" in June 2014 after seizing the city.

Iraq's elite CTS forces are the best-equipped, best-trained and most seasoned forces in the country but the going has been tough since Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the beginning of an operation to retake Mosul on October 17 last year.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians remain inside Iraq's second city, forcing Iraqi and allied forces to take precautions and slowing their advance.

CTS and other forces more recently deployed inside the city have been moving house-to-house, dodging sniper fire, suicide car bombs and booby traps to retake one neighbourhood after another.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Led by mountaineer HILAREE ONEILL, a five-person team of National Geographic explorers, photographers, and filmmakers traveled 300-plus miles overland, across tiger reserves, into plunging gorges, and through the remotest cultural areas, in an effort to reach and ascend Hkakabo Razi. The teams goal: to determine once and for all if the mountain summit was Southeast Asias highest point. What unfolded was a harrowing expedition that pushed the group to the brink mentally and physically.

Hilaree offers a riveting first-person account accompanied by Nat Geo photographer Cory Richards dramatic stills and clips from filmmaker Renan Ozturks Down to Nothing, a searing story about the motives that drive people to tackle the insurmountable, the suffering theyll endure for their dreams, and the cracks that can appear in even the best laid plans.
Saudi Arabia has detained three people and is searching for three others in connection with the December abduction of a Shiite cleric, the interior ministry said on Sunday.

Sheikh Mohammed al-Jirani, a judge, was abducted mid-December in a village in the Shiite-majority eastern district of Qatif, a centre of minority unrest since 2011 in the Sunni-ruled kingdom.

State television has reported Jirani was critical of the unrest.

Authorities have arrested three people who had been watching the judge before his abduction and an investigation allowed them to "identify three criminals who are directly implicated", the ministry said in a statement.

It called on the abductors to "immediately free" Jirani and said anybody with knowledge about the suspects who did not come forward would be prosecuted.

Shiites in Saudi Arabia's oil-rich Eastern Province have long complained of marginalisation.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


New Delhi: Country's second largest software services provider Infosys today said its General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, David Kennedy, and the company have "mutually agreed" to cease the former's employment on December 31, 2016.The Bengaluru-based company, however, did not disclose any reasons for the decision.

Infosys' Deputy General Counsel, Gopi Krishnan, will assume Kennedy's duties as acting General Counsel as the company conducts a search for a new General Counsel.

"David Kennedy, its General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, and the company have mutually agreed that Mr Kennedy's employment with the company will cease on December 31, 2016.

The company has entered into a separation agreement with Mr Kennedy on December 23, 2016," Infosys said in a BSE filing. It further said that Kennedy was entitled to revoke his acceptance of the separation agreement within seven days of his signature of the agreement.

"Accordingly, December 31, 2016 is the effective date of the Separation Agreement," it said. Under the Separation Agreement and in line with the employment agreement that it supersedes, Kennedy will receive aggregate severance payments of USD 868,250 along with reimbursements for COBRA (insurance) continuation coverage over a period of 12 months, it added.

"The severance payments shall be paid, less applicable with holdings, in accordance with the company's normal payroll practices, subject to the fulfillment of all the applicable conditions set forth in the Separation Agreement," it said. Kennedy had joined Infosys as Executive Vice President and General Counsel on November 1, 2014.
The company, which capped a "landmark year" in 2016 with domestic sales crossing the 5 lakh unit mark, is looking to build on the momentum this year.

New Delhi: With retail sales picking up again in December after taking a hit due to demonetisation, Hyundai Motors India expects normalcy to return in the first quarter of the new year.

The company, which capped a "landmark year" in 2016 with domestic sales crossing the 5 lakh unit mark, is looking to build on the momentum this year. "Demonetisation impacted consumer sentiment creating a challenge.

Walk-ins at showrooms were down by around 40 per cent while overall retail sales were down by 24-25 per cent immediately after the note ban," Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) Senior Vice-President, Sales and Marketing Rakesh Srivastava told PTI.

The company's domestic sales (wholesales) declined 8.32 per cent to 40,016 units in November 2016 compared with 43,651 in November 2015. He, however, said things have started to improve in December, and with the company also launching a slew of promotional offers, "retail sales in December were up 5 per cent as compared with the same month last year".

Asked how long it could take for normalcy to return, Srivastava said: "The situation is improving. It may take a quarter to normalise." Elaborating on the steps taken up by the company in order to overcome the challenge created by demonetisation, he said: "In the second half of December, we took up countermeasures by giving consumers offers, which were 10 per cent more than we did the year before."

For products like Eon, i10 and Grand i10, he said in December the company offered the lowest price ever since these models were launched, coming up with zero cash down payment schemes.

On the company's achievements in 2016, Srivastava said: "We had a landmark year. For the first time, our domestic annual sales crossed 5 lakh units at a growth of 5.5 per cent."

This, he said, was achieved without launching a new model in the mass-market volume segment as HMIL had only the premium executive sedan Elantra and SUV Tucson as new models in 2016.

One of the reasons for the company to cross the milestone is its continuing expansion in rural markets, he added. "We have expanded our network in rural markets, with the total now at 365. Rural sales now account for 23 per cent of our total sales," he added.

On exports, Srivastava said the company clocked a total of 1.61 lakh units in 2016.

About expectations in 2017, he said the company would look to build on the momentum of 2016 while refraining from making a forecast.
Many celebrity couples have proved over the years that all relationships are not meant to be. But, it also seems, alls well that ends well. Celeb couples in Hollywood, like Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin, Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck have remained on good terms despite ending their relationship.

Looks like the trend has now caught on in India too. Bollywood couples like Hrithik Roshan and Sussanne Khan, Arbaaz Khan and Malaika Arora Khan, may have opted for a divorce, but that definitely hasnt ended their relationship on a sour note. Many ex-couples reunite for kids, in Hrithik and Sussannes case, Hrehaan and Hridhaan. Recently, the exes and kids took off to Dubai to enjoy a family vacation. Sussanne shared photos of the vacation on Instagram and wrote: Family pack meets ghostbusters and the best ride on the planet... Krrish at parks. The day about palm trees & eighty degrees #dublife #familiasempre #threedaysto2017(sic).

Malaika and Arbaaz, too, seem to maintain a friendly relationship and and are spotted at family get-togethers. Most recently, the exes were seen partying in Goa.

Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin prove the point even more. The exes were together for more than a decade before they parted ways. They have two children. Gwyneth, whos moved on with Brad Falchuk, told InStyle magazine recently, To this day, Chris would take a bullet for me, even though Im not his wife. Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck have also decided to stay together for their three children.

Hrithik and Sussane

But is it that easy to remain friends with your former significant other? Harpreet Kaur Kandhari, energy analyst and relationship counselor, says, When people end a marriage, its usually on a sour note. It takes time to clear negative thoughts and heal a broken marriage. But yes, Ive counselled many ex-couples who are now good friends. They have all moved on with different partners but remain on good terms for their kids. If you find it difficult to do so, think of good memories and forgive your ex.

Marriage counselling specialist Raja Rajeshwari, however, says that staying in touch with an ex may not be as easy as it looks. If both the exes want the other to be happy, its great. But, what if one partner has moved on with someone new and the other hasnt, it may leave the other with bitter feelings.
While earlier the Hindi version of Baahubali was not expected to do even half as well as it actually did, the sequel comes with a lot of expectations in all three languages, including Hindi.

This April, when Baahubali: The Conclusion opens across the country, and overseas, the footfalls are expected to be very different from the first movies. While the number of screens for the movies Tamil and Telugu release will remain the same as earlier, the Hindi version of the movie will have a much wider release than Baahubali: The Beginning.

Says a source close to the project, While earlier the Hindi version of Baahubali was not expected to do even half as well as it actually did, the sequel comes with a lot of expectations in all three languages, including Hindi. The number of screens when Baahubali: The Conclusion opens on April 28 will be more than twice as compared to Baahubali: The Beginning, which released in July 2015. Continues the source, Though its a dubbed Hindi film, the sequel is releasing as a solo, with no other releases on the same Friday. Likewise in Telugu and Tamil. This could well help the makers cause!
Denying Santa Claus can cause people to lose their jobs. (Photo: Pixabay)

Rome, Italy: Maybe, facing the combined power of Disney and Christmas, orchestra conductor Giacomo Loprieno should have just let it go.

At the end of a musical adaptation of the children's movie "Frozen," Loprieno stood up after the last notes had died away, with an urge to convey to his young audience an unpalatable truth.

"Santa Claus doesn't exist," he said.

Stunned parents who had taken their kids to the event in Rome on Thursday took to social media to express their fury, the press reported on Saturday.

"What happened that evening was outrageous... I hope this 'gentleman' will lose his job, and I am angry at myself for having applauded him," Oberto Bevilacqua posted on the Facebook page of the organisers, Dimensione Eventi Torino.

Loprieno has since been replaced by another conductor, whose Facebook page shows him cosily alongside Santa.
Cross-border rebel fire from Yemen has killed a soldier in Saudi Arabia, which is leading a coalition fighting the insurgents in its war-torn neighbour, the interior ministry said.

The soldier was killed on Saturday in the southern border area of Jazan as an army post came under a barrage of gunfire and shelling from the Houthi rebels in northern Yemen, state news agency SPA quoted a ministry spokesman as saying.

At least 110 civilians and soldiers have been killed in southern Saudi Arabia by rocket strikes or skirmishes since the coalition began operations in Yemen in support of President Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi's government.

The Saudi-led alliance started air strikes in Yemen in March 2015 after the Huthis overran the capital Sanaa and moved on to other parts of the country.

The Yemen conflict has killed around 7,000 people since the coalition intervened, according to the United Nations.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


The Kerala Police on Sunday arrested a priest for indulging in unnatural sexual intercourse with a 10-year old boy in Kochi's Kunnathunad area. (Representational image)

Kochi: The Kerala Police on Sunday arrested a priest for indulging in unnatural sexual intercourse with a 10-year old boy in Kochi's Kunnathunad area.

Father Basil Kuriyakose, the Principal of Kings David International School, was arrested by the police after the victim's parents lodged a complaint.

"The victim was a 10-year old boy who was studying at a boarding school here. The boy disclosed the incident to his brother who came to meet him at the school. Following this, the parents lodged a complaint", the police told ANI.

The priest has been booked under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and will be produced before a local court on Monday.
New Delhi: General Dalbir Singh Suhag, who superannuated as Army Chief on Saturday, said the Army is well prepared to meet all challenges-- internal or external-- as he thanked the government for providing a free hand in conduct of operations.

He said while number of infiltration attempts increased in the past year, so did the number of terrorists killed.

Speaking to reporters, Gen Suhag, who served the forces for 43 years, saluted the soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice on the line of duty to uphold integrity and honour of the nation.

He also lauded the soldiers and officers who serve in the most challenging terrains, including those who have fought insurgency.

"I express my sincere gratitude to the honourable Prime Minister and the government for their full support and for giving a free hand in conduct of operations, for giving impetus to modernisation and for granting One-Rank-One-Pension to the ex-servicemen," he added.

Gen Suhag said the day he took over as Chief of Army Staff, he had said the army's response to any action against the country's interests would be more than adequate, immediate and intense.

The Army has been able to deliver on that promise in the last two and half years, said Gen Suhag, under whose term the armed forces also conducted surgical strikes along the LoC.

He also said he never gave any TV interview as he believed that actions should speak louder than words.

Speaking on his tenure, he said infiltration attempts and number of such incidents increased.

"If we talk about 2012, then 67 terrorists were killed, 65 were killed in 2013. But this year in J&K itself we have killed 141 terrorists. Instances have increased, infiltration attempts have increased and we have killed nearly double the number of terrorists," he said.

He said the Army focussed on good training and operational preparedness during his term.
Amar Singh on Sunday had insisted that he is not behind the feud in party chief Mulayam Singh's family. (Photo: PTI)

London: Amid the allegation of causing feud in the Samajwadi Party, party MP Amar Singh on Sunday left for Delhi from London on Sunday and is expected to meet Mulayam Singh Yadav on Monday.

Samajwadi Party general secretary Ramgopal Yadav earlier in the day declared that Singh had been ousted from the party.

"The National Executive of the Samajwadi Party wants sacking of Amar Singh immediately," Ram Gopal Yadav said while addressing a party convention at the Janeshwar Mishra Park in Lucknow.

Read: Ramgopal declares Akhilesh as SP chief; Shivpal, Amar Singh 'sacked'

Singh, however, on Sunday insisted that he is not behind the feud in party chief Mulayam Singh's family.

"I just want to request the people putting allegations against me that please let me live. If unnecessarily I am being looked as a reason of the feud in the Samajwadi family then Mulayam Singh must leave me and should relieve me," Singh said.

He further requested Mulayam to save him for being portrayed as a villain in the family feud.

"I have no idea, who is getting tickets from the party and who is not. Some people are putting inappropriate posters against me, burning my effigies and blaming me for the family feud in Samajwadi Party," he said.

Singh further said that if Samajwadi party chief truly believes that he has manipulated the party leader then he should reveal it to everyone.

In a dramatic turn of events, the Samajwadi Party on Saturday revoked the expulsion of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Ramgopal Yadav, a day after they were ousted from the party for six years over anti-party activities.
New Delhi: Amid the chill in Indo-Pak ties post Uri attack, water became another issue of face-off between the two neighbours during the year gone by with India virtually freezing talks with Pakistan over the 56-year-old Indus Water Treaty (IWT).

The government's recent constitution of a high-level task force to look into IWT's strategic aspects and its strong view of World Bank setting up separate mechanisms to entertain Pakistan's concerns over two projects in Jammu-Kashmir suggest it may not soften its stance over the issue this year or near future.

The government in 2016 saw some progress in implementation of Namami Gange programme after it took two years to work out action plan: it started work on phase I of cleaning the river and sanctioned 41 STPs development/rehabilitation projects of 808.23 MLD capacity.

It also approved Rs 2,446 crore for development of ghats and crematoria and floated a committee to frame draft Ganga Act to ensure speedy implementation of the programme, which is dear to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Until now, 128 projects have been given approved under the programme at an estimated cost of Rs 9,419 crore.

The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation identifying 99 irrigation projects, many of them in drought-prone areas, for fast-tracking their completion within three years and releasing two tranches of funds through NABARD until now for the purpose were other key developments in 2016.

The Centre's efforts to launch the nearly Rs 10,000-crore Ken-Betwa river-linking project, the first such attempt at connecting inter-state rivers, early last year did not materialise. The project, which received sanction from

National Wildlife Board in August, still awaits forest and environment clearances. In addition, the government is yet to finalise funding pattern for the national project before launching its ground work.

Among other issues, the government approving an amendment to Inter-State Water Disputes Act, 1956 to set up a single permanent tribunal to adjudicate in disputes among states over sharing river water subsuming existing dispute-specific tribunals was another significant step.

Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti refused to comment on the future of the IWT, which neither India nor Pakistan can revoke unilaterally.

Sources though maintained the situation apropos to the water distribution pact was "exceptional" given the treaty had weathered all hostilities between the two countries ever since it was framed in 1960.

"It was a very strong step taken by the government (in September). We had not been in such a situation in the past, it is an exceptional situation. The Indian government though will strive to exploit country's due rights under the treaty," a source said.
New Delhi: Opposition parties on Saturday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "failing" to show "sensitivity" towards people's pain due to demonetisation in his address to the nation, while BJP hailed him for announcing a string of welfare measures for the weaker sections.

Slamming Modi for his "lacklustre" address, Congress called him a merchant of "false promises" and wondered why he did not mention how many "lakhs of crores" in black money and fake currencies the government managed to wipe out through demonetisation in the last 50 days.

Congress Spokesperson Randeep Surjewala alleged the Prime Minister totally failed to show any sensitivity to people's pain as no relief from financial restrictions was announced despite widespread expectation.

The Left parties attacked him for "failing" to address problems of the poor and farmers caused by demonetisation and charged him with delivering a "budget speech" in view of forthcoming assembly polls in UP and some other states.

"He spoke like a pracharak for most of the 45-minute speech...It was like a budget speech," CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said.

BJP President Amit Shah, however, hailed Modi for welfare measures and called them "great step" towards opening the avenues for the weaker sections of the country.

"The prime minister opened up avenues for poor, farmers and youth of this country after the record availability of money in the banks since Independence following the demonetisation. It is a great step for the weaker sections of the country," he said.

Surjewala said though crores of people were reeling under severe difficulties and a large number of them lost their jobs, Modi did not talk about any roadmap for them.

"The Prime Minister's so called cleansing drive took 125 lives of innocent Indians and put crores of people in severe difficulties. But Modi did not uttter a single word for those who died. This is reflection of his insensitivity to the peoples' pain," Surjewala said.

Attacking Modi for not lifting restrictions on withdrawal of cash even after the 50-day period, the Congress spokesman said the PM only believes in "hitting headlines and giving no deadlines".

"The entire country was listening with curiosity that the Prime Minister will lift the restrictions on withdrawal of their hard earned money from banks. But people will still have to reel under this economic anarchy.

"The Prime Minister said it will take time to improve the banking system in the new year. It means he belives in hitting headlines and not giving deadlines," he said.

Yechury, who had asked a number of questions to the Prime Minister ahead of the latter's address to the nation, rued Modi did not announce any compensation for daily wage earners, fishermen, agricultural workers "who were hit hard by demonetisation".

He also questioned why the Prime Minister did not announce debt waiver to farmers while Rs 1.12 crore taken in loans by corporates have been written off.
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday addressed over 200 of his supporters at his residence, minutes after his expulsion from the Samajwadi Party (SP) had been revoked by his father and SP chief Mulayam Singh.

According to reports, the CM told his supporters that we have to save the party. He added that he had no ambitions of becoming the Chief Minister again after the elections, and had fought with his father and uncle only to ensure that SP comes back to power in the state.

I am not doing all this to defy Netaji (Mulayam). Netaji is your leader, but for me, he is both leader and father, Akhilesh said addressing party MLAs including some of those who he had given tickets for the polls.

Reports suggested that Akhilesh again blamed Amar Singh for the turmoil in the party, saying, Those who are outsiders, who often go to London after creating problems for the party are trying to weaken the party with the help of the BJP.

Amar Singh had met Shivpal and Mulayam in Lucknow on Tuesday, a day before the SP chief declared a list of 325 candidates, said reports.

UP Cabinet Minister Azam Khan and Mulayams cousin Ramgopal Yadav were also present at the meeting.

On Saturday, SP chief Mulayam Singh made a U-turn, just 24 hours after expelling his son from the party for 6 years.

With the writing on the wall loud and clear after Akhilesh mustered an overwhelming majority of party MLAs in his support, Yadav asked his younger sibling and state SP chief Shivpal to announced revocation of the expulsion of the two.

"On the SP supremo's directive, expulsion of Akhilesh and Ramgopal from SP is being revoked with immediate effect," the Shivpal Yadav, who has a running feud with the Chief Minister, tweeted after hectic confabulations.

"I am coming after having met party chief Mulayam Singh along with CM Akhilesh Yadav. Netaji has given the order that the suspension orders of Akhilesh and Ram Gopal are terminated with immediate effect," Shivpal said.
Saturday's address to the nation came a day after the expiry of 50-day deadline set by the government for people to deposit old high-value currency notes. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: The Shiv Sena on Sunday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's New Year eve address to the nation, saying that there was nothing new that he offered to the people.

"We expected a lot, but there was nothing new. He is making people feel that they are in a battle field," Shiv Sena leader Manisha Kayande told ANI.

Kayande further said that the Prime Minister didn't speak about income tax and other crucial issues, adding, "I hope he will come up with the solution on crucial issues."

In his 43-minute address, Prime Minister Modi on Saturday announced several schemes for farmers, pregnant women and senior citizens. He has also provided certain exemptions and relief on home loan interest to the poor and middle class.

His address garnered a mixed response from politicians. While his ministers lavished praise on him for the schemes that he had announced last night, the opposition criticised him for misleading the people and not divulging the details of black money recovered during the 50-day-long demonetisation drive.

Saturday's address to the nation came a day after the expiry of 50-day deadline set by the government for people to deposit old high-value currency notes in banks and post offices.

It was Prime Minister Modi's second address to the nation. The first was on November 8 when he announced the scrapping of Rs. 1,000 and Rs.500 currency notes.
Chennai: Asserting that the AIADMK would continue to follow the same military discipline shown during the tenure of its former leader J. Jayalalithaa, new general secretary V.K. Sasikala on Saturday said her party would remain an army which could defeat any opponent.

In an indirect attack on her opponents, Sasikala said some cunning minds calculated that the AIADMK could be destroyed after Jayalalithaas death. Citing a song from MGRs Naalai Namadhey , Sasikala asserted that the party would stand united and move on the righteous path shown by the party founder

In a speech laced with sentiment and emotion, Sasikala, who took over as the AIADMK general secretary, outlined the partys course in future and said the AIADMK would follow the self respect ideals of DK founder E.V.R. Periyar, self respect of the Tamil race preached by C.N. Annadurai, softness of party founder MGR and boldness of J. Jayalalithaa.

She said the centenary of MGR's birth anniversary would be celebrated in a grand manner and urged the Centre to issue special stamps and coins to commemorate the occasion.

In an emotional speech for about half an hour, she said "I am 62-year-old and I have spent my life with Amma from the age of 29. I will spent the rest of my life working for the party and its cadre". Thanking the partymen who had selected her as the party's general secretary, Sasikala said she would live up to their hopes and dedicate the rest of her life to work as AIADMK's general secretary as per the guidelines given by Amma.

"I feel that Amma is beside me saying that she had entrusted one and half crores of children with her", she said. She broke down to tears many times in her speech when she recalled her association with Jayalalithaa.
New Delhi: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcements for the poor and weaker sections of the society, saying the "country will become stronger with these schemes".

"I congratulate Prime Minister for schemes announced for different sections of society, especially farmers and middle class, as the nation cannot progress until they do. I am sure the country will become stronger by the decisions announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday," Singh told ANI.

He also said the scheme announced for pregnant women was especially very praiseworthy.

Prime Minister Modi in a national address on Saturday night launched schemes for farmers, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, new mothers and senior citizens. While appreciating the fellow countrymen on the ways in which demonetisation has shaped.

Prime Minister Modi in his speech said the following:

The Government will take care of interest for 60 days for farmers who had taken loans from district coop, central bank. He said Rs 20,000 crore in NABARD fund will give loans to farmers. In 3 months, almost 3 crore Kisan Credit Cards will be transformed to RuPay credit cards. With these they will be able to sell and buy at any place, and will not have to visit banks to withdraw money.

Just like agriculture, MSMEs are also important, for which the government has launched special initiatives. For small entrepreneurs, credit guarantee raised from 1 crore to 2 crore. Loans taken by non-banking financial companies will also be covered in this.

Small businessmen and Shopkeepers will now be able to get more loans. For small businesses, the government has raised cash credit limit is to 25 per cent from 20 per cent.

In another landmark decision aimed at reducing deaths of mothers during childbirths, pregnant women will get Rs. 6,000 for their delivery, vaccination and nutritious meals. The money will be transferred directly to their accounts.

Senior citizens will be assured 8 per cent interest on their deposits up to Rs. 7.5 lakh.
A man on Sunday threw a shoe at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal while he was addressing a rally against demonetisation in Rohtak, Haryana. (Photo: ANI/Twitter)

Rohtak: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday faced a shoe attack while addressing a public meeting here against demonetisation during which he targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The shoe, however, missed its target and the youth was nabbed.

The incident took place this evening when Kejriwal, the convenor of Aam Aadmi Party, was addressing Tijori Tod Bhanda Fod rally against the demonetisation move.

The shoe was hurled towards Kejriwal when attacked the Prime Minister over the demonetisation decision, terming it as a "scam".

"The shoe did not hit Kejriwal ji," said AAP's senior leader from Haryana, Navin Jaihind, who was also present.

AAP workers overpowered the youth and he was later handed to police at Urban Estate station. Police said they were interrogating the motive behind the act.

The accused identified as Vikas (26), was a resident of Mori Makrana village, district Dadri in Haryana, a senior police official told PTI.

"He is graduate and unemployed. When we questioned him, he said that he was hurt by Kejriwal's statements on the SYL issue which went against Haryana's interests. At the time of being questioned, the youth did not seem to be in sound mental condition," the police official added.

Kejriwal said the incident proved Modi?s "cowardice". "Maine kaha tha Modi ji Kayar hai. (I had said Modi is a coward), that is why he sends his stooges to throw shoes...but you may throw shoes or conduct CBI raids, that will not stop me from speaking the truth about demonetisation scam..," he said.

Attacking the Prime Minister on demonetisation, he said the move had "made poor farmers stand in long queues for their own money."

Kejriwal alleged that the BJP leadership had sounded their near and dear ones before announcing demonetisation.

He termed demonetisation as the "biggest scam" in the country post Independence.

Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia also targeted Modi and criticised demonetisation, claiming it had failed to achieve the desired objectives of ending corruption, black money, fake currency and funding of terror networks.

"On the contrary, it has hit all sections of the society, especially the common people," he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Jaihind claimed that AAP will win 100 of the 117 seats of the poll-bound Punjab state.
Burundi's environment minister was shot dead in the capital Bujumbura early Sunday, police said, the first killing of its kind since the country was plunged into political turmoil two years ago.

Emmanuel Niyonkuru, 54, the country's water, environment and planning minister, was killed shortly after midnight, according to a tweet sent by police spokesman Pierre Nkurikiye.

The murder, the first of a serving government minister since Burundi sank into turmoil over President Pierre Nkurunziza's controversial bid for a third term in 2015, comes after months of relative calm.

"Minister of water and environment killed by a criminal with a gun on his way home to Rohero, around 00:45," Nkurikiye wrote four hours after the incident.

He added that a woman had been arrested following the "assassination" although the motive for the attack was not immediately clear.

Also on Twitter, Nkurunziza offered his condolences "to the family and all Burundians", vowing the crime would be punished.

The murder comes days after Nkurunziza hinted he might seek a constitutional amendment allowing him a fourth term in 2020.

"If the people request it, we won't betray the confidence of the country, we won't betray the confidence of the people," Nkurunziza said Friday.

At least 500 people have been killed and 300,000 have fled the country since unrest began in April 2015 as protesters -- and then military coup-plotters -- fought against Nkurunziza's third mandate.

Niyonkuru is the first cabinet minister to be killed but other senior regime figures have been targeted during the months of crisis.

General Adolphe Nshimirimana, considered Nkurunziza's right-hand man, was killed in August 2015. Almost a year later former government minister and spokeswoman Hafsa Mossi was killed by gunmen in her car.

Other attacks have failed, with senior presidential advisor Willy Nyamitwe, a spokesman widely regarded as the public face of the government, escaping an ambush by a group of gunmen as he returned to his Bujumbura home in November.

And in April, human rights minister Martin Nivyabandi and his wife were injured in a grenade attack while leaving church.

Burundi has commonly blamed neighbouring Rwanda for the attacks.

The murder of Niyonkuru comes as Nkurunziza shores up his control of the restive nation.

The loyalist parliament has passed a law imposing strict controls on international aid groups that Nkurunziza has accused of backing insurrectionists.

It has also begun the process of withdrawing the country from the International Criminal Court (ICC) which was looking into allegations of government abuses, including murder, torture and rape.

UN and NGO human rights reports have raised fears that Burundi's political crisis might take on an ethnic dimension, warning of the potential for genocide.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Members of the cab drivers and owners association stop taxis as part of their five-day strike.

Hyderabad: With the strike call given by the Telangana Cab Drivers and Owners Association getting a good response, techies and other corporate companies may have problems from Monday as taxi drivers engaged by such companies and other private agencies have decided to join the Associations five-day strike.

The number of taxis that will be off the road has increased to 1 lakh from 80,000.

Association president V. Shiva said other cab owners-cum-drivers had joined with them and from Monday, the protest programmes will reach other districts.

A majority of cabs are running in GHMC limits and other district cab drivers are extending their support. We shall hold a state level meeting on Monday to announce our future plans, he said.

We have announced our agitations up to January 4, but we will decide the extension of protest programmes on Monday. Till Sunday, we have adopted protest programmes following Gandhigiri, he said.

The association holds that owner-drivers of cabs employed by private services like Uber and Ola are getting a raw deal.

Mr S. Kumar, a techie from Madhapur, said that the drivers strike would hit the IT sector which depends on them for transport of their employees. There are nearly 35,000 cabs for 1,200 software companies in the IT corridor. About 3.5 lakh employees are utilising the cab services per day in three shifts. During night shifts, the cab service is most essential for IT companies, he said.

The one lakh autorickshaws are not able to fill the gap. Nearly 50 per cent are engaged in ferrying school children in the morning and evening. The other 50 per cent are running as either a shuttle service or for passengers at railway and bus stations.

Till Sunday evening, there was no announcement from the Road Transport Corporation on any additional services that would be provided in view of the cab drivers strike.

The city has 3,800 buses of which 3,550 run regularly in 42,000 trips and travel about 9 lakh kilometres on 1,050 designated routes. The remaining 250 buses are in the depot for scheduled work like cleaning, overhauling, repairs etc. If the corporation runs an additional 200 buses, it will still not meet the requirement.

Protests at 1500 sites; Plying taxis stopped

Cab drivers with the Telangana Cab Drivers and Owners Associa-tion organised protest programmes at 1,500 locations in the city on Sunday. They removed air from the tyres of cabs that didnt participate in the strike and explained the reasons for the strike and demands from cab managements.

The protests were held at Kondapur, Gachibowli, BHEL, Chandanagar, Hitec City, Madhapur, Kukat-pally, Moosapet Chow-rasta, Sanathnagar, Balanagar, Secundera-bad, Habsiguda, Uppal, L.B. Nagar, Karman-ghat, Chandrayangut-ta, Aramghar Chow-rasta etc.

Association president V. Shiva said, We are seeking talks with the managements. We demand that the government take the initiative. Our demands are very genuine. But the managements are making provocative moves against us. Today they announced a new scheme to lure drivers saying they will get Rs 15,000 for every 12 trips in a day. Until we get solutions, we will continue our agitations.

He said the association may call for an indefinite hunger strike after January 5. He said that the association will halt 98 per cent of cab services from Monday, allowing the two per cent that are engaged by government organisations, hospitals and emergency services. We will not halt cabs that are carrying patients, families, children and pilgrims, he said.
Hyderabad: Legal practitioners say there is no legal sanctity attached to the security measures have been put into practice by the banks and other agencies, like the One Time Password method, which has been compromised on many occasions.

Mr Santosh Kumar, advocate, said, Cyber security is a major concern and in a country like India getting access to the system of another person is not at all difficult at all since most of the individual computers run on pirated software.

He said the use of mobile phone as a means to transfer funds was fraught with many dangers. A majority of the mobile phone users were not even aware of the functionalities of their phones, much less the vulnerabilities.

He said these vulnerabilities come to the fore in the event of misuse of digital transactions by criminals and the havoc that is created in terms of loss of money without the knowledge of the person.

He said RBI had recognised the risks stemming from insolvency of e-money institutions (in the specific case, the mobile operator) for customers and merchants.

He said, The risk associated in terms of moving on to digital payment platforms without a robust legal framework are high.

Mr S. Pradeep Kumar, a criminal lawyer, said that a person who has lost his hard earned money is at a loss on proceeding on the the matter, where he can get his grievance addressed and if he stands a chance to recover his money.
New Delhi: Renewing its demand, India on Sunday asked Pakistan for consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav, arrested on charges of espionage, and Nehal Ansari, who was caught for illegally entering the country from Afghanistan apparently to meet a girl he had befriended online.

India called for consular access to the two after it exchanged with Pakistan the lists of their citizens including civil prisoners and fishermen languishing in each others jails as per provisions of the bilateral Consular Access agreement.

The External affairs ministry said India remains committed to address on priority with Pakistan the humanitarian matters, including those pertaining to prisoners and fishermen in each others country.

In this context, we await from Pakistan confirmation of nationality of those in Indias custody who are otherwise eligible for release and repatriation.

We also await consular access to those Indian nationals in Pakistans custody for whom it has so far not been provided including Hamid Nehal Ansari and Kulbhushan Jadhav, the MEA said in a statement.

The Pakistani security forces had arrested Jadhav from Balochistan in March and alleged that he was a serving officer in the Indian Navy and deputed to the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

Jadhav has been accused by Pakistan of planning subversive activities in the country.
New Delhi: The official website of the countrys elite security force, National Security Guards, was hacked early Sunday morning apparently by some Pakistan-affiliated operatives who defaced it by posting some objectionable messages against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The hackers also posted some anti-India content on the anti-terror agencys official site.

Initial investigations by multiple security and intelligence agencies have revealed that the website was defaced by hackers being supported by Pakistani agencies. As soon as the hacking was noticed early Sunday morning, the NSGs URL, www.Nsg.Gov.in, was blocked from the Delhi-based headquarters. The hackers, who identified themselves as Alone Injector, had posted abusive comments on the sites home page. Though initial investigations have revealed involvement of some Pak-supported groups, we have launched a major probe to get more details and ascertain the exact identity of the hackers. We have also taken adequate security measures to secure the websites and data of other security and defence agencies, a senior intelligence official said.

The NSGs website is maintained from the forces Delhi headquarters and primarily gives information about the agency, its origin and operations. The National Informatics Centre (NIC) has been informed about the incident and officials said corrective measures have been initiated.

The elite commando force has been involved in important counter-terror operations, like the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, and its Black Cat commandos also provide security cover to some top VIPs. The force was raised in 1984 as a highly specialised unit to deal with terror and piracy activities.

Meanwhile, Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire on Sunday morning along the Line of Control in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir but there was no casualty.

There was firing by troops from across from 0900 hours along LoC in Poonch sector on Sunday, an officer said.
Hyderabad: It was a New Years Day shocker for chief secretary K. Pradeep Chandra, when the Centre turned down the Telangana state governments request to extend his tenure by three months.

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday appointed special chief secretary in the panchayat raj department Shekhar Prasad Singh, a 1983 batch IAS officer, as the new chief secretary with immediate effect. Mr Singh assumed office on the same day and will serve for 13 months as he will retire on January 31, 2018. Mr Singh has also assumed full additional charge as chief commissioner of land administration.

Mr Chandra was the first dalit chief secretary of TS. His tenure lasted just one month, having been appointed on November 30, 2016, after Mr Rajiv Sharma retired. Mr Sharmas tenure had been extended by the Centre by six months in two spells of three months each, following the request made by the CM. The CM was hoping for a similar response to his request to the Centre to extend Mr Chandras tenure by three months. He also requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this regard when he met him in New Delhi and also when Mr Modi visited Hyderabad last month to attend a conference at the National Police Academy.
Hyderabad: The TS government has released Rs 484 crore to the Aarogyasri Healthcare Trust, allowing the Employees Health Insurance Scheme to be implemented by corporate hospitals in the city. Eighteen major corporate hospitals have signed a memorandum of understanding with the government to provide special packages for state government employees.

A senior administrator of a private hospital said, The corporate hospitals were not agreeing to the rates which were being offered by the government to the small private hospitals. The matter was held back for two-and-a-half years. The employees were upset that there was no final conclusion despite their willingness to opt for insurance schemes. A special package has been finally worked out which will allow them to treat the employees."
Chennai: A protest against demonetisation held by DYFI cadres on Saturday morning at Medavakkam-Mambakkam junction turned a daylong stand-off between activists and police after the men in khaki allegedly manhandled some of the protestors.

Police said the protest began without mandatory permission from the police, while the DYFI allegedly that the police manhandled 50-odd activists, including women, in the name of removing from the protesting area.

Later, DYFI members resorted to road block after which police arrested them and took them to a marriage hall on Medavakkam-Mambakkam road.

Police reportedly told them all of them would be release in the evening. But in the evening, police said 14 DYFI workers were being remanded while others were asked to go. Police said that the protestors had attacked police and damaged government property.

This led to another round of protest with more DYFI workers reaching the scene. Other workers said that police cannot arrest a selected group of people and prevented the cops from taking the 14 to remand.

Following this more DYFI workers reaching scene along with media teams after which police used force and chased the workers with lathi to take the arrested to remand.

Police also allegedly attacked Thekkathir newspaper reporter-cum-photographer Gavaskar and snatched his camera when he tried to take picture of lathicharge by police.
Visakhapatnam: The city police on Sunday caught three persons including an orthopaedic surgeon who allegedly offered valid currency notes for the demonetised currency on commission.

Police seized Rs 47 lakh (Rs 46 lakh in Rs 2,000 denomination and Rs 1 lakh in Rs 100 denomination) and arrested Dr Anne Sireesh, an orthopaedic surgeon, and his associates M Surya Prasad Reddy and B Srinivasa Rao.

ACP Chittibabu said acting on a tip-off, his team carried out a raid at an apartment on Shankarmattam Road and apprehended the trio.

Dr Sireesh was offerring Rs 47 lakh in valid currency for the demonetised notes for a commission of about 30 per cent, the ACP said.

Earlier Dr Sireesh had exchanged Rs 40 lakh in old currency with new notes, he said. The Income Tax Department officials were also probing the matter, he said.
New Delhi: Suspected Pakistan-affiliated operatives on Sunday hacked the official website of the elite National Security Guard (NSG) and defaced it with a profanity-laden message against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and anti-India content.

Officials said the hacking attempt was noticed early today and the URL www.nsg.gov.in was blocked soon after by the counter-terror force from its headquarters in Delhi.

The hackers, identifying themselves as 'Alone Injector', posted the offensive content on the site's home page.

Official sources said the hacking attempt could have been carried out by Pakistan-affiliated hackers, though they were still trying to ascertain exact details in this regard.

The website belonging to the 'black cat' commandos is maintained from the NSG headquarters here and gives out basic information about the force, its origin and operations. The matter has been brought to the notice of the National Informatics Centre (NIC), and "remedial action" is in process.

The elite commando force was raised in 1984 as the federal contingency unit to undertake counter-terror and counter-piracy operations.
New Delhi: In a speech awaited by the entire nation with bated breath on New Year's eve, Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced a slew of new incentives. He also spoke about how ordinary citizens took one for the team, as they coped with demonetisation with resilience.

However, what he didnt say was Mitron, his now trademark style of addressing his fellow citizens. The prime ministers speeches have been sufficiently peppered with the term frequently in the past; and the absence of it set the Twitter mills running on Saturday.

Instead of mitron, Modi had used sathiyon, dosto (friends), and deshvashiyon and trust the Twitterati to bring out the party hats.

Didn't use "Mitron" even once?

MODI HAS UNFRIENDED THE NATION.  Ramesh Srivats (@rameshsrivats) December 31, 2016 Modi must be the first man to Friendzone an entire country. #Mitron  Samosaji (@ek_samosa_dena) December 29, 2016

In fact, the word had garnered a lot of buzz right from the announcement of the speech with many trying to cash in. Pubs in cities had offered discounted alcohol whenever Modi said Mitron. Recharges were offered by a mobile payment company on similar grounds.

Get a beer or a shot for Rs. 31* every time you hear our Prime Minister say '#Mitron' during his speech tomorrow.https://t.co/ikTZ9TyEgL pic.twitter.com/qf8l8ymXSU  Social Offline (@SocialOffline) December 30, 2016

While people who were looking to exploit these offers were disappointed, Twitter sure managed to have a hearty laugh.

Modi to all those who were planning on taking a shot everytime he said Mitron: "LOL"  The UnReal Times (@TheUnRealTimes) December 31, 2016
SUPERIOR  Oak Flat, a desert landscape and 90-minute drive outside Phoenix, lies in the midst of an environmental and economic controversy.

Members of the San Carlos Apache Tribe revere the federally owned land as sacred. Environmentalists consider it a sanctuary for wildlife and vegetation. Climbers, hikers and campers gravitate to Oak Flat for outdoor recreation.

And Resolution Copper Co. covets the rich veins of copper running below the surface of Oak Flat.

In December 2014, Congress passed and President Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015, which authorized Resolution, a Phoenix-based affiliate of foreign mining companies Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton, to perform mining operations in Oak Flat in exchange for other land in Arizona.

The lengthy document is primarily made-up of military reform and funding and has passed consecutively for about 50 years. Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, secured Resolutions bill on the act, according to a Cronkite News article.

Prior to the bill passing, Resolution submitted their plan of operations to the U.S. Forest Services Tonto National Forest. The forest service accepted their plan, but has yet to approve it. Now that the bill is the law, federal government agencies have no choice but to carry it out as long as certain requirements are met, said John Scaggs, spokesman for the forest service.

Environmentalists and the tribe remain opposed to a mine, which Resolution said it needs because it would create jobs, boost Arizonas economy, and copper is a key ingredient in wind and solar energy. Company leaders propose exchanging eight land parcels across Arizona for mining Oak Flat.

The land exchange

In addition to a mining operation, Resolution proposed a land exchange. Company officials will give land it currently owns to public land managers, like the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, in exchange for the land that rests above the copper stores.

The land parcels are scattered across the state near places like Payson, Cave Creek and Mammoth. The parcels make up about 5,300-acres in total. After the swap, Resolution would own about 2,400-acres of land, including Oak Flat, according to the forest service website.

But the mine is projected to affect nearly 7,000-acres of surface land, according to the forest service website. It would extend 7,000-feet below the surface and be labeled as the largest copper mine in the United States, leaving behind a 1,000-foot deep crater, according to Resolutions website.

Resolution Copper spokesman Bill Tanner declined several interview requests, referring Cronkite News to its website for information.

A bipartisan group of leaders, local communities and Resolution officials came together to decide which lands would go to public land managers, according to their website.

Equal value

A government appraiser will be jointly selected by the forest service and Resolution to evaluate and determine if the proposed lands are of equal value while abiding by nationally recognized standards.

If the appraiser concludes that the lands are not of equal value, Resolution will have to give up more land or pay the federal government to make up the difference, according to the forest service website.

The selection process for the appraiser is under way and the evaluation is expected to begin in 2017, Scaggs said.

Cultural objections

Wendsler Nosie Sr., councilman of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, said in terms of cultural value, the other land parcels dont fit the bill. Nosie Sr. is also a representative of the Apache-Stronghold, an organization opposed to the proposed mine.

In ancient times and today, references to Oak Flat can be heard in our songs, rituals, teachings and language, he said. Understand that any land base is important because theres purpose to each of them, but Oak Flat is everything that makes us who we are. He called the mine the genocide of our religion.

Nosie Sr. said if Christians wanted to explore the depths of their religion, they can go to Europe where preserved buildings and monuments stand today  Oak Flat is symbolically identical and future generations wouldnt be able to connect to it if its altered.

One of the parcels Resolution is proposing is a section of Apache Leap  a historically known jagged cliff near the town of Superior. In the late 1800s, members of the Apache Tribe plummeted off of it, greeting death, rather than being captured by U.S. Cavalry, according to a reflection of an article, The Legend of how Apache Leap got its name.

We respect the importance of the Oak Flat area to many Native American people, and have committed to give the public access to the Oak Flat campground for as long as it is safe, Resolutions website says. We hope we can work with neighboring Native American tribes by answering and addressing their concerns.

Public exception

If the swap occurs, the land parcels would be considered public while under the ownership of public land managers, but one parcel would remain mostly off-limits to public recreation.

The Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch, an affiliate of Audubon Arizona, conducts research and preserves grassland ecosystems and manages 940-acres owned by Resolution. The research ranch manages 8,000-acres, according to their website.

After the swap, all that would change is ownership, said Sonia Perillo, Audubon Arizonas executive director. The 940-acres would continue to be used for conservation purposes on behalf of the research ranch.

With permission, the general public can access a limited number of roads and trails, according to the ranchs website.

Robin Silver, co-founder of the Center of Biological Diversity, committed to preserving wildlife and habitats on the brink of extinction, opposes the land exchange and mining in Oak Flat.

The American public is getting ripped off, Silver said. The only land that is of value is the research centers because it hasnt been overgrazed, but its of no value to the general public because it wouldnt be open to them, unlike Oak Flat that offers recreational opportunities to the public and is of cultural value to Native Americans, Silver said.

According to Resolutions website, the parcels they are proposing to trade are home to archaeological sites, destinations for rock climbers and nature trails.

How the parcels would be managed would be up to its prospective owners  the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service.

Environmental

Resolution included lands that are of high-priority (for) conservation, according to the forest service.

One parcel includes seven-miles of the San Pedro River that would become part of the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area. Other parcels include creeks, wetlands, and an abundant amount of wildlife, according to Resolution.

Perillo said Audubon Arizona officials agree the proposed lands are valuable for preservation but question the environmental consequences of mining in Oak Flat.

During a period the forest service accepted public comments and letters in reference to the mine, Audubon Arizona raised concerns about threatened and endangered species, water quantity and quality, and the tailings pile, the pile of leftover rock particles once copper is extracted.

Resolutions website says company officials would protect plants and animals by removing vegetation only when it is absolutely necessary and using covers and containers to keep birds and other animals out of areas of the mine where they could be injured.

Nosie Sr. fears water could become contaminated.

Beneath the surface, everything is intertwined, he said. Its not just Oak Flat. Water in the valley and across the state will be affected.

Nosie Sr. said the tribe and its lawyers are working with the forest service to address concerns.

Resolutions website says company officials will reclaim the land after the mining operation is complete to replant vegetation and ensure land and water are safe.

The mine would take ten years to build, would operate for 40 years, and then about 5 to 10 years for reclamation, according to the forest service website.

The mining operation is estimated to create 52,000 local jobs and push $4.8 billion into the states economy, according to Resolutions website.

Public comment

The forest service is completing an environmental impact statement, a mandatory document under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. The statement process includes accepting public comments and analyzing potential positive and negative environmental changes because of the proposed mine.

The completed statement would guide mining operation and outline other federal actions to protect the environment, Scaggs said.
A police explosives expert lost a hand and an eye Sunday when a device placed outside a far-right bookshop in the central Italian city of Florence blew up, police said.

Rushed to hospital, he underwent emergency surgery but medics were unable to save his hand or his eye, according to police sources cited by Italian agency Agi.

Police called in an explosives team after a patrol spotted a suspicious package outside the bookshop, which has ties to a far-right group called Casa Pound.

As the experts approached the package, the blast occurred, said investigators cited by Agi. The device had been fitted with a timer, they added.

Casa Pound first emerged in Rome in 2003. The movement now has several hundred members, who stage protests against the European Union (EU) and immigration.

Gianluca Iannone, the group's leader, said it was the third attack against this bookshop whose "only sin is to be close to Casa Pound".

Florence mayor Dario Nardella described the incident as "very serious and without any justification".

Italy premier Paolo Gentiloni called Interior Minister Marco Miniti for information on the police officer's condition, according to Agi.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Hyderabad: Nine persons were killed in road accidents on the New Year eve. Two drunk private guards died in the wee hours of Sunday when their bike hit a road divider in Chandanagar. Seven others were killed in accidents in Rachakonda and Cyberabad on Saturday night and Sunday.

K Kiran Kumar, 36, residing in Lingampally, and V Vishnumurthy, 43, residing in Narsingi, were security guards at ICICI Towers in Gachibowli. On Saturday, they were on night shift. Near GHMC office in Chandanagar circle, Kiran lost control of his bike at a sharp curve and rammed into the divider. Both died on the spot. In Mailardevapally on Sat-urday night, a 60-year-old businessman Shiva Ba-lak died and his nephew Pavan Lohar injured when a car coming from the wrong direction rammed into their car.

In Gachibowli on Sunday morning, 25-year-old A Prashanath Kumar from Warangal district died when the bike he was riding rammed into a divider near DLF Junction. On Saturday night, in Nizampet, an auto rickshaw fatally hit Parameshwar, 21, a painter. In Patancheru, 18-year-old construction worker M Sai Kumar was killed as he was hit by an unknown vehicle on the ORR service road on Saturday night.

In Keesara on Sunday, a 72-year-old priest K Jagannadha Sharma died after a TRC bus hit his scooter. In Qutbullapur on Sunday, Sandula Shankaramma, 49, a housewife crossing the road, was killed after being hit by a bike.
Lucknow: Reacting to the ongoing tussle within the Samajwadi Party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday called the fiasco a political drama to hide the administrative failure of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, adding that the people of the state will not get fooled by the tactics applied.

"It is a high voltage drama by the Samajwadi Party and Akhilesh's administration has been a failure as he has not done anything for the development of the state," BJP Uttar Pradesh state president Keshav Prasad Maurya told ANI.

Maurya said the party has done this drama for six months and they would never be able to succeed in it.

Echoing similar sentiments, BJP MP from Gorakhpur Yogi Adityanath called the Samajwadi Party dispute as a cover up to hide the failures of the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister.

"Just to cover his failures and giving clean chit to the Chief Minister and to develop the image, the political dram has been played by the Samajwadi Party,"he told ANI.

Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav earlier in the day again expelled party general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav for six years from the party terming the National Executive meet called by him as 'unconstitutional' and 'illegal'.

"This meet was called without consulting the national secretary of the party and the proposal passed in it is illegal. Stringent action will be taken against the people involved in it," said the letter issued by Mulayam.

Mulayam announced that the list of candidates issued by him earlier is the final list of the candidates contesting elections in upcoming assembly election and said that the remaining list will be announced soon.

Earlier in the day, Ram Gopal called on party leaders and workers to declare Akhilesh as the president of the party and unseat his father Mulayam from that position.

In a statement that suggested that the Samajwadi Party may be heading for a split, or for Mulayam to make way for Akhilesh at the top of the party hierarchy, Ram Gopal, addressing a party convention at the Janeshwar Mishra Park here, said the National Executive of the Samajwadi Party also wants Shivpal Yadav to be removed as president of the party's Uttar Pradesh unit and the sacking of Amar Singh immediately.

Ram Gopal and Akhilesh were reinstated in the party yesterday, a day after they were ousted from the party for six years over indisciplinary grounds.
Chennai: Citing the continuous suicides of farmers, Leader of Opposition M.K. Stalin on Saturday alleged that the state government had not taken action to protect the livelihood of farmers despite the DMK insisting on the demand several times.

After submitting a letter seeking appointment to meet Chief Minister at the Secretariat, Stalin told reporters that so far 59 farmers had committed suicide due to drought conditions including the suicide of five farmers yesterday. The DMK had conducted all party meetings attended by the representatives of farmers and passed resolutions. A copy of the resolution had been submitted to the Chief Minister and the DMK had requested the ruling party to convene an all-party meeting.

Charging the state government with not taking any action to solve the farmers' woes, Stalin said the suicides of farmers are continuing. The state government had not granted financial assistance to the farmers, he complained and urged the state government to declare Tamil Nadu as drought hit.

A special session of the Assembly should be convened and a resolution should be passed on the farmers' plight in the state. Citing the death of farmers, PMK founder S. Ramadoss said the Central and state governments should take the responsibility for them. Charging the Centre with supporting Karnataka, which had refused to release water in Cauvery despite the Supreme Court orders, Ramadoss said it had led to the deaths of innocent farmers. He wanted the state to be declared drought hit and a compensation of `25,000 per acre.
Thiruvananthapuram: Former chief minister Oommen Chandy has rebuffed all attempts made by the AICC to make him toe the line and is firm on remaining as an ordinary party worker. He has decided to keep off the Political Affairs Committee meeting and has made no secret of his displeasure against the leadership for ignoring his camp in the appointments of the new DCC presidents.

KPCC president V. M. Sudheeran and Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala had not taken him into confidence in the mater.

Chandy will not attend the PAC meeting being chaired by Sudheeran. He will take part in the party meetings but not in those being directly organised by the KPCC leadership. He cant be taken for granted and the state Congress cannot go on without him, said a Congress leader.

The A group leaders and PAC members K. C. Joseph and Benny Behanan have asked Mr Sudheeran to hold the PAC meeting next week. While the A camp is baying for Mr Sudheerans blood, Mr Chennithalas I camp is treading cautiously.

A KPCC general secretary took a dig at Mr Sudheeran citing that he was too busy organising memorial programmes or making statements and could not face the challenge posed by the BJP. In contrast, Mr Chandy on Saturday hit out against the Union government saying that blacklisted British firm De La Rue was among the companies enlisted by the centre for printing plastic notes.

The AICC has invited all the 14 DCC presidents to New Delhi for talks on steering the party forward.
The party chief had earlier expelled his son and UP CM Akhilesh Yadav before revoking the decision. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: In a story that is getting increasingly tangled each day, SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav expelled two other leaders on Sunday amidst continued ruckus in the party office, as Akhliesh supporters forced their way in and removed Shivpal Yadavs nameplate from his office.

The decision to expel National Vice-President Kiranmoy Nanda, and Naresh Agrawal, came hours after Mulayam expelled party general secretary Ramgopal Yadav for six years, terming the decisions taken in the national executive meet as "unconstitutional and illegal".

"This meet was called without consulting the national secretary of the party and the proposal passed is illegal. Stringent action will be taken against the people involved in it," said the letter issue by Mulayam.

Adding to the chaos and confusion at the Samajwadi Party office, Akhilesh Yadav's supporters forcibly entered the premises and removed Shivpal Yadav's nameplate from his office on Sunday evening.

Earlier in the day, party general secretary Ramgopal called on party leaders and workers to declare Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav as the president of the party.

Moments after Ram Gopal Yadav announced Akhilesh as party's national president, Mulayam Singh Yadav sacked the former from the party for six years for the second time in last three days.

The party's founder leader has also called a party convention on January 5.

At the party's national executive meet earlier today in Lucknow, Ram Gopal proposed Akhilesh's name for party president's post. The meeting, which was termed 'unconstitutional' by Mulayam, also saw Ram Gopal proposing the removal of Shivpal as the state unit's chief and ouster of Amar Singh.

On Saturday in a dramatic turn of events, the Samajwadi Party had on Saturday revoked the expulsion of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Ramgopal Yadav, a day after they were ousted from the party for six years over anti-party activities.
Hyderabad: Chintala Venkateswara Reddy, one of the prime accused in the criminal activities of gangster Nayeemuddin, and who is out on bail, had VIP darshan at Tirumala in the early hours of Sunday. Telangana state Legislative Council deputy chairman Nethi Vidyasagara Rao had sponsored his name and accompanied him.

Soon after Nayeemuddin was killed in a police encounter on August 8, 2016, Mr Venkateswara Reddy went underground for a few weeks and obtained anticipatory bail to avoid arrest from cases filed against him by the Nalgonda police. Early on Sunday morning, during the VIP darshan time, he was spotted along with Mr Vidyasagara Rao, whose name also appears in an FIR registered with the Bhongir police, but who is not listed as an accused. News channels reported these two men and two others coming out of the Tirumala temple.

The Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanams (TTD) had made elaborate arrangements for the darshan by VVIPs and VIPs on New Years Day. However, this time the TTD has insisted that they will not accept letters of recommendation and the VIP has to be physically present along with whoever he sponsors for the special break darshan. A TTD official said that Mr Vidyasagara Rao had recommended the name of Mr Venkateswara Reddy as also those of a few others for VIP darshan.

Mr Reddy had unsuccessfully contested the 2014 Assembly elections from Bhongir as a Congress nominee and was a close associate of Mr Vidyasa-gara Rao. He resigned from the Congress and joined the TRS after the party came to power.

Mr Reddy faces serious charges under IPC 120 B (criminal conspiracy), 360, 363 (kidnapping), and 386 (extortion), all associated with Nayeem-uddins criminal activities. He is also closely related to Nalgonda district collector.

It may be recalled that before taking action against opposition leaders, the Chief Mini-ster had reportedly sought act-ion against TRS leaders and there were reports that some TRS MLCs would be arrested for their alleged involvement in Nayeemuddins crime.
Chennai: The ground is getting ready for coronation of Sasikala Natarajan as Chief Minister replacing incumbent O. Panneerselvam.

A clear indication came on Sunday when revenue minister R. B. Uthayakumar reiterated his demand for Sasikala to take over the reins of the AIADMK government along with two of his Cabinet colleagues at the memorial of Jayalalithaa.

Uthayakumar, information and publicity minister Kadambur Raju and Hindu religious and charitable endowments minister Sevvoor S. Ramachandran stressed that the posts of AIADMK supremo and Chief Minister were held by one and the same person since the partys inception and this practice should be continued. The ministers said they believe Sasikala, who took charge as AIADMK general secretary on Saturday, would fulfill their wishes sooner than later.

The fact that the chorus is gaining louder everyday clearly shows that it would not have happened without the approval from Sasikala herself.

And the statement from ministers come just a day after Sasikala said she would run the party with the same military discipline followed by Jayalalithaa.

After paying tributes at the memorial of J. Jayalalithaa on Marina beach, the three ministers reiterated the demand for Sasikala taking over as Chief Minister as it was the dream and wishes of 1.5 crore AIADMK members.

Uthayakumar was the first minister to openly ask Sasikala to take over as CM within a fortnight of Jayalalithaas death.
Lucknow: The ongoing battle in the Samajwadi Party which climaxed on Sunday with Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav becoming national president after deposing his father Mulayam Singh Yadav, is now ready to go on to the next level.

Both the factions are now preparing to take their battle to the Election Commission to establish themselves as the real Samajwadi Party and retain the party symbol which is the cycle.

Prof Ram Gopal Yadav announced at the emergency convention that the Election Commission was being immediately informed of the election of Mr Akhilesh Yadav as the new party president and the powers that the national convention had vested in him.

Senior SP leader Ambica Chaudhary, meanwhile, said that the convention was already illegal since the party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav had issued a letter declaring it null and void much before the event began.

Constitutional experts in Lucknow said that if the battle reached the Election Commission, the dispute could lead to seizure of the election symbol till the matter is resolved.

Both sides are going to lose if the symbol is seized. It is clear that Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav was aware of the plans when he declared the convention as illegal on Sunday morning. The idea obviously was to prepare the ground for further action, said a retired judge who did not wish to be named.

Meanwhile, BJP on Sunday alleged that the turmoil in Samajwadi Party was a well orchestrated ploy to divert attention from the failures of Akhilesh Yadav.

Union minister Venkaiah Naidu said the happenings in Samajwadi Party is like a family drama with full of comedy but it will end up in a tragedy resulting in total pack up of the Ahkhilesh Yadav government.

In 2012, people chose SP with high hopes, but they betrayed people. The Akhilesh Yadav government has proved to be a dud on all points including drinking water, law and order, power and education. The only thing they have to shown in terms of achievements is lawlessness in the state, he said.
Member Secretary, Telangana State Council of Science and Technology (TSCOST), Y. Nagesh Kumar, along with the 20-member team during the Telangana State National Childrens Science Congress (NCSC) in Maharashtra.

A 20-member Telangana State National Childrens Science Congress (NCSC) team comprising of 13 child scientists and state coordinator among others took part in the NCSC national event from December 27 to 31 at Baramati, Maharashtra. The theme was science, technology and innovation for sustainable development  With special emphasis on accessibility for persons with disability.

The young scientists presented their projects on this theme, and competed with around 650 projects from all over India and also from certain SAARC and ASEAN countries.

Every year, NCSC provides an opportunity to young scientists to interact with eminent scientists. Member Secretary, Telangana State Council of Science and Technology (TSCOST), Y. Nagesh Kumar, says, The kids from Telangana worked hard for three months. The aim of the event is to inform people that knowledge of basic science is more important before thinking of becoming rocket scientists. Late Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam used to attend the event to encourage the kids. The only drawback is that students from rural schools arent able to participate. From next year, information will be sent to all schools in the rural areas too.

Hyderabad girl G. Manasa presented her project. Im happy that I got this opportunity. Blind students like me dont take up engineering and I want to change that. Im working on inventing buzzers and clips to help people like me. I want to become a scientist when I grow up. My guide R. Parameshwaran has helped me a lot, says 16-year-old Manasa, who studies at Devnar School for the Blind in Begumpet.

Shaik Muzammil Pasha presented his project called Cool Home. The 14-year-old studies at Castle Town High School in Yousufguda. He says, Ive worked on many projects before and Im glad that I could represent my project at NCSC this year. My inspiration is Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and I want to be a scientist like him.

15-year-old B. Harika studies at Fatima convent high school in Kagaznagar. She says, My project is called Be cautious! Life is precious. There are gadgets in the US, which can be used while driving cars. These gadgets help the car to stop when it sees an obstacle in front of it. I want to bring them to India.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
Chen said that over the past two years, Twitter's advertising base in the China region had grown almost 400 percent.

Twitter's manager for China, whose appointment just eight months ago sparked controversy, has announced her resignation but welcomed the growing number of Chinese advertisers even though the service is blocked by Beijing. Kathy Chen, appointed in April as general manager for the China region comprising mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, made the announcement yesterday evening on her own Twitter account.

"Now that the Twitter APAC team (Asia-Pacific team in Singapore) is working directly with Chinese advertisers, this is the right time for me to leave the company," she said. Like other Western platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, Twitter is inaccessible in mainland China, blocked by the communist regime's vast system of internet censorship.

Unable to reach local users, Twitter has tried to persuade Chinese companies and media to open accounts to reach a global audience.

Large groups such as the telecoms giant Huawei and state media have made their appearance on the platform. Chen said that over the past two years, Twitter's advertising base in the China region had grown almost 400 percent. Her resignation comes two months after the announcement of nine percent cuts in the global workforce of Twitter, which is struggling to attract new users. Human rights activists and NGOs had taken issue with Chen's resume when she was appointed. In the 1980s and 1990s she worked as a computer engineer for the Chinese army.

Dissident Hu Jia had described the appointment as a "painful betrayal". Critics were also dismayed by Chen's call on her appointment for "closer partnership" with Communist Party-backed state media. Twitter is home to a very active community of Chinese intellectuals and dissidents posting from abroad and also from within the country through the use of virtual private networks (VPN).

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
The lamps date to 1910, constructed out of glass with Quranic verse from the Surah An-Nur written in Mameluke raised script

Six Islamic lamps that decorate the ceilings of the mausoleums of Egypts King Fouad and Princess Ferial at Al-Refai mosque in Cairo were stolen Sunday, an official at the Supreme Council of Antiquities said.



Secretary General of the council Mostafa Amin told Ahram Online the Ministry of Antiquities "learned of the theft today and has begun a full investigation to find the lamps and the person(s) responsible for their theft."

Alsaeed Helmy, Head of Islamic and Coptic Antiquities at the ministry, said that six out of 15 lamps were stolen from the mausoleums. The lamps date to 1910, and are made of glass decorated with a Quranic verse from the Surah An-Nur written in Mameluke raised script.

The verse says: Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The example of His light is like a niche within which is a lamp.

Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Enany has referred the case to the General Prosecution for investigation, Amin said.

The case has also been referred to the Tourism and Antiquities Police as well as the Ministry of Endowments, which is responsible for both mausoleums, for assistance in recovering the lamps.

Amin added that El-Enany ordered the formation of a committee to carry out an inventory of all the artefacts that reside in the mosque.

The Al-Refai mosque is the resting place of many members of the Egyptian Royal Family, including the last monarch, King Farouk. The last Shah of Iran was also buried in the mosque in 1980.





Search Keywords:

Short link:


Smartphone maker HTC is planning on launching a series of smartphones this year. Among the line-up of devices is a phablet codenamed Ocean. Now a report claims that the speculated Ocean Note phablet will have a rear camera with the highest DxOMark score among the smartphone category and may even ditch the standard 3.5mm headphone port.

Initially, when Google unveiled the Pixel and Pixel XL, the smartphone received a DxOMark score of 89. This has been the highest-rated smartphone camera ever tested. However, it appears like HTCs Ocean Note will top the DxOMark score.

A report from Taiwan suggested that HTC will be announcing the first device at a press conference on January 12. The device will be a mid-range X10 and will sport a 5.5-inch 1080p display along with MediaTeks Helio P10 processor, 3GB of RAM and a 13MP rear camera.

The company will be releasing the second device, which will most likely be the HTC 11 (codenamed HTC Ocean) at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) that will take place on February 27 in Barcelona.

None of the above given information has been confirmed by the company yet. We will probably have to wait around for more updates.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
Samsung is planning on unveiling its speculated Galaxy S8 device in April this year. Speculations regarding the same have been high in the recent times.

A new leak regarding the S8 smartphone reveals that the company will be making use of chipsets from two different makers. Some smartphone will be powered by Qualcomms Snapdragon 835, while others will come with the companys own Exynos 8895 chipset.

Samsung will use its home-grown Exynos 8895 chipset in the Galaxy S8 next year, and the company has been testing it for the past five months with clock speeds as high as 4GHz. It was also being predicted that the chipset would make use of ARMs new Mali-G71 GPU, reported Sammobile.

Furthermore, the Exynos 8895 is coming in two variants  one which will offer quad-core M2 performance CPU cluster clocked at 200MHz and the other one that is made using 10nm process and its CPU is an octa-core part with four M2 performance cores designed by Samsung along with four battery-friendly ARM Cortex-A53 cores. The former will be clocked at up to 2.5GHz in the M version of the chip and 2.3GHz in the V model. The A53 cores will go to 1.7GHz in both, reported GSMarena.

The Mali-G71 GPU employed by both iterations of the 8895 will have 20 cores in the high-end M model and 18 in the V variant. In both cases, the GPU will be clocked at 550 MHz. The Exynos 8895 supports LPDDR4 RAM, UFS 2.1 storage, 4K screens, and Cat.16 LTE, the report further added.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
Officers in Aiken County charged Rep. Chris Corley with a pair of felonies that could send him to prison for up to 15 years after he attacked his wife during an argument over his infidelity late Monday night at their home in Graniteville, according to a police report. (Photo: Aiken County Sheriff's Office)

South Carolina: A South Carolina House member who rebuked his colleagues in a Christmas card for lacking morals when they took down the Confederate flag is accused of beating his wife and pointing a gun at her, deputies said.

Officers in Aiken County charged Rep. Chris Corley with a pair of felonies that could send him to prison for up to 15 years after he attacked his wife during an argument over his infidelity late Monday night at their home in Graniteville, according to a police report.

The couple's young children were there, and the wife took the family to her mother's house across the street after Corley threatened to kill her, then said he would kill himself, the report said.

Corley's wife said he stopped hitting her only after noticing she was bleeding and hearing the children screaming, deputies said.

Corley told officers his wife tried to punch him after accusing him of cheating, and the police report noted a scratch on his forehead.

Corley is charged with first-degree criminal domestic violence, which carries up to 10 years in prison if convicted, and pointing a firearm at a person, which has a maximum sentence of five years. Neither charge has a minimum punishment.

A judge set Corley's bond at $20,000 and ordered him to not contact his wife. Corley didn't talk about the charges during his brief hearing Tuesday afternoon.

The 36-year-old Republican lawyer was just elected to a second term.

Corley's arrest comes after a legislative session where lawmakers strengthened punishments for domestic violence. Gov. Nikki Haley made it a priority to reduce the state's high rate of women killed by men who know them. Corley voted for the legislation.

House Speaker Jay Lucas promised in a statement to take action if Corley is indicted. By state law, Corley must be suspended from the House if indicted on a felony charge.

Corley may be best known in the House as a staunch defender of the Confederate flag. After the flag was removed from Statehouse grounds in July 2015, Corley sponsored a bill for a statewide vote on whether to return it. The bill went nowhere.

He also sent a Christmas card with the Confederate flag on it to Republican lawmakers in 2015 after the flag came down suggesting they "ask for forgiveness of all your sins such as betrayal," calling it a joke in his smart-aleck style. Democrats got a card with a photo of his children.

Corley's holiday card started with: "May your Christmas be filled with memories of a happier time when South Carolina's leaders possessed morals, convictions and the principles to stand for what is right."

The arrest was first reported by The Aiken Standard.
Washington: A US lawmaker has been arrested for punching his wife in the face and pointing a gun at her after a 911 call recording emerged in which his children can be heard screaming "just stop, Daddy".

Republican representative from South Carolina Chris Corley, who recently voted for legislation toughening punishments for domestic violence, was arrested on Tuesday on felony charges of first-degree domestic violence and pointing weapons at a person.

According to the warrants, 36-year-old Corley, in the presence of an 8-year-old child, caused "physical harm and injury" to his wife by "striking her about the head and face with a closed fist after threatening to kill the victim, point a handgun at the victim causing her to fear for her life."

Aiken City dispatch was alerted after receiving the first 911 phone call on Monday in which piercing screams of children begging Corley to "just stop" were heard.

"Just stop Daddy. Just stop...Daddy, why are you doing this?" can be heard in the recording released to the 'Aiken Standard' newspaper.

"Please stop. Stop. Please stop, Chris. Just stop daddy, just stop. Chris, please stop. Daddy. Please help. Please Chris. Chris," it said.

After several attempts to get Chris' 37-year-old wife on the phone, the dispatcher called Aiken county dispatch, saying, "I had a caller, sounded like children screaming for help and begging for their father to stop," the report said.

In a second call, a woman identified by the Aiken County Sheriff's Office as Corley's mother-in-law tells a dispatcher, "he beat his wife and he's threatening to kill himself."

Corley told police his wife thought he was cheating on her, and he pushed her away when she attempted to strike him.

The attorney is known for his efforts to keep the Confederate flag flying outside the South Carolina state house.

Corley was released on a $20,000 bond and could face up to 15 years in jail if convicted of both charges.
Islamabad: Pakistan's new army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has been invited by Afghan leaders to visit the war-torn country and work together for regional peace.

The invitation was extended on the New Year eve when General Bajwa reached the Afghan leaders over telephone.

Army spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor said in a tweet that General Bajwa called Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and "conveyed best wishes for 2017 and pledged to work together for peace in the region".

He also said that "peace in both countries is in greater interest of the region".

"Afghan leadership invited COAS for a visit to Afghanistan," Ghafoor said in the tweet.

It was, however, not known when General Bajwa will pay the visit which would be his first since taking over charge of the Pakistan Army in November.

The development comes amid tensions between the two countries over militant attacks in Afghanistan.
The attack came one day after two suicide bombers killed at least 28 people at a Baghdad market. (Photo: AP)

Baghdad: A pair of suicide bombers detonated their explosives belts at a checkpoint south of Baghdad, killing nine people, including four members of the security forces, said Iraqi officials.

The police and hospital officials said the Sunday attack near the holy Shiite city of Najaf also wounded 22. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which bore the hallmarks of Islamic militants.

The officials all spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.

It came one day after two suicide bombers killed at least 28 people at a Baghdad market. That attack was claimed by the Islamic State group. Baghdad has seen near-daily attacks blamed on Islamic militants since 2003.
Kyrgyz Army soldiers are alert atop an armored personal carrier patrolling the outskirts of the southern Kyrgyz city of Osh in Kyrgyzstan. (Photo: AP)

Dubai: An Indian-origin Saudi-based entrepreneur has been appointed Major General of Kyrgyzstan, a rare military position occupied by an Indian in the Central Asian country.

Shaikh Rafik Mohammed, who hails from Kerala, was appointed Major General of Kyrgyzstan by Ali Mirza, Defence Minister of Kyrgyzstan at an official ceremony held in the country, Khaleej Times reported.

It is a rare military position occupied by an overseas Keralite, said Omar Abu Baker, media adviser of Rafik.

Rafik, whose family resides in Dubai, holds Kyrgyzstan nationality conferred by its former President Kurmanbek Saliyevich Bakiyev whom he casually met in his 20s while working in Iran, the report said.

Rafik was invited by the Kyrgyzstan government to take up the prestigious military position in view of his earlier contribution to the country.

"Rafik left Kerala at a young age and he could complete only his primary school education. He went to Mumbai where the young man learnt all the tricks of business and from there to the Middle East. He has worked in the UAE, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Kyrgyzstan," his media adviser added.

He migrated from Calicut in Kerala before completing his fifth-grade schooling culminated in his recent appointment as Major General of Kyrgyzstan, the report said.

While there are scores of successful business tycoons in the region, this could well be the first time a Malayali has occupied a top military leadership of a foreign country.

Rafik earlier worked as an adviser to the former Kyrgyzstan President Kurmanbek Saliyevich Bakiyev whom he met in Iran where the young Indian entrepreneur was developing a major steel plant.

After selling the successful project to the Iranian government, Rafik went to Kyrgyzstan and presented a similar project to Kurmanbek, then a governor who was preparing to contest presidential elections.

After Kurmanbek won the election, he appointed young Rafik as his chief adviser - a milestone in his career in his mid-twenties.

Rafik developed wide network of friends in the Central Asian country which has witnessed a rapid flow of foreign investment and reversal of socialist mode of development to a capitalist mode of production, the report said.
KOZHIKODE: Kerala-born entrepreneur Shaikh Rafik Mohammed, 42, has been appointed Major General of Kyrgyzstan, in a first for an Indian in the Central Asian country.

Mr Mohammed assumed the prestigious post in the presence of defence minister Ali Mirza at an official ceremony held in Kyrgyzstan. He holds a Kyrgyzstan nationality, conferred by former President Kurmanbek Saliyevich Bakiyev, whom he had met in his late-20s while working in Iran.

Mr Kurmanbek was then a governor who was preparing to contest presidential elections. After he won the election, he appointed young Rafik as his chief adviser  a milestone in his career.

Mr Mohammed, who heads Gammon Middle East in Saudi Arabia, used to be an adviser to the Kyrgyzstan President and the latest appointment is in recognition of his contributions to the country, sources in Dubai said.

Rafik, known as Rafi here is the son of Late Abdul Hameed and Fathima of Eravannur, 12 km from Kozhikode. He had studied up to Class VII at local AMPL School, Eravannur.

According to his sister Rukhiya K.M, Rafik left for Mumbai at the age of 20 and then to the Gulf. We are happy by his elevation to the prestigious post,, Ms Rukhiya told this newspaper. Mr Mohammed, who has an Iranian wife, had a humble background. His father was a fisherman who struggled to make two ends meet.

Mr Mohammeds neighbour and a distant relative, Mr Azis Master U.P., says he maintains a warm relation with his birthplace. It was Rafik who gave `25 lakh for the construction of a madrasa recently. He will help anyone in time of need.

Sources said he keeps cordial relations with major political leaders of Kerala.
Mumbai: Film producer and businessman Abis Rizvi was one of the two Indians who were shot dead in a terrorist attack on Reina nightclub in the Besiktas neighborhood of Istanbul, Turkey early on Sunday.

Abis was the son of former Rajya Sabha MP Akhtar Rizvi and had gone to Turkey to scout the location for a film, and he was at the nightclub with some local coordinators.

When DC contacted Abis family, relatives said they were in a state of shock and came to know about his demise after Union external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted about it on Sunday evening.

A cousin of Abis, who requested anonymity said, We are in a state of shock and do not know what to say. Just four years ago, we lost Abis younger brother, Saquib, to cancer and now the news of his death has shaken all of us.

He added, The elders of the family will be meeting to decide on the course of action. Abis was the director and CEO of the Rizvi group of companies, which has made a mark for itself in the real estate space and education sector. He had forayed into films and had also set up the company Abis Rizvi Films, which released the film Roar: The tigers of Sundarbans in 2014. The company had two other projects He-Man and T for Taj Mahal in the pipeline.
Turkish police officers block the road leading to the scene of an attack in Istanbul. (Photo: AP)

Istanbul: Two Indians are among 39 people killed in the Istanbul nightclub attack on Sunday during New Year's celebrations. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj confirmed the death of the two Indians.

"I have a bad news from Turkey. We have lost two Indian nationals in the Istanbul attack. Indian Ambassador is on way to Istanbul," External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted.

"The victims are Mr. Abis Rizvi, son of former Rajya Sabha MP and Ms. Khushi Shah from Gujarat," she said.

The Indians are among the foreigners including an 18-year-old Israeli woman and a Belgian national who were killed in the attack in which around 70 others were injured.

"There are foreigners and Turks, but the majority are foreigners. From different countries -- Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Lebanon, Libya," said Family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya, quoted by the Anadolu news agency.

Authorities have said 39 people were killed, including at least 15 foreigners, and 65 others wounded. However Turkish officials have yet to give details on nationals of which foreign countries were killed and wounded.

Belgium's foreign ministry has confirmed a Belgian-Turkish dual national was killed in the attack while Paris said three French nationals were injured.

The Israeli foreign ministry said a young Israeli woman was killed and another Israeli wounded.
Turkish police officers block the road leading to the scene of an attack in Istanbul. (Photo: AP)

Istanbul: The victims of the attack on revellers celebrating New Year at an Istanbul nightclub include citizens of several Arab countries, a Turkish cabinet minister said on Sunday.

"There are foreigners and Turks, but the majority are foreigners. From different countries -- Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Lebanon, Libya," said Family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya, quoted by the Anadolu news agency.

Authorities have said 39 people were killed, including at least 15 foreigners, and 65 others wounded. However Turkish officials have yet to give details on nationals of which foreign countries were killed and wounded.

Belgium's foreign ministry has confirmed a Belgian-Turkish dual national was killed in the attack while Paris said three French nationals were injured.

The Israeli foreign ministry said a young Israeli woman was killed and another Israeli wounded.
A majority of British people now believe the dark shadow of fascism is spreading across the United States following Trump's shock victory. (Photo: AP)

London: The British public is fearful of the rise of fascism around the world in the wake of Donald Trump's election victory in the US and the Brexit referendum in the UK, according to a new survey released on Sunday.

The study by BMG Research for 'The Independent' newspaper also showed that most people think the number of individuals holding fascist views is increasing in the UK and on the continent as well.

A majority of British people now believe the dark shadow of fascism is spreading across the United States following Trump's shock victory in November 2016, it said.

BMG pollsters asked participants whether they thought "the number of people with fascist views in the United States of America is increasing, decreasing or about the same?" 53 per cent said they believed it is growing, just three per cent said they thought the number of people is decreasing, while 20 per cent said it is about the same.

When the same question was put in relation to the UK, almost half, some 46 per cent, said they believe the number of people with fascist views in Britain is growing, with three per cent saying it is decreasing and around a third believing it is about the same.

Looking at Europe, the figures were broadly similar, with 48 per cent saying they believe the number of people with fascist views is growing.

BMG Research Director Dr Michael Turner said: "With age comes experience, which may explain why our polling shows that it's older Britons who are most likely to feel that fascist views are on the rise, particularly in Europe."

He added: "Remainers are much more likely than Leavers to feel that fascist views are increasing at home.

Around six in 10, 59 per cent, of those who voted to stay in the EU feel that fascism is on the rise in the UK, whereas just four in 10 Leavers, 41 per cent, feel the same.

"However, both Remainers and Leavers are much more united on the view that fascism is rising on the continent, with some 57 per cent of Remainers and 52 per cent of Leavers saying so in our latest poll for 'The Independent'.

Official UK Home Office statistics have revealed an equally worrying hate-crime spike in the UK since the vote to quit the European Union.

In July, there was a 41 per cent increase in the number of racially or religiously aggravated crimes recorded by police.

They correlated with earlier figures which showed the number of alleged racially or religiously aggravated offences rose by 58 per cent in the week following the June Brexit vote.

In 2017 elections in France, Germany and Holland are expected to see far-right parties make stronger bids for power than at any moment in recent history.

BMG Research interviewed a representative sample of 1,507 UK adults online between December 1 and 5.
oses are attached at a barrier near the scene of the attack in Nice. (Photo: AP)

Paris: A man who tried to halt the rampage of the truck driver who mowed down 86 people in Nice last year was among 22 citizens included on France's New Year's honours list Sunday.

Franck Terrier chased after the truck on his scooter as Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel ploughed along the Nice promenade on July 14, using the 19-tonne vehicle to crush people celebrating Bastille Day, France's national holiday.

When Terrier drew up alongside the truck he clung onto the cab and punched the 31-year-old Tunisian through the open window but failed to bring him to a halt.

"I was ready to die," the middle-aged airport worker, who received the Legion d'Honneur, France's highest award, told Nice Matin newspaper at the time.

Bouhlel was killed shortly afterwards in a shootout with police.

Alexandre Nigues, a cyclist who tried unsuccessfully to wrench open the door of the moving truck, also received the Legion d'Honneur, along with the two officers who chased the vehicle on foot and shot dead Bouhlel, ending his rampage.

Several doctors and firefighters also received awards for their assistance to the injured.

The massacre in Nice was the deadliest attack in Europe in 2016 and is believed to have served as a blueprint for the December 19 truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin.

Twelve people were killed in the Berlin rampage, the perpetrator of which -- Anis Amri, also a Tunisian -- had pledged allegiance to the ISIS group.

ISIS also claimed Bouhlel as one of its foot soldiers but never provided proof of his fealty to the group.
ISIS used sulphur mustard gas in an attack on the Syrian town of Marea in August 2015. (Representational Image)

London: ISIS terrorists have aspirations to launch mass-casualty chemical attacks on targets in Britain and elsewhere in Europe, UK security minister Ben Wallace said in a newspaper interview published on Sunday.

Mr Wallace also said British authorities feared that as the terror group was driven out of strongholds in the Middle East - such as the Iraqi city of Mosul - Britons fighting for the group would return home and pose a growing domestic threat.

"The ambition of IS or Daesh is definitely mass-casualty attacks," Mr Wallace told the Sunday Times newspaper.

"They have no moral objection to using chemical weapons against populations and if they could, they would in this country. The casualty figures that could be involved would be everybody's worst fear."

The report said no specific chemical plot had been identified but security services had been carrying out exercises to prepare for the possibility.

ISIS used sulphur mustard gas in an attack on the Syrian town of Marea in August 2015, according to global watchdog the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

Mr Wallace pointed to the dismantlement of an ISIS cell in Morocco in February as evidence of the group's ambition to carry out chemical attacks elsewhere.

"Moroccan authorities dismantled a cell involving chemical weapons. They recovered toxic chemical and biological substances and a large stock of fertiliser. The substances found could have been used to produce home-made explosives and could have been transformed into a deadly toxin," he said.

About 800 Britons are thought to have travelled to Syria, many to join Islamic State, since the outbreak of the civil war in that country. Around 100 have been killed.

"The big concern is if Mosul collapses and all the other bases of Isis (Islamic State) collapse. We know there are a significant number of [Britons] fighting for IS in Syria. They will probably want to come home," said Mr Wallace.

In a separate report, the Sunday Telegraph newspaper quoted the head of Britain's regulator of charities as saying that reports of links between charities and extremism had trebled over the past three years to reach a record high.

The Charity Commission made 630 referrals to police in 2015/16 over "allegations made ... about abuse of charities for terrorist or extremist purposes, including concerns about charities operating in Syria and other higher risk areas", the report said.
Francis departed from his prepared text to condemn the Istanbul nightclub attack that killed at least 39 people. (Photo: AP)

Vatican City: Pope Francis urged leaders to work together to fight the "plague of terrorism", saying in his New Year's address on Sunday that a bloodstain was covering the world as it started 2017.

Speaking to some 50,000 people in St. Peter's Square for his traditional noon address, Francis departed from his prepared text to condemn the Istanbul nightclub attack that killed at least 39 people.

"Unfortunately, violence has stricken even in this night of good wishes and hope. Pained, I express my closeness to the Turkish people. I pray for the many victims and for the wounded and for the entire nation in mourning," he said.

"I ask the Lord to sustain all men of good will to courageously roll up their sleeves to confront the plague of terrorism and this stain of blood that is covering the world with a shadow of fear and a sense of loss," he said.

He said 2017 will be what people make of it.

"The year will be good in the measure that each one of us, with the help of God, seeks to do good day after day," he told the crowd on a cold morning.

Speaking on the day the 1.2 billion-member Roman Catholic Church marks its World Day of Peace, he said peace was constructed by saying 'no' to hate and violence and 'yes' to brotherhood and reconciliation.

Francis earlier said Mass in St. Peter's Basilica, where in a homily he said the lack of physical contact among people brought on by modern means of virtual communication "is cauterizing our hearts and making us lose the capacity for tenderness and wonder, for pity and compassion."
People protest against the execution of Nimr al-Nimr. (Photo: AP)

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia carried out 153 executions in 2016, according to a tally based on official announcements, slightly down from the year before.

The ultra-conservative kingdom is one of the world's most prolific executioners and has a strict Islamic legal code under which murder, drug trafficking, armed robbery, rape and apostasy are all punishable by death.

Rights group Amnesty International said Saudi Arabia carried out at least 158 death sentences in 2015, coming third after Iran and Pakistan.

Amnesty's figures do not include secretive China.

Murder and drug trafficking cases account for the majority of Saudi executions, although 47 people were put to death for "terrorism" offences on a single day in January.

They included prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, whose execution prompted Iranian protesters to torch Saudi diplomatic missions, leading Riyadh to sever relations.
Beirut: A ceasefire held across most of Syria on Saturday as Russia and Turkey secured unanimous passage of a UN resolution backing their efforts to "jumpstart" talks aimed at ending the nearly six-year conflict.

The Security Council resolution aims to pave the way for talks in January in the Kazakhstan capital of Astana, under the aegis of Russia and Iran, both Syrian government supporters, and of rebel backer Turkey.

Turkey and Russia say the Astana talks will supplement, not replace, UN-backed peace efforts, including talks set to resume February 8 in Geneva.

The text of the UN measure "welcomes and supports the efforts by Russia and Turkey to end violence in Syria and jumpstart a political process" and it calls the Astana talks "an important step" ahead of the upcoming Geneva negotiations.

It also calls for the "rapid, safe and unhindered" delivery of humanitarian aid in Syria.

Russia and Turkey brokered the current ceasefire and, while backing opposing forces in the conflict, have been working increasingly closely on Syria, including to allow evacuations from the besieged city of Aleppo.

Washington has been conspicuously absent from the new process but has called the truce "positive." Moscow has said it hoped to bring US President-elect Donald Trump's administration on board once he takes office in January.

Truce largely holds

Russia's UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin had earlier voiced hope the Security Council would endorse the planned talks in Kazakhstan and back the resolution unanimously.

But several council members had demanded clarifications over the reach of the resolution, what it would mean for the UN talks, how it might affect rebels recently ousted from Aleppo, and what it would mean for humanitarian aid.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitor of the war, said Saturday that most of Syria remained calm, despite limited clashes.

The government in Damascus called the ceasefire a "real opportunity" to find a political solution to a war that has claimed more than 310,000 lives and displaced millions since it began in March 2011 with protests against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

Limited clashes continued in some parts of Syria on Saturday, including around Wadi Barada near Damascus, and the southern city of Daraa, where one opposition fighter was killed.

The fighting in Wadi Barada has led to water shortages that have affected four million people in the capital.

Five rebel fighters and two civilians have been killed in Wadi Barada and the rebel bastion of Eastern Ghouta near Damascus since the truce started on Friday, said Syrian Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman.

The Observatory said a total of 60,000 people were killed in violence across Syria in 2016, more than 13,000 of them civilians.

The forces in Wadi Barada include Fateh al-Sham Front, previously known as Al-Nusra Front. That group and the Islamic State group are excluded from the truce.

Iran urges 'vigilance'

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem held talks in key ally Iran Saturday with President Hassan Rouhani and the Supreme National Security Council secretary Ali Shamkhani.

Rouhani said "vigilance" was needed to ensure that the rebels not reorganize.

The official IRNA news agency also quoted Shamkhani as warning that any poitical solution to the Syria conflict must not lead to "the weakening" of the Damascus government.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he would reduce Moscow's military contingent in Syria, which has been fighting to bolster the government since 2016.

But he added Russia would continue to fight "terrorism" and maintain its support for Assad's government.
Rahman said family members told police that four masked men arrived on motorcycles, entered the house and shot Liton at close range before running away. (Representational Image)

Dhaka: A lawmaker from Bangladesh's ruling party has been shot dead by masked men in northern Bangladesh, police said Sunday.

Local police chief Atiar Rahman said Manzurul Islam Liton, a national legislator from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League party, was shot at his home in Gaibandha district on Saturday evening.

Rahman said family members told police that four masked men arrived on motorcycles, entered the house and shot Liton at close range before running away.

He was declared dead by doctors at a local hospital. Police didn't immediately give any more details.

Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority nation ruled by largely secular laws, has been experiencing threats in recent years from Islamist militants possibly inspired by the Islamic State group.

Dozens of atheist and secular bloggers, writers, publishers, members of religious minority groups and foreigners have been attacked and killed in recent years.

In a major attack last July, a group of young men killed 20 hostages, including 17 foreigners, inside a restaurant in Dhaka, Bangladesh's capital. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, but Bangladeshi authorities said it was the work of Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh, a homegrown radical group, and have rejected any IS presence in the country.

Since July, some 40 suspected Islamist militants have been killed in raids by security officials.
Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire this morning along the Line of Control in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir but there was no casualty. "There was firing by troops from across from 0900 hours along LoC in Poonch sector today," an officer said.



The Indian troops retaliated and there was a brief exchange of firing, he said, adding there was no causality. The firing took place in Shahpur sector of Poonch. On December 30, a civilian was killed as Pakistan army indulged in heavy cross-border firing targeting Indian positions and civilian areas along the Line of Control (LOC) in the Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir, prompting the Indian side to give a befitting reply.



On December 16, Pakistan army had targeted Indian positions along the LoC in the Balakote sector of the same district. The 2003 India-Pakistan ceasefire agreement has virtually become redundant with a whopping over 300 incidents of firing and shelling along LoC and IB in J&K by Pakistani troops that resulted in death of 27 people, including 14 security personnel, since the surgical strike on terrorist launch pads in PoK on September 28-29.


Two Indians are among 39 people killed in a terror attack at a night club in Turkish city of Istanbul today during New Year's celebrations in which at least 70 others were injured.





The deceased Indians are identified as Abis Hasn Rizvi, son of former Rajya Sabha MP and noted builder of Bandra in Mumbai Akhtar Hasan Rizvi, and Khushi Shah from Gujarat.



Confirming the deaths, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted, "I have a bad news from Turkey. We have lost two Indian nationals in the Istanbul attack. Indian Ambassador is on way to Istanbul.



"The victims are Mr. Abis Rizvi son of former Rajya Sabha MP and Ms. Khushi Shah from Gujarat. Abis Rizvi was CEO of Rizvi Builders and had produced a number of films including the 2014 movie Roar: The Tigers of the Sundarbans," she said.



Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences.



"Heartfelt condolences to the government and people of Turkey on the tragic loss of lives in Istanbul," he tweeted.



The two Indians are among 15 foreigners who have been killed when a gunman went on a rampage at the waterside Reina nightclub where revellers were celebrating the New Year.



Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the attacker escaped and security forces have launched a major manhunt to nab him while expressing the hope he will be caught soon.



Soylu said 20 victims have been identified so far out of which 15 were foreigners and five were Turks.



At least 70 wounded people have been admitted to hospital.



"This was a massacre, a truly inhuman savagery. A manhunt for the terrorist is under way. Police have launched operations. We hope the attacker will be captured soon," Soylu said.



Turkish state news agency Anadolu also quoted Family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya as saying most of the dead were foreigners "from different countries -- Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Lebanon, Libya".



Local media reports said the attacker may have been wearing a Santa Claus outfit.


Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president G Parameshwara on Sunday said that senior leaders V Srinivas Prasad and Jayaprakash Hegdes decision to quit the party will not have any bearing on the Congress.





The Congress will find an able leader to contest the ensuing byelection to the Nanjungud Assembly constituency, which fell vacant following former minister Prasads resignation as a Congress MLA a few months ago, the KPCC chief told journalists who sought his reaction to Prasad quitting the Congress.



Prasad, a prominent Dalit leader in Mysuru, is scheduled to join the BJP in Bengaluru on Monday.



He quit the Congress after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah dropped him from the Cabinet a few months ago. Former Congress MP from Udupi-Chikkamagaluru Jayaprakash Hegde is also planning to join the BJP.



Congress candidate



Parameshwara said that the Congress high command has appointed observers to shortlist candidates for the Nanjangud bypoll.



The party will soon finalise the candidate. Besides, the party in the state has begun the process of appointing new office-bearers of the KPCC and the district units, he added.



Parameshwara, who is also the Home Minister, described as routine administrative exercise the governments decision to transfer many senior IPS officers and appoint a new chief to the Anti-Corruption Bureau.




New Year began on a tragic note in Mandya district as five revellers were killed in separate accidents. Besides, a drunken brawl led to the death of two friends.





Akmal Pasha (44), a resident of Mandya, was killed when his car plunged into the Shimsha river in Maddur taluk. Three other occupants of the car were injured. It is said that they were returning to Mandya after ringing in the New Year.



Prashant (25), a resident of Banashankari in Bengaluru died after the car in which he was travelling hit a roadside tree near T K Halli in Malavalli taluk. Three people who were travelling with him in the car were injured. They were returning from a New Year party at their friends house in a hamlet, said the jurisdictional Halagur police.



In another accident in Malavalli taluk, Chethan (22) of KR Pet taluk, was killed in a head-on collision between a car and a bike at Nelamakanahalli. Three people in the car were injured. Chethan was a first-year BE student at a college in Shravanabelagola in Hassan district. They too were returning from a party when the accident took place.



Two men died after a car hit a motorcycle near Srirangapatna on Saturday night. The victims have been identified as gram panchayat member Seshegowda (55) and Sridhar (50), residents of Baburayanakoppalu in Srirangapatna taluk. They were returning after meeting their friends. The Srirangapatna police have registered a case.



A drunken brawl ended in the death of two friends on the outskirts of Hosahalli in Malavalli taluk. Reports said that an inebriated Rajesh (40) attacked his friend Mahesh on Saturday night. A severly injured Mahesh (38), who was shifted to a hospital in Bengaluru, died there. Rajesh, who learnt about Maheshs death, reportedly ended his life by hanging himself at his house. The Belakawadi police have registered a case.
The distress in the farm sector claimed the lives of 8,007 people in 2015, a 41% rise from the previous year, with Maharashtra, Telangana and Karnataka accounting for the maximum number of farmers suicide.





A total of 4,595 agricultural labourers also took their lives, taking the total number of suicides in the farming sector to 12,602, an increase from the 12,360 in 2014, according to the Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India 2015 report.



Bankruptcy, debt and farming-related issues alone accounted for 58.18% (4,659) suicides, a trend which was witnessed in the previous years, too.



The highly erratic/inadequate monsoon in the last two to three years has aggravated the problems for persons engaged in the farming sector, manifestations of these in extreme situations can be seen in the form of farmers suicides, the report by National Crime Records Bureau said.



The majority of farmers suicides were reported in Maharashtra (3,030), followed by Telangana (1,358) and Karnataka (1,197). But if one adds the suicides of agricultural labourers, Karnataka rises to second position (1,569), only below Maharashtra (4,291).



An analysis of the figures showed a reversal in the trend in suicides among farmers and labourers.



While in 2014, the number of suicides of labourers (6,710) was higher compared to that of the farmers (5,650), it was reversed in 2015.



When it comes to the cause of suicides among farmers, Karnataka had more reasons to worry as 79% (946 out of 1,197) suicides were due to bankruptcy or debt.



This was also the cause for 42.7% suicides in Maharashtra and 46.5% in Telangana.


New army chief Gen Bipin Rawat on Sunday said that his men would not hesitate to use force at the border, even though India wanted peace and tranquility at the borders.





Our army seeks peace and tranquility along the borders but it does not mean we are weak. We are capable and powerful in all forms and if need be, we will not shy away from using our power in any form, Gen Rawat said here after inspecting his first ceremonial guard of honour.



Our aim is to maintain peace at the border. But I will say it again that if need be, we will not hesitate in using our power, said the new chief, who was one of the brains behind the surgical strikes on terror camps across the Line of Control.



Commissioned in the fifth battalion of the 11 Gorkha Rifles in December 1978, Gen Rawat commanded an infantry battalion, along the Line of Actual Control in the eastern sector; a Rashtriya Rifles sector and an infantry division in the Kashmir valley; a Corps in the eastern theater and the Southern Command before being appointed as the vice chief in August.



Situation worsened

The 27th Chief of the Indian Army assumed charges at a time when the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir worsened following the killing of militant leader Burhan Wani in July.



The total number of security personnel killed in Jammu and Kashmir was 63 (23 at the LoC and 30 in the hinterland). In comparison, the numbers were 33 (four at LoC and 29 in the hinterland) in 2015 and 32 (three at LoC and 27 in other parts of the state) in 2014, sources said. The Indian Army killed 141 terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir in 2016.



The northern state also witnessed 225 ceasefire violations across the LoC in 2016, which is way abiove the numbers in the last several years.



India shares a 3,323-km boundary with Pakistan, including a 749-km Line of Control.

Asked about the controversy surrounding the governments decision to appoint Gen Rawat by bypassing two of his senior officers, the army chief said, I respect the officers who have been superseded. They have worked with me shoulder-to-shoulder and I can say it for certain that they will continue to work shoulder-to-shoulder to keep the unity and power of the army in the future also.



The government ignored the claims of Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi and Southern Army Commander Lt Gen P M Hariz while picking Gen Rawat.


India has once again asked Pakistan to grant consular access to Hamid Nehal Ansari and Kulbhushan Yadav, two Indians imprisoned in the neighbouring country.





India and Pakistan on Sunday exchanged the lists of nationals of each country lodged in the jails of the other. The lists were exchanged through diplomatic channels in New Delhi and Islamabad, in accordance with the provisions of the Agreement on Consular Access between the two countries.



India remains committed to addressing with Pakistan on priority the humanitarian matters, including those pertaining to prisoners and fishermen in each others country. In this context, we await from Pakistan the confirmation of nationality of those in Indias custody, who are otherwise eligible for release and repatriation, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a press-release on Sunday.



New Delhi used the opportunity to once again press Islamabad to grant consular access to Hamid Nehal Ansari and Kulbhushan Yadav, the two Indian nationals currently imprisoned in Pakistan for reportedly involved in espionage.



Ansari, 31, who hails from Mumbai, was arrested in Pakistan in 2012, after he illegally entered the country from Afghanistan. He was convicted of espionage by a court in Pakistan and sent to prison for three years.



He was attacked and injured by the inmates of the Peshawar Central Prison in Pakistan at least thrice. New Delhi conveyed to Islamabad in early 2016 that Ansari should be released from the prison in Pakistan and repatriated to India, since his sentence of three years was already over.



The High Commission of India in Islamabad has issued at least 40 note verbales to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Pakistan Government, asking for consular access to Ansari as well as to ensure his security in the prison.



The government of Pakistan, has not yet granted the High Commission of India in Islamabad consular access to Ansari.



Islamabad in April 2016 announced the arrest of former Indian Navy officer Kul Bhushan Yadav.
Alleging medical negligence, the family members of an accident victim who was declared brought dead by a duty doctor at Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences (HIMS), attacked the doctors and staff and damaged the hospital furniture on Saturday night.





Vinod (20), along with three others, had suffered serious injuries in a head-on collision between a car and a lorry. He was rushed to the Alur government hospital, where he was administered first aid and was referred to HIMS for further treatment. The doctors at HIMS, however, declared Vinod brought dead. The unrelenting family members went berserk, attacking doctors and ransacking the hospital.



Superintendent of Police Rahul Kumar Shahpurwad visited the hospital and took stock of the situation. The police have taken two people into custody after verifying CCTV footage.



A few nursing students, who are witness to the attack, told DH that an accident victim was brought to the hospital in the wee hours of Saturday. On examination, the victim was found dead and the doctor who announced it and other staff were assaulted by the mob.



Following the incident, the students of Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences staged a protest wearing black bands on Sunday. They demanded suitable protection for the doctors and paramedics working in the hospital.



District Surgeon Dr Shankar said police have registered cases against eight people for obstructing the doctors.



The SP has promised that the attackers will be arrested after looking into the CCTV footage, he added.
The BJP and the Congress were engaged in a verbal duel over Prime Minister Narendra Modis New Year Eve sops post demonetisation.





The Congress accused Modi of re-packaging the initiatives taken by the UPA government which were not implemented in the true spirit by the NDA dispensation.



Information and Broadcasting Minister Venkaiah Naidu hit out at the Congress saying the main Opposition party was unable to digest the benefits the poor would get after the announcements in the prime ministers speech on Saturday.



The announcements made by the prime minister will benefit gaon (village), gareeb (poor) and kisan (farmers) and all other sections of the society, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said in a statement.



The Congress pointed out that two announcements  Rs 6,000 through bank transfer to pregnant women and 4% rebate on housing loans of the poor  were initiatives taken by the UPA under the then prime minister Manmohan Singh.



The prime minister did not start new schemes at all, former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan told a press conference here. These schemes were started during the UPA regime.



The Congress said it would intensify protests against the government as the prime minister had failed to acknowledge the agrarian distress.



The prime ministers address to the nation has left us with no option but to intensify our agitation and go to the people, said Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Congress president Sonia Gandhi.



Patel is also the co-ordinator for the Congress nationwide agitation against demonetisation that was kickstarted last week and is expected to continue throughout January.
A joyride with friends on New Years Day snuffed out two engineering students when their car ploughed into the median strip, jumped to the other side of the road and then collided head-on with an airport-bound cab on Ballari Road, north Bengaluru.





Krishna Kishore, 21, a third-year student at Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering, and Santhosh, 20, a second-year student at Vemana Institute of Technology, both from Viveknagar, are the deceased, police said.



There were a total of six students in the car  the other four being Aditya, Supreet, Abhay and Wilton. Krishna was at the wheel while Santhosh was sitting next to him. The group had gone to Devanahalli on a joyride and was heading back to the city when the accident happened.



Krishna accelerated as the car neared Palanahalli Gate around 7.15 am. In the process, he lost control of the vehicle and it ploughed into the median strip before jumping to the other side of the road where there was oncoming traffic.



The car  a Maruti Swift  then collided with an airport-bound cab  a Mahindra Logan  injuring its driver, Manjunath, and a passenger, police said. The collision was so severe that the front portion of Maruti Swift was mangled and Krishna died on the spot. The four friends who were seated at the back miraculously escaped unhurt with only two of them sustaining minor bruises.



The four students rushed their other friend Santhosh, who was grievously injured, to a nearby hospital where he succumbed to injuries later. The Yelahanka traffic police have registered a case under IPC Sections 304A, 279 and 337 and are investigating the matter.


The citys new police commissioner, Praveen Sood, who took office on New Years Day, has lined up his priorities: ensuring safety of women, children and senior citizens, easing traffic congestion, introducing SMS updates on FIRs, harnessing social media to bring police closer to the public and expediting the police verification process for passports.



Addressing his first press conference as Bengalurus top cop, Sood said, Our topmost priority is the safety of women, children and senior citizens. We will strive hard to ensure they feel safe and secure. Traffic is another important factor that needs attention.



He warned of crackdown on anti-social elements and said a meeting with senior police officers would be held soon to suggest quick measures to check crimes and other illegal activities. He also promised citizen-centric measures. Several initiatives are already in place. Well enforce them more effectively. People should not shy away from filing complaints as that will help us check crimes, he said.



Asked about the involvement of several policemen in criminal activities recently, Sood said, The previous commissioner (N S Megharikh) did an excellent job by terminating such people from service. Such kind of behaviour will not be tolerated.



Traffic solutions

Sood has promised to instruct traffic police not to flag down vehicles for checking motorists driving licence and other documents. Motorists will be stopped only when they commit an offence or drive drunk. They would do well to follow lane discipline and traffic rules. Sood, who was Bengalurus additional commissioner of police (traffic and security) from 2008 to February 2011, has promised better traffic management.



SMS updates on FIRs

The top cop acknowledged the inconvenience faced by the public in getting updates on FIRs. Its true that a complainant has to frequently visit the police station to get an update on their FIR or complaint. They set aside their personal work to visit the police station and end up wasting precious time. We will introduce a system under which once an FIR is registered, the complainant will get an instant SMS. They will also get text messages on the status of the FIRs. This will also help us as we can focus on investigation and the related matters, Sood explained.



Harnessing social media

Sood also emphasised the use of technology in policing. The Bengaluru police are a role model for law-enforcement forces of other states in using social media like Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp. We will keep using these platforms extensively to bring the public and police closer. With criminals also going tech-savvy, we need to be one step ahead of them, he said.



Passport verification

The police commissioner said his target was to reduce the passport verification time to 15 days. For now, our target is 15 days and we plan to bring it down to 10 days. If an applicant is not available on weekdays, they have to visit the police station in a given time. If they are still not available, well send their documents to the department concerned. We do not want any pendency, he said.






A team of scientists at the Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (CIFA) in Bengaluru have revived Hypselobarbus pulchellus, an endangered fish species of peninsular India, using the induced breeding technique.





Induced breeding is a technique whereby fish are stimulated by pituitary hormone to breed in captivity.



This is the first time that scientists here have been successful in induced breeding technique. For the past 50 years, the efforts for induced breeding of this fish were unsuccessful.



The fish, known as Haragi or Hullugende locally, is endemic to Karnataka waters and once formed an important fishery of the river Tungabhadra. The indiscriminate exploitation of rivers and lack of conservation put many of these fish into the category of threatened, vulnerable and rare species.



Dr N Sridhar, principal scientist and his team at CIFAs regional research centre, have been studying the reproductive biology and induced breeding of this fish  classified as critically endangered (possibly extinct) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List  since 2003.



Though initial success was achieved during 2009, it could not be sustained due to visceral fat formation in the abdomen of the fish. By conducting invitro hydrolysis of feed ingredients, Dr Sridhar identified that the traditional feed  containing rice bran and groundnut oil cake  was causing impaired ovary development among the female fish species.



In 2015, a special feed was developed at the centre to overcome the visceral fat formation.



The new feed ultimately resulted in maturity of the female fish, said Dr Sridhar, adding, the first generation of the induced bred healthy fingerlings is now being successfully reared at the centre.



A part of the fish fingerlings will finally be river ranched at Tunga River in Gajanur, Shivamogga in order to enhance this fish stock in the river once they attain a size of about 100 mm, Dr Sridhar stated.




Citizens planning to apply online for regularisation of their properties under the Akrama-Sakrama scheme may have to wait at least a week as the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is yet to put the system in place.





The BBMP has already kept the hard copies of applications ready for those planning to submit them in person. These applications will be made available free of charge at all the 198 ward revenue offices of the Palike. The civic body will begin the process to implement the scheme after receiving the government notification, Mayor G Padmavathi told DH. The notification is likely to be issued in the next two to three days, she added.



BBMP Commissioner N Manjunatha Prasad said that the online system will be in place in about a week's time. We are working in this regard, he said. Once the online system is ready, citizens can log on to the Palike website (www.bbmp.gov.in) and submit the application forms.



Akrama-Sakrama scheme envisages one time regularisation of up to 50% setback and floor area ratio violations (FAR) in case of residential buildings and up to 25% in case of commercial buildings. Besides, illegally formed plots (without approval from planning authorities and without change of land use from revenue authorities) can also be regularised by paying penalty.



Affidavit must

Property owners have to submit an affidavit along with the applications, declaring that the property has been constructed or developed illegally. Senior BBMP officials said that they plan to hold zonal-level meetings soon to ensure that the scheme is implemented successfully and without any glitches.



The mayor said that the Palike expected a revenue of around Rs 400 crore to Rs 500 crore through Akrama-Sakrama scheme. The regularisation fee collected would be utilised for development of parks and major projects to be taken up by the Palike. According to affidavit filed by the BBMP in the high court, there are over 1.54 lakh illegal properties in the city.


Frothing in Varthur lake



It is sad to see that Varthur lake is spewing more froth by each passing day. It is appalling that industrial effluents and sewage continue to be discharged into the lake with impunity, despite the best efforts of citizen organisations to save the lake. The residents in the vicinity and the motorists who ply on the state highway in Whitefield bear the brunt of decaying lake.

N J Ravi Chander, No 4, Maiganda Deva Mudaliar Road, Frazer Town



**************************************************************



BBMP encroaches upon SWD

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike is constructing an auditorium at the park in Sundarnagar, JP Park ward. The stormwater drain and the footpath on the second and third cross roads are being encroached upon due to the construction. This is because the auditorium coming up is quite big for the small park. There is no place left for the walking path in the park. The BBMP, which should prevent encroachments, is indulging in the very same act.

Puttaraju, 51, 2nd Cross, Sundaranagar



**************************************************************



Service station on footpath

A service station is being operated on the footpath in front of a co-operative bank on Gandhi Bhavan Road for the past one year. On the other side of the road, a property developer has encroached upon the footpath. Commuters have been facing problem in traversing this narrow stretch. The issue was brought to the notice of the traffic officials, but to no avail.

M Gopalakrishna



**************************************************************



Filth on vacant site

Construction workers at 1st Cross, RK Hegdenagar, are defecating in the open in a vacant land opposite our house. On the other hand, the residents of the neighbouring building dump garbage in the same vacant site during night. Though the BBMP vehicles come for door-to-door garbage collection, these residents are not handing over the trash to the vehicle. As a result, stench pervades the whole stretch. Besides, this road is not asphalted and it turns muddy during rains.

Veena, a resident



**************************************************************



Agony of reserved rail passengers

Passengers with reservation tickets are finding it extremely difficult to board trains at KR Puram railway station. This is particularly so during evening hours as reserved compartments are fully occupied with season-ticket holders.

The TTE or the Railway Protection Force personnel never come to the help of reserved passengers. The railway authorities should ensure hassle-free entry for the reserved passengers.

The other problem is with the auto rickshaws at the railway station, which fleece passengers by demanding exorbitant fare even for short distances. A prepaid auto rickshaw stand can solve this issue to some extent.

Kottakkal Krishnan Udayanagar



**************************************************************



Compost unit making life miserable

The foul smell emanating from the Karnataka Compost Development Corporation (KCDC) unit has made life miserable for the residents of Kudlu Gate, Haralur, Haralukunte and Somasundarapalya.

The KCDC continues to be in a denial mode while there has been no respite for the residents. Therefore, the state government should send an independent team to obtain feedback from the residents to know the truth.

Dr Ravinder Kumar Banyal, HSR Layout



**************************************************************



Ply minibus

The Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation is requested to introduce a minibus between Kengeri railway station and Jayanagar 9th Block via satellite bus stand, Chamarajpet and Gandhi Bazaar. This will help a lot of working people who travel on this stretch.

R Murali



**************************************************************



Water scarcity in Vinayak Nagar

The residents of 8th Main, B Block in Vinayaka Nagar (Konena Agrahara), are getting Cauvery water once in three days. The supply was regular, but stopped abruptly a month back. Though a few houses have borewells, the rest depend on Cauvery water.

Repeated mails and phone calls to BWSSB officials have not elicited any response. The residents are now depending on private tankers for water which come at a heavy price. What is worrying is the thought of the situation in the impending summer. Urgent action from BWSSB is requested.

R Hariharan Vinayaka Nagar



**************************************************************



Instal traffic signal at Girinagar jn

The traffic at 14th Cross, Girinagar junction close to Avalahalli BDA Park and BangaloreOne office, is getting worse by the day as there are no traffic signals at the junction.

Senior citizens are the worst affected due to the chaotic traffic conditions here. Traffic police should immediately instal signals to prevent any accidents in future.

M V S Guptha Avalahalli



**************************************************************



BSNL mute to complaints

I have been using a BSNL connection for the past 20 years but both my landline and broadband connections frequently go out of order.

For the past three weeks my landline and broadband connections have not been working and when I lodged complaints, the constant reply I got was work is in progress. I have nonetheless been charged a fixed rate of Rs 1,091 each month.

M V Nahusharaj, Palmsprings Layout, Kanakapura Main Road



**************************************************************



Palike not collecting waste

The BBMP has not been collecting garbage from houses in 5th Block, Visvesvaraya Layout. As a result, people are dumping garbage in public place, raising health concerns. The civic agency is requested to take measures to prevent dumping of garbage in open space.

T K Shankaran



**************************************************************


Search our site Search for:

Instagram Feed

Donate

Classifieds

Facebook Feed
Regarding, Charlie Don Spud Sr.:

Mr. Spuds three children, eight grandchildren and three great-grand children would like to thank, Mr. & Mrs. Richard Seebold, Barbara Amos & Children, Mr. & Mrs. James Whitman, Adam Whitman and Suzanne Whitman, NVM, Mekoryuk Search & Rescue, VPSO Jones & AST, Mekoryuk Covenant Church, Mekoryuk Clinic Staff, Quinhagak Village Corporation, LKSD, Army National Guard, Ryan Air, RAVN Alaska, Kehls Legacy, Nima Corporation, Calista Corporation, CVRF, The City of Mekoryuk & The Community of Klukwan.

Furthermore we would like to express our gratitude to Uncle Fred & Family; Auntie Irene & Family; Auntie Dorothy & Family; Uncle Sam & Family; and Auntie Rose & Family.

Quyana to the individuals who contributed and prepared the potluck food, those who assisted with the burial site, making the cross, and those who brought flowers.

Thank you to all who supported us during our time of Loss. Respectfully

The Spud Family & Blazer (AKA, Boo-Boo) Mekoryuk, AK

If any organization is going to provide Veterinary Services, they need to have a written authorization from our Tribe

I wanted to write this letter to our communities in Yukon Kuskokwim Delta on behalf of Akiak Native Community policy concerning providing health care to our dogs and cats in recent years.

We have had our dogs for thousands of years for transportation, hunting, fishing, getting wood and water for our homes. We could not afford to be without them and we wish to continue our cultural and traditional way of life without any interference.

Currently, we have been fortunate to have Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation to provide veterinary services such as rabies and other veterinary services, of which I have been a lay vaccinator for my village for decades. These vaccinations prevent diseases that are risk to public health. We know that we need to expand the services through our organization.

Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation is authorized to provide those services from our Tribal Government. Therefore, our policy has been that if any organization is going to provide the services, they need to have a written authorization from our Tribe. All groups or organizations wishing to come to our community must be vetted for the qualifications, purpose, funders, and affiliations to any group.

Since I have been involved with our local communities, I offer my personal traditional expert opinion to any community that wishes to do so.

If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Mike Williams Sr. Akiak, AK

Protect the University of Alaska funding

We are proud alumni of the University of Alaska Fairbanks and are deeply concerned over the future success and viability of our states university system in light of Gov. Dunleavys proposed budget cuts.

The University of Alaska is a public trust and an investment in the future of Alaska. We believe that cuts to its funding, if any, must be limited. The university drives Alaskas economy and is a valuable tool for improving the states future. Alaska simply cannot afford to lose its only public higher education system.

We are asking our representatives in state government to stand up for all Alaskans by protecting the University of Alaska and to exhibit the leadership and values that we have entrusted in you as your constituents.

Peter Van Flein, 87, Seat 5, FNSB UAFAA President; Barbara Fujimoto, 13, Seat 8, At-Large, UAFAA Vice President; Amanda Wall, 01 05, Seat 6, At-Large, UAFAA Treasurer; Libby Eddy, 92, Seat 10, Outside, UAFAA Secretary; Rachel Laeusen, 04, Seat 11, Municipality of Anchorage; Cindy Wright, 88, Seat 9, Fairbanks; Tom Brice, 90, Seat 7, Southeast; Forrest Kuiper, 99 00 12, Seat 3, Fairbanks; Mary Beth Loewen, 02 07, Seat 2, Southcentral; Shannon Johnson-Nanalook, 11, Seat 1, Rural

Governance of navigable waters

I believe that the State Board of Fish should dissolve its right to govern people or sovereigns. It has no right to govern under international rights, only native people have rights to govern navigable waters.

Yakov Nicolai, Kwethluk, AK

Share this:

Tweet

Email


Governor Mike Dunleavys proposed budget as introduced on December 15 provides funding for the demolition and reconstruction of the William N. Miller K-12 Memorial School in the Lower Kuskokwim School District. The project is ranked as the top priority on the Department of Education and Early Developments FY2023 Capital Improvement Projects School Construction Grant Fund List.

The current facilities were built between 1973 and 1984. Erosion has resulted in the shoreline of the Kuskokwim River advancing several hundred feet, resulting in the loss of property. The part of the school building closest to the river is now within 30 feet of the rivers edge and the bank continues to erode at a rapid pace.

The total cost to replace the school is $56 million. The Governors proposed budget fully funds the State Share of $54.9 million with $22.1 million from Unrestricted General Funds and $32.8 million from the Regional Educational Attendance Area (REAA) and Small Municipal School District School Fund. The legislature previously appropriated $3.1 million for the demolition of the school last session.

The project includes the design and construction of a new school facility that is approximately 23,000 square feet. Existing facilities will be remediated and demolished or relocated if practicable. The location of the new building is currently owned by the Napakiak Corporation and is in the process of being deeded to the City of Napakiak.

The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development provides information, resources, and leadership to support over 130,000 students in 505 public schools across the state of Alaska. The mission of the department is to ensure an Excellent Education for Every Student Every Day.

Share this:

Tweet

Email


Police charge suspect who fired at police, was shot in exchange

Columbus police identified the gunman wounded by police early Thursday morning as Raymond Richard Hampton, 26, of the University District.
Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.

Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.

If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .

Support our mission and join our community now.
The Bishop of Raphoe, Dr. Philip Boyce OCD, visited St. Columbas Church in Kilmacrennan for 11am Mass, on New Year's Day to celebrate the Solemnity of the Mother of God.

The Mass began with the local choir singing "Ava Maria" which Bishop Boyce said was very apt as the congregation gathered to celebrate the feast day of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

During the Mass, Bishop Boyce urged those gathered to reflect on the message of Pope Frances: "May charity and nonviolence govern how we treat each other as individuals, within society and in international life."

This statement written by Pope Francis in World Day of Peace message, the 50th annual papal peace message to the world, Bishop Boyce said.

The Bishop also urged people to have peace within our families.

The Bishop later blessed the statue of Our Lady of the Immaculate Heart, which has just arrived from Fatima. The stunning statue will 100th anniversary of the apparitions in Fatima. Bishop Boyce recalled the events that unfolded in Fatima a century ago and emphasised the role that the praying of the Rosary has in maintaining peace in the world.

The Bishop also offered a special prayer of consecration to Our Lady. The Mass was concelebrated by Father Paddy Dunne and Father William Strain.
NEWLYWED TV presenter Dearbhla Lennon has returned home from a three day honeymoon in Paris after tying the knot on the same weekend as her parents 40th wedding anniversary.

NEWLYWED TV presenter Dearbhla Lennon has returned home from a three day honeymoon in Paris after tying the knot on the same weekend as her parents 40th wedding anniversary.

Dearbhla and her new husband, Gordon Corry, could only get away for three days due to Dearbhlas work committments, but they are planning to go on a longer trip to Vietnam and Cambodia at the end of April.

We called our trip to Paris our mini-moon. Weve been to Paris a few times and its a city we love. The trip to Asia will be our major-moon. That will be a proper break, said Dearbhla.

The 32-year-old former Riverdance star from the Red Barns Road, Dundalk married her long-time love, Gordon, from Siul na Mara, Lower Point Road on Friday, February 24.

The loved-up couple exchanged vows at St Josephs Redemptorist Church just after 1pm in glorious sunshine - the day before Dearbhlas parents, Brian and Mona, celebrated their ruby wedding anniversary.

We had such a great day. I tried to plan for every eventuality, just in case, but the day went perfectly. The church was incredible and the music was amazing, said Dearbhla.

Speaking after the wedding Dearbhlas mother, Mona Lennon said: We were blessed and very humbled by the whole thing. We were thrilled that they went for the same weekend as our anniversary.

Dearbhla and Gordon also chose to have their wedding reception for 250 guests in the same place as Dearbhlas parents - the Ballymascanlon Hotel, just outside Dundalk.

In the week leading up to the wedding, there was great excitement. Dearbhla and Gordon put a fierce amount of planning into the wedding. They left no stone unturned, said Mona.

Its a very emotive time. You think back to your own wedding day, and to people who arent here anymore. Dearbhla and Gordons wedding was a very joyous occasion but there was a bitter-sweet element to it.

Dearbhla wore an elegant Jenny Packham wedding dress, while her sister, Ciara - her only bridesmaid - wore a full-length mink coloured dress. The best man was Gordons older brother, Warren.

Dearbhlas niece and nephew, Katie Lennon, aged eight, and five-year-old Oisin Lennon from Greenwood Drive served as flower girl and page boy. Fr Michael Cusack officiated at the ceremony.

Music was provided by Setanta Choir and the solist Mamie Warren and organist Trevor Clarke. Dearbhlas brother, Aidan and Kevin Shields from The Point Road entertained with traditional music.

During the ceremony, both sets of parents, Mona and Brian; and Kevin and Mary were brought up to the altar for a special blessing. Gordons parents are due to celebrate their ruby wedding anniversary next year.

At the end of the mass, the bride and groom left the church to the music of Lord of the Dance. The wedding party then went straight out to the Ballymac where guests dined on seabass and steak.

The wedding cake was a chocolate confection made by RTE chef Louise Lennox. The guests partied into the night and continued the celebration the next day in Ridleys.

I feel so thankful that God was so good to us. We had such a beautiful weekend. We had a lot of guests from all over the world and they were raving about the weather and the scenery. It was great tourism excercise, said Mona
BALTIMORE  Police chiefs, criminologists and federal officials are calling for better and more accurate data on crime as the nation grapples with gun violence but fails to keep a simple tally of the total number of people shot across the country each year.

The FBI takes a census on crime each year with data from local police departments, but many dont specifically track when people are shot and survive. Those nonfatal shootings are often recorded under a broader category of aggravated assault, which also includes stabbings, serious beatings and other crimes.

Without that information, police and policymakers say, they cant gauge the full extent of gun violence in America. Homicides are tracked in a distinct category.

The fact that we dont count the number of people who are shot is just astonishing because thats a better barometer of that kind of violence than just homicides, said Chuck Wexler, the executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, which helps police departments craft policy and strategies.

Violent crime trends came up during this years presidential race, as President-elect Donald Trump called attention to a spike in homicides in recent years in a number of U.S. cities, including Baltimore, even as President Barack Obama noted a long-term decline in the nations homicide rate.

The debate focused attention on violent crime in America at a time when policing has come under heightened scrutiny after numerous killings of unarmed black men by police.

The lack of more detailed data was flagged this month by the U.S. Department of Justice in an annual report on the state of policing in the United States. The report noted that police chiefs during recent summits on escalating urban violence recognized that their crime analysis was limited by the fact that not all shootings, such as those that dont result in a homicide, are tracked.

More accurate and immediate data on fatal and nonfatal shootings could be vital in combating violent crime and in building community trust, said the report from the departments Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.

Wexler said its difficult to discern when an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon means someone was pistol-whipped or shot.

There are all different kinds of categories, and its incredibly important to map hot spots, if you will, or patterns to know if people were shot at or shot or threatened in some way, he said. Each of those categories are important.

Some cities are grappling with targeted violence while other cities are struggling with gang warfare in which bullets are shot into crowds indiscriminately, said Daniel Webster, director of the Center for Gun Policy and Research at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Each scenario requires different policing strategies, he said, and making those decisions requires accurate data.

We first need to define our problems accurately, Webster said.

Police chiefs, including Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis, believe a requirement to specifically track shootings should have been implemented nationwide years ago.

Baltimore began recording nonfatal shootings as a separate crime category in 2000. Davis, in a recent speech to business leaders at the Greater Baltimore Committee, referred to nonfatal shootings as unfinished business, stressing that in Baltimore, these crimes are often the start or part of a string of shootings that can end with homicides.

Milwaukee Police Chief Edward A. Flynn, whose department also collects statistics on nonfatal shootings, said that relying on a broad category of aggravated assault data is an ineffective way to spot and address trends in gun violence.

If we can reliably extract nonfatal shooting data across jurisdictions, he said, we will have a much more useful comparative metric.

(EDITORS: BEGIN OPTIONAL TRIM)

The Baltimore Sun, in a yearlong investigation, compiled crime statistics on gun violence from the nations largest cities, including nonfatal shootings, necessary to calculate the lethality of gun violence over the past five years. Half of the 30 biggest cities kept the necessary data.

The Suns investigation found that 1 out of 3 people who were shot died of their wounds in Baltimore, Washington and New Orleans  a distinction that ranked them as the most lethal. The Sun also found that the odds for gunshot victims worsened in at least 10 of the nations largest cities last year.

Several factors were behind those trends. In Baltimore, the number of victims shot in the head or multiple times has increased dramatically over the years. And in a number of places, gun-seizure data shows criminals are wielding higher-caliber guns and more large-capacity magazines.

(END OPTIONAL TRIM)

The information collected by the FBI from local police departments across the country is compiled in the Uniform Crime Report. The report, which hasnt changed significantly since it was started in 1930, is one of two crime surveys the agency conducts. Both provide incomplete information, the DOJ report said.

The two currently available crime databases run by the federal government cannot provide high-quality and promptly available data about the incidence of crime, the report said.

The second crime database run by the FBI, the National Incident Based Reporting System, is a program created in 1988 to record more specific national crime data than the Uniform Crime Report. But only about one-third of all U.S. law enforcement agencies use the new system, the DOJ report noted, and it doesnt require agencies to report nonfatal shootings as a separate category.

Both the Department of Justice and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provide annual estimates of nonfatal shootings, but the information is based on limited surveys.

More accurate and complete data would definitely help efforts to prevent firearm violence, said Garen J. Wintemute, an emergency department attending physician and the director of the Violence Prevention Research Program at the University of California-Davis Health System in California. Our current estimates of nonfatal shootings are based on a small sample of emergency departments.

Stephen G. Fischer Jr., FBI chief of multimedia productions, said changes to the Uniform Crime Report system could require Congress to act. The agency also has a special policy advisory board to review issues raised by law enforcement partners and other agencies. The board can then make recommendations to the FBI director.

(EDITORS: STORY CAN END HERE)

On a local level, many police departments dont keep detailed shooting data because they havent modernized the way they track crime. Criminologists say police need to address those shortfalls, not just to record more detailed statistical information, but to use the data to inform policing strategies.

Some police departments, particularly those in large cities, are becoming increasingly sophisticated about using crime and other data, said Thomas Abt, senior research fellow of criminal justice policy and management at the Harvard Kennedy School. Unfortunately, many others are years or even generations behind, using only the most rudimentary information systems, conducting almost all their business on paper, making it next to impossible to track or analyze.
Blog Archive June 2021 (1) May 2021 (77) April 2021 (77) March 2021 (82) February 2021 (68) January 2021 (64) December 2020 (67) November 2020 (66) October 2020 (66) September 2020 (67) August 2020 (74) July 2020 (83) June 2020 (92) May 2020 (86) April 2020 (104) March 2020 (105) February 2020 (74) January 2020 (75) December 2019 (75) November 2019 (70) October 2019 (89) September 2019 (69) August 2019 (81) July 2019 (77) June 2019 (73) May 2019 (110) April 2019 (110) March 2019 (102) February 2019 (85) January 2019 (123) December 2018 (116) November 2018 (112) October 2018 (121) September 2018 (107) August 2018 (150) July 2018 (163) June 2018 (190) May 2018 (145) April 2018 (112) March 2018 (124) February 2018 (113) January 2018 (164) December 2017 (150) November 2017 (144) October 2017 (169) September 2017 (171) August 2017 (135) July 2017 (131) June 2017 (147) May 2017 (160) April 2017 (138) March 2017 (156) February 2017 (143) January 2017 (203) December 2016 (208) November 2016 (185) October 2016 (173) September 2016 (194) August 2016 (232) July 2016 (225) June 2016 (238) May 2016 (231) April 2016 (215) March 2016 (246) February 2016 (226) January 2016 (252) December 2015 (230) November 2015 (250) October 2015 (234) September 2015 (222) August 2015 (253) July 2015 (275) June 2015 (279) May 2015 (223) April 2015 (226) March 2015 (243) February 2015 (258) January 2015 (281) December 2014 (292) November 2014 (296) October 2014 (413) September 2014 (472) August 2014 (506) July 2014 (483) June 2014 (488) May 2014 (512) April 2014 (497) March 2014 (531) February 2014 (482) January 2014 (535) December 2013 (482) November 2013 (441) October 2013 (416) September 2013 (491) August 2013 (521) July 2013 (491) June 2013 (470) May 2013 (457) April 2013 (426) March 2013 (420) February 2013 (414) January 2013 (489) December 2012 (433) November 2012 (504) October 2012 (469) September 2012 (430) August 2012 (427) July 2012 (360) June 2012 (336) May 2012 (362) April 2012 (322) March 2012 (263) February 2012 (224) January 2012 (291) December 2011 (295) November 2011 (325) October 2011 (330) September 2011 (319) August 2011 (333) July 2011 (318) June 2011 (387) May 2011 (373) April 2011 (389) March 2011 (375) February 2011 (335) January 2011 (400) December 2010 (445) November 2010 (395) October 2010 (312) September 2010 (262) August 2010 (277) July 2010 (323) June 2010 (386) May 2010 (360) April 2010 (333) March 2010 (351) February 2010 (336) January 2010 (384) December 2009 (353) November 2009 (300) October 2009 (308) September 2009 (350) August 2009 (298) July 2009 (255) June 2009 (203) May 2009 (193) April 2009 (186) March 2009 (197) February 2009 (173) January 2009 (148) December 2008 (181) November 2008 (197) October 2008 (236) September 2008 (304) August 2008 (314) July 2008 (273) June 2008 (27) May 2008 (1) April 2008 (6) October 2007 (1) May 2007 (1) April 2007 (6) March 2007 (2) February 2007 (1) October 2006 (1) September 2006 (1) August 2006 (4) July 2006 (4) June 2006 (1) July 2005 (1) May 2005 (2) March 2005 (1) June 2004 (2) May 2004 (1) April 2004 (4) March 2004 (2) February 2004 (2) July 2003 (2) June 2003 (5)
By Shreya Dasgupta

Pangolinthe worlds most trafficked mammalcontinues to be killed in huge numbers.

On Wednesday, Chinese customs officials announced that they had seized more than three metric tons (3,000 kilograms or 6,600 pounds) of pangolin scales in Shanghai. This is the countrys largest-ever smuggling case involving pangolin parts, officials reportedly said.

Customs officials discovered the massive amount of scales on Dec. 10, 2016. The scales had been packed in 101 bags concealed within a timber consignment imported from Africa. Some 5,000 to 7,500 wild pangolins are estimated to have been killed for these scales, officials told ShanghaiDaily.com.

Three people have been arrested so far, and the case is still under investigation according to South China Morning Post.

https://twitter.com/shanghaidaily/status/813962111835459585

Pangolins use their scaly armor to protect themselves. Unfortunately, these protective scales have become the very reason for their population collapse.

Today, eight species of pangolins survive, four each in Asia and Africa. All four Asian species are on the verge of extinction, while the African species are moving towards a similar fate, thanks to rising demand for pangolin meat and scales in China.

Although pangolin scales are made of keratin, just like human fingernails and rhino horns, people (incorrectly) believe that they contain medicinal properties. Traders claim that pangolin scales can promote menstruation and lactation, and treat rheumatism and arthritis. But these claims remain unproven. Consumption of pangolins has also become a status symbol as supply becomes scarce and demand increases.

The three ton seizure is just the tip of an iceberg, officials say.

According to a new study published in Conservation Letters, more than 21,000 kilograms (~46,000 pounds) of scales and 23,109 individual pangolins were recorded in a total of 206 seizure reports between January 2008 and March 2016. This is equivalent to nearly 66,000 individuals, the researchers estimate.

Most seizures were made at three Chinese citiesFangchenggang, Kunming and Guangzhou. This suggests that Interventions in these cities could have a disproportionately strong impact on the entire illegal pangolin trade network, the authors write in the paper.

Vietnam appears to be the major source country for illegal pangolins seized in China, the study found, with Fangchenggang the major entry point. Myanmar, too, serves as an important source of pangolins and is fast emerging as a major transit hub for smuggled pangolins and their parts to meet Chinas demands.

Tree pangolin (Manis tricuspis) in central Democratic Republic of the Congo. Valerius Tygart / Wikimedia Commons

All eight species were recently up-listed to Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). This bans international trade in these animals and represents the highest level of protection available under international law.

But disrupting the illegal pangolin trade will require significant cooperation and coordination between Chinas dispersed law enforcement parties: customs in screening cargo, urban administrative police in inspecting of markets, traffic police in checking private cars, Peoples Armed Police and forestry police in monitoring borders and remote areas, the researchers write.

Reposted with permission from our media associate Mongabay.
Latest News

Seven states/UTs attain level 2 in the Performance Grading Index by MoE The number of states in the Level 2 category have gone up as compared to none in 2017-18 and four in 2019-20

GATE 2023 application form correction process to begin from tomorrow, find details here The correction window will remain open for making changes till November 11, 2022

Last day to pay the fee for DU Round 2 CSAS seat today The declaration of the Third CSAS Allocation List will be done soon
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.
Katie Holmes seems to be overprotective of her daughter Suri Cruise. The Hollywood actress seems to be depriving Suri of a normal childhood, because she is keeping her child away from friends of her own age.

Sources explain that Katie is overcautious because she is obsessed with her daughter's safety. When Katie was married to Tom Cruise, the media was following Suri almost every day. But although Suri does not get the same coverage anymore, Katie is still worried about the kind of people she comes in touch with.

"Katie's super-controlling with Suri's social circle, she insists on vetting any kids and their families before they're allowed to hang out with Suri. It's driven a lot of Suri's friends away, not that she had many to begin with," according to OK! Magazine.

However, Katie Holmes has an explanation for her behavior.

"I try to make our world very much an environment that's just all about being a kid without too much of Hollywood coming into that," she explains to cbs8.

Being a kid? Surely, that sounds strange! The 10-year-old is completely cut off from friends and feels very lonely, as she is not able to hang out with too many girls or boys of her own age group. Katie just spends a lot of time with Suri by taking her "shopping, to amusement parks, and to restaurants."

How can all that be a substitute for real friends? Why is Katie acting so strangely?

Rumors whisper that it is mainly because she herself has gone through so much mud-slinging from the media that she now has no option but to protect her daughter from the tabloids.

Katie Holmes is also reportedly worried that keeping Suri Cruise isolated would deprive her of the same simple childhood she had while growing up in Ohio. As Suri is also an extremely "recognizable" face in Hollywood, she might just end up becoming a hothouse plant without a normal life.

YouTube/Hollyscoop
Written by ACM

* The former Ambassador of Greece to Libya during the notorious "Benghazi scandal" of 2012 of the non-elucidated yet Deadly Attack by Islamic Extremists against US Ambassador Stevens and 3 other US Agents, which shook the latest US Presidential Elections, Kyriakos Amiridis, was found Brutaly Targetted and Murdered in Brazil, as the Out-going Obama Administration is preparing to leave on January 2017 the White House after 8 Years which oversaw the Emergence of ISIS' Terrorists in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere, who have started to Attack even Europe, Africa, wider Asia, and the USA itself.



Greece is the Only European Country which is Geographicaly Located at a very Close Distance from Libya, and particularly the Nearest to the Eastern Libyan SeaCoast of Benghazi.



Even if the Athens' Goverment of 2011, (Headed by USA-Born Giorgos Papandreou then, a long-time President of the International Socialist movement), did Not participate in the Alliance of Countries which took Action over the Libyan Conflict which topped Colonel Khadafi, (mainly USA, France, the UK, Belgium, etc), nevertheless Greece played a discrete but important role, f.ex. Starting by intermediating between Libya and Western Countries, as well as, Later-on with some Islamist Groups there, into solving various "Humanitarian" affairs during that Conflict, including by providing Help incuding Ship transferts, (See Infra), etc.



When the 2012 Banghazi Scandal broke out, about the Killing of his Collegue, US Ambassador Stevens, by an Al-Queda-like Group of Islamic Extremists, just after meeting with a Turkish Senior Diplomat there, Many Speculations were made in the Medias, about eventual links to illegal Weapons-Smuggling to various Armed Gangs inside Syria, mainly via Ship-Transports accross the Mediterranean Sea, (therefore, probably also some Greek Maritime areas), and through Turkey, etc. A specific Question on this Issue had been raised by Senator Rand Paul to former USA State Secretary, and 2016 US Presidential Candidate of the Democratic Party, (Socialists), Hillary Clinton, mentioning precisely "Turkey", that she had surprisingly Skiped, claiming that she had "No Information" about that, (as also did, later-on, those State Department Officials to whom she had referred Paul for a more concrete Reply, which Never came).



Significantly, the Greek Ambassador had arrived to Libya Shortly After the Killings of US Ambassador Stevens and other 3 USA Agents by Islamist Terrorists in Benghazi, among persistent Rumours about illegal Weapons' Smuggling by Ship Transports towards various Armed Gangs in Syria, including MANPADS against Aircraft. This last, Crucial point, was reportedly Confirmed, just 1 Month Later, even by the Head of Russian President Vladimir Putin's Office, Sergei Ivanov, openly Expressing in Vienna (Austria), Moscow's "Concerns about the Risk for the Syrian Dissidents to dispose even Mobile Anti-AirCraft Systems, which came from Libya".



- "It's not yet Known in whose Hands may fall such Weapons, and which Civilian Airplane they might Down", Ivanov had Warned then.



Earlier, Amiridis, exceptionaly served also as former Head of Cabinet in the Ministry responsible for Public Order in Greece, Back on 2011, when it was oversaw f.ex. Harsh Oppression of Massive Popular Demonstrations against the Socialist-run Government of American-born former Prime Minister Giorgos Papandreou, (whose Mother was also a USA Citizen), because of his Failure to fullfil his Pre-Electoral Promisses of the 2009 Election, (when he had Contested the Fact that the Country needed urgently a strong Austerity Policy, falsely Claiming that it had "a Lot of Money"), shortly Afterwards throwing it in one of the Harder Austerity policies of History, when it was Revealed that it had a Huge Debt, provoked and accumulated during the Last 30 Years (1980-2010), mainly Governed by his own Socialist Party "PASOK").



Amiridis had also More various closer Relations to the USA, and particularly the out-going Obama Administration, while, f.ex., one of his Family members was Recently Appointed as Chancellor of UIC at the University of Chicago, the current US President's initial Base : Indeed, on 2015, Dr. Michael Amiridis, previously at South Carolina University, but also of Greek origin, actively contributed into bringing there a brand new "Obama Library", strongly supported by the City's Mayor, Rahm Emmanuel, former Top Official at the White House.



The Murdered Greek Ambassador (as also the US Ambassador Stevens) had also developed relations with various Islamic circles, active in Socio-Political affairs too, already since his mission to Libya, where he Helped to Saveguard in a Ship Tripoli's Top Politicians etc., and to Evacuate all Greek expats living and working there on 2014, as well as, subsequently, on 2015 in Athens, where he had Helped organize an International Conference on Inter-Religious and Inter-Cultural Dialogue, etc.



Appointed afterwards as Ambassador to Brazil, just on May 2016, Kyriakos Amiridis curiously Seeked an Unusualy Long Christmas/New Year's leave, Extending from December 21, 2016, up to January 9, 2017, (i.e. about 20 Days), choosing as Residence a shady District of Rio ("Nova Iguacu"), which is reportedly Notorious for its Exceptionaly High Crime rate, and for being Full of various Dangerous Armed Gangs, abusing of not only Drug-Traffick, but also of Kidnapings and Blackmails, paid Murders, etc, to which are often Mixed some Corrupted Policemen, usualy Linked with various Politicians to which the procure Voters, (as, f.ex., British Newspaper "Express.co.uk" and International, British-Canadian, Press Agency "Reuters" observed, on this occasion).



The Greek Ambassador was reportedly found, a few Days later, on this December 2016, brutaly Killed inside a Calcinated Rent Car there, at a very Rare Violent Deadly Incident in the International Diplomatic chronicles, as also Russia's 1st ever Ambassador, Permanent Repersentative to the CoE, in Strasbourg, Evgeni Prochorov, back on May 1998, brutaly killed inside his Burned Car, also in his way to his Family Home.



That Tragic Incident had occured in the Middle of Exceptionaly Big Tensions about a Plan to Ship and Istall Russian Air-Defense Missiles "S-300" in Cyprus on 1998, which had Upseted US and particularly Turkish officials, as far as it concerns Ankara's Air-Fighters illegaly Violating Nicosia's Aispace, f.ex. over the Occupied Territories of Cypurs, at the Northern part of the Island, controlled by the Turkish Invasion-Occupaton Army since 1974, despite several UN SC Resolutions vainly Asking its Withdrawal. "Eurofora"s co-Founder had Met and Spoken with the Victim, just a Few Hours before it occured, earlier that Day inside the CoE, Together with the then CoE's Secretary General, Daniel Tarschys, a Liberal from Sweden, (as well as, the Next Day, with the Chief of the French Fire-Fighters who were the 1st to Find the Victim). As another Witness told us, After that Brutal Death, the No 1 Turkish Official inside the CoE, then in charge of the Protocol, discreetely Claimed to a Bulgarian Freelance, Part time Journalist, that this Exceptional Violent Incident (which occured in a Calm Countryside Road, that we used with our Family in order to Train in Bicycle our 10 Years Old Child) would have been provoked simply by the Victim's alleged tendency to "Drink too much" that Evening (sic !), as she subsequently Published in the Only Local Newspaper of Strasbourg, "DNA". I.e. practicaly attempting to Downplaying the incident in a kind of Mere, Banal "Accident".

Brazilian Authorities found Now that Armiridis was, in Fact, Murdered by a Corrupted Brazilian Policeman, (Comp. Supra), Before putting his Body inside that Car and setting it on Fire.



But Local Police also Claimed that a Cause for that Murder would have been just a Morbide Conspiracy with the Victim's Wife, a Brazilian herself, aged almost 20 Years Younger, with whom Armiridis got engaged since his 1st Arrival in Brazil, back on 2000, initialy as Consul General at Rio.



Indeed, the Greek Ambassador had, Previously, been appointed in Brazil, as Early as since 2000, as Consul, by the then Socialist Government of former Prime Minister Costas Simitis, (when his USA-born Successor, Giorgos Papandreou, from an US Citizen Mother, was Minister on Foreign affairs), before being transfered to the Netherlands on 2003. By a strange "Coincidence", almost at the Same Time, there were also Other "PASOK"-related Greek Politicians who left Europe in order to Live in Brazil, such as, f.ex., the former Long-Time Socialist MEP, Georges Catiforis, who worked previously during Many Years at EU Parliament in Brussels and Strasbourg, (etc), also as former Head of the Greek National Delegation of MEPs, (whith whom "Eurofora"'s CoFounder had cooperated in the Past, in Parallel with another, ChristianDemocrat/EPP Top MEP"). Similar Moves were made and by a Politicaly related to PASOK University Professor living in Strasbourg, a French Lady married to a Greek University Professor, John Anastopoulos, who had told us his intention to try to become MEP in the 1999 EU Election, before he Unexpectedly Died, while his Wife became Afterwards President of a France-Brezil Association, visiting often that Big Latino-American Country, (etc).



Earlier, Armiridis had worked in Brussels, since 1993, at the Greek Permanent Representation to the EU, from which he had returned back to Athens, in the European Affairs' Direction of the Foreign Ministry, from 1997, i.e., once again, just after former Prime Minister Simitis had won the 9/1996 Election.



Simitis, (whose Brother served as Professor of Economy in Germany, etc), has Notoriously pushed Greece to enter urozone Earlier than Normal, i.e. already Before it completes the Necessary Reforms, (something which should happen a few Years Later-on), so that he could snatch the Following, April 2000 Election, and stay Prime Minister for 4 more Years (until 2004). For that purpose, he had to Hide the Fast Growing Debt accumulated in Greece since the 1980ies, when the first Socialisst Governments of PASOK had notoriously Hired Too Many Cushy Job holders, Political Lackeys and Cronies, in a lot of mainly Counter-Productive Civil Servants' posts, Starting to Waste an Excessive amount of Money which went Crescendo, since then, but went practicaly Unseen in EU's Luxembourg-based "EUROSTAT" Official Economic and Financial Statistics, (until it Suddenly Emerged, much Later, on 2009, provoking a Crisis).



In order to Obtain that, Simitis' Government had, in exchange, to Accept (for the 1st Time in History), Turkey's Controversial and Unpopular EU bid, i.e. to Give Ankara a Status of "Candidate" to EU Accession, since the December 1999 EU Summit in Helsinki (Finland : then Chaired by a Socialist Government with Foreign Minister Mrs Halonen : Comp. several Statements she gave on various issues to "Eurofora"s co-Founder, also as Finnish President, many Years Later-on), Despite a lot of Serious Mass Violations of Human Rights, that ECHR had just Started, then, to openly Denounce, repeatedly Condemning Ankara's Government, added to the Bloody "Kurdish" Issue, official Threats of War against Greece in the Aegean Sea, Negation of the Armenian Genocide, Continuation of the illegal Military Occupation of the Northern Territories of Cyprus by the Turkish Army, (etc).



All that notoriously provoked in Europe a Double, Socio-Political and Economic-Financial Crisis, Blocking EU's Constitutional Reform, (after 3 "No" to a Draft EU Constitution, at Euro-Referenda in France, the Netherlands and Ireland, between 2005-2007, Bypassed only by Sarkozy's "No" to Turkey's EU bid, which allowed to Pass a Simplified Version of that Former Constitutional Reform Plan, with "Lisbon Treaty", which Entered into Force from 2010, i.e. 5 Years Later than initialy expected), and Fuelling the uroZone's Debt "Krach" threats, (mainly via Greece's particularly Underlined Financial situation, after many "PASOK" Governents between 1981 - 2000, Started to be Tackled by the EU after Sarkozy-Merkel's 2010-2011 initial Measures, i.e. "Aid/Reform Programs" for each affected Country, and "uroArea"'s Treaty, etc., but have Still to be Completed until Nowadays, Hopefuly after the forthcoming 2017 Elections in France and Germany, etc).



Former Long-Time USA President Bill Clinton's 1991 - 2000 Administration, notoriously was behind Both those 2 Problems, since it persistently Pushed Turkey's controversial and UnPopular EU bid, as well as Simitis' PASOK Goevrnments Precocious Entry of Greece inside uroZone, even Before it completes the Necessary Reforms, (while it was also USA's "Goldman Sachs" Global Financial and Rating Company, which had Helped PASOK's Government of Simitis to Hide its Growing Debt, due mainly to an Excessive Clientelism of the Past, which hasn't yet been really Tackled). And it's also during the Clinton's US Administration that Started, initialy, a USA and Turkey - Backed "Islamization" Move, closely related to a Parallel Islamist Extremism and even Deadly Terrorism, already since the Beginning of the Decade of the 1990ies, (f.ex. in Maghreb Countries as Algeria, etc, in Afghanistan, Russia's Chechnya, etc), before it "Explodes", particularly with ISIS' atrocious Murderers and BeHeaders, Targetting even Innocent Civilian People, during Obama's 2009-2016 Administration, seconded by Hillary Clinton's controversial Foreign Policies mainly in Syria/Iraq and elsewhere in the World, until the Recent, 2015-2016 Mass Deadly Islamic Terrorist Attacks even inside Europe, the USA, etc.



It's in such a Context, and in Relation to such Developments, including, particularly, the 2012 Benghazi Attack, (when Amiridis was apointed Ambassador in Libya), that the Hillary Clinton's Hidden/Destroyed "E-mail"'s Scandal, which rocked US Politics from 2015 up to the 2016 Presidential Election, included also an eventual Attempt to unduly "Banalize" the Murder of a DNC Staffer, Director on Voter Expansion, Seth Conrad Rich, who was Killed by several GunShots last July 2016, around Washington DC, while "Wikileaks" Head, Julian Assange, shortly afterwards, did Not Deny, but, on the Contrary, Strongly Implied, in a Press Interview, that the Victim might have been a "Whistle-Blower" helping to Leak the Democratic Party HQ's and other E-Mails which had Started to Reveal a Series of Scandals, related to Hillary Clinton's Failed bid for the 2016 US Presidential Election, etc.



Even if Obama Administration's Police claimed that the most probable Reason for that Murder would have been just "Robbery", nevertheless, Conrad Rich had Not been Robbed of Anything. And, Later-on, "Wikileaks" reportedly Offered even a Reward of several Tens of Thousands of Dollars for Information able to lead to the arrest of the Killers. Facts which obviously Support the Impression of several Observers that there might have been an Attempt by some to Cover-up a Political Motivation behind Claims Exclusively pointing at Ordinary Criminality only.



And Nowadays Claim, by Local Authorities of Rio in Brazil, that Ambassador Amiridis would have been Murdered because of a Banal Issue related to his Brazilian Wife's unfaithfullness, by her "Lover" : a Corrupted Policeman, obviously does Not Excude at all the Possibility for the Murderer to have, eventualy, Acted as Many Other such Corrupted Policemen notoriously Use to do Often in that thorny District : I.e. to have, perhaps, Murdered the Greek Ambassador after being Paid for that, directly or Indirectly, f.ex. by a Politician (Comp. Supra), so that he naturaly Exploited, for that purpose, any Security Failure, including the amove-mentioned behavior of the Victim's Brazilian Wife, among others : Obviously, one among those 2 Scenarios, (Both Frequent in that Suburb) does Not Exclude the Other...



Meanwhile, just a Few Days Earlier from Now, this December 2016, (by a Coincidence, almost when Ambassador Amiridis was Declared "Missing"), a Federal US Court notoriously Concluded, after a Long Procedure, that a Complaint, lodged by American NGOs, including "Judicial Watch", had been Erroneously Rejected previously by a Lower Court, while it Denounced the Fact that the current USA's State Secretary, Kerry, hadn't asked from the Attorney General to seek from Hillary Clinton much More among her Emais during her Mission as former Head of the State Department, (i.e. including during the 2012 Islamist Terrorist Deadly Attacks agains US Ambassador Stevens and others on September 11, 2012, but had only left it up to Herself and to the FBI. So that, at the Beginning of Next Year, 2017, the incoming, New US Federal Administration, under President-Elect Don Trump, would have to Decide whether, how and up too which point, it should, eventually, Launch a brand New Invesigation, Starting by Officialy Asking for much More emails froom Hillary Clinton.



=> Situated now, among such Manifold but Converging "Hot" Issues, any Serious Investigation on Ambassador Amiridis' brutal Murder, already an Exceptional Incident in itself), should Not Abstain from adequately Examining Any Legitimate Hypothesis or Questions still remaining without crystal-clear and Convincing Answers.



(../..)




Hu Jia's prize brings SAKHAROV's wife to "EuroFora" on murders of Journalists Politkofskaya, Gongadze and Adali :

- Elena Bonner : "All Journalists' murders must be fully investigated", without Double Standards.



During a special Mega-Event to celebrate 20 Years of SAKHAROV Prize for "Freedom of Thought", attributed in 2008 by EU Parliament to jailed Chinese Cyber-Dissident Hu JIA, the move was reinforced by strongly criticizing the persisting impunity in three cases of Journalists' Murders, such as POLITKOVSKAYA in Russia, GONGADZE in Ukraine, and ADALI in Turkish-occupied part of Cyprus.



Any bureaucratic doubt about whether Cyber-dissidents like Hu JIA might have, or not, a right to be protected as all Journalists must be, particularly when they take risks to search, find and publish original and critical News on issues of general interest to the society, could not resist to the emotion provoked by the message of his Wife, Zeng JINYAN spectacularly transmitted at a big screen in EU Parliament's hemicycle :



- "The most important and most interesting thing he did was to ... say the Truth :.. to write about the phenomena he observed... He never stopped Publishing.. on websites, so that the Public could learn about the reality .. and understand it. In my view, this has been his greatest contribution", stressed the young wife of the jailed man, eager to cite also the cases of other critical journalists who faced various kinds of "harassment".



- "Welcoming all those who have suffered for defending Human Rights", EU Parliament's President, German MEP Hans Gert POETTERING, who had invited to Strasbourg all former Sakharov prize-winners from various Countries throughout the World, said that "China needs Europe, and Europe needs China : A great nation" with which "we want to have a good relationship", "association and ..friendship". "But we are never going to stop our fight for Human Rights, and No Government can expect this from us".



- "It's impossible to achieve goals of Peace, if Human Rights are left out. In fact, Peace and Human Rights are intrinsequaly linked", added POETTERING.



It's in this spirit that MEPs adopted, on Thursday, a Resolution denouncing that "the criminal

investigation and trial following the murder of (a) Journalist ...raises serious concerns with regard to transparency and respect for the rule of law", when a "brutal killing has not yet been fully investigated and solved in a satisfactory way".



The text refered to dissident Journalist "Anna POLITOVSKAYA", a critic of Tchechen conflict, killed some years ago in Moscow, where Russian Authorities have found, arrested and are currently judging two executants, while also searching to arrest also a 3rd one, allegedly escaped in Belgium. But they have not yet found the instigators.

Similar texts were adopted recently also on dissident Ukranian Journalist Georgiy GONGADZE's murder, for which Ukranian Authorities have at least found, arrested and condemned 2 executants to 12 and 13 Years of jail, but not yet the instigators. For that purpose, they recently accepted an International Experts team to participate to the investigations.

But, it's only for the Murder of dissident Turkish Cypriot Journalist ADALI, in the occupied territories of Cyprus, that Turkey has NOT yet found ANYONE responsible, and even claimed recently inside CoE that it would be "impossible" to do so !

These astonishing differences exist despite the fact that ECHR condemned alike Ukraine and Turkey with 2 Judgements on the same year : 2005, for the murders of Journalists GONGADZE and ADALI, strong critics of Corruption in Ukraine, and of Ankara's policies on mass-influx of Turkish Settlers in the Occupied Territories of Cyprus, respectively.

Regarless of that, CoE's Committee of Ministers, who is entrusted with the duty to supervise execution of ECHR's judgements, has just asked Ukraine's Government to reply to further questions on Gongadze's murder before March 2009, while Turkey, curiously, got a longer postponement for answering questions on Adali's murder, until June...

A comparison of these cases, raises serious questions about Double Standards :

------------------------

On TRANSPARENCY :

--------------------------

On Gongadze's murder, CoE's body speaks even about the participation of

"an INTERNATIONAL group of Experts" in the Investigation, (f.ex. of "Tape Recordings"), accepted by Ukraine.

On the contrary, on Adali's murder, CoE is obliged to repeatedly ask (for a 2nd

time) Turkey whether, at least, it informed the victims' Family, or not...

------------------------------

- On EFFICIENCY :

-----------------------

On Gongadze's murder, CoE formally "recalls that the Committee (of Ministers) ..URGED the Ukranian authorities.. to TAKE ALL NECESSARY INVESTIGATIVE STEPS TO ACHIEVE CONCRETE and VISIBLE RESULTS in the INVESTIGATION, aimed at the Identification of the INSTIGATORS and Organisers of the Murder", and "STRONGLY INVITED the Ukranian Authorities to provide information on the PROGRESS IN THE INVESTIGATION", before MARCH 2009.



But, on Adali's murder, on the contrary, CoE's body merely .. "took note" of the "arguments presented by" Cyprus, which denounce the absence of any proof of new "investigation" by Turkey. Following Turkey's own suggestion (!), it simply "noted" that there is "no limitation period" for "any new element" to "lead potentialy (sic !) to a Re-Opening of the Investigation". Without saying who might find any such "new" fact, since Turkey stoped searching... It also POSTPONED the issue until .. JUNE !

-----------------------

- On the PUNISHMENT OF THOSE RESPONSIBLE :

----------------------

- On Gongadze's murder case, Ukranian Authorities already arrested and condemned, at least 2 suspects, to 12 and 13 Years of jail. And on Politkovskaya's murder at least 2 suspects are judged, and a 3rd one "wanted".



On the contrary, on Adali's murder case, the Turkish authorities simply claim that "it had not been possible to obtain new .. information .. on the basis of which criminal charges could be brought against ANY person" !...



Moreover, a LETTER sent by Turkey ...2 Years after CoE's 2006 call to re-investigate anew Adali's murder case, is totally EMPTY of Facts ! As Cypus' Delegation denounced earlier, Turkey's Letter ONLY CLAIMS that a "New Investigation" was made without any result, but does NOT even cite ANY FACT to prove it :



F.ex.,on the crucial issue of the "MOTIVATIONS" behind Adali's murder, noted by ECHR, Turkey MERELY CLAIMS that "all allegations were investigated; without result", but OMITS ANY FACT TO PROVE IT !..(It doesn't even remind which were these "allegations").. .



+ On ECHR's astonishment that the Turkish Occupation regime didn't produce any "BALLISTIC REPORT" on the Shots which murdered Adali, Turkey again repeats, 12 years later, that, still, even until now, "it was not possible to obtain the BalisticReport"...



- As for the astonishing absence of key-WITNESSES' Testimonies, denounced by ECHR, Turkey agains repeats various pretexts avoiding to reveal anything, (Fex. that a person "left" the Occupied Territories "on 2002", or that another witness was heard, but without revealing nothing of what he said, etc).



Turkey obviously "FAILS TO MEET THE CRITICISM made BY THE COURT" for lack of any efficient Investigation in Adali's case, concluded Cyprus' Government.

---------------------------------------------

Replying to our Question which COMPARED these 3 outstanding cases of "JOURNALISTS MURDERS", Adali, Gongadze and Politkovskaya, in order to avoid "Double Standards" by asking from Ukraine and Russia more than what is asked EU candidate Turkey, many European personalities were critical /



They criticised Ankara's recent claim at the CoE to stop investigating, because it would be "impossible to find anyone" responsible for the 5 bullet shots which killed Kutlu ADALI in front of his Family Home, contrary to the other two Journalists' murders, where Ukraine and Russia at least arrested the executants, searching now for the instigators :

----------------------------------





- "Where was that ? In Turkish Occupied Cyprus ? WITHOUT ANY DOUBT : Any murder of Journalist should be investigated in full ! All these Murders must be investigated !", replied the famous SAKHAROV's wife, Elena BONNER to our question on Adali's case, compared to Gongadze and Politofskaya.



Elena Bonner spoke us EXCLUSIVELY shortly after being honored by the President

of EU Parliament on the occasion of 20 Years of her husband's SAKHAROV Prize.



A strong personality, Sakharov's wife even had to struggle against an anonymous EU staffer who, astonishingly, tried to stop her speaking when h heard our question on "Turkey" (!) : - "Please, let me translate, she continues

speaking, don't stop us !", had to cry Sakharov's daughter, (a Journalist

herself), who was translating her mothers' reply, (obliged to speak louder to

make her voice heard despite the harassment).. (= + Audio Proof !)



Earlier, Elena Bonner also fustigated "Double Standards" at another case, on

Western countries' attitude vis a vis Kosovo and the Kurds : -F.ex. "You have

recognized a few 400.000 Kosovars as an "independent" country, but you still

deny that to 30 millions of Kurds in Turkey !", she denounced.

-----------------------------

- "This (ADALI's murder) is an issue which should be pursued by the Committee

for Human Rights. That's why we have one, and it's its duty to examine cases of

Journalists' murders as the one you referred to. You should bring the case in

front of that Committee", suggested in reply to our question on Adali, EU

Parliament's President, German MEP Hans Gert POETTERING.



- "It's impossible to achieve goals of PEACE, if HUMAN RIGHTS are left out :

in fact, Peace and Human Rights are intrinsequaly linked", added POETTERING.

--------------------------------------

+ "For us (European/International Federation of Journalists) it's clear :

Whenever a Journalist is Murdered, the Investigation should continue until

those Responsible are found !", replied earlier to another question on ADALI

EFJ/IFJ's Secretary General, Aidan WHITE.



Speaking as a matter of General Principle, White asked us for "concrete data"

on the execution of ECHR's judgement on Adali case, in order to "look at it in

depth" and "make a formal statement", in comparison with the other Murdered

Journalist case, also pending at CoE's Ministers for completing its execution,

on Ukranian Gongadze.

----------------------------------------------------

From EU Rapporteur on Human Rights, vice-President of EU Parliament Liberties' Committee, MEP Giusto CATANIA, we were told that, since there is an ECHR judgement in both Adali and Gongadge's cases, "Turkey must naturally execute the judgement and make a full and efficient investigation, until those responsible for the Journalist's murder are found and punished".



Even if "we (Catania's "EuroLeft" Group) support Turkey's EU perspectives, this does not mean that Ankara should not behave properly. On the contrary, it means that they have to meet tough conditions, particularly on Human Rights", was added on the occasion of Adali's murder case.



Moreover, "since you raise the issue of Mr. Adali's muder as a part of a Series of Journalist's murders, including fex. Gongadze, Politkovskaya, ao., tthen we (EU) could also act together with CoE's Commissioner on Human Rights, Thomas HAMMARBERG, it was suggested.



- "We (EU) must step up efforts against the problem of IMPUNITY : Real Peace cannot exist without Justice", stressed also this week at EU Parliament in Strasbourg, French Minister on Human Rights, Mrs Rama YADE.

------------------------




Editors note: As the year winds down, the editorial staff of Evolution News looks back on 2016 and recalls the Top 10 stories of the year that was. We wish you a merry and meaningful holiday season and a wonderful and prosperous New Year. If you havent done so already, please take a moment to consider the unique news resource we offer here daily.

Sources of information (and disinformation) on evolution from Darwinist media are beyond plentiful. But theres only one Evolution News, and we need your friendship and support. Thank you for your generosity!

The following was originally published on December 5, 2016:

We devoted considerable attention to last months Royal Society meeting in London. Otherwise, the three-day conference on New Trends in Evolutionary Biology was kept rather quiet in the media.

Oh, there were a few reports. Writing for the Huffington Post, science journalist Suzan Mazur complained of a lack of momentousness: [J]ust what was the point of attracting a distinguished international gathering if the speakers had little new science to present? Why waste everyones time and money? On the other hand, a write-up in The Atlantic by Carl Zimmer acknowledged a sense of strain between rival cliques of evolutionists: Both sides offered their arguments and critiques in a civil way, but sometimes you could sense the tension in the room  the punctuations of tsk-tsks, eye-rolling, and partisan bursts of applause.

Mild drama notwithstanding, why should anyone care about this meeting?

Despite the muffled coverage, the meeting was still significant in a number of ways. First, remember that the Royal Society is arguably the worlds most august scientific body. Its founders included Robert Boyle and it was later headed for 24 years (1703-1727) by Isaac Newton  a fact that is hard to forget when they have his death mask on prominent display in a glass case. Portraits of Boyle and Newton on the walls look down from above. The historical connections lent a certain weight by themselves to the proceedings.

That such a thoroughly mainstream scientific organization should now at last acknowledge problems with the received neo-Darwinian theory of evolution is also obviously notable. Indeed, from our point of view, though presenters ignored, dismissed, or mocked ID, not realizing the number of design-friendly scientists in the audience, the proceedings confirmed something ID advocates, including Stephen Meyer and others, have been saying for years.

Consider, for example, Meyers provocative claim in the Prologue to 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.

The opening presentation at the Royal Society conference by one of those world-class biologists, Austrian evolutionary theorist Gerd Muller, underscored exactly Meyers point. Muller opened the meeting by discussing several of the fundamental explanatory deficits of the modern synthesis, that is, textbook neo-Darwinian theory. (Discovery Institutes Paul Nelson recounted Mullers remarks here, on which in part we base the following.) According to Muller, the as yet unsolved problems include those of explaining:

Phenotypic complexity (the origin of eyes, ears, body plans, i.e., the anatomical and structural features of living creatures);

(the origin of eyes, ears, body plans, i.e., the anatomical and structural features of living creatures); Phenotypic novelty , i.e., the origin of new forms throughout the history of life (for example, the mammalian radiation some 66 million years ago, in which the major orders of mammals, such as cetaceans, bats, carnivores, enter the fossil record, or even more dramatically, the Cambrian explosion, with most animal body plans appearing more or less without antecedents); and finally

, i.e., the origin of new forms throughout the history of life (for example, the mammalian radiation some 66 million years ago, in which the major orders of mammals, such as cetaceans, bats, carnivores, enter the fossil record, or even more dramatically, the Cambrian explosion, with most animal body plans appearing more or less without antecedents); and finally Non-gradual forms or modes of transition , where you see abrupt discontinuities in the fossil record between different types.

As Muller has explained in previously published work (with Stuart Newman), although the neo-Darwinian paradigm still represents the central explanatory framework of evolution, as represented by recent textbooks it has no theory of the generative.1 In other words, the neo-Darwinian mechanism of mutation and natural selection lacks the creative power to generate the novel anatomical traits and forms of life that have arisen during the history of life. Yet, as Muller noted, neo-Darwinian theory continues to be presented to the public via textbooks as the canonical understanding of how new living forms arose  reflecting precisely the tension between the perceived, and actual, status of the theory that Meyer described in Darwins Doubt.

Yet, the most important lesson of the Royal Society conference lies not in its vindication of claims that our scientists have made, gratifying as that might be to us, but rather in defining the current problems and state of research in the field. The conference did an excellent job of defining the problems that evolutionary theory has failed to solve, but it offered little, if anything, by way of new solutions to those longstanding fundamental problems.

Much of the conference subsequent to Mullers talk did discuss various other proposed evolutionary mechanisms. Indeed, the prime movers in the Royal Society event, Muller, along with James Shapiro, Denis Noble, and Eva Jablonka  the Third Way of Evolution crowd  have proposed repairing the explanatory deficits of the modern synthesis by highlighting evolutionary mechanisms other than random mutation and natural selection. Much debate at the conference centered around the question of whether these new mechanisms could be incorporated into the basic population genetics framework of neo-Darwinism, thus making possible a new extended evolutionary synthesis, or whether the emphasis on new mechanisms of evolutionary change represented a radical, and theoretically incommensurable, break with established theory. This largely semantic, or classificatory, issue obscured a deeper question that few, if any, of the presentations confronted head on: the issue of the origin of genuine phenotypic novelty  the problem that Muller described in his opening talk.

Indeed, by the end of Day 3 of the meeting, it seemed clear to many of our scientists, and others in attendance with whom they talked, that the puzzle of lifes novelties remained unsolved  if, indeed, it had been addressed at all. As a prominent German paleontologist in the crowd concluded, All elements of the Extended Synthesis [as discussed at the conference] fail to offer adequate explanations for the crucial explanatory deficits of the Modern Synthesis (aka neo-Darwinism) that were explicitly highlighted in the first talk of the meeting by Gerd Muller.

In Darwins Doubt, for example, Meyer emphasized the obvious importance of genetic and other (i.e., epigenetic) types of information to building novel phenotypic traits and forms life. The new mechanisms offered by the critics of neo-Darwinism at the conference  whether treated as part of an extended neo-Darwinian synthesis or as the basis of a fundamentally new theory of evolution  did not attempt to explain how the information necessary to generating genuine novelty might have arisen. Instead, the mechanisms that were discussed produce at best minor microevolutionary changes, such as changes in wing coloration of butterflies or the celebrated polymorphisms of stickleback fish.

Moreover, the mechanisms that were discussed  niche construction, phenotypic plasticity, natural genetic engineering, and so on  either presupposed the prior existence of the biological information necessary to generate novelty, or they did not address the mystery of the origin of that information (and morphological novelty) at all. (Not all the mechanisms addressed were necessarily new, by the way. Niche construction and phenotypic plasticity have been around for a long time.)

Complex behaviors such as nest-building by birds, or dam construction by beavers, represent examples of niche construction in which some organisms themselves demonstrate the capacity to alter their environment in ways that may affect the adaptation of subsequent generations to the environment. Yet no advocate of niche construction at the meeting explained how the capacity for such complex behaviors arose de novo in ancestral populations, as they must have done if the naturalistic evolutionary story is true.

Rather, these complex behaviors were taken as givens, leaving the critical question of their origins more or less untouched. While there is abundant evidence that animals can learn and transmit new behaviors to their offspring  crows in Japan, for instance, have learned how to use automobile traffic to crack open nuts  all such evidence presupposes the prior existence of specific functional capacities enabling observation, learning, and the like. The evolutionary accounts of niche construction theory therefore collide repeatedly with a brick wall marked ORIGINAL COMPLEX FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY REQUIRED HERE  without, or beyond which, there would simply be nothing interesting to observe.

Jim Shapiros talk, clearly one of the most interesting of the conference, highlighted this difficulty in its most fundamental form. Shapiro presented fascinating evidence showing, contra neo-Darwinism, the non-random nature of many mutational processes  processes that allow organisms to respond to various environmental challenges or stresses. The evidence he presented suggests that many organisms possess a kind of pre-programmed adaptive capacity  a capacity that Shapiro has elsewhere described as operating under algorithmic control. Yet, neither Shapiro, nor anyone else at the conference, attempted to explain how the information inherent in such algorithmic control or pre-programmed capacity might have originated.

This same explanatory deficiency was evident in the discussions of the other mechanisms, though we wont attempt to demonstrate that exhaustively here. We would direct readers, however, to Chapters 15 and 16 of Darwins Doubt, where Meyer highlighted the way in which, not just neo-Darwinism, but also newer evolutionary mechanisms, including many discussed at the conference, fail to solve the question of the origin of information necessary to generate novelty. In those chapters, he reviewed a range of proposed fixes to the Modern Synthesis. He acknowledged and described the various advantages that many of these proposals have over neo-Darwinism, but also carefully explained why each of these mechanisms falls short as an explanation for the origin of the biological information necessary to build novel structures and forms of animal life. He quoted paleontologist Graham Budd who has observed: When the public thinks about evolution, they think about [things like] the origin of wings.But these are things that evolutionary theory has told us little about.

Many fascinating talks at the Royal Society conference described a number of evolutionary mechanisms that have been given short shrift by the neo-Darwinian establishment. Unfortunately, however, the conference will be remembered, as Suzan Mazur intimated in her coverage, for its failure to offer anything new. In particular, in our judgment, it failed to offer anything new that could help remedy the main explanatory deficit of the neo-Darwinian synthesis  its inability to account for the origin of phenotypic novelty and especially, the genetic and epigenetic information necessary to produce it. These are still problems that evolutionary theory tells us little about.

Notes:

(1) Gerd Muller and Stuart Newman, On the Origin of Organismal Form (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2003), p.7.

Photo: Royal Society, entrance, Carlton House Terrace, London, by Tom Morris (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons.
Signs of strength from the Chinese economy also boosted the Aussie against its rivals, with risk appetite remaining robust in the early week.

Although the UK Manufacturing PMI also bettered expectations this was ultimately not enough to set the GBP AUD exchange rate on a fresh uptrend at this juncture.

The Australian dollar exchange rates start the European session on a strong footing, with the Aussie 0.31% higher vs the pound, 0.58% up on the euro and finally 0.28% stronger against the US dollar.

The final sessions of 2016 saw the AUD on the back foot, partly due to the out-performance of the US dollar, as noted by Morgan Stanley FX specialists in a brief on Tuesday 3rd December:

"The dominance of USD strength prevented the AUD from benefiting from rising commodity prices and the associated terms of trade improvement."

"Going into December, the AUD started to under-perform other currencies, which we have partly exploited running AUD shorts against the CAD and the NZD."

GBP/AUD

The GBP AUD exchange rate fell last week as a lull in data over the holiday period caused markets to focus on the impact of 'Brexit'.

GBP/AUD began the week in a nosedive as thin trading volumes briefly caused the Pound to plummet by over a cent at the start of the Asian trading session.

Despite quickly recovering to its starting levels, the Pound was unable to stabilise following comments from former Bank of England Governor Lord King, who rejected calls for the UK to remain in the single market, saying there were real opportunities for the UK if is willing to completely split from the EU.

Lord King said, I don't think it makes sense for us to pretend we should remain in the single market and I think there are real question marks about whether it makes sense to remain in the customs union

Sterling continued its decline in the second half of the week as it was unable to shake investor concerns over the impact of 'Brexit', especially after a report was released from a London based think-tank on Thursday that predicted that the UK would face a decade of disruption over its decision to leave the EU.

While the Pound attempted to rally early on Friday, it was not enough to reverse the weeks losses and brought an end to a three week string of gains.

Australian Dollar Fluctuates Amid Fears of a Chinese Slowdown

The Australian Dollar began the week with a boom as it rocketed against the Pound.

However it was quickly brought back down to earth by concerns that the economy of Australias largest trading partner, China was beginning to slow down as the Chinese president, Xi Jinping said that the economy may not meet its targets of 6.5% growth next year.

These concerns were eased somewhat later in the week however as the Chinese state media agency Xinhua reported that the economy would still be targeting 6.5% growth in 2017 after meeting its goals for 2016.

Meanwhile resilient commodity prices helped the Aussie to advance in the latter half of the week, with prices of iron ore being supported by a drop in iron inventories in China and climbing prices in steel futures.

GBP AUD Exchange Rate Forecast: UK Manufacturing Data May Weigh on Pound

Following the closing of markets for the New Year, Sterling may slide at the start of trading on Tuesday as Markit releases its UK Manufacturing PMI, which is expected to have slid from 53.4 to 53.2 in December.

The Pound my slump further again later in the week following the release of Services PMI, which is also predicted to drop in December, sliding from 55.2 to 54.7

A lull in notable data from Australia may prove disastrous for the Aussie next week as investors attention is drawn to Donald Trumps inauguration amidst fears that he will tear up a number of free trade agreements once he is in office, an action with the potential to damage Australias economy.

Societe Generale: Australian imports to reverse October bounce, exports powering ahead

This Friday sees the release of the Australian trade balance, exports and imports.

"Although reality defied predictions of a sharp narrowing in the trade deficit in October  it actually widened by AUD269m  we again forecast a sizable decline for November. The main argument on the export side remains the steep increase in commodity prices in recent months, especially of iron ore and coal in its various forms, which will continue to feed through to export prices that will take time to adjust. But then the larger-than-expected October trade deficit was not really driven by disappointing export performance  at 1.4% mom it was not far from our expectation of 2.0%  but rather by unexpectedly strong imports which rose 2.3% mom when we expected a decline of 0.4%. The strength of imports is unlikely to be sustained in our view, especially as it was concentrated in imports of capital goods at a time when overall business investment continues to contract. Hence, we expect a strong decline in imports and a decline in the deficit of close to AUD1bn."
Saturday, December 31, 2016

Most cheaters, male or female, can be easily caught on New Year's Eve. Infidelity expert Ruth Houston, who is frequently called on by the media to comment on popular infidelity issues in the news explains why this is true and how it can be done.

Infidelity studies and surveys have shown that 75% of people involved in illicit affairs are cheating on their mates with workmates or friends. "Based on this" says Houston, who has been researching infidelity for over 20 years, "the likelihood is extremely high that the cheater's affair partner is someone the spouse or significant other knows. It may be a neighbor, a co-worker, or even a family friend."

Houston points out that in situations like this, it's not unusual for the cheater, their secret lover, and the cheater's spouse or significant other to find themselves attending same party on New Year's Eve. "This represents a golden opportunity for the suspicious mate," says Houston. " But regardless of whether or not this happens, New Year's Eve presents a unique opportunity get the goods on a cheater or confirm a suspected affair because the cheater's behavior around midnight will give him or her away. Knowing what to look for is the key."

A recent post on Ruth Houston's Infidelity Advice blog entitled How to Catch Your Cheating Mate on New Year's Eve gives further details on the telltale signs a person who suspects their mate of infidelity should be alert for on New Year's Eve. A post on Houston's Real Life Infidelity blog entitled How 6 Cheaters Got Caught on New Year's Eve gives six brief "real-life" accounts of how specific New Year's Eve telltale signs, exposed 6 illicit affairs.

However, Houston cautions men and women who suspect infidelity not to confront their mate solely on the basis of anything seen or heard on New Year's Eve. "Signs of infidelity never exist in isolation," says Houston. " I can't emphasize strongly enough that if a person is really cheating on his or her mate, there will always be multiple signs. Since so many signs of infidelity are subtle, knowing what to look for is the key. That's why it's wise to invest in a good infidelity reference book."

Houston's popular infidelity book Is He Cheating on You? - 829 Telltale Signs can help anyone who suspects infidelity find additional proof if their partner is actually having an affair. The book documents practically every known sign of infidelity, most of which apply to cheating woman as well as cheating men. The soft cover version is available from Amazon.com. The e-book version (with a special bonus section) is available from Booklocker.com
The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first drug to treat patients with spinal muscular atrophy, a savage disease that, in its most severe form, kills infants before they turn 2.

This is a miracle  seriously, Dr. Mary Schroth, a lung specialist in Madison, Wisconsin, who treats children who have the disease, said of the approval, which was made last month. This is a life-changing event, and this will change the course of this disease. Schroth has previously worked as a paid consultant to Biogen, which is selling the drug.

The drug, called Spinraza, will not come cheap  and by some estimates will be among the most expensive drugs in the world.

Biogen, which is licensing Spinraza from Ionis Pharmaceuticals, said recently that one dose will have a list price of $125,000. That means the drug will cost $625,000 to $750,000 to cover the five or six doses needed in the first year and about $375,000 annually after that to cover the necessary three doses a year. Patients will presumably take Spinraza for the rest of their lives.

The pricing could put the drug in the cross hairs of lawmakers and other critics of high drug prices and perhaps discourage insurers from covering it. High drug prices have attracted intense scrutiny in the past year, and President-elect Donald Trump has singled them out as an important issue.

We believe the Spinraza pricing decision is likely to invite a storm of criticism, up to and including presidential tweets, Geoffrey Porges, an analyst for Leerink Partners, said in a note to investors.

Porges said the price could lead some insurers to balk or to limit the drug to patients who are the most severely affected, such as infants, even though the FDA has approved Spinraza for all patients with the condition.

What you will have is a standoff with payers, he said in an interview. How is this all going to play out?

The price of the drug would be comparable to some other drugs that treat rare diseases. A spokeswoman for Biogen said the company set the price after considering several factors, including the cost to the health care system and the clinical value it brought to patients. She said the company has also consulted insurers about covering the drug and that while the talks are in their early stages, insurers have responded positively to the drugs effectiveness.

We are working to help ensure no patient will forgo treatment because of financial limitations or insurance status, said the spokeswoman, Ligia Del Bianco.

She said Biogen, like many companies that sell expensive drugs, had set up a program to help families navigate insurance approvals and other logistics and will provide financial assistance.

Kenneth Hobby, president of Cure SMA, a patient advocacy group that invested $500,000 in early academic research that led to the development of Spinraza, said more important than the list price of the drug is whether patients who need it will get it.

Are our families going to get access to the drug in the end? he 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.

About 1 in 10,000 babies are born with spinal muscular atrophy  or about 400 a year in the U.S.  and it is among the leading genetic causes of death in infants. People with the disease have a genetic flaw that makes them produce too little of a protein that supports motor neurons, leading muscles to atrophy. Spinraza addresses the underlying genetic cause of the disease and enables a backup gene to produce more of the necessary protein.

Blake Farrell, 6, has the disease. As an infant, she reached developmental milestones, learning to roll over, sit up and crawl at all the right times. She was doing everything on target, Kacey Farrell, Blakes mother, said recently from the familys home in Cincinnati.

But as she approached her first birthday, Blake started regressing. She struggled to sit on her own and stopped crawling. At 14 months, tests revealed that Blake had a moderate form of spinal muscular atrophy. As she got older, the muscle loss caused her bones to weaken, and she suffered fractures. She could no longer sit up in the bathtub and had trouble swallowing food.

In May 2015, when she was 4, Blake was accepted into a clinical trial for Spinraza, also known as nusinersen. One-third of the patients in the study were given a placebo, so the Farrells were not sure if she was getting the real thing. But after receiving her first few doses, which were injected into her spinal fluid, Blake started to improve. She joined her two sisters in the bathtub, sitting up on her own. One day, she even scooted across the floor.

I was just in shock, Farrell said. These were all things we hadnt seen her do since she was 8 months old.

In an analysis of 82 infants in the clinical trial that led to the approval, 40 percent of babies on the drug reached milestones such as sitting, crawling and walking. None of the babies that received a placebo did. The FDA approved the drug months ahead of time.
AUSTIN  An executive can commit no greater sin in business than to misuse capital, labor or real property, the foundations of wealth.

No government program wastes all three more than the prison system, where taxpayer money is spent to lock people up in publicly owned facilities. Thats why societies must make sure prisons are used only for those we fear, and not for those with whom we are only angry.

Texas, though, spends too much money imprisoning people who should be rehabilitated by other means, according to Bill Hammond, CEO and president of the Texas Association of Business. The states Chamber of Commerce has joined conservative and liberal organizations to create the Smart-on-Crime Coalition to demand better.

Texas has the largest prison population of any state in the country. Nearly 145,000 are incarcerated, and a significant percentage of those are low-level offenders. People who are being held for violating parole or minor drug crimes, Hammond said. Violent criminals, rapists and sexual offenders do belong in prison. However, there are some people whom we do not think belong in prison because of the cost.

Texas spends about $3 billion a year on prisons. Keeping someone behind bars costs about $50 a day, compared with $3 a day for supervised probation. With Texas lawmakers facing an $8 billion shortfall to maintain the current level of government services in 2018-19, they need to find savings, and criminal justice is overdue for an overhaul.

Hammond explained at an Austin news conference that its not just about saving taxpayer money, though. Its about keeping nonviolent offenders employed and providing for their families while making restitution. Diversion programs and alternative sentencing can also force offenders to get treatment for drug addiction and mental health problems that underlie most crimes today.

You are talking about individuals who are working, who are paying taxes, who are paying child support. They should be part of the community and part of the workforce instead of rotting in some prison at a high cost to taxpayers, Hammond said.

Prison reform has long been a priority for the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank in Austin. The group notes that politicians rely too much on incarceration, with one of every 100 American adults in prison today, compared with one in every 400 in 1970.

The group wants rehabilitation programs that reduce recidivism, such as mandatory job training, drug counseling and mental health care for the 7,000 Texans who are going to prison every year for simple drug possession.

The left-leaning Texas Criminal Justice Coalition couldnt agree more, calling for new ways to address possession of a controlled substance.

There is no evidence that harsh penalties will discourage someone from continuing to use drugs; and therefore it is no surprise, then, that of the thousands of people who we send to state jail each year, 62 percent of them will be rearrested within three years, said Douglas Smith, a policy analyst with the group. We cant arrest our way out of addiction.

The Smart-on-Crime groups also want more efforts to help ex-offenders resume normal lives.

We know its difficult for ex-offenders to reintegrate into society. Thats a fact. They face difficulty with finding jobs, housing, and they and their families are often outcast in their very own communities, said Gus Reyes, ethics and justice ministry of the 5,200-church Texas Baptist Commission.

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.

Goodwill Industries, which is often the first job someone gets upon leaving prison, wants more funding for vocational education programs.

Just last year, we released more than 30,000 people from Texas state jails, said Traci Berry, senior vice president of community engagement with Goodwill Central Texas. We know that improving education and employment opportunities have a recognized effect on the recidivism rate, community safety and economic prosperity.

Other members of the coalition include Prison Fellowship, which wants to raise the age of criminal responsibility in Texas from 17 to 18 years old so children are no longer sent to adult prisons. And the ACLU of Texas wants to eliminate jail time for technical parole violations, such as showing up late for a meeting.

If lawmakers follow through, all these proposed changes pay for themselves. Keeping people out of prison saves money, which can easily pay for the drug abuse, mental health and job training programs to rehabilitate instead of incarcerate.

Keeping nonviolent offenders out of prison and using supervised probation to make them help themselves and pay for their crimes is the morally and fiscally correct policy. And when capital, labor and real property are employed effectively, every residents and business in Texas benefits.

Chris Tomlinson is the Houston Chronicles business columnist.

chris.tomlinson@chron.com
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

In San Antonio, weve had streets with a taqueria on every corner long before that possibility became the most delicious political epithet of 2016. So in honor of that tradition, today, the Express-News begins a yearlong celebration of something San Antonio does best. Welcome to 365 Days of Tacos.

Ill cover a taqueria a day, because San Antonians take their tacos as seriously as their citys heritage, something we learned from the Texas Taco War in early 2016. In that war, started by a New York writer who insinuated that Austin was the spiritual home of the breakfast taco, insults flew up and down the interstate until the mayors of both cities signed a peace accord.

But history teaches us that to have peace, we must prepare for war. And I like my war on a homemade tortilla.

So how will 365 Days of Tacos work? Ill hit seven taquerias (small mom-and-pops, bigger restaurants and even trucks) a week and the reports will run every day exclusively on our subscriber website, ExpressNews.com/Tacos.

Ill cover the essentials. The tacos, of course, but also tortillas and the questions of flour versus corn, homemade versus store-bought. And salsa, because they take red and green and shades in-between seriously around here.

Each report will feature an overall rating:

Worth a drive is a place that merits a special visit.

A solid neighborhood option might not deserve a drive across town, but its a spot that respectably serves its neighborhood  like many of this citys places.

Once was enough: This one explains itself.

As a New Years bonus to launch the series, turn to the Taste section today for the first day of 365 Days of Tacos, a trip to Rays Drive Inn for the mother of all puffy tacos.

San Antonios the perfect city for a years worth of tacos. They form such a part of the citys history and food culture, kids here remember going to school with tacos instead of peanut butter and jelly. And because some even suffered a kind of culinary bigotry over it, they turned taco into a badge of honor.

No matter what the small-plate, farm-to-table, artisan-crafted restaurant movements bring to San Antonio, the moms-and-pops are still the bedrock of breakfast, lunch and late-night comfort food, and its time we recognized them. This series is a step in that direction.

Whatever heavy cultural lifting comes along with a year of eating tacos, its still a year of getting paid to eat tacos. In San Antonio. Envy me or pity, but either way, my job can beat up your job and take its lunch money.

Ive done a yearlong taco project before, in Austin. I tried more than 1,600 tacos from 365 places in 2015, learned a journeymans vocabulary of restaurant Spanish, got cursed at with many of those same words, drove into the middle of a tax raid and actually lost 10 pounds in the process.

(I lost weight because at their core, tacos are lean, efficient fuel: a light carbohydrate shell wrapped around proteins like eggs, cheese, carnitas, carne asada, barbacoa and tripas. The danger to your weight comes from the chips, queso, beer, full-sugar soda and quart-sized aguas frescas that come with the territory. You have to say no sometimes, and no is the same in Spanish and English.)

Because of that project and my job at the Express-News, the Austin Chronicle called me Best Referee in the Taco Wars. My salvo in that war? A Twitter post wishing I could do the same series in San Antonio.

msutter@express-news.net

Twitter: @fedmanwalking
BEIRUT  A cease-fire brokered by Russia and Turkey went into effect in war-ravaged Syria at midnight Thursday, a potential breakthrough in the six years of fighting that have left more than a quarter-million people dead and triggered a refugee crisis across Europe.

The Syrian governments strongest ally, Russian President Vladimir Putin, announced the deal Thursday, a sign of how Moscow has become the dominant force in the war even as it pledged to scale back the large-scale intervention it began in Syria last year.

If it holds, the truce between the Syrian government and the countrys mainstream rebel forces will be followed by peace talks next month in Kazakhstan, Putin said in announcing the agreement. But he described it as quite fragile and requiring special attention and patience.

The truce had the backing of both Russia, Syrias chief battlefield ally, and Turkey, which has been supporting the rebels. Russia said the deal was signed by seven of Syrias major rebel factions, though none of them immediately confirmed it and one of them denied signing.

Many past efforts to quell the fighting, brokered under the auspices of the U.N., have failed. Still, the deal raised hopes for a political settlement to the ruinous war, in part because the landscape has significantly shifted recently.

For one thing, the tide militarily has turned in Syrian President Bashar Assads favor over the past year, with the government retaking the city of Aleppo from the rebels just days ago. The rebels now do not have footholds in Syrias largest cities. Also, Turkey, which is fighting Kurdish and Islamic militants at home, appears more willing to strike a bargain with Russia if it means protecting its borders.

This is a different political scene, and one would expect some outcomes to emerge, said Hilal Khashan, political science professor at the American University of Beirut. He cautioned, however, against expecting immediate results from the first round of talks.

The first half-hour of the cease-fire was one of comprehensive calm, said Rami Abdurrahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. He said that before the truce came into force, the government was bombing several areas, including the province of Aleppo and suburbs of the capital, Damascus.

Several previous cease-fires collapsed, some of them in a matter of days. And this latest agreement, like previous ones, does not include extremist factions such as the Islamic State group and al-Qaidas branch in Syria.

The Obama administration, which has resisted greater involvement in what it sees as a largely intractable conflict, welcomed the news.

Any effort that stops the violence, saves lives and creates the conditions for renewed and productive political negotiations would be welcome, said the State Departments deputy spokesman, Mark Toner, reiterating its view that there is no military solution to this nearly six-year crisis.

If the agreement holds, it could solidify Assads grip on the countrys western ridge and lead to a joint effort by Russia and the U.S. against Islamic State militants. But that is a big if, given the number of parties involved, their competing interests and the scope of the fighting.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

For four months, Ricardo Solis has wondered what his big brother Roland felt in the final moments of his life.

Roland  affectionately called Bugzy because, as a child, he had two big front teeth like Bugs Bunny  was gunned down in August on the West Side after an argument among some men.

He was always there for everyone, Solis said. He was the perfect one. Everyone loved him.

Roland Solis, 35, left behind four children, a girlfriend, his only surviving sibling and his mother, Janet Gonzalez, who has buried three other children  two sons to suicide and one daughter to cancer.

You think your sons will bury you, but its backward, she said through tears. You have to bury all your sons.

Solis was one of 151 people slain in 2016, the deadliest year in San Antonio since 1995, when there were 142 homicide victims. In 2015, the number was 94.

Because homicides generally had declined over the past two decades, the one-year 61 percent increase has police officials and others puzzled as to the causes.

In 2016, according to preliminary data from the Police Department, the per-capita homicide rate also jumped to the highest it has been in 20 years. There were 10.1 homicides per 100,000 people, higher than the national rate of 4.9 per 100,000 people in 2015  the most recent number available nationally  but lower than 2015s numbers in other cities, such as Dallas, Houston and Phoenix.

However, homicide totals and homicide rates have fluctuated over two decades, almost getting this high before. Both peaked in the early 1990s, when at one point there were 220 homicides in the city and the per-capita rate was 23.

The annual homicide counts provided by SAPD meet the FBIs Unified Crime Reports definition, which do not include justified homicides or officer-involved killings.

About four of 10 killings in 2016 were related to drugs, families or acquaintances, San Antonio police said. A higher-than-usual number of killings  26 percent  seem to be inexplicable, Chief William McManus said.

What were seeing is a lot of spontaneous murders, he said. Its really difficult to put a reason on it.

Police officials declined to say how many of the years murders have been solved because the information wont be available until mid-January.

Violent crime, which includes robberies, rape and aggravated assaults besides homicides, also increased in 2016, a trend mimicked in some other major cities, according to news reports. For example, homicides increased nearly 30 percent in Dallas and 56 percent in Chicago as of early December.

Because the world of criminology and crime statistics is murky and ambiguous, experts disagree on why there has been an uptick locally and nationally. They cite a variety of factors, some of which are much debated: High neighborhood unemployment rates, concentrated poverty, gangs, drug use, more limited access to abortion services, low police staffing levels, poor community-police relations and greater distrust of the government.

Crime is a huge, complicated issue, said Robert Taylor, a professor of criminology at the University of Texas at Dallas. Indeed, we as criminologists have a very poor understanding of why crimes go up and down.

A San Antonio Express-News overview of 2016 preliminary data from SAPD shows:

The largest share of homicides  42 of 151  occurred in District 2 on the East Side, followed by 27 homicides in District 1 in central San Antonio and 23 homicides in District 5 on the West Side.

Eight children were killed, including five under age 10.

A majority of the victims were Hispanic and African-American men between ages 18 and 29. Twenty-three women and girls were killed; all but five were Hispanic.

Homicides in Bexar County also increased  from 14 in 2015 to 20 in 2016, according to preliminary data from the Bexar County Sheriffs Office.

Similar to what happened in San Antonio, homicides in the county reached the highest point since 1993. However, those numbers have fluctuated over three decades, almost reaching that level before.

In San Antonio, few people will forget the death in 2016 of police Detective Benjamin Marconi, who was shot in an ambush-style killing as he conducted a traffic stop.

Other notable cases were a man whose body was torched on the East Side in March; a 5-year-old girl who was shot in the head by a stray bullet as she slept in June; a 61-year-old convenience store owner who was killed in a spate of crime on the near West Side in August; and a 39-year-old father of four who was shot as he tried to protect a victim of domestic violence at a WalMart parking lot in November.

The slaying of Roland Solis on the West Side was more representative of homicides in 2016. It caught the publics attention for a day or two, but it wasnt long before another murder happened, leaving Rolands family alone to pick up the pieces. Sometimes Ricardo Solis children will ask in Spanish where Tio Bugzy is, and Solis doesnt know what to say.

The holidays werent the same without Bugzy, a tattoo artist who always wore a smile and loved to spend time with his relatives. The death has driven a wedge between the family. And police still havent caught Rolands killer.

Its like falling down a hole and you cant get out of it, Solis said. You dont know how to feel and you dont know what to say. Its a really lonely feeling.

Memories of 1995

About 6 p.m. on Aug. 4, Roland Solis and his girlfriend stopped at a convenience store near Sabinas Street to grab a drink.

Roland stayed in the car as his girlfriend went inside, according to a police report, and when she came out several minutes later, Roland was running down the street and around the corner.

Seconds later, she heard gunshots. She rushed over in her car and found Roland on the ground with wounds to his face, neck and chest. Dozens of bullet casings were scattered on the ground.

Roland was shot by a person described in a police report as an Anglo male in his 20s or 30s, driving a black pickup and shooting a rifle.

At the time, police told reporters the shooting was a result of an argument between two groups of men, either about drugs or gangs. Police believe Roland didnt know them.

I want them to catch the people who did it, Ricardo Solis said. I want justice for my brother. No matter what anyone has done, they dont deserve this. No one has the right to take someones life.

Where Roland was killed, on the near West Side, by West Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard and South Natividad Street, was the site of several slayings last year.

The same was true 21 years ago, the last time homicides were this high. In July 1995, a 35-year-old man was killed during a robbery outside a convenience store. And on Christmas Day that year, two men  a bartender and a patron  got in an argument, ending in gunfire with both dead.

For many, the most recent spike in homicides brings back memories of the early and mid-1990s.

Former Police Chief Albert Ortiz, who worked in the department for 26 years, was a homicide detective at the time. He said crime and homicides tend to come in waves.

Ortiz, who now runs a police liability consulting business, doesnt follow local crime as closely anymore. But he said the problems today seem similar to the 1980s and 1990s, when youth crime soared, heroin use was prominent and gang activity was popular.

Gang movies were coming out like crazy, Ortiz said. It kind of glamorized it. Then, when youre a young kid and youre living in an impoverished neighborhood, and you see someone (in a gang) driving down the street in a nice car, that impresses you.

As a result, many young people gravitated toward gang life, Ortiz said. Some got addicted to drugs and typically committed minor robberies to pay for the habit. To avoid encroaching on gang territory, they felt forced to join one.

Its like the saying goes, Ortiz said. What came first, the chicken or the egg?

At the time, Ortiz said, a lot of the gang activity wasnt committed by established gang members, but by young people who idolized the lifestyle of the Mexican Mafia or the Texas Syndicate gangs.

That made solving murders difficult because they didnt follow the usual trends and because young people would switch their alliance frequently.

Now, police officials said they think gang activity accounts for 3 percent of homicides and drug activity for 14 percent. In the 1990s, Ortiz estimated, gang activity accounted for 35 to 40 percent of homicides.

Jimmy Holguin, chief medical investigator at the Bexar County medical examiners office who worked at SAPD for 26 years, said he doesnt see as many similarities between homicides today and the early 1990s.

In the 1980s and 90s, many killings were drive-by shootings, earning San Antonio the nickname The Drive-By Shooting Capital. Holguin said those shootings were directed at gang members or the family of gang members, but today drive-by shootings arent as common.

I remember going to many houses where drive-by shootings were done by assault rifles with a 7.62 caliber, Holguin said. The bullets would go through several walls, maybe a victim, and then out the back of house. It was crazy.

Experts stumped

In interviews with six experts, they generally disagreed about the reasons crime fluctuates.

Taylor, the UT Dallas professor, said historians and criminologists attribute the rise in crime nationally in the early and mid-1990s to gang violence, racial strife, unemployment and domestic abuse. But in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when crime began to drop, many criminologists couldnt explain the downward trend, he said.

During those periods of times when violent crimes were going down, criminologists were really stumped, he said. We had all the traditional types of indicators that said crime should go up. We had high unemployment, and there were fewer police officers on the streets.

In recent years, experts speculate that the jump in violence in some cities is due to a number of factors, including expanding drug markets and declining imprisonment rates. They might learn more once the FBIs Uniform Crime Reports are available in September.

Others have credited the spike to the so-called Ferguson Effect, that increased scrutiny of police following the fatal officer-involved shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, has led police to less vigorously enforce the law.

But those theories have been criticized, and Taylor said criminologists cant expect to accurately analyze the current increase in crime if they still dont understand the decrease in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Randolph Roth, a professor of history and sociology at Ohio State University, wrote the book American Homicide in 2009, in which he analyzes crime data from Colonial times to today.

Roth said he was motivated to research and write the book because he thinks preliminary motives could not accurately portray why someone commits a murder. For example, he said, if a person is angry because an acquaintance owes him money, in many scenarios the man assaults the acquaintance, but doesnt kill him. What leads the man, in the spur of the moment, to commit a murder?

Its trying to understand the anger they are bringing to the situation, Roth said.

He believes people commit murder at a higher rate in certain scenarios because they feel a distrust of the government, they dont identify with their communities and they lack opportunities.

That could explain why theres an upturn in homicides this year, he said, referring to the divisiveness of the presidential campaign.

A new strategy

McManus said the department will address the homicide increase through community involvement and a new synergistic tactic that he will unveil in January. He cautioned against arresting the problem away or over policing, which could lead to distrust.

As frustrated as we may be about this, we are certainly not in any way, shape or form giving up, he said. We will continue, through policing initiatives and community efforts, to address this problem. And we will succeed.

Last year, the city launched several programs aimed at combatting violence. One is the ShotSpotter pilot program, which uses acoustic surveillance to detect and locate gunfire.

Mayor Ivy Taylor said grant programs and policing are important, but its also pertinent to address the issue holistically.

I think we tend to look at crime from the policing perspective, Taylor said. But we need to also focus on the economic opportunities. What about youth development programs? What about job training programs? Thats where we can make a long-term impact on crime.

Councilman Alan Warrick, who represents the district with the most homicides, agrees about the focus on economic development, but cautioned against introducing new programs if the city isnt fully utilizing existing ones.

If we perfect the programs that do exist, if we stop the number of shots being fired in the first place (through the ShotsSpotter program), I think well see a lower number of homicides, he said.

Councilman Roberto Trevino, who represents the district with the second-most homicides, said there needs to be a focus on services for domestic abuse victims. He also said its crucial to make sure there are Spanish translation services so residents feel at ease reporting crime.

The city is finally moving toward meaningful Spanish translation, he said. Two-thirds of our city speaks Spanish, and they will only feel comfortable speaking to police officers if they can communicate.

Councilwoman Rebecca Viagran, chairwoman of the councils Criminal Justice, Public Safety and Services Committee, said its important for everyone in the criminal justice system to work together, including the Sheriffs Office, Police Department and district attorneys office.

We want to make sure we coordinate our efforts, from the investigation to the arrest to the prosecution to the incarceration, if that happens, she said.

Beverly Watts Davis is a community leader on the East Side who used to work at San Antonio Fighting Back, which was founded in the 1990s to address substance abuse and mental health services in response to the surge of violence then.

This is not going to be solved by the White House or the Governors House, Davis said. Its going to be solved by my house, your house and my neighbors house. Everyone on the North Side should be griping about crime just as much as anybody on the East Side. All of us must raise our voices.

A night of violence

On Friday, about 5:45 p.m., just a day before New Years Eve celebrations would begin, a call came over the scanner: A man shot and killed on the Southeast Side as he tried to protect his nephew during an argument.

Later, officials would identify the man as 61-year-old John Harmon, the 150th person killed last year.

At 11:30 p.m., another call: A man in his mid- to late 20s shot and killed after an argument on the West Side. He would become the years 151st homicide victim, less than 2 miles from where Roland Solis was killed four months earlier.

eeaton@express-news.net

Twitter: @emilieeaton
A Democrat said Texas universities rightly dont check on whether students are living in the country with legal authorization  in accord with federal law.

U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Austin, whose district stretches south into San Antonio, was asked in a December 2016 interview with Austin's CBS Austin to talk about whether certain college students should be worried amid threats to take away federal funding from so-called sanctuary campuses, presumably a reference to colleges and universities whose leaders indicate no desire to help immigration authorities pursue students who lack legal U.S. residency.

Doggett replied by initially calling sanctuary campuses a misnomer.

The former Texas Supreme Court justice went on: Our university campuses by federal law do not check the immigration status of their students, just as our public schools dont. And thats the right thing to do. There is a Supreme Court decision about the right to public education. Doggett added that if theres a dangerous person on campus, law enforcement should honor any arrest warrant from immigration authorities to assure safety.

A 1982 Supreme Court ruling held U.S. children to be entitled to kindergarten through grade 12 public schooling regardless of legal residency status.

Yet that decision wasnt reflecting on university access. So Doggetts statement made us wonder how federal law keeps state universities from checking the immigration status of students.

There isnt such a law, it appears. And when we asked which law Doggett was thinking of, Doggetts House chief of staff, Michael Mucchetti, said by email: His point is that current federal law doesnt even require universities to check.

Mucchetti earlier noted that on Dec. 7, 2016, Denise Trauth, president of Texas State University, told faculty, staff and students in a Twitter post: The university, following current law, does not and will not report undocumented immigrants to authorities.

We didnt read Trauths statement as her saying the university doesnt check the immigration statuses of students. Beyond that, our requests that a university spokesman, Matt Flores, specify the law Trauth was talking about didnt immediately draw a reply.

Next, we asked the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, which oversees colleges and universities statewide, about whether Texas universities check the citizenship status of students.

In reply, Kelly Carper Polden emailed us a November 2016 agency overview of state laws that enable Texas residents lacking legal U.S. residency  either through citizenship or permanent resident/green card status  to attend public colleges at in-state tuition rates rather than more costly nonresident rates, provided the students have lived in Texas with a parent, guardian or conservator for 36 months up to high school graduation.

Affidavit students in Texas

The overview gives the impression that Texas universities routinely tally students who lack legal U.S. residency.

That is, the publication says that each benefiting student must complete an affidavit stating his or her intent to apply for permanent resident status in the U.S. as soon as he/she meets federal eligibility requirements. Also, the publication states, each public institution of higher education is responsible for acquiring and maintaining, indefinitely or until the student becomes a Permanent Resident of the U.S., signed affidavits completed by non-U.S. citizens seeking Texas resident status for in-state tuition purposes.

Weve reported several times before on Texas affidavit students. Then-Gov. Rick Perrys approval of the 2001 legislation authorizing such college admissions drew fire when he ran for president in 2012.

The 2016 overview states that in fiscal 2015, through August 2015, the states 24,982 affidavit students included 17,384 students in public community, technical and state colleges; 7,580 students in public universities; and 18 students in public health-related institutions, costing an estimated $23.42 million in state appropriations while the affidavit students paid $58.3 million in tuition and fees, the overview states.

Subsequently, web searches led us to a sample universal application for students seeking to enroll at Texas A&M University in fall 2017 that asks if the applicant is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident or if the applicant fulfills state residency requirements related to fulfilling affidavit status. Also, to our inquiry, Polder pointed us to the states Core Residency Questions form last updated by the coordinating board in 2011; the form asks an applicant to attest to her or his U.S. citizenship or other residency status and includes this provision: I authorize the college/university to verify the information I have provided.

National perspective

Nationally in November 2016, more than 500 college and university presidents called for preserving and even expanding Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a 2012 initiative by President Barack Obama that enabled young immigrants brought to the U.S. as children to go to college and seek work despite lacking legal authorization to live in the country.

After spotting that call on the Pomona College website, we asked the colleges dean of students, Miriam Feldblum, whos also an immigration scholar, if Doggett was right about federal law and universities not checking the immigration status of students.

By phone, Feldblum said thats certainly not so for international students, who must have visas to live and study in the U.S., and, she said, no federal law prohibits institutions from checking the immigration status of students. Regardless, she said, public colleges and universities focus for tuition purposes on whether applicants are state residents.

Feldblum also stressed that federal privacy laws bar colleges and universities from unilaterally sharing the immigration status of a student absent the students consent or a compelling factor such as a subpoena. Right now, campuses are not sharing this information with anybody, Feldblum said. We have no obligation to do so.

Doggett aide: Claim mischaracterized

We filled in Mucchetti on our finding no federal law forbidding universities from checking a students residency status. We also shared the state-published overview for Texas affidavit students.

By email, Mucchetti suggested we were mischaracterizing the congressmans statement. Doggett did not say that any federal law prohibits or bars universities from checking status. He was saying that educational institutions are not required by federal law to check status  that like our public schools, public universities, in accord with federal law, do not check, Mucchetti wrote.

Our ruling

Doggett said: Our university campuses by federal law do not check the immigration status of their students.

We see an element of truth here in that colleges and universities, like public schools, dont act as immigration enforcement agents.

But we didnt spot nor did Doggett identify a federal law that bars or excuses universities from checking the immigration statuses of students. Meantime, a state law leads public Texas institutions to tally affidavit students, each of whom has declared a lack of legal U.S. residency. Also, each student-applicant to those colleges and universities must answer questions about citizenship and legal residency and agree to have information verified.

All told, we rate this statement Mostly False.

MOSTLY FALSE  The statement contains an element of truth but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

As the first chords of Tejano and conjunto boomed into the square at La Villita, Jose Zamarron and Maria Sosa were ready to dance their way into 2017, having made the trip from Albuquerque, New Mexico, for what Zamarron said was the biggest and best New Years Eve party around.

San Antonio all the way, the 53-year-old construction worker said with a celebratory sip of his beer. Were ready to go all night, and were just getting started.

Zamarron said hed had a good 2016 and hadnt pondered his new year wishes. My health mostly, he said. And Id hope wed have a better world.

With clear skies and temperatures in the mid 60s, city officials braced for turnout that would allow the city to keep its claim as host to the biggest free New Years Eve party in Texas, with a downtown crowd that would easily top 100,000 people. The 19th annual Celebrate San Antonio featured a roster of performers on three main stages, carnival games and rides, a cornucopia of food vendors as well as the all-important finale of fireworks to ring in the New Year.

We do it bigger and better here, said Amanda Gangawer, vice president of the San Antonio Parks Foundation, which puts on the event as a fundraiser. I think we have a really great sense of community. People like to gather at festivals, to get together and have a great time.

Performers included Pinata Protest, Carlton Zeus, Sunny Sauceda y Todo Esto and Ricardo Castillon La Diferencia, acts Gangawer said were aimed at appealing to multiple generations, including more tech-oriented millennials.

A little something for everybody, she said.

Earlier Saturday, the citys Doseum, a museum for children, put on a party for the younger set, complete with sparkling juices, a DJ and a New Years balloon drop at noon.

For Jose and Joann Chavez of Lubbock, the downtown celebration meant celebrating the first New Years Eve in the city theyd chosen to retire in style, not to mention warmth. The couple arrived early to stake out an ideal spot to watch the fireworks and were eager to load up on Mexican favorites like gorditas, fajitas and champurrado.

In Lubbock, its all Tex-Mex, Jose Chavez said. Here its the real deal.

Theyd planned to spend the night at the Emily Morgan hotel, eager to catch a glimpse of the ghosts said to hole up there.

The ghosts can come in and sit down with us, he joked. They can talk about New Years from the 1800s.

Churro-makers Miguel and David Adriansen, both Spanish teachers from Monterrey, Mexico, used their grandfathers churro maker to churn tubes of dough into a sputtering vat of frying oil, carrying on a celebratory food tradition their grandfather brought to Mexico from Valencia, Spain. They had enough dough to make about 500 churros, and thought they had a good chance of selling them all.

This is our way to share our culture, something on the side we do. My grandfather, my father, we do it just the same way, said Miguel Adriansen.

For vendors, the balmy weather promised bustling sales of everything from sugary treats to 2017 hats festooned with lights and sequins.

I was a little worried, but its turned out to be a beautiful night, said Jasmine Klein, a Dallas-based vendor spending her 15th New Years Eve in a booth piled with hats and giant sunglasses.

By 6:30 p.m., lines were beginning to form, and the years new features, blinking fedoras and ornate top hats, were selling briskly. Hopefully, I sell out by midnight, and then I can go join the party.

lbrezosky@express-news.net
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

While 2016 has become a meme and the butt of late-night television jokes, people around San Antonio generally agreed that theyre optimistic about the new year.

At a holiday party on the top floor of a Comerica Bank building on the North Side, about 30 people helped themselves to pizza and cheesecakes baked by a couple in matching red A Christmas Story themed T-shirts that read I triple dog dare you.

The mood was light and festive.

Guillermo Miller, 25, sat in an armchair away from the crowd, eating pizza. The financial adviser, easily one of the best dressed in a tweed suit with matching vest, considered the past 12 months.

2016 wasnt the first time a celebrity became president, Miller said, referencing Ronald Reagans presidency and referring to arguably the biggest news story of the year. For him, 2016 was another transition year, a time of personal growth. He switched jobs, volunteered with Big Brothers Big Sisters and started networking with other cybersecurity professionals. And he got braces.

Across the room, Omar Quimbaya had a different take.

This year I turned 30. I was told this is when the rest of your life begins, said Quimbaya, a self-described technology evangelist and the organizer of the CyberDEF Dojo, a meet-up group that hosted the party. If thats the case, this year sucks.

He said the negativity in the media, the presidential campaign and the deaths of many well-known figures led him to this conclusion.

But, there have been good things, too, he added. Its really easy to focus on negative stuff.

He may be right. According to researchers, its easier to recall negative emotions and instances than it is to remember positive happenings.

Quimbaya said the growing cybersecurity community in San Antonio was a positive of 2016 for him. Next year, he wants to turn his organization into a nonprofit and add more training opportunities for interested people.

One thing he hoped to leave behind in 2016? The assumption that we are safe, that our computers and devices are impenetrable from being hacked by outside forces. 2016 was at the very least good for that.

Im glad to say goodbye to that, Quimbaya said. What can we do better, or make more of an effort? Its all about moving forward and not being complacent.

Quilt-a-Beasts

The Monday meeting of the Quilt-a-Beasts had just begun, and already, three women were fast at work laying down batting on top of a checkered fabric for their latest quilt creation. In one corner of the room, a shelf was stacked with donated fabrics of all different colors and patterns. Next to it was an ironing board to flatten out pieces after sewing.

It takes about four hours to complete a quilt, and in 2016, the group made at least 333 of them to donate to the Childrens Shelter of San Antonio from its weekly meet-ups in a multipurpose room at the Villa de San Antonio retirement community on the Northwest Side.

Lani Nunley, 69, pulled out a copy of Quilt Sampler magazine and showed Janice Sterneckert, 75, a picture of a pattern made out of old ties. Sterneckert planned to tackle a variation of that design.

For Nunley, a retired teacher, 2016 had its share of challenges. She contracted double pneumonia while on vacation in France with her son and ended up being sick for about three months. She first thought she was just out of shape when she couldnt seem to catch her breath walking around.

I had a lot of ups and downs last year, she said. But without ups and downs, what do you got?

Nunley still teaches English as a second language and might embark on a trip with her grandson next year.

2M Smokehouse

Ten minutes before 2M Smokehouse officially opened, the line outside the barbecue restaurant on the Southeast Side already had at least 60 people.

People checked their phones and chatted with fellow barbecue enthusiasts to kill time before the doors opened. Tony Vedia, 50, grabbed his wife and kids and hit the road from Laredo on his day off, eager to try the new spot.

For Vedia, 2016 hasnt been bad.

His son graduated with a degree in biology from Texas A&M International University and is planning to go to medical school. Vedia thought the contentious presidential election took its toll on the country, and he hoped to see people come together in the new year.

Overall, Vedia was pleased with 2016.

That he and his family could travel 160 miles to San Antonio to enjoy some brisket on a Friday was a pretty good sign of that, he said.

frahman@express-news.net
MOSCOW  The diatribe against the Obama administration on prime-time television by a Russian Foreign Ministry official was hardly unusual in the long history of rocky relations between the United States and Russia.

The administration demonstrated the belief that the strongest has the right to create evil, Maria Zakharova, the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, said on the Christmas Day broadcast.

From Washingtons perspective, of course, it is the Kremlin that generally personifies evil, a point President Barack Obama made Thursday in punishing Russia for cyberattacks by directing new sanctions against Moscow and expelling 35 Russian diplomats.

The United States and friends and allies around the world must work together to oppose Russias efforts to undermine established international norms of behavior, Obama said in a statement announcing the measures.

The two statements appeared to be business as usual  each side representing enemy No. 1 for the other, as they have since World War II ended and the Cold War began.

By Friday that mood had been abruptly cast aside, however. President Vladimir Putin announced Russia would do nothing in response to the new U.S. measures, awaiting the next administration, prompting President-elect Donald Trump to call him very smart in a Twitter post.

With the sitting president calling Russia a national security threat and the incoming one praising Putin, many American voters, long accustomed to being suspicious about Russia, are understandably confused and uneasy. Russia was an enemy on Friday morning, and a friend by the afternoon.

We are in a whiplash moment right now, and I think it is unprecedented in several respects, said Cliff Kupchan, chairman of Eurasia Group, a political risk assessment firm in Washington, and a former State Department official from the Clinton administration. The most important one is that the baton is about to be passed from an administration with a very hard line on Russia to one that is very much more sympathetic.

No clear agreements or even offers are on the table yet, however, bringing uncertainty. Russias relations with the U.S. are currently up in the air  both sides have no clear strategy about how to move them forward, said Alexander Morozov, an independent Russian political analyst.

Until the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, and even for years afterward, matters were more black and white. A young U.S. diplomat stationed in Moscow named George F. Kennan established the parameters of the relationship for decades with a famous 1947 policy paper. The Soviet Union was bent on expansion, he wrote, so the main element of any U.S. policy had to be containment.

Thus began a long roller coaster ride for the two countries, full of periodic upswings as friends when detente was in vogue, inevitably followed by precipitous plummets as foes that left the world shuddering about the prospects of a nuclear Armageddon.

Tensions eased periodically, but it never seemed to last.

President Ronald Reagan, an implacable anti-Communist, surprised the world by reaching out to the man who turned out to be the last leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, to begin negotiations for far-reaching arms control agreements between the two sides.

After the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the Russian Federation that emerged entered into an extended period of decline and, inevitably, friendship with the United States as a kind of junior partner.

That junior aspect rankled, however, particular after Obama went from seeking to reset relations to dismissing Russia as a regional power.

The latest crisis began in 2014, with a revolution in Ukraine that Putin labeled a U.S. plot  he, as many Soviet leaders have, sees the hidden hand of Washington everywhere. Putin annexed Crimea and armed rebels in eastern Ukraine, prompting Western economic sanctions, which Trump has disparaged.

The last confrontation under the Obama administration between Moscow and Washington came to a head in the fall after U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that hacking by their Russian counterparts had breached national security, cracking open the computers of the Democratic National Committee to reveal emails that embarrassed Hillary Clintons presidential campaign. Trump initially encouraged the Kremlin to hack even more, breaking with all precedents, not least the Republican tradition of painting Russia as the evil empire, as Reagan called it.

Obama waited to react until last week, and it looked as if he might leave his successor a diplomatic tempest, until Putin, long the master of the unexpected stroke, defused it.

Trump suddenly gained room to maneuver.

Trumps spirit is already here, and already changing Russias policies, said Igor M. Bunin, director of the Center for Political Technologies, a Moscow research institute. This will be a great plus for future relations.

There are still potential pitfalls, however, not least that Congress does not share an affectionate view of Putin.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., plans to open hearings Thursday on Russias efforts to manipulate the presidential election. Much of the Republican establishment in Congress endorsed the new sanctions imposed against Russia, putting them at odds with Trump.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., was with McCain and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., last week to tour the Baltic states, which fear being the next target of the Russian military.

The Russian cyberattack, and the misinformation and propaganda  they have been living with this for decades, Klobuchar said in an interview.

U.S. voters have heard Trump praise Russia, and some in the far right have hailed Putin as a hero for espousing conservative values. Yet old instincts die hard.

I worry about what our relationship with other countries is going to be with a Trump presidency, if we buddy-buddy up to Russia and a leader who is not so democratic in nature, said Alexis Matter, 35, walking through a Denver shopping mall.

In Sandy Springs, Georgia, Chase Williams, 26, manager of a pet supply store, acknowledged that Russia had fallen off the radar in recent years. His fears now were less of the old Cold War over a nuclear weapons attack than a sense that Putin could outfox the U.S. administration.

When I say Russia scares me, its not because Im scared of them coming over here and doing something, Williams said. Im scared when I see a chess player playing checkers  and we are checkers.

Putin has made no secret of the fact that he would like to re-establish the consensus reached with the United States at the 1945 Yalta conference that carved the globe into spheres of influence.

Russia no longer has the might needed to assert its right to be a superpower, analysts say, but if nothing else, cyberattacks have underscored that you do not need nuclear weapons or a strong economy to assert global influence.

Some Russian analysts wonder what Putin can offer Trump. A former KGB agent, he tends to view the world order as a series of special operations, coming from a different arena than Trumps world of business deals. I dont think that Putin has a plan, said Gleb Pavlovsky, a political analyst and former media adviser to Putin. I think that he is stunned by the number of bonus points that he has gotten.

In Syria, President Bashar Assad is on the verge of reasserting control over much of the country, thanks largely to Putins intervention. Ukraine presents some problems, but has essentially boiled down into the kind of frozen conflict that Russia uses to destabilize independent-minded neighbors. And all of the attention on the cyberattacks made Putin look strong.

In those successes, analysts see fodder for Putin to offer Trump a manner of foreign policy victory that would give the U.S. leader something tangible to crow about at home in an arena where he lacks experience.

Russia, Iran and Turkey cut Washington out of the Syria negotiations, so Putin could bring the United States back in and forge a deal on fighting the Islamic State. Trump has stated that he wants to join forces with Russia in crushing the jihadis. Or the Kremlin could offer some sort of cyberspace deal.

I think that Putin is in a strong position, said Nicolai Petrov, a Russian political scientist. He looks strong in relation to the United States and he has freedom to maneuver, and he can do what he wants to demonstrate that the United States should recognize that Russia is not a regional power but a great power that should be taken into account.

So, for the moment, Putin appears a potential friend to Trump.

Few expect it to last, however. First of all, Trump is unpredictable. And fundamentally, the two countries are destined to be at odds, because they view the world through different lenses.

Russian policy in recent years has been trying to sow doubt and undermine public faith in Western governments. The Kremlin has relied on a variety of levers  disinformation campaigns, buying influence, cyberattacks  which many analysts expect to show up in crucial elections in the coming year in France and Germany.

They are trying to create more of a level playing field not by raising Russia up, but through a declining West, Kupchan said. I dont think Putin is out to make America great again.

______

Reporting was contributed by Ivan Nechepurenko and Andrew E. Kramer from Moscow; Alan Blinder from Sandy Springs, Georgia; Julie Turkewitz from Denver; and Noah Weiland from Washington.
International Trade Secretary Liam Fox has stressed the United Kingdom's commitment to a free trade policy in a speech to the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

A number of farming leaders in the United Kingdom have expressed their fear about the prospect of unrestricted imports of foreign food as a result of post-Brexit trade deals.

But in his recent address to the WTO, Dr Fox said international trade is the 'lifeblood' of the British economy, the 'driver of prosperity', and that commerce is part of the 'UK's national DNA.'

Dr Fox told trade envoys during a meeting in Geneva: "The UK will work towards the reduction and ultimate elimination of trade barriers wherever they are found."

He said: "Britain is open for business as never before. It is our ambition to be the beating heart of global trade; the worlds natural business partner."

His speech came just three days after the first meeting of a bilateral trade working group set up to explore a free trade agreement between the UK and Australia. This inaugural meeting took place between the UK's International Trade Minister, Lord Price, and Australias Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Steven Ciobo, in Canberra.

Following the meeting, the two Ministers issued a joint statement, which read: "We want the working group to advance an agenda that will ensure the expeditious transition to FTA negotiations when the UK has formally completed its negotiations to exit the EU."

'Seriously alarmed'

The National Sheep Association, particularly, has raised concerns about any such free trade deal with Australia.

Chief executive Phil Stocker said he was seriously alarmed at the possibility of a completely free trade deal with a country that was a global sheep meat exporter. He said it could be catastrophic for British sheep farmers.

The UK sheep sector is already suffering unacceptably high levels of imports of New Zealand lamb, much of which is sourced by retailers at times of the year when UK product is in plentiful supply. We would be keen to see an outcome of Brexit being tighter controls on New Zealand lamb being allowed into this country, and we certainly need to avoid making the situation worse by allowing Australian product to head our way too, he said.

However, during a speech to the Australian-British Chamber of Commerce in Sydney, Lord Hill said: "As protectionist sentiment continues to spread around the world, I want the UK to be the most fervent champion of global free trade."

He said it was vital that the trading relationship between the UK and Australia was strengthened. "We are both instinctively free traders and our future success will be determined by how much we work together to champion this natural instinct."

'British farming standards must be protected'

National Farmers Union (NFU) president Meurig Raymond has said that British farming standards must be protected, and NFU vice president Guy Smith told farmers at a meeting in Cheshire that the Government should avoid embarking on a reckless cheap imports policy.

The National Pig Association (NPA) has warned about the threat of low standard foreign pork, and Mark Williams, chief executive of the British Egg Industry Council, has said that British producers would be unable to compete with lower welfare and lower standard egg products if they were allowed free access to the United Kingdom market.

During the Egg and Poultry Industry Conference (EPIC) in Wales recently, Farming Minister George Eustice insisted that the Government wanted the UK to be a leader on animal health and welfare.

"I would like us to pioneer new policies, new ways of working to create a policy that is the envy of the world. I want us to get to a place where, a decade from now, the rest of the world will want to emulate the policies that we put in place," he said.

However, his message seemed to be one of persuading other countries to follow the UK's high welfare model rather than protecting British farmers.

"I want to make clear to you as well that I recognise the limits of regulation. If you want, as we do, to encourage open markets and to recognise that we want to trade around the world we've also got to recognise that some countries have lower standards of animal welfare and animal health than we do in the UK.

"But for me that's not a reason to place animal welfare at the heart of our policy when it comes to livestock. I believe that we can incentivise the right types of system that will enhance animal welfare as part of a new architecture of agricultural policy."

He continued: "I want to make clear in terms of trade that this Government has a manifesto commitment to reflect animal welfare in trade negotiations and I am mindful that if we want to open free trade agreements with other parts of the world, including say the US, we have got to recognise the fact that they have got lower standards of animal welfare and we should be using those negotiations as an opportunity to drive up standards elsewhere in the world."

Commitment to free trade

Liam Fox made his commitment to free trade clear during his recent WTO speech.

"The UK will work towards the reduction and ultimate elimination of trade barriers wherever they are found, countering the threat of protectionism for the benefit of the global economy. We know that trade is a moral mission, its benefits measured in human as well as economic terms," Dr Fox said.

"Trade is the greatest emancipator of the worlds poor yet, without these freedoms from damaging barriers and protectionist behaviour, it cannot raise them from poverty.

"Unless we remove damaging restrictions, trade cannot act as a great social leveller, allowing people across the world to buy the best goods at the lowest price."

It is not yet known what the United Kingdom's relationship with the European Union will be once it withdraws from the bloc.

The NFU was among 75 food and farming organisations to sign an open letter to the Prime Minister recently calling for the greatest possible access to the EU single market following Brexit.

Liam Fox is believed to favour the UK leaving the single market.
The decomposing carcasses of up to 20 illegally butchered sheep have been found dumped at a beauty spot in Wales.

Police say illegal butchering and theft were likely to blame for the dumping of sheep body parts at the Dwyryd estuary, near Maentwrog, Gwynedd.

The shocking image shows some of the remains in black bin bags and others left in the open air. The North Wales rural police team appealed for help to find the offenders after the incident came to light on Thursday (29 December).

Police say the animals ears tags were also removed, making it difficult to trace the owner.

They tweeted: Up to 20 sheep fleeces and body parts dumped at the Dwyryd Estuary, near Maentwrog. Illegal butchering and likely theft.

We need to know whose responsible. Ear tags removed to avoid detection. Lets catch the offender together #someonemustknow.

The slaughter of animals - whether or not for human consumption - is governed by strict rules.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call police on 101.
Warrenton, VA (20186)

Today

Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Expect mist and reduced visibilities at times. High 73F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will become overcast later during the night. Low 56F. Winds light and variable.
Where to eat and drink in the Fayetteville area this weekend
Recommended Video

Singham 3: Ajay Devgn back With Action Hero Biju's Remake says Rohit Shetty | FilmiBeat

We have said good bye to the year 2016, a year that was indeed a good one for Mollywood. Now, we have stepped in to the new year and expectations are sky high, as far as Malayalam film industry is concerned.

The year 2016 did end on a disappointing note with no big Malayalam films hitting the theatres but, the industry is set to begin 2017 on a promising note.

Reportedly, Dr Biju's directorial venture Kaadu Pookkunna Neram would be the first Malayalam film to hit the theatres in 2017.

According to the latest reports, the film would be hitting the theatres on Jan 6, 2016. It has to be noted that the film strike hasn't been called off yet and if reports are to be believed, the movie will be released in those theatres which are willing to screen new films.

The film, that features Indrajith and Rima Kallingal in the lead roles, has won great reviews from the various festivals in which the movie was screened. Now, it is a perfect way to start the year, with such a critically acclaimed movie.

Meanwhile, the entire industry is also looking forward for the release of movies like Ezra, Jomonte Suvisheshangal, Munthirivallikal Thalirkkumbol, Fukri etc, which were earlier scheduled as a Christmas release.
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - At least 39 clubgoers were killed and nearly 70 were hospitalized after an unknown attacker entered the Reina nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey early Sunday and started shooting. Officials reportedly said at least 15 foreigners were killed, including citizens from Israel, Belgium, Lebanon, Jordan, France, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia. The attacker left his gun before 'taking advantage of the chaos' and fleeing the scene, Turkey's Prime Minister, Binali Yildirim reportedly said. Binali Yildirim reportedly confirmed the gunman was not dressed as Santa Claus, contradicting earlier reports. Despite no group yet claiming responsibility, Turkish authorities quickly characterized the attack as the work of terrorists. 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.
During the last months of 2015 and the start of 2016  which is often when most music festivals take place in India  we started seeing an interesting choice of somewhat unlikely bands coming down to the country for debut shows. That included the soaring, cinematic instrumental rock and post-rock by bands such as Mogwai (NH7 Weekender), Explosions in the Sky (Johnnie Walker  The Journey) and 65daysofstatic (Indie March).

By the time we got to this years festival season, Indias independent music supporters and fans hungry for international bands to visit got to watch the likes of Steven Wilson, Jeff Loomis and the Aristocrats. Theyve all (more or less) have been recognised widely for making progressive rock and metal music. Come January, theres already Swedish prog rock/metal band Katatonia headlining the annual rock show of IIT Madrass festival Saarang, on January 7, while another college festival, IISc Bengalurus Pravega, is bringing down American prog metal band Intronaut. Both bands, interestingly, are playing their second time in India.

But this isnt just about college kids passing down their prog music to juniors to keep a sort of unofficial festival choice in check because even the topline music festivals and now, club venues are beginning to trust prog as the most dependable subgenre of rock and metal.

Probably part of its biggest allure is the listenership it has. As you can guess by online communities called Prog Snob, fans of progressive rock and metal usually like to think highly of themselves, justifying it by the fact that progressive music revels in complex structures, odd time signatures, morphing vocals for emotional intensity. But in interviews with tour promoters and booking agents, its evident that one of the main reasons anyone would book a prog band is for this  it attracts a (perhaps self-perceived) intelligent crowd that cares very much about music. And, if the taste is more refined, its likely that the inclination to save up or just instantly spend on albums or tickets to a show with conviction is higher.

Even knowing the Indian norm of announcing artists just a month or few weeks in advance of the show  when most European and American tours and festival lineups are announced many more months in advance  fans made sure shows for the Aristocrats India tour in September were sold out in three days. There was a packed house awaiting Jeff Loomis (famed for his work with Nevermore, and now a part of melodic-death metal band Arch Enemy) at Bengalurus Blue Frog, among the highest tickets sold on his four-city tour.

And its not just the international names in prog that gets everyone excited. One of the countrys biggest metal exports right now are prog metal band Skyharbor, who played to a huge crowd, not just at NH7 Weekender in Pune, but also at indoor venues across Kolkata, Kochi, Bengaluru, New Delhi and Mumbai. Their co-headliners, instrumental/prog band Pangea from Mumbai, have an equally formidable following, for their spellbinding live performances and for that, they too play to full houses wherever they go. With full-length releases planned by both bands in 2017, its certain that there will be many more fans accrued.

Bands such as Mumbais Coshish and Bengalurus Rainburn teamed up for an entirely different edition of their now annual showcase of progressive rock and metal, called Progworks, which enters its third edition this year, and there certainly wont be any dearth of talent to pick from. Some of the most promising indie artists coming up are in the prog space  from Pune acts like Celestial Teapot and Cat Kamikazee, instrumental band Circle of Fifths from Mumbai and Bengalurus Traces and Orchid.

In addition to Progworks, Mumbai promoter and gig organiser Aftab Khan, who has picked Cat Kamikazee to represent the prog side of things at his just-launched gig series Generation Why, says hell actively look at including at least one prog band at each edition.

With the first month scheduled to include stops by Katatonia and Intronaut, theres already more in store. The Aristocrats guitarist Guthrie Govan will bring his jazzy/neo-prog solo material on an India tour in February, and from what weve gathered, American prog godfather Devin Townsend had to turn down an offer to play at Weekender, so hes still in high demand. More recently, prog giants Dream Theater put up news that their upcoming tour was extending to Asia, to somewhat strengthen rumours of an India show in June. One things for sure, the future looks proggy.
BHUBANESWAR, India The death toll in a coal mine collapse in Jharkhand rose to 16 on Saturday and could rise further, officials said, as some people are still feared trapped at a coalfield run by state-owned Coal India Limited.The accident occurred on Thursday evening at the Lalmatia mine, one of the country's largest, which is owned by Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL)."At night (on Friday), the rescue operation was slow due to fog," R.R. Amitabh, a senior officer at ECL, told Reuters, adding that about 30 percent of the collapsed mine waste had been removed.Coal India has a poor safety record, with 135 accidents reported last year, killing 37 people and injuring 141, the company said in a report.

Operations at the mine in Godda district, about 280 km (175 miles) from the state capital, Ranchi, have since been stopped, Amitabh said.The state police spokesman R.K. Mullick said the number of people still trapped may be less than the nearly two dozen assumed earlier, based on the number of families who were searching for their kin.

The mine has an annual capacity of 17 million tonnes and accounts for about half of ECL's coal production. Last month, ECL accounted for about 9 percent of Coal India's total production of 50 million tonnes.

The federal coal ministry has ordered an investigation and announced some cash compensation to the families of miners who died in the accident. (Reporting by Jatindra Dash; Writing by Malini Menon; Editing by Mike Collett-White)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By John Davison

| BEIRUT

BEIRUT The United Nations Security Council on Saturday welcomed a ceasefire in the Syrian civil war, but rebel groups threatened to abandon the two-day-old truce if violations persisted.A resolution welcoming the ceasefire, the third truce this year seeking to end nearly six years of war, was adopted unanimously by the 15-member Council, meeting in New York.The deal, brokered by Russia and Turkey, which back opposing sides, reduced violence, but firefights, air strikes and shelling went on in some areas.A twin suicide bombing killed at least two people in the Syrian coastal city of Tartous in an area under government control and in President Bashar al-Assad's coastal heartland shortly after midnight on Sunday, state media and monitors reported.The attack killed at least two security officers and wounded several other people when two suicide bombers blew themselves up after being stopped, Syrian state media reported, in the first targeting of the area for several months.Factions belonging to the Free Syrian Army (FSA) - a loose alliance of militias excluding more radical Islamist groups - said government forces and Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah fighters had been trying to push rebels back in the Wadi Barada valley, northwest of Damascus."Continued violations by the regime and bombardment and attempts to attack areas under the control of the revolutionary factions will make the agreement null and void," said a statement from the rebel groups.The rebels and political opposition said the government side was massing forces to launch a ground attack in the area. There has been no new announcement by the military since it launched operations in the area last week.FSA factions said in a separate statement that they would abandon the truce deal if Russia, whose air power has helped President Bashar al-Assad to turn the tide of the war, did not use its influence to halt the Wadi Barada attacks by 8 p.m. (1800 GMT).

Later, two rebel officials said air raids around Wadi Barada had stopped just before 8 p.m. and that the ceasefire therefore still held, although clashes in the area were continuing.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group confirmed that there had been fighting in the area, source of most of the capital's water, and said there had also been government shelling in the southern provinces of Quneitra and Deraa.PUTIN-ROUHANI CALL

Russia's Defence Ministry said on Friday that rebels had violated the truce 12 times in 24 hours. Much of Friday's violence took place along the border between Hama and Idlib provinces in northwest Syria.Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani agreed in a telephone call on Saturday to work together to try to end the Syria crisis and make a success of peace talks planned for the Kazakh capital Astana, the Kremlin said in a statement.The British-based Observatory said the level of fighting had fallen on Saturday, and the truce was not currently at risk, although one rebel official said it was "in serious danger".In their statement, the FSA factions said it appeared the government and opposition had signed two different versions of the ceasefire deal, one of which was missing "a number of key and essential points that are non-negotiable", but did not say what those were.The ceasefire deal is the first not to involve the United States or the United Nations.

The Security Council welcomed the truce despite being urged by the FSA factions not to endorse the deal until the Syrian government and Russia had shown they would respect it.The resolution also welcomed plans for the talks in Kazakhstan before a resumption of U.N.-brokered talks in Geneva in February.The war has killed more than 300,000 people and made more than 11 million homeless. Even with a successful truce between Assad and the main armed opposition, the multi-sided conflict will continue.In particular, Turkey is trying to push back Kurdish forces and the jihadist Islamic State, both excluded from the deal, from areas south of its border.The position of other Islamist groups such as Jabhat Fateh al-Sham and Ahrar al-Sham with respect to the ceasefire is unclear; both have criticised it. (Reporting by John Davison and Bozorgmehr Sharafedin in Beirut, Polina Devitt in Moscow, Yeganeh Torbati in Washington and Michelle Nichols in New York; Editing by Kevin Liffey, Adrian Croft and Diane Craft)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's thanksgiving speech was expected to hit the populist note. It did. His address to the nation on completion of 50 days of demonetisation on New Year's Eve lacked the zing though. Disappointment was in store for people who expected him to reveal impressive numbers to justify what he has put the country through. What he offered instead was a whole of motherhood statements, full of noble intent but finally neither here nor there.

On 8 November, the day the prime minister startled the country with the announcement of demonetisation, the mood at the queues outside ATMs was one of happy anticipation. People resented the inconvenience but were willing to back Modi. The perception was that the nations big war on black money, terrorists, counterfeiters and whatnot had begun. It cannot but have a happy ending. On 31 December, after Modi made his speech, the popular mood was sombre and confusion. Nobody seemed sure what exactly had changed in the country.

It was, as the prime minister would have it, a purification drive but who had to give the test of purity? Theres no global precedent of what India has done, Modi said, adding, people have redefined the concept of sacrifice. Yes, both are true. Last month, Venezuela had to postpone its move to make illegal high-value notes after widespread protests, rioting and looting. The Indian citizens displayed patience, a great deal of it. The last 50 days have passed off with no major incident of violence or protest. People have made sacrifices indeed, but to what end?

There are different ways to read peoples patience. It could be interpreted as cooperation or as an expression of the sense of resignation. Did people have an option but to stand in depressingly long queues in any case? What the government believes to be willing cooperation could actually be a forced one. So before launching into the self-congratulation overdrive in the New Year, it would be well advised to be careful.

The prime minister said demonetisation had dealt a serious blow to black money, terror financing and tax evasion. In the absence of hard proof, theres no way to dispute or accept the claim easily. One would still give the prime minister of the doubt. After all, such a massive move could not be without its small benefits. But one would advise him to ensure that next time he undertakes such a measure, he must consider the match or mismatch between the scale of his action and the intended benefits from it. Surgical strikes should not feel like carpet-bombing.

Modi has a penchant for the dramatic. It shows through in his big-ticket actions and the speeches that he makes.

Nothing wrong with it, but what is dramatic may not be effective always. Stunning people through loud measures might work for some time and create the illusion of activity and the movement forward but in the long run, the measures have to show in clear results. What is sorely lacking so far in Modis regime are results that can be felt. Despite the huge noise about economy and development, nothing has changed substantially in the country from the UPA II days. He still enjoys immense popular goodwill but theres the risk of it draining out.

And speeches alone wont help his cause. He is a gifted orator alright but he might have used the gift far too often. After Saturdays speech, there was a feeling that either the prime minister is tiring of making speeches or people in general are tiring of hearing him speak. He has said the same things far too often. The novelty factor in his speeches is wearing off too. In 2017, he should be more economical with words and more expressive in terms of results.

This, however, is not to raise questions on the abilities of the prime minister to deliver. He is still the best bet for a country looking for transformative reforms. He is still the best among leaders available in the country. But that should not give him the delusion of infallibility. Demonetisation is a lesson. He should study it with extreme seriousness.
Travel+Leisures 2014 travel checklist included Uruguay, Warsaw, Iceland, the Pangulasian islands in the Philippines, and Rio de Janeiro. In 2015, National Geographic had Corsica, Medellin in Colombia, Haida Gwaii off the coast of British Columbia, Taiwan, and the Faroe islands on their list. In their must-travel lineup for 2016, Travel+Leisure listed Panama, Guadalajara in Mexico, Lille, Hangzhou, and even Iran. The menu for 2017 is already up: Lonely Planet has Canada, Bordeaux, and Choquequirao in Peru as their top destinations.

Most of us will try and visit a few of the places that these travel bibles throw at us. Some lucky ones may even cover most listed places. A few among us  the brave, hedonistic ones  will decide to leave our normal lives behind and embark on that life-changing (or life-defining at the very least) trip sometime in 2017. Many others will dismiss these lists completely, and travel to places theyve always wanted to; I know my own travel wishlist for next year includes places not on these lists: the root bridges of Meghalaya and the music festivals of Nagaland, travelling back to Kyoto and Osaka during the cherry blossom season and exploring more of Japan, snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef before theres nothing left of it, Bhutan etc. The list goes on, as Im sure it does for almost anyone who thinks about such things.

But theres something else going on: in the midst of travel wishlists and bucket-lists compiled by every publication ranking exotic, faraway and sometimes unattainable places on their glossy covers, their somehow-even-glossier web pages, and their impeccably alluring and wanderlusty videos, theres another place thats gathering momentum. Its someplace far away, further than any of us have ever been; were not even going to get there in 2017 (or for another decade), and most of us may have to wait our lifetimes to travel there, if at all. Wanna know what were thinking? Our prediction for the most interesting place in 2017 has less to do with earthly exoticism and everything to do with space exploration that has captured our collective imaginations, and will continue to do so for many years, nay decades, to come. Specifically, were talking about Mars (yes, that whole other planet). Sure, a trip there isnt possible right away, but thats just what makes it even more interesting!

Were at an important juncture in human history: for the first time in half a century, space exploration has become part of common culture. In the late-1950s and through the 1960s, with the US and the erstwhile USSR vying to be the top guy with regard to spaceflight capability, space exploration was on everyones minds. Reading about the original space race makes its all-consuming nature and the impact it had on technology (ie, artificial communications and weather satellites, unmanned space probes, the creation of Nasa, continuing human space presence on the International Space Station etc.) abundantly clear. But, lets face it, our generation was never going to be as enamoured by a man landing on the moon as Kevin Arnolds was (unfortunately, our generation has probably spawned more conspiracy theorists debunking the moon landing; ugh... laser beams bouncing off the retroreflector arrays left on the moon by Apollo 11 are not a hoax, people!).

Our generations legacy is considerably different than what might have been envisioned for us. But over the past few years, a pattern has developed: the big 3 (US, China, Russia) have been launching over 20 spacecrafts for various lunar and other missions, each year. Elon Musk (through SpaceX) has stated his desire to visit Mars, colonise it, and make humans multi-planetary beings; even India has jumped on board with Mangalyaans launch into Mars orbit on its first attempt at a record low cost of approximately $74 million. All in all, it seems like the phrase space race can now be re-used to refer to our growing interest in space exploration (Mars, other planets, asteroids etc.), given the increasing coverage it has been receiving from popular media (and rightly so!), and the genuine excitement it has created in the hearts and minds of even the most partially-interested-in-it humans. And, sorry moon, but Mars has everything to do with it!

Lets consider our Mars-in-popular-culture timeline: in 2014, we had the heady post-launch glory of Mangalyaans successful entry into Mars orbit (the pictures keep coming in, along with a few other scientific results). 2015 gave us The Martian  that wholly believable story about an astronaut who gets mistaken for dead and left behind on Mars (Matt Damons successful efforts in his struggle to survive on Mars are what Elon Musks dreams must be made of!). This came just a few days after Nasas discovery of water on the red planet. In December 2015, we cheered on as SpaceXs Falcon 9 rocket landed upright on solid ground in Cape Canaveral, after it had travelled deeper and higher into space (than anything before) and back. This was also the point when multi-billionaires duking it out on Twitter became a thing, courtesy Musk and Jeff Bezos (to be fair, although Bezos privately owned spaceflight company Blue Origin had also successfully landed its flight New Shepard back on earth, it didnt go anywhere as far as Falcon 9 did). As Musk would say, suborbital = space.

In 2016, our Mars aspirations went from theory-that-nerds-at-Nasa-are-working-on to something attainable during our lifetime  Elon Musk, speaking at the International Astronautical Federations annual gathering, laid bare his soul and his plans to colonize Mars and making humanity a multi-planetary species with SpaceXs Interplanetary Transport System. Mars was now beginning to seem like a tangible truth, an inevitable next pit stop in humanitys quest to explore and understand the final frontier  space.

Our cultural obsession with Mars has been ongoing for centuries, from the ancient Mesopotamians to the ancient Greeks (the warrior god Ares who became Mars), through the Middle Ages and Renaissance (when Mars became a metaphysical symbol, as in Dantes Divine Comedy) to the last two centuries when, despite scientific proof to the contrary, life on Mars continued to fascinate sci-fi and fantasy writers (in novels such as HG Wells War of the Worlds, CS Lewis Out of the Silent Planet, Ray Bradburys The Martian Chronicles; sitcoms such as My Favourite Martian about a sarcastic secret visitor from Mars; and films such as Total Recall).

As of 2016, this cultural obsession has only kept increasing  whether its a celebrity like Leonardo DiCaprio signing up for the first experimental trip to Mars or National Geographics new six-episode docuseries MARS. The difference, as seen in The Martian and MARS, is that these, while still science fiction, are now based on real scientific knowledge about Mars environment, and technology that Nasa is developing for a planned mission to Mars. Thats not surprising, considering Dr Jim Green, whos Nasas Director of Planetary Science (if its not the Earth, its mine - his words, not ours) was a consultant for The Martian.

A lot is said about President John F Kennedys historic speech, in 1961, before a joint session of Congress that literally set the United States on a course to the moon. Just over eight years later, man landed on the moon. Many believe that were much closer today to being able to send humans to Mars than we were to sending them to the moon back in 1961. If thats true (Elon Musk surely seems to believe it; he even has a name for the first ship to go to Mars  Heart of Gold, as a tribute to Douglas Adams made-up ship powered by an infinite improbability drive, from The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy  nice touch, that one!), we might have humans on Mars sometime in the 2020s.

Even if colonising takes longer, we might be lucky enough to see humans become a truly multi-planetary species. Its a goosebump-worthy thought, an idea thats long been in the making and in the minds of sci-fi-loving-humans, but only recently thought attainable. If the whole thing is a success, in terms of human (and animal) safety and bringing down the price point for a Mars journey, how would it change human behaviour? Would we start saving for a trip to Mars instead of that long-planned round the world (RTW) trip? How would everyman communication between the planets work? A few elections down the line, if a candidate worse than Donald Trump becomes President, would the liberal refrain be Im migrating to Mars instead of Im migrating to Canada? What impact would it have on science fiction? Which will be the next planet (or solar system) on our minds?

The questions are many. With some answers, sure. But more than anything else, Mars has allowed us to dream big again. Unlike Kennedys moonshot speech in 1961, Musks speech this year wasnt just wishful. The timeline for space travel in 2017 looks insanely exciting: in January 2017, well hopefully see SpaceXs Falcon 9 return to work (at the core of the companys business, Falcon 9 apparently has about 70 missions on its launch manifest, worth more than $10 billion in total). Sometime in early 2017, SpaceX looks ready to refly one of its already-flown boosters (and since the plan to colonise Mars and making human life multi-planetary relies so heavily on reusability, preparing a Falcon 9 first stage for a second flight is a pretty darn big deal!). By mid-2017, the Falcon Heavy (a near mythical rocket, it consists of three Falcon 9 cores, thereby making it the most potent booster on the planet) should launch. With the Falcon Heavys high capacity (54 metric tons) and super low pricing ($90 million), NASA will have some explaining to do about its $2 billion per flight Space Launch System (capacity 70 ton) as well its claims to put humans on Mars much later than SpaceX (in 2032). In November 2017, well hopefully see the scheduled uncrewed demonstration missions from both SpaceX and Boeing, followed by a 14-day crewed test flight to space. If these go well, in mid-2018, well see both companies operating their first commercial flights whisking people off into space and back!

And thats the great thing about space exploration the way its poised in 2017: its not only SpaceX  the race to Mars has several contenders (Nasa, Boeing, Blue Origin, among others). History will most likely be made soon, not just for space exploration and technology, but for humanity as a whole.

In 2017, we can only wait for the pioneers to do their job well. But while we wait, maybe well watch those sci-fi sitcoms and movies, and maybe well read those sci-fi novels. Well celebrate the various SpaceX and other landings with childlike glee, on Twitter and elsewhere. Well smile as a generation of youngsters will choose to be astrophysicists instead of developing another pointless app about curated gifts/homestays etc. Maybe well look up from our Instagram screens and go get a telescope, spend our nights looking up at the night-sky instead of at celebrity posts. But most importantly, maybe well become more curious and wondrous about the world, and about things we dont know or understand. Maybe well be, in Ray Bradburys words, children again.

It is good to renew ones wonder, said the philosopher. Space travel has again made children of us all - Ray Bradbury
What is the importance of performance when it comes to assessing a leader's popularity? Logic would suggest to us that a leader who is able to bring prosperity to his people would be popular. It would seem to be the single most important asset in democratic policies. And so parties that are in power when the country or state goes through a period of high economic growth are able to return to power.

That is one reason, according to experts, that many Indian leaders of the last two decades have been able to overturn the factor called anti-incumbency. Such chief ministers as Naveena Patnaik in Orissa, Nitish Kumar in Bihar, Shivraj Chouhan in Madhya Pradesh and Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal come to mind. They have been in charge and in power through a time when their states grew relatively quickly.

This helped them overturn the incumbency burden that was thought to be a powerful political factor and kept returning them to power. The converse of this logic is that leaders who are unable to deliver performance, particularly on the economy, are punished. Voters expect that their leader bring about some transformation in their lives in terms of increased prosperity.

The problem with this theory is that there is no data that supports it. The Congress was in power for a decade during the period of India's highest economic growth historically between 2004 and 2014. But it got absolutely clobbered in the elections and sank to its lowest ever Lok Sabha total.

One could say that other things affected that election. The two obvious factors being the stigma of corruption over Manmohan Singh's government and the presence of Narendra Modi and his aggressive campaign. So perhaps we can see the 2014 election as an exception or an outlier.

Unfortunately, the data from before that is even sketchier. The second highest period of growth in recent times was achieved under Atal Behari Vajpayee in the five years up to 2004. He was so confident of victory that his campaign was launched on the back of an advertising blitz called 'India Shining'. Of course Vajpayee also lost, for reasons nobody really understood. The speculation was that the Bharatiya Janata Party's confidence that they had made India prosperous economically was not borne out by reality. And so if he had actually delivered performance then would he have won?

I would say no. The decades before that show us that economic performance is not a necessary condition for electoral victory on the subcontinent. Through the 1950s and 1960s, the Congress delivered shoddy economy performance if one is referring to growth in gross domestic product. The term 'Hindu rate of growth', meaning about 3% growth or less annually, refers to that period. However, the Congress won great electoral victories in that time.

Very little of what we would call good governance today was either visible or discussed in that time. Are we a totally different people today than we were in the 1960s? I would say no. Nations, particularly those that are as ancient as India, cannot change so dramatically. And so it is very unlikely that it is mostly economic performance above all that we reward in elections. There is no evidence for that.

The reason we are discussing this is how the current crisis of demonetisation will affect the chances of Narendra Modi's party in 2017. The BJP has a big election coming up in Uttar Pradesh and also smaller ones in Punjab and Goa and then in Gujarat. The party's opponents are hoping that the indifferent performance of the economy under Modi and the disaster of demonetisation will likely bring defeat down on Modi.

I don't think it's so simple. Charisma, credibility and the narrative are still on Modi's side. It will require a lot of work for the opposition to be able to convert the disaffection of some voters into anger. It must not be expected that the thing will fall into their lap even if the demonetisation effect continues into February. Even if we expect that the economy will be hit and GDP is lowered for a few quarters by the reckless demonetisation, this will itself not be sufficient to dislodge Modi's popularity.

Just as Nehru and his daughter Indira held onto their voters in India, and just as ZA Bhutto and his daughter Benazir held onto their voters in Pakistan, despite no real delivery of economic performance, we should expect that Modi will retain his hold. It should not surprise us, therefore, if the BJP continues its successes in 2017.
So the year of shocks has gone by. Good riddance, you might think. Old shockers should be forgot, and never brought to mind. But hold on a second. Theres good reason to study those shockers of 2016 closely, and learn lessons about what lies ahead.

For one thing, even before 2017 kicks in, the Cold War enemies are rattling sabres. Thats Russia and US, which have the two most sophisticated military machines the world has ever seen  shock and awe face-to-face. That sabre-rattling wont actually go all the way. Nor will Israel, which has just told the US and the UN to go take a flying leap. But the ceasefire in Syria has given Islamic State a breather, and its chief, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, remains in hiding notwithstanding reports a few weeks ago that he was near a dead-end.

Thats not all. Believe it or not, the fact that Islamic State is alive  even if not quite kicking for the moment  is being cited as reason to give the Taliban unprecedented and heavyweight international support against the government in Afghanistan  Russia, China, Pakistan, even Iran, are together engaging with the Taliban.

Now that definitely seems to be happening. And if theres one country for which that line-up behind the Taliban is particularly bad news, its India.

New global line-up

Ironically, it was at the Brics summit at Goa in October that it became clear that Russia and China have become strategic allies for the first time since China tested a nuclear device in 1964. That test led Russias Asian strategy to lurch towards India; it paved the way for the wide-ranging Indo-Soviet Treaty in 1972.

Half a century on, not only has that process been reversed, Russia and China are jointly backing Pakistans interests in the region  and even Iran seems to be part of that new deal.

I havent even mentioned the T word yet. Yes, Donald Trump will formally take over power in three weeks. That might align the US, even if covertly, with Russia. The question is, would that make it more favourably disposed to the Sino-Pak axis?

Yes, its time we realised that were no longer dealing with Pakistan but with a Sino-Pak axis. From Balochistan to surgical strikes, Beijing is likely to view every action against Pakistan as an affront to its interests.

One of its major economic and political interests in 2017 will be the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which passes squarely through Jammu and Kashmir. Any unrest in the Valley will directly impinge on China-India relations.

It might be more sensible to see that in reverse: unrest in Kashmir could stem from worsening China-India relations.

Serial shocker

If one takes a long view, the recent past has brought to the surface some of the most lasting, unstable and peace-threatening fault-lines in the worlds history  Russia against Turkey against Syria against Iran.

In the process of the reopening of those fault-lines, 2016 became a tumbling serial shocker. The near-coup in Turkey became an opportunity for President Erdogan to squash his opponents. The multiple wars in Syria took a turn for the worse, as Russia risked a direct confrontation with Turkey.

So shock-filled was the year that most observers did not adequately acknowledge that the Cold War was not only back, but perhaps more dangerously so than at any time since the Cuban missile crisis 55 years ago. Sanctions have only consolidated Russias President Putin domestically, and he is not backing down to anyone. For the first time ever, Russia has been openly accused of influencing the outcome of a US election  and there isnt even a backlash of public opinion.

As if all that wasnt enough, 2016 also brought Brexit, and more xenophobia and instability in Europe.

Trouble at home

In India, 2016 began with the Pathankot attack. That was not only a shocker in itself, the way it was handled would have seemed comic if it had not so badly compromised national security. And to top it all, a Pakistani team came, examined the place and evidence, and went back to announce that it was an Indian inside job.

In the last couple of months of the year, India was shaken up even more by a monetary shocker. As 2017 comes in, normal economic activity, particularly in the small-scale sectors of the economy, shows no sign of recovering from the governments shock decision to demonetize high value currency notes.

At the fag end of the year came news of the first-ever joint military exercises by China and Nepal, provocatively named pratikar  meaning defiance. That is part of a pattern. Just before the BRICS summit in October, China had announced huge investments in Bangladesh  estimated at a whopping 24 billion US dollars.

One wishes of course for a happy new year. But, once the revelry is over, the impact of these various shocks on how things will pan out in 2017 and beyond need to be very carefully assessed.

Meanwhile, lets gird ourselves for a challenging year. May we crest every wave that even the most turbulent year can throw up.
An electoral earthquake hit the US on 9 November, 2016. As the news of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump sweeping the elections became clear, the disbelief on the faces of news anchors was hard to ignore. None of the mainstream pollsters predicted his "yuge" victory. It was the first time since 1964, when hot favourite Barry Goldwater lost to Lyndon B Johnson, that the media got it totally wrong. While electoral surprises are seen often in India, it is a rarity in the US  thanks to the bi-party system.

The prospect of a Donald Trump presidency  The man had said that he would ban Muslims from America, among many other controversial statements  spooked many across the world. However, going by Trump's on-record statements on global issues, 2017 could witness some marked changes in the United States' foreign policy  especially with respect to its old allies, frenemies and enemies.

Unlike Hillary Clinton, his democratic presidential rival, who had previously been the secretary of state, Trump's knowledge of foreign policy was always in doubt. Nevertheless, the feelers that he had sent during his campaign and after his upset victory can be a indicator of the things to come.

Trump's choice of Rex Tillerson as his secretary of state has already being viewed through the prism of Russo-American relations. Tillerson is the CEO of ExxonMobil which has billions in stake in Russia's oil business. For his services to fostering US-Russia ties, he had also been decorated with the Russian Order of Friendship by the Kremlin. His nomination as the next top envoy gives a signal that Trump might be using Tillerson as a facilitator to improve ties with Russia.

In the aftermath of allegations of irregularities during the polls, President Vladimir Putin is reported to have called the Democrats "sore losers", which was backed by Trump himself. The president-elect and the Russian president have become the latest members of the "mutual appreciation club", with Trump calling Putin a "strong leader", while Putin calling the incoming president "outstanding and talented". This bonhomie also gives cues to a possible thaw in bilateral relations.

The new-found bonhomie between Trump and Putin will have its impact on the Syria conflict. Trump has previously supported Putin's fight against the Islamic State in Syria. If there is any possible "thaw" in the bilateral ties between Washington and Moscow, one might soon see Russia and US on the same page on the deadly confrontation  though it is easier said than done.

However, in what can possibly be a major roadblock for a possible thaw, the Obama administration expelled 35 diplomats on allegations of hacking the 2016 US elections. This move by the outgoing president has put Trump in a fix. If Trump reverses the executive order, doubts over the allegations will be confirmed, damaging his credibility. How Trump handles this issue has to be seen.

On the first meeting with Trump: We will discuss how to put Russia-US relations back on track  President of Russia (@KremlinRussia_E) December 23, 2016

Coming to the South China Sea crisis, which is now threatening to start a new Cold War  this time with China. Many believe Trump will not get too involved in the issue. This is in line with his "America First" foreign policy. Experts feel that this tagline conveys the fact that the incoming administration will focus more on domestic than international issues. This approach can have ramifications on the region, as the Asia-Pacific region can fall under China's influence, in the absence of isolationist US.

On the campaign trail, Trump had said that he might make allies in South Korea and Japan to pay a "fair price" to continue its military presence in these countries. If one puts it in the context of the belligerent attitude adopted by North Korea, a possible military withdrawal, might make security condition even more fragile in East Asia.

Trump's reportedly isolationist foreign policy may be the reason why he had rarely spoken on Pakistan and the Afghanistan-Pakistan region. This may also point out to a declining interest or indifference towards the troubled region.

The rise of Trump might re-calibrate relations with its all-weather friends across the Atlantic (read Nato).

Turkey, a major Nato ally may be the first to experience trouble with the new president. While on one hand, Washington and Ankara can come on the same page, when it comes to the future of Syria, there are other reasons which might hamper ties. Turkey is a Muslim country ruled by a relatively hardline leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan. If at all Trump goes ahead with his plans to curb the entry of Muslims, this might not go well with the Turks. Another bone of contention is the US' refusal to extradite Fehtullah Gulen  the alleged mastermind of the failed 2016 coup against the president. If Trump dumps the Nato, this might strengthen Moscow and force Turkey into its arms.

Dumping or say downgrading the US involvement with the military organisation may signal an end to the Cold War era with Russia.

The rise of Trump also coincides with the strengthening of various far-right parties across Europe. The nationalist parties in France, Germany and Netherlands among many others have several things in common - white supremacy, anti-immigrationism and isolationism. With Trump winning the US election, it has rejuvenated the extreme right - which had been on the fringes of European politics since the second World War. This "Trump admiration club" may very well damage US' presence in Europe.

However, the most dramatic "bonhomie" is happening right now. That too on Twitter  between Trump and Israeli prime minister Netanyahu.

After the US allowed an "anti-Israel resolution" on stopping settlements on the West Bank to pass in the UN, Israel has gone all guns blazing against those who supported it including the Obama administration.

Nevertheless, President-elect Donald Trump has come out in support of Netanyahu.

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

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

If his tweets are to be taken seriously, then Trump has already shown us what we can expect when it comes to US-Israel ties.

With relations with Israel set to be get a boost "bigly", it may be endgame for the Iran deal and any chance for a possible US-Iran thaw after four decades of acrimony.

However, foreign policy can often be unpredictable. While the world has been quick to rubbish Trump, it would be interesting to see if he can leave a positive mark over the world. Let us give Trump a chance.
By Isabel Coles and Ali al-Rubaie

| MOSUL/HILLA, Iraq

MOSUL/HILLA, Iraq Islamic State attacked an Iraqi police checkpoint near the southern city of Najaf on Sunday, killing seven policemen as government forces in the north made more gains against the militants in Mosul, their last major stronghold in the country.The Najaf attack, which involved gunmen and a suicide car bomb, followed blasts a day earlier in Baghdad that left 29 people dead, a reminder of Islamic State's continued ability to operate away from territory under its control.The recapture of Mosul would probably spell the end for the group's self-styled caliphate in it areas seized in 2014, but the militants would still be capable of fighting a guerrilla-style insurgency in Iraq, and plotting or inspiring attacks on the West.Since the U.S.-backed offensive began on Oct. 17, elite forces have retaken a quarter of Mosul in the biggest ground operation in Iraq since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has said the group would be driven out of the country by April.The second phase of the campaign launched on Thursday following weeks of deadlock has pushed Islamic State out of several more areas despite fierce resistance.The fourth day of the renewed push saw incremental advances on the eastern and southeastern fronts.A military statement said the counter-terrorism forces had retaken part of Karama district.A federal police officer said Iraqi forces had taken near total control of Intisar and Siha neighbourhoods, and were clearing Salam.

"For the fourth day in a row, federal police units supported by the army are on the offensive," he told Reuters at a forward base in Intisar.The attack near Najaf, 500 km (310 mile) south of Mosul, happened when two vehicles travelling through the desert were stopped at a police checkpoint around al-Qadisiya town, local police sources said.The driver detonated an explosive load and the second vehicle fled. Police pursued it and killed the two militants inside.In a statement distributed online by supporters, Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, which also wounded 17 people including civilians. It said four gunmen had opened fire before detonating explosive vests and then a fifth assailant launched a suicide car bomb.It was not immediately possible to reconcile those accounts.

FLEEING CIVILIANS

Although the militants are vastly outnumbered in Mosul, they have embedded themselves among residents, hindering Iraqi forces who are trying to avoid civilian casualties. Despite food and water shortages, most civilians have stayed in their homes rather than fleeing as had been expected.Thousands more people have fled their homes since the military's new push began, many under the cover of darkness to avoid detection by Islamic State.

Families leaving Mithaq district on Sunday had to climb over earthen berms the military has built across roads to block car bombs.One resident reached by phone in eastern Mosul said he had never seen such heavy bombardment. Several civilians were wounded when a mortar fell in his street, but they could not be ferried to the hospital on the western side of the city because air strikes have taken all the bridges out of service."One of them is my friend. His stomach is bleeding badly. We found a doctor in the neighbourhood to treat him but I fear he will die if he stays like this for long," he said.A resident of Karama district said Islamic State had begun forcing residents out of some areas, burning the cars of residents who refused to move."They want to clear out the neighbourhood before the Iraqi forces enter," he said. (Additional reporting by Ahmed Rasheed in Baghdad and Omar Fahmy in Cairo; Writing by Stephen Kalin; Editing by Gareth Jones and Stephen Powell)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
RIO DE JANEIRO A gunman stormed a house party and killed 11 people, including his former wife and 8-year-old son, before shooting himself in the head during a New Year's party in the southeastern Brazilian city of Campinas late on Saturday.Police in the state of Sao Paulo said the shooter, identified as 46-year-old Sidnei Ramis de Araujo, is believed to have been angry over a split with his wife, Isamara Filier, 41, and their son Joao Victor.Three other people remain hospitalized, police said, while four people survived the attack unharmed, including one party attendee who managed to flee to a bathroom and phone the police when the shooting began.Survivors, according to a police spokesman, said that just before midnight, the shooter jumped over a fence surrounding the house, burst through a door and began firing even as he berated Filier for taking their son. Araujo possibly sought to take advantage of the commotion of New Year's Eve to disguise the shooting, police said.

One neighbor told local television that he and his family heard shots, but had thought they might be fireworks until one of the wounded ran to their property, bleeding and pleading for help.Despite high rates of crime and violence in Brazil, including significant problems with assaults against women, the attack alarmed Latin America's biggest country on a holiday associated with family gatherings.Gun deaths are common in heists, holdups and in confrontations among police, drug gangs and other criminals in Brazil, but targeted mass shootings are rare.

Police said Araujo, reported by local media to be a laboratory technician, used a 9 mm pistol and carried two additional clips, extra ammunition, a knife and unspecified but unused explosives.Investigators are analyzing the explosives in addition to a cell phone and audio recorder found in a car he parked outside the home to determine whether Araujo left any sort of message about his attack.

Police said they did not yet know if Araujo had a history of violence, or whether he had been known to physically harm or threaten his former wife before the attack.Campinas, an industrial and university city of over 1 million residents, is located about 100 kilometers (60 miles) northwest of the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil's biggest metropolis. (Reporting by Paulo Prada; Editing by Ruth Pitchford and Alan Crosby)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By John Davison

| BEIRUT

BEIRUT Syrian government warplanes resumed their bombardment of a rebel-held valley near Damascus on Sunday after nearly 24 hours with no air raids, a rebel official and monitors said, during the third day of a fragile ceasefire.The truce deal, brokered by Russia and Turkey which back opposing sides in the conflict and welcomed unanimously by the United Nations Security Council, has been repeatedly violated since it began, with warring sides trading the blame.Rebels on Saturday warned they would abandon the truce if the government side continued to violate it, asking the Russians, who support President Bashar al-Assad, to rein in army and militia attacks in the valley by 8:00 p.m.Bombardments ceased before that time - although some clashes continued - but began again late on Sunday.It was not immediately clear if the rebels would abandon the truce as a result. Like previous Syria ceasefire deals it has been shaky from the start with repeated outbreaks of violence in some areas, but has largely held elsewhere.The raids hit areas of Wadi Barada, where government forces and their allies launched an operation more than a week ago, a spokesman for the Jaish al-Nasr rebel group and the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

There was a "fierce attack and attempt by Assad and Shi'ite militias to raid Wadi Barada" from nearby hills, the rebel spokesman, Mohammed Rasheed, said.State media and the Observatory said hundreds of people had left Wadi Barada in the past day for government-controlled areas nearby.Earlier on Sunday government warplanes carried out several air strikes in the southern Aleppo countryside, the Observatory and rebel officials said.

Government forces also advanced overnight against rebels in the Eastern Ghouta area near Damascus, seizing 10 farms, the Observatory said.A second rebel official suggested that low-level clashes on the ground would not necessarily derail the truce, but that air strikes were a "clear violation".Russia's defence ministry has accused the insurgents in turn of violating the ceasefire numerous times.

A military news outlet run by Lebanese group Hezbollah, an ally of Assad, said the Syrian army had been targeting militants from the former Nusra Front both in southern Aleppo province and in Wadi Barada.The army has said the group, previously al Qaeda's Syria branch, is not included in the ceasefire deal but rebels say it is - just one point of friction and confusion in the deal which could lead to its collapse.The latest truce agreement is the first not to involve the United States or the United Nations - a reflection of Moscow's growing diplomatic influence after a long campaign of Russian air strikes helped Assad recapture the northern city of Aleppo last month.That victory has greatly strengthened the president's position as the warring sides prepare for peace talks in the Kazakh capital Astana this month. (Reporting by John Davison; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and Stephen Powell)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
If you support the legalization of marijuana, 2016 didn't give you much to complain about. Last year, residents in four states approved recreational-marijuana ballot initiatives, doubling the total from the end of 2015, while five new states put medical-cannabis laws on their books. By year's end, 28 states and Washington, D.C., had legalized medical pot.

And there's more where that came from. We saw two battleground states -- Pennsylvania and Ohio -- introduce and pass medical-marijuana legislation without sending it to a public vote. We also saw a continued softening in the public's opinion toward marijuana, which remains an illegal drug at the federal level. Gallup's 2016 poll found that 60% of Americans now want to see the substance legalized nationwide, up from just 25% when California passed the first compassionate-use law in 1996. Legal weed sales have also soared. Cannabis research firm ArcView sees sales reaching nearly $22 billion by the end of the decade, while investment firm Cowen & Co. projects a better-than-23% annualized growth rate leading to $50 billion in legal sales by 2026.

California is a medical-marijuana juggernaut

Colorado, one of the first two states to legalize recreational marijuana in 2012, wound up generating $996.2 million in legal sales during 2015, leading to $135 million in tax and licensing revenue. Yet that's peanuts compared with legal pot sales in California, the eighth-largest economy in the world by GDP.

Since passing medical-cannabis legislation in 1996, California has amassed more than 720,000 current patients, at least according to a September 2016 estimate from the Marijuana Policy Project. That's about 1.8% of California's total population as of 2015, and it represents half of all legal medical-marijuana patients in the entire United States.

According to Troy Dayton, the CEO of ArcView, California generated $2.7 billion in medical-cannabis sales in 2015, which amounts to 62% of all medical-cannabis sales in the U.S. in 2015, as well as more than half of all cannabis sales, medical and recreational combined, in 2015. California's medical-marijuana industry is simply enormous.

But it may not stay that way for long.

The cannibalization of medical cannabis

In November, California's residents went to the polls and overwhelmingly voted in favor of Prop 64, which will legalize recreational, adult-use weed for the state's more than 39 million residents. In 2018 alone, California's legal pot sales are expected to climb to $6.6 billion, based on estimates by New Frontier and ArcView.

However, legalizing recreational marijuana for adults aged 21 and up creates a potentially big problem for the United States' largest medical-marijuana industry: Once recreational-marijuana sales are allowed (they'll be rolled out over the next year), the incentive to head to the doctor to get a prescription for medical pot will no longer be there. Not to mention that getting a physician referral takes time and costs money. From physicians to medical dispensaries, there's the possibility that the medical-cannabis industry could be ravaged by the recreational-pot industry.

Medical dispensaries will still be needed for patients younger than age 21, so it's not as if they'd entirely disappear. But it's probable that the medical-marijuana industry in California today will look very different a year or two from now.

The Sacramento Bee points out that some medical-pot clinics are planning to rebrand to broader holistic services in order to keep their clientele. Those services may include acupuncture, chiropractic care, and hypnosis, for example. Medical-marijuana shops are also counting on new consumers who want the guidance of a physician before purchasing pot, even if they're just recreational consumers and not medical-marijuana patients. Marijuana consultations from an experienced pot clinic physician could still translate into profits.

But, admittedly, the future of medical marijuana in California is very uncertain.

Marijuana's clouded future

Beyond just California, the future of marijuana in the U.S. remains somewhat clouded, too.

For instance, the appointment of Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) to be the next attorney general of the United States is a potentially damaging blow to the marijuana industry. Sessions is an ardent opponent of the legalization movement, and even though President-elect Trump has thrown his full support behind medical marijuana, and has suggested that states should retain their right to regulate their pot industry without federal interference, Sessions could roll back some of the leniency instilled during the Obama presidency. While this isn't to say 20 years of progress could be wiped out, it's unlikely that the sledding will get easier with Sessions as attorney general.

We also can't forget that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency declined to reschedule marijuana when given the opportunity this past August. The DEA noted a lack of safety and clinical data, as well as a lack of understanding the chemical properties of marijuana, in its decision to leave the drug classified as Schedule 1. This means pot companies are still primarily forced to deal in cash, as most banks want nothing to do with them, and they continue to face higher corporate income tax rates since they are unable to take normal business deductions. These persistent disadvantages are what make investing in this space so incredibly dangerous.

Even if the incoming administration or the DEA does decide to reschedule marijuana, it doesn't mean things would necessarily get easier. Schedule 2 through Schedule 5 drugs fall under the tight regulation of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The FDA would likely implement strict marketing and packaging regulations, oversee all medical grow operations, and require that approved clinical trials be run to prove that medical cannabis treats certain ailments This all translates into big expenses for the medical-pot industry.

While marijuana's state-level expansion has been something to marvel, this remains an industry best watched from the sidelines.
General Electric (GE 1.27%) had a truly transformative year in 2016. The company made progress toward its goals... and also managed to put some of its past behind it.

Here are its three biggest moves of the year, and why they're so important to the future of the company.

1. Ditching the dishwashers

At the beginning of the year, things looked grim for GE's efforts to sell its low-margin consumer appliance business. A deal with Sweden's Electrolux had fallen through, killed by regulators, and there didn't seem to be another potential buyer on the horizon. The sale was scheduled to provide nearly 10% of the $35 billion in cash that the company was planning to return to shareholders.

But then along came Chinese appliance maker Haier, which was looking to gain a foothold in the U.S. market. Not only did it purchase the unit, but it ponied up $5.4 billion to do it... and all in cash, to boot. The deal turned out to be even sweeter for GE than the one the regulators killed.

This was a big move for General Electric in two ways. First, of course, it showed that GE was serious about its refocus on its industrial units, and was willing to jettison even its most iconic products in pursuit of that vision. Second, it showed that GE could be successful in executing that vision and was able to find buyers even for its underperforming units.

2. Cutting up the credit cards

Although GE spun off its consumer credit business as Synchrony Financial back in 2015, GE Capital was still considered a systemically important financial institution (SIFI) by the U.S. government. The trouble was, while it was very clear how to be designated a SIFI, the government hadn't really provided any framework for getting oneself un-designated. Worse, at its most recent annual reevaluation, the Financial Stability Oversight Council had declined to un-designate GE Capital.

This put GE in an uncomfortable limbo. It had been selling off GE Capital's other assets left and right, and was amassing a big stockpile of cash in GE Capital -- cash it was planning to return to shareholders. But the SIFI rules limited how much of that cash could be returned to the parent company. As long as the SIFI designation was in place, GE wasn't going to be able to return its promised $35 billion to shareholders.

In March, GE officially filed for rescission status with the FSOC, and finally, at the end of June, that rescission was granted. This was huge for the company, not just because it allowed it to move that cash around, but also because it freed up the company to take on more debt if needed to make acquisitions. It also got GE out from under more stringent SIFI rules that were set to go into effect in 2018.

3. Going for the (black) gold

In terms of an impact on the company's bottom line, though, the biggest move of the year was the company's decision to merge its oil and gas unit with oil-field services company Baker Hughes (BHI) and spin off the resulting "New Baker Hughes" into a separate company, which would become the second-largest oil and gas services company in the world (eclipsing Halliburton, which currently holds the spot).



Although the new entity will be 62.5% owned by GE, separating the oil and gas unit from the rest of the company will probably benefit shareholders. In the third quarter of 2016, GE's oil and gas revenue was down 25% from Q3 2015 -- the worst performance of the company's industrial segments. This wasn't a case of just one bad quarter, either. Over the first nine months of the year, oil and gas revenue was down 21%. That offset good performance elsewhere in the company's portfolio and had a negative impact on the overall bottom line. With the merger, the company will allow its oil and gas business to rise or fall (hopefully rise, once oil prices stabilize) on its own, and will gain economies of scale to boot.

Investor takeaway

Despite all of these transformative moves by GE -- surprisingly transformative, for such a large, well-established company -- the stock price has barely budged, up less than 2% for the year. This could be a buying opportunity for investors looking to pick up some shares before the oil and gas spinoff and to take advantage of potential shareholder-friendly moves by the company now that it's unburdened by its former SIFI status.
In less than three weeks, the sands of time will likely begin slipping away for the Affordable Care Act, which is more commonly known as Obamacare. The hallmark legislation passed by President Obama in March 2010 faces the likelihood that it'll be heavily amended or repealed in its entirety soon after President-elect Trump takes office.

Surprise! Obamacare is thriving in 2017

Yet in spite of its perceived demise, Obamacare enrollment is currently proceeding at a record pace, at least according to the Department of Health and Human Services. According to the HHS, roughly 6.4 million people had enrolled via HealthCare.gov, the federally run website that runs the online marketplace exchange for more than three dozen states, between Nov. 1 and Dec. 19. This represents an increase of nearly 7% year over year, or about 400,000 enrollees.

Part of the bump can be attributed to the Dec. 15 deadline for coverage by Jan. 1. This deadline not only encourages consumers to pick a plan so they're covered when the calendar changes to a new year, but it was also the auto-enrollment deadline for returning customers. If you were covered by an Obamacare plan in 2016, your plan was carried over into 2017, and you did nothing (i.e., you didn't purposely unenroll in your plan or enroll in a separate plan), there's a very good likelihood that your insurer re-enrolled you into the same plan for 2017. Enrollment on Dec. 15, traditionally the busiest enrollment day, grew by 70,000 to 670,000 year over year on HealthCare.gov.

It's also possible consumers fear the possibility of having Obamacare repealed in the near future and want to lock in their coverage for at least another year.

Based on the current pace of enrollment, the HHS continues to believe that enrollment will increase by about 1 million people from 2016.

Quite the irony

What's ironic about the record pace of Obamacare enrollment over the past two months is that it comes as talk of a possible "death spiral" ramps up. In 2017, benchmark plans (the second-lowest cost silver plans across states covered by Healthcare.gov) are rising by an average of 25%, and competition on the exchanges has diminished, further heightening pricing pressure on the consumer.

With losses that could near $1 billion between 2015 and 2016 combined, UnitedHealth Group (UNH 0.03%) announced that it was pulling out of 31 of the 34 states it operated in during 2016 for the 2017 campaign. Similarly, Aetna (AET) and Humana (HUM 0.61%) reduced their county-based coverage by nearly 70% and 90%, respectively. Even Anthem (ELV -0.79%), which has largely been viewed as successful with its ACA enrollment by Wall Street pundits, has been pondering a cut in coverage if its 2017 business doesn't improve. As icing on the cake, three-quarters of Obamacare's approved healthcare cooperatives went belly-up in 2016 and shuttered their doors because of unsustainable losses.

Despite all of this, Obamacare enrollment is up. The data midway through 2016 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the uninsured rate had fallen to 8.9% from 16% in the quarter immediately preceding Obamacare's implementation on the individual market. If the early enrollment data is any indication, the uninsured rate could fall even further in 2017.

Obamacare is probably still going away

However, no amount of good enrollment data is likely to save the program from being completely altered or repealed in its entirety. Republicans control the legislative branch of the government, and they've made it crystal clear that healthcare reform is a top priority.

The big question at this point is what that might reform look like. Republicans essentially have two paths they can take. The first involves fully repealing Obamacare. This would be ideal for the incoming administration, but it's also the biggest challenge, since 60 votes would be required in the Senate to completely repeal Obamacare. Even with a majority in the Senate, Republicans are unlikely to have enough votes to ax Obamacare in its entirety, at least in 2017.

A more likely path is a reconciliation act. Reconciliation requires only a simple majority to pass, and Republicans have a majority in both houses of Congress. The catch is that reconciliation can only remove aspects of Obamacare that directly affect the federal budget. This would mean the various subsidies paid out to eligible consumers to lower their premiums and make their doctor visits more affordable could be removed, along with various taxes -- the medical device excise tax and Cadillac tax -- and the penalties associated with not purchasing health insurance. What reconciliation can't change are the laws that govern what insurers can and can't do under Obamacare.

Essentially, reconciliation would leave Obamacare's framework intact, but it would gut the meat and potatoes of the law, rendering it mostly ineffective. With 85% of enrollees on HealthCare.gov currently receiving a premium subsidy, removing that subsidy would probably leave millions of Americans unable to afford health insurance.

But Trump and Congress need to also carefully consider how they implement healthcare reforms. Simply ending one system in favor of another could have catastrophic consequences and spike the uninsured rate. There's probably going to be a transition period of a year or two where the ACA is wound down and Trump's healthcare plan is implemented in an effort to reduce attrition among the insured.

We should know more in a matter of weeks, once Trump takes office, but it's probable that the Obamacare we know now won't be around much longer.
This article was updated on May 10, 2017, and originally published on May 16, 2016.



The majority of Americans save for retirement through their employer's plan, such as a 401(k). And the most common 401(k) contribution rate is just enough to take advantage of the employer's matching contributions. While this is certainly a good way to lower your tax bill and build a retirement nest egg, it may not be enough on its own. With that in mind, here are three things you may not have known about retirement saving that could give you the tools or the motivation to save more.

The government could give you free money for saving (seriously)

If you're a low- to moderate-income household, there is a tax credit that's specifically designed to encourage you to save for retirement. Officially known as the Retirement Savings Contributions Credit, but more commonly known as the Saver's Credit, this credit can put $1,000 back in your pocket just for contributing to a qualifying retirement account.

Depending on your income and filing status, the Saver's Credit is worth 10%, 20%, or 50% of your first $2,000 in retirement savings contributions for the year. If you file a joint tax return with your spouse, each of you can take this credit. Here's the specifics about the credit and income limits to qualify:

Credit Amount Married, Filing Jointly Head of household Single and Other Filers 50% AGI up to $37,000 AGI up to $27,750 AGI up to $18,500 20% $37,001-$40,000 $27,751-$30,000 $18,501-$20,000 10% $40,001-$62,000 $30,001-$46,500 $20,001-$31,000 0% AGI above $62,000 AGI above $46,500 AGI above $31,000

The credit can be applied to IRA contributions or contributions to your employer's plan, whether it's a 401(k), 403(b), or governmental 457(b) plan. It can also be used with less common retirement plans such as a SEP or SIMPLE IRA.

Keep in mind that this credit is in addition to the other potential benefits of retirement saving, such as a tax deduction for your contributions, tax-deferred investment growth, and employer matching contributions. So, if you qualify for this credit, it's a no-brainer. After all, who turns down free money?

You can still contribute to a Roth, even if the IRS says no

A Roth IRA won't get you a tax deduction on your 2016 tax return, but your eventual withdrawals in retirement will be 100% tax-free. There are some other Roth benefits as well, such as no minimum withdrawal requirements and the ability to withdraw your original contributions at any time, just to name a couple.

The IRS only allows taxpayers whose incomes fall under certain limits to directly contribute to a Roth IRA. Married joint filers can make a full contribution if their AGI is less than $186,000 and are eligible for a partial contribution with AGI up to $196,000. And, for single and head of household filers, the thresholds are $118,000 and $133,000, respectively.

If your income exceeds the cutoff, you may be pleased to learn that there is a "backdoor" method of contributing. Since 2010, anyone is eligible to convert their IRA assets to a Roth IRA, no matter what their income or filing status. If you received a tax deduction on the original contributions, you'll have to pay taxes on the amount you convert, but if you contribute to a traditional IRA and convert quickly, this shouldn't be an issue.

HSA: A great retirement account?

We've all heard of 401(k)s and IRAs as retirement savings accounts, but not many people consider a Health Savings Account (HSA) when deciding where to stash retirement money.

However, the HSA could be a valuable addition to your retirement planning. You're eligible for this type of account if you have a high-deductible health plan, defined by a deductible of at least $1,300 for singles and $2,600 for family coverage, and out-of-pocket maximums of $6,550 and $13,100, respectively.

If you're eligible, you can contribute up to $3,400 (single) or $6,750 (family) to a HSA for the 2017 tax year, and unlike a flexible spending account (FSA), you can roll over any unused balance from year to year. Not only that, but you can choose to invest your account in a variety of funds to let it grow and compound over the years.

The tax structure of a HSA is similar to a traditional IRA, with one big added benefit: Contributions are deductible on your tax return, and withdrawals can be made after 65 with no penalty. And, if the money is used for qualifying healthcare costs, the withdrawals are completely tax-free. In other words, you get a double tax benefit for healthcare expenses, in addition to the retirement savings benefits.

Now, there are some key drawbacks to a HSA versus an IRA I should mention. If you need to use the money in your account before retirement for a non-healthcare reason, you'll face a 20% penalty (the IRA early withdrawal penalty is just 10%). Further, the "retirement age" when you can start using your money penalty-free is 65 -- more than five years past the IRA retirement age of 59-1/2.

However, the added healthcare benefits of a HSA may outweigh the drawbacks. This little-known retirement savings vehicle deserves to be considered when planning your retirement saving strategy.

What should you do?

The best way to save for your retirement depends on your personal situation. Many people like to use Roth IRAs to supplement their 401(k), as it allows them a combination of pre-tax and after-tax retirement savings, as well as access to a wide variety of investment choices. Others prefer the HSA, as it allows them to save big bucks on their tax bill if unforeseen medical expenses arise.

The point is that you should look at your own goals, tax preferences, and how active of a role you want in your retirement planning, and make the best decision for you and your family. In short, the more you know about your options, the better-equipped you'll be to make those choices.
Investors today would hardly recognize the Bank of America from a decade ago. Image source: iStock/Thinkstock.

As someone who writes about Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) on a nearly daily basis, one of the things I still struggle to sort out is how much the nation's second-biggest bank by assets has changed over the past decade.

Is it the same bank that it was going into the financial crisis? Or is it something entirely different? And if it has changed, how would one go about quantifying the difference?

Questions like these may seem easy to answer. But as soon as you start digging into the specifics, it quickly becomes clear how complicated it actually is. You can get a sense for this by looking at the various ways the North Carolina-based bank has evolved since the 2008 crisis.

The list below is far from complete, but it should give you an idea of the radical nature of Bank of America's transformation. Here are 10 ways Bank of America has changed in the past decade:

It went into the crisis as a commercial bank that dabbled in investment banking and, thanks to its 2008 acquisition of Merrill Lynch, exited as a universal bank that focuses wholeheartedly on both.

It's spun off the equivalent of $500 billion worth of assets over the past eight years. It's done so in part to generate income that could be used to offset the damage done during the financial crisis. It's also done so in order to streamline its business model.

Yet, Bank of America remains so large that it's literally illegal for it to acquire other banks, as federal law prohibits a bank with more than 10% of the nation's deposits to grow through acquisitions.

It's completely revamped its corner office, installing a New Englander as chairman and CEO at a bank that had been controlled for decades by a lineage of proudly Southern executives. There have even been rumors since Brian Moynihan took over in 2010 that he could relocate its headquarters from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Boston, Massachusetts.

It's trying to change its culture, from one based on growth for the sake of growth to one based on responsible growth.

It's incurred nearly $200 billion worth of costs as a result of the financial crisis, exceeding its capital base going into the crisis.

It dramatically diluted its shareholders in 2009 and 2010 in order to raise capital to, in part, pay off the government's $45 billion crisis-era investment in Bank of America. Shares of the bank are still off by 60% compared to their pre-crisis high.

It's closing branches in response to its customers' use of its online and mobile banking channels.

It's now operating under a dramatically reformed regulatory environment, which requires Bank of America to hold much more capital than it once did and gives the Federal Reserve veto power over its dividend and buyback plans.

It's largely abandoned its aspirations to be an international consumer bank, most recently selling off its consumer credit card business in the United Kingdom.

This list should make it clear that the Bank of America of today hardly resembles the Bank of America that existed 10 years ago. How should this impact investors' thesis toward Bank of America's stock? That's a question for another day, but it's something that long-term investors in the $2.2 trillion bank should be thinking about.

10 stocks we like better than Bank of America 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 Bank of America wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.

Click here to learn about these picks!

*Stock Advisor returns as of Nov. 7, 2016

John Maxfield owns shares of Bank of America. 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.
Home equity has served as a very important source of cash for millions of retirees over the generations. One method to access that money without having to sell the property is with a reverse mortgage -- something that makes sense for a lot of older Americans who need extra money to make ends meet but also want to stay in their current home.

A reverse mortgage could be ideal, but be sure you understand what it means. Image source: Getty Images.

Is a reverse mortgage right for you? It could be, depending on a number of factors, but it could also be a bad idea if you don't know the repercussions or consider all your other options. Let's take a closer look at three frequently asked reverse mortgage questions. The answers to these questions can help you decide if a reverse mortgage is right for you.

How does a reverse mortgage work?

In short, it's a kind of loan, with your property as the collateral. Depending on how it is structured, you may be paid the total amount of the loan in a lump sum, in regular monthly payments, or as a line of credit you can access as you need it.

But where a reverse mortgage differs from a conventional loan is how you pay it back. Unlike the regular monthly payments you make on most loans, a reverse mortgage doesn't have to be repaid until either your death, you want to sell or move out of your home, or fail to meet some other requirement, such as maintaining the property or keeping up with taxes or other expenses.

However, the loan will begin accruing interest as soon as you receive money from it, and the longer the reverse mortgage remains unpaid, the more that interest will add up and have to be repaid at some point, versus a mortgage or home equity loan with a payment schedule that reduces the balance each month.

Does a reverse mortgage make sense for you?

This depends on multiple things, and every individual and situation is unique. Here are two things that indicate a reverse mortgagemaymake sense for you:

If you own your home or have a low mortgage balance that could be paid off with the proceeds from the reverse mortgage with sufficient equity remaining to meet your needs

If you plan to stay in your home

You don't own other assets that may serve as a better source of cash, and without the potential additional costs of a reverse mortgage, or the additional cost doesn't justify selling those other assets first

A reverse mortgage could be ideal or it could be a mistake. Know what you're getting into and your options. Image source: Getty Images.

The third bullet is particularly worth exploring. If, for instance, you could tap a reverse mortgage to make accessibility improvements, cover expenses such as property tax, or in some other way ensure your ability to stay in place longer, that could be an ideal use of a reverse mortgage. Furthermore, the fact that a reverse mortgage doesn't have to be paid back as long as you are living in the residence could make it an ideal source of cash later in life.

So the bottom line is, if your primary goal is to access cash that will allow you to stay in your home for as long as possible, a reverse mortgage could be the best way to do so.

What are the alternatives to a reverse mortgage?

The three biggest negatives to a reverse mortgage are the costs, loss of flexibility regarding the property, and the potential complication if your intention is to leave your home to your family. Because of this, it's important to weigh your options carefully.

With regards to cost, the upside of not having to repay the loan while you reside in your home comes at the expense of interest and closing costs. If your long-term plan isn't to remain in your home or your health could make it less likely than you want, the equity you lose when you repay the reverse mortgage will leave you with less money than you would have had otherwise.

Downsizing may be a better move than a reverse mortgage, depending on your goals. Image source: Getty Images.

Because of this reality for many people, it's important to weigh the expense of a reverse mortgage versus alternatives.

Selling your home and downsizing. There are actually two benefits to making this move:

Access to the excess home equity after buying a less expensive smaller home

Lower expenses, including taxes, utilities, maintenance, and insurance, leaving you with more disposable income

Think about it this way: Is it more important to stay in yourcurrenthome, or is the real goal to continue living on your own? If it's the second, downsizing could be a better way to accomplish your real goal.

A home equity loan.If you want to stay in your home, but the financial need is short term in nature or for a one-time event, such as home repairs or accessibility updates, it could make more sense to use a traditional home equity line of credit or loan. You will have to start making payments immediately with a home equity loan, but the loan balance will start to fall with each payment while a reverse mortgage balance goes up every month as interest accrues.

As long as the payment wouldn't create a hardship, a home equity loan could also be a better choice in terms of flexibility down the road. If your long-term plans are still unsure in terms of staying in your home or whether you intend to leave your home to your family at your death, a home equity loanmaybe a better way to go.

The $15,834 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known "Social Security secrets" could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. For example: one easy trick could pay you as much as $15,834 more... each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we're all after.Simply click here to discover how to learn more about these strategies.

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.
Peruvian president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski said on Saturday that he is evaluating the possibility of suing Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht [ODBES.UL] for damages after the company admitted to using bribes to secure public contracts in the Andean nation.

Odebrecht, Latin America's largest construction outfit, acknowledged in a U.S. settlement earlier in December to having doled out hundreds of millions of dollars in bribes to public officials in 12 nations.

That led the Peruvian government to announce on Wednesday that the company would not be permitted to participate in the country's future public works tenders.

"We're analyzing various alternatives. Without doubt one of them is that, but it has to be looked at case by case," Kuczynski said in an interview with local radio station RPP, when asked about the possibility of suing the company.

"Because otherwise, we're going to get into interminable judicial processes with terrible complexities."

Odebrecht, which could not immediately be reached for comment, has won contracts worth some $12 billion in Peru in the last decade and paid $29 million in bribes between 2005 and 2014, according to the U.S. settlement. It began operations in the nation in 1979, its first foray into markets outside of Brazil.

(Reporting by Marco Aquino; Writing by Gram Slattery; editing by Diane Craft)
Pope Francis in his year-end message urged leaders on Saturday to do more to tackle youth unemployment, saying a generation was being lost to desperation, migration and joblessness.

At his last public event of 2016, an evening vespers service in St. Peter's Basilica, the 80-year-old Francis said doors had to be opened for young people "so that they can be capable of dreaming and fighting for their dreams".

"We have condemned our young people to have no place in society, because we have slowly pushed them to the margins of public life, forcing them to migrate or to beg for jobs that no longer exist or fail to promise them a future," he said in his homily.

Youth joblessness in Italy stands at more than 36 percent and tops 18 percent among the 28 European Union states.

In Africa, the continent with the world's youngest population, youth unemployment probably increased in 2016, and was near 30 percent in North Africa, according to the International Labour Organization.

Poverty and lack of opportunity in Africa is driving migration, particularly to Europe. Almost 5,000 men, women and children died attempting to reach Europe by boat from North Africa in 2016.

Among the more than 181,000 boat migrants - mostly African - who reached Italy in 2016, 25,000 were unaccompanied minors, double the number who came in 2015.

At the end of the service, Francis walked across St. Peter's Square, stopping to shake hands and pose for pictures, as he paid a brief visit to the life-size nativity set up outside.

On Jan. 1, the leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics will say a Mass to mark the Church's World Day of Peace.
A young Mexican man who is urgently trying to travel to the Mayo Clinic for a double-organ transplant has filed a third application for entry into the United States after twice being denied a visa.

Jose Chua, 20, who suffers from a life-threatening condition, was turned down Tuesday for the second time for a tourist visa, the normal manner in which foreigners seek medical treatment in the U.S.

The U.S. Department of State has not explained why, citing visa applications as confidential.

Chua was born with only one ventricle in his heart, causing circulation problems that mean blood reaches only one of the four chambers. His liver has also been damaged and he needs a heart and liver double-transplant, a procedure that is not performed in his home country.

Family and friends raised more than $15,000 to defray the initial costs of his treatment at the prestigious Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Kevin Forbes, director of the U.S.-based Consejo de Latinos Unidos, which helps uninsured people get access to medical care, said the new application has been expedited.

He added that once Chua is allowed to enter the U.S., the group plans to press a formal complaint with the U.S. government.

"The problem goes beyond Jose. ... The situation has become complicated and raises doubts as to the motives of why a consulate would deny a visa on two occasions and did not directly offer a humanitarian visa," Forbes said.

The State Department lists medical need as one reason for granting tourism visas.

Chua's mother, Mayra Lopez, said she believed he was denied the visa due to concerns about his ability to support himself financially for the trip. The family is now seeking a humanitarian parole from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Chua, whose father is an Arizona resident, had a U.S. visa until he was 15. But when it expired, his family didn't renew it because they didn't have money to pay for more trips.

In correspondence shared by Forbes with The Associated Press, he expressed exasperation at feeling like he was being given the run-around by U.S. officials in his attempts to help Chua.

One email referred him to a State Department webpage and an automated customer service phone number, a response he called "an absolute abomination."

"Officials, including in the State Department, should defend those who seek help, not become apologists for outdated policies and processes," Forbes said.

Chua underwent three open-heart surgeries between the ages of 5 months and 12 years, including a cardiac implant that stopped working properly in 2013.

The surgery itself could end up costing around $2 million, Chua's family says.

Chua, who dreams of becoming a doctor despite his delicate health, said Wednesday that his "world has fallen down" over the visa denials.

"This needs to be fixed quickly," he said.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
The Lord has spoken to Andressa Urach. And He told her to cover up.

Urach, the 27-year old former Miss BumBum contest runner-up who made headlines earlier this year after a botched butt implant led to a nasty infection, claims she has found God and now plans to cover-up her well-known behind following her near-death experience.

"I believe completely that faith saved my life, and it has changed my view about everything," she said, according to the New York Daily News.

Urach added that she has tossed out six closets' worth of skimpy clothes as part of her newly conservative, god-fearing lifestyle.

Earlier this year Urach was rushed to the hospital after presenting symptoms related to her recently added implants in her buttocks. Speaking to reporters from her hospital bed in Sao Paulo, Urach said that she underwent an emergency operation to remove the substances from her left butt cheek, as her leg was at risk.

"I am suffering a lot, but God is with me. It's my fault, my vanity made me push the limits," Urach said, according to the Daily Mail. "Thanks to God I no longer need my body to work. Now I work with honor and can sustain my family like that. I prefer to have legs and be able to walk and lose half a buttock than to die."

Last year Urach was hospitalized for over a month in serious condition after a cosmetic treatment to increase the size of her thighs, medical sources reported.

A spokesman for the model said that doctors performed a "cleaning" procedure at the site on her leg where, on Nov. 21, she underwent an operation to remove a product called hydrogel, which she had had injected five years before to increase the size of her upper legs.

And in case anyone is wondering if Urach really has give up revealing her bottom revealing, check out her Instagram feed. Once dominated by cheeky shots of a skimpily-dressed Urach, the model is now seen in knee-length dresses and long sleeves and including motivational, faith-based posts.

"Its not what you write or say that makes the difference with God," she said. "But how you choose to live your life."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Mexico's medical regulatory agency has closed the operating rooms of a Baja California hospital where a young Australian woman died following cosmetic procedure on her buttocks.

The agency said Monday that the doctor who performed the procedure is under investigation for possible medical negligence. It identified him as Victor Manuel Ramirez Hernandez, who once got into a legal squabble with reality TV star Kim Kardashian.

The Del Valle Surgical Hospital In Mexicali Baja California was partly closed and will face fines after it was found to have expired medications, equipment that had not been maintained and other failings.

The commission said the Australian woman died March 20 after undergoing procedures on her buttocks and abdomen, but her name could not be immediately verified by consular offices.

Mexican authorities have suspended 80 plastic surgery and esthetic clinics or offices for violations since late 2012.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Nicaragua has asked the United States to remove an embassy worker who was in Liberia because it fears the person may have been exposed to the Ebola virus that has devastated several West African countries.

Carlos Saenz, an official at Nicaragua's health ministry, told reporters Monday the U.S. was asked to help transport the unnamed 51-year-old worker to the United States.

Saenz says the embassy worker was quarantined. The government is examining people who had contact with the worker.

The U.S. embassy in Managua said in a statement that the employee was in Liberia, but denied there had been any contact with Ebola patients. It said the worker had been examined at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before traveling to Nicaragua.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
In 1972 the US and Russia signed the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABMT) assuring that neither nation would develop weapon systems that undermine the others nuclear capacity. In 2002, President Bush withdrew from the ABMT which initiated more nuclear weapons development and expenses. Ten years later, President Obama signed START and efforts to reduce production and proliferation of the worlds most catastrophe weapons begun and continue. In 2012, the US examined its nuclear capability, determined the system needed maintenance, and reducing weapons met defense needs. In 2013, the US negotiated an Iranian agreement to eliminate its nuclear technologies in exchange for lifting specified restrictions. For four centuries, world powers have been consciously reducing the potential for intentional or accidental nuclear war, excepting the 2002 ABMT withdraw.

Near our Saviors birth, the not-yet President has stated the US will greatly strengthen and expand our nuclear capability. On Dec. 23, Trump stated, Let it be an arms race  we will win, essentially discounting the past 40-plus years with a reactionary comment.

Yet as one examines threats to US interest, they come from small cells of ISIS/ radical militia using guerilla attack strategies to instill fear. Terrorist have not used nuclear weapons because they are difficult to obtain. Cyberattacks are more likely intended to cripple our communication and economic infrastructure, potentially incapacitating our ability to launch missiles, thus making known locations of US silos and submarines easy targets for the attackers. Using a countrys weapons against itself is good military strategy.

When Christs vision of Peace on Earth is most embraced, Trump has threatened international peace when his future job requires he preserve peace. Our national security is predicated upon stealth (thus precision forces -- Navy Seals, Marines, Green Beret), Trumps predilection for winning over negotiating imperils the US capacity to nudge the community of nations toward dealing with essential problems such as water and food production, population control, and resource depletion. However, Trump may be planning to use a nuclear winter to counteract the continuing human-driven climate disruption. If so, that would be the quintessential definition of stupidity.

BRYAN BATES

Flagstaff
Workers who cleaned up after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and others who responded in the wake of the tragedy will begin a push on Tuesday to get the government to continue paying for their health care.

That is when lawmakers from both the House and Senate will reintroduce the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which was named after a New York City police officer at Ground Zero who died of a respiratory disease in 2006.

The Act has two parts that are set to expire this year and next. The reintroduced bill would extend health care and related compensation to workers and residents of the areas surrounding the attack sites for an additional 25 years, if approved by Congress.

Despite patriotic feelings the first responders inspire in Americans, the original bill was only narrowly passed in 2010.

With bipartisan support, congressional leaders are optimistic the bill will pass. But advocates learned from their last experience in Washington that contention is par for the course.

They are playing politics with peoples lives, said Alex Sanchez, one of the responders most closely involved in the passage of the Act and the head of United We Stand. His group advocates for Latinos who were at the sites impacted by terrorism that day. He estimates that there were about 6,000 temporary workers, 2,000 of whom are undocumented.

Sanchez recalled being one of about 500 workers who were dispatched by ABM, a building management company, to help clean up Ground Zero.

He worked, without a mask, for 12 to 14 hours a day. He and other temporary workers received limited pay but were motivated by sentiment to clear the remnants that were a painful reminder of the devastation in New York City, he said.

Today Sanchez coughs intermittently and struggles to catch his breath when he speaks, a side effect of exposure to contaminants found at the site, he says.

He takes 14 pills a day and has been hospitalized for diverticulitis (an intestinal infection). He has respiratory issues and sinusitis and also suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Muscular disorders make it hard for him to move around.

Its pretty hard living with 9/11 diseases, he said. First of all, we look OK. We arent missing a limb, we can walkbut our lives are very much a nightmare.

The new bill would likely cover medical expenses through 2041, when the average age of the responders would be 75, nearly the average life expectancy, pointed out John Feal, another responder who heads the Feal Good Foundation, which was involved in the passage of the original act.

The reauthorization bill which is being cosponsored by a host of lawmakers, including U.S. senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.).

If passed, the bill would also continue the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund that gives money to responders and survivors for injuries or medical issues resulting from the attacks and their aftermath. So far, more than 10,549 people have been deemed eligible to receive money from the fund and about half that number have submitted claims. Of those, 4,415 have been settled and the total amount dispersed through March 31 is just over $1 million.

The World Trade Center Health Program would also continue to provide medical care and treatment to responders who worked at any of the sites that were targeted on 9/11. Nearly 71,000 people are in the government funded program; 58,924 of those received treatment in 2014.

The number of afflictions that are covered are limited. There are a variety of mental health conditions, certain cancers (which were added in 2012), digestive and respiratory problems and some musculoskeletal disorders

Other conditions may be added as more effects come to light. For example, rheumatoid arthritis is not currently covered, but a recent study indicates that workers exposed to the debris are at higher risk for this autoimmune affliction.



The original bill was nearly killed in 2010 by a filibuster. The bill was resuscitated after the total cost was reduced by $4.2 billion, which limited the length of care and compensation that could be distributed and put a cap on attorneys fees used to file claims. The money to fund the measure comes from fees collected by foreign countries for certain services and from certain travelers.

Sanchez and Feal have traveled to Washington, D.C., hundreds of times, learning which ropes to tug to get attention for workers and responders who dont have lobbyists in their corner. Their trips arent over, but although they are costly and traveling for them can be trying, they are the last things theyd give up.

After all, as they see it, lives are at stake.Were going to challenge Congress  to do whats morally right, Feal told FNL. Well see whos a human and an American before they are a Republican and Democrat. Will there be a fight ahead of us? Absolutely.
A federal investigation into the recent sickening with a toxic pesticide of a U.S. family vacationing in the Virgin Islands found that the chemical has also been improperly used in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday.

Officials said documents suggest methyl bromide may have been improperly applied in various locations in Puerto Rico. EPA regional administrator Judith Enck said the agency and Puerto Rico's Department of Agriculture are investigating where and when the pesticide was used and how much was applied.

"The EPA is taking this very seriously," she said in a phone interview. "I can't tell you how widespread this is. ... We're very early in our investigation."

Enck said she is not aware of anyone sickened by methyl bromide in Puerto Rico. The EPA banned the chemical for residential use in 1984, primarily for health concerns.

Nancy Feliciano, agriculture department spokeswoman, said Puerto Rico officials would comment soon.

The chemical sickened a family of four from Wilmington, Delaware, last month in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Two teenage boys went into comas after being exposed at the Sirenusa Condominium Resort in Cruz Bay, St. John. The family was staying in the second floor of a unit whose first floor was sprayed with the pesticide to eradicate an indoor beetle that eats wood, officials have said. The family began having seizures and was flown to hospitals in the U.S.

Family spokesman James Maron did not respond to messages for comment. He said in a statement last week that the boys remained in critical condition while their mother had been discharged and their father was recuperating.

The EPA has said a certified applicator working for Tennessee-based Terminix used the pesticide at the Virgin Islands resort. Sea Glass Vacations LLC, which rents units at Sirenusa, terminated its contract with Terminix last week. Terminix has said it is conducting its own investigation and is cooperating with the EPA.

The U.S. Justice Department also is investigating.

EPA officials said Thursday the pesticide used in the Virgin Islands came from licensed distributors in Puerto Rico, where inspectors are visiting pesticide applicator companies, including Terminix.

"This has been prohibited since the 1980s," Enck said. "There should be no confusion."

Reporting by the Associated Press.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter& Instagram
Chipotle says it has completed phasing out genetically modified ingredients from its food, making it the first national fast-food chain to do so.

The Denver-based chain had already been using mostly non-GMO ingredients, but was working on making final changes to its tortillas.

The Food and Drug Administration maintains that GMOs are safe, and most of the country's corn and soybean crops are genetically modified to have certain traits like resistance to herbicides and plant diseases.

In recent years, however, activists have been calling for regulations that require labeling for foods that contain genetically modified ingredients. Many companies have responded to such concerns; Whole Foods has said all products in its stores that contain genetically modified ingredient will be labeled as such by 2018.

Chipotle Co-CEO Steve Ells has said in the past that the company felt it was best not to use GMOs given the "lack of consensus" about their effects.

On its website Monday, Chipotle said it was "G-M-Over It."

Chipotle Mexican Grill, which has around 1,800 locations, has enjoyed strong sales growth in recent years in part by defining itself as a more wholesome alternative to traditional fast-food chains. On a page explaining the completion of its transition away from genetically modified ingredients, for instance, the company cited "fast food" under an image of a burger as an example of where people might encounter GMOs.

In January, Chipotle also said it would stop serving pork in about a third of its restaurants after finding one of its suppliers violated its animal welfare standards. The company said it doesn't expect the pork shortage to be fully resolved until late this year.

Chipotle still serves Coca-Cola fountain drinks, which are made with high-fructose corn syrup. But this past summer, the company started testing a root beer that is organically sweetened in Denver. That test is ongoing, said Chris Arnold, a company spokesman.

Chief Financial Officer Jack Hartung said in October 2013 that the company was starting to see higher oil costs as it converted from GMO soybean oil to non-GMO sunflower and rice bran oil. Hartung said at the time the higher costs might be reflected in an eventual price increase, but that it would be a "pretty exciting time" when the company announced its transition was complete.

The completion of the phase-out was first reported by The New York Times.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
A brain-dead woman was kept on life support for more than seven weeks so the baby she was carrying could survive, Omaha doctors said.

The 2-pound, 12.6-ounce boy, named Angel, was delivered earlier this month at Methodist Women's Hospital. His mother, 22-year-old Karla Perez, had collapsed at home in Waterloo in early February after complaining of a bad headache. Doctors discovered a brain bleed and determined that she was brain-dead.

Her family members told doctors they wanted to do everything possible for the baby she was carrying. Omaha television station KETV reports doctors determined they needed to keep Perez's body alive for the baby to continue growing.

The fetus was just 22 weeks along and couldn't survive outside of the womb when Perez died, Dr. Todd Lovgren told television station WOWT.

"If we were going to give baby Angel any chance of survival, we were going to have to prolong Karla's pregnancy as long as possible," he said.

A team of more than 100 doctors, nurses and staff kept Perez alive for nearly two months, and when her condition worsened on April 4, doctors performed a cesarean section. Angel was immediately admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit, where he continues to grow.

Days after the procedure, Perez was pronounced dead and her organs were donated.

"I have no words for the attention and how they took very good care of my daughter," Angel's grandmother Berta Perez told WOWT.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
A bodybuilders desire to become the human Incredible Hulk by injecting oil into his arms almost cost him his life.

Just three years ago, Romario Dos Santos Alves, 25, was your average bodybuilder in Goiania, Brazil. Going to the gym, he noticed some of the guys building a lot muscle at a fast rate and he befriended them to get some tips.

They introduced me to synthol and I got excited about the results  I lost control, he told Getty in a video interview, according to news.com.au.

The synthol was a cocktail of oil, painkillers and alcohol that Alves would pump into his biceps with astounding results. He had supersized muscles like The Hulk, but like any drug, Alves became addicted.

If you take it once there will definitely be a second time  its addictive, he said, adding that he even tricked his wife into injecting him with oil in places that he could not reach. I told her there was no problem with it  that it left the body after a short time.

But it didnt and Alves health started to crumble.

His biceps had swollen to an incredible 25 inches while the cocktail started causing him constant pain and kidney failure because of the toxins. He went through depression and even tried to kill himself at one point.

His wife threatened to leave him if he continued using synthol.

I remember the doctor told me that they would need to amputate both arms. They said everything in there, all my muscles, were rock, he told The Mirror. It was either that or cut all of my muscles out.

Luckily, doctors were able to remove the synthol rocks from his arms and did not amputate.

I decided to fix my ways and I never again wanted to take any drugs, we went through a really hard time and almost starved, Alves said.

He has been substance free for about two years now, but the temptation to use other muscle enhancing drugs is still there.

Two weeks ago I bought a substance called estigor  a horse hormone, he said. I put the needle in my chest and sucked in air to see if I got a vein but nothing came out. I froze and started to sweat. My mind started remembering things that Ive gone through and I thought that I couldnt do it  I couldnt give in to temptation again.

Alves said he is speaking out about his experiences so that other people dont fall into the same addictive trap. He still has ambitions to become a professional bodybuilder, but wants to remain clean of drugs.

I regret it a lot  my ambition is still to become a bodybuilder but Ive got a long way to go. I know I will achieve it though, he said. I want other people to see the dangers; I could have died all because I wanted bigger muscles. Its just not worth it.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Hispanics face many health obstacles: compared to other ethnic groups, a larger share of the population is poor, uneducated and has poor access to medical care and health insurance. Compared to whites, Hispanics have higher death rates from diabetes, chronic liver disease and homicide.

Yet, despite these facts, Hispanics are living longer than whites or blacks  and are surpassing the life expectancy of other groups  according to a comprehensive report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday. The data used for the report came from health surveys, death and U.S. census data and covered the years 2009 through 2013.

"For many years there has been a description of the Hispanic paradox, that despite  lower socioeconomic status they live longer," said CDC Director Tom Frieden, during a phone conference Tuesday.

There are two reasons for the paradox, he indicated. One is that Hispanics who immigrate to the U.S. tend to be among the healthiest in their home countries. Another reason, he said, is because U.S. Hispanics smoke less than other groups.

About 13.5 percent of Latinos smoke, compared to 23.8 percent of non-Hispanic whites.

"The fact that people smoke less makes it more likely that they will live longer," Frieden said.

The study also found differences between Hispanics born in the U.S. and those who are foreign born. Latinos born here experience higher rates of obesity, heart disease and cancer.

"I think that has a lot to do with the types of food that are marketed toward folks  for example, sugary drinks, fatty foods get a lot of play on TV," said Dr. Ken Dominguez, the CDC researcher who led the study, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Immigrants are healthier than second- and third-generation Hispanics, a clear indication that the Hispanic paradox has nothing to do with genetics. Frieden said the longer Latinos are in the U.S., the more their health begins to degrade because many begin eating more junk food or take up smoking.

"One thing that's clear is it's not genetics, because genes don't change when they come to this country," Frieden said.

Among Hispanic groups in the United States, Puerto Ricans appear to have the worst health.

Among other findings:

 Puerto Ricans have higher rates of cancer and heart disease than Mexican-Americans, Cuban-Americans or those with roots in Central or South America.

 Compared to Mexican-Americans and Cuban-Americans, Puerto Ricans have the highest death rates from cancer, heart disease, homicide and five other leading causes.

 Hispanics, as a whole, have a substantially lower cigarette smoking rate than whites, but the Puerto Rican smoking rate is the highest among Hispanics  as high as the national average.

"We think [the smoking rate] is the biggest reason" why Puerto Ricans look so unhealthy compared to other Hispanics, Dominguez said.

The analysis was specific to Hispanics living in the 50 states and did not include residents of Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory. Puerto Ricans represent about 10 percent of the U.S. Hispanic population. Mexican-Americans account for 64 percent, Cuban-Americans are 4 percent, and Dominicans, 3 percent.

Includes reporting by the Associated Press.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Just in time for Mother's Day, one of the conjoined twin girls separated at a Houston hospital in February was discharged, while her sister is expected to be released in a few months.

The girls, Knatalye Hope and Adeline Faith Mata, were born in April 2014 at Texas Children's Hospital, in Houston, where they were successfully separated 10 months later.

The girls' family will remain in Houston until she's able to go home also.

The Houston Chronicle reports that Knatalye Hope was discharged from Texas Children's Hospital on Friday.

In February, a team of more than 26 doctors and nurses at the Texas Childrens Hospital worked for about 26 hours to separate the girls, who shared a chest wall, lungs, heart lining and other organs.

The Mata girls were delivered via Caesarean-section in April 2014 in Texas, weighing about 3 pounds, 7 ounces each. They underwent several surgeries in preparation for last weeks final separation, the most recent last December, when custom-made tissue expanders were placed into their chest and abdomen are

Their parents, Elysse and John Mata, moved from Lubbock to Houston last year to be near Texas Children's. The couple also has an older boy.

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Mexico's public health system has suspended infant vaccines and mounted an investigation after two babies died and 29 were sickened in an impoverished community in southern Mexico.

Six of the 29 babies are in grave condition after receiving vaccinations for tuberculosis, rotovirus and Hepatitis B, which are generally administered between 0 and 6 months, according to a national schedule. The cause of the adverse reactions is not known, the Mexican Institute for Social Security said Sunday.

The institute said it stopped vaccines nationwide on Saturday as a precaution.

The Rev. Marcelo Perez, a Roman Catholic priest, told the Associated Press that families of the babies said they became sick within hours. The adverse reactions started Friday and the babies were being treated in a hospital in Simojovel, Chiapas, where 93 percent of the people live in poverty, 69 percent in extreme poverty, according to government statistics.

The hospital "doesn't have adequate personnel or equipment," Perez said. "The real problem is the terrible conditions we have ... so that when a baby comes in with convulsions, he leaves dead."

The federal and state government, in a statement Sunday, promised the best medical care for the babies and to stay in contact with the parents to answer all their questions. Perez said he was helping the families collect all the information that could help officials discover the cause of the adverse reactions.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
An ailing Chilean girl who got international attention by going on YouTube to make a public plea for permission to end her life has died of her illness.

Cystic fibrosis sufferer Valentina Maureira had asked Chilean President Michelle Bachelet to allow her to be euthanized in the YouTube video earlier this year.

Her father, Fredy Maureira, confirmed that Valentina died Thursday. He told local Radio Bio Bio that the 14-year-old is finally "resting in peace."

Bachelet visited the girl at the hospital, but the government said it could not approve her request to be euthanized. Valentina later changed her mind after meeting people who responded to her video.

Valentina's brother died of cystic fibrosis when he was 6 years old.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Costa Rica welcomed its first set of sextuplets ever on Sunday night, when 34-year-old Silvia Villegas delivered four boys and two girls in a San Jose hospital.

The babies weight ranged from 1.9 pounds to 2.42 pounds.

The half dozen was delivered in a period of one hour, officials at Hospital Mexico told local newspaper La Nacion. Villegas carried the babies for 28 weeks and was operated on because the uterus was pressing their lungs.

Sandra Vargas, head of Gynecology and Obstetrics Hospital Mexico, said there was also a risk of them not getting enough nutrients.

After a period of time, fetuses enter a competition for their growth and there could be a lack of nutrients, so a prolonged pregnancy is not a good idea," Dr. Vargas told La Nacion.

Even though the sextuplets are all healthy and doing well, they remain in incubators with a system of intubation, a spokesperson said, because the first 72 hours are crucial for their survival.

They will remain under medical observation for at least three months, he added.

The mother, a resident of Heredia in central Costa Rica, is also in good health. Three of the babies are in Mexico Hospital, two are in Hospital de la Mujer and the other is in San Juan de Dios Hospital.

With reporting by EFE.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
A South Texas woman gave birth to identical triplet girls over the weekend, with two of the babies conjoined at the pelvis.

Dr. Haroon Patel, a pediatric surgeon at Driscoll Children's Hospital in Corpus Christi, said Monday that it will likely be at least six months until the conjoined babies, who share a colon, will be separated. While having triplets are common, it is rare for identical triplets to be born.

Catalina, Ximena and Scarlett were born Saturday at Corpus Christi Medical Center-Bay Area, said hospital spokeswoman Lisa Robertson. She said the conjoined girls  Ximena and Scarlett  were transferred Sunday to Driscoll.

(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));

Patel said the conjoined babies, who were in good condition Monday at the hospital, will need to get "bigger and stronger" before undergoing separation surgery. He also said doctors will need time to work on a plan to separate the girls.

Robertson said the girls were born to Silvia Hernandez of Brownsville via cesarean section, at about 34 weeks. A normal pregnancy is about 41 weeks. Each baby weighed 4 pounds, 11 ounces. They were breathing without respirators.

Catalina remains at Corpus Christi Medical Center-Bay Area in good condition.

Hernandez and husband Raul Torres also have 2-year-old son.

The family has set up a GoFundMe.com page asking for donations to help pay for the babies medical expenses. They said Torres has to leave his job to take care of the babies and their son.

Others can also follow their story and progress on the Facebook page Siamese Triplets Hernandez Torres.

According to the page, the two conjoined babies underwent surgery on Monday, but thankfully everything was OK.

My babies just got out of surgery nothing went wrong thank you god for looking after them they are in perfect condition and everything looks great on them thank you everyone for your support and prayers, the parents wrote on the page.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
They arrive at Lima's coast shortly before dawn and wade into the Pacific Ocean, seeking relief from the ailments doctors have been unable to cure.

Some come in groups, jumping, laughing and running along the shore. Others bathe alone silently in the calm, gray sea.

Under overcast skies at Playa de Pescadores, or Fishermen's Beach, the bathers practice thalassotherapy, which derives from the Greek "thalasso," for "sea," and draws on the ocean's healing properties.

Most of the bathers practice an informal, self-directed sea therapy. Others work with leaders such as natural therapy promoter Jose Cusquisiban.

"The sea is the pharmacy of humanity," said Cusquisiban. "It has many minerals, vitamins."

He has his patients jog barefoot on the sand. "Then we make a harmonious circle of prayer. Afterward, we sing, we practice laugh therapy, we hug and finally we enter the sea and teach those who don't know how to swim," Cusquisiban said.

Other medical practitioners at the beach include chiropractor Felix Retamoso, who treats people for back problems.

Oswaldo Salaverry, an expert at Peru's National Institute of Health in intercultural medicine  the combination of native and Western medicine  said that "being in contact with the sea, with cleaner air, with a certain type of sand, can grant general health benefits."

Salaverry said there is no evidence that it cures chronic illnesses.

But the people who come here have faith in the sea.

Sitting on the beach recently, 25-year-old Gisela Sanchez described how rheumatoid arthritis in her joints makes her feel "as if my bones were breaking." She's been unable to walk for four years and at times isn't even strong enough to hold a glass of water.

"The sand calms the inflammation in my joints and the sea gives me tranquility," said Sanchez, who traveled from Patapo, a village at the foot of the Andes mountains about 700 kilometers (1,690 miles) north of Lima.

Other bathers include Berto Nestaris, a 55-year-old sociologist. He smears himself with sand  a massage he says helps his circulation and nervous system. Graciela Meneses, 67, works out in the sea using a makeshift float, and says it has helped her lose 39 kilograms (85 pounds).

Fabian Espinel said he has been coming to the beach early every morning for 10 years to treat his gout. The 65-year-old also feeds the birds while he's here.

"The sea heals," he said, "gives strength, is essential."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
These are bittersweet days for Jazmin Longoria-Lara.

The 23-year-old Illinois woman, who is undergoing dialysis, needs a kidney transplant and doctors have identified a potential donor  her older brother, Argenis.

But Argenis, who is 27, ran into trouble with the law and ended up in a county jail and then in the custody of immigration officials, who have him slated for deportation to his native Mexico.

Now, however, he has been released temporarily on humanitarian grounds so that he can help save his sisters life.

Immigration officials agreed to hold off his deportation for at least six months so that Argenis, who wants to donate his kidney to his sister, can go through the various tests and other steps needed for a transplant.

"I feel dizzy, but I'm just smiling because I feel happy that he's here," said Longoria-Lara on Thursday, as quoted by AOL News, after a dialysis treatment, and as she prepared to reunite with her brother.

Jazmins mother donated a kidney to her, but it failed. Argenis is the only other match, according to published reports.

Once they learned that Argenis was a match, the family turned to Sen. Dick Durbin and Rep. Luis Gutierrez for help in appealing to immigration officials to have him released.

"I think it was real nice of them to consider it in letting me out to do this deed for my sister. I really appreciate it," Argenis said, according to NBC News. "I didn't expect it. I really was, like, hoping for the best but preparing for the worst."

Argenis and Jazmin are scheduled to meet with doctors Friday. They do not yet have a date for the transplant, NBC News said.

After U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement granted the humanitarian release, Argenis, who pleaded guilty to burglary and was serving more than a year in prison, was transferred from the McHenry County Jail to a federal building in Chicago. After being processed there, he was released.

ICE said in a statement: After this stay of removal expires, ICE will review Mr. Longoria-Lara's case to determine what further action is required.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) carefully considers and reviews all requests for prosecutorial discretion based on humanitarian grounds, it continued. ICE remains focused on smart, effective immigration enforcement that prioritizes the removal of convicted criminals and public safety threats. ICE exercises prosecutorial discretion on a case-by-case basis, considering the totality of the circumstances in an individual case."

Argenis lawyer, Matthew Katz, declined to talk about the criminal case or deportation, but was quoted by NBC News as saying: "Way too often laws are very minimally forgiven for individuals in this circumstance, and thankfully we've seen that the government did show some heart and did show some compassion.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Coss Marte was making two million dollars a year before he was caught.

He sold coke and weed for a living, he openly told Fox News Latino. I was running one of the largest cocaine distributing centers in [New York] city, he said.

Operating out of the Bronx, at one point Marte commanded hired drivers to deliver up to a kilo of cocaine a week 24 hours a day throughout New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. It was a lavish lifestyle that ended suddenly in 2009, when he was charged and sentenced to seven years in prison. He was released after four.

In the meantime, Marte reshaped his life and plotted a way to make a living again, but on the right side of the law this time.

He founded Conbody, a one-of-a- kind gym that offers prison-style bootcamp classes taught by him and other ex-cons.

Martes workout is strictly callisthenic-based, which means all you use is your body weight  no equipment necessary. Participants are partnered with their cellmates and endure one hour of non-stop crab-walks, lunges, ab exercises, varied body movements, and sweat inducing squats.

Body weight, Marte said. It gives you better results at the end of the day.

The workouts, originally designed to be done in a 9x6 jail cell, are currently being taught in a colorful studio in the Lower East Side. So far, investors have fueled $100,000 into Martes business and now hes looking to expand.

The idea came to him while in prison, after doctors there told him he would probably die in prison due to his high cholesterol and sedentary lifestyle. They said you can catch a heart attack in five years, he recalled. So Marte began working out in his cell and eventually lost 71 pounds in six months.

He then began teaching other prisoners.

After losing all the weight I helped like 20 inmates lose a cumulative 1000 pounds, said Marte, who is 29.

He said the best part of Conbody is that he is able to help out other ex-cons, who are hired only after a thorough screening process.

Seeing them in front of the class control a group of 20 people ... gives me hope and desire to keep going, he said.

Watch the video above for more on the workout and the moment in prison that changed his life.
Clutching a tiny Bible, Gilda Velasquez leans over her son as he falls asleep with the help of a powerful sedative and a catchy cartoon jingle playing on a hand-held TV.

"Remember, you're a Christian, you're a Christian," she repeats amid her tears to Yin Carlos as orderlies wheel the 6-year-old into the operating room where he will get a new liver.

For any family touched by liver disease, an organ transplant can be a second chance at life. But the procedure is practically a miracle in Venezuela, where an economic crisis makes even needles and acetaminophen scarce.

Yin is benefiting from the efforts of a U.S.-based surgeon and his counterpart in Caracas who have helped save dozens of Venezuelan children with failing livers. The doctors now hope to replicate their success in such a challenging environment as Venezuela and assist hundreds of boys and girls from other parts of Latin America and the Caribbean where pediatric transplants are unavailable.

Dr. Tomoaki Kato of New York's Columbia University Medical Center began performing the transplants in Venezuela a decade ago after he was contacted by Dr. Pedro Rivas Vetencourt, a surgeon at Caracas' Policlinica Metropolitana.

The Japanese-born physician says that back then he couldn't even locate Venezuela on a map. But he and Rivas Vetencourt have now performed 50 pediatric transplants with living donors in the South American country, gradually building a large team of medical professionals.

With live-donor transplants, surgeons remove a recipient's diseased liver and replace it with part of the donor's healthy organ. Both the donor's liver and the donated section of organ subsequently grow to full size.

Kato and Rivas Vetencourt say they have a one-year survival rate of over 90 percent for the procedure they perform at Policlinica Metropolitana, which is similar to outcomes in the U.S. After that, the risk of infection or complications falls dramatically and most recipients go on to lead healthy, long lives.

The socialist government provides 30 percent of the funding for the transplant program that aims to help poor families like Yin's. Philanthropy, medical insurance and the patient's family pay for the rest of the procedure that costs roughly $20,000 at the weakest of Venezuela's three official exchange rates, including a steep discount by the surgeons. Yin's family didn't have to pay a cent because the father's employer picked up the remainder of the bill.

Hours before checking into the hospital last month to donate part of his liver to his son, Jean Carlos Fernandez recounted the last two hellish years. Yin made multiple visits to the emergency room, frequently missed school and the family had to sell their home in the eastern city of Maturin to pay for overnight bus trips to the capital for exams to investigate why the boy's liver was scarring.

"The doctors told me that if we don't find a donor, the boy will never reach the age to have a girlfriend," Fernandez, a construction worker, said while resting at a relative's apartment on the outskirts of Caracas where a photo of the late President Hugo Chavez featured prominently on the wall.

Yin, his stomach bloated and skin jaundiced from liver disease, seemed oblivious to the pending 12-hour operation. The shy, soft-spoken boy practiced writing the alphabet in a notebook and said he wanted a pinata for his July birthday.

Once the surgery was underway, about a dozen medical professionals led by Rivas Vetencourt extracted the child's mottled liver while Kato, heading a similar team, spliced a 400-gram (almost 1 pound) portion of his father's healthy organ.

The World Health Organization says that only about 150 pediatric liver transplants are performed each year in Latin America and the Caribbean, mostly in Argentina and Brazil, compared with about 600 in the U.S.

"A lot of children die each year in Latin America because they do not have all treatment options locally for end-stage liver disease," said Dr. Juan Carlos Caicedo, a Colombian-born doctor who oversees a transplant program geared to Hispanic children and adults at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. "A lot more pediatric transplant programs are needed in the region."

The payoff can be huge in terms of lives and money saved. An organ transplant in the U.S. costs upward of $500,000, but it's just a fraction of that in Latin America. Successful transplants can also save money by sparing years of costly dialysis and other palliative treatments.

With the backing of Venezuelan fashion designer Carolina Herrera, who met Kato when he performed a life-saving operation on her cousin, the two doctors have created a foundation, FundaHigado America, to raise funds to train medical teams in Latin America and the Caribbean. They hope to launch the project in the Dominican Republic later this year.

For hospitals across the region, recruiting and retaining talent is a major challenge. Many Latin Americans who study in the U.S. are easily enticed into staying, as Rivas Vetencourt says he almost did after completing his fellowship at the University of Illinois-Chicago. If they do return home, facilities and nursing staff aren't as advanced, making it more difficult to provide the same quality of care.

In Venezuela, currently known more for a health care crisis rather than state-of-the-art medicine, the difficulties are even more pronounced. Venezuela's Medical Federation says more than 10,000 doctors have left the country in recent years as salaries  especially at public hospitals  have tumbled with a currency that has lost more than half its value on the black market this year alone. A few of the doctors who Kato and Rivas Vetencourt spent years training were among those doctors leaving.

As Venezuela's economic crisis has deepened, the government has been allocating fewer dollars to the private sector, leading to widespread shortages of medical supplies and equipment.

"This is like a storm and it's my job to make sure people don't get wet," Rivas Vetencourt said.

Some hospitals, including the once-prestigious public University Hospital in Caracas, have had to suspend all surgeries. Kato says on occasions he has had to ferry vascular clips and other hard-to-find supplies in his luggage.

But the two surgeons said the sacrifices are worth it.

Yin, who was discharged from the hospital this week, is expected to make a full recovery. He'll spend the next three months convalescing with his family in Caracas, wearing a surgical mask to guard against infection. While shy as ever  his family jokes he should've had a tongue transplant  he's smiling more and the whites of his eyes have returned to their natural color, a sign of a healthy liver.

Kato and Rivas Vetencourt are also thrilled, because with every life saved a legacy of knowledge is being left behind in a country long accustomed to losing its best doctors.

"If you go do surgery and go back (home), there's nothing left when the surgical team leaves," said Kato. "This is a different approach."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
MIAMI - A South Florida girl celebrating a medical milestone in her fight against cancer was greeted by a flash mob frenzy outside her hospital.

Dozens of people came together and broke out in dance outside Holtz Children's Hospital at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center, all to honor 5-year-old Salma. "It's a message of love, it's a message of hope," said Kalen Richani, the girl's father. "I prepared that with the help of all of these beautiful people, and ... now I can send a message to my daughter and to everyone that with God, family, friends and faith, miracles happen."

In March of 2014, Salma and her family traveled to South Florida from Venezuela for vacation. During the trip, Salma, then just 4 years old, complained of severe back pain and leg problems.

Her parents brought her to the hospital, where they learned she was suffering from neuroblastoma, a rare type of cancer that affects the nervous system in young children.

"She's been fighting for 14 months, for 24 admissions, surgery, chemotherapy, transplant, stem cells transplant, immunotherapy," said Richani.

During her health struggle, Salma got some star support from Colombian superstar Carlos Vives. After hearing of her plight and that her favorite song is "Volvi a Nacer" ("I am Reborn Again"), he invited her to a concert, then invited her to the stage to join him for a duet.

Salma's caretakers at the hospital said, with all the love and support she received, she came through her treatments like a champ. "This is so Salma; from the minute I met her, I knew she was a really incredible little girl," said nurse Elizabeth Carroll.

Now Salma and her family have something to sing about, but they're letting the flash mob do the honors.

"We wanted to be here to celebrate Salma. We were so happy she is finally done with her treatment," said participant Claudia Osorio.

Many of the people who danced for Salma had never met her before, but they indicated they're proud of the little girl and feel honored they got to celebrate her medical milestone.

"I'm just really happy and excited that she got over all those treatments," said Sophia Osorio. "I'm really proud of her and that she's really strong, and she can do anything."

Richani said the celebration did not end with the flash mob. After heading home for a family meal, he took Salma to Toys "R" Us for a treat.

For more news, visit WSVN.com.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
next Image 1 of 3

prev next Image 2 of 3

prev Image 3 of 3

Together again.

One of the conjoined twin girls separated at a Houston hospital in February is back home with her sister after being discharged from the hospital.

The girls, Knatalye Hope and Adeline Faith Mata, were born in April 2014 at Texas Childrens Hospital, in Houston, where they were successfully separated 10 months later.

Knatalye Hope was discharged on May 8 and on Tuesday Adeline joined her at home after recovering from the surgery.

We are so pleased with the progress of both Adeline and Knatalye following their first-of-its-kind separation surgery earlier this year, said Dr. Darrell Cass, co-director of Texas Childrens Fetal Center in a statement. They will both require additional therapies as they continue to grow, but we are thrilled with their outcomes and are optimistic they will continue to do very well.

The girls, who weighed about 3 pounds, 7 ounces each at the time of birth, underwent several surgeries in preparation for their separation earlier this year.

In February, a team of more than 26 doctors and nurses worked for about 26 hours to separate the girls, who shared a chest wall, lungs, heart lining and other organs.

The family said it will continue to reside in Houston while the girls have their follow-up appointments at the hospital. They will then return to their hometown of Lubbock.

"The past year has been such a whirlwind for our family and we are so thankful we can finally have both girls home with us," said Elysse Mata, mother of the twins, in a statement.

"In addition to the great care our girls received, the thoughts, prayers and outpouring of love from the community really helped get us through the last year and we are grateful for everyone's continued support."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
The baby boy of a brain-dead Nebraska woman who was kept on life support long enough that the child would be viable, finally left the hospital, 54 days after doctors removed him from his mother's womb by cesarean section in April.

Angel Perez was born at Methodist Women's Hospital in Omaha on April 4, after his mother, Karla, was declared brain dead. The 22-year old woman, already the mother of one and pregnant with her second child, was at home one day in February when she complained that she had a headache. Then she collapsed from a brain hemorrhage.

"It was then that we had decisions to make," Dr. Andrew Robertson of Methodist Women's Hospital Perinatal Center told ABC News. "Karla's baby was fine, but its gestational age was too young to consider delivery. That's when the team and Karla's family agreed to attempt to provide somatic support and maintain Karla's pregnancy until her baby reached a viable gestational age."

It was the first time since 1999 in the United States that a woman was kept alive in order to have her pregnancy maintained. There have been just 33 similar cases reported in medical literature worldwide since 1982, according to the hospital.

"Angel's first cry was bittersweet  it meant he was alive, but Karla was gone," a member of the hospital staff wrote in a blogpost.

Karla was diagnosed at a young age with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and was advised not to have children. Her first pregnancy, which resulted in a baby girl, was monitored but no issues arose.

"Women with juvenile arthritis are usually counseled not to get pregnant," said Dr. Tifany Somer-Shely, Karla's OB physician at Methodist Physicians Clinic Womens Center. "But pregnancy was so important to her and her partner that she went off all meds to get pregnant. They really wanted this baby. A healthy pregnancy was more important than her own comfort."

Karla Perez Press Conference from Methodist Health System on Vimeo.

A team of over 100 doctors, nurses and staff at Methodist Women's Hospital worked to keep Karla alive  she was only 22 weeks pregnant when she was declared brain dead  but were forced to perform the cesarean section back in April when her condition worsened.

Angel was born at 11:47 a.m. at 30 weeks and three days and weighed only 2 pounds, 12.6 ounces. He was immediately admitted to the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit, where he has gained almost four pounds since his birth.

"Our team took a giant leap of faith," Sue Korth, vice president and COO of hospital, said. "We were attempting something that not many before us have been able to do. I couldn't be more proud of our medical team and the more than 100 staff who were a part of her care. Karla's loss of life was difficult, but the legacy she has left behind is remarkable."

Dr. David Minderman added that the newborn baby did not not suffer any complications in the womb because of his mother's coma.

"Absolutely he's a fighter," Minderman told CBS. "His hardest work was before he was born, really."

Days after his birth, Karla passed away and her organs were donated.

"Not only did she stay alive for 54 days after what happened to her, to give her baby life, but she also saved the lives of three other people," Perez's mother, Berta Jimenez, told CBS.

Angel will now go home to live with Jimenez and her husband, Modesto.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Ruth Villalta needs a kidney transplant, and her husband, Francisco, is willing to give her one should he prove a suitable donor.

But chances are very poor that it will ever happen for the Salvadoran-born resident of Brentwood, New York on Long Island, whose kidneys have stopped functioning, because she is in the United States illegally.

If you see everyone as equal, how can you let someone die because they dont have documents? Villalta asked, according to the New York Daily News.

Villalta told the newspaper that her doctors at first spoke to her about getting a kidney transplant, but stopped when they learned about her immigration status.

When they asked me for the documents, everything stalled, she said.

The Daily News cited U.S. Renal Data System data suggesting that it would be much less expensive to perform the transplant in the long run. While Medicare pays out around $106,000 for transplant surgery, a years-worth of dialysis runs to $72,000.

Ruth immigrated to Long Island with her husband Francisco in 2009. He worked construction jobs, while she got a job at a pharmaceutical factory.

I started to feel poorly, she told the Daily News, and left my job. I felt worse and worse. I was tired, weak, sometimes my head hurt so bad.

But Villalta, who is now 30, didnt seek medical attention.

I was afraid of the bills  and because I didnt have papers, I didnt think I could go to the doctor, she said.

Then in 2013, she had a miscarriage and was rushed to Southside Hospital.

They told me that I had lost the baby because I had renal failure, Villalta said. They wouldnt let me leave the hospital. They said I would die if I did. I had to go into dialysis immediately.

Shes been receiving twice-weekly dialysis ever since, which, as an undocumented immigrant, gets covered through emergency Medicaid.

A spokesperson for the North Shore-LIJ Health System (NSHS), which operates Southside Hospital, told Fox News Latino in a statement, that NHSH "cares for all patients, regardless of their immigration status or ability to pay."

Villalta said she is grateful for the medical help she has received despite being undocumented, but she still hopes for a transplant.

My dream is to be able to find a way, something that will give me the opportunity to live without dialysis, Villalta told the Daily News recently, after she coughed up blood and experienced a temporary loss of vision and wound up in the ER.

Villalta has received her regular dialysis treatment at the community care center of the Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
In this May 8, 2015 photo, friends help Gisela Sanchez who suffers rheumatoid arthritis walk in the water off Fishermen's Beach in Lima, Peru. The sand calms the inflammation in my joints and the sea gives me tranquility, said Sanchez, who traveled here from Patapo, a village at the foot of the Andes mountains about 700 kilometers (1,690 miles) north of Lima. Sanchez, 25, says she hasn't been able to walk on her own for the past four years, and that she's hoping the sea will help her walk again. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
In this May 9, 2015 photo, Gilda Velasquez holds a prayer book and prays as she lies on a bench at the clinic's waiting room, while her son undergoes a liver transplant at Caracas Policlinica Metropolitana, in Venezuela. Yin's father Jean Carlos Fernandez donated part of his liver. Hours before checking into the hospital last month to donate part of his liver to his son, Jean Carlos Fernandez recounted the last two hellish years. Yin made multiple visits to the emergency room, frequently missed school and the family had to sell their home in the eastern city of Maturin to pay for overnight bus trips to the capital for exams to investigate why the boys liver was scarring. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Days after Angel's birth, Karla passed away and her organs were donated. "Not only did she stay alive for 54 days after what happened to her to give her baby life, but she also saved the lives of three other people," Perez's mother, Berta Jimenez said.
The White House says President Barack Obama will host Pope Francis in Washington when he visits the United States this fall.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Obama and first lady Michelle Obama would welcome the pontiff as a guest at the White House on Sept. 23. It is Francis' first papal visit to the United States.

Francis is already scheduled to address the annual U.N. General Assembly of world leaders on Sept. 25. The pope has also agreed to address a joint meeting of Congress on Sept. 24, the first time the head of the world's Roman Catholics will address Congress.

Obama met Francis in the Vatican in March of last year. Earnest said discussions would range from poverty and economic opportunity to immigration and the environment.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Since the proposed Comcast and Time Warner Cable merger was announced over a year ago, the transaction has ignited the passions and interests of a wide variety of individuals and groups. Obviously, a deal of such magnitude has many different components that an engaged citizenry should discuss openly and constructively.

But what was originally a business deal unfortunately has morphed into a rallying point for self-proclaimed social justice activists. They paint a dystopian scenario where a company like Comcast controls what we see and who has access to the benefits of modern telecommunication services. In their narratives, the most vulnerable minority members of our society are stripped of access to broadband and its benefits.

It does not take a huge stretch of the imagination to estimate that Comcast will rely on Latino workers as it upgrades Time Warner Cables current infrastructure. In so doing, Comcast will directly invest in the success and continued improvement of our communityanother point conveniently ignored by the aforementioned activists.  Mario H. Lopez

Perhaps the best examples are radical organizations like Free Press and presente.org, the latter of which fancies itself as a Latino-focused Move On. Free Press is out to attack the very notion of for-profit media companies, while presente.org is less forthcoming about a whole list of goals, choosing only to launch unsubstantiated accusations and falsehoods in their propaganda.

Presente.org founder Arturo Carmona goes so far as to paint the merger as a major assault on the Latino community. He claims to have the interest of low-income communities at heart, for whom this merger could mean an actual barrier to accessing the Internet. Carmonas group has gone so far as to encourage individuals to contact the California Public Utilities Commission in an attempt to stop the merger, issuing a vacuous missive predicting certain doom if the merger does end up taking place.

Beyond the rhetoric, observers should understand the reality of the problem of what experts call the Digital Divide.

A Federal Communications Commission report claims that 19 million Americans currently lack access to broadband serviceroughly six percent of the population. Only 63 percent of the Hispanic population has access to broadband at home. The chief reason for this is cost. One report ranks the U.S. 30th out of 33 countries in terms of broadband affordability, with an average monthly cost of $44. These dynamics has an adverse affect on economic opportunity, especially with education and employment services becoming an increasingly digital experience.

There is probably room for most companies in America to improve their Latino inclusion efforts. But, like them or not, Comcast has a historically proven track record of minority inclusion and community investment, especially with regards to Latinos. One benefit of the pending merger will be to make Comcasts Internet Essentials program available to low-income families currently in Time Warner Cables telecommunication footprint.

The Internet Essentials program provides broadband service to lower income families for $9.95 a month. Comcast recently announced it added 1.8 million Americans to its program. This success is especially noteworthy in comparison to similar programs from other telecom companies. Put in perspective, Internet Essentials accounts for a quarter of all national broadband adoption growth for low-income families since the programs inception. Internet Essentials is a real and quantifiable effort that strikes right at the heart of the Digital Divide.

In addition, there is the issue of infrastructure development. Comcast has signaled its intent to expand in, New York City and Los Angeles, two cities with substantially large Latino workforce. Although I do not have access to their business plan, it does not take a huge stretch of the imagination to estimate that Comcast will rely on Latino workers as it upgrades Time Warner Cables current infrastructure. In so doing, Comcast will directly invest in the success and continued improvement of our communityanother point conveniently ignored by the aforementioned activists.

Without this merger, nothing about the digital Divide will change. In fact the situation might grow even grimmer. The truth is, Time Warner Cable is a company that wants to be bought out. The failed merger with Charter Communications and their current state as a company suggests an eventual buyout is inevitable.

When one examines the facts and looks beyond media activists who do nothing but throw dirt around in an effort to foment a radical agenda, one can see substantive reasons that are hard to ignore. As mentioned earlier, mergers of this scale are complex, but if the exaggerated cries of catastrophe are the best that opponents can muster, perhaps it speaks to the lack of substantive arguments on their side.
The rage and surprise expressed by reporters and commentators in Washington and Bogota last Thursday at the official report that U.S. government agents partied hard with prostitutes in Colombia reminded me most of Inspector Renault in the classic film "Casablanca."

When Bogarts character, cafe owner Rick, asks the inspector, a morally ambiguous character, why hes shutting down Ricks Cafe, the inspector says, Im shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here! as he is pocketing his winnings for the night.

I dont mean to suggest that the critics ever used the services of the ladies of the night, but to point out that prostitution in Colombia is as much a surprise as the palm trees and fabulous beaches.

Sex scandals in America are a guilty pleasure only when a social conservative or liberal preachy type gets busted in flagrante delicto. Otherwise Im libertarian. So obviously are Secret Service and DEA management, otherwise how can the lenient sentences meted out to the agents embroiled in these latest Colombian sex scandals be explained? Theyre all still working.  Geraldo Rivera

Anybody who has ever been to the lovely Spanish Colonial-era port cities of Barranquilla or Cartegena knows they have Red Light Districts that are well established and with take-out a service associated with all important hotels. Like Bangkok, Thailand; Rotterdam, Holland; or Sparks, Nevada, sex tourism is one of the mainstays of the local economy.

With the exception of two counties in Nevada, including Sparks, prostitution is criminalized in the United States. But the worlds oldest profession is legal, organized, semi-regulated, widespread and hugely tolerated in Latin America.

Unless you are doing business, on a tour, a cruise, an archeologist or a mercenary bent on fighting with or against FARC, if you are a man visiting one of those two Colombian ports without your spouse, you are going there for the action. To think that red-blooded American secret agents freed from the shackles of our puritan society would likewise indulge in a widely accepted practice while far from home is not shocking.

Yet given the chance to moralize about the DEA agents and the Secret Service agents recently snagged, many locals became like Casablancas Inspector Renault: hypocritically outraged.

I asked my friend Steve Salisbury, a veteran Colombian-based Latin American expert, to test the local reaction to the latest sex scandal.

Steve reports, Yes, the just recently reported episode of another DEA sex scandal in Colombia, citing evident misbehavior or allegedly worse from several years ago is causing a big buzz here in Colombia. People think it is outrageous that members of the DEA are caught yet again in what appears to be such unprofessional, "shameful," or even possibly criminal actions. One Colombian woman told me: 'This is terrible and very disgusting!'

"People are indignant about this, and questions include: 'Who do they [the DEA members implicated in the alleged misbehavior] think they are? Do they think they are above the law and can lord it over everyone? Don't these DEA people ever learn? Are these kinds of things and shenanigans still going on, and if so, to what degree? What is being done to put in tight control and put a stop to such things?'

A retired Western high-ranking official who prefers to remain anonymous told Steve, Sometimes you wonder who, exactly, is the adult supervision in the U.S. (government)!" On that point at least, I agree. How dumb can a married, secret agent be to hire a hooker and then refuse to pay her the agreed price?

Sex scandals in America are a guilty pleasure only when a social conservative or liberal preachy type gets busted in flagrante delicto. Otherwise, Im libertarian. Obviously so are Secret Service and DEA management  otherwise, how can the lenient sentences meted out to the agents embroiled in these latest Colombian sex scandals be explained? Theyre all still working.

The only real problem is: Who paid for the ladies?

Back to Steve Salisburys exclusive reporting.

If it were true that the implicated DEA agents were allegedly receiving gifts from a drug-kingpin's lawyer and using illegal drugs with prostitutes  then that would appear to raise highly serious judicial questions.

In other words, if the potential targets of their work as law enforcement agents had compromised the agents integrity by getting them hookers and cocaine, then that is a big deal.

Paying for sex in Cartegena and Barranquilla is not.

You can compare awareness of the scope of the Colombian sex industry to another pop cultural reference, the Geico Gecko talking about Fifteen minutes saving you fifteen percent or more in car insurance  Everybody knows that.
Surprise! Nevada United States Senator Harry Reid will not run for reelection in 2016.

He has served since January 1987, before that he served in the House of Representatives, as Nevadas Lt. Governor, as a state legislator, as Chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission and as City Attorney for the Las Vegas suburb of Henderson, Nevada.

There is one bit of information about Reid that is missing in the mainstream press that Hispanics should know: First-term Harry Reid helped start the evil Hispanic bashing we see today by attacking every Hispanic American citizen born in the United States to an illegally-present parent. Harry Reid helped birth the deleterious label Anchor Baby.

His politics were geared to an almost all-White Democrat Nevada voting public that countenanced segregation of Blacks, job discrimination against Blacks to the extent that owners of Las Vegas gambling would not hire Blacks for any position higher than housekeeping and janitorial work (...) That was Harry Reids world.  Raoul Lowery Contreras

Yes, Harry Reid, who along with Barack Obama destroyed President George W. Bushs excellent Comprehensive Immigration Reform in 2007; he also destroyed the Dream Act that would have made legal kids born here to illegally present parents. It missed becoming law by five Democrat votes. Reid didnt try to convince them to vote yes.

Before all that, with Hispanics in mind, he attacked the 14th Amendment to the Constitution that grants citizenship to every child born in the United States no matter if parents are legally or illegally present in the United States (unless they are foreign diplomats or invading soldiers).

His objection was that no child born to illegally present parents should be allowed to be U.S. citizens because the parents were not in the country legally. Most of the subject children are Hispanic.

All Persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States This is the 14th Amendment regarding citizenship that Harry Reid wanted to junk.

Reids specious attack was based on the obvious fact of parents legality, the claim that the illegal parents were outside the jurisdiction the country and that illegals had no legal rights because they were in country without permission. Lastly, Reid and others thought that because illegals who had children in the U.S. owed no loyalty to the United States because they were here illegally, their children were outside the jurisdiction of the United States.That was Harry Reid, first term United States Senator.

His politics were geared to an almost all-White Democrat Nevada voting public that countenanced segregation of Blacks and job discrimination against Blacks, to the extent that owners of Las Vegas gambling would not hire Blacks for any position higher than housekeeping and janitorial work. Blacks could not work as dealers, pit bosses, croupiers, casino executives or even front desk clerks. That was Harry Reids world.

Hispanics were not numerous in Nevada while Reid was working his way up from City Attorney to U.S. Senator, but then came Las Vegas growth that exploded with the construction of mega-hotels like Bellagio's, MGM Grand and others, each with thousands of employees. Almost all of the Eastside of Las Vegas became Mexico north; in fact, in addition to Mexicans, Central and South America are well represented in Las Vegas, filling thousands of the new jobs created every month and year.

Finally, Harry Reid came around after he destroyed Bushs immigration reform in 2006-2007. He endorsed Hispanic Catherine Cortez Masto for Nevada Attorney General and she won. The daughter of Las Vegas Strip promoter Manny Cortez, she took her Gonzaga U. law degree to Washington D.C. and worked as a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorneys office. She came back to be a governors Chief of Staff, then on to win the AG office.

AG Cortez Masto indicted sitting Nevada Lt. Governor Brian Kolicki in 2008, when he started making noises of running against a weak Reid in 2010. Politicians rarely run well when under indictment. The (phony?) indictment was thrown out a year later but it kept a popular Lt. Governor from running and allowed a politically unacceptable Sharon Angle to run against and lose to Reid.

Term-limited-out AG Cortez Masto was secretly appointed to a $215,000 job last December as Executive Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nevadas governing authority  before the Universitys Board of Regents even knew the office was open. Where there any other candidates for the job? Did Harry Reid have anything to do with the appointment?

Lucy Flores was his choice for Lt. Governor in 2014s Nevada election. Reid did nothing to help her and she lost. He tends to endorse Hispanics with no chance of winning.

Within the past few days, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Inspector General issued a scathing report that Senator Harry Reid personally thrust himself, possibly illegally, into the visa-granting process of DHS by lobbying for permanent visas for wealthy Asians represented by Harry Reids lawyer son.

Harry Reid is retiring. If a new Republican Attorney General in 2017 asks a federal grand jury to indict Reid for illegal tampering in the visa process, one will know exactly why he retired. One more thing, he could not beat Hispanic Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval in a million years. Adios, Harry.
This weekend I met a Spanish missionary who has for the last three years been working in Bolivia, primarily with homeless orphan children and teenagers. We had a fascinating discussion about Pope Francis and his upcoming visit to the United States which helped to clarify something for me Americans find hard to grasp: Pope Francis feet are firmly planted in the Developing World.

My missionary acquaintance said: This is a Pope for the Church as it is coming to be: a Church of the Southern Hemisphere and a Church of the poor and struggling. We talked about how the Church is growing in Africa, and how it is still vibrant and populous in Latin America and Brazil. The people are poor, but also young and procreative there, full of life and energy.

Just think back to World Youth Day and the mobs of excited Catholics that greeted O Papa with characteristic Brazilian warmth and enthusiasm. In contrast we have the sclerotic and post-modern Europe, who Francis has described as a grandmother, sterile and cold, materially blessed but slowly dying off of its own volition.

It requires an enormous effort to view our world through a different lens, and see it the way our brothers and sisters far away experience it. But that is what he asks.  Dr. Grazie Pozo Christie

The needs of the growing Church are different from the needs of the aging Church, and Pope Francis speaks and acts in ways that resonate with the teeming lower hemisphere. The missionary described how he cherishes the way Pope Francis keeps directing our eyes and attention to the wretched and marginalized. In Bolivia, he told me, at night the streets of the cities are thronged with children, who are disconnected from their parents, sleeping on dirty sidewalks, and covering themselves with cardboard. They soothe their misery with drugs that destroy their stunted bodies and brains. The middle and upper class denizens walk right past them, on their way to dinner or the movies, without once turning their eyes to them. The sight is too common, the problem too pervasive, to provoke their dismay.

I can identify with that. I grew up in the Third World, and on the middle class street I lived on, in the heart of a big city, were many who lived in corrugated metal lean-tos between the substantial houses. This was our normal and our eyes were used to it. On a more recent visit, while leaving a restaurant in Quito after midnight, we were asked for alms by a boy who couldnt have been more than ten years old. He was accompanied by a much younger brother and sister, all of them barefoot and shivering in the cold. Our Ecuadorian friends were inured to the sight.

Imagine that scenario: Walking though a parking lot, late at night, and finding young children begging in the cold, hungry and needy. And then giving them some coins and walking on. This is the reality that the Pope is rooted in, the pastoral needs that he attended to day after day in Argentina and the ones he continues to address from Rome. As he said: This is what I want, a poor Church for the poor. The needs of the poor are obvious, material and abundant, and the needs of the prosperous are spiritual. The prosperous must be taught to rebel against the sight of wretchedness and fight the complacency that so easily pervades the comfortable.

Statements by the Pope like: Human rights are not only violated by terrorism, repression, or assassination, but also by unfair economic structures that create huge inequalities, make a lot of sense when seen from his perspective as a pastor to the poor and impervious rich. In developing countries, hard work and perseverance alone often are not enough to enable a man or woman to earn enough to feed and clothe their children. The decks are stacked against them by endemic corruption and economic structures that are inherently unfair and favor a small minority of the populace. Prosperity there is not a tide that lifts all boats. Pope Francis said, The promise is that when the glass was full, it would overflow, benefiting the poor. But what happens instead, is that when the glass is full, it magically gets bigger and nothing ever comes out for the poor.

Here in our own country, we have some difficulty understanding that. Many of us, my family included, arrived here with nothing but a desire to work hard and take care of each other. The United States welcomed us and gave us the opportunities we longed for. Here, the generosity of our safety nets keeps the wolf from the door, and the level playing field that is American society ensures that our beginnings cannot entirely dictate our ends. A boy or girl, no matter what side of the tracks they come from, can achieve stability and a modicum of prosperity, and with lots of hard work and some good luck, even affluence.

Pope Francis speaks to each of us, whether we suffer from material poverty or moral poverty, and bids us to meet one another doing good. It requires an enormous effort to view our world through a different lens, and see it the way our brothers and sisters far away experience it. But that is what he asks.

The missionary observed, How hard it must be to be the Pope of the whole world. I think he is right.
Wow. What a coincidence. After years of watching wars fought on behalf of billionaires who made millions and millions of dollars and got thousands of our best, brightest and bravest killed, the U.S. Justice Department has decided to go after corruption in Washington. Yes!

Lets see. Whod they get? Did they get one of those scoundrel politicians who probably took money from a defense contractor in exchange for starting and maintaining a completely ridiculous and unwinnable war, which ended up being well  both ridiculous and unwinnable? Last I checked, nobody doles out money like defense contractors. And politicians, what with their hands out, lining up to take the loot like cheap prostitutes on payday, shouldnt be too hard to find. Is it one of them? No? Really?

Then it must be some politician in bed with the oil and gas sector, right? Those big oil guys really know how to buy influence. According to opensecrets.org, oil and gas companies paid out roughly 137 million dollars in the last two years to the campaign coffers of certain politicians. No? Not one of them?

How about Wall Street? Forget about it. Try 2 billion dollars since 1990. Talk about raking it in by writing checks to the right people in the highest echelons of power. There is nobody who gets richer by giving to the right crowd than these guys. Whew!

In fact, the money in politics in Washington is so out of control, the numbers are doubling every ten years. Its staggering! According to the center for responsive politics, almost 40 billion dollars was spent on federal elections between 2007 and 2012. And yes, thats more than double what was spent between 1997 and 2002.

Why are giant industries paying off politicians with huge campaign contributions? Why? Because its great business! Most studies show its worth every penny, with a return on investment of up to 22,000 percent from their donations and lobbying efforts. And these donors, whether its big oil, big defense or big unions make sure their guys get elected. Then those same guys and gals vote, simply put, in accordance with the whims and needs of their contributors. Shameful, but true.

The Justice Department and our courts appear more interested in low-hanging fruit, than in ending real widespread corruption. To genuinely combat the horrible influence of big money in politics, I suggest they bypass the twigs and spoiled fruit and just knock down the whole damn tree.  Rick Sanchez

Billions of dollars are made under this seemingly corrupt and unsustainable system, despite the fact that poll after poll finds that Americans, by as much as 90 percent, want to reduce the role of money in politics.

So that said, whod they get? Who are the real bad guys, so we can say Goodnight to them ala Tony Montana? New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez and West Palm Beach Eye Doctor Saloman Melgen. Who?

So wait a minute, Bob Menendez, who ranks by far as one of the poorest members of the U.S. Senate and a doctor who asked him to look into a Medicare dispute? Those are the bad asses of Washington corruption? By the way, its important to note these two Latinos have known each other for decades. Theyve attended each other family's functions and the doctor, whos become wealthy seeing as many as 20 patients a day to try and cure their blindness, has in fact contributed generously to Menendezs campaign.

So what did he really do? And what did he get for it? Heres what happened. When Dr. Melgen was going through a billing dispute with Medicare and believed a pharmaceutical company to the tune of almost 9 million dollars was ripping him off, he asked Senator Menendez to get a clarification on Medicares billing policy.

The dispute centers on an expensive drug called Lucentis and how much of it, a Vitreo-Retinal specialist like Melgen, is allowed to use from each vial to treat his patients.

Melgen, who would not go on the record at the advise of his lawyers, says each vial of Lucentis provides enough medication to treat several patients. However, Genentech (which manufactures Lucentis) and Medicare contend that he should only treat one patient per vial and if need be, throw the rest of it away.

As Melgen sees it, its absolutely crazy and ridiculous to throw away perfectly good medicine that could save his patients vision, seeming to suggest that Medicare is simply taking the side of big pharma against doctors like him. (Note: According to Americans for Campaign Reform, the pharmaceutical industry spent more than $1.5 billion from 1998 to 2008 to lobby Washingtons regulatory agencies and committees, which is more than any other industry.)

Melgen suggests he billed according to the number of patients he treated, rather than the amount of Lucentis that he was ordering and came away convinced that he was doing right by his patients. After all, he works 12-hour daily shifts. But Medicare did not see it that way. And when it hit him with a bill for 8.9 million dollars, he paid it. But fearing that he had been wronged, he began making calls and one of his calls was to his long time friend and confidant, Senator Bob Menendez.

The dispute was never settled. Melgen says he got absolutely no relief, no usable information and no favors from his call to Menendez. In fact, he argues that his call accomplished absolutely nothing except to link his name to a national story which he says is more about the case against a standing U.S. Senator than it is about him, and has brought him nothing but grief.

Legal scholars whove studied corruption cases say that, given Menendezs long-standing personal relationship with Melgen, the government has its work cut out to prove its case. The question many will ask is, wheres the real quid pro quo? Especially considering that the quid could be based on a friendship and the quo was a phone call that resulted in no resolution whatsoever for Melgen.

Now, as of the writing of this article, no one knows what other evidence may be presented beyond what is known about the relationship between this politician and his donor or whether theres more to Melgens problems with Medicare than a billing dispute that will undoubtedly cost him millions in legal fees.

In the 68-page indictment, prosecutors accuse Menendez of helping his longtime friend acquire visas for several girlfriends over the years, and accepting invitations for vacations. I wonder how many politicians in Washington are calling friends right about now suggesting they keep quiet about similar horrendous crimes.

Pardon me for being skeptical, but I cant help but wonder once again, as I did in the case against Former Virginia Governor Bob Macdonald and his vitamin doctor friend, that the Justice Department and our courts appear more interested in low-hanging fruit, than in ending real widespread corruption. To genuinely combat the horrible influence of big money in politics, I suggest they bypass the twigs and spoiled fruit and just knock down the whole damn tree.

Melgen may not have profited from his relationship with Menendez, but Wall Street bankers, defense contractors, big unions, big pharma, big oil and many others who write billions in checks to politicians obviously do profit. We know that! Isnt that where their attention really out to be?
The massive Comcast-Time Warner merger is anything but certain. The landscape has changed, as headlines throughout the country have reported that Comcast is firing back like never before against mounting opposition. Now their financial dependents are also getting in on the fight.

Just last week, Comcast beneficiary Hispanic Leadership Fund went on the attack, with an opinion piece from Mario Lopez in Fox News Latino blasting groups like mine, Presente.org, for opposing the merger and not simply trusting Comcast and Time Warner to do the right thing.

The list of problems and dangers of the merger appears to be endless. From the impact on consumers, on producers, on Latinos, on content generators, on independent Spanish networks, and on and on. When you see groups coming out in support of the merger therefore, we need to closely scrutinize their bottom line.  Arturo Carmona

Lets start with this central fallacy: that Comcasts failed "Internet Essentials" program, supposedly granting cheap Internet to millions of low-income families, actually works. It doesnt: as has been pointed out again and again since Comcast agreed to put together the program as a condition of their last merger with NBC Universal.

To begin with, actually getting into Comcasts affordable coverage program is nearly impossible, they throw up barrier after barrier that keeps most low income people out. Its only accessible to families with school-age kids on reduced lunch who arent yet Comcast customers and havent been late on any bills recently. Lets be honest  if you are working more than one job, you dont have time to fight through a never-ending application process.

Next, even if you do get into the program, the Internet service is terrible to the point of being nearly unusable. It is so slow it doesnt work with most modern web applications, and there are reports it shuts down completely if more than one person uses it at a time.

The California Public Utility Commission examined the program and found weak performance in regards to the program having any impact on the digital divide.

At the end of the day, one-third of Americans dont have high speed Internet access at home, many of them are Latinos, and what we actually need to fix it is more regulation and more competition. Neither of those will be achieved by a Comcast Time Warner Merger, we will simply fall farther behind on both counts.

The most important part of Mr. Lopezs piece was simply left out: he fails to disclose the ties the Hispanic Leadership Fund has with Comcast and wealthy corporate interests. According to their website, Jaquelyn Puente, Executive Director of External Affairs for Comcast serves on the organizations Executive Committee. They have also taken $700,000 from the Koch brothers donor network.

It should come as no surprise that those who financially benefit from Comcast support the merger, as those are the only people who win if this merger goes through.

As the process moves forward, the necessity to oppose this merger only grows. Just a few weeks ago, a California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) regulator released a 100-plus-page decision pointing out a series of issues disastrous to working families, and particularly for Californians. The regulators approval of the merger hinged on 25 major conditions to alleviate negative impacts. Comcast quickly opposed nearly all of the conditions of the CPUC decision.

But the list of problems and dangers of the merger appears to be endless. From the impact on consumers, on producers, on Latinos, on content generators, on independent Spanish networks, and on and on. When you see groups coming out in support of the merger therefore, we need to closely scrutinize their bottom line. But the rest of us have a lot on the line: Internet access is essential for Latinos to achieve full equality and participation in American life, as is our access to unbiased media.

This is why we are continuing to mobilize tens of thousands of our members in partnership with our allies to rally against this unprecedented megamerger threatening our communities. We can afford nothing less than an all-fronts mobilization to stop this merger.
Im a 30-year-old Latina and a journalist. Weve all heard about it on the news, from a friend, or someone we know, who unfortunately have been victims of whats called "domestic violence." Just like many other things in life we think, Well, that wont happen to me. And thats exactly what I always thought until I met Debbie Flores-Narvaez.

In reality, I didnt get to meet Debbie in person; I met her after she was brutally murdered. Yes, Im a crime reporter. It was December 2010 and someone sent me a message on Facebook asking me for help about a missing Las Vegas Dancer; her name was Debbie. She was a beautiful Puerto Rican attorney who at age 30, decided to leave her job in Baltimore to pursue a career as a dancer in Sin City. As odd as it may sound, and against her familys wishes, she did it.

Every nine seconds a woman is beaten in the United States. As women, we have the power to walk away, to call the police and to say to ourselves 'No More.' Its in our hands to stop this.  Carolina Sarassa

Not only did she find fame and a boyfriend, she found death in the hands of the love of her life. She was beautiful, smart and well educated. He was talented, charming and a ladies man. Debbie couldnt comprehend how that man whom she loved so much could have eyes for other women. He abused her verbally, physically, emotionally, and ended her life. To cover his crime, Jason  her boyfriend- dismembered the beautiful dancers body with a handsaw and hid her in plastic containers filled with cement.

Her friends had warned her, and she knew that man was never going to change. Nevertheless, she continued to pursue that toxic relationship. She could have said 'no,' but love had her blindfolded. The truth is very cruel: Debbie is dead and her boyfriend in prison for the rest of his life.

Could anything have been different if Debbie or even Jason had said 'no'? Could these types of tragedies be prevented? What can we do as a community to put a stop to domestic violence? As I said, I never had the pleasure to meet Debbie in person, but I know she would have wanted to warn other women about what happened to her.

Almost five years have gone by, and Debbies story was fading from peoples memories. Im humbled to be able to tell her story with a true-crime book titled Dancing on Her Grave: The Murder of a Las Vegas Showgirl. My co-author Diana Montane and I want to make sure Debbie doesnt become just another statistic of domestic violence.

Every nine seconds a woman is beaten in the United States. As women, we have the power to walk away, to call the police and to say to ourselves 'No More.' Its in our hands to stop this.

I invite you to read my book and get a glimpse of what happens every nine seconds in our country.
Ahead of the 7th Summit of the Americas, Ecuadors President Rafael Correa isnt too pleased that the international community has dared call attention to serious human rights violations under his government. But instead of addressing his attacks on the media, free speech, and anyone who opposes his presidency, Correa conveniently blames Washington.

In a recent speech, President Correa asked the rhetorical question: Where is the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR)?" Only to offer his own answer: "In Washington. Who finances it? The United States. But the United States has not signed the Convention [on Human Rights]. It subsidizes the IACHR in order to control us, the Latin Americans.

To avoid allegations against his own human rights violations, President Correa wants to control the Inter-American system in order to evade international justice and control the barrage of lawsuits against the Ecuadorean government that remain concealed while Correa maintains power.  Andres Paez Benalcazar

But these antagonistic comments are not just Correas most recent anti-U.S. tantrum. Rather, they are part of the scaffolding he has mounted in order to cover up his concern for a growing number of lawsuits initiated against him by various activists, students, indigenous groups, journalists, members of the opposition, and those he has persecuted, jailed, and alienated.

To avoid allegations against his own human rights violations, President Correa wants to control the Inter-American system in order to evade international justice and control the barrage of lawsuits against the Ecuadorean government that remain concealed while Correa maintains power. The ALBA, CELAC, and other anti-U.S. international blocs are included in this scheme.

The South American political soapbox, UNASUR, recently inaugurated its new headquarters in northern Quito, and its construction costs $43.6 million were paid for largely by Ecuadorian contributors and other member countries.

They say we are going to interfere with the court  of course we are. This is Correas emblematic slogan, with which he advertised his takeover of the judiciary in Ecuador. A promise he kept through when he dismantled the constitution and consolidated the judicial powers of the country into his hands.

Seeing his success, Correa now wants to take the Ecuadorian system of judicial control to the regional level.

He wants this in order to rise as the new Chavista leader in the region in response to Maduros ineptitude, Cristinas decadence, and the Castros decrepitude and certainly in order to go unpunished for his human rights violations and persecution of journalists and businesses. It's all that is left to ensure that no international court is able to try or convict him.

That is why he now intends to interfere in the Costa Rica-based Inter-American Court of Human Rights (known by its Spanish acronym Corte IDH) and propose Ecuadorean Judge Patricio Pazmino to sit on this regional court. Pazmino is known in Ecuador as a puppet to President Correa, who from his seat as President of the Constitutional Court of Ecuador has done nothing more than serve the president's wishes.



It was Pazmino who introduced the Gag Law, or the Organic Law of Communication, which states that information is a public service. Since its implementation, this new law has been used to impose fines on the media, censure journalists, and persecute them for doing their job. This new law also requires that governmental bodies outside the Ecuadorean judiciary administer penalties to intimidate the independent media, the majority of which have no legal basis.

Pazmino and the judges of the Constitutional Court are the ones in charge of assigning the legal means for the persecution of independent journalists and other opponents, including political cartoonist Xavier Bonilla (or Bonil).



With the Ecuadorian judiciary under Correas control, the countrys citizens are left with no other alternative but to appeal to the Inter-American system with the hope that independent and neutral judges will rule fairly on their cases. However, even the neutrality of the Corte IDH seems to be bending under Correas ever-growing regional influence.



This new influence over this regional court comes in the form of a recent and unusual donation of $1 million made by Correa. It is suspicious, to say the least, that he who has so angrily questioned the Inter-American system has suddenly made a donation so large that it could allow him to impose his own terms on the Corte IDH. Correa himself is known to say, Since the world began, he who pays is he who sets the conditions, revealing the ulterior motive behind this unexpected generous donation  made with money collected from taxpayers.



This donation gained recognition by one of Corte IDH judges, Humberto Sierra, who highlighted Correa's "career in the defense and promotion of human rights" in a recent letter inviting the Ecuadorean president to the court in Costa Rica. How is it that a judge who could potentially hold the power to bring Correa to justice for his crimes is now extolling the President for the exact opposite? Sierra also overtook any criticisms that would strip him of any ethical credentials to rule on cases of human rights violations under President Correa.

This is undoubtedly because, as the old refrain goes, money makes the world go round.

Without question, the control of the Inter-American system is key for Correa's regional ambitions. With Pazminos faithful service and Sierra's blessing, will he be able to do it through the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in Costa Rica? This is to be determined. But as the Summit of the Americas convenes later this week in Panama City, it should be known that interfering in the Ecuadorean judicial system is not enough for Rafael Correa, as he seeks to control the courts throughout Latin America.
Sarah Palin notably referred to herself as a mamma grizzly. However, I spent the past week with the REAL mamma grizzlies, who are jailed with their children in Dilley and Karnes, Texas.

These mothers are not criminals. Their children certainly are not criminals. They are lawful asylum seekers who the Obama administration foolishly, cruelly, and wastefully believes can be deterred by a policy of arbitrarily jailing families.

These mothers are fierce. Those who have had the ultimate misfortune of being imprisoned in Karnes went on a hunger strike last week to protest detention conditions and the mistreatment of their children in custody.  Kim Hunter

At some recent point, these mothers decided they had had enough  enough of the domestic violence, the cartel murders of their close family members, and threats to their childrens lives. The only way for them to survive and keep their children alive was to flee Central America and Mexico and make the grueling journey to the U.S. These mothers knew they would face time in the hieleras (the infamous freezers where the border patrol initially detains recent border crossers, including those legally seeking asylum). They knew they could be transferred from the hieleras to the dog pounds  other border patrol facilities with high chain link fences. They knew they could face incarceration with their children. And still they came, undeterred and unbowed, because they are determined to survive.

These mothers are fierce. Those who have had the ultimate misfortune of being imprisoned in Karnes went on a hunger strike last week to protest detention conditions and the mistreatment of their children in custody. The Geo Group (the private prison company that operates the Karnes family detention center) retaliated against them by isolating them (with their children) in cells with the lights off as punishment. If solitary confinement in civil detention of mothers with their children is not cruel, then nothing is.

Many of these grizzly mothers are very young; barely adults themselves. Nineteen year old Claudia* (who has had just two years of education yet is bilingual in the Mayan language Quiche and Spanish) has become the go-to interpreter for all the Quiche speakers at Dilley. Fortunately for her, she can at least communicate with the guards and staff whereas her monolingual countrywomen cannot. Claudia is stuck in detention despite a strong asylum claim because a prohibitive bond amount of $10,000.00 has been set for her. She has no family in the U.S., though she does have a friend who is willing to house her and her son but cannot possibly post the bond. Claudia may even succeed with her asylum application while appearing pro se (on her own behalf), although she cannot read it because it is only in English. If the Obama administration followed its past policies of releasing asylum seekers who have passed the first stage of the process (called a credible fear interview), Claudia would have been released months ago and would be able to seek help with her application from the outside.

Another young mother, Maria*, came to the U.S. at the same time as her sister. Both brought their young children, and both have suffered domestic violence. They crossed the border together, yet Marias sister was released to family members in Ohio while Maria waits for her court hearing in Dilley. Meanwhile, Teresa* came to the border with her husband and children. Her husband was released on his own recognition after passing the credible fear step, yet Teresa and their children are in custody. No one, except perhaps ICE, understands why members of the same family are treated differently from one another.

The Obama administration knows these mothers have a strong incentive to appear at their hearings and are not a flight risk; yet taxpayers continue to line the pockets of private prison companies like the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) to the tune of $343.00 per day per mother and child to lock them up. And while CCA claims expertise in operating prisons, it was their failed management of the T. Don Hutto Center in Texas (where infants were infamously clothed in prison jumpsuits) that ended family detention in 2009.

The determination of the mamma grizzlies who reach Karnes and Dilley despite the threat of incarceration shows how foolish the Obama administrations policy of detention as deterrence is. Prolonging these mothers custody by setting bond amounts that are unreasonable  and not requested of male asylum seekers who pass a credible fear interview  demonstrates the cruelty of the policy. Finally, $343/day per person is an obvious waste for a group that wants to have their claims heard. It is a grave injustice to incarcerate these brave women and their children, and one that will rightly tarnish the Obama administrations legacy.

*Names have been changed
If the last several election cycles are any indication, we should expect a Republican primary season dominated by GOP candidates accusing one another of supporting amnesty and attempting to prove who among them is the most restrictive when it comes to immigration.

The debate is a tired one, characterized by little substantive policy action in Congress and too few politicians of national prominence willing to do anything but demagogue the issue.

But the 2016 presidential race now underway could be different, and Ted Cruz could be the candidate to change the conversation.

Cruz has lived immigration. Hes seen its positive effects on his own family and on the economy. But hes also seen the negative effects of illegal immigration as a border state leader, a state that is once again preparing for another surge of unaccompanied minors from Central America.  Nelson Balido

Yes, Im referring to the same Ted Cruz who the mainstream media has branded a conservative hard-liner known more for filibusters than for a thoughtful policy mind.

That portrayal is a caricature, a product of lazy reporting and a fourth estate that is more comfortable with the worldview proffered by Hillary Clinton than anyone seeking the GOP nomination.

Cruz offers much more thoughtfulness on one of the days toughest issues than anything thats coming from the MSNBC camp, however.

Despite immigration having unfortunately been cast as an issue that only fractures the American electorate, there is room for agreement among members of both parties in several areas that a majority of the American public would support. And Cruz can speak with credibility and eloquence on all of them, citing a biography that is quintessentially American and underscores that we are a nation of immigrants.

Looking back at the debate surrounding passage of immigration legislation in the Senate two years ago by the so called Gang of Eight provides insight into how a President Cruz could make substantive progress on immigration.

During 2013s congressional action, when Democrats controlled the Senate, Cruz offered amendment language to the immigration bill that sought to enhance border security; improve legal immigration, including doubling the cap on legal immigrants and greatly increase the number of high tech visas; and making ineligible for citizenship those currently here in an unlawful status  because he predicted that unless the third item was included in the bill, the legislation in its current form was dead on arrival to the House.

Obviously, the last of those is the thorniest, but tightening border security and reforming our legal immigration pathways offer incredible opportunity for real progress.

Cruz has sought to streamline our Byzantine visa and green card system that has, for far too long, turned away the best and brightest, those who could greatly add to Americas prosperity. Cruz in 2013 proposed to do away with the diversity lottery, consolidate the number of employment-based green card categories and dramatically reduce the amount or red tape that surrounds the immigration process.

Cruz has rightly framed immigration not only as an issue centered on security, but one that is central to the countrys future economic competitiveness. Cruz knows that immigrants are highly entrepreneurial and contribute positively to the nations GDP. If the U.S. is going to be an economic leader, its going to have to encourage legal immigration.

And, to be fair, Cruz would put in bold face and underline legal immigration. He makes no bones about the need for a more secure border and adherence to the rule of law. But as a border state senator, a Latino and an American whose immediate family played by the rules in its American journey, he brings real world perspective to the immigration debate.

Cruz has lived immigration. Hes seen its positive effects on his own family and on the economy. But hes also seen the negative effects of illegal immigration as a border state leader, a state that is once again preparing for another surge of unaccompanied minors from Central America.

Immigration will again be top of mind in the Republican presidential primary. The idea of passing parts of an immigration plan where both sides of the aisle can agree on some of the issues is paramount to eventually arriving to the issues that need more work  it should not be an all-or-nothing plan. Of all the GOP candidates, Ted Cruz is the one to watch as someone who can unite the party and repair fault lines on one of our most contentious issues.
American history records Ben Fernandez as the first legitimate candidate for president. Fernandez, a Republican financial whiz, ran for the GOP nomination in 1980, the year Ronald Reagan defeated Jimmy Carter for President.

About 112 years before, however, if he had wanted the presidency, Civil War hero Admiral David Farragut would have been the first Hispanic president of the United States. He chose not to accept the GOP nomination and it went to Ulysses S. Grant instead. Farraguts father came from Spain in the 1770s.

Eight years later, the United States experienced its very first elected Hispanic politician, Californias Romauldo Pacheco. He had been born a Mexican citizen in Mexican California and became an American citizen when California became part of the United States. He was first elected a state senator, then state controller, then lieutenant governor. He served as the commanding general of the California Native Cavalry, a Union Army unit during the Civil War (1861-1865) and kept tight control over myriad Confederate terrorist groups operating in California and the Arizona Territory.

When Gov. Newton Booth was elected to the U.S. Senate, Lt. Governor Pacheco became governor, the first Hispanic governor in the country. After serving as governor, Pacheco was elected to the House of Representatives. The election was contested and Pacheco was not seated. He ran again and won decisively. He was the first Hispanic elected to Congress. He later was appointed as an ambassador. He was the first Hispanic to serve as an ambassador.

Fast forward to 1988 when Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, whose parents were Greek immigrants, became the first non-Anglo-Saxon Democrat candidate for president. He considered San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros, a Mexican American, as his vice-presidential candidate. That was eight years after Fernandez ran in the New Hampshire GOP primary.

Then, nothing. Nothing until a bright young Miami-born son of Cuban immigrants decided to run for the Florida State Legislature. His name was Marco Rubio. He won; he plunged into the Tallahassee political maelstrom befriended by Governor Jeb Bush. The unknown Miami real estate lawyer immersed himself in the legislative apparatus and took over the house when he was elected Speaker of the House, second in political power in Florida to the Governor.

When he announced he was running for the United States Senate against Governor Charlie Crist, who was dumping the governors office to become, he thought, a member of the most deliberative body in the world, the United States Senate. Polls showed the unknown Miami lawyer Marco Rubio barely showing up in polls, with 5 percent.

As it turned out, Governor Crist simply could not cut it; too much baggage, too much corruption while attorney general and governor, too many millions of criminal-inspired campaign contributions by people headed for prison. Rubio ran so well that Crist abandoned his life-long Republican Party and became an Independent. Rubio squashed him; Charlie received just 30 percent in the November election. United States Senator Rubio was sworn in as Senator in January 2011.

It was my pleasure to have hosted senate candidate Rubio on a California visit and to introduce him to two influential California Republican groups that he enchanted with his intelligence, charisma and ability to talk with, not to. That was five months before he was elected.

I have worked as a volunteer or professional or contributor in every presidential campaign since Eisenhowers in 1952, when I wore I Like Ike buttons in the 7th grade.

The three hours I spent with Marco in June 2010 were very instructive; I determined that he had it, he had what I saw in Ronald Reagan back in 1980. He had it. This man would be president someday. People like him.

So now, here we are in April almost five years to the day when I met senate candidate Marco Rubio and all political eyes are on Miamis Freedom Tower where he announced he was running for President of the United States.

In announcing, Marco Rubio becomes the first bona fide Hispanic candidate for president since Admiral of the Fleet David Farragut declined the GOP nomination in 1868, 147 years ago.

Recent polls show that Marco is looked on more favorably than any other Republican running or talked about for President of the United States. He seems to be everyones second choice.

Whether or not he wins the nomination this time, his future is assured. He is not running for the senate so he can concentrate on running for president. If he falls short, the vice-presidency beckons the 43-year-old. If that fails, he can run for Florida governor and walk into that office in 2018. He will be 51 when the Presidency is open again in 2024.

There are millions of Americans who can only dream of such a political career in front of them as that of United States Senator Marco Rubio. He is a legitimate candidate for President of the United States. He is the most prominent American Hispanic politician since Californias Governor Romauldo Pacheco.
Sunday, April 19th marks the 16th anniversary of the training accident that sparked our Navys worst defeat since Pearl Harbor.



Soaring over the eastern tip of Vieques Island, off Puerto Ricos coast, a Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet dropped two 500-pound bombs near the hillside observation post over a mile from the target range, killing a local civilian guard named David Sanes Rodriguez. The Paz Para Vieques, a.k.a. Peace for Vieques movement was born. By 2003, the Navy was evicted from its Atlantic Fleet training facility and the following year pulled out of Puerto Rico entirely.



As the Navys senior spokesman in Puerto Rico from 1999-2001, based across the strait at Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, I had a ringside seat to see how it unfolded.



The day after the accident, I accompanied my boss, then-Rear Admiral Terry Etnyre to La Fortaleza, the Governors Mansion to deliver a condolence letter from Secretary of the Navy, Richard Danzig. Governor Pedro Rossello, head of the pro-statehood party was gracious, though insisted that the Navy stop live fire exercises with real bombs. He warned that if we cant show progress together, the opposition pro-commonwealth and independence parties would take this to another level due to long simmering tensions about Puerto Ricos status.

So we relayed the message up the chain of command and the answer was a resounding no. Both sides dug in.

Navy Admirals at headquarters in Norfolk, Va. and Washington, DC knew they had the facts and the law on their side. Two thirds of Vieques was Navy property, bought fairly during World War II as an emergency sanctuary for the British Navy in case of Nazi invasion. Since the target zone on the islands eastern tip was about a dozen miles away from the civilian populations in Isabela Segunda and Esperanza, they knew the actual impact on Viequenses was minimal to none. And they knew Vieques was vital to national security, the only place to train along the East Coast with Navy/Marine Corps live fire exercises. The so-called "crown jewel" of the Atlantic Fleet. Too big to fail.



Governor Rossellos warning came true. Independence party leader and Cuban regime ally, Ruben Berrios set up a beachside protestor camp at the training range which stopped exercises for a year. He attracted worldwide headlines after being dragged out alongside 200 other activists by U.S. Marshalls during May 2000.



Rossellos hand-picked successor, Carlos Pesquera, was a casualty too, defeated later that year by the pro-commonwealth party leader, San Juan Mayor Sila Maria Calderon, who had made Fuera La Marina, a.k.a. Navy Out, her top campaign issue.



Berrios, Calderon and other local leaders said the Navy was violating human rights in Vieques, poisoning the people and destroying the environment. Among a constant stream of dubious and exaggerated claims, they cited statistics from the Puerto Rico Cancer Registry that the cancer rate was 27% higher than on mainland Puerto Rico.



In reality, they cherry-picked that bloated figure from a batch which showed the cancer rates were comparable over a 20-year period. They ignored statistical anomalies to compare Puerto Ricos 3.8 million to just 9,300 people in Vieques. And didnt mention how Vieques residents had a higher proportion of the elderly who are far more likely to get cancer. Over time, thanks to inflammatory media coverage and celebrity endorsements, most people came to accept the disingenuous allegations as truth.



Left-wing activists then woke up the ghosts of colonialism and flocked to Vieques, craving the headlines and raising dollars for their organizations. Al Sharpton, Robert Kennedy Jr., actor Edward James Olmos and hundreds of others stormed the beaches to stop training exercises and then served jail time. Congressman Luis Gutierrez, a Democrat from Chicago was also arrested. Champion boxer Tito Trinidad wrote Paz on his wrist tape for matches. Human rights activists from Guatemalas Rigoberta Menchu to South Africas Desmond Tutu weighed in. So did then-Senator Hillary Clinton, visiting Kennedy in a San Juan jail during 2001.



As the Navy would painfully learn, the facts didnt matter. Both federal agencies with oversight roles, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) thoroughly debunked the health claims linking the Navy to Vieques residents after years of exhaustive studies.



So whats the lesson?



The military can be crushed without bullets and bombs. In todays world of asymmetric warfare, winning the battle of ideas can trump combat operations. Modern weapons include false flags over human rights, health and the environment; charges of colonialism, racism and bigotry; and constant repetition from surrogates in the media.



To prevent disasters like at Vieques, Americas military leaders need to be more politically attuned and devote more efforts on local community relations. Yes, jobs matter. So do constant dialogue and genuine friendship. Hiding behind the law, relying on patriotism or counting on Washington arent good strategies. Once mass protests begin at the gates, its half-way to lights out. Like legendary Speaker of the House, Bostons Tip ONeill used to say, all politics is local. So true.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Cubans are now more openly than ever clamoring for America and what we stand for  maybe even more than we ourselves understand. Its evident in the songs they sing, the clothes they wear and in what theyre telling pollsters. And while some in the government may not cotton to it, theres likely no turning back on this newly stoked romance that ended bitterly more than a half century ago.

Last week, at a nightclub in Havana, one of Cubas most popular bands broke out a song that is still sending shockwaves even through the hardened exile community in South Florida. There it was, N-G La Banda, on stage, praising a sitting U.S. president  and it seemed they didnt care who was listening, not even their government minders.

Obama, Obama get crazy and come to Havana! they screamed, while a meme of President Obama dancing behind a podium played on the screen. Its a scene that not long ago would have seemed downright anti-revolutionary and possibly even illegal. Back then U.S. presidents were to be condemned as imperialists, not cheered on giant plasmas. Yet thats exactly what happened at 1:00 a.m. at La Casa de la Musica in the newly polished Pearl of the Antilles.

Suddenly, American flags are everywhere. Old Glory or versions of it are hung from balconies, displayed on taxis, sewn onto jeans and flaunted across T-shirts, ironically enough, with the same enthusiasm that many young Americans have shown when displaying the image of Che Guevara.  Rick Sanchez

Theres another unexpected outburst in Cuba these days aptly portrayed this week in The New York Times. Suddenly, American flags are everywhere. Old Glory or versions of it are hung from balconies, displayed on taxis, sewn onto jeans and flaunted across T-shirts, ironically enough, with the same enthusiasm that many young Americans have shown when displaying the image of Che Guevara.

And just as hard-liners here lament the Che images, so do some hard-liners across the Florida straits. One comment on the government news site Cubadebate.com calls it unacceptable to see a Cuban wrapped in an American flag.

But perhaps the biggest sea change is a new poll that finds Cubans are openly critical of both their system of government and their leaders -- specifically the Castro Brothers. The poll, conducted by the Miami-based Bendixen & Amandi International Group for Univision and The Washington Post, reveals a Cuban citizenry screaming for a transformation.

It reflects a disdain for Cubas economic system, their political system and their way of life. But whats most surprising about the poll is just how willing Cubans are to openly and outwardly criticize Fidel and Raul Castro, especially when compared to their assessment of U.S. President Barack Obama.

The poll finds 62 percent of Cubans have a negative opinion of their own president Raul Castro, while 50 percent of them have a negative opinion of his older brother Fidel. Obamas negatives, meanwhile, are only 17 percent. And while only 2 percent of Cubans have a very negative opinion of Obama, Raul and Fidel Castro have combined negatives in the low 40s. Its a shocking statistical comparison, which appears to be Cubas new normal.

Eighty percent of Cubans have a positive opinion of President Obama, while only 47 give their own president a nod.

But even more shocking is how Cubans seem to feel about the patriarch of their revolution. Only 11 percent have a very positive opinion of Fidel Castro, while 33 percent share a somewhat positive opinion.

The idea that Cubans would outwardly praise a sitting U.S. president is astonishing. And the fact that Cubans are willing to rank him above their own leaders is unprecedented, although not all that surprising to those us of who consider ourselves Cuba watchers. We have long believed that Castros popularity was more show than go if not just downright exaggeration.

Weve also believed that Cubans have long wanted to change the direction of both their political and economic systems, but have never felt neither the hope, nor the access to accomplish that change. Now they do.

These proposed changes in U.S./Cuba relations makes them feel, for the first time in decades, both hope and access to the possibility of economic and political freedoms, which in the past theyve only been able to dream about. Whats more, now they can even talk about it freely, because they are no longer compelled to criticize the U.S. policies intended to punish the Castros that were actually punishing them.

Take away those policies, and watch even more American flags spring up and more pro-American songs being sung. Cubans know their system doesnt work and are openly clamoring for a chance to take part in what does work. They desperately want to end the breakup. Let the romance begin.
The deck is increasingly stacked against American small businesses. With the explosion of federal rules and regulations, most of the blame falls on a federal government that appears willing to undermine the very companies that are the driving force behind the American economy.

One of todays biggest threats to these businesses, however, doesnt originate with the government. Its coming from private, litigation-obsessed citizens. Patent trolls  often one or two individuals posing as a company  spend their days trying to find vague patents with the sole purpose of filing lawsuits against legitimate businesses and job creators who are committed to innovation and economic advancement. Small business owners make up 50 percent of the victims of these predatory tactics.

Though patent trolls cloak themselves in glossy rhetoric and call themselves heroic inventors, do not be fooled. They do not create new products nor do they have ownership of any ground-breaking innovations. Instead, these trolls intimidate small business owners who are often operating on the margins to begin with in an effort to settle in court for hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars. On average, businesses pay $1.3 million to settle out of court with patent trolls. These businesses can expect to pay about $1.75 million if they go to trial.

Given todays uncertain economic recovery, the last thing our job creators need is legal costs to protect themselves from patent trolls. The Founders created our patent system to put in place a method to safeguard the inventions and creations of every day citizens.

Mattel, Apple and Disney all started in garages and succeeded through the hard work and grit of their founders. But tomorrows Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are being stifled by patent trolls who are filing more and more lawsuits every day. According to a report by Unified Patents, there was a 36 percent increase in district court patent cases from January 2014 to January 2015  driven almost exclusively by an increase in litigation by non-practicing entities, another name for patent trolls.

Congress is currently debating legislation that would ensure these anti-business tactics do not continue. Introduced by U.S. House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), the Innovation Act would reform the patent litigation process by raising the standard required for a patent lawsuit and decreasing a trolls ability to harass innovators with vague threats.

The bill also ensures that when a frivolous lawsuit is concluded, the losing party will be required to pay the legal costs of the entity that was unjustly attacked. Critically, the Innovation Act does not make it harder for legitimate patent litigation, but instead limits the ability of these trolls to target Americas inventors. Similar legislation was introduced during the last Congress, but the bill was unable to advance in the Senate after passing the House due to Harry Reids obstruction. This session, it is imperative for Members of Congress to act on this bill and send it to President Obama.

America is fueled by the innovation of citizens who have the drive to create products that revolutionize our way of life. Our representatives in Washington must ensure that as a nation we are able to continue to benefit from the intellectual capital of our people, which is why it is so important that the patent litigation system be reformed and the Innovation Act passed into law.
The late Washington Post prize-winning reporter David Broder shook up the political world 35 years ago with his book Changing of the Guard: Power and Leadership in America; in it he correctly predicted the demise of the long-entrenched Democrat Party of the South but missed todays Hispanic political growth and effect by a million miles.



As brilliant as that book was, as was his Washington Post work, if he were alive today, he would be part of the bulk of non-Hispanic pundits, writers, reporters and professors who simply do not understand Hispanic political effects. His work on Hispanics would flunk the test of reality.



There are 55 million Hispanics in the USA. Hispanics arent a race; they are ethnics who can be of any race and have different national origins. Their median national age is 27 while the non-Hispanic population has a median age of 40+. While lagging in education for decades, recent graduating classes of 2012 and 2013 have burst through the 80 percent graduation rate for a historical first and with that they show exponential growth in college attendance.



Hispanic doctorate candidates reflect the growth of total Hispanic college attendance and are second only to Asian-Americans in minority numbers.



My alma mater, San Diego State University, reflects this revolution in Hispanic higher education students. When I entered in 1958, there were 7,000 total students and maybe 50 Hispanics. Today there are 25,000 total students of which 5,000 are Hispanic under-graduate and graduate students.



Taking a macro approach to looking at Hispanics works when one looks at such items as total population, age demographics, geographic distribution, income levels, etc. Where it breaks down, however, is in political analysis.



When one sees political polls or exit polls of Hispanics, one important analytical ingredient is usually missing, to wit: the significant differences between the various Hispanic groups that are differentiated by national groups.



For example, most national exit polls of the 2012 presidential election between President Obama and Republican Mitt Romney concluded, according to the media paid-for exit polls, that Obama scored 71 percent of the Hispanic vote to 27 percent for Romney. Similar exit poll results were indicated in the 2014 midterm elections.



These numbers are highly misleading because there is no breakdown of the numbers by ethnicity or national grouping.



It has been said that there are more Mexican-origin people within sight of Los Angeles City Hall than all the Cuban Americans, Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Central and South Americans in the United States combined.



Nationally the Pew Research Center reported in 2012 that of the 55 million Hispanics, 35 million are of Mexican origin (65 percent); 4.7 million are Puerto Rican (9 percent), 2 million are Cuban Americans (3.7 percent), 2 million are Salvadorans (3.7 percent), 1.5 million are Dominicans and 1.1 million are Guatemalans. There are 2.8 million other Central and South American origin people as well.



Here is where the political analysis of Hispanics falls apart  those numbers dont tell the story.



For example, the most loyal Hispanic voters in the country are Democrat Puerto Ricans and Dominicans; they are centered in New York. Some live in New Jersey and Central Florida. Subtract out the Puerto Ricans and Dominicans from the New York and New Jersey votes and both states would go Democrat without Hispanic Democrats.



Florida is different. Those Puerto Ricans have off-set 50 years of Republican domination of South Florida Hispanic votes. Florida is a toss-up state in presidential elections because of the Puerto Ricans. Thus, they are important in Florida as they are not in New York, result wise.



On the other hand, in last Novembers Florida Governors race, Miami-Dade Cubans 40-plus aged constituents voted 70 percent for Republican Rick Scott giving him a 60,000 vote statewide victory out of millions cast.



Out west, Hispanics voted heavily for Republican Governor Brian Sandoval in Nevada, where Obama won in 2012. Republican Sandoval won with 70 percent of the vote. In New Mexico, Susana Martinez won reelection in a state Obama carried twice; she won with 56 percent of the vote. Hispanic exit polls in Nevada and New Mexico were not done.



Nationally for Congress, Hispanics gave 62 percent of their votes to Democrats and 36 percent to Republicans (2014).



Several individual state races showed significant Hispanic difference from the national results with the differences based on Mexican origin. The larger the number of Hispanic voters of Mexican origin, the higher the GOP vote.



However, in some states GOP Hispanic numbers substantially exceed the averages. In the 2014 Georgia Senate race, 42 percent of Hispanics (mostly Mexican) voted Republican, 47 percent voted Republican for Governor. In Texas, mostly Mexican voters gave 47 percent of their vote to Republican Senator John Cronyn and 44 percent to Republican Gregg Abbott for Governor.



Analysts and scholars need to study the various groups within the overall Hispanic community in future looks at Hispanic votes. If they dont, national exit polls are meaningless especially when looked at by political parties in developing strategies for the burgeoning Hispanic
The Bankruptcy Code was established to allow insolvent borrowers - including individuals, companies, and municipalities  to undergo a court-supervised path for restructuring debts, so that our economy can continue to promote the most efficient use of resources. Unfortunately, there is one exception.

Despite its own insurmountable indebtedness, Puerto Rico does not have the same option that every other American municipality has. Congress should pass the Puerto Rico Chapter 9 Uniformity Act (H.R. 870) to change this.

Bankruptcy is Puerto Ricos last hope. Despite my public affirmations that bankruptcy has been inevitable for some time, I didnt come to this affirmation easily. Something just doesnt seem right about allowing a poorly-managed government to rid itself of its obligations. But Puerto Rico has been inching towards insolvency for years, and recently speculators are the only ones betting that it wont find some way to restructure.

What led to its current fiscal distress? To put it simply, Puerto Rico has a historical addiction to spending that would make our nations most indebted states uncomfortable. Investors desperate for returns higher than what Treasury bonds - and most municipal bonds - can offer, have been the islands enablers, unwilling to confront what everyone has seen as a growing problem.

Will D.C. be able to deny assistance, knowing that Puerto Rico lacks any other way out? Ask President Obama, who has appointed a special team to consider Puerto Ricos options.

Most now know that Puerto Rico must do something drastically different, and soon, but the unfortunate side effect to kicking this can down the road has been a precipitous decline in the number of businesses willing to trust that they wont be forced to pay the tab.

Economists recognized Puerto Ricos unsustainable debts years ago, but there were glimmers of hope and lofty speeches that distracted us along the way. However, the one indicator that has consistently predicted government default elsewhere (including in many Latin American countries), is now pointing to the same inevitability in Puerto Rico: Puerto Ricos long-term growth rate is far lower than the rate at which it can borrow, making its debts insurmountable.

In fact, the islands economy has been stagnating or shrinking for nearly a decade, while its cost to borrow has continuously increased. Some analysts expect the next round of requisite financing, backed by revenues from a new tax on oil, to come in at around nine percent. This is infinitely greater than the flat growth I expect in the near future, and still more than 40 times higher than the Puerto Rican governments anticipated 0.2 percent growth for 2015.

Any additional austerity measures (which generally equates to more taxes and cuts in spending) required for new borrowing will suppress economic activity even more, making it impossible for Puerto Rico to overcome this obstacle.

The solution of last resort is now obvious, but - for reasons that no one seems to understand - our elected representatives in Washington excluded Puerto Rico from the same recourse that every other municipality (and nearly every borrower, for that matter) in the country has available to it.

Consider that this legislative oversight may have been part of the reason for the depth of its financial hole in the first place. Lenders have known about Puerto Ricos inability to file for bankruptcy, meaning that speculators havent had to fear the wrath of mismanagement. Now that its time to negotiate, these lenders have all the leverage.

In addition to hedge funds, millions of Americans also have exposure to Puerto Ricos bonds, but for the most part these investments are a small fraction of diversified portfolios. Given that markets are already pricing in the possibility of a restructure, mom-and-pop investors can expect very little additional per capita loss if bankruptcy is permitted.

Some think that a municipal bankruptcy will force the Federal Governments helping hand, but recent history proves otherwise. After the Great Recession, a number of municipalities were forced to go through court-monitored restructures when Uncles Sams tolerance for bailouts had reached its limits. American taxpayers didnt have to pay anything.

On the other hand, if Puerto Rico doesnt have the option to restructure its debts, it will eventually have no choice but to put its hand out to Washington. Will D.C. be able to deny assistance, knowing that Puerto Rico lacks any other way out? Ask President Obama, who has appointed a special team to consider Puerto Ricos options.

Theres a reason weve set up the bankruptcy option, and its not just so we can slip out from under our obligations without any repercussions. As a society, weve found that its the most efficient way of ensuring an organized restructure that doesnt create market chaos, and, in the case of Puerto Rico, unnecessarily harsh economic repercussions for millions of Americans.

Even if H.R. 870 is passed, and Puerto Rico decides to take itself to bankruptcy court, it is going to be a long, hard road to regain economic growth. And it will be an even tougher one with a new market of skeptical lenders, far less likely to take the risks they historically have.

Nevertheless, there are now no good options for Puerto Rico, only less bad ones. The least bad path for Puerto Rico, and the rest of the country, is to allow it to undergo a supervised restructure, instead of the more chaotic, but still inevitable, extrajudicial one.
To borrow a quote from Game of Thrones, which recently had its season 5 premiere, Winter is coming.

This is what can happen in Texas, our economy could start to freeze up, if we limit educational opportunities for undocumented students in Texas by passing Senate Bill 1819.

It would end the dreams of thousands of Texas high school graduates, who have lived here since they were children, and rely on in-state tuition regardless of immigration status.

The push to rescind 14 years of in-state tuition to these students, known as Dreamers, will greatly impact the Texas economy  a college education would become a bigger financial burden for them, reducing their chances to enter the job market at a professional level.

According to the National Immigration Forum, it costs $23,000 to deport one immigrant with or without a criminal record. Why not invest that in their education?  Dolores Sosa Green

The National Conference of State Legislatures reports that only 18 states offer in-state tuition. Three states  Arizona, Georgia and Indiana  dont offer it at all, and Alabama and South Carolina prohibit undocumented immigrants from enrolling at any public postsecondary institution.

Its going to hurt Baby Boomers and retirees who, whether they know it or not, benefit from the taxes paid by these undocumented youth. And if we limit their educational and income opportunities they will pay less in taxes in the future.

According to David Payne and Glenn Somerville, The Kiplinger Letter, Starting in 2016, the number of retirees will outpace young labor entrants between the ages of 18 and 29 for the first time in memory and the gap will continue to expand every year for at least a decade. Immigrants and automation  yes, including robots  will help to pick up the slack, but not nearly enough.

One of the top 10 myths about undocumented immigrants is that they dont pay state, federal, local, and income taxes, or pay into Social Security. Actually, they pay anywhere between $90 and $140 billion a year in federal, state, and local taxes, and the Social Security Administration grew by $20 billion between 1990 and 1998.

Wouldnt Texas be shooting itself in the boot by not supporting the education to develop the skills and knowledge necessary from Dreamers who are just as American as those of us who were born here?

Lets reap the rewards by making sure Dreamers have affordable postsecondary education to help fill the vacant professions Baby Boomers are leaving behind. Doing so creates a strong workforce that pumps more tax dollars into the Texas economy and will ensure that Social Security and Medicare can continue to care for our ever growing aging population.

The Hispanic population is likely to outnumber the white population by 2020, and its projected to make up the majority of the Texas population in 2042. It would serve elected officials well (especially at the voting polls) if they win this group over instead of alienating them with bills like Senate Bill 1819.

I know some people dont want to reward illegal immigration by providing benefits.

According to the National Immigration Forum, it costs $23,000 to deport one immigrant with or without a criminal record.

Why not invest that in their education?

These students who only know Texas as their home and want to grow up to be successful and productive adults. Many were brought here by their parents in search of a better future, while others were brought here to escape horrible circumstances.

As someone who leads an afterschool community center that provides academic support to disadvantaged youth in West Dallas for grades K through 12, and where 98.8 percent of the students served are Hispanic, I dont know if I can tell these kids that their chances of going to college is about to get a lot harder if they arent legal residents of Texas.

Several years ago, a mentor and his student, asked to meet with me to discuss his future. In-state tuition was already in place but the Obama Administrations Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) didnt exist yet.

The student, well-mannered, hard-working and bright, aspired to become an accountant just like his mentor. But as an undocumented immigrant, brought to Texas at a very young age, he knew that he wouldnt be able to legally work in Texas.

He told me, Dolores, whats the point of working hard to get good grades in school to attend college when I wont even be able to get a job when Im done? I wont have a future anywhere.

The good news is that he graduated from high school, enrolled in college to study accounting, and took advantage of President Obamas DACA program in 2012.

Today he is attending the University of Texas at Arlington but is now pursuing a degree in electrical engineering. Still his future is uncertain as DACA is now being challenged in the courts.

Imagine if he also had the burden of knowing in-state tuition was unavailable to him. It would have been difficult for me and his mentor to convince him to continue his education and pursue his dreams.
Young women and girls who have illegally crossed the border, in many cases trafficked and abused, may soon find themselves without the tender and familiar help of the Catholic Church. The ACLU is suing the federal government, irate at the fact that Catholic charities will not provide abortions. This may lead to the end of the very successful partnership between the federal government and Catholic Church in the care of these poor people.

If the ACLU succeeds in severing the Church from its mission to help migrant children, I doubt that the ACLU lawyers and their abettors will be showing up to help at the border.  Dr. Grazie Pozo Christie

Just last year almost 90,000 children crossed the border and about one third of these were girls. The utter vulnerability of these children is hard to contemplate. They come from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador, where life for the poor has become hellish due to the brutish violence of the drogos (drug gang members) who virtually run whole villages and townships with impunity. Desperate mothers and fathers think the perilous journey with a coyote is less risky than staying home where violence is almost sure to claim them.

On the other side of the border waits the Church. In many ways, the story of Roman Catholicism in the United States for the past 150 years has been the story of immigration. Starting with the influx of Irish Catholics fleeing the starvation caused by the potato blight and continuing through wave after wave of Italians, Poles, Germans, and Eastern Europeans, immigrants found home again in the Church. Popular devotions, parishes rich with ethnic flavor, help from selfless nuns and priests, education for their children, and material help to get ahead, were all there for the huddled masses. The Church of the poor and for the poor, of the dispossessed and for the dispossessed.

In many ways, the Church typifies and expresses the welcome and generosity of the whole American people. At the border today, it partners in an unusually successful way with the federal government to offer a nurturing refuge to vulnerable and lonely children. The best part of it is that the Church is not a cold government bureaucracy, simply doling out blankets and toothbrushes. The Church acts out of her mission to live out the gospel call to serve the least of these.

This is a call that is answered with tender attention to the spiritual and personal needs of each child, not just their material needs. The young people easily recognize that solicitude, it is the same they know from home, where churches are the main source of support and assistance, not the government.

The federal government would be lost without faith based organizations like Catholic Charities. Six of out nine national refugee resettlement agencies in the United States are faith-based, and Catholic Charities serves the greatest number of people. Most refugees that enter the U.S. are resettled by these organizations.

So what is the gripe of the ACLU? Simply that Catholic Charities cannot, in good conscience, provide abortions as part of their care of the children. It cannot, because it recognizes that unborn children are no less human than the mothers who carry them, and deserve the same dignity and respect. How can they answer the violence of sexual abuse and trafficking with the violence of abortion? Their call is to love and protect the child as well as the mother. In fact, their motivation to serve is their religious conviction to protect human life.

In its abortion advocacy, the ACLU is quite willing to remove Catholic Charities from its irreplaceable position as succor to unaccompanied minors of all faiths or no faith. The ACLU puts its belief in abortion access before the welfare of the children.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) states that it informs the government when a girl in their care wants access to an abortion or abortifacient drug, and that it rarely happens. Kevin Appleby, Director the USCCBs Office of Migration Policy said: Lets be clear about the ACLUs purpose here: ending the productive and successful partnership between the Catholic Church and the federal government on the care and shelter of vulnerable populations. This is a direct, frontal attack on the religious liberty of Catholic Charities to serve the vulnerable while holding true to the faith that motivates them.

If the ACLU succeeds in severing the Church from its mission to help migrant children, I doubt that the ACLU lawyers and their abettors will be showing up to help at the border. Dont expect them there, with their sleeves rolled up and their arms opened wide. They wont come.
The United States of America has only been invaded once; the British landed in 1812 from Chesapeake Bay and took Washington, D.C. the capital of the United States. Mexico has not been so lucky.

First, the Mexicans warred on the Spanish for a decade before they left in 1821; then the United States invaded Mexico in 1846 and would invade again in 1914 and 1916. The U.S. won in 1846 but Woodrow Wilsons 1914 and 1916 incursions failed in their missions. The 1916 incursion was humiliated by Mexican soldiers that captured Americans in battle. The incursion failed in its mission of capturing Mexican bandit Pancho Villa.

Not all soldiers had rifles. Some were armed with machetes only. Indian volunteers carried machetes and brought cattle to feed troops and to use as a secret weapon. Wives, mothers and sisters fed the troops.  Raouk Lowery-Contreras

In between the Spanish and the Americans, the French invaded Mexico. Napoleon III invaded Mexico so he could help the Confederate States of America destroy the United States of America, a country despot Napoleon hated.

French troops landed alongside Spanish and British troops in the port city of Vera Cruz in December 1861 to collect debts owed by Mexico to European banks. The British and Spanish negotiated a deal and left. The French stayed commanded by General Ferdinand Latrille, Comte de Lorencez, the most accomplished French soldier of his generation. His troops were considered to be the best in Europe; they had not lost a battle since Waterloo five decades before. Supplementing his soldiers was the three-decade old French Foreign Legion that took no prisoners. Their standing order was shoot to kill.

The Comte de Lorencez was not thrilled that Mexicans did not prostrate themselves to his soldiers. His staff reported sessions in which he would listen to poor Mexican men deny they were guerrilla fighters then grumble, All Mexicans are guerillas.

Firing squads were the order of the day. The Foreign Legion did not hold hearings like the general did, they simply executed all men and boys over 12 in villages they suspected of resistance. The French secured the coastal plain and port facilities within weeks.

The army, joined by 2,000 Mexican Monarchists, commenced its march towards Mexico City from the lowlands in late April; the total of 8,000 men and their supplies followed the route taken by the Spanish in 1519 and the Americans in 1846 that led through the city of Puebla (Pweh-blah) 100 miles east of Mexico City. Due to steep mountainsides, the only avenue of attack was up a valley defended at the top by two old Spanish-built forts, Loreto and Guadalupe.

Four thousand Mexicans defended Puebla; they were commanded by Ignacio Zaragoza, a Texas-born general with experience during the War of Reformation in 1858 in which he fought fellow Mexicans. Some of his men shared that combat experience and some were veterans of the war with the United States between 1846 and 1848.

The mostly teenaged soldiers had rifles bought from the British that had last been used at the Battle of Waterloo in which Napoleon I was defeated five decades before. Not all soldiers had rifles. Some were armed with machetes only. Indian volunteers carried machetes and brought cattle to feed troops and to use as a secret weapon. Wives, mothers and sisters fed the troops.

Tropical rains hit the valley and surrounding mountainsides the night of May 4th presaging what would become the worst day in General Latrilles life, the 5th of May. In Spanish it is el Cinco de Mayo.

During the rain, the Indios stampeded their cattle around the valley causing the French to laugh at the comedy of cattle and Indians.

At dawn the 5th of May, the 8,000 French and Mexican allies formed their attack, the French cavalry deployed and amidst competing trumpets the march started toward the forts of Loreto and Guadalupe. Cattle and rain-produced mud slowed them to a crawl. They were decimated. The French and Mexican allies suffered 25 percent casualties. French dead littered the valley floor.

When the infantry faltered the generals ordered the ostrich-plumed plow-horse riding cavalry to attack. They too had mud problems. Out of nowhere Mexican cavalrymen struck until the French commander ordered his cavalry to run down and kill the Mexicans.

Off they went, running for miles until, much to their surprise, the Mexicans turned and attacked the French with a fury from three sides. The French were decimated. Mexican cavalry commander Colonel Porfirio Diaz became a national hero and later President and dictator.

The French had a very bad day that 5th of May 1862. Certainly the French returned to Puebla a year later with 30,000 troops to take it and Mexico City, but the French tired of daily deaths and defeats and left like the Spanish did four decades before.

The French and their Foreign Legion suffered at the hands of the Mexicans like they had not experienced since Waterloo. At a village named Cameron, outside Vera Cruz, in April 1863, 65 Foreign Legionnaires ran into Mexican irregulars  guerillas  and were all killed or taken prisoner by those guerillas in the worst defeat in French Foreign Legion history.

The French, being the French, celebrate that Cameron defeat on April 30 as a national holiday. Mexicans and American friends celebrate the Cinco de Mayo battle remembering how the best army in the world was defeated by poorly armed kids helped by cattle, rain and answers to their prayers.

No armed force has invaded the Americas since the French left Mexico in 1867.
As a Mexican student studying in the United States, I have never really noticed the celebration of Cinco de Mayo. I know it exists of course; it is hard to ignore any party in a college campus since Friday and Saturday nights revolve around going out. When I think about my Mexican heritage, however, Cinco de Mayo celebrations do not really make an impact. I am proud of being Mexican, but celebrating it in the U.S is not really a part of that.

Back home, Cinco de Mayo represents the legendary Battle of Puebla where Mexican soldiers beat all odds and defeated the French. Although the citizens of Puebla may remember it and celebrate it accurately, in the rest of Mexico it has become just another holiday. The schools are closed and it is technically a national holiday, but for most people it is just another day. I grew up in an environment where people remembered the battle but did not really treat it like we treat Independence Day.

It is so interesting, because of this, that it is such a big deal in the United States, but is it a big deal for the right reasons? In my college campus it is mostly about margaritas and parties. There are a lot of multicultural groups on campus that push for a celebration of the day worthy of our Mexican heritage, but most people do not go to these celebrations. It is not wrong for people to go to a party with a Cinco de Mayo theme, but they should not make fun of the holiday, either.

Although you may think I am a Mexican who is offended by the U.S. treatment of this holiday, I am really not. It is not offensive because I know the people who celebrate it this way; I see what people here in college think about this holiday. Most people do not even want to offend Mexico; they just thought Cinco de Mayo was a cool way to call a party with margaritas. The university sends a very stern email every year urging students to be respectful and not use sombreros, tacos and tequila to celebrate, but I do not think it is the props that are wrong, it is forgetting that this is actually a part of the Mexican heritage.

The problem is not that this holiday is over-celebrated at all; it is just that the original memory of the day might be compromised. This is not a call to ban all Cinco de Mayo celebrations and it is definitely not a request to U.S. citizens to stop drinking margaritas and eating tacos on this day. This account is mainly a story. A story about remembering a legendary day in Mexico City when the soldiers faced certain death but instead pushed forward and survived, and this is coming from me: remembering can definitely include margaritas and food. Keep your parties with margaritas, keep wearing those sombreros around your day, just try to think at least for a minute of what this holiday might mean to someone in Puebla.

A Cinco de Mayo party is still a party with a few traditional dishes and just a bit of remembrance.

The reality is that there is a thin line between celebrating and offending. There is also a thin line between remembrance and ridicule. I have been lucky enough to witness parties that, although do not really remember the history, at least do not work towards offending the Mexican people. I am not telling Mexicans to not care about the way Cinco de Mayo is celebrated, but do not be too offended just because it is a margarita party in the U.S.

I have come to accept the celebration here and have worked on my remembrance of the day instead of worrying about the way others remember. Instead of being offended, be proud of your heritage and talk to those around you. Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with them. Tell your friends about the legendary Battle of Puebla that is celebrated in your country over a round of refreshing and colorful margaritas.
Is thug a code word for black people behaving badly? Has it become a loaded racist expression like the N word or has it at least become a racial pejorative, a code word that should be banned from polite society?

As someone sensitive to the use of words like aliens to describe Hispanic immigrants and Mafia or mobster to describe members of organized criminal enterprises, including but not limited to the traditional Sicilian and Italian gangs, I admit to being pleasantly surprised when Americas first black president described Baltimore rioters as thugs.

Im not giving up on the word. But I do promise, that if it accurately describes a perpetrators conduct, to apply it to all dirt bag predatory criminals regardless of their race, color, creed or religion.  Geraldo Rivera

Similarly, I thought black Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake was brave also to use the term accurately to describe the greedy, destructive looters who ravaged and robbed their innocent neighbors as they trashed homes and staggered neighborhoods.

The president and the mayor spoke in the passion of the moment. The mayor later retreated from her use of the word, the president did not. Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, defended Mr. Obamas description saying Monday the actions of a small minority were nothing short of criminal actions. And whether it's arson, or, you know, the looting of a liquor store, those were, those were thuggish acts.

No one can deny that burning buildings and looting liquor stores are thuggish acts. Therefore, thug is exactly the appropriate way to describe the rape of West Baltimore in the wake of the funeral of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, who died in police custody. Sometimes cops behave thuggishly too, and should be called out on it. Similarly, I thought the drunken University of Florida ZBT frat boys who harassed and insulted a group of disabled veterans last month were also thugs, and said so at the time.

On Monday, in New York City, a 25-year old, hero cop died after being shot in the face by a dirt bag, predatory, violent ex-con Demetrius Blackwell. Is it OK to call Blackwell a thug if he is white, but not OK if he is black? Clearly, shooting an innocent cop in the face at point blank range is a thuggish act.

On Thursday night in Baltimore, I chased an anarchist agitator who was attempting to interfere with my broadcast. Get out of here, you punk, I shouted as he retreated into the cover of darkness. Youre a thug  a white thug.

Im not giving up on the word. But I do promise, that if it accurately describes a perpetrators conduct, to apply it to all dirt bag predatory criminals regardless of their race, color, creed or religion.
Call it embryo-gate. Last week, businessman Nick Loeb took to the New York Times to air the dirty laundry between himself and his former fiancee, Sofia Vergara. Loeb and the Modern Family star are fighting over the fate of two frozen embryos they created using in vitro fertilization. He has sued for full custody of the embryos, while she wants to keep them frozen. Does one persons desire to avoid biological parenthood (free of any legal obligations), Loeb writes, outweigh anothers religious beliefs in the sanctity of life and desire to be a parent?

Whats really going on is that Loeb is deliberately embarrassing Vergara, who happens to be the highest-paid actor on television. Consider that his op-ed appeared on the same day that her latest film premiered in Hollywood.  Raul A. Reyes

In this case, the answer is Yes. While embryonic custody cases raise legitimate issues of religion, medicine, and parenthood, Loebs position is supported neither by facts nor law. The real question is why one of the worlds most influential papers would give him a platform for bullying Vergara.

In his op-ed, Loeb does a good job of explaining why his case lacks merit. When he and Vergara agreed to try in vitro fertilization, he writes, We signed a form stating that any embryos created through the process could be brought to term only with both parties consent. Loeb argues that since the form did not specify what would happen if the couple separated, the agreement should be voided. But the intent of the document that Loeb and Vergara signed was clear: that both parties had to agree if the embryos were to be brought to term. Even if the document were flawed, a logical extrapolation of the arrangement would suggest that its principles still apply if Loeb and Vergara broke up.

Because in vitro fertilization and cryopreservation are new aspects of medical science, there is not a great deal of law on the books about such procedures. Yet courts have generally taken the stance that a persons interest in not being a parent outweighs another persons interest in becoming one. In the most famous frozen embryos case, Davis v. Davis (1992), the Tennessee Supreme Court found that a divorced woman would be entitled to the embryos that she had frozen with her ex-husband only if she had no other way of reproducing. Here, that principle would apply in Vergaras favor, as Loeb (age 39) is free to have children with another woman, or to pursue in vitro fertilization with another woman.

In his Times piece, Loeb makes a play towards enlisting support from the pro-life movement by noting his Catholic faith and his deep desire to become a father. However, the Roman Catholic Church actually forbids in vitro fertilization, along with all other assisted reproductive methods, as contrary to the dignity and equality that must be common to parent and children. Loeb also writes about his yearning for the type of family based on the images one might see in a Norman Rockwell painting, and how he is afraid that his father might not live to see grandchildren. These emotional appeals are irrelevant. And if Loeb wants kids so badly, he could always adopt.

Besides, common sense tells us that Vergara should not be forced into being the biological mother of Loebs children. They are no longer a couple. She has a new fiancee. If Loeb were allowed to bring their embryos to term, he could potentially sue her in the future for child support.

Whats really going on is that Loeb is deliberately embarrassing Vergara, who happens to be the highest-paid actor on television. Consider that his op-ed appeared on the same day that her latest film premiered in Hollywood. Or how he implies that she is not interested in motherhood, although Vergara has a grown son from a previous marriage. This entire controversy is a private matter that Loeb has shamefully chosen to make public.

Equally shameful is the decision by the Times to run his op-ed. Aside from his relationship with Vergara, Loeb is best known as the founder of the Crunchy Condiment Company. With all the news in the world, from Nepal to Baltimore, the Times gives the founder of the Crunchy Condiment Company a forum for his views on reproductive rights? No wonder so many people complained to the paper; their public editor noted the vehemence of reader criticism. Numerous media outlets have rightfully criticized the Times judgment as well.

Although there are compelling legal questions surrounding embryonic science, they are not present in this case. Loebs op-ed only succeeds in making him look like a creepy, jilted ex  and the Times like a sensationalistic tabloid.
The ACLU recently filed a lawsuit seeking documents from the federal government under the Freedom of Information Act to gain more information about unaccompanied immigrant teens access to reproductive health care. Dr. Grazie Pozo Christies recent opinion piece on our lawsuit gets more than a few facts wrong.

So lets start with some facts: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is one of the largest government contractors that provide care to teens who have crossed the U.S. border  they got $10 million in 2013 alone. But they want to block access to critical reproductive health care for these teens, even if they have been raped. Thats against the law, and its downright cruel.

In recent years, a surge of children and teens have come across the U.S. border. Many of those minors are fleeing their home countries because of torture and abuse. During their journey to the U.S., up to 80 percent of girls and women will be sexually assaulted.

The bishops are certainly entitled to their religious beliefs. And they have helped lots of immigrant youth, including with their own money. But they are not entitled to take a multimillion dollar government contract, and refuse to provide all the services required under the contract  Brigitte Amiri

So imagine that you are one of these teens who is forced to flee your home country because of gang violence or sexual assault. As you make the perilous journey to the United States you are raped. Once you arrive in the U.S., you are placed in a program run by a Catholic entity. You dont speak English, and your mobility is heavily restricted.You realize you are pregnant as a result of the rape, and you request an abortion (lets assume you know that abortion is legal in the U.S.). But instead of helping you, your Catholic social worker deliberately delays reunification with your family until it is too late in your pregnancy to get an abortion. Or, best case scenario, you get transferred out of the Catholic program, uprooting you from the only relationships youve formed in the U.S., into another program, maybe even in another state.

Those are the stories that we have heard from the ground. And just recently the bishops made their policy plain: They refuse to provide referrals or information about abortion and contraception, even if the teen has been raped. They have even gone so far as to say that they refuse to notify the federal government when a teen seeks such care so that the federal government could provide the care instead.

That is not compassionate care. And thats what this lawsuit is all about, just like other ACLU cases involving immigrant youth. For example, weve fought against locking up immigrant mothers and their children who seek asylum, and weve fought to ensure a fair deportation process for women and children who have fled their home countries because of extreme violence, including rape.

We also fight every day to protect the right to religious liberty, and the bishops are certainly entitled to their religious beliefs. And they have helped lots of immigrant youth, including with their own money. But they are not entitled to take a multimillion dollar government contract, and refuse to provide all the services required under the contract. And most importantly, they are not entitled to impose their religious beliefs on those who they serve, causing them harm, particularly brutalized teenagers who need care and compassion.
We recently received worrying  but not surprising - news from Washington. According to new GDP figures, our economy is continuing to slow, and now sits on the edge of recession. Instead of strength and creating new opportunities, this may be as good as it gets for working families  at least until theres a new approach in Washington. Until and unless that happens, we appear to be a long way from breaking out of the pattern that has been going on for years  one of optimistic talk from Washington despite the reality of slow economic growth resulting in more of living paycheck to paycheck for American families.

What Americans need is growth in the private sector. That is not going to happen with a growing government, more government spending, more government borrowing and more unsustainable government programs. We need policies that will return a pro-growth environment immediately.  Daniel Garza

Sadly, regardless of the near-term twists and turns in the domestic economy, there are serious long-term problems that are being ignored. One of the most serious is the alarming and little-noticed collapse in the number of businesses in the United States.

According to Gallup, the U.S. doesnt rank first or second in the world in new businesses created - but 12th among developed countries. Nations like Hungary, Finland, Sweden, Israel and Italy all start up new businesses at greater rates than the U.S.



This strikes most people as surprising. Americans are proud of our pioneer spirit, our creativity, and our entrepreneurship. With a strong tradition built on hard-working immigrants  millions of whom continue to start mom-and-pop businesses even to this day  we expect America to lead the world. Instead the number of new companies founded every year is plummeting.



This is a serious problem because growing companies are critical for employment growth, and always have been. The number of large companies in the economy is relatively small, and while they can be an important source of new jobs, the opportunities they create are limited. The fact is that companies that have already become dominant in their sector do a limited amount of new hiring. In the same way, companies that stay small also generate few opportunities for employment.



The jobs of the future will come from healthy, growing companies  firms that may be founded today, but which have the potential to expand by leaps and bounds 5, 10, or 20 years from now. But sadly, the number of new companies started each year has been falling for more than 30 years  and has absolutely collapsed since 2007.



Even worse, the number of businesses failing has spiked since 2007  so now more businesses are closing down than starting up every year. Gallup recently reported that the total number of businesses of all sizes is falling in the country by nearly 70,000 per year. With only about 6 million active businesses employing more than 100 million Americans, we are set to lose about half a million firms over a 7 year period. And that crisis of entrepreneurship threatens millions of American families.



Latinos should be more concerned about this than anyone. Our community is much younger than the nation as a whole, and Latinos coming out of school now face serious economic challenges. They cannot afford to see job opportunities dry up even further as the job base shrinks. Additionally, Latino immigrants continue to pursue an American Dream that for many involves starting a small business. As it becomes harder and harder to start a company and grow it until it can sustain a family, these families will see their chance to achieve the dream diminished.



Politicians and community leaders with a big government mindset continue to advocate for more and more government assistance as the answer to a declining job market, despite years of failed results. This shallow, unthinking policy response only induces long-term idleness, lack of productivity and chronic economic decline. What Americans need is growth in the private sector. That is not going to happen with a growing government, more government spending, more government borrowing and more unsustainable government programs. We need policies that will return a pro-growth environment immediately.



The staff and volunteers of the LIBRE Institute are trying to do what we can to help. In a few weeks LIBRE will host the Southwest Business Summit <http://swbsummit.com/> in Albuquerque New Mexico. The event is free, and will focus on energy, trade with Mexico, the burden of government regulation and unique business opportunities and challenges impacting all small businesses in the Southwest. This summit will help entrepreneurs develop strategies for succeeding in an environment that is increasingly challenging.



But while efforts like this one may help, they do not solve the problem. In recent years the dreams of entrepreneurs to build a business that helps their family and community are being stifled. Whether due to costly regulations, complex mandates, high taxes, lack of credit, or some combination, people simply arent starting the companies that will grow to be world leaders someday. Ignored by Washington, this problem is festering, and it will take a new approach to fix it.
Who should make day-to-day operational decisions on border security? Boots on the ground or bureaucrats back at headquarters in Washington, D.C.?

Any Border Patrol officer who has been on his or her beat for any amount of time can tell you exactly what tools are needed in order to do the job effectively. The men and women working the borders know their areas well and what it takes to curb illegal border crossers.

Much of the surveillance on our border has traditionally relied on static Towers to monitor border threats. That approach is outdated. Todays smuggling and trafficking rings are highly mobile, so our border security agencies must move where the threat takes them.  Nelson Balido

Unfortunately, border security has too often fallen victim to a top-down management approach.

Last years influx of unaccompanied minors and fears of another spike this summer, along with the ongoing concerns associated with economic migrants and drug trafficking, demonstrate that Border Patrol needs field commanders making the calls on what is needed to ensure undocumented border crossers are apprehended and that potential crossers are discouraged. Taking a page from the military, Border Patrols leaders in the field need similar flexibility and deference in order to effectively do their jobs.

So in an effort to reshuffle the deck in a way that acknowledges the insight and experience of professionals in the field, Secretary of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson last November wisely called for the creation of the Southern Border Joint Task Force.

These three newly created Joint Task Forces (JTFs) are designed to secure the land, air and sea from terrorism and related illegal activity while allowing for lawful trade, travel and commerce. The JTFs were created by incorporating elements of the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS).

In a memo sent to top members of the involved agencies, Secretary Johnson laid out his plan and ordered the realignment of personnel and the creation of headquarter capabilities for each JTF.

The three JTFs are dived into three separate components. From Norfolk, Va. JTF-East will focus on coastal borders, primarily the Gulf of Mexico, and will be led by the Coast Guard Vice Admiral William Dean Lee.

JTFWest, established in San Antonio, Texas, will head up efforts on land from San Diego to Brownsville and will be led by Commander Robert Harris of CBP, a veteran of the Border Patrols South Texas Campaign.

From the Washington, D.C. area, JTF-Investigations will support the first two task forces and will be led by ICE-HSI Special Agent in Charge David Marwell.

This new model seeks a supported-supporting approach, whereby agencies interact and support one another. The idea is right for the times, helping to ensure that the JTFs missions are not diluted by a political ping-pong over control.

Ensuring that field leadership can make decisions according to the mobilized threat is paramount. For example, much of the surveillance on our border has traditionally relied on static towers to monitor border threats. That approach is outdated. Todays smuggling and trafficking rings are highly mobile, so our border security agencies must move where the threat takes them. Outfitting our men and women with personal surveillance equipment and the latest mobile surveillance-capable vehicles, such as the RaVEN-Mobile by Telephonics, that can move wherever the threat is will make a big difference in effectiveness.

Providing border agencies with modern equipment that is reflective of the challenge of todays border security environment has been an ongoing challenge. Reports of outdated radios, lack of communication coverage, obsolete surveillance equipment and ships need to be addressed soon or good outcomes will be elusive.

There is no better time to realign our border strategy to a way that reflects todays security challenges.

The JTF model has been adopted by our military on countless occasions. Whether the same model, which grants leaders in the field increased authority, can be adopted within of one of the most highly politicized domestic issues of our time is another issue altogether. We will see if Washington, D.C.s bureaucracy has the will to keep its hands off this new and necessary border security model.
Guillermo Pintado watched the television screen with rapt attention. Surrounded by several hundred of her boisterous neighbors in the Jackson Heights office of Make the Road New Yorkwhere people were crammed into every classroom, meeting space, and hallway to watch on whatever screen they could findhe felt the energy, excitement, and emotion of her community on the cusp of saying goodbye to fear.

In New York City, we won a historic municipal ID program and the expulsion of ICE from Rikers Islanda victory that was part of a broader movement to end local law enforcement collaboration with ICE in jurisdictions around the country.  Javier H. Valdes and Daniel Altschuler

The date was November 20th, 2014, and he and his neighbors were gathered to watch President Obamas immigration announcement, in which he would announce that he was taking executive action to protect as many as five million undocumented immigrants from the specter of being deported and separated from their families. Guillermo, a single parent who has three US-citizen children, was among those that the President pledged to protect. When the President concluded his remarks, cheers and chants of Si se puede! rang through the community center and, no doubt, thousands more like it around the country.

For millions of immigrants like Guillermo, the Presidents announcement brought enormous hopefor their families, it meant a near future in which they would not fear waking up one morning to find that their mothers, fathers, or siblings had been detained or deported.



But it was also a bittersweet moment: while the Presidents immigration relief would protect as many as five million people, at least six million more were left without the same protection, and perhaps more vulnerable to the ramped-up activity of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which has continued its ferocious ramp-up since 2001 and has deported more than two million immigrants since President Obama took office.



For the immigrant rights movement, this much was clear: with six million people excluded and no pathway to citizenship (which must be a part of any ultimate Congressional solution) on the table for the five million, we have a tremendous amount of work to do to continue to build our communities power and win the path to citizenship that immigrant families so desperately need.

In the immediate aftermath of the Presidents announcement, the focus of many organizations across the country like ours turned to implementation. It is absolutely critical that community groups ensure that our members have all the right information about what they can, and cannot, apply for, and do not fall prey to unscrupulous con artists and notarios who would sell them a false bill of goods. We must ensure that as many eligible people as possible apply for the Presidents immigration relief initiative, so that immigrant families will be protected from our still-broken immigration systemwhich continues to invest disproportionately in enforcement without any mechanism for providing those people who are already here with a path to citizenship.



Thats why, in the same Queens office where immigrants gathered to watch the Presidents speech, the next day we began information sessions and legal pre-screening for community members. (While an anti-immigrant federal judge has temporarily enjoined the policys implementation, we remain confidentbased on the judgment of myriad legal expertsthat it will be adopted soon.)

But, because we know that our fight will continue, social movement organizations around the country must commit to making this year be about more than just effective implementation: we must also take advantage of this time as a critical movement building moment.



In recent years, immigrant rights organizations across the country have organized and mobilized in unprecedented ways. Millions of immigrants from coast to coast have organized for federal legislation providing a path to citizenship. And, while the fight for comprehensive immigration reform was unable to sway an intransigent House Republican leadership to permit a vote on the matter (that would have likely passed if brought to the floor), groups have simultaneously launched state and local campaigns that have won important policy victories.

For instance, in New York City, we won a historic municipal ID program and the expulsion of ICE from Rikers Islanda victory that was part of a broader movement to end local law enforcement collaboration with ICE in jurisdictions around the country.



In the aftermath of the Presidents executive action announcement, and with the knowledge that the Republican leaders of the Senate and the House will not likely allow a vote on any reasonable immigration reform legislation before 2017, we must focus on 2015 as a moment to expand our base and re-engage those who were disillusioned with Congress failure to act.



Administrative relief offers the perfect opportunity for engagement. In the months to come, groups need to be out in the streets every day conducting outreach about immigration relief and where and how to apply for it. (Following the temporary injunction, we must also dispel rumors and misunderstandings about what this means, as many in our communities remain confused and frightened.) As we do that, its critical that we are also encouraging every new person we contact to join the movement that will continue to fight for a path to citizenship for all 11 million undocumented immigrants in this country.



At Make the Road New York, we are doing that in a number of ways. First, we have included political education and an invitation to become a member in every information session that we have held since last November. Second, we have begunand are planning to ramp upextensive outreach into the immigrant communities where we work in New York City and Long Island to meet people where they are and to bring them into the fold. Third, we follow up with each new member to integrate them into the organization and fight alongside their neighbors on a range of issues. The results thus far have been impressive. Within the first six weeks following the Presidents announcement, we increased our membership by approximately 500 people, and our offices and member committee meetings have been packed.



Of course, we are not alone in this approach. To have the ultimate impact that we need (federal legislation that provides a path to citizenship for all eleven million undocumented immigrants), this movement building approach must be national in scope. That's why were working with national networks like the National Partnership for New Americans, the Center for Popular Democracy, and United We Dream, so that organizations like ours can share our experiences with, and learn from, our allies around the country.



These next months will be critical. Even as the legal wrangling continues, our movement must be out in the streets engaging the millions of immigrants who will benefit from immigration reliefas well as those who will not. In recent years, we have grown in strength and numbers, but, to win the change we need in Washington, we must get even bigger and stronger.



We know that progressive social and political change only comes through sustained pressure from bold, powerful social movements. In 2015, we must be committed to responding to the opportunity brought by President Obamas immigration relief to become bolder and more powerful than ever.



Javier H. Valdes and Daniel Altschuler are, respectively, the Co-Executive Director and Civic Engagement and Research Coordinator of Make the Road New York, the largest participatory immigrant rights organization in New York.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Its hard to not like Senator Elizabeth Warrens passion, tenacity and intelligence. But its not hard to disagree with her. President Obama does, so do most Republicans, and so do I.

I very much respect Elizabeth Warren, (notice I didnt call her Elizabeth even though I think shes cool enough to be OK with it), but I respect our business sectors chances even more under a plan that allows it to increase trade with countries that would otherwise find ways to snub us.

We can try and beatem or join them. I think were better off joining them. For the sake of better business relations, more manufacturing and more American jobs, the TPP is important to our trade and foreign policy.  Rick Sanchez

So why are so many congressional Democrats so averse to the Pacific Trade partnership? Sen. Warren leads the current division within the Democratic Party. Shes a populist leading a staunch opposition to big business and is at odds with the implications of the trade deal.

Her recent editorial in the Washington Post makes the claim that the deal will allow for multinational corporations to undermine U.S. sovereignty. Its a fair point to be sure, but when compared to the alternatives of being left out of these deals altogether, it becomes increasingly less important.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership will, as the Obama administration and most congressional Republicans assert, grow the U.S. economy, expand and enhance American labor, and increase our exports to the other 11 nations in the partnership. And that is no small thing to most Americans because it offers job opportunities we might not otherwise have.

More On This... Best pix of the week

Warren argues that President Obama has allowed pro-business special interests to shape the deal while refusing access to the public. She is also criticizing the presidents effort to fast-track the deal through Congress. However, the fast-track authority is vital to trade deals, and has been afforded to presidents both Democrat and Republican since the 1974. Its important because it bypasses the political sniping and bickering common to this particular congress while amending, delaying and all good ideas from either side. Fast track still allows congressional involvement by establishing a bipartisan congressional advisory group and thats fine. But what U.S. trade partner would be willing to wait or rely on this Congress to act on anything? Get the picture.

Warrens suggestion would be nice if workable, but its not. And her other concern about fast track is also wrong. She says the six-year clause will allow a future president, averse to financial domestic policies such as the Dodd-Frank Act, to overturn or alter such policies in the form of international trade deals.

Obama himself countered this claim; why would he provide a loophole for the revocation of Dodd-Frank if it was his administration that worked so hard to pass it? The likelihood of the next president working a new financial domestic policy into an international trade deal, and passing it before the six years are up, is very low. Warrens opposition to the use of fast track authority seems a distraction.

So lets move to the content and workings of the TPP. itself. Warren makes a valid point about the formation of special courts that operate outside the jurisdiction of U.S. courts. That sounds scary. Shes right, these investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) courts feature an arbitrator rather than an independent judge and that could lead to it being controlled by some corporate lawyer. Yes, that cuts right at the heart of our American sense of sovereignty on legal matters; however, its tempered by two facts. One, the U.S. government has never lost a case in such a court system and two, the ISDS courts could not shape policy as Warren suggests  it could only impose a financial penalty.

This is the U.S. Trade Offices stated purpose of the deal: The Trans-Pacific Partnership will grow trade with one of the worlds fastest growing regions, and share American values and commitment to improve labor practices and elevate environmental standards around the world.

In other words, we can try and beatem or join them. I think were better off joining them. For the sake of better business relations, more manufacturing and more American jobs, the TPP is important to our trade and foreign policy.

However, its also a wonderful political wedge issue among certain Democrats and that makes for good political fodder. When Sen. Warren accuses the president of helping Republicans by giving them the tools they need, shes really questioning the Mr. Obamas liberal bone fides, while enhancing her own.

Good politics? Perhaps. Good policy? Hardly!
It is 7:37 p.m., and Im on Ann Coulters blog reading how much she cant stand Mexicans, and guess what banner ad is splattered across the top of her website? Its for Subway, announcing how you can now add guacamole to your favorite sandwiches.

Tasty irony? OK maybe a little, but mostly its just plain reality.

The fact of the matter is that whether Coulter likes it or not (frankly, I dont really think she cares one way or another), Latinos are now driving the U.S. economy.

That's why Walmart says it expects to derive more than 80 percent of its growth from Hispanics. That's why Toyota says Hispanics will account for more than 60 percent of its growth. That's why giants like Mitsubishi and Turbo Tax fly me and other Hispanic leaders to their corporate headquarters to help them better understand the Latino market.

And that's why a woman who dedicates herself to disparaging Mexicans in order to ingratiate herself to xenophobes ends up with a banner advertisement on her website pitching a Mexican staple.

Heres a hint. If you don't want to know what is really going on in this country, keep listening to Ann Coulter.

Go ahead, ignore every single business model that adheres to the principals of sound economics that shows that a young and more diverse labor- and consumer-force benefits an economy much more than it harms it.

The model being followed by Fortune 500 companies like Walmart, Target, Toyota and Intuit. If it makes you feel good to read or hear my pal Annie lambaste anybody who doesnt look or sound like you do, go for it.

Its human nature to think somebodys trying to take something away from you even if theyre not, to hate the newest kid on the block even if hes more like you than you think  especially when youre being provoked by the best in the business. Yep, Ann Coulter is really good. Shes really good at making herself rich while making you stupid.

This week while Ann was trying to gin up the immigration paranoia by playing to the worst in all of us by calling Mexican immigrants in the United States a deficient culture made up mostly of peasants who are much more dangerous than ISIS, there was some actual news derived not from hate-filled anecdotes, but from real metrics.

Immigrants, Latinos Helped Drive Business Creation Last Year is the headline the Wall Strett Journal  hardly a bastion of liberalism  chose to use for a newly released report on U.S. startup activity for 2014. The study compiled by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a Kansas City nonprofit, explains that immigrant entrepreneurs launched 28.5% of the new businesses in 2014, up from 25.9% a year before and just 13.3% in 1996.

Researchers found that immigrants started new companies or became self-employed at nearly twice the rate of native-born Americans, even though they made up only 12.9% of the U.S. population. Latino new business creators also climbed to 22.1% in 2014 from 20.4% in 2013 and just 10% in 1996, the study found, while they make up only 17.1% of the U.S. population.

Not bad for a bunch of lowly peasants, huh, Ann?

I cant imagine anyone but Ann proclaiming that 17 percent of the population of the United States is more dangerous than ISIS, but thats exactly what Ann told Hispanic anchorman Jorge Ramos  who seemed either too unprepared or too dumbfounded by the comment to respond. So let me help him, and once again let me do it not with Coulter-like anecdotes about a skull found in the desert in Arizona, but rather with facts.

According to a study by an accomplished sociologist who has spent years researching and writing about immigrants in the U.S., the crime rate among first-generation immigrants  those who came to this country from somewhere else  is significantly lower than the overall crime rate. Its even lower than for second-generation Americans.

That means that as immigrants assimilate into American, they are more apt to commit a crime.

Hmm, that sounds oddly enough like the opposite of what Ann told Jorge.

The woman who compiled that research is Bianca E. Bersani of the University of Massachusetts, who has authored extensive works on immigrant behavioral patterns in America. Shes a Ph.D who would rather inform than alarm.

What she isn't is a rich author, or a best-selling one and certainly not a ratings get  which is why you have to get her information here and not on a nationally-televised interview.
Last week, an opinion piece caught my eye. Titled An Open Letter to Republicans in Congress, and written by a vice president for SEIU, the Service Employees International Union. Not surprisingly, what followed sounded less like a letter and more like a political hit piece placed by Democrats.

But, setting that aside, lets consider the substance of her letter.

Heres a question the Republican Party should resolve with their strategists and prospective presidential contenders, the opinion piece begins, What happened to making inroads with Latinos?

Actually, quite a lot has happened. Following the 2012 election, the Republican National Committee dramatically expanded its Hispanic engagement initiatives, building relationships with Hispanic communities year-round and across the country.

This effort earned Republicans the support of more Hispanic voters in many close races in 2014, perhaps most notably in Florida congressional races and the Colorado Senate race. Congressman Mike Coffman of Colorado, who has been taking intensive Spanish classes to communicate better with his growing Hispanic constituency, also won a resounding victory thanks to support from Hispanic voters.

Hispanics are also among the most prominent leaders in the Republican Party. Today, there are two Hispanic governors in America: Susana Martinez of New Mexico and Brian Sandoval of Nevada. Both are Republicans. There are no current Hispanic Democrat governors.

Of the three Hispanic U.S. Senators, two are Republicans, while the Democrat, New Jersey's Robert Menendez, has been indicted.

Not to mention, to date, two Hispanic Republicans have officially launched 2016 presidential campaigns, Senators Marco Rubio from Florida and Ted Cruz from Texas. Democrats on the other hand have a smaller, less diverse, and, quite frankly, older bench.

So much for the younger, more diverse party they claim to be.

Now lets dive into immigration reform. Part of the liberal critique of the Republican Party these days centers around this issue  an important one yes, but not the number one, two or three top issue for Latinos. Democrats talking points not only treat Hispanics and Latinos as single-issue voters but also conveniently ignore the facts.

When they criticize Republicans, they forget that for the first two years of the Obama presidency, Democrats controlled both the House and the Senate. Yet they did absolutely nothing on immigration.

In fact, the last president who gave us immigration reform was Ronald Reagan, a Republican. And the last president to come close to shepherding another immigration reform bill through Congress was Republican George W. Bush. On that occasion, a group of senators that included Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton voted in favor of a union-backed amendment that shattered the coalition of the bill's supporters and killed the reform.

Most recently, in Nevada, Mrs. Clinton admitted to her dismal record on immigration saying, I was personally very disappointed that, when I was a senator for eight years, we had a few chances to try to do more for 'Dreamers,' do more for comprehensive immigration reform, and we were not successful.

Thats right, for 8 years she accomplished zero, zip, nada on immigration.

During that time, she was in fact "adamantly against illegal immigrants," as she told New York radio host John Gambling in 2003. Now that she needs a large percentage of the Latino vote to win, shes singing a different tune.

Lastly, unions have a clear record of hostility toward immigration, yet Democrats consistently do their bidding only to turn around and claim to stand up for the immigrant community. Its only a severe shortage of members that has pushed unions to romance the newest crop of potential recruits, but their current words betray their long held beliefs and actions.

Need we remind Latinos that it's unions  and, therefore, Democrats  who have historically opposed a guest worker program?

Let's be clear, Latinos should be courted as our vote is increasingly important. But make no mistake, the Republican party is doing its job and surely more needs to be done and will be done, but Latinos support should not be taken for granted by the Democratic party.
In 2011, Apple sued Samsung, alleging that Samsung infringed several design patents for smartphone devices, particularly the shape of the iPhone.

A jury in Northern Californias U.S. District Court awarded Apple nearly $1 billion in damages.

After an appeal to and decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, this lawsuit is back on the radar.

Although at first glance this appears to be a private dispute among huge companies, the fight over design patents represents an important threat to consumers.

Last July the Hispanic Leadership Fund (HLF) filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on the $930 million in damages awarded to Apple.

More On This... Best pix of the week

Last Monday, the court issued its ruling on the design patents that Samsung allegedly infringed.

HLF has repeatedly stated its concerns for consumers if the ruling on design patents were to be upheld.

Potentially tens of millions of consumers would be impacted as 64 percent of American adults own a smartphone.

The effect on typically underserved communities presents challenges as well.

For example, in the Latino community, the Pew Research Center has shown that the rate of smartphone ownership among Latino adults has grown faster than any other demographic, as more than three out of four use a mobile device to access the Internet.

The court had the option to rule sensibly, once and for all, on design patents and the proper interpretation of USC 289.

But it failed to even consider these questions at all.

Instead of analyzing how form and function inform consumer decision making and basing damages on this, the court completely ignored this crucial question.

Despite the fact that research and common sense tells us that features, functions, reliability, and cost are far more important factors for consumers than the shape of a product in most instances, the court ignored this reasoning in its decision.

Earlier this month we noted a piece by Gary Griswold, an intellectual property expert, which explained one logical approach to remedying outdated design patent laws.

He explains that design patents have long been overlooked and are far less transparent than utility patents. Had the court heeded advice along the lines of Griswolds recommendations, design patent laws would be on track for more transparency rather than continuing to be outdated and doing more harm than good for consumers and businesses.

Current design patent law dictates that a design patent holder can be sued for infringement and, if found to have infringed, can be forced to pay up to total profits on the product.

This is different from utility patents where an accused infringer pays a reasonable royalty for a part of the sales attributed to the patent.

Reasonable royalties make logical sense. Most products contain dozens, or even hundreds or thousands, of patents.

It is not likely that one design patent solely drives the sale of a product.

The courts decision is an irresponsible ruling to the design patent dispute, but even more so, it is the wrong approach to creating a more transparent patent system in this country.

There is no cause that design patents should have special treatment when utility patents have reasonable royalties.

As Griswold writes, if the patented design is not substantially the basis for the customer demand for the entire article, then the patentee would be left with the same remedies available to utility patents [], lost profits and/or reasonable royalty (pp. 4-5).

But the damage to businesses and consumers does not stop there.

Patent trolls have made headlines over the last year as current and previous Congresses have proposed patent troll legislation.

A patent troll is a non-practicing entity that does not manufacture or create products, but holds patents that it uses to sue alleged infringers and collect licensing fees in court.

To date, the trolls in question have been aggressive on utility patents.

But the courts decision opens the floodgates for a new wave of trolling design patents. With total profits at stake, design patent trolling could become the newest cash cow in the trolling world. With the potential reward of total profits, trial lawyers will be lining up to garner significant contingency fees based on large damages.

This is bad for companies and consumers that rely on competitive and affordable products. As companies pay more and more for damages, consumers will likely be hurt by increasing prices and limited options. The consequences of this decision will impact more than just electronics.

Just as utility patent trolls strike across all corners of the economy, design patent trolls will do the same. Any industry or product where design is relevant will likely soon face new threats from trolls.

The Apple v. Samsung lawsuit and the courts recent decision should put design patents on everyones radar.

As Congress continues to debate patent reform, HLF urges policymakers and regulators to also consider design patents as vulnerable territory in the patent system. Design plays a critical role in technological advancements, and if the courts continue to make the interpretation of design patent law unreasonable, consumers will ultimately pay the price.
News reports would have you believe the courts are an insurmountable obstacle for President Obamas executive action on immigration.

First of all, not so fast. Second, and even better, the real action on immigration lies with states and with local leaders.

As for executive action, last week the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 to deny a motion by the Obama administration that would have allowed expanded deferred action, a central part of the executive action Obama announced in November, to take effect while an underlying legal challenge moves through the courts.

It wasnt good news for the administration, but we are far from a last word. In early July the Fifth Circuit will rule on the actual merits of the case. Most think the case will end up in front of the Supreme Court sometime in the next 12 months.

But real leadership on immigration is emerging in unlikely places: Nebraska, Iowa, South Carolina and Alabama.

In each of these states, conservative voices are speaking in favor of a more compassionate conversation about immigration and for action from Congress.

On Thursday, the Nebraska legislature overrode the governors veto to pass a law that allows Dreamers to seek drivers licenses, which they now can do in all 50 states. Conservative business and faith leaders in Nebraska led the way and cheered the result. The vote was a resounding 34-10.

This in a state that is 86 percent white and only 9 percent people of Hispanic origin. The Nebraska Republican Party controls five out of six statewide offices, both of the state's U.S. Senate seats and two of the state's three U.S. House seats. The legislature is officially nonpartisan, but legislators' political affiliations reveal a Republican supermajority.

Meanwhile, early last week, the Rev. Robbie McAlister of Riverbend Church in Lexington, S.C., penned an op-ed in that states largest newspaper. Pastor McAlister urged the candidates for president in 2016 to engage in a different conversation about immigrants and immigration.

Other evangelical leaders are making the same arguments, including the Revs. John Opgenorth and John Shaull in Iowa and the Rev. Alan Cross in Alabama.

Heres the thing: These unusual voices arent so unusual anymore. Around the country, not just faith but also law enforcement, business and community leaders have rejected politicking about immigration.

Thats because they recognize that America thrives when immigrants have access to the opportunities, skills and status that allow them to reach their fullest potential.

They are working to meet President Reagans vision of a shining city on a hill  teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace.

Thanks to this different conversation, Congress has the opportunity to take action  right now  and replace our broken immigration system.

Republicans can pass real, permanent reform that makes executive action moot and take credit for a new process that respects the rule of law, boosts our economy and keeps families intact. Or they can take credit for perpetuating a system that is failing all of us.

Their choice has implications for 2016. With broad American consensus in favor of immigration reform and without progress in Congress, it is no surprise that immigration is playing so prominently in the presidential race.

Serious candidates know pro-reform voters across party lines are up for grabs. Candidates need to talk about the real costs of a broken system, while also addressing what theyre going to do about 11 million undocumented immigrants who have no path forward.

These are real people and families who are part of our communities, and they should have the opportunity to come forward and earn eventual legal status and citizenship.

People recognize how greatly we will benefit when everyone can contribute fully, no matter where they were born.

Voters expect the same from Congress and from candidates.
The saga in San Francisco continues, with the self-appointed enforcers of the New Intolerance attacking Archbishop Cordileone for trying to keep the high schools in his archdiocese Catholic in more than name. They insist that the Church change its doctrines relating to marriage and the family, and this insistence comes with thinly veiled threats to close Church schools by taking away their tax exempt status. Catholic education is fighting for survival and if this battle is lost, among the biggest losers will be Hispanics.

The Church truly loves and serves Latinos in the U.S. Its a natural mission for the institution, because she doesnt see the world in terms of borders, races and nationalities.  Dr. Grazie Pozo Chistie

My experiences growing up were like the experiences of many Latinos. Hear our stories and you hear a common thread: Disruption, upheaval, a little desperation from time to time, and a lot of hard work toward some eventual stability and peace.

I was the daughter of recently exiled Cubans in South Florida, and sent to an English-speaking Catholic preschool at 3. My mother had to explain to the teacher how we say bathroom in Spanish. Then, to Mexico to start Kindergarten, in a solemn Old World convent school, where we could see the cloistered nuns through the railings, at their prayers. My friends called me la gringa.

Back to the U.S. years later, no English again, but helped to adjust in a sweet parochial school in Miami, where all the students were the children of exiles. Then up to the Midwest, to a little town where no one had ever met a Hispanic. We were so exotic it was uncomfortable. Again, sent to a parochial school where the routines were familiar and comforting, and the teachers loving and accepting.

Disruption and upheaval are not easy, especially for children. But running through it all, like a tow rope up a ski mountain, was the Church and the education it offered us. It was consistently rigorous, welcoming, universal, deeply recognizable and ours  no matter the language, style, or architecture. It was community and family, guiding us and keeping us grounded.

It was also a ladder up from poverty and a safe haven from the inferior public schools of our poor neighborhoods, where learning was much harder in chaotic environments. My siblings and I could attend, because it was also cheap, expressly designed to serve the children of the poor and middle class.

Likewise, today, in neighborhoods all over the country, minority children, especially Hispanic, are receiving Catholic private education at a fraction of the cost of a public school education. In some parts of the country, more than 30 percent of enrolled students are Latino. For them, these schools are not only cost effective, they also succeed in integrating them into the wider culture.

Sol Stern wrote in City Journal: Unlike the public schools, which have trivialized their curriculum and abandoned their standards in the name of multiculturalism, Catholic educators have remained committed to the ideal that minority children can share in, and master, our civilizations intellectual and spiritual heritage. Indeed, Catholic schools are among the last bastions in American education of the idea of a common civic culture."

Of course, the Church offers much more than an excellent civic education. For many people like us, but whose situations are more dire, the Church does much more. It dispenses Charity, and I purposely use the capital. Because I mean Charity as in sacrificial love. Legions of caring volunteers run English classes, employment centers, aid facilities for mothers in crisis pregnancies, food banks for the very poor, and legal assistance centers. The list is endless. No one has been more indefatigable in its aid and defense of immigrants than the Church.

The Church truly loves and serves Latinos in the U.S. Its a natural mission for the institution, because she doesnt see the world in terms of borders, races and nationalities. There is one category of person for the Church: the human person. And the more vulnerable and defenseless, the faster she rushes to their rescue.

Yet everywhere we look these days, there are movements, powerful ones, seeking to force the Church out of her mission of education and assistance. The ACLU wants the Church out of helping Latinos at the border; Gay rights activists want the Church out of the foster and adoption business; President Obamas administration persists in its aggression toward the Little Sisters of the Poor. His own solicitor general told the Supreme Court that the tax exempt status of Catholic and other religious institutions could be taken away by the IRS if they persist in upholding their teachings on marriage.

Lets face it. Those being helped, welcomed, and cared for with tenderness, are in large proportion Latino. Those who are waging war on the Church treat Latinos-in-need as mere collateral damage. The people who are arrayed in bitterness and contempt against Catholic education in San Francisco, are arrayed against the education and assistance of immigrants. Its that simple.
In January 2014, Mexican federal forces were ambushed in Tamaulipas while conducting a routine inspection near the border town of Reynosa by assailants armed with assault rifles. A few months later, another ambush of military forces in Jalisco perpetrated by a criminal organization again armed with semiautomatic rifles and grenades left a toll of four dead soldiers and two more seriously wounded. A year later in the neighboring state of Michoacan, four soldiers were killed in another ambush outside the city Ucacuaro, once again by a criminal organization armed with assault rifles.

ATF and other federal law enforcement agencies must have all available tools to ensure that dangerous weapons, such as the ones used in the series of ambush attacks against Mexican law enforcement, do not continue to pour into Mexico and fuel violence in both nations.  Eugenio Weigend

The use of these highly dangerous firearms by criminal organizations in Mexico has become all too common. And the bulk of these guns are illegally trafficked from the United States. In fact, approximately 70 percent of firearms recovered in crimes in Mexico originated in the United States, and the vast majority of those were illegally trafficked from the border states of California, New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona.

The traffic of illegal firearms into Mexico from the U.S. has been recognized as an urgent problem by both countries. In 2007, the Merida Initiative a partnership agreement between the United States and Mexico to fight organized crime and associated violence --emphasized a shared responsibility with Mexico pledging to tackle crime and corruption within its borders and the United States committing to address domestic drug consumption, money laundering, and gun trafficking into Mexico.

While this was a promising approach to addressing violence on both sides of the border, as Merida Initiative evolved into Beyond Merida in 2010, emphasis and funding was mostly placed on its first pillar, which included equipment and training of Mexican officials. Other pillars included institutionalizing the rule of law, building a 21st century border, and building resilient communities, but no explicit commitment was made by either nation to address the illegal flow of firearms. Other factors, such as the tragically flawed Operation Fast and Furious in the U.S. and the change in discourse from violence to prevention in the Pena Nieto administration, have contributed to diminished attention given to illegal gun trafficking across the border.

Nonetheless, American firearms continue to fuel violence in Mexico. According to information from the Executive Secretary of the Sistema Nacional de Seguridad Publica, gun deaths in Mexico grew significantly in the past ten years from 2,858 in 2004 to 8,709 in 2014. In fact, recent reports have shown that enough illegal guns are recovered by law enforcement in Mexico to arm the entire Mexican military and the federal police. Increasingly, criminal organizations in Mexico are using semiautomatic assault rifles to perpetuate their violence. During the first four years of President Calderons administration, Mexican law enforcement officials seized more than 85,000 firearms from criminal organizations, 50,000 of which were either AK-47 or AR-15 assault rifles.

The Obama administration has taken an important step to address gun trafficking to Mexico by providing U.S. law enforcement with a crucial investigative tool. In 2011, the administration implemented a new regulation requiring licensed gun dealers in the four southwestern border states to report to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, or ATF, when an individual buys more than one semiautomatic rifle in a five-day period. This was a response to the increasing use of assault rifles by the cartels, who often buy these guns in bulk from U.S. dealers. One study of firearms trafficking by one cartel found that during a 15-month period, the cartel purchased 251 assault rifles from U.S. gun dealers, all but one of which was purchased as part of a multiple sale.

This has proven to be an effective regulation: during the first eight months after the reporting requirement went into effect, ATF initiated 120 investigations of multiple sales of assault rifles and recommended prosecution of more than 100 defendants in 25 separate cases.

Despite the positive impact of this reporting requirement, the U.S. House of Representatives voted last week to prevent ATF from continuing to require dealers in the border states to notify them when an individual buys assault rifles in bulk. Congressional allies of the gun lobby offer no reasonable explanation for doing so, and this action is part of a longstanding campaign to impose harmful restrictions on ATF that prevent it from successfully fulfilling its mission of enforcing gun laws and protecting public safety. As the Senate takes up legislation to fund ATF this week, it is incumbent on them to remove this harmful provision, as well as many others that hamper ATFs ability to do its job.

In addition to keeping this reporting requirement intact, there are a number of other measures Congress should enact to combat illegal gun trafficking to Mexico, in particular closing the private sale loophole and requiring background checks for all gun sales. The U.S. should also consider other big ideas for improving enforcement of guns laws and regulation of the gun industry, such as merging ATF into the Federal Bureau of Investigation to create one strong federal agency charged with this mission, as was recommended in a recent report by the Center for American Progress.

Compromising the U.S. governments ability to respond to illegal gun trafficking into Mexico has consequences on both sides of the border. ATF and other federal law enforcement agencies must have all available tools to ensure that dangerous weapons, such as the ones used in the series of ambush attacks against Mexican law enforcement, do not continue to pour into Mexico and fuel violence in both nations.
If Florida U. S. Senator Marco Rubio wasnt popular, if he wasnt within a political hair of pulling away from the Republican gaggle of presidential candidates, if Rubio wasnt blessed with having only 2 percent of Republicans stating they could never vote for him (59 percent say they could never vote for Donald Trump), we wouldnt know about his fire-breathing law-breaking career on Florida streets and highways.

If one wants a big deal, why doesnt the New York Times continue its otherwise outstanding stories about the highly suspicious financial peccadillos committed by former President Bill Clinton and Former Secretary of State Clinton under tax-exempt cover at the Clinton foundation?  Raoul Lowery Contreras

The New York Times (full disclosure, this writer was on the New York Times payroll for several years as a writer) has seen fit to live up to accusations that it is an in-house campaign organ for former Senator, former Secretary of State and grand loser to newcomer Barack Obama in 2008, Hillary Clinton.

It did so by publishing a story about Senator Rubio receiving FOUR, count them, four, traffic tickets since 1997 in Florida.

The Times says that it dug out the story by hiring a "third party" to dig through court records.

However, that explanation is countered by evidence unearthed by the independent Washington Beacon that representatives of the Clinton opposition group  American Bridge  run by Clinton achichinqle (gofer) David Brock and financed by ultra-liberal Hungarian immigrant George Soros actually did the research in Florida court records, not anyone from the New York Times.

Back to Senator Rubios driving record. Four tickets in almost 20 years, BIG DEAL. If one wants a big deal, why doesnt the New York Times continue its otherwise outstanding stories about the highly suspicious financial peccadillos committed by former President Bill Clinton and Former Secretary of State Clinton under tax-exempt cover at the Clinton foundation?

Where are the stories on how Swedish interests pumped $26 million into the foundation while they were lobbying Mrs. Clinton on proposed economic sanctions against Iran that were injurious to those Swedish interests? Where are more stories about Bill Clinton being paid hundreds of thousands of dollars by Russian (Mafia?) companies to apparently help grease the way for Clinton Canadian intimate friends and friends of V. Putin in Moscow to rake in millions of dollars in profits derived from American uranium mining?

The New York Times has the resources to tell America if those Moscow companies are, in fact, criminal enterprises that paid Bill Clinton hundreds of thousands of dollars directly. It may be that Bill Clinton also would like to know if he is being paid by criminal enterprises for influence with his public servant wife. Enquiring minds want to know.

The New York Times also has the resources to investigate Hillary Clintons newfound passion for early voting and for voting by non-eligible students in college towns or for people too lazy to prove their citizenship in securing a state-issued identification card or drivers license.

As Secretary of State, Clinton was foursquare behind denying citizenship and passports to Mexican-Americans born along the border with midwife help because they didnt have government-issued birth certificates. Now that she is running for president  again  she is attacking Republicans for supporting voting by identity-proved people only and demands more voting time and days before election day when in her own state, New York, offers none.

Hillary Clinton and the New York Times need to be called out for, in her case, naked race-baiting in an effort to raise black voter hackles against Republicans for alleged racist motives in restricting some black voters.

The New York Times joins her in race-baiting by attacking Hispanic Americas political Wonder Boy who is turning heads everywhere as a viable and popular candidate for President. Traffic tickets? If his name was Smith, would the Times have printed this story?

Consider Secretary Clinton called out for her ridiculous charges at Texas Southern University about alleged Republican conspiracies to restrict Black voters when, in fact, Blacks in ID-required Georgia voted in record numbers after having to show picture IDs. While she received extensive coverage for her ridiculous charges, the media forgot to mention that Texas Southern is a traditionally black institution left over from Jim Crow days. She could never make that charge if she made it at her alma mater, Yale.

As for The New York Times, why would it box itself into the Clinton campaign when it so courageously published the initial coverage of financial curiosities of the Clinton Foundation and the millions of dollars paid directly to former President Clinton by people obviously seeking influence with his wife, the then Secretary of State?

Where is the Rubio-like bottom-feeding article about Bill Clinton being paid hundreds of thousands of dollars by Canadian sources heavily supporting the controversial Keystone Pipeline from Canada that Hillarys State Department approved after her husband was paid mucho dinero for a phony speech a tenth-grader could give? Where?
One of the American diplomats killed Tuesday in a bloody attack on a Libyan Consulate told pals in an online gaming forum hours earlier that he'd seen suspicious people taking pictures outside his compound and wondered if he and his team might "die tonight."

Sean Smith, a foreign service information management officer assigned to the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, was well known in the online gaming forum EVE Online, where he went by the name "vilerat," and was seen as a leader by his fellow gamers. Smith was killed along with three others, including U.S. Ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stevens, when the consulate was attacked by an angry mob.

But hours before the bloody assault, Smith sent a message to Alex Gianturco, the director of "Goonswarm," Smith's online gaming team or "guild."

Assuming we dont die tonight, the message, which was first reported by Wired, read. We saw one of our police that guard the compound taking pictures.

Within hours of posting that message, Smith, a husband and father of two, was dead. Gianturco, who could not be reached for further comment, got the word out to fellow gamers, according to Wired.

My people, I have greivous [sic] news, wrote Gianturco. Vile Rat has been confirmed to be KIA in Benghazi; his family has been informed and the news is likely to break out on the wire services soon.

Needless to say, we are in shock, have no words, and have nothing but sympathy for his family and children. I have known Vile Rat since 2006, he was one of the oldest of old-guard goons and one of the best and most effective diplomats this game has ever seen.

On Wednesday, as word spread throughout the guild, tributes poured in for the foreign service information management officer who also was a moderator at the Internet community Something Awful, which is known for posting disturbing photos and videos. Nearly 500 posts to themittani.com, a site run by a the director.

"To your wife and children, know that the love of thousands of video game nerds, the world over, fall to your shoulders," wrote one poster.

"Vile Rat was a shining example of life lived to its fullest," wrote another. "A great man in all respects and will be missed by many. Not even 12 hours ago we were talking in jabber, he had made a joke about the lack of security in such places and crappy Internet. The whole thing seems surreal."

Meanwhile, President Obama vowed on Wednesday to apprehend the killers with the aid of the Libyan government.

"Make no mistake. We will work with the Libyan government to bring justice to killers who attack our people," Obama said, adding: "There is absolutely no justification to this type of senseless violence. None."

Click for more from Wired.com.
Before he got to repealing ObamaCare, before he got to dumping Common Core, before he got to abolishing the IRS, Ted Cruz talked about Jesus.

In kicking off his presidential campaign Monday at Liberty University, Cruz began with his father, a Cuban immigrant who washed dishes in Texas for 50 cents an hour, who drank too much along with his wife, who left home when Ted was 3 but came back because God transformed his heart  Were it not for the transformative love of Jesus Christ, I would have been raised by a single mom.

That introduction, part of a passionate speech delivered without notes in Lynchburg, Va., helps explain why many in the mainstream media dont quite know what to make of the Texas senator  or view him as a fringe figure.

On the Today show, Kelly ODonnell said hes 44, only been on the national scene a couple of years. MSNBCs Jonathan Alter, while not counting him out, also said hes only been in the Senate for two years.

Perhaps they had forgotten that Barack Obama was 45 and had spent just two years in the Senate when he kicked off his presidential candidacy?

Cruz is a hero to the Tea Party right, and his speech hit many of its themes: against same-sex marriage, protecting the right to bear arms, reclaiming the Constitution. But the very things that make him popular could, in the medias telling, be campaign obstacles.

Heres how CBS News put it:

Cruz's down-the-line appeal to the GOP base may prove to be his calling card in the primary battle to come, but it's also led him to pick fights with the party brass that could ultimately undermine his candidacy. His ability to raise money, secure endorsements, and build the kind of infrastructure necessary to win a national primary may be hampered by his lack of support among the establishment. And his ideological rigidity has sown doubts among some Republicans about how competitive Cruz would be in a general election.

In the two-minute NBC report, there were sound bites of Cruz reading Green Eggs and Ham (from his 21-hour filibuster that preceded the government shutdown) and warning the world is on fire (prompting a question from a 3-year-old girl).

I wrote last week that the many in the MSM went way overboard in using that incident to portray Cruz as a frightening figure, despite the fact that the girls mother said she wasnt scared at all.

Look at how the Huffington Post frames its setup piece for the Cruz kickoff:

Much of the rest of the country (including Republican leaders in Congress) viewed Cruz as a vaguely scary renegade, and the GOP establishments official grumpy grandpa, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), dismissed him as a wacko bird.

"But the Young Americans for Liberty loved his loathing of the party elders, and his determination to shove a stick between the spokes of the System 

Uncorked anger doesnt usually win presidential nominations, let alone presidencies. People want hope and uplift in the White House and not just expressions of outrage. The president is the person who is supposed to make things work. To some, the 44-year-old Cruz gives off a vaguely scary aura of cheerful menace.

Uncorked anger. Cheerful menace. You might get the impression that HuffPost just doesnt like the guy.

And this happens to reflect the line of the Democratic Party, which in an email calls Cruz, in bold letters, really, really scary.

Politico also emphasizes the theme that Cruz ticks people off:

His own colleagues in Washington have frequently been disdainful of Cruz since he helped instigate the 2013 government shutdown. And his hardline views and uncompromising style have disqualified him even in the eyes of more conservative elements of the political class who are concerned about electability.

But Cruz is embracing that outsider status, just as he did in Texas, where in 2012 he beat out the presumed Republican Senate nominee, former Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, and became a hero to that conservative states tea party.

The Washington Post says this is one of five things you need to know about the senator:

Cruz's often tells the story of his father, Rafael -- also the senator's given name -- leaving Cuba as a young man with $100 sewn into his underwear. Rafael Cruz, an evangelical pastor, has a history of making headline-grabbing statements. They include telling an audience that President Obama should be sent back to Kenya, asserting that the Bible tells you exactly who to vote for.

So his dads an issue too.

Slate says that Cruz spouts bizarre nonsense on climate change:

In case you havent heard, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is not a fan of reality.

The reality of science, that is. He has a history of saying global warmingdenying talking points and used some of his political power just this past week to pressure NASA into downplaying its role in measuring the effects of global warming on the planet.

Just for good measure, "Morning Joe" panelist Donny Deutsch likened Cruz to Sarah Palin.

My take is that the mainstream media always gravitate toward establishment candidates, in part because these politicians excel at fundraising and endorsements, which journalists highly value. Thats why the media consistently underestimate such insurgent candidates as Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum before they catch fire.

But recent history suggests that the establishment Republican prevails in the end: Mitt Romney, John McCain, George W. Bush, Bob Dole. The question for 2016, up against Hillary, is whether this time could be different.

How about a conservative view? Heres Allahpundit on Hot Air:

The problem with finding a path for Cruz next year, though, is that as the field narrows and losers drop out, the primaries inevitability become a referendum on electability and acceptability. I can see Walker stumbling; I can see Jeb flaming out from voters Bush fatigue; I can see Paul stuck at 20 percent, unable to add to his libertarian base; and I can see Rubio never quite contending because he cant scrape the votes he needs from the center and right. What I cant see is all of those things happening, and realistically, theyd all have to happen to make Cruz the nominee.

Its a crowded field, to be sure. The thing that brought Cruz national fame was the filibuster and his leading role in the 2013 shutdown. To his supporters, Cruz was fighting for conservative principles against ObamaCare. To his critics, Cruz was pursuing a kamikaze strategy that could never have succeeded because the Democrats controlled the White House and the Senate.

The coming campaign will be a test of whether Cruz can break out beyond his evangelical base. But it will also be a test of the media establishment that views him mainly as a bomb-thrower.

Click for more Media Buzz
The Iowa pastor whose detention and ultimate deportation sparked rallies in support of him spoke to the media for the first time since he was sent back to his native Honduras last week.

Speaking to the Spanish-language news channel Univision, Max Villatoro said that he was going to fight to be allowed to return to the United States and also criticized the treatment he and other immigrants received while in custody.

"I don't think I should be treated as a criminal," Villatoro said. "It's as if it doesn't matter that I overcame my record so I could stay. Overnight they can just arrest you, send you from jail to jail and treat you like an animal."

Villatoro, who was convicted in 1999 of drunken driving and tampering with records, was arrested on March 3 as part of a nationwide roundup of more than 2,000 undocumented immigrants who had been convicted of crimes. During his interview with Univision, the pastor spoke about the deplorable conditions in which he was held before his deportation.

"The last jail I was in [before being deported] had 200 people, and four sinks and four toilets. For 200 people," Villatoro said.

Villatoro's attorney, David Leopold, said his client's deportation contradicted the supposed new priorities among immigration agents that call for focusing on arresting and deporting those who pose the greatest danger to public safety and national security. Another attorney for Villatoro said that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services granted Villatoro a work permit about a decade ago that remained valid until his arrest.

"These convictions were in the late 1990s," Leopold told Fox News Latino last week. "This is a good man, the worst thing you could say about him is he had a DUI in his life."

Immigration officials have said they are "focused on smart, effective immigration enforcement that prioritizes the removal of convicted criminals and public safety threats. The agency exercises prosecutor discretion, on a case-by-case basis, as necessary to focus resources on these priorities."

Since his drunk driving arrest, Villatoro married his wife, Gloria, had four children, and became a pastor at Torre Fuerte, a Spanish-speaking Mennonite congregation in Iowa City. The 41-year old holy man left Honduras in 1995, but says that he has no support network in the Central American.

Villatoro added that he would not seek to bring his family to Honduras and, if he was unable to return to the U.S., he would seek another country to live in.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
When influential Democrats with stakes in different investment groups needed help securing visas as part of a complicated foreign investor program, they sought out a fellow Democrat who just happened to be in charge of the immigration agency overseeing their applications.

Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services at the time, took up their causes, according to a report by the Homeland Security Department's inspector general. Investigators say Mayorkas improperly intervened in three cases involving prominent Democrats, including a company run by the youngest brother of likely Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton.

In the report released Tuesday, investigators said Mayorkas helped efforts to secure the visas in ways that created the appearance of favoritism and special access. That, in turn, caused resentment among career government employees, managers and lawyers.

The agency's inspector general, John Roth, said he could not suggest a motive for Mayorkas, a longtime Democrat who served on President Barack Obama's transition team after his 2008 election and was U.S. attorney in California under President Bill Clinton. Roth did not accuse Mayorkas of violating any laws and acknowledged that Mayorkas sometimes declined to become involved in cases because he said he did not think it would be appropriate.

Mayorkas said in a statement that he disagreed with the inspector general's findings but that "I will certainly learn from it and from this process."

He added: "There was erroneous decision-making and insufficient security vetting of cases. I could not and did not turn my back on my responsibility to address those grave problems. I made improving the program a priority and I did so in a hands-on manner."

The U.S. government's investor-visa program, known as EB-5, allows foreigners to obtain visas to live permanently in the U.S. with their spouse and children if they invest $500,000 to $1 million in projects or businesses that create jobs for American citizens. Approved investors can become legal permanent residents after two years and later can become U.S. citizens.

The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said the findings were "extremely concerning" and that he will conduct a congressional hearing about them Thursday. Roth was expected to testify.

The Associated Press first reported in July 2013  as Mayorkas was being considered for the No. 2 job at the Homeland Security Department  allegations that he had improperly intervened in the investor case involving a financing company run by Anthony Rodham, brother of Mrs. Clinton. Mayorkas told senators at his confirmation hearing that the allegations were "unequivocally false" and said he oversaw the program "based on the law and the facts, and nothing else."

The inspector general's new conclusions also cast doubt on whether the Homeland Security Department withheld embarrassing internal files the AP had sought under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act as part of its own investigation nearly two years ago  and instead released records that indicated no wrongdoing.

The AP in July 2013 requested all emails to or from Mayorkas over the preceding seven months that contained specific words or names, including Rodham. The government eventually sent AP more than 200 pages, mostly censored, including emails in which Mayorkas told investors and agency staff that he would not become involved in internal deliberations.

"I cannot weigh in," Mayorkas wrote to Assistant Secretary Douglas Smith on Feb. 1, 2013, in a message turned over to the AP and cited in the new inspector general's report. "The (investor's) attorney sent an email to me and I responded that I could not weigh in."

But the inspector general's report also cited other messages from Mayorkas that were never turned over to AP. In one case, Mayorkas forwarded a January 2013 email from Rodham about delays with a high importance designation. The email would have been covered under AP's information request since Mayorkas sent it during the relevant time period and contained Rodham's name.

"Staff understood these applications were getting high-level attention," the inspector general's report said.

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe was also connected to the investor proposal but later divested. His spokesman, Brian Coy, said the report demonstrated that McAuliffe asked the government to decide on the investment proposal in a timely fashion.

The other two cases involved a Hollywood investment program and an investment effort in Nevada that had ties to former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell and Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, respectively.

Mayorkas previously came under criticism for his involvement in the commutation by President Clinton of the prison sentence of the son of a Democratic Party donor. Another of Mrs. Clinton's brothers, Hugh Rodham, had been hired by the donor to lobby for the commutation. Mayorkas told lawmakers during his 2009 confirmation hearing that it was a mistake to talk to the White House about the request.

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said there were lessons to be learned in the inspector general's investigation but described Mayorkas in a statement as "exceptionally conscientious, honest and patriotic."

"He is often impatient with our sluggish government bureaucracy, can at times be very hands-on in resolving issues and problems that are brought to his personal attention, and is always mindful that we are public servants," Johnson said. "Ali works hard to do the right thing, and never acts, in my observation, for reasons of personal advancement or aggrandizement."

Roth, the inspector general, praised as "courageous" the agency employees who confidentially had complained about Mayorkas' actions and promised they would be protected as whistleblowers.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
At LabMiami, a technology business incubator located in Miamis trendy Wynwood neighborhood, Ric Herrero wages a national campaign using traditional and social media that has played a significant role in thawing frosty relations between the United States and Cuba. As executive director of #CubaNow, Herrero is the public face of an organization backed by prominent Cuban-American businessmen in Miami who want to end the embargo.

Several individuals, myself included, thought it was time to make an aggressive move to change the U.S. policy toward Cuba during Obamas second term, Herrero said. We launched last April to send a clear message to the White House.

That message was first delivered via posters on Washington, D.C., subway cars showing Obama and blaring the headline, Stop Waiting.

#CubaNow followed up by sending the president a letter on May 15, 2014, urging him to use his executive powers to lift travel restrictions, allow American businesses to support independent Cuban entrepreneurs and expand the country's telecommunications infrastructure, among a slew of other reforms.

Signed by 78 individuals from the Republican and the Democratic parties, the letter included several heavyweight Cuban-American players such as former Miami City Manager Joe Arriola, former U.S. Ambassador Paul Cejas, sugar barons Alfonso and Andres Fanjul and healthcare executive and longtime Bush family ally Mike Fernandez.

The goal, Herrero said, was to drive home a new narrative that a majority of Cuban-Americans oppose the last 51 years of isolationism. Change will only come from within Cuba, Herrero said. By expanding the flow of commerce between U.S. businesses and the Cuban people, they can be in a better position to demand greater changes from the Cuban government.

The letter helped convince the Obama administration that Cuban-Americans were onboard with his plan to start discussions with Cuban President Raul Castro, said Ralph Patino, a lawyer based in Coral Gables who is one of #CubaNows founding members.

This notion that the president didnt consult with Cuban-Americans in Miami is not true, Patino said. The administration had boots on the ground, talking to individuals like myself and getting feedback from us.

During his first trip to the island in early 2014, Patino recalled, he realized it was time to end the exile hardliner approach.

Living in Miami, you are conditioned into thinking you are going to find extreme oppression and extreme misery in Cuba, Patino said. To the contrary, I found people to be optimistic about a future relationship with the U.S. To make change possible, we have to open up our trade borders and allow for the free exchange of ideas.

Over the summer, #CubaNow gained momentum. Herrero met twice with officials from the Obama administration in Washington, D.C., and Miami.

During both encounters, Herrero said, he discussed three objectives: Empowering the Cuban people, applying pressure on the Cuban government to embrace greater democratic reforms and advancing the interests of the U.S.

However, Herrero said, he was not privy to the negotiations between Obama and Castro that led to the historic agreement in December to swap political prisoners and begin the process of reestablishing diplomatic relations.

We knew as far back as September that something was in the works, Herrero said. But we had no idea of the breadth and scope of what Obama laid out in December. We were surprised by how bold the presidents move was.

As U.S. state department officials have continued talks with the Cuban government, Patino said he wants to see #CubaNow stay on the offensive. We need to keep pushing back the old dogmatic thought process that we should maintain the embargo, he said. Id like to see #CubaNow become the go-to organization for congressional delegations that want to visit Cuba.

To that end, #CubaNow is establishing relationships with members of Congress who want to end the embargo, Herrero said.

Most of the resistance is from the Cuban-American members of the south Florida caucus who have never really been challenged about their opposition, he said. However, we are looking forward to working with other members of Congress on both sides of the aisle who want to change U.S. policy toward Cuba.
If you are Sen. Ted Cruz or the campaign manager of his just-officially-announced 2016 run for the U.S. presidency, imagine how annoying it is to go to TedCruz.com and see this:

How did such a thing come to pass?

Well, it happens more frequently than you might think. TedCruzforAmerica.com redirects to the Obamacare website, HealthCare.gov, for example, and there isn't much that the Texas senator's campaign can do about it, since the people who register the domain names often do so anonymously by proxy.

"It's a major issue," said Chuck Warren, a managing director at the Las Vegas-based political communication firm, Silver Bullet, who came up with the idea for two new domains  .vote and .voto  that ban anonymous registrations.

He said in 2012, the presidential campaigns of Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich had websites with their names that presented materials critical of them. JebBushforpresident.com contains a blog that's primarily concerned with LGBT issues.

"For politicians,their name is everything," Warren told Fox News Latino. "But a 2012 study showed that 50 percent of members of Congress don't own their name domains."

The new domains have only been available for three weeks, but already have been purchased by some politicians like Sen. Mike Lee and Rep. Jason Chaffetz (both Utah Republicans) who have jumped on board.

Taking someones domain is not unlike someone taking identity  except it is perfectly legal and can be done by anyone with money and technical savvy.

You can register anything you want in a domain name, Karl Kronenberger, a partner at the Internet law firm Kronenberger Rosenfeld, told the Washington Post.

But is there anything that Senator Ted Cruz can do to take back TedCruz.com? Not much.

A WhoIs search on the domain name shows that it was first registered April 20, 2004; according to The Hill, the creator was a Phoenix-area realty firm, Ted Cruz and Associates, whose founder shares a name with the U.S. Senator.

Last year, Mother Jones did a Wayback Machine search of archived Internet pages and found that as recently as early 2008, it was a fairly standard-looking website for a business. "Putting All Your Real Estate Needs In 'Cruz Control,'" was the sites tagline.

By May of 2014, however, the site bore a message against a black background that appeared to rib the Texas politico: "Coming Soon, it read, Presidential Candidate: I Luv Christie!!!!!"

According to The Hill, the websites ownership was switched in the spring of 2014, though that could not be independently confirmed.

Ted Cruz.coms registration was updated in April 2014 via GoDaddy.com, and the registrants contact information gives the number for a Scottsdale, Arizona, company named Domains By Proxy.

A spokesman for that company told Fox News Latino that they do not have information about their clients to give out.

Calls to the number listed online for Ted Cruz and Associates directs callers to a personal voicemail. Messages left on the voicemail went unreturned.
Ahead of Thursday night's debate with incumbent Rahm Emanuel, Chicago mayoral candidate Jesus "Chuy" Garcia joined with the city's teacher's union earlier this week to call for a $15 minimum wage for public school employees and contractors.

While he failed to say how a struggling school district would afford to pay the increased wages, Garcia argued that teachers and other school district workers need to "earn a living wage."

"I stand here today as someone who understands the plight of thousands and thousands of Chicagoans in Chicago neighborhoods who need to increase their wages," Garcia said, according to the Chicago Tribune. "They need to improve their wages so they can be better providers and take care of themselves so they can take better care of their families."

The city's schools are expected to be a major topic of debate when Garcia and Emanuel square off Thursday night. Garcia is expected to attack the mayor's controversial decision to close dozens of Chicago public schools, while the well-financed incumbent will go after Garcia's lack of clarity on his campaign promises.

Besides arguing for a higher wage for school district employees, Garcia has said he wants increase in police and fire pension payments and hire more police officers in a the crime-plagued city.

As the mayoral campaign enters its final stretch before the April 7 run-off election, its Chicago's school district that appears to be taking a beating, with Fitch Ratings dropping the Chicago Board of Education's bond rating by three levels last Friday  placing it just above junk status and threatening to cost the city more than $220 million in penalties.

The downgrade could trigger millions in penalties because an agreement between Chicago Public Schools, or CPS, and financial institutions requires the district to maintain a certain credit rating. CPS officials say they're negotiating with the banks to avoid the penalties.

The downgrade was more bad news for a district facing deep financial problems.

In a statement, schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett said the budget issues are primarily driven by "a broken pension system" expected to cost the district almost $700 million next year. She renewed Mayor Rahm Emanuel's call for changes to teacher pensions.

"There's been a lot of waste at Chicago Public Schools," Garcia said, according to CBS News. "There has been a lot of money that have been given to the cronies of the mayor, to corporations, to investment bankers. If there's enough money to make them happy, there ought to be enough money to pay for frontline workers within Chicago Public Schools."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who has repeatedly refused to outline his positions on the nation's immigration system, quietly signed onto an amicus brief opposing President Obama's executive action on immigration.

The brief filed Monday by New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana and South Dakota urges an appeals court to uphold a preliminary injunction blocking action that could spare millions of people who are in the U.S. illegally from deportation.

The states involved say moving forward with the programs would cause them "irreparable injuries."

"The question presented is whether the President can unilaterally legalize the presence of millions of people and unilaterally give them myriad legal benefits, including work permits, Medicare, Social Security and tax credits," they wrote.

"Washington's attempt to turn this into a policy debate only underscores the dearth of legal arguments to support Defendants' unilateral efforts to hand out government benefits in violation of federal law," the brief read.

More On This... Best pix of the week

Christie, who is weighing a run for president, has been generally critical of President Barack Obama's immigration policies, but has refused to answer questions about how he would approach the issue. His office did not publicize the brief. A spokesman confirmed New Jersey had signed on, but declined to comment Wednesday.

Twenty-six states, led by Texas, joined to challenge Obama's November 2014 actions as unconstitutional, arguing the policies would force them to invest more in law enforcement, health care and education.

Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., who has pushed for comprehensive immigration reform, defended the legality of Obama's actions and pointed to the residents who would benefit from them.

"Let's not forget that an estimated 204,000 people in New Jersey will be able to come out of the shadows and contribute to the community and the economy thanks to the President's executive actions," he said in a statement. "These are moms and dads  good people, hard-working people  who will register with the government, pass a background check, get a work permit, pay taxes and no longer fear deportation."

The New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice also criticized the state's move, saying, "Governor Christie's support of this misguided lawsuit is further proof his political aspirations trump the needs and will of the people of New Jersey."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
House Republicans are expected to press a government watchdog for more answers about allegations of undue influence exerted by the Homeland Security Department's No. 2 in three foreign investment visa cases.

Homeland Security Inspector General John Roth concluded in a 99-page report released earlier this week that Deputy Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas improperly intervened in three investor visa cases involving prominent Democrats, including the youngest brother of likely Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Roth said in his report that more than 15 whistleblowers spoke with his investigators about Mayorkas' intervention while he was head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The report concluded that in the three cases Mayorkas went "outside of the normal ... process, and intervened with the career USCIS staff in ways that benefited" the groups seeking his help.

Mayorkas' actions, Roth wrote, created the appearance of favoritism and special access and caused resentment among career government employees, managers and lawyers.

Roth is scheduled to testify about the investigation before the House Homeland Security Committee on Thursday. The investigation was first reported by the Associated Press days before Mayorkas' July 2013 Senate confirmation hearing.

The visa applications Mayorkas is accused of meddling with were part of the U.S. government's investor-visa program, known as EB-5, which allows foreigners to obtain visas to live permanently in the U.S. with their spouse and children if they invest $500,000 to $1 million in projects or businesses that create jobs for American citizens. Approved investors can become legal permanent residents after two years and later can become U.S. citizens.

Mayorkas said in a statement Tuesday that he disagreed with the inspector general's findings but that, "I will certainly learn from it and from this process."

The committee chairman, Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, and several other GOP lawmakers have been openly critical of Mayorkas' appointment and his work at USCIS. Republicans on the Senate Homeland Security Committee boycotted his confirmation hearing.

The administration on Wednesday continued to defend Mayorkas, a longtime Democrat who served on President Barack Obama's transition team after his 2008 election and was U.S. attorney in California under President Bill Clinton. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Roth's report actually highlighted problems with the EB-5 investor visa program.

"Mr. Mayorkas is still at the Department of Homeland Security because he is a decorated public servant and an effective leader of that organization," Earnest said. "And we certainly value the kind of contribution that he has made to the effective management of that department, and he has played an important role in implementing needed reforms in that department. In fact, he was somebody who was leading the effort to strengthen the EB-5 program."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
The president of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce questioned in a meeting with reporters Thursday whether Sen. Ted Cruzs snubbing of the groups annual summit this week marked an attempt to avoid Latinos as he runs for president.

Ted Cruz chose not to come, said a visibly displeased Javier Palomarez, president and CEO of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. I hope it is not indicative that hes backing away from the Hispanic community in order to get through the [GOP] primary.

Other presidential hopefuls such as Senators Rand Paul, R-Ky, and Marco Rubio, R-Fla., also did not speak at the summit. But Palomarez said they had scheduling conflicts and that they had good relationships with the chamber, joining them at events other times of the year and that both men have attended past Hispanic Chamber summits.

Speakers at the summit on Thursday included Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, Reps. Mike Coffman, R-Colorado and Carlos Curbelo, R-Florida. On the Democratic side, speakers included Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey, and Reps. Nancy Pelosi and Linda Sanchez, both of California.

If youre trying to get to the White House without openly trying to engage the Hispanic community, Palomarez said, youre not going to get there.

To be sure, Cruz is an outspoken supporter of small businesses, who make up the bulk of USHCCs membership.

In this weeks announcement that he is running for president, the Texas Republican asked Americans to "imagine" what he believed a conservative administration could accomplish.

"Think just how different the world would be. Imagine instead of economic stagnation, booming economic growth," Cruz said. "Instead of small businesses going out of business in record numbers, imagine small businesses growing and prospering. Imagine young people coming out of school with four, five, six job offers."

Efforts to get a comment from Cruzs office about Palomarez's statements were unsuccessful.

In past presidential election cycles, the GOPs conservative base has held increasing sway to the point of being able to shape the issues that arise in debates during the GOP primaries.

Republican presidential hopefuls have had to perform a sort of high-wire act, trying to get enough conservative support to do well during the GOP primary, but then appeal to a broader electorate  which includes crossover Democrats and Independents, besides moderate Republicans  for the general election.

While Cruz could do well in the primaries if conservatives retain their influence at that stage of the 2016 presidential campaign, many political observers say that his ironclad views against such things as Obamacare and immigration policies that would give breaks to undocumented immigrants will hurt him in the general election.

Cruzs spokespersons in the past have taken exception to suggestions that he tries to distance himself from his roots. Cruz is Cuban on his fathers side.

Years ago, former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson was quoted in published reports as saying Cruz was not a true Hispanic because he did not support programs and policies that Latinos largely favor. Richardson later downplayed his comments.

Cruz supporters also said that it was unfair to expect all Latinos to hold the same positions or behave a certain way to prove their ethnic pride.

On the same day Cruz announced his candidacy for president, he released a Spanish-language campaign video on YouTube that touted his belief in the American Dream. The video, which used a Spanish-speaking narrator, omitted any mention of the senators opposition to President Obamas Affordable Care Act and comprehensive immigration reform, which were both mentioned in the English-language campaign video.

Palomarez said he has had regular, productive discussions with GOP leaders in Congress about immigration and small business.

He said he realizes that it is important to be bipartisan and have a rapport with both parties in order to successfully push for legislation and programs that benefit Latinos.

"The Hispanic community, bar none, is important to the U.S. economy," Palomarez said. "Immigration reform is an economic imperative for the well-being of this nation."

Palomarez said he met with Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, on Wednesday to discuss Latinos and the economy and that the lawmaker understands the community's critical role in the Lone Star's small business world.

He also has met with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, but that discussion went less well, Palomarez conceded.

"Mitch is not as far along as John."
Family and friends raised thousands of dollars to send Jose Chua Lopez to the prestigious Mayo Clinic for an urgently needed heart and liver transplant.

But the 20-year-old Mexican born with a heart defect has twice been turned down for a U.S. visa, and relatives and his doctor say his life is in danger.

"They denied me the visa and my world has fallen down," Chua told The Associated Press on Wednesday. "This needs to be fixed quickly."

His mother, Myra Lopez Martinez, said Chua has an appointment at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, in 10 days, but his visa application was rejected a second time by the U.S. State Department on Tuesday.

The State Department declined to comment specifically on the case, citing confidentiality rules.

"Our team is looking into it," spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. "So we'll see if there's more information they can provide."

Chua, whose father is an Arizona resident, had a U.S. visa until he was 15. But when it expired, his family didn't renew it because they didn't have money to pay for more trips.

U.S.-based Consejo de Latinos Unidos, which helps uninsured people secure medical care, stepped in to try to get Chua to the Mayo Clinic.

The organization's director, Kevin Forbes, said the case was mishandled at the U.S. Consulate in the northern city of Hermosillo, where Chua lives. He said that consulate officials processed an application for a tourist visa when they should have told Chua to apply for a humanitarian visa and that they then failed for weeks to respond to queries about his status.

"We have dealt with around two dozen similar international cases," Forbes said. "They have never denied us a visa. It's the first time this has happened."

Forbes said the family would file a visa application on humanitarian grounds shortly and he hopes the problem will be resolved in two or three days.

He called the situation an "absolute abomination."

Chua's heart has only one ventricle, causing circulation problems that mean blood reaches only one of the four chambers, said Dr. Ernesto Duarte, who treats him. Chua underwent three open-heart surgeries between the ages of 5 months and 12 years, including a cardiac implant that stopped working properly in 2013.

At this point Chua's liver has also been damaged, so he needs a double-organ transplant, a procedure that is not performed in his home country.

"The experience in Mexico for a transplant of that complexity is nil," Duarte said, adding that "nobody can be sure that he won't deteriorate at any moment."

The doctor added that in severe cases, not performing the surgery in time can make a transplant impossible later.

Chua's family lives in a modest, one-story home in a potholed suburb of Hermosillo, capital of Sonora state. He shares a room with his brother.

Thin and pale with his body swollen from his condition and marked by scars from his operations, Chua is nevertheless active and optimistic about the future. He dreams of becoming a doctor, even though his health problems have so far made it impossible to attend college, work or stand up for long periods.

Family and friends in Hermosillo organized fundraisers, sold tamales, hamburgers and seafood and held raffles to defray the initial cost of his potential treatment at the Mayo Clinic.

"We needed $15,000 and we put together a little bit more, just for the evaluation" said Lopez, his mother. "Afterward, the double transplant would cost around $2 million. ... For now, I don't want to think about that."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
A day after the U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly in favor of sending arms to the Ukraine to help in its conflict with neighboring Russia, the parliament of the Russian republic of Chechnya has threatened to send weapons to Mexico if the U.S. goes ahead with the shipment.

Chechnya's parliamentary speaker Dukuvakha Abdurakhmanov said that the U.S. has "no right" to advise Russia on how to behave with its neighbors and said that if any weapons from the U.S. land in the hands of Ukrainian fighters, Russia would deliver new weapons to Mexico to "resume debate on the legal status of the territories annexed by the U.S."

The area that Abdurakhmanov is speaking about are the states of California, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and Wyoming, which Mexico surrendered to the U.S. in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 during the peace deal that ended the Mexican-American War.

"We reserve the right to conduct conferences in Russia, Mexico and the U.S. to raise the question of breaking away the above mentioned states from the U.S. and supplying weapons to resistance fighters there," he said, according to Newsweek.

On Friday, however, Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov refuted Abdurakhmanov's comments in a statement carried by the Interfax news agency, saying such move would defy the Russian law.

The 1848 treaty stipulated that the U.S. pay $15 million to Mexico for the land, along with paying off the $3.25 million of Mexican debt owed to U.S. citizens. Under the Gadsden Purchase, the U.S. bought additional territory from Mexico in 1853 for $10 million.

"This irresponsibility is amazing considering the price the United States had to pay for its direct or indirect involvement in armed conflicts abroad and what price was paid by countries, from Vietnam to Iraq, where military conflicts involved the United States," said Russian legislator Alexey Pushkov, chairman of the State Duma (Parliament) International Affairs Committee, according to UPI. "Their perception is based on the assumption that the U.S. and its allies should always emerge victorious. In reality, the U.S. has suffered numerous defeats and this policy is too doomed to failure."

Both the United States and Russia are already major arms suppliers to Mexico: the U.S. sent $213 million worth of weapons to Mexico in 2013 and Russia shipped $35 million in arms in the same period.

On Monday, the House passed a resolution 348 to 48 urging President Barack Obama to send lethal weapons to Ukraine to protect its sovereignty in its fight against Russian-backed rebels.

There is bipartisan support in Congress to provide the arms to Ukraine forces battling the rebels. Russian President Vladimir Putin denies arming rebels in the war in eastern Ukraine, which began last April after Moscow annexed the mostly Russian-speaking Crimean Peninsula.

State Department officials say Obama administration officials are discussing lethal assistance but are waiting to see whether the agreements that led to February's cease-fire are implemented.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
A dispute over Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's position on immigration erupted on Thursday, highlighting the Republican's struggle to appeal to conservatives on explosive issue as he prepares to launch a presidential bid.

The two-term governor has consistently opposed what he calls "amnesty" for immigrants in the country illegally, but his definition of amnesty has evolved. In a recent closed-door meeting with top New Hampshire Republicans, Walker said such immigrants should be allowed to stay in the country legally.

That's according to New Hampshire GOP chair Jennifer Horn, who organized the meeting and challenged a Thursday report in the Wall Street Journal that Walker said he supported giving such immigrants a pathway to citizenship.

"I specifically asked a follow-up question on the immigration reform issue, where he very clearly identified he was advocating a path for legal status but not citizenship," Horn said in an interview with the Associated Press.

For the GOP, there is perhaps no more contentious issue heading into the 2016 presidential contest than illegal immigration. Republican voters remain deeply divided and the nation's surging Hispanic population is expected to play a key role, particularly in swing states.

The distinction between a pathway to citizenship and legal status matters little to many conservatives, who support widespread deportation to handle the estimated 12 million immigrants in the country illegally.

Walker's position is largely the same as that of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who has been widely criticized by the GOP's most passionate voters for supporting "amnesty." Bush says he would start by verifying control of the U.S.-Mexican border, but also supports allowing people in the country illegally to seek legal status by first pleading guilty to illegal entry and serving a sentence of fines and community service.

Horn said Walker's comments came as he and his wife shared dessert in a Bedford, New Hampshire, restaurant with roughly 10 leading Republicans.

In the half-hour discussion, Walker called for securing the border and allowing for more visas for high-skilled workers. He also said it was unreasonable to deport millions of immigrants in the country illegally, preferring a system that allowed them to pay back taxes and achieve legal status over time, according to Horn.

"The governor was very specific that he was not advocating for citizenship for illegal immigrants," Horn said.

However, in a 2013 interview with a Wisconsin newspaper editorial board, Walker said that offering such immigrants a pathway to citizenship "makes sense."

Earlier this month, he was asked during an interview on "Fox News Sunday" if he could "envision a world where if these people paid a penalty, that they would have a path to citizenship." The governor responded: "I believe there's a way that you can do that. First and foremost, you've got to secure that border or none of these plans make any sense."

On Thursday, Kirsten Kukowski, a spokesman for Walker's political action committee, said that Walker "has been very clear that he does not support amnesty and believes that border security must be established, and the rule of law must be followed."

"His position has not changed," Kukowski said. "He does not support citizenship for illegal immigrants."

Kukowski did not respond to a follow-up question about Walker's position on granting immigrants legal status, which is considered amnesty by many conservative activists.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Likely owing to the recent fraying of ties between the CM and Governor over a slew of issues, the former didn't extend the courtesy of a customary meeting before departing the country.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's challenger blasted the former White House chief of staff Thursday, accusing him of neglecting the city's neighborhoods and saying he's facing an unprecedented runoff election because voters are hungry for a leader who listens to them before making decisions.

Cook County Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia pulled few punches in the second of three televised debates prior to the April 7 runoff, telling the mayor at one point: "You are not the king of this city."

Emanuel pushed back, touting his achievements in office, including expanding full-day kindergarten to all students and bringing new companies and jobs to the nation's third-largest city. He also criticized Garcia for not proposing a concrete plan for dealing with the city's serious financial problems and for saying that if elected he'll appoint a commission to advise him on the budget.

"It's unaccountable," Emanuel said in a post-debate session with reporters. "Leadership requires being concise, consistent and steady."

Garcia, a former Illinois state senator, finished second to Emanuel in the five-candidate first-round election last month. But Emanuel failed to win a majority of the vote, forcing Chicago's first mayoral runoff.

Emanuel has acknowledged his hard-charging style has been a factor in the race. He released an ad in which he says he admits he can rub people the wrong way, but says no one will fight harder for Chicago.

On Thursday, he said he's also been tough enough to stand up to his friends when he needs to  including passing a $13 minimum wage that will take effect in the city in 2019, despite opposition from his supporters in the business community. He questioned whether Garcia, whose campaign funding and operational support has come largely from the Chicago Teachers Union and other unions, would be able to tell them 'no' during tough budget and contract negotiations.

"If you can't have the gumption to say 'no' then you're not going to be able to make the tough calls of being mayor," he said.

Garcia said the unions will be more likely to work with him to make difficult decisions because they don't have the same "animosity" they do with Emanuel, who was mayor when Chicago teachers went on strike in 2012.

Garcia also touted his connections to people in Chicago neighborhoods, and criticized Emanuel for governing by press release.

"He's not rooted in the day-to-day life of Chicago communities," Garcia said. "That's all that I know."

He told reporters after the debate that he was more aggressive than he's been in their previous meetings in part because voters are excited about the runoff and "that's contagious."

Emanuel and Garcia also disagreed over plans for "Star Wars" creator George Lucas' museum to be located along Lake Michigan. Garcia said the mayor should have let voters decide whether to use a prime piece of real estate and called it a "monument to Darth Vader." Emanuel said Lucas' decision to put the museum in Chicago rather than San Francisco will bring jobs to the city, and said there were several town hall meetings before the plan was approved.

Polls have shown Emanuel with a lead over Garcia, and the mayor has far surpassed his rival in raising money. In recent days Garcia traveled to Los Angeles and New York for fundraisers, meeting with unions and progressive groups to raise money for a final push.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Sen. Ted Cruzs campaign criticized as ridiculous an assertion that the presidential candidate skipped a major Latino gathering in Washington D.C. to which he was invited because he wants to keep Hispanics at a distance.

In a meeting with reporters Thursday, Javier Palomarez, president and CEO of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said that Cruz chose not to come. He added: I hope it is not indicative that hes backing away from the Hispanic community in order to get through the [GOP] primary.

Rick Tyler, the national spokesman for the Cruz campaign, said the notion that the Texas Republican is avoiding Latinos and his roots is baseless. He said Cruz regularly speaks with admiration of his immigrant father, Rafael Cruz, who fled Cuba.

Tyler said that the scheduling of the summit, which was held Wednesday and Thursday, coincided with an extremely busy time for Cruz, who announced on Monday that he is running for president.

The assertion is ridiculous, Tyler said of Palomarezs comment. It was simply a scheduling conflict We had to keep our commitments limited because of the launching of the presidential campaign.

Other presidential hopefuls such as Senators Rand Paul, R-Ky, and Marco Rubio, R-Fla., also did not speak at the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerces annual legislative summit. But Palomarez said they had scheduling conflicts and that they had good relationships with the chamber, joining them at events other times of the year and that both men have attended past Hispanic Chamber summits.

If youre trying to get to the White House without openly trying to engage the Hispanic community, Palomarez said, youre not going to get there.

Tyler, however, said Cruz is proud of his Cuban roots on his fathers side, adding that the senator referred to his Latino roots in the speech launching his campaign on Monday.

Hes the son of an immigrant, and he talks about it in his speeches, Tyler said. He talks about his position on immigration. He supports legal immigration, but he also suggested we need to control our borders to be fair to [legal] American workers, including Hispanic workers.

In past presidential election cycles, the GOPs conservative base has held increasing sway to the point of being able to shape the issues that arise in debates during the GOP primaries.

Republican presidential hopefuls have had to perform a sort of high-wire act, trying to get enough conservative support to do well during the GOP primary, but then appeal to a broader electorate  which includes crossover Democrats and Independents, besides moderate Republicans  for the general election.

While Cruz could do well in the primaries if conservatives retain their influence at that stage of the 2016 presidential campaign, many political observers say that his ironclad views against such things as Obamacare and immigration policies that would give breaks to undocumented immigrants will hurt him in the general election.

Tyler said many Latinos share Cruz's support for securing borders and controlling immigration.

Sen. Cruz is trying to get a rational legal immigration system, Tyler said. You cant do that unless you first have the will to control the border.

Speakers at the summit on Thursday included Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, Reps. Mike Coffman, R-Colorado and Carlos Curbelo, R-Florida. On the Democratic side, speakers included Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey, and Reps. Nancy Pelosi and Linda Sanchez, both of California.
Two people emerging as possible candidates to run for retiring veteran Sen. Harry Reids seat in Nevada are Latinos  Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval and former Democratic state Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto.

Shortly after he announced his retirement Friday, Reid, who is 75, endorsed Cortez Masto to run for his seat.

In an interview with KNPR, Nevadas public radio station, Reid said: "Whoever runs against Catherine, I think, will be a loser.

I hope she decides to run, he added. If she does, Im going to help her.

Having Reids blessing should make her a solid contender for the Democratic nomination.

In the GOP field, Sandoval has received encouragement to run in years past. National Republican leaders had seen him as someone who was capable of mounting a formidable challenge to Reid in a Senate race.

Whether Sandoval, who won re-election last year with a hefty 70 percent of the vote, decides to throw his hat in the ring is uncertain.

He has said he is not interested in running for the Senate and that his priority is to serve out his term as governor.

Nearly 27 percent of Nevadas population is Latino, according to the 2010 Census, making the Hispanic share there the fifth largest in the nation.

Some 16 percent of all of Nevadas eligible voters are Hispanic, the sixth largest Hispanic statewide eligible voter share nationally. Almost 40 percent of the Silver States Latinos are eligible to vote.

On Friday, many Latinos praised Reid as an advocate of causes dear to them.

Senator Harry Reid has been one of the fiercest champions for the Latino community in the upper chamber, said Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) Chairwoman Linda T. Sanchez in a statement. From championing the DREAM Act to comprehensive immigration reform and countless other Latino priorities, Senator Reid has always fought for Americas working families. During his tenure, Senator Reid empowered the Latino community to be a strong voice in Nevada. Though the state will lose a much beloved Senator, we know that the Latino community will continue playing a critical role.

When you combine influence and conviction, Harry Reid has been by far the biggest support of the Latino community on Capitol Hill, said Jose Parra, a Democratic strategist who was Reids deputy communications director for six years. He had the ability to get things done. He believed in doing the right thing and not what was politically expedient.

When Reid ran in 2010, some in the party warned him that his support for the DREAM Act  a national measure that called for providing undocumented immigrants who came as minors a path to legal status  would not sit well with white and Independent voters in Nevada.

He forged ahead anyway, pushing for the DREAM Act, and Latinos came out to vote for Reid in droves.

The polls didnt take into account a large Latino turnout, Parra said. They came out for him in overwhelming numbers  in a midterm election, as if it were a presidential election.

As Democratic leader, Reid thrived on behind-the-scenes wrangling. He guided the Senate through a crippling recession and the GOP takeover of the House in the 2010 elections, which sparked years of bitter partisan battles and congressional gridlock.

Even from his post in the minority, Reid leveraged Senate rules to exert steely control. He held his 46-member caucus together against attempts by Republicans to pass legislation undoing Obama's executive actions on immigration, forcing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to back down, and House Speaker John Boehner to follow. The episode left some House Republicans complaining bitterly that Reid might as well still be majority leader.

Some speculate that with Reids retirement, pressure may mount again on Sandoval to run for his seat.

A poll last year showed Sandoval beating Reid in a 2016 Senate race 53-43 percent.

Sandoval last year helped Republicans regain control of both houses of the state legislature. To be sure, he has plenty of critics, especially for pushing a tax increase to help subsidize education.

Cortez Masto was considered a strong candidate for lieutenant governor and governor in 2014, but did not run.

Efforts are underway by both parties to motivate Latinos in Nevada to vote in the 2016 presidential election. Reid had been focused on working with the national Democratic party to boost turnout among Latinos. Low Latino turnout in last Novembers mid-term elections were seen as one reason Republican candidates did well there.

For his part, Sandoval lavished praise on Reid on Friday.

He is one of Nevadas native sons, a pioneer of the West who has always worked tirelessly to fight for Nevadans with a gritty determination, Sandoval said. Sen. Reid has been an influential voice in Congress on behalf of Nevadas interests, particularly on issues such as Yucca Mountain and renewable energy development. His service to Nevada as a state legislator, lieutenant governor, congressman and senator spans almost half a century and his legacy will last for generations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A federal appeals court on Friday overturned decisions that put the burden of proof on foreigners who claim they were tortured in their home countries to show they cannot safely return to another part of the country they fled.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it is neither the responsibility of the petitioner nor the government to determine if it is safe for the person to return to another part of the country than where the torture occurred.

An expanded panel of judges in San Francisco ruled for Roberto Curinsita Maldonado, who appealed a finding by the U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals that he didn't qualify for a reprieve from deportation under the U.N. Convention Against Torture because he failed to prove he would be unsafe in any part of Mexico. A U.S. asylum officer had found that Maldonado's allegations of being tortured by police in the central Mexican state of Michoacan were credible.

The judges returned Maldonado's case to the Board of Immigration Appeals, an administrative panel in the U.S. Justice Department,

It was not immediately clear how much impact the ruling would have on others seeking to remain under the U.N. convention. Kathryn Mattingly, a spokeswoman for the Justice Department's Executive Office for Immigration Review, said the agency had no comment on the decision.

Bill Hing, a professor at the University of San Francisco School of Law, said the decision is potentially significant for Mexicans escaping drug-fueled violence and police corruption and Central Americans who flee strife in their countries. Expecting them to show they would be unsafe in any part of their home countries is too high a bar, he said.

"How can someone do that because they haven't lived in every part of the country often?" he said.

Dan Kowalski, an Austin, Texas, attorney and editor of Bender's Immigration Bulletin, a newsletter of immigration-law analysis, said the decision "represents a small, technical, but important step forward in the protection of (Convention Against Torture) applicants from any country, but especially from Mexico."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Thanks to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, it's becoming even clearer that immigration is the banana peel of 2016 Republican presidential politics.

Just ask Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

He stepped up as a Senate leader on immigration only to slip and fall in a tea party ruckus over the issue. In a moment of candor, Rubio remembered the months of trying to get back up as "a real trial for me."

Others, too, have shifted on the matter.

Now it's oops for Walker.

In 2013, Walker said it "makes sense" to offer a way to citizenship for immigrants in the country illegally. Early this month, however, he said he no longer supports "amnesty."

Complicating that switch, Walker recently discussed immigration with New Hampshire party leaders. One of them, state leader Jennifer Horn, says that Walker favored legal status, a position many conservatives equate with "amnesty."

Worse for Walker, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that he actually said he favored a path to citizenship, though Horn denies Walker said that.

Even former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who has a strong voice  and a book  on immigration, has wiggled.

Rubio and Walker are not alone in embracing an immigration overhaul at some point. But doing so raises the specter of "amnesty" in the minds of those who want people unlawfully in the country to be given no relief from the threat of deportation.

"All the candidates have mixed statements  they have statements that seem to support amnesty and they all have ones that seem to oppose it," said Roy Beck, executive director of Numbers USA, which seeks to reduce immigration. "They're torn between the big-money people who gain from high immigration and the voters who oppose it."

Luis Alvarado, a California-based GOP strategist, said most Republican officials privately acknowledge that the country has to legalize the status of people who are here unlawfully while also bolstering border security. "They believe that no one in their conscious mind can deport 11 million people from this country," Alvarado said. "But, politically, they have to play word games to be elected in the primary."

Among the potential 2016 hopefuls:

Bush has said he will not back away from his support for giving legal status to many in the country illegally. But his 2013 book outlining that stance marks a departure from an earlier position that envisaged eventual citizenship.

Before he shied away from the issue, Rubio co-wrote a bill with a path to citizenship that passed the Senate and failed in the House. He now says the bill was the wrong approach and that the focus should be on border security, a standard GOP position that leaves questions about deportation unanswered.

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul voted against Rubio's bill but says the millions of people in the country illegally cannot all be sent home.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie once supported an overhaul; now he won't say where he stands. His state, though, is backing other Republican-led states in a suit against President Barack Obama's orders deferring deportation for some immigrants.

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry is talking tougher on immigration than when he called his 2012 campaign rivals heartless if they opposed a law that lets some children of immigrants in the U.S. illegally pay in-state tuition at public colleges. Even so, he says the U.S. will not deport all people here illegally.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, the only declared candidate so far, has kept a fairly consistent tough line on the issue.

Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union, said "the ground has shifted" on the issue for two reasons. He cited the influx of Central American youth crossing the border illegally last summer overwhelmed federal officials, and said Obama's unilateral acts to shield some immigrants from deportation made it politically impossible for a Republican to embrace a pathway to citizenship.

"You've got to cut these guys some slack," Schlapp said of the presidential hopefuls and their wavering words.

But Frank Sharry of America's Voice, which supports an overhaul, said some of Bush's rivals are "going to be accused of flip-flopping and that's going to become a character issue" playing into Bush's hands.

The wide-open nature of the GOP race also brings to light a tension between what some Republican fundraisers want  an overhaul with a legal path  and what conservative primary voters wish for.

Spencer Zwick, finance chairman for 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney, is one donor who has said he will only support candidates who favor such an overhaul. At this early stage, the competition for dollars has been more intense than the competition for votes.

"Once they get into the debates, this all changes," Beck of Numbers USA predicted, meaning he expects the candidates to rally behind a harder line.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Republican sources cited by Bloomberg are confirming Florida Senator Marco Rubios plans to run as a Republican presidential candidate in 2016, with an announcement scheduled for April 13 in the city of Miami.

Rubio would formally join his colleague, fellow Cuban-American Senator Ted Cruz, who announced his candidacy earlier this week. They are all but certain to be followed by several big names in the GOP, including former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul.

According to The Tampa Bay Times, Rubio, 43, will make the announcement in the iconic Freedom Tower in downtown Miami.

Rubio's team has been preparing for a national campaign for months. His top political adviser and likely campaign manager, Terry Sullivan, has been recruiting operatives  including Jim Merrill, who ran Romney's New Hampshire campaigns and was at Rubio's side for a two-day visit to the state last week. Spokesman Alex Conant is leaving Rubio's Senate office this week to begin work at his political action committee.

"When you consider doing something like that, you can't just decide to do it and then start working," Rubio said. "You have to have conditions in place to move forward. Some of them are very similar to the ones we'd have to take anyway if we ran for Senate. Others are different."

He was elected to Congress as part of the 2010 tea party wave and was a darling of conservatives who wield significant influence in Republican primaries. But he angered some of his supporters by helping to negotiate a bipartisan immigration bill that included a pathway to citizenship for millions of people already living in the U.S. illegally.

A member of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations and Intelligence committees, Rubio became a frequent critic of Obama's foreign policy and staked out hawkish positions on the Islamic State group, on Iran and on combating Russia's actions in Ukraine.

Rubio was among 47 Republican senators who signed a letter to Iran's leadership warning that Congress could upend a deal being worked out with Obama to control Tehran's nuclear program. Rubio has also said that if elected president, he would be willing to defy European allies if necessary to revoke a deal he might inherit.

A Cuban-American whose parents left the island before Fidel Castro took power, Rubio has assailed Obama's resumption of diplomatic relations with the communist nation after a half-century freeze. And he's become one of Capitol Hill's leading voices accusing Venezuela's government of human rights abuses and a brutal crackdown on political opponents.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Generations of Nevada's Native Americans passed through the doors of the Stewart Indian School, some enduring painfully harsh treatment as their culture was stripped away while others left in later years with fond memories of time spent with members of other tribes.

For nearly a century, thousands of Indian students from around the western United States were enrolled in the boarding school on the outskirts of Carson City to get an education and learn vocational skills like masonry and farming.

Three decades after the school closed, the expansive college campus-like facility remains both a cultural touchstone for Nevada's Native American population and a neglected chapter of its history,

Now state lawmakers and Gov. Brian Sandoval are taking steps to preserve the historic campus and its role in the state's development. Two bills under consideration by the Legislature would pay for repairs for some of the school's decaying buildings and create a cultural museum as well as carve out a bigger role for the state's Indian Commission.

"What we're trying to do here is not just tell the positive stories, or the happy stories," Indian Commission Director Sherry Rupert said. "But we have an opportunity to tell the whole story of what this school is, was and means."

For many Native Americans in northern Nevada, the Stewart Indian School is a story of forced assimilation and barbaric practices that nearly destroyed an entire way of life. Founded in 1890, the school initially served as a strict military-style boarding school. Federal authorities would forcibly round up children from nearby reservations and dump them off at the school, Rupert said.

Under a policy of forced assimilation, students would have their hair cut short and their names changed. They were forced to only use English, rather than native languages.

The federal policy was designed to weaken their cultural ties and make it easier for the government to take Indian land, Rupert said.

"What these boarding schools were all about were not to bring these savages to these schools to prepare them to go on to college and to better themselves," she said. "It was more to force them into these schools, force them to learn a different language, force them to retain a different value system, with the idea that when they grew up, the federal government could more easily get their land."

But as federal policy toward Native Americans shifted in the 1930s, the school became less military based and more of a normal high school that voluntarily took in Indian students from around the West.

Mary Lou Shorthorn attended the school from 1968 to 1972 and said she enjoyed her time despite the school's slightly rough-and-tumble reputation.

"It kind of got this image of a dump-off school, where you take someone who doesn't fit in, or can't fit in public schools," she said. "Now, I look at it as a prideful thing, because I learned a lot about the other cultures of people, and I got my education."

The commission is requesting a one-year $122,000 budget to help pay for a permanent cultural center at the school, with the eventual goal of turning the site in to a more tourist-friendly destination, Rupert said. Sandoval has taken a number of steps to support the school, including placing her on his Cabinet and mentioning the site during his State of the State address, she said.

AB 15 establishes funds for repairing school buildings by selling an unused 100-acre parcel of land between Carson City and Lake Tahoe. Although some Assembly Democrats expressed concern with selling state-owned land to pay for another project, the bill passed out the Assembly in February on a 41-1 vote.

Another bill, SB 63, gives the Indian Commission coordinating authority to manage other agencies with offices on the campus. The bill passed unanimously out of the Senate in March.

Though the school was closed in 1980, the school grounds are far from abandoned. The Indian Commission and state agencies use several well-preserved buildings on the campus for office space.

But for the occasional tourists visiting the expansive campus, decades of harsh Nevada weather is apparent in the faded stonework, numerous potholes and collapsing roofs in several of the older buildings.

Former state Historic Preservation director Ron James said the school grounds are on a short list for inclusion in the federal government's National Register of Historic Places, but continual decay and accumulating damage lowers the school's chances of being listed. "Once they start slipping away, they start slipping away really fast," he said.

Funding the school's restoration brings a benefit for all Nevadans, Rupert said.

"This isn't just about the Native people. This is about the community," she said. "This is about the state of Nevada."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
next Image 1 of 2

prev Image 2 of 2

A Florida doctor who is a major political donor of Sen. Robert Menendez may be charged as soon as this week for actions he allegedly took involving the lawmaker.

Federal investigators have been looking into dealings that Dr. Salomon Melgen, 59, had with Menendez, who has described the physician as a good friend.

The probe is centered in whether Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, abused his office by taking actions to benefit the doctor, who in turn allegedly provided Menendez with flights to and from the Dominican Republic on his luxury jet.

The alleged actions by Menendez include becoming involved in a dispute on Medicare billing that involved the doctor.

Citing an unnamed person described as being familiar with a Justice Department investigation into their dealings, the Associated Press reported the pending charges against the Florida-based eye doctor.

Melgen has not been cooperating with prosecutors against Menendez, according to the person, who was not authorized to comment on the record about an ongoing federal investigation.

Melgen and his family have donated about $1 million to Menendez campaigns and committees on which he served.

Justice Department spokesman Peter Carr declined to comment Monday.

Menendez could also be charged soon, according to published reports that cited unnamed sources. The senator has repeatedly said that he has done nothing wrong and that he has always served honorably in Congress.

Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined the Senate in 2006 after serving more than a decade in the House of Representatives.

Under scrutiny, Menendez acknowledged in 2013 that he flew multiple times on Melgen's private jet to the Dominican Republic and initially failed to properly pay for the trips. Menendez agreed to reimburse Melgen $58,500. His office later disclosed a third flight, from Florida to New Jersey in 2011, saying he had repaid Melgen $11,250 for it.

Last week, VOXXI, a Latino-theme website that Melgen co-founded, shut down because of a failure to generate revenues and reach other goals, according to several published reports.

Among the things catching investigators eyes was Menendezs reported advocacy for Melgen when he was accused of overbilling Medicare. Melgen was one of the top recipients of Medicare reimbursements at a time when he was contributing heavily to Democrats. He received $21 million in Medicare reimbursements in 2012 alone, according to The New York Times.

Investigators said that, for example, Melgen would get a vial of the medication, which would provide up to four times the amount that a patient requires. But Melgen, the investigators charged, used one vial to treat three or four patients, but then billed as if he had purchased a new vial each time.

Melgen then would be reimbursed $6,000 to $8,000 for a vial that cost him $2,000, The New York Times said. Investigators said that in in 2007 and 2008, for instance, he overbilled by $9 million, which he then paid back.

The Times said that federal authorities were alerted to the overbilling after a Medicare contractor noticed that Melgen was billing for Lucentis at a significantly higher rate than his peers.

And then there was Melgens concerns about the impact of a plan by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency to donate port screening equipment to the Dominican Republic. In a Senate subcommittee hearing in 2012, Menendez mentioned a company, which he did not name, that had a contract with the Dominican government to X-ray cargo at ports, but that the countrys authorities dont want to live by, according to CNN.

Melgen had a company that stood to do X-rays of cargo passing through Dominican ports, and he apparently though that his business interests would be compromised by U.S. Customs and Border Protection equipment donations.

In January 2013, FBI agents swarmed Melgens Florida medical office and hauled off more than 30 boxes of evidence. FBI agents returned in October of that year, carrying boxes of documents out of the office.

Amid reports earlier this month of looming criminal charges, Menendez declared his innocence and said that he and Melgen had a close friendship dating back decades.

"We celebrated holidays together," he said. "We have been there for family weddings and sad times like funerals and have given each other birthday, holiday and wedding presents, just as friends do."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Two former lead narcotics investigators said they are "disgusted," but not surprised, with the government report finding that Deputy Secretary for Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas inappropriately helped secure visas for foreign investors that benefited his Democrat friends  including Hillary Clinton's youngest brother, Anthony Rodham.

After all, they said, this isn't the first time Mayorkas abused his power to benefit a brother of the likely 2016 presidential candidate.

Back in 2002, Mayorkas, then a Bill Clinton-appointed Los Angeles U.S. Attorney, was found by a congressional committee to have inappropriately pushed for clemency for convicted drug dealer Carlos Vignali, who happened to be the son of big-time Democratic Party donor Horatio Vignali.

Horatio Vignali, an Argentinian immigrant who built a fortune in Los Angeles, stopped at nothing to free his guilty son  paying the then-first ladys brother, lawyer Hugh Rodham  $200,000 to work on convincing President Bill Clinton to grant him clemency.

Vignali was granted clemency and freed just six years into a 15-year prison sentence in a controversial decision largely made possible by the lobbying of Mayorkas.

Fast-forward 15 years, to a report by the Department of Justice's Inspector General office last Tuesday that concludes that Mayorkas, as head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, created the appearance of favoritism and special access by improperly speeding up the processing of visa requests for foreign investors to benefit other Democrats, including Anthony Rodham and his financing company.

The report of favoritism is no surprise to at least two Minnesota narcotics investigators still outraged by Mayorkas role in the release of a drug trafficker they worked so hard to put behind bars.

Its disappointing and disgusting, said Gerry Wehr, a retired lead investigator in the Vignali case told Fox News Latino, adding there's always something going on with the Clintons.

The 2001 Vignali commutation stunned detectives and prosecutors involved in the case. Evidence that included wiretapped conversations and police surveillance video proved Vignali, then 30, was the lead financier for a drug ring that trafficked cocaine from Los Angeles to Minneapolis. In fact, the sentencing judge said Vignali was no doubt a big player and deserved what he got.

He was convicted and he didnt serve his time because someone that was politically connected took money and abused their power to get him released, said Jeff Burchett, another lead investigator in the Vignali case.

Horatio Vignali was deemed untouchable. His money helped Democrats like former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, U.S. Rep. Xavier Becerra, and Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, the former Archbishop of Los Angeles, who all pushed for Carlos release  and later regretted it.

Burchett said hes still upset about what happened back then because the end result was so unfair.

Its maddening. Its hard to even describe how pissed the guys were, recalled Burchett, who spent 18 years as a narcotics investigator in Minnesota. This guy (Carlos Vignali) was a low-life drug dealer and 31 other kids from Minnesota, who were black, all stayed in custody. It was the injustice of this little punk getting pardoned when the black defendants in this case didnt get pardoned because they didnt have the wherewithal to pay some politically connected person.

Vignalis commutation was widely criticized in the press: The Clintons eventually said they were deeply disturbed to find out Hugh Rodham was paid by the drug dealers father and forced him to return the money.

Hugh had made calls to the White House, at the behest of the Vignalis, to discuss the case.

The Vignali commutation though could not have happened without the endorsement of Mayorkas, who allegedly made phone calls to the White House and petitioned for Vignalis clemency  an unusual move, considering the case was outside his own district.

A congressional investigation found Mayorkas provided critical support for the Vignali commutation despite the fact that the U.S. Attorney responsible for the case in Minnesota, B. Todd Jones, told him that Vignali was a major player in drug trafficking and was bad news. Jones told Mayorkas he should not go there when it came to clemency for Vignali.

Mayorkas was the power broker, Burchett said. It was an abuse of power. It was absolutely disgusting what happened.

Mayorkas involvement even prompted Mayorkas assistant U.S. attorney at the time, Duncan DeVille, to resign.

In 2009, Mayorkas testified that it was a mistake to push for clemency.

Last week, the Inspector Generals office reiterated that while Mayorkas violated ethics policies, he did not break any laws in showing favoritism toward prominent Democrats, like Clintons brother.

Mayorkas stopped short of an apology, saying in a press release: "While I disagree with the Inspector General's report, I will certainly learn from it and from this process. I appreciate and embrace [Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh] Johnson's decision to create a new protocol to ensure the EB-5 program is free from the reality or perception of improper outside influence."

Johnson later said he continues to have full confidence in Mayorkas as Deputy Secretary.

Across the country, people came to Mayorkas defense.

"He was a stellar partner. I trust him absolutely; impeccable integrity," A.B. Culvahouse, former counsel for President Ronald Reagan who worked with Mayorkas at a prestigious Los Angeles-based law firm, told the Washington Post.

Culvahouse called the allegations "much ado about nothing. Having served in government  people finding appearance issues where they have found no bad conduct is always a cheap shot that can be taken."

Burchett and Wehr said they are not surprised how this is playing out.

If he worked in Wall Street, it would be some kind of white collar crime, fraud, Wehr said, but he's a politician and they figure out a way to keep their jobs. It's disappointing.
Its not unusual for criticism and scrutiny to intensify about a political candidate after the launching of a campaign.

But the tone and attacks on Sen. Ted Cruz, a Tea Party Republican from Texas who launched his presidential campaign last week, have been so acidic that even non-fans of Cruz have called them excessive or out of line, forcing apologies.

The author of an essay in The New Yorker took aim at Cruz, whose father is a Cuban immigrant, saying: To many Americans, he is the uppity loudmouth. Critics called the essay bigoted, singling out the word uppity.

The website Flavorwire said: Uppity is, to put it lightly, an ugly word. Its got a long and unpleasant history in this country of being racially loaded, of being used to connote the idea of ethnic minorities  especially African Americans  getting above their station and challenging a white hegemony that should remain untouched.

Flavorwire said that the author, John Cassidy, is a veteran journalist who "should have known better...Even so, it was a pretty egregious mistake, and Cassidy would do well to examine just what sort of unspoken prejudices might lie beneath his choice of words."

Breitbart noted: Uppity is widely seen as a term used against minorities who dont know their place.'

The New Yorker responded by removing the controversial passage. Also, Cassidy wrote an apology.

The wordhas some disturbing historical connotations that I overlooked, Cassidy wrote, and in applying it to a Latino politician, I goofed. If I gave any offense, however inadvertently, I am sorry.

Rick Tyler, the national spokesman for the Cruz campaign, said the disparaging remarks in the media about Cruz that go beyond criticism of his policy positions are symptomatic of a new media world that prioritizes providing shocking  even if inaccurate or offensive  content in order to generate readers.

Tyler said that too often, little thought about ethics or responsibility is given to an item that promises to bring clicks.

Its lets post this now and we can correct it later, Tyler said in an interview with Fox News Latino.

He said Cruz will not engage in personal attacks.

Well be pointing out differences between the candidates, Tyler said, but Cruz is not going to engage in the level of attack politics that seems to be going on.

Washington Post columnist Marc A. Thiessen wrote: Its not just the liberal commentariat that is attacking Cruz. Here is how the New York Times reported Cruzs announcement on its front page: Mr. Cruzs tenure in Washington has been marked by accusations of demagogy. He sometimes deploys the soaring diction of a preacher while staking out uncompromising and rigid conservative positions, often playing the role of political flamethrower. Thats not an editorial; thats a news story.

One of the most assailed attempts to take shots at Cruz occurred on MSNBC, when guest Jamilah Lemieux made fun of the lawmakers remarks on a CBS morning show that he grew fond of country music after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks because of that genres patriotic songs.

Lemieux said, Nothing says Lets go kill some Muslims like country music, fresh from Lynchburg, Virginia. Someone who obviously does not want to be a polarizing candidate, he wants to bring people together, I mean  really? Thats absurd.

After a torrent of criticism of Lemieux, MSNBC delivered an on-air apology.

Earlier this year, the senator's spokeswoman wrote a letter to the editor in The New York Times taking issue with an opinion piece that she said sought to stereotype Cruz.

The Op-Ed in The New York Times depicted Cuban-Americans, and Cruz specifically, as white privileged people who have little in common with other Latinos.

The Op-Ed, written by Ann Louise Bardach, author of books about Cuba, was titled Why Are Cubans So Special? and said: For almost a half century, Cubans have been the most privileged immigrants in the United States  The repeal of this Cold War relic of immigration policy is long overdue.

Bardach also mocked Cruzs reported inability to speak Spanish.

Carpenter responded in her letter to the editor in The Times: Your decision to allow an Op-Ed writer to openly mock a persons ethnicity  as Ann Louise Bardach did when she wrote that Senator Ted Cruz has been called as Hispanic as Tom Cruise  is saddening.

Bardach was referring to a remark by Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa, a vociferous critic of Cruz, in an interview he gave to the San Antonio Express-News.



Hinojosa said: His last name may be Cruz, but there is nothing, not an ounce, about the way he thinks and the way he has led his life that in any way is similar to Hispanics in the state of Texas and all across America. Ted Cruz is as much Hispanic ... as Tom Cruise.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio confirmed Monday on Fox News that he will announce April 13 whether he will be a candidate for the GOP presidential nomination in 2016.

I will announce on April 13th what Im going to do next in terms of running for president or the U.S. Senate, Rubio said on Fox News The Five.

Rubio has said he would not run for both offices in 2016, while his team has been moving ahead as though it were putting together a White House bid, including donors who helped previous presidential nominees collect tens of millions of dollars.

But Rubio faces steep challenges to win the nomination, including from his one-time mentor, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. He could face as many as 20 other rivals for the GOP nomination.

Rubio also told supporters to check the site www.MarcoRubio.com, which now reads, Big announcement is coming! Will you be there?

Rubio plans to sell a chance to win tickets to any campaign kickoff for $3.05, a nod to Miami's 305 area code. It would also a way for the nascent campaign to collect contact information from everyone who wants to be in the audience that day, including low-dollar donors.

A site for the announcement has not been finalized but Rubio's senior aides plan to visit the Miami area on Tuesday to scout options.

A first-generation immigrant whose parents fled Cuba, Rubio could make history as the nation's first Hispanic president. Rubio frames his pitch to voters as the embodiment of the American dream, a son of a maid and bartender who worked his way through law school and now sits in Congress.

The Associated Press contributed to this report
A few years ago, violence on Chicago streets thrust a recently elected mayor into the national spotlight as shootouts in some of the city's most troubled neighborhoods fueled nearly constant bloodshed.

Rahm Emanuel spent nearly $200 million over two years to flood those streets with police working overtime. His police department also collected a trove of information about individual gang members and set up meetings between gang members and the parents of homicide victims to illustrate the high human cost of gunfire.

Since then, the city's overall violence has declined, but the number of slayings in some minority neighborhoods actually jumped. And while police boast of historic drops in the homicide rate, many frustrated families in those areas say their communities have seen little to no improvement or have actually deteriorated.

"It's worse," said Anthony Jackson, a 62-year-old retired maintenance man as he made his way to his home in the heart of a neighborhood that last year saw a dramatic spike in homicides  to about half the number of the entire city of Washington, D.C. "We're just out here on our own."

The stubborn violence contributes to the mayor's overall challenge in his bid for a second term and puts him in the somewhat awkward position of simultaneously touting his success against crime while acknowledging that much more needs to be done.

"The truth is that as much progress as we've made over the past four years, we simply have to do better," Emanuel said in a speech.

The total number of homicides in Chicago fell from more than 500 in 2012 to just over 400 last year, the lowest level in a half-century. But the number of shootings climbed 12 percent, from 1,866 to 2,084, during the same period.

The discontent goes beyond the bullets. Despite Emanuel's success in attracting companies to the thriving Loop district, the only businesses that seem to survive in many minority neighborhoods are dusty markets, fast-food restaurants and dollar stores.

The result was that Emanuel did not receive enough votes last month to avoid an April runoff with Cook County Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia. Much of the support the mayor had from black voters four years ago vanished in the primary. Though Emanuel was the clear winner in every majority-black ward, he received fewer than half the votes in them. Four years ago, he received more than half the votes in every single one.

Jackson voted for Emanuel in 2011, but he doesn't know who he will support in the April 7 election.

In the Harrison police district, where Jackson lives, the number of homicides climbed from 35 in 2013 to 51 last year, and the number of shootings climbed at more than double the citywide rate. Police have not offered a definitive reason other than to point to what Superintendent Garry McCarthy calls "severe gang conflicts."

And Emanuel's decision to close dozens of schools added more boarded-up buildings to streets already littered with them, with residents complaining that the schools became larger versions of the abandoned houses that are magnets for gangs and drug dealers.

"What people see is these parts of the city have been abandoned, and the investment has gone elsewhere," said Marshall Hatch, a prominent minister on the city's West Side, standing near the shuttered Goldblatt Elementary School.

Statistically, there is plenty of evidence that the city's crime-fighting strategies are paying off. Since 2012, reports of every major crime have dropped, some significantly.

The 504 homicides that caught the attention of the nation in 2012 have fallen to a level not seen since the mid-1960s. It's the same story with robbery, aggravated battery, burglary and motor-vehicle theft. There were fewer reports  sometimes hundreds fewer  of those crimes than two years ago, including in Jackson's community and other largely black neighborhoods.

For example, in the Grand Crossing district on the South Side, 2014 ended with 18 homicides  less than half the 42 recorded in 2012.

Still, even in that area and in other nearby communities, Emanuel did not receive nearly the percentage of votes that he did in 2011.

In his campaign, the mayor has addressed the fears stirred up by the death of an 11-year-old girl who was killed by a bullet that pierced a wall while she made s'mores during a sleepover. And he acknowledged the slaying of Hadiya Pendleton, a 15-year-old honor student killed shortly after returning from President Barack Obama's inauguration.

"Too many families still have their kids off the porch when it gets dark. Too many families ... do not let their kids go outside because they're scared," the mayor told the audience after an introduction by Hadiya's mother, who praised Emanuel as someone who feels the pain of those who have lost loved ones to gun violence.

Garcia has pledged to hire 1,000 police officers. Without the added police presence, he said, the city "will never be able to end the heartbreaking violence that has taken the lives of so many of our children."

Emanuel also finds himself courting black votes in the wake of a study by the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, which found that the police department's "stop and frisk" practice disproportionately targeted blacks.

Hatch said he fully expects Garcia to cite the report as another example of Emanuel's failure to help the black community.

"Everybody holds the mayor accountable because, like we say in the black church, he's got all the power in his hands," he said.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
In the first discussion on the sensitive topic of human rights, U.S. and Cuban officials met in Washington D.C. Tuesday.

The discussion, proposed by Cuba, according to The Miami Herald, was expected to center on how to deal with the topic, on which both nations hold polar opposite views.

A Cuban delegate to talks with the United States says the two sides have held "a respectful, professional, civilized conversation" on human rights in Washington.

But Anaysansi Rodriguez Camejo, Cuba's ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, told Cuban state television that Tuesday's talks "ratified that there are differences," according to the Associated Press.

Neither side gave details of Tuesday's session.

The U.S. was expected to press Cuba to allow its citizens greater freedom of speech, assembly and political activity. Cuba has often criticized poverty, insufficient health-care coverage and excessive police force in the United States.

The discussions are part of a series of meeting that officials of both countries have held since both President Barack Obama and President Raul Castro announced a restoration of diplomatic ties.

These talks are an indication of Cubas willingness to address any topic with the U.S., despite our differences, based on equality and reciprocity, Pedro Luis Pedroso, Cubas Foreign Ministry deputy director for multilateral affairs and international law, told reporters in his nation, according to the Herald.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Roberta Jacobson said that human rights is the topic over which the United States and Cuba harbor the most profound disagreement.

"This preliminary meeting reflects our continued focus on human rights and democratic principles in Cuba," a State Department official said, speaking on condition of anonymity, according to Reuters. "Human rights are a priority."

The new relations between Cuba and the United States includes easing trade and travel restrictions, and establishing embassies on each others soil.

U.S. critics of the restored diplomatic ties say the Obama administration made too many concessions, while the Cuban government has made few meaningful ones, particularly in relation to human rights.

Cuban officials, in fact, have been defensive about the topic, saying that they will not tolerate outsiders intervening in Cubas affairs.

At a session of Cubas National Assembly last year, Raul Castro said: We shouldnt expect that in order for relations to improve with the United States, Cuba is renouncing the ideas for which we have fought for more than a century and for which our people have spilled so much blood and run such great risks.

We have always been willing to engage in respectful dialogue on equal terms to address any issues without a shadow over our independence and without renouncing a single one of our principles, said Castro, according to the Herald. In the same way that weve never proposed that the Unites States change its political system, we will demand respect for ours,

Tom Malinowski, the State Department's assistant secretary for human rights and democracy, led the U.S. side in Tuesdays talks. Pedro Luis Pedroso, deputy director of multilateral affairs and law at the ministry of foreign affairs, led the Cuban side.

Cuba has made changes in its handling of dissenters in recent years, according to Human Rights Watch, but oppression continues.

Prison sentences for opponents of the regime are not as long as they were, but the Castro government clearly has little tolerance for those who criticize it or push for human rights.

Officials employ a range of tactics to punish dissent and instill fear in the public, including beatings, public acts of shaming, termination of employment, and threats of long-term imprisonment, said a 2014 Human Rights Watch report. Short-term arbitrary arrests have increased dramatically in recent years and routinely prevent human rights defenders, independent journalists, and others from gathering or moving about freely.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez doesnt mince words when it comes to fellow Republican and Latino Ted Cruz.

Asked what her views were of Cruz, a Tea Party favorite who launched his presidential campaign last week, Martinez said flatly that she hardly knows the Texan.

Martinez told The Associated Press on Tuesday that she had no opinion on Cruzs recent announcement at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, that he would seek the Republican presidential nomination.

Martinez said she doesnt personally know Cruz nor does she follow him.

The Republican governors comments come after she has worked to recruit Latino and other minority candidates to the GOP. Martinez, who is Mexican-American, also is a rising star within the Republican Party.

Cruz is Cuban-American. He is one of the most conservative members of Congress, taking hard-line positions on immigration and the Affordable Care Act, among other things.

Martinez said she expects a crowded field of Republican presidential candidates and hasnt said who she might support.

Martinezs name has come in previous election years as a possible vice presidential candidate.

In elections, she has done well among Latino voters  an electorate her party often struggles to win over. She gets about 40 percent of the Latino vote when she runs, which keeps her an appealing running mate for the 2016 presidential elections, experts say.

Martinez does not hesitate to express herself, letting the chips fall where they may.

In 2012, Martinez raised eyebrows when she denounced then-GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romneys remark that President Barack Obama won re-election because he offered gifts to minorities.

That unfortunately is what sets us back as a party  our comments that are not thought through carefully, she said, according to published reports.

Martinez also took issue with Romneys support for self-deportation, or making life so challenging for undocumented immigrants that they would choose simply to return to their countries.

Romney, nonetheless, stumped for Martinez in her home state last year when she ran for re-election.

One prospective presidential candidate Martinez likely would support if he decides to run is New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, with whom she enjoys a unique chemistry.

Both are former prosecutors, and are viewed as moderate Republicans, although they do share conservative views on some issues, such as gay marriage.

They think highly of each other, and have made a point to make it known on several occasions.

When speaking about why he wanted Martinez, in particular, at his side during the last days of his last re-election campaign, Christie told reporters: We get along.

I like to campaign with people I like, he said. And I like her a lot, we get along really well, so thats one reason honestly  Im on the last few days of the campaign and I really dont want to feel like I have to babysit someone. And Susana is just an adult, shes great. And shes a team player.

When Martinez was asked in 2012 about Christies opposition to same-sex marriage, she defended him, adding that she would also oppose it in New Mexico.

I love his authenticity, I love who he is, she told The New York Times.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Indianas law allowing businesses to deny service to gay and lesbian customers is under fire from all around the country, but Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz said on Monday that they stand behind it.

Rubio, a Florida Republican who is expected to announce his presidential candidacy next month, said in an interview Monday on Fox News that people should not be forced to go against their religious views or face punishment.

Cruz, a Texas Republican who launched his presidential campaign last week, released a statement expressing support for Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, who signed the measure that has sparked nationwide calls for a boycott of the state.

Rubio said on Fox News Monday: Nobody is saying that it should be legal to deny someone service at a restaurant or at a hotel because of their sexual orientation. I think thats a consensus view in America.

The flip side is, should a photographer be punished for refusing to do a wedding that their faith teaches them is not one that is valid in the eyes of God?

Rubio added that denying a person service because sexual orientation is not the same as denying it because of race or ethnicity.

Thats not the same thing, Rubio said. Because here youre talking about the definition of an institution, not the value of a single human being. Thats the difference between the civil rights movement and the marriage equality movement.

The Indiana law, which takes effect July 1, prohibits state laws that "substantially burden" a person's ability to follow his or her religious beliefs unless the government can show that it has a compelling interest and that the action is the least restrictive means of achieving it. The definition of "person" includes religious institutions, businesses and associations.

Many Indiana businesses have posted signs or stickers saying they serve everyone, and the home page for Visit Indy included a message that all are welcome and a link to an LGBT guide.

But other companies and organizations have canceled future travel to Indiana or halted expansion plans in the state. The Indianapolis-based NCAA says it is concerned about the law's impact on future Indiana events.

Hundreds of protesters filled Arkansas' Capitol on Monday to oppose that state's measure, holding signs that read "Discrimination is not a Christian Value" and "Discrimination is a Disease."

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has sent letters to more than a dozen Indiana businesses urging them to move to Illinois. The Rev. Jesse Jackson called the law "offensive." AFSCME, a public-employee union, announced it would relocate a women's conference scheduled for October in Indianapolis because of the law.

Rubio said on Fox: I think people have the right to live out their religious faith in their own lives. They cant impose it on you in your life. But they have a right to live it out in their own lives. And when youre asking someone who provides professional services to do something, or be punished by law, that violates their faith, youre violating that religious liberty that they have.

Indiana is among about a dozen where measures aimed at preventing government from infringing on people's religious beliefs have been introduced this year. Arkansas is poised to become the second state this year to enact such a measure.

Cruz praised Pence for his support of religious freedom, especially in the face of fierce opposition.

He added that Indiana is giving voice to millions of courageous conservatives across this country who are deeply concerned about the ongoing attacks upon our personal liberties. Im proud to stand with Mike, and I urge Americans to do the same."

Other presidential hopefuls who say they support Indianas law are former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who said in a radio interview on Monday: "This is simply allowing people of faith space to be able to express their beliefs, to be able to be people of conscience.

He added: "I think once the facts are established, people aren't going to see this as discriminatory at all."

A few years ago, Rubio drew criticism from LGBT groups for being a keynote speaker at a fundraising dinner for an organization that supports converting gay people to straight ones.

Cruz has been an outspoken opponent of same-sex marriage. Last year, he introduced a bill in the Senate defending states' right to regulate marriage.

In a 2013 interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network, Cruz said: "If you look at other nations that have gone down the road towards gay marriage, thats the next step where it gets enforced. It gets enforced against Christian pastors who decline to perform gay marriages, who speak out and preach biblical truths on marriage."

Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is poised to launch her Democratic presidential campaign this month, voiced her opposition to the Indiana measure last week. She wrote on Twitter that it was "sad this new Indiana law can happen in America today."

The White House has denounced the law.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
After initially supporting a divisive bill on religious freedom that critics say is biased against gays, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson called Wednesday for either a recall or a follow-up measure that addresses the discriminatory concerns.

Hutchinson said that even his son Seth was among the people who had signed a petition asking him to veto the bill.

"This is a bill that in ordinary times would not be controversial, but these are not ordinary times," he said.

The Republican governor said he wants changes to the bill that lawmakers sent him prohibiting state and local government from infringing upon someone's religious beliefs without a compelling interest.

"What is important from an Arkansas standpoint is one, we get the right balance and secondly, we make sure that we communicate we're not going to be a state that fails to recognize the diversity of our workplace, our economy and our future," Hutchinson said at a news conference at the state Capitol.

The proposed law would give companies the same religious-liberty rights as individuals, and critics say could give businesses more room to discriminate.

Hutchinson's move comes after Indiana Gov. Mike Pence signed a similar measure into law last week. Pence this week said he wants follow-up legislation to address concerns that the law allows businesses to discriminate based on sexual orientation.

Hutchinson didn't specifically call for changes that would prohibit the law from being used to deny services to someone, but said he didn't believe the bill was intended to do so.

"This law that is under consideration does not extend discrimination," Hutchinson said.

Similar proposals have been introduced in more than a dozen states, patterned after the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993. Nineteen other states have similar laws on the books.

Echoing the reaction to Indiana's law, Hutchinson has faced pressure from the state's top employers, including retail giant Wal-Mart, which complained that the measure was discriminatory and would stifle economic development. Little Rock's mayor, the city's Chamber of Commerce and Arkansas-based data services company Acxiom all urged the governor to reject the measure in recent days.

The Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights group, has run ads in Silicon Valley targeting technology firms Hutchinson hopes to attract to the state.

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Multiple news outlets are reporting that New Jersey Democratic Senator Robert Menendez could be indicted by the Justice Department on federal corruption charges as soon as Wednesday.

An unnamed source familiar with the matter told Reuters that charges would be brought by federal prosecutors in Florida, where Menendezs close friend and political donor, the controversial ophthalmologist Salomon Melgen, lives.

For years, the senator has been dogged by allegations that he used his office improperly to benefit Melgen, and in March it was widely reported that charges would be filed soon.

Politico, on the other hand, pointed out that a federal grand jury in Newark, N.J., has been hearing evidence in the matter, and reporting that an indictment, would be announced by the U.S. attorneys office in New Jersey.

The Justice Department in Washington declined to comment. A Menendez spokeswoman told the wire service that his office would not comment on "the latest anonymous and illegal leak."

Since the allegations first came up, Menendez has denied any wrongdoing.

Menendez was elected to Congress in 1993 as a representative. He has been a senator since 2006 and is the ranking Democrat on the Committee on Foreign Relations.

In 2009 and 2012, Menendez intervened on behalf of Melgen with top officials at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, after the agency ruled that Melgen overbilled Medicare by almost $9 million.

Menendez also asked the State and Commerce departments to press the Dominican Republic to pay out on a contract with a port security company Melgen owned.

Adding to the appearance of impropriety, Menendez accepted multiple trips aboard the ophthalmologists private plane.

After facing criticism for the trips, the senator eventually repaid Melgen $70,000 for the trips.

Melgen has been a steady financial backer of Menendezs political campaigns, for instance, donating $700,000 to Majority PAC, a Democratic super PAC that helped a number of 2012 Democratic candidates, including Menendez in his Senate re-election.

Menendez, a Cuban-American, has been a staunch defender of President Barack Obama, although in recent months a rift has developed between the two based on their disagreement over the White Houses foreign policy moves with Iran and Cuba.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Activists seeking greater autonomy for the District of Columbia are planning to drop in on members of Congress they accuse of improper meddling in local affairs.

The nonprofit D.C. Vote is organizing the protests on Wednesday. Among the senators the group plans to visit are Republicans Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida. Cruz is running for president, and Rubio is considered a likely candidate.

Last week, Rubio co-introduced a bill that would invalidate the city's gun-control laws and ban local officials from enacting new ones. Cruz has introduced resolutions disapproving of two District laws that would bar private groups from discriminating for religious reasons.

The activists also plan to stop by the offices of Republican lawmakers, Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma and Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
A defiant Sen. Robert Menendez vowed Wednesday to fight corruption charges against him, hours after a federal grand jury handed up an indictment that accused the two-term New Jersey Democrat of using his office to help a party donor.

I am not going anywhere, Menendez said at an evening press conference in Newark. This is not how my career is going to end.

Menendez, a powerful political force in New Jersey and a leading skeptic of the Obama administrations Cuba and Iran policies, was indicted on 14 counts, including conspiracy to commit bribery and wire fraud. Hes accused of using his office to improperly benefit a political donor who allegedly offered the senator an array of perks, including trips on his private jet and access to an exclusive Dominican resort.

The 61-year-old senator Wednesday night blasted what he called false allegations, which he said were being perpetuated by those who have a political motivation to silence me.

But I will not be silenced, he vowed. Im confident at the end of the day I will be vindicated and they will be exposed.

The Newark grand jury has been investigating Menendez for official actions he took on behalf of his friend Dr. Salomon Melgen. Melgen, a Florida ophthalmologist, was also indicted Wednesday.

The indictment, which comes as the U.S. and other world powers are struggling to strike a nuclear agreement with Iran, is a blow at a critical time to Menendez, who is the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and until recently was chairman. Menendez said late Wednesday he will "temporarily" step down from his committee post.

Menendez has acknowledged that he flew multiple times on Melgens private jet to the Dominican Republic and initially failed to properly pay for the trips. In 2013, Menendez agreed to reimburse Melgen $58,500 for the full cost of two flights.

The senators office later disclosed another flight from Florida to New Jersey in 2011, and said Menendez had repaid Melgen $11,250 for it.

Last year, Menendez disclosed that his campaign accounts had paid a law firm $250,000 for legal costs related to investigations by the Justice Department and the Senate Ethics Committee of his ties to Melgen.

Menendez has also acknowledged taking actions that could benefit Melgen, among them contacting U.S. health agencies to ask about billing practices and policies.

But the lawmaker has said he did nothing wrong and that he and Melgen have been friends for decades.

"We celebrated holidays together," he once told reporters. "We have been there for family weddings and sad times like funerals and have given each other birthday, holiday and wedding presents, just as friends do."

The indictment against Menendez also accuses the senator of accepting nearly $1 million worth of gifts between January 2006 and January 2013 as well as using the power of his Senate office to influence the outcome of ongoing contractual and Medicare billing disputes worth tens of millions of dollars to Melgen and to support the visa applications of several of Melgens girlfriends.

In one incident, Girlfriend 3, a Ukrainian national who worked as a model and actress living in Spain at the time, was denied a tourist visa to visit Melgen in Miami. On Feb. 15, 2007, Menendez staffers wrote a letter to the consul general asking a non-immigrant visa for his friend.

The indictment also claims Menendez stayed in an executive suite at the five-star Park Hyatt- Paris-Vendome on April 8, 2010 through April 11, 2010. The hotel stay was valued at $4,934.10. The government says Menendez solicited and accepted 649,611 American Express Membership Rewards points from Melgen to foot the bill. The government says Menendez asked his office manager to research Park Hyatt rates, and check to see if a government rate was available.

Federal investigators also point to emails between him and former Chief Counsel Kerru Talbot and a staffer with Customs and Border Patrol in which Talbot asked CBP not to donate screening equipment to the Dominican Republic, but instead to allow a private contractor controlled by Melgen to provide that equipment.

Melgen came under renewed scrutiny when government data last year showed he had received more in Medicare reimbursements in 2012 than any other doctor in the country.

Menendez becomes the first sitting U.S. senator to face indictment since then-Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, in 2008. Stevens was found guilty of concealing gifts from donors on financial disclosure statements, but the Justice Department later dropped the case after admitting that prosecutors failed to turn over evidence that would have been favorable to his defense.

"Senator Menendezs ethics lapses have long been a distraction to the United States Senate, Andrea Bozek, a spokeswoman with the National Republican Senatorial Committee said in a written statement. With today's indictment, the FBI and the Justice Department made it clear that Senator Menendez has betrayed the trust of New Jersey families. His actions reinforce all that the American people believe is wrong with Washington Democrats and closes the book on a Senate Democrat majority that put their personal interests ahead of the American people."

Menedez joined the Senate in 2006 after serving more than a decade in the House of Representatives.

A lawyer and former mayor of Union City, New Jersey, Menendez also served in the New Jersey General Assembly and state Senate.

Fox News' Jake Gibson, Kara Rowland, Nicole Busch and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The U.S. Army is planning on expanding a controversial program that offers immigrants with certain skills expedited citizenship.

Under the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest, or MAVNI, program, which started in 2008, the armed forces can recruit up to 1,500 immigrants.

The Pentagons most recent guidelines about the program increase that figure to 3,000 recruits for fiscal year 2015 and 5,000 in 2016, according to the New York Times.

Hank Minitrez, an Army spokesman, told the newspaper that the program had been extremely successful in filling our ranks with highly qualified soldiers who fill critical shortages.

Until 2014, MAVNI was limited to people with legal permanent residents in the United States, but in September the Pentagon announced that it would open the program to undocumented migrants who had been granted deportation protection under the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy.

At the time, Department of Defense (DOD) spokesman, Lt. Cmdr. Nate Christensen, told Fox News Latino, that undocumented immigrants who want to join the military under MAVNI needed to show expertise in a field that the DOD considers vital to the national interest.

Typically, he added, that includes certain health care professionals in areas where the military services have shortfalls and certain experts in languages critical to the Department.

Allowing DACA recipients into a program that allows a fast-track to citizenship caused consternation in some quarters, and the entire thing was put on hold before it began, officially for bureaucratic reasons.

The MAVNI program is currently on hold while Pentagon officials sort out final details on screening MAVNI candidates, Army spokesman Wayne Hall told reporters at the time.

According to Military.com, a website for active U.S. soldiers and veterans, the program restarted in January. Most applicants to MAVNI have been doctors who entered the active-duty Army and Army Reserve, receiving an officers commission once they attain their citizenship.

Margaret Stock, an immigration attorney and retired lieutenant colonel who helped design the program, was quoted by Military.com as saying, "DOD has set the overall fiscal year quota for MAVNI at 1,500, and the Army has been allocated 1,300 slots."

The other branches of the military dont rely on MAVNI recruitment nearly as much as the Army. In 2013, Military.com reported, the Air Force recruited just two people under the program, both brought in for their linguistic skills. The Navy recruited one doctor in 2009.

Since MAVNI restarted, Minitrez told the Times, only a few DACA recipients had applied to the program and none have been accepted.

Last fall Cesar Vargas, co-director of the DRM Action Coalition, which fought for DACA and for the rights of the so-called Dreamers, told FNL that while the move was a positive step that it was too limited, because the program is small, and the skill-set that theyre looking for is so restrictive. I know maybe one person who might qualify.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Sen. Bob Menendez was indicted on corruption charges Wednesday, accused of using his office to improperly benefit a Florida eye doctor and political donor.

The indictment charged the New Jersey Democrat with 14 counts, including bribery and conspiracy, over his ties to Dr. Salomon Melgen, a wealthy doctor and the politician's longtime friend.

Melgen also was charged in the case.

The indictment from a grand jury in New Jersey was the latest development in a federal investigation that came into public view when federal authorities raided Melgen's medical offices two years ago. The investigation focused on whether the senator had improperly advocated on Melgen's behalf, including by intervening in a Medicare billing dispute.

In a statement issued soon after the announcement, Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) called Menendez a friend.

Bob Menendez has never given me any reason to question his integrity, his dedication to honest public service or his commitment to the American people. As a leader in the House and in the Senate, he has been a key ally in fighting for sensible immigration reform and a touchstone for all matters related to Latinos in this country.

"He is a friend who is quick with advice, encouragement and good ideas. I am particularly proud of his leadership on foreign policy matters related to Latin America."

Meanwhile, the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement that it appreciates its long standing partnership with Senator Bob Menendez, who just last week attended the chamber's Legislative Summit in Washington, DC.

Throughout his career, Senator Menendez has devoted his time and energy to ensuring Hispanic entrepreneurs have a voice in Americas policy debates. As the highest-ranking Latino in Congress, he has continuously broken glass ceilings and prioritized the importance of inclusion at all levels of government and the private sector," said the USHCC attributed to its president and CEO, Javier Palomarez.

Menendez has acknowledged that he flew multiple times on Melgen's private jet to the Dominican Republic and initially failed to properly pay for the trips. Menendez in 2013 agreed to reimburse Melgen $58,500 for the full cost of two flights.

The senator's office later disclosed another flight, from Florida to New Jersey in 2011, and said Menendez had repaid Melgen $11,250 for it.

Last year, Menendez disclosed that his campaign accounts had paid a law firm $250,000 for legal costs related to investigations by the Justice Department and the Senate Ethics Committee of his ties to Melgen.

Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has acknowledged taking actions that could benefit Melgen, among them contacting U.S. health agencies to ask about billing practices and policies.

But the lawmaker has said he did nothing wrong and that he and Melgen have been friends for decades.

"We celebrated holidays together," he once told reporters. "We have been there for family weddings and sad times like funerals and have given each other birthday, holiday and wedding presents, just as friends do."

Melgen came under renewed scrutiny when government data last year showed he had received more in Medicare reimbursements in 2012 than any other doctor in the country.

Menendez becomes the first sitting U.S. senator to face indictment since then-Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, in 2008. Stevens was found guilty of concealing gifts from donors on financial disclosure statements, but the Justice Department later dropped the case after admitting that prosecutors failed to turn over evidence that would have been favorable to his defense.

Menedez joined the Senate in 2006 after serving more than a decade in the House of Representatives.

A lawyer and former mayor of Union City, New Jersey, Menendez also served in the New Jersey General Assembly and state Senate.

Even while under federal investigation, he has used his leadership position on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to criticize negotiations between President Barack Obama's administration and Iran on its nuclear program and has been outspoken in opposition to normalizing relations with Cuba.

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
The Cuban and U.S. delegations on Tuesday ended a preparatory meeting for holding future negotiations on human rights without setting a date, agenda or host for those talks.

The head of the Cuban delegation at the session in Washington, D.C., Foreign Ministry official Pedro Luis Pedroso, said at a news conference that the lack of details did not mean the negotiations would not be held. He said a decision on holding the talks would be reached during traditional diplomatic channels.

A U.S. government statement said only that both sides expressed a willingness to address a variety of topics at future talks.

The meeting took place as part of the effort announced by both nations in December to work to fully restore diplomatic ties after more than a half century of uneasy relations.

Earlier in the day, another Cuban delegate said the two sides held "a respectful, professional, civilized conversation." Nevertheless, Anaysansi Rodriguez Camejo, Cuba's ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, told Cuban state television that the session underlined "that there are differences" on issues of human rights.

The U.S. has been expected to press Cuba to allow its citizens greater freedom of speech, assembly and political activity. Cuba has often criticized the United States for poverty, insufficient health care coverage and excessive police force.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Embattled U.S. Senator Robert Menendez vowed tonight Im not going anywhere as he told a packed room of press and supporters he plans to fight charges brought against him by the U.S. Attorney of New Jersey today.

I am outraged, Menendez said. I am grateful to live in a country where prosecutors mistakes can be corrected. Recalling his days as an aide in the office of New Jersey state Senator William Billy Musto, Menendez told the crowd gathered at the Newark Penn Plaza Hilton he had worked with U.S. attorneys on a corruption case. I wore a bulletproof vest, he said.

Virtually every remark Menendez made was loudly applauded and cheered by the crowd of supporters, who significantly outnumbered the large press corps. We support you, we support you one woman called from the left side of the room.

Menendez said the U.S. attorneys dont know the difference between friendship and corruption, referring to charges he used his political office to advance the interests of Dr. Salomon Melgen of Florida, a long-time friend. The indictment handed up today contains 14 counts of wrongdoing.

No matter how long it takes to clear my name, I will do it, he said. I am outraged that they went forward with a wrong prosecution, and that criminal prosecutions will be used for political purposes.

Nevertheless, the senator said, he will fight and he will prevail.

Menendez spoke for about five minutes, then switched to Spanish to translate and connect more directly with the large number of Spanish-speaking people in his audience. Of Cuban background, Menendez is known to have especially strong support among the Cuban-American population, which is a very high percentage in his home county of Hudson. All over the room people could be heard conversing and vigorously cheering the senator in Spanish.
next Image 1 of 2

prev Image 2 of 2

As the cloud that Sen. Robert Menendez himself said has been looming over him the last few years burst Wednesday with a torrent of serious federal criminal charges, advocates for causes the lawmaker has championed praised him and pledged their support.

They included proponents of such things as allowing undocumented immigrants to legalize, of a tough stance against Iran and pro-Israel policies, and of keeping the U.S.-Cuba embargo.

Frank Sharry, a long-time and prominent immigrant rights activist who heads Americas Voice in Washingotn D.C., said that Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, is not only the senior Senator from New Jersey; hes also the senior Senator for Latinos in America.

I know him well and love him dearly, Sharry said in a statement quoted in The Hill. He has been relentless and effective.  And he is a major reason why Dreamers won relief under [the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program], why some 5 million undocumented immigrants are on the verge of living without fear in the country they now call home, and why comprehensive immigration reform is an idea whose time has come for some three quarters of the American public.

Menendez pleaded not guilty in federal court Thursday to charges including bribery, conspiracy and making false statements.

Jewish Democrats and Republicans are rallying around Menendez, who has been unapologetically vocal about his opposition to how the Obama administration has handled Iran, the nuclear program negotiations with that nations, as well as Israel.

In his role as ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which he said on Wednesday he would step down from temporarily, Menendez has been a force behind bills to toughen economic sanctions against Iran and to mandate that Congress approve of any nuclear deal.

This year, Menendez has raised eyebrows by taking an even more public stance against the White Houses approach to Iran and Israel than he already had done in the past. He said the White Houses comments about Iran sounded like talking points that come straight out of Tehran.

And when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was scheduled to deliver his controversial address to Congress recently, Menendez escorted him in a clear rebuff of President Barack Obamas condemnation of House Speaker John Boehners invitation to the head of state.

All I hear, repeatedly, is that he is being punished for his rational and strong stance on trying to get a strong deal for America and Israel, on Iran, said Morton A. Klein, president of the Zionist Organization of America, to the New York Times.

Klein said he was urging others to stand by Menendez.

I say, look, we dont know the validity of these allegations, Klein told the Times, but this is a man who deserves support.

Norm Coleman, a member of the board of the Republican Jewish Coalition, was quoted in the Times as saying that Menendez is assured broad, widespread, deep support, across the political aisle, from people who care about Israel.

Supporters of Menendez for his actions in Congress to maintain the U.S.-Cuba embargo and to help Superstorm Sandy victims get insurance monies cheered him when he walked up to the podium at his press conference Wednesday to denounce the indictment.

Viva Cuba Libre! yelled Cuban-Americans in the crowd.

Senator Menendez has been the number one advocate for Sandy victims, helping us fight against [the Federal Emergency Management Agency] and the insurance companies. Were here to get his back, said Douglas Quinn, 50, of Toms River, to Politickernj. Senator Menendezs office has been doing back flips to help us out, for myself personally and for Sandy victims as a class of people."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz says concern about religious freedom, awakened in the debate over a new Indiana law, could unite conservative Republicans and rally some Democrats to the GOP in 2016.

Cruz told an audience Wednesday he could carry the banner for that cause in his GOP presidential campaign.

"We need to stand up as courageous conservatives," he told a packed auditorium in the heart of northwest Iowa's conservative northwest in his first visit to the state since declaring his candidacy last week. "Religious liberty is not some fringe view."

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence signed a law giving heightened protections to businesses that object on religious grounds to providing certain services. That's prompted a national backlash from critics who say the law discriminates against gays, and it's drawing threats of boycotts and other economic punishment.

Cruz suggested that he, in the field of likely Republican contenders, is the one who can turn out conservatives who were not motivated to vote in the last two presidential elections.

"I think the most important question, if we're going to win in 2016, is how do you bring back the millions of conservatives who have been staying home?" he said during the hourlong speech followed by questions from the audience. "I don't see a lot of folks who I think are likely to motivate, energize and mobilize the millions of conservatives to come out."

He argued that his efforts opposing President Barack Obama's health care law and increases in the federal debt limit made him stand out as someone who could.

Cruz commended Pence, as most would-be GOP presidential candidates have done, but took a different route when Tyler Brock of Sioux City asked him what he would have done in the governor's place. Stung by the backlash, Pence, himself a 2016 presidential prospect, now is asking state lawmakers to give him legislation clarifying that the religious-objectives law does not discriminate.

"Rather than second-guessing what Pence has done, let me talk about how we win," Cruz answered. "It used to be there was a bipartisan consensus. We defend the civil liberties of our fellow citizens."

Brock said he wished that Cruz had said he would have avoided Pence's move to clarify the law.

"I didn't expect him to throw Pence under the bus, but I wanted him to go further," Brock said. "I'm a Christian conservative who didn't vote in 2012. I am the type of voter he is talking about."

Cruz was expected to campaign in eastern and central Iowa before heading to South Carolina, which is scheduled to host the South's first primary in 2016.

Cruz said he had raised more than $2 million in his first three days as a declared candidate.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
A Minnesota senator will return campaign contributions she received from her newly indicted colleague, New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, a campaign aide to the Minnesota lawmaker said Wednesday.

The aide, Justin Buoen, said Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar will also return contributions she received from Dr. Salomon Melgen, a Menendez friend and donor.

Menendez, another Democrat, is accused of performing political favors for Melgen, who was also indicted Wednesday, in exchange for almost $1 million worth of gifts and campaign contributions. Menendez said he will fight the charges.

"Our campaign has never received questions from federal authorities about these contributions," Buoen said in a written statement. "The campaign is returning the contributions and will also be returning the contributions received from Senator Menendez's PAC," or political action committee.

Klobuchar matches the description of a lawmaker called "Senator 1" in the indictment.

The indictment says Menendez and Senator 1 agreed to raise $25,000 for each other during their successful 2012 re-relection campaigns. It says Melgen and his wife ended up contributing $8,000 to Senator 1. Federal Election Commission records show Klobuchar received that amount from the Melgens.

Senator 1 is not accused of wrongdoing.

Klobuchar, 54, is a former prosecutor first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Mayor Rahm Emanuel took the stage in an ornate hotel ballroom in downtown Chicago one day this week where roughly 1,400 African-American women had gathered for a lunch and campaign rally.

Playing to the crowd, he stressed the important role women had played in his life, his voice cracking when he got to his immigrant grandmother. He nodded to his mother, seated in the audience.

"My mother taught me to fight for what I believe in," he said to cheers.

Later that night the former White House chief of staff was in a union hall several miles to the south, talking up his family's immigrant roots and the value of Chicago's diversity before Latino voters.

With a runoff election between Emanuel and challenger Jesus "Chuy" Garcia set for Tuesday, Chicago voters are being treated to something they haven't seen in a long time: a mayor actually having to work to win re-election.

Emanuel's predecessor, Richard M. Daley, barely broke a sweat during most of his campaigns over more than 20 years in office. But Emanuel failed to win a majority in a five-candidate field in February, prompting the first mayoral runoff since Chicago switched to nonpartisan elections two decades ago.

Since then he's spent more shoe leather and millions of dollars trying to avoid another embarrassing election day showing.

A recent Chicago Tribune poll showed Emanuel with a more than 20-point lead over Garcia. Yet even Emanuel's supporters offer endorsements that sound a little like they're swallowing a dose of medicine that tastes bad, but they know is good for them.

"He may not be right on everything, but he is necessary," Tanya Hunter, of Grandmothers for Rahm, told the crowd at Wednesday's women's luncheon, where speaker after speaker defended Emanuel's decision to close about 50 schools largely in minority neighborhoods as beneficial for student achievement in the long run.

Garcia, a county commissioner from a working class neighborhood, was recruited by the Chicago Teachers Union to challenge Emanuel, with whom the union clashed during a 2012 strike. He is backed by several progressive organizations who say the mayor is too cozy with big business. Garcia has criticized Emanuel for his top-down approach, saying the mayor doesn't listen to people and isn't connected to day-to-day life in Chicago's neighborhoods.

Garcia scoffed at the latest polls, saying his volunteers will mobilize supporters for a strong showing again.

Voters are "tired of the wrong priorities of this administration," Garcia said. "People are excited that there's a runoff in the city of Chicago, and that's contagious."

Emanuel, who has raised millions more than Garcia for his campaign, relied heavily on an expensive television advertising campaign in the first-round election. Now, a surge of volunteers makes phone calls and knocks on doors each weekend, and has made contact with voters more than one million times, campaign spokesman Steve Mayberry said.

A union representing airport and convention workers has cut ads in which workers thank Emanuel for bringing more convention business to the city  what they describe in the ads as "Rahm Love."

The mayor, known for his sometimes abrasive personality, acknowledges there's room for improvement in his leadership.

"Chicago is a great city, but we can be even better," Emanuel says. "And yeah, I hear you - so can I."

Emanuel's criticism of Garcia has centered on his lack of a plan for dealing with Chicago's huge financial problems, which include the worst-funded pension systems of any major U.S. city. Garcia has said he needs to audit the city's books before he can say how he'd fix things, and wants to appoint a commission to help find a solution.

The mayor also has questioned whether Garcia could stand up to the labor unions that have backed him.

Some voters say regardless of what happens Tuesday, the runoff has been good for Chicago.

William McNary, 62, who voted for Emanuel in 2011 but is backing Garcia this time, points to Emanuel's announcement that he'll remove 50 of the city's red-light cameras, a controversial and unpopular program the mayor previously had defended.

Before Garcia's surprisingly strong challenge, "This is a mayor who's never admitted he made a mistake before," said McNary.

Both candidates have focused heavily on winning minority voters. At the luncheon for African-American women, Emanuel framed his decision to close schools against what he said were student gains in test scores and attendance.

Still, some in the group weren't convinced.

"I like that he does what he says he's going to do," said Afrieda Dockery, who said she's "on the fence" and bothered by the school closings and the possibility of a property tax hike. "But I don't always agree with what he does."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
The federal indictment against New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez turns in part on prosecutors' ability to show that the gifts and favors at the center of the case amount to bribery rather than reflections of a longtime friendship between the lawmaker and the donor.

That burden of proof is among the issues that make public corruption cases more complicated for the government than they would appear from the pages of an indictment.

"It relies very heavily on quid pro quo  giving this official action for that thing of value. It's not a fuzzy relationship, it's not an iffy relationship," said Robert Walker, a former Justice Department corruption prosecutor who also served as chief counsel of the House and Senate ethics committees. "It can be difficult to prove quid pro quo."

Another potential hurdle for prosecutors is a protection the Constitution gives members of Congress for their legislative acts, an issue that's repeatedly surfaced in other cases involving federal lawmakers.

A grand jury indictment issued Wednesday in Newark charges Menendez with accepting a series of gifts, including flights aboard a luxury jet and a Paris vacation, from Salomon Melgen, a wealthy Florida eye doctor, political donor and friend of two decades.

Prosecutors say Menendez, in exchange for gifts and campaign contributions, acted to advance Melgen's business interests, including by intervening in a Medicare billing dispute worth millions of dollars.

Menendez defiantly asserted his innocence in a public appearance hours after the indictment, predicted he would be vindicated and said Justice Department prosecutors "don't know the difference between friendship and corruption." On Thursday, he pleaded not guilty to charges including bribery, conspiracy and making false statements. He remains free but had to surrender his passport.

"Prosecutors at the Justice Department often get it wrong," said his lawyer, Abbe Lowell, after Thursday's arraignment. "These charges are the latest instance of that."

As the case proceeds, both sides will present dramatically different portraits of Menendez's relationship with Melgen.

In the government's telling, the lavish travel and vacation were given with the corrupt intent to spur specific acts on Melgen's behalf. But defense lawyers are likely to cast the gifts as tokens exchanged between men who've shared a close bond for 20 years.

And what prosecutors call unlawful favors will invariably be characterized by Menendez's defense lawyers as actions that fall within a senator's ordinary duties  and that were done for the right reasons.

"Because this was a real friendship and not a corrupt relationship  and because Senator Menendez's actions were proper  this case too will become another of those mistaken cases that should have never been brought," Lowell said.

That close relationship will likely not only be central to the defense but also stands apart from the one in last year's corruption case of ex-Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and wife Maureen, where a businessman who showered them with gifts became intertwined in their lives only after they had reached the executive mansion.

"I suspect this will be a hard-fought argument on both sides  whether these gifts were the result of a close long-term family friendship" or something more nefarious, said Scott Fredericksen, a Washington defense lawyer and former federal prosecutor.

A separate potential looming legal issue is the Constitution's "speech or debate" clause, which protects elected officials from being questioned by prosecutors, among others, about their legislative work.

Courts have historically understood the clause to shield members of Congress from legal scrutiny for votes and other core legislative acts. The provision's been invoked with varying degrees of success by members of Congress seeking protection from prosecution, or law enforcement searches, for legislative acts.

Edward Loya, a Los Angeles lawyer and former federal prosecutor, said that despite the legal complexities of public corruption cases, it will likely be hard for Menendez to prove that the actions he took were part of the ordinary legislative process  or that he wasn't "going out on a limb" for Melgen by contacting executive agency heads on the doctor's behalf, in certain instances.

"The official acts that Sen. Menendez engaged in don't have a clear explanation other than his apparent interest in trying to help a personal friend who was providing him benefits and things of value," added Loya, a former member of the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section, an anti-corruption unit handling the prosecution.

The section has had a mixed track record against high-profile public figures in recent years, a reflection of some of the inherent challenges of the cases.

The Menendez case will be the first against a sitting senator since the botched prosecution of the late Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, which the Justice Department ultimately dismissed after admitting that it failed to turn over evidence.

Prosecutors from the section later lost a campaign finance case against Sen. John Edwards  another Lowell client  but helped secure corruption verdicts last year against the McDonnells in Virginia.

Outside court Thursday, Lowell cited both the Stevens and Edwards cases as examples of what he described as Justice Department mistakes  a public salvo in a high-stakes, high-profile legal fight.

"This is shaping up as a quite good battle," Fredericksen said.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
next Image 1 of 2

prev Image 2 of 2

In an Easter peace wish, Pope Francis on Sunday praised the framework nuclear agreement with Iran as an opportunity to make the world safer, while expressing deep worry about bloodshed in Libya, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Nigeria and elsewhere in Africa.

Cautious hope ran through Francis' "Urbi et Orbi" Easter message, a kind of papal commentary on the state of the world's affairs, which he delivered from the central balcony of St. Peter's Square.

He had just celebrated Mass in rain-whipped St. Peter's Square for tens of thousands of people, who huddled under umbrellas or braved the downpour in thin, plastic rain-slickers.

Easter day is "so beautiful, and so ugly because of the rain," Francis said after Mass about Christianity's most important feast day. He expressed thanks for the flowers which bedecked the square and which were donated by the Netherlands, but the bright hues of the azaleas and other blossoms seemed muted by the gray skies.

Francis made his first public comments about the recent framework for an accord, reached in Lausanne, Switzerland, and aimed at ensuring Iran doesn't develop a nuclear weapon.

"In hope we entrust to the merciful Lord the framework recently agreed to in Lausanne, that it may be a definitive step toward a more secure and fraternal world."

Decrying the plentitude of weapons in the world in general, Francis said: "And we ask for peace for this world subjected to arms dealers, who earn their living with the blood of men and women."

He denounced "absurd bloodshed and all barbarous acts of violence" in Libya, convulsed by fighting fueled by tribal and militia rivalries. He hoped "a common desire for peace" would prevail in Yemen, wracked by civil warfare.

Francis prayed that the "roar of arms may cease" in Syria and Iraq, and that peace would come in Africa for Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan and Congo.

He recalled the young people, many of them targeted because they were Christians, killed last week in a Kenyan university, and lamented kidnappings, by Islamic extremists, that have plagued parts of Africa, including Nigeria.

He also cited bloodshed closer to home, in Ukraine, praying that the Eastern European nation would "rediscover peace and hope thanks to the commitment of all interested parties." Government forces have been battling Russian-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine, months after a cease-fire was proclaimed following international diplomatic efforts.

On Good Friday, Francis chastised the international community for what he called the complicit silence about the killing of Christians. On Easter he prayed that God would alleviate "the suffering of so many of our brothers persecuted because of his name."

During Mass, Francis was shielded from pelting rain by a canopy erected outside St. Peter's Basilica, while prelates carried umbrellas in the yellow and white colors of the Vatican.

The downpour petered out to a drizzle, and by the end of the ceremony, the rain had stopped. Francis, wearing a white overcoat, was driven through the square in the open-sided popemobile so he could wave to the faithful.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
next Image 1 of 2

prev Image 2 of 2

Cary Gordon isn't a political operative, a top dollar donor or an elected official. But that hasn't stopped Jeb Bush's team from already reaching out as the 2016 Republican presidential campaign revs up in Iowa.

Gordon is a well-known evangelical Christian pastor with a church in Sioux City that can draw 600 people on Sundays and a voice that echoes far beyond the pulpit. Gordon backed former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum in the 2012 GOP field, sending out text messages, tweets and a video announcement to deliver his message.

In some states, big city ward leaders or union bosses are the go-to guys to deliver votes.

When it comes to Iowa's Republican caucuses, evangelical pastors are kingmakers, with sway over an important bloc of participants. Long before the campaign heats up, leading ministers are showered with personal attention from likely candidates, and they can negotiate their policy positions on issues such as gay rights and abortion.

With the power comes perks.

For example, Brad Sherman, pastor at Solid Rock Christian Church in Coralville, was among a group of Iowa pastors invited on a complimentary trip to Poland and London in late 2014 with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who is considering a 2016 race.

"Just being in Iowa and being involved opens certain doors," said Sherman, who went on a trip to Israel with Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul.

Both were funded by evangelical leader David Lane, who is working to grow the number of conservative Christian voters in early voting states.

Going into 2016, the power of the Iowa pastors is considered indisputable. Four years ago, pastors united behind Santorum, who eked out a victory in the caucuses and saw his stature rise in the crowded field. Back in 2008, evangelical support was part of Huckabee's winning coalition.

"In our church, the last four cycles we've probably had almost 100 percent of our people vote," said Bill Tvedt, pastor at Jubilee Family Church in Oskaloosa, who has not endorsed a candidate. "In our local county, we control the Republican party pretty much  our church and another church."

Lots of the potential 2016 GOP candidates are wooing pastors.

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Paul have appeared before groups of religious conservatives. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker talks frequently about being a pastor's son. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, whose father is a pastor, and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal recently addressed a gathering of pastors in Des Moines.

"I believe our country is in crisis and I think it's incumbent on people of faith to stand up and defend our values," said Cruz, who was joined by his father, Rafael, at the event.

Iowa pastors have been politically active for years, but became more involved after the Iowa Supreme Court's 2009 decision allowing gay marriage, which incensed many. Their turnout machines are formidable, with more than half of the 2012 caucus participants identifying as evangelical or born-again Christian, according to exit polls.

"They provide a voice in the pulpit," said Jamie Johnson, a pastor from Story City who is working for Perry.

Said Gordon, executive pastor at Cornerstone World Outreach, "I teach our people that civic responsibility is a part of our Christian heritage."

Some pastors arrange buses for people to attend the Iowa Straw Poll, the summer event viewed as an early test of campaign organizations.

So far this year, a chief concern for some pastors is that there may be too many good options.

"I'm concerned that the truly conservative base will get split up so many ways and we'll end up with a moderate," said Sherman.

Still, some Iowa pastors think faith leaders should not be working to help candidates.

Judy Winkelpleck, the pastor at Central Presbyterian Church in Des Moines, said she identifies as a progressive, but has still gotten outreach from Republican candidates, including an email recently on behalf of Paul.

"I do not believe pastors should endorse candidates. I do believe faith questions should be raised so people can make their own political decisions," said Winkelpleck.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
She was little known outside her City Council district a mere fifteen months ago, but New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito has briskly taken her first steps onto the national stage and out of the mayor's shadow.

Mark-Viverito, whose political positions are largely to the left of the famously liberal Mayor Bill de Blasio, is becoming a prominent voice -- and Twitter pundit -- on such issues as immigration and criminal justice reform.

She wore an "I Can't Breathe" T-shirt in honor of Eric Garner's last words after he was placed in a fatal police chokehold. She called out Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the most powerful Democrat in the state, for his stances on charter schools and his lack of public statement on a gas explosion in East Harlem. And she will travel this month to Arizona, a hotbed of immigration debate, to push for a municipal identification card that primarily benefits immigrants who entered the country illegally.

"I believe in equality and justice for vulnerable populations," Mark-Viverito told The Associated Press in an interview this week. "I want to be part of that conversation. I want to be part of moving the dial."

Mark-Viverito, who was born in Puerto Rico, spent years as an activist and labor organizer before being elected to City Council in 2005. After securing re-election in 2013, she made a bid for the speaker post, a job traditionally doled out by the Democratic party's borough bosses.

But de Blasio took the unusual step of intervening in the council's race to elect a new speaker, throwing his support behind Mark-Viverito -- a longtime ally and one of the first to endorse his longshot campaign -- and pressuring council members to do the same.

Mark-Viverito won, becoming the first Hispanic to hold the powerful post.

With a City Council comprised of 48 Democrats and just three Republicans, the body helped usher in de Blasio's vision of an activist, liberal government. In rapid succession, the council passed an expansion of paid sick leave and living wage reform, opening up the speaker to criticism that she was indebted to de Blasio and would march lockstep with him.

"She was an obscure local councilwoman who got catapulted into a very visible role that she was not immediately prepared to leverage," said Dan Gerstein, a New York political strategist. "It was inevitable that it would take her some time to find her footing."

But there have been clashes. Most notably, the council championed hiring 1,000 new police officers during the last budget season, only to be turned down by the mayor's office. But Mark-Viverito has continued to advocate for it, and the mayor's office appears set to blink this year and at least hire some officers.

Mark-Viverito sees no conflict between her stance to hire more officers and her previous criticism of the police force. When she wore the Garner-themed shirt, she drew the wrath of the police unions, which, during their conflict with City Hall over the winter, demanded that de Blasio denounce Mark-Viverito.

He did not. And she won't apologize.

"When it comes to issues of fairness, of sticking up for the dispossessed, she will not compromise," said City Councilman Corey Johnson. "She has strong beliefs, she won't back down."

Some of her bold stances may be fueled by the knowledge that term limits will force her out of office after 2017. She has moved past de Blasio on some calls for criminal justice reform, including the creation of a bail fund for minor offenders and a call for some low-level violations, such as jumping a subway turnstile, to warrant only summonses instead of jail time.

But immigration is the issue on which her profile is largest. She's become a semi-regular on cable TV news as the debate in Washington heats up, and the council has established a fund for unaccompanied immigrant minor's legal fees.

The municipal ID card is likely her signature achievement. As of last week, more than 100,000 New Yorkers have signed up for the card, which will allow undocumented immigrants -- and other groups such as the elderly and the transgendered -- to access vital city services.

"I don't believe you should be criminalizing anybody who has an intention to come here because they want to provide for their families and don't see any other means to do it," she said.

Mark-Viverito, 45, is a private person, rarely discussing her life outside City Hall. And unlike her predecessor as speaker, fellow Democrat Christine Quinn, who ran for mayor in 2013, Mark-Viverito has mostly kept her political ambitions to herself (although she has said she would not pursue Rep. Charlie Rangel's seat when he retires in 2017).

That caginess is why her outspoken, and at-times goofy, frequent Twitter usage has come as a surprise to so many.

She runs her own account, rarely running Tweets by her staff, including when she criticized Cuomo last year. She also used Twitter to reveal that she has human papillomavirus, or HPV, and used the moment to urge New Yorkers to get vaccinated.

But Twitter is also where she displays her lighter side. She live-tweeted the Grammys, has used it to tease reporters and, the night of her April 1 birthday, she posted a photo of a diamond ring with the hashtags #OMG #YES, sending reporters -- and some of her staff -- scrambling.

Eleven minutes later, she sent another tweet: #HappyAprilFoolsDay.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
American hopes of opening an embassy in Havana before presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro meet at a regional summit this week have been snarled in disputes about Cuba's presence on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terror and U.S. diplomats' freedom to travel and talk to ordinary Cubans without restriction, officials say.

The Summit of the Americas will be the scene of the presidents' first face-to-face meeting since they announced Dec. 17 that they will re-establish diplomatic relations after a half-century of hostility. The Obama administration wanted the embassies reopened before the summit starts in Panama on Friday, boosting a new American policy motivated partly by a sense that isolating Cuba was causing friction with other countries in the region.

Arriving at the summit with a deal to reopen embassies in Washington and Havana would create goodwill for the U.S., particularly after it issued new sanctions on selected Venezuelan officials last month that prompted protests from left-leaning countries around the hemisphere.

Negotiators on both sides said they are confident they will be able to strike a deal to reopen embassies in the coming weeks but not necessarily before the summit.

"It's not a lot of time, let's put it that way," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf told a briefing on Friday when asked whether an agreement on embassies was likely before the gathering in Panama City.

Asked Monday about the latest on the embassies, White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters that "when you have a country that has essentially been ostracized by the United States for five decades ... it's going to take a little bit of time to re-establish some trust."

"When you consider the 50-year history between our two countries, three months doesn't seem very long," Earnest said, referring to the December announcement.

The U.S. and Cuba have held three rounds of talks about restoring diplomatic relations. Cuba's main demand is to be removed from the terror list, a Cold War-era designation that isolates it from much of the world financial system because banks fear repercussions from doing business with designated countries. Even Cuba's Interests Section in Washington has lost its bank in the U.S., forcing it to deal in cash.

Washington has long since stopped accusing Havana of supporting terrorism and Obama made clear in December that he intends to remove Cuba from the list. But U.S. officials said the president must first send Congress a report that says Cuba has not provided any support for international terrorism during the previous six months and has assured the United States that it will not support terrorism in the future.

The terror list is a particularly charged issue for Cuba because of the U.S. history of supporting exile groups responsible for attacks on the island, including the 1976 bombing of a Cuban passenger flight from Barbados that killed 73 people aboard. The attack was linked to Cuban exiles with ties to U.S.-backed anti-Castro groups and both men accused of masterminding the crime took shelter in Florida, where one, Luis Posada Carriles, lives to this day.

Officials familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press that the demand for assurances there will be no future terror support has led Cuba to reiterate its own past allegations about U.S. involvement in terrorism against the island, and issue a reciprocal demand that the United States pledge to not support such attacks in the future.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the negotiations.

Despite the delay in reopening the embassies, both sides appear optimistic they can reach agreement on the terror issue in the near future. The United States and Cuba still have to resolve a demand by Washington that its diplomats be allowed to operate like those from any other country once the U.S. Interests Section in Havana becomes a full embassy. American diplomats currently must obtain permission from the Cuban government to travel outside Havana and Cubans must register with Cuban guards before entering the building, a measure the United States says is aimed at dissuading dissidents from contacts with U.S. officials.

The officials said it appeared unlikely that Washington would strike Cuba from the terror list without assurances from Castro's government that it will allow the future U.S. embassy to operate with fewer restrictions, a sensitive issue for Cuba because it would allow more American contact with dissidents whom the communist government sees as U.S.-backed mercenaries. Other issues include caps on the number of diplomats at the embassy and restrictions on U.S. imports of products ranging from office supplies to household goods.

Cuban insistence on the continued restrictions on freedom of movement by U.S. diplomats could force the Obama administration into tough decisions about what limits it is willing to accept in order to have an embassy in Cuba.

Domestic politics are also fueling U.S. caution in the talks. While Congress cannot permanently block Cuba's removal from the list, the Obama administration will have to defend its decision in public hearings heading into a presidential campaign season. Republican candidate Ted Cruz and likely candidate Marco Rubio have family ties to Cuba and object to normalization with the Castro government.

Assistant Secretary of State Roberta Jacobson, Obama's head of Western Hemisphere affairs, said at a forum last week on U.S. business opportunities in Cuba that the terror review "is in very advanced stages and we will try to get that done as quickly as possible."

"One of the reasons that things are taking a while is that we need certain things to run an embassy," she added. "That is one of the most important things in our conversations."

Asked about the status of the negotiations, the U.S. State Department said Friday that the review of Cuba's inclusion on the State Sponsor of Terrorism list was still under way. A Cuban government spokesman speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to be quoted by name said that the country had not been asked to make any public declaration about future support for terrorism. He declined to comment further on the discussions.

U.S.-Cuba experts hope progress comes quickly.

"I think it would be smart on both sides to show continued momentum, to demonstrate that the instructions given by the president on Dec. 17 will be faithfully and promptly carried out by their negotiators," said Richard Feinberg, a senior director of the National Security Council's Office of Inter-American Affairs under President Bill Clinton.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
A prominent Cuban dissident who arrived in Panama for the Summit of the Americas was detained and threatened with deportation if she caused any disturbance in the country.

Rosa Maria Paya, daughter of deceased Cuban dissident Oswaldo Paya who testified on Capitol Hill in early February, wrote Sunday afternoon on her Twitter account that she was being detained at the Panama City airport, Tocumen.

"You'll be deported to Cuba if you cause any disturbance, she reported that she was told by a government agent. You carry a banner ... Go back to your country to cause problems."

Paya also suggested that she was specifically targeted by Panamanian authorities. I have read everything you write, and everything they write about you, she claimed the agent told her.

Panamanian officials later apologized for "any bureaucratic error" committed at the international airport

"Vas a ser deportada a Cuba si causas cualquier disturbio, llevas una pancarta... Vayan a su pais causar disturbios" Me amenaza el agente

She tweeted in another message that, They have gone through everything I have, even my underwear. At one point they took my personal agenda, in which I have all my notes.

In the end, Paya, who was invited along with other Cuban dissidents to attend a forum on civil society being held from April 8 to 10 that is part of the Summit of the Americas, was allowed into the country. The Summit itself takes place April 10 and 11, and leaders of the Western Hemisphere nations such as U.S. President Barack Obama and Cubas Raul Castro are expected to attend.

Afterward, the Panamanian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that officials had contacted the authorities at the airport to ensure the smooth entry of Summit attendees. "The Foreign Ministry apologizes for any bureaucratic mistake made and has taken steps to ensure that it does not happen again.

According to the Miami Herald, the incident caused alarm among the immigrant community of South Florida, with activists suggesting that other activists traveling to the Central American nation for the Summit may experience similar treatment.

Panama's former ambassador to the Organization of American States, Guillermo Cochez, told the Herald that he made phone calls requesting that Paya be released.

They applied procedures that to me seem inadequate, Cochez told the paper. I reported it to the foreign minister, I reported it to the president.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Congressman Mike Coffman has been studying Spanish for less than two years, but he launches into it with the seeming comfort and ability of a veteran speaker.

The Colorado Republican, who won re-election in 2014 in what was considered the most competitive House race in the country, drew some skepticism when he began taking Spanish and going to Latino neighborhoods and adopting a more moderate view of issues such as comprehensive immigration reform.

His districts boundaries were redrawn in 2011, after the Census came out a year earlier, and suddenly the predominantly white, Republican area was ethnically diverse  including 20 percent Latino  and was winnable by a Democrat.

That made last year's mid-term election, as Politico put it, "a proxy war for the national Democratic and Republican parties" in the battle for the growing Latino electorate.

Coffman, 60, does not deny that the need to reach out to Latinos, a community he concedes that he knew very little about, was non-negotiable if he was to remain in Congress.

But what began as a survival tactic, Coffman said, developed into a genuine interest and respect for Latinos and the Spanish language.

Where many politicians drop such outreach and nearly vanish from certain communities once an election is over, Coffman, who won re-election in 2012 and 2014, engages with Latinos and studies the language as if he were still campaigning.

Es muy importante para la comunidad, Coffman said in an interview with Fox News Latino where the questions were in English but he often responded in Spanish.

Its a sign of respect for the community, he said, translating his response to why he dove into learning Spanish, a language he continues to study several times a week with his Colombian-born tutor. Its been exciting for me to reach out to Hispanics, Asians, African immigrants and learn.

My district totally, dramatically changed, Coffman said. I lost a lot of my more Republican areas, and got a heavy immigrant population.

Suddenly, he was addressing issues such as immigration from a perspective he had lacked before.

Now, he was formulating his views and ideas after speaking directly  without translators  in Spanish to families separated after deportations, and undocumented youths who had been in the United States since they were children and shared with him their despair over not being able to go to college or get a drivers license because of actions their parents had taken.

Coffman says he was taken aback by the chilly reaction he got at first by some Latinos and Asians to whom he made overtures.

They said to me that Republicans were anti-immigrant, he said, that was the Republican Partys image even among legal immigrants. That surprised me as I was campaigning.

Coffman and Romanoff made national headlines with their decision to hold an all-Spanish televised debate, a rarity in the country. Univision promoted it weeks ahead of time, something that Coffman says made him more known to Latinos in his district.

The Coffman success in a diverse district has the national Republican Party watching closely.

The Republican National Committee is holding Coffman up as a model for the kind of engagement Republicans must employ if they are to turn around their image among Latinos.

At the RNC were leading by example, while shining a spotlight on leaders who go the extra mile," RNC Chairman Reince Priebus told a large audience at an annual U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce summit in Washington D.C. last month.



Like Congressman Mike Coffman in Colorado. He was first elected to Colorados sixth district in 2008. When that district was redrawn after 2010, he found he had an even larger Spanish-speaking constituency," Priebus said. For Congressman Coffman, communicating with these constituents was important. He wanted to do his part. So he took intensive Spanish courses, and in the last election, he even participated in a Spanish language debate on Univision. And hes still continuing his classes."



In states like Colorado and Florida, that work made an important difference in securing Republican victories."

Coffman has softened his stance on immigration. In the past he expressed opposition to giving undocumented immigrants a break, and did not support the DREAM Act.

Now he supports allowing immigrants who were brought to the United States as children a chance to legalize if, among other things, they are willing to join the military or go to college.

They were brought here through no fault of their own, and this is the only country many of them really know, Coffman said.

Other undocumented immigrants, he said, should have an opportunity to obtain work visas and pay taxes.

It cant be done by executive order however, Coffman said. It has to be done by Congress.

But neither the Democrats nor his own party seem to have the will to address immigration in a rational, efficient way, he said.

For Democrats, its all or nothing, Coffman said. Republicans want a step-by-step approach to reforming immigration, but they seem unwilling to take a first step.

He is working with colleagues such as Rep. Carlos Curbelo, a Florida Republican, on measures that would give some immigrants a chance to legalize their status if they meet strict criteria.

We need to come up with a version of the DREAM Act that is acceptable to both parties, he said.

We need a system where people can go back and forth, bring them out of the shadows, let them work here, he said. We need to get something done on immigration reform, something that is aligned with our economic needs, and we need to be compassionate about keeping families together. Its important going into 2016.

During the campaign for re-election last year, Democrats accused Coffman of being insincere.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said his change of heart on some issues of importance to Latinos amounted to a "political deathbed conversion.

Mike Coffman, from his record and his past, has shown that hes not on the right side on immigration, said Rick Palacio, the Colorado Democratic Party chairman, to Politico. Going from that extreme to trying to soften his stance says to me and to a lot of people in Colorado that hes a political opportunist.

Coffman dismissed the criticism, saying that many of his GOP colleagues, like many Americans in general, were modifying their views on the complex issue of immigration.

Bob Martinez, a former Colorado Republican Party chairman who often pushed for his party to be open-minded on immigration, defended Coffman's altered views.

I think its good. Im hoping a lot of Republican politicians realize how damaging to the party [the issue has] been, Martinez said to Politico. Mike Coffman has made a 180-degree evolution on this issue.  I think its fantastic.

Had Coffman not changed, Martinez added, I think it would have put him in jeopardy.

For now, Coffman continues immersing himself in the Latino cultures and Spanish language.

He listens to Rosetta Stone lessons on flights between Washington D.C. and Colorado. He watches Sabado Gigante and Spanish-language news shows. And he regularly meets with Latinos groups and officials of the Mexican consulate.

This summer, he plans to attend an intensive Spanish-language class in Mexico.

If it goes well, he said, Ill do it again for a longer time.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a likely Republican presidential candidate, can speak fluent Spanish with a slight Cuban-American accent. He has lived in Venezuela and Mexico, where he not only taught English as a second language but also met his wife, Columba.

Even though he is married to a Latina, has three Latino children and lives in Miami Dade County, where upwards of 60 percent of the areas residents are Latinos, Bush himself, of course, is not Hispanic.

But his 2009 Miami-Dade voter registration application claims otherwise.

Initially obtained by the New York Times, and confirmed by Fox News Latino through Miami-Dade County Elections Department, the Caucasian Bush checked Hispanic on the form right before the White non-Hispanic box.

Bush's son then joked about the snafu.

LOL  come on dad, think you checked the wrong box #HonoraryLatino, Jeb Jr. tweeted.

My mistake! Dont think Ive fooled anyone! Bush replied on Twitter Monday morning about the error.

Despite not being Hispanic, Bush, like his brother, George W., made major inroads among Hispanic voters while in office. When Bush was first elected to the governorship of Florida in 1998, he defeated Democrat Buddy McKay 61 percent to 38 percent among Latino voters.

In Cuban-American political circles in Miami he was even dubbed an honorary Hispanic, and Spanish-language media like El Pais has this year referred to him as a Hispanic candidate.

But clearly, he is not actually Hispanic.

It's unclear where the paperwork error was made. Bush spokeswoman Kristy Campbell said in an email. The governor's family certainly got a good laugh out of it. He is not Hispanic.

Fox News Kathleen Reuschle contributed to this report.
Sen. Bob Menendezs corruption allegations, part of which has to do with business interests in the Dominican Republic, may soon make waves strong enough to reach the islands political elite.

Menendez's link to Dominican friend and donor Salomon Melgen has been virtually ignored by media outlets on the island, where the now-Florida resident still holds clout.

This, however, is likely to change.

The political establishment has been paying rapt attention to a part of the indictment that raises the possibility of official corruption and the involvement of a powerful figure with deep ties to top government leaders.

Many on the island are paying special attention to page 33 of the indictment, related with Menendezs alleged attempt to stop the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) from donating cargo screening equipment to the Dominican Republic  a donation that would have directly hurt his friend Melgen, who had an exclusive contract to provide cargo screening services to Dominican ports.

Even though not mentioned by name, the date alluded in that section of the indictment would suggest the involvement of Rafael Camilo, the countrys Customs General Director until 2012. Camilo, a close ally to former president Leonel Fernandez, is still tied to the highest hierarchies of power in the D.R.

On page 29 of the indictment, an e-mail by a Secretary of State official refers to the customs director as highly corrupt.

I called back [redacted]. He said the current scanners are inadequate and the port security is deteriorating quickly. The customs director is highly corrupt, the email from the official said. He proposes going after visas for corruption purposes, which would have a cultural impact and send a message to the president.

Camilo, 67, was the countrys Customs Director from 2009 to 2012, and then served as Banks Superintendent until his retirement in 2014. He is a longtime member of the Dominican Liberation Partys Central Committee (Partido de la Liberacion Dominicana, PLD), the current ruling party. Camilo remains a close ally of two-time president Leonel Fernandez, who still is a major power broker in the Dominican Republic, and he also helped launch the candidacy of Fernandezs successor Danilo Medina, who has been in office since 2012.

Political experts in the country say Camilos link to the issue is evidence that the government was somehow involved and some are saying this could pull the country into a scandal that has shaken up Washington.

[Former President Leonel] Fernandez has remained quiet all this time, but now this is going to push him to act, said Jorge Pineda, Editor in Chief at English-language news website Dominican Today, to Fox News Latino.

Pineda said that the extension of Dominican corruption exposed by the indictment will probably have consequences, even though no government official has uttered a word on the indictment as of yet.

I am surprised that Camilo hasnt come out and spoken yet, said Francisco Alvarez, a member of a prominent anti-corruption organization in the D.R. called Participacion Ciudadana. He probably will in the following days.

Alvarez said Melgen used Sen. Menendez as his personal lobbyist once he heard of the CBPs supposed intentions to make a massive donation of X-ray equipment that would have ruined any lucrative prospects for Melgens ICCSI  even though the contract is tied up in court.

He used Menendez as his private lobbyist to dissuade the U.S. authorities [to go ahead with the donation] by discrediting the Customs Director, Alvarez said.

Camilo, Alvarez said, was being dirtied up because he opposed Melgens contract from the start  so he was made to look like a bad guy with no credibility.

Alvarez noted that the person feeding the information to the States Department official who describes the Customs Director as highly corrupt is person C, identified in the indictment as Menendezs friend.

This case is a matter of huge transcendence because this is one of the most corrupt contracts in the history of the D.R., Alvarez said.
Hillary Rodham Clinton can claim a piece of the victory if the U.S. and other world powers ultimately complete a final nuclear deal with Iran.

She will own a piece of the failure if the negotiations collapse or produce a weak deal.

Clinton's statement after Thursday's tentative agreement suggests the soon-to-be Democratic candidate for president suggests that she agrees that those are the stakes.

She called the framework "an important step," while cautioning that "the devil is always in the details."

The issue will figure prominently in the foreign policy debate of the 2016 presidential campaign. Nearly all the expected GOP candidates said the outline agreement was dangerous to U.S. interests.

"This attempt to spin diplomatic failure as a success is just the latest example of this administration's farcical approach to Iran," said Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. He is likely to make foreign policy a centerpiece of his candidacy.

"The onus is on Iran and the bar must be set high," said Clinton, who helped lay the groundwork for the diplomacy with Iran as President Barack Obama's first secretary of state. "There is much to do and much more to say in the months ahead, but for now diplomacy deserves a chance to succeed."

Clinton occupies a unique space on the nuclear issue because of her role in Obama's Cabinet. She sent a close adviser, Jake Sullivan, to participate in the secret talks with Iran that led to the start of the international negotiations over the country's nuclear ambitions.

Clinton is also navigating delicate ties with Israel and the American Jewish community, an influential group of voters and donors. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a fierce critic of the Obama administration's outreach to Iran, described the framework deal as a threat to "the very survival" of his nation.

"I don't know how you can maneuver all aspects of this politically," said Ray Takeyh, a senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. "You can be supportive and skeptical. I suspect that's the direction."

The tentative agreement announced Thursday by the U.S. and its negotiating partners  Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia  is aimed at keeping Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. Negotiators have until June 30 to settle the technical details.

The deal would remove economic penalties against Iran once the U.N. nuclear agency verifies Tehran's compliance.

At times, Clinton has tried to play up her connection to the historic diplomacy. The U.S. and Iran severed diplomatic relations in 1979 after the Islamic revolution and the storming of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, where 52 Americans were held hostage for more than a year.

When Obama was getting credit for the clandestine negotiations, Clinton's aides made sure reporters knew that the approach had started during her tenure at the State Department.

Clinton wrote in her memoir of how she set the negotiations in motion by facilitating back-channel discussions with Iran through the sultan of Oman, who suggested the talks after he helped free an American hiker held by Iran. Clinton tapped Sullivan to establish contact with the Iranians in 2012, an important step in the path to Thursday's preliminary agreement.

Sullivan has closely consulted with Clinton on policy as she prepares to announce her presidential campaign this month. The 38-year-old Sullivan is seen as her likely pick, if she wins the presidency, as national security adviser.

Yet Clinton also expressed doubt as the talks dragged on and she neared a return to politics.

Last year, Clinton told an American Jewish organization that while Obama had given 50-50 odds of an agreement, she was "skeptical the Iranians will follow through and deliver." She said she had "seen many false hopes dashed through the years."

Brian Katulis, a senior fellow at the left-leaning Center for American Progress who focuses on national security policy in the Middle East and South Asia, said if a full deal is reached by the summer, Clinton would be "part of something historic" because of her initial role.

If it failed, he predicted she still would be "in a strong position at the center of the debate, because Iran would be widely viewed as the spoiler."

With public polling showing a majority of Americans favor a diplomatic resolution to Iran's nuclear ambitions, Katulis said, "any effort by Republicans to criticize Clinton's support for diplomacy might ultimately push them to the margins of today's national security debate and away from the center."

Clinton appears set to go on offense against the Republicans in the race on Iran. After dozens of Republican senators, including Rubio and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, sent a letter to Iran's leaders warning that Congress could upend a deal, Clinton said the lawmakers were "out of step with the best traditions of American leadership."

"Either these senators were trying to be helpful to the Iranians or harmful to the commander-in-chief in the midst of high-stakes international diplomacy," she said. "Either answer does discredit" to the letter-signers.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
California attorney general, Kamala Harris, who announced on Jan. 13 that she would run for Barbara Boxers Senate seat, raised $2.5 million in the first quarter of 2015 for her campaign.

We are well on our way toward building a strong grassroots campaign that will reach every community of California, Harris said in a statement.

According to her campaign, of the 6,500 contributions her candidacy has received, nearly 5,000 have been of $100 or less.

Despite a horde of state politicians that have flirted with running for the open Senate seat in 2016, such as former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, Harris remains the only declared Democrat, the states majority party.

Republican state assemblyman Rocky Chavez also announced in March that hes running.

Harris, who so far has concentrated on securing endorsements and raising money in California and Washington, D.C., raised $1.5 million in March alone, according to Pasadena NPR station, KPCC.

The early fundraising jump makes Harris an imposing early leader in the race.

"By itself, it's not enough to keep other candidates out of the race, Claremont McKenna College political scientist Jack Pitney told KPCC, but together with her other advantages, other potential candidates have to weigh their options carefully."

Other Democrats who may be poised to jump into the race include U.S. Representatives Adam Schiff and Xavier Becerra, each of whom would start with war chests of $2.1 million and $1.3 million, respectively, according to the Sacramento Bee.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Chicagos first mayoral primary runoff since the city adopted nonpartisan elections in the 1990s takes place Tuesday between the incumbent Democrat, Rahm Emanuel, and his surprise challenger, Cook County Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia.

Garcia told EFE that the election in the nation's third-largest city could be a "referendum" between the two wings that seek control of the party.

A Garcia victory would send a message "to Democrats who cater to the rich and powerful with a corporate agenda that seeks to privatize everything without a thought for our neighborhoods," the Mexican-born candidate said.

The candidates crisscrossed Chicago a day earlier to greet commuters, rally supporters and call voters. Emanuel, a former White House chief of staff, has tried to convince the public he's the best person to navigate Chicago's mounting fiscal problems. Garcia has criticized Emanuel for not listening to neighborhood residents and touted a strong get-out-the-vote effort.

The city is overwhelmingly Democratic, so the winner of todays runoff will be the overwhelming favorite to win in November.

Emanuel failed to win a majority in February's first-round election. He finished first in the five-candidate field, winning 45 percent, while Garcia came in second with roughly 34 percent.

According to Garcia, 59, his campaign "has assembled the elements of victory," with the majority backing of Latinos, who make up 14 percent of the electorate, and significant support among African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Muslims and white progressives.

"We've got together a pretty diverse coalition, something that's unprecedented for a candidate from the minority community," he said.

Garcia, who has lived in Chicago since the age of 10, was a city alderman and Illinois state senator before winning a seat on the Cook County Commission.

Supporters  including the Rev. Jesse Jackson  rallied Monday in the heavily Mexican Pilsen neighborhood. They blasted Emanuel for not taking down widely criticized red-light cameras, while praising Garcia for meeting with residents over noise complaints near O'Hare International Airport.

"We weren't supposed to be here. We were counted out," Garcia told supporters. "People had their say in Chicago."

For his part, Emanuel has tried to convince voters that controversial actions  such as closing dozens of schools in 2013  were beneficial. But in the process he's admitted his famously aggressive approach could have been softer. He's also tried to poke holes in his opponent's experience.

Emanuel spent Monday shaking hands with the breakfast crowd and calling voters. He told reporters he's been reminding people of his achievements: lobbying successfully for full-day kindergarten and a higher minimum wage.

"People going to the polls are interested in Chicago's future," he said. "They're voting for the basic things that they want for their families, their neighborhoods and their communities."

The Chicago Board of Election Commissioners says more than 142,300 residents voted early, compared with nearly 90,000 ahead of the February election and roughly 73,200 before the 2011 election.

Both campaigns emphasized early voting, with the candidates casting ballots ahead of Tuesday. Still, election officials have been uncertain about how many early votes may have been due to Chicagoans trying to vote before heading out on spring break vacations.

Chicago's next mayor faces major issues, including the worst-funded pensions of any major U.S. city, upcoming contract negotiations with a teachers union that went on strike in 2012 and a persistent crime problem. The leader of the nation's third-largest city will also have to attract new residents and businesses.

Based on reporting by the Associated Press and EFE.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Her surname means war in Spanish.

As Director of Hispanic Media at the Republican National Committee (RNC), Ruth Guerra, at just 26 years old, leads the charge to ensure that her partys message is engaging more Latinos than ever before.

A proud Texan from McAllen (I love Texas. Texas will always be home), Guerra felt drawn to politics as a way to make a difference in the lives of millennials and Latinos.

My familys not political by any means, said Guerra to Fox News Latino. "My parents decided to leave Mexico and come to the United States so that my sisters and I would have a better opportunity to succeed.

But when I began reading the bleak statistics about millennials graduating from college and being unable to find a job, I discovered my passion is to serve in politics as a means to fight for what I believe.

Guerra attended Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, where she graduated from the Honors College with a Bachelor of Science degree.

In 2008, Guerra began her career in politics as a volunteer on Sen. John McCains presidential campaign in Dallas/Forth Worth.

After college, she moved to Washington, D.C., where she was hired as an aide for Rep. Sam Johnson, a Texas Republican, and in just six months was offered a press secretary position for Rep. Mario Diaz Balart, a Florida Republican, on Capitol Hill.

There she caught the attention of The LIBRE Initiative, which hired her as the non-profit's first national press secretary.

Guerra's career has reaffirmed her belief that self-reliance and hard work are core American values that deeply resonate with Hispanics.

One of my favorite things to do is see others succeed, especially Latina millennials," Guerra said. "In the last decade weve seen that achieving the American Dream has become harder for my generation.

Getting back to the basics and defending what made this nation great motivates me every day to fight hard for a better American future.

Guerra's work ethic and her team's performance during last year's midterm election did not go unnoticed by the Republican Party.

Typically the RNC downsizes its campaign staff after a midterm election.

But after big wins last year, the party retained Guerra and the rest of its Hispanic engagement team, which has since expanded to nearly 40 operatives nationwide.

[RNC] Chairman [Reince] Priebus made a promise to do things differently, Guerra said. We've done just that with our year-round engagement effort dedicated to reaching all voters.

We will continue to show up, listen and connect with voters across the country, she said. Chairman Priebus often says In America no voter should be overlooked and no voter should be taken for granted.'

That principle will guide our focus and strategy from now until 2016. We are ready to share our message of more opportunity for all and hold Hillary Clinton accountable for her scandals, sense of entitlement, and lack of transparency.
The accused Shihshad, a native of Ponnyampalam, have been slapped with murder charges.
Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky became the second Republican after his fellow-Sen. Ted Cruz to enter the campaign for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination Tuesday with a declaration that he's running for the White House to "return our country to the principles of liberty and limited government."

That message posted on his website prefaced a kickoff speech later in the day in Louisville.

"I am running for president," his web message said. In remarks to supporters, Paul could be counted on to be a fierce critic of Washington, where he is in his first term as a senator but seldom in line with his party's leadership.

Paul's challenge now is to convince Republican primary voters and caucus-goers that his is a vision worthy of the GOP presidential nomination, a prize twice denied his father, former Rep. Ron Paul of Texas.

Paul begins the 2016 race as just the second fully declared candidate, but he could face as many as 20 rivals for the nomination before the lead-off Iowa caucuses in February.

Along the way, Paul is likely to challenge his fellow Republicans' views on both foreign and domestic policy, as well as the nuts and bolts of how campaigns are run. Tech savvy and youth-focused, Paul is expected to be an Internet juggernaut that his competitors will be forced to chase.

After his speech in Louisville, Paul was set to answer questions from voters on his Facebook page. Before his announcement speech, he was already selling on his website iPhone cases branded with his logo, signed copies of the Constitution and Rand Paul beer steins.

The online store was a quick way for Paul to collect contact information for voters who want the swag but had not yet considered a direct donation to the candidate.

It's unclear, though, how much support Paul can muster in the Republican mainstream.

Paul is a frequent contrarian against his party's orthodoxy, questioning the size of the U.S. military and proposing relaxation of some drug laws that imprison offenders at a high cost to taxpayers. He also challenges the GOP's support for surveillance programs, drone policies and sanctions on Iran and Cuba.

But as the presidential campaign came closer, Paul has shifted his approach somewhat on the complicated question about how much government the country actually needs.

"The issue on Sen. Paul and national security issues is where he comes down in the continuing conflict between his principles and his ambition," said John Bolton, a former ambassador to the United Nations and a potential Paul rival for the GOP nomination.

In an interview, Bolton cited Paul's shifting views on military spending.

In Paul's proposal for the 2012 budget, he called for reducing military spending and for fewer troops at the Department of Defense. "The DOD should not be treated sacrosanct with regard to the treatment of taxpayer dollars," Paul wrote in a plan that would balance the federal budget in five years.

But last month Paul proposed a 16 percent increase in the Pentagon's budget.

"On any given day, it's hard to know where he will be," Bolton said. "I believe in redemption, and I hope he comes all the way over. But I just don't know what's at work in his mind."

In another sign of his uphill climb, an outside group not connected to any candidate planned to spend more than $1 million on ads criticizing Paul's positions on Iran sanctions. The ads were scheduled to start airing as Paul was declaring himself a candidate.

Perhaps reflecting the challenges he faces in convincing his critics he deserves the nomination, Paul is also leaving open the door to a second term in the Senate. With the backing of his state's senior senator, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Paul is likely to seek the White House and the Senate seat at the same time.

McConnell was not expected to attend Paul's political rally on Tuesday, instead opting for a meeting with the Jessamine County Chamber of Commerce near Lexington.

One of Paul's likely rivals, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, has said he would not double-dip on the ballot. He is expected to announce next week that he will skip a Senate re-election bid in 2016 in favor of putting everything into a presidential campaign.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
While no meeting has been formally planned between Cuban President Raul Castro and President Barack Obama at this weekends Summit of the Americas in Panama, White House officials say spontaneous discussions  even perhaps a substantive meeting  may occur.

It will be the first time that Cuba, which the United States previously has banned from the summit, will participate in the event. And it would be the first time that Obama and Castro exchange words in person since they greeted each other at the 2013 memorial service in South Africa for former President Nelson Mandela.

Im sure that President Obama will be interacting with President Castro at the summit events as leaders gather on the margins of those events, said Ben Rhodes, deputy national security adviser in a telephonic press briefing on Tuesday.

Many Latin American countries had said they would boycott the summit, which is sponsored by the Organization of American States, if Cuba continued to be banned from it.

The White House officials admitted the United States has long been dogged by criticism because of this.

Every time we showed up at the Summit of the Americas, the question was why Cuba wasnt invited, said Rhodes, a key player in the talks to restore relations with Cuba.

In the hemisphere, it made no sense that the United States consistently made the decision to isolate ourselves from the rest of the Americas because we were clinging to a [Cuba] policy that wasnt working, Rhodes said. We were not joined in imposing sanctions [against Cuba] by any other country because no other country agreed with our approach.

Rhodes said high-level discussions are taking place between the U.S. and Cuban governments.

One priority the Cuban government has publicly pushed since Castro and Obama announced in December a restoration of diplomatic relations has been its removal from the U.S. State Departments terrorism watch list, which also includes Syria, Iran and Sudan.

Rhodes said the State Department is nearly finished with its review  ordered by Obama after the diplomatic relations agreement in December  of whether Cuba should be removed from the list, and that Secretary of State John Kerry will forward the agencys recommendation to Obama.

The process requires that Cuba vow not to have links with terrorism. Obama would then send Congress an initiative to remove Cuba from the list.

But that is likely to run up against strong opposition, given that the House and Senate both have a Republican majority that generally objects to restoring ties with Cuba while Raul Castro is in power and while there are no tangible steps toward democratic reforms.

Republican leaders in Congress already have said they will not allow for the confirmation of a U.S. ambassador to Cuba.

Cuba was put on the list in 1982.

The nations on the list, the State Department website says, have repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism.

Being put on the list results in actions by the U.S. such as restrictions on U.S. foreign assistance; a ban on defense exports and sales; certain controls over exports of dual use items; and miscellaneous financial and other restrictions, according to the State Department.

The State Department says that Cuba has given refuge to members of Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

The agency also noted that "the Cuban government continued to harbor fugitives wanted in the United States. The Cuban government also provided support such as housing, food ration books, and medical care for these individuals."

Members of Congress such as Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Florida Republican, and Senators Marco Rubio, also a Florida Republican, and Robert Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, have said Cuba's relations with the governments of countries such as Iran and Syria require that it continue to be on the terrorism watch list.

Rhodes said he hoped that the steps toward restoring diplomatic relations with Cuba would lead to having more constructive engagement in the hemisphere.

The officials said among topics theyll focus on at the summit are hemispheric efforts to promote global economic competitiveness, broader college student exchanges between the United States and Latin America, migration, U.S. immigration reform, clean energy programs, expanding broadband Internet.
The Republican-controlled Legislature began a push Monday to repeal Texas' 14-year-old law that gives the children of some people living in the United States illegally in-state tuition at public universities. Conservatives vowed to move quickly, while Democrats and Hispanic groups promised a long, bitter fight.

More than 100 people, many college students who wore ceremonial graduation caps, waited hours to defend the so-called "Texas Dream Act" of 2001 before a Senate subcommittee on border security. Their voices are unlikely to help, as the repeal is expected to eventually advance to a full committee.

Tea party-backed Sen. Donna Campbell is sponsoring one of the major bills seeking a repeal, arguing the law acts as a magnet for encouraging families from Mexico and Central America to cross into Texas illegally  even though state higher education officials say there's no evidence that actually occurs.

"It's just bad policy that awards illegal immigration in perpetuity," said Campbell, of New Braunfels, who added that offering in-state tuition and other grants has cost Texas $31 million.

The original law was approved nearly unanimously, designed to make attending college easier for thousands of Texas high school students who were children when they slipped across the Texas-Mexico border with their families. It was signed by Republican then-Gov. Rick Perry, whose support remained so strong that he suggested while running for president in 2012 that conservatives who oppose such measures don't have hearts. At least 15 other states later enacted similar laws.

Many of Texas' top Republicans have since embraced hard-line immigration policies. Perry's successor, Gov. Greg Abbott, has called the Dream Act flawed and pledged to sign a repeal should it reach his desk.

Supporters of the law counter that it fosters productive, tax-paying state residents who'll help grow the state's economy.

"These kids are not a threat to us, they are our future," El Paso Democratic Sen. Jose Rodriguez said.

He said he was offended by Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick referring the bill to a border security panel, where it may face an easier road to passage than if had gone to committees on higher education or immigration policy. Patrick has called for securing the Texas-Mexico border at all costs.

Campbell's bill would take effect in the 2016-2017 school year.

When supporters raised humanitarian objections, Campbell replied: "If we're looking at just compassion, what about the children in other states of the United States that would love to come to Texas, ours being the best state in the United States, and go to college here, but are charged out-of-state tuition?"

The law only applies to students who have attended Texas schools for three years and graduate from a state high school  which is about 1 percent of college students, according to Sen. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston.

"We should never be a state that punishes children for the actions of their parents," she said.

Roman Catholic advocacy groups have joined the Texas Association of Business in defending the law, saying the state already has an undereducated workforce and needs more, not fewer, college graduates.

Activist Loren Campos said Monday he crossed the border at age 11 and used the Dream Act to graduate from the University of Texas, before earning a master's in engineering at the University of Houston. Now, he's part of a major renovation project at the Houston airport.

"This law opened the doors to what I thought was an impossible dream," the 26-year-old said. "We have not received a free ticket into college. This is an earned opportunity."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
American hopes of opening an embassy in Havana before presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro meet at a regional summit this week have been snarled in disputes about Cuba's presence on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terror and U.S. diplomats' freedom to travel and talk to ordinary Cubans without restriction, officials say.

The Summit of the Americas will be the scene of the presidents' first face-to-face meeting since they announced Dec. 17 that they will re-establish diplomatic relations after a half-century of hostility. The Obama administration wanted the embassies reopened before the summit starts in Panama on Friday, boosting a new American policy motivated partly by a sense that isolating Cuba was causing friction with other countries in the region.

Arriving at the summit with a deal to reopen embassies in Washington and Havana would create goodwill for the U.S., particularly after it issued new sanctions on selected Venezuelan officials last month that prompted protests from left-leaning countries around the hemisphere.

Negotiators on both sides said they are confident they will be able to strike a deal to reopen embassies in the coming weeks but not necessarily before the summit.

"It's not a lot of time, let's put it that way," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf told a briefing on Friday when asked whether an agreement on embassies was likely before the gathering in Panama City.

Asked Monday about the latest on the embassies, White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters that "when you have a country that has essentially been ostracized by the United States for five decades ... it's going to take a little bit of time to re-establish some trust."

"When you consider the 50-year history between our two countries, three months doesn't seem very long," Earnest said, referring to the December announcement.

The U.S. and Cuba have held three rounds of talks about restoring diplomatic relations. Cuba's main demand is to be removed from the terror list, a Cold War-era designation that isolates it from much of the world financial system because banks fear repercussions from doing business with designated countries. Even Cuba's Interests Section in Washington has lost its bank in the U.S., forcing it to deal in cash.

Washington has long since stopped accusing Havana of supporting terrorism and Obama made clear in December that he intends to remove Cuba from the list. But U.S. officials said the president must first send Congress a report that says Cuba has not provided any support for international terrorism during the previous six months and has assured the United States that it will not support terrorism in the future.

The terror list is a particularly charged issue for Cuba because of the U.S. history of supporting exile groups responsible for attacks on the island, including the 1976 bombing of a Cuban passenger flight from Barbados that killed 73 people aboard. The attack was linked to Cuban exiles with ties to U.S.-backed anti-Castro groups and both men accused of masterminding the crime took shelter in Florida, where one, Luis Posada Carriles, lives to this day.

Officials familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press that the demand for assurances there will be no future terror support has led Cuba to reiterate its own past allegations about U.S. involvement in terrorism against the island, and issue a reciprocal demand that the United States pledge to not support such attacks in the future.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the negotiations.

Despite the delay in reopening the embassies, both sides appear optimistic they can reach agreement on the terror issue in the near future. The United States and Cuba still have to resolve a demand by Washington that its diplomats be allowed to operate like those from any other country once the U.S. Interests Section in Havana becomes a full embassy. American diplomats currently must obtain permission from the Cuban government to travel outside Havana and Cubans must register with Cuban guards before entering the building, a measure the United States says is aimed at dissuading dissidents from contacts with U.S. officials.

The officials said it appeared unlikely that Washington would strike Cuba from the terror list without assurances from Castro's government that it will allow the future U.S. embassy to operate with fewer restrictions, a sensitive issue for Cuba because it would allow more American contact with dissidents whom the communist government sees as U.S.-backed mercenaries. Other issues include caps on the number of diplomats at the embassy and restrictions on U.S. imports of products ranging from office supplies to household goods.

Cuban insistence on the continued restrictions on freedom of movement by U.S. diplomats could force the Obama administration into tough decisions about what limits it is willing to accept in order to have an embassy in Cuba.

Domestic politics are also fueling U.S. caution in the talks. While Congress cannot permanently block Cuba's removal from the list, the Obama administration will have to defend its decision in public hearings heading into a presidential campaign season. Republican candidate Ted Cruz and likely candidate Marco Rubio have family ties to Cuba and object to normalization with the Castro government.

Assistant Secretary of State Roberta Jacobson, Obama's head of Western Hemisphere affairs, has said Obama and Castro will have some personal interaction during their stay in Panama, although no formal bilateral meetings had been announced as of Monday. Jacobson also told a forum last week on U.S. business opportunities in Cuba that the terror review "is in very advanced stages and we will try to get that done as quickly as possible."

"One of the reasons that things are taking a while is that we need certain things to run an embassy," she added. "That is one of the most important things in our conversations."

Asked about the status of the negotiations, the U.S. State Department said Friday that the review of Cuba's inclusion on the State Sponsor of Terrorism list was still underway. A Cuban government spokesman speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to be quoted by name said that the country had not been asked to make any public declaration about future support for terrorism. He declined to comment further on the discussions.

U.S.-Cuba experts hope progress comes quickly.

"I think it would be smart on both sides to show continued momentum, to demonstrate that the instructions given by the president on Dec. 17 will be faithfully and promptly carried out by their negotiators," said Richard Feinberg, a senior director of the National Security Council's Office of Inter-American Affairs under President Bill Clinton.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Democratic state legislators in California unveiled a package of proposed measures seeking to offer more assistance and protections to undocumented immigrants.

The lawmakers attributed the action to federal inaction on immigration reform. Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon did not mince words when expressing frustration with the years-long failure of Congress to revamp U.S. immigration laws.

He said the package of 10 measures were a reflection of the dereliction of duty of Congress," and diagnosed it as rooted in "either intellectual laziness or a lack of work ethic on this issue, according to published reports.

"Today we remind the rest of the nation that California is different," de Leon said, according to the Los Angeles Times. "We respect immigrants and recognize the contribution that they have made to this state from the very beginning."

The legislative package would offer state-subsidized health care coverage, known as Medi-Cal, to undocumented immigrants, and penalize businesses that discriminate against undocumented immigrants and people who do not speak English, among other things.

"Our food, our clothing, our music, art and technology  these are industries central to California's advancement, and they're all driven by immigrants," de Leon said at a news conference.

The lawmakers concede that passing the measures will not be smooth sailing.

"If we thought this were easy, it would be done," said Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, according to the Times. "D.C. would be doing something if it were easy. We intend to set the model. We intend to set the tone."

Senate Republican leader Bob Huff said that while he agrees that immigration reform is necessary, it is not feasible to try to address the lack of federal action on the matter at the local level.

"We understand the burdens facing immigrants who want to go to work and raise their families in safe neighborhoods, and the rationale behind these bills is admirable," Huff said in a statement quoted by the Times. "But without money from Congress and President Obama, it will be very difficult and costly for California taxpayers to fund all of these bill proposals.

Proponents of strict immigration enforcement say the measures amount to a welcome mat for more illegal immigration.

"These proposals are the latest in a seemingly endless set of legislation designed to make illegal immigration a more comfortable thing," said Joe Guzzardi, national media director for Californians for Population Stabilization, as quoted in the San Jose Mercury. "People living in Mexico and Central America are only going to want to come here more."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
After a tougher-than-expected re-election, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is pledging to take a new approach as he faces rising pension costs, ongoing gang violence and negotiations with labor unions that spent millions trying to defeat him.

Emanuel, a former congressman and chief of staff to President Barack Obama, won a second term Tuesday over a lesser-known opponent, Cook County Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia. Though he led Garcia by about 11 points with nearly all precincts reporting, the victory came only after Emanuel failed to win a majority in a first-round February contest, forcing him and Garcia into Chicago's first runoff mayoral election.

In a victory speech, he said he understands the challenges facing Chicago will require him to lead "in a different fashion," a nod to a management style he's acknowledged has rubbed some voters the wrong way.

"In the era of hard choices, I can't promise that everyone will be pleased with every decision," he told a room of cheering supporters gathered at a union hall. "But the challenges we face, we face together as one community, one city, one voice where every voice counts."

Emanuel campaigned hard to persuade voters he was the better choice to lead the nation's third-largest city through a raft of crises. He also defended his Democratic credentials as Garcia and progressive groups accused him of putting Chicago's corporate interests ahead of the working people who make up the city's neighborhoods.

He performed better across the city during the runoff than he did six weeks earlier, when two of the four challengers were black. During the February election, Emanuel's support fell in predominantly African-American areas compared with 2011, when he won a first term.

The exception Tuesday was in Chicago's heaviest Hispanic wards, where Garcia, a Mexican immigrant, saw his strongest support.

Bruce Puffer, a 56-year-old bartender, voted for Garcia, saying Chicago needs "a regular guy" running the city. But he said it will be tough going, regardless of who is mayor.

"Nobody wants to say it, but there are going to have to be budget cuts, service cuts and the worst thing looming is that pension cuts are going to have to be made. That's the elephant in the room," Puffer said. "People promise too many things, and they can't deliver on them."

While Emanuel enjoyed strong support from trade unions that benefit from big construction projects and other development, Garcia had the backing of teachers unions, which spent more than $1 million and provided many of the foot soldiers Garcia's campaign used to get voters to the polls.

Emanuel's administration now must negotiate a new contract with the Chicago Teachers Union. Its president, Karen Lewis, considered challenging the mayor but recruited Garcia to run after she was diagnosed with cancer. The last round of talks between Emanuel and the union led to Chicago's first teachers strike in 25 years.

The mayor also will have to work with teachers and other public-employee labor unions to address a pension crisis that's the worst of any major U.S. city.

Chicago's four pension systems are about $20 billion in debt, and the fund for Chicago Public Schools teachers is short about $7 billion of what's needed to pay benefits as promised.

If Emanuel can't work a deal with labor unions or get the Illinois Legislature to approve relief, the city is on the hook for an additional $550 million payment to the retirement accounts, bringing the total payment to about $1 billion. He's said that would be roughly equal to the annual cost of having 4,300 police officers on the street or raising property taxes by 150 percent.

Emanuel also will be dealing with ongoing concerns about crime, an area Garcia frequently cited as one of the mayor's failures. While the total number of homicides fell to just over 400 last year  the lowest level in a half-century  the number of shootings climbed 12 percent during the same period. And in some areas, the number of shootings increased at a rate more than double that of the city overall.

Garcia hit on some of those issues in his concession speech, saying voters want "a city that works for everyone."

"We've got some big problems in Chicago, and no matter who is mayor we've got to work together to solve them," he said.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa was just doing what any good politician does  posing for the camera with his constituents. Unfortunately for him, nobody checked the t-shirt a young boy was wearing before the camera clicked.

Correa, seen in a button-up, shirtsleeve shirt and khaki shorts, is seen with his arm around a young boy. But the boy's shirt reads "I'm with Stupid" and has an arrow putting directly at the country's president.

The embarrassment for the mercurial Correa didn't end there, however, as the photo quickly went viral with the hashtag #IAmWithStupidMashi" quickly became one of Ecuador's top trends. Correa uses the Twitter handle @MashiRafael.

"Spy kid from CIA tries to destabilize government, this would make a great headline," one person commented on Twitter, according to the BBC.

Another tweet showed a cover of an old MAD magazine with a drawing of boy wearing an "I'm with Stupid" shirt standing next to former U.S. President George W. Bush juxtaposed to the photo with Correa and the boy. The text that accompanied the tweet said "Because in Ecuador we make [fiction] a reality."

The comments about Correa were particularly harsh given his crackdown on press rights and free speech in recent years. In 2013, Ecuador passed a restrictive media law that created official media overseers, imposes sanctions for smearing "people's good name" and limiting private media to one third of radio and TV licenses.

The measures are similar to ones enacted in Venezuela under the late President Hugo Chavez, a Correa ally. Like Chavez and his heirs, Correa has used loyal institutions including the courts to try to squelch opposition voices.

Correa, an economist who identifies himself as a follower of 21st century socialism, is pushing a package of constitutional changes that would end term limits for all elected officials. Passage is considered likely because his Alianza Pais party holds 100 of the National Assembly's 137 seats.

Correa, who was first elected in 2006 and would have to leave office in 2017 without the change, has said he would seek another term only if he felt his "revolution" was threatened. He is popular among Ecuadorians for his government's generous social spending but is widely criticized for intolerance of dissent.

Despite the online jesting, the president did have his supporters  albeit much smaller than those mocking him. Later on Wednesday, the hashtag #WeAreWithYouMashi started trending on Twitter in Ecuador.

As for the boy in the photo, his mother posted a message on a satirical Ecuadorian Facebook page asking for the photo to be taken down and saying that the child had meant no offense as he didn't speak English.

Correa, who earned his master's and doctoral degree from the University of Illinois, however, does speak English.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
next Image 1 of 2

prev Image 2 of 2

A federal judge in Texas has kept in place a temporary hold on President Barack Obama's executive action that sought to shield millions of immigrants from deportation, rejecting a U.S. Department of Justice request that he allow the action to go ahead.

U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen in Brownsville refused late Tuesday night to lift the preliminary injunction he granted on Feb. 16 at the request of 26 states that oppose Obama's action.

Hanen's latest ruling upholds the status quo  that the Obama administration is temporarily barred from implementing the policies that would allow as many as 5 million people in the U.S. illegally to remain.

The Justice Department had already appealed to a higher court, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, to lift Hanen's injunction. The appeals court was scheduled to hear arguments on whether the injunction should be lifted on April 17.

In his order Tuesday denying the government's request, Hanen said the government hasn't "shown any credible reason for why this Directive necessitates immediate implementation."

There was no immediate comment from the White House.

The coalition of 26 states, led by Texas, filed the lawsuit to overturn Obama's executive action, arguing that it is unconstitutional and would force them to invest more in law enforcement, health care and education.

Justice Department attorneys have argued that keeping the temporary hold harms "the interests of the public and of third parties who will be deprived of significant law enforcement and humanitarian benefits of prompt implementation" of the president's immigration action.

Obama announced the executive orders in November, saying a lack of action by Congress forced him to make sweeping changes to immigration rules on his own.

Before ruling on the injunction, Hanen said he first wanted to hear from federal prosecutors about allegations that the U.S. government had misled him about the implementation of part of the immigration plan.

The first of Obama's orders  to expand a program that protects young immigrants from deportation if they were brought to the U.S. illegally as children  had been set to take effect Feb. 18. The other major part would extend deportation protections to parents of U.S. citizens and permanent residents who have been in the country for several years. That provision was slated to begin on May 19.

Hanen issued his initial injunction believing that neither of those orders had taken effect. About a month later, the Justice Department confirmed that more than 108,000 people had already received three-year reprieves from deportation and work permits, but DOJ attorneys insisted the moves were made under 2012 guidelines that weren't blocked by the injunction. The DOJ apologized for any confusion, but Hanen seemed unconvinced during a hearing last month and threatened to sanction the attorneys.

He wrote Tuesday that while the federal government had been "misleading" on the subject, he would not immediately apply sanctions against the government, saying to do so would not be "in the interests of justice or in the best interest of this country" because the issue was of national importance and the outcome will affect millions of people.

"The parties' arguments should be decided on their relative merits according to the law, not clouded by outside allegations that may or may not bear on the ultimate issues in this lawsuit," Hanen wrote.

In a separate order Hanen, told the government it has until April 21 to file to the court and plaintiffs detailed information about its March advisory about the 108,000 three-year reprieves.

The order asks the government to produce "any and all drafts" of the advisory, including information on when each draft was written, edited or revised. Hanen also asked for a list of each person who knew about the advisory.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
The United States is responsible for a ship that has been forcibly detained by Mexico months after it ran aground off Mexicos Gulf coast last year, North Korea claimed on Wednesday.

The Asian countrys deputy permanent representative to the United Nations told reporters Wednesday that the ship, Mu DU Bong, is strictly a commercial ship with more than 50 crew members still remaining on board.

An Myong Hun said his country will take unspecified necessary measure to make the ship leave immediately.

The head of a U.N. panel of experts, however, said the ship is owned by a North Korean company that is under U.N. sanctions and should be "frozen," and that the panel has received excellent cooperation from Mexico in tracking the company and its assets.

"In the case of the Mu Du Bong, the evidence is overwhelming," Hugh Griffiths told The Associated Press in an email. The U.N. sanctions were imposed in response to North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.

The ship's parent company, Ocean Maritime Management Co., was sanctioned last July after Panamanian authorities found two Cuban fighter jets, missiles and live munitions beneath a cargo of sugar in another ship the company operated.

OMM responded by simply renaming most of its vessels in an effort to avoid detection, the panel reported earlier this year. North Korea has a history of using front companies for that purpose.

An denied that the ship was carrying anything prohibited by U.N. sanctions and said it has no relations with OMM.

The North Korean diplomat also said Mexican authorities in January had decided to release the ship but "suddenly" revoked its decision.

The U.N. panel's report, released in February, said the experts had informed Mexican authorities that the ship is an OMM asset.

The panel's recent report said the Pyongyang-based company has simply renamed most of its vessels to avoid detection. Nuclear-armed North Korea has a history of using front companies for that purpose.

It also said the experts had informed Mexican authorities that the ship is an OMM asset. An said Mexican authorities in January had decided to release the ship but "suddenly" revoked its decision. The experts' report was released in February.

The ship ran aground last July and damaged nearly an acre of coral reefs. The North Korean embassy in Mexico was asked to post a 10-million peso ($770,000) bond for any damage assessment. An said North Korea has paid the necessary fees and has "no legal obligation" to wait to move the ship.

"The U.S. has no right to interfere in this bilateral issue," An said.

Ricardo Alday, political coordinator for Mexico's mission to the U.N., said in an email that Mexico is not forcibly detaining the ship and that his country is fulfilling its international obligations. He said the 33 North Korean crew members "have absolute freedom of movement" and sleep in a hotel in the port of Tuxpan, where the ship is anchored.

There was no immediate comment from the U.S. mission to the U.N.

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
The Obama administrations consideration of removing Cuba from the State Departments terrorism sponsors list is drawing praise from some who say the designation no longer applies and that it poses an impediment to restoring diplomacy between the two nations.

But others say Cuba continues to support and facilitate actions by other nations and groups that pose a national security threat to the United States, and that taking it off the list would be a mistake.

Some White House officials have indicated in public forums and in media interviews that the State Department, which under President Barack Obamas orders has been reviewing Cubas designation on the list, is poised to recommend to him that Cuba be removed. Interest in Cubas status on the list is particularly heightened this week, as the Summit of the Americas in Panama approaches on the weekend.

Cuba will be attending the summit for the first time, after having been banned from earlier ones.

Publicly, administration officials have been vague about what the State Department will recommend, or when it will send the president a report.

At a White House briefing on Wednesday White House spokesman Josh Earnest in reference to news reports that the State Department is preparing to recommend removing Cuba from the terrorism list: "I'm not going to make any news on status of that on-going review."

Many Cuba experts say it should not be on the list.

The grounds for Cuba being on the list have gotten thinner and thinner and thinner over the years, said William LeoGrande, a professor American Universitys School of Public Affairs and author of Back Channel to Cuba: The Hidden History of Negotiations Between Washington and Havana.

LeoGrande notes that the State Departments own website on the countries on the list of state sponsors of terrorism gives a rather muted description of Cubas concerning activities.

LeoGrande said the Cuba entry  which is markedly shorter and more perfunctory than the entries for the other nations on the list, Iran, Syria and Sudan  virtually serves as a basis for the State Department to argue for its removal.

One of the arguments that conservatives make for why Cuba should stay on the list is that Cuba has relations with Iran and Syria, LeoGrande said. But thats not one of the criteria of the law for being on the terrorist list.

Proponents of removing Cuba from the list say that though Cuba once supported such groups as Colombias FARC, a guerrilla group involved in the illegal drug trade, kidnappings and extortion, among other crimes, and Spains ETA, a violent separatist group, it now is playing a key role in efforts to broker agreements between those organizations and their governments.

Cuba was designated a State Sponsor of Terrorism in 1982 because of its support of armed movements such as Colombias FARC and Spains ETA, said Peter Schechter, director of the Atlantic Councils Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center, in a statement. But today, Cubas involvement in the Colombian peace process has received international praise, and US policy should reflect changing realities."

Should the State Department announce its intention to remove Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism List as it is expected to do, it will be yet another positive step towards normalizing our countrys relationship with Cuba.

But taking Cuba off the list has plenty of fierce opposition.

U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Florida Republican, said in a statement: The expected decision by President Obama to remove Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list would be nothing short of a miscarriage of justice borne out of political motivations not rooted in reality.

It would be a miscarriage of justice for the 11 million Cubans on the island suffering under the oppressive Castro regime and a miscarriage of justice for the millions of Cubans who risked their lives to flee the island with the hopes of one day returning to a free and democratic Cuba.

Ros-Lehtinen, a Cuban-American, and other members of Congress who oppose the restoration of diplomatic ties with Cuba without any meaningful democratic reform on the island, have vowed to do such things as block the confirmation of a U.S. ambassador to Cuba.

U.S. law is clear that a country cannot be removed from the SST list if it has not changed its policies and so long as the country is still supporting acts of international terrorism, she said, but President Obama is yet again willing to circumvent the law by ignoring the Castro brothers continued policies in support of terrorism by providing safe haven to foreign terrorist organizations and repeated violations of international sanctions.

The Obama administration is so desperate to open up an embassy in Havana at any cost that it is willing to concede to Castros demand to remove Cuba from the SST list, serving only to further embolden the regime and undermine U.S. national security.

One priority the Cuban government has publicly pushed since Castro and Obama announced in December a restoration of diplomatic relations has been its removal from the watch list. That would pave the way, experts say, for a lifting of the embargo.

The process of removing it from the State Department list requires that Cuba vow not to have links with terrorism. Obama would then send Congress an initiative to remove Cuba from the list.

Being put on the list results in actions by the U.S. such as restrictions on U.S. foreign assistance; a ban on defense exports and sales; certain controls over exports of dual use items; and miscellaneous financial and other restrictions, according to the State Department.

But that is likely to run up against strong opposition, given that the House and Senate both have a Republican majority that generally objects to restoring ties with Cuba while Raul Castro is in power and while there are no tangible steps toward democratic reforms.

LeoGrande said that even if Congress opposes Cuba's removal from the list, and attempt to make it difficult to do so, or to create delays, Obama can proceed unilaterally with taking the nation off.

Indeed, delisting a nation always draws outcries.

When President George Bush announced plans to remove Libya and North Korea from the list after negotiations over their nuclear programs, critics said it amounted to making a deal with the devil.

"The important thing to understand is that it's a highly political process," LeoGrande said about the state terrorism watch list. "There are glaring omissions. Pakistan is not on it, even though it harbors al-Qaeda and the Taliban and the groups that keep attacking India."
next Image 1 of 2

prev Image 2 of 2

The Holy Week took a non-religious detour in Venezuela, with government supporters using the national holiday to entice people to sign a document repealing U.S. sanctions against seven high-ranking officials linked to corruption and violation of human rights.

On Easter Sunday, a few dummies of President Obama went up in flames in different cities and towns across the country  and some TV stations broadcast it live.

The burning was incorporated in a local tradition called "La Quema de Judas" (The Burning of Judas), a Roman Catholic ritual in which an effigy of Judas Iscariot, the disciple who according to the Gospel betrayed and sold Jesus Christ, is torched.

In some places, President Obama was joined by other government foes, such as former governor and two-times presidential candidate Henrique Capriles, whose effigy burned in Petare and Los Teques, two low income sectors in the northern state of Miranda.

Burning dummies of contemporary figures perceived as traitors is a century-old practice by Holy Week observers in Venezuela. This time, President Obama was the figure of choice of Chavistas, who decry his March 9 executive order that sanctions government officials and calls the situation in Venezuela an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.

In other towns, people with the opposition burned effigies of President Nicolas Maduro and Diosdado Cabello's, the president of the National Congress, blaming them for what they say is the countrys worst political and economic crisis in recent memory.

As a response to Obama's order, Maduro promised to deliver to him a petition signed by 10 million Venezuelans calling for the U.S. sanctions to be revoked. He said he would personally hand him the signatures during the Summit of the Americas taking place this weekend in Panama City.

As of Wednesday, government officials say, more than nine million signatures had been gathered.

During the Holy Week signatures were collected in beaches, where signers in return received paper fans with the message "Venezuela no es una amenaza, somos esperanza" (Venezuela is not a threat, we are hope).

On Monday, secretary of Defense General Vladimir Padrino Lopez delivered five boxes full of signatures from military personnel. He admitted that all the employees at the ministry had been working collecting signatures.

The new mayor of Caracas and head of the campaign Obama, repeal the executive order now, Jorge Rodriguez, said they will keep collecting signatures until Thursday. He also said the signatures are being verified by the National Electoral Council, which is expected to issue an official certificate validating the signatures.

Rodriguez took the post after Mayor Antonio Ledezma was arrested and jailed on February 19 for allegedly supporting staging a U.S.-funded attempted coup against President Maduro.

Relations between the U.S. and Venezuela have been rapidly deteriorating as Maduro keeps blaming U.S. plotting for the host of economic and social woes plaguing the socialist-governed country.

Washington has called the accusation ludicrous.
The White House is criticizing a federal judge's decision to keep a temporary hold on the president's executive action that sought to shield millions of immigrants from deportation.

The administration released a statement Wednesday saying the judge in Texas, U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen, "wrongly" prevented President Barack Obama's "lawful, common-sense policies from taking effect."

The U.S. Department of Justice had asked Hanen to lift the stay. The judge refused late Tuesday night.

Hanen initially granted a preliminary injunction on Feb. 16 at the request of 26 states that oppose Obama's action. The states, led by Texas, filed a lawsuit challenging the order.

The Justice Department has already asked the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans to step in. The appeals court is scheduled to hear arguments April 17.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
A brawl between anti-Castro activists and pro-Cuban government supporters on Wednesday in Panama City has U.S. House Speaker John Boehner questioning President Barack Obama's decision to re-establish diplomatic ties with Havana after his guest to this year's State of the Union address  the Cuban democracy leader known as Antunez  was assaulted in the melee.

Antunez, whose formal name is Jorge Luis Garcia, spent more than 17 years in a Cuban prison after speaking out against the Castro government. He was among several Cuban political and human rights activists involved in the fight with Castro regime allies on Wednesday in Panama City, Panama. The Cubans are in Panama ahead of the Summit of the Americas, where Obama is expected to meet with Cuban leader Raul Castro and possibly announced that Cuban has been taken of the list of state sponsors of terror.

U.S. citizen Orlando Gutierrez, part of a group that is working to improve human rights in Cuba, was also injured in the scuffle.

Boehner called on Obama to condemn the attacks and said that the attack by pro-Castro supporters was indicative of the brutal nature of the country's communist regime.

"It raises serious questions about the wisdom of revisiting diplomatic relations with Cuba and removing the country from the State Department's list of state sponsors of terror while this dictatorship, which practices repression at home and supports violence throughout the region, continues to hold power," Boehner said in a statement, according to the Hill.

He added: "I hope that President Obama, if and when he has a conversation with the Cuban dictator during the Organization of American States summit, will take the opportunity to condemn this violence in the strongest possible terms and reaffirm that the United States should and must always stand on the side of human rights and democracy against Communist tyranny."

U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Miami Republican, also said the attack serves as a reminder of the volatile situation in Cuba.

Todays attack by Cuban regime thugs on peaceful pro-democracy protestors and U.S. citizens in Panama is just another reminder of the brutality of the Castro brothers and their enablers, she said. As President Obama arrives in Panama this week, he must not look the other way as Americans are feeling the violent wrath of Castro and Havanas disregard for human rights, she said. This violent act today should be another wake up call to the Obama administration that its misguided policies are only emboldening the Castro regime to continue its oppressive tactics unabated.

The fight marked a rocky start to a series of closed-door strategy sessions of hundreds of activists from across Latin America before the Summit of the Americas.

The activists meeting Thursday are putting together proposals to present to President Barack Obama and some 30 other hemispheric leaders at the summit starting Friday on topics ranging from environmental protections to support for democracy in the region.

Organizers fear the grassroots group's work is being politicized after dissidents from the communist-run island attending Wednesday's session were pushed around to shouts of "mercenaries" and "terrorists" by government supporters from Cuba and its ally Venezuela.

The U.S. State Department condemned what it said was "harassment" and "use of violence" against participants.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
If he runs for president as expected, Sen. Marco Rubio will have a political committee ready to raise and spend unlimited cash on his behalf.

Rubio is set to announce his 2016 campaign plans in a speech Monday in Miami and would become the third major candidate to declare his White House ambitions. A first-term senator representing Florida, the Cuban-American Rubio is expected to bypass a second term in favor of pursuing the presidency and becoming the first Hispanic president.

But from even his most enthusiastic supporters, Rubio can only accept $2,700 to help him win the nomination. The pro-Rubio, independent Conservative Solutions PAC will face no such limits.

Conservative Solutions is set to collect checks from deep-pocketed donors to pay for as many television, digital and radio ads as it can afford to boost Rubio's chances.

"This race will be won by the candidate with the best vision for where to take this nation and the resources to ensure that message is heard," veteran strategist Warren Tompkins said in a statement released to The Associated Press early Thursday morning. "Marco has the vision - few have laid out in as much detail where they'd like to lead this country - and we're going to spend the next two years ensuring that the resources are there and used to effectively share that vision with voters."

Super PACs are political committees that operate independently of the candidates and cannot coordinate strategy with the campaigns of those seeking office. But they often can play an outsized role in shaping how voters view the candidates because they can buy so much more advertising than the campaigns can afford.

For instance, Priorities USA spent $65 million to boost President Barack Obama's re-election bid in 2012. The Restore Our Future super PAC spent $142 million to help Mitt Romney win the Republican nomination and then face Obama in the general election.

Heading into 2016, Priorities USA is repositioning itself as the de facto super PAC for presumed Democratic front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton. And most of her Republican rivals have outside admirers in the process of assembling their own bottomless political ATM machines.

Rubio is no different now. Led by veteran Republican consultant Warren Tompkins, Conservative Solutions PAC is set to be Rubio's primary advertising partner, allowing the official campaign to focus on other nuts-and-bolts functions of running a race, such as building databases, knocking on doors and staging public events.

Conservative Solutions officials declined to provide a budget, but Newt Gingrich's failed presidential bid in 2012 proved a super PAC only needs a single patron to be effective. The pro-Gingrich super PAC Winning the Future collected $20 million from casino billionaires Sheldon and Miriam Adelson to keep it afloat after a string of primary losses. (The Adelsons then gave Romney's super PAC $30 million when he became the nominee.)

Rubio has met with the Adelsons multiple times since January although they remain uncommitted in the presidential campaign and are considering a lesser role in 2016.

Tompkins is a major get for Rubio's allies, and not just because he has seven presidential primaries on his resume. He was Ronald Reagan's political director during the South Carolina primary, then went on to work for the campaigns of George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush and Romney.

Bypassing the likely candidacy of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, the son of George H.W. Bush and brother of George W. Bush, will probably be seen as a slight from a party elder who has worked with the Bush clan since 1980.

Making what is expected to be a raft of ads will be Jon Lerner, who has more than two-dozen winning House, Senate and gubernatorial campaigns to his credit. Most recently, he has been the advertising adviser for the last four successful gubernatorial campaigns in South Carolina.

Jon Graham will head up fundraising for the group, which can take unlimited cash from donors but must disclose its fundraising and spending on a regular basis. His firm, Gula Graham, has raised more than $100 million since it was formed in 2009.

And Jeff Sadosky, a veteran of George W. Bush's re-election bid and John McCain's presidential campaign, will manage the communications for the super PAC. Sadosky's most recent campaign was Rob Portman's successful bid for Senate in Ohio in 2010. He served as a senior aide in Portman's Senate office before going to work in the private sector.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
President Barack Obama started a three-day trip to the Caribbean and Central America that will end with the much awaited Summit of the Americas.

President Obama will arrive late Thursday in Panama City for the two-day event, which is expected to serve as a backdrop for a historic face-to-face encounter with Cuban president Raul Castro. It would be the first time they meet since the Dec. 17 announcement of the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

"I think this summit can build on the incredible progress the region has made in recent decades," he said in an interview with EFE.

Obama said he would seek to promote competitiveness and trade in the region, touting them as keys to spurring development and narrowing the gap between rich and poor.

He said he was convinced that the best way to close that gap is to "unleash broad-based economic growth that creates new opportunities and to expand access to the tools people need to lift themselves out of poverty, including education, skills and job training."

To that end, he said the United States "will be encouraging all the countries in the Americas to ratify the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement," a deal that was agreed on in December 2013 at a World Trade Organization meeting in Bali and which is aimed at facilitating the flow of goods across borders, reducing bureaucracy, and thus boosting global trade volumes.

At least two-thirds of the WTO's 160 members must ratify the agreement for it to take effect, but to date the United States, Singapore and Hong Kong are the only ones to do so.

"Economic growth, trade and a shared commitment to expanding opportunity has lifted countless millions of people from poverty. Since 2002, the middle class has nearly doubled, and countries like Brazil and Mexico have middle class majorities for the first time in history," Obama said.

But despite the region's wealth, "about a third of people across the region still endure grinding poverty, and it's still too hard for them to access the education, health care and basic service their families need," the president added.

"This isn't just a drag on economic growth, it's a moral challenge to us all," he said.

Obama said the United States is encouraging the countries of the Americas to establish trade relations with Europe, Africa, India, and Asia.

"It can mean more prosperity and opportunity for us all," he added.

Based on reporting by EFE.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
As leaders from across the Western Hemisphere gather Friday in Panama, all eyes are on two presidents: Barack Obama and Raul Castro, whose expected encounter at the Summit of the Americas will mark a historic moment as the U.S. and Cuba seek to restore ties they abandoned decades ago.

The presidents spoke by phone on Wednesday, only the second time in more than 50 years that U.S. and Cuban leaders have had a direct dialogue.

Jorge Leganoa, the deputy director of Cuba's state-run National Information Agency, said in a Facebook post that Obama and Castro had spoken by phone. He provided no additional details. The conversation was confirmed by another diplomat, who requested anonymity to discuss private presidential communications.

The White House declined to comment.

Americans and Cubans alike can recall just how deep the animosity between their countries ran during the Cold War, when even a casual, friendly exchange between their leaders would have been unthinkable. So while Obama and Castro have no formal meetings scheduled together, even a brief handshake or hallway greeting will be scrutinized for signs of whether the two nations are really poised to put their hostile pasts behind them.

Obama and Castro cross paths at the Summit of the Americas in the throes of a delicate diplomatic experiment: the renewal of formal relations between countries that haven't had any in more than 50 years.

Even their arrival Thursday evening seemed steeped in symbolism: Obama, after arriving in Panama City, was whisked via helicopter to his waiting motorcade at an airport former known as Howard Air Force Base, from which the U.S. launched its 1989 invasion of Panama.

Castro's plane landed on the tarmac minutes later, missing Obama only briefly  two world leaders passing warily in the night.

Four months ago, Obama and Castro announced their intention to restore diplomatic relations, beginning a painstaking process that has brought to the surface difficult issues that have long fed in to the U.S.-Cuban estrangement. Hopes of reopening embassies in Havana and Washington before the summit failed to materialize. The U.S. is still pushing Cuba to allow more freedom of movement for its diplomats, while Cuba wants relief from a sanctions regime that only Congress can fully lift.

Yet in the days before this year's Summit of the Americas  the first to include Cuba  both leaders sought to set a productive and optimistic tone for their highly anticipated encounter. While in Jamaica on Wednesday, Obama signaled that he will soon act to remove Cuba from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, removing a stigma that has been a source of friction for Havana.

Obama's move could come within days.

"We don't want to be imprisoned by the past," Obama said Wednesday in Kingston, Jamaica, before flying to Panama City. "When something doesn't work for 50 years, you don't just keep on doing it. You try something new."

In another sign of engagement, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez met privately in Panama on Thursday  the highest-level meeting between the two governments in decades. The U.S. said the meeting was lengthy and that the leaders agreed to keep working to address unresolved issues.

On Friday, Obama was to meet with Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela and other Central American leaders. He planned to speak at a forum of CEOs before joining other leaders for dinner at Panama Viejo, home to archaeological ruins dating to the 1500s. A visit to the Panama Canal was also possible.

In a nod to lingering U.S. concerns about human rights and political freedoms, Obama was also attend a forum bringing together both dissidents and members of the Cuban political establishment.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Hillary Rodham Clinton will end months of speculation about her political future and launch her long-awaited 2016 presidential campaign on Sunday, according to people familiar with her plans.

The first official word that Clinton will seek the Democratic Party's nomination will come via an online video posted on social media. She'll then make stops in key early voting states, including Iowa and New Hampshire, where she'll hold small events with voters.

One Democrat familiar with campaign rollout said Clinton's stops would include visits to people's homes in those early states.

The people familiar with Clinton's plans spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss them publicly.

The former secretary of state will be making her second bid for president and will enter the race in a strong position to succeed her rival from the 2008 Democratic primary, President Barack Obama.Clinton appears unlikely to face a stiff primary opponent, though a handful of lower-profile Democrats have said they are considering their own campaigns.

Should she win the nomination, Clinton would face the winner of a Republican primary season that could feature as many as two dozen candidates. Among them, Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who is expected to formally announce his campaign in Miami on Monday  a day after Clinton'sannouncement on social media.

Clinton will return to politics following a two-year leave from government. If elected, the former first lady would be the nation's first female president.

Republicans have been preparing for a second Clinton campaign since she left Obama's administration in early 2013. They intend to campaign against her by equating her potential presidency to that of a "third" Obama term, during which they argue she would continue his most unpopular policies.

Clinton's announcement was preceded by withering criticism over her use of a personal email account and server while she was secretary of state, as well as the Clinton Foundation's acceptance of donations from foreign governments.

She said at a news conference last month she used the personal email account for convenience. Republicans running a select congressional committee reviewing the 2012 attack on a U.S. facility in Benghazi, Libya, which took place during Clinton's tenure at the State Department, are investigating her decision to delete thousands of emails she has deemed personal in nature.

By campaigning heavily in Iowa and New Hampshire, Clinton hopes to avoid making the same stumbles against Obama as she did in the 2008 Iowa caucuses, which he won in an upset. She also sees such campaigning as a way not take for granted her formidable position in the Democratic field.

Among the Democrats who could challenge Clinton in the primary are former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb and Vice President Joe Biden.

Clinton's race is expected to cost more than the $1 billion Obama raised for his 2012 re-election and aides have said she is expected to focus heavily on online fundraising. Her campaign will be required to release its first fundraising report in July and it will be closely examined to measure the strength of her support.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Social groups and organizations in the Dominican Republic are demanding answers from the government in regard to the Robert Menendez-Salomon Melgen case, which has a series of connections with the island.

Last weeks indictment points at Sen. Menendez alleged abuse of power when using his influence to benefit his friend and donor, Miami-based ophthalmologist Dr. Melgen. In presenting the case, the accusing party quotes several emails and documents  one of them labeling former Customs Director Rafael Camilo, closely tied to the ruling party, as highly corrupt.

A week later, the allegations contained in the indictment have not been addressed within political circles or by the mainstream media.

A can of worms has been opened but apparently they are not going anywhere.

Mainstream media outlets in D.R. are heavily influenced by the government; others are directly controlled by it, said Jose Luis Taveras, president of the non-profit organization Fundacion Masada. Traditional media outlets are accomplices, trying to bury the story, he added.

He said that former President Leonel Fernandez and President Medina, both from the PLD party, are deliberately quiet, apparently expecting that silence will eventually make the controversy go away.

It was to be expected. The PLD is still the ruling party, the same interests have persisted for the last 12 years, not much has changed, he said.

Meanwhile, the organization Santiago Somos Todos is urging the Procuraduria General (an equivalent to the Department of Justice) to open an investigation into the Dominican connection of the Menendez-Melgen case.

The Attorney General should instruct its anti-corruption department to open an inquiry, not only about these corruption allegations, but also to determine the real circumstances in which an unbalanced and onerous contract was awarded and later approved, said Mario Tejada, president of SST, referring to the contract between the Dominican government and Melgens ICSSI, now in litigation, which made the wealthy Miami doctor the exclusive provider of cargo screening equipment to the country's ports.

Fox News Latino reached out to the media office at the Dominican Presidency for comment, but the spokespersons office refused to provide a comment or written statement.

Jose Ramon Peralta and Gustavo Montalvo, two high-ranking officials from President Medina's circle, did not respond to our request for a statement either.

Over at the Senate, even members of the Justice Commission said they were not aware of the allegations against Camilo and Dominican officials.

One of them, PLDs Senator Julio Cesar Valentin, stated that nobody has brought up the subject in Congress and acknowledged that he himself was not aware of the accusations.

What we should be asking ourselves is why was Robert Menendez interested and intervening in an internal matter for the Dominican Republic, he said.

Another member of the ruling party, former Santiago District Attorney Raul Martinez, said he did not know the details  nor the allegations of Dominican corrupt officials  contained in the Menendez-Melgen indictment.

However, he described Camilo as an honorable man.

I know him and trust him both as a PLD member and a citizen  He has a long tradition of public service and conducted a good administration at Customs.
The top U.S. and Cuban diplomats have met in Panama in the highest-level meeting between the two governments in more than half a century.

The U.S. State Department said Secretary of State Kerry and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez met on Thursday evening in Panama City, where the Summit of the Americas kicks off on Friday.

A high-level State Department official said Kerry and Rodriguez had a lengthy and very constructive discussion and the two agreed they made progress and that we would continue to work to resolve outstanding issues.

No additional information about their meeting was immediately available.

Both President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro are attending the summit. The two leaders had no formal meetings scheduled but were expected to interact on the sidelines of the summit.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
next Image 1 of 2

prev Image 2 of 2

In what will be the most scrutinized encounter at the Summit of the Americas in Panama, President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro plan to hold a groundbreaking bilateral meeting Saturday.

It will be the first planned discussion between a U.S. and Cuban president in more than 50 years. The historic meeting will occur as the two presidents work to restore diplomatic ties after more than half a century of estrangement between their countries.

Obama and Castro spoke by phone ahead of the summit, said Jorge Leganoa, deputy director of Cuba's state-run National Information Agency. The White House says the call came Wednesday, before the president left Washington.

Both leaders arrived in Panama City on Thursday for the summit, which is Cubas first participation in the event after having been essentially banned by the United States.

Details of their meeting were still being worked out Friday, said Obama foreign policy adviser Ben Rhodes.

"The two leaders will be able to address and take stock in any discussion they have over where we are in the process of normalization, where we are in the discussions around the establishment of embassies and where we continue to have differences," he said.

The White House was coy over the status of the State Department's recommendation to remove Cuba from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terror. Removal is a top issue with Castro because it would not only eliminate Cuba's status as a pariah, but also ease Cuba's ability to conduct simple financial transactions.

Nevertheless, the pace of activity over the terror list suggested that even if Obama did not make an announcement Saturday, one would come soon.

Indeed, the U.S.-Cuban outreach has entered a new, accelerated stage in recent days, with Obama speaking with Castro by phone Wednesday and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry holding a lengthy meeting with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez late Thursday.

The Cubans also put an optimistic face on the developments. The Cuban foreign ministry issued a brief account of the Kerry-Rodriguez meeting, saying that for nearly three hours they discussed the reestablishment of diplomatic relations and the opening of embassies in a "respectful and constructive atmosphere."

"Both parties agreed to continue discussing other matters," the ministry said.

It was the highest-level, face-to-face contact between officials from the two countries since the Dec. 17 announcement that Washington and Havana would move to restore diplomatic relations that were severed in 1961.

The flurry of diplomacy ahead of and around the seventh Summit of the Americas was recognition of the historic nature of the new relationship, one intended to end five decades of American presidents either isolating or working to overthrow Fidel Castro's government.

Obama was already getting praise from allies in the Americas.

"President Obama is going to leave a legacy the way he is supporting Hispanics in the United States, and also his new policy for Cuba for us is very important," Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela said as he met with Obama.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
In a major step in the developing diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States, the State Department has recommended that Cuba be taken off the agencys list of nations that sponsor terrorism, according to several published reports.

The recommendation comes some three months after President Barack Obama announced that the U.S. and Cuba were restoring diplomatic relations almost 54 years after President Dwight D. Eisenhower closed the American embassy in Havana and broke off relations. In December, Obama instructed the State Department to review the feasibility of keeping Cuba on the list.

ABC News cited unidentified sources as saying that the State Department delivered a report and its recommendation to the White House on Wednesday, and the agency was urging Cubas removal from the list, which also designates Sudan, Syria and Iran as terrorism sponsors.

On Thursday, at a public appearance in Jamaica, Obama confirmed that the State Department had concluded its review of Cubas designation on the list, but he said he would not discuss its contents or their recommendation until cabinet members who advise on national security approve it.

Some experts believe the president could announce the recommendation, and perhaps what action he will take stemming from it, as early as Friday when he is at the Summit of the Americas in Panama.

"Throughout this process, our emphasis has been on the facts," Obama said in Jamaica, according to ABC. "We want to make sure that, given this is a powerful tool to isolate those countries that genuinely do support terrorism, that when we make those designations we've got strong evidence that's the case, and as circumstances change that list will change, as well."

Obama is said to be set to have a face-to-face bilateral meeting with Cuban President Raul Castro on Saturday. It is unclear when that meeting was planned, given that as recently as Wednesday administration officials said no formal meeting was planned between the two heads of state.

Obama and Castro spoke by telephone this week.

"I can confirm that President Obama spoke with President Castro on Wednesday, before President Obama departed Washington, ABC News quoted an unnamed source as saying.

Cuba's continuing presence on the list has been a sticking point in the effort to restore ties between the two countries. Yet there have been indications that the U.S. has held back on granting Cuba a reprieve while other thorny issues  such as restrictions on U.S. diplomats in Havana  are still being resolved.

Delisting Cuba as a state terrorism sponsor is highly controversial.

Those who support taking it off say the list is first and foremost a political tool, keeping nations on it that are not any more dangerous than other nations, such as Pakistan, that clearly support or harbor terrorist groups but are not on it. Supporters also say U.S. handling of Cuba for the last 55 years has failed to propel it toward democracy, and that the time is long overdue for a new approach.

We will continue to have differences with the Cuban government, but we dont want to be imprisoned by the past, Obama said in a public appearance in Jamaica. Engagement is a more powerful force than isolation. I believe that we can move past some of the old debates that so often define the region, and move forward.

Opponents of Obamas decision to normalize relations with Cuba say it amounts to making a deal with a dictator who continues to suppress freedom of expression, punishes dissenters and has indicated that the oppressive system in Cuba will continue.

The opponents say delisting Cuba is yet another reward for a regime that routinely violates human rights and that supports, in various forms, terrorist groups and nations. Those critics include all the Cuban-Americans in Congress.

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Florida Republican and chairperson of the House Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa, assailed the expected decision to remove Cuba from the list.

A country cannot be removed from the list of State Sponsors of Terror if it continues to pursue the same policy of subversion and provides support for acts of international terrorism such as providing safe haven to foreign terrorist organizations and harboring U.S. fugitives as cited for years by the Department of State in its terrorism reports, Ros-Lehtinen said in a statement Friday.

"Yet these realities coupled with being caught red handed sending arms to North Korea in violation of U.N. sanctions and sending weapons on a Chinese-flagged ship that was intercepted in Colombia destined for Cubas military, have not changed and therefore does not merit for Cuba to be removed from the SST list. The Obama administration should look to facts, not politics, to guide their decision."

The congresswoman said that Cuba has had ties to the violent Spanish separatist movement, the Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA), which the State Department estimates has killed more than 800 people, she said. Cuba also retains links to the Colombian guerrilla army Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, Ros Lehtinen said.

The State Departments web page on the countries on the terrorism list offers a glimpse into its view of Cuba as a less serious threat than the other three nations on it, which have entries that are about three times as long as the Caribbean island.

It concedes that Cuba had worrisome dealings with terrorist groups such as ETA and FARC in the past, but then says that Cuba has been playing an important role in trying to broker peace agreements between those organizations and their home countries.

Sen. Robert Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat and son of Cuban immigrants, has been a vocal opponent of Obamas overtures to the Castro regime  something that some political observers believe has played a role in the Justice Departments decision to press charges against the veteran lawmaker that allege bribery, among other things.

Menendez says that Cuba has harbored fugitives, such as Joanne Chesimard, a member of the Black Liberation Army who killed a New Jersey State Police trooper execution-style in 1973.

"It is essential to recognize that the Castro regime has a long track record of providing sanctuary to terrorists and harboring U.S. fugitives who have murdered American citizens, while undermining national security," Menendez said in a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry.

"Before Cuba is removed from (the list), the Castro regime must be held to account for these acts and American fugitives must be brought back to face justice in the U.S."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
next Image 1 of 3

prev next Image 2 of 3

prev Image 3 of 3

Venezuela's president, Nicolas Maduro, is claiming victory after President Obama said in an interview earlier this week that Venezuela is not a threat.

Maduro is attributing Obama's supposed change of stance to his initiative of gathering 10 million signatures protesting "U.S. imperialism."

Venezuela is not a threat to the U.S. and the U.S. is not a threat to Venezuela, Obama told EFE, apparently changing the language used in the March 9 executive order announcing sanctions against seven government officials and calling the situation in Venezuela an unusual threat.

This rectification of vocabulary means a lot and it was possible thanks to the help we received from other Latin American governments and the entire world, Maduro said Thursday to a crowd gathered in front of the Miraflores Presidential Palace.

He said that Obamas change of language could open a new era of relations between the U.S. and Venezuela.

Asked whether the U.S. was walking back from its previous depiction of Venezuela as a national security threat, a State Department spokesman, Justen Thomas, referred to remarks by a deputy national security advisor, Ben Rhodes, at a press briefing this week in which he said: "The wording [of the executive order], which got a lot of attention, is completely pro forma. This is a language that we use in executive orders around the world. So the United States does not believe that Venezuela poses some threat to our national security. We, frankly, just have a framework for how we formalize these executive orders."

By his side was Bolivias President Evo Morales, a willing signer of the petition that will be delivered this weekend to President Obama at the Summit of the Americas taking place in Panama City.

Maduro announced that the 10 million mark had been exceeded: he said more than 10.4 million signatures were gathered in the country, while an additional 3 million plus had been handed to him from abroad.

We have gathered the total of 13.4 million signatures in Venezuela and many other countries, he said visibly pleased.

However, more than 3 million of those signatures came from Cuba, meaning only 567 signatures came from other countries.

Maduro said many of the booths where signatures were collected will be kept across the country as a historic reminder of this fight against U.S. imperialism.

According to Tibisay Lucena, president of the National Electoral Council, all the Venezuelan signatures were checked by her office and they had been able to validate 98.7 percent of them.

She said the Council completed the task in a little over two days, which amounts to approximately 216,000 signatures verified per hour, more than 3.600 per minute and 60 per second.

Most of the signatures were handwritten, as opposed to digital.

President Maduro also referred to his meeting with State Department counselor Thomas Shannon Wednesday night.

We talked from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. Rivals must talk to create the possibilities of dialogue, he said, adding that the talks dealt with the existence of a network of terrorists in Miami, Florida, that has tried to overthrow his government.

As it often is the case, many of the participants in Thursdays rally were public employees that were picked up from work by state-owned buses. Some came from different cities of Venezuela using free government rides.

Some critics of the government said they are getting tired of the overused rhetoric. Fanny Molina, who lives in Macarao, a low-income segment of Caracas, believes the president is wasting valuable time.

He should be paying attention to all the long lines there are around the country to buy food and other basic goods. Every day you find fewer things in the supermarkets and he is wasting time looking for signatures. The U.S. is not going to invade Venezuela, they would have done it already if they wanted to, she said.
History was made at the Summit of the Americas.

President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro held the first substantive meeting between leaders of their countries in more than five decades.

In a small conference room in a Panama City convention center, Obama and Castro sat side by side in a bid to inject fresh momentum into their months-old effort to restore diplomatic ties. Obama said he wanted to "turn the page" on old divisions, although he acknowledged that significant differences between the governments would remain.

"This is obviously a historic meeting," Obama said shortly after the two sat down. "It was my belief it was time to try something new, that it was important for us to engage with Cuban government."

"And more importantly, with Cuban people," the president added.

Castro told the U.S. president he was ready discuss sensitive issues including human rights and freedom of the press, saying, "Everything can be on the table." But he also cautioned that the two countries have "agreed to disagree."

"We are willing to make progress in the way the president has described," Castro said.

The remarkable gathering played out on the sidelines of the Summit of the Americas, which this year included Cuba for the first time. Although the meeting wasn't publicly announced in advance, White House aides had suggested the two leaders were looking for an opportunity to meet while in Panama and to discuss the ongoing efforts to open embassies in Havana and Washington, among other issues.

In brief remarks to reporters at the start of the meeting, Obama acknowledged that Cuba, too, would continue raising concerns about U.S. policies. Earlier in the day, Castro launched into an exhaustive history of perceived Cuban grievances against the U.S. in his speech to fellow leaders attending the summit.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
After his ice-breaking handshake with Cuba's leader, President Barack Obama is looking to the Summit of the Americas to chart a less conflictive future with Latin America, a region that has long chafed at Washington's dominance.

The informal encounter before the opening ceremony, together with a surprise message sent by the hugely popular Pope Francis, set expectations for substantive dialogue among the more than 30 regional leaders on Saturday.

The challenges are huge. The title of the seventh edition of the summit is "Prosperity with Equality," a theme touched on in a letter from the Argentine-born pontiff reminding the region's leaders that poverty hasn't fallen as fast as their economies have grown in the past decade's commodities-fueled run.

"It's not enough for the poor to pick up the crumbs that fall from the table of the rich," according to the letter, which was read by the Vatican's secretary of state, Pietro Parolin. "Direct action for the most vulnerable, just like small children are in a family, should be the priority of those who govern."

Obama and Raul Castro had clasped hands once before, at the funeral of South African President Nelson Mandela, but expectations are higher this time following Obama's decision in December to begin talks on restoring relations with Cuba that were severed in 1961.

The U.S. embargo on Cuba, which Obama has talked about possibly dismantling as part of the rapprochement, has long been an obstacle to closer ties with Latin America, where mistrust of the U.S. runs deep following a history of support for coups and military dictatorships.

Obama also touted a decision to request from Congress $1 billion in aid for Central America to speed up development that aims to make streets there safer and reduce the flow of migrants to the U.S.

Amid the focus on the future, the ghosts of the past were close at hand, and some preferred to stir old grudges.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro had barely gotten off his plane before he took a symbolic jab at Washington by visiting a monument honoring victims of the 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama.

A crowd of several hundred, many of them government supporters flown in from Venezuela, greeted the socialist leader at the memorial in the poor downtown neighborhood of El Chorrillo, which saw the heaviest fighting during the invasion that removed dictator Gen. Manuel Noriega. "Maduro, stick it to the Yankee!" they chanted.

"Never again a U.S. invasion in Latin America," Maduro said.

The Venezuelan leader hardened his rhetoric against Washington in the run-up to the summit after the White House slapped financial sanctions on seven senior officials it accuses of human rights abuses tied to last year's anti-government protests.

Much of the region has rallied to Maduro's side in denouncing the action by the U.S., which comes amid a deep economic and political crisis in Venezuela. But Maduro's vow to deliver to Obama a petition signed by 10 million people demanding the sanctions be lifted is unlikely to stand in the way of progress on other hemispheric issues.

As the region's leaders flew into Panama City, supporters of Castro disrupted for a third day a forum for civil society groups to protest the presence of Cuban dissidents at the meeting.

Castro supporters shouted "Mercenaries!" as they faced off with government opponents who brandished signs such as "Democracy is respect."

The pro-Castro delegation later walked out of the forum before Obama came to speak, saying they had been forced to share the stage with opposition figures they consider hostile to their country.

Obama urged Cuba to embrace those who think differently.

"Civil society is the conscience of our countries. It's the catalyst of change," he said at the event. "It's why strong nations don't fear active citizens. Strong nations embrace and support and empower active citizens."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Sunday officially announced her 2016 presidential campaign, ending months of speculation over her political plans and immediately elevating her as a target for the field of Republican contenders.

Clinton made the announcement in a YouTube video in which she says: Everybody needs a champion. And I want to be that champion.

The roughly two-minute video begins by showing a cross-section of Americans working to get ahead before Clinton says: Im doing something, too. Im running for president.

The 2016 White House winner will assuredly need to appeal to middle-class Americans and win their votes. And Clinton wasted little time making her pitch. Americans have fought back from tough economic times, she says in the video. But the deck is still stacked in favor of those at the top.

Clinton later released a similar, more condensed message on Twitter.

The former first lady is seeking the presidency for a second time, after losing the party nomination to then-Sen. Barack Obama in 2008.

The 67-year-old Clinton has been the clear Democratic front-runner since speculation started last year about her potential candidacy, and her announcement makes her the only Democrat so far to officially start a 2016 White House campaign. A victory next year would make Clinton the United States first female president.

Clinton in 2000 won a U.S. Senate seat in New York, and in 2009 was appointed secretary of state, serving four years.

On Saturday, the group We Are Hillary for America circulated a memo to supporters that organizers called "guiding principles." But the memo also provided some insight into to the underpinnings of a Clinton campaign. "Give every family, every small business and every American a path to lasting prosperity by electing Hillary Clinton the next president of the United States, the memo in part stated.

Clinton now heads this week to key, early-voting states, starting with Iowa on Tuesday, then onto New Hampshire.

She has signaled that she intends to make a major push in the Iowa caucuses, won by Obama in 2008. Her team has hired a former top aide to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to lead her Iowa campaign.

Her ties to New Hampshire are much stronger. State Democrats remember Bill Clinton's surprising second-place finish in the 1992 primary that helped him overcome charges of draft dodging and womanizing. Hillary Clinton surprised Obama by winning the 2008 New Hampshire primary.

Clinton has faced sharp criticism in recent weeks, after news reports that as secretary of state she used a private server and emails for official business, then made available only about half of the roughly 60,000 messages, permanently deleting those she considered personal.

Still, a Fox News poll released March 26 shows Clinton with support from 49 percent of early voters, numbers similar to those in other polls for roughly the past five months.

The response to Clintons announcement was quick and widespread with Democratic and Republican lawmakers, candidates and political groups eager to get in on the biggest news so far in the early 2016 election cycle.

Hillary Clintons tenure as secretary of state resulted in an America that is less safe and trusted abroad, said Our American Revival, a political action committee for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a potential 2016 GOP presidential candidate. We must stand together and speak out against Hillary Clintons dangerous liberal record.

Carly Fiorina, another potential 2016 GOP candidate and a former Hewlett-Packard chief executive, release her own video.

Hillary Clintons a highly intelligent woman, hard-working, shes dedicated her life to public service, Fiorina says the video that she posted on Facebook. But unfortunately, she does not have a track record of accomplishment or transparency.  Shes not the woman for the White House.

Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul, who last week officially announced his 2016 bid, became the first candidate to release an attack ad on another official candidate with a video that in part says: Hillary Clinton represents the worst of the Washington machine.

Former Maryland Gov. Martin OMalley, a Clinton supporter who is seriously considering a bid for the Democratic nomination, said through a spokeswoman that he will make his decision regardless of what other people decide.

Hes heard from Democrats that they are looking for someone who offers strong progressive values, new leadership and the experience of getting real results, spokeswoman Lis Smith said. The Democratic Party will benefit from a robust issues debate  should Governor O'Malley decide to enter the race.

Democratic National Committee Chairman and Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz welcomed Clinton as the first official candidate seeking the party's 2016 presidential nomination. But she also suggested Clinton would have to work for the mantle.

We expect a competitive primary for the Democratic nomination, Wasserman Schultz said. I look forward to the contributions that Secretary Clinton and all of our eventual candidates will bring to this debate.

As first lady to President Bill Clinton during the 1990s, she was a driving figure in a failed health care overhaul and lived through multiple ethics investigations and her husband's impeachment.

Clinton graduated from Wellesley College and Yale Law School.

In Arkansas, she was a lawyer at a top firm while Bill Clinton was governor. She advised her husband after he won the White House in 1992. In the Senate, she struck a bipartisan tone at times. Her Senate vote for the 2002 Iraq invasion became a point of contention in 2008; Obama had spoken out against the "dumb war." At the State Department, she was a hawkish member of Obama's national security team. She helped set the foundation for nuclear talks with Iran.

Clinton is the daughter of a small-business owner and homemaker, and grew up in suburban Chicago. As a college senior, Clinton delivered a 1969 commencement speech that earned national attention. The Clintons met at Yale. After working as a child advocate, Clinton followed her future husband back to Arkansas, where he launched his political career. The couple's 35-year-old daughter, Chelsea Clinton, gave birth to her first child, Charlotte, in September.

A 1995 address in Beijing and her final campaign event in 2008 are signature moments. As first lady, Clinton declared in a speech at a U.N. conference on women that "human rights are women's rights and women's rights are human rights."

The speech challenged human rights abuses of women and helped set the tone for Clinton's work years later in the State Department.

Her critics remember her for blaming her husband's scandals on a "vast right-wing conspiracy."

Clinton wrote "Hard Choices," about her time as secretary of state, and promoted the book around the country in 2014. The book generated mediocre sales and Clinton stumbled at times during the book tour, saying in one interview that she and her husband were "dead broke" when they left the White House.

While they faced large legal bills from the Whitewater investigation, the couple made millions after Bill Clinton's presidency; the comments were considered tone-deaf. Clinton already was a publishing powerhouse at that point.

During her husband's presidency, she released "It Takes a Village" in 1996, a book that discussed her work in child advocacy and steps to help children become productive adults.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Hillary Rodham Clinton jumped back into presidential politics on Sunday, announcing her much-awaited second campaign for the White House. "Everyday Americans need a champion. I want to be that champion," she said.

As she did in 2007, Clinton began her campaign for the 2016 Democratic nomination with a video. But rather than follow it with a splashy rally, she instead plans to head to the early-voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire, looking to connect with voters directly at coffee shops, day care centers and some private homes.

"So I'm hitting the road to earn your vote. Because it's your time. And I hope you'll join me on this journey," Clinton said at the end of a video, which features a series of men, women and children describing their aspirations.

This voter-centric approach was picked with a purpose, to show that Clinton is not taking the nomination for granted. Only after about a month of such events will Clinton will give a broader speech outlining more specifics about her rationale for running.

The former secretary of state, senator and first lady enters the race in a strong position to succeed her rival from the 2008 campaign, President Barack Obama.

Her message will focus on strengthening economic security for the middle class and expanding opportunities for working families. The campaign is portraying her as a "tenacious fighter" who can get results and work with Congress, business and world leaders.

"Americans have fought their way back from tough economic times. But the deck is still stacked in favor of those at the top. Everyday Americans need a champion and I want to be that champion," she said in the video.

"So you can do more than just get by. You can get ahead and stay ahead. Because when families are strong, America is strong."

Clinton's strategy, described ahead of the announcement by two senior advisers who requested anonymity to discuss her plans, has parallels to the approach Obama took in 2012. He framed his re-election as a choice between Democrats focused on the middle class and Republicans who sought to protect the wealthy and return to policies that led the country into recession.

Clinton will face pressure from the progressive wing of her party to adopt a more populist economic message focused on income inequality. Some liberals remain skeptical of Clinton's close ties to Wall Street donors and the centrist economic policies of her husband's administration. They have urged her to back tougher financial regulations and tax increases on the wealthy.

"It would do her well electorally to be firmly on the side of average working people who are working harder than ever and still not getting ahead," said economist Robert Reich, a former labor secretary during the Clinton administration who has known Hillary Clinton for nearly five decades.

The GOP did not wait for her announcement to begin their campaign against her. The party's chairman, Reince Priebus, has outlined plans for a broad effort to try to undermine her record as secretary of state while arguing that her election would be like giving Obama a "third term."

Republicans have jumped on Clinton's use of a personal email account and server while she was secretary of state, as well as her handling of the 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, in his own online video, said Sunday: "We must do better than the Obama-Clinton foreign policy that has damaged relationships with our allies and emboldened our enemies."

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, who launched his presidential campaign last week, also pointed to the Clinton family's foundation, which has drawn criticism from Republicans for raising money from foreign governments.

Paul said it was hypocritical for the foundation to accept money from Saudi Arabia, which places public restrictions on the movement and activity of women, while Clinton carries forward with her long-standing effort to improve in women's rights.

"I would expect Hillary Clinton if she believes in women's rights, she should be calling for a boycott of Saudi Arabia," Paul said on NBC's "Meet the Press." ''Instead, she's accepting tens of millions of dollars."

Clinton is the first Democrat to get into the race, but there are some lower-profile Democrats considering challenging her, including former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb and former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee.

The party's nominee will have to overcome history to win election. In the last half-century, the same party has held the White House for three consecutive terms only once, during the administrations of Republicans Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

The 2016 campaign is likely to be the most expensive in history, with total spending on both sides expected to well exceed the $1 billion spent four years ago. This weekend, Clinton campaign fundraisers escalated their outreach to Democratic donors, who largely back her bid, with a flurry of phone calls urging them to donate as soon as possible.

Clinton's formal entrance into the race also triggered the start of more aggressive fundraising by Democratic outside super political action committees such as Priorities USA Action that have been reorganized to promote her campaign.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
He may emerge from his federal bribery charges bruised and battered, but Sen. Bob Menendez vowed one thing: he will be exonerated.

When all the facts are known, I know that I will be vindicated and we will win, the New Jersey senator said on Fox News Sunday, his first interview since he his April 1 indictment.

But Menendez denied that the Obama administration carried out the indictment because of his blunt criticism of the president for easing diplomatic relations with Cuba and for the administrations Iran deal.

I cannot imagine that an administration  this or any other  would go to such lengths, and undermine our constitutional democracy, he said.

He said he would not end his criticism of the administration even after his legal problems end.

On Tuesday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is expected to debate a bill by Republican Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, the committee chairman, and Menendez, a Democrat, that would give Congress a say on any deal. Republicans and some Democratic critics of the Iran negotiations are trying to erect obstacles to a deal, while most Democrats are aiming to give negotiators more leeway.

Menendez said it's a "congressional duty to review whatever agreement comes about." And, he said, nothing will get in his way of opposing the administration.

Let me just simply say, I am not backing off, he said.

Menendez, the son of Cuban immigrants and one of the longest-serving Hispanic members of Congress, is accused of accepting gifts and luxury vacations from a wealthy Dominican eye surgeon, Salomon Melgen, in exchange for political favors.

When asked about removing Cuba from the list state sponsors of terrorism, Menendez was sharp in his criticism.

I think the President has a misguided calculation, that if you open your hands to dictators, they will unclench their fists, he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro had pledged to raise havoc at the Summit of the Americas after the U.S. handed out a series of sanctions against his country.

He spent weeks before the Panama meeting collecting 10 million signatures in an effort to try and force President Barack Obama to repeal sanctions levied against high-level government officials for human rights violations.

Instead, a more conciliatory Maduro showed up at the summit. And while he launched into a tirade during his summit speech, telling Obama  who was not even in the room at the time  I respect you, but I don't trust you, President Obama, he later met with the U.S. president in a private gathering and called the encounter serious and sincere.

We told the truth and I would say it was cordial, Maduro said.

The White House said Obama reiterated his concern about the state of democracy in deeply divided Venezuela, but in his public speech Obama refrained from language declaring the situation in Venezuela a national security threat  the justification to freeze the assets of seven officials accused of human rights abuses tied to last year's anti-government protests.

Richard Feinberg, a former White House official who helped organize the first Summit of Americas in Miami in 1994, said the prospect of a U.S.-Cuba detente has taken much of the wind out of the sails of the region's harshest critics of the U.S.

"Three out of the last four summits were antagonistic, ALBA-driven," Feinberg said in an interview, referring to the Venezuelan-led bloc of leftist governments. "You'll notice though, whereas ALBA was able to get a lot of support from let's say the middle countries before, they didn't this time."

Mexico's Enrique Pena Nieto made no mention of the Venezuela sanctions in his remarks to the summit Saturday. Brazil's Dilma Rousseff did, but briefly and apparently for the consumption of her leftist base at home, Feinberg noted.

Even Castro, long Venezuela's staunchest ally, only dedicated as much time to the sanctions in his speech as he did to other timeworn grievances such as Ecuador's legal battle with foreign oil corporations and Argentina's historic claim over the British-administered Falkland Islands.

The enthusiasm for the rapprochement with Cuba was great and Obama called for a "new chapter of engagement" in U.S.-Latin American relations, but even he acknowledged that change would come gradually.

Many Latin Americans who came of age during the Cold War, when U.S. support for the region's military dictatorships was strong, remain deeply skeptical of Washington. To many, the unilateral action on Venezuela is a throwback to the sort of strong-arm tactics Obama has vowed to end.

Regional leaders are watching for follow-through on Obama's promise to consider removing Cuba from a list of state sponsors of terrorism and dismantling of the trade embargo, two key obstacles on the path to normalization with Cuba and better ties to the region.

The U.S. and Latin American leaders avoided a final joint declaration. But the mood was considerably warmer than at the last summit in Colombia in 2012, which ended with many leaders saying they would never hold another with the U.S. unless Cuba was included.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Sen. Marco Rubio is gathering his strongest supporters in Miami for a flashy political rally expected to serve as his launch into the 2016 Republican presidential race.

The Florida Republican has not said which job he is seeking next year. But given the polish and promotion, it is unlikely the first-term senator will be telling hundreds inside Miami's Freedom Tower, potentially thousands watching on big screens outside and many more on television that he will be seeking a second term in Congress. Instead, all signs point to a presidential campaign.

Rubio has long been assembling his political team, including donors who helped previous presidential nominees collect tens of millions of dollars. Now, Rubio's campaign kickoff  at the site of what was the first stop for tens of thousands of fleeing Cuban exiles during the 1960s and 1970s  would formalize what has been unfolding for months.

It comes a day after Hillary Rodham Clinton announced her bid for the Democratic nomination and as she is traveling to Iowa on her first trip as a candidate.

That's likely to rob some attention from Rubio's splash into the race. But as his team sees it, the timing also presents an opportunity to cast the presidential contest as one between a fresh face representing a new generation of leadership and a long-familiar figure harking back to the 1990s.

Rubio's event is billed as a "big announcement" to stoke anticipation about his decision whether to run for president or seek re-election to the Senate. For the past week, Rubio has teased supporters on social media, asked them to sign up for an email to get first word of his announcement and offering tickets for $3.05 (Miami's area code is 305). The effort will capture names, addresses and other information about potential voters and campaign donors.

Rubio faces steep challenges to winning the nomination, one of them from his mentor, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. Rubio would become the third major GOP contender to declare himself a candidate, after Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Sen. Rand Paul, in a field that could grow to 20 or more candidates.

A young man in a hurry, Rubio, 43, will no doubt hear rivals tell voters he's not ready for the White House.

A first-generation immigrant whose parents fled Cuba, Rubio could make history as the nation's first Hispanic president (as could Cruz). Rubio frames his pitch to voters as the embodiment of the American dream, a son of a maid and bartender who worked his way through law school and now sits in Congress.

His is an appealing biography for a party that has struggled to connect with minority and younger voters. Those voters have been solidly behind Democrats in recent presidential elections. Rubio's advisers see his candidacy as a way to eat into that Democratic bloc, even if capturing it would be almost impossible.

Starting right after the 2014 elections that tipped the Senate into Republican hands, Rubio has been methodically moving toward a presidential announcement. His top political adviser and likely campaign manager, Terry Sullivan, has been building his team, tapping Jim Merrill, who ran Mitt Romney's New Hampshire campaigns, veteran spokesman Alex Conant, advertising chief Todd Harris and former Romney political director Rich Beeson.

His political advisers have told party leaders that they should start recruiting a candidate to run for his Senate seat.

Not even two weeks after the 2012 presidential election, Rubio visited Iowa to headline a birthday event for Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, a kingmaker in Iowa presidential politics.

He's been making inroads with activists after turns at the anti-tax Club for Growth confab and the grassroots Conservative Political Action Conference. And in his day job in the Senate, Rubio has been a leading voice against President Barack Obama's engagement with Cuba and Iran.

On Tuesday, fresh off his 2016 declaration, he is set to return to the Senate to participate in a hearing about Iran.

Rubio also has been lining up a network of donors, who can tap their friends to finance Rubio's campaign, expected to cost about $50 million to get to Iowa's lead-off caucuses. Longtime donor Wayne Berman is leading the money chase for Rubio; Dallas investor George Seay and Goldman Sachs' Joe Wall are lined up, too.

But Rubio faces a hurdle with some conservative activists in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina over his work on a failed bipartisan immigration bill that proposed a long and difficult pathway to citizenship for those who were in the country illegally. The measure cleared the Senate but collapsed in the House in the face of conservative suspicion.

Rubio has since shifted how he is approaching the thorny subject, saying his bill does not have the support to become law and the first focus should be on border security, a standard GOP position. Rubio ultimately wants to create a process that leads to legal status and, then, citizenship.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
After breakthroughs abroad, President Barack Obama is finding stern challenges at home to his foreign policy, facing hard sells to skeptics over U.S. shifts, first on Iran and now Cuba.

Obama returned to Washington early Sunday still basking in the attention from his historic meeting with Cuban President Raul Castro at a summit of Western Hemisphere leaders. But Obama is certain to find a less appreciative crowd in Congress than the one he left behind at the Summit of the Americas in Panama.

To complete a nuclear agreement with Iran, Obama must deal with resistance in Congress and the unpredictability of the Iranian leadership, which has a distinctly different interpretation of what the sides have settled on so far.

Cuba and Iran offer Obama, whose term ends in early 2017, the potential for legacy-crowning achievements. Iran may prove a greater challenge than Cuba, but together they are subjecting Obama's foreign policy to the kind of scrutiny that most international issues, short of war, rarely draw.

Obama made clear in a closing news conference late Saturday in Panama City that he believes he can handle the twin trials. The American public is on his side on Cuba, the president said, and he had tough words for Republicans defying him on Iran.

Both have their roots in decades of grievances. Both have had constituencies in the U.S. deeply mistrustful of the governments with which Obama is dealing. Pro-Israel Americans cannot fathom a deal with an Iran that will not recognize Israel's existence. And for long, Cuban-Americans who escaped Fidel Castro's revolution could not imagine a U.S. government not committed to ousting the Havana government.

On the flip side, Cuba is hardly the threat Iran could be. Public opinion no longer demonizes Cuba. In the end, Obama's efforts to re-establish normal relations looks like the lesser burden.

When it comes to Cuba, "the American people don't need to be persuaded," Obama said.

Still, there are reminders that the barriers have not all fallen.

Castro, in a lengthy speech at the summit, recited a litany of objections to past U.S. policies. And the room where Obama and Castro met displayed no flags, thus declaring the absence of diplomatic relations.

Obama's next step is removing Cuba from the United States' list of state sponsors of terrorism. Such a decision, recommended by the State Department, could come in days. Obama would have to notify Congress. Lawmakers do not have to ratify the decision, but they have 45 days to disapprove it.

Such a vote, if attempted, probably would not succeed. But the issue is percolating just as 2016 presidential candidates are jumping into the race.

Florida, once the center of anti-Castro activism, is a pivotal presidential state, and some Republican candidates will try for a political upper hand by accusing Obama of weakening America's place in the world.

"President Obama's foreign policy has been one appeasement toward autocratic dictators, thugs, and adversaries after another," Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican toying with a presidential run, said amid news Obama was to sit down with Castro.

The White House hardly appears worried about the politics of Cuban diplomacy, given that support for ending more than 50 years of U.S. isolation of the island nation crosses party and geographic lines.

"''Perhaps the most important difference is that while Iran is inherently a security issue, today Cuba is the opposite," said Carl Meacham, a former senior Republican aide on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee who now is a director at the Center for Security and International Studies. "If he removes Cuba for the list of state sponsors of terror, President Obama will demonstrate that the United States can no longer reasonably look at Cuba as a threat to our own security."

Obama perceives the Iran deal as far more fragile.

Iran and the world powers negotiating the deal have until the end of June to reach a final deal. Congress is angling to assert authority over the final agreement, and even some of Obama's Democratic allies support that.

But Obama reserves most of his frustrations for Republicans and he singled out Sen. John McCain of Arizona, his 2008 presidential rival, for specific scorn during Saturday's new conference.

McCain last week declared a major setback in the nuclear talks after Iran's supreme leader demanded that sanctions against Tehran had to be lifted immediately after a deal went into place.

Obama cast McCain's criticism as an assault on the credibility of Secretary of State John Kerry.

"Now we have a senator suggesting that our secretary of state is purposefully misinterpreting the deal and giving the supreme leader of Iran the benefit of the doubt in the interpretations," Obama said. "That's not how we're supposed to run foreign policy, regardless of who is president or secretary of state."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
next Image 1 of 2

prev Image 2 of 2

President Barack Obama says Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff will visit Washington this summer, nearly two years after she canceled a similar trip to protest U.S. spy programs.

Rousseff canceled a state visit to the U.S. in the fall of 2013 to protest an American spy program that targeted Brazil's government and citizens.

Brazilian media revealed that Rousseff's communications with aides were intercepted and that the U.S. National Security Agency hacked the computer network of the state-run oil company and separately had scooped up data on billions of emails and telephone calls flowing through Brazil.

Rousseff says she is pleased by the invitation and looks forward to trip. It is not expected, though, to include the pageantry associated with a state visit.

Her visit is set for June 30.

In Brazil, Rousseff is facing nationwide demonstrations calling for her impeachment for the second day in less than a month, though turnout at Sunday's protests appeared less than the one in March, prompting questions about the future of the movement.

A poll published over the weekend suggested the majority of Brazilians support opening impeachment proceedings against Rousseff, whose second term in office has been buffeted by a corruption scandal at Brazil's largest company, oil giant Petrobras, as well as a stalled economy, a sliding currency and political infighting. Only 13 percent of survey respondents evaluated Rousseff's administration positively.

Sunday's protests, which took place in cities from Belem, in the northern Amazonian rainforest region, to Curitiba in the south, were organized mostly via social media by an assortment of groups. Most were calling for Rousseff's impeachment, but others' demands ranged for urging looser gun control laws to a military coup.

While last month's protests drew substantial crowds in several large cities, Sunday's turnout was lackluster.

In Rio, several thousand people marched along the golden sands of Copacabana beach, many dressed in the yellow and green of the Brazilian flag. The March 15 protest, by contrast, drew tens of thousands.

In the opposition stronghold of Sao Paulo, about 100,000 people marched on the city's main thoroughfare, according to an estimate by the respected Datafolha polling agency. The crowd was less than half the size of last month's demonstration here, when more than 200,000 people turned out, making it the biggest demonstration in Sao Paulo since 1984 rallies demanding the end of the military dictatorship.

"I was on the avenue on March 15 and without a doubt, today's demonstration was much smaller," said Antonio Guglielmi, a 61-year-old sales representative for construction materials company, vowing, "I will keep coming back to demonstrations like this one  big or small  because it is the best way for us to make our voices heard and demand an end to the Dilma government and the PT and end to corruption. The country cannot go on like this."

Still, many analysts predict that lower turnout Sunday protests could spell the end of the movement.

"I do not think we will see the protest movement grow in size and frequency," said Carlos Lopes, a political risk analyst at Brasilia office of the Insituto Analise consultancy. Given Sunday's smaller turnout, "people will be less inclined take part in future demonstrations and the movement toward large-scale rallies will begin to fizzle out."

One of the heads of the Movimento Brasil Livre, or Free Brazil Movement, which helped organize Sunday's demonstrations rebuffed the suggestion that turnout was down, stressing that many more cities and towns staged protests than last month.

A survey released Saturday by the Folha de S.Paulo daily found that 63 percent of Brazilians surveyed supported impeachment proceedings against Rousseff, while 33 percent opposed them. The same poll, by Datafolha, showed Rousseff's approval ratings holding steady, with 13 percent of respondents giving her a great or good rating while 60 percent of respondents evaluated her performance as bad or terrible. The survey of 2,834 people in 171 municipalities was conducted on Thursday and Friday. It had an error margin of plus or minus 2 percentage points.

Much of the protesters' ire focused on the Petrobras scandal. Prosecutors say at least $800 million was paid in bribes and other funds by construction and engineering firms in exchange for inflated Petrobras contracts. Rousseff, a former chairwoman of Petrobras' board, has not been implicated and so far is not being investigated, though two of her former chiefs of staff are among the dozens of officials caught up in the inquiry.

One president, Fernando Collor de Mello, has been impeached since Brazil's return to democracy in 1985, but many legal experts have said that Rousseff could only be impeached if evidence emerges directly linking her to crimes committed during her second term, which began in January.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
In mid-afternoon in downtown Miami, hundreds of people of widely diverse ages, ethnicities and religions stood in a line outside the Freedom Tower that that stretched two blocks for a chance to hear the son of a Cuban immigrant bartender and cashier say that he was running to be president of the United States.

Sen. Marco Rubios struggles and hope and successes against towering odds mirrored the lives of many here; and for others whose lives perhaps have been very different from his, he emblemized the American Dream.

Four men in suits wearing yarmulkes bought "Rubio for President" t-shirts from a street vendor.

In front of them, three men with Venezuelan flag pins on their sport jacket lapels patiently waited for the line to move forward.

Rubio, who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has been a persistent critic of what he sees as President Barack Obamas docile handling of Venezuela, which has been rocked by unrest by protests over human rights violations.

One of the men waiting to hear Rubio, Ernesto Ackerman, president of the Miami-Dade Latin American Republican Club, praised the junior senator as a big supporter of Venezuelans against the government of President Nicolas Maduro.

"His policies and his views is what America needs to go on the right direction," Ackerman said.

"He is the best candidate to tackle national security and foreign policy, which has been a disaster under the current administration."

Inside Freedom Tower, on the mezzanine level, supporters rubbed elbows with well-heeled Miami donors and politicians who have signed on to Rubio's camp.

On stage a huge sign bearing Rubio's name announced his slogan: "A New American Century."

As U2 songs reverberated around the meeting hall, Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado called Rubio's announcement one of the most historic moments in city history.

Regalado's journalist father spent 22 years in a Cuban prison under the regime of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

"Freedom Tower symbolizes what the American dream means to the Cuban exile community," Regalado said. "His announcement will resonate throughout the nation and throughout the world."

Rubio, who often speaks about his ancestral homeland, chose the Miami landmark because of its personal importance to him -- it was the first stop for tens of thousands of fleeing Cuban exiles during the 1960s and 1970s. He said the kind of opportunities that were available to those exiles and other Cubans like his parents should continue to exist for all Americans.

"I know my candidacy might seem improbable to some watching from abroad," Rubio said at the Freedom Tower. "After all, in many countries, the highest office in the land is reserved for the rich and powerful."

"But I live in an exceptional country. ... where even the son of a bartender and a maid can have the same dreams and the same future as those who come from power."

Others who gathered to hear Rubios announcement said they are tired of Bushes and Clintons and want a fresh face with fresh ideas.

Kelly Steele, 50, and her 18-year-old son wore tie-dyed Rubio T-shirts.

"We have had a lot of Bushes," Steele said, comparing Rubio to a youthful John Kennedy.

"Sen. Rubio kind of reminds me of JFK," she said. "He's got that energy and desire and momentum and excitement."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
When he was 10 years old, Rafael Penalver would roam the cavernous lobby of downtown Miamis Freedom Tower. Hed walk inside a room where he would pick up cans of peanut butter and packages of dry milk being handed out to Cuban refugees who had recently fled the communist Castro regime. Sometimes, the line would snake out into the hall.

Penalvers family arrived in Miami in 1961, a year before the U.S. government leased the building to use it as a refugee assistance center serving thousands of Cubans seeking political asylum. But Freedom Tower would play a large role in his childhood. Penalvers father ran a clinic on one of the first floors of the Mediterranean Revival style building.

It was the only place where Cuban doctors could practice medicine, Penalver explained. And it was the only place we could receive medical treatment. I had my wisdom teeth pulled out at Freedom Tower.

His father would eventually become one of the leading figures in Miamis Cuban exile community and Penalver, now 63, is a successful attorney who spearheaded a grassroots campaign to save Freedom Tower from a developers garish plans to place a high-rise condo behind Miamis most iconic structure.

According to Penalver, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio could not have selected a more appropriate venue to make his first appearance as an official 2016 presidential candidate. The Cuban-American Republican announced today to a group of donors that he is joining the crowded field of contenders vying for the partys 2016 nomination.

Its a tremendous expression of the opportunities the United States offers, Penalver said. The son of Cuban immigrants announcing at Freedom Tower that he wants to run for the most important office in the U.S. should give all of us tremendous pride.

In an interview with the Miami Herald recently, Rubio  whose parents arrived in the U.S. and were given permanent residency in 1956, that is before Castros revolution took place  said he chose the Freedom Tower because the building holds significant personal value to generations of Cuban-Americans.

To me, its a place thats symbolic of the promise of America, Rubio told the Herald. Literally, five decades ago, tens of thousands of people came here after losing their country and began their new life.

Ironically, the building was developed by a presidential contender from the early 20th Century. Four years after losing the 1920 election to Republican Warren G. Harding, former Ohio governor James M. Cox began construction of the building, which is based on the design of the Giralda tower of the Cathedral of Seville in Spain.

When the 17-story building was completed in 1925, Cox made it the headquarters and printing facility for his newspaper Miami Daily News and Metropolis, which later became just the Miami News. Blending Spanish and Italian architectural techniques with Moorish ornamental embellishments, Freedom Tower has become one of the most distinctive buildings in the Miami skyline, said Paul George, a Miami-Dade College professor and local historian.

It was designed by Schultze & Weaver, the architecture firm that also designed the Waldorf Astoria in New York, George said. And it became known as the Ellis Island of the South.

After the Miami News moved to a new facility in 1957, the tower sat vacant for five years. In 1962, the U.S. government leased the building to deal with the large number of Cubans fleeing the island. Thats when it was renamed Freedom Tower.

The name was coined by the late businessman and civic activist Walter Etling Sr., George said. It was a way of showing the people fleeing a Marxist dictatorship that they could thrive here.

From 1962 until 1974, the assistance center provided thousands of Cuban refugees with resources for adjusting to their new lives in the United States. At Freedom Tower, Cuban immigrants had access to basic medical and dental services, records on relatives already in the U.S., and relief aid for those starting a new life with nothing. Refugees were furnished with identification cards and were interviewed to identify both their needs and strengths. They received medical examinations and surplus foods like cheese, canned meat and peanut butter, and dry milk. Federal funds were also distributed for financial assistance.

The Freedom Tower represented, for many Cuban refugees, a turning point in their lives, George said.

It became a symbol of Cubans coming to the U.S. and becoming the most successful immigrant group to make it in America, George said. You couldnt pick a better place to make an announcement about a presidential candidacy.

Five years after the federal government sold the building in 1974, Freedom Tower was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. However, the building sat vacant and became dilapidated for more than a decade. In 1997, the building was purchased for $4.1 million by Cuban-American businessman Jorge Mas Canosa, founder of the Cuban-American National Foundation.

He restored the tower, using it as museum about the Cuban exile community, as well as a library, meeting hall, and offices for his foundation. After Mas Canosas death, the building was sold to local developer Pedro Martin in 2004. Martin unveiled plans to tear down the rear of Freedom Tower so he could build a gargantuan condominium behind the historic structure.

Martins proposal galvanized an effort led by Penalver and the Miami-Dade Heritage Trust. Faced with the public outcry, Martin scrapped his condo proposal and donated the tower to Miami-Dade College, which opened a museum and a cultural center on the second floor.

It was a very personal battle, Penalver said. For me, Freedom Tower is sacred ground. The Cubans who came through there came to this country looking for liberty and dreamt of one day returning to a free Cuba.

But as Rubio makes the biggest announcement of his political career, some non-Cuban immigrants scared of being deported in the present day are critical of the senators venue choice. Saul Aleman, a 22-year-old Mexican-American who supported the Dream Act, said Rubios opposition to President Barack Obamas executive actions providing relief to immigrant children and their parents is hurting a large majority of the senators non-Cuban Latino constituency.

Its ironic Sen. Rubio choosing Freedom Tower to announce he is running for president when he hasnt taken a clear stand on what he wants to do about immigration reform, Aleman said. For me and my family, we want to see someone like Rubio taking a leadership role in the conversation.

Viviana Llano, a 47-year-old undocumented Argentinian, said Rubio has taken a negative stance against immigrants like her.

As a representative of the Hispanic community, he should think about all of us and not just one group, she said. I would like him to open a dialogue with us so he can see the dire situation we live under.
Florida GOP Sen. Marco Rubio on Monday announced his 2016 presidential candidacy, asking for the chance to create a new American Dream and to be part of a new generation of leaders.

"My parents achieved what came to be known as the American Dream, said Rubio, a first-generation Cuban-American, at his official announcement. But now, too many Americans are starting to doubt whether achieving that dream is still possible.  Yesterday is over, and we are never going back.

Rubio becomes the third Republican senator to officially launch a 2016 White House bid.

I announce my candidacy for president of the United States, Rubio said in his announcement in Miami, one day after Hillary Clinton made public her campaign, officially establishing herself as the Democratic front runner for the White House next year.

Rubio had hinted for days that he would announce his candidacy this week and pre-empted himself early Monday by saying he feels uniquely qualified to talk about the future.

The 43-year-old senator chose to make his candidacy speech at the Freedom Tower -- the Miami landmark that was the first stop for tens of thousands of fleeing Cuban exiles during the 1960s and 1970s, for his announcement speech.

It is truly a symbol of our nations identity, said Rubio, who gained speaking momentum throughout his roughly 15-minute speech.

With aspirations of turning his relative youth into a benefit, Rubio promised to move politics beyond the past, a jab at Clinton and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush -- a likely GOP presidential candidate and his one-time political mentor.

"In many countries, the highest office in the land is reserved for the rich and powerful, he told hundreds packed inside the venue as the temperature outside climbed to 87 degrees. But I live in an exceptional country where even the son of a bartender and a maid can have the same dreams and the same future as those who come from power and privilege.

He also said the dream is slipping away for too many families and that young Americans face unequal opportunities to succeed.

Rubio is hoping to make inroads with groups that have long eluded Republicans -- including young people, minorities and the less affluent.

He spoke briefly in Spanish during his speech, honoring his late father.

He appeared to see an opportunity to cast the presidential contest as one between a fresh face representing a new generation of leadership and familiar faces harking back decades -- namely, the 62-year-old Bush and the 67-year-old Clinton.

"Too many of our leaders and their ideas are stuck in the 20th century," he said. "The time has come for our generation to lead the way toward a new American century."

The swipe at Bush was implied; with Clinton, he was more direct.

"Just yesterday, we heard from a leader who wants to take us back to yesterday, but I feel that this country has always been about tomorrow," he said.

Democrats began criticizing Rubio hours before his official announcement.

"He's a follower, peddling the same tired Republican playbook," said Democratic National Committee Chairwoman and Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz. "Marco Rubio has pandered to the Republican base throughout his whole career."

The first-term senator has in recent months outlined specific policy proposals on foreign and domestic issues.

On Monday, he repeated the call to repeal ObamaCare, backed school choice, vowed to protect the lives of the unborn, re-establish Americas support for Israel and called out Cuba and Venezuela for human rights violations.

Rubio is set to return Tuesday to Washington to join a Senate hearing on a proposed deal with Iran on its nuclear ambitions.

Rubio faces steep challenges to the nomination, including a well-funded one that Bush is expected to offer. The son of one president and brother of another, Jeb Bush was governor while Rubio was speaker of the Florida House. The two formed a close bond, but a presidential campaign would be certain to test the strength of their friendship.

Another challenge is whether he can win over conservatives, upset with his early support of comprehensive immigration-reform legislation passed two years ago by the Senate. Conservatives and other critics said the plan was tantamount to providing amnesty to the millions of people who have entered the United States illegally.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
If Marco Rubio launches his presidential campaign as expected Monday, the first-term Republican senator from Florida may have to answer this simple question. Why now?

The 43-year-old Rubio, a rising star on Capitol Hill, could wait four more years, even eight, and still be a relatively young candidate.

Some party officials want him run for governor or try to hold his Senate seat, which could be crucial to continued GOP control of the chamber. By training his sights on the White House, Rubio also sets up a head-to-head competition with Jeb Bush, a mentor with whom he has many overlapping supporters.

But the window to run for president can close as quickly as it opens.

Then-Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois seized an opportunity in 2008 and won. Donors clamored for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to run in 2012, but he declined and now heads into the 2016 campaign in a decidedly weaker position.

"There's no telling that (Rubio's) opportunity will be better four or eight years from now," said Fergus Cullen, the former New Hampshire Republican chairman who is yet to throw his support behind a candidate.

Rubio's advisers know all about the fickle preferences of the electorate. Rubio was a beneficiary of the 2010 tea party wave that swept dozens of conservative lawmakers into Congress just two years after Obama and Democrats won big.

Rubio was expected to announce his candidacy Monday in his hometown of Miami, which would put him in the shadow of Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton's own announcement Sunday of a second White House run.

But Rubio's team sees an opportunity to answer the "why now" question and argue the country's pressing problems require a new generation of leaders, not a return to the 1990s.

Rubio is about to step into a field that is shaping up to be crowded and competitive.

He won't be the only senator in the race.

He won't be the only tea party-aligned candidate.

He won't even be the only Floridian, the only Cuban-American or the only candidate claiming foreign policy expertise.

Some are better known -- Bush, for one.

But it is early, and Rubio's advisers say they are playing a long game. "Campaigns are won at the end, not at the beginning," said Alex Conant, Rubio's spokesman.

Miami's Freedom Tower was picked as the expected backdrop for Rubio's campaign announcement. The landmark was once the federal processing center for tens of thousands of Cuban exiles arriving in the U.S. in the 1960s and 1970s.

Rubio's parents left Cuba in 1956, shortly before Fidel Castro took power.

The senator plans to make his family's immigrant past and his own success story a central part of his campaign. He also intends to play up his hawkish foreign policy views and experience on two powerful national security-focused Senate committees as he tries to sell his qualifications to be commander in chief.

Rubio was expected to return to Washington in time for a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing Tuesday on Iran. Like his Republican presidential rivals, Rubio has been sharply critical of Obama's deal-making with Iran over its disputed nuclear program.

Rubio will headline fundraisers in New York and Boston later in the coming week. He was a strong fundraiser for Republicans in the 2014 elections and a popular draw in their campaigns, though he will be competing with Bush for some high-dollar Florida donors. Rubio supporters recently announced the formation of a super PAC to bolster his candidacy.

Rubio is set to make his first campaign stop as a presidential candidate Friday in New Hampshire. He's also expected to visit Iowa, South Carolina and possibly Nevada by the end of the month, aides said.

When Rubio's campaign set Monday at its launch date, aides knew Clinton could be looking at the same window. The team weighed the risks of Clinton's announcement upstaging Rubio's event, but decided to move forward.

Lin Bennett, the first vice chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party, said Rubio could set himself apart in the Republican field by getting the first shot at rebutting Clinton's candidacy.

"It would be a plus for him that I hope he'll take advantage of," said Bennett, who is unaffiliated in the Republican primary.
Sen. Marco Rubio on Monday took on Hillary Rodham Clinton in his first words as a presidential candidate, telling top donors he is running for the Republican nomination because the 2016 race for the White House should be about the future, not the past.

The first-term Republican from Florida, 43, also told his most generous backers that he feels "uniquely qualified" to pitch his Republican Party as one that will defend the American Dream.

Rubio spoke on a conference call with donors before a flashy political rally set for Monday night in Miami.

In previewing his campaign's central message, Rubio said the dream is slipping from too many families' grip, and young Americans face unequal opportunities to succeed. It was a message honed to pitch the GOP as a party that cares about all voters, not just those in upper tax brackets.

"I feel uniquely qualified to not just make that argument, but to outline the policies that we need to have in order to achieve it," he said.

A young man in a hurry, Rubio will no doubt hear rivals tell voters he's not ready for the White House. To counter that, Rubio has outlined specific policy proposals that boost him as a policy expert, both on foreign and domestic issues.

On Tuesday, on his first day as an official candidate, he is set to return to Washington to join a Senate hearing on a proposed deal with Iran on its nuclear ambitions.

Rubio's presidential announcement comes a day after Clinton announced her bid for the Democratic nomination and as she is traveling to Iowa on her first trip as a candidate.

That's likely to rob some attention from Rubio's splash into the race. But Rubio saw an opportunity to cast the presidential contest as one between a fresh face representing a new generation of leadership and a long-familiar figure harking back to the 1990s  namely, Clinton.

"The Republican Party, for the first time in a long time, has a chance in this election to be the party of the future," Rubio told his donors. "Just yesterday, we heard from a leader from yesterday who wants to take us back to yesterday, but I feel that this country has always been about tomorrow."

Rubio faces steep challenges to winning the nomination, one of them from his mentor, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. Rubio would become the third major GOP contender to declare himself a candidate, after Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Sen. Rand Paul, in a field that could grow to 20 or more candidates.

A first-generation immigrant whose parents fled Cuba, Rubio could make history as the nation's first Hispanic president (as could Cruz). Rubio frames his pitch to voters as the embodiment of American opportunity, as the son of a maid and bartender who worked his way through law school and now sits in Congress.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
next Image 1 of 2

prev Image 2 of 2

From a building in Miami set up as a processing center in 1962 for Cuban refugees fleeing Fidel Castros regime, Sen. Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, announced that he is running for president.

The Florida Republican, who at 43 years old is the youngest in the field of declared presidential candidates so far, pledged to defend the American Dream, which is the title of his recently released book.

Here in America my father became a bartendermy mother..a cashier, Rubio, sounding at times emotional, told a crowd that often broke into applause and cheers.  They never made it big, but they were successful. [They] gave all four of their children a life better than their own. My parents achieved what came to be known as the American Dream.

Ive heardthat I should step aside and wait my turn, but I cannot," said Rubio.

I know my candidacy might seem improbable to some watching from abroad. After all, in many countries, the highest office in the land is reserved for the rich and powerful. But I live in an exceptional country. ... where even the son of a bartender and a maid can have the same dreams and the same future as those who come from power.  Sen. Marco Rubio, announcing that he is running for president

He said he must run now because too much is at stake for the country, and I can make a difference as president.

This isnt just a country where I was born. America is a place that literally changed my familys history."

In the Freedom Tower, known as the Ellis Island of the South, Rubio said the American Dream is slipping from too many families' grip, and young Americans face unequal opportunities to succeed.

It was a message honed to pitch the GOP as a party that cares about all voters, not just those in upper tax brackets.

He told supporters, "The time has come for our generation to lead the way toward a new American century."

Rubio's remarks came as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was traveling to Iowa on her first trip as a candidate. Her entrance into the race with an online video Sunday was seen by some political experts as potentially robbing some attention from Rubio's splash into the race.

But Rubio saw an opportunity to cast the presidential contest as one between a fresh face representing a new generation of leadership and familiar faces harking back decades  namely, the 67-year-old Clinton and 62-year-old Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor who long has been seen as Rubio's mentor.

"While our people and economy are pushing the boundaries of the 21st century, too many of our leaders and their ideas are stuck in the 20th century," Rubio said to applause.

The swipe at Bush was implied; with Clinton, he was more direct.

"Just yesterday, a leader from yesterday began a campaign for president by promising to take us back to yesterday," Rubio said to jeers. "Yesterday is over and we are never going back."

As U2 songs reverberated around the meeting hall, Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado called Rubio's announcement one of the most historic moments in city history.

"Freedom Tower symbolizes what the American Dream means to the Cuban exile community," Regalado said. "His announcement will resonate throughout the nation and throughout the world."

Rubio threw his hat in a ring expected to be crowded with presidential candidates from his party, including Bush, someone whom many assumed Rubio would not run against for the partys nomination.

Bush long was described as Rubios mentor, leading many political observers, including fellow Florida Republican and Cuban-American Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, to say that the junior senator would set aside presidential aspirations if the former governor decided to run.

Described by many as a young man in a hurry, Rubio will no doubt hear rivals tell voters he's not ready for the White House.

Hours before his rally, the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, criticized Rubio as just another establishment Republican with no new ideas.

"He's a follower, peddling the same tired Republican playbook," she told reporters. "Marco Rubio has pandered to the Republican base throughout his whole career."

To counter views of him as a neophyte, Rubio has outlined specific policy proposals both on foreign and domestic issues. Earlier this year, Rubio said that senators are better prepared than governors to be president given their work on foreign policy.

On Tuesday, during his first day as a candidate, he is set to return to Washington to join a Senate hearing on a proposed deal with Iran on its nuclear ambitions.

"The Republican Party, for the first time in a long time, has a chance in this election to be the party of the future," Rubio told his donors earlier on Monday, referring to Clinton. "Just yesterday, we heard from a leader from yesterday who wants to take us back to yesterday, but I feel that this country has always been about tomorrow."

Rubio faces steep challenges to winning the nomination, one of them from his Bush. Rubio would become the third major GOP contender to declare himself a candidate, after Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Sen. Rand Paul, in a field that could grow to 20 or more candidates.

A first-generation immigrant whose parents fled Cuba, Rubio could make history as the nation's first Hispanic president (as could Cruz). Rubio is expected to stress himself as the embodiment of American opportunity, as the son of a maid and bartender who worked his way through law school and now sits in Congress.

"I know my candidacy might seem improbable to some watching from abroad," Rubio said at the Freedom Tower. "After all, in many countries, the highest office in the land is reserved for the rich and powerful."

"But I live in an exceptional country. ... where even the son of a bartender and a maid can have the same dreams and the same future as those who come from power."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Francisco Alvarado, a freelance journalist in Florida, contributed to this report.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
The U.S. Senate race in California is shaping up to be one of the hottest political contests of 2016, with a number of Latino candidates looking to succeed the retiring Senator Barbara Boxer.One of them appears to be U.S. Representative Loretta Sanchez.

Sources say the 10-term congresswoman from north Orange County will announce as early as this week that she is entering the race.

During a meeting with Latino leaders in San Francisco last Friday, the Democrat gave a campaign-style speech and took aim at the declared frontrunner, state Attorney General Kamala Harris.

I believe a Latino candidate will energize the community in ways that other candidates cannot, Sanchez told Fox News Latino. Latinos are at the forefront of these discussions and they want a candidate that can relate to their families.

In a state where 40 percent of the population is Hispanic, Sanchez and three other Latino leaders are counting on their ethnic roots to help energize a voting block that could prove decisive.

Two Republicans, San Diego assemblyman Rocky Chavez and Fresno businessman John Estrada have already declared their candidacy and begun setting up their campaigns, while Sanchezs fellow U.S. Rep. Xavier Becerra from downtown Los Angeles is still seriously weighing a possible bid.

But they will have a tall task to overcome the star power of State Attorney General Kamala Harris, who proclaimed her candidacy within days of Boxers announcement on Jan. 8 that she would not seek reelection.

Harris, whose mother is Indian and father is Jamaican-American, is ahead in the polls, has already secured numerous endorsements and reportedly raised $2.5 million for her campaign in just three months.

Under California's nonpartisan primary law, all candidates appear on the same ballot regardless of party. Voters may choose any candidate, and the top two finishers advance to the general election.

A poll of early support for 18 potential candidates in the race conducted by the Field Research Corporation earlier this year, shows voters open to a range of possibilities. Sanchez was 7 points behind Harris with 39 percent; Becerra had 28 percent, and Chavez 20.

The Democratic advantage

California Democrats have a steep advantage over Republicans in voter registration 43 to 28 percent, and the Golden State has historically favored Democratic candidates in statewide races.

A survey released in February by the California Legislative Latino Caucus showed Sanchez with 46 percent support among democratic voters, and Becerra with 25 percent.

Sanchez, who was elected to the House in 1997 and describes herself as a fighter, insists that she has still not decided to run but has apparently hired high-profile fundraisers. She visited San Diego last month, and this weekend attended an event hosted by several Latino organizations in San Francisco.

A moderate Democrat in very conservative Orange County, Sanchez needed to get out the Latino vote 18 years ago to assure herself a seat in the House.

As a Latina from a large family, I can relate to the struggles that face Latino families in California, she told FNL, but I can also relate to the opportunities that can present themselves when California is at its best.

She added, If I run, I will be the only candidate thus far [who] will bring federal experience to this race. That is a good thing, because, let me tell you, Washington has not changed me, I have changed Washington.

Of course, if Becerra runs, he too would bring a long history of D.C. experience to the race. He has served in the House even longer than Sanchez, since 1993; he has climbed the ranks and is now chairman of the House Democratic Caucus and one of the leading congressional advocates of the Dream Act and comprehensive immigration reform.

Becerra told FNL that he believes Latinos will play a pivotal role in the 2016 election.

California is the most dynamic state in America. Its dynamism is due in large measure to the ingenuity, tremendous work ethic and diversity of its people. Latinos play a major role in that life and trajectory, he said.

Becerra fueled speculation about a Senate run after he visited San Diego early this month to talk with business and labor groups.

The Republican challenge

The 2016 race will surely be a test for Republicans, who have not held a Senate seat in California since 1992.

Chavez, a retired Marine Corps colonel, is in his second term representing northern San Diego County in the state assembly. Previously, he served 7 years on the Oceanside City Council.

He has a moderate stance on immigration and is against repealing the Affordable Care Act.

Im from Los Angeles, my fathers family started as migrants, Chavez told FNL. I worked my way through college, and all my children have college degrees so we understand the challenges and the values of reaching the American dream.

He added that he is not discouraged by the possibility of running against better known Latino Democrats.

I know the community. I represent the community, and theres hope for me, he said.

The other candidates greater visibility does not discourage Estrada either. He is a small-business owner from the town of Sanger, in Fresno County, with years of involvement in the Mexican-American community in Central California.

He says his motivation to run is to become a role model for younger generations of Latinos, and the fact that there are no Mexican-Americans in the U.S. Senate.

Young Latinos and Latinas growing up and being able to see someone on a powerful position in the Senate will give them the idea that they too can get somewhere, he told FNL.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Chilean President Michelle Bachelet on Monday signed a law that recognizes civil unions between same-sex couples, a sign of change in a country long regarded as one South America's most socially conservative nations.

The measure had been in the works for more than four years, and its signing into law was hailed by gay advocates as step toward full marriage rights.

"This ends the monopoly of having to recognize unions, families, as just within marriage," said Rolando Jimenez, president of the Gay Liberation and Integration Movement. "This is very good news for Chile."

The new law, to take effect in six months, gives same-sex and unmarried couples many of the rights granted to married couples. Partners can inherit each other's property, join one another's health plans and receive pension benefits.

Chile has long been one of the most socially conservative countries in the region. It was one of the last countries in the world to legalize divorce when it took that step in 2004.

Chile decriminalized gay sex in 1999 and the killing of a gay man in 2012 set off a national debate that prompted Congress to pass a hate crimes law.

"Today we're advancing as a society," Bachelet said at the presidential palace. "We're taking a fundamental step on this road of rights, justice and respect for individual liberties."

Civil unions have been recognized in several countries across South America, though Argentina and Uruguay are the only ones that allow gay marriage.

The civil union will be validated by simply registering it in the civil registry. Gay unions abroad can also be registered in Chile.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
President Barack Obama continued to take aim at stumbling blocks in the path to normalizing relations with Cuba on Tuesday by removing the Caribbean country from a list of state sponsors of terrorism.

The White House said on Twitter that the president had submitted to Congress the required reports and certifications that indicate his intent to take Cuba off the list that currently also includes Iran, Sudan and Syria.

In a message to Congress, Obama said the government of Cuba "has not provided any support for international terrorism" over the last six months. He also told lawmakers that Cuba "has provided assurances that it will not support acts of international terrorism in the future."

Cuba will officially be removed from the terror list 45 days after the president's message is sent to Congress. Lawmakers could vote to block the move during that window, though Obama would be certain to veto such a measure.

The terror designation has been a stain on Cuba's pride and a major obstacle to efforts to mend ties between Washington and Havana.

The list of state sponsors of terrorism was created on December 29, 1979 with four Middle Eastern countries - Libya, Iraq, South Yemen and Syria - for repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism.

Cuba followed less than three years later on March 1, 1982 because of what the White House said was its efforts "to promote armed revolution by organizations that used terrorism."

Iran and North Korea followed in the early 1980s, with Sudan added on August 12, 1993.

Since its creation the list has fluctuated several times.

Iraq was the first removed from the list in the early 1980s to allow U.S. companies to sell arms to the country while the Middle Eastern country was fighting Iran.

However the designation was added in 1990 when it invaded Kuwait.

President George Bush announced the removal of Iraq from the list in September 2004 following the U.S. invasion and overthrow of government of Saddam Hussein a year before.

South Yemen, added to the list for its support of several left-wing terrorist groups, was taken off the list in 1990 after the country merged with Yemen Arab Republic to create what is today known as Yemen.

Libya was removed from the list in 2006 after a 45-day wait period. Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the governments decision to remove Libya from the list was due to the countrys continued commitment to its renunciation of terrorism.

President Bush also removed North Korea from the list in 2008 after meeting all nuclear inspection requirements. The Asian country was initially added because it sold weapons to known terrorist groups and gave asylum to Japanese Community League-Red Army Faction members.

According to the Secretary of State 2013 countries report, Iran remains a state of proliferation concern for not suspending its nuclear activities and violating its international obligations regarding its nuclear program.

Sudan, while generally cooperative counter terrorism and taking steps to limit the activities of terrorist groups like al-Qaida, still remains on the list, the country report said.

Syria has remained on the list since 1979, when it was added for the continued support of the Asad regime toward a variety of terrorist groups including Hizballah, the State Department reported. The regimes continued support of the group has kept the Middle Eastern country on the list.

The United States is coordinating closely with a number of like-minded nations and partners to prevent Syrias stockpiles of chemical and advanced conventional weapons from falling into the hands of violent extremists, the country report said.

Each removal of a country from the list has elicited criticism from those who have cast doubt on the vows of those nations' leaders that they will not sponsor terrorism, among other things.

Following the White House's announcement, Sen. Marco Rubio denounced Obama's decision, calling it "a terrible one, but not surprising, unfortunately."

"Cuba is a state sponsor of terrorism. They harbor fugitives of American justice, including someone who killed a police officer in New Jersey over 30 years ago," he said in a statement. "Its also the country thats helping North Korea evade weapons sanctions by the United Nations.They should have remained on the list of state sponsors of terrorism, and I think sends a chilling message to our enemies aboard that this White House is no longer serious about calling terrorism by its proper name.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
One of Marco Rubios first statements since declaring his candidacy for president on Monday was meant to dissuade critics who say the 43-year-old junior senator from Florida is not experienced enough for the White House.

And he is contrasting his experience in Washington with that of another junior senator who ran for president: Barack Obama.

There are some significant differences between his biography and mine, Rubio said in an interview with MSNBC on Tuesday. We both served in the state legislatures, he as a back-bencher in the minority, me as the Speaker of House in the third-largest state in the country.

When Obama was elected president, he had been serving in the senate for four years.

"I've been in the Senate now for 4-1/2 years. I would have been in the Senate for six years where Ive spent a significant amount of time every day working on intelligence issues and also on foreign relations."

Rubio, however, is not the only Republican candidate with little experience inside the Washington Beltway. Both Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky are also serving their first terms.

During his speech Monday night in Miami, Rubio said that the United States needed a new generation to lead the country, which some observers say is both a plug for his young age and a jab at older candidates such as Hillary Clinton and likely candidate Jeb Bush.

"While our people and economy are pushing the boundaries of the 21st century, too many of our leaders and their ideas are stuck in the 20th century," Rubio said.

He added: "Just yesterday, a leader from yesterday began a campaign for president by promising to take us back to yesterdayYesterday is over and we are never going back."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
In another major move toward diplomatic relations, President Barack Obama is removing Cuba from a list of state sponsors of terrorism.

Obama made the move just days after he had a meeting with Cuban President Raul Castro at the Summit of the Americas in Panama.

The White House says on Twitter that Obama has submitted to Congress required reports and certifications indicating his intent to take Cuba off the list.

Obama made the final decision following a State Department review of Cuba's presence on the list. The U.S. has long since stopped actively accusing Cuba of supporting terrorism.

A White House statement said that the government of Cuba met such criteria as not providing any support for international terrorism during the preceding 6-month period and giving assurances that it will not support acts of international terrorism in the future.

As the President has said, we will continue to have differences with the Cuban government, but our concerns over a wide range of Cubas policies and actions fall outside the criteria that is relevant to whether to rescind Cubas designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism," said a statement by White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest.

"That determination is based on the statutory standard  and the facts  and those facts have led the President to declare his intention to rescind Cubas State Sponsor of Terrorism designation. More broadly, the United States will continue to support our interests and values through engagement with the Cuban government and people.

Cuba was one of four countries on the U.S. list of nations accused of repeatedly supporting global terrorism. The countries still on the list are Iran, Syria and Sudan.

Obama announced in December that the U.S. and Cuba were ending a half-century of hostilities.

Opponents of normalizing relations with Cuba assailed the decision immediately after it was announced.

Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, a Florida Republican, said president is bending over backward to appease an oppressive regime that has showed no intention of changing its most controversial approaches to dealing with its own people and with nations that pose a threat to the United States.

Once again, President Obama has demonstrated that his eagerness to capitulate to dictators has no bounds, said Diaz-Balart, who is Cuban-American. Today, the administration has jeopardized U.S. national security by choosing to absolve the Castro dictatorship of its dangerous anti-American terrorist activities across the globe.

I am alarmed by his endless concessions to not only the Castro regime, but also numerous enemies of the United States, such as Iran, Diaz-Balart said in a statement. The longsuffering Cuban people, who continue to struggle for the realization of human rights and democracy in Cuba, and the American people, living with an aggressive anti-American dictatorship 90 miles from our shores, deserve much better from the President.

Proponents of removing Cuba from the list say that though Cuba once supported such groups as Colombias FARC, a guerrilla group involved in the illegal drug trade, kidnappings and extortion, among other crimes, and Spains ETA, a violent separatist group, it now is playing a key role in efforts to broker agreements between those organizations and their governments. They also said it was time to try a new approach  including lifting the trade embargo  with Cuba after more than 50 years of a hardline policy that yielded no changes on the island.

Ric Herrero, Executive Director of #CubaNow, said in a statement: It had become increasingly apparent over recent years that Cuba's continued presence on the list was mainly due to domestic political pressure rather than factual findings by the State Department.

Todays announcement marks the lifting of an important barrier to change between our two nations, but its practical impact should not be overstated, Herrero said. Most of the sanctions associated with the State Sponsors of Terrorism designation are codified in our embargo laws, which continue to represent the most significant external obstacle for the Cuban people to fully benefit from the opportunities presented by access to the U.S. private sector.

He called on Congress to lift the embargo.

One priority the Cuban government has publicly pushed since Castro and Obama announced in December a restoration of diplomatic relations has been its removal from the watch list. Removal paves the way, experts say, for a lifting of the embargo.

The process of removing it from the State Department list required that Cuba vow not to have links with terrorism.

Being put on the list results in actions by the U.S. such as restrictions on U.S. foreign assistance; a ban on defense exports and sales; certain controls over exports of dual use items; and miscellaneous financial and other restrictions, according to the State Department.

There will be fierce opposition to Cubas removal in Congress, given that the House and Senate both have a Republican majority that generally objects to restoring ties with Cuba while Raul Castro is in power and while there are no tangible steps toward democratic reforms.

Some experts said that even if Congress opposes Cuba's removal from the list, and attempt to make it difficult to do so, or to create delays, Obama can proceed unilaterally with taking the nation off.

Indeed, delisting a nation always draws outcries.

When President George Bush announced plans to remove Libya and North Korea from the list after negotiations over their nuclear programs, critics said it amounted to making a deal with the devil.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Cuban officials and ordinary citizens alike hailed the island's removal from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, saying the move by President Barack Obama heals a decades-old insult to national pride and clears the way to swiftly restore diplomatic relations.

"The Cuban government recognizes the president of the United States' just decision to take Cuba off a list in which it should never have been included," Josefina Vidal, Cuba's top diplomat for U.S. affairs, said Tuesday night.

Cuban and U.S. foreign-policy experts said the two governments appeared to have taken a major leap toward the reopening of embassies in Havana and Washington after four months of complex and occasionally frustrating negotiations.

"This is important because it speaks to Obama's desire to keep moving forward," said Esteban Morales, a political science professor at the University of Havana. "Now there are no political obstacles. What remains are organizational and technical problems, which can be resolved."

In a message to Congress, Obama said Tuesday that Cuba's government "has not provided any support for international terrorism" over the last six months and has given "assurances that it will not support acts of international terrorism in the future."

Cuba will officially be removed from the terrorism list 45 days after the president's message was sent to Congress. Lawmakers could vote to block the move during that window, though Obama would be all but certain to veto such a measure.

What remains to be seen in coming weeks is whether Cuba will allow U.S. diplomats to move around Cuba and maintain contacts with citizens including dissidents, the second point of contention in the negotiations on restoring full diplomatic relations.

Cuba is highly sensitive to any indication the U.S. is supporting domestic dissent and that issue may prove considerably tougher than amending the terrorism list. The Obama administration made little pretense in recent years that it believed Cuba was supporting terrorism.

Cuba was put on the list in 1982 because of what the U.S. said were its efforts "to promote armed revolution by organizations that used terrorism."

That included support for leftist guerrilla groups including the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and the Basque separatist movement ETA in Spain. Cuba also sheltered black and Puerto Rican militants who carried out attacks in the United States. Among those was Joanne Chesimard, who was granted asylum by Fidel Castro after she escaped from a U.S. prison where she was serving a sentence for killing a New Jersey state trooper in 1973.

Cuba renounced direct support for militant groups years ago and is sponsoring peace talks between the FARC and Colombia's government. Spain no longer appears to be actively seeking the return of inactive ETA members who may be in Cuba.

For Cubans, the terrorism list was a particularly charged issue because of the U.S. history of supporting exile groups responsible for attacks on the island, including the 1976 bombing of a Cuban passenger flight from Barbados that killed 73 people aboard. The attack was linked to Cuban exiles with ties to U.S.-backed anti-Castro groups, and both men accused of masterminding the crime took shelter in Florida, where one, Luis Posada Carriles, lives to this day.

"It's really good that they finally took us off the list even though the reality is that we never should have been there," said Rigoberto Morejon, a member of the Cuban national fencing team who lost three training partners in the bombing. He added that the hoped "we can keep advancing in the re-establishment of relations."

Beyond the emotional impact, the terrorism list hobbled Cuba's ability to do business internationally.

A 1996 law that strips sovereign immunity from nations on the list that engage in extrajudicial killings exposed Cuba to huge judgments in U.S. courts when mainly Cuban-American families accused the Cuban government of responsibility for the deaths of loved ones, said Robert Muse, a Washington-based lawyer who specializes in U.S. law on Cuba.

The perceived and real risks of doing business with a country on the list also made it highly difficult for Cuba to do business with foreign banks. The Cuban Interests Section in Washington has been forced to deal in cash since it lost its bank in the U.S. last year. The ability to reopen a U.S. bank account is one of Cuba's most urgent demands in the negotiations to reopen embassies. While that decision falls to individual banks, removal from the list will make it easier.

The listing also prevented U.S. representatives at the World Bank and other global financial bodies from approving credit for Cuba, which is increasingly strapped for cash.

Obama's decision was welcomed on the streets of Havana.

"Finally!" said Mercedes Delgado, a retired accountant. "The door's opened a little more. That's always good."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
A Florida doctor charged with corruption alongside New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez was sent back to jail for a second night Wednesday while his lawyers try to negotiate his bond over allegations of Medicare fraud.

Dr. Salomon Melgen, 60, appeared briefly in federal court in West Palm Beach, shackled and slightly disheveled and in a navy blue prison jumpsuit. Two weeks after being charged in New Jersey for alleged corruption linked to his close friend Menendez, the ophthalmologist was indicted on 76 counts of Medicare fraud Tuesday, accused of trying to bilk the health care program out of as much as $190 million.

Maria Dominguez, an attorney for Melgen, said discussions would continue with the government about the surgeon's bond. Prosecutor Alexandra Chase told U.S. Magistrate Judge James Hopkins that Melgen is a flight risk who should be held while awaiting trial. The two attorneys were set to make their cases in another hearing Thursday, where Melgen's detention was to be discussed. After that, Dominguez said she hopes her client will be released.

"We are convinced of his innocence and looking forward to having our day in court," she said after the hearing.

Dominguez said Melgen has "serious health issues" including anemia and herniated discs, and that the surgeon was due to undergo a biopsy Friday to check for prostate cancer.

In the New Jersey case, prosecutors claim Menendez intervened on his friend's behalf to gain visas for Melgen's foreign girlfriends, press Dominican officials to honor a lucrative port contract for one of the doctor's businesses and influence Medicare officials on billing disputes. In exchange, authorities say, Melgen showered the senator with flights, vacations and contributions.

The new Florida case claims Melgen falsely diagnosed many patients with serious eye conditions such as macular degeneration and retinal disorders, allowing him to then perform unnecessary and costly procedures such as laser surgery and eye injections for which he would bill Medicare. The indictment also claims that Melgen made exorbitant profits from a costly macular degeneration drug, Lucentis, by splitting single-use vials and using them multiple times but billing Medicare as if more than one vial was used. The total maximum prison time for all 76 counts  if Melgen is convicted in the Florida case and sentences are imposed consecutively  comes to a staggering 610 years.

Chase would not comment on the case outside the courthouse Wednesday, nor would Melgen's wife and son. The case will test Melgen's loyalty to Menendez, with whom he's been friends for decades, with prosecutors likely seeking the doctor's testimony against the senator. The senator has said he and Melgen celebrated holidays and weddings together, mourned together at funerals and exchanged gifts on birthdays.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
The Florida doctor charged in a political corruption case along with New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez was indicted Tuesday in a 76-count Medicare fraud scheme that prosecutors said attempted to bilk the health care program out of as much as $190 million.

Miami U.S. Attorney Wifredo Ferrer said Dr. Salomon Melgen, 60, was charged with 46 counts of health care fraud as well as additional charges of filing false claims and making false statements. Melgen is an ophthalmologist with offices in Palm Beach and St. Lucie counties.

The indictment charges that he operated the fraud scheme between 2004 and 2013, a time frame during which Melgen billed Medicare for more than $190 million and was paid more than $105 million. In 2012 alone, health official say he billed Medicare more than any other doctor in the nation at $21 million.

"Medical professionals who violate their oath by failing to attend to the health of their patients and who submit falsified billing statements for their own personal gain jeopardize the viability of government benefit programs," Ferrer said in a statement.

"People who defraud Medicare indirectly increase the cost of health care for everyone," added George L. Piro, FBI special agent in charge of the Miami field office.

Melgen has already pleaded not guilty in the New Jersey corruption case, in which he is accused of funneling nearly $1 million in gifts and campaign donations to Menendez in exchange for political favors. Menendez, a Democrat, has also pleaded not guilty, and he is not implicated in the Medicare fraud case.

Melgen attorney Annie Lyons declined comment Tuesday on the Medicare fraud charges, but has previously said the charges are "highly defensible." Melgen is scheduled to make his first appearance in the case Wednesday in West Palm Beach federal court.

The total maximum prison time for all 76 counts  if Melgen is convicted in the health fraud case and the sentences are imposed consecutively  comes to a staggering 610 years.

According to the indictment, Melgen falsely diagnosed many patients with serious eye conditions, such as macular degeneration and retinal disorders, which allowed him to then perform unnecessary and costly procedures such as laser surgery and eye injections for which he would bill Medicare.

In addition, the indictment claims that Melgen made exorbitant profits from a costly macular degeneration drug, Lucentis, by splitting vials intended for single use into multiple-use vials and then billing Medicare as if each were for a single use. Melgen is also accused of falsifying patient and billing files and filing claims for unperformed diagnostic tests.

Melgen graduated from medical school in his native Dominican Republic and has lived in the U.S. since at least 1980, holding posts across the country while building a reputation as a top eye surgeon, records show. He was licensed in Florida in 1987 and treated "presidents, governors, politicians, celebrities and actors," the website for his four-office practice boasted before being taken down when the initial charges against him were announced earlier this month.

Melgen and Menendez have been friends for decades. The senator has said they celebrated holidays and weddings together, mourned together at funerals and exchanged gifts on birthdays.

The corruption indictment unsealed earlier this month against the men claimed Menendez intervened on his friend's behalf to gain visas for Melgen's foreign girlfriends, press Dominican officials to honor a lucrative port contract for one of the doctor's businesses and influence CMS officials on the billing dispute. In exchange, authorities say, Melgen showered the senator with flights, vacations and contributions.

In Washington on Tuesday, Menendez made the best of his diminished status in international matters Tuesday, backing bipartisan changes to a measure he had co-authored regarding Iran's nuclear program.

He surrendered his post as the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee after being indicted on the corruption charges. The New Jersey senator watched Tuesday as Ben Cardin of Maryland replaced him in the Democratic leader's chair and helped usher the revised bill to unanimous committee approval.

The legislation would give Congress a say in a pending deal meant to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons in exchange for relief from economic sanctions. The White House accepted the compromise, which would shorten the congressional review period to 30 days.

Aside from yielding the minority party's "ranking" position on the Foreign Relations Committee, he is assuming his normal Senate role.

At Tuesday's committee session, Cardin and others praised Menendez's earlier role in crafting the Iran bill with Republicans. Menendez returned the compliments, and endorsed the final language.

"Let's send a message to Tehran that sanctions relief is not a given and certainly not a prize for signing on the dotted line," Menendez said.

Earlier, Menendez said he wasn't frustrated by his voluntary demotion on the committee. Even without the leadership post, he told reporters, "I'm playing just about any role I would, for all intents and purposes."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Never before has the field of declared candidates for U.S president been as diverse as it is at this point.

In a process that more often than not in U.S. history has involved mostly  if not exclusively -- white men, the group that long has dominated among presidential candidates is in the minority.

Only one of the four declared presidential candidates is a white male, Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky.

The other three are a woman and two Hispanics.

The diversity, especially on the Republican side, is a reflection of what America is and where America is demographically, said Matthew Dallek, an assistant professor of politics George Washington University.

The diverse slate, Dallek said, sends a message to the country and to voters  and to primary voters  about what we are.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is, so far, the only declared candidate on the Democratic side. Besides Paul, Republicans who have declared their candidacy are Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, both Cuban-American.

The year 2003 came closest to this years most diverse field, particularly among the first four declared candidates  African-Americans Al Sharpton, Carol Moseley Braun, and white males Joe Lieberman and Bob Graham, all Democrats.

Its extraordinary, said Craig Shirley, a presidential historian and author of several books, including Reagans Revolution. "Its most certainly the most diverse groups of candidates the Republican party has ever fielded.

And to their credit, very few Republicans or conservatives are saying Weve fielded two Cubans and an African-American.

The year 2008 was a true marker in the role of women and minority candidates in U.S. presidential elections. Not only were women and minorities running for the Oval Office, but on the Democratic side, it was a woman, Hillary Clinton, and an African-American, Barack Obama, who were the two leading contenders for much of the primary.

This year, the Republican candidates are striking familiar GOP themes of personal responsibility, limited government, and fiscal conservatism.

Bringing up ethnicity or gender can be tricky.

If they play it up in any way, they can be accused of engaging in identity politics or pandering. If they ignore it or give it scant attention, they risk being accused of distancing themselves.

Several weeks ago, the head of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, upset that Cruz had skipped the groups annual legislative summit, told reporters that Cruz seemed to be trying to stay away from Latinos in order to pander to his conservative base.

The Cruz campaign said the assertion was baseless, and that Cruz had not gone to the summit because of a scheduling conflict.

Rubio has stressed his ethnic background  something political observers say can make him relatable to the important Latino electorate  but it also aims to resonate among GOP voters and his conservative base by praising the opportunities that the United States offers, and pushing the concept of raising yourself by the bootstraps.

Ted Cruz has brought up his Cuban-born father, but significantly less so than Rubio.

Hillary Clinton often avoided stressing her gender when she ran for the Democratic nomination in the primary in 2008, sticking to the perception among some on her campaign then that it could hurt her. This time around, however, she is embracing it and plans to emphasize it as her campaign develops.

The presidential candidate field is likely to draw more women and minorities in the weeks ahead.

Republican Ben Carson, an African American physician, is going to announce whether he will run for president on May 4 in his hometown of Detroit.

Another Republican, Carly Fiorina, the former chief executive of Hewlitt-Packard, is said to be considering a run for president.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is considered an honorary Latino, of sorts. He is married to a Mexican-American, Columba, spent time living in Latin America and speaks fluent Spanish.

Jeb Bush as a nominee might do better among Latinos than Marco Rubio, said Dallek, given moderate views on such things as immigration that are more in line with the majority of Latino voters.

Even his persective, said Dallek, in general may resonate more with Latinos nationwide, the majority of whom are of Mexican descent.

Ted Cruzs and Marco Rubios perspectives are Cuban to a large extent, Dallek said, Jeb Bushs is Mexican.

But the historic diversity of this years presidential candidates  and their strong credentials  is not mirrored in elections at the state and local levels, or even in races for Congress.

Women, for instance, comprise roughly 20 percent of Congress, though theyre slightly more than 50 percent of the U.S. population.

The diversity in the presidential campaigns is a positive sign and a welcome development, but it has not trickled down, Dallek said. Theres still an incredible lack of diversity in Congress and in representation at the state level.

Fox News researcher Mark Rigby contributed to this report.
The U.S. and Cuba will open talks about two of America's most-wanted fugitives as part of a new dialogue about law-enforcement cooperation made possible by President Barack Obama's decision to remove Cuba from a list of state sponsors of terror, the State Department announced Wednesday.

Cuban officials and ordinary citizens alike hailed Obama's action to remove the island from the list, saying it heals a decades-old insult to national pride and clears the way to swiftly restore diplomatic relations.

State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke said Cuba had agreed to talks about fugitives including Joanne Chesimard, aka Assata Shakur, who was granted asylum by Fidel Castro after she escaped from a U.S. prison where she was serving a sentence for killing a New Jersey state trooper in 1973. The U.S. and Cuba will also discuss the case of William Morales, a Puerto Rican nationalist wanted in connection with bombings in New York in the 1970s.

"We see the reestablishment of diplomatic relations and the reopening of an embassy in Havana as the means by which we'll be able, more effectively, to press the Cuban government on law enforcement issues such as fugitives. And Cuba has agreed to enter into a law enforcement dialogue with the United States that will work to resolve these cases," Rathke said. The dialogue is also expected to address cooperation on more routine crimes, officials said.

A Cuban government spokesman did not immediately return calls seeking comment Wednesday, but Josefina Vidal, Cuba's top diplomat for U.S. affairs, recently ruled out any return of political refugees.

Still she said Tuesday night that "the Cuban government recognizes the president of the United States' just decision to take Cuba off a list in which it should never have been included."

Cuban and U.S. foreign-policy experts said the two governments appeared to have taken a major leap toward the reopening of embassies in Havana and Washington after four months of complex and occasionally frustrating negotiations.

"This is important because it speaks to Obama's desire to keep moving forward," said Esteban Morales, a political science professor at the University of Havana. "Now there are no political obstacles. What remains are organizational and technical problems, which can be resolved."

In a message to Congress, Obama said Tuesday that Cuba's government "has not provided any support for international terrorism" over the last six months and has given "assurances that it will not support acts of international terrorism in the future."

Cuba will officially be removed from the terrorism list 45 days after the president's message was sent to Congress. Lawmakers could vote to block the move during that window, though Obama would be nearly certain to veto such a measure.

Rathke said Cuba had also provided assurances that Basque nationalists living in Cuba would never be allowed out to carry out future attacks against Spain.

What remains to be seen is whether Cuba will allow U.S. diplomats to move around Cuba and maintain contacts with citizens including dissidents, the second point of contention in the negotiations on restoring full diplomatic relations.

Cuba is highly sensitive to any indication the U.S. is supporting domestic dissent and that issue could prove considerably tougher than amending the terrorism list. The Obama administration made little pretense in recent years that it believed Cuba was still supporting terrorism.

Cuba was put on the list in 1982 because of what the U.S. said were its efforts "to promote armed revolution by organizations that used terrorism." That included support for leftist guerrilla groups including the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and the Basque separatist movement ETA in Spain.

Cuba renounced direct support for militant groups years ago and is sponsoring peace talks between the FARC and Colombia's government. Spain no longer appears to be actively seeking the return of inactive ETA members who may be in Cuba.

For Cubans, the terrorism list was a particularly charged issue because of the U.S. history of supporting exile groups responsible for attacks on the island, including the 1976 bombing of a Cuban passenger flight from Barbados that killed 73 people aboard. The attack was linked to Cuban exiles with ties to U.S.-backed anti-Castro groups, and both men accused of masterminding the crime took shelter in Florida, where one, Luis Posada Carriles, lives to this day.

"It's really good that they finally took us off the list even though the reality is that we never should have been there," said Rigoberto Morejon, a member of the Cuban national fencing team who lost three training partners in the bombing. He added that the hoped "we can keep advancing in the re-establishment of relations."

Beyond the emotional impact, the terrorism list hobbled Cuba's ability to do business internationally.

A 1996 law that strips sovereign immunity from nations on the list that engage in extrajudicial killings exposed Cuba to huge judgments in U.S. courts when mainly Cuban-American families accused the Cuban government of responsibility for the deaths of loved ones, said Robert Muse, a Washington-based lawyer who specializes in U.S. law on Cuba.

The perceived and real risks of doing business with a country on the list also made it highly difficult for Cuba to do business with foreign banks. The Cuban Interests Section in Washington has been forced to deal in cash since it lost its bank in the U.S. last year. The ability to reopen a U.S. bank account is one of Cuba's most urgent demands in the negotiations to reopen embassies. While that decision falls to individual banks, removal from the list will make it easier.

The listing also prevented U.S. representatives at the World Bank and other global financial bodies from approving credit for Cuba, which is increasingly strapped for cash.

Obama's decision was welcomed on the streets of Havana.

"Finally!" said Mercedes Delgado, a retired accountant. "The door's opened a little more. That's always good."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
A Florida doctor charged with corruption alongside New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez pleaded not guilty Thursday to allegations that he oversaw a Medicare fraud of as much as $190 million.

U.S. Magistrate Judge James Hopkins ordered Dr. Salomon Melgen, 60, to remain behind bars after prosecutors argued that he was a flight risk. The ophthalmologist's defense attorneys said they have been unable to negotiate a bond agreement with the government and during the brief appearance in federal court in West Palm Beach, they requested he be transferred from a county jail to a federal prison in Miami.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Carolyn Bell said Melgen has access to "enormous amounts of cash," not to mention homes and business interests in his native Dominican Republic, connections to government officials on the island, a private plane and a waterfront Florida estate, complete with boat, that could ease him fleeing. She said a century-old extradition agreement with the Dominican Republic would not apply in a case of health care fraud.

"He could easily flee to the Dominican Republic or to any other country for that matter," Bell said.

Melgen is accused of falsely diagnosing many patients with serious eye conditions such as macular degeneration and retinal disorders, allowing him to then perform unnecessary and costly procedures such as laser surgery and eye injections for which he would bill Medicare. The total maximum prison time if Melgen is convicted on all 76 counts in the case and sentences are imposed consecutively  comes to a staggering 610 years.

The indictment unsealed in Florida came just two weeks after another one in New Jersey in which prosecutors claim Menendez intervened on his friend's behalf to gain visas for Melgen's foreign girlfriends, press Dominican officials to honor a lucrative port contract for one of the doctor's businesses and influence Medicare officials on billing disputes. In exchange, authorities say, Melgen showered the senator with flights, vacations and contributions.

Both Melgen and Menendez have pleaded not guilty in that case as well. Melgen's defense attorneys say they're convinced he's innocent.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Just days into her presidential campaign, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is being criticized for her portrayal of her familys immigrant history.

According to a report by Buzzfeed News, during her campaigning in Norwalk, Iowa on Wednesday Clinton said that all of her grandparents immigrated to the U.S., but Census records show that only one of Clintons grandparents was born outside of the U.S..

All my grandparents, you know, came over here and you know my grandfather went to work in a lace mill in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and worked there until he retired at 65. He started there when he was a teenager and just kept going, Clinton said.

Census records show only her fathers father, Hugh Rodham Sr., immigrated from England to Pennsylvania.

In the past, Clinton has said her grandmother, the wife of Hugh Rodham Sr., also immigrated to Scranton, Penn. even though Census records show she was born in Pennsylvania in 1882.

In a statement to Buzzfeed News, a Clinton spokesman said of the candidate's wording on Wednesday, her grandparents always spoke about the immigrant experience and, as a result, she has always thought of them as immigrants.

The campaign also pointed out that her grandmother was born shortly after her parents arrived in the early 1880s.

Republicans pounced on Clintons portrayal of her immigrant past.

The Clinton campaigns excuse for the candidates repeated misrepresentation of her family history and false claim her grandparents are immigrants? '[S]he has always thought of them as immigrants.' Youre not telling tall tales if you think theyre true? said Ruth Guerra, Director of Hispanic Media for the Republican National Committee.

Its this type of callous attitude toward the truth that has led voters in key states to already view Clinton as dishonest and untrustworthy. If shes willing to make up a story in an attempt to connect with immigrants, how can voters trust what she says on all the other issues?

This is not the first time a current presidential candidates immigrant history has been questioned.

Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), who announced his presidential bid on Monday, came under scrutiny in 2011. Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, was criticized for misrepresenting his own familys immigrant history.

The Washington Post exposed that Rubios parents immigrated to the U.S. more than two and a half years before Fidel Castro took power in 1959. This was contrary to the narrative Rubio had delivered in speeches, describing a scenario where his parents fled Fidel Castro's dictatorship.

Rubio has acknowledged he got the dates wrong and said in a Fox News interview in 2011, "I don't need to embellish my narrative. My narrative is very simple  I am the son of exiles and of immigrants, and that has framed my political thought."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, facing a federal indictment on bribery and corruption charges, reported his legal defense fund has raised nearly $1.3 million since it was launched last year and $430,000 from the start of this year until the day before he was indicted.

Menendez, a Democrat, has denied any wrongdoing and vowed to fight the indictment, which alleges he helped his longtime friend and co-defendant, Florida eye doctor Salomon Melgen, with his business dealings in exchange for trips to a lavish villa in the Dominican Republic and campaign donations.

A filing with the IRS and the Senate covers money raised and spent from Jan. 1 through March 31. News of the pending indictment was first reported in March.

In the first quarter of this year, Menendez spent $100,000 for the Washington law firm McDermott Will & Emery and paid a fundraiser $7,500, according to financial records released Wednesday.

The senator's legal defense fund was formed on Jan. 31, 2014, and hauled in about $870,000 that year and spent about $500,000 in the latter half of the year, mostly on legal services, IRS documents show. In the third quarter, the fund paid $158,000 to the Washington-based law firm Coburn and Greenbaum and $127,000 to McDermott Will & Emery.

The legal spending is just a part of the senator's public defense against the Department of Justice's 14-count indictment.

Almost immediately after the indictment was made public, the state Democratic Party blasted out supportive statements from elected officials, including U.S. Sen. Cory Booker and U.S. Rep. Albio Sires. Menendez's allies also launched the IStandwithBob Twitter hashtag and istandwithbob.com, which is paid for through Menendez's campaign account.

His supporters say the swift reaction was in response to widespread leaks in the media before the charges were announced.

Menendez's flush defense account should not come as a surprise, political experts say. As the former chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee and New Jersey's senior senator, he has a lot of clout, said Fairleigh Dickinson University political science professor Krista Jenkins.

"If he beats it the last thing you would want to be is someone who didn't donate to the defense fund," she said.

Jenkins also pointed out that the indictment comes in the middle of Menendez's six-year term.

"There's plenty of time for him to regain his political strength," Jenkins said. "This is not coming during a hotly contested election."

Melgen, an ophthalmologist with offices in Palm Beach and St. Lucie counties, has pleaded not guilty in the New Jersey corruption case, in which he's accused of funneling nearly $1 million in gifts and campaign donations to Menendez in exchange for political favors. He also was indicted this week on Medicare fraud charges.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Appellate judges on Friday were to consider whether to lift a temporary hold imposed by a federal judge in Texas on President Barack Obama's executive action seeking to shield millions of immigrants from deportation.

A three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments in a closely watched case that is holding up Obama's immigration action.

U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen in Brownsville granted a preliminary injunction on Feb. 16 at the request of 26 states that oppose Obama's action. Hanen's rulings have temporarily blocked the Obama administration from implementing the policies that would allow as many as 5 million people in the U.S. illegally to remain.

Large numbers of advocacy groups and immigrants were planning to rally outside the New Orleans courthouse.

Obama announced the executive orders after the November mid-term elections, saying inaction by Congress forced him to make sweeping changes to immigration rules on his own.

A coalition of 26 states, led by Texas, filed the lawsuit to overturn Obama's executive action, arguing that it is unconstitutional and would force them to invest more in law enforcement, health care and education.

Justice Department attorneys have argued that maintaining the temporary hold harms "the interests of the public and of third parties who will be deprived of significant law enforcement and humanitarian benefits of prompt implementation" of the president's immigration action.

The appellate court is taking up the case at a special hearing. It was uncertain how quickly the panel might rule following the hearing. Each side was to get an hour to argue their case.

The first of Obama's orders  to expand a program that protects young immigrants from deportation if they were brought to the U.S. illegally as children  had been set to take effect Feb. 18.

The other major part would extend deportation protections to parents of U.S. citizens and permanent residents who have been in the country for several years. That provision was slated to begin on May 19.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Sen. Bob Menendez's legal defense fund raised nearly $1.3 million up until the day before he was indicted on bribery and corruption charges, including $10,000 from a retired New Jersey developer who served two years in prison for making illegal kickbacks.

Menendez's fund also received $10,000 from the wife of the developer, Joseph Barry, and another $130,000 from executives of the development firm founded by Barry's two sons, and their families, according to a review by the Associated Press of financial disclosure forms filed with the IRS and Senate.

The fund had paid for about $850,000 in legal expenses through March 31, the day before he was indicted on 14 counts accusing him of using his influence to help a Florida eye doctor in exchange for lavish vacations and campaign donations. He has pleaded not guilty and has vowed to fight the charges. Contributions and expenses made after March 31 aren't yet publicly available.

Menendez's chief of staff, Fred Turner, called the Barrys "longtime friends and supporters of the senator" and said that Menendez has no issue accepting money from them.

"He is deeply appreciative for their support and their friendship," Turner said Thursday.

The legal fund has also paid $20,000 to Samantha Maltzman, a fundraiser who resigned last year from a political advocacy group, backed by President Barack Obama, after inviting a New Jersey donor to a dinner with the president and listing prices to attend. Turner said the longtime Democratic fundraiser is "one of the most well respected and effective fundraising professionals in the country" and that Menendez "is grateful to have her working on his behalf."

Barry was sentenced to 25 months in prison in 2004 for giving nearly $115,000 in payoffs to longtime Hudson County Executive Robert Janiszewski after getting his help to obtain government funding. The money went toward building the Shipyard project, which turned a former Bethlehem Steel plant into high-end housing and retail that helped reshape the waterfront in Hoboken.

That project is now owned by Ironstate Development Corp., which Barry's sons started after he retired from the company. Ironstate has developed high-end mixed use projects across New Jersey and New York.

The sons, Michael and David, contributed the annual maximum of $10,000 in both 2014 and 2015, as did both of their wives. David Barry's college-age daughter, and Joseph Barry's daughter, contributed the maximum this year. Two other Ironstate employees donated a combined $30,000.

David and Michael Barry also donated $5,200 each to Menendez's Senate campaign last year.

Messages left with Barry family members weren't returned on Thursday.

Craig Holman, a government affairs lobbyist for nonprofit watchdog group Public Citizen, described the Barry contributions as a "coordinated, orchestrated bundling campaign."

"This is very unbecoming of the senator to rely on these types of sources for his funds and for raising funds from others," Holman said. "It really raises some questions as to his ability to discern the potentially corrupting influence of money."

Among the other contributions to the legal defense fund are more than $177,000 given by members of the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC, including $157,500 donated on one day alone  April 14, 2014. Menendez has been a strong supporter of Israel and a leading proponent of sanctions on Iran.

The fund has also received $20,000 from Jorge Mas, chairman of the board of the Cuban American National Foundation, a leading anti-Cuban government group based in Miami. Menendez has been a chief opponent of the Obama administration's policy on Cuba.

Menendez's Senate political action committee has also donated the maximum $20,000 over two years.

Maltzman is a Menendez campaign staffer and began getting paid by the fund in August, five months after she resigned from Organizing for America after emails surfaced between her and a major donor that conflicted with the group's longstanding assertion that its supporters don't have to pay a set price to attend its summits with the president.

The emails also raised questions about whether Dr. Munr Kazmir and another donor he recruited stood to benefit from securing face time with Obama or his aides.

The group said it had returned a check for $100,000 that Joseph Piacentile mailed to the group after Kazmir encouraged him to donate. When it discovered that Piacentile was convicted of Medicare fraud in the 1990s and was reportedly seeking a presidential pardon, the group returned the check.

Maltzman didn't return an email and phone message seeking comment.

Menendez's co-defendant, Florida eye doctor Salomon Melgen, was charged this week with trying to bilk Medicare out of as much as $190 million. He pleaded not guilty Thursday.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Burrito-gate is back.

At a Republican gathering in New Hampshire, the presumptive candidate for president, former Florida governor Jeb Bush, took a few swipes at Hillary Clinton and the media frenzy over her recent stop at a chain restaurant in Ohio.

Asked if he ever went to Chipotle Mexican Grill, Bush said, I actually cook it at home. I dont need to go to Chipotle."

Do I go there? Yeah, I go there. The one on U.S. 1. Drive my own car, park my own car, get out of my own car, he told people at the Snow Shoe Club in Concord. Get Chipotle, take it home.

On Monday, Clinton, who is traveling to Iowa on a campaign bus, stopped at a Maumee, Ohio, Chipotle where, without being recognized, she ordered a chicken Burrito Bowl while wearing sunglasses.

The media has been feasting on the story ever since.

But the second time that Bush bragged about making a homemade version of the restaurant's fare, he used a plural pronoun, allowing for the possibility that his wife, Columba, might have something to do with it.

"We normally cook our own food, my own Mexican food at home. Its pretty good, he said.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
A Senate panel unanimously passed legislation on Thursday updating the No Child Left Behind education law, setting up a likely vote by the full Senate this spring.

The legislation would continue to require annual standardized tests to measure student performance but would allow the states to determine how much weight to give them in evaluating schools.

The unanimous vote belies the tougher challenges ahead. The House abruptly canceled a vote on its version of the bill early this year when it became uncertain it would pass. It has not rescheduled a vote.

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions took up a bipartisan agreement that Sens. Lamar Alexander and Patty Murray reached last week. Alexander is the chairman of the committee. Murray is the ranking Democrat. Over three days, the committee approved 29 amendments to their legislation, but it also set aside some of the more divisive amendments for the full Senate to debate.

Both Republicans and Democrats have complained that the requirements in the 2002 law were unworkable. The Obama administration in 2012 began allowing waivers around some of the law's more stringent requirements if schools met certain conditions.

Still, one of the signature goals of the law was to improve the education system for the poor, particularly minority students stuck in struggling schools. Since the law has been in effect, dropout rates have steadily decreased. The Hispanic dropout rate is half what it was in 2000. The drop-out rate for black students has been cut by more than a third.

The committee also passed a reauthorization bill during the two previous congressional sessions, but Alexander said prospects are better this time because the legislation has support from members of both parties.

"We couldn't have had a better beginning," Alexander said after the vote.

Alexander said the most significant change from current policy is letting the states and local school boards determine what constitutes success. The federal government will help them obtain the data they need to make those decisions.

"The accountability belongs in the local community. That's what we heard from both Democrats and Republicans," Alexander said.

While lawmakers voted unanimously to move the bill forward, some clearly have problems with it and could vote against it when it comes up for a Senate vote. Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts worried that lawmakers went too far in rolling back federal oversight.

"It lacks the fundamental safeguards, and as written, could allow states to take billions of dollars in federal grants without any assurance they will do much for the children who need our help the most," Warren said.

Similarly, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said after the vote that he was glad some committee members recognized the need to strengthen the bill's accountability measures as this legislation advances.

"Every family and every community deserve to know that schools are helping all children succeed," Duncan said.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Sen. Ted Cruz, the Texas Republican who is running for president, plans to meet with the head of a national Latino organization who accused the lawmaker of distancing himself from his ethnic community.

Cruz is scheduled to meet on April 29 with Javier Palomarez, president and CEO of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and hold a question-and-answer session in Washington D.C. before an audience of business leaders and journalists.

The Hispanic Chamber is an important constituency, said Rick Tyler, the national spokesman for the Cruz campaign. Were going to have a conversation, the host and the senator. They will talk about jobs, economic growth, national security, and other top issues on their agenda, and the interests of the [chambers] members.

Palomarez, whose organization boasts relationships with lawmakers from both major political parties, said that the Cruz camp reached out to the chamber after news of his pointed criticism of the senator.

Several entities within Ted Cruzs [camp] reached out to us, they said they wanted to work with us, said Palomarez. We proposed a public platform.

It was not combative, he noted. They were pleasant and easy to work with.

Palomarez said Cruz was being smart in talking to Hispanics early on in his campaign.

Never before has the Hispanic electorate played such an important role, and never again will a president be elected without Hispanic votes, Palomarez said.

In a discussion with reporters at the chambers annual legislative summit in March, Palomarez assailed Cruz for skipping the two-day event and questioned whether the Cuban-American lawmaker was attempting to avoid Latinos as he runs for president.

Ted Cruz chose not to come, said a visibly displeased Palomarez to reporters at a press conference at the summit. I hope it is not indicative that hes backing away from the Hispanic community in order to get through the [GOP] primary.

If youre trying to get to the White House without openly trying to engage the Hispanic community, Palomarez said, youre not going to get there.

Chamber representatives told Fox News Latino that earlier this year they approached aides and allies of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, the 2012 GOP presidential nominee, about speaking at the March summit.

They said no serious GOP candidate would want to engage the Hispanic community too early before the primary [in 2016], said Ammar Campa-Najjar, the communications director for the Hispanic Chamber.

That is a reason that the chamber took exception, Campa-Najjar said, to what it perceived to be a reluctance to appear before a Latino group out of fear of alienating the GOPs conservative base, which plays a significant role in the primary elections, where they vote for their nominee.

The Hispanic community deserves to have its voice heard, he said.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who declared her candidacy on Sunday, has reached out to the chamber about doing events with their local member business owners around the country.

To be sure, other presidential hopefuls such as Senators Rand Paul, R-Ky, and Marco Rubio, R-Fla., also did not speak at the March summit. But Palomarez said they had scheduling conflicts and that they had good relationships with the chamber, joining them at events other times of the year and that both men have attended past Hispanic Chamber summits.

Cruz never had engaged with the chamber, the organizations official said.

For his part, Palomarez said he is looking forward to listening to Cruz's views on education, the economy, national security, government spending and immigration, among other things.

"I hope the candidates recognize that immigration is important to the Hispanic community, but it isn't the only thing that we worry about," Palomarez said. "And frankly, it's not even the most important issue."
Ties between Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, political allies for more than a decade, are fraying as the Republican presidential campaign picks up.

In public, mentor Bush and protege Rubio have avoided criticizing each other since Rubio announced his candidacy.

But Bush allies have started quietly spreading negative information about Rubio's record. Also, supporters of the two Miami politicians are drawing contrasts between Rubio, a 43-year-old son of Cuban immigrants, and 62-year-old Bush, a member of one of the nation's most powerful political dynasties.

"Sparks are going to fly," said Al Cardenas, a Bush adviser who is also close to Rubio. "For the first time in our country's history you've got two guys from the same town in the same state from same party running in the same primary."

He added: "You can bet that regardless of how nice Jeb or Marco wants to be, their staffs are going to do anything they can to win."

As Bush tries to convince Republicans of his conservative credentials, supporters are asserting that as governor, he was far more conservative than Rubio when both held prominent state posts. Rubio served as Florida House speaker in the two years immediately after Bush left the governor's mansion.

Their relationship was close then.

Bush viewed Rubio as a protector of his political legacy. The governor presented Rubio with a golden sword in a ceremony symbolizing a political handoff nearly a decade ago, an endorsement that Rubio's advisers point to when asked about the Bush camp's early aggression now.

"I have it somewhere at home," Rubio said of the sword. Asked about it while campaigning in New Hampshire on the weekend, he suggested the keepsake is not prominently displayed in his house. "I have young kids. I don't want them running around with a sword," he said.

They still call each other friends. But subtle criticism has emerged as Rubio speaks of the need to break with ideas from the last century and Bush questions whether one term in the Senate can prepare anyone for the White House.

Rubio's respect for Bush is well-documented in his writings and years of political activity when he relied on Bush's support, donor network and even former staff to help his own rise.

Rubio said he would not enter Florida's 2010 Senate contest were Bush to run, and Bush didn't.

Rubio was expected to defer to Bush again in the 2016 presidential contest once Bush began preparing for the race. Instead, Rubio this past week announced his own presidential campaign in their hometown, insisting the stakes were too high for him to "wait his turn." Bush has not declared his candidacy but is expected to.

Rubio's move forced prominent Florida Republicans such as Cardenas to pick sides.

Bush "feels disappointed because he's cared for him for so long," said Cardenas, who attended Rubio's wedding. "You just don't want to go to battle against someone you care for."

Just below the surface, the battles have begun.

Several former Florida legislators now aligned with Bush challenged Rubio's conservative credentials during his time as speaker. In the Senate, Rubio has opposed taxpayer-financed special projects known as earmarks. But he supported them as a state legislator, these critics point out, in one year alone requesting $43 million in such spending for public works, autism and substance abuse programs.

"Bush was more conservative," said U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Fla., who served in the Legislature with Rubio and while Bush was governor, and now supports Bush.

Ross highlighted Bush's aggressive use of the line-item veto to cut government spending, regardless of whether such spending benefited members of his own party.

Former state Rep. Juan-Carlos Planas, who also worked with both men and now backs Bush, made a similar point. "There were always projects that were important to Marco's constituents," he said. "And they always ended up in the budget."

Rubio's team declined to respond to those statements and hasn't cast Bush or other rivals in a negative light.

Yet a prominent Rubio supporter, billionaire businessman Norman Braman, has been less diplomatic.

"We have to look for the future," Braman told CNN this past week in a round of interviews. "We have to go beyond the Bushes. We have to go beyond the Clintons." He added: "We're not a country that believes in dynasties."

Bush and Rubio courted New Hampshire primary voters on the same stage, hours apart Friday, but did not cross paths.

"He is a good, close friend," Bush said. "It is what it is."

"Jeb Bush is my friend," Rubio said. "This is a race. It'll be a competitive environment."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
The daughter of Efrain Rios Montt, the former dictator facing charges of genocide for massacres committed during his 1982-83 regime, is running for president of Guatemala.

Zury Rios Sosa, a three-time member of congress, announced Thursday that she would accept the nomination of the Christian conservative Vision with Values party to compete in general elections later this year.

"Before God and all of you, I take the responsibility and the decision to return to the political arena, to public politics, to the office of a public servant, to submit myself to the judgment of the people," she said.

Rios Sosa married Jerry Weller, who at the time was a Republican U.S. congressman from Illinois, in 2004.

She was 14 years old when her father, an army general, seized power in a coup. The regime he led suspended the constitution and launched a brutal campaign against political dissidents.

In 2013, he was convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity for the killings of 1,771 Mayan Indians by soldiers under his command. A court later overturned the ruling, and a retrial that was supposed to begin in January has been delayed.

Rios Sosa, 47, declined to comment on whether her father's legal case could affect her race. She said women who run for office often face questions from those who say that "she's running because she's someone's daughter or wife."

"I respect, love and support my father, just as I respect and will support the Guatemalan people," Rios Sosa said.

It is unclear if the Guatemalan people  over 200,000 of whom died in the country's 1960-1996 civil war  will support her.

"Her candidacy affects us, because she denies there was any genocide, and she does that so people won't know and make a mistake" by supporting her, said Benjamin Geronimo, a former representative for victims at Rios Montt's trial.

Human rights activist Jorge Santos said Sosa shouldn't necessarily be held responsible for her father's mistakes.

But, he added, "if she wants to be a public servant, and approves of the serious acts her father committed, that could influence her performance in office. That means repeating the authoritarianism, violence and corruption."

Before announcing her candidacy, Rios Sosa spent several months inviting Guatemalans to send her messages suggesting political changes they wish to see.

Rios Montt's brief military regime was one of the bloodiest periods of Guatemala's civil war. According to the United Nations, about 245,000 people were killed or disappeared during the 1960-96 conflict, with the vast majority of killings blamed on the army and paramilitary groups.

Weller had been in the U.S. House of Representatives for nearly a decade when he and Rios Sosa wed.

In 2008 he declined to seek an eighth term after a Chicago Tribune investigation found he failed to disclose land deals he made in Nicaragua and did not report Rios Sosa's finances to Congress.

The watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington had named Weller one of the most corrupt members of Congress.

Rios Sosa holds bachelor's and master's degrees in political science and speaks Spanish, English and French, according to her website.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is heading to Havana, the first American governor to visit Cuba since the recent thaw in relations with the communist nation. Whether his trade mission generates anything more than headlines, however, remains to be seen.

The formal state visit on Monday and Tuesday is meant to foster greater ties between New York and Cuba. Cuomo is expected to take a small group of business leaders for what he has called "a tremendous stepping stone" that will "help open the door to a new market for New York businesses."

Trade experts say New York could profit from improved relations with the Caribbean nation. New York farmers could export apples, powdered milk and other dairy products. Businesses could invest big in Cuba's developing information technology infrastructure. Hoteliers could build resorts to prepare for the increase in American tourists.

Any significant economic relationship with Cuba will take time, according to Joe Schoonmaker, the chairman of the New York District Export Council who works as a trade risk insurance broker. He predicted that tourism would be the first sector of the Cuban economy to open up and that it will be some time before Cuba is engaging in robust trade.

"It's not going to be like opening up China," he said. "As far as hundreds of millions of dollars of products going down to Cuba, I don't see it at this time. They're not going to be buying a lot of stuff."

Critics say Cuomo's visit legitimizes a dictatorship and is more about politics than exports. State Republican Chairman Ed Cox dismissed the trade mission as a political stunt "meant to bolster his national profile."

Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis, a Staten Island Republican whose mother is a Cuban exile, said any efforts to normalize relations must be accompanied by significant concessions from the Castro regime.

"I do not understand the purpose of this trade mission or see any concrete benefit for the state of New York," she said.

The U.S. has been exporting limited amounts of food to Cuba for years. If New York does establish closer economic ties with Cuba, its first ambassadors may be two of its biggest farm products: dairy and apples. The state is one of the nation's top producers of both.

"There's potential there," said Steve Ammerman of the New York State Farm Bureau. "Any time we can create another outlet for our farm products and our farmers to make more money, that's a good thing for our entire ag economy in New York state."

As a center of global finance, New York City in particular has even more to gain from Cuba. Columbia University Graciela Chichilnisky said Cuomo and other U.S. leaders may want to consider financial arrangements to encourage trade and investment in Cuba.

In particular, she identified information technology and biotechnology as two industries that could be ripe for growth.

"They (Cuba) have at least the beginnings of some very promising developments," she said. "But there is nothing wrong with apples. I love apples."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Rand Paul lashed out Saturday at military hawks in the Republican Party in a clash over foreign policy dividing the packed GOP presidential field.

Paul, a first-term senator from Kentucky who favors a smaller U.S. footprint in the world, said that some of his Republican colleagues would do more harm in international affairs than would leading Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton.

"The other Republicans will criticize the president and Hillary Clinton for their foreign policy, but they would just have done the same thing  just 10 times over," Paul said on the closing day of a New Hampshire GOP conference that brought about 20 presidential prospects to the first-in-the-nation primary state.

"There's a group of folks in our party who would have troops in six countries right now, maybe more," Paul said.

Foreign policy looms large in the presidential race as the U.S. struggles to resolve diplomatic and military conflicts across the globe.

The GOP presidential class regularly rails against President Barack Obama's leadership on the world stage, yet some would-be contenders have yet to articulate their own positions, while others offered sharply different visions.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, whose brother, President George W. Bush, authorized the 2003 invasion of Iraq, declined to say whether he would have done anything different then. Yet Jeb Bush acknowledged a shift in his party against new military action abroad.

"Our enemies need to fear us, a little bit, just enough for them to deter the actions that create insecurity," Bush said earlier in the conference. He said restoring alliances "that will create less likelihood of America's boots on the ground has to be the priority, the first priority of the next president."

The GOP's hawks were well represented at the event, led by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who has limited foreign policy experience but articulated a muscular vision during his Saturday keynote address.

Walker said the threats posed by radical Islamic terrorism won't be handled simply with "a couple bombings."

"We're not going to wait till they bring the fight to us," Walker said. "We're going to bring the fight to them and fight on their soil."

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham addressed the question of putting U.S. troops directly in the battle against the Islamic State group militants by saying there is only one way to defeat the militants: "You go over there and you fight them so they don't come here."

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz suggested an aggressive approach as well. "The way to defeat ISIS is a simple and clear military objective," he said. "We will destroy them."

Businesswoman Carly Fiorina offered a similar outlook. "The world is a more dangerous and more tragic place when America is not leading. And America has not led for quite some time," she said.

Under Obama, a U.S.-led coalition of Western and Arab countries is conducting regular airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria. The U.S. also has hundreds of military advisers in Iraq helping Iraqi security forces plan operations against the Islamic State, which occupies large chunks of northern and western Iraq.

Paul didn't totally reject the use of military force, noting that he recently introduced a declaration of war against the Islamic State group. But in an interview with The Associated Press, he emphasized the importance of diplomacy.

He singled out Russia and China, which have complicated relationships with the U.S., as countries that could contribute to U.S. foreign policy interests.

"I think the Russians and the Chinese have great potential to help make the world a better place," he said. "I don't say that naively that they're going to, but they have the potential to."

Paul suggested the Russians could help by getting Syrian President Bashar Assad to leave power.

"Maybe he goes to Russia," Paul said.

Despite tensions with the U.S., Russia and China negotiated alongside Washington in nuclear talks with Iran. Paul has said he is keeping an open mind about the nuclear negotiations.

"The people who already are very skeptical, very doubtful, may not like the president for partisan reasons," he said, and "just may want war instead of negotiations."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
As the scandal widens surrounding allegations that foreign governments donated funds to the Clinton Foundation in exchange for favors while Hillary Clinton was U.S. Secretary of State, the foundation has limited the countries that it will accept money from, leaving the Dominican Republic and a number of other countries that have done so in the past unable to donate to the foundation.

Assertions that came to light in a soon-to-be-released book, entitled "Clinton Cash: The Untold Story of How and Why Foreign Governments and Businesses Helped Make Bill and Hillary Clinton Rich," by Peter Schweizer, claim that foreign entities who made payments to the Clinton Foundation and to Bill Clinton in the form of high speaking fees were able to receive favors while Hillary headed up the U.S. State Department between 2009 and 2013.

One example in Schweizer's book is a free-trade agreement between the U.S. and Colombia that went into effect in 2012 and benefited a major Clinton Foundation donor's investments.

An Associated Press analysis of Clinton Foundation donations between 2001 and 2015 found that governments and agencies from 16 nations previously gave direct grants of between $55 million and $130 million. Now, however, donations will only be allowed from the governments of Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom  leaving the Dominican Republic excluded, along with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Kuwait, Italy, Brunei and Taiwan.

The Clinton Foundation did not respond to Fox News Latino's request for comment, but it appears that much of the donations coming from the Dominican Republic were from a government agency, Copresida, that works to combat HIV/AIDS. While the foundation's website did not provide exact figures, Copresida is believed to have donated somewhere between $10 and $25 million.

The donations appear to have occurred outside of the time that Clinton was secretary of state.

The Clinton Foundation has done a great deal of work in the Dominican Republic, along with neighboring Haiti, over the years in projects ranging from HIV/AIDS to job creation to building wind power plants.

In 2005, Basic Energy  a company now known as InterEnergy and headed by Clinton Foundation board member Rolando Gonzalez Bunster  committed to build two wind energy power plants in the Dominican Republic totaling 109 megawatts for more than $120 million. The foundation also awarded former Dominican President Leonel Fernandez its Gold Citizen Award in 2010.

While campaigning in Keene, New Hampshire, Hillary Clinton dismissed questions about the family charity as "distractions and attacks."

While the allegations in Schweizer's book that have so far been reported on focus on Colombia, Haiti and China, most ethics experts say that the foundation's changes in donorship guidelines are meant to offer some needed distance to governments accused of repression of dissenters and women's rights abuses.

"They're clearly sensitive to these questions, but they've reacted through a political prism," said Douglas White, director of the Fundraising Management Graduate Program at Columbia University in New York, told the AP. "From a philanthropic ethics perspective, they need to ensure that there is zero foreign influence, whether it comes from new money from foreign governments or money already donated."

The six governments allowed to continue giving to the Clinton Foundation were justified by organization officials because the nations' previous gifts had been earmarked for specific health, poverty and climate change programs  and not as funding that could be used for financial or political gain. The foundation website said those countries only "will support our ongoing programmatic work."

Clinton's campaign referred questions about the board's action to the foundation. Last month, while still a board member, Clinton brushed off concerns about foreign donors, saying the foundation had hundreds of thousands of donors. Before becoming secretary of state, she agreed to limit new foreign donations to the foundation while she served.

The foundation also said it will begin disclosing its donors every quarter instead of annually  possibly to blunt criticism that the charity's once-a-year reporting made it difficult to identify shifting donation patterns. The foundation still will not provide exact donation amounts or when they were given.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Two dissident candidates conceded defeat Sunday in Cuban local elections that offered them a chance to become the first officials elected from outside the Communist Party in 40 years.

Hildebrando Chaviano and Yuniel Lopez had been chosen as candidates by a show of hands in Havana neighborhood nominating meetings and hoped to win two of the 12,589 seats at stake in 168 municipal councils.

Both acknowledged they had no chance of winning after preliminary results showed Chaviano in last place of four candidates and one of Lopez's pro-government opponent with twice his vote.

Chaviano, 65, is a government attorney-turned-independent journalist and Lopez, 26, is an unemployed member of a dissident political party.

A win by either would have been symbolically significant. Outside observers said the fact that they made it past a first round of show-of-hands voting on the neighborhood level reflected a government desire to show at least the appearance of softening its monolithic control of the political system in the wake of presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro historic announcement last year that they were declaring detente after 50 years of Cold War enmity.

The dissidents and foreign press watched the vote-counting without incident, although Lopez complained that he hadn't been able to watch the full count in one polling place. He also said that government backers had pressured people in his neighborhood to vote against him.

Cuba's municipal elections allow direct voting for delegates to municipal assemblies that deal with local issues like sewers and street repairs. The government controls the nomination and selection of candidates for higher-level bodies including the national assembly, which at least nominally chooses top national officials.

"The vote was clean," Chaviano said. "The people don't want change."

The count of Chaviano's race in Havana's relatively upscale Vedado neighborhood was watched by an unusual number of residents, virtually all in favor of pro-government candidates. After the vote count was read out, they assembled into a well-organized crowd that shouted pro-revolutionary slogans including "Love live Fidel!" after former President Fidel Castro, who cast his ballot Sunday at his house in Havana.

Narciso Viera, a 71-year-old retired manual laborer, told an American reporter that he voted against Chaviano because "he's a counter-revolutionary, in the pay of your government for many years."

Chaviano's government-edited official candidate biography described him as a counter-revolutionary, and mentioned that he had taken classes at the U.S. Interests Section in Havana. Lopez's biography contained similar disparaging information.

Backers of Julio Cesar Chaldran, who beat Lopez, marched through their working-class neighborhood of Arroyo Naranjo singing the national anthem and shouting "Long Live the Revolution!" and "Long Live Fidel!"

A group of Lopez's backers marched alongside shouting back their support for the dissident.

"I'm very happy, despite the defeat, to see people supporting me, despite the campaign against me," Lopez told The Associated Press.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
The website of one candidate for president reads, Esto empieza contigo. (This begins with you.)

And it says, Todos necesitan un campeon. Yo quiero ser tu campeon (Everyone needs a champion. I want to be your champion.)

Although two of the four politicians who have launched their campaigns so far are Hispanic, the only one seriously reaching out to Spanish-speaking voters on their campaign website is not: former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The ability to communicate to citizens, no matter what their background, and the effort to be as inclusive as possible sends an important signal and is also substantively important, said Matthew Dallek, an assistant professor of politics George Washington University.

Clinton has enjoyed strong Latino support throughout her career.

During the Democratic primaries in 2008, Latino voters demonstrated more enthusiasm over her candidacy when she ran for president than they did for Barack Obama. Polls showed then, as they do now, that she is more popular among Latinos than any other declared or expected 2016 presidential candidates.

Its a hallmark of her campaigns, said Fernand Amandi, managing partner at the Bendixen & Amandi International polling firm, which is based in Florida. She has always understood the role of Hispanics in the United States. Her Spanish-language website shows a greater sensitivity that she has with the Hispanic electorate.

Clinton's Spanish-language website drew some criticism for having lower suggested campaign donation choices than the English-language one  something that came across to some as stereotyping Latinos as poor. The Clinton campaign has changed the site to have the same donation choices as the English-language one.

The Republican National Committee dismissed Clinton's direct online outreach in Spanish, characterizing it as a gimmick.

Hillarys Spanish-language site looks like the campaign is checking a box rather than launching a high-quality website," said Ruth Guerra, RNC Director of Hispanic Media. "Not only are there numerous mistakes on the site, but whats more telling is the fact that Hillarys campaign suggested different donation amounts to English and Spanish speakers. Hillarys campaign needs to explain why they think Spanish speakers cant contribute the same as anyone else.

While they dont have a website in Spanish, Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas, both Republicans of Cuban descent, have used Spanish to reach out to Latino voters.

Cruzs campaign launch included a Spanish-language YouTube video in which a narrator  not Cruz, who doesn't speak fluent Spanish  talked about the senators Cuban immigrant father and a childhood that framed his view of the United States as the land of faith, liberty and opportunity.

Rubios campaign website has a Spanish-language entry titled, Conozca a la Familia Rubio (Meet the Rubio Family).

Unlike Cruz, Rubio often speaks some Spanish in press conferences and spoke a little during his televised announcement about running for president.

Some conservative groups have been critical of the use of foreign languages during campaigns, believing that it sends the message that people dont need to learn English.

But political experts say that in Rubios case, it has likely added to his appeal.

It came as kind of expected, said Craig Shirley, a presidential historian and author of several books, including Reagans Revolution." It came across as sweet.
Republican presidential candidate and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio laid out his plans for immigration reform this weekend during an appearance on a Sunday morning talk show  saying that any moves need to be done in a piecemeal fashion, instead of the sweeping legislation proposed by President Barack Obama.

Speaking on CBS' "Face the Nation," Rubio said that securing the border and getting Congress to pass a bill that puts in place E-Verify, an entry-exit tracking to prevent visa overstays, would be his first move toward immigration reform if he won the presidency.

"Once we achieve that, step two would be we would modernize our legal immigration system  [make it] less family-based, more merit-based," he said. "And then the third step would be to pass the bill that goes to the 10 million people that are here or 12 million that are here illegally."

Rubio added, "If they have been here for longer than a decade, they have to pass a background check, they have to learn English, they have to pay taxes, they have to pay a fine. And they would get a work permit."

During the interview, the Florida lawmaker spoke on a number of issues, from gay marriage ("I believe that sexual preference is something that people are born with") to Iran ("Iran's hegemonic ambitions present a threat to our homeland").

He was also questioned about his relationship with presumed presidential rival, Jeb Bush. The former Florida governor once viewed Rubio as a protege, but ties between the two politicians have become strained as campaign season ramps up.

For his part, Rubio downplayed reports of animosity between the two and noted that there are many people running for the Republican nomination.

"There comes a point in time where if you have an opportunity to serve your country legitimately, a legitimate opportunity to serve your country as its highest office, especially someone like me that feels a tremendous debt to America, it's an opportunity I had to take seriously," Rubio said. "But at the end of the day, it won't change how I feel about Governor Bush. He will remain my friend and someone I admire, both personally and politically."

Rubio's interview coincided with a report in Politico describing Rubio's mega-donor Norman Braman, an 82-year old South Florida magnate who owns the Philadelphia Eagles and strongly dislikes Jeb Bush, as "the worst kind of political enemy: He's highly motivated, civic-minded and in possession of unlimited resources" and has a history of throwing his money behind political candidates.

Braman's antipathy for Bush  and subsequent support of Rubio  stems from Bush vetoing $2 million in state funds that had been allocated for the Braman Breast Cancer Institute.

"Who the hell is against breast cancer research, especially with what he allowed to become law?" Braman told Politico.

For his part, Rubio has been on Braman's radar  and donation list  since the now-presidential candidate was ascending the ranks of the Florida legislature. Rubio dedicated an entire paragraph of the acknowledgments in his memoir to Braman and added that the billionaire had become a father-like figure to him.

Braman's "advice, interest in my growth as a father and husband and pride in my accomplishments remind me of the role my grandfather and father once played," Rubio wrote.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
One would think that the first Latino with an actual shot at winning a mayoral race in Philadelphia history would have the backing the citys Hispanic leaders. But for former Judge Nelson Diaz, Latino leaders in the City of Brotherly Love are showing more love for his challenger, former councilman Jim Kenney.

Despite jump-starting his campaign back in January with the full support of Hispanic leaders in Philadelphia, Diaz was snubbed Monday when Latinos United for Political Empowerment (LUPE), a group of elected officials, community and ward leaders in Pennsylvanias largest city, endorsed his opponent.

"Whether it was his work on ending ICE holds or supporting immigrant entrepreneurs, Jim always prioritized issues important to minority communities," state Rep. Leslie Acosta, chairwoman of LUPE and daughter of former state Rep. Ralph Acosta told PoliticsPA. "We look forward to working with Jim to make Philadelphia an even more inclusive city in the years to come."

Less than an hour after it was announced that LUPE was supporting Kenney, Diaz fired back with claims that the former councilman only landed the groups endorsement because he agreed to a joint campaign with controversial city council candidate Manny Morales, according to the Philadelphia Daily News.

"I am profoundly disappointed but not surprised," Diaz said in a statement, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. "[Kenney] values his own election more than his integrity and more than basic progressive values."

Morales, who is running to unseat Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez in Philadelphias 7th District, ran into major controversy when a slew of racist, anti-gay and anti-poor posts appeared on his Facebook page. While Morales claimed that his account had been hacked and the material was a forgery, the citys Democratic committee withdrew its support, and Diaz called for him to withdraw from the race.

"I was told in no uncertain terms [by LUPE officials] that unless I was willing to fund and participate in a joint campaign with Manny Morales, this group would drop their endorsement of me and endorse a candidate willing to make that deal," Diaz said in a statement, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. "I again asked for some evidence Morales hadn't made the hateful statements attributed to him, but wasn't given that evidence, because it does not exist. My integrity is the most important asset I have, and so I said no. If supporting Manny Morales is the price of keeping this endorsement, it is not a price I am willing to pay."

He added, "Apparently Jim Kenney is willing to make that deal."

Kenneys campaign quickly fired back at Diazs accusations, saying that Kenney was not supporting Morales in his council bid and that Diaz was just upset about losing the endorsement of the citys most influential Hispanic organization.

"We are absolutely not supporting Manny Morales, nor did we make any such deal with LUPE," Kenneys spokesperson Lauren Hitt told the Inquirer. "LUPE has endorsed a number of different candidates for City Council and other municipal offices who aren't supporting Morales either."

She added, "The Diaz campaign is embarrassed over losing the endorsement of a Latino organization who were unimpressed with the campaign they've run and the policies they presented, and the campaign is making offensive, ridiculous accusations to try to excuse it."

Along with Kenney, former Philly District Attorney Lynne Abraham and State Sen. Anthony Williams are considered the front-runners for the Democratic Party nomination in the May 19 primary. Because of the city's overwhelmingly Democratic electorate, whomever emerges victorious will become the favorite in the November general election.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
A Colombian informant for the Drug Enforcement Administration who served the United States for 27 years is now facing deportation  and most probably fatal retaliation, since he helped take down famous cartel kingpins and his name is now out in the open.

Carlos Toro, 66, claims he helped in the prosecution of some of the biggest names in the Colombian drug trade, such as Carlos Lehder of the Medellin Cartel, and even in getting Manuel Noriega, the former dictator of Panama, behind bars.

Now that Toro, himself a high-ranking member of a cartel back in the '80s, wants to retire, the DEA is backtracking on its promise to help him acquire the legal status to remain in the U.S. once his ties with the agency are cut.

"Twenty-seven years of service and I have to beg," said Toro in an interview with CBS News. "I put my life on the line for them."

He said he is on an expired visa and is requesting either a green card or a U.S. passport. He also wants to be able to collect Social Security benefits and enjoy the rest of his life with the family and friends hes known for almost three decades.

"The United States government has sentenced me to death," Toro told CBS. "I was loyal to them. I worked for them. I risked my life for them, and this is how they pay me?"

Toro, whose health is reportedly declining, became an undercover agent after he was arrested for cocaine trafficking. According to retired agent Mike McManus, who worked with him for two years, Toro became one of the agencys most important assets.

"It's not that often that you have a confidential source who can work undercover for nearly 27 years all over the world and still maintain a cover," said McManus.

"It is government bureaucracy at its worst," he added. "He deserves to live life ever after in the United States. He's done his debt, he's paid his dues, he's done his service."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
As days go by, the cast of characters in the Robert Menendez-Salomon Melgen saga keeps growing in the Dominican Republic, the location of one of the corruption schemes referenced in the April 2015 charges against the U.S. Senator from New Jersey and the Florida eye doctor.

At the heart of the Dominican side of the scandal appears to be a member of one of the island nations most influential political families, the Castillos.

The U.S. government alleges that Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), the former chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, improperly tried to clear a Dominican government port security contract with a Melgen-owned company.

Melgen was born and raised in the Dominican Republic, and his uncle, Vinicio Vincho Castillo, founded the conservative FNP party and has been a political advisor to several presidents including the current President Danilo Medina.

Melgens first cousins are Vinicio and Pelegrin Castillo Seman, both FNP politicians. The latter is the Energy Secretary, while Vinicio junior is a congressman who has come out in Melgens defense more than once after the scandal first broke in 2012.

In February 2013, in an open letter published in several newspapers in the Dominican Republic, Vinicio Castillo Seman said Menendez was a man of irreproachable behavior whom he had known only socially for 15 years.

The only times that Ive been at Dr. Melgens home with Sen. Menendez has been during parties or other social functions, the long letter reads in part.

It is my belief that this smear campaign, he added, is a result of conflicts with powerful sectors of the Dominican Republic, who flatly refuse to let the millions of containers that pass through our ports be scanned with high-technology X-rays.

The Dominican portion of the Menendez-Melgen corruption case centers on a contract, signed in 2002 by the then-chief of the armed forces of the D.R., Gen. Jose Miguel Soto Jimenez, and a port security firm called ICSSI.

Under the terms of the contract  which covered a 10-year term that was automatically renewable  the company would X-ray containers entering or leaving the country at random for a per-container fee that ICSSI was to collect from the shippers.

The legitimacy of the contract has always been disputed, with company cofounders squabbling legally over ownership of the firm and critics of the contract  who suggest that its terms are overly generous to ICSSI and go against the country's economic interest  questioning whether Soto Jimenez had the authority to sign on behalf of the government.

Various decrees about the contract signed by former President Hipolito Mejia did little to clear up matters, and by the time Melgen took control of ICSSI in 2011, the contract issues were stalled, mired in the Dominican courts and in the court of public opinion.

Shortly afterward, Menendez became involved.

The U.S. indictment against Menendez and Melgen includes a series of e-mails between unnamed staffers in the senators office and in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) during the first half of 2012.

Menendez was much concerned with the issue of a U.S. company attempting to sell a tracking and security system to the D.R. port authority, and suggesting they were being blocked by corrupt officials, as described in a message from INL Assistant Secretary of State William Brownfield, whose is not named in the indictment but who has held that position since 2011.

Menendez demanded the stalled contract issue be resolved in less than six weeks. Brownfield said in another email that the senator threatened to call him to testify in an open hearing in Congress if no solution was reached. I suspect that was a bluff, he noted.

Six months later, in January 2013, Menendez staffers contacted people at U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The senator had been told that the agency was preparing to donate port-screening equipment to the D.R.

Apparently there is some effort, an individual identified in the indictment as Menendezs chief counsel wrote, by individuals who do not want to increase security in the D.R. to hold up that contracts fulfillment. These elements (possibly criminal) want CBP to give the government equipment because they believe  [it] will be less effective than the outside contractor.

The CBPs response was that the agency had not agreed to donate any new equipment or expand its operations.

One U.S. law enforcement officer stationed in the D.R. with knowledge of the case who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to discuss the case told Fox News Latino, Intelligence obtained from various sources indicates that [Vinicio] Castillo Seman was one of the sources providing information [to Menendez] about alleged corrupt Dominican officials blocking the port security contract between ICSSI and the Dominican government.

Other sources confirmed that it was the congressman himself who fed information to Menendez and Melgen about the port security contract.

One highly-placed source in the D.R.s justice system told FNL that in several instances Castillo Seman told Melgen and Menendez that corrupt Dominican officials were sabotaging the ICSSI contract by seeking a donation of screening equipment by the CBP.

There is no doubt that Castillo Seman provided this information, this source told Fox News Latino.

Fox News Latino repeatedly reached out to Congressman Castillo Semans office for comment, but as of the time of publication, calls and emails were not answered.

On Sunday, however, the lawmaker went on Dominican television and spoke on the subject. "My family has no connection of any sort in the allegations against Melgen," he said.

Among many in the D.R., however, there is a sense of disappointment about the congressmans connection to the Menendez-Melgen case.

It was more important to help his cousin on a business deal than to respond and show solidarity with the national interest, a source in the Dominican government lamented to FNL.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo landed in Cuba Monday, heading a high-powered trade mission as part of the process of renewing relations between the island and the United States, and he told EFE that he wants to be present in Havana "from the start of the adventure."

"We're witnessing the start of a transition in relations between the two countries, which is going to have significant economic benefits for both parties," he said on his arrival at Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, where he was received by Josefina Vidal Ferreiro, general director of Cuba's U.S. Division in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Cuomo is heading a business delegation that includes top executives of major U.S. companies like MasterCard, JetBlue Airways and Pfizer pharmaceuticals, all interested in doing business on the island.

The governor said the purpose of his visit is to work at "building relations between the business community of New York and that of Cuba," since the companies are "very excited about what Presidents Raul Castro and Barack Obama began" last Dec. 17 when they announced the renewal of diplomatic relations between the two countries that had been broken off since 1961.

Obama loosened restrictions between the two countries with a series of executive actions that allow easier U.S. travel to Cuba, more remittances to the island and, at least on paper, U.S. exports to support the island's relatively new private business sector.

Obama has also moved to remove Cuba from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terror, removing a barrier to access to the global financial system. Cuban officials have been pressing him to go further with measures that could include more specific federal licenses for U.S. businesses to trade with Cuba in ways currently prohibited.

"The president of the United States has the ability to grant licenses to businesses so that businesses can actually start developing right now in select areas and those are areas that we want to pursue," Cuomo said.

The first point on the delegation's agenda was a working lunch with Cuban Foreign Trade and Investment Minister Rodrigo Malmierca, and during the day they were also to meet with Vice President Miguel Diaz-Canal and Cardinal Jaime Ortega, top representative of the Catholic Church on the island.

Other companies in the delegation to Cuba are the software firm Infor, Regeneron pharmaceuticals, yogurt-maker Chobani and the Plattsburgh (N.Y.) International Airport.

The trade mission arrived in Cuba on a charter flight of JetBlue Airways, one of the first to show an interest in operating direct flights to the island from various cities around the U.S. since the renewal of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

The delegation is also made up of the heads of institutions like the Genomics Research Center and New York University, as well as state political representatives like N.Y. state Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie.

EFE and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
For many people, it was another headline about Cuba in a week of symbolic and substantive changes in relations between the United States and its Caribbean adversary.

The White House announced Tuesday that it was taking Cuba off the list of states that support terrorism. Obama administration officials said that Cuba had met key criteria for being delisted, including not supporting terrorism in the last six months, and a pledge by Cuban President Raul Castro that it would not do so in the future.

But the news hit Joseph Connor, a Wall Street executive and father of two, like a punch in the gut.

To Connor, Cuba is the place that is protecting William Morales, a Puerto Rican nationalist convicted in connection with bombings in New York in the 1970s, one of which killed the New Jersey residents father.

Morales was in the group known as the Armed Forces of National Liberation or FALN, and was believed to have been the mastermind of a bombing that occurred in 1975 at Manhattans Fraunces Tavern, where Connors father, Frank, was having a meeting with clients.

We're the most powerful country in the world, yet we can't negotiate. I'm not going to buy that two years down the road, these guys will be returned.  Joseph Connor, speaking about Cuba's harboring of a man tied to his father's killing

There was a duffle bag, there were 50 sticks of dynamite, it was meant to kill a lot of people, Connor said. The Obama administration is opening a relationship with a Communist country that is still sponsoring terrorists. The thought that Cuba can be considered to not be a sponsor of terrorism while they give asylum to terrorists  its dismissing my fathers life.

Morales was part of a group that was planting bombs all around New York City. He was convicted and sentenced to about 90 years, but escaped from Bellevue Hospital, where he was under police custody, by going down a rope fashioned from elastic bandages that was three stories long. The Washington Post called it one of the most publicized [escapes] in U.S. history.

He ended up in Mexico, which then handed him over to Cuba, where Fidel Castro, who gave sanctuary to several U.S. fugitives, welcomed him as a freedom fighter.

A Washington Post reporter caught up with him in 2002, where he was sipping a cappuccino in a chic hotel lobby in Havana.

Only once I met Fidel Castro, Morales told the Washington Post. It was at a reception and I said to him, Thank you.

The notion of Morales and others whove killed people in terrorist acts in the United States living without a care and being treated as celebrities in Cuba gnaws at Connor.

Morales has been sponsored as a guest by Cuba since 1988, said Connor, 49. Its a travesty that the U.S. would even considering removing Cuba from the state sponsor of terror list.

The most well-known fugitive in Cuba is Joanne D. Chesimard, a former member of the Black Panthers who is on the F.B.I.s list of most wanted terrorists for killing a New Jersey state trooper in 1973. Chesimard also escaped  from prison  in 1979 and fled to Cuba, which welcomed her with open arms.

Now, U.S. officials are saying that Cuba has agreed to talks about fugitives.

Cuban government officials have not commented.

"We see the reestablishment of diplomatic relations and the reopening of an embassy in Havana as the means by which we'll be able, more effectively, to press the Cuban government on law enforcement issues such as fugitives. And Cuba has agreed to enter into a law enforcement dialogue with the United States that will work to resolve these cases," said State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke.

The dialogue is also expected to address cooperation on more routine crimes, officials said.

A Cuban government spokesman did not immediately return calls seeking comment Wednesday, but Josefina Vidal, Cuba's top diplomat for U.S. affairs, recently ruled out any return of political refugees.

Still she said Tuesday night that "the Cuban government recognizes the president of the United States' just decision to take Cuba off a list in which it should never have been included."

Cuba was put on the list in 1982 because of what the U.S. said were its efforts "to promote armed revolution by organizations that used terrorism."

That included support for leftist guerrilla groups including the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and the Basque separatist movement ETA in Spain. The State Department terror list entry for Cuba also noted the protection it has given to fugitives wanted in the United States.

Connor, who was only 9 years old when his father was killed, has devoted nearly all his life to keeping his fathers death from being forgotten, and to pressing for the return of Morales. He has gone to the probationary hearings of some who remain in prison to make sure they stay behind bars.

Most of the FALN members who were part of Morales group were given clemency by President Bill Clinton.

Fourteen of them got clemency and walked out of prison, Connor said.

Often, when he is in church, he makes his father a promise. He promises not to let his death be in vain.

I say Dad, Im trying to do the right thing.

Morales and FALN were Communists, Marxists, they were targeting corporate executives, people they saw as the bourgeois, Connor said.

But that was not who his father was, he said.

Frank Connor came from an Irish immigrant family that worked at blue collar jobs in the hope that their son would have a better life.

Frank Connor went to City College, graduated from Fairleigh Dickenson, and got his job at a Wall Street bank where his mother was on the maintenance staff.

My grandmother wanted my father to have a good, safe job, Connor said.

Some people have told Connor to move on, to live his life.

"But this is my life," he said.

The Cuban government has not given any indication that it will return the fugitives. The Castro regime has argued that the United States harbors Cuban exiles who have been responsible for what the Communist government says are terrorist acts against it.

Even if the regime were to promise to return the fugitives someday, Connor is skeptical.

"It's not going to happen," he said. "We're the most powerful country in the world, yet we can't negotiate. I'm not going to buy that two years down the road, these guys will be returned."

Connor said he won't stop pushing for Morales to pay for his crimes.

"He has not served in his time in prison," Connor said. "He was arrested, charged and convicted and sentenced."

It's unfathomable to him not to keep fighting for justice for his father.

"The way I view it is, my father's life and his death have been used for politics way too long."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A deal was reached Tuesday to move forward a stalled human trafficking bill, which clears the way for a vote on President Barack Obama's attorney general nominee.

The deal unveiled on the Senate floor aimed to solve a dispute over abortion that had stalled the once-popular bipartisan bill for weeks. The nomination of Attorney General-designate Loretta Lynch got caught in the crossfire, as Senate Republicans refused to take up her nomination until the matter of the trafficking bill was resolved, infuriating Democrats, civil rights leaders and women's groups.

"I'm glad we can say there is a bipartisan proposal that will allow us to complete action on this important legislation so we can provide help to the victims who desperately need it," said Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said of the compromise work-around. He said he anticipated a vote on Lynch, who will become the nation's first black female attorney general, "in the next day or so."

Late last month Democrats prevented the legislation from moving forward because of an amendment regarding abortion that few lawmakers had noticed when the bill, which was co-sponsored by Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), was first introduced.

GOP presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said he was "inclined not to" vote in favor of Lynch's nomination, though he said he had not made a decision. Rubio said he was extremely concerned about Lynch's answers on President Obama's executive actions on immigration.

"To have the next attorney general of the United States argue with a straight face that that is legal and constitutional, I think is in the minds of many people and increasingly mine, a disqualifier," Rubio said in an interview with the Associated Press.

Senators of both parties loudly lamented their impasse on the trafficking bill, yet blamed each other in a spectacle of fruitless bickering notable even for Congress.

The finalized deal aims to address Democratic concerns that the legislation expands existing prohibitions on spending federal funds on abortions. Republicans had to be satisfied that those prohibitions were not curtailed.

"Let's get out of this quickly," said Democratic Leader Harry Reid. "Let's get Loretta Lynch confirmed."

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Following some mocking comments made by fellow Sen. John McCain, Sen. Ted Cruz has backtracked on comments he made this weekend in New Hampshire claiming that he has been "pressing" the Arizona lawmaker to hold hearings on whether U.S. service members should be allowed to carry concealed weapons on military bases. Cruz believes that it should be allowed.

"Now I will acknowledge, I may have misspoken in New Hampshire when I said that I had been pressing John McCain, and what I had been pressing was the Armed Services Committee," Cruz said in an interview Tuesday on Fox News. "John McCain is the new chairman of it, so I sent a letter to the previous chairman."

Later on Tuesday, Rick Tyler of the Cruz presidential campaign said that the reports about what transpired were erroneous.

"Senator Cruz didnt 'backtrack' on any comments he made and he did not misspeak," Tyler said to Fox News Latino. "After listening to a recording of Cruzs remarks [at an appearance], it is clear that Senator McCain was reacting to something that Cruz did not say."

"One of the things I've publicly called for on the Armed Services committee is for us to have hearings on why the military has a policy of not allowing soldiers to carry their firearms onto bases," Cruz said in response to a question posed at the Londonderry Fish and Game Club in New Hampshire. "I want to give an opportunity for military leadership to lay out their views as well, because they have opposed changing that policy, and I think the proper way forward is to have hearings."

"It's one of the things I'm pressing," Cruz said in his remarks, provided via a transcript to Fox News Latino by his campaign. "I hope the new chairman, John McCain, will agree to have those hearings because I think its very important to have a public discussion about why were denying our soldiers the ability to have their Second Amendment rights.

Cruz's remarks as described in various media outlets come a day after McCain made some quips at the Texas lawmaker's expense.

"You know, I was fascinated to hear that, because I haven't heard a thing about it from him. Nor has my staff heard from his staff. Where did that come from? I have not a clue," McCain said, according to The Hill. "I'd be glad to discuss the issue and see if we need a hearing, but it came as a complete surprise to me that he had been pressing me."

"Maybe it was through some medium that I'm not familiar with. Maybe bouncing it off the ozone layer, for all I know," he added. "There's a lot of holes in the ozone layer, so maybe it wasn't the ozone layer that he bounced it off of. Maybe it was through hand telegraph, maybe sign language. Who knows?"

Cruz attempted to brush aside McCain's jests, claiming that the senior senator's response was "voluble" and that he "can always be counted on for a good quote." He added that he had raised the issue of military members being permitted to carry personal firearms on bases repeatedly in open hearings at which he believes McCain was present.

"I had not communicated [these policies] to John directly, although I had at a hearing and will continue to raise it with John McCain because the committee ought to look at and listen to the military's arguments," Cruz said.

"I'm a big believer in defending Second Amendment rights of everyone including our soldiers," he added.

For his part, McCain added on Twitter following Cruz's admission that, "Ted Cruz is a friend and valued member of the Senate Armed Services Committee."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Under fire for recent revelations about allegations that agents held sex parties in Colombia that were paid for by drug cartels, the embattled head of the Drug Enforcement Administration said Tuesday that she plans to retire after three decades with the agency, an announcement that came amid mounting pressure for her resignation from members of Congress.

Michele Leonhart, a career drug agent who has led the agency since 2007 and was the second woman to hold the job, had been widely criticized for her response to a scathing government watchdog report detailing allegations of sex parties with prostitutes.

After Leonhart appeared last week before the House Oversight Committee to respond to an inspector general's allegations that the agents had received lenient punishments, most lawmakers on the panel announced that they had lost confidence in her. She also was criticized as being "woefully unable to change" the agency's culture.

The no-confidence statement was signed by 13 House Democrats and nine Republicans, including its chairman, Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, and the committee's top Democrat, Elijah Cummings of Maryland. Chaffetz went a step further, calling for Leonhart to resign or be fired. On Tuesday, the two lawmakers said they welcomed Leonhart's departure, calling it appropriate and an opportunity for new leadership.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest reiterated earlier Tuesday that the Obama administration had "concerns about the material that was presented in the (inspector general) report that raised legitimate and serious questions about the conduct of some DEA officers." He said Obama "maintains a very high standard for anybody who serves in his administration, particularly when it comes to law enforcement officials."

Leonhart will leave the agency in mid-May, Attorney General Eric Holder said in announcing her retirement.

"Michele has led this distinguished agency with honor, and I have been proud to call her my partner in the work of safeguarding our national security and protecting our citizens from crime, exploitation and abuse," Holder said, crediting her with helping dismantle violent drug trafficking organizations.

Leonhart canceled an appearance to receive an award Tuesday from sponsors of the Border Security Expo, a trade show in Phoenix for government contractors. Doug Coleman, the DEA's special agent in charge in Phoenix, accepted on her behalf.

Robert Bonner, a former DEA administrator and Customs and Border Protection commissioner, told the luncheon audience that Leonhart was being unfairly blamed for agents' misconduct. He said last week's House hearing presented a "jumbled and distorted" picture of the agency, much of it untrue.

"Sadly, what we're witnessing in Washington is 'gotcha' politics in action," he said.

Leonhart was the target of online petitions calling for her ouster after she distanced herself from the administration's stance on legalized marijuana, seen as a hands-off approach that lets states legalize marijuana so long as it is state-regulated. Marijuana remains illegal under federal law and is classified by the DEA as a Schedule 1 drug, along with drugs such as heroin and peyote.

Leonhart also declined to fully endorse sentencing reform efforts supported by the Justice Department, and the agency has been criticized by privacy advocates for its use of a sweeping database of phone calls made from the United States to multiple foreign countries. The agency acknowledged that database in a court filing involving a man accused of conspiring to illegally export goods and technology to Iran, but said it was no longer in use.

During Leonhart's tenure the agency was responsible for a variety of notable criminal cases, including assisting in the 2014 capture of Mexico's Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, long considered one of the most powerful drug traffickers in the world.

There were also scandals, including the case of a California college student who was left alone in a holding cell for five days without food or water. The April 2012 incident left Daniel Chong in grave physical health and led to a $4.1 million settlement and nationwide changes in the agency's detention policies.

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
On one side of the spectrum in the Senate there is Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who has not missed a vote since taking office in 1997. At the opposite end are Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida.

The two Republican presidential candidates' attendance records when it comes to Senate votes and attending hearings are some of lowest in the chamber, with Cruz being especially negligent as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Cruz has missed the majority of committee hearings and now ranks 97th in the first three months of this year in showing up for roll call votes on the floor.

According to a report from Politico late last month, Cruz missed out on discussions about Afghanistan, the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, spending cuts, military readiness and the appropriate level of compensation for the troops.

Cruz was also the only senator absent on Wednesday when the Senate voted 99-0 to pass a compromise human trafficking bill that ended a contentious fight over federal abortion funding restrictions that had stalled the confirmation vote on attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch.

Cruz's campaign spokesman, Rick Tyler, told Fox News Latino that the senator missed the vote because he arrived in Washington, D.C., late in the evening on Wednesday.

The Texas senator is expected to be in Dallas Thursday for a fund-raiser hosted by investor Tom Hicks.

Cruz himself seems to embrace the fact that he is snubbing his colleagues and committee members, telling a crowd in Houston that he is "guilty as charged" when asked if he wouldn't get along with his fellow senators.

His absenteeism might be one reason why Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the current head of the Armed Services Committee, has attacked Cruz this week about comments that he is "pressing" the committee to have hearings on why the military has a policy of not allowing soldiers to carry their firearms onto bases.

"I hope the new chairman, John McCain, will agree to have those hearings because I think it's very important to have a public discussion about why we're denying our soldiers the ability to have their Second Amendment rights," Cruz said, according to a transcript provided to Fox News Latino by his office.

McCain fired back that he had not heard from Cruz on this and joked that the Texas lawmaker sent his message "through some medium that I'm not familiar with."

"There's a lot of holes in the ozone layer, so maybe it wasn't the ozone layer that he bounced it off of," McCain said, according to the Hill. "Maybe it was through hand telegraph, maybe sign language. Who knows?"

In regards to Cruz's attendance record, his staff said his attendance is not an accurate account of his participation in defense and foreign policy issues before the panel.

"Sen. Cruz is deeply engaged in defense and national security issues," said his communications director, Amanda Carpenter to Politico. "He never hesitates to defend American sovereignty and has established a remarkable track record leading on these matters."

She added that he has introduced legislation "to stop Americans who join ISIS from returning to the United States to wage jihad, impose sanctions on Iran to safeguard America and our ally Israel, and grant combat status for the troops who were sent overseas to fight Ebola."

In February, an analysis carried out by Vocativ in partnership with GovTrack.us, showed that Rubio beats Cruz as the senator most absent from chambers, having missed 99, or 8.3 percent, of 1,198 total votes since taking office in January 2011 to February of this year.

"He is one of the only senators with young children who has not moved his family to D.C., and tries to spend as much time in Florida with them as possible," Rubio spokesman Alex Conant told Politico. "In addition to his parental responsibilities, in recent years he's also had to return to Florida and miss votes due to his mother's health and civic responsibilities like jury duty."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Republican congressional leaders have admitted defeat in their effort to thwart President Barack Obama's plan to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism.

Florida Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen met with a number of her fellow lawmakers last week to strategize way to prevent the de-listing of Cuba in a bill she planned to introduce this week, but the lawmaker was told that Congress legally can't prevent the White House from removing Cuba from the list.

"We can't undo it. We just got the word from the parliamentarian: It's a no-go," Ros-Lehtinen said, according to the Miami Herald. She added that her draft legislation already had 35 co-sponsors before the decision was made not to proceed.

The lack of action in attempting to prevent the White House from removing Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism has angered some opponents of normalizing relations with Cuba.

"Only a weak, pathetic Congress who does not have the best interests of the American people at heart would not put up a fight against Obama removing Cuba -- a state that has sponsored terrorists for decades -- from the state sponsors of terror list.," said Joe Connor, a Wall Street executive opposed to restoring diplomatic ties with Cuba, told Fox News Latino in an email.

"The Republican Leadership has laid down to Obama without even a fight," said Connor, whose father, Frank Connor, was killed in 1975 in a New York City bombing whose mastermind, William Morales, fled to Cuba after being convicted and sentenced to 89 years in jail.

Like other opponents of de-listing Cuba from the terror list, Connor said the Castro regime's protection of Morales -- who belonged to FALN, a Puerto Rican militant group -- and other U.S. fugitives show that it remains a sponsor of terrorists.

"So Obama capitulates to the likes of Cuba and Iran, and then the Congress, who is supposed to represent the people, capitulates to Obama," Connor said. "Who is left holding the bag? The American people like my family and yours."

Obama made the move to de-list Cuba just days after he had a meeting with Cuban President Raul Castro at the Summit of the Americas in Panama.

The White House says on Twitter that Obama has submitted to Congress required reports and certifications indicating his intent to take Cuba off the list.

Obama made the final decision following a State Department review of Cuba's presence on the list. The U.S. has long since stopped actively accusing Cuba of supporting terrorism.

A White House statement said that the government of Cuba met such criteria as not providing any support for international terrorism during the preceding 6-month period and giving assurances that it will not support acts of international terrorism in the future.

"As the President has said, we will continue to have differences with the Cuban government, but our concerns over a wide range of Cuba's policies and actions fall outside the criteria that is relevant to whether to rescind Cuba's designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism," said a statement by White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest.

"That determination is based on the statutory standard  and the facts  and those facts have led the President to declare his intention to rescind Cuba's State Sponsor of Terrorism designation. More broadly, the United States will continue to support our interests and values through engagement with the Cuban government and people."

The White House by law was required to inform Congress 45 days before the directive goes into effect and now with no challenges, Cuba should be taken off the list sometime in late May.

The Republican decision not to challenge Obama's move clears the path for the continuation in negotiations of opening embassies and reestablishing diplomatic ties with Cuba following the announcement by both Obama and Castro last December.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Sen. Marco Rubio leads the Republican pack against Democrat Hillary Clinton in the early going of the 2016 presidential race, according to a new Quinnipiac University national poll released Thursday.

The Republican primary field shows the junior senator from Florida currently grabbing 15 percent of the vote among registered Republicans, with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush pulling in 13 percent, and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker with 11 percent. No other candidate tops 9 percent, and 14 percent remain undecided.

"The youngest member of the GOP presidential posse moves to the front of the pack to challenge Hillary Clinton, whose position in her own party appears rock solid," said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University poll, in a press release. "This is the kind of survey that shoots adrenalin into a campaign. Marco Rubio gets strong enough numbers and favorability ratings to look like a legit threat to Hillary Clinton."

When it comes to the general election, the poll found that Clinton would get 45 percent of the vote to 43 percent for Rubio, should they win their parties' nominations. It is the closest head-to-head match-up between the former secretary of state and any Republican challenger. Bush faired worst against Clinton, pulling in 39 percent to Clinton's 46, while Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul would draw 42 percent of voters to Clinton's 46.

In the Democratic primary race, Clinton has clear control of the field with 60 percent of possible voters supporting her, compared to 10 percent for Vice President Joe Biden and 8 percent for U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley got 3 percent and 14 percent were undecided.

Clinton, however, does run into some issues with American voters, according to the poll.

54 percent of voters say that Clinton is not honest and trustworthy, 16 points higher than those who say she is honest  a lower score than those the top Republican candidates. Voters were also evenly divided on whether Clinton cares about their needs and problems, with 47 percent saying she does and the same number saying she doesn't.

"Yes she is a leader," Malloy said, "but can she be trusted? Mixed reviews for Hillary Clinton on key character traits."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
GOP presidential hopeful and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has called on former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to return all donations made by foreign governments to the Clinton Foundation amid the growing scandal engulfing the Democratic candidates campaign following allegations made in a recent book.

"The Clinton Foundation collected tens of millions of dollars from foreign governments including donors who had business interests with the State Department while Clinton was Secretary, Cruz said in a statement released to the press on Friday. She made decisions in that capacity that likely benefited the same people who were giving large donations to the foundation."

The statement went on, "At the very least, these revelations present a clear conflict of interest. I call on Hillary Clinton to return the donations from foreign governments. Until she does, how can the American people trust her with another position of power?"

Assertions that came to light in a soon-to-be-released book, "Clinton Cash: The Untold Story of How and Why Foreign Governments and Businesses Helped Make Bill and Hillary Clinton Rich," by Peter Schweizer, claim that foreign entities who made payments to the Clinton Foundation and to Bill Clinton in the form of high speaking fees were able to receive favors while Hillary headed up the U.S. State Department between 2009 and 2013.

One example in Schweizer's book is a free-trade agreement between the U.S. and Colombia that went into effect in 2012 and benefited a major Clinton Foundation donor's investments.

An Associated Press analysis of Clinton Foundation donations between 2001 and 2015 found that governments and agencies from 16 nations previously gave direct grants of between $55 million and $130 million. Now, however, donations will only be allowed from the governments of Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom  leaving the Dominican Republic, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Kuwait, Italy, Brunei and Taiwan all excluded as possible donors.

In the same statement, Cruz also cites a recent Quinnipiac poll that said that the majority of Americans do not trust Clinton.

The poll found that while Clinton is the overwhelming favorite to win the Democratic nod with 60 percent of likely Democratic voters saying they would vote for her during the primary, 54 percent of all voters say that Clinton is not honest and trustworthy  a lower score than top Republicans.

"Recent polls indicate that a majority of the American people do not trust Hillary Clinton, Cruz said. The recent revelations about previously undisclosed contributions to the Clinton Foundation only create more doubt about whether the former Secretary of State can be trusted.

For his part, only nine percent of Republican voters said they would vote for Cruz in the GOP primary and the Texas lawmaker would only garner 41 percent of the vote against Clintons 48 percent in the general election, according to the early poll numbers.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
These days, it looks like everythings coming up roses for Sen. Marco Rubio, the man who would be president.

Two polls released back-to-back this week showed the Florida Republican who announced his candidacy for president last week, leading all GOP Oval Office hopefuls among registered Republican voters nationwide.

In a Fox News poll released Friday, Rubio scored 13 percent support from Republican voters who said they planned to vote in the Republican primary. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker followed with 12 percent, and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky came in third with 10.

Just the day before, a Quinnipiac University poll had Rubio, who has enjoyed a high profile despite being only in his first term in Congress, garnering 15 percent of the vote, besting the veteran politician, and his one-time mentor, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who got 13 percent.

But while winning the top slot in polls of declared and yet-to-declare presidential contenders generates buzz and shows Rubio, 43, as a true competitor, experts say, a strong showing for the junior senator in another measure for the GOP  which candidate mega-donor Sheldon Adelson decides to support  actually may be more significant.

The Las Vegas-based multibillionaire casino mogul is said to be very impressed with the telegenic, smart senator with a personal American Dream story, according to Politico. Adelson sees Rubio as someone who can both win the primary, in which conservatives hold considerable sway, and also have broader appeal in the general election.

Adelson, who poured $100 million into the 2012 presidential campaign, likes Rubios tough talk on defense spending and foreign policy  especially his pro-Israel views, Politico reported.

The [success in polls] at this point is good more for name recognition, but it doesnt mean that voters in Iowa or New Hampshire or South Carolina will turn out for you in a year, said Louis DeSipio, a professor of political science and Latino/Chicano studies at University of California, Irvine. But the money is very important at this stage in the process.

Having money at this stage is golden, DeSipio said. It demonstrates to your opponents that you can run a serious campaign, and that they may be losing early access to the resources they need.

Other political experts agree.

Marco is a formidable candidate, said Alfonso Aguilar, a Republican analyst and executive director of the conservative American Principles Project's Latino Partnership. But its early right now. The Rubio surge now is due to the fact that he just announced, and hes an attractive candidate.

But [the lead in polls] is good news for Rubio and the Rubio camp, Aguilar added. Hes a very strong candidate, and he will be one of the top contenders throughout the race.

Rubio has been establishing a tie with the 81-year-old Adelson ever since he arrived in the U.S. Senate in 2011. And hes been assiduous about reinforcing the relationship, calling Adelson about once every two weeks with the latest about his campaign, according to Politico.

No other declared or expected 2016 GOP presidential candidate, the website noted, has come close to reaching out more often to Adelson, whose $32 billion net worth makes him the nations 12th-richest person.

Besides liking Rubios positions on Israel, immigration and defense, Adelson also has an affinity with the son of Cuban immigrants whose father worked as a bartender and his mother as a maid. The moguls father came to the United States from Lithuania and made his living as a cab driver.

In March, Politico reported, Adelson and Rubio dined at an upscale steakhouse near Capitol Hill, talking about family and personal issues. It lasted quite a while, Politico quoted a source close to Rubio as saying.

Rubios campaign declined to comment to FNL about Adelson.

Andy Abboud, an Adelson spokesman, said to Politico, Its a wide-open field and hes going to keep his powder dry until he needs to weigh in. Hes excited about the field of candidates.

If and when Adelson does decide to endorse a candidate, it is not expected to happen before the second GOP primary debate in September.

As for Rubios newfound front-runner status, his campaign was careful not to sound too celebratory.

"The early polls are going to bounce all over the place, so well let others analyze them while we stay focused on our positive conservative vision for a new American century, said Rubio spokesman Alex Conant.

Rubio pollster John McHenry was equally cautious.

Youd rather be ahead than behind, he said. Its a testament of how well his launch went, and how it was received. But were hesitant to put a lot of stock in polling that is nine months out.

The Republican primary field in the poll shows the junior senator from Florida currently grabbing 15 percent of the vote, with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush pulling in 13 percent, and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker with 11 percent. No other candidate tops 9 percent, and 14 percent remain undecided.

When it comes to the general election, the poll found that Clinton would get 45 percent of the vote to 43 percent for Rubiowell within the polls margin of errorshould they win their parties' nominations. It is the closest head-to-head match-up between the former secretary of state and any Republican challenger.

"The youngest member of the GOP presidential posse moves to the front of the pack to challenge Hillary Clinton, whose position in her own party appears rock solid," said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University poll, in a press release. "This is the kind of survey that shoots adrenalin into a campaign. Marco Rubio gets strong enough numbers and favorability ratings to look like a legit threat to Hillary Clinton."
He's offering himself as a new generation of leader, but Sen. Marco Rubio is still respecting an old presidential campaign tradition: courting caucus goers in the kickoff state of Iowa.

The Florida Republican will be in Iowa this weekend on his first trip to the state since he announced his 2016 presidential candidacy. Rubio's appearance at a candidate forum in suburban Des Moines on Saturday will be an introduction to many voters, who have not seen Rubio as much as many of his competitors this year.

"Right now he's an undefined commodity, but there's a lot of interest in him," said veteran Republican strategist Doug Gross. "He's new and he's fresh."

Iowa Republicans said they were intrigued by the 43-year-old Cuban-American, who is arguing he can provide forward-looking leadership and pull together a broader coalition of support than his rivals. But they said he'll need to take time to woo supporters in this politically significant state if he wants a strong caucus showing.

Brent Siegrist, a Republican from Council Bluffs and former statehouse speaker, said Rubio "just needs to be here. People are interested."

On Saturday, Rubio will also meet privately with business leaders and lawmakers and plans to appear at an ice cream social hosted by Republican state Sen. Jack Whitver. Earlier this year, he did a book signing in suburban Des Moines, and he campaigned here last year for Sen. Joni Ernst and in 2012 for Mitt Romney's presidential campaign.

But many Republicans have not encountered him yet even as other hopefuls  Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum among them  have made frequent trips and gotten a head start on forming relationships with local activists and party leaders face to face.

Spokesman Alex Conant said Rubio expects to spend time campaigning in the state in the months ahead and "we recognize Iowans don't know much about him and want to get to know him."

Rubio is among nine confirmed speakers for the Saturday event sponsored by the conservative Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition. Also scheduled to attend are: Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, Cruz, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Perry, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Santorum and businesswoman Carly Fiorina. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie are not coming.

The event will draw people from the party's evangelical conservative wing, which has significant sway over the caucuses, and Rubio is expected to address social issues, immigration and foreign policy. He will need to show that he is a substantive candidate, said former Iowa Republican Party co-chairman David Oman, who has not backed anyone but is leaning toward Bush.

"He is a compelling and charismatic candidate," Oman said. "On the plus side for the senator, there's a yearning among Republicans for such a candidate. On the minus side, the other party and indeed the country fell for such a candidate in 2008 and that didn't work out so well." Rubio is running for the presidency as a first-term senator, as President Barack Obama did.

"The challenge for Senator Rubio is to stay true to himself and parlay gravitas while not overpromising," Oman said.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Sen. Bob Menendez is determined to challenge any Congressional colleague determined to change a bill empowering Congress to review and potentially reject any Iran nuclear deal.

The New Jersey senator discouraged any changes and urged his colleagues to stick with the plan as it emerged from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

He was joined by other senators warning those determined to change the legislation in way that could sink it.

Anybody who monkeys with this bill is going to run into a buzz saw, said Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.

The high-profile debate comes as negotiators from the U.S. and five other nations are rushing to finalize, by the end of June, an agreement requiring Iran to curb its nuclear program in exchange for relief from sanctions choking its economy. The parties will meet again this week on the sidelines of a U.N. conference in New York.

The bill was approved, 19-0, by the Senate committee has 62 co-sponsors from both parties.

Some lawmakers, however, want changes that could cost them the support of President Barack Obama, who grudgingly backed the measure, and his fellow Democrats.

If there is a final deal with Iran, Obama can use his executive authority to ease some sanctions on his own and work with the European Union and the United Nations to lift others. Obama also can waive sanctions that Congress has imposed on Iran, but he cannot formally lift them.

The bill would block Obama from waiving congressional sanctions for at least 30 days while lawmakers weigh in.

If 60 senators vote to disapprove of the deal, Obama would lose his waiver power altogether. The president is betting he will not.

If Congress disapproves, the president will almost respond with a veto. As long as he can get more than one-third of the Senate to side with him, he can prevent his veto from being overridden.

Backers of the bill are trying to keep lawmakers focused on how it would give Congress a say on a critical national security issue. They say the measure is not meant to be about how Iran increasingly is wielding influence in the Middle East, its support of terrorist groups or human rights violations. They worry that adding too many divisive amendments would cause Democrats to drop their support.

Even so, some senators are proposing amendments to pressure Iran to end its support of such groups, stop threatening to destroy Israel and recognize its right to exist, and release U.S. citizens held in Iran.

Other amendments would prevent sanctions relief if Iran cooperates with nuclear-armed North Korea or until international nuclear inspectors are guaranteed access to Iranian military sites.

GOP Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, a presidential candidate, has an amendment with Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., that would require Congress to sign off on any final nuclear deal, not just disapprove of it. An amendment from Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., would make any deal a treaty, thus needing to be ratified by two-thirds of the Senate.

"The president should have to get 67 votes for a major nuclear arms agreement with an outlaw regime," said Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark.

Cotton wants to lower the number of votes needed to reject a deal from 60 to 51. That means opponents of any deal would only need Republican votes to sink it.

He also wants to see amendments requiring that Congress be notified of any violations of an agreement, not just ones that are legally defined as material breaches.

A third set of amendments would prevent sanctions relief until they meet goals the U.S. established at the beginning of the negotiations. Critics of the talks claim the administration has backtracked and agreed to too many concessions for Iran.

Republican Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, the committee chairman and a co-author of the bill, said he too would like to see Iran change its behavior and he wants any final deal to be a good one that will prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. But he said that's not what the bill is about.

"This bill is about the process," Corker said. "It's not a bill about the content of any deal, and hopefully, that's how the bill will remain."

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Sen. Ted Cruz and other GOP declared and prospective 2016 candidates wooed evangelical Christians in Iowa with remarks that emphasized religious freedom and opposition to gay marriage.

The Texas senator noted that the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in four states same-sex marriage cases this week and said that between not and then, conservatives must fall to our knees and pray.

We need leaders who will stand unapologetically in defense of marriage and life, Cruz said in his remarks that drew a huge applause.

Cruz was among the nine declared and prospective GOP presidential candidates that appeared in a church for a forum sponsored by the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition on Saturday night, drawing together more than 1,000 people in a state where social conservatives hold significant sway in the states leadoff presidential caucuses.

The forum gave candidates an opportunity to show off their conservative bona fides, with speeches on religious freedom and social issues that repeatedly brought the crowd to its feet.

On abortion, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul encouraged conservatives to be more aggressive in their opposition, saying: "I'm tired of us retreating on this issue and I'm going to push back." He also argued that most Americans were uncomfortable with late-term procedures.

Abortion has been a tricky issue for the senator. He has supported restrictions on the procedure in legislation yet said the issue is too divisive to expect changes in federal abortion law, a stance that raised earlier concerns among some religious conservatives about his commitment to their cause.

The gathering offered a platform for Republican contenders to cater to social conservatives with a message that did not always address the full range of their views on social issues. Both Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Paul, for example, have stopped short of calling for a federal ban on same-sex marriage sought by some religious conservatives. The senators have said that question should be left to the states.

Many candidates spoke about their personal faith beliefs. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal spoke about his conversion to Christianity and said he would seek to protect religious freedom.

"The United States of America did not create religious liberty," Jindal said. "Religious liberty created the United States of America."

Also on the program were former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and businesswoman Carly Fiorina. Most candidates focused on religious and social issues, but several took shots at Democratic front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Fiorina, the only woman among the 2016 Republican contenders, said Republicans need to choose someone who can throw "punches all day long" at the potential Democratic presidential nominee.

Gary Chidester, 65, of Lakesburg, said he had talked to most candidates even before the event, but remained undecided. He was most interested in hearing support for traditional marriage and opposition to abortion rights, adding: "As a Christian, when I'm holding my Bible and the words change in it, I'll change."

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
A Columbia University student-led petition drive alleges that the Ivy League institution discourages workers in dining areas on campus from speaking Spanish in front of students.

The petition drive, organized by the campus activist group Student Worker Solidarity, says that the executive director of Columbia Dining Services mentioned the ban on Spanish speaking during an orientation session in 2013.

Columbia University officials say there is no institutional policy forbidding workers from speaking a particular language.

Without elaborating, officials say they are aware of one instance in which a student overheard a worker speaking to someone about a student and apparently found it offensive.

In response to a request for comment, Columbia University said in e-mail to Fox News Latino: The University does not have a policy against employees speaking other languages.The issue in Columbia Dining appears to stem from an isolated incident in which an employee made a comment about an exchange with a student in another language."

"The student understood the comment and submitted a complaint," said the statement, which was sent on behalf of the university by Victoria Benitez, Director of Communications Community and Civic Initiatives. "The department took prompt action to remedy the issue. The issue was not about speaking another language, but about the customer service exchange."

"Absent of any other information, this appears to be at the root of the issue. Columbia Dining has not received a grievance from the staff at the location. The department is conducting further investigation into the matter.

Petition coordinators said that by Sunday, they had gathered more than 4,000 signatures.

Efforts to get a comment from them were unsuccessful.

The petition focused particular attention on workers of the Blue Java Coffee bar at the Butler Library. It says that Blue Java workers were told not to speak Spanish or to eat at the public tables during their break, and suggested they eat in the closet where the trash was kept.

The petition says that at some point, the rule to eat in the closet was rescinded.

SWS member Sasha Hill told the Columbia Spectator that her organization learned of the language rule from workers who confided in some members of SWS.

Theyre often told a student complained, and it really makes them feel like they arent doing their job well, she said. We wanted to get student support to show that most students dont feel workers should be treated this way.

Even if the student complaints are real, its not a majority, she said. Workers have said they would like to see these complaints because theyve heard vague reports and they dont get to see the emails, so they have no way of knowing if these complaints are really happening.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Pablo Manriquez grew up in Missouri listening to his parents accounts of the repressive military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet in Chile, the land of his birth.

It instilled in Manriquez a deep sense of gratitude for the liberties and political system  flaws and all  in his adopted homeland.

Manriquez, named after his fathers favorite poet, Chilean Pablo Neruda, internalized that admiration for U.S. democracy and the political system so much that he majored in political science at Notre Dame, and has devoted much of his life afterward to working on campaigns, including President Barack Obamas in 2008.

Now, the Democratic National Committee has named Manriquez, 31, as its director of Hispanic Media, a nod to the increasingly important role of Latino voters.

I am thrilled that Pablo will be joining us at the DNC, said DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz in a statement announcing the hiring of Manriquez.

Our building is working to show all communities that the Democratic Party is truly the party that has their backs," Wasserman said, "and Pablo is the right person to help us deliver that message. I am confident that Pablos press experience and communications relationships have given him the exact qualifications we need at the DNC.

Manriquez, who has been based in Washington D.C. since 2009, when Obama took office, has held a variety of roles in mid-term and presidential election campaigns, much of them focused on reaching out to Latino voters. He had been freelancing for Fox News Latino for about two months.

He worked on Latino digital and field outreach for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee during the 2010 mid-term election season, and as Midwest digital director and Latino outreach point person for the Obama 2008 campaign, among other roles in other election cycles.

Im very excited to be joining the team of the DNC and to have serious conversations about the candidates and the issues that are important to Hispanics, Manriquez told Fox News Latino on Saturday. They say 2008 was a Facebook election, 2012 was the Twitter election. And I say 2016 will be the Latino election.

Nearly 24 million Latinos were registered to vote in 2012, a record, according to the Pew Hispanic Center. That marked an increase of 4 million, or 22 percent, from 2008, when 19.5 million Latinos were registered.

Latinos played a crucial role in Obamas 2008 election, when 67 percent of them voted for him, and 31 percent for GOP candidate Sen. John McCain of Arizona.

They voted for Obama overwhelmingly again in 2012, when 71 percent supported him for re-election, and 27 percent supported the GOP nominee, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

The Latino community is growing in places once considered unlikely spots for it to settle  places like Missouri, where Manriquez came of age.

So I was named for Pablo Neruda, and raised in Huckleberry Finn country, Manriquez quipped.

That informed a bicultural life, he said.

I was raised being read Nerudas poems, and being taught Mark Twain, he noted.

Working on Latino outreach for the Obama campaign in Indiana in 2008 was eye-opening, he said, mainly because he was surprised to find a significant Hispanic population there.

I had never thought of Indiana as a place where the Hispanic community would factor prominently for a primary race and, later, the presidential race, he said. Theres a huge Hispanic community there.

He plans to draw from his past campaign work and life as an immigrant and Midwesterner to bolster Latino participation in the 2016 election, and engage them in discussions on the most salient issues, Manriquez said.
One week after hosting an intimate dinner for presidential candidate Senator Ted Cruz, two gay men who lent their Manhattan duplex for the event are regretting they ever did.

One of them, hotel owner Ian Reisner, apologized to the gay community on Facebook saying he wasnt fully aware of the Texas conservative lawmaker's stance on same-sex marriage and gay rights.

I was ignorant, naive and much too quick in accepting a request to co-host a dinner with Cruz at my home without taking the time to completely understand all of his positions on gay rights, he wrote.

I am shaken to my bones by the e-mails, texts, postings and phone calls of the past few days. I made a terrible mistake, Reisner also said on his Sunday evening posting.

The New York Times first reported on the fireside chat, which took place on April 20 at the luxurious apartment co-owned by Reisner and his business partner Mati Weiderpass.

The Times said about a dozen people were invited to the event, which was not a fund-raiser.

Unfortunately, I cannot undo this, Weiderpass wrote on a separate Facebook posting. The people that know me know the work that I have done over the last 20 years for the advancement of gay rights. Today, I came to realize that I might have nullified my past efforts and accomplishments in just one week.

Reisner owns the gay-friendly hotel Out NYC and Fire Island Pines, a premier vacation destination for the gay community just 50 miles east of New York City.

Before the online apologies, a page calling for a boycott of both properties had gotten more than 8,200 likes.

Meanwhile, at a GOP event in Iowa over the weekend, Cruz defended his appearance at the event, which according to Politico he described as primarily a pro-Israel fundraiser.



Unfortunately, our good friends in the press caricature support for traditional marriage in terms of animus, he said, according to Politico. The only explanation that makes sense to reporters is that anyone who supports traditional marriage  must be somehow motivated by hatred for those who are homosexuals. Its why this story seems so puzzling to the media.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
next Image 1 of 2

prev Image 2 of 2

The Senate plunges into a high-stakes debate this week over empowering Congress to review and possibly reject any nuclear deal with Iran, offering Republican presidential candidates a chance to prove their hawkishness toward Iran and support for Israel.

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida wants to add a provision requiring the Obama administration to certify that Iran's leaders have publicly accepted Israel's right to exist, a nearly impossible mandate.

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas isn't satisfied with the bill's process in which Congress could disapprove of the deal. He and Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania want lawmakers to approve the final deal.

Proponents of the bill are trying to discourage any changes to the legislation that has the tacit approval of President Barack Obama. They recognize that politically-driven amendments could undermine Democratic support and sink the carefully crafted measure.

"Anybody who monkeys with this bill is going to run into a buzz saw," Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a possible White House candidate, warned ahead of this week's debate.

Amendments and full debate begin Tuesday.

Also trying to caution against changes, Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey urged senators to stick with the plan as it emerged from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The debate comes as negotiators from the U.S. and five other nations are rushing to finalize, by the end of June, an agreement requiring Iran to curb its nuclear program in exchange for relief from sanctions choking its economy. The parties will meet again this week at the same time as a U.N. conference in New York.

The bill was approved, 19-0, by the Senate committee and has 62 co-sponsors from both parties.

Some lawmakers, however, want changes that could cost them the support of President Barack Obama, who grudgingly backed the measure, and his fellow Democrats.

If there is a final deal with Iran, Obama can use his executive authority to ease some sanctions on his own and work with the European Union and the United Nations to lift others. Obama also can waive sanctions that Congress has imposed on Iran, but he cannot formally lift them.

The bill would block Obama from waiving congressional sanctions for at least 30 days while lawmakers weigh in.

If 60 senators vote to disapprove of the deal, Obama would lose his waiver power altogether. The president is betting he will not.

If Congress disapproves, the president will almost respond with a veto. As long as he can get more than one-third of the Senate to side with him, he can prevent his veto from being overridden.

Backers of the bill are trying to keep lawmakers focused on how it would give Congress a say on a critical national security issue. They say the measure is not meant to be about how Iran increasingly is wielding influence in the Middle East, its support of terrorist groups or human rights violations. They worry that adding too many divisive amendments would cause Democrats to drop their support.

Even so, some senators are proposing amendments to pressure Iran to end its support of such groups, stop threatening to destroy Israel and recognize its right to exist, and release U.S. citizens held in Iran.

Other amendments would prevent sanctions relief if Iran cooperates with nuclear-armed North Korea, or until international nuclear inspectors are guaranteed access to Iranian military sites.

An amendment from Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., would make any deal a treaty, thus needing to be ratified by two-thirds of the Senate.

"The president should have to get 67 votes for a major nuclear arms agreement with an outlaw regime," said Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark.

Cotton wants to lower the number of votes needed to reject a deal from 60 to 51. That means opponents of any deal would only need Republican votes to sink it.

He also wants to see amendments requiring that Congress be notified of any violations of an agreement, not just ones that are legally defined as material breaches.

A third set of amendments would prevent sanctions relief until they meet goals the U.S. established at the beginning of the negotiations. Critics of the talks claim the administration has backtracked and agreed to too many concessions for Iran.

Republican Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, the committee chairman and a co-author of the bill, said he too would like to see Iran change its behavior and he wants any final deal to be a good one that will prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. But he said that's not what the bill is about.

"This bill is about the process," Corker said. "It's not a bill about the content of any deal, and hopefully, that's how the bill will remain."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Cuban-American Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart wants to block new air flights and cruise ship travel to Cuba with a new amendment added to the must-pass transportation spending bill heading to the House floor next month.

The Florida Republican's move comes in response to new rules issued by the administration in January that would significantly ease travel restrictions to Cuba and permit regularly scheduled flights for the first time, the result of a rapprochement after a half century of Cold War animosity.

Diaz-Balart said that the Obama administration is skirting U.S. law, which bans tourist travel to Cuba.

"The expansion of regularly scheduled flights to Cuba is an obvious attempt to circumvent the tourism ban," Diaz-Balart said in a statement. "Similarly, allowing cruises to dock in Cuba would violate both the spirit and the letter of U.S. law. Increased travel to Cuba directly funds the individuals and institutions that oppress the Cuban people."

The GOP plan would thwart the new flights but leave in place new rules permitting the import of limited amounts of goods like cigars and rum.

The provision is sure to spark controversy and a veto threat from the White House. It also faces votes in the Appropriations Committee and in the House, where there is significant sentiment, even among some GOP conservatives, to ease the five-decade-plus Cuba trade embargo and travel restrictions to the island.

The embargo and travel restrictions, however, have not moved the Castro government toward democracy.

Agriculture organizations, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business interests have expressed support for the administration's outreach to Cuba.

The administration rules lifted a requirement that U.S. travelers obtain a license from the Treasury Department before traveling to Cuba. Instead, all that is required is for travelers to assert their trip would serve educational, religious or other permitted purposes.

Cuban-American Republicans from the Miami area opposed to the Castro regime have had an outsized influence on the government's Cuba policy since the 1980 mass emigration.

Obama took steps earlier this month to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, another step toward normalizing relations.

"Congress cannot look away as the president implements policies that channel dollars to an anti-American dictatorship," Diaz-Balart said.

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Speaking in Spanish, Jeb Bush told Puerto Ricans on Tuesday that conservatives should be proud that America is "an immigrant nation" and value the contribution immigrants make to the country  confronting one of his party's touchiest debates head-on.

The former Florida governor and 2016 GOP presidential prospect delivered a speech on economic opportunities peppered with Spanish  a language which he speaks fluently  and his audience responded with hearty applause.

Immigration is a delicate subject for him in the primacy race, with several potential rivals favoring a harder line on those who come to the U.S. illegally. But he took it up unapologetically in his remarks.

"We're an immigrant nation and we should be proud," he said, as someone in the audience yelled, "Yes!"

"We should create an immigration system that drives economic opportunity for all of us," he added. "We should move toward protecting the rule of law, protecting our border, making legal immigration easier than illegal immigration for sure, but we also want to look at this as a huge opportunity."

Said Bush: "The conservative cause would be better to embrace this rather than push it away."

Bush also endorsed the idea of statehood for the U.S. territory, winning great applause.

"I think statehood is the best path," he told his audience at the Metropolitan University of Cupey. "To get the full benefits and responsibilities of citizenship, being a state is the only way to make that happen."

Republicans have generally and gingerly endorsed statehood as an option, if Puerto Ricans choose it, but some worry that it could result in more Democrats elected to Congress. Puerto Rico has held four non-binding referendums on the issue, with statehood never garnering a clear majority.

Bush was in the territory for a fundraising event and town hall meeting with Republicans. He's expected to announce his candidacy for the Republican nomination, joining Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ted Cruz of Texas, as well as many other prospective rivals, in the race.

He wasn't ready to make that announcement Tuesday.

Puerto Rico's Republican Party leader, Carlos Mendez, leaned forward at one point and passed on an index card with the question everyone was wondering: "Are you going to run for president?"

Bush laughed and said, "I'm on the journey of considering that, trying to figure out if I have the support necessary to do it. Today's not the day to trigger a campaign but I appreciate the sentiment."

In large measure, Bush's purpose seemed to be to make a cultural connection on the island where he came to campaign for his father in Puerto Rico's first primary.

"I learned how to organize intensely here," he said. "I learned the passion. I learned how to drink a lot of Puerto Rican rum."

And on his Hispanic ties, he smiled and said: "I know about the immigrant experience because I married a beautiful girl from Mexico. My children are bicultural and bilingual." His wife, Columba, is from Mexico.

His remarks impressed Naomi Rodriguez, a 21-year-old economics and finance major. "I like the fact that he's bilingual," she said, as well as his words on statehood. "When that happens, a lot of things could change and it will likely be beneficial for us," she said.

Bush also expressed support for giving Puerto Rico the right to file for bankruptcy under Chapter 9. The island of 3.6 million people has been in a recession for eight years and is struggling with a $73 billion public debt load, with many U.S. investors concerned that some public agencies including the Electric Energy Authority could soon go bankrupt.

An earlier move to let the island's agencies restructure was struck down by a federal judge.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Newly released government data shows the trouble that child migrants from Central America have when seeking relief from U.S. immigration courts without the help of a lawyer.

Since the surge of child migrants began flooding over the U.S.-Mexico border last summer, only 352 child migrants have succeeded in having their removal proceedings stopped or administratively closed  a step toward asylum or special immigrant juvenile status  while 4,711 children without counsel were ordered removed or compelled to accept voluntary departure, according to a report by Politico.

On the other hand, 2,459 children with legal counsel succeeded in having their removal proceedings terminated or administratively closed  seven times the number of those without legal representation. Only 1,096 of the child migrants with lawyers were ordered removed or took voluntary departure, or just a little less than a quarter of the total for child migrants without legal representation ordered out of the country.

Authorities were overwhelmed last year with an influx of unaccompanied minors and families with children last year. More than 68,000 youths from mostly Central America crossed the border without a parent last fiscal year.

But the numbers have tapered off, and authorities expect fewer migrants this summer.

Immigrant advocates have been critical of the government's response, saying most of the children were fleeing extreme violence and threats and should have been granted asylum.

"The federal government's response to the large influx of Central American children coming in has been nothing short of a policy that undermines our basic humanitarian and asylum laws," said Greg Chen, director of advocacy for the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

A study released by the non-partisan, nonprofit Migration Policy Institute found increased enforcement by the governments of the U.S., Mexico and some Central American countries has slowed the influx. For example, Mexican authorities apprehended 22,000 Central American children in the first 11 months of 2014. That's almost three times as many as in all of 2013.

The United States also stepped up enforcement, sending more Border Patrol agents to south Texas, where the vast majority of children and families crossed. The government began detaining families seeking asylum and opened several facilities for detaining families with children, some temporary. A federal judge in February issued a preliminary injunction against the policy of detaining families who seek asylum.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio is turning to a state known as a perennial source of campaign dollars.

In California, Rubio has private fundraisers on his agenda in San Francisco and in Los Angeles. The Florida senator also plans to deliver a speech Tuesday in Los Angeles, the only public event on his two-day swing.

It's unclear if California will factor in a Republican primary fight, apart from its concentration of donors.

If the nomination is locked up in the campaign's early stages, California's June 2016 primary election could be a mere formality. But it could also become a battleground if the race is tight.

It's Rubio's first visit to California since he declared his candidacy this month.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
A federal appeals court was set to hear arguments Tuesday on a Texas voter identification law condemned by the Justice Department as a means of suppressing minority voting.

Texas officials are appealing a federal judge's ruling that the law is unconstitutional. They argue that the law does not cause an unconstitutional burden on minorities.

A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal hears Tuesday's arguments in New Orleans. The panel was not expected to rule immediately.

The law requires voters to provide one of seven kinds of photo identification to cast a ballot. Four are available from the state Department of Public Safety  a driver's license, a personal ID issued by the department, a concealed handgun permit or an election identification certificate. Federally issued passports, citizenship certificates or military IDs also are acceptable.

Opponents said the old law required an ID  with or without a photo  such as a voter registration card, a utility bill, a bank statement or a paystub that identified the voter and the voter's address. They said fraud was rare and actual incidents of voters showing up at a poll pretending to be someone else were "virtually nonexistent." They also complained about the exclusion of some photo IDs, including federal or state employee IDs and college student IDs.

Backers of the law note that the basic voter IDs are free. Opponents countered that to get one, a birth certificate is needed, and getting that costs at least a few dollars.

And, the Justice Department argued, traveling to get those documents imposes an outsize burden on poor minorities.

U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos' ruling said the law "creates an unconstitutional burden on the right to vote, has an impermissible discriminatory effect against Hispanics and African-Americans, and was imposed with an unconstitutional discriminatory purpose." It added that the measure: "constitutes an unconstitutional poll tax."

Backers of the law said in briefs there was no direct evidence that the law was enacted with a discriminatory purpose. They said the opponents of the law have failed to prove that it prevented anyone from voting.

Although Gonzales Ramos ruled the law unconstitutional in October, the 5th Circuit allowed the law to be enforced during the next Texas election, saying the ruling had come too close to the election to change the rules and the Supreme Court rejected an emergency request to prohibit the ID requirements.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
He hasnt launched a presidential campaign yet, but former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, whose state has a growing middle-class Puerto Rican community, is scheduled to arrive in Puerto Rico on Tuesday to fund-raise and hold a town hall meeting.

Bush is also expected to meet with local Republican leaders on the island and visit the college Universidad Metropolitana. The fundraiser will be held at the home of Republican delegate Zoraida Fonalledas.

Though Cuban-Americans in the Sunshine State once tilted the Latino vote there toward Republicans, over the years the Latino community has grown in diversity and political leanings, with younger Cuban-Americans, Puerto Ricans and South and Central Americans throwing their support to Democrats.

But the vote is still, to a large extent, up for grabs, and a political candidate who wins the Latino support can gain a huge advantage in winning the state  a crucial move in a presidential campaign.

Alfonso Aguilar, a Republican political analyst, characterized Bush as smart for putting Puerto Rico on his calendar.

Hes engaging the Hispanic audience early on, Aguilar said of Bush. Puerto Ricans are going to help decide Florida in the presidential election.

Hes going there before any other presidential candidate, Aguilar said. Hes supporting statehood, and a majority of Puerto Rican voters support statehood. Jeb Bush and his staff are thinking ahead of other Republicans and even Hillary Clinton.

On Sunday, Bush said that the Latino vote can make a difference in the election in key states including Florida, Colorado and New Mexico.

Responding to a question from Efe, an international news service headquartered in Spain, he said his campaign would be positive and would emphasize conservative values -- a strategy that he feels will appeal to Latinos.

Puerto Ricans are about 1 million strong in Florida, narrowly behind Cubans, who number 1.3 million. Puerto Ricans are 28 percent of Latino registered voters in the state, Cubans are 32 percent.

Puerto Ricans  who have settled in Central Florida by the hundreds of thousands  tend to lean Democrat, but they are not blindly beholden to any single party.

They overwhelmingly supported Barack Obama when he ran for re-election in 2012, but more than half voted for Jeb Bush, who won some Central Florida counties with large Puerto Rican communities. And in 2004 his brother, former President George W. Bush, lost Orange County by a small margin, and won Osceola County, home to many Puerto Ricans.

Puerto Ricans in Florida are very different from Puerto Ricans in other states such as New York, where they are predominately Democrat, Aguilar said. Theyre mostly middle-class, professional, and many go back and forth to Puerto Rico.

Democratic pollster Fernand Amandi, who is based in Florida, said to Fox News Latino last year that the challenge for Republicans in 2016 is whether they can make real inroads among Hispanic voters in the state.

Although Puerto Ricans who live on the island are U.S. citizens, they are not permitted to vote for U.S. president unless, for example, they have an official residence in a U.S. state or the District of Columbia.

Bush has been to Puerto Rico before.

He traveled there with his father, former President George H.W. Bush, during the elder's 1980 presidential campaign. Ronald Reagan defeated Bush in that election.
An Arizona sheriff is accusing immigration officials of showing blatant disregard to the safety of his countys residents in a recent incident involving the release of an ill undocumented immigrant.



Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu says Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials were planning to let go of a man carrying drug-resistant tuberculosis  and only halted the release after mounting media pressure.



This is an ICE detainee  so someone who is not from our country  who ICE was planning just to release into our county, who had a drug-resistant immune system to TB, Babeu told Fox News Latino.



That was alarming to us because this is a very contagious, dangerous disease, he added.



Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar spoke out against ICEs plan to release the man, penning a letter demanding the agency reconsider releasing the man into Pinal County due to the potential public health risk. Arizona Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake and Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick also signed.



ICE officials eventually decided to pump the brakes on the release of the unidentified man.



At this time, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has no plans to release this person from custody. Due to multiple previous repatriations, including a formal removal in 2013, the individual is an ICE enforcement priority, said ICE spokesperson Yasmeen Pitts OKeefe in a statement.



She said the detainee remains at Florence Detention Center pending a decision by an immigration judge regarding any request for a bond and whether the detainee will remain in the U.S. or be removed.



But Babeu insists the agency was determined to release the man, and is only now saving face.



They were proceeding, they were going to release this individual. And unless there was pressure applied to ICE by the public through the media, they were going to do this, said Babeu.



The sheriff says this close call is just the latest of a string of incidents in which ICE officials have shown a blatant disregard for the safety of his nearly 420,000 residents  and called out the agency on the release of hundreds of immigrants with criminal backgrounds into his county.



Back in March, an ICE report revealed 30,000 undocumented immigrants with criminal records were released nationwide. Babeu says about 500 went into his county  and to date hes been unable to get their names from immigration officials.



We didnt have a lot of faith in the [tuberculosis] process, given their track record here in the county of releasing a series of violent offenders here  never mind the public health concern, said Babeu.



In an appearance in front of the House Judiciary Committee in early April, ICE Director Sarah Saldana said the release of the individuals was really in the hands of the courts. She said ICE has made serious improvements in the capture and deportation of immigrants with criminal records.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Daily News Egypt

The possible involvement of the head of the Cairo Street Vendors Union was previously mentioned by Egypt's prosecutor general, says the Italian prime minister





The Italian prime minister Paolo Gentiloni noted in media statements that the possible involvement of the head of the Cairo Street Vendors Union in Italian student Giulio Regenis murder had been anticipated by Egypts prosecutor general during previous bilateral talks held in Rome, according to the Italian state news agency of ANSA.

He further asserted that there are useful signs of cooperation between both governments in Egypt and Italy in the controversial murder.

Lately I have seen very useful signs of cooperation from Egypt, I hope they will develop and the government will work on that, Gentiloni said. The collaboration between Rome prosecutors and Cairo prosecutors has produced results.

Regeni went missing on 25 January and his battered body was found over a week later on the Cairo-Alexandria Desert Road.

Relations between Egypt and Italy have become tense since his death, with Rome recalling the ambassador to Egypt Maurizio Massari over the case.
#Yoon Suk-yeol Yoon pays 5th visit to mourning altar for Itaewon crush victims President Yoon Suk-yeol paid his fifth visit to a mourning altar for victims of the Halloween crowd crush on Friday in what has become a daily routine for the president. Yoon ar...
Nevada Republicans made history last election when they took control of both houses of the Legislature for the first time since 1929.

Now they're on the verge of leaving a surprising legacy by implementing the biggest tax hike in state history.

Gov. Brian Sandoval has shaped a budget plan around raising or extending $1.1 billion in taxes, intending to funnel the new revenue into the state's low-performing public school system.

The tax package passed the state Senate last week with well over the two-thirds margin required to garner approval in this historically conservative state. Should it pass the Assembly, Sandoval could rewrite the definition of the state's Republican Party.

"He has branded Republicans in Nevada as a party that wants to get things done," said Jeremy Hughes, who managed Sandoval's campaign. "Gov. Sandoval has done the cutting, he's done the reforms ... This is just the next step to ensuring we have a good education system."

Sandoval's proposal has infuriated anti-tax types, both in Nevada  where no-compromise conservatives took over the state party years ago, wreaking political havoc  and nationally.

"He is a Republican with a Hispanic last name in a swing state. Were he in good odor as a Reaganite Republican, he'd be on everybody's list as a vice president  and he's not because of taxes," Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform in Washington, D.C., said of Sandoval. "He's not just trashing his national prospects  he's going to cost Republicans" the Nevada Assembly and Senate.

Sandoval, who easily won re-election last year with no official Democratic opposition, is termed out and hasn't voiced an intention to run for further elected office. He has indicated he's uninterested in running for Sen. Harry Reid's seat next year and that his proposal shows he's mainly concerned with Nevada and not his own political future.

"As a Republican, this is not orthodox," Sandoval said about his tax increase in a recent interview with The Associated Press. "But at the same time, it's my job to be honest with the people of the state of Nevada."

Supporters of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush have circulated Sandoval's name as a potential vice presidential pick, but speculation about his future swirls mainly around a possible role in a Republican administration as Attorney General or a Supreme Court justice. As governor of a small state whose legislature meets every two years, he wields enormous power and has waited until the Nevada economy, hammered by the real estate crash, was on the upswing before proposing his increase.

Erik Herzik, a political scientist at the University of Nevada, Reno, said he expects the far-right opposition to Sandoval's tax hike to fizzle.

"You're still going to have the bad PR of too much talk about guns and silly talk about transgender kids using bathrooms," he said, referring to hot-button bills backed by the most conservative Assembly members this session. "But the Republicans at the top can say: 'We got it done. You put us in charge, and look what we did.'"

Nevada's meager public education funding has bedeviled the state for years. In 2003, another Republican governor tried to raise taxes to fund education and end the state's reliance on gambling receipts, only to see his party melt down over the effort.

Last year's tax hike was another effort to address the problem, though Sandoval argued it was poorly structured.

Tom Skancke, a friend of Sandoval's and executive director of the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance, which has endorsed the tax hike, said education is the top issue that stops businesses from relocating to Nevada.

"Of the 251 companies who came through my door last year, not one said 'I'm here because of your tax structure,'" Skancke said. But more than a third told him they wouldn't move because of the state's poor education system, he said.

Most observers believe conservatives in the Assembly may be able to whittle down the size of Sandoval's plan but not avoid raising taxes. Leading the talks in the lower house are moderate Assemblymen Paul Anderson and Derek Armstrong, who have proposed their own tax plan but said they generally support the governor's spending goals.

"I don't think being a Republican means no taxes, because at the end of the day, everyone feels a responsibility to provide services," Armstrong said. "The governor's proposal for education is definitely something I'd say the majority of the building will get behind."

Conservatives warn that those votes will have consequences in the next election.

"I've talked to a lot of Republican groups around the state since the governor announced his plan," said Victor Joecks of the conservative think tank Nevada Policy Research Institute. "They are furious."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a potential 2016 presidential candidate, reiterated that he does not believe undocumented immigrants should get drivers licenses because it would compromise homeland security.

Im not giving drivers licenses to people that are undocumented, thats it," Christie said, during a monthly radio segment called "Ask the Governor" on New Jersey 101.5.

It is the single most important form of identification, it gets you on to airplanesall the things that you need to do to identify yourself a drivers license does that. I cannot give drivers licenses to people who I cannot be sure who they are and its that simple. Im not doing it. And Ive had that position right from the beginning."

Of course, the difference now is Christies immigration stance matters more today than it did in the beginning because he could very well announce his White House bid in the coming weeks.

The response came after an emailed question from "Elizabeth" who said she is a U.S. citizen and the wife and mother of undocumented immigrants. The family owns a home but are looking to buy a condo in Connecticut so her husband and son can receive a drivers license.

"Do you realize the income New Jersey is losing for not extending a drivers license to undocumented people like my son and husband working hard to get a better life?" the question read. "What are you going to do about it?" The question befuddled the host and Christie who were trying to figure out how a U.S. citizen wife can have an undocumented husband and children.

"It's kind of a wild tale," Christie said.

Still Christie said, the loss of potential revenue is not worth the risk of a loss of potential lives.

"It is a Homeland Security issue and I am not doing it and I dont care how much income I lose because if I wind up compromising the homeland security of the state of New Jersey for some revenue...I will not be doing my duties, he said. So the answer is no as long as I am governor folks who are undocumented are not getting drivers licenses."

More than 8 percent of New Jerseys workforce in 2012 is made up of undocumented immigrants, the fourth highest percentage in the nation, according to a report by the Pew Research Hispanic Trends Project. Ten states offer access to drivers licenses regardless of immigration status in addition to Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, according to the National Immigration Law Center. Proponents say drivers licenses promotes public safety because drivers are trained, tested and insured, while also boosting state revenue and encouraging economic participation.

Christies immigration stance is a mixed bag filled with both his support and opposition for pro-immigrant policies. In December 2013, Christie signed a law allowing children of immigrants to pay in-state tuition at New Jerseys colleges and universities under the DREAM Act. Christie, however, opposed financial aid for those same immigrants.

Just last month, as reported by NJ.com, Christie joined governors in three states  Texas, Louisiana and South Dakota -- in suing the federal government to oppose President Barack Obamas use of executive action in November to expand DACA and create DAPA, a temporary reprieve for undocumented parents of U.S. citizens and lawful residents. Under the order, 5 million additional undocumented immigrants would be eligible for temporary work permits and drivers licenses.
The Obama administration is on pace to deport the fewest number of immigrants in nearly a decade, according to internal government data obtained by The Associated Press.

As of April 20, federal immigration officials sent home 127,378 people in the United States illegally. That puts immigrant removals on track to be among the lowest since the middle of President George W. Bush's second term.

The internal statistics reveal a continuing decline in deportations even as the Obama administration fights a legal challenge to a plan it announced late last year to shield millions of immigrants from deportations.

"With the resources we have ... I'm interested in focusing on criminals and recent illegal arrivals at the border," Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee during an oversight hearing Tuesday.

The new figures, contained in weekly internal reports not publicly reported, average about 19,730 removals a month for the first six months of the government's fiscal year that began in October.

If that trend continues, the government will remove about 236,000 by September  the lowest figure since 2006, when 207,776 were sent home.

Removals have been declining for nearly three years after Immigration and Customs Enforcement recorded a record 409,849 removals in 2012. That federal agency, known as ICE, is responsible for finding and removing immigrants living in the country illegally.

President Barack Obama announced a plan in November that would protect millions of immigrants living in the country illegally, but that effort is on hold after a federal judge in Texas blocked its implementation.

Meanwhile, the Homeland Security Department has continued to slow removals, and a program launched in 2012 to protect young immigrants from deportation remains in place.

Johnson has directed immigration authorities anew to focus on finding and deporting immigrants who pose a national security or public safety threat, those who have serious criminal records and those who have recently crossed the Mexican border. Roughly 11 million immigrants are thought to be living in the country illegally.

Johnson confirmed Tuesday that removals have decreased but did not provide the committee with specific numbers. He said a variety of factors, including a corresponding drop in arrests of immigrants caught crossing the border, have led to the drop.

Last week, Johnson said the Border Patrol had arrested about 151,800 people trying to cross the Mexican border illegally, the fewest number of people caught at the border during the same period over the last four years.

"There's lower intake, lower apprehensions," Johnson said Tuesday. "There are fewer people attempting to cross the southern border, and there are fewer people apprehended."

Since Obama first took office in 2009, the number of immigrants arrested and deported from the interior of the country has steadily declined. That year, nearly two thirds of the 389,834 immigrants removed were found in the interior of the country. By 2014, roughly a third of the 315,943 people removed were living in the country, according to internal ICE figures.

As deportations have slowed in recent years, Homeland Security officials have repeatedly attributed the drop to the changing demographic of border crossers. A 2014 analysis of government data by the AP found that the Obama administration had quietly slowed removals by about 20 percent.

The change in deportations has included increased numbers of immigrants from countries other than Mexico, including a flood of tens of thousands of children and families, mostly from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. ICE shifted a variety of resources to the border, including deploying agents to quickly opened family detention centers.

Sen. Charles Grassley, the Iowa Republican who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, called Johnson's explanation of moving resources to the border "a red herring."

"It's clear to me that the department no longer seems to have a will to enforce immigration laws," Grassley said.

The number of children caught traveling alone has dropped by about 45 percent compared to the same time last year, while the arrests of families have declined about 30 percent.

Johnson said again Tuesday that those changes make it more difficult for ICE officials to quickly remove people.

"They are increasingly from noncontiguous countries, and the process of a removal of someone from a noncontiguous country is more time-consuming," Johnson said. "You see greater claims for humanitarian relief, for asylum, and so it's not as simple as just sending somebody back across the border."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz took his first major step in advocating for the Hispanic vote by challenging the Obama administrations economic policies, saying they have disproportionately hurt hardworking Latinos.

Speaking to a roomful of Latino business leaders, advocates and national media in a question-and-answer session hosted by the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, the Texas Republican said that economic growth is the top priority in his campaign, in order to re-ignite business and get back to the America that we grew up in.

(I am committed) to bringing back jobs and economic growth and opportunities, he said. I'm campaigning on a simple flat tax where every American can file their taxes on a postcard."

Touching on immigration, Cruz continued to voice his opposition to the Obama administration's plans on addressing the status of millions of undocumented immigrants in the United States.

He said there is a bipartisan agreement outside of Washington that work needs to be done to secure the border, stop illegal immigration and streamline legal immigration.

"I'm the son of an immigrant who came here legally. There is no stronger advocate of legal immigration than I am," he said, reiterating that to pass reform, Congress must focus on a bipartisan agreement.

Cruz added that President Obama and his Democrat counterparts in Congress don't want to actually solve the problems of immigration reform, just use the issue as a scare tactic within the Hispanic community to get votes.

"It is my hope that the next president will lead in bringing people together on a common ground," he said.

Cruz said Americans, regardless of race, gender or ethnicity, fundamentally believe in hard work to expand their opportunities. He said Latinos take pride in earning their keep.

I dont think Ive ever seen a Hispanic panhandler, he said. I think its because in our community its shameful If you want someone working to the bone, you will have Hispanics lining up.

Cruz added: The biggest lie in all of politics is that Republicans are the party of the rich.

The Wednesday afternoon event marked a departure for Cruz, who has been criticized for rarely taking part in Latino-sponsored events on the national level.

It comes just weeks after the Hispanic Chambers president Javier Palomarez assailed Cruz during a meeting with reporters for skipping the organizations annual legislative summit and not taking part in other chamber events.

Palomarez charged that Cruz was trying to avoid Hispanics for fear of alienating the GOP conservative base.

Cruz's campaign quickly denied the charge, saying the summit had been held at a busy time for the senator, who that week launched his presidential campaign.

I think the core issue this race will come down to is trust  who do Republican primary voters trust to do what they said theyd do, Cruz said toward the end of the event. People are fed up with politicians who say one thing on the campaign trail and then dont follow through and do what they said.

Cruz said he can appeal to Latino voters and pointed to the 40 percent of the Latinos who voted for him in Texas when he ran for Senate "at the same time that Romney got clobbered with 27 percent of the Hispanic vote."

"I think our country is in crisis right now. What we are doing is not working," he said. "Millions of people are hurting. The Hispanic community is hurting."
Republicans are bringing something unique to the 2016 presidential campaign: an ability to speak to Americans in both of their main mother tongues, Spanish as well as English.

Democrats can't match it. Previous GOP candidates couldn't.

But now, paradoxically, the party that's on the outs with many Hispanic voters over immigration is the party that has serious presidential candidates who are surefooted in their language.

It remains to be seen how much Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio will use their fluent Spanish in the campaign. Rubio offered a few words of it in his presidential campaign announcement, quoting his Cuban grandfather, a small but notable addition in a speech meant for everyone to hear, not just a Hispanic crowd.

Bush peppered his remarks with Spanish in Puerto Rico on Tuesday, earning vigorous applause and making an obvious cultural connection with many in his audience.

Even a modest amount of Spanish will be more than presidential campaigns have known.

President George W. Bush rarely used his barely high school-level Spanish and, when he did, it was a token nod, not a real conversation. Also far from proficient in Spanish, President Barack Obama and 2016 Democratic presidential contender Hillary Rodham Clinton have gamely tried a few lines now and then.

Bilingualism is a tricky issue in politics and you can be sure that careful calculations are being made on how and when to display it in the Bush and Rubio campaigns.

Bush the former governor and Rubio the senator have spoken Spanish liberally in Florida politics and other settings. But this is a national campaign for the highest office.

Republicans, on the one hand, want to win over Hispanic voters. On the other, they want to avoid upsetting some traditional supporters who  whether because of immigration concerns, nativism or simple cultural tradition  want English only.

A second Hispanic-American in the Republican race, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, has largely lost the language of his Cuban-born father and is unlikely to give it much of a go, considering that he's not done so as a senator in heavily Hispanic Texas. He says his Spanish is "lousy." (Another contender, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, also is not fluent.)

Should Bush or Rubio go on to win the nomination, and should Clinton take the Democratic prize, history is sure to be made in 2016. After having elected the first black president, Americans would now be putting either the first fluent Spanish-speaker, or the first woman, in the presidency.

HOW MUCH DOES LANGUAGE MATTER?

No one thinks speaking Spanish is an easy ticket to Hispanic votes. Especially for Republicans, who saw Obama take 71 percent of the Hispanic vote in 2012.

But it's a sign of respect, says Bob Quasius, founder of Cafe Con Leche Republicans, which presses for the Republican Party to become more inclusive of Hispanics. "Even if your Spanish isn't very good, it's welcome."

Hispanic turnout has increased in every election for nearly three decades, meaning it may top 10 percent in 2016, according to Mark Hugo Lopez, director of Hispanic Research at the Pew Research Center. Even so, among registered Hispanic voters, 83 percent prefer English or are bilingual, Pew has found. Only 17 percent identify Spanish as their dominant language. Spanish is much more heavily preferred among Latinos who are not registered to vote.

"If a candidate can speak Spanish, it could at least get Hispanics interested," Lopez said. "But it's not going to be the deciding factor."

___

RUBIO

The son of Cuban immigrants, Rubio hails from heavily Hispanic West Miami and grew up bilingual. He shifts comfortably between the two languages while running Senate meetings, appearing at news conferences and interacting with people.

Rubio delivered two versions of the 2013 Republican response to Obama's State of the Union, in English and Spanish. As a Senate candidate, he used both languages with South Florida crowds.

Al Cardenas, former head of the Florida Republican Party, remembers Rubio firing up volunteers in the two languages while working for Bob Dole's unsuccessful 1996 White House run.

"He was then, and he is now, just as comfortable doing that in one language as the other," Cardenas said.

It's too early to know how much Rubio will do that outside of Hispanic-heavy events in the presidential campaign. When he spoke about his grandfather to Iowa social conservatives on the weekend, he did not use Spanish.

___

BUSH

Bush speaks Spanish at home with his Mexican-born wife, Columba, did so in Puerto Rico on Tuesday and does so whenever he encounters people who approach him in that language. Like Rubio, he clearly wants to draw more Latinos into the party and behind his effort, and he can be expected to address a variety of Hispanic functions, as he is doing Wednesday in Houston.

How far he will go with his bilingualism, though, is not yet apparent.

His speech announcing his candidacy, whenever it comes, will offer a clue as to what he will do when speaking to a national audience. Will he say a few words of Spanish, like Rubio? Make a bolder statement, with even more?

___

CRUZ

Cruz is the first Hispanic senator from Texas, where many residents are native Spanish speakers. He struggles with the language, however.

When Cruz was running for the Senate in 2012, a TV station suggested a Spanish-language debate. Cruz's opponent, David Dewhurst, was once stationed in Bolivia for the CIA and endorsed the idea. But Cruz nixed it.

"Like many second-generation Hispanic immigrants, he is conversational, though not fluent in Spanish," Cruz spokeswoman Catherine Frazier said. "But that will not hinder his efforts to build a robust Hispanic outreach operation."

On his first day as a presidential candidate, Cruz posted a Spanish-language campaign ad on YouTube. But another voice, not his, did the speaking.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush declared Wednesday that 11 million immigrants in the country illegally should have an opportunity to stay, wading yet again into his party's contentious immigrant debate.

In tone and substance, Bush stands out among the many Republicans lining up for the GOP's next presidential primary, where conservatives who oppose an immigration overhaul often hold outsized influence. As he moves toward a presidential campaign, the brother and son of former presidents has not backed away from his defense of immigrants in the country illegally and a policy that would allow them to attain legal status under certain conditions.

"We're a nation of immigrants," Bush said at the National Christian Hispanic Leadership Conference that brought several hundred Hispanic evangelical leaders to Houston this week. "This is not the time to abandon something that makes us special and unique."

A successful immigration overhaul is more than simply strengthening the border, Bush said, referring to "11 million people that should come out from the shadows and receive earned legal status." He said such immigrants should be required to pay taxes, work and not receive government benefits.

Republicans have struggled to win over the nation's surging Hispanic population in recent years.

Not since the 2004 re-election campaign of President George W. Bush, Jeb's older brother, has a Republican presidential candidate earned as much as 40 percent of the Hispanic vote. Mitt Romney earned a dismal 27 percent in losing what was widely considered a winnable 2012 contest.

Bush's mother and father, former President George. H.W. Bush and first lady Barbara Bush, were on hand for the speech.

It was Jeb Bush's second Hispanic outreach event this week. He spent Tuesday campaigning in Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory that will hold a presidential primary contest, yet is not included in the Electoral College that decides the general election.

At both stops, Bush moved seamlessly from English to Spanish in remarks that highlighted his deep personal connections to Hispanic culture.

He opened his Houston speech in Spanish, referring to the crowd of Hispanic Christians as "the hope of this country." And as he often does in public appearances, Bush recounted the story of meeting his Mexican-born wife, Columba, while studying in Mexico.

It was Columba's influence, he said, that pushed him to obtain a degree in Latin American studies and later spend roughly two years living in Venezuela early in his business career. Bush converted to Catholicism after moving to Miami.

The Democratic allied group, EMILY's List, issued a statement shortly before Bush's appearance charging that his platform "hinders the ability for Latinas to make personal health choices and their economic security." Bush, his advisers said, say he supports efforts to strip federal financing from Planned Parenthood because of its connection to abortion services.

To be sure, Bush is not completely in step with activists who want accommodations made for people illegally in the U.S. Like other Republican presidential prospects, he has said he would overturn President Barack Obama's executive order shielding millions of immigrants from deportation.

Yet Bush was received warmly by the Hispanic crowd in Houston. He was introduced as someone who understands Hispanic culture and literally speaks its language. Of the large field of likely Republican White House prospects, only Florida Sen. Marco Rubio also speaks fluent Spanish.

Bush said the nation's economy depends on a restructured immigration system. "This country does not do well when people lurk in the shadows," Bush said. "This country does spectacularly well when everybody can pursue their God-given abilities."

Organizers say Rubio was invited to address the conference, but declined because of a scheduling conflict. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee was scheduled to appear Wednesday night.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Long viewed as opponents to undocumented immigrants and supporters of conservative lawmakers who support stricter immigration laws, David and Charles Koch are quietly trying to turn around this image and help their Republican allies make gains come Election Day next year.

The LIBRE Initiative, a group funded by the billionaire brothers, has set up test prep sessions in Nevada to teach the rules of the road to Latinos  many undocumented immigrants  who want to obtain a driver's license.

According to the Washington Post, the effort appears to be working.

"President Obama promised to do more for us, and it just didn't happen," Paula Hernandez, an undocumented restaurant supervisor said, adding that the classes were a "great help."

The news is a positive sign for Republican candidates who are struggling to garner support among Latinos, especially among those who oppose citizenship for undocumented immigrants and are supported by the Koch brothers. Members of the LIBRE Initiative say that conservatives have for years taken a back seat to liberal groups in working with the Hispanic community, and that needs to change.

"Latino celebrities, unions and left-leaning community groups" for decades have done a far better job in courting the Hispanic vote and "engaging directly with the Latino community," said Daniel Garza, executive director of LIBRE. Garza is a opinion contributor to Fox News Latino.

Along with the driving classes, LIBRE offers tax preparation help, wellness checkups, scholarships and food giveaways in Texas, Colorado, Florida and other states. It has also purchased ads in Spanish-language media promoting the "free market," smaller government and school choice.

"They are making friends and trying to convince you that the Democratic agenda is bad," Matt Barreto, co-founder of the research and polling firm Latino Decisions, told the Washington Post.

The Koch brothers' vested interest in the Latino vote can be seen by their funding of the LIBRE Initiative.

While Garza said his group has hundreds of donors, tax records, LIBRE has received $10 million since it began in 2011 from Freedom Partners, a nonprofit group backed by the Koch brothers and other conservative donors.

Despite the attempts by LIBRE, conservative politicians still have a long road ahead of them to win widespread Latino support and change perceptions among Hispanic voters about the GOP.

Salvador Garnica, a permanent resident originally from Mexico who attended a class in Las Vegas, said that despite the help he wasn't about to support Republicans.

"They are for the rich," he said.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
President Barack Obama has failed to keep a campaign promise to push through immigration reform legislation, but he has lived up to a postelection pledge to slow deportations  with or without approval from Congress.

Since October, the Homeland Security Department has sent home the fewest immigrants in the country illegally since Obama took office in 2009, according to internal government data obtained by the Associated Press.

In fact, with 127,000 removals though the first six months of the government's fiscal year that started in October, the administration is on track to remove the fewest immigrants since the middle of former President George W. Bush's second term in 2006.

Beginning shortly before his re-election in 2012, Obama has taken a series of steps to slow deportations, including creating a program to allow some young immigrants to stay and work in the country legally for up to two years at a time.

His effort to shield more than 4 million immigrants from deportation by expanding that protection program to the parents of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents is on hold after a federal judge in Texas blocked its start.

But the legal wrangling and an ongoing standoff with congressional Republicans hasn't stopped the slowdown.

In 2012, Immigration and Customs Enforcement sent home a record of more than 409,000 immigrants, but since then the agency's work has steadily slowed. ICE, as the agency is known, is responsible for finding and removing immigrants living in the country illegally,

The latest removal figures, contained in weekly internal reports not publicly reported, show that ICE sent home an average of about 19,730 people a month for the first six months of the budget year.

If that trend continues, the government will remove about 236,000 by September  the lowest figure since 2006, when 207,776 people were sent home.

As the legal fight over Obama's latest executive action continues, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson has directed immigration authorities anew to focus on finding and deporting immigrants who pose a national security or public safety threat, those who have serious criminal records and those who have recently crossed the Mexican border. Roughly 11 million immigrants are thought to be living in the country illegally.

"With the resources we have ... I'm interested in focusing on criminals and recent illegal arrivals at the border," Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee during an oversight hearing Tuesday.

He said a variety of factors, including fewer arrests of immigrants caught crossing the border, have led to the drop.

Last week, Johnson said the Border Patrol had arrested about 151,800 people trying to cross the Mexican border illegally, the fewest number of people caught at the border during the same period over the last four years.

"There's lower intake, lower apprehensions," Johnson said Tuesday. "There are fewer people attempting to cross the southern border, and there are fewer people apprehended."

Homeland Security officials have repeatedly attributed the drop in deportations to the changing demographic of border crossers.

Historically, the Border Patrol is responsible for sending home immigrants caught at the border, a process that can be done quickly when the arrested immigrants are from Mexico. But last year immigrants from countries other than Mexico outpaced those from Mexico and border agents had to deal with a flood of tens of thousands of children and families, mostly from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.

Neither the children nor the families, many of whom are asking the U.S. government for asylum, can be quickly sent home. ICE shifted a variety of resources to the border, including deploying agents to quickly opened family detention centers.

The continued slowing of deportations is likely to do little to quell concerns among Republican lawmakers that immigration laws must be enforced before new legislation can be considered.

"It's clear to me that the department no longer seems to have a will to enforce immigration laws," said Sen. Charles Grassley, the Iowa Republican who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Grassley also described Johnson's explanation of moving resources to the border "a red herring."

The number of children caught traveling alone has dropped by about 45 percent compared to the same time last year, while the arrests of families have declined about 30 percent.

Johnson said again Tuesday that those changes make it more difficult for ICE officials to quickly remove people.

"They are increasingly from noncontiguous countries, and the process of a removal of someone from a noncontiguous country is more time-consuming," Johnson said. "You see greater claims for humanitarian relief, for asylum, and so it's not as simple as just sending somebody back across the border."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Sen. Ted Cruz called the unrest in Baltimore heartbreaking and called on President Barack Obama and African-American community leaders to lead efforts to unify people and stress common values.

To see a great American city torn apart by violence is fundamentally wrong, Cruz, who is running for president, said in an interview with Fox News Latino on Wednesday. Our prayers need to be with the families of those whove been injured, those whove been murdered.

Cruz said he understands the frustrations among African Americans, who, the Texas Republican said, are understandably concerned about whether law enforcement policies are being applied fairly.

When it comes to Mr. Freddy Gray, he said, referring to the young black man who died while in police custody, there needs to be a fair and impartial investigation into what happened.

But the answer is not violence and mayhem, he said. The people who have been paying the biggest price have been the minority communities.

The same happened during the unrest in Ferguson, Missouri last year, after the death of a black man at the hands of a white police officer, Cruz said.

In Ferguson, it was African-American small business owners having their businesses burned to the ground.

Community leaders need to step up and show constructive, positive paths to take to address the problems, the senator said.

We need more leaders who call out for racial unity, to bring us together, in support of shared values, he said.

Cruz denounced the backlash against police officers, saying they should not be generally maligned because most of them are professional and risk their lives every day.

There are always bad actors in every community, Cruz said. But one of the most damaging and destructive aspects of these recent incidents has been the rush to condemn law enforcement, to attack police officers.

Asked about President Barack Obamas comments about how the lack of opportunities and jobs helps fuel dysfunction and frustration in minority communities, Cruz quickly turned the criticism on the president.

We have seen the [economic] opportunities dry up under the Obama economy, he said. The people whove been hurt the most in the Obama economy are the most vulnerable; its young people, its Latinos, its African-Americans, its single moms. But at the same time, lets be clear that the lack of opportunities is not an excuse for murder and violence.

Finally, Cruz said that Obama has failed his opportunity, as the first African American president in the U.S., to be a force for racial healing and unity.

President Obama had the opportunity to be a unifying president, to try to bring people together, Cruz said. Rather, his administration it seems constantly seeks to divide, to turn us against each other, based on race, based on sex, based on wealth, based on geography.

Its just not what a president should be doing. A president should be appealing to us based on shared values as Americans, not trying to divide and conquer.
He speaks Spanish fluently.

He has a Latina wife and children.

He was governor of the state of Florida.

Simply put, Hispanic Evangelical leaders see Jeb Bush as authentic -- and that already makes him a favorite of theirs, if and when he decides to run for president in 2016.

Wow, this is somebody who gets it, said Rev. Tony Suarez, Executive Vice President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, described as the largest annual gathering of its kind in the country.

Suarez, who commented after listening to Bush deliver his keynote address at the conference, held this week in Houston, said: He spoke our language and it was just incredible, the buzz and energy. Hes definitely a favorite.

Bush seemed to make a positive impression at the conference, which drew several hundred Hispanic Evangelical leaders. During the speech, Bush reportedly moved seamlessly from English to Spanish discussing education, Israel, and immigration saying that 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country illegally should have an opportunity to stay.

He has the most name recognition, said Rev. Luis Cortes, the President of Esperanza, one of the nations largest Latino Evangelical faith based organizations.  Hes known by a lot of our churches in Florida.

A month ago, Bush visited Esperanzas office and the organizations charter school, where he spoke to different groups of kids. Bush, who has yet to throw his hat in the White House race, is receiving praise for aggressively reaching out to Latino voters early despite the fact that this bloc will have little say in the Republican primary races in Iowa and New Hampshire.

The message, though, is not being overlooked by Latino Evangelicals who, as a voting bloc, continue to gain in influence and number.

Evangelicals present 16 percent of the Hispanic community in the U.S., and that number is rapidly increasing here and in Latin America.

The group leans Republican, attracted to more conservative values, but has proven their vote is not monolithic.

They have voted for President Bill Clinton, President George W. Bush, and President Barack Obama over the last two elections.

It is a toss-up and it always has been, Cortes said of the Hispanic Evangelical vote. What hes doing (Bush) we hope the other candidates begin to do. Begin a dialogue with different parts of the community so they can find their way. Previously they talked to us as opposed to talking with us.

The Republican stands in stark contrast, Suarez says, from that other Republican presidential candidates in 2012.

We had Mitt Romney who had his grandfather from Mexico," he said. "You had someone with Hispanic roots but never embraced them, never talked about them, and preached self-deportation as immigration policy.

Romney, whose paternal ancestors had roots in Mexico, went on to win just 27 percent of the Hispanic vote.

Rev. Cortes echoes the belief of many in the Hispanic Evangelical community who say while Romney represented some of the conservative values of many in the church, he lost the vote because of his harsh rhetoric on immigration.

We care about education, the economy before immigration, thats true until you personalize it. When you take extreme anti-immigration stances you are attacking our families and at that point it goes from a policy position to a personal attack, Cortes explained.

If theyve learned anything over 4 years they need to be more nuanced on how they approach the Hispanic community, and just flag-waving alone will not get our response.

Thus far, Bush, Evangelical leaders say, is proving he is not taking their voice for granted.

They have to hear the Hispanic community, and not be fearful, and believe that they lost the voting bloc, Suarez said.  The bloc is still out there to be had.
Javier Palomarez, president of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, recently said he believes any new U.S. president will only be elected to office if he or she openly courts Latino voters.

He was speaking to Sen. Ted Cruz, who is of Cuba descent, during a question-and-answer session in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. But its something that former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush seems to have taken to heart.

Bush, who has yet to announce he will seek the Republican presidential nomination, has been actively courting the Hispanic community.

It doesnt seem to matter to the former Florida governor that Hispanic voters typically do not have much to say in Republican primaries  he has been shaping his young political operation and strengthening his ties with Hispanic voters who will be important in the head-to-head contest for the presidency in 2016.

You are part of the new wave of hope for this country, Bush said in fluent Spanish to the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference this week. Switching to English, he said the U.S. needs immigrants for the country to become young and dynamic again.

At his side throughout this week's appearances in Puerto Rico and Texas was Raul Henriques, a fresh-faced "body man" recently hired because Bush wanted a Spanish speaker to travel with him regularly. As well, Emily Benavides stood at the back of the hotel ballroom during Bush's Houston address Wednesday, now on board to advise him on Hispanic media. And Bush's Mexican-born wife, Columba, is expected to start doing more in the rising campaign, also with Hispanic media.

Bush primarily speaks Spanish with his wife. He has lived in Puerto Rico and Venezuela; he governed a state with a large Hispanic population  and he regularly cooks Latin cuisine at home.

"You're not going to find a more Latinized anglo than Jeb Bush," says Jorge Arrizurieta, a Miami-based Cuban-American who worked closely with the Bush family for decades. "There really hasn't been a candidate ever in our country that has these attributes."

It's unclear whether those attributes will help or hurt Bush in the Republican primaries, where a vocal conservative minority holds outsized influence. Appealing to such voters, Mitt Romney in 2012 suggested that immigrants in the U.S. illegally should "self-deport." The remark may have helped him win the GOP nomination, but it probably hurt him in the general election.

Not since the 2004 re-election campaign of President George W. Bush, Jeb's older brother, has a Republican presidential candidate earned as much as 40 percent of the Hispanic vote. Romney got a dismal 27 percent in the 2012 contest against President Barack Obama.

Bush does not have a monopoly on Hispanic interest in the GOP race. Cuban-American Marco Rubio of Florida, also fluent in Spanish, is in the hunt. So, too, is Cuban-American Ted Cruz of Texas, who has only limited abilities in Spanish. Others, without cultural connections, may well appeal to Hispanics, too.

Yet Bush has been the most aggressive Republican proponent of an immigration policy that would allow some 11 million people in the country illegally to stay under certain conditions. Rubio authored a Senate bill with such a provision, but he backed off after a conservative backlash. Cruz and most others in the Republican field oppose the policy they call "amnesty."

Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, said Republicans must be more willing to "reach out and touch that brown hand." He praised Bush's approach, saying he connects with the Latino community "politically, socially and intellectually."

"Jeb Bush has the possibility of engaging the Latino voter in the way George Walker Bush did in 2004, or even more," Rodriguez said. His organization, which Jeb Bush addressed in Houston, is socially conservative but closer to Democrats on immigration policy.

Bush, a Latin American studies major in college, met his wife while studying in Mexico. They spent two years in Venezuela early in his business career before Bush moved to Puerto Rico for six months to run his father's 1980 primary campaign. The couple settled in Miami.

"Hispanic engagement is going to be one of his top priorities," said Benavides, who served as Romney's Hispanic press secretary. "It has been for decades now." She said it's "part of who he is."

On his recent trip, Bush answered questions in the language they were posed in and switched seamlessly between English and Spanish, drawing thunderous applause.

"Imaginate!"  Imagine that!  he quipped at times during his Houston speech. In Puerto Rico, he embraced supporters as they took selfies, and offered a modest "Gracias por venir"  thank you for coming  which drew wide smiles.

"I love it," said Maria Elena Cruz, a 59-year-old government worker from Toa Baja. "He speaks Spanish just like us."

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
In a presidential campaign where candidates are jockeying to be champions of the middle class and asking wealthy people for money, the problems facing the poor are inching into the debate.

Tensions in places such as Baltimore and Ferguson, Missouri, have prompted candidates to explore the complicated relationship between poor communities and the police, and the deep-seated issues that have trapped many of the 45 million people who live in poverty in the United States.

But addressing the long-running economic, education and security troubles in underprivileged neighborhoods is a challenge with few easily agreed upon solutions.

A frustrated President Barack Obama challenged the nation to do "some soul-searching" after riots in Baltimore followed the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray in police custody. There have been other deadly altercations between police and black men or boys in Ferguson, New York's Staten Island, Cleveland and North Charleston, South Carolina.

"I'm under no illusion that out of this Congress we're going to get massive investments in urban communities," Obama said. "But if we really want to solve the problem, if our society really wanted to solve the problem, we could."

To some of the Republicans running to replace Obama, his call for spending more money in poor areas underscores the problem with many current anti-poverty programs. The GOP largely opposes new domestic spending and party officials often say federally run programs are bloated and inefficient.

"At what point do you have to conclude that the top-down government poverty programs have failed?" said Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor and expected presidential candidate. "I think we need to be engaged in this debate as conservatives and say that there's a bottom-up approach."

Republicans have struggled in recent years to overcome the perception that the party has little interest in the plight of the poor.

Mitt Romney, the GOP presidential nominee in 2012, was criticized for saying he was "not concerned about the very poor" and that it was not his job to worry about the 47 percent of Americans who he said "believe that government has a responsibility to care for them."

More than 60 percent of voters who made less than $30,000 per year backed Obama over Romney in that campaign, according to exit polls.

Blacks and Hispanics, who overwhelmingly backed Obama in the past two presidential elections, are most likely to be poor. According to the census, about 27 percent of blacks and 25 percent of Hispanics were poor in 2012, compared with 12.7 percent of whites.

Bush has been among the most vocal Republicans discussing the need to lift the poor out of poverty and reduce income inequality, though he has yet to flesh out many of his policy proposals. He has been most specific about the need for greater educational choices and opportunities. Bush frequently cites his work in Florida, where he expanded charter schools, backed voucher programs and promoted high testing standards.

Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul has long called for overhauling criminal sentencing procedures that he says disproportionately imprison low-income black men. He has promoted "economic freedom zones" where taxes would be lowered in areas with high long-term unemployment in order to stimulate growth and development.

Paul, who has made a point of reaching out to black communities, has drawn criticism for comments he made during the Baltimore unrest. In a radio interview, Paul said he had been on a train that went through the city and was "glad the train didn't stop."

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida also has talked frequently about the poor. His anti-poverty proposals include consolidating many federal programs to help the poor into a "flex fund" that states would then manage.

Democrats, too, are trying to incorporate plans for tackling poverty into economic campaign messages that otherwise center on the middle class.

Following the Baltimore turmoil, Hillary Rodham Clinton made a plea for criminal justice changes that could aid urban communities. Among her ideas: equipping every police department with body cameras for officers. She said the unrest was a "symptom, not a cause" of what ails poor communities and she called for a broader discussion of the issues.

Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, who is expected to challenge Clinton for the Democratic nomination, has been at the center of the discussions about Baltimore's issues. He was mayor from 1999 to 2007 and enacted tough-on-crime policies.

While O'Malley is not backing away from those practices, he is trying to put criminal justice issues in a larger context. He wrote in an op-ed that the problem in Baltimore and elsewhere is as much about policing and race as it has about "declining wages and the lack of opportunity in our country today."

In some places that have dealt with recent unrest, residents say they welcome the campaign discussions on poverty and policing, but hope the issues will not fade away when the next big campaign focus arises.

"Hopefully these protests are something they'll wrap themselves around, and we can make sure these issues get addressed," said Thavy Bullis, a Baltimore college student.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
An official Cuban newspaper reports that Fidel Castro joined his brother, President Raul Castro, for a rare appearance to meet with Japan's foreign minister.

The daily Juventud Rebelde reported Sunday the 88-year-old former leader spoke with Fumio Kishido about improving relations between the two nations. It did not specify when the meeting occurred.

Kishido arrived in Cuba on Friday with a delegation of business leaders. He is the first Japanese foreign minister to visit the island.

Fidel Castro handed power to his younger brother in 2006 after suffering from poor health. He has made almost no public appearances in several months. The last photo of him to appear in Cuban media was published on April 20 when the official daily Granma reported the former president had voted from his home.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
If you spent five years imprisoned by one of the most totalitarian dictatorships in the world, would you want to return?

Alan Grossthe American contractor who was arrested in Cuba in December 2009 and was finally released in December 2014 as part of the new detente between the United States and Cubasaid he wants to return to the island, according to his lawyer, Scott Gilbert.

This is a person who did not come back to the United States at all bitter and angry, Gilbert told the Wall Street Journal. He came back and really has transcended this experience to try to turn it and to use it for good purposes.

After distributing telecommunications equipment in Cuba on behalf of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Gross was accused by the Castro regime of spying and sentenced to 15 years in jail for attempting to subvert the Revolution, a charge he always denied.

Naturally, Gilbert told the Journal, Gross hopes to return to Cuba one day in a very different capacity. Instead he wants to promote a more constructive relationship between the two countries.

"Mr. Gross is interested in returning to Cuba as part of the path forward for both countries," Gilbert told Fox News Latino in an e-mail. "There is not a particular trip planned at this time."

He added, "Based on my many visits to Cuba and conversations with government officials, I would hope that Alan Gross would be welcomed to visit Cuba in connection with ongoing efforts to continue a relationship built on mutual respect and trust."

On Monday, Gross spoke at a private Miami fundraiser, held at Gilberts home, for the New Cuba PAC, which plans to back political candidates who favor increasing travel and trade between the U.S. and the Communist nation.

Organizers expect around 50 people at the event, with the suggested contribution for the PAC being between $1,000 and $5,000, according to the New York Times.

I believe and Alan believes that the path to a better relationship and benefits for people in Cuba and the United States is increased travel between our countries and increased trade, including information flow, Gilbert told the Journal.

In recent months, Gross has met with officials in the Obama administration and provided statements to foreign relations committees in both houses of Congress advocating ending the travel ban and embargo of Cuba.

My five years in Cuba did not deter me from wanting to bring about change through development and engagement, he wrote in a statement to the committees.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Hillary Rodham Clinton will focus on immigration when she makes a campaign stop Tuesday in Las Vegas.

The former first lady and secretary of state will take part in a round-table discussion with Nevadans beginning at 2:45 p.m. Tuesday at Rancho High School.

Her campaign team, in a statement, says it will be the first of many conversations the expected Democratic presidential nominee will have with Nevadans concerning the four fights that define her campaign.

Plans call for the Las Vegas stop to emphasize her fight to strengthen families and communities, and specifically how to change the immigration system so families can stay together.

Over 25 percent of Nevadas population is Hispanic.

Her event will be similar to the recent small-scale sessions with voters in Iowa and New Hampshire.

Nevadas caucuses are held early in the presidential nominating calendar, and like Iowa and New Hampshire, it is expected to be a hotly-contested battleground state in the general election.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Puerto Rico's governor on Sunday signed an executive order to authorize the use of medical marijuana in the U.S. territory in an unexpected move following a lengthy public debate.

Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla said the island's health secretary has three months to issue a report detailing how the executive order will be implemented, the impact it will have and what future steps could be taken. The order went into immediate effect.

"We're taking a significant step in the area of health that is fundamental to our development and quality of life," Garcia said in a statement. "I am sure that many patients will receive appropriate treatment that will offer them new hope."

The order directs the health department to authorize the use of some or all controlled substances or derivatives of the cannabis plant for medical use.

Garcia said the government also will soon outline the specific authorized uses of marijuana and its derivatives for medical purposes. He noted that medical marijuana is used in the U.S. mainland and elsewhere to treat pain associated with migraines and illnesses including epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and AIDS.

Medical marijuana is already legal in 23 U.S. states, and a group of U.S. legislators is seeking to remove federal prohibitions on it. Elsewhere in the Caribbean, Jamaica recently passed a law that partially decriminalized small amounts of pot and paved the way for a lawful medical marijuana sector.

Jaime Perello, president of Puerto Rico's House of Representatives, said he supported Garcia's order.

"It's a step in the right direction," he said. "One of the benefits that patients say they receive the most is pain relief."

Opposition legislator Jenniffer Gonzalez said Garcia's actions leave the law of controlled substances in what she called a "judicial limbo."

Back in 2013, Puerto Rico legislators debated a bill that would allow people to use marijuana for medicinal purposes, but a final vote was never taken.

Amado Martinez, an activist who supports legalizing marijuana for all uses, said in a phone interview that he was very surprised by the governor's actions.

He wondered what type of illnesses would receive authorization for medical marijuana, and whether the medical marijuana will be imported or if people can obtain licenses to grow it on the island.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Sen. Marco Rubio and Ben Carson, both from Florida, have launched their presidential campaigns.

But when all is said and done, there may well be four Floridians  all Republicans  vying for the Oval Office.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who now lives in Florida, is expected to announce his candidacy on Tuesday.

And former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is expected to announce that he also is running in the near future.

Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, made his announcement in April in Miami, in front of the citys Freedom Toweran iconic landmark where the federal government once processed Cuban immigrants fleeing the Communist regime of Fidel Castro.

Carson, who lives in West Palm Beach, made his announcement on Monday in Detroit, where he grew up.

Huckabee, who did well in several states when he ran unsuccessfully to be his partys presidential nominee in 2008, plans to launch his campaign in his native hometown of Hope, Arkansas. His primary resident these days is the Florida Panhandle.

Last year, he said: Janet and I, neither of us grew up thinking wed see salt water in person.

We both grew up dirt poor in Southern Arkansas ... For us, growing up, the thought that we would ever put our feet in salt water, no that would never happen, Huckabee was quoted as saying in nwsdailynews.com.

Were totally at home with the culture here  because its Southern," Huckabee said.

Republicans need Florida's 29 electoral votes for a shot at winning the White House, experts say.

The Florida Legislature plans a winner-take-all primary March 15, 2016 in order to make the Sunshine State more of a critical stop for political campaigns.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Tuesday will embark on her most significant outreach yet to Latinos in her campaign during a stop in Nevada, where they lavished her with love in the 2008 primaries.

The former Secretary of State plans to call for undocumented immigrants to have a chance to legalize their status, and will say that a pathway to citizenship must be part and parcel of any comprehensive immigration reform legislation.

Clinton plans to discuss her ideas for reforming immigration at Rancho High School in Las Vegas, where Latinos comprise about 71 percent of the more than 3,000 students. Her campaign says that she will speak to various students about how harsh and ineffective immigration policies have adversely affected them and their families.

Hillary Clinton has been for a path to citizenship for a very long time...she supports bringing people out of the dark and into the light. She knows the Latino agenda is the American agenda.  Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, close Clinton ally

After years of delays in Congress, Latinos and immigration activists are watching Clinton's statements closely for signs of how she might break a legislative logjam on immigration and whether she would extend President Barack Obama's executive actions to shield millions of immigrants from deportation.

Clinton will be delving into one of the most contentious issues of the day, and one that figured prominently in the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections, and which likely will grab the spotlight in the 2016 race.

Clinton typically has enjoyed strong Latino voter support, trouncing Barack Obama among Hispanics in the 2008 Democratic primaries, where Latinos supported her by an overall margin of almost 2 to 1. Nevada Latinos were among her most enthusiastic supporters, preferring her over Obama in the states primary 64 to 26 percent.

This time around, Latinos seem to be just as supportive of Clinton, despite allegations dogging her campaign recently regarding the candidates handling of official government emails as well as donations to the Clinton Foundation while she was Secretary of State. Nevada is only one of two states with a Latino governor, Republican Brian Sandoval, who has made efforts to woo Latinos and some hope can help a Republican candidate attract Latino voters.

Political experts say that Clintons appeal to Latinos is multi-faceted.

She has been diligent about staffing her campaign with Latinos, including Amanda Renteria, who is Clintons national political director. She also no doubt benefits from the positive views that many Latinos hold of former President Bill Clinton, whose visit to Puerto Rico years ago drew one of the biggest crowds he had ever seen.

Of all the people  including Latino GOP senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida  who have declared that they are running for president, only Hillary Clinton offers a Spanish-language campaign website.

Without question, anyone who goes up against Hillary will have to fight as far as getting Latino voters, said Fernand Amandi, a Democratic pollster based in Florida. With Hispanic voters, she gets it. Its a hallmark of her campaigns. Shes always understood and valued the role of Hispanics in the United States.

Shes starting as the presumptive favorite in the Democratic camp and among Latinos, Amandi said. Shes going to have a tremendous advantage when it comes to garnering the lions share of the Hispanic vote. Its because of who she is, her history with the community, her husbands record with Latinos, and the fact that most Latinos lean Democratic.

Several Latino advocacy groups released public statements indicating they'll be listening closely to Clinton's remarks about immigration.

"Local immigrant leaders and advocates have high hopes that Clinton will embrace a progressive policy platform on the issue that includes a roadmap for comprehensive immigration reform and commitment to defending and expanding the deferred action programs created by President Obama," said a statement by the Alliance for Citizenship.

Her seeming popularity shows there could be a limit to how taken Latinos seem to be with the fact that two Latinos are running for president, experts say.

Cruzs staunchly conservative views on immigration and his firebrand style seem to turn off many Latinos.

He recently engaged in a Latino outreach effort by doing a question-and-answer session with the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Washington D.C.

Cruz comfortably fielded both soft and pointed questions posed by the chambers president, Javier Palomarez, about immigration and the senators YouTube campaign announcement in Spanish, which  unlike his English-language ad  avoided Obamacare and providing a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants (which Cruz opposes but many Latinos support).

As for Rubio, a Latino Decisions poll of 4,200 Hispanic voters last year showed 31 percent having a favorable view of him. In his home state of Florida, Rubio a polls showed 39 percent of Latinos viewing him favorably, and 42 percent unfavorably.

Clinton beat Obama among Latino voters  59 to 30 percent  in the Florida primary in 2008.

Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, seen as a potential gubernatorial candidate or congressional representative someday, told Fox News Latino on Tuesday that Clinton realizes that Latinos are part of the road to the White House.

"We're the fastest growing demographic group," Villaraigosa said, "more and more in our schools, when you look at the faces of children, they're Latino. She knows the Latino agenda is the American agenda."

Renteria, Clintons national political director, said Latinos know the former Secretary of States attention to their community is not a sudden election gimmick. As Clinton supporters have for years noted, as far back as 1972, the candidate worked in Texas to register Latino voters for George McGoverns unsuccessful presidential campaign.

"Throughout her career Hillary Clinton has fought to strengthen Latino communities by keeping their families together and working to give them the voice they deserve in our political process, Renteria said in an email to Fox News Latino. From starting out registering Latino voters in Texas, to her fight for comprehensive immigration reform  Latinos know shes always been on their side and will work hard to earn their vote throughout this campaign.

Clinton has had her contentious moments with Latino groups.

Last year, young undocumented immigrants and their supporters showed up at several of her public events, heckling Clinton for comments she made about how unaccompanied minors who had arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border from Central America should be turned back.

We have to send a clear message, Clinton said when asked at a public forum about what the U.S. should do with the children. Just because your child gets across the border, that doesn't mean the child gets to stay. So, we don't want to send a message that is contrary to our laws or will encourage more children to make that dangerous journey.

The advocacy group United We Dream, which pushed for the kids to be given political asylum, charged that Clintons remarks were at odds with the realities faced by too many of our families.

And in the 2008 primary, Clinton seemed adrift when asked about whether undocumented immigrants should be allowed to obtain driver's licenses. When another candidate raised the issue, Clinton said it seemed logical that they be allowed to drive, but that should could not support it. Her rivals quickly seized on the conflicting answer, accusing her of being intentionally ambiguous.

This time, having been bruised by such positions in the past, Clinton has come out firmly in favor of such things as driver's licenses and other policies to lend a helping hand to undocumented immigrants.

In Nevada, where Latinos are 25 percent of the population, Clintons campaign says she will talk about how current U.S. immigration policies  which include a high rate of deportations  are leading to the separation of families.

Although shes beating Jeb Bush in polls of Latino voters in a hypothetical matchup, some experts say it would be premature to write off the former governors chances of gaining a respectable share of the bloc.

Jeb is the only Republican who might make it competitive, Amandi said. In politics there are never any guarantees, but he gives Republicans the best potential chance of defeating her.

Bush speaks fluent Spanish, has taken more moderate positions on things such as immigration and educational policies. His wife, Columba, is Mexican, and the couple made a point of speaking Spanish to their children when raising them. Bush also lived in several Latin American countries, giving him an understanding of different Latino cultures, experts say.

Alfonso Aguilar, a GOP analyst and director of American Principles in Actions Latino Partnership, thinks Rubio can garner support from Latinos if he makes himself known to them on a national level, and expands his support in the community beyond just fellow Cuban-Americans.

Aguilar said that Rubio may be able to brush off the stigma that Republicans generally have among Latinos as being hostile to immigrants because he was a core part of a bipartisan Senate comprehensive immigration reform bill in 2013 that, among other things, called for allowing certain undocumented immigrants to legalize their status.

Susan McManus, a political science professor at the University of South Florida, said to the Washington Times that Latinos may become excited about helping one of their own make history.

There will be a number of Hispanics who are drawn to the idea of breaking a big barrier down, she said, and that will grab some peoples attention.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A 2006 law doesn't bar public benefits for immigrants lawfully in the U.S., a Maricopa County judge ruled Tuesday, therefore those granted deferred deportation status by the Obama administration are eligible for in-state college tuition.

Superior Court Judge Arthur Anderson's decision came in response to a lawsuit filed by former Attorney General Tom Horne against the Maricopa County Community College District.

Horne contended that so-called "dreamers" offered deferred action status were not legally present in the U.S. and could not get state benefits because of the 2006 voter-enacted law known as Proposition 300.

But Anderson's ruling said the federal government considers recipients of deferred action lawfully present.

"Federal law, not state law, determines who is lawfully present in the U.S.," Anderson wrote. "The state cannot establish subcategories of 'lawful presence,' picking and choosing when it will consider DACA recipients lawfully present and when it will not."

The ruling only applies to Maricopa County Community Colleges and does not set statewide legal precedent. But it could help back up arguments by other colleges. Pima Community College offers in-state tuition for deferred action students, and state university regents are considering a lower tuition rate for them that is above in-state rates.

"Obviously for the universities and for community colleges districts right now, it's certainly valid for them to view this as something that does has some precedential value to them in terms of the fact that it is construing a state statute," said Lynne Adams, the attorney who represented the college district in the case.

President Barack Obama created the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program in 2012 for young people who had been brought to the United States illegally as children.

The community college district began offering lower in-state tuition to DACA recipients shortly after Obama's action, and Horne challenged it in court.

College district Chancellor Rufus Glasper said he knows the state disagreed with the district's decision to offer lower tuition to dreamers. "And what we asked for initially is let someone independent of the two different parties make that judgment, and the judge did that today," Glasper said.

Enrollment dropped by more than 10,000 students when the district implemented state rules on legal status required by Proposition 300, he said. Costs went from $91 per credit hour to $314 credit hour, with full-time student taking 30 units per year.

Glasper said about 1,200 students are getting lower tuition under the DACA guidelines and more are out there. "So we believe that our students benefit from this, and I believe those other additional DACA students out there can see this as an opportunity and return back to our campuses," he said.

A spokeswoman for current Attorney General Mark Brnovich was working to get a comment on the ruling.

The ruling comes one day after the state university Board of Regents advanced a proposal to provide dreamers with lower non-resident tuition. But the regents' plan falls short of offering in-state tuition, and they contend that requiring deferred action students to pay 150 percent of that rate covers the complete cost of their education without using state money.

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
With immigration reform stalled in Congress, a small but growing number of colleges are rolling out their own welcome mats for young people residing in the United States illegally or under temporary deportation reprieves.

Schools in California, Illinois and other states with large immigrant populations are offering in-house grants, scholarships from private donors, law clinics and additional support for such students.

Starting Thursday, University of California President Janet Napolitano will host a two-day national conference on how colleges and universities can better serve their legally insecure students.

St. Peter's University in New Jersey announced in November that it was creating a center like the one at UC Davis. Emory University in Atlanta, New York University and Tufts University outside Boston plan to start allowing immigrant students to enter this fall and compete with U.S. citizens for need-based financial aid.

"The things we do for our undocumented students are no different than what we should do for all of our students, which is help them succeed," said Daniel Lopez, associate vice president for student affairs at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago, which has assigned an adviser and trained faculty to work with about 265 Eastern European, Korean and Latin American students without legal residency.

The efforts build on the passage in at least 21 states of laws or policies allowing unauthorized immigrants to pay resident tuition rates at public institutions.

The trend has not been without controversy. After California State University, Long Beach created a staffed meeting place for its estimated 650 Dreamers in March, members of the College Republicans chapter at the school asked the system's governing board to intervene.

So far, the Board of Trustees has declined. Three other Cal State campuses have similar programs.

California is one of five states where students who are ineligible for federal aid and loans because of their immigration status can apply for state financial aid.

Immigrant youth in California have found an unexpected ally in Napolitano, a former Homeland Security secretary.

Undocumented students and supporters previously argued that Napolitano had overseen a record number of deportations as head of the federal agency, and they were the most vocal critics of her 2013 appointment to lead the 10-campus UC system.

After assuming the post, Napolitano pledged $5 million to support UC's unauthorized immigrant students, estimated at about 2,000 this year.

Money has gone to financial aid and to fund the Davis student center and related offices at six other campuses. Two lawmakers have proposed expanding to the rest of the state's public universities and 112 community colleges.

Napolitano has earmarked another $750,000 to expand campus-based legal services for students and their families.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Hillary Rodham Clinton is giving immigration a prominent role in her 2016 presidential campaign, reassuring skeptics and seeking to cast Republican presidential candidates as obstacles to overhauling the nation's immigration system.

Clinton said Tuesday that any immigration legislation must include a path to "full and equal citizenship" and defended President Barack Obama's use of executive actions to shield millions of immigrants from deportation as a necessary move in the face of congressional inaction.

"I will fight for comprehensive immigration reform and a path to citizenship for you and for families across our country," Clinton said at a Las Vegas high school, joined in the library by students who have been protected by Obama's executive actions. "I will fight to stop partisan attacks on the executive actions that would put Dreamers ... at risk of deportation."

She added, "if Congress refuses to act, as president I will do everything possible under the law to go even further."

Taking on the GOP field, Clinton said "not a single Republican candidate" has supported a path to citizenship for immigrants living in the United States illegally. "When they talk about legal status, that is code for second-class status," she said.

Clinton's remarks came during her first campaign stop in Nevada  she was spending Wednesday and the remainder of the week raising money in California  and underscored Democrats' efforts to box-in Republican presidential candidates who have opposed a comprehensive bill including a pathway to citizenship. Congressional Republicans have said the changes must be made incrementally, beginning with stronger border security.

The issue resonates with many Hispanic Americans, who backed President Barack Obama by wide margins over Republican Mitt Romney in 2012 and helped the president's re-election campaign capture several hard-fought swing states, including Florida, Colorado and Nevada.

Republicans have sought to repair relations with Latino voters, led by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who have courted Hispanics and talked about ways to overhaul the immigration system while opposing Obama's executive actions last year to shield millions of immigrants from deportation.

Beyond Latino voters and Democrats, Clinton's words were also aimed at skeptics in immigration advocacy groups who have questioned her commitment to the issue.

Clinton voted for immigration overhaul measures in the Senate but has been tripped up by the issue in the past. During the 2008 primaries, she initially vacillated on and then opposed allowing immigrants living in the U.S. illegally to obtain driver's licenses. Her campaign said last month she now supports state policies that allow driver's licenses under those circumstances.

Last summer, Clinton drew grumbles from immigration advocates when she said unaccompanied minors from Central America should be sent back to their homes. In the fall, some young Hispanics heckled her at a few campaign events, urging her to pressure Obama to issue the executive orders.

Republicans questioned Clinton's commitment to the issue, pointing to her initial hesitation to back the executive actions last year.

"Obviously she's pretty good at pandering and flipping and flopping and doing and saying anything she needs to say," Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said in Denver.

Obama's executive actions loom large in the immigration debate. The orders included the expansion of a program protecting young immigrants from deportation if they were brought to the U.S. illegally as children. Another provision extended deportation protections to parents of U.S. citizens and permanent residents who have been in the country for several years.

Twenty-six states, including Nevada, have sued to block the plan, and a New Orleans-based 5th Circuit Court of Appeals panel is considering a challenge.

Clinton, the leading Democrat in the presidential race, signaled she would build upon Obama's executive actions if elected president as a means of pressuring Congress to overhaul the system, a goal that has eluded both Obama and his Republican predecessor, George W. Bush. The Senate passed a comprehensive immigration bill in 2013 but it stalled in the GOP-led House.

Seated in the library at Rancho High School, which has a predominantly Hispanic student body, Clinton heard from several young immigrants, most of whom came to the U.S. as children and received legal status under Obama's executive action. Many said they were worried about their families and work opportunities.

Clinton is scheduled to spend the rest of the week in California at fundraisers in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Silicon Valley.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
During a festive Cinco de Mayo celebration at the White House, President Barack Obama couldn't help but reflect on the swings that have confronted his attempts to tackle immigration. "I just want to remind everybody that progress is not always a straight line," he said.

It has been more than a year since he was first denounced as "deporter-in-chief," and he now was clearly savoring a friendlier atmosphere.

But few domestic policies have presented Obama with as many policy and political challenges as immigration. Buffeted by failed legislation, activist criticism, election year sensitivities and now judicial review of his latest executive actions, Obama has found that his self-described goal of fixing a broken immigration system is still not fully in his grasp.

"Sometimes you have to take this turn and that turn, go over this mountain and that valley," he told guests invited to the White House to observe the Mexican holiday.

At last year's Cinco de Mayo observance, Obama still held out hope that House Republicans would follow the Senate and pass a broad overhaul of immigration laws. It didn't happen and Obama faced a backlash from pro-immigrant groups who demanded he act on his own. Youth activists were calling on him to order a halt to most deportations of people living in the U.S. illegally. Protesters interrupted his speeches. Demonstrators gathered outside the White House gates.

Putting off his action until after the November election, Obama made his move Nov. 20 with some of the most sweeping changes to immigration laws, taking executive action to spare up to 5 million people, mostly parents and the young, from deportations. The administration also set new enforcement priorities that could make it easier for many more people in the U.S. illegally to stay in the country.

Marielena Hincapie, the executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, said Obama's executive actions amounted to "one of the most significant immigration policy changes in the last decade."

But the breadth of Obama's actions has raised constitutional questions. The main beneficiaries of Obama's actions are immigrants who have been in the U.S. illegally for more than five years but whose children are citizens or lawful permanent residents. Several states challenge the actions and a federal judge has halted their implementation as the case wends its way through the courts.

Republican lawmakers have unsuccessfully sought to halt funding for the program as well, calling it a vast overreach of Obama's authority.

"The immigrant community is hopeful that the implementation of those executive actions is inevitable, but the delay hurts," Hincapie said. "Every day that we continue without those executive actions being implemented means another day with injustices happening in our community."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Political leaders, analysts and pollsters agree: Its quite likely Latinos will decide who takes the seat Democrat Barbara Boxer is leaving vacant in the U.S. Senate to represent California.

More than 14.5 million Latinos live in California, the state with the largest Hispanic population in the nation. Latinos are also the fastest-growing segment of the electorate in the Golden State, and about 42 percent will be eligible to vote in November 8, 2016, the first open Senate seat contest in 24 years.

As the community continues to grow, even without a large turnout it still allows for Latinos to have a significant impact [in the elections], said Dan Schnur, Director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at University of Southern Californias (USC) Dornsife College.

It would be possible for a candidate to win without the Latino support, he added, but very unlikely.

Latino voter registration has increased sharply over the last three decades in California. In 1980, the share of registered Hispanic voters was 7 percent. By 2012 it had jumped to 24 percent.

That number is expected to continue rising as a large amount of Californias Hispanic population turns 18 and becomes eligible to vote.

It is estimated that by 2016 the Golden State will have 1.35 million new Latino voters, accounting for 82 percent of the states growth in eligible voters.

But Latino turnout rate has been low during the last elections, with a rate of 31.2 percent in 2010 compared to 77 percent among non-Hispanic whites.

Nevertheless, experts agree that Latino voter participation in 2016 will be large enough to influence the outcome at the polls.

They will turnout in great numbers, especially if some issues have not been dealt with by 2016, like immigration reform, said Carlos Munoz Jr., UC Berkeley professor emeritus and Latino politics expert.

This election will matter more to Latinos than in the past, he added.

Munoz Jr. also notes that California voters will probably be more motivated to go to the polls in 2016 because of the presidential election going on the same day. Theres more going on in a presidential campaign, he said. Theres more media attention and issues get more coverage, so people get into it.

Hispanic politicians are taking note.

In the Democratic camp two have hinted their candidacies. If they decide to run, U.S. Representatives Loretta Sanchez from Orange County and Xavier Becerra from Los Angeles could pose a serious threat to apparent frontrunner California State Attorney Kamala Harris, also a Democrat.

In a USC Dornsife/La Times poll about the U. S. California Senate race conducted last February, 42 percent of Latinos favored the former mayor of Los Angeles Antonio Villaraigosa, who was then considered to be a possible candidate but later declined to run.

USCs Schnur, who was head of the survey, said those results show how much Hispanics would favor a Latino candidate.

He had a 3-1 lead [against Harris] among Latino voters. That is an overwhelming majority, he added. If either Sanchez or Becerra decide to enter the race, it would make Harris challenge much harder.

Adrian Pantoja, a senior analyst at Latino Decisions, said Latinos will continue to make significant gains in California in 2016.

In a close race, Latinos are the deciding factor, he added. It would be extremely hard for Harris to win the Senate race without Latino support.

Political observers of the California Senate race assume that the chances of challenging Harris are thinner for San Diego Republican candidate Rocky Chavez because of the Republican Partys position on immigration.

Latinos are concerned about other issues, but they identify immigration as a Latino issue, he added.

A solid majority - 59 percent - of Latino likely voters are registered as Democrats, 18 percent are registered as Republicans and 17 percent as independent.

However, the Berkeley professor notes that the focus on the California race should not be limited to assuming that the Latino vote is either Democrat or Republican.

Many Latinos are disappointed with the Democratic Party, he said. Both of those parties have not done much that would result in meaningful changes to those affected by them.

Latinos are more and more involved in third-party politics and realize that those two parties do not necessarily represent them, added Munoz Jr.
Chilean President Michelle Bachelet said on Wednesday that she has asked all her cabinet ministers to submit their resignations, and she will decide who stays and who leaves in the next 72 hours.

Bachelet is faced with the lowest approval ratings of her political career and recently acknowledged that corruption scandals have rocked her administration.

"Some hours ago I asked all of my ministers to submit their resignation," Bachelet said in a local Chanel 13 interview with Mario Kreutzberger, better known as Don Francisco, the popular host of "Sabado Gigante."

"This is the time for a cabinet change."

Chile's corruption is among the lowest in South America. But trust in politicians and the business elite has been eroded amid a recent bank loan scandal involving Bachelet's son, as well as a campaign financing scandal involving right-wing politicians and a prominent financial company.

The recent controversy involving her family has taken a big toll on Bachelet's image, as she won the presidency last year promising to fight against Chile's inequalities.

"I think the corruption scandals are part of it, but everything points to this as being a reaction to her low popularity ratings," said Guillermo Holzman, a political science professor at the University of Valparaiso.

"The announcement, the way she does it and the surprise it caused lead us to think that this could part of a profound change."

A poll released on Wednesday shows Bachelet's approval rating at 31 percent in April, unchanged from March. That's the lowest for her current administration as well as her 2006-2010 presidency.

The survey was carried out by Gfk Adimark, which surveyed 1,049 people between April 7and 29. It has an error margin of 3 percentage points.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
"Path to citizenship," "legal status," "amnesty": These terms surround the discussion of immigration in the United States and the fate of the 11 million or so undocumented migrants in the country, and now they have taken center stage in the early stages of the 2016 presidential election.

The elevated focus on immigration shines new light on the growing willingness of Republican presidential contenders  including past opponents of an immigration overhaul in Congress  to let such immigrants stay in the U.S. Such a position is regarded as "amnesty" by the GOP's tea party wing, yet it is quietly becoming the majority view in a 2016 Republican presidential class eager to attract Hispanic voters.

For one, former Florida governor Jeb Bush, who has not yet officially declared that he's running for the Republican nomination, has made allowing people in the country illegally who have no other criminal record to gain legal status a centerpiece of his immigration position.

As he does in most public appearances, Bush cited "11 million people that should come out from the shadows and receive earned legal status" at last week's speech to the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. Such immigrants, he said, should be required to pay taxes, work and not receive government benefits.

Hillary Rodham Clinton injected new fire into the immigration debate this week with her call to allow people in the country illegally to gain citizenship and suggesting that when politicians like Bush talk about allowing people in the country illegally to remain here, "That is code for second-class status."

"This will be a defining issue in the election," Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook told CNBC on Wednesday.

It's unclear how much the distinction between citizenship and legal status matters to Hispanic voters, a growing slice of the electorate nationally and an important factor in presidential swing states such as Florida, Colorado and Nevada. For many, the priority is simply to avoid deportation.

A new Associated Press-GfK poll  conducted before Clinton's comments were made  found that Republican voters in the U.S. overwhelmingly favor a candidate who would reverse President Barack Obama's unilateral action to postpone deportations. But most could see themselves voting for someone who would keep that policy in place.

The poll found that most Americans don't see much difference between providing people who are in the country illegally legal status and letting them gain citizenship.

"This country has always had open doors," said Dean Talmadge, a Republican from suburban Seattle. "I don't just have a problem with immigration, as long as they are here, working and following the rules."

According to the poll, Americans favor a path to citizenship by 53 to 44 percent. It did not make a significant difference if respondents were asked instead whether they supported a path to legal status short of citizenship: 50 percent said they favored it and 48 percent opposed.

The rhetoric of the GOP candidates reflects that broad support for allowing such immigrants to stay, but only Bush has made that point a focus of his message to voters.

Bush's aides view Clinton's comments as a direct criticism and a sign that Democrats are worried about losing Hispanic votes to him. Bush is fluent in Spanish and uses it in his campaign. His wife is from Mexico, and he has lived in Venezuela and Puerto Rico.

Bush wrote in his 2013 book "Immigration Wars" that withholding citizenship would be a suitable penalty for people who have entered the U.S. illegally. But Clint Bolick, his co-author and an adviser, said Bush would sign legislation that confers citizenship as long as he found other parts of the bill acceptable.

On that point, "he's open to compromise," Bolick told The Associated Press recently. Bush aides said Bolick's comments accurately reflect Bush's position.

Meanwhile Bush's GOP rival Marco Rubio has emphasized his own Cuban-American heritage and his family's humble roots. After failing to win support for his own legislation, which would have offered citizenship to immigrants in the country illegally if they met certain conditions, the Florida senator still supports giving them the opportunity to apply for permanent residency as long as they have not broken other laws.

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul voted against Rubio's bill but says the millions of people in the country illegally cannot all be sent home.

Even Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a conservative favorite who has been relatively consistent in opposing what he calls "amnesty," does not close the door on a pathway to legal status. He told the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce last week he did not want to discuss what would happen on that front until the border is secured.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who had endorsed citizenship but changed his mind in March, privately told Republicans in early voting states that he still supports a process to allow legal status. On Wednesday, Walker tweeted that Clinton's "full embrace of amnesty is unfair to hardworking Americans and immigrants who followed the law to achieve these rights."

All of the Republicans are eager to avoid the fate of 2012 presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, who earned just 27 percent of the Hispanic vote after endorsing "self-deportation" as a viable policy.

Even a modest improvement for the GOP with Hispanics could present a danger for the Democratic nominee. Bush's brother, George W. Bush, won his 2004 re-election with 40 percent of the Hispanic vote.

Yet Clinton's focus on immigration also creates risks for a Republican Party whose vocal minority sometimes says "terrible things" that alienate Hispanics, according to Alfonso Aguilar, a Republican who worked in the last Bush administration. He now leads the American Principles Project's Latino Partnership.

"If the next Republican nominee can't articulate a message that goes beyond border control, Latino voters will support Hillary by default," Aguilar said. "If the nominee is somebody like Marco or Jeb Bush, I think there's cause for concern for Democrats."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Despite the ongoing debate in Washington and on the campaign trail about immigration reform and the potential role in the military of undocumented immigrants who arrived in the country as young children, the United States Army has begun having dozens of them sign enlistment contracts under a special Department of Defense (DOD) program that would fast-track their path to citizenship.

Since March, 81 people who immigrated to the U.S. as children and qualify for President Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program have signed Army enlistment contracts for a special program that would fast-track them to citizenship if they are accepted. Such undocumented immigrants are frequently referred to as "Dreamers," after the DREAM Act, which has been introduced in Congress various times, but has failed to pass.

And there are thousands more hoping to join the armed forces, immigration attorney and retired Army Lt. Col. Margaret Stock told The Hill.

The 81 Dreamers who have signed enlistment contracts have not yet joined the Army: They still need to pass a background check to deemed qualified to enlist.

Stock  who in 1998 helped start the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest (MAVNI), program, which permits highly-skilled legal immigrants to enlist in the military and fast-tracks their citizenship applications  added that the DOD expanded the program from 1,500 enlistees to 3,000 in 2015 and 5,000 in fiscal year 2016, which begins in October.

Increasing the number of those who can be enrolled under the program was originally intended to make it easier to meet recruitment goals, but, Stock said, it also allowed the Army to accept Dreamers, as the MAVNI program already had a backlog of thousands of applicants.

"Otherwise, none of them would have been able to sign [enlistment] contracts, because there were no spaces left," she said.

Until 2014, MAVNI was limited to people who are legal permanent residents, but last September the Pentagon announced that Dreamers granted deportation protection by DACA, a program that would be expanded if President Obama's executive actions on immigration aren't struck down in court, would be made eligible for consideration under MAVNI.

At the time of the announcement, Pentagon spokesman, Lt. Cmdr. Nate Christensen, told Fox News Latino that Dreamers who wanted to join the military under MAVNI needed to show expertise in a field that the DOD considers vital to the national interest.

Typically, he added, that includes certain health care professionals in areas where the military services have shortfalls and certain experts in languages critical to the Department.

According to Christensen, there is a minimum number of MAVNI slots reserved for health care professionals in the regular Army and the Army Reserve  260 in 2015, and 500 in 2016.

The DOD's "Critical Foreign Language" list does not include Spanish "as it is a common enough language spoken by many in our force already," Christensen noted. "However, if a MAVNI applicant is a Spanish-speaking certified and licensed health-care professional, then they can apply under [the] Health Care Professional category, as those positions have been deemed vital. So far, none have applied under the Health Care Professional category."

The possibility of letting Dreamers into a program that allows a fast-track to citizenship caused concern in some quarters, and the entire thing was put on hold before it began, officially for bureaucratic reasons. On March 27 of this year, the increased number of possible MAVNI enlistees was put in place, effective immediately.

Since its beginning in 1998, most applicants to MAVNI have been doctors who entered the active-duty Army and Army Reserve, receiving an officers commission once they attain their citizenship.

The other branches of the military dont rely on MAVNI recruitment nearly as much as the Army. In 2013, Military.com reported, the Air Force recruited just two people under the program, both brought in for their linguistic skills. The Navy recruited one doctor in 2009.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
The Senate overwhelmingly backed legislation Thursday that would let Congress review and possibly reject any final deal with Tehran.

The vote was 98-1 for the bipartisan bill that would give Congress a say on what could be a historic accord that the United States and five other nations are trying to finalize with Iran, which would get relief from crippling economy penalties.

The lone "no" vote came from freshman Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., who wants the administration to submit any agreement to the Senate as a treaty. Under the Constitution, that would require approval of two-thirds of the Senate.

The House is expected to vote next week on the measure.

2016 candidate, Sen. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said the bill puts Congress in a better position than having no say.

"At a minimum, at least it creates a process whereby the American people through their representatives can debate an issue of extraordinary importance," Rubio said.

"You talk about a region of the world that could have a nuclear arms race, one of the most unstable regions on the planet," he added in a statement to the press. "And so I hope were going to get a good deal. Im not hopeful that we will, but I think were better off if we have this process in place. And so I hope this bill passes here today so at least well have a chance to weigh in on an issue of critical importance."

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said in a statement moments after the vote that the "goal is to stop a bad agreement that could pave the way to a nuclear-armed Iran, set off a regional nuclear arms race, and strengthen and legitimize the government of Iran."

The U.S. and other nations negotiating with Tehran have long suspected that Iran's nuclear program is secretly aimed at atomic weapons capability. Tehran insists the program is entirely devoted to civilian purposes.

The talks resume next week in Vienna, with a target date of June 30 for a final agreement.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the bill "offers the best chance for our constituents through the Congress they elect to weigh in on the White House negotiations with Iran."

Added Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee: "No bill. No review."

The legislation would bar Obama from waiving congressional sanctions for at least 30 days while lawmakers examine any final deal. The bill would stipulate that if senators disapprove of the deal, Obama would lose his current power to waive certain economic penalties Congress has imposed on Iran.

The bill would require Congress to pass a resolution of disapproval to reject the deal, an action that Obama almost certainly would veto. Congress then would have to muster votes from two-thirds of each chamber to override the veto.

In the House, about 150 Democrats  enough to sustain a veto  wrote the president to express their strong support for the nuclear negotiations with Iran.

"We urge you to stay the course," the letter said. "We must allow our negotiating team the space and time necessary to build on the progress made in the political framework and turn it into a long-term, verifiable agreement."

The bill took a roller coaster ride to passage.

Obama first threatened to veto it. Then he said he would sign it if the measure was free of amendments the White House believed would make continued negotiations with Tehran virtually impossible.

It survived a blow from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who stood before Congress in March and warned the U.S. that an emerging nuclear agreement would pave Iran's path to atomic weapons.

"It is a very bad deal. We are better off without it," he said in a speech arranged by Republicans. His address aggravated strained relations with Obama and gambled with the long-standing bipartisan congressional support for Israel.

A few days later, Cotton and 46 of his GOP colleagues wrote a letter warning Iranian leaders that any deal with Obama could expire when he leaves office in January 2017.

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada accused the GOP of trying to undermine the commander in chief while empowering the ayatollahs who lead Iran.

In April, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed a compromise bill on a 19-0 vote. Obama withdrew his veto threat.

But Republicans were not done trying to change the bill, drawing up more than 60 amendments.

One, from Cotton, would have made any deal contingent on Iran's halting its support of terrorist activities that threaten Americans. Cotton used an unusual Senate procedural move to get his amendment heard.

McConnell did not want to see the bill end in tatters, so he acted to end the amendment process and have votes on the legislation.

"It is a virtual certainty that no matter how terrible this deal is, it will go into effect and this legislation is unlikely to stop it," said Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who is running for president.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
In a campaign stop in Nevada this week, Hillary Clinton went beyond pledging to protect President Barack Obamas controversial executive action on immigration and vowed to do more on behalf of those who are here illegally.

On Tuesday, Clinton said: "I will fight for comprehensive immigration reform and a path to citizenship for you and for families across our country. I will fight to stop partisan attacks on the executive actions that would put Dreamers ... at risk of deportation."

"If Congress refuses to act, as president I will do everything possible under the law to go even further, she said.

But the very next day, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest cast some doubt on Clintons promise, saying that Obama went as far as the law would allow him to when he established an initiative suspending deportation for three years for undocumented immigrants brought as minors, and allowing them to obtain work permits and federal benefits.

Although Earnest urged reporters on Wednesday to go to Clintons campaign staff with questions about her vow on immigration, several media outlets quoted the White House spokesman as saying: The president was determined to use as much authority as he could when he announced his executive actions in November.

Obama said then that he had consulted with the Office of Legal Counsel to make sure that the various forms of relief he wanted to extend to undocumented immigrants  both younger one and older ones who had children who are U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents  were all legally and constitutionally defensible.

Many of his Republican critics, however, have accused the president of making an end-run around Congress and acting unilaterally.

Obama said he was forced to take such executive action after Congress repeatedly failed to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill.

He had to scrap a part  extending deportation relief to undocumented parents of the undocumented immigrants given relief  he'd reportedly planned to include in the order after legal advisers told him it would be hard to defend in court.

Now, much of his 2014 executive action is on hold while the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals considers a request from the U.S. Department of Justice to reverse a Texas judge's decision temporarily blocking Obama's order. Oral arguments are scheduled for the week of July 6.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
The battle over who will succeed U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, the Florida Republican running for president, already is turning nasty, even though the primary in the state isnt until August 2016.

When U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, a conservative Republican, announced Wednesday that he is running for the seat, his supporters lauded the move and immediately questioned if an expected major GOP rival in the election, Rubios friend, Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, is more establishment than tea party.

Senate Conservatives Fund leader Ken Cuccinelli, who previously has said that he hoped DeSantis would run for Rubios seat, recently attacked Lopez-Canteras votes during his tenure in the Florida legislature.

Carlos Lopez-Cantera is not a conservative, Cuccinelli, the conservative former Virginia attorney general, was quoted as saying in The Palm Beach Post. He supported [former Florida Governor] Charlie Crist's budget that raised taxes by $2.2 billion, he supported in-state tuition for illegal aliens, and hes supported wasteful spending at the state level. If he runs, we will actively oppose his nomination.

Those kinds of comments sting some Republicans.

Many conservatives, many in the Senate are just not happy DeSantis has done this, Politico quoted an unnamed top-level GOP insider as saying. There are some people who are ready to give dollar-for-dollar to make sure any advantage DeSantis gets from these groups will be wiped out.

DeSantis is the first major Republican to announce plans to run for Rubio's seat. He will begin the campaign with more than $1 million raised from his 2014 re-election campaign to the House.

Lopez-Cantera has yet to officially announce that he is running, and plenty of others are expected to toss their hats into the ring, including Reps. Jeff Miller, David Jolly, former state Attorney General Bill McCollum and state Sen. Don Gaetz, Politico reports.

One Lopez-Cantrera backer, Miami billionaire and former Philadelphia Eagles owner, Norman Braman, balked at the verbal shots critics have taken at the lieutenant governors votes when he was a state legislator.

Its complete nonsense what theyre saying, Politico quoted him as saying. What the Legislature did during that period was heroic, considering all of the problems Florida faced as one of the hardest-hit states in the recession when we had high foreclosures and job losses.

Its not the Club for Growth or Senate Conservatives Fund that will ultimately decide this election  but the voters of Florida, Braman said. And Ill defer to the voters rather than leave that to these D.C.-based groups to make that decision.

Democratic candidates who enter the race are not expected to be exactly warm and fuzzy to each other either.

So far, the ones considered likeliest to run are two U.S. congressmen, centrist Patrick Murphy and liberal Alan Grayson.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
For Salomon Melgen, there was not to be a get-out-of-jail card.

Melgen, the Florida doctor charged with corruption alongside New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, was ordered to remain behind bars while awaiting trial for alleged Medicare fraud.

Attorneys for 60-year-old Melgen said their client posed no risk of fleeing. But U.S. Magistrate Judge James Hopkins sided Friday with prosecutors who said the ophthalmologist's extraordinary wealth gave him a chance to go anywhere in the world, particularly his native Dominican Republic, where he has close ties to government officials.

A 76-count indictment claims Melgen falsely diagnosed patients with eye conditions that allowed him to perform unnecessary and costly procedures. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges, as well as those in the separate New Jersey case, in which he's accused of swapping donations and vacations for favors from Menendez.

The ophthalmologist earned more than $200 million from his practice since 2008 and is close to high-ranking officials in his native Dominican Republic.

In terse exchanges with Hopkins, the defense was questioned on its conversations with court staff before the hearing amid suggestions of "judge shopping."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
In the traffic jam that is the Republican presidential race, Sen. Marco Rubio stands out  and not just for his youth and blue-collar, Cuban-American biography.

Rubio has issued the most detailed economic agenda to aid the middle class, anchored by a book on countering the wage stagnation that has exacerbated inequality between the rich and the rest. Rivals Jeb Bush, Chris Christie and others have similarly decried the growing gap between the haves and have-nots, signaling that Republicans are eager to address a traditionally Democratic issue after seven years of disappointing economic growth.

But the party's challenges in doing so are laid bare by Rubio's single biggest economic proposal  a massive tax cut bound to drive up the debt by as much as $4 trillion over the first decade.

That approach is in keeping with right-leaning economic thinking, that the best way to spark growth and increase wages is to reduce the tax burden on businesses, the wealthy and investors. But that has exposed Republicans to Democratic criticism that they favor the rich. Rubio is not exempt from that, despite presenting himself as a champion of the middle class.

"What he says he wants to do and what he actually does are two very different things," said Howard Gleckman of the Tax Policy Center, who has studied the outline put forward by Rubio and Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee. The institute is a research organization of the centrist Brookings Institution and left-of-center Urban Institute.

Rubio's campaign said he wasn't available for an interview, but in his writings he argues that Democratic solutions have not worked.

"For conservatives especially, this is a defining moment," the Florida senator writes in his book "American Dreams." ''The failure of government-centered, command-and-control liberalism to lift the poor and sustain the middle class is apparent as never before. Whether we are able to step forward with our own solutions  and not simply rail against the expansion of the state  will determine our future as a movement."

In his book, Rubio floats several proposals to make college more affordable and for government to give money directly to low-income workers earning up to $40,000 a year. These ideas are not as fleshed out as his still-evolving tax plan.

His plan would set just two rates: 15 percent for those making less than $75,000 (or families earning under $150,000) and 35 percent for all making more. That would bring the top tax rate down only by four percentage points, not enough, some conservative economists complain, to stimulate growth adequately.

The main benefit to the wealthy would come from eliminating all taxes on investment income, which is how most of the nation's richest people make their money.

"A tax reform that'd make Mitt Romney's tax liability close to zero is going to strike most Americans as weird and not beneficial to them," said James Pethokoukis of the conservative American Enterprise Institute. He said Rubio's plan has economic merits but political hurdles. "It's a heavy lift."

The plan replaces most deductions with a credit of up to $2,000 per filer and expands the child tax credit to $2500 to aid families, a long-held goal of some conservatives who complain the GOP's tax policy is too focused on cutting top rates and not enough on helping regular Americans. Finally, the plan would reduce all corporate taxes to 25 percent and eliminates double taxation on business investment.

Grover Norquist, a prominent low-tax activist, praised Rubio's tax plan, predicting its credits for middle class families would be enough to win voters' support even if more benefit might go to the wealthy. "My 6-year-old worries her sister's getting a bigger ice cream cone than she is," Norquist said. "But most people are just happy to get an ice cream cone."

But some conservatives complain Rubio's plan does not cut the rates paid by the wealthiest Americans enough. "A 35 percent top rate is too high," said Daniel Mitchell, an analyst at the Cato Institute.

The conservative Tax Foundation agrees with other analysts that Rubio's tax cut would hit the treasury in its first years. But, embracing the supply-side argument that tax cuts stimulate growth, it projects that the lost revenue would be regained after 10 years by a stronger economy.

Rubio's plan is circulating as House Republicans have discussed lowering the top rate even more, into the 20s. Some of Rubio's GOP presidential rivals, like Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky, have talked about a flat tax.

Republicans are too focused "on lowering the top tax rate really deeply," Pethokoukis said. "People are very skeptical that big tax cuts for rich people are going to help the economy enough to reach the average person."

Gleckman is one of those, but he did have praise for Rubio.

Compared with the other candidates, Gleckman said, "he's come up with a pretty specific plan. You've got to give the guy some credit for putting something on the table."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
University of California students living illegally in the United States have disrupted a speech by UC President Janet Napolitano at a summit on undocumented students.

The San Jose Mercury reports that dozens of undocumented students suddenly stood and raised their fists in the air as Napolitano greeted 260 attendees from across the nation Thursday in Oakland.

The summit was held to share ideas on admitting, retaining and supporting students who lack legal immigration status.

The student protesters demanded Napolitano listen to them. Several other undocumented students heckled the UC chief before all of them walked out.

Napolitano says she wants the students to channel their energy into something positive. She adds she already has started meeting with undocumented students and has announced $5 million to provide more resources to meet their needs.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Republican senators eyeing the presidency split over the renewal of the USA Patriot Act surveillance law, with civil libertarians at odds with traditional defense hawks who back tough spying powers in the fight against terrorism.

The political divide will be on stark display this month as Congress debates reauthorization of the post-Sept. 11 law ahead of a June 1 deadline. The broader question of privacy rights has gained attention since a former National Security Agency systems administrator, Edward Snowden, disclosed in 2013 that the NSA had been collecting and storing data on nearly every American's phone calls for years.

On one side, Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina want Congress to permanently reauthorize parts of the law, giving the NSA much of its surveillance authority.

If there were another attack, "the first question out of everyone's mouth is going to be, 'why didn't we know about it?'" Rubio said this week in a speech on the Senate floor. "And the answer better not be, 'because this Congress failed to authorize a program that might have helped us know about it.'"

The rise of Islamic State militants, the continued threat from al-Qaida and the ongoing civil war in Syria have pushed national security to the forefront in the 2016 race for the GOP nomination, with some candidates determined to show their toughness. On NSA surveillance, however, Americans are wary of government intrusion.

Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky say the law infringes on citizens' privacy.

"They want nothing more than to keep the national security spy state growing until it tracks, traces and catalogues virtually every detail about every aspect of our lives," Paul said in a campaign email to his supporters. "Once government bureaucrats know every aspect of our lives  what we watch, what we buy, what we eat, where we worship  it won't be long until they try to run them 'for our own good.'"

Under the law, the NSA collects information on the number called and the date and time of the call, then stores it in a database that it queries using phone numbers associated with terrorists overseas. Officials say they don't use the information for any other purpose, and that the legal powers that enable the program are essential to the hunt for terrorists. Opponents say the seizure and search of telephone company records violates Americans' expectations of privacy under the Fourth Amendment.

Adding a wrinkle to the debate was Thursday's federal appeals court ruling that the bulk collection of Americans' phone records is illegal. The court all but pleaded for Congress to sharpen the boundaries between security and privacy rights.

The House is slated to vote next week on a bill to reauthorize the law while also ending the government's dragnet collection of records, and Cruz has endorsed the measure, saying it "strikes the right balance between privacy rights and national security interests."

But Senate leaders, including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., the chairman of the Intelligence Committee, have spoken forcefully for a competing measure to reauthorize the law as-is.

Across Congress, the political divisions cut along complex lines. Libertarian-leaning Republicans like Cruz and Paul are aligned with many liberal Democrats, insisting that a secret intelligence agency should not be storing the records of every American phone call. But other Democrats and Republicans say the program is needed now more than ever given the Islamic State group's determination to inspire terrorist attacks on American soil.

Graham, the only one of the four who has not formally announced his candidacy, is siding with Rubio in favor of the NSA's spy powers but competing with him for support among defense hawks.

"I'm open-minded to doing reforms," Graham told reporters Thursday. "I just don't want to diminish the capacity of the program to prevent another 9/11. I believe if the program were in operation before 9/11, we probably would have prevented 9/11."

Sen. John McCain, the GOP's 2008 presidential nominee, previewed one likely argument. He cited the incident in Texas last Sunday in which two gunmen were shot dead while trying to attack a provocative event that featured cartoon images of the Prophet Muhammad. In the aftermath, authorities described an alarming trend involving potential homegrown extremists with access to social media and possible exposure to Islamic State group propaganda.

"We must do everything in our power to stop these attacks before they happen," McCain, the Senate Armed Services Committee chairman, said.

FBI Director James Comey said Thursday that although the bureau had opened a new investigation into one of the gunmen, Elton Simpson, agents had no reason to believe he was going to attack the event.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
The U.S. government says it "erroneously" awarded three-year work permits to 2,000 people under President Barack Obama's executive immigration action after a judge had put the plan on hold.

The revelation is the second time the federal government has had to clarify whether part of the immigration plan had been implemented after a court order that put it on hold.

In a court document filed Thursday, the Justice Department said that U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services discovered that about 2,000 individuals had been mistakenly sent three-year work authorizations after U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen in Brownsville, Texas, issued a preliminary injunction on Feb. 16 that temporarily blocked the immigration action.

Hanen issued the injunction at the request of a coalition of 26 states, led by Texas, which have filed a lawsuit to stop Obama's action. A decision from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans is pending on whether to lift the injunction.

"The government sincerely regrets these circumstances and is taking prompt corrective steps, while gathering additional information about these issues, including how these errors occurred," the Justice Department wrote in its three-page advisory to Hanen.

The department said the 2,000 individuals had been eligible to receive two-year work permits under a 2012 program and that the three-year work permits were being converted into ones for two years.

The department did not immediately respond to a phone call or email seeking comment late Friday.

In a statement, Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said the actions by Justice Department lawyers "show a blatant disregard for the rule of law."

"After months of obfuscation and stall tactics by the Obama Administration, the president's lawyers have been forced to admit that they acted outside the law by implementing the president's executive amnesty  even after a federal judge had ordered them to stop," Abbott said.

In his April ruling, Hanen called the federal government "misleading" after it revealed that more than 108,000 people had already received three-year reprieves from deportation as well as work permits when the judge had believed that no action would be taken on Obama's immigration plan before he issued a ruling on the injunction.

Justice Department attorneys have apologized for any confusion regarding the 108,000 reprieves and while insisting they were granted under a 2012 program that wasn't affected by the injunction.

Obama announced the executive action in November, saying lack of action by Congress forced him to make sweeping changes to immigration rules on his own. Republicans said Obama overstepped his authority.

Obama's proposed action includes expansion of a program that protects young immigrants from deportation if they were brought to the U.S. illegally as children and another that extends deportation protections to parents of U.S. citizens and permanent residents who have been in the country for some years.

Along with Texas, the states seeking to block Obama's action are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Guatemala's once-powerful vice president formally lost her post Saturday as the congress accepted her resignation, leaving office amid a customs corruption scandal that has implicated her former private secretary.

In a letter released late Friday, Roxana Baldetti said the move means she is giving up her immunity from possible prosecution and promised "to collaborate with all investigations" into the graft scheme. She has denied any involvement in the alleged bribery.

President Oscar Perez Molina called the decision "brave" and said it was a personal decision. Legislators voted 149-0 at a special session to accept her stepping down.

A court later issued an order barring Baldetti from leaving the country during the investigation. The order was sought by Guatemalan prosecutors and a U.N. commission formed to investigate criminal networks and fight impunity in the Central American country.

Baldetti is the first Guatemalan vice president to step down due to a corruption case, although prosecutors have not implicated her in the scandal and she denies involvement.

The resignation shows the continuing impact of the U.N. commission, which has been in Guatemala since 2007. It worked with prosecutors who brought charges in the customs case.

Baldetti's former aide, Juan Carlos Monzon Rojas, is alleged to have been the ringleader of a scheme to defraud the state of millions of dollars by taking bribes in exchange for lower customs duties. Monzon's last known whereabouts were overseas, and he is currently being sought by authorities.

Recent days had seen rising calls for Baldetti's resignation by protesters and influential business leaders. The country's Constitutional Court ruled that congress would have the power to strip her of the immunity from prosecution that came with her office.

After the announcement of her resignation, hundreds of people celebrated in the streets of the capital, shooting off firecrackers and honking horns.

"Roxana's resignation is a victory for the people!" jubilant protesters chanted in central Constitution Square.

Thousands more turned out for another celebratory rally Saturday.

A former journalist and businesswoman, Baldetti was one of the founders of Perez Molina's conservative Patriotic Party in 2001, served as head of its congressional delegation and was its secretary-general until earlier this year.

Her resignation adds to disarray for the governing party ahead of the Sept. 6 elections. Its presidential candidate, Alejandro Sinibaldi, quit the party last month, complaining of corruption and of feuds with Baldetti. Perez Molina's approval ratings have been plummeting.

Perez Molina said he would send congress a list of three names from which a new vice president can be selected.

At least 50 private citizens and public officials, including Guatemala's current and former tax chiefs, are suspects in the customs scandal. Prosecutors said 27 are in custody.

Earlier Friday, authorities arrested five lawyers who allegedly bribed a judge to free suspects jailed in connection with the case.

Prosecutors and a U.N. investigative commission said the attorneys paid Judge Marta Sierra Stalling to release the three suspects on bail.

Authorities revoked bail and were seeking to lift Sierra Stalling's judicial immunity in order to launch an investigation.

In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke expressed support of Perez Molina's "efforts to address charges of official corruption in Guatemala," as well as the U.N. panel known as the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio spoke only briefly Saturday, taking just a few minutes on stage before conservative activists in South Carolina to share the story of his family's immigration to the United States.

"I have a debt to America that I will never be able to repay," he said.

Rubio recounted how his parents emigrated from Cuba and worked menial jobs after their arrival in this county. But he praised them for saving their money, raising four children, buying a home and living the "American dream."

He said: "They were never rich or famous, but they were successful," and added that his parents had "limited skills," but "it paid enough for them to get a better life."

Rubio, who declared his candidacy for president last month, said Saturday that people are now wondering if those days are over. He said the U.S. economy is still struggling and America is being challenged all over the word  by Iran, Russia and China.

He said: "There are question about whether the American dream will survive much longer. And he noted that too many people are "living from paycheck to paycheck," graduating from college owing thousands in student loans and are unable to find jobs.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Hillary Clinton said last week that if elected president, she would expand on the executive actions President Obama took last fall to grant legal work permits to millions of immigrants in this country illegally.

Immigration activists were paying attention and are now trying to use her stance on immigration to pressure Obama to do more.

The White House insists that Obama went as far as he legally could. But Clinton said she would do more than her fellow Democrat, including extending deportation protections to the parents of so-called "Dreamers"  immigrants brought illegally to this country as youths.

Activists with a group called NotOneMoreDeportation.com said Monday they are sending a letter to the White House urging Obama to follow Clinton's lead.

"President Obama could make the changes to the immigration enforcement system outlined by Clinton, now," said the letter provided to The Associated Press. "If Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party believe in these changes as more than talking points, they should move for President Obama to enact them immediately with the urging and vocal support of his party."

Immigration is emerging as an important issue in the presidential campaign, with Clinton using it to differentiate herself from her Republican opponents, who oppose the unilateral steps Obama took.

But Clinton's comments also opened a split with the current president of her own party, one that immigration activists hope to use to their advantage.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest, when asked about Clinton's comments, said that Obama had already gone as far as he could.

"The president was determined to use as much of his authority as he could to try to bring some much needed accountability to our broken immigration system. And that was reflected in the announcement that he made," Earnest said.

The activists' letter also pointed to comments Clinton made questioning conditions in immigrant detention centers, and urged Obama to end detentions of vulnerable populations including pregnant women and transgender people.

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
In what has become something of a pattern, a journalist has apologized to Sen. Ted Cruz for comments or questions that have appeared to measure how Latino he really is and have been derided as discriminatory.

The latest: Mark Halperin, the managing editor of Bloomberg Politics. Halperin conducted an interview with the presidential candidate in recent weeks in which he seemed to interrogate Cruz, whose father is a Cuban immigrant, about how Latino he really was  he asked him to name a Cuban dish, a Cuban entertainer and also requested that he say a few words in Spanish.

The senator reacted politely to each question, sometimes even with a slight smile. He said there was a Cuban cultural presence in his home when he was growing up, and that his favorite Cuban dish is picadillo (ground beef). He said he did not have a favorite Cuban entertainer because, as a Texan, he preferred country music. He declined to speak Spanish.

After the backlash over the interview, which went nearly unnoticed in the public media until syndicated columnist Ruben Navarrette recently focused on it and slammed it as racist, Halperin issued an apology.

We wanted to talk with Senator Cruz about his outreach to Latino voters the day after he spoke at the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Halperin said in a publicly released statement.

My intent was to give the Senator a chance to speak further about his heritage and personal connections to the community through some casual questions. I rushed through the questions and that was a mistake. It led to poor tone and timing. I also understand why some felt the questions were inappropriate.

As for asking Senator Cruz to welcome Senator Sanders to the race in Spanish, that was meant to be the type of light hearted banter that he's done with us before on the show, Halperin said. In no way was I asking Senator Cruz to prove he was an authentic Latino. I apologize to those that were offended and to Senator Cruz. I promise that I will work to make the tone and questions better next time.

Cruz quickly responded to the apology via his Facebook page.

Mark Halperin is a serious and fair-minded journalist, Cruz said. Today he kindly issued an apology for some silly questions he asked me in an interview. The apology was unnecessary  no offense was taken, nor, I believe, intended  but is certainly appreciated.

I'm proud of my Cuban heritage, my father's journey from oppression and prison in Cuba to freedom in America, and also my Irish-Italian heritage on my mother's side. Both are integral parts of who I am today, Cruz said.

The 2016 Republican field is shaping up to be the most diverse in history, and I look forward to a robust and substantive conversation about how we work together to turn around our current stagnation and expand opportunity for everyone to achieve the American Dream.

The tone and attacks on Cruz, a Tea Party Republican who launched his presidential campaign in March, have been so acidic that even non-fans of Cruz have called them excessive or out of line, forcing apologies.

The author of an essay in The New Yorker took aim at Cruz, saying: "To many Americans, he is the uppity loudmouth.

Critics called the essay bigoted, singling out the word uppity.

Breitbart noted: Uppity is widely seen as a term used against minorities who dont know their place.'

The New Yorker responded by removing the controversial passage. The writer, veteran journalist John Cassidy wrote an apology, saying: "The wordhas some disturbing historical connotations that I overlooked, and in applying it to a Latino politician, I goofed. If I gave any offense, however inadvertently, I am sorry.

One of the most assailed attempts to take shots at Cruz occurred on MSNBC, when guest Jamilah Lemieux made fun of the lawmakers remarks on a CBS morning show that he grew fond of country music after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks because of that genres patriotic songs.

Lemieux said, Nothing says Lets go kill some Muslims like country music, fresh from Lynchburg, Virginia. Someone who obviously does not want to be a polarizing candidate, he wants to bring people together, I mean  really? Thats absurd.

After a torrent of criticism of Lemieux, MSNBC delivered an on-air apology.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
On Election Day 2012, early exit polls indicated a looming disaster for presidential candidate Mitt Romney. His support among Hispanic voters was only in the mid-20s  a decline even from the terrible 31 percent performance Senator John McCain put in four years earlier.

When all was said and done, Romney drew just 27 percent of Latino voters. His collapse among this important voting group can be traced back to his comments at a debate January 23, 2012 in Tampa, in which he said his solution to the problem of undocumented immigrants in the United States was self-deportation.

Karl Rove  Deputy Chief of staff to President George W Bush  and a Fox News contributor  says the comment put a bullet in Romneys appeal to Hispanics.

You know, saying self-deportation caused a lot of people who are Latino who were inclined to vote Republican, who were center-right to say they dont respect my community, Rove told Fox News.

Hispanics are the fastest-growing demographic in America. According to 2013 census figures, 17 percent of the population is Hispanic. In the next 40 years, that number is expected to rise to 25 percent nationwide. In states like California, it will likely surpass 50 percent.

Its a trillion dollars in purchasing power, says Hector Barreto  who ran the Small Business Administration under Bush 43. Its a young and upwardly mobile community. So, you ignore that community at your own peril.

Barreto was part of the team that helped President Bush amass 44 percent of the Hispanic vote in 2004, an increase of almost 10 points from the 2000 election. Bush did it, says Barreto, by dispatching Spanish-speaking surrogates across the country two years before the 04 election to engage the Hispanic community. And the President himself embraced Latino voters in a way few Republicans had before.

He felt very comfortable in the Hispanic community, spoke a little bit of Spanish and people really liked him, Barreto told Fox News. They didnt always agree with every position, but they liked him and they knew he liked them.

From the party level to individual candidates, Republicans are attempting to recapture the Bush magic with Hispanics  determined not to repeat the mistakes of 08 and 12. The Republican National Committee launched a highly-publicized outreach campaign two years ago, hoping to convince Latinos that Republican policies are more in-step with their concerns than Democrats.

I think its communicating the values that are important to the Hispanic community, says George P. Bush, the son of Jeb Bush and the recently elected Texas Land Commissioner. The Hispanic agenda is the American agenda. Hispanics want stronger schools, want more economic opportunities, are strong on family values and believe in a strong national defense. 

Those, says Bush, are natural areas of consensus between Latinos and the Republican Party, even though most Hispanics are registered as Democrats. Republican South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham agrees, saying the two should have a natural affinity for each other.

[Latinos are] very much aligned with the Republican party, Graham told Fox News. But Im not going to vote for a party that I thinks going to deport my grandmother.

Graham, who along with Senator Marco Rubio helped pass comprehensive immigration reform in the Senate says the Republican Partys tone on immigration threatens to keep Republicans out of the White House for the forseeable future.

You think its an accident weve gone from 44 percent to 27 percent? Some of the debate around immigration has turned Hispanic voters off to Republicans, Graham told Fox News.

With no fix to the immigration issue on the horizon, the 2016 candidates are taking more nuanced positions as a way to repair relations with Latinos.

Rubio, who earned widespread criticism from conservatives for his role in the Gang of 8 immigration bill has backed away from comprehensive reform, saying the U.S. needs to secure the border first. And, he insists, Hispanic voters should have no quarrel with that.

As a Hispanic American, its offensive this idea that somehow in order to be pro-Hispanic, you have to be pro-illegal immigration, Rubio told Fox News. The enormous majority of Hispanic-Americans came here legally  or their parents came here legally. Hispanic-Americans understand that illegal immigration isnt good for America.

Similarly, Jeb Bush is promoting the idea of border security, though he also insists there must be a path to status for the millions of people who crossed the border illegally.

Of all the 2016 candidates, Bush  who hasnt yet officially declared  probably has the most robust Hispanic voter outreach operation. He personally delivers messages to Latino voters in fluent Spanish. He recently hired Jose Mallea as his campaign manager for Hispanic outreach. Mallea was a big steal  he was Rubios campaign manager in 2010. Bush also appointed Emily Benevides as communications director for Hispanic media. He has made Latino-specific campaign stops, including a recent visit to a bodega in Denver, and last month went to Puerto Rico.

 A lot of politics is showing up, says Karl Rove. For too many years weve had too few Republican candidates on a national stage who have shown up in the community.

Senator Ted Cruz is also reaching out to Hispanic voters  appearing at a meeting of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to take questions. While not fluent himself, Cruz released a Spanish-language announcement video when he declared for President. He has a Spanish-speaking staff, and his Cuban-born father Rafael is campaigning on Cruzs behalf.

Senator Rand Paul has made several appearances targeting Hispanic voters and is putting together a group of Spanish-speaking surrogates to travel the country, engaging with Latino communities.

Perhaps the most natural connection to Hispanic voters is the one Marco Rubio enjoys. A first generation Hispanic-American, his parents emigrated from Cuba dirt poor, giving him a family story that resonates with millions of Latinos across the country. Fully fluent, Rubio transitions easily between Anglo and Hispanic audiences. He could be a breakthrough candidate as the first Hispanic presidential nominee. But he says  even with that pedigree and promise for the future - he doesnt get instant buy-in from Latino voters.

You have to earn that, Rubio told Fox News. Just because my last name ends in a vowel, doesnt guarantee me the vote of anyone.

Rubio says all of the Republican candidates need to articulate a clear vision to Hispanic voters if they hope to make the inroads necessary to win the White House.

Will I be able to perhaps initially argue to them and get a hearing? Sure, I think my story tracks the story of many people, Rubio told Fox News. But after that, theyre going to want to know what you stand for and what kind of president youll be.

Hillary Clinton is aggressively targeting Hispanic voters, promising that as president she would do all she can to create path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Her message: She will do more for Latinos than any Republican is willing to.

Whether that message wins the day will depend greatly on how effectively Republican candidates can connect on other issues. Will Latino voters be willing to wait for action on immigration if they think Bush, Rubio, Paul, Cruz, Scott Walker, Carly Fiorina, Mike Huckabee, Ben Carson or someone else can better address issues of economy, education, opportunity and national security?

One thing is certain: Republican candidates cannot afford to wait, experts say. Hector Barreto says they need to be out there now, engaging with the Hispanic community one-on-one on an ongoing basis. Treating Latinos like an afterthought, he says, will lead to another 2012-style disaster.

But he has high hopes for the Republican field.

Weve got a good bench this time, Barreto told Fox News. Weve got a number of candidates that get it, that understand it. Some of them speak fluent Spanish. And I think theyre going to do a lot better than people think this time around.
Francois Hollande has become the first French president to visit Cuba, using a one-day trip to build business and diplomatic relations five months after a detente between Havana and Washington.

Hollande is to meet Cuban President Raul Castro on Monday, as well as inaugurating a new building for the French cultural center,

He says France "will be a faithful ally" of Cuba as it develops and re-enters the global economic system.

And he's bringing along French business people who might help. Those include representatives of the Pernod Ricard, hotel company Accor, Air France, supermarket Carrefour and the Orange telecommunications company.

The visit follows a December announcement that the Obama administration will start to ease restrictions on Cuba after more than a half-century of hostility, opening opportunities for U.S. businesses.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush rejects the popular notion that his support for a path to legal status for some undocumented immigrants is a surefire way to doom his shot at being the GOP presidential nominee.

In an extensive interview with Fox News host Megyn Kelly that is scheduled to air Monday night, Bush  who has strongly suggested he is moving toward announcing a run for the White House, but has yet to do so  said he believes that undocumented immigrants brought to the country as minors should be able to legalize their status.

Theres got to be a point where we fix this system so that legal immigration is easier than illegal immigration, Bush said in excerpts of the interview that were released earlier, and show some respect for people  a kid that might have been here 10 years, that might be a valedictorian of their high school, to say, no, no, no, youre not allowed to go to college, I just think, theres a point passed which were over the line.

Kelly noted that such stances on giving breaks to immigrants here illegally are the sort that give pause to people who otherwise generally like Bush.

This is another area  where folks say 'I like Jeb Bush, but how can he ever get through the GOP primary with this position on immigration? Kelly said. You know that theres a core wing of the party for whom this will be a deal breaker.

Bush characterized that view as misguided.

I dont know that, he said, Ive been traveling over the last three months. I get a sense that a lot of people can be persuaded, to be honest with you.

Then, in what could have been a swipe at potential rivals in his party who have launched their presidential campaigns and have expressed mixed message on various aspects of immigration, Bush said he would not take a hard-line approach just to appease a certain segment of voters.

Heres the deal, Megyn, if I go beyond the consideration of running to be an actual candidate, Bush said, Do you want people to just bend with the wind, to mirror peoples sentiment whoever is in front of you? Oh, yes, I used to be for that but now, Im for this. Is that the way we want to elect presidents?"

About foreign policy, Bush said that he too would have authorized the invasion on Iraq  as his brother George W. Bush did as president then  if hed had the same information on the nation presented to him as was put forth then.

I would have, and so would have Hillary Clinton, just to remind everybody, Bush said, and so would have almost everybody that was confronted with the intelligence they got.

Kelly asked: You dont think it was a mistake?

Bush said it was the intelligence reports about Iraq that was flawed.

In retrospect, the intelligence that everybody saw, that the world saw, not just the United States, was faulty, Bush said.  And in retrospect, once we invaded and took out Saddam Hussein, we didnt focus on security first. And the Iraqis, in this incredibly insecure environment turned on the United States military because there was no security for themselves and their families.

By the way, guess who thinks that those mistakes took place as well? George W. Bush, Bush said. So just for the news flash to the world, if theyre trying to find places where theres big space between me and my brother, this might not be one of those.

The interview will air on Fox News cable channel on Monday at 9 p.m. eastern time.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
She does not chase the spotlight. She quickly shoots down speculation about political aspirations beyond her job of governor. But New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez can't seem to stop speculation about whom she might support for GOP presidential nominee, and whether she is spinning visions (in her own mind, anyway) of being vice president or part of a White House administration.

Political pundits believe Martinez once again will be given serious consideration as a running mate for the GOP presidential nominee.

Being a Hispanic woman who grew up with a working-class background in El Paso, Texas, makes her especially appealing. Keeping a low profile and staying off national television could also be to her advantage.

"There's certainly a buzz about her," said Rick Wilson, a Florida-based Republican consultant. "She's going to be on the short list for vice presidential candidates."

Martinez has not been seen publicly campaigning for any Republican contenders since appearing at an event in 2013 for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported (http://bit.ly/1PbuR8Z) Saturday. She said during a gubernatorial debate last October that she would carry out a second four-year term if re-elected.

"Right now my full commitment is to New Mexico for the next four years," she said. "I have no reason to think about running for vice president or any other position."

The governor's commitment to her office remains the same, spokesman Chris Sanchez said.

"The governor made a commitment to New Mexicans that she intends to keep," he said.

Wilson said her record and values as governor are more important factors. During the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida, in 2012, Martinez stressed her back story. She spoke of her "core belief that the promise of America must be kept for the next generation."

She also got laughs talking about carrying a Smith and Wesson gun while working at her father's security business.

Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, said some GOP insiders have criticized Martinez as being a lightweight not yet groomed for prime time. But she still should be considered a strong possibility, Sabato said.

"What do these politicians have in common? Spiro Agnew, Dan Quayle and Sarah Palin? They are all Republicans who got nominated for vice president even though party elites regarded them as lightweights," Sabato said.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
French President Francois Hollande called on Monday for ending of the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba, saying France "will be a faithful ally" as Cuba reforms its centrally planned economy and tries to re-enter the global economic system.

Hollande's one-day trip made him the first French president to visit Cuba since it became an independent country.

Along with a large contingent of French executives, he is focused on strengthening business and diplomatic relations five months after the declaration of detente between Havana and Washington.

Hollande met with President Raul Castro during his brief visit to the island.

The French leader said he also met for about 50 minutes with Castro's older brother and revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, who talked about climatic problems, agriculture and sanctions against Cuba. Hollande said during an encounter with French residents in Cuba that Castro looked physically "deteriorated," but that they had "an easy conversation."

Top diplomats from Japan, the European Union, Italy, the Netherlands and Russia have visited the island in recent months in bids to stake out or maintain ties with an island that suddenly looks like a brighter economic prospect amid warming U.S.-Cuba relations.

In Washington on Monday, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said that President Barack Obama "has indicated that he does not envision a trip to Cuba anytime in the near future. But I certainly wouldn't rule it out over the course of the next year."

Almost all have been accompanied by business people interested in Cuba's push to draw more than $8 billion in new foreign investment as part of a broader, gradual economic liberalization. The delegations are also working to ensure that Cuba doesn't forget its old friends in what eventually could be a new era of increased business with the United States.

Speaking at the University of Havana, Hollande said "France will do everything it can to aid the process of opening Cuba and help get rid of measures that have so seriously damaged Cuba's development."

Hollande's address, in which he announced plans to increase academic exchanges with Cuba and mutually recognize the other country's university degrees, was attended by First Vice-President Miguel Diaz-Canel, the man widely expected to succeed President Raul Castro when he steps down in 2018. Hollande planned to meet Castro later Monday.

Hollande also met with Cardinal Jaime Ortega to award him the Legion of Honor, France's highest honor, and inaugurate a new building for the Alliance Francaise cultural center in Cuba.

Shortly afterward, Hollande broke from his official schedule and walked down Cuba's elegant but crumbling Paseo promenade, chatting with passersby and startled French tourists who took photos with him.

Hollande, who is on a tour of the Caribbean, was accompanied by five of his ministers and nearly two dozen French executives, including representatives of Pernod Ricard beverages, hotel company Accor, Air France, supermarket Carrefour and the telecommunications company Orange.

Spain, the Netherlands, Italy and France are Cuba's biggest trading partners within the European Union, which is the island's second-largest economic partner with a combined $4.65 billion a year in trade in food, machinery and other goods.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Four weeks after he launched his presidential campaign, Sen. Marco Rubio continues to come out on top in polls of likely Republican voters, and among political observers rating the electability of GOP contenders.

The Hill, an influential Washington D.C. political news outlet, put the Florida lawmaker at No. 1 in a list of the Republicans most likely to claim the nomination next year.

It cited Rubios dominance in multiple polls of GOP voters and their views of both declared and as-yet-undeclared presidential candidates, and his repeated ability to stun skeptics.

One of the more recent polls, The Hill said, is a CBS News/New York Times one that showed Rubio besting his GOP rivals by a large margin. Nearly 50 percent of GOP voters said in the survey that they could see themselves voting for Rubio, compared to only 17 percent who said they absolutely could not.

Analysts say Rubios frequent dominance in such polls shows that his embrace in 2013 of a comprehensive immigration reform measure that included allowing undocumented immigrants a chance to legalize is not dooming him among Republican voters, despite some backlash he received from conservative groups.

His popularity at the moment also diminishes the notion that many political observers have pushed that Rubio would not be able to gain momentum as a candidate with his one-time mentor, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, potentially running for president as well.

Those who felt that he would struggle to escape the shadow of his mentor and fellow-Floridian, former Gov. Jeb Bush, also appear to have underestimated him, The Hill said. The contours of Rubios case are clear: a candidate with a compelling story who could appeal to groups with which the GOP has struggled in recent years.

But Bush could keep the Rubio campaign up at night if he announces, and voters and supporters who have not lined up behind the former governor then feel more comfortable doing so for a sure candidate.

Bush, indeed, came in at No. 2 on the The Hill list.

The brother of a U.S. president and son of another, Jeb Bush has had his bumps in voter favorability rankings.

His status is cloudier now, though a combination of his name, family network and prodigious fundraising ability guarantees him a place in the top tier, The Hill noted.

But for now, it seems that it wont be a cakewalk.

Other candidates likely will cast him, as they have former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, as a continuation of a former administration, and a step backward.

"Yesterday is over. And we are never going back," Rubio said when he launched his campaign in April in Miami. "Before us now is the opportunity to author the greatest chapter yet in the amazing story of America. We cant do that by going back to the leaders and ideas of the past."

But Bush has plenty of supporters waiting to jump on the bandwagon if he announces that he is running.

The Hill pointed out that Right to Rise, the main super-PAC supporting Bush, could have $100 million war chest by the end of May.

Others on the list included Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, at No. 3, and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas at No. 6.

The Hill said that Cruz would need his Tea Party supporters and his network of wealthy donors to stick by him.

Doubts about his electability in a general election could prove a millstone for Cruz, however, The Hill said.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
More than 100 Republican lawmakers, including presidential candidates Sen. Ted Cruz and Sen. Marco Rubio, are urging a federal appeals court to stop President Barack Obamas executive action on immigration.

The lawmakers argue that the presidents action, which would suspend deportation for three years for up to about 5 million undocumented immigrants because, is an overreach and unconstitutional.

They expressed their objections to the executive action through an amicus brief filed at the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, in New Orleans, on Monday. The brief supports a Texas-led lawsuit  which now includes 26 states  before the court that says that Obamas executive action goes against the balance of power and oversteps the boundaries of the presidents authority.

Congress has created a comprehensive immigration scheme, which expresses its desired policy as to classes of immigrants, but the class identified by the [Homeland Security Department] directive for categorical relief is unsupported by this scheme, says the amicus brief, according to The Hill. Instead of setting enforcement priorities, it created a class-based program that establishes eligibility requirements that, if met, grant unlawful immigrants a renewable lawful presence in the United States and substantive benefits.

Obamas executive action suspends deportation for undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as minors, as well as to those who are parents of U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents. The action, by extension, also allows those who receive the protection from deportation to obtain work permits and various federal benefits.

Many critics of the executive action, which has been blocked from implementation pending a final decision, say the move is tantamount to rewarding lawbreakers.

"[T]he President has unlawfully granted amnesty to millions who came here illegally," Cruz, of Texas, said Monday in a statement.

The White House has countered such criticism by saying that plenty of people have filed amicus briefs that support Obamas executive action, The Hill said.

"Though these individuals and groups come from different backgrounds and perspectives, theyre all in agreement that [the] Presidents actions are good for public safety and good for the economy," The Hill quoted an administration official as saying in an e-mail.

The presidents action includes the Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA) program, which extends protection from deportation to the parents of U.S. citizens and permanent legal residents, and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative, which protects people who are here illegally after having been brought to the United States as children.

The states that are part of the lawsuit say that the presidents order puts heavy burdens on them.

U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen, of Brownsville, Texas, in February ruled that there was enough basis to the states concerns to allow the case to go forward, to temporarily block the action from being implemented.

"President Obamas decision to ignore the limits placed on his power and act unilaterally to rewrite our nations immigration laws are an affront to the Constitution," Rep. Bob Goodlatte said Monday in a statement quoted by The Hill. "Such lawlessness must be stopped so that we preserve the separation of powers in the Constitution and protect individual liberty."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz)., is urging the House of Representatives not to drop an amendment he authored that would allow undocumented immigrants who qualify for temporary reprieve from deportation to serve in the U.S. military.

The amendment, which passed in the House Armed Services Committee with a bipartisan majority, calls for the Secretary of Defense to look at whether it is possible for immigrants who receive a reprieve through a 2012 initiative by President Barack Obama to serve in the military.

Obama's 2012 initiative protects undocumented immigrants brought as minors from deportation for about a couple of years, and allows them to obtain work permits as well as some other benefits.

Gallego sent a letter to both House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), and the chairman of the House Rules Committee, Pete Sessions (R-Texas), asking that they not purge his Enable DREAMers to Serve in Uniform amendment from the impending vote on the National Defense Authorization Act.

A number of Republican lawmakers are fiercely opposing Gallegos amendment.

In a letter to Sessions, lawmakers led by Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Alabama), argued that the House had already voted three times to declare the Obama administration acted unconstitutionally when it granted deportation relief to immigrants brought here illegally as children, and they want Gallegos amendment stricken from the larger defense bill.

According to the letter, the amendment by Gallego "contradicts the House's previous position and is a severe threat to passage" of the $612-billion defense policy bill.

"Especially in this time of increased terrorism, our national security should not be threatened by allowing such controversial language on a program we have rejected three times as unconstitutional," they wrote.

In his own letter to Boehner, Gallego argued, Enabling these talented, patriotic young people to fight for our country in uniform would clearly benefit our military.

It would be contrary to the spirit of the rules of the House for the House Rules Committee to strike this amendment behind closed doors, denying an open debate and vote on an amendment that passed with a bipartisan majority in the House Armed Services Committee.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
In his first major foreign policy speech since launching his presidential campaign, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio said if elected, he would prioritize a strong military, take aggressive steps to fight nations that undermine global commerce and ensure that U.S. is a world moral leader.

The Florida Republican, who delivered his speech at the Council on Foreign Relations in Manhattan on Wednesday, said that the United States was losing its place as a world military and moral power because of what he depicted as the Obama administrations overly cautious responses to crises overseas.

Since the end of the Cold War, the threats facing America have changed, but the need for American strength has not, Rubio said. It has only grown more pressing as the world has grown more interconnected.

It takes forethought to design and many years to build the capabilities we may need at a moments notice," the 43-year-old said. "So to restore American strength, my first priority will be to adequately fund our military. This would be a priority even in times of peace and stability, though the world today is neither peaceful nor stable.

Rubio repeated his characterization of Obama as a president so concerned with softening any perception other nations has of the United States as a bully that he erred in acting in the other extreme, eager to acquiesce to foreign governments that have thumbed their noses at the U.S. and international laws.

[Obama] demonstrated a disregard for our moral purpose that at times flirted with disdain, said Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants. He criticized America for having arrogance and the audacity to dictate our terms to other nations. From his reset with Russia, to his open hand to Iran, to his unreciprocated opening to Cuba, he has embraced regimes that systematically oppose every principle our nation has long championed.

Rubio also said that the United States must move decisively when aggressive nations such as China and Iran attempt to undermine the economic interests of the United States as well as other nations.

"Russia, China, Iran or any other nation that attempts to block global commerce will know to expect a response from my administration.

The Democratic National Committee issued a brief statement shortly after Rubio's speech:

Okay. So heres Rubios alleged new foreign policy. Troops in the Middle East permanently. A Cuba policy that is stuck in the Cold War. Unwillingness to even start a discussion of a two state solution. Keeping Guantanamo Bay open. No plan forward on Iran."

And it ended with: Neoconservative meets Cold War: thats the Rubio doctrine.

Rubios foreign policy agenda  often hawkish in approach  has been a hallmark of his service in the Senate, and now in his campaign. He says that as a member of Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and the Senate Committee on Intelligence, he is privy to information that form the basis of his decision on how the United States must approach foreign policy.

Rubio said Obama "wasted no time stripping parts from the engine of American strength," and cast former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as his loyal deputy.

"[Clinton] was the chief architect of a foreign policy that was a disaster," he said during an interview with Charlie Rose following the speech.

"We simply cannot afford to elect as our next president one of the leading agents of this administration's foreign policy  a leader from yesterday whose tenure as secretary of state was ineffective at best and dangerously negligent at worst," Rubio said, according to the prepared text of remarks he was to deliver at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York.

He even has taken tougher stances on foreign policy than some of his Republican colleagues, who have softened their views on diplomatic relations with Cuba  to which Rubio objects  and how to handle the nuclear talks with Iran.

Some in the GOP have called for spending cuts in military spending, with which he disagrees.

As he often has in Senate hearings, Rubio assailed Obama for stressing dialogues and diplomacy over ironclad dealings with heads of foreign governments that have been openly hostile to the United States, and which continue to exercise oppression against political dissidents.

The world is at its safest when America is at its strongest, Rubio said. When America has the mightiest Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and intelligence community in the world, the result is more peace, not more conflict.

Rubio said, after his speech, in a question-and-answer session with TV host Charlie Rose, that "Obama has embraced regimes that systematically opposed our principles."

Rose asked Rubio what he though of Pope Francis's embrace of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba.

Rubio said his priorities and those of the pope's are by necessity different.

He defended keeping the embargo.

He said having anything to do with Cuba is to avail oneself of properties stolen from Cubans by the Cuban government during the revolution.

Rubio said the embargo is not to blame for Cuba's failed economy.

He said the rest of the world does not have an embargo against Cuba. So why, he asked, does Cuba not have Toyotas or modern goods from other nations?

As for Iran, Rubio said it cannot be trusted.

"Iran has always had a secret component to its nuclear program," he said. "They know once international sanctions are lifted, they can never be reimposed."
It was the campaign kickoff that wasn't.

A California congresswoman Tuesday recalled a statement that announced she would launch her campaign for U.S. Senate this week.

The email from Rep. Loretta Sanchez, festooned with U.S. flags and stars-and-stripes imagery, invited supporters to join her Thursday at an Orange County train station to mark the start of her entry into the 2016 contest. "Together we will win," the 10-term Democrat wrote.

But the electronic missive turned out to be a mistake. Sanchez adviser Bill Carrick said the email was a draft that was accidentally distributed and she hasn't made up her mind about the Senate race.

"This isn't what you would want if you are running for city council, much less U.S. Senate," said Democratic consultant Andrew Acosta.

It's a long way from the election but in a major campaign "you want to come out and show you are well organized. When you stumble out of the gate, it gives people pause," Acosta added.

The errant email brought a jolt of drama and confusion to a contest that so far has looked like a runaway for another Democrat, state Attorney General Kamala Harris. The party is strongly favored to hold the seat next year.

Sanchez's entry into the race would have created a demographic and geographical contrast for state voters: Sanchez is Hispanic with roots in Southern California, while Harris is from the San Francisco Bay Area and her father is black and mother is Indian.

Sanchez is among a string of Democrats considered possible contenders for the seat, which is being vacated by retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.

Earlier Tuesday, Rep. Adam Schiff became the latest high-profile state Democrat to nix a bid for the post. Schiff said that his responsibilities as the ranking Democrat on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence took precedence, because it gives him a chance to contribute to the nation's security.

"Having only recently achieved this position, I was very reluctant to leave it," Schiff said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I'll have a good opportunity to continue to work on the issues that I care most about."

Boxer's retirement was expected to unleash a logjam of ambitious Democratic challengers seeking higher office in 2016. Instead, Harris has had the field mostly to herself, while Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa took their names out of consideration.

Two little-known Republicans are seeking the seat: Tom Del Beccaro, a former state party chairman, and two-term Assemblyman Rocky Chavez from San Diego County.

Schiff, now serving his eighth term, said he knows he would have been "fighting the odds" had he entered the race. Still, he believes that a candidate from Southern California can make a strong run.

"This was actually quite an attractive opportunity. Had this been a few years down the road when I had more time already in this position, it would have been a different calculus possibly," Schiff said.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Struggling with the shadows of Iraq, Jeb Bush said Tuesday he would have made a different decision than his brother to invade Iraq in 2003 had he known what he does now about flaws in the nation's intelligence.

But he didn't say what that decision would have been.

Bush's comments came as he tried to clarify his stance on the unpopular war started in 2003 by President George W. Bush. Yet his murky remarks underscore the challenge he faces in managing his family's foreign policy legacy while setting out his own approach to world affairs.

Several of his likely rivals for the Republican presidential nomination leapt at the chance to definitively answer a question that Bush did not.

In a radio interview Tuesday, Bush said it was clear there were mistakes in reports claiming Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. Had he known about the faulty intelligence, Bush said, he would have made a different decision about sending tens of thousands of U.S. troops into Iraq.

"I don't know what that decision would have been," Bush said on Sean Hannity's radio show. "That's a hypothetical."

The radio interview came a day after Fox News broadcast an interview with Bush in which he sidestepped the question about whether he would have sent U.S. troops to Iraq, knowing what is now known about the intelligence that led his brother to invade.

Hannity made a point to ask Bush if he wanted to clarify his answer from the previous interview, and Bush replied that he had "interpreted the question wrong." A follow-up query from the conservative host, repeating the original question, led to Bush's "I don't know" answer.

Bush is on the cusp of formally launching his campaign, and some of his rivals for the nomination seized on the opportunity to draw a distinction with him on Iraq  a war once strongly supported by the GOP. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul told The Associated Press it's "a real problem if he can't articulate what he would have done differently."

Paul, who stands out in the GOP field by supporting a smaller U.S. military footprint around the world, has said it was a mistake to topple Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, pointing to the chaos in Iraq that followed the U.S. invasion.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said going into Iraq was ultimately the wrong decision.

"If we knew then what we know now, and I were the president of the United States, I wouldn't have gone to war," Christie said in an interview with CNN. In a pointed jab at Bush's evasion, he added that he wanted to "directly answer" the reporter's question "'cause that's what I do."

Said Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, "Knowing what we know now, of course we wouldn't go into Iraq."

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee declined to address the question directly, but in a statement praised soldiers who "poured their sweat and blood across Iraq."

"Unfortunately, they were let down by poor intelligence, a botched military strategy and an Iraqi people more interested in pointing fingers and placing blame than taking control of their future," Huckabee said.

Not all Republican White House hopefuls have disowned the decision to invade Iraq. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio defended the war earlier this year, saying "the world is a better place because Saddam Hussein doesn't run Iraq."

A September 2014 AP-GfK poll found that 71 percent of Americans said they think history will judge the war as a failure. Among Republicans, that assessment was even more prevalent, with 76 percent saying the war would be seen a failure.

Most of the GOP White House hopefuls argue that President Barack Obama overcorrected after ending the long and expensive war by withdrawing American forces, yet they are mindful that many Americans remain skeptical of large-scale U.S. combat efforts abroad. With the U.S. back in Iraq in a more limited way to help fight Islamic State militants, Obama's successor is all but sure to confront lingering fallout from the original invasion and its aftermath.

Tackling America's difficult history in Iraq is most challenging for Bush, given his family ties to the war. He has sought to distance himself from his brother's foreign policy in recent months, even as he relies on many of the same advisers and cites his brother someone he relies on for advice.

Democrats had their reckoning with the Iraq war during the 2008 presidential election. Obama's early opposition to the war helped him distinguish himself from Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Democratic primary.

Clinton, who voted to authorize the war as a senator, has since said that based on the revised intelligence, she would not have voted for the war.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
An owner of a gay-oriented New York City hotel lashed out at "extremists" who have urged a boycott over a dinner invitation to Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican and a vocal opponent of same-sex marriage.

But gay-rights advocates outraged by the invitation to the Republican presidential candidate say they will keep up the pressure by shunning all the properties owned by the men who hosted the dinner.

Hotelier Mati Weiderpass wrote in an op-ed piece in the New York Observer Sunday that since hosting the April 20 dinner he has been "inundated with hateful, biased social media messages, and attacks from gay extremists (do I dare say the word?) who demand inclusion, but do not believe in dialogue."

"It is amazing that my businesses are being boycotted by some because I hosted a discussion with an elected official," said Weiderpass, who owns The Out NYC in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen with Ian Reisner.

Opponents say Weiderpass and Reisner should have known that inviting Cruz would not sit well with the gay community they cater to.

"Don't take my money with one hand and stab me in the back with the other," said Ken Kidd, who works in administration at New York University.

Kidd said he usually has a summer share in the gay beach community of Fire Island Pines, where Reisner and another partner own businesses including the Pavilion nightclub. If he goes to the Pines this summer, Kidd said, "it'll be for a noisy protest."

The Out NYC was billed as New York's first gay boutique hotel when it opened in 2012. Several guests strolling out of the hotel Tuesday said they were not American and did not know anything about Cruz.

But organizations that had events planned at the hotel including the New York City Gay Men's Chorus canceled them when a story about the Cruz dinner appeared in The New York Times.

Jason Cannon, the chorus' interim executive director, said the chorus canceled an April 25 fundraiser even though a deposit had been paid.

"We needed to make sure that it was very clear to the community that we were in full support of the community," Cannon said.

In his op-ed piece, Weiderpass said the dinner he and Reisner hosted in their apartment was not a campaign fundraiser but an opportunity "to discuss a number of important issues, including support for Israel and support for gay rights."

Although Cruz opposes same-sex marriage, Reisner told the Times that the Texas senator told fellow dinner guests, "If one of my daughters was gay, I would love them just as much."

Weiderpass and Reisner did not respond to a request for comment placed through their business, Parkview Developers.

A spokesman for Cruz declined to comment.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
next Image 1 of 2

prev Image 2 of 2

Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez announced Thursday that she will be running for the Californias U.S. Senate seat being vacated at the end of the year by Barbara Boxer.

I am running for the Senate because I am passionate about California and I believe we need a strong and experienced legislator in the Senate, said Sanchez, a Democrat, amid a group of supporters at the kickoff of her campaign.

If she wins, she will be the first Latina in the U.S. and the first Hispanic-American from California to hold a seat in the Senate.

Sanchez, 55, said she is counting on her Latino roots to win the race, especially in raising the millions of dollars needed for the contest.

If every Latino gave at least one dollar each, we would have more money than any other candidate, she added.

With her announcement, Sanchez is injecting competition into a race that had been shaping up as a runaway for Attorney General Kamala Harris, also a Democrat.

Given Californias top-two primary system, which advances the top vote-getters in an open primary, regardless of party, the two could face off again in the general election.

Sanchez launched her campaign from her home town of Santa Ana. She spoke surrounded by supporters, community leaders and family members.

Her mother Maria was at her side. This is the only woman in the United States that has sent two daughters to Congress, Sanchez said, looking at her mom. Her sister Linda is also a Democrat and a U.S. Representative from Los Angeles.

Sanchez also took pride in her more than 20 years of experience as a member of the House.

We have more legislative experience, national security experience and foreign policy experience [than her opponents].

I believe the Senator from California must start the first day running and getting it done, and I believe that experience is incredibly important, she added.

Santa Ana attorney Alfredo Amezcua, who attended the event, said he was delighted with Sanchez announcement.

The state of California is ready for someone like her, he said. The race is going to take a different shape mainly because she is one of the best-known Latinas in California, possibly the whole nation.

Amezcua added that Sanchez will energize young Hispanic voters. Most of the youth is from the Latino community and not only will they be encouraged to vote but also will be encouraged to support her candidacy.

I was hoping for this said Luis Torres, a veteran who also said Sanchez has put the pride back in me for what I had done in Vietnam and Cambodia.

Wendy Rothman, from Seal Beach, said she was thrilled by Sanchezs announcement and what it means to minorities like women and the Latino community.

Her entire life is a statement for minorities and women. Just the fact that she has sacrificed her life for others makes her someone that all women can be proud of, and especially Latinas.
Some Nebraska conservatives on Wednesday sought to keep in place a policy that has left the state the only one in the nation that denies driver's licenses to young people protected from deportation despite being brought to the U.S. illegally as children.

Most Nebraska lawmakers, including some conservatives, support authorizing licenses for the immigrants, often referred to as Dreamers, who are part of a federal program that gives them a Social Security number and work permit for two years. But other conservatives who oppose the bill that would allow the licenses mounted a filibuster Wednesday against the measure.

President Barack Obama created the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in 2012 for young people who had been brought to the United States illegally as children. A similar program that would benefit parents of U.S.-citizen children is on hold pending a federal lawsuit.

The Nebraska bill has support from prominent ranching and business groups and conservatives such as Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert. The Nebraska Cattlemen Association and Nebraska Restaurant Association have argued that the state's current policy makes it harder for immigrants to find jobs in industries that need them.

"This is a good, conservative bill," said Sen. John McCollister, an Omaha Republican. "We want these folks to be able to drive and pay taxes, attend church and go to doctor's appointments."

The state policy was approved in 2012 by former Gov. Dave Heineman, a Republican who campaigned heavily against illegal immigration. Current Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts has maintained the policy and argued that those who arrived in the country illegally shouldn't receive privileges intended for legal residents.

A similar law in Arizona was blocked by a federal appeals court in July, leaving Nebraska as the only state with such a policy. The American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska is challenging the policy in court.

Nebraska's policy has also drawn criticism from the state's previous Department of Motor Vehicles director, who led the agency when the ban was enacted. Bev Riecks told a legislative committee in March that she argued against the ban near the end of her tenure in 2013, but her recommendation was rejected.

"We all know it can be hard or nearly impossible to get to work without a car," said Sen. Jeremy Nordquist of Omaha, a Democrat and the bill's lead sponsor. "Why would we want to limit their ability to work and to contribute to our state's economy?"

Opponents argued that the bill could open the door to licenses for others who are in the country illegally.

Sen. John Murante of Gretna said the bill could create problems if the next president rescinds the program that protects the young people from deportation.

Some lawmakers said Nebraska residents have emailed them to urge them to reject the proposal.

"My constituents in my district are strongly opposed (to the bill), and I'm going to support them on this issue," said Sen. David Schnoor, of Scribner.

Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha accused opponents of trying to "lightly veneer their racism" with arguments that don't hold water.

"They're not honest enough to admit they're bigots," he said.

Lawmakers are expected to vote on the bill Thursday morning.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Gov. Brian Sandoval signed a bill Wednesday that would make it easier for immigrants with temporary legal status to get a Nevada teaching license, saying it would help meet the needs of a "new Nevada."

Among the people who flanked the Republican governor as he signed AB27 was Uriel Garcia, a 22-year-old Nevada State College student and recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program who was previously denied a license. He said he plans to re-apply as soon as possible to get started on his student teaching and move toward his goal of teaching 2nd grade English language learners.

"I want to give back to the community that gave me so much," Garcia said.

The old law allowed the state superintendent to give a teaching license to someone who is not a citizen but has a work permit only if there's a teacher shortage for a subject the person can teach. The new law, which passed the Senate and Assembly unanimously, allows those immigrants to get a teaching license if a district has a teacher shortage of any kind.

The measure affects immigrants in the deferred action program, also known as DACA recipients or Dreamers. State Superintendent Dale Erquiaga said it's not clear how many new teachers the change will yield, but said his office will track that number going forward.

Proponents framed the bill as a way to deal with a major teacher shortage, as well as a way to diversify the teaching force in a state with a high population of English language learners.

"We're going to have people who are bilingual teachers, and ultimately people who just want to do the right thing for the United States," Garcia said.

Sylvia Lazos, vice chair of the Latino Leadership Council, said the bill better reflects a changing Nevada.

"These laws that prohibit non-citizens from getting licensed come from another era, another time, when many states were hostile to Germans, Catholics, Irish," Lazos said. "Modern Nevada is not protectionist, not anti-immigrant, not anti-foreigner. It's a wonderful day for Nevada to affirm that."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Rep. Loretta Sanchezs entry into the race for the Senate seat of retiring Barbara Boxer now makes the election competitive, giving state Attorney General Kamala Harris  the only major Democratic candidate up until then  her first real challenge.

The race is momentous in several ways  two women are vying for a powerful seat in one of the most politically important states in the nation. And theyre both minorities, reflecting the changing demographics not just of California, but of the nation.

Harris, whose father is African-American and mother is Asian-American, is from northern California and immediately received support from top Democrats in Washington D.C., angering many Latinos in the Golden State.

Sanchez is the daughter of Mexican immigrants, and is from southern California.

Both women have blazed trails.

Harris, 50, become the first female, African-American and Asian-American state attorney general.

Sanchez, 55, and her sister, Linda, became the first sisters to be in Congress.

Loretta Sanchez is not just a credible candidate, but a serious contender, said Dan Schnur, director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at the University of Southern California. But Harris is still a very strong front-runner. Shes run for statewide office twice before. Sanchez has only run for one seat in one district.

At the outset, Sanchez would seem to have both a geographic and demographic advantage, Schnur said. Her district is large, and Latinos  who likely will back her in a matchup with Harris  are 40 percent of the state population, but they are just 17 percent of likely voters.

Asians, who are 14 percent of the population, are 11 percent of likely voters, and African-Americans are 6 percent of the population and likely voters.

Whites, on the other hand, make up 44 percent of the states adult population, but are 62 percent of Californias likely voters.

Sanchez, a one-time Republican who switched to Democrat over differences with her former party on social issues, is not well-known on a statewide level.

That is common in California, Schnur said, a large state with more 50 congressional districts.

Harris, by contrast, is known statewide by virtue of her position, and therefore has fundraising efforts all over California, Schnur said.

Some groups that supported Sanchez in her congressional runs say that while they still admire her, they are endorsing Harris.

Weve supported Loretta in her runs for Congress, we think she has a bright future," said a statement emailed to Fox News Latino on behalf of Emily's List, an influential organization that supports pro-choice women candidates. But, they added, "Kamala is clearly the first choice of California ... and we know shell take those priorities to Washington where theyre badly needed.

Sanchez also will have her job cut out for her in getting supporters to get to the polls on Election Day.

Although there are less voters in northern California, and more in southern California, the Bay Area [Harris turf] tends to be have more reliable voters, who turn out, than southern California, Schnur said.

Sanchez needs to play catch-up financially, experts say.

Harris, who rolled out her campaign in January, had some $2.5 million in campaign funds by the end of March. Sanchez had $540,000 in her House campaign account that she can apply to her Senate race.

"Harris has several advantages going in  mostly endorsements at this stage and higher statewide name recognition," said Louis DeSipio, a professor of political science and Latino/Chicano studies at University of California-Irvine. "To raise her profile among the statewide Democratic electorate, Sanchez will need to have the resources to advertise in multiple (expensive) media markets."

"Sanchez needs to raise a bunch of money quickly, so that her candidacy looks credible."

There are Republicans running for the seat, though both are seen as long-shots: Tom Del Beccaro, a former state party chairman, and two-term Assemblyman Rocky Chavez from San Diego County.

Democrats have the advantage in California, where they hold all statewide offices and are in control of the state legislature.

The challenge for both women will be exciting their base enough to turn out in large numbers at the polls next year. The primary will be in June 2016.

Sanchez is known among Latinos statewide.

"She made clear in her announcement that she thinks that she can do well among Latinos," Desipio said. "To do this she will need to invest heavily in mobilization and get-out-the-vote drives."

Schnur believes many in the Democratic leadership who lined up behind Harris after her announcement earlier this year might have supported Sanchez had she not waited so long to throw her hat in the ring.

The support for Harris by many top Democrats angered many California Latinos, who denounced the anointing of someone so soon, and took offense at what they saw as an indifference to their strong presence in the state.

Though Harris has tended to publicly identify most strongly with African-Americans, many Asian-Americans have expressed enthusiasm over her candidacy.

"The Attorney General's announcement certainly excites me as an Indian-American, and as a Californian," said Ash Kalra, a San Jose Councilmember, to NBC News. "To have such an outstanding public servant be the first to represent the community in such a powerful and prestigious position is something we all should be proud of as Americans."

Many experts believe that many voters will cast their ballots along ethnic lines.

"Both Harris and Sanchez have done well with white voters," Desipio said. "Sanchez doesn't have a lock on Latino votes if Harris does a better job mobilizing them and speaking to issues of concern to Latino communities."

"The black vote isn't all that big, so it's not going to be determinative."
A misfired email this week made it appear California Rep. Loretta Sanchez was running for U.S. Senate, but then she said she was undecided.

That could change again.

On Thursday, the 10-term Democrat has scheduled a "significant" political announcement at a Santa Ana train station, the same location and time the supposedly errant email that said she planned to announce her Senate candidacy.

The confusion started Tuesday, after an email circulated from Sanchez inviting supporters to join her Thursday to mark her entry into the 2016 contest. The seat is held by retiring Democrat Barbara Boxer, and the only major Democrat in the contest is state Attorney General Kamala Harris.

But adviser Bill Carrick said later that the email was a draft that was accidentally distributed and Sanchez hadn't made up her mind about running.

Sanchez has said she is seriously considering entering the race. Her candidacy would create a demographic and geographical contrast for state Democrats: Sanchez is Hispanic with roots in Southern California, while Harris is from the San Francisco Bay Area and the daughter of a black father and an Indian mother.

Two little-known Republicans are seeking the seat: Tom Del Beccaro, a former state party chairman, and two-term Assemblyman Rocky Chavez from San Diego County.

Democrats, who hold every statewide office and control both chambers of the Legislature, are strongly favored to hold the post.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
The U.S and Cuba say they will hold a new round of talks next Thursday in an attempt to remove barriers to the reopening of embassies in Washington and Havana.

The talks will be held in Washington, the State Department and Cuba's Foreign Ministry announced separately. The two sides have been negotiating for nearly five months over the conditions for re-establishing diplomatic relations under a deal announced by Presidents Raul Castro and Barack Obama on Dec. 17.

The talks have been hung up on disagreements over U.S. diplomats' ability to import uninspected embassy supplies and travel in Cuba without restrictions and meet citizens, including dissidents.

Castro said this week he expects ambassadors to be named after Cuba is taken off the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism at month's end.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Immigration advocates in Connecticut are fighting to stop the planned deportation of a U.S. Army veteran who came to the United States from Peru as a teenager and now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Jorge Luis Salcedo of Glastonbury, who has a green card, was notified this week of his pending removal after completing a prison sentence. He has two convictions for driving under the influence and pleaded guilty in a 2003 case in which he spit at a police officer.

Activists gathered Thursday outside the Legislative Office Building in Hartford to protest the removal of Salcedo, whose wife and daughters are American citizens.

"Instead of providing this veteran with much-needed medical treatment for his alcoholism, the government is trying to deport him away from his family and the country for which he risked everything," Olga Tomchin of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network said in a press release.

Supporters say Salcedo has post-traumatic stress syndrome from his service and was honorably discharged after eight years in the U.S. military.

Salcedo legally immigrated to the U.S. with his parents when he was 14 and enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1994.

Immigration activists say that he began suffering from PTSD after the death of his first daughter Madeline at birth due to a genetic defect and watching a fellow soldier die during a training accident.

He began to treat his PTSD-related depression with alcohol and, due to the immigration detainer that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has placed on Salcedo, he is not able to attend classes to address his alcohol dependency while in jail.

"Our family is suffering gravely now and will continue to suffer more the emotional, financial, and familial hardships. We will suffer more than he will suffer if he is deported," his wife Cindy said. "The effects of not having Jorge at home have been devastating."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Sen. Marco Rubio cashed out most of his retirement savings while preparing to launch his bid for the Republican presidential nomination, records released Friday show.

Rubio, 43, sold six retirement funds in September 2014 for $68,241.09, according to his personal financial disclosure statement. He made the sale even though he apparently had ample cash in the bank: He reported between $100,000 and $250,000 in a checking account and between $50,000 and $100,000 in a money market account at the end of 2014. And, so far in 2015, he estimates he has earned between $100,000 and $1 million from a new book.

The son of Cuban immigrants, Rubio formally launched his presidential bid last month with a speech recalling his humble upbringing and about how hard his father, a bartender, and mother, a housekeeper, worked to ensure he could have greater opportunities than they did.

For much of his political career, Rubio has struggled with debt. He paid off student loans only after becoming a U.S. senator in 2010 and writing an autobiography that paid him more than $1.1 million in royalties. His latest filings show he owes at least $450,000 on two mortgages and a home equity loan he took out in 2005.

Still, the records show Rubio earned $52,000 on top of his $174,000 Senate salary last year from a part-time teaching position at Florida International University and in royalties that apparently come from the second book published in December. For the first time, Rubio also quantified how much his wife, Jeanette, earns, valuing her event-planning business at between $15,000 and $50,000.

Jeanette Rubio, a former Miami Dolphins cheerleader, now advises a foundation run by Florida billionaire Norman Braman, who is one of Rubio's biggest political backers. Her compensation was previously disclosed on Rubio's forms only as greater than $1,000 per year.

Rubio spokesman Alex Conant could not immediately explain why Rubio sold his retirement funds.

Stephen Butler, president of Pension Dynamics Company in Lafayette, California, said it is unusual for people Rubio's age to liquidate retirement savings. It's usually done to cover a financial emergency, not when someone has a six-figure checking account.

"It's hard to imagine why somebody, especially when they have these other substantial amounts of income, would have had to cash that in," Butler said, noting Rubio would have had to pay an extra 10 percent in taxes on the sale. "It's not like he's desperate and between jobs."

Rubio still qualifies for a pension for his eight years of service in the Florida legislature that will pay him about $1,000 a month when he turns 62, according to his filing. And as a senator he qualifies for a generous federal retirement plan. Rubio also still lists an employee savings plan from Florida International University, where he has taught since 2008, worth between $1,000 and $15,000. Rubio listed between $34,000 and $160,000 invested in special saving funds for his four children's college education.

Rubio's maximum net worth, outside the value of the Miami house where his family lives, was $355,000 last year, according to an AP analysis of the new records. That may rise quickly: Rubio's paperwork indicates that so far in 2015 he earned between $100,000 and $1 million off his book "American Dreams," which describes his plan for helping the working and middle classes.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
There's a reason why the Jacksonville mayoral race is drawing the attention of outsiders like former President Bill Clinton, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, former Gov. Jeb Bush and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and it's about more than who wins on Tuesday.

It's because the state's largest city will also be a key to winning Florida in the 2016 presidential election, and having an ally in the mayor's office can only help.

Perry, Bush and Rubio have an eye on the White House next year and each are helping former state Republican Party Chairman Lenny Curry, who's challenging incumbent Democrat Alvin Brown. Clinton, whose wife Hillary Rodham Clinton is running for president, came to Jacksonville to raise money for Brown.

"It just shows you the stakes that the state Republican Party believes are here," said Matthew Corrigan, a University of North Florida political science professor. "Rick Perry and Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush  this is looking like a Republican operation not a Jacksonville mayor's race."

Florida is considered one of the most important pieces in winning the White House as the largest of swing states. While Miami is the state's largest metropolitan area, Jacksonville's mayor serves all of Duval County, which has about 900,000 residents. Duval County and has played a role in recent presidential elections. Without it, George W. Bush wouldn't have won in 2000, when he carried Florida by 537 votes and Duval County by 44,234 votes. He carried Duval in 2004 by 61,586 votes.

But President Barack Obama targeted Jacksonville in 2008 and 2012 with the goal of making a solidly Republican area more competitive. About 30 percent of the city is black, or roughly double the statewide average. Obama's campaign substantially increased black voter registration and turnout and cut the Republican margin of victory Bush saw here by tens of thousands of votes. John McCain won Duval by less than 8,000 in 2008 and Mitt Romney carried it by fewer than 15,000 in 2012. Obama carried the state.

One benefactor was Brown, who in 2011 became Jacksonville's first black mayor and first Democrat to win in 20 years. He's positioned himself as a conservative Democrat, saying he's willing to work with Republican Gov. Rick Scott to create jobs. His absence at an Obama 2012 campaign rally was noticed by the local media.

If Brown wins re-election, he'll be on a short list of Democrats seen as potential candidates for governor in 2018. Republicans want to stop that path while restoring Republican dominance to the region for 2016.

Perry has traveled to Jacksonville to help Curry, Bush has taped a video for him and Rubio is scheduled to appear at a rally Monday.

"In terms of what they see in 2016, I think Lenny has tried to make this a national issue. I focus on making this about Jacksonville. People in Jacksonville don't care what's happening in Washington, they care what's happening in Jacksonville," Brown said.

Curry wouldn't discuss the implication the race has on 2016, but he has no apologies for bringing in Republican heavy hitters.

"It's important for people in Jacksonville to know that I am a conservative Republican. I stand by conservative values  fiscally responsible government, free enterprise solutions," he said. "Asking for the support of those individuals was a statement to Jacksonville that this is who I am and I'm proud of it."

The race is considered too close to call and has been nasty. Curry, an accountant, is using a report that found more than $500 million in accounting errors to blame Brown for being fiscally irresponsible, though the report found the errors began long before Brown took office. He also says Brown cut more than 140 police officers and it has led to an increase in violent crime.

"We should all be angry, we should all be upset, we should all be mourning," Curry told a small group of business owners. "We had lost the distinction of the murder capital in the state of Florida. Our violent crime has now spiked over the last three years, the murder rate is now back up."

Brown says Curry is a hyper-partisan who won't govern in the best interests of all city residents. He's accused Curry of trying to suppress the black vote when he was the state GOP chairman, pointing at cuts in early voting days and other changes ahead of the 2012 presidential election that critics said made it more difficult for minorities to vote.

In flyers being hung on doorknobs, Brown's campaign calls Curry, "Divisive and dangerous." It led Curry to ask Brown during a televised debate, "Do you think I'm a racist?"

"He did everything he could to suppress our citizens' right to vote by taking away early voting. Why would he do that?" Brown said the next day. "He spent his entire adult life being divisive and dividing people instead of uniting them. I spent four years uniting this city."

Brown chose a bakery near downtown for an interview with The Associated Press to symbolize a city economy that's improving. When he took office, the area stood vacant. It now has stores, restaurants and new urban apartments.

"Downtown is on fire. It's thriving. It's doing well  more jobs, more opportunity," Brown said. "I'm the mayor who believes in opportunity for all. Period. No matter what side of town you live on. That's how I govern my city."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
U.S. Senate candidate Loretta Sanchez has apologized after a videotape surfaced showing her making a whooping cry in reference to Native Americans during an apparent joke.

Speaking to delegates at a state Democratic convention Sunday, the 10-term congresswoman said she said something offensive "and for that I sincerely apologize."

The video, which was shared on social media, shows Sanchez tapping her hand over her open mouth and making a whooping sound while speaking to a group of delegates Saturday.

Her chief rival in the Senate race, Attorney General Kamala Harris, called the gesture shocking.

Sanchez said everyone makes mistakes and defended her record on civil rights, human rights and Native American rights.

Sanchez said American Indians have "a great presence in our country and many of them are supporting our election."

Harris, whose mother was an immigrant from India, said, "There is no place for that in our public discourse."

The incident came during a convention in which the 2016 Senate race played out among speeches and partying. The two Democrats are the leading candidates for the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer.

On Saturday, Harris defended her qualifications on foreign affairs and national defense after Sanchez had suggested she doesn't have the skills for the job in Washington.

Harris told reporters that voters next year will determine who is qualified for the Senate seat, and her experience as a two-term attorney general and a former local prosecutor gave her the background she would need on Capitol Hill.

"I feel certainly equipped to have a sense of what California needs and wants as it relates to many issues," Harris said. As a career prosecutor, "I know the stuff they do in Washington actually impacts California."

Sanchez, who entered the race Thursday, spent Saturday dashing to and from convention meetings, shaking dozens of hands and posing for snapshots. When she entered the race last week, said that her long experience in defense and foreign affairs on Capitol Hill was essential in "perilous times," drawing a contrast with Harris.

Harris, in her speech to delegates on Saturday, twice referred to dysfunction on Capitol Hill. She never mentioned Sanchez, but the statements appeared to suggest that the congresswoman was part of the problem. Harris said that everywhere she travels as a candidate she is asked how she can "possibly expect to get anything done" in paralyzed Beltway politics.

Speaking later with reporters, Harris pointed to her work along the U.S.-Mexico border on drug trafficking as state attorney general.

The contest between the two high-profile Democrats has geographic, racial and political dimensions. Sanchez, 55, is Hispanic with a background in national defense issues and roots in Southern California. Over the years, she has belonged to a faction of moderate Democrats known as the Blue Dog Coalition. Harris, 50, a favorite of the party's left wing, is a career prosecutor from the San Francisco Bay Area whose father is black and mother is Indian.

Sanchez, speaking to members of the party's Chicano Latino Caucus, said she wanted to appeal across the state's diverse population. "We will win, and we will win with a fabric of everybody," she said.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Sitting across from officials of the United States long-sworn enemy, Scott Gilbert quickly realized that in Cuba, reliable tactics he had mastered in all his years of practicing law would not be enough to secure the release of his client, a U.S. government subcontractor whod been jailed there since 2009.

My role was plainly that of representing Alan Gross who was an inmate in Cuba, Gilbert told Fox News Latino. But in this case, my strategy from the outset was to try to understand the people I was dealing with, both professionally and as people.

In Washington, D.C., Gilbert asked Cuban officials what they most wanted from the United States.

The answer, without hesitation, which I found so remarkable, was Respect, Gilbert recalled. "Mutual respect and mutual trust.

Gilbert, 61, says gaining the trust of the Raul Castro regime, and always delivering on his word, was a key part of an extremely complex effort that reached all the way to the Vatican and Pope Francis himself, to get an increasingly depressed and ailing Gross freed from jail.

Cuba said the U.S. project Gross took part of aimed to undermine its government and sentenced him to 15 years in prison.

I got know those officials well, Gilbert said. The Cubans understood that they were dealing with someone materially different from the Americans they had dealt with before. Everything I represented to them would happen, did happen.

In December, Gross, who had been in Cuba to set up Internet access as a subcontractor for the U.S. government to promote democracy there, was released from jail and returned to the U.S. But something else that Gilbert fervently wanted to see took hold  an agreement between Cuba and the United States to restore diplomatic relations.

Gross freedom came with the release of three Cuban spies jailed in the U.S., the easing of trade and travel restrictions between the two countries, as well as the hope for grander steps like Cubas eventual removal from the State Departments terror list and re-establishing embassies in each other's capitals.

After that, although Gilbert was, for all intents and purposes, finished with dealing with Cuba as a jailer, now he has a new relationship with the island  he is guiding its government on how to take steps to handle and attract American businesses.

Gilbert receives no payment from the Cuban government, he said.

And through Reneo, a consulting firm he launched more than a year ago, Gilbert also provides guidance to Americans who want to invest or do business in Cuba, often traveling there for these projects and reinforcing ties that he developed during the Gross case.

Americans who have never been to Cuba think its just another Caribbean country, Gilbert said. Cuba is so different, it is never what you think.

He says hes long had a genuine interest in the island nation  well before he ever heard of Alan Gross two years ago. Ironically, Ive been a student of Cuban history and culture for a good part of my life, said Gilbert, who resides in Florida.

He first went to the Communist nation about six years ago with B'nai B'rith on a humanitarian mission to the Jewish community in Havana.

I was like most Americans," Gilbert recalled. "I was really surprised  based on what Id seen and read up to that point  to discover that most of the Cuban people I met actually liked Americans.

The Cuban people, in Cuba and here in the United States, are an amazing group of human beings, he told FNL. They are unfailingly good-natured and polite and incredibly smart and strong and resolute.

The feeling that Cuba had enormous potential that was unknown to most Americans stayed with him.

Although much of the infrastructure is crumbling, you look past it and you can envision the future, Gilbert said, echoing what he tells business owners who visit the island.

Its changed a lot since his first visit, he says. Theres been a lot of construction, rehabbing of some historic buildings and the number of privately-run restaurants has grown.

He finds it maddening that U.S. business owners and investors are missing out on what he believes will be a remarkable resurgence. For now, he advises people how to do business in Cuba, and whether they can realize their goals now, or whether they should wait until the many restrictions still in place are lifted.

Many people have asked him: How does someone go from fighting Cuba, from dealing with the regime as an adversary that improperly tried and jailed his client to helping the country re-engage with the U.S.

People ask all the time, he said. They say, The Cuban government imprisoned your client. His answer is that we need to leave behind the history, the damaged relationship."

He said the key to getting Gross out was, and to restoring ties with Cuba in ways that are beneficial both to the island and the United States still is, trying to find where there is commonality. Finding that at bottom people are human beings  we all have aspirations, we all have families.

As far as Gilbert is concerned very little of substance can change unless the U.S. embargo is lifted.

The ability to travel to Cuba, to ship to Cuba  which is just 30 minutes away from U.S. shores, he said. But American companies are just sitting here with shackles on watching opportunities taken up by businesses in other countries.

The embargo, he said, has been a failure in many ways.

Its absolutely a question of when, not if, the embargo will be lifted.

Ric Herrero of CubaNow, an organization that supports trade and diplomacy with Cuba, lauds Gilbert's efforts to help pave the way on both sides of the Caribbean for an economic relationship.

"Paving the road for smart investments that strengthen Cuban civil society and empower entrepreneurs is exactly what our new policy is all about," Herrero said. "Achieving this will require both sides to be proactive in overcoming decades of mistrust and identifying immediate opportunities to increase socioeconomic ties between the United States and Cuba."

Herrero added, "Intermediaries who can play a constructive role in facilitating meaningful engagement during this process should be welcomed."

Recent polls show that a growing number of Americans, including those of Cuban descent, support that view. But many remain firm in their opposition to breaking bread with Cuban officials while they still refuse to implement democratic reforms and address human rights concerns.

"The almighty dollar trumps everything," said Raul Mas, a Cuban-American who supports the embargo and whose late brother, Jorge Mas, played a pivotal role in creating the influential lobbying group, the Cuban American National Foundation. "[Gilbert] represented someone who was mistreated by the Cuban government, and now he turns around and is cahoots with the Castro brothers. It's less than dignified."

Remberto Perez, a New Jersey businessman who is against establishing diplomatic and business relations with Cuba as long as there is no democratic reform, said the embargo was put in place originally because the Castro regime was seizing American businesses and property.

"Now we want to do business with the very same people who seized American businesses? It's the same guys in power," Perez told FNL.

For his part, Gilbert understands that there remains a solid wall of resistance to lifting the embargo  including in Congress  and realizes that there are still enormous gulfs to be bridged.

In many ways, we come from very different worlds, he said, from different countries, we have different interests. This is just three or four months out of decades of bad history between Cuba and the United States.

He says he is focused on the nations, the people in both countries, and helping them come together and share opportunities that will be mutually beneficial.

Even Alan Gross himself, he notes, recently told reporters that he wants to the return to Cuba to "promote a more constructive relationship" between the island and the U.S.

Gross spoke at a private fundraiser at Gilbert's home earlier this month for the New Cuba PAC, which plans to back political candidates who favor increasing travel and trade between Cuba and the United States. Gilbert said he does not have an official position with the PAC, but he supports its mission.

"I believe it is an important part of a critical effort that will provide a better future for the Cuban people and will provide significant benefits to the United States, including Cuban-Americans, the rest of our citizens and our business community," he told FNL.

If Alan Gross can move forward, so can our respective governments officials.
A dozen years later, American politics has reached a rough consensus about the Iraq War: It was a mistake.

Politicians hoping to be president rarely run ahead of public opinion. So it's a revealing moment when the major contenders for president in both parties find it best to say that 4,491 Americans and countless Iraqis lost their lives in a war that shouldn't have been waged.

Many people have been saying that for years, of course. Polls show most of the public have judged the war a failure by now. Over time, more and more GOP politicians have allowed that the absence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq undermined Republican President George W. Bush's rationale for the 2003 invasion.

It hasn't been an easy evolution for those such as Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton, who voted for the war in 2002 while serving in Congress. That vote, and her refusal to fully disavow it, cost her during her 2008 primary loss to Barack Obama, who wasn't in the Senate in 2002 but had opposed the war.

In her memoir last year, Clinton wrote that she had voted based on the information available at the time, but "I got it wrong. Plain and simple."

What might seem a hard truth for a nation to acknowledge has become the safest thing for an American politician to say  even Bush's brother.

The fact that Jeb Bush, a likely candidate for the Republican nomination in 2016, was pressured this past week into rejecting, in hindsight, his brother's war "is an indication that the received wisdom, that which we work from right now, is that this was a mistake," said Evan Cornog, a historian and dean of the Hofstra University school of communication.

Or, as Rick Santorum, another potential Republican candidate, put it: "Everybody accepts that now."

Santorum didn't always see the war that way. He voted for the invasion as a senator and continued to support if for years. Last week, he mocked Jeb Bush's reluctance to give what now seems the obvious answer when he was initially asked to reconsider the war in light of what's known today. "I don't know how that was a hard question," Santorum said.

It's an easier question for presidential hopefuls who aren't bound by family ties or their own congressional vote for the war, who have the luxury of judging it in hindsight, knowing full well the terrible price Americans paid and the continuing bloodshed in Iraq today.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz weren't in Congress in 2002 and so didn't have to make a real-time decision with imperfect knowledge. Neither was New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie or Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who served an earlier stint in Congress.

All these Republicans said last week that, in hindsight, they would not have invaded Iraq with what's now known about the faulty intelligence that wrongly indicated Saddam Hussein had stockpiled weapons of mass destruction.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, in an interview Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation," summed up that sentiment: "Knowing what we know now, I think it's safe for many of us, myself included, to say, we probably wouldn't have taken" that approach.

Rubio, in a long exchange on "Fox News Sunday," tried to navigate the Iraq shoals once again, making a case that while the war was based on mistaken intelligence, the world still is better off with Saddam gone.

Those politicians didn't go as far, however, as war critics such as Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, a declared Republican candidate who says it would have been a mistake even if Saddam were hiding such weapons. Paul says Saddam was serving as a counterbalance to Iran and removing him from power led to much of the turmoil now rocking the Middle East.

Former President George W. Bush and his vice president, Dick Cheney, still maintain that ousting a brutal and unpredictable dictator made the world safer.

In his 2010 memoir, "Decision Points," Bush said he got a "sickening feeling" every time he thought about the failure to find weapons of mass destruction and he knew that would "transform public perception of the war."

But he stands by his decision.

The war remains a painful topic that politicians must approach with some care.

Jeb Bush, explaining his reluctance to clarify his position on the war's start, said "going back in time and talking about hypotheticals," the would-haves and the should-haves, does a disservice to the families of soldiers who gave their lives.

Cornog, the historian, said even if a majority of Americans have turned their backs on the war, many never will.

"I think if I had lost a loved one in that war I would be unwilling to say it was a futile effort or destructive of America's security," he said. "How we interpret it depends on how we are invested in the question at hand."

When he finished withdrawing U.S. troops in December 2011, Obama predicted a stable, self-reliant Iraqi government would take hold. Instead, turmoil and terrorism overtook Iraq and American leaders and would-be presidents are struggling with what to do next. The U.S. now has 3,040 troops in Iraq as trainers and advisers and to provide security for American personnel and equipment.

For the most part, the public and the military  like the politicians  are focused less on decisions of the past than on the events of today and how to stop the Islamic State militants who have overrun a swath of Iraq and inspired terrorist attacks in the West.

"The greater amount of angst in the military is from seeing the manifest positive results of the surge in 2007 and 2008 go to waste by misguided policies in the aftermath," said retired U.S. Army Col. Peter Monsoor, a top assistant to Gen. David Petraeus in Baghdad during that increase of U.S. troops in Iraq.

"Those mistakes were huge and compounded the original error of going into Iraq in the first place," said Monsoor, now a professor of military history at Ohio State University. "There's plenty of blame to go around. What we need is not so much blame as to figure out what happened and use that knowledge to make better decisions going forward."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
next Image 1 of 2

prev Image 2 of 2

In a change from his recent liberal leanings on immigration, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says he does not support giving undocumented immigrants a path to legal status.

In an interview Monday with Fox News host Megyn Kelly, Christie said that while he feels that the U.S. immigration system is in need of an overhaul, he does not agree with giving undocumented immigrants a break and allowing them to live in the United States permanently.

He criticized Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who recently said she supported a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants as well as President Barack Obamas executive action that called for sparing up to 5 million people here illegally from deportation for about three years.

Clinton said that she would go even further than Obama and extend the deportation reprieve to more categories of undocumented immigrants.

I think thats an extreme way to go, Christie said to Kelly, adding that Clinton was pandering for votes. I dont believe thats where the American people are.

Kelly reminded Christie that about five years ago, he expressed support for giving some undocumented immigrants an opportunity to legalize.

Christie said: Ive learned over time about this issue and done a lot more work on it. Just immediately going to a path to citizenship, as Hillary Clinton is proposing to do, is just pandering politics.

He vowed to revoke Obamas executive order if he becomes president.

Christie defended signing into law in 2014 a measure, the New Jersey Dream Act, that allowed undocumented students in his state to attend public colleges at in-state tuition rates instead of at an out-of-state cost, which is twice as much.

Christie said it was an economic decision that made sense because these students attend K-12 schools, as mandated by the Supreme Court, and should be able to continue their education.

As for his rivals, if he runs for president, Christie said that a governor would be a better Oval Office occupant than, say, a U.S. senator.

He said he likes Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican who is running for president, but concluded that hes not ready for prime-time White House politics. He said the nation has already elected a one-term U.S. senator  Obama  and that I dont think it works well.

Rubio has said that senators are better prepared than governors because their job requires them to deal with foreign policy.

Christie balked, saying that Foreign policy is something you can learn, just like anything else. You cant learn how to make decisions other than by making them.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Henry Cisneros, a Democratic party insider who served as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under former President Bill Clinton, said late last week that as of right now, Hillary Clintons only choice for a vice presidential running mate is the man who holds his former position, Julian Castro.

Speaking to Spanish-language media, Cisneros said that Clinton campaign staff told him that Castro, the current HUD secretary, is "the first person on their list."

"What I am hearing in Washington, including from people in Hillary Clinton's campaign, is that the first person on their lists is Julian Castro," Cisneros said, according to the San Antonio Express-News. "That they don't have a second option, because he is the superior candidate considering his record, personality, demeanor and Latin heritage. I think there is a very high possibility that Hillary Clinton may choose Julian Castro."

If Clinton, the Democratic front-runner in the 2016 presidential election, does choose Castro, he could be the first Latino vice presidential candidate in U.S. history.

For his part, Castro has downplayed the speculation of a vice presidential nod ever since he took the position as the head of HUD last July  saying instead that he is focused on his job in the Obama administration.

"I don't believe that I am going to be vice president," he said when questioned by ABC News last October. Castro added that he had no presidential aspirations in his future.

"I guarantee you that I am not going to run for president, probably ever."

As the presidential election season begins to enter full swing, the Clinton campaign has been dealing with continuing fallout from a scandal involving emails while she served as Secretary of State.

The State Department has proposed releasing portions of 55,000 pages of emails from Clinton by next January.

The department made the proposal in a federal court filing Monday night, in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by Vice News.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Columba Bush, the potential First Lady contender, has been mostly quiet some four days into her debut on social media.

The wife of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who is expected to announce that hes running for president, launched Twitter and Instagram accounts on Friday, and sent out two tweets the first day and two the following day.

Sunday and Monday there were no posts, but she tweeted early Tuesday.

Columba Bushs social media foray is seen as the perfect alternative to the campaign spotlight, which she is said to loathe. Published reports say she will use the accounts to share family photos, shots of her during her husbands anticipated presidential campaign, among other things.

She is tweeting in English and Spanish. Her profile description reads: Proud Mother, Grandmother, and Wife of @JebBush. Advocate for Domestic Violence and Drug Prevention, the Arts.

By Tuesday morning, she had more than 2,000 followers on Twitter, 4 posts and was following six accounts, including those of her husband and two sons.

Jeb Bush welcomed his wife to social media, and on Tuesday gave her kudos via Twitter.

Very proud of all the work @ColumbaBush has done to help prevent domestic violence, he tweeted.

Seemingly in sync with Columba Bush, on Monday President Barack Obama opened a new @POTUS account on Twitter, with tweets will come exclusively from the president.

With a frugal 92-character message  48 short of maximum permitted  Obama on Monday declared: "Hello, Twitter! It's Barack. Really! Six years in, they're finally giving me my own account."

The account name  @POTUS  stands for the common acronym used for President of the United States.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Jeb Bush returned Monday to his South Florida political roots with a $25-a-person fundraiser for his political action committee, a contrast with recent private high-roller events.

The Republican former Florida governor appeared at the Right to Rise PAC event in a local community center wearing a white Cuban-style guayabera shirt and frequently shifted from English to Spanish. About 450 people attended in a heavily Hispanic suburb west of Miami, including Bush's wife Columba and son Jeb Jr. Neither of them addressed the crowd.

Bush has not yet officially declared his candidacy for the GOP presidential nomination but has been raising money for the PAC. A recent two-day retreat at a swank Miami Beach hotel was closed to the press and open mainly to 300 invited, wealthy donors.

This event, meanwhile, was dubbed the "Miami Hometown Reception" and was held at a building named for Jorge Mas Canosa, a prominent Cuban-American exile leader. Former U.S. Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart introduced Bush to the friendly crowd.

In his speech, Bush discussed familiar conservative themes such as lower taxes, immigration reform, fewer regulations and a more robust U.S. foreign policy. Bush also said that voters want political parties to cooperate in tackling issues.

"I know for a fact we need to start solving problems again in Washington, D.C.," Bush said. "This is going to be an extraordinary time, but first we have to fix these things."

Bush has headlined more than 60 fundraisers this year and claims he has already set a record for raising GOP cash. Right to Rise does not plan to release fundraising figures until July.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
The nation may have reacted with shock over U.S. Senate candidate Loretta Sanchezs leaked Native American whooping cry  which she also animated with her hand  during a political speech on Saturday, but many Californians know its hardly the first time the congresswoman has made jaws drop.

Before she announced her candidacy to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, she sent heads shaking when she mocked California Attorney General Kamala Harris, a fellow Democrat who is vying for the seat, for not speaking Spanish and, thus, being unable to communicate with much of the state's population.

In 2010, Sanchez went on a tear on her opponent at the time, Republican Van Tran, saying in a Spanish-language TV interview that the Vietnamese community and the GOP were conspiring to take her congressional seat. She called Tran very anti-immigrant and very anti-Hispanic.

Tran denounced what he said was Sanchezs racial rampage.

In 2000, Sanchez managed to get herself disinvited as speaker at the Democratic National Convention, of which she was vice chairwoman, after making the widely criticized decision to hold a Hispanic Unity USA PAC fundraiser at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles.

In each of these instances, she apologized or, in the Playboy Mansion incident, changed the venue.

The long-term lawmaker, 55, is known for letting the chips fall where they may.

Knowing Loretta all these years, I can say she is consistent, an the Sacramento Bee quoted former Sanchez campaign chairman and confidante Wylie Aitken as saying. She will say whats on her mind, because with Loretta, what you see is what you get.

Sanchez takes pride in her unfiltered style, saying that she doesnt hide behind scripts and handlers like other politicians, and that means therell be missteps sometimes.

Sooner or later, we make mistakes, she told a crowd at another political event over the weekend, referring to her headlines-making insult involving Native Americans. Because you know what? Were all humans.

In this crazy and exciting rush of meetings yesterday, I said something offensive, and for that I sincerely apologize.

Sanchez said that Native Americans "know that I have always had their backs. And they know what many of you don't knowthat like so many Mexican Americans, I am proudly Native American on my mother's side."

Sanchez especially lets loose, said Fred Smoller, a political science professor at Chapman University, when she is fighting an uphill battle, as she is now against Kamala Harris, who is seen as the frontrunner in the race to succeed Boxer.

Thats exactly when she gets feisty, Smoller said, according to the Sacramento Bee. I am the outsider  and I am representing people the establishment would ignore."

She has that independent streak, the Loretta character where she isnt undisciplined, but she also isnt controlled, he said. Its part of her authenticity. There is little virtue in being something shes not: stilted or scripted.

The latest gaffe is seen as a significant setback for Sanchez, who has seen many Democrats in her state and around the country line up behind Harris, a more careful public speaker and campaigner.

Harris, the daughter of a Jamaican father and Asian-Indian mother, told reporters, "I dont know what to say to that. Thats shocking.

At the now infamous speech, Sanchez was telling the crowd how, when expecting to meet with a supporter who on the telephone had identified himself as Indian-American, she envisioned seeing a woo-woo-woo-woo, right? Cause he said 'Indian American.

To her surprise, he was not the stereotype she had expected, she told them.

Sayu Bhojwani, New York City's former commissioner of immigrant affairs, told the Los Angeles Times that Sanchezs remarks, which he heard in person at the Saturday event, demonstrate that "racial insensitivity is not the purview of Republicans or whites, but is pervasive across party and ethnic lines."

"I was taken aback, as many others in the audience were, at her insensitivity, which immediately alienated non-Indian guests as well," said Bhojwani, who is of Indian descent, according to the Times.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
next Image 1 of 2

prev Image 2 of 2

The businessmans got billions. The senators got ambitions.

Together, they make an imposing match for a march to the White House.

South Florida billionaire Norman Braman's long-time support  through financing and friendship  of Sen. Marco Rubio is now under the spotlight as the former Philadelphia Eagles owner is expected to spend between $10 million and $25 million to fund the presidential candidates super PAC.

But it isn't just Bramans mega-money that is attracting people's attention.

The Braman family's philanthropic foundation counts as one of its employees Jeanette Rubio, the candidates wife. The group pays her more than $50,000 for a part-time job, reports the Tampa Bay Times. Braman also gave Florida International University $100,000 that helped fund a teaching job for Rubio, according to the New York Times, which noted that the 82-year-old benefactor has left few corners of Rubio's world untouched.

The Florida senator, who in the past has also been Bramans lawyer, is defending his ties to the donor, saying hes a long-time friend and has never asked for any favors in return for his financial support.

Braman, Rubio has said to reporters, is like a second father who has counseled him about which books to read and how to be a leader. After Rubio's father died in 2010, Braman called him every other day to see how he was coping.

"What is the conflict?" he responded when asked by the Times whether he saw any ethical concerns in his ties to Braman. "I don't ever recall Norman Braman ever asking for anything for himself."

He told MSNBC, "Norm Braman is a great man, a pillar of the South Florida community and someone who Im personally close to. Im very proud to be associated with him."

Questions about Rubios relationship with Braman come as his fellow Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), faces federal charges that he accepted money and gifts from a Florida doctor  Salomon Melgen, who long has donated to Menendez's campaigns  and in exchange made moves using his political office that benefited Melgen. Menendez and Melgen both deny the charges.

In an April interview with the Washington Post, Braman  who is an ardent detractor of the another potential presidential candidate from Florida, former Gov. Jeb Bush  said hes had his eye on Rubio, whom he met in the early 2000s, for a long time.

Ive tracked him and watched his growth, watched him become speaker of the [Florida] House, Braman said. I was incredibly impressed with his intellect, his gift of communication. He was somebody who dealt with solutions."

"Everybody runs for political office knocking somebody and very few run on, This is what I stand for. This is what I believe will solve these problems,'" he said. "Thats what Rubio did when he was ... in a position of leadership here in Florida. And thats how hes been and how hell be in his candidacy.

Sounding a theme that Rubio used when he launched his presidential campaign, Braman added, He also represents the future, not the past. Were in 2015  its not 1988.

Many political experts say big-time donors have become an integral part of presidential campaigns, and they dont expect the Rubio-Braman link to adversely affect the candidate, who has done well in early polls.

Sen. Rubio has to get through the primaries and to do that he will need lots of money, a situation shared by each of his competitors, Louis DeSipio, a professor of political science and Chicano/Latino studies at the University of California at Irvine, told Fox News Latino. None of the candidates are in a position to self-fund. So all the successful candidates will each have large contributors, each of whom will have made his/her money in a way that could potentially be questioned.

If Rubio wins the Republican nomination, DeSipio added, and runs against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the general election, she is likely to face many more questions about funding than he will.

The Democrats, meanwhile, casts the Rubio-Braman link in a different light.

Its no wonder millionaires and billionaires are backing Rubio and these GOP candidates, said Pablo Manriquez, the Democratic National Committee's Hispanic media director, in a statement. They have consistently supported policies that protect the wealthys bottom line while slashing programs that create opportunity for middle class families.
Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton named former Dreamer and outspoken immigration activist Lorella Praeli as her campaigns Latino Outreach Director, her campaign confirmed to Fox News on Wednesday.

Praeli, a Peruvian who was undocumented for almost 13 years, will be the Clinton campaigns main link between the candidate and the Latino community across the country, including on issues related to immigration and Latino rights.

"We are thrilled to have Lorella Praeli, a Dreamer, join our team because of her courage and perspective in the fight for Latino families across the country," Amanda Renteria, Hillary for America National Political Director, said in a press release. "Her experiences and relationships will be valuable in developing the coalition to ensure the Latino community has a voice in this campaign and in this country."

Renteria seemed to indicate that the campaign appointed a former Dreamer to the position to make a statement.

"Bringing Lorella into our campaign is the next step in making sure families aren't living in fear of deportation, all students have the chance to go to college, and that any comprehensive immigration reform ensures full and equal citizenship," she said.

Praeli was a Dreamer advocate for many years but received a green card in 2012. Her sister is a recipient of DACA, the presidential order that suspends deportation for at least two years, and her mother remains undocumented, although she is likely eligible for the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) policy. Praeli still considers herself a Dreamer even though she has permanent residency in the U.S.

Praeli, who most recently worked as the advocacy and policy director for the immigrant rights group United We Dream, worked on developing the organizations political strategy for all elements of Comprehensive Immigration Reform, and implementation of the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy.

Praeli lost her right leg in a car accident in Peru when she was 2 and when she was 10, her family decided to move to the United States, so that Praeli could get better access to prosthetic care and have more opportunity as a disabled child. She went on to graduate summa cum laude with a bachelors degree in political science and sociology from Quinnipiac University

The appointment of Praeli to Latino Outreach Director continues Clintons moves to try and reel in the Hispanic vote early in her campaign.

Earlier this month, Clinton said that any immigration overhaul must include a path to "full and equal citizenship."

"This is where I differ with everybody on the Republican side. Make no mistake, not a single Republican ... is clearly and consistently supporting a path to citizenship. Not one," Clinton said, adding, "When they talk about legal status, that is code for second-class status."

Clinton's pitch to Latino voters came as two of her potential Republican rivals, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, have courted Hispanics and talked about ways to overhaul the immigration system.

Fox News special events producer Serafin Gomez and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Immigrants and advocates rallied on Tuesday in cities across the country to push for a reprieve from deportation that has been blocked by a lawsuit.

The demonstrations aimed to mark the day when immigrants in the country illegally who are parents of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents would have been able to start applying for work permits and deportation protection.

The program announced last year by President Barack Obama  along with an extension of another geared toward immigrants here illegally who were brought here as children  was put on hold after a coalition of 26 states sued.

Events were held in cities spanning from Miami to Denver in support of the programs aimed at protecting as many as 5 million people.

In New York, about 100 people attended a demonstration, including 41-year-old Ecuadorean Lucia Freire. The mother of two Americans said she was counting on Obama's program to be able to drive and travel in the country where she has lived for a decade.

"I feel frustrated," she said, "I feel like no one supports us, the immigrants."

A handful of critics mounted a counter protest, where immigration enforcement proponent Joanna Marzullo said people living in the country illegally were using their children to gain permission to stay here.

The divide over the programs extends to Washington, where Obama has said a lack of action by Congress forced him to make sweeping changes to the immigration rules. Republicans say Obama overstepped his authority.

After the states sued, a federal judge in Texas issued an injunction blocking the program. A decision from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans is pending on whether to lift it.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Senators Marco Rubio and Bob Menendez met with three female opposition leaders from Venezuela Wednesday, a few days after the country held primaries to select candidates to run against the ruling socialist party later this year.

One of them was Lilian Tintori, the wife of Leopoldo Lopez, an opposition leader who has been jailed since February 2014 for allegedly inciting the Venezuelan people to protest the regime and policies of President Nicolas Maduro.

Another noted spouse was Mitzy Capriles, the wife of Caracas mayor Antonio Ledezma  the 60-year-old was rushed out of an office building three months ago by the Bolivarian National Police and is now being held under house arrest due to a health condition.

In the meeting with the senators was also Tamara Suju, international director of the Venezuelan human rights group, Foro Penal.

I was humbled and honored to meet with these courageous leaders who want nothing more than a better future for Venezuela that the current regimes corruption and incompetence cannot achieve, Sen. Rubio (R-Fla.) said in a joint statement issued after the meeting on Wednesday.

The struggles Leopoldo Lopez and Mayor Antonio Ledezma are enduring is a fight embraced by all who value democracy and human rights, and reject the suppression of universal freedoms, Menendez (D-N.J.) said for his part.

President Maduros repressive government and ruinous policies are failing the Venezuelan people and unjustly silencing opposing voices, Menendez added.

MUD, the 29-party coalition that opposes the countrys socialist regime, held a primary on Sunday to select some of the candidates that will be running in congressional elections on a date yet to be announced.

Later this year, Rubio said, a critical moment will come when Venezuela holds legislative elections that we fully expect the Maduro regime to try to undermine and outright steal. The U.S. must lead a movement of free and democratic societies calling for a fully free and fair election.

At a press conference after the meeting, Tintori said that the U.S. could be an instrument for change in Venezuela and asked that Washington continue asking for the release of all political prisoners.

She also thanked the U.S. for sending State Department envoy Thomas Shannon earlier this week for a second-round of face-to-face talks with Maduro.

We are thankful that he sees with his own eyes what is occurring in Venezuela, Tintori said.

Capriles stressed that former Spanish Prime Minister, Felipe Gonzalez, who has agreed to represent both Ledezma and Lopez in their upcoming trials but who was blocked from entering Venezuela by the regime, be allowed into the country.

It is extremely important that a man with the democratic stature that Gonzalez has be allowed to attend the defense proceedings of our political prisoners, she said.

EFE contributed to this report.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Small businesses aren't in the dire straits they were four years ago, but presidential candidates aren't letting go of an issue they think will get them votes.

Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton has made small business one of the top items on her campaign agenda. Republican Ted Cruz says the primary problems hurting small companies are the health care law, taxes and government regulations. Republican Rand Paul says the tax law is burdening small business and slowing the economy.

Small businesses are in better shape than in 2012 when many owners were scared to hire people and spend on expansion. These days, owners are more optimistic. Their companies have healthier finances and are investing in equipment and property, according to several surveys.

Still, candidates are already talking about the nation's 28 million small businesses. It's not a bad tactic since a huge block of people own a small company or work for one. In the 2012 race, there was little noise about small business until four months before Election Day, when Republican Mitt Romney accused President Barack Obama of not caring about small companies.

"It's a brilliant strategy, anything you can do that gets the awareness of 28 million small business owners  you're impacting 56 million potential voters," says Pat Dickson, a professor of entrepreneurship at Wake Forest University.

BUZZ WORDS

When candidates say "small business," they're talking about creating jobs, telling voters something they want to hear, says David Primo, professor of political science and business at the University of Rochester.

"It's almost like making education a plank of your campaign. Who's going to argue that you shouldn't have better education?" Primo says.

It's also a way of connecting with the middle class.

"I want to be a small business president," Clinton said Tuesday during a meeting with small business owners in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and then went on to describe growing up in a middle class home where her father ran a small drapery fabric printing company.

"My mother, my brothers and I and occasionally a few day laborers would help out with the actual printing process. That's what put food on the table and gave us a solid middle class home," Clinton said.

So far, though, there are more sound bites than specifics when candidates talk about helping small companies.

Clinton called for an overhaul of federal regulations to make it easier for small businesses to operate, and for tax law changes that increase credits and deductions for small businesses. She didn't go into details about what those changes should be.

Cruz, a Texas senator isn't ready to roll out his solutions for small business problems, spokesman Rick Tyler says. Cruz has said he wants to reduce the size of the IRS and create a flat tax to replace the complex federal tax code.

Paul, a Kentucky senator, wants to implement a plan that would eliminate two existing federal regulations for every new one, campaign manager Chip Englander says. In the coming weeks, Paul will release his plan to overhaul taxes including those on small business, Englander says.

NOT SO EASY

While candidates talk about cutting small business taxes and government regulations, that may be easier said than done. Lower taxes would require a makeover of the tax laws, something Congress may not agree to. And the thousands of federal regulations mostly affect specific industries, making it harder to give relief to many businesses.

Republicans also talk about repealing the health care law. But that may not be something many business owners want.

The law has brought about good changes that should be retained, like ending health insurers' ability to deny coverage for pre-existing medical conditions, says Wade Benz, president of USimprints, a Brentwood, Tennessee, seller of promotional items and corporate gifts. He does want the next president to do something to lower insurance premiums.

The minimum wage is a tricky issue. Many workers want it, but small business owners like restaurant franchisees are against it, says Paul Oyer, a professor of economics at Stanford Business School. Republicans oppose raising the federal minimum wage from its current $7.25 an hour. Clinton supports it.

Presidential candidates may promise small business more than they'd be able to accomplish in office, says Primo, the University of Rochester professor.

"But I think this is true about a lot of policy areas," he says.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
One of Hillary Clintons most recent hires is part of a group that has heckled and interrupted the presidential candidates speeches and is known for confronting lawmakers at public events about their stance on immigration.

Clintons new hire, Lorella Praeli, is United We Dreams director of policy and advocacy, and is a former undocumented immigrant who received her legal permanent residence  more commonly referred to as the green card  several years ago. She is expected to begin her job as the campaigns Latino outreach director in June.

United We Dream is an assertive and media-savvy organization of former and current undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as minors, and have been pushing for the immigration laws to change to allow them and their relatives to legalize their status.

They are also known for their in-your-face confrontations of politicians, and  as in the case of Clintons speech in Maryland last year  when she stood at a podium last fall to stump for Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee  of trying to seize the spotlight and headlines from them.

After the hiring was announced, United We Dream made a point to say that they will continue putting pressure on Clinton, even though one of their own will begin working for her.

"As Dreamers and families who continue to be undocumented, we have dedicated ourselves to our communities not a party and we we will continue to hold accountable all the presidential candidates," they said in a statement.

The hiring of Praeli underscores how a group that had long been criticized and brushed off by both sides of the immigration debate  even immigration advocates complained they were too provocative and radical  is becoming an influential force in the U.S.

It shows the evolution of the youth movement, said Mario Carrillo, the communications manager for United We Dream. Weve never been afraid of holding any politician accountable.

But critics say the appointment shows Clinton is kowtowing to a group that doesnt have the best interest of the country in mind.

"Hiring Lorella Praeli is a clear signal that Ms. Clinton is actually serious about her promise to double down on Obamas executive action with regard to amnesty," said Bob Dane, communications director for the Federation for American Immigration Reform. "If she does that, any remaining vestige of immigration enforcement will disappear faster than her State Department emails."

Carrillo, who is a U.S. citizen but was undocumented as a child, said that this is a great step for Praeli.

We have people in prominent roles in presidential campaigns as well as other jobs, he said, referring to members of his organization as well as young people in the immigration movement in general.

Last year, members of United We Dream met with Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson to talk to him about the impact that deportations have had on families in the United States, and to push for an expansion of a 2012 initiative by President Barack Obama that suspended deportation for undocumented immigrants brought as minors, and for scaling back the detention of immigrants, among other things.

Toward the end of the year, Obama announced executive actions expanding the 2012 initiative to include more youths and undocumented parents of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents.

Last summer, United We Dream led the criticism of Hillary Clinton after she suggested that unaccompanied minors from Central America who had approached the U.S.-Mexico border in growing numbers  saying they were fleeing violence  should be returned to their countries.

She has been inconsistent, Carrillo, 30, said of Clinton, starting with the debates of the [2008] presidential cycle. It was unclear where she stood on drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants. And even last year, when we had the crisis of children fleeing violence crossing the border, she made statements that went very much against what we believe in.

At the Maryland event, as security removed one group of United We Dream hecklers, another group started yelling at Clinton, and when they were removed, yet another group picked up where they had left off.

The demonstrators told reporters that they wanted to start putting pressure on her in the hope that she would articulate, in clear terms, where she stood on various aspects of immigration reform.

Young undocumented immigrants and their supporters also heckled Clinton when she was in North Carolina stumping for Sen. Kay Hagan, who drew the ire of many Latinos and immigrant advocates by voting against the Dream Act, a measure that would have given undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as minors a chance to legalize their status if they meet a strict set of criteria.

In North Carolina and in Maryland, Clinton spoke about immigration after Dreamers, as they're called, began heckling.

In recent weeks, members of United We Dream met with Clinton before her speech in Nevada, which she visited shortly after announcing her candidacy for president.

Before Clinton's speech, Cristina Jimenez, managing director United We Dream, said in a press release, Our message to Hillary Clinton, and any candidate, is that we expect them to promote existing deportation relief programs and pledge to expand deportation protections should they be elected. Simply declaring support for immigration reform in Congress is not enough.

Indeed, in Clinton's speech, the candidate vowed to go even further than Obama in offering protections from deportation for undocumented immigrants.

Proponents of stricter immigration policies have criticized Clinton for her support of Obama's executive action and for offering leniency to undocumented immigrants.

" If her campaign genuinely wants to improve the lives of Hispanics and win their votes, amnesty and abusing executive power is not the way to do it," said Dane, of FAIR. "Her campaign should understand that enforcing our laws (as Congress intended) and reducing immigration will create a tighter labor market where fewer people are competing for jobs, wages rise and people move up, especially newly arrived legal immigrants."

Immigrant youth groups, meanwhile, lauded Clinton's Nevada speech on immigration, but tempered the praise with the warning that they do not want a president who is long on rhetoric and short on fixing the immigration system and curbing deportations.

"Hillary has just shared some great new rhetoric," said Cesar Vargas and Erika Andiola, co-Directors of the Dream Action Coalition, in a statement after her speech. "As a community, however, we have certainly been burned before: President Obamas rhetoric has always been kind on immigration, but he has still deported more than 2 million immigrants...Now we need to see if she will stay consistent and follow up?"
Revealing few details, officials of Cuba and the United States said they had made progress in two days of talks about re-opening embassies in each others nations but indicated that hurdles remain.

At a joint press conference Friday, members of the U.S. and Cuba delegations said that they have not finalized agreement on the re-establishment of embassies, but that they will keep talking through their missions.

Each time we have met we have made progress, said the top U.S. diplomat for Latin America, Roberta Jacobson, adding, I dont know that we will need another round of talks."

Asked about the level of freedom of movement for embassy personnel in Cuba that she envisioned would result from the negotiations, Jacobson said, "We are confident that when we get to an agreement, our embassy will be able to function so that our officers can do their job as they do worldwide."

Five months after Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro announced their intention to improve ties, the former foes on Friday completed a fourth round of negotiations without ironing out enough of the differences that have accumulated over a half-century of estrangement to fully restore diplomatic relations.

Jacobson said that while she is staying optimistic, Im also a realist about 54 years that we have to overcome.

Appearing first, the Communist government's top diplomat for the United States, Josefina Vidal, was circumspect.

She avoided any description of the remaining obstacles to restoring diplomatic relations and offered no criticism of the United States, but said two days of discussions in Washington focused on "every aspect of the functioning of embassies and the behavior of diplomats."

Vidal also noted that the Cubans are "willing" to discuss the lifting of the U.S. embargo.

Even as many of the biggest hurdles have been cleared, Washington and Havana are still wrangling over American demands that its diplomats be able to travel throughout Cuba and meet dissidents without restrictions. The Cubans are wary of activity they see as destabilizing to their government.

Asked if any agreement had been reached on what sort of activity constituted "interference" in the internal affairs of another nation, Jacobson responded, "I'm not going to get into specifics on topics that we are still talking about."

Cuba comes off the U.S. state sponsors of terrorism list on May 29, removing a designation that carries financial repercussions. And its Interests Section in Washington now has a U.S.-based bank account, meaning it doesn't have to operate on cash anymore. Obama also has moved to significantly loosen aspects of the American trade embargo on the island.

U.S. gains in the negotiations have been less apparent.

Both the U.S. and Cuba say establishing embassies is the first step in a larger process of "normalizing" relations.

That effort would still have to tackle bigger questions such as the embargo, which only Congress can fully revoke, as well as the future of Guantanamo Bay and Cuba's democracy record.

James Williams, President of Engage Cuba, a group that supports U.S.-Cuba diplomatic relations, said in a statement to Fox News Latino: "It is clear that significant differences exist between our countries, but the only way to move forward on them is to sit down face-to-face and firmly make it clear where we stand."

Todays talks are a reminder that Americas presence isnt a concession, it is a show of strength, and the best way to promote our values and create opportunities for both Americans and the Cuban people. Now Congress should do its job and lift the travel and trade ban so that we stop waiting and begin connecting with and investing in the Cuban people."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
next Image 1 of 2

prev Image 2 of 2

Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes accepted a $5,000 campaign donation from a contact lens seller based in the state after his office began defending a new law that critics say was written at the company's behest.

Three of the nation's biggest contact lens makers are suing Utah over the law, which bans price-fixing for lenses and could have wide-ranging implications for the industry. They argue it is unconstitutional and was written to benefit discount retailers like 1-800 Contacts.

The companies filed suit April 13.

On May 1, Reyes' campaign deposited a $5,000 check from 1-800 Contacts, which by that time had joined the lawsuit in favor of the law.

Reyes campaign consultant Alan Crooks said the check was part of a Park City ski fundraiser that the Republican attorney general held in early March. Suggested contributions for attendees were around $5,000.

The company wrote its check weeks later, on April 7. Reyes' campaign didn't pick it up until sometime after that, Crooks said.

Crooks said 1-800 Contacts has given several donations to Reyes in the past, and the attorney general's office is constitutionally obligated to defend any laws that are passed.

Reyes made public trust in the office a major thread of his campaign after his predecessor resigned in 2013 amid allegations of shady dealings with businessmen.

In a statement sent by Crooks, Reyes said his campaign carefully scrutinizes all donations.

"In no way do any donations, no matter the amount, have any bearing on policy or case decisions in the Utah AG office, and they never will," Reyes said.

Roy Montclair, interim general counsel for 1-800 Contacts, said in a statement that the company supports state and local officials around the country, including Reyes.

The donation in question was consistent with the company's prior practices, and it preceded the lawsuit over contact lens pricing, Montclair noted.

Josh Kanter, board president of the left-leaning, good-government group Alliance for a Better Utah, said Reyes should return the donation.

It doesn't matter if the company was a new or longtime donor, he said.

"They, at that moment in time, are doing something which could be perceived as attempting to influence the office of the attorney general," Kanter said. "That perception alone is enough to say, 'I shouldn't accept this donation.'"

Reyes vowed to restore trust in the office after former Attorney General John Swallow resigned amid accusations that he and his predecessor Mark Shurtleff accepted donations and favors from businessmen in trouble with regulators.

Swallow and Shurtleff, both Republicans, now face bribery, obstruction of justice and other charges. They've denied wrongdoing.

In April 2014, Reyes pledged to avoid campaign donations that could create a conflict of interest with the attorney general's office. He wouldn't specify industries or companies, saying he didn't want to insinuate they were doing anything illegal or unethical.

Crooks said this week that the campaign turns down donations from the gambling industry, payday lenders, or individuals linked to allegations surrounding Shurtleff and Swallow.

Reyes raised more than $400,000 last year to win election in November to a two-year special term. He will be up for re-election next year and has raised more than $98,000 for the effort since Jan. 1.

Last year, 1-800 Contacts reported making $90,000 in campaign donations, including $10,000 to Gov. Gary Herbert, another $5,000 to Reyes and thousands more to Republican and Democratic Party groups and officials.

The company has not filed a donation disclosure report for this year and is not required to do so until Sept. 30.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Picture this: U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro, standing on a stage, shaking hands  in Havana.

That may come to pass if White House Secretary Josh Earnests comments at a press briefing are any indication.

I know theres one person particularly that hopes President Obama will be in Havana at some point in the  at some point in the relatively recent future, and thats President Obama himself, Earnest said at the White House press conference Thursday, according to published reports.

Earnest made the statement in response to a question by a reporter from Cuba who was covering the talks in Washington D.C. between U.S. and Cuban officials about re-opening embassies in both nations.

With Cuba and the United States taking significant steps since December to restore diplomatic relations, many have raised the question about whether Obama would become the first sitting U.S. president in decades to visit the island.

More On This... U.S., Cuba say progress made but talks end with no embassy agreement

In December, after Obama announced the restoration of diplomatic relations, and steps to ease U.S.-Cuba restrictions on trade and travel, he said, according to the Washington Post: With respect to Cuba, were not at a stage here where me visiting Cuba or President Castro coming to the United States is in the cards.

Theres nothing specific where were trying to target some sort of visit on my part, he said at the time.

Since the restoration of talks in December, many U.S. national and state lawmakers have traveled to Cuba, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who led a delegation of Democrats from her chamber on a visit in February.

Five months after Obama and Castro announced their intention to improve ties, U.S. and Cuban diplomats on Friday completed a fourth round of talks on re-opening embassies without ironing out enough of the differences that have accumulated over a half-century of estrangement to fully restore diplomatic relations.

Even as many of the biggest hurdles have been cleared, Washington and Havana are still wrangling over American demands that its diplomats be able to travel throughout Cuba and meet dissidents without restrictions. The Cubans are wary of activity they see as destabilizing to their government.

Many Republicans and some Democrats, including Sen. Robert Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat and son of Cuban immigrants, oppose restoring ties with Cuba while the Castro regime still resists making democratic reforms, particularly allowing political opposition and freedom of expression.

On Thursday, House Speaker John A. Boehner, an Ohio Republican, spoke of House members who were interested in stopping this progression toward normal relations with Cuba, until such time as the [Cubans] begin to make serious changes in terms of the way they run their country.

The speaker, according to the Washington Post, said the Obama administration keeps giving and giving and giving. But the Castro brothers . . . are doing nothing.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Gov. Brian Sandoval announced Friday that he wants to launch a teacher training scholarship program and a series of bonuses aimed at tackling Nevada's severe teacher shortage.

Lawmakers have expressed concerns that a workforce shortage will hamper some of the Republican governor's ambitious education reform initiatives, and groups including the Latino Leadership Council have recommended bonuses to combat high turnover and teacher inexperience in some of Nevada's toughest schools.

"Attracting and preparing educators for success in the classroom (is a) key component to changing Nevada's education system for the better," Sandoval said in a statement, saying the program was "an idea prompted by the ongoing struggle across Nevada to recruit and retain high-quality teachers in our public education system."

The measure was introduced as SB511, and was expected to be up for a hearing before the full Senate in coming days.

Sandoval is seeking $5 million over the next two years to launch the Teach Nevada Scholarship. Funds would go to Nevada's public and private colleges and entities that provide alternative routes to licensure programs, and would help future teachers complete their degrees.

A second program would offer $5,000 bonuses for 1,000 new teachers each year. The incentive program, which is expected to end after two years, aims to fill teaching positions in at-risk schools and make Nevada more competitive relative to other states that are also struggling with shortages.

"We really decided that the best way to do this was to provide as much financial assistance as we could," said state Superintendent Dale Erquiaga. "Five thousand dollars per individual per year is a substantial increase. That'll get those salaries to almost California levels."

Clark County School District alone is trying to hire about 2,600 new teachers for the upcoming school year. Nevada's public colleges are only expected to graduate about 800 teacher candidates this year, while the Teach for America program is expected to provide fewer teachers than planned, and enrollment in teacher preparation programs in California  Nevada's main supplier  is about half what it was five years ago.

Lawmakers expressed concerns that the teacher shortage and lack of a teacher pipeline could unravel the progress Sandoval hopes to make by investing millions in Zoom Schools for English language learners and Victory Schools for students in poverty. Many of those initiatives require additional teachers to provide intensive reading instruction or to staff kindergarten and pre-kindergarten programs.

Joyce Haldeman, a lobbyist for Clark County School District, said she thinks incentives and scholarships are a step in the right direction.

"This is another piece of the puzzle that we think is part of a long-term solution," she said.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Mexicans' disgust with corrupt, aloof, high-living politicians has a name, and it's El Bronco. The horseback-riding, boot-clad, tough-talking Jaime Rodriguez Calderon lives up to his nickname.

As mayor of a suburb of the northern industrial city of Monterrey, he survived two assassination attempts that left his car bullet-ridden, defying, he says, the fierce Zetas cartel. Now Rodriguez is trying to beat the odds in another way, running as an independent for governor of Nuevo Leon, a wealthy and strategic state bordering Texas.

The June 7 midterm election is the first time the country has allowed unaffiliated candidates, thanks to an electoral reform last year. But the law allows him only a fraction of the campaign financing the government gives political parties.

Although it is a state race, Rodriguez has captured the national imagination with his unorthodox manner and unrefined speech. He explains the challenges of his uphill race this way: "Sometimes God slaps you upside the head to make you get with program."

El Bronco says his nickname, and his blunt style just "show people that I'm the same as them, that I'm nobody different, that I'm just another guy who wants things to change, and things to be better."

Midterm elections, in which 500 members of congress, 17 state legislatures, nine governors and more than 300 mayors will be chosen, are usually viewed as a referendum on the president's performance half-way through his six-year term.

But this year it seems to be a referendum on the parties. In an opinion poll carried out by the lower house of congress earlier this year, 75 percent said they had little or no confidence in any party. The margin of error was 3.9 percentage points.

"This breath of fresh air could be just the shock the parties need, at least in Nuevo Leon," Luis Carlos Ugalde, former head of the Mexico's national election commission, told local media.

Critics point out that Rodriguez spent 33 years in the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, and quit eight months ago to take advantage of the new law. But voters see him as an alternative in political system rife with cronyism and corruption. Current Nuevo Leon Gov. Rodrigo Medina has taken out full-page newspaper ads to deny widespread claims of corruption, allegations Rodriguez says he will pursue if he's elected.

"I think that in Nuevo Leon, we are seeing the first Mexican Spring," Rodriguez told the Associated Press, comparing his quixotic quest for the governorship to pro-democracy movements like the Arab Spring of 2010 or the Prague Spring of 1968.

That might be an overstatement. But Rodriguez's support harkens back to 2000, when another plainspoken cowboy candidate, Vicente Fox, managed to topple the PRI's 71-year rule and win the presidency for the opposition National Action Party (PAN).

Fox rode a wave of discontent with the authoritarian and corrupt rule of the PRI. But the last 15 years have convinced many voters that PAN and other opposition parties mirror the PRI in terms of corruption scandals and accusations of politicians getting rich off public funds.

This time around, it's all political parties that Mexicans appear to hate. People are so fed up that parties have trouble giving away pens and T-shirts on the streets, and youthful brigades have organized on the Internet to rip down campaign posters from lampposts and trees in some Mexico City neighborhoods.

Last week, Fernando Elizondo of the Citizen Movement party ended his gubernatorial campaign and threw his support behind Rodriguez. A day later, a poll by the newspaper Reforma showed Rodriguez with 31 percentage points, five ahead of his nearest opponent, Ivonne Alvarez of the PRI. The poll had a margin of error of 1.8 percentage points.

Rodriguez's style is all wild west, with campaign videos showing him riding horseback or describing bullets raining down on his truck in an assassination attempt.

When former President Felipe Calderon (no relation to Rodriguez Calderon) unfavorably compared the charismatic Rodriguez to deceased former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, El Bronco shot back: "I think Calderon must have been either drunk or hung over."

El Bronco's public support for "self-defense" vigilantes in Michoacan  ranchers and farmers who armed themselves to drive out a drug cartel in 2013  led ruling-party candidate Alvarez to run an ad showing a motley group of vigilante-style gunmen holding assault rifles and a baby, with a narration: "Nothing is more important than your children. Who do you want caring for them?"

And in what appears to be a counteroffensive by the PRI, leaked official documents quote people suggesting, without firm proof, that Rodriguez has ties to the Zetas, the cartel he battled as mayor. He denies those allegations.

El Bronco says he wants peaceful change, but tells people in Nuevo Leon, a state shattered by drug violence, that he can feel their pain. His own 22-year-old son was killed in 2009 in what initially appeared and accident, but which may have been a kidnapping.

As an independent candidate, he is excluded from the generous government financing given to political parties, so he has conducted his campaign largely using social media, and he passes the hat at raucous campaign rallies.

Political parties get essentially all their financing from tax money, and they are criticized for their bloated budgets for government cars, trips, bodyguards, advisors, offices and meals, angering people in a country where the minimum wage is under $5 per day.

Rodriguez says he wants change things all that. And despite inequitable financing rules, he pulled together hundreds of thousands of signatures to run as an independent candidate.

"I have two emotions that guide me," Rodriguez said. "My family deserves someone who can protect them, and the other that, in this country we need somebody who will do things differently."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
It is another blow to the Obama administrations fight to implement its executive action on immigration.

This time the knock-out punch occurred in the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, which refused to lift a temporary hold on President Barack Obama's executive action that could shield as many as 5 million immigrants illegally living in the U.S. from deportation.

The decision quickly sparked a strong reaction  praise from those who prefer strict immigration enforcement, and condemnation from those who want more lenient policies regarding undocumented immigrants.

The U.S. Justice Department had asked the court to reverse a Texas judge who agreed to temporarily block the president's plan in February, after 26 states filed a lawsuit alleging Obama's action was unconstitutional. But two out of three judges on a court panel voted to deny the government's request.

It wasn't immediately clear if the government would appeal, either to the full appeals court in New Orleans or to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The states suing to block the plan, led by Texas, argue that Obama acted outside his authority and that the changes would force them to invest more in law enforcement, health care and education. But the White House has said the president acted within his powers to fix a "broken immigration system."

U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen sided with the states and, from his court in Brownsville, Texas, issued a temporary injunction on Feb. 16 to block the plan from taking effect while the lawsuit works its way through the courts.

Justice Department lawyers sought a stay while they appealed the injunction. They argued that keeping the temporary hold interfered with the Homeland Security Department's ability to protect the U.S. and secure the nation's borders. They also said immigration policy is a domain of the federal government, not the states.

But, in Tuesday's ruling, 5th Circuit judges Jerry Smith and Jennifer Walker Elrod denied the stay, saying in an opinion written by Smith, that the federal government lawyers are unlikely to succeed on the merits of that appeal. Judge Stephen Higginson dissented.

Obama announced the executive action in November, saying lack of action by Congress forced him to make sweeping changes to immigration rules on his own. Republicans said Obama overstepped his presidential authority.

Supporters of the executive action denounced the courts decision.

Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez, an Illinois Democrat who sits on the House Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security, said in an emailed statement: It is disappointing but not unexpected given the make-up of the Fifth Circuit and the panel hearing this preliminary case."

"I am confident millions of immigrants will eventually apply for [deportation relief and work permits] because the law is undeniably on the presidents side, as is public opinion," he said. "Meanwhile, I continue to work with Democrats and others who are preparing immigrant communities for the application process once the legal maneuvering is resolved and the courts reject the arguments of the Republican governors and Attorneys General."

Advocacy groups also expressed optimism that in the end the block on the executive actions would be eliminated.

Once again, we find ourselves in a battle to preserve the hope of millions of families who have long made America their home, said Rocio Saenz, executive vice president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) International Executive Vice President. We have no doubt that the deferred action initiatives will prevail. We always knew that the fight for immigration reform was not going to be easy and that there would be bumps along the way.

The same cannot be said of the Republican leaders and the 26 plaintiff states who have unapologetically stood in the way of real immigration solutions," Saenz said. "They have failed to live up to our American values and, by their actions, place families at risk.

Proponents of strict immigration laws praised the court's move.

Once again, the courts have proven what the rest of us know to be true," said David Bozell, who head ForAmerica, a conservative group, in an e-mailed statement. "President Obamas executive amnesty is illegal. The President of the United States must protect our laws, not break them. Despite declaring himself a law scholar, Obama doesnt seem to understand how the law works and sees the Constitution as a mere inconvenience.

The first of Obama's orders -- to expand a program that protects young immigrants from deportation if they were brought to the U.S. illegally as children -- was set to take effect Feb. 18. The other major part, extending deportation protections to parents of U.S. citizens and permanent residents who have been in the country for some years, had been scheduled to begin May 19.

Hanen issued his injunction believing that neither action had taken effect. But the Justice Department later told Hanen that more than 108,000 people had already received three-year reprieves from deportation as well as work permits. Hanen said the federal government had been "misleading," but he declined to sanction the government's attorneys.

The Justice Department has also asked the 5th Circuit to reverse Hanen's overall ruling that sided with the states. A decision on that appeal, which will be argued before the court in July, could take months.

Along with Texas, the states seeking to block Obama's action are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Her camp is, so far, feeling pretty confident when they look out at the Democratic field of declared and potential presidential contenders.

Its the shiny object on the other side of the aisle  namely, Sen. Marco Rubio  that largely is stressing out Hillary Clintons campaign staff and supporters at the moment, according to The New York Times.

Rubios youth (hes 43), photogenic appeal, rags-to-near-riches story, and oratorical heft almost begs for a comparison with the polar opposite of Clinton. She will be 69 when the 2016 election rolls around, she grew up in a suburb of Illinois and attended prestigious schools, including Wellesley College, where she was senior class resident, and Yale Law School, graduating with honors.

Marco Rubio scares me, wrote a Florida Democratic Party strategist recently.

The strategist, Steve Schale, recalled how Democratic leaders in the Florida legislature fretted over then-Florida House Speaker Rubio and his appeal.

With Floridas importance in national elections, and its demographics, Rubio could be a nightmare for any Democrat aspiring to the Oval Office, Shale wrote in a memo, according to the Times.

Losing a point among whites means winning Hispanics by about 5 percent more just to make up that loss, Schale wrote, adding about Rubio, He should be the one you dont want to face.

When Clinton announced her presidential candidacy in April, some wondered whether she had stolen thunder from Rubio, who announced the following day. But Rubio used the former Secretary of States timing to his advantage, portraying her as a product of yesteryear, and himself as the future.

He also told the story of his struggling, Cuban immigrant parents  his mother was a maid, his father a bartender  and how they had come to this country believing in Americas promise.

He also had a message to those who around the world who wondered how someone who did not grow up privileged  a veiled reference, many believe, to both Clinton and his potential GOP rival former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush  could run to be president of the United States.

Rubio answered the question by saying that in this country, you could do that if even if you had all the odds he did growing up.

Its hard to get more compelling than that, the Times quoted former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist as saying.

Crist should know  Rubio beat him in a 2010 Senate race.

A Democratic donor, John Morgan, who will be holding a fundraiser for Clinton, told the Times that he plans to speak about Rubio with her.

Rubios theme will be, We dont want to go back; we need to go forward, he told the Times. I think they do underestimate him. Hes energetic, hes photogenic, and he will say whatever you want him to say.

But others are not so sure that Rubio can seduce Latino voters so easily.

Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a Democrat, says that many Latinos wont soon forget or forgive Rubios about-face on comprehensive immigration reform.

Rubio was a main sponsor of the bipartisan Senate comprehensive immigration reform bill in 2013. But after it passed and then was discussed and panned in the House, where Republicans had a majority and denounced it as amnesty, Rubio began to dial down his support for the bill, especially the part giving undocumented immigrants a path to legal status.

His own Hispanic potential would defeat him, Richardson said.

Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, has embraced comprehensive immigration reform, saying she would go even further than President Barack Obamas executive action suspending deportation for undocumented immigrants. She also has hired for her campaign a former undocumented immigrant who was a high-profile activist for giving those without papers a chance to legalize.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Federal prosecutors are opposed to moving U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez's corruption case from New Jersey to Washington.

Attorneys for Menendez and co-defendant Salomon Melgen filed the request earlier this month, arguing virtually none of the 22 counts alleged occurred in the state.

In court documents, federal prosecutors say Menendez ignores allegations that he accepted numerous things of value in New Jersey. They also say his lawyers are based in New York and not the District of Columbia.

The New Jersey Democrat is charged with accepting gifts and donations totaling about $1 million from the Florida ophthalmologist in exchange for political favors. The gifts included flights aboard a luxury jet and a Paris vacation.

Menendez has said he accepted gifts from Melgen because the two have been close friends for years.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
The call by a jailed Venezuelan politician for a large-scale demonstration against President Nicolas Maduro's government this coming Saturday shows a crippling rift in the countrys opposition movement.

Leopoldo Lopez, the founder and leader of the Voluntad Popular (Will of the People) party who was arrested in February 2014 on conspiracy charges, called for a Saturday protest from his cell at the Ramo Verde prison.

The Democratic Unity Roundtable, or MUD in its Spanish acronym, is a 29-party coalition  Voluntad Popular (VP) is one of them  that is fielding a joint slate of candidates for parliamentary elections which are to be held later this year, although the government hasnt set a date for them.

But on Tuesday night, the coalition issued a statement saying that it will not join the Saturday protest.

"The best decisions are those that are arrived at together, because unity has no substitute, because no organization and no leader is more important than a people who are united and mobilized, the release explained.

Some members of the coalition criticized Lopez's decision because it was taken without being consulted.

The decision not to participate was taken, the statement said, "after intense consultation with the diverse organizations that make up this alliance  many of whom expressed misgivings about the form and object of the protest, objections that surely could have been resolved without the pressure of a date already set in a unilateral manner by the authors of the initiative."

Freddy Guevara, VPs national coordinator, says the party is pressing ahead with Saturdays rally. It is part of a strategy against Maduros regime that began with the hunger strike and will use a variety of non-violent protest means, he told Fox News Latino.

We dont think we are dividing the opposition. [MUD] may not support Saturdays rally, but it backs the aims of the rally: The immediate freedom of all political prisoners, the end of censorship and repression and the setting of a date for congressional elections date, Guevara said.

Besides the rally, Lopez and Daniel Ceballos  the former mayor of San Cristobal and another jailed VP leader  have been on a hunger strike since Friday. On Tuesday, two young VP politicians behind bars, Alexander Tirado and Raul Emilio Baduel, joined their hunger strike.

After the roundtable announced its decision, the phrase La Mud (for its name in Spanish) turned into a trending topic on Twitter. Many questioned why part of the opposition would refuse to protest against the government on the basis of simply not having been consulted.

This is a problems that affects the opposition as a whole because it makes it seem disorganized and like it has communication problems, Piero Trepiccione, a local political analyst and member of the Venezuelan social justice NGO, Centro Gumilla, told FNL. This step back to the time when individual strategies were taken [by opposition parties] is disturbing if you consider that by the end of this year we are going to have elections. Polls show that people are unhappy with Maduros government, but the opposition is not taking advantage of it.

Small opposition parties like Copei, Vente Venezuela (Come, Venezuela), La Causa R (The Radical Cause) and Bandera Roja (Red Flag) have joined in Lopezs call for the rally, but bigger groups like Primero Justicia (Justice First) and Accion Democratica (Democratic Action) oppose it.

Since last year, two factions have emerged inside MUD. The one known as the radicals, led by VP, favors public protests to try to discredit the Maduro regime. The other would prefer to focus on winning the upcoming elections.

Guevara admitted that VP cant predict how many people will attend the rally on Saturday, and the most recent protests havent drawn as many people as those in the past.

Jose Antonio Gil Yepes, director of the local polling firm Datanalisis, told FNL that, despite the strong anti-Maduro sentiment in a large segment of the population, the opposition isnt harnessing much of it.

There are too many organizations, and [MUD is] not an effective platform, Yepes said. On top of that, there is fear because of last years attacks on opposition demonstrators.

In 2014, more than 40 people were killed in public manifestations and hundreds were arrested.

But the response to MUDs lack of support for the rally was negative enough that at least one centrist opposition leader  the two-time presidential candidate Henrique Capriles Radonski, a co-founder of the Justice First party  announced Wednesday morning on Twitter that he would attend Saturdays rally.

"In support of freedom for our companions who are political prisoners, I'm going to participate without seeking to divide," he tweeted.

While the opposition hems and haws about whether or not to take to the streets, the government is trying to take advantage.

Monday night, a show on state-run VTV network aired an audio clip that purported to be a conversation between the jailed VP leaders, Lopez and Ceballos, plotting in jail how to destabilize the country by staging Saturdays protest.

This thing will hit the [national board of elections] hard, Lopez is supposed to have told Ceballos about the Saturday protest. It has got to hit hard and go viral.

The lawyer for the two men, Juan Carlos Gutierrez, told the PanAm Post that the recording is a fake spliced together from a number of different conversations.

It contains cut-off phrases, he said, and you can absolutely hear cuts where theyve edited it. Its a very poorly made and structured montage.

He added, We understand that the primary strategy of the government is to discredit and delegitimize the protest and the hunger strike, but this is so badly done and so laughable that it will have no effect.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Protesters have begun demonstrations against the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoints that dot southern Arizona, saying the stops amount to the unwanted militarization of their communities.

Federal authorities say the checkpoints located on highways and small roads north of the U.S.-Mexico line are vital to catching immigration violations, drug smugglers and human traffickers, but many area residents say they're fed up with answering citizenship questions each time they drive to work or the grocery store.

"Every time I have to pull out an I.D. out of my purse," Carlota Wray, an Arivaca activist, said Wednesday. "I don't like that."

Wray is among those who say the checks are intrusive and invite racial profiling.

She and several dozen others gathered around a checkpoint at a two-lane road in Amado, where agents under a metal tent ask all who drive through about their citizenship status.

For over a year, a group of Arivaca residents have been monitoring the stop, jotting down the type of car, driver and interaction they can see from a distance. Two of the activists involved in a lawsuit against the Border Patrol have asked a federal judge to grant them closer access to agents at the check.

In a handful of other communities, residents gathered Wednesday at small rallies and events such as art shows to call attention to their frustration.

Border Patrol official Manny Padilla said at the Amado protest that stopping people inside the U.S. remains a crucial component of the agency's strategy.

"It's very difficult to stop all traffic at the immediate border," said Padilla, who runs the Tucson Sector, which comprises much of Arizona.

He said the checkpoints are strategically located in routes coming from the border as a "defense in depth, if you will, to the bottom-line operations."

The Border Patrol tracks how many arrests and seizures agents make at checkpoints, but it doesn't release the information publicly.

The Tucson Sector has 11 such stops, and the Border Patrol has dozens of others around the Southwest and in northern states near the U.S.-Canada boundary.

The checkpoint opposition has been far from unanimous.

John Beaver, a local rancher, slowed down his car while driving past the Amado protest to yell from his window that the stop was important.

A few hundred feet away a large sign read, "Citizens of Arivaca, Moyza & Amado Support Our BP Checkpoint."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Nebraska lawmakers on Thursday overrode Gov. Pete Ricketts veto of legislation allowing immigrants brought to the country illegally as children to get drivers licenses  ending that states status as the only one to deny driving privileges to so-called "Dreamers."

The state senate voted 34-10 to overturn the veto of Legislative Bill 623.

Originally the bill passed the senate by a 34-9 margin, which was four more votes than were needed to override the veto. The bill gained the support of a number of Nebraska's largest businesses and agriculture groups, as well as Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert, a prominent Republican.

Before the bill was passed, Gov. Ricketts, a Republican, told the World-Herald of Omaha that he didnt believe in giving benefits to people who came here illegally.

In the lead-up to the vote, the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce threw their support behind the measure.

I dont expect to agree with anybody 100 percent of the time, even my friends, said Ricketts, a pro-business politician who has had the backing of the states business sector for most of his time in office. Their perspectives have not changed mine.

President Barack Obama announced an executive action in 2012  known by the acronym DACA  that gives immigrants brought here as children a two-year work permit and protection from deportation, as well as the opportunity to get a Social Security Number and driver's license. Although a few states initially announced that they would deny licenses to people who qualified for DACA, only Arizona and Nebraska adopted laws barring them.

A court blocked Arizona's law in July, leaving in place only Nebraska's, which former Gov. Dave Heineman approved three years ago. The American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska also has been challenging the policy in court.

Ricketts has said in the past that those who arrived in the country illegally shouldn't receive privileges intended for legal residents and said the bill would expand privileges to individuals beyond those covered under DACA. But senators who supported the bill argued the youth are active contributors to the state's economy and should not be penalized for their parents' actions.

Individuals under the executive action must be at least 15 years old, must have arrived in the U.S. before their 16th birthday, must have been younger than 31 in 2012, must have lived continuously in the U.S. since 2007 and must be in school or working toward a degree.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
next Image 1 of 2

prev Image 2 of 2

The Obama administrations plan to delay the deportation of millions of immigrants in the country illegally seems to be in limbo following a series of setbacks.

The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama said this week it will not attempt Supreme Court protection to carry out immigration measures designed to normalize the status of 5 million undocumented foreigners  a move that Obama announced six months ago, but which has been temporarily put on hold by a court order.

The Department of Justice announced in a press release that, instead of resorting to the high court, the government will focus on fighting for immigration relief at a hearing scheduled for July 6 in the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, where all the court judges are scheduled to study the case.

In a vote of 2-1, three magistrates of the appeals court decided on Tuesday to decline an urgent government appeal and maintain the suspension of the measures, as per the February ruling of Texas federal Judge Andrew Hanen at the behest of 26 mostly Republican states headed by Texas.

"The Department of Justice is committed to taking steps that will resolve the immigration litigation as quickly as possible in order to bring greater accountability to our immigration system by prioritizing deporting the worst offenders, not people who have long ties to the United States and who are raising American children," said Justice Department spokesman Patrick Rodenbush.

He said the best way to do that would be to argue the case on its merits before the New Orleans appeals court, which is considered to be one of the most conservative courts in the country.

Although Judge Hanen suspended implementation of Obama's measures in February, the Justice Department appealed that ruling, arguing that the measures should be implemented while the lawsuit by the 26 states proceeds. However, the appeals court on Tuesday refused to grant that request.

Some legal experts argue that despite the challenges posed by keeping the fight in the 5th Circuit court, seeking an emergency stay from the Supreme Court is a much tougher legal battle to win.

"If I were in their seat, I probably would've made the same decision," Crystal Williams, executive director of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, told Politico. "It's a tough call in terms of timing, but rather than getting bogged down in the criteria for a stay  which is tougher than [appeal]  just go straight for the preliminary injunction."

While other observers have countered by saying the administration's best shot at winning a ruling in its favor will eventually still be at the Supreme Court, they added that it may be too late as a final ruling won't perceivably come down until next June. This late date would create problems for processing applications in the waning days of the Obama presidency and possibly lead many undocumented immigrants to stave off applying for a program that could disappear if a new president against the order comes to office in November.

"The timing is critical," Stephen H. Legomsky, a law professor at Washington University in St. Louis told the New York Times. "If the process drags on until the summer of 2016, then implementation becomes very difficult."

Immigration activists, however, are still pressing the Obama administration to make "every effort to aggressively and swiftly defend" the program.

"We believe that regardless of what happens at the Fifth Circuit, the case is likely to end up at the Supreme Court and therefore urge DOJ to move as swiftly as possible to avoid unnecessary delays in the implementation," Marielena Hincapie, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center told Politico. "Every day that passes is another day of justice being delayed."

EFE contributed to this report.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
When George Pataki declared his candidacy for president on Thursday, the former New York governor sprinkled his speech with Spanish.

Thats because he taught himself the language when he ran for re-election in 2002, one of his many efforts to endear himself to the Latino community  who ended up backing him in strong numbers.

In a field that has two Latinos (Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio) and a presumed candidate who is considered very immigrant-friendly (Jeb Bush), Pataki understands the need to appeal to the critical Hispanic vote.

Pataki, who declared his candidacy via a video posted on YouTube Thursday morning and later announced his run live in front of around 150 supporters in Exeter, N.H., was able during his time as New York governor to maintain strong Hispanic support, due in large part to policies that benefited the state's growing Latino population.

And then there are his linguistic skills.

During his last re-election campaign, in 2002, Pataki taught himself Spanish  he also speaks Hungarian and French  and won at least a third of the state's Hispanic votes, a solid share for a Republican in a heavily Democratic state.

"Our neighborhoods are stronger, our state is stronger, because we have a very strong Latino community," Pataki said during one campaign stop.

Fernando Mateo, head of the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers, said Pataki has the compassion that Latinos need.

He was a good governor for Latinos, so I think he would make a good president as he is a moderate Republican who understands our problems, said Mateo, a moderate Republican who heavily backed Pataki during his run for governor. Unlike other politicians, he acknowledged our existence, he acknowledged what we wanted and that we were a force to be reckoned withThat is something that our party doesnt do right now.

Along with Pataki's Spanish skills, which he claims have improved greatly since 2002, the former governor also pushed through a slew of legislation that benefited industries with a large number of Latino workers. Pataki was able to get financial aid for families of livery drivers who are injured or killed while on duty, for one, and polling showed that he also drew widespread praise among Latinos for his reaction to the World Trade Center terror attacks.

Despite having made frequent trips to the early nominating states of Iowa and New Hampshire since leaving office in 2006  more than half a dozen trips to New Hampshire this year alone  Pataki has been largely out of the political limelight for nearly a decade. The 69-year old has been working primarily as a lawyer, and he opened a consulting firm, but his potential Latino appeal could prove crucial.

During the 2012 elections, Republican nominee Mitt Romney only garnered 27 percent of the Latino vote compared with Barack Obama's 71 percent. The GOP has made a concerted effort since to bump up its Hispanic outreach and to appeal more to the country's fastest-growing demographic.

Despite Pataki's Spanish skills and support in New York, Latinos may be turned off by his adamant criticism of Obama's executive order extending deportation protection to millions of other immigrants living in the country without documentation. Pataki has said he would reverse Obama's executive order.

Spanish is a beautiful language and its great that Pataki speaks it because he could have offered a bilingual alternative to the GOPs mass deportation agenda, said Pablo Manriquez, the DNC Hispanic Media Director. Instead he did the opposite, calling for the repeal of Obamas plan to keep immigrant families together.

Pataki supports making it easier for contract workers to remain in the U.S. for longer periods and a process for immigrants already in the country illegally to get legal status through a system of fines and community service.

"I believe it's totally unrealistic if we think we're going to take 11 million people and send them back where they came from," he said at an Iowa forum. "We do have to find a way for the vast majority of them to legalize their status here."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Not that they have much say in the matter, but if it were up to Democrats, they would like to see Texas Sen. Ted Cruz on the presidential ticket to face their nominee.

According to a survey of more than a dozen Democratic lawmakers, former members and strategists conducted by The Hill, Democrats believe that Cruz  a fiercely conservative Texan known for pushing buttons both in and outside of the Beltway  would alienate independent voters along with forcing liberals to the polls and give Hillary Clinton, or whoever is the Democratic nominee, the best shot at winning the presidency.

"I don't [dispute] that Cruz is a force  he's demonstrated that  but he's the force that we'd like to see," Connecticut Rep. John Larson told The Hill. "He's a very talented and capable person, but his path to ascendency is to take them further right than they already are, and in order for them to win, they've got to be center-right."

On the opposite side of the spectrum, Democrats say their biggest worry as a threat to their push for the White House is former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. While the brother of former President George W. Bush has not yet officially declared that he is running for president, he is expected to do so soon. And many believe his appeal among Latino voters  thanks in large part to his moderate views on immigration  could help him win in key states such as Colorado, Nevada and Florida.

During the 2012 elections, Republican nominee Mitt Romney only garnered 27 percent of the Latino vote compared with President Barack Obama's 71 percent and the GOP has made a conscious effort since to bump up its Hispanic outreach and appeal more to the fast-growing demographic.

"All the polling shows us that the Republican brand is highly unpopular," New York Rep. Steve Israel told The Hill. "A Republican who's reflecting that brand all the way on the right is easy to win against. A Republican who plays against the brand is harder to win against."

Besides Bush, Democrats also said they are concerned with both Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker  both relative newcomers to presidential politics with strong financial support, seen as appealing to independent voters.

While Arizona Rep. Raul Grijalva said that both Rubio and Walker were "formidable opponents," he added Rubio is particularly concerning to Democrats because "he has no record" and he "can make it up as he goes."

Some Democrats, however, say the battle for the presidency will be decided in certain swing states  especially the always contentious Florida  not by who the candidate is, but by which party can get more of their members to head to the polls.

"In Florida, there's the blue team, there's the red team, and everyone knows which team they're on. It's that simple. So the only question is: Can you get your people to vote?" Florida Rep. Alan Grayson said. "The more effective Republican presidential candidate will be the one who can motivate the base."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
The U.S. State Department announced Friday that it has officially removed Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terror, a designation the country has had since 1982, as part of the continuing thaw in relations between the two Cold War foes.

"The rescission of Cubas designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism reflects our assessment that Cuba meets the statutory criteria for rescission," Jeff Rathke, a department spokesman, said in a statement.. "While the United States has significant concerns and disagreements with a wide range of Cubas policies and actions, these fall outside the criteria relevant to the rescission of a State Sponsor of Terrorism designation."

Secretary of State John Kerry signed an order removing the communist country from the U.S. terrorism blacklist as part of the process of normalizing relations between Washington and Havana.

Kerry acted 45 days after the Obama administration informed Congress of its intent to make the change. Lawmakers had that much time to weigh in and attempt to block the move, but did not do so.

The step comes as officials from the countries continue to hash out the details of restoring full diplomatic relations, including opening embassies in Washington and Havana and naming ambassadors. Friday's removal of Cuba from the terrorism list had been a key Cuban condition for opening embassies.

The reasons for Cuba remaining the list in recent years included Havana's welcoming of alleged members of the Basque ETA terrorist organization and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, as well as the continuing presence on the island of certain fugitives from U.S. justice.

The Associated Press and EFE contributed to this report.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Tourists and shoppers idled outside the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop on Thursday, while the setting of the reality show "Pawn Stars" hosted an even odder spectacle: the 2016 Republican presidential campaign.

Inside, Rick Harrison, the bullet-headed star of the History Channel show, led Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to a small scrum of reporters and television cameras crammed into the back of the shop, where the Picassos and Chagalls hang.

"This is a great guy right here," Harrison said of Rubio. "I'm good at reading people  you've seen my show  and this guy honestly cares about people."

Campaigning in Las Vegas can verge on the surreal, and Rubio's quick swing through town to celebrate his 44th birthday met that criteria. In the pawn shop  sandwiched between two bail bond outlets on a gritty stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard  Rubio admired a Super Bowl ring as he ambled through the narrow space, past gold records, Elvis posters and display cases full of knives and fancy jewelry.

Rubio tied the success of "Pawn Stars" into his campaign theme. "In almost any other country in the world, this story would have been impossible  both mine and his," Rubio, a son of Cuban immigrants who once worked in a Las Vegas casino, said as he stood with Harrison.

Hours later, Rubio celebrated his birthday at a private party at Harrison's five-bedroom, 4,600-square-foot home in a comfortable neighborhood at the northwestern edge of Las Vegas' sprawl. Attendees were asked to donate at least $1,000 to Rubio's campaign.

Because this is a presidential campaign, there was partisan counter-programming. Democrats tried to get in on the pop-culture game by circulating online memes claiming Rubio is trying to "pawn off" old Republican ideas.

Three high school students stood outside Rubio's fundraiser, hoping to talk to the candidate, who has been targeted by immigration activists for his changing stances on the issue. But when Rubio emerged from an SUV, all the teenagers did was shout, "Happy Birthday, Marco Rubio!" The senator waved back.

Rubio spent six years of his childhood in Las Vegas, and Nevada is both a pivotal early-voting state in the competitive GOP primary and a critical swing state in the general election. The Florida senator has a more sober schedule Friday: a tech start-up round-table in Las Vegas followed by a meeting with conservative activists in Reno.

Rubio said he'd be spending plenty of time in Nevada in the coming months, and was open about the main reason he was there Thursday.

"We're going to do what we've been doing, and we'll probably do for the next year  raise money," Rubio told reporters at the pawn shop. "All these people you work for charge us money to run commercials."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
As New York state lawmakers enter the final weeks of their session, prospects have dimmed for several formerly high-profile proposals such as a ban on potentially harmful chemicals in children's toys, a minimum wage increase and a bill to prevent discrimination against transgender people.

Other bills at risk of languishing include the Dream Act, which would extend financial aid to students in the country illegally, and a measure to ban the sale of cosmetics containing microbeads.

Lawmakers are instead focusing on what they must get done before they can adjourn on June 17. Laws governing New York City's rent regulations and a key tax break for real estate developers expire next month.

"There are a number of things that are on the have-to list and that's what we're focusing on," said Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is also pushing lawmakers to pass bills relating to campus sexual assault, juvenile justice and an educational tax credit. "We have a couple of weeks to go. Do we have a full agenda? Yes. We will get done what we have to get done."

___

MINIMUM WAGE AND DREAM ACT

Cuomo listed both a minimum wage increase and the Dream Act as priorities when he laid out his legislative agenda in January. Both enjoy strong support in the Democrat-led Assembly but face overwhelming obstacles in the Senate, controlled by Republicans.

"We've made it very clear that we're not doing the Dream Act," Republican Senate Leader John Flanagan said on public television's "New York Now." Republicans have argued taxpayers shouldn't have to fund incentives for students in the country illegally.

Several different minimum wage increases were proposed at the start of the session: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio suggested a $13 wage; Assembly Democrats proposed phasing in a $12.60 statewide wage and a $15 in the New York City area. Cuomo called for a $10.50 wage statewide and an $11.50 wage in New York City.

Republicans want to wait until increases approved in 2013 are fully implemented before considering another. The minimum wage is now $8.75 and is set to rise to $9 at year's end.

In the meantime, Cuomo used his executive power to convene a wage board to consider a minimum wage increase for fast-food workers only. A recommendation would need the endorsement of Cuomo's labor commissioner but wouldn't be subject to legislative approval.

___

'TOXIC TOYS' AND MICROBEADS

Two priorities for environmental advocates appear stalled despite broad support.

A bill to phase out the use of certain chemicals in toys, such as mercury and cobalt, passed the Assembly but is hung up in the Senate. The bill has more than enough sponsors to pass, but a vote hasn't been scheduled.

Toy manufacturers argue that they already abide by federal regulations and say state-level rules would create a confusing patchwork of requirements.

The other bill would ban the sale of cosmetics containing plastic particles called microbeads that contribute to plastic pollution in waterways. The ban passed the Assembly and similar legislation is pending in the Senate, but it's looking less likely the measure will get a vote.

___

OTHER LEFTOVERS

Several other bills that made headlines when they were introduced appear to be running out of steam. One would require labels on food products containing ingredients from genetically modified plants. Another would legalize professional mixed martial arts. A measure to make it illegal to discriminate against a transgender person when it comes to jobs, apartments, hotels and restaurants has passed the Assembly but not received any debate in the Senate.

___

BRIGHTER PROSPECTS

Other measures are getting a late push that could see them come out on top when the session ends. Republican senators want to make permanent a law that limits property tax increases in local governments. They also want to raise the limit on the number of authorized charter schools in the state.

Cuomo wants to apply a new sexual assault policy in place at the state's public universities to private schools, too. The measure includes training policies for staff, students and police and a definition of consent that requires a clear, affirmative agreement to engage in sexual activity.

The Democratic governor is also making a push to end the practice of routinely prosecuting and incarcerating 16- and 17-year-old offenders as adults.

Finally, Cuomo is working to pass legislation that would create a tax break for private school tuition and donations to public schools.

___

SURE BETS

What will lawmakers do with their final three weeks? They'll likely pass hundreds of minor bills and tackle at least three major issues. The law governing the rent rules in and around New York City expires in June, and Cuomo said there would be "mayhem" if it isn't renewed in some fashion. A tax break for real estate development that saved New York City developers more than $1 billion last year is also expected to be renewed, though lawmakers are debating potential changes to it.

And a law giving de Blasio control over New York City schools will likely be renewed. Flanagan proposes a one-year extension. Cuomo and Assembly Democrats support a three-year renewal.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley on Saturday joined the Democratic presidential race with a longshot challenge to Hillary Rodham Clinton for the 2016 nomination and tried to stake a position to her left on the economy and Wall Street reform.

"I'm running for you," he told a crowd of about 1,000 people, serving up a populist message at Federal Hill Park in Baltimore, where he served as mayor before two terms as governor. He said "the urgent work" drawing him into the campaign was "to rebuild the truth of the American dream for all Americans."

O'Malley has made frequent visits in recent months to early-voting Iowa, where he was headed later Saturday, and New Hampshire, his destination Sunday. Still, he remains largely unknown in a field dominated by Clinton.

Already in the race is Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who could be O'Malley's main rival for the support of the Democratic left.

An ally of former President Bill Clinton, O'Malley was the second governor to endorse Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign in 2007. But he said Democrats deserve a choice in the 2016 primary.

"The presidency is not a crown to be passed back and forth ... between two royal families," O'Malley said. "It is a sacred trust to be earned from the people of the United States, and exercised on behalf of the people of the United States."

He pointed to recent news reports that Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein would be "fine" with either Clinton or former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a leading Republican contender and the son and brother of presidents, in the White House.

It was a forceful message that O'Malley will focus on overhauling the financial system, a priority for liberals opposed to the bailouts of Wall Street banks.

"Tell me how it is, that not a single Wall Street CEO was convicted of a crime related to the 2008 economic meltdown? Not a single one," O'Malley said. "Tell me how it is, that you can get pulled over for a broken tail light, but if you wreck the nation's economy you are untouchable?"

The 52-year-old O'Malley has spoken often about the economic challenges facing the nation and said he would bring new leadership, progressive values and the ability to accomplish things.

"Our economic and political system is upside down and backward and it is time to turn it around," he told the crowd. "We are allowing our land of opportunity to be turned into a land of inequality."

O'Malley has presented himself to voters as a next-generation leader for the party, pointing to his record as governor on issues such as gay marriage, immigration, economic issues and the death penalty.

Just weeks ago, riots in Baltimore broke out following the death of Freddie Gray, an African-American man who died in police custody following his arrest last month.

A few demonstrators gathered near Federal Hill Park to protest O'Malley's criminal justice policies as mayor, an office he held from 1999 until his election as governor in 2006. "He's claiming to be this savior of Baltimore, but he's not," said Duane Davis, who said he is homeless.

During O'Malley's speech, there was sporadic shouting from protesters, including one who blew a whistle.

And O'Malley's speech did not go off without a logistical hitch. Technicians lost audio on an introductory video before he took the stage.

O'Malley was known for his tough-on-crime, "zero tolerance" policies that led to large numbers of arrests for minor offenses. Critics say it sowed distrust between police and the black community. Supporters note the overall decrease in violent crime during his tenure.

O'Malley has defended his work to curb crime, saying he helped address rampant violence and drug abuse. He has said the unrest in Baltimore should wake up the nation to the need to address despair in poor communities.

"Last month, television sets around the world were filled with the anger and the rage, and the flames of some of the humblest and hardest hit neighborhoods of Baltimore. For all of us who have given so much of our energies to making our city a safer, fairer, more just and more prosperous place, it was a heartbreaking night in the life of our city," O'Malley said.

"But there is something to be learned from that night, and there is something to be offered to our country from those flames. For what took place here was not only about race, not only about policing in America. It's about everything it is supposed to mean to be an American."

Megan Kenny, who held a sign that said "stop killer cops" and yelled "black lives matter," said she thought O'Malley's decision to run was "a strange choice," especially because of the recent rioting. She attributed the unrest to his "ineffective zero-tolerance policy."

The 38-year-old Baltimore resident said she thought O'Malley's decision to run was "very bizarre and out of touch."

O'Malley could soon be joined in the Democratic field by former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee, who plans to make an announcement next week, and former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb, who is exploring a potential campaign.

Sanders has raised more than $4 million since opening his campaign in late April and sought to build support among liberals in the party who are disillusioned with Clinton.

One of O'Malley's first tasks as a candidate would be to consolidate support among Democrats who are reluctant to back Clinton and eyeing Sanders.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush railed against the Obama administrations removal of Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism  continuing his hardline stance against the continuing normalization of relations between Washington and Havana.

"Neither continued repression at home nor Cubas destabilizing activities abroad appear sufficient to stop President Obama from making further concessions to the Communist regime in Havana," Bush, who is considering a run for president, said in a statement, according to the New York Times.

Bush added the decision was a mistake and called it "further evidence that President Obama seems more interested in capitulating to our adversaries than in confronting them."

Other top U.S. Republicans criticized the move, with House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio saying the Obama administration had "handed the Castro regime a significant political win in return for nothing."

"The communist dictatorship has offered no assurances it will address its long record of repression and human rights at home," Boehner said in a statement.

The Obama administrations Democratic allies, however, praised the move with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, calling it is a "critical step forward in creating new opportunities for American businesses and entrepreneurs, and in strengthening family ties."

Secretary of State John Kerry signed off on rescinding Cuba's "state sponsor of terrorism" designation exactly 45 days after the Obama administration informed Congress of its intent to do so on April 14. Lawmakers had that amount of time to weigh in and try to block the move, but did not do so.

"The 45-day congressional pre-notification period has expired, and the secretary of state has made the final decision to rescind Cuba's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, effective today, May 29, 2015," the State Department said in a statement.

"While the United States has significant concerns and disagreements with a wide range of Cuba's policies and actions, these fall outside the criteria relevant to the rescission of a state sponsor of terrorism designation," the statement said.

The step comes as officials from the two countries continue to hash out details for restoring full diplomatic relations, including opening embassies in Washington and Havana and returning ambassadors to the two countries for the first time since the U.S. severed diplomatic relations with the island in January 1961. The removal of Cuba from the terrorism list had been a key Cuban demand.

The Cold War-era designation was levied mainly for Cuba's support of leftist guerrillas around the world and isolated the communist island from much of the world financial system because banks fear repercussions from doing business with designated countries. Even Cuba's Interests Section in Washington lost its bank in the United States, forcing it to deal in cash until it found a new banker this month.

Banks continue to take a cautious tone about doing business with Cuba since U.S. laws still make the island off limits for U.S. businesses. Leaders of the Republicans-controlled House have shown zero interest in repealing the laws from the 1990s that codified the U.S. embargo on trade with Cuba.

"Taking Cuba off the terrorism list is one step toward normalization, but for doing business down there, we have a long way to go," said Rob Rowe, vice president and associate chief council at the American Bankers Association.

In a blog post, the White House called the decision on the terrorism list another step toward improving relations with Cuba.

"For 55 years, we tried using isolation to bring about change in Cuba," it said. "But by isolating Cuba from the United States, we isolated the United States from the Cuban people and, increasingly, the rest of the world."

The terrorism list was a particularly charged issue for Cuba because of the U.S. history of supporting exile groups responsible for attacks on the island, including the 1976 bombing of a Cuban passenger flight from Barbados that killed 73 people aboard. The attack was linked to Cuban exiles with ties to U.S.-backed anti-Castro groups and both men accused of masterminding the crime took shelter in Florida, where one, Luis Posada Carriles, currently lives.

"I think this could be a positive act that adds to hope and understanding and can help the negotiations between Cuba and the United States," said director Juan Carlos Cremata, who lost his father in the 1976 bombing.

"It's a list we never should have been on," said Ileana Alfonso, who also lost her father in the attack.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is thanking Connecticut lawmakers for passing a bill that attempts to help students brought to the U.S. illegally as children with the cost of college tuition.

The Senate voted 19-13 Friday in favor of the bill, which previously cleared the House of Representatives on a narrow 78-70 vote.

The bill reduces, from four years to two, the number of years of high school education that an eligible student must complete in Connecticut in order to receive the favorable in-state tuition rate at the state's colleges and universities.

In-state tuition is also extended to other groups, including human trafficking victims.

Malloy offered the bill for consideration this session. A spokesman said the bill "helps us build a brighter future" for children and the state's long-term economy.

More On This... Best pix of the week

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush predicts the Supreme Court ultimately will rule that President Barack Obama's executive actions on immigration are unconstitutional.

Bush says he thinks Obama acted for "political purposes" and wanted to "create a wedge for Democrats to win elections."

For now, federal courts have held up Obama's plan to shield as many as 5 million immigrants in the U.S. from deportation.

Bush also tells CBS' "Face the Nation" that he favors gradually raising the retirement age for Social Security. He says "we need to look over the horizon" and mentions going from age 65 to 68 or 70. Bush says that would help sustain the retirement system for anybody' under 40.

Bush isn't yet in the 2016 Republican presidential race, but says he'll have to make up his mind after a coming trip to Europe.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said he will make a decision soon on whether hed run for president in 2016.

But he was coy about why he had not made a firm decision about running.

"I hope I run," Bush said on CBS Face the Nation. "I hope, I hope, I'm a candidate in the near future."

He spoke as if the decision is not his own. What might possibly persuade him not to run?

"Who knows?" Bush replied. "I've learned not to answer a lot of hypothetical questions."

He said he'll decide soon after his trip to Europe, which starts in a week. He plans on visiting three U.S. allies: Germany, Poland and Estonia.

Bush has been campaigning and fundraising for months, and the political world would be shocked if he did not enter the race for the Republican nomination.

There are various reasons politicians dance around the question of whether they're running. One big reason: Once they declare their candidacy, they can no longer work directly with super PACs that are raising money to help them.

And if I am a candidate, by the way, I'm going to have a chance to talk about my record, share my heart and offer ideas that will give people a sense that their future might be brighter than what we have today, he said.

Bush says he's already checked with his wife and children they are "totally all in."

That's if he runs. As he hopes.

Includes reporting by the Associated Press.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
One day after Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto called for a constitutional reform to create a national anti-corruption agency, a report claimed that the president lied about how he came to acquire a lakefront property in an area filled with vacation homes for Mexico City residents.

Lawmakers from other political parties called for the president to make a full disclosure of his real estate assets after Reuters reported Pena Nieto actually bought a quarter-acre plot in Valle de Bravo90-some miles west of the capital citythat he previously declared as having inherited from his parents.

Two years ago, in an attempt to make his assets public, Pena Nieto declared that he owned nine pieces of real estatetheir value or whether they held any buildings was not disclosed. Of those, six were listed as having been inherited from his parents, including the property in Valle de Bravo.

But a public registry document listed Pena Nieto as having purchased the lot from a third party in 1988 for 11.2 million pesos, which at the time was around $5,000.

Reuters reported that the presidents office did not comment on the subject despite multiple attempts to get a comment, but spokesman Eduardo Sanchez did post a letter on the presidential website replying to the article.

In it, he stated, "The property in question was acquired 27 years ago by the (deceased) father of the current president of the republic, who wanted to put the property in the name of his son, Enrique Pena Nieto, who was then 22 years old."

Sanchez also added that if the reporter had looked on his cell phone, "you will find various messages  voice and text  from yesterday."

"If [Pena Nieto] appears as the buyer, there's no way he can say it was a gift," Elizabeth Yanez, a National Action Party (PAN) deputy in the national congress, told Reuters.

The English wire service spoke to various legal experts in Mexico about the apparent discrepancy and was told that even if Pena Nieto had borrowed the money from his father, he couldnt declare it as a gift.

"These sorts of excesses, evidence of falsehood in his declaration of assets ... are incredibly serious," said Alejandro Encinas, a left-leaning senator and former Mexico City mayor, calling for all the assets to be properly disclosed.

Reuters was unable to corroborate whether or not any of the other holdings were purchased.

Last week, Pena Nieto stated, "as president of the republic, I am firmly committed to combat corruption head-on, by strengthening the law and increasing transparency," in announcing his push for national anti-corruption reforman election promise that he tried but failed to get approved during his first year in office.

This isnt the first time that Pena Nieto has come under fire for irregularities in his real estate holdings.

At the end of last year, reports emerged that when Pena Nieto was the governor of the state of Mexico, his wife, Angelica Rivera, purchased a $3.75 million home using loans from a construction mogul who won many government contracts. The developer was part of a consortium that in 2014 won a billion-dollar federal government contract to build a high-speed train from Mexico City to Queretaro.

Pena Nieto canceled the contract after allegations of corruption were raised.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
next Image 1 of 2

prev Image 2 of 2

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida on Monday said he plans to oppose the confirmation of a U.S. ambassador to Cuba unless substantive progress is made on a few issues.

In a letter send to Secretary of State John Kerry, Rubio said he would not back the controversial Cuba deal unless the islands leaders improved the countrys human rights record and agreed to a slew of concessions.

Since President Barack Obama announced a thaw in relations between the United States and its Cold War nemesis, the two countries have been involved in discussions on reopening embassies in each others capitals and appointing new ambassadors, among other topics.

The last set of face-to-face talks ended two weeks ago with enough common ground that the top U.S. diplomat for Latin America, Roberta Jacobson, told reporters, I dont know that we will need another round of talks."

But Rubio, who is running for the Republican presidential nomination, is urging the talk to continue.

Establishing diplomatic relations with the Castro regime without verified improvements in the [human rights] situation faced by the Cuban people would not be consistent with our values as a nation and the intent of the U.S. Congress, as codified in law, he said in the letter.

Rubios parents moved to the United States from Cuba in 1956, three years before the Castro revolution, and he grew up in the South Florida cauldron of anti-Castro sentiment. He seemed to suggest that an agreement without concessions amounted to an endorsement of Cubas deplorable human rights record.

Despite more than five months of discussions with the Cuban government, Rubio wrote to Kerry, I am very concerned about the lack of political reforms and progress on human rights, the continued harboring of known terrorists and other fugitives from U.S. justice, the outstanding American property claims and judgments against the Cuban government and the limitations that continue to be placed on American diplomats working in Havana.

No timetable has been given by the U.S. State Department suggesting how quickly embassies will be reopened or ambassadors appointed.

The Cuban government had held the removal of the communist country from the U.S.s state sponsors of terrorism list as a prerequisite of reopening embassies. That move occurred at the end of last week, after a 45-day window in which congressional Republicans could have formally objected to the change expired.

While Rubio on his own wont be able to block a President Obama nominee, he could drag out the process by encouraging his colleagues to bitterly oppose the nominees confirmation.

I hope to see a free and democratic Cuba, Rubio said. But that means we must confront the authoritarian Castro regime that suppresses its own people, not acquiesce to their demands.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an Arizona county's attempt to reinstate a state law that denies bail to people in the country illegally who are charged with certain crimes.

The justices left in place a lower-court ruling that struck down the law that Arizona voters approved in 2006.

The law denied bail to immigrants who are in the country illegally and have been charged with a range of felonies that include shoplifting, aggravated identity theft, sexual assault and murder.

As a result, immigrants spent months in jail and often simply pleaded guilty and were turned over to federal immigration authorities for deportation.

Justices Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas said they would have heard the case. It takes the votes of four justices to hear an appeal.

Thomas, in an opinion for himself and Scalia, said the court's action could give lower courts "free rein to strike down state laws on the basis of dubious constitutional analysis."

He said it is "disheartening" that another justice wouldn't also want to review the lower court ruling.

In November, the justices refused a request from Maricopa county to keep the law in place while the appeal played out at the Supreme Court. Thomas dissented from that vote, too.

The case is County of Maricopa v. Lopez-Valenzuela, 14-825.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
next Image 1 of 3

prev next Image 2 of 3

prev Image 3 of 3

Seven activists from different parts of Venezuela have come together to conduct a hunger strike in a Caracas' church demanding the freedom of 77 political prisoners, the setting of a firm date for legislative elections scheduled for this year and the end of censorship and human rights abuses by the regime of President Nicolas Maduro.

Julio Rivas, a 29-year-old state legislator from the state of Carabobo, is leading the protesters, who started their fast last Wednesday in support of five jailed opposition leaders who declared themselves on hunger strike earlier last week.

Among the imprisoned strikers is Leopoldo Lopez, the head of the Voluntad Popular (Popular Will) political party, who has been in jail for more than a year on conspiracy charges and hasnt eaten anything in more than 200 hours  losing 13 pounds in the process, according to party spokespeople.

The other prisoners who are on hunger strike include the former Caracas mayor, Daniel Ceballos, and student leaders Alexander Tirado, Raul Emilio Baduel and Deivis Oliveros.

A handful of other people across the country have joined in the groups hunger strike. All together, there are 17 people involved as of Tuesday afternoon, all with the same demands as those of the protesters in Our Lady of Guadalupe church in the Las Mercedes section of Caracas.

We came to this temple asking the Catholic Church for help, Rivas told Fox News Latino. We sent a letter to Pope Francis through the Apostolic Nunciature in Caracas. We hope he receives it before he meets President Nicolas Maduro next Sunday.

Only one of the seven protesters at Our Lady of Guadalupe lives in Caracas  Kimberly Sierra, a student at Santa Maria University. Apart from Rivas, there are Anthony Rosales, Laura Garcia and Jesus Gomez from Tachira, in the west of the country; Erik Santana from Anzoategui, in the east; and Emily Vera from Miranda, in the center and close to Caracas.

The protest began last Wednesday with four hunger strikers  Rivas, Gomez, Rosales and Garcia  who are part of a movement call Juventud Activa, Venezuela Unida (Active Youth, Venezuela United).

Rivas explained that they chose Caracas because of the citys political importance and to try to gain the attention of the Catholic Church.

The last demonstrator to join the strike was Sierra on Sunday, a day after thousands of Venezuelans demonstrated on the streets, answering a call to action made by Lopez in a video recorded from his jail cell on May 24.

I took the decision suddenly, Sierra, 20, told FNL. I just came to visit and support the guys, but I felt ready to join them. This is what I can do to make a change.

Some of the strikers have personal circumstances that motivated them to join the strike.

I have known some of the political prisoners for many years now, Rosales, a 29-year-old student explained. They are my friends, and they were arrested protesting in the streets. I want them to know that I am doing something out here.

A paramedic is monitoring the protesters closely, and the municipality of Baruta, where Las Mercedes is located, is monitoring their health every day.

I am really tired now. My legs are numb, and I am feeling dizzy every time I get up, Rosales admitted.

Rivas said he understands that Maduros government isnt likely to give in to their requests, but he thinks that this is the last option they have.

We have tried other things, but the police and the Bolivarian National Guard repress those who take to the streets or rip down any protest camp that we build, said Rivas, who also participated in hunger strikes in 2009 and 2011, when more than 50 students fasted in front of the building housing the Organization of the American States in Caracas.

I am here on this hunger strike because I think it will be successful, Erik Santana said. People want change, we saw it last Saturday. They are waking up.

Rivas celebrated his 29th birthday last Friday and Santana turns 24 on Wednesday. We are celebrating with glasses of Pedialyte and water, Santana joked.
Roberta Jacobson, the top U.S. diplomat for Latin America and point person in detente talks with Cuba, was nominated Monday by President Barack Obama to be the U.S. ambassador to Mexico.

If confirmed by the Senate, Jacobson would be the first woman to hold what is considered one of the most U.S. important diplomatic posts due to the countries' proximity and key relationship.

Obama's previous nominee, Maria Echaveste, withdrew from consideration in late January, citing a prolonged nomination process and the interests of her family. She had not received a confirmation hearing in the Senate in the five months since her name was put forward.

Mexico's government welcomed Jacobson's nomination. "She knows this country very well, which is something that pleases us greatly," Foreign Relations Secretary Jose Antonio Meade said.

Jacobson is a career diplomat who previously served as deputy chief of mission in Peru, director of the State Department's Office of Mexican Affairs and deputy assistant secretary for Canada, Mexico and NAFTA issues.

Since 2012, she has been assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs.

In that role she has been prominent in leading U.S. negotiators in talks with Cuba on re-establishing diplomatic ties and embassies after more than five decades of antagonism.

Those talks continue, but John Caulfield, who headed the U.S. Interests Section in Cuba from 2011 until his retirement from the State Department in 2014, predicted they would not be hurt by Monday's announcement.

Caulfield noted Jacobson's deputy at the State Department, Alex Lee, and the current chief of the U.S. Interests Section in Cuba, Jeffrey DeLaurentis, are also involved in the talks and would provide continuity in what officials on both sides frequently characterize as a process of building trust. The discussions could also be over by the time Jacobson is confirmed.

"It takes a long time to get through the Senate, so I'm not sure that she's packing her bags yet. ... I would hope that most of the issues are resolved long before she would be departing," Caulfield said.

It's not clear whether Jacobson's role in the Cuba talks could complicate approval in the Senate. The Foreign Relations Committee, which holds confirmation hearings, includes Cuban-American Sens. Marco Rubio, a Republican, and Bob Menendez, a Democrat, both outspoken opponents of normalizing relations with Cuba. Others on the committee, however, such as Republican Jeff Flake support engagement with the Communist-run country.

"Senator Rubio considers our relationship with Mexico to be one of our most important. He is familiar with Ms. Jacobson's government service, and that record is something he will be closely reviewing," Rubio spokeswoman Brooke Sammon said via email.

Officials have said the White House bypassed the State Department during long and secret back-channel talks with the Cubans that led to the joint announcement on Dec. 17 that Washington and Havana would formally seek detente.

"They didn't even inform Roberta Jacobson about this. So I think it would be unfair to sort of tag her for the change in policy in Cuba. I think this is purely a White House operation," Caulfield said. "Nevertheless what's fair isn't always what rules in Washington, so you just don't know."

Jacobson would replace Anthony Wayne, the U.S. envoy to Mexico since 2011. Wayne's predecessor, Carlos Pascual, resigned amid a diplomatic flap after leaked diplomatic cables showed him criticizing the anti-drug strategy of then-Mexican President Felipe Calderon.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
During his announcement speech last week, Republican presidential candidate and former New York Gov. George Pataki peppered his statement to supporters with Spanish. Back in April, Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton launched a Spanish-language version of her campaign website only days after GOP candidate Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida gave a one-on-one interview in Spanish with Univision's Jorge Ramos.

Political candidates from all parties have been reaching out to Latino voters like never before  underscoring the importance of the 2016 Latino vote. But recent polling data suggests that the candidates don't need to learn to rolls their "r"s or dust off their Rosetta Stone to attract Latino support because more and more Hispanic voters speak English  and speak it well.

According to Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data released last month, 68 percent of all Latinos in the U.S. over the age of 5  around 33.2 million people  speak English proficiently. In 2000, 59 percent of Latinos spoke English proficiently.

Meanwhile, the number of Latinos speaking Spanish at home has decreased somewhat since 2000, from 78 to 73 percent.

"Using Spanish language should be only one tactic of the presidential campaigns when trying to reach Latino voters," Laura Vazquez, the senior immigration legislator at the National Council of La Raza, told Fox News Latino. "We want to see them tackle all the issues that are important to us."

Vazquez said political campaigns need to realize that political outreach should be more about substance than what language politicians try to speak when they get on stage.

Besides their English-language skills, Latino voters also tend to be younger  with a median age of 19  and more tech-savvy than other voting blocs.

Political observers have pointed out that the diversity of the Latino demographic makes it impossible to pinpoint the group when attempting outreach.

"There is a great deal of diversity among Latino voters and it is important for political campaigns to have strategies that appeal to this diversity," Vazquez said. "Latino voters want meaningful outreach and a relationship with the candidate  It can't just be a town hall here or a campaign stop there."

But there is one thing that is lost when Hispanics become more assimilated  they become less politically active. Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), said that while fewer Hispanics are turning to Spanish-language media to get information, the ones who do are more likely to head to the polls.

Latino naturalized citizens outperform native-born citizens in voting, Vargas told FNL in an email.

Still, he noted, Candidates and campaigns need a Latino outreach strategy that is both in English and Spanish.

As the presidential campaign begins to heat up, political strategists warn that Latinos will see through candidates who try to alter their message to a Spanish-speaking audience. Some candidates, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, have been accused of softening their message in Spanish-language ads while taking hard-line stances in English.

In English, Republicans restrict Latino voting rights, rail against 'amnesty' and affordable healthcare for Latinos, and prefer mass deportation to keeping Latino immigrant families together, Pablo Manriquez, the Democratic National Committee's Hispanic media director, told FNL. In Spanish, on the other hand, Republicans tout a thinly-veiled affinity for the music of Pitbull and an even firmer commitment to tax cuts for billionaires."

Republicans, however, argue that their Latino outreach for 2016 is more diverse and engaging than ever before, as the party attempts to gain a more significant share of the Hispanic vote than it did in the last presidential election. Republican Mitt Romney won only 27 percent of Latino voters compared to President Barack Obama, who grabbed 71 percent.

Earlier this year, Whit Ayres, a longtime GOP pollster working for Rubio, said that his party's eventual nominee will need to win more than 40 percent of the Latino vote to make it to the White House, a performance only two Republicans  Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush  have approached in the last 35 years.

GOP strategists say that their party is better suited now than any time in recent memory to attract Latino support  whether speaking in Spanish or not  and that they are employing a number of strategies to accomplish this goal.

"It is vital to engage the diverse Hispanic community on a daily basis and provide real solutions to their top issues," Ruth Guerra, the director of Hispanic media at the Republican National Committee, told FNL. "A one-size-fits-all strategy will not work with us. That's why our focus, at the RNC, for the past two years has been to engage Hispanic voters in different ways across the country and in both English and Spanish."
The Democratic National Committee's finance chairman is apparently in violation of his own party's rules after it was revealed that he is helping raise money for Hillary Clinton's campaign.

Henry R. Munoz III, a former fundraiser for President Barack Obama and the current DNC finance chairman, is helping organize a fundraiser for Clinton's presidential campaign this week in San Antonio, Texas  a violation of party rules that stipulate that officers remain neutral in presidential primaries, Democratic operative Gilberto Ocanas and Bexar County Democratic Party Chairman Manuel Medina told Politico.

"I know he's made a few calls to raise money," Medina said of Munoz. "He's certainly taking it upon himself to make tomorrow's fundraiser a success."

According to DNC rules: "The chairperson shall be responsible for ensuring that the national officers and staff of the Democratic National Committee maintain impartiality and even-handedness during the Democratic Party presidential nominating process."

Munoz did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

A spokesperson for the DNC told Fox News Latino that the committee is looking into the matter.

"The DNC is committed to impartiality in the presidential primary process," A DNC spokesperson, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told FNL. "We take any situations that could violate our party's rules very seriously. Our officers and staff are made aware of our party's policy on remaining impartial in the presidential nominating process and understand that this is a requirement of their continued service to the party."

The news of the finance chairman's activities has caused swift blowback from both other Democratic candidates and the Republican side of the presidential race.

"All parties should follow their own rules," Tad Devine, an adviser to Democratic challenger and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, told Politico. "It's very important in the primary process that the DNC not take sides before the voters have made their decision."

Members of the Republican National Committee suggested that Munoz's fundraising demonstrates that Democrats intend to propel Clinton above other contenders for the party's presidential nod.

"Even the DNC seems to be violating its own rules to pave the way for Hillary Clintons coronation," Ruth Guerra, an RNC spokeswoman, told FNL. "Democrats failure to play by the rules further proves they cant be trusted."

Known for his over-the-top style  Munoz once wore a crown of real diamonds and amethysts after raising more than $250,000 in scholarship funds  has held high positions in the Texas government, including the state's High Speed Rail Authority and the Department of Transportation.

He is also a national chairman of the Futuro Fund, a group of Hispanic leaders who raised money for the Obama's reelection.

During the run-up to the 2012 presidential election, Munoz organized events for the president's campaign as well as the Latino inauguration event with the actress and fellow Texan, Eva Longoria.

Serafin Gomez contributed reporting from Washington, D.C.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton will address the country's largest gathering of Latino policymakers and leaders on June 18 in the battleground state of Nevada, according to a spokesperson for the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, or NALEO.

The group, a nonpartisan organization whose constituency includes more than 6,000 Latino officials, has invited all of the 2016 presidential aspirants from both parties to a presidential forum later this month, but Clinton, who is the overwhelming front-runner in the Democratic field, is among the first to confirm her attendance.

The road to the White House in 2016 runs through the Latino community, Arturo Vargas, NALEOs executive director, said in a statement to Fox News Latino. We are pleased to have Hillary Clinton join the nations largest gathering of Latino policymakers and look forward to hearing her address the most pressing issues facing the Latino community today.

The Clinton campaign has made overtures to Latino voters since entering the race earlier this year. In her first visit to Nevada in May, the former secretary of state met with Latino high school students and promised that, if elected president, she would overhaul the immigration system.

Part of that overhaul, she said, included a path for undocumented immigrants to become U.S. citizens  a position favored by so-called Dreamer activists and other immigrant rights activists.

"The standard for a true solution is nothing less than a full and equal path to citizenship," Clinton said during her stop in Las Vegas.

Clinton also selected prominent Dreamer Lorella Praeli as Latino outreach director for her campaign in May.

Since Day 1 of her campaign, Hillarys team has been deliberately and openly engaging the Latino community, one Clinton aide told FNL. This includes reaching out to Hispanic business leaders, immigration advocates, elected officials and families across the country.

The aide added, Throughout her career, Hillary Clinton has fought to strengthen the Latino community and keep their families together while giving them the voice they deserve in our political process.

Latino voters are considered by many political experts as the "sleeping giant" in the 2016 presidential cycle.

In the past Hispanics have largely supported Democratic candidates for president  71% voted for President Barack Obama in the 2012 election, for instance.

In the 2016 political cycle, however, the vote may be more competitive. Two Latino presidential candidates  Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas  are Republicans.

A presumed GOP 2016 presidential candidate, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, speaks fluent Spanish, is married to a Latina and was popular among Latinos in Florida during his tenure. He has also made major efforts to appeal to Latino voters, including making a campaign trip to Puerto Rico.

Clinton, however, has been popular among Hispanic voters for years. In 2008, she carried the Latino vote during her primary battle with Obama by a 2 to 1 margin.

In Nevada, Clinton beat Obama 64 to 26 percent among Latinos, according to the Pew Hispanic Research Center. As a senator, Clinton co-sponsored the DREAM Act and has supported "a pathway to citizenship for over a decade," according to a statement provided by her campaign during her first visit to Nevada.

Clintons campaign points out that her ties with the Latino community can be traced back to her work on the 1972 George McGovern presidential campaign in Texas, where she drove along the Rio Grande Valley to register voters.

Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, another Democrat, has also made an effort to target Latino voters during much of his career.

Since announcing his run last Saturday, OMalley has appeared on Spanish-language news networks and, on Wednesday, met with the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Arturo Vargas said that NALEO is expecting other candidates to attend its presidential forum.

Previous conferences have featured Obama as well as 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney. Of the 2016 candidates, Clinton, Bush and Rubio have all previously spoken before the influential Latino organization.
Between appearances on Spanish-language television, a speaking engagement Wednesday at the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and spelling out his immigration policy to anyone who will listen, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley in his first week on the campaign trail is letting Latinos know that he wants to be their candidate.

O'Malley, a Democrat who announced his presidential bid last Saturday in Baltimore, is attempting to separate himself from Democratic frontrunner Hillary Rodham Clinton, who while recently dropping in the polls still holds a commanding lead in the small Democratic field.

"I believe that one of the greatest strengths of our country is our diversity," O'Malley said at the chamber on Wednesday. "That's part of my DNA, that's part of my make-up."

O'Malley's record with Latinos in Maryland is something he and his campaign staff are actively trying to push when speaking to Latino voters.

During his time as governor of Maryland, the state implemented its own version of the DREAM Act, which granted in-state tuition benefits at public universities and colleges to certain undocumented immigrants, and also adopted a two-tiered immigration system that permitted undocumented immigrants to get limited driver's licenses. O'Malley also won high praise from Latinos in Maryland when he increased the state's minimum wage from $7.25 to the $10.10 an hour that will begin in 2018 and raised state procurement awards to Latino business by 150 percent when he was in office.

"The experience that we have had with him in Maryland is amazing," Gustavo Torres, the executive director of the immigrant aid group CASA de Maryland, told Fox News Latino. "He is very invested in our community and he will be a formidable candidate and he will have a huge appeal with Latino voters."

This support that O'Malley has with the Latinos in Maryland is something that, early in his campaign, he is actively trying to expand to Latinos nationwide.

Besides his media blitz and speaking engagements, O'Malley picked Jonathan Jayes-Green, the son of undocumented immigrants from Panama, to introduce him when he made his presidential bid announcement.

During his question-and-answer session at the chamber, O'Malley laid down his plan for immigration reform if elected president, which he said included passing some type of legislation within the first 100 days in office, taking executive action if needed and focusing on keeping undocumented immigrant families together.

"We need to talk about immigration as essential for our economy, for our national security and for our country as a whole," he said.

O'Malley's biggest challenge is getting people to know who he is in a Democratic race that has so far has been dominated by news coverage of Hillary Clinton  from the scandal surrounding her emails during her time as Secretary of State to her sweeping immigration reform proposals. The Clinton coverage has left O'Malley and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the only other Democratic candidate who has so far declared his candidacy, to fight for second billing.

"Latinos in Maryland know him and love him," one O'Malley campaign staffer told FNL. "And the effort now is to get Latinos across the nation to know him because nobody can make it to the White House without the Latino vote."

Both observers and O'Malley staffers say he has his best shot of gaining some ground on Clinton if he focuses on Latino issues and shapes the Democratic debates around issues they care about.

He already went up against the Obama administration last summer over how to handle the surge of migrant children coming over the U.S.'s southern border, accusing the White House of being too ready to send them home. He peppered his speeches during that time with references to the Statue of Liberty, his own family's Irish immigrant experience and his favorability among Latinos while governor.

I am the only one with 15 years of executive experience and one of the greatest judges of what a person can do is what they do in the past," O'Malley said. "I intend to pursue this conversation throughout the entire election season."

Clinton has typically had strong Latino voter support. In the 2008 Democratic primaries, Latinos supported her over then Sen. Barack Obama by an overall margin of almost 2 to 1. In Nevada, which is shaping up to be a critical battleground state, Latinos were among her most enthusiastic supporters, preferring her over Obama in the states primary 64 to 26 percent.

The Clinton campaign has also made an effort to hire Latinos, including Amanda Renteria, who is Clintons national political director. Latino voter support will be critical during the election season because two Republican presidential candidates, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, are Hispanic, and another candidate, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, is married to a Mexican-American.

Even so, OMalleys staffers are touting him  ahead of candidates on both sides of the political divide  as the Latino candidate for 2016.

"His record makes him the most effective Latino candidate in this election," the O'Malley staffer said. "No other candidate  Democrat or Republican  can say that they have done more. He is the only one who has the record of getting things done."
An aide to Republican presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio has confirmed to Fox News Latino that the politician has sold the Tallahassee home that he co-owned with scandal-plagued former Florida congressman, David Rivera.

The house, which became known as Rubio's "house of horrors" for the amount of money the Florida senator was forced to invest in it, was purchased in March 2005 for $135,000 by Rubio and Rivera when both served as state legislators.

The two men closed on the sale of the house in June with an as-yet-to-be-named buyer, who purchased the home for $117,000  $8,000 less than the asking price and $18,000 less than the two men paid for it, sources told Politico.

While Rubio lost money on the deal, in the long run it is expected to save the GOP candidate on upkeep and bills for a three-bedroom house that has already flooded once and had foreclosure proceedings initiated on it in 2010 by the bank that held the mortgage.

At the time both Rubio and Rivera were running for seats in the U.S. Congress  Rubio for the Senate and Rivera for the House. Both men won their races.

Despite sharing another home in Washington, D.C., Rubio and Rivera grew apart as the former's star began to rise as the latter became embroiled in a Florida investigation over possible ethics and campaign finance violations. While Florida officials eventually decided against charging Rivera with a state crime, he lost a 2012 House race for a redrawn district.

"The reality is Marco wants to sell this house because it's horrible," a friend of Rubio's said in March when Rubio put the house on the market. "It's been nothing but trouble for him. There was the foreclosure. There was a flood that made it tough to get to it without a canoe at one point. And there's David. Marco won't turn his back on David, but we all wish he would."

Many political observers have said that the house  and Rubio's relationship with Rivera  could hurt his chances of winning the Republican presidential nomination and that he needed to unload both before the campaign season ramps up.

"This will be an issue," said Craig Smith, an adviser for the Ready for Hillary super PAC. "When you run for president, voters and the press have an insatiable appetite for people's histories, what they've done, who they are.  It raises questions about his judgment, about the kind of people he would bring with him into government, into a campaign."

A few weeks ago in April, Florida's ethics commission recommended that Rivera pay almost $58,000 in fines for double-billing state taxpayers for travel while a state legislator.

The campaign-finance case involved money that his former girlfriend, Ana Alliegro, said he gave her to help a little-known candidate, Justin Sternad, attack a rival. Alliegro and Sternad both pleaded guilty in federal court to committing campaign finance crimes.

"Marco wants little to do with David, and you can't blame him," Alliegro told Politico. "Who would want that guy by their side as they're running for president?"

Serafin Gomez contributed to this report.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
next Image 1 of 2

prev Image 2 of 2

This is the second in a series of posts, one year after the surge of unaccompanied undocumented minors who crossed across the U.S.-Mexico border, examining the effects it has had on communities, schools and children themselves.

READ PART 1: Tens of thousands of immigrant children remain in limbo

When the flow of unaccompanied immigrant children from Central America into the United States swelled last year into a torrent that threatened to overwhelm Americas border towns  and U.S. immigration officials  the Obama administration declared a humanitarian crisis, allocating nearly $2 billion to provide immediate aid.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency coordinated the opening of temporary detention centers to house more than 60,000 immigrant children, while President Obama turned to elected officials and federal agencies to discuss how to handle the crisis.

But to manage their longer-term problems  relocation, education, language, mental health and legal assistance, most of which would be dealt with at the local level  an array of faith-based charities, community and legal advocacy groups and other non-profits stepped in.

"The idea is that the family takes over their care, but the reality is the children come with needs," said Abel Nunez, executive director of the Central American Resource Center (CARECEN) in Washington, D.C. "They come with health needs and educational needs. The family turns to community organizations. Because of their [citizenship] status they [feel they] cant go to the government."

Federal aid, short-term help

Backed heavily by federal funding  $600 million in 2013-14  local charities helped provide temporary housing, health screenings and vetted potential guardians who had applied to claim the children.

But the lions share of that taxpayer-funded aid was awarded to a Texas-based charity, the Baptist Child and Family Services (BCFS), a relatively obscure group previously awarded government contracts to provide temporary shelter in the wake of hurricanes and earthquakes. At the peak of the immigration surge last year, BCFS received more than $288 million in federal grants through the Department of Health and Human Services. The year before it received $38 million.

But the group also has been criticized for what some say is a lack of transparency about how it spends taxpayer money  and the huge salaries paid to its executive officers. Federal tax records reportedly show the groups CEO, Kevin Dinnin  who had talked with Obama during the presidents meetings in Dallas  was paid nearly $450,000 in 2012, according to Time magazine, which also reported four other top officials earning more than $200,000 each. Charity Navigator, an online monitor of charity finances, reported that the median salary for non-profit CEOs was about $285,000.

Nonetheless, BCFS played a key role running some of the largest temporary facilities and a number of permanent locations.

Struggle for legal funds, long-term needs



But while the federal government was allocating nearly $2 billion to provide immediate humanitarian aid, little was offered to help cover the massive legal expenses the children would incur as they moved through the court system.

In June 2014, the Justice Department granted just $2 million to cover the cost of 100 lawyers and paralegals to help with childrens legal needs. The Department of Health and Human Services granted another $9 million for two years. Critics say its not enough.

Some of the federal funds went to groups like Kids In Need of Defense (KIND), a nonprofit launched by Angelina Jolie and Microsoft general counsel Brad Smith. The organization has in-staff attorneys, but also partners with law firms who provide pro-bono support. Their funding comes equally from the government, the legal world and private donors.

Last summer, I walked into my office and a girl was sitting there. Maybe she was 13 or 14 years old and she was holding an infant, recalled Wendy Young, president of KIND. I just thought: I dont know which one of you is my client.

Not every community received federal dollars. In Maryland and Virginia, epicenters for El Salvadoran immigrants, legal aid is sorely lacking, activists say. The area received 7,000 children and CASA de Maryland  a community group that provides migrants a variety of services from English and adult education to tax preparation workshops -- has provided some type of assistance to about 2,000 of those kids, by their estimate. All without federal funds.

The lack of legal representation is one of the biggest problems, say representatives of the group. They estimate that about 65 percent of the children they work with still have no legal representation. That amount follows a national survey by Syracuse that estimates that two-thirds of the children have no representation [http://trac.syr.edu/immigration/reports/371/].

Even if CASA representatives could find attorneys willing to work pro bono, the training is tricky as proceedings involve family courts and immigration courts, increasing the complexity of the cases and the time of the attorneys involved.

CASA hasnt received a federal grant since 2012  and funding that year was just enough for the organization to hire one paralegal, they say.

The money just isnt enough, said George Escobar, senior director of human services at CASA. But were not going to wait for funding. Were not going to use the excuse, Oh, we dont have funding. Were not government, we dont have the luxury of their excuses.

Small nonprofits often are so local, that getting recognition for funding can be a problem.

One such group in Brooklyn, N.Y., is Atlas DIY. They serve about 300 immigrant youth  half of whom were unaccompanied and dozens who came in the last year. Atlas DIY provides legal services, but they say it is the support groups that allow the kids to talk about their legal experiences, school issues and family life that keep the kids engaged and returning for other services, such as finding English tutors.

The last thing you would want is to have young people find a place they trust and then close your doors because funders didnt look ahead, said Lauren Burke, an Atlas DIY co-founder.

Local governments look to charities for help

As pressing as their legal needs are, the children desperately need mental health care and family counseling, advocates say. But these require long-term financial and staffing commitments that seem to fall to advocacy groups and local governments to address.

Some long-standing nonprofits in the D.C. metro area worked with local government to chart a course of action. The Central American Resource Center (CARECEN), a group that offers legal services and citizenship classes, coordinated with 150 professionals from fields such as social work, health care and the law to publish a report.

Weve been educating elected officials about the things they need to address and where to put resources if they dont want these kids to fall through the cracks or get recruited by gangs or continue a cycle of violence, said Abel Nunez, executive director of CARECEN.

The Latin American Youth Center, located across the street from CARECEN, is one of many partners in this mission. In their eyes, the children need engagement and mental health care. The group has partnered with local schools to provide after-school activities and arrange college prep programs.

But its mental health that has grassroots groups especially concerned. Mental health care is stigmatized in the Latino community, providers said, and there isnt funding for something that isnt finite, like legal aid.



Some local governments have stepped in to support those efforts. Professionals from La Clinica del Pueblo, another healthcare provider in partnership with CARECEN, trained some school officials from Prince Georges County in Maryland to better address the childrens mental health needs.

Some of the students fled their home countries to get away from violence either directed at them or their relatives; they were also vulnerable to danger during their journey here. The county has been receptive to other ideas that may expand care. Meanwhile, Fairfax County in Virginia found ways to grant undocumented children access to mental health, and they are working to publicize those health options.

Alicia Wilson, executive director of La Clinica, reported that the local officials she has worked with see these children as a generation that may remain in their towns for some time, and they want those children  and their towns  to have the best possible outcomes.

Migration has happened in a number of waves, and local governments have almost resolutely failed in welcoming and laying groundwork for success, Wilson said. This is an opportunity for them to get it right.
On Saturday, thousands of Venezuelans across the country took to the streets to demand the release of political prisoners and the setting of a firm date for legislative elections later this year.

In an indirect way, the crowds also forced the hand of the Democratic Unity Roundtable, or MUD, the coalition of 29 parties fielding a joint slate of candidates to oppose the ruling socialist PSUV.

MUD had been split on the protest  which was called by the leader of Voluntad Popular (Popular Will), Leopoldo Lopez, from his jail cell  with many opposition parties preferring to focus on winning the parliamentary elections rather than mounting demonstrations.

But on Wednesday MUDs secretary general, Jesus Torrealba, led a press conference in which representatives of the more than 20 parties participated.

He announced a schedule of protests that starts Thursday which join in the demands made at the Saturday demonstrations and the 17 activists and politicians who have gone on hunger strike since last week.

It avoids a political catastrophe, Felix Seijas, local political analyst and pollster, said to Fox News Latino. Unity is the best asset the opposition has.

Seijas, the director of the Venezuelan polling firm Delphos, continued, Polls show that independents and former Chavistas who are unhappy with the political situation dont like political in-fighting and want unity and cohesion. They were used to [late President Hugo] Chavezs leadership.

MUDs planned activities start with Thursday demonstrations outside of the Venezuelas Electoral Council building in each state. On Saturday, theres a vigil in churches across different states, and on Sunday the few opposition candidates who have been selected for the legislative elections will hold "house-to-house" meetings in their districts.

And on Tuesday congressmen from different parts of Venezuela will protest the removal earlier this year of a Voluntad Popular mayor, Lumay Barreto, from Guasdualito in the state of Apure, by the towns municipal council, which is controlled by the PSUV.

The council claimed that she was derelict in her duties, and Venezuelas Supreme Court, which is heavily influenced by President Nicolas Maduros regime, ruled on Monday that the councils decision was legal.

Altogether four opposition mayors have been removed from their posts since the December 2013 election.

The others are Daniel Ceballos, former mayor of San Cristobal, Tachira, who is now on hunger strike in jail; Enzo Scarano, former mayor of San Diego, Carabobo, who has been imprisoned for more than a year; and Antonio Ledezma, the mayor of Caracas who is under house arrest.

But opposition unity isnt complete. MUD still has to determine three-quarters of its candidates for the legislative elections. (Twenty-five percent were already chosen in a May 17 primary.)

Initially, the names  which are supposed to be selected by consensus  were to be revealed before the primary, but internal conflicts delayed the announcement, and now some parties want more spots because they got more votes in the primary.

Scarano, of the Cuentas Claras (Clean Slate) party, assured FNL that MUD will have no difficulty getting together about this issue.

We have time  the date [of the election] hasnt even been set yet, he said. Everyone will respect the agreements.

But analysts arent so sure.

Candidates have to be in the streets campaigning as soon as possible, said Seijas.

He says that polls show that, politically, the country is now less divided than it used to be.

Just around 20 percent of the people believe radically in the government or in the opposition right now, Seijas said.

If the Roundtable just focuses on issues like political prisoners or censorship, it will be speaking to its base, just around 10 percent of the population, he added. Thats why they have to speak about the elections, and in order to do that you need to have your candidates ready. If you dont, street protests will not be as successful.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz rattled off a line about Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday that he's been using during stump speeches.

At an appearance in Howell, Michigan, the Republican presidential candidate and Texas senator told his audience that one need only mention Biden's name to get people to laugh.

Joe Biden  You know what the nice thing is? You dont even need a punch line," Cruz said. "I promise you it works. The next party you're at, just walk up to someone and say, 'Vice President Joe Biden' and just close your mouth. They will crack up laughing."

But that line, at one time a joke that drew chuckles, prompted a fierce backlash against Cruz because it came just weeks after Bidens son died. Cruz was forced to apologize after the campaign event following criticism that the made the joke at the expense of someone mourning his sons death.

Cruz's comments were met with disdain from top Democrats in Michigan, including Lon Johnson, chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party.

"When it counted, and it always does for someone attempting to become the leader of our nation, Sen. Cruz demonstrated a true lack of Christian compassion for a father mourning a son," Johnson said in a statement.

But Cruz went on Facebook a day later to apologize.

In his post, the Texas senator says, "It was a mistake to use an old joke about Joe Biden during his time of grief, and I sincerely apologize."

Beau Biden, a former Delaware attorney general, died of brain cancer last Saturday at the age of 46. President Barack Obama is to deliver the eulogy at a funeral Mass for Biden on Saturday in Wilmington, Delaware, the White House said on Tuesday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
House Republicans voted Thursday to keep restrictions on Americans seeking to travel to Cuba, a setback to Obama administration efforts to ease the five-decade Cold War standoff.

The Republican-controlled chamber voted 247-176 to keep a Cuba-related provision in a transportation funding bill. The provision would block new rules issued in January that would significantly ease travel restrictions to Cuba and allow regularly scheduled flights for the first time.

The administration rules lifted a requirement that U.S. travelers obtain a license from the Treasury Department before traveling to Cuba. Instead, all that is required is for travelers to assert that their trip would serve educational, religious or other permitted purposes.

The White House has threatened to veto the bill, in part because of the Cuba-related provision. The measure is also caught in a battle between Republicans controlling Congress and the White House and its Democratic allies over spending levels for domestic agencies. The White House has issued a blanket veto threat against every GOP spending bill, and Senate Democrats weighed in on Thursday with explicit promises that they will filibuster the measures and block them from reaching Obama's desk.

The Republican-backed Cuba provision is the handiwork of Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, a Cuban-American Republican from the Miami area.

Diaz-Balart said the Obama administration is wrong to lift the travel restrictions, noting that the flights would land at an airport that was partially owned by U.S. interests when it was seized by the Castro government.

"What you are saying is, 'It's OK to do business on property that was stolen from Americans,'" Diaz-Balart said.

But to most Democrats and a handful of House Republicans, the travel ban is an obsolete Cold War remnant.

"We need a 21st century approach to this nation 90 miles away from our shores. This is 2015 ... not 1960," said Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., whose attempt to strip Diaz-Balart's provision from the transportation appropriations measure failed. "The rest of the world is doing business with Cuba, allows its citizens to travel to Cuba and also has normal diplomatic relations with Cuba."

The GOP plan would thwart the new flights but leave in place new rules permitting the import of limited amounts of goods like cigars and rum.

Neither the travel restrictions nor a longstanding trade embargo has moved the Castro government toward democracy.

Agriculture organizations, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business interests have expressed support for the administration's outreach to Cuba.

In the Senate, Democrats on Thursday threatened to block defense and other appropriations bills in hopes of forcing Republicans to the negotiating table for talks to replace automatic spending cuts known as sequestration slated to hit both the Pentagon and domestic agencies.

Democrats are also opposed to a $612 billion defense policy bill currently on the floor that does an end run around government spending caps that became law a few years ago. The bill calls for increasing defense spending by putting nearly $40 billion into a war-fighting account that is not subject to the spending caps.

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said Democrats would block "any appropriations bill until Republicans have sat down at the table and figured out with us how we're going to properly fund the Defense Department and key (domestic) priorities."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Jeb Bush is giving a strong indication that he'll join the ever-expanding Republican presidential campaign field later this month, announcing Thursday morning that his decision will come on June 15 in Miami.

The former Florida governor, widely expected to run for the Republican nomination, wrote "coming soon" on Twitter with a link to the website jebannouncement.com. On that page, the date 06.15.15 was listed, followed by the tease, "BE THE FIRST TO KNOW. RSVP NOW!" Bush also tweeted it in Spanish, "Proximamente 6.15.15."

"My expectation, my hope is I'll be a candidate," Bush said earlier in the week, while attending an economic forum in Florida with other 2016 GOP prospects.

Aides confirmed Bush had made a decision and that he'll announce it in Miami on June 15, on the heels of a European trip where he'll visit longtime allies Germany, Poland and Estonia.

The announcement will take place that afternoon at Miami Dade Community College.

"Governor Bush is thankful for the support and encouragement he has received from so many Americans during the last several months and looks forward to announcing his decision," spokeswoman Kristy Campbell said.

Bush would be entering a crowded primary field that includes Sens. Rand Paul, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, among others. Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry is expected to announce his bid on Thursday. Meanwhile, Govs. Scott Walker of Wisconsin and Chris Christie of New Jersey have not yet formally announced their intentions, but have been hiring staff and visiting early-voting states such as Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

The Bush news was first reported by The Miami Herald and the Tampa Bay Times.

By promoting his announcement in this way, Bush is also trying to collect new data about potential supporters. To receive the announcement through the website, voters must provide their name, email address and zip code.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
GOP presidential candidate and devout Catholic Rick Santorum has called out his faith's leader for voicing his concerns about global climate change.

Speaking to a radio station in Philadelphia, the former U.S. Senator said that while he loves Pope Francis and is a "huge fan of his," the Catholic Church is not qualified to speak about climate change, and if the pontiff issues an encyclical on the topic it could hurt his credibility.

The Vatican Thursday took the unusual step of announcing the release date in advance of its environmental cyclical "to avoid confusion over the diffusion of unconfirmed information."

During his interview with Philadelphia's WPHT 1210 host, Dom Giordano, Santorum said, "The church has gotten it wrong a few times on science, and I think we probably are better off leaving science to the scientists, and focus on what we're really good at, which is theology and morality."

He added: "And I think when we get involved with political and controversial scientific theories, then I think the Church is probably not as forceful and credible."

No papal document in recent times has elicited quite as much anticipation. The Vatican has helped fuel interest by mounting an unprecedented roll-out including conferences, speeches and book launches tied to it.

Environmentalists are thrilled the pope is lending his moral authority to the climate change debate ahead of U.N. climate talks this year in Paris. Skeptics have voiced alarm that he is getting involved.

"I understand, and I sympathize and I support completely the pope's call for us to do more to create opportunities for people to be able to rise in society and to care for the poor," Santorum said in the Giordano interview.

The former senator, who announced his candidacy for president last week promising to ease the plight of blue-collar workers, is no stranger to bringing his views of science into politics.

In 2001, while in Congress, Santorum introduced a provision to an education bill that has since become known as the Santorum Amendment. It promoted the teaching of intelligent design and questioned the standing of evolution in U.S. public schools. While it was eventually stricken from the bill after 96 scientific and educational organizations wrote a letter to the conference committee arguing that evolution is regarded as fact within the scientific community.

The words of the amendment survive in modified form in the Bill's Conference Report, but they do not carry the weight of law.

Santorum ran for president in 2012, and he opens this campaign season as a heavy underdog in a race expected to feature more than a dozen high-profile Republicans  most of them newcomers to presidential politics. He is among the nation's most prominent social conservatives, having dedicated much of his career to opposing same-sex marriage and abortion rights, while advocating for Christian family values.

He has acknowledged his challenges in 2016 but says his experience could pay dividends the second time around. Most of the GOP's recent presidential nominees, Mitt Romney and Bob Dole among them, needed more than one presidential campaign to win the nomination.

"The last race, we changed the debate. This race, with your help and God's grace, we can change this nation," Santorum said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
A majority of Americans support allowing immigrants living in the country illegally to stay and be granted legal status, according to a new poll released Thursday.

The survey conducted by the Pew Research Center found that 72 percent of Americans support legal status for such immigrants.

The poll found that 56 percent of Republicans agree that immigrants living in the U.S. illegally should be able to stay as long as they meet certain criteria, as did 8 in 10 Democrats and three-quarters of independents. The poll question did not specify what those requirements might be.

At the same time, 63 percent of Republicans also say immigrants  those in the U.S. legally and illegally  are a burden on the country when asked to choose, while 27 percent say they strengthen the country.

Among Americans overall, more say that immigrants strengthen the country (51 percent) than say they burden the country (41 percent).

The Pew survey also found that about half of Americans think a lot more can be done to secure the nation's border. Border security is a common starting point among many Republicans for any plan to overhaul the country's immigration system.

Asked to specify which they support, 42 percent of Americans said that immigrants currently in the United States illegally should be allowed to apply for citizenship, while 26 percent said they should be able to apply for permanent residency, not citizenship.

The distinction between those two options could be important over the course of the 2016 presidential campaign, with Hillary Clinton supporting a path to citizenship and some Republicans stopping at offering legal residency.

The Pew survey also suggests a divide between Republican voters and GOP lawmakers. Researchers found that only 34 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents said the party is adequately representing their views on illegal immigration.

About half of Democrats, and those whose views lean toward the Democratic Party's, say that party is doing a good job representing their view on the issue.

Support for allowing immigrants in the country illegally to stay can vary depending on how survey questions are worded. A recent Associated Press-GfK poll found that about half of Americans and a third of Republicans support either a path to citizenship or legal status, but that survey did not specify that immigrants must "meet certain requirements" to qualify, as the Pew survey did.

Still, the AP-GfK poll found that most Republicans could at least imagine voting for a candidate who wanted to keep in place President Barack Obama's executive action to postpone many deportations in place.

Last year, Obama announced plans to expand a program that shields certain immigrants from deportation and allows them to legally work in the U.S. The expanded program, which could benefit more than 4 million people, is on hold after a federal judge in Texas ordered it halted pending a trial to determine if the effort is legal.

The Pew survey was conducted by telephone using landline and cellphones among 2,002 adults between May 12 and May 18. The poll's margin of error was plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Newly released emails reveal conversations between the main players who wrote Arizona's landmark law cracking down on immigration, including discussions about doing the bidding of Sheriff Joe Arpaio and language that critics say played on immigration stereotypes.

The emails emerged in a court case in which civil rights groups are seeking to have the remaining parts of the law thrown out on the grounds that it is discriminatory.

They alleged the law known as SB1070 was motivated by a desire to discriminate against Latinos and Mexicans.

Lawyers challenging the law say it was aimed at protecting the contentious immigration crackdowns carried out by Arpaio. They cite emails involving the architect of the bill, Kris Kobach, then an adviser to the sheriff, and the bill's legislative sponsor, then-Sen. Russell Pearce.

An email unearthed in the challenge shows Kobach told Pearce in November 2009 that he was working to help defend Arpaio's office against the American Civil Liberties Union and the U.S. Justice Department. "To that end, there is one more sentence that needs to be added to the bill," Kobach wrote.

Kobach then advocated for a provision that would let police arrest people without warrants in cases where the arrested person has committed an offense that makes them eligible to be deported from the United States.

The attorneys challenging the law also said Kobach repeatedly suggested a provision that would let police officers legally stop drivers if they have reasonable suspicion to believe the drivers are in violation of civil traffic laws.

Messages left for Kobach, Pearce and Arpaio's office weren't immediately returned Friday.

"I think the legislators who were behind SB1070 wanted to use Arpaio's model around the state and mandate it around the state," said Cecillia Wang, an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer who is among the attorneys pushing the challenge.

Coalition lawyers also cited an April 2010 email from Kobach to Pearce that they said played on stereotypes of immigrants. Kobach is currently the secretary of state in Kansas.

The email in question shows Pearce and Kobach were talking about including provisions in the 2010 law that would have made it a misdemeanor to have an overcrowded vehicle and let police start inquiries of people who had cars on blocks in their yards or had too many people into a rental home. Neither provision was enacted into law.

Arpaio is known for his immigration crackdowns but walked away from the last vestiges of his immigration enforcement late last year as his actions have been repeatedly repudiated by the courts.

In 2010, Kobach served as an immigration-enforcement training adviser to Arpaio's office and helped Pearce write the 2010 law.

The courts have upheld SB1070's contentious requirement that police, while enforcing other laws, must question people's immigration status if they are suspected of being in the country illegally. But much of the law has been gutted by the courts, including a requirement that immigrants carry registration papers and a ban on immigrants soliciting work in a public place.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
During Marco Rubio's first year in the Florida Legislature in 2000, the 29-year-old lawmaker filled out the required forms detailing his personal finances. On the line listing his net worth, Rubio wrote: "0."

Since then, he has risen to lead the state House as speaker, won election to the U.S. Senate and earned at least $4.5 million at a series of six-figure jobs and by writing a best-selling memoir. Yet his net worth has improved only modestly.

Like many Americans in the days since the recession, Rubio and his family  he has four children  have struggled in the housing market.

Factor in some questionable moves with money and a hefty load of student loans, and it's clear that the Republican presidential candidate's real estate dealings often have been a drag on his finances despite an income most would relish.

"He's like any normal American with four kids that has a mortgage," said Bernie Navarro, a past president of the Miami-based Latin Builders Association, who has advised Rubio on his real estate transactions.

"He goes through what any normal family goes through, living with a salary, and he has to make adjustments."

Rubio made two in the past few weeks:

he sold a home in Tallahassee, Florida, that he owned with a former colleague. That freed Rubio from a monthly payment on an interest-only loan and the cost of upkeep. But he lost money on the deal.

he consolidated the debt on his primary residence in West Miami, Florida. The original mortgage required only payments of interest on the principal in its first decade. Rubio has only paid off about 4 percent of overall principal since buying the house.

At end of last year, Rubio was worth no more than $355,000, according to an analysis of his personal financial disclosures records filed with the Senate. That does not include any equity he may have in his West Miami home or proceeds expected from his second book, published in December.

Rubio, 44, has spoken of being torn between a drive for public service and the need to support his family. At times, he has made decisions that put politics ahead of his personal comfort.

He and his wife, Jeanette, moved in with his mother-in-law to make ends meet at the start of his political career.

At other points, Rubio's political connections have helped financially.

One of Rubio's biggest political backers, Miami billionaire Norman Braman, hired Rubio as his attorney after Rubio left the Florida Legislature in 2008, and Braman funded a teaching position at Florida International University that Rubio still holds.

In his 2012 memoir, "An American Son," Rubio writes about how early in his career as a lawmaker, he was initially unsure he could keep his full-time job as a lawyer while spending months at the state Capitol.

In 2000, he listed the value of his household furnishings at $5,000 on state records, but reported more than $160,000 in student loan debt plus $30,000 in "assorted credit + retail debt."

To save on rent, Rubio and his wife moved in with her mother. He was climbing the GOP ranks, but, "I imagined telling my children someday that I had been the majority whip of the Florida House but ... had to leave politics to make a living," he wrote.

Rubio soon landed a new legal job at a $93,000 salary. It was enough for the Rubios, who had their first child in 2000, to buy a 1,200-square-foot three-bedroom house in the working-class West Miami neighborhood where Rubio grew up.

In 2003, Rubio secured the votes needed to become state House speaker. Months later, he moved up to a new, politically connected law firm and a $300,000 salary.

In March 2005, Rubio and fellow state lawmaker David Rivera bought a house in Tallahassee, Florida, to live in while in the state capital, making no down payment and taking out a $135,000 mortgage that initially only required interest payments. Meanwhile, the Rubios upgraded to a newly-built four-bedroom 2,600-square-foot home with a pool in West Miami, Florida.

Once in Washington, and making a $174,000 salary as a senator, Rubio felt the bite of his old real estate transactions.

The bank moved in 2010 to foreclose the house in Tallahassee after Rubio and Rivera fell behind on the payments. Rivera paid $9,200 to avoid foreclosure. The pair sold the house for $117,000 last week  $18,000 less than the original purchase price.

(Federal prosecutors have said Rivera, who served one term in Congress, is being investigated by a grand jury in a campaign finance case unrelated to Rubio.)

The home next to Rubio's in West Miami was foreclosed, which he says is part of the reason why the county has assessed the value of his current house at $400,000  well below the $675,000 price Rubio sought when he put it on the market in 2013. But the house did not sell.

Instead, Rubio decided to refinance his initial mortgage and a separate home equity loan. On May 26, Professional Bank in Coral Gables, Florida, wrote Rubio a $604,000 mortgage at 4.5 percent interest, according to records and Rubio's campaign.

Navarro said that lowers Rubio's monthly payment by about $1,000 a month. He and his family still call it home. "It was a good financial move for him," Navarro said.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Thousands of soldiers and federal police were deployed to guard polling stations in conflictive southern states as voting began Sunday for what could be Mexico's most violent elections in years, seen as a litmus test for President Enrique Pena Nieto's government.

Midterm elections like Sunday's, which will choose all 500 seats in the lower house of Congress, nine of 31 governorships and hundreds of mayorships and local posts, usually don't draw much turnout or attention. But a loose coalition of radical teachers' unions and activists has vowed to block the elections.

In the weeks leading up to the vote, they attacked the offices of political parties in Chiapas and Guerrero, and burned ballots in Oaxaca. Those three states are expected to be the focus of unrest Sunday.

The teachers are demanding huge wage hikes, an end to teacher testing, and the safe return of 42 missing students from a radical teachers' college. Those students disappeared in September, and prosecutors say they were killed and incinerated by a drug gang. One student's remains were identified by DNA testing.

In some towns such as Tixtla, Guerrero, students, teachers and parents of the disappeared urged Mexicans to boycott the vote.

"We want the children to be found first, and then there can be elections," said Martina de la Cruz, the mother of one of the missing students.

The military and police deployment was announced on Friday.

"Mexicans have the right to vote in peace," presidential spokesman Eduardo Sanchez said Saturday, noting the government "will take all necessary measures within the framework of legality" to protect the elections.

Most of the nine governors' races were too close to call, and in at least one race  for the governorship of the northern border state of Nuevo Leon  an independent candidate was a top contender, all of which is novel for Mexico.

"There is an enormous amount of competition, and that is good news," said Luis Carlos Ugalde, the country's former top electoral official.

The vote comes amid widespread discontent with politicians in Mexico, where a series of corruption scandals, a lackluster economy and human rights concerns related to the missing students and suspected army massacres have tarnished Pena Nieto's image and fed anti-government protests.

Mexico needs "a complete change in the economic question, in jobs, in security," said Juan Altamirano, a 52-year-old resident of the capital, adding that he intended to vote later and supports two leftist opposition parties. "Things are going badly; we have been moving backward."

On a national level, the Pena's Nieto's Institutional Revolutionary Party is seeking to preserve its commanding position in Congress, despite the president's diminished popularity.

Violence ahead of the elections has already claimed the lives of three candidates, one would-be candidate, and at least a dozen campaign workers or activists.

Candidates have been assassinated in the past, but the threat to block elections is a new phenomenon.

Ugalde saw another threat in the possibility of post-election legal challenges, in part because new electoral laws highly regulate campaign funding, advertising and spending, and make violations a cause for potentially overturning results.

"These may be the elections with the most post-electoral conflicts in Mexico's history," Ugalde said.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
next Image 1 of 3

prev next Image 2 of 3

prev Image 3 of 3

Mexican voters elected their first independent gubernatorial candidate, seen as a protest against party politics, while giving the ruling party a lead in Congress, sending mixed messages in midterm elections.

President Enrique Pena Nieto's Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, lost legislative seats, according to official vote counts released Monday by the electoral institute. But a strong and controversial campaign by allied Green Party boosted that party by as many as 20 seats, which could give the ruling party a voting majority for the first time in nearly two decades.

"The PRI lost, but not very much," said Jesus Cantu, political analyst at the Monterrey Institute of Technology.

In an election marred by sporadic violence, independent Jaime Rodriguez, known as "El Bronco," won the governor's race in the border state of Nuevo Leon, ousting the PRI from a key state that includes the business hub of Monterrey. His popularity was attributed to voters' disgust with all political parties.

"I think in the whole country, this will help the political parties to renew and transform themselves so they can be better," said Rodriguez, adding that he would give them a "six-year vacation," a reference to the length of his term in office.

Rodriguez said his first action as governor would be to attack corruption: "We have to investigate the entire previous government."

It was the first election in Mexico to allow unaffiliated candidates, thanks to electoral reform last year.

The horseback-riding, boot-clad, tough-talking Rodriguez earned his nickname after he survived two assassination attempts that left his car bullet-ridden as mayor of a suburb of Monterrey. He said the attacks were from a drug cartel.

His support harkens back to 2000, when another plainspoken cowboy candidate, Vicente Fox, managed to topple the PRI's 71-year rule and win the presidency for the opposition National Action Party.

Sunday's vote came amid widespread discontent with politicians in Mexico, where corruption scandals, a lackluster economy and human rights concerns related to missing students and suspected army massacres have tarnished Pena Nieto's image and fed anti-government protests.

Green Party ads were everywhere during the campaign as it marketed itself as a fresh alternative, and the party was fined millions for violating campaign finance laws. But the strategy paid off. The Green Party votes in lockstep with the PRI, and critics called it a PRI tactic to bolster a small ally at election time when it is down in the polls.

Thousands of soldiers and federal police guarded polling stations where violence and calls for boycotts threatened to mar the vote for 500 seats in the lower house of Congress, nine of 31 governorships and hundreds of mayors and local officials.

Protesters burned ballot boxes in several restive states in southern Mexico, but officials called the disruptions "isolated incidents." A statement from a team of election observers from the Organization of America States, headed by former Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla, said the incidents didn't prevent people from voting.

"There were those who wanted to affect the elections, including with violence in the previous days designed to discourage the public," Pena Nieto said in a national address. "But the mandate Mexicans gave to authorities today was to reject violence and intolerance."

A loose coalition of radical teachers' unions and activists had vowed to block the vote, and protesters burned at least seven ballot boxes and election materials in Tixtla, the Guerrero state town where 43 students vanished at the hands of a local police force, creating national outrage.

Ballot boxes were also destroyed in the southern states of Chiapas and Oaxaca. In Oaxaca's capital, masked protesters emptied a vehicle of ballots, boxes and voting tables and burned the material in the main square.

The state government reported 88 arrests related to the destruction of election materials and disturbances in the capital, Tuxtepec and Salina Cruz.

In Monterrey, two political parties reported that armed men were intimidating voters in three towns near the border with Texas.

Violence ahead of the elections claimed the lives of three candidates, one would-be candidate and at least a dozen campaign workers or activists.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
President Barack Obama said he was frustrated by a recent district courts ruling regarding his executive action on immigration  but hes not done fighting.

Speaking at a press conference at the G7 meeting in Germany of state leaders, told reporters that, we are being as aggressive as we can legally, to appeal the district court ruling and then to implement those actions on executive actions that were not challenged in court.

Obama was responding to a Washington Post report, published on Sunday, stating that legal setbacks have halted the governments intensive preparations to extend detention protection to millions of people who entered the country illegally.

The article said rented office space still sits empty and positions have not been filled that were intended to handle the extra cases and paperwork.

I made a decision, Obama explained at a press conference after his meeting with the prime minister of Iraq, which I think is the right one, that we should not accept applications until the legal status of this is clarified.

But, he noted, that did not mean he was giving up his fight.

One of the key provisions for me was to let undocumented people get legal status after background checks. That requires an administrative apparatus, he said.

Last November, Obama announced a series of executive actions on immigration, one of the key provisions of which was to extend the deportation protection for so called Dreamers  people who arrived in the United States illegally as children  under the Deferred of Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

The actions also granted that protection to the parents of citizens or of children with legal residence in the United States. All together, an estimated 4 to 5 million people would be affected by the program.

In December, Texas filed a lawsuit against Obamas action, and was eventually joined by 24 other states.

In February, a U.S. district court judge in Texas issued an injunction against the U.S. government moving forward with the program while the lawsuit is being decided.

During the press conference, Obama said that, One of the key provisions for me was to let undocumented people get legal status after background checks. That requires an administrative apparatus.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
This is the fifth in a series of posts, one year after the surge of unaccompanied undocumented minors who crossed across the U.S.-Mexico border, examining the effects it has had on communities, schools and children themselves.

MEXICO CITY  On a recent trip to La Patrona, a rural town surrounded by sugar cane plantations in Mexico's eastern state of Veracruz, Fox News Latino met with Las Patronas, a group of women who have dedicated themselves to helping Central American migrants travelling through the region on their way to the United States.

Every day they take posts near the railroad tracks with packages of food and blankets. When the rusty freight train aptly nicknamed La Bestia (The Beast) rushes by, the women toss the bags to migrants hitching a ride on the roof as they travel north.

These days, however, work at the tracks isn't as busy as it used to be.

There just aren't that many people climbing the train anymore, Norma Romero, founder of Las Patronas, told FNL. There used to be hundreds of migrants on every train  so many we often didn't have enough packages to give them. But now there are only a handful, and often the train carries none at all.

The trip, which is more than 1,100 miles just through Mexico, is a dangerous one. In their attempt to escape poverty, unemployment and rampant criminal violence, the migrants brave hunger, fatigue and cold, often face criminal gangs preying upon them.

The sight of freight trains cruising through Mexico with few or even no people on the roof is welcome news to its northern neighbor. Last year, U.S. authorities were scrambling to handle an unprecedented wave of undocumented migrants who crossed the border  a crisis made especially severe because of the many thousands of unaccompanied minors making their way to American soil.

Even as new detention centers opened and deportations sped up, the Obama administration began pressuring Mexico and Central American countries to lend a hand in solving the crisis.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and his Guatemalan counterpart, Otto Perez Molina, reacted last July by enacting a comprehensive package of measures aimed at stemming the flow of migrants at Mexicos southern border with Guatemala, the Programa Frontera Sur.

The plan, at least on paper, focuses mostly on ramping up security. New checkpoints were set up along highways in southern states such as Chiapas, and patrols searching for undocumented Central Americans have increased in number and intensity.

Part of that includes police and immigration officials trying to prevent migrants from boarding freight trains headed north.

The Frontera Sur Program also aims to combat human trafficking, organized crime and human rights violations in the border area, as well as making it easier for Guatemalan and Belizean workers to obtain a Regional Visitor Card, which allows a legal three-day stay to work in Mexico's four southernmost states.

At first blush, the effort appears to be bearing fruit. According to a recent report by the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), a D.C.-based NGO, Mexican deportations of undocumented Central Americans have spiked to unprecedented levels.

In 2014, 107,814 migrants were deported, the vast majority from Central America. And in the first two months of 2015, more than 25,000 were sent back to their countries of origin, a whopping 95 percent increase in comparison to the same period a year before.

Meanwhile, child migrant deportations from Mexico have increased so much they are now almost on par with U.S. statistics, and shelters in Mexico now report far less Central American visitors than in previous years.

Only a year ago, the migrant house in Saltillo, 190 miles from the Texas border in Mexico's northern state of Coahuila, received 300 migrants per night. That number has dropped to 80 at most, with sometimes as few as 20 visitors seeking shelter. Other shelters report similar drops.

Both Mexican and U.S. authorities consider the spike in deportations to be a sign of success.

In January, President Barack Obama praised Pena Nieto, saying, In part because of strong efforts by Mexico, including at its southern border, weve seen those numbers [of migrants] reduced back to much more manageable levels.

Not everybody agrees. In April, a number of migrant shelters and activist organizations including the MMM got together to form the Collective of Migrants and Refugees Defenders (Codemire). Together, they demanded that the Mexican government abandon Programa Frontera Sur.

The plan is working, but not the way we'd like it to, Martha Sanchez, president of the Mesoamerican Migrant Movement (MMM), told FNL. What's working is the repressive part, the part that increases deportations and allows human rights violations to escalate.

Activists say that Mexican authorities are lagging behind on the implementation of humanitarian components of the plan, which are intended to help keep migrants from making the journey , and have instead focused only on the detain-and-deport side.

By preventing them from getting on the freight train, migrants are forced to take alternative routes to the U.S., which makes them far more vulnerable to criminal gangs, Sanchez told FNL. At the same time, we see many more reports of human-rights violations.

Activists also criticize what they call the myth that the Programa Frontera Sur is only focused on Mexico's southern border.

It applies to the all of the corridors used by Central American migrants, Alberto Xicotencatl, director of the Saltillo Migrant House, told FNL. "What we have seen is a joining of the Federal Police, SEDENA (the Secretariat of National Defense) and the National Immigration Institute to detain migrants. These detentions are massive."

Central American countries presented their own plan to deal with the migration crisis in September of last year. Dubbed the "The Plan of the Alliance for Prosperity in the Northern Triangle," it focuses mostly on economic development, job creation and strengthening institutions to combat the principal causes of migration in the region: poverty, unemployment and rampant violence.

The plan, though praised by some critics, has yielded no tangible results so far.

Meanwhile, violence and poverty keeps pushing migrants north.

Even as the murder rate in Honduras, the highest in the world, appears to have inched down in recent months, a failed truce between El Salvador's two largest criminal gangs has caused violence there to spike.

With more than 600 homicides, May was the deadliest month in that country in a decade.

I have seen no sign that people are any less willing to go to the United States, Rosa Nelly Santos, who heads Cofamipro, a migrant organization in the Honduran city of El Progreso, told Fox News Latino. Employment, crime and poverty are as high as ever here. If that doesn't change, no amount of deportations can stop it.

Includes reporting by David Agren in Saltillo, Mexico.

READ PART 1: Tens of thousands of immigrant children remain in limbo

READ PART 2: As crisis overwhelms system, philanthropy steps in

READ PART 3: Courts backlogged until 2019 to accommodate minors

READ PART 4: New U.S. policies have led to less children crossing
When former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush started hinting at a run for president, many expected that his rising-political-star scion, George P. Bush, would be a key way for the 62-year-old to connect to younger voters.

But that job seems to falling to a son who hasnt been in the headlines and spotlight nearly as much as George  Jeb Bush Jr., a Florida businessman.

Jeb Jr.s appeal to the younger crowd displayed itself in February at an event in Washington in support of his fathers Right to Rise PAC. More than 400 millennials turned out, surprising even the organizers. Jeb Jr., who is 31, had been billed as the main attraction, according to Politico.

That has led to more events in New York, Miami, Houston, and Los Angeles, among other places, with Jeb Jr. as the star. Each has attracted no less than 100 people.

Dads unifying message of opportunity and the Right to Rise has been energizing young professionals and mobilizing support from millennials across the country, Jeb Jr. said in an email quoted by Politico.

Jeb Jr. has not been totally out of politics. He is chairman and co-founder of Sunpac, a Florida-based Latino outreach group that promotes conservative values and principles. He also sits on the board of the National Immigration Forum, a lobby group that favors liberal immigration policies, including giving undocumented immigrants a path to legal status.

The name of the PAC is Right to Rise, and that message of economic uplift hits home with these young people, many of whom are college graduates saddled with mountains of debt who are struggling to find real opportunity, Politico quoted Daniel Diaz Leyva, a Bush family friend, as saying. People are looking for a path to upward mobility, and a lot of Gov. Bushs platform  his belief in education reform, vocational training and licensing, his support for immigration reform  speaks to that.

Jeb Jr. is Chief Operating Officer at Jeb Bush & Associates and President of Bush Realty, LLC.

He tells a joke about working for Jeb Bush and Associates, Leyva said. Hell say, My dad is Jeb Bush  and Im Associates.

He studied at the University of Texas at Austin, receiving a bachelors degree in Latin American studies. He got his masters in international real estate finance at Florida International University.

Jeb Jr. gives great perspective because he understands our issues on a personal level, said T.J. Villamil, a University of Florida graduate who has gone to Right to Rise events in Florida. You can also look at him and immediately get a better sense of Jeb and know that when he talks about the need for immigration reform, its not just a political position  its personal.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Marco Rubio has fired back at the New York Times after the newspaper ran a story focusing on the Republican presidential candidate's purported financial struggles and his family's traffic offenses.

"The New York Times today attacked Marco because he could not afford to pay for college, arrogantly describing his student loan debt as 'a deep financial hole of his own making,' said Rubio Communications Director Alex Conant in an email.

The attack from the Times is just the latest in their continued hits against Marco and his family," he added.

The New York Times also described an "extravagant... luxury speed boat" that Rubio had purchased with an $800,000 advance in 2012 for his memoirs, but Conant refutes that description of the vessel.

"That is not accurate. It's a family fishing boat," the spokesman said.

The New York Times piece, which cites a review of the Florida Senator's financial records and sources close to him, claims that Rubio bought the $80,000, 24-foot speedboat and $50,000 Audi Q7 while struggling to pay off a student loan debt and second mortgage.

Along with the article, the paper also posted a photo of Rubio's home in West Miami with the caption,"The Rubios live in a home in West Miami that is one of the more expensive ones in the area." However, the residence is modest by South Florida standards.

"I know these attacks are part of running for president, but the fact remains that we can't rely on the media to tell our campaign's story," Rubio said in a statement sent supporters.

The article also indicated that doubts about Rubios financial choices prompted former presidential candidate Mitt Romney to flag him during the vetting process for vice president.

"Marco Rubio was thoroughly vetted for vice president. Our team was confident that, if chosen, his legislative record and high personal character would have been a great asset to Mitt on the campaign trail and in office," Matt Rhoades, Romney's 2012 campaign manager, told Fox News Latino. "I asked the vetting team if there was anything in Marco's past that would disqualify him as vice presidential candidate  including his finances  and they said there was not. "

The New York Times piece is only the latest in a series of recent articles that call into question Rubio's financial management. Last week the politician finally sold the Tallahassee home that he co-owned with scandal-plagued former Florida Congressman David Rivera. The three-bedroom house had foreclosure proceedings initiated on it in 2010 by the bank that held the mortgage.

He also recently consolidated the debt on his primary residence in West Miami, Florida. The original mortgage required only payments of interest on the principal in its first decade. Rubio has only paid off about 4 percent of overall principal since buying the house.

At end of last year, Rubio was worth no more than $355,000, according to an analysis of his personal financial disclosures records filed with the Senate. That does not include any equity he may have in his West Miami home or proceeds expected from his second book, published in December.

In an effort to clear up what it calls a smear campaign by the New York Times, Rubio's campaign released a series of facts about his personal finances. Among other things, the campaign stated that Rubio has a single debt, the mortgage on his home, and that he paid off over $150,000 in student loans from his undergraduate and law degree.

Last week, the Times also published an article that was widely criticized by conservatives and media watchdogs for its report that Rubio, along with his wife, Jeanette, had received 17 moving violations  Rubio only picked up four moving violations in approximately 20 years, which The Miami Herald wrote was a "yawner" in Florida.

"Four tickets in 18 years makes you, if not a model driver, at least a pretty typical one, Miami Herald political journalist Patricia Mazzei wrote.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval announced Tuesday that despite wide support and a high popularity rating in the Silver State, he will not run for the Senate seat being vacated by longtime Democratic lawmaker Harry Reid.

"I have said many times that it is an honor and a privilege to serve as Nevada's Chief Executive and that I love my job. My heart is in my responsibilities as governor and continuing to build the New Nevada," Sandoval said in a statement. "My undivided attention must be devoted to being the best governor, husband and father I can be. For these reasons, I will not seek the United States Senate seat that will be available in 2016."

Sandoval easily won his second term as governor last year  polling particularly well with the state's growing Latino voters  but earlier this year he appeared skeptical about making a Senate run after announcing a number of major plans for his time in office.

"Do you really think  I would propose the things that I proposed last night, thinking I might be on a ballot?" Sandoval asked Jon Ralston, a Reno Gazette-Journal columnist, after he released a new tax proposal and an ambitious education overhaul plan back in January.

Sandoval, who has been mentioned a strong contender for vice president in 2016, was widely expected to be the frontrunner in the senate race. His announcement to remain in Carson City allows other Republican politicians in the state vie for the seat. Other Republican candidates have been waiting for Sandoval, who enjoys a 70 percent approval rating in his state, to make a decision on whether or not to run before declaring whether theyd step into a race.

The GOP frontrunner now appears to be Nevada Rep. Joe Heck  who represents the state's 3rd District  as the party prepares for a tough race in a state that leans Democrat, according to a recent Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report.

On the Democratic ticket, Reid endorsed Catherine Cortez Masto, a former state Attorney General, who announced her candidacy shortly after the current senator said he would be retiring. Rep. Dina Titus, a Democrat, announced earlier this year that she is not running for Reid's seat.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
A Cuban dissident who has won numerous awards for his longtime efforts  including 23 hunger strikes, some of them near-fatal  to bring democratic changes to his homeland is expected to receive the 2015 Truman-Reagan Medal of Freedom on Friday.

Guillermo Farinas will join the ranks of past recipients such as Pope John Paul II and William F. Buckley, Jr.

Farinas, who counts among his awards the European Unions 2010 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, said in a telephone interview from his home in Havana that each honor is important to him because it sparks a renewed urgency to fight for human rights.

Every distinction is a reflection of support, a new source of pressure to keep pushing for liberty, he told Fox News Latino. Its another source of motivation for me.

The award is given by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, a U.S-based non-profit educational organization that was established by Congress.

Besides Farinas, who will receive the award at a ceremony in Washington D.C., a Medal of Freedom also will be given to Russian journalist Alexandr Podrabinek, according to a press release by the foundation.

It is our honor and privilege to present this award to Guillermo Farinas Hernandez and Alexandr Podrabinek, said Marion Smith, Executive Director of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, in a statement.

These two men come from different places, but share a tireless devotion to ensuring that future generations will live in a world free from the horrors of communism," Smith said. "With this award, we honor their courage and their continued commitment to the fight for basic human rights.

Farinas has served a total of 11 years in Cuban jails as a political prisoner. He staged hunger strikes while in jail, sometimes imperiling his health.

Podrabinek also was arrested in the former Soviet Union for his political dissidence, and was exiled to Siberia at one point for five years. Today he continues to fight oppression by the government of Vladimir Putin.

Farinas said that little has changed in Cuba under President Raul Castro, who, with President Barack Obama, is working on restoring diplomatic relations between the longtime adversaries.

They still try to quash political opposition, he said. The change is only really economic, not political. Cuba has lost Venezuela as a lifeline, so in desperation it has turned to the United States, which until now was its sworn enemy.
Republican Gov. Paul LePage's administration doesn't have to reimburse cities and towns for welfare provided to some immigrants who can't prove they're living in the U.S. legally but can't otherwise penalize municipalities for aiding that population, a Maine judge ruled Tuesday.

Superior Court Justice Thomas Warren said in his opinion that the Department of Health and Human Services overstepped its authority by not going through the proper rule-making process last year when it directed municipalities to stop providing general assistance benefits to certain immigrants, including those seeking asylum.

The judge ruled that the state can't punish municipalities for not complying with the rule by withholding all general assistance funding. But it also can't be forced to cover the costs of immigrants who are ineligible for assistance under federal law, the judge said.

The Maine Municipal Association and the cities of Portland and Westbrook sued the administration in July after LePage threated to withhold millions of dollars to cities and towns that continue providing benefits to people who can't prove they're living here legally.

But the mixed ruling gave both sides something to celebrate on Tuesday.

Health and Human Services Commissioner Mary Mayhew called it a "major win" for the administration and its efforts to ensure that the state's resources are going to those who are most needy, like the elderly and disabled.

"We are very pleased that this decision urges Portland and other municipalities to abide by federal law and allows DHHS to continue denying reimbursements of welfare benefits paid in violation of the law," Mayhew said in a statement. "Portland has been paying millions of dollars in welfare benefits to illegal immigrants, and state taxpayers can rest assured that they will not be footing the bill as long as Gov. LePage is in office."

Zach Heiden, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine, said it was "an important victory for the rule of law." The ACLU joined the case on behalf of two women seeking asylum.

"The court was quite clear that DHHS acted illegally and unlawfully... that DHHS lacked legal authority to impose these rules on municipalities," Heiden said.

While LePage threated to erase all general assistance funding for municipalities that defied the directive, his administration has only stopped reimbursing cities for payments made to immigrants who are ineligible for assistance under federal law. That includes people who came to the U.S. illegally and those who've applied for asylum but are awaiting a decision. Many asylum seekers are unable to work because the process to obtain a permit can take months.

The city most impacted by the decision is Portland, which has had more than $3 million dollars in reimbursements withheld by the state over the last year, according to figures provided by the Department of Health and Human Services. A spokeswoman for the city said it is reviewing the decision to determine its next steps.

The state also has denied reimbursements to Westbrook, Lewiston, South Portland and Bangor, the department said.

LePage hired a private attorney to defend the administration because Attorney General Janet Mills, a Democrat, disagreed with its policy. She said last June that LePage had no authority to implement the new rule and advised cities to continue providing assistance.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Apparently having your dirty financial laundry laid out for the world to see  while potentially embarrassing  can help you raise a lot of money in a very short period of time. Just ask Sen. Marco Rubio.

After a New York Times article dug into the 2016 Republican presidential candidate's traffic tickets, as well as those of his wife, Jeanette, and how promptly they were paid, the U.S. Senator from Florida and the newspaper have traded public barbs, the latest of which was an article  published online Tuesday  outlining Rubio's financial struggles and questionable spending.

Since then Rubio has been able to raise $100,000 in the last five days, a campaign source told Fox News Latino.

While that amount is not much when it comes a modern presidential race, it does speak for the growing support that Rubio is garnering among both his party and voters. A Washington Post/ABC News poll released last week showed that the he has a better split between his favorable rating and his unfavorable rating than anyone else in the fast-growing Republican field.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and the other GOP favorites fell flatly in the middle, while Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas ranked toward the bottom alongside Louisiana's Bobby Jindal and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

The New York Times piece, which cites a review of the Senator's financial records and sources close to him, claims that Rubio bought the $80,000, 24-foot speedboat and $50,000 Audi Q7 while struggling to pay off a student loan debt and second mortgage.

Along with the article, the paper also posted a photo of Rubio's home in West Miami with the caption, "The Rubios live in a home in West Miami that is one of the more expensive ones in the area." However, the residence is modest by South Florida standards.

"I know these attacks are part of running for president, but the fact remains that we can't rely on the media to tell our campaign's story," Rubio said in a statement sent supporters.

While GOP insiders concede that the newspaper has been critical of Demcratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton's finances in regards to donations to the Clinton Foundation  as have many other media outlets  they say that Rubio is being unfairly targeted by the Times for dealing with an issue that most Americans face.

While the New York Times has helped expose Hillary Clinton for the out-of-touch and untrustworthy politician that she is, all theyre doing to our candidates is making them more relatable to ordinary Americans, a GOP spokesperson told FNL. Who hasnt had a couple of speeding tickets or struggled to make ends meet?

The New York Times is not the only publication to call into question Rubio's financial management. Last week the politician finally sold the Tallahassee home that he co-owned with scandal-plagued former U.S. Congressman David Rivera while the two men were in the Florida legislature. The three-bedroom house had foreclosure proceedings initiated on it in 2010 by the bank that held the mortgage.

At end of last year, Rubio was worth no more than $355,000, according to an analysis of his personal financial disclosures records filed with the Senate. That does not include any equity he may have in his West Miami home or proceeds expected from his second book, published in December.

The Times article about the Rubios' 17 moving violations  only four of them by Rubio himself  was widely criticized by conservatives and media watchdogs, something the Miami Herald described as a "yawner" in Florida.

Besides inadvertently helping boost Rubio's fundraising, the Times may have also drawn many in the GOP brass to his corner.

Marco Rubio does not look worse as a result of this story, wrote Ian Tuttle of the National Review. Its the Times that looks bad  petty, for expending so much effort on so minor a story and, for expending so much energy unnecessarily concealing the source of the story, deceitful.

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus appeared on Fox News' "On the Record with Greta Van Susteren" late last week defending Rubio and claiming that the Times was handed the speeding tickets story by a research group, American Bridge, that's working with the Hillary Clinton campaign.

"It's quite a coincidence that every single pull for every single report comes from Hillary's research," Priebus said. "This is what happens when research groups from other entities package up reports."

The New York Times said that they did their own research on the story.
A GOP-controlled Senate panel on Wednesday blocked President Barack Obama's request for $50 million to pay for legal help for unaccompanied immigrant children coming to the United States after fleeing violence in Central America.

The lawmaker responsible for the move was Republican Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama, chief author of a spending bill funding the Justice Department's budget. The spending measure, however, has a long way to go before becoming law.

The flow of children fleeing gangs and other dangers in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador and finding their way to the U.S. is down significantly from last year, when an influx created a humanitarian crisis, in states along the U.S.-Mexico border. Significant backlogs remain.

Without lawyers, children are much more likely to be sent back to their home countries. Under federal law, immigrant children have two options to seek legal status, including requesting asylum for fear of returning home to face gang violence.

Without legal help, the maze of documentation and legal requirements is far more difficult for a child to maneuver.

Republicans opposed to people who are in the United States illegally have greater priorities in the $51 billion measure, which also funds the Commerce Department and science-related agencies such as NASA.

NASA and the FBI get a slight funding increase, but the measure shortchanges the Census Bureau and Obama's request for new polar weather satellites.

The measure is one of 12 annual appropriations bills covering the day-to-day operations of government agencies. Such discretionary spending gets reviewed and funded annually unlike mandatory programs such as Medicare, Social Security and food stamps, which run as if on autopilot.

The 12 spending bills are at the center of a fight between Obama and Republicans, who have given the Pentagon almost $40 billion in relief from automatic spending curbs but are resisting Obama's demands for equal treatment for domestic agencies facing a funding freeze.

The automatic cuts, which date to an oft-maligned 2011 budget and debt pact and are known as sequestration, are returning after two years of relief in a 2013 budget pact engineered by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., a potential candidate to take the lead in a potential second round of negotiations this fall.

"There is truly no reason to wait. The situation will not be any different three months from now  we will just be three months closer to a crisis, and three months behind on the bipartisan work we should be doing now," Murray said on Wednesday.

The battle is particularly bitter in the tea party-driven House. Republicans pressed ahead Wednesday with bills seeking to force further cuts to the agencies they particularly dislike, the IRS and the Environmental Protection Agency.

The House measures are full of provisions aimed at blocking various Obama policies, including implementation of the Affordable Care Act by the IRS and environmental regulations, including potential protections for the sage grouse that are opposed by Western energy interests.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Lilian Tintori, wife of jailed Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, expressed support but also concern about her husbands plight as he enters the third week of a hunger strike along with 29 other political prisoners.

They are firm in their decision, they are innocent, and they are in jail only because they protested, which is not a crime, she told Fox News Latino. The whole world knows Venezuela is on the verge of a humanitarian crisis, she added.

Tintori had hoped Pope Francis would successfully mediate the political crisis that has caught up Lopez and dozens of other opposition politicians and activists who are behind bars on the orders of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

[Pope Francis] may be the way to solve the conflict in Venezuela," she told the Associated Press over the weekend.

But Maduro canceled his trip to Rome on Saturday, due to a sudden flu and ear infection.

The political prisoners requests are not only profoundly democratic, but they are also a guarantee of peace. And they will not back down. It is a violation of the human rights of all Venezuelans, not just of Leopoldo, she told FNL

On Tuesday, former Spanish president Felipe Gonzalez cut short a visit to Venezuela in which he had sought to meet with some of the dozens of members of the opposition currently jailed in the Caracas prison of Ramo Verde and others across the country.

During Gonzalezs two-day stay, the government organized rallies against him and his presence in the country and created the Twitter hashtag #FueraFelipedeAqui (Felipe, Get Out of Here).

Mitzy Capriles, wife of Caracas mayor Antonio Ledezma, currently under house arrest, said Gonzalez is willing to return as long as he is allowed to meet personally with the Ramo Verde prisoners.

By the oppositions count, there are 76 political prisoners in Venezuela. Most of them have been charged with conspiracy and incitement to violence.

Tintori said Lopez and the other opposition leaders currently on hunger strike were waiting for a gesture by the government to end their protest. She said such gesture could include announcing a definitive date for this years parliamentary elections.

They must free the political prisoners, provide a date for the parliamentary vote and insure international observers for said elections. [The opposition members] will not lift the strike until we have a firm date for the elections, Tintori said.

As of June 2, according to reports, Lopez had lost more than 11 pounds.



On Sunday, the government seemed to be giving in to the oppositions demand on setting a date for the elections, when People's Ombudsman Tarek William Saab said Sunday in a TV interview that the vote will be held in late November or early December.

This is as close as the Maduro government has come to providing an actual date for the election, which is largely seen as a referendum on Maduro's regime.
next Image 1 of 2

prev Image 2 of 2

A lawsuit filed on behalf of three immigrants claims that the U.S. Border Patrol Tucson Sector routinely breaks its own policies by holding immigrants in dirty and extremely cold cells for more than 24 hours without access to food, water, medical care or legal counsel.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of three immigrants who said they were held in inhumane conditions while waiting to be transferred to the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which handles long-term detainment and deportations.

"It shocks the conscience," Nora Preciado, staff attorney with the National Immigration Law Center, told the Tucson Sentinel. "They're not providing food, water, or sleeping arrangements for thousands of people, including women and children."

"Our plaintiffs were detained for civil matters, but there is nothing civil about being deprived of water, provided inadequate or expired food, and being subjected to sleep deprivation," Preciado said. "We filed this lawsuit because the federal government has systemically failed to adhere to its own meager standards and constitutional requirements and thousands of people have suffered as a result."

The groups interviewed over 75 former detainees who described cells as freezing, filthy and lacking basic needs, such as beds.

In a statement issued Wednesday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Border Patrols parent agency, said it takes the safety and welfare of detainees seriously.

"On a daily basis, agents make every effort to ensure that those in our custody are given food, water, and medical attention as needed. CBP investigates all allegations of misconduct, and is committed to making continued progress in detainee treatment and the emphasis of policies that protect human life and treat individuals with dignity and respect," the statement said.

CBP said its facilities are designed to be short-term in nature and house detainees until they can be processed.

According to the lawsuit filed in Arizona, the Border Patrol does not adequately screen for dangerous medical conditions or provide access to medical personnel. In one example, a detainee asked agents to help her 7-year-old daughter, a U.S. citizen, for help with what she thought was an ear infection. The agent told the detainee, "There is no medicine here."

The lawsuit also alleges that detainees are subjected to sleep deprivation while held in overcrowded, foul-smelling cells.

"Border Patrol seems to think these brutal conditions, and the human suffering that results, will deter immigration," James Duff Lyall, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times. "The fact is that many of these people are fleeing persecution and violence."

The Tucson Sector has apprehended over 200,000 people in the past two fiscal years, although the Rio Grande Valley Sector in south Texas has seen more migrants cross through there recently.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Three months after a group of Kansas agricultural officials visited Cuba to check out trade opportunities, U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, a Republican from the Sunflower state, has introduced legislation that would restore trade with Cuba.

The bill, which Moran introduced with U.S. Senator Angus King, an Independent from Maine, seeks to pave the way for exporting goods and services to Cuba  which essentially is barred by the U.S.-Cuba embargo  by not calling for the use of federal funds to underwrite trade.

What this bill does is take away one of the unnecessary criticisms of dealing with Cuba, which is youre just going to allow U.S. taxpayers to fund the sale of agriculture products, commodities to Cuba, Moran said, according to McClatchy newspapers.

What were saying is if the market is there, if Cuba can acquire the necessary financing, thats a great development for American business and for American agriculture, he said, but the criticism that were subsidizing those sales disappears in our legislation.

The legislation, known as The Cuba Trade Act of 2015, permits private businesses to export goods and services to Cuba.

In March, several Kansas officials traveled to Cuba on a trade mission.

When they returned, the officials said Kansas stood to gain from being able to export agricultural goods to Cuba, which imports 30 million bushels of wheat annually, they said.

Doug Keesling, a Rice County farmer and a former chairman of the Kansas Wheat Commission, said at a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing in April: From what I could see, there is a lot of potential in Cuba: potential in its own agriculture sector and potential as a market for U.S. agricultural exports.

Of the 30 million bushels of wheat Cuba imports, Keesling said: That would be over 10 percent of all the wheat grown in Kansas, going to this one island just a couple days sail from U.S. ports.

Kansas Agriculture Secretary Jackie McClaskey said in a news release: It makes sense that we should be looking to add new trading partners.

No one expects the legislation to just cruise through.

Lifting the embargo faces stiff resistance in Congress.

Many who oppose removing it say that Cuba must take meaningful steps toward democratic reforms, including respecting human rights and allowing political opposition.

Many also object to the decision by President Barack Obama to restore diplomatic relations and ease travel and trade restrictions. They say Cuba has conceded nothing in return and that the deal to restore relations has disproportionately benefited the regime of Raul Castro. The Obama Administration cannot end the trade embargo without congressional approval.

This issue is particularly fraught with lots of politics and personal experience, Moran said, according to McClatchy newspapers.

Cuban-Americans who immigrated from Cuba to the United States have strong feelings on both sides of this issue, so I dont think anything is easy about it, he said. But this is  in my time in dealing with this topic  probably the best opportunity weve had.

However, those who support diplomatic relations and lifting the embargo say that more than 50 years of taking a hard line against the Caribbean island have done nothing to spur democratic changes, and that a new approach by the United States is necessary.

Cuba is only 90 miles from our border, making it a natural market for our nations farmers and ranchers," Moran said in a statement on his website. "By lifting the embargo and opening up the market for U.S. agricultural commodities, we will not only boost the U.S. economy but also help bring about reforms in the repressive Cuban government. I am hopeful that increasing the standard of living among Cuban citizens will enable them to make greater demands on their own government to increase individual and political rights.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
This is the sixth in a series of posts, one year after the surge of unaccompanied undocumented minors who crossed across the U.S.-Mexico border, examining the effects it has had on communities, schools and children themselves.

Inside Berks County Family Residential Center in Pennsylvania, the movies Wall-E and How To Train Your Dragon echoed in the hallways recently as children sat raptly in a handful of makeshift classrooms.

It was the last day of school for 44 undocumented children who have called Berks their home for weeks, months and, for some, for over a year.

Down the hall, staff members boast about the activities offered to its residents. Parents play bingo. Some take part in a Zumba class, others watch Telemundo. One mother blared Tejano music while playfully chasing her children in one of the communal rooms that house six undocumented immigrants at a time.

A year after drastically expanding the use of immigrant family detention centers, the Obama administration is fighting to keep them open in the face of mounting criticism characterizing the detention of parents and their children as un-American and inhumane.

Before last summer, there was only one shelter and 96 beds nationwide that were dedicated to housing undocumented families. Today, there are more than 3,000 beds nationwide in three family detention centers that are designed to hold mainly mothers and their young children for months at a time as they await their immigration court hearings.

More than 2,100 undocumented immigrants are currently being held at these centers, primarily in two new centers in Dilley and Karnes in Southern Texas. Running at full capacity, the centers that serve as temporary shelters could cost the federal government $345 million a year.

The Obama administration argues that family detention centers are worth keeping  they are necessary, officials say, to handle last years overwhelming surge of 68,000 unaccompanied children who illegally crossed the border in addition to another 68,000 more family units who entered the United States from Central America.

But immigrant advocates contend these residential facilities are nothing less than jails  subjecting children and mothers to more psychological trauma. Many of those in the shelters fled extreme poverty and gang violence in Central America. Advocates insist that these families should be released to relatives in the United States while they await their court dates, as was done before last years surge.

Anywhere that you would have to stay for more than a year where you have no ability to control your own life, your own schedule, your own child and you are not free to leave  that is a prison, said Bridget Cambria, a practicing immigration lawyer whose firm is currently representing between 10 to 15 families.

In the last two weeks, 136 House Democrats and 33 Senate Democrats have penned letters demanding that families be released from the centers while they await their immigration hearings. The letters cited complaints of physical abuse, medical neglect, and psychological harm on children and mothers who have already been victims of gang or domestic violence, kidnapping, and sex trafficking.

The Department of Justice, however, has argued that detaining parents and their children guarantees that they will show up to their immigration court date and not flee. According to the Executive Office of Immigration Review, up to 40 percent of released undocumented immigrants in 2014 failed to show up to court.

The DOJ insists the centers have served as a deterrent, ending the perception among Central American families that the U.S. government was giving out permisos, or permits, that allowed them to stay freely. The centers, some argue, have contributed to the 47 percent drop in the number of families illegally crossing the border during the same time last year.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson defended family detention centers this week, insisting they are effective and humane because they keep families together. The lesser alternative, he argues, would be to separate families  keeping parents detained while releasing children to relatives or to the Department of Health and Human Services.

I personally visited several of them to ensure myself that the conditions of confinement are appropriate, Johnson said during a congressional oversight hearing in April. I believe that our expanded detention capability in the face of last year's situation was the right thing to do and I believe that it had an influence on our overall efforts.

In April, however, U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee in California sided against the administration, tentatively ruling that detaining children is inappropriate and unlawful in the face of a 1997 settlement on child migration, according to a memo obtained by Fox News Latino. The judge found it astonishing that the government invested money into building centers without more evidence supporting the fact that it would deter illegal immigration.

This belief that establishing these facilities will deter migration, it won't, Cambria, the lawyer, told Fox News Latino, because that is not the reason they are coming. They are going to come regardless of whether they are put in these facilities. They are coming to save their lives.

If immigration lawyers and the Obama administration do not reach a settlement by June 19, the judge could issue a final order overhauling family detention as we know it, experts say.

While the Obama administration has steadfastly defended the centers, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has not taken sides.

In May, ICE Director Sarah R. Saldana announced enhanced oversight and accountability while reviewing cases for any families detained for more than 90 days.

We understand the unique and sensitive nature of detaining families, Saldana said, and we are committed to maintaining the optimal level of care.

The administration, however, continues to move forward with expanding family detention centers. An additional 700 beds will be added by the end of the year, doubling the size of Berks and Karnes.

Easy entry  Horrific stay

Coming to the United States was very easy, Gladys Dubon, 21, who spent 11 months at Berks, told Fox News Latino.

Dubon, one of Cambrias clients, fled Honduras with her 2-year-old daughter, Katarina, and arrived at Berks May 19th, 2014.

The young mother left Honduras after MS-18 gang kidnapped her daughter and held her for ransom. She paid $5,000 to secure her release, and then left because of continued threats on her life. Scared, Dubon paid a coyote $3,000 to travel through Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico. She eventually surrendered to Immigration and Customs Enforcement authorities at the Rio Grande border before being transferred to Berks.

During her 11-month stay, Dubon said, her daughter got sick. Katarina threw up blood for three straight days. She claims Berks did not give her proper care, with doctors telling her more water and sleep would cure her ills.

It wasn't until she vomited blood for the fourth time that they took her to the hospital, Dubon said about the April incident.

Berks officials say they were not aware about the childs condition and immediately took action once medical staff was contacted.

Medical care at the center is extremely comprehensive and available to the residents 24 hours a day, officials at the center said. Any accusations of inadequate care are looked into immediately by the state and ICE, and if found credible, appropriate actions are taken.

Operated by the Berks County, the facility currently houses 86 undocumented immigrants. Once held for weeks at a time, Berks officials acknowledge that now families are spending months at the center.

Inside, families freely walk around the facility. Officials tout access to legal counsel and mental health experts. A fridge stacked with milk and fruit is readily available and a cafeteria serves a daily menu, which on a recent way included chicken pot pie and macaroni salad. A U.S. Public Health medical staff is on-call 24 hours a day.

But Dubon said its a depressing atmosphere. She says even though there are comfortable areas for children, the kids cry that they want to get out of there. Many kids stop eating because sometimes the food is bad. She says staff members often force families to wake up at 6 a.m. by slamming doors and turning on bright lights.

Some of those who work there have a hatred toward immigrants, treat immigrants badly and with contempt, she said. It's really sad.

In January, a Berks guard, Daniel W. Sharkey, 40, was charged for sexually assaulting a 19-year-old Honduran woman, who was housed in the facility. Berks officials say they immediately put Sharkey on leave and began a four-month investigation by ICE internal affairs and Bern Township police.

At the 500-bed facility in Karnes Texas, operated by a for-profit prison company, a 19-year-old immigrant mother recently attempted suicide. Lilian Olivia Bardales survived after slashing her wrist last week in the bathroom. She has since been deported, but not before she penned a two-page suicide letter describing her eight-month stay at Karnes as killing me little by little. Treated worse than an animal, she lamented in the letter. Thats why I do this because you were bad to me.

ICE officials say Bardales was treated for a surface-level abrasion and that the injury was minor and in no way life-threatening. They say Bardales was distraught that she had lost her court case, and she had telephonic access to her legal counsel available to her.

The agency said it is doing the best it can  considering how many people flooded the shelters at once last year.

Family residential centers are an important part of the U.S. governments comprehensive response to the unprecedented spike in illegal migration that occurred last summer, an ICE statement said. Family residential centers are an effective and humane alternative for maintaining family unity as families go through immigration proceedings or await return to their home countries.

READ PART 1: Tens of thousands of immigrant children remain in limbo

READ PART 2: As crisis overwhelms system, philanthropy steps in

READ PART 3: Courts backlogged until 2019 to accommodate minors

READ PART 4: New U.S. policies have led to less children crossing

READ PART 5: The perilous corridor to the U.S. slowly clearing out
Virginia Democrats filed a federal lawsuit against the State Board of Elections on Thursday, joining similar efforts in two other swing states to challenge Republican-backed laws that they say will make it difficult for some to vote in the 2016 presidential election.

The Democratic Party of Virginia's suit seeks specifically to undo the state's law requiring voters to show photo IDs. In the suit, the party argues that rules restricting the types of identifications voters can present at the polls make it more difficult to vote  particularly for African-Americans, Latinos, the young and the poor  and reflect a long pattern of discrimination in Virginia dating back to slavery.

"The commonwealth voted strongly to support Democrats in recent national elections. After Republicans determined they couldn't change the minds of the electorate, they decided to change the makeup of the electorate instead by making it more difficult for Virginians to exercise their right to vote," Susan Swecker, Chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Virginia, said in a statement.

In 2013, then-Gov. Bob McDonnell signed into law a measure requiring Virginia voters to bring photo identification with them to the polls, legislation McDonnell and his fellow Republicans said was a safeguard against voter fraud. Democrats bitterly denounced the law as a Jim Crow-era tactic to suppress the votes of minorities and others.

National Democratic Party attorneys also recently filed legal challenges to voting changes made by GOP lawmakers in the presidential battleground states of Ohio and Wisconsin.

One of the attorneys involved in all of the lawsuits is Marc Elias, a top elections lawyer who is also serving as general counsel to Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign. The Clinton campaign is not officially involved in the lawsuits.

The New York Times recently reported that George Soros, a liberal billionaire investor, is largely funding these legal challenges. A DPV spokeswoman referred questions about who is paying for the Virginia lawsuit to Elias, who did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment.

Elias is also involved in two lawsuits filed in Virginia alleging that state Republicans improperly packed black voters into state and federal House districts in order to make other districts safer for Republican incumbents. Democrats have filed similar lawsuits over redistricting issues in several other states.

GOP Virginia House Speaker William J. Howell blasted Thursday's lawsuit as "disingenuous" and said that a large majority of Virginians support the current photo ID laws.

"This is another politically motivated lawsuit funded by George Soros and out of state interest groups who are seeking to manipulate the court system in order to benefit the Democratic Party," Howell said in a statement.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Hillary Clinton focused mainly on American prosperity during a speech Saturday on New York Citys Roosevelt Island, but the Democratic presidential candidate did make room to offer up her views on immigration reform.

While she didnt go in to specifics during her 45-minute speech, Clinton did say that law abiding immigrants should be offered a path to citizenship, "not second class status," and criticized her Republican counterparts for supporting stricter immigration measures.

"They want to put immigrants who work hard and pay taxes at risk of deportation," Clinton said to the crowd of a few thousand people gathered in New York City.

Before Clinton took the stage, her campaign brought out Andrea Gonzales to make some remarks about why the young immigrant supports the Democratic candidate.

Gonzales, a DREAMer from Houston, Texas, was accompanied by her mother at the event and traveled to New York City because she believes Clinton will fight to protect and expand opportunities for families like hers.

In the first major speech of her second campaign for president, Clinton portrayed herself as a fierce advocate for those left behind after the recession.

She cited President Barack Obama, and former Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Bill Clinton, her husband, and said they embraced the idea that "real and lasting prosperity must be built by all and shared by all."

Her campaign said her "tenacious fighter" message will form the foundation of the 2016 White House race. She also gave a nod at the start of her address to the prospect she would be the first woman elected to the White House.

Clinton told the crowd on Roosevelt Island that she was glad to be with them "in a place with absolutely no ceilings."

Eager and excited Democrats began assembling hours before they heard from the candidate.

Marc Markley of New York said he showed up at 2:30 a.m. and waited in the dark for the gates to open, with only a police officer for company.

"I was about to fall asleep earlier, but now it's totally worth it," he said. "I can't wait to get inside."

Those arriving were greeted by campaign manager Robby Mook, who took an all-hands-on-deck approach to the event by hawking merchandise  a role typically assigned to a low-level staffer or volunteer.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our rally today," Mook called out to the crowd filtering into Four Freedoms park, before directing them to a table selling campaign T-shirts and other campaign-branded gear. "Thanks for being here  and buy some products."

On Friday, the Clinton campaign released a video on Friday detailing her four decades in public service, starting with her work as a young lawyer at the Children's Defense Fund.

After the Saturday speech, Clinton planned to visit early-voting states, with events focused on her relationship with her mother and her father's background as a veteran and small businessman.

"You have to get up off the floor and you keep fighting," Clinton says in the video, discussing her failed 1993 attempt to overhaul the nation's health care system during her husband's administration. "Everyday Americans need a champion."

While Clinton has spoken out strongly on immigration and other issues important to parts of the Democratic base, she has been reticent on other policy questions that have divided the party, among them a trade deal with Pacific Rim nations. Obama backs it. Organized labor, liberals and others say it would cost U.S. jobs.

On Friday, dozens of union-backed House Democrats voted down a critical part of Obama's trade agenda, negotiating authority that would let him propose trade agreements that Congress could accept or reject, but not amend.

Clinton did not offer specific policy proposals in her speech. Aides said that would come in the following weeks on issues that include college affordability, jobs and the economy.

Clinton was joined by her husband and daughter Chelsea at the rally. It was the first time the family had been seen together in public since Clinton began her campaign in April, and the crowd chanted "Bill! Bill! Bill!" when she introduced him.

"Oh, that will make him so happy," Clinton said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Spain's biggest cities  Madrid and Barcelona  were completing one of the nation's biggest political upheavals in years Saturday by swearing in far-left mayors. The radical leaders have promised to cut their own salaries, halt homeowner evictions and eliminate perks enjoyed by the rich and famous.

The landmark changes came three weeks after Spain's two largest traditional parties were punished in nationwide local elections by voters groaning under the weight of austerity measures and repulsed by a string of corruption scandals.

In Madrid, 71-year-old retired judge Manuela Carmena was sworn in to cheers from jubilant leftists who crowded the streets outside city hall shouting "Yes We Can!" as they ended 24 years of city rule by the conservative Popular Party, which runs the national government.

"We want to lead by listening to people who don't use fancy titles to address us," Carmena said after being voted in as mayor by a majority of Madrid's new city councilors.

Carmena has vowed among other things to take on wealthy Madrilenos who enjoy exclusive use of the city-owned Club de Campo country club  opening it up to the masses. "We're creating a new kind of politics that doesn't fit within the conventions," she said before being voted in. "Get ready."

In Barcelona, anti-eviction activist Ada Colau was expected to be sworn in Saturday evening as the city's first female mayor.

Colau has questioned whether it's worth spending 4 million euros ($4.5 million) of city money to help host the glitzy Formula 1 race every other year. She thinks the funds would be better spent on free meals for needy children at public schools.

Carmena and Colau ran for office as leaders of leftist coalitions supported by the new pro-worker and anti-establishment Podemos  "We Can"  party formed last year. It is led by the pony-tailed college professor Pablo Iglesias, a big supporter of Greece's governing far-left Syriza Party.

Iglesias smiled from a balcony inside Madrid's city hall as he watched Carmena being sworn in, then pumped his arm into the air with a clenched fist as he celebrated the victory with others on the streets.

The left's takeover of Madrid, Iglesias said, is the goal his party has nationally for general elections that must be called by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy by the end of the year.

"Our principal objective is to beat the Popular Party in the general elections," he said.

The political fragmentation propelling Carmena and Colau into office marks a historic moment in Spanish politics, said Manuel Martin Algarra, a communications professor at the University of Navarra who specializes in public opinion.

"Madrid and Barcelona for the first time are not going be governed by political parties, but by coalitions made up of social movements," he said. "This was a punishment vote to the traditional political establishment in Spain."

For Carmena's Ahora Madrid  or "Madrid Now"  coalition with the Socialist Party, that means a mandate to roll back moves by the Popular Party to privatize city services, as well as carry out audits of the city's debts and contracts awarded to private companies seen as political cronies, said Pablo Carmona, an incoming Madrid city councilor.

The coalition also wants to set up a municipal anti-eviction division, create a housing bank of vacant apartments for needy residents and provide cheap quality daycare to working class families.

Before becoming a judge, Carmena was a labor lawyer defending worker-rights activists detained during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco that ended in 1975. The law firm she co-founded was targeted by a right-wing extremist who killed five of her colleagues and wounded four in an attack in 1977.

In Barcelona, the 41-year-old Colau is best known for leading the Platform for People Affected by Mortgages, formed in 2009 to fight evictions of crisis-hit homeowners who under Spanish law must still repay much of what they owe to lenders even after losing foreclosed homes.

Colau, who will be Barcelona's first female mayor, has raised eyebrows by siding with residents who say their neighborhoods are unlivable because the city has too much tourism. The main complaints are passengers disembarking from cruise ships and visitors who stay in illegally rented apartments.

"If we don't want to become Venice, some sort of limit on the tourism burden will be needed in Barcelona," Colau told the leading El Pais newspaper. "We can grow more, but I don't know how much."

There's no way of knowing how much Carmena and Colau will shake up the status quo because their coalitions are "groupings of people with different opinions and very little political experience who are going to try new things and some of them will not be viable," said Martin Algarra.

But Colau said new things are exactly what voters want.

"In Barcelona," she said, "a bet was made for change."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Jeb Bush will offer a "hopeful, optimistic" vision for America while jabbing his Washington-based competition in both parties during Monday's presidential announcement speech, said the former Florida governor and aides preparing for the Miami campaign kickoff.

"It won't dwell too much in the past," Bush said Friday after meeting the Estonian foreign minister and hearing a briefing on a NATO-backed cybersecurity project in the former Soviet state. "But it will talk about why it's important that we change directions."

The Republican presidential contender said he'd been thinking about the speech before his weeklong trip to Europe, during which he's visited Germany, Poland and Estonia. In recent weeks, he has sharpened his rhetoric about his own record and indirectly swiped at would-be rivals by saying it's easy to merely talk about solving problems.

"I had the opportunity to be governor of a state where a lot of things happened," Bush said Friday. "Some people liked it and some people didn't. But the needle was moved."

He said: "Florida changed by my leadership. I think it changed for the better."

An adviser said Bush would also make the case that those involved in creating Washington's problems can't fix them. That meant the Republican senators  one of them Bush's political protege in Florida, Marco Rubio  who are also seeking the presidential nomination.

The adviser spoke on the condition of anonymity so as not to pre-empt the speech.

The location of Monday's event, Miami Dade College, was also designed to highlight Bush's desire to attract a broad coalition of voters. The Miami-based college claims a culturally and economically diverse student body numbering more than 165,000.

The adviser said Bush would highlight his commitment to all Americans, including the most vulnerable.

Asked how he differs from Hillary Rodham Clinton, the heavy favorite for the Democratic nomination, Bush said there will be time to draw such distinctions but stopped short of offering any specifics.

Bush was sharply critical of Clinton last month in a speech to Republicans in Michigan, where he faulted her for carrying out a foreign policy as secretary of state that he has blamed for the rise of the Islamic State group in the Middle East and Russian aggression in Ukraine.

"It's her policies as well," he said then, meaning not just President Barack Obama's. "And we will hold her to account."

But a day before Clinton gives the first major speech of her campaign, and a few days before his own launch event, Bush was more measured.

"Mrs. Clinton was secretary of state for four years under President Obama and she has a record," he said. "It's a record she'll have to defend. But there will be ample chances for me to show the differences between myself and Hillary Clinton."

Bush leaves Europe for the U.S. on Saturday afternoon.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
The opening of a U.S. embassy in Cuba for the first in 54 years is "imminent," a U.S. senator said Saturday as he and two other Republicans finished a short visit to Cuba said.

Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona was in Havana with fellow senators Susan Collins of Maine and Pat Roberts of Kansas on a fact-finding mission and to gauge progress on talks to restore normal diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba.

After meeting with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez and North American Affairs Director Josefina Vidal, Flake predicted the opening of both a Cuban embassy in Washington and a U.S. embassy in Havana will occur in the very near future.

"Nothing has been set, but it's imminent," he said.

Flake and his delegation also met with Cuban First Vice President Miguel Diaz Canel, who is widely seen as President Raul Castro's successor when the Cuban president retires in 2018.

"We talked about U.S.-Cuba relations, a continuation of meetings we have had before and will continue to have. We are very excited about the prospect of full diplomatic relations, which are very close," Flake told The Associated Press shortly before returning to Washington.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
The city of San Antonio made history on Saturday, electing its first African-American mayor in a closely watched runoff race.

Ivy Taylor, a Yale-educated urban planning professor who was appointed interim mayor last summer when Julian Castro resigned to become Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, won with 52 percent of the votes against well-known state politician Leticia Van de Putte.

Van de Putte, who was vying to become the citys first elected Hispanic female mayor, held a solid lead in the May election that attracted 14 candidates. But she was forced into a runoff with Taylor due to the states law mandating a winner must receive more than 50 percent of votes.

According to Reuters, Taylor surpassed Van de Puttes lead with an unlikely coalition of the citys largest minority voting groups  blacks and generally conservative white voters.

Van de Putte, a prominent member of the Texas State Legislature for 25 years and was the Democratic Party nominee for Lieutenant Governor in 2014, appealed to the citys Hispanic community. While Latinos make up a majority of the citys population, they have traditionally voted in smaller numbers.

Taylor appealed to conservatives and Evangelicals by talking about her open Christian faith and stressing Van de Puttes long ties with the Democratic Party.

In her victory speech on Saturday night, Taylor said, "I thank the Lord," for her election, according to Reuters.

In contrast, Van de Putte stressed traditional Democratic views of raising minimum wage and her endorsement by police and fire union.

She said she's not sure what her future in politics holds, but for now she plans to spend more time with her family.

Conceding defeat, Van de Putte told the citys new mayor, "I will stand with you each and every day to make this a great American city."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
A judge is expected to rule this week on whether the corruption case against U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez should be moved from New Jersey to Washington, an issue that has sharply divided the two sides at the outset of what is expected to be a contentious prelude to a trial.

Attorneys are scheduled to argue before U.S. District Judge William Walls on Tuesday in Newark. A trial is tentatively scheduled for mid-October, though Menendez's attorneys are expected to file multiple motions to dismiss the charges that could force delays.

Menendez is charged with accepting gifts and donations totaling about $1 million from Florida ophthalmologist Salomon Melgen in exchange for political favors. The gifts included flights aboard a luxury jet and a Paris vacation. Menendez has said he accepted gifts from Melgen because the two have been close friends for years.

Menendez's lawyer, Abbe Lowell, filed a motion last month to have the trial moved to Washington for a host of reasons, including that holding it in New Jersey would cause undue disruption to Menendez's work in the Senate. The Justice Department has opposed the motion.

Though Menendez's favorability numbers in New Jersey were higher than Gov. Chris Christie's in a recent poll even after his indictment was announced, moving the trial could have benefits for the defense, according to one expert.

"If a juror in New Jersey has elected someone to office and that person is alleged to have engaged in wrongdoing, that juror is probably going to look less favorably on it," said Stan Twardy, a former U.S. attorney for Connecticut who now works in white-collar defense. "In D.C., jurors are not beholden to Menendez and they're accustomed to politicians and to the mudslinging that takes place. They may see this as, 'Hey this is politics as usual' rather than a violation of the public trust."

Lowell declined to comment on the issue last week, and a Justice Department spokesman didn't return an email seeking comment. But the filings in the case show neither side mincing words.

Lowell, responding to the government's opposition to the venue change, referred to the "disingenuousness that pervades" the government's position and characterized part of their arguments as "grasping at straws." He also insinuated that the Justice Department may have been behind leaks of information before Menendez's May 1 indictment that were "intended to create a circus in the Senator's home state."

Prosecutors wrote that "it is absurd to suggest that a Senator from New Jersey cannot perform his job as a Senator while physically present in the State of New Jersey, and the United States Senate will continue to function if the defendants are tried in New Jersey instead of Washington, D.C. This is another example of defendant Menendez asking this Court for special treatment because of his status as a United States Senator."

Both sides cite previous prosecutions of Congressmen to buttress their arguments. The government mentioned several whose cases were tried in their home state, including former New Jersey Sen. Harrison Williams, convicted in the 1980s Abscam sting, and, more recently, New York Rep. Michael Grimm. Menendez's lawyers refer to Ohio Rep. Bob Ney, Idaho Rep. George Hansen and others whose cases were prosecuted in Washington.

The centerpiece of Menendez's argument, however, is the case of late Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, whose 2008 trial was held in Washington after the Justice Department opposed Stevens' attempt to move it to Alaska.

In his brief, Lowell accused the government of asking Judge Walls to "ignore all of its prior arguments for why such cases should be tried in Washington, D.C." because the same arm of the Justice Department that is prosecuting Menendez argued that Stevens should be tried in Washington because, among other reasons, it would allow him to have close contact with his Senate office.

Changes of venue are fairly uncommon, but the defense's filings mention two cases in which Judge Walls ordered trials moved: a money laundering case that was switched to Puerto Rico in 2008 and a securities fraud case moved to Connecticut in 2002.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
After months of unlimited fundraising and making speeches across the country like a guy running for president, Jeb Bush is reportedly making his candidacy official from a locale in Miami that represents his home citys Latino diaspora.

On Monday afternoon, Bush will make his announcement from the Kendall campus of Miami Dade College, a school that boasts having the largest enrollment of minority students, mostly Latinos, than any other institution of higher learning in the U.S.

Friends and supporters say selecting Miami Dade enhances the former Florida governors positions on two issues, education and immigration, in which he veers away from the other Republican contenders, including his former ally, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio.

"Governor Bush was brilliant to select Miami Dade College as his launch site," said Luis Gazitua, a Miami lawyer who is close friends with Bushs sons. "Miami Dade is the largest and most diverse college in the nation. The student body represents the multiculturalism and entrepreneurial spirit of our nations next generation.

Launching his campaign at the college helps emphasize Bushs passion for education, a topic hes raised often in stump speeches around the nation. At the same time, it will remind Latino voters that Bush  whose wife, Columba, was born in Mexico  is the lone Republican candidate who supports immigration reform that provides a path to legalized status for tens of thousands of undocumented migrants already in the U.S.

Part of Bushs immigration platform promises to expand programs that allow immigrants to remain in the country for economic purposes.

Approximately 70 percent of Miami Dade Colleges 165,000 students are Latino, yet the figure jumps to 78 percent at the Kendall campus, according to the schools 2013-2014 annual student enrollment profile.

Most of those students are immigrants or the sons and daughters of immigrants, said Bob Martinez, a prominent Miami attorney who was appointed to the colleges board of directors by Bush when he was governor.

Miami Dade College represents opportunity for everybody in the community, said Martinez, who served on the board from 1999 to 2005. When I was chairman, I believe the nationalities of the students was in excess of 100. They come from all over the world.

According to Miami Dades annual enrollment profiles, 66 percent of the students identified as Latino were born in the U.S., 17 percent were born in Cuba and 11 percent were born in Colombia, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Peru.

Founded as a junior college in 1959, Miami Dade has morphed into the largest college in America under the 20-year tenure of President Eduardo Padron, an alumnus who eventually earned a doctorate in economics from the University of Florida. The school, which currently has eight campuses, became Floridas first integrated community college during the 1970s when it enrolled African-American students and Cuban exiles who could not afford other schools. Today Miami Dade graduates more blacks and Latinos than any other institution of higher education, according to a college spokesman.

Barry Johnson, president and CEO of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, said Padron has turned Miami Dade into a beacon, pointing the way to the American dream. Under Padron, the college began offering four-year degrees in 2003, is responsible for producing two-thirds of the nurses that work in Miami-area hospitals, and offers state-of-the art programs like new courses for training drone pilots, among other achievements, Johnson said.

Miami Dade College is always looking forward, Johnson said. Its all due to the vision and wisdom of Eduardo Padron.

Martinez, who led George W. Bushs legal team during the historic Florida recount of the 2000 presidential election, also credited Padron with positioning Miami Dade as a leading institute of higher learning.

Eduardo and his team are never sitting on their butts, Martinez said. They are always on the cutting edge.

The school has thrived despite ranking among the lowest in colleges that receive state aid, relying heavily on student tuition and other fees, as well as its private fundraising foundation, Johnson added. College officials have also been unsuccessful in getting the state legislature to allow residents in Miami-Dade County to vote on a half-cent tax increase to fund scholarships and future finances.

Going to Tallahassee seeking funds is something the college is constantly dealing with, Johnson said. That is the challenge.

Yet Miami Dade has built a reputation as a go-to stop in Miami for national politicians. In the past decade, the college has hosted Nancy Pelosi, Al Gore, Dick Cheney, Ralph Nader, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, John McCain and Rick Santorum, to name a few. Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton have given commencement addresses at the college.

And for the second time in the last three months, Miami Dade will be the site of a presidential candidates entry into the 2016 race. In April, Rubio announced his candidacy at the college-owned Freedom Tower, a historic building that served as a processing and assistance center for Cuban exiles in the 1960s.

Jeb was spot-on picking Miami Dade College, Martinez said. Its the perfect place.
As former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush formally launches his White House bid Monday in Miami, his one-time mentee, Marco Rubio, now a Republican primary threat, issued a statement of good will on Bush's entry into the racea rarity in presidential campaign politics.

"In politics, people throw around the word 'friend' so much it often has little real meaning. This is not one of those times. When I call Jeb Bush my friend, I mean he is someone I like, care for and respect" Rubio said.

"He and I have worked closely together for many years, on issues big and small. He is a passionate advocate for what he believes, and I welcome him to the race, "Rubio added.

By Rubio's own admission, Bush was a significant influence on the U.S. senator, ever since he first became a rising GOP star after being elevated to speaker of the Florida House, and Bush was finishing his 2nd term as a popular governor of the Sunshine state.

Bush even gave him a sabre as gift when he became speaker in 2005.

''I'm going to bestow to you the sword of a great conservative warrior," Bush told Rubio then, according to a local report. Rubio took the sword, dubbed the "Sword of Chang" by Bush, and waved it like a torch.

In his 2012 book, American Son, Rubio described his admiration for Bush.

"I was most influenced by the creativity and daring of Governor Jeb Bush," Rubio wrote. "A one-man idea factory."

Rubio described him as "the man he admired most in Florida politics."

In April, Rubio launched his presidential campaign in The Magic City, across a placid Biscayne Bay.

"Before us now is the opportunity to author the greatest chapter yet in the amazing story of America. We cant do that by going back to the leaders and ideas of the past," Rubio said to the cheering crowd of thousands, many Latino, at the iconic Freedom Tower in downtown Miami. His words, an implied jab at not only the Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton, also seemed at directed at Bush.

Bush allies have indicated privately to Fox News that the Bush campaign will have to go after Rubio, in an effort to deflate some of the growth Rubio has gained in the last few weeks as the Cuban-American solidifies himself with Bush, Walker and a couple of other rivals near the top of most recent GOP polls.

And the competition for supporters and donors is on, especially in Florida, where the March 15th primary will be a significant battle ground for each campaign. The Bush campaign released a statement last week that they had picked up three key supporters from Rubio's home turf.

Three Republican, Cuban-American members of Congress in South Florida, including U.S. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a close ally of Rubio (Rubio had even interned for her at one point)  have all endorsed Bush.

But on Monday morning, after the Bush campaign released a well-produced video with a theme of optimism and positivity, the good will was returned on Twitter by Rubio's former mentor.

"Thanks Marco," Jeb Bush tweeted. "Glad I can do it in our hometown. See you out there!
It is a city that is 63 percent Latino.

It has produced Latino mayors  Julian Castro and Henry Cisneros  who later catapulted to the national stage.

But when Leticia Van de Putte ran for mayor in San Antonio, Texas  a city of 1.3 million residents  she lost in a runoff last weekend to Ivy Taylor, who has been acting mayor since Castro left his post last year to become the Housing and Urban Development Secretary.

Taylor, won 52-48 percent, becoming San Antonios first elected African-American mayor.

Van de Putte, who would have become the citys first Latina mayor, lost amid circumstances all too familiar to observers of Texas politics. Chief among them is low Latino voter turnout, a chronic problem in Texas, where Hispanics lag behind all other groups when it comes to voting.

And statewide, Texas Latino turnout tends to be lower than elsewhere in the country, according to political experts.

Its the sad, old tale of Hispanic turnout, said Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, referring to Van de Puttes defeat.

Jillson said that a historical malaise dogs the states Latinos, and portrayed it as a residual effect of centuries-old attempts in the Lone Star state to suppress minority voters.

Theyve been acculturated to the idea that their participation is not expected, not valued, Jillson said.

Taylor was able to generate excitement among African-Americans as well as conservative white voters. She cast Van de Putte as a liberal who opposed a GOP redistricting plan considered by many to be disadvantageous to minority voters.

"[Van de Putte's defeat] ought to scare every Democrat in Bexar County," said Christian Archer, Van de Putte's campaign manager, according to the Texas Tribune. "If you're a Democrat and in Bexar County, you better wake up."

Hispanics here tend to vote 3-to-1 for Democrats, according to the Guardian.

"We keep putting the blinders over our eyes and saying, 'Oh, no, no, no  It'll go away.' And it's not going away," the Tribune quoted Archer as saying. "What's not happening is the kind of turnout that we need."

Some Texas political observers thought voters were ready for a change from Castro, a liberal Democrat who won election to the mayoralty three times.

Despite the fact that Texas has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since Jimmy Carter in 1976, state Republicans may see their political Alamo in San Antonio.

The Guardian noted that Latino voter turnout did grow between 1996 and 2008, when it was 38 percent, but even that was much less than the 57 percent Latino turnout in California.

When Greg Abbott ran against state Wendy Davis for governor, both aggressively pursued the Latino vote.

But published reports after the election, which Abbott won by a wide margin, indicated that neither got overwhelming support from Latinos.

Wrote a local columnist, "Apathy was the big winner, even bigger than in past elections  despite the tons of money each campaign spent courting Latinos, especially on Spanish-language TV ads."

Van de Puttes loss in the statewide race for lieutenant governor was seen as being partly due to many Latinos lack of awareness that the candidate, who uses her husbands surname, is a Latina.

At the end of the day, we needed 3,000 Democrats to get off their asses and go vote, and they didnt," said Colin Strother, a Democratic consultant, in an interview with the Texas Tribune. "And thats the story of our life in Texas politics, is that Democrats could elect anyone they wanted to any position  statewide, local, you name it  if they would get off the couch and go vote, and they dont do it.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
A federal judge on Tuesday refused to move Sen. Bob Menendez's corruption case from New Jersey to Washington, D.C., rejecting defense attorneys' arguments that the majority of the alleged crimes took place in the nation's capital and that a trial in New Jersey would hamper Menendez's ability to perform his duties in the Senate.

"The court sees no 'prime nerve center'" of the case in Washington, but instead in New Jersey, the Dominican Republic, France and Washington, U.S. District Judge William Walls said after hearing from both sides.

Menendez, a congressman for more than 20 years and a member of the Senate since 2006, is charged in a 22-count indictment with accepting gifts and donations totaling about $1 million from Florida ophthalmologist Salomon Melgen in exchange for political favors. The gifts included flights aboard a luxury jet to the Dominican Republic and a Paris vacation.

Menendez has said he accepted gifts from Melgen because the two have been close friends for years.

Melgen also is charged in the indictment, and is charged in a separate indictment in Florida accusing him of multiple counts of Medicare fraud.

Menendez's attorneys wanted the case moved to Washington because, they said, the vast majority of the alleged illegal actions by Menendez occurred there. They also argued a trial in New Jersey would disrupt Menendez's Senate duties.

In oral arguments Tuesday morning, attorney Abbe Lowell claimed that "almost nothing of significance in this case occurred in New Jersey." He also argued that the majority of witnesses in the case are located in Washington, as are most of the attorneys, and that traveling to New Jersey would cause undue expense.

One by one, Walls rejected the arguments.

Though a small majority of potential witnesses are located in Washington, he said, that fact was outweighed by what he termed the "negligible inconvenience" of traveling to Newark. As for any disruption to Menendez's Senate duties, Walls declared that to be the price of being indicted.

A trial "should consume much of his time and attention," he said, noting that Menendez has already adjusted his Senate responsibilities by relinquishing his position as ranking member of the Senate foreign relations committee.

Walls also denied that the prosecution of late Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, cited by Lowell in his brief and in court Tuesday, would hold any sway over his ruling. Lowell had focused on the government's arguments that Stevens should be tried in Washington and not Alaska, the opposite of what it argued in Menendez's case.

"It involved a different defendant, different charges, different facts, and a strikingly different geographic choice  the question of whether to transfer the case 4,350 miles from its origin in Washington, D.C. to Anchorage, Alaska," he said. "By comparison, the 218 miles between Newark and Washington seem negligible."

Menendez wasn't required to attend Tuesday's hearing and was not present. Melgen remains jailed in Florida.

At an event at Newark Liberty Airport on Monday, Menendez said holding the trial in Washington would allow him to "continue my job on behalf of the people of New Jersey." He said he was confident whichever way Walls chose to rule.

"Regardless, at the end of the day I would expect that when the facts are all known, that whatever jury we're before, whether it be in New Jersey or Washington, that we'll be exonerated," he said.

Walls is seeking a mid-October trial date, but that could be delayed because Menendez's attorneys plan to file multiple motions to have the charges thrown out.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Mexico on Monday enacted a measure meant to help hundreds of thousands of young migrants who have returned from the United States, dropping a requirement that they provide government-certified, translated copies of foreign school records in order to study in Mexico.

Mexico had required records be certified with a seal known as an apostille and be translated by a certified translator in Mexico.

The costly and cumbersome process had discouraged hundreds of thousands of returning migrant children from going to school in Mexico, or meant they could only audit courses without official recognition. Hundreds of thousands of children have returned to Mexico, mainly from the United States, after their parents were deported or chose to return.

The Education Department published changes to the rules on Monday, saying its goal was to make education more accessible. The department also dropped the certified-translation requirements.

"The main problem that migrants face when they try to get school services, is the lack of documents, and the requirement that they get the apostille," the Education Department said in a press statement. The apostille is a seal issued by state or federal agencies to authenticate government documents, including school records.

The seal costs only about $8 per document, but getting schools to express-mail documents to apostille offices in the U.S., and then on to recipients in Mexico, from outside the country, and then getting them translated, can run into hundreds of dollars.

Berenice Valdez, the public policy coordinator for the non-government Institute of Women in Migration, told of one returning migrant in the central state of Puebla who earns less than $100 per month and has three children who need to authenticate their U.S. school documents. The woman couldn't even afford to travel to the state capital to start the process.

"It is a very big problem that prevents access to education for many children," Valdez said. The institute estimates that about 307,000 foreign-born children were studying in Mexican schools, almost 290,000 of whom were born in the United States.

The number of Mexican-born returning migrant children may be as large or larger.

Many times, returning migrant children are allowed into schools to audit classes, but can't get official school certificates at the end of the year.

"Our task is to guarantee equal access to educational services ... for migrants, who are an extremely vulnerable sector of the population," said Assistant Education Secretary Javier Trevino. "Our goal is to make sure that access, retention and promotion in the educational system is based only on children's academic performance."

Beyond just academics, not being able to get into school makes life more difficult for children already struggling to adjust to a culture and language many of them know little about after years in the United States.

"It had a very strong emotional impact" on migrant children, Valdez noted, "because education is an important part of their integration."

Why the rules weren't changed earlier, despite years of pressure from migrant parents, isn't clear.

"It was bureaucratic inertia," said Valdez. "Nobody wanted to take the initiative."

But it appears that other identity documents needed to get health care at public hospitals and clinics may still need to be translated and be certified with an apostille.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
If the federal corruption charges he faces are bothering him, Sen. Bob Menendez isnt letting it on.

Despite being federally indicted back in April on 14 counts, including bribery and conspiracy, Menendez has maintained a busy  and vocal  role on the Senate floor: speaking out against normalizing relations with Cuba, blocking deals with countries not certified as combating human trafficking as part of a trade legislation and, most recently, continuing the push to hold Iran accountable as President Barack Obama continues his efforts at nuclear rapprochement.

"I intend to come to the floor again and again to hold Iran accountable for its actions, to keep a laserlike focus on the mullahs in Tehran," Menendez said, according to the Washington Post. "Because I fear that when that spotlight is off ... Iran will pull back into the shadows. And I ask my colleagues: When that happens, and if it goes wrong, what will we do then?"

Menendez has steadfastly maintained his innocence in the face of the charges leveled against him and said he has found motivation to continue his political career because of his responsibility to the people of New Jersey and a wider community of American Latinos.

The indictment charged the New Jersey Democrat over his ties to Dr. Salomon Melgen, a wealthy Dominican doctor and a longtime friend.

Melgen also was charged in the case and is currently behind bars in Florida.

The indictment from a grand jury in New Jersey was the latest development in a federal investigation that came into public view when federal authorities raided Melgen's medical offices two years ago. The investigation focused on whether the senator had improperly advocated on Melgen's behalf, including by intervening in a Medicare billing dispute.

While Menendez maintaining the spotlight amid the corruption charges is rare for any politician embroiled in controversy, what is even rarer is the amount of support that he still has among residents in New Jersey  on both sides of the political divide.

A Monmouth University poll from May found that while state residents believe Menendez did what he is accused of, they also believe  by a 20-to-1 margin, that he should be allowed to stay in office. Menendezs popularity rating in the state is currently great than Gov. Christ Christie's, who is running for president.

"This is much fuzzier than much of the almost routine corruption in New Jersey," David Redlawsk, a Rutgers University political science professor and director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling, told The Washington Post. "To many people. . . the feeling is, isnt this just politics?"

The Monmouth poll also found that half of those familiar with the case against Menendez believe it is the result of retaliation from his political enemies  namely President Obama  and only about one-third says it is not related to politics.

"Theres a strong belief that he is being actually almost persecuted," said state Democratic Sen. Raymond Lesniak. "Hes a fierce fighter and has fought many battles on behalf of constituents, and people respect that."

A judge is expected to rule this week on whether the corruption case against U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez should be moved from New Jersey to Washington, an issue that has sharply divided the two sides at the outset of what is expected to be a contentious prelude to a trial.

Attorneys are scheduled to argue before U.S. District Judge William Walls on Tuesday in Newark. A trial is tentatively scheduled for mid-October, though Menendez's attorneys are expected to file multiple motions to dismiss the charges that could force delays.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Donald Trump dedicated a good deal of his campaign announcement speech on Tuesday to rail against United States' southern neighbor, saying Mexico was sending criminals to the U.S. and claiming that he would build a wall on the U.S.'s border and make Mexico pay for it.

In a rambling, hour-long speech filled with as much self-praise as political insight, the billionaire real estate mogul lashed out at Mexico for the thousands of undocumented immigrants who have fled to the U.S.

"When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best," Trump said. They're not sending youThey're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists."

Trump echoed claims he made last month during an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network in which he said that Mexico has "ripped this country off."

"Nobody can build a fence like me," Trump said. "I would build a wall like nobody can build a wall. And nobody comes in illegally anymoreI build great buildings all over the world. I would have Mexico pay for it. Believe me. They will pay for it because they have really ripped this country off," he said.

Trump also criticized U.S. companies like Ford Motor Co. for building factories in Mexico instead of the U.S. and said if he were elected president he would impose harsh taxes on imports from Mexico.

"When do we beat Mexico at the border?" Trump asked. They're laughing at us, at our stupidity. And now they are beating us economically. They are not our friend, believe me. But they're killing us economically."

Of the vehicles built in North America last year, Mexico built about one in five, or double the rate from 2004 and WardsAuto, which tracks production data, expects the rate to increase to one in four by 2020. The U.S., however, is also adding jobs in the auto industry, especially in the southern states.

Mexico, however, wasn't the only one to incur the wrath of Trump in the candidate's speech. In fact, almost nobody  from President Barack Obama to his fellow Republican candidates to pretty much every country in the Middle East  escaped Trump's criticism.

"Our country is in serious trouble. We don't have victories anymore. We used to have victories, but we don't have them," Trump said.

Trump is now positioned to have a greater impact on the early months of the Republican presidential primary contest than many GOP leaders would like.

Should he get in, Trump would be required to release a personal financial disclosure that would reveal intimate details about his personal finances. The disclosure would include his net worth, sources of income, liabilities and assets. He would have to reveal the same information for his wife and dependent children.

The financial disclosure, required of all candidates for president, was thought to be the final obstacle blocking Trump from launching a 2016 campaign.

Based on guidelines recently announced by the television networks, Trump could play a prominent role in the upcoming nationally televised Republican debates.

Those who rank in the top 10 in national polls  and Trump currently does, although he's close to the bottom  will earn a place on the debate stage. That could place Trump in a debate alongside leading candidates such as Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush.

"Selfishly, the networks would put me on because I get great ratings," Trump said in a recent interview with The Associated Press.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Presidential candidate Ben Carson, a Republican neurosurgeon, speaking at the largest gathering of Latino policymakers and leaders, denounced efforts to create divisions based on such things as gender and race.

Carson said some had advised him to speak about immigration at the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials convention, which is being held in Nevada.

Carson said he considered that idea pigeonholing, and said people of all ethnicities and races cared about a variety of issues, not just one.

Were allowing the purveyors of division to come into our midst, said Carson, who grew up in a poor home in Detroit, and graduated from Yale University. Our strength lies upon our unityWe the American people are not each others enemies. Its the people who try to divide us who are our enemies.

Carson did address immigration, however, saying he couldnt altogether avoid the topic.

He called for sealing all borders  north, south, east and west  completely.

He said its not because Im afraid of somebody from Honduras, but because Im afraid of someone from Syria who wants to kill us.

Carson also called for helping people in other nations achieve their dreams, to lessen the desperation to come here illegally. As for the 11 million people believed to be living in the United States illegally, Carson said those who qualify could possibly get the opportunity to live here, perhaps by becoming guest workers. If they want citizenship, he said, they would have to get in the back of the line.

The non-partisan groups constituency includes more than 6,000 officials. NALEO officials say they invited all 2016 presidential contenders.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a presidential candidate, is scheduled to speak Thursday. Fellow Democrat, as well as presidential contender, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, is scheduled to speak on Friday.

On Wednesday, Julian Castro, the former San Antonio mayor and current Housing and Urban Development Secretary, spoke about how Latinos had advanced in the U.S.

Today the Latino high school graduation rate is near an all-time high, he said. Latino-owned businesses are growing faster than just about any other segment. More name plates in professional buildings bear names like Garcia and Rodriguez and Gonzalez, doctors offices, engineers offices, lawyers offices.

There is a Sotomayor on the Supreme Court. And soon enough, I have no doubt, in due course, there will be a Latinoor a Latinain the White House, his remarks said. That is the magic of America. A place of common ground, of people committed to the idea that what counts is the strength of your work ethic, the size of your dreams and your willingness to go for it.

Castro, who is considered a potential vice presidential candidate for 2016, called for raising the minimum wage, making pre-K universal, and passing comprehensive immigration reform.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
U.S. and Cuba may be just weeks away from reopening embassies on each others soil, say multiple sources.

My impression is that all major issues have been resolved, there are still some logistical issues, but there will be an announcement to reopen the embassy in the next week or two, said William LeoGrande, a professor of government at the American University School of Public Affairs and a former staff member of the U.S. Senate Democratic Policy Committee.

LeoGrande, author of Back Channel to Cuba: The Hidden History of Negotiations between Washington and Havana, said he couldnt elaborate further, but that he got the information regarding the time frame for reopening the embassies from some pretty reliable sources.

He said that there are some complicating factors at the moment that could delay  but not doom  the move, which would be a major step toward normalizing relations between the two long-time adversaries.

The announcement would pave the way for Kerry to travel to the island for a ceremony that would include a flag-raising and upgrading of the building that now is the U.S. Interests Section into a complete embassy, according to Reuters.

The administration would notify Congress of the reopening two weeks before the event.

Secretary of State John Kerry, LeoGrande said, wants to go to Havana to lead that ceremony, but hell be busy until June 30th with the Iranian [nuclear program] negotiations.

Depending on what happens with those, a trip to Havana might have to be delayed, he said.

Kerry recently promised to be "absolutely, totally and fully engaged" in nuclear negotiations with Iran, saying he remained confident the June 30 timetable for completing a deal could be achieved.

He said he expected to travel overseas to join in the discussions later in the month as they neared a critical juncture.

Kerrys recently broken leg may also be an issue in his ability to travel extensively, the professor said. He was released from the hospital in recent days after breaking a femur on May 31 when he fell while bike-riding in the French Alps.

Negotiators from both the U.S. and Cuban governments have met for months to discuss such things as trade, travel as well as more sensitive issues such as human rights in Cuba and U.S. fugitives who have been given refuge on the island.

In some cases they have agreed to disagree, LeoGrande said. But in others they have reached compromises.

Sen. Jeff Flake, a key Republican advocate of better ties, met with Cuba's foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez and First Vice President Miguel Diaz-Canel over the weekend and told The Associated Press that an embassy opening date is "imminent."

Reuters also reported in recent days that the Obama administration is preparing to announce in early July an agreement with Cuba to reopen embassies. Reuters cited U.S. sources familiar with the matter, but did not name them.

While the president has power over establishing embassies, nominations for ambassador must go through a Senate confirmation vote. Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican and member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has vowed to block any vote relating to U.S.-Cuba embassies.

That would not stop the reopening of the embassies, which would, in such a case, be headed by a "mission chief" instead of "ambassador." The duties, however, would be largely similar, LeoGrande said.

Yet, even as observers say a deal is imminent, a half year later the two governments have not taken the important but symbolic step of turning their "interests" offices into formal embassies in Havana and Washington.

"It shows you the complexity of this process," said Jesus Arboleya, a political scientist and former Cuban diplomat in Washington. "If the first step has taken this much time, imagine the conflicts that can develop after it gets started."

The issues on the table after the embassies open are far more complicated. They include talks on human rights; demands for compensation for confiscated American properties in Havana and damages to Cuba from the embargo; and possible cooperation on law enforcement that includes the touchy topic of U.S. fugitives being sheltered in Havana.

Another sticking point is how much freedom U.S. diplomats would have to travel around Cuba. One concern Cuban officials had, LeoGrande said, was the support U.S. embassy staffers would give to dissidents.

He said one possible compromise would be to allow U.S. officials to meet with dissidents without restraint, as was once the case before the rules were tightened.

Plenty of people and groups oppose any U.S.-Cuba warming, including some dissidents on the island, anti-Castro Cuban-Americans and some members of Congress who believe the new policy essentially rewards Communist leaders for decades of human rights abuses. Presidential Republican candidates like Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida have both come out firmly against rapprochement.

But polls say detente has strong public backing in both countries, leading many to believe the process is irreversible.

"Even if it takes a while, for whatever reason, the embassy will open and relations will be re-established," said David Fuentes, a parking lot attendant in Havana. "It just seems inevitable to me."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
When former Gov. Rick Perry ordered a big reinforcement of security at the Mexico border in 2011, Texas bought six new gunboats that can fire 900 rounds a minute and clock highway speeds. But the boats, which cost $580,000 each, spent more time docked than patrolling the Rio Grande.

That was a small price tag compared with what Texas is about to spend. The new Republican governor, Greg Abbott, this month approved $800 million for border security over the next two years  more than double any similar period during Perry's 14 years in office.

On Texas' shopping list is a second $7.5 million high-altitude plane to scan the border, a new border crime data center, a 5,000-acre training facility for border law-enforcement agencies and grants for year-round helicopter flights. The state also wants to hire two dozen Texas Rangers to investigate public corruption along the border and 250 new state troopers as a down payment on a permanent force along the border.

Other states along the nearly 2,000-mile Southwest border  New Mexico, Arizona and California  do not come remotely close to the resources Texas has committed. And Texas is doing so long after last year's surge in immigrants crossing the border illegally has subsided.

So why is Texas setting up what appears to be a parallel border patrol alongside the federal force?

"Google 'cartel crime in Mexico' and just put a time period of the last week, and you'll see some dramatic instances of what the cartels are doing in Mexico right now," Abbott told reporters this month following the legislative session. "The first obligation of government is to keep people safe and that means ensuring that this ongoing cartel activity, which is not abating whatsoever, gains no root at all in the state of Texas."

The 320-mile Rio Grande Valley sector of the border was ground zero last year for a wave of Central American migrants, mostly unaccompanied minors and women with children. The Valley sector accounted for 53 percent of all migrants captured in the Southwest during the fiscal year ending September.

That alarmed Texas Republicans, who called for a crackdown during the election campaign last year. But the number of migrants caught is down 44 percent in the first eight months of this fiscal year.

Raul Ortiz, deputy chief of the federal border patrol's Rio Grande Valley sector, attributed the decrease mainly to beefed-up law enforcement on the Mexican side, especially along its own borders with Central America. He also gave a nod to the Texas Department of Public Safety, or DPS, and other law enforcement for helping.

Critics worry that the border buildup is open-ended, with little accounting for how the money will be spent and whether it will be effective.

Republican lawmakers in the final weeks of the legislative session stripped language from the bill Abbott signed that would have required monthly updates and crime data from a new oversight board. The panel is only tasked with giving lawmakers a single report by 2017.

"In a third-grade classroom or with DPS, if you have no metrics and no way to evaluate success, you are wasting your money," Dallas Democratic state Rep. Rafael Anchia said.

In one report, the Texas public safety agency defined a secure border as "interdiction of all people, drugs and other contraband."

"That is so far from reality," said Adam Isacson, a longtime border analyst at the Washington Office on Latin America, a human-rights advocacy group. "Even the most secure sectors of the border still have thousands of people get through."

It is has not always been clear what DPS has gotten for its money.

Records provided to the Associated Press in 2013 showed that the state's new gunboats on the Rio Grande were used as little as one day a week or docked for repairs during the first year of deployment.

At the time, agency leaders said that the boats spent about 30 percent more time in the water than what records suggested. DPS spokesman Tom Vinger said this month that those records are dated and the boats now conduct round-the-clock operations, performing more than 1,400 missions in the last year alone.

Texas officials say that all law enforcement agencies, including the federal border patrol, have tracked more than $2 billion in drug seizures, mostly marijuana, and discovered more than 150 stash houses used by human smugglers in the past year alone.

U.S. Border Patrol data, provided to Texas Democratic Congressman Joaquin Castro, show its agency being solely responsible for seizing more than 416,000 pounds of marijuana in the Rio Grande Valley sector from June to February. DPS has declined to break out how much its troopers are responsible for intercepting.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske, in a letter to Castro, said that his agency "declined participation" in the recent surge known as "Operation Strong Safety" that Perry ordered last summer, even though DPS refers to them as a partner. But Vinger, the spokesman for the Texas agency, said on Thursday that Border Patrol provides agents staff and assist a command center as part of the Texas mission and the federal agency has "worked closely" with Texas for many years.

Down in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas troopers are stationed about every quarter mile inland from the border along Highway 83. The heavy trooper presence has alarmed the large community of immigrants living permanently in the area, many of whom crossed illegally years ago, said Efren Olivares, a lawyer for the South Texas Civil Rights project.

"Local police are used to interacting with undocumented people," Olivares said. "But with DPS it's particularly bad because most are not from here."

Other locals see improvements in safety. Othal E Brand Jr., president of the water district that supplies the McAllen area, said employees used to be threatened by smugglers but now work safely night and day.

On a recent afternoon in Rio Grande City, the Texas Cafe was full for lunch, with conversation a mixture of Spanish and English. Jaime Alvarez, a longtime resident now running for county commissioner, said residents have complained to him about the constant traffic stops along Highway 83.

"It's just too much," he said. "The politicians up north sometimes overreact."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Members of We The People Rising, a grassroots organization that opposes granting benefits to undocumented immigrants in the U.S., have started a legal action claiming they were not allowed into a meeting called by a California state senator.

The event, co-sponsored by UCLA, was open to the public, with invitations sent out by state Sen. Ricardo Lara. It was held at the South Gate Park Auditorium on March 27.

The activists say they were discriminated against and are accusing Lara, a Democrat, of violating California's Unruh Civil Rights Act.

The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing is looking into the complaints filed by four activists, the newspaper said.

Robin Hvidston, executive director of the organization, told Fox News Latino that members were only allowed in at the end of the event under police escort and they were ordered to remain silent.

We were absolutely stunned when we arrived at the meeting, she said. Sen. Lara and he staff deployed the California Highway Patrol to tell us we were not allowed in the meeting. We were absolutely flabbergasted.

She said members had no intention of being disruptive.

Raul Rodriguez Jr., another of the activists in the complaint, told the Los Angeles Times that when they were finally allowed inside they were banned from expressing their point of view. "We could not exercise our 1st Amendment rights," he said.

The anti-illegal immigration activists said they confirmed their attendance by responding to an RSVP request in advance, but when 12 of them showed up they were denied entry by California Highway Patrol officers providing security at the door.

Citing fears of disruption, the officers ordered them to leave the premises or face being detained, according to a video of the encounter posted online by a group member.

Complaints have also been filed against the California Highway Patrol.

In a statement to the Times, Sen. Lara refused to comment on the incident, saying only that members of We The People Rising have met on several occasions with his staff. [They] have had the opportunity to express their views, he said. "They have also attended Senate events and at times disrupted official Senate business."

The complaints come as California is on the cusp of extending subsidized health care coverage to children who are in the state illegally. On Wednesday, Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders announced a $115.4 billion budget agreement that for the first time includes state funding to cover low-income children under 19 regardless of their legal status in Medi-Cal, the state's health care program for the poor.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
President Barack Obama delivered somber remarks Thursday alongside Vice President Joe Biden, expressing his deep sorrow following the fatal shooting of nine people at a historic black church in downtown Charleston, South Carolina.

To say our thoughts and prayers are with them doesn't say enough to convey the heartache and sadness and the anger that we feel, Obama said. There is something particularly heartbreaking about death happening in place in which we seek solace and peace.

Obama said he and First Lady Michelle Obama know several members of the Emanuel AME Church, one of the countrys oldest black congregations, including its beloved pastor, state Sen. Clementa Pinckney.

Mother Emanuel is in fact more than a church. This is a place of worship that was founded by African American seeking liberty, Obama said.

The president also called for another national conversation about gun control.

Now is the time for mourning and for healing, Obama said. But let's be clear. At some point, we as a country will have to reckon with the fact that this type of mass violence does not happen in other advanced countries.

Meantime, presidential hopefuls took a pause from the campaign trail on Thursday following news of the horrific shooting.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who was scheduled to speak at the Charleston Maritime Center on Thursday, cancelled all campaign events for the day.

"Columba and I mourn today with the Emanuel AME Church and the families of the victims of this terrible crime, Bush said in a statement. Our hearts are broken at the senseless loss of life. Our prayers are for the community that has lost its pastor and a brave leader.

He added, May the families and the city of Charleston be lifted up by the prayers of our entire nation."

According to the Washington Post, Bush was to speak about foreign policy and the need to revamp the American military at a veterans town hall meeting. The candidate has already visited New Hampshire and Iowa this week.

Meantime, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tweeted, Heartbreaking news from Charleston  my thoughts and prayers are with you all. According to Charlestons Post and Courier, Clinton was at a fundraising about a mile from the church Wednesday evening, but she left for Nevada at least two hours before the shooting.

On Thursday afternoon, Congressional members held a prayer vigil for victims outside on Capitol Hill. It was led by South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott.

South Carolina Senator and GOP presidential hopeful Lindsey Graham canceled his political schedule for the remainder of the weekend in order to return to his home state. Graham had been scheduled to deliver remarks in Philadelphia Firday and campaign in New Hampshire over the weekend.

Other presidential hopefuls like Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz also sent out condolences.

Saddened by the news from Charleston, Rubio tweeted. The victims and their families are in my prayers today.

"My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims of last night's shooting in Charleston, who were tragically taken from us as they gathered together in prayer inside their place of worship, Cruz said in a statement.
Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign probably didn't need a reminder of how crucial Latino voters could be to her presidential campaign. She got one anyway from Republican Jeb Bush.

The former governor of Florida spoke fluent Spanish during his 2016 campaign kickoff this week, at which he introduced his wife, a native of Mexico, to an adoring crowd that cheered as he effortlessly deflected an attempt by immigration protests to interrupt his speech.

"Ayudennos a emprender una campana que les da la bienvenida," Bush said, which can be translated as, "Help us run a campaign that welcomes you."

Clinton will address the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) on Thursday in Las Vegas at a time when Bush's bilingual pitch is prompting quiet pangs of concern among some Democratic strategists.

They worry that a campaign that successfully presents Bush as the product of his Hispanic-infused South Florida home could cut into their party's sizable demographic advantage with Latino voters  particularly in hard-fought states such as Florida, Colorado and Nevada.

Bush comes across as "genuine and comfortable in his own skin," said David Axelrod, a former strategist to President Barack Obama. "If he hangs tough and survives (the primary), Democrats should be sober. He would be a formidable opponent."

Bush may be the white scion of a political dynasty with deep roots in New England, but he has adopted Hispanic culture as his own. He made his career in the bilingual mecca of Miami, Spanish is his primary language at home and he brags about buying cilantro to make Latin cuisine for his wife.

On the campaign trail, Bush switches seamlessly between English and Spanish when answering questions, his skills in the language honed during the two years he spent in Venezuela as a young man. He also travels with Raul Henriques, a fresh-faced "body man" recently hired because Bush wanted a Spanish speaker.

Republicans believe Bush could help their party close a yawning political gap among Latino voters. GOP nominee Mitt Romney won just 27 percent of the Latino vote in 2012, the smallest margin in a decade. President George W. Bush, who had far weaker ties to the Hispanic community than his younger brother Jeb, earned as much as 40 percent of their vote during his 2004 re-election race.

Maintaining a broad Democratic advantage among one of the country's fastest-growing minority groups will be essential to Clinton's path to the White House. Almost 28.2 million Hispanics will be eligible to vote in the 2016 presidential race, an increase of about 17 percent over 2012, according to an analysis of census data by the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank.

Clinton advisers have long singled Bush out from the rest of the crowded Republican field as a possible threat, arguing that his personal connection to the Latino community could help his campaign make inroads in several battleground states.

"If Republicans were to win Florida and Ohio and Colorado, it's hard to total up 270 for Democrats," longtime Clinton confident Harold Ickes told reporters in November.

For months, Clinton and her team have worked hard to develop and deepen relationships with Hispanic leaders. In May, she tapped Lorella Praeli, a leading immigrant-rights activist brought to the U.S. illegally as a young person, to lead outreach to Latino voters.

Less than a month after announcing her plans to enter the race, Clinton called for a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Her position left little political wiggle room for Republicans open to an immigration overhaul, Bush included, who favor granting legal status for some of the 11 million workers in the country illegally but not full citizenship.

"We should offer hard-working, law-abiding immigrant families a path to citizenship," Clinton said during her kickoff speech last weekend. "Not second-class status."

Campaigning in Iowa on Wednesday, Bush said he would support citizenship for some immigrants brought to the country illegally as children and a pathway to legal status for their parents, a step Obama took by executive order three years ago. But Bush's efforts to woo Latinos may be complicated by the Republican primaries, where a vocal conservative minority holds outsized influence.

In an indication of the potential toxicity of the issue to his primary bid, Bush had no plans to mention immigration during his Tuesday kickoff speech. But he couldn't resist responding to the chants of protesters heckling him from the crowd with a pledge to tackle immigration legislation.

"I believe what I believe, and I believe in comprehensive immigration reform," he said in Iowa the following day. "People don't agree with me in my own party, not everybody, but, trust me, there are a lot of people that have a differing view."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Jeb Bushs son, George P. Bush, made what he called his first appearance on his fathers behalf in Las Vegas on Wednesday night.

Bush, the Texas land commissioner, spoke to a crowd of about 40 people at the locally-owned Mexican restaurant, Mundo. He talked about the importance of the Latino vote in Nevada and across the country.

The Hispanic agenda is the American agenda, its an aspirational community that I happen to be a part of, Bush said to the attendees. We want better schools, a brighter economic tomorrow, a strong national defense, its a patriotic community.

Bush said his father  who speaks fluent Spanish and is married to Mexican-born Columba Bush  is an advocate of Latinos and thinks they need to be better integrated into the American system.

I think my dad wants to speak to the aspirations of this growing community, Bush said. But we cant remain the most prosperous and greatest country in the world unless we come together as a country.

Bushs appearance coincided with the National Association of Latin Elected Officials (NALEO) convention in Las Vegas, attended by thousands of Latinos from across the country and headlined by heavy-hitters like presidential hopefuls Dr. Ben Carson and Hillary Clinton.

At the conference, former Nevada Assembly Woman Lucy Flores spoke about the growing number of Latinos in elected positions at the local and national level. She said its the result of community organizers and volunteers encouraging Latinos to realize their vote counts.

When you make that investment, you can move mountains, Flores said.

Although Nevada is made up of a large Hispanic population, there are still very few elected Latinos in the state. Flores was one of the first ever.

When people find out in places like California and Texas, they are shocked, Flores said.

Traditionally a swing state, in recent years Nevada has leaned Democrat. According to a University of Nevada Las Vegas poll, a majority of Hispanics say they dont favor Republicans because of their stance on immigration.

Now the battleground state will once again be up for grabs in the 2016 election.

We have a message for all Americans and it starts right here in the great city of Las Vegas, Bush said.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Hillary Clinton told a group assembled at the National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO) conference that if she was elected president she would do everything under the law to pass comprehensive reform, while also calling for action on gun control following the horrific church shooting Wednesday night in Charleston, S.C.

In a speech clocking in at just over half an hour, Clinton started out by offering her thoughts and prayers to the nine victims murdered in one of the oldest black churches in the South. She then addressed what she called a need to end gun violence.

"How many people do we need to see cut down before we act?" Clinton asked. "In order to make sense of it, we have to be honest. We have to face hard truths about race, violence, guns and division.

Speaking to a packed house in Las Vegas, the Democratic presidential candidate echoed comments she made during a speech earlier this year in Nevada as well as her announcement speech Saturday in New York City by highlighting the need for a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

I will continue to fight for comprehensive immigration reform with a real path to citizenship. Clinton said. If Congress refuses to act I will do everything I can under the law to go farther than President Obama has done to achieve what needs to be achieved.

Clinton vowed in May that she would not only try to keep President Obama's executive actions, which have allowed undocumented immigrants to stay temporarily and receive work permits, but she would expand the deportation relief actions to include parents of Dreamers, young undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children.

Clinton's speech at the annual Latino gathering rehashed many of the topics and anecdotes from her speech in New York over the weekend, including a number of stories about her mother. She also laid down her stance on early childhood education.

One quarter of children under five years old are Latino and they are affected by this gap, she said. Some families have been told that they shouldnt speak to their children in their native language, but that is just not correct.

Clinton added: The more you talk in Spanish, the more those neurons and synapses start to fire and the more likely your child will be bilingual, which I envy because Im barely monolingual.

Other issues addressed during her speech were student loan debt, the job market and voter rights.

I believe that in the greatest democracy on earth we should be making it easier for people to vote, not putting up new barriers, Clinton said. You know who those barriers are aimed at.

The NALEO conference, the largest gathering of Latino policymakers and leaders, in Las Vegas has featured other speakers including Republican candidate Ben Carson.

Carson, a neurosurgeon, on Wednesday told the conference that talking to Latinos just about immigration is pigeonholing, and said people of all ethnicities and races cared about a variety of issues, not just one.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers sent a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson to request that Guatemalans living in the U.S. illegally be granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

The letter, signed by Florida Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, New York Rep. Eliot Engel and eight other members of Congress, argues that the ongoing environmental crises in Guatemala, including widespread drought and erratic weather patterns, paired with high levels of violence in the Central American nation make it difficult and unsafe for Guatemalans to return to their home nation.

"With TPS, Guatemalans residing in the United States would have the ability to work here, pay taxes, and help bring stability to their nation through much needed remittances," Ros-Lehtinen said in a press release. "In addition, TPS designation would help provide much needed humanitarian relief to Guatemalans who contribute to our communities throughout the United States."

Along with Ros-Lehtinen, Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart, Carlos Curbelo and Joaquin Castro also put their name on the letter to Johnson.

TPS status has already been granted to two Guatemalas neighbors: El Salvador was added to the list after the 2001 earthquake that left over 900 people dead and Honduras joined in 1998 following the destruction caused by Hurricane Mitch. There has been widespread speculation that both countries have kept their TPS status given the endemic levels of violence that plague both nations; pundits argue that the slew of natural disasters that have plagued Guatemala in recent years paired with rampant violent crime begs the inclusion of the Central American nation on the list.

"Obama should move to extend Temporary Protected Status to our Guatemalan neighbors so that the country can better recover from these natural disasters without the additional challenge of dealing with the deportation of thousands of their countrymen," Mike Allison, a professor of political science at the University of Scranton wrote in Al Jazeera.

The Government of Guatemala first requested TPS for its citizens in the U.S. in 2010 and has done so several times since. The last time the country formally presented the order was in July 2014, when visiting Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina and his counterparts from El Salvador and Honduras met with President Obama to discuss the surge of unaccompanied minors streaming over the U.S. border last summer.

The Congressional letter to Johnson comes about a year after the so-called border surge and amid worries that the U.S. will see more child migrants flooding into the country this summer as Central American nations struggle with continuing high levels of violent crime and environmental maladies.

"Temporary Protective Status for Guatemalans living in the United States is long overdue. Thousands of Guatemalans living in the United States are unable to return home because of the damage caused by drought and consistent destructive tropical weather patterns," Engel said in a statement. "These individuals need to be brought out of the shadows and treated with the same protections as those from neighboring El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua living in the United States."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio demanded on Thursday that the Obama administration "immediately" release all information about the massive hack that has affected roughly 4.2 million current and former government branch workers.

The Republican presidential hopeful made his comments only hours after it was revealed that the White House waited roughly four weeks before telling the public that hackers had stolen the personal information.

"All details that can be shared with the public, and especially those affected, should be released immediately to halt the slow, trickle of bad news that keeps coming from this attack," Rubio said in a statement.

A White House official, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the break-in, justified the delay saying it was needed to identify what information was exposed and how many people were affected, and ensure that a public announcement wouldn't interfere with the investigation and establish a process to notify affected employees.

Weeks later, the U.S. still doesn't know exactly what information was exposed or how many people were affected, and it has not provided detailed warnings to employees whose information was compromised.

"We are working with the agencies right now to determine how many of their employees were affected," the U.S. Office of Personnel Managements director, Katherine Archuleta, said on Capitol Hill. "We do not have that number at this time."

Rubio has also used the breach to rail against the Obama administrations handling of its relations with China. The Obama administration is increasingly confident that China's government, not criminal hackers, was responsible for the hack.

"With its growing regional expansionism and illegitimate territorial claims in the South China Sea, its rapid military buildup in defense capabilities, its provocative activities in space and its 24-7 offensive cyber attacks against the U.S. government and private sector, its clear the past six and a half years of the Obama foreign policy have sent the wrong message to Beijing," Rubio said.

China has openly denied involvement in the break-in, and the U.S. has publicly provided no direct evidence proving China was responsible.

Investigators inside U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies, using secret "beacons" employed across the Internet, have been monitoring data transmissions across overseas networks for the file properties associated with the American personnel records, and scouring communications among targeted foreign hackers for credible references to the theft, two people directly involved in the investigation said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because parts of the case and techniques being used are classified.

The investigation is being coordinated at the little-known National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force, which is led by the FBI and includes 19 intelligence agencies and law enforcement, including the National Security Agency, CIA, Homeland Security Department, Secret Service and U.S. Cyber Command.

Investigators also have watched underground markets where identity thieves peddle information and found no trace of the data stolen from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, they said. In the chessboard world of espionage, they also acknowledged that by revealing what they said was indirect evidence that spying was actually the motive, it might encourage Beijing's government to sell at least some of the data surreptitiously to implicate identity thieves in what would be a counter-counterintelligence false-flag operation.

The administration acknowledged earlier this month that hackers stole the personnel files and background investigations of current and former civilian, intelligence and military employees, contractors and even job applicants. Initially, the U.S. said the stolen data included Social Security numbers, birth dates, job actions and other private information for 4.2 million workers.

Days later, it acknowledged that the cyber spies obtained detailed background information on millions of military, intelligence and other personnel who have been investigated for security clearances. That information included details about drug use, criminal convictions, mental health issues and the names and addresses of relatives and any foreigners with whom they had contact.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Speaking at the largest annual U.S. forum for Latino political officials, Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont Democrat running for president, called for tuition-free public colleges, a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants, and a higher national minimum wage.

Sanders was often met with applause by the audience at the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials convention, NALEO, which is being held in Las Vegas.

Sanders said that he favors legislation that would enable undocumented immigrants to legalize their status.

Its not fair to me that millions of people in this country are working extremely hard but are living in the shadows, and that has got to end, Sanders said.

He criticized lawmakers who say they will not consider any kind of leniency for undocumented immigrants already in the United States until the border is secure.

I oppose tying immigration reform to the building of a border fence, Sanders said.

Sanders said the food and agriculture industry would be critically harmed if there was a mass deportation.

Undocumented workers come to the United States to escape economic hardship and economic persecution. Undocumented workers looking for economic opportunities come to the United States because there are no jobs from where they are coming, and there are jobs here.

Sanders said that the United States must bear some responsibility for problems in Latin America that prompt people to come here.

U.S. policy in Latin America has too often made difficult economic and political problems even worse, he said, citing as one example the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

On Thursday, presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton spoke at the same conference, vowing to do everything under the law to pass comprehensive reform, while also calling for action on gun control following the horrific church shooting in Charleston, S.C.

The day before, GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, also spoke at NALEO  he is the only Republican candidate who accepted an invitation to speak at the conference.

Carson, a conservative, said that people can succeed if they understand that they can shape their own destiny and he denounced efforts to create divisions based on such things as gender and race.

On immigration, he said he supports completely sealing all U.S. borders to keep out people who pose a threat to national security.

Another Democrat who has entered the presidential race, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, declined NALEO's invitation to be at the convention, citing a scheduling conflict, organizers said.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
An undocumented immigrant father who entered sanctuary in a Tucson church to avoid deportation for the second time will get to go home again.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials granted Daniel Neyoy Ruiz, 37, another one-year stay of deportation after his first stay expired on June 10th.

Neyoy Ruiz quietly took sanctuary in Tucsons First Christian Church earlier this month. The church planned a public announcement for Daniels re-entering into sanctuary on Thursday.

But ICE officials threw him a lifeline hours before the event was to take place, informing him that his stay would be renewed.

After conducting another review of Mr. Neyoy-Ruizs immigration case, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has granted Mr. Neyoy-Ruiz an additional one-year stay of removal. At the end of that period, ICE will re-evaluate the case to determine the appropriate next steps, said ICE spokesperson Yasmeen Pitts OKeefe in a statement.

Pitts OKeefe said factors like criminal history, immigration history, family and community ties and humanitarian issues contributed to the decision.

Dozens showed up to First Christian Church to celebrate the news with Neyoy-Ruiz and his family.

We are celebrating today that ICE recognized what we have long known. That families should not be torn apart, said the Rev. Alison Harrington.

Ruiz said he had woken up that morning feeling nervous.

Now I feel much better, he said. I feel very, very happy.

His ordeal began in 2011, when he was pulled over because his cars exhaust was smoking. The officer called U.S. Border Patrol when Neyoy-Ruiz presented a Mexican drivers license.

After being detained and undergoing years of litigation in immigration court, he was ultimately ordered to leave the country.

Its sad because we are people who also feel sadness. We have families that depend on us. And they treat us as criminals, Neyoy-Ruiz said.

He moved into Tucsons Southside Presbyterian Church to avoid deportation last year and, after a month living in the church, ICE granted his first reprieve in June 2014.

Neyoy-Ruiz first came to Tucson 15 years ago with his wife, Karla. He is technically eligible for President Obamas Deferred Action for Parents (DAPA) because his 13-year old son, Carlos, is a U.S. citizen. However, a federal judge in Texas blocked DAPA in Februaryleaving Neyoy-Ruiz and thousands of others in limbo.

He hopes he will finally be given a chance to permanently live in the U.S. when his one-year stay is up.

I have all the papers that they request in order to be able to close this case. So I just hope that this year that can happen, Neyoy-Ruiz said.

He had a message for other immigrants in sanctuary like Rosa Robles Loreto, an undocumented mother who has been living in a Tucson church for 10 months.

I want to tell them to keep fighting for their dream. Because without fighting, then theres nothing, he said. And thats what people did for me, also.
Mexico now deports more Central American migrants than the United States, a dramatic shift since the U.S. asked Mexico for help a year ago with a spike in illegal migration, especially among unaccompanied minors.

Between October and April, Mexico apprehended 92,889 Central Americans. In the same time period, the United States detained 70,226 "other than Mexican" migrants, the vast majority from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

That was a huge reversal from the same period a year earlier, when the wave of migrants and unaccompanied minors from Central America was building. From October 2013 to April 2014, the United States apprehended 159,103 "other than Mexicans," three times the 49,893 Central Americans detained by Mexico.

The difference is Mexico's new Southern Border Program, an initiative that included sending 5,000 federal police to the border with Guatemala and more border and highway checkpoints. Raids on migrants increased and authorities focused on keeping migrants off the northbound freight train known as "The Beast," on which many have suffered mutilation injuries.

Neither U.S. nor Mexican immigration officials responded to requests for comment on the change this week, though officials in the past have said it is aimed at reducing dangers facing migrants.

"Mexico is doing the dirty work, the very dirty work, for the United States," said Tomas Gonzalez, a Franciscan friar who runs the "72" shelter for migrants in Tenosique, a town in the southern Mexico state of Tabasco.

In the past, Mexican migration officials looked the other way as thousands rafted across the river at the border and then boarded freight trains north. In 2014, more than 46,000 unaccompanied minors from Central America crossed into the United States, leading the U.S. government to turn to the governments in Mexico and Central America to try to stanch the flow.

Mexico has proved the more efficient in deportations, which is already causing concerns among human rights groups about the new tactics.

In most cases, Mexico holds migrants only long enough to verify their nationalities, and quickly bundles them aboard buses to take them back to their home countries.

"The time that foreigners are in immigration (detention) centers depends only on the speed with which the authorities of their (home) countries confirm their nationality," Mexico's National Immigration Institute said in an email response to questions from the Associated Press.

Maureen Meyer of the Washington Office on Latin America think tank, which noted the dramatic change in a report this week, questions the speed Mexico is using.

"What we have heard continuously in the past year is that migrants are being so rapidly deported that even some that might have wanted to request some type of protection, or who would have been eligible for some type of humanitarian visa because they had been victims of crime in Mexico, haven't had that opportunity," Meyer said.

By comparison, when immigrants are caught crossing the U.S. border illegally, the process of being sent home can take anywhere from hours to years. Mexican nationals are often repatriated quickly  sometimes the same day they are caught  while migrants from other countries often spend at least a few days in U.S. custody before being flown back to their country of origin.

The deportation process can take much longer if an immigrant seeks asylum or if the person is a child traveling alone. For those immigrants who fight to stay in the United States, the wait for a court date and a final decision on their case can take several years because of backlog of more than 449,000 cases already pending in immigration courts.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, there were about 41,920 requests for asylum in 2014, not all from Central Americans. About 49 percent of requests processed that year were granted.

Mexico grants only a tiny number of asylum requests. The latest figures, covering a nine-month period from January to September 2014, show only 1,525 people, the majority of them Central Americans, requested asylum or refugee status, and only one-sixth  247  were granted.

U.S. officials did not respond to questions regarding the amount of U.S. funding Mexico receives for its crackdown on the Guatemalan border, but it is making things tougher for migrants..

"It has raised the costs of the trip, it has raised costs for paying coyotes (smugglers) and the (Mexican) authorities that let them through," said Gonzalez, the migrant activist. "It has spurred increases in everything bad  corruption and impunity  everything but human rights."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Pope Francis' call for dramatic action on climate change drew a round of shrugs from congressional Republicans on Thursday, while many of the party's presidential candidates ignored it entirely.

"I don't want to be disrespectful, but I don't consider him an expert on environmental issues," said Texas Rep. Joe Barton, a senior Republican on the Energy and Commerce Committee, in a comment echoed by a number of other Republicans.

Even Capitol Hill's many Catholics, despite their religion's reverence for the holy father, seemed unmoved by his urgent plea to save the planet. The reactions suggested that the pontiff's desire to translate his climate views into real action to combat greenhouse gases could fall flat, at least as far as the American political system is concerned.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, a Catholic who invited the pontiff to address Congress later this year, said the pope is not afraid to challenge thinking on various issues. "I respect his right to speak out on these important issues," Boehner said, but he demurred when asked whether Francis' views, made public in an encyclical released Thursday, might spur legislative action by the Republicans who run Congress.

"There's a lot of bills out there. I'm not sure where in the process these bills may be," Boehner said.

In the encyclical, a landmark foray by the Vatican into the area of environmental policy, Francis called for a bold cultural revolution, framing climate change as an urgent moral issue and blaming global warming on an unfair, fossil fuel-based industrial model that harms the poor most. He urged people of every faith to save God's creation for future generations.

Francis is to address lawmakers in September in the first speech by a pope to Congress.

Despite his status as an exalted spiritual figure and leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics, his pronouncements on climate were received much as a presidential address might be: with enthusiastic embraces from those who already agreed with him, and disavowals or silence from most everyone else.

President Barack Obama fell into the former category. "I welcome His Holiness Pope Francis's encyclical, and deeply admire the pope's decision to make the case  clearly, powerfully, and with the full moral authority of his position  for action on global climate change," the president said in a statement.

The Republicans vying to replace Obama were not so full-throated. A number of them, including Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky, did not respond to requests for comment or avoided answering when questioned by reporters on the topic.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush questioned the pope's foray into climate science when discussing the issue Wednesday ahead of the encyclical's release.

"I don't think we should politicize our faith," he said.

A statement from a spokesman for former Texas Gov. Rick Perry did not directly mention Francis but said, "Gov. Perry believes the climate is always changing, but it's not clear what role humans have in it."

It's not the first time the Catholic Church's teachings on political or social issues have created complications for Catholic lawmakers who take a different view. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California, who is Catholic, faced questions in the run-up to passage of Obama's health care bill over her support for abortion rights in light of the church's opposition.

But with his entry into the contentious politics of climate, and his attempt to reframe the issue in moral terms, Francis opened a new chapter in the long-running debate over the intersection of politics and religion.

And it was one that most Republicans did not particularly welcome.

"I think the pope needs to continue to study this," said Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala. "I think it will be given respectful treatment, but I don't think it's going to change a lot of votes."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Charismatic. Young. A glass-ceiling-breaker. An engaging public speaker.

Those are the modifiers political observers like to use when describing presidential hopeful Sen. Marco Rubio, whos done well so far in polls of likely GOP voters.

They were also modifiers used to describe Barack Obama when he, too, was a junior U.S. senator who was not as well known nationally as others running for president in 2008, but who wowed and intrigued enough Americans to beat Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primaries, and then win the presidency that November.

But the comparison to Obama, while meant as a compliment by many who make it, is seen as potentially inimical to Rubio.

For those Rubios detractors, among them some of his presidential election rivals, are saying that those similarities between him and Obama  whose lack of national legislative experience, they argue, partly explains his deficiencies as U.S. leader  are precisely why the junior senator from Florida would make a poor choice for the Oval Office.

Hell have to offer more than one really great speech, because voters are looking for more than inspiration, Politico quoted an Iowa Republican who is part of a bipartisan panel of top operatives, activists and political hands in Iowa and New Hampshire the publication assembled to provide weekly assessments on the presidential candidates and election issues. Weve had plenty of that with Obama. Voters are looking for accomplishment and experience as well.

Politico did not identify the Iowa Republican, noting that part of an agreement with members of the panel called for granting anonymity so that they would speak without inhibition.

Every election selects the candidate that corrects the perceived deficiencies of the current occupant of the White House, a New Hampshire Republican was quoted as saying to Politico. After 7 years of an eloquent, one term senator  the GOP is going to look for something different.

To be sure, other freshman congressional lawmakers, such as Senators Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, and Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, also face comments about their limited experience in Congress. But Rubio, so far at least, has been deemed one of the biggest threats to Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton as well as to those in his party seeking to be the GOP nominee in the 2016 election.

I am waiting for Republicans to explain why this absolutely valid critique of Obama does not apply, a New Hampshire Republican said to Politico of the frequent references in 2008 to Obamas limited experience in the Senate to argue that he was not prepared to be president.

Another panel member described as an Iowa Republican said We cant out-Obama Obama. There is only one shot for a flash in the pan candidate like that. And by the way, it hasnt turned out so well.

Still, there are weak points in the comparisons between Obama and Rubio that Rubio himself emphasizes.

Rubios time in the Senate has been marked by substantive roles having to do with some of the most burning issues of the day.

He was a central figure in the bipartisan Senate comprehensive immigration reform bill that passed in 2013, but then stalled in the House of Representatives. Not only did Rubio play a pivotal role in the drafting of the measure, he became, essentially, the face of the bill on television news shows, defending particularly the part that called for giving undocumented immigrants a path to legal status.

Also, Rubio has emerged as among the most hawkish members of Congress on foreign policy.

He is on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and, again, has played an active and quite high-profile role on it.

Rubios relative lack of federal experience is fair game for his rivals, but he had significantly more state legislative experience than Obama, an Iowa Republican said, according to Politico.

The only way the experience question hurts him is if he comes across as inexperienced. So far, that hasnt been an issue.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
The 2016 Republican hopefuls are offering new insight into how faith would guide their decisions in the White House.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush calls his Catholic faith "an organizing part of my architecture." Ohio Gov. John Kasich says religion gives him more empathy toward the poor. And Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas cites his Christian values in lashing out at the Supreme Court.

Such are the views of the Republican presidential hopefuls in Washington this week for one of the nation's premier gatherings of Christian activists. The Faith and Freedom Coalition's annual conference began the day after nine people were shot to death inside a South Carolina church, offering a grim backdrop to the three-day meeting designed to give religious activists a closer look at the large class of GOP candidates and other leaders considering bids.

"We pray that this might be a time of spiritual revival and faith," Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said Friday.

Beyond the horrors in South Carolina, presidential prospects offered religious conservatives an intimate look at the role of faith in their public lives.

More On This...

Bush noted that he converted to Catholicism after marrying his Mexican-born wife. The religion, he said, has been "an organizing part of my architecture, if you will, as a person and certainly as an elected official."

He highlighted his work to institute new abortion restrictions while governor. He also cited his fight for the life of Terry Schiavo, a Florida woman kept alive in a vegetative state for 15 years by life support. While her husband wanted her feeding tubes removed, Bush ordered the tubes reinserted only to be overruled by a federal court.

"I insisted that we build a culture of life," Bush said of his eight years as Florida governor.

Kasich, who is expected to launch a presidential bid in the coming weeks, said his Catholic faith pushed him to run for governor.

"I got a calling, folks," he said Friday in a speech referring to Bible verses from memory more than once.

"I don't turn to Matthew to figure out what my views are," Kasich told reporters after his appearance on stage. "What my faith does for me, I hope, is gives me strength, it allows me to have patience, it helps me to love my enemies, it helps me to care more about other people, to be more empathetic toward other people."

The Republican Party's evangelical wing wields great influence in the selection of the GOP's presidential nominee, particularly in Iowa and many of the Southern states scheduled to host primary contests early in the voting calendar  South Carolina prominent among them. While this week's conference drew almost the entire Republican presidential field, some contenders will do better with Christian conservatives than others.

Both Jindal and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry have hosted daylong prayer events in their states. Cruz had a strong religious upbringing. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum is a devoted social conservative. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is also a Baptist minister.

Conference organizers were largely pleased with the Republicans' focus on faith, although some said talk is cheap. A real test, they suggested, would come after the Supreme Court weighs in on gay marriage. The court may strike down state laws that ban the practice.

"We'll see who's offering political sound bites and who shows up when the going gets tough," said Timothy Head, executive director of the Faith and Freedom Coalition. "The waters may get choppy soon, and that's when people stay in the boat or walk on water."

Cruz, for one, is already girding himself for a possible court decision affirming same-sex marriage. A Southern Baptist, he asked for prayers that the court "not engage in an act of naked and lawless judicial activism tearing down the marriage laws adopted pursuant to the Constitution."

Bush, despite embracing his religion as a guide, also said this week that it would not dictate his actions as president. "I don't go to Mass for economic policy or for things in politics," he said in Iowa.

Indeed, not all conservatives want religion heavily influencing public life. Self-described "very conservative Republican" Bob Rossney attended a GOP gathering in Philadelphia that attracted several presidential contenders as well. The 67-year-old small-business owner cautioned against mixing religion and governing in the White House.

"His job is to uphold the Constitution," Rossney said of the president.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey on Saturday was wrapping up a week-long trip to France and Mexico that focused on promoting the state to international business and economic leaders.

The Mexico visit in particular appeared designed to repair relations with the state's southern neighbor that were damaged by former Gov. Jan Brewer's positions on immigration.

After Brewer signed a tough 2010 immigration law, Mexican governors cancelled an annual border governors meeting in Phoenix, and while she later visited Mexico several times, the damage was done.

That is now in the past, Ducey chief of staff Kirk Adams said in a telephone interview from Mexico City on Friday.

"This is more than a reset of the relationship between Arizona and Mexico, this is a leap-frog in that relationship," Adams said.

Ducey left Arizona on June 13 and spent three days at the annual Paris Air Show meeting with aerospace executives in hopes of drawing more aviation companies to the state. He arrived in Mexico City early Wednesday morning.

His schedule there was jam-packed with meetings with executives from major Mexican companies and political figures, including a reception hosted by Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim the evening he arrived. The large delegation accompanying Ducey in Mexico included a who's-who of top Arizona business executives.

David Farca, who Ducey appointed to lead the Arizona-Mexico Commission board in March, said the governor met with nearly every top cabinet official in Mexico. He also met with about 15 of the country's top 20 business leaders.

"That has created conversations on building task forces, addressing specifics issues ... that will help our business communities on both sides of the border increase their trade and trade more efficiently," Farca said.

About 250 business and political leaders attended a reception for the Arizona delegation hosted by the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Thursday night.

Prior to leaving the state, Ducey issued a proclamation that reiterated his position on drivers licenses for so-called "DREAMers" but hinted at a change in policy. Brewer, like Ducey a Republican, issued an executive order denying those granted deferred deportation under an Obama administration policy from obtaining licenses in 2012. A federal judge in December ordered the state to issue the licenses and they are being issued, but that decision is being appealed by the state.

Ducey's proclamation said he would abide by whatever the courts decide but that he also planned to review Brewer's executive order. He also said he was asking the Legislature to review a 2011 law that blocks state and local agencies from accepting identification cards issued by Mexican consulates.

Ducey campaigned as a tough-on-border issues candidate in the Republican primary last year, promising to send National Guard troops and use satellites to enforce border security. But since taking office, he's not taken any of those steps, instead working to repair the state's reputation on immigration and hot-topic social issues like gay marriage.

He met Slim in April during a visit by the businessman to Phoenix, setting the stage for Wednesday's reception hosted by the mogul.

James Garcia, spokesman for the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said the proclamation and other Ducey actions to tone down rhetoric are being seen by many as a break from Brewer.

"This is a governor who is determined on some level to try to separate what is obviously a sensitive and controversial issue, immigration, with some of the issues that overlap with immigration," Garcia said Friday. "And I think it's also a governor who is essentially trying to say `I am not the last governor."'

Adams said the frazzled relationship between Arizona and its largest trading partner was not a major part of the talks.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
The flying of the Confederate battle flag outside the South Carolina Statehouse has 2016 GOP presidential contenders scrambling to staking a position on the contentious cultural issue.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz told The Associated Press in a statement that the last thing the people of the southern state need is people from outside of the state coming in and dictating how they should resolve it.

The presidential candidate said he understands both sides of the debate  including those who see the flag as a symbol of racial oppression and a history of slavery and those who want to remember the sacrifices of their ancestors and the traditions of their states  not the racial oppression, but the historical traditions.

Cruzs comments were prompted after Mitt Romney, the Republican nominee for president in 2012, called for the immediate removal of the Confederate battle flag following the killing of nine people at a historically black church by a white man in Charleston last week.

Many see the Confederate flag as a symbol of racial hatred, Romney tweeted on Saturday. Remove it now to honor #Charleston victims.

The former Massachusetts governor joins President Barack Obama and civil rights leaders in calling for the flag to come down as the nation grapples with Wednesday's murders. The man charged with the crimes, Dylann Storm Roof, held the Confederate flag in a photograph on a website and displayed the flags of defeated white-supremacist governments in Africa on his Facebook page.

Like Cruz many of the GOP presidential candidates expressed personal dislike for the flag, but suggested it was up to the people of South Carolina to decide.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said Saturday his position is clear: "In Florida we acted, moving the flag from the state grounds to a museum where it belonged," he said in a statement provided to The Associated Press, referring to his 2001 order to remove the Confederate battle flag from the grounds of the historic Old Capitol building.

"Following a period of mourning there will rightly be a discussion among leaders in the state about how South Carolina should move forward, and I'm confident they will do the right thing," Bush said.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker declined to offer his position. "I think they're going to have a good, healthy debate  and should have a healthy debate in South Carolina amongst officials at the state level," he told reporters after a speech Saturday night in Washington. "I think out of deference, before we have that discussion, we should allow the families of the loved ones to bury their dead."

South Carolina was the last state to fly the Confederate battle flag from its Capitol dome. A compromise in 2000 moved the flag to a 30-foot flagpole elsewhere on Statehouse grounds, where it has been flying at full staff.

The debate holds political risks for Republicans eager to win over South Carolina conservatives who support the display of the battle flag on public grounds. The state will host the nation's third presidential primary contest in February, a critical contest in the 2016 race.

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of four Republican senators running for president, told CNN he's open to revisiting the decision to use the flag, but it "is a part of who we are."

Former technology executive Carly Fiorina said Saturday she agrees the flag is a "symbol of racial hatred" yet declined to call for its removal, saying her "personal opinion is not what's relevant here."

Ohio Gov. John Kasich said it's ultimately "up to the people of South Carolina to decide, but if I were a citizen of South Carolina I'd be for taking it down."

Spokesmen for most of the other Republican presidential contenders also either ignored such questions or formally declined to comment. They include Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, businessman Donald Trump and Sens. Rand Paul and Marco Rubio.

Democrats have been more willing to offer their opinions.

A White House spokesman said Friday that Obama continues to believe the flag belongs in a museum. Democratic presidential contender Hillary Rodham Clinton has yet to address the issue this week, but in 2007 called for the flag's removal, in part because the nation should unite under one banner while at war.

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Democrats see a chance to pick up the Florida Senate seat being vacated by Republican Marco Rubio  but only if U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson stays out of the race.

Democratic leaders fear Grayson could spoil the party's chances for capturing the seat by challenging Democratic Rep. Patrick Murphy in the primary. Rubio is running for president instead of seeking a second term.

Grayson, who is considering a Senate run, is known for using fiery rhetoric to knock down opponents. He made headlines for describing the GOP health plan as "don't get sick, and if you do get sick, die quickly." He called a Republic opponent "Taliban Dan" in an effort to paint him as a religious extremist, compared the tea party to the Klu Klux Klan and called his estranged wife a gold digger during an explosive divorce.

Democratic leaders see Grayson, 57, as too inflammatory and too liberal to win a general election and have coalesced around Murphy, a 32-year-old accountant in his second congressional term. Party leaders see Murphy, who is the only prominent Democrat in the race so far, as a strong candidate and don't want him bloodied by Grayson's aggressive campaign tactics.

"I can't support Alan Grayson," said Rachel Pienta, a member of the state Democratic Party's executive committee. "If Alan Grayson gets in and if Alan Grayson somehow manages to pull off the primary win, we lose the Senate seat."

Grayson says he's probably running and will make an announcement in July. And he doesn't care about what party leaders think.

"The only Democrats that matter are the voters. It's clear to me that if there's a contested primary, we'll win. We'll have the black vote, the gay vote, the Hispanic vote, the labor vote and the liberal vote," he said. "We'll have it all."

Former state Democratic Party chairman Rod Smith believes Grayson will be a strong primary candidate, saying he'll appeal to the progressive side of the party. He also said Grayson is good at working crowds, has proven he can raise money and is a fearless campaigner. But a general election would be far more difficult.

"Certainly there are some statements that he's going to have to explain or mitigate," Smith said. "It's problematic."

It's not necessarily his past statements that concern some Democrats. It's what Grayson might say about Murphy.

"A primary with Grayson could be destructive," said Steve Schale, a Democratic strategist. "I worry that in a Grayson race, literally anything can happen. We've seen Alan Grayson in the past. He basically called someone a member of the Taliban."

That someone was Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Webster, who defeated Grayson in 2010 after Grayson served one term. In television ads, Grayson's campaign called Webster "Taliban Dan" because of his conservative Christian beliefs. The strategy backfired, and Grayson lost by 18 percentage points. Grayson, a wealthy trial attorney, returned to Congress in 2012 after running in a new, safe Democratic district.

A former Republican, Murphy casts himself as a moderate in a state whose politics tend toward the middle. He isn't discussing the possibility of a Grayson challenge.

"Who knows what all is going to happen? There's so many different scenarios that can play out," Murphy said.

After announcing his campaign in March, Murphy quickly received the endorsement of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, many of the mayors in Florida's largest cities, and nearly half of Florida's Democrats in the Legislature and U.S. House. Big early support, coupled with a long list of potential candidates who said they won't run, has led to the perception that Democratic leaders wanted Murphy's path cleared.

Grayson dismissed the idea he can't win in a general election. He pointed out that the only Democrat to win two statewide elections in the last eight years is President Barack Obama.

"I don't think anybody considers him as an arch-conservative. The other side depicted him as a far left liberal and he won twice," Grayson said. "I've demonstrated over and over again that progressives can win."

The Rubio seat is not a slam dunk for Democrats; Republicans dominate state politics with huge majorities in the Legislature and have been victors in the past five state gubernatorial elections. On the Republican side, U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis is the only declared candidate. Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera has set up a super PAC to raise money and is traveling the state before formally announcing his plans.

Grayson's public fight with his estranged wife could hurt him among women voters. Lolita Grayson accused the congressman, who's worth $31 million, of cutting off financial support for their four children. She also was temporarily granted a restraining order after a claim he pushed her. Grayson said her behavior has been "bizarre, aggressive and inappropriate"  terms political observers sometimes use to describe Grayson.

Additionally, if a judge grants Lolita Grayson's request to freeze his assets, it could limit his ability to jump-start his Senate campaign with his own money. Grayson said while he has spent his own money in the past, he has a large donor base to work with and support across the county.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Two New Mexico state lawmakers have been named to a national Republican group seeking to recruit and train GOP candidates from diverse communities and backgrounds, the Republican State Leadership Committee announced this week

Officials said Rep. Alonzo Baldonado, of Los Lunas, and Rep. Sharon Clahchischilliage, of Kirtland, will join the Republican State Leadership Committee's "Future Majority Project" and will help with a massive push to diversify a party amid changing demographics nationally.

"We are excited to get to work, recruit more candidates who can champion commonsense conservative principles and values that will move New Mexico forward," Baldonado and Clahchischilliage said in a joint statement.

Baldonado is Hispanic, and Clahchischilliage is Navajo.

"Representatives Baldonado and Clahchischilliage will be a great addition to the Future Majority Project because both have done a tremendous job advocating conservative values to increasingly diverse communities," said Debbie Maestas, chairwoman of the Republican Party of New Mexico.

The appointments come as the Republican State Leadership Committee announced this month the relaunch of the project, which recruited hundreds of new candidates and elected 43 new leaders to office over the last two years.

Earlier this month, former Oklahoma Speaker of the House T.W. Shannon was named chairman of the project. Shannon was both the youngest and first African-American speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives when he was elected speaker in 2013. He left his post to launch an unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Senate and now works for a Tulsa-based consulting firm.

Shannon will serve with co-chairs Govs. Susana Martinez of New Mexico and Brian Sandoval of Nevada.

Martinez is the nation's only Latina governor and has been outspoken on recruiting more candidates of color to the GOP. She also has asked candidates to tone down heated rhetoric on immigration.

The group's new goal is to recruit 250 new, diverse candidates and see at least 50 of those elected to office, party officials said.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
While Cuba has seen several economic reforms, including entrepreneurial opportunities for its citizens, under President Raul Castro much of the censorship and oppression that has characterized the Communist regimes of the Castro brothers still remains.

According to the Washington Post, this year, when the U.S. and Cuba have been moving toward normalizing diplomatic relations and opening up trade and travel, dozens of artists, activists and dissidents have been arrested and detained.

Money is not going to solve Cuba, said Tania Bruguera, an artist who is a Cuban national and who made headlines in December when Cuban authorities arrested her after she planned a performance in Havanas Revolution Plaza that was focused on freedom of expression.

People can actually live their fantasy in Cuba. But because of that, because the government knows that, and because the government is providing that, its giving the key to access that kingdom to anyone who is going to behave well, Bruguera told the Post. And that counts for foreigners, for businessmen, for foreign press, for artists, anybody, said the 46-year-old artist, whose passport is still confiscated by the Cuban government.

Obama administration officials respond to criticism about its overtures to the Raul Castro regime  Cubas reluctance to move toward giving its people more freedom  by saying that such change cannot happen overnight, and that more frequent exchanges between Cubans and Americans can slowly force democratic reforms on the island.

Cuban officials, by contrast, seem to be focusing on using the easing of U.S. trade and travel restrictions as something that can benefit the islands economy, and by extension the government, without the Castro regime making any real political changes, the Post said.

Cubans on the island express hope that both things can happen with better U.S.-Cuba relations, but they are skeptical.

The Post cites an Univision/Fusion poll in April that showed that a slight majority of Cubans wish they lived in another country, that 70 percent would like to have their own business, and that 75 percent are afraid to express their true opinion in public.

Javier Nunez Florian, a Cuban actor now residing in Las Vegas, says he is hopeful that many things will improve in his country, though it wont be dramatic or large.

The U.S. is meeting in the middle, little by little getting closer to Cuba, and Cuba the same, he is quoted as saying in the Post. Little by little everything is changing for the better.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz has returned money given to his campaign by the head of an organization linked to the suspected gunman in last week's Charleston church shooting.

The Cruz campaign said in a statement obtained by Fox News that it was returning money donated by Earl Holt III, the head of the Council of Conservative Citizens. The donations were first reported by The Guardian.

"Senator Cruz believes that there is no place for racism in society," the statement read. "Upon learning about Mr. Holt's background and his contributions to the campaign, he immediately instructed that all of those donations be returned." The Guardian and The New York Times reported that Holt's donations to Cruz amounted to $8,500 since 2012, though that amount was not confirmed by the campaign.

The Guardian also reported that Holt had donated to the campaigns of Sen. Rand Paul and former Sen. Rick Santorum. The paper reports that Holt contributed $1,750 and $1,500 to those campaigns, respectively.

Santorum spokesman Matthew Beynon told The Guardian, "Senator Santorum does not condone or respect racist or hateful comments of any kind. Period. The views the Senator campaigns on are his own and he is focused on uniting America, not dividing her."

The Council of Conservative Citizens is defined by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a white supremacist organization that opposes "race mixing" and describes blacks as inferior. A manifesto believed to be written by Dylann Roof that was uncovered over the weekend said that Roof had learned of what he called "brutal black-on-white murders" from the organization's website. Roof is accused of murdering nine black people this past Wednesday during a Bible study session at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston.

In a statement posted online Sunday, Holt said that it "was not surprising" that Roof credited his group with his knowledge of black-on-white crime. But he added that the Council of Conservative Citizens is "hardly responsible for the actions of this deranged individual merely because he gleaned accurate information from our website," and said that the group doesn't condone illegal activities.

Fox News' Dan Gallo and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The leader of a white supremacist group cited by Charleston church murder suspect Dylann Roof made $65,000 in donations to Republicans, including several to Republican presidential candidates, The Guardian newspaper reported Sunday night.

The paper reported that one of the candidates, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, will return the $8,500 he received from Earl Holt, leader of the Council of Conservative Citizens. An online manifesto purportedly written by Roof, the suspect in last week's murder of nine blacks at a church in Charleston, South Carolina, said he learned about "brutal black on white murders" from the Council of Conservative Citizens website.

The Guardian also reported that Holt donated to presidential candidates Rand Paul and Rick Santorum. A spokesman for Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator, told the paper that Santorum doesn't condone racist or hateful comments; Paul's campaign didn't respond to a request for comment from the newspaper.

In a statement posted online Sunday, Holt said that it "was not surprising" that Roof credited his group with his knowledge of black-on-white crime. But he added that the Council of Conservative Citizens is "hardly responsible for the actions of this deranged individual merely because he gleaned accurate information from our website," and said that the group doesn't condone illegal activities.

Holt also donated to Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign, and to several current and former GOP members of Congress, including Iowa Rep. Steve King, Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake and former Minnesota Rep. and presidential candidate Michele Bachmann, according to the Guardian.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
The stakes are high and obvious. The jabs are barely veiled.

The field of Republicans running for president is crowded  a dozen so far and counting.

Four of them are residents of Florida, but only two of those are truly representing the Sunshine State in the presidential race  Sen. Marco Rubio and former Gov. Jeb Bush.

Rubio, 44, and Bush, 62, share many parallels in their lives, making it tough for many in their party to make a definitive choice about whom to support.

They both boast Miami-Dade roots, a fluency in Spanish, an organic understanding of Latinos, moderate views on immigration (if not always consistently so) and hard lines on the governments of Cuba and Venezuela.

Their campaign launches were the most Latino of any of the other candidates in either political party. Rubios was held at Freedom Tower, a place dear to many Cuban exiles which is owned by Miami Dade Community College. He spoke some words in Spanish and referred to his Cuban immigrant parents.

Bushs was held in Miami Dade Community College, which is more than 70 percent Latino. He spoke some words in Spanish and mentioned his Mexican-born wife.

So the two, who have led in many of the polls of likely Republican voters, are fighting hard to win the GOP presidential nomination, all the while engaging in a careful choreography of taking stabs at each other without overtly appearing to do so.

Rubios approach has been to frame himself as youthful, a candidate of the future, and of a change for the better  on its face a swipe at the Democratic frontrunner, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is 67. But its also seen as a sideswipe aimed as much at Bush.

The former governor's approach has been to portray himself as a Washington outsider who has a proven record of governing successfully, unlike some rivals who have limited experience and are part of the problem with how the D.C. status quo deals  or doesn't deal  with important issues.

That conjures up images of  you guessed it  Rubio, a junior senator who has been criticized for his lack of experience, drawing comparisons in some quarters to Barack Obama, who was himself a first-term senator when he first ran for president in 2008.

When Bush announced what few found surprising  that he is running for president  his campaigns designated surrogates did public appearances bringing up Rubios limited experience.

Rubios campaign, meanwhile, immediately revved up its yesterday is over theme, the Tampa Bay Times noted, adding It was framed as an attack on Clinton, but it just happens to work on another level, lending itself to being applied to Bush, as well.

"It's awkward for them and awkward for a lot of us," said state Rep. Dennis Baxley to the Times. He said that Rubios formidable qualities and momentum so far "has put a lot more people in a waiting posture."

Baxley continued, "If there is potential for a breakout candidate, it's Marco. Of course, the governor has so much history with us."

Some donors in Florida have been torn, too, and are sitting on the sidelines for more signs of which horse to get behind.

Publicly, the two men balk at attempts to pit them against each other.

"It's a little awkward," Bush said of competing with Rubio, his one-time mentee, in a Fox News interview."I mean, look, he's a great guy. I admire him a lot."

Bush then noted: "I think I'm more experienced and qualified than anybody running. I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't think that I have the skills to fix these things and to lead our country."

"Governors have to make decisions," he said. "Senators don't. They can hide behind their collective body. I wasn't calling out any particular senator."

A veteran Miami-Dade political consultant, David Custin, explained it this way to Politico: Theres a lot of passion, and this could almost literally come to blows  A lot of us, a lot of my Republican clients, dont know what to do. They dont want to pick a side. But they might have to.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
As a United Nations committee held hearings on the status of Puerto Rico  decolonization, some call it  in Manhattan, N.Y., outside a group of protesters rallied Monday in support of Oscar Lopez Rivera, a Puerto Rican nationalist whose imprisonment for 34 years now is getting increasing attention.

Lopez, 72, is serving time in Indiana on charges of seditious conspiracy for his alleged collaboration with the Armed Forces of National Liberation, or FALN, an organization that sought the islands independence from the United States back in the 70s.

We believe that the reason why the U.S. government has kept Puerto Rican political prisoner Oscar Lopez Rivera incarcerated () is because the U.S. government wants to maintain Puerto Rico as its colony forever, say his supporters from Companeros Unidos para la Descolonizacion de Puerto Rico ("Brothers United for the Decolonization of Puerto Rico") on their website.

A week ago, at the New York Puerto Rican Day Parade, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, who was born in Puerto Rico, was one of a number of politicians wearing T-shirts or carrying posters calling for Lopez's release.

Thanks largely to Mark-Viveritos efforts, the City Council approved a measure on June 10 asking President Barack Obama to grant Lopez clemency. It passed 51 to 8.

Oscar Lopez Rivera is a 72-year-old Vietnam veteran [who] has been imprisoned  because of his political beliefs. He was never convicted of harming or killing anyone, Mark-Viverito recently told Latin Correspondent.

The plea for his release enjoys support from leaders across the political spectrum, she added, because, even if they disagree on his ideals, they recognize that he was fighting for what he believes.

For Puerto Ricans who support independence from the United States, Lopez has never been entirely forgotten. Rene Perez, of the popular Puerto Rican music group Calle 13, and pop star Ricky Martin are among celebrities who have drawn attention to Lopez's situation in the past.

Other Latin American leaders, cultural and political, have been making public statements about Lopez in recent months too. Puerto Rican governors past and present, as well as its Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierlusi, have united across party lines to call for Lopez's release.

Perhaps more interesting was the offer of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, who intimated that he would approve the release of opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez (no relation to Oscar) if President Barack Obama freed the Puerto Rican.

Man for man, Maduro said, specifying the terms of the deal.

Obama has not commented on Maduros offer, nor has he issued any statement about possible clemency.

Some political analysts and observers have suggested that Obama's release of Lopez might have a positive impact on the Democratic Party's candidate in the 2016 election  that would be the reason behind the stepped-up protests on the U.S. mainland, especially in New York.

In 1999 President Bill Clinton offered clemency to Lopez and 13 other members of FALN, but he rejected it because it was contingent upon his renouncing terrorism to achieve their aim of independence for the Caribbean commonwealth.

Lopez said that accepting the offer would be admitting that he was a terrorist, which he says he is not. Advocates are hoping President Obama offers a new  unconditional  clemency before the end of his term.

Lopezs sentence expires in 2023.
next Image 1 of 2

prev Image 2 of 2

Governors across the country have been packing their bags for all-expenses-paid trade missions abroad, spending taxpayer dollars on costly trips that have an uneven track record of yielding any tangible benefits for their states.

Last week alone, governors of 10 states were jetting across Europe, many converging at an air show in Paris. Others traveled to Canada, South America and Asia. At the beginning of last week, more than a quarter of the nation's governors were out of the country.

Since the start of 2014, governors have taken or scheduled more than 80 trips to 30 countries in their efforts to increase exports and entice foreign companies to expand in their states, according to a nationwide analysis of gubernatorial trade trips by the Associated Press.

The results are mixed, with some governors striking multimillion-dollar business deals and others achieving little to show for their travels.

The AP analysis found that the cost to taxpayers has topped $2 million for the airfare, lodging, meals and promotional expenses of governors and their entourages. But the total cost is probably much higher: The bills for some trips have yet to be tallied, and many expenses have been paid directly by businesses or nonprofit organizations, which are not required to disclose all their spending.

In some cases, businesses that help sponsor the trips also pay to send along top executives, gaining direct access to governors and key staffers who can play pivotal roles in awarding financial incentives to companies. That has raised concerns among some government watchdog groups about the cozy nature of corporate-financed travel and the secrecy of money passing through nonprofit economic-development groups.

Trade trips can also help raise the profile of potential presidential candidates. Republican governors Chris Christie of New Jersey, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Scott Walker of Wisconsin have all taken multiple foreign trips while building toward possible 2016 White House bids. Texas Republican Rick Perry and Maryland Democrat Martin O'Malley also traveled abroad as governors last year before their terms ended and they entered the presidential race.

But the trips aren't limited to presidential hopefuls. Earlier this year, Andrew Cuomo of New York became the first sitting U.S. governor to travel to Cuba since the start of the embargo.

Governors generally defend the trips, citing their potential to produce important international business deals.

"We've found them to be a huge benefit," said Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, who traveled to the International Paris Air Show last week and to Italy, Germany and Spain in March. "I wouldn't go if it wasn't good for the taxpayers."

Nixon recently announced one result from his spring trip: Piva Group, an Italian maker of vinyl windows, plans to invest $6.5 million to open its first U.S. manufacturing facility in Missouri, employing up to 122 people. The company could get nearly $1 million in state incentives.

The state reported $11,100 in travel costs, mainly to subsidize business leaders who went along. But most costs were covered by the Hawthorn Foundation, a business-funded Missouri nonprofit that declined AP's repeated requests to detail its expenses.

Overall, however, the trade trips have a hit-and-miss track record. Some examples:

 New Hampshire residents are still waiting for results from a trip Gov. Maggie Hassan took to Turkey a year ago. The trip cost taxpayers $15,000 and included more than 100 matchmaking meetings with businesses, yet no specific deals have been announced.

 Christie, Jindal and Walker all traveled to the United Kingdom earlier this year and, combined, have visited nearly a dozen countries since 2014. Their trips have been touted as ways to boost business, though there have been few immediate results. Taxpayers spent at least $93,000 on Jindal's trips, mostly for security. Christie's trips cost taxpayers nearly $124,000, including $9,600 for his photographer. Just one of Walker's trips, to London, cost the state more than $138,000.

 Six months after Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback traveled to China with commerce and agriculture officials, Brownback spokeswoman Eileen Hawley said the "potential projects are still confidential." The trip cost the state about $21,000.

 South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley traveled to her parents' native India in November, costing the state more than $56,000 for travel, lodging, meals and marketing and about $10,000 from a "special events fund" financed by businesses and economic-development groups. The state commerce department said the trip resulted in more than 30 "opportunities" its employees are pursuing, although no specific deals have been announced.

Haley had more success in March, when a secretive trip to Sweden was followed weeks later by an announcement that Volvo would build its first U.S. auto plant in South Carolina in exchange for more than $200 million in state incentives.

Governors often are quick to tout their trade missions when they pay off with new jobs or trade partners.

After Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam took a weeklong trade trip to Japan and South Korea in June 2014, Bridgestone announced plans to build a $233 million headquarters in Nashville. That was followed by the Denso auto parts supplier announcing an $85 million Tennessee expansion and Nissan announcing a $160 million project for parts suppliers. The state Department of Economic and Community Development said it spent about $19,000 on the trip.

In some states, the costs remain unclear. Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear has taken eight foreign trips since 2014  the most of any governor  but his administration has not yet provided costs to the AP. And the Indiana Economic Development Foundation has not disclosed costs for any of the five foreign trade trips taken since last year by Gov. Mike Pence.

California has been more forthcoming: When Gov. Jerry Brown and 15 lawmakers went to Mexico City last summer, about 90 business owners, lobbyists and political operatives paid $5,000 a piece to go along. Brown used the trip to sign various nonbinding agreements with Mexican officials on trade, education and environmental cooperation.

Despite some successes, the degree to which such trips actually increase economic activity remains in dispute.

"The reason there's no consensus is because it's really hard to measure how much of any export is due to this trip," said Andrew Cassey, an associate economics professor at Washington State University who analyzed more than 500 gubernatorial trade trips taken from 1997 through 2006.

It can take years to know whether the personal relationships forged on foreign trade trips pay off with increased business, he said.

Cassey found the most common destinations were countries to which states already were exporting relatively large amounts of goods.

Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan and China are the top destinations for governors, the AP analysis found. Mexico, Canada, France and Israel also are common targets.

Often, governors and business leaders will line up deals that can be finalized on foreign soil as evidence of the successful fruits of their trips.

For example, Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced at the Paris Air show that two aerospace companies were relocating a total of 80 employees from other states to Florida. While traveling to Brazil last week, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal announced that the Brazilian information technology company Stefanini will add 400 jobs to its Atlanta office. And Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced multiple deals during a six-country European tour, including an expansion by a U.K.-based auto insurer that could add almost than 1,200 jobs in Virginia and a $200 million Virginia expansion by German grocer Lidl.

The trade trip is estimated to cost Virginia taxpayers more than $176,000. But McAuliffe, a former businessman, said such travel is crucial to attract foreign companies.

"To be honest with you, we wouldn't have gotten these deals unless they can sit and look at me eyeball to eyeball," McAuliffe told the AP at the Paris Air Show. "These trips are the way you close deals."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Ted Cruz has done a complete 180 turn in his stance toward a major trade bill that is on the brink of final approval  arguing that the deal has become "enmeshed in corrupt Washington backroom deal-making."

The fiery Texas senator and Republican presidential candidate was once a major supporter of the trade legislation, even co-authoring a Wall Street Journal opinion piece along with Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan in April in favor of the fast-track bill, known as Trade Promotion Authority (TPA). But on Tuesday, just hours before the Senate voted 60-37 in favor of the bipartisan legislation, Cruz voiced his concern that the legislation could introduce changes in federal immigration law.

"Despite the administrations public assurances that it was not negotiating on immigration, several chapters of the TiSA (Trade in Services Agreement) draft posted online explicitly contained potential changes in federal immigration law," Cruz wrote in an opinion piece Tuesday for Breitbart. "TPA would cover TiSA, and therefore these changes would presumably be subject to fast-track."

He added: "When TPA last came up for a vote, both Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) and I introduced amendments that would have barred fast-track treatment for any trade agreement that attempted to impact immigration law. Two other Republican senators objected, and we were both denied votes on our amendments."

Cruz also said that cross-aisle support for the TPA was due in large part to promises of support on the objective of reauthorizing the Export-Import Bank.

"The Ex-Im Bank is a classic example of corporate welfare," Cruz wrote. "It is cronyism at its worst, with U.S. taxpayers guaranteeing billions of dollars in loans for sketchy buyers in foreign nations."

The Texas lawmakers heated words, however, appeared to fall on deaf ears before Tuesday vote, as the 60-37 vote was precisely the number needed to set-up a final vote on Wednesday.

It is one of several measures comprising Obama's second-term trade agenda as the administration works to finalize a 12-nation agreement among countries on both sides of the Pacific Ocean.

Another bill, aimed to provide federal aid to workers who lose their jobs because of imports, is also awaiting approval. The rescue plan hatched last week calls for the Senate to pass that measure and the House to follow suit later this week, just before lawmakers leave for their July 4 break.

Eager to reassure Democrats who expressed doubt about a GOP commitment to pass a follow-up bill, Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, issued a statement saying the House will vote on it "once it passes the Senate."

The legislation has the support of the administration and business organizations, who say it is necessary to win lower barriers to U.S-made goods around the world.

Opponents include organized labor and most Democrats in Congress, who argue that past global trade deals have resulted in the large scale loss of American jobs  and claim this time would be no different.

Those differences were reflected on the Senate floor.

Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the vote demonstrated "we can work together on something that's important for our country."

But Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said it would be a "day of celebration in corporate suites."

The week's maneuvering came a little less than two weeks after the House derailed the trade legislation in a revolt triggered by union-backed Democrats and supported by the party's leader, Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California.

Originally, the trade negotiating authority and program of aid for displaced workers were part of one bill, but subject to separate votes.

Democrats who normally support the aid turned against it in the House, and voted it down. That temporarily derailed the entire legislation, sending Obama, McConnell and Boehner scurrying to come up with a rescue plan.

The revised approach was to separate the trade bill from the aid measure, and rely on a strong Republican vote to pass one of them, and a strong Democratic show of support to approve the other.

Obama has said consistently he wants both measures to reach his desk, but House Democrats have not yet said if they will try to block the aid program as part of a desperate move to persuade Obama not to sign the trade bill he so eagerly seeks.

Nor has Obama said what he would do if only the trade bill passes, and the aid measure remains stuck because Democrats without support.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
This is the seventh in a series of posts, one year after the surge of unaccompanied undocumented minors who crossed across the U.S.-Mexico border, examining the effects it has had on communities, schools and children themselves.

A year after the height of the so-called surge, a weeks-long period last summer when tens of thousands of Central American children crossed illegally into the United States, education experts say the federal government has left the burden of educating and caring for these children to cash-strapped public schools.

For tens of thousands of children whove journeyed to the U.S. without any family members from El Salvador, Guatemala or Honduras, this summer marks the end of their first academic school year.

The milestone also marks the first chance for some public schools to catch their breath after a whirlwind year of adapting to the unexpected influx of more than 60,000 unaccompanied minors in need of more than just a passing grade.

After being held temporarily by the federal government  for about a month, on average  more than 50,000 of children have been released to sponsors, usually a parent or relative, as they await their immigration court proceedings.

Over the last year, teachers and administrators have been left to teach these kids English, even though some of them had never stepped foot inside of a classroom and many are in need of mental health counseling following their traumatic encounters with gang violence, sex trafficking or kidnapping in their native countries.

The federal government has spent nearly $1 billion to deal with the border crisis, one President Barack Obama called an urgent humanitarian situation last summer. But just $14 million has gone to the Department of Education to distribute funds to schools on the frontlines of the crisis.

By law, all children, regardless of their immigration status, are entitled to an education.

We need more space, we need more teachers, we need more social workers, we need more staff, said Lamont Johnson, the school board president in Hempstead Union Free School District in Long Island, New York, who is calling for additional funding. [The children] need social workers, counselors, different people to help them transition to a new environment.

The Hempstead School District, home to about 6,700 students at 10 schools, received an average of maybe a couple of hundred new enrollees a year, Johnson said. However, last summers enrollment skyrocketed to about 1,500 new kids  most of them undocumented immigrants.

The crush of new enrollees left the district scrambling, forcing it to dip into its emergency reserves to shell out more than $6 million to hire more English as a Second Language teachers and additional staff to alleviate overcrowded classrooms. Still, it has not been enough. The average classroom in the district now has about 40 to 50 children and one teacher, Johnson said, posing a safety issue.

I feel like the federal government, once again, and the State Department of Education, they didnt abandon me, per se, they abandoned the children, Johnson, a lifelong Hempstead resident, said. They have to make it easier for the children to succeed, not more difficult. And I think they made it more difficult.

How the local school systems nationwide are faring is one of the untold stories of the unaccompanied childrens crisis, according to Margie McHugh, Director at the Migration Policy Institutes National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy.

Most of that money [the nearly billion dollars] went to the border and really trying to manage this from a migration point of view, and not thinking that all these kids are going into local school districts, they're going to be here for a good while, and it's really not fair to pass off those costs to local districts, McHugh said.

Schools, she said, are facing two big challenges with this student population. The first is that there are a lot of mental health issues the children are dealing with that are undetected and undiagnosed. Secondly, many of these children come from school systems in their countries that are in complete disarray.

You have to understand, Johnson said of Hempsteads new students, many of the children are not even proficient in their native language, Spanish, and now we have to teach them how to speak English. That can be very difficult.

Adding to the overwhelming pressures on schools, McHugh says, is that these students are expected to graduate on time. Its the unrealistic expectations, especially on high school students, she said, that has led some communities to push back on educating these children.

A lot of these school districts are thinking, If I enroll this kid, its going to bring down a lot, its going to make us fail some of our accountability measures that could have an effect on housing prices, Mchugh said. Theres a real cascading set of effects that the districts are thinking about in terms of enrolling these kids.

In New York State alone, 20 school districts, including Hempstead, were investigated by the states Attorney General, Eric T. Schneiderman, for trying to illegally stop undocumented children from enrolling in their schools. The investigation found that the districts were making illegal inquiries into the students or their parents immigration status.

The Hempstead school district, which serves a population that is about 96 percent Latino and black, was found guilty of denying or delaying the enrollment of dozens of Hispanic students, many of them unaccompanied minors. Johnson categorically denies the AG findings that the districts policies were discriminatory.

Our district never stereotyped anyone, discriminated against anyone, Johnson said. It was more about being overwhelmed by the large amount of students coming in a short period time.

As a result, all 20 school districts agreed to new oversight policies to ensure all children are allowed to enroll.

Success stories

Experts refer to the school crisis as an uneven story because some school districts are faring better than others.

According to the Administration for Children and Families, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, 51,349 children nationwide have been released to sponsors in 53 counties since October 2013. About 25 percent of those children ended up in five counties: Harris County in Texas, which includes Houston; Los Angeles County in California; Miami-Dade County in Florida; and Suffolk and Nassau Counties in Long Island New York.

All five counties are in states with the largest Hispanic populations in the country.

In Houston, a city that has become accustomed to dealing with unaccompanied minors, the influx of children from Central America jumped nearly 200 percent last summer, to about 2,000 students, according to the Houston Independent School District, the seventh largest school district in the country. It normally received about 200 new students.

The district, which has 215,200 students  about a third of them English learners  tried to prepare itself by adding English as a Second Language to the curriculum. But its foresight was not enough  last years surge brought thousands of new students to the district and seemed to shock the system.

Now, the Houston school district is concentrating primarily on seven high schools with the largest number of unaccompanied minors. The schools, called newcomer hubs, have hired more certified ESL teachers and purchased new learning software.

Its a challenge because most of our students are coming at the secondary level where the timeline for being ready for graduation is certainly shorter, and they have to live up to the same requirements for state, federal, and course assessments  all of which are in English, Gracie Guerrero, assistant superintendent for multilingual programs at the Houston Independent School District, told Fox News Latino.

There has to be some time for adjustment, there has to be some time to get them at a place to get them to learn, she said. Unfortunately, we arent afforded the time to get them situated or acclimated to a school system.

In Florida, Miami Jackson High School in Miami-Dade County is finding a way to graduate unaccompanied minors  despite the slim chance these kids have to succeed under the current conditions.

There are about 150 unaccompanied minors at Miami Jackson and 21 graduated this June. Last year, 17 graduated. Some of the students came as late as 10th or 11th grade and found a way to earn their diploma.

Miami Jackson Principal Carlos Rios attributes the success to teachers who are used to teaching the population and who are backed by a supportive school district.

Theyre coming to a place where teachers know how to work with our students, Rios said. Most of our students, at one point, were ESL students, so a lot of our teachers know how to work with [them].

He said the biggest challenge, in fact, isnt academic  its psychological.

It's not so much an academic issue, and obviously that is a great issue, but what they've gone through and the struggles they've had, Rios said. We've had students who have been lost in the desert for days. We've had students who have been kidnapped, who have somehow been able to escape and made it here to this country. We have had students who have gone days without eating. The struggles are real and each one of them has a story.

Laura Salinas, 18, graduated in June after arriving from Honduras in 2012. Salinas, who did not know English when she arrived in South Florida, plans to attend Miami Dade College this fall.

I came to the United States because my mother [brought] me here, because she tell me here there are better opportunities, she said. My dream is to continue to study, of course, and finish my college and study to become a veterinarian.

Rios, the principal, said each minor that entered the country is unique and comes with a different background and experience  but their dreams are the same.

They all want to come here to be successful, to be able to help their families, Rios said. And, at the end of the day, I think that's what's really helped these students become successful and graduate in such a short time.

READ PART 1: Tens of thousands of immigrant children remain in limbo

READ PART 2: As crisis overwhelms system, philanthropy steps in

READ PART 3: Courts backlogged until 2019 to accommodate minors

READ PART 4: New U.S. policies have led to less children crossing

READ PART 5: The perilous corridor to the U.S. slowly clearing out

READ PART 6: Family detention centers could face closure as criticism mounts
In the face of growing criticism, the Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday it plans to overhaul the family detention centers that house undocumented immigrants.

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said that after personally visiting several family detention centers this week, including the Karnes facility in Texas, he concluded that the temporary shelters can no longer operate as they have been.

The shelters became inundated with undocumented immigrants last year after a border surge that saw thousands of mostly unaccompanied minors cross the border illegally. The family detention centers are designed to hold mainly mothers and their young children for months at a time  though some have been held for as long as a year  as they await their immigration court hearings.

Critics have called the centers un-American and inhumane. They have been likened to jails that subject children and mothers to more psychological trauma. The Department of Justice has long argued that detaining parents and their children guarantees that they will show up to their immigration court date and not flee.

"I have reached the conclusion that we must make substantial changes in our detention practices with respect to families with children," Johnson said in a statement. "In short, once a family has established eligibility for asylum or other relief under our laws, long-term detention is an inefficient use of our resources and should be discontinued."

Johnsons announcement, made only days after seven members of Congress visited two private family detention facilities in Texas, comes amid mounting criticism from both lawmakers and activists to shutter the facilities.

Among the reforms announced by Johnson was a plan to offer to release families at the detention centers  with a reasonable bond or other conditions  who are successful in stating a case of credible or reasonable fear of persecution in their home countries.

I have reached the conclusion that we must make substantial changes in our detention practices with respect to families with children.  Jeh Johnson, Secretary of Homeland Security

Although he acknowledged changes are needed, Johnson defended the use of the family detention centers saying that they allow for the speedy removal of migrants who would not qualify for a relief from deportation.

"Our larger hope is that Central American families will heed our repeated calls to find a safe and lawful path for the migration of children to the United States," he said. "I have personally seen enough to know that the path of illegal migration from Central America to our southern border is a dangerous path and it is not for children."

The border surge helped to drastically expand the use of family detention centers. A Fox News Latino report found that before last summer there was only one shelter and 96 beds nationwide dedicated to housing undocumented families. There are currently more than 3,000 beds nationwide in three family detention centers.

More than 2,100 undocumented immigrants are currently housed at these centers, mainly in two new centers in Dilley and Karnes in Southern Texas. Running at full capacity, the centers that serve as temporary shelters could cost the federal government $345 million a year.

Despite assurances from Johnson and other DHS officials that these centers have helped stem the tide of migrants across the U.S. southern border with Mexico, critics both in Congress and in activist circles have mixed feelings about Wednesdays announcement.

"There is no middle ground here," B. Loewe, an immigration rights activist with the #Not1More campaign told Fox News Latino. "This placing of children in jail and the feeding of xenophobia has no place in our society."

This sentiment was, at least partially, voiced by a diverse group of Democrats, including Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California, New York Rep. Jose E. Serrano and Texas Rep. Ruben Hinojosa.

"We believe it is undeniable that detention in a secure facility is detrimental to mothers and children and is not reflective of our values as a nation," the lawmakers wrote in a jointly signed letter to Johnson. "Children require special protections and should not be placed in jail-like settings."

The centers came under fire recently after a 19-year-old attempted suicide at one of the facilities.

When Fox News Latino recently visited a detention center in Berks County, Pennsylvania, there were 44 undocumented students in the facilitys makeshift classrooms. Adults at the center had access to health care, food and were able to take Zumba classes, among other activities.

While reforming the detention centers is a positive step, immigration activists say that the more important progress would be getting these families out of the centers and into communities where they dont feel like prisoners.

"This is an important development," Don Kerwin, the executive director of the Center for Migration Studies, told FNL. "Letting people out on bond achieves the same purpose as a detention center without keeping them locked up."
A Latino political organization founded by two heavyweight Democratic Party supporters on Tuesday held its first fundraiser for a Republican candidate  citing the politicians values, not his party, as the reason for the support.

The political action committee for the Latino Victory Project, a group established by Democratic Party finance chair Henry Munoz and Hollywood actress Eva Longoria, held a fundraiser for Raul "Danny" Vargas, a GOP candidate who is vying for a spot in the Virginia House of Delegates.

"We look at a candidate's values, their access to opportunities, their stance on education, on immigration reform and support of democratic institutions," Cristobal Alex, the president of the Latino Victory Project told Fox News Latino. "Danny reflects these values, and he has a compelling story that reflects the American Dream."

Vargas said hes thrilled to be the first Republican backed by the Latino Victory Project.

He described himself as a commonsense Republican who is fiscally conservative and socially inclusive.

Government should be partner, not a patron, he told Fox News Latino

Vargas was born to Puerto Rican parents in New York City and grew up in a poor neighborhood of Brooklyn before joining the Air Force in the early 1980s. After his time in the military, Vargas worked for Sprint. In 2004, he began his own business, VARCom Solutions, which provides marketing, communications and public relations services to a number of government agencies, non-profit organizations and political campaigns.

The Virginia businessman has also been very involved in Latino politics for some time.

He held the post of national chairman of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly from 2007 to 2009, and was appointed in 2009 by Congress to serve on a bipartisan commission to study the creation of an American Latino Museum at the Smithsonian Institution.

When tensions rose over undocumented immigrants in places such as Hazleton, Pa. and in Virginia towns such as Herndon, where he set up his business, Vargas joined activists who met with community leaders and lawmakers to try to develop compromises that would help both the immigrants and the larger community.

The tensions became an almost dangerous situation, he said.

Vargas supports comprehensive immigration reform that would allow certain undocumented immigrants a way to legalize their status.

I tried convincing [lawmakers] to move forward with immigration reform, so we could get past the limbo we all were in, he told FNL.

This campaign, however, is Vargas' first shot at elected office, and he told the crowd gathered at the fundraiser that he was concerned with issues that affect both sides of the political divide.

The fundraiser for Vargas is a departure for the Latino Victory Project, which in the past has endorsed only Democratic candidates. Its president said, however, that they are a non-partisan group and that they have always selected candidates by their stance on key issues and not their political affiliation.

"[Vargas] is one of the few people who comes from the Republican side who is very open to reaching across the aisle and working with the other side," Alex told FNL. "All candidates can look at someone like this as a way to appeal to Latino voters."
Vermont senator and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders may be seeing a surge in popularity in the early primary state of New Hampshire, but that doesnt appear to be translating with either Latino or African-American voters.

A notoriously small crowd gathered last week during his speech at the National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO), appearing to indicate that even when overwhelmingly popular in the white Granite State and throughout the generally progressive state of New England, Sanders still has a good deal of work to when it comes winning over Latino voters.

"His name recognition in the Latino community is somewhere in between zero and extremely low," Matt Barreto, a pollster who focuses on Latino voters, told the Los Angeles Times. "And you're not going to win an election without Latino support."

The outspoken lawmaker, who is 73, has spent his lengthy political career campaigning for votes in Vermont  a state that is 94 percent white  and has little experience in focusing a campaign on minority issues. The oldest presidential candidate to so far jump into the fray so far, many observers say that he will likely have trouble appealing to an overwhelming younger Latino electorate in key swing states like Nevada and Colorado.

"If your only significant constituency is older white voters, that'll be good in Iowa and New Hampshire, but when you hit Nevada and South Carolina you're in another world," Democratic strategist Bill Carrick said. "If you're going to be the nominee, you're going to have to do pretty well among Latino, African American voters, women, single women and millennials. That's the challenge for Bernie Sanders  to become more than a niche candidate and become a candidate with a broad coalition of support."

Despite the low attendance last week during his speech at NALEO, Sanders was well received by the crowd and he addressed the immigration head-on after being previously criticized for focusing too much on other issues. The self-described socialist painted his views on the issue through an economic spectrum, while also giving a personal anecdote about his own upbringing in an immigrant household  a departure for a candidate who usually forgoes stories about his past.

"We cannot continue to run an economy where millions are made so vulnerable because of their undocumented status," Sanders said. "Who benefits from this exploitation?"

Along with Latinos, Sanders also has his work cut for him with the African-American community, as - despite his work in the civil rights movement and his friendship with Jesse Jackson - even Sanders admits he is little known among the demographic compared to his rival Hillary Clinton.

In the last week, Clinton has not rested on her laurels as she has spoken forcefully about race relations and gun control in the wake of the deadly church shooting in Charleston, S.C. and she visited a black church on Tuesday near Ferguson, Mo., where the killing of an unarmed black man by a white police officer in August ignited protests nationwide.

Sanders, on the other hand, has derided "the ugly stain of racism that still taints our nation," but he has yet to take the subject on in a forceful way.

"Were reaching out, but its no secret that Bernie represents a state that is heavily Caucasian, and his decades of work on issues of importance to African-Americans arent known amid the national conversation on race that is underway," Jeff Weaver, Sanderss campaign manager, told the New York Times. "I dont think its presumptuous of him to speak out on these issues. And his message  the need for more good-paying jobs and opening up higher education regardless of wealth and family background  will have strong appeal with African-Americans and many other voters."

Sanders ability to appeal to Latino and African-American is seen by many as a test of his relevance as a candidate and whether or not he can be a real challenge to Clinton come nomination time or will be just someone helping shape the dialogue during the Democratic debates.

A recent CNN poll found that just 5 percent of nonwhite Democratic voters said they were likely to support Sanders compared with 65 percent who favored Clinton (in 2008 Clinton beat up 2-to-1 in garnering the Latino vote.)

Clinton has already made concerted efforts in going after Latino voters - laying out her immigration plan last month at a Las Vegas high school, hiring well-known "Dreamer" Lorella Praeli to work on her campaign and sending her campaign's political director, Amanda Renteria, to NALEO to shake hands and make contacts ahead of Clintons speech.

While Clinton has broadened her support base and her campaigning to minority groups, Sanders is perceived as being the candidate for the tie-dyed, white Vermont liberals.

"The Bernie Sanders voter is still a Volvo-driving, financially comfortable liberal who is pretty much white," said pollster Paul Maslin.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Venezuelan authorities have freed two student activists arrested during last year's anti-government protests.

The release of Gerardo Resplandor and Douglas Morillo comes a day after the country's most-prominent jailed politician ended a 30-day hunger strike in response to the government's scheduling of legislative elections. In calling off the protest, Leopoldo Lopez said that he hopes Venezuelan authorities also honor a commitment to release several detained activists suffering from medical problems.

Resplandor and Morillo are not among the prisoners about whom health concerns had been raised. Both continue to face charges of instigating violence during the wave of unrest that led to more than 40 deaths last year.

An estimated 75 activists who the opposition considers political prisoners remain in jail for their role in the protests.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Former dictator Manuel Noriega broke a long silence to ask his countrymen on Wednesday to forgive actions by his military regime that culminated in the 1989 U.S. invasion.

Noriega began the brief jailhouse interview with local Telemetro station reading a handwritten statement in which he said his apology came after days of reflection with his family and members of the church.

He said he wasn't motivated by any personal interest but a sincere desire to bring closure to the military era, a dark chapter in Panama's history that left the country in ruin and hundreds dead.

"Before the altar of my conscience I've come to express myself in the spirit of forgiveness," Noriega said, his hand shaking but otherwise appearing in good health for his 81 years.

The onetime CIA informant hadn't spoken to a journalist since a 1996 interview with CNN's Larry King from a Miami federal prison, where, following his capture by American troops, he was sent for being a major conduit for Colombian cocaine traffickers.

After completing his sentence in the U.S., Noriega was extradited to France to serve time for money laundering. He returned to Panama in 2011 to complete a 60-year sentence for murder, corruption and embezzlement during the military's three-decade rule there.

Referring to himself as the "last general of the military era," Noriega apologized to those "offended, affected, injured or humiliated" by his own actions or those of his superiors and subordinates during the regime that he began serving as a low-ranking officer in the 1960s.

He didn't comment on any specific abuses and refused to take the bait when pressed about whether his act of contrition involved clarifying the still murky circumstances that led to the disappearance and murder of two prominent opponents.

Saying he was "totally at peace" with himself, Noriega said he didn't want to distract from the "solemnity" of his statement.

Reaction among Panamanians was mixed. Many on social media saw the apology as a surprising capitulation from the famously stubborn strongman, who lost his apparent interest and power to influence the country's politics years ago.

But others judged it as a sly move to pave the way for a presidential pardon or for him to finish his sentence under house arrest, something his lawyers have been seeking for years on medical grounds. Indeed, he prefaced his written statement with a brief protest against what he said were excessively long sentences imposed by Panamanian courts in absentia.

"The problem with Noriega is you can never distinguish between what's true or not," said R.M. Koster, an American novelist and biographer of Noriega who has lived in Panama for decades.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Ohio Gov. John Kasich says it's not practical or humane to deport the millions of immigrants who are in the United States illegally.

"I'm not for putting them on a school bus, driving them to the border, opening the door and just telling them to get out," Kasich told reporters.

The governor was on his first trip to early-voting Iowa as a potential Republican presidential candidate, and tried to draw distinctions with his would-be rivals on immigration and more. He favors fines for those here illegally but said Republicans need to show more compassion toward immigrants and minorities, as well as more sensitivity on the environment.

Plain-spoken, but with deadpan wit, Kasich drew applause and timely laughs from an audience of about 200 during a question-and-answer session in Des Moines.

"People are looking for someone to really speak plainly and openly to them," said Iowa state Rep. Mary Ann Hanusa, who said she is considering supporting Kasich, among others, in the Iowa caucuses in February.

Kasich also said he is open to sending U.S. fighting forces into direct combat in Iraq against the Islamic State group, which has overtaken cities that U.S. troops fought to seize from insurgents after the 2003 U.S.-led Iraq invasion.

"We should have a coalition and, if we have to, put boots on the ground and start destroying these people," Kasich later told a group of about 50 Republican professionals in Des Moines. "I think we have to be careful about where we go. But when we go, we have to mean business."

Among other GOP presidential prospects, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum have called for sending combat troops to Iraq.

Kasich says he'll decide soon whether to enter the 2016 race. Three other governors and four ex-governors either have joined the contest or are expected to soon.

Among them, Kasich also has extensive experience in Congress, with 18 years in the House, including time on the Armed Services Committee. He argues that background gives him an expertise few in the field share.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
President Barack Obama scolded a heckler at a gay pride month reception at the White House Wednesday, saying that the protester was being disrespectful in "my house."

The heckler, Jennicet Gutierrez, had interrupted Obama's remarks by protesting the detention and deportation of gay, lesbian and transgender immigrants.

Gutierrez is a transgender immigrant from Mexico and a member of FAMILIA TQLM, established to advocate for LGBTQ immigrants often excluded in the immigration debate.

"President Obama, release all LGBTQ immigrants from detention and stop all deportations." Gutierrez said, adding that she could not celebrate while some 75 transgender detainees were still in ICE custody.

The president responded to Gutierrez's interruption by saying, "Hold on a second." When the heckler persisted, Obama, flashing an exasperated look, countered, "OK, you know what?" Wagging his finger and shaking his head, Obama said, "No, no, no, no, no," repeating the word more than a dozen times.

As the heckler continued to talk over him, Obama took it up a notch.

"Hey. Listen. You're in my house," he said to laughter and woos from the crowd. "You know what? It's not respectful when you get invited to somebody. You're not going to get a good response from me by interrupting me like this. I'm sorry. I'm sorry ... Shame on you, you shouldn't be doing this."

In his remarks, Obama said that regardless of how the Supreme Court rules in an upcoming decision on gay marriage, there has been an undeniable shift in attitudes across the country. He said he's closely watching the decisions the high court will announce in the coming days, which include a case that could affirm the right of gay couples nationwide to marry.

The president singled out discrimination facing transgender Americans as an area where more progress needs to be made.

Obama's comments appeared to do little to appease Gutierrez, whose comments to the immigrant rights group #Not1More echoed what she told the president.

"The White House gets to make the decision whether it keeps us safe," explains Gutierrez "There is no pride in how LGBTQ and transgender immigrants are treated in this country. If the President wants to celebrate with us, he should release the LGBTQ immigrants locked up in detention centers immediately."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Finger-pointing burst into the open on Capitol Hill Wednesday over blame for hacking into the U.S. government's personnel records, which the chairman of a House oversight committee said might affect as many as 32 million current and former employees and others.

The head of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Katherine Archuleta, acknowledged to lawmakers that she was responsible for keeping the files safe but blamed the hackers, and an executive disputed an official account that hackers had used one of his employee's credentials in one of the break-ins. It was the third congressional hearing on the subject in recent days.

For Archuleta, it was the latest appearance before angry lawmakers demanding answers about the personal information, including information used for background investigations for those seeking a security clearance. Some lawmakers have urged the White House to fire her.

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, a Utah Republican, said Wednesday he had no confidence in Archuleta.

"I think you are part of the problem," Chaffetz said. "That hurricane has come and blown this building down, and I don't want to hear about putting boards up on windows (now). It's time for you to go."

Archuleta said it was the responsibility of her and her chief information officer to protect OPM records, but she again sought to steer blame to the hackers, whom she described as a "very dedicated, focused actor." Asked directly about reports that U.S. officials blamed China's government, she responded: "That's classified."

Across town, senior China diplomats were meeting with U.S. officials in the final day of meetings about strategic and economic issues.

On Capitol Hill, the chief operating officer for a federal contractor, KeyPoint Government Solutions Inc., told lawmakers that it wasn't his company's fault.

"There is absolutely no evidence that KeyPoint was responsible for that breach," executive Eric Hess said.

Hess countered assertions by Archuleta on Tuesday and Wednesday. She told lawmakers that hackers used a stolen KeyPoint credential to break into the network. Credentials are equivalent to electronic keys.

"There was a credential that was used, and that's the way they got in," Archuleta said, answering a question from Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J.

Hess later told lawmakers that Archuleta was referring to a KeyPoint employee who had an OPM account.

Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Pennsylvania, was critical of Hess's parsing of responsibility, saying he was making "some fine distinctions" in explaining the role of a KeyPoint employee in the data breach.

Archuleta told a Senate appropriations subcommittee on Tuesday that while a KeyPoint credential was used, "we don't have any evidence that would suggest that KeyPoint as a company was responsible or directly involved in the intrusion."

She said, in fact, that no one person was responsible, and blamed the hackers for the intrusion.

Archuleta has declined to say how many current or former government employees, contractors or job applicants may have been affected, repeating only the original figure of 4.2 million people disclosed last month.

Chaffetz asked Wednesday whether the figure could actually be as high as 32 million people.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Wednesday it is a challenge to determine the scope of breaches and who is responsible but promised "a serious commitment to trying to be as forthright as possible about what it is we know."

As Archuleta again defended herself and her agency, lawmakers pushed back.

"I disagree that nobody is to be held personally responsible," Chaffetz said. "As the head of the agency, Ms. Archuleta is in fact statutorily responsible."

Even the most sympathetic lawmaker during Wednesday's six-hour hearing suggested Archuleta wasn't helping herself with her responses.

California Democrat Rep. Mark DeSaulnier said Archuleta came across as "petulant, defensive and evasive."

The focus on Capitol Hill over the federal government's hacking continued during Wednesday's conclusion of important U.S.-China diplomatic meetings in Washington, known as the strategic and economic dialogue. It was not immediately clear whether the hacking came up during the meetings, although Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday said he anticipated "a very frank discussion of cyber security and other ongoing concerns."

Earnest has declined to discuss details of those meetings and said the government has not made any "public declaration" of who was behind the hack.

"The kinds of conversations that take place behind closed doors in the context of a summit as significant as the security, strategic and economic dialogue, are different than the kinds of public discussions that take place," Earnest said Tuesday. "After all, that's the reason that we would invite senior Chinese official to the United States, is so that we wouldn't have conversations through the media, but actually have an opportunity in a private setting to have a direct face-to-face discussion."

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram
Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton on Sunday joined fellow congressional Republicans in approving of President Obama punishing Russia for its part in an email hacking scheme related to the 2016 presidential race but said the action was long overdue.

Im glad, but its too late, Cotton, a member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, told Fox News Sunday.

On Thursday, Obama announced a set of sanctions in retaliation for Russias involvement in the hacking and public release of emails from the Democratic National Committee and the campaign chairman of the partys presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton.

The sanctions included expelling 35 Russian diplomats believed to be intelligence operatives and shuttering separate Russian compounds in New York and Maryland.

Cottons remarks are similar to those of House Speaker Paul Ryan and Texas GOP Sen. Mike McCaul, chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security.

I am pleased to see the Obama administration is finally responding to Russian meddling, McCaul said Thursday. But these actions are long overdue.  For years I have pressed them to stand up to Russia  . I look forward to working with the incoming Trump administration to make sure that  our adversaries do not to do it again.

Obama, a Democrat, vowed retaliation in the aftermath of Republican Donald Trumps upset victory in November over Clinton, despite Obama having just weeks left before Trump takes over the White House.

Trump has been skeptical of the statements by the U.S. intelligence community definitively linking the email hacks directly to Moscow.

And he has also insisted that its time for the country to move on to bigger and better things, while Cotton and other supporters continue to argue that Clinton lost the race as a result of a failed candidacy, not Russian President Vladimir Putins influence.

Still, Trump said after Obama announced the sanctions that he would meet with leaders of the intelligence community this week on the issue.

Putin has declined to retaliate for the sanctions, suggesting that hell wait to deal with Trump, with whom he appears to have a mutual admiration.

The support for Obamas sanctions from congressional Republicans including Cotton, McCaul and Ryan -- who also said such action was overdue -- were clearly measured to make clear they are ready to work with Trump, despite his skepticism.

Cotton also told Fox News Sunday that the hacking was just one many troubling action by Russia, citing the country's interference with NATO ships and its annexation in 2014 of Ukraines Crimea region.

President Obama has consistently looked the other way from Russias provocations and aggressions, Cotton said. The DNC hack last year was just one minor item in what Russia has done over the last eight years. 
The 115th Congress begins Tuesday with a full slate of business, though nothing will be more politically important or pressing for Republicans than repealing ObamaCare.

With Donald Trump set to officially become president on Jan. 20, Republican leaders in the House and Senate will begin repeal efforts shortly after Congress 59 new members -- seven senators and 52 House members -- are sworn in and the formalities are concluded.

The GOP, which now controls both Capitol Hill and the White House, has made dismantling the 2010 health care law a priority almost since it was signed by President Obama.

Lawmakers will also look at a tax overhaul, reversing Obama-era environmental regulations and other conservative priorities.

However, such efforts will have to share center stage with the Senate confirmation hearings for Trumps Cabinet picks in the days and months that follow the president-elects swearing-in.

It should be easier for Republicans to move nominations after Democrats changed the Senate's filibuster rules in 2013. Still, Democrats have pledged to fight many of the nominations, highlighting what they call the hypocrisy of Trumps populist message and his wealthy, corporate-favoring nominees for several posts.

Perhaps the biggest wild card in the new Congresss early weeks will be what to do about Russias involvement in several cyberattacks during this years presidential race -- in which Trump defeated Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

Trump has been skeptical about Russias involvement, while top GOP Sens. including Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Arizonas John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, have called for hearings on the issue and proposed sanctions beyond what President Obama imposed last week.

McCain told Fox News on Wednesday that he also wants to permanently station U.S. soldiers in the Baltic Sea countries bordering Russia and increase aid to neighboring Ukraine against Russian aggression -- to ensure Russian President Vladimir Putin knows this kind of interference will be responded to."

How GOP leaders and Trump negotiate the issue will likely depend on the outcome of the president-elects meeting this week with U.S. intelligence officials.

Republicans will face other obstacles from Democrats, beyond the Cabinet conformations.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., have already made efforts to stop proposed changes to entitlement programs like Medicare and Medicaid and to ObamaCare. Those efforts include a planned national Day of Action on January 15.

Bring it on, Schumer said in November, after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell vowed to make repealing ObamaCare a first order of business.

And Obama is scheduled to visit congressional Democrats on Wednesday to discuss ways to save his signature legislation.

Republicans likely wont be able to replace ObamaCare in its entirety for several years, considering they would need an alternative program for the roughly 22 million Americans who would lose their current health insurance.

In addition, Trump and both parties have expressed interest in a large transportation bill to create jobs and to fix the countrys aging infrastructure. But a clear plan has yet to emerge, with the estimated, billion-dollar price tag a likely sticking point among fiscal conservatives on the Hill.

The new Senate will have 52 Republicans, 46 Democrats and two Independents who caucus with the Democrats. The House will have 241 Republicans and 194 Democrats.

The Senate plans to begin repealing ObamaCare on Tuesday with consideration of a procedural measure that will shield them from Democratic filibuster legislation annulling much of that statute.

Lawmakers will then spend the next few months working on legislation canceling broad swaths of the law. Provisions that are most likely to go are the law's mandate that people buy health insurance or face IRS fines, as well as its expansion of Medicaid coverage to more lower-earning Americans.

Republicans will then begin the more complicated task of building a new system. The GOP will have to craft new programs for the nation's $3 trillion health care system and make sure insurance markets don't collapse while the transition is under way.

McConnell, Ky., and House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., also want a massive tax overhaul, with the goal of simplifying a complicated tax code that rewards wealthy people with smart accountants as well as corporations that can easily shift profits and jobs overseas.

It would be the first major tax overhaul in 30 years. Trump has also advocated a tax overhaul, but with fewer details. He promises a tax cut for every income level, with more low-income families paying no income tax at all.

Waiting in the wings will be confirmation hearings to replace Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who died 11 months ago.

McConnell blocked consideration of Obama's nominee, Judge Merrick Garland, saying the next president should make the pick. The strategy paid off, and the Republican Senate will consider whomever Trump nominates.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Sean Spicer, the incoming White House communications director, suggested Sunday that President Obamas imposing Russian sanctions related to email hacking was politically motivated, considering China recently did far worse without punishment.

Maybe it was; maybe it wasn't, Spicer said on ABCs This Week. China took over a million records. And a White House statement wasn't even issued.  So there is a question about whether there's a political retribution here versus a diplomatic response.

Obama, a Democrat leaving office next month after two terms, has insisted the hacking probe is non-political, saying, There is no doubt that when any foreign government tries to impact the integrity of our elections that we need to take action."

But he also has made clear his belief that the Russian hacking "create(d) more problems for the Clinton campaign than it had for the Trump campaign."

Obamas announcement Thursday of the sanctions follows the U.S. intelligence community making statements that connect Russia to the hacking and releasing of emails from the Democratic National Committee and John Podesta, the campaign chairman for 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

Clinton supporters argue that the emails contributed to Clinton's defeat by Republican nominee Donald Trump.

Spicer insisted several times Sunday that Trump will decide after meeting this week with U.S. intelligence officials about whether Russia and Russian President Vladimir Putin were indeed involved.

Meanwhile, he suggested that Americans, including the mainstream media, immediately and overwhelming accepted the assumption about Russias involvement without all of the facts.

Everyone in the media wants to jump forward and make a conclusion based off...anonymous sources that are coming out of the intelligence community, Spicer said.

He also argued that the Obama administrations report on the sanctions was supposed to prove Russias involvement but instead pointed out lapses in the DNCs Internet security.

What this says is that the DNC had a problem with their IT security and people tried to hack it and that (the DNC) needs to do a better job of protecting it, Spicer said.

He also seemed to suggest that Obamas punitive actions on Russia were politically motivated, considering their severity and because theyll be put in Trumps lap when he takes over the White House in three week.

You haven't seen a response like that in modern history for any action, Spicer said about Obama expelling 35 Russian diplomats and closing separate Russian compounds in Maryland and New York.

He argued that Obama took no known action two years ago when China took the million-plus records that included sensitive data on federal employees including him.

They sent everyone who had worked in the government a letter saying that youll get free monitoring of your credit, Spicer said. That's all they did.
Just because Congress ground to a virtual halt in 2016 doesnt mean the country stopped making new laws.

From taxes to minimum wage to gun control, a broad range of changes is coming at the state level as Americans ring in 2017. And, as has been the trend lately, the new year will bring far broader legalization of marijuana.

Its what The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, in a letter to Vice President-elect Mike Pence arguing against pot prohibitions, called an unprecedented schism between state and federal law in regards to  cannabis statutes. While that debate will play out anew as the Trump administration takes office with a law-and-order mandate, the schism grows wider in 2017.

Already, revelers in Massachusetts and California will have the legal option of pairing their New Years Eve champagne with a joint. Approved by voters in November, legal recreational pot use took effect on Dec. 15 in Massachusetts; legal personal use of the drug took effect in California shortly after voters approved it there, though retail sales are still months away from implementation.

Nevada legalized recreational pot on Jan. 1, and Maine will follow soon after.

Voters in the last election approved legalizing the drug for medical purposes in North Dakota, Montana, Florida and Arkansas. In Colorado, one of the first states to legalize pot, licensed medical marijuana growers will now be allowed to sell pot as well.

Colorado voters also backed an increase in the statewide minimum wage.

Starting Jan. 1, the wage increased from $8.31 to $9.30 per hour for non-tipped workers and will increase by $0.90 per hour every year until it reaches $12 an hour on Jan. 1, 2020.

Voters in Maine, Arizona and Washington also voted in favor of minimum wage hikes. An appeals court in Arizona recently rejected an effort by state businesses to delay the Jan. 1 implementation.

As wage hikes enter the pipeline, so have tax hikes:

In Portland, Ore., the city council passed a so-called CEO tax, a first-in-the-nation ordinance to put a tax surcharge on publicly traded companies whose CEOs earn 100 times more than the median wage of other company employees. According to the National Law Review, a surcharge of 10 percent of the base tax liability would be imposed on those companies beginning on Jan. 1.

Buying presents next Christmas or anything from Amazon also will be more expensive for Utah residents in 2017 thanks to a new law requiring online retailers to charge consumers a 4.7 state sales tax at the point of sale, rather than relying on the honor system.

On the tax relief side of the ledger, Illinois approved a measure tossing out a 6.25 percent luxury tax on tampons.

Illinois passed dozens of other laws, including changes so that starting Jan. 1 it will no longer be illegal to catch catfish using a pitchfork, speargun or bow and arrow. Critically, the term public hunting ground for pheasants will be replaced by public hunting ground for game birds.

On the West Coast, gun owners in California will face new restrictions after Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law banning the purchase of semiautomatic rifles with so-called evil features.

The evil features include pistol grips, flash hiders and bullet-buttons that make it easier to remove and replace ammunition magazines. The Los Angeles Times reported an increase in gun purchases in the lead-up to the Jan. 1 implementation.

The gun measure is one of the few new California laws that do not have roots on the desk of state Sen. Jerry Hill, the sponsor of 17 bills taking effect in the new year. The laws run the gamut from how police store their weapons in their vehicles to tour bus safety to restrictions on water use.

While Congress itself largely was inactive over the past year, a new regulation stemming from the Affordable Care Act, and set to take effect Jan. 1, could have far-reaching implications across the country.

Under the change, states will have the option to seek so-called Section 1332 waivers to try to modify parts of ObamaCare for their residents. A number of states have sought to get that process started  though the incoming Trump administration and Republican-controlled Congress want to repeal and replace the law as a whole next year.
Chilapa is a rural city located in the mountains of the Guerrero state, where marijuana and poppy, used for the production opium or heroin, have been cultivated for generations. The city is key to narco traffickers, who transport their drugs through it.
Hundreds of thousands of anti-Syrian demonstrators flooded the capital Monday in the biggest protest ever in Lebanon, surpassing the turnout for an earlier pro-Damascus rally organized by the Islamic militant group Hezbollah (search). In a show of national unity, Sunnis, Druse and Christians packed Martyrs' Square as brass bands played and balloons soared skyward.

The rally, perhaps the biggest anti-government demonstration ever staged in the Arab world, was the opposition's bid to regain momentum after two serious blows: the reinstatement of the pro-Syrian prime minister and a huge rally last week by the Shiite group Hezbollah.

Protesters  some bused in from across Lebanon (search)  jammed Martyrs' Square and spilled into nearby streets. They chanted, sang and shouted in a mix of the Arabic accents of the country's regions, demanding Syrian troops depart and that their government be purged of Damascus' influence.

The turnout was broader than earlier opposition protests, with more Sunni Muslims in particular joining the Christians and Druse (search) who have formed the bulk of past anti-Syrian rallies. Even some Shiites joined in.

"We came to liberate our country. We are coming to demand the truth," said Fatma Trad, 40, a Sunni woman wearing a headscarf. "I've been watching it all on television for the past month. Today, I wanted to be a part of it."

There was a party atmosphere on the Mediterranean seaside square, where many young faces were painted with the red and white colors and green cedar tree symbol of the Lebanese flag. And there were signs poking fun at Syria.

"Papa don't preach, I'm in trouble deep," read one, with a picture of Syrian President Bashar Assad apparently looking shamefaced at his late father, Hafez Assad. "Take them with you," another sign sneered at the departing Syrians, with pictures of Lebanese President Emile Lahoud and other Damascus allies.

As Syria pulls its troops toward the border for an eventual withdrawal from the country it has controlled for decades, both the pro-Syrian government and the opposition have been whipping up crowds in a duel of people-power one-upmanship.

Each side seeks to show it has the louder voice of the people behind it. For the opposition, Monday's rally was vital to demonstrate it could claim the street after Hezbollah's March 8 rally drew a half-million people. The Shiite group has organized large rallies in the past, but its showing last week was a sign of its determination to make sure no future Lebanese government would consider peace with Israel or pressure Hezbollah to disarm.

In recent days, opposition ads for Monday's rally have been running on television, and activists in towns and villages arranged buses to the capital. E-mails and telephone text messages referred to Prime Minister Omar Karami's claim that the Hezbollah demonstration showed the government had the support of the majority.

"Prove him wrong," the messages flashed across cellphones and computers.

The opposition is demanding the withdrawal of Syrian troops, the ouster of Syrian-allied security chiefs and an international inquiry into the killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and 17 others in a bombing many Lebanese blame on Syria and its allies. The opposition has rebuffed calls to join a new government until its demands are met.

Many in the crowd Monday also demanded the removal of President Lahoud.

"We want freedom. It is now or never!" said Rose Touma, a 55-year-old Christian, raising the Lebanese flag in one hand and, in her other, a picture of Hariri. "I thank God that I'm alive to witness this beautiful day."

The red and white flags were everywhere. A giant one 100 yards long was rolled out, and protesters waving flags in their hands climbed towering cranes and scaffolding along the walls of the Mohammed al-Amin Mosque.

One couple brought their 11-month-old baby, who slept in a stroller covered with the Lebanese flag. "This is how he expresses himself," said his smiling father.

Unlike some of the previous anti-Syrian protests, security forces did not attempt to block demonstrators or hinder their movement.

The only solemn moment was at 12:55 p.m., when protesters marked the exact time Hariri was killed Feb. 14. The silence was broken only by tolling church bells and the flutter of flags.

There were no official estimates of the crowd size, but Lebanon's leading LBC TV station and some police officers estimated it at about 1 million. An Associated Press estimate put the number at least 800,000. Either way it was the biggest demonstration ever in this country of 3.5 million.

Cars and buses carrying protesters jammed the main roads into Beirut, forcing some people to leave their vehicles and walk. Druse descended from the Chouf and Aley mountains east and southeast of the capital, Christians came from the heartland in the northeast and many Sunni Muslims came from Tripoli, Dinniyeh and Akkar. Others traveled to Beirut from Hariri's southern hometown, Sidon.

Many were particularly galled by Lahoud's reinstatement of Karami as prime minister last week  a slap in the opposition's face since anti-Syrian protests had forced him to resign only 10 days before.

The large Sunni turnout also suggests many in the community were shaken by the size of the Hezbollah rally and wanted to show their own strength. Shiites make up about a third of Lebanon's population, and Hezbollah is the country's best armed and best organized faction. Sunnis form the country's third biggest group after the Shiites and the Christians.

"We have everything to gain and nothing to lose anymore," said Ahlam Honeini, a Sunni mother of five who said she was ignoring her doctor's orders not to stand for long periods of time because of a slipped disc.

Responding to newspaper reports that authorities might ban protests, opposition leader Walid Jumblatt said: "No one confronts an entire people that wants freedom." And opposition lawmaker Fares Soeid said: "We will continue until all our demands are met."

Syria has been Lebanon's main power broker since sending troops to its neighbor in 1976 to help quell a civil war. The troops, at times numbering more than 35,000, remained after the war ended in 1990.
This summer Albania plans to debut what it hopes will become a new selfie spot for tourists: Sazan Island, a former military base that still has bunkers and tunnels designed to withstand nuclear attack.

"What once was an isolated, unreached spot, a mystery to almost all Albanians but a few then-communist leaders, may now turn into an attractive place, especially for foreign tourists," says Auron Tare of Albania's National Coastal Agency.

Sazan Island is still technically a military base, but only two sailors remain, offering night shelter to navies patrolling Albanian waters.

"It's a mysterious island, part of the old communist Albania's mystery," says Celine Damery of France's Conservatoire du Littoral, which conserves coastal areas.

The island's many trenches and tunnels show how much money the once cash-strapped communist government spent fearing a Western invasion. But now they're hoping Westerners will come, both to see Sazan and the country's other attractions  unspoiled beaches, tall mountains and history going back to ancient Greece. Tourism is now only 4.8 percent of Albania's GDP, and most current tourists are either Albanian immigrants visiting from Greece and Italy, or ethnic Albanians from neighboring Kosovo, Macedonia or Montenegro.

In addition to its military history, Sazan is also home to rare birds and reptiles, with temperatures a pleasant 50 to 77 degrees F year-round. Half the island's shore is accessible only from the water, due to high rocks on land, but officials think it will be an appealing place for activities like bird-watching and diving. Damery says Sazan's "biodiversity, landscape and heritage" are unusual for the Mediterranean.

Walking uphill on a mile-long pathway through pine trees and singing birds, many of the 3,600 one-man bunkers can still be seen dotting the hills, often in the shade of wild fig trees. It's not easy getting inside the bunkers though: They're still guarded  by lizards and the occasional snake.

Inland, the spooky, ruined buildings still contain old beds, kitchen utensils, school benches and chairs. More than 3,000 troops lived here at a time, with enough food, ammunition and fuel to sustain them for six months.

Sazan "was Albania's airplane carrier into the sea, the port of defense for (the nearby city of) Vlora and the Karaburun peninsula, the key to controlling the Otranto Strait," says Ibrahim Gaxholi, 73, commander for the base from 1975 to 1992.

Due to lack of maintenance, roofs have collapsed on a tailor's building and small battery factory. But much of the destruction occurred in the last 25 years, since Albania became democratic. The now-empty ammunition and fuel depots were looted in 1997, when turmoil followed the collapse of pyramid investment schemes that bankrupted Europe's poorest population. More recently a cinema and former command building were destroyed as targets for joint military exercises with British troops.

The Italian army was stationed here in the 1930s; Italian floor tiles can still be seen in some places. Another interesting spot is a small separate villa, with old equipment that served to monitor movements of U.S. and Italian ships, especially during the 1950s and 1960s when Albania was close to the then-Soviet Union. And hidden among the pine trees on a hill is the villa of a communist defense minister, Beqir Balluku, who was executed by late communist dictator Enver Hoxha as a traitor.

The island needs power and drinking water installed before tourists can be brought to visit, but Tare has lots of ideas for Sazan's future. Anti-nuclear tunnels would be cool for visitors on hot summer days, and could maybe even repurposed as wine cellars, Tare says. Maybe an international school or research center for underwater and coastal heritage could be created here. One idea that's been rejected: offers from Las Vegas investors to turn the island into a casino.

"This summer I will invite Western ambassadors for a visit and more, for sure, are to come," said Tare.
Three people were killed after two small planes collided in midair near McKinney, Texas Saturday afternoon.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the two planes collided near Aero Country Airport shortly after 5:30 p.m.

FAA spokesman Lynn Lunsford says "both aircraft were flying under Visual Flight Rules and were not in contact with air traffic control at the time of the collision."

Local fire department officials confirmed to the FAA that three people died in the crash.

Additional details were not immediately available about those killed in the collision.

McKinney Police Department said on Facebook that the crash is under investigation by the FAA and NTSB and will release further details.

FOX 4 reported that Larry Ferracioli was playing volleyball with his daughter Natalie in their front when they spotted the two planes taking off together from the nearby airport.

He said the planes were banking a left turn when one of the aircrafts slammed into the other.

Remains of the wreckage were spotted at a nearby intersection and at storage unit facility, which sparked a small fire, FOX 4 reported.

The Aero Country Airport is a private airport about 35 miles north of downtown Dallas.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
An Army vet says his military training kicked in when a man was shot at a Walmart in the Red Bird area of Dallas, Texas on Friday.

Rafael Semmler told FOX 4 that he and his family were at the Walmart when they heard gunfire. After making sure his family got out safely, he returned to the store to see if there was anything he could do to help.

Everybody started running towards us screaming theyre shooting, theyre shooting, Semmler recalled. You dont really think about it, its just at that time its kind of like instinct, its what youve been trained to do.

Semmler was in the military for eleven years as an infantryman and a medic, serving places like Kuwait, Iraq and Bosnia.

He said a man had been shot in the arm and losing a lot of blood.

Instantly, I grabbed shirts, ripped them off, put pressure points on the entrance and exit wound, Semmler added. [I] tied it up, told him its going to hurt He just kept telling me please dont leave me, just stay with me. Stay here.

Dallas police told FOX 4 that three men met at the Walmart to buy a cell phone, but the deal went south. The man shot, who has not been identified, was involved in the assault.

Police are still looking for two others who fled after the shooting. No description of the suspects has been released.
It's been a construction project decades in the making, but New Yorkers' long wait for a subway under the Upper East Side of the Manhattan finally became a reality on Sunday, when a stretch of the new Second Avenue line opened up to riders.

The nearly 2-mile segment opened at noon, adding three new stations along Second Avenue at 96th, 86th and 72nd streets and a new connection to an existing subway line at 63rd Street.

The first train left the station at East 96th Street at noon after a speech by Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who pushed to meet a New Year's Day deadline for the long-delayed project.

"I hope when you go down there you really feel how much hard work and time and patience it's taken to get to this point," Cuomo said. "It's incredible. This is not your grandfather's station."

The mood was festive on the first train, with many riders wearing hats that read Second Avenue Station, including Jessica Hauser and her boyfriend, Neil Smith, who both live on the Upper East Side.

"I can see my friends in Brooklyn much easier now," Hauser told the Associated Press. "It's really great to have another subway nearby. I think it's going to release a lot of pressure from the 4, 5 and 6 trains. Especially in the morning when I have to sometimes wait for a second or third train, since they're so packed."

A ceremonial first ride took place on Saturday night for an invitation-only crowd of dignitaries, about 90 minutes before the New Year's Eve ball drop in Times Square.

Seen as crucial to alleviating congestion in the nation's biggest subway system, the new line is expected to carry about 200,000 riders a day. The entire system transports about 5.6 million riders on an average weekday.

The city's transportation board first envisioned a Second Avenue subway in 1929, but the stock market crash and the Great Depression derailed the plan.

Ground was broken in 1972, but a fiscal crisis in the city slammed the brakes on the project again. The project finally got into high gear when major tunneling work began in 2007.

The $4.4 billion section opening Sunday was initially supposed to be completed in 2013. Delays stemmed partly from concerns about construction noise.

Local business owners and residents were celebrating construction finally coming to an end.

Im ready to make a living again! barber Emin Cekic told the New York Post. Cekic, whose Second Avenue shop is right near one of the new 72nd Street subway entrances  and was nearly forced to close because of the seemingly endless noise, barricades and detoured traffic of construction.

Its been really terrible for eight years, Cekic told the Post.

Thee line is slated to expand north into East Harlem in the next phase of expansion. No date has been set for starting that phase of construction.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Detroit police opened an investigation last week after mummified remains were found in the garage of an occupied home.

A would-be homebuyer made the shocking discovery Thursday, Fox 2 Detroit reported.

The body was entombed in the backseat of a dust-covered Plymouth that was 25 or 26-years-old, the Detroit News reported.

It appears the body had been there for years and was beyond the decomposition stage, the paper reported, citing a spokesman for the Wayne County Medical Examiners Office.

The house had been rented to a family that never used the detached garage.

A police spokesman told the paper the property owner told the family basically dont go in the garage, dont put anything in the garage.

He said investigators would be contacting the property owner.

It's unclear to cops at this point who the dead person is or how he or she died and when.

There may be answers when the autopsy is performed this week. The examination will include a Michigan University anthropologist, the News reported.

Fox 2 also reported that police want to interview the property owner and to track down records that would show who lived in the house in the past and who registered the car.

In addition, the station reported, that the car was seized as evidence.

Click here for more from Fox 2 Detroit.
A Waffle House waitress in Georgia says she was fired for shooting her gun at three fleeing robbers.

Heather (Shorty) Burkinshaw-Stanley said she was only trying to defend herself and her co-workers, The Newnan Times-Herald reported Sunday.

I was in fear for my life, my co-workers lives, and I did what I thought was right, she told the paper.

Three men ate at Burkinshaw-Stanleys Waffle House early Thursday. Instead of paying for their meal, the men gave the cashier a note threatening to shoot everyone if their demand for money from the register wasnt met, the paper reported.

Police said they left after another waitress gave them $200.

Burkinshaw-Stanley said her gun was in her car.

I safely fired a round in the air in an attempt to scare the robbers who were in the process of getting in their vehicle, not knowing if they were retrieving their weapon to return to the Waffle House, she said on GoFundMe. My shot must have gotten their attention as they rapidly drove off.

The paper reports that Burkinshaw-Stanley was told she was fired on Friday. She had worked at the Waffle House for two years.

A Waffle House spokesman declined to discuss the matter, the paper reported.

Burkinshaw-Stanley said she was seeking donations because she is raising three kids and her husband is disabled.
Former Polish president and anti-communist leader Lech Walesa unveiled a statue of Ronald Reagan on an elegant Warsaw street on Monday, honoring the late U.S. president for inspiring Poland's toppling of communism.

Though Reagan's legacy is mixed in the U.S., across much of central and eastern Europe he is considered the greatest American leader in recent history for challenging the Soviet Union.

The moniker he gave it -- the "evil empire" -- resonated with Poles, who suffered greatly under Moscow-imposed rule.

"I wonder whether today's Poland, Europe and world could look the same without president Reagan," Walesa said. "As a participant in those events, I must say that it's inconceivable."

The 11.5-foot bronze statue depicts a smiling Reagan in a historic moment -- as he stood at a podium at Berlin's Brandenburg gate in 1987 and said the famous words, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall."

It sits across from the U.S. Embassy on Aleje Ujazdowskie, a street lined with embassies and manicured parks in the heart of the capital.

"Reagan gave us hope," said Janusz Dorosiewicz, the president of the board of the Ronald Reagan Foundation in Poland. He conceived of the monument and struggled for six years with bureaucracy to secure the prized location for the statue.

Several statues of Reagan have gone up this year, the centennial of Reagan's birth. Most notably, monuments to him have been erected in London and in Budapest, Hungary, and yet another is to be unveiled later this week in the former Soviet republic of Georgia.

"We've been joking that there are so many statues that we should do a coffee table book," said Linda Bond, a representative of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, who was in Warsaw for the ceremony.
The Secret Service sex scandal has spawned X-rated jokes, inspired a spicy song set to a local Caribbean beat, and made an unlikely celebrity of a 42-year-old taxi driver who lives with his mother and now seems to be in hiding.

With no other decent leads locally, scoop-hungry journalists fought all week for the favor of Jose Pena, the president of the Hotel Caribe taxi stand who happened to drive home the prostitute who set the scandal in motion.

Fiercely competitive reporters from tabloids to TV networks accused one another of bidding up Pena's fees. He would disappear for hours in the employ of one or another, the spurned reporters redialing him incessantly, filling his voice mail box with entreaties.

It was Pena, after all, who led journalists to the whitewashed, two-family house on a quiet cul-de-sac on the edge of town where he said the woman lived with her 9-year-old son. And he described how the woman told him a Secret Service agent refused to pay her full fee and locked his door at the five-star hotel the morning of April 12.

"He's the most important man in the world this week," joked fellow taxi driver William Jimenez.

Colombians had riotous fun at the Americans' expense on Twitter and Facebook, with one wag tying the charge that one of the agents had tried to shortchange one of the prostitutes with the U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement whose implementation was announced just after the summit:

"I don't think any mistake was made. They thought that now that the FTA was approved there was no need to pay tariffs."

There was also a sense of indignation. "It's pretty clear that they want to treat Latin America as a brothel," the Colombian newsmagazine Semana quoted one tweet as saying about the U.S. agents.

The scandal broke after police and hotel security workers were called into the dispute between the woman and the agent over money.

Soon, 11 agents were headed back to the U.S. to face misconduct charges. Six have since lost their jobs, and the U.S. military is separately investigating 11 servicemen. U.S. investigators have determined that about 20 Colombian women spent the night at the Caribe with members of President Barack Obama's security detail less than 48 hours before his arrival for a summit.

"The secret agents didn't think about Obama. All they thought about was being in bed," said the song taking off on the scandal that got its video release Saturday evening at a Cartagena club.

Several dozen U.S.-based reporters had rushed to the colonial Caribbean port to report on the developing sex scandal, joining those already there to cover last weekend's Summit of the Americas.

They've scoured bars and discotheques that prostitutes frequent, with names like Isis and Elektra, logging hours and downing overpriced cocktails while trying to find at least one of the women who allegedly spent the night with members of Obama's security detail.

It didn't help that Hotel Caribe workers were muzzled by their employer and normally helpful senior Colombian police and government officials also clammed up.

One news outlet eventually published photos, found on Facebook, that it said were of the woman who set off the scandal.

The Facebook page was taken down soon after, but by then reporters had a photo of the bikini-clad woman to help in their search. It was shown to desk clerks, maids and bellhops in hopes they would identify her as having been at the hotel.

Neighbors of the home where Pena took journalists identified the woman as "Dania," a woman in her mid-20s from the Caribbean island of San Andres who abandoned her home Wednesday morning with her 9-year-old son and live-in maid and went into hiding.

Other taxi drivers also tried to cash in on the media frenzy. One tried to charge a reporter eight times the customary fee.

"Pena charged 500,000 pesos ($280) for the same thing," driver Marcos Miranda objected after a two-hour hire before resignedly accepting the equivalent of $30.

Yet Pena also broke a code of silence that protects sex workers and others, including cabbies, who take a cut of their earnings in exchange for finding clients, several drivers said privately.

Pena sounded distressed Friday in a phone conversation. Colombian prosecutors had called him in for questioning later that morning and he said he was afraid of being thrown in jail.

An Associated Press reporter who was still trying to catch up with him to have him identify the published photo as the woman he drove home from the Hotel Caribe encountered a worried mother, Gloria Hoyos, at the family home. "I don't eat. I don't sleep," she said, fighting back tears.

By Saturday, Pena's dizzying ride helping the media was over.

His one-story house in a lower-middle class neighborhood, where his 68-year-old mother sells gelatin desserts and flavored ice through barred windows, was shuttered and sealed with a padlock.

The woman known has Dania, meanwhile, has retained a lawyer named Marlon Betancourt, who has refused requests by the AP for comment. But he told another news organization that his client expects to sue the Secret Service agent for abusive behavior.

And his client intends to sell her story.

A police officer at the prosecutor's office, who was not authorized to be quoted by name, predicted big things for "Dania."

"She's going to be famous," he said. "Just wait. She'll be on the cover of Playboy magazine."

___

Associated Press writers Pedro Mendoza and Marko Alvarez in Cartagena and Vivian Sequera in Bogota contributed to this report.

___

Frank Bajak on Twitter: http://twitter.com/fbajak
Mohamed Nor's phone rings constantly, kept busy by the property hunters who want to own a piece of Mogadishu. Other clients sit on a chaise longue inside his airy office in the battle-scarred Somali capital, waiting patiently for the real estate agent's attention.

"Yes, we have any sort of property," Nor tells one caller. "Come to me today so I can show you some."

This seaside city's real estate market has seen an upsurge in demand over the last two years, thanks in large part to security gains made following the ouster of the al-Qaida-linked insurgents of al-Shabab. Although Mogadishu and other parts of Somalia are still a long way from firm stability and suffer the occasional militant attack, property brokers such as Nor now answer the many calls of ordinary Somalis who want to invest their money at home.

The real estate boom started with the arrival of aid agencies that assisted thousands of famine-hit Somalis in 2011. Those foreign aid workers who briefly moved into Mogadishu paid higher rents. More and more houses are now available for sale or rent, in part because landlords appear eager to tap into the influx of new arrivals from the diaspora.

On a recent morning, as Nor sipped strong coffee in his office, two portly men arrived and asked to be shown around. He stepped out with the potential buyers, pointing here and there at newly built houses for sale. When the men settled on a gritty stone house located near the presidential lodge, negotiations with the owner quickly commenced and a deal was sealed within hours: $900,000.

That figure was unthinkable two years ago, Nor said, estimating that such a house would not have fetched more than $80,000 at a time when the city was largely covered in rubble amid fierce fighting between African Union-backed government troops and al-Shabab fighters.

The $900,000 deal illustrated dramatic changes in the property sector of a country where many still live on less than $1 a day. The appearance of growing security may be encouraging speculation, piling pressure on poor Somali families who cannot afford higher rents. Many have been evicted after failing to pay rising monthly rents.

"We were sadly left at the mercy of merciless landlords," said Sahra Hashi, a mother of six who was forced to move out of her long-time residence after her landlord increased the rent. "Life is getting tougher for us." The monthly rent was raised from $450 to $1,500  a figure that she believes could only be afforded by expatriates such as the one who has since occupied the house.

Sensing the possibility of higher returns, some landlords are subdividing their properties into smaller units to accommodate more tenants.

Yusuf Abdiqadir, a father of two who pays $500 for a one-bedroom apartment in Mogadishu, said a lack of many housing options leaves some tenants especially vulnerable to landlords who raise the rent on short notice.

One real estate agent, Liban Hashi, said it is simply "good business" that property prices have more than quadrupled in a couple of years in this hardscrabble city.

Both Nor and Liban said they can make up to $10,000 in commissions weekly, about as much as they used to earn yearly when Mogadishu was still in the grip of al-Shabab. The most desirable, and expensive, houses tend be located closer to the sea or the seat of Somalia's government, where security is believed to be tighter, brokers said. Some residential houses have been sold for as much as $3 million, according to Nor.

The brokers owe their success in part to the aura of chaos that still pervades Mogadishu, where it is hard to collect taxes and the economy depends on a thriving informal sector. Properties are not advertised in the media, and real estate agents, who are often middle-aged Somali men, get their information by walking the streets of Mogadishu and seeking out potential sellers. In open restaurants and spots within the sprawling Bakara market, potential buyers meet brokers and consider possible deals.

The informal nature of the property market encourages scams and land disputes, producing dozens of land claimants with title deeds who attend court in Mogadishu each week to settle land disputes.

Halimo Sheikh Ahmed, a Somali-American woman who says she is locked in a dispute with a man who claims ownership of her father's land, described Mogadishu's property market as "complicated."

"They get fake documents and claim your land," she said. "There's no way out, except to fight for your rights."
next Image 1 of 2

prev Image 2 of 2

On Saturday, Joshua Holts Venezuelan nightmare will reach 100 days. Three days later, on Oct. 11, the Utah man jailed in Caracas prison will know his fate in a long-postponed hearing in which his defense will request his release.

He hopes to be freed that day, Jeanette Prieto, Holts attorney, told Fox News Latino.

The court date was initially set for Sept. 14 but it never happened because the appointed judge, Elena Cassiani, failed to appear. No explanation was ever given.

Holt, 24, was arrested June 30 on weapons charges just five days after flying to the country to marry Thamara Caleno Candelo, a woman he met on an online Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints website. They are both Mormons.

Venezuela authorities contend Holt was using his wife's apartment to stockpile weapons and have suggested his case was linked to other attempts by the U.S. to undermine President Nicolas Maduro's socialist rule amid deep economic and political turbulence.

Holt and his wife insist the weapons were planted.

If the hearing does take place next week, Judge Cassiani will rule whether the charges can be fully dropped or if the case merits to a trial. He could also be allowed to be released pending trial.

Holts situation is particularly difficult for his family, who lives in Utah.

According his mother, Laurie Moon Holt, Josh has been severely impacted emotionally and she is beyond worried over his state.

His depression has reached an all-time high. My heart breaks that I can't be there to hold him with both arms wrapped around him so tight, she wrote on Facebook Tuesday.

Edder Jimenez, the president of a Caracas Mormon chapter, told FNL they are helping in every way they can. However, the visitor policy at the prison where they are both being held is quite restrictive.

The only people that are allowed to visit Holt are his attorney and representatives from the U.S. embassy, said Jimenez.

In the past few days, the U.S. government seems to have increased its diplomatic pressure over the Holt case. Persistent rumors this week signaled the impeding visit of U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, Thomas Shannon, to Caracas to address the case.

But as of Wednesday none of it was confirmed.

We have no travel plans to announce at this time for Under Secretary Shannon, a State Department spokesperson told FNL on Tuesday night.

In a meeting with President Maduro on Sept. 26, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry raised the detentions of Holt and Francisco Marquez, a Venezuelan-American political activist from the opposition arrested a few days before Holt.

We are following these cases closely, a spokesperson told Fox News Latino. We will continue to provide all assistance to Mr. Holt and Mr. Marquez through our embassy in Caracas. The Embassy is in contact with their families and continues on a regular basis to attempt to visit both prisoners. We call on the Venezuelan government to respect due process and human rights.

Another U.S. government source said to FNL that representatives from the embassy last saw Holt on Sept. 21.

We are waiting hopefully for Oct. 11th hearing results, the source added.

Venezuela and U.S.s diplomatic relations have been strained for close to two decades, since Hugo Chavez took power in 1999. Despite this, Holts attorney and Jimenez refused to comment about any political implication that his case might have.

Holt is being held at El Helicoide, a prison controlled by Venezuelas intelligence police (Sebin) that also holds a handful of political prisoners.

As it happens, Sebins director is General Gustavo Gonzalez Lopez, a well-known Chavista who was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2014 for human rights violations. And the intelligence police operate under the Interior Ministry, which is currently headed by General Nestor Reverol, who just two months ago was indicted for drug trafficking by a U.S. federal court.
next Image 1 of 3

prev next Image 2 of 3

prev Image 3 of 3

Antonio Guterres is starting his first day as the new secretary-general of the United Nations with an appeal to all people in the world to make a New Year's resolution: "Let us resolve to put peace first."

The former Portuguese prime minister and U.N. refugee chief made the plea just after taking over the reins of the United Nations from Ban Ki-moon whose second five-year term ended at midnight on Dec. 31.

Guterres said the only way to help "the millions of people caught up in conflict, suffering massively in wars with no end in sight" is for citizens, governments and leaders to "strive to overcome our differences."

"All that we strive for as a human family  dignity and hope, progress and prosperity  depends on peace," he said.
Parts of Syria saw continued fighting Saturday, on the second day of a nationwide cease-fire intended to pave the way for peace talks between the government and the opposition in the new year.

Activists reported pro-government forces were pressing on several fronts against two strategically-located opposition pockets around the capital, Damascus, while Russia's military deployment to Syria reported twelve cease-fire violations it blamed on rebels Friday. Russia is a key ally of the Syrian government.

Nevertheless, the Russian and Turkish brokered truce held for the most part on a day marked by rain and overcast skies, preserving the possibility for peace talks in the Kazakhstan capital of Astana in the second half of January.

The U.N. Security Council is scheduled to meet at 11 a.m. ET to vote on a resolution to endorse the cease-fire and roadmap to peace beginning with a transitional government for the country.

The resolution also calls for the "rapid, safe and unhindered" access to deliver humanitarian aid throughout the country.

The developments signal the possibility of a diplomatic breakthrough after nearly six years of conflict that has drawn in world powers, displaced half the Syrian population, and killed more than 400,000 people. The parties have defied previous peace initiatives.

It follows months of talks between Ankara and Moscow that culminated in a cease-fire agreement that went into effect Thursday at midnight.

Moscow along with Iran provides crucial military support to Syrian President Bashar Assad, while Turkey has long served as a rear base and source of supplies for the opposition.

The three powers, Russia, Iran, and Turkey, have agreed to sponsor talks between the government and the opposition in Astana if the truce holds holds.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said at least two civilians and five militants have been killed in battles over opposition-held Eastern Ghouta and Barada Valley regions around Damascus, since the truce came into effect Thursday at midnight.

The Barada Valley Media Center said Russian and Syrian government aircraft struck villages in the water-rich region for the 10th consecutive day Saturday. The raids have coincided with a severe water shortage in Damascus since Dec. 22. The valley is the region's primary source of water.

The Syrian military on Friday denied attacking the valley, saying it would not violate the truce brokered by Russia and Turkey.

Meanwhile, Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency reported the death of an Islamic State commander in a Turkish airstrike near the north Syrian town of al-Bab on Friday. The truce does not cover operations against the Islamic State or al-Qaida's Syria affiliate, the Fatah al-Sham front.

Anadolu identified the commander as Abu Ansari. The report could not be independently verified.
A man broke into a house in southeastern Brazil where his ex-wife was ringing in the New Year and shot and killed her, their son and at least 10 other people before taking his own life, military police said Sunday.

The man was carrying "several firearms," when he attacked the family in Campinas, about 60 miles (100 kilometers) from Sao Paulo, according to Cpl. Marta Aurelia.

Thirteen people were killed, including the man's ex-wife, the couple's 8-year-old boy and other family members. Aurelia wasn't sure if that total included the gunman. Another three people were wounded.

At least one of those wounded escaped by running to a neighbor's house. Neighbor Christiano Machado said he heard the shots a little before midnight but assumed they were fireworks.

"When we opened the gate to go into the street to see the fireworks, the celebrations, a wounded person came into our yard. He entered, asking for help," he said in a video posted on the G1 news portal.

Violence against women is prevalent in Brazil, where disturbing cases are reported nearly every day. In May, images and video shared on social media brought to light the apparent gang rape of a 16-year-old girl in a case that rocked Brazil and drew promises from the government that more would be done to stem such violence. But shocking attacks have continued. In October, a 34-year-old woman alleged she was gang-raped in a bar on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro and a man was caught on security video brutally beating up a woman, also in a bar.

The government has tried to address the problem. In 2015, it stiffened penalties for homicides of women and girls in which gender played a role. At the time, authorities said 15 women are killed daily in Brazil, often in situations of domestic violence.

The shooting capped off a year when violence in Brazil was in the spotlight as it hosted the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Much of the violence happens among drug-trafficking gangs or between those gangs and police in the sprawling slums of Brazil's major cities. Civilians and tourists have occasionally been caught up in that violence, often when they take a wrong turn and accidentally find themselves in a dangerous neighborhood.

Last week also saw the killing of the Greek ambassador. Investigators believe that a policeman who was having an affair with the diplomat's wife carried assault after conspiring with her.
Cologne's chief of police dismissed claims of racial profiling Sunday after officers detained hundreds of North African men in an effort to prevent a repeat of sexual assaults during New Year's festivities in the German city a year ago.

The men had gathered late Saturday at Cologne's main train station and in the Deutz district, across the Rhine river. In an overnight tweet, police had described them as being "seemingly of African descent," prompting online criticism that people were being detained based on their appearance alone.

"I reject this negative criticism," Police Chief Juergen Mathies told reporters. "The clear aim was to prevent similar events to previous year."

Hundreds of people were robbed and sexually assaulted during New Year's celebrations in Cologne last year. The crimes were blamed largely on men of North African origin who had taken advantage of chaotic and crowded scenes around the city's cathedral.

Mathies said he had instructed officers to intervene sooner this year. Of the 650 people detained for identity checks, almost all were from North African countries, he said.

"Their characteristics were such that potential crimes could indeed be expected," he added, without elaborating,

About 100 people in all were arrested overnight, while authorities logged about 160 crimes that included almost a dozen assaults or insults of a sexual nature, police said.

Cologne Mayor Henriette Reker said she was "happy and relieved" that the night had passed fairly uneventfully. About 50,000 people rang in the new year in front of Cologne Cathedral, officials said.

Anti-immigration groups seized upon last year's assaults to criticize the government, although police noted that very few suspects came from the same countries as the majority of migrants who arrived in Germany during the previous two years.
The Cake Shop Bakery, Suffolk has been crowned this years Britains Best Bakery.

Sibling duo David and Lindsay Wright took the title after they impressed judges in the final with their English rose-themed four-tiered wedding cake.

Speaking to British Baker, Lindsay said: It feels really good to have won, and its wonderful to talk about it! It happened in the summer, and loads of people have been bringing in cards and stopping us in the street, making us feel really famous.

Lindsay added that the bakery, which produces a range of breads and cakes, has experienced increased sales since the final aired.

It has already been incredibly busy since it came out, and hopefully we can sustain a bit of that.

Following the announcement, judge Mich Turner MBE tweeted the bakery: "@cakeshopbakery the news is officially out, so I can wholeheartedly congratulate you and your bakery. Worthy winners. Very well done."

Commenting on the achievement, Mike Holling, chief executive of the Craft Bakers Association of which the Wrights are members, said: I am very, very pleased they won. Its a great advertisement for craft baking.

The business was founded by the Wrights grandfather in 1946, before it was taken over by their father. Now, the family-run business is run by the pair and their three other siblings.
next Image 1 of 2

prev Image 2 of 2

Police in Florence say a bomb-squad officer was wounded when a suspicious package he was examining exploded.

The Italian news agency ANSA said police noticed the package, which apparently had a timer and wires, at 5 a.m. Sunday outside a closed bookshop with links to a neo-fascist activist group, CasaPound. Police chief Alberto Intini said the officer suffered very serious eye and hand injuries.

Italy occasionally sees explosions blamed on right-wing or left-wing extremists. In the 1970s and early '80s it suffered bombings, slayings and kidnappings during domestic terrorism.

Mayor Dario Nardella says peaceful Florence "isn't represented by the horrors" of the blast.

Florence Cardinal Giuseppe Betori decried criminals who wanted a "bloody passage from the old year to the new."
More than 50 Moroccan and Spanish border guards were injured repelling around 1,100 African migrants who attempted to storm a border fence and enter Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta, Spanish authorities said Sunday.

A regional government spokesman told The Associated Press that 50 Moroccan and five Spanish border guards were injured early on Sunday when the large group of migrants tried to enter Spain.

The spokesman said two migrants managed to reach Spanish soil. Both were injured in scaling the six-meter (20-foot) -high border fence and were taken to a hospital by Spanish police. He spoke anonymously in line with government policy.

A further 100 migrants climbed the fence, but Spanish agents sent them directly back to Morocco.

Last month, more than 400 migrants succeeded in breaching Ceuta's fence in one of the biggest crossing attempts of recent years.

Hundreds of sub-Saharan African migrants living illegally in Morocco try to enter Ceuta and Melilla, Spain's other North African enclave, each year in hope of getting to Europe.

Most migrants who try to cross are intercepted on the spot and returned to Morocco. Those that make it over the fences are eventually repatriated or let go.

Thousands more try to reach Europe by crossing the Mediterranean Sea, often in small craft unfit for the open sea.

Also on Sunday, a ship of Spain's maritime rescue service rescued 52 migrants trying to reach Spain's southern coast in a small boat.
Fewer Virginians are smoking, a new report finds, a promising sign for residents overall health.

But simultaneously, fewer children are being immunized, which could lead to bigger problems down the road.

In the United Health Foundations 27th annual report, Americas Health Rankings, Virginia inched up the ladder to No. 19 on the list in 2016, a jump of two ranks since last year.

The United Health Foundation is a nonprofit organization created by the UnitedHealth Group, of which UnitedHealthcare, the largest insurer in the country, is a subsidiary.

Dr. Ed Koza, a senior medical director with UnitedHealthcare, attributes Virginias move up in the ranks to the states lower rates of smoking, which fell from 19.5 percent to 16.5 percent in the past year.

He also noted that Virginias rate of drug deaths10.1 deaths per 100,000 peopleis lower than the rest of the countrys rate of 14 deaths per 100,000.

But the other caution there, Koza said, referring to the rate of drug deaths, is that it has increased (in Virginia) year over year.

Virginia has seen a decrease in the infant mortality ratefrom 7.3 to 6 deaths per 1,000 live births in the past five years. But that rate is still above the national average of 5.9 deaths per 1,000 live births.

Additionally, in the past year fewer Virginia children have received immunizations. The rate has dropped from 73.7 percent of children aged 19 to 35 months to 64.4 percent

Koza said he does not know why immunization rates may be lower, but said he thinks its an area to focus on and improve going forward.

He also cautioned that, while Virginias rate of cardiovascular disease is lower than the national rate, it is still something to address.

Nationally, there are 251.7 cardiovascular deaths per 100,000 population, while the rate is 239 per 100,000 in Virginia.

I think what we need to do in Virginia is to continue to be aware of the habits that lead to cardiovascular mortality, Koza said.

About 2 in 7 adults in Virginia are obese, the United Health Foundation report finds, and that is just one condition that could lead to diabetes or cardiovascular disease.

Theres no doubt that being overweight actually leads to diabetes, he said. A lot of times people dont understand that diabetes can be prevented if we can attain a healthier body weight.

But Virginia is making strides toward lower rates of cardiovascular disease by reducing its number of smokers, Koza pointed out.

The purpose of reports like the United Health Foundations is to take a broader look at the health of the population, he explained.

It provides a direction and road map in a number of different ways, he said. Both kind of on an individual levelwhat are our own health behaviors that are leading to us not being as healthy as we could beand then I think you can see in [the numbers)]as well that there are a lot of system measures included. How is the health system performing?

In total, the report found that there are 6,508 years of life lost before the age of 75 per 100,000 people in Virginia due to premature death caused by preventable diseases.
Wow! Another year gone; another new year ahead. Will this one fly by like the last? It really is true, what they say about the years going by more quickly the older you are. Ive got the years to prove it.

And along with those fleeting years, even the decades dont waste any time.

I had lunch yesterday with a genuine centenarian, a delightful lady who still had her hearing, eyesight and, most important, her mind including a sharp sense of humor.

She said she been born in Richmond and asked where I began life.

Ive lived in 33 different places, she explained, and I knew why since her husband had been an Army general.

Growing up in Arlington, lots of our neighbors were in the armed forces. An admiral lived on one side of us, a colonel, who later became a general, behind us; I went to school with their kids. Early on, I learned that nearly all officers who aspire to a career in the services spend some years living in the vicinity of Washington.

Do you know how old I am? the woman asked.

Id guess youre old enough to collect Social Security, I grinned, since Id already been told wed be sitting with this special person.

She enjoyed that and laughed.

With an outlook like hers, it wasnt hard to see how she had come so far, so well.

After lunch, she asked if the three others at her table would like to come up to her apartment to see her Christmas art, she being not only well-traveled but a serious artist.

And what an artist she was! The Christmas display was a highlight in her contemporary place but she had acquired most of those pieces in Germany.

What really blew me away were the beautiful, delicate pieces of Chinese-style watercolors on the wallsher own creations all. This was one talented individual.

We did not stay long and left having seen once more that those who live well often live longest. I got the feeling this woman was a perfect fit for the life she lived.

Isnt that what the Navajo call it: living in harmony with the person you are and the world you inhabit, whatever it happens to be?

FOUR CALLING BIRDS

Last week we did our annual Christmas Bird Count. There were just two of us this year, plus Larry, who despite his professed disinterest in this venture does us a real service as our designated driver and, having been behind the wheel for a number of years now, has turned into a right fair bird-finder in his own right.

You might want to look over there beneath the lower branches of that cedar, would be a typical offhand remark. There might be a mockingbird.

If that happened once in a long day, thator something like ithappened a dozen times. Its challenge enough finding and flushing out a good count list in winter; we can use all the help we can get . . . within the counts strict rules.

Last year we had far better weather, with four pairs of eyes actually birding, and racked up a few more species (34 vs. 29) in our pie-shaped sector of the Chancellorsville 15-mile count circle. The weather has a lot to do with the outcome, and last years was much better than this.

Paul Sullivan of Spotsylvania County, a former reporter with The Free LanceStar, is a freelance writer. Email him at PBSullivan2@cs.com.
Arva Priola, the woman whose efforts to improve communication for deaf and hard of hearing people has been recognized all the way to the floor of the Virginia General Assembly, retired on Thursday.

Priola, 65, worked for 21 years at the disAbility Resource Center in Fredericksburg and coordinated services for the deaf and hard of hearing. Among the numerous state and national awards she received, from agencies and nonprofits alike, the most notable lauded her efforts to improve communication between deaf people and police as well as first responders, health care officials and medical workers.

Knowledge is empowerment, the Spotsylvania County resident said. Education creates change in a positive way. It takes individuals working together with our community for communication access. This was my mission, and the Lord gave me the strength and the wisdom.

Priola lost her hearing in 1989 and eventually started working as an advocate for others with the same disability. She tried to overcome stigmas borne by those with hearing losses, noting in 2002 that deaf people were reluctant to call attention to themselves.

People put glasses on their face, but they have a real hard time putting a hearing aid in their ear, she said. People with hearing loss need to identify themselves so they can have better communication.

She came up with a way for those who may not hear police or rescue sirens to let first responders know of their impairment, easily and quickly. She started a program called Visor Alert locally in 2002 and had orange cards printed with a broken earthe universal sign of hearing lossthat people could put on their vehicle visor to identify themselves as hearing impaired. Smaller wallet-size cards communicate the same message.

The program started in the Fredericksburg area, but quickly went statewide as it was endorsed by the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police and the state Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

Her advocacy had the same far-reaching effects in 2015, when she established guidelines to alert hospital workers about deaf and hard of hearing patients. The same symbol, of the broken ear, is now used statewide on hospital charts and armbands to let others know of a patients hearing loss.

This just shows us that it only takes one person to make a change in something that they believe in, Dr. Shantell Lewis, director of Here2Hear, said in March 2016 when Priola received a community leadership award from the group. This will have a great effect on the thousands of individuals in the state of Virginia with hearing loss, and it is a very important step  for improvements in health care.

Hearing loss affects more than 38 million Americans, including more than half of those over age 75. A 2011 study by Johns Hopkins Medicine said hearing loss was more pervasive than previously thought, that as many as one in five Americans 12 and older have difficulty communicating because of the impairment.

But as Priola suggested, people are reluctant to get hearing aids. Only one in five of those who could benefit from the devices actually use them, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.

Thats why Priola has gone above and beyond the requirements of her position to provide information and training to those with hearing loss. A resolution passed in February 2008 by both the state Senate and House of Delegates praised her success in getting businesses to participate in Virginia Relay, a free system that allows people with hearing loss to communicate with businesses through a standard telephone.

In the years that followed, Priola also worked to let clients know of the many devices available, beyond hearing aids, through the Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

Oh, its a blessing, she said about alarm clocks that vibrate instead of ring, a video relay system that allows a deaf person to speak sign languageand be seen by a fellow deaf person on the other endand phones with extra-large buttons that display words on screens or have amplified speakers.

I have loved working with citizens in our community, state and nation [and] making their lives more independent, Priola said.

Priola, who is divorced with three children, plans to breed French bulldogs and spend more time with her 3-month-old grandson, Landon, in Washington state. Brittany Howard will be the new outreach coordinator for the deaf and hard of hearing at the disAbility Resource Center.
Paul was a 1956 graduate of the Case Institute of Technology, graduating with a degree in Electrical Engineering. Upon graduation he began his career at Avco, later known as Cincinnati Electronics Corp. where he worked until his retirement 43 years later. He was a member of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Kenwood. After moving to Virginia he joined Resurrection Lutheran Church. He was preceded in death by his parents, Matthew and Selma W. Niemi; five brothers Toivo, Aarne, Lauri, Eino and Walter.
Community has blessed the Salvation Army

Reflecting back on many years of volunteering in the Salvation Armys Toyland program, we find ourselves remembering a special child or a family who we never forget.

From the foster family who took in three little girls a week before Christmas (the children had nothing, but we were able to take care of all their needs); to the grandfather who is raising his four grandchildren and all he wanted for Christmas was a set of dishes to feed the children on (yes, he did get his dishes); and the little boy with cancer who only wanted a SpongeBob (and, yes, he did get the cartoon toy).

Each of these clients comes from a different part of our area. They all are different in many ways, but they also have one thing in common. They all came to the Salvation Army in a time of need. A need that the Salvation Army could not fill without the help of our generous community. We could not meet the needs of these clients and so many more.

The community of the greater Fredericksburg area has given everything from a box of crayons, to moving our storage trailer, to coats, radio air time, food, toys, your time, monetary donations and so much more. You all have blessed us to be able to pass the blessings forward. To say thank you seems so small for all the community has done, but without your help, the Salvation Army couldnt fulfill the wishes and meet the needs of so many.

So, thank you Fredericksburg for being so generous. Thank you for helping to give so many a Hand Up.

With all the distrust in our country today, the Fredericksburg area has brought faith, hope and love back to our hearts. And were grateful for that.

Cheryl Howard and Zena Hemp

Fredericksburg

The writers are Toyland coordinators for the Salvation Army in Fredericksburg.
By Stef Gijssels We love solo bass albums, and it seems that they keep coming in great numbers. The overview below is indeed nothing more t...
Free Freightnet Membership

List your company in the Freightnet directory. It's Free, it's Easy and your company can be displayed in front of potential freight buyers within 24 hours.
Hi Im Amy! I have a passion for cooking and baking all sorts of delicious foods. That is where I also fell in love with kitchen products. I started From The Kitchen to help share my knowledge and help others find great products.
New Years Eve in Bonn : New Years at police headquarters

Bonn Police worked through the night to ensure a peaceful New Years in Bonn. To prevent an attack, the Kennedy Bridge was blocked off with two trucks. Fire and rescue services were called out 88 times.

Teilen

Teilen Weiterleiten

Weiterleiten Tweeten

Tweeten Weiterleiten

Weiterleiten Drucken

At the Bonn police headquarters, a special team was in place to lead New Years Eve operations. Included in the team were members of the Technical Relief Agency (THW). The THW closed the Kennedy Bridge shortly before midnight by blocking it off with a truck on each side, and they established lighting on the bridge as well.

Frank Kreft and his five colleagues fielded calls at the control center. Most of the calls that came in were about fireworks and firecrackers disturbing the peace. After midnight, more calls came in about injuries and damage to property. Everything that happens when drunken people get together, the police said. Calls that had to do with sexual harassment were passed on to the lead operations team. In Bad Honnef, police were called when a private party at a pub was threatened by a group of several persons.
Asus Smartphones that are Rumored to Launch in 2017 Features oi -Chakri Kudikala These smartphones are rumored to be launched in 2017 by Asus.

Asus, the Taiwanese smartphone giant, impressed many with their Zenfone range of smartphones. The company released their flagship line of phones, the Zenfone 3 series at the Z3NVOLUTION back in April 2016. The company updates their product lineup every April, and the upcoming 2017 wont be an exception to that.

Having said that, the CES 2017 is around the corner, and we are expecting some new products to be released at the mega event. Also, some rumors are suggesting that the company is planning to release the Zenfone 4 series as well at the upcoming CES 2017.

ASUS Reveals New Smartphone With Android Nougat

That being said, there are some other phones rumored to launch in 2017 that include the Asus Zenfone 3 Zoom, an updated variant of Asus Zenfone 3 Max, etc. Here are the other smartphones rumored to launch in 2017.

1) Asus Zenfone 3 Zoom

Last year, on January 22, 2016, Asus launched the Zenfone Zoom smartphone with unique 3X Optical Zoom capabilities, but the phone failed to impress the masses. Asus is planning to launch the successor to the Zenfone Zoom, namely, the Zenfone 3 Zoom. Also, nearly a month ago, the Zenfone 3 Zoom was spotted in Chinese certification site, TENAA.

The TENAA listing revealed that the Zenfone 3 Zoom would arrive with a build number - Z01HDA and will feature a dual camera on the rear with one being a 16MP camera that acts as a regular camera and the other being a 13MP one with the same 3X Optical Zoom capabilities. The Zenfone 3 Zoom is expected to feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 SoC and 4GB of RAM. The phone is projected to arrive at CES 2017.

2) Asus Zenfone 4 Series

Asus releases their Zenfone 4 series of phones every April and the trend will follow this year as well. The company will release a plethora of smartphones under their Zenfone 4 series such as the Zenfone 4 Ultra, Zenfone 4 Deluxe, Zenfone 4 Laser, Zenfone 4 Max, etc.

According to the rumors, the Zenfone 4 will retain the same glass and bodied metal design as the Zenfone 3 and is expected to feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon 627 chipset. The Zenfone 4 Deluxe, on the other hand, is supposed to pack the Snapdragon 835 SoC along with massive 8GB RAM. Apart from this, there are no other rumors regarding other phones, but they are expected to arrive in April 2017.

3) Upgraded Variant of Asus Zenfone 3 Max

The Asus Zenfone 3 Max is the companys take on the battery segment. The company releases an update to their normal 'Max phone in March. If considering the trend, Asus might launch the upgrade to the Zenfone 3 Max with Snapdragon 435 chipset in March 2017 as well.

Click Here for New Smartphones Best Online Deals

Best Mobiles in India
Upcoming LG Phones Rumored to Launch in 2017 Features oi -Prajith A successful year incoming for LG?

LG had a tough time last year. The LG G5, one of the companys most ambitious smartphones failed miserably in 2016, all thanks to the poor execution of modular tech. Its next flagship, the LG V20, despite being a very good phone (read our review here), couldnt manage to get the kind of traction it should have gotten. In fact, we believe that it is one of the most underrated smartphones that launched in 2016.

Anyway, putting all the failures in 2016 aside, we really hope that the South Korean tech giant will be back with a bang in 2017 with a few interesting smartphones.

Also Read: All the Major Smartphones LG Launched This Year

Here are a few devices that are rumored to be unveiled by LG in 2017.

LG G6

LG G6, the successor of the infamous LG G5, has been in the news for a while now. Reportedly, the smartphone will drop the modular design and opt for the good old candy bar design, which is not at all surprising.

As per the rumors, the smartphone will still ship with a 5.3-inch display. But, instead of the LCD panels as seen on its predecessors, the G6 could come with an OLED display. When it comes to the internals of the phone, theres nothing confirmed as yet. However, given the fact that most of the smartphones will feature Qualcomms latest Snapdragon 835 chipset, the LG G6 should be no exception. It is also speculated to sport at least 6GB of RAM along with 64GB of storage space.

Also Read: LG G6 to Ditch Modular Design; Wireless Charging and Non-Removable Battery on the Cards

As far as the imaging department is concerned, the smartphone could come with more megapixel count and a larger aperture. It is also rumored to feature an iris scanner module.

Also Read: All the Smartphones Launched by Apple This Year

LG V30

Although theres not a lot of information available right now, the LG V30 could see some major changes when launched sometime in 2017. The biggest change would be the absence of a secondary screen  something which makes the LG V20 and LG V10 unique. This news comes straight from Evan Blass (also known as @evleaks), a reliable leakster.

Source

LG 'K series smartphones along with the Stylus 3

LG, the South Korean tech giant, had recently announced that it would be launching five smartphones in the 'K series namely, the LG K10, K8, K4, and K3 at CES 2017. It had also revealed that the successor of the Stylus 2, the Stylus 3 will also be unveiled at the CES event in Las Vegas. Take a look at the rumored specifications of the device here.

Best Mobiles in India
Principles for Middle East Peace

Fact Sheet

Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

December 29, 2016



In his December 28, 2016 Remarks on Middle East Peace, Secretary of State John Kerry presented the Administration's view on the broad consensus that has emerged regarding principles for a final status agreement that could meet the needs of both sides, reflecting the Secretary's efforts and discussions with the parties and key stakeholders over the past four years.

These principles were offered not to prejudge or impose an outcome, but to provide a possible basis for serious negotiations when the parties are ready.

Principle 1. Provide for secure and recognized international borders between Israel and a viable and contiguous Palestine, negotiated based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed equivalent swaps.

Resolution 242, which has been enshrined in international law for 50 years, provides for the withdrawal of Israel from territories it occupied in 1967 in return for peace with its neighbors and secure and recognized borders. It has long been accepted by both sides, and it remains the basis for an agreement today.

The Arab League has previously agreed, following the Secretary's engagement, that the reference in the Arab Peace Initiative to 1967 lines now includes the concept of land swaps, which the Palestinians have acknowledged. This is necessary to reflect practical realities on the ground, and mutually agreed equivalent swaps will ensure that the agreement is fair to both sides.

There is also broad recognition of Israel's need to ensure that the borders are secure and defensible, and that the territory of Palestine is viable and contiguous. There is also a clear consensus that no changes by Israel to the 1967 lines will be recognized by the international community unless agreed to by both sides.

Principle 2. Fulfill the vision of the UN General Assembly Resolution 181 of two states for two peoples, one Jewish and one Arab, with mutual recognition and full equal rights for all their respective citizens.

This has been the foundational principle of the two-state solution from the beginning: Creating a state for the Jewish people and a state for the Palestinian people, where each can achieve their national aspirations. Resolution 181 is incorporated into the foundational documents of both the Israelis and Palestinians. Recognition of Israel as a Jewish state has been the U.S. position for years, and many others have expressed that they are prepared to accept it as well, provided the need for a Palestinian state is also addressed.

There are some 1.7 million Arab citizens who call Israel their home and must now and always be able to live as equal citizens. That is why it is so important that in recognizing each other's homeland  Israel for the Jewish people and Palestine for the Palestinian people  both sides reaffirm their commitment to upholding full equal rights for all of their respective citizens.

Principle 3. Provide for a just, agreed, fair, and realistic solution to the Palestinian refugee issue, with international assistance, that includes compensation, options and assistance in finding permanent homes, acknowledgment of suffering, and other measures necessary for a comprehensive resolution consistent with two states for two peoples.

As part of a comprehensive resolution, the Palestinian refugees must be provided with compensation, their suffering must be acknowledged, and there will need to be options and assistance in finding permanent homes. The international community can provide significant support and assistance, including in raising money to help ensure the compensation and other needs of the refugees are met, and many have expressed a willingness to contribute to that effort. But there is a general recognition that the solution must be consistent with two states for two peoples, and cannot affect the fundamental character of Israel.

Principle 4. Provide an agreed resolution for Jerusalem as the internationally recognized capital of the two states, and protect and assure freedom of access to the holy sites consistent with the established status quo.

Jerusalem is the most sensitive issue for both sides, and the solution must meet the needs not only of the parties, but of all three monotheistic faiths. That is why the holy sites that are sacred to billions of people around the world must be protected and remain accessible, and the established status quo maintained. Most acknowledge that Jerusalem should not be divided again like it was in 1967. At the same time, there is broad recognition that there will be no peace agreement without reconciling the basic aspirations of both sides to have capitals there.

Principle 5. Satisfy Israel's security needs and bring a full end to the occupation, while ensuring that Israel can defend itself effectively and that Palestine can provide security for its people in a sovereign and non-militarized state.

Security is the fundamental issue for Israel. Everyone understands that no Israeli Government can ever accept an agreement that does not satisfy its security needs or risks creating an enduring security threat like Gaza in the West Bank. Israel must be able to defend itself effectively, including against terrorism and other regional threats. There is a real willingness by Egypt, Jordan, and others to work together with Israel on meeting key security challenges. The United States believes that those collective efforts, including close coordination on border security, intelligence-sharing, and joint operations, can play a critical role in securing the peace.

Fully ending the occupation is the fundamental issue for the Palestinians: They need to know that the military occupation will really end after an agreed transitional process, and that they can live in freedom and dignity in a sovereign state while providing security for their population even without a military of their own. This is widely accepted as well.

Principle 6. End the conflict and all outstanding claims, enabling normalized relations and enhanced regional security for all as envisaged by the Arab Peace Initiative.

It is essential for both sides that the final status agreement resolves all the outstanding issues and finally brings closure to this conflict, so they can move ahead to a new era of peaceful coexistence and cooperation. For Israel, this must also bring broader peace with its Arab neighbors. That is the fundamental promise of the Arab Peace Initiative, which key Arab leaders have affirmed.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Military Strikes Target ISIL in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Dec. 31, 2016  U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Iraq and Syria yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Attack, bomber and fighter aircraft conducted 21 strikes in Syria:

-- Near Raqqah, 17 strikes engaged 14 ISIL tactical units; destroyed 12 fighting positions, three oil storage tanks, a vehicle bomb and an oil wellhead; damaged two supply routes; and suppressed a tactical unit.

-- Near Tanf, four strikes destroyed two vehicle bombs.

Strikes in Iraq

Attack, bomber, fighter, remotely piloted and rotary wing aircraft and rocket artillery conducted seven strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq's government:

-- Near Huwayjah, a strike destroyed an ISIL-held building.

-- Near Haditha, a strike damaged a fighting position.

-- Near Mosul, four strikes engaged three ISIL tactical units; destroyed five fighting positions, three mortar systems, three ISIL-held buildings, a vehicle, a crane, a weapons factory, a vehicle bomb and a mortar position; damaged 12 supply routes; and suppressed four mortar positions.

-- Near Qayyarah, a strike destroyed an ISIL weapons storage facility.

Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target. Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Cyprus urges Turkey's seriousness in reunification talks

Iran Press TV

Sat Dec 31, 2016 5:50PM

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades has called on Turkey to face up to its commitments regarding the reunification of the Mediterranean island when crucial peace talks resume next month in Switzerland.

Anastasiades said in a televised New Year's message on Saturday that talks in Geneva from January 9 would be a major opportunity to test Turkey's seriousness about Cypriot reunification.

He said Turkey "will have to demonstrate whether its public rhetoric about wanting a solution to the Cyprus problem will be transformed into a specific proposal," adding that the talks "will be the first time that Turkey will be brought face to face with its own responsibilities."

Turkey is one of the guarantor powers of Cyprus, along with Britain and Greece. Representatives of the three countries are expected to join Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci on January 12 if talks between Anastasiades and Akinci bear fruit.

Anastasiades said Turkey should stick to its commitments and contribute to the reunification process by providing a proposal that "respect international legality and be consistent with the status of the Republic of Cyprus as an EU member state."

For over 40 years, Cyprus has been divided into the Greek mainland and a breakaway called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is solely recognized by Ankara. The area is about a third of Cyprus and has about 20 percent of the island's population.

The United Nations has been mediating for more than 19 months between Anastasiades and Akinci although prospects for a permanent peace deal are very dim. A previous round of negotiations broke down last month.

A main bone of contention is how much and which land currently controlled by the Turkish Cypriots will be ceded to Greek Cypriot control in the future. Another one is how many Greek Cypriots could return to homes they fled in 1974, when Turkish troops invaded the island to stop an Athens-inspired coup and union with Greece.

Anastasiades has admitted that reaching a lasting peace would be a tough task. "There remain significant differences on substantive issues fundamental to a Cyprus solution."

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Egypt court backs govt. in giving Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia

Iran Press TV

Sat Dec 31, 2016 5:35PM

An Egyptian appeal court has ruled in favor of the government's contentious decision in giving control of two islands in the Red Sea to Saudi Arabia, reversing an earlier Administrative Court ruling that concluded the pair should remain under Egypt's sovereignty.

On April 9, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi announced that the islands of Tiran and Sanafir fall within the territorial waters of Saudi Arabia as stipulated in a border accord signed between Cairo and Riyadh the previous day.

The controversial decision, however, has triggered unprecedented mass demonstrations ever since, with protesters slamming the arrangement as unconstitutional. A number of lawyers filed a lawsuit in the administrative court to block the deal.

Back in June, the administrative court rejected the Egyptian-Saudi border re-demarcation agreement, saying Egyptian sovereignty over the two islands could not be given up, prompting the country's State Lawsuits Authority, representing the Sisi government in legal cases, to lodge an appeal to suspend the execution of the June ruling.

The government's appeal was turned down by the same court in early November, but later in the month, the government submitted two further appeals against the court's decision. On Thursday, the cabinet sent the deal to the parliament for voting.

On Saturday, Cairo's appeal court approved a verdict by a lower court that rejected the June ruling by the administrative court. A more senior tribunal, the Higher Administrative Court, is due to deliver a verdict on January 16.

Demonstrators and critics have accused Sisi of surrendering Egyptian territory in return for Saudi money, with reports saying that Cairo is receiving 20 billion dollars in aid from Riyadh in return for agreeing to the handover of sovereignty. Egyptian courts have given jail terms to hundreds of protesters.

Riyadh and Cairo argue that the islands belong to Saudi Arabia and that the Arab kingdom asked Egypt in 1950 to protect them. However, lawyers and opponents say that Egypt's sovereignty over the pair dates back to a 1906 treaty, before Saudi Arabia was founded.

The uninhabited islands of Tiran and Sanafir lie about 4 kilometers apart in the Red Sea. They are situated in the narrow entrance to the Gulf of Aqaba leading to Jordan and the occupied Palestinian territories.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Kill, slaughter, kidnap infidels, Boko Haram leader says

Iran Press TV

Sat Dec 31, 2016 2:19PM

The ringleader of the Nigeria-based Boko Haram Takfiri terrorist group has urged the militants to beef up extreme violence against people, denying recent claims by the government that the group has been crushed.

In a video posted on YouTube purportedly by Boko Haram on Friday, a man, standing in front of almost a dozen armed men and a couple of pickup trucks in an undisclosed location, identified himself as Abubakar Shekau, the leader of the terror group, and read a statement, calling on his fellow militants to "kill, slaughter and abduct all the infidels... and detonate bombs everywhere."

"I am here, well and alive," he said, rejecting the Nigerian government's earlier reports that he had been fatally wounded in anti-terror air raids.

He also denied that the army had ultimately defeated terrorists after it captured Boko Haram's last major stronghold. "The battle is just beginning."

"You should not be telling lies to the people," he said, referring to Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who announced on Christmas Eve that the Takfiri group had been defeated and driven away from its last known bastion deep inside the thick Sambisa Forest in the northeastern volatile state of Borno.

President Buhari, who came to power in 2015, under the motto of crushing Boko Haram, also said the terrorists were on the run and no longer had a place to hide.

The group, whose name means "Western education is forbidden," has pledged allegiance to Daesh, a Takfiri terrorist group operating mostly in Iraq and Syria. Back in early August, Daesh reportedly terminated Shekau's seven-year-long leadership by replacing him with Abu Musab al-Barnawi, a former spokesman for Boko Haram.

Shortly after the announcement, Shekau released an audio message saying, "People should know we are still around," apparently defying Daesh and the decision to oust him.

Boko Haram terrorists started their reign of terror in 2009 with the aim of toppling the Nigerian government. In their heyday in early 2015, they managed to control an area in the country's northeast as vast as Belgium, but they lost most of that territory over the last year as the Nigerian government, along with troops from some affected neighboring countries such as Chad and Cameroon, launched a joint military campaign to eradicate the group.

Boko Haram terrorists have so far killed more than 20,000 people and forced over 2.7 million others from their homes.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Kabila agrees to quit power after 2017 polls

Iran Press TV

Sat Dec 31, 2016 5:44AM

The government of the Congolese President Joseph Kabila has reportedly reached an agreement with opposition parties to end the current political crisis in the Congo over his refusal to step down following a defeat in recent polls.

Under the last-minute accord struck Friday by political parties in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), Kabila will leave office following elections due to be held by the end of 2017, press reports said citing the nation's Catholic Church leaders who were mediating the negotiations.

"The government is asked to take all steps so that the elections are organized by the end of 2017 at the latest," said Marcel Utembi, the president of the Congo's Catholic Bishops' Conference.

Kabila's presidential term expired on December 19, but ruling officials have effectively prolonged his mandate until 2018, claiming that the government would not be able to arrange elections before then.

Under the reported accord, which is expected to be officially signed on Saturday, Kabila will not be able to revise the constitution to allow him to remain in office for a third term.

The parties further agreed that Kabila will appoint a prime minister from the Central African nation's main opposition bloc to oversee the transition, a key point of contention in the final stages of negotiations.

However, neither Kabila nor the country's leading opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi are expected to sign the accord, press reports note, raising concerns about whether it would be honored.

Spokesmen for the government and Kabila's ruling coalition were not available for immediate comment on the reported agreement.

The development came as negotiators spent weeks in tense talks seeking to ensure the first peaceful transfer of power in the impoverished nation since its independence in 1960.

It remains unclear, however, if polls can be arranged by the end of the upcoming year, or if leading politicians, including Kabila, will live up to the terms.

Meanwhile, Kabila's extension of his rule has sparked bloody clashes in the country. Security forces killed nearly 40 protesters last week as they rallied against the continuing tenure of a ruler who rose to power in 2001 following his father's assassination.

There are growing concerns that the current standoff could lead to a repeat of clashes seen between 1996 and 2003 in eastern Congo in which many died, mainly due to starvation and disease.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Crackdowns, Downturns, And A Transfer Of Power: A Look Back At A Fascinating Year In Central Asia

Bruce Pannier December 31, 2016

This past year in Central Asia proved every bit as interesting as it was predicted to be.

The economic downturn took various tolls across the five countries; one of the region's longtime leaders died; the echoes of war in neighboring Afghanistan were increasingly heard on the Central Asian side of the border; and detentions and arrests on charges connected to terrorism increased in Central Asia.

It was also a year when most of the region's governments intensified crackdowns on political opponents, rights activists, and independent journalists, while presidents honed their cults of leadership and personality.

It would be difficult to categorize them as "winners" and "losers." More accurately, there are those that "survived" and those that are barely holding on as the year comes to a close.

The latter category comprises Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, both of which might seem to be heading toward "failing state" status.

Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan fell deeply into economic crisis in 2016. Natural gas is really the country's only source of revenue, and world prices for gas are half what they were less than three years ago. Turkmenistan lost Russia as a customer at the very start of 2016 and discovered that the contracts it signed with its two remaining gas customers -- Iran and China -- bring in little revenue. Iran pays in the form of goods and services for the first $3 billion of the gas it imports. The problem is that Iran will import somewhere between 8 and 9 billion cubic meters (bcm) of Turkmen gas this year, which is less than $3 billion.

That didn't stop Turkmenistan from demanding at the end of 2016 that Iran pay a roughly $2 billion gas debt that Tehran denies it owes.

China loaned Turkmenistan money to develop the giant Galkynysh gas field and to build the pipelines to carry Turkmen gas to China. Turkmenistan will (possibly) export 30 bcm to China this year. It has never been clear what China pays for gas, but it almost certainly is less than $200 per 1,000 cubic meters, and an unknown percentage of Turkmen gas goes toward paying off the multibillion-dollar debt Turkmenistan owes China.

It was clear massive layoffs in the oil-and-gas sector were taking place during 2016. Unofficial estimates claim more than 50 percent of the eligible workforce is now unemployed. Reports of wage arrears are now common and the government is said to be garnishing paychecks of those who are still employed to help pay for prestige projects that really do nothing for the population. There are shortages of basic goods -- flour, sugar, and cooking oil among them -- and photographs show long lines of people waiting outside stores to buy their rations of these basic goods.

And there are security problems along Turkmenistan's 744-kilometer frontier with Afghanistan, which the Turkmen government denies but which the Afghan media and the government confirm. Russia was so concerned, it sent Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to Turkmenistan in June, the first visit by a Russian defense minister to Turkmenistan since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The Turkmen government doesn't acknowledge any of these problems. According to President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov and his government, Turkmenistan is still in a "Golden Age."

Turkmenistan's official policy of neutrality, the policy used to isolate the country from the rest of the world, seems to prevent the Turkmen government from requesting outside financial help. The government has built an image of being all-powerful and told the public that outside help would never be needed.

How could the Turkmen government explain to the country's people that foreign loans were now needed to keep the country afloat when the Turkmen government hasn't admitted to its people that there is any economic problem?

There's also the possibility that if Ashgabat did seek foreign loans it might not find many interested lenders. Turkmenistan has not been a player in the international community for a quarter of a century. Who would help?

Tajikistan

Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon showed in 2016 that he was not much different from his Turkmen counterparts, past or present. In December 2015, Tajikistan's parliament passed a law giving Rahmon the title "Founder of Peace and National Unity, Leader of the Nation." In May, voters approved amendments to the constitution that removed a term limit for Rahmon, who has already been elected president four times in votes that no Western observer missions endorsed.

Tajik authorities cracked down hard on all perceived political opponents during 2016. The country's largest opposition party, the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan, went from being a parliamentary party at the start of 2015 -- as it had had been for 15 years -- to dissolution as a party, then an outright ban, then its listing as an extremist group. Trials of the party's leaders started in early 2016, and eventually they were all convicted and imprisoned. Lawyers who tried to defend them were themselves charged with crimes and imprisoned.

Campaigns against independent media outlets in Tajikistan intensified. Many journalists fled the country, at least two independent newspaper closed, and many fear it is only a matter of time before all independent media outlets are shut down.

Tajikistan's economic situation has never been good. It has been a donor-dependent nation since its birth. But much like Turkmenistan, state money is spent on bizarre projects, such as what was -- briefly -- the world's tallest flagpole. Rahmon has more recently approved a project to build a large city in a sparsely populated area of northern Tajikistan. (It is sparsely populated because there is no water there, but that has not stopped government plans for the new city.)

Tajikistan's banking system was in crisis in 2016. By year's end, after failing to attract international financial assistance, the government had to come up with some $250 million to bail out the country's second-largest lender, Tojiksodirotbank. Depositors at the bank had been experiencing difficulties all year trying to make withdrawals.

Tajikistan is the most remittance-dependent country in the world. But most of that money was sent back from Russia and, owing to Russia's economic problems, remittances are less than half of what they were in 2013.

Meanwhile, members of Rahmon's family continued taking up places in the government. Rahmon's daughter Ozoda was reportedly made chief of the presidential staff in January, but in May she was elected to a recently vacated seat in the Senate. Presidential son Rustam Emomali was still head of the anticorruption agency in 2016, but an amendment to the constitution in May lowered the age of eligibility to become president from 35 to 30. (Emomali turned 29 on December 19.) The next presidential election is scheduled for 2020.

Tajikistan probably won't fail because the government has powerful friends. Russia has a military base in Tajikistan, and China has a border with Tajikistan and fears the spread of extremism from Afghanistan through Tajikistan and into western China, where a significant proportion of the population is Muslim.

Uzbekistan

The biggest news of the year from Central Asia came with the death of Uzbek President Islam Karimov, announced on September 2. (Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev is now the last of the region's Soviet-era leaders still in power.)

Karimov's death raised many possibilities for Uzbekistan's future. He was succeeded by his prime minister, Shavkat Mirziyaev, who was quickly, and arguably unconstitutionally, named interim president before being elected to the post by popular vote on December 4.

Mirziyaev's regional foreign policy aims at mending fences damaged by Karimov during his 25 years as president. Uzbekistan's Central Asian neighbors are clearly pleased with the changes so far, and Uzbekistan stands to benefit from closer regional relations as well.

The timing is good because, despite what Uzbek officials say, the country's economy needs help. It is difficult to obtain reliable economic figures from Uzbekistan, but information from inside the country indicates salaries are not being paid on time. There are shortages of cash, shortages of gasoline, and disruptions of gas and electricity supplies.

Mirziyaev has made many promises -- currency convertibility among them. On the black market, the national currency, the som, trades at twice the official rate to the U.S. dollar. Mirziyaev has said Uzbekistan is looking for foreign investors, but so far no one except Russia has shown much interest.

Mirziyaev was Karimov's prime minister for 13 years. While there are hopes for progress, social and political reforms do not seem to be on the new administration's to-do list.

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan was a survivor, though during the first half of 2016 there were moments when the situation looked shaky. Kazakhstan's economy is dependent on oil exports, and in August 2015, as the price of oil on world markets was plummeting, the government allowed the national currency -- the tenge -- to float. The tenge's value fell from about 180 to $1 to 360 to $1 by mid-January 2016.

Mortgage holders who had taken out loans based on U.S. dollar rates were among the first to feel the bite. Small protests started in January, but the Kazakh government diverted attention that same month by announcing snap parliamentary elections.

The reason given for early elections was the need to have new deputies with fresh ideas to confront the economic crisis. In the end, the parliament that was elected comprised the same three political parties with each in control of almost the same number of seats. According to RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, known locally as Azattyq, 43 percent of deputies from the previous parliament kept their seats.

The distraction of the March elections didn't last long. By April, the issue of land reforms was causing new social discontent, especially as rumors spread that farmland available for lease would be snatched up by the Chinese. The rumors were mostly unfounded, but with buying power decreasing for most people in Kazakhstan, there were legitimate questions about who had sufficient funds to lease or buy Kazakhstan's land.

Protests broke out at the end of April, with many other complaints added to the concerns about land reforms. Despite efforts by authorities to prevent any further exhibitions of public discontent, even larger protests were held across the country on May 21.

Questions were raised about Kazakhstan's future stability. A bizarre outbreak of violence in the western city of Aqtobe in early June seemed to confirm such concerns, as a group of young men robbed a gun shop, then launched an amateurish attack on a military post. Most of the attackers were killed. Kazakh authorities called it a terrorist attack and said the men had links to Islamic extremism, although there is scant public evidence to support this.

But by year's end, the situation had stabilized. The tenge was holding steady at somewhere between 330 and 340 to the U.S. dollar. Some oil workers were finally being laid off, something the government had been careful to try to avoid, but the restart of the long-delayed Kashagan oil and gas field in Kazakhstan's sector of the Caspian Sea toward the end of 2016 brought the promise of new jobs and badly needed revenue for state coffers.

Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan was a survivor, too. At the best of times, the country has financial difficulties. But Kyrgyzstan is a net oil and gas consumer, so the fall in world prices for those commodities was a benefit. There were problems with foreign investors in Kyrgyzstan's mining industry, mainly gold mining, but that has been true for more than two decades now.

Kyrgyzstan joined the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) in August 2015. Trade among the members -- Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia -- has fallen consistently, but EEU membership did help Kyrgyzstan's migrant laborers working in Russia. Kyrgyzstan's remittance dependence is one of the highest in the world, but while Central Asian states Tajikistan and Uzbekistan (also with large numbers of migrant laborers working in Russia) registered sharp declines in remittances in 2016, remittances to Kyrgyzstan actually increased.

But President Almazbek Atambaev might have given himself and his former (technically) political party, the Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan, a self-inflicted wound. Atambaev backed holding a referendum on amendments to the constitution in December, although the constitution, written in 2010 after the ouster of former Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev, specified no changes should be made until 2020.

The referendum proved a contentious issue. It was rushed through parliament for approval. The people had little opportunity to debate the amendments and, as RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, known locally as Azattyk, showed through its reporting, few people knew much about the changes they were being asked to approve as they went to polling stations.

Plans for the referendum split the former political allies that took power after Bakiev was chased from office in 2010. Eventually, it caused the collapse of the ruling coalition in parliament.

The referendum passed in a vote in December, but less than half of eligible voters cast ballots. With a presidential election scheduled for late 2017, it seems almost inevitable that the issue of the early referendum will come up again soon.

Central Asia made it through 2016, but the potential for trouble is still there.

Kazakhstan has some breathing room, but the other four face serious challenges in 2017. And next year might not be any better.

With contributions from RFE/RL's Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Turkmen, and Uzbek services

The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect the views of RFE/RL.

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/central-asia-a- look-back-at-2016-turkmenistan- kyrgyzstan-tajikistan-uzbekistan- kazakhstan/28207055.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Boko Haram Says All Well After Raid, Tells Followers to 'Slaughter and Abduct'

Sputnik News

21:48 31.12.2016(updated 04:10 01.01.2017)

Despite last week's statement by Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari that Boko Haram was "on the run" with no place to hide, the terrorist's group leader has issued a new video statement saying he is "well and alive" and that "the battle is just beginning."

"Kill all the infidels and detonate bombs everywhere," Abubakar Shekau told followers in the video posted December 29, the Hindustan Times reports. "Yes! I want you to kill, slaughter and abduct."

Nigeria's military has claimed to have killed or fatally wounded Boko Haram's leader at least four times, AP reports. During the Sambisa Forest assault that supposedly put the terrorist group on the run, the army claimed to have seized Shekau's Koran.

The claims are generally followed by a mocking video by Shekau. In the latest, he restates Boko Haram's mission, "to establish an Islamic caliphate" in Nigeria.

Nigeria's Daily Post reported Dec. 31 that the country's Director of Defense Information, Brigadier General Rabe Abubakar, admitted that Shekau was alive, but said the video had been recorded before the forest raid.

"The insurgents are defeated and those arrested are giving us the vital information that will aid our mop-up operations in the area. We are going to convert the forest to a training camp soon. Shekau is a coward and we will trail him to anywhere he is hiding. We are calling on the remnants of the Boko Haram sect to surrender for their safety before it is late. They should not allow Shekau to deceive them as his days are numbered. The public should disregard all the antics of the terrorists," he said.

Nigeria, whose population of 180 million is split between Christians and Muslims, has been fighting Boko Haram since 2009. The conflict has killed more than 20,000 and displaced more than 2 million. Earlier this year, the UN reported that 1 million children had been pulled from school because of the group and that the fighting had created a humanitarian disaster that rendered 7 million in need of assistance.

The Islamic State group, to which a faction of Boko Haram belongs, announced that they had "killed and wounded many" in an attack on an army barracks Dec. 22, the same day the Nigerian government said its army had uprooted the Boko Haram from its forest headquarters, AP reports. There are rumblings that the terrorists have been regrouping just south of their former stronghold.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Philippines to Move Military Drills With US From S China Sea to Please Beijing

Sputnik News

17:19 31.12.2016(updated 20:44 31.12.2016)

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has asked his defense chief to move the site of a joint naval drill with the United States away from the disputed South China Sea, Reuters reported citing a pertinent statement issued by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.

"We might move the naval exercises facing the South China Sea to Mindanao area to avoid annoying our neighbor [China], so let us be sensitive of our neighbors," Lorenzana told reporters during a military ceremony on Friday.

The decision has been seen by many as Manila's attempt to repair its strained ties with Beijing.

Chinese-Filipino relations soured in 2013 after the Philippines lodged an appeal with an international tribunal in The Hague over China's claim to large parts of the South China and East China Seas, which are also claimed by Japan, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan.

On July 12, the Permanent Court of Arbitration overwhelmingly backed the Philippines ruling that the disputed territories of the Spratly archipelago claimed by China are not islands and, therefore, cannot be used as the basis of territorial claims.

It also said that some of the areas in question are "within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines."

Beijing, which has been building and fortifying artificial islands in the area, refused to recognize the court ruling.

Duterte, who is keen not to wants to avoid antagonizing China, said on Thursday that he was in no rush to pressing Beijing to abide by the Hague court's decision.

Since taking office in June, Duterte has said more than once that he will end joint exercises between US and Filipino troops, and has courted favor with China and Russia.

In a recent outburst, the Philippine leader said China had "the kindest soul of all" for offering what he called was significant financial assistance.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Pakistan Military Chief Tells Afghan Leaders He'll Work for Peace

By Ayaz Gul December 31, 2016

Pakistan's new military chief spoke to Afghan leaders Saturday and promised to work for regional peace as mutual mistrust and suspicion continued to plague bilateral ties in the outgoing year.

General Qamar Javed Bajwa telephoned Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and Bajwa's Afghan counterpart, General Qadam Shah Shaheem, according to the Pakistan army's media wing.

It said that Bajwa "conveyed best wishes for 2017 and pledged to work for peace in the region," adding that peace in both countries was in the "greater interest of the region."

The Afghan leadership invited the Pakistan army chief for a visit to Afghanistan, the statement said, but did not mention any dates or other details for the proposed visit.

The Kabul government alleges that covert support the Taliban receives from Pakistan's military and its spy agency has enabled the insurgent group to prolong and expand its activities in Afghanistan.

Islamabad denies the charges, calling them an attempt to deflect attention from political controversies plaguing the Afghan national unity government and "deteriorating security situation" in the neighboring country.

In a separate statement Saturday, the army also released latest casualty tolls for its countermilitancy operations in volatile northwestern tribal areas on the Afghan border and elsewhere in Pakistan.

The military-led Zarb-e-Azb offensive has killed more than 3,500 terrorists since it was launched in June 2014, while around 600 soldiers have also died and more than 2,000 have been wounded, according to the statement.

Afghan officials say that militants fleeing the offensive have crossed to their side of the porous border, adding to the security challenges facing conflict-torn Afghanistan.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






No US Aircraft Carriers Now Deployed; None Expected in Middle East for Months

Sputnik News

02:14 01.01.2017(updated 04:10 01.01.2017)

For a rare couple of months, there will be no US Navy aircraft carrier in the Middle East.

But it's not only the Middle East whose waters are calmer: For the next week, there will be no American aircraft carriers deployed at sea anywhere else in the world, Fox reports.

The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and its naval entourage, which had been deployed in the Middle East for the past seven months, returned to the Norfolk Naval Base in Virginia December 30.

Its replacement, the USS George H.W. Bush, is still held up in the shipyard, and is unlikely to depart for its next mission before the end of January, according to Defense News.

The gap could last as long as two months.

There was a similar carrier gap in the Middle East last fall, but a French carrier stepped in to fill it. According to Fox, this is the first time there has not been a US aircraft carrier in the Middle East since 2007, and the first time since World War II that there has not been a single US carrier deployed anywhere in the world.

The USS George H. W. Bush recently completed a 13-month overhaul in Norfolk, a process that stretched months beyond its original end date. Navy officials have suggested poor planning, a lack of training, funding interruptions and unspecified emergent work as reasons for the delay, but given no concrete answer, according to Defense News.

Now the ship is apparently stuck while its staff finishes their training  and, some hint, because of more defects the original long overhaul missed.

The US has not left the region entirely, of course. Officials told Fox a large Navy assault ship staffed by thousands remains in the region, as do US jets and helicopters.

The USS Eisenhower was used to launch airstrikes against Daesh in Iraq and Syria from the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea for much of 2016.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






US Lawmaker: Utility's Malware Discovery Points to 'Rampant Russian Hacking'

By VOA News December 31, 2016

A U.S. congressman from Vermont said Saturday that Russian malware code found in a computer belonging to a major state electric utility was further evidence of "rampant Russian hacking."

Democratic Representative Peter Welch called Thursday's malware discovery further proof that Russian computer hacking was "systematic, relentless and predatory."

"They will hack everywhere, even Vermont, in pursuit of opportunities to disrupt our country," Welch said.

His statement came as criticism of Russian cyberspying escalated and support for sanctions against Moscow imposed by President Barack Obama broadened.

Officials in the states of New York, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut said they were more closely monitoring computer networks belonging to the state governments and to public utilities in response to the discovery in Vermont.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's office said he had directed all state agencies to re-examine their computer systems for breaches, although so far nothing had been found.

Earlier, Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin said Americans should "be both alarmed and outraged that one of the world's leading thugs, [Russian President] Vladimir Putin, has been attempting to hack our electric grid."

Officials said Friday that it wasn't clear when the Russian code entered the utility's computer, and that an investigation was aimed at determining the timing and the objectives of the intrusion.

Fraudulent emails

A report this week jointly authored by two U.S. security agencies said the hackers involved in the code entry used fraudulent emails to trick recipients into revealing their passwords.

The code discovery in sparsely populated Vermont came just days after U.S. cybersecurity officials shared details of the malware code with executives from a broad array of financial, utility and transportation groups nationwide.

Within a day, Vermont utility officials found the code embedded in their software and reported it to federal officials.

By late Saturday, Russia had not commented officially on the code discovery, which came after months of controversy surrounding U.S. intelligence reports that Moscow-backed hackers earlier this year stole a raft of internal emails from the Democratic National Committee.

Those documents soon began appearing on the website of the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks, prompting widespread suspicion that Moscow had collaborated with the group in an attempt to undermine Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign.

Russia denied involvement, and Clinton's opponent, Donald Trump, who won the presidency in the November 8 general election, has sought to discredit the hacking evidence. Early on, he said he doubted such incursions had occurred. But this week he said he would meet with U.S. intelligence officials to review details of the intrusions, which have been detailed in extensive reporting by The New York Times.

Trump's decision to meet with intelligence officials came as Obama announced a series of economic sanctions against Russia and the expulsion of 35 Russian officials from the United States.

Moscow announced Friday that Putin would not retaliate for the sanctions or expulsions, in a move widely interpreted as evidence he hopes to see the penalties lifted after Trump takes office January 20.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Xi urges political advisors to offer more advice on state affairs

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 10:03, December 31, 2016

BEIJING, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping on Friday called on political advisors to conscientiously perform their duties in 2017 and give more advice and suggestions on state affairs.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), made the remarks while addressing a New Year gathering held by the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

Xi urged political advisory bodies to perform their functions of political consultation, democratic supervision, and participation in the deliberation and administration of state affairs.

The president hailed the CPPCC's contributions to the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020) this year, the first year of the national economic and social development blueprint for the years up to 2020.

Xi stressed the importance of developing a patriotic united front and system of multi-party cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the CPC in 2017 in order to gather consensus and "positive energy" for the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

The CPPCC should make efforts to deepen problem-oriented investigation and research, and carry out effective consultation and discussion of state affairs, so as to come out with forthright advice, good suggestions and concrete measures, he said.

Xi vowed to support the efforts of Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions in 2017 to develop their economies and improve people's livelihoods.

"We must ensure the practice of 'one country, two systems' is firmly upheld without losing shape or becoming distorted," Xi added.

He also pledged adherence to the 1992 Consensus as the common political foundation, as well as relentless efforts to boost the peaceful development of relations across the Taiwan Strait, and to achieve the complete reunification of the motherland.

"We will hold high the banners of peace, development, cooperation and mutual gain to build a human community of shared future," Xi said.

In his speech, Xi highlighted the 19th CPC National Congress to be held in 2017, calling it a major event in the political life of the Party, the state and people of all ethnic groups.

He also stressed 2017 as an important year for implementing the country's economic and social development blueprint for the 13th Five-Year Plan period, and deepening supply-side structural reform.

Looking back, Xi said, 2016 was a crucial year in the journey of the Chinese nation to great rejuvenation.

The CPC Central Committee, rallying and leading people of all ethnic groups across China, embarked on the "great march" in the decisive stage of building a moderately prosperous society, launched the uphill battle of supply-side structural reform, and "sounded the bugle to call the charge" on poverty, Xi said.

China has scored a good beginning for the 13th Five-Year Plan, the president added.

China has continued to build a moderately prosperous society in 2016, with its economic growth still ranking atop the world, and an additional 10 million people lifted out of poverty, Xi said.

The country has carried on deepening reform in all aspects, with 97 key reform tasks completed, 419 reform plans put forward by various sectors, and frameworks for reform in major sectors established, he added.

Moreover, efforts have been made to carry on with comprehensively advancing the rule of law and governing the Party strictly, Xi said, adding major breakthroughs have been scored in national defense and military reform.

"We have implemented the 'one country, two systems' principle comprehensively, maintained prosperity and stability in Hong Kong and Macao, adhered to the common political foundation of the 1992 Consensus, and strived to safeguard peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait," Xi said.

"We have deepened foreign relations in all dimensions, accelerated the Belt and Road Initiative, successfully hosted the G20 Hangzhou Summit, and handed out a Chinese proposal for building a better world," Xi added.

On behalf of the CPC Central Committee, State Council and CMC, Xi extended New Year greetings to non-Communist parties, the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, non-CPC personnel, people's organizations, as well as people from all walks of life, including workers, farmers, intellectuals, cadres, soldiers and police officers.

His greetings were also extended to compatriots in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and overseas Chinese, as well as international friends.

The gathering was also attended by Premier Li Keqiang, top legislator Zhang Dejiang, top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng as well as Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan and Zhang Gaoli, along with non-CPC members, leading officials of central departments, members of different ethnic groups and people from all walks of life.

Yu Zhengsheng presided over the gathering.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Iraqi forces free Mosul neighborhood on day 3 of renewed push

Iran Press TV

Sat Dec 31, 2016 11:29AM

Iraqi security forces have freed a neighborhood of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul on the third day of a renewed push to liberate the city from Daesh.

The Quds neighborhood was reportedly freed by Iraqi forces on Saturday.

An Izadi woman who had been held captive by the Takfiri Daesh terrorists in the neighborhood but had later been left on her own reportedly provided information to security forces in the operation to free Quds.

The 42-year-old woman, who had been kidnapped from her hometown of Sinjar in 2014, had been held in captivity in Quds. However, her captors left as security forces closed in on the neighborhood on Thursday.

According to Major General Maan Saadi, of the elite Counter Terrorism Service (CTS), the woman, whose name was not publicized, provided information that helped the Iraqi forces recapture al-Quds.

Back in August 2014, Daesh militants overran Sinjar, killing, raping, and enslaving large numbers of Izadi Kurds. The town was later recaptured on November 13, 2015, during a two-day operation by Peshmerga forces and Izadi fighters.

The Office of Kidnapped Affairs in the northern Iraqi city of Duhok says around 3,500 Izadi Kurds are being held captive in Daesh-held areas and a large proportion of the abductees are women and children.

According to the CTS, the al-Quds neighborhood has now been liberated and the Iraqi flags are hoisted on top of buildings there.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi Federal Police Forces have killed three Daesh commanders during an operation in another neighborhood of Mosul.

Iraqi forces have cleared the recently recaptured village of Sada, north of Mosul, of the last pockets of Daesh terrorists.

The army is now moving toward an area that separates the villages of Sada and Bawiza, north of Mosul, from the Chaldean town of Tel Kaif, also known as Tel Keppe.

A local source, who spoke anonymously, said Daesh has evacuated dozens of the families of its foreign militants from four neighborhoods in western Mosul and moved them to an unknown location.

Mosul, located some 400 kilometers north of the capital, Baghdad, is the last urban area under the control of Daesh in Iraq.

On October 17, Iraqi army soldiers, supported by pro-government Popular Mobilization Units and Kurdish Peshmerga forces, launched a joint operation to retake Mosul from Daesh terrorists.

The Iraqi forces' advance has, however, been slowed down due to the presence of hundreds of thousands of civilians, many of whom are prevented from leaving Mosul by Daesh.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Pakistan Plays Down Defense-Related US Sanctions

By Ayaz Gul December 31, 2016

Pakistan says that the United States did not share evidence of wrongdoing before placing recent sanctions against certain defense-related Pakistani entities, but that it has pledged to work with Washington to address all concerns.

A December 15 notification by the Department of Commerce named the entities and added them to the Export Administration Regulations list, saying "these government, parastatal and private entities in Pakistan are determined to be involved in activities that are contrary to the national security and/or foreign policy of the United States."

The facilities in question are thought to be associated with Pakistan's missile development program, though officials in Islamabad have not acknowledged it. The U.S. government has not revealed details of violations these entities are alleged to have committed.

Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman Nafees Zakaria told VOA on Saturday that the government was aware of the sanctions.

"This means that for any transfers of technology to these entities, U.S. exporters will need a license," he said, adding that Pakistani authorities were examining the case to ascertain the facts behind the listing.

Ready for discussions

Zakaria called the timing of the sanctions "intriguing." He told VOA that Pakistan was ready to work with the U.S. at the level of experts to devise mutually agreed-upon procedures for end-use guarantees.

"This will help in assuring nondiversion of high-technology exports from the U.S. without hampering our legitimate imports for socioeconomic development activities," the Pakistani spokesman said.

Pakistan officials insist their missile and nuclear programs are "completely indigenous," and that U.S. sanctions will have "little bearing" on them.

"It means nothing for us," said a senior official associated with the projects. He requested not to be named because he was not authorized to speak to reporters.

The officials described the sanctions as a politically motivated move aimed at creating problems for the incoming Donald Trump administration's relations with Pakistan.

Islamabad has developed and equipped its armed forces with a variety of short-, medium- and long-range missiles, capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear warheads.

The program has raised concerns in Washington about the safety of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, though Islamabad dismisses such issues as misplaced.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Iran's president warns of bids to boost terrorists during Syria truce

Iran Press TV

Sat Dec 31, 2016 5:23PM

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the Islamic Republic welcomes Syria's nationwide ceasefire, but warned against the strengthening of terrorists during the truce time in the Arab country.

"One must watch out that no opportunity will be created during the time of ceasefire for the terrorists' reinforcement," Rouhani said in a meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem and Major General Ali Mamlouk, the head of Syria's National Security Bureau, in Tehran on Saturday.

The ceasefire, which took effect across Syria at midnight on Friday, excludes the most brutal of terror outfits operating in the Arab country, namely Daesh and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly known as al-Nusra Front.

The truce was mediated by Russia and Turkey, which respectively represented the Syrian government and the anti-Damascus militants.

Rouhani further hailed the great achievements made by the Syrian government, army and people in the fight against terrorists, particularly in the recently-liberated strategic city of Aleppo.

"The victory in Aleppo conveys this message to the terrorists that they will never be successful in the wrong path they have chosen [which is replete] with crime and bloodshed," the Iranian president said.

He added that the liberation of Aleppo has prepared suitable grounds for field activities against terrorists and political measures meant to restore stability and security to Syria.

He expressed hope that future steps to solve the Syrian crisis and initiate peace talks would lead to the establishment of security for the Syrian people and the maintenance of the country's territorial integrity.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran has always stood by the Syrian nation in their resistance and at different political scenes, and will continue its support in the future," Rouhani said, adding, "We are confident that the Syrian people will achieve a final victory and success."

He further stressed the importance of reinforcing unity and coordination among Iran, Russia and Syria to help Damascus restore stability and sustainable security to the country.

The countrywide ceasefire in Syria came one week after the Syrian army announced its full control over Aleppo when the last remaining militants were evacuated along with civilians from the eastern sector of the city under a truce deal mediated by Ankara and Moscow.

Iran's support pivotal in Syrians' fight against terrorism

Muallem, for his part, said Iran's full support for Syria has played and will play a leading role in the Arab state's fight against terrorism.

He commended the support of Iran and Russia for the Syrian government and nation and called for more cooperation among the three countries in this regard.

The Syrian foreign minister also said Iran has an important position in the region and urged further enhanced ties with Tehran.

Muallem arrived in Tehran on Saturday for a day-long visit at the head of a high-ranking delegation. Earlier in the day, he held talks with senior Iranian officials, including Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Daesh cuts off water supply to Syria's Aleppo

Iran Press TV

Sat Dec 31, 2016 8:7AM

Takfiri Daesh terrorists in Syria have cut off the water supply from two pumping stations on the Euphrates to the east of the city of Aleppo, which was recently liberated from militants.

The blockage occurred on Friday, prompting Aleppo's Water Organization, Syria's Red Crescent Society, and local residents to look for ways to restore the water supply to the city.

Takfiri terrorist groups in Syria have resorted to cutting off water supplies to different residential areas in an apparent bid to retaliate battlefield losses.

On Thursday, the United Nations warned that four million people in the Syrian capital city of Damascus had been deprived of safe drinking water supplies for over a week after springs outside the city were deliberately contaminated by militants.

Water supplies from the Wadi Barada and Ain al-Fija springs to the northwest of Damascus, which served 70 percent of the population in the city, were cut after water facilities were deliberately targeted and damaged, the UN announced in a statement.

Syrian officials had earlier detected diesel contamination in the water piped to the capital and had cut supplies over safety concerns.

According to the UN, 15 million people across Syria are in need of help to access water and households spend nearly a quarter of their income on water.

In a separate development on Friday, the Syrian government forces found a cache of US-manufactured weapons worth of millions of dollars in eastern Aleppo, Russian media reported. The weapons had been sent to the Takfiri terrorists in hundreds of boxes disguised as humanitarian aid, the reports said.

An evacuation deal brokered by Russia and Turkey recently saw militants move from the east of the city  which had been held by armed groups for four years  to designated areas in the Idlib Governorate. As the evacuations were underway, the Syrian government said that trucks meant to deliver humanitarian aid to the area under the auspices of international organizations had to be inspected. Some of those organizations, however, denied inspections.

Last week, a Syrian army unit also discovered a major cache loaded with a considerable amount of munitions in an Aleppo neighborhood. The military later released footage of the weapons depot.

On Friday, the Syrian army announced a nationwide halt to fighting under a deal with the foreign-backed opposition. The ceasefire, also brokered by Russia and Turkey, does not apply to Daesh and Fateh al-Sham terrorist groups.

Over the past almost six years, Syria has been fighting foreign-sponsored militancy. UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimated in August that more than 400,000 people had been killed in the Syrian crisis until then. The UN has stopped its official casualty count in Syria, citing its inability to verify the figures it receives from various sources.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Kremlin: Putin, Iranian President Agree To Coordinate Closely On Syria

December 31, 2016

The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rohani agreed in a December 31 telephone call to coordinate closely on bringing an end to the war in Syria.

In a December 31 statement, the Kremlin said the two leaders agreed on the importance of a new cease-fire deal brokered by Russia and Turkey and plans to launch peace negotiations between the Syrian government and the armed opposition in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.

"It was agreed to continue the close coordination of efforts with the goal of reaching a final resolution to the Syria crisis," the Kremlin statement said.

Both Moscow and Tehran are backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the conflict.

Meanwhile, sporadic fighting continued in parts of Syria on December 31 despite a cease-fire deal that took hold a day earlier, as rebel groups accused government forces of "continued violations" and warned that the truce could be voided.

Activists and monitors said Assad's forces have been pushing forward on a number of fronts following the cease-fire brokered by Turkey and Russia.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said the truce remained largely intact. But several rebel groups said in a statement that "continued violations" by Assad's forces and attacks on "areas under the control of the revolutionary factions will make the agreement null and void."

The warning came ahead of a UN Security Council meeting scheduled later on December 31 to vote on a resolution endorsing the truce and a peace effort that would include a transitional government for Syria.

The government and the opposition have blamed one another for cease-fire violations. Russia, which is backing Assad in the conflict, accused the rebels on December 30 of violating the truce a dozen times in a 24-hour span.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AP

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/fighting-syria-cease -fire-deal/28207404.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






UN Security Council Adopts Syria Resolution Backing Russian-Turkish Peace Plan

RFE/RL December 31, 2016

The UN Security Council has adopted a resolution supporting a cease-fire brokered by Russia and Turkey and a bid to kick-start peace talks between the Syrian government and the opposition.

The resolution was endorsed unanimously by the 15 members of the council following closed-door discussions on December 31.

The final text dropped a formal endorsement of the ongoing cease-fire announced by Russia and Turkey earlier this week that was seen as largely holding on the ground in Syria despite sporadic fighting.

But it says that the Security Council "welcomes and supports the efforts by Russia and Turkey to end violence in Syria and jump-start a political process."

The adopted resolution also welcomes a plan to hold peace talks next month between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government and the opposition in the Kazakh capital of Astana.

Those talks would be held with the backing of Russia and Iran, who support Assad in the conflict, and of Turkey, which is supporting rebel groups. They would be held ahead of peace negotiations brokered by the UN that are set to be held in Geneva in February.

Following the vote, several delegates on the Security Council said they welcomed the truce but said that maintaining it could be difficult, Reuters reported.

The resolution also calls for "rapid, safe, and unhindered" delivery of humanitarian assistance in Syria.

The Kremlin said earlier in the day that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rohani spoke by telephone and agreed to coordinate closely on bringing an end to the war in Syria.

The two leaders stressed the importance of the current cease-fire and the planned Astana talks, the Kremlin said.

The latest cease-fire is the third so far this year aimed at bringing an end to the nearly six-year-old war.

There were reports that sporadic fighting continued in parts of Syria on December 31 despite the cease-fire, as rebel groups accused government forces of "continued violations" and warned that the truce could be voided.

Prior to the adoption of the Security Council resolution, activists and monitors said Assad's forces were pushing forward on a number of fronts despite the truce.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said the cease-fire remained largely intact.

But several rebel groups said in a statement that "continued violations" by Assad's forces and attacks on "areas under the control of the revolutionary factions will make the agreement null and void."

The government and the opposition have blamed one another for cease-fire violations. Russia accused the rebels on December 30 of violating the truce a dozen times in a 24-hour span.

With reporting by AP, AFP, dpa, TASS, and Reuters

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/russia-seeks-un- backing-syrian-cease-fire-peace-process- turkey-iran-/28206852.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






UNSC Unanimously Adopts Russia-Backed Draft Resolution on Syrian Ceasefire

Sputnik News

21:12 31.12.2016(updated 21:15 31.12.2016)

The UN Security Council on Saturday unanimously adopted a draft resolution submitted by Russia and Turkey on a comprehensive resolution of the Syrian crisis, including the ceasefire regime and political talks between the Syrian government and opposition groups in Astana, Kazakhstan in January 2017.

UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik)  On Friday, Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin said Moscow hopes the UN Security Council will take up a vote and unanimously adopt a draft resolution on Syria, which is based on talks and documents issued in Astana, Kazakhstan on Thursday.

"The draft resolution has been unanimously adopted as resolution 2336," current SC President Spanish Envoy Roman Oyarzun Marchesi said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Thursday that the Syrian government and armed opposition groups had reached an agreement on a nationwide ceasefire in Syria and on readiness to start peace talks.

Putin called on the Syrian government, armed opposition and all countries with influence on the situation in the Arab republic to support the reached agreements and to take part in the anticipated talks in Astana.

A nationwide ceasefire between the Syrian government and opposition factions came into force at midnight on Friday. Russia and Turkey serve as guarantors of the ceasefire deal, which paves the way for negotiations between the warring parties.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Syria: Security Council unites in support of Russia-Turkey efforts to end violence and jumpstart political process

31 December 2016  The United Nations Security Council today unanimously adopted a resolution welcoming and supporting the efforts by Russia and Turkey to end violence in Syria and jumpstart a political process for the war-torn Middle Eastern country.

Also in the Russian-drafted resolution, the 15-member Council "takes note of" the documents issued by Russia and Turkey about the agreements the two countries have brokered, including a nationwide ceasefire and a plan to convene political talks in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana, between the Syrian Government and opposition groups, in January.

The Council "looks forward to" the meeting in Astana, viewing it as "an important part of the Syrian-led political process" and "an important step ahead of the resumption of negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations in Geneva on 8 February 2017."

Further in the text, the Council stressed the importance of fully implementing all relevant Security Council resolutions, particularly 2254 (2015) and 2268 (2016), which endorsed an inclusive and Syrian-led political process based on the Geneva Communique of 30 June 2012 as the only sustainable solution to the current Syrian crisis, now in its sixth year.

Today's unanimous action by the Council followed its unsuccessful attempts to act on ending the conflict over the last three months.

On 8 October, the Council failed to adopt two resolutions on ending the bloodshed in Syria's besieged eastern Aleppo, the one proposed by France and Spain and the other tabled by Russia. On 5 December, the Council again failed to adopt a resolution calling for a seven-day ceasefire in Aleppo.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the Council's unanimous adoption today and efforts by Russia and Turkey to reduce violence and save civilian lives in Syria through the establishment of a ceasefire, his spokesman said in a statement.

The Secretary-General also takes note of the resolution's call for the full implementation of resolutions 2254 (2015) and 2268 (2016), and he urges all parties to heed the renewed call in the resolution for rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access throughout Syria, the spokesman said.

"The Secretary-General hopes that these developments will lead to productive talks in Astana, Kazakhstan, and contribute to intra-Syrian negotiations to be convened by the United Nations in Geneva on 8 February 2017 and pursuant to resolution 2254," the spokesman added.

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Stephen O'Brien joined Mr. Ban in welcoming today's Council action.

"As the people of Syria continue to suffer immeasurably, it is imperative that the political will demonstrated today translates into increased, sustained and impartial humanitarian access to the millions of people who have suffered far too long and are currently in the grips of a merciless cold winter without adequate shelter, protection and basic supplies," said Mr. O'Brien, also the Emergency Relief Coordinator, in a statement.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Airstrikes Ongoing Despite UN Endorsement of Syrian Cease-fire

By VOA News December 31, 2016

The U.N. Security Council on Saturday unanimously endorsed the cease-fire in Syria brokered by Russia and Turkey, but reports from the war zone said the truce was at risk.

Syrian rebels said repeated airstrikes by the Syrian government and its Russian allies could scuttle the two-day-old truce. Conflict monitors said warplanes were pounding rebel-held villages and towns northwest of Damascus, in the strategically important Barada Valley.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the civil war closely, said it had no immediate reports of casualties in Barada, but that the area had been hit multiple times since Friday, with 10 separate airstrikes during the morning hours of Saturday alone. Syria's military denied Friday that it had carried out such raids.

Reports from northern Syria said at least nine people, including four children, had been killed northeast of Aleppo, near the town of al-Bab. Witnesses said it was unclear whether the attacking warplanes were Syrian or Russian.

For all the reports of continuing violence, the latest cease-fire attempt could mark a potential breakthrough in the Syrian conflict, which began in early 2011 with an uprising against decades of autocratic rule by the Assad family  since the late Hafez al-Assad, the current president's father, seized power in 1970.

Since 2011, nearly 400,000 people have died in the Syrian war, according to the United Nations. It also has caused grave hardship for more than 13 million people, triggered a refugee crisis that has enveloped many European nations, and spawned terrorist groups that have staged attacks far from Syria itself.

The Security Council's resolution backed the Russian-Turkish cease-fire agreement, a plan for peace talks and "rapid, safe and unhindered" access to areas of the war-torn country where civilians urgently need humanitarian supplies.

The main rebel group in the civil war, the Free Syrian Army, had urged the U.N. powers to withhold their endorsement of the peace plan if airstrikes continued. The rebels said their next step might be abandonment of the truce.

A meeting scheduled for late January in Kazakhstan between the Damascus government and Syrian opposition groups is seen by some Security Council members as a key part of a political process that could resolve the civil war. Those talks would be mediated by Russia, Turkey and Iran.

However, a loose-knit coalition of Syrian rebels accused the Assad government Saturday of signing two different versions of the truce draft, one of which omitted key points that the anti-Assad forces felt were non-negotiable.

Some Western analysts have questioned the effectiveness of any truce between Damascus and non-jihadist rebels seeking to drive Assad from power. They expect fighting in the multisided conflict to continue.

Western skeptics point to varying objectives within the Syria-Turkey-Russia alliance, with Turkey's army targeting Islamic State extremists in northern Syria while trying to push Kurdish fighters away from Turkey's southern border. The largely Sunni Ankara government has also strenuously criticized the involvement in the civil war of Shi'ite militias backed by Iran.

Moreover, Kurds were not represented in truce negotiations ahead Saturday's deal, while several other jihadist groupings criticized truce provisions in recent days.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






President calls for benign cross-strait relations

ROC Central News Agency

2016/12/31 15:59:22

Taipei, Dec. 31 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen () on Saturday urged both sides of the Taiwan Strait to maintain peaceful relations, vowing that the Republic of China (Taiwan) will continue to commit to having positive exchanges with China and extending goodwill but will not succumb to pressure and threats.

"Over the past few months, it's becoming a common feeling for Taiwanese people that a rational and calm position strenuously kept by both sides has been slightly changed," Tsai said when she and Vice President Chen Chien-jen () briefed both local and international reporters about their work since assuming office on May 20 and the direction of their future administration.

"Beijing has, step by step, backed onto an old track to polarize, pressure and even threaten and intimidate (Taiwan)," said the president.

"We hope that this is not Bejing's adoption of a policy, and want to remind it that such moves have hurt Taiwanese people's feelings and affected stability across the Taiwan Strait," she said.

"To maintain regional peace and prosperity, we once again repeat that our promise and goodwill has not changed but we will not yield to pressure nor return to the old path of confrontation," according to Tsai.

As one example of recent action by China, Beijing and Sao Tome and Principe signed a communique to resume diplomatic relations earlier this month after the western African country terminated formal relations with the R.O.C. That leaves Taiwan with just 21 diplomatic allies.

Tsai reiterated that Taiwan hopes to continue to work with China next year to respond to the call for peace from people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

"Whether cross-strait relations take a different path next year depends on our patience, holding steady to our beliefs and how Beijing views the future of cross-strait relations. In other words, whether it is willing to accept responsibility and adopt new thinking and practices to jointly find a new method of interaction between Taiwan and China, and respond to the mutual desire of people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and regional neighbors for peace and development," she said.

As long as Taiwan and China share a calm and rational mindset and allow a certain degree of flexibility, many problems could be resolved, she said.

"It is not impossible that there is room for a creative approach," she said.

Asked by reporters how her administration interprets the international view of the "One China" policy, which was the subject of heated debate after being discussed by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, Tsai said there is no need to over react to other people's opinion.

Tsai said she made clear in her inauguration speech that "the Republic of China is a sovereign country and this has not changed."

There may be numerous ideas about handling cross-strait relations, which Tsai admits remains a challenge for the Taiwanese people, but she reminded everyone to "remember the shared consensus that we are a sovereign nation."

(By Chen Wei-ting and Lee Hsin-Yin)

ENDITEM/cs/AW/

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






China mulls measures against Taiwan: Sources

Iran Press TV

Sat Dec 31, 2016 7:38AM

Senior Chinese military officers say the country's army is considering strong measures to prevent Taiwan from moving toward independence as warming relations between the self-ruled island and the US raise concerns in Beijing.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the officers said on Saturday that the issue of Taiwan had turned into a hot topic within the upper echelons of China's People's Liberation Army over the past few weeks.

One of China's possible measures was conducting military exercises near Taiwan while another was adopting a series of economic measures against the island, they said.

Earlier this month, a direct contact by phone between US President-elect Donald Trump and Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen sparked China's protests.

The 10-minute telephone call also cast doubt on the new US administration's commitment to the "One China" policy that regards Taiwan as part of China.

Washington cut formal diplomatic ties with Taipei in 1979 and recognized Beijing as the sole government of "One China."

"If Trump challenges 'One China' after becoming president, this would cross our red line," said another informed Chinese source.

Meanwhile, an unidentified official at the Chinese Defense Ministry's news department said that Beijing's 2005 Anti-Secession Law authorizes the use of force against Taiwan if it formally secedes.

In response to a question regarding China's possible measures, Taiwan's Defense Ministry spokesman Chen Chung-shi said, "We are fully prepared, and plan for the worst while preparing for the best."

Taiwan won't give in to China threats: Tsai

In another development on Saturday, the Taiwanese leader stressed in her end-of-year address that Taipei will not succumb to pressure.

Tsai said, "We won't bend to pressure yet we also won't return to the old path of confrontation."

She further called on China to engage in "calm and rational" talks in a bid to find a "reasonable" solution to the dispute.

The Taiwanese leader is scheduled to transit through the US in her January trip to Central America, but Beijing has asked Washington to block Tsai's stopovers in Houston and San Francisco.

China and Taiwan are physically separated by the Taiwan Strait in the Western Pacific Ocean. They split politically following the 1927-1950 Chinese Civil War and there have been no formal cross-strait diplomatic relations ever since.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






For the second time in five elections, the Democratic candidate for president has earned more popular votes but has not won the election. Bitter partisans have sought to delegitimize the election of the Republican candidate to weaken his claims of a mandate. It is an immoral practice that prolongs the rancor of the election and deprives Americans of the deserved enjoyment and celebration of the noble

and peaceful transition of power.

There have been calls for a constitutional amendment to directly elect the president. As usual the calls come out of the losing side. It is a shame the question is not seriously addressed since the current system has evolved on a faulty logic that makes some votes more important than others and many votes totally meaningless.

Somescholars have appealed to the wisdom of the Founding Fathers without any knowledge as to what or why the Founders acted as they did. In 1788 the vote only existed for a specifically identified constituency. Those men of influence did not have planes, trains, cell phones or computers. They mostly reigned over the lower classes that had no franchise  women, common laborers, slaves, renters and indentured servants. Representation in the legislative

branch was apportioned over the total number of people within their states. Influential Southerners managed to get credit for slaves as 3/5ths of a

man, thus increasing the influence of a largely rural environment.

When the Founders addressed the issue of a national executive they realized the powerful already had too much powerindeed they would have a conflict of interest if they controlled the manner of electing the co-equal head of

the executive branch. Alexander Hamilton argued in the Federalist Papers that an Electoral College was the best way to achieve independent action. Electors would be selected on a one-time basis for the purposes of electing the new chief executive.

The brilliance of the Founding Fathers was that while winging it, they understood what they were trying to do. In the legislative branch they looked at the function of the House of Commons and recognized the intense partisanship of congressmen that were close to the people. All would be required to stand for re-election every two yearsthis quality selection measure would keep the lower house in line.

Conversely, the House of Lords had also influenced the Founders and they created the Senate whose membership would be more stable. Two senators for every state would surely be selected from the wealthy planter and business elite. Their great wealth would make them less vulnerable to corruption or bribery. Their success and maturity suggested they would form the corporate memory and so the senators would serve six years with a third of the body up for election every two years.

The Senates wisdom would be tested by making it the jury in impeachment proceedings and the chief executives check and balance on ratification of treaties and appointment of federal officials.

However, they had no role in the election of the chief executivethat if unresolved by the electors would be determined by the House of Representatives.

The Electoral College was expected to prevent unqualified men from achieving the presidency. It was their one and only function.

Over the years and especially in the modern communications age the role of the Electoral College and indeed its composition has changed dramatically.

Electors that were to be good citizens have now become political hacks rewarded for their loyalty. Indeed a former president cast his electoral vote for his wife. The Electoral College has become a familiar and meaningless ceremonial step that follows the direction of the election. It need not be this way.

In fact, the Founding Fathers given the evolution of our society and communications would no doubt establish direct balloting for the president.

Traditionalists argue the Electoral College preserves the power of the small statesbalderdash.

Three electoral votes rarely attract any national campaigns attention. Centuries of gerrymandering have created so many safe districts that one could argue democracy has ceased. These safe zones have become safe states in which challengers campaigning is not only a waste of resources and a waste of time.

If you are a Republican living in California you have no say in the presidential election. As a result many Republicans fail to show up at the polls because they know they are wasting their time thus a large Democratic plurality piled up meaningless votes because the entire electoral count in California was already decided. That is the basis of the losers claims of victory.

So what would we gain by a direct election? First every voters vote would mean exactly what everyone elses meantone person and one vote. The parties would find themselves allocating resources to educate and register as many people as possible and turn-out would most assuredly increase. In a nation of 200 million-plus voters a 1 percent difference is still 2 million votesthat is a mandate!

If the American people are bothered by the results of the recent elections a, Constitutional Convention of the states or the Congress itself can propose to change the system to a direct election.

It could work.

On the other hand, I see a lot of excitement in the results of our elections.

Graphics tell us a vast majority of the countrys electorate in the heartland and in real America voted for the winner in district after district. Maybe the system isnt broken after all.
For a fee, this startup ships organic staples to almost anywhere, and at a discount

Eating healthy can be pricey.



A 2015 study by Consumer Reports found that organic food was, on average, nearly 50 percent more expensive than non-organic options. Still, that hasn't deterred consumers from flocking to healthier foods, and those that sell them.

If shoppers are looking for food that is either organic, gluten-free, non-GMO and they're not in a major city, healthy options can be not only expensive, but also difficult to find.

One startup is trying to change that dynamic. Thrive Market, which sells non-perishable healthy foods at comparatively reasonable prices, will ship customer orders within two days to 85 percent of the country.

"Our idea is to make healthy living affordable and accessible for anyone," Thrive Market co-CEO Nick Green told CNBC's "On The Money" in an interview.

Conceived as a kind of online-only Whole Foods combined with a Costco-like warehouse club model, Green and fellow co-founder Gunnar Lovelace created the organic delivery company just two years ago.

"We offer natural and organic products, shelf-stable products you put in your pantrythat are 25 to 50 percent off what you find in a conventional retail store," Green told CNBC.

Thrive Market charges $60 for an annual membership and Green said there are "more than 350,000 paid members on the site." He said the cost savings are achieved because of the membership model, and the fact they buy direct from supplierseliminating the middleman.





Using two warehousesone in Batesville, Indiana and the other in Reno, NevadaGreen said "we deliver anywhere in the country and we ship via UPS and FedEx ."

When you think organic food, you might think or fruits, vegetables and dairy, but Thrive Market actually carries none of that. Thrive caters to consumers by selling snacks, cooking supplies and toiletries.



"It's really anything that doesn't go in your refrigerator, but might go in your pantry," Green said. He argued that many shoppers spend more than they think on household staples, and those savings can easily be diverted to buying other things.

Story continues

"A lot of people don't realize, over 45 percent of your groceries are non-perishable," Green explained, making the case for Thrive's business model.

"So if you save on that half, it leaves you a lot more to spend on high quality produce on the other half. Green suggested members utilize local farmers markets to acquire produce and other perishables.

Green said Thrive has "about 4,000 products" on its website, "but you can click on, and filter one or more 'values' that are important to you," he said.

"We actually tag every single product that comes on the site. If they want it to be fair trade, and vegan, and a carbon-neutral company," Green said. Users can click on those specific values and "you literally can sort the entire catalog depending on what you're looking for. So where are those customers purchasing from?



"One of the interesting things is we are not targeting the coastal cities, about half of our membership is based in the Midwest and the Southeast in markets that are traditionally under-consumers of natural and organic products," he said.

On the Money airs on CNBC Saturday at 5:30 am ET, or check listings for air times in local markets.







More From CNBC


This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

GREENWICH Zayra Ramos, 27, knew her new baby girl was on her way early Saturday evening, when she began to feel pain as the family traveled to a family New Years Eve celebration in Greenwich.

Near Exit 8 in Stamford, Ivan Valdez and Ramos, who got engaged on Christmas Day, decided to drop off their four other children and head to Greenwich Hospital, where Ramos was admitted. Eight hours later, the West Haven couple welcomed a new addition at 3:53 a.m. with the birth of Jayleen, weighing 6 pounds 14 ounces, and measuring 19 inches long.

Having the New Years baby is exciting, said Ramos, who grew up in Greenwich. I feel happy and blessed.

On Sunday, baby Jayleen slept peacefully in the arms of her mother, who sat on the edge of the bed holding her. Valdez stood by with his hands in his pockets watching them as Ramos occasionally stroked Jayleens thick mop of black hair. Ramos has already decided the brown-eyed baby looks like her.

Valdez, 35, said Jayleens arrival on New Years Day is a happy occasion after a year where the family has rebounded from financial and employment problems. The family moved from Greenwich to West Haven and Valdez has begun working as a commercial truck driver.

2016 was rough and and we have struggled but, since moving to West Haven, things have gotten a lot better, Valdez said. Shes like a fresh start for us.

Both baby and mother are in good health and are expected to go home Tuesday where Jayleen will join her four siblings  sisters Xiara 10, and Karena, 9 and brothers Angel, 4, and Jordan, 3.

Jordan is the most excited to have a baby sister, Ramos said.

Jayleen is the first of droves of babies who will be delivered at the hospital in 2017. The hospital delivered 2,815 children in fiscal 2016, according to hospital spokeswoman Magaly Olivero.

The couple, who both moved from Puerto Rico as children, originally met seven years ago in Port Chester, N.Y., when Valdez picked up Ramos and her sister in a cab.

On Christmas Day, Valdez proposed to Ramos after trying to get her goat by giving her a necklace and bracelet before proclaiming his reluctance to commit, he said. When she got riled up, he quickly gave her a wedding band.

2017 should be a very good year. I have a new career and can support my family better, Valdez said. Were very happy.

As the parents of Greenwich Hospitals first baby of 2017, the family received a gift box that included goodies including a small assortment of pink baby clothes and a leather-bound photo album.
BERLIN (Reuters) - The head of Germany's Ifo economic institute believes Italians will eventually want to quit the euro currency area if their standard of living does not improve, he told German daily Tagesspiegel. "The standard of living in Italy is at the same level as in 2000. If that does not change, the Italians will at some stage say: 'We don't want this euro zone any more'," Ifo chief Clemens Fuest told the newspaper. He also said that if Germany's parliament were to approve a European rescue programme for Italy, it would impose on German taxpayers risks "the size of which it does not know and cannot control." He said German lawmakers should not agree to do this. Italy is not seeking such a rescue programme. The government in Rome is focusing on underwriting the stability of its banking sector, starting with a bailout of Monte dei Paschi di Siena. (Writing by Paul Carrel; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
Published on 2017/01/01 | Source

The area of land on Jeju Island owned by Chinese investors has dwindled for the first time in 12 years.

Advertisement

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Friday said Chinese investors now own 8.53 million sq.m of land on the resort island, down 4.7 percent from 8.95 million sq.m at the end of last year.

It was the first time since 2002 that their holdings dwindled.

Since 2010, when the government started giving residence permits to foreigners who invest more than W500 million here, many Chinese investors have bought land on the island (US$1=W1,204).

But the Jeju provincial government in November last year prevailed on the Justice Ministry to limit residence permits to those who invest in the island's tourist zones only and apply stricter rules for major development proposals.

As a result Chinese investors are now barred from buying land in most parts of Jeju.

No new land development project over 500,000 sq.m and funded by Chinese money has been approved on the island since 2014.

Last year only 111 foreigners gained residence permits by investing in Jeju real estate worth W101.4 billion, down from 508 and W347.3 billion in 2014.

Another reason is soaring real estate prices. Average land prices have risen 19.35 percent on the island this year and two or three times compared to 2010.

Ko Jun-seok of Shinhan Bank said, "The recent chill in Seoul-Beijing relations and soaring Jeju real estate prices have dampened the appetites of Chinese investors".
Published on 2017/01/01 | Source

Restaurants and catering businesses, which are usually busy at this time of year thanks to year-end parties and gatherings, are struggling as an increasing number of people tend to skip year-end festivities amid the prolonged recession.

Advertisement

According to a survey of 709 restaurants and catering services conducted by the Korea Foodservice Industry Research institute, 596 of them or 84 percent had their sales decline compared to a year ago.

Japanese restaurants, which tends to serve relatively expensive dishes, had their sales slashed by more than 40 percent, and Chinese restaurants by 33 percent.

Small restaurants took the biggest hit with a 22 percent drop in sales, whereas restaurants with 10 or more employees had their sales rise by three percent. Some 39 percent of them said they fired workers or considered a layoff amid the recession.
Hawaii state government spends $72,600 to monitor social media only to get cut off

Social media monitoring allows police to constantly target, track, and archive information posted on social media from millions of people. It can be used by law enforcement to monitor and log posts on popular sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube, regarding everything from protests to potential threats.PasteMagazine.com

by Larry Geller, Disappeared News, December 29, 2016

The Brennan Center for Justice queried law enforcement agencies across the country to see which were monitoring social media. Their research turned up purchases in the state of Hawaii (see documents below).

Snaptrends software was purchased in May of 2014 and yearly licenses renewed in two subsequent years. Each purchase was for $24,200 and covered seven licenses.

After a firestorm of protest erupted when news that Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram supplied data feeds to companies including Snaptrends, the social media companies cut off the APIs to these companies, denying them access to the data. A report, which has been disputed elsewhere, indicates that Snaptrends has now gone out of business.

The purchases were made for use at Hawaiis Fusion Center, which shares information between the federal, state and county law enforcement organizations in Hawaii (see these Disappeared News articles on fusion centers and Hawaiis fusion center). Presumably they were able to use the Snaptrends software from May 2014 until it was (reportedly) cut off sometime this October.

Police departments nationally have used this and similar software to monitor hashtags such as #BlackLivesMatter, #DontShoot, #ImUnarmed, #PoliceBrutality, and #ItsTimeforChange according to a report on the website PasteMagazine.com. With the software police and other security agencies were (and probably still are) able to monitor, record and permanently log any social media traffic of interest.

Bottom line for Hawaii tweeters and Facebook users: the police are watching you. They are able to spend tens of thousands of dollars of taxpayer money (your money) to do this. And they are likely doing more than just watchingthe software allows them to build a dossier on each of us, even though we have committed no crimes. By mapping the data, they will also know where you have been and whom you have met there.

The Brennan Center cautions that purchase of surveillance software does not prove it was used. In Hawaiis case, they renewed through 2016 for seven licenses. If they did not use the software, then that is also a questionable use of taxpayer money. So it is safe to assume it was used and that data is on file for citizens not accused of any crime for a space of up to three years.

Its clear that this power of surveillance has been misused nationally and will continue to be misused.

As any 15 year old knows, social media is also highly context-dependent. A journalist on the national security beat may follow a suspected terrorist for her reportingbut how will an automated software program, or an intelligence agency, know that the journalist doesnt subscribe to the terrorists message? The situation is even more fraught for adolescents in areas with gangs, who might need to like a picture to keep themselves out of trouble with neighborhood gang members but simultaneously get into trouble with law enforcement; one teen spent nineteen months in Rikers Island for appearing in pictures with crew members and liking their Facebook posts. [Brennan Center for Justice, Cops Are Watching Your Facebook Feed, 11/21/2016]

For those not familiar with Rikers Island, people can and are held there in abominable conditions awaiting charging or trial for long periods of time. So that the teenager spent nineteen months there does not imply he did anything illegal.

Below are the two procurement documents posted by the Brennan Center for the Hawaii purchase they uncovered.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. NonCommercial-ShareAlike
HONOLULU, Dec 31 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama expressed condolences on Saturday for the attack at a night club in Istanbul and directed his team to offer U.S. help to Turkish authorities, the White House said.

"This afternoon the president was briefed by his national security team on the attack in Istanbul," White House spokesman Eric Schultz said in a statement.

"The president expressed condolences for the innocent lives lost, directed his team to offer appropriate assistance to the Turkish authorities, as necessary, and keep him updated as warranted."

Obama is on vacation in Hawaii.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Diane Craft)
Obama's response to Russia necessary given Trump's 'dismissive' behavior, former US ambassador says

President Barack Obama 's decision to expel 35 Russian diplomats and impose new sanctions on Moscow was necessary, given President-elect Donald Trump 's "dismissive" comments about hacking reports, a former U.S. ambassador to Russia said Friday.

"I think most importantly what the Obama administration did yesterday was to assign direct attribution with overwhelming evidence with who interfered in our election process," Michael McFaul said on CNBC's " Squawk Box ."

Obama announced the sanctions on Thursday, citing Russia's alleged involvement in hacking political groups in the 2016 presidential election. In a statement, Trump said , "It's time for our country to move on to bigger and better things."

"I thought it was necessary," McFaul said, referring to Obama's actions. "Especially given that the next president, President-elect Trump, has been so dismissive of the intelligence."

Trump did say Thursday he plans to meet with intelligence leaders next week for an update in the situation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday ruled out expelling anyone in retaliation for now to see what Trump does after he takes office on Jan. 20.

McFaul, who served as U.S. ambassador to Russia from 2012 to 2014, said Putin's response was unusual.



"Usually in one of these instances, there's a tit-for-tat response," he said. "And even Foreign Minister [Sergey] Lavrov already had put together the names of diplomats to expel. But obviously President Putin has decided he's going to wait and deal with the next guy."

Olga Oliker, senior adviser and director of the Russia and Eurasia Program at CSIS, said a "tit-for-tat" response is usually how major governments behave in such situations. She said Obama's decision makes it clear how the U.S. will respond to future allegations of election hacking.



"The new executive order provides a good bit of leeway there," Oliker said on "Squawk Box."

McFaul said Washington's action are not enough, and that more should be done about the alleged hacking.



Story continues

"I still have 100 different questions about what happened and how the Obama administration responded to the intelligence that they received in real time during the election," McFaul said. "We can't just think of this as a bump in the road and move on."

One key challenge the Trump administration will face in 2017 is making the nation's systems more secure from cyber attacks, Former Assistant Attorney General John Carlin told CNBC on Friday.



"I think as we move towards this new approach of figuring out who did it, making it public and imposing consequences that we have to get faster at it," he said.

"What we're seeing is not just governments being target and not just companies  large, small, medium sized  by crooks, terrorist and spies, but we're seeing everyday users. Just because it happens through cyber enabled means doesn't mean you get away with a free pass," he said.
Money leaders in the House of Delegates said last month that reversing budget cuts affecting the Virginia State Police would be their top priority for the coming General Assembly session.

Its a worthy goal.

Like mental health agencies, the State Police is another critical service that has been starved over the past decade or so.

Providing for the public safety is a fundamental responsibility of government, and the General Assembly has the obligation to keep the states law enforcement agencies at peak efficiency.

Not only does that fulfill a promise to the public, but it also fulfills a promise  implicit if not explicit  made to officers: that they will be adequately paid, as well as adequately staffed to help ensure their own safety, in return for putting their lives on the line to protect the public.

How the House Appropriations Committee is going to accomplish this is another matter.

Virginia is facing yet another budget shortfall, and the committee  as well as the legislature as a whole  will have to make some tough choices about spending. With not enough money to go around, beefing up some areas will come at the expense of tightening the budget in other areas.

But the State Police make a strong case that the agency should be at, or near, the top of the list.

It already was clear that the State Police needed attention from the legislature. Superintendent Steven Flaherty reported nearly 270 trooper vacancies across the state. The pace of employee departures only quickened after Gov. Terry McAuliffe predicted the budget shortfall at the end of the summer and canceled planned pay raises.

And while more people are leaving the agency, said Superintendent Flaherty, fewer people are applying to replace them  and so there are fewer good candidates to fill vacancies.

Meanwhile, existing staff are working overtime to plug the gaps. For the state to pay overtime is not necessarily an efficient way to manage the budget, nor is it necessarily wise for officers to work tiring extra shifts in a job that requires split-second reflexes and decision-making.

We really feel like our backs are up against the wall right now, he told a different set of committees, which are looking into increasing vehicle registration fees and dedicating some of the revenue to the State Police.

John W. Jones, executive director of the Virginia Sheriffs Association decried the lack of attention to sheriffs departments, which are state constitutional offices. He said that deputies trying to support a family of four on state salaries can qualify for food stamps.

Thats just another example of the states failure to meet basic commitments.

And hence the legislatures predicament in making money stretch to cover all needs.

But the General Assembly must do something , even if it cant do everything .

Putting the State Police among Virginias top priorities is a good starting point.
FILE - This is a Tuesday, June, 14, 2016 file photo of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II as she arrives by carriage on the first day of the Royal Ascot horse race meeting at Ascot, England. Buckingham Palace said Sunday Jan. 1, 2017 that Queen Elizabeth II will not be well enough to attend a New Year church service because of a lingering heavy cold. The palace said the queen "does not yet feel ready to attend church as she is still recuperating from a heavy cold (AP Photo/Alastair Grant/file) FILE - This is a Tuesday, June, 14, 2016 file photo of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II as she arrives by carriage on the first day of the Royal Ascot horse race meeting at Ascot, England. Buckingham Palace said Sunday Jan. 1, 2017 that Queen Elizabeth II will not be well enough to attend a New Year church service because of a lingering heavy cold. The palace said the queen "does not yet feel ready to attend church as she is still recuperating from a heavy cold (AP Photo/Alastair Grant/file)

LONDON (AP)  Queen Elizabeth II missed a traditional New Year's Day church service Sunday because of the effects of a lingering cold.

Buckingham Palace said the queen "does not yet feel ready to attend church as she is still recuperating from a heavy cold." There was no indication she is suffering from a more serious illness.

It was unusual for Elizabeth not to attend the service, long part of her New Year's Day routine. The inclement weather may have been a contributing factor in her decision to stay indoors. It was cold with a steady rain in the Norfolk area 110 miles (175 kilometers) north of London where the queen maintains a private estate called Sandringham.

Elizabeth also missed the Christmas church service last week for the first time in decades. She is recuperating out of the public eye in one of her favorite homes.

The 90-year-old queen, the longest reigning monarch in British history, had earlier delayed her departure for Sandringham for the Christmas holidays because both she and her husband, Prince Philip, were suffering from intense colds.

She traveled one day later than planned and used a helicopter rather than a train to shorten the travel time.

Her prolonged illness has raised some concerns because colds and flus can be dangerous for elderly people. The queen has generally been in good health in recent years, although she has cut down somewhat on her traveling and public appearances.

Philip, 95, has also reduced his schedule, but managed to attend more than 100 public events in 2016.

He and other members of the royal family attended the New Year service Sunday at the church on the grounds of Sandringham estate.

Philip was driven to the church in a royal Range Rover. He used to arrive by foot when he was younger.
This year has been a roller-coaster one for news, full of political upsets and shock outcomes. But while the Brexit vote and the U.S. election were making headlines, so too were apparently genuine stories that Pope Francis had endorsed Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton sold weapons to ISIS.

After being fact-checked, it quickly became apparent that these stories were almost entirely fabricated. And while a slightly closer inspection would have shown that Popes are traditionally politically independent and no evidence has been found that Hillary Clinton has financial links to the so-called Islamic State, many people took the stories at face value.

According to data from Buzzfeed published last month, these stories boasted nearly two million Facebook engagements, in the three months leading up to the U.S. election. To put that figure into perspective, during the same period, the top performing Facebook story for the New York Times racked up just over 370,000 engagements. A Buzzfeed investigation traced some of these fake publishers to a small town in Macedonia called Veles - where it discovered that over 140 fake news sites are based.

CNBC looks at some of the biggest top performing fake stories of 2016, using engagement figures from Buzzfeed.





"Pope Francis shocks world, endorses Donald Trump for president"

The story was originally published by a site called WTOE 5 News before being copied by a popular fake news publisher Ending the Fed. By November 8, the story had picked up 960,000 Facebook engagements, according to Buzzfeed.

WTO5 News has since shut down its website. However, when it was operational, it openly admitted to fabricating content and even had a disclaimer on its homepage saying: "most articles on wt0e5news.com are satire or pure fantasy." Ending the Fed has taken down its version of the article, but is still publishing fake news and growing its audience on Facebook; it currently has over 350,000 followers.

Story continues

During a press conference on October 2, Pope Francis spoke publicly about the U.S. election for the first time, saying "I never say a word about electoral campaigns" and that there were "difficulties" with both candidates; Reuters reported. Francis also spoke out against the dangers of fake news on December 7 in an interview with the Belgian Catholic Weekly, calling it a "sickness."





"Donald Trump sent his own plane to transport 200 stranded marines"

This was published by Americanmilitarynews.com in May and racked up 893,000 engagements, according to Buzzfeed's data. The article claimed that back in 1991, a bunch of Marines had been left stranded after Operation Desert Storm, and that Donald Trump had found out about it and sent his own plane to collect them.

The story can be traced back to Sean Hannity, a popular conservative political commentator. His site, Hannity.com, still has the article up and says it has been confirmed by Trump's team. The Washington Post fact-checked Hannity's article and the real story is slightly different.

A Trump-branded plane did indeed pick up the Marines, but it wasn't Donald Trump's personal jet. It was a Boeing 727 that was part of Trump Shuttle Inc, an airline owned by the president-elect from 1989-1992. TSI never turned a profit and by 1990 it had defaulted on its loans. The planes were eventually seized but, before the business was sold, TSI contracted out planes to the U.S. Army.





#Pizzagate

The "Pizzagate" conspiracy theory emerged after WikiLeaks released emails from Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman, John Podesta. Reading the emails, online communities such as 4chan and Reddit began theorizing about possible double meanings which could be inferred from the exchanges. It was quickly decided that emails about social gatherings involving "pizza," were code for something much darker; a secret underground human trafficking/child sex abuse ring, involving senior members of the Clinton campaign.

There has been no evidence to support claims that Comet, the Washington pizzeria mentioned in the emails is up to any wrongdoing. In fact, after investigating the claims, the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia characterised the matter as a "fictitious conspiracy theory". The New York Times, Fox News and the Washington Post have also failed to find any unlawful activity at the restaurant.





"Ireland is now officially accepting Trump refugees from America"

Nearly a million people read this story on Facebook. Actually the piece did not even mention Ireland, it references Inishturk - a small island off the coast of Ireland which has no say on Irish immigration policy. Furthermore the article, which was published by Winning Democrats, referenced how Canada has adopted an open door immigration policy for disgruntled Americans - which it hasn't. Nonetheless, the story generated 810,000 engagements.



"WikiLeaks confirms Hillary sold weapons to ISIS  Then drops another bombshell"

Published on August 4, this article was written by The Political Insider after WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange made comments about Hillary Clinton during an interview in late July. The article states that Assange contended "Hillary Clinton and her State department were actively arming Islamic jihadists, which includes ISIS" and generated some 789,000 engagements, according to Buzzfeed data.

What Assange actually said, was that a Hillary Clinton-led State Department had approved weapon shipments to Libya during the intervention in 2011, and that those weapons had later ended up in the hands of jihadists. Before Election Day, the article had 789,000 engagements according to Buzzfeed.





"FBI agent suspected in Hillary email leaks found dead in apartment murder-suicide"

The article, which generated some 567,000 Facebook engagements, according to Buzzfeed, was originally published by the Denver Guardian on November 5. The site has since been deleted, but it once called itself "Denver's oldest news source". In reality, that title belongs to the Denver Post, which has been publishing since 1892.The Denver Guardian article prompted the Post to publish a piece titled "There is no such thing as the Denver Guardian, despite that Facebook post you saw." In its article, the Denver Post draws attention to the fact that the contact address listed for the Denver Guardian is actually just a vacant car park.

"FBI director received millions from Clinton Foundation, his brothers law firm does Clintons taxes"

This was another big clicker for the website Ending the Fed with over 538,000 Facebook engagements, but a lot of the content seems to have been sourced from the right-wing news and commentary site Breitbart News. All that can really be proven is that FBI Director James Comey has worked for organizations in the past that have donated money or partnered with the Clinton Foundation.

Brietbart has so far been unable to produce proof Comey directly took part in, or benefitted from any of the transactions. As for the taxes claim: Peter Comey is employed in some capacity by DLA Piper - a multinational law firm. According to Breitbart, DLA Piper conducted an independent audit of the Clinton Foundation in 2015, although there is no evidence to support this claim.

The only clear link between DLA Piper and the Clinton Foundation is one of the firm's partners, Kathy Keneally. Before joining DLA Piper's New York office in 2014, Keneally worked as the Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Tax Division. During her time at the DOJ Keneally carried out a four-year-long review of the Clinton Foundation's tax returns between 2010 and 2013.





"ISIS leader calls for American Muslim voters to support Hillary Clinton"

WNDR is a self-confessed fake news outlet and the site's disclaimer points out that its content is fictional in nature and meant to be read as satire. Nonetheless, this article went viral among Trump supporters online and racked up over half a million engagements before November. WNDR alleged that a top ISIS leader released a video endorsing Hillary Clinton and threatening potential Donald Trump voters, calling them "infidels".

This is another story copied and reposted by hundreds of fake news sites, often shared with the hashtag #ISISwithher, and clocked up some 522,000 Facebook engagements according to Buzzfeed.





"Hillary Clinton in 2013: I would like to see people like Donald Trump run for office; theyre honest and cant be bought"

Within its first week, this article had already captured the attention of 481,000 readers, according to Buzzfeed. It has been published by a plethora of fake news sites, but it got the most attention on ConservativeState.com, one of the best performing Macedonian fake news outlets.

While the quote was made up, it is loosely based on a comment Hillary Clinton made in a private speech to Goldman Sachs, an excerpt of which was published by WikiLeaks. What Clinton actually said was that she would like to see more successful business people enter politics.





"RuPaul claims Trump touched him inappropriately in the 90s"

After tapes surfaced of Donald Trump and broadcaster Billy Bush making obscene comments about women, so did this satirical story about the President-elect fondling one of America's most famous drag queens.

Published by the satirical site World News Daily Report on October 15, the article said that RuPaul had been grabbed by the president-elect during a party in 1995. Buzzfeed data shows that before Election Day, this article had over 285,000 Facebook engagements.





Disclosure: CNBC parent NBCUniversal is a minority investor in BuzzFeed.

Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook.







More From CNBC


Turkish special force police officers and ambulances are seen at the site of an armed attack at the Reina nightclub in Istanbul on January 1, 2017 (AFP Photo/YASIN AKGUL) (AFP)

Istanbul (AFP) - Foreigners including many nationals of Arab countries were among the dead in the New Year shooting rampage at an Istanbul nightclub, officials said on Sunday.

A total of 39 people were killed in the assault at the exclusive Reina club on the shores of the Bosphorus and 65 injured, officials said.

Here is a breakdown of the nationalities of the dead and wounded known so far given by their respective countries:

- Saudi Arabia -

Riyadh's consulate in Istanbul said that Saudis were among the victims, but gave no figures. The Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper however quoted a consulate source as saying that five Saudis including two women had died and 11 other people were injured. Al-Arabiya television also spoke of five dead and nine wounded.

- Jordan -

The foreign ministry in Amman said three Jordanians were killed and four injured, the official Petra news agency reported.

- Iraq -

A spokeman for Iraq's foreign ministry said that three Iraqis died in the attack.

- Lebanon -

The Lebanese foreign ministry announced the death of three Lebanese and said another four were wounded.

"I was saved by my passport which I was carrying right near my heart," one of the injured, Francois al-Asmar, told Lebanese television from his hospital bed.

- Tunisia -

The Tunisian foreign ministry said on its Facebook page that one Tunisian and one Franco-Tunisian had died. Tunisia's ambassador to France named the victims as husband and wife Mohamed Azzabi and Senda Nakaa who leave behind a five-month-old daughter.

- India -

India's external affairs minister said two nationals were among the dead, naming them as Abis Rizvi, the son of a former MP, and a woman, Khushi Shah.

- Morocco -

Foreign ministry confirmed that two Moroccans were killed and four hospitalised.

- Israel -

The Israeli foreign ministry said a young Arab Israeli woman, 18-year-old Lian Nasser, had died.

- Belgium -

Belgium's foreign ministry confirmed that a man in his 20s, a Belgian-Turkish dual national, was killed.

- Libya -

One Libyan was killed and three others hurt in the attack, according to the north African country's foreign ministry.
(Adds details on Russia and China, quotes)

By Richard Cowan

PALM BEACH, Fla., Dec 31 (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday left open the possibility of meeting with Taiwan's president if she visits the United States after he is sworn in on Jan. 20 and also expressed continued skepticism over whether Russia was responsible for computer hacks of Democratic Party officials.

In remarks to reporters upon entering a New Year's Eve celebration at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Trump said, "We'll see," when pressed on whether he would meet Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan's president if she were to be in the United States at any point after he becomes president. Taiwan's president will be in transit in Houston on Jan. 7 and again will be in transit in San Francisco on Jan. 13.

Trump, citing protocol, said he would not meet with any foreign leaders while President Barack Obama is still in office.

Beijing bristled when Trump, shortly after his Nov. 8 victory, accepted a congratulatory telephone call from the Taiwan leader and has warned against steps that would upset the "one-China" policy China and the United States have maintained for decades.

Talk of a stop-over in the United States by the Taiwan president has further rattled Washington-Beijing relations.

On another foreign policy matter, Trump warned against being quick to pin the blame on Russia for the hacking of U.S. emails. The Washington Post also reported on Friday that Moscow could be behind intrusion into a laptop owned by a Vermont electric utility.

U.S. intelligence officials have said that they are confident Russia was behind the hacks of political figures, which could have played a role in Trump's defeat over Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

"I think it's unfair if we don't know. It could be somebody else. I also know things that other people don't know so we cannot be sure," Trump said.

Asked what that information included, the Republican President-elect said, "You will find out on Tuesday or Wednesday."

Story continues

He did not elaborate.

But he said that any computer is subject to hacks.

"It's very important. If you have something really important write it out and have it delivered by courier the old fashioned way," Trump said, adding, "No computer is safe, I don't care what they say."

Trump tried to end the year on a positive note, however, despite questions about the future of U.S.-Russia relations because of escalating tensions between Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as Trump's promise to crack down on China's trade practices, which he says unfairly target American workers.

"Hopefully we're going to have great relationships with many countries and that includes Russia and that includes China," Trump said.

But he criticized U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry for earlier this week offering a stark assessment of Israel's policies in the Middle East, which he said could threaten the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state co-existing with Israel. Trump called Kerry's speech "very unfair."

As he wrapped up a four-minute informal chat with reporters, Trump also was asked what his 2017 new year's resolution was.

"Make America great again," he said.

(Reporting By Richard Cowan; Editing by Nick Zieminski and Diane Craft)
Investigator Justin Levey of the Hickory Police Department was honored as an NCADA Hometown Hero by Gov. Pat McCrory and the North Carolina Automobile Dealers Association (NCADA) at a ceremony in Cary on Dec. 13.

Levey was nominated for the honor by Mike Johnson of Mike Johnsons Hickory Toyota. Levey was chosen for the honor due to his outstanding service, above and beyond the call of duty.

The NCADA Hometown Heroes program is designed to recognize those North Carolina Hometown Heroes who work to make communities safe. Local franchised car dealers have been working with their fire, police, EMT and sheriffs departments to honor those who serve their local communities.

McCrory presented each first responder with a token of appreciation as they were individually recognized for their heroic efforts. To all the first responders, I just want to say thank you, McCrory said. This is the best of North Carolina.

As an industry, new car, truck and RV dealers are happy to honor our local Hometown Heroes, those tireless professionals who work to keep us safe. The NCADA Hometown Heroes program is intended to promote the outstanding work done by our first responders and to show our appreciation for the many sacrifices, both large and small, that they undertake to protect us all, said NCADA chairman Mike Alford of Marine Chevrolet in Jacksonville.

Similar programs supported by North Carolinas new car dealers in the past have included the WWII Flight of Honor, the Teacher of the Year program and the Drive for Troops program in 2014.

The North Carolina Automobile Dealers Association is a trade association representing North Carolinas franchised automobile, truck and RV dealers. Formed in 1935, todays NCADA actively represents more than 600 new car, truck and RV dealers.
If I have to analyse the speech delivered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, I would divide it into three primary parts.

In the first part, the Prime Minister focused on complimenting the citizens of the country. He almost made it seem as if some war just finished. He thanked the citizens and he did so in a manner that it seemed like a huge national effort. And that part, I must say, was well done.

The second part almost sounded like a budget speech. And one cannot say that it was a great thing. The content was somewhat flat. While, in a way it was like a budget speech but he stayed away from the big announcements, barring the one on maternity benefits for pregnant women.

Read | Focus on poor, small businesses: 5 highlights from PM Modis New Years eve speech

Maternity benefits of Rs 6,000 is a big programme. But that apart, he just upped the limits of existing schemes. The programmes that he touched upon are ongoing ones.

The third part of the speech was peek into the future when he said that the battle against corruption would continue. But he said very little on that and there was no concrete announcement on future plans. What steps would the government take to tackle corruption? There was no announcement of the concrete steps that would be taken in the future. For instance, funding of political parties is something that needs to be looked into. Nothing was mentioned on this. Besides, there was no mention of when the cash withdrawal limits would be lifted. So the third part of his speech was the weakest.

(The writer is economist and chairperson, Centre for Economic Studies and Planning)

As told to Mahua Venkatesh
Addressing the nation on New Years eve, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the countrys banking system must be brought back to normal at the earliest. He also urged banks to come out with schemes for the poor and disadvantaged.

Modi  in his 50-minute speech  said banks are flush with an unprecedented amount of money due to the demonetisation exercise, and this will allow them to implement schemes for the poor and the middle class. Keeping in mind the independence of banks, I want to appeal to them to focus on the poor, middle class and the underprivileged banks must work for the benefit of the poor, and not let this opportunity go, Modi said without chalking out any specific programme. Over Rs 12.5 lakh crore has been deposited into the banking system since November 10.

Read | PM Modi rings in new year with mini-budget of sops, focuses on poor

Thanking all bank employees, including banking correspondents who primarily work in rural areas, the Prime Minister noted how all such financial institutions remained open on holidays and even weekends for the first few weeks of the exercise. Most banks also extended their working hours to cope with the increase in demand for currency, he added.

However, Modi was quick to add that a few officials who indulged in misconduct in the last one month will not be spared. He was referring to certain bankers and Reserve Bank of India officials who were suspended for their alleged involvement in money laundering and other financial misdeeds.

The central bank has asked banks to preserve all CCTV footage between November 8 and December 30 to ensure that no erring bank official was spared.

Modi took the nation by surprise on November 8 with an unexpected announcement that currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denominations would

be withdrawn. While the exercise did help flush up some black money, it also caused a country-wide currency crunch that was condemned by Opposition parties.

Read | BJP compliments, rivals criticise Modis New Years eve address

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
A few days ago, I was standing in the complex of the Tanot Mata temple, close to the India-Pakistan border. How are things? I asked the man selling Prasad. Very bad, Hukum (Sir), he replied in a feeble voice. By this time of the year, thousands of people should have arrived here. The tourists are just not coming! Although by the time December 25 ended, the tourists began arriving and the hotel occupancy was full again.

Tanot is a place where the Pakistani army dropped dozens of bombs during the 1965 war. Several of these bombs also dropped in the temple complex, but miraculously none of them exploded. The locals attribute this to the blessings of the Devi and that is why the temple is always thronged by local and outstation tourists. But at the time I visited it, the temple was deserted.

The situation was not very different at the clock-tower located in the heart of Jodhpur. Here, vendors have set up stalls to sell handicrafts. My wife stood before a tribal lady selling junk jewellery. We were her first customers of the day. According to the lady, during winter, by the end of the afternoon, most people return home after selling their stock. The afternoon was almost over, but the stalls selling handicraft hadnt got too many buyers.

Read: Demonetisation: Window to deposit banned notes nears end as Modi eyes key elections

The decision on demonetisation has wreaked havoc on farmers, labourers and those who live on the margins. A research-based report in Hindustan Times this week talked about how farmers around the country were forced to sell their vegetables at wholesale mandis at minuscule prices.

Onions sold for just Rs 1 per kilogramme in Madhya Pradeshs Mandsaur and tomatoes for Rs 3 a kg in Karnatakas Kolar. Cauliflower sold for Rs 3 per kg in Patna, peas for Rs 3 in Chandigarh and potatoes for just Rs 2 in Farrukhabad.

Clearly the farmers are likely to spend the next few months in deprivation.

Small industry has also been hit hard and forced to cut jobs. The government in Uttar Pradesh has even doled out a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to 14 families whose loved ones died while waiting in ATM queues. Opposition parties say the number of people whove met an untimely death in this manner is more than hundred. The 50-day time limit that the prime minister had sought has ended. But people are still awaiting relief from cashlessness. When I passed through the village Bharol in Uttar Pradeshs Ferozabad district, I saw dozens standing in queues to draw money from an ATM. It was the 50th day of demonetisation.

Because of these reasons, the Opposition, which had been in a semi-unconscious state for the last two and a half years, has suddenly found an opportunity to become aggressive. As 2017 begins, they want to put up a united front and evolve a combined strategy to corner the prime minister.

So many aspersions wouldnt have been cast on the Union government had a few bank officials and their cronies hadnt found ways to dispense the new currency to turn their black money into white. It was highly unfortunate that at a time most bank employees were working day and night to alleviate the side-effects of demonetisation, some of their colleagues were busy sullying the image of the entire banking system. At one time, George Fernandes had said that wherever multinational banks had gone, they had encouraged corruption. Years later, his comment is ringing true. Most of those tainted were private bank employees. Employees of public sector banks also alleged that a larger number of currency notes were made available to private banks.

This is an allegation that needs to be investigated.

Read: We are with the Prime Ministers demonetisation drive: JD(U)

Over the last few days, crores of currency has been recovered in raids across the country. The prime minister has been repeatedly warning at public forums that those still sitting on heaps of illegal currency should mend their ways. In 2017 no mercy will be shown to them. One hopes the government has set its sights on the big fish. The people still have confidence in the prime minister. And the man on the street is with him.

Those who jump to hasty conclusions believe the PM has failed in his ambitious endeavour. Is that true? To find an answer, we return to the lady selling junk jewellery in Jodhpur. I asked her if she knew who had taken the decision to demonetise currency. Modiji, she replied. Is that a good thing or bad? The lady anxiously waiting for her first sale had her answer ready: Its good. Similarly workers engaged in repairing the Khama Fort near Jaisalmer said they were poor people. Theyd braved odds all their life but were confident that Mr Modi will set everything right.

Clearly the common mans confidence in Modi hasnt been shaken. To keep it going, the Centre will have to make a Herculean effort. A lot will also depend on the manner in which the Indian economy responds. Assembly elections are due in five states including Uttar Pradesh in the next few months. Apart from a verdict on the incumbent governments in these states, these elections will also be a referendum on this bold initiative. If the prime minister and his colleagues can overcome this challenge, his popularity will rise more than any of his predecessors. If that doesnt happen, hell have to spruce up his politics once more, since the assembly polls of 2017 could well script the prologue to the 2019 general elections.

Last, but not the least, greetings for the New Year! Indians exhausted of playing a Holi of political mudslinging can nurture a small hope in 2017: That this year brings with it a lot of things that make us feel cleaner.

Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief, Hindustan
It is a bright, balmy December afternoon and most shopkeepers in Paharganj -- a busy tourist hub in central Delhi with rows of budget hotels -- are sitting outside their shops, sunbathing. The streets are unusually quiet in this otherwise chaotic and cacophonic place crowded with tourists at this time of the year. Most tawdry tourist establishments of this backpackers paradise -- money changers, courier companies, rooftop restaurants, tour operators -- are empty, their owners sitting idle.

PV Sarkar, who runs a handcrafted jewellery shop, is fiddling with his mobile outside, not bothered about a few people inside his shop.

These are new kinds of tourists we have; they come to the New Delhi station to pick up friends and family members. They are here to spend time as these days trains are arriving late due to fog, says Sarkar. Demonetisation has driven out real tourists. Since morning, I have only sold a Rs30-earring. My daily sales used to be Rs 7,000, and now it is just Rs 700, says Sarkar, his voice laced with anger and frustration.

Read | Demonetisation: Penniless foreigners resort to street performances for cash

Paharganj, which has half of Delhis 1,500 budget hotels, and whose entire economy depends on foreign tourists, is witnessing a slump like never before. Hoteliers and shopkeepers here blame it on demonetisation. The occupancy rate at hotels here is 40% in December, the peak tourist season. The money changers here complain of lack of cash and the shutters are half down at most ATMs. It is difficult to spot foreign tourists, and the omnipresent touts offering hotels deals too have deserted the place.

Prashant Kapur, who sells handicrafts, has been watching movies on his mobile since morning. The shelves of his shop are filled with metallic Buddha statues, stone sculptures, puppets and an assortment of other handicrafts. Its dark inside as most of the tube-lights are switched off. Kapurs mood is hardly any brighter. My business is down by 70% as there are no tourists right now. The few tourists who are here do not have enough cash; it is hard to find an ATM here that dispenses cash, he says.

A near entry cafe at Paharganj in New Delhi. (Ravi Choudhary/Hindustan Times)

Sanjeev Baluja, who runs LTC Travel, is sitting inside his office, his legs resting on another chair pulled in front of him. The office has almost half-a-dozen workstations and over dozen chairs. Two of his employees are checking their Facebook accounts. A message on a glass wall welcomes visitors. Go Cashless, it says. But ask him and it becomes apparent that Baluja is delivering the message with a lot of bitterness.

My office normally does not look like this, but then these are not normal times. Since there is no business, I have had to send half of my staff on forced leave. Most bookings from foreign tourists have been cancelled, says Baluja. When they came in November, they just could not exchange their currency. They faced a lot of harassment and were cheated . Most of them cancelled their trips and went to countries such as Nepal, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia from Delhi. Most bookings from foreign tourists till March have been cancelled.

Read | Demonetisation woes plague MEA: Getting distress calls from NRIs, tourists

The few foreign faces in the area, he says, are mostly businessmen who import handicrafts from Paharganj, says Baluja. As we talk, Baluja dials a person called Pradhan. He wants him to meet us. Pradhan, a stodgy man in grey jacket, arrives in five minutes. His name is Arun Gupta and he is called Pradhan because the is the general secretary of Hotel Mahasangh, an association of Delhis budget hotels. Gupta says he is in a hurry and we would have to ask our questions fast. And before we could ask, he speaks against demonetisation. The government could have easily allowed at least the foreigners to use old notes. It is grossly unfair to set an exchange limit of Rs 5,000 in a week for them, says Gupta.

Soon, the conversation reveals that his concerns go beyond the welfare of foreign tourists  he lists a litany of demands of hoteliers that have not been met by the government and how Paharganj, which he proudly describes as a place that attracts more than half of the tourists that come to Delhi every year, has not got its due. Without Paharganj there would be no tourism in Delhi, he declares.

The Delhi government, he says, had plans for the area during the Commonwealth Games, which included a cafe in a local heritage building, a stage for cultural performances and a food plaza near the railway station. But nothing came out of it. The government should promote the place as a tourist hub, it has a great potential, says Gupta.

Paharganjs first hotels came up in 1972 to cater to visitors to the Asia 72 Trade Show held at the then newly-opened Pragati Maidan to celebrate 25 years of Indias Independence. A large number of companies from India and abroad participated in the event. In the 70s, the area became a regular part of the hippie trail. In the 1990s, it attracted a large chunk of Russian and Japanese budget tourists.

The Asian Games in 1982 triggered a hotel boom here. As many as 70-80 hotels had come up here then. Many locals turned their houses into hotels. Today, Paharganj has about 700 hotels, with 5 to 50 rooms. The tariff ranges between R250 and R3,500.

While most hotels and eateries are struggling to get customers, one place that seems to be doing better than others is Wow Cafe , run by Rishikesh Shivanand. The owner has over half-a-dozen Korean passports at his desk and several SIM cards. The walls have murals by Korean artists. Shivanand is a former tourist guide and pretty fluent in Korean. My place is like a home to South Koreans who come here for everything from food to SIM cards to travel consultation. But my place used to be much more crowded than it is now, he says.

PAHARGANJ AT A GLANCE Paharganj has about 700 hotels, with 5 to 50 rooms. The tariff ranges between Rs 250 and Rs 3500.

Hoteliers and shopkeepers say business has hit rock bottom after note ban.

Paharganjs first hotels came up in 1972 to cater to visitors to the Asia 72 Trade Show held at Pragati Maidan to celebrate 25 years of Indias Independence.

In the 70s, the area became a regular part of hippie trail. In the 1990s, it attracted a large chunk of Russian and Japanese budget tourists.

The Asian Games, 1982, triggered a hotel boom here. Many locals turned their houses into hotels.

The place, it seems, is quite popular among tourists of other nationalities too. Most foreign tourists at his shop complain of their currency being accepted at lower rates in Delhi , empty ATMs and little cash in hand. My biggest problem is that it is hard to get cash and not every place accepts credit cards here. The worst part is I can only exchange 60 British Pounds and exchange rates here are bad. People are offering lower exchange than the prevalent rate, says Yuan Yuan from China, who is in India with her friends. Tanya, who is from Germany, has a similar complaint: I am getting a very bad rate for Euros, which is making my trip costlier. And we can only withdraw Rs 2,000 from ATMs. I am trying to save as much as I can.

Like everywhere, the opinion in Paharganj is divided among shopkeepers on whether demonetisation is the right move. Nowhere is this divide sharper than at the garment shop of Suresh Kumar. Clad in a kurta-pyjama, he claims to be an office-bearer of a political party and a popular go-to man for shopkeepers in Paharganj.

But right now, it seems he is quite unpopular with his own staff.

As Suresh Kumar tells us how demonetization has killed business, Sanjeev Kumar, his employee tells him. The government has done the right thing. Black money holders have nowhere to go now. I do not care if we have to suffer a bit in the process.

Suresh Kumar says Sanjeev does not know anything and heads to attend a protest march against demonetisation.

Read | Demonetisation adds to woes of medical tourists in Delhi-NCR

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Donald Trump threw more praise to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, a day after the Obama administration announced sanctions on people and organizations it believes were involved in suspected Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election.

The president-elect applauded Putin for holding off on retaliating to the U.S. actions, which included sanctions on nine entities and individuals and the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats. Trump, breaking with many members of his Republican party, has so far downplayed the White House's actions and bipartisan concerns about possible Russian meddling, seeing them as attempts to delegitimize his election.

In a tweet, Trump called it a "great move" for Putin to wait before retaliating, adding that "I always knew he was very smart!" Giving it more exposure, he also pinned the tweet to his account, meaning more recent tweets will not appear above it as they normally would.





On Friday, Putin called the measures "provocative" and "aimed at further weakening the Russia-U.S. relationship." But he said Russia would not expel any U.S. diplomats in response, after Russia's foreign minister earlier indicated that Moscow could. The move was interpreted as waiting to see if Trump will adopt a more conciliatory approach when he takes office next month.

The White House's actions were seen as putting Trump in a difficult spot, as top congressional Republicans called the sanctions "overdue" and more hawkish GOP senators said they would seek tougher measures against Russia. Trump's lauding of Putin comes after a statement Thursday night in which he said "it's time for our country to move on to bigger and better things" than concerns about Russia. He also said he will talk to the intelligence community next week about the "facts" that led to the sanctions.

Story continues

Trump has received bipartisan criticism for appearing too warm with Putin. Trump has not yet said if he will keep Obama's sanctions, seek harsher actions or even roll back other existing measures.

In a statement Thursday, President Barack Obama said that "actions intended to interfere with the U.S. election process ... could only have been directed by the highest levels of the Russian government." U.S. officials told NBC News earlier this month that they believe with a "high level" of confidence that Putin became personally involved in the suspected electoral meddling.

Trump's tweet Friday took a decidedly different tone from responses House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell gave to the sanctions Thursday. Ryan said in a statement that Russia has "consistently sought to undermine" America's interests and called Obama's actions "overdue."

McConnell, meanwhile, said that "the Russians are not our friends" and called the sanctions "a good initial step." He urged an "overwhelming response" to cyberattacks against the U.S.

Sen. John McCain, a hawk on policy toward Russia, has set a hearing on foreign cyberattacks against the U.S. for next week.

Trump's quote about Putin was also distributed more widely Friday on his Instagram account.

The president-elect subsequently tweeted that the Russians are "playing" the media.
The first attempt to streamline the nursery admissions in Delhi was made in 2007, when the Delhi High Court-appointed Ashok Ganguly Committee laid out guidelines, giving weightage to several factors such as neighbourhood, sibling, etc.

Till now, the guidelines have broadly guided almost all changes that have been brought in by the government, schools or by way of litigation. Therefore, it is imperative on the parents that they understand the points system and decide their strategy accordingly. They should check which school follows what criteria and then apply to the ones where they have the maximum chance of securing a seat for their children.

Read | Parents of children under EWS category clueless about admission rules

Most schools allocate maximum points for neighbourhood -- the distance between a school and an applicants house.

Nursery admissions in the national capital will begin Monday. While around 1,400 schools will fix their own criteria, 285 schools built on DDA land may have to follow only neighbourhood rule. The schedule and guidelines for the schools on DDA land are yet to be announced by the government.

Neighbourhood

Principals say that maximum points are allocated to the neighbourhood criterion to ensure students from the areas located near the school should get priority. For instance, Delhi Public School, Mathura Road has kept 60 points for neighbourhood -- the distance for which is set up at 7 km.

For the alumni category, in case both parents or one parent is from the school, 15 points will be awarded. For first child or girl child, there is 15 points and for sibling there is 15 points, said Manohar Lal, principal of the school.

Sibling

Parents prefer sending the younger child in the same school where the elder one is studying. Almost all schools award 10-20 points for this criterion.

Read | No guidelines on what to teach in Delhis nursery schools

I have two daughters and I want them both to go to the same school. It is safe to send them together in the same school bus. Plus I am familiar with the school, said Tamanna Sharma, a resident of Gandhi Nagar.

Alumni

Most schools keep points for children of their alumni. Alumni have a certain connect with the school. They prefer sending their children to the school because they know about the quality of education and the history of the institution, said a principal, who did not wish to be named.

Management

Although government had abolished the management quota last year, the high court allowed some schools to keep the criterion while observing that they are entitled to autonomy in administration.

Assigning points

The government had last year abolished 51 criterias for being unfair, unreasonable and non-transparent. Some of these criteria are parents education, non-smoker parent, oral test and interview. A lot of these considerations were prevalent even before the Ganguly panels recommendations came into play.

Parents should know what these categories are and understand that no school can assign points to them, said Directorate of Education official.

Read | Nursery admissions: How to decide on a good school for your child

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
While calling the Delhi Metro Rail Corporations (DMRC) decision of allowing only one e-wallet company for cashless payments at 10 Metro stations forceful, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said he will be seeking an inquiry into the matter. He also demanded to be shown the files that led to the decision.

Its being done forcefully, maybe as directed by the PMO. I will speak to the Metro (authorities) and ask for the files. How can be they force a decision like this? They are promoting Paytm through this. I will seek an inquiry and look into the files, said Kejriwal.

The DMRC had earlier clarified that more e-wallets would soon be roped in and the contract was awarded to Paytm through an open tender process.

Explaining its stand, the DMRC stated, Since Delhi Metro at present has an ongoing agreement with Paytm, and it bagged the contract through an open tender process, Paytm was the natural choice to make a start for cashless transactions at 10 stations.

Read: Only Paytm, cards allowed at 10 Delhi Metro stations from January 1

The stations where the measure has been rolled out from Sunday are  Rohini East and Rohini West on the Red Line; MG Road on the Yellow Line; Mayur Vihar Phase-I, Nirman Vihar, Tilak Nagar, Janakpuri West, and Noida Sector-15 on the Blue Line; and Nehru Place and Kailash Colony on the Violet Line.

Alleging no reduction in corruption despite 50 days after the demonetisation announcement, the Aam Aadmi Party convener demanded a white paper and an independent inquiry.

Dubbing it as the scam of all scams, he said, Demonetisation is the biggest scam of independent India and is entirely guided by politics and corruption. We demand that an independent inquiry be conducted and a white paper be released on the what was gained and lost due to the demonetisation drive.

Terming Modis New Years Eve speech a sham, Kejriwal sought responses from the PM and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on the amount of money deposited and the eventual gain of the 50-day exercise that was announced on November 8.

Read: From PayTM to Ola: Brands cash in after Rs 500, Rs 1000 notes banned

Referring to Modis December 31 address to the nation, Kejriwal said that it was hollow as he did not speak about the gains and losses arising out of the shock currency move. The schemes could have been announced even without enforcing any such measure, he said.

The demonetisation move has neither managed to curb black money nor reduce terrorism or circulation of fake currency as counterfeit Rs 2,000 notes are available in the market. It has not yielded any tangible benefits and has instead led to a spike in corruption, he said.
Akhilesh Yadav may have been Uttar Pradeshs chief minister for close to five years but he emerged as a political leader in his own right last weekend. The immediate trigger for the rift with his father Mulayam Singh Yadav were differences between the two over selection of candidates ahead of the assembly elections.

When Akhilesh decided to issue his own parallel list, the Samajwadi Party (SP) chief expelled him, only to retreat the following day and revoke it. But by then, it was too late. Akhileshs supporters convened a party meeting - against Mulayams instructions; crowned him national president; kicked the father up to make him a guide; sacked uncle Shivpal Yadav as state president; and expelled Amar Singh from the party. Later in the day, Mulayam called the national executive meeting as unconstitutional and expelled Ram Gopal Yadav for six years from the party.

Read: Mulayam fights Akhilesh coup, sacks Ram Gopal and calls for SP meeting

The contest over which one is the legitimate SP, who bags the party symbol and who manages to wrest the organisations assets may continue for some time to come. But what is clear is that there is a surge of support for Akhilesh, the majority of the partys MLAs are with him, and that he represents a brand of politics - modern and development-oriented - that appeals to the states younger demographic across castes and religion.

And that is why it is intriguing why a shrewd leader like Mulayam Singh could not read the signs, and committed to a path, which many see as politically suicidal. The veteran politician was unable to reconcile to changing times, to the fact that his politics may have given identity and power to OBCs but the same groups were now looking for tangible development. Mulayams insecurities were stoked by his brother and associates, who are jealous of Akhileshs rise and desperate to get a large share of the party and its finances. At the core, the father was not able to accept the inevitable generational transformation.

Read: Did Netaji Mulayam script drama to give his son control of the party?

But that does not mean it is all smooth for Akhilesh in the forthcoming elections. He would run a presidential-style campaign, but there is a danger of fragmentation of SP core vote of Yadavs and Muslims. To make up for it, it is likely Akhilesh will ally with the Congress.

But both the BJP and the BSP will seek to exploit the rift as well. BJP president Amit Shah hopes the Muslim vote will get divided, while BSP chief Mayawati hopes given the mess in SP, minorities will consolidate behind her.

Watch | CM Akhilesh Yadav, Ramgopal Yadavs expulsion revoked

But while UPs politics is wide open for now, what is clear is that a new leader has emerged. Akhilesh Yadav - the first Yadav leader in north India who is not seen as just his caste leader - is here to stay for a long time to come.
Ceasefires in the Syrian civil war have so far been frequent, short-lived and wholly unsuccessful. For the millions caught in the crossfire of this brutal conflict, the ceasefires have often made no difference to the violence they experience. The question is whether the latest ceasefire, brokered by Russia and backed by Turkey, will last or least long enough to change the course of the war. There are reasons to be at least hopeful that this ceasefire will be different. But much which will depend on how a host of known unknowns unfold in the coming months.

Read: Russia, Turkey agree ceasefire plan for all of Syria: Media reports

The most obvious source of optimism is that the ceasefire is backed by Russia, Turkey and Iran  the three most important external players in the war. If it were left to the Syrian protagonists it seems evident the fighting would have continued. The Shia regime of Bashar al-Assad says it wants to reconquer the entire country. The rebels, whether or not affiliated to Al Qaeda or the Islamic State, still insist on Assads removal from office. But none of the Syrian players have the ability to win the war, which is why their respective external players are able to get them to sign on the dotted line.

It has been divisions among these external powers that have wrecked ceasefires in the past. Russias military intervention saved the Assad regime from almost certain defeat a year ago. Moscows greatest success has been to bring the Sunni rebels most important backer, Turkey, on board the peace process. The isolated Sunni rebels, with Saudi Arabian unwilling to intervene on their part without US backing, have been successfully isolated.

Read: Turkeys Erdogan says West broke promises in Syria, supporting Islamic State

The next diplomatic steps will be crucial. The first challenge is that Turkey still insists that Assad must step down and Russia must find a means to square this circle. The second is that Turkeys main interest in the ceasefire is to be able to turn its guns on the Kurds. However, the Kurds are backed by the US and others who see them as a bulwark against the Islamic State. Finally, no one is quite clear what the incoming administration of Donald Trump thinks about all this. Trump has said he does not support further US military intervention in West Asia but is also clear about his determination to obliterate the Islamic State. It is perfectly conceivable to see Turkey use the ceasefire to turn on the Kurds, have the US warn Russia and Iran to roll this back, and, when they do, see Turkey pull the rug from under the ceasefire. The fundamental issue of addressing the Sunni sense of marginalisation that anchors the support for the Islamic State and triggered the anti-Assad rebellion remains wholly unaddressed in all this. Which is why, while the ceasefire may hold, it is not certain a path to peace will necessarily reveal itself afterwards.
A Pakistani woman and her minor daughter who are languishing in a jail in Jammu for four years after her husband allegedly abandoned them in Delhi have been dealt a double whammy with the Pakistani high commission refusing to confirm her nationality to facilitate her deportation.

Rubeena continues to be in jail due to the Pakistan high commissions failure to authenticate her identity. Her daughter, except for the first four months of her life, has also been behind the bars with her mother.

Such has been the mother-daughter duos plight that even Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar of the Jammu and Kashmir high court in Srinagar, who has been hearing her case, prodded the authorities by saying that Rubeena and her minor child belong to some place on the planet and they be returned to their roots.

The petitioners and her minor childs position, at the moment, is of a person in no mans land, which belongs to none, but fact of the matter is that the lady does belong to some place on the planet and it becomes duty of the concerned authorities to secure confirmation about her nationality at the earliest, the court said.

The court said that the present case is yet another glaring example of human tragedy through which some people in the human history pass.

Rubeenas story would not have come to light had the Valleys human rights lawyer Mir Shafaqat not met her accidently during a visit to Jammus Kot Bhalwal Jail in 2014. The mother-daughter duo is currently lodged in Jammus Amphalla jail.

Mir Shafaqat, who is fighting for Rubeenas deportation to her country, said that she was a resident of Musa Colony Hyderabad, Pakistan and was on a visit to Delhi in November 2012 for the treatment of asthma. She was accompanied by her husband and four-month-old daughter.

Shafaqat said that Rubeena, who is in her late twenties, told him that her husband abandoned her in Delhi and disappeared with money, her passport and visa.

Taking pity on the plight of the mother and daughter, some people in Delhi contributed from their pockets and asked her to go to Wagah border but was not allowed to travel by Pakistani authorities for want of proper documents. Some people then told her to go to Jammu where she was arrested by security forces at Kanachak on November 6, 2012 and was booked under section 14 of the Foreigners Act (foreigner travelling without documents), Shafaqat said.

After Shafaqat filed a case in 2014, the court asked the jail authorities to deport her which they failed to do. He filed a contempt case prompting the state to respond by saying the authorities of Pakistan high commission did not confirm the nationality of the petitioner on the basis of particulars which were furnished to them.

Shafaqat again filed the particulars including the proper address, parentage, the name of her brother and uncles, their occupation and the name of the school where she studied in Hyderabad, Pakistan.

Assistant Solicitor General of India S A Makroo submitted before the court that the state took up the matter with union home ministry (foreign division) which in turn took up the matter with ministry of external affairs on April 26, May 20 and September 20, 2016.

Makroo said that the ministry of external affairs was requested to take up the matter with Pakistan high commission for confirming the nationality and issuance of travel documents to Rubeena.

I have been informed that so far no confirmation in this regard has been received. Until such time, the nationality of the petitioner is confirmed by the Pakistan High Commission in India, the petitioner cannot be repatriated to Pakistan, he said.
Asserting his complete control over the party, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday evening appointed Naresh Uttam, party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadavs old loyalist, as state president of the Samajwadi Party.

Late on Sunday evening, security was beefed up at Akhileshs residence and paramilitary forces were deployed at 7, Vikramaditya Marg.

After the appointment, Uttam went to the party office at 19, Vikramaditiya Marg, to take over the office of state president.

Uttam and his supporters removed the name plate of Shivpal Yadav from his room at the party office and locked the room.

Akhilesh loyalists took complete control of the office by also removing name-plates and photo-frames of loyalists of Shivpal Yadav.

A large contingent of police force was also rushed to the party office to prevent any clash between supporters of Shivpal and Akhilesh.

With no opposition, the take-over of the state party office by the Akhilesh camp was smooth.

Late on Sunday evening, security personnel from the chief ministers office had the party office vacated. Barring security personnel and staff members of the office, no one was allowed to stay back.

Read| For the latest updates on the Yadav family feud, click here

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav appeared to snatch control of the Samajwadi Party from the old guard on Sunday as a meet called by his camp elected him as party chief, replacing father Mulayam Singh Yadav.

The national executive meeting also called for the sacking of state president Shivpal Yadav and parliamentarian Amar Singh, seen as Akhileshs top adversaries in the party.

Earlier on Sunday morning, Mulayam declared the meet as violating the party constitution.

Mulayam Singh continues to hold the highest position for the party and me. If theres a conspiracy against Mulayam, its my responsibility to get to its root, Akhilesh told a massive gathering of party workers and followers in Lucknow.

But the status of Akhileshs elevation as national working president and the expulsions remained unclear as Mulayam didnt step down as party national president.

The dramatic event came barely a day after Mulayam revoked Akhileshs suspension in the party following a groundswell of support for the young leader and intense media scrutiny.

Akhileshs declarations are the latest episode in a bruising battle of control for the party ahead of state polls less than three months away. The running feud between the CM and his uncle Shivpal has seen a series of tit-for-tat sackings and parallel candidates list, which are likely to hurt the partys chances in the upcoming polls.

For the latest updates on the Yadav family feud, click here
The Samajwadi Partys power struggle took another dramatic turn on the New Years Day, as chief minister Akhilesh Yadav staged a coup by getting elected the party chief, ousting his father Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Akhilesh, whose show of strength on Saturday had forced Mulayam to take him back after expulsion, dealt a double blow to his 77-year-old father.

At the extraordinary national convention called by Akhileshs faction, a decision was also taken to sack Shivpal Yadav as the state party chief and throw parliamentarian Amar Singh out of the SP. The two leaders are considered the CMs top adversaries and are close to Mulayam.

I will take every step to save my father (from conspirators) and strengthen the party. I am ready to make sacrifices, Akhilesh said.

Sometimes to protect the ones u love u must make right decision. What I did today was a tough decision but 1 tht I had to take, the 43-year-old CM tweeted late on Sunday, referring to his move to snatch party control.

The convention was attended by more than 200 of the SPs 229 legislators, ministers and tens of thousands of workers. The power shift was for all to see -- several leaders considered close to Mulayam were at the meeting.

Akhilesh named a loyalist, Naresh Uttam, as Shivpals replacement. The 55-year-old member of the legislature council was Akhileshs deputy when he was the state party chief.

Read| Akhilesh Yadavs tough love: When young CM nudged out father Mulayam

But the bruising battle for control of the party ahead of the state election due in coming months appeared far from over. Hours later, Mulayam declared the meeting illegal and called a separate national convention on January 5.

He also sacked his cousin and party general secretary, Ramgopal Yadav --- the second such action against him in as many days, member of Parliament Naresh Agarwal and SP vice-president Kiranmoy Nanda. The three had shared the stage with Akhilesh.

Akhilesh is the political heir to Netaji. The party will go into polls under his leadership, and he will be the face of the party, said Nanda, a long-time aide to Mulayam.

Mulayam Singh is my father and continues to hold the highest position for the party and me, the CM said.

A brawl broke out on the streets of Lucknow as groups of workers from camps loyal to Akhilesh and Mulayam fought to gain control of the party office.

I will take every step to save my father (from conspirators) and strengthen the party. I am ready to make sacrifices, Akhilesh said. Mulayam Singh is my father and continues to hold the highest position for the party and me.

But the status of Akhileshs elevation as party chief and the expulsions remained unclear as Mulayam didnt step down as national president and had not accepted the chief patrons position announced for him.

Read| By the book: UP CMs convention technically appears to be on strong footing

Shivpal said he and Mulayam would go to Delhi and meet the Election Commission to retain the party symbol  a bicycle.

The power play between Shivpal, who is Mulayams younger brother, and Akhilesh is at the root of the SPs factional feud, which has led to a series of tit-for-tat sackings and a parallel candidates list, causing confusion in the party.

Mulayam has on most occasions sided with his brother.

On Saturday, Mulayam revoked Akhileshs expulsion from the party following a groundswell of support for the young leader.

That support was also visible on Sunday as massive crowds cheered Akhileshs elevation and the announcement that the CM would appoint a new parliamentary board and all state units.

Read| Yadav family feud: How SP leaders deserted party patriarch Mulayam

Ticket distribution (by Shivpal) was wrong. These people never wanted Samajwadi Party to form the next government in the state, Ramgopal, who had called the meeting, said.

The cheers grew louder when Shivpals ouster and Amars expulsion were demanded.

On Saturday, 214 party MLAs had attended a meeting called by Akhilesh and but stayed away from Mulayams meeting.

They all attended the convention too. But more significant was the presence of top leaders considered loyal to Mulayam  minister Ahmed Hasan, MLC SRS Yadav, Nanda and Agarwal. Maharashtra state president Abu Asim Azmi, a known Mulayam loyalist, also flew in from Mumbai for the meeting.

For the latest updates on the Yadav family feud, click here
Samajwadi Party (SP) national president Mulayam Singh Yadav may have declared the extraordinary emergency national convention ultra vires and expelled national general president Ramgopal Yadav, national vice-president Kironmoy Nanda, and Rajya Sabha member Naresh Agrawal, but the numbers, technicalities and the homework done by the Akhilesh-Ramgopal duo appear to hold them on a strong footing.

When Ramgopal Yadav summoned the convention on Friday afternoon, he was in the party and was the national general secretary and the parliamentary board member. He claims to have an authority to convene the convention. Akhilesh, however, by any capacity had no constitutional authority to summon a national convention. He is neither in the state body or the national body.

Soon after Ramgopal called the convention, Mulayam sacked him on Friday night and technically he had no right to hold the convention. But when Mulayam revoked his expulsion, Ramgopal, at the time of the convention, automatically had the authority.

Read| Tug of war over bicycle: SP infighting now reaches Election Commission office

Ramgopal, who was again expelled by Mulayam two hours after the convention, had been doing the homework for the convention for the last two months.

Thousands of party workers and leaders wrote to me seeking a convention, he had been saying. He has letters to show to the Election Commission or the court of law to prove his point.

Read| Yadav family feud: Akhilesh takes control, unseats father Mulayam as SP chief

At the time of the convention, all the MLAs (except Pawan Pandey), MLCs (barring five youth leaders like Sunil Sajan or Udaiveer Singh), MPs, senior leaders, were in the party. All of those who attended the meeting were authorised party members. SP had elected Mulayam the national president at the last convention .

The day before the convention, 214 MLAs and 50 MLCs had signed a register when they attended the meeting convened by Akhilesh. Against this, Mulayam had the support of only five MLAs, giving a clear majority to Akhilesh.

Akhilesh and Ramgopal did a strong documentation of the proceedings  in writing, photography, signatures, and videography. Akhilesh deployed drone cameras and crane-mounted cameras to document Saturdays meeting and the Sundays convention.

Ramgopal and Akhilesh have a plan B too. Reportedly, in any such event if they dont get the SP name and symbol in time, they have made plans to contest elections as a party. Ramgopal has reportedly been in talks with Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya)(SJP-R) that has the banyan tree as its symbol. They have more such options.

For the latest updates on the Yadav family feud, click here

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Bribes to the tune of around 14 million euros were channelled through alleged middleman Christian Michel to powerful politicians in India to swing the VVIP chopper deal in favour of AgustaWestland and a set of bureaucrats also got another 14 million euros through two other middleman in the scam, CBI sources told Hindustan Times.

Bribes in the AgustaWestland deal were routed through two channels. The politicians got bribes through the channel opened by Christian Michel and bribes to bureaucrats and other brokers were paid from the channel operated by two other middlemen  Carlo Gerosa and Guido Haschke, a CBI official said on condition of anonymity.

The official said CBI will file its first chargesheet within the stipulated 60 days, counted from the day of the first arrest.

Read | In 5 points: All you need to know about AgustaWestland deal

The CBI made first arrests  of former Indian Air Force chief SP Tyagi, his cousin Sanjeev alias Julie, and lawyer Gautam Khaitan  on December 9 on the charges of receiving and facilitating bribes in the Rs 3,727-crore deal to buy 12 AgustaWestland choppers for ferrying senior government dignitaries.

We have tracked the route of bribe money that went through both the channels. Michel-operated channel got around 30 million euros as commission and out of which around 14 million euros were paid to politicians to clinch the deal in favour of AgustaWestland.

The second channel operated through Gerosa and Haschke routed another 14 million euros for bureaucrats and other brokers as part of the commission from the deal, said the official.

The CBI investigation revealed that Haschke and Gerosa in all got 28 million euros from the Italy-based Finmeccanica, the parent company of AgustaWestland.

Read | VVIP chopper deal: CBI gets partial responses to its letters establishing the AgustaWestland money trail

As far as SP Tyagi and his cousins are concerned, the Enforcement Directorate, which is probing the money laundering part of the scam, has formally charged that Haschke and Gerosa through their companies  Gordian Services Sarl and IDS (both registered in Tunisia) paid at least 10.5 lakh euros to Sanjeev Tyagi, Sandeep Tyagi and Rajiv Tyagi (cousins of SP Tyagi).

The ED probe found that the payment of 4,05,625 euros (around Rs 2.49 crore) was made through banking channel to the Tyagi brothers between 2004 and March, 2011 and remaining payment of 6,44,975 euros (around Rs 4.5 crore) was made in cash between April, 2011 to December, 2011.

The Tyagis have denied the charges.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
OMAHA  The death penalty has again been voted the top Nebraska story of the year by newspaper and broadcast members of The Associated Press and AP staffers.

Nebraska voters reinstated the death penalty on Nov. 8 when they overturned the Legislature's decision last year to abolish capital punishment. The Legislature's action topped the AP list for 2015.

Critics of capital punishment say it's unlikely the state soon will execute any of the 10 men on death row. The state has had difficulty obtaining the drugs necessary, and any procedural changes contemplated likely will face legal challenges.

The death of Nebraska punter Sam Foltz finished second in the voting for 2016 stories. Foltz was killed along with former Michigan State punter Mike Sadler in a single-vehicle crash in Wisconsin on July 23. Nebraska opponents memorialized Foltz each game, home and away, and the Cornhuskers' senior day included his parents and a touching video tribute.

The year's No. 3 story was Cabela's announcement in October that it will sell itself to rival outdoor gear seller Bass Pro for $4.5 billion. The deal is expected to close sometime next year, but it's not yet clear how many jobs will be lost in Cabela's hometown of Sidney, where the company employs about 2,000 people.

Finishing fourth in the voting was the death of a 2-year-old western Omaha boy who was attacked by an alligator in Florida. The animal snatched little Lane Graves as he waded in shallow water at a Disney resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, on June 14.

The No. 5 story this year was Nebraska's prison problems. Despite new steps toward improvement, Nebraska's system continued to struggle with overcrowding, staffing shortages and a persistent lack of mental health and treatment services for inmates. Director Scott Frakes announced he will request a $15.6 million budget increase to reduce worker shortages and turnover when lawmakers convene next year.

The No. 6 story was the award of $28.1 million to six people wrongfully convicted in the 1985 rape and killing of a Beatrice woman. The county has since appealed the award as officials scrambled for ways to pay it. Bankruptcy has been mentioned among the possibilities.

Finishing seventh in the voting was the cybersex scandal involving state Sen. Bill Kintner. He's paid a $1,000 fine levied by the state accountability board but refused to resign after admitting having cybersex on a state computer with a woman who later tried to blackmail him. The married, outspoken lawmaker vowed to stay in office despite pressure from Gov. Pete Ricketts, threats of impeachment and public ridicule by Sen. Ernie Chambers.

The electoral shake-up in the Legislature was the No. 8 story this year. Nearly half a dozen incumbents lost their seats, an outcome that surprised many longtime observers around the Capitol. Five sitting senators who faced challengers were defeated in the Nov. 8 general election, and one appointed state senator lost her seat in the May primary. Gov. Pete Ricketts played a more active role in the races than his predecessors, donating tens of thousands of dollars of his own money to candidates.

The No. 9 story was the Nebraska Tourism Commission's firing of its executive director. A blistering state audit had found questionable spending and a lack of oversight within the agency. Kathy McKillip had been suspended with pay after auditors reported problems that included the commission running $4.4 million over budget in three years with an advertising firm's contract.

The budget woes facing the Legislature and the governor finished 10th. Gov. Pete Ricketts ordered agencies to restrict their spending as state revenue fell short of expectations. Ricketts and lawmakers will face a nearly $1 billion projected shortfall for the budget they're required to balance in next year's session.
Concerned over the rising popularity of BJP in Uttarakhand, Congress is looking to rope in poll strategist Prashant Kishor for the upcoming elections in the state despite a fallout in Uttar Pradesh.

According to party insiders, Kishor reportedly met chief minister Harish Rawat on Saturday night and the two are said to have discussed the Congresss constituency-wise election strategy.

The move comes as Congress leaders raised concerns over the rising popularity of BJP, especially after Prime Minister Narendra Modis rally at Parade Ground here witnessed a massive turnout of an estimated 70,000 people last week.

Congress leaders were taken aback as they had expected the rally would be a flop show in the wake of demonetisation, which, according to them, had angered the people.

State Congress vice president Jot Singh Bisht tried to play it down, saying BJP had got hired crowd from Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh for the rally.

However, the party did not officially confirm or deny reports of Kishor meeting the chief minister.

Discussions relating to poll strategy are part of a normal process during elections. There is nothing unusual about that when polls are around the corner, Surendra Kumar, the chief ministers media in-charge said.

Kishor, a public health expert by profession from Bihar, shot to limelight when his poll strategy helped the Modi-led BJP win a landslide victory in the 2014 parliamentary elections. A year later, he helped JD(U)s incumbent CM Nitish Kumar register an impressive win in the Bihar elections.

Though Kishor was handpicked by Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi for the Uttar Pradesh and Punjab elections, he was said to be distanced by Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) owing to his proximity to veteran leader and former Delhi CM Sheila Dixit, who has since been sidelined.

I have no knowledge about their stand, Kumar said, when asked about the UP fallout.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
In a ruling that will benefit many insurance holders, the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has held that death due to mosquito bite-causing malaria is an accident.

It is difficult for us to accept that the death due to a mosquito bite would not be a death due to an accident, Justice V K Jain said.

It can hardly be disputed that a mosquito bite is something which no one expects and happens all of a sudden.

As per the information available on the website of the insurance company, an accident may include events like snake bite, frost bite and dog bite. Hence it would be very difficult to accept the contention that malaria due to mosquito bite is a disease and not an accident, the commission said.

The order came on a claim filed by Mousami Bhattacharjee whose husband, Debasish, died in January 2012.

He had taken a housing loan from the Bank of Baroda and availed of an insurance policy of the National Insurance Company. The sum insured was payable in the event of his death.

When Mousami approached the insurer to enable them to liquidate the housing loan, the claim was rejected.

She then moved the district consumer forum in West Bengal in February 2014.

The insurer submitted before the forum that Debashish had died due to a mosquito bite and not due to an accident.

The forum had passed an order in Mousamis favour following which the insurance company approached the West Bengal Consumer Commission, but the appeal was dismissed in February.

Later, the insurance company had moved the National Commission.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for deviating from the actual agenda of black money and asserted Indians will resolve to deModitise the nation.

End of Demonetization & Start of DeModitization. The year 2017 will mark the year of Demoditization. This will be the New Year Resolution of all 125 crore people of this great country, Banerjee tweeted after the PMs address to the nation on Saturday evening in which he announced a slew of schemes to herald a prosperous 2017 for the urban and rural poor, farmers, small businessmen, senior citizens and pregnant women.

In a series of tweets, the Trinamool Congress supremo demanded the figures on recovery of black money.

Where are the figures of #DeMonetisation? How much of black money recovered? What did the nation gain after 50days of excruciating pain? 3/5  Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) December 31, 2016

PM deviated from actual agenda of black money & #DeMonetisation PM just took over post of Finance Minister and made pre- Budget speech. So the FM was missing from this advance Budget Speech made by PM. Modi babu, empty vessels make the most noise, the Bengal chief minister said.

Read | BJP compliments, rivals criticise Modis New Years eve address

She said: PM who runs nation in the name of Suddhikaran just underwent Buddhiharan. Promises broken. Promises derailed. People are not beggars. He has snatched common mans financial rights.

Financial Emergency continues in the name of black money cleanup. Money not available in banks. Still no concrete solutions to problems. In the name of addressing the nation, Modi Babu is serving his selfish personal agenda, she said.

A vociferous critic of the PMs demonetisation move. Mamata termed the PMs address as budget address.

The Nation Address became the Budget Address #DeModitisation 4/6  Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) December 31, 2016

Banerjee added, Heartless,baseless speech. Forgot to even pay respects to 112+ citizens who died in queues. Saying Nation Address and doing political vendetta.

Read: Focus on poor, small businesses: 5 highlights from PM Modis New Years eve speech
A 21-year-old engineering student died when he was hit by a speeding train while trying to click a selfie here in the wee hours on Sunday, police said.

The incident occurred past midnight when the student was returning after celebrating New Year, they said.

Gunasekharan, a resident of Dindigul district studying at a private college in the citys outskirt, died on the spot when he was trying to click a selfie with the train in the background using his mobile phone, police said.

The victim was hit by the train and hurled at a distance of around 100 feet, they said.

Read| India tops ranking for selfie deaths, 76 lives lost since 2014
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav appeared to snatch control of the Samajwadi Party on Sunday as a meeting called by his faction elected him party chief, replacing father Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Mulayam retorted by once again expelling his cousin, Ramgopal Yadav, for six years along with SP national vice-president Kiranmoy Nanda, who chaired the extraordinary national convention, and general secretary Naresh Agarwal, who attended it.

On a day of dramatic developments, the two sides engaged in tit-for-tat expulsions, with the convention called by party general secretary Ramgopal removing Akhileshs warring uncle, Shivpal Yadav, as state party chief, and showing the door to parliamentarian Amar Singh.

Here are some photographs capturing the action in Uttar Pradesh, where polls are due early this year.

Akhilesh and SP general secretary Ramgopal Yadav during the partys national convention in Lucknow on Sunday. By 10am, MLA, MLCs and ministers show up in large numbers at the convention called by the Akhilesh faction. (PTI)

Akhilesh addresses the convention as Ramgopal looks on. The announcement to make Akhilesh the SP national president comes at 11:31am. For his part, Akhilesh says he will continue to serve his father as a son. But Shivpal, he adds, is working against the interests of the party. (PTI)

SP workers celebrate after the announcement. The Akhilesh faction claims that over 200 of the partys 229 MLAs, around 30 MLCs and the majority of office-bearers of district units were present at the event. (PTI)

More celebrations in the Akhilesh camp. The convention authorises Akhilesh to constitute a national executive, parliamentary board and various state units, as required. (PTI)

Shivpal reaches Mulayams residence in Lucknow. Mulayam later describes as illegal all decisions, including the removal of Shivpal from the state chief post, taken at the convention. In a hard-hitting letter, he says the convention had not been called with permission of the national president and hence all decision taken there were invalid. (Deepak Gupta/HT Photo)

Shivpal supporters protest outside Mulayams residence. They stage sit-ins as tension grips Lucknow. (Deepak Gupta/HT Photo)

Heavy deployment of UP police and contingents of PAC outside the party office on Vikramadiyta Marg, where Shivpal supporters give securitymen a tough time in controlling the crowd. (PTI)

By 12:39pm -- Barely an hour after the announcement, Akhilesh loyalists barge into the SP office in Lucknow and take control, prompting Shivpal to allege that the chief minister is misusing the police machinery by allowing such hooliganism. (Deepak Gupta/HT Photo)

Akhilesh supporters celebrate at the SP office. Later, Akhilesh tweets: Sometimes to protect the ones you love you must make the right decision. What I did today was a tough decision but one that I had to take. (Deepak Gupta/HT Photo)

Newly appointed SP state president Naresh Uttam Patel at the party office in Lucknow. He says his aim will be to ensure the victory of the ruling party in the upcoming assembly polls and make Akhilesh the chief minister again. (PTI)
Renewing its demand, India today asked Pakistan for consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav, arrested on charges of espionage, and Hamid Nehal Ansari , who was caught for illegally entering the country from Afghanistan apparently to meet a girl he had befriended online.

India called for consular access to the two after it exchanged with Pakistan the lists of their citizens including civil prisoners and fishermen languishing in each others jails as per provisions of the bilateral Consular Access agreement.

The external affairs ministry said India remains committed to address on priority with Pakistan the humanitarian matters, including those pertaining to prisoners and fishermen in each others country.

In this context, we await from Pakistan confirmation of nationality of those in Indias custody who are otherwise eligible for release and repatriation.

We also await consular access to those Indian nationals in Pakistans custody for whom it has so far not been provided including and Kulbhushan Jadhav, the MEA said in a statement.

The Pakistani security forces had arrested Jadhav from Balochistan in March and alleged that he was a serving officer in the Indian Navy and deputed to the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

Jadhav has been accused by Pakistan of planning subversive activities in the country.

India has acknowledged that Jadhav had served with the navy but denied that he has any connection with the government.

Ansari, a Mumbai resident, Ansari, a Mumbai resident, had crossed over illegally to Pakistan from Afghanistan in 2012 reportedly to meet a girl he had befriended online and then went missing.

He was later arrested and tried by a Pakistani military court, which pronounced him guilty of espionage.

The agreement on Consular Access, signed on 21 May 2008, provides that a comprehensive list of nationals of each country lodged in other countrys jails has to be exchanged twice each year, on January 1 and July 1.
India and Pakistan on Sunday exchanged for the 26th consecutive year the list of their nuclear installations under a bilateral agreement that prohibits them from attacking each others atomic facilities.

India and Pakistan today exchanged, through diplomatic channels simultaneously at New Delhi and Islamabad, the list of nuclear installations and facilities covered under the Agreement on the Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear Installations between India and Pakistan, the ministry of external affairs said.

The agreement, which was signed on December 31, 1988, and entered into force on January 27, 1991, says that the two countries will inform each other of nuclear installations and facilities to be covered under the agreement on January 1 of every calendar year.

This is the 26th consecutive exchange of such list between the two countries, the first one having taken place on January 1, 1992.

The two countries also exchanged, through diplomatic channels simultaneously at New Delhi and Islamabad, the lists of nationals (including civil prisoners and fishermen) of each country lodged in their respective jails as per provisions of the Agreement on Consular Access, the MEA said.

The agreement on consular access, signed between the two countries on May 21, 2008, provides for exchanging a comprehensive list of nationals of each country lodged in their jails twice each year -- on January 1 and July 1.

India remains committed to addressing with Pakistan on priority the humanitarian matters, including those pertaining to prisoners and fishermen in each others country.

In this context, we await from Pakistan confirmation of nationality of those in Indias custody who are otherwise eligible for release and repatriation.

We also await consular access to those Indian nationals in Pakistans custody for whom it has so far not been provided including Hamid Nehal Ansari and Kulbhushan Jadhav, said an MEA statement.

The Pakistani security forces had arrested Jadhav from Balochistan in March and alleged that he was a serving officer in the Indian Navy and deputed to the Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

Jadhav has been accused by Pakistan of planning subversive activities in the country.

India has acknowledged that Jadhav had served with the navy but denied that he has any connection with the government.

Pakistan has so far turned down Indias request for consular access to Jadhav, whom Pakistan claimed to be a RAW spy.

Ansari had crossed over illegally to Pakistan from Afghanistan in 2012 reportedly to meet a girl he had befriended online and then went missing.

He was later arrested and tried by a Pakistani military court, which pronounced him guilty of espionage.
A six-year old boy was hacked to death, allegedly by his father, who then inflicted injuries to himself at Bhatar in Burdwan district on Sunday.

A police officer said Prahlad Majhi, a day labourer, allegedly stabbed his six-year old son Krishna Gopal Majhi to death during an altercation with his wife.

Majhi then inflicted injury on himself and was taken to Burdwan Medical College and Hospital by neighbours who were alerted by the screams of the childs mother, the officer said.

Majhi was in critical condition with deep gash on neck, attending doctors informed police at the hospital.

The neighbours told police that the couple had heated altercation after Majhi came to house in intoxicated state from a picnic and got infuriated when the wife protested his conduct, the officer said.
The ministry of external affairs has pulled up the Jamia Millia Islamia University for failing to implement the memorandums of understanding (MoUs) signed between the institute and three Palestinian universities in 2015.

In a letter to Jamia vice-chancellor (V-C) Talat Ahmad, minister of state for external affairs, MJ Akbar, sought an explanation on why the MoUs were at a virtual standstill even after a year.

The MoUs were signed between Jamia and Al Quds, Al Istiklal and Hebron universities during President Pranab Mukherjees visit to Palestine in October 2015.

Over a year has passed since it was signed but Jamia has not shown any inclination to activate this MoU. The Palestinian side is keen to move forward, but apathy seems to be a hurdle. We would like to know, soon, as to why there has been no movement, Akbar said in the letter.

The minister added that Jamias failure in initiating a follow-up action on the signed pacts was brought up during his recent visit to Palestine.

While V-C Ahmad confirmed that he had received a letter from Akbar, he said there was no apathy from their side in implementing the pacts.

No university has special funds for special collaborations. We have already approached the ministry of human resource and development (MHRD) seeking funds. Without funds we cannot do anything, Ahmad said.

Akbar in his letter also alluded to Palestian education ministers upcoming visit to India, which could be one of the reasons for the MEA pulling up Jamia.

The visit could be a potential inflection point for the education sector cooperation between the two countries. Without follow up, all agreements become infructuous, Akbar said in the letter.

The university has also been asked to provide details to the government on the status of other MoUs and agreements signed between the premier institution and other foreign universities.

(With agency inputs)
Absconding liquor baron Vijay Mallya, who is facing a loan default case of over Rs 9,000 crores, said on Sunday that he hopes Prime Minister Narendra Modi can guarantee that investigating agencies can be fair and impartial this year.

In a series of tweets posted on New Years day, Mallya said that while the PM Modi advocates the use of technology, the enforcement agencies refuse to do so. He goes on to appeal to the dynamic, forward-thinking and corruption-free Prime Minister to guarantee that the criminal agencies under his control are fair, impartial and legal.

In 2017 I would only hope that PM Modi Ji's vision can be correctly fairly legally and impartially executed by his Government.  Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) January 1, 2017

Will our dynamic forward thinking corruption free PM care to guarantee that criminal agencies under his control are fair impartial and legal  Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) January 1, 2017

The former Rajya Sabha MP, who left in March last year and is reportedly living in London, is wanted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The Indian government suspended his diplomatic passport after a special court in Mumbai issued non-bailable warrants against Mallya.

A group of banks led by the State Bank of India (SBI) has already rejected his offer to repay part of the dues and told the Supreme Court they wanted him to return to India so they could negotiate with him personally over the total owed.
Pakistan on Sunday said Indias bid at the UN to ban Masood Azhar was politically motivated and replete with frivolous information, two days after its close ally China blocked the proposal to get the Jaish-e-Mohammed chief and Pathankot attack mastermind listed as a global terrorist.

Responding to reports on India failing to put Azhar on the United Nations Security Councils 1267 Sanctions Committee, foreign office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said, The 1267 Sanctions Committee related to ISIS/Al-Qaeda has rejected a politically motivated proposal by India. Replete with frivolous information and baseless allegations, the Indian proposal had no merit and was primarily aimed at advancing its narrow national agenda.

Read | China again blocks Indias bid to ban JeM chief Masood Azhar

The dismissal of this proposal is also a rejection of the Indian attempts to politicise and undermine the work of this important Committee of the Security Council, he said.

While claiming to denounce terrorism, India has in fact deployed terrorism as an instrument of state policy, and has itself been involved in perpetrating, sponsoring, supporting, and financing terrorism, Zakaria said in a statement.

The arrest of Kulbhushan Jadhav, a RAW agent and serving officer of Indian navy, and his confession about involvement in terrorist activities aimed at destabilising Pakistan and killing or maiming of Pakistani citizens, is yet another proof of Indian sponsored terrorism in Pakistan.

With such duplicitous behaviour and blood on its hands, India has little credibility on counter-terrorism, he claimed.

Read | India hopeful UN will see logic in declaring Masood Azhar a global terrorist

The spokesperson said that in the coming days, Pakistan will share with the United Nations and members of the international community additional evidence of Indian involvement in terrorism in Pakistan.

It is clear that Indias unfounded allegations against Pakistan are in fact aimed at masking its own terrorist activities in Pakistan, as well as diverting the attention of the international community from the grave violations of human rights and state sponsored terrorism perpetrated by the Indian occupying forces in Kashmir, the statement said.

Pakistan has made significant contribution and rendered enormous sacrifices in the success of the international communitys counter-terrorism efforts. We are deeply committed to this common cause and look forward to continuing close cooperation with the international community in this collective endeavour, the statement said.

China had blocked Indias proposal to get Pakistan-based Azhar listed as global terrorist by the UN, citing lack of consensus on the issue.

In last nine months, China has twice put technical hold on listing Azhar as designated terrorist that would have forced imposition of asset freeze and travel ban on him by countries including Pakistan.
The Reserve Bank of India rejected a query on whether the chief economic advisor and the finance minister were consulted before the announcement of demonetisation of high-value notes.

The RBI feels this query cannot be answered under the Right to Information Act as it does not comes under the definition of information under the transparency law.

The applicant wanted to know whether the views of chief economic advisor Arvind Subramanian and finance minister Arun Jaitley were taken before announcement was made.

Query is in the nature of seeking opinion from CPIO which is not defined as information as per Section 2(f) of the RTI Act, the RBI said in response to an RTI query.

Asked whether the information sought will fall under seeking opinion from the CPIO, former chief information commissioner AN Tiwari said, No. It does not. It is a fact sought by an RTI applicant. The CPIO cannot say an opinion has been sought from him.

How it can be called seeking opinion? Whether someone was consulted or not is a matter of record. Had the question been that should views be taken then it would mean taking opinion, former Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi said, expressing surprise at the response of RBI central public information officer.

The definition of information covers any material in any form, including records, documents, memos, e-mails, opinions, advices, press releases, circulars, orders, logbooks, contracts, reports, papers, samples, models, data material held in any electronic form and information relating to any private body which can be accessed by a public authority under any other law for the time being in force.

The query was also sent to the Prime Ministers Office and the Finance Ministry but it remained unanswered even after 30 days of filing of the RTI application.

The applicant had also sought to know the designation and the names of officials who were consulted before scraping of old Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes.

The information sought relates to sensitive matters pertaining to discontinuation/withdrawal of bank notes. The information is exempt from disclosure under Section 8(1)(a) and (g) of RTI Act, the RBI said.

The monetary policy regulator also did not disclose if the decision to demonetise currency notes worth Rs 20 lakh crore was opposed by any official or minister, saying the information sought is hypothetical in nature.

It also cited Section 8(1)(a) of the RTI Act to deny minutes of deliberations related to demonetisation.
The BJP on Sunday alleged that the turmoil in Samajwadi Party was a well orchestrated ploy to divert attention from the failures of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav.

Union minister and senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu said the happenings in Samajwadi Party is like a family drama with full of comedy but it will end up in a tragedy resulting in total pack up of the Akhilesh Yadav government.

In 2012, people chose Samajwadi Party with high hopes, but they betrayed people. The Akhilesh Yadav government has proved to be a dud on all points including drinking water, law and order, power and education. The only thing they have to shown in terms of achievements is lawlessness in the state, he said.

Partys national secretary Shrikant Sharma claimed the feud is a well orchestrated move to hood wink people from the failures of Akhileshs regime.

The drama will continue till the last day of polls, he said.

The Samajwadi Party saw a coup of sorts with Akhilesh being anointed the party president upstaging his father c, who yet again expelled Ram Gopal Yadav for six years and termed as illegal all decisions taken at a national convention convened by him.
In the midst of the bitter feud in the Yadav clan, Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh on Sunday expelled partys national vice president Kiranmoy Nanda and senior leader Naresh Agrawal for attending the national convention called by the Akhilesh camp.

They were sacked hours after Mulayam expelled Ramgopal Yadav for six years terming the decisions taken at the convention as unconstitutional and illegal.

In a letter to Nanda, Mulayam said he took part in the emergency national representatives convention which is not only unconstitutional but also amounts to anti-party activities.

Agarwal has also been expelled from the party for taking part in the convention, a senior SP leader said.

Citing Section 14(2) of the party constitution, he said the convention was not called by the national president (Mulayam Singh) and despite being a senior member, Nanda took part in it.

For taking part in the unconstitutional national representatives convention and continuous involvement in anti-party activities, he is being removed from the post of national vice president. He also ceases to be a primary member of the party, the letter stated.

Nanda had chaired the national convention called by Ram Gopal Yadav that anointed Akhilesh the SP president, removed his uncle Shivpal Yadav as the state unit chief and expelled Amar Singh.
Two Indians are among those killed in an attack on revellers celebrating the New Year in Turkey, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said on Sunday.

The victims were identified as Abis Hasn Rizvi, the son of former Rajya Sabha MP and noted Mumbai builder Akhtar Hasan Rizvi, and Khushi Shah from Gujarat.

Abis was the CEO of Rizvi Builders and had produced a number of films, including the 2014 movie Roar: The Tigers of the Sundarbans.

I have a bad news from Turkey. We have lost two Indian nationals in the Istanbul attack. Indian Ambassador is on way to Istanbul. /1  Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) January 1, 2017

The foreign minister said she had spoken to the victims families and was helping them to get visas.

She also posted that she had asked the Indian Ambassador to Turkey, Rahul Kulshreshth, to receive the families at the airport and make necessary arrangements.

I have just spoken to Mr.Akhtar Hassan Rizvi father of Abis Rizvi. He and Mrs Rizvi also want to go to Istanbul. We r organising their Visa.  Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) January 1, 2017

I have also spoken to Shri Ashok Shah father of Ms.Khushi Shah and conveyed our condolences.  Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) January 1, 2017

An assailant in a Santa Claus hat unleashed a salvo of bullets in the crowded Reina nightclub in Istanbul during New Years celebrations, killing at least 39 people.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences after the attack.

Heartfelt condolences to the government and people of Turkey on the tragic loss of lives in Istanbul, he tweeted.

Read | Istanbul attack revives terror jitters as millions around the world ring in 2017

Fifteen foreigners were among the fatalities, including the Indians. Close to 70 others were injured in what authorities described as a terror attack. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the nightclub horror.

Turkish interior minister Suleyman Soylu said the attacker had escaped, even as security forces launched a massive manhunt.

(With inputs from agencies)

Read | Istanbul nightclub shooting: The latest in a string of deadly attacks in Turkey
Branding demonetisation a huge scam, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday sought an independent probe into and a White Paper on the note ban.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader also told the media in New Delhi that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had become a laughing stock globally after taking out 86 per cent of the currency from the system on November 8.

The world has started making fun of Modi... At least (former Prime Minister) Manmohan Singh had the respect of the world.

Demonetisation is the biggest scandal in independent India, Kejriwal said. The entire exercise was political and guided by corruption.

He claimed that even hardcore BJP and RSS supporters were disappointed by Modis speech of Saturday because he failed to mention when people could resume withdrawing money from their bank accounts at will.

There should be an independent investigation into the note ban, he said. There should also be a White Paper on the stated objectives of the demonetisation and what was really achieved.

He said the White Paper should detail the fall in GDP growth and in industrial and agricultural production after the November 8 announcement.

Kejriwal and the AAP have been among the most vocal critics of the note ban which caused an unprecedented cash crunch in the country.

He said after all the hardships that people endured, none of the stated objectives in Modis November 8 speech were achieved.

He said there had been no reduction in corruption, black money had not been wiped out and terror financing had not ended.

The AAP leader accused the BJP leaders of converting black money into white before and amid the cash shortage and demanded to know why Modi was promoting Paytm for cashless transactions.

Has he taken bribes from Paytm? Paytm is the biggest gainer from demonetisation.

Kejriwal also denounced Delhi Metros fiat that only Paytm transactions would be considered valid in select metro stations.

They cant do this. They cant promote one single company. I will ask them... Maybe they are under pressure.
The son had risen, and he was shining bright enough to even dazzle the father.

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav heard this message loud and clear early on Sunday morning, when hordes of party workers moved towards the iconic Janeshwar Mishra Park to attend an emergency national convention called by his detractors.

While senior party leaders, MPs, MLAs, MLCs and workers gathered at the park to extend their support to chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, his fathers house at 5, Vikramaditya Marg, wore a deserted look. Mulayam, however, was not one to take it lying down. Minutes before the start of the meeting, a letter signed by the party patriarch  terming the national convention as illegal  was circulated. He warned of disciplinary action against the rebels.

Meanwhile, senior SP leader Shivpal Singh Yadav was convening a parliamentary board meeting at Mulayams residence along with Gayatri Prajapati and Beni Prasad Verma. Midway through the event, news emerged that the national convention had appointed Akhilesh as the new national president and Mulayam as the party patron. While Shivpal had been removed from the SP state presidents post, national general secretary Amar Singh was expelled from the party itself.

Read| Yadav family feud: Akhilesh takes control, unseats father Mulayam as SP chief

Shivpal and his son Aditya immediately left for the party office but Akhileshs supporters had already positioned themselves at its gate. A scuffle broke out between supporters from both sides, after which the entry of SP leaders and workers into the party office was restricted.

Senior SP leader Abu Asim Azmi later told HT that the decision to elevate Akhilesh  supported by 207 MLAs  was taken to save the party. Mulayam would be reinstated to the post after the upcoming election was won, he added.

Mulayam, however, struck back by terming the resolution passed in the national convention as null and void. He expelled national general secretary Ramgopal Yadav for six years and called for an emergency national convention at Janeshwar Mishra Park on January 5. National vice-president Kiranmoy Nanda and Rajya Sabha MP Naresh Agarwal were also shown the door.

For the latest updates on the Yadav family feud, click here

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
After being denied permission to renew the parking lot agreement and to serve liquor on its lawns during the New Years Eve party, the Bombay Gymkhana management will meet again over the week to decide on further course of action. The Gymkhana had to modify its party plans following the diktat by the government authorities just ahead of the celebrations.

The agreement that granted special parking permission to members of the Bombay Gymkhana on the footpath of MG Road, expired on July 15, 2016. The extension of permission was given on a quarterly basis or biannually for over a decade. However, this time, the Bombay Gymkhana had reportedly asked for extension for a year. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) refused, and has planned to move hawkers on the stretch.

The Bombay Gymkhana used to pay around Rs36 lakh to the BMC every year to use the parking space.

After the Mumbai (city) collector denied and the high court dismissed the petition by Bombay Gymkhana to serve liquor on its lawns, and the civic body refused to renew the agreement for the parking lot, the club modified the New Years celebrations.

To cause no inconvenience to our members, we decide to modify the special celebrations planned on the lawns. However, the club was open for day to day functions, said RN Renjen, CEO, Bombay Gymkhana.

The club has been in a tussle with the collectors office and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) since August 2016 due to the civic bodys plan to widen Hazrimal Somani Marg. If the plan gets a nod, the elite club will have to part with 3,000 square metres of land for the road-widening work.
Forest fires, felling of trees, illegal wildlife trade and poaching  all these activities will now be tracked across the state in real time from the confines of a room.

In a first for the country, the state forest department will use real-time satellite images of all forested areas in and around the state through a command centre at Van Bhavan in Nagpur. The centre has a video wall consisting of nine LED monitors, relaying images and information to top forest officials. It would use video-conferencing technology to take decisions. The idea is to reduce the time-lag in communication during emergencies such as forest fires and poaching, said Sudhir Mungantiwar, forest minister.

In February 2016, the forest department signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Remote Sensing Centre in Hyderabad, which uploaded maps of all forest areas, wildlife sanctuaries and national parks in the state and surrounding states on their portal using geographical information system (GIS) technology.

From 2017 onwards, we will get information on major forest problems plotted on a map on real-time basis, said Mungantiwar. The process will be much faster through standard operating procedures for each issue and immediate instructions will ensure better management, which otherwise would not have been possible without technology.

For example, if there is a forest fire at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai, the exact location and the line along which the fire is spreading can be detected on the LED monitors by the team in Nagpur. In such a situation, top officials will take a call to inform forest guards, deploy them at necessary locations and put the fire out much faster. The same holds for other forest issues as well, said Mungantiwar.

During an emergency, the forest department will consult premier institutes of India such as  Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, Institute of Wood Science and Technology, Bangalore, Indian Plywood Research Training Institute, Bangalore, National Tiger Conservation Authority in Delhi and Indian Council of Forestry Research and Training, Dehradun  to resolve crisis situations.

Our officers from the forest department can sit at the command control room and interact with these specialists of forestry and wildlife, housed in different parts of the country, on a real-time basis. And can get quality input from their side, said P Srivastava, additional principal chief conservator of forests (APCCF) for information technology and policy, state forest department.

He added that monitoring of the two-crore sapling plantation by the department in July can also be done using the technology. The maps were made by integrating the management information system (MIS) with GIS through satellite technology with the help of Maharashtra Remote Sensing Applications Centre, Nagpur and then submitted to NRSC for uploading, said Srivastava. Currently, 1800 locations in the state are live where the plantations have survived.

Srivastava explained the need for such a technology arose after disaster control rooms across the country, both at the central and state level, were not equipped to tackle the issue of forest fires, even though it was part of the Disaster Management Act, 2005. Now, NRSC alerts will land directly on the forest guards mobile phones within minutes, he said adding, We will now communicate to individual forest officers not only from our state but nearby states too, to check problems and in turn our efficacy in nabbing violators fleeing into neighbouring states can also be increased.

Forest fires have an adverse impact on the ecology. A large number of arboreal creatures as also insects and reptiles could have been died in the conflagration. A number of the small animals had died owing to their inability to escape from the blaze.

The total cost for the project was Rs1 crore, out of which 45 lakh was for construction of the technology and remaining funds were allocated for integrating it across several digital platforms.

For example, if there is a forest fire at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai, the exact location and the line along which the fire is spreading can be detected on the LED monitors by the team in Nagpur. In such a situation, top officials will take a call to inform forest guards, deploy them at necessary locations and put the fire out much faster. The same holds for other forest issues as well, said Mungantiwar.

During an emergency, the forest department will consult premier institutes of India such as  Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, Institute of Wood Science and Technology, Bangalore, Indian Plywood Research Training Institute, Bangalore, National Tiger Conservation Authority in Delhi and Indian Council of Forestry Research and Training, Dehradun  to resolve crisis situations.

Our officers from the forest department can sit at the command control room and interact with these specialists of forestry and wildlife, housed in different parts of the country, on a real-time basis. And can get quality input from their side, said P Srivastava, additional principal chief conservator of forests (APCCF) for information technology and policy, state forest department.

He added that monitoring of the two-crore sapling plantation by the department in July can also be done using the technology. The maps were made by integrating the management information system (MIS) with GIS through satellite technology with the help of Maharashtra Remote Sensing Applications Centre, Nagpur and then submitted to NRSC for uploading, said Srivastava. Currently, 1800 locations in the state are live where the plantations have survived.

Srivastava explained the need for such a technology arose after disaster control rooms across the country, both at the central and state level, were not equipped to tackle the issue of forest fires, even though it was part of the Disaster Management Act, 2005. Now, NRSC alerts will land directly on the forest guards mobile phones within minutes, he said adding, We will now communicate to individual forest officers not only from our state but nearby states too, to check problems and in turn our efficacy in nabbing violators fleeing into neighbouring states can also be increased.

Forest fires have an adverse impact on the ecology. A large number of arboreal creatures as also insects and reptiles could have been died in the conflagration. A number of the small animals had died owing to their inability to escape from the blaze.

The total cost for the project was Rs1 crore, out of which 45 lakh was for construction of the technology and remaining funds were allocated for integrating it across several digital platforms.

Maharashtra Forest Departments Command Control Centre

- Nine LED monitors to provide real-time footage of forests, wildlife sanctuaries and national parks across the state

- Polycom system to communicate with premier institutes of forest and wildlife conservation in India

- Two channels to communicate information  one with forest officers on field another with top officials taking decision from different parts of the state

- Information on illegal wildlife trade, poaching from across the state and surrounding forest areas from other states

- Tracking and controlling issues such as forest fires, illicit felling of trees and real-time monitoring of the 2 crore tree plantation drive in Maharahstra across 1800 plantation sites

(Source: Maharashtra Forest Department)

Also read: SGNP officials: Leopard, tiger and lion enclosures to be revamped

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Terming them anti-consumer and lagging in transparency, consumer rights outfit Mumbai Grahak Panchayat (MGP) has started online signature campaign appealing people to oppose the proposed rules under Regulatory and Authority (RERA) Act, 2016 by the state government.

The MGP is circulating letters about their objections and suggestions on WhatsApp and emails, asking citizens to send it to the state on its email address suggesstionsonrera@maharashtra.gov.in

MGP has opposed RERA act rules formed by the state government claiming they are not only pro-developers but to be in clear violation of the consumer rights.

The rules proposed by the state are defeating the main objective of the act, which was to bring transparency in the real estate business and protecting consumer interest, said Shirish Deshpande, chairman MGP.

The organisation has also demanded immediate withdrawal of the proposed rules by ordering a high-level investigation into the role of officials who framed the proposed rules. Every possible loophole under each sub-clause that can favour the developer has been proposed in this draft. This indicates that draft has been prepared under pressure of builder lobby. We are garnering the public support to oppose it, added Deshpande.

While, as per the Act developer was supposed to publish entire information about his registered project and past projects, including permissions received for the project; the state government has exempted the clause. Besides, when the Act restricted initial booking amount to 10%, the state government rules revised it to 30% and 45% upto the plinth level.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Even before the assembly elections have been announced in the state, poll fever seems to have shot up with political leaders launching personal attacks at one another in a free for all mud-slinging match.

It all began with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal taking a dig at state Congress chief Captain Amarinder Singh for being drunk after 6pm while addressing a press conference in Amritsar on Friday. While listing out the qualities of a possible AAP chief minister for Punjab, he said his partys CM will be available to people even after 6pm unlike Amarinder.

Springing to Captains defence on Friday, his party colleague Manpreet Singh Badal castigated Kejriwal for the personal attack and said the Congress chief had not been taking alcohol for the past three years.

Terming Kejriwals statements as ranting of a mad man, Manpreet said Kejriwals only agenda was to seize power in the state by hook or crook, in order to realise his personal ambitions.

Manpreet also did not spare AAP candidate from Majithia, Himmat Singh Shergill, in whose presence Kejriwal had spoken about Amarinder. He (Shergill) should be ashamed of allowing Kejriwal to make such false and baseless allegations against Amarinder in his presence. Amarinder had helped Shergill and his family in their hour of personal crisis, which he seemed to have conveniently forgotten after joining AAP, he said.

However, the matter was not allowed to rest there. Within hours of Manpreets statement, AAP convener Gurpreet Singh Waraich attacked Captain afresh taking the offensive to a new low. Waraich said Manpreet had issued a character certificate to Amarinder Singh who was a discredited leader and disloyal husband.

Attacking Captain for his infamous coterie, Waraich said, He himself was never accessible to public and lived a luxurious life, whether in power or in opposition.

The AAP leader alleged that credentials of Manpreet too are not above board. Character of such leaders would not change overnight, he added.
Ludhiana police on Friday finally booked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) local leader Rajesh Kumar Sharma alias Mintoo, after over a month, for opening fire at a marriage party. Sharmas wife is a BJP councillor from ward number 29.

Sadar police have registered a case under Sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against Sharma.

The case has been registered following the statement of Chirag Thapar, vice-president of district Congress committee and a restaurant owner. Thapar said he along with his friend Vikas Goyal, went to attend the marriage function of Nishant Nagar at Sidhartha Resort, Pakhowal Road, on November 25. Rajesh Sharma alias Mintoo was also invited to the function.

We were enjoying the marriage party when Sharma struck there. He started threatening me to withdraw the case that my mother has filed against him in the Punjab and Haryana high court. Avoiding any clash, I preferred to leave, said Thapar.

The accused chased me to the dance floor and opened fire in the air, standing in front of me with an intention to threaten. Security staff at the marriage palace intervened and deterred him from firing, but the accused threatened them too. I left the place immediately, but the accused chased me with a revolver in his hand. He also tried to restrain me, but I escaped, he added.

Thapar alleged that Mintoo had opened fired in the air to threaten him. Later, the accused along with his accomplice chased him with the intention to kill. Thapar also alleged that favouring the accused, the police did not add attempt to murder sections.

Thapar added that he had procured a video recording of the accused opening fire and chasing him with the revolver in his hand. He had handed over the same along with a written complaint to the police, but the police delayed registering the FIR for over a month to benefit the accused.

Raju Thapar, secretary, Punjab Pradesh Congress party, who is father of the victim, said the Congress leader will meet the commissioner of police Jatinder Singh Aulakh on Monday, asking that the accused should be booked for attempt to murder.
A day after a group of disgruntled AIADMK cadres launched a forum in Tiruchirapalli district in support of Deepa Jayakumar, niece of former chief minister Jayalalithaa, a similar one was launched in Coimbatore on Sunday, claiming that she was the real political heir of the late leader.

Christening the forum Deepa Peravai, about 100 party workers put up a large flex board, with pictures of former chief ministers MG Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa, and Deepa at Kannampalayam area in the city.

They raised slogans in Deepas support, and claimed that she was the real political heir of Jayalalithaa, who died on December 5, 2016, without leaving behind a clear successor.

Read | Shadow, sister, secretary: The rise of AIADMKs new interim chief Sasikala

Similar support was recently extended to Deepa in parts of the state, including in Salem and Tiruchirappalli, by small groups of party workers who opposed the elevation of Sasikala, a close friend and confidante of Jayalalithaa, to AIADMK interim general secretary.

In Tiruchirapalli, workers unveiled double rose as the forum symbol in contrast to the ruling partys two leaves symbol.

Meanwhile, some boards erected in support of Sasikala were found damaged and defaced at some places in nearby Tirupur.

Sections of AIADMK cadres and supporters of Deepa staged a black flag protest in Cuddalore on Saturday, the day Sasikala took official charge of the party, claiming she was chosen against the partys rules and regulations.
One person was seriously injured when a suicide bomber aged around 10 blew herself up in a New Years Eve attack in the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri, witnesses and aid workers said on Sunday.

The girl approached a crowd buying noodles from a food vendor in the Customs area of the city around 9:30 pm yesterday and detonated her explosives, they said.

Although no one has claimed responsibility the attack bore the hallmark of Boko Haram Islamists who are notorious for using suicide bombers, mostly women and young girls, in attacking civilian targets.

The girl walked towards the crowd but she blew up before she could reach her target, said witness Grema Usman who lives in the area.

She died instantly, while one person was seriously hurt after after he was hit by shrapnel.

(Judging) from her corpse the girl was around 10 years old, Usman said.

An aid worker involved in the evacuation of the body gave a similar estimate of the bombers age.

The girl was clearly not more than 10 and this could have made her too nervous, making her to detonate the explosives prematurely, the aid worker suggested.

Borno state police spokesman Victor Isuku, meanwhile, said a second female suicide bomber was caught and lynched by an angry mob. Her bomb was safely detonated by security forces, he said.

In December two girls aged between seven and eight detonated explosives in suicide attacks on market in the city, injuring 19 people.

Authorities blamed the attack on Boko Haram, whose seven-year insurgency has killed 20,000 people and displaced 2.6 million others. The conflict has spilled into Nigerias northern neighbours.

Yesterdays attack came a week after Muhammadu Buhari said the jihadist group had been routed from Sambisa forest, its last stronghold in Borno state.
Donald Trump, Angela Merkel, Theresa May and Xi Jinping may be among your obvious choices for the people to watch this year. Some of you may have included Irans Hassan Rouhani and the Netherlands Geert Wilders. But here are some names you may not have considered.



Francois Fillon

France seems likely to begin the new year with what was thought impossible: their own Margaret Thatcher-style president. Fillon emerged as the surprise rightwing presidential candidate at the end of 2016. He is now the clear favourite to win the two-round April elections for the Elysee Palace.

But Fillon will be a revolution for France. He plans to slash the state-owned sector, make labour markets and regulatory environment friendlier for business, and, as a devout Catholic, may roll back some of the present socialist governments gay rights. And, yes, he admires Thatcher and makes no bones about it.

Abu Sulayman al-Firansi

Abu Sulayman is the head of Amn al-Kharji, better known by its shortened name Emni --- the Islamic States external operations branch. Originally tasked to catch spies and watch suspicious foreigners within the IS, over the past few years it has metamorphosed into an exporter of terror.

Abu Sulayman is a French citizen and his role in the brutal November 2015 serial terrorist attacks in Paris led to his promotion to Emnis headship. Some reports say his deputy is a Tunisian. Others say it is a Belgian. But his position is a sign of the importance the IS places in attacking the West, and Europe in particular.

Peter Navarro

Everyone of authority in the Trump administration will be watched closely this year,including President Donald Trump and his Twitter account. However, Navarro may be among the most crucial people in determining the tenor of global politics in 2017.

One, he is in charge of a newly created National Trade Council which Trump aides say will concentrate trade policy under a single body under the White House.

Two, Navarro has a record of vitriolic  and economically questionable  statements against Chinese trade policy. But his book on the subject says it all: its titled Death by China. If Trump intends to make unilateral trade policy his prime weapon against Beijing, then hes found the gunnery officer to wield it.

Liu He

His official titles are mind-numbingly boring: director, Office of the Central Leading Group on Financial and Economic Affairs, and vice-chairman, National Development and Reform Committee. But the first job alone means he runs the Chinese Communist Partys top body on economic policy. One of the ideas attributed to him is the One Belt, One Road project.

Liu, a quiet scholarly type from Tsinghua and Harvard Universities, has been receiving unusual amounts of television coverage in China  a sign that his star is rising. Xi Jinping, Chinas supreme leader, it is rumoured may propel Liu into the party standing committee when the partys plenum meets in the autumn.

This would be unprecedented for a person with a minimal political pedigree. But it mirrors the decline of premier Li Kejiang who shares Lius zeal for change but, East Asian sources say, is being seen as too politically incompetent to get the reforms done. Xi needs a new economics talisman as Li fades and Liu looks most likely to take his place.

Elon Musk

The Tony Stark of the real world plans to do the following things in 2017: launch a mass model of his Tesla electric car, rollout a revolutionary battery storage device for homes, merge the loss-making SolarCity firm with his own and, just for fun, put a man on Mars. SolarCity, a company that he had helped set up separately with his cousins to provide solar power to homes and offices on a lease basis, will be difficult to digest financially. But the real test for Musk is to be able to be seen as the cutting edge of the clean energy sector with a Trump administration in power. Tesla was partly built on $ 5 billion worth of US government subsidies. That tap may now close. His fate this year will be seen as a parable about the future of private sector-led green clean tech.
At the security cordon outside Istanbuls Reina nightclub, where a gunman went on the rampage killing New Year revellers, a man yells that he must get through, that he knows someone inside.

A policeman puts an arm around his shoulder and holds the man as he collapses in tears. He is escorted away from media and police throw a jacket over his shoulders to keep him warm.

At least 39 people were killed, including many foreigners, in the bloodshed at the upscale nightclub in Istanbuls Ortakoy district.

The swanky Reina is the place to be on New Years Eve in Istanbul and its dance floor and lounges were packed with hundreds of people at the time of the attack, just over an hour after the fireworks went off to mark 2017.

It became a night of horror and panic, triggering panic among residents of the city that their loved ones were among the victims.

In the aftermath of the attack, ambulances and police cars crowded outside the venue on the shores of the Bosphorus as dazed survivors still in their party clothes crowded outside.

We came here to have a good time today but everything was suddenly transformed into chaos and a night of horror, said Maximilien, an Italian tourist.

Relatives and loved ones of those feared to be inside queued by the police cordon staffed by heavily armed police in the winter cold. My sister was inside, says one woman. I received a call and she said she was inside and there were gunshots. That was it. I have not been able to reach her since.

Dont cry

The city had already been on edge ahead of the New Year, an obvious security risk after a string of attacks this year blamed on Kurdish militants and jihadists.

Authorities had boasted that 17,000 police would be on duty in the city for New Year. But their mass deployment could do nothing to prevent the horror unleashed by a single individual.

For another woman standing outside the situation is more certain. My elder brother is inside. I had news. Thankfully he is fine. I am waiting for him now, she said.

She reassures a relative on the phone. Dont cry. He is coming.

Read | In pics: Celebrations turn into night of terror as gunman attacks Istanbul club

Inside, police teams began painstaking forensic work to try and identify the attacker.

Another group of ambulances rushes through the security cordon and fewer then come through until a police officer declares there is no longer anyone inside the Reina.

But the security situation is far from over, as Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu announces that a manhunt is under way for the attacker. The police have started the necessary operations. I hope (the assailant) will be captured quickly, God willing, he said.
At least 23 people were killed and 17 others were missing after a ferry caught fire Sunday off the coast of Indonesias capital, officials said.

The vessel was carrying more than 230 people from Jakartas port of Muara Angke to Tidung, a resort island in the Kepulauan Seribu chain, when it caught fire, officials said. Most of the passengers were Indonesians celebrating the New Years holiday, according to local media reports.

Seply Madreta, an official from the Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Agency, said the fire gutted around half the vessel. He said that about 22 injured victims were rushed to hospitals, and that 23 bodies had been recovered.

Twenty bodies that were found inside the vessel were burned beyond recognition and were transferred to a police hospital for identification, said Col. Umar Shahab of the Jakarta polices health department.

A search involving around 10 ships was underway to find those who were missing, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency said.

Witnesses told MetroTV that the fire broke out about 15 minutes after the ferry left Muara Angke.

The cause of the fire was not immediately clear. Some passengers told local media that they first saw smoke coming from the ferrys engine.

TV footage showed people in the water with the ferry in flames in the background. A woman in the water can be heard screaming Ya Allah! Ya Allah! or Oh God! Oh God!

Another woman told the TV station that she and other passengers were rescued by a small boat.

Despite officials saying that more than 230 people were aboard the ferry, the manifest showed that only 100 were registered as passengers, along with six crewmen, said Denny Wahyu Haryanto, head of the Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Agency. He said the vessels captain was under police investigation over the incident.

Ferry accidents are common in Indonesia, the worlds largest archipelagic nation, with more than 17,000 islands. Many accidents are blamed on lax regulation of boat services.
An attack claimed by the Islamic State group on a police checkpoint in southern Iraq left at least seven people dead on Sunday, officials said.

Gunmen wearing suicide vests and driving an explosives-laden vehicle opened fire on the checkpoint near the town of Qadisiyah, which lies around 180 kilometres south of Baghdad.

The security forces fought back, killing the attackers and blowing up the car, an interior ministry statement said.

They were planning to head to Najaf to blow themselves up there, interior ministry spokesman Saad Maan said, referring to a holy Shiite city around 40 kilometres (25 miles) to the north.

Maan said seven people were killed by the attackers and 15 wounded. He said five policemen were among the dead.

The military commander for the area, Major General Qais al-Rahaima, gave the same death toll and said at least 11 were wounded.

Jihadist attacks in the overwhelmingly Shiite south of Iraq are rare but there have been infiltrations from the western desert of Anbar in recent months.

Najaf is considered a religious capital for Iraqs Shiite majority and has always been seen as a major potential target for IS, which views Shiites as heretics.

The jihadist group claimed responsibility for Sundays attack in a statement that said five of its suicide attackers had been killed and putting the number of victims killed and wounded at 100.

The group had also claimed twin bombings at a market area in central Baghdad on Saturday that left at least 27 people dead and more than 50 wounded.

Read | Islamic State chief Baghdadi is alive and still leading, says US
Gunmen shot dead a Bangladeshi ruling party lawmaker on Saturday, police said, more than a year after he was arrested for allegedly shooting and seriously injuring a nine-year-old boy.

Up to three attackers were involved in the killing of 48-year-old Manjurul Islam Liton in his village home in his constituency in the northern district of Gaibandha, deputy police chief Robiul Islam told AFP.

They fired at him three times, but two bullets hit him near his chest. He died after being taken to a hospital in the (northern city of) Rangpur, Islam said.

The assailants escaped and police have no clue about the motive, he added.

Liton, a member of the ruling Awami League party, was arrested in October 2015 on suspicion of firing shots that seriously injured a boy.

The boy was reportedly out walking with his uncle when the MP drove past and called the man over.

Liton apparently became angry when the uncle did not respond, and pulled out his gun and fired it, missing the man and hitting the child.

Police are still investigating the incident, which sparked protests in Gaibandha and in the capital Dhaka.

The latest shooting capped a deadly year for the Muslim majority country after suspected Islamist extremists carried out a series of killings of foreigners, religious minorities, bloggers and rights activists.

The Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), a banned extremist outfit, was blamed for most of the attacks including the July 1 massacre at a Dhaka restaurant in which 22 people, mostly foreigners, were killed.

In May the same group was blamed for the murder of a Hindu trader just a few kilometres (miles) from the town where Liton was shot dead.

The so-called Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for most of the killings, but Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas secular government blames local militant groups like JMB for the carnage.
Burundis environment minister was shot dead in the capital Bujumbura early Sunday, police said, the first assassination of its kind since the country was plunged into political turmoil in 2015.

Emmanuel Niyonkuru, 54, the countrys water, environment and planning minister, was killed shortly after midnight, according to a tweet sent by police spokesman Pierre Nkurikiye.

The murder, the first of a serving government minister since Burundi sank into turmoil over President Pierre Nkurunzizas controversial bid for a third term in 2015, comes after months of relative calm.

Minister of water and environment killed by a criminal with a gun on his way home to Rohero, around 00:45, Nkurikiye wrote four hours after the incident.

He added that a woman had been arrested following the assassination.

Also on Twitter, Nkurunziza offered his condolences to the family and all Burundians vowing the crime would be punished.

At least 500 people have been killed and 300,000 have fled the country since unrest began in April 2015.
Legendary animation artist Tyrus Wong, whose evocative sketches were used to create Disneys groundbreaking Bambi cartoon, has died at the age of 106, the company said.

Tyrus Wong had a gift for evoking incredible feeling in his art with simple, gestural composition, said a statement released by the company, where he spent a brief few years before decamping to nearby rival Warner Brothers.

Though Tyrus worked at The Walt Disney Studios only three years, between 1938 and 1941, his influence on the artistic composition of the animated feature Bambi cannot be overstated, Disney said.

Born in Canton, China in 1910, Wong and his father immigrated to America leaving behind his mother and sister, whom they never saw again, according to an homage on Disneys website.

As a young child, Wongs father nurtured his love of art by having him practice calligraphy and painting. Wong later attended the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles (now the Otis College of Art and Design) on a full scholarship.

He took a position at Disney in 1938, an inbetweener, working on the visual continuity of animations and drawing hundreds of sketches of Mickey Mouse.

When he heard that the studio was in pre-production on the feature film Bambi, he painted several pictures of a deer in a forest.

The sketches captured the attention of Walt Disney and became the template for the films visual style, according to the Disney website, which said Wongs work influences films to this day, inspiring and leading contemporary animators.

After his stint at Disney, Wong worked for the next 26 years as a concept and story artist at Warner Brothers, until he retired in 1968.
President-elect Donald Trump says that no computer is safe when it comes to keeping information private, expressing new skepticism about the security of online communications his administration is likely to use for everything from day-to-day planning to international relations.

Trump rarely uses email or computers despite his frequent tweeting.

You know, if you have something really important, write it out and have it delivered by courier, the old-fashioned way. Because Ill tell you what: No computer is safe, Trump told reporters during his annual New Years Eve bash. I dont care what they say.

Trump has repeatedly cast aside allegations by US intelligence agencies that Russia tried to influence the presidential election through hacking. President Barack Obama earlier this week ordered sanctions on Russian spy agencies, closed two Russian compounds and expelled 35 diplomats the US said were really spies. The Russian government has denied the allegations.

Trump, who has said that he plans to meet with intelligence officials next to week to learn more about the allegations, said he wants US officials to be sure because its a pretty serious charge. He pointed to intelligence failures over the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq before the US invasion, and declared himself an expert in the area.

I know a lot about hacking. And hacking is a very hard thing to prove, so it could be somebody else, he said.

He added, cryptically, that he also knows things that other people dont know. And so they cannot be sure of the situation.

Trump made the comments during his annual New Years Eve bash at his Mar-a-Lago club. Hundreds of guests gathered in the clubs grand ballroom, including action star Sylvester Stallone and romance novel model Fabio. Reporters were invited to watch as guests arrived.

Earlier in the day, Trump ditched his press pool, traveling to play golf at one of his clubs without a pool of journalists on hand to ensure the public has knowledge of his whereabouts.

A member of Trumps golf club in Jupiter, Florida, posted a photo on Twitter of Trump on the greens Saturday morning and said about 25 US Secret Service agents accompanied the president-elect. Reporters had not been advised of the visit to the club.

Transition aide Stephanie Grisham confirmed that Trump had made a last-minute trip to Trump National Golf Club Jupiter, which is about a half-hour drive from Mar-a-Lago, where Trump has been spending the holidays. He returned to the estate at midafternoon.

Grisham said that she and other aides werent aware of the trip and appreciate everyones understanding.

We are in the home stretch of this transition period and dont anticipate any additional situations like this between now and inauguration, she said in a statement.

Trump, both as a candidate and during the transition, has often scoffed at tradition, such as allowing a group of reporters to follow him at all times to ensure the public knows where he is. Not long after his election, Trump went out to dinner with his family in Manhattan without informing the pool of his whereabouts.

The practice is meant to ensure that journalists are on hand to witness, on behalf of the public, the activities of the president or president-elect, rather than relying on secondhand accounts.

The White House also depends on having journalists nearby at all times to relay the presidents first comments on breaking news.

Trump aides appear to have made an effort in recent weeks to offer additional access, allowing reporters to camp out outside a doorway at Mar-a-Lago to document staff and Cabinet candidates arrivals and departures. Aides also are providing information about his meeting schedule.

Every president and president-elect in recent memory has traveled with a pool of journalists when leaving the White House grounds. News organizations take turns serving in the small group, paying their way and sharing the material collected in the pool with the larger press corps.

Before he went golfing Saturday, Trump tweeted an unusual New Years message to friends and foes: Happy New Year to all, including to my many enemies and those who have fought me and lost so badly they just dont know what to do. Love!

He said later Saturday that he had a simple New Years resolution: Make America great again.
Canadian police have charged a pilot for Sunwing Airlines with impairment after he was allegedly found passed out over his seat before takeoff early Saturday.

Police said the pilot boarded the Boeing 737 with 99 passengers and six crew members in Calgary, Alberta for a flight that was scheduled to make stops in Regina, Saskatchewan and Winnipeg, Manitoba before continuing on to Cancun, Mexico.

But before it took off, police said the gate crew as well as crewmembers on the aircraft indicated he was behaving strangely.

Police allege the co-pilot found the pilot passed out in the cockpit.

They found him slumped over in the seat. He was the captain, Calgary Sgt. Paul Stacey told a news conference.

The pilot was escorted from the plane and has been charged with having care and control of an aircraft while being impaired, as well as having a blood-alcohol level exceeding .08 while in care and control of an aircraft.

Stacey said police allege the suspect had three times the legal amount of alcohol in his system.

Because he has as much alcohol in his system as he does, theyre going to wait for him to sober up somewhat before he goes before a justice of the peace, Stacey said.

Police said the pilots name will be released after he has appeared in court.

Sunwing spokeswoman Janine Massey praised the rest of the crew for handling what she called a very unfortunate matter.

We can confirm that shortly before 7 a.m. local time, the gate agents, first officer and crew of Sunwing flight 595, departing from Calgary and destined for Cancun, determined that the captain was unfit to fly and reported this accordingly, Massey stated.

Sunwing, a low-cost Canadian carrier, said the plane took off a short time later with another captain.

We are very apologetic for any upset that this has caused and would like to assure our customers that safety remains our utmost priority, Massey said.

Stacey said Transport Canada has been contacted and he expected the suspect could face additional charges.

It had all the potential for a disaster but Ill tell you this much  the likelihood of a pilot on a major airline like this actually being able to take off when theyre impaired like that is pretty slim, because theres a lot of checks and balances. Theres the other flight crew and theres gate crew and theyre all about safety, Stacey said.

So, Im not surprised that he got caught before (the plane) left the terminal.

Transport Canada spokesman Dan Dugas said in an email that it is a criminal offence in Canada for a flight crew to work within eight hours of consuming alcohol or while under the influence.

Dugas said Transport Canada is reviewing the pilots records and Sunwing Airlines procedures and protocols.
A gunman shot his way into an Istanbul nightclub packed with New Years revellers early on Sunday, killing at least 39 people and wounding more than 40 in what the provincial governor described as a terrorist attack.

The assailant shot a police officer and a civilian as he entered the Reina nightclub before opening fire at random inside. The club lies on the shore of the Bosphorus Strait in the Ortakoy district of Turkeys most populous city.

A terrorist with a long-range weapon ... brutally and savagely carried out this incident by firing bullets on innocent people who were there solely to celebrate the New Year and have fun, Sahin told reporters at the scene.

Ambulances rushing away from the scene of an attack in Istanbul. (AP Photo)

People leave as medics and security officials work at the scene after an attack at a popular nightclub in Istanbul. (AP Photo)

Around 500-600 people were thought to have been in the club when the attack happened at around 1.15 am (2230 GMT), broadcaster CNN Turk said. Some jumped into the waters of the Bosphorus to save themselves and were being rescued by police.

People flee from a nightclub where a gun attack took place during a New Year party in Istanbul. (REUTERS)

Police secure area near an Istanbul nightclub, Turkey. (REUTERS)

Dozens of ambulances and police vehicles were dispatched to the club in Ortakoy, a cosmopolitan neighbourhood nestled under one of three bridges crossing the Bosphorus, and home to clubs, restaurants and art galleries.

First aid officers carry an injured woman at the site of an armed attack in Istanbul. (AFP Photo)

Police secure an area near an Istanbul nightclub, following a gun attack, Turkey. (REUTERS)

Reina is one of Istanbuls best-known nightclubs, popular with locals and tourists alike.

Turkey, part of the US-led coalition against Islamic State, faces multiple security threats including spillover from the war in neighbouring Syria. It has seen repeated attacks and bombings blamed on Islamic State as well as Kurdish militants in recent months.
Gunmen who killed at least 39 revelers in an Istanbul nightclub while dressed as Santa Claus revived terror jitters as millions of people around the world ring in 2017 in style on Saturday.

The attack, which also wounded at least 40 more people as panicked clubgoers jumped into the Bosphorus, stoked fears that large crowds of people cramming into major cities to celebrate the New Year could present a target for violent extremists.

Sydney kicked off the party -- which saw tightened security around the globe -- with a spectacular fireworks display that lit up its iconic harbour.

New Year fireworks illuminate the sky over the iconic Opera House and Harbour Bridge in Sydney on January 1, 2017. (AFP Photo)

Around 1.5 million people thronged Australias biggest city to watch midnight fireworks erupting from the Harbour Bridge.

Crowds in Hong Kong also flocked to the waterfront to watch fireworks explode over Victoria Harbour, while in Japan thousands packed the streets of Tokyo to release balloons into the air.

Celebrations swung into Europe with the night sky over Moscows Red Square literally painted red by the fireworks.

Read | White House condemns savagery of Istanbul attack that killed at least 35

And around half a million people thronged Pariss famous Champs-Elysees, where the Arc de Triomphe was lit up with a colourful countdown to 2017 and the word welcome in dozens of languages.

The raucous celebrations drew to an end a year of political shocks, from Britains vote to leave the European Union to the election of maverick leaders in the United States and Philippines.

It has also been a year of celebrity deaths from David Bowie to Prince and Mohammed Ali.

2016 was also a year of bloodshed and misery that has seen the war in Syria, Europes migrant crisis and numerous terror attacks dominate the headlines.

Tonight is about fun

The violence continued on Saturday, with twin bomb blasts killing at least 27 in a busy market area in central Baghdad.

But this did not stop people from flooding the streets of the Iraqi capital to celebrate and families in evening dress headed to swanky hotels for parties.

Fadhel al-Araji, a 21-year-old from the Sadr City neighbourhood, already had his beer in the back of his car.

Tonight is about fun... Everybody can do what they want and nobody cares. We need a night like this, Iraq needs it, he said, behind the wheel of his beat-up Toyota.

In the shattered Syrian city of Aleppo, 20-year-old student Abdel Wahab Qabbani was also determined to see in 2017 in a positive frame of mind.

The last two years, I didnt go out for New Year. This time, Im going to party, he said.

The Gulf emirate of Dubai marked the new year with its usual gigantic pyrotechnics off the worlds highest skyscraper, Burj Khalifa, as well as other landmarks.

Syrians children pose for a picture with men dressed in Santa Claus outfits in Aleppo's government controlled Aziziyah neighbourhood on December 31, 2016. (AFP Photo)

This years celebration passed without problems, unlike last year when a fierce blaze broke out at a nearby tower.

Concrete blocks

But revelers did have to contend with reinforced security measures and a heightened police presence.

There were some 2,000 extra officers in Sydney after a man was arrested for allegedly making online threats against the celebrations and garbage trucks were deployed to block any attempt to plow a vehicle into the crowd.

Following a deadly attack on a Berlin Christmas market on December 19, the German capital beefed up security, deploying extra police, some armed with machine guns.

This year, whats new is that we will place concrete blocks and position heavy armoured vehicles at the entrances to the zone around Brandenburg Gate, said a police spokesman.

However, visitors seemed undeterred by recent events as they began to gather under a freezing Berlin sky for a series of concerts ahead of a large midnight fireworks display in the area.

Paris saw fireworks again, after muted 2015 celebrations following the massacre of 130 people by jihadists in the French capital.

Nearly 100,000 police, gendarmes and soldiers were deployed across France.

Brussels reinstated its fireworks show after last years was cancelled at the last minute due to a terrorist threat.

In London, more than 100,000 people lined the banks of the River Thames to watch a spectacular 12-minute fireworks display set to a soundtrack featuring music by Bowie and Prince.

There were also audio clips from Team GBs successes at the Rio Olympics as fireworks exploded into the air from platforms on the water and on the London Eye ferris wheel.

Mayor Sadiq Khan proclaimed that despite the vote for Brexit, London is open to the world.

A German police man guards the venue at the Brandenburg Gate, during the upcoming New Year's Eve celebrations in Berlin. (REUTERS)

An estimated 3,000 police, including armed officers, were deployed on the streets of the capital for the event.

With more than a million people expected to turn out to watch the ball drop in Times Square, New York is deploying 165 blocker trucks and some 7,000 police.

Extra security was also in place in Moscow, Istanbul and London.

Leap second

Rome stationed armoured vehicles and greater numbers of security forces around the Coliseum and St Peters Square, where Pope Francis will celebrate a Te Deum hymn of thanksgiving.

In an earlier Mass, the pontiff urged people to reflect on the plight of the young as the year drew to a close.

We have created a culture that idolizes youth... yet at the same time paradoxically we have condemned our young people to have no place in society, he said.

Elsewhere, issues other than terrorism threatened to dampen the party.

Up to two million people were expected at Rios Copacabana Beach. But with Brazil mired in its worst recession in a century, the fireworks have been cut to just 12 minutes.

And normally boisterous Bangkok was seeing in the new year on a more sombre note as the nation grieves for King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died in October.

Nevertheless, revelers will at least get one extra second to enjoy the nights festivities.

At the stroke of midnight, there will be a leap second decreed by the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service to allow astronomical time to catch up with atomic clocks that have called the hour since 1967.
After probably a decade, Nepals capital celebrated the New Year without any power cuts, thanks to India.

As part of Nepal moving towards a future free from power cuts, Kathmandu was declared load-shedding free from Saturday night, with 40 mw of power supplied by India.

India had agreed to augment 80 mw electricity to Nepal from 1st of January, half of which is for Kathmandu. The other 40 mw was distributed outside the Nepal capital.

Nepal began to face power crisis after the water level of many of its rivers that originated from Himalayas shrank significantly.

Officials from Nepals Energy Ministry and Nepal Electrify Authority (NEA), the state-owned electricity utility, said that power provided by India has been split in two portions- inside Kathmandu and outside the capital- in a bid to make the country free from power outages.

In the past, during the deep winter, Nepal used to undergo daily power cuts lasting over 15 hours.

Prabal Adhikari, spokesperson of NEA, said that electricity purchased from Indias NVVN Ltd was distributed in Kathmandu from Saturday onwards.

From Saturday, another 13 mw of electricity has been added by a domestic project, Madi Hydropower.

In the next 20 days, upgradation of Nepal-India cross border transmission line in Muzaffarpur (India)---Dhalkebar( Nepal) is expected to be completed.

India is likely to supply additional 80 mw electricity from February 1.

With this, the total supply of electricity to Nepal from India will be near 400 mw.

After completion of up gradation in Nepali side in Dhalkebar by March 2017, Nepal can import additional 150 mw, which will help the country to be free from load-shedding.

Besides this, Nepal is preparing to import 50 mw each from two other cross border lines- RaxualParwanipur and KataiyaKushaha .

The country is also preparing to procure another 40 mw from Tanakpur transmission line.

Thre are also plans to generate more energy from domestic power houses by improving the energy leakages and introducing alternative energy plans.
North Korea is in the final stages of developing an intercontinental ballistic missile, leader Kim Jong-Un said Sunday, claiming the country had significantly bolstered its nuclear deterrent in 2016.

We are in the final stages of test-launching the intercontinental ballistic missile, Kim said in a 30-minute televised New Years speech, pointing to a string of nuclear and missile tests last year.

Pyongyang had soared as a nuclear power, he said, adding it was now a military power of the East that cannot be touched by even the strongest enemy.

The country carried out two nuclear tests and numerous missile launches in 2016 in pursuit of its oft-stated goal of developing a weapons system capable of hitting the US mainland with a nuclear warhead.

We have seen marvellous feats for bolstering our military power including the fact that our preparations for test-launching an intercontinental ballistic missile is in the final stages, Kim added.

Analysts are divided over how close Pyongyang is to realising its full nuclear ambitions, especially as it has never successfully test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

But all agree Pyongyang has made enormous strides in that direction since Kim took over as leader from his father, Kim Jong-Il who died in December 2011.
An armed man stormed a New Years Eve party in Brazil, fatally shooting his estranged wife and 11 other relatives before taking his own life, local media reported on Sunday.

The shooting took place shortly before midnight in the town of Campinas, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of Sao Paulo, according to news reports that cited local police.

The 12 shooting victims, all members of the same family, had gathered to ring in the new year.

Police in the state of Sao Paulo said the shooter is believed to have been angry over a separation from his former wife, who was among those killed. Local media reports said the couples 8-year-old son also died.

A police spokesman could not confirm the identity or age of those killed or whether a child of the shooter, who also remains unidentified, was among the victims.

Read| Istanbul nightclub shooting: At least 39 killed in attack, gunman on the loose

Local media reported that a total of 15 people had been shot and several remain in critical condition.

A neighbor interviewed by the Globo television network said that he and family members heard blasts about a quarter to midnight but did not immediately recognize it as gunfire, not New Year fireworks.

Only when one of those shot ran into their property, bleeding and asking for help, did they realize that someone had been shooting. State police said they were called to the scene at 12:40 a.m. local time.

Although Brazil struggles with high rates of crime and violence, mass shootings are uncommon. Gun deaths are frequent in heists, holdups and in confrontations among police, drug gangs and other criminals, but shooting sprees like those often seen in the United States are not prevalent.

Campinas, an industrial and university city of over 1 million residents, is located about 100 kilometers northwest of the city of Sao Paulo, Brazils biggest metropolis.
The 52-48% split in the June 23 Brexit vote divided Britain, Prime Minister Theresa May admitted in a New Year message on Sunday, but promised to get a deal from Brussels that would protect the interests of those who voted to remain in the EU.

May is due to initiate exit proceedings from the EU under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty by the end of March. The Supreme Court is expected to rule shortly on whether it can be done with or without the approval of parliament.

I know that the referendum last June was divisive at times. I know, of course, that not everyone shared the same point of view, or voted in the same way. But I know too that, as we face the opportunities ahead of us, our shared interests and ambitions can bring us together, May said.

These ambitions unite us, so that we are no longer the 52% who voted Leave and the 48% who voted Remain, but one great union of people and nations with a proud history and a bright future.

So when I sit around the negotiating table in Europe this year, it will be with that in mind  the knowledge that I am there to get the right deal  not just for those who voted to Leave  but for every single person in this country, she promised.

May recalled the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox during the referendum campaign, and quoted her as saying: We are far more united and have far more in common than that which divides us.

May added: We have a golden opportunity to demonstrate that  to bring this country together as never before, so that whoever you are, wherever you live, our politics, economy and society work for you, not just a privileged few.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Antonio Guterres took the reins of the United Nations on New Years Day, promising to be a bridge-builder but facing an antagonistic incoming US administration led by Donald Trump who thinks the world bodys 193 member states do nothing except talk and have a good time.

The former Portuguese prime minister and UN refugee chief told reporters after being sworn-in as secretary-general on December 12 that he will engage all governments -- and, of course, also with the next government of the United States -- and show his willingness to cooperate on the enormous challenges that well be facing together.

Read | Former Portuguese PM Antonio Guterres takes reins at UN, looking to make changes

But Trump has shown little interest in multilateralism, which Guterres says is the cornerstone of the United Nations, and a great attachment to the Republicans America First agenda.

So as Guterres begins his five-year term facing conflicts from Syria and Yemen to South Sudan and Libya and global crises from terrorism to climate change, US support for the United Nations remains a question mark.

And it matters because the US is a veto-wielding member of the UN Security Council and pays 22% of the UNs regular budget and 25% of its peacekeeping budget.

Immediately after the United States allowed the Security Council to condemn Israeli settlements in the West Bank on December 23 in a stunning rupture with past practice, Trump warned in a tweet: As to the UN, things will be different after January 20th, the day he takes office.

Trump followed up three days later with another tweet questioning its effectiveness. The United Nations has such great potential but right now it is just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time. So sad!

Read | New UN chief Guterres vows to engage personally in resolving disputes

John Bolton, a conservative Republican and former US ambassador to the United Nations, said in an interview with The Associated Press that Guterres would be well advised especially given the incoming Trump administration to follow the model of his predecessor, Ban Ki-moon, and do what member governments want.

If he tries to follow what Bans predecessor, Kofi Annan, did as secretary-general and try to be the worlds top diplomat and what some called a secular pope, Bolton said, I think especially in the Trump administration, he would run into big trouble very quickly.

Guterres has made clear that his top priority will be preventing crises and promoting peace.

In the first minute after taking over as UN chief on Sunday, Guterres issued an Appeal for Peace. He urged all people in the world to make a shared New Years resolution: Let us resolve to put peace first.

Let us make 2017 a year in which we all  citizens, governments, leaders  strive to overcome our differences, the new secretary-general said.

He has said there is enormous difficulty in solving conflicts, a lack of capacity in the international community to prevent conflicts, and the need to develop the diplomacy for peace, which he plans to focus on.
Pope Francis in his New Years greetings Sunday declared 2017 will be good to the degree that people do good and reject hatred, as he prayed for those courageously dealing with terrorism gripping the world in fear and bewilderment.

The new year will be good in the measure in which each of us, with the help of God, tries to do good, day by day, thats how peace is created, Francis told a crowd of 50,000 pilgrims, tourists and Romans gathered in St. Peters Square for his noon blessing and New Years Day remarks.

Francis advised people to say no to hate and violence and yes to brotherhood and reconciliation. The Roman Catholic church dedicates the first day of the year to the theme of peace.

He also told those standing in the bitingly cold air that the new year had already begun badly.

Unfortunately, violence has struck even on this night of well-wishes and hope, he said, referring to the attack on an Istanbul nightclub filled with New Years revelers early Sunday that left 39 dead and dozens wounded.

In sorrow, I express my closeness to the Turkish people, I pray for the numerous victims and wounded, and for all the nation in mourning, Francis said.

He then prayed that God will sustain all men of goodwill who courageously roll up their sleeves to deal with the plague of terrorism and this bloodstain which is gripping the world in a shadow of fear and bewilderment.

Earlier, during his homily during New Years Day Mass in St. Peters Basilica, Francis lamented narcissist hearts in societies becoming cold and calculating.

The loss of the ties that bind us, so typical of our fragmented and divided culture, increases this sense of orphanhood and, as a result, of great emptiness and loneliness. The lack of physical, and not virtual, contact is cauterizing our hearts and making us lose the capacity for tenderness and wonder, for pity and compassion, Francis said.

Francis says humility and tenderness are signs of strength, not weakness.
Russia has finally delivered four Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets to China after a delay of two years as Moscow feared that its fifth generation jet will loose value after Chinese military unveiled its J-20 stealth fighter, official media here reported.

The Su-35 is an advanced version of the Su-30s operated by the Indian Airforce.

The delivery was made on December 25, a news portal of the Peoples Liberation Army reported.

Since the debut of the Chinas stealth fighter J-20 fighter at Zhuhai Airshow, procurement of the Su-35 fighter jets has gone quite smoothly.

Some say this is the outcome of the close relationship between China and Russia.

However, the latter did not change its stance on the export of the Su-35 until the J-20 fighter was unveiled, state-run Peoples Daily reported.

Russia believes that with the commissioning of the J-20, the Su-35 will soon lose its value in the Chinese market.

That estimation is the reason for the smooth procurement, the report said.

China has been ramping up its military aviation wing with a number of new fighter jets including two versions of the stealth fighters as well as J-15 a fighter plane to operate from the deck of its first aircraft carrier, Liaoning which has begun live fire drills in the disputed South China Sea.

The construction of Chinas second aircraft which is home grown one is under in full swing, according to the official media reports.

One can only be independent when he is self-reliant, the PLA Daily article said expressing hope that the Su-35 fighter jet is the last fighter imported by China.

While China made advances in manufacturing of new type of fighter jets, it is still dependent on Russia for engines as well as avionics.

Under economic crisis Russia for its part has been selling some of its advanced weaponry to China in recent years.

Speculation was rife that Russia which had moved closer to China following hostilities with the Obama administration may move closer to the US once President-elect Donald Trump takes office as he shares better relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Heavy smog in northern China on Sunday caused hundreds of flights to be cancelled and highways to shut, disrupting the first day of the new year holiday.

Large parts of the north were hit by hazardous smog in mid-December, leading authorities to order hundreds of factories to close and to restrict motorists to cut emissions.

The latest bout of air pollution began on Friday and is expected to persist until Thursday, although it will ease slightly on Monday, the last day of the new year holiday.

In Beijing, 24 flights were cancelled at the citys main airport and all buses from there to neighbouring cities suspended, the airport said in a statement on its official microblog.

Average concentrations of small breathable particles known as PM2.5 were higher than 500 micrograms per cubic metre in Beijing - 50 times higher than World Health Organization recommendations.

In Tianjin, Beijings next door metropolis, the smog was not as serious but visibility much worse, with more than 200 flights cancelled at Tianjin airport and conditions not expected to improve in the near term, the city government said.

Some bus routes and highways in Tianjin were also closed due to the smog, the government added.

In Shijiazhuang, the provincial capital of Hebei province that surrounds most of the Beijing, about two dozen flights were cancelled and eight flights diverted to other airports because of the smog, the Peoples Daily said on its website.

A total of 24 Chinese cities have issued red alerts for the current round of pollution, which mandate measures like limiting car usage and closing factories, while 21 have issued orange alerts, including Beijing and Tianjin.

China began a war on pollution in 2014 amid concerns its heavy industrial past was tarnishing its global reputation and holding back its future development, but it has struggled to effectively tackle the problem.

Pollution alerts are common in northern China, especially during winter when energy demand, much of it met by coal, soars.

The countrys northern provinces mostly rely on the burning of hundreds of millions of tonnes of coal each year for heating during northern Chinas bitterly cold winters.
South Koreas impeached President Park Geun-hye on Sunday broke a month-long silence over her alleged role in a corruption scandal, publicly denying charges of wrongdoing and saying that the accusations against her were fabrication and falsehood.

Park also said that she was set up over allegations that she ordered the government to support a 2015 merger of two affiliates of South Korean conglomerate Samsung, a deal which has become central to the investigation.

Its completely framed, she was quoted by local media as saying, without elaborating.

Park is being investigated over accusations that she gave favours to big businesses in return for financial contributions to entities controlled by her friend, Choi Soon-sil.

On Sunday, Park denied Choi was allowed to wield undue and wide-reaching influence over state affairs.

In a hastily arranged briefing over tea, the leader met reporters from domestic media in her first event since being impeached by parliament on December 9.

Parks fate is in the hands of Constitutional Court judges who have up to 180 days to uphold the impeachment or reinstate her.

She last appeared in public on November 29, offering to step down if parliament could agree on a way for her to leave office.

Opposition parties rejected that offer and led a motion to impeach Park by a wide margin, joined by some members of her own Saenuri Party. The Constitutional Court is set to begin hearing arguments from both sides.

Park has denied wrongdoing previously but apologised for carelessness in her ties with Choi, a friend for four decades, who has also denied wrongdoing. Choi is in detention while on trial.

SAMSUNG MERGER UNDER SCRUTINY

Park said on Sunday that the decision by the countrys national pension fund to back a merger between two Samsung Group affiliates was a just policy decision made for national interest, and that the deal was supported by many brokerage firms at the time.

I did not have an iota of thinking to help anyone and the thought never crossed my mind, Park said.

This is not the place to tell you all the details, but what I can clearly say now is that I did nothing whatsoever to favour anyone or collude with anyone to do that.

The merger in 2015 of Samsung Group affiliates Cheil Industries Inc and Samsung C&T Corp has become a key part of the probe into influence peddling at the pinnacle of South Korean politics.

The deal has been criticised by some investors for strengthening the founding familys control of Samsung Group, South Koreas largest chaebol, or conglomerate, at the expense of other shareholders.

The National Pension Service, which had 545 trillion won ($451.78 billion) under management at the end of September and was a major shareholder in the two Samsung affiliates, voted in favour of the merger without calling in an external committee that sometimes advises it on difficult votes.

Park, 64, is accused of colluding with Choi to pressure big businesses including Samsung to make contributions to non-profit foundations backing presidential initiatives.

Hundreds of thousands of people have turned out in central Seoul for ten straight weekends to demand Parks immediate ouster, but she has defied the call and indicated through her lawyers that she will fight impeachment in court.

Parks comments on Sunday were more detailed than previous ones, and also touched on allegations of negligence over the handling of the Sewol ferry disaster in April 2014 that killed more than 300 passengers, mostly school children.

Park was criticised for mishandling the rescue efforts and questions have persisted about her whereabouts during the seven hours between the first report of the accident and her appearance in the governments emergency room.

Park said she had remained in the residential quarters of the official Blue House residence on April 16 because no official event had been scheduled, but received reports about rescue operations before moving to the nearby situation room when the magnitude of the disaster became evident.

She denied allegations that she failed to pay closer attention to the rescue because she was receiving a cosmetic procedure at the time.

That is not possible even by common sense.
Donald Trump is planning to do many big things after being sworn in as president, his communications director said Sunday, adding that his boss has no intention to stop using Twitter.

Asked by ABC News what one big thing the public should expect from the president-elect once he takes office on January 20, spokesman Sean Spicer replied: Its going to be not one big thing. Its going to be many big things.

Business as usual is over... Theres a new sheriff in town.

Spicer said the Republican billionaire would immediately sign a series of executive orders to repeal a lot of the regulations and actions that have been taken by this administration over the last eight years that have hampered both economic growth and job creation.

He also confirmed that Trump would institute a five-year ban on senior officials leaving government to become lobbyists, and a lifetime ban on anyone who wants to serve a foreign government.

When ABC interviewer Jonathan Karl asked whether Trump would continue his highly unusual -- and deeply controversial -- approach of making major policy statements over Twitter, Spicer replied, Sure, why not.

With all due respect, he continued, I think it freaks the mainstream media out that he has this following of over 45-plus million people that follow him on social media, that he can have a direct conversation.

Spicer added: Business as usual is over... Theres a new sheriff in town.

Karl asked Spicer repeatedly whether Trump might reverse President Barack Obamas steps -- including the expulsion of 35 Russian agents -- aimed at punishing Moscow for interfering in the US election.

While suggesting that Obamas action might have been political retribution and thus too harsh, Spicer would only say that Trump would delay any decision until he receives an intelligence briefing on the matter.

The president-elect, still working to fill out his new administration, was to return Sunday from his Florida resort to his Trump Tower apartment in Manhattan.
Republican Senator John McCain said on Sunday the United States could only improve its relations with Russia by taking a tough stance with President Vladimir Putin, calling for stronger sanctions against Moscow.

On a tour of the Baltic states, Ukraine and Georgia, McCain and other senators assured the former Soviet-dominated countries that the United States would support them, despite President-elect Donald Trumps praise of Putin and expressions of doubts about NATO.

We will strongly urge our colleagues toward more meaningful and stronger sanctions against Russia because of their attack on the United States of America, McCain told reporters in Georgias capital Tbilisi.

I believe that we must continue to improve our relations and to understand that Vladimir Putin  unless we stand up to him  will continue his aggression and we must stand up to Vladimir Putin, McCain said.

On Thursday, President Barack Obama ordered the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats and imposed sanctions on two Russian intelligence agencies over the hacking of US political groups during the election.

But Trump signalled during his campaign that he might take a softer line with Moscow, and on Friday congratulated Putin for not retaliating to the expulsions, tweeting: Great move on delay (by V. Putin) - I always knew he was very smart!

Read | Putin wont retaliate to US actions, invests in Trump to improve ties

Earlier, in Kiev, McCain vowed continued US support to Ukraine.

I send the message from the American people  we are with you, your fight is our fight and we will win together, McCain was quoted as saying by Ukrainian President Poroshenkos press service.

Read | Vote for Trump or face nuclear war, Putin ally tells Americans

In 2017 we will defeat the invaders and send them back where they came from. To Vladimir Putin  you will never defeat the Ukrainian people and deprive them of their independence and freedom, McCain said.

Reinforcing the line that the US Congress could oppose any move by Trump to take a softer line on Russia, Republican senator Lindsey Graham, travelling with McCain and others, said it was time to push back against Putin, to be a better friend to our allies here including Georgia.

So 2017 is a year of offence and were going to tell our colleagues whats at stake if we dont push back, Graham said.

Also read | US intel accuses Putin of personally directing election hack
Islamic State militants have aspirations to launch mass-casualty chemical attacks on targets in Britain and elsewhere in Europe, the British security minister said in a newspaper interview published on Sunday.

Ben Wallace also said British authorities feared that as the militant group was driven out of strongholds in the Middle East such as the Iraqi city of Mosul, Britons fighting for the group would return home and pose a growing domestic threat.

They have no moral objection to using chemical weapons against populations and if they could, they would in this country. The casualty figures that could be involved would be everybodys worst fear.

The ambition of IS or Daesh is definitely mass-casualty attacks, Wallace told the Sunday Times newspaper.

They have no moral objection to using chemical weapons against populations and if they could, they would in this country. The casualty figures that could be involved would be everybodys worst fear.

The report said no specific chemical plot had been identified but security services had been carrying out exercises to prepare for the possibility.

Islamic State used sulphur mustard gas in an attack on the Syrian town of Marea in August 2015, according to global watchdog the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

Wallace pointed to the dismantlement of an Islamic State cell in Morocco in February as evidence of the groups ambition to carry out chemical attacks elsewhere.

Moroccan authorities dismantled a cell involving chemical weapons. They recovered toxic chemical and biological substances and a large stock of fertiliser. The substances found could have been used to produce home-made explosives and could have been transformed into a deadly toxin, he said.

About 800 Britons are thought to have travelled to Syria, many to join Islamic State, since the outbreak of the civil war in that country. Around 100 have been killed.

The big concern is if Mosul collapses and all the other bases of Isis (Islamic State) collapse. We know there are a significant number of [Britons] fighting for IS in Syria. They will probably want to come home, said Wallace.

In a separate report, the Sunday Telegraph newspaper quoted the head of Britains regulator of charities as saying that reports of links between charities and extremism had trebled over the past three years to reach a record high.

The Charity Commission made 630 referrals to police in 2015/16 over allegations made ... about abuse of charities for terrorist or extremist purposes, including concerns about charities operating in Syria and other higher risk areas, the report said.
Los Angeles residents awoke New Years Day to find a prankster had altered the famed Hollywood sign to read HOLLYWeeD.

KABC-TV reports Los Angeles police have dispatched a unit to investigate the apparent vandalism.

Police have also notified the citys Department of General Services, whose officers patrol Griffith Park and the area of the rugged Hollywood Hills near the sign.

California voters in November approved Proposition 64, which legalized the recreational use of marijuana, beginning in 2018.
The White House condemned the savagery of at least one gunman in Istanbul who killed at least 39 people and wounded 40 others as they celebrated the New Year, calling the attack horrific.

The gunman reportedly dressed as Santa Claus shot dead a policeman and a civilian at the entrance to the Reina nightclub, one of the citys most exclusive party venues, before going on a shooting rampage inside, according to the authorities.

NTV television said many party-goers threw themselves into the Bosphorus in panic after the attack and efforts were under way to rescue them from the waters.

The United States condemns in the strongest terms the horrific terrorist attack at a nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey, which has left dozens dead and many more wounded, National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

That such an atrocity could be perpetrated upon innocent revelers, many of whom were celebrating New Years Eve, underscores the savagery of the attackers.

Price added: We reaffirm the support of the United States for Turkey, our Nato ally, in our shared determination to confront and defeat all forms of terrorism.
Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily!

Your notification has been saved.

There was a problem saving your notification.

{{description}}

Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
It's a fresh new year, and it looks promising for fiction lovers already. Here are 10 intriguing new titles to look for in the first few months of 2017.

Flying Lessons and Other Stories

Edited by Ellen Oh

Crown Books for Young Readers, 240 pp., $16.99

Available Tuesday

This story collection is designed for kids ages 8 to 12, but adults might want to read it, too. Editor Ellen Oh is the founder of an organization called We Need Diverse Books, which urges publishers to offer stories that "reflect the lives of all young people." Here, she's gathered a broad range of short stories from an excellent (and diverse) cast of middle-grade authors, including Kwame Alexander and Jacqueline Woodson.

courtesy

Idaho

By Emily Ruskovich

Random House, 320 pp., $27

Available Tuesday

In this debut novel set in northern Idaho, we meet Ann, who married Wade as he was beginning to develop early-onset dementia. One of Wade's daughters is dead, the other is missing, and Wade's first wife is in prison. As her husband's memory fades away, Ann begins to untangle what happened.

The Man Who Shot Out My Eye is Dead

By Chanelle Benz

Ecco, 240 pp., $24.99

Available Jan. 17

This story collection is a debut for Chanelle Benz, who lives in Houston. She offers a wild variety of styles and settings, including a 19th-century gothic story, a slave narrative and a couple of Western tales.

courtesy

The Evening Road

By Laird Hunt

Little, Brown and Co.; 288 pp., $26

Available Feb. 7

This story, set in Jim Crow-era Indiana, follows two women  one white, one black  as they separately make their way to a "rope party," or lynching. It's divided into two sections, so each woman has a chance to narrate her journey through a hot, restless Indiana night.

The Refugees

By Viet Thanh Nguyen

Grove Press, 224 pp., $25

Available Feb. 7

Viet Thanh Nguyen won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for his first novel, "The Sympathizer." Now he offers a collection of short stories written over the past two decades. Many of them feature Vietnamese characters in America who are straddling two cultures, striving to assert their identities and live their lives in an adopted homeland.

courtesy

All Our Wrong Todays

By Elan Mastai

Dutton, 384 pp., $26

Available Feb. 7

Who doesn't love a time-travel story? This debut novel from screenwriter Elan Mastai is about a man who lives in an alternate present day  "the world we were supposed to have," with flying cars and people living on the moon. In a time-travel mishap, he ends up stranded in the 2016 we all know  a grave disappointment at first, but he finds happiness there. He needs to leave and correct the course of history, but will he?

Shadowbahn

By Steve Erickson

Blue Rider Press, 320 pp., $27

Available Feb. 14

It's 2021, and the twin towers have just inexplicably reappeared two decades after they fell  not in Manhattan, but in the South Dakota Badlands. As tourists arrive from all over to see the "American Stonehenge," it becomes obvious that someone's living on a high floor of the southern tower. Who is it, and how is this  any of this  even possible?

Lincoln in the Bardo

By George Saunders

Random House, 368 pp., $28

Available Feb. 14

George Saunders is famous for his short stories; here, finally, is the Texas native's first novel. He takes us to a dark night in 1862; Abraham Lincoln is in agony mourning the death of his 11-year-old son, Willie, who has died of typhoid. In Tibetan Buddhism, the bardo is an in-between state  a holding place between physical lives  and Willie Lincoln lingers in this purgatory as his father watches over his body. Saunders will be in Houston March 6, part of Inprint's Margarett Root Brown Reading Series. Tickets, $5, go on sale Jan. 24 at inprinthouston.org.

courtesy

Ill Will

By Dan Chaon

Ballantine Books, 480 pp., $28

Available March 7

This book has gotten great buzz already. It's about Dustin, an Ohio psychologist whose adopted brother went to prison nearly 30 years ago for killing Dustin's parents, aunt and uncle. DNA evidence has exonerated his brother, and now he's getting out  at the same time one of Dustin's patients is urging him to investigate what looks like the work of a serial killer.

The Wanderers

By Meg Howrey

G.P. Putnam's Sons, 384 pp., $27

Available March 14

This is the story of three astronauts who are preparing for a manned mission to Mars with a 17-month simulation in the desert. Author Meg Howrey tells the story from seven points of view  the astronauts, members of their family and one of the lab employees observing the simulation.
UNITED NATIONS - Antonio Guterres takes the reins of the United Nations on New Year's Day, promising to be a "bridge-builder" but facing an antagonistic incoming U.S. administration led by Donald Trump who thinks the world body's 193 member states do nothing except talk and have a good time.

The former Portuguese prime minister and U.N. refugee chief told reporters after being sworn-in as secretary-general on Dec. 12 that he will engage all governments - "and, of course, also with the next government of the United States" - and show his willingness to cooperate on "the enormous challenges that we'll be facing together."

But Trump has shown little interest in multilateralism, which Guterres says is "the cornerstone" of the United Nations, and great attachment to the Republicans' "America First" agenda.

So as Guterres begins his five-year term facing conflicts from Syria and Yemen to South Sudan and Libya and global crises from terrorism to climate change, U.S. support for the United Nations remains a question mark.

And it matters because the U.S. is a veto-wielding member of the U.N. Security Council and pays 22 percent of the U.N.'s regular budget and 25 percent of its peacekeeping budget.

Immediately after the United States allowed the Security Council to condemn Israeli settlements in the West Bank on Dec. 23 in a stunning rupture with past practice, Trump warned in a tweet: "As to the U.N., things will be different after Jan. 20th," the day he takes office.

Trump followed up three days later with another tweet questioning its effectiveness. "The United Nations has such great potential but right now it is just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time. So sad!"

John Bolton, a conservative Republican and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said in an interview with the Associated Press that Guterres would be well advised "especially given the incoming Trump administration" to follow the model of his predecessor, Ban Ki-moon, and do what member governments want.

If he tries to follow what Ban's predecessor, Kofi Annan, did as secretary-general and try to be the world's top diplomat and what some called "a secular pope," Bolton said, "I think especially in the Trump administration, he would run into big trouble very quickly."

Guterres has made clear that his top priority will be preventing crises and promoting peace.

He has said there is enormous difficulty in solving conflicts, a lack of "capacity" in the international community to prevent conflicts, and the need to develop "the diplomacy for peace," which he plans to focus on.

Guterres has said he also will strive to deal with the inequalities that globalization and technological progress have helped deepen, creating joblessness and despair especially among youth.

"Today's paradox is that despite greater connectivity, societies are becoming more fragmented. More and more people live within their own bubbles, unable to appreciate their links with the whole human family," he said after his swearing-in.
WASHINGTON - Congress often waits for a new president to take office before it gets down to business. This year, Republicans will drop that custom in their dash to scrap the Affordable Care Act.

Within hours of the new Congress convening Tuesday, the House plans to adopt a package of rules to clear the way for repealing the health care law and replacing it with as-yet-unspecified measures meant to help people obtain insurance coverage.

Then, in the week of Jan. 9, according to a likely timetable sketched out by Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., the House will vote on a budget blueprint, which is expected to call for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act.

In the week starting Jan. 30, said Walden, incoming chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the panel will act on legislation to carry out what is in the blueprint. That bill would be the vehicle for repealing major provisions of the health care law, including the expansion of Medicaid.

Republicans in both houses of Congress have said repealing the law is a top priority.

"The 'Obamacare' repeal resolution will be the first item up," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said.

President-elect Donald Trump has called the law an "absolute disaster," and has said he is eager to sign a repeal bill like one vetoed by President Barack Obama in early 2016.

'Opening salvo'

Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, the House Democratic leader, said the rules devised by House Republicans were "their opening salvo" against a law that she said had been "successful in meeting its goals of reducing cost, increasing access and improving quality of care."

In a last-ditch bid to save his signature legislative achievement, which has provided coverage to some 20 million Americans, Obama plans to visit a meeting of House and Senate Democrats on Wednesday to rally support for the law.

The Affordable Care Act, approved in 2010 without any Republican votes, provides tax credits to help people buy private insurance. It also allowed states to expand Medicaid eligibility, with the federal government paying most of the cost for new beneficiaries.

The law also saves hundreds of billions of dollars by reducing the growth of Medicare payments to hospitals, nursing homes, health maintenance organizations and other health care providers. Repealing the law would eliminate those savings and thus increase federal spending, the Congressional Budget Office says.

The proposed rules written by House Republicans allow lawmakers to raise a point of order against legislation that causes an increase in certain types of federal spending. But the rules give special protection to bills repealing or "reforming" the Affordable Care Act, even if such bills cause a temporary increase in spending.

Taxes are an issue

The Congressional Budget Office said in 2015 that "repealing the ACA would raise federal deficits by $137 billion over the 2016-25 period" - not only because the government would spend more on Medicare for older Americans, but also because it would collect less in taxes from high-income households.

The 2010 law, the budget office noted, increased the payroll tax rate for many high-income taxpayers and imposed a surtax on their net investment income. The law also imposed annual fees on health insurers and manufacturers of brand-name drugs and medical devices.

Republicans may want to hold on to some of the tax revenue and Medicare savings, to help offset the cost of their plan to replace the Affordable Care Act. They have been trying to devise that replacement, but do not have a consensus and may hold hearings to examine the options.

If Congress votes to repeal the health care law early in 2017, Republican leaders say, they may delay the effective date for several years, to avoid disrupting coverage for people who have recently gained it.

The Republican rules package also would allow the House to continue its legal challenge to spending on insurance subsidies that reduce out-of-pocket costs for more than 6 million Americans.
Ol' Sparky, the Lone Star State's official instrument of death for 40 years, resides these days in the Texas Prison Museum in Huntsville. It's the museum's most popular exhibit, although the time is coming, we predict, when it will have competition. In the not-too-distant future, the needles, the drugs and the officious execution protocol that comprise the capital-punishment regimen in Texas also will be quaint relics on display. Museum visitors will marvel that a civilized society sustained such barbarism long after most Western democracies abjured the practice. The killing tools already are relics in most states, even where capital punishment remains on the books.

What's surprising is that the death penalty's demise is coming sooner than most Americans expected, even in Texas, the nation's most enthusiastic practitioner of state-sponsored killing. The U.S. Supreme Court may never get around to ruling that capital punishment is "cruel and unusual," but the practice will wither away, nevertheless. In fact, the process already has begun, even in the county that leads the nation in executions, Harris County. The recent election of Kim Ogg as Harris County district attorney means that voters have chosen a prosecutor more open to reform and reductions in capital prosecutions than her predecessor.
It shouldn't take a court ruling to make Texas care about kids. And if it does take a gavel to grab the state's attention, the state shouldn't turn to legalistic arguments when children are in danger.

Shamefully, that's the stance taken recently by the Department of Family and Protective Services, prompting the agency and U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack to butt heads again over the state's custody arrangements for children in its care.

The Corpus Christi-based judge held Texas' foster-care system unconstitutional in late 2015 because of long-standing operational flaws that allowed children in permanent custody to be abused and neglected. Trial testimony revealed that foster homes without around-the-clock supervision experienced problems with abuse - a pattern not present at facilities with supervision.

Jack's 2015 injunction called on DFPS to "immediately stop placing (permanent managing conservatorship) foster children in unsafe placements, which include foster group homes that lack 24-hour awake-night supervision."

Instead of acting to remove all children from unsafe placements, the judge said in a recent hearing that the state allowed foster children already in those homes to remain there and had misinterpreted her injunction to only cover future placements, according to Chronicle Austin Bureau Chief Mike Ward.

Let this sink in. The state has intervened in approximately 10,306 foster children's lives, removed them from dangerous and unhealthy situations and assumed permanent custody. A year ago, a federal judge told the agency that some percentage of these children - many of whom are likely to remain in foster care until they turn 18, many because of emotional, behavioral or other issues that make family placements difficult - were in unsafe and dangerous conditions. The agency let them stay there.

The agency's legalistic approach to its responsibility to children is unconscionable and calls into question the sincerity of both Gov. Greg Abbott and DPFS Commissioner Henry "Hank" Whitman Jr. and their promises to curb the long-standing problems in the state's system. Legislative leaders have placed the crisis at the top of the agenda during the coming five-month legislative session, as well.

To its credit, earlier this month, legislative leaders approved additional funding to hire more than 800 workers and to give pay raises to its employees.

However, after being on notice for a year, DFPS officials are just now working to determine the number of children in danger, including those in temporary custody, and to find alternate placements to comply with the latest court order, Patrick Crimmins, a spokesman for the DFPS told Ward.

How many children were abused during this past year in which the agency failed to act? Keeping Texas' children safe shouldn't require pressure from a judge.
Keep reporting

Regarding "HISD keeps special ed rolls arbitrarily low," part of the Chronicle's "Denied" series, (Page A1, Wednesday), I taught special education for 32 years, 24 of those in HISD. Everything in the articles matches my experiences. Teachers face consequences when they challenge district policies or administrators. You are basically treated as an insubordinate ignoramus who needs to be quiet and let the experts do the talking.

Other areas of concern are the push to keep students in General Education classes when they really need intensive intervention by specially trained teachers. Keep investigating. There is much more fungus under this particular rock!

Robert Robbins, Houston

Preyed upon

Regarding the "Denied" series, it just sickens me to think of it and remember my own experiences. There is no doubt in my mind that school officials were delaying things with my daughter because of costs. What I did not know at the time was that there was a quota trying to be maintained.

To prey on the weak and those unable to speak for themselves, how does one stand before their God?

Perhaps here is the question that state and school district officials should think about: Would a class-action, multibillion-dollar lawsuit get their attention? Would these discriminatory practices warrant prison time? How many stories have to be told? How many burdens have to be shared? How much suffering is needed to be known that makes this relevant, true?

I admit I am a little emotional about it. That is because I understand it firsthand. Teachers in our Houston-area school did the best they could with my daughter, but it was obvious some of the teachers had no training, the resources were limited, and everyone accepted it as OK. When I did withdraw my daughter, a teacher waited until the others had left and said to me, "Mr. Sanders, don't feel bad about what you are doing. You should do what is best and what you know to be best for your daughter."

If I had known a quota was involved at the time, there would have been a firestorm.

Layne Sanders, Houston

No exclusions

Chronicle reporter Brian Rosenthal's reporting on special education services in Texas and in HISD has consistently ignored well-reasoned facts that would give the newspaper's readers important context to this important issue. Had Mr. Rosenthal properly characterized my comments, his stories "HISD keeps special ed rolls arbitrarily low" (Page A1, Wednesday) and "HISD's focus on 'over-identification' of blacks backfires" (Page A15, Wednesday) would have given greater weight to a 2010 audit by Harvard professor Thomas Hehir that HISD invited Hehir to conduct. The audit was a thorough examination of the district's special education program and is available in its entirety on the HISD website. Its contents are not overall flattering and is full of recommendations. And, it does not support Mr. Rosenthal's story of HISD students purposefully being excluded from special education services.

Dr. Hehir is a nationally renowned expert in special education, and one would think Mr. Rosenthal would have spent more than a few minutes, over eight months ago, to obtain his input for his stories. Dr. Hehir concluded that in HISD, as with many school districts, African-American students were being identified as Intellectual Disabilities and in Emotional Disturbance and those students were also segregated at an alarmingly high rate. Dr. Hehir attributed this to the school system's failure to utilize effective interventions to teach reading and to address dyslexia. Since 2010, the number of HISD students being served for dyslexia is up 435 percent, and the number being served because of autism is up 64 percent. But because these numbers contradict the Chronicle's narrative that students are being "denied" services, they have not been included in the reporting.

I am proud of the work done in HISD on my watch to serve Houston's most vulnerable students. I am proud of the principals, teachers and special education professionals who strive so hard to serve children. I spoke to Mr. Rosenthal numerous times over the past nine months. I answered his questions in a direct, honest manner and was clear in my belief that ALL students needing special education services should receive them. It is time for the Chronicle to spend a little less time chasing Pulitzer Prizes and more time pursuing the truth.

Terry B. Grier, former HISD superintendent, 2009-2016
Tough talk

Regarding "Kerry angers Israel with settlement talk" (Page A8, Thursday), this is just the most recent example of President Obama doing the right thing but only after trying everything else first. U.S. criticism of illegal Israeli expansion onto Palestinian-owned lands publicly uttered eight years ago might have kept Israeli bulldozers silent. But now, in Obama's last month in office, his pronouncements mean nothing to no one, nowhere, no how.

We die-hard Obama supporters will go to our graves lamenting over how much more he would have accomplished for America and the world if only he had told his opponents, "It's my way or the highway" starting on his first day in office. Oh well, if wishes and buts were presents and nuts we'd all have a beautiful Christmas.

Larry Vecera, Houston

Breeding mistrust

Regarding "Wielding claims of 'fake news,' conservatives attack media" (HoustonChronicle.com, Monday), even with the information of the world at a tap or a click, we still have to rely on ourselves in order to decide what is true. All the anti-media cries from the Trump crowd just worsen the lazy biases of people who refuse to think, and who want someone else to do it for them.

As the extremists heckle and mock the journalists, they should be aware that fostering a mood of mistrust can backfire, creating a populace that doesn't believe anyone.

Skepticism is healthy; doubt is normal. Faith in incredulity is not.

Bob Gayle, Houston
Invest in kids

In 2017, it is clear that lawmakers should focus on desperately needed updates and improvements to the public school finance system. Instead of bathroom bills and vouchers, modernizing "Robin Hood" and lessening the blow of property detachment should be legislative priorities. We should focus on investing in quality educational opportunity for all children by enhancing statewide collaboration, communication and coordination between state agencies, commissions, and database systems. The Texas Legislature should increase local coordination of educational programs by supporting efforts to develop strong public and private partnerships and collaboration between educational institutions and high-quality educational providers and recourses.

The state of Texas should support cities that are investing in innovative educational and workforce opportunities for all youth, especially at-risk youth who have fallen out of the traditional educational system. Further, the Legislature should create student and parent education task forces to coordinate efforts between state agencies to build stronger, complete communities and spend public dollars more effectively and efficiently.

There also is a need to invest and support quality early childhood and prekindergarten education, effective literacy programs, funding for mental health and well-being, and learning in the digital age. We should unite employers, educators and local leaders to develop innovative and transformative initiatives to help youth gain the educational and workforce skills needed to succeed in the 21st century economy. Some leading examples are Hire Houston Youth, San Antonio Works and the state's Industry Cluster Innovative Academies.

Most important, as many teachers near retirement, we must ensure that a pipeline of caring, qualified and effective teachers are available for all students regardless of ZIP code, and this requires the investment and development of the very best educator preparation and credentialing programs. We have a lot of work ahead, but instead of wasting time on divisive and politically charged bills and rhetoric in the 85th legislative session, let's work on moving our state forward by focusing on our most precious and valuable resource: our youth.

Juliet Stipeche, Director of Education, city of Houston

Let's get rolling

To move Texas' economy forward and enhance our quality of life, local and state lawmakers in 2017 must address our road infrastructure funding gaps, embrace transit and prioritize rail needs. Addressing these priorities places Texas at the forefront of connectivity to remain nationally and globally competitive.

Our road infrastructure, while not the complete mobility solution, remains an enormous asset for our state. Lawmakers must convene another Blue Ribbon Commission (similar to the 2030 Committee) to assess the current funding gaps and ensure our roads keep pace with population projections. Lawmakers should agree to keep all funding tools, including toll roads, in the tool box. When we limit our funding resources, we limit the possibilities for sustainable solutions.

Transit is traditionally funded locally and at the federal level, and it is time for state lawmakers to embrace the Texas Department of Transportation as the advocate for all modes, including mass transit. Legislators need to evaluate TxDOT's budget for priorities other than roads and adjust the formula to mandate transit integration. This integration into our existing roadway infrastructure is essential to promote public transportation, conserve costs and reduce congestion.

Freight, commuter and high speed rail will shape the future of business in Texas and we are far behind. Lawmakers need to support viable commuter rail corridors and incentivize the urban communities that welcome this infrastructure through local-option funding. State leaders also must support policies that encourage the movement of freight along rail versus roads - moving more freight on rail reduces the strain on our roadways, and moving more people on rail reduces traffic congestion. Lawmakers must protect eminent domain for innovations in mobility like the proposed high speed rail - connecting the powerhouse urban centers of Texas will promote stronger economic stability and create hundreds of needed jobs.

In 2017, Texas lawmakers must put forth funding and policy initiatives that illustrate the importance of transportation infrastructure as the backbone of our economy and quality of life.

Andrea French, executive director, Transportation Advocacy Group-Houston region

Housing equality

Texas has one of the least-regulated and most-affordable housing markets in the country. However, because Texas housing policy prioritizes housing as a commodity rather than a right, housing inequality has become increasingly entrenched in Texas cities. Housing costs have surged in Houston, as has demand for housing vouchers, both of which will exacerbate existing housing inequalities.

To establish stable, affordable housing in 2017, we need housing policy that addresses multiple aspects of the existing market simultaneously.

First, state and local lawmakers need to help stabilize housing costs. As established in 1998 through an amendment to the Texas Constitution, the taxable appraised value of residential property can increase by up to 10 percent each year. This volatility can result in a loss of housing through increased property tax payments, and affects both renters and homeowners. A more modest rate of change in taxable appraised residential property values - say, no more than 2 percent per year - would benefit renters, landlords and homeowners by increasing the likelihood of full payment and promoting residential stability. Of course, this lower cap might require that state and local officials rethink our approach to taxation, but that's a conversation worth having.

More important, local officials will need to address persistent socioeconomic and racial segregation. This issue should be particularly high on Houston's priority list given the recent controversy over the housing project in the Galleria area, not to mention the recent Supreme Court ruling denouncing segregation resulting from housing policy. Addressing segregation will necessarily involve structural changes, including renewed efforts to equitably distribute affordable housing units and increased surveillance of compliance with fair housing law. Fortunately, these big, local changes are supported by some of HUD's own recent changes, including new rules but also new tools. And we can make our efforts even more effective by developing our own tools, including models that determine how new affordable housing units would contribute to segregation.

If Texas cities want to promote equitable housing access for all citizens, they must reorient housing policy around the idea that everyone - regardless of income - deserves a decent place to live.

Heather O'Connell, postdoctoral fellow, Rice University's Kinder Institute for Urban Research and Elizabeth Korver-Glenn, PhD candidate in Sociology, Rice University

College, career 'pipeline'

Despite often Herculean efforts, Texas continues to produce far fewer postsecondary graduates than we need to maintain the state's economic and civic vitality. Fewer than 6 of every 10 university students in Texas graduate within six years of starting; only three of every 10 community college students finish their credential within four years.

Building a high-quality education pipeline from prekindergarten through college completion, known as PK-20, is essential to future job success and quality of life. Toward that end, lawmakers in 2017 should support policies that:

Increase incentives for PK-20 partnerships. House Bill 5, passed in 2013, inspired school districts and colleges to work together to develop English and math courses geared toward struggling students. The Legislature should build on this effort, focusing on proven early intervention strategies before students fall too far behind. This would save the state and families the expense of remedial classes in college.

Recognize a greater investment in education will pay dividends in the Texas economy. While the state spent about 12 percent of its budget on higher education a decade ago, the amount has dropped to 8 percent, despite increased expectations.

Support rigorous research to aid in developing and evaluating sound PK-20 policies and programs, particularly for historically underserved students. University researchers and other scholars could help answer critical, real-time questions.

For Houston, such legislative focus is vital. While our diverse region has benefited from economic growth, a significant pay gap remains between white and Hispanic households. We must ensure more students from all backgrounds enter college better-prepared and graduate-ready for continued success.

Catherine Horn, associate professor and executive director of the Institute for Educational Policy Research and Evaluation, and director of the Center for Research, Evaluation and Advancement of Teacher Education, University of Houston College of Education

Keep energy and economy humming

Natural gas prices remain at historical lows. Oil prices are expected to stay below $60 a barrel. Houston's energy companies and the broader Texas economy must capitalize on oil and gas exploration in 2017 when it is economically feasible, while pivoting to the reality of a changing energy landscape.

Key decisions to be made in 2017 include where to drill and what happens with the renewable energy portfolio. The Legislature must address cybersecurity policy to minimize threats to the electric grid and energy production.

The Legislature has ordered a review of the state's cyber-preparedness, and any new regulations should balance rapid recovery after a cyberattack with flexibility to address different scenarios. Moreover, the state needs to establish a clear line of responsibility to ensure accountability.

Despite new LNG export terminals coming online, natural gas prices will remain flat because of continued global oversupply: Good news for the chemical industry, which has boomed along the Gulf Coast and is now cost competitive with the Middle East.

The oil glut, on the other hand, is shrinking due to tightening domestic and international production, stabilizing oil prices. Exploration and production will increase in the Permian Basin, growing more slowly in less cost-effective fields. To succeed, companies must employ strategies that have emerged from the downturn:

Disruptive technologies including digital technologies, advanced sensing, analytics and automation.

Supply-chain optimization.

A talented and underemployed workforce.

Offshore projects won't gain traction until prices rise, although operators who can afford to take a longer view will began to consider projects with a seven-to-10 year window.

And market forces, rather than regulation, will accelerate the move away from coal, even in Texas, home to some of the biggest coal-fired power plants.

Cheap natural gas, wind and solar will gain market share, with production tax credits for wind extended through 2021, price-competitive installed solar and the improved transmission network through grid resilience technologies and significant state investments beginning to pay off for Houston and Texas.

Ramanan Krishnamoorti, chief energy officer and interim vice chancellor/vice president for research and technology transfer, University of Houston

Editor's note: In editorial board meetings and throughout countless conversations with community leaders and Houston residents, we regularly hear concerns about the impact of policy decisions. But we also hear hopes and calls to action that will make Houston and our region a better place to live. To that end, we turned to leaders and experts in the fields of education (K-12 and higher education), the key regional urban issues of transportation and housing, as well as energy - areas we think will undergird Houston's success - and asked them for their respective outlooks for 2017. Their views follow here.
It was almost a year ago that I took the oath of office to be your mayor. My promise was that tomorrow will be better than today. It's the same promise my mother made to me when I was growing up in Acres Homes. If you think about it the promise of a better tomorrow is what has driven Houston from the start. As I look back on this first year in office, I am both proud and humbled by what we have achieved. As I greet the never-ending challenges of managing the fourth-largest city in the nation, I feel support and guidance from places I never expected. Your willingness to cross political lines, set aside long held differences of opinion and listen to one another is allowing us to achieve big things for this great city. We are working together in ways never before seen. Hand in hand, we are building the Houston of tomorrow - a Houston with better roads, a Houston with secure finances, a Houston where everyone feels safe.

This new level of cooperation first surfaced in January when city departments long used to operating independently of one another came together to solve our pothole problem. The condition of our streets was the one complaint I had heard loudly and frequently from Houstonians while on the campaign trail. Within just two short weeks, city employees had met the challenge of a streamlined operation in which citizen-reported potholes are repaired by the next business day. A year later, we are maintaining this performance standard 95 percent of the time. Overall, more than 40,000 potholes have been filled. With fewer potholes, we are able to turn our attention to more serious street repairs that take longer than a business day's work.

In April, Houston suffered the worst flooding since Tropical Storm Allison. In many cases, the flood victims were the poorest members of our community. They lost housing and all possessions in one day. Houstonians banded together in an unprecedented relief effort and within a little more than one month, these residents had been placed in new housing with all the furnishings. I know fear grows in many of our neighborhoods every time dark clouds are building on the horizon. I have appointed the city's first-ever flood czar, and we are gearing up to move forward with flood relief projects early in 2017.

One month later in May, conservatives and liberals on City Council came together to eliminate a $160 million budget shortfall, the worst since the Great Recession. We did it in record time and without massive layoffs or cuts in city services.

Now with personal sacrifice by our municipal employees, police officers and firefighters, we have a pension reform plan ready for the state Legislature to approve that provides certainty and reliability now and for the future. This plan was crafted with input from a broad spectrum of Houstonians who have in the past disagreed on the right path forward. Labor unions, the business community, budget hawks and other stakeholders are all on the same page and moving forward together. This plan eliminates nearly $8 billion of unfunded pension debt. It provides structural budget balance moving forward and will result in more than $200 million of cost avoidance in its first year. No one has put forth an alternative that delivers the same immediate and long-term benefits while also creating secure and stable retirements for employees at an affordable price for taxpayers.

Our crime rate also was a priority this year. When it appeared as if we were headed toward a dramatic year-over-year increase in homicides, an extra $2 million was allocated for police overtime. Working with the community, HPD quickly crafted strategies to stop the upward trend. As of right now, we anticipate ending 2016 with about the same or fewer murders than 2015.

With the transition from one presidential administration to another in Washington comes a new challenge. Many in our community are afraid they will no longer fit in. They fear being victims of hate crimes; they fear being targeted for deportation. Houston always has been a welcoming city, and that is not going to change. The Houston that existed before the November election still exists today. We are a city where residents and law enforcement work hand in hand, where neighbor looks out for neighbor and where hate and intolerance are not accepted. There is new leadership at the Houston Police and Fire Departments: Police Chief Art Acevedo and Fire Chief Sam Pena understand Houston's diversity and share my strong commitment to keeping our residents safe. The new chiefs, my office and all of the groups serving our immigrant and refugee communities are working together to ensure all residents continue to feel safe and protected.

When I look back on all that we have done this past year, I see tremendous progress toward a more responsive, streamlined and efficient city government. We are filling potholes faster, implementing pension reform, shoring up city finances and working to improve police relations. These are the major accomplishments of 2016, but there also were many smaller successes. Blue tarps were replaced with new roofs. We tackled the Kush epidemic, cleaned up neighborhood dump sites, housed more homeless and appointed the city's director of education. We even brought the World Petroleum Congress back to Houston after a 30-year absence.

Tomorrow is here, and it is better than yesterday, but both you and I know there are more tomorrows to come. I truly believe that in this city, if you can dream it, you can achieve it. So, as we ring in the New Year, I renew the promise I made on Inauguration Day 2016 and ask that you remain by my side to help. We have so much more to accomplish for this great city, and, together, we will get it done!

Turner is mayor of Houston.
Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print.

Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition.

If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create.
A brave dog risked its life for two days over Christmas to protect an injured friend.

On Dec. 25, a train conductor outside of Tseglovka, Ukraine told locals that he had spotted two dogs huddled together on the tracks.

One was too injured to move, so the other huddled close to keep it warm, pressing its friend's head down every time a train passed overhead.

Advertisement

Denis Malafeev, who captured video of the two canines, wrote on Facebook that it was hard to rescue the injured dog because its friend was so protective.

Malafeev wrote that the dogs, Panda and Lucy, have since been returned to their original owners.

Follow The Huffington Post Canada on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Also on HuffPost

Vancouver Firefighters Save Dog From Burning House See Gallery
People around the world came together on December 31 to celebrate the beginning of a new year  and an end to a tumultuous 2016.

Sadly, not every city was celebrating. Istanbul was in mourning after a gunman opened fire on New Year's Eve partiers in a nightclub, killing at least 39 people.

Advertisement

However, Paris and Berlin went ahead with celebrations despite the deadly terror attacks that had happened in both cities in recent months.

Here's a look at how people around the world rung in 2017:

Fireworks explode over Parliament Hill to celebrate New Year's Eve and Canada's 150th anniversary of Confederation on Jan. 1.

Advertisement

Bright lights filled the sky over Sydney Harbour.

The coastal Australian city of Geelong had a beautiful light display of both fireworks and a stunning sunset.

Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour sparkled with fireworks.

Buddhists rang a bell at Zentsu Temple in Kagawa Prefecture to usher in the new year.

Advertisement

Revellers took a dip in the water at Rio's Copacabana Beach as fireworks exploded overhead.

Employees of the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry watch fireworks over Moscow's Red Square.

As many as 2 million people crowded around Times Square to watch the ball drop, according to Reuters.

Fireworks lit up the Las Vegas Strip.

Advertisement

Motorists drive past lights on Victoria Island as part of the New Year's eve celebration in Lagos, Nigeria.

The BBC broadcast London's spectacular fireworks display live with a 360 degree camera.

Fireworks explode from the top of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France on Jan. 1.

Follow The Huffington Post Canada on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Also on HuffPost
Lena Garrett

What do a dentist, a human rights lawyer and a maths teacher have in common?

Certainly, they're all qualified professionals. What you might not guess - blog title aside - is that they have all sought, and found, refuge in the UK in the last few years. They fled from Syria, Sudan and North Korea respectively. None of them have (yet) been able to practise their professions here, but that hasn't stopped them helping the Brits in need of their skills. They all now work for a new tech for good startup, through which they share their native language and culture - online and in person - with people in the UK.

Advertisement

The startup is called Chatterbox. By training and employing refugees as language tutors, the venture catalyses refugee integration into the UK labour market whilst tackling the country's language skills deficit.

Photo: Chatterbox tutor Eiad, a Syrian dentist, giving SOAS student Francis an Arabic Lesson | L. Garrett  Chatterbox 2016

Chatterbox is the brainchild of an extraordinary twenty-something Economics grad and Year Here social enterprise fellow, Mursal Hedayat. Mursal fled Afghanistan with her family and arrived in the UK as a refugee when she was just four years old. Growing up, she witnessed her polyglot civil engineer mother's decade-long struggle to find a job in the UK, and was inspired to found Chatterbox in order to help people in her mother's situation.

Advertisement

There are just over 117,000 people with refugee status living in the UK. While government reports on refugee integration recognise many of them as being highly skilled and educated, English-speaking, eager and able to contribute to UK society and support themselves and their families, they are considerably more likely to be unemployed or underemployed than the population average. Lack of UK work experience is often cited by employers as a reason against hiring an otherwise qualified refugee candidate.

In parallel with the relative exclusion of refugees from the UK workforce, in 2013 it was estimated that the UK economy loses 48bn annually in missed trading opportunities due to a deficit in language skills. With recent cuts to A-Level language offerings and an increasing need to reach out to the rest of the world as Brexit looms, the shortage of competent linguists will surely remain a "top policy issue" (to quote Baroness Coussins) for the UK in the years to come.

Doing our bit to avert the needless waste of refugee talent and improve our country's ability to communicate with the rest of the world, our business model for Chatterbox matches the underuse of refugee talent with the demand for their language skills.

For us, tech is about maximising the accessibility of our service for both language learners and potential tutors. As we were piloting the project, the convenience of being able to learn from home attracted language learners from all around the UK, as well as a few living abroad. Crucially, the option of teaching online via webcam enables the refugees who found themselves 'dispersed' across the country during their asylum seeking process (in accordance with government policy) to benefit from the initiative as much as those based near us in London.

Sharing the gift of language online and in person this Christmas and all year round are two of our star Arabic tutors, Eiad and Hekma.

Advertisement

Eiad

Photo: Eiad | L. Garrett  Chatterbox, 2016

I recruited Eiad over Facebook, having read an interview with him and diligently stalked him on social media.

In addition to helping the UK improve its linguistic capabilities, he's also on his way to helping Brits overcome their (perhaps unfairly awarded) reputation for having terrible teeth.

Eiad is a dentist from Damascus. A man of many talents, he also worked as a teacher before arriving in the UK almost two years ago. "I love teaching", he says, "I love sharing knowledge about my language and culture".

In addition to teaching Arabic to studious Londoners, Eiad has toured UK schools, talking to thousands of schoolchildren about the Syrian civil war.

Advertisement

Over the coming year he hopes to save enough money to be able to take the UK's dentistry exams. We've seen him in action as a teacher- always making his students laugh, sometimes throwing in tips about maintaining one's pearly whites. A tea fiend himself, Eiad says: you should brush your teeth within half an hour of consuming tea or coffee if you want to avoid staining.

Hekma

Photo: Hekma | L. Garrett  Chatterbox, 2016

Hekma is a human rights lawyer from Sudan and a specialist in Arabic legal terminology. Her name, sometimes spelt 'Hikma', means 'wisdom' in Arabic - "my parents had high expectations when they named me", she jokingly told me and Mursal during our first meeting. As well as campaigning for women's rights and prison reform in Sudan, Hekma has also worked as a writer, human rights blogger and English-Arabic translator.

Her top tip for language learners: find music and films you love in the language. "It was Bob Marley who first got me into English", she says. She recommends Egyptian cinema as a good starting point for budding Arabists.

Hekma's advice to tutors teaching online: get the lighting right. Never underestimate how important it is for your students to see your facial expressions clearly; it helps you build a relationship and enables them to copy the shape of your mouth in order to replicate the correct pronunciation of a word.

Advertisement

Her career goal is to return to work in human rights.

Get involved...

Over the coming year, Chatterbox tutors will be delivering linguistic and cultural training to language learners across the country, starting with students from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London in early 2017.

If you are interested in finding out more about the venture and about ways to get involved, please visit our website. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter.

Among the languages taught by Chatterbox' brilliant tutors three Arabic dialects, two Persian dialects, Swahili, Korean, French and Spanish. More coming soon.
Yuji Sakai via Getty Images

During a visit to a small German town that housed a large proportion of Syrian refugees and asylum-seekers, I found myself asking a few individuals about their journey to Germany from Syria. Whilst every person had their unique story, there seemed to be one constant feature that stood out to me: the journey to Germany almost always started in Lebanon.

Lebanon's history is intertwined with Syria. The two countries share an extensive and notoriously porous border of around 375km that served as an essential route for trade, smuggling and inter-state cooperation. Lebanon was also under Syrian Army occupation between 1976 to 2005. Close ties with Lebanon meant that when war broke out in 2011, thousands of Syrians began to cross the border into northern cities such as Tripoli and Akkar.

Advertisement

The Lebanese population is currently estimated at roughly 5 million (2016 census). As of June 2016, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that there are around 1 million registered refugees in Lebanon, with numbers expected to rise. Due to fears of overcrowding and possible conflict spill over, the Lebanese government closed its border with Syria in 2014. Syrians already in Lebanon were required to renew their residency permits at a hefty price (Syrians over 15 had to pay $200 per person), making it almost impossible for some refugees to renew their residency permits. Failure to renew residency permits automatically classified some Syrian refugees as 'illegal immigrants', placing them at a significant disadvantage when registering marriages, births and deaths. Therefore, it is unsurprising that the people I spoke to in Germany echoed a sense of resentment towards Lebanon, noting that they felt "unwelcome" and "unprotected" during their stay. For example, a young man in his late twenties mentioned to me that he was unable to register his marriage on arrival to Beirut, making it impossible for his wife to join him from Turkey where she was a refugee too.

To make matters worse, increasing levels of overcrowding are impacting local schools and charities and refugee families are increasingly having to choose between feeding their children, or sending them to school. The UNHCR estimated that it would need $1,902,410,103 in order implement their relief plan, however it has only managed to secure $905,780,595. In an ideal situation, adequate social services would be provided by the Government. However, not only is the Lebanese Government not able to afford any of these developments, it has also provided little assistance to assimilate Syrian refugees into Lebanese education systems. Additionally, foreign donors have encouraged Lebanon to impose stricter border controls to curb the influx of refugees, as their funding is consistently under threat. As a result, more and more Syrian refugees are constantly facing dire living conditions, with little to no possibility of improvement.

Advertisement

Having said all of this, the discourse around the refugee crisis remains overwhelmingly focused on the impact it is having on Europe, with small attempts at understanding the possible repercussions the Syrian diaspora may have on more regional countries. The Lebanese economy is fractured, weak, and with little to no signs of showing massive improvement within the next few years. Despite the formation of a new government effectively ending the two-year long political deadlock, the future of the Lebanese and Syrians residing in the country is unclear.

A report conducted by the International Crisis Group (ICG) has revealed that some Syrians are reluctant to register as refugees with the UNHCR due to its strict rules stipulating that it must contribute with the Lebanese state. The ICG also notes that many refugees are being aided by civil society networks and local Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) who are also sometimes reluctant to share information, adding to the general scepticism the government has maintained towards refugees in Lebanon. Recent EU-Lebanese programmes such as the Partnership Framework hope to work with the Lebanese government to improve essential infrastructure in the country - namely waste management, water and education - yet this is moving at a very slow pace and has a very limited effect on refugees who are fearful of the Lebanese state. Furthermore, attempts to innovate and improve refugee policy by directly involving the government exposes a wider issue: politicians in Europe and elsewhere routinely use the refugee issue to gain more votes and establish themselves in the political arena of their country, resulting in a hyper-politicisation of the refugee issue at the expense of the refugees themselves.

In a recent article in The New York Times, Tina Rosenberg argued that cash initiatives are helping poor Lebanese people as well as Syrian refugees provide for their families. These initiatives are aimed at directly supplying poor Lebanese and Syrian families with cash in order for them to buy their most basic needs. However, organisations in charge of these initiatives still don't have enough money, and they have had to frequently ask for more donations.

What must be realised is that Lebanon needs more aid. NGOs and civil society networks are trying as much as they can to mitigate the effects of the on-going crisis, yet they are unable to provide for everyone. NGOs and initiatives that are in direct contact with refugees and vulnerable people in Lebanon need to be supported and encouraged to carry out their goals. Directly helping the government may strengthen the Lebanese economy, yet the Lebanese government does not have sufficient access to refugees, especially as more and more people are reluctant to seek help from the government because of fears of persecution, stigmatisation or forced deportation. This is especially the case after Michel Aoun was elected as President of the Republic as he hopes to swiftly return a large number of refugees to Syria.

Advertisement
A Palestinian boy looks out through a bus window as he waits with his family to cross into Egypt through the Rafah border crossing after it was opened by Egyptian authorities for humanitarian cases, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip December 10, 2016. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

The anger by President-elect Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shows no sign of abating. Both railed at the Obama administration's abstention on a UN Security Council resolution condemning Jewish settlements on the Arab West Bank. Neither leader is and was a friend of President Obama.

The United States action allowed the resolution to be adopted by a 14-0 vote.

Trump has been vicious towards Obama, starting with the lie that he was born in Kenya and did not deserve to be president. Netanyahu ruined his credit by addressing Congress on the Iran deal without consulting Obama and siding with Obama's opponents in at least one election. And Trump...well, he put forth an ambassador, David Friedman, a bankruptcy lawyer who favors the settlements and is against two states. So much for solving the impasse.

Advertisement

But is there such a thing as a two-state solution? Even with land swaps, there are over half a million settlers living in the West Bank and in the mainly Arab section of East Jerusalem. Some settlers envision Egypt taking back the Gaza Strip and then annexing the West Bank.

The settlers' goal is clear, according to Secretary of State John Kerry, which is to place settlements in places that would make "two states impossible" and allow Israel to dominate the entire West Bank. As for Netanyahu, the prime minister has given lip service to two states but seems to be apprehensive of losing support from the far right.

For one, Israel vowed to expand its settlements, starting with the Arab section of East Jerusalem, with at least 5,600 homes. It is considering controversial legislation, known as the Regulation Bill, that would retroactively legalize settler outposts and homes built on privately owned Palestinian land, forcing the owners to accept compensation. This contradicts an earlier Supreme Court ruling and may be overturned.

Conspiracy?Among other actions threatened was that Netanyahu would tell Trump how the Obama administration had conspired with the Palestinians on the resolution, which had been drawn up by Egypt for weeks. Trump had contacted Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah Sisi, who delayed the vote.

Advertisement

But New Zealand, Senegal, Malaysia and Venezuela then sponsored the resolution. Netanyahu threatened New Zealand and cut aid to Senegal. New Zealand's respected ambassador, Gerard Van Bohemen, has denied that the United States had orchestrated the resolution.

Then on Christmas Day Netanyahu summoned 12 ambassadors, including Britain, who voted for the resolution, according to the Haaretz newspaper. He also spoke to the U.S. ambassador. (Israel does not have formal relations with Malaysia and Venezuela.)

Science fiction?Promises by U.S. legislators to "rescind" or "appeal" the resolution fail to understand that measures in the 15-nation Security Council are extremely difficult to retract, if at all. The other four permanent members with veto power -- Russia, China, Britain and France would object. In fact no country in the world would agree with an appeal. In short, such a measure is science fiction.

Palestinians of course have missed their chance for a resolution of the conflict. The government is stuck with Hamas in Gaza, which brooks no compromise. In past decades, the leadership failed to negotiate several times before Netanyahu came to power and now has preconditions, including a freeze on settlements.

Within Israel, there is a lively debate on the issue from the center and the center left. For example, Yair Lapid, the leader of the centrist Yesh Atid party, said Netanyahu was engaging in "hysterical behaviour" and warned of a "dangerous deterioration" in Israel's foreign relations, including with the "largest world powers and some of our best friends."

Advertisement

Tzipi Livni, a former Israeli foreign minister and a leader of the center-left Zionist Union, wrote on Facebook, "The Security Council decision is bad for Israel and it is the result of Netanyahu's surrender to the extreme right."

Schlomo Avineri, a political science professor at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem agreed, saying: "He (Netanyahu) has to choose between the international community and (Naftali) Bennett," of the rightwing Jewish Home Party, which favors outright annexation.

"Is Israel going to alienate itself from the whole world for the sake of settlement activity? And it is the whole world. Is this what Zionisim is about?" he said.

What did the resolution do?It was adopted under Chapter 6 of the U.N. Charter which calls for the peaceful resolution of disputes and has no enforcement mechanism compared to Chapter 7 which is mandatory and can impose punishment. But for Israel it is embarrassing and the Palestinians are bound to use it in other UN forums. It is expected to serve as a judgment of international law and have legal validity. (See text)

U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power's speech is worth reading in full. She said many U.S. administrations had opposed the settlements as an obstacle to peace.

Advertisement

Power said the United States chose not to veto the resolution, as it had done to a similar measure under Mr. Obama in 2011, because settlement building had accelerated so much that it had put the two-state solution in jeopardy, and because the peace process had gone nowhere.

"Today the Security Council reaffirmed its established consensus that settlements have no legal validity," she said.

Power said the resolution was consistent with longstanding bipartisan American policy. She voiced opposition to irresponsible and damaging actions, including Palestinian incitement.

Anti-Israel resolutionsBut she said she could not vote in favor of the text because she disagreed with some of its provisions and that the United Nations was biased against Israel. Despite wars in Syria, South Sudan and elsewhere there were 18 anti-Israeli (non-binding) resolutions adopted in the General Assembly and 12 in the Human Rights Council in 2016.

Israel's U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon, holding a bible, harked back to biblical times. Facing fellow ambassadors, he asked: Would you have dared to question the right to build in Paris? In Beijing? In London? In Washington? Jerusalem was Israel's eternal capitol.

Advertisement

Should Trump move away from the two-state concept, supporters of the settlements, such as Bennett, would consider it a green light for expanding the communities. So far that seems to be happening.
Facebook and Google are taking a lot of heat for allowing falsehoods, packaged as news, to viralize across the internet, but lawmakers, who legitimize this fake news by spreading it, clearly contribute to the problem.

That's what some Colorado state legislators are doing, as you can see below. They're sharing, "liking," or posting fake news on Facebook.

They need to delete the fake news from their Facebook pages and sign the Fake News Pledge for Elected Officials, which reads:

Advertisement

As an elected official, I agree that the spread of fake news on Facebook and other social media platforms has a toxic effect on rational civic discourse. And I understand that when community leaders spread fake news, we legitimize it. By our example, we encourage people to play fast and loose with facts, and we blur the lines between real journalism and fabricated stories masquerading as news. So, to promote informed and reasoned debate, I pledge not to knowingly spread fake news. If I accidentally do so, by sharing, "liking," or posting inaccurate information, packaged to look somehow like news, I will remove the falsehood as soon as possible and post a correction as well as an explanation of why I posted it in the first place. If it's deemed unproven or false or inaccurate by Snopes, Politifact, Factcheck.org, or by a respected news outlet, information from my Facebook page will be removed as soon as possible--or detailed reasons for not deleting it will be provided.

It seems like a no-brainer that our legislators will sign the pledge posthaste.

But in doing so, some of them will have to change their ways.

I looked at the Facebook pages of all Colorado state legislators from Oct. 1 until the November election, and I found that three lawmakers spread fake news during that time.

State Rep. Polly Lawrence (R-Roxborough Park), who's the Assistant State House Minority Leader, posted an item with the headline "WHOA! Hillary Caught On Hot Mic Trashing Beyonce' with RACIAL SLURS! Looks like Hillary may have just lost one of her biggest endorsements."

Advertisement

"If this is true," wrote Lawrence on Facebook Oct. 6 when she posted the meme, "it fits in with the accusation that the Democrats only work with the African-American community when they need votes."

But it's not true, as Snopes determined on Nov. 5, the day before Lawrence posted her "if-it-is-true" comment.

But even if Snopes hadn't already fact checked the linked article, Lawrence should have known the news was fake, because, as Snopes pointed out, the website, "The Resistance: The Last Line Of Defense," which published the Beyonce' fake news, has a disclaimer, which reads:

DISCLAIMER: The Resistance may include information from sources that may or may not be reliable and facts that don't necessarily exist. All articles should be considered satirical and any and all quotes attributed to actual people complete and total baloney.

And even if there were no disclaimer on the website of the fake-news outlet, you don't promote information that's not from a trusted site, if you don't know it's true, especially if you are a legislator. That's bad for representative democracy.

Advertisement

My review of October Facebook pages also revealed that on Oct. 15, State Sen. Laura Woods (R-Arvada) liked a fake-news story, posted by a known-to-be-dubious site called Americannews.com, titled, "BLM gets Louisiana Police Chief Fired After He Exposes Obama's War on Cops."

In fact, in September, about a month before Woods liked the item, the Washington Post and other news outlets reported that the police chief was fired by the town council two days after the police chief wrote on Facebook, "Hey Mr. Bulls--- president, when are you going to grow a f---ing pair. And tell it like it is. These are terrorist. That have declared f---ing war on my brother. (White police officers) enough is enough."

There's no evidence the BLM had anything to do with the firing.

This wasn't the first time Woods, whose November loss means she'll leave the state senate in January, has spread fake news on Facebook.

On August 30, Woods shared a fake news item from TheFreePatriot.org stating, "Courts Quietly Confirm that ONE Children's Vaccine Does Cause Autism."

The Aug. 16, 2016, FreePatriot.org story, making the false claim about autism, is actually a reprint of a 2013 Whiteout Press article, the core facts of which were found to be false by Politifact back in February of 2015, over a year before Woods liked the fake-news item.

Advertisement

Politifact concluded:

"The researchers we contacted said that as far as the science is concerned, certainty had been reached at least 10 years ago with the release of a major national study debunking the link between the measles mumps, rubella vaccine and autism."

State Rep. Gordon Klingenschmitt (R-Colorado Springs) also spread fake news during the time period studied. On Oct. 15 the Colorado Springs Republican posted a "Breaking News" item from EndingTheFed.com, with the headline, "IT'S OVER: Wikileaks Exposes The Assassination of Scalia... This Will Bring Down the Clintons and the Democratic Party!"

Klingenschmit's comment on the post: "Anybody have a comment on this? Scalia dies same weekend after Podesta (for Hillary Clinton) sends this 'wet works' email? Hmmmm."

Judging from his post, Klingenschmitt doesn't appear to be fully convinced of the Scalia assassination "news." But he posted it on Facebook anyway.

Does anyone think lawmakers should post "news" that's dubious actually a rumor, especially from a site like EndingTheFed that's known to produce fake news?

Advertisement

And, sure enough, the day after Klingenschmitt posted it, Snopes determined the item to be "false." Snopes' headline reads, "An e-mail published by WikiLeaks referenced not the literal assassination of Antonin Scalia, but what appeared to be a coordinated smear of Bernie Sanders."

Yet, Klingenschmitt did not delete the fake news from his Facebook page, where it sits, rotting public discourse, to this day, like all the fake news I cite in this post.

More Fake News on Facebook from Colorado Lawmakers

More anecdotal evidence, outside of our pre-election analysis, shows Colorado legislators are spreading fake news.

On September 30, for example, Lawrence posted the following quote, from "Rockit News:"

"She will say anything and change nothing. Hillary can't be trusted and isn't qualified to be president." Barack Obama, 2008.

"He was right then, and still is," wrote Lawrence on her Facebook page.

One big problem. While the first sentence is Obama's, the second was never uttered by him.

About a month before Lawrence posted the meme, Snopes reported:

"Barack Obama didn't say that Hillary Clinton could not be trusted or that she was not qualified for president."

State Rep. Kit Roupe (R-Colorado Springs), who will also be leaving the legislature in January, shared a "public service announcement" in May, stating:

"For all those who think it's nice to walk around with your pants below your butt...read the following explanation: The trend was born in the United States' jails, where prisoners who were willing to have sex with other prisoners needed to invent a signal that would go unnoticed by the guards so they wouldn't suffer consequences. So, by partially showing their butts, they showed that they were available to be penetrated by other inmates. Click 'share' if you want to join the cause for a better dressed and more educated world."

About a year before Roupe spread this, Snopes had dutifully researched this topic, concluding Roupe's public service announcement to be false.

Snopes: "While sagging did gain its start in the U.S. prison system, it was not a clothes-wearing style authored by imprisoned homosexuals intent upon advertising their interest in casual flings. Sagging pants became the behind-the-bars thing thanks to ill-fitting prison-issue garb: some of those incarcerated were provided with clothing a few sizes too large. That oversizing, coupled with the lack of belts in the big house, led to a great number of jailbirds whose pants were falling off their arses. (Belts are not permitted in most correctional facilities because all too often the lifeless bodies of their inmate owners have been found hanging from them.)"

In August of last year State Sen. Tim Neville (R-Littleton) posted a fake-news item stating, "Obama Begins Push for New National Retirement System."

Advertisement

The linked article, based on a hearing way back in 2010, claimed the Obama Administration had begun an effort "to nationalize the nation's pension system and to eliminate private retirement accounts including IRA's and 401k plans."

Neville's comment on the meme: "...the tyranny continues."

But years ago, when the accusation was first hurled by the conservative National Seniors Council, Factcheck.org showed it to be false:

Factcheck.org: Is the Obama administration attempting to eliminate private 401(k)s and IRAs and create a "national retirement system?"

A: No. Obama endorses a proposal that would require businesses without retirement plans to establish private IRAs for their employees and deposit a percentage of wages into the accounts. Employees could opt out.

In July of 2015, Neville posted a fake-news meme, published by the Daily Caller, with the headline, "Satellites: Earth Is Nearly in Its 21st Year Without Global Warming." The linked article allegedly cites satellite data showing a "prolonged hiatus" in global warming.

"Global warming alarmists have a real problem," wrote Neville on Facebook. "Satellite data tells the real story."

Advertisement

But about four months before Neville posted this comment, Factcheck.org showed it to be false, stating that the "world has now gone 30 consecutive years -- 360 straight months -- where every month has been above the 20th century average, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration." Factcheck.org and other news outlets specifically cited the satellite data as not proving a warming hiatus.

Lawmwkers who've Spread Fake News

So far, it appears that few elected state officials have been spotlighted for spreading fake news on social media. Two examples, compiled in a post on the Colorado Times Recorder yesterday, are State Rep. Tim Couch (R-Hyden) of Kentucky and California Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez.

A wider look at the role of lawmakers in spreading fake news is called for, particularly after officials connected to the Trump campaign, including his pick for national security advisor, Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, promoted Clinton falsehoods on Twitter or Facebook.

Step Up and Sign the Fake News Pledge

The issues around fake news are numerous and complex. But that doesn't mean people in Colorado can't do anything about it. This starts with our elected leaders who clearly add legitimacy to information they spread on Facebook.

So elected leaders everywhere should step up and sign pledge.

Lawmakers deserve to be held accountable for spreading fake news, but all of us--not just our elected leaders and regardless of where we fall on the political spectrum--can pledge not to spread fake news.

Advertisement

That's why we've also created Fake News Pledge for Citizens. Everyone can sign it here.

In the coming months, we'll be tracking how many of Colorado's state legislators add their names to the pledge--along with everyday citizens. We'll see if lawmakers from around the country sign.

And we'll cast a wider net, looking at lower level office holders in Colorado, to find out if more of our elected leaders are spreading fake news.
Russian president Vladimir Putin and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan

One of the most immediate challenges facing President-elect Donald Trump and his national security team will be to redefine U.S. policy in the Middle East. Eight years of Obama foreign policy has proven to be incoherent and disjointed and has left the region in disarray, with Russian power and influence ascendant. That point was driven home when Russia, Iran and Turkey met in Moscow on December 20, to settle the latest attempt at a Syrian ceasefire. The fact that such a meeting occurred without the participation of the United States underscored the growing irrelevance of Washington in resolving the Syrian civil war. This is the third attempt in the last 12 months at implementing a ceasefire between Damascus and the various Syrian rebel groups. It will likely prove to be as short lived as its predecessors.

There is no shortage of issues destabilizing the Middle East, but addressing seven macro issues will form the core of any new U.S. policy in the region. These seven issues are: the Iranian/Shia challenge, economic instability from low oil prices, the political stability of Egypt and its role in the larger Middle East, especially in North Africa, Russia's current role in the region, the emergence of Turkey as a rogue actor, the civil/proxy wars in Syria, Libya and Yemen and, finally, the ongoing battle against jihadism in general and the Islamic State (IS) in particular.

Advertisement

Iran has emerged as a regional power in the Middle East. It has used its location on the Persian Gulf and the Strait to Hormuz to leverage its position by demonstrating its ability to disrupt oil tanker traffic moving through the Gulf. Such actions would bring it into conflict with U.S. naval forces in the area. While Tehran does not have comparable naval power, it has tried to show that the use of large numbers of lightly armed small craft, some of which would be maritime IEDs, in swarm tactics, could disable larger ships.

In addition, Iran has positioned itself as the defender of Shia minorities throughout the Middle East, especially in the Gulf, and has tried to mobilize those minorities as a means of expanding its influence in the region. That policy has led Tehran to get much further involved in the Syrian, Iraqi and Yemenite civil wars and to project its military power elsewhere in the Middle East.

The challenge for the United States is to find a way of containing Iranian ambitions. The partial dismantling of the sanctions against Iran has enhanced Tehran's ability to project its power and influence in the region and to gain access to essential technology to upgrade its industry, especially its petroleum sector. The much-vaunted opening to Iran by the Obama administration has so far proven to be an illusion. Tehran has shown little interest in engaging with Washington. While the incoming Trump administration may opt to impose new sanctions on Tehran or tighten the existing ones, there is little prospect that the rest of the world will follow suit. The "Iranian nuclear agreement" is now part of the new reality in the Middle East and is not reversible.

At best, President Obama's policy toward Iran may have deferred Tehran's ability to field nuclear weapons. Even that accomplishment is suspect, however, and assumes that Iran was relatively close to developing a nuclear capability. There is considerable evidence that Tehran was nowhere close to having such a potential. In which case, the Obama led P5+1 agreement to regulate Iran's attempt to develop nuclear weapons means that Tehran gave up something it didn't have in return for the lifting of the sanctions and access to Western markets and technology.

Advertisement

What Washington wants is a regional, secular, Sunni coalition that can counterbalance Tehran's Shia arc of influence that currently stretches across Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Gaza. To date, however, no such alliance has emerged and there is little prospect of one. The previous player to fill this roll, Saddam Hussein's Iraq, disappeared when U.S. forces overthrew Hussein and Iraq's Shia majority took control of the country.

The U.S. has supplied advanced weaponry to Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies, but those countries lack the population and armed forces to present a sufficient counter to Iranian power. The two countries that do have the military strength to present a sufficient counter to Tehran have very different agendas. Cairo is reluctant to get involved in the Gulf. Foreign deployments of its military have proven disasterous in the past and are highly unpopular with Egyptians. Turkey, under its president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has broader ambitions to expand Turkish influence and to lead the Sunnis in the region. But many Sunni Arabs are reluctant to follow Turkish leadership. A third long shot is Pakistan. The Saudi's have tried to get Pakistan to play a broader role in the Gulf. Islamabad has enough problems on its hands, however, without being drawn into a broader Sunni-Shia rivalry.

The danger from the U.S. standpoint is that the Saudis and their allies resort to organizing and funding various jihadist groups to counter Tehran's ambitions in much the same way that Pakistan has resorted to such groups in Kashmir in its struggle with India, and as happened in Syria during the civil war. While this strategy may be successful in countering Iranian ambitions in the short-term, it does so at the risk of expanding jihadist influence in the region and risks spilling over into anti-Western violence in Europe and North America.

Iranian missile test

The price of oil has become a major source of financial instability in the Sunni led petro-states along the Gulf. At current prices, all the major oil producers are unable to balance their governmental budgets and have been forced to dip into their reserves. In Saudi Arabia's case, the government's current deficit amounts to 16 percent of GNP, and Riyadh is moving aggressively to cut expenses and intends to reduce the deficit to 11 percent of GNP in 2017. A recent agreement which, for the first time, also included production cutbacks from non-OPEC members, has given oil prices a bounce.

Advertisement

This agreement is unlikely to produce a sustained price increase however. Rising production in Libya, which was exempt from the agreement, will already offset a quarter or more of the announced cut. Moreover, improvements in fracking technology in the U.S. have brought the breakeven price for frackers down to the low $30s. The U.S. rig count has been rising steadily over the last few months. The expected opening of federal lands to fracking and the easing of federal regulations will likely lead to an increase in U.S. production over the next several years. Long-term, a 1.2 million barrel a day production cutback is not going to move prices in a meaningful way.

The risk is that these governments will drastically scale back the financial largess that has ensured domestic peace and stability. Short-term, three to five years, these countries have the financial resources to weather the storm. Long-term, however, they will need oil prices, at a minimum, to be $100 per barrel to cover their deficits and stabilize their economies. Low oil prices will become a major source of instability in the Sunni petro-states, one that Tehran will be quick to exploit.

Egypt could play a critical role in the Middle East, should it chose to do so. Short-term, Cairo needs to stabilize the Egyptian economy. Tourism, Egypt's third largest economic sector, is down by around 40 percent. The slowdown in the Gulf has also impacted remittances from Egyptians working there while also decreasing demand in a key Egyptian export market. The strained relations between Cairo and Washington have not gone unnoticed by either Tehran or Moscow, and both have been quick to try to exploit it. Moreover, the Muslim Brotherhood has also tried to exploit Egypt's current economic weakness to restore its political influence there.

Egypt has a key role in stabilizing North Africa, especially Libya, and countering the spread of jihadist influence there. Washington needs to move quickly to repair its relationship with Cairo, help Egypt stabilize its economy, and to support Cairo's role in counter-jihadist activity, both domestically and across north and central Africa.

The Kremlin has taken advantage of the incoherence and indecision of Obama's Mideast policy to expand its role and influence there. To be clear, despite its pretentions Russia is not a superpower and never again will be, its nuclear arsenal notwithstanding. It is, however, a super problem for Washington in the Middle East. Its success in expanding its Middle East role is more illusion than substance. Its ability to project power across the Middle East is limited, nor is it able to challenge the United States militarily in the region. It can, however, complicate the conduct of U.S. policy in the Mideast and play the role of a spoiler.

Advertisement

By concentrating its efforts on ensuring the survival of the Assad regime, however, and leveraging Iranian power and influence toward the same goal, the Kremlin has made it clear that it will stand by its Mideast clients. Recently, Moscow has been moving aggressively to back Libyan Field Marshall Khalifa Hiftar in an obvious attempt to restore its influence in Libya, another former Soviet client state. That position is in sharp contrast to the ambivalence the Obama White House has shown in standing by America's Mideast allies.

US Secretary of State John Kerry meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov

Russia is now a player in the Middle East. While it's not as influential as it claims, its interests in the region cannot be ignored. Moreover, it will continue to exploit U.S. mistakes to expand its influence and possibly flip or at least "Finlandize" long-standing American allies like Egypt and possibly even Turkey.

The best way to counter Russian influence in the Mideast is to have a clear and consistent U.S. policy that makes our continued support of our allies there clear, is precise about when we will or will not intervene militarily and insures that any such intervention has precise goals and is executed effectively. Russia will succeed in stabilizing the Assad regime, will probably expand its influence in Libya and it can engage to a limited extent with Saudi Arabia and its allies to try to stabilize and raise oil prices. Beyond that, a skillful American policy will likely preempt any future expansion of Russian influence. The Kremlin can leverage Tehran's power and influence for its own ends, like supporting Assad in Syria, but long-term a powerful Iran is not in Russia's strategic interest. On at least this point there is possible common ground between Washington and Moscow.

Turkey, a long-standing American ally, has under its president Recep Tayyip Erdogan increasingly behaved as a rogue actor in the region. Erdogan is attempting to build a broad Sunni coalition to counter Iran, but is couching it in the context of a restoration of Turkish influence in the lands of the former Ottoman Empire. Moreover, he is defining that coalition in Islamist and anti-Western terms. Erdogan's assertion that Turkey has a "responsibility to its brothers in the former Ottoman empire" is popular among his constituents, but has gotten little traction among Arabs in the region.

Advertisement

Moreover, Ankara's willingness to support radical jihadist groups including, for a brief time the Islamic State, and turning a blind eye to the role of Turkish companies in facilitating the smuggling and sale of contraband oil and stolen antiquities from IS, puts it at sharp odds with U.S. policy in the region and has led to a sharp deterioration in Ankara's relations with Washington and the European Union. This is particularly true of Erdogan's attempts to use the Syrian refugees to leverage more favorable terms from the EU for Turkey and its citizens.

Erdogan's arrest or dismissal of individuals that he claims were supporters of the failed coup now exceeds 110,000 Turkish citizens. He has used the coup attempt to purge the government, courts and military of any potential opposition and to close media outlets that criticized him. If Erdogan continues along his current track, his actions will amount to a counterrevolution of the Ataturk led revolution that established the modern secular Turkish state.

Turkey has two significant vulnerabilities, however. First the Turkish economy is dependent on access to European markets and capital. Secondly, its flirtations with Moscow, notwithstanding, long-term Russian and Turkish interests are divergent. Russia is still the principal security threat to Turkey and, despite the Turkish military; Ankara will need allies if it finds itself confronting Russia. Erdogan's foreign policy is largely failing and is doing so at a time when Turkey's economic weakness makes it dangerous to alienate the EU or the United States.

The civil wars in Syria and Yemen have become Shia-Sunni proxy wars, ones in which the success of neither side is in Washington's interest. In Yemen, the U.S. is providing intelligence and logistical support to the largely Saudi led effort, while Iran is supplying the Shia related Houthis. The U.S. has wisely avoided a deeper entanglement in Yemen. Houthi elements have attacked, no doubt under Iranian instruction, U.S. warships in the region to either force a U.S. withdrawal or an escalated U.S. involvement, either one of which would be in Tehran's interest. Washington does not want to see a pro-Iranian regime in the southwest corner of the Arabian Peninsula on the flank of the Red Sea, but it has little to gain from an expanded American role there.

American involvement in the Syrian civil war was initially prompted to contain the expansion of the Islamic State and then, in a typical example of mission creep, grew into a half-hearted effort to support the Syrian rebels and overthrow the Assad regime. The premise was that the U.S. would arm and train "moderate" elements within the anti-Assad opposition while supporting their campaign with airpower.

Advertisement

Islamic State jihadist fighters in Mosul, June 2014

The idea that there were "moderate elements" within the Syrian opposition or that these could be identified and organized into a coherent group proved to be illusory. Likewise, the role of U.S. air power was so constrained by restrictive rules of engagement that only a quarter of the missions delivered their payloads. Notwithstanding a haphazard policy, the U.S. and its allies have succeeded in rolling back the Islamic State in both Syria and Iraq.

In Syria, the largely Kurdish led and staffed Syrian Democratic Forces has emerged as an American proxy ground force. Supported by U.S. airpower and Special Forces, the SDF has succeeded in expelling IS from large areas of Syria. Turkish opposition to the role of Syrian Kurds in the SDF and to a separate Syrian-Kurdish state, the so called Rojava, however, has led the U.S. to forego supplying heavy weapons to the SDF and to constrain the areas where the SDF operates.

In Iraq, U.S. supported Iraqi Army units and Peshmerga forces, in collaboration with regional Sunni militias and the Iranian sponsored Shia militias, have also successively rolled back the Islamic State and are now invading Mosul - IS's last major urban center there. The battle for Mosul will be bitterly fought street-by-street. Mosul is a city roughly the size of Houston, Texas. Its prewar population was approximately two million people. Its current population is unclear and has been estimated at anywhere from 400,000 to one million inhabitants. The Battle for Mosul will be the biggest urban battle since Stalingrad, a city that was only one-fifth of Mosul's size.

While the United States has made notable progress against the Islamic State, it is losing the war against jihadism. Both al-Qaeda and Islamic State have successfully expanded their franchises to some 50 countries around the world. The al-Qaeda sponsored Jabhat al-Sham (Conquest of Syria Front), the former al-Nusra Front, is well positioned to inherit IS's jihadist mantle. Moreover, despite U.S. success in rolling back Islamic State, that campaign will likely still take an additional one to two years of effort.

Even stripped of its territorial domain, however, Islamic State will continue. Its foreign franchises will survive, and in Syria and Iraq it will simply revert to its earlier role as a jihadist insurgency. The problem with combatting jihadism is that it has become a seductive, emotionally charged, powerful idea and it's impossible to defeat an idea with military force. You can only defeat an idea with a "better idea," an effort that Washington has failed to pursue.

Advertisement

You cannot separate jihadism from its Islamic roots, even if most Muslims reject the jihadist interpretation of Islam. A "better idea" also must have Islamic foundations, a concept that the Obama administration has been unwilling to address on the premise that linking jihadists and Islam is inherently racist. Ultimately jihadism must be defeated both intellectually and physically. It needs to be defeated in cyberspace and social media just as surely as it needs to be defeated on the battlefield.

Two decades of Mideast policy have amply demonstrated that the US cannot reshape the region's politics and governments to its liking. It still has a role to play there, however, has considerable influence and retains the ability to intervene militarily to contain the spread of violence that is destabilizing the region. The latter is an important role, but one that it should use very selectively and with the utmost prudence.
Unless John Kerry's six-principle vision becomes a UN Security Council resolution before Barack Obama leaves the White House, the speech he delivered this week will remain a belated rallying cry to rescue the two-state solution, which is being killed by the government of Benjamin Netanyahu. Unless the European powers, led by Britain, France, Germany, and Spain as well as New Zealand take complementary steps to safeguard what has been achieved in the latest UN Resolution 2334, which reaffirmed Resolution 465 of 1980 and for the first time in 36 years restated the illegality of Israeli settlements and called for their dismantlement, then Netanyahu's panicked pushback will undermine it and invalidate its legal implications. This is exactly what Netanyahu is working to achieve, wagering that neither the US nor the European countries will dare to take any moves, specifically two things, to prove their seriousness in confronting Israeli policy: First using economic instruments such as sanctions as a real protest against settlement activities that are destroying the two-state solution. Second, heading to the Security Council in the wake of an international conference that France has been working to host for many months, to produce a resolution according to the six principles set out by the US Secretary of State. These two measures would make it clear to Netanyahu's government that the international community is serious and intent to impose the two-state solution instead of submitting to Israel's assault on the two-state solution. There is a strict deadline for these two steps: 20 January, 2017, the day the president-elect, Donald Trump, is sworn in. After that it will be too late. Thus, questions are being raised about the timing of John Kerry's speech at the 11th hour of Obama's second term. In a way, there is a measure of a plausible distance between Obama and Kerry's vision, which unlike previous initiatives did not carry the president's name, such as the Clinton Parameters that Bill Clinton tried to push at the end of his presidency when he could have done so much earlier. Some see Kerry's vision as an attempt to salvage his dismal legacy and reputation, tainted by his astounding concessions to his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Syria. He finds himself leaving the Department of State haunted by the scenes of carnage in Aleppo. Kerry is attempting to compensate. Others have noted that Kerry invested years and made huge efforts with the Israelis and Palestinians to achieve piece and fulfill the two-state solution, which he personally believes is feasible and advantageous to both Palestinians and Israelis as does the international consensus and in theory Israel. Accordingly, he launched one final attempt, these commentators believe, to safeguard US national interests and Israeli and Palestinian interests, preempting a bleak future for the two parties and the Middle East following the current trajectory. Some argue that what Kerry has done now, no matter how sincere his vision and principles may be, was a political mistake that will cost the Palestinians dearly. The reason is that the timing chosen, in the wake of the US abstaining on UN Security Council resolution 2334, has put Donald Trump in a bend. Now, Trump will inherit a thorny issue from Obama. Yet some believe the legal and political ground laid by the Obama administration in the US and on the international arena, regarding the two-state solution, will be a precious gift for Trump, if he pauses and ponders its importance instead of rushing to make threats that harm US but also Israeli interests.

Benjamin Netanyahu is clear in his campaign against resolution 2334 and Kerry's vision, going as far as accusing the US secretary of state of lying when he challenged his claim that the US was not behind the resolution. He is priming himself to benefit maximally by engaging in calculated blackmail over this US 'misstep', and from the historic opportunity handed to him with the advent of Donald Trump and the appointment of a pro-Israeli US ambassador to Israel.

Advertisement

Indeed, David Friedman not only supports the building of Israeli settlements, but also favors moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, to signal US recognition of Jerusalem as the unified capital of Israel. Friedman, who is a bankruptcy lawyer, also opposes the two-state solution and Palestinian statehood along the lines of 1967. In other words, he is an anti-thesis to everything that the Obama administration's policy and all previous US policies represent regarding the resolution of the Palestinian- and Arab-Israeli conflicts.

It is possible that Friedman's nomination was a factor in convincing the Obama administration that its national duty requires the protection of US interests through an international resolution and a public vision setting out US principles with regard to the resolution of the conflict. Trump's reaction, meanwhile, does not suggest that the man coming to the White House will act rationally and responsibly. On the campaign trail, he appeared less dogmatic on relations with Israel, and even spoke of acting as a neutral mediator. Trump's actions as president-elect have come under the influence of his son-in-law Jared Kutchner, the husband of Ivanka Trump who converted to Judaism for him. However, the biggest proof of Trump's intention to celebrate with Netanyahu the burial of the two-state solution is David Friedman, who has not concealed his hatred for the principles of this solution and its supporters, including Jewish Americans and part of the Israeli public themselves.

What Kerry did was to challenge Israel, especially the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, to be honest about the two-state solution. He was clear in explaining that settlement activities practically and on the ground prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state. He insisted that American values required upholding the two-state solution as both a moral and strategic imperative. He affirmed US commitments to Israeli security, and said that the Obama administration offered unprecedented support for Israel, more than any US administration in the past, whether in terms of the size of military aid or in terms of military and intelligence cooperation. However, Kerry also warned that the termination of the two-state solution will lead to the emergence of one state in Israel, one that is Jewish but not democratic, which will undermine the US ability to defend it.

Advertisement

The majority of the six principles of Kerry's vision already enjoy international support now the US administration after decades. What is new is that these principles were elaborated in a package the Obama administration has now presented based on international resolutions. The first principle calls for establishing secure, sustainable, and recognized borders between Israel and Palestine through negotiations but what is new is that Kerry mentioned resolution 242 of 1967, which has not been implemented in Palestine before but was the basis of negotiations with Syria and Jordan. By mentioning 242 in the context of the two-state solution, saying the international community will not recognize any non--agreed alteration by Israel of the 1967 lines, Kerry expanded the scope of 242 to include Palestine. This is an important development, especially if the European countries take the six principles to the Security Council to issue a resolution, which would set a new legal precedent.Kerry mentioned in the second principle another famous resolution: 181, passed by the UN General Assembly in 1947 on the establishment of two states for two peoples, the Jews and the Arabs. However, Kerry did not mention resolution 194 on Palestinian refugees, only calling for a just and realistic resolution to the refugee question.

In his fourth principle, Kerry raised an issue categorically opposed by the extremists in Netanyahu's government as well as Trump's ambassadorial nominee to Israel, namely, finding a mutually accepted solution to Jerusalem as an internationally recognized capital of two states, with secure and free access to religious sites.

In the fifth principle, John Kerry mentioned a word that the Netanyahu government has sought hard to abolish from the political lexicon: occupation. Kerry spoke about ending the occupation, but riled up Palestinians when he spoke about a sovereign but de-militarized Palestinian state.

Advertisement

And in the sixth principle, Kerry did something that previous US administrations should have done since 2002, when the Beirut Arab summit adopted the Arab Peace Initiative, pledging to recognize Israel's right to have secure borders in return for its withdrawal to the 1967 lines and agree borders with the state of Palestine.

These principles are not new, but they have gained additional significance by being presented as an American package. Resolution 2334 on settlements is not new either in that it challenged the legitimacy of settlements and urged Israel to stop settlement activity and dismantle illegal settlements. Indeed, under President Jimmy Carter, the US administration voted for a similar resolution on settlement, but was pressured to change its vote to 'abstain'. The George H. W. Bush administration in 1991 used a 10-billion loan guarantee and other aid to pressure Israel with regard to settlements. In 2003, under the George W. Bush administration, the UN Security Council passed unanimously resolution 1515, agreeing a roadmap for two states, Israel and Palestine, side by side.

What is new in resolution 2334, which Palestine's UN envoy Riad Mansour has worked hard on since early 2016, and which was met with Arab reposition through the ministerial committee and the only Arab Security Council member at present - is that the resolution contains implementation and monitoring mechanisms, according to Mansour. He adds: "The resolution empowers the ICC prosecutor to launch investigations into war crimes as we demand as the state of Palestine a member state of the ICC." Currently, Fatou Bensouda move to official investigations, having spent two years conducting preliminary examinations. "This has made Netanyahu lose his mind," Mansour says, describing the resolution's focus as being on settlements and legal frameworks that apply to Palestine, such as resolution 242 and urging states to distinguish in their relations with Israel territories prior to 1967 and territories occupied in 1967, including Eat Jerusalem "for the first time."

New Zealand played a crucial role in pushing the resolution, backed by France, Britain, and the US as well as Malaysia and Senegal, which insisted on putting the resolution to a vote after Egypt backed down following a phone call between Trump and President Sisi. Egypt's president is betting on special relations with Trump's America at any cost.

Advertisement

This raises another point: the burden of welcoming Kerry's principles as something in line with Egypt's vision falls on the shoulders of the only current Arab member of the Security Council, and not just on European, Asian, and African states. Furthermore, convincing Donald Trump that Kerry's vision is the right step is a big challenge for Egyptian diplomacy in the face of Israeli panic over resolution 2332 and Kerry's principles and rallying cry, answering which requires Arab and international boldness to do the right thing.
Extreme sports.

On January 2, the hardest and longest road trip of all starts again. The famed Paris-Dakar race (no longer between Paris and Dakar by the way) will see competitors of the off-road endurance voyage start from Asuncion in Paraguay to reach Buenos Aires in Argentina 12 days later.

The once again grueling itinerary of 9,000 kilometers will include several different weather patterns, high altitude passages, and timed sections. Shifting dunes in Bolivia have been announced on the program.

The cargo vessel Grande Francia has crossed the Atlantic in three weeks to bring 600 vehicles from Le Havre to South America - organization, media, race and assistance included.

Advertisement

Cars, trucks over 7,716 lb, motorcycles, and four-wheelers quads are the only four types of vehicles allowed to enter the race. There is a winner in each category. This year a new sub-category is added for lighter cars (SSV). The 2017 edition will see 491 competitors of 69 nationalities for 316 vehicles in the race.

Many vehicle manufacturers exploit the harsh environment the rally offers as a testing ground to demonstrate the durability of their vehicles, although most vehicles are heavily modified or purpose built. Extreme weather patterns will be crossed this year, from intense heat to snow, rain, altitude winds and other clement and inclement nature behavior.

The Dakar Rally compensates 100 % of its carbon footprint.

The Dakar's carbon emissions linked to reconnaissance trips, organization, competition, transport and logistics have been completely offset for the last six years by an active participation in the Madre de Dios environmental project. By fighting against the deforestation of the Peruvian part of the Amazon region, the Madre de Dios project has been able to save some 120,000 hectares of forest.



An assessment is carried out after each bivouac and waste sorting is set up with authorized local companies. Aluminium, cardboard and paper, glass, oil, filters, tires and mechanical parts are processed and nothing harmful to the environment is left behind.

Security is prime.

Some 22,000 personnel (gendarmes, police, and military) are specially assigned for the security of the public and the rally, including in the 51 secured spectator zones along the odyssey. A field hospital, an air ambulance, seven helicopters, 32 wheeled vehicles including 10 paramedic vehicles, and a 60-person nursing staff will be at the ready alongside all participants.

Advertisement

Only one day of rest.

An entire week will be spent at an altitude of 3,000 meters (9,850 feet.)

Here is the complete itinerary:

2 Jan. Asuncion-Resistencia: 454 km (39 km timed against the watch)

3 Jan. Resistencia-San Miguel de Tucuman: 803 km (275 km timed - 284 for trucks)

4 Jan. San Miguel de Tucumn - San Salvador de Jujuy: 780 km (364 km timed - 199 for trucks)

5 Jan. San Salvador de Jujuy - Tupiza: 521 km (416 km timed)

6 Jan. Tupiza -Oruro: 692 km (447 km timed - 438 for trucks)

7 Jan. Oruro - La Paz:786 km (527 km timed - 513 for trucks)

9 Jan. La Paz - Uyuni: 622 km (322 km timed)

10 Jan. Uyuni - Salta: 892 km (492 km timed)

11 Jan. Salta - Chilecito: 977 km (406 km timed)

12 Jan. Chilecito - San Juan: 751 km (449 km timed)

13 Jan. San Juan - Rio Cuarto: 754 km (288 km timed)

14 Jan. Rio Cuarto - Buenos Aires: 786 km (64 timed)

The original raid.

The Dakar Rally also known as the Paris-Dakar Rally is an annual race organized by the Amaury Sport Organisation. Most events since its inception in 1978 were from Paris, France, to Dakar, Senegal. Due to security threats in various parts of the desert countries, the race since 2009 has been held in South America. It is open to amateur and professional entries, with the amateur category making up about eighty percent of the participants.

Check out the vivid video teaser of the Dakar here

More info here

Happy New Year!
by Teresa Ghilarducci and Alex Pavlakis



Though 94 percent of us (about 151 million workers) will pay our Social Security tax every paycheck in 2017, a handful of the highest income Americans will stop paying before you finish reading this blog. The over $2 trillion dollars of earnings that escape Social Security tax are an accident caused by the lopsided growth of income for the lucky few (about 9.6 million) earning over $120,000 or so per year.

The tax rate for Social Security (old age survivors and disability insurance OASDI) is 6.4 percent for both the employer and employee and is paid on earnings up to a cap. In 2016, the cap was $118,500. In 2017, the cap will increase to $127,200 in 2017 based on average wage growth. For those at the upper end of the income distribution (the top 1 percent, or the 2 million people earning more than $250,000 per year and the 137,000 people earning more than $1 million per year), $127,200 is a trivial amount on which to pay Social Security tax.

Take, for example, the top 9,600 or so wage earners who earned over $10 million per year (2015 is the latest data available). New Year's Day 2017 fell on a Sunday. By the time they finish their two weeks back at work, they will be done paying Social Security taxes for the entire year.

Advertisement

That is nothing. The 202 Americans who earned more than $50 million a year finished paying less than 5 hours after the ball dropped in Times Square. Another 773 people earning between $20-$50 million a year will finish paying the tax before you finish reading this blog on January 2nd.

This game - 'when do rich people stop paying for Social Security?'- could go on forever. We can have fun with the calculations: who will finish paying by their first coffee break of the day? After brushing their teeth? After their hangover? Keep in mind that in 1994, a bipartisan group of politicians eliminated the Medicare earnings cap. Since then, everyone pays Medicare taxes all year long. And since 2016, higher earners pay a surcharge. The Medicare tax is only 2.45 percent (combined employer and employee tax - the worker effectively pays the employers' portion).

Kathleen Romig at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities argues that eliminating the cap would make up for the unanticipated growth in income inequality caused by the rapid increase in earnings above the cap and stagnation of earnings for the bottom 94 percent in the 1990s and 2000. Karen Smith at the Urban Institute lists raising the cap as a means to ensure Social Security's financial strength. Because raising the cap would mean only a few of the highest earners pay more, it is unlikely to inhibit overall economic activity. The richest people in America would not lose their place or social status or economic well-being. The largest effect would be that the retirement system for the bottom 99 percent of workers would be solvent until 2087.

We could also collect revenue for Social Security from income that is currently not counted as labor income. The richest 20 Americans - including 4 Mars candy family members and 3 Waltons - likely earn at least 6 percent per year in dividend, interest, and capital gains on their wealth, or $45 billion. The lowest 21 million earners also earned $45 billion. The top 20 earned $22 billion per year each on average and paid no Social Security tax. The bottom 21 million earned $2,000 per year each on average and paid 6.4 percent of Social Security tax. Because income from wealth is not considered wages, Social Security taxes are not paid. However, if these billionaires paid Social Security tax, the Social Security system would instantly have 10 percent more revenue.

Advertisement

We face a retirement crisis in America. We need comprehensive pension reform, but we also need to shore up and expand Social Security. The first step is to right the wrong of lopsided earnings growth and raise the earnings cap. We should also tax some financial capital to strengthen and expand Social Security. Solving the retirement crisis by shoring up pension income is the best policy idea in the New Year. Raising the cap is very little pain and all gain.

*************************************************************************************

WHY THE SYSTEM IS SHORT OF FUNDS

The boomers are not causing the system to run short of revenue in 2035. The system's actuaries anticipated baby boomers' retirement. In addition, the system is not bankrupt. Without increasing revenues, the system will generate revenue to pay 75 percent, rather than 100 percent, of promised benefits.

The main reason Social Security taxes aren't sufficient to pay full benefits is that the system did not anticipate the extreme growth of inequality in earnings and how much of wages would be diverted to pay health insurance back in 1983 when the Social Security tax was last raised by Congress and the President. The inequality of wage income is the most important reason for the short fall. Most of all, labor earnings growth since 1979 has gone to the top earners. When it comes to the pace of annual pay increases, the top 1 percent wage - the wage that escapes Social Security tax due to the cap - grew 138 percent since 1979, while wages for the bottom 90 percent grew only 15 percent. The unprecedented lopsided growth earnings are the main reason the system is in shortfall. The system can easily be made solvent if it adjusts to the reality of inequality.
Many of us will start out the New Year by making a list of resolutions - changes we want to make to be happier such as eating better, volunteering more often, being a more attentive spouse, and so on. But, as we know, we will often fail. After a few failures we will typically give up and go back to our old habits.

Why is it so hard to stick to resolutions that require us to make effective or lasting changes?

I would argue the problem isn't that we try and we fail -- the problem is how we treat ourselves when we fail. I study self-compassion, and my research and that of others show that how we relate to personal failure - with kindness or harsh self-judgment - is incredibly important for building resilience.

From early childhood, we are taught how we must succeed at all costs. What most of us aren't taught is how to fail successfully so we can change and grow.

Advertisement

One of the best ways to deal with failure is to have self-compassion.

What exactly is self-compassion?

I define self-compassion as having three main components: self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness. Self-kindness refers to the tendency to be caring, understanding, and supportive toward ourselves when we fail or make mistakes rather than being harshly critical or judgmental.

Common humanity involves recognizing that all humans are imperfect, and connecting our own flawed condition to the shared human condition so we can have greater perspective on our shortcomings.

Mindfulness involves being aware of the pain associated with failure in a clear and balanced manner so that we neither ignore nor obsess about our faults. The three together combine to create a self-compassionate frame of mind.

Advertisement

In addition to reducing such negative mind states, self-compassion appears to enhance positive mind states such as optimism, gratitude, and curiosity. By meeting one's suffering with the warm embrace of self-compassion, positive feelings such as happiness are generated at the same time that negative emotions are alleviated.

Misgivings about self-compassion

If self-compassion is so good for us, why aren't we kinder to ourselves?

Perhaps the biggest block to self-compassion is the belief that it will undermine our motivation. In parenting circles we no longer hold to the adage "spare the rod spoil the child." When it comes to our own selves, however, many of us think that sparing the rod of harsh self-criticism will turn us into lazy, self-indulgent ne'er-do-wells. This theme constantly comes up in the workshops I teach.

Of course, the dynamics that go into motivating our children and motivating ourselves are quite similar. Let's say your teenage son were to come home with a failing English grade. You have two ways to motivate him to try harder and do better next time.

You could admonish him and tell him how stupid he is and that you are ashamed of him. The other is, knowing how upset he is, you could give him a hug and gently ask him how you could support him in doing better next time. This type of caring, encouraging response would help your son maintain his self-confidence and feel emotionally supported. The same goes for how we respond to ourselves when we fail.

Advertisement

How does self-compassion increase motivation?

A growing body of research indicates that self-compassion is linked to greater motivation. Self-compassion has been associated with increased personal initiative -- the desire to reach one's full potential.

Self-compassionate people are also more likely to adopt "mastery goals", which focus on learning and mastering material to increase competence, and less likely to adopt "performance goals," which are primarily concerned with succeeding to make a favorable impression on others.

While self-compassionate people have performance standards that are as high as those who are harshly self-critical, they don't get as upset when they don't reach their goals. As a result, self-compassionate people have less performance anxiety and engage in fewer self-defeating behaviors such as procrastination.

A series of experiments by psychologists Juliana Breines and Serena Chen from the University of California at Berkeley examined whether helping undergraduate students to be more self-compassionate would impact their motivation to change.

Advertisement

In one study, participants were asked to recall a recent action they felt guilty about - cheating on an exam, lying to a romantic partner, saying something harmful, etc. -- something that still made them feel bad when they thought about it.

Next, they were randomly assigned to one of three conditions. In the self-compassion condition, participants were instructed to write to themselves for three minutes from the perspective of a compassionate and understanding friend.

The second condition had people write about all their positive qualities, and the third about a hobby they enjoyed. These two control conditions helped to differentiate self-compassion from positive self-talk and positive mood in general.

The researchers found that participants who were helped to be self-compassionate about their recent transgressions reported being more motivated to apologize for the harm done and more committed to not repeating the behavior than those in the control conditions.

Sustaining motivation through kindness

Another study in this same series of experiments explored whether self-compassion would directly translate into greater efforts to learn after failure. Students were given a difficult vocabulary test they all did poorly on.

Advertisement

One group of students were given an instruction to be self-compassionate about their failure. The instruction said,

"If you had difficulty with the test you just took, you're not alone. It's common for students to have difficulty with tests like this. If you feel bad about how you did, try not to be too hard on yourself."

Another group was given a self-esteem boost, which said,

"If you had difficulty with the test you just took, try not to feel bad about yourself -- you must be intelligent if you got into Berkeley!"

A third group of participants were given no additional instructions.

The students were next told that they would receive a second vocabulary test, and were given a list of words and definitions they could study for as long as they wanted before taking it. Study time was used as a measure of improvement motivation.

The students who were told to be self-compassionate after failing the first test spent more time studying than those in the other two conditions. Study time was linked to how well participants actually performed on the test. These findings suggest that being kind to yourself when you fail or make mistakes gives you the emotional support needed to try your best, and to keep trying even when discouraged.

Advertisement

Kindness is the engine that drives us to keep trying even after we fall flat on our face. So this New Year, when you make and inevitably break your resolutions, instead of beating yourself up and then giving up, try being kind to yourself. In the long run you'll be more likely to succeed.


GANT "Oxford Fitted Shirt" styled by Sophia Charles. Photographed by Danielle Rueda

Steve Jobs and Leo Tolstoy shared a surprising creative belief. The simplest things are the hardest to master. "You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make something simple," said Jobs. This fall, in the heart of San Francisco, a Menswear Styling class has been working on a project unlike any other in the industry: reinventing the classic white button-down. Except this isn't an ordinary school project but a collaboration between the iconic US retailer GANT and the Academy of Art University School of Fashion. This unique engagement marked the first time the brand has partnered with an educational institution. The one-of- a-kind incentive is having their work showcased at the GANT flagship store in San Francisco. What a great experience!



GANT "Oxford Fitted Shirt" styled by Teresa Tran, modeled by Red Thompson, makeup by Sean Stahl. Photographed by Vince Aung

Eleven senior styling students were given a GANT shirt and the liberty to reinterpret it for a lookbook. The only direction was to focus on the versatility of the garment without having it resemble another line. Every step of the process was in the hands of the students. In an interview with Fashion School Daily, the Assistant Director of Styling in the School of Fashion, Flore Morton stated that she "wanted students to build full stories, investigate brands, and think like designers." The students turned for inspiration to the brand's stylish present and captivating heritage.

Advertisement



GANT "Oxford Fitted Shirt" styled by Nhu Dao, modeled by Red Thomspon, makeup by Thu Conteras, Hair by Stuart Wong. Photographed by Gyuho Park

GANT was founded in 1949 in New Haven, Connecticut. It has since expanded globally beyond menswear into other market segments creating a name for itself as a premier lifestyle brand with aims to increase its reach by 2020 under the new direction of global CEO Patrik Nilsson. GANT has originally been associated with effortless Ivy League style and quality tailored shirts. In addition to the classic sportswear heritage GANT line they've also launched GANT Diamond G and GANT Rugger, contemporary lines reflecting diverse aesthetics.



Customized GANT Rugger "Kick Ass Oxford Printed Block Shirt" styled by Hoilee Heung. Photographed by Mariya Stangl.

Back to the earlier simplicity discourse. Tolstoy argued that "the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him." Students had to start from a clean slate. Fangdi Li opted to use the GANT Rugger Indigo denim shirt for her nocturnal vision: draping of the shirt on the body in a linear way over a black hoodie for a restructured silhouette. Teresa Tran kept the focus on layering possibilities. She infused vintage pieces with the GANT shirt that was accented with accessories influenced by the subcultures of the film "This is England". Sophia Charles drew inspiration from the GANT Instagram account and the French film "La Haine" for her minimalist yet bold version accessorized with electric red tape. Overall, the results showcased GANT adaptability and immense talent of the Academy students.

Advertisement



GANT "Oxford Fitted Shirt" styled by Sophia Charles, modeled by Keoni Kai, hair and makeup by Jessica Katelynn Clark. Photographed by Gabriel Isak

The Academy is the only American school with an accredited styling program! It seems like a natural fit for the school and the brand, both of whom focus on quality, innovation and laying a foundation for a more fashionable future. This pioneering collaboration also benefited Fashion Journalism students who were assigned to follow the process closely and report on it via various outlets. Stephan Rabimov, director of Social Media Center and Fashion Journalism, commented: "Opportunities like this benefit all involved. Our students loved working with GANT. We salute the GANT team for their visionary leadership and look forward to providing more professional experiences that are not available at any other institution."



Styling processes of Fangdi Li (left), Nhu Dao (center) and Karina Widjaja (right).
Kansas men's basketball wins exhibition game against Pittsburg State

The Jayhawks may not have started this exhibition game well Thursday, but they were able to recover and come away with a win.




Haiti - Culture : 10th International Craft Fair in Cuba





As part of the Trade Component of the Haiti-Dominican Republic Binational Program, financed by the European Union under the 10th European Development Fund (10th EDF) and implemented by the Caribbean Export Development Agengy, a bilateral mission took part in the 10th International Craft Fair, held recently in Havana (Cuba).



The purpose of the mission was to observe the organization and conduct of this fair, which is one of the biggest Cuban cultural events and to participate actively with for representatives on the side of Haiti, the two well-known Haitian stylists: Maguy Durce and Michel Chataigne.



At the end of this mission, a letter of intent signed by all the representatives of the binational delegation was handed over to Arturo Valdes Curbeira, the Director General of the Cuban Cultural Property Fund. This letter reflects the desire of Haiti and the Dominican Republic to establish tripartite trade conditions with Cuba, which has enormous potential to be explored at the level of handicrafts and cultural property, Curbeira promised to follow up with his Minister.



IH/ iciHaiti


















ALBANY, N.Y.  Two weeks after officials in two dozen states asked Donald Trump to kill one of President Barack Obama's plans to curb global warming, another group of state officials is urging the president-elect to save it.

Democratic attorneys general in 15 states, plus four cities and counties, sent a letter to Trump on Wednesday asking him to preserve Obama's Clean Power Plan.

The letter was a rebuttal to one sent this month by mostly-Republican officials in 24 states.

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman was the rebuttal letter's lead author.

The Clean Power Plan aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions at existing power plants by about one-third by 2030. Opponents say the Environmental Protection Agency lacks authority to implement the rules.

The plan is already the subject of a legal fight.
Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

The Life Cinematic email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Following her untimely death, Star Wars fans across the world paid tribute to Carrie Fisher, the actor behind the iconic character, Princess Leia. In New Orleans, thousands took to the streets to honour Fisher, many dressed as the tough-talking princess.

Organised by the Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus - who celebrate all things Star Wars - the parade saw members of the community join in merriment to celebrate Fishers life.

This is a public demonstration of our love for Princess Leia, Brooke Ethridge - a member of the Leijorettes, a dancing group made up of fans who dress like Princess Leia - told the Associated Press.

Our first instinct was to hit the streets and parade and celebrate Princess Leia and Carrie Fisher.

Alongside the Leijorettes, a brass band - dressed up as various Star Wars characters - performed at the parade, with fans lining the streets, taking photos and remembering Fisher.

I didnt know her. But as [she was] an iconic character and as a person, a writer and a smart, funny, fantastic woman and role model, I was heartbroken and devastated, one fan Dale Hrebrik.

Of course, it wasnt just Fishers iconic role as Princes Leia that people were remembering. Fans at the event also praised her outspoken nature and mental health advocation.

Jacquelyn Ryan, who attended with her husband and two children while dressed as Leia, said: Probably my first introduction to her was Star Wars, but she as a person was really important. Her activism, her mental health awareness, her activism for women, her unapologetic attitude about youth and beauty in Hollywood really spoke to me.

Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher Show all 9 1 /9 Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher American actor and singer Debbie Reynolds smiles and holds her infant daughter, Carrie Fisher Getty Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher American actress Debbie Reynolds with her daughter Carrie Fisher Getty Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher Actress Debbie Reynolds, poses with her children Carrie Fisher and Todd Fisher Getty Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher arrive at the premiere of 'Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith' Getty Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher Actress Carrie Fisher and her mother, actress Debbie Reynolds Getty Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher Actress Debbie Reynolds accepts the Life Achievement Award from her daughter, actress Carrie Fisher onstage at the 21st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. Getty Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher Actresses Carrie Fisher, Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award recipient Debbie Reynolds, and Billie Lourd pose in the press room during the 21st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California Getty Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher A candle is seen on the star for Debbie Reynolds on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California Getty Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher A view of a temporary star made by fans in tribute to actress Carrie Fisher on Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California Getty

Fisher was hospitalised on the 23 December following a flight from London to New York. One day after her death, her mother - Debbie Reynolds - passed away.
Sign up to Roisin OConnors free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Roisin OConnors email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Rumours of a Steps reunion aside, 2017 looks set to be an excellent year for music, after we lost so many legends in this one.

We've rounded up some of the biggest and best events  from album releases to festivals, anniversaries to farewell tours  that are taking place in the UK in the first half of the new year.

Take a look and get these in your diary:

David Bowies 70th birthday concerts, 8 January

What a wonderful way to start the New Year.

Celebrations for what would have been David Bowies 70th birthday are being led by Gary Oldman and were inspired by the series of tributes which took place in the wake of his death.

In Brixton, south London (where Bowie was born) an event titled Celebrating David Bowie will take place at the O2 Academy.

Its set to feature former Bowie band members including Mike Garson, Earl Slick, Sterling Campbell and Holly Palmer, with special guests still to be announced.

Proceeds from the London show will go to the Children & the Arts charity.

The xx release their third album, 13 January

The London trio return after five years with their third studio album I See You, released via Young Turk/XL.

A British tour kicks off in Nottingham on 4 March and features seven nights at the O2 Academy Brixton in London.

Drake live shows + new material, 25 January

(Getty) (Getty Images)

Drake is performing at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow on 25 and 26 January ahead of a whopping five headline shows at the 20,000 capacity O2 Arena in London, followed by dates in Leeds and Manchester. Then back to the O2 Arena in London again for a further two nights on 14 and 15 February.

Mos Def retirement gigs, 26 + 27 January

Mos Def announced his retirement from music at the beginning of 2016, and is set to play two final dates at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town.

Enjoy unlimited access to 70 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up

Elbow release their new album, 3 February

(Getty)

The beloved Mancunian band return with their seventh album, after a successful solo effort from frontman Guy Garvey. Little Fictions is out on Polydor and will be supported with a UK tour that kicks off on 1 March.

Bon Iver UK tour dates, 10-20 February

Fans are desperate to see how the exquisite 22, A Million will translate live. Dates are scheduled for London, Blackpool and Edinburgh.

The Brit Awards, 22 February

Adele cleaned up last year at the annual backslap for artists-who-did-really-well-in-album-sales.

Recommended Stormzy criticises Brits for lack of diversity in new song

Hopefully 2017s awards will be slightly less predictable, after a shake-up in the voting system prompted by the #BritsSoWhite backlash (propelled by criticism from Stormzy), which took aim at the awards obvious lack of diversity.

Grime artist Big Narstie observed at the time: The only diversity in the Brits is with the Americans. Ive been saying this for a while, for our country to do good, we need to embrace our country.

Seven hundred new members were invited to vote for the 2017 awards, shifting the male and female ratio to 52 per cent male, 48 per cent female, and ensuring that 17 per cent of new members came from BAME backgrounds.

Ed Sheeran to release his third album, date TBC

(Getty) (Getty Images)

After taking a much-deserved, year-long hiatus from social media/being in the spotlight in general, Ed Sheeran announced he was back (sort of) by tweeting a blue square.

His comeback to live shows is rumoured to be taking place at the Grammys in February, while equally-rife rumours suggest he may have a headline slot at Glastonbury Festival, and he was recently spotted in Suffolk on set for a new music video.

With his debut album + [Plus] released in 2011 with orange cover art, and follow-up x [Multiply] in 2014 with a green cover, Sheeran is due a blue-coloured album in 2017, presumably to be titled - [Subtract/Minus] or  [Divide].

He recently registered several songs with his publisher, which included titles 21st Century Fox, Sureand Fall, the latter of which was co-written with Amy Wadge, who assisted on Thinking Out Loud.

The Weeknd: Starboy Legend of the Fall tour [Phase One], 7-14 March

Musician The Weeknd performs at the Grammys

Following the release of his record-breaking album Starboy, The Weeknd embarks on the UK leg of his Starboy: Legend of the Fall tour.

U2s The Joshua Tree was released 30 years ago, 9 March

Described by our album critic Andy Gill as the Thriller of post-punk rock, U2s colossal album The Joshua Tree celebrates its 30th anniversary on 9 March.

The album was remastered from its original analogue tapes in 2007 for the 20th anniversary in a wide variety of formats, and is likely to be reissued again in 2017.

U2 are also working on a new album, which might just be released in time for a continuation of their massive post-Songs of Innocence world tour, which Bono suggested could take place in September or October.

New albums from Blondie, Katy Perry and Avril Lavigne, dates TBC

(AFP/Getty) (AFP/Getty Images)

All three acts are confirmed to be working on new material which is set for release in 2017.

Charlie XCX, Sia and Johnny Marr are set to feature on Blondies new album, which has John Congleton on production. Katy Perry is very much due a new album in 2017  she put her new record on pause in order to help Hillary Clinton in her campaign for presidency, but recently teased a few clips from the studio.

Meanwhile Avril Lavigne, who stepped away from music for the past few years to focus on her health after being diagnosed with Lyme Disease, announced a new album via Instagram last week.

Stormzy is finally releasing his debut album, date TBC

UK rapper Stormzy (Getty Images)

It feels as though weve been waiting forever for Stormzys debut, which the grime MC says will show all of his sides as an artist, in the same way you look at Illmatic and say thats Nas or Boy In Da Corner and say that was Dizzee.

Stormzy is coming from an interesting perspective for his debut  as an artist he is already celebrated and respected by the UK grime scene, and achieved huge success with his single Shut Up.

I was meant to still be in the ends with this one, he told DIY in an interview. So my album is a treasure in itself because its coming from such an unusual position as a debut.

Gorillaz, Lorde, Fleetwood Mac, Taylor Swift, Zayn Malik and Pharrell are all expected to release new material, dates TBC

'Royal' - Lorde

While no dates have been officially announced from any of these artists (yet), all of them have either teased new material or are due a fresh release in 2017.

Damon Albarn said he was loving the new Gorillaz album and that it should be ready fairly soon in July  their currently-untitled fifth album which should (hopefully) include a supporting tour.

Recommended Damon Albarn gives update on new Gorrilaz album

Lorde has been teasing new music for an age, and her album Pure Heroine came out an agonising four years ago, but is yet to reveal her second records release date or title.

Mick Fleetwood has blamed Stevie Nicks (again) for a delay on what would be the first Fleetwood Mac album since 2003s Say You Will.

Zayn Malik, who released his successful solo album Mind of Mine on RCA Records after splitting from One Direction in 2016, has been working once again with producer Malay (Frank Ocean, Sam Smith) on a collaboration with renowned Indian composer AR Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire).

Chic will release their first album in 25 years, date TBC

Chic are set to release the aptly-titled It's About Time via Warner Brothers in 2017, which will also see the band celebrate their 40th anniversary.

Nile Rodgers told Rolling Stone: [You can still celebrate] the fact that its 40 years later and were still going strong. Our gigs are fun and great. It still feels the same as when we first started, other than the fact that my guitar feels heavier.

Neil Diamond celebrates his 50 year anniversary, UK dates TBC

Neil Diamond will embark on a massive 50 Year Anniversary World Tour in 2017, beginning with 39 gigs in venues around North America  UK dates are set to be confirmed at some point early in the New Year.

Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino said in a statement: Neil Diamond is more than just a music icon. His singular artistry and talent has left an indelible mark on American culture and has helped shape the sound of popular music for five decades.

The Jesus and Mary Chain release their first album in 18 years, 24 March

(Getty)

The Scottish noise-pop band are putting out their first studio record, Damage and Joy, since Munki was released in 1998.

Produced by Youth (Martin Glover of Killing Joke), the album features contributions from touring drummer Brian Young and former Lush bassist Phil King.

Depeche Mode new album, May

Robust vocals: Dave Gahan (Jim Dyson/Redferns via Getty Images)

Fans of the iconic electronic band freaked out when it was announced that they would release a new album and tour in 2017.

Spirit sees the band work with James Ford, who was heavily involved in Arctic Monkeys AM and Anton Corbijn, the renowned Dutch director and photographer who will produce visuals for the albums global tour.

John Cale celebrates the 50th anniversary of The Velvet Underground and Nico, 26 May

John Cale plays his only UK show of the year, an outdoor performance at Liverpools historic docklands, in a celebration of the album that changed music forever. People will go bananas.

Aphex Twin headlines Field Day, 3 June

In a London exclusive, Field Day 2017 (which takes place over one day instead of two this year) has Aphex Twin headlining in its brand new stage The Barn  his first UK gig in five years.

Aerosmith farewell tour meets Download Festival, 11 June

Aero-Vederci Baby! The legendary rockers play their final UK festival as part of their farewell tour.

The Stone Roses tour, 13-24 June

(Getty) (Getty Images)

After considerable speculation and a lot of hype around a rumoured new album, the Stone Roses announced four big UK stadium dates for summer 2017, Belfast, Wembley, Leeds and Glasgow.

Glastonbury Festival, 21-25 June

Radiohead are headlining their first festival slot since 2011 at the final Glastonbury before its traditional fallow year. The festival is expected to move locations for the 2019 date.

Radioheads appearance also coincides with the 20th anniversary of their landmark album OK Computer.

Need more new music? Check out our list of new artists to watch in 2017
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Many WhatsApp users are about to find themselves cut off from using the hugely popular chat app.

Users of older iPhones and Android handsets are to find the app has stopped working after it said it would stop support from the end of the 2016.

WhatsApp said that the move had been made to ensure that the app could continue to introduce new features and stay secure, which relies on the app being used on newer operating systems. But it has been criticised by many users, particularly those in developing markets where both the app and older handsets are popular.

Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty

Anyone using Android 2.1 or 2.2, an iPhone 3GS or iOS 6 will find the app has stopped working. The same will happen to anyone on Windows Phone 7.

The company has advised that anyone with one of those older handsets who want to keep chatting with friends simply buy a newer phone.

WhatsApp had initially said that all BlackBerry models and some Nokia handsets would also find themselves unable to get onto the chat app. But it walked that back late last year, apparently in response to complaints.

"We are extending support for BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry 10, Nokia S40 and Nokia Symbian S60 until June 30, 2017," it wrote in an update to its blog.

The changes are thought to be in large part to allow WhatsApp to more deeply integrate encryption and other privacy services. Such technology stops messages from being read, and has led to WhatsApp facing criticism from governments who believe that WhatsApp conversations should be made public.

It's also likely to allow for more rapid introduction of new features. Rumoured updates scheduled in 2017 include a new feature that would allow people to edit or entirely delete messages after they have been sent.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Donald Trump warned guests at his New Years Eve party that no computer is safe and suggested people should send letters instead of emails for highly sensitive communications.

The US President-elect made his comments to reporters and celebrity guests, including actor Sylvester Stallone, who were gathered at his annual party at the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida.

Mr Trump, who claims to rarely use emails or computers in spite of his fondness for tweeting, said: You know, if you have something really important, write it out and have it delivered by courier, the old-fashioned way.

Because Ill tell you what: No computer is safe. I dont care what they say.

Mr Trump has repeatedly cast doubt on claims Russian hacking was responsible for the leak of Hillary Clintons private emails during the race for the White House.

He told his guests: I know a lot about hacking. And hacking is a very hard thing to prove, so it could be somebody else.

He cryptically claimed to know things that other people dont know, and so they cannot be sure of the situation.

President Barack Obama ordered sanctions against Russia this week, expelling 35 diplomats said by US intelligence to be spies.

The Russian Government has denied the allegations of espionage but President Vladimir Putin declined to retaliate by expelling US diplomats from Moscow.

Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural Show all 14 1 /14 Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A lesbian couple kisses in front of mural depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, on the walls of a barbecue bar 'Keule Ruke' on May 19, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Barcroft Media/Getty Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A lesbian couple kisses in front of mural depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, on the walls of a barbecue bar 'Keule Ruke' on May 19, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Barcroft Media/Getty Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural VILNIUS, LITHUANIA - NOVEMBER 23: A woman walks past a mural showing U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (R) blowing marijuana smoke into the mouth of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the wall of a bar-b-que restaurant on November 23, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Many people in the three Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are concerned that Russia, because Trump has expressed both admiration for Putin and doubt over defending NATO member states, will be emboldened to intervene militarily in the Baltics. Sean Gallup/Getty Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A woman walks past a mural on a restaurant wall depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural AP Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A child walks past a graffiti depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, on the walls of a bar in the old town in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, May 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis) AP Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural People walk past a mural on a restaurant wall depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A man photographs a mural on a restaurant wall depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural AP Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A young woman walks past a mural showing U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (R) blowing marijuana smoke into the mouth of Russian President Vladimir Putin with the slogan "make everything great again," in reference to Trump's campaign slogan of "Make America Great Again," on the wall of a bar-b-que restaurant on November 23, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Many people in the three Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are concerned that Russia, because Trump has expressed both admiration for Putin and doubt over defending NATO member states, will be emboldened to intervene militarily in the Baltics. Sean Gallup/Getty Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A morning commuter stops to look at a mural on a restaurant wall depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural Restaurant owner Dominykas Ceckauskas pose next to a mural on the wall of his establishment depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. Kestutis Girnius, associate professor of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius university, told AFP -This graffiti expresses the fear of some Lithuanians that Donald Trump is likely to kowtow to Vladimir Putin and be indifferent to Lithuanias security concerns. Trump has notoriously stated that Putin is a strong leader, and that NATO is obsolete and expensive. / AFP / Petras Malukas (Photo credit should read PETRAS MALUKAS/AFP/Getty Images) Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural A passerby photographs a mural showing U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (R) blowing marijuana smoke into the mouth of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the wall of a bar-b-que restaurant on November 23, 2016 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Many people in the three Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are concerned that Russia, because Trump has expressed both admiration for Putin and doubt over defending NATO member states, will be emboldened to intervene militarily in the Baltics. Sean Gallup/Getty Trump and Putin passionately kiss in street mural Getty

That decision prompted Mr Trump to praise Mr Putin for being very smart.

Mr Trump plans to meet with intelligence officials next to week to learn more about the allegations of Russian espionage and has said he wants US officials to be sure, because its a pretty serious charge.
Sign up for a full digest of all the best opinions of the week in our Voices Dispatches email Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Voices Dispatches email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A number of Christian fundamentalist schools have been downgraded by government inspectors following an investigation by The Independent which revealed children at some schools that follow the Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) curriculum are taught that LGBT people are inferior and girls must submit to men.

The investigation also uncovered historic allegations of corporal punishment, exorcisms being performed on children and schoolgirls being groomed for marriage to much older men.

Inspectors say they fear children are at risk at some schools after finding in some ACE institutions safeguarding plans to be flawed or non-existent and that staff who come into contact with children sometimes have not undergone background checks to see if they are safe to work with children.

The Independent previously revealed allegations by former pupils that children were subject to serious mistreatment at some of the schools, which are operated by fundamentalist Christian communities and teach more than a thousand pupils at 26 different ACE schools in the UK.

Former pupils of some schools said the insular nature of the communities and pressure to not speak out meant the abuse had been hidden for decades. One warned: No one outside the schools knows about what happens inside them, thats why theyve been able to go on like this for so long.

Following The Independents investigation, 10 ACE schools were visited by Ofsted inspectors in October and nine of the schools have now been downgraded from good or outstanding to inadequate or requires improvement. In inspection reports seen by The Independent, the watchdog raises serious concerns about child protection failures, warning they are failing to meet official safeguarding regulations to protect children. A damning report of one of the schools concludes that children are at risk.

However, former pupils have told The Independent that the reports do not go far enough and say the Government must be held to account for allowing the schools to operate for so long. They have called for a government inquiry into how generations of children were failed.

Recommended Christian fundamentalist schools teaching girls they must obey men

ACE originates from an education system developed in southern Baptist states in the US that has developed offshoots around the world, including in Britain. Between 20 and 60 pupils aged between four and 18 attend each one.

There are 26 ACE schools registered in the UK. The claims relate to some of the schools and there is no suggestion that the allegations of mistreatment relate to all of them, including those inspected by Ofsted.

Following a strictly fundamentalist interpretation of Christianity, children at ACE schools spend most of the school day teaching themselves by reading textbooks in silence, while facing the classroom walls in specially designed booths, which mean they cannot see children around them or interact with them.

Former pupils say this is due to the schools belief in individualistic self-salvation, whereby people must actively accept God's salvation to enter heaven.

By extension, it is believed that children must teach themselves in order to get closer to God. Children are therefore expected to spend the first half of each school day teaching themselves by reading textbooks in silence, while facing the classroom walls in specially designed booths, which mean they cannot see children around them or interact with them. Adults are there to guide them and instil discipline, but no formal teachers are present.

Pupils said the learning style meant some children received a poor education and often felt socially isolated.

A rare photo inside an Accelerated Christian Education school, from the 1980s. Former pupils say the same classroom format is still used in the UK today

An investigation by The Independent in June of this year found ACE textbooks are teaching children that girls must obey men and their primary role in life is to get married and have children.

One textbook said of the role of women and girls and society: God has given both the husband and the wife certain areas of responsibility in the home. The husband is to be the leader of the home, loving his wife even as Christ loved the church ... The wife is to obey, respect and submit to the leadership of her husband, serving as a helper to him ... She is available all times day or night.

An Accelerated Christian Education textbook reportedly used in UK schools (An Accelerated Christian Education textbook reportedly used in UK schools)

Other material stated LGBT people are inferior and unnatural. One textbook said: Homosexual, adjective: having unnatural sexual feelings towards one of the same sex ... Homosexual activity is another of mans corruptions of Gods plan.

Pages from an Accelerated Christian Education textbook, which former pupils say are used in the schools (Accelerated Christian Education textbook)

Textbooks also taught creationism, instead of evolution, as fact.

A further investigation in September revealed allegations of historic abuse at some of the schools including that some pupils who attended in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s had been subject to ritualised corporal punishment. Former pupils told The Independent they had been beaten by teachers using canes and sticks and being told it was Gods will as punishment would stop them from sinning again.

A teaching training manual published in the 1990s obtained by The Independent showed an illustrated guide to hitting children alongside theological justification and bible passages to cite during the correction.

Other former pupils claimed exorcisms were performed on children in school assemblies at some institutions by teachers who said they needed to cleanse their souls from the devil.

It was also alleged that at some schools teachers would groom girls for marriage while they were still young schoolgirls, by isolating them and pressuring them to marry much older men in the fundamentalist Christian community. One former pupil, who attended a school as a young girl in the 2000s, told The Independent: You were told from a young age that your role is to support a man and God will lead you to him. The role of women in these religious groups is quite clear. Youre told God has chosen a husband for you and God will lead this man to you. But in reality, pastors and church leaders guide men to you. In my view, its grooming.

Students do not sit GCSEs or A-levels but instead receive certificates in Christian education, which former pupils say severely limits their opportunities to gain employment or university education, thereby ensuring they remain in the fundamentalist Christian community.

When the allegations emerged, a spokesperson for Christian Education Europe, which operates ACE schools in the UK, told The Independent they were not aware of the claims and said they were shocked by the allegations. They added that they facilitate training for ACE schools to ensure safeguarding procedures are in place.

Prior to The Independents investigation, the ACE schools had been rated good or outstanding for childrens education, welfare and safety. However, the new inspections commissioned in October say they now have serious concerns about the welfare of children at some of them.

One school was inspected in 2013 by Ofsted and deemed to be good but has since been downgraded to inadequate following a re-inspection in October 2016. An Ofsted inspector warned the school has breached the conditions of the schools registration. Statutory safeguarding requirements are not met. The schools approach to the safer recruitment of staff is not rigorous enough.

It continues: Leaders do not actively promote harmony with other cultures and respect for people with protected characteristics well enough. Pupils attainment is below expectations for their age, particularly in writing. Inspectors have ordered the school to improve safeguarding standards as a matter of urgency.

The report found the schools health and safety policies were next to non-existent. A 7ft-long boa constrictor as well as a number of tarantulas were kept in the school as pets, without due consideration being made as to whether they are safe to be around children. No first-aid policies existed, or strategies for fire safety.

Textbooks seen by The Independent depict biblical passages and advice among science and maths worksheets (Image from Accelerated Christian Education textbook)

Another school which had previously been deemed to provide a good quality of education in a 2012 Ofsted inspection has also now been downgraded and told it must urgently improve. Government staff who visited in October of this year said they found the school fails to meet independent school standards. The report states: The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective and do not meet the independent school standards. Leaders and trustees have not established a strong culture of safeguarding at the school.

Staff were unaware of the essential role they play in keeping pupils safe from harm. They have not completed recent specialist training.

Inspectors added that on some occasions the school had failed to make all the required pre-employment checks to ensure staff were safe to work with children.

Another school has been found to have poor safeguarding policies that do not ensure that children are safe. A further school has been downgraded from good to inadequate. With Ofsted inspectors warning: Safeguarding is not effective. The required checks on adults suitability to work with children are not all conducted as a matter of course. The quality of teaching is inadequate ... standards in reading and writing are low.

Jonny Scaramanga is a former pupil of an ACE school and has recently completed a PhD thesis on the issue at the UCL Institute of Education. He told The Independent the re-inspections did not go far enough and called for an inquiry into how the schools managed to operate for so long without Ofsted intervention. He said: As someone who survived an ACE education, I feel let down by the inspectors, because the things they are raising in these reports have been happening for decades. For years, Ofsted and the Government have turned a blind eye to miseducation and abuse in religious schools.

I would like to understand why this has been allowed to go on for so long. I would welcome a specific inquiry into this. In my view, some of the reports do not go far enough. In future, Ofsted inspectors should be briefed on the specific known problem areas in the curriculum, including political bias and sexism, and on the shortcomings of the schools that survivors have been campaigning about for years.

He added: It is very gratifying to be taken seriously. I just wish more had been in done in 1984, when the first public reports of abuse in ACE schools in England surfaced. That would have saved a generation of children from a damaging schooling.

David Waldock, who says he was subjected to corporal punishment while attending an ACE school in the 1980s, said: I welcome Ofsted holding independent schools to a standard which protects and develops children currently going through the ACE curriculum.

The Government in general, and Ofsted in particular, have been negligent in failing to ensure that students attending ACE schools are appropriately safeguarded, given a sufficient quality of education and prepared emotionally to enter into the adult world. Indeed, in some of these schools, significant failings have been systematically overlooked, and children have been failed for more than 30 years.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 15 September 2022 Members of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 14 September 2022 The first members of the public pay their respects as the vigil begins around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall, London, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2022 Crowds cheer as King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort arrive for a visit to Hillsborough Castle Getty UK news in pictures 12 September 2022 Crowds line the Royal Mile, Edinburgh, as King Charles III joins a procession from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles Cathedral following the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II Katielee Arrowsmith/SWNS UK news in pictures 11 September 2022 Members of the Public pay their respects as the hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard of Scotland, is driven through Ballater AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 10 September 2022 Britain's Prince William, Prince of Wales, Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales, Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Britain's Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, wave at well-wishers on the Long walk at Windsor Castle AFP/Getty

Jay Harman, faith schools and education campaigner at the British Humanist Association, said the news was welcome but expressed disbelief the schools have been able to operate for so long without government intervention. He said: We have been working with former pupils of these schools to raise concerns about Accelerate Christian Education for years, and were glad that the authorities are finally beginning to realise how badly the children subjected to it are being failed. The line Ofsted has taken here is absolutely right, and it is frankly astonishing that any school could accuse inspectors of unfair treatment while providing children with such a narrow, doctrinaire, and homophobic curriculum.

A spokesperson for Ofsted said: Ofsted inspects all independent schools against the Governments Independent School Standards. All schools have a responsibility to prepare pupils for life in multifaith Britain and are expected to provide a broad and balanced curriculum, which teaches respect and tolerance towards those from cultures and faiths that may not be represented within the school.

We recently inspected a number of independent schools that use the Accelerated Christian Education curriculum at the request of the Department for Education and found some of them to be failing to meet the Governments standards in a number of areas, including safeguarding, leadership and governance, and the quality of the curriculum. In addition, a number of these schools were not promoting British values effectively enough.

It is common practice for Ofsted to carry out focused inspections of a group of schools that, for example, are in the same local authority area or academy trust or, which follow the same type of curriculum.

We will, through commission by the DfE, continue to monitor schools that have not met the Independent Schools Standards.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: All schools must promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect for different faiths and beliefs.

We commissioned these inspections following concerns about these schools, which had previously been rated good by Ofsted. ACE schools, like all other independent schools, are inspected against the new, tougher Independent School Standards. Where independent schools fail to meet the standards they must improve or close.
Sign up for a full digest of all the best opinions of the week in our Voices Dispatches email Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Voices Dispatches email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

The Government is facing a cross-party revolt over controversial reforms to higher education that make it easier for new institutions to be awarded university status.

Labour, Liberal Democrats and crossbench peers in the House of Lords have combined forces in an attempt to stop the Higher Education and Research Bill going through in its current form, stressing the move could lower standards and damage the reputation of British education.

Instead, the group has proposed a series of amendments they say would prevent providers from using institutions to make a profit, as well as underline universities right to criticise the Government and work autonomously.

Recommended Record gap between rich and poor students

Writing for The Observer, Lord Chris Patten, former Conservative minister and present chancellor of Oxford University, condemned the Governments ham-fisted reforms, warning that ministers have little knowledge of the university system.

He said: To give the impression that one goal is to inject a shot of entrepreneurial vim, so that universities can replicate the energy and outlook of  who shall we say, Philip Green?  seems unlikely to convince those who work in and study at our universities that ministers understand and care much about what they are doing.

The backlash comes as the bill begins its committee stage in the House of Lords next week, with Tory members expected to join in voting against the planned reforms.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 A villager cooks roti bread at the site of the annual Camel Fair in Pushkar, in India's desert state of Rajasthan AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 15 September 2022 Members of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 14 September 2022 The first members of the public pay their respects as the vigil begins around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall, London, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA

Labours shadow higher education minister Lord Stevenson also told the newspaper: This bill is an attempt from the Government to run a market experiment through the bloodstream of our university system, and a classic case of understanding the cost of everything and the value of nothing.

There is far more to higher education than financial transactions and bottom lines, including the ongoing contribution made to society and business through the application of new knowledge and expertise.

Our amendment calls on ministers to recognise all of this and enshrine in law the principles of academic freedom and freedom of speech, alongside protecting the sectors ability to act as societys conscience.

Government ministers say the bill is designed to widen choice for students and deliver value for money in line with tuition fees.

The bill would also allow a new Office for Students more power over traditional university hierarchies, a move Lord Patten said would give the ability to strip older universities of their ancient royal charters.

Worst of all is the power given to the Office for Students to revoke the acts of parliament or royal charters that have established our universities. How can it be right to allow institutions, some of very ancient standing, to be abolished with only weak parliamentary scrutiny? Did Thomas Cromwell write this part of the bill?

He added: In this country, we ought to understand the independence of universities as an integral part of a delicate system that has produced brilliant academic success and a huge British export on a shoestring budget.

It seems particularly ham-fisted to turn the academic world upside down when universities face so much turbulence and uncertainty after the Brexit vote and the rhetoric surrounding immigration.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: We want more young people to have the opportunity to access a high-quality university education, and the measures proposed in the higher education and research bill are critical to making this possible.

The bill does not take away the royal charters of any of our higher education institutions. What it does do is protect and enshrine the autonomy and academic freedom of these institutions in law. And it puts students at the heart of the system, with the Office for Students making universities rightly more accountable to their students so they get the best value for money.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Sherlock actor Benedict Cumberbatch is distantly related to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who wrote the original books, researchers have claimed.

In a piece of sleuthing Holmes himself might have been proud of, Ancestry.com said it had established that Mr Cumberbatch, 40, and Sir Arthur, who died in 1930, are sixteenth cousins, twice removed.

Their common ancestor was John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, fourth son of King Edward III and the father of Henry IV.

John of Gaunt, who died in 1399, was Doyles 15th-great-grandfather and Cumberbatchs 17th-great-grandfather, according to the website.

Sir Arthur was born in Edinburgh in 1859, and made a living as a doctor as well as being a prolific author.

Like old Harrovian Mr Cumberbatch, he attended private boarding schools as a child  paid for by wealthy relatives after his parents fell on hard times.

This isnt the first time researchers have delved into the history of the Cumberbatch family and discovered a curious coincidence.

The same team of genealogists found the actor was distantly related to Bletchley Park codebreaker Alan Turing, who he played in the biopic The Imitation Game.

Sherlock season 4 in pictures Show all 7 1 /7 Sherlock season 4 in pictures Sherlock season 4 in pictures Mark Gatiss and Benedict Cumberbatch in Sherlock Copyright: Hartswood Films 2016. Sherlock season 4 in pictures Una Stubbs as Mrs Hudson in Sherlock Copyright: Hartswood Films 2016 Sherlock season 4 in pictures Mark Gatiss in Sherlock Copyright: Hartswood Films 2016. Sherlock season 4 in pictures Toby Jones in Sherlock Copyright: Hartswood Films 2016. Sherlock season 4 in pictures Martin Freeman in Sherlock Copyright: Hartswood Films 2016. Sherlock season 4 in pictures Martin Freeman, Amanda Abbington, and Benedict Cumberbatch in Sherlock Copyright: Hartswood Films 2016. Sherlock season 4 in pictures Amanda Abbington, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Martin Freeman in Sherlock Hartswood Films 2016

The Cumberbatch family tree came under close media scrutiny after the actor worked on the film Twelve Years a Slave when it was revealed another of his ancestors was involved in the slave-trade in Barbados.

Further scrutiny of the Cumberbatch family tree revealed his third cousin twice removed, Noel Carlisle Rees, was responsible for smuggling thousands of Allied soldiers out of Greece during the Second World War while working for British military intelligence.

A new three-part series of the BBCs enduringly popular Sherlock returns to television screens on Sunday night, with Mr Cumberbatch resuming the role he has played since 2010.

Fans fear this latest series could be the last starring Mr Cumberbatch and co-star Martin Freeman as his sidekick Watson, with both actors enjoying growing profiles in Hollywood after their film work.

When asked about the likelihood of him appearing in another series, Mr Cumberbatch told the Daily Mail: This new series goes to a place where it will be hard to follow on immediately.

We never say never on the show, but in the immediate future we all have things we want to crack on with, and weve made something very complete as it is. So I think well just have to wait and see.
We value your privacy.

Focus Taiwan (CNA) uses tracking technologies to provide better reading experiences, but it also respects readers' privacy. Click here to find out more about Focus Taiwan's privacy policy. When you close this window, it means you agree with this policy.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Bright Lights, a documentary about the lives of Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher, will be shown much sooner than previously planned.

The tale of one of Hollywoods most iconic mother and daughter duos was due to air in Spring but HBO have now said it will be brought forward to Saturday night on 7 January due to their untimely deaths.

Reynolds died at the age of 84 following a suspected stroke on Wednesday. Her last words were: I miss her so much, I want to be with Carrie. Her daughter Fisher suffered a heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles on 23 December and died last Tuesday at the age of 60.

While their acting careers were highly different  Reynolds rose to fame for starring in Singin in the Rain in 1952 and Fisher found fame for playing Princess Leia in the Star Wars films  Hollywood was part and parcel of their lives.

The pair had an at times complex relationship but one which was bound by love. They lived in the same Beverley Hills compound.

Sheila Nevins, the president for documentary and family programming at HBO, told the New York Times that after Fishers unexpected death, it felt appropriate to broadcast the film on Mothers Day for Debbie.

Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher Show all 9 1 /9 Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher American actor and singer Debbie Reynolds smiles and holds her infant daughter, Carrie Fisher Getty Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher American actress Debbie Reynolds with her daughter Carrie Fisher Getty Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher Actress Debbie Reynolds, poses with her children Carrie Fisher and Todd Fisher Getty Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher arrive at the premiere of 'Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith' Getty Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher Actress Carrie Fisher and her mother, actress Debbie Reynolds Getty Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher Actress Debbie Reynolds accepts the Life Achievement Award from her daughter, actress Carrie Fisher onstage at the 21st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. Getty Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher Actresses Carrie Fisher, Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award recipient Debbie Reynolds, and Billie Lourd pose in the press room during the 21st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California Getty Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher A candle is seen on the star for Debbie Reynolds on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California Getty Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher A view of a temporary star made by fans in tribute to actress Carrie Fisher on Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California Getty

However, after Reynoldss death, this changed and it felt better to move it forward.

Earlier, it would have been gawking, Nevins told the publication. But now its a testament of love.

HBO describe the film as a tale of a familys complicated love.

This documentary is an intimate portrait of Hollywood royalty in all its eccentricity, a passage on their website reads. The 83-year-old grand dame still has a Las Vegas act, but performing is taking its toll. Carries response is both hilarious and heart-rending.

The film which was produced by Fisher Stevens and Alexis Bloom features vintage family films. Relatives of Reynolds and Fisher are hoping to organise a joint memorial service for the mother and daughter duo.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Tyrus Wong, the artist whose paintings served as a visual inspiration for Disney classic Bambi, has died at the age of 106.

The Disney legend died peacefully at his home on Friday surrounded by his three daughters.

Wongs death was announced on his Facebook page. With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of Tyrus Wong, the post read. Tyrus died peacefully at his home surrounded by his loving daughters Kim, Kay and Tai-Ling. He was 106 years old.

The Walt Disney Family Museum expressed its sadness at the news of his passing in a statement.

Legendary Disney artist, Tyrus Wong had a gift for evoking incredible feeling in his art with simple, gestural composition, it read.

Though Tyrus worked at The Walt Disney Studios only three years, between 1938 and 1941; his influence on the artistic composition of the animated feature Bambi cannot be overstated.

Notable deaths in 2016 Show all 42 1 /42 Notable deaths in 2016 Notable deaths in 2016 Debbie Reynolds was an American actress, singer, businesswoman, film historian, and humanitarian. She died on December 28 in Los Angeles Rex Notable deaths in 2016 Actress Carrie Fisher died on December 27 aged 60 Rex Notable deaths in 2016 Comedian and Actor Ricky Harris died on December 26 aged 54 Rex Notable deaths in 2016 British singer George Michael died on 25 December aged 53 Getty Notable deaths in 2016 Rick Parfitt OBE was an English musician, best known for being a singer, songwriter and rhythm guitarist in the rock band Status Quo. He died on December 24 in Marbella, Spain Rex Notable deaths in 2016 Lord Jenkin of Roding died at the age of 90 on the 21 December PA wire Notable deaths in 2016 Rabbi Lionel Blue died on the 19 December Rex Notable deaths in 2016 Zsa Zsa Gabor died on December 18 Getty Notable deaths in 2016 Leonard Cohen died on 7 November Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Grand secretary of the Orange Order Drew Nelson died on 10 October aged 60 after a short illness PA Notable deaths in 2016 Aaron Pryor, the relentless junior welterweight died Sunday, Oct. 9, at the age of 60 at his home in Cincinnati after a long battle with heart disease AP Notable deaths in 2016 Polish Director Andrzej Wajda died on October 9, aged 90 Reuters Notable deaths in 2016 Stylianos Pattakos has died following a stroke on 8th October. He was 103 years old. AP Notable deaths in 2016 Dickie Jeeps, was an English rugby union player who played for Northampton. He represented and captained both the England national rugby union team and the British Lions in the 1950s and 1960s. He died on 8th October. He was 84 Getty Notable deaths in 2016 Duke of Westminster Billionaire landowner the Duke of Westminster, Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor has died on 9 August, aged 64 Rex Features Notable deaths in 2016 Christina Knudsen Sir Roger Moores stepdaughter Christina Knudsen has died from cancer on 25 July at teh age of 47 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Caroline Aherne The actress Caroline Aherne has died from cancer on 2 July at the age of 52 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Christina Grimmie Christina Grimmie, 22, who was an American singer and songwriter, known for her participation in the NBC singing competition The Voice, was signing autographs at a concert venue in Orlando on 10 June when an assailant shot her. Grimmie was transported to a local hospital where she died from her wounds on 11 June Getty Notable deaths in 2016 Kimbo Slice Former UFC and Bellator MMA fighter Kimbo Slice died after being admitted to hospital in Florida on 6 June, aged 42 Getty Notable deaths in 2016 Muhammad Ali The three-time former heavyweight world champion died after being admitted to hospital with a respiratory illness on 3 June, aged 74 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Sally Brampton Brampton who was the launch editor of the UK edition of Elle magazine has died on 10 May, aged 60 Grant Triplow/REX/Shutterstock Notable deaths in 2016 Billy Paul The soul singer Billy Paul, who was best known for his single Me and Mrs Jones, has died on 24 April, aged 81 Noel Vasquez/Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Prince Prince, the legendary musician, has been found dead at his Paisley Park recording studio on 21 April. He was 57 Notable deaths in 2016 Chyna WWE icon Joan Laurer dies aged 45 after being found at California home on 20 April Notable deaths in 2016 Victoria Wood The five-time Bafta-winning actress and comedian Victoria Wood has died on 20 April at her London home after a short illness with cancer. She was 62 Notable deaths in 2016 David Gest The entertainer and former husband of Liza Minnelli, David Gest has been found dead on 12 April in the Four Seasons hotel in Canary Warf, London. He was 62-years-old PA Notable deaths in 2016 Denise Robertson Denise Robertson, an agony aunt on This Morning for over 30 years, has died on 1 April, aged 83 Notable deaths in 2016 Zaha Hadid Dame Zaha Hadid, the prominent architect best known for designs such as the London Olympic Aquatic Centre and the Guangzhou Opera House, has died of a heart attack on 31 March, aged 65 2010 AFP Notable deaths in 2016 Ronnie Corbett British entertainer Ronnie Corbett has passed away on 31 March at the age of 85 2014 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Imre Kertesz Hungarian writer and Holocaust survivor Imre Kertesz, who won the 2002 Nobel Literature Prize, has died on 31 March, at the age of 86 REUTERS Notable deaths in 2016 Rob Ford Rob Ford, the former controversial mayor of Toronto, has died following a battle with a rare form of cancer. The 46-year-old passed away at the Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto on 22 March Notable deaths in 2016 Joey Feek Joey (left) passed away in March after a two-year cancer illness. She was part of country music duo, Joey + Rory, with her husband Rory (right) Jason Merritt/Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Umberto Eco Italian writer and philosopher Umberto Eco died 19 February 2016 aged 84 EPA Notable deaths in 2016 Harper Lee Harper Lee, the American novelist known for writing 'To Kill a Mockingbird', died February 19, 2016 aged 89 2005 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Vanity Vanity, pictured performing in 1983, died aged 57 REX Features Notable deaths in 2016 Dave Mirra The BMX legend's body found inside truck with gunshot wound after apparent suicide aged 41 Notable deaths in 2016 Harry Harpham The former miner became Sheffield Labour MP in May after many years as a local councillor. He died after succumbing to cancer, at the age of 61. Notable deaths in 2016 Dale Griffin The Mott the Hoople drummer died on January 17, aged 67 REX Notable deaths in 2016 Rene Angelil Celine Dion's husband and manager Rene Angelil has lost his battle with cancer on 14 January, aged 73 2011 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Alan Rickman Legendary actor Alan Rickman has died on 14 January at the age of 69 after battle with pancreatic cancer. He is largely regarded as one of the most beloved British actors of our generation with roles in Love Actually, Die Hard, Michael Collins, and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and an illustrious stage career 2015 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Maurice White The Earth, Wind & Fire founder died aged 74. The nine-piece band sold more than 90 million albums worldwide and won six Grammy awards Notable deaths in 2016 Lawrence Phillips Former NFL star found dead in prison cell on 13 January in suspected suicide, aged 40 AFP/Getty Images

The painter was born in Canton (now Guangzhou) in China in 1910 but immigrated to California at the age of nine with his father, leaving his mother and sister behind, whom they never saw again.

From an early age, Wong developed a keen interest in drawing and painting. Teachers noticed his artistic talents and he received a scholarship for the Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles. Quickly afterwards, Wong found his feet as an entry level animator at Disney in 1938, toiling away drawing hundreds of Mickey Mouse sketches.

But it was not long until the Bambi sketches he had painted at home were spotted by Walt Disney. They quickly formed the basis for the visual style of the cult Disney classic.

After finishing at Disney, Wong started working at Warner Brothers, where he worked for the following 26 years.

In 2001, he was inducted into the Disney Legend Hall of Fame.

Wong is survived both by his daughters and his wider family.
Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Some of Britains most pristine countryside is at risk from government efforts to boost the economy in the wake of Brexit, campaigners have warned.

Infrastructure projects and large developments are planned in a number of rural areas including the Lake District, the Cotswolds and Sussexs High Weald as part of ministers plans to demonstrate Britain is open for business.

Projects in the pipeline include a new motorway between Oxford and Cambridge, new railway infrastructure in the Midlands and thousands of new homes.

The National Grid also wants to build a new 102-mile power line through part of the Lake District. The plan would see 90 pylons erected just 10 metres outside the national park and 15 miles of cabling installed beneath it.

Such developments are putting Englands countryside at risk, according to the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE). Shaun Spiers, the charitys chief executive, told The Observer there was a real concern about increased development in rural areas.

He said: Everybody recognises that we need to update infrastructure, and the CPREs traditional role since it was set up in 1926 has been to question whether or not its necessary and if there are alternatives to industrialising landscapes.

Theres a terrible sense right now that ministers are just keen to say that Britains open for business at the expense of everything else. Its all justified on narrow economic grounds, and Im not sure anyone is standing back and saying what are the alternatives?

Environmental campaigners are also concerned about government promises to increase the number of new homes being built. Ministers want to build at least 200,000 homes per year - a significant increase on the 140,000 that were completed last year.

Park life: At home in Britain's unspoilt countryside Show all 7 1 /7 Park life: At home in Britain's unspoilt countryside Park life: At home in Britain's unspoilt countryside 642436.bin REX FEATURES Park life: At home in Britain's unspoilt countryside 642435.bin REX FEATURES Park life: At home in Britain's unspoilt countryside 642434.bin Park life: At home in Britain's unspoilt countryside 642433.bin Park life: At home in Britain's unspoilt countryside 642432.bin ALAMY Park life: At home in Britain's unspoilt countryside 642431.bin Park life: At home in Britain's unspoilt countryside 642430.bin

Some estimates suggest 300,000 new homes are needed to meet Englands housing shortfall.

Previous CPRE research found 275,000 homes are planned for areas designated as greenbelt  a rise of a quarter in the last year.

It comes as figures reveal the government has cut funding for national parks in England by millions of pounds in the past five years.

An investigation by the Press Association found that by 2020 the funding parks receive will be a fifth less than it was in 2010. The Government has said it will increase investment in national parks in the next few years.
Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Gunmen have attacked a prison in Bahrain killing one police officer and freeing several prisoners.

The incident occurred in Jaw prison, south of the capital Manama, and sparked a security lockdown in the area.

It is not yet known the exact number of inmates who have escaped but it is thought they were either being held on terrorism charges or had been found guilty.

"An armed attack on the Jau reform and rehabilitation centre resulted in the death of policeman Abdul Salam Saif and the escape of a number of inmates convicted of terrorist crimes," the ministry said in a statement posted on its Twitter account.

There has been low-level unrest in Bahrain since the Arab Spring protests and there was a wide-ranging crackdown on dissent earlier this year.

Demonstrators have occupied Manamas Pearl Roundabout to demand an end to discrimination of Shia Muslims in the country and to push for greater democracy.

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

Bahrain has a population of 1.33 million and is a group of islands off the coast of Saudi Arabia.

The islands hosts the US Navy's 5th Fleet and a British naval base that is currently under-construction.
Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

The bodies of two men and a woman have been found at the base of cliffs in Dover.

Kent Police said they were alerted to concerns for the welfare of a man at Langdon Cliffs in Dover, Kent and found a body at the base of the cliff on Sunday afternoon.

During the search, the Coastguard also discovered the bodies of a second man and woman but the police said they do not believe the deaths are linked to that of the first man.

A police spokesman said: "Kent Police was called at 2.27pm due to concern for the welfare of a man at Langdon Cliffs, Dover.

"Officers attended and the body of a man was subsequently discovered at the bottom of the cliffs by the coastguard.

"During the search the coastguard also discovered the bodies of a second man and a woman.

"Officers do not believe their deaths are linked to that of the first man.

"Enquiries into the circumstances behind all three deaths are ongoing."

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 A villager cooks roti bread at the site of the annual Camel Fair in Pushkar, in India's desert state of Rajasthan AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 15 September 2022 Members of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 14 September 2022 The first members of the public pay their respects as the vigil begins around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall, London, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA

A Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) spokeswoman said: "At 2.30pm today, Kent Police requested assistance from the UK Coastguard at an incident in the Dover docks area.

"UK Coastguard sent Langdon Battery and Deal coastguard rescue teams, Dover RNLI lifeboat and the UK search and rescue helicopter based at Lydd."

The "White Cliffs" of Dover are a renown beauty spot and are popular with walkers.

Additional reporting by PA
Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Thousands of people have seen in the New Year with spectacular fireworks displays in London, Edinburgh and across the UK.

More than 12,000 fireworks transformed the capitals famous skyline as Big Ben struck midnight, watched by thousands of ticket holders packed along the River Thames under tight security.

The display ended with the Mayor's slogan "London is Open", angering some viewers who complained of the display being "politicised" in the wake of Brexit.

 Auckland hosts fireworks spectacular as New Zealand welcomes 2017

More than 80,000 people also gathered in Edinburgh for the Scottish capitals famous Hogmanay celebrations, watching concerts and dancing traditional ceilidhs.

Three fireworks displays were held leading up to the midnight moment spectacular from the ramparts of Edinburgh Castle.

Security fears failed to dampen the celebrations, which saw thousands of police deployed across the country amid fears of terror plots targeting crowds.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said London had been made as safe as it possibly can be with measures including concrete barriers to prevent a Berlin and Nice-style lorry attack.

Describing the mood on the streets as upbeat, he said it was really important we don't allow terrorists to disrupt our celebrations on this New Year's Eve.

Fireworks light up the sky during the Hogmanay New Year celebrations in Edinburgh. (PA)

The Metropolitan Police said 20 people had been arrested at the celebrations but did not detail the offences.

In Edinburgh, thousands of party-goers joined hands for the worlds largest rendition of Auld Lang Syne at the stroke of midnight.

Cities including Cardiff, Belfast, Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle and Nottingham held their own fireworks displays, with countless more being launched by families at their homes.

A driver fled the scene of a New Year's Eve crash that killed a 12-year-old girl and left another child fighting for her life in hospital, police have said.

As people prepared to see in 2017, a 12-year-old girl was killed in a hit and run crash in Oldham.

In pictures: World celebrates New Year's Eve 2016 Show all 16 1 /16 In pictures: World celebrates New Year's Eve 2016 In pictures: World celebrates New Year's Eve 2016 Fireworks explode over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House on December 31, 2016 Getty Images In pictures: World celebrates New Year's Eve 2016 The SkyTower firework display during New Year's Eve celebrations on January 1, 2017 in Auckland, New Zealand. Getty Images In pictures: World celebrates New Year's Eve 2016 People release white balloons, carrying their wishes, to celebrate the New Year at Prince Park Tower in Tokyo On January 1, 2017. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: World celebrates New Year's Eve 2016 People attend the count down event to celebrate the arrival 2017 new year during New Year's Eve celebration at Beijing Olympic Park in China, 31 December 2016. EPA In pictures: World celebrates New Year's Eve 2016 New Year Eve's fireworks illuminate the Marina Bay in Singapore, 1 January 2017. EPA In pictures: World celebrates New Year's Eve 2016 South Koreans strike a bell during New Year celebrations in South Korea, 1 January 2017. EPA In pictures: World celebrates New Year's Eve 2016 Fireworks explode over Victoria harbour during New Year celebrations in Hong Kong on January 1, 2017. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: World celebrates New Year's Eve 2016 Fireworks explode over Moscow's Kremlin complex during New Year celebrations in Moscow on January 1, 2017. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: World celebrates New Year's Eve 2016 Fireworks explode above the pyramids during New Year's day celebrations on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt, January 1, 2017. Reuters In pictures: World celebrates New Year's Eve 2016 Fireworks explode over the Al-Nusoor Square during the New Year celebrations in Baghdad, Iraq January 1, 2017. Reuters In pictures: World celebrates New Year's Eve 2016 Fireworks are seen above Pyongyang, North Korea, for New Year on January 1, 2017. Reuters In pictures: World celebrates New Year's Eve 2016 Fireworks explode at the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, and surrounding skyscrapers to mark New Year in Dubai AP In pictures: World celebrates New Year's Eve 2016 Fireworks explode behind the Brandenburg Gate at midnight on January 1, 2017 in Berlin, Germany Getty Images In pictures: World celebrates New Year's Eve 2016 Revellers watch a fireworks show over the Arc de Triomphe monument, from the Champs-Elysees avenue as part of the New Year celebrations on January 1 , 2017 in Paris. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: World celebrates New Year's Eve 2016 Fireworks light up the London skyline and Big Ben just after midnight on January 1, 2017 Getty Images In pictures: World celebrates New Year's Eve 2016 Fireworks light up the sky during the Hogmanay New Year celebrations in Edinburgh. PA

An 11-year-old girl was also critically injured in the incident shortly after 7.15pm, Greater Manchester Police said.

The New Year had arrived a second later than normal because of a leap second needed in countries using Greenwich Mean Time to account for a slowdown in the earths rotation.

The UKs festivities followed celebrations around the world, which started in New Zealand and Australia earlier on Saturday, followed by spectaculars in countries across the globe to see in 2017.

Germans defied terror fears to party on the streets of Berlin just weeks after an Isis supporter killed 12 people at a Christmas market.

In Paris, the traditional fireworks display at the Eiffel Tower was cancelled for a second year in a row but people gathered along the Champs Elysees to watch a display from behind the Arc de Triomphe.
Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Queen Elizabeth will not attend a New Years Day church service because of a heavy cold.

Buckingham Palace said she did "not yet feel ready to attend and was still recuperating.

The 90-year-old had delayed her departure for her rural estate in Norfolk because both she and her husband, Prince Philip, were suffering from colds.

Buckingham Palace confirmed to The Independent the Queen was up and working but was not feeling 100 per cent.

"The Queen does not yet feel ready to attend church as she is still recuperating from a heavy cold," a spokesperson said.

She did not attend the Christmas Day service at Sandringham due to the same illness.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 A villager cooks roti bread at the site of the annual Camel Fair in Pushkar, in India's desert state of Rajasthan AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 15 September 2022 Members of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 14 September 2022 The first members of the public pay their respects as the vigil begins around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall, London, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA

Queen Elizabeth II is the world's longest-reigning living monarch but has announced she will step down as patron of a number of organisations and charities before her 91st birthday.

Other members of the Royal Family will become patrons of organisations including the Holocaust Day Memorial Trust, National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), Barnardos and Save the Children UK.
Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

The sinking of the RMS Titanic may have been caused by an enormous fire on board, not by hitting an iceberg in the North Atlantic, experts have claimed, as new evidence has been published to support the theory.

More than 1,500 passengers lost their lives when the Titanic sank on route to New York from Southampton in April 1912.

While the cause of the disaster has long been attributed to the iceberg, fresh evidence has surfaced of a fire in the ships hull, which researchers say burned unnoticed for almost three weeks leading up to the collision.

Recommended At least 23 dead after fire on Indonesian ferry

While experts have previously acknowledged the theory of a fire on board, new analysis of rarely seen photographs has prompted researchers to blame the fire as the primary cause of the ships demise.

Journalist Senan Molony, who has spent more than 30 years researching the sinking of the Titanic, studied photographs taken by the ships chief electrical engineers before it left Belfast shipyard.

Mr Maloney said he was able to identify 30-foot-long black marks along the front right-hand side of the hull, just behind where the ships lining was pierced by the iceberg.

He said: We are looking at the exact area where the iceberg stuck, and we appear to have a weakness or damage to the hull in that specific place, before she even left Belfast.

Experts subsequently confirmed the marks were likely to have been caused by a fire started in a three-storey high fuel store behind one of the ships boiler rooms.

Titanic survivor's granddaughter 'reveals truth' Show all 10 1 /10 Titanic survivor's granddaughter 'reveals truth' Titanic survivor's granddaughter 'reveals truth' 458226.bin GETTY IMAGES Titanic survivor's granddaughter 'reveals truth' 458221.bin GETTY IMAGES Titanic survivor's granddaughter 'reveals truth' 458224.bin GETTY IMAGES Titanic survivor's granddaughter 'reveals truth' 458225.bin GETTY IMAGES Titanic survivor's granddaughter 'reveals truth' 458223.bin GETTY IMAGES Titanic survivor's granddaughter 'reveals truth' 458222.bin GETTY IMAGES Titanic survivor's granddaughter 'reveals truth' 458227.bin GETTY IMAGES Titanic survivor's granddaughter 'reveals truth' 458228.bin GETTY IMAGES Titanic survivor's granddaughter 'reveals truth' 458229.bin GETTY IMAGES Titanic survivor's granddaughter 'reveals truth' 458230.bin GETTY IMAGES

A team of 12 men attempted to put out the flames, but it was too large to control, reaching temperatures of up to 1000 degrees Celsius.

Subsequently, when the Titanic struck ice, the steel hull was weak enough for the ships lining to be torn open.

Officers on board were reportedly under strict instruction from J Bruce Ismay, president of the company that built the Titanic, not to mention the fire to any of the ships 2,500 passengers.

Presenting his research in a Channel 4 documentary, Titanic: The New Evidence, broadcast on New Years Day, Mr Maloney also claims the ship was reversed into its berth in Southampton to prevent passengers from seeing damage made to the side of the ship by the ongoing fire.

Mr Molony said: The official Titanic inquiry branded [the sinking] as an act of God. This isnt a simple story of colliding with an iceberg and sinking.

Its a perfect storm of extraordinary factors coming together: fire, ice and criminal negligence.

Nobody has investigated these marks before. It totally changes the narrative. We have metallurgy experts telling us that when you get that level of temperature against steel it makes it brittle, and reduces its strength by up to 75 per cent.

The fire was known about, but it was played down. She should never have been put to sea.

In 2008, Ray Boston, an expert with more than 20 years of research into the Titanics journey, said he believed the coal fire began during speed trials as much as 10 days prior to the ship leaving Southampton.

He said the fire had potential to cause serious explosions below decks before it would reach New York.

An inquiry into the disaster, presented to Parliament in 1912, described the ship as travelling at high speed through dangerous icy waters, giving the crew little opportunity to avoid the fatal collision.
Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Labours divisions over immigration have broken out again after the partys Brexit spokesman said EU free movement rules have got to be changed.

Sir Keir Starmer warned politicians not to ignore the reasons why people voted to leave the European Union, arguing those motivations included curbing immigration.

He said: There should be a fundamental rethink of immigration rules from start to finish.

The rules on free movement have got to be changed  or the way the rules operate has got to change.

Sir Keir also insisted that, within the Labour party, there is a consensus that, when we leave the EU, the immigration regime will have to change.

Yet, in an interview only last week, Jeremy Corbyn suggested that the free movement of workers across the EU should continue after Britains exit.

The Labour leader also appeared to set himself against calls for EU citizens to be allowed to come to Britain only if they have a job, rather than to seek work.

But, speaking with The Sunday Times, Sir Keir suggested immigrants should be required to have a job, arguing such an idea could form part of a future trade deal with the EU.

People, when you talk to them about immigration, have a strong distinction in their mind between people who are coming here to work and contribute and those who are coming here to look for work and I think that distinction is well worth exploring, he said.

Several high-profile Labour figures, including Yvette Cooper, Andy Burnham and Emma Reynolds, have called for their party to accept immigration curbs in the wake of the referendum.

The Brexit spokesman also warned that arguments over triggering the Article 50 exit clause  and over a hard or soft Brexit  risked failing to address the deeper issues behind the referendum result.

If we just concentrate on the process and fight about the deal with the EU, we leave out half the picture and half the analysis, he said, adding that immigration, the damage done to public trust by the MPs expenses scandal, stagnating wages and job insecurity were among the reasons people voted to leave back in June.

Sir Keir said Labour needed to respond with a bold and ambitious ten-year skills and industrial strategy and plans to devolve decision-making to a local level.

I'm not pretending I have a fully-fledged, spelt-out project for the future, but I have a fair idea of what I think the big ticket items are, he said.

Sir Keir, the director of public prosecutions for five years before becoming an MP in 2015, is seen by some as a credible future Labour leadership candidate, if Mr Corbyn continues to fail to make progress.

With Westminster by-elections looming in Copeland, Cumbria, and Leigh in Manchester, he risks becoming the first opposition leader to lose a seat to the government in a parliamentary by-election since 1960.
Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A deep-seated fear of the rise of global fascism has taken hold of the British public in the wake of Donald Trumps victory, Brexit and the spectre of the far-right in mainland Europe, an exclusive survey for The Independent has revealed.

The study by BMG Research showed that a majority of British people now believe the dark shadow of fascism is spreading across the Unites States following Mr Trumps shock win in November.

It also revealed showed that most people think the number of individuals holding fascist views is increasing in the UK and on the continent as well.

Recommended The UN just made a chilling warning on the rise of fascism

There were surges of hate crime in the US following Mr Trumps victory and in the UK after the Brexit vote, not to mention the brutal murder of MP Jo Cox by a man with far-right links.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd also recently proscribed a far-right organisation for the first time in the UK, making membership a criminal offence.

BMG pollsters asked participants whether they thought "the number of people with fascist views in the United States of America is increasing, decreasing or about the same?"

Protests against the release from internment of Oswald Mosley in 1943 (Getty)

A majority of 53 per cent said they believed it is growing, just three per cent said they thought the number of people is decreasing, while 20 per cent said it is about the same.

When the same question was put in relation to the UK almost half, some 46 per cent, said they believe the number of people with fascist views in Britain is growing, with three per cent saying it is decreasing and around a third believing it is about the same.

Looking at Europe the figures were broadly similar, with 48 per cent saying they believe the number of people with fascist views is growing.

BMG Research Director Dr Michael Turner said: "With age comes experience, which may explain why our polling shows that it's older Britons who are most likely to feel that fascist views are on the rise, particularly in Europe."

He added: "Remainers are much more likely than Leavers to feel that fascist views are increasing at home. Around six in ten, 59 per cent, of those who voted to stay in the EU feel that fascism is on the rise in the UK, whereas just four in ten Leavers, 41 per cent, feel the same.

Brexit racism and the fightback Show all 9 1 /9 Brexit racism and the fightback Brexit racism and the fightback Demonstrators protest against an increase in post-ref racism at London's March for Europe in July 2016 PA Brexit racism and the fightback These cards were found near a school in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, the day after the EU referendum Twitter/@howgilb Brexit racism and the fightback Getty Brexit racism and the fightback Romford, Essex, June 25 @diamondgeezer Brexit racism and the fightback A worker at this Romanian food shop was asleep upstairs at the time of this arson attack in Norwich on July 8, but escaped unharmed. Hundreds later participated in a love bombing rally outside the shop to express their opposition to racism and their support of the shop owners. JustGiving/Helen Linehan Brexit racism and the fightback This neo-Nazi sticker was spotted in Glasgow on June 26 Courtesy of Eoin Palmer Brexit racism and the fightback But after news emerged of neo-Nazi stickers appearing in Glasgow, some in the city struck back with slogans of their own. Courtesy of Eoin Palmer Brexit racism and the fightback Getty Brexit racism and the fightback More signs began to appear in some parts of the UK, created by people who wanted to show their opposition to post-referendum racism Courtesy of Bernadette Russell

"However, both Remainers and Leavers are much more united on the view that fascism is rising on the continent, with some 57 per cent of Remainers and 52 per cent of Leavers saying so in our latest poll for The Independent."

Findings from the Southern Poverty Law Centre showed some 900 incidents of hate crime occurred in the US in the 10 days following the Mr Tumps shock victory. In Michigan alone hate crime increased by a factor of 65 after Mr Trumps win.

The President-elect was endorsed by the Ku Klux Clan and has been forced to defend his chief aide Steve Bannon, founder of the right-wing Breitbart media organisation, against claims of racism and anti-Semitism.

At a conference of white supremacists in November, people chanted 'hail Trump' while performing Nazi salutes.

In December British neo-Nazi group National Action became the first far-right organisation to be banned by Home Secretary Amber Rudd under terror laws.

Last month neo-Nazi killer Thomas Mair was handed a life sentence after murdering Labour MP Jo Cox at the height of the UKs EU referendum campaign.

 Thomas Mair jailed for life for the murder of MP Jo Cox

Official Home Office statistics have, as in the US, revealed an equally worrying hate-crime spike in the UK since the vote to quit the European Union.

In July there was a 41 per cent increase in the number of racially or religiously aggravated crimes recorded by police.

They correlated with earlier figures which showed the number of alleged racially or religiously aggravated offences rose by 58 per cent in the week following the June Brexit vote.

In 2017 elections in France, Germany and Holland are expected to see far-right parties make stronger bids for power than at any moment in recent history.

In March Geert Wilders Party for Freedom is expected to challenge mainstream groups in the Netherlands, while Marine Le Pen is expected to make it to the second round of voting in the French presidential elections later in the year.

The anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party is expected to gain seats in parliament for the first time when the country goes to the polls in 2017.

Source Note: BMG Research interviewed a representative sample of 1,507 UK adults online between 1st & 5th December. Data are weighted. BMG are members of the British Polling Council and abide by their rules. More details at www.bmgresearch.co.uk/polling.
Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

The Isis terrorist group wants to carry out a mass casualty chemical weapons attack in Britain, the national security minister has warned  describing it as everybodys worst fear.

Ben Wallace said Isis had already used chemical weapons in Syria and Iraq, where it controls large areas.

Furthermore, the Moroccan authorities apprehended a cell in February that was harbouring substances that could be used to either make a bomb or a deadly toxin.

Recommended Manhunt underway after 39 killed in Istanbul nightclub attack

Mr Wallace said: The ambition of IS [Isis is also known as Islamic State] or Daesh is definitely mass casualty attacks. They want to harm as many people as possible and terrorise as many people as possible.

They have no moral objection to using chemical weapons against populations and if they could, they would in this country. The casualty figures which could be involved would be everybodys worst fear.

We have certainly seen reports of them using it in Syria and Iraq (and) we have certainly seen aspiration for it in Europe.

The comments, in a Sunday Times interview, came before the suspected terror attack that killed at least 39 New Year revellers at a Turkish nightclub.

Officials said at least one gunman reportedly wearing a Santa costume murdered a police officer and a civilian outside Istanbuls famed Reina nightclub before bursting inside.

The attacker opened fire into the crowd of up to 700 people, killing at least 39  including 15 foreigners  and injuring dozens more in the Ortakoy district.

In the interview, Mr Wallace also warned about the threat from the enemy within as terror groups, Russia and cyber attackers were trying to plant traitors in the Government, the military and leading businesses.

There are traitors, he said. We have to be on our guard for the enemy within.

The insider threat, as we would call it, is real and it can be exploited and there are people trying to do that as we speak.

Mr Wallace said the security services and the police carried out exercises to deal with terrorist attacks by lone wolves and marauding gunmen, as well as mass-casualty attacks.

The minister oversaw one exercise by the fire service in northwest England to deal with chemical decontamination.

He also warned that, as Isis was driven out of its strongholds in the Middle East, returning jihadis would pose a growing threat to Britain.

About 800 Britons went to fight in Syria and just under half have returned. Approximately 100 have been killed.

The big concern is if Mosul collapses and all the other bases of IS collapse, Mr Wallace said.

We know there are a significant number of [Britons] fighting for IS in Syria. They will probably want to come home.

The warnings come after a year in which Europe suffered a spate of terror attacks using less sophisticated means, including when lorries were driven through crowds in Nice and Berlin.

In March, three coordinated suicide bombers attacked the airport and metro system in Brussels, with Isis claiming responsibility.
Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Martin McGuinness has called for Northern Irelands First Minister Arlene Foster to step down, warning the region is facing a serious growing political crisis.

The Sinn Fein politician, who serves as Northern Irelands Deputy First Minister, made the comments amid an ongoing scandal over allegations Ms Foster was responsible for a flawed Stormont scheme that saw 140m of public money misspent.

The Renewable Heat Incentive scheme, known as RHI, was launched in 2012 with a view to encouraging Northern Irish businesses to use renewable forms of energy. However, a serious flaw in the implementation meant that businesses were given a financial incentive to burn resources pointlessly instead. The scheme, known locally as cash for ash, meant one farmer was allegedly able to secure 1m of public funding to needlessly heat a shed for 20 years.

The allegations have come to light after a whistleblower approached local media. Ms Foster, who replaced Peter Robinson as DUP leader in January 2016, was head of the department responsible for running the scheme and has subsequently faced calls to stand down after the claims emerged in November of last year.

In December, her DUP colleague Jonathan Bell broke party ranks to speak out against her, telling local media that Ms Foster ordered Stormont staff to alter documents to reduce her responsibility for the schemes failures. She denies the accusation.

The left-wing nationalist party SDLP put a no-confidence motion against Ms Foster to MLAs at Stormont. However, the motion failed.

In a New Years message, Mr McGuinness said Ms Foster should step aside as First Minister in order for an inquiry to take place. He said: There is also no doubt that we are facing a serious growing political crisis in the North as public confidence in the political institutions has been grievously undermined by the Renewable Heat Incentive debacle and the DUPs failure to deal responsibly and adequately with it.

In order to address these challenges the DUP and its leader Arlene Foster need to accept there is an overwhelming desire in the community to deal with this issue and for Arlene Foster to step aside as First Minister pending a preliminary report.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 A villager cooks roti bread at the site of the annual Camel Fair in Pushkar, in India's desert state of Rajasthan AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 15 September 2022 Members of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 14 September 2022 The first members of the public pay their respects as the vigil begins around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall, London, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA

The politician, who represents the Foyle constituency, continued: That would allow for an independent investigation to take place, which is transparent, robust, time-framed and led by an independent judicial figure from outside this jurisdiction appointed by the Attorney General. A rigorous process to recoup as much of the money as possible must also be put in place.

We need to restore public confidence in the credibility of the political institutions, ensuring they deliver for the people.

Ms Foster strongly denies any wrongdoing and has said she has nothing to hide in relation to the allegations.
Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Scotlands First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, will hand out the countrys first baby boxes to mark New Years Day.

The SNP leader, who was re-elected by a landslide in May, promised the policy for 2017 at the partys conference in October.

The boxes are inspired by a maternity kit issued by the Finnish government to mothers as a gift. They are to be supplied to parents of all newborn babies in Scotland by the end of the year.

The first packages will be handed out by Ms Sturgeon to parents at Clackmannanshire Community Health Care Centre in Alloa today. She said the policy had a proven record in tackling deprivation in other countries.

The universal gift contain items such as a play mat, a changing mat, a digital thermometer, a fleece jacket, several babygrows, a hooded bath towel, a reusable nappy and liners, a baby book and an organic sponge.

The boxes are suitable for a baby to sleep in and contain cot sheets, a mattress and a blanket. A Scots dialect poem entitled Welcome Wee One by makar, or national poet, Jackie Kay is also included.

In pictures: World celebrates New Year's Eve 2016 Show all 16 1 /16 In pictures: World celebrates New Year's Eve 2016 In pictures: World celebrates New Year's Eve 2016 Fireworks explode over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House on December 31, 2016 Getty Images In pictures: World celebrates New Year's Eve 2016 The SkyTower firework display during New Year's Eve celebrations on January 1, 2017 in Auckland, New Zealand. Getty Images In pictures: World celebrates New Year's Eve 2016 People release white balloons, carrying their wishes, to celebrate the New Year at Prince Park Tower in Tokyo On January 1, 2017. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: World celebrates New Year's Eve 2016 People attend the count down event to celebrate the arrival 2017 new year during New Year's Eve celebration at Beijing Olympic Park in China, 31 December 2016. EPA In pictures: World celebrates New Year's Eve 2016 New Year Eve's fireworks illuminate the Marina Bay in Singapore, 1 January 2017. EPA In pictures: World celebrates New Year's Eve 2016 South Koreans strike a bell during New Year celebrations in South Korea, 1 January 2017. EPA In pictures: World celebrates New Year's Eve 2016 Fireworks explode over Victoria harbour during New Year celebrations in Hong Kong on January 1, 2017. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: World celebrates New Year's Eve 2016 Fireworks explode over Moscow's Kremlin complex during New Year celebrations in Moscow on January 1, 2017. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: World celebrates New Year's Eve 2016 Fireworks explode above the pyramids during New Year's day celebrations on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt, January 1, 2017. Reuters In pictures: World celebrates New Year's Eve 2016 Fireworks explode over the Al-Nusoor Square during the New Year celebrations in Baghdad, Iraq January 1, 2017. Reuters In pictures: World celebrates New Year's Eve 2016 Fireworks are seen above Pyongyang, North Korea, for New Year on January 1, 2017. Reuters In pictures: World celebrates New Year's Eve 2016 Fireworks explode at the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, and surrounding skyscrapers to mark New Year in Dubai AP In pictures: World celebrates New Year's Eve 2016 Fireworks explode behind the Brandenburg Gate at midnight on January 1, 2017 in Berlin, Germany Getty Images In pictures: World celebrates New Year's Eve 2016 Revellers watch a fireworks show over the Arc de Triomphe monument, from the Champs-Elysees avenue as part of the New Year celebrations on January 1 , 2017 in Paris. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: World celebrates New Year's Eve 2016 Fireworks light up the London skyline and Big Ben just after midnight on January 1, 2017 Getty Images In pictures: World celebrates New Year's Eve 2016 Fireworks light up the sky during the Hogmanay New Year celebrations in Edinburgh. PA

Ms Sturgeon said: Scotlands baby box is a strong signal of our determination that every child, regardless of their circumstances, should get the best start in life.

The box contains around 40 different essential items for new babies and for parents.

Its a simple idea with a proven record in tackling deprivation, improving health and supporting parents, and Im proud and excited that the pilot is now under way.

Being a parent is the most important but also the most difficult job there is, so its important that parents get as much support as possible.

The box complements the existing services available to help babies and parents to thrive in the crucial early months.

Ms Sturgeon first announced the policy in April, arguing the boxes would be a symbol of a belief in a level playing field for all children.

Finland has been giving out care packages to all expectant mothers for 80 years. The boxes, which include around 80 items useful for babies, have been credited with cutting infant mortality and raising life chances.
Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

We mustnt pre-judge the past, Willie Whitelaw, Margaret Thatchers deputy Prime Minister, once said. Pre-judging the future in politics has suddenly got a lot harder after a remarkable year which brought us Brexit, the fall of David Cameron, the rise of Theresa May and a hero's welcome for Nigel Farage from President-elect Donald Trump.

Naturally, I have never known a year like it in 35 years on the Westminster beat. I thought the fall of Thatcher, Black Wednesday and Tony Blairs landslide were big. Brexit is bigger, and it is only just beginning. So can 2017 possibly match the past year?

There is one certainty: all roads will lead to Brexit. In January, the Supreme Court will decide whether Theresa May needs Parliament's approval to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty and start exit negotiations. Although the verdict will generate lots of headlines, there is no prospect of Parliament blocking the talks; MPs and peers will not risk defying the referendum decision. So May will be able to invoke Article 50, either just before or soon after her 31 March deadline.

A bigger parliamentary battle will take place over the Great Repeal Bill, to be included in Mays first Queens Speech in May. This was a disguised as a bone for ravenous Tory Europhobes and described as ending the 1972 Act which took the UK into the EEC. In fact, it incorporates EU laws into UK law to make manageable the task of deciding which of them to keep  a job that could take 10 years.

Pro-EU MPs and peers will try to use the Bills passage to press for a soft Brexit with as much access to the European single market as possible. But May and her ministers will seek to defy the likely parliamentary majority for a soft Brexit by urging Tory MPs not to undermine the Governments chances of securing a good deal.

Their refusal to give Parliament a running commentary will prove fruitless, as anything they say during the EU talks will leak instantly. The negotiations will proceed slowly in 2017, and not make much progress until after the German election in the autumn. None the less, Brexit will eclipse local issues at the county council elections in England in May, the Prime Ministers first big test at the ballot box.

She is lucky that they take place in the traditionally Tory shires, where it will not be easy for Labour to translate its remarkable growth to 600,000 members under Jeremy Corbyn into votes. When these authorities last held elections in 2013, Labour enjoyed a six-point lead in the opinion polls. It is likely to enter next Mays contest trailing the Tories.

Rather than making the gains an opposition party would normally expect two years into a five-year parliament, Labour might find itself struggling to retain control in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. A strong Tory performance would show that Mays honeymoon with the voters was not over.

However, it is unlikely that a poor Labour showing would provoke another attempt to oust Corbyn by his MP critics. They acted precipitately after the EU referendum and Corbyn won an even bigger mandate when he saw off Owen Smiths leadership challenge in September. Many of Corbyns critics will now wish they had waited until 2017. An attempted coup in the next 12 months is highly unlikely.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will have a struggle on his hands to fight off Ukip (Getty)

Labour will hope to show it is alive and kicking in the first metro mayor elections in May in places such as Greater Manchester, Liverpool and Sheffield. The Tories will hope for a surprise win in the West Midlands, which really would be a sign that May commanded the political landscape. It would add to the temptation for her to seek a general election in 2017 if Parliament threw a spanner in the Brexit works. But on balance, a general election looks unlikely.

Labour will be hoping that other issues come to the fore; if Brexit defines everything, Labour is left stuck in the middle while Remainers look to the Liberal Democrats and Leavers to Ukip. This year will be a big test for Paul Nuttall, Ukip's new leader, as he turns the partys guns on Labour in the North and Midlands. The Lib Dems will try to extend their appeal to the 48 per cent who voted Remain. But they might need another parliamentary by-election in favourable territory like Richmond Park to maintain a high profile.

Even if the Lib Dems and Ukip manage some favourable headlines, they know that their prospects at the next general election will be hampered by a first-past-the-post system that saw the Lib Dems 2.4 million votes produce eight MPs in 2015 and Ukips 3.9 million just one. With Tory turkeys unwilling to vote for Christmas, there is no chance of electoral reform before the next general election.

Parties may have to get smarter at playing the system; 2017 will see the launch of a grassroots campaign for a progressive alliance between Labour, the Lib Dems, Greens and possibly the SNP. However, Nicola Sturgeons main concern will be how to use its dispute with May over Brexit to build support for Scottish independence. That will not be easy.

NHS workers take part in an anti-austerity protest (Getty)

May will need to hold her Cabinet together over Brexit. She may have to reshuffle her pack if one or more of her ministers cannot accept the blueprint that emerges from the Cabinets Brexit committee (chair: T May). She might also have to decide whether Boris Johnson is too candid to remain as Foreign Secretary and move him on to pastures new.

Cabinet pressure is likely to build for more money for social care, where a cash crisis is putting enormous pressure on the NHS. Expect a bail-out in 2017. A big question is whether the next 12 months bring any real evidence of Leave voters regretting their decision. It hasnt happened yet but that could change. Much will depend on the economy.

Leave supporters have seized on the positive signs amid mixed economic figures since June. The picture might look different in a years time. The "just managing" families May promised to champion may see their living standards decline rather than improve. After a momentous 2016, the only safe bet is to expect the unexpected.
Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Jeremy Corbyn will face fresh pressure over EU immigration when a challenger to run Britains biggest union warns its members will feel betrayed unless curbs are introduced.

Gerard Coyne  who is seeking to topple Unite chief Len McCluskey, the Labour leaders power broker  will vow to make post-Brexit restrictions on free movement a key plank of his manifesto.

In a speech on Monday, the man seen as a centrist candidate will call for control of our borders to be a red line in the looming negotiations on EU withdrawal.

With EU leaders insisting members of the EUs single market must accept free movement of citizens, Theresa May should therefore rule out remaining in the trading arrangements, he will say.

The call will see Mr Coyne echo the stance of Conservative Brexit supporters, who are urging the Prime Minister to stick to her stance of no compromise over the need for immigration restrictions.

And it will put him at odds with Mr Corbyn, who has suggested the free movement of workers across the EU should continue after Britains exit.

As The Independent revealed last week, the challenger believes he can defeat Mr McCluskey with a higher turnout of Unite members, a result that could fatally weaken Mr Corbyns position.

Speaking in Birmingham, Mr Coyne will argue that lower immigration was  with the much-ridiculed pledge to give an extra 350m a week to the NHS  the key promise made by the Leave campaign.

And he will say: There is one principle on which the UK Government should not even begin to negotiate. That is over the question of control of our borders.

My many conversations with Unite members leave me in no doubt that those who voted for Brexit expect that promise of an end to uncontrolled immigration from the EU to be kept, and will feel betrayed if it is not.

Mr Coyne, the unions regional secretary in the West Midlands, will argue that 2.9 million EU nationals have brought huge benefits in public services such as social care, for example.

But he will say: The better off have been able to hire Europeans as their cleaners, or nannies, and have their cars washed at little cost, by people eager to work and prepared to accept what are, by UK standards, low wages.

But for the many Britons facing insecurity in the job market, who rely on public services such as the NHS and state schools, and who need affordable homes, the presence of a very large number of foreign nationals has added to the pressures they already face at a time of austerity.

He will call on Ms May to make the issue non-negotiable, adding: There can be no compromise on the principle of taking back control of our borders.

Mr Coynes stance goes much further than Mr McCluskey, who said Unite must listen to the concerns of working people about free movement, but denied he was calling for it to end.

Candidates for general secretary must gather nominations from at least 50 workplaces or branches by 17 February, with the vote to take place between late March and mid-April.

The leadership race was triggered by Mr McCluskey resigning early, in the hope of winning again and staying in charge until 2020  heading off pressure to retire in 2018, when his term ended.

Mr Coyne has criticised the general secretarys obsession with Mr Corbyn and London politics, focusing on workers pay and protection, gender equality  and, now, immigration.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A female suicide bomber believed to be no more than 10 years old has seriously injured another person when she blew herself up in a New Years Eve attack in Nigeria.

The attack, which took place in the north-eastern city of Maiduguri, is believed to be the work of Islamic extremist group Boko Haram, who are notorious for using female suicide bombers to target civilians.

Witnesses said the young girl was buying noodles from a stall in the Customs area of the city at around 9.30pm on Saturday when she detonated her explosives.

"The girl walked towards the crowd but she blew up before she could reach her target," Grema Usman, who lives in the area, told the AFP agency.

"(Judging) from her corpse the girl was around ten years old," Mr Usman said.

The girl reportedly died instantly, while another person was hit by shrapnel.

The rise of Boko Haram Show all 20 1 /20 The rise of Boko Haram The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram The leader of the Islamist extremist group Boko Haram Abubakar Shekau delivers a message. Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for the mass killings in the north-east Nigerian town of Baga in a video where he warned the massacre was just the tip of the iceberg. As many as 2,000 civilians were killed and 3,700 homes and business were destroyed in the 3 January 2015 attack on the town near Nigeria's border with Cameroon AFP The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram People displaced as a result of Boko Haram attacks in the northeast region of Nigeria, are seen near their tents at a faith-based camp for internally displaced people (IDP) in Yola, Adamawa State. Boko Haram says it is building an Islamic state that will revive the glory days of northern Nigeria's medieval Muslim empires, but for those in its territory life is a litany of killings, kidnappings, hunger and economic collapse The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram Nitsch Eberhard Robert, a German citizen abducted and held hostage by suspected Boko Haram militants, is seen as he arrives at the Yaounde Nsimalen International airport after his release in Yaounde, Cameroon on 21 January 2015 The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram Officials of the Nigerian National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) visit victims of a bomb blast in Gombe at the Specialist Hospital in Gombe. According to local reports at least six people were killed and 11 wounded after a bomb blast in a marketplace in Nigeria's northeastern state of Gombe on 16 January 2015. Islamist militant group Boko Haram has been blamed for a string of recent attacks in the North East of Nigeria The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram People gather at the site of a bomb explosion in a area know to be targeted by the militant group Boko Haram in Kano on 28 November 2014 The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram People gather to look at a burnt vehicle following a bomb explosion that rocked the busiest roundabout near the crowded Market in Maiduguri, Borno State on 1 July 2014. A truck exploded in a huge fireball killing at least 15 people in the northeast Nigerian city of Maiduguri, the city repeatedly hit by Boko Haram Islamists The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram President Goodluck Jonathan visits Nigerian Army soldiers fighting Boko Haram Getty Images The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram Displaced people from Baga listen to Goodluck Jonathan after the Boko Haram killings AFP/Getty The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan speaking to troops during a visit to Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State; most of the region has been overrun by Boko Haram AFP/Getty The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram Members of the Nigerian military patrolling in Maiduguri, North East Nigeria, close to the scene of attacks by Boko Haram EPA The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram Boko Harams leader, Abubakar Shekau, appears in a video in which he warns Cameroon it faces the same fate as Nigeria AFP The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram Nana Shettima, the wife of Borno Governor, Kashim Shettima (C) weeps as she speaks with school girls from the government secondary school Chibok that were kidnapped by the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram, and later escaped in Chibok The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram South Africans protest in solidarity against the abduction of hundreds of schoolgirls in Nigeria by the Muslim extremist group Boko Haram and what protesters said was the failure of the Nigerian government and international community to rescue them, during a march to the Nigerian Consulate in Johannesburg The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram Boko Haram militants have seized the town in north-eastern Nigeria that nearly 300 schoolgirls were kidnapped from in April 2014 AFP The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram A soldier stands guard in front of burnt buses after an attack in Abuja. Twin blasts at a bus station packed with morning commuters on the outskirts of Nigeria's capital killed dozens of people, in what appeared to be the latest attack by Boko Haram Islamists, April 2014 The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram The aftermath of the attack, when Boko Haram fighters in trucks painted in military colours killed 51 people in Konduga in February 2014 AFP/Getty Images The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram The leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau (with papers) in a video grab taken in July 2014 AFP/Getty The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram Ruins of burnt out houses in the north-eastern settlement of Baga, pictured after Boko Haram attacks in 2013 AP The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram A Boko Haram attack in Nigeria, 2013 AFP/Getty Images The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram Abubakar Shekau, Boko Harams leader AP

An aid worker involved in the evacuation of area gave a similar estimate of the young bomber's age.

"The girl was clearly not more than ten and this could have made her too nervous, making her detonate the explosives prematurely," the aid worker said.

A second female suicide bomber was reportedly caught by an angry mob before her bomb was safely detonated by security forces.

In December, two girls aged between seven and eight blew themselves up and injured nineteen other people in attacks on the market.

Authorities blamed this attack on Boko Haram, whose seven-year insurgency has killed an estimated 20,000 people and displaced around 2.6 million others.

The terrorist group aims to create an Islamic state governed by strict Sharia law, and has been active in Nigeria and the surrounding countries of Chad, Niger and Cameroon since 2009.

The group came to worldwide media attention after kidnapping 276 schoolgirls in 2014 who it said it intended to sell into slavery. Around 50 of the girls have since escaped, while the rest remain missing.

Saturday's attack came just a month after Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said the jihadist group had been crushed with soldiers flushing out the militants' last enclave in the vast Sambisa forest.

In December, the UN warned as many as 75,000 people could die in the coming year in north-eastern Nigeria unless there was a renewed effort from the international community.

The UN said there were predictions of a major famine, mainly due to the insecurity caused by the activities of Boko Haram.
Sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Nadine White Sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter The Race Report Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

The Race Report email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

The organiser of an armed march against the Jewish population in a small town in Montana has insisted the harassment campaign will go ahead.

The Daily Stormer, an American neo-Nazi website, is planning the march in Whitefish, where the mother of white supremacist Richard Spencer lives.

It will take place in the second week of January, days before president-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated.

Spencer, however, who is not directly affiliated with the website, said the march was just a "joke". On 30 December, Spencer, president of a extremist think tank, posted a Youtube video, calling for an end to the "troll storm" in the town.

On 7 January anti-hate groups are planning their own party to celebrate diversity, featuring singing, story telling and remarks from Whitefish officials and a pastor.

Yet Andrew Anglin, publisher of The Daily Stormer and organiser of the march, said he would apply for a permit and would be there personally.

 National Action spokesman says he's a Nazi whose role model is Hitler

"Montana has extremely liberal open carry laws, so my lawyer is telling me we can easily march through the center of the town carrying high-powered rifles," he wrote.

Currently, my guys say we are going to be able to put together about 200 people to participate in the march, which will be against Jews, Jewish businesses and everyone who supports either. We will be busing in skinheads from the Bay Area.

Anglins proposed march is to target and harass Jewish people in what he perceives to be a retaliatory measure for the alleged protests against Spencers views in the town.

In a blog, Sherry Spencer accused Tanya Gersh, a local real estate agent who is affiliated with anti-hate group Love Lives Here, of threatening her to denounce her sons views and sell her building otherwise Gersh would organise protests.

"Whatever you think about my sons ideas  they are, after all, ideas  in what moral universe is it right for the sins of the son to be visited upon the mother?" Sherry Spencer wrote.

Andrew Anglin then posted pictures of Gersh, her family, including her teenage son, and other Jewish people in the area, along with their contact details and urged a "call for action". He posted pictures of yellow stars on their photos and wrote racial slurs.

Love Lives Here has denied making any threats to Sherry Spencer.

Local police told the New York Times that they were not aware of any death threats to local people after Anglins campaign, but the Montana Human Rights Network said it had received several threatening messages.

An FBI spokesperson confirmed they were "aware of the issue" and were looking into whether there have been any violations of federal law.

Politicians in Montana have told the groups members they will not be welcome, but president-elect Trump has not made any statement about disavowing the group of the event.

Incoming interior secretary Ryan Zinke said in a statement that those with anti-Semitic views "shall find no safe haven here".
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

At least 13 people have been killed in a domestic shooting at a New Years Eve party in Brazil.

The unnamed gunman broke into house in Campinas, around 60 miles from Sao Paulo, where his ex-wife was having a party with family members.

He shot and killed her, their eight-year-old son and at least 10 other people before turning the gun on himself, military police reported.

Three others were wounded in the attack.

Police in Sao Paulo said the attacker is believed to have been angry over the separation with his ex-wife.

His identity, along with the names and ages of his victims are yet to be formally confirmed.

According to local media sources, a total of 15 people have been shot, with the remaining wounded left in a critical condition.

Neighbours said they heard shots fired just before midnight, but mistook the sounds for fireworks.

Christiano Machado told Brazilian news service G1: When we opened the gate to go into the street to see the fireworks, the celebrations, a wounded person came into our yard. He entered, asking for help.

Domestic violence levels are high in Brazil, with some 15 women killed in the country every day.

Although Brazil has high rates of crime and violence, mass shootings such as this are said to be uncommon.
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Donald Trumps press secretary claimed there should be more focus on punishing Hillary Clinton for her alleged manipulation of the election than on Russias alleged undermining of US democracy.

Sean Spicer questioned the magnitude of the scrutiny on Russias alleged cyber warfare against the Democratic National Committee in an attempt to boost his boss into the White House.

He then attempted to deflect questions on an issue which is gathering bipartisan support by focusing on Mr Trumps former Democratic rival.

Why arent we talking about Hillary Clinton getting debate questions ahead of time? Thats a pretty valid attempt to influence an election  somebody giving her debate questions and answers before an election, he said, referring to former CNN commentator and DNC chair, Donna Brazile, allegedly handing over primary season debate questions to the Clinton team.

Mr Spicer said his team was still getting information about Russias supposed hack under direct orders from Russian president Vladimir Putin.

When are we going to start talking about the other side of this, which is what did Hillary Clinton do to influence the election? Is she being punished in any way? asked Mr Spicer.

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

Mr Trump distanced himself from his campaign pledge to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Ms Clintons alleged misuse of her personal email server when she was secretary of state, telling reporters he did not want to hurt the Clintons.

Mr Trump has persistently cast doubt on the claims about Russia, first saying the claims were ridiculous and that he did not believe the CIA report.

He told reporters on New Years Eve outside his Mar-a-Lago resort: if you look at the weapons of mass destruction, that was a disaster, and they were wrong, referring to false information that led the US and the UK to invade Iraq in 2003.

Mr Trump said he would reveal more information about the hack on Tuesday or Wednesday.

I know a lot about hacking, he said. And hacking is a very hard thing to prove. So it could be somebody else. And I also know things that other people dont know, and so they cannot be sure of the situation.

The CIA and the FBI concluded that Russias top intelligence agencies carried out an attack on the DNC, which was approved by the Kremlin.

President Barack Obama imposed sanctions on Russia and expelled 35 Russian diplomats from the US.

Mr Trump praised the Russian president for not retaliating immediately. His team defended the move, saying the president-elect did not want to be boxed in by sanctions.

His incoming secretary of state and oil giant, Rex Tillerson, is a strong opponent of Russian sanctions.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Chinese President Xi Jinping has vowed to defend Chinas "maritime rights" in his 2016 New Year message.

In his 10-minute address, the President said China has achieved its peaceful development while resolutely defending its "territorial sovereignty" amid continuing disputes over the South China Sea.

If anyone makes this an issue of question, the Chinese people will never agree! he said.

Court rules against Beijing in South China Sea row

In a separate congratulatory message sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Mr Xi said China will also work with Russia to strengthen the strategic coordination in international affairs, to bring benefits to both nations.

Recommended China state broadcaster launches network to extend global influence

In the outgoing year Russia and China built up cooperation in many directions and coordinated actions in international affairs, Mr Xi said.

In the coming year, hand in hand with you I am ready to support close cooperation at the high level, to improve mutual trust, he added.

The leaders message is likely to fray the already tense relations between US and China, after a Chinese warship seized an American drone from international waters in the contested South China Sea.

President-elect Donald Trump , who has called global warming a Chinese hoax, looks to spell the end of the climate collaboration between the people in the worlds two most powerful jobs

Beijing was angered by Mr Trumps decision to talk by phone with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen earlier this month, and by his later comments that he did not feel bound by a One China policy regarding the status of Taiwan - a protocol that the US has followed for decades.

Beijing has since called on Washington to reject the Taiwanese leaders request to make a stopover in the United States in January and possibly meet the new administration.

For most of his end of the year speech, Mr Xi struck a populist tone and promised his 1.3 billion citizens that his government would continue to focus on poverty alleviation at home.

Earlier this month, Chinas state council announced new measures to pull 56 million people in the country above the poverty line.

Additional reporting by agencies
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

At least 23 people have died after a ferry caught fire near the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, officials have said.

The vessel was carrying around 200 people when it became engulfed in flames which gutted half of the ship. 17 others are missing, according to officials.

At least 10 people have been taken to hospital for medical treatment for injuries sustained, while some 98 people were reported to have been rescued.

Authorities and rescue workers were still searching for those who remained unaccounted for.

The incident occurred during a trip from the port of Muara Angke to Tidung, a resort island in the Kepulauan Seribu chain which is also known as The Thousand Islands.

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

A spokesperson for Thousand Islands Police said the fire was caused by a short circuit on a power generator on the boat.

It is believed to have happened soon after the trip began.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Taiwan's leader has urged China to engage in calm and rational talks to maintain peace, vowing not to give in to Beijing's recent moves to threaten and intimidate the self-ruled island.

In an end of year news conference, President Tsai Ing-wen said she believed such talks would allow for peaceful and stable relations to be maintained between the two nations, amid reports that China is considering strong military measures against the island.

As long as we can be calm, rational, and maintain a flexible attitude, I believe we should be able to find a solution that allows both sides to maintain peaceful and stable relations, Ms Ing-wen said.

"[Beijing] has been gradually returning to the old ways of dividing, suppressing and even threatening and intimidating Taiwan.

We hope that this is not a policy decision of the Beijing authorities. We will not yield to the pressure nor go back to the old ways of confrontation."

It comes amid reports Chinas military is considering strong measures to prevent Taiwan from moving toward independence, following indications that Donald Trump supports Taiwan's desire to be recognised as an independent state.

The President-elect had a conversation on the phone with Ms Tsai in early December, in a move that broke nearly four decades of US policy, and later said he did not feel bound by a one-China policy.

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

Tensions between Taiwan and China have grown since China suspended contacts with Ms Tsai's administration in June over her refusal to endorse the country's claim that Taiwan and the mainland are part of a single Chinese nation.

Earlier this week, China's first aircraft carrier and five other warships held drills that passed by Taiwan and sailed through the contested South China Sea, prompting Taipei to deploy fighter jets to monitor the fleet.

According to Reuters, three sources said on Saturday that the Chinese military was considering a range of measures against Taiwan, including conducting war games near the island and implementing a series of economic measures to cripple its economy.

The Taiwan issue has become a hot topic within the upper echelons of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) in recent weeks, the sources reportedly added.

Beijing has also ratcheted up efforts to diplomatically isolate Taiwan, intervening to prevent the island's participation in international forums and establishing diplomatic relations with former Taiwan allies.

The number of Chinese tourists visiting the island has meanwhile drastically fallen.

President Tsai also said in her address that the incoming Trump administration could bring changes in international affairs, adding that she expected 2017 to bring uncertainties for her administration, particularly in the first half.

Her office said on Friday that she and a delegation of Taiwanese officials would make two stops in the US as part of a visit to diplomatic allies in Central America next month - a visit China has repeatedly urged Washington to prevent.

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

In response to Mr Trumps phone conversation with the Taiwanese leader, the Chinese government said it was "seriously concerned" about the President-elects threat to change the US's stance on the recognition of the island as an independent state.

The issue is highly sensitive for China, which considers Taiwan as its sacred and inviolable territory and is deeply suspicious of President Tsai Ing-wen, whose ruling Democratic Progressive Party espouses the island's independence.

"If Trump challenges 'one China' after becoming president, this would cross our red line," said one source with ties to China's leadership after the phone call, according to Reuters.

The US is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, but it is unclear whether or not it would send troops in the event of war between China and Taiwan.

Washington also acknowledges Beijing's position that there is only one China and Taiwan is its territory.
Sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Nadine White Sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter The Race Report Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

The Race Report email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Colognes police chief has denied accusations of racial profiling after the force tweeted they had detained hundreds of North African men to prevent a repeat of last years mass sex attack.

The men had gathered late on Saturday near Colognes main train station and in the Deutz district, across the Rhine river.

Police described them as being Nafris  a colloquial term for North Africans  which prompted furious online criticism as it suggested the men had been arrested on the basis of their appearance alone.

Police Chief Juergen Mathies said: "I reject this negative criticism. The clear aim was to prevent similar events to previous year."

He said that of 650 people detained for identity checks, almost all were from North African countries and claimed: "Their characteristics were such that potential crimes could indeed be expected".

The force had been instructed to intervene early to avoid a similar situation to last year where over 1,000 women in the city were mugged, harassed and sexual assaulted.

In the weeks following the attacks, the citys then police chief Wolfgang Albers was suspended from his post after the force was accused of initially trying to downplay the attacks.

Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Show all 13 1 /13 Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Women protest against sexism outside Cologne Cathedral on 5 January after the assaults Oliver Berg/EPA Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Women protest against sexism in Cologne following the rash of sex attacks on New Year's Eve Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police initially failed to mention the assaults in report the following morning EPA Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police officers patrol in front of the main station of Cologne, Germany AP Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks German far-right supporters demonstrate at Cologne`s train station (Reuters) Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Supporters of anti-immigration right-wing movement Pegida in Cologne, Germany, January 9, 2016. Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police used pepper spray to control supporters of Pegida, Hogesa (Hooligans against Salafists) and other right-wing populist groups as they protested against the New Year's Eve sex attacks on 9 January, 2016 in Cologne, Germany Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police use a water cannon during a protest march by supporters of anti-immigration right-wing movement Pegida in Cologne, Germany, January 9, 2016 Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police use pepper spray against supporters of anti-immigration right-wing movement Pegida, in Cologne, Germany, January 9, 2016. Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Artist Mira Moire protests naked in Cologne against the mass sex attacks on New Year's Eve AP Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks A demonstrator holds a sign in German that reads 'No violence against women' during a demonstration in the wake of the sexual assaults on New Year's Eve, outside the cathedeal in Cologne, Germany, 09 January 2016. EPA Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Counter demonstrators hold up a sign reading "Against sexism, against racism" as they protest against a demonstration of the islamophobic movement PEGIDA at the train station in Cologne, Germany, on January 9, 2016. AFP/Getty Images Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Demonstration by a womens group on Saturday (AP) AP

The attacks provoked a furious backlash against German Chancellor Angela Merkels open door policy towards refugees fleeing Iraq and Syria who made the perilous journey across the Mediterranean sea or crossed into Europe through Turkey.

Many blamed refugees for the attacks  even though subsequent reports revealed only three out of the 58 men arrested were from Iraq and Syria.

Recommended Cologne sex attack charge against Algerian man dismissed by judge

The vote for anti-immigration party Alternative for Germany (AfD), whose leader Frauke Petry suggested police should be able to shoot refugees to prevent illegal border crossings, surged in several local and regional elections meaning they entered government in several areas  including Berlin  for the first time.

Around 100 people were arrested in Cologne overnight Saturday but it is unclear as to whether any of the 650 men detained were among them.

Meanwhile authorities logged around 160 crimes that included almost a dozen assaults or insults of a sexual nature.

Cologne Mayor Henriette Reker said she was "happy and relieved" that the night had passed fairly uneventfully. About 50,000 people rang in the new year in front of Cologne Cathedral, officials said.

Additional reporting by AP
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Isis has claimed responsibility for a mass shooting at an Istanbul nightclub as Turkish police said they had detained eight people and were closing in on the chief suspect who carried out the attack.

The gunman, who is still at large, opened fire at a crowd of hundreds of people celebrating New Years Eve at the Reina nightclub, killing at least 39 people and injuring dozens more. The brutal onslaught lasted seven minutes in which time the armed man fired more than 100 bullets into the crowd. It is thought he then changed his clothes and disappeared.

Eight people have been detained in relation while Turkish police have issued an image of the man suspect of carrying out the attack.

An image of the suspect released by Turkish police (Reuters)

The victims include people from Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Lebanon and Libya, according to a Turkish government minister. Israel confirmed one of its citizens, 19-year-old Leanne Nasser, was also among the dead.

"Information about the fingerprints and basic appearance of the terrorist have been found. In the process after this, work to identify him swiftly will be carried out," Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said.

He added it was clear that Turkey's military incursion into Syria, launched in August, had annoyed terror groups and those behind them, but said the offensive would continue until all threats to Turkey were removed.

Kurtulmus also said the attack bore significant differences to previous attacks in Turkey and that it had been carried out to create divisions within Turkish society.

The extremist militant group has released a statement hailing the actions of a "heroic soldier", and said the man fired an automatic rifle and also detonated hand grenades in "revenge for God's religion and in response to the orders" of Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

It says: "In continuation of the blessed operations that Islamic State is conducting against the protector of the cross, Turkey, a heroic soldier of the caliphate struck one of the most famous nightclubs where the Christians celebrate their apostate holiday.

Police have established similarities with the high-casualty attack at Ataturk Airport in June and are investigating whether the same Isis cell carried out both attacks.

Eight people have been arrested in connection with the attack although the gunman is not among them.

Turkish President Erdogan said his country was determined to destroy the source of threats against it. While no one had so far claimed responsibility, Isis and extreme Kurdish separatist groups have staged similar attacks in the past.

As a nation, we will fight to the end against not just the armed attacks of terror groups and the forces behind them, but also against their economic, political and social attacks," the President said in a statement.

They are trying to create chaos, demoralise our people and destabilise our country with abominable attacks that target civilians.

We will retain our cool-headedness as a nation, standing more closely together, and we will never give ground to such dirty games.

Medics carry a wounded person after the attack at a popular nightclub in Istanbul (AP)

Turkish interior minister Suleyman Soylu said efforts were continuing to find the attacker, who entered the nightclub at around 1.15am on Sunday (10.15pm UK time), killing a police officer and a civilian before opening fire into the crowd of up to 700 people inside.

Mr Soylu told reporters: A manhunt for the terrorist is under way. Police have launched operations. We hope the attacker will be captured soon.

At least 69 people were being treated in hospital, with four said to be in a serious condition, the minister added.

Turkey has experienced a series of lethal attacks over the last year, with Mr Erdogan's government blaming a number of its list of foes.

The reaction of officials in the immediate aftermath of the New Years Eve massacre, however, was that it is likely to have been the work of Isis.

Kurdish groups have tended to target security forces rather than carry out indiscriminate killings of civilians.

And, while Ankara had blamed the followers of exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen for other attacks such as the murder of the Russian ambassador to Turkey earlier this month, they have yet to do so for what happened at the Reina nightclub.

Turkish forces are currently involved in a major military operation in northern Syria against Isis as well as the Kurds.

Isis has carried out a series of devastating bombings and shootings in Turkey specifically targeting, at times, the countrys tourist industry. This, along with general turbulence, has resulted in a huge drop in visitors, especially from the West, to the country.

 Police hunt attacker after at least 39 killed in Istanbul massacre

The nightclub, Reina, on the shores of the Bosphorous, had gained a chic reputation among Turkeys affluent, Westernised, secular young people, as well as sports stars and expatriates.

Foreign visitors have included Daniel Craig, Kylie Minogue, Naomi Watts and Jon Bon Jovi. Conservative Muslims have been critical of venues such as these, as well as events such as New Years Eve celebrations, holding that they are incompatible with Turkeys Islamic heritage.

In the violent confusion of the attacks taking place in Turkey there has been a tendency to see a hidden American hand at play, something the Erdogan government had encouraged as relations with Washington have soured.

There have been repeated allegations that US intelligence had colluded with Mr Gulen, who is based in Pennsylvania as well as Islamist groups like Isis.

In response to social media rumours that Washington knew an attack was due to take place and failed to warn Turkey, the American embassy put out a statement that, although a travel warning had been issued to US nationals, there was no information about threats to specific entertainment venues, including the Reina club".

The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) urged people in the area to remain vigilant, and said they could not yet confirm whether there were any British victims.

A spokesperson told The Independent: We are in touch with the local authorities following reports of an incident at a night club in Istanbul. It is still too early to know whether any British nationals were involved.

Travel advice on the the FCO website was updated following the attack, saying: "There is an ongoing police operation in Istanbul as a result of the attack, and the attacker may still be at large.

"You should exercise vigilance and caution at this time, and follow the advice and instructions of the security authorities."

Turkish special force police officers and ambulances are seen at the site of the attack (Getty)

Local reports said some people jumped into the waters of the Bosphorus strait to escape the massacre.

There were reports that the gunman had dressed as Father Christmas, but Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said later: "There is no truth to this. He is an armed terrorist as we know."

Witnesses said the man had spoken in Arabic, suggesting he was not Turkish.

Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin told reporters the attacker had used a long-range weapon to brutally and savagely fire on people, apparently referring to some form of assault rifle.

Unfortunately [he] rained bullets in a very cruel and merciless way on innocent people who were there to celebrate New Year's and have fun, Mr Sahin said.

The Turkish government imposed a temporary media blackout on local coverage of the attack, banning the publication or broadcast of anything that could cause fear in the public, panic and disorder and which may serve the aims of terrorist organisations.

Security in Turkish cities had been heightened during the run-up to the New Year with 17,000 police officers, some camouflaged as Santa Claus, on duty in Istanbul, state news agency Anadolu said. This use of fancy-dress camouflage may have been the source of the confusion about the gunman's clothes.

The mass shooting came at the end of a bloody year in Turkey, where terror attacks by Isis and Kurdish extremist groups resulted in the deaths of more than 180 people.

It is not yet clear whether the attacker had links with terrorist groups, but a security expert said he believed it was a very typical Isis attack.

Security analyst Metin Gurcan told Sky News: Isis hasnt claimed the attack yet, but it is likely that this is a very typical Isis attack, because if you look at Isis attacks inside Turkey in 2016, you see that Isis hit similar targets.

The choice of a very well-known nightclub in which a Christmas party was going on is a perfect fit for an Isis objective."

In the hour after the attack, Justice minister Bekir Bozdag wrote on Twitter: This is a treacherous attack on Turkey, our peace, our unity, our brotherhood and all of us."

World leaders have offered assistance to Turkey.

UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson tweeted: Thoughts with Turkey after cowardly act of terrorism in Istanbul nightclub attack. We stand shoulder to shoulder with our Turkish friends.

Barack Obama offered his condolences for the innocent lives lost, and directed his team to offer appropriate assistance to the Turkish authorities, according to White House spokesman Eric Schultz.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin, who is a joint guarantor with Mr Erdogan of the Syrian ceasefire, reportedly sent a message to the Turkish President stating: It is hard to imagine a more cynical crime than killing innocent people during New Year celebrations.

However, terrorists don't share moral values. Our common duty is to combat terrorists aggression.

Speaking at the opening of Sunday's cabinet meeting, Mr Netanyahu quoted Chancellor Merkels remarks over the weekend that the biggest threat to the future of the world is from extremist Islamic terror, the paper reports.

And Federica Mogherini, the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, wrote on Twitter: 2017 starts with an attack in Istanbul. Our thoughts are with victims and their loved ones. We continue to work to prevent these tragedies.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, condemned the attack and called for concerted international efforts to fight terrorism, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Amid the manhunt, armed police in riot gear blocked off the area surrounding the club, which is one of the most popular spots in the city, as clubbers wearing suits and cocktail dresses poured into the street.

In addition to the 15 foreign nationals, five of the dead have been identified as Turkish people, up to four of whom were working in the club. Authorities had not yet identified 19 others.

Witnesses have described seeing people soaked in blood as they tried to push their way to safety.

Sinem Uyanik told the Hurriyet newspaper: We were having fun. All of a sudden people started to run. My husband said don't be afraid, and he jumped on me.

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

People ran over me. My husband was hit in three places. I managed to push through and get out, it was terrible. People were soaked in blood.

Another witness, Sefa Boyd, told local media: People were escaping to the right and left, leave the victims, where the folks are, and my girlfriend fainted.

It was the most crowded hours at the time, the crowd was crowded inside. but you don't think that this kind of thing will happen in a place like Reina.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

An Israeli teenager who was on holiday with friends in Istanbul was among those killed during a mass shooting at a club in the Turkish city.

Leanne Nasser,18, died when the attacker opened fire at a crowd of hundreds of people celebrating New Years Eve at the Reina nightclub, killing at least 39 people and injuring dozens more.

Miss Nasser, from the Arab-majority village of Tira in northern Israel, had travelled to Istanbul with two friends the previous day for a "few days' trip" to celebrate the turn of the new year, despite reportedly being warned of security threats.

The teenager was reported missing on Sunday morning, at which point their family had pleaded for people to come forward with knowledge of her whereabouts, before it was confirmed by Israeli authorities that she had been killed in the attack.

One of Miss Nassers friends was also injured after sustaining two gunshot wounds in the attack, according to the Jerusalem Post.

The injured womans father told the newspaper she was in good condition following surgery, but that she would remain in hospital for about four days until her condition stabilises.

He added that the young women had travelled to Istanbul especially to celebrate the turn of the new year. They are good friends, and they planned on going for a few days' trip, for New Year's, he said.

Two other Israeli friends they were with were not physically hurt but are reported to be suffering from anxiety.

One of them told Haaretz newspaper: Shots were fired from all directions and I saw dead and wounded people falling near me.

 Eye-witness describes Istanbul attack

I hid in some corner and didnt know what to do. Everyone was screaming and crying and the shooting didnt stop, it sounded like an eternity.

Afterwards, I was evacuated outside of the club and saw that everything was ruined, and a lot of blood and people lying dead. It was a horrific sight.

The young women had reportedly been encouraged not to travel to the Turkish city due to security concerns.

Their friends told them not to come because they thought it was too dangerous. They are very shocked and confused and they just want to get back home, Shira Ben Zion, Israel's deputy consul in Istanbul, told Mail Online.

Israeli officials are providing the young women who survived with consular support and helping them return to Israel, Ms Zion added.

On Friday, the day before the attack took place, Ms Nasser had checked in at Ben Gurion Israeli International Airport on Facebook, saying she and her two friends were travelling to Israel to Istanbul.

Since the news of the teenager's death, hundreds of people have taken to social media to express their grief and offer words of condolence.

One man from Miss Nassers hometown, Ahmad Mansour, wrote on Facebook: Terror reaches my hometown Tira, with about 20 thousand inhabitants.

The city is in mourning today around Layan Nasser, yesterday in the nightclub Reina in Istanbul with a further 38 people had been murdered.

Layan and the other victims were going to celebrate life and rejoice in the New Year, but died for it.

Also among those killed in the attack was mother-of-one Hatice Koc'un, a private security guard from northeast Turkey.

Ms Kocun, 39, was working at the Reina nightclub on the night of the attack, after the venue upped door security for the night due to the intensity of New Years celebrations, according to Turkish news site Haberturk.

Her family reportedly identified the body at the morgue on Sunday and are transporting it to the family home at western city of Balikesir.

The day before the attack, Ms Koc'un, whose daughter is three years old, shared pictures of herself on social media wearing sunglasses and kissing the Turkish flag.

Others killed in the attack are reported to be from Lebanon, Jordan, France, Tunisia, Belgium and Saudi Arabia.

At least five Saudi citizens were among the casualties, a Saudi newspaper reported, while the foreign ministry in Jordan said three Jordanians lost their lives.

In pictures: Istanbul nightclub attacked during New Year party Show all 9 1 /9 In pictures: Istanbul nightclub attacked during New Year party In pictures: Istanbul nightclub attacked during New Year party People talk to medics in an ambulance near the scene of an attack in Istanbul on 1 January 2017 AP In pictures: Istanbul nightclub attacked during New Year party People near the scene of an attack in Istanbul on 1 January 2017 AP In pictures: Istanbul nightclub attacked during New Year party Police secure area near an Istanbul nightclub, Turkey, January 1, 2017. Reuters In pictures: Istanbul nightclub attacked during New Year party Ambulances line up on a road leading to a nightclub where a gun attack took place during a New Year party in Istanbul, Turkey Reuters In pictures: Istanbul nightclub attacked during New Year party Turkish special force police officers and ambulances are seen at the site of an armed attack January 1, 2017 in Istanbul Getty In pictures: Istanbul nightclub attacked during New Year party People embrace near the scene of an attack in Istanbul, on New Year's Day AP In pictures: Istanbul nightclub attacked during New Year party Medics carry a wounded person after an attack at a popular nightclub in Istanbul on 1 January AP In pictures: Istanbul nightclub attacked during New Year party Turkish police secure the area at Ortakoy district under Bosphorus Bridge after the attack on Reina nightclub Getty Images In pictures: Istanbul nightclub attacked during New Year party People leave a nightclub in Istanbul after it was attacked on 1 January AP

The family of Elias Wardini, a Lebanese national, said they had been informed of his death. At least one more Lebanese citizen is reported to have died.

A French-Tunisian dual national was also killed, the French foreign ministry confirmed on Sunday afternoon, while Tunisia's foreign ministry said on Facebook that two Tunisians died. It is unclear if either of them is the French-Tunisian dual national.

Belgium's foreign ministry confirmed a Belgian-Turkish dual national was also among those who had died in the massacre.

Kenan Kutluk, a married father-of-two who was working as a waiter at the Reina nightclub when the gunman stormed in, was among the Turkish citizens killed.

Also reportedly among the dead were Mustafa Sezgin Seymen, who had been engaged and preparing to wed his wife, while Iraqi national Jalal Abbas, who had moved to Turkey to study.

Turkish Prime Minister Yildirim confirmed that more than 60 people were injured, adding that three or four of them were in a critical condition.

Recommended How Istanbul terror attack unfolded

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said efforts were continuing to find the attacker, who entered the nightclub at around 1.15am on Sunday (10.15pm UK time), killing a police officer and a civilian before opening fire into the crowd of up to 700 people inside.

The attacker left his gun at the scene before fleeing, according to the Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, who also rejected earlier reports the assailant was dressed in a Santa Claus outfit.

After Turkey's latest deadly attack, Mr Yildirim said that the country would not be intimidated.

The most important, the biggest assurance for us, is the spirit of solidarity our nation is displaying before all these attacks, he told journalists. There is no problem we cannot overcome.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Dozens of people have been killed as they celebrated New Year at a Turkish nightclub in a suspected terror attack.

Officials said at least one gunman reportedly wearing a Santa costume murdered a police officer and a civilian outside Istanbuls famed Reina nightclub before bursting inside.

The attacker opened fire into the crowd of up to 700 people, killing at least 39  including 15 foreigners  and injuring dozens more in the Ortakoy district.

Interior minister Suleyman Soylu said the attacker was still at large and 69 people were being treated in hospital following the shooting.

"Efforts to find the terrorist are continuing," he said. "Our security forces have started the necessary operations. God willing he will be caught in a short period of time."

Medics carry a wounded person after an attack at a popular nightclub in Istanbul on 1 January (AP)

Local reports said some people jumped into the waters of the Bosphorus strait to escape the massacre, which started shortly before 1.30am local time (11.30pm GMT).

CCTV footage from inside the club was broadcast by Turkish media, appearing to show a gunman dressed as Father Christmas walking through abandoned drinks booths.

Witnesses said the man was wearing a Santa costume and speaking Arabic, suggesting he was not Turkish.

One survivor said she had to climb out from beneath bodies inside the nightclub to flee the attack, where her husband was injured.

Before I could understand what was happening, my husband fell on top me, Sinem Uyanik told the Associated Press outside Istanbul's Sisli Hospital. I had to lift several bodies from on top of me before I could get out.

Vasip Sahin, the governor of Istanbul, described the event as a terror attack but did not name who he thought responsible.

The attacker - in the most brutal and merciless way - targeted innocent people who had only come here to celebrate the New Year and have fun, Mr Sahin said.

In pictures: Istanbul nightclub attacked during New Year party Show all 9 1 /9 In pictures: Istanbul nightclub attacked during New Year party In pictures: Istanbul nightclub attacked during New Year party People talk to medics in an ambulance near the scene of an attack in Istanbul on 1 January 2017 AP In pictures: Istanbul nightclub attacked during New Year party People near the scene of an attack in Istanbul on 1 January 2017 AP In pictures: Istanbul nightclub attacked during New Year party Police secure area near an Istanbul nightclub, Turkey, January 1, 2017. Reuters In pictures: Istanbul nightclub attacked during New Year party Ambulances line up on a road leading to a nightclub where a gun attack took place during a New Year party in Istanbul, Turkey Reuters In pictures: Istanbul nightclub attacked during New Year party Turkish special force police officers and ambulances are seen at the site of an armed attack January 1, 2017 in Istanbul Getty In pictures: Istanbul nightclub attacked during New Year party People embrace near the scene of an attack in Istanbul, on New Year's Day AP In pictures: Istanbul nightclub attacked during New Year party Medics carry a wounded person after an attack at a popular nightclub in Istanbul on 1 January AP In pictures: Istanbul nightclub attacked during New Year party Turkish police secure the area at Ortakoy district under Bosphorus Bridge after the attack on Reina nightclub Getty Images In pictures: Istanbul nightclub attacked during New Year party People leave a nightclub in Istanbul after it was attacked on 1 January AP

Amid the manhunt, armed police blocked off the area as the roads were lined with dozens of ambulances and clubbers wearing suits and cocktail dresses poured into the street.

The Turkish government imposed a temporary media blackout on local coverage of the attack, banning the publication or broadcast of anything that could cause fear in the public, panic and disorder and which may serve the aims of terrorist organisations.

As with those imposed after previous attacks, the order covered the moment of attack; aftermath of the attack and site of crime; public servants conducting their jobs; injured and dead, exaggerated analysis and anything related to the people suspected of involvement with the attack, their methods of transport and whereabouts.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was reportedly being updated on the investigation, while his justice minister Bekir Bozdag vowed that no terror attack will destroy our unity.

Barack Obama was among the world leaders offering assistance to Turkey following the attack  one of a string of recent massacres by Isis and Kurdish extremist groups.

The President expressed condolences for the innocent lives lost, directed his team to offer appropriate assistance to the Turkish authorities, as necessary, and keep him updated as warranted, White House spokesman Eric Schultz said.

Turkish special force police officers and ambulances are seen at the site of an armed attack January 1, 2017 in Istanbul (Getty)

Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Federica Mogherini, the EU representative for foreign affairs, also expressed their condolences.

2017 starts with an attack in Istanbul, Ms Mogherini wrote on Twitter. Our thoughts are with victims and their loved ones. We continue to work to prevent these tragedies.

Germanys foreign ministry said it was distraught and mourn with the people of Istanbul.

The attack sparked warnings for British tourists and residents in the Turkish city.

Travel advice issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office urged people to remain vigilant as it worked to find out whether any British citizens were affected.

"We are in touch with the local authorities following reports of an incident at a night club in Istanbul, a spokesperson said.

Security in Turkish cities had been heightened for New Years Eve, with 17,000 police officers, including some camouflaged as Santa Claus, on duty in Istanbul, according to the state-run Anadolu news agency.

The latest attack came at the end of a bloody year in Turkey, where terror attacks by Isis and Kurdish extremist groups inflicted a death toll of more than 180 in 2016.

 38 killed in twin bombings outside Istanbul football stadium

Twin bombings carried out by the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK) killed 44 people on 10 December, while other blasts have targeted police and the security services.

Isis was believed to be behind the attack on Istanbul Airport in July, as well as previous suicide bombings targeting tourists and shoppers.

The group has only claimed responsibility for targeted attacks against activists, Americans and security forces in Turkey rather than indiscriminate massacres  a technique analysts believe aims to avoid alienating the Sunni Muslim majority country.

Recent propaganda and statements by leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and new spokesman Abu Hasan al-Muhajir have specifically called for attacks in Turkey, which is backing rebel groups attacking its territories in Syria.

Night clubs and drinking venues have previously been targeted by supporters of the group, which classes anyone drinking alcohol as disbelievers, such as in the Paris attacks.

A supporter of the so-called Islamic State was responsible for massacring 49 people at an LGBT-friendly nightclub in Orlando, Florida, in June.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Winners and losers are beginning to emerge in the wars that have engulfed the wider Middle East since the US and UK invaded Iraq in 2003. The most striking signs of this are the sieges of east Aleppo in Syria and Mosul in Iraq, which have much in common though they were given vastly different coverage by the Western media. In both cities, Salafi-jihadi Sunni Arab insurgents were defending their last big urban strongholds against the Iraqi Army, in the case of Mosul, and the Syrian Army, in the case of east Aleppo.

The capture of east Aleppo means that President Bashar al-Assad has essentially won the war and will stay in power. The Syrian security forces advanced and the armed resistance collapsed more swiftly than had been expected. Some 8,000 to 10,000 rebel fighters, pounded by artillery and air strikes and divided among themselves, were unable to stage a last stand in the ruins of the enclave, as happened in Homs three years ago, and is happening in Mosul now.

But what gives the rebel defeat in east Aleppo its crucial significance is not so much the battle itself, but the failure of their foreign backers  Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar  to come to their aid. Ever since 2011, the advance and retreat of government and rebel forces in Syria has been decided by the quantity of arms, ammunition and money they could extract from their outside backers. President Assad always looked to Russia, Iran and Shia paramilitaries from Lebanon and Iraq.

The decisive moment in the Syrian war came in September 2015 when the Russian air force intervened on President Assads side. The US did not like it, but they were not prepared to oppose it militarily. Russia may not be a global superpower, but it is seen as a superpower in the Middle East. Come the assault on east Aleppo, the rebels old allies in Ankara, Riyadh and Doha proved incapable or unwilling to raise the stakes unless backed by the US.

People fleeing from Islamic State militants in Tahrir neighborhood, are seen in Mosul, Iraq (Reuters)

If the rebels traditional allies did not help them when they still held east Aleppo, it is unlikely that they will do so after they have lost it. This does not mean that the US is the fading power in the Middle East as Mr Obamas critics claim, but the White House has been very careful not to be dragged into a war in Syria to serve somebody elses agenda. Getting the US to overthrow Assad was at the heart of the Syrian oppositions policy since 2011, when they believed they could orchestrate regime change in Damascus along the lines of what had just happened in Tripoli with the overthrow and killing of Muammar Gaddafi.

US policy is more proactive than it is given credit for. Obama gave priority to defeating Isis and it is unlikely that Donald Trump will change this. Isis is proving a tough opponent in Iraq and Syria and in December was able to recapture Palmyra, which the Syrian Army, strongly backed by Russia, had taken amid self-congratulatory celebrations in March. An important event that did not happen in 2016 was the defeat of Isis, whose continuing ability to set the political agenda was bloodily demonstrated when a stolen lorry mowed down people at a Christmas fair in Berlin on 18 December.

A more substantive sign of Isiss strength is the ferocity and skill with which it has fought for Mosul. The Iraqi army and Kurdish offensive started on 17 October, and Mosul city was reached on 3 November. Since then progress has been slow and at the cost of heavy casualties. The Iraqi security forces, including the Shia paramilitaries, lost 2,000 dead in November according to the UN. Isis is using hundreds of suicide bombers, snipers and mortar teams to slow their enemys advance, which has so far only taken 40 per cent of east Mosul. Some of the battalions in the elite 10,000-strong Golden Division are reported to have suffered 50 per cent losses.

An Iraqi soldier sits at a checkpoint in an area near Qayyarah (Getty)

In the longer term, the Iraqi government will probably take Mosul, though by then it may not look much different from east Aleppo. One of the few items in Trumps foreign policy that was made clear in the campaign was that there will be total priority given to eliminating Isis. This will have important consequences for the region: the great Sunni Arab revolt in Syria and Iraq aiming at regime change, which seemed to come close to success several times between 2011 and 2014, is faltering and is likely to go down to defeat. Assad and the Shia-dominated government in Baghdad are going to survive.

Russia was a big gainer in 2016 as other powers began to view it, perhaps to an exaggerated extent, as a superpower reborn. President Putin is demonised by Western governments and media, but this is a backhanded recognition of his global influence. At the same time, the US had suffered no great defeat and is repairing relations with Iran. Obamas goals may have been modest, but, unlike those of George W Bush, they were attainable.

Syria has become the battlefield in which confrontations and rivalries that had little to do with Syria are fought out. This is why the war became so intractable. Iran has come out ahead because the Shia alliance it leads is winning in Iraq and Syria. It may look more powerful than it really is because the US destroyed the Taliban in 2001 and Saddam in 2003, the two Sunni powers that had previously hedged Iran in to the east and west. It will soon see if its more positive relationship with the US will be reversed by a Trump administration.

Displaced people walk past a checkpoint near Qayara, south of Mosul, Iraq (AP)

The Arab Spring of 2011 saw revolution, but also counter-revolution: Saudi Arabia and Qatar, followed by the oil-rich Sunni monarchies of the Gulf, sought to take over the leadership of the Arab world that had once been dominated by Egypt, Iraq and Syria. The Gulf states have proved incapable of fulfilling their new role and their various initiatives have produced or exacerbated calamitous wars in Syria, Iraq, Libya and Yemen.

Saudi Arabias more proactive and aggressive policies since King Salman succeeded to the throne in January 2015 have generally ended in frustration. Saudi intervention in Yemen has not ended a stalemated war and air strikes have brought the country to the verge of famine.

The biggest loser of all in 2016, aside from the Syrian and Iraqi people, has been Turkey. It helped stoke the war in Syria only to find that the main beneficiaries were the Syrian Kurds, whose political and military leadership was drawn from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) that has been fighting a guerrilla war in Turkey since 1984. The country's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is devoting his greatest efforts to thwarting the creation of a de facto Kurdish state in northern Syria, and the displacement of Assad has become a side issue.

Erdogan is creating a more authoritarian state as he tightens his grip on state institutions and media in the wake of the failed military coup of 15 July. He justifies his actions as reactions to crises, such as the Turkish Kurd insurgency, that are in large part his own creation. Isis, whose volunteers were once allowed to cross the Turkish-Syrian border with little trouble, are now creeping back to carry out suicide bombings in Turkey.

Donald Trump may try to change existing US policy in the Middle East, but not if he wants to carry out his domestic agenda. On the other hand, the Middle East is the region of perpetual crises which sucks in outside powers whether they like it or not. What the last five years have shown is that violence bred in the Middle East cannot be contained, and it impacts on the rest of the world in the shape of desperate migrants seeking new homes or savage terrorist attacks.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Dear Eric Schmidt (formerly CEO of Google, now Chairman of Alphabet),

Do you want to know the line I heard more than any other in 2016? Well, here it is anyway: You look well for 72. This is from people I was meeting for the first time. Minor variants were fit and considering youre 72  or at least, according to what I read on your Google profile. Google mashed me up with some other guy. So listen Eric, you might like to shave a decade or so off that.

Or, hold on a second, while youre at it, now were on the subject, why not keep on going, take off two decades or three? Thats better, now Im approaching 40 again, just from a slightly different direction. Only suddenly I dont look quite so fit any more. Eric doesnt give a Schmidt what age I am. Good attitude. The Eric philosophy is all about quantity not quality. Its about traffic. Anything you read is wrong.

I would like to write, 2016 was the Year of the Lie. Therefore the good news is that normal service will be resumed and in 2017 Truth will make a comeback and we will enjoy a new Enlightenment. Here is a stone-cold fact. In 2016 the fact died. That species became extinct. There are no more facts, only information. Our lives are now governed by the ebb and flow of data. The digital tide. For a while there I was thinking of standing my ground, like King Canute, but to hell with that. Whats the point of standing against a zeitgeist? You just have to learn to surf the endless curve, the stream, the flood of

I was about to write lies. Correction. In 2016 the lie died and was buried alongside truth. Now, 2017 is the Year Zero of truth. We inhabit an era of extreme scepticism. My hope for the new year is that we can push this further still, make scepticism total and abolish the last remaining shreds of credulity and trust.

Post-truth, the so-called word of the year, was clearly a premature ejaculation, because the sad thing about 2016 is that more than ever we bought into myths under the impression that they were true. I dont remember anyone in any election or referendum saying, The post-truth is We voted for nostalgia and Spitfires and white cliffs, we voted for religion, we believed in 350 million for the NHS, or greatness, or control, and endless forms of bulls**t, masquerading as truth. Like a premature Christmas, we dreamed of a Messiah and heaven. I see 2017 as the year in which we finally get to transcend transcendence. To give up, finally, on salvation. And since beauty is truth, truth beauty, ugly will be the new beautiful. Which will come as a massive relief, even if a blow to cosmetic surgery.

Eric Schmidt (Getty)

But, you will say, Well always have pornography. Courtesy of the world wide web of deceit. An inevitable overflow of binary entanglement. Pure information, only with more sound effects. But the Malthusian principle that where there is overkill there must also be die-back applies. The high tide will recede. The Danish minister of justice who predicted (back in 1969) that legalising pornography would lead to indifference was a prophet. Our fixation on the orgasm will shrink. Masculinity and femininity are exhausting and eccentric postures. We have done the cum-shot to death.

Clearly, when the id has conquered the ego, and everything is outed, the Freudian unconscious must wither away in the harsh studio lights of transparency. In times to come we can look forward to the rise of the zerotic, new forms of asceticism and even friendship, beyond mere romance.

Need I say that identity politics is dead? It turns out that identity is just a big mistake. Its a desperate throw of the dice. Every public profile (had a look at Facebook recently?) is just a failure of the imagination. Everybody is bluffing. All the time. "I" is probably the most successful logo ever. But its gone now. I dont know what will take its place. Maybe we are not quite ready for one.

At least we wont have to worry about authenticity any more. Be more fake. Keep it unreal. The Sacred Book used to be there to inspire belief. The unholy book to come will go about inspiring a new generation of unbelievers.The book will be the new vinyl. In the age of negative epistemology, fiction (I include fantasy, saga, epic, lyric) will be our truth, because at least it admits it is fiction. The novel is not a form of escape, it is our new architecture of understanding. The function of the writer in future will be to alert us to the constructs of narrative.

Conversely, the Hollywood dream factory will, like a new Jean-Luc Godard, own up and lay bare its tricks and snares and contrivances. Tom Cruise, I predict, will emerge as a new hero when he reveals that he only adopted Scientology as a highly sophisticated joke in order to dramatise exactly how absurd our beliefs can be. Then, having climbed up that ladder (or in his case the Burj Khalifa) he will, as Wittgenstein once recommended, push it away. And set us free.

And Eric, that photo on my Google profile is terrible too. But I know youre not going to fix that either. Because I understand that you too are an illusion. Maybe the biggest hoax of all. The great CEO, mystically omniscient and omnipotent. The one. And writing to you is like sending up a prayer, because you never reply (I know, Ive tried) and you never get anything right, either. Or rectify. Youre just another figment, a fantasy, floating on the quantum foam. Youre not going to like this, but I want to recommend a slogan, a mantra for the future: Only disconnect.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Children can be heard screaming just stop daddy on an emergency 911 call made from the home of a South Carolina politician accused of beating his wife.

The call was made earlier this week and released by police to local media. It reportedly contains the sounds of youngsters saying: Daddy, why are you doing this?

The Associated Press said the recording was made at the home of Republican Chris Corley, 36, a member of the state assembly. In a second call, a woman identified by the Aiken County Sheriff's Office as Mr Corleys mother-in-law tells a dispatcher: He beat his wife and hes threatening to kill himself.

Mr Corley, who recently voted for legislation toughening punishments for domestic violence, has been charged with first degree domestic violence and pointing a firearm at a person.

The AP said Mr Corleys wife told officers he stopped hitting her late on Monday only after noticing she was bleeding and hearing the screams of two of their three children, ages two and and eight.

Mr Corley said his wife tried to punch him after accusing him of cheating, and the police report noted a scratch on his forehead. It is unclear if Mr Corley has a lawyer or has formally entered a plea.

House Speaker Jay Lucas has promised to take action if Mr Corley is indicted. By state law, Mr Corley must be suspended from the House if found guilty of a felony charge.
Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Independent Climate email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

If 2016 was the wild drunken party at which the supposed charms of Brexit and Donald Trump worked their magic on just enough people in the UK and US, 2017 is shaping up to be the hangover in which reality begins to bite. And the environment could suffer some of the worst after-effects. Trump, who takes office later this month, has sent mixed messages about climate change, but the overall mood music suggests he will reject the scientific consensus and allow fossil fuels to be burned like there's no tomorrow. Climate scientists have already described his election as a disaster for the world. A booklet called Handling Political Harassment and Legal Intimidation: A Pocket Guide for Scientists is even being distributed at the American Geophysical Union's annual conference, partly because of concerns that the Trump administration will attempt to interfere with science.

Whether these fears are justified will likely become apparent over the next year, possibly from day one of the Trump presidency if he immediately fulfils his pledge to remove the US from the signatories of the Paris Agreement on climate change. The Paris accord has been hailed as a landmark moment in human history and even, according to Barack Obama, what could be the moment that we finally decided to save our planet. But the follow-up summit, the supposed conference of action held in Morocco in November at which the warm words of Paris would be turned into reality, was something of a damp squib in the eyes of some. Campaigners spoke of their extreme disappointment that the rich world was not doing enough to help poor countries cope with the effects of global warming.

At the Marrakesh summit, held as Trump was elected, many delegates insisted that his apparent climate-change denial  as evidenced by delusional comments that global warming is a hoax perpetrated by China  would not derail the worlds efforts to tackle the problem. But it smacked a bit of professional optimism. Dont give up, its not hopeless was the message they wanted to get across. If Washington suddenly drops its leadership role on climate change and champions fossil fuels instead, that would have a massive effect, both directly and as an example for other states to follow. Starting on 20 January, US officials, particularly the US military, which has long recognised the serious risks to world security posed by climate change, must show courage to vigorously challenge Trumps scepticism and attempt to convince him he is wrong.

In 2015, the city of York was flooded after heavy rain which became the worst it had suffered in a generation, where the River Ouse was 5.2m above its normal level (Shuttercock) (Shutterstock)

It is a battle of wills likely to take place behind closed doors, but which could spill out into the open if he sticks to his guns. In the UK, which like the US has played a leading role in the international efforts to limit global warming, climate scepticism is of a milder brand, with the likes of Lord Lawson and Nicholas Ridley accepting much of the science but insisting it wont be as bad as the experts predict. The quality of their arguments  such gems as environmental predictions of doom simply always turn out to be wrong  leaves much to be desired.

But arch-Brexiteers like Jacob Rees-Mogg are already eyeing up the chance to slash environmental regulations after the UK leaves the European Union. Arrayed against them are the UKs environmental groups who have launched a campaign to make this country the greenest country in the world post-Brexit. John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace, pointed to the plummeting price of renewables and the pressure on the Government to act to control air pollution from fossil fuels as signs of hope. While many people have quite fairly seen 2016 as a horror show, especially with the election of Trump, there are reasons to be positive,  he said. People are rightly nervous about 2017, but we will make sure our environment is not sacrificed for short-term corporate greed.

Theresa Mays position is somewhat unclear. Andrea Leadsom, picked by May as Environment Secretary, has said she only became convinced last year that climate change was real. But since becoming a Cabinet minister, she has been repeatedly parroting the mantra that the Governments ambition is for this generation to be the first to leave the natural world in a better state than they found it. The fuzzy language leaves plenty of wriggle room, but could be a genuine statement of intent. The proof should come over the next few months as the Government lays out its carbon emissions reduction plan, a 25-year plan for the environment and a separate 25-year plan for food and farming.

The Great Repeal Bill  required as part of the Brexit process  should also reveal how much EU environmental legislation is adopted into UK law and how much is ditched. May, an arch-pragmatist at a time when one is most certainly needed, may decide to pay little more than lip service to climate change and the environment while focussing on preventing Brexit from causing the economic collapse of the UK. Whether this threat is real or a phantom should become more apparent after Article 50 is triggered in the spring.

Researchers predict 1,600 glaciers in Norway could completely melt over the next 100 years, meaning only 28 glaciers would be left in the country (Shuttercock)

With the UK otherwise pre-occupied and the US in the grip of a climate denier, Chinas attitude to climate change will be increasingly important. China came to the realisation that climate change required serious action relatively late. It had good reasons to avoid confronting reality after largely running its rapidly growing economy on coal, but it has since become something of a world leader on renewable energy and announced its ratification of the Paris Agreement at a joint ceremony with the US. Over the next year it should become clear whether Beijing will stick to this path or slide back towards climate science denial and fossil fuels. If that happens, it could be game over for life as we know it on the planet as average global temperatures increase by Armageddon-like levels of 5-7C. A recent study suggested we might already be heading in that direction.

So 2017 is shaping up to be quite a significant year. Unless of course global warming does turn out to be the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on humanity by an evil cabal of virtually every scientist on the planet  all in the name of winning research grants. But if you believe that, youre probably still drunk.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

For many, it will feel like they have heard about nothing but the EU since the vote to leave the bloc in June  but the fact is it will be an issue that will dominate the agenda again for 2017, at least if you are in Britain.

The Brexit vote ended in a result that shook much of the continent, but neither the UK Government nor EU officials appear to know what it means. Clarity  at least in part  could come when Prime Minister Theresa May lays out her plans for a global Britain in a speech early in the year. Many, including some in Brussels, may hope that the speech makes the situation less muddy  but the path through negotiations will likely be difficult for both sides.

While the referendum result was a big blow to the European project, the truth is that the EU had faced a number of other problems in the preceding 12 months that will likely roll into 2017.

One major issue is how to deal with the thousands of refugees and migrants that continue to try and make their way across the sea to mainland Europe from the many warzones in the Middle East. Thanks to a slow and fragment response to the crisis that has been present for a number of years the problem is now two-fold  how to stop people making their way to mainland Europe, and then how to resettle those that have.

One route was thought to have been closed off with an agreement with Turkey was the Aegean Sea. Turkey had agreed to take many of those who had made it across the sea back from Greece, but as talks over opening the door to EU ascension have floundered following the failed coup against Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan this past summer, that deal has been thrown into doubt.

A Senegalese man aboard a search and rescue vessel as it makes its way to Vibo Valentia, Italy, in November (Getty)

The number of refugees and migrants using the Aegean route has fallen dramatically, but the number of deaths across the Mediterranean as a whole in 2016 reached a new peak of more than 5,000  thanks to those taking the central Mediterranean route mostly from Libya. More will need to be done to stop the smugglers cramming people onto boats to help stem the flow of people  but the more pressing issue for many countries is how to deal with the people that have already made it.

Sensing the potential political fallout from taking in too many refugees, many nations across the EU have been very slow to settle the numbers required to alleviate the stress on nations such as Greece and Italy  it remains to be seen whether any headway will be made this year, but the conditions for many kept in shelters and centres on the fringes of the continent mean that speed should be of the essence.

One of those who has felt the pressure of her policy on refugees is German Chancellor Angela Merkel. With Germany having taken in more than a million refugees and migrants, Merkel has faced criticism following a spate of terror attacks across Germany in 2016, some of which that have been blamed on asylum seekers who were in line to be deported  including the attacker in the most recent incident in Berlin just before Christmas.

The anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) has made gains off the back of anger over the attacks  and there have been suggestions that Merkel could potentially could face difficulties in seeking a fourth term as Chancellor in parliamentary elections later in 2017, particularly as sections of her own party have questioned immigration policy. However, a complete defeat for Merkel and her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party seems unlikely  even if the AfD might win seats in the German parliament for the first time. Especially as few would be willing to join a coalition containing the AfD.

Dutch far-right politician Geert Wilders, who was recently found guilty of hate speech, could do well in the forthcoming Dutch election (AP)

While Merkel being toppled would be seismic event, there are a number of elections across Europe in 2016 that could prove to be more interesting, particularly in terms of the performance of the hard-wing populist elements.

In March, the Dutch go to the polls in parliamentary elections where the far-right Freedom Party have consistently led in the polls in recent months. Their leader, Geert Wilders, recently found guilty of inciting discrimination, would seek a large enough win over the centre-right Peoples Party to be able to form a government. It is set to be close between Wilderss party and the Peoples Party, led by Mark Rutte. Even if the Freedom Party finish second, they may try and form a coalition with another party. A solid win for the pro-European moderate Mr Rutte, or at least one where he doesnt have to contemplate a partnership with Wilders, will be a welcome relief for the EU establishment.

This year also sees elections in Serbia and Norway, but the hammer-blow to the European project could come from France. A vote for a new president will take place over two rounds in April and May, with the rise of Marine Le Pens Front National (FN) party the main concern. Ms Le Pen is tipped to make the second round run-off  likely against the winner of the centre-right primary Francois Fillon. Fillon is expected to then take office comfortably according to polls  but polls have lost some of their lustre thanks to the results of 2016. The disintegration of support for the leftist Socialist party  with President Francois Hollande polling abysmally before deciding to step aside may actually help Fillion if it comes down to anyone but Le Pen.

The wildcard election is Italy. While it is not clear when, or if, one will happen this year the resignation of Matteo Renzi after losing a referendum on constitutional reform has opened an avenue to other anti-European parties. Two opposition parties oppose the EU, with Beppe Grillos Five Star Movement the lead proponent. Depending on what election system is used, Five Star could form a coalition or count on support in any potential run-off round.

Posters calling for a No vote in Italys constitutional referendum in December (Getty)

Two other leaders hang over all this like spectres. The first is Donald Trump, an unknown quantity that European leaders appear to be treading lightly around before he takes office in late January. The second, arguably larger, presence is that of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He has played a leading role in the Syrian conflict this year, a civil war in which a number of European nations are entangled, so nations have to tread carefully. Putin has indicated he is looking to start positively with Trump, a position which will provide further strength.

Russias involvement in the conflict in Ukraine, and the fears of aggression from the nations on its borders will also provide a headache for the EU and a number of other nations.

Mr Putin also has a role in dealing with the threat of Isis and other terror groups in Syria and provides another complicating factor. The threat of attack from jihadi cells is something that stalks leaders across the continent. Germany, Belgium and France have faced attacks in 2016 with plots thwarted elsewhere in Europe. Safety of civilians is at the top of the list of priorities for any government, so the threat of attack will also shape polices during 2017.
Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

This year has been rather remarkable in terms of the speed of political change. The ascension of Donald Trump to the position of President-elect surprised the world, as did the Brexit vote in June. The fallout from these two events has been so significant that it's hard to recall that the Panama Papers scandal also happened back in January 2016. It seems a time ago.

Many have gained, and many have lost, over this year. Here are my political winners and losers from the turbulent 12 months that made up 2016.

Political winners

Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson began the year as the Mayor of London, while also ensconced in the safe Conservative seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip. He successfully campaigned for the country to leave the EU (although his commitment to that position has been questioned), and then progressed from a Conservative Party leadership candidate to the position of Foreign Secretary. Despite his gaffes  which included writing two columns before announcing his intentions during the Brexit campaigns, promising 350m for the NHS, and the infamous Gove betrayal  Boris has nevertheless gone from strength to strength. His public image and sense of humour have arguable saved him, yet one wonders how much longer his luck can last.

 Boris Johnson sends out Christmas message

Donald Trump

Trump has progressed from business mogul to the President-elect of the United States. His shock win in November sent reverberations around the globe, as many of us (yes, me included) did truly believe that Hillary Clinton would walk the election. He now holds the highest political office in the world, despite having precisely no political experience, is settling a string of court cases against him, and boasts a tendency to say some pretty horrible stuff about women, immigrants, and, well, just everyone who disagrees with him. Just today, in a bizarre new year message to the people, he talked about his numerous "enemies". In hindsight, Trump has reminded us all that nothing in certain in politics. Perhaps the art of assumption will finally be abandoned in 2017.

Tim Farron

Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron increased his party's council representation by 45 seats in last May's local elections, and the Lib Dems triumphed over Zac Goldsmith in the Richmond Park by-election. He has brought the Lib Dems back to the forefront of British politics, and produces quality questions during PMQs, rivalling Jeremy Corbyn and Angus Robertson at times. The 'third party' still has way to go  but Farron has laid the groundwork for a Lib Dem comeback.

Nigel Farage

Farage successfully campaigned for us to leave the European Union, despite not being a part of the official campaign to do so. He also threw his support behind Donald Trump and, even though the one political office he currently holds (as an MEP) is one he seems to despise, he has become a staple figure in the political media.

 Nigel Farage seen at Trump Tower again

Political losers

Zac Goldsmith

Zac has had a bit of a shocker. After running a divisive campaign against Sadiq Khan in the London Mayoral election and losing, he then failed in his campaign to stop the Government agreeing to an expansion of Heathrow airport, and then lost his own seat in Richmond Park to the Liberal Democrats in one of the biggest own goals in recent British politics. On the plus side, as he noted himself, at least he'll have more time to spend with his family in the coming year.

Hillary Clinton

Clinton won the popular vote by some 2m votes, yet lost the presidential election to Donald Trump. A victory would have made her the first woman to assume the office of American president. Alas, that glass ceiling remains unshattered. Since her loss, she has removed herself from the public eye. One wonders what the future holds for her.

 HIllary Clinton: 'America is more deeply divided than we thought'

David Cameron

Cameron has gone from Prime Minister to Witney MP to, well, nothing  and all in the space of a few short months. Saying that, I hear he is earning quite a bit of cash giving speeches on Wall Street these days, and the Daily Mail has tipped him as a candidate for Nato chief. His bank balance hasn't suffered as much as his political career has, so our sympathy should remain at a minimum for Call Me Dave.

The Coup Masters

The Labour Party coup, designed to unseat the hapless Jeremy Corbyn in the wake of the Brexit vote, was an unmitigated disaster. If anything, it riled his supporter base so significantly that it solidified the leader's power and hold over the party. Attempts to disenfranchise new Labour members by stopping them from voting in the election frustrated a lot of people. What will 2017 hold for moderate Labour MPs, who now dwell on the backbenches while Corbyn, Diane Abbott and John McDonnell run the show?

Keith Vaz

Vaz faced an unmitigated PR disaster involving some prostitutes and various substances this year. Saying that, he managed to keep his position as MP for Leicester East and Scotland Yard has dropped any investigations into his actions, so things could have been worse.
Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Will Donald Trump turn out to be a good President? Of all the uncertainties facing the world this year, that is the big one. Nothing matters more.

It is a measure of the greatness of the United States that this should be so. It is why much of the American establishment is so cautious, and why European leaders are so concerned. If the EU were to collapse this year  unlikely, but not unthinkable  that would upset a lot of people in Europe, but it not be a disaster for the world as a whole. If, however, the US were to make a really big policy error, then 2017 would become a catastrophe.

Looking back, the US has had its fair share of bad presidents. In the past century Richard Nixon is among the most reviled, though his big call  that the US needed a rapprochement with China  now looks remarkably prescient.

Some are simply unlucky. Herbert Hoovers name lives on in one of Americas great public works projects, the Hoover Dam. That was surely the right response to the Great Depression, but Hoover, who took office eight months before the Wall Street crash of 1929, was overwhelmed by scale of the economic collapse and lost to Franklin D Roosevelt in 1932.

Nor is the judgement of the electorate at the time of office much guide to the judgement of history. Warren Harding, President from 1921 to 1923, is now ranked as one of the worst-ever US presidents, remembered now for a series of scandals involving not just himself but members of his cabinet. These emerged after his sudden death. Yet he has been elected by a landslide and in office was one of the most popular presidents.

 'This isn't Woodstock' - Trump adviser on inauguration

And the famous checks and balances that are supposed to limit the power of the President? Well, they have not always worked in favour of wise policies. Congress has not always got things right.

Hoover signed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff, which led to a collapse in world trade and prolonged the depression, but he did so only reluctantly. And the isolationist lobby in Congress inhibited FDRs efforts to give more support to Britain in the Second World War, until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour forced the issue. Even then, the US hesitated in declaring war on Germany. Fortunately, four days after the attack, Hitler declared war on the US and that settled the matter.

And President Trump? It is sometimes difficult for a Briton (albeit one with family in the US and a lifelong affection for the country) to write credibly about US politics, but here are three thoughts about things to look for in the months ahead as Trump takes office.

The first is that the US has a very resilient political system. We may start to see evidence of that resilience quite soon. It could come in the confirmation process for cabinet appointments, where hopefully Congress will behave in less partisan manner than it did over the Obama nominations. It will come in the decisions of the Federal Reserve, as the US returns to more normal monetary policy. The Fed is independent, but needs to have that independence protected. And it will come in the courts, not so much in the appointments to the Supreme Court, though that is a huge issue, but rather in the way lower courts deal with practical issues.

I suppose the key question here is whether this Congress wants to be remembered as a successful one, which requires a greater degree of harmony than in the past eight years. Politics should never be a game of winner take all, and over the years American politics have respected the losing side.

The second thought is that presidents are remembered for getting a few, perhaps just one, really big decisions right. We remember John F Kennedy for his masterly handling of the Cuba crisis, the closest the world came to nuclear war since 1945. That on the face of it is greatest concern about Donald Trump. Most people have some kind of filter between what goes on in their brain and what comes out of their mouth  or their Twitter account. The Donald, we know, does not. That reflects the transformation of communications more generally, where what was bar-room banter has been transformed into messages read by millions.

Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Show all 28 1 /28 Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Brian Adcock Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Dave Brown Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Brian Adcock Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Dave Brown Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Dave Brown Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Brian Adcock Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Dave Brown Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Dave Brown Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Dave Brown Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Brian Adcock Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Dave Brown Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Brian Adcock Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Dave Brown Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Brian Adcock Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Dave Brown Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Brian Adcock Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Dave Brown Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Brian Adcock Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Brian Adcock Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Christian Adams for Daily Telegraph Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Martin Rowson for The Guardian Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Christian Adams for Daily Telegraph Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Morten Morland for The Times Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Bob Moran for Daily Telegraph Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Christian Adams for Daily Telegraph Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Morten Morland for The Times Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' KAL for The Economist Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Martin Rowson for The Guardian

But words do matter. The danger is partly that abuse of language, or indeed abusive language, will nudge the world towards some crisis that requires the US President to get the big decision right. It is also that the language will make it harder for him to do so. Language is freedom; but if abused it can box you into a corner.

The third thought is that, on a long view, this not a particularly dangerous moment for the world. The US has to manage its relations with two great powers: Russia and China. It has to fit in with the global movement towards more responsible treatment of the environment. And it has to find ways of sharing the wealth its great economy generates more fairly among its people.

But it does not face, as President Obama did, the worst recession since the Second World War. All we outside the US ask of the next President is reasonable competence. The wider strengths of that extraordinary nation will do the rest.
Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

With the new year comes a bloody reminder that the destabilisation of the entire Middle East region continues, and may even accelerate during 2017. There may be a fragile ceasefire in the Syrian civil war  the peace of the graveyard  but the last few years have seen the fracturing and destruction of entire nations in a way that would have seemed unimaginable for much of recent history.

Like dominoes, Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen have all suffered, and terribly, the human cost still being paid by the injured, bereaved and homeless. Egypt seems poised on the margins of meltdown. Now Turkey, a regional superpower, Nato member and long thought more a player than a victim in this pitiless saga, is being pulverised by violence.

That violence, ominously, is perpetrated by a variety of forces: Islamist extremists, Kurdish separatists, the secular forces behind the botched military coup in the summer, and the more brutal elements within President Erdogans regime. Not since the fall of the Ottomans a century ago has the very unity and future of the nation been so precarious, and its power so obviously waning. That is bad news for the region, for Europe, and for the world.

 Footage of Istanbul attack and aftermath

Low level terror has become almost a norm in Turkey. Almost every month there is some act of indiscriminate or political murder, targeting wedding guests, airports, military convoys, party-goers, the Russian ambassador and, now, the leading nightclub in the country  a symbol, presumably, of the dissolute ways of the Turkish secular elite in eyes of some religious fundamentalists.

The usual reaction from President Erdogan is a further crackdown on civil liberties, legitimate political dissent and a purge of the police and other state institutions. It hasnt worked. Nor can it while Turkeys foreign and security policies remain so confused and shifting.

At times, the nation has seemed on the brink of war with Russia, only to find that the two countries have an overwhelming shared interest in suppressing Isis at almost any cost to Syrian civilians, hence the recent ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey. Turkey relies on the US for military support, yet chides it for harbouring Fetullah Gulen, the opposition leader held responsible for the attempted coup. Most dangerously foolish of all, Turkey had previously turned a blind eye to Isis for as long as it seemed a useful force to fight the Kurds, which Isis did with a ruthlessness that even Mr Erdogan would flinch from. Before that, the Turkish Government had been alternately for and against the Assad government. Like the West, it has never been quite sure what to do with Jabhat al-Nusra, now renamed, complete with its variable links to al-Qaeda.

None of which has done Turkey, or Mr Erdogan, much good. It betrays the fact that Turkeys government has failed to understand the nature and the enormity of the threats facing the nation.

The Kurdish question will not be solved unless there is a proper consensual accommodation with the legitimate desire of the Kurdish people for self-determination. A de facto Kurdish homeland and multi-ethnic political entity has already established itself in its autonomous northern province in Iraq and the federalised Rojava region of northern Syria, running the length of the Turkish frontier. Turkey can no longer rely on Saddam and Assad to insure itself against Kurdish nationalism.

Of course a political deal with the Kurds is unacceptable to many in Turkey, and could well mean the secession of the Kurdish territory, and Turkeys territorial integrity. But that may happen anyway, as the inevitable end point of the current trend of violence and oppression in the region.

Turkey faces the possibility of collapse as a unitary, secular democratic state unless it neutralises the least lethal threats to itself, such as that presented by the Kurds. Under President Erdogan, in partnership with his new friends in the Kremlin, that seems a forlorn hope  even at this most hopeful time of the year.
Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Probably like you, I have a high aversion to mortal risk and a low tolerance of anything that could harm my family  but I also believe that travel is almost always a benign and rewarding experience, both for the traveller and for the host community. So last January, the peak sales month for summer holidays, I booked a family holiday on Turkeys glorious southern coast.

One week earlier, 10 members of a German tour group had died in a suicide bomb attack in Sultanahmet Square in the heart of Istanbul. Each of those lost lives, taken by an amateur fascist intent on spreading hate and division, was a tragedy. But set against the millions who visit Turkeys largest city each year, and millions more who holiday on the coast, the chances of coming to harm on a package holiday to a resort remained extremely low.

Many British families, however, disagreed. In March, the tour operator wrote to say: Whilst Turkey remains a popular destination for UK holidaymakers, in common with other travel companies, we are seeing lower demand this year. Our chosen property was one of several that would remain closed. We ended up in Greece instead, inadvertently contributing to the collapse of around half of the Turkish tourist economy.

 2017: Cities around the world ring in the New Year

Since then, mass slaughter has become a regular occurrence. Attacks in Istanbul, the capital Ankara and elsewhere have claimed hundreds of victims.

A massacre at Istanbuls main airport in June killed more than 40 people. Two months later, even people died in a blast at a wedding in the south-eastern city of Gaziantep. Inevitably, the former caught the worlds attention  and mine. And last night, 39 people were shot dead while celebrating in an Istanbul nightclub. Many prospective visitors to Turkey will be shocked by a New Year massacre on the shores of the Bosphorus.

Risk-assessing Turkey is complicated because there are many enemies of civilisation, tolerance and freedom. Perpetrators of terrorist attacks include Isis, Kurdish separatists and two far-left political factions.

Without wishing to diminish the scale of the atrocities in cities near the Syrian border, I have focused on the chances that places on the tourist trail will be hit. Istanbul is a great global metropolis. Races and religions have converged on the city through the centuries, as a hub along the Silk Road and the Hippie Trail. Increasingly, though, it looks a shaken, vulnerable place. People are staying away. Tonight, you can get a luxury room at a top hotel, the Conrad Istanbul Bosphorus, for 72  less than the cost of a Premier Inn in London.

In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Show all 17 1 /17 In pictures: Turkey coup attempt In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish President Erdogan attends the funeral service for victims of the thwarted coup in Istanbul at Fatih mosque on July 17, 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey Burak Kara/Getty Images In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Soldiers involved in the coup attempt surrender on Bosphorus bridge with their hands raised in Istanbul on 16 July, 2016 Gokhan Tan/Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt A civilian beats a soldier after troops involved in the coup surrendered on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey, 16 July, 2016 REUTERS/Murad Sezer In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Surrendered Turkish soldiers who were involved in the coup are beaten by a civilian Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Soliders involved in the coup attempt surrender on Bosphorus bridge Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wave flags as they capture a Turkish Army vehicle Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt People pose near a tank after troops involved in the coup surrendered on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey, 16 July, 2016 Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers block Istanbul's Bosphorus Brigde Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt A Turkish military stands guard near the Taksim Square in Istanbul Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Pierre Crom/Twitter In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers secure the area as supporters of Recep Tayyip Erdogan protest in Istanbul's Taksim square AP In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Murad Sezer/Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers detain police officers during a security shutdown of the Bosphorus Bridge Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish Army armoured personnel carriers in the main streets of Istanbul Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Chaos reigned in Istanbul as tanks drove through the streets EPA/TOLGA BOZOGLU In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks to media in the resort town of Marmaris Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Supporters of President Erdogan celebrate in Ankara following the suppression of the attempted coup Reuters

I look forward to returning to Turkey soon, because the best way to counter random violence is to assert its futility by not changing your behaviour. The risks of a holiday in Turkey remain low, with road accidents presenting more of a danger than deranged gunmen or terror attacks.

This vast country has welcoming people, a rich heritage. fabulous cuisine and great beaches. But as millions of British families begin the midwinter search for a sunny escape, their fears may steer them elsewhere.
Officers were called to Ballyfermot, west Dublin, on New Year's Day

A woman aged in her 70s is fighting for life after an apparent stabbing, gardai said.

Officers were called to the scene in Oranmore Road, Ballyfermot, west Dublin, at around 9.30am on New Year's Day.

The victim was taken to St James Hospital with "apparent stab wounds", a Garda spokesman said.

"Her condition is described as critical," he added.

No arrests have been made and investigations are continuing.

Gardai said they are treating the apparent stabbing as an assault causing harm incident.

They have appealed for witnesses.
Ambulances rushing away from the scene of an attack in Istanbul, early Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017. Private NTV television said more than one assailant may have been involved in the attack. The attacker or attackers are believed to have entered the nightclub in Istanbul's Ortakoy district disguised as Santa Claus, the station reported (AP Photo)

A gunman believed to have been dressed in a Santa Claus costume opened fire at a nightclub in Istanbul during New Year's celebrations, killing at least 35 people and wounding several others.

Private NTV television said a police officer and a civilian were killed in the attack targeting the popular Reina nightclub in Istanbul's Ortakoy district.

News reports said more than one assailant may have been involved in the attack and more than 500 people were inside the club at the time.

The attacker is believed to have shot at police outside the nightclub before entering and firing on people inside. Some customers jumped into the waters of the Bosporus to escape the attack, the report said.

Expand Close People run away from a nightclub where a gun attack took place during a New Year party in Istanbul, Turkey, January 1, 2017 Picture: Ismail Coskun/Ihlas News Agency via REUTERS / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp People run away from a nightclub where a gun attack took place during a New Year party in Istanbul, Turkey, January 1, 2017 Picture: Ismail Coskun/Ihlas News Agency via REUTERS

NTV said the assailant may still be inside the nightclub.

Vasip Sahin, the Governor of Istanbul Province, said the attacker, armed with a long-barrelled weapon, killed a policeman and a civilian outside the popular Reina nightclub in the city's Ortakoy district before entering and firing on people partying inside.

He did not say who may have carried out the attack.

"Unfortunately (he) rained bullets in a very cruel and merciless way on innocent people who were there to celebrate New Year and have fun," Mr Sahin said.

Expand Close Ambulances line up on a road leading to a nightclub where a gun attack took place during a New Year party in Istanbul, Turkey, January 1, 2017. Picture:Ismail Coskun/Ihlas News Agency via REUTERS / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Ambulances line up on a road leading to a nightclub where a gun attack took place during a New Year party in Istanbul, Turkey, January 1, 2017. Picture:Ismail Coskun/Ihlas News Agency via REUTERS

Footage from the scene showed at least six ambulances with flashing lights and civilians being escorted out. NTV said police had cordoned off the area and an operation to capture the assailant was continuing.

Police cordoned off the area about two miles from the nightclub.

Security measures had been heightened in major Turkish cities, with police barring traffic leading up to key squares in Istanbul and the capital Ankara.

In Istanbul, 17,000 police officers were put on duty, some camouflaged as Santa Claus and others as street vendors, state news agency Anadolu said.

Ankara and Istanbul have been targeted by several attacks in 2016 carried out by the Islamic State group or Kurdish rebels, killing more than 180 people. ( Associated Press)
NICELY SCULPTED: The new E-Class Estate looks good from the outside and stays on the elegant side of pimp on the inside too

We spoil our children so much it's almost merciless. Perhaps we know that we shouldn't but we still do.

Any excuse will do and there is none better than Christmas. Especially when your son is returning for the festive break after getting a massive promotion in his already pretty impressive job. And it's time for Dad to show off a bit too and live the life to which he aspires.

There was probably no better car in which to pick up my son at Dublin Airport a week or two back than the Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate. The E-Class Saloon was probably the best - pound-for-pound - car launched last year for everything from technology, and driving ability to comfort and safety. It's a real looker too.

The estate might not be as good but it is almost there and the test model was shiny white with a lovely ivory leather interior. All I needed was a black suit and peaked cap and I could have acted as a chauffeur. Not that the son and his girlfriend minded. This was high-class luxury anyway.

The E-Class Estate even has the option of two child-sized rear-facing seats in the back which makes it a great option against rather unsightly SUVs.

It reminded me of my old Saab 9-5, the estate version of the classic rally-winning 96, which also had two pull-up seats under the rear-loading area. I had many a good night in the late 1970s and early 1980s ferrying a mix of six family and friends to soirees.

The sixth-generation E- Class Estate is much more sculpted than its boxy predecessors. A few litres of space have been lost for a lower, more CLS, roofline. Yet carrying capacity is still massive, beating its premium rivals, but losing out to the Skoda Superb and, surprisingly, the Peugeot 308 SW.

It's an absolute knock-out cabin with linear colour lighting. Lovely furnishings, wood fascia and total comfort - it stays just on the elegant side without going full-out pimp.

My colleague Andrew English in the Daily Telegraph talked about "soft, saddle-stitched leathers amazing seats with backs shaped like a woman's torso, and the creamy ripple of the switches and effortless swish of the dials nothing says Mercedes-Benz quite like this".

He encourages spending on the options for the different "wow" effect. That would include getting the panoramic glass sunroof "which gives the impression you are taking tea at The Savoy orangery". He would perhaps know more about that than I do.

Yet by loading up the spec, the whole car gets very pricey and the initial cost of the big-selling E220d Avantgarde Automatic version at 55,700 can very quickly increase by 20,000.

Mercedes-Benz says this model is "the most intelligent estate they have ever built". Driver Assistance Systems include such standard fitments as Active Brake Assist, for emergency braking; Attention Assist, to alert the driver to inattentiveness or drowsiness; and Crosswind Assist, which lessens the effects of strong crosswinds.

An optional Driver Assistance package offers a further suite of safety features that makes the E-Class have almost autonomous driving - it will overtake for you, stay within white lines, raise or lower speeds to stay with other vehicles.

The car can even be parked remotely. The cost may be heavy but it will come down as it trickles into other models. Handling is comfortable and quiet. OK, it doesn't excite but rather effortlessly glides you along.

At the moment, the engines are limited in choice with the main emphasis on diesels, especially the 220d. Despite their low CO2 emissions and fuel consumption, they are not the way forward. However, the new two-litre all-aluminium unit is quiet, powerful and has rather impressive engineering. All cars have the nine-speed auto box which spoils you for anything else.

Estate cars have never been big over here and importers fall over themselves to call their estates something like 'sportwagon' or SW.

Yet Mercedes-Benz sales manager in Ireland Ciaran Allen regards this latest E-Class Estate as the one that will ''turn convention on its head''.

''Combining legendary E-Class luxury, comfort and prestige with the versatile and practical features that estate car owners will recognise, we are confident the new E-Class Estate will appeal to many who may be considering estate car ownership for the first time,'' Allen said.

And, as I said, it does make a really plausible alternative to the SUVs, especially when four-wheel drive models arrive.

I rather like the Mercedes advertising phrase that "one day you promised yourself you would be driving a Mercedes, that day is now". If you have the money, through hard saving, an insurance policy, inheritance or your work position, it would be hard to do better.

But the rub of the 'Mercs and perks' idea could be turned back on the company itself. A Merc might be attainable, but all those extras rarely are, unless someone else is paying for them.

The E-Class Estate took up a lot of space in our garage next to our soon-to-be five years old Hyundai i10. Yet it always parked effortlessly thanks to all the cameras and sensors.

I wanted feedback from my partner about the E-Class Estate. She is renowned for positive critical judgments about me, especially what I wear, drink and eat. But on this occasion she just said: "Hmm lovely, but I might like a slightly smaller version." I'll take it as a compliment and share it with Mercedes.

The Mercedes-Benz started off the holiday season well for me. I was impressed, my son was impressed.

For the Christmas week, it was replaced by the Kia Optima SW, half the price but almost the same space. I'll report on that next.
"most right wing in Israel's history."



When US secretary of state, John Kerry, proclaimed that Israel had to choose - it could be a Jewish state or a democracy, just not both, Washington's abrupt epiphany must have caught Justin Trudeau and Steffie Dion with their short pants down.If Washington can say the emperor has no clothes, where does that leave Ottawa?Trudeau, like Harper, has broken with Canadian tradition in paying fealty to Benjamin Netanyahu. Put another way, Justin enjoys kissing Bibi's butt every bit as much as Stephen Harper in his day.Oh, this is more than simply supporting the Tory motion to censure the BDS (boycott/divest/sanction) movement. The Trudeau government has continued the Harper policy of steadfastly supporting Netanyahu by voting against every pro-Palestine resolution in the UN General Assembly.On every occasion, until now, Canada and the United States have carried Israel's water even as the rest of the world, as in the "rest of the world" - the entire EU, South America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia - refuse to look the other way.That changed when the US refused to veto a UN Security Council resolution demanding that Israel cease stealing Palestinian land, what little of it remains, for ever more Israeli settlements. With that, America pushed the "reset" button on US-Israeli relations. Kerry followed through with a speech branding the Netanyahu government as theThe Israelis were predictably outraged at being exposed for what they are and have been for decades. Netanyahu's education minister, Naftali Bennett, blurted out that, as of January 20th when Trump is inaugurated, the "two state solution" will be off the table (link is external) which, of course, it has been all along. Bennett then repeated his call that Israel simply annex most of the Palestinian West Bank.John Kerry was speaking the obvious truth when he said Israel's settler policy is creating a one-nation state, one in which Palestinians will see their homeland erased even as they remain captives to the Israelis. What's next, ethnic cleansing - driving the Palestinians off their lands, again, and herding them to Jordan?The problem with this is, when you have 150 nations - make that 151 now - opposed to Israeli extremism, that leaves just the one - Justin Trudeau's Canada isolated, exposed.Of course, Justin can wait until the 20th when the old order is restored by president Donald Trump.
Farmers can avail of significant grant aid under the TAMS II scheme with a cattle weighing scales platform included as one of the eligible investments.

TAMS II offers grant aid of 40% for certain on-farm capital investments (60pc to Young Farmers).

The areas identified for funding over the period of the scheme are: farm nutrient storage, animal housing, dairy equipment, low emission spreading equipment, animal welfare and farm safety, pig and poultry investments, and organic capital investment.

Eligibility

The Scheme is open to farmers who:

have a minimum of 5 hectares owned and /or leased or rented that have been declared under the Basic Payment Scheme or equivalent in the year of application or preceding year or in the case of intensive enterprises, generate a minimum of 20 production units from farming

have a Department identifier.

Eligibility of applicant where holding is owned/leased by a legal person

An application may be accepted in the name of a legal person provided that legal person satisfies the eligibility criteria at 3.1.

A copy of a companys Companies Registration Office Certificate and Memorandum and Articles of Association must be submitted in support of the application.

The Application Process

Applications must be submitted online through agfood.ie. Applicants who wish to apply online or through their agents must first be registered for online services (OLS) with the Department.

Instructions for registration can be found online at www.agfood.ie or you can contact agfood online services helpline in the Departments Portlaoise office Locall 1810252118 or 0761 064424 or email agfood@agriculture.gov.ie

Where the Department identifier is registered in multiple names, applications submitted quoting the identifier are deemed to be submitted with the consent of all registered owners, e.g. in the following cases

Where the Department identifier is registered in more than one name i.e Joint Herd number

In the case of Partnerships, by all Partners

In the case of companies, by the Company Directors.

You can't manage what you don't measure is an old but very true saying

It is very common on beef farms in Ireland that from the day animals are bought/born to the day they are sold or slaughtered the owner has no idea of the exact weight or performance of the animals.

As part of the Teagasc Green Acres programme all the participating farmers are weighing their cattle a minimum of three times throughout the year.

These weighings are targeted at turn out, mid-season and around housing. Last week I caught up with Michael Flynn, one of the participating farmers, to discuss how weighing has benefited him.

Having slaughtered the first batch of his Hereford steers two weeks ago at 21 months of age we looked back at the weight gains and performance of these animals.

The first weighing since joining the programme took place on August 3, 2015 and calves at that time weighed an average of 203kg. The calves were grazing in groups of around 50 at the time.

By doing this weighing and knowing the exact weight of his calves Michael could rest at ease that these animals were performing well and on course to be slaughtered before their second winter.

Knowing this allowed Michael to carry more animals, as he was confident that enough steers would be slaughtered before housing and he would have adequate accommodation for the remaining animals.

The animals were weighed again on November 2 around housing and came in at an excellent weight of 300kgs. Michael could now design a winter feeding programme based on this information.

The steers were fed good quality silage and 1.5kg of meal over the winter.

They were weighed again on March 16 at turn out and having done an average daily gain of 0.75kg they weighed an average 400kg.

From the weights Michael knew that his animals were well on target for a November slaughter date and they were rotationally grazed on good quality grass with no meals for the second grazing season.

Michael weighted his cattle again on July 25, 2016 where they averaged 556kgs and it was from this weighing that he was able to select out the heaviest 30 to be pushed for finish. Being able to do this meant that he was feeding the most advanced animals and wasn't feeding animals high levels of meal that were quite a bit away from finishing.

The 30 steers were introduced to concentrates on August 20 and having been on concentrates for 50 days, Michael decided to weigh them again on October 12, at this stage they averaged 687kg.

They were slaughtered on November 11 at an average carcass weight of 376kg.

The importance of weighing at key stages over the lifetime of the animal was emphasised by Michael in that it allowed him to make better informed decisions about the management of his stock at a number of critical times during the year, thereby maximising performance.
It took months of low prices before milk production slowed down. Now farmers are facing into 2017 with prices beginning to pick up. Will production follow?

Despite the steep fall in prices that had taken place by the end of 2015, the growth in global milk production took some time to slow down.

New Zealand saw milk production grow by 40pc over the last seven years and it was the first major exporter to slow its milk production growth during the recent price collapse.

Figures from the Teagasc review and outlook show that monthly New Zealand milk production has been falling since August 2015.

In Europe, milk production has grown by 10pc over the last seven years, reflecting the gradual relaxation of the milk quota system and its eventual elimination.

The overall EU production story masks quite a degree of variability at the MS level. In the Netherlands and Ireland in particular production has continued to grow strongly, up by 10.6pc and 7.6pc respectively in January to August 2016 on the same period in 2015, the Teagasc figures show.

In Ireland production growth is at least partly being driven by the large increase in dairy cow numbers, in spite of the low milk price level. Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic have also exhibited large absolute increases in milk production in 2016.

The most significant fall in milk production at the member state level has been in the UK, where production in the period January to August 2016 was down over 0.3m tonnes on the same period in the previous year. Total EU milk production in 2016 is likely to be up by 1pc.

Global milk production may increase to 830 million tonnes (mt) in 2016, compared with 818 mt in 2015. This annual rate of increase of 1.5 percent is below the trend of the last fifteen years, which was 2.3 percent per annum, the Teagasc figures state.

In 2015 milk quota elimination gave rise to a 13 percent increase in milk production in Ireland. In spite of the lower prices recorded in 2016, the dairy cow herd continued to grow strongly. The need to generate cash in the presence of low milk prices also motivated continued growth in milk production.

The annual average national milk price (CSO definition) is estimated to be close to 27c/L(vat inclusive) in 2016.

Market prospects for 2017 look positive at the global level, but Teagasc warns that one area of concern, particularly in the EU, is the large SMP public and private stock level that has developed over the last 12 months.

The improvement in milk prices is likely to coincide with the 2017 Irish milk production season, which should allow dairy farmers derive a significant benefit from the strengthening milk prices.

EU milk production is likely to continue to increase in 2017, but by a small amount - possibly as little as 0.5pc, while the latest forecasts suggest a 2 percent increase in US milk production and production in New Zealand is likely to resume growth at some point in 2017.

On the demand side internal EU consumption should continue to increase, with stronger consumption growth for cheese and SMP than in the case of butter, where recent high prices are likely to constrain demand. The continuation of low crude oil prices may dampen dairy product import demand in countries where oil revenues represent a major share of GDP. Chinese dairy import demand may pick up further.

Taking these factors into consideration, it is likely that an improving dairy market situation will develop into the first half of 2017, Teagasc predicts.

Given the forecast 15-20pc increase in the annual average milk price in 2017, Teagasc says that gross and net margins are forecast to improve in 2017. Net margin per litre is forecast to increase by 53 to 73 percent in 2017, to an average of 11 to 12.4 cent per litre.
After a cranky 2016, a good New Year's resolution would be to work together more to find solutions to our collective problems.

This would be a good resolution in any walk of life - and based on the evidence of recent years, it certainly applies in business.

Late last year, the European Commission announced that Ireland was the number one country in the EU for successful applications to the SME arm of the 80bn Horizon 2020 fund which supports collaborative research.

The SME Instrument - as it is formally called - funds early-stage research with a view to accelerating the exploitation of innovation for social gain. Often, though not always, the social benefit will have a commercial dimension. For instance, new materials, medical treatments, energy-efficient technologies and communications solutions are among the many areas of research that can lead to lucrative outcomes.

The SME Instrument has a funding pot of 2.88bn over the seven years of the Horizon 2020 framework and to date, Irish applications have attracted 40m.

In respect of the overall funding from Horizon 2020 up to last September, Ireland ranks a respectable fifth, with 881 successful applications worth 336m since the new framework started in 2014. And we are targeting a drawdown of 1.25bn by 2020, double the 625m obtained over the seven years of the previous framework.

As the Enterprise Ireland unit which supports applicants, one of the problems we have had is de-stigmatising the application process. It was, in the past, a somewhat onerous procedure but in recent years a lot of red tape has been cut. Applicants now receive decisions within two months and projects for successful applicants generally start within four months - far ahead of comparable US programmes.

Also, the application success rate of the SME Instrument is 6pc-8pc across the EU (16pc for Ireland) which compares very favourably to selection rates for private investment funds and accelerator programmes.

So far, so relatively simple. But what are the benefits of Horizon 2020 funding?

Apart from a hefty grant worth 70pc of costs, project promoters obtain direct and ancillary value. For instance, successful applications are used to indicate proof of excellence and used as leverage for private follow-on funding.

A Horizon 2020 project can help the sustainability of a business. The SME Instrument provides a structured assessment of project needs and sources appropriate mentorship from anywhere in Europe to help with business strategy, understanding technical issues, risk management, marketing, reputation building and more.

This comprehensive yet streamlined approach is working for companies up and down the country.

For instance, when Irish foodtech firm Nuritas made a ground-breaking discovery - a peptide with properties that can aid the management of blood sugar levels - they successfully applied for funding. Now the PeptiEUForce project is exploring this potentially game-changing ingredient that could prevent pre-diabetic conditions developing into full-blown Type 2 diabetes.

Sirius XT is another example. The UCD spin-out has developed a prototype laboratory-scale microscope that produces 3-D images of whole single cells or tissue samples. This allows scientists to understand the effect of drugs and diseases on the internal structure of cells. It is the first of its kind in the world and could make a significant contribution to the treatment of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.

Horizon 2020 funding is being used to develop the technology that will be trialled by an early adopter in the UK next year.

These are just some of the companies and researchers around Ireland developing technology that marries social and commercial opportunity thanks to the SME Instrument.

Perhaps these examples might encourage others to look to the horizon in 2017.

Dr Imelda Lambkin is Enterprise Ireland national director for Horizon 2020
Fourteen former partners of Bloxham Stockbrokers are being pursued by the family of a ward of court which is concerned the man's funds were "unduly depleted" under Bloxham's management.

Last month, the mother and sister of the man launched proceedings against the former partners and the Bloxham Stockbrokers Partnership. Wards of court are people judged by a court to be incapable of managing their own financial affairs.

The proceedings were launched after the women, members of the committee that manages the man's estate, secured permission from the High Court to bring legal action against the liquidated firm and its former partners.

It is understood the ward's family are seeking an order requiring the former Bloxham partners to account for their dealings with the funds lodged in court on behalf of the man.

They are also seeking an order directing an inquiry into Bloxham's dealings with the man's fund and want to be provided with supporting documentation, it is understood.

Bloxham was appointed to manage his funds in 2002 after he received substantial damages following a personal injuries action.

The brokerage was liquidated in 2012 after the Central Bank discovered a 5.3m hole in its accounts.

KPMG's Kieran Wallace was appointed as the liquidator.

The named defendants include Tadhg Gunnell, Bloxham's former head of finance. He was disqualified from management of a regulated financial firm for 10 years by the Central Bank in 2015.

Efforts to contact Gunnell were unsuccessful. Wallace did not respond to a request for comment.

Bloxham was the country's oldest stockbroker and the third-biggest at the time of its demise on foot of accounting irregularities which saw Gunnell immediately suspended when the problems were brought to light.

As well as being disqualified, Gunnell was also fined 105,000, but as he was made bankrupt, the fine was waived.

The Central Bank found that Gunnell oversaw "certain financial irregularities" in the firm's accounts that "contributed to its overstated regulatory capital position".

His actions related to the misrepresentation of Bloxham's true capital position to the Central Bank between December 2007 and May 2012, it said.

Wallace was appointed to Bloxham in 2012 after it was found to be undercapitalised with no prospect of an improvement in its position. The collapse put Bloxham's auditors Deloitte in the spotlight and sparked a number of legal actions.

Former Bloxham partner Niall Tinney was sued by Danske Bank, which was seeking repayment of a loan connected to a Bloxham restructuring. Tinney swore an affidavit in which he said Kieran Wallace had been "surprised" that Deloitte had failed to spot Bloxham's financial issues.

"Mr Wallace and a Mr Shaun Murphy were of the opinion that 'while the initial fraud of Mr Gunnell was well hidden in the accounts, subsequent acts of fraud by Mr Gunnell were quite obvious, and they were surprised Deloitte had not identified them'," Mr Justice McDermott quoted Tinney's affidavit as saying.
Some of Emirates lounge wear, which is on offer to first-class passengers

Lounge access and fast-track security are a thing of the past for Irish business travellers heading to Scandinavia with SAS. The airline told the Sunday Independent that it terminated the contract with third-party operators (ie Dublin Airport) as of yesterday.

It's concentrating on key routes (Ireland doesn't make the cut) and beefing up its fleet under its new business plan. Overall the move will cut access to 26 lounges and 24 fast-track programmes around Europe.

Business travellers using Dublin Airport will be among the first to bear the brunt, with others, including both airports in Milan, to be hit from February 1.

"Yes, that's correct, as of January 1... we have not continued with the lounges and fast-track agreement in Dublin among others," an SAS spokeswoman told this column. "The plan is we're investing in our own lounges, not only in Scandinavia but where we have the most traffic flow and passengers."

She also said that passengers on the airline's frequent-flyer programme, EuroBonus, would also be affected by the decision. "Your EuroBonus card won't help you as we're not prolonging this co-operation with the lounges."

SAS said recently that it's investing instead in "digital solutions", new aircraft, upgraded cabins, a better on board food and beverage offering, plus high-speed wifi on all aircraft. "To be able to continue and invest, expand and improve SAS Lounges and fast track offer, SAS will end our collaboration with some of our contracted lounges operated by third-parties," the carrier said in a statement.

"The result will be a continued improvement of SAS's own offer where it benefits most of our Plus/Business travellers, members and 29 million yearly passengers."

It said it will be pumping money into "new and bigger domestic lounges at Arlanda and Oslo Gardemoen as well as upgrading our international SAS Lounges in New York, Paris and Chicago".

Well regarded in aviation circles here, Scandinavian Airlines has been operating in Ireland for just over 50 years. But the business perks decision could be a boon for Ryanair - which operates on the Dublin-Copenhagen route - and offers fast track on its Business Plus fare. Other rivals in the Ireland-Scandinavian market include 'low cost' operator Norwegian and Aer Lingus.

Three carriers - British Airways, Virgin and EasyJet - face upheaval as London's Gatwick Airport enters the latest stage of its much-needed makeover.

Irish services on Aer Lingus and Ryanair won't be affected as the named airlines switch terminals at the city's second-biggest airport, but there will be changes for transiting passengers on to European and long haul services.

All EasyJet flights will depart from the North Terminal from January 24, but luckily the move won't affect Belfast-bound flights which already use that terminal.

A day later, all Virgin flights will switch to the North Terminal, but it's a little more complicated for British Airways. BA2273 to New York will depart from South Terminal from January 11 on, while BA2612 to Naples will switch there on January 19. Six days later, all other BA services will depart from the South Terminal.

Gatwick Airport told the Sunday Independent that Irish travellers should make sure of their correct terminal this month, bearing in mind car parking and that there's at least a 20-minute transfer between either terminal.

Another full-frills cabin bites the dust. British Airways is ending its free food and beverages service on European flights from this month. In this brave new world, it's boasting of serving Marks & Spencer food on its flights. With the one catch: you'll have to pay for it. "Like British Airways, Marks & Spencer is a well-known, premium British brand that is respected and trusted, so it's an ideal partnership, providing our customers with a choice of products they recognise and value. I firmly believe what we are delivering breaks the mould," BA boss Alex Cruz said.

The change will apply on all short-haul flights out of Heathrow and Gatwick from January 11 and on all London City and Stansted flights by summer 2017.

Congratulations to Sligo seaweed company VOYA on landing a contract to provide organic spa products to Emirates.

The exclusive line includes shower stuff (available First Class on A380s planes with showers) and hand and body cream for the lesser mortals in the Business cabin.

Emirates also a new range of ultra-fancy Bulgari kit bags, with the top-cabin ones being made of fine leather.

And much has been made of Emirates' other first: 'lounge wear' (ie, pyjamas) that use 'microcapsule technology' which is naturally moisturising to the skin of weary long haul travellers.

But there's a small catch: the jim-jams, with matching slippers and eye mask, pictured, are only on offer to first-class passengers.

To give you an idea, you can get from Dublin to Dubai return from 410 in Economy (flying out January 23, returning a week later). That rises to 2,809 in Business Flex; and a whopping 4,041 in First Class.

Readers on a budget might be advised to nip into Dunnes, grab some cheap nightwear and pick up a tub of moisturiser at the checkout.
The past 12 months have been a testing time for broadcasting. Expectations of a robust recovery in 2016 failed to materialise, due in part to the shock impact of Brexit on UK-based advertisers. While the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) is there to regulate the sector, chief executive Michael O'Keeffe clearly has the financial challenges facing radio and TV front and centre in his thinking.

"Things were picking up at the beginning of this year. Whether it was Brexit or other factors, the feedback is that the second half of 2016 was not good for most of the groups, particularly national advertising," he says.

Among the biggest pieces of work undertaken by the BAI in 2016 was the overhaul of the general commercial communications code, which governs advertising rules.

Radio stations in particular have been seeking some wiggle room in relation to sponsorship as growth in traditional advertising spots grinds to a halt. "We would be sympathetic in that the advertising market is more challenging," says O'Keeffe, a career civil servant who has played a key role in developing the commercial TV and radio sector for close to 30 years.

"Boundaries are being stretched and advertising is moving to other media, which is not as regulated, so radio would like boundaries to change."

The rules in Ireland are relatively strict, whereby presenters are not allowed to endorse products which O'Keeffe says is to protect the integrity of content. However, radio sponsorship, which is potentially a lucrative pot of alternative revenue, is seen as too restrictive and the sector has been seeking changes for some time.

O'Keeffe expects changes to be announced early in the New Year as part of the new code. "There are a couple of initiatives, one of which we need to test with the lawyers," he says.

"The radio sector is feeling that there are a lot of advantages for the television sector because of the visual nature of sponsorship. They are looking for some leeway and we have looked at a couple of proposals to see if they will run or not."

But the separation of commercial and editorial will remain. "If the sector had its way, it would maybe lessen the boundaries. We are not going that far and there will no doubt be more discussions about this over the next few years," he says.

This loosening of the rules will certainly be a positive for radio but other initiatives will get a more mixed response. Among the other issues on the agenda for 2017 are the broadcasting services strategy and the possibility of new stations.

Several small groups want new licences to be issued for niche services. For example, the TXFM licence is now available after Communicorp decided not to seek a licence renewal due to the continuing losses racked up by the station.

On the other side of the argument are existing licence holders, whose stations have struggled to break even since going on air several years ago.

O'Keeffe said that the BAI has not yet considered the licensing of new services but that he has some reservations.

"We have to look at the whole commercial market and in our strategy document we talk about sustainability and what can the marketplace can sustain and do we need to make changes to how we licence to make sure they are more secure."

He said the closure of TXFM, which had been allowed to reduce news and current affairs commitments and share services with a larger radio group, had prompted a rethink.

Under the current regime, stations have extensive commitments which have not changed since legislation to open up the radio market, once dominated solely by RTE radio, in 1988.

"Under the current regime, can you sustain services like that when the advertising market is so challenged?" says O'Keeffe of TXFM. He said that if the BAI felt a proposal was not going to be viable "then why would we license it? The counterpoint to that is that if I want to run a country station or a jazz station and you have a frequency available, let me at it and if I fail, so be it," he says.

Those issues will be teased out when the BAI comes to review the broadcasting services strategy during the year. "They are fundamental issues," he says.

The impact of the Brexit vote hasn't all been bad.

A number of television stations have approached the BAI about the possibility of a locating to Dublin from London over concerns about Brexit on licences to broadcast in the EU.

"The licensing regime here is somewhat similar to the UK," says O'Keeffe. There would be a potential benefit to the BAI as any station licensed here would have to pay a fee.

"There is an attraction to here because we are close by, we are English language," said O'Keeffe.

However, he said other locations such a Luxembourg could end up being attractive also.

"We have had preliminary inquires," he says. "On the TV side we would look at the possibilities and the potential for something like that to occur, and what kind of regime that would be".

He said that current regime was aimed at Irish stations based here. Less onerous licences such as those given to UTV Ireland and Eirsport are available and do not have the extensive requirements of free-to-air channels such as TV3 and RTE.

Also on the agenda for 2017 is the matter of opt-outs - stations based in the UK which broadcast services here with ads tailored specifically for Irish viewers. Is is estimated that 40m-50m of ad revenues now go to channels such as Sky and Channel 4.

Minister for Communications Denis Naughten recently initiated a consultation on the matter and there will be a report early in the New Year.

A review of the EU's Audiovisual Media Services Directive is under way and the Irish Government is seeking changes to how opt-outs are treated. The EU has already backed the idea of a levy on online services such as Netflix.

"Ireland is looking for a revision of the directive to allow levies to be placed on services which are targeting this jurisdiction," said O'Keeffe. "Ireland has legitimately asked the question, if you can do it for online services, why can't you do it for services that are targeting Ireland?"

He said that the BAI would support the Government. However, O'Keeffe cautioned against the industry's expectation that the levy could bring in significant funds. Some have suggested that a levy on opt-outs could net in excess of 10m a year which could be ring-fenced for the independent production sector.

"Let's say, for argument's sake, they are taking 50m out of the market place, realistically what percentage of a levy would you be talking about? It could probably bring in a million-and-a-half euro," says O'Keeffe.

He said that he could not see a basis for imposing a higher levy.

While additional funding would be useful, he says it would not address the underlying issue of the opt-outs selling a growing amount of advertising here.

He is also cautious about hopes that a crackdown on licence fee evasion will bring in significant funding for RTE.

The broadcaster has long sought a reduction in evasion levels from around 14pc to the UK level of 5pc. The fee is currently collected by An Post and evasion estimated to cost RTE up to 50m a year.

O'Keeffe thinks a fraction of that uncollected money may be captured. "I'm just not sure in Ireland, by our nature, we would get to 5pc. But there certainly is potential."

Extra money from the fee would help RTE, but not solve its many challenges.

The BAI has recommended licence fee increases in recent years, which were not adopted by the last government.

"It's very clear from any research we've done, how much the public values both the commercial and public sector broadcasters we have. But there are challenges for them," he says.

A year ago O'Keeffe was optimistic that ITV, which had just bought UTV, would be a supporter of UTV Ireland. Since then, TV3 has bought the station and the new owner is in consultation over job losses as a result of the merger.

"The big negative is that people are losing jobs and it is never nice to see that," says O'Keeffe. "

But he said that if TV3, which is owned by Virgin Media, had not bought the station, he doubted there would have been another buyer and was encouraged by TV3's plans for the station, which will be called be3.

Another development in the sector has been the acquisition of former UTV radio stations by News Corp, the owner of the Sun and Sunday Times in Ireland.

O'Keeffe expects consolidation to be a feature of broadcasting into the future. "Linked to the challenges of the broadcasting sector, we are not seeing new groups coming through," he says.

In the earlier days of independent TV and radio, diverse consortia were owners of stations with small business owners among the shareholders.

"People like that are not investing in media as the risk is high," he says. He also said the venture capital companies, such as former TV3 owner Doughty Hanson, were unlikely to enter the market now.

How will that affect the media landscape in years to some?

"It is a challenge because, from a diversity point of view, we want as many services as possible and yet the number of media groups around is lessening," he says.

"When you look at the way online media has taken out so much of the revenue, that's where you are posed with challenges."
'The European directive on broadcasting is being reviewed and Ireland is pushing for this levy. The EU has already backed a levy on online services.'

A number of television stations have approached the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) about the possibility of relocating to Dublin from London over concerns about the impact Brexit will have on licences to broadcast across the EU.

London has a vibrant television sector but industry experts believe that many will consider relocating to Dublin after Brexit - particularly subsidiaries of American broadcast organisations.

"The licensing regime here is somewhat similar to the UK," O'Keeffe told the Sunday Independent.

"There is an attraction to here because we are close by, we are English language," said O'Keeffe. "We have had preliminary inquiries."

Other EU locations, such as Luxembourg, would be competing for such operations.

O'Keeffe said that the BAI would do some work on how such entities would be regulated should they seek licences to broadcast from Ireland.

"On the TV side we would look at the possibilities and the potential for something like that to occur, and what kind of regime that would be," he said. He added that the current regime is aimed at Irish stations based here.

Less onerous licences, such as those given to UTV Ireland and Eirsport, are available and do not have the extensive requirements of free-to-air channels such as TV3 and RTE.

There would be a potential benefit to the BAI as any station licensed here would have to pay a fee.

Meanwhile, O'Keeffe confirmed that the Government is proposing a levy on opt-out channels broadcasting in Ireland.

These channels broadcast from Britain and insert ads for Irish audiences on the stream broadcast into Ireland.

It is estimated that opt-out channels soak up close to 50m in Irish advertising every year, with Sky being the main beneficiary of this revenue.

The European directive on broadcasting is being reviewed and Ireland is pushing for this levy. The EU has already backed a levy on online services.

"Ireland is looking for a revision of the directive to allow levies to be placed on services which are targeting this jurisdiction," said O'Keeffe. "Ireland has legitimately asked the question that if you can do it for online services, why can't you do it for services that are targeting Ireland."

However, O'Keeffe cautioned against the industry's expectation that the levy could bring in significant funds and said that opt-outs would remain an issue in the market.
The award-winning author Liz Nugent is busy writing her third novel, Skin Deep, which she hopes to publish early this year.

Nugent signed a six-figure deal with the US publishing house Simon & Schuster last autumn. Under this deal, Nugent's first two novels - Unravelling Oliver and Lying in Wait - will be published in the United States for the first time. The move could pave the way for Hollywood adaptations of her work.

Nugent won the 'Ireland AM Crime Novel of the Year' for Unravelling Oliver at the Bord Gais Energy Book Awards in November 2014. She also won 'The Ryan Tubridy Show Listeners' Choice Award' in 2016 for Lying in Wait, which was published last summer.

Nugent, who has also worked as a story associate on the television soap opera Fair City, is married to sound engineer Richard McCullough.

What is the most important lesson about money that your career as a writer has taught you?

That to make a living, I have to write more - and better and faster than before. It used to be the case you could just get by on one book every two or three years. Now publishers are pushing you to write a book a year - and it has to be better than the last one.

What's the best phrase you have ever heard about money?

I'll use a quote of my mum's - who is 84. The only thing she regrets in her life is the amount of time she spent worrying about money - even though we were always fine. I'm a terrible worrier too and I have had sleepless nights about money. People always muddle through though.

What's your favourite Irish coin or note?

From an aesthetic point of view, it's got to be the old Lady Lavery pound notes. They were phased out in the 1970s. They were beautiful.

What's your favourite song about money?

Pennies from Heaven - though it's more of a love song than about money.

Are you better off than your parents?

I'm better off at certain times of my life - and then not at others. My parents had ups and downs with money. I'm probably on the same up-and-down cycle - but now I'm on an up!

What was your worst job?

I've had some terrible jobs - not because of the money, but because of how I was treated.

What was your biggest financial mistake?

The 5,000 I spent on Eircom shares - which I may as well have flushed down the toilet.

Do you use any money-saving apps?

No.

Android or iPhone?

iPhone - and only because my husband is a techie. I get his hand-me-downs every year or so.

Apart from property, what's the most expensive thing you have ever bought?

I'm not an extravagant buyer. I was in Monaco for a month - after my recent book deal with Simon & Schuster. At the end of the month, I had a weekend off so I paid for my mum, sisters and sisters-in-law to come stay.

Do you know how much is in your current account?

I have a rough idea.

Have you ever made an insurance claim?

Yes - a pipe burst under the floors in our hallway. I also made a claim after a car crash.

Do you ever haggle?

I did once and it was really embarrassing. I hated it. If you tell me a price that's too high, I'll just walk away.

Have you ever switched utility provider?

I switch my gas, electricity and bin company regularly - you definitely save a lot of money each time. I know that you can also save a lot by switching car insurer and health insurer.

What was the last thing you bought online?

A case of wine as a Christmas present for my publisher.

Do you have a mortgage? Is it fixed, variable or tracker?

Yes. I think it's variable.

Would you buy Irish property now?

My brother is chairman of Lisney so I'd prefer not to answer this question in case anyone thinks I've a special insight into the property market.

Cash or card?

Both, though I use cards more.
I'll start........A Dallas woman filed a lawsuit Tuesday requesting the name of the person who mailed her a bag of pen*s-shaped gummy candies at work.Melody Lenox, who works for Axxess Technology Solutions, a health care technology company, received the package of candies from a company called Dicks By Mail on Dec. 7.Neither Lenox nor the attorney representing her and Axxess in the suit, Christopher Groves, were immediately available for comment.In the suit, Lenox says someone sent her the package to harass her. She says the person who sent the package might also be responsible for keying her car and posting a series of hoax Craigslist ads about her.She's suing the mail-order company for the information of the person who sent her the package, so that she "can put an end to the harassment" she says she's suffered.The suit asks Dicks By Mail for the name, telephone number, address and any other identifying information about the person who sent the package.Dicks By Mail is one of a number of sites that allows people to send items such as glitter or a potato anonymously. The product description on the Dicks By Mail site notes that both the recipient and purchaser must be 18 or older.The terms of service cautions senders not to harass anyone with the candy and states that by purchasing anything, the site and those associated with it are released from liability except the purchase price or $50. Disputes will be resolved in the store's local county state or federal courts, it states."Our products are a lighthearted and humorous joke designed to amuse the recipient. By purchasing our products you represent that you are not using them to harass the recipient in any way or for any unlawful purpose," the site FAQ says. "If you are not completely sure the recipient will understand the comedic novelty of our products, do not send."
Key State agencies and some of the largest publicly listed companies in Irish business were among 20 organisations stung for 22m in cyber attacks in 2016, the Sunday Independent can reveal.

Now investigators have warned of a clear danger to the economy from increasingly sophisticated international gangs specialising in computer crime.

The full scale of the multimillion euro cyber attacks on organs of State and private-sector business is impossible to gauge because many of the successful attacks often go unreported by the victims, who fear reputational damage as a result of being scammed.

However, the Sunday Independent has learned that the biggest attack was on a large "household name" Irish company tricked by cyber criminals into transferring 7m into overseas bank accounts that were set up by an international gang.

The company quickly realised it had been the victim of a complex financial scam utilising the Dark Web and the money was later recovered by Garda and financial institutions.

The 20 cyber attacks are under active investigation by the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau, which said these cases represented just the tip of the iceberg.

Investigators believe the scale of web fraud is probably far higher but companies and organisations are still not reporting it.

The head of the Garda Cyber Crime Bureau, Detective Superintendent Michael Gubbins, said that two-thirds of the 22m was recovered but the companies and State agencies affected still suffered "substantial losses".

The total loss from reported cyber attacks for 2016 was in the region of 7m.

The 20 organisations, which Inspector Gubbins said include State agencies, companies and PLCs, were all victims of so-called "CEO" or "invoice redirection" fraud, during which criminals hack into a company's systems and steal information to create fake emails masquerading as the CEO, or send in fake invoices from the company's suppliers.

"About two-thirds of the 22m has been recovered but you still have substantial losses to various individuals and companies," said Inspector Gubbins.

"They include State bodies, private bodies and PLCs. These are all CEO fraud or invoice redirection.

"One of the largest cases we have is for 7m, a CEO fraud or invoice redirection fraud. Now we have recovered all of that. The bank stopped some of the funds from being transferred. The Garda's Economic Crime Unit recovered the rest of the funds while they were in electronic transit in foreign bank accounts."

Meath County Council confirmed last month that cyber criminals hacked into its systems and tried to steal 4.3m by using a fake email instruction to order staff to transfer the money to an overseas account.

However the fraud was detected and reported to the bank and to the Garda's financial intelligence unit, which used Interpol to intercept the funds before they reached their final destination. The 4.3m is frozen in a Hong Kong bank account awaiting repatriation to Ireland.

The most common corporate attacks are distributed denial of service (DDoS) and ransomware attacks, both of which disrupt systems and force them to shut down, with the criminals demanding a ransom - usually in the online currency bitcoin - for stopping the attack.

So-called "phishing" emails, which trick consumers out of their credit card details, will become "more sophisticated" and will also increase in volume, according to Inspector Gubbins.

Pat Moran, head of PwC's cyber division, told the Sunday Independent that cyber crime is increasing significantly in Ireland, with ransomware and CEO frauds the most prevalent attacks over the past 12 months.

He said cyber criminals are collaborating on the Dark Web and sharing intelligence on companies that have vulnerable systems.

"Organisations, however, are very slow to share intelligence on attacks," he added. "Industry needs to ensure that if you are getting attacked, it has to be treated as fraud."

The fraudsters are often organised criminal gangs based in Eastern Europe, Korea, China or Russia.

The most dangerous gang, called Carbanak, is linked to stealing $1bn from financial institutions.
In 2015 a woman was given a two-year suspended sentence based on evidence from her Fitbit device

Could the gadget you got at Christmas testify against you in a police or insurance company investigation?

In a year's time, don't say we didn't warn you about this.

Voice-activated and connected health devices are increasingly being viewed as evidence to be used in court cases. I'm not talking about iPhones, although Apple did receive 262 requests from Irish authorities relating to "device" whereabouts in the first six months of 2016. And I'm not talking about Facebook accounts, even though 89 requests were lodged by gardai with the social media giant between January and June last year looking for information to help build criminal cases.

No, I mean that the net is now widening to include things like Fitbits and smarthome gadgets.

The latest instance is an Arkansas murder investigation where police are requesting files from an Amazon Alexa device to help build a case against an accused.

The Echo is a voice-activated gadget that connects to the internet and controls household lights or heating systems by simply speaking. It's always turned on and recording. It's not supposed to save sounds or noises unrelated to specific commands, but sometimes it might pick up audio based on mistaken understanding of a request.

Police think that the device may have recorded something that could implicate the suspect, a man called James Bates. But in echoes of Apple's earlier privacy stand on denying access to a terrorist suspect's iPhone data, Amazon is fighting police requests to hand over deeper sets of data it might have that are linked to the device. In the Bates investigation, a smart water meter in Bates's home may also turn out to be critical in proving whether Bates used an unusually large amount of water at a late hour of the night.

While relatively few Irish people yet have Amazon Alexa gadgets in their home, thousands have water meters.

And Irish homes are starting to fill up with legions of gadgets that collect critical pieces of data about us. Our Netflix accounts, smart thermometers and security cameras. Even our coffee makers, which increasingly co-ordinate with our online schedules.

Such data is now being eyed up by authorities, regulators and even private companies (such as insurers) for verification or evidential purposes.

The big question we all now face is: how much of it should be used for this?

In the case of a household fire, would you hand over access to your smart thermostat's backup files to an insurance company if that might yield a clue as to how the fire started? If authorities suspected arson, should they be allowed to request access to such files?

How about other incidents, such as domestic abuse? If one spouse claims to have been beaten, assaulted or raped, should smart gadgets in the home, which might potentially help corroborate or disprove the claims, be admissible as evidence? Should they be the legitimate subject of a warrant?

This isn't an academic question. A 2015 Pennsylvania case saw a woman, Jeannine Risley, given a two-year suspended sentence based on evidence from her Fitbit device. The woman claimed to have been assaulted in her home but a court found that she had made the episode up after investigating police used evidence from her Fitbit health tracker to disprove her whereabouts and her movements. In that case, the woman (foolishly) consented to police parsing the Fitbit. But to what extent can authorities expect to rely on such 'witness' devices in future?

Fitbit is an interesting case. It makes two things clear in its terms and conditions: (i) it adheres primarily to US law and privacy standards and (ii) it might give you up to police if asked.

"We may consult with and disclose unlawful conduct to law enforcement authorities and pursuant to valid legal process, we may cooperate with law enforcement authorities to prosecute users who violate the law," the company says in a clear warning.

A few months ago, the office of the Irish data protection regulator announced that it would "step up" audits of certain 'internet of things' firms after a survey of 300 connected devices found "alarming shortfalls in the management of personal data by developers and suppliers".

Separately, Helen Dixon's office is involved in an enquiry into Yahoo for reportedly handing over access to customer accounts to US authorities late last year without informing its users or European regulators.

But the bigger question is whether objects in our homes and on our wrists should be legitimately yankable for the data they hold on us. If we think some circumstances merit it, how extreme must those circumstances be?

The degrees of answer to this may resemble the split in opinion that occurred in the Apple iPhone privacy case of 2016.

There, Apple executives up to and including Tim Cook said that they would not provide a "back door" entrance into iPhone encryption to FBI investigators prosecuting a domestic terrorism case. The public cheered and booed in almost equal numbers. It was a case of privacy versus security.

On that occasion, privacy won the day. But for how much longer?

In Ireland, the issue may not be tested until a painful outlier case, such as a child kidnapping, crops up.
1. A battle royal among Ireland's telecoms networks. Each of Ireland's five big network operators - Eir, Vodafone, Virgin, BT and Three - have distinct challenges over the next 12 months.

Eir has three main issues. It needs to win the State's subsidised National Broadband Plan tender to maintain its long-term position as the pre-eminent connection network in Ireland. It is also in an arms race with Vodafone's ESB joint venture (Siro) to build out fibre broadband connections independently of the State's own plans. It also perennially faces the question of whether it will be put up for sale at some point.

Expand Close Amazon PrimeAir / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Amazon PrimeAir

Other than its bid to win the National Broadband Plan tender contract and its competition with Eir, Vodafone also needs to keep investing in its own mobile network. Group chief executive Vittorio Colao recently admitted that Vodafone's main objective was to stay in the top two networks in every country to keep its business customers.

Having spent more money than anyone else on network upgrades, Vodafone is probably secure at the top in Ireland for another year. The company has seen many of its low-yielding prepaid customers defect to rival operators, but has kept its higher-yielding postpaid and business customers.

So while Vodafone's share of the overall mobile market in Ireland has fallen over the last year, its share of the revenue spoils from the market has not fallen at all.

Three continues on its journey of integrating the old, under-invested O2 network into its own. That has caused considerable pain at times, both to the company and to its customers. But 2017 should see the company move forward to a position where it can focus again on head-to-head network quality battles with Vodafone rather than chasing its own tail to make sure the old O2 network isn't causing problems.

Expand Close Trinity in Dublin / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Trinity in Dublin

What of Ireland's smaller 'virtual' mobile operators? Here, it's a case of distribution beating most other factors. With 6pc of the mobile market in Ireland, Tesco Mobile has become a serious force in the industry. It has twice as many customers as all other virtual operators (Virgin Mobile, iD, Postmobile and Lycamobile) put together.

This is because of its retail distribution presence: it's easy to sign up to the service and get a cheap prepaid phone at a Tesco store. In theory, the same could be said for Postmobile, the virtual mobile network owned by An Post. But most post offices don't sell phones. Next year is a critical year for this entity - An Post has invested significant sums in its rebranding campaign from Postfone. It must start to gain more customers soon.

2. A key year for Virgin Media in Ireland

Of the five big network operators in Ireland - Eir, Vodafone, Virgin, BT and Three - Virgin Media's issues in 2017 are arguably the most interesting.

Under serious market attack in its traditional activities (broadband and television), it must figure out a way of returning to growth.

Its TV subscriptions have fallen by over 30pc in recent years at the same time as its main competitor (Sky) appears to have held fast, and new entrants such as Netflix, Eir and Vodafone have started grabbing market share.

Its broadband penetration has plateaued due to the geographical limitations of its network reach (under half of Irish homes). Virgin's main concern here is the growth of fibre networks from Eir and Siro. At present, it still wins out in most head-to-head battles on quality and speed with competitors. But as soon as genuine fibre-to-the-home alternatives grow in availability, that dominance will be under sustained attack. By the end of 2017, both Eir and Vodafone's ESB joint venture (Siro) will each have at least 100,000 homes within connection reach of their new fibre broadband and TV services.

Virgin executives know all this too well. The company's response is a bold one, investing in content creation through the acquisition of TV channels TV3 and UTV Ireland. Ultimately, billionaire Irish-American owner John Malone is a long-term investor in his businesses and doesn't quit easily. Is Virgin about to do a serious pivot into greater programming investment a la Sky? It seems like the obvious, if expensive, choice. The year to come will be a fascinating one for Virgin Media in Ireland.

3. A ray of light for tech companies seeking office space in Dublin

A lack of office space in Dublin continues to damage the city's potential. Policymakers and planners, who don't depend on industrial progress to get paid, have largely been indifferent to this trend and are generally content to leave it to conventional Irish property economics.

However such economics are starting to catch up. In 2017, some extra office space will come on stream and there are signs that this will speed up in 2018. Property agents say that the amount of office space offered will double in 2017 over 2016 levels and may double again in 2018 through 2020. In Dublin city centre, it is now hard to look in any direction without seeing several cranes in operation. There may even be an oversupply in five years as developers increasingly convert old buildings into modern offices.

4. Another year waiting for rural broadband

When the National Broadband Plan was announced in 2012, only cynics would have suggested that contracts would not yet have been signed to build the network going into 2017.

Yet that is where we are today. The Government is still trying to make sure it has the right process in place for its State-subsidised network, which promises to deliver fibre broadband to every home in the country. At present, there are three short-listed bidders: Eir, Siro. One or more of these three are to be selected in 2017 with connections to people's homes and businesses set to begin sometime in 2018.

It really can't come fast enough. The most recent broadband surveys show that some areas of Ireland are struggling with broadband speeds insufficient to load email messages or perform basic Google searches.

One-in-three Irish broadband users get under five megabits per second (Mbs), which is inadequate to perform most online tasks in a typical household or small business. Other research suggests that one-in-three Irish people say they might have to relocate to a nearby town or city for work reasons if internet connectivity remains unavailable.

5. Better mobile coverage is on the way

In some parts of Ireland, poor mobile coverage is considered as much of a scourge as a lack of proper broadband.

Thankfully, 2017 looks like a turning point both in actual coverage and in official attitudes to it. A series of regulatory and supply-side measures, together with greater demand from phone users and less oxygen given to protesters and objectors, should mean that the number of blackspots around the country will decrease this year.

The Government will start the ball rolling with new rules that mean operators don't have to pay development fees to local authorities for the right to build out their masts and networks. Such authorities are also now to have a single point of contact for network rollout managers in mobile operators and won't, the Government says, be able to hold things up on bureaucratic grounds.

Operators will get also more access to State property for building infrastructure. In really bad blackspots, new legislation is to be introduced that will allow so-called 'mobile repeaters' to be used by ordinary householders. Such equipment boosts a mobile signal by tapping into the correct frequency. Until now, such equipment was illegal under spectrum-licensing and control laws.

A new national mobile signal map is also to be put together and published by the telecoms regulator Comreg sometime this year, specifically with input from the mobile operators' own data. This would be a first.

At present, Comreg's mobile coverage map only shows some city areas and main road routes around the country. As such, it doesn't account for the vast majority of the physical country, including hundreds of towns and villages that suffer from patchy network coverage. To make sure all of this passes off properly, mobile operators will also now be asked to report to a joint Government task force headed by Communications Minister Denis Naughten and Arts Minister Heather Humphries, even though the framework for this is to be informal rather than one bound by any rules of disclosure.

Separately, the government has signalled that it wants to fundamentally change the way that mobile licences are handed out in Ireland. Specifically, Mr Naughten says that he wants new licences to be granted on the basis of geographical coverage targets met rather than population targets. At present, Irish mobile operators' licences only require them to cover between 70pc and 85pc of the country by population, meaning there is no obligation to extend 3G or 4G services into relatively unpopulated areas of the country or rural roads. This leaves massive parts of the country without effective mobile coverage.

Changing the licensing conditions to focus on geographic coverage would mean that Vodafone, Three and Meteor would no longer be allowed to have any mobile blackspots around the country.

However, the new geographic coverage requirements won't be applied to existing 3G or 4G licences, but only to the next batch of 5G licences. These won't be launched for two to three years. Nevertheless, the change in thinking indicates that planners and politicians are beginning to acknowledge that mobile networks, whether privately or publicly owned, are utilities. It is impossible to run a modern economy without something approaching ubiquitous access to the best available speeds.

The last Comreg quarterly report showed that Irish people depend on mobile data far more than network voice calls or texts now. And data usage continues to soar by 70pc per annum. Some may say it is ironic that some of the areas worst hit by weak mobile coverage are the very communities that protest and block mobile masts being erected by operators to boost local signals. Using scare stories about the danger to health, local councils (such as in Kerry) have even succeeded in enacting by-laws that ban masts from within a kilometre of schools. Thankfully, such attitudes are starting to wane, too. We can't have mobile access without masts. Maybe this is the year we'll all fully accept that.

6. Ireland's battle to turn universities' fortunes around in 2017

Among the most under-reported long-term challenges Ireland faces to keep growing its tech ecosystem are the problems facing Irish universities.

Their rapid decline in world rankings is now starting to be noticed by senior tech executives in some of the fastest-growing companies. Only one of the three most-quoted rankings bodies has any Irish college - TCD - in its top 100.

And at 98, it has plummeted compared to its 47th ranking just a few years ago. (Another of the top three rankings has TCD at 224th). Aside from funding cuts that result in decaying campuses, the State won't let our main colleges pay competitive salaries or raise realistic fees from students. That means second-rate lecturers and researchers compared to elite rival institutions in other countries.

That, in turn, leads to less talented students from abroad. And that, in the long run, may lead to less interest from tech, science and pharmaceutical companies in setting up higher-end research facilities in Ireland. A large chunk of research and innovation comes directly out of third-level campuses or college ecosystems. Indirectly, top colleges' influence on building tech communities is even greater, with the smartest students graduating to create new inventions and companies. Ambitious students go to ambitious universities. That goes for everyone from Bill Gates (Harvard) to the Collison brothers (Harvard and MIT).

Ambitious lecturers and professors are exactly the same. Seats of learning and advancement don't come from bare halls, they come from multi-billion dollar endowments, top professors and umpteen multi-million euro research programmes.

Even cities with top universities that don't rank highly in technical courses still get a boost from having the smartest students hanging around. This is a big reason, for example, that London manages to rank ahead of Dublin as a European tech city: it has a couple of the world's top 20 universities nearby and a few more just up the road. Unfortunately, many Irish policymakers don't rate an ambitious third-level ecosystem on a par with other things. Call centre jobs are just as good as research jobs to a great many ministers, politicians and commentators. And college fees staying capped at unrealistic levels is better for short-term political health than higher-achieving colleges and the economic halo around those.

7. Amazon will have a greater impact on Irish retail

Those paying attention will have noticed that this year's Christmas sales started not on January 2 or on Stephen's Day but on Christmas Day itself.

Retailers such as Argos, PC World, Currys and Halfords all kicked off their post-Christmas sales on December 25 online. Harvey Norman went one better, starting at 4pm on Christmas Eve. They were doing so squarely in response to one overarching competitor: Amazon. The world's biggest, most aggressive retailer has never believed in no-shopping days. It has had post-Christmas sales on Christmas Day for years. In the mobile-dominated world of 2016 and 2017, its rules are starting to prevail in the entire industry.

"Shopping patterns will definitely change over the coming years," said Lynn Drumgoole of Retail Excellence Ireland (REI), an organisation that represents 13,000 retail outlets in Ireland. "You have a situation where Irish retailers feel they have to get on it as well and keep the money in Ireland."

Most respected tech analysts only see the shopping habits of ordinary people going one way: online. In the US, UK and other countries, Amazon is introducing same-day delivery as standard on some products, seven days a week. It is also buying up planes to guarantee that it doesn't have to rely on third-party delivery companies to deliver products on time. And it is ploughing money into this because it is still ambivalent about making a profit, preferring to grow more and outdo rivals.

How can traditional retailers compete with that? If drones start delivering consumer products in 2017, it's a safe bet that Amazon will be among the first to do it. We're not doing this to be cool or tech-savvy: it's simply handier.

"The patterns are changing," said REI's Drumgoole. "Ease of shopping is important. People are researching online for the best prices."

Amazon recently launched its Prime Video streaming in Ireland. Is this a precursor to launching the full Prime service, with same day delivery, discounts and other shopping perks?

8. The 'smart home' really is about to arrive

At the tail end of 2016, Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg posted a video of a new smart home assistant he himself had programmed in his own house.

Called 'Jarvis' (yes, after Iron Man's virtual assistant), the program greets him when he wakes up, cooks his toast and reminds him of upcoming events. It also notices when things happen around the house and takes orders to do things like start a videoconferencing call.

All of this happens without him having to touch anything: it's entirely operated by voice commands and the system's own artificial intelligence. This is nothing like as far-fetched as it once might have seemed.

Because it's within reach, 2017 will see huge strides toward automation, roboticisation and the infusion of artificial intelligence into ordinary homes.

It's happening already. Thousands of Irish workers have their vacuuming done by a small robot vacuum cleaner when they're out at work. If anything happens in their house, smart security cameras activate themselves and send on photos and videos. So, 2017 looks set to be the year when voice recognition system (from Google, Amazon and Apple) let you do things like switch house lights and other electrical devices on and off just by saying so.
Taxing times: A protester dressed as Snow White demonstrates outside the parliament buildings in Dublin in support of the EU ruling to take 13bn in taxes from Apple last September

What will the big tech trends be in the coming year? Will rural Ireland finally get broadband? What will the next must-have gadget be? Our technology editor has 10 predictions...

1. Broadband

2017 will see a year of very slow broadband progress for those living outside cities or big towns. While Eir and Siro (the joint venture between Vodafone and ESB) will continue to roll out fibre broadband in the countrys largest towns, very little will change for more than one million people living in rural parts of the country.

The Government has admitted that the rollout of the States National Broadband Plan, which promises high-speed connections to all rural homes regardless of where they are situated, will be delayed again until 2018. (It says it has to get the contracts right before it can build it out.) That means that up to half of those in rural areas will see little improvement until 2020. The cost in opportunity foregone, investment pitches lost and emigration could be huge.

2. iPhone 8 super-cycle

Its a fair bet that this will be the biggest tech hardware story of 2017. Sure, the latest iPhone is always big news. But next year is the 10th anniversary of its launch. Already, industry analysts are feverishly talking about a super cycle that will see the biggest ever upgrade to an iPhone. The new model is already tipped to have a curved glass shape with no bezel, no physical button and an ability for long range wireless charging.

While curved glass models are already around (see Samsungs S7 Edge), Apple is also likely to load the new phone with even better cameras and more storage memory, further bedding it down as your main everyday computer and communicator. Then again, it could be something completely different.

3. The seeds of 5G

It may seem ironic to those struggling to get a decent 3G (yet alone 4G) mobile signal in some parts of Ireland, but 2017 will be the year when Irelands main operators start seriously planning for the introduction of the next milestone in mobile connectivity  5G. By definition, that potentially opens the way for big steps in other parts of our lives.

Self-driving cars, for example, may need very reliable, fast bandwidth to operate safely and effectively on city streets. The same is true for a raft of smart city initiatives which depend on constant communication over the airwaves between devices operating on their own without human intervention.

For punters, it will mean getting fibre-grade speeds on your phone and portable computing devices. Where 4G currently maxes out at around 60Mbs in real-world situations here, 5G will easily exceed 100Mbs.

4. Mobile payments are coming

Ever wish you could pay for your daily basics in a shop or cafe with your phone? By the end of 2017, you will be able to do just this. In the last weeks of 2016, Google launched Android Pay, which allows you to save a credit or debit card (AIB and KBC only, with more bank cards to come) into your Android (Samsung, Sony, Huawei and more) phone and then swipe or tap your phone against a contactless terminal anytime you want to pay for items under 30.

Sometime in 2017, Apple may well follow suit in Ireland with its own Apple Pay system, which operates in a similar way for iPhone owners. Not to be outdone, Samsung may also launch Samsung Pay here, too: it has said it will launch the payment system in the UK early next year.

5. Fake news on social media

In late 2016, social media was blamed for helping to tip Donald Trump into the White House through the unchecked proliferation of so-called fake news.

It already looks like this is going to be a huge issue in 2017, although perhaps equally played out as a proxy issue as much as a real one. Between them, Facebook and Google now take some three quarters of the online display ad revenue in the US, and over half in the UK. That is leading to significant resentment among big media publishers (and quite a few journalists) who bristle at this market dynamic. And this is not unrelated to the slew of commentary pieces, news stories and high-handed editorials suggesting that some sort of intervention should be on hand to bring social networks into a regulatory framework just like we have to deal with.

Oddly, the focus is more on Facebook than Google, even though the latter takes far more ad revenue. Google, you see, had been around long enough to be regarded as an essential utility. So it gets a bye.

Facebook, though, has only really started to rake it in over the last three years. And this has been at a particularly sensitive time for publishers, who face downsizing and existential uncertainty that are directly linked to a loss of ad income (to Facebook). In this vein, expect Facebook to face more and more media hostility and institutional calls for its wings to be clipped via regulation.

6. Robots and artificial intelligence

Theres no getting away from more robots and smarter machines entering our lives or in chipping away at our jobs. This month, the first self-driving Uber cars began to pick up passengers in the US. Amazon has released a new video showing delivery by drone, this time in the UK. Microsoft is rolling out artificial intelligence that lets online bots call you via Skype on behalf of regular companies.

But while robot vacuum cleaners, smart homes and even clothes-folding machines may make life easier for us, the mechanised devices are coming for our jobs, too. Both Amazon and Apples biggest factory partner, Foxconn, are replacing thousands of human employees with robots. Call-centre operators are switching human agents for computer ones. And fast-food restaurant owners are now starting to talk along similar lines. (McDonalds already has self-ordering terminals in Irish outlets while US chain Carls Jr is considering replacing burger-flipping staff with robots.)

2017 may be the year where we see roboticisation and artificial intelligence start to encroach on jobs in accountancy, finance, marketing and other white-collar activities.

7. Virtual reality: still the next big thing

2016 was supposed to be the big breakthrough year for virtual reality in our lives. It wasnt quite that, but it certainly made some significant strides. While PC-based variants such as Oculus and HTC are still seeing slow sales growth, Sonys launch of its Playstation VR (an add-on for its Playstation 4 games system) may have given the tethered ecosystem its first significant mass-market boost.

Samsungs mobile Gear VR headset has sold pretty well, too, while Google and Facebook have both dedicated a lot of attention to it through new headsets and services (such as Google Daydream and 360 video on Facebook).

Some broadcasters and publishers are starting to film a few things in VR-friendly 360 degrees, too. The New York Times and Wall Street Journal have some interesting 360 content on their mobile apps, while Sky has announced its intention to bring a lot more sport and documentary content to a VR platform.

8. Apple in Ireland: a turning point?

To say that 2016 was a challenging one for Apples presence in Ireland is an understatement. Just two weeks ago, the European Commission confirmed a 13bn fine, claiming that Ireland has given unfair and selective state aid to the company through tax policy here. Apple and Ireland are both vigorously challenging the Commission ruling. But if Brussels wins the day, will Apples presence in Cork  where it employs 6,000 people  be jeopardised?

The election of Donald Trump as US president also has a bearing here: his administration looks likely to issue a repatriation tax amnesty for companies such as Apple which have been earning and keeping billions of dollars abroad. Trump has also made it clear that US policy might more aggressively persuade companies to base more operations in America than abroad.

Apple chief executive Tim Cook has repeatedly said that Apple will stick with Cork no matter what. But a year is a long time in international business.

9. A withering laptop market

The influence of laptops in our lives will fall even further in 2017. Over the last five years, sales of PCs have fallen around 20pc. And new figures from Statcounter show that PC and laptop internet traffic has fallen below 50pc globally for the first time. The reason is simple: we dont use them for much outside work projects anymore.

Last months MacBook Pro launch by Apple is a case in point. It should have been one of the biggest tech events of the year. Instead, it only piqued interest. We still use laptops for work, and if were into design, gaming or other niche pursuits, we take an active interest in them. But for the rest, a laptop is increasingly just a bare utility to get something done during office hours.

Five years ago, my desk was regularly flooded with requests for advice on laptops, both by colleagues and readers. Which model was best for travelling? Which was best for students? Was Windows or Mac the best long-term option? Then, virtually all of the interest dried up. I have barely had one query about a laptop  from anyone  in the last 18 months. Instead, I get weekly queries about phones. Is upgrading to the iPhone 7 the best strategy now? Whats the best Samsung to get? Are alternative models such as the One Plus 3 a savvier choice?

Its a phones world now; laptops are becoming the servers we only fall back on when we need to.

10. The resurrection of iPads

For the last three years, sales of tablets have fallen because five-inch phones have usurped their role as web-browsers, video screens and social-media devices in the eyes of many consumers. That leaves tablets and iPads in something of a no-mans land: theyre unnecessary for Facebook, but arent quite built to handle traditional office work flows.

But changing demographics, together with the continuing demise of laptops, are set to give tablets a reprieve. For most people, smartphone interfaces are now the most familiar computing system they know.

Increasingly, it is Windows and Mac OS interfaces that look complicated compared to the ordinary smartphone systems.

This is particularly true for those under 25, a growing number of whom have never spent much time with older Windows or Mac PC systems. But they still need big screens to get projects and light work done.

Some manufacturers are starting to bet on this trend. Lenovo, which vies with Dell and HP at the top of the PC-manufacturing heap, recently launched its Yoga Book. This is a moderately priced tablet-and-keyboard combo that adds in extra productivity features. Its aimed mainly at students and younger people, who arent as brainwashed into thinking that PCs are real computers while phones are add-ons.

In Ireland, tens of thousands of kids now use iPads at school and have never operated a PC or a Mac. For them, switching on a laptop is an unintuitive chore.

So while middle-aged laptop-buyers (those over 35) still cant fully contemplate a tablet as a full-time laptop replacement, young adults increasingly have little problem with the notion.
Dog who travelled from Portarlington to Dublin

The owner of a dog who embarked on a solo road trip to Dublin on board a train has been tracked down.

The stowaway, named Patch, boarded a train at Portarlington and was discovered by Irish Rail workers before being handed over to Kilmainham garda station.

If this is your doggie please contact Kilmainham Garda Station. He took a trip from Portarlington this morning. Hope he had a ticket! pic.twitter.com/9swxHp5ItY  Iarnrod Eireann (@IrishRail) December 30, 2016

Irish Rail thanked people for their help in tracking his owners down.

"We won't be pursuing him for a ticket," they joked on social media.

Previously the company appealed for anyone with information to contact the gardai there and joked that they hoped the wandering dog "had a ticket" for his journey.
Investigators at the scene of this morning's stabbing on Oranmore Road in Ballyfermot (Photo: Colin O'Riordan)

Investigators at the scene of the stabbing on Oranmore Road in Ballyfermot

Gardai CSI members pictured at the scene of the stabbing at Oranmore Road, Ballyfermot yesterday. Photo: Colin O'Riordan

Gardai are investigating if a stabbing that left an elderly widow fighting for her life is connected to an ongoing family feud.

The pensioner victim, named locally as Bridie Smith, was stabbed in the chest after answering her front door on Oranmore Road, Ballyfermot shortly after 9.30am today.

Sources say that two people were involved in the horror attack on Mrs Smith, who is in her 70s.

She was taken by ambulance to St James's Hospital where her condition is described as "critical", by gardai.

Mrs Smith, a widowed mother-of-five, has been living in the area for several decades.

One line of enquiry is that the attack is linked to an ongoing family-based feud in the local area.

A number of people have appeared in the courts in relation to this dispute.

In 2015 another innocent elderly lady was attacked while returning from mass.

Detectives will examine if the two incidents are connected.

Nobody has been arrested in relation to this latest attack.

In a statement gardai said they were "investigating an Assault Causing Harm incident which occurred at approximately 09:30 this morning in Oranmore Road, Ballyfermot, Dublin 10.

"A woman in her 70s was taken to St James Hospital with apparent stab wounds. Her condition is described as critical."

Investigating Gardai are appealing for anyone with information to contact Ballyfermot Garda Station on 01  666 7200, the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.

Residents in the Oranmore Road area of Ballyfermot expressed shock and sadness at the vicious stabbing of their elderly neighbour.

"I'm terribly shocked. The guards came to my door asking if I saw anything but I hadn't," said a 38-year-old mother-of-five.

"I'm just hoping she'll make a full recovery. She was the same age as my mam. It's terrible," she said.

"Another old woman was attacked down the road around a year ago," she said

A 72-year-old Ballyfermot woman said "It's an awful thing to happen on New Year's Day. I'll be saying a prayer for her."

Local man Seamus Pender (59) said: "She has lived in the area for a long time. We heard that one of her sons may have been in bed when she was attacked.

"We're all very shocked. The family have been living here for a long time. The first I heard about it was when the guards came to the door asking if anyone had seen anything," said the father of one.

The scene has been sealed off for a forensic examination.
An injured woman is carried to an ambulance from a nightclub where a gun attack took place during a New Year party in Istanbul, Turkey, January 1, 2017.

New Year's Celebrations in a Turkish nightclub ended in a bloodbath when a gunman dressed as Santa Claus opened fire killing at least 39 people and injuring dozens more.

Turkish interior minister Suleyman Soylu said 15 foreign nationals had been identified among the dead at the Reina nightclub in Istanbul.

There had been up to 600 people in the club at the time of the attack.

Authorities are starting to uncover evidence about the attack but there is no clarity yet on who was responsible, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said.

"Some details have started emerging, but the authorities are working towards a concrete result," Yildirim told reporters, when asked about who might have been behind the attack.

The "terrorist" was still at large after striking alone in the attack, in which he changed clothes and injured a further 69 people in the early hours of Sunday, Mr Soylu said.

"Police and security officials will share information as it becomes available during the investigation," he said.

"A manhunt for the terrorist is underway. Police have launched operations. We hope the attacker will be captured soon," he told reporters.

Expand Close An ambulance arrives near a nightclub where a gun attack took place during a New Year party in Istanbul, Turkey, January 1, 2017. REUTERS/Osman Orsal / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp An ambulance arrives near a nightclub where a gun attack took place during a New Year party in Istanbul, Turkey, January 1, 2017. REUTERS/Osman Orsal

"This was a massacre, a truly inhuman savagery," he added.

Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan has said there are no reports of Irish casualties but has urged holiday-makers to remain vigilant.

Expand Close An injured woman is carried to an ambulance from a nightclub where a gun attack took place during a New Year party in Istanbul, Turkey, January 1, 2017. / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp An injured woman is carried to an ambulance from a nightclub where a gun attack took place during a New Year party in Istanbul, Turkey, January 1, 2017.

"I unreservedly condemn the heinous violent attack in the nightclub in Istanbul in the early hours of this morning. I extend my condolences to the families of those killed and my sympathy to those injured.

"My thoughts are with the people of Turkey today, as they come to terms with yet another terrorist attack on their country. It is particularly heartrending that this attack targeted people on New Years Eve, a time when we join together in our hope for a more peaceful future," he said.

Expand Close An injured woman is carried to an ambulance from a nightclub where a gun attack took place during a New Year party in Istanbul, Turkey, January 1, 2017. / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp An injured woman is carried to an ambulance from a nightclub where a gun attack took place during a New Year party in Istanbul, Turkey, January 1, 2017.

"Terrorists will not prevail in destabilising democracy as long as we continue to stand together and I reiterate that Ireland, along with other European Union Member States, stands in solidarity with Turkey in the fight against terrorism.

"Ireland's Embassy in Ankara is in ongoing close contact with local Turkish authorities and other partners. We have not received any report of any Irish casualties.

Expand Close Police secure area near an Istanbul nightclub, Turkey, January 1, 2017. REUTERS/Osman Orsal / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Police secure area near an Istanbul nightclub, Turkey, January 1, 2017. REUTERS/Osman Orsal

I advise any Irish citizens in Istanbul to remain very vigilant and to exercise extreme caution, to follow the advice of local authorities especially the police, and to avoid crowded areas and those frequented by foreigners."

Nationals of Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Lebanon and Libya were among those killed in a gun attack at a packed nightclub in Istanbul on Sunday, Turkish Family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya was quoted by the state-run Anadolu news agency as saying.

Expand Close Police secure area near an Istanbul nightclub, Turkey, January 1, 2017. REUTERS/Osman Orsal / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Police secure area near an Istanbul nightclub, Turkey, January 1, 2017. REUTERS/Osman Orsal

A woman from Israel, aged 19, was among those killed it has emerged.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed on Sunday that the teenager was among the casualties.

She was identified as Leanne Nasser, 19. Israeli media reports said she had been at the club with three friends from her home village of Tira in central Israel, one of whom was wounded in the shooting attack.

At least five Saudi citizens were among 39 people killed in an attack on New Year revellers at a packed nightclub in Istanbul, a Saudi newspaper reported.

Meanwhile, two Lebanese citizens were also among those killed.

In a statement at the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "We saw over the weekend ... another deadly attack in Turkey. We send condolences to the families of those who were murdered and best wishes for recovery to the wounded."

Meanwhile, Turkish President Erdogan says Turkey is determined to "destroy source of threats and attacks against it".

"As a nation, we will fight to the end against not just the armed attacks of terror groups and the forces behind them, but also against their economic, political and social attacks," Erdogan said in a written statement.

"They are trying to create chaos, demoralize our people, and destabilize our country with abominable attacks which target civilians ... We will retain our cool-headedness as a nation, standing more closely together, and we will never give ground to such dirty games," he said.

Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin said the "terror attack" began when the assailant, armed with a long-barrelled weapon, killed a policeman and a civilian outside the club.

The attacker then entered the club in the Ortakoy district and fired at partygoers at around 1.45am local time, Mr Sahin said.

"Unfortunately (he) rained bullets in a very cruel and merciless way on innocent people who were there to celebrate New Year's and have fun," he added.

Five of the dead have been identified as Turkish nationals, up to four of which were working in the club, while authorities are yet to identify 19 others.

Clubbers reportedly jumped into the waters of the Bosporus strait to escape to flee the attacker.

Eyewitness Sinem Uyanik said her husband Lutfu Uyanik was wounded in the attack.

"Before I could understand what was happening, my husband fell on top me," she said outside Istanbul's Sisli Hospital.

"I had to lift several bodies from on top of me before I could get out."

A Turkish soccer player named Sefa Boydas wrote on Twitter "I didn't see who was shooting but heard the gun shots and people fled. Police moved in quickly."

"My girlfriend was wearing high heels. I lifted her and carried her out on my back," he said.

Hurriyet quoted Reina's owner, Mehmet Kocarslan, as saying security measures had been taken over the past 10 days after U.S. intelligence reports suggested a possible attack.

Officers in riot gear and armed with machine guns were backed up by armoured vehicles to secure the area surrounding the club, which is one of the most popular spots in the city.

Security in Turkish cities had been heightened with 17,000 police officers, some camouflaged as Santa Claus, on duty in Istanbul, state news agency Anadolu said.

Terrorists from the Islamic State group and Kurdish rebels targeted Istanbul and Ankara several times inflicting a death toll of more than 180 in 2016.

Turkish-backed rebel groups in Syria have been targeting IS militants.

The White House condemned the "horrific terrorist attack" and offered US help to Turkey.

The Irish embassy in Ankara appealed for Irish holiday-makers to let their loved ones know they are safe.

If you are in Istanbul and ok, pls let family and friends know. For assistance call 00353 1 408 2000 or 0090 312 459 1000.  Irish Embassy Ankara (@IrlEmbAnkara) January 1, 2017

Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan has extended his condolences to the family and friends of those killed and injured in the attack.

Shocking start to New Year 2017 with terror attack in Istanbul Our thoughts are with victims, survivors, their families & communities.  Charlie Flanagan (@CharlieFlanagan) January 1, 2017

Any Irish citizen in Istanbul that needs assistance, or anyone in Ireland concerned about someone in Istanbul, should call on 00353 1 4082000 or 0090 312 459 1000.
Ireland's newest millionaire will be celebrating the New Year in style after picking up a cool 1m on New Year's Eve.

The winning ticket was sold in the Topaz Service Station on Lower Tivoli Road in Cork on 21 December 2016.

They are not the only one celebrating a windfall however.

Another ticket worth 250,000 and four winning tickets worth 100,000 each were drawn in the annual Christmas Millionaire Raffle

The winner of the quarter of a million euro prize nabbed their ricket just in time after picking it up ion the day of the draw on Main Street, Bundoran, Co. Donegal on the day of the draw.

All Christmas Millionaire Raffle ticket holders have 90 days from the day of the draw to collect their prizes.
Plans to establish a national inspection unit to stamp out shoddy and second-rate housing have been ditched by the Government, the Sunday Independent has learned.

It comes as tenants' rights groups call for tighter controls amid mounting concerns over poor quality accommodation.

Local authorities are the first port of call for tenants with particular complaints regarding their living accommodation.

However, council inspections to enforce statutory minimum standards on privately rented properties vary widely.

The massive growth in the rental market far exceeds the capacity of most local authorities to enforce agreed minimum guidelines.

Industry experts also point out that many tenants are reluctant to raise their concerns in case they are perceived by landlords as "troublesome", thereby putting their lease at risk.

In June, the Department of the Environment said it was considering different options for monitoring the overall standard of rental accommodation.

Among the proposals was the establishment of a dedicated national inspection unit to monitor properties, and ensure they are suitable for the rental sector.

However, the Department of Housing confirmed such a proposal was off the table, despite critics claiming current policing standards are seriously inadequate.

The private rented sector is now more than twice as large as the local authority and voluntary sector combined.

Figures show there were 285,025 private tenancies registered in 2014 - but only 13,913 dwellings underwent routine inspections that year.

Half were found to breach the minimum standards required, with damp, mould, cold, and fire safety concerns the main violations.

Tenants' rights groups argue the local authority inspection system was set up at a time when the private rented sector was much smaller.

It is claimed overall scarcity of rental properties allows many landlords to avoid attending to crucial repairs and maintenance.

Housing charity Threshold has called for the introduction of a more thorough licensing and certification network - under the aegis of an independent authority.

It believes the responsibility should clearly rest with a landlord to prove that their property meets required standards prior to letting.

Threshold chairperson Aideen Hayden said the crisis in the private rented sector has been caused by a "perfect storm" of unaffordable rents, shortage of supply, and a regulatory system, that simply does not support long-term renting.

Overall standards in private rented accommodation continue to be a "major concern". She said substandard accommodation was the second biggest issue the charity dealt with in 2015.

It accounted for 15pc of overall queries in 2016, and was the "number one issue of concern" for its services in Cork.

"This issue of poor standards is, worryingly, a growing trend," she said.

"This is being compounded by the current availability crisis, and we are seeing increasing incidences of overcrowding.

Disproportionate rent increases, she added, are pushing hundreds of families into homelessness at an "accelerated rate. The 54pc spike in calls we experienced in the past year is indicative of the huge issues now faced by many living in the private rented sector".

In a statement, the Department of Housing admitted that in order to increase the numbers of houses subject to proper inspection, specific "ring-fenced" funding would be identified from 2018 onwards.

Local authorities will also have annual targets to meet for both inspection and compliance. The objective is to increase inspection numbers "incrementally" each year, with the aim of achieving a 25pc annual rate by 2021.

A Dublin City Council crackdown on low-quality rented accommodation reported in March that almost 90pc of apartments inspected failed to fully meet required guidelines.

A total of 6,360 premises were looked at from 2012 to 2015 - and issues were raised in relation to 5,685 properties.

Some 50pc failed to achieve required standards, because of fire safety problems, including exposed live wiring in bathrooms, scorched wall sockets, and broken smoke alarms.
Gardai fear that opening fire on armed criminals will land them with a "lifetime" of paperwork and possible serious charges.

Experienced officers also warn about the potential dangers for society if gardai are forced to back away while criminal and paramilitary gangs kill and maim at will.

Concerns were heightened last year after the indefinite extension of the Government's inquiry into the shooting dead of an armed Republican gang member in Ashford, Co Wicklow, in May 1998.

Gardai are concerned the Oireachtas is going down the route of the British government, whose inquiries into fatal shootings involving police or soldiers led to two soldiers being charged over shooting dead an armed IRA man in Belfast in 1972. Some 300 cases are being brought in the North by relatives of IRA members and Catholic civilians, in most cases supported by Sinn Fein-related community or rights groups.

Armed confrontations were a frequent occurrence in the 1970s and 1980s and retired officers are also said to be wondering if some day they will be called before an inquiry or possibly a court.

The Government ordered the inquiry into the Ashford incident in response to a European Court direction that the original investigation into the killing of Ronan Mac Lochlainn was inadequate. He was part of a gang armed with an AK47, an automatic assault shotgun and a large calibre revolver.

One retired detective told the Sunday Independent: "People forget but it was mad in the 1980s with guards chasing criminals and Provos all the time and getting in gunfights. That's what's going to happen now. They know they can get away with it and the guards know if they shoot back they will be up before GSOC, or the (Policing) Authority or the (Garda) Inspectorate or Internal Affairs."

Another said: "Any guard who fires a shot will spend the rest of their time in the job writing."

The term "writing" is used for the preparing of statements, in this instance in defending the use of a firearm in a situation that could lead to them facing criminal charges up to and including murder.

The Ashford Inquiry was set up by the Government in August 2014 with Mary Rose Gearty SC as sole member to investigate the circumstances of the killing. It was given a budget of 350,000 and was to report in six months.

In June 2015 it was extended again and the budget further increased to 627,000, then last year to 850,000.
This latest diversion was the fifth that authorities at Shannon dealt with over the holiday period (Stock picture)

A holiday jet diverted to Shannon Airport with a seriously ill passenger yesterday - the fourth medical emergency at the airport in just a week.

TUI flight TOM24 was just 30 minutes into its flight from London Gatwick Airport to Bridgetown on the Caribbean island of Barbados, with 354 passengers and crew on board, when the crew declared an emergency.

The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner jet was about 250km south east of Cork when the crew requested clearance to divert to Shannon. The pilot reported they had an elderly lady on board who was 'unresponsive'.

Cabin crew members took out the aircraft's defibrillator, but it is not known if they needed to use it.

The crew also told controllers they needed to dump aviation fuel to ensure it touched down within safe landing weight limits.

The flight landed safely at 11.33am and was met by airport fire crews who accompanied the jet to the terminal where National Ambulance Service paramedics were also standing by.

The woman, believed to be in her 70s, was taken to University Hospital Limerick for treatment.

This latest diversion was the fifth that authorities at Shannon dealt with over the holiday period, including four medical emergencies.

On Christmas Eve, a 10-year-old girl died on a flight from Toronto to London that diverted to Shannon while on Christmas Day, an EL AL flight from Israel to the US was forced to make an unscheduled landing after a woman suffered a suspected miscarriage.

Early yesterday, a British Airways flight from Miami to London declared a medical emergency and diverted to Shannon.

On St Stephen's Day, an OpenSkies flight from New York to Paris diverted to the mid-west airport so that passengers could use the toilet facilities. The crew reported that the jet's toilets were 'unserviceable'.

Of the estimated 60 flights that made unscheduled landings at Shannon Airport this year, nearly half were medical emergencies.

The others included diversions for technical, security and weather-related issues.
AGE IS NO BARRIER: Helen Mirren (71) won an Oscar at the age of 61, an Olivier Award aged 67 and a Tony at age 69  and she shows no signs of stopping anytime soon Picture: Reuters

Over the Christmas break, most us of will spend time with older family members and relatives. Some we hadn't seen in a while and others we should make an effort to see more often.

For those who you don't see that often, Christmas becomes a yardstick for the ageing process. You might notice a grandparent moving a little more gingerly than usual or an aunt who seems to be getting slightly forgetful. Then there are the relatives who have aged so gracefully they make you hope your genes came from their side of the family.

Either way, there's nothing we can do about ageing - it will happen to the best of us.

The good news is we are all living to be older than ever and for the best part of these years we are in a healthy condition. For example, if you are a 65-year-old man, you will on average live for another 18.4 years, and if you are a woman you've got another 21.1 years. Of those years, men can expect to be healthy for 11.4 of them, while women should not have to regularly see a doctor for 12.3 years.

The statistics come from a Eurostat study which featured in the recently published Positive Ageing 2016 National Indicators Report.

The report was launched last November by Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People Helen McEntee but got very little media coverage, which in itself gives an insight into how we view our more senior citizens. The information feeds into the Government's National Positive Ageing Strategy, which is aimed at celebrating older people and ensuring they "live happy, healthy and fulfilled lives".

A central plank of the strategy involves creating a country in which older people feel they can participate more in society. Just as with all stages of life, work is a key ingredient to living a fulfilled existence.

As revealed in today's Sunday Independent, there are currently plans afoot to make landmark changes to retirement laws to allow people to work longer, if they so wish.

This will include abolishing mandatory retirement ages (generally around 65 years old) and putting an onus on employers to provide employees with objective reasons for bringing their contract to an end due to their age.

The change in government policy is a reaction to the changing nature of the workforce and the looming threat of a pension time bomb.

Ms McEntee's report shows 63pc of the population hold some description of employment between the ages of 50 and 64, but this drops dramatically to just 18pc for those aged between 65 and 69 - when most people retire from the workforce.

Between the ages of 70 and 74 it drops further to 9.4pc. In both of the later age categories, Ireland is above the EU average.

We are also a healthier nation than we give ourselves credit for, as 78pc of people aged between 65 and 74 report their health is either good or very good. However, one in four people in the same age group says they have a physical disability.

This includes difficulty with pain, breathing or any other chronic illness or condition; blindness or serious vision impairment; deafness or a serious hearing impairment; or any difficulty with basic activities such as walking, climbing stairs, reaching, lifting or carrying.

Chronic diseases are more prevalent among 65- to 74-year-olds, with 66pc of men and 79pc of women stating they have been diagnosed with conditions such as arthritis, asthma, diabetes, cancer or heart problems.

Some of these figures look stark and would have you believe the large majority of our older citizens are bed-bound invalids. However, a mere 7.3pc of people who report a long-standing illness or condition say their disability stops them from attending further education, work or participating in social activities. This unsurprisingly jumps to 26pc aged 75 or older.

When broken down further, the figures show just 4.6pc of 65- to 74-year-olds find attending work or education difficult, while 10pc of respondents aged over 70 gave the same response.

The report states: "The extent to which someone adapts to a disability may depend on the person's level of resilience, which can depend on factors specific to the person and their contextual circumstances."

In other words, everyone's situation is different. But, according to the statistics provided, a lot of people do not feel diseases or conditions brought on by old age are necessarily preventing them from going about their daily lives.

The report also found contentment with one's own circumstances increases with age and 86pc of people aged over 65 say they have a "high life satisfaction", which is six points higher than those aged 52 to 64.

This could be interpreted two ways. The fact that life satisfaction increases beyond 65 could mean people are happier in retirement or, alternatively, they have become more content with their lot in later years.

Symptoms of depression and anxiety also decrease as people get older. All in all, older people seem to be happier in their twilight years.

Now, I'm not for a minute suggesting people should be forced to stall their retirement plans because they are healthy, fit and full of the joys of life, but those who feel they can work should not be prevented from doing so.

However, as things stand, a third of people over 50 say they have experienced age-related discrimination in their workplace, and almost nine in 10 say they have been discriminated against while looking for work.

Naturally, there are hard facts that show why an employer might want to replace a retiree with a younger, more tech-savvy and cheaper member of staff.

In almost every profession, workers hired pre-financial crash are paid considerably more than colleagues doing the same job who were employed post-2008.

There are also issues around education and training, especially when it comes to the ever-changing technological landscape.

For instance, around a quarter of all respondents over 65 say they use the internet while not at work and just 5.8pc say they do so on a weekly basis.

While above the EU average, we still have very low levels of people taking part in formal education and training in later years - just 2.3pc of adults between 55 and 64.

If government policy is to shift towards encouraging people to work longer, it should be complemented with a strategy to upskill and train workers for technological advances in the workforce.

It's all well and good pushing people to work later into life but if they do not have the skills to do so they will a) not feel like they are contributing and b) not be seen as possible candidates for positions that may arise.

There are undoubtedly workers, mostly in the public service where they are legislatively required to retire at 65, who would like to work for a few more years, especially since their pension doesn't kick in until they are 66.

Removing mandatory retirement ages will lead to consternation, mostly among owners of private companies who do not want the Government dictating their human resources policy, as it did in the UK when similar legislation was introduced.

As the Government prepares to change laws in this area it should be - and most likely is - aware of one final statistic: more than one in four people aged 65 or older have been involved in political activities in the past 12 months.

This includes attending a meeting of a trade union, political party or a political action; attending a protest or demonstration; signing a petition, including email or online petitions; or contacting a political or public official.

If the Government is to survive the next general election, it will have bring on board the ever-powerful grey vote when it looks to make landmark changes to their work lives.
Some husbands have been kicked out of the labour ward for reading a newspaper, others ejected for over-enthusiastic cheerleading - then there was one who was carried out on a stretcher. The ecstasy and madness of what goes on in Ireland's busiest maternity hospital has been revealed at the end of another year.

As mothers welcome the first 2017 babies into the world, Dr Rhona Mahony, Master of Holles Street Maternity Hospital, says that - after 20 years delivering babies - she still laughs at the high-octane drama between parents.

"We have a lot of fun in the labour ward and there has been great banter between couples," she told the Sunday Independent this weekend.

"Sometimes we get the 'we don't want an epidural men' but we make sure to listen to what the mother wants," she laughs. "Then there have been men ejected from the delivery ward for being a bit too enthusiastic with their breathing and pushing techniques.

"There was one husband, who was complaining about the pain he was in mid-labour and we said to him 'ah listen here, your wife is having the baby' and in fact he had appendicitis. He ended up missing the delivery and I felt sorry for him because all he got was a bad appendix while she had the baby."

In her two decades overseeing the miracle of birth, she also says she still sheds tears in the delivery ward.

"You do remember the difficult cases over the years and you collect your scars," she says. "You want everything to be perfect but life isn't like that. It's heartbreaking and you see people go through extraordinary challenges in order to have a baby, but where I have hope is when you get to know patients over the years and you will frequently see people coming back who will have the joy of a new baby after their loss.

"I think it's important to highlight that there will be people this weekend for whom it has been a sad year and who will be reflecting on that. We are very conscious of those and we never forget their babies. Every October we have a Mass for them and it's very important to us that they will never be forgotten."

Expand Close Master of Dublins Holles Street Dr Rhona Mahony, who has been delivering babies for 20 years, says she still laughs at the high-octane drama during childbirth Photo: David Conachy / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Master of Dublins Holles Street Dr Rhona Mahony, who has been delivering babies for 20 years, says she still laughs at the high-octane drama during childbirth Photo: David Conachy

By midnight last night an estimated 9,000 babies were born in Holles Street Hospital in 2016 (an average of 25 babies a day) the lightest weighing in at 510gram (1.1lb) - the heaviest, an eye-watering 5.6kg (12.3lb). Dr Mahony says if she has one tip for those looking after new mothers, it's to do something nurturing such as make a frozen meal for their family in the weeks that follow, rather than the standard box of chocolates.

One mother who was celebrating a New Year's Eve baby is Rekha Visuanthan, a midwife who works at the hospital. Another is Janet Dempsey from Milltown, Co Dublin. Twenty years ago she gave birth to her first child on her own, as a teenage mother. With no parents, partner or siblings, she remembers the staff at Holles Street Hospital comforting her through her tears and loneliness. She raised the child as a working mother, and her daughter has now gone on to university in the UK. Six years ago she met an "incredible and loving" partner and this weekend they are celebrating their new little arrival, baby Irena.
Workers will be incentivised to remain in their jobs for longer through the promise of a larger State pension under radical Government plans aimed at tackling the pensions time bomb, the Sunday Independent can reveal.

The landmark overhaul of employment law would also for the first time force employers to give workers legitimate reasons for compulsory retirement irrespective of a worker's age.

The far-reaching changes to employment law is top of the agenda for Government discussions in the New Year and would clear the way for workers in both the public and private sector to continue working beyond the general retirement age of 65, if they so choose.

And the proposals would also give employees the option of taking early retirement on a reduced pension.

The measures are aimed at clamping down on age discrimination in the workforce and tackling the rising cost of State pensions which could radically reduce Government spending in the years ahead.

Similar laws introduced in the UK five years ago resulted in widespread debate over the rights of workers and employers. UK employers can only force workers into retirement if they can provide a "public interest" reason for making them leave their jobs.

UK workers can defer their state pension and remain in the workforce longer to receive an increased payment when they retire.

There is no compulsory retirement age in Ireland and people are free to work beyond the age of 65, but many employment contracts in both the public and private sectors require people to retire at a specified age.

Central to the Government's new strategy, which is being drafted by Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar and Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People Helen McEntee, are plans to make mandatory retirement ages illegal.

Leo Varadkar told the Sunday Independent he wanted to introduce reforms which would result in "greater flexibility around retirement" and also allow people to retire early on a reduced pension or to work later and get an increased one.

"We are also examining a change in the law that would put the onus on employers who want someone to retire before the State pension age, so that the employer would have to prove that this is necessary for some objective reason," Varadkar added.

The minister said the new laws would include exemptions for certain professions such as those working for An Garda Siochana and the Defence Forces.

McEntee said reform of employment laws are needed now more than ever due to the country's ageing population. The minister said many workers view existing legislation as "ageist" and do not want to be forced into retirement.

"When they reach a certain age set out in an employment contract, most people have no option but to retire, even if it's not what they want. I believe we must give people the option of working if that is what they want and if they have the ability to do so," she told the Sunday Independent.

Age Action Ireland spokesman Gerard Scully welcomed the reforms and said age should not be a criteria for a person being forced into retirement.

"People should be able to stay on in employment no matter what age they are and choose to retire at a time of their choosing," Scully said.

The employment reforms would also aim to bridge the gap between retirement of age 65 in most professions and receipt of the State pension at 66.

The age for receipt of the State pension is due to increase to 67 in 2021 and 68 in 2028.

Varadkar acknowledged there are "particular issues" facing workers who are forced to retire age 65 and then have to wait a year to receive the State pension.

He said this problem is being examined by the Government and the Workplace Relations Commission has now been tasked with drawing up a new code of practice for employers and employees on working for longer.

"I am very much opposed to re-introducing the old State transition pension for 65-year-olds as proposed by Sinn Fein and some others," he said.

This might be popular but it would be the wrong thing to do. It would undermine our policy of increasing the State pension age in line with life expectancy," he added.

The social protection minister noted that in 1970, the State pension age was 70 and at the time the average man lived to 68 and the average woman to 72.

"People worked for 40 or 50 years and drew the pension only for a few years. Nowadays, people work for 40 years and draw the pension for 15 or 20 years on average.

"This is obviously welcome in terms of quality of life. But if this continues, we won't be able to afford to maintain pensions at their current value into the future. Hence the need to raise the retirement age progressively over time," he said.
Gerry "The Monk" Hutch returned to Dublin over the festive season under the protection of republican gangsters.

The under-threat veteran criminal was spotted in the city with a large cavalcade of protection on St Stephen's Day, reports the Sunday World.

Hutch whose life is in danger from the Kinahan cartel was reportedly brought to a housing estate in South Dublin.

He entered the property and returned a short time later.

The newspaper reports that the house in question has been the location of a number of incidents related to the feud over recent months.

'The Monk' Hutch has spent the majority of the Christmas period hiding out in a safe house in Northern Ireland.

His close friend Noel "Duck Egg" Kirwan became the latest victim of the feud when he was shot on December 22 in the driveway of his Clondalkin home.

Hutch (53) is believed to have spent the Christmas season in safe houses in Northern Ireland.

Close associates have travelled to the secret hideaway to meet him over the past week.

It is understood he is being put up by associates of dissident republicans in the North.

The belief is that Hutch may form an alliance with republican criminals in a bid to protect their multi-million euro tobacco trade.

It is not known if he will attend the funeral of his pal Noel 'Duck Egg' Kirwan (62), which is expected to take place tomorrow at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Sean McDermott St.

The Monk's Christmas 'break' in Northern Ireland and his quick visit to Dublin is the first time he has surfaced since being spotted in Istanbul in October.

The last time publicity-shy Hutch was photographed was when he showed up in disguise at his murdered older brother Eddie's funeral last February.
Aine Laffan, Lisnagry, Limerick holds her new baby boy Odhran who was born at 4.42am on New Years Day on her kithchen floor. Photograph Liam Burke Press 22

One mum welcomed her New Year baby in an unusual fashion  as she delivered her son on the kitchen floor.

Aine, (34), from Lisnagry, had wanted a home birth, but didn't expect it so soon - little Odhran arrived three weeks ahead of his due date, weighing an even seven pounds, and looking for his breakfast.

"I'm feeling great, tired, but great. I'll never forget it; I had him in the kitchen, on the floor. We'll never be able to look at the spot on the floor in the same way," she said.

Proud dad Denis Kelly, made a late night dash from his family home in Roscommon to be with Aine, and as it turned out, he was in plenty of time to "catch" his son who arrived home at 4.42am.

"I got down around 12.30am, and Aine woke me at 3.40am. I caught (Odhran) as he came out, and the ambulance arrived on ten minutes later," Mr Kelly said.

"I'm very excited. He was three weeks early so we never expected it to happen when it did. We're very lucky everything went ok."

"We had wanted a home birth but we didn't think it would happen like it did. He still came at our home," he said.

Beaming mum Aine added: "We had a few complications, as he was in a breech position, but in the end everything went ok; It was a lovely experience."

After the early morning kitchen delivery, the couple's two-and-a-half-year old son, Fionn, joined his parents and Aine's mother, Martha, to catch his first glimpse of his younger brother.

Aine and Odhran were then whisked by ambulance to the University Limerick Maternity Hospital for observation.

Paying tribute to the nursing staff, Mr Kelly said: "The midwife here was great and made everything really relaxed and comfortable for us. The nurses let us take all the time we needed with Odhran after the ambulance brought us in."

Meanwhile, Declan and Gloria O'Grady, from Patrickswell, were celebrating the arrival of their first child, Lily Mary Eileen, who was born at the Limerick maternity hospital, at one minute past midnight, weighing seven pounds, four ounces.

"She was due on January 3rd but it was a fine delivery; it lasted six and a half hours, from 5.30pm to 12.01am," said delighted mum Gloria.

"I'm very happy and very tired. It's great, and hopefully it's the first of many," she added.

Delighted dad Declan joked: "I've already ordered her the Patrickswell GAA jersey, the order is on hold, as I was waiting for her size."

Another New Years Day newborn Samuel Wojciech Golral was being showered with love by his thrilled Polish parents also in the Limerick baby hospital.

Weighing a little over three pounds, and arriving nine days before his due date, tiny Samuel was catching up on some sleep in his mother Katarzyna's arms after his "very quick" arrival at 2.25am.
David Jones was once 24 stone but has transformed his life and competed in ROI's Strongest Man

Valerie despised holidays when she was 22 stone but has since lost 10.5 stone since joining Slimming World: Photo Credit Su Forrester

Bina revealed that she'll never forget the "poor" camel in Lanzarote, also pictured above this year with her husband Patrick

After weeks of drinking, eating and being merry, many of us are beginning to feel the toll of our gluttony as we celebrate the New Year.

Throughout 2016, Independent.ie has met dozens of Irish people who transformed their bodies and their success is just the right inspiration for the day that's in it.

Between them, our biggest losers of the year have lost in excess of 70 stones (444kg). Here they share their weight loss journeys and how their lives have been transformed in tune with their waistlines.

To this day I still feel sorry for that poor camel

Name: Bina Dinan (41)

Total weight loss: 7 stone (44kg)

Expand Close Bina revealed that she'll never forget the "poor" camel in Lanzarote, also pictured above this year with her husband Patrick / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Bina revealed that she'll never forget the "poor" camel in Lanzarote, also pictured above this year with her husband Patrick

An embarrassing experience in Lanzarote was the straw that broke the camels back in the case of Bina Dinan, who shed seven stone after returning from a holiday on the Canary Island.

My husband, who was my boyfriend then, had been going out for about a year and a half when we went on our first holiday together to Lanzarote, said Bina, from Dromtariffe.

We decided to go on a camel ride and Patrick has always been skinny like a rasher, she said.

Each camel had two seats and so we both got up onto him as he was lying down. From the start I knew something was wrong. There was an awful kerfuffle and I spotted them loading up Patricks side with sandbags in order to balance the weight.

I was so embarrassed even though Patrick kept telling me not to mind them at all. To this day I always think about that poor camel, she said.

The Catering Supervisor was inspired to lose 7 stone (44kg) through Weight Watchers after the experience.

If you can believe it you can do it. If you have a bad day or a bad week, just park that and leave it in the past. Start again from right now.

All the GAA Mammies were talking about me

Name: Tracey Houlihan (37)

Total weight loss: 7 stone (44kg)

Expand Close Mum Tracey lost 7 stone in 9 months / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Mum Tracey lost 7 stone in 9 months

Tracey Houlihan began to struggle with her weight when she lost her own mother 14 years ago, after which she had to become a rock for her dad and her young brothers.

After marrying her childhood sweetheart and becoming a mum herself, Traceys weight became an even bigger problem and she felt as though she was watching her life drift by from the sidelines.

After battling with her weight for more than 12 years, Tracey shed almost 100lbs through Slimming World in nine months and said that her friends were thrilled to see her back to her old self.

After losing the weight, a friend of mine came up to me after the kids training and said All the mammies are talking about you Tracey.

I got such a fright! But she said that it was just because they were all so happy for me and that they were happy to see the old me back again, she said.

When I was heavy I just had this hatred of myself, and that wasnt okay either. At the time I really didnt like her, but looking back I realise she wasnt too bad after all. She just needed a little bit of help, said Tracey.

Losing my mum inspired me to achieve the goal we set together

Tony Power (46)

Total weight loss: 6 stone (38kg)

Expand Close Tony Power (46) shed almost 6 stone and will climb Mount Everest / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Tony Power (46) shed almost 6 stone and will climb Mount Everest

Tipping the scales at 20 stone (127kg), Tony Power was encouraged by his mum to sign up for a charity race in Lourdes with a group of friends. Tragically, she passed away after a short illness months before the race.

My mum was woman with great faith, and she loved travelling to Lourdes. It was the only place she ever went on holidays. She encouraged me to join in on the cycle, but she did say that I had better lose a bit of weight first. She said she would be there waiting for me at the finish line.

My mum was really my inspiration, and it was very tough when she died. However, she inspired me to keep going. She said shed be there at the finish line, and it felt great to finish the race knowing how happy it would have made her, and also in a place she found great solace, he said.

Finishing the cycle in Lourdes was just the beginning for Tony, who said hes developed and addiction to fitness and wellbeing. He has lost six stone in the process. This year, the 46-year-old climbed to Everests base camp to raise funds for Crumlin.

'From Obese to Beast'

Name: Davy Jones (25)

Starting weight: 24 stone (152kg)

Lowest Weight: 12 stone (76kg)

Current weight: 18 stone (114kg)

Expand Close David Jones was once 24 stone but has transformed his life and competed in ROI's Strongest Man / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp David Jones was once 24 stone but has transformed his life and competed in ROI's Strongest Man

Kilkenny man Davy Jones this year competed in Irelands Strongest Man competition after a massive physical transformation.

By the time he was 19, Davy weight had reached 24 stone (152kg) and he began making an effort in the gym after years of struggling with his appearance.

I began making an effort in the gym and I was delighted when I lost half a stone. I cant describe it, but it felt like something just clicked in my brain. From that point on I just made a promise to myself and went from there, he said.

After shifting more than 12 stone (76kg) , Davy developed what he describes as an addition to fitness and made a decision to become a personal trainer.

Never give up, no matter how hard it is. I was 24 stone (152kg) at one point so there is always an opportunity to change no matter how long the road feels. Just keep going, said Davy.

I lost nine stone and was recognised by my idol Jamie Oliver

Name: Nicola Carolan (29)

Total weight loss: 9 stone (57kg)

Expand Close Nicola Carolan (29) shed almost nine stone and runs a blog called The Naked Foodie / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Nicola Carolan (29) shed almost nine stone and runs a blog called The Naked Foodie

Nicola Carolan launched a food blog the Naked Blondie as a way to document her weight loss and the Athy mum was delighted when Jamie Oliver stumbled across her recipes.

Ive watched Jamie Oliver programmes since I was 13 or 14 and he really is one of my idols. I had a real fan girl moment when I noticed he commented on one of my recipes. I know he has complete control of all his social media so it was a great moment, she said.

The mum decided to bite the bullet and tackle her weight, which had crept up to 22 stone (139kg), after welcoming her son Scott in 2014.

After he was born I really struggled. It was the happiest point of my life but at times it was the lowest. I had a beautiful baby that I was afraid to even take out in his buggy because I was worried that people would judge me and my size. I was eating to comfort myself and the weight just continued to pile on. I was embarrassed about who I had become.

Nicola has lost nine stone (57kg) since beginning her weight loss journey.

I could have lost my wife over my weight

Name: Paul OMahony (32)

Total Weight Loss: 8 stone (50kg)

Expand Close Limerick dad Paul has shed more than eight stone (50kg) / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Limerick dad Paul has shed more than eight stone (50kg)

Dad-of-three Paul OMahony from Abbeyfeale in Limerick was rushed to hospital two years ago when he began experiencing chest pains and feared he was having a heart attack. At the time he weighed almost 21 stone (133kg).

I have been heavy all my life, and emotional eating was a big thing for me. About two years ago I got severe chest pains and, thinking I was having a heart attack, I went to hospital. It turned out to be severe anxiety, but I decided to do something about the weight.

Paul has since shed more than eight stone (50kg), which he credits to a healthy plan with Unislim, which he joined ahead of Christmas in 2014.

The slimmed-down dad revealed that his wife admitted his weight loss had reignited their relationship.

My wife Siobhan said in class it had given her back her husband. Afterwards I asked her what she meant and she told me that I had been difficult to live with when I was unhealthy and overweight. To think I could have lost my wife over my weight... isnt that motivation for enough for any husband?

The Ryanair seatbelt wouldnt close - Ive never been more embarrassed

Name: Valerie ODonovan (41)

Total weight loss: 10 stone (63kg)

Expand Close Valerie despised holidays when she was 22 stone but has since lost 10.5 stone since joining Slimming World: Photo Credit Su Forrester / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Valerie despised holidays when she was 22 stone but has since lost 10.5 stone since joining Slimming World: Photo Credit Su Forrester

Dublin granny Valerie ODonovan (41) from Tallaght struggled with her weight for more than a decade and at her heaviest, weighed more than 22 stone (139kg).

My weight always affected me the most when I was on holidays. I was really the worst version of myself on those trips, when I was so concerned about my weight, said Valerie

I used to get so upset on holidays, sitting up on our balcony in Ibiza looking at my kids and partner down by the pool. I used to think Why did I come here to feel this bad about myself.

On a Ryanair flight over to Malta, I was really embarrassed to find that the seatbelt wouldnt close over me. It was so embarrassed and I was really upset on the plane, but I didnt tell anyone about it and managed to hide it so I didnt have to ask for a seatbelt extender.

The granny has lost more than 10 stone (63kg) through Slimming World and donned a bikini for the first time last summer.

I went away in July and I wore a bikini for the first time in my life. Every holiday I had ever been on had me sitting in the shade, covering up but this year I couldnt tear myself away from the pool. My family couldnt get me off that sunbed into the room.

I was sick of being that fat mum sitting in the car

Name: Sarah Lynch (38)

Total weight loss: 7 stone (44kg)

Expand Close Sarah Lynch lost more than 7 stone / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Sarah Lynch lost more than 7 stone

Limerick mum Sarah Lynch once weighed more than 17 stone (107kg) and said she was afraid of missing out on the lives of her four children because of her weight.

I have been big all my life, but my weight really began to bother me when I had children. I didnt want to be the fat mum who sat on the sidelines or who waited in the car, said Sarah.

I was never embarrassed of my mum and I didnt want my children to feel that way either. Children can be cruel, and everything is so social media focused. I never wanted my kids to hear someone say Jesus have you seen the size of the twins mum?

I decided to join Weight Watchers to keep my friend company and I was surprised to find how simple it was.

My only regret about losing weight is that I didnt do it sooner. When I was getting married, I bought a dress and the lady told me not to worry that Id fit into it because I would lose weight with the stress of wedding planning. I didnt lose any weight and instead, I had to put inserts on either side of my dress in order to fit. I hate looking at that picture.

I ditched my bad habit and shed 8 stone

Name: Martin Loftus (46)

Total weight loss: 8 stone (50kg)

Expand Close Martin Loftus (46) shed eight stone through Unislim / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Martin Loftus (46) shed eight stone through Unislim

Irish dad Martin Loftus tipped the scales at almost 22 stone (139kg) two years ago and admitted that forgoing his calorie-laden fry-up each morning was the first step in his astonishing transformation.

I used to be a fella who really looked forward to his breakfast, said Martin.

If I didnt have the stuff for a fry-up in the house, I would go to a cafe first thing. I still have my fry-up sometimes, but Ive cut out the sausages, and have lean bacon, eggs, grilled tomato and beans or else some overnight oats I make up sometimes instead.

Four months after joining Unislim, Martin had lost four stone and friends couldnt believe how well he looked while attending a friends wedding.

I was at a friends wedding that March, four months after I joined up, and I had lost four stone. Everyone kept telling me how great I was looking and it was a real motivation to just keep going with it. I joined the gym and began walking that bit more. After 18 months I had lost 8 stone, it really felt incredible after battling with weight all of my life, he said

'After my breakup I saw a post by Khloe Kardashian which said The best revenge is a great body'

Name: Sarah Jane Gibson (25)

Total weight loss: 6 stone (38kg)

Expand Close Sarah-Jane has lost 6 stone / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Sarah-Jane has lost 6 stone

For Dubliner Sarah Jane Gibson the end of a relationship was the motivation she needed to transform her body and shift more than six stone (38kg).

Once weighing 16st 4lb (103kg), the child-minder has dropped an incredible five dress sizes and said the Slimming World process has had a huge impact on her life.

Just as things seemed to be looking good for me, the night before my second weigh in I found out that my then boyfriend had cheated on me. I ended it immediately and when I got home my brother said something in conversation with me that has stuck with me to this very day. He said: You can climb, or you can crumble from this. I decided to climb, she said.

The 25-year-old last month became engaged to her sweetheart Ian on RTEs Today show with Maura and Daithi (watch below).

He is the most caring, loving and thoughtful man I have ever met, she said.
There is the age-old trick that is sometime employed of sticking an aspirational picture, usually of a celebrity, to your fridge in the hopes that it will deter you from diving head first into the ice-cream.

Who knows if it actually works but we'd like to think that investing in the new Rosie for Autograph Active range might have the same effect and spur us on to be our fittest selves. The 14-piece collection has a minimal aesthetic and modern designs, with an emphasis on support, comfort and femininity.

BUY: Available online from January 5, prices from 32; marksandspencer.ie

Magic carpet

If you haven't caught the highly entertaining Aladdin at The Helix in Dublin, you still have until January 22 to do so. Tom Moran stars in the title role, with Danielle Williamson, winner of the Irish Musical Societies (AIMS) best female vocalist award, playing Princess Jasmine; the hilarious Eoin Cannon is the villain Jafaah and Aidan Mannion plays Janowah, in what will be his 500th panto performance at the theatre.

DETAILS: Tickets from 19.50; thehelix.ie

Let's dance

There will poignancy to this year's Dublin Bowie Festival, which begins on Thursday and ends of the first anniversary of his death, Tuesday, January 10. The festival has expanded from last year's programme, to take in more venues and events, including a Q&A with playwright Enda Walsh about his collaboration with Bowie on the Broadway show Lazarus. A great homage and a must for Bowie fans.

DETAILS: dublinbowiefestival.ie

Funny feet

It's very important to make January as delightful as possible so that you can rise above the horrible credit card bills, extra holiday weight and general malaise. These ToeToe yoga socks are most definitely fun. Do you actually need them? Yes, because they keep you warm, help grip and absorb sweat - and they'll bring a smile to your face. BUY: 15, available from skulpt.ie

Fairground fun

The annual trip to Funderland is a Christmas tradition for many Irish families - as well as kidults who love a fairground ride. This year, the Power Wave returns from Holland to Dublin, alongside the Speed Loop rollercoaster, Walzers and Take Off. There are plenty of rides for children and of course the main draw is the swing ride, Around the World, which at 60 metres tall is almost twice the height of the traditional Funderland Ferris wheel.

DETAILS: winterfunderland.ie

Flower power

If, like us, you tend to leave a trail of to-do- and shopping lists, receipts and pages torn out of magazines in your wake, a paperweight is the way to put some stylish order on your mess. Appassionata Flowers' resin version captures the perfection of a dandelion forever, and was winner of the UK Design Council Tarian label. It also comes in a gorgeous box.

BUY: 60, available from appassionata.ie

On bended knee

We're still on peak proposal period, and the five-star Lough Erne Spa Resort in Fermanagh promises to provide the perfect backdrop to pop the question. Its Proposal package includes a bottle of bubbles upon arrival, overnight stay, dinner for two in the award-winning Catalina restaurant, rose petal turndown, breakfast and even a mini manicure for the newly betrothed. After all that, he or she will have to say yes

BOOK: From 288 per person sharing; see lougherneresort.com

Next weekend...

High note

The Puccini Scandal returns to Dublin's National Concert Hall after its sell-out debut here in 2015. Written and directed by Niall Morris, who also stars as the feted composer, this is a dramatisation of Puccini's life, set in Tuscany. The composer is struggling to finish his opera Turandot, and the audience is taken on a journey of his life, with flashback scenes from some of his most famous work, including Madama Butterfly, La Boheme and Tosca. Also starring Mairead Buicke, Alexander Edwards and Simon Morgan, accompanied by concert pianist Anthony Byrne and featuring violin soloist Denice Doyle.

BOOK: Tickets from 20; nch.ie

Friendly food

If you are resolute on becoming a better person in 2017, learning some cooking skills is a great place to start. The first cookery course of the year at The Tannery in Dungarvan, Co Waterford, takes place next Saturday. At Paul and Maire Flynn's custom-designed kitchen, the theme is Cooking For Friends. The course is suitable both for those who'd like to be more accomplished when it comes to serving up delicious dinner party fare and anyone looking for inspiration for day-to-day family cooking. This is a practical course, and very hands on, and followed by a leisurely lunch.

BOOK: From 10am-4pm, 180; see tannery.ie

hotlist@independent.ie
I've asked around and the general consensus seems to be that 2016 was, in fact, pants.

Well, good news! Tonight we can say good luck and good night to 2016 and hello to 2017 - which has plenty to get excited about.

For starters, Shania Twain AND James Blunt are releasing comeback albums. And, just like that, 2017 outflanked 2016.

And there are a rake of other pop-culture fads, political landmarks and fashion trends that will bring us unparalleled joy, chaos and confusion.

These include:

The Post-Truth Perm

Wait, wait, come back. I'm not talking Brian May, Weird Al Yankovic or Portuguese Water Spaniel-style perms.

More frizzy and fun tendrils. Think Thalia Heffernan's bouncy barnet (inset) - isn't it just a joy to look at?

According to hairdresser Dylan Bradshaw, it's a rejection of the cascading extensions that Rosanna and Rozanna prefer.

"People don't want hair that looks identical to everyone else. They want something that's their own."

This rejection of Princess/mermaid hair coincides with what the New York Post have dubbed "Post-Trump hair" in the US.

According to the Post, disillusioned female Democrats have been marching straight into salons and getting their hair lobbed off or dyed a different colour in an act of defiance.

Video of the Day

Apparently, these ladies were "making their own statements of rebellion by challenging traditional notions of beauty".

Hmmmm, not sure about that but I do like radical hair transformations. So take the plunge and chop it off or frizz it up.

Swing, tap and jazz hands are back in

Thanks to Damien Chazelle's La La Land and (to a lesser extent) Dancing with the Stars - good old-fashioned dance numbers will be all the rage.

Chazelle's movie has been dubbed this generation's Singing in the Rain, and is filled with scenes of Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone waltzing amid the stars and tap dancing over the Hollywood hills.

The possible visit of Theresa May's leather palazzo pants to Ireland

Fingers crossed she packs the 1,000 Amanda Wakeley trews when she visits us next year. She may even gift a pair to Enda.

Michelle Obama's fashion line

This is but a dream - but if Sam Cam can do it, then Mrs O better follow suit.

We will retire the phrase 'side boob'

This is also but a dream but hopefully the phrases "side boob" and "under boob" will be banned from the common vernacular. Sadly, there is a good chance they will be replaced with "under bum" and "side bum". Bella Hadid is to blame for that.

Evolution of Leo Varadkar's DJ career

We watch and wait with bated breath where his RTE gig will lead him.

Justin Bieber coming to Dublin

Pop's MVP in 2016. His latest 'Liberace-meets-Jeffrey Dahmer-meets-1970s-Pat Kenny' look is *French chef kissing noise*

The demise of  Taylor Swift

She's a cyborg, I'm sure of it. Crafted together out of cinnamon and marshmallows and cat hair. 2017 will not be her year, it can't be. Kim, Kanye and Katy Perry won't allow it.

Top-notch Irish films

Rugby school coming-of-age flick Handsome Devil (starring Amy Huberman) and The Delinquent Season (Cillian Murphy) are ones to watch out for.

Neil Morrissey's chops

Since the end of Love/Hate, there has been a decided lack of fine and strapping men on RTE/ TV3 (with the exception of Marty Whelan of course).

But now Men Behaving Badly star and unlikely heartthrob Neil Morrissey is hitting our screens as he plays the part of Senior Counsel Vincent Pike in new legal drama Striking Out.

Not only does Neil looks good in a tweed coat but, off screen, he has a fantastic turn of phrase. He uses old fashioned words like "chops", "scrapper", "smashed" and "gassing". He also claims to have been "bashed to buggery" by Liam Neeson while filming The Bounty. A very impressive man.

The Awards Season Derby

Expand Close Ruth Negga / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Ruth Negga

The 'rum pa pum pum' of the red carpet awards season is always guaranteed to lift spirits in the dank and dreary months of January and February.

It's got it all - glamour, sabotage, tears and Ryan Seacrest's giant gurning head.

The Irish will be out in force at the Globes and our very own Ruth Negga (above) has been tipped to get the Oscar nod for Loving, making it all the more exciting.
Mariah Carey performs during New Year's Eve celebrations in Times Square on December 31, 2016 in New York. Getty Images

Chirlane McCray, her husband New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and his wife Yoo Soon-taek pose on stage during New Year's Celebrations in Times Square /AFP/Getty Images

Walking On Cars play at a Concert at St Stephen's Green South as part of the NYE Festival Celebrations. l. Photo: Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland.

Bressie lead singer with The Blizzards play at a Concert at St Stephen's Green South as part of the NYE Festival Celebrations. Photo: Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland.

A women watches Walking On Cars, in the rain at a Concert at St Stephen's Green South as part of the NYE Festival Celebrations. Photo: Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland.

Fidget Feet perform over the River Liffey at the Customs House Dublin effortlessly blending stunning mid-air work with contemporary dance. Photo:Photocall Ireland.

A women watches Walking On Cars, at a Concert at St Stephen's Green South as part of the NYE Festival Celebrations. Photo: Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland.

Rebecca Cunningham celebrates the New Year at midnight at a Concert at St Stephen's Green South as part of the NYE Festival Celebrations. Photo: Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland.

The world welcomed 2017 with colourful fireworks and thousands taking to the streets in cities across the globe.

Tonga and Samoa in the Polynesian Triangle were among the first places in the world to see in 2017, with their fireworks going off at approximately 10am GMT today.

New Zealand was next to say 'hello' to 2017, followed by parts of Russia and much of Australia.

Here's how the world celebrated:

Expand Close Rebecca Cunningham celebrates the New Year at midnight at a Concert at St Stephen's Green South as part of the NYE Festival Celebrations. . Photo: Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland. / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Rebecca Cunningham celebrates the New Year at midnight at a Concert at St Stephen's Green South as part of the NYE Festival Celebrations. . Photo: Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland.

Dublin

In Dublin celebrations kicked off with the annual Sky Dance at The Custom House. The aerial dancers teamed up with the Luminosity light display creating an unbelievable colour display.

Tonga and Samoa in the Polynesian Triangle were among the first places in the world to see in 2017, with their fireworks going off at approximately 10am GMT today. New Zealand was next to say 'hello' to 2017, followed by parts of Russia and much of Australia.

Closer to midnight Walking on Cars, The Blizzards and Little Hours all played the "Countdown Concert" at St Stephen's Green.

New York

Expand Expand Previous Next Close Mariah Carey performs during New Year's Eve celebrations in Times Square on December 31, 2016 in New York. Getty Images Dancers abseil up the columns during the Sky dance event at The Custom House, Dublin Photo: Tony Gavin 31/12/2016 / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Mariah Carey performs during New Year's Eve celebrations in Times Square on December 31, 2016 in New York. Getty Images

In Time Square around a million people packed the landmark for the annual balldrop.

Outgoing United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon will launch the ball with a press of a button.

The event also saw a botched live performance by Mariah Carey when the popstar reacted poorly to technical difficulties.

Australia

Expand Close Fireworks explode over the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge in Australia Picture: AFP/Getty / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Fireworks explode over the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge in Australia Picture: AFP/Getty

The Sydney Harbour had a firework display that paid tribute to Prince, David Bowie and Gene Wilder.

For Prince there was purple lighting up the Harbour Bridge and explosions of gold and purple fireworks across the harbour.

Artist David Bowie was honoured with moon, star and planet Saturn fireworks that organisers said were in honour of Bowie's song Space Oddity.

Tributes were also paid to Gene Wilder which delighted the audience with a colourful Willy Wonka display during the show.

Security

Countries around the world have also increased their security for the events.

Outgoing United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon will launch the ball with a press of a button.

Security has gradually been tightened for the event over the last two decades, but the recent deadly terror attacks in Germany and France brought about another crackdown for this year.

Dozens of 20-ton refuse lorries weighted with an extra 15 tons of sand will block the streets leading to the celebration zone, with about 7,000 police officers on patrol.

Security forces have been deployed in Cologne following a wave of sex attacks last year. 1,800 police will monitor the streets, compared to just 140 in 2015.

In Austria, police are handing out 6,000 free pocket alarms to help stop assaults.

Fireworks are returning to Paris after muted celebrations last year, following the Paris terror attacks in November.

In London, a total of 3,000 officers will be on patrol on the streets.

If you have any photos of your own, tweet them at #IndoSubmit or send them to contact@independent.ie.
So you thought 2016 was an unpredictable bastard? Now meet 2017, his wilder sister. This is the year that the Irish economic recovery is set to get bumpy, as Brexit turns from conjecture into trajectory.

The process of departure will start to happen when the UK delivers its 'Dear Jean' letter to the EU - the piece of paper that formally notifies the commission that Britain wants a divorce.

It is conceivable that this could be delayed by various internal processes in London - but Article 50 is going to be triggered in the next 12 months, with consequences that the best minds in politics, diplomacy and trade can only guess at.

Before that, in less than three weeks' time, Donald Trump gets his fat fingers on the nuclear biscuit. One of the most inexperienced and erratic personalities ever to occupy the Oval Office (and that's the charitable version of his character) will take office at a time of severe geopolitical turbulence.

The agonies of Syria are part of a wider proxy war in the Middle East in which Russia, Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states are all participants. North Korea has nuclear warheads and ambitions to be able to land one on mainland United States.

As if that wasn't a sufficiency of unpredictability, there will be critical elections in the EU's two most significant actors - Germany and France. Voters in the Netherlands and probably Italy will also have an opportunity to join the insurrection against the status quo that delivered the Brexit vote and the Trumpquake. In the most apocalyptic scenario for Europe, the eurozone begins to disintegrate, followed soon afterwards by the EU itself.

The conventional wisdom still maintains that this won't happen because Marine Le Pen will be defeated in the final round of voting for the presidency of France. The consensus view also tips Angela Merkel to receive a favourable answer when she seeks a fourth term from German voters.

Optimists will be expecting to arrive at the end of 2017 to find columnists debating the unexpected resilience of European liberal democracy and pronouncing that we have passed "peak populism". This is likelier to be the case if the nasty economic side-effects of Brexit become palpable to Britons and President Trump starts to get unpopular with those who put him in office. After all, he is already wildly unpopular with the larger number of Americans who never wanted him in the White House.

Whether your forecast of the future leans to the optimistic or the pessimistic probably says more about your personality than it does about what is going to happen. Let's be honest. No one should be terribly confident that they know anything after a 2016 that confounded the expectations of pundits, pollsters, financial markets and the voters themselves. The only truly robust prediction I make about 2017 is that sensible people are going to be a lot more cautious about making predictions. Pundits have been marking the turn of the year by listing their forecasting turkeys. Pollsters are conducting another round of postmortems about what went wrong for them. Mainstream politicians are agonising about the lessons to be learned from their failures.

There is one exception to this nervousness. Stock markets, especially those in London and New York, are celebrating. While most of us look anxiously upon stormy waters, markets apparently see only tranquil seas ahead. The FTSE-100 ended the year at a new high. The US indices have been anticipating President Trump by surging to record levels.

A most remarkable signal is coming from the VIX Index, sometimes called the "Fear Index" - because it is a gauge of how much investors are prepared to pay to insure themselves against shocks. The hoariest of the cliches about financial markets is that they hate uncertainty. Yet we begin a year pregnant with perils with the Fear Index at exceptionally low levels.

Stock markets are not buoyant because they have a superior window into the future. Their predictive powers were among the most useless in 2016. Markets bet that Hillary Clinton would become the 45th president of the US of A. The night of the Brexit referendum began with the value of sterling rising against the dollar, so convinced were most traders that Britons would vote to stick with the EU.

When these "unthinkables" then happened, markets responded with an instant panic plunge before bouncing back. The "Trump trade" powering Wall Street is based on an assumption that he will do all of the semi-sensible things he has suggested to boost the US economy, while fulfilling none of the reckless campaign promises that would derail it.

Share prices are also being driven by salivation that he will deliver the lavish tax breaks he promised corporate America. A man who ran against Wall Street - and painted his opponent as a creature of the financial elite - is now being loved by Wall Street. It is not a coincidence, as old Marxists used to say, that his proposed cuts to personal taxation would shower cash on the already wealthy.

You will have spotted the contradiction between what markets expect and what he promised. He secured the White House by harvesting the discontent of working and middle-class Americans, whose living standards have fallen or been frozen in the past decade. Similar things are happening in Italy. And in the UK Theresa May finds herself in Number 10 for not dissimilar reasons.

Many people are using their votes to express their anger that the economy is not working for them. There are myriad accounts of why large segments of the electorate in many developed democracies are rebelling against the status quo. Nearly all place economic grievances at the heart of it. More sophisticated accounts recognise other factors. Discontent about levels of migration. Distrust of mainstream politicians. Fear of terrorism. A reaction against the cosmopolitan complexity of the early 21st Century. The inability of lacklustre centrists to find a vision or language that could compete with the potency of cheap tunes such as "Take Back Control!" and "Make America Great Again!".

There are many sources of what I have called the Age of Rage, but the other discontents are entangled with or sharpened by the fundamental one. People feel worse off. Since the financial crisis, the most important fact of political life has been anaemic growth in most western countries, accompanied by wages that have stagnated, declined or improved only feebly for millions. This discontent has spread to quite a lot of those who have actually done okay since the Great Crash of 2007-09. They have nevertheless felt worse off, because the rewards of prosperity have been disproportionately and conspicuously enjoyed by the very top slice of society.

In the UK there are many ways of dissecting the Brexit vote - the starkest is by income. In every income group in Britain bar the most affluent ABs, there was a majority for leaving the EU. Donald Trump would not have acquired the White House had not an important section of the working-class vote withheld its support from his opponent or transferred it to him. The biggest shift of ex-Obama voters to Trump came among those earning less than $30,000 a year.

Donald Trump knows this. He used his victory speech to acclaim what he called "the forgotten men and women of our country" and vowed that his presidency would ensure that they "will be forgotten no longer".

Theresa May knows it, too. She has spent a lot of the time since she moved into Number 10 talking about the reform of capitalism. "A change is going to come," she declared at the Tory party conference. In a more recent speech, to the City at Mansion House, she defined her task as ensuring that the profits from globalisation were spread more widely and fairly.

In both cases, the implied promise is that there will be a reordering of the distribution of profits. Those who own and manage assets will be obliged to take a diminished share so that a greater slice of the rewards can be enjoyed by workers.

What are stock markets telling us when they respond to Trump and May by sending share prices to record highs? They are telling us that they think that the UK prime minister is a phoney and the next US president is a conman. They are wagering that Trump will betray the poorer voters who helped put him in the White House. They are betting May will not deliver for poorer Britons whose Brexit votes helped her to Number 10.

That's what the cash is saying. The "forgotten men and women" of America will be no better remembered in the Trump cabinet of tycoons. May's fans will find out she is all jam tomorrow, never today.

Just remember this: the money temples are in the business of getting these calls right. Their lives depend on it. And you know, so do ours.

 Observer
We didn't celebrate our wedding anniversary this Christmas.

I can't recall right now why we got married so near Christmas and on a Sunday, too. Maybe the priest would not marry us on Christmas Eve and the day before that just happened to fall on a Sunday.

We were young. Perhaps we thought we were special in some way. I have news for me: in 1973 we were just the far side of hippy, and spliff-land was becoming as faded as a used teabag.

Anyway, yesterday, on the morning of New Year's Eve, we went for a walk in Coole Park. We were marking something but weren't sure what. It had rained heavily overnight and now the fallen leaves had made a slippery bronze coat for Coole. Leaves with shades of rust side-stepped themselves and fell face down. What we could see looked like a layer cake that had caved in.

I have no sense of direction and would even get lost going to the hot press - so we chose the path that was already made. We walked as far as the lake - a body of water is often enchanting and then at least you have reached some point that might, in a casual way, be a terminus of sorts.

All told it was an easy and not very talkative walk. You might call it laid-back, a stroll even - but the fact that we walked for two hours took the stroll out of it. At some unconscious level, I might have viewed the walk as a way of celebrating our wedding anniversary - a walk through our years together, if that's not too much blather.

On the walk I didn't have to name anything. I was a tour guide once and I can be a Chatty Katty. Today I didn't feel the need to say so much.

A soft rain almost made it romantic, in a cows-and-sheep Ireland kind of way. Himself, being fairly practical, commented on how those fallen trees would keep us in firewood for a long time, if we had a long time.

After a pause that was by no means unpleasant, he ventured: "I'd say you'd hear a few interesting sounds here at night."

I don't think he was suggesting that we come out here at night. It was just a rogue remark - and there was a place for it on this of all days, on the cusp of 2017.

We went on like this for another while. An adjective like "blissful" was swanning around in my head, but I never let it out for fear of shattering the stillness.

However, I did risk all by asking him the best way to get to Loughrea. (I had planned to visit a friend in the New Year.)

"You can't mean that you don't know the way to Loughrea!" he said.

"Well," I said, "with that new roundabout and the new road, I'd rather take the old road."

"Someone is making life easier for you but you want the hard way," he said.

"No," I said "I want the old way."

Which had me thinking for a bit about how odd I am - but I am okay about my oddness. Still, after a long minute that could easily have been five, I asked him: "Do you think I'm odd?"

"Very," he said, and he didn't feel the need to add any more words to that sentence.

We walked on like this for another while and we found the lake. It was overrated. We were out of the shelter of the trees, and the rain no longer had a 'soft-day-thank-God' feel about it. We had had everything on that path that had brought us to the lake - but we wanted more, and more let us down. More is for morons.

Still, I felt the need to mention Yeats and the swans and the fact that he probably stood here and admired them.

"Fair play to him," himself put in. He was going to say something else just then, but he didn't. Today, words could get lost, go astray, there was no need for accounting.

I didn't ask him what he was going to say. I've often found the way he holds a word back until the right time to be an act of wisdom more than anything. Myself, I babble for Ireland, and half the time I can hardly process what I'm saying.

My thoughts strayed back to his remark about what it must be like out here at night. I was now having a few rogue thoughts of my own. I wondered if people came out here at night and went further into the forest and made the beast with two backs, long after the witching hour. A few thoughts about Lyme disease crossed my mind, but now was not the time for tick talk.

At times it felt we were outside of language. Words didn't matter here, nothing mattered. Ease was here in all its glory and grace too had its place. We didn't take the path less travelled; we took the well-worn path. It serves us well.

Coole I know is important for wetland birds (I was a tour guide once). I had hoped we would hear or see the whooper swans, but they fancy low tides. Today, however, the waters were high and rising.
Meadhbh McGrath reports on the trends that will sweep 2017 - from looking glam on our travels to the soon-to-be-ubiquitous InstaSit selfie.

Stealth wealth

Forget the red carpet - the runway you really want to impress on is at the airport. In its trend predictions for 2017, Pinterest revealed that airport style has risen by 1,600pc in the past few months.

Models like Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid already understand the importance of off-duty style, but in 2017 we'll see celebrities stepping up their game when travelling. Our desire for fresh airport looks (rather than ostentatious red-carpet glam) reflects the burgeoning trend for "stealth wealth" as our concept of luxury evolves and grows quieter.

Mysticore

Remember 'normcore'? The movement of bland anti-style that brought back Birkenstocks and mom jeans in 2014 was predicted by trend forecasters K-Hole, who are betting on 'chaos magic' in 2017. That doesn't mean Hocus Pocus; it's more about spirit and will - an antidote to our current predilection for overthinking. As magic moves into the mainstream, crystals and energy healing will be big news. Sam Smith reportedly spent close to 500 on crystals, while Madonna, Katy Perry and Victoria Beckham are also alleged devotees.

The InstaSit

Heaven A photo posted by Bella Hadid (@bellahadid) on Dec 11, 2016 at 2:13pm PST

If 2016 was dominated by the fish-gape selfie, next year is all about body. Exhibit A: the 'InstaSit', perhaps the easiest (read: laziest) social-media trend yet.

Favoured by Instagram hotties and bikini models, it's more relaxed than the standard over-the-shoulder smoulder or hand-on-hips hun pose and allows you to really werk your angles. It's also supposed to lengthen the limbs - the rule is: if it bends, bend it. See Instagram star Pia Muehlenbeck and model Bella Hadid for reference.

Video of the Day

Augmented reality

Along with Pokemon Go, Snapchat selfie lenses really brought augmented reality (AR) to our attention this year, as everyone from Rihanna to our own James Kavanagh obsessed over the puppy filter. Mark Zuckerberg has said he plans to introduce more AR tools on Facebook (notably focusing on smartphones rather than AR headsets), but how this technology can be applied beyond gaming has yet to be worked out. In any case, we can expect more experimentation with AR, whether it's pop stars developing proximity-based features while touring or designers creating their own masks and filters.

#SpoonCutCrease

We were contouring virtually every part of our bodies in 2016 - cheekbones weren't enough, it stretched to our lips, necks and decolletage. Behold, the cut crease: a harsh line right along the eyelid crease, which can be achieved using a teaspoon, and looks set to be the next tricky make-up look we'll lose hours trying to master.

Facial fillers

Kylie Jenner's plumped-up pout was easily the most influential beauty trend of the year, leading to a huge spike in Irish women seeking lip fillers. Promising to sculpt, lift and firm the face without surgery, the popularity of dermal fillers is only going to grow from here, with cheek and chin fillers likely to take off in 2017.

New directions

Zayn Malik really made 2016 his own: his Versace robot arms ruled the Met Gala, while he landed a number one all on his own with 'Pillowtalk'. In 2017, his former One Direction bandmates will release their solo projects. Louis Tomlinson is heading down the EDM route, while Harry Styles seems to be taking inspiration from Mick Jagger - promising.

Liam Payne may have his hands full with his first child (allegedly) on the way and despite Niall Horan's single 'This Town' being all sorts of bland, I'm willing to give him another chance. Music aside, it will be exciting to watch the guys carve out their own identities, considering Zayn's already got 'moody, broody and far too open about his sex life' down pat.

Kendall and Kylie take the krown

Expand Close Kylie and Kendall Jenner on Instagram / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Kylie and Kendall Jenner on Instagram

With Kim on sabbatical since the armed robbery in Paris, and Khloe and Kourtney focusing on alternative projects, Kendall and Kylie have emerged as the faces of the Kardashian-Jenner brand.

Kendall became omnipresent in 2016, landing high-profile modelling campaigns and editorial work that made it impossible to pass a newsagents without seeing her face, while Kylie (19) practically live streams her life via Instagram, Snapchat and her for-profit app, not to mention her phenomenally successful cosmetics line. After a breakthrough year, the youngest members of the family show no signs of slowing down.

Speaking of slowing down

On the other side of the fast-paced, hyper-social trends likely to emerge in 2017, we have the exact opposite: what trend forecasters WSGN have termed "slow futures". In an age of overwhelming choice and overconsumption, people are now looking to strip away the excess and go back to basics.

It's already manifesting in the move away from over-sharing towards "dark social" channels like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, and the immediate embrace of "hygge", the Danish lifestyle trend that champions the art of cosy and slow.

The Olsen twins have long embodied the slow life, and Kim Kardashian looks to be taking a similar route (though who knows how long her hiatus will last).

Clean sleeping

You'd be forgiven for assuming sleep was the one thing that couldn't be juiced, filtered or posted on Instagram. You are, however, sadly wrong. Gwyneth Paltrow is pushing "clean sleeping" as the biggest health "trend" of 2017, while Arianna Huffington is heralding a "sleep revolution".

Forget about 'you can sleep when you're dead', next year we'll be turning in at 9pm to get the recommended 10 hours' kip. It is, in a way, the ultimate status symbol: being able to #sleepclean without having to worry about an early-morning commute, blissfully nodding off rather than staring at the ceiling for hours panicking about work and rent. Good luck trying to implement in your own life.
Turkmenistan has "suddenly" halted gas supplies to Iran in a dispute between the two countries over arrears, the Iranian National Gas Company says.



"The gas company of Turkmenistan has cut gas exports to Iran, contrary to the agreement reached, by demanding immediate payment of arrears," the Iranian National Gas Company said in a January 1 statement.



The statement said the move was a "sheer violation" of the gas deal between the two countries.



The statement said the two countries had been holding discussions on the payment and amount of arrears Iran owes to Turkmenistan.



There was no immediate reaction from Turkmenistan.



Iran has imported natural gas from Turkmenistan since 1997 for distribution in the north of the country.



The National Iranian Gas Company asked consumers to "pay attention to consumption," but added that with domestic production rising, the country could cope by making savings.



Turkmenistan currently exports up to 10 billion cubic meters of gas to Iran, its third-largest trading partner after China and Turkey.



Tehran said in December that Turkmenistan had threatened to stop the gas flow because of arrears amounting to about $1.8 billion.



But last week Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh was quoted by the Mehr news agency as saying that Turkmenistan had reached a temporary agreement with Tehran to continue gas exports.

Based on reporting by AFP, Reuters, and Shana.ir
A bomb squad expert in Italy has lost a hand and eye after a package exploded

An Italian bomb squad officer has lost an eye and hand after a suspicious package he was examining exploded.

A package left outside a closed bookshop with links to a group of extreme right activists, CasaPound, caught the attention of a passing police patrol, Florence Police Chief Alberto Intini said.

The explosives squad was called to intervene at about 5am on Sunday and the officer was gravely injured, police spokesman Cesare Tarashi said.

Italy occasionally sees explosions that authorities have blamed on political extremists. The country suffered bombings, killings and kidnappings during a period of domestic terrorism in the 1970s and early 1980s.

Mayor Dario Nardella said peaceful Florence "isn't represented by the horrors" of the blast, which is being investigated.

Florence Cardinal Giuseppe Betori decried criminals who wanted a "bloody passage from the old year to the new".

AP
British Airways flight crew "spaced-out" and began vomiting after a suspected toxic fumes leak that filled the cabin.

Three pilots and 22 cabin crew needed hospital treatment after an emergency was declared on-board a London-bound flight from San Francisco in October.

In a leaked report in the Sunday Times, a senior flight attendant revealed that crew members showed symptoms that gave "cause for concern".

"It soon became apparent that more crew were behaving in a non-normal manner... [with] reports of dizziness, light heads, headaches, nausea, itchy red eyes, metallic taste in mouth, floating-type feelings, flushed, aggression and, most worryingly, forgetfulness and confusion, inability to think straight and converse in normal manner," the report seen by the Sunday Times revealed.

The report been seized on by the Unite union which criticised the airline for downplaying the incident.

A Unite spokesman said: This deeply concerning account raises further serious questions over why the airline sought to downplay the incident as a mere odour event.

That none of the relevant civil aviation authorities have seen fit to investigate what was clearly a serious toxic fume event is equally astonishing."

British Airways said the A380 was examined and no fault was detected.

A spokesman said: Our highly-skilled engineers inspected the aircraft in Vancouver and carried out further tests on its flight back to London. No fault was found.

The safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority.

We have shared our detailed and thorough investigation with the CAA and fully comply with all safety regulations.
Police said the environment minister has been shot dead in Burundi

The environment minister has been shot dead in Burundi, where political turmoil over the president's extended term has led to political killings.

Emmanuel Niyonkuru was shot as he arrived home on Saturday night, police spokesman Pierre Nkurikiye said.

Mr Nkurikiye said three people have been arrested including the minister's watchman and his security detail.

In a tweet, President Pierre Nkurunziza confirmed the killing and said "this crime will not go unpunished".

Burundi has faced widespread international criticism over the deadly political turmoil that followed Mr Nkurunziza's pursuit of a third term last year, which many in the country said was unconstitutional.

Hundreds of people have been killed in streets protests, an attempted coup, rebel attacks and seemingly tit-for-tat killing between Government and opposition supporters.

AP
The Greek ambassador to Brazil was murdered by his Brazilian wife and her policeman lover in a "crime of passion" which they hoped would let them enjoy a new life together funded by the dead envoy's money, police have said.

Ambassador Kyriakos Amiridis was probably stabbed to death in the Rio de Janeiro suburbs by the Brazilian policeman, Sergio Gomez Moreira, who then rolled the body in a carpet, put it in a car and later set the vehicle alight, officers said.

Expand Close KILLED: Kyriakos Amiridis (AP) / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp KILLED: Kyriakos Amiridis (AP)

"All our evidence suggests that the motivation for Francoise Amiridis was to use the financial resources left by the ambassador so she could enjoy life with Sergio," Evaristo Pontes Magalhaes, a police investigator, said.

He described the murder as "a tragic, cowardly act" which police are treating as "a crime of passion".

Francoise Amiridis (40) confessed she knew of the crime but has denied any role in the death of her 59-year-old husband. Magalhaes, however, told a press conference that the "evidence clearly puts the ambassador's wife as a co-author of the crime".

He said she was having an affair with Moreira, whose job was to provide security for the ambassador.

She and Moreira are in custody - together with Moreira's cousin, Eduardo Moreira de Melo, who confessed that he was paid the equivalent of 22,000 to help in the murder and with the disposal of the body.

Francoise Amiridis allegedly began plotting with her 27-year-old lover to kill the ambassador after the envoy and his wife had a serious argument just before Christmas.

The couple lived in the capital, Brasilia, but had travelled for the Christmas and New Year holidays to Nova Iguacu, a district in Rio's sprawling, violent northern outskirts where they owned a second home and where Francoise Amiridis's family lived.

According to police, the ambassador was killed on Monday. His charred body was found on Thursday, in Rio, in a burnt-out rental car.

On Wednesday, his wife had reported to police that he was missing, saying he had left the apartment in which they were staying, taken the car and not returned.

But her story had contradictions and after the ambassador's body was found in the burnt-out car under a bridge, police took her in for more questioning. Officer Moreira was also detained.

It was during this interrogation that Francoise Amiridis "broke down in tears and said it was the police officer who carried out the crime," said Magalhaes. He said she claimed she could not prevent her lover from killing her husband and insisted she was not at home at the time of the crime.

Police found blood spots believed to be from the ambassador on a sofa in the apartment in Nova Iguacu.

Officer Moreira confessed that he strangled the ambassador in self-defence during a fight - but the blood evidence left at the scene led police to believe he stabbed him.

The investigation showed that the body was removed from the house in a carpet at the same time that Francoise Amiridis arrived with their 10-year-old daughter, who did not see the body of her dead father, Magalhaes said.

A Greek police team was on its way to Brazil to take part in the investigation, while Greece's ambassador in Argentina was travelling to Brasilia, the government in Athens said. Kyriakos Amiridis was Greece's ambassador to Libya from 2012 until he took the Brazil position in early 2016. He had previously served as Greece's consul general in Rio from 2001 to 2004, where he met his wife.

Michel Temer, the Brazilian President, sent his condolences to the Greek government and conveyed his government's commitment to conducting a "rigorous" investigation.

Rio de Janeiro, which held this summer's Olympic Games, has seen crime rates soar in recent months, fuelled by violence from drug gangs.Rio de Janeiro state has been hit hard by Brazil's worst recession in more than a century - it is facing bankruptcy and is unable to pay the wages of police and other government workers on time, if at all.

Rivaldo Barbosa, the director of Rio's homicide division, said the murder of the Greek envoy was an "isolated" incident and nothing to do with the city's high level of violence.

"The Brazilian people do not accept this type of behaviour and we apologise to the entire Greek population," he said.

The neighbourhood where the ambassador's burnt body was found is dominated by politically connected armed groups comprised mostly of off-duty or retired police and firemen who control vast areas. They often extort money from residents in exchange for keeping out drug gangs.

Telegraph

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
The UN Security Council yesterday unanimously adopted a resolution supporting efforts by Russia and Turkey to end the nearly six-year conflict in Syria and jump-start peace negotiations.

The resolution also called for the "rapid, safe and unhindered" delivery of humanitarian aid throughout Syria. And it anticipates a meeting of the Syrian government and opposition representative in Kazakhstan's capital Astana in late January.

The resolution's final text dropped an endorsement of the Syria ceasefire agreement reached on Thursday, as Western members of the council sought changes to the circulated draft resolution to clarify the UN's role and the meaning of the agreement brokered by Moscow and Ankara.

Meanwhile on the ground in Syria, rebels warned yesterday that cease-fire violations by pro-government forces threatened to undermine a two-day-old agreement intended to pave the way for talks between the government and the opposition in the new year.

Airstrikes pounded opposition-held villages and towns in the strategically-important Barada Valley outside Damascus, activists said, prompting rebels to threaten to withdraw their compliance with a nationwide truce brokered by Russia and Turkey last week.

Rebels also accused the government of signing a different version of the agreement to the one they signed in the Turkish capital of Ankara, further complicating the latest diplomatic efforts to bring an end to six years of war.

Nearly 50,000 people died in the conflict in 2016, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which maintains networks of contacts on all sides of the war. More than 13,000 of them were civilians, according to the Observatory. Various estimates have put the war's overall toll at around 400,000 dead.

If the truce holds, the government and the opposition will be expected to meet for talks for the first time in nearly a year in the Kazakh capital of Astana in the second half of January. Those talks will be mediated by Russia, Turkey, and Iran.

Meanwhile, The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani confirmed their commitment to negotiations in Astana, in a phone conversation between the two leaders.

Iran and Russia have provided crucial military and diplomatic support to Syrian President Bashar Assad throughout the conflict, while Turkey has served as a rear base and source of supplies for the opposition.

However in a statement issued by a coalition of 11 rebel factions, including the powerful Army of Islam group operating in the Damascus countryside, some rebels said they could not abide by the ceasefire if the government continued its assault on Barada Valley.

The statement also complained that the government's version of the agreement signed in Ankara last week had deleted "a number of essential and non-negotiable points".

It said the opposition had agreed to a cease-fire encompassing the whole of Syria, without any exceptions to region or faction.

The Barada Valley Media Centre said Lebanese Hezbollah militants were firing on villages and towns in the water-rich region as Russian and government aircraft carried out raids for the 10th consecutive day yesterday. The Lebanese militant group is a key ally to President Assad's forces.

The Barada Valley is the primary source of water for the capital and its surrounding region. The government assault has coincided with a severe water shortage in Damascus since December 22. Images from the valley's Media Centre indicate its Ain al-Fijeh spring and water processing facility have been destroyed in airstrikes. The government says rebels spoiled the water source with diesel fuel, forcing it to cut supplies to the capital.

Associated Press
Last year's divisive US election clearly influenced nominations, and was reflected in the inclusion of "bigly" and "post-truth".

You, sir (or ma'am): Focus, if you will, on a historic, on fleek listicle containing words nominated for bigly banishment. But don't convene a town hall meeting or get your dandruff up in the echo chamber over them.

Michigan's Lake Superior University yesterday released its annual 'List of Words Banished from the Queen's English for Misuse, Overuse and General Uselessness'.

The tongue-in-cheek, non- binding list comes from suggestions submitted by the public. It includes "you, sir", "focus", "town hall meeting", "historic", "echo chamber", "on fleek", "bigly", "listicle" and "get your dandruff up", an apparent substitute for "dander", its hair-and-skin kin.

The others were "Frankenfruit", "bete noire", "guesstimate", "ghost", "dadbod", "selfie drone", "manicured", "post-truth", "disruption" and "831" - a texting encryption of "I love you" (eight letters, three words, one meaning).

Last year's divisive US election clearly influenced nominations, and was reflected in the inclusion of "bigly" and "post-truth".

"Bigly" also made the 2016 Top 10 compiled by the lexicographers at the Merriam-Webster dictionary publilshers. US President-elect Donald Trump was fond last year of saying "big league" but making it sound like "bigly", an archaic adverb or adjective dating to around 1400.

"Post-truth", a term sometimes used to describe the current political climate, is Oxford Dictionaries' word of the year.

John Shibley, Lake Superior State spokesman and list-compiler in chief, said "lots of political vitriol" came in this year, with people wanting to ban "President Trump", "Crooked Hillary" and "Electoral College".

Shibley said he "made an editorial decision not to wade into that swamp" - drained or otherwise.

He said all words that made the final list garnered 200 to 300 votes apiece, and the top vote-getter was "echo chamber" with more than 500 submissions.

Overall, the university received submissions from about 8,000 people and maintains an archive of more than 850 words.

Another school takes the opposite approach: Detroit's Wayne State University attempts through its Word Warriors campaign to exhume worthy words that have fallen out of favour. The 2016 end-of-year list included "absquatulate" - which means to discreetly and abruptly leave a place, such as a gathering or party, without informing the host.

That's an old-school analogue to "ghost" on the banished words list. And not a lot of people know that.

Associated Press
It was a year without a murder in Yellowstone County.

While several people died as a result of traffic incidents or negligent actions of others, local law enforcement have not identified a new murder in 2016.

An inquest is pending in the Oct. 27, 2016, death of Kyle Killough, 32, of Gillette, Wyo., who refused repeated orders to drop a handgun and was shot and killed in a hotel lobby by a Billings police officer.

Yellowstone County has had at least one murder every year since 2010. Since 2011, the Yellowstone County Attorney's office has charged at least 29 people with deliberate homicide or mitigated deliberate homicide.

There were 10 slayings in the county in 2015 alone.

Clear homicide trends do not emerge in counties the size of Yellowstone, Sheriff Mike Linder said.

"I dont think there is any way to determine why you have 10 in one year and none in the next year. I think its just people," Linder said.

That was much the same within Billings city limits. Billings Police Department Lt. Neil Lawrence said there were no identifiable changes that kept the 2016 murder rate at zero.

Unlike the previous year, where it was very busy, this year weve been very fortunate to not have any, Lawrence said. Its just how it played out.

Many of the Yellowstone County homicides in 2015 were related to drug activity, Lawrence said. Drug cases have not decreased dramatically. The number of drug cases reported in 2015 by the BPD was 949, which is a little higher than the most recent numbers for 2016 with 911 cases. In both years, about a third of the drug cases involved meth.

One contributing factor to the reduction in homicides could be the arrests and convictions of some of the people who may have influenced more violent acts in the past few years, Linder said.

Lawrence agreed, saying that when key players are jailed, it can provide a lull in some criminal activity.

He also said officers, other law enforcement agencies and groups such as U.S. Marshal's Montana Violent Offender Task Force are "goal-oriented" and can have an effect by arresting suspects before they commit more serious crimes.

Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito's office prioritizes cases based on severity, he said. His prosecutors listen to law enforcement when evidence shows a suspect has ties to bigger crimes, he said.

Two slayings from 2015 are pending court resolution in 2016.

Jose Cobos, 64, was charged with killing his neighbor, Mark Kirby, 52, while the two sat outside Cobos' house on Oct. 10, 2015. His trial is set for February.

Ross Breshears, 37, and Garrett Lee Crandell, 29, were charged with killing 25-year-old Clinton Old Bull on Oct. 16, 2015. Crandell's case was on hold after he was ruled unfit to proceed due to his mental instability. He is being treated at the Montana State Hospital. Breshears' case is being handled separately.

Toward the end of 2016, Twito's office didn't have to dedicate as many resources to intensive homicide cases, Twito said. The prosecutors are using the extra time to answer backlogged warrant requests and organize cases. Still, Twito can't be sure what the lack of homicides in 2016 means for 2017.

"I tell my prosecutors to enjoy the lull," Twito said.

A charge of negligent homicide from a 2015 road rage incident and a vehicular homicide while under the influence case from 2016 are also pending resolution.

Despite the decrease in homicide and assault cases, crime numbers are almost identical to 2015 in other categories, Linder said. The statistics are preliminary, as the sheriff's office is still collecting crime data from 2016.

Reported incidents are on the rise in the county, with more than 32,000 incidents reported since January 2016.

The sheriff's office initiated 300 more investigations this year, some of which may be due to more proactive police work, as fewer deputies are needed on more intensive murder investigations, Linder said. The sheriff's office had a rise in calls for service in 2016, Linder said.

The sheriff's office was almost fully staffed, with only one deputy position open in 2016, Linder said.

The office is better addressing crime occurring in the county and with a lower call volume than agencies like the Billings Police Department. Linder said he is hopeful his deputies can continue to focus on proactive policing.

The BPD received about 16 calls for reported shootings as of Dec. 30  eight fewer than in 2015 when the department received 24 calls for shootings. The number of stabbings increased in 2016, from 23 to 25, but none resulted in death, Lawrence said.

Three 2015 murders remain unsolved, according to Gazette archives.

Jeffrey Christopher Hewitt, 38, of Billings, was found dead on the Crow Reservation on April 22, 2015. The case was being handled jointly by the Billings Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The agencies believed Hewitt was killed in an apartment on Industrial Avenue.

Police are also still investigating the death of Tracy Belmarez, who was found dead on Sept. 30, 2015, on the 2300 block of Fox Drive. His autopsy showed he was on meth at the time of his death and had a heart condition. Belmarezs death was caused by a stun gun, according to his autopsy.

Shawn Paul Allread, 42, of Billings, was shot to death on Oct. 29, 2015, at 611 N. 24th St. He died of injuries resulting from multiple gunshots.
SING OUT! Franca Vercelloni, who has played piano at Maries Crisis in New York for the past decade

Near Seventh Avenue, across from New York's Stonewall Inn, where riots there in 1969 launched the gay rights revolution, stands a brick building with a red and white awning known as Marie's Crisis.

Forty years before Stonewall, chanteuse Marie DuMont opened her own club as a refuge for bohemians. She named it in honour of Thomas Paine, a hero of another revolution, the one that liberated the US from Mother England.

In addition to Common Sense, his more famous work, Paine also wrote American Crisis, which called for the bluecoat soldiers to re-enlist during the war.

He later died on the site that Marie came to own - so it was to herself, Paine and America's first crisis she referred when she named the West Village drinkery.

And it was America's latest crisis that prompted me to find myself inside the building last week. In town on business, I had asked if a group of friends would like to gather after work to tell me their thoughts on the Trump Transition.

"No," they collectively sighed. My New York friends were tired of post-election politics. They wanted a break. One of them, Caitlin O'Toole, a writer and journalist [who actually had 'The Kardashians' as her beat for a time], suggested we go instead to Marie's Crisis, which is now noted as one of the city's last remaining piano bars.

When we arrived, the small pub was jammed with people crowded around an upright piano. There were men and women, young and old, gay and straight. Every single one of them singing with abandon, to Seasons of Love from the Broadway hit Rent.

I didn't know all the words to that one. But I freely confess I love musicals. Growing up, my mum liked to play records of the old chestnuts like South Pacific and Music Man. I happen to know every word to every song from Camelot, for example. Just ask me.

In spite of not knowing the night's first song, I joined in anyway, mouthing that lyric-substitute word "watermelon" with enthusiasm to match the pitch of the assembled crowd. Behind the piano, leading us like a gracious hostess of a private party, sat Franca Vercelloni.

A native New Yorker, who studied piano performance at the University of Cincinnati's Conservatory of Music, Franca has played at Marie's Crisis for the past decade.

"The music of musicals compared with that of Justin Bieber, or any of the 800 other young people who are becoming stars every day, triggers a response of euphoric play where people become childlike and carefree and think that anything is possible," she told me.

"People get so happy when they know the words. They recognise the chorus of something they know and it's like they're kids again. It makes me happy, too."

It reminds her of her trip last May to Ireland.

"It was my first visit, and I'm obviously Italian American but I have a great many friends who are Irish American and I understand how particularly important music is to the spirit of the Irish people.

"I took the Traditional Irish Musical Pub Crawl in Dublin run by Anthony Bools and Larry Shaw. I told them I played in a piano bar in the States and they explained how music is a part of every day in Ireland.

"I don't think you'd find a fiddler, or a piano player, or an accordion player in almost every bar like you can in Ireland. It's more indigenous.

"I loved it," she laughed as she relived the experience.

Her emotions, dipped, however, as she recalled her experience of playing at Marie's Crisis on election night.

"For us, it was a pretty grim night. At 9.30pm results were just starting to be tallied; people kept compulsively checking their phones. We joked that if Trump wins, we'll have to play Tomorrow Belongs to Me from Cabaret [it's the song sung by the Nazis]. But then as the night progressed, we became more anxious and sad.

"I tried to keep spirits up. Playing Rainbow Connection and Somewhere Out There - happy songs. But I was sick to my stomach. Sometime after midnight a Hillary supporter came in. He was weeping. He was inconsolable.

"I was supposed to play until 3.30am, but we packed it in a little early by the time it was pretty much a sure thing that Trump won. I felt like I was fiddling while the Titanic sank.

"I also played the Friday that the Supreme Court ruled gay marriage was legal. That night was unbelievable," Franca described... and then she began to cry.

"It's making me tear up right now. It's making me tear up thinking about what the country might face in the next four years with the potential change of the make-up of the Supreme Court. And I'm straight. But so many of my friends..." She trailed off.

The night that I was in Marie's, there were no tears. Only cheer. Franca led us in dozens of buoyant show-tunes including Part of Your World from The Little Mermaid. That one I know. I joined in the song.

The mirror on the wall behind the bar at Marie's Crisis is etched with soldiers and a woman shouldering a sickle. Three words are inscribed in the centre - Liberte, Egalite, fraternite - words that emerged from another crisis: the French Revolution. Franca fittingly leads us in a stirring number from Les Miserables. I know the lyrics to that one, too. I belt out joyfully along with the rest.

We shake the rafters. The power of words. The power of song.

I look around. All smiles. All joy. For this moment anyway, there isn't a care in the world.

Gina London is an award-winning US journalist now living in Ireland
2016 was quite a rollercoaster ride for Hindi films. While we did see makers picking up mature topics for their films, the reception of the same by the censor board was nothing short of a disappointment.

According to the annual report released by the CBFC, the number of Hindi films that were cleared with A certificate in the year 2015-2016 were a whopping 135!

bookmyshow

Going by the records of the year 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 which were 44 and 102 respectively, 2015-16 witnessed a lot of tussles between the filmmakers and the censor board. Come on, how can we forget Anurag Kashyaps Udta Punjab?! It clearly created a divide between the film fraternity and the Board.

rediff

The report further said that 65 Hindi films were given U certificate.

In total approximately 1.021 films were censored by CBFC in 2015-16.

twitter

Not just the Hindi film industry but even South Indian films experienced a similar fate. Out of the 259 Tamil films released during the year, 10.24 per cent were adult certified, while the figures for A certified films in Malayalam stood at 7.09 per cent.

In fact, about 67 Bhojpuri films were certified out of which 54 per cent were for adult viewing. Out of 180 Marathi films that were released last year, 127 were cleared out of which four were given A certificate.

The report also revealed that 94 films were denied censor certificate due to vulgarity and objections on scripts.
MASON CITY  A Mason City man was arrested Friday night after allegedly leaving the scene of a single-car accident where the vehicle involved struck a utility pole and burst into flames.

The Cerro Gordo County Sheriffs Office reported that deputies responded to a report of a fire in the 23000 block of 260th Street, between Mason City and Nora Springs shortly after 11 p.m. Friday.

A 2001 Mercury Sable was fully engulfed when they arrived. No one was in the vehicle.

The report said the vehicle entered the south ditch and collided with a utility pull, breaking off the pole.

No one was at the scene when deputies arrived, the report said, but they tracked the registered owner of the vehicle to Spencer James Boyd, 24, of Mason City.

Boyd was charged with failure to maintain control, leaving the scene of a property damage accident, striking fixtures on the highway and possession of drug paraphernalia. He remains under investigation for operating while under the influence, drug related, the report said.

The Iowa State Patrol and Nora Springs Fire Department assisted at the scene.

 Bob Steenson
If youve been waiting to buy a new car, hold on some more. Car makers are lining up a slew of launches in 2017. Everything from hatchbacks, to sedans and SUVs will be launched. Here are some of our favourites that you too can be excited about.

1. Maruti Ignis

Suzuki

The hatchback that has SUV intentions will be among the first car launches of 2017. The Ignis has a tall stance like an SUV, but a small footprint like a hatchback. To be sold by Marutis premium Nexa dealerships, it will be powered by the same 1.2-litre petrol and 1.3-litre diesels as the Baleno.

Price: Rs 4.5 lakh onward

When: January 2017

2. Maruti Swift

Suzuki

The next generation Swift was revealed recently and is expected to come to India soon. Based on the Baleno chassis, this third-generation Swift is shorter than the current one, but has a longer wheelbase  that means theres probably more room inside. Given the strong brand value, it will probably sell well.

Price: Rs 5 lakh onward

When: Mid-2017

3. Tata Nexon

Indiacar

This compact SUV is probably the best looking Tata ever. Just look at it! The Nexon has the perfect stance, flared wheelarches and black cladding all around. Given that this is a Tata, theres likely going to be loads of space inside. It is expected to come with a new 1.5-litre diesel engine.

Price: Rs 6 lakh onward

When: Mid 2017

4. Lexus ES

Lexus

Toyota is bringing its Lexus luxury sub-brand to India and the ES is likely to lead the charge. The size of a Mercedes-E-class, the ES is based on the Camry and is likely to be imported as a CBU in the hybrid form in the country. Audi, BMW and Mercedes have competition.

Price: Rs 40 lakh onward

When: March 2017

5. Renault Kaptur

Renault

Based on the Duster, the Kaptur SUV will be positioned a step above. Powered by the same engines, but featuring a more upmarket build and quality, the Kaptur will compete with the Hyundai Creta. It is likely to be sold with a four wheel drive system.

Price: Rs 15 lakh onward

When: October 2017

6. Skoda Kodiaq

Skoda

Seems Skoda may have finally figured the SUV segment with the Kodiaq. The seven-seat SUV doesnt polarise views like the Yeti does with its styling. Though theres a hint of Q7 to the window line, the Kodiaq is actually a rival for the Toyota Fortuner and Ford Endeavour.

Price: Rs 25 lakh onward

When: Third-quarter 2017

7. Honda WR-V

Autocosmos

Honda has a Ford EcoSport rival due for launch in India and its called the WR-V. A small crossover car based on the Jazz platform, it looks much smarter than the BR-V. We expect it to come with the same 1.2-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel as the Jazz.

Price: Rs 7 lakh onward

When: March 2017

8. Volkswagen Tiguan

Volkswagen

The German car maker will finally get the Tiguan to India this year. This seven-seat SUV competes in the same category as the Kodiaq and will be powered by a 2.0-litre diesel engine. In typical Volkswagen fashion, the styling is simple yet classy.

Price: Rs 25+ lakh onward

When: Mid 2017

9. Mercedes E-class

Mercedes-Benz

The E-class will be the last of the Mercedes cars to get the new design language. The car will be lighter than the current one and it will be difficult to distinguish it from the bigger and more expensive S-class. Mercedes will likely get the long wheelbase version to India given our penchant for chauffer driven cars.

Price: Rs 50 lakh onward

When: Mid 2017

10. Toyota Prius

Toyota

The Prius has been on sale in India and Toyota is set to bring the next generation car here as well. Its sharper looking than before and will be economical to run thanks to its hybrid drive-train. This new generation Prius will most certainly be imported into the country.

Price: Rs 35 lakh onward

When: Oct 2017
Two open heart surgeries and one heart transplant later, 6-year-old Aditya Shinde got a new lease of life earlier this month. Aditya, who was born with holes in his heart, can finally walk like a normal child, thanks to his father's employer.

After what it seemed like an endless wait - seven months - for an organ, a heart was last month flown from Secunderabad to Chennai airport and then through a green corridor to Fortis Malar hospital where Navi Mumbai boy Aditya underwent the procedure that went over seven hours.

TOI

His father Rupesh Shinde, 37, works as a driver for a couple from Sion. He said Aditya had already undergone two open heart surgeries to fix the holes, but the procedures were not successful. The defect left him crippled as he would be out of breath if he attempted to walk.

The multiple procedures also meant that Shinde was crushed under a mountain of debt.

"More than anything else, I didn't know what to tell my son who kept asking me when he would walk again like any other child. But my employer Meena Sriram and the doctors in Chennai made it happen at a time when I was on the verge of giving up," said Shinde, who is working with the Sion couple for past 10 years.

"Meenaji asked me why I was so depressed. When I narrated my story, she contacted her friends and arranged the money [Rs 25 lakh] within a week and forced me to go to Chennai. The rest is history."

BCCL

Meena, who works as a financial advisor and has helped many doctors streamline their finances, was equally ecstatic. "The most important thing is all the money came in within two days. They included my friends, clients. I told Rupesh that it was easier to accept defeat. I forced him to go to Chennai. A friend accompanied him so that there was no language problem and came back with a quote."

Meena said she encouraged Shinde not to give up. "Aditya's story is about things are possible. I was glad I was connected with doctors. If someone reaches out to the right doctors and ask the right questions, a lot of lives can be saved. Everyone has made this happen. A person in my office earning only Rs 25,000 gave a cheque of Rs 5000. Giving is important as it can save so many lives."

Dr K R Balakrishnan, who operated upon Aditya, said it was tricky case as the boy had already undergone two open heart surgeries.
The celebrations of New Year Eve turned into a mourning at a nightclub in Istanbul as at least 35 people were killed on Saturday in an armed attack, Istanbuls governor Vasip Sahin said.

He described the rampage as a terror attack.

Reuters

Unfortunately, at least 35 of our citizens lost their lives. One was a police officer, Sahin told reporters at the scene of the attack, the Reina nightclub in Istanbuls Ortakoy district by the Bosphorus on the citys European shore. Forty people are receiving treatment in hospitals, he added.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Reports conflicted as to the number of gunmen. The Dogan news agency and other local media referred initially to two shooters who had entered the venue, while officials said there was just one.

According to an eyewitness, the gunman was dressed as Santa Claus. Many party-goers threw themselves into the Bosphorus in panic after the shooting began, and rescue efforts were in progress to save them from the waters, the private NTV television network said.

Police in riot gear and machine guns backed up by armored vehicle blocked the area close to the Reina club, one of the most popular night spots in Istanbul, in heavy rain. Several ambulances flashing blue lights arrived on the scene, some taking wounded to Istanbul hospitals.

Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag vowed that Turkey would press ahead with its fight against violent groups. Turkey will continue its determined and effective combat to root out terror, Bozdag said on Twitter.

5)Terorun kokunu kazmak icin Turkiye, bundan once oldugu gibi bundan sonra da kararl ve etkin mucadelesini surdurecek/teroru,bitirecektir.  Bekir Bozdag (@bybekirbozdag) January 1, 2017

3)Bu;Turkiye'mize,huzurumuza,birligimize,kardesligimize ve hepimize yaplms kalles ve hain bir teror saldrsdr.  Bekir Bozdag (@bybekirbozdag) January 1, 2017

Turkish authorities have imposed a ban on reporting about details of the attack within Turkey.

Reuters

The nightclub is one of the most selective spots in the city, and getting inside past the bouncers who seek out only the best dressed is notoriously hard. According to Dogan, there were at least 700 revelers at the club celebrating the start of 2017 after a bloody 2016 in Turkey.

Reuters

The attack came less than a month after twin blasts outside the Istanbul stadium of top Turkish team Besiktas on December 10 killed 44 people. That attack was claimed by Kurdish separatists.
The internet has made it really difficult to completely switch off from work. France is attempting to counter the all-pervasive aspect of World Wide Web through a new law, taking effect from Sunday, that will force French companies to give their workers the right to ignore their emails and smartphone outside the work hours.

Hidden hours of work outside Frances well-known 35-hour week has led the countrys labour ministry to want to preserve the sanctity of their private life in law.

independent.co.uk

This right to disconnect law will become the first of its kind in the world and force companies of more than 50 people to negotiate a set of measure with employees about when they have to work outside of contracted work hours.

If a compromise cannot be reached for some reason then companies must draw up a charter of good conduct, setting out the hours during the evening or weekends, when employees are not supposed to send or answer emails.

Overindulging in smartphones has been blamed for the scale of burn out and sleeplessness among employees, with many uncertain about when they are legally allowed to switch off.

Reuters/ Representational Image

The new law has been welcomed by Frances powerful trade unions, who have argued that the overuse of smartphones results in many people working more than the 35-hour weekly limit. Xavier Zunigo, a French workplace expert, said: Theres a real expectation that companies will seize on the right to disconnect as a protective measure.

"At the same time, workers dont want to lose the autonomy and flexibility that digital devices give them, added Zunigo, who is an academic and director of research group Aristat.

The measure was introduced by Myriam El Khomri, the labour minister, who commissioned a report submitted in September 2015 which warned about the health impact of info-obesity which afflicts many workplaces.

In the UK hardly any law prevent workers from a digital burn out, according to Matt Gingell, an employment law partner at Gannons solicitors. Under the Working Time Regulations, British workers must not work more than 48 hours each week, averaged over 17 weeks.

Reuters/Representational Image

Workers can opt out, provided that they give a minimum of seven days notice. There are also some general exceptions to the 48-hour week including for those workers whose working time is not measured and are in control of their work.

Some 36 per cent of British workers will continue to check their work emails over the Christmas break, according to research by Lee Hecht Harrison Penna. The study of 2,000 full-time workers in the UK also showed that those aged between 18 and 34 will be the worst offenders with almost half admitting to check in online during the holiday season.
Syria's hospitals may have been air bombed to dust, but hope was not lost after Vladimir Putin ordered mobile hospitals to be sent to the war-torn region. As an early New Year's gift, Syria has received an extraordinary gesture from Russia, one that will save lives!

RT

Syria now has an airborne hospital that has been outfitted to be airlifted to a particular location whenever a medical emergency emerges. The Russian Emergencies Ministry, while packing up from Aleppo after its medical mission came to an end in November, gifted Syria medical supplies and equipment that has treated over 1,500 patients till now - most of them being children and women, reports RT.

sputnik

The mobile hospital is fully equipped with 16 medical and technical pods, 22 connectors, and gateway modules - all of which can be transported to a different destination and deployed in the required configuration. The hospital can treat 200 patients in a day, with 60 beds reserved for inpatients. There is also an ICU to treat severe cases and three surgery sections. Regular bays have been created for patient diagnostics and treatment, along with housing quarters for the staff.

RT

It's an effort that has been praised by the World Health Organization. Aleksand Romanov, head of the International Affairs Department at the Russian Emergencies Ministry, said that this gift will hopefully prepare the Syrians to offer necessary medical care to the needy.

The ownership of the hospital was formally transferred from Russia to Syria on Saturday. Since then, the Syrian doctors have received training in how to operate and deploy the hospital that consists of supplies and equipment that can be airlifted and fitted from one location to the other.
The United Nations Security Council has approved resolution for ceasefire in Syria as well as plans for peace talks to be held in the Kazakh capital next month. The resolution, called for the "rapid, safe and unhindered" delivery of humanitarian aid throughout the country.

npr.com

According to reports, Russia, which supports Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, brokered the ceasefire with Turkey earlier this week in the hope of paving the way for peace talks in Kazakhstan in the new year. The truce calls for negotiations over a political solution to end the conflict that has killed more than 400,000 people and forced millions to flee.

Russia's ambassador to the UN, Vitaly Churkin, praised efforts to end the year with an international agreement for Syria and thanked Turkey for its "substantive contribution". "It is very important that the Security Council backed these efforts by Russia and Turkey," he said.

transconflict

Russia, reportedly, was forced to accept a number of amendments to see the resolution pass. "Key among them was that the Russia-Turkey brokered ceasefire was part of a wider UN initiative aimed at restoring political dialogue," he said.

Staffan de Mistura, the UN special envoy for Syria, has said he intends to bring together representatives of the rival parties for talks in Geneva after February 8. The truce remained largely intact on Saturday despite opposition forces accusing Assad loyalists of attacking 33 locations.

Rebel groups threatened to abandon the ceasefire if the government continued its assault on areas under their control.
In a terrible stroke of luck, over 20 people got stuck 150 feet above ground after their ride at a Californian theme park malfunctioned. They were left hanging for seven hours before the firefighters could come and rescue them.

ap

The incident happened at Southern Californias Knotts Berry Farm. The firefighters used harnesses and ropes to rescue the riders from the ride called Sky Cabin, among whom several were children.

ap

Thankfully, no one was injured but many were left claustrophobic and in need of a bathroom after being stranded for seven hours.

What caused the ride to malfunction is still being determined and till then it will remain closed.
Turkish police are now hunting for the attacker, who dressed as Santa Claus, launched an attack at an Istanbul nightclub during New Year's celebrations on Sunday, killing at least 39 and injuring 70 others.

Reuters

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vehemently condemned "the terror attack in Istanbul's Ortakoy neighborhood in the first hours of 2017" and offered condolences for those who lost their lives, including "foreign guests."

The attacker, armed with a long-barreled weapon, killed a policeman and a civilian outside Istanbul's popular Reina club at around 1:15 am before entering and firing on people partying inside, Governor Vasip Sahin said.

"Unfortunately (he) rained bullets in a very cruel and merciless way on innocent people who were there to celebrate New Year's and have fun," Sahin told reporters.

Reuters

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack and authorities did not name any suspects. The bloodiest attacks that Turkey endured in 2016 were the work of the ISIS group or Kurdish militants. Turkey is a member of NATO and a partner in the US-led coalition against the ISIS. The country is also facing renewed conflict with Kurdish rebels in the southeast, and across the border in Syria and Iraq.

Reuters

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the attacker has not been identified and is still at large. "Our security forces have started the necessary operations. God willing he will be caught in a short period of time," he said.

The attack came less than a month after twin blasts outside the Istanbul stadium of top Turkish team Besiktas on December 10 killed 44 people. That attack was claimed by Kurdish separatists.
The Christian Association of Nigerian has condemned the killing of Christians in Southern Kaduna describing it as ethnic and religious cleansing by Islamic fundamentalists disguising as Fulani herdsmen, with evil intention of wiping off non-Muslims.

While commending President Muhammadu Buhari for his relentless war against the Boko Haram terrorists since assumption of office, CAN however, said it was pained by his silence over the ongoing genocide in the last few weeks.

The General Secretary of CAN, Dr. Musa Asake, said Buharis silence over the ongoing genocide in the last few weeks speaks volume over perceived official endorsement of the dastardly and ungodly acts.

He said, In view of the present predicament, the President of CAN has directed that Sunday January 8 2017, should be declared national day of mourning by Christians including those in Diaspora.

We are to pray fervently for our Southern Kaduna brothers and sisters who are victims of these wanton killings and also for the peace of our dear country Nigeria. Therefore, all Christians are to dress in mourning attire of black clothes or dresses in all our church services on January 8 2017. We are to pray that God who delivered the Jews from Haman should deliver Christians from Hamans in Nigeria. An injustice to one is an injustice to all.

CAN also called on all Christians in Nigeria and on the global scene to speak against the ethnic and religious cleansing to wake up the Nigerian security agencies from their deliberate slumber to carry out their responsibilities.

Asake said, Though the church in Nigeria since 2009 has been subjected to a systematic genocide and persecution through the instrumentality of Islamic fundamentalists Boko Haram, leading to the killing of thousands of Christians and destruction of hundreds of churches, and over 50,000 houses, the current unprecedented onslaught against Christians in Southern Kaduna by the Islamic fundamentalists disguising as Fulani herdsmen under the watch of Kaduna state governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai and President Muhammadu Buhari has reached an alarming stage.

Source: Punch
Burundis environment minister, Emmanuel Niyonkuru has been confirmed dead after he was shot while he was on his way home on New Years eve. The 54-year old minister was killed by an unknown criminal with a gun, Burundis police confirmed.

An unidentified woman has been detained in connection with the incident, with the government promising that the perpetrators will be brought to book.

Burundi has been relatively peaceful after a tumultuous spell after President Pierre Nkurunziza won a controversial third term. Despite the initial unrest, it is the first time a government minister has ever been killed.
Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has accused the West African regional bloc ECOWAS of declaring war after demanding that he stand down following his defeat at the ballot box.

Regional leaders warned last month that the 15-member ECOWAS would take all necessary action to enforce the results of the December 1 poll.

Jammeh retorted in a New Years speech on Saturday night that the ECOWAS summit decision was totally illegal as it violated the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of member states.

It is in effect a declaration of war and an insult to our constitution. It is therefore absolutely unacceptable, said Jammeh.

Let me make very clear that we are ready to defend the country against any aggression and there will be no compromise on this.

Opposition leader Adama Barrow was declared the winner of the ballot in the former British colony and Jammeh  in power for 22 years  initially conceded defeat.

But he reversed his decision a week later, condemning unacceptable errors by election authorities and calling for a new election.

The Gambias top court said last month it was adjourning until January 10 a case filed by Jammeh to annul the vote results.

Jammehs stance has stoked international concerns about the future of the small west African country, with the UN joining African leaders in calling for him to allow Barrow to take the oath of office as scheduled on January 19.

But the 51-year-old strongman has remained defiant.

Given the unjustifiable and unprecedented anomalies what we are simply and rightfully asking for is to return to the polls and allow the Gambians to elect who they want to be their president in free and fair elections, he said Saturday.

Source: Punch
The Nigerian community in South Africa on Sunday confirmed the death of a Nigerian and the abduction of another member in that country.

Mr Ikechukwu Anyene, the President of Nigeria Union, South Africa, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on telephone from Pretoria that both incidents had been reported to the Nigerian Mission in that country.

He alleged that one Victor Nnadi, a native of Orlu in Imo, was suffocated to death on Thursday by the Metropolitan Police in Cape Town.

Anyene claimed that eye witnesses saw the police handcuff the victim and suffocated him to death.

When the people saw what happened, they raised an alarm and confronted the police.

The unions chapter in Cape Town is already on top of the situation and trying its best to facilitate the release of the detained brother of the deceased, he said.

Anyene, however, urged the Federal Government to persuade the South African government to put measures in place to stop the killing of Nigerians.

The union, he said, also got information on Dec. 24 that one Austin Agunwa, a native of Umuawulu, in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra, was abducted by unidentified persons at Rustenburg, North West Province.

He said Nigerians in the province raised a search team which later found the victim`s car abandoned, after a crash near a bridge.

Anyene, however, said the vehicle had no blood stain.

As we speak, we dont know his whereabouts and nobody has claimed responsibility for his abduction.

We have directed the union`s chapter in the area to report the incident to the police and open a case on the missing Nigerian, he said.

Anyene also said that the union`s national body would liaise with Nigerias High Commission to visit Rustenburg over the incident.

We have also advised our people to be calm and remain law abiding as the union and the Nigerian Mission are handling the situation, he said.

Source: NAN
A teenage girl suspected to be a Boko Haram suicide bomber was on Saturday night killed when the vest strapped on her body exploded at the popular Customs area of Maiduguri, Borno State an official has said.

According to reports, the explosion occurred at about 9:00pm and killed the bomber only which witnesses said could be about 15-years-old.

She was the only one that died in the explosion, said Abba Sheriff, a witness who lives around Customs area.

The Borno police public relations officer, Victor Isuku, confirmed the incident but could not provide more details.

Information reaching me now is that there was an explosion at custom area

Preliminary details available is that only the suicide bomber affected. However, standby for details soonest, Isuku stated.
RFD-TV Interview: Grain and Livestock Markets Blue Line Futures - Thu Nov 3, 6:38PM CDT What's on the radar for grain and livestock markets to round out the week?

Cotton Bounce Continued through Thursday Barchart - Thu Nov 3, 4:48PM CDT Front month cotton futures ended with another triple digit bounce on the day. December closed at the allotted 4c limit, while the other nearbys were 138 to 353 point gains. Census data reported 703,536... CTZ22 : 83.16 (+0.19%) CTH23 : 81.63 (-0.66%) CTK23 : 81.63 (-0.45%)

Red Thursday for Wheat Market Barchart - Thu Nov 3, 4:48PM CDT The nearby wheat market ended with mixed but mostly lower. SRW prices gave back 3 to 5 1/2 cents on the day. December stayed at a net 11 1/4 cent gain wk/wk so far. KC wheat held firmer with December up... ZWZ22 : 849-2 (+1.04%) ZWH23 : 869-0 (+1.08%) ZWPAES.CM : 7.7263 (-0.65%) KEZ22 : 953-2 (+1.27%) KEPAWS.CM : 8.9929 (+0.14%) MWZ22 : 953-4 (+1.11%)

Hog Market Fades on Thursday Barchart - Thu Nov 3, 4:48PM CDT Lean hog futures held onto minimal gains in the December contract on Thursday, while the other nearby contracts dropped by 2 to 20 cents. The USDA National Average Base Hog Price was $3.36 weaker in the... HEZ22 : 83.375s (+0.09%) HEJ23 : 92.550s (-0.11%) KMZ22 : 94.000s (+0.16%)

Weak Thursday for Cattle Market Barchart - Thu Nov 3, 4:48PM CDT Front month fat cattle futures ended the session mixed with a 55 cent gain in Dec and a 5 cent gain in the August 23 contract. The other nearby futures fell by 2 to 20 cents on a mixed / mostly weaker... LEZ22 : 151.950s (+0.36%) LEG23 : 154.875s (-0.02%) LEJ23 : 158.300s (-0.13%) GFX22 : 178.000s (-0.52%) GFF23 : 179.425s (-0.32%)

Corn Faded on Thursday Barchart - Thu Nov 3, 4:48PM CDT Thursday action in the corn market left futures 2 3/4 to 8 1/4 cents lower. For December contracts that was the lowest close since 10/19. IHS Markit expects the national U.S. corn yield at 172.9 bpa,... ZCZ22 : 683-2 (+0.59%) ZCPAUS.CM : 6.7556 (-1.15%) ZCH23 : 688-6 (+0.58%) ZCK23 : 688-4 (+0.55%)
Rotman (No $$) vs. ASU W.P. Carey (Full $$) - My Worst Case Scenario [ #permalink

Hi guys,



I'm a Canadian applicant with a tough choice to make. This is actually my worst case scenario - my dream school was UT Austin, which is a head above both of these schools. These schools are fairly equal, each with their own benefits and downsides.



Goals: Post graduation I want to get into consulting or product development for tech companies, longterm goals are a bit more fuzzy.



Arizona State:



Pros:



[*]Full Scholarship - if I take the graduate assistantship, ASU will actually be paying me to go to school there.

[*]Strong Connection to Tech (predominantly for SCM/Ops positions though, which I'm not interested in)

[*]Located in America, lends me the opportunity to land in California if I really want to

[*]Expansive network (largest public university in the USA)

[*]Higher post graduate pay, signing bonus, etc.

[*]Lower cost of living

[*]Smaller cohort, more personal atmosphere

[*]Existing social network in Phoenix

[*]Better weather

[*]Closer to family, so it will be easier for them to come and visit.



Cons:



[*]Tech connections limited to SCM

[*]Smaller cohort means less elective offerings

[*]Most of the students I met at ASU were married, which means they probably don't socialize which is lame.

[*]% of students landing in consultancy varies wildly year to year (not sure if this is because students don't want to go into consultancy, or schools lacks connections in consultancy

[*]Although ASU has made strides, as a second tier school it has less staying power in case of recession.

[*]Lack of clubs



Rotman



Pros:

[*]Highest ranked school in Canada

[*]Diverse employment placement (Finance, Consultancy, and Technology)

[*]Bigger more diverse cohort

[*]Stronger network reaching across Canada

[*]More innovative curriculum

[*]Larger more global city

[*]Has more staying power in case of recession

[*]Has a history of placing hires at Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple in Canada (which might open the door to transferring to an American office eventually).



Cons:

[*]Lower salaries

[*]Cold as f*ck weather (-30C or near 0 F for 4-5 months of the year)

[*]Located in Eastern Canada which sucks

[*]Huge international student contingent (which I'm not a huge fan of)

[*]Placement heavily weighted towards finance

[*]No scholarship offer

[*] Did I mention it's cold as f*ck?

[*]No scholarship offer



For me it's basically this:



Do I go to the bigger, more reputable school in a **** climate which leaves me in a position where I'll never be able to move to America OR do I go to the smaller school with less staying power, but lower cost of living, better climate, and a few more question marks around being able to get the position that I want.



Other considerations:



Should I try and negotiate for a scholarship at Rotman? If so, I don't have much time, my decision for Rotman is due by next Monday.



Thanks!
E arrivata lufficialita, dopo una giornata di voci rincorrenti: per il triennio 2018-2021 sara lemittente Sky a godere dei diritti televisivi per trasmettere, in esclusiva assoluta, le partite non solo delle prossime edizioni dellEuropa League ma anche quelle della massima competizione continentale, la Champions. Un pacchetto da favola per il quale la tv satellitare di Rupert Murdoch avrebbe messo sul piatto unofferta giudicata piu congrua di quella presentata dalla concorrente Mediaset. A dare lannuncio dellaffare concluso e stata la stessa Sky che, in un comunicato, ha spiegato che il nuovo format sviluppato dalla UEFA ci consentira di portare ai nostri abbonati un prodotto rivoluzionario per il calcio europeo in Italia. Per la prima volta la UEFA Champions League e la UEFA Europa League saranno insieme in unesclusiva offerta integrata, che permettera agli appassionati di seguire fino a 7 squadre italiane, mai cosi tante prima dora, impegnate nelle sfide con i migliori club europei.

Sky: Rafforzata leadership

Anche il livello tecnico dellofferta sara altissimo ed e ancora lemittente a rivelare i dettagli: Continueremo a fare innovazione, trasmettendo le partite piu importanti anche in 4K HDR. Questofferta senza precedenti rafforza la posizione di Sky come leader della programmazione sportiva in Italia ed e anche un altro passo importante di sostegno al calcio italiano. Insomma, per i prossimi tre anni, sara unegemonia totale quella della satellitare sul calcio europeo, avendo mantenuto il pacchetto Europa League (gia sua esclusiva) e affiancandola a quello ancor piu appetibile della Champions League ad appannaggio Mediaset dal 2015 al 2018.

Sfida Serie A

Ora la sfida fra i due colossi delle trasmissioni sportive si spostera sui diritti televisivi della prossima Serie A, per la quale si e ancora in attesa di un nuovo bando che, come annunciato dal commissario della Lega, Carlo Tavecchio, avra le stesse caratteristiche del precedente, andato pero a vuoto: solo una delle offerte presentate per i cinque pacchetti, infatti, superava la soglia minima richiesta dalla base dasta. Niente di fatto, quindi, anche in virtu della stessa Mediaset che, in sostanza, ha disertato il bando (giudicato inaccettabile) non presentando alcuna offerta. La battaglia, anche in questo caso, sara sulle esclusive: del resto, dopo essersi vista scivolare via una componente importante come la Champions, sulla Serie A Mediaset dara sicuramente battaglia.
A woman in her 70s has been stabbed in Ballyfermot in Dublin.

The incident took place this morning, at about 9.30am in Oranmore Road, Ballyfermot, Dublin 10.
Ford Ireland plans to mark the centenary with a number of events, including a much-anticipated Gala Dinner at Cork City Hall on April 21.

Beginning on January 1, Ford will launch an extensive and impactful new marketing campaign based around the companys Irish centenary and encouraging consumers to think about the brand differently.

The campaign features the Irish-American actor Aidan Quinn in a range of online videos and on the radio during 2017.

There are many activities, promotions and events planned throughout the year, with one of the highlights being a Gala Dinner Event at Cork City Hall on April 21, 2017, to mark the actual centenary.

Ciaran McMahon, Chairman and Managing Director of Ford Ireland, said: Ford has a unique heritage in Ireland, not only through the companys close family links with Cork but also through the Cork Ford factory and of course many decades of much-loved Ford cars and vans on Irish roads.

"And we are still to the forefront in the automotive sector in Ireland with the widest network of dealers, providing employment, directly and indirectly, to some 1,000 people across the country.

Ford vehicles were and still are a ubiquitous sight on the streets and roads of Ireland all through the 20th century and right up to the present day, Mr. McMahon went on. The brands constant popularity meant that almost every Irish person grew up with a Ford car in the family or had aunts, uncles and neighbours who drove a Ford.

The factory is sadly no more, but Ford remains one of the best-selling brands in both the car and van market in Ireland, he added. Several of our models including the Fiesta, Focus and Transit are segment leaders while the all new Mustang is in a class of its own.

The company is also looking to the future as we plan for the next century of business in Ireland, said the Ford Ireland chief.

Ford is the company with the largest test fleet of autonomous driving vehicles in the world, and in 2017 we will start testing autonomous vehicles across Europe. The company is moving from traditional vehicle manufacture to being a smart mobility solutions provider as we tackle the global mobility challenges of the 21st century.

Ford Family Roots in Cork

The Ford Motor Company was set up in Michigan by Henry Ford in 1903. True to his roots, just 14 years later Henry opened the first purpose-built Ford factory to be located outside of North America at the Marina in Cork.

Henrys father, William Ford, emigrated from Ballinascarty in Co. Cork (50km from Cork City) with his parents and siblings in 1847 during the Famine; Henry was born in Michigan in 1863. Growing up on the family farm, Henry developed a strong interest in mechanics.

At first, he concentrated his efforts on making work easier for farmers but he soon came to realise the potential of the motor car as a force for good for the development of societies across the globe.

Although he cannot be credited with inventing the motor car, Henry Ford was the man who brought motoring to the masses thanks to the affordable yet rugged vehicles he produced through his newly-invented production-line manufacturing technique  which has since been copied by practically every vehicle and machinery manufacturer across the globe.

Bringing it all back home  Ford factory established in Cork 1917

When it came time to expand the business to Europe, there is no doubt that Henrys Cork roots played an important part in his decision to open a plant in Cork. In his own words, he hoped that the new Ford plant would start Ireland along the road to industry.

The setting up of the Ford plant in Cork was the first example of foreign direct investment in Ireland, many decades before the term was even coined.

The company that he legally established was entitled Henry Ford & Son Ltd. and that continues to be the legal name of Ford in Ireland to this day  the only Ford entity in the world to include the full name of the companys founder in its title.

When the Cork Ford plant became fully operational, Europe was just emerging from a catastrophic World War and Communist Russia was in the midst of a huge modernisation programme so tractors were the vehicles that were most urgently needed.

The Fordson tractor was the main product produced by the Cork plant, which in 1929 became the largest tractor factory in the world. However, the factory also produced passenger models, including the iconic Model T. Indeed, the last Model T ever produced by Ford anywhere in the world rolled off the Cork factory production line in December 1928.

In addition to the Model T, the Cork factory also produced all the other main Ford vehicles that were sold in Europe from the 30s right up to the 70s and 80s including the Model A, Model BF and Model Y; Prefect; Anglia; Escort; Cortina; and Sierra.

With Irelands accession to the EEC in 1973, Ireland had to comply with new rules that lifted the previous restrictions on imports of fully built motor vehicles into the country; this, combined with a depressed car market in the late 1970s and early 1980s meant that the plant became no longer viable and, regrettably, it closed its doors in 1984.

In the intervening years, Ford has continued to be a strong player on the automotive scene in Ireland and the company has the widest network of dealers in the country with 52 Dealerships.
January



The year started in the worst way for many in Cowes, when a huge fire ripped through industrial units at Medina Yard. Cowes Carnival, an historic Dunkirk little ship  used in the evacuation of British troops from France  clothing company Rapanui and many others were left counting the cost of the blaze, which started after a welding spark hit fuel.











Fans on the Isle of Wight, including IW Festival organiser John Giddings, paid tribute to David Bowie, following the star's death.







February



Well-known for our dinosaurs (no, not just the residents!), the Isle of Wight found itself at the centre of a bizarre spotlight in February, when a triceratops appeared in the middle of the road in Godshill.









Fight for the Wight was launched, eventually gaining the backing of more than 10,000 people, including Jeremy Irons, Rob da Bank and former leader of the Green Party Natalie Bennett.









Photographer Zoe Barker revealed a hidden side to Osborne House in a new exhibition.









April



Roo the dog, who lost his front legs after he was hit by a train, was rescued and brought to the Isle of Wight, where his new owner launched an appeal to raise money to fit him with a new set of wheels to help him get around.















The Isle of Wight Council was inundated with 7,000 calls in one day after the introduction of a new wheelie bin system. The move sparked a petition signed by thousands of angry Islanders calling for a rethink. Animator Drivel Sieve was determined to prove the bins were roomier than they first appeared.









British astronaut Major Tim Peake shared his incredible view of the Isle of Wight.



















The audience at Shanklin Theatre was treated to something a little different, and very romantic, when Mark Kelly proposed to his partner Charlotte Short on stage  she said yes!











Queen + Adam Lambert brought the curtain down on Isle of Wight Festival 2016, a weekend packed with some of the best music in the world.











July



Rocked by her death a month earlier, the Island came together to pay their respects at the funeral of Keziah Flux-Edmunds.











August



The Island said farewell to its only branch of BHS as the High Street giant went bust. It had been bought a year earlier by Dominic Chappell, the former owner of Island Harbour.















The whole Island got behind runner Jess Andrews as she competed in the race of her life at the Rio Olympics. Jess ran a personal best in the 10,000m.











September



The Island hosted its first ever Isle of Wight Day  a celebration of all things IW.











But as one event arrived, another was saying goodbye, as Bestival was held for the final time at Robin Hill. It was announced in December that the event would be heading to Dorset in 2017.











October



Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker dropped in on students at Medina College to open the new school library. He found time to sign autographs and shake just a few hands...











There was an outcry after Ryde Arena Ice Rink announced it was to close following a dispute with the landlords.






Feds laud $83M to better Pell Bridge The congressional delegation of Rhode Island was in Jamestown to celebrate an $82.5 million grant to upgrade the bridge that connects Conanicut Island to Newport. U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, a...

Local author, illustrator collaborate on book A local woman has turned her digital cross-country teatimes with her granddaughter into a childrens book. Tuesday Tea, written by Debby Furness Saletin and illustrated by Maryann England, both of...

Local group asks for rental rules changes A group of residents is expected to present its recommendations on how to improve the ordinance that governs short-term rentals. Member Ron Ratcliffe said the item is scheduled to be...
Then and now.

Traditions start out as a single event, one that makes such an impression it cannot be forgotten. Tonight, millions of people will ring in the new year with favorite pastimes, while others will celebrate in new ways for the first time and unintentionally create new habits that become part of the household folklore. And whether a quiet dinner with movies or a raucous party with hundreds of guests, the last events of 2016 are making way for new possibilities.

Earlier this week, hundreds of locals took part in a now favorite family event, one of the few that occurs in between Christmas and New Years Day. At Gray Auditorium in Old Salems Visitor Center, young and old and in-between made up the audience for Sergei Prokofievs Peter and the Wolf, now a music and dance production.

I often go to Peppercorn Theatre productions and actually worked Tourist Trap, said Clara Rimes, attending with her friend, Raquel Dewan. I think this production is a cool thing, especially the way the dancers move as the characters.

Dancers from the Helen Simoneau Danse company for Peter and the Wolf included Garrett Parker, Rebekah Downing, James Terry, Monet Beatty and Chloe Beatty. Guido Villalba Portel narrated the story, accompanied by Debra Reuter-Pivetta on flute, Anna Lampidis on oboe, Ron Rudkin on clarinet, Joe Mount on horn, Carol Bernstorf on bassoon and Beverly Naiditch on percussion. In between shows, some of the audience members talked about their favorite parts of the production.

I really liked the bird, said Haley Moore, 7, who joined her mom, Chandra, and brothers, Edmund, 3, and Phillip, 8, for the afternoon performance. She had a really cool dress.

They studied Peter and the Wolf at school, said Chandra Moore. This is our first time here, and we really enjoyed it.

It tells the story very well, said Phillip Moore, exhibiting the type of skills lauded for professional arts reviewers. It is a very active production.

Amanda Ellis brought her son, Hudson, 7. She said the afternoon was a great alternative to the previous weeks activities.

Weve been stuck in the house since Christmas, and its really nice to get out, she said. We just moved here from Texas, and now were going to walk around Old Salem and see more of whats here.

The program for the show offered informal discussion opportunities as well. In the car-ride conversations section, questions presented included queries about the instruments, characters and dancers and also prompted readers to pair instruments with characters from the story.

One multigenerational group attending included Mary Douglas Mendenhall, Rachel Alvis, Caroline Mendenhall, Lisa and Jim Alvis, Karen McElwee and Mary Mendenhall.

The dancers are just delightful, and the narrators facial expressions really capture you, said McElwee. The music was flawless.

The Peppercorn Theatre at the Childrens Museum of Winston-Salem puts on several productions each year, and many feature collaborations between the theatre and music organizations. For Peter and the Wolf, Harry Poster served as artistic director while John Bowhers worked as the producing director.

The Carolina Chamber Symphony Players are now Music Carolina, and they started this production 10 years ago, so it already had a following, Bowhers said. Peter and the Wolf already had such a huge following, and the themes are so rich. The way the instruments portray the characters is so vivid, and the collaboration is so rich. Weve had full houses both shows and expect the same for the final.

Upcoming Peppercorn Theatre productions include Lost & Found from April 15-30, described as a new musical take on a past adventure and featuring original music by Colin Allured. For Helen Simoneau Dance, the Seventh Company Season will be from March 1618 at Hanesbrands Theatre. But on Thursday, Peter and the Wolf was the crowd favorite.

Its hip-hop, classical and ballet, Mary Mendenhall said. This has been a wonderful experience.

Happy New Year from Scene & Heard!
Q: For the last several months, the litter pickup along Interstate 40 and Interstate 74/U.S. 311 is being done by a private contractor. What happened to the prison inmates doing this work? Who is paying for this?

T.S.

Answer: North Carolina continues to experience a growth in population that has resulted in an increase demand for its highway system, said Pat Ivey, division engineer with the N.C. Department of Transportation.

The increased demand, he said, has also resulted in additional litter accumulating along the highways of the state, and traditional litter management strategies have relied on a combination of inmate litter crews from the Department of Public Safety, volunteers, and N.C. DOT maintenance personnel to address the litter problem.

In 2016, Ivey said, Gov. Pat McCrory asked the department to improve its efforts to keep the highways of North Carolina litter-free.

The department evaluated its current litter management efforts and realized that the DPS inmate litter crews would not be able to increase litter cleanup efforts, Ivey said. The Department decided to use the DPS crews to clean up routes that were best suited for their crews, and use contract forces to address the remaining litter management needs.

As for how the work is paid for, Ivey said that the state DOT pays for all litter cleanup efforts through funds allocated for highway maintenance activities.

Q: What is the plan for how emergency vehicles and others trying to get to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center from the east during the two-year road closure? I have seen no mention of this important factor. I cant imagine they plan to route ambulances through neighborhoods or busy areas with multiple traffic signals.

N.B.

Answer: Details are not yet available, but plans are in the works.

Representatives from Baptist Hospital and emergency services agencies have been active stakeholders in the project development process for the Business 40 project for nearly 10 years, said Pat Ivey, division engineer with the N.C. Department of Transportation.

(We) will continue working with these stakeholders to provide detailed traffic management plans and detour options.

Q: Why have they quit putting manufacturers coupons in the Sunday newspaper? Thats one reason some of us buy the newspaper, to get the coupons to save a few cents on food and other needs.

G.M.R.

Answer: We have not discontinued manufacturer coupons, said Tommie McLeod, regional circulation director for the Winston-Salem Journal and Greensboro News & Record. There are some Sundays in which the manufacturers do not place coupons in the paper. It happens particularly post-holiday.

Thanks

My deepest gratitude to Stephanie from Kannapolis and Ron from the Healy Drive post office, who came to my aid on Tuesday evening, Dec. 27 at 5:30 pm. The battery died in my Honda CR-V while in the parking lot of the Healy Drive post office and thanks to their help with my jumper cables, I was up and running again and on my way home to Yadkinville. May God bless them greatly for their kindness.  J.W.
As the seconds ticked down to 12 oclock at Little Creek Recreation Center Saturday, there wasnt a yawn in sight.

The room buzzed in anticipation as the seconds dwindled away. Three, two one  Happy Noon Year! cried the 30 guests in attendance.

Jubilant cheers echoed around the room as a cascade of white, black and gold balloons tumbled to the floor into the outstretched grasps of roughly 30 kids and their parents.

Others knocked back champagne flutes filled with fruit punch, toasting the New Year at Saturdays midday celebration.

Theres not a ton of things for kids to do on New Years Eve, especially if theyre too young to stay up until midnight, said Jessica Garrett Doub, organizer for the event. So we thought this would be a good way to kick-start the celebrations.

For Clara Mrozinski it was a chance to ring in not only the New Year, but her 9th birthday as well.

Usually her friends are out of town, so this was one of her best birthdays yet, she said, as her brother Clayton, 5, somersaulted across the floor.

This is so much fun, she said, adjusting her handmade 2017 hat rimmed with tinsel.

The first hour of the event was spent carefully constructing a variety of glittery noisemakers and party hats for all the guests.

While Mary McMillan, 6, spent last New Years Eve celebrating at Disneyworld, the kindergartener still had stars in her eyes as her dad, Doug, helped her color her paper plate noisemaker.

We thought it would be a fun time spent together, her dad said. Make some crafts, make some memories.

Tacked on one wall were a bunch of New Years resolutions scribbled in unmistakable kid print.

A resolution is like a promise for 2017, McMillan explained to his daughter. Like eating more green beans.

Yuck, Mary said, as she read through some of the other kids resolutions  I will not be mean to my brother and Get better at swimming  for inspiration.

Alongside her, Mason Farmer added his wish, Be more responsible, to the wall.

Lets just hope that one works, joked his dad Danny. What a fun New Years Eve tradition this is turning out to be.

As the dancing and balloon bopping came to an end, the families still had 12 more hours left to enjoy of 2016.

If they have enough energy left to make it to midnight that is.

Seven-year-old Xuni Liu raced around the room, an eternal smile pasted on his face as he collected a bouquet of golden balloons with his new friends. Although he doesnt speak any English, the balloons seemed to transcend language barriers.

We want to have as many American experiences as possible, so this is exciting, said his mother, Hong Liu, as she filmed the event on her iPhone for her family back home. Its our first New Years Eve.

The Liu family moved from China in November and will spend a year in Winston-Salem before going home.

Everything has been so different, and the Little Creek noon event was more magical than they couldve hoped for, she said.

My boy loves this very much, she said with a proud smile. Hes going to miss this next year.
The past year wasnt just a wild one for news on a national level. Forsyth County had its fair share of viral videos, moments in the spotlight and events that will continue to shape the future of the region. Here is our list of the top local stories for 2016:

Law enforcement dealt

a dangerous year

The year got off to a rough start for local law enforcement agencies when Nicholas Wayne Powell, an officer with the Winston-Salem Police Department, was shot after attempting a traffic stop on Jan. 4. Fortunately, Powells injuries were not life-threatening.

A difficult year continued, though, as the country grappled with tough questions about policing and use of force. After five officers were shot and killed in Dallas in July, the Winston-Salem Police Department was one of many law enforcement agencies around the country to receive threats of similar violence. Nothing came of the threats, but it left officers feeling guarded.

Then, a dangerous year became deadly in September when a Forsyth County sheriffs deputy was hit by a car while directing traffic near Tanglewood Park.

Deputy John Thomas Isenhour, 38, was hit while directing traffic on Clemmons Road during the annual Bike MS: Tour to Tanglewood, a fundraiser that attracts hundreds of bicyclists. Isenhour tumbled over the car being driven by 92-year-old Jessie Bennett Cook, of Advance, breaking his neck, ribs, pelvis, both legs, nose and other facial bones. Isenhour died Sept. 28.

Cook was charged with misdemeanor death by vehicle.

A month later, the Forsyth County sheriffs department lost a second deputy when Hayden Wesley Wes Church, 35, was killed in a single-vehicle crash near Ronda in Wilkes County. Investigators said his pickup truck flipped three times after he veered into the median on U.S. 421 and overcorrected as he came back onto the highway.

Officials with the department said the agency had never before suffered two losses so close together.

Cook Elementary School

gets a fresh start

In February, it was announced that Cook Elementary School was one of 11 struggling, low-income schools in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools district identified by the federal government as priority schools in need of change. For Cook, that change came in the form of a new principal, new teaching staff and a new instructional model focused on literacy.

It also came with a whole new attitude.

Principal Paula Wilkins was hired in April and has started to shift the culture inside the school that was once the lowest performing in the state. Official state data on the schools academic progress wont be released until the fall, but Wilkins said theyre seeing improvements in preliminary data the school has been collecting throughout the year.

Its about more than just test scores for the folks at Cook, though. Theyre looking for fewer disciplinary problems, more parental involvement and a growing enrollment as they attract back some of the neighborhood students who had chosen to go elsewhere. Programs like a reinvigorated PTA, after-school enrichment and a food pantry are just a few of the initiatives launched this year.

The death

of Darryl Hunt

In a 2014 interview with the Winston-Salem Journal, Darryl Hunt said he continued to be affected by his wrongful conviction in the 1984 murder of Deborah Sykes and the 19 years he spent in prison for it.

In one of the saddest stories of the year, Hunts ongoing struggles appeared to overtake him.

Hunt, 51, was missing for nine days before he was found dead in a truck at 12:19 a.m. March 13 in the parking lot of the College Plaza shopping center off University Parkway, across the street from Joel Coliseum. Winston-Salem police said it appeared Hunt died from a self-inflicted gunshot.

An autopsy report said Hunt, the Winston-Salem man exonerated in 2004, died from a gunshot wound to the torso.

According to the autopsy report, Hunt was found with a .38-caliber revolver on his legs. The trucks doors were locked and the ignition was still on, though the engine was not running, the report said.

The truck belonged to Larry Little, a close friend of Hunts and a longtime activist. Little has said Hunt left a note at Littles house, which set off a weeklong search for Hunt. Hunt wrote that he would be dead by the time Little found the note.

Hunt was exonerated in 2004 in the Aug. 10, 1984, stabbing death of Sykes, a copy editor at The Sentinel, an afternoon newspaper that closed in 1985. Hunt spent 19 years in prison before DNA evidence led police to another man, Willard Brown, who confessed to Sykes murder.

Then-Gov. Mike Easley pardoned Hunt, and the city of Winston-Salem paid him more than $1.6 million for wrongful imprisonment. The city also released a report from a citizens review committee that revealed a number of mistakes in the police investigation. The state awarded Hunt more than $300,000.

Reynolds Building finds new purpose

Winston-Salem Grand Old Lady, the citys architectural icon, reopened this year to great fanfare.

When it opened in 1929, the former R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. headquarters was a landmark of the industrial South but the building had sat empty since 2009 when Reynolds moved its downtown employees into the neighboring Plaza Building.

The reopening of the building this year as a boutique hotel and luxury apartments is being viewed as a landmark in the revitalization of downtown.

Developer PMC bought the building in June 2014 for $7.8 million. It opened the first phase of the buildings renovations in late March  the Residences @ the R.J. Reynolds Building, which features one- and two-bedroom apartment models on the seventh to 19th floors.

In April, the 174-room Kimpton Cardinal Hotel opened on second through sixth floors. The final phase was completed in May with the opening of the ground-level Katharine Brasserie & Bar, named after Katharine Smith Reynolds, the wife of R.J. Reynolds, who founded Reynolds Tobacco.

The Kimpton Cardinal is just the first in a series of new hotels planned for downtown. A boutique Indigo hotel is being planned for the Pepper Building, a historic downtown Winston-Salem landmark and CN Hotels Inc., a Greensboro hotel developer, has started construction on a 119-room Hampton Inn & Suites at 235 N. Cherry St.

Volunteer tirade

goes viral

A volunteer at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center was fired after a video of her verbal tirade against a Winston-Salem man and his family went viral.

Donna Lorraine Bridger, 68, was charged with misdemeanor simple assault after she was accused of assaulting and using racial slurs against Isaiah Baskins on April 14 at Brenner Childrens Hospital.

Baskins, 26, recorded 7 minutes of the confrontation and posted it to YouTube. Bridger can be seen shouting at Baskins and his family to get out of the family resource center.

Baskins had gone to the hospital for an appointment for his daughter, who was 3 weeks old at the time. At a news conference this June outside the Forsyth County Hall of Justice, he said his daughter had a heart condition and had gone through two heart surgeries.

The charges against Bridger were later dropped, after Baskins failed to appear for several court dates. At the time, Baskins attorney said that prosecutors never notified Baskins or him about any court date or about preparing for trial.

Forsyth County District Attorney Jim ONeill disputed that and said his office reached out to Baskins several times.

Community raises more than $100,000 for Skippys owner

A downtown staple for nearly a decade, Skippys Hot Dogs closed its doors Feb. 25 after the restaurants owner Mike Rothman was diagnosed with brain cancer.

Rothman, 54, moved to Pennsylvania to be near his family during his treatment for the disease, so he wasnt in town to see the lines that stretched out of Skippys door and down the block in late April.

For one week, local chefs organized more than 100 volunteers to temporarily reopen Skippys, located on West Fourth Street, for Mikes Week, a fundraiser that collected about $100,000 to help with Rothmans medical and other expenses.

Each day featured a special hot dog, meaning many patrons visited multiple times to try the different specialties. The only thing missing was the distinctive pretzel bun that was Skippys specialty and the only man who made them  Rothman.

At last check, Rothman was recovering well at a rehab facility in Pennsylvania. A recent picture on Facebook shows Rothman growing out his hair.

The clown hoax hits Winston-Salem

Perhaps we should have seen the fake news crisis coming after one of the years weirdest stories also ended being completely bogus.

Throughout the summer, reports of creepy clown sightings popped up around the county  starting in South Carolina. The first was reported on the streets of Winston-Salem on Sept. 4, when two kids said they saw a clown trying to lure them into the woods. That story was later debunked by video surveillance footage of the area in question that never showed anyone dressed as a clown.

A second report came about 4 hours later.

In a later case, a woman said a clown wielding a machete tried to lure her into some woods on a Monday near Walkertown. Clown reports emerged in at least eight North Carolina cities, including High Point, Wilmington and Greensboro.

Police investigated each report, but none were substantiated.

The local scare came to an end after a report landed a Winston-Salem man in jail. David Armstrong, 24, called police just before 3 a.m. on Sept. 9 and said someone dressed as a clown had knocked on his window in the 1800 block of Salem Crest Lane before running into the woods, the Winston-Salem Police Department said.

Police said Armstrong confessed to making up the story after officers questioned him. He was charged with filing a false police report.

Anthony Nguyen spared death penalty in murder trial

Three years after Shelia Pace Goodens murder rocked the Ardmore neighborhood, the trial of her accused killer was one of Forsyth Countys biggest stories.

The weeklong trial of Anthony Vinh Nguyen was the first death penalty trial in Forsyth County since 2014; it was the third in the last seven years.

The jury ultimately spared 24-year-old Nguyen the death penalty, instead sentencing him to spend the rest of his life in prison for the 2013 murder of Gooden during a home invasion.

Nguyen was convicted of first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, first-degree burglary and armed robbery in the death of Gooden, 43.

Forsyth County prosecutors said Nguyen and two accomplices  Daniel Aaron Benson and Steven George Assimos  broke into Goodens house at 700 Magnolia St. in the Ardmore neighborhood at 11:30 p.m. Oct. 10, 2013.

They ransacked her house and stole a flat-screen TV worth $200, according to prosecutors. Nguyen shot her three times  once in the right leg, once in the right eye and once in the right side of the head.

Benson and Assimos testified against Nguyen in exchange for deals that had them plead guilty to second-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, and first-degree burglary and armed robbery.

Wheels start turning on roads projects

This was the year that gave us hope that two major road projects talked about for years might actually start  and finish  in our lifetime.

The first sign: A new name was unveiled for the soon-to-be-improved mile of Business 40/U.S. 421 that passes through downtown. A public vote allowed residents to take part in choosing the new name for the downtown freeway and the overwhelming winner was Salem Parkway.

The name, along with new signs that wont be installed until work is completed in 2020, were unveiled in October.

Actual construction is slated to start in 2017 with work to replace the Peters Creek Parkway interchange. When thats finished in late 2018, a mile-long segment of U.S. 421 downtown will closed for renovations that include closing some ramps so the remaining ones can be lengthened with design changes like landscaping, brickwork and artistically enhanced bridges.

Work has already begun on the areas largest road project  the Winston-Salem Northern Beltway. The big news there, this year, was the state Supreme Courts ruling that the state must finally pay homeowners whose properties were designated as being in the path of the beltway in 1997 and 2008. The order affects hundreds of beltway landowners. Late in the year, though, the N.C. Court of Appeals issued a temporary stay on the order, leaving many landowners again frustrated.

Kalvin Michael Smith is freed after 20 years

After nearly 20 years of proclaiming his innocence, Kalvin Michael Smith walked out of prison just after 11:35 a.m. Nov. 10 a free man. Smith, 45, had been serving up to 29 years in the Forsyth Correctional Center, after he was convicted of assaulting Jill Marker, an assistant manager at the Silk Plant Forest Store on Silas Creek Parkway, on Dec. 9, 1995.

That assault left Marker with severe brain injuries, and she gave birth to a son while in a coma. Marker lives in Ohio under 24-hour care.

Smiths name has not yet been cleared, though. He was released after Judge Todd Burke of Forsyth Superior Court granted a motion arguing that Smiths trial attorney, William Speaks, failed to present mitigating factors that could have led to a shorter prison sentence. Smith was serving two consecutive sentences for assault and armed robbery, and attorneys argued if those mitigating factors had been presented, Smith would have gotten a sentence of about six to nine years for robbery.

That would have meant that Smith was eligible for release from prison in May of this year.

Burke granted the motion and Smith was released the next day.

It was a huge milestone in Winston-Salems most prominent allegation of wrongful conviction since the late Darryl Hunt was exonerated in 2004 of the murder of Deborah Sykes, a copy editor at the now-closed afternoon newspaper, The Sentinel.

The Winston-Salem Journal published a series of stories in 2004 raising questions about the police investigation and prosecution in Smiths case. Chris Swecker, former assistant FBI director, and the Silk Plant Forest Citizens Review Committee both reviewed the case and concluded that the police investigation was flawed. Smiths case was recently featured on MTVs documentary series, Unlocking the Truth.

All of Smiths appeals in state and federal courts have failed, including most recently at the N.C. Supreme Court, but Smith and his team of lawyers have said they still want to change that  even if Smith is now free.
ISTANBUL  An assailant believed to have been dressed in a Santa Claus costume opened fire at a crowded nightclub in Istanbul during New Year's celebrations, killing at least 39 people and wounding close to 70 others in what the province's governor described as a terror attack.

Gov. Vasip Sahin said the attacker, armed with a long-barreled weapon, killed a policeman and a civilian outside the club at around 1:45 a.m. Sunday before entering and firing on people partying inside. He did not say who may have carried out the attack.

"Unfortunately (he) rained bullets in a very cruel and merciless way on innocent people who were there to celebrate New Year's and have fun," Sahin told reporters.

Private NTV news channel said the assailant entered the Reina nightclub, in Istanbul's Ortakoy district, dressed in a Santa Claus outfit.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the man was still on the run, adding: "efforts to find the terrorist are continuing."

"Our security forces have started the necessary operations. God willing he will be caught in a short period of time," the minister said.

At least 16 of the dead were foreign nationals, Soylu said, without providing information on their nationalities. Five of the victims were identified as Turkish nationals while authorities were still trying to identify 18 of the victims. At least 69 people were being treated in hospitals, four in serious condition, Soylu said.

Some customers jumped into the waters of the Bosporus to escape the attack, the report said.

Sinem Uyanik was inside the club with her husband who was wounded in the attack.

"Before I could understand what was happening, my husband fell on top me," she said outside Istanbul's Sisli Etfal Hospital. "I had to lift several bodies from top of me before I could get out. It was frightening." Her husband was not in serious condition despite sustaining three wounds.

Police with riot gear and machine guns backed up by armored vehicles blocked the area close to the Reina nightclub, one of the most popular night spots in Istanbul. Several ambulances flashing blue lights arrived on the scene, some taking wounded to hospitals.

The White House condemned what it called a "horrific terrorist attack" and offered U.S. help to Turkey.

White House spokesman Eric Schultz said President Barack Obama was briefed on the attack by his national security team and asked to be updated as the situation developed. Obama is vacationing in Hawaii this week with his family.

National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said the attack on "innocent revelers" celebrating New Year's shows the attackers' savagery.

"Our thoughts are with victims and their loved ones. We continue to work to prevent these tragedies," European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini tweeted.

An estimated 600 people were celebrating inside the club that is also frequented by famous locals, including singers, actors and sports stars. Several shocked revelers were seen fleeing the scene after the attack and the music fell silent.

The country has been rocked by a series of deadly attacks in 2016 carried out by the Islamic State group or Kurdish militants, killing more than 180 people.

On Dec. 10, a double bomb attack outside soccer stadium  located near the Reina nightclub  killed 44 people and wounded 149 others. The attack was claimed by Turkey-based Kurdish militant group, the Kurdish Freedom Falcons. Nine days later, an off-duty Turkish riot policeman assassinated Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov at a photo exhibition in the capital, Ankara. The government has suggested that a movement led U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen was behind the killing  an accusation the cleric has denied.

Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag vowed that Turkey would press ahead with its fight against violent groups.

"Turkey will continue its determined and effective combat to root out terror," Bozdag said on Twitter.

Security measures had been heightened in major Turkish cities, with police barring traffic leading up to key squares in Istanbul and the capital Ankara. In Istanbul, 17,000 police officers were put on duty, some camouflaged as Santa Claus and others as street vendors, Turkey's Anadolu news agency reported.
STATESVILLE  A man is accused of trying to steal $12,000 worth of artifacts, reproduction weapons and cash from the Fort Dobbs State Historical Site north of Statesville.

Fort Dobbs was the only permanent frontier provincial fort in the colony of North Carolina during the French and Indian War of 1754-1763. It housed about 50 soldiers.

Adam Douglas Bates, 33, was charged with breaking and entering and larceny after breaking and entering after items were taken from the site about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday. He was jailed on $10,000 bail.

Detectives with the Iredell County Sheriffs Office found the items hidden under brush near the sites parking lot. Investigators said they think Bates planned to return to pick up the items, according to the Record & Landmark.

Surveillance footage captured a clear image of the burglar. Bates was identified after investigators circulated the photo on social media.

Site manager Scott Douglas told the Record & Landmark of Statesville that Fort Dobbs is on a limited budget, so if the theft had succeeded, the loss could have devastated the living history program.

For example, its next living history program will be Feb. 25-26 to mark the anniversary of the 1760 Cherokee attack on the fort and, according to the forts website, show visitors what life was like for the soldiers and settlers seeking protection through on-going displays of camp life, as well as scheduled musket and cannon firing demonstrations.

Douglas said that the museum has been cleaned up and that were using this as an opportunity to improve our security measures on top of what we already have in place. Our surveillance was instrumental in getting an arrest.

By the end of 1761, the British had essentially won the war and only 30 troops remained at the fort, according to the Fort Dobbs website.

Colonial leaders disbanded the troops and removed all the supplies of the garrison as settlement moved far west of the fort. The neglected fort was in ruins by 1766.
Among the tourists heading south this time of year are 40-ton visitors you might spot from a North Carolina beach.

Humpback whales migrating from New England and Canada to breeding grounds in the West Indies have become regular sights in Carolinas waters in December and January.

The whales often swim close to shore, and observers say sightings this year have seemed unusually numerous. The humpbacks seen here are among populations removed from the endangered species list in October because their numbers are growing.

Known for their spectacular lunges from the sea, called breaches, and the graceful arc of 15-foot-wide tail flukes rising over the water as the animals dive, humpbacks can put on quite a show.

I consider it a treat every time I see one, said Mike Remige, director of Jennettes Pier in Nags Head, who has had humpbacks breach beside him as he surfs in winter.

In mid-December, Remige and others watched as a pod of eight to 12 humpbacks loitered for a couple of hours off the end of the 1,000-foot pier. They were feasting on something  based on what weve seen in the area, probably brown shrimp  and were not going to leave until it was gone, he said. Humpbacks can each eat a ton and a half of food a day. Dont head for the coast just to spot a whale  North Carolina sightings arent regular enough to support whale-watching cruises  but observant visitors are sometimes rewarded. The whales pass through again in March and April, heading north to feed for the summer.

Allan Libby, director of tourism and public information for Surf City, north of Wilmington, doesnt need binoculars to see them from his oceanfront office. By mid-December he had sighted whales eight times in a two-and-a-half-week period.

What I have seen is a lot more activity than we have in the past, Libby said. I dont know the reason. Weve had a lot of good fishing later in the fall, so they could be following fish.

Humpbacks seen off the Carolinas are part of what federal officials call the Gulf of Maine stock, which were estimated in 2008 to total 823 animals (among an estimated 11,500 across the North Atlantic). Gulf of Maine whales were among nine populations that were removed from the protection of the Endangered Species Act this year.

Removing humpbacks from the list means theyre doing well, said Bill McLellan, coordinator of the Marine Mammal Stranding Program at UNC Wilmington.

The moms are moving south with this years calf and will give birth in the Caribbean this winter. So calves spend the winter here feeding on menhaden and such.

Seven other whale species have been seen in Carolina waters, the North Carolina Aquarium says, including critically endangered North Atlantic right whales.

Right whales, so named by whalers because of the high yields of oil their blubber produced, were hunted close to extinction in the 1800s. Federal experts estimated that only 476 animals survived in 2011.

An international moratorium, in place since the mid-1980s, has helped most species slowly recover from the commercial whaling that decimated them. But humans, inadvertently, still plague whales  killing or seriously wounding about nine Gulf of Maine humpbacks a year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says.

Ship strikes are a major threat to right whales, which often cruise in shipping lanes. Much more often, whales get wrapped in fishing gear that cut into their flesh, leading to infections, starvation and drownings.

One study of Gulf of Maine humpbacks estimated that up to two-thirds had been entangled at some point. More than 300,000 whales and dolphins a year die from entanglements, the International Whaling Commission said in citing a recent report.

A corps of trained volunteers up and down the Atlantic coast respond when possible.

Keith Rittmaster, natural science curator at the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort, got a call the morning of Oct. 26 about an entangled humpback near Beaufort Inlet. Rittmaster boated to the scene while others prepared boats, crews and disentanglement gear.

I was alone with the whale, a little nervous, and the whale was a little nervous, he said. The young whale submerged for several minutes, then resurfaced with a burst of energy and lunged away.

Rittmasters wife and others later collected the discarded net and found it all there, meaning the whale apparently swam away free.

The whale might not have been happy, he said, but that was one lucky humpback.

Bruce Henderson is a report at The Charlotte Observer. He can be reached at bhenderson@charlotteobserver.com.
Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace recently speculated that Democrats and the mainstream media were underestimating president-elect Donald Trump similar to the manner in which they underestimated Ronald Reagan.

It is certainly food for thought. Reagan proved to be much more than the amiable dunce he was projected by his detractors.

Frankly, no one knows what the Trump administration will be. But this is the speculation season. Therefore, I wish to make another potential comparison.

Will Donald Trump prove to be this eras George Wallace?

In the annals of history, the former Alabama governor and three-time presidential candidate will be known for fanning the ambers of racism during much of the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

His infamous standoff with U.S. Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach at the University of Alabama to block two Negro students from admittance was based on a 1962 campaign pledge.

A closer examination, however, reveals a more complex figure.

Wallace began his political career as a progressive politician. In the early 1950s, Wallace sat on the board of the Tuskegee Institute, the historically black college founded by Booker T. Washington. In 1958, the NAACP endorsed Wallace during his failed gubernatorial bid.

Wallaces primary political orthodoxy was ambition. John Kohn, a former Wallace advisor, noted in a 1988 interview: If George had parachuted into the Albanian countryside in 1962, he would have been head of a collective farm by the fall, a member of the Communist Party by mid-winter, on his way to the district party meeting by the following year, and a member of the Comintern in two to three years.

This was a remarkable statement, given that Wallace was a staunch anti-communist throughout his political career. But what Kohn said next summed up the infamous Wallace ambition. Hell, George could believe whatever he needed to believe.

It would be in the aftermath of the 1958 defeat that Kohns observations would be crystallized. Speaking with his aides, there was common agreement that his opponent John Pattersons stance on segregation was stronger and he had enjoyed the support of the Klan. To which Wallace reportedly said, Well boys, no other son-of-a-bitch is ever going to out-nigger me again.

The aforementioned statement gave rise to the George Wallace that would embody the worst politics in the 1960s. But we would once again see Kohns take come to fruition in the late 1970s.

Wallace apologized to black leaders for his stance on segregation and asked for their forgiveness. Ironically, he would return to the governors mansion in 1983 with the aid of black support.

The saddest part of Wallaces legacy was that he unleashed a type of divisive politics that the Republican Party would embrace for more than a generation. From the Southern Strategy instituted by Richard Nixon in 1968 to Trumps declaration of building a wall to keep Mexicans out, there has been a comfort level by some within the GOP to titillate its base with the stench of racism.

When I wrote my book on 1963, of three protagonists (Wallace, Martin Luther King and John F. Kennedy), I concluded that Wallace was the most influential on Americas common life today. He instituted a brand of politics on the national stage that made othering some group acceptable.

What gives the Wallace/Trump comparison legs is whether they actually mean what they say, or is such inflammatory rhetoric the best means to achieve their ambitious desires?

Weve already witnessed Trump walk back comments on having his attorney general investigate Hillary Clinton  a campaign promise he made multiple times in the midst of fervent chants of Lock her up!

I tend to be suspicious of all presidential campaign promises, especially by those who never sat in the chair. The perspective from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue differs from the rest of the nation. Part of the conundrum requires that one run on the past in order to secure a job that emphasizes the future.

Time will tell if Trump can make good on his promises to build a wall and make Mexico pay for it, temporarily ban Muslims from entering the country, impose tariffs on goods made in China and Mexico, abolish the Affordable Care Act and renegotiate NAFTA and the Iran nuclear deal.

Maybe the unforeseen challenges awaiting the president-elect will render some of these promises moot.

But what would it mean for America to have someone in office that believed whatever they needed to believe?

Somewhere, George Wallace is feeling the possibility of vindication.
RALEIGH  One key consequence of the 2016 elections in North Carolina was that the states court system drew a great deal of attention. You can expect that attention to continue, and perhaps to lead to constructive change, during the coming year.

Four election stories had the effect of turning the political spotlight to the judicial branch. Democrat Mike Morgan outpolled Bob Edmunds, an incumbent Republican on the North Carolina Supreme Court, thus shifting the partisan balance on the states officially nonpartisan high court from a 4-3 Republican edge to a Democratic one. At the same time, Republican candidates won all of the elections for Court of Appeals, making that 15-member body strongly Republican.

With Democrat Roy Cooper narrowly defeating GOP Gov. Pat McCrory and Republicans retaining their supermajorities in the General Assembly, the partisan atmospherics grew stormy. Republican lawmakers concluded they had inadvertently produced Morgans victory by the following convoluted process: 1) establishing a retention election for the Edmunds seat in 2016, rather than a truly competitive one; 2) then losing the subsequent court case about it; 3) then watching the Supreme Court race revert to the previous nonpartisan system and not intervening to put party labels back on the ballot, as they had for the Court of Appeals races; and 4) then watching Morgans name get placed first on the ballot, the position GOP candidates held in other races, thus leading Republican voters to think they were choosing the GOP candidate when they voted for him.

If you look at vote totals across conservative-leaning counties, you can see why this explanation is the most plausible one. Edmunds got many fewer votes in those counties than did comparatively obscure Republican candidates for appeals court. It strains credulity to assert these voters made such careful distinctions among the Republican judges.

But what was the proper remedy? A few Republicans toyed with the notion of creating two more openings on the Supreme Court and allowing outgoing Gov. Pat McCrory to fill them, with subsequent partisan elections to be held in 2018. But McCrory himself and most other Republicans never thought this was a defensible remedy for the errors that led to Morgans win.

What happened instead was that legislators resurrected an old idea Roy Cooper himself had proposed while serving in the North Carolina Senate. Both the state and federal appeals courts handle most of their cases as three-judge panels. But the federal courts also occasionally hear cases en banc, meaning before all the judges of a circuit. During a post-election special session, the North Carolina legislature authorized a similar process for the state appeals court.

Why do this? Because Democrats are about to attempt to relitigate every court challenge theyve made against Republican-enacted policies (the ones they didnt already win before a Republican-majority Supreme Court, I mean). An en banc hearing before the full Court of Appeals may add another step to the process.

Whatever you think of this change, it does signify that Republican lawmakers are willing to consider changes in the structure and operation of the state courts. Well, they are about to get many more proposals for change. The North Carolina Commission on the Administration of Law and Justice, a panel created by Chief Justice Mark Martin in 2015, will publish its final report in 2017.

I serve on the commission. Our findings and recommendations address every aspect of the justice system in North Carolina, from civil litigation and criminal procedure to technology upgrades and judicial selection. During our work, we found that while most North Carolinians have confidence in our state courts and the judges who preside in them, they are also concerned about the time and money it takes to litigate cases, the independence of judges and the treatment of juveniles, racial minorities and low-income people, especially those who represent themselves in judicial proceedings.

The commissions report will offer legislative leaders and the new Cooper administration an opportunity to work together on important issues of mutual interest. Heres hoping they seize it.
WALLINGFORD, Conn.  The Wallingford Public Library is close to finishing cataloging more than 200 books and pamphlets about magic, donated by a friend of Wallingfords own Mr. Magic.

Thomas R. Prete Sr., known locally as Mr. Magic, was a town institution from the 1950s to the 1980s. Prete taught art at North Haven High School, and he owned an art-supply store on Quinnipiac Street called Magic Arts.

The books, which cover magic tricks, famous illusionists and the history of magic, were donated by Paul Bergantino, a former North Haven resident, to honor his mentor in magic.

The library accepted the unique collection because they have a quality of fun, said Jane Fisher, library director.

We know its a topic people are perennially interested in, Fisher said. The library usually turns away book collections, which can be better preserved in an archive.

Some of them are classics in the field, she said.

But this collection really sparked our interest, she said.

Bergantino was a student of Pretes in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

He used to perform some tricks during class, Bergantino said. I ended up working for him as a student at his art store . Everyone knew him as Mr. Magic.

He remembered his teacher as a giving individual who loved performing magic tricks for children in hospital pediatric units.

It was unbelievable how much he helped people, he said.

Performing magic helped Bergantino hone is presentation skills, he said, which helped him in his professional life. Hes now president of Lifeway Mobility, a Hartford company that sells accessibility products, like wheelchairs and stair lifts, throughout southern New England.

It turned into a lifelong friendship, he said.

Prete died in 2007. The books carry memorial nameplates with his name.

I donated the books to keep his legacy alive, he said, by donating them to Wallingford, the town he resided in and had a business in for many years.

Cataloging the large volume of books is the special project of Pat Johnson, the retired head of library-tech services. Shes back working part time organizing and labeling books before they go out on the shelves.

Bergantino provided a list of all the books with estimated prices, which Johnson said was helpful. The worth of the individual books ranges from almost nothing to a couple of hundred dollars.

The donation arrived in September, and its taken so long to catalog them because at least 60 percent require original entries into the library catalog.

Johnson takes each book and searches to see if the title exists in the system.

When Im lucky, I find a match, she said. But a lot of them had to be (cataloged) from scratch.

If theres not a match, she then looks to other state libraries or the Library of Congress.

Pamphlets, some of which date back to 1930s, take an especially long time because information on author, publisher or date is scant or nonexistent.

Its challenging but its also kind of fun, she said.

The delicate pamphlets will go to the Connecticut Collection, which houses historic materials on Wallingford and Connecticut. An exception was made for the magic pamphlets because of their condition and because the collection honors a Wallingford resident.

People can look at materials in the Connecticut Collection but not take them out.

They would never survive circulation, she said. The last step is to shelve the books and find the proper storage for the pamphlets, which need acid-free envelopes and boxes for long-term storage.

Johnson said the librarys current collection of magic books is nowhere near as many as this.

The books will be shelved in Wallingford but patrons from other libraries will be able to request the books.

Its really a wonderful gift, not just to us but to the whole state, Johnson said.
LOS ANGELES  After her husband asked for a divorce, Amber Clisura gave back her engagement ring, kicked him out of the house and tossed everything that reminded her of the ruined marriage. Except for one item: a polished steel barbecue smoker that her future ex-husband had fashioned for her from an old oil drum.

It sat there on the patio and rusted and rusted, and it became a sad symbol of the relationship, Clisura said.

The four-legged smoker had been a treasured handmade gift, but eventually Clisura couldnt bear to look at it. She considered giving it to a neighbor or selling it for scrap but then read about a call for submissions at the new Los Angeles branch of the Museum of Broken Relationships.

The original museum opened in Zagreb, Croatia, in 2010 after growing out of a touring collection that crisscrossed Europe, Asia and the U.S. On display in Zagreb are artifacts from failed unions, most of them mundane under ordinary circumstances. A single stiletto heel. A wine opener. A worn old Snoopy doll.

But when isolated in a glass case or hanging on a white wall and accompanied by a caption, the objects become imbued with heartache or regret. Or freedom.

In Los Angeles, theres a blue chiffon top a woman wore to a cafe where her husband told her he was leaving. An envelope of leaves mailed from Canada to San Diego so a long-distance paramour could experience changing seasons in Southern California. A jar of pickles purchased for a first love who, the donor explained, stopped texting before I could give it to him.

After some deliberation, Clisura, a textile artist and fashion designer from LA, decided to donate the smoker and drove it to the museums warehouse.

A woman met me downstairs, and as I was handing it over, I burst into tears, Clisura said, laughing now. It felt like a weight was lifted. The museum representative offered to give her a hug.

Employees have embraced their share of brokenhearted donors eager for closure, said director Alexis Hyde at the museums location on Hollywood Boulevard, a thoroughfare that, she noted, has been called the boulevard of broken dreams.

Hyde has been known to brush away her own tears as she opens boxes containing donations.

Its cathartic the way a good, sad movie is cathartic, she said. On some level, you know this persons moving on, and theyve survived.

Hyde pointed out not all the fizzled unions represented in the 3,500-square-foot museum were romantic. One donor had an irreparable relationship with her father. Another split from a church. A California woman who donated a Texas license plate said she separated from the Lone Star State.

My broken relationship was with myself, said Andree Vermeulen, whose donated items are the museums most talked about. The actress sent in a pair of breast implants she had removed after ending a toxic relationship with a man who made disparaging comments about her body.

Vermeulen, who lives in Los Angeles, said the implants never felt right, and since theyve been out, she has reached a place where I feel very grounded and confident. An outpouring of support on social media gave her further confidence to use the experience as fodder during storytelling performances in which she discusses body image and standards of beauty.

Vermeulen said the donation, now displayed in a glass case in the LA museums main room, symbolized the final chapter of the relationship, and her scars mark a story and a time in my life that taught me a lot about myself.

More than 2,000 items comprise the museums two brick-and-mortar collections and touring shows, which have made stops in San Francisco, Helsinki, Finland; and Hamburg, Germany. A show in Seoul, South Korea, featured a donated Jeep that had to be taken apart and brought in by crane. Donations arrive so regularly that the LA site hopes to continually cycle in new items to keep the exhibit fresh.

Donors are anonymous or identified only by first name. They generally write just a few sentences as a backstory, but some items, including a simple green coffee mug at the LA site, come with explanations that go on for hundreds of words.

The caption accompanying a group of old cassette tapes reads: The music made me dream.

Pieces are displayed across six exhibition rooms in the ground-floor location that lures tourists who stroll Hollywood Boulevard. Visitors pay $18 admission and are encouraged to pop into a private confessional, where they can write about their own breakups.

Olinka Vistica and Drazen Grubisic, the Croatian artists who conceived the original exhibition on a whim, are shocked by its staying power.

Hyde isnt. Its so resonant, she said. The audience is so large for it.

Clisura admitted she hadnt yet been to the museum to see the old rusted smoker.

I wasnt sure I was ready, she said. But shes since changed her mind and is planning a trip with her new boyfriend.
NEW YORK  The deaths of actress and writer Carrie Fisher and her Hollywood legend mother, Debbie Reynolds, on successive days this week lend a special poignancy to a coming HBO film about their relationship.

The film, Bright Lights: Starring Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher, will air at 8 p.m. Saturday.

It was expected to premiere on in the spring, but HBO representatives decided on Friday to move it up.

The network is also repeating its previous film about Fishers life, Wishful Drinking, at 9 p.m. today.

Although it hasnt been on television, Bright Lights was shown earlier this year at film festivals in New York and in France at Cannes. The filmmaking couple Fisher Stevens and Alexis Bloom of New York made it. A representative said they werent available for interviews.

Fisher died Tuesday at age 60 after being stricken on an airplane flight last week. Her mother was rushed to the hospital and died the next day. She said, I want to be with Carrie, her son, Todd, told The Associated Press. And then she was gone.

In appearances at the festivals, the filmmakers described the project as Fishers initial idea. Her mother was about to give her final live performances in Las Vegas two years ago at age 82, and Fisher wanted to document them.

Bright Lights became an examination of the lives of two women, once estranged, who were living in their final years next door to each other in a compound in Beverly Hills, California. Their loving interdependence seems unbreakable, the Hollywood Reporter wrote in a review.

Fisher was dealing with the mental illness that fueled some of her memorable writing through the years, and both women were dealing with the toll that increased frailty was taking on Reynolds. A key part of the film was about whether Reynolds would be well enough to accept a lifetime achievement award.

The axis on which the film turned was their relationship and their love, even though show biz warps the best of people and warps the best of relationships and Im sure to some degree they would agree its warped their family, Bloom told The Los Angeles Times this fall. But at the center of it is love, and thats sort of undiminished.

Fisher and the filmmakers said it was initially difficult for Reynolds to get used to the idea of a documentary on their lives. She was comfortable with cameras, but expected to have a script.

The film is as disorderly in its structure as the messy family history it surveys, the Hollywood Reporter wrote in its review. Time spent with these wonderful subjects makes that seem sweetly appropriate.

The affection that the filmmakers have for their subjects is quite contagious, the publication said.
Reddit Email 1 Shares

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |  

The incoming Trump administration is riven by a profound division between those determined to avoid deep entanglements in the Middle East, such as Donald J. Trump himself, and the hawks he is putting in key positions, who desperately want to overthrow the Islamic Republic of Iran. This division is made more difficult to interpret by Trumps own erratic pronouncements, such that he sometimes speaks of, e.g., putting 30,000 US troops into the fight against Daesh (ISIS, ISIL). It is impossible to know whether Trump will disengage even more than President Obama did, or whether the hawks will win out and intervene with covert operations or perhaps more explicitly against Iran. Yet another complication is that Moscow now views Iran as a Russian client in the region, and would really mind if the US did interfere in Iran. Trump is obviously close to President Vladimir Putin, but his cabinet is full of saber-rattlers against the Russian Federation.

The chief challenge facing the Trump administration will be rolling up the phony caliphate of Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) in Syria and Iraq.

In Iraq, the battle for Mosul has stalled because the Iraqi military only has one or two effective counter-terrorism brigades (roughly 3,000 infantrymen to a brigade). They have taken very high casualties, being in the vanguard of the fight, with hundreds dead. At this rate the only effective units of the slightly rebuilt Iraqi military would be used up well before Mosul could be entirely conquered. It is difficult to see how Trump could speed up this fight without committing US ground troops, and if he did that they would likely take high casualties (not popular with the American public). Since the fight is in urban Mosul, a city about the size of Houston, massive US bombing campaigns are not effective (Trumps macho reference to carpet bombing Daesh has no connection to reality).

In Syria, the only force willing to take on Daesh in its home base of Raqqa and Deir al-Zor provinces in a thoroughgoing way are the leftist, feminist Kurds of the YPG. The Obama administration allied with them, at the cost of alienating Turkey (which considers the YPG a branch of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which Ankara and Washington classify as a terrorist organization).

Turkeys President Tayyip Erdogan appears to have made a deal with Russia to cut the YPG leftist Kurds out of any civil war settlement. In return for Turkish acquiescence in the regime recapture of all of Aleppo, Russia and the Bashar al-Assad regime agreed to let Turkey move against the Kurds in the north and to attempt to forestall the Kurdish-American assault on Arab Salafi Jihadi territory, whether that of Daesh or that of groups like the Freemen of Syria and the Levantine Conquest Front (or Nusra Front, the al-Qaeda affiliate).

Trump will have to decide whether to continue with Secretary of Defense Ash Carters alliance with the YPG Kurds or whether to give in to the emerging Putin-al-Assad-Erdogan troika. Since neither Turkey nor Russia nor the regime has seemed willing to march on Raqqa and destroy Daesh, Trump will face the problem of how to achieve the results he promised the American public. As President Obama discovered, the most effective forces in fighting Daesh are Shiite and closely allied with Iran, so the US really only has two choices give up on defeating Daesh and target Iran, or press the fight against Daesh in tacit alliance with Iran. Which course is chosen will be momentous for both the US and the Middle East.

Personally, I think the terrorism capabilities of Daesh will be substantially degraded if they lose their territorial perches, and so would advise finishing them off as soon as possible in alliance with whoever will accomplish it. While I admit that rolling up the so-called caliphate wont destroy Daesh or entirely stop its terrorism, it seems self-evident that more resources (like ruling a state with 2 or 3 million people) equals more capability. A small declining organization is less effective, and that should be the goal.

There is also the question of the aftermath. Let us say that Daesh/ ISIL is no longer a territorial state by next summer. Then you have to put Syria and Iraq back together, which requires that Sunni and Shiite and Arab and Kurd and other groups make a political set of bargains with each other, with which they can all live. Is Trump capable of pushing the parties to make this deal? Or will he withdraw from the region and leave it to its devices?

Trump has made it clear that he likes the idea of Middle Easterners being ruled by strong men, and that there will be no Bush-style Wilsonian democratization attempts on his watch. He will likely have good relations with President-General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt. The bad thing about that policy is that al-Sisi will likely over time become extremely unpopular in Egypt, since he wont be able to deliver on his extravagant economic promises. As al-Sisi sinks, so will the American reputation, if Trump lionizes him. Russia is already in deep disrepute for propping up the seedy one-party state in Syria, and if Trump backs Putins Syria policy, people will hate the US as well.

Despite his admiration for strong men, Trump has gratuitously insulted the rulers of the Sunni Gulf monarchies, saying the would institute an oil boycott to force them to fight Daesh. He has also angered them with his comments on Islam and on barring Muslims from coming to the US. Saudi Arabia is a swing producer of petroleum and president after president has found it essential to have good relations with Riyadh. It is not clear Trump can if he has alienated them so badly.

One place he could usefully take them on is regarding the building disaster in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia and its allies have been bombing civilian infrastructure in hopes of using air power to overwhelm the Houthi guerrillas, could well get blamed on the United States. The US provided the fancy weaponry to Saudi Arabia, and actually helps pick targets and provides logistical support. Hunger, displacement, and other catastrophes are growing exponentially.

Trump has put out mixed signals about Israel/Palestine, as well. At one point he urged a more even-handed policy. Then he appointed a man as ambassador to Israel who more or less believes that Palestinians have no rights at all and all their property may be stolen at will. Likely, the Palestinians will be screwed over, as they usually are by Washington (which only pays lip service, occasionally, to their rights).

Trump has fence mending to do with Turkeys Erdogan, who appears to believe that the US tried to overthrow him last July 15 (this is not true) and who in the past couple of weeks has begun putting out the false news meme that the US is backing Daesh. Remember, Turkey is supposed to be a NATO ally. Erdogan is not talking like an ally but like an enemy.

Trump has pledged to rip up the UN Security Council agreement with Iran about making sure Tehrans nuclear enrichment program remains a purely civilian one and cannot be militarized. Trump, like many in the GOP, does not appear to understand that the Iran deal was not bilateral with the US. It is between Iran and the UNSC, including Russia and China. So it is a little irrelevant whether Trump tears it up. Also, the agreement constrains Iran, so ripping it up just removes the constraints. It is impossible for Trump to reassemble the global boycott on Iran that Obama achieved from 2012 to 2015, and American sanctions just drive Irans business to China and Russia.

In short, Trumps announced Iran policy is a mess, and it remains to be seen if he can shape it into something meaningful. As I noted, this process will be complicated by the anti-Iran hawks Mattis, Flynn, Pompeo, etc., that he has put in high office. (The cabinet secretaries dont always let the president know what they are really up to.)

The US has intervened too much and too incompetently or venally in the Middle East. Trumps initial idea of leaving it alone has virtues. But can he really leave it alone? And by the way, backing the strong men is not the same as leaving it alone.
Reddit Email 0 Shares

By Ramzy Baroud | (Maan News Agency) |  

There is no doubt that the UN Security Council condemnation of Israel on Friday, December 23, was an important and noteworthy event.

True, the United Nations main chambers (the Security Council and the General Assembly) and its various institutions, ranging from the International Court of Justice to the UN cultural agency, UNESCO, have repeatedly condemned the Israeli occupation, illegal Jewish settlements and mistreatment of Palestinians.

In fact, unlike the Dec. 23 resolution 2334, the past UN condemnations were far stronger  for some resolutions did not just demand an immediate halt of illegal Jewish settlement construction, but the removal of existing settlements as well.

There are up to 196 illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian land, in addition to hundreds of settler outposts. These settlements host up to 600,000 Jewish settlers, who were moved there in violation of international law and, in particular, the Fourth Geneva Convention.

But what makes this particular resolution important?

First, the US neither vetoed the resolution nor threatened to use its veto power; nor did it even seriously lobby, as it often does to soften the wording in advance.

Second, it is the first decisive and clear condemnation of Israel by the UN Security Council in nearly eight years  almost the entirety of President Barack Obamas terms in office.

Third, the vote took place despite extraordinary Israeli pressure on the current US administration, on the forthcoming administration of Donald Trump and successful pressure on Egyptian President, Abdul Fatah al-Sisi. Indeed, Egypt delayed the vote, which was scheduled a day earlier, before New Zealand, Senegal, Malaysia, and Venezuela stepped up and put the resolution to a vote, a day later.

Doubtless, the UN resolution  like all others  remains rather symbolic as long as there are no practical mechanisms to ensure the enforcement of international law.

Not only will Israel not respect the United Nations will but is, in fact, already accelerating its settlement activities in the Jerusalem area, in defiance of that will.

The Jerusalem municipality had announced that 300 housing units will be built in the illegal settlements of Ramat Shlomo, Ramot, and Bit Hanina while the Security Council members were preparing for the vote on the legal invalidity of the Jewish settlements.

The Palestinian National Authority, on the other hand, is already celebrating another symbolic victory, which is readily being marketed to unamused Palestinians as a major step towards their freedom and their independent state. The UN resolution was, indeed, keen on ensuring the two-state illusion is perpetuated further, which is all that the leadership of Mahmoud Abbas has needed to continue to push for an unattainable mirage.

With all this in mind, there is a lesson  and a valuable one  that must be registered at this moment: without US backing, Israel, with all of its might, is quite vulnerable and isolated in the international arena.

The outcome of the vote was quite telling: 14 Security Council members voted yes, while the US abstained. The vote was followed by a rare sight at such meetings, a sustained applause, where countries that hardly agree on much, agreed full-heartedly on the justness of Palestinian aspirations and the rejection of Israeli practices.

Think about this for a moment: the relentless efforts by Israel and the US to intimidate, coerce, and bribe UN members, so as to sideline the international community from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, is failing utterly.

All it took is a mere US abstention from the vote to expose the still solid international consensus regarding Israels illegal actions in Palestine.

In an emblematic sign of hope, the vote brings to a close the year 2016, which has been a harsh one for Palestinians. Hundreds of Palestinians were killed during this year in clashes in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza; hundreds of homes have been partly or wholly demolished and damaged; thousands of acres of land have been confiscated by Israel, and countless olive trees toppled.

The next year hardly promises to be any kinder, as the new US administration under Trump exhibits all the signs that suggest US support of Israel will remain steadfast, if not take an even darker turn.

Rightly so, as the appointment of pro-settlement hardliner, David Friedman as the new US ambassador to Israel carries with it terrifying prospects.

Friedman and his ilk have no regard for international law or any respect for US current foreign policy regarding the Israeli occupation, the illegality of the settlements (considered an obstacle to peace under various administrations) and is eager to relocate the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

All of this is quite ominous, and the freshly passed resolution should not advance the illusion that things are changing.

Nonetheless, there is hope.

The resolution is a further affirmation that the international community is unconditionally on the side of Palestinians and, despite all the failures of the past, still advocates the respect of international law.

This reminder takes place at a time when the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement is moving from strength to strength, galvanizing civil societies, campuses, and trade unions all over the world to take a stance against the Israeli occupation.

While the rights of Palestinians do not register in the slightest in the radar of US foreign policy interests (which sees its alliance with strong Israel as far more important than the needs of disjointed Arab countries), Palestinians can still forge a new strategy that is predicated on the strong support they continue to garner from the rest of the world.

Israel can be blamed for much, but Palestinians deserve much of the blame, too, for their own disunity, infighting and corruption.

They must not expect their efforts, however sincere, to yield freedom and liberation when they are incapable of forming a united front.

This should be done by overhauling the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and bringing all Palestinian factions under one single platform that caters to the aspirations of all Palestinians, at home and in shattat (diaspora).

The Palestinian leadership needs to understand that the age of ineffectual American leadership is over. No more lip service to peace and handouts to the PA, while bankrolling the Israeli military and backing Israel politically. The next administration is pro-Israeli administration, absolutely.

This may be the clarity Palestinians need to understand that begging and pleading for American compassion will not suffice.

If a united Palestinian leadership does not seize the opportunity and regain the initiative in 2017, all Palestinians will suffer.

It is time to move away from Washington and to embrace the rest of the world.

Ramzy Baroud is an internationally-syndicated columnist, author, and the founder of PalestineChronicle.com. His latest book is My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gazas Untold Story.

Via Maan News Agency

The views expressed in this article are the authors and do not necessarily reflect Maan News Agencys or Informed Comments editorial policy.



Related video added by Juan Cole:

A Palestinian Perspective On John Kerrys Israel Speech | MSNBC
Reddit Email 0 Shares

By Mike Hixenbaugh for The Virginian-Pilot, and Charles Ornstein, ProPublica |  

There are many ways to measure the cost of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War: In bombs (7 million tons), in dollars ($760 billion in todays dollars) and in bodies (58,220).





John Scarlett died of brain cancer in November 2015. His widow says she believes his disease is linked to Agent Orange exposure during the Vietnam War. She and other widows are battling the VA for benefits. (Andrew Burton for ProPublica)

Then theres the price of caring for those who survived: Each year, the Department of Veterans Affairs spends more than $23 billion compensating Vietnam-era veterans for disabilities linked to their military service  a repayment of a debt thats supported by most Americans.

But what if the casualties dont end there?

The question has been at the heart of reporting by The Virginian-Pilot and ProPublica over the past 18 months as weve sought to reexamine the lingering consequences of Agent Orange, the toxic herbicide sprayed by the millions of gallons over Vietnam.

Weve written about ailing Navy veterans fighting to prove they were exposed to the chemicals off Vietnams coast. About widows left to battle the VA for benefits after their husbands died of brain cancer. About scores of children who struggle with strange, debilitating health problems and wonder if the herbicide that sickened their fathers has also affected them.

Along the way, we noticed some themes: For decades, the federal government has resisted addressing these issues, which could ultimately cost billions of dollars in new disability claims. When science does suggest a connection, the VA has hesitated to take action, instead weighing political and financial costs. And in some cases, officials have turned to a known skeptic of Agent Oranges deadly effects to guide the VAs decisions.

Frustrated vets summarize the VAs position this way: Delay, deny, wait till I die.

This month, after repeated recommendations by federal scientific advisory panels, Congress passed a bill directing the VA to pursue research into toxic exposures and their potential effects across generations. But even that will take years to produce results, years some ailing vets dont have.

The questions weve posed have no easy answers. But science  and our own analysis of internal VA data  increasingly points to the possibility that Agent Orange exposure might have led to health problems in the children of veterans. And we cant help but think of the words displayed at the entrance to the VA headquarters in Washington: To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan.

We noticed the phrase, a quote from Abraham Lincolns second inaugural address, during an evening stroll through D.C. in June, a day before hosting a forum on Agent Oranges generational effects and policy implications. With us that night was Stephen M. Katz, the Virginian-Pilot photographer who initiated our reporting project when he shared the story of his estranged father, a Vietnam vet whod gotten back in touch to warn that hed sprayed Agent Orange.

Does the VAs motto apply to Katz? His brother born before the war is healthy. At 46, Katz suffers from myriad health problems, including a heart defect, type-2 diabetes, an underactive thyroid, immune and endocrine deficiencies, and a nerve disorder that severely limits the use of his right hand.

What about the thousands of other children of Vietnam veterans who shared their stories with us over the past year? What about the children of Gulf War veterans exposed to depleted uranium? The children of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans exposed to toxic burn pits? The children of future service members exposed to yet unknown toxins on the modern battlefield?

What responsibility  if any  does a nation have to those who werent drafted into service, but who may have been harmed nonetheless?

We posed the question to Dr. Ralph Erickson, the VAs chief consultant of post-deployment health services, whos involved with the agencys research efforts. Erickson, whos had the job since last year, wouldnt comment on the VAs past reluctance to study these issues, saying only that his team is committed to it.

And if research someday proves a wartime exposure has harmed veterans children or grandchildren? Erickson, whose father served in Vietnam, said thats a question that would have to be answered by VA lawyers. We pressed him for his personal view, and he too cited Lincolns words. But even then, he said it was a hypothetical and didnt directly answer the question.

Vietnam vet Mike Ryan thinks he knows what the answer will be. Nearly four decades ago, his family was among the first to draw widespread attention to the possibility that Agent Orange had harmed veterans children. His daughter, Kerry, suffered from 22 birth defects, including spina bifida and other physical deformities.

After his wife died in 2003, he was left to care for his daughter until her death three years later at the age of 35. Lifting her out of bed several times a day to use the bathroom had damaged his back, leaving Ryan bedridden and alone. When we first reached the 71-year-old at his home in Boca Raton, Florida, he was reluctant to retell his tragic story.

Whats the point? he said. The government wont ever take responsibility.

In the end, Ryan agreed to talk. Maybe sharing his story one more time would help others get the recognition his daughter never received.

If that happened, Ryan said he could die in peace.

ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for their newsletter.

This story was co-published with The Virginian-Pilot.

Via ProPublica
[JURIST] The State Council of China [official website] announced [press release, in Mandarin] on Friday that it will ban all trade of ivory by the end of 2017. It is anticipated [BBC report] that the commercial processing of ivory will end in March 2017, and steps will be implemented to transition the cultural skill of carving ivory into carving of other materials such as tooth and bone. The government will also strictly manage the collection of ivory materials, placing some in museums and exhibits while allowing, under strict supervision, the transfer through inheritance of ivory goods and some auctioning. The Chinese government, with the help of other organizations, will also strengthen the enforcement of the bans and encourage education on the issue. The move has been lauded by several organizations, as China is the largest domestic ivory market.

In 2014, the UN published [JURIST report] a108-page report, entitled The Environmental Crime Crisis, which detailed the ways in which illegal trading of charcoal, timber and poached wildlife, worth approximately $213 billion annually, helped to fund terrorist and criminal groups, as well as threatened the security and development of many countries. Poaching and illegal trade of environmental goods has been a growing threat worldwide. Wildlife conservation agency CITES reported in one month more than 20,000 African elephants were killed for their ivory in 2013 alone. In May, it was reported that Brazil has participated in illegal logging on a massive scale. The European Parliament in 2008 adopted new rules to criminalize acts [JURIST report] that cause serious environmental damage.
[JURIST] Starting on January 1, 2017 French companies will be required to guarantee employees a right to disconnect from technology, in an effort to combat the always-on mentality pervading our modern workforce. The new law will require [NPR report] companies to engage in negotiations with employees determining their rights to switch off and ways they can reduce the intrusion of work into their private lives. In the case that negotiations are unsuccessful, the company is to publish its own standards. Some companies such as Renault and Axa France have already taken steps to protect the work life balance. In an interview with French newspaper Liberation, Axa France discussed how they had already limited hours in which meetings could be held [Liberation report, in French] and attempted to reduce the influx of communications after hours. They prioritized verbal communication and limited emails on the weekends. This move has been praised and it is hoped that in addition to relieving stress, it will encourage open communication about expectations between employees and their employers.

Employment issues have been at a hot topic worldwide. The US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit last month upheld [JURIST report] a Kentucky countys right-to-work ordinance. The court ruled Hardin County was not preempted by federal labor law, particularly section 4(b) of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), from banning agreements between workers and unions requiring workers to join a union, a move which many believe will result in the proliferation of similar local-level laws restricting the role of labor unions in the workplace. Currently, 25 states have right-to-work laws [JURIST backgrounder]. The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments [JURIST report] in January on the First Amendment rights of public teachers who do not wish to pay union fees. The Supreme Court split 4-4 in the case, defaulting to affirming the lower court decision, though the teachers have expressed interest in having the case reheard after the ninth justice is seated. Last year the Wisconsin Senate approved [JURIST report] Senate Bill 44, which provides that employees cannot be required to join a labor organizations.
The Year That Ended an Epoch?

.

MADRID  As 2016 comes to an end, the outlook for 2017 is shrouded in uncertainty. Tensions in the Middle East are rising, and populist movements have appeared in Europe and the United States.

In the Middle East, the tragic conflict in Syria continues, despite several fruitless attempts at rapprochement, which were marred by the fundamental disagreement about Syrian President Bashar al-Assads future role in any peace process or political transition. Meanwhile, over the past week, Syrian government troops, backed by Russia and Iran, have retaken almost all of Aleppo  once Syrias largest city, now utterly devastated by the war.

The worlds priority for the coming year must be to achieve peace in Syria, which will require close regional and international cooperation. On December 27, Iran, Russia, and Turkey will hold a tripartite meeting in Moscow to discuss a political solution for the Syria conflict. That meeting, if it takes place, is likely to be overshadowed by the fallout from the assassination of Russias ambassador to Turkey. But it is nothing if not surprising that these parties, and not the US and the European Union, would be negotiating such an agreement.

One positive development this year came in March, when the EU and Turkey signed an agreement to address the refugee crisis. Turkey has now taken in some three million Syrian refugees since the beginning of the conflict. Although EU-Turkey relations are currently not at their best, the dialogue between the two sides must continue in 2017, not least because of their common interests, which are based not only on economic interdependence, but also on the refugee crisis and the collective fight against terrorism.

European politics next year, meanwhile, will be consumed by the Brexit negotiations. In March, the United Kingdom will likely invoke Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon, triggering the formal procedure for withdrawal from the EU. The challenge will be to reach an agreement that guarantees the wellbeing of future EU-UK relations. This will not be easy, and EU negotiators have already set a timeline of only 18 months. While much remains uncertain, what is clear is that if the UK wants to retain access to the European single market, it will have to accept the EUs four freedoms, including the free movement of workers.

In 2017, several European countries will hold general elections, and there is a risk that isolationist, anti-European populist movements will make a strong showing. For the EU to lose a country as militarily and economically important as the UK is bad enough; but to lose a founding EU member state, such as France, would be tragic.

Fortunately, many Europeans views toward the EU actually improved in the aftermath of the Brexit referendum. But this will not lessen the challenge for EU governments in the year ahead.

They must unite societies divided by powerful global forces, such as globalization and rapid technological innovation.

The Brexit referendum, followed by Donald Trumps victory in the US presidential election, signaled the rise of populism in the West. But now that Trump is filling his cabinet with oligarchs and former military men, we have reason to doubt that he will keep his promise to govern without the Washington establishment.

Trumps incoming administration is full of unknowns, but there can be no doubt that his rejection of multilateral institutions will endanger international efforts to cooperate on solutions to the worlds biggest problems. This holds peril for US-EU relations. In previous years, the Paris climate agreement and the nuclear agreement with Iran were rays of light in a world closing itself off to multilateralism. In the coming years, such rays may become scarcer still.

Now more than ever, we need the kind of dialogue that builds strategic trust between great powers.

And yet, Trumps statements casting doubt on continued US adherence to a One China policy vis-a-vis Taiwan could severely damage relations between the worlds two largest economies. Similarly, notwithstanding the pro-Russian leanings of some among Trumps team, the US-Russian relationship also lacks strategic trust, owing to Russias military intervention in Syria, its invasion of eastern Ukraine, and its alleged interference in the US election.

The coming year will be particularly important for Europe. Relations between the EU and the US must remain strong, rooted in mutual respect for democracy, freedom, and human rights.

After a turbulent 2016, and with little positive news in international politics, 2017 is shaping up to be a year of challenges and uncertainty. But the biggest uncertainty of all is whether this is simply the end of another year, or the end of a geopolitical epoch.
Kim Jong-un, leader of North Korea, announced in his Sunday New Years address that the country is in the final stage of preparations to test-launch an intercontinental ballistic rocket. Though North Korea has tested numerous missiles this year [JURIST report], it will be the first time that the nation will have tested a long range ballistic missile, if the country follows through on Kims statement. Donald Trump was not mentioned in the broadcast, but the close proximity of the statement to the US inauguration day raises questions about how the president-elect will respond to this and other provoking statements from North Korea.

At the start of 2016, the US Congress approved additional sanctions [JURIST report] including the seizure of assets and limitation of commerce in response to reports that North Korea tested a hydrogen bomb [NYT report]. In April, the UN strongly condemn[ed] [official website] North Koreas testing of missiles, and in February UN Secretary General described North Koreas missile launching as deplorable [JURIST report]. Outside of its missile program, Kim and North Korea have faced extensive criticism for alleged human rights abuses within the authoritarian state.
Rita Wells still remembers her dad leaving for the night shift at Western Sugar.

He got out at midnight, 20 below zero, and just did his job, she said.

He was also a staunch union member, a tradition that Wells has carried on. She took over as president of the Billings Education Association, the local teachers union, in the midst of contract negotiations last spring.

A 26-year orchestra teacher, Wells will leave the classroom to be a leading voice for teachers on issues like evaluations, professional development, school funding and curriculum changes. Its a time of change for each of those issues.

School District 2 is considering implementing professional learning communities and a teacher collaboration model, and is rolling out changes to middle school curriculum in several subjects as all sixth-graders move into middle schools over the next year. State budget proposals have left schools preparing to tighten their belts. Talks about a new teacher evaluation and mentorship program fizzled last school year after levies failed in May.

And for the first time in nearly 30 years, the state Office of Public Instruction is led by a Republican in Elsie Arntzen, who, while a former BEA member, has consistently described the state teachers union as a special interest group.

But the reason Wells took the job has more to do with one-on-one relationships and teamwork, she said.

Theres people that see us as a big kind of defense against management, but I dont like to look at it that way, she said, citing collaborative projects like the evaluations. I dont think Id want this job if it were a sit-on-the-sidelines, do what you want and were going to watch and catch you when you do anything wrong.

Another part of the job is recruiting new members.

Broadwater Elementary special education teacher Rebekka Montgomery has been part of the BEA for each of her five years in teaching.

I was a part of the union, I paid my dues, but I didnt really know what it could do for me, she said.

Wells was one of the teachers who helped recruit her to get more involved. Montgomery is now a building representative for Broadwater.

Like many music teachers in SD2, Wells taught in multiple buildings each school year; she figures shes taught in every elementary and middle school except the new Medicine Crow Middle School.

I think it showed me the bigger picture, she said. I was always kind of a hermit crab.

Accordion lessons

Wells grew up on Billings' South Side and attended the now-closed Taft School, where her older brother was a teacher. She'd often hang out in his classroom after school.

She began playing the accordion in elementary school; a neighbor taught lessons.

When she was selecting a stringed instrument, her mom nixed the cello.

She said 'No, it was too big, Ive been dragging your accordion to lessons,' Wells said.

Wells went with the violin instead, which is still her specialty as an orchestra teacher.

Jerry Kessler, a former Senior High history teacher who taught Wells, recalled her as an enthusiastic student dedicated to music.

She was pretty sensitive to kids and just wanted to be a teacher, he said.

Teaching music gave her a chance to combine her passions, and she got a degree from Eastern Montana College (now Montana State University Billings). But political advocacy took more time to develop.

Shes not one I would have expected to take the political route, Kessler said.

Wells ran for the Montana Legislature as a Democrat representing the Billings Heights in 2012, but lost to an incumbent Republican. Shes been active in several BEA roles over the years. Montanas teachers union spent heavily to defeat Arntzen, a former Billings teacher who won the state Superintendent of Public Instruction.

I didnt see that there was a lot of support for public education in her voting record, Wells said. She hoped Arntzen would work with unions to find common ground, she said.

The BEA has taken an active role in local school elections, typically pushing for levy passage.

I think people dont always like to hear that word, 'mill levy', she said. The tax raises support SD2s general fund, which pays for a variety of day-to-day educational expenses, including teacher salaries. Montana law asks local taxpayers to fund school budgets beyond a mandated minimum.

Whether or not thats right, its just kind of the reality, Wells said.

Its her job also to be the unions public face outside election time, a role thats grown more challenging as several states have rolled back collective bargaining rights for state employees.

Montgomery said Wells is well suited for working with community members who may not see things her way.

It can be super challenging but I think she handles it with grace, she said. Shes very personable. She can talk to anybody.

Wells couldnt put her finger on why now was the time to move from teaching to union representation.

It was a good fit at the right time, she said.

Similarly, Kessler couldnt think of specific reasons that pushed Wells toward music.

I think its just inborn  its a natural, inborn tendency that some of us have and some of us dont.
1. Fill in your name or an alias. Do not leave blank or use the name 'guest' or 'anonymous'.

2. No Nivul Peh. Profanity will be deleted.
While one may not see their significance today, the 2015 negotiations between Tsipras government and European institutions were a turning point in the history of the European integration.

The populist shift puts the European project at stake once again. More and more states, in Europe and elsewhere, seem increasingly willing to privilege protectionist policies and self-determination. Simultaneously, the notorious national interest is regaining momentum as propaganda. The political scene is dominated by instability, anger, fear. EU integration, with its fraternal values, seems to be inexorably losing its appeal. But whose fault is this?

Odysseus and his Argonauts sought the way back to Ithaca, facing a myriad of adventures. The political odyssey of Greeces PM Alexis Tsipras and his cabinet during the Greek debt negotiations might light the way for Europe. The difference is that the modern Greek odyssey is just one chapter in a bigger tragedy.

By 2015, the combination of various pernicious events made evident the structural shortcomings of the EU and prompted debate. Disputes such as those on the acceptance of refugees or Greek debt restructuring soon took on a clear moral character. But moralities across Europe are different  see, among others, the different trends of secularisation and the cultural gap between member states  and this constitutes a major problem in European relations, impairing decision-making.

The first Tsipras government rose to power in January 2015, backed by the Greek masses. Since then, it has concentrated its greatest efforts on the purpose it was elected for: negotiating more bearable conditions for public debt reduction. As early as its first public addresses and statements on the negotiations, the government tied its policy proposals to Greek national identity and pride.

Studies, such as Koumandaraki A.s The Evolution of Greek National Identity, have recognised that Greek identity is very much reliant on ancient Greek achievements: philosophy, democracy, theatre, the arts. These components have a special significance in Greece (e.g. the invention of democracy and the special charge of the Greek roots of the word democracy) and foment a singular national pride for their history and culture that is unique in the EU. The cultural homogeneity of a country relatively untouched by stabilised mass immigration contributes to making Greek values quite uniform and, therefore, the Greek people particularly sensitive to appeals to their strong identity.

Prime Minister Tsipras often made clear that Greek pride and values, which he claimed to be the founding values of the EU, were at stake. The combination of cultural authority and economic expertise constituted the governments strategy: Tsipras tried to compensate for the weak position of Greece and gain his country leverage by placing it in a position of primacy at the cultural-foundational level of the European Union. Take, for example, the victory speech of 25 January 2015 in Syntagma Square in Athens, and the peroration before the European Parliament of 8 July 2015.

However, Tsipras negotiation style, in such a context, is problematic: stressing Greek cultural prerogatives in open debate with the mainstream European current of thought  instead of using culture as a conciliating tool  resulted in a loss of trust. In a negotiation between partners in a not solely economic, but also cultural project such as the European Union, this is ruinous. This can clearly be ween in the reciprocal and repeated accusations made by one side against the other.

With Tsipras negotiation style, the debt issue took on the dimensions of a debate on the foundational values of Europe. The Greeks superficially challenged the EU, claiming to be the bearers of Europes true identity. The European leaders, closed in their technocratic attitudes, were far from disposed to consider national cultural aspects and face up to the lack of a unifying European identity.

The vicissitudes of the Tsipras government highlighted a critical disorder in the European project. However, both parties behaved inappropriately. Learning from both of them is the premise for suggesting a better middle way.

The massive comeback of self-determination and national interest in the member states discourse is not about political strategy, financial or military policy. It is about Europes failure to address the cultural issues raised by European integration. The decisions made within the European Union and its way of tackling continental issues are too focused on high politics and the survival of the project, which mostly involves foreign and economic policy. And this class of politics is the trait dunion of the EU. On the other hand, the advance of European cultural diplomacy and cultural studies on the individual European countries is inadequate.

Lacking is the instruction given to politicians about the problems of integrating peoples, rather than economies. It is not enough to rely on a superficial coincidence of principles such as democracy, peace, equality to think to be overcoming all the other differences, as if they would suddenly disappear. Nor is it sufficient for the political project of the European integration to rely on a generation of politicians that may be able to mediate their cultural values.

It is evident that the interpretation of these core principles in itself, and the attempt to integrate many nations without considering the specificities of immensely varied social sets will eventually lead to clashes and lead to disintegration. The censor-like stance the EU adopted towards the Greek claims is only one demonstration of this poisonous situation that endangers the entire continent.

The instinctive and ingenuous behaviour of the Tsipras government was the expression of the weakests frustration and exasperation in dealing with an establishment that disregards country-specific sensitivities and needs, while wishing to foment a pan-European sentiment that is flimsy at best. It disregards national identities and seeks to forget rather than overcome differences.

Unity in diversity, the motto of the European Union, seems to lack substantiation. And the still-valuable work of the Committee of Regions is not enough. The EUs continuous disregard for the distinctiveness of each nations culture, its arrogant rejection of internal criticism (especially when coming from the weaker member states) and the failure to take care of culture-specific concerns are the main causes why this pan-European sentiment is increasingly perceived as institutional, false, imposed.

Forcing Europe into homogenisation is not the way to get Europe united. Instead, the EU should gently mediate an identity on a daily basis, not enforce the will of the powerful because they allegedly know the way. The Union should focus on consideration for its peoples in equal measure, recognise their differences and respect them.

Ultimately, the desire to recover a countrys economy cannot push so far as to question the goodness of its society, culture and values, as happened with Greece. That will eventually strip the European project of its member states, most dangerously those that bear the weight of a strong cultural heritage, and can cause the continents ruin.
KEARNEY - Buffalo County Crimestoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for information that helps solve the following crime:

Between 3 and 4 p.m. April 20, items were stolen from a residence at 11490 Second Ave., including a 50-inch Sanyo plasma television, Sony VAIO laptop computer, Sony Playstation 3 and three video games.

Crimestoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved.

Anyone with information about this crime is asked to contact the Kearney Police Department at 237-2104, the Buffalo County Sheriff's Office at 236-8555 or Crimestoppers at 237-3424.
KEARNEY - A Lexington man faces a felony charge for allegedly assaulting a police officer.

About 11:20 p.m. Saturday, Kearney Police Department officers were called to the Buffalo County Fairgrounds following a report of an assault. A police incident report says officers contacted several subjects. When they attempted to detain a 25-year-old Lexington man, he allegedly hit Officer Brian Thome in the head several times with a closed fist.

Once the man was placed into handcuffs, the incident report says, he tried to kick Thome as Thome tried to put him in the back of his police cruiser.

The 25-year-old man was arrested and jailed on suspicion of felony third-degree assault on an officer and of resisting arrest and disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors, in the incident.

A 23-year-old Lexington man also was arrested and jailed on suspicion of disorderly conduct when he allegedly tried to throw punches at a person in the crowd, the report said.

Thome suffered minor injuries and didn't seek medical treatment. He has been with KPD for 11 years.

email to:
LINCOLN  Opponents of the death penalty predicted Friday that a new lethal injection protocol being sought by Gov. Pete Ricketts will mire the state in more lawsuits rather than revive capital punishment.

This is only going to trigger more litigation that the state will not win, said Spike Eickholt of the American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska.

Eickholt was among 20 people who testified during a public hearing Friday concerning a new execution protocol drawn up by the Ricketts administration to make it easier to obtain the necessary drugs for an execution.

All but two of those testifying criticized the proposal. It was lambasted as violating Nebraskas public meeting laws, allowing unlicensed pharmaceutical chemists to participate and permitting the purchase of drugs from secret and shady sources.

It looks to me that a (Corrections Department) director could buy drugs in a back alley, said Dr. Gregg Wright of Lincoln, a former state health director.

Fridays hearing was the first step in reviving Nebraskas stalled death penalty. The state hasnt carried out an execution in 19 years, and it has not been able to obtain the necessary drugs to carry out a lethal injection execution.

Two people testified in support of the new lethal injection protocol, and both were leaders in the campaign that overturned at the ballot box in November the 2015 repeal of capital punishment by the Nebraska Legislature.

One supporter, Pierce County Sheriff Rick Eberhardt, who gathered hundreds of signatures for the successful referendum drive, said that voters last month delivered a work order to state leaders.

They are instructing our leaders to find a workable way to carry out a death sentence, Eberhardt said.

Ricketts, in a statement after the hearing, called Fridays session one step toward enacting the will of the people of Nebraska on the death penalty.

He added that his administration would review comments from the hearing before finalizing the proposed regulation.

The new protocol would give the state corrections director wide latitude to choose the type and source of drugs being used, and to keep that information confidential.

The secrecy provisions brought objections from a variety of groups and individuals, including Media of Nebraska, the ACLU, the states Tea Party and Nebraskas most ardent opponent of the death penalty, State Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha.

Anything that the government does on behalf of the people should be done in plain sight, Chambers said.

He vowed to introduce another bill to repeal the death penalty when the State Legislature begins its 2017 session next week, and promised it would be better drafted than the slapdash, loosey-goosey proposal for the new lethal injection protocol.

Nebraskas current protocol was adopted in 2009 after the state switched from the electric chair to lethal injection. It calls for the use of three drugs.

But the state has been thwarted in its attempt to obtain them, contributing to the Legislatures vote in 2015 to repeal the death penalty.

Shawn Renner of Media of Nebraska, which represents the states major newspapers and broadcasters, said the new protocol was directly contrary to the states public records laws by allowing the state corrections director to pick and choose what records will be released and which ones will be withheld.

Renner called the proposal illegal and predicted it would be overturned in court.

Others said that the lack of transparency could lead to the use of impure and suspect drugs, which could result in botched executions or courts tossing out lethal injection as unconstitutionally cruel and unusual punishment.

There have been 47 botched executions since 1982, according to a study by University of Colorado professor Michael Radelet, and 35 of those involved lethal injection.

More than one testifier pointed out that an open process was needed, given Nebraskas track record in obtaining lethal injection drugs. In 2015 the state lost $54,000 when it purchased two lethal injection drugs from a broker in India, then was blocked from importing the drugs.

Joni Cover of the Nebraska Pharmacists Association said that while the association was not taking a position supporting or opposing capital punishment, it was opposing the new protocol as having multiple flaws.

She asked that a requirement to have a pharmaceutical chemist as part of the execution team be stricken. Such chemists are unlicensed and lack the education or legal authority to prepare, compound or administer drugs, Cover said.

In addition, the state corrections director lacks the authority to write a medical order for lethal injection drugs, she said, and the secrecy surrounding the drugs could put Nebraska in violation of state and federal laws about how such drugs should be handled.

Ten inmates sit on Nebraskas death row.

It may take several weeks before state corrections officials decide if the proposed protocol should be approved or revised.

The attorney general must also review and OK the rules, and the governor must sign them, before they take effect.
We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!

Go to form
SEOUL, Jan 1 (Reuters) - South Korea's crude oil imports fell 1.7 percent in December from a year earlier to 96.6 million barrels, preliminary data from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy showed on Sunday.

Final data will be released later this month by state-run Korea National Oil Corp (KNOC).

Details of preliminary imports and previous actual figures are as follows:

(In millions of barrels)

December 2016 November 2016* December 2015* Crude Oil 96.6 91.6 98.3

* Actual import figures

Note: The ministry did not break down imports by country of origin. South Korea's total crude imports in November increased 12.2 percent to 91.6 million barrels year-on-year, according to KNOC data last month. (Reporting by Jane Chung; Editing by Richard Pullin)
Jeremy Clarkson writes:

OVER the past few years, my wifes phone has been hacked.

Friends have been pursued across ploughed fields by the paparazzi.

Every girl I ever spoke to was billed in the next days papers as a mystery blonde.

And every little thing I ever did was twisted by wilfully obtuse journalists to make it look like I was Hitler.

Newspapers, and the people who produce them and write them and own them, are a constant thorn in my side, an unending headache, and I sometimes lay awake at night wondering what the editor of the Daily Mail would look like without a head.

So youd expect me to be whooping for joy at the news that over the Christmas break, while youre making merry with the party poppers and the crackers, various shadowy Government people are drawing up plans to bring the nations newspapers to heel.
Fairfax have bravely made their 20 annual political predictions. They are:

1. John Key will feature in the Queens Birthday honours list, but as befits the man who reinstated knights and dames he will be dubbed Sir John rather than join the ranks of the untitled  but supposedly more prestigious  Order of New Zealand.

2. Former Labour MP Shane Jones will shy away from another term as an economic ambassador and instead signal a return to politics by throwing his hat in the ring with his old mate Winston Peters and NZ First.

3. Labours Raymond Huo will return as an MP before the election  and be given a winnable place on the partys list as it seeks to rectify its diversity deficit.

4. ACT will fail to increase its MP count from one, although National will again offer it a lifeline in Epsom.

5. The Maori Partys co-leader Marama Fox will fail to win a seat, either as an electorate MP or on the partys list, condemning her to be a one term MP.

6. Barack Obama will visit New Zealand in 2017.

7. The May Budget will see National promise movements in the $48,000 and $70,000 tax bracket thresholds  but pledge to only bring tax cuts in in full if re-elected.

8. Gareth Morgans The Opportunities Party (TOP) will score less than 3 per cent and fail to win any seats.

9. The Greens will do little better  and little worse  than their 2014 result.

10. Judith Collins and Steven Joyce will clash over the partys economic direction  and Joyce will prevail.

11. Chris Finlayson, Peter Dunne and Annette King will call it a day.

12. One National and one Labour MP in electorate seats will leave within six months before the general election, under an unspoken deal that will maintain the voting balance in the House.

13. The Greens will be given a free run in some electorates, under a deal with Labour, but will still fail to win any constituency seats.

14. Louise Upston and David Bennett will prove the weakest links in the English ministry.

15. Jonathan Coleman will take over the foreign affairs portfolio from May, but only after an internal tussle with at least two other ministers for the plum job.

16. Winston Peters will not be prime minister, nor be in line to be, under any deal he does to support the next Government.

17. Economic growth will top 4 per cent during 2017.

18. Auckland house prices will be lower in real terms by Christmas than they were at the start of 2017.

19. There will be one more political bombshell in 2017 that will change the course of the election and install Andrew Little as prime minister.

20. At least two party leaders will be heading for the door by Christmas.
The Secretary of the Refugee Council of New Zealand is a Mr Kaileshan Thanabalasingham.

A Kaileshan Thanabalasingham was deported from Canada in 2006 as the reputed leader of a Tamil gang that killed several youths in the 1990s.

Tamil Canadian reported:

The reputed leader of a Tamil gang whose battle with rival gang members on the streets of Toronto claimed the lives of more than a dozen youths in the late 1990s, and once led to a midday shooting on Highway 404, was deported late last night to Sri Lanka. Kaileshan Thanabalasingham was one of the main targets of Project 1050, a joint police and immigration investigation that ended with the arrest of close to 51 alleged gang members on Oct. 18, 2001. The majority of the accused were charged under a section of the immigration act that prohibits involvement in a criminal organization, marking the first time street gangs were classified as organized crime under immigration laws. Known in Torontos Tamil community as Kailesh, the 36-year-old father was accused of leading the VVT gang, a west Toronto group that was formed in the early 1990s and named for Valvettithurai, a northern Sri Lankan town. Thanabalasingham denied he led the VVT, or that his criminal convictions  possessing a machete in 1996 and a 1998 conspiracy to commit assault for trying to acquire guns for others  were related to gang membership.

If this is the same person (and I am informed his year of birth is the same, and he has family in Toronto) then you wonder how someone deported from Canada gets entry into New Zealand?

Share this: Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Reddit

WhatsApp

More

Pinterest

Print



Tumblr


Stuff reports:

Jetstar is suspending its direct flights from Wellington to Melbourne, citing a lack of passenger demand.

Its passengers will need to travel via Auckland or Christchurch from March 1, although Air NZ and Qantas still offer direct flights.

Those who have already booked Jetstar flights for March or later will be offered a full refund or the option of the extra stop en route.

We launched our direct Melbourne-Wellington service nearly two years ago, however, despite continued efforts by Jetstar and local partners to promote the flights, we havent seen the passenger demand wed hoped for, a Jetstar spokesperson confirmed on Friday.
Jeff Jacoby at the Boston Globe reports:

When the Cold War ended 25 years ago, the Soviet Union vanished into the ash heap of history. That left the Wests useful idiots  Lenins term for the ideologues and toadies who could always be relied on to justify or praise whatever Moscow did  in search of other socialist thugs to fawn over. Many found a new heartthrob in Hugo Chavez, the anti-Yanqui rabble-rouser who was elected president of Venezuela in 1998 and in short order had transformed the country from a successful social democracy into a grim and corrupt autocracy.

So who toasted Chavez?

In a Salon piece titled Hugo Chavezs economic miracle, David Sirota declared that the Venezuelan ruler, with his full-throated advocacy of socialism, had racked up an economic record that . . . American president[s] could only dream of achieving. The Guardian offered Three cheers for Chavez. Moviemaker Oliver Stone filmed a documentary gushing over the positive changes that have happened economically in all of South America because of Venezuelas socialist government. And when Chavez died in 2013, Jimmy Carter extolled the strongman for improving the lives of millions of his fellow countrymen.

And how is the miracle going?

Venezuela this Christmas is sunk in misery, as it was last Christmas, and the Christmas before that. Venezuelans, their economy wrecked by statism, face crippling shortages of everything from food and medicine to toilet paper and electricity. Violent crime is out of control. Shoppers are forced to stand in lines for hours outside drugstores and supermarkets  lines that routinely lead to empty shelves, or that break down in fistfights, muggings, and mob looting. Just last week the government deployed 3,000 troops to restore order after frantic rioters rampaged through shops and homes in the southeastern state of Bolivar. In the beautiful country that used to boast the highest standard of living in Latin America, patients now die in hospitals for lack of basic health care staples: soap, gloves, oxygen, drugs. In some medical wards, there isnt even water to wash the blood from operating tables.

True equality comrades.

Socialism invariably kills and impoverishes. Gushing oil revenues amid a global energy boom could temporarily disguise the corrosion caused by a government takeover of market functions. But only temporarily. The Chavez/Maduro Bolivarian revolution has been economic poison, just like every other Marxist revolution from Lenins Russia to Kim Il Sungs North Korea to the Castros Cuba.

How often does a country have to try it and fail for people to learn it doesnt work.

The government in Caracas, meanwhile, clings tightly to its socialist dogma, blaming the countrys woes on Colombias mafia or greedy businessmen. A fortnight ago, government agents raided a toy distributor, confiscating nearly 4 million toys on the grounds that the company was planning to sell them at inflated prices. The regime says it will make the toys available at below-market prices to the poor  thereby ensuring that in Venezuela next Christmas, toys wont be available at any price. If nothing else, Venezuelan socialism has accomplished this much: It has transformed the Grinch from fiction into reality.

Sadly for the locals, the next election is a long time away.

Share this: Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Reddit

WhatsApp

More

Pinterest

Print



Tumblr


Kumho Asiana Group

Chairman

Park Sam-koo LG Uplus Vice

Chairman

Kwon Young-soo Samsung C&T President

Choi Chi-hun BMW Korea CEO

Kim Hyo-joon



By Kim Tae-gyu

The Year of the Rooster birthed almost 100 Korean CEOs among affiliates of the country's top 30 conglomerates, according to local consultancy CEO Score, Sunday.

They were mostly born in 1945, 1957 and 1969 as the Chinese zodiac, which assigns an animal such as the mouse, cow, monkey and rooster to each year, repeats its twelve-year cycle.

The most prominent CEO born in 1945 would be Kumho Asiana Group Chairman Park Sam-koo, who terminated his seven-year family feud to stabilize the operation of the chaebol midway through 2016.

This year, the executive is likely to try to acquire Kumho Tire, the group's former affiliate that is now under the control of creditors.

Most notable Rooster chief executives were born in 1957 including LSIS Chairman Koo Ja-kyun and GS Home Shopping Vice Chairman Huh Tae-soo.

Huh gained attention in 2008 as he was picked as one of the 245 distinguished young global leaders of the World Economic Forum together with Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Group Vice Chairman Chung Eui-sun.

In addition, LG Uplus Vice Chairman Kwon Young-soo, BMW Korea CEO Kim Hyo-joon, Samsung C&T President Choi Chi-hun, Hyundai Steel Vice Chairman Woo Yoo-cheol, Samsung Biologics President Kim Tae-han and Celltrion CEO Seo Jung-jin were also born in 1957.

Kwon took the reins of LG Uplus, the country's smallest mobile operator, in late 2015 and has worked to disrupt the local market, which has been dominated by the bigger players, SK Telecom and KT.

In particular, Kwon has focused on a set of next-generation businesses such as internet of Things (IoT)-enabled innovations to take the driver's seat in the potential-rich area.

He is expected to keep pushing ahead on IoT to duplicate successes at his previous jobs with LG Display and LG Chem, subsidiaries of LG Group, the country's fourth-largest chaebol.

"Mr. Turnaround" substantially boosted those two companies' sales to become a world champion in their respective sectors.

The achievements of BMW leader Kim are by no means inferior.

Kim is a living legend in the local automotive market, which was once regarded as a hostile place for global players due to many nationalistic drivers who favored local brands.

Kim, who took charge of the company in 2000, has made BMW one of the most loved car brands in Korea. He will attempt to continue his success story this year.

Samsung C&T President Choi would have a daunting task of dealing with the aftermath of lingering controversy with regard to the scandal involving President Park Geun-hye's shadowy aide Choi Soon-sil.

Park and her confidant Choi, who is suspected of having illegitimately meddled in state affairs, are accused of having something to do with the merger of Samsung C&T and Cheil in 2015.

GS Global CEO Huh Se-hong is one of the youngest in the group as he was born in 1969. Park Eun-sang, CEO of social commerce site WeMakePrice, was born in 1981.
By Lee Jin-a

Another foreign ministry official has been indicted for committing a sex-related crime in Seoul.

Prosecutors said Saturday they had indicted a Foreign Ministry secretary surnamed Kim for secretly filming women's bodies.

According to the prosecution, Kim used his cell phone to film the women 16 times in cafes, on buses and in the Foreign Ministry complex in Seoul from last April to August.

Police caught him at the scene of his last alleged offense.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs removed Kim from his position and took severe disciplinary action. Specific details of his penalty will be confirmed after the first trial.

On Dec. 20, the Foreign Ministry said it had dismissed Park Jeong-hak, a diplomat in Chile, for sexually assaulting teenage girls there.

The ministry will refer Park's case to the prosecutors' office for possible criminal charges.

In Early December, the Korean ambassador to a Middle Eastern country also faced a salary cut as punishment for sexually harassing an embassy worker. The country has not been identified.
Song Young-gil Wang Yi



By Jun Ji-hye

Eight lawmakers from the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) will visit China later this week for talks with Chinese government officials and scholars over the planned deployment of an U.S. anti-missile system to South Korea, a major thorn in relations between Seoul and Beijing.

While staying in China for three days beginning Wednesday, they plan to deliver "messages" from DPK presidential hopefuls, including Moon Jae-in, on the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system.

Their itinerary includes a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, according to Rep. Song Young-gil, Sunday.

Other lawmakers who will visit China along with Song include Reps. Youn Kwan-suk, Park Chan-dae, Shin Dong-kuen, Yoo Dong-soo, Yoo Eun-hae, Park Jeung and Jung Jae-ho.

Moon, the odds-on favorite in this year's presidential election, and other presidential hopefuls of the party have called for reconsideration of the THAAD deployment and letting the next government decide whether to scrap the decision or not. The demand has been made after President Park Geun-hye, who strongly pushed for the deployment despite huge controversy, was impeached by the National Assembly, Dec. 9, for a corruption and influence-peddling scandal.

Song said China has virtually taken retaliatory moves against South Korea, though the country officially said it was not retaliation against the THAAD decision.

"Indeed, events in China with K-pop and K-drama stars have been canceled," he said. "Entrepreneurs whose main trading partners are in China have also been citing their difficulties."

The four-term lawmaker said visiting lawmakers will make efforts to ease China's apparent ban on Korean stars as well as on bilateral exchanges and cooperation.

"We will tell Beijing that our presidential candidates including Moon are calling on the THAAD issue to be reconsidered in the next government," he said. "Plus, we will also discuss China's role in resolving icy relations between South and North Korea."

In July, Seoul and Washington announced their plan to install the THAAD system here by 2017 with the aim of improving South Korea's defense capabilities against Pyongyang. But Beijing has ramped up its criticism of it, repeating that THAAD will undermine regional stability and China's security interests.

After Park's impeachment, Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, now the acting head of state, said the Park government's decision on THAAD will remain unchanged, stressing that the system should be deployed as soon as possible to enhance national security.

But DPK lawmakers disagreed, citing allegations that Park's arrested close friend Choi Soon-sil, with no government position or security clearance, abused her decades-long ties to the President and meddled in state affairs including security and diplomatic policies.

In August, six first-term DPK lawmakers also visited China to discuss THAAD, but at the time they faced strong criticism from the government and also from the ruling Saenuri Party. The government then said their visit to China will only bolster Beijing's stance over THAAD and exacerbate the growing division among South Koreans.
Lotte's Duty Free Shop in central Seoul bustles with shoppers on Oct. 2, 2016  during China's week-long National Day Holiday, when large numbers of Chinese visit Korea every year. / Yonhap



By Kim Bo-eun

The Chinese government disapproved applications for chartered flights departing from Korea, domestic airlines and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport confirmed Sunday.

Chinese aviation authorities rejected eight flights of Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air and Jin Air last week to destinations on the mainland for January. Chartered flights are serviced when there are surplus demands, such as during China's national holidays. Lunar New Year, a major holiday in China, is coming at the end of this month.

"There have been cases in which flights of a certain carrier or route were rejected for safety reasons, but it is unprecedented for a whole group of flights of various carriers and routes to be disapproved," said Kim Jung-hee, director of international air transport at the ministry.

In addition, it appears Chinese carriers may also withdraw applications for charted flights to Korea.

"China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Air told us to hold their applications following their government's disapproval of charted flights from Korea," Kim said. "Although we have yet to hear from them, it seems likely they will withdraw their applications in line with the Chinese government's rejections."

Chinese authorities did not specify the reason behind the disapproval. There are speculations that such measures could be a means of retaliation to Korea's decision last year to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) to shield Pyongyang's military threats. China is opposed to the U.S. missile defense system in Korea, claiming it will destroy the regional security balance.

Beijing is Seoul's largest trading partner and the Chinese account for the largest number of tourists to Korea. Since Seoul's announcement to deploy the THAAD last July, China has taken a number of measures which appear to be hostile towards Korea.

In September, the Chinese Embassy in Korea raised the eligibility for business visa applicants. In November, Korea's fifth-largest conglomerate Lotte found its China units faced unusual tax audit and safety inspections, which were seen here as a retaliatory measure against the group which provided the site for the THAAD deployment. Beijing also took anti-hallyu measures such as ordering its broadcasters not to air Korean dramas and restricting the appearance of Korean stars on local media.

The Chinese government's rejection of the chartered flights from Korea is seen as another means of pressuring Seoul over THAAD.

However, the official at Korea's land ministry said, "These are speculations, and the government is seeking to figure out China's motive."

The ministry last week attempted to reach Chinese authorities through the Korean Embassy there, but said it failed to receive a response.

"We expect China's carriers to get back to us concerning the matter this week. In the meantime, we plan to speak with domestic carriers on Tuesday," Kim said.

The cancellation of chartered flights between Beijing and Seoul will likely affect the number of Chinese tourists coming here during the Lunar New Year holiday.

"Domestic carriers will see a fall in sales, but the tourism industry will probably be more significantly affected," the official said.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon waves to staff members as he leaves on his last day at the U.N. headquarters in New York, Friday. / EPA-Yonhap



By Kim Hyo-jin



Political realignment is expected to gain momentum as former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is anticipated to begin political activities after ending 10 years at the helm of the global body, analysts said, Sunday.



Ban, a leading potential presidential candidate in the polls, is speculated to stay away from the existing parties and wait for a new political force to be formed revolving around him after returning home in mid-January.



This will facilitate party reshuffling with politicians vying to join hands with Ban ahead of the presidential race, possibly slated for early this year.



Ruling Saenuri Party lawmakers who are considering breaking away from the embattled party but are not aligned with loyalists to President Park Geun-hye are the most likely group to flock around Ban, the observers view.



Rep. Na Kyung-won, a former chairwoman of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, expressed her willingness to join hands with Ban in a recent media interview. "If Ban launches a presidential bid, I will contribute to his race," she said.



Saenuri lawmakers from constituencies in the Chungcheong provinces are certain to decide their political paths depending on Ban's move.



They have stepped up making contact with Ban on grounds that their powerbases overlap with Ban's hometown.



Rep. Chung Jin-suk, a former floor leader who has close ties to Ban, mentioned earlier that he will only make his move following Ban's return amid an active party split.



A total of 29 Saenuri lawmakers bolted from the party last week in opposition to Park loyalists, vowing to create a new conservative party by Jan. 24.



With expectations of the second exodus looming, one of Ban's aides said, "It is possible 20 to 30 Saenuri lawmakers will form a separate force and act in concert with Ban."



Ban's possible influence in political realignments is not only limited to the conservative bloc.



Opposition figures that are against Moon Jae-in, former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and a frontrunner of potential presidential candidates, could make a possible alliance with Ban, pundits say.



Ban shares a common denominator with Kim Chong-in and Sohn Hak-kyu, former opposition leaders, and ex-National Assembly Speaker Chung Ui-hwa in terms of the constitutional amendment.



"Ban is expected to channel his focus into stressing the need for the constitutional revision for about a month after his arrival," a Chungcheong-based Saenuri lawmaker said. "If so, a political force, excluding Moon who is against imminent constitutional reform, will be naturally created."



Meanwhile, the minor opposition People's Party has appeared to make efforts to recruit Ban in a bid to hold Moon of the DPK in check.



The party showed support for Ban amid corruption allegations raised by local media.



Verification of Ban's qualifications as a presidential candidate "should not be conducted recklessly but with objective and specific grounds," said Rep. Son Kum-ju, the party's chief spokesman.



The DPK, however, took aim at Ban, saying the allegations should not be taken as a political offensive. "It's a courtesy to the public that Ban should explain the allegations against him, rather than dismissing them as groundless rumors," said DPK chief spokesman Rep. Youn Kwan-suk.



The weekly Sisa Journal magazine reported allegations last month that Ban received $230,000 in bribes from Park Yeon-cha, an entrepreneur who was at the center of a bribery scandal involving President Roh Moo-hyun and his aides.



In response, Ban strongly denied the allegations, saying "maligning" forces are attempting to tar him on purpose.
Photos on the left show Yoshimoto Nara's signature cartoonish images of large-eyed grumpy-looking children, while the W.Lab's product "W-Honey Beam Cushion makeup compact" on the right, shows a similar design to his work. / Screencaptured from the Internet



By Hong Dam-young

Korean cosmetic company W. Lab and Japanese pop artist Yoshimoto Nara are in a copyright dispute, with the company suing the artist who claims the company copied his work.

The conflict unfolded when the artist last week sent a letter of complaint to the company for using an image that he thought was strikingly similar to his own work.

He said the image on a company product  the W-Honey Beam Cushion makeup compact  showed a remarkable resemblance to his signature cartoonish images of large-eyed grumpy-looking children, which he has been developing for decades.

But the company denied the allegations and filed a lawsuit against the artist, claiming the image was developed within the company, according to online news outlet Rocketnews 24.

Nara on Dec. 22 had written in a series of now-removed Tweets: "While I've turned a blind eye to small works and signboards that contain slight copies (of my works), I thought this one was pretty severe, so I sent the company a letter of warning.

"I was expecting them to revise the image and not have them go to court over it, but instead, the company filed a counter-claim, saying they were the author of the work, and that Nara has no right to claim restitution.'"

Expressing shock at being sued, he said he would consult a copyright lawyer.

As the controversy deepened, a company official told Korean media that the company had enough evidence to disprove Nara's argument.

"We feel sorry to have made trouble with such an influential artist, but it is a misunderstanding that we copied his work," the official said.

"Because we have documents to prove the design is our independent work, hopefully the controversy will sort itself out."

The official said the company would soon release details of its stance on its official website.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un delivers his New Year's message in Pyongyang, Sunday. / Yonhap



Kim Jong-un says ICBM development in final stage

By Jun Ji-hye

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said Sunday the country is in the final stages of test-firing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

The North's KN-08 road-mobile ICBM with a range of more than 10,000 kilometers is capable, in theory, of hitting targets on the U.S. mainland.

In his verbal New Year's message broadcast by the state-run TV station, the young leader also said the North has become a powerful state with nuclear weapons last year, boosted by the success of its hydrogen bomb and nuclear warhead explosion tests.

The year 2017 marks the sixth year of Kim's iron-fisted rule following the sudden death of his father, Kim Jong-il, in late 2011.

"Last year, we made a breakthrough in strengthening our defense capabilities and became a nuclear and military power," he said. "In preparations for imperialists' threats of a nuclear war, we successfully carried out explosion tests of the hydrogen bomb and the nuclear warhead as well as test-firing various missiles."

Kim then said, "We have been vibrant in developing advanced weapons and finally reached the final stage of our preparations for test-firing the intercontinental ballistic rocket."

Last year alone, the reclusive state conducted two nuclear tests, while having launched more than 20 ballistic missiles including the Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBM).

Kim's latest comment comes amid growing speculation that the isolated state may push ahead with major provocations this month on and around the young leader's birthday on Jan. 8 and the inauguration of Donald Trump as the new U.S. president on Jan. 20.

Military officials here said there has yet to be a sign of the imminent launch of the North's ICBM, but noted that Kim's direct reference to the ICBM raised the possibility for Pyongyang to test-fire the long-range missile soon.

Thae Yong-ho, the former North Korean deputy ambassador to London who defected to the South in August, said last week Kim is determined to complete the development of his nuclear weapons by the end of 2017.

Outside experts have also assessed that North Korea has been getting close to making nuclear warheads small enough to fit on its KN-08 ICBM.

Last year, the repressive state claimed it had miniaturized nuclear warheads that could be fitted onto its missiles and that it had developed a missile reentry vehicle, which is necessary for a nuclear-armed long-range ballistic missile to deliver its payload after reentering the Earth's atmosphere.

On Feb. 7 last year, Pyongyang launched what it claims was an Earth observation satellite called Kwangmyongsong-4, which was widely regarded as a cover for testing ICBM technology.

In his message, Kim also warned that Pyongyang will beef up its capability for pre-emptive nuclear strikes if South Korea and the United States do not suspend their annual joint military exercises.

North Korea has long denounced the military drills between Seoul and Washington as rehearsals for an invasion, insisting that its development of nuclear weapons is a deterrent against what it called Washington's hostile policy toward Pyongyang.

The North's leader blamed Seoul for the strained inter-Korean ties, calling on Seoul to respond to Pyongyang's efforts to prevent military conflicts and ease tension between the two Koreas.

Kim's New Year's message has been closely watched to glean possible clues for his stance toward the incoming Trump administration, but his message did not include any comments on Trump.

But he directly mentioned President Park Geun-hye, who was impeached by the National Assembly, Dec. 9, for the high-profile corruption and influence-peddling scandal, referring to her as "forces that betray their country."

Kim then made a rare comment on anti-government rallies in South Korea sparked by the scandal, calling them "an explosion of resentment toward conservative authorities."
President Park Geun-hye holds a New Year's meeting with a group of journalists at Cheong Wa Dae, Sunday. She appeared before the media 23 days after being impeached by the National Assembly over a presidential corruption and influence-peddling scandal. / Courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae



By Kim Hyo-jin

President Park Geun-hye denied, Sunday, all allegations leveled against her regarding her mysterious whereabouts during the sinking of the Sewol and the corruption and influence-peddling scandal involving her confidant Choi Soon-sil.

Park held an unscheduled press conference at Cheong Wa Dae _ her first public appearance since she was impeached, Dec. 9 _ and she used the 50-minute meeting to dismiss allegations surrounding her as "unfair and absurd."

Park stressed that she was on "normal duty" on the day of the Sewol sinking on April 16, 2014, dismissing allegations of her unknown whereabouts for seven hours as groundless rumors.

"First it was reported that I was having an affair with someone, and then I was engaged in an exorcism ritual. Then it was about me undergoing cosmetic surgery. It was utterly, utterly senseless," she said.

"I'm sure to say that I was receiving reports on the tragic accident and keeping an eye on it as usual routine."

She continued, "I ordered that rescuers should not miss any single person left behind through a thorough rescue operation, but then there was a report saying all have been rescued, which made me feel relieved. After it turned out to be false, I intended to head to the emergency measures headquarters immediately. But the security team delayed it. I rushed to the place as soon as everything was ready. I think I did whatever I had to do."

Park denied the allegation that she had a beauty treatment on the day, saying, "It is totally not true. It is impossible to happen even from a commonsense point of view."

She added that she did not meet anyone from outside Cheong Wa Dae except a hairdresser and someone who brought medicine for her neck.

She reiterated that she did not seek any personal interest or favor certain companies or figures, refuting charges of collusion with Choi, who is accused of having illegitimately meddled in state affairs and extorting tens of millions of dollars from conglomerates.

She repudiated the bribery allegations that Samsung made a large sum of donations to the two foundations controlled by Choi in return for the presidential office's support of the conglomerate's controversial merger of two Samsung units _ Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries.

Park called the allegation linking her to the merger "groundless."

Her remarks came as an investigation team led by independent counsel Park Young-soo, launched last month, is looking into bribery charges against the President along with other charges including abuse of authority, coercion and mishandling of state secrets.

"I can clearly tell that I did nothing for anyone's benefit at all," she said. "Whichever decision I make, it is based on judgment for the country. I've never asked here and there to help someone."

When asked about the suspicion that she directed her former secretary to help KD Corporation, a company run by Choi's acquaintance, secure the right to supply component parts to Hyundai Motor, she responded strongly, "It is a complete taboo that someone can ask me a favor for personal benefits."

"I told a secretary to look into this company, rather than ordering support for sure as I heard it has a good level of techniques. I only provided an opportunity to the mid-sized company," she said.

Regarding the allegations she let Choi meddle in state affairs, she said, "Choi is a decades-long acquaintance. It is just impossible that a mere acquaintance could manage all affairs."

Analysts were skeptical about the excuse-laden press meeting.

"She at least apologized for whatever commotion she has caused in the previous public speech," said Yoon Tae-gon, a senior political analyst at Moa Agenda Strategy.

"Now she is insisting there's nothing she did wrong. People cannot help but question whether or not she is just trying to survive the investigation by the independent counsel."

The opposition parties bombarded Park's remarks with criticisms.

"It is questionable why she met reporters while she is not cooperating with the prosecutor's investigation," said Ko Yeon-ho, a spokesman of the People's Party. "She only caused concerns with the public by holding the meeting on New Year's Day."

"There was no self-reflection and her lack of communication was still the same," said Democratic Party of Korea spokesman Rep. Ki Dong-min, noting that Park banned reporters from bringing laptops and mobile phones to the roundtable conference.

"We were just let down again with the President giving hurried excuses amid a looming possibility of impeachment."
By Lee Kyung-min



Ewha Womans University digital media studies professor Lyou Chul-gyun is facing arrest over his alleged role in attendance and grading irregularities involving his student Chung Yoo-ra, the daughter of Choi Soon-sil, the scandal-ridden confidant of President Park Geun-hye.



The independent counsel-led special prosecution team said Sunday it sought an arrest warrant for Lyou, who was placed under emergency detention on Saturday after 11 hours of questioning. The team unofficially summoned Lyou after securing statements from his teaching assistants involved in the irregularities.



"We asked the Seoul Central District Court to issue the warrant as Lyou is highly likely to destroy evidence and coordinate testimonies with related figures, if he is released from custody," an official of the team investigating the influence-peddling scandal said.



Lyou, according to the investigation team, allegedly helped Chung pass his course,"Understanding storytelling in movies," last year, although she failed to meet numerous academic requirements, as she was staying in Germany at the time.



Lyou did so by having one of his assistants take the final instead of Chung. He is suspected of having another assistant attend online classes on her behalf and giving Chung a bonus credit.



Lyou admitted to knowing Choi, the team said, but it declined to disclose further details about their relationship.



Two months ago, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office launched an investigation into Lyou, at the request of the education ministry, after its audit uncovered his involvement in Chung's irregularities.



On Dec. 29, the independent counsel-led team raided the university's admissions office and homes of former university president Choi Kyung-hee and other key officials, and secured documents and records on student admissions and grading.



Lyou is first of many Ewha faculty members to face questioning soon over their suspected knowledge of or involvement in granting numerous special favors to Chung, the team added.



Lyou, whose pseudonym is Yi In-hwa, is a renowned writer, best known for his period piece "Eternal Empire," published in 1993.



He came under fire for glorifying the military dictatorship of Park Chung-hee, the late father of Park Geun-hye, through a fictional character in his 1997 novel, "The Path of Human."
















Saenuri Party lawmakers attend a meeting, presided over by Reps. Chong Jong-sup, Na Kyung-won and Lee Ju-young  fourth, fifth, and sixth from left  at the National Assembly, Thursday, to discuss a constitutional amendment. / Yonhap



Politicians call for decentralizing presidential power



By Kim Hyo-jin



A constitutional revision emerged as a hot button issue in the post-impeachment stage in politics here.



A broad consensus has been built among the political circle about the need to change the current five-year single-term presidential system that allows unbridled power for an elected president.



The country's biggest corruption scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and her confidant Choi Soon-sil propelled the issue to be a priority for the National Assembly.



The rival parties agreed to set up a special panel to discuss a constitutional revision two days after the scandal-ridden President was impeached with support of over two-thirds of the 300 Assemblymen.



The related talks are expected to be further buoyed by some politicians seeking political realignment ahead of an early presidential election.



"Korea has had seven leaders under the imperial presidential system and they were all unhappy and failed in the end," said Rep. Kim Moo-sung, the former Saenuri Pary leader who leads the revisionist movement in the ruling bloc.



"Whoever seizes power, he or she is doomed to fail as long as the system malfunctions. I hope we can elect the next leader under a new system."



Imperial presidency



When the legislature amended the Constitution in 1987 inspired by the civic-led democratization movement, its focus was guaranteeing the direct election of the President and limiting a possible long-term presidency.



That last constitutional revision, introducing the five-year, single-term presidency, however, left many loopholes in terms of checks and balances of presidential power, pundits say.



"The South Korean government has excessive rights in managing state affairs if you consider it can even propose bills and devise budget plans, which are left in the hands of the legislature in the U.S.," Lee Jun-han, a politics professor at Incheon National University, said.



Kim Sung-soo, also a professor of politics at Hanyang University agreed, saying "The presidential system inevitably channels power to the president. Even still, there should be some institutional measures to keep the government's policy implementations in check."



"In the U.S., they can be contained by the states' law, federal law or even through the Senate. Korea lacks tools to prevent the president from overstepping his or her authority."



The latest corruption scandal, where President Park shared her power with her unofficial confidant Choi Soon-sil, was viewed as the naked reality of an imperial presidency.



Politicians added fuel to talks of decentralizing the president's power.

A four-year, two-term presidency; parliamentary system; or semi-presidential system, under which the president would be responsible for foreign and national security affairs while the prime minister would be responsible for domestic affairs are being discussed as possible alternatives.



"The fate of the country has been left in the hands of one person. We need a power-sharing system to dispel such uncertainty," Lee Nae-young, a politics professor at Korea University, said, welcoming the burgeoning talks in the politics sphere.



Lee and Kim said even if the country seeks the parliamentary system, unstable party politics will be a stumbling block to make it work smoothly.



"Parties here often engage with factional politics, mobilize public support relying on popular politicians, political ideology or regionalism, without representing the interests of voters," Kim noted.



Lee said in order for the parliamentary system to function, reforming the electoral and party system should accompany it. He exemplified a fair process of nominating candidates and an increase in the number of lawmakers elected through the proportional representation system.



Pundits viewed the semi-presidential system negatively. They noted that there was little possibility of being able to divide foreign and domestic affairs successfully and a greater chance for the president and prime minister to clash repeatedly over the extent of their authority.





Ex-Saenuri Party Chairman Rep. Kim Moo-sung gives a speech at a National Assembly seminar to discuss a constitutional amendment, Tuesday. / Yonhap



Timing



The consensus on the constitutional revision might have been made in the National Assembly. But revisionists are divided into two groups _ those pushing for it before the presidential election and those after.



The parties are waiting for the Constitutional Count's ruling on Park's impeachment which could take up to six months. If the impeachment is ruled lawful, presidential election must take place two months later, shortening Park's term which is supposed to end in December.



Ahead of an early presidential election, many remain cautious of pushing for the revision. Most notable presidential candidates agree on a timetable of doing this under the next administration.



Moon Jae-in, the former leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) who is leading polls of possible candidates for the presidency, said he believes it is necessary to revise the Constitution in a way to contain possible abuse of presidential power but the the timing is not right.



"We need to meet the public needs reflected in the candlelit rallies first," he told reporters. "After mending the situation, presidential runners should present their ideas on the constitutional revision as their electoral pledges and the next government should carry out the task."



Ahn Cheol-soo, the ex-chairman of the minor opposition People's Party, said "What the people want is the Assembly to work on matters that affect their livelihoods. Leaving the discussion to develop naturally during the presidential campaign is the most rational approach."



Meanwhile, voices for an early revision still remain. Notable figures are Sohn Hak-kyu, a former opposition advisor; DPK lawmaker Kim Boo-kyum; and ex-Saenuri Party leader Kim Moo-sung.



Their arguments, however, are viewed as an attempt to shake up the existing playing field. Minor potential presidential runners can expand their support by attracting the people or making alliances under the name of constitutional revision, analysts say.



Calls for the revision will hardly subside as long as political parties are seeking realignment ahead of the possible presidential election.



If Saenuri Party lawmakers aligned against President Park leave the party following a power struggle with Park loyalists, they will need to gain steam through a push for the constitutional revision.



The same goes for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who is set to come back to the country and may run in the presidential race.



Prospects



Despite it being a much-talked issue, there is little possibility that a two-third majority of the 300 Assemblymen _ the minimum requirement for a constitutional revision _ will agree upon a single revision motion, according to DPK floor leader Woo Sang-ho.



"It was difficult to secure that many votes when pushing for the impeachment motion," he said. "Even if we have the number for a constitutional revision, there's a sharp division between those supporting the four-year, two-term presidency and those backing the parliamentary system."



He added a parliamentary system presumes that the Assembly is disbanded first, which means not many Assemblymen will give up their remaining terms.

The four-year term 20th Assembly was formed in April this year.



"Now there's no single politician mentioning the possibility of shortening their term. Once the official talks open, their true intentions will be revealed," Woo said.

Another issue is if public sentiment is ripe enough.



"Under the circumstances where public anger and distrust toward the politics are high, a discussion led by politicians will hardly gain momentum," a lawmaker said.

"We can push for the constitutional revision only when the public are truly onboard."
By Doug Bandow



For someone who has served in war, U.S. Sen. John McCain is easily shocked. He has joined the wailing and gnashing of teeth filling Washington over Russia's alleged hacking of the Democrats. He and his war-happy colleague Sen. Lindsey Graham are pressing for an investigation by a newly constituted select congressional committee.

McCain naturally blamed President Barack Obama, who, it seems, is responsible for just about every problem on earth for the latter's lack of "leadership," which McCain never defines. In this case, worries McCain, if the Russians are "able to harm the electoral process, they may destroy democracy." Indeed, he continued, "This is the sign of a possible unraveling of the world order that was established after World War II, which has made one of the most peaceful periods in the history of the world."

For all of the sturm und drang generated by the alleged Russian hack, it appears to have been rather modest. Some doubts remain that the Russians even were responsible. Nor was there any attack on the American electoral system. No voting machines were broken into. No votes were changed.

Donald Trump won because a majority of Americans in critical states preferred him to his badly compromised opponent, whose failings have been on display publicly for a quarter century. Neither Moscow nor anyone else changed the outcome.

Moreover, there is evidence that an attempt was made to hack Republican accounts as well. In any case, the cyber-raid was of a private party, in which no national secrets were compromised or business technologies stolen. Rather, the information obtained should have been public since it highlighted the sleaze surrounding the Clintons. The release actually benefited the American public.

The principle lesson of the Democratic hack, as well as previous attacks on Sony Pictures and other private entities, is that cyber-security is everyone's responsibility. There are more than a few malign actors on the loose who will take advantage of any opportunity to steal information for fun or profit. However, "the world order" is likely to survive.

Ironically, Democrats were not always so squeamish about reliance on Moscow for political support. In 1983 California Sen. John Tunney, an intimate of Sen. Ted Kennedy, passed a message to KGB head Viktor Chebrikov, who summarized the matter in a memo to Communist Party General Secretary Yuri Andropov, which was discovered after the Soviet Union's collapse. In sum, Kennedy hoped to bring Soviet political and military figures onto American television to explain how they were misunderstood peaceniks resisting crazy Ronald Reagan's war-like policies.

Sen. McCain, too, apparently is unaware of his manifold hypocrisies and inconsistencies. He, along with the Neoconservative cabal, never has been shy about insisting on Washington's right to intervene in other nations' political systems.

Covert involvement goes back through the Cold War. Multiple aid programs for "democracy" have been created to back parties and factions seen as more pro-American. U.S. officials insisted on the Palestinian elections which brought Hamas to power. It is Neoconservative gospel that President Obama could and should have prevented Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election in 2009. Numerous Americans, including McCain, backed a street revolution against the elected, Russia-friendly government. "The world order" may have hung in the balance for a time, but ultimately survived.

In 2014 McCain demanded regime change in Libya. Less than two years before he and Graham had been supping with Moammar Khadafy in Tripoli discussing providing the latter with aid to combat al-Qaeda.

Sen. McCain never seemed to find a war he didn't want to fight  Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Iran, North Korea, Georgia, Ukraine. In criticizing Russia's war with Georgia, which the latter started, he declared in 2008: "in the 21st century nations don't invade other nations."

Inconsiderate observers pointed out that the U.S., with McCain's enthusiastic support, had invaded Iraq only five years before. Moreover, what Moscow did in Georgia looked a lot like what America did (admittedly in the 20th, not 21st, century) in Serbia: intervene in an existing separatist conflict, forcibly dismember an independent state, and create a new country. Without the sanction of international law.

Few political leaders in Washington have been as reckless and clueless as John McCain. Personal heroism obviously does not translate into good judgment.

If Russia was behind the Clinton hack, Americans owe Vladimir Putin a round of applause. The information released confirmed what some of us already believed about the Clintons and their followers. This cyber-attack affected the 2016 presidential election by giving Americans better information to use in deciding who to vote for.

Doug Bandow is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and a former special assistant to President Ronald Reagan.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-eun delivers a national address on New Year's Day.

/ Yonhap



By Ko Dong-hwan

North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile tests are in their final stage, leader Kim Jong-un said in a national address on January 1.

Wearing a suit, Kim said North Korea "needs to develop more of its own kind of juche' weapons," referring to the state's official political ideology meaning "national self-reliance."

Kim said South Korea "should not take for granted the North trying to prevent the military clash between two Koreas from breaking out." He said that unless the South stopped conducting military drills in preparation for war, he would boost the North's military self-defense centered on nuclear weapons.

He also said he wanted the two Koreas to be unified, saying the New Year "hopefully allows taking a step forward to unification." He also criticized other nations, including the U.S., for trying to deter unification.

Kim said the massive nationwide vigils in South Korea demanding that President Park Geun-hye step down were "an explosion of people's anger at conservative administration."

Kim mentioned Park's name for the first time in a public speech.
Kim Dong-hyun celebrates after defeating Belgium's Tarec Saffiedine in a welterweight mixed martial art fight at UFC 207, Dec. 30, in Las Vegas. He won by a split decision. / AP-Yonhap



By Ko Dong-hwan

Korea's Kim Dong-hyun clinched a tough victory on New Year's Eve to become the Asian with the most wins in the UFC welterweight class.

The honor came from his 13th UFC win, against Belgium's Tarec Saffiedine , 30, a former Strikeforce champion, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Dec. 30.

Kim, 34, the "stun gun" No.8 in USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie welterweight rankings, scored a split decision points victory over unranked Saffiedine in a UFC main event.

Two of the three judges had Kim ahead, a decision that shocked Saffiedine.

Kim is now behind Canada's Georges St-Pierre with 19 wins, Matt Hughes (U.S.) with 16 and Josh Koscheck (U.S.) with 14.

"I watched the previous fights and I thought that I could win Fight of the Night,'" Kim said, according to MMA Junkie.

"But Saffiedine has a great clinch game, so it was hard to make it an exciting fight."

Kim said he next wanted to fight Brazil's Demian Maia, who is ranked No.3 in the welterweight class.

Saffiedine, proven as a striker in past bouts, could not attack Kim as frequently as he wanted.

The Korean grappler pressed him against the fence for most of the match, giving him little room to attack with fists or kicks.

The third round started with a brief brawl, bringing the first sounds of excitement from the crowd.

While Kim landed a clear uppercut, the Belgian struggled with his shots, not strong enough to bring down his opponent.

Near the end of the round, Saffiedine tried a last-minute takedown, which failed.

Beginning judo while at middle school, Kim trained as a professional judoka at Yongin University.

After serving in the Republic of Korea Marine Corps in 2001 for his mandatory military service, Kim fought in the Korean mixed martial arts Spirit Martial Challenge and clinched two victories.

But he retired in 2004 for economic reasons.



Kim came to major attention as a fighter after debuting with Japan's DEEP organization in 2006.







After seven wins and one loss, he signed a contract with UFC, scoring a TKO win over England's Jason Tan in 2008.

After he scored a unanimous points victory over American Nate Diaz in 2011, the UFC extended Kim's initial four-month contract to another four.

In 2013, UFC named his match-ending punch to Brazilian Eric Silva's face "Knockout of the Night."

He was then honored with "Performance of the Night" a year later when he defeated England's John Hathaway with a back elbow to the face.

Kim had once feared that his style would soon make him unpopular among fans and that the UFC would no longer want him.

The realization came after Japan's Yushin Okami, another grappler with whom Kim used to train before debuting with DEEP, was released by UFC in 2013 despite a winning streak.

UFC president Dana White had said he let Okami go because the Japanese was "almost like a gatekeeper" and "never able to get over the hump and win one of those significant fights."

White added Okami had to go because the UFC had a packed roster.

"I am really shaken up right now," Kim said right after UFC's decision on Okami, according to M Fight.

"It's like seeing my colleague being sacked. I see less and less spots for grapplers inside cages.

"When I first entered the octagon, I fought every three to four months. Now, the chance comes almost every six months.

"It's because new fighters are pouring in. To give them opportunities to fight, some must leave.

Kim spoke of the fighting games' "sad" reality  that the UFC was conscious of fans wanting to see exciting bouts that would raise TV ratings and attract a bigger pay-per-view audience.

"It hurts to see my fighting style being rated according to popularity, not by how hard I trained,"Kim said.
The chief of South Korea's state-run pension fund was questioned by investigators looking into the scandal surrounding President Park Geun-hye and her friend Tuesday over allegations he unlawfully influenced a decision to back Samsung Group's merger plan last year.



Moon Hyung-pyo, chief of the National Pension Service (NPS), appeared before the special probe team's office in southern Seoul to undergo questioning over suspicions he played a role in the merger plan of the country's largest family-run business group while working as the health minister.



He led the Ministry of Health and Welfare from December 2013 to August 2015, before becoming the head of the pension fund late last year.



There have been allegations the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae pressured the state fund -- which held an 11.6 percent stake in Samsung C&T Corp. and a 5 percent stake in Cheil Industries Inc. -- to support the conglomerate in return for favors Samsung gave to the president's close friend Choi Soon-sil.



Choi, currently in custody, is under trial over a string of corruption charges where President Park was named accomplice by state prosecutors. Park who refuted all charges leveled against her is awaiting the Constitutional Court's decision on her impeachment after the parliament voted to oust her on Dec. 9.



Moon has been denying the suspicions raised against him, saying he did not have any contact with the presidential office or Samsung regarding the deal beforehand.



"As far as I know, we have explained our stance multiple times," Moon told reporters before entering the office. "I will fully cooperate with the interrogation."



He declined to comment further.



Last year, then Samsung C&T, the group's construction arm, successfully merged with Cheil Industries, which was then the de facto holding firm of the conglomerate.



At the time, Samsung had faced strong challenge from individual shareholders, led by U.S. hedge fund Elliott Associates, over the merger plan. The deal was widely seen as an attempt to smoothly transfer power from group owner Lee Kun-hee to his son, Jae-yong.



The NPS' backing for the merger drew criticism as its decision was not reviewed by an independent panel, which generally advises the state fund in exercising voting rights for invested firms.



Also Tuesday, the investigators questioned former Vice Culture Minister Chung Kwan-joo over suspicions he was involved in creating a "blacklist" of cultural figures who are critical of the government, while he worked as a presidential secretary from late 2014 to early this year.



The investigation team said the two were summoned to bear witness to each case but added their status can change to that of a suspect following the probe.



The special prosecutors also demanded An Chong-bum, former senior presidential secretary for policy coordination, appear at their office Tuesday, but he declined, citing health issues.



An is currently standing trial, along with Choi and Jeong Ho-seong, ex-senior secretary for private presidential affairs, for their involvement in the alleged corruption and influence-peddling scandal that has been rocking the country since late October.



The investigation team said it has again asked An to undergo questioning later in the day.



It also summoned Choi to appear before the investigators Tuesday, but she too refused. (Yonhap)




By Kim Jong-nam

Are you a leader? Then I would like to ask you this question: How aware are you of what your employees think? Specifically, how aware are you of what your employees think about you? An essential element of being a good leader is understanding your own image.

Some world-famous corporate leaders are notorious for their poor communication and authoritarian leadership style. According to Alex Bracetti's "Horrible Bosses: The Worst Tech CEOs of All Time," Steve Ballmer, Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina are infamous for these negative qualities as well as their arrogant disregard and impolite treatment of employees. Of course, one might argue that leaders' being authoritarian and unpleasant doesn't matter as long as they are creating profits. However, this style of leadership is, in the long-term, not desirable, as it makes leaders unable to count on unity and loyalty from their employees. Indeed, leaders like that may be the objects of complaints and even cause employees to leave the organization.

Thus, leaders must be aware of what communication styles they are using and what their reputation is  as well as how to improve both. Changes in the leader affect changes in the organizational climate, and so if a leader wishes to change the organizational climate, he or she would do well to start from within.

For instance, leaders must acknowledge how they speak to their employees. If leaders are aware of what facial expressions they are using when speaking to their subordinates, subordinates may be more genuinely inclined to listen and cooperate. If leaders consciously try to control their emotions when upset, they will be more skillful in dealing with their employees and thus create an atmosphere in which more supportive dialogues will occur. If leaders make sure to use professional tones of voice, followers will begin feeling valued and listened to. These small changes are powerful because they make employees feel secure and encourage their active participation.

What else can leaders do to change their images? Specifically, since Korean (and other Asian) corporate cultures are known for being excessively " top-down," how can leaders from these countries undo long-standing reputations? Here are some tips to consider.

1) If you consider the ages or positions of employees first and then use non-honorific expressions based on that, fix it.

2) If you point out employees' weaknesses and failures rather than their strengths and accomplishments, fix it.

3) If you ask employees to express their opinions but then stick only to your own ideas, fix it.

4) If you really hate the people who do not appear for a get-together after the work due to their personal issues, fix it.

5) If you hold grudges against subordinates who opposed your ideas, fix it.

6) If you micromanage, fix it.

7) If you do not control your emotions around your employees, fix it.

Anyone who does not do these things is in danger of being seen as a "Ggondae"  that is, a middle-aged man who tries to use authority and power to lead people instead of humane influence. This derogatory term is generally used by younger generations to deride their older authoritarian mangers and leaders in Korea.

Horizontal leadership and culture do not come without effort. They require that leaders be approved, loved and respected by their employees. As more and more leaders become recognized positively by their employees, more companies will become great places to work for. This is why leaders must actively change their leadership styles to positively affect their company's corporate culture.

Kim Jong-nam is founding CEO of META(www.imeta.co.kr), a corporate education company which focuses on developing high-potential employees, managers, and executives. It is based in Seoul.
By Jacek Rostowski



LONDON  British Prime Minister Theresa May reportedly "needed some time to compose herself" in a recent meeting with her presumed ally Angela Merkel. The German Chancellor categorically rejected May's proposal to do a "side deal" on European Union nationals living in Britain before the United Kingdom officially triggers Brexit negotiations by invoking Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon.



After an initial phase of post-referendum arrogance and euphoria, it has become increasingly obvious that May's government completely misread the likely EU response to a British exit from the bloc. It now seems likely that the UK will continue to stagger from failure to failure at an accelerating pace.



May's dilemma stems from the fact that the "Leave" coalition, while sharing certain conservative values, comprises two incompatible factions: mostly middle-class, affluent pensioners who want to leave the EU because they think it is too bureaucratic and protectionist; and mostly working-class voters who want to leave because they favor more protectionism.



Clearly, there is no form of Brexit  or post-Brexit Britain  that will satisfy both groups. This explains May's desperation to push Brexit through as quickly as possible. She wants to get out before voters realize that the Leave campaign sold them a false bill of goods, including the promise that they could keep all of the benefits of EU membership, particularly full access to the European single market, without having to allow free movement of labor.



Moreover, although May was in the "Remain" camp during the referendum campaign, she realizes that, as Prime Minister, she will be held responsible for any failures in the Brexit negotiations. She also knows that she cannot possibly succeed politically, because the media will always spotlight "defeats," while hardly noticing "wins." That gives her every reason not to define her goals, and then to declare whatever deal she secures a "victory."



Paradoxically, while the Conservative Party leadership has decided to represent the incoherent Leave coalition, no one is speaking for the 48% of voters who sided with Remain, except for the Liberal-Democratic Party, which has minimal influence in Parliament. This is even more surprising when one considers two deep structural factors that will cut short Leave's continued political dominance in the medium term.



For starters, a significant cohort of Leave voters tends to be "politically disengaged." Leave won by a margin of 1.2 million votes, one million of which were cast by people who did not vote in the 2015 general election that furnished David Cameron and the Conservatives with undivided power. These disengaged voters will likely not participate in future elections, though they might mobilize for a second EU referendum, if one were to be held.



Second, the Leave camp has an age problem: my own rough estimate suggests that, every year, Leave-voter deaths will exceed those of Remain voters by 150,000, while new Remain voters entering the electorate will surpass those of Leave by 150,000 (after adjusting for differential turnout between young and old). This generational dynamic alone will tip the balance in Remain's favor by about 300,000 voters each year, and it will eliminate Leave's majority by 2020.



Shortly after the referendum, I asked a former senior Tory official why no respectable politicians wanted to represent Remain voters. "No one in Britain (either Remain or Leave) really cares about the EU," he replied. But while that may have been true in July, it is not true now, as indicated by both sides' passionate response to the result itself, and then again to the recent High Court decision affirming Parliament's role in triggering Article 50. Equally telling were the last two parliamentary by-election results: pro-Remain liberals overturned a 23,000-vote Conservative majority in Richmond Park, London, while the UK Independence Party  which favors a "hard" Brexit  made gains in Sleaford and North Hykeham, in the east of England.



As Lord Ashcroft's fascinating exit poll following the Brexit referendum shows, Leave and Remain voters' attitudes differ on almost everything, from the death penalty to environmental conservation. And anyone reading the two sides' increasingly heated online interactions can see that they heartily despise each other.



There is now a profound divide  what British politicians call "deep blue water"  between Remain's growing constituency and Leave's diminishing one. This will be the defining split in British politics for at least a generation. And yet the vast majority of practicing politicians are on the declining side of this divide, where the supply of leaders far exceeds demand for them.



The UK is approaching a fundamental political realignment, for which the current government is totally unprepared. It will come  probably quite suddenly  as soon as enough people recognize that May has, through little fault of her own, inevitably failed to "get the best deal for Britain." As the economist Herbert Stein famously observed, "If something cannot go on forever, it will stop." So May's government might last until May, but not much longer.



Jacek Rostowski was Poland's minister of finance and deputy prime minister from 2007 to 2013.Copyright belongs to Project Syndicate.




By Jean-Pierre Lehmann

The rise of the four Asian newly industrialized economies (NIEs) of Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan in the last quarter of the 20th century is one of history's most remarkable narratives. The dictum, however, that "nothing succeeds like success" is misleading. Success can breed complacency; that, in turn, leads to hubris. Today all four, to different degrees, are facing a crisis; primarily a crisis of confidence. Where to next in this looming jungle of the 21st century?

I visited the four in the mid-1960s, half a century ago. All were dirt-poor, perceived as backward basket cases of underdevelopment. They were famous for prostitution. American soldiers from the Vietnam war flocked to Taipei for "R&R" (rest and recuperation). Hong Kong's louche atmosphere was illustrated in the blockbuster film The World of Suzie Wong. Singapore, combining a major port and military base in the 1960s, could be, unkindly but not inaccurately, described as a rat-infested brothel. Walking in downtown Daegu in Korea, my journey was incessantly interrupted by solicitations for sex.

All four had suffered the humiliation of colonization. Hong Kong and Singapore were colonized by the British who forbade ethnic Chinese (with the exception of waiters, chefs and shoeshine boys) from entering their clubs and restaurants or residing in certain areas in their own territory. Korea and Taiwan were colonized by Japan, with Koreans especially humiliated in having to take on Japanese names, speak Japanese and pray at Shinto shrines.

None of the past legacies of these Asian economies augured well for the future.

I have returned frequently to all four over the ensuing decades and was able to observe their spectacular rise at close quarters. Though there are variations in each, the overall narrative is well known and should continue to be required reading for policymakers in developing countries today.

In essence: Bereft of natural resources, all four invested massively in the development of human resources. Education was a top priority. The results remain brilliant, with all four economies scoring high marks in the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) ranking in reading, maths and science. Students from all four star in leading international universities, from MIT and the London School of Economics to the Australian National University.

People sit on steps on Orchard Road in Singapore. All four tiger economies have invested massively in the development of human resources. Photo: Bloomberg

No recession yet, but here's why Singapore faces bigger worries ahead.

 In contrast to India, which started off in the 1950s significantly richer than the four in per capita gross domestic product, but is much poorer today, the four newly industrialized economies were outward-looking, export-oriented, and keen to learn and compete in the global economy.

 Political regimes vary among the four. Hong Kong was a British colony until 1997 and then a Chinese special administrative region, Singapore a unique case of a rich urban middle-class autocracy, South Korea and Taiwan having both made at roughly the same time (late 1980s) the transition from dictatorship to democracy. The political-economic narrative of the four economies illustrates the point that, for human welfare, it is not so much the nature of the regime  whether autocratic or democratic  that matters but the quality of governance. All four have had pro-business regimes and implemented a mixed industrial policy combining market with bureaucratic administrative guidance  though less in the case of Hong Kong. One major result has been the lifting of vast swathes of society from poverty.

Past successes notwithstanding, all four economies are facing serious troubles at present.

Arguably, the most acute is in South Korea, where the president, Park Geun-hye, is mired in scandal and facing impeachment. Its other problems include: the highly prestigious Samsung has lost face  and more  over its exploding Galaxy 7 smartphones; Hanjin Shipping, a massive container company, has gone bankrupt; inequality and graduate unemployment are rising; the country has one of the world's highest teenage suicide rates; consequently, "Hell Joseon" has become a popular term that captures the alienation of many young Koreans who see their country as a living hell.

All four economies have their individual issues. Two things they both share, however, are rising inequality and ageing populations. Rising inequality is, of course and alas, universal, afflicting both developed and developing countries. In three of the NIEs  Singapore, Korea and Taiwan  it is recent and emerges from what were hitherto egalitarian societies. In Hong Kong, inequality has long been a blight, but has become much worse. As the South China Morning Post has reported, its housing policy makes Hong Kong one of world's most unequal societies.

As to the demographics: in a word, dismal. All four economies have rapidly ageing populations, not just because life expectancy has been significantly prolonged, but because the people of Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan are not producing enough babies. The fertility rates of these four economies are among the world's lowest. Societies that have few children are sad and display little confidence in the future.

The operative term for the four economies is: relax and be happy. Work less, but more creatively

Another phenomenon all four share is economic dependence on mainland Chinese tourism. That, in turn, reflects the transformation in the relationship between China and the so-called four Asian tigers. In the initial decades of China's reform programme, the four were the muscular guys. They provided China with capital, technology, managerial skills and international market nous. But now, on many fronts, China has caught up: there is an incremental rapid reversal of fortune. Though South Korea is less affected, the three predominantly ethnic Chinese NIEs are suffering identity crises.

All four economies need to undertake a major transformation that will be difficult but far from painful. Though the issue of inequality needs to be seriously and urgently addressed, fundamentally, thanks to hard work, the four have made it on the material/economic front. Even with slower growth, they would continue to live on easy street. Of course, rising China will continue to pose a challenge. But given their geostrategic position, they have no choice but to face the challenge and adjust accordingly.

Otherwise, the operative term for the four economies is: relax and be happy. Work less, but more creatively. Education should not be just about mechanical rote learning, but also cultural enrichment and individual expression. More focus should be on nature, on green growth, as opposed to material growth. Read more poetry, novels, go to concerts; put culture, along with nature, as priorities.

Above all: make more babies! There is no greater joy in this life than family life. This is especially the case when, as is the case with the majority of people in all four economies, material needs are more than adequately met. For that, of course, an urgent imperative must be to improve the conditions and status of women, especially mothers.

The Asian tigers stand out as remarkable global economic models. For the coming decades, they should strive to emerge as global social, cultural and environmental models.

Jean-Pierre Lehmann is emeritus professor at IMD, Lausanne, Switzerland, where he was appointed to the chair of international political economy in 1997. He is founder of The Evian Group, and visiting professor at the University of Hong Kong. Copyright belongs to South China Morning Post.
Would you expect a reputable hospital to steal patients' donated organs, use them for the preservation of its owner family's youth and still get away virtually unpunished for such an unthinkable legal and ethical lapse?



By and large, that is what has been done by Cha Medical Group, the biggest OB/GYN center with an extensive network of research, academic and beauty enhancement operations.



Medical authorities found its Chairman Cha Kwang-yul, 64, conjured up the image of a vampire sucking others' blood for eternal youth, taking four intravenous injections of umbilical cord blood donated by mothers for cosmetic anti-aging purposes. His wife and his father also received injections.



The use of the cord blood  taken in miniscule amounts of 100 milliliters from the placenta and umbilical cord of mothers after birth  is a miracle blood to treat hematopoietic and genetic disorders. Under the current law, any uses other than for research and treatment purposes are prohibited. Because of its versatile applications and safety, mothers sign up with the Cha hospital for its paid storage.



In addition, 48 out of 160 people participating in clinical trials for anti-aging experiments at Cha's facility turned out to be family and relatives of Cha and others who took the shots are not expected to be penalized because the pertinent laws only punish those who give the shots, not the recipients.



This revelation came after reports that Cha and his family members received numerous autoimmune cell treatment injections, which were illegally custom-made for them at the biomedical center.



The Ministry of Health and Welfare planned to revoke its designation of the hospital as an umbilical cord blood-related research facility but decided to maintain its status as its more lucrative research-intensive center assures it of tens of billions of won in government subsidies.



Cha Hospital has been also caught providing blood samples collected from patients over the past two years for firms that commercially produce reagents for blood tests. The hospital also got away only with a slight dent to its reputation.



More recently, Chaum Clinic, the hospital's subsidiary that specializes in anti-aging programs, has been under fire for allegedly providing treatments for President Park Geun-hye in extralegal measures through her friend Choi Soon-sil, part of their scandal that led to Park's impeachment.



Judging from this mountain of evidence, Cha doesn't deserve a place in the medical industry. A string of garlic to him.




Lowly Chinese envoy muddies bilateral ties



Chen Hai, deputy director general in the Chinese Foreign Ministry's Asia affairs department, recently made an uninvited visit to Korea to meet opposition lawmakers and representatives of companies working in China.



Chen lobbied for Rep. Park Jie-won, leader of the opposition People's Party, and other parliamentarians, to oppose the deployment of the U.S.-made Terminal High-altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system against North Korea's growing missile threat. China has vehemently opposed the deployment, arguing that it can be used to spy on its military installations deep inside the country.



To Samsung, which has an extensive production and retail network, and retailer Lotte, which is being retaliated against for offering the THAAD site, Chen's unequivocal message is that they could face more disadvantages, unless their government changes its mind.



The Foreign Ministry asked Chen to delay his visit until January, citing the usual diplomatic protocols that apply toward the end of the year and complicated domestic politics. Chen ignored the request and did not bother to pay a courtesy visit to the ministry.



The ministry said it did not officially raise an issue over Chen's wayward behavior because he met people with whom he has been acquainted with since his days as charges de affaires in Korea.



Depending on how Chen's visit is looked at, it is not just a matter of indulging a low-ranking envoy, who acted out of his depth, being encouraged by his equally rambunctious and boorish government.



First, considering that Chen's act undermines the government's official stance  prompt THAAD deployment  it is worth delving into the legal grounds to see whether it fits the general category for sabotage by a foreigner or, more specifically, qualifies as an outright act of recruiting influential people such as lawmakers to achieve their national interests. There is a specific word for that  a spy.



Park and other lawmakers should know that they are on the other side of the deal, so they should ponder how their meetings with Chen could play into Beijing's hands. The lawmakers should appreciate their added responsibility with the government in its caretaker mode after the presidential impeachment.



Because Chen enjoys diplomatic immunity, the ministry should see if his action merits him being designated persona non grata to warn China or any other hegemonic countries against belittling our sovereignty and dignity.



China has been using all its methods  pressuring Korean firms in China, clamping the flow of its tourists and making open existential threats  to stop Korea from its THAAD plan.



Korea has repeatedly told Beijing that the THAAD decision can be reversed, if China dissuades Pyongyang, its beneficiary, to stop its belligerent behavior.



Korea should stick to its stance and show that our country will not condone China's inappropriate acts.




The gig: Chani Nicholas, 41, is an astrologer who writes horoscopes and teaches several online classes through her website, Chaninicholas.com. Her weekly takes are not of the on Thursday, youll find a new boyfriend variety. Nicholas regularly veers into the world of leftist politics and has won as many as 1 million monthly readers with writing that is mystical but not cliche. Nicholas makes her living by charging relatively low fees  $21 to $48  for her readers to take online classes on interpreting their astrological chart, which is a map of the positioning of the planets at the moment that a person took their first breath. She said more than 12,000 people have taken at least one of the classes within the last 14 months. That puts her income over the last year or so well into the six-figure range.

Starting young: Nicholas started studying astrology when she was 12 after her step-grandmother bought her family an astrology session for the family. As soon as the astrologer started talking, Nicholas was hooked. It was as if someone was speaking a language that I knew but hadnt heard yet. The theory helped her make sense of her parents divorce, and her new step-siblings, because it offered a concrete explanation for the differences in peoples personalities.

Dabbling in horoscopes: A native of British Columbia, Canada, Nicholas moved to Los Angeles in 2005 to try to be an actor. To sustain herself, she did any job she could find, including waitressing at restaurants in Sherman Oaks and West Hollywood and bartending in Culver City. She started seriously thinking about doing astrology professionally when she moved to San Francisco to finish college at the California Institute of Integral Studies, which allows students to earn the credits they need to earn their bachelors degree. She was writing a lot of essays and found that she kept incorporating astrology into them.

Advertisement

That prompted her to start writing horoscopes, which she sent to friends via email. People liked them, so she got a blogspot.com address and put her horoscopes up every month. I never thought anyone would ever read it, she said.

She had a ticker that measured her audience and she watched as it went to 300 and then 500. One day it jumped to 15,000 for a post and I was like, Somethings happening,  Nicholas said.

Surprise success: Eventually, Nicholas bought Chaninicholas.com and started posting weekly horoscopes and longer essays that weaved commentary on the world together with an interpretation of the phases of the moon. She still doubted that the mix would appeal to anyone outside of her close circle of friends.

I thought people are going to hate this, because the woot-woot spiritual yoga heads that want astrology dont want to hear me rant about the world as I see it, and the people that are interested in critically looking at the world arent going to want astrology, Nicholas said.

But Nicholas started to grow a loyal following. She offered astrological chart readings for $50 to $90 a session, with reduced rates for people doing social justice work. In the summer of 2014, she introduced online scheduling and by December she was booked through the next summer, with a wait list.

In July 2015, she started offering classes on reading astrological charts, which cost up to $48 and can last 12 weeks. As many as 1,600 people have signed up for a single course, which they access by downloading videos and files that she uploads to Dropbox.

Targeting a niche: There may be more than 1 million people who regularly read Nicholas, but she still sees herself as appealing to a slice of the population that is politically active on the left and socially conscious.

They are in the struggle, and they are activists and they are working in the world trying to make it a better place, she said of her readers.

Nicholas, who was sporting a shirt that said Take me to your healer, was asked whether she worried about alienating potential customers who dont want to read their horoscopes alongside, say, a tirade about white supremacy.

There are literally a million other horoscopes to read. Go read them if mine [tick] you off so much, she said with a smile.

Loving her haters: When Nicholas tells people she meets that she is an astrologist, she expects one of two reactions: Astrology nerds freak out and beg her to tell them about their sign. Others are less excited. Nicholas said that second group feels totally comfortable telling her, Oh, youre a lunatic. Basically youre a charlatan or a thief. You steal money [from] people and just tell them what they want to hear. Youre not to be trusted, youre a witch, you should be burned at the stake.

But that reaction doesnt much bother her, Nicholas said, because she isnt in the business of persuading people to buy into her work.

I dont need you to approve of me, I dont need you to like anything I do, she said. I love skeptics, I think theyre fantastic. I think we should all be skeptics.

Natalie.Kitroeff@latimes.com

Follow me @NatalieKitro on Twitter

ALSO

The 10 craziest things TSA found in carry-on bags in 2016

Auto sales expected to match last years record, but may be plateauing

Is a violent ex-boyfriend reason enough to terminate a lease early?
Hello! Im Mark Olsen, and welcome to your weekly field guide to a world of Only Good Movies.

This newsletter should be hitting email inboxes on the first day of a new year. And it comes at the end of one of the more dramatic weeks in recent memory, with the deaths of Carrie Fisher and her mother, Debbie Reynolds, just one day apart. Together their legacy stretches from Hollywoods Golden Age and films such as Singin in the Rain to the original Star Wars and its upcoming Episode VIII. They were a remarkable pair, each with individual gifts and a bond between them that proved to be closer than anyone could have imagined.

This past week also saw the release of two reflective, gentle films that may provide some relative emotional shelter from the storms of recent events. 20th Century Women and Paterson are among my personal favorites of this past year and, I would say, not to be missed.

Advertisement

Our recent conversation with some of the years lead actor Oscar contenders is now online. It was an intriguing mix of generations, with Casey Affleck for Manchester by the Sea, Robert De Niro for The Comedian, Adam Driver for Paterson, Joel Edgerton for Loving, Andrew Garfield for Hacksaw Ridge, and Matthew McConaughey for Gold.

There was a part of the conversation where De Niro, McConaughey, Garfield and Driver all shared their experiences working with director Martin Scorsese that was just electric. As Garfield said, I want to hear what Mr. De Niro has to say. And the notoriously untalkative De Niro was downright chatty when it came to talking about his longtime collaborator.

We will have more screening and Q&A events soon here: events.latimes.com.

Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds

When it was first reported that Carrie Fisher had a heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles, who could have imagined the outcome. Fisher and her mother, Debbie Reynolds, are the kind of personalities whom one grows accustomed to and sadly, come to take for granted. And the moment they are gone we immediately realize how much they meant to us and how much they will be missed.

Meredith Woerner wrote an appreciation of Fisher, saying Before there was Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, there was Fisher. Before there was Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor, there was Fisher. Before there was Charlize Therons Imperator Furiosa, Scarlett Johanssons Black Widow and even the beloved Sigourney Weavers Ripley, there was Fisher providing a female face to a universally admired action hero. A fact she struggled for years to accept before finally surrendering to her own iconic status.

Debbie Reynolds with daughter Carrie Fisher at the Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Jan. 25, 2015. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

I wrote about the many projects Fisher was involved in as an actor and writer, from Star Wars to a possible sequel to Wishful Drinking. If Carrie Fishers greatest role truly was as Carrie Fisher, actress, author, raconteur and chronicler of Hollywoods generational transitions, she was in the midst of a creatively flourishing time.

Kenneth Turan wrote an appreciation of Reynolds, noting, With the exuberance and joy of performance as one of its themes, Singin in the Rain, and Reynolds part in it, has proved to be the Hollywood musicals most durable example, the real tinsel underneath all the fake stuff.

I also wrote about Reynolds, including a memory of moderating a Q&A with her a few years ago. That crowd loved Debbie Reynolds, the plucky, perseverant woman next door. But more importantly, she loved all of them. She loved all of us and gave us everything she had.

Michael Phillips at the Chicago Tribune wrote about them both and the air of tragedy that hovers over their deaths coming in such short succession, writing, I dont know if its cruel irony or pure poetry to lose them both so close together, but it feels terrible either way.

Hunter Harris at Vulture and Teo Bugbee at MTV News both wrote about Postcards From the Edge and how its fictionalized portrait of an unusual mother-daughter relationship may be Fishers most lasting piece of screenwriting.

And the new documentary about the two of them, Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, has seen its HBO premiere date pushed forward to Jan. 7.

20th Century Women

Writer-director Mike Mills follows up his portrait of his father in Beginners with a look at this mother in 20th Century Women. In the film, set in late 70s Santa Barbara, Annette Bening plays Dorothea Fields, a 50-something single mother raising her teenage son. She surrounds him with a surrogate family of misfits (Greta Gerwig, Elle Fanning and Billy Crudup) who teach him about women, culture, masculinity and politics. (What more is there to learn?)

In his review for The Times, Justin Chang wrote, A bundle of achingly human contradictions that Mills wisely chooses to embrace rather than resolve, Dorothea is easily the movies finest achievement  and certainly one of Benings finest.

Actresses Annette Bening, left, and Greta Gerwig with writer/director Mike Mills for 20th Century Women. (Liz O. Baylen / Los Angeles Times )

At the New York Times, Manohla Dargis wrote, For a memoirist, Mr. Mills is uncommonly generous.  Dorothea is at once laid back and uptight, which Ms. Bening conveys with moments of shambling, gestural looseness and sudden emotional spikiness. She floods the screen with warmth, threatens to burn the joint down and, with Mr. Mills, turns contradictions into character.

The Times Steve Zeitchik spoke to Billy Crudup about his recent roles in 20th Century Women and Jackie. It was Jackie director Pablo Larrain who said of Crudup, Hes someone whos extremely charming and at the same time he can be extremely dangerous. Hes someone whos very hard to grab and say exactly who he is.

I spoke to Mills, Bening, Gerwig and Fanning on the multi-faceted, multi-generational portraits they created in the film.

As Mills said, To me the film is three portraits of the women, seen by the boy but also seen by the women themselves. I think what Im really interested in is how our ideas of ourselves, even our ideas of love or who we are, our innermost ideas of ourselves, are still shaped by society and history and the things around us and our relationship to American consumer society. Im endlessly fascinated by that.

Paterson

Jim Jarmusch has long made films with their own peculiar rhythms, unhurried and patient. So it makes sense that he should make a movie about a poet that itself takes on the airy, enigmatic feeling of poetry. In Paterson, Adam Driver plays a Paterson, N.J., bus driver who is also a poet, though he shows his work to no one but his wife (Golshifteh Farahani).

Justin Chang, in his review for The Times, wrote that For a while, you may wonder if there is more to this enigmatic, epigrammatic movie than a string of clever allusions and linguistic puzzles. Then again, you may wonder why more movies cant be a string of clever allusions and linguistic puzzles, especially when they end up giving way to such exquisite rivulets of feeling, as they do here. Paterson, like most films assured enough to make their own rules, is not just a refreshing change of pace but a revivifying one.

Actor Adam Driver plays a bus driver in Paterson. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times )

At Vox, Alissa Wilkinson wrote, Through Patersons eyes, we see the world, colored with quiet emotion. The resulting movie is a gentle fable, a small myth, and the rare philosophical film that captures the balance of work and art that so many artists  especially poets  have to navigate. But Paterson doesnt feel the need to romanticize it as a struggle or downplay work as just a day job. In Paterson, work and art is all of a piece. Whether laced with small joys or defeats, its all a good life.

Both Kevin Lincoln at Vulture and Charles Bramesco at the Verge wrote about Driver as an unlikely leading man.

And I spoke to Jarmusch and Driver about their collaboration for an article Ill be publishing soon.

Email me if you have questions, comments or suggestions, and follow me on Twitter @IndieFocus.
It was the worst case of child abuse that local officials had ever seen.

The death of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez became a grim symbol of the failure of Los Angeles Countys child welfare system, prompting criminal charges against four social workers and far-reaching reforms of how authorities oversee abused and neglected children. Gabriels mother and her boyfriend were charged with his murder.

But far less public scrutiny has been given to the role of L.A. County sheriffs deputies who investigated Gabriels situation in the months before his 2013 death.

Advertisement

A Times review of grand jury testimony, child welfare records and recently filed court documents shows that deputies visited Gabriels home multiple times during the eight months prosecutors say he was being tortured and beaten. But the deputies found no signs of abuse and did not file paperwork that would have led specially trained detectives to do more investigating.

One deputy went to the boys Palmdale home after his teacher said he had been beaten with a belt. Another deputy, responding to a report that Gabriel was suicidal, left the home without examining or interviewing him.

When a security guard called to report that Gabriel had bruises on his face and what looked like cigarette burns all over his scalp, he was rebuffed by a sheriffs deputy who screamed that a child being burned was not an emergency, according to court records. Another deputy who eventually went to check on the boy decided that the injuries were caused by a fall from a bicycle.

The departments final investigation came a week before Gabriels death. A sheriffs deputy tried to find him after school officials reported that he had been absent for a long period and might be a victim of abuse. Gabriels mother said that her son had moved to Texas, and the deputy soon halted the inquiry. In fact, Gabriel was still in Palmdale, being beaten with a bat, shot with a BB gun, starved, locked in a small box and forced to eat cat feces, according to prosecutors.

None of the nine deputies involved in Gabriels case have been criminally charged, and all still work for the Sheriffs Department. But prosecutors said in court papers that some were disciplined internally.

The Sheriffs Department declined to provide specifics, citing state laws preventing the disclosure of peace officer discipline. Through an attorney, each of the deputies declined to comment.

A county blue ribbon commission recommended a series of reforms in the wake of Gabriels death, including better training for law enforcement officers and better sharing of information with social workers. Six months after Gabriels death, the Sheriffs Department began requiring deputies to file a one-page report for every child abuse call, regardless of whether they find evidence of a crime.

The case highlights a wider problem in the way patrol officers approach child abuse allegations, said Dan Scott, a retired sheriffs sergeant and longtime child abuse investigator. Patrol cops often treat child abuse calls as a low priority, especially when social workers are already involved with the family, he said.

Law enforcement treats these crimes like second-class crimes, Scott said. Cops believe it is a social workers job. They are looking for a reason to clear the case, and as a police officer, you have got to treat child abuse like any other crime.

::

Isauro Aguirre in a Lancaster court after he was charged with murder in the 2013 death of his girlfriends 8-year-old son, Gabriel Fernandez. He has pleaded not guilty. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Gabriel Fernandez had lived with his maternal grandparents since he was a few months old, when his mother, Pearl Fernandez, who struggled with a drug problem, signed over legal guardianship in a notarized document.

In September 2012, when Gabriel was 8, Pearl decided she wanted him back.

Her parents, Robert and Sandra Fernandez, asked the Sheriffs Department to mediate the custody dispute, telling Deputies Adam Hilzendeger and David Nisenoff that Pearl had a history of neglecting and physically abusing her children.

In grand jury testimony, Robert Fernandez said he showed the deputies a notarized guardianship document as well as school records indicating that he and his wife were authorized to act as Gabriels parents.

According to the Sheriffs Departments policy manual, the welfare of the child is of paramount concern in custody disputes. In problematical situations such as those where the documentation is in question, deputies should file a report to prompt a thorough investigation by detectives.

But the deputies who came to the Fernandez house did not file a report, according to a court motion filed earlier this year by the district attorneys office. Instead, they sided with Gabriels mother, dismissing the documents his grandparents showed them.

And he just said it was fraud. So he got into an argument with my wife, Robert Fernandez said of one of the deputies in grand jury testimony.

Gabriel went to live with his mother and her boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre. The abuse, prosecutors say, started soon afterward.

After moving in with his mother, Gabriel enrolled in a new school, Summerwind Elementary.

His teacher, Jennifer Garcia, soon noticed that something was wrong with her new pupil, according to her testimony before the grand jury.

The day before Halloween, Gabriel confided in Garcia: His mother had hit him with the metal part of a belt, drawing blood.

Garcia testified that she called a child abuse hotline and spoke to Gabriels caseworker, Stefanie Rodriguez, one of the four social workers from the Department of Children and Family Services who were later charged in the boys death.

A sheriffs deputy, Imelda Rizo, then went to Gabriels house and wrote an entry in her computer log: She had observed no injuries on Gabriel and saw no indications of child abuse, sheriffs homicide Det. Timothy OQuinn told the grand jury.

Since at least 2009, Sheriffs Department policy has required that deputies thoroughly investigate every child abuse allegation. They should write a police report  which would trigger a follow-up investigation by detectives  unless they can articulate beyond a reasonable doubt that no child abuse occurred.

Rizo did not file a police report, according to the prosecution motion.

Rodriguez, the social worker, also looked into the alleged belt beating. The boy denied his earlier story, terming it a joke, she wrote in a report.

By early November 2012, it was obvious to Garcia that Gabriels home situation was getting worse.

She began lying on the weekly reports she sent home with Gabriel, drawing a smiley face instead of giving a true account of his behavior, out of fear that a bad report would cause his mother to hit him, she told grand jurors. Each time she saw a new instance of possible abuse, she notified a social worker.

On Jan. 29, 2013, Gabriel returned to school after a weeklong absence. His eyes were swollen, and there were bruised dots all over his face. At first, he told his teacher that he fell and hit his face while playing with his brother.

Later, he said that his mother had made him exercise as punishment and shot him in the face with a BB gun, Garcia testified. Garcia said she notified Rodriguez, the case worker. It is unclear whether the Sheriffs Department was notified.

On Feb. 27, a counselor assigned to the family by DCFS called 911: Gabriel had written a suicide note.

The deputy who went to Gabriels house at 2 a.m. did not see Gabriel or speak to him, according to the district attorneys motion. Aguirre told the deputy, Federico Gonzalez, that Gabriel was fine and that DCFS was involved with the family.

According to DCFS records, the deputy determined that Gabriel did not have a plan for how he would kill himself. He advised Gabriels mother to keep an eye on him and get mental health services for him.

Sometime in 2013, a sheriffs detective, Vanessa Reddy, was assigned to investigate an allegation submitted to the countys child abuse database that Gabriel had been sexually abused by an uncle, according to the motion by the prosecutor, Deputy Dist. Atty. Jonathan Hatami. Reddy interviewed Gabriel but did not appear to have interviewed the uncle, the motion said. She made an entry in her computer log but did not file a police report, the prosecutor wrote.

**

On April 26, Arturo Miranda Martinez, the security guard at the county employment office, called 911 to report that Gabriel was bruised and burned all over his face and head. Deputy Robin Soukup screamed at Martinez that a burned child was not an emergency, the prosecutor wrote in his motion.

At Gabriels home, Deputy Jonathon Livingston spoke to Aguirre, saw Gabriel and then wrote an entry in his computer log, according to court records. Gabriel had fallen off a bicycle, and there was no evidence of child abuse, the deputy wrote.

Livingstons log entry made no mention of examining the child for physical injuries, OQuinn, the homicide detective, told the grand jury. Like the other deputies who visited Gabriels home, Livingston did not file a police report that would have prompted further investigation.

In his motion seeking the Sheriffs Departments investigative records, the prosecutor slammed the deputies response.

It is unclear why a child being burned all over his body is not an emergency, Hatami wrote. It is unclear why a police report was not filed and if the security guard was interviewed by Deputy Livingston.

New deputies are trained in the Sheriffs Academy to be suspicious and to square the familys story with the injuries on the child, said Scott, the retired sheriffs sergeant.

That training is carried over into the field, said Sgt. Marvin Jaramilla of the Special Victims Bureau.

We conduct a thorough investigation. We do not take the parents statement at face value, Jaramilla said.

The county blue ribbon commission saw room for improvement and recommended better training for law enforcement officers, including yearly refresher courses.

::

A few days after the encounter with the security guard, Gabriel returned to school.

In photos from a Mothers Day project that were shown to the grand jury, his skin was peeling off his forehead, and he had a black eye in the healing stages, along with a bruise-like mark on his neck. One eye was completely bloodshot, prompting his classmates to say he looked evil, his teacher testified.

It is unclear whether the injuries were the same ones the security guard observed or whether the boy had suffered more abuse in the intervening days.

It is unclear why a child being burned all over his body is not an emergency.  Deputy Dist. Atty. Jonathan Hatami

Garcia called a social worker to report the latest signs, noting that Gabriels story about falling off a dirt bike did not seem believable, according to her grand jury testimony.

It didnt seem to go along with the injuries that he had and that he looked really bad, she recalled saying to the social worker.

In May, Gabriel was absent from school for several days. Worried school officials assigned Jason Lee Lasley, a sheriffs deputy who worked at the school, to check on the boy and see if he was being abused.

Lasley tried and failed to find the boys house  he had the wrong address. He told the grand jury that when he spoke to Pearl Fernandez on the phone on May 16, she said the boy had moved to Texas to live with his grandmother. He tried to get a better address from Gabriels school, then appears to have ended his investigation. He did not write a police report, he testified.

On May 22, 2013, sheriffs deputies responded to a call from Gabriels mother and found that the boy was not breathing. Pearl claimed he had fallen while playing with his siblings and that the bruises on his body were self-inflicted. She said the missing skin on his neck came from vigorous scrubbing with a washcloth.

The county medical examiner who performed Gabriels autopsy said to the grand jury that he had never seen so many skin injuries on a child. The boys skull was fractured, his ribs were fractured and he had BB pellets in his chest and pelvic region. A burn above his groin penetrated all the way through the skin into the soft tissue.

Back at Gabriels school, his teacher was hoping he had really moved to Texas. In her gut, she knew it wasnt true, she told the grand jury.

When the principal called her into a meeting with a district official she had never met, she thought maybe she was in trouble.

As the principal opened his mouth to speak, his face turned white. She knew.

Is it Gabriel? she asked.

MORE ON GABRIEL FERNANDEZ

Head of L.A. Countys child protective services agency to retire in early 2017

Family of malnourished boy found dead in Echo Park closet had been reported to social workers six times

Malnourished boy found dead in Echo Park closet was subject of earlier child abuse reports, LAPD says

Social workers arraigned in case of tortured, fatally beaten 8-year-old boy
Authorities say a deputy with the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department has been arrested on suspicion of having unlawful sexual intercourse with a teenage girl participating in the departments youth Explorer program.

The department says in a statement Deputy David Israel Ceballos was arrested Friday on charges of sexual intercourse and sexual penetration with a foreign object on a minor. His bail was set at $100,000.

It says the 14-year veteran started a sexual relationship with the 17-year-old after meeting her in mid-2016. She is now 18.

Advertisement

They say other Explorer scouts reported Ceballos to a deputy serving as an Explorer advisor and that started an investigation. There are no other known alleged victims at this time.

The department says 34-year-old Ceballos was placed on paid leave pending a separate administrative investigation.
Los Angeles residents awoke early Sunday to see that one thing, at least, looked different in the New Year: the Hollywood sign.

Armed with four tarpaulins, a prankster had climbed Mount Lee under the cover of night to edit the iconic landmark, which was changed to "HOLLYWeeD.

Security footage recorded at 3 a.m. Sunday showed a lone individual climbing up the mountain, scaling the signs ladders and hanging tarpaulins over the Os to change them to E's, said Sgt. Guy Juneau of the Los Angeles Police Departments Security Services division.

It could have been a New Years Eve prank, Juneau said, or the work of a thrill seeker.

The surveillance footage showed a man dressed in black, tactical-style gear. One of the tarpaulins was decorated with a peace sign, and another with a heart.

Because the sign was not damaged, the incident will be investigated as misdemeanor trespassing. The police have no suspects.

Some Angelenos joked that the alteration reflected Californias recent vote to legalize recreational marijuana .

The New Years Day change is far from the first time the Hollywood sign has been edited by artists and pranksters.

The sign, erected in 1923 as an advertisement for a housing development, originally read Hollywoodland.

A 1929 publicity photo for the Hollywoodland groundbreaking shows a plow, mules and surveyors. (Bruce Torrence Collection / Hollywood Sign Trust)

Mother Nature became the signs first editor, knocking out the H in a violent storm in 1949. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce restored the letter, but removed the land the same year.

On New Years Day of 1976, the sign became HOLLYWeeD for the first time  the work of Cal State Northridge student Daniel Finegood, who scaled Mount Lee with $50 worth of curtains.

The modification was his project for an art class assignment on working with scale. He earned an A.

The Hollywood signs first iternation as Hollyweed was 41 years ago, on New Years Day 1976, when an art student scaled the peak for a class project. (Los Angeles Times)

The first iteration of Hollyweed was also the first day that California classified possession of up to one ounce of marijuana as a misdemeanor, rather than a felony.

In 1983, the sign was draped with the words Go Navy before the annual Army-Navy game. Later that decade, Caltech students edited the sign to spell out the name of their school.

(Axel Koester / Los Angeles Times)

In 1987, the sign became Holywood to mark a visit by Pope John Paul II . But the prank was undone before the pontiff arrived in Los Angeles.

In the decade that followed, edits to the sign got political at least twice. The first time was in 1990, when Finegood scaled the peak again and changed the sign to read Oil War, to protest the Persian Gulf War.

Five days before the 1992 presidential elections, supporters of independent candidate Ross Perot draped sheets across the landmark to spell out Perotwood.

Tired of the unsanctioned changes, city officials eventually enhanced security with a fence, alarms and a surveillance system that captured Saturdays prankster.

Most recently, in 2010, the Trust for Public Land modified the sign to read Save The Peak. (As the banners went up, Angelenos snapped photos that read Sallywood and Save the Pood.)

That edit publicized a fundraising effort to purchase Cahuenga Peak, the 138-acre parcel just to the west of the sign, following reports that the lands owners had been planning to build luxury housing there.

A helicopter flies over the iconic 450-foot-long Hollywood sign after activists covered it with banners during an effort to prevent the building of houses on the nearby Cahuenga Peak. (David McNew / Getty Images)

UPDATES:

11:15 a.m.: This story has been updated throughout, including more details on Saturdays modification and other times the sign has been edited by artists and pranksters.

9:05 a.m.: This article has been updated with more tweets.

This story was originally published at 8:50 a.m.
If a tough new proposal in Utah becomes law, just a few drinks  or even a few swigs  could put you over the limit for drunk driving.

An effort is underway in the state to lower the legal blood-alcohol concentration for driving to .05  a first in the nation. Currently, all 50 states have a .08 cap, eschewing suggestions from the National Transportation Safety Board to redefine what constitutes drunk driving.

But state Rep. Norman Thurston, a Republican from Provo who plans to introduce a bill on the issue in the upcoming legislative session, wants that to change in 2017.

Advertisement

Impairment starts with the first drink, and we want to establish this state as one where you just simply do not drink and drive, said Thurston, noting he worked with officials from the Utah Highway Patrol while drafting the legislation. This is all about safety.

Impairment starts with the first drink, and we want to establish this state as one where you just simply do not drink and drive.  Norman Thurston, Utah state representative

And the safety concern is timely.

Deaths related to drunk driving nearly doubled in Utah between 2013 and 2014, increasing from 23 to 45. Conversely, drunk driving fatalities nationally have fallen by a third in the last three decades, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Nationally, 28 people die every day in motor vehicle crashes involving an alcohol-impaired driver, according to the agency.

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention chart shows how a blood-alcohol concentration of .05  about three drinks in one hour for a 160-pound man  causes, among other things, altered coordination, reduced ability to track moving objects and difficulty steering a motor vehicle.

For men weighing less than 160 pounds and for women, it takes even fewer drinks to reach the .05 threshold. If Utah makes the change, it will join several countries in Europe  such as Austria, France and Germany  that have blood-alcohol limits of .05. (In Poland, its .02).

In 2013, the NTSB released a report recommending that states lower to .05 the limit at which people can be prosecuted for drunk driving.

While the national board characterized its proposal as a way to prevent drunk driving deaths, restaurant industry groups pushed back, questioning the effectiveness of such a change. The American Beverage Institute portrayed it as criminalizing perfectly responsible behavior.

Thats the same argument coming from some detractors of the proposed legislation in Utah.

Why not focus on reducing the speed limit, or limiting texting while driving? said Connor Boyack, president of the libertarian-leaning Libertas Institute, located outside Salt Lake City. Those are real factors in causing traffic deaths. This would just criminalize people not causing any problems.

Art Brown, president of the Utah chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, told the local Fox affiliate the group would not support Thurstons proposal. Instead, he said, the group prefers to focus on interlock devices prohibiting people from driving drunk.

MADDs position is we really emphasize interlocks and getting those on people and staying .08, Brown said.

The state has long had a fraught relationship with alcohol. Mormons, who are forbidden from drinking liquor, make up nearly 60% of the population.

Even so, annual liquor sales have increased, up from $367.2 million in 2014 to $396.4 million in 2015. The Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control oversees all licensing and runs the states liquor stores.

A state audit released in September found the number of liquor stores in Utah so inadequate that adding 19 would just keep up with demand. Moreover, efforts are afoot to repeal a state law that requires cocktails made at bars and restaurants be prepared out of patrons sight.

In Utah, alcohol is not a major cause of fatal automobile crashes. Drunk driving was a contributing factor in about 13% of fatal crashes last year, according to the Utah Highway Safety Office. By contrast, speed played a role in 37% of deaths, and no seat belt use was a factor in 31%.

Still, Diane Christensen, a member of the Provo Landmarks Commission and Thurstons neighbor, lauded the effort. In 1979, as her older brother walked along a street in downtown Salt Lake City after a concert, he was hit and killed by a drunk driver.

I just have never got over it after all these years, said Christensen, who said she would testify in support of the measure, if needed, as it makes its way through legislative committees in the months ahead.

Thurston, who is Mormon and does not drink, says he takes no pride in Utah possibly becoming the first state in the country to lower the blood-alcohol concentration limit to .05.

In fact, I wish we were the 50th state to do it, he said. This is something that should have happened a long time ago.

kurtis.lee@latimes.com

Twitter: @kurtisalee

ALSO

Russian malware found at Vermont electric utility

This Congress filled the fewest judgeships since 1952. That leaves a big opening for Trump

In a policy shift, New York Police Department will allow beards and turbans for religious officers
Neil Gorsuch could fall somewhere between his hero, Justice Scalia, and former boss, centrist Justice Kennedy By David Savage Judge Neil M. Gorsuch was resting midway down a Colorado ski slope last year when his cellphone rang with the news that Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia had died. I immediately lost what breath I had left, Gorsuch recalled in an April speech, and I am not embarrassed to admit that I couldnt see the rest of the way down the mountain for the tears. Now, as President Trumps pick to replace Scalia on the high court, Gorsuch is seen by many on the right as a fitting replacement for the iconic jurist that Gorsuch considered a lion of the law. Like Scalia, Gorsuch, 49, who serves on the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, is a well-respected conservative who believes judges should decide cases based on the law as it was understood when passed, not on how they think it should be. Hes a clear, impassioned writer, albeit without Scalias flare for biting sarcasm. But Gorsuch also evokes the qualities of Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, for whom Gorsuch worked as a law clerk. (If confirmed, Gorsuch would join three justices who previously clerked on the high court, but he would be the first ever to serve alongside the justice he or she worked for.) Like Kennedy, 80, Gorsuch is a Westerner with a polite, congenial manner who at times has won praise from liberals. He may be more conservative than Kennedy when it comes to expanding individual rights, but he seems to lack Scalias fervor for overturning liberal precedents from decades past. Which way Gorsuch skews could be pivotal for the future of the court. Conservatives clearly hope hell be more like Scalia than Kennedy, a centrist swing vote who has often joined liberals on issues such as gay marriage and abortion. Some conservatives have even expressed hope that Gorsuchs personal history with Kennedy might enable him to draw the Reagan-appointee back toward the right. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Trump chooses Neil Gorsuch, a conservative seen as likely to be confirmed, for Supreme Court By Michael A. Memoli President Trump nominated federal Judge Neil M. Gorsuch on Tuesday to the Supreme Court to fill the seat of the late Antonin Scalia, choosing from his short list an appeals court judge from Denver seen as most likely to win Senate confirmation. Because Scalia was a stalwart conservative, Trumps choice is not likely to change the balance of the court. But it does set the stage for a bruising partisan fight over a man who could help determine law on gun rights, immigration, police use of force and transgender rights. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Trump administration is radicalizing Democratic voters, creating a challenge for the party, Rep. Adam Schiff says By Sarah D. Wire (Mark Wilson / Getty Images) As protests spread over policy announcements from the Trump administration, Democrats must work to encourage participation in politics, but face a danger of the party becoming too radicalized, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) said Tuesday. The radical nature of this government is radicalizing Democrats, and thats going to pose a real challenge to the Democratic Party, which is to draw on the energy and the activism and the passion that is out there, but not let it turn us into what we despised about the tea party, Schiff said. During a meeting with reporters and editors in the Los Angeles Times Washington bureau, Schiff also discussed his role as the highest-ranking Democrat on the House Select Intelligence Committee under a Trump administration and how Democrats will manage in the minority. Ever since the election, party leaders have been debating: Did we lose because we were too far to the left and we had too small a tent, or did we lose because we are too mainstream and didnt energize the base? Schiff asked. We are obviously having that debate, but theres a whole new element, which is the reaction to the Trump administration that makes this different in kind, certainly different in intensity, than I think weve ever seen after an election, he said. The more radical the administration is, the more radicalized our base becomes, which just feeds the Breitbart crowd, and who knows where that ends. Democratic leaders have to channel public reaction to Trumps actions into progress, rather than deadlock, Schiff said. Reaction to Democrats seen as working with the Trump administration has been strong. Monday night, for example, protesters marched on Sen. Dianne Feinsteins home and office voicing fears she would back Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions for attorney general. The senator from California announced Tuesday that she would oppose Sessions. Several groups calling themselves indivisible have popped up in cities across the country as focal points for efforts to organize. We have two of the most capable strategists as the head of our House and Senate Democrats, Schiff added, referring to House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco and Senate Democratic leader Sen. Charles E. Schumer of New York. If anybody can grapple with this, they can, but its going to be a challenging and moving target day to day. I just hope that we can channel that energy in a way where we can provide a check on this administration because Ive never been more worried about the countrys future than I am right now, he said. Schiff said part of his role as the ranking Democrat on the House Select Intelligence Committee will be pushing back when the Trump administration puts out inaccurate information about the intelligence community and its findings. Trump has repeatedly dismissed or sought to minimize the intelligence communitys findings that Russia sought to intervene in the 2016 election to benefit him. Schiff said hes concerned about what else the administration might be willing to dismiss. I think that will be kind of a new frontier, he said. How do we contradict a president making representations about what the intelligence community has to say when the information is classified? Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Trump administration signals that some temporary bans on entry into the U.S. could become permanent By Brian Bennett  Trumps orders put a greater emphasis on deporting those convicted of crimes and those in the country illegally who were charged with crimes not yet adjudicated The Trump administration doubled down Tuesday on its commitment to transforming the nations border law enforcement, signaling that some of the temporary bans on travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries are likely to be made permanent and elevating a deportations official to run the top immigration enforcement agency. Administration officials, led by newly sworn-in Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, moved to allay the havoc that marked the roll-out of the ban and another on refugees. They briefed reporters and planned to head to Capitol Hill later today in an apparent effort to smooth relations after reports that lawmakers and other stakeholders were left out of the crafting of the executive order on toughened vetting at border entry points. In a news conference, Kelly and other top Homeland Security officials conceded some problems, including poor communication. But they insisted that all court orders were followed over the weekend, rebutted reports that some legal residents were denied access to attorneys at airports and said they everyone detained by border agents was treated with dignity and respect. The vast majority of the 1.7 billion Muslims that live on this planet, the vast majority of them have, all other things being equal, have access to the United States, Kelly told reporters. And a relatively small number right now are being held up for a period of time until we can take a look at what their procedures are, he said, seeming to acknowledge that mostly Muslims have been affected by the ban. The moves signaled that the White House remained committed to remaking border law enforcement even in the face of widespread confusion and condemnation of President Trumps order. Kelly said for the first time that the some of the restrictions that caused confusion and sparked protests over the weekend could be extended well into the future. Some of those countries that are currently on the list may not be taken off the list anytime soon, he said. Trump also named a longtime deportation officer, Thomas D. Homan, as acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homan, who will oversee the execution of Trumps immigration enforcement order, was most recently in charge of the agencys 5,000 deportation officers, a force Trump said he would triple to 15,000. Trumps orders put a greater emphasis on deporting not only those convicted of crimes, but also people in the country illegally who were charged with crimes not yet adjudicated, those who receive an improper welfare benefit and even those who have not been charged but are believed to have committed acts that constitute a chargeable criminal offense. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

White House tries to ban the word ban, hours after president uses it himself By Noah Bierman This is not a ban, spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters in a fiery news briefing. (Alex Wong / Getty Images) President Trump used the word ban in a tweet as recently as Monday to describe his new executive order suspending travel from seven Muslim-majority countries and halting the refugee program for several months. But facing backlash from many directions, the White House adamantly insisted Tuesday that the word is verboten. This is not a ban, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters in a fiery news briefing. When we use words like travel ban, he said later, that misrepresents what it is. Its seven countries previously identified by the Obama administration, where, frankly, we dont get the information that we need for people coming into this country. In fact, people from the seven banned countries  Iraq, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia, Libya  cannot enter the United States under the order. Spicer appeared to be making a renewed effort to distinguish the order from the all-out ban on Muslims entering the country that Trump proposed during the campaign. Many around the world see the newest policy as an outgrowth of that proposal. Trump himself conceded a religious connection when he said in an interview on Friday that he wanted to make it easier for Syrian Christians to enter the country. And former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani told Fox News that the order sprang from a group he formed at Trumps request to create a legal framework that would accomplish the campaign goal of a Muslim ban. But amid confusion and worldwide criticism in recent days, the Trump administration has tried to temper some of the more incendiary rhetoric around the proposal. Even the words extreme vetting, a favorite Trump slogan, were called into question by Spicer on Tuesday. Calling for tougher vetting [of] individual travelers from seven nations is not extreme, he said. It is reasonable and necessary to protect our country. But changing the ban branding around the program at this point will be difficult. Heres Trumps tweet from Monday: If the ban were announced with a one week notice, the "bad" would rush into our country during that week. A lot of bad "dudes" out there!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 30, 2017 And Spicer himself used the term ban as recently as Sunday: Sean Spiceer today: This is not a Muslim ban. It is not a travel ban.



Sean Spicer in White House press release, Jan. 29: pic.twitter.com/axTM1m66nM  Dominic Holden (@dominicholden) January 31, 2017 Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Senate confirms Elaine Chao as secretary of Transportation By Associated Press Elaine Chao testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington at her confirmation hearing before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on Jan. 11, 2017. (Zach Gibson / AP) The Senate has confirmed Elaine Chao to serve as Transportation secretary in the Trump administration. The vote was 93 to 6 on Tuesday. Chao is an experienced Washington hand. She was Labor secretary under President George W. Bush and is the wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Chao would be a lead actor in pursuing Trumps promise to invest $1 trillion to improve highways, rail service and other infrastructure projects. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Speaker Paul Ryan defends Trumps immigrant and refugee ban, as Congress grumbles about being left out By Lisa Mascaro "What is happening is something we support... we need to make sure that the vetting standards are up to snuff," Paul Ryan says of travel ban pic.twitter.com/iX6YkOLkLl  CBS News (@CBSNews) January 31, 2017 House Speaker Paul D. Ryan on Tuesday stood by President Trumps temporary ban on refugees and citizens from seven Muslim-majority nations and indicated that he was confident the administration could fix the confusing rollout without action from Congress. What is happening is something we support, said Ryan, whose office was the target of a sit-in by protesters opposed to Trumps order. We need to pause and we need to make sure that the vetting standards are up to snuff so we can guarantee the safety and security of our country. Congress was blindsided by Trumps executive action -- Ryan learned about it as the public did when the White House announced it Friday afternoon. Many GOP lawmakers have raised concerns. During a private meeting in the Capitol basement Tuesday, Republican lawmakers were counseled on how to handle protesters and office sit-ins happening across the country. Its regrettable that there was some confusion on the rollout of this, Ryan said. No one wanted to see people with green cards or special immigrant visas, like translators, get caught up in all of this. Ryan also said he was concerned the ban could be used as propaganda by terrorist groups. The rhetoric surrounding this could be used as a recruiting tool, and I think thats dangerous, he said. Still, Republicans leaders as well as rank-and-file GOP lawmakers largely agreed with the presidents move to halt refugee admissions for 120 days, and to temporarily ban citizens from seven predominantly Muslim countries, unless they are Christians or other religious minorities. The president was well within his right to issue an executive order, said Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas), chairman of the House Rules Committee. Do I feel let out? I feel like everybody was left out, he said. I wish they communicated it. I wish they had gotten more information to people. I wish they had measured three times and sawed once. Lawmakers have shown little appetite for Congress to get involved, and suggested the chaos that erupted at airports over the weekend was just part of a learning curve at the White House. I support the thrust of the executive order, said Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.), who nevertheless said the administration should have been better prepared and will need to get your act together. Last year, Ryan had strongly condemned Trumps campaign-trail call for a Muslim ban. In recent days, Ryan, like other congressional leaders, was forced to dial up the administration with his questions and concerns about the order, conferring Monday with Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly. I am very pleased and confident that he is, on a going-forward basis, going to make sure that things are done correctly, Ryan said. Pressed on whether Congress would have a role, Ryan did not indicate any immediate legislative action. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Democrats boycott Senate committee votes on Price, Mnuchin By Jim Puzzanghera Senate Democrats speak with reporters after boycotting Finance Committee confirmation votes. (JIM WATSON / AFP/Getty Images) Senate Democrats on Tuesday boycotted a committee vote on two of President Trumps top Cabinet nominees -- Tom Price to lead Health and Human Services and Steve Mnuchin to be Treasury secretary. Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) blasted the Democratic move as he sat in a hearing room with only Republicans on the dais. They ought to be embarrassed. Its the most pathetic treatment Ive seen in my 40 years in the United States Senate, Hatch said. I think they should stop posturing and acting like idiots, he said. At least one Democrat needs to be present for the committee to vote on the nominations, Hatch said. He recessed the hearing until further notice, saying he hoped a vote could take place later Tuesday. But asked mid-afternoon if he thought the committee would be able to meet Tuesday, Hatch said it doesnt look like it. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the committees top Democrat, said Price and Mnuchin have misled the public and held back important information about their backgrounds. Until questions are answered, Democrats believe the committee should not move forward with either nomination, Wyden said. This is about getting answers to questions, plain and simple, he said. Ethics laws are not optional, and nominees do not have a right to treat disclosure like a shell game. Today @SenateFinance Democrats refused to move forward with nominations of Mnuchin & Price.  Ron Wyden (@RonWyden) January 31, 2017 The litany of ethics revelations regarding @RepTomPrice are strong evidence that he cannot be allowed to have control of #Medicare.  Ron Wyden (@RonWyden) January 31, 2017 Mr. Mnuchin continued to fail to come clean on shady foreclosure practices that hurt Americans.  Ron Wyden (@RonWyden) January 31, 2017 Liberal groups cheered the boycott while Senate Republican leaders decried it as Democratic obstructionism. They are manufacturing issues on a daily basis to drag this process out, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kent.) said of the confirmations of Trumps nominees. I dont see how they can explain to the American people how it is appropriate to prevent the administration from getting up and getting started, he said. Democrats have said Mnuchin, a wealthy Wall Street executive, misled the committee in his response to a written question about foreclosures at Pasadenas OneWest Bank while he ran it from 2009-15. Democrats pointed to a report Sunday by the Columbus Dispatch that Mnuchin denied that OneWest engaged in so-called robo-signing of mortgage documents. The paper said its analysis of nearly four dozen foreclosure cases in Ohios Franklin County in 2010 showed that the bank frequently used robo-signers. The Columbus Dispatch cited a foreclosure involving a mortgage signed by Erica Johnson-Seck, a OneWest vice president who said in a deposition in a 2009 Florida case that she signed an average of 750 documents a week. Barney Keller, a spokesman for Mnuchin, said Monday that several courts had dismissed cases involving allegations of robo-signing by Johnson-Seck. The media is picking on a hardworking bank employee whose reputation has been maligned but whose work has been upheld by numerous courts all around the country in the face of scurrilous and false allegations, Keller said. Democrats also have problems with Price, a six-term congressman and former orthopedic surgeon who has distinguished himself in conservative circles for his staunch opposition to the Affordable Care Act and his plans to slash federal healthcare spending. His nomination has become among Trumps most controversial, in part because of his hostility to government safety net programs, including Medicaid and Medicare. Democrats have also been increasingly critical of Prices extensive trading in healthcare stocks while he has been in Congress, and in some cases while he has pushed legislation that would benefit his portfolio. Price has denied any wrongdoing. Also drawing criticism is Prices purchase of discounted shares in an Australian biotech firm, Innate Immunotherapeutics, which he was offered through a private deal not available to general shareholders. Price also denied that this was improper, and Senate Republicans have rallied to his side, saying he did not violate any ethics rules. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) said he and the other Democrats on the committee want Mnuchin and Price to explain their lies either in person before the committee or in new written answers. I want them to disclose this information that they seem not to want to disclose, Brown said. 12:10 p.m.: This post was updated with additional comments from Hatch as well as from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Sen. Sherrod Brown. 8:00 a.m.: This post has been updated with additional information and background. 8:07 a.m.: This post has been updated with additional information. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

White House aides who wrote Trumps travel ban see it as just the start By Brian Bennett (Pablo Martinez Monsivais / Associated Press) Even as confusion, internal dissent and widespread condemnation greeted President Trumps travel ban and crackdown on refugees this weekend, senior White House aides say they are only getting started. Trump and his aides justified Fridays executive order, which blocked travel from seven majority-Muslim countries for 90 days and halted refugees from around the world for 120, on security grounds  an issue that they say they take seriously. But their ultimate goal is far broader. Trumps top advisors on immigration, including chief strategist Steve Bannon and senior advisor Stephen Miller, see themselves as launching a radical experiment to fundamentally transform how the U.S. decides who is allowed into the country and to block a generation of people who, in their view, wont assimilate into American society. That project may live or die in the next three months, as the Trump administration reviews whether and how to expand the visa ban and alter vetting procedures. White House aides are considering new, onerous security checks that could effectively limit travel into the U.S. by people from majority-Muslim countries to a trickle. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Why corporations cant risk keeping silent about Trumps immigration ban By David Pierson Starbucks Chief Executive Howard Schultz said the Seattle coffee company is developing plans to hire 10,000 refugees over the next five years. (Richard Drew / Associated Press) Corporate America generally prefers to stay quiet about partisan politics. Pick one side of a hot-button issue, the thinking goes, and youll risk losing customers on the other side. But like so many norms before it, President Trump has turned this one on its head. A growing number of companies are deciding its a bigger risk to their investors and bottom line to stay quiet than it is to protest Trumps ban on refugees and travel from seven Muslim-majority nations, betting vocal opposition to the executive order scores them a moral and fiscal victory. While it was possible for companies to take a wait-and-see approach leading up to Trumps inauguration, many firms can no longer ignore the White Houses policy given the effect the order is already having on employees either stranded or fearful of traveling. Only a week ago it seemed foolish to speak out against a president who has admonished individual companies on social media such as Carrier, Boeing and General Motors. Now the pendulum has swung the other way. Companies, mostly in technology but increasingly in other sectors, have decided that its not enough just to speak out against the immigration order. They believe that they must also take headline-grabbing action. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Op-Ed: Trump is taking the Bannon Way, and it will end in disaster By Jonah Goldberg Bannon has said hes a Leninist' but hes really more of a Trotskyist because he fancies himself the leader of an international populist-nationalist right wing movement, exporting anti-'globalist' revolution. In that role, his status as an enabler of Trumps instinct to shoot  or tweet  from the hip seems especially ominous. The Bannon way might work on the campaign trail, but it doesnt translate into good governance. Its possible  and one must hope  that Trump can learn this fact on the job. But what if he doesnt? He could put the country in serious peril.  Jonah Goldberg Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Trump will leave LGBTQ protections in place By Associated Press (Evan Vucci / Associated Press) The White House says President Trump will leave intact a 2014 executive order that protects federal workers from anti-LGBTQ discrimination. In a statement released early Tuesday, the White House said Trump is determined to protect the rights of all Americans, including the LGBTQ community and that he continues to be respectful and supportive of LGBTQ rights, just as he was throughout the election. The Trump administration has vowed to roll back much of President Obamas work from the last eight years and had been scrutinizing the 2014 order. The directive protects people from LGBTQ discrimination while working for federal contractors. The recent statement says the protections will remain intact at the direction of Trump. Here is the text of Obamas executive order, signed on July 21, 2014: By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including 40 U.S.C. 121, and in order to provide for a uniform policy for the Federal Government to prohibit discrimination and take further steps to promote economy and efficiency in Federal Government procurement by prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1. Amending Executive Order 11478 . The first sentence of section 1 of Executive Order 11478 of August 8, 1969, as amended, is revised by substituting sexual orientation, gender identity for sexual orientation. Sec. 2. Amending Executive Order 11246 . Executive Order 11246 of September 24, 1965, as amended, is hereby further amended as follows: (a) The first sentence of numbered paragraph (1) of section 202 is revised by substituting sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin for sex, or national origin. (b) The second sentence of numbered paragraph (1) of section 202 is revised by substituting sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin for sex or national origin. (c) Numbered paragraph (2) of section 202 is revised by substituting sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin for sex or national origin. (d) Paragraph (d) of section 203 is revised by substituting sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin for sex or national origin. Sec. 3. Regulations . Within 90 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Labor shall prepare regulations to implement the requirements of section 2 of this order. Sec. 4. General Provisions . (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect: (i) the authority granted by law to an agency or the head thereof; or (ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals. (b) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person. Sec. 5. Effective Date . This order shall become effective immediately, and section 2 of this order shall apply to contracts entered into on or after the effective date of the rules promulgated by the Department of Labor under section 3 of this order. Update 6:45 a.m.: This article was updated with the text of the 2014 executive order. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Trump fires Justice Departments top official after she refuses to defend his refugee ban By David Lauter Sally Yates. (J. David Ake / Associated Press) President Trump fired acting Atty. Gen. Sally Yates on Monday, just hours after she announced that the department would not defend his controversial executive order banning refugees and travelers from certain countries. Yates has betrayed the Department of Justice by refusing to enforce a legal order designed to protect the citizens of the United States, the White House said in a statement. It is time to get serious about protecting our country. The move came after Yates sent a letter to Justice Department lawyers saying that she questioned the lawfulness of Trumps executive order. My responsibility is to ensure that the position of the Department of Justice is not only legally defensible, but is informed by our best view of what the law is after consideration of all the facts, Yates wrote. At present, I am not convinced that the defense of the executive order is consistent with these responsibilities, nor am I convinced that the executive order is lawful, she wrote. Consequently, for as long as I am the acting attorney general, the Department of Justice will not present arguments in defense of the executive order unless and until I become convinced that it is appropriate to do so. Yates was a holdover from the Obama administration. But because Trumps nominee for attorney general, Sen. Jeff Sessions, has not been confirmed and no other senior Justice Department officials have been appointed, firing her was expected to cause significant problems within the department. Among other issues, Yates is the only person in the department currently authorized to sign warrants for wiretapping in foreign espionage cases involving the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. Trump replaced Yates with Dana J. Boente, a three-decade veteran of the Justice Department who was appointed in 2015 by former President Obama as U.S. attorney for the eastern district of Virginia. 6:37 p.m.: The story was updated with Trumps decision to fire Yates. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

U.S. service member killed in Yemen identified as Navy SEAL from Illinois By Jeanette Steele The Pentagon on Sunday confirmed the death of a U.S. servicemember in a raid in Yemen targeting al-Qaeda, marking the first American combat death under the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. A Navy SEAL from the Virginia-based elite unit known as SEAL Team 6 was killed Sunday during an unusual nighttime raid that put U.S. troops on the ground against Al Qaeda leaders in the middle of war-torn Yemen. The fallen sailor was identified Monday as Chief Special Warfare Operator William Ryan Owens, 36, of Peoria, Ill.. Three other Americans were wounded in the raid and an MV-22 Osprey had to be destroyed after the aircraft suffered a hard landing and couldnt fly. Another U.S. service member was injured in that crash. The raid marked the first known counter-terrorism operation and first confirmed combat fatality under President Trump. Steele writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Protests against Trumps ban on certain immigrants continue across the country By Ann M. Simmons Protesters rally at Los Angeles International Airport on Jan. 29, demonstrating against the immigration ban imposed by President Trump. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images) After a weekend of turmoil at many of the nations airports following President Trumps executive order to suspend the U.S. refugee program and temporarily prohibit entry to citizens of seven predominantly Muslim nations, federal officials said all people being detained on arrival to the U.S. had been released. But that hasnt put a stop to demands to lift the travel ban. Protests continued to be held and organized throughout the country  incluidng in New York, New Orleans, Colorado and Connecticut. According to Ground Game, an online platform for organizing, at least a dozen demonstrations were planned for this week in what the group described as a fight against Islamophobia and Fascism. Calls to rally, demonstrate and protest swept social media platforms, including Twitter and Facebook. In Louisville, Ky., a rally was planned for Monday evening at the Muhammad Ali Center, in what organizers said would be a gathering for American values and to voice support for our nation and our city, which was founded and is strengthened by immigrants. In Hattiesburg, Miss., there was call to join a peaceful vigil in solidarity with refugees, immigrants, and Muslims on the University of Southern Mississippi campus on Monday evening. Declaring that Jersey City stands with our Muslim and immigrant community, organizers in that New Jersey city called on people to come to a pedestrian mall on Monday to stand in solidarity and peace as we show our strength in diversity as one of the most diverse cities in the nation. Other demonstrations were planned for later in the week in cities nationwide, including Tuesday in Tuscon, where organizers encouraged people to stand in solidarity with Senator (John) McCains strong public statement opposing the executive order banning refugees and Legal Permanent Residents from Muslim countries! Similar actions were planned on Tuesday at the South Carolina State House in Columbia and at the Worchester City Hall and Common in Massachusetts, while organizers in San Francisco, under the banner #NoBanNoWallSF, urged residents to join the resistance against Donald Trumps racist and exclusionary Executive Orders on Saturday. We will not allow our country to be divided by hate and religious persecution, read a statement from #NoBanNoWallSF posted on Facebook. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Obama carefully weighs in on refugee ban, says he is heartened by public response By Michael A. Memoli (Jim Watson / AFP/Getty Images) Former President Obama has offered his first public comment on the conduct of his successor, saying through a spokesman that he is heartened by public demonstrations against the Trump administrations controversial move to temporarily ban refugees and block all admissions from seven countries. President Obama is heartened by the level of engagement taking place in communities around the country, Kevin Lewis, a spokesperson for the former president, said in a statement emailed to reporters Monday. In his final official speech as President, he spoke about the important role of citizen and how all Americans have a responsibility to be the guardians of our democracy--not just during an election but every day. Citizens exercising their constitutional right to assemble, organize and have their voices heard by their elected officials is exactly what we expect to see when American values are at stake. Lewis also said in the statement that Obama fundamentally disagrees with the notion of discriminating against individuals because of their faith or religion. Trump aides deny that his executive order, released Friday, involves religious discrimination. The order temporarily blocked travel to the U.S. by residents of seven predominantly Muslim nations, but left many of the Islamic worlds largest population centers unaffected, they note. The order also included an exception for believers of minority religions in those countries, a provision that Trump explicitly said would help Christians. Obamas statement is notable less for its content than for the fact that it was issued at all. It reflected the delicate balance he feels he must strike between showing a degree of deference to the new president and speaking out on issues he sees as critically important. The statement tiptoed around the content of the order, focusing more on the former presidents interest in citizen engagement. Obama said before leaving office that he expected to choose carefully when to comment on the actions of his successor and would focus less on normal functioning of politics and more on certain issues or certain moments where I think our core values may be at stake, as he put it in his final news conference. Mondays statement did point, though, to comments Obama made at a news conference in November 2015, when he called the idea of a religious test for immigration policy shameful and not American. We dont have religious tests to our compassion, he said at the time. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

GOP-led Congress worries about its role in the Trump era By Lisa Mascaro Its what congressional Republicans had long dreamed about: a majority in both chambers to advance conservative policies and a president from the same party to sign them into law. But the Trump White House isnt turning out exactly the way they envisioned. The GOP establishment is experiencing whiplash after a week of President Trump bulldozing through the norms of policy and protocol  dashing off executive orders without warning, escalating a diplomatic crisis with the countrys closest southern neighbor, triggering global confusion with a new refugee policy and generally hijacking party leaders agenda and replacing it with his own. Rather than the hoped-for collaborative new relationship between the White House and Congress, GOP officials complain that Trump is brushing aside their advice, failing to fully engage on drafting tough legislative packages like tax reform and Obamacare, and bypassing Congress by relying on executive actions, something they frequently complained about under President Obama. At the same time, Trumps unilateral moves continue to blindside Republicans and direct the national focus toward topics many in the party would rather avoid, whether thats how to pay for building the border wall with Mexico, warming ties with Russia, investigating false claims about voter fraud or, most recently, implementing sweeping new policies on refugees and visas. In the name of party unity, many Republicans so far have refrained from publicly attacking the new president. But for some, the new refugee policy crossed the line, signaling the first major rift in their already fraught partnership. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Washington state sues Trump over immigration order By Mark Z. Barabak President Trump signed an executive order Friday that suspends all immigration for citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries for 90 days. (Evan Vucci / Associated Press) Opening a new legal front, lawyers for the state of Washington filed suit Monday seeking to block President Trumps executive order temporarily banning foreign refugees from entering the United States. No one is above the law, not even the president, Atty. Gen. Bob Ferguson said in announcing the federal lawsuit. And in the courtroom, it is not the loudest voice that prevails. Its the Constitution. Over the weekend, a federal judge in Brooklyn issued an order curtailing portions of Trumps executive order, issued Friday, which temporary halts migration from seven predominantly Muslim countries for at least 90 days and also closed the nation to refugees for at least the next four months. Other challenges are pending. The lawsuit filed in federal court in Seattle was the first taken by a state attorney general, and its provenance was no surprise. Washington state and others along the West Coast voted overwhelmingly for Democrat Hillary Clinton in November and have emerged as a hotbed of anti-Trump sentiment. We will not yield, said Democratic Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who joined Ferguson at a Seattle news conference. We will not be leveraged. We will not be threatened. We will not be intimidated. We will not be bullied by this. Trumps order, which has sparked demonstrations across the country, brought an outpouring of objection from Insleys Democratic colleagues around the country. President Trumps recent executive orders that divide and discriminate do not reflect the values enshrined in the U.S. Constitution or the principles we stand for as Oregonians, said Gov. Kate Brown. A single executive order does not define who we are as a country, said Connecticut Gov. Daniel P. Malloy. We are a nation of immigrants and must continue to fight for the tired, the poor, and the huddled masses yearning to breath free. In Massachusetts, another state that voted overwhelmingly for Clinton, Republican Gov. Charlie Baker joined the chorus of Democratic criticism, saying the travel ban would undermine the international relations forged by the states business, academic and healthcare communities. The confusion for families is real. The unexpected disruption for law-abiding people is real, Baker said. Thankfully, the federal courts will have an opportunity to straighten this out and it is my hope they do so, and do so quickly. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

How a top conservative radio host took on Trump, lost his audience and faith, but gained a new perspective By Mark Z. Barabak Charlie Sykes, right, interviews Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) before Wisconsins 2016 primary (Morry Gash/Associated Press) For nearly 25 years, Charlie Sykes was one of the most powerful and influential voices in Wisconsin. He cheer-led policies that turned this historically progressive state into a model of conservative governance. He made and destroyed political careers, using his perch on Milwaukee talk radio to help vault figures such as House Speaker Paul Ryan and Gov. Scott Walker to national prominence. But for the moment Sykes was speechless. He sank into the brown leather banquette of a suburban steakhouse. He stammered. He sighed. When youve devoted your whole life to certain beliefs and you think now they have been undermined and that you might have been deluded about things, he began. So. So. Um... In 2016 Sykes emerged as one of Donald Trumps most prominent critics, a stance that outraged listeners, strained longstanding friendships and left him questioning much of what he once held true. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Pentagon compiling a list of Iraqis who aided the U.S. military and wants them shielded from Trumps travel ban By W.J. Hennigan The Pentagon is compiling a list of Iraqi citizens who have worked with the U.S. military and is recommending that they be exempt from President Trumps temporary ban on entry to the U.S. by people from Iraq and six other predominantly Muslim countries, according to the U.S. military. The move could potentially shield tens of thousands of Iraqi interpreters, advisors, and others who have assisted the American military from the presidents controversial executive action that blocked visitors from Iraq, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Libya and Yemen. Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters Monday that the list will include names of individuals who have demonstrated their commitment to helping the United States. Even people that are doing seemingly benign things in support of us  whether as a linguist, a driver, anything else  they often do that at great personal risk, he said. So people who take these risks are really making a tangible signal of support to the United States, and thats something that will, and should be, recognized. The list would not require any changes to the presidents order, but rather serve as guidance to the Department of Homeland Security and the White House in implementing the new policy. White House spokesman Sean Spicer later pushed back against blanket exemptions. We recognize that people have served this country, we should make sure that in those cases theyre helped out, he said. But that doesnt mean that we just give them a pass. Trump, who signed the order at the Pentagon on Friday, did not consult Defense Secretary James N. Mattis or Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on the temporary suspensions of entry to visitors from the seven nations, according to U.S. officials. The executive action put the U.S. military in a difficult position because it works closely with the Iraqi government on a range of issues, including the fight against Islamic State, which necessitates travel between the two countries. For instance, Iraqi military pilots train to fly F-16 fighter jets at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona. Its not clear those pilots, who are active in the fight against Islamic State, could arrive in the U.S. for the training. 1:10 p.m.: This post was updated with White House response. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Trump signs order on rulemaking: For every regulation added, agencies have to cut 2 others By Noah Bierman (Evan Vucci / Associated Press) President Trump signed an executive order Monday designed to fulfill his campaign pledge reduce red tape for businesses. The two-page order requires that when a federal agency proposes new regulations, it shall identify at least two existing regulations to be repealed. We want to make the life easier for small businesses and big business, Trump said Monday from the Roosevelt Room of the White House, where he met with nine representatives of the small-business sector. Trump said he hoped to see up to 75% of federal regulations eliminated during his presidency. Regulation has been horrible for big business, but its been worse for small business, Trump said. He also reiterated his promise to gut the Dodd-Frank Act, the financial regulatory overhaul that was passed after the financial crisis. Dodd-Frank is a disaster, he said. Were going to be doing a big number on Dodd-Frank. Consumer advocates who backed the law say that eliminating it would help Wall Street and other players in the financial sector at the expense of consumers. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

U.S. diplomats to protest Trumps travel ban order By Tracy Wilkinson Protesters of President Trumps immigration order block traffic at LAX. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) A number of U.S. diplomats are condemning President Trumps ban on some Muslim immigrants and visitors, saying the abrupt order does not make the U.S. safer and will only stoke anti-American fervor overseas. The complaint, being made through the State Departments so-called dissent channel, echoes criticism coming from human rights attorneys, legal experts and lawmakers from both political parties, as well as world leaders. It is significant because it represents the viewpoint of the men and women who must carry out Trumps unconventional and often provocative foreign policy. A policy which closes our doors to over 200-million legitimate travelers in the hopes of preventing a small number of travelers who intend to harm Americans ... will not achieve its aim of making our country safer, said a draft version of the memo that was circulating Monday and was reviewed by the Los Angeles Times. It was first reported by ABC News. Moreover, such a policy runs counter to core American values of non-discrimination, fair play and extending a warm welcome to foreign visitors and immigrants. The White House was quickly dismissive of the dissent and seemed to suggest the diplomats should quit if they disagree with a policy. Trump spokesman Sean Spicer said the diplomats raising of opposition does call into question whether or not they should continue to work in the State Department. It was not clear how many officials would sign the memo. Dissent channel memos are in theory not made public. The mechanism is designed to allow diplomats to offer an alternative policy without fear of retaliation. Acting State Department spokesman Mark Toner confirmed the existence of the memo but declined to comment on its contents. The dissent channel is a longstanding official vehicle for State Department employees to convey alternative views and perspectives on policy issues, he said. "... It allows State employees to express divergent policy views candidly and privately to senior leadership. The agency is still waiting for a boss. Trumps pick for secretary of State, former Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson, is expected to be confirmed by the Senate this week. The last time a dissent-channel memo was reported publicly was last year, when about 50 diplomats protested Obama administration policy in Syria, which they described as inaction. 12:20 p.m.: This story was updated with White House comment. 8:40 a.m.: This story was updated with comment from a State Department spokesman. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Trump to announce his Supreme Court choice Tuesday -- in prime time By Michael A. Memoli (Susan Walsh / Associated Press) President Trump will announce his first Supreme Court nomination in prime time on Tuesday, he tweeted this morning. I have made my decision on who I will nominate for The United States Supreme Court. It will be announced live on Tuesday at 8:00 P.M. (W.H.)  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 30, 2017 The announcement was moved up two days amid the continued fallout from the executive action Trump signed temporarily banning refugee admissions from some countries. Trump had tweeted last week that he would announce his high-court decision Thursday. In an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network on Friday, Trump said his administration was doing some final vetting of his choice to replace the late Antonin Scalia, and that the pick would be from among the list of 20 names he issued during the election campaign. I think the person I pick will be big, big, he said. I think people are going to love it. I think evangelicals, Christians will love my pick. And will be represented very fairly. Times Supreme Court reporter David Savage profiled each of the leading contenders: Judge Thomas Hardiman of the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals, Judge Neil M. Gorsuch of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, and Judge William H. Pryor Jr. from the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. The move could prompt a major clash with Senate Democrats, who have warned the president against a choice outside what they consider the mainstream. Some are threatening to block any choice in retaliation for Senate Republicans refusal to even hold hearings on President Obamas choice to replace Scalia, Merrick Garland. Democrats 2013 change to Senate rules that allowed most nominations to advance with a simple majority vote exempted Supreme Court nominations, meaning that Democrats could potentially filibuster the choice. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) appeared to rule out any further rule change in an interview last week, though Trump urged him to consider doing so. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

As Hollywood gathered at the SAG Awards, some entertainers joined LAX protest Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Advertisement

This New York doctor went to visit family in Sudan, and now hes stuck By Molly Hennessy-Fiske Dr. Kamal Fadlalla (Dr. Kamal Fadlalla / For The Times) Dr. Kamal Fadlalla, a hospital resident who has been working in New York for the last 20 months, was stuck in Sudan on Sunday, having gone there to see his family earlier this month. He had left Jan. 13, was due to return Feb. 4 but tried to return on Friday after hearing about President Trumps executive order on immigration, which suspended entry for people from seven countries, including Sudan. He made it past passport control, all the way to the gate at the airport in Khartoum, the Sudanese capital. One hour before departure they called my name, he said, and summoned him to the ticket counter, along with other New York-bound Sudanese passengers. When I got to the counter, they said there was a notice from Customs and Border Protection that ... they had to offload us from the flight. I was shocked. Fadlalla, 33, hoped for a reprieve as other passengers gathered, all stuck. One family, they came back from Dubai, she was a mother of three or four kids. She was waiting overnight at the Dubai airport. There were also two passengers turned back from New York, he said. It was a very tough night on me, He stayed for several hours, then returned to his mothers home in Madani, two hours south. Fadlalla is a second-year resident in internal medicine at Interfaith Medical Center in Brooklyn. He is hoping to specialize in hematology and oncology. The Committee for Interns and Residents found an attorney to represent him, he said, but he had not received any news about how a New York federal judges ruling late Saturday, which halted the deportations of people who had arrived in the U.S. with valid visas, could affect him. I dont know what Im going to do. My vacation is going to end and I have to join the hospital next week. Its going to be tough on me, Fadlalla said. I dont know for how long Im going to stay here. I dont know what Im going to do. My visa is valid for three months. Im really stuck. I have my house there, my utilities, my work, my patients, my colleagues. It was my life for the past 20 months. And Im stuck here. Fadlalla is from northern Sudan, and describes himself as a moderate Muslim. He said the executive order wont make the U.S. safer by barring valid visa holders like him because, Ive been through the whole process of visa interviews. He had planned to take board exams next year, and if he misses them, his schooling will be delayed. He had wanted to stay and work in New York, too. All my life is there. Now Im stuck here. I dont know what to do, he said. Its going to really affect my life, my patients, my colleagues and their work schedule. He said the executive order has shocked others in Sudan, too. Theyre talking about human rights. Everybody knows the United States is about freedom, he said. Everybody knows America is a free country, a country of chances for everybody. Still, people have hope in those protesting at airports all over the United States and attorneys who have volunteered to help immigrants and refugees, he said. He said the order is especially worrying for aspiring Sudanese medical residents who have been preparing to match with a hospital in March to study in the United States. A lot of my colleagues who are preparing for exams are really, really worried about this, Fadlalla said. Im really worried about the future of these young people. They study a lot and spend a lot of money, a lot of effort to enter the United States. Im concerned about my future and my colleagues future. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Californias congressional Republicans hold their fire on Trumps refugee order By Sarah D. Wire Only a few of the states 14 Republican representatives have publicly commented on an executive order signed by President Trump on Friday that barred refugees and green card holders from seven countries from entering the country. Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Tulare) released a statement Sunday night saying that some tweaks are needed, but that his background as chairman of the House Select Intelligence Committee leads him to support the executive order. In light of attempts by jihadist groups to infiltrate fighters into refugee flows to the West, along with Europes tragic experience coping with this problem, the Trump administrations executive order on refugees is a common-sense security measure to prevent terror attacks on the homeland, Nunes said. While accommodations should be made for green card holders and those whove assisted the U.S. armed forces, this is a useful temporary measure on seven nations of concern until we can verify who is entering the United States. Rep. Ed Royce (R-Fullerton) told the Washington Post that the executive order is the right call to keep America safe, but he hopes the cases of people traveling on visas who were prevented from reentering the country are resolved quickly. Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) said Sunday on Twitter that the rollout has created confusion, and that executive orders arent the way to fix the countrys long-term problems. View Twitter post View Twitter post Several of Californias 38 Democratic congressional representatives and the states two senators were out in force over the weekend demanding the release of refugees and green card holders as well as an end to the executive order. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) announced she would file two pieces of legislation in response. One would immediately rescind the presidents order. The second would limit executive authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act to prevent a president from unilaterally banning groups of immigrants. Its clear that the president gave little consideration to the chaos and heartbreak that would result from this order, she said in a statement. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) joined protesters outside the White House on Sunday afternoon. We will fight against racism. We will fight against anti-Muslim rhetoric. We will fight against those who will marginalize who we are. pic.twitter.com/R54f3MDhvo  Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) January 29, 2017 In Los Angeles, Reps. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) and Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) joined protesters at Los Angeles International Airport. On Saturday, Reps. Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park), Nanette Barragan (D-San Pedro) and Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana) joined the initial protests at the airport, and worked to get some of those being held released. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin) accompanied protesters at San Francisco International Airport on Sunday. Congresswoman @MaxineWaters is here at LAX protest leading the crowd in the chant "no ban, no wall, you build it up we'll tear it down" pic.twitter.com/iNEmkVVkmW  Javier Panzar  (@jpanzar) January 29, 2017 Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Legal moves come too late for Iranian man who arrived at LAX after Trumps order By Matt Hamilton Ali Vayeghan arrived at 7:15 p.m. Friday from Tehran. He was going to stay with relatives, then go to Indiana, to join his wife, who arrived in the U.S. four months ahead of him, and his son. But he never emerged from customs. His niece said he was put on a plane to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, at 3:15 p.m. Saturday. The ACLU was trying to prevent his deportation but arrived with paperwork 45 minutes too late. The family spoke to him by phone after he landed in Dubai, where he was waiting to be put on a flight to Tehran. Hes literally crying in the airport in Dubai, Ali Vayeghans niece, Marjan Vayghan, said. On Sunday afternoon, a federal judge in Los Angeles ordered authorities to transport Vayeghan back to the U.S. and admit him under the terms of his visa, which is set to expire Feb. 14. U.S. District Judge Dolly M. Gee said in her order that Vayeghan had demonstrated a strong likelihood of success in establishing that removal violates the Establishment Clause, the Immigration and Nationality Act, and his rights to Equal Protection guaranteed by the United States Constitution. But by the time the order came down, Vayeghan was on a plane bound for Tehran. Federal judge in LA has issued order allowing Iranian man deported from LAX yesterday to be admitted to US pic.twitter.com/yPth0xEQpv  Matt Hamilton (@MattHjourno) January 29, 2017 Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

The political climate is a hot topic at the Screen Actors Guild awards The Actor statue watches over the red carpet at the Shrine Auditorium. (Matt Sayles / Invision / Associated Press) Stars on the red carpet and at the winners podium tonight in Los Angeles are not keeping their mouths shut on current affairs. The 23rd Screen Actors Guild awards are being held at the Shrine Auditorium. Heres what they have had to say so far: I want you all to know that I am the daughter of an immigrant. My father fled religious persecution in Nazi-occupied France, and Im an American patriot, and I love this country, and because I love this country, I am horrified by its blemishes and this immigrant ban is a blemish and it is un-American.  Julia Louis-Dreyfus, accepting her award for her role in Veep We need to vote. Had we all voted, we wouldnt be here. You dont like it, you dont have nothing to say if you didnt vote. Get a clipboard, get organized and get in it. Dont sit back on the sidelines. Get in it. This is a fight for the country right now. Its worth fighting for.  Courtney B. Vance, nominated for his performance in The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story For the first time ever in my lifetime, Ive been concerned about where its going to go. It doesnt seem to be that its going to go in a very positive direction.  Claire Foy, nominated for her role as Queen Elizabeth in the Netflix series The Crown Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Green card holders will not be blocked by Trumps order, Homeland Security says By David Lauter (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times) The Trump administration backed away from one of the most controversial parts of its new executive order on immigration Sunday evening, saying that permanent U.S. residents in most cases will not be affected by the new rules. Since the president issued the order Friday, confusion has been rampant over the effects on permanent residents, noncitizens who hold so-called green cards that allow them to live and work legally in the U.S. Many were stopped and detained at airports for many hours on Friday and Saturday and, in some cases, reported that they had been threatened with being returned to their home countries. An undetermined number of other green card holders were stopped from boarding U.S.-bound planes. Late Sunday, however, the secretary of Homeland Security, retired Gen. John Kelly, issued a statement changing the policy. Statement By Secretary John Kelly On The Entry Of Lawful Permanent Residents Into The United States  https://t.co/Es1qivoR3J pic.twitter.com/hffMK2MOQC  Homeland Security (@DHSgov) January 29, 2017 I hereby deem the entry of lawful permanent residents to be in the national interest, Kelly wrote. Green card holders from one of the seven countries covered by the 90-day ban will still need to request a waiver to gain reentry to the U.S. if they have traveled abroad. But unless officials have significant derogatory information about a green card holder that indicates a serious threat to public safety and welfare, lawful permanent resident status will be a dispositive factor in deciding the case, Kellys statement said. A White House official, briefing reporters about the change in policy, said that about 170 people have applied for a waiver to the ban so far, and all 170 have received a waiver and have been allowed to enter the U.S. The seven countries affected by the ban are Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Uber fights immigration order -- and #DeleteUber hashtag -- with $3-million legal fund for drivers By Tracey Lien Hours after Lyfts co-founders announced a $1-million donation to the American Civil Liberties Union to defend the

Constitution, Uber Chief Executive Travis Kalanick pulled out his pocket book as well. Kalanick promised in a Facebook post that the company would create a $3-million legal defense fund to help drivers affected by the Trump administrations move to restrict immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries. The fund will help drivers with immigration and translation services. Kalanick also said the San Francisco ride-hailing company will provide 24/7 legal support to drivers stuck outside the country and compensate them for lost earnings. Drivers eligible for assistance were directed to contact the company via an online form. Although the announcement was greeted with some support on Facebook and Twitter, many saw it as too little too late. The company had come under fire a day earlier for advertising on Twitter that it was operating at New Yorks Kennedy International Airport during a taxi strike protesting the executive order. That gaffe, coupled with Kalanicks involvement in a panel advising President Trump on economic issues, helped spawn the Twitter hashtag #DeleteUber, which encouraged customers to delete the app from their phones in protest. You are 20 hours too late, one person wrote in response to Kalanicks Facebook post. Still deleted my account today, wrote another. Though Kalanick issued a statement on Saturday opposing the executive order, it didnt stop thousands of Twitter users from adopting the trending the #DeleteUber hashtag to decry Ubers actions. They accused the company of attempting to profit from the strike and prioritizing business interests over a moral imperative. Celebrities also jumped on the bandwagon, with actor and activist George Takei on Sunday tweeting to his 2.9 million followers: Lyft donates $1mil to ACLU while Uber doubles down on its support for Trump. #DeleteUber. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

75-year-old grandmother from Iran tells the story of her detention at LAX By Alene Tchekmedyian Siavosh Naji-Talakar of Phoenix hugs his grandmother Marzieh Moosavizadeh after she was released from detention at LAX early Sunday morning. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) Marzieh Moosavizadeh and her grandson follow a routine when she visits almost every year from Iran. The 75-year-old, who travels in a wheelchair and speaks little English, struggles to find direct flights to Phoenix, where he and his family live. So they meet in Los Angeles and he escorts her on the last leg of her trip. This time was different. Moosavizadeh landed at Los Angeles International Airport a day after President Trump signed an executive order banning citizens from seven predominantly Muslim countries, including Iran, from entering the United States. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

GOP senators call executive order a self-inflicted wound. Trump calls them wrong and weak By Matt Ballinger McCain and Graham in 2013. (Evan Vucci / Associated Press) U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and John McCain of Arizona released a statement Sunday saying that confusion at U.S. airports shows that President Trumps executive order on immigration was not properly vetted. Such a hasty process risks harmful results, the Republicans statement read. We should not stop green-card holders from returning to the country they call home. We should not stop those who have served as interpreters for our military and diplomats from seeking refuge in the country they risked their lives to help. And we should not turn our backs on those refugees who have been shown through extensive vetting to pose no demonstrable threat to our nation. It went on: Ultimately, we fear this executive order will become a self-inflicted wound in the fight against terrorism. The president responded on Twitter: The joint statement of former presidential candidates John McCain & Lindsey Graham is wrong - they are sadly weak on immigration. The two...  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 29, 2017 ...Senators should focus their energies on ISIS, illegal immigration and border security instead of always looking to start World War III.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 29, 2017 Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

At least 600 people wait to greet Syrians arriving in Phoenix By Nigel Duara Elijah Chavez and Brandi Hernandez protest in Phoenix (Nigel Duara/Los Angeles Times) A Phoenix-bound British Airways flight was scheduled to arrive from London at Sunday evening carrying several Syrians. A protest of about 600 people was waiting at a Phoenix international airport terminal for the flight to arrive. The outcome when these people arrive is uncertain at best, said Tanveer Shah, an Arizona attorney in private practice who volunteers with the ACLU. Shah said Syrians on board the flight would, in the best case, walk off the plane without a problem. But given the outcomes in other cities on Saturday and Sunday, Shah said it was incumbent on civil liberties attorneys to be there when the plane arrives. We have staff attorneys here ... who are prepared to file emergency pleadings, Shah said. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

When Muslims got blocked at American airports, U.S. veterans rushed to help By Matt Pearce (G. Morty Ortega / Getty Images) Jeffrey Buchalter was reflooring his foyer in Chesapeake Beach, Md., and listening to MSNBC over the weekend when he heard the news: An Iraqi who had worked with American forces as an interpreter had been stopped from entering the U.S. under a new executive order on immigration from President Trump. The story stopped him cold. Buchalter, an Army veteran who works as a law-enforcement instructor at the Department of Homeland Security, had served multiple tours of duty as a military policeman in Iraq, service that cost him dearly. He was decorated for injuries sustained from gunfire and improvised explosive devices. Exams revealed hed suffered herniated discs, traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder, and he spent 2  years at Walter Reed Army Medical Center trying to get right. But he was still alive, and now the married father of two children. And he believes thats thanks in part to the work of Iraqi interpreters who acted as guides during his work in their country. So he told his younger daughter and son they were going to take a trip: a two-hour drive to Dulles International Airport outside Washington, D.C., where, for the first time in his life, Buchalter would join a protest. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Demonstrators against Trumps immigration limits  and a few who like them  surge through LAX By Javier Panzar The crowd at LAX is getting bigger and bigger. pic.twitter.com/dJ281TETXj  Javier Panzar  (@jpanzar) January 29, 2017 Thousands of people filled the international terminal at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday afternoon to call for the release of an unknown number of people being detained by immigration authorities. Filling the arrivals section of the terminal and spilling into the street outside, the throng chanted, Let them in, and Love, not hate, makes America great. Jacob Kemper, a 35-year-old Army veteran who fought two tours in Iraq, said he was infuriated to think soldiers he fought alongside might be denied entry to the country. I really dont care about religion, but I really hate oppression, he said, holding a sign that read, I Fought Next To Muslims. Shay Soltani, a network engineer, fled the Iranian revolution 40 years ago and still has family members in Iran. She doesnt know if she will be able to see them again. As she and hundreds of others marched through the airport, she said she was horrified by Trumps order. I am so hurt by this, she said. He is against freedom of speech and the constitution and everything I believe in as an American. Meanwhile, about a dozen counter-protesters popped up on the other side of the street, holding signs that said X-treme vetting and Keep Refugees Out. They said they were tired of immigrants entering the U.S. illegally, which they said jeopardizes the safety of American citizens. Chanell Temple, 63, of Los Angeles said she was sick of watching immigrants here illegally steal benefits and services from American citizens, specifically veterans and homeless people who need aid. I worked out here for 40 years and they are coming here and taking everything away, said Temple, a former bookkeeper who said she lost her job and healthcare after she was fired for an inability to speak Spanish. Raul Rodriguez Jr., coordinator of a group called America First Latinos, said he was concerned about what he considers a surge in crimes committed against Americans by those who are in the country illegally. They are lawbreakers. They have violated federal law and they need to be deported, he said. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Silicon Valley execs speak out against immigration ban By Tracey Lien Technology executives are speaking out against President Trumps executive order on immigration, highlighting how the ban hurts their businesses. Leaders of companies that include Google, Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, Uber, Lyft, Airbnb, Dropbox and Twitter denounced it over the weekend. Apple would not exist without immigration, let alone thrive and innovate the way we do, said Apple chief executive Tim Cook in a memo to employees. In my conversations with officials here in Washington this week, Ive made it clear that Apple believes deeply in the importance of immigration  both to our company and to our nations future. General Electric Co. chief executive Jeff Immelt said Sunday that businesses with global operations must balance working with the new administration while also supporting their workers and partners. We have many employees from the named countries and we do business all over the region, Immelt said in a statement. These employees and customers are critical to our success and they are our friends and partners. We stand with them and will work with the U.S. administration to strive to find the balance between the need for security and the movement of law abiding people. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

LAX protest grows as families wait Meg Heatherly, 27, of Los Angeles holds a Shame sign during a protest at the Tom Bradley International Terminal. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

L.A. city attorney barred from seeing detainees at LAX By James Queally Los Angeles City Atty. Mike Feuer said he was repeatedly denied access to federal detainees or an attorney who could discuss the situation with him at Los Angeles International Airport on Saturday night and Sunday morning. Federal officials have declined to discuss the LAX detentions or respond to Feuers criticisms. While he was at the airport, Feuer said he was approached by a woman who claimed her father, suffering from Parkinsons disease, was among the detainees. It is those kind of real stories that are at stake because of this outrageous action by the feds. It is time not only for officials in my position, but all Americans, should find this a breathtaking violation of rights.  Mike Feuer Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Democratic attorneys general from 15 states condemn Trump immigration order By Ann M. Simmons California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) More than a dozen Democratic attorneys general from states across the country have condemned the Trump administrations executive order suspending acceptance of refugees and have vowed to oppose it to ensure that as few people as possible suffer from the chaotic situation that it has created. In a communique Sunday, the group said: As the chief legal officers for over 130 million Americans and foreign residents of our states, we condemn President Trumps unconstitutional, un-American and unlawful Executive Order and will work together to ensure the federal government obeys the Constitution, respects our history as a nation of immigrants, and does not unlawfully target anyone because of their national origin or faith. The executive order places an indefinite ban on refugees from Syria and prohibits citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entering as refugees for four months. It also places a suspension on admissions of other citizens of those countries. The legal officials represent 15 states. They include California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra and his contemporaries in Washington, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia, as well as the District of Columbia. Religious liberty has been, and always will be, a bedrock principle of our country, and no president can change that truth, the attorneys general said in the statement. They praised the decision of multiple federal courts to order a stay on some aspects of the order. We are confident that the Executive Order will ultimately be struck down by the courts, the statement said. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

13 people who had been detained at LAX have been released, source says By James Queally Protesters at LAX on Sunday. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) Thirteen people who were detained Saturday night at Los Angeles International Airports Terminal 2 were eventually released, a law enforcement source told The Times. Each of them held green cards, which grant permanent residency in the U.S. The source, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the situation at the airport, could not provide detention figures for the Tom Bradley International Terminal, which has been the center of protest activity. Thats where protesters were gathering Sunday. Nurse Jamie Shoemaker, 51, of Los Angeles held an American flag in one hand and carried a sign that read, Muslims are welcome here, racists and fascists are not. She called Trumps order un-American. This is not the country I want, she said. This is not the country I grew up in. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Democrats in Congress drafting legislation to repeal Trumps refugee ban, pressuring GOP for support By Lisa Mascaro Sen. Chuck Schumer becomes emotional speaking against Pres. Trump's immigration order, calling it "mean-spirited and un-American." pic.twitter.com/NkhUdpaNyV  ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) January 29, 2017 Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and Democrats will introduce legislation as soon as Monday to stop President Trumps actions temporarily banning refugees and arrivals from certain Muslim countries. House Democrats are taking similar legislative action, and lawmakers from both chambers will rally Monday evening at the Supreme Court to protest Trumps orders. This executive order was mean-spirited and un-American, said Schumer, the New York Democrat, choking up as he stood with immigrants and refugees at a press conference Sunday. It must be reversed immediately. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said House Democrats are exploring legal options, including an amicus brief in support of the ACLU lawsuit against the actions. The chances of passing a bill through the Republican-controlled Congress are slim, as most GOP leaders and lawmakers have not objected to Trumps ban. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Sunday that while he was personally opposed to a religious test on admissions, it was best left to the courts to resolve the issue. Its hopefully going to be decided in the courts as to whether or not this has gone too far, McConnell said on ABCs This Week. House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) expressed his support Friday for Trumps action. A handful of Republicans, though, are uneasy with Trumps orders, and have spoken against them. Schumer noted that just few more Republicans would be needed to reach the 60-vote threshold for advancing Senate legislation. Maybe we can pass something in Congress, Schumer said. Its up to Republicans. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Emotional reunion at JFK airport after release of elderly Sudanese man from immigration detention By Barbara Demick Tears and hugs at JFK's international arrivals as a detainee is released, reuniting father with son. More families wait, cheering. pic.twitter.com/WrVpoocWjY  Jack Smith IV (@JackSmithIV) January 29, 2017 For those immigrants temporarily detained under a new Trump administration executive order at New Yorks John F. Kennedy International Airport, attorneys have put a priority on getting some of the older detainees released to their families. One small victory for the lawyers was the case of Yassin Abdelrhman, a 76-year-old green card holder from Sudan who had been detained after a trip home to visit family. He was released about noon on Sunday after being detained for 30 hours. Soon, he was reunited with his sons. He is a strong individual, but he has some health challenges, said U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who had been working on their case. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Iranian director Asghar Farhadi will not attend Oscars Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi after winning an Oscar in 2012. ((Allen J. Schaben/ Los Angeles Times) ) In a statement to the New York Times today, Oscar-winning Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi said he no longer planned to attend this years ceremony. Farhadis film The Salesman is nominated in the foreign language film category. Farhadi had initially hoped to attend despite the prohibition on visitors from Iran. But he said he had decided the possibility of this presence is being accompanied by ifs and buts which are in no way acceptable to me even if exceptions were to be made for my trip. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

How an Iranian Fulbright scholar got into the U.S.: We found a lawyer who found a lawyer who found a lawyer By Barbara Demick Iranian students in front of a makeshift law office in JFKs Terminal 4. (Barbara Demick / Los Angeles Times) Perhaps nothing encapsulates the chaos emanating from President Trumps executive order better than what happened with Ukrainian Airlines Flight 232. The regularly scheduled flight to Kiev had to turn around on the tarmac at John F. Kennedy Airport early Sunday after a federal judge issued a stay of a deportation order of dozens of foreigners, including a 32-year-old Iranian linguist who is a doctoral candidate and former Fulbright scholar. With just minutes to spare, Vahideh Rasekhi -- helped by volunteer lawyers and her smart phone  managed to prevent the flight from taking off. She had arrived Saturday afternoon, but was blocked from entering the United States by the executive order barring arrivals of citizens of Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Somalia and Libya. Around midnight, she was put on the Ukrainian Air flight to return to Tehran, via Kiev. We found a lawyer who found a lawyer who found a lawyer, said Mehdi Namazi, 29, a friend who has been waiting for her at the airport. The lawyers were showing officials a copy of the order issued a few hours earlier by U.S. District Court Judge Ann Donnelly in Brooklyn. It was all very confusing. They were arguing as the plane was taxiing, Namazi said. According to one lawyer, Melissa Trent, Rasekhi herself was walking up and down the aisles arguing for the plane not to take off. She knew that if the plane left she would never get back to the United States again, Trent said. Rasekhi spent most of Sunday in detention with other Iranians, but was released into the United States at around 3 p.m.. A dozen Iranian friends had been waiting inside the airports Terminal 4 amid a clutter of discarded coffee cups and half-eaten donuts in front of a diner that had been turned into a makeshift law office. Another Iranian student was waiting for her parents, who were taken into detention after arriving on another flight I havent seen them in 3-1/2 years. They dont speak English. But Im hopeful, said the student, who gave her name as Sahar. The students were both furious at the way their country had been targeted by Trumps order and touched by the outpouring of support from the volunteer lawyers. We see two different Americas here. There is this order banning us, and than there are all these people here who came to the airport. If it werent for these volunteers, she would have been deported, said Namazi. Im very depressed. We feel betrayed by this country that we invested so much energy and hope into. We are all graduate students, professors, PhDs, engineers. To say this is for national security, it doesnt add up, said Tahmineh Tabrizian, 33, another friend of Rasekhis. She said her own parents had planned to come to the United States and had spent $14,000 on tickets and visas and would now have to cancel their trip. Rasekhi, who has lived in the United States for a decade, was a Fulbright scholar at UC Santa Barbara and received a masters degree at Fresno State University, according to a resume supplied by one of her friends. She had been studying for a PhD at Stony Brook University on Long Island. She had gone to Tehran over the Christmas break to visit her parents and was on her way back to resume her studies when she was detained. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Protests begin again at LAX on Sunday morning By Genaro Molina Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Protesters in Tel Aviv compare Trump immigration order to Israeli refugee policies By Joshua Mitnick Demonstrators in Tel Aviv protest U.S. President Trumps new immigration order. (Joshua Mitnick / Los Angeles Times) Holding signs reading Refugees Welcome and chanting No Ban, No Wall, Sanctuary for All, several dozen demonstrators gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv on Sunday to join protests in the U.S. against President Trumps new immigration policy. Mia Zur Szpiro, a 36-year-old filmmaker, said she felt compelled to demonstrate because her parents survived the Holocaust. We are a country of immigrants, and to me it was astounding that this [order] was passed on Holocaust Memorial Day, she said. Its wrong to stereotype, and its wrong to send people who are in need back into the face of danger and the risk of death. Elliot Vaisbrub Glassenberg, a protest organizer and migrant rights activist, compared the new U.S. policy to Israeli policies toward tens of thousands of Eritrean and Sudanese migrants who crossed into the country illegally from Egypts Sinai desert. The policies that Trump has enacted are no worse than the policies that [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu has enacted for years here  such as not allowing any non-Jews to be given refugee status in Israel, except for a select few. Togod Omar, a native of Sudan who was at the protest, said he applied for political asylum in Israel three years ago, and is still waiting. He said Sudanese friends hoping to be resettled in the U.S. were upset by the new executive order. Trump doesnt understand whats going on in Sudan, Omar said. You cant punish the Sudanese people for what the Islamic government is doing. You cant banish someone because of their religion. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

President Trump hits majority disapproval in record time, Gallup finds By David Lauter Days until achieving MAJORITY disapproval from @Gallup



Reagan: 727

Bush I: 1336

Clinton: 573

Bush II: 1205

Obama: 936



Trump: 8. days. pic.twitter.com/kv2fy0Qsbp  Will Jordan (@williamjordann) January 29, 2017 President Trumps actions during his first week in office have appeared to be aimed at the voters who already supported him, not at reaching out to the rest, and thats taken a rapid toll on his support, which was already historically low. Gallup, which has measured job approval for presidents for decades, shows Trumps approval so far at 45%, with 48% disapproving. Thats an average of several days polling. The daily trend lines are not kind to the new administration. As of Saturday, 51% of Americans disapproved of Trumps performance. Thats a record for the speed of getting to majority disapproval. By comparison, President George W. Bush hit majority disapproval six months into his second term, in June 2005, and remained in negative territory for the rest of his tenure. President Obama did not hit 51% disapproval until August of 2011, during the crisis over the federal debt ceiling that summer. His approval rebounded later that year, but he had a second period of majority disapproval during late 2013 and much of 2014. He ended his term with widespread approval and 37% of Americans disapproving. Trump Job Approval: Approve 45% (-1); Disapprove 48% (+3). Get the full trend https://t.co/BjTUhf0NAM.  GallupNews (@GallupNews) January 27, 2017 Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Hundreds of travelers were caught in limbo over rushed visa ban By Brian Bennett (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) Hundreds of travelers were blocked from entering the U.S. or prevented from boarding flights in the hours after President Trump signed his order banning arrivals from seven predominantly Muslim countries, according to the Department of Homeland Security. In the order, Trump temporarily suspended refugee admissions and banned travelers from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Scores of people from those countries were aboard airplanes flying toward the U.S. when Trump signed his executive order on Friday afternoon, setting off waves of confusion among border officials and the traveling public. Upon landing at U.S. airports, 109 people from the listed countries were detained by immigration officials and prevented from entering the U.S., officials said. The department had approved 81 waivers to the new travel ban by Saturday afternoon, the official said, but at least some of the people detained on arrival were sent back to their countries of origin. Court orders issued Saturday evening required U.S. border officials to stop returning people who had already arrived with valid visas. It is unclear how many people were deported before the orders were issued. It is also unclear if the Trump administration has fully complied with those orders. In addition to the people who arrived in the U.S. and were detained, as of 3 p.m. on Saturday, an additional 173 travelers from the listed countries had been stopped from boarding flights to the U.S., a Homeland Security official said in a statement. The department did not make an official available to describe the actions and the agencys response. As many as 3,250 travelers may have been inconvenienced by the new visa restrictions, officials for the department said in a statement Sunday. Yesterday, less than 1% of the more than 325,000 international air travelers who arrive every day were inconvenienced while enhanced security measures were implemented, the statement read. The department will comply with court orders, the statement said. But no evidence was given to confirm this. Lawyers seeking to meet with detainees at Dulles International Airport outside of Washington and at San Francisco have said that they were blocked by officials on Sunday. The Department of Homeland Security will comply with judicial orders, faithfully enforce our immigration laws, and implement President Trumps executive orders to ensure that those entering the United States do not pose a threat to our country or the American people, according to the departments statement. All of the visa holders and travelers from the listed countries blocked from entering the U.S. since Friday already had gone through multiple steps of security screening that checked their biographical information and travel history against U.S. terrorism databases. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

White House seems to back down on part of new vetting policy By Christi Parsons The White House on Sunday appeared to back down on a key part of President Trumps tough new immigration order, signaling that travelers trying to enter the country from seven banned countries will be allowed in if they hold green cards. White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said that these legal permanent residents are exempt from the travel ban moving forward, even though over the weekend other administration officials said the rule did apply to them. The apparent reversal came amid a national controversy over the new Trump order that temporarily halts the entry of all refugees to the U.S. and any traveler from seven majority Muslim countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Federal judges across the country have blocked parts of the presidents executive actions since they came down on Friday, mostly preventing the deportation of some travelers who ran into the first wave of implementation over the weekend. The back-and-forth over the green-card holders reflected a generalized confusion about the new order, which also bars Syrian refugees from entering the United States indefinitely. Lawyers for some of the affected immigrants said border agents seemed uncertain about the new rules and were disagreeing with one another about which travelers were affected and which were not. Further complicating the picture was a statement from the Department of Homeland Security asserting that its agents would enforce all of Trumps orders while also complying with judicial orders. As some of the orders block deportation, that left individual officers to try to figure out which priorities to honor. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Op-Ed: Trumps cruel, illegal refugee executive order By Erwin Chemerinsky Protesters demonstrate at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City on Saturday. (Stephanie Keith / Getty Images) Barring individuals fleeing persecution from entering the United States is simply inhumane. Adding irony to injury, Trumps executive order was issued on Holocaust Remembrance Day, which should have been an occasion to atone for turning away refugees during the 1930ssome of whom then died in concentration camps. For example, in 1939, the United States turned away the St. Louis, a boat filled with refugees, many of them German Jews. According to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 254 passengers from the St. Louis died in the Holocaust.  Erwin Chemerinsky Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Lyft pledges to donate $1 million to ACLU following Trumps immigration order By Tracey Lien (Richard Vogel / Associated Press) Tech executives had been mostly quiet for the first week of Donald Trumps presidency  but that changed after his controversial executive order restricting refugees and immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries. Executive after executive spent Saturday tweeting and posting messages to Facebook decrying the administrations actions. Lyft co-founders John Zimmer and Logan Green went a step further: On Sunday, they announced they would donate $1 million to the American Civil Liberties Union over the next four years. Banning people of a particular faith or creed, race or identity, sexuality or ethnicity, from entering the U.S. is antithetical to both Lyft and our nations core values, the co-founders wrote in an email to Lyft customers. We stand firmly against the actions, and will no
What do the voters who elected Donald Trump want him to deliver?

Jobs, said Marianne Zarlinga, an electrologist from North Royalton, Ohio, who voted for Trump in November. Bringing jobs back for America.

Hes going to be just awesome for that, chimed in Melinda Berger, a homemaker from nearby North Ridgeville. I cant wait!

Advertisement

He has to improve the healthcare, she added. Thousands of dollars out of pocket before you get any benefits  who can afford that?

Economy and healthcare, Zarlinga agreed.

Berger and Zarlinga, two 50-something white women from the Cleveland suburbs, were among the voters who helped Trump win the swing state of Ohio by 8 points.

They were among a dozen Trump voters convened last month for a discussion conducted by pollster Peter Hart for the University of Pennsylvanias Annenberg Public Policy Center.

Their priorities for the new administration quickly winnowed down to three: jobs, healthcare and drain the swamp, Trumps promise that he will change the way Washington works.

Job growth may be the easiest part. In a slowly recovering economy, thats happening already; more than two million jobs have been created this year.

Thats what his voters heard Trump promise; now, they said, they intend to hold him to it.

Deliver, Zarlinga said crisply when asked for her message to the president-elect.

That adds up to a tall order for Trump, but its only fair. During the campaign, he promised that he would bring back millions of jobs, enact a beautiful healthcare plan, and end gridlock in Washington.

People are looking for results, Republican pollster David Winston told me. Voters showed that they were willing to rock the boat in order to get change. If they dont get change, theyll be willing to rock the boat again.

Job growth may be the easiest part. In a slowly recovering economy, thats happening already; more than two million jobs have been created this year.

And Trump will surely take credit; in fact he already has. When Carrier said it would keep some 800 jobs in Indiana, Trump claimed it was all thanks to him. (He neglected to mention that the company is still sending about 1,300 jobs to Mexico). Last week, he announced that the telephone company Sprint plans to create 5,000 jobs in the United States this year, including some call center jobs relocated from overseas. (Thats the result of a pre-existing investment deal, not the president-elect.)

Despite the sketchy details, these developments have already given Trump a modest bounce in several polls. He showed that he has his eye on the ball, Winston said.

Healthcare will be harder.

It affects every person in the U.S., said Eric Viersulz, a maintenance worker from Lorain County. If he doesnt do anything about the system, if it isnt more affordable, that will make people angry, he said.

Polls show that most Trump voters dont want Obamacare repealed without a workable replacement. (It wasnt clear whether any of the voters in the group obtained health insurance through Obamacare. Most adults under 65 get health insurance through their jobs.) In a Kaiser Family Foundation Poll after the election, only 15% of Trump voters said they wanted the law repealed without anything in its place. Most said they either wanted the law to be replaced with a Republican alternative or merely scaled back.

But Republicans in Congress dont have an Obamacare replacement ready. And if Trump cant find a way to bring everyones health costs down  a goal for which he has offered no clear strategy  many will be disappointed and angry.

As for draining the swamp, Trump has left that ambition mostly undefined. Hes promised not to employ lobbyists in his administration, but lobbyists have been able to join his transition merely by cancelling their registrations.

Asked what drain the swamp meant to them, the Ohio voters talked about corruption.

Eliminate corrupt politicians and wasteful programs, offered Kevin Koehler, a deputy sheriff from Lorain County.

Asked if they were worried about billionaires in the Cabinet or business conflicts of interest on Trumps part, they shrugged.

He already has his wealth, Berger said. He doesnt need to profit off anybody or anything. Others nodded.

More important, they said, was that Trump be allowed to use his business acumen to end gridlock.

Its his job to make it work, said Michael Rotella, an engineer from North Olmsted.

Polls of all voters  including the majority that didnt choose Trump  have found that his approval ratings are lower than any other president-elect in modern times.

A Pew Research Center poll last month found that only 41% of voters approve of the job Trump has been doing. Eight years ago, at the same point in Obamas transition, 72% of voters approved.

Its true that Trumps standing in the polls has slowly risen since the election, but thats mostly because skeptical Republicans have turned more positive. Democrats havent warmed to him yet  although Pew found that some had revised their forecasts of his presidency from terrible to merely poor.

Hes still in a challenging position, Winston said. But he still has the same advantage every president elect has: people want him to succeed.

Indeed, in the Pew poll, most voters who supported Hillary Clinton said they were willing to give Trump a chance.

But hes on thin ice. Even among his voters, Trumps honeymoon could turn out to be short.

doyle.mcmanus@latimes.com

Twitter: @doylemcmanus

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook

MORE FROM OPINION

California passed 900 new laws in 2016. More does not always equal better

How Trump can help working-class Americans: Keep funding Planned Parenthood

Americans who voted against Trump are feeling unprecedented dread and despair
Political parties in Congo signed a deal late Saturday that calls for President Joseph Kabila to leave power after an election that now will be held by the end of next year instead of mid-2018, as his party originally proposed.

The New Years Eve agreement comes after months of unrest that left dozens dead and threatened to further destabilize the vast Central African nation with a painful history of dictatorship and civil war.

Catholic church officials had mediated talks to reach a compromise and initially imposed a Christmas deadline. The negotiations reached a stalemate, though, and resumed again Thursday under mounting pressure to avoid major violence amid opposition calls for Kabila to step down.

Advertisement

Officials announced that a deal had been reached Saturday evening on the major issues, though representatives did not sign it until about 11 p.m. on New Years Eve.

Monsignor Marcel Utembi, president of the church body known as CENCO, hailed the progress but acknowledged the challenges still ahead with implementation.

Its one thing to have a political compromise, but putting it into place is another, he said.

Neither Kabila nor opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi was to personally sign the agreement Saturday. And even before the night was over, some members of Kabilas party already were casting doubt on the feasibility of the electoral deadline.

Elections in 2017  yes. But not to lie, the questions [about the dates] are highly technical. If they wont work, there will be an evaluation. Its why we have adopted a council to follow up on the agreement, said Ramazani Shadari, the deputy prime minister of the interior and a member of Kabilas party.

Kabila became president in 2001 after the assassination of his father and was constitutionally barred from seeking another term after his mandate expired Dec. 19. However, no presidential election was held in November and a court ruled he could stay in office until such a ballot could be organized.

The presidents party said that wasnt possible before mid-2018 because of logistical challenges in organizing the ballot. An angry opposition took to the streets demanding that the vote be held as soon as possible.

In his New Years message to the Congolese people, Kabila reasserted his commitment to democracy even as opponents accused him of prolonging his rule through a technicality.

The source of legitimacy is only through the people at the ballot box, he said Saturday.

Under the deal, the vote will be organized by the end of 2017, though some details still need to be finalized. That process could reveal other disputes, and opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi already has signaled that his supporters will only be satisfied the day the transfer of power will happen.

Still, the agreement to not modify the constitution effectively blocks Kabila from rewriting it so that he can seek a third term, a major victory for the opposition.

Another point of conflict in the ongoing negotiations had been who would serve as prime minister until the elections. Kabila already had gone ahead and this month appointed someone who is from the opposition, but he came from the minority of opposition politicians who had taken part in negotiations back in October. The coalition of opposition parties that boycotted those talks wanted the prime minister to come from their group instead. It was not immediately clear late Saturday who would take the position.

The opposition also had demanded the release of political prisoners and the dropping of criminal charges against opposition leader Moise Katumbi, which they believe were politically motivated. Katumbi fled abroad as prosecutors announced their intent to try him on charges of hiring mercenaries, which he denied. Before he went into exile and the election was canceled, he was seen as a leading contender for the presidency.

Under Saturdays deal, mediating group CENCO will examine Katumbis case.

Human Rights Watch has said that at least 34 people were killed in violence during demonstrations after Kabilas mandate expired. Earlier this year, more than 50 others died in protests that took place when the electoral commission failed to schedule the November election, according to the United Nations.

ALSO

At least 35 killed in New Years attack on Istanbul nightclub

After Islamic State institutionalized looting in Syria, the market for fake antiquities is booming

Taiwans president calls China a threat, predicts turbulent 2017
An assailant believed to have been dressed in a Santa Claus costume opened fire at a nightclub in Istanbul during New Years celebrations early Sunday, killing at least 39 people and wounding scores of others in what the provinces governor described as a terrorist attack.

Gov. Vasip Sahin said the attacker, armed with a long-barreled weapon, killed a police officer and a civilian outside the club before entering and firing at people partying inside.

The gunman rained bullets in a very cruel and merciless way on innocent people who were there to celebrate New Years and have fun, Sahin told reporters.

Advertisement

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said early Sunday that the death toll had risen from 35 to 39. The minister said that of the victims identified so far, 16 were foreign nationals. He did not provide any information on their countries.

Soylu said the attacker was still at large and that 69 people were being treated in hospitals following the shooting.

Media reports said the assailant entered the Reina nightclub in Istanbuls Ortakoy district at 1:45 a.m., dressed in a Santa Claus costume. Some customers jumped into the waters of the Bosporus to escape the attack, reports said.

Sinem Uyanik was inside the club with her husband, who was wounded in the attack.

Before I could understand what was happening, my husband fell on top me, she said outside Istanbuls Sisli Etfal Hospital. I had to lift several bodies from top of me before I could get out. It was frightening. Her husband was not in serious condition.

Police in riot gear and machine guns backed up by armored vehicles blocked the area close to the Reina, one of the most popular nightspots in Istanbul, amid heavy rain. Several ambulances flashing blue lights arrived on the scene, some taking wounded to Istanbul hospitals.

The White House condemned what it called a horrific terrorist attack and offered U.S. help to Turkey.

White House spokesman Eric Schultz said President Obama was briefed on the attack by his national security team and asked to be updated as the situation developed. Obama is vacationing in Hawaii with his family.

White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said the attack on innocent revelers celebrating New Years shows the attackers savagery.

An estimated 600 people were celebrating New Years Eve inside the club when the attack took place. Several shocked revelers were seen fleeing the scene, and the music fell silent.

The club is close to a soccer stadium where recent suicide attacks killed dozens.

Istanbul had already been under heavy security surveillance during the festivities, with police mounting machine guns and armored vehicles parked on the streets.

Security measures had been heightened in major Turkish cities, with police barring traffic leading up to key squares in Istanbul and the capital, Ankara. In Istanbul, 17,000 police officers were put on duty, some camouflaged as Santa Claus and others as street vendors, according to Anadolu, Turkeys state-run news agency.

Ankara and Istanbul have this year been targeted by several attacks carried out by the Islamic State group or Kurdish rebels, killing more than 180 people.

Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag vowed that Turkey would press ahead with its fight against violent groups.

Turkey will continue its determined and effective combat to root out terror, Bozdag said on Twitter.

ALSO

After Islamic State institutionalized looting in Syria, the market for fake antiquities is booming

Taiwans president calls China a threat, predicts turbulent 2017

United Nations backs Russian-Turkish peace efforts in Syria as truce falters

UPDATES:

9:10 p.m.: This article was updated to report the death toll had risen from 35 to 39.

7:25 p.m.: This article was updated with quotes from a witness and U.S. and Turkish government officials.

6 p.m.: This article was updated with a quote from the governor of Istanbul and more details about the attack.

4:55 p.m.: This article was updated with the governor of Istanbul calling the incident a terrorist attack.

4:30 p.m.: This article was updated to report that at least 35 people were killed and that the attacker may still be inside the nightclub.

This article was originally published at 4:10 p.m.
From her stall featuring regional delicacies  chile-infused dried grasshoppers, juicy white worms from the maguey plant and handmade chocolates, among other edible fare  63-year-old Eufenia Hernandez issued a challenge to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

If this individual came down here to Oaxaca, we would put him to work, she said. Lets see if he can work as hard as the Mexicans in the north.

Hernandez, a veteran border crosser, having made the journey 18 times, has a brother and son in California.

Advertisement

What would the United States do without Mexicans? she posed. Who else would pick the crops? Who would build the homes?

Mexico too depends on those crops, those homes.

Its citizens in the U.S. sent back nearly $25 billion last year, its second-largest source of foreign income, after manufactured goods and ahead of oil. Much of that ends up in impoverished rural communities like the ones here in the southern state of Oaxaca, which for decades have dispatched young and old to El Norte in a deep-rooted ritual of economic betterment.

The cash they send home builds homes, funds small businesses, refurbishes churches and schools, and provides sustenance for multitudes.

Its evident in the expansive, half-finished homes dotting the countryside, the Mexican version of McMansions. They are waiting for more dollars from the north to finish, people explain.

Why would Mr. Trump want to make Mexico his No. 1 enemy? Dont you want your enemies far away, not next to you?  Rolando Silvaja Jarquina, retired teacher

In the states central valley region, lines form daily at banks and money-exchange outlets as people collect cash sent from loved ones.

The cycle of people heading north and money flowing south is so entrenched that no one here can envision it ending. And so while the election of Trump, who has vowed to halt it with a wall along the 2,000-mile border, has spread dismay and apprehension, a more common reaction has been bemusement.

Most everyone in the area appears to have heard of Trump and his threats  his bellicose pronouncements about Mexico have been major news south of the border. But there is a pervasive sense that Trump is bluffing  or will have little appetite to pursue his far-reaching immigration agenda once in office. Or that he will inevitably fail.

Its all campaign talk, Rolando Silvaja Jarquina, a retired teacher, said on a Sunday at a busy market in the courtyard of Tlacolulas 16th century Catholic church, the Assumption of Our Lady, known for a baroque chapel featuring likenesses of beheaded saints.

Each Sunday, producers of local products, including foodstuffs and handicrafts, descend from ancient hillside settlements to sell their goods in Tlacolula, an animated market town about 20 miles southeast of Oaxaca city, the state capital.

Both countries, Mexico and the United States, benefit from trade, from immigration, Silvaja said as a band played in the plaza. Why would Mr. Trump want to make Mexico his No. 1 enemy? Dont you want your enemies far away, not next to you?

The flow of money and people has continued through various waves of deportations and angry vows from U.S. politicians to shut down the U.S.-Mexico border.

I dont think this president can stop immigration, said Liberio Hernandez, 34, a returnee from the United States who was among scores of guests attending a raucous baptism party on a recent morning in the mountain town of San Miguel del Valle. This has been going on too long.

The picturesque village, with about 3,000 inhabitants, all of Zapotec indigenous heritage, has a long history of sending young men to the U.S. to work in restaurants as busboys, dishwashers and cooks.

As in many migrant-sending communities, much of the permanent population in San Miguel del Valle consists of women, children and older men  some of whom returned home with their savings after years in the U.S. Many working-age men remain in the north.

I have so many grandchildren in California  I just hope I get to see them before I die, said Arnulfo Miguel Lopez, 61, who returned from the north more than two decades ago but has several sons in the Los Angeles area. Its not so easy now for people to come back and visit.

Luis Leon Monterrubio runs a company in Oaxaca, producing mescal, the signature liquor distilled from the maguey plant. Like other exporters to the U.S., he is worried about Donald Trumps threats to increase tariffs. (Liliana Nieto del Rio / For The Times )

Some villages trace the migratory tradition to the U.S. bracero program, which sent hundreds of thousands of Mexican laborers to the U.S. as legal guest workers from 1942 to 1964. Residents recall fathers and grandfathers who headed off to a then-mysterious north, returning with stashes of dollars.

In many cases, that legal traffic morphed into massive illicit immigration. But tens of thousands of Oaxacans and other Mexican nationals ultimately gained legal status through the Reagan administrations landmark amnesty program, passed in 1986.

Because of Oaxacas longtime links with the U.S., the state has developed a strong cross-border trade in regional products, from foodstuffs like cheese and spicy mole sauce to handicrafts and folk art, including alebrijes, papier-mache sculptures of imaginary creatures. Word of Trumps threats to slap new tariffs on Mexican products has filtered down to family workshops.

The tariffs on everything we ship to the north are already very high, said Luis Leon Monterrubio, who produces a line of mescal, the signature regional liquor distilled from the maguey plant, and exports a good share of it north. If tariffs got any higher, of course it would hurt our business.

Why would the president want less trade anyway? How does that help the United States? asked Monterrubio as he dispensed generous samples to visitors at his shop along Tlacolulas main drag.

It has been getting harder to cross the border illegally as U.S. authorities have stepped up enforcement. Fewer people make it back for the holidays, residents say.

Some men interviewed said they had been expelled from the north or gave up trying to get there after being caught multiple times by the Border Patrol.

Federico Lopez, 30, the father of a child being honored at a christening party, said he returned a few years ago.

Lopez spoke as a brass and woodwind band numbering more than a dozen players belted out traditional tunes to celebrate the baptism of his 3-year-old daughter, Valentina, who was decked out initially in a lacy white dress and later in a traditional Zapotec outfit.

Men and women danced in the covered patio of a large home, its construction partially funded with money sent back from the United States. Rain pounded on a makeshift canvas roof.

One after another, the male guests recounted their days in El Norte  and dismissed as quixotic the notion that a president could somehow shut down the historic flow of humanity.

Liberio Hernandez said he had spent more than 20 years in the Los Angeles area and Milwaukee, where his brother still lives, mostly working in Japanese restaurants. He said he became an expert at preparing Japanese-style sizzling steaks at patrons tables.

A christening party for Valentina Lopez, 3, in San Miguel del Valle, Oaxaca, which has long sent migrants to the U.S., including Valentinas father. He was in California until he returned several years ago. (Liliana Nieto del Rio / For The Times )

Ultimately, he said, he decided to return in 2011 to be with his family.

Whats his name, Trump? asked Hernandez, sipping a beer. There are too many people from here already in the north, too many more who want to go.

Miguel Angel Lopez, 43, who said he first went to the United States in 1989, found work in California restaurants and returned here almost two decades later.

People will always find a way to go to the north, he said. This Trump can say what he wants, thats fine, but the reality in Oaxaca is what it is. The men here go to the north to better themselves, to help their families here. No wall will stop them.

Special correspondent Liliana Nieto del Rio contributed.

patrick.mcdonnell@latimes.com

twitter: @mcdneville

MORE ON IMMIGRATION

A changing border: Barricades wont solve tough new challenges at the Southwest frontier

Dozens of migrants braved jungles, seas and bandits to reach the U.S. Then they were sent home

Traversing the Rio Suchiate: Between Africa and the U.S., an illicit river crossing in Latin America
NASA has major projects to develop and execute in 2017. Some of them have never been attempted before.

Mars, Saturn and Jupiter Missions

According to Huffington Post, NASA will continue to work on transporting humans to Mars. The agency is currently building the infrastructure and vehicles that will take the humans to the red planet.

NASA is building the SLS or the Space Launch System, which will be the next heavy-lift rocket, to replace the older Saturn V.

Apart from Mars, NASA has already planned more ventures to Saturn and Jupiter. The Cassini spacecraft, which was launched on October 15, 1997, sent amazing pictures of Saturn and Jupiter. This has led to new revelations and helped the scientists answer some questions.

Since the spacecraft is set to self destruct in 2017, NASA has already started planning its next step with the help of decade long data and information.

2017 Total Solar Eclipse

As per Inverse, U.S. will get to witness a total solar eclipse on August 21, 2017. Most popularly known as the "the Great American Eclipse", the best viewpoint will be in the city of Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

However, a partial eclipse will be visible all over the country. Since the astronomers believe that such situation will not take place again for 375 years, NASA is planning to monitor this phenomenon very closely.

Earth Science Observations

NASA has collaborated with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to monitor earth sciences and weather phenomena, specifically to understand the effect of climate change more thoroughly.

In 2017, both the agencies will be looking in depth into the storms and hurricanes so that in future an accurate prediction can be provided to people.

Digging deep into the Universe

Apart from exploring the solar system planets, NASA will launch two missions to dig deep into the universe and search for transiting exoplanets. This is basically other solar systems apart from our own where a bunch of planets orbit around a star, in our case the star is the sun.
A daily pill that drastically reduces the risk of contracting HIV has transformed how gay men talk about the disease. The prophylactic drugs (PrEP) are casually mentioned in dating-site profiles.

According to Washington Post, the nation's first campaign is to make this preventive measure as widespread among black women, the massive group to contract the virus in a city still battling an AIDS epidemic.

The use of the prophylactic drug (PrEP) by those without HIV reduces their risk of infection by 90 percent. So the District authorities are trying to convince black women that Prophylactic drug is not just for gay men, reported by new research.

According to Latinos Health, one in six people's infected by HIV disease in the nation's capital is black women. As per the report, nearly 2 percent of districts residents are living with the virus, one of the highest rates in the country.

Public Health Expert says condoms are the only preventive tool from the transmission of HIV virus. But some peoples are sexually active refuse or forget to use them.

But the use of PrEP, pre-exposure prophylaxis changes the dynamics of HIV prevention. According to D.C Health Department Director LaQuandra Nesbitt," The campaign is about empowering women to take control of their sexuality and control their health"

The drug is available in the market from 2012. To make aware the district authority is running a campaign on Metro buses with the tagline "Dominate your sex life" and a lot of information about PrEP drug.

Through the campaign, many African Americans are distrustful of the campaigns targeted at their community. Though, some women equate using the drug with promiscuity.

According to the Public Health official, the main motive of this campaign is to eradicate District's HIV epidemic and cut the half the number of new infection by 2020.

Meanwhile, the MAC AIDS has also donated $1 million and is closely following the work.


Icy roads and poor visibility led to multiple crashes Saturday morning in south central Montana, blocking roads and forcing the closure of I-90 between Columbus and Livingston.

Just after 8:30 a.m., a semitrailer jackknifed on I-90 eastbound at mile marker 437, near the East Laurel exit, blocking both lanes of traffic. They remained blocked for more than two hours.

A fatal crash between Hardin and Crow Agency around 8 a.m., eastbound on I-90, closed the passing lane for nearly five hours. Information about the accident wasnt immediately available from the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services.

In the Billings area, the Montana Highway Patrol and other law enforcement agencies dealt with a series of vehicle slide-offs and rollovers. A 19-year-old man driving onto I-90 at the Lockwood interchange rolled his gold Honda CRV just before 9 a.m.

The man, who was wearing a seat belt, was accelerating on the on-ramp when the CRV began to fishtail, MHP Trooper Darvin Mees said.

The vehicle spun around, left the roadway and rolled onto its top. The man sustained only minor injuries.

By 1:30 p.m., the Montana Department of Transportation reported that the stretch of highway between Columbus and Livingston had reopened. But the MDT warned that the roads remained icy and visibility was hampered by blowing and drifting snow.

The weather wont improve anytime soon, the National Weather Service says. A winter weather advisory and hazardous weather outlook has been issued starting Sunday morning, until Monday evening, for central, south central and southeast Montana, as well as for north central Wyoming.

A new storm is expected to drop 4 to 5 inches of snow, with some locally higher amounts possible. With a new arctic front, temperatures will fall Sunday and send high temperatures into the single digits and lows below zero Monday through Friday.
Val Milo Holms died peacefully at his Polson home on December 24, 2016. Val was born in Williston, North Dakota on June 9, 1947 to Archie and Phyllis Holms. He was born a cowboy which required that he had a six shooter underneath his pillow so that he would always be ready for the bad guys. He attended and graduated from Florence High School where he was a standout athlete.

After high school he voluntarily joined the Marine Corps. He was a patriot who truly loved his country. When he returned home from Vietnam he founded Holms Building Service. Blood and oil flowed through his veins and after a successful construction business, he wholeheartedly went into the oil business. He always said he loved the thrill of the chase. He had a unique way of describing life using his own vernacular, which was often times politically incorrect.

In 1979, he met and married the love of his life, Mari Nelson Holms. They celebrated 37 years of marriage this past June.

Val and Mari graduated from Rhema Bible School in 1987 while living in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In 1991, they're returned to Helena, Montana, where they owned and operated Tra Ho Sutra Kenpo Karate and the Big Sky Cheering Section. One of his greatest joys was teaching and developing his students' confidence and instilling a winning attitude.

In 2010 they retired from teaching and went full time into the oil business. Flathead Lake became their home in 2013. He loved the peacefulness of the water.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Archie and Phyllis Holms, son Scott Holms and a sister Marie Holms. He leaves behind his wife, Mari Nelson Holms, brother Allan (Robyn) Holms, sister Evenette (Rocky) Greenfield, Grant Upton, and several nieces and nephews, son Jim (Judy) Holms, daughter Debra (Toby) Neu, and granddaughters Faith, Nicole, Shelby and grandson, Logan.

He will be missed by those who loved him. A viewing will be Friday, January 6, 2017 from 4-7 p.m. at The Lake Funeral Home. Funeral services will be held at The Lake Funeral Home, 101 6th Avenue East, Polson, Montana on Saturday, January 7, 2017 at 1:00 p.m. Burial will follow service at Lakeview Cemetery with a reception at the Red Lion Inn thereafter. Messages of condolence may be shared with the family online at www.thelakefuneralhomeandcrematory.com.
Valenca sidewalk

Valenca opened in 2008 in the space that for years held the Easton Sweet Shop. The restaurant became known for its patio dining in Centre Square. (lehighvalleylive.com file photo)

Valenca, an upscale restaurant that opened in 2008 before the explosion of Easton as a dining hotspot, is closing.

New Year's Eve will be the final night for the place that occupies the old Easton Sweet Shop space in Centre Square's northeast quadrant, employees said.

Valenca at 64 Centre Square in Easton was sold to new owners in 2013; its final night in business -- for now -- is Dec. 31, 2016. (lehighvalleylive.com file photo)

A new owner is expected to take over and reopen the restaurant in a month or so, although what it will be called and the types of fare to be offered is unknown.

A manager Saturday afternoon said she had no information on the changes.

Workers said they only learned of the closure Monday and didn't plan to stay on because of the weeks between reopening.

Valenca, known for its steaks served tableside on a hot stone, started as a Portuguese restaurant and converted to so-called "American fusion" in recent years.

River Grill owner George Meireles opened Valenca in 2008 then sold to Lee Kelechava and wife Meryl Cooper-Kelechava in October 2013. Messages left for Lee Kelechava at his auto dealership, Bethlehem Ford, were not returned Saturday.

An orange Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board placard in the window gives notice of a restaurant liquor license transfer to "A + B Centre Square."

Valenca was one of the restaurants that provided early fuel to Easton's reputation as an up-and-coming foodie haven and became known for its bustling long bar and al fresco dining.

It was a player in the city's Downtown renewal, and its closure marks yet another change in Easton's nightspot landscape.

Earlier this week, the owners of Drinky's Nightclub across Northampton Street said it would close after 13 years and reopen in the spring after being overhauled as a music venue.

The new concert spot is planned to have two levels and a capacity of about 1,000, capable of hosting nationally touring acts of all genres.

Jim Deegan may be reached at jdeegan@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @jim_deegan. Find lehighvalleylive on Facebook.
Two relatives are being charged following an alleged stabbing early Sunday at a Forks Township home.

Charged are Thomas Ostrander, 39, who has an address listed in on Clairmont Avenue in Palmer Township, and William Coyle, 38, of the 1300 block of Mohawk Lane in Forks.

Officers were dispatched at 5:40 a.m. to Coyle's home for a report of a woman's brother and husband stabbing each other. The caller told police both were bleeding heavily in the stomach and "highly intoxicated," according to court records.

Police found several people in the driveway who were uncooperative in the investigation. When an officer entered the home, Ostrander allegedly charged at him, pushed him and yelled, "Who the f--- are you?"

The officer took Ostrander to the ground and handcuffed him. Ostrander while handcuffed continued to fight and yell at officers, as well as spit at an officer, police said.

Police found blood on Ostrander and Coyle, who is Ostrander's brother-in-law. Lauren Coyle, Coyle's wife, allegedly jumped on top of another officer in an attempt to prevent Ostrander, her brother, from being restrained.

Lauren Coyle eventually was removed from the living room by police, they said.

Officers later seized a large serrated knife with blood on it from the basement, as well as found several blood stains in the basement and the room in complete disarray, according to police.

Charges are pending against Lauren Coyle, according to police.

Ostrander is charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, resisting arrest and simple assault. Coyle is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault with a deadly weapon and harassment.

Both were arraigned before a district court judge and sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $10,000 bail each.

Editor's note: This article has been updated from its original version to correct Thomas Ostrander as living in Palmer Township.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
The 32-year-old gunman accused of killing a rookie Pennsylvania State Police trooper when he responded to a mobile home altercation had previously posted death threats about police on social media.

Jason Michael Robison (Photo courtesy Pa. State Police)

Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Landon Weaver, 23, at 6:30 p.m. Friday was responding to a frantic call reporting a woman's son had violated a protection from abuse order. The call reportedly came from Sherry Robison's home on Bakers Hollow Road in rural Juniata Township, Huntington County.

Weaver, 23, went alone to investigate. He was met by purple-haired Jason Michael Robison, who just a week before Christmas had posted on Facebook, "F--- THE POLICE!!! The only good cop is a dead cop," Philly.com reports.

Robison then allegedly fired shots, killing Weaver.

Fellow troopers rushed to the house "and tactically removed" Weaver, Capt. David Cain told Philly.com at a news conference Saturday afternoon. "Tragically, Trooper Weaver succumbed to his wounds," Cain said in the report.

An all-night manhunt ensued in the search of Robison. The search included nearly 100 troopers, FBI agents, and other law enforcement officers scouring areas near the popular Raystown Lake vacation area of Huntingdon County, posting roadblocks and searching residences, Philly.com reports.

Robison was found after daybreak Saturday. He was armed and holed up in an unoccupied mobile home -- not far from the home in Huntingdon County where Weaver was shot, the Associated Press reported.

State police Cpl. Adam Reed told the AP Robison refused orders and threatened officers on the scene, leading police to shoot him. His death was confirmed about 10:30 a.m.

"Robison refused commands to surrender, made threats to harm additional law enforcement personnel, and was shot and killed in the ensuing confrontation," Pennsylvania State Police state on the department's Facebook page.

Robison has a lengthy criminal history.

He had been arrested more than a dozen times on charges that included making threats, assault, theft and driving on a revoked license, the AP reported. Robison last appeared in court on Dec. 16, when he was released on theft and driving charges after posting $10,000 bail.

The unidentified officers involved in shooting Robison will be routinely placed on administrative leave during the investigation, Cain told Philly.com

Weaver joined the state police last December and graduated from the academy in June. The trooper's survivors include his wife; they were reportedly high school sweethearts who married in June.

State Police on its Facebook page posted a photograph of Weaver in uniform with the note "End of Watch: Dec. 30, 2016."

Weaver became the 97th Pennsylvania state trooper to be killed in action since the department's inception in 1905.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem

Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem.

(Bill Adams)

Northampton County District Attorney

fired a warning shot over the bow of the S.S. Adelson last week, otherwise known as the

While several casino owners in Pennsylvania have agreed to keep paying $10 million annual fees to their host municipalities -- now that the state's host-fee legislation has been declared unconstitutional --

isn't among them. He's waiting to see what the Legislature does in 2017 as it looks to resurrect the host-fee law.

Morganelli's message: If the Sands doesn't recognize its civic obligation to keep paying the host fee, much of which goes toward law enforcement, the

about prosecuting casino-related crimes.

"As perhaps the most successful casino in the state of Pennsylvania, it is disheartening to see that the Sands does not believe it has to be a good corporate citizen," Morganelli wrote in a Dec. 27 letter to Sands President Mark Juliano. He advised the casino might have to use civil complaints to deal with problems such as patrons passing bad checks or running scams.

Morganelli's threat emphasizes the need for casinos to help with the criminal and social problems associated with legalized gambling. The

a year in host fees from slot-machine revenues. Smaller shares of casino revenues are awarded each year to counties and neighboring towns on a competitive basis.

But it's not time to hit the panic button. Not yet.

Push will come to shove on April 15, if the Pennsylvania Legislature hasn't acted by then on the part of the host-fee law vacated by the state Supreme Court.

In an appeal brought by Mt. Airy Casino Resort, the court agreed a two-pronged host-fee arrangement

on uniform taxation. Under the law, the nine casinos outside Philadelphia (which operates under a separate host-fee law), are required to pay $10 million or 2 percent of their gross slots revenue, whichever is greater. The money is distributed to towns to help with policing, firefighting, road repairs or other public needs. Just why Mt. Airy felt the need to sue is open to debate, since all nine casinos fall short of the 2 percent threshold and have been paying $10 million annually.

Noting the hardship that would result from an abrupt cutoff, the Supreme Court delayed the impact of its ruling for four months, giving the Legislature time to act and requiring casinos to make a quarterly host-fee payment due Jan. 15. The next quarterly payment would have been due April 15.

To no one's surprise, the

before the end of the 2015-16 session. State Sen. Pat Browne, R-Lehigh, head of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said corrective legislation will be a priority in 2017. Still, this is an opening for tinkering with the law, and the casino lobby will be looking for the best deal it can get. If anything, lawmakers should be seeking updated figures on law-enforcement costs generated by the presence of casinos, along with other needs of local government.

Is $10 million enough? That's one question legislators should be asking.
Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

Subscribe today to get the latest headlines straight to your inbox with our free email updates

Everything from endangered species to cockroaches are being recorded as staff at Twycross Zoo carry out their annual stocktake.

The past year has been one of the best yet for animal breeding at the zoo and as the stocktake begins today there will be 41 baby animals among those counted, taking the total number of creatures to nearly 2,700.

The zoo has many species that are part of European endangered species programmes, which aim to secure the future of wild species through captive breeding and more than two thirds of the new babies at Twycross are part of those programmes.

They include two new amur leopard cubs, a baby bonobo and a young gorilla.

The zoo is also home to one of the largest primate collections in Europe and this year staff welcomed the arrival of several baby monkeys.

Among them is the first Diana monkey born at Twycross in 25 years; the first ever L'hoest guenon born at the zoo, a critically endangered black-headed spider monkey and two Francois langurs, whose father was transferred to the zoo from San Francisco Zoo earlier in the year.

Other babies born during the year include numerous bushdog pups and Humboldt penguins.

Zak Showell, animal records registrar at Twycross Zoo said: "We carefully monitor our animals on a daily basis but once a year we are required to provide an official census of all our animals.

"The data we collect is fed into a large database that is accessible by other zoos from all around the world, providing vital information about animal populations and breeding potential."

Zak said he was fond of all the new additions to the zoo and wasn't going to chose a favourite out of them all.

He said: "This year we've welcomed lots of new arrivals, from cute newborns to adult animals that have come from other zoos.

"I couldn't possibly pick a favourite."

There are 153 different species at Twycross Zoo, of which 35 are invertebrates.

Small and easily camouflaged insects and invertebrates, such as butterflies and cockroaches, are much harder to count, but their large numbers bring the total count of individuals at Twycross Zoo this past year to 2,699.

Twycross Zoo is open to the public from 10am to 5pm each day. For more information and to book tickets call 0844 474 1777 or visit www.twycrosszoo.org
The city of Helena is receiving $1,250,000 to use toward the renovation of an apartment building critical to the citys supply of affordable rental housing.

Gov. Steve Bullock wrote Mayor Jim Smith on Dec. 27 to say the city had been awarded the Home Investment Partnership funding.

Renovation of Guardian Apartments is being undertaken by Affiliated Developers, Inc., a Berkley, Michigan, nonprofit organization, that announced its intent in June to acquire and renovate the apartment building.

The Home funds are extremely important to the project, Kirk Bruce, executive director of Affiliated Developers, said in an email.

Simply stated, we did all of this interior renovation and barely were able to touch the exterior with the phase one funds. This could have been a very precarious situation. The obvious would be a poor roof. This could have created tremendous damage to the newly renovated interior units.

The solar panels (for the roof) and siding will add greatly to the reduction of the annual operating expenses to the project, therefore making this a viable affordable housing projects for many years down the road to house low income seniors and disabled persons.

Lastly, and probably least important, the exterior work will be aesthetically pleasing to the eye, which does have importance in regards to the location of the project in the downtown Helena area right in front of the historic Cathedral. Aesthetically speaking, this is also important to the tenant population. We all want to live in a pleasing environment, Bruce wrote.

Affiliated Developers has completed projects nationwide including a similar affordable housing project in Great Falls in 2010-2011, Bruce noted when speaking to the Helena city commission in June.

Renovation of the building will provide a good, safe, decent affordable housing, said Sharon Haugen, the citys community development director, who added, thats important for all of us.

Had Affiliated Developers not acquired the building, there was the possibility that it could have been sold and rents would have been market-based, Haugen said.

Many of those who live at Guardian Apartments are part of the communitys workforce, said Ellie Ray, a city planner, and the location of the building allows them access to bus routes and medical professionals.

With the addition of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Home Investment Partnership grant, obtained through the Montana Department of Commerce, renovation of Guardian Apartments will total $11,014,683 of which 11 percent comes from Home program funds, according to city staff.

The Home program is designed exclusively to create affordable housing for low-income households, according to the HUD website that also noted the program is the largest source of federal block grants for this purpose.

Low-income tax credits purchased by an investor were part of the projects overall funding as was a loan from Stockman Bank.

A covenant filed on the apartments requires they provide housing for 45 years for housing for people age 62 and older and those who are disabled with restricted incomes, according to a May 2016 letter from City Manager Ron Alles that sought the Home grant through the Department of Commerce.

The four-story apartment building at 520 Logan St. is in the citys downtown and contains 69 studio apartments and 49 one-bedroom units.

The 118 units are available to those whose incomes are at or below 60 percent of the median income as defined by HUD.

According to the Montana Board of Housing data effective March 28, 2016, the most recent available, 60 percent of the area median income would amount to $29,400 for a single person.

More than 90 percent of the renters at Guardian Apartments are traditionally at or below 30 percent of the area median income, Bruce noted previously.

The income for single person at 30 percent of the area median income would be $14,700, according to HUD data for 2016.

The building as an affordable housing project, Bruce said, has historically had less than a 3 percent vacancy rate.
Portlaoise hospital's future was once again plunged into doubt, in the wake of a new report which questions its viability.

The Health Information and Quality Authority has found extensive improvements around the hospital since the controversy that engulfed the maternity unit, but not enough to ensure it is safe for patients.

Hiqa said the hospital is now at a critical juncture.

A senior clinical staff member said the report could be the final nail in the coffin.

Staffing remains below what it should be, and more women are choosing not to have babies in the hospital.

The HSE is spending extra money but it is on temporary and agency staff.

The report concludes that the A&E is unsustainable, and cannot safely and effectively treat sicker patients, recommending that a decision on what services Portlaoise can offer safely, be made urgently.

Laois Sinn Fein TD Brian Stanley refused to comment on the row between Gerry Adams and Austin Stack, over names of those with information the murder of Portlaoise prison officer Brian Stack 33 years ago.

There is an ongoing Garda investigation, this is the appropriate channel. As I was living and working abroad at that time I do not have any information, he said.

Later he stopped short of fully endorsing his party leader, saying Adams had taken risks and done his very best for the Stacks.

Austin Stack did not agree.

Brian Stanley is sitting in the Dail beside Gerry Adams. I would ask him why he is sitting beside a man who he knows is protecting someone who is a murderer, he said.

Big rents in Laois are driving up calls for help to St Vincent de Paul.

The Portlaoise charity expected to make 100 food hampers, with phenomenal requests for food, electricity and fuel, as many are struggling to pay huge rents county wide.

A nationwide poll put Mountmellick Community School top of the nine Laois secondary schools for the percentage of students going on to third level, at 95 percent. Scoil Chriost Ri in Portlaoise had the highest percentage of students going to universities. The poll did not include PLCs.

In mid December, it was announced that the Minister for Health Simon Harris had given in to pressure and would visit Portlaoise Hospital in early January, to meet staff and local politicians.

There was a special award given by the Road Safety Authority to the Treacy family and first responders who came to their aid, after son Ciaran was killed by a drunk driver.

The RSA said the family was a powerful voice for the devastation caused by drink-driving.
Its here. Weve bid the often crushing 2016 farewell and now have to face up to its consequences.

In politics and world affairs, Brexit and the election of Donald Trump have signified a terrifying and undoubtedly disastrous change in direction. The irony of powerful rich men railing against political elites has not yet been realised by the general population. As liberals we really have our work cut out for us to challenge a chilling new orthodoxy of national selfishness, of scapegoating, insularity and the unravelling of decades of international European and transatlantic co-operation.

The hideous and entirely preventable suffering we see in Syria, Yemen and in refugee camps across Europe is a powerful reminder of the need for countries to work together, not to retreat into isolation and enmity.

The Liberal Democrats have a lot to offer this uncertain world. We have always and will always be on the side of the powerless against those powerful elites. We have and always will call for people to have decent housing. We have and always will champion people being paid a decent wage and having decent employment rights. We are that radical, insurgent, planet saving, establishment busting, freedom loving force for good that this country needs and we need to get out there with absolute confidence in that. You dont see the likes of Farage or Theresa May (and the two, sadly, are almost interchangeable these days) waver one bit in what they are saying. We can be too darned reasonable sometimes. We need to counter the most serious threat to our way of life we have ever known with passion. This is not going to be easy. Weve already seen Tim Farron called all sorts of names  and some Conservatives have called for him and anyone else who supports the EU to be charged with Treason. Its going to get a lot uglier. The treatment meted out to Charles Kennedy when he rightly opposed the Iraq War is going to seem like a teddy bears picnic but we all have to step up, face it and roll up our sleeves to fight for what we believe in.

In the UK, we have an awful lot to say to those who voted Leave as well as to those who voted Remain. We need to be the rallying point for all those who believe in our core values of creating a fair, free and open society balancing those fundamental values of liberty, equality and community and ensuring that nobody is enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity. Those powerful words from the Preamble to our Constitution are even more relevant today than they were when they were written.

The world is at a turning point and its up to every single one of us to show that there is a better way  not the old way where people are left struggling, not the empty alternative where they are told that everything would be fine if we could just get rid of these pesky foreigners. After all, when getting rid of those people doesnt work, there is an inevitability that another scapegoat will be found and prejudice and hatred tightens its grip even further.

In 2017, we must find a way of reaching out to those who feel under pressure and are vulnerable to the populist rhetoric of the Tories, UKIP and, yes, on occasion, Labour. The parties of Government and so-called official opposition have failed to use the significant power of the state to ensure that people have their basic needs met. Tim Farron has been calling for a new consensus to do these things for years. His Beveridge Lecture at the Social Liberal Forum Conference two and a half years ago seems very relevant today:

So we must win the consent of the voters for a government that is active, ambitious and liberal. And consent to the notion that taxation is the subscription charge we pay for living in this civilised society. That there is zero tolerance socially or legally for cheating the community by not paying your subscription charge in full. Government is about leadership, making a difference, not abdication. Im fed up of seeing us fail to meet our potential, to take the lead, to innovate, to be the best because governments continue to buy the lie that the job of government is to get out of the way. Who gets involved in politics just to sit and watch the weather? Lets make the weather. The Social Liberal, Economic Liberal axis is flawed. We must be both. We must be comprehensive Liberals. Lets say no to passive, neutral government that allows the evils of our day to grow unchecked; lets say no to authoritarian, intrusive government that becomes an evil in itself by subjugating its citizens; instead lets say a huge yes to active, ambitious, liberal government. We are Beveridge Liberals, because like him we have the audacity to believe that government is for making things better not watching things fail.

In that lecture, which you can read in full here, he talks about the need for better housing and to pay a decent living wage. Those are the things that should have been done years ago. If they had been, we wouldnt be in this mess today.

So, raise a glass just now, but tomorrow, we need to get to the business of winning hearts and minds away from the damaging populist rhetoric towards a much more positive vision. Blaming immigrants doesnt get you a job, but training and investment will. Blaming immigrants doesnt get you a house  building houses, strangely, does that well.

2017 must be the year when liberals start to win the arguments across the world. Lets get to it.

Wishing you all a happy and liberal New Year.

* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
Last year Liberal Democrats started winning again. Our wins in the May elections, our victory in local council elections and our stunning win in Richmond were great progress. Those wins combined with our thousands of new members means the Liberal Democrats are back. We started winning again because people want champions for an open, tolerant, generous, internationalist, progressive kind of country.

This year our ambitions are for the United Kingdom to remain in the European Union, Scotland to remain in the UK and Scotland to adopt a progressive programme to make us the best again.

Liberal Democrats are the only party that is Pro UK, Pro EU and Progressive.

My colleagues and I will make the powerful case for a Brexit Deal Referendum on the terms of the deal. It would only be right for voters to have the final say rather than just signing a blank cheque for the Prime Minister to agree any deal she likes no matter what the consequences.

Liberal Democrats will also oppose Scottish independence. Scotlands place is with our partners in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. We need to put the politics of division behind us and focus on making Scotland a better country to live in.

Our final ambition for 2017 is to secure a progressive programme for the governance of our country. Liberal Democrats will seek to negotiate a Scottish budget that delivers a transformational investment in education, a step change in mental health services and a package to tackle climate change. We want Scotland to have the best education system, the best services for people who need mental health support and the best programme to tackle climate change.

So the ambition for the Liberal Democrats for 2017 is to be united with the UK and Europe and to be united for a progressive programme for Scotland.

* Willie Rennie MSP is leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats
A PROBATION report has been requested in the case of a young man who admitted having a significant quantity of cannabis for sale or supply.

Asa Fitzpatrick, aged 27, who has addresses at Broad Street and Moylish Road, Ballynanty pleaded guilty to charges relating to the seizure on February 28, 2014.

During a sentencing hearing before Christmas, Detective Garda David Baynham of the divisional drugs unit said the drugs were found hidden over an extractor fan in the kitchen of a house at Ballynanty which was searched under warrant.

The cannabis, he said, he said weighed around 300 grams and had a street value of 5430.

A small quantity of LSD and and weighing scales were also found at the house.

Being cross-examined by Mark Nicholas SC, Detective Garda Baynham agreed the defendant was not at the house when gardai arrived and that he was not living there full time.

Fitzpatrick presented at Henry Street garda station a number of days later and made admissions in relation to the cannabis.

He accepted responsibility, he said he was given it to hold onto, Detective Garda Baynham told John OSullivan BL, prosecuting.

Mr Nicholas said his client was a significant user of cannabis at the time who has not come to the attention of gardai since the incident.

He has no previous convictions for drugs offences.

He has matured, he said submitting his admissions were critical given the circumstances of the seizure.

After hearing details of the offence, Judge Tom ODonnell agreed a probation report would be of benefit to the court.

He adjourned the matter to April 5, next to facilitate the preparation of a report.

Fitzpatrick was remanded on continuing bail.
THE number of reported theft-related offences in Limerick continues to fall, new figures have confirmed.

According to the latest Reported Crime Statistics, which have been published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) there were 601 incidents of theft across the Limerick garda division during the third quarter of 2016  July, August and September.

This is down from 67 (10%) from 668 during the previous quarter and represents a reduction of almost 36% when compared to the same quarter in 2015 when there were 937 reported incidents.

Further analysis of the figures shows that more than a third (243) of all theft incidents during the third quarter of this year related to shoplifting offences while more than 6.2% (37) related to thefts from cars. There were 20 reported incidents of theft from the person.

Separately, burglary offences fell marginally during July, August and September when compared to April, May and June.

According to the figures, there were 155 burglaries across the Limerick garda division during the three month period - down from 162 during the previous quarter.

According to the CSO, the number of reported burglaries represents a 45% reduction in the number of burglaries during the same quarter in 2014.

While burglary and theft offences fell significantly during the third quarter of 2016 there were increases across several categories of crime.

The number of detections for drug driving increased from six to ten while there were 80 detections for drink driving over the three month period.

Offences relating to the sale and supply of illicit drugs fell slightly while there were two reported incidents relating to cultivation. The number of offences relating to personal drug use increased from 122 to 145.

According to the figures, there were 45 reported incidents relating to serious assaults  up by 12 (36%) compared to the previous quarter.

However, the number of minor assaults fell from 130 to 110 meaning there was minimal change in the total number of reported assaults across the division.

The number of reported rapes and sexual assaults remained static at 24 and there were two incidents of child neglect or cruelty.

Worryingly, the number of incidents involving offences weapons increased dramatically from 13 to 33 while there three incidents relating to possession of firearms.

The latest Reported Crime Statistics come as figures released by the Minister for Justice show there were 569 gardai stationed across the Limerick garda division at the end of October.

The figures, obtained by Deputy Niall Collins show there were 309 garda based in the Henry Steet district; 123 in the Roxboro Road district; 75 in the Newcastle West district and 42 in the Bruff district.

The figures have changed in recent weeks after 11 new recruits from Templemore took up duty at Henry Street and Roxboro Road garda stations.

Newly appointed superintendent William Duane has also taken up duty as head of the Bruff district while Eamon ONeill has moved to Midleton garda station in East Cork following his promotion to the same rank.
BISHOP Brendan Leahy has paid tribute to Limericks men and women affected by gangland crime for their efforts in ensuring peace triumphed.

In his World Day of Peace homily at New Years Day Mass in Corpus Christi Church, Moyross, Bishop Leahy said the song of active non-violence sung in Limerick now, can be used as an example to other areas plagued by violence.

The leader of the Catholic Church in Limerick said people in areas such as Moyross, Southill, Ballinacura Weston and St. Marys Park had gone the extra mile in nonviolence and non-retaliation in the face of violence.

And he said that Limerick is now a city that can be held up as an exemplar elsewhere with regard to how to ensure peace wins out over violence.

On this 2017 World Day of Peace, lets acknowledge that whats going on in Limerick has something to say to other areas in our country where violent crime now seems to dominate. We can think of the appalling year that Dublin has witnessed. Thanks to the contribution of many to active nonviolence, Limerick is now a city that is beginning to sing a song of co-operation and regeneration, new vitality and effective management, artistic, sport and cultural renewal, he told massgoers.

He warned that while Limerick is a different place to the mid-to-late 2000s, when gangland violence was a regular feature, there is still a journey to travel.

But we have to acknowledge with gratitude that crime in Limerick is way down, murder is rare and communities are safer. Its not just that peace alone has won out over crime; regeneration is now being given a chance and social justice is now winning out over anti-social neglect. Houses are being repaired, some building has been done and more is under way. The services for children have improved, the Bishop added.

Bishop Leahy also acknowledged the particular contribution of women in these areas to peace-building. How much mothers have suffered is beyond calculationMany women in the regeneration areas in Limerick showed that it is love for one another, not violence that counts, he said.

Bishop Leahy said that the resurgence has been a cross-city one and he acknowledged the role of the local authority and An Garda Siochana in regenerating Limerick. In the past a lack of leadership and a lack of co-ordination of services stymied development. For a city to prosper, theres a need for overall leadership, a co-ordination of services and the cultivation of leadership in the communities. We are one city and we all prosper together. It is by being together, by staying together and moving on together that we prosper.

Limerick today is a city beginning to sing a new song in tune with Pope Francis message this year  the way of active nonviolence is the way to regenerate a city.
Apr 28, 2021, 4 AM

A complete set of 13 Dorothy Knapp first-day covers for the United States Overrun Countries set sold at the Dec. 15 Siegel auction for $6,037.50.

The Dec. 13 auction of U.S. classic stamps by Robert A. Siegel of New York offered this used pair of the imperforate 1851 1 blue Franklin type Ib, with triple transfer on the left stamp. The pair sold for $14,375.

An elaborate British-made cover with an antislavery theme, franked with the 1851 3 Washington type I stamp, tripled its presale estimate at the Dec. 13 Siegel auction.

A lightly canceled used block of four of the 1856 5 Jefferson sold for $13,800 during the Dec. 13 auction of U.S. classics at Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries in New York City.

In its Dec. 14 auction of United States stamps, Robert A. Siegel sold this imperforate vertical pair, a variety of the 1893 2 brown violet Columbian stamp, for $2,415.

A set of 10 Laffert first-day covers for the 1934 National Parks issue, with each cover franked with a block of four, sold for $2,415 during the Dec. 15 Siegel auction.

The Dec. 14 Robert A. Siegel auction also included this lightly hinged imperforate pair of the 3 Jefferson from the 1940 Presidential series, which sold for $3,450.

This rare imperf-between pair of the 3 Statue of Liberty stamp from the 1954-68 Liberty definitive series sold for $6,325 at the Dec. 14 Siegel auction in New York.

A rare color-omitted error from the 1982 State Birds and Flowers issue was auctioned by Robert A. Siegel for $1,840 on Dec. 14.

The Robert A. Siegel auction also included this 1 blue Franklin type III stamp with a neat cancel, which sold for $4,025.

The pseudo-science of phrenology was promoted with the corner card illustration on this cover sold during the Dec. 13 Siegel auction in New York City.

A Civil War cover with an Uncle Sam cachet sold at the Dec. 15 Robert A. Siegel auction of U.S. and Confederate states postal history for $17,825.

By Matthew Healey, New York Correspondent

Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries held three days of sales Dec. 13-15 in New York City. The first day saw a charity auction to benefit the Smithsonians National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C.; this was followed by U.S. stamps the second day, and U.S. and Confederate postal history the final day.

The benefit auction featured material donated by Gordon and Ronda Eubanks, from his award-winning collection of the U.S. 1851-56 issue, with further items donated by Mark Schwartz and Robert Rose.

Connect with Linns Stamp News:

Sign up for our newsletter

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

A pair of the imperforate 1 blue Franklin of 1851, with design characteristics designating it as type Ib (Scott 5A), was identified as coming from positions 3 and 4 of the right-hand pane of the plate 1 in its early state, which specialists indicate as 3-4R1E.

Type Ib stamps of this issue show complete frames at top and nearly complete at bottom. In addition, the left-hand stamp in this pair (position 3) shows the ghostly remains of its previous, misplaced entries on the plate, which happened not once but twice. This multiple re-entry of the design, in what is known as a triple transfer, is of great interest to specialists.

The used pair sold for $14,375, including Siegels 15 percent buyers premium that is added to all lots.

Another 1 is designated as type III because it has wide breaks in the outer frame lines at both top and bottom (Scott 8).

While other 1 type III stamps on the second plate had breaks at top and bottom, this stamp, from position 99R2, has the widest, because when it was re-entered, the rocking-in of the design from the transfer roller came up short at top and bottom  another example of the imprecise, artisanal nature of these stamps that makes them so fascinating.

With wide margins all around and a light cancel leaving the design clearly visible, this example sold for $4,025.

A magnificent, used block of four of the 1856 5 Jefferson (Scott 12), lightly canceled in Wilmington, Del., is said to be one of just a handful of surviving off-cover blocks of this stamp. It sold for $13,800.

Among postal history, several covers showed interesting uses of the stamps, particularly with eye-catching propaganda and advertising cachets.

A cover with a gold-ink abolitionist cachet reading Haste Happy Day! The time we long to see when every son of Adam shall be free! was franked with an 1851 3 Washington type I stamp (Scott 11) and sent from Massachusetts to Vermont.

This British-made cachet is rarely found, especially used in the United States, and Siegel called it arguably the greatest of all anti-slavery envelopes used in the United States. It tripled its presale estimate to sell for $19,550.

A New York-to-Vermont illustrated 1850s cover bearing a 3 type II (Scott 11A), with an advertising cachet for a firm of phrenologists, sold for $172.50. The pseudo-science of phrenology, which measured the skull in an attempt to determine character and mental abilities, was medically discredited by the 1840s but remained popular throughout the 19th century.

The sale raised more than $275,000 for the museum.

The second day of the Siegel auction featured some seldom-seen imperforate varieties of U.S. issues, including a pair of the 2 Columbian issue of 1893.

Once listed as Scott 231b, this imperforate variety on stamp paper now appears to be listed in the Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers among the die and plate proofs as 231P5, and valued with minimal faults. (The Scott catalog listing mistakenly shows a 1 denomination, which the catalog editors will correct in the 2018 edition of the catalog.)

All examples of this variety emanate from an ungummed, damaged sheet found in New York in 1900.

The pair offered by Siegel, with very fine appearance despite faults including a sealed tear, sold for $2,415.

An imperf pair and imperf block of four of the 3 Jefferson from the 1940 Presidential series (Scott 807c) were offered with a note that despite catalog listings describing the pair as believed to be unique, it clearly isnt.

The pair, lightly hinged with a large bottom sheet margin, went for $3,450, while the block, with minor faults but never hinged, fetched $3,335. Each item is accompanied by two or more expert certificates.

A rare imperf-between pair of the 3 Statue of Liberty stamp (Scott 1035b) from the 1954-68 definitive series is believed to exist only as having come from a miscut booklet pane. The pair brought $6,325.

Quick quiz: name all the official birds and flowers of all 50 states! A unique color-missing error from the 1982 State Birds and Flowers issue left all the black missing from a design showing a purple finch sitting on a lilac sprig (Scott 1981b), thereby omitting the name of the state, the denomination and the identifications of the species.

Just three stamps from a single pane of 50 different designs have such a misprint, meaning each of the three is unique. In the case of the error offered by Siegel, the stamp is in a se-tenant pair with a partial color-missing error of the New Jersey stamp, which shows goldfinches and violets.

The error pair sold for $1,840. Psst: the purple finch and lilac belong to New Hampshire.

The final day of the sale included a Civil War-era cartoon cachet on a cover sent in 1861 from Rhode Island to Massachusetts.

The hand-watercolored design shows Uncle Sam holding a U.S. flag out to rescue a drowning Southern Man beset by alligators.

Called one of the rarest and finest of Civil War cartoon covers, it sold for $17,825.

Twentieth-century cacheted first-day covers rounded out the sale, including a number by the popular cachet artist Dorothy Knapp.

A complete set of 13 hand-painted covers of the 1943-44 Overrun Countries issue (Scott 909-921) is thought to be one of just four intact sets done by her for these stamps, which honored the victims of Axis aggression in World War II.

The cachets show the nations flags, with a chained hand holding a sword rising from flames and each one is addressed to a Rev. Adam in Chatham, N.Y. The set brought $6,037.50.

A set of FDCs by Laffert, with exquisitely detailed hand-drawn maps and elegant hand-lettering, were all franked with blocks of four of the 1934 National Parks issue, in the imperforate versions issued in 1935 by Postmaster General Farley (Scott 756-765).

The set of 10 is believed to be one of five, most of which have never been on the market. It sold for $2,415.
Dec 31, 2016, 2 PM

A stamp for the European Postal Congress in Vienna in October 1942 used the design of one of the Quisling stamps along with Norways first issue.

To counter the V symbolism, in 1941 the Germans overprinted all remaining Norway definitives with a V, intended to stand for Verlierer (loser).

In 1943, Norways government-in-exile in London issued a set of stamps for use on Norwegian ships and in government offices. King Haakon VII appeared on the top denomination.

This cover franked with the six 1943 stamps issued from London was mailed aboard a Norwegian ship on May 17, 1943: Norways National Day.

Earlier issues were valid for use during the war on Norways ships and in its government offices, such as this 1938 stamp on a cover mailed from the Norwegian Legation in Stockholm in 1945.

The Nazi-organized Norwegian Legion benefited from a semipostal issue in 1941. Used examples are harder to find because the Norwegian public hated the stamp.

A set of 1939 semipostal stamps portraying Queen Maud became postally valid again in 1981, along with some other wartime issues. With 1980s cancels, the stamps have little value.

Expanding on the wartime V for victory symbol, Norwegians used the slogan Vi Vil Vinne  We Will Win. This stamp was issued in 1943 by Norways government-in-exile in London.

The man whose name is a synonym for traitor, Vidkun Quisling, appeared on a 1942 stamp when he became Norways minister-president. That issues design was repeated later that year on this stamp for his partys national congress.

By Christer Brunstrom

There are very few Norwegian words that have entered into the English language, but quisling is one such word. It can be used to describe a traitor or collaborator.

Vidkun Quisling was the leader of the puppet government in Norway during World War II, but more about him later.

When the war broke out in 1939, Norway never expected a German attack and the countrys defenses were rather limited. Norway had close ties with Great Britain, however, and Winston Churchill, the future British prime minister but at that time a member of the British War Cabinet, realized that Norway might be the target for a German attack. On April 8, 1940, British vessels started laying mines off Narvik, in the north of Norway.

Connect with Linns Stamp News:

Sign up for our newsletter

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

In the early morning of the following day, Hitler launched Operation Weserubung, whereby both Denmark and Norway were to be occupied. German forces quickly took control of the major Norwegian cities, but the coastal artillery in the fjord leading to the port of Oslo, Norways capital, went into action and managed to sink a German warship. This delayed the German advance, and the royal family, government ministers and members of parliament boarded a train that took them to a safer location. The Norwegian government refused to accept German demands of capitulation.

Norwegian military forces continued their resistance until the end of May, but had to give up their struggle. The king and the government left the country on June 7 and settled in London, where they continued their opposition for the duration of the war.

A Norwegian army of some 15,000 men took part in the Allied war effort. Many young Norwegians managed to escape to Britain, and many then were flown back to Norway to engage in various sabotage missions.

Within Norway, a strong resistance movement developed and attacked both civilian and military targets. This led to very dangerous conditions, and some 43,000 Norwegians escaped to neutral Sweden, where there was a Norwegian legation in Stockholm. This legation was in the hands of the London-based government-in-exile. Sweden helped to train police forces to be sent back to Norway when the occupation ended.

Returning to April 9, 1940: Quisling, a sometime diplomat and marginal politician, attempted to seize power by making a radio speech claiming that he had formed a national government. He was the leader of Nasjonal Samling (National Unity Party), which can best be described as a Norwegian Nazi party. However, his time of glory had not yet come, as the Germans created their own government, though using members of the NS.

Hitler remembered Vidkun Quisling, making him minister-president of the Norwegian state administration in 1942. It was a puppet government, with a German civilian administrator and everything subject to German orders.

On Feb. 1, 1942, a semipostal stamp (Scott B25) denominated 20 ore+30o was issued to mark Quislings appointment as minister-president. The surtax of 30o went to a fund for the families of soldiers killed on the front lines. On Feb. 2, an identical stamp (B26) was released overprinted in red with the date 1-2-1942. There were 250,000 stamps printed of each version.

The stamps feature a right-profile likeness of Quisling, and it appears the two stamps were highly unpopular. Today, the stamps are quite uncommon if genuinely postally used at the time, and they are seldom seen on cover.

In September 1942, the Nasjonal Samling held its eighth annual party congress, and the Quisling semipostal stamp was reissued on Sept. 26 (Scott B27) with the words Rikstinget 1942 (National Council 1942) added beneath Quislings image.

As these three Quisling semipostal issues are a lot scarcer used than mint, unscrupulous individuals have added forged cancellations, so a warning is due here.

Quisling returned to postage stamps Oct. 12, 1942, with two denominations (Scott 253-254) commemorating the European Postal Congress in Vienna. The design includes an image of the Feb. 1, 1942, Quisling semipostal stamp along with the coat-of-arms design of Norway Scott 1 of 1855. These Vienna Postal Congress stamps are very common, both mint and used, but of particular interest to collectors of stamps-on-stamps.

The Norwegian postal service continued to release stamps during the years of occupation. Some had designs relating to Norwegian history; others were issued in support of the government or German war efforts.

On July 24, 1939, a set of four semipostals (Scott B11-B14) featured a portrait of Queen Maud. The stamps were sold in support of the Queen Maud Relief Fund. The set was withdrawn on Sept. 30, 1940, and used examples from the original period of circulation are once again far scarcer than mint varieties. The Germans confiscated the remainders, which were sold to collectors abroad.

Strangely enough, on Sept. 1, 1981, these stamps, along with several other wartime issues, once again became postally valid. These issues with 1980s cancels are worth less than 50 each.

Some 8,000 young Norwegian men took part in the war by joining the Norwegian Legion, Den Norske Legion, originally intended to fight mainly in Finland. This force was formed in 1941 in German-occupied Norway. These staunch supporters of Nazi Germany were celebrated with a special semipostal stamp issued on Aug. 1, 1941. The stamp carries a denomination of 20o plus a surtax of 80o, which benefited the Legion.

The stamp pictures a Norwegian legionary along with Norwegian and Finnish flags. It lost its postal validity on May 15, 1945. The Norwegian Legion stamp had a printing of 100,000 and has always been quite costly, though in no way rare. This is another stamp that most Norwegians hated and avoided using.

Quite early on in the war, Prime Minister Churchill became famous for defiantly forming two of his fingers into a V for victory. The use of the V symbol became quite popular in Norway, and people wrote it everywhere. Many Norwegians adopted the slogan Vi Vil Vinne (We Will Win) in their struggle against the German invaders and Quislings puppet regime. The slogan is shown written on a street on Scott 263, a 20o stamp issued in 1943.

The Germans obviously were far from pleased with finding the letter V or the slogan wherever they went, and in 1941 overprinted all remaining definitives of 1937-41 with a capital V in black (in one instance, in white). In German, V is the first letter in the word Verlierer  loser in English. However, this did not prevent the Norwegians from continuing the use of V for victory.

At the time, Norway had a huge merchant marine, which was used to ship supplies from North America to Britain during the war. These ships were considered to be Norwegian territory. In 1943, the Norwegian government-in-exile in London released a set of stamps (Scott 261-266) with designs featuring war-related subjects, plus a portrait of King Haakon VII on the high-denomination 60o stamp (266). These stamps were postally valid on board Norwegian vessels and at a number of government offices, such as the Norwegian Legation in Stockholm.

Shown nearby is an obviously philatelic cover, franked with Scott 261-266, mailed aboard a Norwegian ship on May 17, 1943, Norways National Day.

These 1943 stamps, along with older Norwegian issues, were actually used and fully accepted as postage on letters mailed on Norwegian ships and government offices throughout the war. Pictured nearby is a registered and censored cover mailed from the Norwegian Legation in Stockholm in June 1945, franked with Norway Scott 178, which was released in 1938.

In 1943, Scott 261-266 were overprinted London 17-5-43 and a serial number, and sold in support of the resistance movement. Today, this set is the rarity among Norways war issues.

After the war, the London set was released throughout Norway for use as regular postage (along with two more denominations, Scott 259-260, using designs from the London set and issued in 1945). All issues with a strong connection to the German occupation were withdrawn and invalidated.

Vidkun Quisling and 24 of his most loyal collaborators were sentenced to death and executed in October 1945. Thousands of others were imprisoned for various periods of time.

The hardships endured during the years of German occupation certainly explain why the Norwegian people celebrate their National Day with a lot of fervor.
DECATUR -- The first business to begin construction on the old Big Creek Stables property is the Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) Medical Group, which will replace its current family practice clinic in Mount Zion with a larger one with room to expand.

Construction is under way at the corner of Illinois 121 and East Lost Bridge Road. The target date for the six providers located at the current HSHS Family Medicine at 1200 N. State Highway 121 in Mount Zion to move into the new 12,000 square foot facility is July 2017.

We want to open it as soon as possible, HSHS Medical Group CEO Melinda Clark said. It will depend on the weather, but wed love to be in it by springtime.

Clark said the number of physicians HSHS would like to have in the region was more than the current location could hold. Right now it houses six providers and 18 support staff.

They are basically out of space, Clark said. Weve been in that space for a long time and have added on several times, but there comes a point where you cant add on anymore. We want the flow to be more convenient.

We want to continue growing to serve that area and the residents around Mount Zion. Weve been looking for a location close to the existing one, and that was perfect.

Plus, its a beautiful location. We like to have environments with a healing-type presence. This will be a beautiful place for patients to come.

Clark said the six providers at the current location -- doctors Daniel Smith, Brooke Ballard and Dennis Costerisan, and nurse practitioners Julie Auton, Joya Ryan and Amanda Shils -- will all move to the new building. And, Clark said, HSHS plans to recruit as many as four more providers and 10 to 12 support staff to the clinic in the next few years.

The new facility will also include expanded lab and X-ray services.

Clark said it's not known yet what will happen with the current building.

The former Big Creek Stables is a 13.7 acre area that was traded by the Decatur Park District to developer Gregg Meisenhelter in exchange for 17 acres south of Rotary Park. That area will contain the new police training center funded by a donation from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation.

The former Big Creek Stables, meanwhile, was rezoned into a B-2 commercial district by the Decatur City Council. Though Clark said HSHS has room to expand in the area its leasing -- it has the front section of the property -- theres room for more development.

Developer Tony Romano said his company is currently putting a street on the south side of the area, but isnt ready to announce any future plans.

We have some stuff in the works, but were not ready to talk about it right now, Romano said. Theres more to come.
Airports of the future could use a new technology to get you through security faster and improve safety: remote screening stations that minimize the effect of a little-known cognitive bias called satisfaction of search (SOS).

It's always in the last place you look, the saying goes, but SOS describes those times when it isn't. Research has consistently shown that people have trouble locating second and third objects in searches where there may be multiple targets, which could be one of the factors in the Transportation Security Administration'sfailure to stop 95 percent of the dangerous items in a 2015 internal test by Homeland Security, according to a study published in Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences (opens in new tab).

Now, pilot programs in Brussels and Bristol, England, as well as a new facility in Calgary International Airport in Alberta, are aiming to improve efficiency and security with remote screening areas where agents are physically isolated from the hustle and bustle of the checkpoint, a measure recommended (opens in new tab) by SOS researchers. Brussels has already seenits success rate increase by 16 percent, which security experts attribute to better focus. But SOS suggests that there may be more to the story, experts say. [Why You Forget: 5 Strange Facts About Memory]

Mental bias

First identified in the field of radiology, where the detection of abnormalities in X-rays can be a matter of life or death, SOS originally referred to situations where the doctor feels "satisfied" that he or she has found the problem and moves on to the next image. Of course, pneumonia doesn' preclude a patient from also having a tumor or some other issue, for example, so calling off the search too early can be a grave error, doctors have found.

While overcoming the effects of SOS has long been a part of radiology training, experienced professionals are still highly susceptible. A 2000 study in the American Journal of Roentgenology found that while an average of 12 out of 15 radiologists had no trouble identifying one abnormality in an X-ray, just half that number were able to catch subsequent aberrations in an image with two or three anomalies. Scientists reported in 1997 in the journal Emergency Radiology (opens in new tab) that up to one-third of radiological mistakes can be traced back to SOS. This resistance to years of experience suggests that SOS may be rooted more deeply.

Stephen Mitroff, a cognitive scientist at The George Washington University, argues that "satisfaction" is just one part of a wider concept of mental interference that leads to search errors. His group has renamed this bias"subsequent search misses" (SSM), to reflect its multiple origins. It turns out that searchers often do continue past their first find, so the traditional formulation of SOS isn't enough to explain the bias's wide-reaching effects, they said. [10 Everyday Things That Cause Brain Farts]

A second explanation for how searchers can miss multiple targets involves resource depletion. After you find one object, you have to remember what it is and where it is, which distracts you. "The idea is that once you find one item, it uses up your limited mental resources, your attention and your working memory," Mitroff told Live Science. "You'll keep doing the same search that you were doing before, but now with one hand tied behind your back."

Furthermore, after finding one target, the mind becomes "primed" for that object, Mitroff said. In such a state, the brain is biased to more quickly recognize objects related to the first, either by shape or association. This may be an advantage in some cases, but when searchers are looking for disparate targets in radiology or security, it can also be a big liability. "You're in 'tumor mode,' and if another tumor appears, you'll find that, but miss a broken bone," Mitroff said.

Eliminating search errors

Mitroff's work is funded in part by the TSA and the U.S. Army, which are interested in eliminating SSM errors. By partnering with a popular mobile game called "Airport Scanner," he's been able to measure exactly how common the effect is in people searching simulated bags for prohibited items, such as guns, amid common distractor items. To quantify the SSM effect, he compared the likelihood that a study participant would tap on a threatening object that appeared in isolation with the chance that they would find the same object after having already selected another.

Overall, second items were 14 percent harder to notice (opens in new tab) than when they were alone. Even when both targets were identical  for example, two blue axes  the second was overlooked 6 percent of the time. When they were different, that figure rose to nearly 20 percent. Even more worrying, rare items such as grenades proved to be incredibly challenging to find when they appeared together with common distractors, such as water bottles.

Meanwhile, at airports around the U.S., the TSA conducts nearly 2 million searches daily. Mitroff has made a number of recommendations for improving security, including establishing remote screening centers like those in Brussels and Canada where employees won't feel pressured by long lines, or even a crowdsourced distribution system where multiple searches of the same bag could be conducted by independent agents.

Although visual search is the easiest type to study, this phenomenon likely applies to a wide range of circumstances, from proofreading to troubleshooting. "The broader point of this is, when you get that initial success, you then have a problem," Mitroff said. "It all gets back to what's the mechanism that's driving it, and if it really is this idea of attentional resources, those should come into play in other realms as well  really any sort of any situation where you're looking for an unknown number of items that might be there."

Original article on Live Science.
CHARLESTON  Ivan's days on the police force were numbered in July.

A K9 unit dog for the Charleston Police Department for more than eight years, Ivan was getting old and retirement was imminent.

During those eight years, Ivan's days were fairly routine. Starting at around 5 p.m., he and Heath Thornton, Ivan's handler, would go on a walk and all around get ready for the night ahead of them.

Thornton said when he got his uniform on, Ivan, characterized as a serious and work-oriented dog, knew it was his time to shine.

"When I go to work at night and put the uniform on, that is like the indicator that, 'Hey, I'm going,' so he goes to the door, and he is ready to roll," Thornton said.

But the 9-year-old Belgian Malinois was getting slower and got tired more quickly. He was nearing retirement.

Thornton said in late June, this became clear at the K9 Dog Trials, which serve as a certification event for K9 dogs, but also serve as a competition.

"He only just turned 9 a week before the trial and he was looking pretty good," Thornton said. "I was really excited about having a nice trial."

Thornton noted that Ivan in many ways looked better and more prepared than ever for the trial. But after one of the trials for obedience, Ivan was getting noticeably worn. More than just being an old dog, Ivan also was limping.

Thornton said his front legs and joints have gotten weaker and more problematic with age. The next day of the trials, Ivan had to do article searches, which is not very strenuous on the dogs, and yet, Ivan still was limping.

"After that, I was like, 'I can't do this to him,' so I pulled him out," Thornton said. "It was devastating to see him just limping. It was kind of all of a sudden. He had some off and on (episodes) but nothing that had not healed up."

Ivan's time as a K9 dog was coming to a close. Around the same time, though, Thornton said a K9 dog owner was willing to donate a now 14-month-old trained K9 dog, Kye.

Kye, a German Shepherd, is "social butterfly" of a dog, Thornton said. Still a young pup in many ways, Kye seemingly does not stop moving or lose energy, but Thornton said he is a trained dog ready for the position.

So, for the next few months, Thornton trained Kye and transitioned Ivan into retirement.

"I want to see (Ivan) enjoy life," Thornton said. "I don't want to work him until he can't walk to where he couldn't enjoy life. He has worked for eight years, seven months. I think he deserves to just be a dog, be at home, relax, just be a family member."

Ivan's last day on the job was the Monday before Thanksgiving with Kye taking his place on Thanksgiving.

The complete transition has been rough for Ivan, so far. Thornton said it is hard to be a working dog and then just stop, but it is necessary for his health that he did not continue.

In Ivan's mind, he is still a K9 dog, however. Around 5 p.m., before Thornton goes off to work, Ivan still gets energized and prepared to go off to work again, only to realize that he is not going along.

Thornton said Ivan often sits on the kitchen floor waiting for Thornton when he is on duty. Wednesday night even, as Thornton pulled out of the driveway, Ivan would not move out of the doorway.

Thornton said it has been hard to leave him home. Being partners for so long, it was a hard transition, even with Kye there to take his place.

But, Thornton said for him and his family, Ivan's job has only become more vital.

"His job is now more important than it ever was before because he has got to stay home and protect Mom and the girls," he said.

According to Thornton, Ivan had a very successful career, catching numerous drug finds along with other things. In September, nearing his retirement, Ivan got the find of the quarter for this region, locating a lot of meth, 8 grams of cocaine and more than $1,000 in cash.
LPD /Courtesy

Laredo police detectives are trying to locate a man suspected of stealing a vehicle.

On Dec. 28, a person stole a 2006 gray Land Rover RRS from the 200 block of North Beach sometime overnight, police said. The suspect was captured by a surveillance camera as he left with the stolen vehicle.
Two individuals involved in unrelated vehicle crashes died Friday, Laredo police said.

The deaths of Lucia Galvan, 24, and Mario Alberto Soliz, 32, mark the 28th and 29th fatal traffic-related crashes of 2016.

Authorities said Galvan died early Friday after she lost control of her vehicle.

At approximately 2:30 a.m., officers were dispatched to the 2400 block of Cuatro Vientos on reports of a vehicular accident. Police said a 2004 Jaguar was headed south on Cuatro Vientos when Galvan, identified as the driver, lost control.

The vehicle allegedly swerved into a median and crossed over into the northbound lane before rolling over and landing on a barbed wire fence.

Authorities pronounced Galvan dead at the scene. A passenger, Gloria Gonzalez, 34, sustained non-life threatening injuries, Investigator Joe E. Baeza, LPD spokesman, said.

Christmas crash

Soliz died at a San Antonio hospital, police said. His death was the result of injuries sustained during a collision on Christmas Day.

On Dec 25, police responded to an accident south of FM 1472 Mines road at approximately 11 a.m. Police said a driver heading south on Mines Road failed to control the speed of the vehicle.

The vehicle allegedly veered off the main roadway and then traveled sideways into the center median, striking several trees.

Three of the vehicles occupants were taken to Doctors Hospital for treatment. Due to the injuries he sustained, Soliz was taken to San Antonio Military Medical Center.

An investigation into the crash is ongoing, Baeza said. Investigators have not yet determined who was driving the vehicle.
Joining the ranks of popular writers who started their careers in scienceauthors such as Michael Crichton, Kurt Vonnegut, Norman Mailer, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Lewis Carroll and Brian May of Queenis Texas A&M International University student Esteban Vargas, chemistry major and Fall 2016 Magna Cum Laude graduate.

Vargass short story, A White Noise, was accepted for publication in Ceciles Writers, a literary magazine in The Netherlands.

The story is a short fiction piece I wrote for one of my creative writing courses with Dr. Suzette Bishop. It relates the story of a young Costa Rican hanging out with his cousins on a warm, summer night. Its set in the 70s, when electricity was quite scarce in Costa Rica, especially in rural areas such as the one portrayed in the story. The narrator and his cousins are having a conversation and then become witnesses to something they dont really expect to see. The story includes elements of science fiction and magic realism, explained Vargas.

Dr. Kameron Jorgensen, TAMIU assistant professor, chemistry, said the pairing of a major in chemistry and a minor in creative writing is unusual.

While getting published is an exceptional feat amongst itself, what is deserving of additional praise is that Esteban is graduating this December 2016 with a Bachelors of Science, Magna Cum Laude, major in chemistry and a minor in creative writing, which is definitely an exciting and untraditional pairing, Dr. Jorgensen said.

Vargass science background isnt the only element influencing his writing.

I always check for magazines that are accepting submissions for short stories. This specific magazine focuses on authors with multi-cultural backgrounds. Being a Costa Rican myself, I couldnt let this opportunity go to waste, he said.

He wont receive payment for his story, but he said his prize is having his story published. It will also help him further his goals.

My plan after graduation is to do two things. I want to continue my work toward graduate studies, especially in the area of environmental chemistry and sustainability. My other professional goal is to publish more fiction, and if everything goes well, maybe my own book, Vargas said.

While Jorgensen always applauds her students accomplishments in the field of chemistry, she said she wanted others to know that TAMIU students are accomplished in more than one area.

I want to let others know about the amazing way students are being recognized internationally along with this out-of-the-box type of major-minor pairing!, she said.

To students who might have doubts about the pairing of their diverse interests, Vargas offered some advice loosely based on a letter by the artist Sol LeWitt to artists Eva Hesse.

Do something. Do anything. So do what you want to even if the world tells you you cant do it, especially when the world tells you you cant do it. Just focus on doing because many people just talk, but only a few do, said Vargas.
Walking Gently on Earth, a book produced by the Mercy Sisters, Western Province was launched on Saturday, November 26, in Knock House Hotel, Co Mayo to a packed assembly.

Launched by Eanna Ni Lamhna, environmental consultant and broadcaster, the book tells of the Sisters efforts and commitment to live more sustainably so as to protect our common home.

It was published and presented as a requirement for an Eco-Congregation Award as part of the Eco-Congregation Ireland project of the Irish Inter-Church Meeting, which encourages parishes to take an eco-friendly approach to worship, lifestyle, property, community outreach and contact with the developing world. The award is designed to affirm good practice in environmental stewardship and help churches and communities witness to the importance of caring for Gods creation.

The Congregation of the Mercy Sisters of the Western Province is the first ever Religious Congregation to receive this award.

The sisters were nominated for the award by the Irish NGO Vita, with whom they work in partnership in Ethiopia, where they have helped create The Gamo Gofa Green Zone model of development; ie a community-led sustainable development project in the Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR) of Ethiopia.

Among the guest speakers at the event were John Weakliam, CEO of Vita, and Professor Emeritus, John Sweeney of NUI Maynooth, a climatologist and joint sharer of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.

The Eco-Congregation award was presented to Sister Caitlin Conneely, Provincial Leader of the Mercy Sisters by Catherine Brennan, a Sister of St Louis (SSL) and a founding member and Catholic representative of Eco-Congregation, Ireland.

In her acceptance address, Sister Caitlin spoke of the honour it was for her to accept the award and shared some encouraging and challenging words.

The call to walk gently on the earth seems simple but we know that it is very challenging for those of us who live in this part of our world. Todays event invites each one of us and the community in general to take this call very seriously.

Since the launch, a copy of the book was presented to An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, to bring with him on his visit to Pope Francis.

The book costs just 10 and is available from Sr Margaret Tiernan, Ard Bhride, Castlebar, Co Mayo (087 6984554) or Longford native Sr Mary Doherty, Convent Lodge, Drumshanbo, Co Leitrim (087 6330862).
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
Culture / Art Republik

In 2017, the Netherlands will celebrate the centenary of the Dutch art and design movement De Stijl with a series of events including three major exhibitions at the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague that will kick off in February.

Jan 01, 2017 | By AFP Relaxnews

Known for its iconic red, yellow and blue colour palette made famous by the artist Piet Mondrian, the De Stijl movement began in the Netherlands in 1917.

In the same year, painter, poet and critic Theo van Doesburg launched the magazine De Stijl (The style) to provide a platform for avant-garde artists, designers and architects. The publication attracted contributors including Gerrit Rietveld, Bart van der Leck and Vilmos Huszar.

De Stijl, which is also referred to as neo-plasticism, aimed at pure abstraction by reducing visual compositions to the bare essentials: straight lines and primary colors. Piet Mondrians abstract paintings in primary colours with black lines on a white background quickly became famous and helped orient the movement.

De Stijl artists aimed to achieve a better and more modern society, and their aesthetic was applied across design, fashion, architecture and advertising. Examples include Gerrit Rietvelds Red and Blue chair, kitchens by Piet Zwart for Bruynzeel, Jan Wils Papaverhof housing complex and Jan Duikers Nirwana apartment block in The Hague.

For the De Stijl centenary, the Netherlands is launching a year-long program of events under the title Mondrian to Dutch Design: 100 Years of De Stijl.

Gemeente Museum Den Haag will be at the center of the festivities, with plans to present its entire Mondrian collection  more than 300 works in all  in a single retrospective.

On February 11, 2017, the museum will present the first of its three exhibitions timed to mark the De Stijl centenary. Piet Mondrian and Bart van der Leck: Inventing a New Art will look at the genesis of De Stijls iconic palette through the friendship and mutual influence of two of the movements foremost painters.

Running through May 21, that exhibition will be followed by The Discovery of Mondrian, a major retrospective running from June 3 to September 24, 2017. The show of more than 300 works will trace the early history of modern art and the artists life in Amsterdam, Paris, London and New York.

A concurrent exhibition beginning June 10, 2017 will examine De Stijls influence on design. The Architecture and Interiors of De Stijl will show how De Stijl artists designed the modern city, street and home, shedding new light on a movement typically seen as austere. The exhibition runs through September 17.

Find out more at: www.gemeentemuseum.nl/en
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi set out a stern warning of tough action against the "dishonest" people even as he announced a slew of sops for senior citizens, farmers, rural housing, women and small entrepreneurs to soften the blow of demonetisation.

He also assuaged the honest people that the government will act as a friend to them so that their difficulties are eased.

Among the sops announced in his address to the nation at the end of 50-day demonetisation period, Modi said senior citizens will get 8 per cent interest on deposits of up to Rs 7.5 lakh for 10 years and deposit of Rs 6000 into accounts of pregnant and lactating women in rural areas to meet medical expenses.

For farmers, he announced that banks will not charge interest for 60 days on loans taken from district cooperative central bank and primary societies for rabi crop. For construction or expansion of a rural house, 3 per cent interest will be waived on loan of upto Rs 2 lakh.

Announcing two new schemes under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, he said 4 per cent interest subvention on loans up to Rs 9 lakh and 3 per cent on loan up to Rs 12 lakh.

"The law will take its course with full force. The government will help the honest and protect them and see their difficulties are eased. How honest will gain from the government. This government is a friend of good people and wants to build on the good environment for the people to return to goodness," he said.

Acknowledging that "serious offences" have been committed by some bank and government officials taking advantage of situation, he said "they will not be spared". .
Is China About to Demand the US Dollar Lose Reserve Currency Status?

The biggest issue in the financial system the issue that CNBC is completely avoiding and 99% of professionals are ignoring is the US DOLLAR.

The US Dollar has ripped to 103.

This is a truly MASSIVE problem.

The Chinese Yuan is linked to the US Dollar. With the US Dollar at these levels China has rapidly entered a financial crisis.

In the last month, China has:

Burned through over $70 billion defending the Yuan.

Had to halt trading in its multi-TRILLION dollar bond market.

Had to issue emergency lending to financial firms to keep them afloat.

ALL of these are linked to the US Dollars rise. And its lead the world to a very nasty situation.

China has a couple different options, NONE of them are pretty for the financial system.

The most obvious one would be a LARGE Yuan devaluation similar to the one that CRASHED stocks in August 2015 or January 2016.

Indeed, China is already doing this. But stocks continue to be in la la land driven by the medias nonsensical obsession with Dow 20,000.

Alternatively China could go for the nuclear option and demand that the US be removed as reserve currency of the world.

This is not some crazed notion. China is the second largest economy in the world. And the Yuan is now part of the IMFs SDR currency basket along with the Yen, British Pound and the Euro.

Im not saying the US Dollar would necessarily LOSE reserve currency status, but if China were to publicly call for this, the consequences would be severe.

As in, CRISIS severe.

While 99% of investors ignore this ticking time bomb, smart investors are already preparing.

If youve yet to take action to prepare for this, we offer a FREE investment report called the Prepare and Profit From the Next Financial Crisis that outlines simple, easy to follow strategies you can use to not only protect your portfolio from it, but actually produce profits.

We made 1,000 copies available for FREE the general public.

To pick up yours, swing by.

http://phoenixcapitalmarketing.com/Prepare1.html

Best Regards

Graham Summers

Phoenix Capital Research

http://www.phoenixcapitalmarketing.com

Graham also writes Private Wealth Advisory, a monthly investment advisory focusing on the most lucrative investment opportunities the financial markets have to offer. Graham understands the big picture from both a macro-economic and capital in/outflow perspective. He translates his understanding into finding trends and undervalued investment opportunities months before the markets catch on: the Private Wealth Advisory portfolio has outperformed the S&P 500 three of the last five years, including a 7% return in 2008 vs. a 37% loss for the S&P 500.

Previously, Graham worked as a Senior Financial Analyst covering global markets for several investment firms in the Mid-Atlantic region. Hes lived and performed research in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the United States.

 2016 Copyright Graham Summers - 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.

Graham Summers Archive

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




A grant from the Harvest Foundation will help fund a career expo for area students, according to a release from the foundation.

The Harvest Foundation awarded a $25,000 grant to the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research Foundation (IALR) to evaluate the SOVA Career Choice Youth Expo for the next two years, the release said. The expo is an opportunity for employers to educate students in seventh and ninth grades about regional career opportunities and interests.

On Oct. 5 and Oct. 6, 2016, approximately 4,000 students  1,290 of them from Martinsville and Henry County schools  engaged in hands-on activities led by regional employers at the expo.

In an interview with the Martinsville Bulletin, DeWitt House, senior program officer at the Harvest Foundation, said that the foundations strategic plan has a focus on developing the areas future workforce.

I had the opportunity to travel to Alabama to see the prototype of this event several years ago, House said, adding that he was working within the school system while the expo was being developed locally.

I think that its a great idea in terms of making the young people in this community aware of the careers that are available and also the requirements theyre going to need in order to fulfill those jobs, he said. The expo also lets students know what they can expect from employers as far as compensation and standard of living, he added.

The most recent expo received many positive evaluations from area students who participated, House said.

One of the reasons we agreed to fund it again is that theyre using that evaluation to improve the event every year, he said. I think they do a very good job of listening to what the students as well as the business partners suggest  to make it more effective. We think its a very good opportunity to expose our local youth to the opportunities in the region  not just our community, but the region in general.

Martinsville Schools Superintendent Dr. Zeb Talley praised Harvest for offering the grant, describing the foundation as a wonderful partner.

Our seventh and ninth graders participated last year, and we plan on them participating again, Talley said. Its just a great opportunity for them to look at the myriad occupations in the area. It provides a connection between the subjects theyre taking now and future employment.  Its an excellent opportunity for them to see the real-world connections between what theyre studying and the occupations they could have.

SOL tests are important, Talley said, but its also important for schools to produce students who can function effectively in the workplace, and the career expo goes a long way toward fulfilling that goal.

One of his hopes, Talley added, is that area students will see that even if they leave the area to attend college or trade school, they will still be able to return to Martinsville and Henry County for employment.

We want a quality educational system that can produce young people that can go off, do well, and come back and contribute, Talley said. Thats what its all about.

Monica Hatchett, Henry County Public Schools Director of Communications and Organizational Learning, said that the SOVA Career Expo offers county students excellent opportunities to see what jobs are available in the area.

Knowing that a job he or she may be interested in is available in our area can lead a student to consider educational and internship opportunities that will help strengthen his or her chances of earning a job in a desired field without having to leave the area, Hatchett said. Harvest's partnership will ensure that the student expo experience is one of high quality and includes a lasting impact on the future of our students and our community.

For more information, visit theharvestfoundation.org.
HELENA  In all the presidential campaign uproar over international trade, a little-noticed agreement with Nepal will have a direct impact on Missoula.

President Barack Obama signed a proclamation on Dec. 15 implementing a trade preference program for Nepali knitwear, shawls, travel goods and other items, allowing them to enter the United States duty free. Thats good news for Missoula-based Everest Designs, which imports handmade clothing and bags from Nepal and sells them to outdoor gear stores throughout the nation.

If our cost per hat is $5, and you tack on 60 cents to every one of them, it adds up over time, Everest Designs owner Matt Skousen said. This frees up dollars that can be used elsewhere, like marketing and design.

Obama used a provision of the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 to authorize a Nepal Preference Program for 10 years. The move was in response to a series of catastrophic earthquakes that hit the country in April and May, 2015. The Ghorka earthquake and its aftershocks killed at least 9,000 people and destroyed at least 500,000 homes.

The legislation provides a unique opportunity for Nepali businesses to expand their exports to U.S. markets, said U.S. Ambassador Alaina B. Teplitz. These trade preferences will provide some support, but ultimately Nepals broader economic development will be achieved through policy reform that incentivizes investment, an improved business environment and labor reform that supports all sectors.

The program was originally set up in February, but officials needed time to certify that the products were eligible for preference. That means checks to ensure manufacturers arent using child labor, exploitative practices, or unfairly competing with domestic producers.

The news came just as Skousen was scrambling to prepare a display for a major outdoor clothing industry trade show in Portland, Oregon, next week. The industry has grown challenging, he said, as a gulf widens between giant companies like North Face and Columbia that deal in huge volumes, and small producers like Everest Designs that work on a much more personal scale.

Most of the hats, sweaters, handbags, skirts, gloves and other garments Skousen imports are made at the Himalayan Knitwear factory in Bhaktapour, a short distance from the Nepali capital, Kathmandu. That factory employs several hundred workers. Some items also are made by hand in home craft shops.

Because Nepal is landlocked along the Himalayan Mountains, all its goods must be shipped through India to reach ships for transport to the United States. Skousen said hes placing orders now for items that wont be made and delivered until next year.

On sweaters, we pay a 12 percent import tax, Skousen said. Under this deal, that would go away.
If you go to the U.S. Census Bureau website, there is a counter that shows the population change in the United States and the rest of the world.

The counter shows the world adding a new person about every second. The United States adds another person about every 15 seconds.

We know the counter isn't a true representation of people coming and going from this world, but it does provide a visual that helps you grasp the fact the world population is growing at a quick pace.

There isn't a counter for the state of Illinois. But based on the latest Census Bureau statistics, that's probably a good thing. Who wants to learn about more bad news?

According to those statistics, eight states lost population between July 2015 and July 2016. Illinois lost 37,508 people, more than any other state. It's a distinction Illinois has held for three consecutive years.

It should be noted that the population increased in the states that surround Illinois.

While there are a host of reasons why this is happening, we want to single out what we think is the one that means the most  an inept state government that continues to do nothing about the major problems facing this state.

Nothing to create jobs.

Nothing to live up to its financial obligations (like paying its bills in a timely manner, or meeting its out-of-this-world pension obligations).

Nothing to give anyone hope that the ongoing political stalemate between Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan will end any time soon.

Nothing to entice people of all ages to want to call Illinois home.

So, while the state now has an official artifact (a pirogue, which if you don't know is a type of wooden canoe made from a hollowed-out tree), 2016 closed with the expiration of a stopgap spending plan thats been funding most state operations since July.

Happy New Year to public universities, community colleges, school districts, social service providers, small businesses and others that depend on the state to help keep them whole.

Illinois is living through a man-made exodus is how Michael Lucci of the Illinois Policy Institute puts it. It must enact responsible spending, tax, regulatory and political reforms to show residents and job creators the state is serious about keeping its most valuable resource  its people  and welcoming businesses that can help them earn a living and stay here.

We couldnt have said it any better.

New Year's Day. An opportunity to put one year behind us and start a new year with a clean slate.

Our wish for 2017 is pretty simple: that state leaders and the hundreds of other lawmakers actually do the job we elected them to do. We don't think that is too much to ask.
Mariah Carey bombed on New Year's Eve, lip syncing one her biggest hits and battling malfunctions, including an apparently missing vocal track, during a live broadcast from Times Square.

She concluded her performance on ABC by saying, "It just don't get any better," before turning and walking off the stage.

Carey was one of the top trending subjects on social media at the start of 2017.

Singer Josh Groban tweeted "Any time one of the greatest voices of my generation lip syncs an angel loses its wings." Later, he deleted the post, tweeting "Deleted my tweets about a certain performance because it was made in humor but taken way more meanly than intended. Not out to diss artists."

Later, Carey commented on her performance on Twitter: "[Expletive] happens. Have a happy and healthy new year everybody! Here's to making more headlines in 2017."

Ohio State should thank Mariah Carey. They no longer have the worst performance of the night.  Dave Zangaro (@DZangaroNBCS) January 1, 2017

Even Milli Vanilli is embarrassed by Mariah Carey's debacle. pic.twitter.com/8179cHu7jA  Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) January 1, 2017

i tried to sing along to Mariah Carey but Mariah Carey can't even sing along to Mariah Carey  Maddie Jones (@maddiegrace80) January 1, 2017

I'm sitting here singing to Mariah Carey while Mariah Carey is pretending to sing to Mariah Carey.  Chelsea  (@chelsea___g) January 1, 2017

There was a ball this NYE and it was dropped by Mariah Carey  Olivia Caridi (@OliviaCaridi) January 1, 2017

As bad as anyone thinks their 2016 was, it couldn't have been any worse than Mariah Carey's New Years performance.  Madison Thompson (@madipaige_t) January 1, 2017

With 15 minutes remaining, 2016 claimed its final victim: Mariah Carey's career  Cabot Phillips (@cabot_phillips) January 1, 2017

This Mariah Carey performance couldn't sum up this year any better.  Mike (@definitIy) January 1, 2017

I guess the last thing 2016 needed to kill was Mariah Carey's career #nye2016  m (@itsmikestweets) January 1, 2017

________



This story was updated at 9:45 a.m. to include Carey's remarks and Groban's comments.
FREETOWN A 36-year-old Freetown woman was killed Friday night, when the car she was driving went out of control, crossed over the oncoming lane and off the roadway, then slammed into a tree. The crash happened just befroe 8 p.m.

Freetown Police said in a written statement that Jennifer Bartlett was entrapped in the wreckage of her car when due to the force of the impact it was nearly wrapped around the tree alongside Richmond Road. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

As police arrived at the crash site, they observed an intoxicated man trying to talk with the deceased driver of the crashed car. Edward Benifeito, 47, of Freetown, told police he was a friend of the deceased.

After investigation police determined Benifeito had been in his own car following the other vehicle when it crashed. He was arrested and charged with operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, a second offense, negligent operation of a motor vehicle and speeding. He will be arraigned in Fall River District Court Tuesday.

The incident remains under investigation by Freetown Police and the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section.
WESTPORT, Connecticut A New York man was killed Saturday morning and two others injured when the van they were traveling in was struck from behind by another car, veered off the highway and crashed into a stand of trees.

Connecticut State Police said 32-year-old Muhamad Bahaga of the Bronx was killed in the crash when the van rolled over after hitting the trees. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said the crash occurred not far from Exit 17 in the northbound lanes of I-95 just after 5 a.m.

The van's driver and another passenger were taken to a local hospital with minor injuries. The driver of the car that hit the van was not injured.

The incident remains under investigation by State Police.
Jordan Grice | jgrice@repub.com

Don't Edit

When retired Army veteran Thelma Cruz visited Springfield a year ago, she felt a "sense of peace." She says it's what led her and her children to move from Philadelphia to the "City of Firsts."

She and her two children had no place to call home at first, and that's when the community came to her aid.

Jordan Grice | jgrice@repub.com

Springfield mother teaches children the power of giving during the holidays

Thelma Cruz

Don't Edit

Alicia Salaman has gone to the Holyoke Salvation Army during the holidays to register and receive toys for her four children over the last seven years. With the help of Toy for Joy, she was able to put presents under the tree and put smiles on their faces.

Jordan Grice | jgrice@repub.com

Toy for Joy helps mother of four bring Christmas cheer

Alicia Salaman (left) smiles with her 2-year-old daughter as she registered for Toy for Joy

Don't Edit

Sakina Gibbs couldn't be happier to have received gifts from Toy for Joy to give her 8-year-old son on Christmas morning. She says the program has delivered comfort and joy in years when she hasn't had enough to cover the costs of presents.

Jordan Grice | jgrice@repub.com

Springfield resident thankful to have Toy for Joy as a back-up plan for tough times

Sakina Gibbs after receiving a bag of toys to give to her son for Christmas

Don't Edit

Nicolae Pacuraru, a native of Moldova, made his way to the Greenfield Salvation Army to register his family in their first Toy for Joy program. The Greenfield resident has been out of work recovering from surgery during the holidays, but Toy for Joy helped provide his two children with gifts for Christmas.

Jordan Grice | jgrice@repub.com

Greenfield resident gets registered for his family's first Toy for Joy experience

Nicolae Pacuraru

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

There's a legacy of giving in the Kemple household, and they have continued that tradition this holiday season by donating to Toy for Joy for the 31st consecutive year. Robert "Bob" Kemple Jr. and his wife, Kathleen, donate to Toy for Joy in honor of his parents, Robert and Gloria Kemple of Springfield, who raised him and his six siblings to give back to those in need.

Jordan Grice | jgrice@repub.com

Tradition of giving continues as family donates to Toy for Joy for 31 consecutive years

Robert "Bob" Kemple Jr. and his wife, Kathleen Kemple

Don't Edit

Jiggy's Cafe, located just over the Connecticut state line in Enfield, keeps the memory of Sandra Kamm alive each year by giving children in need their first bikes each Christmas.

Jordan Grice | jgrice@repub.com

Jiggy's Cafe keeps 8-year tradition alive by donating bikes to Toy for Joy

(left to right) Jeff Belkin and John Accorsi along with patrons of Jiggy's

Don't Edit

Inmates at the Hampden County House of Corrections in Ludlow see no reason why they couldn't bring some holiday cheer, as they pulled together money from their commissary fund to donate to Toy for Joy this year.

Jordan Grice | jgrice@repub.com

Hampden County inmates donate to Toy for Joy

Members of the Hampden County Sheriff's Department present a check for Toy for Joy. From left, Hampden County Sheriff-elect Nick Cocchi, Correctional Case Worker Marvin Carmona, Corporal Joseph Perez, Officer Jennifer Torrez, Officer Julie Mardner and Hampden County Sheriff Michael J. Ashe Jr. (Dave Roback / The Republican)
ST.JOHNSBURY, Vermont A 31-year-old woman was killed Saturday afternoon when the snowmobile she was operating crashed into a tree off Rabbit Plains Road in St. Johnsbury.

Vermont State Police said Amanda Dick was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. She was operating the snowmobile on private property and carrying a juvenile passenger at about 4:15 p.m. when she lost control of the vehicle and it crashed. Dick was not wearing a helmet.

The passenger was transported to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Hanover for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

The events leading up the crash continue to be investigated, police said..
As one of Greenlands largest ice shelves shrinks, a once-doubtful scientist has come around to the role of climate change in melting it.

Story by Chris Mooney

Video by Whitney Shefte

Full Story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/business/2016/12/30/with-enough-evidence-even-skepticism-will-thaw/?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_greenland302pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory

***

Wisconsins Department of Natural Resources Is Purging Climate Change

The state of Wisconsin, following in the footsteps of Florida, is pretending that the climate change doesnt exist.

An op-ed by James Rowen brings insight into the ongoing process by which the Walker Administration is purging references to the climate change from the states Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell

http://www.planetizen.com/node/90486/wisconsins-department-natural-resources-purging-climate-change
They touched the world in diverse, indelible ways. Larger-than-life pop stars David Bowie, Prince and George Michael. Singular writers Harper Lee and Edward Albee. Stars of screens small and large Florence Henderson and Carrie Fisher. Washington Post writers gather their thoughts for a final appreciation of some of those that left us in 2016.

Full List: http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/style/2016/12/30/curtain-call-for-the-legendary-writers-musicians-actors-and-artists-that-the-world-lost-this-year/?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_inmemoriam-930am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory
Morning briefing: At least 44 people died homeless in Milwaukee County in the past 2 years
Error 404 Not Found

You may have mis-typed the URL. Or the page has been removed. Actually, there is nothing to see here...

Click on the links below to do something, Thanks!

Take Me our of here
We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission. Heres our process.

Acid reflux is a burning sensation in the chest that some people experience after eating. Baking soda may help relieve symptoms, but people should use it with care. Acid reflux, also known as heartburn, occurs when stomach acid backs up into the food pipe, causing discomfort. Some people may experience a sour taste in their mouth. According to the American College of Gastroenterology, over 60 million Americans experience acid reflux at least once a month. Some studies suggest over 15 million have it daily. Anyone who experiences acid reflux more than twice a week should seek medical treatment, as it may be a sign of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or another underlying condition. However, if acid reflux comes and goes and lasts less than 2 weeks, baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate may help. Some over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription drugs for acid reflux contain sodium bicarbonate. For example, Zegerid combines sodium bicarbonate with omeprazole. However, some people also use baking soda from the kitchen as an antacid to counteract acid reflux.

Benefits of baking soda Share on Pinterest Add half a teaspoon of baking soda to a glass of water to relieve occasional heartburn. Baking soda  or sodium bicarbonate  is a salt that consists of sodium ions and bicarbonate ions. It usually appears as white crystalline solid or a fine powder. Tablets and capsules containing sodium bicarbonate are also available. People mainly use baking soda as a rising agent, for example in cake making. It is also an ingredient in dental hygiene products and a natural cleaning agent. For medical purposes, sodium bicarbonate can make the urine more alkaline, for example, if a person has a urinary tract infection. A doctor should supervise its use, however, as it can have adverse effects.

Baking soda and heartburn Baking soda has an alkaline pH, and it is a common remedy for the relief of heartburn and acid reflux. It neutralizes the excess stomach acid that causes symptoms. The Canadian Society of Intestinal Research remind people that baking soda is a temporary solution to acid reflux. They advise people that sodium bicarbonate is available from a pharmacy in the form of tablets and effervescent powder. However, they add: If you are in a pinch, a half teaspoon of baking soda mixed in at least 125 milliliters (ml), or half a cup of water may provide a quick relief of symptoms. If you are using an OTC or prescription medication, follow the instructions on the package. Doctors only recommend using baking soda temporarily, when symptoms first appear. This is because other problems may develop if the body becomes too alkaline. Baking soda is also a salt, and too much salt can lead to further problems. As with other medications, it is essential to talk to a doctor about suitable dosages of sodium bicarbonate. Children under 6 years old should only use sodium bicarbonate if a doctor prescribes it. Acid reflux remedies containing baking soda are available for purchase online.

Risks and side effects Common side effects of baking soda include: gas and bloating

increased thirst

stomach cramps If any of these symptoms persist or are severe, contact a doctor. Anyone who experiences heartburn for longer than 2 weeks should also see a doctor. Baking soda and existing medical conditions People with the following medical conditions should avoid taking baking soda unless their doctor advises them to: alkalosis, when the bodys pH is higher, or more alkali, than normal

appendicitis

edema, which is swelling caused by excess fluid in the bodys tissues

heart disease

high blood pressure

kidney disease

liver disease

preeclampsia, a condition during pregnancy that features high blood pressure, edema, and excess proteins in the urine Baking soda is not suitable for acid reflux during pregnancy unless a doctor recommends it. Sodium bicarbonate interactions Baking soda can interfere with how the body absorbs some medications. People should not take it within 2 hours of other medicines. It lowers stomach acid levels, which means it can interfere with the bodys ability to break down and absorb medications. In addition, baking soda can interact with the following types of medications: Share on Pinterest Make sure you take baking soda with plenty of water, and check first with a doctor if you are taking another medication. amphetamines, including dextroamphetamine and methamphetamine

benzphetamine

digoxin

elvitegravir

gefitinib

ketoconazole

ledipasvir

memantine

pazopanib This list is not exhaustive, and sodium bicarbonate can interact with other medications. People should always tell their doctor which medications they are taking, whether prescription, OTC, supplements, or alternative remedies when discussing the use of baking soda as an antacid.
If it wasnt for First Wave, Deshawn McKinney probably wouldnt have come to the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

McKinney, a senior studying English and creative writing, is one of the university's most honored students. He is a finalist for a Rhodes Scholarship, won the Truman Scholarship in the spring and, last month, won the prestigious Marshall Scholarship, given to less than 40 students in the nation.

But McKinney said he might not have come from the north side of Milwaukee to Madison if it hadnt been for First Wave, a groundbreaking program that combines hip-hop, academics and activism.

I dont think there would have been anything strong enough to pull me here otherwise, he said. The uniqueness of it, and also the ability to have something and somewhere to ground myself, a foundation. Hip-hop culture means everything. It permeates society everywhere.

McKinney was a slam poet when he started at the UW, but he said First Wave showed him how to use words for more than just scoring points at slams. As president of the Wisconsin Union and a Black Lives Matters activist, McKinney has fought for racial equity and social justice on campus.

(McKinney) is easily, hands down, the best undergraduate thinker Ive ever encountered, said English professor and poet Amy Quan Barry.

McKinney studied in Tokyo last summer, and will be going to England next fall to study public policy as part of the Marshall Scholarship. He talked with the Cap Times about how traveling to other countries has informed his perspective on America, how the Union could serve as a model for bringing people on campus together, and how incidents like the noose costume at Camp Randall affect racial progress at the UW-Madison:

Whats it like to travel and study abroad, and how does that make you look back on the United States?

Travel has always meant a lot to me. Growing up I never got the chance to do it. In Milwaukee I was really confined to this little area, this neighborhood, and thats all I knew. So coming into college, the world opened up a lot for me.

Every time that Ive been abroad its made me appreciate the U.S. more. It makes me feel more grounded here, which then makes me want to fight more for it to live up to its ideals. Theres something about being abroad, the places that Ive been to and Ive seen, they dont quite feel like home. They dont match up to what I feel like this country can be. So it reaffirms that commitment.

Youll be leaving the country in a very interesting time for America, where a lot feels very unsettled.

Its put a lot in perspective for a lot of people, but in a lot of scary ways. Its rocked the boat for a lot of peoples personal relationships and work relationships. Everybodys trying to navigate it, and what does it mean when someone I love and care for voted the opposite way from me?

Theres an inclination to automatically label all Trump supporters as racist. And some of them are, right? But theres the other section, where people are voting for legitimate things like, All the jobs are gone, the factories are closed. Theyre voting for their economic interests. But at the same time, youre still complicit in the racism, the sexism and the xenophobia, which isnt okay.

Is conversation the big thing that needs to happen?

I think thats part of it. That just doesnt happen that much anymore. Everyone is so polarized. If youre on the other side of the aisle from me, than I dont want to hear you. That goes both ways.

Things have to be out on the table, and we have to better understand each other and be willing to debate each other. But not all ideas are up for debate in terms of core beliefs. Its not up for debate for me whether my life matters. Or things like equity and equality for same-sex couples. Basic human rights are not up for debate.

Youre president of the Wisconsin Union. Do you see the Union as a space thats welcoming to different people throughout the university to come together and, if not have those conversations, at least be in proximity with one another?

It is ideal for that, but its not there yet. Were trying to move it there, inching it along. Its this massive entity on campus, like the most visited place. It has this deep well of alumni and trustees and community members who love it. But not everybody feels at home there. For majority students its great on campus. A lot of students of color, or students who are part of groups who feel marginalized, like queer students or Muslim students, the union isnt quite the place for them.

Theyre more likely to go someplace like the Red Gym, where theres resources and community and a space. I know on any given day, if I go there, I know Im going to run into somebody who looks like me. At the Union, the chances of that are a lot less.

So its a building process. Part of that is getting more of these populations into the Union. I think Im the first black man president of the Union, and the Union has gone on for over a century. I think you can count on one hand the number of presidents of color, and it was all women before me.

What impact has First Wave had both on your life and the life of the university?

It introduced me to my ability to impact the world. The entry point through that was art. I came up through slam poetry, which is competitive poetry, earning points for the team. But you come into First Wave, day one, they break all that down. You move into something new. You start to see that your words can have more importance than those points, and can have an impact on the world.

I remember when the Race to Equity report came out in 2013, I was in the First Wave touring ensemble, and we took that massive report and boiled it down to a 20-minute performance. Not everybody gets the numbers, but maybe a poem can open up that conversation.

I know that I can reach folks now. And I can no longer be silent. Once you start doing the work, you realize that you cant be complicit anymore. I would never feel comfortable if I was just sitting down and not doing anything, once you apply the knowledge. And then its about how can I move beyond the art, and maybe start looking at the actual politics and policies of things, that I can talk to the administration about. I think First Wave set me on that path, and it gave me a base of folks who are running with me on that path.

How are things going at the university with race relations? I would imagine you see progress on some fronts, but then something happens like the noose incident at Camp Randall and it may feel like it undercuts that.

Things are going. Its progress, and not all students recognize that progress. In the spaces that Im in, I see both sides of it. I see the human side of the administration too, and I see what theyre going through. A lot of the initiatives that the campus is working on have come directly from student ideas, voices, needs.

This semester has also been a step back in some sense with things like the noose incident. Not just that it happened, but the universitys floundering afterwards. And that became a national thing. That was a pretty big step back.

Progress is great to have but its so easy to lose. Initiatives like the hiring of more mental health professionals of color, thinking about a black cultural center, the Our Wisconsin initiative  you start to feel more at home on campus as a student of color, like, Maybe I can do this. So thats two steps forward. But the noose incident is like five steps back in terms of the impact of how it feels. Not only is that like a direct threat, but then you start thinking about what students on campus are thinking about these things.

Since Trayvon (Martin) and Michael Brown  its fascinating in a way that I know that in some of these lecture halls, Im sitting next to folks who would justify my death if I was a Walter Scott. I have to think about that, and these students dont. And incidents like that make me think about it more. You have to start questioning more like Why are they looking at me like that? The negative impact, the branches reach out to so many more things. Its so much larger than the moving forward, which is a lot slower and more incremental.
Advertisement

The goal of this study, Trumble explains, was to reexamine the potentially detrimental effects of the globally-present ApoE4 allele in environmental conditions more typical of those experienced throughout our species' existence - in this case, a community of Amazonian forager-horticulturalists called the Tsimane."For 99% of human evolution, we lived as hunter gatherers in small bands and the last 5,000-10,000 years - with plant and animal domestication and sedentary urban industrial life - is completely novel," Trumble says. "I can drive to a fast-food restaurant to 'hunt and gather' 20,000 calories in a few minutes or go to the hospital if I'm sick, but this was not the case throughout most of human evolution."Due to the tropical environment and a lack of sanitation, running water, or electricity, remote populations like the Tsimane face high exposure to parasites and pathogens, which cause their own damage to cognitive abilities when untreated.As a result, one might expect Tsimane ApoE4 carriers who also have a high parasite burden to experience faster and more severe mental decline in the presence of both these genetic and environmental risk factors.But when the Tsimane Health and Life History Project tested these individuals using a seven-part cognitive assessment and a medical exam, they discovered the exact opposite.In fact, Tsimane who both carried ApoE4 and had a high parasitic burden displayed steadier or even improved cognitive function in the assessment versus non-carriers with a similar level of parasitic exposure. The researchers controlled for other potential confounders like age and schooling, but the effect still remained strong. This indicated that the allele potentially played a role in maintaining cognitive function even when exposed to environmental-based health threats.For Tsimane ApoE4 carriers without high parasite burdens, the rates of cognitive decline were more similar to those seen in industrialized societies, where ApoE4 reduces cognitive performance."It seems that some of the very genetic mutations that help us succeed in more hazardous time periods and environments may actually become mismatched in our relatively safe and sterile post-industrial lifestyles," Trumble explains.Still, the ApoE4 variant appears to be much more than an evolutionary leftover gone bad, he adds. For example, several studies have shown potential benefits of ApoE4 in early childhood development, and ApoE4 has also been shown to eliminate some infections like giardia and hepatitis."Alleles with harmful effects may remain in a population if such harm occurs late in life, and more so if those same alleles have other positive effects," adds co-author Michael Gurven, professor of anthropology at University of California, Santa Barbara. "Exploring the effects of genes associated with chronic disease, such as ApoE4, in a broader range of environments under more infectious conditions is likely to provide much-needed insight into why such 'bad genes' persist."The abstract and full research paper "Apolipoprotein E4 is associated with improved cognitive function in Amazonian forager-horticulturalists with a high parasite burden" can be viewed here inSource: Eurekalert
In a scene from Guys on Ice, the comedic musical about two Wisconsin ice fishermen, the main characters muse about what heaven might offer should they abruptly be pulled up like a hooked fish. Lloyd and Marvin imagine heaven as the icy opposite of hell, stocked with 50-pound perch minus the bag limits  and a place where the highway toll booths in Illinois pay them.

The scene offers insight into how many people in Wisconsin view toll roads. Theyre simultaneously miffed theres no free pass south into the Land of Lincoln and jealous that other states have ways to make visitors pay for highway maintenance.

That conflict in public opinion may surface now that a consultants report to the state Department of Transportation has revived the idea that Wisconsin could toll on its interstate highways and raise hundreds of millions of dollars per year.

The report, which covered other issues related to Wisconsins transportation funding crunch, is the latest addition to a debate that may define the upcoming state budget debate. Gov. Scott Walker has vowed not to raise taxes without a corresponding tax cut, and Assembly Republicans have warned that deteriorating roads and bridges will hamper the state economy unless theyre repaired or rebuilt.

Toll roads may be a part of the answer.

Tolls could help pay for so-called hot lanes planned for I-39/90 from Beloit to Madison, and eventually to the Wisconsin Dells. Advantages include avoiding higher state fuel taxes, not tapping the states general fund for transportation needs, reducing the need to borrow and cutting dependence on federal aid.

Tolls would allow construction projects to be planned and built faster  and to avoid federal aid penalties if work is not done on time. Theyre also a form of congestion pricing, encouraging users to make more efficient route choices.

Tolls also export a fair share of road maintenance costs to users from other states, Illinois included, a fact that carries some political appeal. The I-90, I-94, I-39 and I-43 corridors connecting Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison and the Twin Cities area in Minnesota are busy commercial alleys for traffic originating far outside Wisconsin.

Tolls assess user fees by vehicle, not by fuel source. As cars and trucks become more efficient, its a way to supplement traditional gasoline and diesel taxes.

Then again, tolls have drawbacks: Theres the actual cost of collection, which would require an RFID electronic transponder system similar to I-Pass in Illinois, some cash only booths and an enforcement system. That investment alone would be hundreds of millions of dollars, although the DOT report indicated it should be recouped quickly.

Tolls might distort traffic patterns, especially if motorists go out of their way to bypass them. There may come a day, however, when autonomous vehicles make shunpiking less of a problem.

Of course, tolls are not especially popular, as Lloyd and Marvin might testify from their ice-fishing shack. People dont like to stop to pay tolls, and it would likely take a while for Wisconsin drivers to embrace an I-Pass system, even though its compatible with systems in about 15 other states.

Theres also the matter of federal law that prohibits tolling on most interstates due to deals cut when the system was built in the 1950s and 60s. That moral bargain was fulfilled long ago, however, and a federal pilot program could allow establishing tolls if the money collected is used in the same interstate corridor.

Toll roads have existed since ancient times and in America since the 1790s, a history that suggests travelers are conditioned to view them as user fees versus a tax. As the debate over how to pay for Wisconsins transportation needs intensifies, that perception may prove to be a distinction that matters to policymakers.
Yes, you can transfer your domain to any registrar or hosting company once you have purchased it. Since domain transfers are a manual process, it can take up to 5 days to transfer the domain.

Domains purchased with payment plans are not eligible to transfer until all payments have been made. Please remember that our 30-day money back guarantee is void once a domain has been transferred.

For transfer instructions to GoDaddy, please click here.
Chris Rickert | Wisconsin State Journal Urban affairs, investigations, consumer help ("SOS") Follow Chris Rickert | Wisconsin State Journal Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

UW-Madison officials are hoping to tamp down concerns among students that under incoming President Donald Trump, their peers living in the country without legal permission could be snatched from campus lecture halls and deported.

Telling students that the university will create an advisory group on immigration and wont help enforce federal immigration laws or voluntarily give up student information can all be comforting to hear, I suppose, if effectively meaningless.

But it does go along with the universitys tendency to placate students instead of treating them like the intelligent adults they are.

The universitys Dec. 15 statement on its Campus Climate: Discussions on Diversity and Inclusion website is largely a reiteration of what the university and its police have long been doing.

Yes, immigration officials  or any other law enforcement agency, for that matter  must have a warrant before barging into someones home. Yes, a 42-year-old federal law protects student privacy.

The university defiantly declares that the UW-Madison Police Department will not participate in immigration enforcement actions conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers because our resources are limited and such enforcement is not part of UWPDs duties.

But UWPD Lt. Aaron Chapin said that in his 16 years with the department, he cant recall ever being asked to participate in such an action.

UW police are like Madison police and Dane County Sheriffs deputies in that they dont make inquiring about suspects or witnesses or anyone elses immigration status part of their regular M.O.

In fact, probably the only place local law enforcement regularly checks immigration status is the Dane County Jail, according to Sheriffs Office spokeswoman Elise Schaffer, who verified that a description of that process I wrote about in 2010 still applies.

In short, people booked into the county jail are asked for their country of birth. If they were born outside the United States and cant provide proof of legal residency, ICE is notified and it decides whether the person is in the country illegally. If the person is, ICE decides whether it intends to do anything about it. Unless the person is a serious criminal, chances are ICE doesnt.

ICE does not place a hold on every arrest but does on serious offenses and for those previously deported or ordered out of the country, said Sheriff Dave Mahoney.

Mahoney also indicated the jail doesnt necessarily honor requests from the federal immigration officials to keep suspects in custody.

We do not hold any individual longer than their sentence or ability to post bond, he said. We will hold on an immigration hold if it is accompanied by a judges warrant or authorization  only time.

Thats hardly an attack on immigrants. Because who wouldnt want murderers, rapists or major drug dealers  no matter where theyre from  locked up or sent away?

Its not like university police are going to stop taking the people they arrest to the county jail out of desire to keep their immigration status confidential and protect them from deportation.

Chapin says the department has no other option.

Meanwhile, worrying about any possible uptick in deportations is about eight years late, given that President Barack Obamas administration has deported more people  more than 2.5 million  than any administration in U.S. history.

And all that talk from Trump during the election about mass deporting the approximately 11 million people in the United States illegally? It was a nice bit of red meat for the basket of deplorables at his rallies. But mass deportations being not only immoral but logistically impossible, its not surprising that Trump is already reneging on his promise, according to what he told The New York Times.

Now, hes mostly interested in deporting people living in the country illegally he characterizes as being dangerous or criminal  for a total of about as many as deported under Obama.

Youd think that for as much as it costs to go to UW-Madison, university administrators would owe students such remedial lessons on the local and national realities of illegal immigration.
Duck Creek Technologies, Inc. provides software-as-a-service core systems to the property and casualty insurance industry in the United States and internationally. The company provides Duck Creek Policy, a solution that enables insurers to develop and launch new insurance products and manage various aspects of policy administration ranging from product definition to quoting, binding, and servicing; Duck Creek Billing that provides payment and invoicing capabilities, such as billing and collections, commission processing, disbursement management, and general ledger capabilities for insurance lines and bill types; and Duck Creek Claims that supports entire claims lifecycle from first notice of loss through investigation, payments, negotiations, reporting, and closure. It also offers Duck Creek Rating that allows carriers to develop new rates and models and deliver quotes in real-time based on the complex rating algorithms; Duck Creek Insights, an insurance analytics solution that allows carriers to gather and analyze data from internal and external sources and facilitate analysis and reporting on a single system; Duck Creek Digital Engagement that offer digital interactions between property and casualty insurers and their agents, brokers, and policyholders; and Duck Creek Distribution Management that automates sales channel activities for agents and brokers, including producer onboarding, compliance, and compensation management. In addition, the company provides Duck Creek Reinsurance Management that automates financial and administrative functions; and Duck Creek Industry Content that provides pre-built content, including base business rules, product designs, rating algorithms, data capture screens, and workflows for insurance lines of business, such as commercial auto, inland marine, and workers compensation. It has a partnership with Shift Technologies, Inc. to implement AI fraud detection. The company was founded in 2016 and is based in Boston, Massachusetts.
Safeguard Scientifics, Inc. no longer investing. It is a private equity and venture capital firm specializing in expansion financings, growth capital, management buyouts, recapitalizations, industry consolidations, corporate spinouts, growth stage, and early stage financings. It initially invests in a Series A-C round and opportunistically in a seed round. The firm prefers to make investments in companies engaged in the technology, financial services, and healthcare sector. Within the technology sector, it invests in software as a service, adtech / digital media, Internet of Everything, enhanced security, predictive analytics, machine learning, artificial intelligence, enterprise software, technology enabled services, internet/new media, financial technology, cloud, mobile, social, big data, in memory, and selected business services with capital requirements of up to $25 million. Within healthcare sector, the firm invests in molecular and point-of-care diagnostics, medical devices, regenerative medicine, medical technology, digital health, healthcare technology, specialty pharmaceuticals, and selected healthcare services. It invests throughout the United States with a focus on Mid-Atlantic region, and Southeastern Canada. The firm primarily invests between $5 million and $25 million in growth equity financing and between $5 million and $10 million in early-stage financing. It typically invests in the capital structures including owner financed and bootstrapped companies, corporate division or business unit, and venture capital-backed seeking a growth partner. The firm prefers to be the largest shareholder in its portfolio companies, with ownership in the range of 20 percent to 50 percent. However, it may occasionally take a majority or smaller stake in its portfolio companies. It prefers to invest in companies having proprietary technology and intellectual property. The firm prefers to take a Board seat in its portfolio companies. The company was founded in 1953 as Lancaster Corporation and changed its name to Safeguard Scientifics, Inc. in 1981. Safeguard Scientifics, Inc. is based in Radnor, Pennsylvania with additional office in Weston, Massachusetts.
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..

Read More
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...
Tracy Driscoll drives a bright pink fire truck around the state, bringing joy into the lives of people with cancer and raising awareness of women affected by the disease.

Driscoll works full-time as a dental hygienist, but you can often see her riding in "Miss Vivian," the pink fire truck, for an organization called the Guardians of the Ribbon in North Dakota. She's a devoted volunteer at the Bismarck Cancer Center, according to staff members.

"She truly goes the extra mile. She just gives everything she has to other people," said Amy Gross, executive director of Bismarck Cancer Center.

Driscoll, who lost her mother to breast cancer, has a "passionate personality," and is "always happy," according to Sara Kelsch, Bismarck Cancer Center marketing director.

Miss Vivian and Driscoll attend all of the center's events and personally drive people to their cancer treatments and fundraisers for the ultimate grand entrance.

"She's got the biggest heart probably out of all the people I've met," Kelsch said.
Before they inked mega-deals earlier this offseason, Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen and Mark Melancon understandably dominated headlines as the unquestioned best relievers available in free agency. No one remaining on the market will land a contract even approaching theirs (Melancons on the low end at a whopping $62MM), but there are still several proven late-game commodities who havent signed yet.

Melancon is taking over as the Giants closer, a role previously held by a pair of current free agents in Santiago Casilla and Sergio Romo. The 36-year-old Casilla has saved 127 games, including 31 in 2016, but he racked up a major league-worst nine blown opportunities last season and, despite posting 10.09 K/9 against 2.95 BB/9, logged his highest ERA (3.57) since 2009. On the plus side, Casilla exceeded 50 innings for the seventh straight year (58), recorded a respectable ground-ball rate in line with his career average (47.6 percent compared to 48.7 percent) and didnt experience a drop in velocity.

Romo, who will turn 34 in March, got better results than Casilla last year (2.64 ERA), but he only threw 30 2/3 innings and saw his velocity tumble to career lows. Despite that, Romos 14.9 percent swinging strike rate was in the upper echelon among relievers, as was his 13.9 percent infield fly mark (slightly better than Casillas 13.2). Romo also yielded the second-lowest exit velocity in the majors, per Statcast, to go with 9.68 K/9 against 2.05 BB/9. While Romo didnt figure prominently into the ninth inning over the past couple seasons, he nonetheless has an accomplished end-of-game resume with 84 saves and 141 holds in his career.

No free agent has done a better job securing wins than longtime Royal Greg Holland, who has 145 saves (125 of which came from 2013-15). Holland was especially brilliant between 2011-14, a four-year period during which he combined for the majors fourth-best ERA (1.86) and the leagues sixth-ranked K/9 (12.57) across 256 1/3 frames. Holland then fell off in 2015 (3.83 ERA), a year in which his velocity declined and his BB/9 spiked to 5.24 (up from 3.52), thanks in part to a significant UCL tear. That injury led to October 2015 Tommy John surgery for Holland, who missed all of last season as a result. In spite of that, a hefty portion of the league has expressed interest in the 31-year-old this winter.

Like Casilla, Romo and Holland, Neftali Feliz brings vast ninth-inning experience (99 saves), though the ex-Rangers closer worked as a setup man with the Pirates last season. Along the way, Feliz accumulated 29 holds in 53 2/3 frames and registered a 3.52 ERA, 10.23 K/9 and 3.52 BB/9 to bounce back from a 2015 in which he finished with mediocre or worse numbers in those three categories (6.38 ERA, 7.31 K/9 and 3.38 BB/9). The 28-year-old did put up the second-lowest infield fly rate of his career last year (15.4), but it was still easily above the 9.9 percent league-average figure and went well with a personal-high swinging strike mark of 14.2 percent. Feliz also saw his velocity jump in 2016, which could further entice clubs searching for late-game help.

Contrary to the above four, Joe Blanton has never been a closer  the 36-year-old has mostly worked as a starter, in fact  but not many have been better out of the bullpen over the past couple seasons. Last year was Blantons first as a full-time reliever, and the then-Dodger finished sixth in innings (80) and compiled a 2.48 ERA, 9.00 K/9 and 2.93 BB/9. The slider-heavy Blanton also got swinging strikes a career-high 14.2 percent of the time (up from 13.0 in 2015), though both his 32.3 percent ground-ball rate and 5.3 percent infield pop-up mark stand out as concerns.

While these five arent in the Chapman-Jansen-Melancon class, all could serve as boons to their next teams bullpens. In your opinion, which member of the group is the most desirable target? Or, instead of this quintet, maybe theres another free agent reliever youd rather have.

(Poll link for Trade Rumors app users)
ISABELLA COUNTY, MI -- Two people died in a vehicle crash Saturday night.

At 10:48 p.m. on Dec. 31, troopers from the Michigan State Police Mount Pleasant Post responded to a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of East Broomfield Road and South Leaton Road in Chippewa Township. A 1999 Ford Contour was southbound on South Leaton Road with two occupants when it disregarded a stop sign.

The vehicle crashed into the driver's side of a 2004 Ford Crown Victoria, which had five occupants.

Both occupants of the Ford Contour, a 63-year-old Centerline man, and a 57-year-old Centerline woman, were pronounced dead at the scene.

Police do not know if alcohol may have been a factor at this time. The crash is still under investigation and pending notification of the victims' families.

Troopers were assisted at the scene by the Saginaw-Chippewa Tribal Police Department, Saginaw-Chippewa Tribal Fire Department, Shepherd Tri-Township Fire Department, MMR, and Isabella County Central Dispatch.
otsegodam_polrep_9_parking area.jpg

The new parking lot drew in 25 vehicles the first day it was open.

(Courtesy Mark Mills)

What had served as a staging area for construction equipment during the first part of a cleanup of the Kalamazoo River near the Otsego Township Dam opened Dec. 15 week as a new parking lot for people who come to the Pine Creek impoundment to ice fish.

Mark Mills, wildlife biologist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, said he worked closely with the engineers on the Kalamazoo River clean-up project who created the parking lot.

First, for the staging area, workers pulled the bridge abutment at the Jefferson Road site back 120 feet from the river, Mills said.

That takes flooding pressure off the upstream stretch of the river, and helps prevent scouring of the banks downstream, Mills said.

Then the area was filled in and leveled off for use as a construction staging area.

With construction work in this part of the river recently completed, all equipment was demobilized, and the staging area was opened for public use. Cutting-edge technology fused with nature reclaims Kalamazoo River

Though set-up of the staging in Area 3 is now underway, fieldwork on the river cleanup has been suspended until mid January.

Mills said the parking lot is a wonderful addition to the area because it allows anglers to avoid parking along the road, a busy stretch which leads to Bittersweet Ski Resort.

The public boat ramp across the road on the impoundment is not a good spot for parking during the winter because it requires anglers to walk along the road to reach firm ice or to chance walking across softer ice from the boat ramp, he said.
SAGINAW COUNTY, MI -- Homicides in Saginaw County doubled in 2016, largely a reflection of increased slayings outside of Saginaw city limits.

The city of Saginaw saw 11 homicides over the year -- three more than in 2015, according to Saginaw News records. Saginaw County, including the city's number, saw a total of 19 slayings -- 10 more than last year.

"I think it's the highest that I've ever seen in the last 20-some years," Saginaw Police Chief Bob Ruth said, referring to the eight homicides outside of the city. "And I think a lot of it is due to the displacement of crime from the city."

Homicides across Saginaw County in 2016:

City of Saginaw: 11

Buena Vista Township: 3

Freeland: 1

Thomas Township: 1

Spaulding Township: 1

Bridgeport Township: 1

Marion Township: 1

The last homicide of the year occurred Dec. 29, three days before the new year, when 60-year-old Harold Lamont Barnett was shot at least once in the abdomen around 3:35 a.m. near Casmir and Norman in the city.

He ran to a nearby home and was transported a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Of the eight homicides outside of Saginaw city limits, three occurred in Buena Vista Township. Of those three, two happened within a half mile of the city border.

There were no homicides in the township in 2015.

Police initially investigated a man found dead Dec. 3 in a grassy patch along Hartsuff Road as Buena Vista Township's fourth homicide, but it was later ruled to have happened in the city of Saginaw.

Buena Vista Police Detective Sgt. Greg Klecker said he doesn't believe the 2016 homicides represent a dangerous trend for the township.

Klecker said homicides can occur anywhere and that, with Buena Vista Township and the city sharing borders, it's hard to say why something occurred on one side of the border and not the other when the crime occurred so close to the boundary.

For example, Zebedee Love III was shot April 10 at the P&F Market less than 300 feet from city limits and later pronounced dead.

Countywide, 15 males and four females were the victims of homicides. The youngest victim was 10-month-old Ciana Leigh McCliggott.

Prosecutors say the infant was strangled to death at the Sleep-ees Motel, 8125 Gratiot in Thomas Township. Michael J. Lask is charged with open murder and was recently bound over to circuit court.

Both Ruth and Klecker lauded the collaboration between Michigan State Police, the sheriff's office and local law enforcement and said it is helping solve more crimes and deterring others from happening.

By interrupting criminal enterprises, gang activity and drug movement, Ruth said, homicides in the city will continue to remain lower than they were in 2013, when the city saw 27 killings.

"Saginaw is becoming a safer place," he said.
By Congressman Tim Walberg

As 2016 draws to a close, and we look expectantly to the New Year, I'd like to thank you for the opportunity to continue to serve Michigan's 7th District and pause to reflect on the previous 12 months.

In the past year, we hosted more than 40 coffee hours and town hall meetings in every corner of the district to listen to the people's priorities. Here in Jackson County, we hosted these public forums in places like Jackson City Hall, Spring Arbor Cafe, Marino's Pizza in Summit Township, Hard Knock Grill in Leoni Township and more.

My office worked non-stop in 2016 to provide first-class constituent services. We organized multiple senior resource fairs, veterans' fairs and our sixth annual job fair - which, with more than 50 local employers and organizations in attendance, was our largest one to date.

When constituents faced difficulties with federal agencies, my dedicated casework team was there to cut through red tape. In total, we assisted with more than 1,000 individual cases, helping to navigate Social Security, secure veteran benefits, resolve passport issues and more.

In the House of Representatives, we advanced meaningful bipartisan initiatives to create good-paying jobs, combat the heroin epidemic, accelerate medical breakthroughs and keep the American people safe.

To boost workforce development and manufacturing, I helped champion and pass the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act. This bipartisan bill would modernize and expand CTE programs to help more students obtain the in-demand skills and jobs of the future.

In so many of our communities, opioid and heroin addiction is tearing families apart. Working alongside health care professionals, law enforcement and recovery groups, we passed, and President Obama signed into law, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act to tackle this alarming epidemic from every angle.

The life-saving 21st Century Cures Act also became law this year. It is a landmark initiative to invest in medical research, streamline outdated bureaucracy, and expedite the development of new cures and treatments. Significantly, the law included long-sought reforms to improve our nation's mental health care system.

In 2016, we also enacted a series of measures to enhance care and resources for veterans, including my Medal of Honor Priority Care Act, and gave our troops their biggest pay raise in six years.

The close of one year brings new opportunities for the next. As we look ahead to 2017, significant work remains.

The tax code is complex and unfair and needs to be overhauled to increase take home pay and encourage economic growth.

Obamacare is unaffordable and unworkable and needs to be replaced with patient-centered solutions to lower costs and increase competition.

Excessive, overreaching regulations are stifling innovation and need to be reduced to help workers, farmers and small businesses succeed.

With a new president and Congress, 2017 promises to be an exciting and productive year.

The stage is set to focus on restoring the people's voice, providing relief from heavy-handed policies and growing jobs and opportunity for a healthy economy here at home.

The American people are ready for real change and real results, and in 2017, we are ready to deliver.

U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, represents the 7th Congressional District and is a member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee.
The chronicle of a life split between urban Manhattan and rural Montana.
NORRISTOWN  A court ruling on Tuesday ordering that undated Pennsylvania mail-in ballots be segregated wont change much in Montgomery County, according to election officials. With regard to dated and undated ballots, theres still some litigation surrounding them. So our plan is to handle that exactly how we did in the primary, Montgomery County Elections Director Dori Sawyer said on...
Ex-choir director in Bucks County pleads no contest to molesting two students, secretly filming another
Rabbis installation at Keneseth Israel will get a boost of student creativity
Maintaining independence and editorial freedom is essential to our mission of empowering investor success. We provide a platform for our authors to report on investments fairly, accurately, and from the investors point of view. We also respect individual opinionsthey represent the unvarnished thinking of our people and exacting analysis of our research processes. Our authors can publish views that we may or may not agree with, but they show their work, distinguish facts from opinions, and make sure their analysis is clear and in no way misleading or deceptive.

To further protect the integrity of our editorial content, we keep a strict separation between our sales teams and authors to remove any pressure or influence on our analyses and research.

Read our editorial policy to learn more about our process.
New members inducted into Institute of ...
MERIDEN  Incentive zoning for the west side, a marketing strategy for downtown and continued economic progress are on the citys agenda in 2017.



The Economic Development Departments goals for 2017 include a plan to market the city as a great place to live, work and run a business, said Economic Development Director Juliet Burdelski. It will also foster private transit-oriented development and retail/commercial development in downtown Meriden.



The nearly completed train station is a sign of progress, said Sean Moore, president of the Midstate Chamber of Commerce. New stations are also under construction in Wallingford and Berlin.



It will be an iconic structure in three communities, Moore said. People will say, Im not going to New Haven any more to park my car when I go to New York City. Im going to park in my hometown.



The Hartford Line will run 16 trains per day beginning in January 2018. Planning efforts to expand the Springfield to Boston line, now underway in Massachusetts, will put central Connecticut in the direct path of rail service from Boston to New York City in several years, Moore said.



The city is piggybacking on the increased rail service by working with developers in the transit-oriented district with a goal to build 600 to 1,000 new housing units and 60,000 square feet of retail space within walking distance to transit within five years. Officials also plan to work with property owners and developers to fill empty space along key commercial corridors, including facade improvements on Pratt Street, Burdelski said.



The city will complete building and site remediation at 11 Crown St. this spring before turning the property over to Michaels Development for mixed-income housing.



The city is also finalizing a development strategy for reuse of city-owned 116 Cook Ave. and the former hospital in the same neighborhood.



It has an agreement with the Meriden Housing Authority to complete demolition at 144 Pratt St. following the relocation of all Mills residents and transfer of the property to the city.



Outside of the downtown area, Burdelski said her department hopes to work with the City Council to create a tax incentive district or other financing mechanisms to encourage new development along West Main Street.



Priorities for 2017 include assisting at least 20 companies to access incentive programs and financing to start and expand their businesses in Meriden, according to Burdelski.



City businesses with opportunities for growth in 2017 include Ragozzino Foods, Aperture Optical Sciences, Accel International, Omerin (formerly Q-S Technologies), Tainos Smokehouse, and Banana Brazil Restaurant, Burdelski said.



First of all, one of my wishes for the year is that 2017 is a confidence building year in our community, said David Lowell, chairman of the City Councils Economic Development, Housing and Zoning Committee.



New housing, increased rail service and a new train station will come together to build resident confidence, non-resident confidence and developer confidence, Lowell said.



mgodin@record-journal.com (203) 317-2255 Twitter: @Cconnbiz










Albany

The venerable progressive magazine The Nation won a decision from a mid-level state appeals court, which found that it did not have to provide unemployment insurance contributions on payments made to author and journalist Greg Mitchell.

The Appellate Division of state Supreme Court decision, released Thursday, overturns a state Labor Department action that said the magazine must make the contributions.

In February 2010, Mitchell signed a contract to produce a blog on media issues for The Nation for $46,800, which was paid in monthly installments. After his contract was not renewed in 2014, Mitchell applied for unemployment benefits. The Nation lost all of its previous appeals of the ruling.

The appeals panel noted that while the courts are usually loathe to overturn such rulings, "the Board's decision here is not supported by substantial evidence in the record as a whole"  especially regarding the question of whether staff at The Nation maintained significant command and control over Mitchell's output.

"Although claimant testified that he had a vested interest in keeping The Nation's editors happy, i.e., the renewal of his annual contract, he acknowledged that he 'had the right' to reject particular suggestions, and the record reflects that claimant could write about whatever topic interested him  within the broad areas of media and politics," the court said.

The ruling sends the matter back to the state Unemployment Insurance Appeal Board "for further proceedings not inconsistent with this Court's decision."

The Association of Magazine Media filed an amicus brief in support of The Nation.

Mitchell's Albany-based attorney Catherine Barber expressed surprise that the court used a new standard that was less deferential to the prior administrative decisions, based on a decision in a separate action that was issued after Barber filed her brief to the Appellate Division. Barber has reached out to Mitchell to discuss the prospects for an appeal.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

STAMFORD  Stamfords first baby of 2017 arrived a little less than three hours into the new year to first-time parents Miira and Giovanni Carestia, a married couple who moved from Miami to Stamford last summer.

Attilio Leo Alexander Carestia was born at 2:55 a.m. Sunday at Stamford Hospital weighing 6 pounds 14 ounces and measuring 19 inches long.

On Sunday afternoon, Miira Carestia, who was already up and out of her hospital gown, said Attilio had slept about eight hours since his arrival.

Hes been sleeping, sleeping and sleeping, she said. He has wavy, curly hair like his dad.

Miira Carestia, 35, and her husband, Giovanni Carestia, 36, came to Stamford Hospital on Saturday around noon, about 24 hours after her water broke at her job at Bloomingdales in White Plains, N.Y. Miira is the division sales manager for the department store.

Her contractions were slow to arrive, but around 9 p.m. on New Years Eve, they became stronger and more frequent, she said.

We initially thought it was going to be a two- or three-day experience, but all of a sudden, the party sped up and they told us he would be born in the early hours of the new year, Miira Carestia said.

Everything started to happen so quickly, Giovanni Carestia said. I just sat there with her and tried to be as close as I could emotionally to Miira.

The couple met in 2011 at a wine bar in New York City and married in 2013.

I just felt she was the right person for me, Giovanni Carestia said. We had so much in common. Well be together six years in January.

Giovanni Carestia, 36, comes from the province of Foggia in the region of Puglia, Italy. He said they named the child after his father, who still lives in Italy.

We took a trip to Budapest and Italy this summer and told him we were naming the child for him, Giovanni Carestia said. It was a very emotional moment.

On Sunday afternoon, Miira Carestias four younger siblings, and her mother  newly minted grandmother Veronica Stevens Jadusch  were in and out of the hospital room. The family planned to drink a celebratory champagne toast and enjoy some Remos Pizza and a bakery cake together during the afternoon.

The four siblings  Alissa, 25, and triplets, Ryan, Kayla and Kelsey, 22  immediately canceled their New Years Eve plans upon learning about the baby.

This is my first grandchild, so it is very exciting, Veronica Stevens Jadusch said.

We all wanted to enjoy this moment, Kayla Jadusch said.

About 2,500 babies are born at Stamford Hospital each year, according to hospital spokesman Craig Andrews. The baby was delivered by Dr. Russell Turk.

The parents said Stamford Hospitals doctors and nurses provided expert care.

The hospital has just been amazing, and were hoping to just soak up as much knowledge as we can before leaving, Miira Carestia said.

She said she plans to take a few months of maternity leave from her job to care for the baby, while her husband will take off much of the next month to spend with his family.

Were very excited, Miira Carestia said.

mcassidy@scni.com
Tyler Sizemore / Tyler Sizemore

DANBURY - A Waterbury man was arrested Friday evening after police say they found drug paraphernalia on him when he attempted to steal from a store.

Mall security officials called police to Lord and Taylors at the Danbury Fair Mall Friday after they said they saw David Northway try to take items from the store without paying. Security officials said they recognized Northway as a known shoplifter, according to police.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

If you're stressed out about being "always on," you may be interested in finding employment in France in 2017.

Starting Sunday, workers in France have the legal right to ignore emails when they aren't working  a move being called the "right to disconnect."

The bill, which was introduced by the labour minister, applies to all businesses with 50 or more employees. Organizations will have to negotiate with their workers to determine the parameters of off-hour email-checking, allowing employees to set rules around ignoring their smartphones during their time off. The hope is that the law will help reduce worker burnout and unpaid overtime.

"You're at home but you're not at home, and that poses a real threat to relationships,"Linh Le of Elia management consultants in Paris told the BBC.

Several companies in Europe already adopted policies to curb the wave of always-on culture. According to the Guardian, some businesses in Germany turn off email on weekends and evenings, and have even gone so far as to start "destroying emails automatically that are sent to employees while they are on holiday."

An editorial in the French newspaper Liberation says the new law is crucial as "employees are often judged on their commitment to their companies and their availability."

The law is not without its detractors, however. Some fear that the move will make it harder for France to compete with other countries who have no such restrictions. Others do not believe the government should interfere in the matter at all.

The right to disconnect law is currently voluntary; there is no punishment on the books for companies who do not enforce it.
It seems like a no-brainer: If licensed medical professionals want to provide free treatment to low-income families, they should be able to. But Michigans complicated regulatory apparatus gets in the way of doctors, nurses and dentists trying to help those in need.

We recently volunteered with Remote Area Medical at a clinic in Florida and witnessed firsthand how important these free services are. RAM is a nonprofit that provides free medical, dental and vision services to underserved areas and people of limited means. They get doctors, dentists, opticians, nurses, translators and other volunteers to donate their time and skills to work at the clinics. The service is provided entirely free to patients  no questions asked.

People arrived the day before the clinic opened and spent the night in the parking lot. By 3 a.m., there was a line leading up to the door, filled with people like Jamie Ogline. The 30-year-old mother of two was trying to fit in a visit to this free clinic around her work schedule.

This is saving me and my kids, Ogline said. I heard about (the RAM clinic) and I just couldnt believe it because its all free and it doesnt matter if you have insurance.

RAM provides basic health checkups, new glasses and fresh fruit and vegetables. But about 90 percent of what its volunteers do is dental and vision work. Many of the people seeking this free care havent seen a medical professional in a decade or more.

While neither of us is a medical professional, we were able to help with crowd control and by moving supplies. But why did we have to go all the way to Florida to find professionals to help? Because in many states it is illegal for them to provide care without jumping over high regulatory hurdles. This includes Michigan, where even if a person is licensed by another state, providing free dental, vision and medical services is a felony, with only a few exceptions.

The CEO of the company, Jeff Eastman, told us they have talked for years about setting up in Michigan.

We would love to do a clinic in Detroit, Eastman said. But its a big struggle.

The city fits the profile of a place where RAM typically offers clinics: It has a large low-income population and theres a desperate need for care. At the clinic in Florida, there were doctors from Canada, Chicago and Buffalo. Many of these same people would make the shorter drive to Motown, but Michigans licensing laws are strict and those out-of-state professionals would violate the law and risk prosecution were they to help there. Relying only on local providers means RAM has a tough time finding enough medical volunteers, so, unfortunately, Detroiters will have to wait.

Its no surprise that RAM clinics are concentrated in states like Illinois, West Virginia and Tennessee, where licensing laws make it easier to operate.

Stan Brock, who founded RAM over 30 years ago, points to Tennessee as a model. In 1997, the Volunteer State lived up to its nickname by allowing out-of-state medical providers to work there as long as their license was verified by the nonprofit they were working with. Today, half the volunteers at the Tennessee clinics come from outside the state.

They pay their own way, Brock said. They get nothing from us or the government.

At the end of the day, the location of the state agency that certifies health care professionals doesnt matter to people like Lisa Alaya, whose life had been threatened by a tooth infection. Her mother, Donna Souza, told us a doctor had warned that the infection could turn into sepsis that would ultimately kill her because she was still recovering from heart valve replacement surgery.

You guys are going to save my daughters life, Souza said.

How many people in Michigan and around the country have similar stories? And how many lives could be saved or improved with nothing more from the government than letting licensed doctors from other states offer free care to those who need it the most?

Jarrett Skorup is a policy analyst and the digital engagement manager and Chantal Lovell is the media relations manager at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a research and educational institute headquartered in Midland.
Amid the negativity and divisiveness this election season, one issue has brought together Americans from across the country and both sides of the political aisle: the role of charitable nonprofits. In a recent report, nearly three quarters of those surveyed said they trust public charities with their checkbooks more than government and want to see expanded access to charitable giving.

In short, the study by the Independent Sector found that 74 percent of Americans trust nonprofit organizations, and want their resources to be used to see those community nonprofits thrive. But state policies and budgets have made thriving increasingly difficult.

In Connecticut, reoccurring state budget deficits and unplanned mid-year budget cuts, unfunded mandates, increased competition for resources, compounded by an increasing need for community services, threaten the well-being of more than half a million children, families, seniors and individuals with complex needs. These life-sustaining and community-enriching programs and services must continue uninterrupted.

Nonprofits provide enriching programs that improve quality of life, preserve the states history and cultural heritage and generate important economic activity. As Connecticut competes with other areas to attract people and businesses, robust arts, culture and heritage programs give us a low-cost advantage.

Further, nonprofits provide a wide range of community-based services, including feeding the hungry, providing respite care for families, serving victims of domestic violence, treating those with addiction, assisting people reintegrating into our communities from the criminal justice system, and more. With access to care and services in the community, individuals in need can avoid more costly services in emergency rooms, nursing homes, the streets and the criminal justice system. This is good public policy for individuals in needs of services as well as taxpayers.

In Connecticut, most, but not all, of our health and human services are delivered by nonprofits through contracts with state government.

More Information About CT Nonprofit Center CT Nonprofit Center (the Center) is a program of CT Community Nonprofit Alliance (formerly Connecticut Association of Nonprofits). The Center serves as 'home' to multiple nonprofit organizations who share space, resources and services. The Center is designed to provide opportunities for members to reap the benefits of significant cost savings while operating in a collaborative environment. Members of the Center gain the tools they need to accelerate their missions and deepen their impact. See More Collapse

Unlike other states, Connecticut has a parallel, or two-tiered human services delivery system in which nonprofits deliver the same services that the state does, creating redundancy, complexity and confusion in the core mission of each state agency. The government-run services are more expensive because the state has two conflicting responsibilities: (a) managing and operating State-run services and (b) regulating and overseeing contracted services with nonprofits.

From a quality perspective, a 2012 study by the Connecticut General Assembly of group homes for individuals with developmental disabilities found that nonprofits provide the same services at a lower cost with a level of care that is as good or superior to the quality of service provided by the state at a higher cost.

The need for services is only increasing. Connecticut, like other states, is facing an unprecedented opioid crisis with demand for treatment up 30 percent in the past year. There is also an increase in the need for psychiatric care for children, and a demand for outpatient services. And we still have more than 2,000 individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities languishing on waiting lists to receive day and residential services. Finally, the need for wrap-around services such as housing and job training, is up as formerly incarcerated individuals are re-integrating into their communities through the Second Chance Society initiative.

Now that this contentious and polarizing campaign is over, policymakers from both sides of the aisle will need to work together to solve problems. Nonprofits are ready to be part of the solution, and the vast majority of voters trust us to do so.

Jeff Shaw is the Director of Public Policy at the CT Community Nonprofit Alliance (The Alliance).
A federal judge in Texas has blocked national regulations aimed at protecting transgender people from discrimination in health care, a move that opponents of the measures are celebrating as protecting doctors religious beliefs.

In a 46-page ruling issued Saturday, Judge Reed OConnor said the regulations likely violate the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and were flawed because laws prohibiting discrimination based on sex were incorrectly stretched by the federal government to include discrimination based on gender identity.

Its the second ruling by OConnor this year that thwarts President Barack Obamas efforts to increase protections for transgender individuals at a time when they are being hotly debated across the country. He issued a similar injunction in October blocking a federal move that required public schools to let transgender students use restrooms consistent with their gender identity.

That injunction followed a May letter from U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Education stating that the federal agencies treat a students gender identity as the students sex for purposes of Title IX and its implementing regulations. Title IX prohibits sex discrimination in educational programs and activities.

Ezra Young, director of Impact Litigation at Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, challenged both rulings as misinterpretations of federal law. He called Saturdays flatly contrary to law, morally repugnant, and predicted it would be overturned on appeal.

The U.S. Supreme Court has long recognized that sex discrimination takes many forms, and our nations expansive and unyielding nondiscrimination laws necessarily reach sex discrimination whenever and wherever it strikes, Young said in a statement Saturday.

OConnors ruling Saturday comes after Texas, seven other states and three private health care providers sued the federal government in August over the regulations, arguing that the regulations, issued in May and built on Obamas Affordable Care Act.

A portion of the regulations were set to go into effect today.

The Saturday ruling stated that plaintiffs will be forced to either violate their religious beliefs or maintain their current policies which seem to be in direct conflict with the Rule and risk the severe consequences of enforcement.

The ruling also blocked regulations that barred discrimination on the basis of termination of pregnancy  abortions.

The regulations at issue would force doctors to enforce gender transition procedures even on young children, even when doctors believe the procedure is harmful, said Luke Goodrich, an attorney with the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty who represents the plaintiff in the case.

Goodrich called Saturdays preliminary injunction very significant.

The beauty of the ruling is it returns those sensitive medical decisions to the doctor and the patient without government intervention, and it respects ultimately the doctors medical judgment, Goodrich said.

But Young said the impact could be damaging to transgender people seeking care, who for years have faced denial of insurance benefits or access to doctors they chose because of their gender identity. Young said while some states have similar rules protecting transgender rights, Obamas move was groundbreaking.

The benefit of the federal law is it sort codifies things and it gave one unifying rule all across the country, he said.

Mihir.Zaveri@chron.com
Freestanding emergency rooms are taking it on the chin in the media as the low hanging fruit that some businesses and consumers want to blame for their out-of-pocket health care expenses, but the facts and objective, generally accepted business principles dont tell that story. What is the true story?

There are 136.3 million ER visits annually in the United States.

45 percent of Americans require an ER visit every year.

Only 16.2 million (11.9 percent) require an actual hospital admission or hospital based services.

73 percent of patients wait longer than 15 minutes to be seen in the ER.

88 percent of emergencies can be handled and dispositioned efficiently and appropriately by board certified/board eligible emergency medicine physicians alone.

Insurance companies (and hospital systems) are consolidating and narrowing networks and decreasing access to In-Network Providers to contain cost and boost profits.

Average cost for an ER visit nationwide  $2,000.

Average bronze plan deductible in 2016  $6,000.

Legislators and patients need to be acutely aware that there are forces at play that prefer that you pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

Here is the cold, hard truth that insurance companies and mega-hospital systems dont want you to know:

They want you (consumers and businesses) to pay as much out of your own pocket as you possibly can. They want to dominate the marketplace so that you have no options. They sell insurance plans that are impossible to understand with deductibles that most cannot afford. They know the facts above.

They use the media to influence legislators, businesses and patients in the hopes of stamping out the competition because they fear that efficient operators will force them to have more competitive rates and will prevent them from restricting patient access.

Freestanding emergency rooms are better, faster and cheaper.

Business owners should be keenly aware of this simple principle  if fair market competition is eliminated, your costs wont go down. They will sky rocket. Dont be fooled by the insurance industry managing your plan. Businesses can get better rates if they contract directly with providers instead of going through an insurance company attempting to create a narrow network.

Options for care promotes fair trade. Competition creates competitive pricing.

Texas patients demand more than paying top dollar to wait in a crowded emergency room. They deserve much more in an emergency. Freestanding emergency rooms deliver what Texans deserve. That is quality care in a timely manner at a fair price.

Stand by your emergency medicine physicians this coming legislative session and protect fair trade in Texas and in Texas medicine. Emergency medicine physicians are standing by for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Dr. Carrie de Moor is an emergency physician, and serves as the president of the American College of Emergency Physicians Freestanding Emergency Centers Section, and chief executive officer of Code 3 Emergency Partners.
Earlier this month, a police truck burned on the side of the road in Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, with flames melting the interior and the four bodies, three of them murdered federal police officers, that lay inside. Yet the brutality barely registered in the regions collective consciousness beyond a few cursory news stories. These were just four more deaths in a country that is once again living through a wave of violence.

The last time that Mexicos murder numbers spiked so dramatically was more than six years ago, not long after former President Felipe Calderon began his well-known confrontation against the countrys organized criminal groups, before falling through the start of the Enrique Pena Nieto presidency in late 2012. Yet the much welcome drop in murders  which has defined Mexicos security situation over the past few years  has now bottomed out. And todays homicide numbers are creeping upward.

Some of the reasons behind this second spike in violence are the same as in previous years. First, the Mexican government still faces its perennial challenges of strengthening a weak rule of law, and tackling collusion among local authorities and criminal groups. Despite federal efforts at reform, trust in the authorities is still low.

Second, the Mexican government has barely changed its security strategy over the decade-long offensive. President Pena Nieto entered office with a rhetorical shift on security issues, but the current strategy continues to call for Calderon-era confrontation with criminal groups and prioritizes the targeting of kingpins. Law enforcement and security officials have been successful with Calderon killing or capturing 25 of his 37 most-wanted narcos and Pena Nieto plucking off 105 of his top 122.

Yet each downed narco creates more than a photo op. The relentless pounding of top leadership also breeds an underworld power vacuum, where rivalries, ambitions, and greed all inflame intra-cartel backstabbing and leave splinter groups locked in bloody battles. These groups have adopted gruesome tactics and ventured into additional activities to beef up their revenue  such as extortion or kidnapping  often far more damaging to Mexican communities than standard drug trafficking.

There are dozens of these groups, but the standout is the Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG), which has steadily expanded its territorial reach since 2010. Its surge to power has placed it comfortably among the most powerful drug trafficking organizations in Mexico, according to the U.S. Treasury.

There are also market forces at work in driving up the violence. The United States prescription drug epidemic has pushed addicts who cant get pills into cheap heroin to fulfill their opioid cravings. Either sensing a market opportunity or strategically boosting the demand, Mexican cartels have capitalized on the health crisis.

However, one thing that looks dramatically different this time around is the promise of a U.S.-Mexico bilateral security partnership. In 2007, as Calderon began his push against criminal groups, Mexican officials worked with their American counterparts to form the Merida Initiative and formalize the binational working relationship on security issues.

The Merida platform earmarked $2.5 billion in U.S. funds over eight years (of which $1.5 billion was released) to complement Mexicos $79 billion in security investments over the same period. Over time, the Merida Initiatives mandate evolved, but it always focused on supporting Mexicos efforts to implement a more professional and institutionalized security response.

During this second wave of violence, the Merida Initiative stands on shaky policy ground. President-elect Donald Trump has largely adopted a go-it-alone approach for tackling regional crime and violence. When combined with Trumps America First motto and a distaste for foreign aid, the Merida Initiative and overall bilateral security cooperation is unlikely to look the same or even exist on a recognizable scale in the coming years.

Slowing Mexicos bloodshed will continue to require a comprehensive security policy approach. It will also require international cooperation  whether in the form of the Merida Initiative or otherwise  as the market forces and criminal groups stretch well beyond Mexicos borders. Yet as Mexicos murder levels climb, the response will need to be quick and multifaceted, addressing and tamping down on the flames of violence that are once again burning across the country.

Antonio Garza (@aogarza) is a former U.S. ambassador to Mexico. He is counsel in the Mexico City office of White & Case. Reach him through tonygarza.com. Stephanie Leutert ( @Sleutert ) is the Mexico Security Initiative Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin.
The family of Mary June Sistrunk has sued the city of San Antonio over the accidental traffic death of their beloved matriarch. Which is to say that there is money involved in terms of claims of relief.

But theres something else involved, and this is in terms of civic improvement. The family wants a change in city ordinance that may save the lives of future Mary June Sistrunks.

Full disclosure. Sistrunks former son-in-law, Ken Ashe, is a friend. But, he doesnt stand to gain monetarily from this case even if the familys suit prevails. And he, in particular, wants this change in city ordinance. He was quite fond of his former mother-in-law and she of him.

Heres what happened. On July 21, 2015, 95-year-old Sistrunk made a left turn into oncoming traffic. An oncoming car, which had a green light, struck hers. She died of injuries three days later. The family describes her as a fun, sports-loving jokester who kept them in stitches.

Now, you, no doubt, are focusing on two things here.

She was 95. And youre asking, what on earth was she doing driving? OK, but her family insists that she was mentally sharp and members even relied on her to ferry them to and from various places. Which is to say, they trusted her driving and her general mental acuity. And her having a license was also apparently OK with the Texas Department of Public Safety. It requires Texas drivers 85 or older to renew their licenses in person, the license expiring on the persons second birthday after the previous expiration date. Folks 79 or older take a vision test. The family says Sistrunks license was current.

Second, youre saying, she had a green light but she nonetheless turned into oncoming traffic, which also had a green light. This is Drivers Ed 101. You. Just. Dont. Do This.

Heres a missing tidbit of information. There was a left-turn traffic signal hanging over the intersection of Blanco Road and Lockhill Selma. It was, however, twisted around in the wrong direction, facing oncoming traffic. Presumably, if the traffic signal was pointed in the right direction, Sistrunk would have seen a red arrow or light. And theres a good chance shed still be alive.

This is what the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code, Chapter 101.060 says about that: A city is not liable in the case of traffic and road control devices if the claim arises from the absence, condition, or malfunction of a traffic or road sign, signal, or warning device unless the absence, condition, or malfunction is not corrected by the responsible governmental unit within a reasonable time after notice, my emphasis added.

In its legal filing, the family says the city had a reasonable time to fix the traffic light but, despite previous calls about the situation, failed to do this. So, whats a reasonable time? You be the judge.

There were a series of calls alerting authorities to the twisted light. The first one, according to city documents assembled by the familys lawyer, Ruben Alcantara, came in at 1:42 p.m on July 21, 2015. The caller reports 10 near misses by cars, whose drivers dont know when they should be crossing.

Another call came in at 2:02 p.m. that day  drivers turning left are just turning when they care  can be a traffic hazard. Other calls came in at 2:19 p.m., 2:24 p.m., 2:38 p.m., 2:40 p.m., 3:59 p.m. and the last call from the San Antonio Police Department was at 4:37 p.m. This would have been after Sistrunks accident at, according to the family, about 4 p.m.

Now, according to a city of San Antonio Traffic Signal Management Work Report, a worker was indeed dispatched. It lists call time, given in military time, at 1335, which is 1:35 p.m., start time at 4:15 p.m., arrival time at 4:45 p.m. and departure time at 6:10 p.m.

So, the light was indeed reported by SAPD and fixed by the city, but both apparently after Sistrunks accident.

And this, Ashe says, is not reasonable. Ashe wants to address the City Council so it can mandate a turnaround time of 30 minutes to fix a malfunctioning traffic light after a report. And he wants police who see such hazards or have them reported to them to stay and direct traffic if the danger is acute.

The city says it cannot comment on pending litigation, but in its legal response, the city claims immunity, that given by the state to cities in such matters and it claims that any negligence, if there is any, might be by someone other than the city. This is pretty much boilerplate that gets many a judge to dismiss cases and could in this case.

But Ashes concern is about changing city conduct. The council should listen.

Note: In news that will thrill some and disappoint others, I am taking a hiatus from this column for a bit as I add a few new duties, at least temporarily.

This version has been corrected to list the correct state agency that issues drivers licenses, the Texas Department of Public Safety.

o.ricardo.pimentel@express-news.net

Twitter: @oricardopimente
By Roy Poses, MD, Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at Brown University, and the President of FIRM  the Foundation for Integrity and Responsibility in Medicine. Originally published at Health Care Renewal

At least the US president-elect seems to be making the problems of conflict of interests and health care corruption less anechoic.

Dr Prices Stock Portfolio

The latest relevant big story was first picked up by Sheila Kaplan writing in Stat. It seems that Dr Tom Price, once a practicing orthopedic surgeon, then a Congressman, and now Mr Trumps pick for Secretary of DHHS, owned and owns lots of health care related stocks:

his stock portfolio includes investments in pharmaceutical, medical device, and health insurance companies, the heart of the industries he would be overseeing as secretary.

In particular,

Among Prices holdings are some in Innate Immunotherapeutics, Ltd., a biomedical company in which another lawmaker is a major shareholder. According to his financial disclosure statements, on Aug. 31 he bought between $50,001 and $100,000 worth of stock the firm. Representative Chris Collins, a New York Republican, is a director of the company, which develops drugs to treat multiple sclerosis. He lists assets in the firm worth between $5,000,001 and $25 million. Price also purchased a smaller amount of stock in Innate Immunotherapeutics in 2015. Collins is also a member of Trumps transition team. In March, Price invested between $1,001 and $15,000 in Amgen; Eli Lilly and Co.; Pfizer; Biogen; Bristol-Myers Squibb; Zimmer Biomet, a medical device company; Aetna; and Athenahealth. Also that month, Price sold the same amounts in Gilead, Abbott Laboratories, and Thermo Fisher Scientific.

So for readers of Health Care Renewal, this is very familiar. We have discussed ad infinitum the conflicts of interest that may affect physicians, particularly due to financial relationships with big health care corporations. The issue is that physicians swear oathes to put the health of their individual patients first, and to support the public health in general. Yet the interests of, for example, drug, biotechnology, device companies may be at odds with this primary mission. Such companies in this age of promoting stock holder value may primarily be about increasing revenue by selling as much of their products as they can, and let the Devil take the hindmost. Yet physicians ought to use drugs and devices judiciously, and only when their benefits for individual patients outweigh their harms. The concern is that physicians who have financial interests in such and other health care related companies may consciously or unconsciously allow their professional decisions to be influenced by their personal financial advantage.

Dr Price appears to be a member of the US House of Representatives full time, and no longer a practicing physician. But he has not relinquished his Georgia medical license (look here). So he should still be bound by his oath as a physician.

Dr Prices Active Stock Trading

But wait, theres more. Last week, the Wall Street Journal noted that Dr Price was not simply a long-term owner of stocks, he was an active trader.

President-elect Donald Trumps pick to run the Health and Human Services Department traded more than $300,000 in shares of health-related companies over the past four years while sponsoring and advocating legislation that potentially could affect those companies stocks. Rep. Tom Price, a Georgia Republican, bought and sold stock in about 40 health-care, pharmaceutical and biomedical companies since 2012, including a dozen in the current congressional session, according to a Wall Street Journal review of hundreds of pages of stock trades he filed with Congress. In the same two-year period, he has sponsored nine and co-sponsored 35 health-related bills in the House. His stock trades included Amgen Inc., Bristol Myers Squibb Co., Eli Lilly & Co., Pfizer Inc. and Aetna Inc.

This raises more issues. First, that Dr Price was actively trading these stocks suggests that his financial holdings might have been more salient to him than, say, a long-term investor who just buys stocks and puts them away in a retirement portfolio. This increases the likelihood that his stock holdings, and their recent performance, may well have influenced his decision making.

Moreover, this emphasizes that we should be concerned not so much about the effect of financial relationships on Dr Prices clinical decisions  in fact, it appears that he is a full time Congressman, and hence is not practicing  but on his decision making as a national legislator with considerable influence on health policy and the public health. As a congressman, Dr Price also took an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So the concern is that the immediate profitablity of his actively traded stock portfolio might influence how Dr Price legislates.

As the WSJ article noted,

Mr. Price, an orthopedic surgeon who chairs the House Budget Committee, has played an influential role in shaping health legislation. He sits on the Ways and Means Committees health panel, which oversees Medicare. He also is a member of the Republicans Congressional Health Care Caucus that has called for repeal of the Obama administrations landmark health overhaul.

Beyond just the issue of conflict of interest is that of Dr Prices apparent comfort with the ethical and sometimes criminal track records of the companies from whose stocks he appears to have profited. We on Health Care Renewal have been documenting the ethical misadventures, and sometimes crimes committed by large health care organizations which claim they operate for the good of patients and the public, but seem more to operate for the benefit of their insiders, particularly top management. Many of the companies held by Dr Price have lengthy lists of such bad behavior. See the links above to some individual companues for many more, sometimes sordid details.

If Dr Price, who is not only a physician but a legislator with significant influence on health policy, is unaware of these companies track records shame on him. If he owned these stocks with full knowledge of the companies track records, more shame on him.

Dr Prices Tobacco Stocks

But wait, theres more.

The WSJ article also noted:

Mr. Price also has traded in shares of  tobacco stocks, including Altria Group Inc., whose products are regulated under the Food and Drug Administration, a part of HHS.

An article in Wired implied that Dr Prices tobacco holdings may have affected his legislative decision making. Price voted against

a law that now requires the FDA to regulate tobacco as a drug.

That now goes beyond just a relatively simple set of conflict of interest issues. At least drug, biotechnology, and device companies make products meant to benefit patients and the publics health, if used properly and judiciously. For that matter, insurance companies, like Aetna, are supposed to help patients afford needed medical care.

But tobacco companies are different. Although they are legal in the US, there is overwhelming evidence that their products are harmful to health, and this harm is not outweighed by any health benefits, nor any benefits to society other than the money tobacco companies can make from them. Most doctors now would recommend their patients stop smoking and, if they are not smoking, never start to smoke. It is extremely hard to reconcile Dr Prices professional status and his ownership of tobacco stocks.

A physician legislator with a powerful role in health policy owning tobacco stocks may appear to be abusing his entrusted power for private gain. That is the ethical definition of corruption used by Transparency International (although it is not a legal definition.) No wonder that in a commentary in New York Magazine on Dr Prices stock holdings suggested that they mean in Dr Prices eyes

The appearance of corruption is totally fine.

Conclusions

Mr Trumps ongoing behavior does have some silver linings. It is making the public more aware of the dangers of conflicts of interest and corruption, not just in health policy or health care. And it is also making the public aware how we have to follow the money, all the money that flows around our new plutocrat-in-chief to be, and his rich and well connected cronies.

If we cannot restrain the increasing pile of conflicted and possibly corrupt political appointments, we will be in for much worse than the health care dysfunction Health Care Renewal has been lamenting for more than 10 years.
By Lambert Strether of Corrente.

Assuming that Trump takes office on January 20, we can expect health care policy to shift from the left side of the Overton Window to the right, even as the only solutions that remain on the table are neoliberal and markets-first non-solutions. Lets begin by setting the baseline for a rational and humane health care policy  i.e., not neoliberalism  as a universal benefit.[1] From Richard D. Lamm and Vince Markovchic in the Denver Post:

U.S. is on fast track to health care train wreck In 2015 we spent $3.2 trillion on health care, which was $10,000 per person in the U.S., ($25,000 for a typical American family). This is 17.5 percent of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP). To put this in perspective, this is more than twice what most other developed nations spend on health care while insuring all of their residents. This year we are on track to exceed that amount with it being 18 percent of GDP. Even with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, we still have 28 million people with no health insurance, and many more are under-insured due to rising co-pays and deductibles. Of the $3.2 trillion health spending, 70 percent goes directly to fund the cost of our healthcare. The remaining 30 percent is spent on administration and profit, which is more than twice that of any other nation. In 2014, studies published by the Institute of Medicine, Rand Corporation, and the Center for Medicare/Medicaid Services estimated that out of total health care spending, as much as $900 billion, or about one third of our total spending, can be attributed to waste, fraud and abuse. This current system is unsustainable, but who will tell the American public? We suggest that the solutions to the real problems of health care are hardly being talked or written about. The ideal health insurance system is one that: provides free choice of hospitals and doctors; provides insurance coverage to all at all times (i.e., not tied to an employer); is affordable and will remove all risk of medical bankruptcy. This system should have an administrative cost of less than 5 percent and have everyone in the risk pool, thus making premiums affordable. We have such a system now: Medicare covers all persons over 65, those on total disability, and all renal dialysis patients. Medicare, with all the fraud and other issues, still operates with about 3 percent to 4 percent overhead. That is much less than the profit and overhead added by U.S. health insurers, which is instead 15 percent to 20 percent. In addition, Obamacare, Veterans Affairs and Medicaid each add another entire layer of expensive bureaucracies. All these, along with the government being unable to bid for drugs purchased under Medicare, add up to unnecessary cost and waste in our system. Similarly, there would be tremendous cost savings if under Medicare as a single payer, it is authorized to negotiate for hospital care on a more cost-efficient and more comparable basis across the nation.

So, the health insurance companies are parasites who should be removed. Now, I dont know why Lamm and Markovchic dont just lower the age for Medicare eligibility from 65 to zero, like Teddy Kennedy proposed. And I also dont know why Democrats (including Sanders) arent prefacing every statement they make on heatlh care with Of course, Americans deserve Medicare for All. Until then. Instead, theyre digging in to defend a flawed system that hasnt covered 28 million people, instead of going on the offense for the universal benefit. (Thats the difference between resistance and revolution, I guess. The one is reactionary; the other is, er, progressive.)

Anyhow, it is what it is and we are where we are. Absent a universal benefit[1], we get health care silos: ObamaCare, Medicare, Medicaid, and the Veterans Administration, among others. In this post, Im going to take a very quick look at the current news in each silo. All the silos are in decay and disrepair  except from the standpoint of those who profit from them, of course  and all suffer from neoliberal infestations, but the forms of decay and the degrees of infestation differ. So the post will be a bit of a patchwork, but then the health care system itself if a patchwork. As always, I welcome comments from readers with informed experience interacting with these systems, for good or ill.

ObamaCare: Repeal and Replace, but How, When, and with What?

On ObamaCare repeal, Chuck Schumer suggests: Its a political nightmare for them. Theyll be like the dog that caught the bus. Heaven forfend Schumer should defend a universal benefit, but on this he could be right. Throwing 30 million people off the rolls[2] is a heavy lift, even for Republicans. Thats because theres really no popular consensus for doing it:

But the euphoria of finally acting on a long-sought goal will quickly give way to the reality that Republicans  and President-elect Donald Trump  have no agreement thus far on how to replace coverage for about 20 [or 30] million people who gained insurance under the health-care law. Obamacare continues to be viewed unfavorably by Americans, but the politics of undoing the law are complicated. A Kaiser Family Foundation poll after the election showed 26 percent want to repeal it, while 17 percent want to scale it back. Nineteen percent want to move forward with implementation and 30 percent want to expand it.

Its also not clear what would happen to Republican border states like Tennessee and Kentucky, that benefited signifacantly from Medicaid expansion under ObamaCare.

So the Republicans want Democrats to hold hands with them as they jump off the cliff. Let me know how that works out:

Some Republican aides say they may pursue a replacement through a series of small bills as opposed to one big measure. Leading Republicans such as Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn of Texas have said they want Democratic buy-in on a replacement plan. Breaking a filibuster would require the support of at least eight Democrats.

(Of course, reconciliation requires a bare majority, and the filibuster can be altered or abolished when the Senate adopts its rules at the start of a session.)

So the Republicans are toying with various ideas, some of which involve kicking the can down the road (three year delay), or even off the road entirely:

Now comes the American Enterprise Institutes conservative health wonk James Capretta with an idea that cuts to the chase: Why not just grandfather all the people currently receiving benefits via the ACA and make whatever the new replacement system turns out to be prospective for new people seeking assistance? It is also worth noting that Republicans have not had much luck in the past convincing people to accept radical policy changes by grandfathering those most immediately affected. George W. Bushs proposed partial privatization of Social Security was supposedly only going to affect people aged 55 or younger. The same was true of Paul Ryans original Medicare voucher proposal.

(ObamaCare enrollment hit a record high this year, so I wonder if people were acting on rational expectations of a grandfathering solution. I know I thought of it.) So the 115th Congress should be interesting. However, if the 21st Century has taught us anything, its that its always possible to make a bad situation worse. Remember the ObamaCare rollout debacle? Does anybody believe the Republicans will do any better at a rollback?

Medicare: Balance Billing

Naked Capitalism covered ObamaCares balance billing problems back in 2013:

One of the proofs that Obamacare is really about helping insurers and Big Pharma rather than ordinary Americans is its failure to do much about the seamy practice known as balance billing. Say you have a scheduled procedure, like getting a stent. Like most Americans who have health insurance, you are in an HMO or a PPO. Your doctor, who is in your network, schedules you for the operation at a hospital in your network. You assume the only thing you need to worry about is a fairly minor co-pay and recovery. But weeks later, you find that the anesthesiologist wasnt in your network, and you are hit with a $12,000 bill for his services. And this sort of scamming (hospitals knowingly putting people on a surgical team that they can bill at huge premiums to negotiated rates) is routine. And of course, if the ambulance takes you to an emergency room that is not in your network, the outcome can be catastrophic.

And now, the Trump administration is considering expanding this pleasant practice to Medicare:

[B]alance billing [is] why the American Medical Association is strongly supporting Donald Trumps pick of [the aptronymic] Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees Medicare.  In 2011, Price (an orthopedic surgeon himself) introduced a Medicare reform bill in Congress that, among other things, would have brought balance billing to the program. This Balance billing is basically illegal for Medicare patients Permanently obliterating the financial security of helpless families with no or bad insurance as a loved one dies slowly and painfully of a chronic illness is a nice little profit center for providers. But it pales in comparison to the gravy train they might get if they can bring balance billing to Medicare. Seniors use far more care than the younger exchange population, and there are a lot more of them  55.5 million, versus 12.7 million people on the exchanges. Perhaps most importantly, theyre quite a bit richer on average. Many seniors have been scrimping their whole lives to save for retirement, in keeping with decades of agitprop from conservatives and Wall Street, and the more sociopathic among the health-care population are licking their chops at the prospect of being able to devour those nest eggs.

(I like Ryan Cooper. The man can write.) So, like I said, its always possible to make things worse

Medicaid: Privatization in Iowa

Lets start out by noting that Medicaid has a serious neoliberal infestation problem:

More than two-thirds of states contract out some or all of their Medicaid program to private companies. The benefits of the practice and its impact on quality and cost of care have been unclear, however.

The Des Moines Register:

HHS believes 57% of Medicaid beneficiaries were enrolled in Medicaid managed-care organizations as of July 1, 2011, compared with 10% in 1991. The consulting firm Avalere Health projects that 75% of Medicaid beneficiaries will be covered by managed-care organizations starting in 2015. A recent U.S. Government Accountability Office report, using fiscal 2011 data, found Medicaid managed-care plans received about 27%, or $74.7 billion, of federal Medicaid expenditures. The rush into Medicaid managed care came despite limited evidence that the plans save money for states and the federal government.

Iowas Republican governor Terry Branstad controversially privatized Iowa Medicaid services, on the (ostensible) premise that the state would save money (see Lamm and Markovchic, supra). Oops:

Iowa Medicaid payment shortages are catastrophic, private managers tell state In a Nov. 18 letter to Iowa Medicaid Director Mikki Stier, a UnitedHealthcare executive also warned of financial problems. Kimberly Foltz, chief executive officer of the companys Iowa branch, wrote to Stier that she appreciated the states efforts to address some of the issues, but overall the program remains drastically underfunded. Foltz wrote that experts from the Milliman firm, who were hired by the state, underestimated by 40 percent how much it would cost to cover the tens of thousands of poor Iowans who were allowed to sign up for Medicaid under the federal Affordable Care Act.

Oops.

The mistake suggests there were material flaws in the rating projection, [Foltz] wrote.

Oops. (Had UnitedHealthcare no data to check Millimans figures?)

Foltz wrote that one way to help make up for the shortfall would be to allow the managed care companies to negotiate down how much they pay pharmacies to fill prescriptions. She suggested her company could cut those rates by nearly 90 percent. Hill said the contracts are written in a way that would make it difficult for the managed care companies to opt out unilaterally. But she said the companies could argue that the state and its actuarial firm, Milliman, did not properly estimate the costs of covering care for Iowas poor and disabled residents. Conceivably, that could be a material breach of the contract , which could allow the companies to bail out of the project, she said.

A nice Christmas gift for Terry Branstad. (The 90% figure seems to me remarkable.)

Of course, the real solution to cost problems is to abolish the insurance companies altogether, and use the power of single payer to beat back Big Pharma. But then you knew that.

Veterans Administration: Creeping Privatization

Finally, lets take a look at the Veterans Administration. (Im by no means an expert in the VA, and so readers will correct me, but my general impression is that the VA rations by queuing but cant admit it, which has caused them political problems. But once youre in, the care is good, which presumably explains why veterans themselves dont want to privatize it. However, I think privatization as a frame is slightly deceptive, as we shall see (even if Sanders adopts that frame).

So, heres Trump doing the Trump thing, which is  and do not underestimate him!  translating policy into vivid phrases voters can grasp immediately:

TRUMP: We think we have to have kind of a public-private option , because some vets love the VA. Definitely an option on the table to have a system where potentially vets can choose either/or or all private.

Brilliant of Trump to hijack the virulently memetic phrase public option  the bait and switch vaporware progressives used to suppress single payer advocacy in 2009  with the conservative-sounding public-private option. And here Trump explains how such an option would work from the users perspective. Poltico:

Trump has insisted that what he wants is not to hand the veterans support mission entirely to the private sector. No, it doesnt have to be privatization, he said in May. What it has to be is when somebody is on line and they say its a seven-day wait, that persons going to walk across the street to a private doctor, be taken care of, were gonna pay the bill. He has also proposed that all veterans be able to use their veterans IDs to get care at any hospital or doctors office that accepts Medicare.

Vets could use their ID cards! Its brilliantly simple![3] Its also a bridge too far for veterans:

But veterans groups see that as a major step toward privatization because it would allow veterans to opt out of the VA health care system. That is different from the recommendations of a recent federal Commission on Care, which pushed for the VA to oversee a network of qualified private health care providers to supplement VA-run hospitals and clinics.

But theres less to this distinction than there seems to be at first sight. Trump proposes walk[ing] across the street to a private doctor; and the Federal Commission proposes walk[ing] across the street to a certified private doctor. Since the VA actually delivers health care, both solutions allow veterans to opt out of the VA health care system, and so both destroy the universality of the benefit. The Commission on Care (PDF) explains certification:

VHA credential community providers. To qualify for participation in community networks, providers must be fully credential ed with appropriate education, training, and experience, provide veteran access that meets VHA standards, demonstrate high-quality clinical and utilization outcomes, demonstrate military cultural competency, and have capability for interoperable data exchange.

Oh. Credentials. Not that I dont want medical personnel to have them, but isnt this rather a dog-whistle for liberals? And:

[A]ddressing veterans needs requires a new model of care: rather than remaining primarily a direct care provider, the VA should become an integrated payer and provider.

So, from being the American equivalent of the UKs National Health Service, a direct care provider (even if the vile Tories are gutting it), the Commission proposes that the VA become more like Canadian Medicare for All, a single payer system. I told you it was a patchwork!

Now, lets step back for a minute. The Commission was set up in 2014 under Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act (VACAA), which was designed to solve a queueing crisis through choice, i.e., by allowing veterans who are unable to get an appointment in a reasonable time to seek care outside the VA. Now, a suspicious mind would put this under the heading of a neoliberal pattern for destroying a universal public benefit: 1) Underfund the service; 2) Wait for the inevitable problems; 3) Publicize them; 4) Push through a privatizing solution; 5) Rinse and repeat until the public service is destroyed. The VACAA was quite small. The Commissions proposals are not so small. And in a decade or so, if the neoliberals get their way, the VA will be where Iowa is today, even if it does pass through a single payer phase on the way.

Thats why I think the privatization frame is a little deceptive. Yes, the ultimate goal, as with all neoliberal programs, is privatization. But it can take place a little at a time. For example, from Stars and Stripes:

Concerned Veterans for America, or CVA, is a veterans advocacy group in the Koch brothers political network and has been one of the most vocal critics of VA since the 2014 wait-time scandal. The CVA is poised to become more influential under the new administration, as President-elect Donald Trump has tapped the group to help overhaul the veterans health-care system. The most controversial proposal by the group is an expansion of veterans health-care options in the private marketplace  which critics, including traditional veterans advocacy groups and Democratic lawmakers, say could lead to the dismantling of the current VA.. But CVA has not proposed a wholesale transfer of VAs services over to the private sector  which is what privatization usually describes.

No, there is no wholesale transfer. Now. Thats for later, as with the Tories and the NHS.

Conclusion

So, what we have is a number of different battles on different fronts: ObamaCare, Medicaid, Medicare, and the Veterans Administration. It would be nice, and politically useful, if all these battles could be seen as a single theatre of war: Are we to have a humane and rational health care system  a universal benefit  or are we to have TrumpCare: An expensive and lethal mess?

NOTES

[1] In of the earlier stories on Trump administration health care policy, the Times suggested that the Republicans seek a universal benefit. See FAIR, Media Legitimizing GOPs Universal Health Plan That Doesnt Exist. Ill believe it when I see it. The Democrats didnt do it, so why would the Republicans?

[2] The 30 million figure comes from the Democrat nomenklatura at Think Progress, who helpfully calculate the number of deaths that will result. Ironically, they never calculate the lives saved with Medicare for All.

[3] Heaven forfend that any adult could use, say, their Social Security card for the same purpose.
Lambert, Gragson both ready for next big step in racing, but first they battle for Xfinity title As the duo gets ready to battle for a NASCAR Xfinity Series championship this weekend in Phoenix, it's fair to a peek at next year, too.
Sunday, January 01, 2017 by: Ethan Huff Tags: death , pharmaceuticals , pharmacist This article may contain statements that reflect the opinion of the author

(Natural News) Pill-pushing is apparently a difficult job for some pharmacists, including one from Northern Ireland who reportedly killed a woman back in 2014 by mistakenly giving her a beta blocker drug for high blood pressure and heart disease rather than a common steroid for inflammation.

Martin White, 45, is said to have been chronically overworked at the time when he accidentally prescribed Ethna Walsh, 67, propranolol rather than prednisolone, which within hours led to her sudden demise. Whites lawyer says the accident, which apparently stemmed from the fact that both drugs start with the letter p, was just a case of an ordinary man who struggled because he worked too hard.

But Walshs family doesnt necessarily agree with this legal diagnosis, including Walshs husband Joe who gave her the drug once she arrived home with it. A prosecution lawyer told BBC News that, within minutes, Walsh was having trouble breathing. Not long after when she was brought by ambulance to a local hospital, she died.

Propranolol and prednisolone have similar branding, claims Whites legal team, and because both were positioned nearby to one another on the shelf, a mistake was inevitable. But once again illustrating the severe nature of pharmaceutical drugs, this mistake actually cost a patient her life, and completely unnecessarily.

There are certain checks and balances that pharmacists are supposed to take before dispensing drugs that include abiding by the required checks established under the Pharmacy Standard Operation Procedures, reports indicate. White claims he did all of this, but apparently it wasnt enough to avoid killing someone who was entrusted to his care.

Working in a pharmacy too cramped, pharmacist claims, creating fatigue and bad mood

In a further attempt to defend his failure to check the drugs before dispensing them, White told police that his workspace at the pharmacy was just too darn cramped, and that his working conditions were creating constant feelings of fatigue, tiredness, and poor mood.

Experts who took a closer look into Whites claims say he didnt actually abide by the rules when it came to dispensing drugs, and that accuracy checks were not taken. In his defense, however, they did rule that the cause of the fatality was poor professional conduct as opposed to professional misconduct.

After Walshs death, White says he was simply too racked with guilt to return to work. He has since enrolled under the care of a psychiatric physician, and has instructed his lawyer to offer his deepest condolences to the Welsh family, a gesture that he admits may not be very well received.

Prior to the incident, White had a solid track record of professional conduct with few, if any, mistakes. He has accepted responsibility for the error, BBC News reports, and will carry it for the rest of his life.

This is his first mistake after almost a quarter of a century of employment, Whites lawyer told the media, noting that White regularly worked up to 60 hours per week and was always on call.

White has since been sentenced to a four-month prison sentence for his crime, and will have to cease performing pharmacist duties for two years. Fellow pharmacist Pam Adams from Gloucestershire, recently set up a petition calling for errors such as the one White made to stop being criminalized. What happened was a tragic mistake, she admits, but not one that deserves criminal punishment.

Pharmacists, doctors and nurses all face long hours, understaffing, relentless demand and pressure to work through breaks, the petition states. Criminal prosecution and sentencing is not the way to help the NHS learn from errors and improve healthcare.

Sources:

BBC.com

ChemistAndDruggist.co.uk
(Natural News) Its become increasingly difficult to find the truth in modern news media, with so many of the typical outlets being biased, deceptive, manipulative and dishonest. Thus, it isnt too surprising that the website Politifact is decisively pro-vaccine and pro-GMO. The organization says it fact checks what politicians and others with political opinions say, and then uses its Truth-O-Meter scale to rate how accurate the statements are. Ratings range from True and Half True to Mostly False and Pants on Fire! Although this may sound good in theory as a way to rate information, the website actually hires fact checkers who are completely biased in favor of vaccines and GMOs.

A clearly pro-vaccine mindset

For example, in September 2015 Politifact published an article titled Ben Carson says pediatricians realize need to cut down number and proximity of vaccines. The piece calls out Dr. Carson for saying in a Republican presidential debate that certain doctors were decreasing the number of vaccines that children receive and spreading out vaccines so children dont receive as many at one time. It proceeds to offer a completely pro-vaccine argument that anyone whos studied the vaccine issue has heard before:

(The) vaccine schedule is also supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control  Leading medical organizations have concluded that the scheduling of vaccines  including multiple ones at once  is safe.

One curious aspect of this article is that Carson is an internationally renowned medical doctor who was director of pediatric neurosurgery at a prestigious university medical center (Johns Hopkins) for decades before retiring and running for president. Meanwhile, according to the byline, the articles author does not have medical credentials.

Another Politifact article, Fact-checking vaccines and measles from February 2015, discusses safety of the measles vaccine  which the scientific community and the vast majority of the population consider long-since settled. This is a another clearly pro-vaccine stance that does not objectively consider whether vaccines truly are safe.

When it comes to the issue of whether vaccines contribute to autism, the article flat-out denies that: Theres a lot we dont know about what causes autism, but doctors we spoke with said you can definitely rule out vaccines. Decades of epidemiological research has demonstrated autism rates do not increase when vaccines are introduced to a population. And biologically, no lab work has demonstrated a way for vaccines to cause autism.

Also in 2015, Politifact stated that none of the vaccines that conventional medicine advises for children contain mercury, which is completely false, because flu vaccines continue to contain high levels of mercury.

Claiming that GMOs pose no risk of harm

In addition to the practice of administering unproven and potentially dangerous vaccines, another controversial practice of modern society is the free-wheeling use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in crops. Politifact is biased in favor of GMOs too, as the March 2015 article Sen. Donna Nesselbush: three quarters of processed foods have genetically modified organisms says this:

They have been on the shelves for nearly two decades. U.S. products have been approved for market by as many as three different federal agencies. Independent safety testing has been done in Europe.

Despite whatever Politifact might try to convey, vaccines and GMOs are not as fine and dandy as the medical establishment would lead Americans to believe. Politifact is clearly a website that readers should take with more than a grain of salt. Its Truth-O-Meter is anything but truthful and reliable in many instances, such as when it comes to accurate reporting about the truth of vaccines and GMOs.

Sources:

TruthWiki.org

TruthWiki.org

Politifact.com

Politifact.com

Politifact.com

BusinessInsider.com
Patients at one San Diego hospital got quite the surprise Thursday!

Pop superstar Miley Cyrus and actor Liam Hemsworth stopped by Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego to surprise some very special patients.

A video posted on the hospital's Facebook page shows some of the patients with big smiles of their faces as the celebrities said hello and talked with them.

The visit was made possible in part by The Happy Hippie Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by Miley Cyrus. The organization works to help fight injustice facing homeless youth, LGBTQ youth and other vulnerable populations.
On the final day of 2016, officials with Goodwill gathered in San Francisco to thank their many donors as well as continue the effort to gather last minute donations before the New Year's holiday.

William Rogers, President and CEO of the nonprofit in San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin Counties, said that Goodwill has received roughly 800,000 donations in 2016, but that's not the only thing the company is proud of.

Thanks to the generous donations of lightly-used professional attire, Goodwill this year has helped place approximately 4,000 people in the workforce, according to Rogers.

"(Donors are) helping people with barriers to employment," Rogers said.

Goodwill has also provided job opportunities to nearly 600 folks who have a previous criminal record or a limited education repertoire, according to Rogers.
Officers are investigating a shooting at an Antioch apartment complex that killed one man and wounded another Saturday evening, according to police.

At around 7:45 p.m., officers responded to a report of a shooting at the Delta Pines Apartments at 2301 Sycamore Drive, police said.

There, officers found two men suffering from gunshot wounds, according to police.

A 56-year-old Antioch man was killed in the shooting. His identity has not been released.

A 20-year-old man was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, police said.

No arrest was made and a motive remains under investigation, according to police.
The Monterey County Sheriff's Office is conducting a search Saturday near Big Sur for a North Hollywood couple who went missing after traveling there last weekend, according to sheriff's officials.

The Los Angeles Police Department reported the couple missing Friday, after their families said they hadn't heard from them.

The couple, identified as 20-year-old Olivia Hannah Gonzalez and 21-year-old Brian Fernandez, left Dec. 23 to Big Sur for a weekend trip and were expected to return on Christmas Day, according to Los Angeles police.

Sheriff's officials said rains were heavy last weekend in the Big Sur area and caused boulders to fall on roads in several places.

Gonzalez is described as having blond hair and brown eyes. She is 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighs 120 lbs, according to police.

Fernandez has black hair and brown eyes, is 5 feet, 8 inches and weighs 160 lbs. He was driving a 2002 4-door Tan Honda Civic with a California license plate No. 5VUD925, police said.

Anyone with information about the couple's whereabouts is asked to contact Los Angeles police Detective Palmer at (231) 996-1800 or (877) 527-3247.
Fire crews along the Peninsula began 2017 with a busy morning battling two fires.

A two-alarm blaze, which was reported at 7:21 a.m., ignited at 935 El Camino Real in South San Francisco and burned through a medical clinic, according to fire officials. No one was hurt, but the building, which is reportedly home to a satellite clinic for the Mills-Peninsula Medical Center, suffered major damage.

Earlier Sunday morning, at 6:23 a.m. fire officials responded to a fire at an apartment complex at 34 Visitacion Avenue in Brisbane, the dispatcher said.

It was not immediately clear if anyone was injured in either fires.

EDITOR'S NOTE: A previous version of this story reported that both fires took place in South San Francisco.
Following last year's "unacceptable rise in violence," the Chicago Police Department announced plans New Year's Day to quell city violence headed into 2017.

Data made available by the department shows 2016 was one of the most violent years in the city since the mid '90s, with more than 750 murders reported. To combat the rise in violence, police aim to tailor response to different neighborhoods and crack down on repeat violent offenders.

"In total there were 762 murders, 3,550 shooting incidents, and 4,331 shooting victims in 2016. These totals represent a completely unacceptable rise in violence," police said. "According to two reports from the Brennan Center for Justice and the University of Chicago Crime Lab, this is similar to increases being seen in other major cities including: Boston, San Antonio, San Jose, San Diego, Memphis, Austin, Indianapolis and others."

Murders saw a 10 percent uptick nationwide in 2015, the most recent year available, according to an FBI report released this September. That was driven by violence in large cities, like Chicago, but the report noted violent crime is far down from historic highs.

There were 468 murders in the city last year, according to Chicago police statistics. The last time more than 762 people were murdered in the city was 1996.

Officers in Chicago recovered 8,300 guns, a 20 percent increase from 2015, and made 10 percent more gun arrests in 2016, the statement reads.

Police also said attacks of Chicago police officers "nearly doubled in 2016 as offenders grew more emboldened." The department noted attacks on officers throughout the country are increasing.

Police will employ an "enhanced crime fighting strategy" in 2017 in an effort to reduce violence, increase the capability of its officers and build public trust. The strategy is based on best practices underway in other cities, police said.

"A major component will be the creation of district based intelligence centers so that crime plans and deployments can be more custom-tailored to the individual nuances and patterns in communities," the department said. "These centers will be staffed with district intelligence officers and crime analysts from the University of Chicago Crime Lab."

Two districts will be operational on Jan. 20.

"This strategy will also place a heavy emphasis on creating a culture of accountability for repeat violent offenders so that we actually have meaningful deterrents to gun crime and trigger pullers think twice about the consequences for their reckless actions," the department said. "In addition CPD is working with our newly-elected partners in the States Attorney's Office to strengthen how we investigate and prosecute gun cases."

By the end of this year, the department will add nearly 1,000 more police officers, including beat officers, detectives lieutenants, sergeants and field training officers, the statement reads.

"The violence in 2016 was driven by emboldened offenders who acted without a fear of penalty from the criminal justice system," said Supt. Eddie Johnson in the statement. "The challenge we face as a city is serious, and like other cities it is significant. We will be adding to our police department, we are committed to partnering with residents, we will benefit from the investments being made by the Mayor, and if we come together and work together I know we can turn the tide in 2017."

Five police districts on the South and West sides of the city accounted for 65 percent of the increase in killings, according the police department's statement. Five other districts on the North and Northwest sides saw declines in murders or remained flat in 2016, the statement said.

In addition to the districts the department said are most responsible for violence, more than 80 percent of fatal and nonfatal shooting victims this past year "were previously identified by CPD as being likely to be involved in an act of gun violence either as a victim or an offender," police said.

The department aims to use technology like body cameras and gunshot detection equipment, new crisis intervention training, transparency and Mayor Rahm Emanuel's public safety plan outlined last fall to grapple with the relentless violent crime.
One man was sent to the hospital with life-threatening injuries following a New Years Eve stabbing incident in Norwich, police say.

Norwich Police tell NBC Connecticut that they responded to a reported stabbing at 156 Broadway in Norwich at 11:34 p.m. on New Years Eve .

A victim, 33-year-old Alreno Sebastian of Norwich, was found at the scene with a severe stab wound to the chest, police say.

According to police, Sebastian was transported to William W. Backus Hospital before being sent to Hartford Hospital due to the extent of his life-threatening injuries.

Sebastian remains at Hartford Hospital as of Sunday morning in critical, but stable condition police say.

According to police, at around 2:50 a.m. detectives arrested a suspect in the investigation, 35-year-old Caroline A. Fragoza of Norwich, after locating her on Broadway.

Police say Fragoza was known to the victim.

According to police, Fragoza was charged with first-degree assault and held in lieu of a $250,000 bond pending her appearance in Norwich Superior Court on January 3.

If you have any information related to this incident, please contact the Norwich Police Department.
The Marvelous Nerd Years Eve Comic Con in Downtown Dallas took a serious tone on Saturday morning as fans mourned the death of icon Carrie Fisher with another "Star Wars" actor.

Fisher died last week while organizers were preparing for the convention, prompting them to put together a last minute tribute.

We felt like wed really be slacking off if we didnt honor our favorite princess, one organizer told the crowd at the Dallas Sheraton.

So they contacted North Texan Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca with Fisher in the "Star Wars" films, and asked him to host a special tribute to her at the event.

Mayhew and his wife, Angie, told the crowd they were happy to join the fans to share memories with their longtime friend.

She was a princess, Mayhew said. She can adapt to almost any situation and she did.

Mayhew told stories of his first time meeting Fisher on the "Star Wars" set and of their times together through the years.

Angie got laughs from the crowd as she remembered Fisher intensely interviewing her when she first married Peter; ultimately getting Fishers blessing and friendship.

Fans filled the panel room at the event; many dressed as Fishers Princess Leia character. Some shed tears as tribute videos to the star were played and as particularly heartwarming memories were shared.

To her fans, many said, Fisher was an inspiration in both her on-screen personas and in the ways she overcame personal demons.

"You can be strong, and brave, and beautiful, and smart, and a woman, said Mai Swan, who came dressed up with her daughter in tribute to Fisher. Shes an inspiration."

"I think Carrie was the one that taught me to always be independent, said Stephanie, a professional cosplayer who tours comic cons dressing as Leia in tribute to Fisher.

Mayhew told the crowd to remember Fisher and her mother Debbie Reynolds, who also died last week, as they celebrate the New Year and to continue to pass along the stars legacies.

"Make sure that Carrie Fisher lives on in everybody's memory, Mayhew said. "She was never early, but looking around seeing all the fans, she would have been here on time."
Police have confirmed an off-duty Los Angeles Police Department officer was killed and three other people were injured in a two-car crash in Simi Valley early Sunday morning.

Just after 2 a.m. the crash was reported at the intersection of Cochran Street and Sycamore Drive in Simi Valley, Simi Valley police said.

One person died at the scene.

Sunday morning, Deputy Chief Joseph May of the Simi Valley Police Department confirmed an off-duty LAPD officer had been killed in the crash.

Simi Valley police identified the officer as 30-year-old Heather Monroe of Simi Valley. She worked for LAPD's Devonshire division.

"It's a terrible way to start the New Year," May said. "It's a sad day for Los Angeles Police Department and for law enforcement to lose one whether its on duty or off. But, we just need to be careful and watch out when we're driving."

One of the cars "involved an Uber driver," who suffered minor injuries and was transported to a hospital, May said. The passenger in the car also recieved minor injuries and was treated at a local hospital.

The driver of the other car was transported to another local hospital in an unknown condition, May said. Monroe was a passenger in that car.

A preliminary investigation indicated she was wearing her seatbelt, Simi Valley police said in a statement.

Sunday morning, May said police believe Monroe's car was driving southbound on Sycamore Drive, and that the Uber driver was heading eastbound on Cochran Street before the crash occurred.

"Although the exact cause of the collision is still being determined, it appears that one of the vehicles failed to stop for a red light," Simi Valley police said in a statement.

The investigation at the scene of the crash lasted 11 hours on Sunday. The investigation of the crash is ongoing.

Anyone who witnessed the crash or with information about the incident was asked to call the Simi Valley Police Department at 805-583-6950, and to ask for the Traffic Bureau.
While some folks were out ringing in the New Year, some of South Florida's first babies of 2017 were born early Sunday morning.

The title of first baby born in Miami-Dade County goes to little Nishon'te King who was born at 12:32 a.m. She was born at Jackson South Community Hospital and weighed in at 5 pounds, 14 ounces.

Minutes later-- weighing 7 and a half pounds Marius Pruitt he was born at Memorial Regional in Hollywood with his older brother by his side.

Meanwhile, at 12:48 a.m. Mount Sinai Hospital welcomed their first baby of 2017-- baby boy Yefry Medina. He weighs 7 pounds, 13 ounces and is 19.88 inches long.

A few hours later little Gabriella Moreno was born to two proud Cuban parents at South Miami Hospital.

All newborns sharing January first 2017 as their birthday.

Jasmine Aldiva gave birth to her newborn son Marius and she says her baby was supposed to be born on Christmas Day but things changed and her baby made way into the world on news years day instead.

"I wasn't that many centimeters and out of nowhere he was like within an hour he was already nine centimeters ready to come out," she said.

Little Marius is joining a family of three brothers and two sisters.

Aldiva says her New Year's resolution revolves around her a new addition.

"Just for my kids to be safe, safe and healthy," Aldiva said.

Standricka Wooden gave birth to the first baby born in Miami-Dade.

She says Nishon'te is joining a family full of love, where she will have six older siblings-- three brothers and two sisters.

"It's a good feeling you know everyone happy everyone excited about her being here and it's just a blessing," Wooden said.

Doctors at Jackson South Hospital are proud of the successful delivery that brought the premie into the world.

"What we do is we make miracles daily so this what we do but it's a particular joy for us," Dr. Jamell Walker said.
An assailant believed to have been dressed in a Santa Claus costume opened fire at a crowded nightclub in Istanbul during New Year's celebrations, killing at least 39 people and wounding close to 70 others in what the province's governor described as a terror attack.

Gov. Vasip Sahin said the attacker, armed with a long-barreled weapon, killed a policeman and a civilian outside the club at around 1:45 a.m. Sunday before entering and firing on people partying inside. He did not say who may have carried out the attack.

"Unfortunately (he) rained bullets in a very cruel and merciless way on innocent people who were there to celebrate New Year's and have fun," Sahin told reporters.

Private NTV news channel said the assailant entered the Reina nightclub, in Istanbul's Ortakoy district, dressed in a Santa Claus outfit.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the man was still on the run, adding: "efforts to find the terrorist are continuing."

"Our security forces have started the necessary operations. God willing he will be caught in a short period of time," the minister said.

At least 16 of the dead were foreign nationals, Soylu said, without providing information on their nationalities. Five of the victims were identified as Turkish nationals while authorities were still trying to identify 18 of the victims. At least 69 people were being treated in hospitals, four in serious condition, Soylu said.

Some customers jumped into the waters of the Bosporus to escape the attack, the report said.

Sinem Uyanik was inside the club with her husband who was wounded in the attack.

"Before I could understand what was happening, my husband fell on top me," she said outside Istanbul's Sisli Etfal Hospital. "I had to lift several bodies from top of me before I could get out. It was frightening." Her husband was not in serious condition despite sustaining three wounds.

Police with riot gear and machine guns backed up by armored vehicles blocked the area close to the Reina nightclub, one of the most popular night spots in Istanbul. Several ambulances flashing blue lights arrived on the scene, some taking wounded to hospitals.

The White House condemned what it called a "horrific terrorist attack" and offered U.S. help to Turkey.

White House spokesman Eric Schultz said President Barack Obama was briefed on the attack by his national security team and asked to be updated as the situation developed. Obama is vacationing in Hawaii this week with his family.

National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said the attack on "innocent revelers" celebrating New Year's shows the attackers' savagery.

"Our thoughts are with victims and their loved ones. We continue to work to prevent these tragedies," European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini tweeted.

An estimated 600 people were celebrating inside the club that is also frequented by famous locals, including singers, actors and sports stars. Several shocked revelers were seen fleeing the scene after the attack and the music fell silent.

The country has been rocked by a series of deadly attacks in 2016 carried out by the Islamic State group or Kurdish militants, killing more than 180 people.

On Dec. 10, a double bomb attack outside soccer stadium  located near the Reina nightclub  killed 44 people and wounded 149 others. The attack was claimed by Turkey-based Kurdish militant group, the Kurdish Freedom Falcons. Nine days later, an off-duty Turkish riot policeman assassinated Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov at a photo exhibition in the capital, Ankara. The government has suggested that a movement led U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen was behind the killing  an accusation the cleric has denied.

Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag vowed that Turkey would press ahead with its fight against violent groups.

"Turkey will continue its determined and effective combat to root out terror," Bozdag said on Twitter.

Security measures had been heightened in major Turkish cities, with police barring traffic leading up to key squares in Istanbul and the capital Ankara. In Istanbul, 17,000 police officers were put on duty, some camouflaged as Santa Claus and others as street vendors, Turkey's Anadolu news agency reported.
The revelers in Times Square were stil celebrating when New York City welcomed what was likely its first baby of 2017.

Flushing Hospital in Queens reported a baby boy named Nathan, born at 12:08 a.m. and weighing in at 7 pounds, 11 ounces.

NYC Health + Hospitals, the city's public hospital system, said its first of the year - baby Melanie - arrived at 12:09 a.m. weighing in at 6 pounds, 9 ounces.

She was born at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx.

New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital said it welcomed its first 2017 baby at 2:51 a.m., a boy named Jacob.
Two U.S. men charged in the death of another American citizen on the island of Bimini are being released on bail.



A lawyer for the men portrays the incident as an accident and says his clients will return to the Bahamas for trial. Attorney Wayne Munroe says they may leave the country Wednesday.

Tyler Valles and Robert Schwartz are charged with manslaughter in the death of Carl Yerger, a 45-year-old father of two from Ruscombmanor Township, Pennsylvania.



Valles, a 19-year-old from Key Largo, Florida, and Schwartz, a 62-year-old from Gaylordsville, Connecticut, were working on a sport fishing boat when the incident occurred.



Police say the men struggled when an allegedly drunk Yerger tried to board their boat. Witnesses say Valles went to move a knife and accidentally stabbed Yerger.

Pictured: Carl Yerger
Police say a man abducted and raped a delivery woman in the Germantown section of Philadelphia late Saturday afternoon.

The 32-year-old woman was making deliveries for a private company on the 800 block of E. Washington Lane at 4:30 p.m. when a man armed with a gun jumped into her vehicle and made her drive to another location, police said. The suspect then raped the woman before fleeing the scene, according to investigators.

Police say the suspect was in his 20s and wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans. They continue to investigate.




A military veteran who was walking home in the early morning hours of New Years Day was struck and killed by a drunk driver who then fled the scene in the Fern Rock section of Philadelphia, police said.



The 71-year-old man was crossing the street on Marvine Street and Chew Avenue at 1:41 a.m. when he was struck by a 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis that police say was traveling at a high speed. The impact was so severe that the victim was either thrown or dragged blocks down from where he was hit.



Police say the driver of the striking vehicle, a 25-year-old man, tried to flee the scene but struck a fence on the 900 block of Chew Avenue. He was then arrested by responding police officers and charged with DUI and other related offenses.



The victim was taken to Einstein Hospital after suffering a broken leg and other injuries. He was pronounced dead at 1:42 a.m. Police told NBC10 the victim was a military veteran though they have not yet revealed his identity.




After an 11-year-old boy on life support following a mobile home fire in Escondido died on Friday, his family must face the emotional ordeal of organizing funeral services.

There were two children killed in the fire last week including the boy's 5-year-old niece who was the youngest victim. Diego left behind a twin brother who survived the fire.

Neighbors told NBC 7 they were hopeful the little boy would recover. Diego Florez went to Del Dios School, loved soccer and participated in cub scouts. Eleven family members were granted emergency visas to fly in from Mexico and attend the funeral.

A makeshift memorial showed a pink angel for Ellie on one side and a blue angel on the other for Diego to grieve their loss. A GoFundMe page raised $56,325 to help the Flores family after the fire. However, a neighbor of the family told NBC 7 that the account has since been frozen until it's confirmed as a legitimate donation site for the victims.

The family's next door neighbor Christina Zazueta has been gathering cards and donations for the grieving family. Along with cards, some neighbors have stopped by to shed a few tears and mourn.

"You can't help but do kind things for them because they were such a delight to have around and really I was very lucky to be their neighbor," Zazueta told NBC 7.

In the meantime, anyone who would like to ensure that their donation reaches the victims can stop by the JPMorgan Chase bank and donate to the account number 3615771972, which was set up by the family's neighbors.

Amid their grief, the family has thanked the community for the outpouring of support they've received throughout this ordeal.

A family spokesperson told NBC 7 on Friday that they would donate the organs of their son, Diego, after he was declared brain dead and surviving on life support.

Diego was caught in the fire sparked by a Christmas tree in a mobile home in San Diego's North County in the early morning. There were nine people in the home when the flames ignited.

The mobile home lacked smoke detectors or a fire alarm, which could have limited the fire's destruction, according to investigators.

Survivors of the fire didn't suffer any major injuries, and were all released from the hospital after they were treated for smoke inhalation.
Virginia residents looking for a little "hair of the dog" on New Year's Day can visit Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control stores; it will be the first time the stores have opened on the holiday.

WUSA-TV reported that state law previously banned the ABC shops from operating on Jan. 1, but new legislation that went into effect in July dropped the ban.

ABC stores will be open normal Sunday operating hours.
Firefighters battled a multi-alarm blaze at a 4-story building in Lynn, Massachusetts, on Sunday.

Fire officials said 65 people had to be evacuated from the 24-unit multi-family home at 22 West Baltimore St.

Just before 9 a.m., all companies had been ordered out of the building for safety precautions.

One person had to be helped out of the building by firefighters.

Two firefighters were injured, one of whom was taken to a hospital.

Area streets had been closed to traffic while crews battled the fire.

The exact cause of the blaze remains under investigation.
A powerful blaze burned in Bostons Jamaica Plain neighborhood on Saturday night.

Boston Fire first responded to reports of a building fire on Creighton Street at 5 p.m. When they arrived on the scene, firefighters discovered heavy flames on the back porch of the home.

The fire escalated to three alarms before it was extinguished.

Amy Sullivan, a local resident whose aunt lived in the building, said she was devastated by the destruction.

"It's sad," she said. "Not a good way to start the new year."

Sullivan's 81-year-old grandmother tripped and fell while walking to check on the family. She was transported to an area hospital for treatment. There were no other injuries reported.

Nine people in total were displaced. The fire chief estimates $700,000 worth of damage.
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and the police and fire commissioners discussed security preparations for the city's First Night and New Year's Eve celebrations at a Thursday morning news conference.

Mayor Walsh says there are currently no credible terror threats targeting Boston, but urges residents to be vigilant.

"If you see something out of the ordinary, let a police officer know, or a public safety official. There will be plenty of folks out in the street and if you don't see someone, please call 911 and report anything that might look suspicious," Walsh said.

Boston Police Commissioner William Evans discussed how the recent terrorist attack in Berlin affects Boston's security preparations.

"I think you've seen around the Christmas time, we really stepped up our patrols in and around the churches and religious institutions and we'll be doing that too," Evans said. "That's a threat that ISIS put out there. It's sad that we have to do this type of stuff, but it's a reality of what's happening now in the world."

Both Evans and Walsh addressed people possibly overindulging with alcohol in public.

"By 2 o'clock people have had enough to drink. By 2:30 it's time to go home," Evans said. "We encourage everyone to come out, but obviously leave the alcohol and all the craziness at home."

Boston Fire Commissioner Joe Finn emphasized this has been a busy season for Boston firefighters and stressed preparedness.

"I encourage people who come out to celebrate to make sure they unplug their interior lights," Finn said. "Christmas trees tend to dry out and they start shedding their needles, they become combustible at that point in time."

The city officials discussed street closings which will include Copley Square, as well as an array of parking restrictions in the area.

Towards the end of the news conference, Mayor Walsh was asked if he had a message for anyone lighting up a joint on New Year's Eve.

"Enjoy it," quipped Walsh. "Happy New Year."

The mayor did go on to remind people it's against the law to smoke in public parks and where no smoking signs are posted.
The getaway car has been found, but the inmate who escaped from a Rhode Island prison over the weekend remains on the loose.

Federal officials say former Army reservist James Walker Morales  charged with stealing 16 guns from a U.S. Army Reserve Center in Worcester, Massachusetts back in 2015  escaped from Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls, Rhode Island on Saturday night.

It is believed that Morales climbed onto the roof during outside recreation, then jumped down, and climbed barbed wire fence to get out.

Massachusetts State Police

Blood was found in various areas of facilities, so officials believe Morales is wounded and bleeding from the razor wire. Investigators are searching area hospitals.

The facility was put on immediate lockdown.

Morales is described as 6'1" and 180 pounds with brown eyes and black hair. He has a large eagle tattoo on the left side of his neck and was bald at the time of his escape.

Early Sunday morning, a Massachusetts State Police K-9 Unit tracked Morales to the area under an Interstate 95 overpass near the Massachusetts-Rhode Island border. At that location, police found what appeared to be discarded prison clothing with blood on it.

The investigation suggested Morales stole a car from the parking lot of the BK Mart tobacco store on Route 1 in Attleboro, Massachusetts, around 7 p.m. An employee at the BK Mart says the customer who had her car stolen left it unlocked and running while she was in the store. She added the customer's phone was still in the car.

The stolen car has since been recovered; however, Morales was not inside and state police have not released the specific town or state it was found.

Two senior law enforcement sources tell NBC Boston the car was found in Massachusetts.

Authorities urge anyone who spots the suspect to call 911, and those with information are asked to call U.S. Marshals at 508-368-7300.

The FBI says Morales stole six assault rifles and 10 handguns from the Lincoln Stoddard Army Reserve Center in Worcester in 2015. Morales was arrested in New York days after the theft, and most of the guns were later recovered.

When William Montanez was arrested on drug and firearm charges in Tampa, Flordia last June, police threatened him with jail time if he refused to hand over the passcodes to his iPhones. Montanez refused anyway and spent 44 days behind bars before the charged were dropped. While few would choose jail, Montanezs decision reflects a growing resistance to law enforcements power to peer into Americans digital lives. The main portals into that activity are cellphones, which are protected from prying eyes by encryption, with passcodes the only way in. As police now routinely seek access to peoples cellphones, privacy advocates see a dangerous erosion of Americans rights, with courts scrambling to keep up.

He has a long criminal history dating back to 2009, including a child rape charge for allegedly sexually assaulting his friend's young daughter.

The facility that Morales escaped from is not state or federally operated.

"Wyatt is a privately run facility," said Richard Ferruccio, president of the Rhode Island Brotherhood of Correctional Officers.

Ferruccio has worked in prisons for more than 30 years. Since Wyatt is privately run, he does not represent their officers.

"I would assume right now though that Wyatt Detention Center, as any prison facility or any jail would be, is in a lockdown conducting a security audit," he said.

Wyatt's correctional officer's union president declined to comment on the ongoing situation.
New Haven police have arrested a man accused in at least seven burglaries at downtown businesses since Christmas.

Police said Officer Garry Monk was working an assignment on Orange and Center Streets when he heard a cracking sound coming from around the corner. When he went to check it out, he found a man swinging a metal rod at the glass door of Ninth Square Market at 72 Orange Street.

Monk called for backup and took the man, identified as Erik Alan Silberberg, 43, of New Haven, into custody.

According to police, Silberberg confessed to at least seven commercial burglaries since Christmas, including a series of smash-and-grab crimes downtown Thursday into Friday.

Silberberg also reportedly confessed to burglaries at Jo Bella Salon on Temple Street, Foot Locker on Chapel Street, and an apartment building on Court Street in November.

Silberberg faces multiple burglary-related charges for these crimes.

Commercial burglaries have been an ongoing issue in the area and police officials praised Monk for his reaction.

Capturing this man was our top priority, said New Haven Police Detective Sgt. Derek Gartner in a release. We are grateful Officer Monk was at the right place at the right time. He did his job and New Haven is a safer place for it.
More snow is on the way for Bismarck.

A winter storm warning is in effect through Tuesday morning for much of central North Dakota.

Ken Simosko, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Bismarck, said 6-10 inches total snowfall is expected in Minot, Bismarck, Mandan, Jamestown and surrounding areas. The heaviest snowfall is expected to start around noon Monday in Bismarck, Simosko said.

Western parts of the state, including Dickinson, Elgin, Bowman, Crosby and Williston, are under a winter weather advisory, and may see 3-6 inches of snow.

Simosko said northerly winds will reach 20-30 mph on Monday, causing reduced visibility in areas under the winter storm warning. There may be some blowing and drifting snow in the advisory areas, but it wont be as pronounced there as it will be in central North Dakota, including the Bismarck-Mandan area.

Travel is going to become dangerous (Monday)," he said.

The winter storm is expected to come in two surges, starting Sunday evening and overnight and then around noon Monday through midnight.

"(The second surge) one will be a little more robust in terms of accumulation," he said.

Simosko said the good news is the snow will be fluffier.

The snow this time wont be as heavy as weve had in previous storms, it will be more of a fluffier snow," he said.

Temperatures in Bismarck are expected to drop Monday night, too, with wind chills reaching 25 below zero Monday night through Tuesday morning. Subzero wind chills are expected through Wednesday.
A new year means several new laws are taking effect in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

An increase in the minimum hourly wage and an overhaul of the state's public records law are the most notable laws taking effect in Massachusetts.

The minimum wage moved from $10 to $11 an hour on Sunday, putting a bit more cash into the wallets of about 400,000 workers. Massachusetts is among 19 states where the minimum wage is going up in 2017 as a result of new laws or cost-of-living allowances.

The public records law, approved earlier last year, aims to modernize what critics have decried as an outdated, frustrating and often expensive process for citizens trying to obtain documents that should be open to public inspection.

The law establishes stricter timetables for state agencies and municipalities to respond to public records requests. In most cases, the records must be produced within 10 days. Extensions may be granted of up to 20 days for agencies and 30 days for cities and towns, but only with a show of good cause for the delay.

What happens when a records request is still denied? The law puts the onus on the government to explain the refusal. Moreover, Massachusetts now joins 47 other states that allow judges to award attorney fees to citizens who sue for release of public records and win in court.

Another measure taking effect in Massachusetts with the new year is one requiring pharmaceutical companies to help people get rid of unwanted or unused prescription painkillers.

The drug stewardship program was part of a wide-ranging law signed by Republican Gov. Charlie Baker in March that targets the deadly opioid addiction scourge. Preventing abuse of opiate painkillers is viewed as a key element of the strategy.

Manufacturers of pharmaceutical products must establish a convenient, state-approved collection plan for unwanted prescription drugs, either on their own or through a stewardship organization.

Over the border in New Hampshire, several dozen news laws are taking effect, including bans on selling synthetic urine and shining lasers at planes and efforts to increase transparency in government and protect private property.

Political committees will now be required to file donation reports during off-election years. That requirement is aimed at giving the public a look more often at who is giving money to politicians.

Many of the laws will affect just a small segment of the population, meaning most New Hampshire residents won't notice much of a change.

The more sweeping pieces of legislation, such as continuing Medicaid expansion and providing more money to fight the state's drug addiction crisis, took effect months ago.
One person is dead after an MBTA commuter rail train collided with a vehicle in Holbrook, Massachusetts.

Emergency officials responded to the report of a crash at 1:20 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. The accident occurred near Union and Water Streets, just outside the commuter rail station, according to Transit Police.

The driver, a 63 year old man, was struck by an inbound Middleboro MBTA Commuter Rail train. He was pronounced dead as a result of the injuries.

Officials believe the man was attempting to drive around the crossing gates before the accident. They do not suspect foul play.

At the time of the crash, the train had 42 passengers on board. The train stopped at Holbrook immediately following the accident while passengers waited for another bus to Boston. Those waiting at Quincy Center or JFK/UMass were urged to take the Red Line. Services were not impacted and the scene is currently clear.

The accident is currently under investigation by Transit Police and the Norfolk County District Attorneys office.
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren is flexing her fundraising muscles on behalf of fellow Senate Democrats as she looks ahead to the 2018 elections.

Warren sent an email to supporters Friday calling on them to donate to Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown.

The Massachusetts Democrat conceded the party didn't win as many seats as she hoped in November.

She blamed losses in states like Wisconsin and Ohio on "right-wing Super PACs'' that drowned out Democratic candidates with what she called nasty attacks.

She said Democrats are defending 25 Senate seats in the midterm elections while Republicans are defending eight.

Warren is also up for re-election in 2018.

She said Republicans have "a 2016 playbook that they'll use again to try to deepen their control of the Senate.''
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: On New Years eve, the state government effected a major shakeup in the city police. Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Praveen Sood replaced NS Megharikh as the new commissioner of Bengaluru Police. Megharikh will head the ACB.

Sood has had the experience of working in the city police as Deputy Commissioner and Additional Commissioner (Traffic). He will take charge on Sunday. Megharikh, who preferred to keep a low-profile, had a 16-month tenure as the city police chief.

Notification on the transfer of over 32 IPS officers, including 16 in the city police, was issued on Saturday evening when the police top brass was busy providing security for new year celebrations. A few IAS and forest service officers too were transferred on Saturday evening.

Praveen Sood

Reshuffle of 16 senior officers  DCPs to Commissioner  at one go is perhaps unprecedented in Bengaluru police wing. Two Additional Commissioners  KSR Charan Reddy and P Harishekaran  have been transferred and posted as IG Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) and IG Western Range, Mangaluru, respectively. They were replaced by IG (Internal Security) Malini Krishnamurthy as Additional Commissioner (West) and Hemanth Nimbalkar as Additional Commissioner East.

Sources in the government told Express that it is a routine administrative measure as many officers had completed their tenure and some of them were due for a promotion.

Megharikh and his team were credited for efficiently handling many critical situations and cracking many cases, including that of RSS leader Rudreshs murder near Commercial Street.

City police, however, came under criticism for violence on the first day of the Cauvery agitation. They got the situation under control on the second day, but the damage was done.

Sources said many officers in the city police were not happy with the sudden shake-up. Home Ministers security adviser Kempaiah is said to have played a key role in the transfers and postings.

BENGALURU: On New Years eve, the state government effected a major shakeup in the city police. Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Praveen Sood replaced NS Megharikh as the new commissioner of Bengaluru Police. Megharikh will head the ACB. Sood has had the experience of working in the city police as Deputy Commissioner and Additional Commissioner (Traffic). He will take charge on Sunday. Megharikh, who preferred to keep a low-profile, had a 16-month tenure as the city police chief. Notification on the transfer of over 32 IPS officers, including 16 in the city police, was issued on Saturday evening when the police top brass was busy providing security for new year celebrations. A few IAS and forest service officers too were transferred on Saturday evening. Praveen SoodReshuffle of 16 senior officers  DCPs to Commissioner  at one go is perhaps unprecedented in Bengaluru police wing. Two Additional Commissioners  KSR Charan Reddy and P Harishekaran  have been transferred and posted as IG Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) and IG Western Range, Mangaluru, respectively. They were replaced by IG (Internal Security) Malini Krishnamurthy as Additional Commissioner (West) and Hemanth Nimbalkar as Additional Commissioner East. Sources in the government told Express that it is a routine administrative measure as many officers had completed their tenure and some of them were due for a promotion. Megharikh and his team were credited for efficiently handling many critical situations and cracking many cases, including that of RSS leader Rudreshs murder near Commercial Street. City police, however, came under criticism for violence on the first day of the Cauvery agitation. They got the situation under control on the second day, but the damage was done. Sources said many officers in the city police were not happy with the sudden shake-up. Home Ministers security adviser Kempaiah is said to have played a key role in the transfers and postings.
R Anantha Subramanian By

Express News Service

The grim-faced waiter at a popular restaurant in Chennai approached me with a swagger. Sir, for your Rs 70 bill, we dont accept credit or debit cards. The minimum amount should be Rs 150 for you to use your card, he said. Somebody sniggered, and I heard another customer telling his companion he only had a Rs 1,000 note.

Aghast, I checked my wallet once again to see if I had any small notes. But I only had a Rs 500 note and the bank card I had already given him.

Sizing up the situation, the waiter quickly asserted, Even on normal days, we may not be in a position to give change for Rs 500 for such a small bill. Now the note itself has been made illegal. Its up to you how you pay up. Of course.

Wondering whatever happened to welcoming waiters who serve with a smile, I approached the man at the counter and explained my predicament. Luckily, he was more accommodating and asked me to bring change the next day and settle the bill. This was on November 10, two days after the Prime Minister dropped his note ban bombshell on an unsuspecting populace.

Whatever it may have achieved on a larger scale, the note ban has helped me cut back on eating out. As the reality of demonetisation slowly sunk in, I had to stay away from any restaurant, not just the popular ones. Ordering food for home delivery became a strict no-no.

Family outings for meals at restaurants stopped entirely. Initially, I was forced to crankily nurture an empty stomach on some days but now I consider the note ban a blessing that has helped me save money. Knowing that I may not get anything to eat once I step outside the comforts of my home, I eat whatever is available gratefully.

So I coped until a while later someone remembered to tell me that restaurants had started accepting card payments for tabs even below Rs 100.

I decided to test this on a day I suffered nagging hunger pangs on the way to work. I walked into an outlet that is part of a large chain of restaurants, found a place to squeeze myself into and asked the waiter if they accept plastic money for a single meal.

He seemed a bit taken aback and asked me check at the cash counter before placing the order. Wary after my earlier experience and still not having enough small denomination notes to pay the tab, I approached the counter tentatively and asked if they accept cards.

Pat came the reply from the cashier: We have placed orders for PoS machines as the one already available had started malfunctioning. Once they are delivered to us, we will start accepting all types of cards. Disappointed and still hungry, I trudged out thinking, Should have packed my lunch at home.

The grim-faced waiter at a popular restaurant in Chennai approached me with a swagger. Sir, for your Rs 70 bill, we dont accept credit or debit cards. The minimum amount should be Rs 150 for you to use your card, he said. Somebody sniggered, and I heard another customer telling his companion he only had a Rs 1,000 note. Aghast, I checked my wallet once again to see if I had any small notes. But I only had a Rs 500 note and the bank card I had already given him. Sizing up the situation, the waiter quickly asserted, Even on normal days, we may not be in a position to give change for Rs 500 for such a small bill. Now the note itself has been made illegal. Its up to you how you pay up. Of course. Wondering whatever happened to welcoming waiters who serve with a smile, I approached the man at the counter and explained my predicament. Luckily, he was more accommodating and asked me to bring change the next day and settle the bill. This was on November 10, two days after the Prime Minister dropped his note ban bombshell on an unsuspecting populace. Whatever it may have achieved on a larger scale, the note ban has helped me cut back on eating out. As the reality of demonetisation slowly sunk in, I had to stay away from any restaurant, not just the popular ones. Ordering food for home delivery became a strict no-no. Family outings for meals at restaurants stopped entirely. Initially, I was forced to crankily nurture an empty stomach on some days but now I consider the note ban a blessing that has helped me save money. Knowing that I may not get anything to eat once I step outside the comforts of my home, I eat whatever is available gratefully. So I coped until a while later someone remembered to tell me that restaurants had started accepting card payments for tabs even below Rs 100. I decided to test this on a day I suffered nagging hunger pangs on the way to work. I walked into an outlet that is part of a large chain of restaurants, found a place to squeeze myself into and asked the waiter if they accept plastic money for a single meal. He seemed a bit taken aback and asked me check at the cash counter before placing the order. Wary after my earlier experience and still not having enough small denomination notes to pay the tab, I approached the counter tentatively and asked if they accept cards. Pat came the reply from the cashier: We have placed orders for PoS machines as the one already available had started malfunctioning. Once they are delivered to us, we will start accepting all types of cards. Disappointed and still hungry, I trudged out thinking, Should have packed my lunch at home.
By Express News Service

The Union Home Ministry has accorded sanction to a proposal to add 15,000 more personnel to the Delhi Police to add up to its strength that is inadequate.



The Home Minister made the announcement at a police event here where ranks were awarded to 24 personnel out of the 27,000 promoted this year.



The expansion, if cleared by the Finance Ministry, will make the Delhi Police nearly one lakh strong.



"I feel Delhi Police strength is not adequate. It has to increase. The proposal pertaining to recruitment of 15,000 personnel has been sent to the Finance Ministry by the Home Ministry. I hope the approval will be received soon," Singh said.

Lauding Verma for removing stagnation in promotion, Singh said it was "raining promotions" in Delhi Police as "nowhere" have so many personnel been promoted together.



"Promotions are in short supply in Police as well as in paramilitary forces and when it happens the person is on the last leg of his career. I had told the police commissioner to promote personnel when it is due without any hesitation,"Singh said.



Presently, the Delhi Police has a total sanctioned strength of around 82,242, of which 77,083 are filled and the remaining posts are vacant.



The event was also attended by Ministers of State for Home Kiren Rijiju and Hansraj Gangaram Ahir besides Delhi Police Commissioner Alok Verma and other senior officials. Others who attended the function included inspectors and constables besides their family members.

The Union Home Ministry has accorded sanction to a proposal to add 15,000 more personnel to the Delhi Police to add up to its strength that is inadequate. The Home Minister made the announcement at a police event here where ranks were awarded to 24 personnel out of the 27,000 promoted this year. The expansion, if cleared by the Finance Ministry, will make the Delhi Police nearly one lakh strong. "I feel Delhi Police strength is not adequate. It has to increase. The proposal pertaining to recruitment of 15,000 personnel has been sent to the Finance Ministry by the Home Ministry. I hope the approval will be received soon," Singh said. Lauding Verma for removing stagnation in promotion, Singh said it was "raining promotions" in Delhi Police as "nowhere" have so many personnel been promoted together. "Promotions are in short supply in Police as well as in paramilitary forces and when it happens the person is on the last leg of his career. I had told the police commissioner to promote personnel when it is due without any hesitation,"Singh said. Presently, the Delhi Police has a total sanctioned strength of around 82,242, of which 77,083 are filled and the remaining posts are vacant. The event was also attended by Ministers of State for Home Kiren Rijiju and Hansraj Gangaram Ahir besides Delhi Police Commissioner Alok Verma and other senior officials. Others who attended the function included inspectors and constables besides their family members.
By PTI

KOCHI: A 65-year-old school principal, who is also a priest, was arrested today for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor boy at the institute's hostel.



Basil Kuriakose was arrested this morning after a complaint from the 11-year-old boy's mother, who is working in Haryana, police said.



The boy, a student of the residential school affiliated to CBSE at nearby Kunnathunad, was allegedly sexually assaulted in his hostel room on the night of December 21.

The boy revealed the incident to his brother who came to meet him at the hostel.



He alerted their parents, following which the complaint was lodged against Kuriakose, police said.



The principal has been booked under relevant sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, police said.

KOCHI: A 65-year-old school principal, who is also a priest, was arrested today for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor boy at the institute's hostel. Basil Kuriakose was arrested this morning after a complaint from the 11-year-old boy's mother, who is working in Haryana, police said. The boy, a student of the residential school affiliated to CBSE at nearby Kunnathunad, was allegedly sexually assaulted in his hostel room on the night of December 21. The boy revealed the incident to his brother who came to meet him at the hostel. He alerted their parents, following which the complaint was lodged against Kuriakose, police said. The principal has been booked under relevant sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, police said.
Harpreet Bajwa By

Express News Service

CHANDIGARH: While the public welcomed New Year having a gala time at parties, Punjabs education minister Dr Daljit Singh Cheema was at the receiving end as ETT teachers entered his official residence here and laid siege, thus forcing the minister outside his own house.

The drama ensued when some 100 odd aspirants of EET teachers entered the Sector 39 residence of Dr Daljit Singh Cheema at around 1 PM on Saturday afternoon. The policemen on duty outside the Ministerial Complex in Sector 39 where Punjabs ministers and senior IAS officers reside, could not stop them as they (protesting teachers) forced their entry into the complex.

The teachers barged into the official residence of Cheema after over powering his security personnel. However, at the time the incident occurred, the minister was not at his residence and when he returned home for lunch he was surprised to see that the protestors had taken over his house.

Talking with Express, Cheema said, When I returned back home, I saw that protesting teachers have laid siege to my house. I tried to convince them but the attempts went in vain. My staff called up the Chandigarh police, however, they did not respond. The Punjab DGP Suresh Arora called up inspector general of police of Chandigarh but that did not help either. I too called up the officers but there was no response from the Chandigarh Police.

Then finally at 10 PM, I went to Punjab Raj Bhawan and tried to meet the Punjab governor and Chandigarh administrator VP Singh Badnore. On finally meeting the governor at 12.30 AM, he summoned the inspector general of police of Chandigarh, Tajendra Singh Luthra and he in turn accompanied me back to my residence. The teachers were finally evicted and arrested only after 13 hours, on early Sunday morning, added Cheema.

Cheema alleges that there is a complete downfall of law and order in Chandigarh. If this kind of an incident can happen with a minister, how safe are the general public? he questioned.

He said that he will be writing to the chief minister Parkash Singh Badal regarding the matter and take up the issue with ministry of home affairs (MHA) as Chandigarh is a Union Territory. He will seek a high level inquiry into the whole incident.

Cheema had reportedly staged a dharna outside the Punjab Raj Bhawan in protest against the failure of the Chandigarh police to evict protesting ETT teachers from his official residence on Saturday night.

These aspirants from backward class wanted to get jobs in ETT but did not qualify for the same but were forcing me to give them jobs. The recruitment process was transparent and the deserving candidates got a job, said Cheema.

When contacted, Tajendra Singh Luthra said,  We have registered a case of trespassing against the protesting teachers and have already arrested 33 of them.

CHANDIGARH: While the public welcomed New Year having a gala time at parties, Punjabs education minister Dr Daljit Singh Cheema was at the receiving end as ETT teachers entered his official residence here and laid siege, thus forcing the minister outside his own house. The drama ensued when some 100 odd aspirants of EET teachers entered the Sector 39 residence of Dr Daljit Singh Cheema at around 1 PM on Saturday afternoon. The policemen on duty outside the Ministerial Complex in Sector 39 where Punjabs ministers and senior IAS officers reside, could not stop them as they (protesting teachers) forced their entry into the complex. The teachers barged into the official residence of Cheema after over powering his security personnel. However, at the time the incident occurred, the minister was not at his residence and when he returned home for lunch he was surprised to see that the protestors had taken over his house. Talking with Express, Cheema said, When I returned back home, I saw that protesting teachers have laid siege to my house. I tried to convince them but the attempts went in vain. My staff called up the Chandigarh police, however, they did not respond. The Punjab DGP Suresh Arora called up inspector general of police of Chandigarh but that did not help either. I too called up the officers but there was no response from the Chandigarh Police. Then finally at 10 PM, I went to Punjab Raj Bhawan and tried to meet the Punjab governor and Chandigarh administrator VP Singh Badnore. On finally meeting the governor at 12.30 AM, he summoned the inspector general of police of Chandigarh, Tajendra Singh Luthra and he in turn accompanied me back to my residence. The teachers were finally evicted and arrested only after 13 hours, on early Sunday morning, added Cheema. Cheema alleges that there is a complete downfall of law and order in Chandigarh. If this kind of an incident can happen with a minister, how safe are the general public? he questioned. He said that he will be writing to the chief minister Parkash Singh Badal regarding the matter and take up the issue with ministry of home affairs (MHA) as Chandigarh is a Union Territory. He will seek a high level inquiry into the whole incident. Cheema had reportedly staged a dharna outside the Punjab Raj Bhawan in protest against the failure of the Chandigarh police to evict protesting ETT teachers from his official residence on Saturday night. These aspirants from backward class wanted to get jobs in ETT but did not qualify for the same but were forcing me to give them jobs. The recruitment process was transparent and the deserving candidates got a job, said Cheema. When contacted, Tajendra Singh Luthra said,  We have registered a case of trespassing against the protesting teachers and have already arrested 33 of them.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Reiterating its demand, India on Sunday asked Pakistan for consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav, arrested by Islamabad for espionage, and Nehal Ansari, who was caught for allegedly illegally entering that country from Afghanistan to purportedly meet a girl he had befriended through online chats.



India sought consular access to the two Indians in Pakistani custody after it exchanged with Islamabad the lists of their citizens including civil prisoners and fishermen languishing in jails in both the countries as per provisions of the bilateral Consular Access agreement.



The External Affairs Ministry said India remains committed to address on "priority" with Pakistan the humanitarian matters, including those pertaining to prisoners and fishermen in each other's country.



"In this context, we await from Pakistan confirmation of nationality of those in India's custody who are otherwise eligible for release and repatriation. We also await consular access to those Indian nationals in Pakistan's custody for whom it has so far not been provided including Hamid Nehal Ansari and Kulbhushan Jadhav," the MEA said in a statement.



The Pakistani security forces had arrested Jadhav from Balochistan in March last year and claimed that he was a serving officer in the Indian Navy and deputed to the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

Pakistan has accused Jadhav of planning 'subversive activities' in that country.



India has acknowledged that Jadhav had served with the Navy but denied that he has any connection with the Government.



Ansari who hails from Mumbai had crossed over illegally to Pakistan from Afghanistan in 2012 reportedly to meet a girl he had befriended online.



He was later arrested and tried by a Pakistani military court, which pronounced him guilty of espionage.



The agreement on Consular Access provides that a comprehensive list of nationals of each country lodged in other countrys jails has to be exchanged twice each year, on January 1 and July 1.

NEW DELHI: Reiterating its demand, India on Sunday asked Pakistan for consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav, arrested by Islamabad for espionage, and Nehal Ansari, who was caught for allegedly illegally entering that country from Afghanistan to purportedly meet a girl he had befriended through online chats. India sought consular access to the two Indians in Pakistani custody after it exchanged with Islamabad the lists of their citizens including civil prisoners and fishermen languishing in jails in both the countries as per provisions of the bilateral Consular Access agreement. The External Affairs Ministry said India remains committed to address on "priority" with Pakistan the humanitarian matters, including those pertaining to prisoners and fishermen in each other's country. "In this context, we await from Pakistan confirmation of nationality of those in India's custody who are otherwise eligible for release and repatriation. We also await consular access to those Indian nationals in Pakistan's custody for whom it has so far not been provided including Hamid Nehal Ansari and Kulbhushan Jadhav," the MEA said in a statement. The Pakistani security forces had arrested Jadhav from Balochistan in March last year and claimed that he was a serving officer in the Indian Navy and deputed to the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). Pakistan has accused Jadhav of planning 'subversive activities' in that country. India has acknowledged that Jadhav had served with the Navy but denied that he has any connection with the Government. Ansari who hails from Mumbai had crossed over illegally to Pakistan from Afghanistan in 2012 reportedly to meet a girl he had befriended online. He was later arrested and tried by a Pakistani military court, which pronounced him guilty of espionage. The agreement on Consular Access provides that a comprehensive list of nationals of each country lodged in other countrys jails has to be exchanged twice each year, on January 1 and July 1.
Prasanta Mazumdar By

Express News Service

GUWAHATI: Pema Khandu, defected to the BJP on Saturday, which effectively made a saffron party government in the State.



Khandu, a former Congress leader, paraded the 33 of the 43 MLAs of the PPA before Assembly Speaker Tenzing Norbu Thongdok who recognised them as BJP members in a House of 60. This is the second BJP government in Northeast after the one in Assam. The high-voltage political drama came two days after Khandu and six PPA MLAs were suspended by party leadership for alleged anti-party activities, followed by the suspension of 12 more party MLAs on Saturday morning.



The defection of the 33 PPA MLAs took BJPs tally to 45 in the House of 60. Two Independent MLAs are also extending their support to Khandu. The PPA is now left with just 10 MLAs while the Congress, which ruled Arunachal for a long time, has only three MLAs.



We had submitted a list of the names of 33 MLAs, including that of mine, to the Speaker for merger with BJP and the Speaker accepted it, Khandu told reporters in Itanagar. Thus, it becomes a full-fledged BJP government. We all will work for stability and development of the State, he asserted. Asked about the reason of their en bloc defection, Khandu said, We were ill-treated. As such, we had no option but to join the BJP.



The PPA has not yet spelt out its next move but it might move Governor (acting) V Shanmuganathan seeking his intervention. There is also a possibility that the party will challenge the merger and suspended Khandus continuance as chief minister in court.

Well do what we should. Right now, we will not say anything. We will see. We gave them enough warnings and also suspended a few of them but they kept violating party diktats, PPA chairman Kamen Ringu told Express. On Friday, he had accused Khandu and the other suspended MLAs of working against the interests of the PPA. The BJP said Khandu would continue as the CM. It will be a strong BJP government now, the partys Arunachal unit president Tapir Gao said.



Addressing media persons, PPA president Kahfa Bengia criticised North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) convenor and BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma for remaining a silent spectator during the political crisis. The PPA is a partner of NEDA.



Much before its Assam feat in May this year, the BJP had set its sights on politically-fragile Arunachal. The party has been up front, albeit behind the curtain, in the political unrest of the State in the past two years. During the power struggle between former CMs Nabam Tuki and the late Kalikho Pul, the Congress had accused the BJP of toppling the Tuki government by engineering split within the party.



In a State that has a history of political upheavals, speculations were rife the PPA MLAs defection to the BJP was only a matter of time. From the times of the States longest-serving Chief Minister Gegong Apang to Pema Khandu, most CMs had to battle with contenders. Leaving aside Apang who had served for nearly 23 years  18 years on the trot  there has been, on an average, a change of CM in every 2 years.

GUWAHATI: Pema Khandu, defected to the BJP on Saturday, which effectively made a saffron party government in the State. Khandu, a former Congress leader, paraded the 33 of the 43 MLAs of the PPA before Assembly Speaker Tenzing Norbu Thongdok who recognised them as BJP members in a House of 60. This is the second BJP government in Northeast after the one in Assam. The high-voltage political drama came two days after Khandu and six PPA MLAs were suspended by party leadership for alleged anti-party activities, followed by the suspension of 12 more party MLAs on Saturday morning. The defection of the 33 PPA MLAs took BJPs tally to 45 in the House of 60. Two Independent MLAs are also extending their support to Khandu. The PPA is now left with just 10 MLAs while the Congress, which ruled Arunachal for a long time, has only three MLAs. We had submitted a list of the names of 33 MLAs, including that of mine, to the Speaker for merger with BJP and the Speaker accepted it, Khandu told reporters in Itanagar. Thus, it becomes a full-fledged BJP government. We all will work for stability and development of the State, he asserted. Asked about the reason of their en bloc defection, Khandu said, We were ill-treated. As such, we had no option but to join the BJP. The PPA has not yet spelt out its next move but it might move Governor (acting) V Shanmuganathan seeking his intervention. There is also a possibility that the party will challenge the merger and suspended Khandus continuance as chief minister in court. Well do what we should. Right now, we will not say anything. We will see. We gave them enough warnings and also suspended a few of them but they kept violating party diktats, PPA chairman Kamen Ringu told Express. On Friday, he had accused Khandu and the other suspended MLAs of working against the interests of the PPA. The BJP said Khandu would continue as the CM. It will be a strong BJP government now, the partys Arunachal unit president Tapir Gao said. Addressing media persons, PPA president Kahfa Bengia criticised North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) convenor and BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma for remaining a silent spectator during the political crisis. The PPA is a partner of NEDA. Much before its Assam feat in May this year, the BJP had set its sights on politically-fragile Arunachal. The party has been up front, albeit behind the curtain, in the political unrest of the State in the past two years. During the power struggle between former CMs Nabam Tuki and the late Kalikho Pul, the Congress had accused the BJP of toppling the Tuki government by engineering split within the party. In a State that has a history of political upheavals, speculations were rife the PPA MLAs defection to the BJP was only a matter of time. From the times of the States longest-serving Chief Minister Gegong Apang to Pema Khandu, most CMs had to battle with contenders. Leaving aside Apang who had served for nearly 23 years  18 years on the trot  there has been, on an average, a change of CM in every 2 years.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on New Years Eve announced a mini-budget of sorts, rewarding some of the most severely affected in the demonetisation exercise  senior citizens, farmers, the urban and rural poor, and small entrepreneurs  with a flurry of welfare schemes.

Coming just months before UP Assembly elections, among Modis most important announcements was a huge sop for the urban and rural poor in the affordable housing sector. Two new schemes under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana will offer 4 percent interest subvention on loans up to Rs 9 lakh and 3 percent on loans up to Rs 12 lakh. Separately, 3 percent interest will be waived on loans of up to Rs 2 lakh for the construction or expansion of a rural house.

The law will take its course with full force. The government will help the honest and protect them and see their difficulties are eased This government is a friend of good people and wants to build on the good environment..., Modi said.

Farmers too were rewarded. The government, Modi declared, will bear interest for 60 days on crop loans taken by farmers from district cooperative banks and primary societies for sowing operations this rabi season. The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) is also set to be given an additional Rs 20,000 crore to finance district cooperative banks and societies. Three crore Kisan Credit Cards will also be converted to RuPay Cards within three months to help farmers purchase inputs anywhere.

Neither senior citizens nor women were left out. For senior citizens, Modi assured an 8 percent interest on deposits of up to Rs 7.5 lakh for 10 years. A deposit of Rs 6,000 will also be made into accounts of pregnant and lactating women in rural areas.

Modi sent out a stern warning of tough action against the dishonest people. He also assuaged the honest that the government will act as a friend to them. He said time has come for a serious debate on breaking the endless cycle of elections and cutting down on administrative expenses by holding Parliamentary and Assembly elections simultaneously.

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on New Years Eve announced a mini-budget of sorts, rewarding some of the most severely affected in the demonetisation exercise  senior citizens, farmers, the urban and rural poor, and small entrepreneurs  with a flurry of welfare schemes. Coming just months before UP Assembly elections, among Modis most important announcements was a huge sop for the urban and rural poor in the affordable housing sector. Two new schemes under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana will offer 4 percent interest subvention on loans up to Rs 9 lakh and 3 percent on loans up to Rs 12 lakh. Separately, 3 percent interest will be waived on loans of up to Rs 2 lakh for the construction or expansion of a rural house. The law will take its course with full force. The government will help the honest and protect them and see their difficulties are eased This government is a friend of good people and wants to build on the good environment..., Modi said. Farmers too were rewarded. The government, Modi declared, will bear interest for 60 days on crop loans taken by farmers from district cooperative banks and primary societies for sowing operations this rabi season. The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) is also set to be given an additional Rs 20,000 crore to finance district cooperative banks and societies. Three crore Kisan Credit Cards will also be converted to RuPay Cards within three months to help farmers purchase inputs anywhere. Neither senior citizens nor women were left out. For senior citizens, Modi assured an 8 percent interest on deposits of up to Rs 7.5 lakh for 10 years. A deposit of Rs 6,000 will also be made into accounts of pregnant and lactating women in rural areas. Modi sent out a stern warning of tough action against the dishonest people. He also assuaged the honest that the government will act as a friend to them. He said time has come for a serious debate on breaking the endless cycle of elections and cutting down on administrative expenses by holding Parliamentary and Assembly elections simultaneously.
By PTI

JAMMU: Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire this morning along the Line of Control in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir but there was no casualty.



"There was firing by troops from across from 0900 hours along LoC in Poonch sector today," an officer said.



The Indian troops retaliated and there was a brief exchange of firing, he said, adding there was no causality.



The firing took place in Shahpur sector of Poonch.



On December 30, a civilian was killed as Pakistan army indulged in heavy cross-border firing targeting Indian positions and civilian areas along the Line of Control (LOC) in the Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir, prompting the Indian side to give a befitting reply.



On December 16, Pakistan army had targeted Indian positions along the LoC in the Balakote sector of the same district.



The 2003 India-Pakistan ceasefire agreement has virtually become redundant with a whopping over 300 incidents of firing and shelling along LoC and IB in J&K by Pakistani troops that resulted in death of 27 people, including 14 security personnel, since the surgical strike on terrorist launch pads in PoK on September 28-29.

JAMMU: Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire this morning along the Line of Control in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir but there was no casualty. "There was firing by troops from across from 0900 hours along LoC in Poonch sector today," an officer said. The Indian troops retaliated and there was a brief exchange of firing, he said, adding there was no causality. The firing took place in Shahpur sector of Poonch. On December 30, a civilian was killed as Pakistan army indulged in heavy cross-border firing targeting Indian positions and civilian areas along the Line of Control (LOC) in the Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir, prompting the Indian side to give a befitting reply. On December 16, Pakistan army had targeted Indian positions along the LoC in the Balakote sector of the same district. The 2003 India-Pakistan ceasefire agreement has virtually become redundant with a whopping over 300 incidents of firing and shelling along LoC and IB in J&K by Pakistani troops that resulted in death of 27 people, including 14 security personnel, since the surgical strike on terrorist launch pads in PoK on September 28-29.
Anand ST Das By

Express News Service

PATNA: A mini exodus of sorts marked the New Years Day revelry in Bihar on Sunday as the states strict prohibition law forced thousands of people to visit neighbouring states such as Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and also Nepal.

Even as police and excise department officials maintained a strict vigil on celebrations with alcoholic drinks and secretive sales of liquor across the state, many large consignments of liquor were seized throughout the day and at least 30 people were arrested for possession and consumption of liquor, said sources.

Jharkhand, Bihars southern neighbour, witnessed the largest influx of visitors from Bihar in the past three days, according to transport and travel agencies. According to one estimate, at least 20,000 people from Bihar left for various places in Jharkhand famous as good picnic spots and those with an additional religious importance in the past three days. In contrast, places of interest in Bihar that usually saw sizeable crowds of New Years Day revellers from within the state in previous years wore an almost deserted look this time. The overriding reason for this change is said to be prohibition, which was enforced by the Nitish Kumar government in April 2016.

Most picnic spots in Jharkhand such as Betla, Maithan Dam in Dhanbad, waterfalls such as Dasham Falls, Jonha Falls and Hudru Falls in Ranchi, Parasnath Hills in Giridih, Baba Baidyanath Dham temple in Deoghar and Hazaribagh lake are full of visitors from Bihar, said Bishnu Kumar, an executive with Sri Ramdev Travels in Deoghar.

Thousands of people from Bihars western districts such as Gopalganj, Siwan, Buxar, Saran and Kaimur crossed the border to well-known picnic spots in Uttar Pradesh. Balia in UP has been seeing a steady influx of Bihari visitors for the past several months due to its proximity and free availability of all brands of liquor there. In fact, there is such a rise in liquor sales in Balia that the district, which used to struggle to achieve excise revenue targets earlier, crossed the current financial years annual target in November despite demonetisation. Against the target of Rs 10.61 crore fixed for the district for 2016-17, Balia achieved revenue collection of Rs 10.64 crore in November, said sources.

Police in Bihars Supaul district seized 781 bottles of Nepalese liquor while 289 cartons of foreign liquor were seized in Rohtas district on Sunday. In Patna and Gopalganj districts, 357 bottles of foreign liquor were seized. An illegal liquor manufacturing unit was also busted in Nawada district.

PATNA: A mini exodus of sorts marked the New Years Day revelry in Bihar on Sunday as the states strict prohibition law forced thousands of people to visit neighbouring states such as Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and also Nepal. Even as police and excise department officials maintained a strict vigil on celebrations with alcoholic drinks and secretive sales of liquor across the state, many large consignments of liquor were seized throughout the day and at least 30 people were arrested for possession and consumption of liquor, said sources. Jharkhand, Bihars southern neighbour, witnessed the largest influx of visitors from Bihar in the past three days, according to transport and travel agencies. According to one estimate, at least 20,000 people from Bihar left for various places in Jharkhand famous as good picnic spots and those with an additional religious importance in the past three days. In contrast, places of interest in Bihar that usually saw sizeable crowds of New Years Day revellers from within the state in previous years wore an almost deserted look this time. The overriding reason for this change is said to be prohibition, which was enforced by the Nitish Kumar government in April 2016. Most picnic spots in Jharkhand such as Betla, Maithan Dam in Dhanbad, waterfalls such as Dasham Falls, Jonha Falls and Hudru Falls in Ranchi, Parasnath Hills in Giridih, Baba Baidyanath Dham temple in Deoghar and Hazaribagh lake are full of visitors from Bihar, said Bishnu Kumar, an executive with Sri Ramdev Travels in Deoghar. Thousands of people from Bihars western districts such as Gopalganj, Siwan, Buxar, Saran and Kaimur crossed the border to well-known picnic spots in Uttar Pradesh. Balia in UP has been seeing a steady influx of Bihari visitors for the past several months due to its proximity and free availability of all brands of liquor there. In fact, there is such a rise in liquor sales in Balia that the district, which used to struggle to achieve excise revenue targets earlier, crossed the current financial years annual target in November despite demonetisation. Against the target of Rs 10.61 crore fixed for the district for 2016-17, Balia achieved revenue collection of Rs 10.64 crore in November, said sources. Police in Bihars Supaul district seized 781 bottles of Nepalese liquor while 289 cartons of foreign liquor were seized in Rohtas district on Sunday. In Patna and Gopalganj districts, 357 bottles of foreign liquor were seized. An illegal liquor manufacturing unit was also busted in Nawada district.
Harpreet Bajwa By

IANS

CHANDIGARH: A shoe was hurled at Delhi chief minister and national convener of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Arvind Kejriwal at a rally of the party in Haryanas Rohtak district by a youngster. Giving a political colour to the episode, Kejriwal termed the youngster a bhakt of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The shoe was hurled when Kejriwal was addressing the rally and questioning the demonetisation move of the Central government. The youth, identified as Vikas Kumar of Dadri, threw the shoe towards Kejriwal but it landed just short of him on the stage. Immediately the party workers thrashed the youth who was seated in the media block and subsequently handed him over to the local police. Kumar is currently being questioned by the police about the motive behind his action.

Maine ek baar kaha that Modi kayar hai (I once said Modi is a coward. This proves my words)... Modi has no guts to face me on his own. That is why he sends his stooges to throw shoes at me, Kejriwal said.

While addressing the rally, Kejriwal termed demonetisation as the biggest scam the country has faced post-Independence. Repeating the Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhis recent allegations against the PM Modi at a rally in Gujrat, Kejriwal alleged that as per Income Tax Department documents, he (Modi) had accepted money to the tune of Rs 65 crore from the Sahara and Birla groups during his tenure as Gujarat chief minister. He further alleged that the Income Tax officials probing the said cases were transferred so that the truth on the matters could not surface.

He further alleged that the BJP leadership invested its own black money in real estate and informed their associates well in advance to do so before announcing the demonetisation move. Taking on the media, Kejriwal asked his party workers to record his speech and put it on social media as the mainstream media, especially the electronic channels, he alleged, might not broadcast his speech.



Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia also targeted Modi and criticised the demonetisation move. He said that the whole exercise has failed to obtain the desired objective - an end to corruption, black money, fake currency and funding of terror networks. He said that on the contrary, the move has hit the common man in the street.

At the rally, AAP Haryana convener Naveen Jaihind claimed that the party would win 100 of the 117 seats in the forthcoming Punjab Assembly elections.

CHANDIGARH: A shoe was hurled at Delhi chief minister and national convener of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Arvind Kejriwal at a rally of the party in Haryanas Rohtak district by a youngster. Giving a political colour to the episode, Kejriwal termed the youngster a bhakt of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The shoe was hurled when Kejriwal was addressing the rally and questioning the demonetisation move of the Central government. The youth, identified as Vikas Kumar of Dadri, threw the shoe towards Kejriwal but it landed just short of him on the stage. Immediately the party workers thrashed the youth who was seated in the media block and subsequently handed him over to the local police. Kumar is currently being questioned by the police about the motive behind his action. Maine ek baar kaha that Modi kayar hai (I once said Modi is a coward. This proves my words)... Modi has no guts to face me on his own. That is why he sends his stooges to throw shoes at me, Kejriwal said. While addressing the rally, Kejriwal termed demonetisation as the biggest scam the country has faced post-Independence. Repeating the Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhis recent allegations against the PM Modi at a rally in Gujrat, Kejriwal alleged that as per Income Tax Department documents, he (Modi) had accepted money to the tune of Rs 65 crore from the Sahara and Birla groups during his tenure as Gujarat chief minister. He further alleged that the Income Tax officials probing the said cases were transferred so that the truth on the matters could not surface. He further alleged that the BJP leadership invested its own black money in real estate and informed their associates well in advance to do so before announcing the demonetisation move. Taking on the media, Kejriwal asked his party workers to record his speech and put it on social media as the mainstream media, especially the electronic channels, he alleged, might not broadcast his speech. Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia also targeted Modi and criticised the demonetisation move. He said that the whole exercise has failed to obtain the desired objective - an end to corruption, black money, fake currency and funding of terror networks. He said that on the contrary, the move has hit the common man in the street. At the rally, AAP Haryana convener Naveen Jaihind claimed that the party would win 100 of the 117 seats in the forthcoming Punjab Assembly elections.
Archana Dalmia By

Bringing in the New Year by relating a bad experience has never been my way of doing things.

However, I can neither manage an ostrich act. Which is why I am going to tell you about one of the most embarrassing moments of my life.

I was driving down to Jaipur and my car needed a re- fuel. Routine, I thought and got the driver to stop at a petrol pump. Neither did my debit card work at the pump, nor did I have any cash with me to pay. I borrowed `200 from the driver to buy enough fuel to take us till the next petrol pump where we finally managed to swipe my card and get the tank full.



Clearly, as we usher in the New Year, I dont think we are ready to go cashless because unlike digital network, cash is dependable. As one progresses to the interiors, network becomes less dependable and cash is the only way to get through the day. But my troubles fade in comparison to the plight of the common man. Workers are out of jobs, tanneries short of hide, plants shutting down. With the leather industry in Uttar Pradesh hit hard by note bandi, lets go back to the age where people walked barefoot.



But we need not worry because the government has reassured us that spending is not going to be an issue. So, while I-T raids have uncovered undisclosed income worth `3,185 since demonetisation, the budget to build a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji is `3,600 crore! The countrys economy has been hit for two months and our economists have predicted that our GDP would come down by 1 to 5 per cent. It is well known that more than 100 people have died in the wake of the demonetisation drive, but all we have to show for it is a statue!



A rumour has been making rounds on several WhatsApp groups that the statue is made up of Amorphous Silicon, Cadmium Telluride and Copper Indium, the same material used to make solar cells. In other words, the statue has the capability to generate enough electricity to power all the government offices in Mumbai!



What a positive feeling to enter the New Year knowing that the problems of power-cuts in the financial capital has been taken care of! There are even talks that a radar would be linked up with the statue that would spot terrorists across the Arabian Sea and avoid attacks like 2008. As I am contemplating the marvellous functions of this statue, I think that perhaps `3,600 crore is not bad!



If we go by the predictions of Gartner, then the year ahead is going to cement the presence of the avid shopper in virtual space. According to the aggregate, over 100 million people will be shopping online, in augmented reality. Astrologers predict that India is going to see great economic growth because great reserves of gold, diamond and coal will be uncovered on Indian soil. If this happens, India will outstrip the Chinese and US economies.



However, instead of depending on astrological predictions, one wishes that we find a way to reverse some of the damage that we have done to our environment. In 2017, agriculture should become a point of focus for the Indian economy.

Poor farmers will be given priority over those who are already thriving in our economy. In 2017, I wish corruption comes down and taxes are cut to accommodate the losses faced by the common man following the demonetisation drive. We are glad that 2016 is over because it was the year that sucked. We should prepare for March 2017, since its not going to be an easy ride.

archanadalmia@gmail.com

Bringing in the New Year by relating a bad experience has never been my way of doing things. However, I can neither manage an ostrich act. Which is why I am going to tell you about one of the most embarrassing moments of my life. I was driving down to Jaipur and my car needed a re- fuel. Routine, I thought and got the driver to stop at a petrol pump. Neither did my debit card work at the pump, nor did I have any cash with me to pay. I borrowed `200 from the driver to buy enough fuel to take us till the next petrol pump where we finally managed to swipe my card and get the tank full. Clearly, as we usher in the New Year, I dont think we are ready to go cashless because unlike digital network, cash is dependable. As one progresses to the interiors, network becomes less dependable and cash is the only way to get through the day. But my troubles fade in comparison to the plight of the common man. Workers are out of jobs, tanneries short of hide, plants shutting down. With the leather industry in Uttar Pradesh hit hard by note bandi, lets go back to the age where people walked barefoot. But we need not worry because the government has reassured us that spending is not going to be an issue. So, while I-T raids have uncovered undisclosed income worth `3,185 since demonetisation, the budget to build a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji is `3,600 crore! The countrys economy has been hit for two months and our economists have predicted that our GDP would come down by 1 to 5 per cent. It is well known that more than 100 people have died in the wake of the demonetisation drive, but all we have to show for it is a statue! A rumour has been making rounds on several WhatsApp groups that the statue is made up of Amorphous Silicon, Cadmium Telluride and Copper Indium, the same material used to make solar cells. In other words, the statue has the capability to generate enough electricity to power all the government offices in Mumbai! What a positive feeling to enter the New Year knowing that the problems of power-cuts in the financial capital has been taken care of! There are even talks that a radar would be linked up with the statue that would spot terrorists across the Arabian Sea and avoid attacks like 2008. As I am contemplating the marvellous functions of this statue, I think that perhaps `3,600 crore is not bad! If we go by the predictions of Gartner, then the year ahead is going to cement the presence of the avid shopper in virtual space. According to the aggregate, over 100 million people will be shopping online, in augmented reality. Astrologers predict that India is going to see great economic growth because great reserves of gold, diamond and coal will be uncovered on Indian soil. If this happens, India will outstrip the Chinese and US economies. However, instead of depending on astrological predictions, one wishes that we find a way to reverse some of the damage that we have done to our environment. In 2017, agriculture should become a point of focus for the Indian economy. Poor farmers will be given priority over those who are already thriving in our economy. In 2017, I wish corruption comes down and taxes are cut to accommodate the losses faced by the common man following the demonetisation drive. We are glad that 2016 is over because it was the year that sucked. We should prepare for March 2017, since its not going to be an easy ride. archanadalmia@gmail.com
Ravi Shankar By

Humours mission is to make you laugh. Lighten the load. Act as a release during stress. Challenge dictatorships. But humour can also hurt people. The next Supreme Court hearing on the petition filed against Sardar jokes is on January 2. Like all emotions, humour has a dark side, too. It can reinforce types and humiliate objects of reference. It can descend into ridicule, and sometimes be coarse and harmful.



Sardarji jokes have been around for ages. Sardars themselves crack them. The irony is that the man who made Sardar jokes most popular was a legendary Sikh, the late Khushwant Singh, through his popular column, With Malice Towards One and All. India laughed. Then there are the Sindhi and Marwari jokes, Namboodiri jokes, Bengali jokes, jokes on Biharis, UP Bhaiyyas, Tamils, Parsis, Maharashtrians, Punjabis and more. Sardars, Bengalis and South Indians are even stereotyped in popular movies. However, all Sardars are not Santa and Banta. All Malayalis and Tamilians do not say Aiyyo in a sing song accent. All Kannadigas are not from Udupi nor are all Sindhis tightfisted.

Hence, does the petition against Sardar jokes imply India doesnt have a sense of humour? Indians get offended easily. We have too many holy cows. Jokes on PM Modi are met with abusive trolls. The Congress government in 2011 arrested Aseem Trivedi on sedition charges for drawing cartoons against corruption. Kapil Sibal, then a UPA minister, wanted internet censorship because Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh were lampooned. Poking fun at gods and goddesses can land you in court. Make fun of Prophet Mohammed and you are sure to be murdered for blasphemy.

So, when do you call the cops? Sexist jokes against women reflect perverse machismo. Many forms of humour even reflect fearthe handicapped, the mentally imbalanced and the poor are insulted by some because they feel its a scary life. Some others laugh when people slip and fall. Or like in the circus, when clowns slap other clowns, it raises a laugh.

However, too much of a good thinghere extreme cultural sensitivityaint funny. Extreme political correctness also makes a nation weak. Fear of offending minorities has made the British police turn a blind eye to rapes, honour killings and child marriages in Muslim communities in the UK. Scared of being labelled nationalist, European governments ignored the growing immigration and secular crises turning many countries into terrorist havens. In America, blind people are visually challenged. Blacks are African Americans. The backlash stormed the citadel of liberalism and the Conservatives won; Donald Trump became President.

The modern twin of political correctness is cultural correctness. So why did Obamas America elect a man who behaved outrageously with women, insulted Latinos, clowned around and abused opponents? Because people were tired of being too correct. They wanted a laugh but the joke was on them.

As the court said, its impossible to enforce a ban on humour. Unless India, like China, becomes a dictatorship; which is unlikely. The vast reach of the social media mocks all laws against merriment. Where does one draw the line at offending people and being afraid to do so?



Simple. Relax. And respect good taste.

Ravi Shankar

ravi@newindianexpress.com

Humours mission is to make you laugh. Lighten the load. Act as a release during stress. Challenge dictatorships. But humour can also hurt people. The next Supreme Court hearing on the petition filed against Sardar jokes is on January 2. Like all emotions, humour has a dark side, too. It can reinforce types and humiliate objects of reference. It can descend into ridicule, and sometimes be coarse and harmful. Sardarji jokes have been around for ages. Sardars themselves crack them. The irony is that the man who made Sardar jokes most popular was a legendary Sikh, the late Khushwant Singh, through his popular column, With Malice Towards One and All. India laughed. Then there are the Sindhi and Marwari jokes, Namboodiri jokes, Bengali jokes, jokes on Biharis, UP Bhaiyyas, Tamils, Parsis, Maharashtrians, Punjabis and more. Sardars, Bengalis and South Indians are even stereotyped in popular movies. However, all Sardars are not Santa and Banta. All Malayalis and Tamilians do not say Aiyyo in a sing song accent. All Kannadigas are not from Udupi nor are all Sindhis tightfisted. Hence, does the petition against Sardar jokes imply India doesnt have a sense of humour? Indians get offended easily. We have too many holy cows. Jokes on PM Modi are met with abusive trolls. The Congress government in 2011 arrested Aseem Trivedi on sedition charges for drawing cartoons against corruption. Kapil Sibal, then a UPA minister, wanted internet censorship because Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh were lampooned. Poking fun at gods and goddesses can land you in court. Make fun of Prophet Mohammed and you are sure to be murdered for blasphemy. So, when do you call the cops? Sexist jokes against women reflect perverse machismo. Many forms of humour even reflect fearthe handicapped, the mentally imbalanced and the poor are insulted by some because they feel its a scary life. Some others laugh when people slip and fall. Or like in the circus, when clowns slap other clowns, it raises a laugh. However, too much of a good thinghere extreme cultural sensitivityaint funny. Extreme political correctness also makes a nation weak. Fear of offending minorities has made the British police turn a blind eye to rapes, honour killings and child marriages in Muslim communities in the UK. Scared of being labelled nationalist, European governments ignored the growing immigration and secular crises turning many countries into terrorist havens. In America, blind people are visually challenged. Blacks are African Americans. The backlash stormed the citadel of liberalism and the Conservatives won; Donald Trump became President. The modern twin of political correctness is cultural correctness. So why did Obamas America elect a man who behaved outrageously with women, insulted Latinos, clowned around and abused opponents? Because people were tired of being too correct. They wanted a laugh but the joke was on them. As the court said, its impossible to enforce a ban on humour. Unless India, like China, becomes a dictatorship; which is unlikely. The vast reach of the social media mocks all laws against merriment. Where does one draw the line at offending people and being afraid to do so? Simple. Relax. And respect good taste. Ravi Shankar ravi@newindianexpress.com
Prabhu Chawla By

2016 has ended with a bang. 2017 promises to be thunderous. Vows of 2015 were mostly forgotten in the Wows of 2016. Pledges by politicians are will-o-the-wisps that vanish once the curtains come down on the elections. Similarly, New Year resolutions are just calendar fodder. Ladies and gentlemen, its business as usual. Once the warm and fuzzy glow of self-deception dissipates in the hard metal light of the new dawn, its back to old diehard habitsdeceit, conspiracies, abuse, backstabbing, chest-thumping, double-dealing, sycophancy and blackmail, which are the favorite weapons of public figures to settle private scores. There may be a few exceptions, which only prove the rule.

As we enter 2017 today, the power class of political players, corporate caliphs, glamorous glitterati and media mavens must promise to be good in 2017. However, telecom operators will make billions through wish you a Happy New Year SMSes sent from over 400 million mobile phones.

E-gateways will mint money in dollars as social media apps choke on gazillion posts. But what the heck, its New Year folks, the time of good cheer and illusions. Hypocrisy is hip when you ring out the old. Heres a menu of New Year commitments for Indias sinfully supreme establishment.

Crime Cannot Pay: India is the only country where criminals dominate the list of lawmakers. As per conservative estimates, over 30 per cent of MPs and around 40 per cent of all MLAs are either facing criminal charges or have been chargesheeted. Any political party cares to promise that no lawbreaker will become a lawmaker?



Make Digital Destiny: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched a blistering battle against black money. Politics is the mother lode of black money since political donations escape all scrutiny. No party has so far refused to accept cash. The PM and his mantris are on an overdrive to persuade Indians to go cashless or create a less-cash economy. But charity must begin at home. Why cant the ruling party order its office-bearers from top to bottom to accept donations only digitally? Let all candidates take a pledge to exclusively use digital platforms to settle election accounts.

Let them all resolve to post a list of their donors along with addresses on their website, accompanied by the audited accounts. If farmers and small traders are being advised to refrain from making cash payments, it shouldnt be a problem for political powerhouses to use their expensive mobile phones to solicit donations. Let their slogan be: Donate Digitally for Digitically Clean Politics. BJP President Amit Shah took the outlier decision of directing saffron legislators to submit details of all their bank transactions from November 8 onwards. Hopefully, he will make his findings public and put his opponents on the defensive.

Make the Publicly Important Politically Impotent: Political maharajas and power hungry panjandrums bask in their VIP status. Normally, a person is accorded such a status so that they can perform their official duties undisturbed or ensure security in the face of terror threats. Going by the number of its VIPs, India seems to be the most unsafe country for its elected leaders who are unable to do public service unless they are given preferential treatment. Swaggering VIPs, surrounded by gun-toting cops are seen all over the place from airports to shopping malls seeking special attention. Even their wives and kids enjoy armed protection.

Both the Centre and states have lists, which define the protocol status of many leeches of public money. But why does no pan-Indian VIP list exist? Some concerned citizens have compiled a catalogue of 5,79,092 Indians who flaunt their VIP status all over the country. These include MLAs, MPs and civil servants and corporate leaders. On the contrary, rich nations are judicious about conferring security. Great Britain has only 84 VIPs. France has 109, Japan 125, Germany 142, USA 252, Russia 312 and China 435. Let Modi apply the principle of Maximum Governance, Minimum VIPs and reduce fat cats to ordinary sevaks. Despite court orders, many VIPs still drive around in supercars with red beacons flashing and the sirens of pilot vehicles blaring. Show them the red light.

No Via Media Any More: The best New Year resolution for the media is to give up fear of everyone and favour none. Never before has the press been painted in such vile colours. Social media maniacs are flinging phrases like presstitutes and paid media at media owners and journalists. Media has become its own Pavlovs dog. It jumps when shown a favour and falls flat on its face while trying to bend. Its a spinal problem. Instead of seeking answers to their questions, now journalists are competing with each other to lug around answers to questions, which were never asked. Let the media get back to asking questions and making everyone, including themselves, accountable for words and deeds, good and bad. Fear None. Favour None.



No More Back to Business: Corporates are financial fungus normally found growing on the right side of the establishment. They can change colours faster than chameleons in drag. In the past few years, Indian corporates have been using every possible coin in their alligator skin wallets to influence decision-making and public opinion. Their pay packets are as large as their egos. But the capital of consumers and shareholders are rapidly growing smaller. Indian promoters are richer than the companies they floated and they pay very little tax.

A New Year Suggestion: Let corporates brace up to minimise their lust for pelf and power, and ensure the equitable distribution of growth. Just 1 per cent of Indians cannot be allowed to own over 60 per cent of the countrys wealth forever. If they dont change, the public will take over their assets sooner than later. Modi has sworn to tax the markets but he needs the guts to reign in in-house corporate-friendly ministers.



Finally, in 2017, Indians should talk to each other rather than confront each other. We shouldnt forget that India and its institutions are mightier than any individual. Lets resolve to make the resolution. Happy New Year!

Prabhu Chawla

prabhuchawla@ newindianexpress.com

Follow him on Twitter @PrabhuChawla

2016 has ended with a bang. 2017 promises to be thunderous. Vows of 2015 were mostly forgotten in the Wows of 2016. Pledges by politicians are will-o-the-wisps that vanish once the curtains come down on the elections. Similarly, New Year resolutions are just calendar fodder. Ladies and gentlemen, its business as usual. Once the warm and fuzzy glow of self-deception dissipates in the hard metal light of the new dawn, its back to old diehard habitsdeceit, conspiracies, abuse, backstabbing, chest-thumping, double-dealing, sycophancy and blackmail, which are the favorite weapons of public figures to settle private scores. There may be a few exceptions, which only prove the rule. As we enter 2017 today, the power class of political players, corporate caliphs, glamorous glitterati and media mavens must promise to be good in 2017. However, telecom operators will make billions through wish you a Happy New Year SMSes sent from over 400 million mobile phones. E-gateways will mint money in dollars as social media apps choke on gazillion posts. But what the heck, its New Year folks, the time of good cheer and illusions. Hypocrisy is hip when you ring out the old. Heres a menu of New Year commitments for Indias sinfully supreme establishment. Crime Cannot Pay: India is the only country where criminals dominate the list of lawmakers. As per conservative estimates, over 30 per cent of MPs and around 40 per cent of all MLAs are either facing criminal charges or have been chargesheeted. Any political party cares to promise that no lawbreaker will become a lawmaker? Make Digital Destiny: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched a blistering battle against black money. Politics is the mother lode of black money since political donations escape all scrutiny. No party has so far refused to accept cash. The PM and his mantris are on an overdrive to persuade Indians to go cashless or create a less-cash economy. But charity must begin at home. Why cant the ruling party order its office-bearers from top to bottom to accept donations only digitally? Let all candidates take a pledge to exclusively use digital platforms to settle election accounts. Let them all resolve to post a list of their donors along with addresses on their website, accompanied by the audited accounts. If farmers and small traders are being advised to refrain from making cash payments, it shouldnt be a problem for political powerhouses to use their expensive mobile phones to solicit donations. Let their slogan be: Donate Digitally for Digitically Clean Politics. BJP President Amit Shah took the outlier decision of directing saffron legislators to submit details of all their bank transactions from November 8 onwards. Hopefully, he will make his findings public and put his opponents on the defensive. Make the Publicly Important Politically Impotent: Political maharajas and power hungry panjandrums bask in their VIP status. Normally, a person is accorded such a status so that they can perform their official duties undisturbed or ensure security in the face of terror threats. Going by the number of its VIPs, India seems to be the most unsafe country for its elected leaders who are unable to do public service unless they are given preferential treatment. Swaggering VIPs, surrounded by gun-toting cops are seen all over the place from airports to shopping malls seeking special attention. Even their wives and kids enjoy armed protection. Both the Centre and states have lists, which define the protocol status of many leeches of public money. But why does no pan-Indian VIP list exist? Some concerned citizens have compiled a catalogue of 5,79,092 Indians who flaunt their VIP status all over the country. These include MLAs, MPs and civil servants and corporate leaders. On the contrary, rich nations are judicious about conferring security. Great Britain has only 84 VIPs. France has 109, Japan 125, Germany 142, USA 252, Russia 312 and China 435. Let Modi apply the principle of Maximum Governance, Minimum VIPs and reduce fat cats to ordinary sevaks. Despite court orders, many VIPs still drive around in supercars with red beacons flashing and the sirens of pilot vehicles blaring. Show them the red light. No Via Media Any More: The best New Year resolution for the media is to give up fear of everyone and favour none. Never before has the press been painted in such vile colours. Social media maniacs are flinging phrases like presstitutes and paid media at media owners and journalists. Media has become its own Pavlovs dog. It jumps when shown a favour and falls flat on its face while trying to bend. Its a spinal problem. Instead of seeking answers to their questions, now journalists are competing with each other to lug around answers to questions, which were never asked. Let the media get back to asking questions and making everyone, including themselves, accountable for words and deeds, good and bad. Fear None. Favour None. No More Back to Business: Corporates are financial fungus normally found growing on the right side of the establishment. They can change colours faster than chameleons in drag. In the past few years, Indian corporates have been using every possible coin in their alligator skin wallets to influence decision-making and public opinion. Their pay packets are as large as their egos. But the capital of consumers and shareholders are rapidly growing smaller. Indian promoters are richer than the companies they floated and they pay very little tax. A New Year Suggestion: Let corporates brace up to minimise their lust for pelf and power, and ensure the equitable distribution of growth. Just 1 per cent of Indians cannot be allowed to own over 60 per cent of the countrys wealth forever. If they dont change, the public will take over their assets sooner than later. Modi has sworn to tax the markets but he needs the guts to reign in in-house corporate-friendly ministers. Finally, in 2017, Indians should talk to each other rather than confront each other. We shouldnt forget that India and its institutions are mightier than any individual. Lets resolve to make the resolution. Happy New Year! Prabhu Chawla prabhuchawla@ newindianexpress.com Follow him on Twitter @PrabhuChawla
By Express News Service

MYSURU: A Mysuru Urban Development Authoritys (MUDA) assistant engineer is suspected to be behind the murder of Srinath, an RTI activist, whose body was found on the banks of Cauvery river on Friday.

Sources in the Police Department said six persons including the MUDA engineer, his driver and office-bearers of a private housing co-operative society have been detained based on the statements given by the family members of the Srinath.

The 36-year-old RTI activists brothers Srinivas and Pradeep told reporters that he faced threat openly from the MUDA engineer and some others from a housing co-operative society as he had exposed them.

Exposed illegal layout

He had reportedly exposed how residential layout was built without permission from MUDA by digging information through RTI during the last three years. Police have recovered the documents related to the layout in question and others from his house.

A resident of Rajarajeshwarinagar in city, Srinath was found murdered with injuries on his face, legs and private parts. Sources said the persons detained are being questioned in an undisclosed place.

City Police Commissioner A Subramanyeshwara Rao, DCP HT Shekar and KR ACP C Mallik visited the murder spot on Saturday. Srirangapatna Police have registered a case. The top cop only said that the investigation is underway.

Police said Srinaths body was wrapped in four bed sheets and a pit had been dug near the body where turmeric, kumkum, eggs and other items were found to make it appear as a case of black magic in order to mislead the investigation. Thursday was a New Moon day (amavasye).

Went missing on Thursday

Srinath had gone out from his house on Thursday on his bike and when his brother V Srinivas called him up at 7.30 pm, he had said that he was on his way to the house of one building supervisor Kumar at Vijayanagar and would return soon. When Srinath did not return and both of his mobile phones were switched off, the family members lodged a missing person complaint with the Kuvempunagar Police Station. Srinaths mobile and bike have not yet been recovered.

MYSURU: A Mysuru Urban Development Authoritys (MUDA) assistant engineer is suspected to be behind the murder of Srinath, an RTI activist, whose body was found on the banks of Cauvery river on Friday. Sources in the Police Department said six persons including the MUDA engineer, his driver and office-bearers of a private housing co-operative society have been detained based on the statements given by the family members of the Srinath. The 36-year-old RTI activists brothers Srinivas and Pradeep told reporters that he faced threat openly from the MUDA engineer and some others from a housing co-operative society as he had exposed them. Exposed illegal layout He had reportedly exposed how residential layout was built without permission from MUDA by digging information through RTI during the last three years. Police have recovered the documents related to the layout in question and others from his house. A resident of Rajarajeshwarinagar in city, Srinath was found murdered with injuries on his face, legs and private parts. Sources said the persons detained are being questioned in an undisclosed place. City Police Commissioner A Subramanyeshwara Rao, DCP HT Shekar and KR ACP C Mallik visited the murder spot on Saturday. Srirangapatna Police have registered a case. The top cop only said that the investigation is underway. Police said Srinaths body was wrapped in four bed sheets and a pit had been dug near the body where turmeric, kumkum, eggs and other items were found to make it appear as a case of black magic in order to mislead the investigation. Thursday was a New Moon day (amavasye). Went missing on Thursday Srinath had gone out from his house on Thursday on his bike and when his brother V Srinivas called him up at 7.30 pm, he had said that he was on his way to the house of one building supervisor Kumar at Vijayanagar and would return soon. When Srinath did not return and both of his mobile phones were switched off, the family members lodged a missing person complaint with the Kuvempunagar Police Station. Srinaths mobile and bike have not yet been recovered.
Munsif Vengattil By

Express News Service

KOZHIKODE: Unbelievable, but every bit true. It is the gripping tale of a US-born Malayali, who gave up a promising IT career in America, to start life anew as an organic farmer in Wayanad. Roy Jacob has made the seemingly impossible, possible, through sheer dint of hard work and can-do attitude. Though my parents were from Kerala, I grew up in the United States. I was so disconnected from nature that I hated rain! I had been working as an IT consultant in Houston, Texas for nearly five years.

Then came the realisation that I was paying taxes for a system that I did not believe in, Roy says, adding, Later when the US troops intervened in Afghanistan (2001) and Iraq (2003) I realised I couldnt take it any longer. And he quit. Just like that. I decided there must be a better way of living, a way of life not based on competition, violence and endless growth, but rather based on cooperation, justice, harmony with nature, etc.

After a long struggle, I quit my job, sold my belongings, and left America in search of a better way of living and being, both externally and internally, he said, looking back on his life-changing decision.

He came down to Wayanad in 2003 and bought a patch of land at Tirunelly. It was a different life. Away from the hustle and bustle of city life, enjoying the tranquil surroundings. Living among the tribals, I started to pick up the ropes of organic farming.

It was good that I started on a small scale since I knew next to nothing about farming at the time. The villagers would come over and show me how to do various things on my land and to live in a way that was closely connected to the local ecosystem, he recalls.

But it was getting used to the new surroundings and a life far removed from the one he had experienced as a US citizen that turned out to be the real challenge for Roy.

Getting used to leeches, snakes, life without electricity or running water, and a new language - it all took time, he says. For the next few years he went to work with Kanavu, an alternative school--exclusively meant for educating tribal children -- in Wayanad set up by pioneering educationist K J Baby. Later, Roy moved on to a 20 cent plot of paddy land near Kanavu, where he built a bamboo hut.

In 2012, Roy bought a three-acre plot at This silery, near Mananthavady.

The idea was to move to a bigger place with some more friends to explore the nature, and bring about a sustainable community instead of one-man moving everything, Roy said.

The idea was to move to a bigger place with some more friends to explore more, and bring about a sustainable community instead of one man moving everything, Roy said.

He then planted different varieties of crops on this piece of land and tried different methods on each, drawing from some of the ideas of Fukuoka as well as experimenting on his own. This was also when Roy started nurturing a fruit forest. Of late, he has started building a mud house.

Now, Roy is much more than a farmer. He has become an active proponent of gift culture and alternative living. He has been facilitating youth jams, and also doing workshops in gender and active listening across the country.

For Roy, the transition from the techie life in Texas to organic farming in Wayanad has taught him important lessons on nature, life and happiness. Roys philosophy is quite simple, yet profound.

The city life had its temptations. But when I became close to nature, I started doing something creative on the land. If you want to live the creative life that you aspire for, I would say you need to create spaces that are in tune with that, he said.

KOZHIKODE: Unbelievable, but every bit true. It is the gripping tale of a US-born Malayali, who gave up a promising IT career in America, to start life anew as an organic farmer in Wayanad. Roy Jacob has made the seemingly impossible, possible, through sheer dint of hard work and can-do attitude. Though my parents were from Kerala, I grew up in the United States. I was so disconnected from nature that I hated rain! I had been working as an IT consultant in Houston, Texas for nearly five years. Then came the realisation that I was paying taxes for a system that I did not believe in, Roy says, adding, Later when the US troops intervened in Afghanistan (2001) and Iraq (2003) I realised I couldnt take it any longer. And he quit. Just like that. I decided there must be a better way of living, a way of life not based on competition, violence and endless growth, but rather based on cooperation, justice, harmony with nature, etc. After a long struggle, I quit my job, sold my belongings, and left America in search of a better way of living and being, both externally and internally, he said, looking back on his life-changing decision. He came down to Wayanad in 2003 and bought a patch of land at Tirunelly. It was a different life. Away from the hustle and bustle of city life, enjoying the tranquil surroundings. Living among the tribals, I started to pick up the ropes of organic farming. It was good that I started on a small scale since I knew next to nothing about farming at the time. The villagers would come over and show me how to do various things on my land and to live in a way that was closely connected to the local ecosystem, he recalls. But it was getting used to the new surroundings and a life far removed from the one he had experienced as a US citizen that turned out to be the real challenge for Roy. Getting used to leeches, snakes, life without electricity or running water, and a new language - it all took time, he says. For the next few years he went to work with Kanavu, an alternative school--exclusively meant for educating tribal children -- in Wayanad set up by pioneering educationist K J Baby. Later, Roy moved on to a 20 cent plot of paddy land near Kanavu, where he built a bamboo hut. In 2012, Roy bought a three-acre plot at This silery, near Mananthavady. The idea was to move to a bigger place with some more friends to explore the nature, and bring about a sustainable community instead of one-man moving everything, Roy said. The idea was to move to a bigger place with some more friends to explore more, and bring about a sustainable community instead of one man moving everything, Roy said. He then planted different varieties of crops on this piece of land and tried different methods on each, drawing from some of the ideas of Fukuoka as well as experimenting on his own. This was also when Roy started nurturing a fruit forest. Of late, he has started building a mud house. Now, Roy is much more than a farmer. He has become an active proponent of gift culture and alternative living. He has been facilitating youth jams, and also doing workshops in gender and active listening across the country. For Roy, the transition from the techie life in Texas to organic farming in Wayanad has taught him important lessons on nature, life and happiness. Roys philosophy is quite simple, yet profound. The city life had its temptations. But when I became close to nature, I started doing something creative on the land. If you want to live the creative life that you aspire for, I would say you need to create spaces that are in tune with that, he said.
Prasanta Mazumdar By

GUWAHATI: Assams Finance, Education and Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has angered Muslims by saying madrasas will have to function on Fridays like any other institutes. If any madrasa is found violating the directive, its principal will be placed under suspension. His directive will hit the states over 1,000 madrasas.

He also said that Assams BJP-led coalition government is contemplating a two-child population policy. Parents of more than two children would neither get state government jobs nor qualify to contest elections to local bodies.

The Opposition Congress and All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) asked him to refrain from taking arbitrary decisions. The influential All Assam Minority Students Union (AAMSU) alleged that Sarma was trying to please the RSS. He has for long been dreaming of becoming chief minister. As he couldnt fulfil that wish in the Congress, he defected to the BJP but even here, he has been dejected. He is hatching conspiracies against Muslims, AAMSU president Azizur Rahman said.

Sarma is the fourth or fifth child in his family. Let him first quit politics and set a precedent. Instead of bringing in a law, he should take measures to educate people on the problem of having many children, Rahman added.

The Congress called the proposed population policy funny. The BJP has given a proof of its double-standard. On one hand it wants to check the rising population in the state and on the other hand, it is focussed on bringing (non-Muslim) immigrants from Bangladesh by making amendments to the Citizenship Act, Congress leader and three-time former chief minister Tarun Gogoi said.

AIUDF chief and Lok Sabha member Badruddin Ajmal accused Sarma of hurting religious sentiments and asked him to remember Friday is an important day for Muslims across the world.

GUWAHATI: Assams Finance, Education and Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has angered Muslims by saying madrasas will have to function on Fridays like any other institutes. If any madrasa is found violating the directive, its principal will be placed under suspension. His directive will hit the states over 1,000 madrasas. He also said that Assams BJP-led coalition government is contemplating a two-child population policy. Parents of more than two children would neither get state government jobs nor qualify to contest elections to local bodies. The Opposition Congress and All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) asked him to refrain from taking arbitrary decisions. The influential All Assam Minority Students Union (AAMSU) alleged that Sarma was trying to please the RSS. He has for long been dreaming of becoming chief minister. As he couldnt fulfil that wish in the Congress, he defected to the BJP but even here, he has been dejected. He is hatching conspiracies against Muslims, AAMSU president Azizur Rahman said. Sarma is the fourth or fifth child in his family. Let him first quit politics and set a precedent. Instead of bringing in a law, he should take measures to educate people on the problem of having many children, Rahman added. The Congress called the proposed population policy funny. The BJP has given a proof of its double-standard. On one hand it wants to check the rising population in the state and on the other hand, it is focussed on bringing (non-Muslim) immigrants from Bangladesh by making amendments to the Citizenship Act, Congress leader and three-time former chief minister Tarun Gogoi said. AIUDF chief and Lok Sabha member Badruddin Ajmal accused Sarma of hurting religious sentiments and asked him to remember Friday is an important day for Muslims across the world.
Yatish Yadav By

Blindings a la Bhagalpur continue in Bihar. That horrific instant justice of 1980s was forgotten before filmmaker Amitabh Parashar discovered many latest victims of Operation Gangajal (the Gangas water or holy water) that is still prevalent in remote areas of the state, but never came out in the public domain. Parashar, whose Eyes of the Darkness has been certified by the censor board for release, told The Sunday Standard that blind justice is very common in Bihar and he discovered at least nine such cases in 2016. The filmmaker claims he recorded an average 9-10 blinding cases every year in the interiors of the state since 2012.



Shocking images from Bhagalpur shook the nations conscience in 1980s with barbaric tales of blinding by injecting acidinfamously called Gangajalin the eyes of the victims. Some policemen took the law into their hands by pouring acids in the eyes of 33 under-trials to allegedly cleanse evil from the society. After a nationwide furore, the unspeakable act wasnt meant to last. But 36 years and an Ajay Devgn-starred blockbusternamed Gangaajallater, the street justice remains a hidden reality in the state where victims are angry that death was making them wait so long.

Take Gangajal, It Will Cleanse You

Raju Alam in his 20s is one of the latest victims of Gangajal. A resident of Gaya district, Alams torture was allegedly attributed to fight over supremacy within the community.



Ajay Yadav, 24, a farmer from Madhepura, was dragged from his house by a mob led by his immediate neighbour on November 15. He said the mob forcefully overpowered him, punctured both his eyes with a knife and put acid in them with a syringe.



The targets are petty criminals; sometimes even teenage boys and girls are blinded. Often orchestrated group action masquerades as public outrage, but the consequences are equally painful and tragic for the victims. What is even more shocking is that, despite the fact that police and administration have known such incidents, no action is taken in majority of the cases, says Parashar.



During a trip to Bhagalpur district recently, he came to know about one forcible blinding incident where villagers poured acid into the eyes of a cow thief. I met him to know his side of the story. He said the crowd beat him while a syringe full of acid was fetched and injected into his eyes. He also said while injecting acid, villagers told him, Take Gangajal. This will cleanse you, the filmmaker told this newspaper.



Twenty-three years ago, Mohammed Shahids hands were tied by a mob following a minor scuffle over Holi in his village, Blachanda, in Araria district. Somebody from the crowd poked acid-filled needle in the left eye to blind Shahid. His right eye survived the attack but not for long. In November 2014, he was attacked again and this time his right eye was targeted with acid. He was to never see the world again. With light gone from his life, Shahid begs to die.

Shahid tells The Sunday Standard that he was living with the tragedy since then but the recent attack that left him completely blind is worse than death. It is better to die. You cannot understand the pain of losing both the eyes to acid attack. Every moment is a nightmare, he cries.



A mason, Shahid claims he did nothing wrong but personal enmity with some people from a neighbouring village could have been behind the cruelty. He says the inhuman act lasted for almost 15 minutes. Coughing and gasping for breath, Shahid begged the mob to spare him. But a few onlookers cheered his pain and agony.



Did he get justice? No, says Shahid, who is still awaiting trial in the first case filed 23 years ago. Living in extreme poverty with a family of five, including two marriageable daughters, Shahid is a living example of cruelty, once justified in Bihar as extra-constitutional grander justice.



I have to live this life with the wound that wont heal. Where will I get the justice now? How am I going to marry off my daughters? Upar wala dard samajh raha hai, phir bhi marne nahin deta (God knows my pain, but doesnt let me die). Shahid raises many questions during conversation narrating the merciless violence against him which the world first came to know in 1980 as Bhagalpur blinding case.



Lawyer and activist from Bhagalpur, RK Mishra, said since 1980-81, blinding by Gangajal has never stopped in this dark part of the country. Mishra, who has taken up the cause of victims, believes that taking a cue from the cops of 80s, ordinary citizens have also adopted blinding to punish petty crime and even settle personal scores. He said this unspeakable act of cruelty is yet to trigger nationwide outrage.

Crime Lord Who Decided to Lead a Normal Life

The Sunday Standard spoke to Munna Thakur, a resident of Hingana village of Raniganj. A former criminal in his mid-30s, Thakur was involved in bank robberies and other crimes till 2010. But one fine day he surrendered before police and spent about four years in jail. He came out of prison in 2014 and in pursuit of a respectable living, decided to field his wife Indu Kumari for the village chiefs by-election against a candidate from a higher caste. He was threatened with dire sequences and was asked to withdraw his wifes nomination. Munna, however, decided to go ahead but ended up losing the election and both his eyes. A group of villagers led by the high caste village heads husband blinded Munna and his friend Kanhaiya Thakur with an acid-filled syringe.



They poked acid-filled syringe eight times in both my eyes and left me only when blood started oozing out. I died that very moment when I realised that I couldnt see any more. I wish they had killed me, says Munna.



Munna also asks himself whether being an outlaw was a better option for him. He is struggling hard to get justice, but its not easy in a system, which has tragically become immune to barbarity. His son has stopped going to school because the teacher is also an accused, who has spent seven months behind the bars in the case.



Now, the teacher threatens to blind my son with Gangajal if I do not withdraw the case. I met Director General of Police twice, and wrote to state and national human rights commission but justice still eludes me. Forget about compensation, I didnt receive a single penny for my treatment from the government, he says.

Living the Death

Umesh Yadav, a survivor of the 1980 Bhagalpur blinding, recounts his horror. The then DSP VK Sharma thrust a long acid-filled needle in both of his eyes, leaving him completely blind.

Yadav says policemen tied his hands and feet in Kotwali Police station on February 16 that year. Then one of the constables sat on his chest, opened his eyes and poured acid in them. For Yadav, the long wait for justice brought nothing but deep anguish.



Im not afraid of death but scared of living like this, with increasing dependency on others, Yadav says.

Bhagalpur had become infamous in the 80s after 33 suspected criminals were blinded with acid injected into their eyes by the police in an alleged attempt to check crime. Report of the doctors at Dr Rajendra Prasad Ophthalmic Institute, Delhi, who had examined many blind undertrials, observed that most of the victims were suffering from collapse of one or both of the eyeballs, and their eyes had been punctured by some sharp and pointed weapon.



Patel Shah, who was blinded in October 1980, questions the polices act saying even if he had done anything wrong, they could have broken his limbs or even shot him dead. Police have no right to blind anyone; I knocked on the doors of every politician and minister but there is no justice after 36 years, Shah says.



Fifteen of the 33 victims are still alive and surviving on `750 monthly pension from the government. The survivors, who have spent the last decades in dark while waiting for glimmer of justice, believe that authorities and the state have been a part of the cover-up to keep the culprits out of prison. December 2016 was the same for Umesh and Shah as was 1980. Every day is a wait for death.

Blindings a la Bhagalpur continue in Bihar. That horrific instant justice of 1980s was forgotten before filmmaker Amitabh Parashar discovered many latest victims of Operation Gangajal (the Gangas water or holy water) that is still prevalent in remote areas of the state, but never came out in the public domain. Parashar, whose Eyes of the Darkness has been certified by the censor board for release, told The Sunday Standard that blind justice is very common in Bihar and he discovered at least nine such cases in 2016. The filmmaker claims he recorded an average 9-10 blinding cases every year in the interiors of the state since 2012. Shocking images from Bhagalpur shook the nations conscience in 1980s with barbaric tales of blinding by injecting acidinfamously called Gangajalin the eyes of the victims. Some policemen took the law into their hands by pouring acids in the eyes of 33 under-trials to allegedly cleanse evil from the society. After a nationwide furore, the unspeakable act wasnt meant to last. But 36 years and an Ajay Devgn-starred blockbusternamed Gangaajallater, the street justice remains a hidden reality in the state where victims are angry that death was making them wait so long. Take Gangajal, It Will Cleanse You Raju Alam in his 20s is one of the latest victims of Gangajal. A resident of Gaya district, Alams torture was allegedly attributed to fight over supremacy within the community. Ajay Yadav, 24, a farmer from Madhepura, was dragged from his house by a mob led by his immediate neighbour on November 15. He said the mob forcefully overpowered him, punctured both his eyes with a knife and put acid in them with a syringe. The targets are petty criminals; sometimes even teenage boys and girls are blinded. Often orchestrated group action masquerades as public outrage, but the consequences are equally painful and tragic for the victims. What is even more shocking is that, despite the fact that police and administration have known such incidents, no action is taken in majority of the cases, says Parashar. During a trip to Bhagalpur district recently, he came to know about one forcible blinding incident where villagers poured acid into the eyes of a cow thief. I met him to know his side of the story. He said the crowd beat him while a syringe full of acid was fetched and injected into his eyes. He also said while injecting acid, villagers told him, Take Gangajal. This will cleanse you, the filmmaker told this newspaper. Twenty-three years ago, Mohammed Shahids hands were tied by a mob following a minor scuffle over Holi in his village, Blachanda, in Araria district. Somebody from the crowd poked acid-filled needle in the left eye to blind Shahid. His right eye survived the attack but not for long. In November 2014, he was attacked again and this time his right eye was targeted with acid. He was to never see the world again. With light gone from his life, Shahid begs to die. Shahid tells The Sunday Standard that he was living with the tragedy since then but the recent attack that left him completely blind is worse than death. It is better to die. You cannot understand the pain of losing both the eyes to acid attack. Every moment is a nightmare, he cries. A mason, Shahid claims he did nothing wrong but personal enmity with some people from a neighbouring village could have been behind the cruelty. He says the inhuman act lasted for almost 15 minutes. Coughing and gasping for breath, Shahid begged the mob to spare him. But a few onlookers cheered his pain and agony. Did he get justice? No, says Shahid, who is still awaiting trial in the first case filed 23 years ago. Living in extreme poverty with a family of five, including two marriageable daughters, Shahid is a living example of cruelty, once justified in Bihar as extra-constitutional grander justice. I have to live this life with the wound that wont heal. Where will I get the justice now? How am I going to marry off my daughters? Upar wala dard samajh raha hai, phir bhi marne nahin deta (God knows my pain, but doesnt let me die). Shahid raises many questions during conversation narrating the merciless violence against him which the world first came to know in 1980 as Bhagalpur blinding case. Lawyer and activist from Bhagalpur, RK Mishra, said since 1980-81, blinding by Gangajal has never stopped in this dark part of the country. Mishra, who has taken up the cause of victims, believes that taking a cue from the cops of 80s, ordinary citizens have also adopted blinding to punish petty crime and even settle personal scores. He said this unspeakable act of cruelty is yet to trigger nationwide outrage. Crime Lord Who Decided to Lead a Normal Life The Sunday Standard spoke to Munna Thakur, a resident of Hingana village of Raniganj. A former criminal in his mid-30s, Thakur was involved in bank robberies and other crimes till 2010. But one fine day he surrendered before police and spent about four years in jail. He came out of prison in 2014 and in pursuit of a respectable living, decided to field his wife Indu Kumari for the village chiefs by-election against a candidate from a higher caste. He was threatened with dire sequences and was asked to withdraw his wifes nomination. Munna, however, decided to go ahead but ended up losing the election and both his eyes. A group of villagers led by the high caste village heads husband blinded Munna and his friend Kanhaiya Thakur with an acid-filled syringe. They poked acid-filled syringe eight times in both my eyes and left me only when blood started oozing out. I died that very moment when I realised that I couldnt see any more. I wish they had killed me, says Munna. Munna also asks himself whether being an outlaw was a better option for him. He is struggling hard to get justice, but its not easy in a system, which has tragically become immune to barbarity. His son has stopped going to school because the teacher is also an accused, who has spent seven months behind the bars in the case. Now, the teacher threatens to blind my son with Gangajal if I do not withdraw the case. I met Director General of Police twice, and wrote to state and national human rights commission but justice still eludes me. Forget about compensation, I didnt receive a single penny for my treatment from the government, he says. Living the Death Umesh Yadav, a survivor of the 1980 Bhagalpur blinding, recounts his horror. The then DSP VK Sharma thrust a long acid-filled needle in both of his eyes, leaving him completely blind. Yadav says policemen tied his hands and feet in Kotwali Police station on February 16 that year. Then one of the constables sat on his chest, opened his eyes and poured acid in them. For Yadav, the long wait for justice brought nothing but deep anguish. Im not afraid of death but scared of living like this, with increasing dependency on others, Yadav says. Bhagalpur had become infamous in the 80s after 33 suspected criminals were blinded with acid injected into their eyes by the police in an alleged attempt to check crime. Report of the doctors at Dr Rajendra Prasad Ophthalmic Institute, Delhi, who had examined many blind undertrials, observed that most of the victims were suffering from collapse of one or both of the eyeballs, and their eyes had been punctured by some sharp and pointed weapon. Patel Shah, who was blinded in October 1980, questions the polices act saying even if he had done anything wrong, they could have broken his limbs or even shot him dead. Police have no right to blind anyone; I knocked on the doors of every politician and minister but there is no justice after 36 years, Shah says. Fifteen of the 33 victims are still alive and surviving on `750 monthly pension from the government. The survivors, who have spent the last decades in dark while waiting for glimmer of justice, believe that authorities and the state have been a part of the cover-up to keep the culprits out of prison. December 2016 was the same for Umesh and Shah as was 1980. Every day is a wait for death.
Ritu Sharma By

NEW DELHI: Abdul Agha is all of 31. And of these three decades, he has spent 10 years fighting extremists as part of the Afghan police in the eastern province of the war-ravaged country called Logar. Last year, he lost his eyes and a hand in a blast. It is the hope to regain his vision and a prosthetic limb that has brought Agha to Delhi.

His visit has been facilitated by Afghanistans National Security Council Adviser Zubair Massoud, as Aghas last visit had proved to be futile. Legendary mujahideen fighter Ahmad Shah Massouds nephew Zubair who thinks that India can play a greater role in treating Afghan soldiers injured in the terror attacks, said, Our most important concern is treating wounded soldiers and officers, who are battling global terrorism in Afghanistan.

The men and women, who risk their lives to keep the world safe, deserve better medical treatment abroad. India and its people who have always stood by our side can play a vital role in taking this responsibility, Massoud told The Sunday Standard acknowledging Indias contribution in providing medical treatment to Afghan citizens. It will not only boost the morale of armed forces but also reiterate the friendship between both nations.

Agha is among the hundreds of thousands of Afghanis who have been maimed and injured during the second bout of the protracted conflict in the country raging on since 2001.

On a daily average, 10-20 soldiers are getting injured or killed in the terror attacks.

In Kasturba Colony of Lajpat Nagar-2, which has become the heart of a sizeable Afghan community in the national capital, Agha sat with dark shades covering his eyes. His eye balls were eviscerated post bomb blast. Since then, he has not been able to see her three daughters. I want to see my daughters again, he said with the help of a fellow countryman Shapoor Zarifi acting as the interpreter. The blast might have left scars on his face but has not debilitated his spirits.

Logar, once part of the Indian Mauryan Empire, was place for fierce battle between Mujahideen and Russian forces and this earned it the sobriquet of Bab al-Jihad (Gates of Jihad).

The medical tourism has been part of the Indian governments soft diplomacy in the war-torn country. It has been treating the soldiers and victims of terror attacks for free. We are trying to what can be done. We are giving free treatment to the soldiers, a high ranking MEA official said.

Meanwhile, the Afghanistan Embassy in Delhi has also signed an MoU with nine Indian hospitals to facilitate smoother, transparent and economical health services to Afghan patients in India. The Indian hospitals would also contribute in capacity building of Afghans health and pharma sector, tele-medicine, tele-radiology and medical tourism. As per agreement, the Indian hospitals will also be given land, electricity and other facilities in Afghanistan on the same footing as Afghan hospitals.

NEW DELHI: Abdul Agha is all of 31. And of these three decades, he has spent 10 years fighting extremists as part of the Afghan police in the eastern province of the war-ravaged country called Logar. Last year, he lost his eyes and a hand in a blast. It is the hope to regain his vision and a prosthetic limb that has brought Agha to Delhi. His visit has been facilitated by Afghanistans National Security Council Adviser Zubair Massoud, as Aghas last visit had proved to be futile. Legendary mujahideen fighter Ahmad Shah Massouds nephew Zubair who thinks that India can play a greater role in treating Afghan soldiers injured in the terror attacks, said, Our most important concern is treating wounded soldiers and officers, who are battling global terrorism in Afghanistan. The men and women, who risk their lives to keep the world safe, deserve better medical treatment abroad. India and its people who have always stood by our side can play a vital role in taking this responsibility, Massoud told The Sunday Standard acknowledging Indias contribution in providing medical treatment to Afghan citizens. It will not only boost the morale of armed forces but also reiterate the friendship between both nations. Agha is among the hundreds of thousands of Afghanis who have been maimed and injured during the second bout of the protracted conflict in the country raging on since 2001. On a daily average, 10-20 soldiers are getting injured or killed in the terror attacks. In Kasturba Colony of Lajpat Nagar-2, which has become the heart of a sizeable Afghan community in the national capital, Agha sat with dark shades covering his eyes. His eye balls were eviscerated post bomb blast. Since then, he has not been able to see her three daughters. I want to see my daughters again, he said with the help of a fellow countryman Shapoor Zarifi acting as the interpreter. The blast might have left scars on his face but has not debilitated his spirits. Logar, once part of the Indian Mauryan Empire, was place for fierce battle between Mujahideen and Russian forces and this earned it the sobriquet of Bab al-Jihad (Gates of Jihad). The medical tourism has been part of the Indian governments soft diplomacy in the war-torn country. It has been treating the soldiers and victims of terror attacks for free. We are trying to what can be done. We are giving free treatment to the soldiers, a high ranking MEA official said. Meanwhile, the Afghanistan Embassy in Delhi has also signed an MoU with nine Indian hospitals to facilitate smoother, transparent and economical health services to Afghan patients in India. The Indian hospitals would also contribute in capacity building of Afghans health and pharma sector, tele-medicine, tele-radiology and medical tourism. As per agreement, the Indian hospitals will also be given land, electricity and other facilities in Afghanistan on the same footing as Afghan hospitals.
Rakesh k singh By

NEW DELHI: Controversial Salafist preacher Zakir Naik has shifted his radicalisation activities to Nepal following the ban on his outfits in India under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Naiks Pakistan connection also emerged during the probe by intelligence agencies.



Naiks cadres recently visited Kathmandu, Krishnanagar and Siraha and Birganj districts in the Terai region.

They organised Street Daawah for recruitment and distributed misinterpreted Islamic literature. Recruits are randomly selected during Street Daawah, their phone numbers, residential and e-mail addresses are collected and they are radicalised through concocted Islamic literature

and brainwashing.



Naik has also funded Nepal-based outfits Al Bayyan Islamic Centre in Birganj and Islamic Peace Research Foundation in the Terai belt. These are affiliated to International Islamic Centre, Sargodha, Pakistan. All these campaigns are spearheaded by Farhat Hashmis Islamic International Centre. Hashmi also runs Al Huda International in Canada, which converts Christians to Islam.



Following the tightening of the noose around him by agencies here, Naik was under pressure to keep his network of radicalised cadres intact, a senior intelligence official said.



The action by the NIA against Zakir Naik is a step towards containment of his jihadi activities in India and a severe jolt to the regional network of radicalisation being run by him, counter-terrorism expert Rituraj Mate said.

NEW DELHI: Controversial Salafist preacher Zakir Naik has shifted his radicalisation activities to Nepal following the ban on his outfits in India under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Naiks Pakistan connection also emerged during the probe by intelligence agencies. Naiks cadres recently visited Kathmandu, Krishnanagar and Siraha and Birganj districts in the Terai region. They organised Street Daawah for recruitment and distributed misinterpreted Islamic literature. Recruits are randomly selected during Street Daawah, their phone numbers, residential and e-mail addresses are collected and they are radicalised through concocted Islamic literature and brainwashing. Naik has also funded Nepal-based outfits Al Bayyan Islamic Centre in Birganj and Islamic Peace Research Foundation in the Terai belt. These are affiliated to International Islamic Centre, Sargodha, Pakistan. All these campaigns are spearheaded by Farhat Hashmis Islamic International Centre. Hashmi also runs Al Huda International in Canada, which converts Christians to Islam. Following the tightening of the noose around him by agencies here, Naik was under pressure to keep his network of radicalised cadres intact, a senior intelligence official said. The action by the NIA against Zakir Naik is a step towards containment of his jihadi activities in India and a severe jolt to the regional network of radicalisation being run by him, counter-terrorism expert Rituraj Mate said.
P K Balachandran By

Express News Service

COLOMBO: The resignation of the popular Sri Lankan politician and State Minister for Local government, Priyankara Jayaratne, from the Council of Ministers on Friday, complaining of harassment by Ministers of the coalition partner United National Party (UNP), has touched off rumors of ten other ministers from the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) quitting the government.

According to Ceylon Today these resignations will be timed to coincide with the second anniversary of the Maithripala Sirisena-Ranil Wickremesinghe coalition government on January 8, 2017.

The multi-party rainbow coalition led by the UNP and SLFP, has been rocked by internal disagreements over practically every domestic and foreign policy issue.

The UNP, being in larger numbers than the SLFP, tends to be domineering and taking decisions unilaterally  decisions which the SLFP considers detrimental to its electoral prospects.

President Sirisena, as head of the SLFP, has been overturning the UNP ministers decisions routinely. Disagreements cover a wide range of issues including key ones like taxation; the way the anti-corruption campaign is being conducted with the help of official investigating agencies; economic deals with China; and commitments made to the UN Human Rights Council on the ethnic issue. Recent attempts by the UNP to introduce a bill to set up a Super Ministry to control economic development has been defeated by eight of the nine Provincial Councils, given the SLFPs opposition to it.

Outspoken SLFP ministers like Dilan Perera have been openly saying that if the UNP works in contradiction with the SLFPs policies, the SLFP will quit the coalition.

Pereras threat is potent in the context of the rising popularity of Sirisenas rival in the SLFP, former political strongman and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The internal contradictions in the government; slack governance; and lack of concrete economic development are being deftly exploited by the Joint Opposition and the non-parliamentary Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) headed by Rajapaksa.

The Rajapaksa faction of the SLFP (The SLPP is but a faction of the SLFP) is of the view that the Sirisena faction of the SLFP has the support of only 10 percent of the SLFPs traditional voter base. It believes that when the time is ripe, most of the SLFPers now with Sirisena, will flock to Rajapaksa.

Rajapaksa told foreign correspondents earlier in the week that January onward there will be frenetic political activity with elections to three Provincial Councils due in September. And the all-Island local bodies elections are expected in June-July. Rajapaksa confidently declared that he will oust the government in 2017.

The Sirisena-Wickremesinghe combine came to power with the overwhelming support of the minority Tamils and Muslims, and substantial, if not majority, support from the majority Sinhalese-Buddhist community. But since coming to power two years ago, the government has not delivered on some politically and economically critical promises made to the war-affected Tamils. The Minister of Justice, Wijedasa Rajapakshe, has been publicly mollycoddling extremist Buddhist monks who have lashed out against Tamils and Muslims publicly and that with impunity. This has made a section of the Muslims wonder if the present regime is any different from that of Rajapaksa.

In the face of doubts about the governments ability to last till the end of the stipulated six year term, Sirisena and Wickremesinghe have, from time to time, assured their followers that it will last. But in view of the fact that Rajapaksa has thrown the gauntlet declaring his intention to oust the regime in 2017, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe has decided to speak to the nation on January 5, three days ahead of the governments second anniversary.

COLOMBO: The resignation of the popular Sri Lankan politician and State Minister for Local government, Priyankara Jayaratne, from the Council of Ministers on Friday, complaining of harassment by Ministers of the coalition partner United National Party (UNP), has touched off rumors of ten other ministers from the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) quitting the government. According to Ceylon Today these resignations will be timed to coincide with the second anniversary of the Maithripala Sirisena-Ranil Wickremesinghe coalition government on January 8, 2017. The multi-party rainbow coalition led by the UNP and SLFP, has been rocked by internal disagreements over practically every domestic and foreign policy issue. The UNP, being in larger numbers than the SLFP, tends to be domineering and taking decisions unilaterally  decisions which the SLFP considers detrimental to its electoral prospects. President Sirisena, as head of the SLFP, has been overturning the UNP ministers decisions routinely. Disagreements cover a wide range of issues including key ones like taxation; the way the anti-corruption campaign is being conducted with the help of official investigating agencies; economic deals with China; and commitments made to the UN Human Rights Council on the ethnic issue. Recent attempts by the UNP to introduce a bill to set up a Super Ministry to control economic development has been defeated by eight of the nine Provincial Councils, given the SLFPs opposition to it. Outspoken SLFP ministers like Dilan Perera have been openly saying that if the UNP works in contradiction with the SLFPs policies, the SLFP will quit the coalition. Pereras threat is potent in the context of the rising popularity of Sirisenas rival in the SLFP, former political strongman and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The internal contradictions in the government; slack governance; and lack of concrete economic development are being deftly exploited by the Joint Opposition and the non-parliamentary Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) headed by Rajapaksa. The Rajapaksa faction of the SLFP (The SLPP is but a faction of the SLFP) is of the view that the Sirisena faction of the SLFP has the support of only 10 percent of the SLFPs traditional voter base. It believes that when the time is ripe, most of the SLFPers now with Sirisena, will flock to Rajapaksa. Rajapaksa told foreign correspondents earlier in the week that January onward there will be frenetic political activity with elections to three Provincial Councils due in September. And the all-Island local bodies elections are expected in June-July. Rajapaksa confidently declared that he will oust the government in 2017. The Sirisena-Wickremesinghe combine came to power with the overwhelming support of the minority Tamils and Muslims, and substantial, if not majority, support from the majority Sinhalese-Buddhist community. But since coming to power two years ago, the government has not delivered on some politically and economically critical promises made to the war-affected Tamils. The Minister of Justice, Wijedasa Rajapakshe, has been publicly mollycoddling extremist Buddhist monks who have lashed out against Tamils and Muslims publicly and that with impunity. This has made a section of the Muslims wonder if the present regime is any different from that of Rajapaksa. In the face of doubts about the governments ability to last till the end of the stipulated six year term, Sirisena and Wickremesinghe have, from time to time, assured their followers that it will last. But in view of the fact that Rajapaksa has thrown the gauntlet declaring his intention to oust the regime in 2017, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe has decided to speak to the nation on January 5, three days ahead of the governments second anniversary.
By AFP

United Arab Emirates: Armed men on Sunday attacked a prison in Bahrain where Shiites convicted over anti-government protests are held, killing one policeman and allowing inmates to escape, the interior ministry said.

The security forces launched a manhunt for the attackers and the escaped prisoners, the ministry said on Twitter.

The attack took place at Jaw prison south of the capital Manama, it said, but did not give more details on the number of attackers or escapees.

The tiny but strategic Gulf state has been rocked by unrest since its Sunni authorities crushed Shiite-led protests in 2011 demanding a constitutional monarchy and an elected prime minister.

Hundreds of Shiites have been arrested and many have faced trials over their role in the demonstrations.

Police on Sunday set up or reinforced roadblocks near Shiite villages outside the capital, witnesses said.

Despite the crackdown, Shiite protesters have frequently clashed with security forces in these villages.

In June, 17 prisoners broke out of Al-Hadd jail east of Manama, but the authorities recaptured 11 of them the next day.

Bahrain, which is connected to Saudi Arabia by a causeway, lies across the Gulf from Shiite Iran and is home to the US Fifth Fleet.

United Arab Emirates: Armed men on Sunday attacked a prison in Bahrain where Shiites convicted over anti-government protests are held, killing one policeman and allowing inmates to escape, the interior ministry said. The security forces launched a manhunt for the attackers and the escaped prisoners, the ministry said on Twitter. The attack took place at Jaw prison south of the capital Manama, it said, but did not give more details on the number of attackers or escapees. The tiny but strategic Gulf state has been rocked by unrest since its Sunni authorities crushed Shiite-led protests in 2011 demanding a constitutional monarchy and an elected prime minister. Hundreds of Shiites have been arrested and many have faced trials over their role in the demonstrations. Police on Sunday set up or reinforced roadblocks near Shiite villages outside the capital, witnesses said. Despite the crackdown, Shiite protesters have frequently clashed with security forces in these villages. In June, 17 prisoners broke out of Al-Hadd jail east of Manama, but the authorities recaptured 11 of them the next day. Bahrain, which is connected to Saudi Arabia by a causeway, lies across the Gulf from Shiite Iran and is home to the US Fifth Fleet.
By PTI

LONDON: The Islamic State terror group is plotting mass casualty chemical attacks against Britain, a senior UK minister has warned.

Minister in charge of security Ben Wallace said Islamic State (ISIS) had used chemical weapons in Syria and Iraq and intelligence chiefs believe it has an "aspiration" to use them in Britain.

In an interview with 'The Sunday Times', Wallace said security chiefs had recently carried out exercises to deal with what he called the country's "worst fear". He said: "The ambition of IS (ISIS) or Daesh is definitely mass-casualty attacks. They want to harm as many people as possible and terrorise them. They have no moral objection to using chemical weapons against populations, and if they could, they would in this country."

"The casualty figures that could be involved would be everybody's worst fear. We have certainly seen reports of them using it in Syria and Iraq (and) we have certainly seen aspirations for it in Europe," he said. The minister said the UK's security services and the police carried out exercises to deal with terrorist attacks by lone wolves and marauding gunmen as well as mass-casualty attacks.

He oversaw one exercise by the fire service in northwest England to deal with chemical decontamination after an attack. Other major exercises included a simulated attack on Canary Wharf in east London  part of Operation Strong Tower  on a conference venue in Birmingham and on the Trafford Centre shopping arcade in Manchester, he told the newspaper.

As proof of ISIS' chemical attack ambitions, Wallace pointed to the arrest in February of an ISIS cell in Morocco. "Moroccan authorities dismantled a cell involving chemical weapons. They recovered toxic chemical and biological substances and a large stock of fertiliser. The substances found could have been used to produce homemade explosives and could have been transformed into a deadly toxin," he said.

Wallace warned that as ISIS was driven out of its strongholds in the Middle East, returning terrorists would pose a growing threat to Britain. About 800 Britons went to fight in Syria and just under half have returned. Around 100 have been killed.

In 2015 a further 150 were prevented from travelling to the war zone. Wallace said the figure for 2016 would be "very similar".

LONDON: The Islamic State terror group is plotting mass casualty chemical attacks against Britain, a senior UK minister has warned. Minister in charge of security Ben Wallace said Islamic State (ISIS) had used chemical weapons in Syria and Iraq and intelligence chiefs believe it has an "aspiration" to use them in Britain. In an interview with 'The Sunday Times', Wallace said security chiefs had recently carried out exercises to deal with what he called the country's "worst fear". He said: "The ambition of IS (ISIS) or Daesh is definitely mass-casualty attacks. They want to harm as many people as possible and terrorise them. They have no moral objection to using chemical weapons against populations, and if they could, they would in this country." "The casualty figures that could be involved would be everybody's worst fear. We have certainly seen reports of them using it in Syria and Iraq (and) we have certainly seen aspirations for it in Europe," he said. The minister said the UK's security services and the police carried out exercises to deal with terrorist attacks by lone wolves and marauding gunmen as well as mass-casualty attacks. He oversaw one exercise by the fire service in northwest England to deal with chemical decontamination after an attack. Other major exercises included a simulated attack on Canary Wharf in east London  part of Operation Strong Tower  on a conference venue in Birmingham and on the Trafford Centre shopping arcade in Manchester, he told the newspaper. As proof of ISIS' chemical attack ambitions, Wallace pointed to the arrest in February of an ISIS cell in Morocco. "Moroccan authorities dismantled a cell involving chemical weapons. They recovered toxic chemical and biological substances and a large stock of fertiliser. The substances found could have been used to produce homemade explosives and could have been transformed into a deadly toxin," he said. Wallace warned that as ISIS was driven out of its strongholds in the Middle East, returning terrorists would pose a growing threat to Britain. About 800 Britons went to fight in Syria and just under half have returned. Around 100 have been killed. In 2015 a further 150 were prevented from travelling to the war zone. Wallace said the figure for 2016 would be "very similar".
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Two Indians were among the 39 people killed in the Istanbul nightclub attack on Sunday during New Year celebrations.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj confirmed the deaths tweeting, "I have bad news from Turkey. We have lost two Indian nationals in the Istanbul attack. The Indian Ambassador is on the way to Istanbul."

"The victims are Mr. Abis Rizvi, son of former Rajya Sabha MP, and Ms. Khushi Shah from Gujarat," she said.

The Indians were among the foreigners killed, including an 18-year-old Israeli woman and a Belgian national, in the attack in which around 70 people were injured.

NEW DELHI: Two Indians were among the 39 people killed in the Istanbul nightclub attack on Sunday during New Year celebrations. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj confirmed the deaths tweeting, "I have bad news from Turkey. We have lost two Indian nationals in the Istanbul attack. The Indian Ambassador is on the way to Istanbul." "The victims are Mr. Abis Rizvi, son of former Rajya Sabha MP, and Ms. Khushi Shah from Gujarat," she said. The Indians were among the foreigners killed, including an 18-year-old Israeli woman and a Belgian national, in the attack in which around 70 people were injured.
31 pazdziernika 2022

Konto studenckie to sposob, w jaki studenci maja kontrole nad swoimi finansami. Pomaga im wiedziec, ile wydali pieniedzy, jakie pieniadze wpyna i ile im zostao. Dla studentow konto...
Spare Change: Finally! Election TV ads soon will be done

Truth is, I suspect these spots are effective. For instance, Allan Fung is portrayed as a regular Joe from Cranston.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Cloudy and becoming windy. High 74F. Winds S at 20 to 30 mph. Higher wind gusts possible..

Tonight

Windy with thunderstorms developing later at night. Low around 60F. Winds SSE at 25 to 35 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Higher wind gusts possible.
Post liquor prohibition in Bihar, its neighbour Jharkhand witnessed a huge inflow of people from the state to celebrate the New Year.



These people had booked their hotels on Bihar-Jharkhand border well in advance, as a result of which the liquor shop owners expected good business this year.



Deoghar, a district located near Bihar-Jharkhand border, witnessed a steep rise in the sale of liquor since the announcement of prohibition in April 2016.



Kalu, a Deoghar shopkeeper said, "People from Bihar had started coming to the district and the shop owners had stocked liquor so that the New Year celebrations do not suffer."



"More than half of the rooms in a 35-40 room hotel had been booked by people from Bihar," Satyanarayan, a local hotel manager said.



He further stated that due to a huge influx of the people, the hotels had even increased the room charges.



Sahebganj was another Jharkhand district for people from Bihar to celebrate the New Year. Apart from Jharkhand, residents from Bihar also turned towards West Bengal -- where liquor is widely available -- for the New Year festivities.



Bihar shares border with West Bengal at North Dinajpur district. The North Dinajpur district's Karandighi Block, Dalkhola in West Bengal is just 5 km from Bihar's Balrampur. West Bengal also shares border with Bihar's Balrampur, Kishanganj and Barotiya.



According to reports, people from Bihar have easy access to Nepal through Galgalia, which is situated near Bengal-Bihar border and the East-West highway close to Panitanki in Siliguri is also used by people to enter Bihar.



Bihar CM Nitish Kumars decision to ban liquor in the state prompted people to venture into Siliguri in West Bengal and Nepal as well. No advance bookings were made by anybody from Bihar in Siliguri though, Party organisers said.






London: The British public is fearful of the rise of fascism around the world in the wake of Donald Trump's election victory in the US and the Brexit referendum in the UK, according to a new survey released on Sunday.



The study by BMG Research for 'The Independent' newspaper also showed that most people think the number of individuals holding fascist views is increasing in the UK and on the continent as well.



A majority of British people now believe the dark shadow of fascism is spreading across the United States following Trump's shock victory in November 2016, it said.



BMG pollsters asked participants whether they thought "the number of people with fascist views in the United States of America is increasing, decreasing or about the same?"



53 per cent said they believed it is growing, just three per cent said they thought the number of people is decreasing, while 20 per cent said it is about the same.



When the same question was put in relation to the UK, almost half, some 46 per cent, said they believe the number of people with fascist views in Britain is growing, with three per cent saying it is decreasing and around a third believing it is about the same.



Looking at Europe, the figures were broadly similar, with 48 per cent saying they believe the number of people with fascist views is growing.



BMG Research Director Dr Michael Turner said: "With age comes experience, which may explain why our polling shows that it's older Britons who are most likely to feel that fascist views are on the rise, particularly in Europe."



He added: "Remainers are much more likely than Leavers to feel that fascist views are increasing at home.



Around six in 10, 59 per cent, of those who voted to stay in the EU feel that fascism is on the rise in the UK, whereas just four in 10 Leavers, 41 per cent, feel the same.



"However, both Remainers and Leavers are much more united on the view that fascism is rising on the continent, with some 57 per cent of Remainers and 52 per cent of Leavers saying so in our latest poll for 'The Independent'.



Official UK Home Office statistics have revealed an equally worrying hate-crime spike in the UK since the vote to quit the European Union.



In July, there was a 41 per cent increase in the number of racially or religiously aggravated crimes recorded by police.



They correlated with earlier figures which showed the number of alleged racially or religiously aggravated offences rose by 58 per cent in the week following the June Brexit vote.



In 2017 elections in France, Germany and Holland are expected to see far-right parties make stronger bids for power than at any moment in recent history. BMG Research interviewed a representative sample of 1,507 UK adults online between December 1 and 5.
New Delhi: New Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Sunday said while the country and the force want to maintain peace and tranquillity at the border, it will not "shy away" from using its power in any form.



He also made it clear that Eastern Army commander Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi and Southern commander Lt Gen PM Hariz, whom he superseded, will continue to serve the army and help maintain its unity and power.



"Our country, our army wants peace and tranquillity at the border. But it does not mean that we are weak. We are capable and powerful in all forms and if need be, we will not shy away from using our power in any form.



"Our aim is that peace is maintained at the border. But I will say it again that if need be, we will not hesitate in using our power," Gen Rawat said after reviewing the Guard of Honour at the South Block here.



India shares a 3,323-km boundary with Pakistan, including a 749-km Line of Control (LoC). The Indian Army has lost over 60 soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir in 2016 and there have frequent ceasefire violations by Pakistan across the LoC. Gen Rawat also sent across a message to all ranks of the army, saying every soldier counted.



"I am fully conscious of my responsibility to the rank and file of the army. Every individual, every soldier in the army counts irrespective of the arms and service he belongs to because it is the contribution of every soldier that makes the army efficient and strong," he said.



He had on Saturday taken over as the 27th chief of the 1.3 million strong Indian Army succeeding Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag, who retired after 42 years of service.



Gen Rawat said, "I would like to use the opportunity to convey to the rank and file in the army that everyone in the army, wherever or whoever he may be is equal in my eyes based on the tasks that they are required to perform."



His comments comes at a time when there is feeling among sections of the armoured corps that only the infantry, that Gen Rawat belongs to, has the upper hand and Lt Gen Bakshi could not make it only because he was from the armoured corps.



Both Gen Rawat and his predecessor Gen Suhag, along with senior officers in key positions, are from the Gorkhas. Gen Rawat said he accepted the government's decision to appoint him as the chief with all humility.



"I respect the officers who have been superseded. They have worked with me shoulder-to-shoulder and I can say it for certain that they will continue to work shoulder-to-shoulder to keep the unity and power of the army in the future also," he said.



He said he is fully aware of the role and task that has been assigned to the army by the government.



"We are duty bound to maintain the security and sanctity of our borders, assist the government in the maintenance of internal law and order and also provide succour during any disaster that may befall any part of our nation," he said.



The army chief said that welfare of veterans, 'veer naris', other widows and those who have been disabled in the line of duty would continue to be taken care by the army till their last breath.




Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spoken on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the conflict in Syria and "continued security cooperation", his office said.



The talks came as the 15-member UN Security Council unanimously voted to back a Russian-Turkish peace plan for a ceasefire in Syria and the launch of new peace talks for the war-wracked country.



"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this evening... spoke by telephone with Russian President Vladimir Putin," the premier's office said in a statement yesterday.



"The two leaders discussed developments in the region, with emphasis on Syria and continued security coordination in this sphere, which has already proven itself in preventing misunderstandings," it added.



During a visit to Moscow in April, Netanyahu discussed with Putin military cooperation between the two countries aimed at preventing confrontations between their warplanes in Syrian airspace.



In June, Netanyahu visited Moscow again and talks with Putin centred on "the implementation of these arrangements," the premier's office said at the time.



Russia is a key ally of the Syrian government and has been fighting to bolster the Damascus regime since last year.



Along with Turkey, which backs the armed opposition, they brokered a ceasefire across Syria that entered its second day yesterday and held despite sporadic clashes in parts of the country.



Moscow and Ankara also say the truce aims to pave the way for peace negotiations later next month in Kazakhstan, also organised by Syria regime ally Iran.



Turkey and Russia have said the talks in the Kazakh capital Astana aim to supplement UN-backed peace efforts, not replace them.



Israel is opposed to the Syrian government and has sought to limit its involvement in the conflict.



But Israel has carried out sporadic sorties against the militant Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah, which is fighting alongside the Syrian regime. Israel fought a devastating war with the Iran-backed Hezbollah in 2006.


New Delhi: Deposits in Jan Dhan account have more than doubled to Rs 87,000 crore in 45 days post demonetisation, prompting the tax department to "dissect" information relating to such deposits, a top government official said.



Besides, the tax department also has data on small cash deposits between Rs 30,000-50,000 made in 4.86 lakh accounts totaling to Rs 2,000 crore.



Between November 10-December 23, the total deposits in Jan Dhan accounts reported is Rs 41,523 crore in 48 lakh accounts.



This, together with the total deposits of Rs 45,637 crore as on November 9, takes the aggregate amount in Jan Dhan accounts to over Rs 87,100 crore.



"All these information received on Jan Dhan Accounts are being dissected. If it is found that money deposited in these accounts belong to some other persons, necessary action will be taken at appropriate time," the official told PTI.



Cash deposit between Rs 30,000 and Rs 50,000 have been reported in 4.86 lakh accounts till November 30, taking the total deposits in such quantum to Rs 2,022 crore.



The official further said that inflows of funds into Jan Dhan accounts was the highest in the first week after demonetisation at Rs 20,224 crore, but after that the deposits went down substantially.



"The inflow of funds in Jan Dhan accounts after the first two weeks was below Rs 5,000 crore per week and thereafter it got reduced to about Rs 1,000 crore per week," the official said, adding that the deposits have come down significantly after the tax department warned people not to allow their accounts to be misused for converting black money into white.



Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on November 8 announced junking of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, and replaced the currency with new Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 notes.



After setting a cash deposit limit of Rs 50,000 in Jan Dhan accounts, the government had on November 18 cautioned account holders that they will be prosecuted under the I-T Act for allowing misuse of their bank accounts through deposit of black money in Rs 500/1,000 notes during the 50-day window till December 30.



The directive came against the backdrop of reports that some are misusing other persons' bank accounts to convert their black money into new denomination notes.



As per latest data available, Rs 12.10 lakh crore in form of old 500 and 1,000 rupee notes have returned into the banking system till December 12, 2016. It was estimated that now defunct notes constituted 86 per cent or Rs 15.45 lakh crore in circulation.
Islamabad: Pakistan on Sunday said India's bid at the UN to ban Masood Azhar was "politically motivated" and "replete with frivolous information", two days after its close ally China blocked the proposal to get the JeM chief and Pathankot attack mastermind listed as a global terrorist.



Responding to reports on India failing to put Azhar on the United Nations Security Council's 1267 Sanctions Committee, Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said, "The 1267 Sanctions Committee related to ISIS/Al-Qaeda has rejected a politically motivated proposal by India. Replete with frivolous information and baseless allegations, the Indian proposal had no merit and was primarily aimed at advancing its narrow national agenda.



"The dismissal of this proposal is also a rejection of the Indian attempts to politicise and undermine the work of this important Committee of the Security Council," he said. "While claiming to denounce terrorism, India has in fact deployed terrorism as an instrument of state policy, and has itself been involved in perpetrating, sponsoring, supporting, and financing terrorism," Zakaria said in a statement.



"The arrest of Kulbhushan Jadhav, a RAW agent and serving officer of Indian navy, and his confession about involvement in terrorist activities aimed at destabilising Pakistan and killing or maiming of Pakistani citizens, is yet another proof of Indian sponsored terrorism in Pakistan."



"With such duplicitous behaviour and blood on its hands", India has little credibility on counter-terrorism, he claimed. The spokesperson said that in the coming days, Pakistan will share with the United Nations and members of the international community "additional evidence of Indian involvement in terrorism in Pakistan".



"It is clear that India's unfounded allegations against Pakistan are in fact aimed at masking its own terrorist activities in Pakistan, as well as diverting the attention of the international community from the grave violations of human rights and state sponsored terrorism perpetrated by the Indian occupying forces in Kashmir," the statement said.



"Pakistan has made significant contribution and rendered enormous sacrifices in the success of the international communitys counter-terrorism efforts. We are deeply committed to this common cause and look forward to continuing close cooperation with the international community in this collective endeavour," the statement said.



China had blocked India's proposal to get Pakistan-based Azhar listed as global terrorist by the UN, citing lack of "consensus" on the issue.



In last nine months, China has twice put technical hold on listing Azhar as designated terrorist that would have forced imposition of asset freeze and travel ban on him by countries including Pakistan.
The Akhilesh Yadav faction which unilaterally installed the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister as the national president of the party on Sunday morning took the fight to next level by seizing the party headquarters in Lucknow.News18 reporters on the ground witnessed mobs barging into the state office at 19, Vikramaditya Marg, Lucknow, and removed the plate bearing the name of Shivpal Yadav, Akhileshs uncle and state president, who was sacked in the extraordinary convention called in the morning. The Akhilesh faction has named Naresh Uttam as the new state chief of the party.After the Akhilesh faction demonstrated that they have majority in both the legislative party and the organisation, speculation was rife that the battle will now move forward to taking control of the offices and claiming the partys symbol, cycle.Mulayam Singh Yadav had termed the Akhilesh Yadav-led meeting unconstitutional and called for an emergency national convention on January 5 at the Jnaneshwar Mishra Park, the same venue from which Akhilesh expelled Amar Singh and removed Shivpal Yadav as state president.Mulayam also suspended cousin and Akhilesh confidant Ram Gopal from the party for six years  the latter's second ouster this weekend. SP national vice president Kiranmoy Nanda was also expelled for attending the "unconstitutional" national convention.Samajwadi Party is headquartered in New Delhi, but the Vikramaditya Marg office is the real centre of power in the party that had celebrated its silver jubilee only a few months ago.
The faction fight in the party that started a month ago had peaked over the weekend with Mulayam and Shivpal suspending Akhilesh and Ram Gopal for six years. The decision was rolled back a day later on Saturday after it emerged that Akhilesh enjoyed the support of over 200 MLAs of the total 223 SP MLAs in the UP Assembly besides majority in the SP organisation.

Akhilesh Yadav seems to have effected a bloodless coup in the Samajwadi Party by elevating his father Mulayam Singh Yadav to a margdarshak (mentor) and anointing himself as the national president of the party.In a convention called in Lucknow, which was promptly termed unconstitutional by Mulayam Singh, the SP faction led by the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and his uncle Ram Gopal Yadav made a slew of unilateral decisions that saw Amar Singh being expelled and Shivpal Yadav removed as the state unit chief.While announcing the rollback, the elder Yadav duo expected Akhilesh camp to cancel a hastily announced national convention. However, Akhilesh Yadav went ahead with the meet and Ram Gopal made the dramatic announcements to loud cheer from thousands of supporters who had thronged the convention venue at Jnaneshwar Mishra Park in Lucknow.The Akhilesh camp had been accusing Amar Singh  who was brought back into the party after many years in wilderness  of fomenting trouble within the party. They had hinted that there would be no end to the crisis unless Singh was sacked from the party and Shivpal reined in.The Yadav family crisis had also cast a shadow over the ruling partys plans to contest the UP assembly polls that are slated to be held in February. Akhilesh had wanted an alliance with the Congress, while Mulayam categorically ruled out any pre-poll tie-up.Also Read: Mulayam Singh Terms Akhilesh's Decisions as Illegal, Expels Ram Gopal Yadav Again On Saturday, after the crisis in the SP had come to a head, a top Congress leader had told News18 that his party wanted to have a long-term relationship with Akhilesh. Political pundits believe that with Akhilesh wresting control of the party from his father and uncle, a Congress-SP alliance is now only a matter of time.If the Mulayam camp stays defiant, the ball will be on the court of the Election Commission that will have to decide which side gets the all important party symbol 'cycle. SP, incidentally, celebrated its silver jubilee only a month ago.
New Delhi: After continuous electoral debacles in over two years, Rahul Gandhi pitchforked himself to the forefront in the party in a bid to galvanise the rank and file by stepping up his offensive on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a gamble he hopes will pay off in the new year and after.



The year has gone by saw Rahul adopting an aggressive position against the ruling BJP on all major issues, from demonetisation and surgical strikes to Rohit Vemula's suicide and JNU sedition row.



While Rahul's emergence from the shadows of his mother and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi gave the party some reasons to cheer, unabated electoral descent remained a cause of concern throughout 2016.



Congress lost Assam and Kerala to the BJP- and Left Front- led coalitions respectively in May, failing to revive its sagging fortunes having seen a solitary election win in Bihar in 2015.



Even in Arunachal Pradesh, Congress, after an initial respite from the Supreme Court, suffered a major setback when its entire state unit and all but one of its MLAs defected to a regional party to form a government with BJP's support.



On the political front, Uttarakhand was the sole reason for solace to Congress, with the court intervening to restore its government after the imposition of President's rule by the Centre.



Although in West Bengal, Congress made marginal gains, a section of its state leaders were deeply shaken by what they claimed as an "unholy alliance" with the Left, against which the party was pitted directly in Kerala.



On the organisational front, an ailing Sonia Gandhi withdrew herself consciously from a leadership role, getting her son and Amethi MP to step into her shoes in the year gone by.



This resulted in many firsts for Rahul. In November, Rahul chaired his first meeting of the Congress Working Committee which even passed a resolution recommending his elevation as party president.



Later on December 28, Rahul chaired the Congress foundation day celebrations for the first time, addressing his colleagues. In between, while Sonia stayed away from public roles, Rahul emerged as the leader of Congress' strategy in Parliament managing to work with the larger Opposition on the issue of demonetisation.



Rahul's ability to carry the Opposition together, however, remained under question when on the last day of Winter Session of Parliament, senior Opposition leaders from Left, SP, BSP, NCP, JDU, and DMK, pulled out of a joint visit to the President on the matter of demonetisation after he unilaterally went and met the prime minister on farmers' issues.



The Opposition leaders had withdrawn after several days of opposition unity which was evident from the unprecedented coordination on the issue of demonetisation as the year drew to a close.



Every day of the Winter Session, 16 Opposition leaders including arch rivals Left and TMC, SP and BSP met every morning to discuss ways of cornering the government. This unity suffered a blow with Rahul's move of meeting Modi.



It could not be redeemed despite the best efforts of Ahmed Patel, Political Secretary to Sonia, who attempted to get all Opposition leaders together for a joint appearance at a press conference on demonetisation on December 27. TMC chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee saved the day for Congress by attending this meet with Rahul, at a time when SP, BSP, Left, JDU, and NCP stayed away.



While Opposition unity had its highs and lows, Rahul consistently kept the pressure on Modi post demonetisation even accusing him of accepting bribes from industrialists. By citing 2013 Sahara and Birla diaries, he pitched his stakes too high, as he dared Modi to face an independent probe and come clean.



While BJP accused him of practicing hit-and-run politics, Rahul made sure he was everywhere from roads to headlines.



From courting arrest on the one rank one pension (OROP) issue to standing in a queue outside a central Delhi bank ATM, Rahul did all he could to be visible and aggressive.



On demonetisation, Rahul fielded former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to take on the government and dub the move as "organised loot and legalised plunder".



On surgical strikes, too, the Congress led by Rahul, changed a few goalposts by first supporting the government action and then ending up accusing Modi of "hiding behind the blood of soldiers".



Earlier in 2016, Rahul was seen dictating Congress strategy on the JNU sedition row wherein he personally went to the JNU campus to express solidarity with the arrested students. Similarly, after Vemula's suicide, Rahul visited the campus of Hyderabad University to stand with the students. His political critics, however, questioned his absence from Haryana in the aftermath of the Jat agitation which left behind a trail of fear and destruction in the state.



Overall, while Rahul was seen coming into command position and moving closer to his long expected elevation as Congress chief, the party struggled for impact and continued to lose veterans.



The exodus of top guns from Congress continued, be it ex- Chhattisgarh chief minister Ajit Jogi, ex-Uttarakhand chief minister Vijay Bahuguna, former Uttar Pradesh Congress president Rita Bahuguna Joshi or party's Bengal strongman Sudip Burman.



Amid organisational challenges, Rahul led the election campaign in Uttar Pradesh with a historic 2500-km Kisan yatra from Deoria to Delhi.



Indicating Congress's willingness to raise election stakes, Rahul even approved, for the first time, hiring Prashant Kishor as a party strategist for poll-bound Uttar Pradesh and Punjab besides naming ex-Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit as the Congress CM face in Uttar Pradesh.



Supporting him in Uttar Pradesh strategy was sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who attended her first ever official Congress meet comprising state leaders signaling her involvement in the process. Priyanka's much-anticipated campaign launch, however, did not happen in 2016.



With elections round the corner in five states this year, all eyes will now be on Congress's first family, which had, in the wake of the 2014 Lok Sabha loss, promised its cadres and people of the country serious introspection and course correction.


Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Shivpal Singh Yadav on Sunday night visited unwell party supremeo and his brother Mulayam Singh Yadav at his residence in Lucknow.

Doctors conducted health check-up of Mulayam Singh on Sunday after he complained of uneasiness.

Both Mulayam and Shivpal are going to Delhi on Monday and they may meet the EC there. Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh is also reaching Delhi on the same day.

A day before his visit to Delhi, Mulayam Singh has sent relevant documents to the Election Commission of India.

Meanwhile, Shivpal Yadav told CNN-NEws18, Todays convention has no legal sanctityI am the state president and Mulayam Singh Yadav is the National president.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday named Naresh Uttar as the state chief in place of his uncle Shivpal Yadav.

A furious Mulayam Singh hit back, declaring the pro-Akhilesh meeting illegal and expelling party Vice President Kironmoy Nanda and Rajya Sabha member Naresh Agarwal. Nanda refused to accept the decision.

Here is a round up of the days events.

Read all the Latest News , Breaking News , watch Top Videos and Live TV here.
Lucknow: The war in Samajwadi Party was far from over on Sunday with a defiant Ram Gopal Yadav proposed Akhilesh Yadav's name as party president at the national convention which was declared as unconstitutional" by supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav.



The convention, attended by thousands of SP workers, unanimously "expelled" Amar Singh and removed Shivpal Singh Yadav from the post of state unit president.



The national convention proposed that Mulayam be considered as supreme leader of the party and that the top brass will take guidance from him, Ram Gopal Yadav said addressing the workers.



Mulayam Singh Yadav, Shivpal Yadav not present at SP national convention attended by Akhilesh Yadav and Ramgopal Yadav.



Soon after being proposed as the national president of the party, Akhilesh Yadav said his respect for his father was more than ever and that he would stand against those conspiring against the party.



"Those who conspired against the party, damaged it and also posed problems before the national president...should know that my respect for the national president (Mulayam Singh) will be more than before," the chief minister said.



"...People might raise questions and level allegations but I said this before and say it again that as his son if there is any conspiracy against the party and him it is my duty to stand against them", he said.



"I had said that I was ready to step down as state unit president earlier too ...he had made me the CM and gave me a chance to work...", he said .



The chief minister said, "All want that SP comes back to power but there are some who do not want this... Netaji would be most elated if the party forms the next government...I have been given the responsibility to make the next government on one more time'.



Hinting that there were powers in the party who were guiding the party chief to take decisions against him, Yadav said, "Netaji's respect and position is supreme for us ... these three-four months are very important....don't know who all can come together and force certain decisions".



Earlier in the day, Mulayam Singh Yadav declared the national convention convened by Ram Gopal Yadav as unconstitutional and warned of action against those taking part in it.



As soon as the national convention got underway at the Janeshwar Misra park, Mulayam Singh issued a letter.



"Today a so-called convention has been convened by Ram Gopal. This is against party constitution and discipline . This has been convened to damage the party," he said in the letter.



Mulayam said that participation in the convention will be taken as indiscipline and action will be initiated against all those attending it.



Almost all the senior leaders who have a longtime association with Mulayam Singh were present on the dias during the convention.
Moscow: A plane carrying 35 Russian diplomats, expelled from the United States over Moscow's alleged interference in the presidential election, took off from Washington today, Russian news agencies reported.



"The plane has taken off, everyone is on board," said the Russian embassy in Washington, quoted by the state-owned Ria Novosti agency. Relatives of the diplomats are also onboard, making 96 in all.



The expulsions were part of a package of sanctions ordered by President Barack Obama on Thursday in the final weeks of his administration.



US intelligence says the Kremlin ordered a hack-and-release of Democratic Party and Hillary Clinton campaign staff emails in a bid to put Donald Trump in the Oval Office.



Thirty-five Russians, described as intelligence operatives based at the Russian embassy in Washington and the consulate in San Francisco, were given 72 hours to leave the country.



Obama also ordered the closure of two Russian compounds in New York and Maryland that the United States says are used "for intelligence-related purposes."



Economic sanctions were also announced against Russia's FSB and GRU intelligence agencies. Four GRU officers including agency chief Igor Korobov also face sanctions. Moscow has repeatedly denied the allegations.



President Vladimir Putin has ruled out sending home US diplomats in retaliation -- a move interpreted as a sign he is looking to Trump to rebuild US-Russian ties after the US

inauguration on January 20.


Beijing: Russia has finally delivered four Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets to China after a delay of two years as Moscow feared that its fifth generation jet will loose value after Chinese military unveiled its J-20 stealth fighter, official media here reported.



The Su-35 is an advanced version of the Su-30s operated by the Indian Airforce.



The delivery was made on December 25, a news portal of the People's Liberation Army reported.



Since the debut of the China's stealth fighter J-20 fighter at Zhuhai Airshow, procurement of the Su-35 fighter jets has gone quite smoothly.



Some say this is the outcome of the close relationship between China and Russia.



However, the latter did not change its stance on the export of the Su-35 until the J-20 fighter was unveiled, state-run People's Daily reported.



Russia believes that with the commissioning of the J-20, the Su-35 will soon lose its value in the Chinese market.



That estimation is the reason for the smooth procurement, the report said.



China has been ramping up its military aviation wing with a number of new fighter jets including two versions of the stealth fighters as well as J-15 a fighter plane to operate from the deck of its first aircraft carrier, Liaoning which has begun live fire drills in the disputed South China Sea.



The construction of Chinas second aircraft which is home grown one is under in full swing, according to the official

media reports.



"One can only be independent when he is self-reliant," the PLA Daily article said expressing hope that the Su-35 fighter jet is the last fighter imported by China.



While China made advances in manufacturing of new type of fighter jets, it is still dependent on Russia for engines as

well as avionics.



Under economic crisis Russia for its part has been selling some of its advanced weaponry to China in recent years.



Speculation was rife that Russia which had moved closer to China following hostilities with the Obama administration may move closer to the US once President-elect Donald Trump takes office as he shares better relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Beirut: A ceasefire held across most of Syria on Saturday as Russia and Turkey secured unanimous passage of a UN resolution backing their efforts to "jumpstart" talks aimed at ending the nearly six-year conflict.



The Security Council resolution aims to pave the way for talks next month in Kazakhstan's capital Astana, under the aegis of Russia and Iran -- both Syrian government supporters -- and of rebel backer Turkey.



Turkey and Russia say the talks will supplement, not replace, UN-backed peace efforts, including negotiations set to resume February 8 in Geneva.



The text of the UN measure "welcomes and supports the efforts by Russia and Turkey to end violence in Syria and jumpstart a political process." It hails the Astana talks as "an important step."



The measure also calls for the "rapid, safe and unhindered" delivery of humanitarian aid in Syria.



Russia and Turkey brokered the current ceasefire and, while backing opposing forces in the conflict, have been working increasingly closely on Syria, including to allow evacuations from the besieged city of Aleppo.



Washington has been conspicuously absent from the new process but has called the truce "positive." Moscow has said it hoped to bring US President-elect Donald Trump's administration on board once he takes office in January.



Russia's UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin had earlier voiced hope the Security Council would endorse the planned talks in Kazakhstan and back the resolution unanimously.



But several council members had demanded clarifications over the reach of the resolution, what it would mean for the UN talks, how it might affect rebels recently ousted from Aleppo, and what it would mean for humanitarian aid.



The French Foreign Ministry expressed hope the ceasefire would be "fully respected," calling for a prompt resumption of political negotiations brokered by the UN.



"The unanimous adoption of Resolution 2336 demonstrates how important implementing a ceasefire in Syria truly is for the international community," the statement added.



- Truce largely holds -

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitor of the war, said that most of Syria remained calm, despite limited clashes.



Two children were killed in the evening hours by regime artillery fire targeting rebel territory near Aleppo, the observatory said.



The government in Damascus called the ceasefire a "real opportunity" to find a political solution to a war that has claimed more than 310,000 lives and displaced millions since it began in March 2011 with protests against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.



Clashes were reported around Wadi Barada near Damascus, and the southern city of Daraa, where one opposition fighter was killed.



The fighting in Wadi Barada has led to water shortages that have affected four million people in the capital.



Five rebel fighters and two civilians have been killed in Wadi Barada and the rebel bastion of Eastern Ghouta near Damascus since the truce started on Friday, said Syrian Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman.



The Observatory said a total of 60,000 people were killed in violence across Syria in 2016, more than 13,000 of them civilians.



The forces in Wadi Barada include Fateh al-Sham Front, previously known as Al-Nusra Front. That group and the Islamic State group are excluded from the truce.



- Iran urges 'vigilance' -

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem held talks in key ally Iran with President Hassan Rouhani and the Supreme National Security Council secretary Ali Shamkhani.



Rouhani said "vigilance" was needed to ensure that the rebels not reorganize.



The official IRNA news agency also quoted Shamkhani as warning that any political solution to the Syria conflict must not lead to "the weakening" of the Damascus government.



Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he would reduce Moscow's military contingent in Syria, which has been fighting to bolster the government since last year.



But he added Russia would continue to fight "terrorism" and maintain its support for Assad's government.
Colombo: Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe Sunday vowed to achieve reconciliation in the country, even as former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa warned the government against any steps endangering the unitary character of the state.



Both Sirisena and Wickremesinghe renewed hope for reconciliation and economic development to be achieved by the unity government which marks its second anniversary next week.



Sirisena in his new year message called for brotherhood and unity among all communities to achieve reconciliation following the end of the nearly three decades-long civil war in 2009.



Wickremesinghe said despite efforts to break up the national unity government, it would not waver in its commitment to install good governance, democracy and economic prosperity.



Former President Rajapaksa, in his New Year message, warned against any action that endangers the unitary character of the state and its territorial integrity.



His remarks were in reference to the government's efforts to introduce a new Constitution which is expected to grant some form of political autonomy to the minority Tamil community.



The new Constitution is expected to be adopted this year after a nationwide referendum.



The main opposition leader R Sampanthan echoed the Tamil wishes in his message, saying "2017 will be a crucial year in the history of our country".



"Our expectation, is that we should find a permanent and lasting solution to the national question. The new Constitution in the New Year, should bring about this achievement," he said.



The government expects the new Constitution to address the demand of Tamil minorities for political recognition.



With the defeat of the Tamil Tigers in 2009 the Tamil groups have opted for maximum devolution as opposed to LTTE's goal of a separate Tamil homeland.
Rio de Janeiro: The wife of the murdered Greek ambassador to Brazil has been jailed after being accused of masterminding his killing in a suburb.



A Rio court on Saturday ordered Francoise Amiridis, the 40-year-old Brazilian to be placed in provisional custody for 30 days. She had been married to Kyriakos Amiridis for 15 years and they had a 10-year-old daughter, Xinhua news agency reported.



Rio police said she had been jailed in a feminine wing of Bangu prison, the largest in the city.



Francoise was arrested on Friday, along with a policeman who has an affair with Francoise and is suspected of having murdered the ambassador.



The policeman's cousin was also arrested for involvement in the case.



They confessed Francoise offered them 80,000 reais ($24,400) for the murder.



Kyriakos Amiridis, 59, was found dead in a burnt car below a bridge in Novo Iguacu, a northern suburb of Rio, on Thursday.



Greece's Foreign Ministry on Saturday said the death of Amiridis was tragic.



"We express our deepest sorrow at the tragic death of ambassador Amiridis who throughout his diplomatic career served Greece conscientiously and responsibly," the ministry said in a statement.



The 59-year-old diplomat assumed duties as Greece's ambassador to Brazil in January 2016. He had served in Rio de Janeiro as consul from 2001 to 2004, it said.


An inmate accused of escaping from the Lynchburg Adult Detention Center in September is awaiting his date in court, and jail officials say complacency aided his escape.

James Richard Pavlis, of Danville, who turns 23 today, was in custody at Lynchburg Adult Detention Center on charges out of Pittsylvania County on Sept. 12 when authorities allege he escaped just before 7 a.m. He had been convicted of burglary, grand larceny, identity theft and possessing a firearm as a felon in Pittsylvania in August and was scheduled for a Nov. 4 sentencing date.

Jail security and Lynchburg law enforcement went door to door searching for Pavlis after authorities said he fled the jail on foot. The Lynchburg Police Department released a warning about nine hours after the escape that he could be dangerous.

The Lynchburg Adult Detention Center was put on lockdown, as were a few Lynchburg and Campbell County schools. Lynchburg residents and those living within a mile of the jail at 510 Ninth St. were notified.

Fifty-six hours later and 2.3 miles from the jail, law enforcement found Pavlis near the citys waste management facility at 2301 Concord Turnpike, authorities said. Dehydrated and with a few small scratches, Pavlis was taken to Amherst County Adult Detention Center, where he still is held.

Pavlis appeared Dec. 9 in Lynchburg General District Court for a hearing on a felony charge of escaping imprisonment without use of violence. Following brief testimonies from two jail workers, Judge Sam Eggleston III submitted the charge to a grand jury, which will convene at the beginning of January.

One employee of the jail testified he noticed Pavlis was missing from a group of about 20 inmates working in the jails kitchen Sept. 12 and described seeing him leave the kitchen area and the building. At the time of his escape, jail officials said Pavlis had worked in the jails kitchen since March 2016.

Lt. Steve Rivers, head of internal affairs with the jail authority, testified when Pavlis was located almost two-and-a-half days after the escape, he was wearing jail-issued clothing and shoes. Blue Ridge Regional Jail Authority Superintendent Tim Trent said in an interview corrective action was taken after the incident, but no changes to the jail authoritys policies were needed.

I think it was a mistake or complacency on one individuals part, he said.

Following the incident, he said that person was disciplined and transferred to work elsewhere in the jail. He said the person opened a door when a door wasnt supposed to be open.

Larry Wayne Dodson Jr. escaped from the Lynchburg Adult Detention Center on March 10, 2009  the only other time an inmate has escaped in the Blue Ridge Regional Jail Authoritys history. The authority was formed in 1998, and the current jail, the Lynchburg Adult Detention Center, was built in 2000.

Dodson was apprehended almost a month later after a high-speed car chase in Savannah, Georgia. At the time, jail officials said Dodson escape prompted jail inspections and increased security. He was sentenced to three more years in prison on top of the seven-year sentence he was serving when he escaped.

If convicted of the felony escape charge, Pavlis could face up to five years imprisonment. Court records state for his previous convictions in Pittsylvania County, Pavlis was sentenced Nov. 21 to four years imprisonment with two years suspended for possessing a firearm, 10 years imprisonment with no time suspended for burglary, 12 months in jail for identity theft and 5 years in a penitentiary for larceny.
A body was found Saturday on a steep mountainside near the wrecked car of a teenager who had been missing in Roanoke County since Wednesday.

Police have not yet identified the remains as those of Sarabeth Rose Hammond, 17, but said the body of a young white female with blonde hair has been sent to the state medical examiner's office.

The wreckage was found Saturday afternoon in the 9200 block of Bent Mountain Road (U.S. 221) when a caretaker came to check on a house located in a sharp curve along the road. The wrecked car was 125 to 150 yards down the mountainside, Roanoke County police spokeswoman Amy Whittaker said. The driver had been ejected from the car and was found about 50 yards from the wreckage.

Clothing and prescription medicine belonging to Hammond were found at the wreck.

Roanoke County and Virginia State Police searched a two-mile stretch of Bent Mountain on Friday on the ground and from the air for Hammond. The 17-year-old had not been seen since Wednesday evening when she was reported to be driving toward Bent Mountain.
BLOODY YEAR

According to reports, the killings triggered a meeting of senior police officers under Acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams yesterday, but this could not be confirmed.

The killings also occurred as word came of a Cabinet retreat that was being planned by the Government on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. In his Christmas address to the nation, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley stated that crime prevention remained the Governments highest priority.

I and my Cabinet colleagues, along with the members of the National Security Council, the Police Service and the Defence Force, are taking all the necessary steps and exploring all the avenues that are available to us, to ensure the safety and comfort of the citizens of this country, he said.

Friday nights murders took place in Laventille, Enterprise and Caparo.

Five of the victims were shot while one was stabbed to death.

According to police, officers responded to the murder of Martin Subratie of Beverly Hills at around 10.30 pm on Friday. However, when they revisited the scene yesterday morning, officers received information from residents that there were three bodies in a nearby track. This was the fifth murder at Beverly Hills in three days as, on Thursday around 10 pm, 19-yearold Neil Frank was shot dead while his girlfriend was shot in her leg after the two were ambushed by gunmen.

When Sunday Newsday visited Beverly Hills yesterday, there were a few residents on their outside staircases chatting quietly among themselves. However, they were closed mouthed about the discovery of the four bullet-riddled bodies on their compound, saying only that they believed they heard what sounded like gunshots around 1 am.

The bodies found yesterday morning were identified as Shervon Ryan aka Crouch, and Andre Mitchell aka Eagle, both of Beverly Hills, and Sherwyn Balthazar aka Chuko of Maloney.

When their reluctance to talk about the men was remarked upon, one resident said, Nobody really knows whats going on. They dont want to say the wrong thing. You have to be careful of what you say when you live in a place like this. One of the few residents who spoke to Sunday Newsday was an elderly man, Dennis Charles, who said that, for several years, he had been asking the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) to relocate him. He said he paid $500 for the HDC to complete a search for another apartment but he has yet to receive a response. Charles desire to move seemed to be a popular sentiment among the people in the area as another resident stated that since Friday night, he noticed a number of his neighbours leaving the compound with large bags and suitcases. He assumed that they had moved out temporarily.

Chadda John, wife of Balthazar, said her husband of seven years was a community leader from Maloney.

He was employed at the Tunapuna/ Piarco Regional Corporation and owned several other businesses.

She described the father of four as a generous, loving, considerate individual who always gave of his best.

John said Balthazar left their Maloney home after 4 pm on Friday to lime with friends in Laventille.

However, she spoke to him on his cell phone at 7.24 pm when he told her he was organising to come home. But at 7.38 pm, Balthazars mother called John to say she could not get on to him. John said she knew something was wrong or would soon be wrong.

I know death is a part of life, she said. I think it would have been easier to accept if it was a car accident or something like that but to die by a bullet... its hard. This incident was just the latest of several multiple killings this year. Some of these murderous incidents include the murder of Selwyn Robocop Alexis, Kevin Escayg, of San Juan, and Thomas Hamza Sharpe on Sunday July 17. The men were killed during a daylight shootout at Robocops Enterprise, Chaguanas business place.

Leon Sobers and Joel Alexander died instantly on Tuesday, November 15 after being shot when a man on a bicycle approached them and shot at several men who were liming in their yard on Harper Circular, DAbadie. Sobers son, Shavaughn Sobers was shot in the eye, was considered brain dead and later succumbed to his injuries.

Just a few days earlier, on Saturday November 5, Frank Joseph, his son Kevin Plaza and Ricardo Singh were killed in a drive by shooting on John Lane, DAbadie.

When Sunday Newsday eventually contacted head of CID, Acting Senior Superintendent Radcliffe Boxhill, he said he was he did not wish to comment on the murders or this years murder rate as he did not have the information in front of him. He also said he was not aware of any meeting held by the Commissioner.
A beautiful human

This is how Lisa Bhanwarie remembered her sister, Elizabeth Bridgelal, as family and friends laid the young mother of three to rest yesterday, a week after she died in a car crash on December 24, Christmas Eve.

The house of mourning at Lalbeharry Trace, Penal was packed with people who bid farewell to Bridgelal, 35, who lost her life in an accident along the M2 Ring Road, Debe.

In her eulogy, Bhanwarie, quoting the Bible, said, For everything there is a season. A time for every activity under the heavens. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to cry and a time to grieve, a time to gather together and a time to embrace. Bridgelal, she said, was devoted to her children, Deliza, 14, Emery, nine, and Emerald, seven.

She was a beautiful human being who helped anyone who were in need, Bhanwarie said.

Bridgelals husband, Devenish, 35, and daughter, Deliza, survived the crash which occurred at about 3 am while they were returning from a party.

Their vehicle collided with an oncoming vehicle. However, Devenish sustained injuries to the legs and chest, and Deliza suffered back injuries. Yesterday, she sat at the side of her mothers coffin with her father and brothers.

The mourners responded in agreement when Bhanwarie continued her tribute to her sister.

The fastest runner doesnt always win the race and the strongest warrior doesnt always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry and the skilful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated dont always lead successful lives, she said, noting life is filled with uncertainties.

It will be beneficial if people lead good lived regardless of challenges. People shouted, Amen when Bhanwarie said, Like a fish in a net and a bird in a trap people too are caught by tragedy. Weeping, she wished she had more time with her sister and appealed to people everywhere to be mindful of the roads and continue to exercise caution when driving.

The villagers then sang, Life like a mist, appear for just a day.

Then disappear tomorrow. The body of Bridgelal was then taken to the Mosquito Creek for cremation according to Christian rites.
Incoming North Dakota Insurance Commissioner Jon Godfread said the election of Donald Trump will make health care system changes a major focus in his first term as Republicans in Washington, D.C., are expected to overhaul existing law.

In the meantime, Godfread has been meeting with the departments division heads and generally getting up to speed on office responsibilities prior to taking office this month.

Hes also been working on a letter to federal officials containing his thoughts on how to address health care, which was requested of state insurance commissioners. Its due by early January.

The insurance commissioner role just got even more interesting, Godfread said. Theres going to be a major focus on repealing Obamacare, (but) I dont think its going to happen as quickly as folks would like, especially in North Dakota.

Godfread said he expects a rapid vote, but it is likely a transition period will take a couple of years before the country pulls away from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as Obamacare.

The last thing we want to do is add more instability in the insurance market, Godfread said.

Snce the ACA has been in place, a full repeal and simply going back to where the system was before isnt possible, according to Godfread, adding that some sort of improved system will be needed. Godfread said some areas of the ACA, such as children on their parents plan until age 26 and eliminating lifetime limits on insurance costs, are bipartisan and will remain.

Its fixing the various mandates in the legislation and making it more workable that will be the major battle, he said.

The devils in the details, but we havent gotten it right, Godfread said.

Godfread, who won the election with 64.4 percent of the vote, said the budget will be his immediate focus when taking office.

Earlier in December 2016, he stepped down from his role as vice president of governmental affairs for the Greater North Dakota Chamber to focus on the transition.

He said itll be interesting working with the new Gov. Doug Burgum, whos looking to find new approaches in making state government more efficient.

The fresh new look at how we do things in government is going to be exciting for me, Godfread said.

Outgoing Insurance Commissioner Adam Hamm said Godfread will have an extremely full plate immediately upon taking office, especially with the agency budget and the potential repeal of the ACA.

Theres no question for the last six years one of the things Ive had to spend an inordinate amount of time on is Obamacare, Hamm said. Unless that doesnt happen, thats going to present a whole set of challenges to Jon and insurance commissioners all around the country.

Hamm said Godfread will have the balancing act of doing his part and taking on budget cuts while still trying to maintain services in a growing insurance industry.

Hamm recently announced hell be moving to Chicago to join international consulting firm Protiviti as one of their managing directors.

The departments primary mission is being an advocate for North Dakota residents in the area of insurance, he said. One of his goals in a first term is to provide visibility and create an ongoing education campaign to inform the public on what the department does and the services it provides.

Other goals include working with providers to improve affordability of insurance as well as competition in the marketplace.
Thank God, Tariqs home

Tariq Shamoon Mohammed, 31, was returned home and reunited with his family.

According to a statement from attorney Nafeesa Mohammed, who had been lobbying for his release, he had been detained in Saudi Arabia in August 2015 for interrogation on allegations of terrorism.

She said the allegations were unfounded, untrue, baseless, and mere speculation and conjecture.

Tariq was held while returning to the city of Madinah in Saudi Arabia with his wife and infant son to complete his final year as a student of the University of Madinah where he was pursuing a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Islamic Theology.

Nafeesa pointed out that he had never been involved in illegal activity within this country or elsewhere.

During his detention, Tariq was separated from his family and endured severe conditions including solitary confinement. However at all times Mr Mohammed complied with any and all requests of the authorities in Saudi Arabia, she reported.

She said that the family is relieved to have him back home.

It is with a sense of relief and answered prayers that the family of Mr Mohammed would like to acknowledge all the support from the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago and throughout the world who bore testimony to his innocence.

This is a time of healing and reunification with his family, friends and community, she said.

She continued: Tariq now has to rebuild his life and is cooperating with the authorities in Trinidad and Tobago to share his experience and ensure that his name is cleared of any negative stain or stigma arising out of this ordeal. On a Facebook group dedicated to his release Tariqs father Shamoon Mohammed posted, Tariq came through the last night and he is now trying to catch himself. He is tired and at home in Trinidad.

Thank God and Thank you for all your contributions. The post received 31 comments from friends, family and well wishers.

All our prayers have been answered! The Almightys work is slow but sure! one poster wrote. So glad that this ordeal is over. Welcome home! another poster wrote.

In November this year, five Muslim men returned to Trinidad after being detained in Venezuela since March 2014 on terrorism charges. The charges were subsequently changed to intention to commit espionage and commit a criminal act.

In October this year a judge passed a guilty verdict and sentence of two years, six months and 25 days but they were released after it was determined they had already served this time.
Get the news faster.

Tap to install our app. Access Newser even faster.

Click here to install our app on your desktop.

X
(Newser)  While the rest of us are ringing in the New Year with a chambong (that's a beer bong for champagne), the night sky will be welcoming 2017 with a comet. CBS News reports Comet 45P, aka Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova, will appear near the crescent moon on Saturday night. The comet, which appears every five years, will pass by the Earth at a distance of more than 7 million miles, which is actually fairly close, astronomically speaking, according to EarthSky. Amateur astronomers will need to use powerful binoculars or a telescope and look to the west just after sunset to catch a glimpse of 45Pthough the comet can be difficult to spot even for professionals. (Read more comet stories.)
(Newser)  William Christopher, the actor best known for his role as the gentle "Father Mulcahy" in MASH, has died at the age of 84, his rep confirms to People. Christopher's son, John Christopher, tells KABC that his father died at his home in Pasadena, Calif., after a battle with non-small cell lung cancer. "[He was] not in pain, he went peacefully," the rep tells People, noting that Christopher had been diagnosed about a year and a half ago and that his health had declined "about a week ago," sending the actor into hospice care the day after Christmas.

Christopher's most famous character was a Roman Catholic priest, though the actor was Methodist in real life, per TMZ, which adds he got the gig on MASH after an audition that floored producers with a "rambling ad lib." The Los Angeles Times notes he played Father Mulcahy from 1972 to 1983, then again from 1983 to 1985 in the spinoff After MASH. John Christopher says his dad was somewhat like Father Mulcahy, telling the Times "he was a very sensitive man. He was a very thoughtful person." Christopher also had roles on such shows as Hogan's Heroes, Gomer Pyle, USMC, and The Love Boat, and he supplied voice-overs for the cartoon The Smurfs. Christopher is survived by his wife, Barbara, and his two sons, John and Ned. (Read more obituary stories.)
(Newser)  Heavily armed police have been blocking the snowy street in front of Istanbul's Reina nightclub, where a gunman said to have been dressed as Santa killed at least 39 people and wounded almost 70 during New Year's Eve celebrations, the AP reports. Istanbul's governor says the attacker, armed with a long-barreled weapon, killed a policeman and a civilian outside the popular Reina club at around 1:15am local time before entering and firing on people partying inside. Mehmet Dag, 22, was passing by the club and says he saw the suspect shoot the officer and a bystander. "I was in shock at the scene," he says. "Once he went in, we don't know what happened. There were gun sounds and after two minutes, the sound of an explosion." Cellphone footage filmed by Dag and seen by the AP shows a cop lying on the ground outside the club, then a woman. Footage shows ambulances and the lights of an Istanbul bridge when the sound of gunfire rings out inside.

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said Sunday that of the victims identified so far, 15 were foreign nationals. He said the attacker was still at large. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has condemned the attack, noting in a written statement Sunday: "I vehemently condemn the terror attack in Istanbul's Ortakoy neighborhood in the first hours of 2017." Condolences from around the world are arriving, with a White House National Security Council rep saying the attack on "innocent revelers" celebrating New Year's shows the attackers' savagery. German Chancellor Angela Merkel notes "terrorists ... have carried out an inhumane and devious attack on people who wanted to celebrate the New Year together," while Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a message to Erdogan it's "hard to imagine a more cynical crime than killing innocent people during New Year celebrations." (Read more Turkey stories.)
(Newser)  For those already cynical about how Disney will probably "shamelessly [CGI] Carrie Fisher's face into episode IX," as one Twitter user noted last week, another possible reason to be cynical: Disney could actually be reaping quite a windfall from Fisher's death, the New York Post reports. The company took out an insurance policy just in case Fisher couldn't complete her contract for Star Wars episodes VII, VIII, and IX, and if it does indeed pay out its $50 million value, it will be the largest single personal accident insurance claim of all time, per Insurance Insider. Fisher had already finished filming for Episode VIII at the time of her death, and her character was to be a major part of Episode IX. (Read more Carrie Fisher stories.)
(Newser)  A man broke into a house in southeastern Brazil where his ex-wife was ringing in the New Year and shot and killed her, their son, and at least 10 other people before taking his own life, military police said Sunday. The man was carrying "several firearms," when he attacked the family in Campinas, about 60 miles from Sao Paulo, according to Cpl. Marta Aurelia. Thirteen people were killed, including the man's ex-wife, the couple's 8-year-old boy, and other family members. Aurelia wasn't sure if that total included the gunman. Another three people were wounded.

At least one of those wounded escaped by running to a neighbor's house, the AP reports. Neighbor Christiano Machado said he heard the shots a little before midnight but assumed they were fireworks. "When we opened the gate to go into the street to see the fireworks, the celebrations, a wounded person came into our yard. He entered, asking for help," he said in a video posted on the G1 news portal. (Read more Brazil stories.)
Sorry!

This content is not available in your region
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:

Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor has hailed superstar Aamir Khan's recent release 'Dangal' and compared him with legendary actor-filmmaker Raj Kapoor for his performance in the movie.

Aamir Khan is seen playing the role of renowned wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat in 'Dangal', who went beyond the societal norms to make his daughters world champions.

Rishi took it to micro-blogging site Twitter to praise 'Dangal' and Aamir said he is the Raj Kapoor of the present generation.

aAamir Khan, saw Dangal. For me, you are the new Raj Kapoor a actor, director, producer, showman of our times. Absolutely wonderful. God bless you,a Rishi wrote.

A

@aamir_khan Saw "Dangal"For me you are the new Raj Kapoor-actor,director,producer, showman of our times. Absolutely wonderful.God Bless you! a Rishi Kapoor (@chintskap) December 31, 2016

Ever since 'Dangal' has hit the theatres, the movie has been heaping praises from all over the world.

The movie has done a phenomenal business of Rs 216.12 crore within a week of its release.

While the entire team is overwhelmed with the success of the movie, Aamir, in one of his interviews, stated that it is very special moment for them as people are owning 'Dangal'.

"They feel itas their film. Itas very heartwarming and reassuring and makes us all feel very special," Aamir was quoted as saying.

For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

The trailer of Vishal Bhardwaj's upcoming directorial 'Rangoon' will be out on January 6.

'Rangooon' happens to be an intense love traingle with a back drop of World War II.

It features Shahid Kapoor, Kangana Ranaut and Saif Ali Khan in key roles.

While the makers have made an attempt to keep everything about the movie under the wraps, a picture of Shahid from the sets of 'Rangoon' went viral on the internet, where the actor is seen as an army officer.

Besides, details of Kangana's character in the movie are also out. Kangana Ranaut is set to play Jaanbaaz Miss Julia, a 1940s action diva and will sport a Marilyn Monroe- like haircut.

Interestingly, while Shahid and Saif have worked with Vishal Bhardwaj earlier in their movie 'Omkara' and 'Haider', it is the first time Kangana has collaborated with the ace filmmaker.

'Rangoon' is scheduled to hit the screens on February 23 this year.

For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Rameswaram :

Directorate of Revenue Intelligence officials on Sunday seized 8.3 kg of gold biscuits, worth Rs 2.30 crore, allegedly smuggled from Sri Lanka, and detained one person in this connection near.

The seizure was made when a three-member team of seniorDRI officials from Madurai and Tuticorin, acting on a tip-off, intercepted a car and searched it on Madurai-Rameswaram highway at Nagatchi, about 40 km from here, police said.

They took into custody 31-year-old Mujibur Rahman, the lone occupant of the car who hails from Enmanmkondan village near Uchipuli. The gold biscuits had been allegedly smuggled from SriLanka and were being taken to Tiruchirappalli when DRI officials seized it, police said. The man along with the gold and the car had been taken toTuticorin for further investigation, they added.

Also Read: Income-Tax department exposes Kolkata-based bogus firm, seizes Rs 1.78 crore

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Rourkela:

District authorities sounded a high alert in Orissa's Rourkela as reports of bird flu poured in.

Following reports about H5N1 avian flu influenza, we are on high alert and are keeping a close watch on the development round the clock, Sundargarh Collector B S Punia said.

A team of experts will arrive from Bhubaneswar to takestock of the situation, he said.

A task force meeting comprising officials from the administration, health department, Rourkela Municipal Corporation and Rourkela Steel Plant was held to take stock of the situation, officials said.

As a precautionary measure, the administration has shut down Indira Gandhi Park, a major tourist destination in the city, for an indefinite period.

The decision was taken in view of the report about the presence of H5N1 virus received from National Institute of High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (NIHSAD) in Bhopal, Punia.

Sub-Divisional Medical Officer Pushpa Mishra advised people to use masks and report about any death of birds and also anyone feeling uneasy.

In the last one week, dead crows were found in the local Central Industrial Security Force colony.

Subsequently, three pelicans, two white ibis and one duckwere found dead in quick succession after which samples were sent to the Bhopal laboratory.

Meanwhile, a team led by joint director of disease control, B K Parida and a scientist arrived at Rourkela from Bhubaneswar. Four rapid response teams have been formed to keep an eye on the development here. The teams have been formed with experts drawn from different departments.

The Odisha government had on December 28 formally launched culling of chicken suspected to be affected by H5N1 virus at Keranga village under Khurda district.

The villagers also came forward to support the culling operation after they were made aware on the impact of the bird flu which may also affect human beings, according to Fisheries and Animal Resources Secretary B P Sethi.

Rourkela, Jan 1 (PTI) Bird flu was reported here, prompting the district authorities to sound a high alert. "Following reports about H5N1 avian flu influenza, we are on high alert and are keeping a close watch on the development round the clock," Sundargarh Collector B S Punia said. "A team of experts will arrive from Bhubaneswar to takestock of the situation," he said. A task force meeting comprising officials from the administration, health department, Rourkela Municipal Corporation and Rourkela Steel Plant was held to take stock of the situation, officials said. As a precautonary measure, the administration has shut down Indira Gandhi Park, a major tourist destination in the city, for an indefinite period. The decision was taken in view of the report about the presence of H5N1 virus received from National Institute of High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (NIHSAD) in Bhopal, Punia. Sub-Divisional Medical Officer Pushpa Mishra advised people to use masks and report about any death of birds and also anyone feeling uneasy. In the last one week, dead crows were found in the local Central Industrial Security Force colony. Subsequently, three pelicans, two white ibis and one duckwere found dead in quick succession after which samples were sent to the Bhopal laboratory. Meanwhile, a team led by joint director of disease control, B K Parida and a scientist arrived at Rourkela from Bhubaneswar. Four rapid response teams have been formed to keep an eye on the development here. The teams have been formed with experts drawn from different departments. The Odisha government had on December 28 formally launched culling of chicken suspected to be affected by H5N1 virus at Keranga village under Khurda district. The villagers also came forward to support the culling operation after they were made aware on the impact of the bird flu which may also affect human beings, according to Fisheries and Animal Resources Secretary B P Sethi. PTI COR SKN PR ASV KKB 01012023

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Kolkata:

The Income-Tax department has exposed a Kolkata-based bogus firm and seized unaccounted cash worth Rs 1.78 crore from its account at a private bank.

The money was deposited at Chowk branch of Axis bank in the account of a Kolkata-based firm Himadri Wincom Private Limited after the demonetisation move, said GR Nirwan, Assistant Director of IT (investigation).

A Varanasi-based local businessman Sudhir Rastogi and his wife Asha Rastogi were found registered as the firm's directors, he said. Sudhir?runs a business of makeup items and his annual income filed with the IT-department is around Rs 5-6 lakh.

During investigation, Rastogi denied any links with the deposited money in the bank account and has also given an affidavit to the I-T department in this regard.

He claimed that he had already quit the firm a year ago and had not deposited the cash in the bank. Following the suspicious transaction, IT department sealed the account and seized the unaccounted cash worth Rs1.78 crore out of total Rs 2.35 crore, deposited between November 10 to 29, said GR Nirwan, Assistant Director of IT(investigation).

He said the IT department went through the records of the firm and tried to find out its registered address in Kolkata, but could not find it there. They then traced the firm's directors who are presently residing in Varanasi and owns a shop.

He said, "the seized cash in the bank account is now considered as 'benami' after the denial of claim over the money by firms directors Sudhir Rastogi and his wife Asha Rastogi". He said the investigation in the case is further on and the Banks CCTV footage will be checked to find out who deposited money in the bank account and appropriate action would be taken.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Renewing its demand, India asked Pakistan for consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav, arrested on charges of espionage, and Nehal Ansari, who was caught for illegally entering the country from Afghanistan apparently to meet a girl he had befriended online.

India called for consular access to the two after it exchanged with Pakistan the lists of their citizens including civil prisoners and fishermen languishing in each others jails as per provisions of the bilateral Consular Access agreement.

The External Affairs Ministry said India remains committed to address on priority with Pakistan the humanitarian matters, including those pertaining to prisoners and fishermen in each others country.

In this context, we await from Pakistan confirmation of nationality of those in Indias custody who are otherwise eligible for release and repatriation.

We also await consular access to those Indian nationals in Pakistans custody for whom it has so far not been provided including Hamid Nehal Ansari and Kulbhushan Jadhav, the MEA said in a statement.

The Pakistani security forces had arrested Jadhav from Balochistan in March and alleged that he was a serving officer in the Indian Navy and deputed to the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

Jadhav has been accused by Pakistan of planning subversive activities in the country.

India has acknowledged that Jadhav had served with the navy but denied that he has any connection with the government.

Ansari, a Mumbai resident, had crossed over illegally to Pakistan from Afghanistan in 2012 reportedly to meet a girl he had befriended online and then went missing.

He was later arrested and tried by a Pakistani military court, which pronounced him guilty of espionage.

The agreement on Consular Access, signed on 21 May 2008, provides that a comprehensive list of nationals of each country lodged in other country's jails has to be exchanged twice each year, on January 1 and July 1.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Shillong:

Hailing Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu for officially joining BJP with 32 other legislators, the party's Meghalaya unit on Saturday said its effort to provide good governance will be rewarded in the northeast.

"First it was Assam that woke up from being misruled. Now it is Arunachal Pradesh. Manipur, Tripura, Meghalaya and Mizoram will soon elect the BJP to office," BJP state president Shibun Lyngdoh told PTI.

He said the trust that people have shown in the party has only increased under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "The party's bid to provide good governance and its seriousness in dealing with issues concerning the poor people will be rewarded," he said.

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu and 32 other MLAs of the PPA officially declared their joining the BJP on Saturday, making it the second state in the region where the party is in power. The Meghalaya BJP chief lauded the leadership in Arunachal Pradesh, saying that it is the people that stand to gain from his "foresight".

"We are proud that Khandu made the decision and the people of Arunachal Pradesh will benefit," Lyngdoh said.

He also hailed the BJP leadership for making it mandatory for Union Ministers to visit North East and hosting at least six of them, including the Prime Minister, this year.

"Their visit has boosted not only the party and its workers but people in general have started to change their negative opinion towards the party," he said. He alleged that the Congress has always spread rumours about the party affecting the opinion of the people in generl towards the BJP in the past.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) banned the use of disposal of plastics in Delhi and NCR on Friday to come to force from January 1st 2017.

The bench was headed by NGT Chairperson Swatanter Kumar gave directions for the enforcement of the ban.

A bench headed by NGT chairperson Swatanter Kumar, however, refused to shut down the Okhla waste-to-energy plant and issued a slew of directions for its eco-friendly operation along with two other plants at Gazipur and Bhalswa.

"We direct that the Okhla plant shall continue to operate subject to the order of the tribunal... All the corporations, DDA and other public authorities including NCT of Delhi are directed to take immediate steps for reduction and utilisation of dumped waste," the bench said.

Also Read: NGT bans disposable plastic in Delhi-NCR, refuses to shut down Okhla plant

Referring to the three dumping sites in Delhi -- Okhla, Gazipur and Bhalswa, the tribunal said, "Each of these sites is a depiction of mess that can be created for environment and health of people of Delhi."

It said, "We direct that use of disposable plastic is prohibited in entire NCT of Delhi. The Delhi government shall take steps for storage and use of plastic materials with effect from January 1, 2017."

The bench also constituted a joint inspection team comprising member secretaries of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), A senior scientist of the ministry of environment and forests along with an IIT Delhi professor, be nominated by the IIT director, directing it to file its report within six weeks and supervise and visit the plants once in two months.

The directions came on a plea filed by Sukhdev Vihar Residents Welfare Association praying for closure of waste-to-energy plant alleging that it uses illegal mass burning technology which causes air pollution.

The bench, while directing the plants to "strictly follow" the prescribed norms provided in the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act and the Solid Waste Management Rules 2016, said they will be fined Rs five lakh for non-compliance of directions and each pollution incident.

It also said that an environment compensation of Rs 10,000 will be imposed on the vegetable vendors and slaughter houses for throwing garbage in public places.

It directed the Delhi government to make operational the Shastri Park Waste Disposal Plant in six weeks after DPCC said it required an environmental clearance.

The government has also been asked to include a condition in all tenders for construction work that they will use the waste materials released by the plants for road construction.

(With PTI Input)

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Kolkata:

As TMC chief Mamata Banerjee virtually leads the opposition offensive against the Modi government on the note ban issue, her party Trinamool Congress made it clear on Sunday that it aspires to play a major role in formation of central government in 2019 and pledged not to stop despite the vendetta politics, as its leaders faced renewed heat over chit fund scams.

Addressing the 19th Foundation Day programme of TMC, its vice president Mukul Roy said the party will work to unite the opposition forces for the next general election.

As our party and our supremo Mamata Banerjee hadopposed the anti-people decision of demonetisation, vendettapolitics will intensify in days to come. But that cant stopTMC from opposing anti-people decision, Roy said.

We will not stop until and unless we play a decisiverole in national politics in days to come. In 2019, TMC will play a major role in government formation by unitingopposition forces, the senior TMC leader said.

Also Read: Mamata Banerjee alleges Modi govt of resorting to 'politics of vendetta'

His statement came just days after Trinamool Congress MP Tapas Pal was arrested by CBI for his alleged involvement in Rose Valley Chit Fund scam. CBI has accused the ponzi firm of duping investors of Rs 17,000 crore, of which Rs 450 crore is from Odisha alone. The company was active in Odisha and had 28 branches in the state.

He (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) can arrest all of our MPs, I do not care. This is nothing but vendetta politics. We will continue with our protest (against demonetisation), a furious Trinamool Congress supremo had said after the arrest. TMC leader in Lok Sabha Sudip Bandopadhyay too has been summoned by the central agency in the same case.

Party leader Madan Mitra was granted bail by a special court in September, after 21 months of his arrest for his alleged involvement in the Saradha chitfund scam. Suspended Trinamool Congress MP Kunal Ghosh is also out on bail in cases related to the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam.

Ghosh was suspended by the Trinamool Congress in September, 2013 for anti-party activities after he had started making allegations of involvement of some party leaders in the scam. Investigation into the ponzi scam, which came to light in 2013, revealed that the Saradha Group had allegedly cheated investors of Rs 1,200 crore in mainly rural areas, as per an official estimate.

The CBI had taken over the investigation in June, 2014 following an order of the Supreme Court. TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who has been opposing demonetisation and demanding its roll back since the beginning, led protests in Delhi besides holding meetings in Lucknow and Patna.

Started on 1 January 1998 by people of Bengal, Trinamool turns 19 today. We rededicate ourselves to be with the people, for the people, by the people, Banerjee said in a tweet on Sunday.Banerjee, who was baptized into politics through herstint in Congress first as youth Congress leader and then asMP, floated her party Trinamool Congress in 1998 following differences with Congress. Her party won for the second consecutive time in 2015 in West Bengal Assembly polls.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
London:

Minister in charge of security Ben Wallace warned that the Islamic State (ISIS)Islamic State terror group is plotting mass casualty chemical attacks against Britain. The senior UK minister said that Islamic State had used chemical weapons in Syria and Iraq and intelligence chiefs believe it has an aspiration to use them in Britain.

In an interview with The Sunday Times, Wallace said security chiefs had recently carried out exercises to deal with what he called the countrys worst fear.

He said: The ambition of IS (ISIS) or Daesh is definitely mass-casualty attacks. They want to harm as many people as possible and terrorise as many people as possible. They have no moral objection to using chemical weapons against populations, and if they could, they would in this country.

The casualty figures that could be involved would be everybodys worst fear. We have certainly seen reports of them using it in Syria and Iraq (and) we have certainly seen aspirations for it in Europe, he said.

The minister said the UKs security services and the police carried out exercises to deal with terrorist attacks by lone wolves and marauding gunmen as well as mass-casualty attacks. He oversaw one exercise by the fire service in northwest England to deal with chemical decontamination after an attack.

Other major exercises included a simulated attack on Canary Wharf in east London part of Operation Strong Tower on a conference venue in Birmingham and on the Trafford Centre shopping arcade in Manchester, he told the newspaper.

As proof of ISIS chemical attack ambitions, Wallace pointed to the arrest in February of an ISIS cell in Morocco.Moroccan authorities dismantled a cell involving chemical weapons. They recovered toxic chemical and biological substances and a large stock of fertiliser. The substances found could have been used to produce homemade explosives and could have been transformed into a deadly toxin, he said.

Wallace warned that as ISIS was driven out of its strongholds in the Middle East, returning terrorists would pose a growing threat to Britain. About 800 Britons went to fight in Syria and just under half have returned. Around 100 have been killed. In 2015 a further 150 were prevented from travelling tothe war zone. Wallace said the figure for 2016 would be verysimilar.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Jerusalem:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spoken on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the conflict in Syria and continued security cooperation, his office said.

The talks came as the 15-member UN Security Council unanimously voted to back a Russian-Turkish peace plan for a ceasefire in Syria and the launch of new peace talks for the war-wracked country.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this evening... spoke by telephone with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the premiers office said in a statement yesterday.

The two leaders discussed developments in the region, with emphasis on Syria and continued security coordination in this sphere, which has already proven itself in preventing misunderstandings, it added.

During a visit to Moscow in April, Netanyahu discussed with Putin military cooperation between the two countries aimed at preventing confrontations between their warplanes in Syrian airspace.

In June, Netanyahu visited Moscow again and talks with Putin centred on the implementation of these arrangements, the premiers office said at the time.

Russia is a key ally of the Syrian government and has been fighting to bolster the Damascus regime since last year.

Along with Turkey, which backs the armed opposition, they brokered a ceasefire across Syria that entered its second day yesterday and held despite sporadic clashes in parts of the country.

Moscow and Ankara also say the truce aims to pave the way for peace negotiations later next month in Kazakhstan, also organised by Syria regime ally Iran.

Turkey and Russia have said the talks in the Kazakh capital Astana aim to supplement UN-backed peace efforts, not replace them.

Israel is opposed to the Syrian government and has sought to limit its involvement in the conflict.

But Israel has carried out sporadic sorties against the militant Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah, which is fighting alongside the Syrian regime.

Israel fought a devastating war with the Iran-backed Hezbollah in 2006.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Washington:

The White House condemned the act of savagery of one gunman in Istanbul who killed at least 35 people and wounded 40 others as they celebrated the New Year, calling the attack horrific.

The gunman reportedly dressed as Santa Claus shot dead a policeman and a civilian at the entrance to the Reina nightclub, one of the citys most exclusive party venues, before going on a shooting rampage inside, according to the authorities.

NTV television said many party-goers threw themselves into the Bosphorus in panic after the attack and efforts were under way to rescue them from the waters.

The United States condemns in the strongest terms the horrific terrorist attack at a nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey, which has left dozens dead and many more wounded, National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

That such an atrocity could be perpetrated upon innocent revellers, many of whom were celebrating New Years Eve, underscores the savagery of the attackers.

Price added: We reaffirm the support of the United States for Turkey, our NATO ally, in our shared determination to confront and defeat all forms of terrorism

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
By Press Trust of India: Gandhinagar, Jan 1 (PTI) Representatives of more than 80 countries will be participating in the five-day Vibrant Gujarat Global Trade Show which will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 9.

Gujarat Revenue Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama today told reporters that Presidents of Kenya and Rawanda, Prime Ministers of Portugal and Serbia, deputy Prime Ministers of Russia and Poland, and ministers of Sweden and Japan are also likely to be here to participate at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit.

advertisement

"We have 1,500 representatives from eighty countries participating in the trade show which will be inaugurated by PM Modi on January 9. The show will have two parts -- on January 10 and 11, there will be business seminars, and on January 12 and 13, the exhibition will be open for visitors," Chudasama said.

The pavilions at the trade show, to be held at the exhibition ground here, will have industries from various sectors like automobiles, agro and food, aerospace and defence, energy and petrochemicals, environment, health care, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, among others, said Chudasama.

"Special focus has been given to international organisations, women entrepreneurs, MSME and start-ups. We have offered discount between 50 and 90 per cent to women entrepreneurs, start-ups and MSMEs. In all, around 1,500 entities will participate," he said, adding, around 15-20 lakh people are expected to visit the trade show.

"Demonetisation has had no effect on bookings, especially by MSMEs which have responded very well. We have adopted revenue neutral approach for deciding on rates," principal secretary, tourism, S J Haider said. PTI KA PJT RMT ANB

--- ENDS ---
By Press Trust of India: From Sajjad Hussain

Islamabad, Jan 1 (PTI) Pakistans new army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has been invited by Afghan leaders to visit the war-torn country and work together for regional peace.

The invitation was extended on the New Year eve when General Bajwa reached the Afghan leaders over telephone.

Army spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor said in a tweet that General Bajwa called Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and "conveyed best wishes for 2017 and pledged to work together for peace in the region".

advertisement

He also said that "peace in both countries is in greater interest of the region".

"Afghan leadership invited COAS for a visit to Afghanistan," Ghafoor said in the tweet.

It was, however, not known when General Bajwa will pay the visit which would be his first since taking over charge of the Pakistan Army in November.

The development comes amid tensions between the two countries over militant attacks in Afghanistan. PTI SH SUA SAI

--- ENDS ---
8 years under our 1st Muslim President

Remember when President Bill Clinton was called Americas first black president? Obviously, it wasnt because he was black. But Clinton had an affinity for black people, and his actions were beneficial to blacks (or so they thought). Hence the branding as Americas first black president. The tag stuck.

Well dont look now, but I believe Obama has earned the right to be called, Americas first Muslim president.

(Article by Wayne Allyn Root, republished from WND.com)

What would you call a president who betrays Israel in his last days in office, by abstaining from a United Nations vote criticizing Israel, an action no president in the history of America has ever allowed to happen? [1]

What would you call a president who might have secretly orchestrated the U.N. vote to embarrass Israel? Dont look now, but Israel says they have proof that the entire U.N. vote condemning Israel was orchestrated by Obama. [2]

What would you call a president who refused to ever say the words Islamic terror in eight years in office, for fear he might offend Muslims?

What would you call a president who refused to meet with Israels prime minister during a U.S. visit, but found time to meet with head of a Muslim country (Qatar) that supports terrorism during that same week? [3]

I dont live in Obamas head. I dont know whats in his heart. I dont know where his true loyalties lie  although he did say in his own autobiography, Ill always stand with the Muslims. But I know he calls himself a Christian. So lets take him at his word  Obama is a Christian. But his actions certainly brand him as overly sympathetic to the Muslim cause.

Just like white Bill Clinton being branded as Americas first black president, Obama certainly has done enough to damage Israel and help Muslims to deserve that moniker Americas first Muslim president.

Here are a few remarkable actions to remember Obama by:

Obama has spent eight long years purposely leaving the border wide open, even though Muslim terror cells are surely entering the USA hidden amongst the hordes of illegals from Mexico and Central America.

Obama has handed out green cards to an unimaginable 1 million migrants from Muslim countries. [4]

He is a man who desperately wanted to rush the process of importing more Muslims refugees into the U.S. even though his own FBI chief and homeland security chief warned publicly we could not properly vet them.

Obama didnt just purposely import 1 million Muslims into America; he has accelerated the pace dramatically in his final days in office. Why? Whats the rush?

Of the Syrian refugees Obama brought into the USA this year, over 99 percent are Muslims. Christians are being persecuted every day, yet Obama allowed only 23 Christians among those thousands of Syrians. Not 23 percent. TWENTY-THREE total. [5]

Obama remarkably brought in twice the number of immigrants from Muslim nations versus European nations. [6]

Obama cut $2.6 billion in funding for U.S. veterans (aka heroes), while at the same time adding $4.5 billion to the budget to relocate Syrian refugees to America. Who would do something like this? [7]

Obama was obsessed with disarming Americans, at the exact same time he armed Muslim terrorists. Remember he recently handed back to the terrorist state Iran $150 billion PLUS interest (they didnt even ask for) to buy weapons that will be used to murder Americans, Israelis and other Westerners.

Obama actually claimed that terrorists have legitimate grievances. [8]

Obama refused to use the word Muslim at a terrorism summit. [9]

But remarkably Obama opened that same terrorism summit with a Muslim prayer. [9]

Obama claimed Islam has been woven into our countrys fabric from the first days of America, even though there were no Muslims in America from the first day.

Obama ordered his attorney general to scrub the transcript of the last words of the Orlando terrorist who murdered 49 gay Americans to hide his pledge of loyalty to Allah and ISIS. Did you know that?

Obama is the man who refused to place the U.S. flag at the White House at half-mast for almost a week after a terror attack at a U.S. military base. He only gave in after Donald Trump lowered the flags at his buildings and resorts.

You couldnt make this stuff up in a fiction movie. Youd be laughed out of Hollywood.

Obamas actions are revolting, embarrassing and insulting. But more importantly, theyve been telling.

Obamas actions qualify him to be called 

Americas first Muslim president.

Read more at: WND.com

Source:

[1] BloomBerg.com

[2] FoxNews.com

[3] TheBlaze.com

[4] BreitBart.com

[5] CNSNews.com

[6] FrontPageMag.com

[7] TownHall.com

[8] NYPost.com

[9] DCClothesline.com

Submit a correction >>
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Peter Gioia had high hopes for Connecticuts job growth prospects in 2016.

Late in 2015, the Connecticut Business and Industry Associations chief economist predicted job growth of 18,000 to 20,000 positions. With 11 months in the books  December numbers will be announced in mid-January  state employment numbers are falling well short of that optimistic prognostication, having gained only 1,400 positions since January. Thats a growth rate of .1 percent.

The yearly job growth rate for the U.S. overall is 1.5 percent.

I dont have a predicted number (for 2017) yet, Gioia said. But I have to think well see some reasonable growth based on conversations Ive had with employers. I think that bodes well for 2017. But I have to think it through before I put out a number. Ive talked to other economists and were all struggling with this.

Connecticuts 2016 job growth numbers offer a mixed bag of results. The number of positions gained since January remains largely flat. The state has still recovered only 72 percent of the jobs lost since the Great Recession. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate has fallen from 5.5 percent in January to 4.7 percent in November.

Many economists are quick to point out that the unemployment rate does not account for discouraged job seekers who are no longer looking for work. It also does not include part-time workers who are seeking full-time employment.

Employment growth has stalled in Connecticut, Nick Perna, economic advisor to Webster Bank, said. Were the slowpoke compared to our neighbors.

Don Klepper-Smith, chief economist and director of research at DataCore and economic advisor to Farmington Bank, added: The labor market is coming back inch by inch, not yard by yard.

Connecticuts job numbers pale in comparison to nearby states such as Massachusetts, which has recovered more than 200 percent of the jobs lost during the recession and has an unemployment rate of 2.9 percent. Rhode Islands November unemployment rate remains relatively high at 5.4, but it has added 3,739 jobs since January.

Massachusetts has a 260 percent recovery rate. It has a stronger sense of fiscal discipline and better economic development policies, Klepper-Smith said. Massachusetts is hitting on all cylinders and Connecticut has been sputtering for a while. We have a labor market under stress.

Klepper-Smith said that if Connecticut continues to grow jobs at its current pace, it will be 2019 before the state fully recovers all of the jobs it lost during the recession. That, he added, is assuming status quo in the national economy, which is not likely to happen.

We are at risk for another recession, he said. Theres a better than 50-50 chance well see another domestic recession and were not going to get a full recovery.

Klepper-Smith pointed to two cures to help aid Connecticuts job growth ills.

Job number one is restoring business confidence. Were creating a business environment that is not conducive to growing business. In fact, you can make the argument that is it antagonistic to business, he said. Getting stronger fiscal discipline is also important. State spending is out of control. We cant continue to bond and borrow. We face a $1.3 billion budget deficit and you cant continue to tax business to close it. Businesses are raising concerns about the long-term fiscal health (of the state).

Perna said the budget poses a tricky situation because, with slow job growth, tax receipts are not coming.

He added that stagnant job growth impacts the economy in a variety of ways.

Its hard to sell a house. Thats reflective of slow job growth, he said. Jobs and income drive investments like that.

When the 2017 state legislative session begins on Jan. 4, local lawmakers will be bringing ideas to Hartford on how to spur job growth.

David Arconti Jr., D-Danbury, said investing money into the states cities, especially as it relates to transit oriented districts, will induce population and job growth. Younger professionals, he said, are looking for areas to live, work and shop without having to drive.

We need to invest in places like Stamford, Danbury, Bridgeport, New Haven and Hartford, he said. Cities are the key to our future. In order to get the growth we want we have to do things differently.

Bob Godfrey, D-Danbury, wants the state to create a public-private angel investor program for small businesses. Job growth, he said, is greater with start-ups and small businesses than with large corporations.

Similar programs, such as the states Small Business Express Program, have been successful, Godrey said.

Building on this proven success is the way to go, he said.

Godrey said he will also introduce legislation that aims to improve workforce development in the state. That includes upgrades to the states technical high schools and community colleges.

Preparing future workers for jobs in manufacturing is music to Gioias ears. He said based on discussions he has had with owners of manufacturing companies, the problem is not a lack of job opportunities, but rather a lack of qualified workers to fill those that are available.

Im convinced if 10,000 manufacturing workers parachuted into Connecticut overnight, theyd all find work, Gioia said. The community college programs have expanded and thats great, but they can expand three times more and there would still be a need.

cbosak@hearstmediact.com; 203-731-3338
Keralite appointed to top military post in Kyrgyzstan

United Arab Emirates,Defence/Security,Diaspora, Sun, 01 Jan 2017 IANS

Dubai, Jan 1 (IANS) A Saudi-based entrepreneur of Indian origin has assumed a top position in the defence department of Kyrgyzstan, the media reported.

Sheikh Rafik Mohammed, a Keralite, was appointed Major General by Kyrgyzstan Defence Minister Ali Mirza at an official ceremony in the Central Asian country, said a report in the Khaleej Times on Saturday.

This could be the first time a Keralite has been included in top military leadership of a foreign country. "It is a rare military position occupied by an overseas Keralite," said Rafik's media adviser Omar Abu Baker.

Rafik, who also holds Kyrgyzstan nationality, worked as an adviser to the former President Kurmanbek Saliyevich Bakiyev (2005-2010) whom he met in Iran where the young Indian entrepreneur was developing a major steel plant.

As an economic diplomat, Rafiq played a key role in attracting foreign investment from many countries to the nation by suggesting easy tax regimes that kept away foreign investors till then.

From there, he was invited by Saudi Arabia to develop some projects on the free zone model of Dubai.

"Rafik had left Kerala at a young age and he could complete only his primary school education. He went to Mumbai where the young man learnt all the tricks of business and from there to the Middle East. He has worked in the UAE, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Kyrgyzstan," his media adviser added.

--IANS

soni/vt
India, Pakistan exchange lists of nuclear sites

Delhi,National,Indo-Pak/Pakistan,Defence/Security,Diplomacy, Sun, 01 Jan 2017 IANS

New Delhi, Jan 1 (IANS) India and Pakistan on Sunday exchanged lists of their nuclear installations and facilities.

"This is the 26th consecutive exchange of such lists between the two countries, the first one having taken place on January 1, 1992," the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

The agreement on the Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear Installations between India and Pakistan was signed on December 31, 1988 and entered into force on January 27, 1991.

Since then, the two countries inform each other of nuclear installations and facilities to be covered under the agreement on every January 1.

Both countries also exchanged lists of nationals (including civilian prisoners and fishermen) of each country lodged in jails of the other one.

"India remains committed to addressing with Pakistan on priority the humanitarian matters, including those pertaining to prisoners and fishermen in each other's country," the statement said.

"In this context, we await from Pakistan confirmation of nationality of those in India's custody who are otherwise eligible for release and repatriation," it said.

--IANS

rs/py/mr
Wife of murdered Greek ambassador jailed in Brazil

Brazil,Crime/Disaster/Accident,Diplomacy, Sun, 01 Jan 2017 IANS

Rio de Janeiro, Jan 1 (IANS) The wife of the murdered Greek ambassador to Brazil has been jailed after being accused of masterminding his killing in a suburb here.

A Rio court on Saturday ordered Francoise Amiridis, the 40-year-old Brazilian to be placed in provisional custody for 30 days. She had been married to Kyriakos Amiridis for 15 years and they had a 10-year-old daughter, Xinhua news agency reported.

Rio police said she had been jailed in a feminine wing of Bangu prison, the largest in the city.

Francoise was arrested on Friday, along with a policeman who has an affair with Francoise and is suspected of having murdered the ambassador.

The policeman's cousin was also arrested for involvement in the case.

They confessed Francoise offered them 80,000 reais ($24,400) for the murder.

Kyriakos Amiridis, 59, was found dead in a burnt car below a bridge in Novo Iguacu, a northern suburb of Rio, on Thursday.

Greece's Foreign Ministry on Saturday said the death of Amiridis was tragic.

"We express our deepest sorrow at the tragic death of ambassador Amiridis who throughout his diplomatic career served Greece conscientiously and responsibly," the ministry said in a statement.

The 59-year-old diplomat assumed duties as Greece's ambassador to Brazil in January 2016. He had served in Rio de Janeiro as consul from 2001 to 2004, it said.

--IANS

py/
While the Samajwadi Party is on a spree of suspensions and expulsions of the same, it would be interesting to see who among Mulayam and Akhilesh will keep the party's symbol in upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections.

By Prabhash K Dutta: Mulayam Singh Yadav was a wrestler before he entered politics under the influence of socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia.

Now, his son and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav is wrestling with him for political control of Samajwadi Party- which Mulayam Singh Yadav founded after the Janata Dal experiment failed in 1992.

In a national convention meeting called by Ram Gopal Yadav- who has been expelled and re-inducted multiple times in recent months from the SP- Akhilesh Yadav was elected as the national president of the party by voice vote.

advertisement

This came as a political coup within the Samajwadi Party as the Akhilesh-Ram Gopal combine unseated Mulayam Singh Yadav as president of the party he founded and controlled till now.

Also Read| Samajwadi Sonrise: Akhilesh Yadav replaces Mulayam, Shivpal sacked, Amar expelled

LEGALITY OF NATIONAL CONVENTION

The Samajwadi Party's constitution provides that a national convention can be called by the president.

If any other member wants to convene the meeting of the highest body of the party, the person 'will give it to the president in writing' saying that he 'will be free to call such a meeting should the president fails to act.'

MUST READ: From India Today magazine - Building brand Akhilesh

The above two conditions were not met, when Ram Gopal Yadav called the national convention meeting. Mulayam Singh Yadav correctly called the meeting unconstitutional.

Mulayam Singh also shot off a letter to the Election Commission saying that election of Akhilesh Yadav as Samajwadi Party president by the national convention was not valid.

(Constitution of Samajwadi Party )

WHAT NEXT

Uttar Pradesh is inching towards assembly elections, where both factions of the Samajwadi Party are likely to put up their separate candidates- provided another miraculous compromise is not arrived at.

The import of Mulayam Singh's letter to the Election Commission is that he wants to keep the election symbol of the Samajwadi Party.

But, having been elected as the president of Samajwadi Party in the national convention attended by about 5,000 members, Akhilesh Yadav is sure to stake his claim over the same election symbol.

Also Read| Samajwadi coup: Akhilesh Yadav, Ram Gopal unseat party supremo Mulayam Singh with 4 proposals

WHAT WILL EC DO

There is a defined process if the two factions approach the Election Commission staking claim over the same party and symbol.

The Election Commission examines the strength of both the factions in a quasi-judicial process. It judges the support base among the national executive members, MLAs, MPs or the candidates for each faction.

Over the last two days, Akhilesh Yadav has shown that he has the numbers. More than 200 MLAs reportedly attended the meeting called by the Chief Minister after he was expelled from the party.

advertisement

The attendance of MLAs was thin in the legislators' meet called by Mulayam Singh Yadav and Shivpal Yadav the same day. This, insiders say, prompted Mulayam Singh Yadav to revoke suspension of Akhilesh Yadav and Ram Gopal Yadav on Saturday.

Even on Sunday, several senior leaders including Mulayam Singh loyalist and Rajya Sabha MP Naresh Agarwal attended and supported elevation of Akhilesh Yadav as the national president of the Samajwadi Party at the national convention.

Also Read| Clamour for Akhilesh as SP national president, Mulayam Singh as 'Sanrakshak'

This show of strength may benefit Akhilesh Yadav at the Election Commission but it is likely to take time during which the election symbol of the party- Bicycle- will be frozen and unavailable for use.

And, even if the matter is settled by the Election Commission before the assembly polls, the other side can challenge the decision in the court of law.

There are reports that the Akhilesh faction is ready for this symbol battle and is in negotiation with the Samajwadi Janata Party of late prime minister Chandrashekhar.

advertisement

MEANWHILE

Mulayam Singh Yadav convened the meeting of central parliamentary board of the Samajwadi Party- attended by UP minister Azam Khan among few others- and expelled Ram Gopal Yadav once again.

Mulayam Singh Yadav also expelled Naresh Agarwal and Kiranmaya Nanda for attending the 'unconstitutional' meeting called by Ram Gopal Yadav and electing Akhilesh Yadav as Samajwadi Party president.

As things stand now, it is not clear who is legally heading the Samajwadi Party while there is little doubt that Akhilesh Yadav has wrested control from his father Mualaym Singh Yadav.

Watch the video here

ALSO READ:

Akhilesh at big Samajwadi meet: Ready to do whatever it takes to save my family, party

Samajwadi feud: Mulayam watches as Akhilesh Yadav wins, Shivpal bruised again

Is Mulayam Singh fighting to save family as Akhilesh vies for Samajwadi Party?

--- ENDS ---
Head in cashless sand, as global events pass India by (Comment: Special to IANS)

Delhi,National,Opinion/Commentary,Diplomacy, Sun, 01 Jan 2017 IANS

While New Delhi is busy with the demonetisation upheaval, it may find itself paces too slow in coping with the new strategic dynamic engulfing the region.

Neither Kabul nor New Delhi can be sanguine about the high-level meeting in Moscow on Afghanistan to which China and Pakistan were invited. This follows Moscow's declaration that it does not consider Taleban as the enemy. In fact, Afghan Taleban can be allies against Al Qaeda and the Islamic State.

A piqued Ahmad Shekib Mostaghni, spokesman for the Afghan Foreign Ministry, said "even if such talks are organised with goodwill, they cannot yield substantial results because there is no one from the Afghan side to brief the participants about the latest ground realities".

New Delhi, preoccupied otherwise, has not reacted to the Moscow meet. Apparently, the Russians took the Indian Foreign Office into confidence that "it was only about the internal situation in Afghanistan". Russians are concerned about the rise of the Islamic State in Afghanistan, a diplomatic source said.

Does New Delhi accept Moscow's anxieties about ISIS in Afghanistan? And does it go along with Moscow and Beijing's evaluation that Taleban are possible allies against the more infectious ISIS? But Washington has invested blood and treasure fighting the Taleban for 14 years. Is New Delhi at a trijunction?

In diplomacy, friendly gestures come with disguised ambiguity. With the Trump Presidency, a new chapter may be opening in US-Moscow relations. In preparation for this phase, Moscow would like to retain some pressure points to determine the pace of new equations. Kabul may be one such pressure point.

Should Trump turn upon Tehran over the nuclear deal, there is something in the Afghan cauldron for Iran to stir too.

So, the New Year begins with many new events to juggle with. Of the scattered scratches on my mind that 2016 leaves behind, the deepest one was etched in New York. At my friend's DUMBO loft in Brooklyn on the night of November 8, an assortment of friends from every walk of life, left champagne bottles uncorked because the ground from under their feet moved when Hillary Clinton lost.

If you make Bernie Sanders impossible, I said then, you make Trump inevitable.

American exceptionalism notwithstanding, the popular mood globally across liberal democracies was the same -- a disgust with establishments foisted on them by globalisation and crony capitalism.

The assault on the establishment has come from the Left as well as the Right. Establishments, like the skilled matador, have deflected the people to the Right. This is their preferred fallback position. Hence, No to Bernie Sanders. Yes, to Trump. And now they are beating their breasts!

Well, let it be recorded, the American establishment did try to write itself into the script too. Clinton, after all, was nothing if not the establishment. Yes, people think I am untrustworthy. Yes, they think I am dishonest. Yes, I goofed in Benghazi... but still vote for me because Russians have hacked into my email. Bill Clinton went one better. Did I not tell you, he said to an interviewer, that Boris Yeltsin was a much better President than Putin.

Who knows the new Trump team from Forbes Who's Who may reassert an old motto: the Business of America is Business. This encourages one to conclude that Trump would like to restore America as the land of unvarnished capitalism minus the hegemonic distortions, one which has made the US the world's most hated nation even in influential enclaves of Europe.

Whatever else Trump may achieve, will he ever succeed in weaning away the Occupy Wall Street youth Bernie Sanders had mobilised? If not, he will begin to look like a semi finalist until the next elections in 2020.

Establishments may be able to channelise popular preference away from the Left, once or twice, but they cannot make a habit of it.

Ultimately, all speculations will be tempered by a Realpolitik, like the one opening up to India's north. Counter-moves will come as soon as Trump finds his feet in the White House. As he surveys the scene from the Oval office, he will notice a new bounce in the Russian tread in Islamabad, Beijing, Damascus, Ankara, Manila, Kuala Lampur.

To be counted among Putin's possible friends could well be French Presidential candidate, Francois Fillon, who defeated Nicolas Sarkozy in recent Republican party elections. Trump has already held out his hand to Putin. How firmly will he clasp it? And will the clasp last over Afghanistan too? Will New Delhi have respite from the unfolding demonetisation drama to attend to all of this?

(Saeed Naqvi is a commentator on political and diplomatic affairs. The views expressed are personal. He can be reached on saeednaqvi@hotmail.com)

--IANS

sac/
Violent lone-wolf attacks in Europe likely to rise, say terrorism experts

Delhi,National,Terrorism, Sun, 01 Jan 2017 IANS

New Delhi, Jan 1 (IANS) Two events in the last fortnight brought into sharp focus the changing threat perception on terrorism that global security forces are now grappling with -- lone-wolf attacks.

On December 19, the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, was shot dead in front of television cameras by Mevlut Mert Altintas, an off-duty Turkish riot policeman, who was protesting against Russian action in Syria. The same day, a man ploughed a lorry into a Christmas market crowd in Berlin leaving 12 dead.

The attacks were carried out by "lone-wolf" perpetrators or self-driven attackers without any organisational backing or affiliation.

The Berlin attack was the second one in which a truck had been used as a deadly weapon by an individual. On July 14, a person drove a truck into a Bastille Day crowd in Nice, France, killing 86 people.

Four days later, an Afghan asylum seeker stabbed five people on a train near Wurzburg, Germany. On July 24, a Syrian refugee blew himself up outside a music festival in the German city of Ansbach, wounding 15 people.

Individuals acting on their own, but inspired by a common religious ideology, have emerged as a new trend in extremist violence.

"Lone wolf attacks will continue as these are the easiest to execute and most difficult to monitor in terms of intelligence," Lt. Gen. (retd) Ata Hasnain, former commander of Srinagar-based 15 Corps and a leading expert on terrorism, told IANS.

The possibility of stopping any attack by any individual, who is not on the watch list of intelligence agencies and who does not use traditional weapons and explosives, is very low.

Although an angry German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, said after the Berlin truck attack that the "unspeakable event will be severely punished", it's not an easy task. Often, the attacker is dead: There is no ring to be wound up or other members to be arrested or any conspiracy to be discovered.

Many of the lone-wolf attackers in Europe have expressed their allegiance to Daesh or Islamic State (IS) which has been using the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Syria to motivate Muslims across the world. The group, which has used extreme violence to shake up the Western world through its gruesome videos of beheadings, has encouraged young Muslims to carry out attacks in Europe through whatever means they can.

"Since most migrants from Syria to Europe and the US are Muslims, it is inevitable that they will carry some Islamist ideas that will come into conflict with the values of host countries," Tufail Ahmad, former BBC journalist and Executive Director of the Open Source Institute and an expert on extremist ideologies, told IANS.

"There is a risk that such migrants may be radicalised by Islamic clerics in European mosques or Arabic-language literature that they are able to read," Ahmad added.

Simultaneously, there has been a rise in radicalisation among the second-generation migrant Muslim population of Europe.

Extremism among migrants, says Lt. Gen. Hasnain, "will lead to a greater stand-off between the second/third generation migrants, whose parents arrived as workers, and the locals. The terror attacks have all been by these elements now under the influence of Daesh or IS and networked in a larger mesh of interest groups, all radically oriented."

Even if the Western world gives asylum or material benefits, "the anger and hatred towards Europe and the US can't be reduced. The Muslim world is of the opinion that Western powers have created designer states to create proxies and divide the Muslim world to suit their strategic interests," Brig. (retd) Narendra Kumar, another expert on counter-terrorism, told IANS.

His contention is that acts of terror in Europe were a way of taking "the battle to the European homeland and make the so-called evil empires pay for the crime the European powers have committed against Muslims, especially of West Asia". Efforts to integrate Muslim migrants have not fetched results, he adds.

The immigrant crisis in Europe has also given rise to a number of right-wing nationalist parties which are making substantial electoral gains and are demanding immigration control as well as restrictive movement across the border, which in turn ends up spreading Islamic radicalisation further.

Ahmad says European understanding of radical Islam or even Jihad is often flawed. "The common mistake made by the Western countries is that they think of religion and politics as two different things. (Muslims) are taught right from childhood to think of Islam as a complete way of life," he says.

"Islam," he adds, "is also a system of government that is now engaged in a conflict with democracy which is the accepted form of government for our age."

Even though radical Islamist ideas get a fillip from the war in in the Middle East, will these go away if peace were to return to the region?

"The problem of radicalism will remain in European cities where we are seeing the emergence of isolated enclaves of Muslim populations which live by their own Sharia-based legal system and do not approach the local police and legal authorities to resolve disputes between Muslims," Ahmad said.

Lt. Gen. Hasnain says that the solution to ending radicalisation lies within the larger Muslim community. "Unless the churning within Islam comes to rest through a final understanding between the various sects of Islam, and proxy games for political power end," it will continue.

The Islamic State, says Brig. Kumar, may be defeated and neutralised, but the entity as a terror organisation would continue to remain active for some time. "Rather, after the defeat of IS, it is likely to be more active since they have the reach of the European heartland now," he says, adding: "The worst is yet to come on both sides."

(Rohit Srivastava can be contacted at Rohit.s@ians.in)

--IANS

rs/hs/sac
OAKVILLE, ON, Jan. 1, 2017 /CNW/ - Today more than 800 enthusiastic dippers of all ages braved freezing temperatures to celebrate the first day of "Canada 150" at the 32nd annual Courage Polar Bear Dip for World Vision. To start the New Year on the right foot, participants joined dip founders, Todd and Trent Courage at Coronation Park in Oakville to plunge into frigid Lake Ontario as thousands of spectators cheered them on from the shore. The atmosphere was fun and festive with live music and a sea of people wearing red & white and classic Canadian costumes including "Gord Downie" & "Yukon Cornelius", to mark Canada's birthday. This year's event raised nearly $150,000 in support of World Vision's clean water projects in Africa, bringing the lifetime total the event has raised to well over $1.5 million.

MEDIA RESOURCES:

Photos of this year's dip: HERE

Video of this year's dip: HERE

WHAT CANADIANS CAN DO:

Canadians that couldn't participate in the Dip can still make a donation by visiting http://www.polarbeardip.ca/donors.php

MORE INFO:

Web links: www.polarbeardip.ca; www.worldvision.ca

Social media: @PolarBearDip; #PolarBearDip

QUOTES:

"This was the perfect way to bring in the New Year. What can be more Canadian than jumping into a freezing lake for a good cause? I'm feeling like a frozen ice cube of adrenaline, but it's all worth it because it means clean water for children in Africa. That's what kept me feeling warm as I took the polar plunge."

-First-time dipper Eric Frans, Vice-President, Vision Partners, World Vision Canada

"We've been doing this for 32 years but I don't think I've ever been more proud to be Canadian. Being out there on the first day of Canada's 150th anniversary year with all those Canadians decked out in our country's colours was an unforgettable moment. But they're doing so much more than diving into a freezing cold lake. It's what they've done beforehand, raising money so kids in four communities in Africa can have clean water to drink. That's what keeps us going. We're going to keep doing this until we're a hundred and fifty!"

-Todd & Trent Courage, co-founders, Courage Polar Bear Dip for World Vision.

QUICK FACTS:

The Courage Polar Bear Dip for World Vison is the largest charity dip in Canada

Todd and Trent Courage founded the Courage Polar Bear Dip as teenagers, 32-years ago

founded the Courage Polar Bear Dip as teenagers, 32-years ago The Dip has now raised more than $1.5 million for vital World Vision clean water projects. This year funds raised will go towards water projects in Rwanda , Ghana , Mali and Tanzania

World Vision is a relief, development, and advocacy organization working to create lasting change in the lives of children, families, and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. Inspired by our Christian values, World Vision is dedicated to working with the world's most vulnerable people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. Visit our News Centre at worldvision.ca

SOURCE World Vision Canada

For further information: For World Vision interviews contact: Brett Tarver - 647-825-2712 or [email protected]; Rachel Schrader - 289-208-5418 or [email protected]; For Courage Polar Bear Dip interviews contact: Peter Turkington - 905-483-0155 or [email protected]; Cheryl Singleton - 905-399-7827 or [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.worldvision.ca


The Armys Top modernization programs in 2016 range from a new hand grenade designed to be easier for lefthanders to throw to hydrogen-powered vehicles

Improvements soldiers can look forward to include:

* Enhanced Tactical Multi-Purpose (ET-MP) grenade. Engineers at Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey are developing an ambidextrous Enhanced Tactical Multi-Purpose (ET-MP) grenade that can be thrown more easily with either hand. The current M67 grenades require different arming procedures for left-handed users.

Matthew Hall, the Grenades Tech Base development lead, said the transition to the new grenades is expected to take place in fiscal 2020.

* A new, lighter ballistic shirt. In designing the shirt, We set out with this science and technology effort to meet the needs of high-performance athletes, which is what soldiers are, said Robert DiLalla, team leader of the Infantry Combat Equipment Team at the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center.

The shirt weighs 35 percent less than the current interceptor body armor system components it will replace. In tests, The soldiers have spoken loud and clear with more than 90 percent user acceptance in multiple user evaluations, DiLalla said. The new shirts are expected to be ready in 2019.

The current body armor is 31 pounds in size medium when it equipped with front, back and side armor plates. The Army also issues the Soldier Plate Carrier System, a more stream-lined system designed to lighten the soldiers load, especially during fast-paced dismounted combat operations. It averages just under 22 pounds with front, back and side armor plates. The goal of the SPS is to shave off 8 to 14 percent of the weight, Hoffman said, so at the most it would weigh about 4.3 pounds lighter than the average IOTVs 31-pound weight. 35% weight reduction would be 12 pounds less.

* 30MM cannon for Stryker Vehicles. The first prototype of an M1126 Stryker mounted with a 30mm cannon was delivered to the Army in October.

* Longer Range Howitzers. Picatinny Arsenal engineers have been working to double the range of the M777A2 howitzer. The M777A2 can shoot about 30 kilometers, but once all of the upgrades are complete, it will be able to shoot about 70 kilometers.

* New Tourniquet. The Army began fielding the new junctional tourniquet, which can be used to stop hemorrhaging in the torso, rather than limbs.
By Press Trust of India: Washington, Jan 1 (PTI) A gene mutation that protected ancient hunter-gatherers from cognitive decline may have become mismatched in our modern sterile lifestyles, making us prone to the risk of diseases like Alzheimers, a new study has found.

Researchers at Arizona State University in the US examined how the apolipoprotein E (ApoE) gene might function differently in an infectious environment than in the urban industrialised settings where it has mostly been examined.

advertisement

All ApoE proteins help mediate cholesterol metabolism, and assist in the crucial activity of transporting fatty acids to the brain.

However, in industrialised societies, ApoE4 variant carriers also face up to a four-fold higher risk for Alzheimers disease and other age-related cognitive declines, as well as a higher risk for cardiovascular disease.

Researchers wanted to examine the potentially detrimental effects of the ApoE4 allele in environmental conditions experienced throughout our species existence.

"For 99 per cent of human evolution, we lived as hunter gatherers in small bands and the last 5,000-10,000 years - with plant and animal domestication and sedentary urban industrial life - is completely novel," said lead author Ben Trumble.

"I can drive to a fast-food restaurant to hunt and gather 20,000 calories in a few minutes or go to the hospital if Im sick, but this was not the case throughout most of human evolution," he said.

Due to the tropical environment and a lack of sanitation, running water, or electricity, remote populations like a community of Amazonian forager-horticulturalists called the Tsimane face high exposure to parasites and pathogens, which cause their own damage to cognitive abilities when untreated.

As a result, one might expect Tsimane ApoE4 carriers who also have a high parasite burden to experience faster and more severe mental decline in the presence of both these genetic and environmental risk factors.

However researchers found that those Tsimane who carried ApoE4 and had a high parasitic burden displayed steadier or improved cognitive function.

This indicated that the allele potentially played a role in maintaining cognitive function even when exposed to environmental-based health threats.

For Tsimane ApoE4 carriers without high parasite burdens, the rates of cognitive decline were more similar to those seen in industrialised societies, where ApoE4 reduces cognitive performance.

"It seems that some of the very genetic mutations that help us succeed in more hazardous time periods and environments may actually become mismatched in our relatively safe and sterile post-industrial lifestyles," Trumble said.

For example, several studies have shown potential benefits of ApoE4 in early childhood development. ApoE4 has also been shown to eliminate some infections like giardia and hepatitis.

advertisement

The research was published in The FASEB Journal. PTI MHN MHN

--- ENDS ---




Prophet Wale Olagunju, the presiding Bishop of Divine Seed of God Chapel Ministries in Ibadan, Oyo state, has released his list of prophecies for 2017.According to the prophecies obtained by THE SUN newspaper, President Muhammadu Buhari will be dethroned in 2019 election by former vice president Atiku Abubakar.See full list of prophecies:1. As revealed by the Almighty God who will never share his glory with mortal man, the present generation of Nigerian leaders in the likes of Obasanjo, Babangida, Gowon, Danjuma, Abdusallam and Buhari will pass away before the emergence of the Messiah that will lead Nigeria to the promise land. The problem in our Nation will be so much that what we are witnessing now will be a child play to what we will see and hear and there will be chaos and distrust all over the nation as a result of which the messiah will emerge.This messiah, an unknown person, will proffer solutions (to the problems); conduct referendum and will break Nigeria peacefully. As revealed to me further by the creator of the universe, the reign of this messiah will be brief. God of Abraham has concluded in heaven to raise for Himself the young man who will give divine solution and execute Gods programme for Nigeria.2. There is going to be serious fight between Obasanjo and Buhari as revealed by God Almighty.3. Notable chieftains of the APC and the PDP who are talking of 2019 without due reference to God will not live to witness that year.4. There is going to be rowdy session in the National Assembly in the coming year.5. The present war against Bola Tinubu will continue but many of those fighting him will come back to eat their words.6. God again revealed to me that Nigeria is seriously sick and that the only drug that can cure her is National Repentance Prayer. Failure to do this, God says Nigeria will continue to wallow in problems. God warned Nigerians not to look up to their leaders for solutions but to God Almighty as they have none to their problems.7. God of heaven says He is angry with President Buhari because of his failure to alleviate the sufferings of Nigerians but instead adding to it. God says Buharis government is like a weed on the surface of the Atlantic Ocean.8. God says those who think the PDP is dead are making a mistake as He [God] does not work in the counsel of men but in the reasoning of His words. God says the party will bounce back and its members in the APC will return to their original house.9. The present rumpus in the APC will continue.10. The Nigerian nation will continue to experience hardship unless serious steps are taken to seek the face of God.11. Nigerians should pray for Buhari against high blood pressure, liver and kidney problem as the President is sick.12. God says that He deliberately raised Donald Trump of America to execute His judgment on America for their sin of homosexuality being propagated by Obama/Hillary Clinton. God says Trump will at a stage behave like an anti-Christ.13. God says the Yoruba nation will unite and rise again.14. There is going to be sharp misunderstanding between Buhari and Osinbajo as a result of political differences.15. God says any party that fields Buhari for the 2019 presidential election will be fielding liability as his candidacy will make the party lose the election. God says this will be so because Buhari has disappointed God by his failure to carry out His instruction as published in my 2016 predictions by national dailies to wage war against corruption, execute Gods fierce judgment on those who sinned against God by looting as well as for his failure to demonstrate love to the poor by alleviating their suffering. God says for these reasons, He has torn his government and given it to another man after His heart to rule Nigeria. God says Buhari will continue to have problem till his last day in Aso Rock and people will continue to hate him because of his failure to rule with the fear of God.16. To show the extent to which Buharis disappointment is grieving God, God says he has rejected Buhari just like He did to Jonathan and even his people the Hausas will reject him come 2019. In the presence of Almighty God as revealed to me, Buhari have become a complete disappointing king/failure just like king Saul in the bible.17. God says the name Atiku Abubakar will continue to ring like a bell. He will be so popular among Nigerian politicians to the extent that many will root for him.18. God says should Atiku Abubakar contest the 2019 election, he will defeat Buhari hands down.19. The 2018 Governorship election in Ekiti state will cause a sharp division in the APC camp because of the inordinate ambition of some of their self-centred leaders. The party in the state will break into three factions as revealed to me by God.20. God says the APC is being faced by three major problems of backbiting, unnecessary petition against former leaders and total hijack of the party structure from pioneer members.21. Tambuwal and David Mark will be drafted to contest the 2019 Presidential election but God says the cabal of our nation will prefer Governor Tambuwal of Sokoto state.22. Nigerians should pray against fire accident in the coming year.23. God says that except that the Nigeria nation repent of the sin of its leaders who killed innocent souls, sin of FESTAC 77 and sin of corruption which placed the country under the curse of the Almighty, the countrys problem will continue.24. Prophet T. B. Joshua should pray seriously to avert sickness.25. General T. Y. Danjuma should also pray against sickness.26. God says I. B. B. will continue to remain in sickness.27. God says for Buhari to have taken the problem of Nigeria to Kaaba in Mecca as if there is no God in Nigeria and rather than motivate the entire nation to fast and seek the face of God, He [God] will continue to raise adversaries against his government and Nigerians will continue to hate him.28. God again warned that should the APC field Buhari in 2019, the broom will be broken and thrown into fire just like I predicted to PDP in 2014.29. God Almighty says President Buhari is too rigid and stubborn. God says the President has set aside His mandate for him to cleanse the nation of corruption. God says He is only giving the President the grace to motivate Nigerians for special repentance prayer.30. Serving ministers in Buharis government should watch their steps as the President is set to drop some of them and reshuffle his government.31. God says Governor Aregbesola of Osun state will continue to swim in problems until he gets out of office as a result of the recognition he gave to the Osun Osogbo idol.32. God says he will inflict those who loot Nigeria treasury with sickness. They will henceforth be inflicted with dreaded sicknesses that will lead to untimely death unless they repent.33. God says Goodluck Jonathan will never win any election again in Nigeria as a result of his sin against the Almighty.34. God says 2019 election will be tougher than the 2015.35. The executive and the National Assembly will go on a serious collision course in the coming year. Buhari should be careful lest he is accused of non-implementation of budget.36. Nigerians should pray for Awujale of Ijebu land.37. Those who say the Biafra nation will not materialise are dreaming for the Igbos have taken their case to the creator of the universe and He has granted their heart desire.38. PDP will bounce back to become a formidable party in Oyo state again.39. Buhari should watch his steps to avoid impeachment.40. As revealed by God, should Buhari fail to take it easy with the people of the South-South and South-East and go ahead to use military power, Nigeria may go to civil war.41. As revealed by God, a new generation of military officers will in future overthrow the government of Nigeria to clear the rot perpetrated by reckless politicians.42. Before 2019, there will be amalgamation of political heavyweight and political party that will give the APC sleepless nights.43. The on-going war against corruption will soon lose value as the President will bend the rules and soft pedal because of inordinate and self-interest.44. A prominent artiste will fall sick in the coming year.45. Nigerians should pray for Baba Sala.46. Come 2019 general election, PDP will fight the APC to a standstill.47. APC should forget about winning 2019 election for another government will emerge that will probe their government.48. Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode should be prayerful to avoid being at loggerhead with the elite. He should also pray to avert sickness.49. Another strong party will emerge before the 2019 election.50. God Almighty who revealed to me in my 2015/2016 prediction that Buhari is not the Messiah says the promised Messiah will use his mandate to settle all problems confronting Nigeria. The said Messiah will conduct a referendum so as to peacefully break Nigeria without civil war.51. God says three out of the four pillars that are holding the APC have broken down as a result of their greed, inordinate ambition, stubbornness, favouritism, tribal and religious sentiment and therefore their days in government are numbered.52. God revealed to me and I saw the map of Nigeria torn into five, by this no amount of peace talk can prevent Nigerias disintegration. It is a matter of time.
Right of reply By Tony Eluemunor

Mr. Simon Kolawoles The Welcome Party for Ibori(THISDAY Sunday 25th December 2016), broached several topics and reached several wrong conclusions as he condemned the widespread celebrations when Ibori exited UK jail. Ill face the ex-convict case now and tackle the others later. Kolawole wrote: The 1995 conviction by an Abuja area court was a thriller.

My reply: It was disingenuous for Kolawole to reduce a most complicated suit to a simple matter that should have totally depended on the words of a lay judge of a magistrate court who had actually been arrested by the Police for doctoring another persons conviction to look like Iboris.

As the allegation that Ibori was convicted in 1995 emerged three weeks after the Peoples Democratic Party convention, January 2003, on which Kolawole posited that Ibori was among the PDP Governors opposed to former President Olusegun Obasanjos re-election, Ibori petitioned the President that as he was never arraigned in that court, a fake conviction was in circulation and prayed that the perpetrators be fished out and punished. Obasanjo sent the petition to the Police and a controversial case was in full swing! So from day one Ibori denied that he was never tried in that court!

Late Chief Gani Fawenhinmi represented the plaintiffs, and his only witness, Alhaji Awwal Yusuf, the lay judge at the Bwari Upper Area Court in 1995, said I have no doubt in my mind that it was James Onanefe Ibori that was convicted on Case number CR-81-95.

On Monday July 5, 2004, Milton Paul Ohwovoriole (SAN) (for Ibori) cross-examined Yusuf: If you see exhibit C (the record of your court) you will be able to recognize it.

Yusuf: Yes. Ohwovoriole bid him read out the court records from page 441. Yusuf complied: CR-81-95 was registered 28/9/95 as Commissioner of Police versus Shuaibu Anyebe of Security, Bwari. The next date was 5/10/95 in CR-83-95. The next date again is October 13 with CR -84-95. The prosecutor was Sabo of Kawu. The next is 17/10/95, in CR -85-95, involving Mallam Adamu Mohammed of Lugbe village. Next is 19/10/95, CR-86-95, Barau Ayade versus Dogonyaro Akau, next is 20/10/95, in CR- 87-95, involving Elambu Auta versus Danjuma Medeji and Yerima Akusu. The complaint was enticement.

So, from Yusufs own court records with no alterations, and read out by Yusuf himself, Iboris name wasnt in any First Information Report (FIR). So, how did two judgments from that court, with same exact number; CR-81-95  Commissioner of Police versus Shuabu Anyebe, and Police Commissioner versus Ibori emerge? One of them must be forged.

Judge Hussein Mukhtar of Abuja High Court Five, ruled that the judgment was a crude forgery, and itemized 25 contradictions against Yusuf. The Appeal Court believed him.

Justice Dahiru Musdaphers lead Supreme Court judgment noted: The appellants also pleaded as per paragraphs 11,13,14 and 15 of their statement of claims as follows:11. At the time of his conviction on the 28/9/1995 James Onanefe Ibori now Governor of Delta State, was a sub-contractor to SPIBAT Nigeria Ltd at Lower Usuma Dam near Bwari at the Federal Capital Territory Abuja. The appellants unfortunately led no evidence in proof of these averments.

Both lower courts (High and Appeal courts) considered the pleadings and the evidence led by the plaintiffs and rightly came to the conclusion that they failed to prove the identity of the convict aforesaid.

Musdapher noted: 3. The pages in the proceedings in the record book are not continuous as would be expected, but is found on many pages on unused lines or remnants of pages covering proceedings of several days.

This is the most telling sign that the judgment was cooked up. In the notebook where the judge wrote his decision, he began from the middle of a page beneath the entry of another judgment instead of following the normal practice of starting on a fresh page. Worse still, at the end of that page he skipped about ten pages before he continued his judgement on the so-called Ibori case. In the intervening pages, he had written other judgments. The result was that the continuation of the Ibori judgement came after the judgments he supposedly delivered in October 1995. Yet, he allegedly decided the Ibori case on September 28. And Kolawole wants us to swear by this mans testimony! Why could he not just write on continuous pages if it was not forged?

Justice Musdapher noted: (c) No evidence of the complainant.

But unlike the Anyebe case where the complainant made a statement to the Police, there was no statement from any complainant on the Ibori case, and not a page was missing from the Police Complaint Book of the Bwari Police station or the Police Post at Lower Usuma Dam.

Musdapher: (d) No evidence of the Police officer who received the complaint, the Investigating Police Officer, the Prosecutor, etc. Could Yusuf, Islamic studies graduate who had been in the Education Department of Niger State until 1990 when he transferred his services to FCT as an Upper Area Court (magistrate court equivalent in the South), had by 2003 known more about trials than Fawehinmi? If the answer is no, then why did Fawehinmi fail to call the Police Commissioner, the Court Registrar, the other Judge, the Police Prosecutor, etc, as witnesses, even after Yusuf had mentioned them?

As the Ibori case was not reported to a police station, it had no complainant, was never investigated or brought to court by any police officer. This is why the case has no First Information Report (FIR) number. Yes, Yusuf had named one Corporal Sunday Musa as the person who brought the FIR to his court but testified in Delta State Electoral Tribunal, Asaba, that he never investigated any Ibori case; but that he investigated the Anyebe case!

On page 294 of the Record of Appeal, Awwal Yusuf, the Bwari court lay judge, said: 1; Amongst the six FIRs, five of the accused persons pleaded guilty and were convicted except Monica Lewinsky (that is no misprint- the American lady linked with Bill Clinton). On page 296 Yusuf continued: iii: All the FIRs brought that day were registered. IV: I know the FIR No. of Shuaibu Anyebe; it was CR-81-95. The six FIRs brought were registered. It is not correct to say that only five were registered. It is not correct that it was Shuaibu Anyebe that was convicted on the FIR No. CR-81-95 only to say, (page 312) the case of Commissioner of Police Versus James Ibori was not registered that day but it exists. Contradictions galore!

Yet, Kolawole made it look as if Ibori was accused of theft and not criminal negligence as Anybe was also accused. That was a lie! The charge was that Ibori was a sub-contractor to SPIBAT construction firm when workers under him stole N110 million worth of zinc asbestos in 1995? SPIBAT constructed the Lower Usuma Dam from 1981 to 84 and was gone by the turn of that decade. And official Abuja Water Board records show that the Abuja dam started supplying water to the FCT in 1987. So, no construction was happening there by 1995!

There was another devilish tale from Yusuf himself in his 7/2/03 final Police Statement that the Usuma Lower Dam Veterinary building was to be roofed with the 55,000 bundles of zinc asbestos That is the quantity of zinc worth N110m at the 1995 rate of N2,000 per bundle.

When we remember that while the Police dilly-dallied, a suit was filled seeking: A declaration that the Chief James Onanefe Ibori, by virtue of his conviction and sentence in Case No. CR/81/95 is not qualified to carry the (PDPs) flag as its Gubernatorial candidate in the 2003 elections within the meaning of sections 182 (1) (e) of the 1999 constitution, it becomes plain that it was a politically motivated case.

So, the forgery was to stop Iboris 2003 re-election as Delta State Governor. Kolawole forgot that Segun Adeniyi and Cletus Akwaya of THISDAY newspaper then visited Shuaibu Anyebe, recorded him on tape and snapped pictures with him; and obtained the receipt with which he paid his fine in lieu of going to jail for case number CR-81-95. When this first attempt to stop Ibori politically failed, others continued until Ibori was forced to flee Nigeria to save his endangered life. The Niger Delta people and other Ibori well-wishers know Ibori faced political persecution and not prosecution, they know about the trumped up charges against him such as this ex-convict case. So they celebrate even the mere fact that he is alive today, very lustily and without apologies.

 Tony Eluemunor adapted this article from his unpublished book: March of Justice; the whole truth of the Ibori ex-convict case.

The name of the convict was James Onanefe Ibori. In 2004, he denied being the same person and court records would soon be blurred. The judge who passed the sentence identified him as the convict. But all the way to the Supreme Court, our judiciary ruled that it must be another James Onanefe Ibori.
Antonio Guterres assumed office on Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017, as the ninth after Ban Ki-moons exit following the completion of a 10 year- tenur...

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Antonio Guterres attends a press conference following the UNHCRs annual Executive Committee meeting on October 3, 2014 at the United Nations Office at Geneva. AFP PHOTO / FABRICE COFFRINI (Photo credit FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images)

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Guterres, in his maiden message as the UN Secretary-General, entitled: Appeal for Peace, urged the world to make a New Year resolution to put peace first.On my first day as Secretary-General of the United Nations, one question weighs heavily on my heart.How can we help the millions of people caught up in conflict, suffering massively in wars with no end in sight?Civilians are pounded with deadly force. Women, children and men are killed and injured, forced from their homes, dispossessed and destitute. Even hospitals and aid convoys are targeted.According to him, no one wins these wars rather, everyone loses.Guterres pointed out that trillions of dollars were spent destroying societies and economies, fueling cycles of mistrust and fear that can last for generations.He regretted that whole regions were destabilised adding, the new threat of global terrorism affects us all.On this New Years Day, I ask all of you to join me in making one shared New Years resolution: Let us resolve to put peace first.Let us make 2017 a year in which we all  citizens, governments, leaders  strive to overcome our differences.From solidarity and compassion in our daily lives, to dialogue and respect across political divides From ceasefires on the battlefield, to compromise at the negotiating table to reach political solutionsPeace must be our goal and our guide, the new UN scribe said.
President Muhammadu Buhari pledged yesterday that the change sought by the majority of Nigerian voters, who backed him in the 2015 elect...

President Muhammadu Buhari pledged yesterday that the change sought by the majority of Nigerian voters, who backed him in the 2015 election, will manifest more and be sustained in different sectors in the new year.He declared in his new year message that the current pains Nigerians are going through are temporary.His words: On our part, in the past 20 months since our inauguration on May 29, 2015, we have focused our energies to turn around the economy, create jobs, fight corruption, and transform agriculture to replace oil and gas as a major revenue earner for the nation. I am encouraged that we are getting things right.The agricultural revolution has begun. Farmers in different parts of the country are experiencing bumper harvests; states are getting into strategic partnership towards attaining self-sufficiency in rice, and the era of over-dependence on oil for foreign exchange revenues is gradually waning.I am optimistic that the CHANGE we all yearned for in voting this administration to power in 2015 will manifest more and be sustained in different sectors, particularly agriculture, in 2017. He addedNoting that the administrations economic recovery and growth plan in 2017 is anchored on optimizing the use of local content and empowering local businesses, he urged Nigerians to start patronizing Made in Nigeria goods.He said: Like I said during the 2017 Budget presentation to the National Assembly, farmers, small and medium-sized manufacturers, agro-allied businesses, dressmakers, entertainers and technology start-ups, will remain the true drivers of our economic future.They are the engine of our economic recovery and their needs underpin our Economic Recovery and Growth Plan.On job creation, he said, that the administration will sustain existing programmes aimed at lifting great number of Nigerian youth out of poverty.Government, he added, will also create more opportunities for people to fend for themselves.The President insisted that the administrations resolve to defeat corruption in the country remains unshaken.He said: This fight, which will be guided by respect for the rule of law and due process, will not spare anybody or organ of government. It is a collective undertaking and resolve that must be seen to its logical conclusion in spite of certain distractions.The fate of our country lies partly in the success of this campaign. It will be unthinkable on my part to allow the boat of this crucial campaign promise capsize mid-stream. He saidThanking Nigerians for their support to the administrations efforts towards transforming Nigeria, he said: I assure you again that the current pains are temporary and will ease when the economic seeds in gestation begin to bloom to fruition. I urge you to continue to support this administration in its effort to transform Nigeria for the good of all.The President again, congratulated the heroic and gallant efforts of Nigerian military and other security agencies on the successes recorded to rid the nation of terrorism.He said: Following the successful capture of Sambisa Forest, spearheaded by troops of Operation Lafiya Dole, we have entered a new phase in our battle against our common enemy, Boko Haram.When we see our beloved 21 Chibok girls reuniting with their families and community for Christmas, it gives us the hope that those who are still in captivity will one day return to the loving arms of family, friends and well-wishers.Buhari appealed to Nigerians in their different communities to be on the look out for Boko Haram terrorists on the run from the Sambisa forest.I urge all Nigerians to be on the alert and watch out for strange figures settling in their communities, and report to the nearest security agencies, as our armed forces intensify the pursuit of fleeing terrorists from the captured Sambisa Forest. He statedHe also warned that any misguided elements taking up arms against constituted authorities must be brought to face the full weight of the law.The support of all Nigerians to security agencies, he said, is crucial for them to successfully execute their mandate and effectively secure the country.He added: In this New Year, I want to reassure all Nigerians that our defence and security forces are more than ever before ready to perform their constitutional role of protecting lives and property in the country; and we will surely overcome all other forms of security challenges.The lingering security issues in several states will be frontally addressed. These ugly crises cannot be allowed to fester as they strain the unifying bonds of brotherhood and neighbourliness. Some sections of the press and some politicians should avoid provocative and inflammatory statements, while the government is painstakingly trying to find solutions to our challenges.I want to remind you on the first day of this New Year of an African proverb that says it is easy to break a broomstick but not a bunch. Nigeria is a bunch and is more than equal to troublemakers.I have interacted with a broad spectrum of Nigerians, the old and the young, and they have told me unequivocally that they believe in the unity and stability of Nigeria. He saidHe was also optimistic that voluntary return of all Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their communities is imminent following the joyful return of thousands of IDPs to Damasak town in Borno State and the reopening of Maiduguri/Gubio/Damasak road in Northern Borno on December 25, 2016.The Federal Government, he said, will spare no effort in seeing to the resettlement and rehabilitation of all victims of terrorism and insurgency.But the President urged state governments, privileged Nigerians, donor agencies and countries to redouble their contributions towards resettlement and rehabilitation of all victims.Stressing that the government is not unaware of some mistakes and wrongdoings in handling the affairs of IDPs in the country, he said that measures are been taken to correct the mistakes and punish the culprits.He said that the year 2017 provides an opportunity for Nigerians to build on those aspects of national life that unite the nation.He added: We are courageous, hardworking, hospitable, steadfast and resilient people, even in the face of difficulties.These are the attributes that define us and have for years confounded the pessimists who do not believe in our continued existence as a united and indivisible nation.We are a remarkable nation that has succeeded in harnessing our multiple diversities for national development. We must continue to support and tolerate one another and live together as one.Stressing that his administration will continue to pursue peace initiatives in the Niger Delta, he called on the people in the region, who have taken to violent disruptions of economic infrastructure, to come to the negotiating table.He went on: As for our brothers and sisters of the Shia Community, we urge them, too, to embrace peace. They must accept the laws of the country they live in. They cannot be islands by themselves.At the same time, the law enforcement agencies must treat them humanely and according to the rule of law.
Since he was elected in 2014, the Ekiti state Governor, Mr. Ayo Fayose, has always been in the...

Since he was elected in 2014, the Ekiti state Governor, Mr. Ayo Fayose, has always been in the news, often for wrong reasons. If he is not defending election rigging, he is justifying his poor performance as chief executive. In the very best, the only noble achievement he boasts of is his notorious stomach infrastructureprogramme with which he loots state funds.No one as seen a single road his administration built or renovated. He has no legacy of sustainable development other than his so-called stomach infrastructure, on which he has a Special Adviser, by name one Mr. Sunday Anifowose.If the so-called stomach infrastructure is development-oriented and creative, maybe the struggling Fayoses administration might have a face-saving excuse, but no. rather, Fayose prefers to be seen in ponmo or agbo Jedi sectors eating and drinking as though governance is not a serious business. His media team will take pictures of him eating in public restaurants during office hours like a jobless man. If the stomach infrastructure is something that leads to, say the revamping of the Igbemo Rice mill (just like the Abakaliki rice) which has the capacity to generate thousands of jobs for numerous unemployed youths in the state, things would have been better. Can you cast your pearls before swines? Fayose will rather prefer to lead a people who, like pigs, are led by their stomachs than a people who are led by their heads!Before we are been accused of being an anti-PDP writer, let us be quick to educate those who prefer to be led by the stomach that the Ebonyi state government (under a PDP governor) has increased rice production to the extent that the state is selling rice to other states in Nigeria in the process creating employment for its people. Can the loquacious Fayose be at least humble enough to learn from his Ebonyi counterpart how to make money producing local rice at a time like this? Even the Lagos state government during Christmas decided to partner with faraway Kebbi state for the production of rice when there is the potential in Ekiti to produce rice. Is it not an indictment that Mr. Fayoseis not aware that the partnership has created opportunities for Nigerians in Lagos to buy a bag of rice in Lagos at N12,000 while it is sold at N20,000 in Fayose's Ekiti?Let us even be bold enough to ask what Governor Fayose has done with the bailout funds provided by the federal government since 2015? I remember posting on my several social media accounts in October for anyone with adequate information on Ekiti to furnish me with information on how many roads, schools or hospitals so far built by the Fayose administration since 2014. What and what has the governor been doing with the funds provided for him? He was one of the governors that came up against the federal government probing the funds to the state, so what did he do specifically with his portion in Ekiti? I tweeted this to the governors official Twitter handle and got no reply. I probably did not get a reply because I didnt include stomach infrastructure. That is what you get when a people are led by their stomach like pigs!
Barely a year after the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta gave its absolute support for the administration of President M...

Barely a year after the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta gave its absolute support for the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, the group on Sunday withdrew their support for the government.The spokesman of the defunct militant group, Jomo Gbomo, stated this in an electronic statement issued on Sunday where it passed a vote of no confidence on the federal government, accusing her of playing politics with the issue of dialogue and development of the region.MEND said since the time President Buhari met with the leadership of the Pan Niger Delta Forum under the headship of Chief Edwin Clark on November 1, 2016, some top government functionaries in Buharis administration had been arrogantly making controversial, prejudicial, conflicting and contradictory statements about the issue of finding lasting peace in the region.According to the release, Without prejudice to the pre-2015 Presidential election endorsement freely and voluntarily given to President Muhammadu Buhari on January 6, 2015, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) hereby categorically and unequivocally pass a vote of no confidence on the government of President Buhari.That prior to and after his reluctant meeting with the traditional rulers, opinion leaders and stakeholders of the Niger Delta region, under the auspices of Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) on November 1, 2016, President Muhammadu Buhari has been carrying on arrogantly and making controversial, prejudicial, conflicting and contradictory statements about the politics and economy of the oil-rich region.The statement lamented that President Buhari has always, for reasons best known to him, held the Niger Delta region in contempt while accusing and/or blackmailing the leadership of the region of not being ready for dialogue whereas it is the Federal Government who are not ready or willing to name a team to dialogue with the people.It alleged that the government had failed to honour concessions reached before it agreed to announce a ceasefire with militants in the region including the release of the Okah brothers and several other political detainees and prisoners of conscience under a grand deception by the current government
The paramount ruler of Ijebuland,Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona has sensationally revealed how former President Olusegun Obasanjo tried to ro...

The paramount ruler of Ijebuland,Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona has sensationally revealed how former President Olusegun Obasanjo tried to rope in business mogul,Otunba Mike Adenuga in for corruption in 2006.The case in question was the botched attempt to arrest Adenuga by security operatives that year.The incident forced the multi-billionaire into exile.The revered traditional ruler writing in Awujale: The Autobiography of Alaiyeluwa Oba S.K Adetona, Ogbagba II recalled efforts made to stop Adenuga from alleged persecution by Obasanjo and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) led at the time by Nuhu Ribadu.His words: The EFCC in Lagos had come calling brusquely on Mike Adenuga (Jnr), Chairman Globacom on 9 July 2006. They broke his gate, swarmed into his house and kept him under arrest. When I heard about the arrest, I called the legal firms, of Ayanlaja SAN & Adesanya SAN as well as Professor Biodun Adesanya SAN to take up the matter and secure Mikes release. They swung into action and gave indication that they would take the matter to court.By evening, it was no longer necessary to go to court as Mike, following his statement to EFCC, had been released with instructions to report regularly to the EFCC headquarters in Abuja. Mike proceeded to Abuja, accompanied by his lawyer, Prof. Biodun Adesanya SAN. Indirectly related to this case, the EFCC had quizzed and released Mohammed Babangida, Ibrahim Babangidas son. The EFCC purportedly were on the trail of some money belonging to the Petroleum Trust Development Fund (PTDF), but there was really more beneath the veneer.While Mike was in Abuja, he was counselled to see Obasanjo to extricate himself. For four days, he made attempts to see Obasanjo but was unsuccessful. After a few days in Abuja with no case pressed against him by EFCC, he returned to Lagos. Not long afterwards, and in the heat of this mess, Obasanjo did two things that puzzled me.He called Mike to meet him at a social event in Lagos Engr. Olapades birthday celebration. Mike and Obasanjo were both captured by press photographers in the newspapers at the event. Following the celebration, Obasanjo asked Mike to accompany him to Ota. It was in Ota that he solicited for the construction of the Administration Block of his university, Bells University in Ota. Mike agreed and Carchez Turnkey Projects Ltd handled the project for him. It appeared the whole matter, the EFCC hunt, simmered and Mike continued about his business. On a trip to Ghana, he ran through his Nigerian daily newspapers and discovered that the situation was unfolding in a more revealing version. The EFCC had arrested Mohammed Babangida. Mike read between the lines and proceeded to the UK on exile. When I visited the UK, Mike came to see me, and wanted me to facilitate a meeting with Obasanjo so that he could present his side of the case. The allegations against him were as follows:a. That Abubakar Atiku, the Vice-President, gave Mike Adenuga money from the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) which were invested in Mikes bank, Equatorial Trust Bank (ETB), and that the funds were used in paying for the Globacom licence.b. That as a result of the connection in (a) Atiku was a major shareholder in Globacom. And Atiku used his clout to ensure that PTDF money got into ETB.c. That General Ibrahim Babangida, the former Head of State, was also a major shareholder in Globacom.It was not enough for Mike to merely present his case to EFCC, for it seemed the EFCC was under some remote control. The Presidency was after Atiku. Atiku at some point was the Chairman of the PTDF; an attempt was being made to indict him for alleged illegal and unauthorized channelling of PTDF money into Globacom. All sorts of rumours were flying around and the Presidency wanted to pin down the case against Atiku. If Ibrahim Babangida also fell into the trap, so much the better.A wide opening presented itself and EFCC seized it.G. Subair is Mikes second cousin. His father died young and he grew up, just as I did in my early life, living with Mikes mother. He worked for Mike and was seconded, amongst other things, to open the Kaduna office for Globacom. In need of accommodation or office space, he leased, on behalf of Globacom, a house, at 2-3 Dawaki Road in Kaduna belonging to Mohammed Badamasi Babangida and used that address in official correspondence and memoranda. Mohammed is the first son of President Ibrahim Babangida. This was Babangida connection to which EFCC hung on when they were rummaging through Globacom documents. This was, according to them, irrefutable evidence that Babangida was a major shareholder in Globacom and that his son, Mohammed Babangida, or G.Subair or Mike was fronting for Babangida in this venture.Mike told me how he had raised money through the BNP Paribas Bank in France and how he paid to New York for the Globacom licensing fees. All the money involved could be traced with supporting documents to France and New York in the form of a huge loan. The Bank BNP Paribas on its part had a letter stating clearly their involvement in the transaction and Mike wanted to present this among other documents to President Obasanjo.I called Obasanjo and relayed the facts as I had them from Mike to him. I requested for his fax number so that I could fax Mikes letter explaining all the transactions and the Bank of Paribas letter to him. As soon as he gave me the fax number, I faxed the documents to him. Still, Obasanjo was not satisfied. It seemed that it was all a ruse because they were really after Atiku and Babangida and wanted Mike to implicate them. Mike refused to cooperate. If he was not going to cooperate, they thought, harassment would do it. On 19 August 2006, I made a statement to the press asking Obasanjo to caution Nuhu Ribadu, the head of the EFCC, about his mode of operations. I denounced the harassment of citizens by EFCC and urged them to go to court if they had anything concrete against anyone.While Mike was in exile, we shared a moment of relaxation together. We took a holiday together in south of France with some members of our families. I had with me my wife Olori Kemi, my daughter, Ronke and Oba Adekoya, the Dagburewe of Idowa. Mike came along with his two daughters and his niece.While on this holiday, the President of France, Jacques Chirac, was going to be holding a conference with African Heads of State in Nice. Coincidentally, we got to know that Obasanjo was booked to stay in the same hotel where we were staying. Later, we learnt he had changed his mind and would not be attending the conference. Then not long afterwards, we were told he had decided to attend after all. By the time he finally decided to attend, all the rooms in the hotel were fully booked and he was now booked into another, Embassy Hotel, which was a stones throw from when we were.I got to know that he would check in at 8.00am on the day of the conference. At 8.330am, I went to his hotel and took Mike along with me. From the reception, I spoke to him on the phone. When he asked from where I was speaking, I told him I was downstairs in the lobby of his hotel! He said he would send someone down immediately to lead me up to his suite, and he did so. I left Mike behind in the hotel lobby.When I got to his suite, there were already a number of people in the corridor, in his living room and the dining room waiting to see him. His ADC took me straight to see him in his bedroom. I had hardly settled down when he started talking to me about his deputy, Abubakar Atiku. He was at daggers drawn with Atiku.When he exhausted all he had to say about Atiku, he jumped on Theophilus Danjuma, his estranged friend. They fell out after Danjuma had served him as Minister of Defence. I sat there just listening. He needed to get a lot off his chest. He told me how would leave the Chirac conference immediately after the opening because he wanted to attend a PDP campaign in Gombe at 5.00pm that same day. He was lead campaigner for the PDP and Umaru Yaradua for President.He reeled off a number of events where he was going to be engaged in the coming months, including the opening of the Obajana Cement Factory. Wait a minute! Something struck me at the mention of Obajana Cement Factory.I told him that I had heard that he and Aliko Dangote jointly owned the cement factory. I told him that I heard Dangote was fronting for him in the venture. His reply was to query whether I believed what I heard.I countered by saying whether I believed it or not was irrelevant to the question that I had asked him.He said nothing further on this. Before we left his room, I pointed out to him that now that he was approaching the end of his term in office, there were some people to whom he owed apologies: Chief S.O. Bakare (Oluwalogbon) was one. Chief Bakare gave everything to support Obasanjo when he was down. In spite of Obasanjos condemnation by the populace, Bakare still stood by him. I had forewarned Bakare that Obasanjo would eventually dump him. Notwithstanding, he stood by Obasanjo. In the end Obasanjo walked away. A few months in office they separated as friends.I told Obasanjo that Mike Adenuga was in Cannes and that I had brought him with me. He was waiting in the foyer downstairs. I told him that the reason I brought Mike along was that it was not unlikely that Obasanjo would hear that Mike was in Cannes while he was in town and would deem it discourteous if Mike did not show up to pay his respect. Now that I had told him, that Mike was downstairs, it was now up to him, if he wanted to see Mike, to send someone to bring him up. Obasanjo objected to Mike coming to see him in his suite.Instead, he said he would see Mike downstairs on his way to the conference. At this point, I volunteered to go downstairs and wait with Mike. Obasanjo again objected, insisting that he and I should go down together. Soon after, his ADC came into the room to remind him about the time. He went into his bathroom, got ready and we went to the lift with his Foreign Minister.When we got down, Mike came forward to greet him. I have nothing against you, it is a matter of principle Obasanjo told Mike. Mike in turn said, Your Excellency, I understand. Thank you. That was all the exchange they had.When Obasanjo left office in 2007, we met at the 90th birthday ceremony for Chief T.O.S Benson in Lagos on 23 July 2007. As a matter of fact, we sat side by side. In the course of our conversation, I told him I was going to be in Abeokuta the following day. He said he would be in Ota when I was there, but that he would specifically come to Abeokuta to host me for lunch. He kept his word. So much so that he called me on the phone when lunch was ready! I assured him that I would not miss lunch and I would be with him as soon as I was through with my meeting.I went as promised for lunch with Oba Adekoya, the Dagburewa of Idowa. When we got there, Obasanjo also had Alhaji Ola Yusuf from Owu, Abeokuta, who had come to see him and he too joined us for lunch. We were four at table. It was sumptuous lunch, and I had never been treated to anything like it in our long relationship.Mike Adenuga was still in exile abroad and Obasanjo steered the lunch talk in his direction. He asked me to ask my son meaning Mike Adenuga, to return home. I requested that he should leave the matter until after lunch and it would be tackled on a one-to-one basis between us. He agreed.After lunch, we went into his private sitting room. I declared that what Nuhu Ribadu, Chairman of EFCC, was doing in respect of Mike Adenuga was wrong and he was doing it at Obasanjos behest. I told him that I refrained from interfering because I wanted to see how the law would pan out on the issue. The kernel of the matter really, as I told him, was his disagreement with Abubakar Atiku, his deputy, and they had taken the matter almost life-and death level. Mike Adenuga was a pawn in the crisis and he should be given the right to defend himself.I reminded Obasanjo that he was no longer in office and he should back off in his pursuit of Mike. I went further to let him know that if Nuhu Ribadu did not desist from molesting Mike, I would go into the ring with them. Here I made clear that I would take him and Ribadu to unnecessarily and unjustifiably pursue Mike. Obasanjo promised to see Ribadu and to ask him to back off. He further promised to give me a feedback on this.When I did not get his feedback, I called him a number of times, but the phone would ring and not be answered. Eventually, I called his aide, Bodunde Adeyanju, who on picking my call passed the phone to Obasanjo to speak to me. Obasanjo told me Ribadu was out of the country and he would get back again to me on Ribadus return. I told Obasanjo how difficult it had been to reach him on the phone. I offered a solution.I would ask Mike to send him a phone which he would give his aide, Bodunde, as an intermediary. This way, all I had to do was call that number and Bodunde would pass it to him if he wanted to speak to me. He agreed and Mike sent the phone down the next day. But still Obasanjo did not come back to me on the issue.Mike remained in exile in London and nothing much was heard again or raised by the EFCC about him. Later in 2007, I called Mike in London and told him I wanted to know why he had refused to return home. Since he had no skeleton in his cupboard, then he should return home. I explained to him that the purpose of the wealth with which he had been divinely endowed was to care for his needs, and his interests. It was also for use to defend his honour and integrity. For these reasons, I urged him to return home.
Many state governors in Nigeria have devised new strategies to ensure that their sensitive conversations do not become public knowledge...

Many state governors in Nigeria have devised new strategies to ensure that their sensitive conversations do not become public knowledge.The action followed the alleged audio leak of Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, and his Ekiti State counterpart, Ayodele Fayoses telephone conversation, over the recent rerun election in Rivers State.Investigations showed that some state executives had started using WhatsApp, Facebook, and Blackberry Messenger call options to engage in sensitive conversations.It was also learnt that some of the governors have acquired modern technological equipment, which would alert them of their calls being monitored.A governor in the South-South geopolitical zone revealed that the alleged leak of Wikes telephone conversations on three occasions had forced him to take extra measures to avoid being a victim.He said, We have equipment that can detect when our calls are bugged or being recorded. We have decided to use them now.A close aide of a South-West governor, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said his principal does not speak anyhow on the telephone.According to him, the governor will come to his house anybody he wished to discuss sensitive issues.He said, My governor does not use Internet-enabled phone. He uses one of those old phones that leave no room for bugging.The aide said the governors office was protected with modern intelligence gadgets, noting that a bugging device would be easily detected.Another governor in the South-West explained on condition of anonymity that he did not discuss sensitive issues on the telephone.A governor in a North-Central state explained that he makes use of Internet, WhatsApp or Facebook calls whenever he wants to discuss sensitive or personal issues with any of his colleagues, family or friends.He said, Nobody can record my telephone conversations because I dont use mobile phones to make sensitive calls.Another governor from the same geopolitical zone, who has been a public officer since 1992, said he had started taking extra caution since the audio leaks.The plain truth is that we are aware that buggers are on the prowl. All sensitive matters cant be discussed on the phone anyhow again, he said.
"It was a government decision; the superseded officers have worked with me and will continue to do so in the interest of army," said General Bipin Rawat.

By India Today Web Desk: General Bipin Rawat, who took over as the 27th Chief of Army Staff on Saturday, said that "superseded officers have worked with me and will continue to do so in the interest of the army".

General Rawat superseded two senior-most Lieutenant Generals, Praveen Bakshi and PM Hariz.

Earlier, Lt General Bakshi, who heads the Kolkata-headquartered Eastern Command, announced "full support" to the new chief and said that he will continue to lead with "full professional sincerity as hither-to-fore".

advertisement

ALSO READ: Gen Dalbir Singh retires after 43 years in service, Bipin Rawat to take charge

The army chief today paid tribute at the Amar Jawan Jyoti and spoke to mediapersons. Here is what the new Indian Army chief said:

"It was a government decision, the superseded officers have worked with me and will continue to do so in the interest of army," said General Bipin Rawat.

"Our army seeks peace and tranquillity along the borders but it does not mean we are weak," the new army chief said, sending out a strong message to neighbours.

General Rawat said "(the army is) duty bound to maintain the security and sanctity of our borders", adding that "all soldiers are equal in my eyes".

KNOW YOUR NEW ARMY CHIEF

In his career spanning over 38 years, General Rawat has had "tremendous hands-on experience of serving in the combat areas, and at various functional levels in the Army"

General Rawat has handled various operational responsibilities in many areas, including along the LoC with Pakistan, the LAC with China, and in the north-east.

According to army officials known to him, General Rawat is considered to have a balanced approach towards soldiering, and has compassion and connect with the civil society.

(with inputs from agencies)

ALSO READ: Why Lt General Bipin Rawat, man who led surgical strikes in Myanmar, is best suited to be Army chief

ALSO READ: Will Lt General Bipin Rawat's appointment bring an end to factionalism in the Army?

ALSO WATCH

--- ENDS ---
The General Overseer of The Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye has released his prophecy for 2017, de...

He made nine revelations which were divided into three categoriesindividual prophecies, predictions for Nigeria, and what the world should expect in general. Speaking during the church Cross Over service at the new 3-kilometre by 3-kilometre auditorium in Simawa, Ogun State, Pastor Adeboye said the new year will be full of pleasant surprises for the oppressed, stressing that those who willingly oppress the masses will be relocated. According to him, God will intervene for the common man in the country while those who make life difficult for them will be relocated. Details of the prophecies for 2017:PROPHECY FOR NIGERIAThe focal word for the year 2017 is surprises 1. 2017 will be a year of surprises. But you need to understand that the same surprise may mean different things for the oppressor and the oppressed. 2. Those deliberately making life difficult for the common man will be relocated. 3. The downward plunge will slow down, it will stop and a reversal will begin.PROPHECY FOR INDIVIDUALS1. It will be a year of surprises 2. For both true and false prophets it will be a year of surprises 3. There will be a large number of weddings. 3. Soul winners will see their prophecies fulfilled almost as soon as they are uttered.PROPHECY FOR THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNTIY1. There will be surprises for many world governments.2. They are coming in twos; Monster earthquakes, monster floods, monster hurricanes and typhoons, monster tornadoes, monster fire outbreaks Earlier in his message titled: Enforcing Prophecy, the cleric warned Christians to flee from fake prophets whom, according to him, are only after what they will eat. On what to do for prophecies to be fulfilled, Pastor Adeboye told the worshippers to believe God, believe true prophets, appreciate Gods sovereignty, engage in fasting, prayer and avoid all sorts of distractions.In his words: Believe God because prophecies come from Him, no matter how unbelievable such prophecy sound, believe it. Believe the true prophets of God, not those who prophecy because of money or properties. Appreciate the fact that God is sovereign, He has the right to change His mind, the fire honor Him, stop robbing Him, make Him happy, win souls. Learn to fast, pray without season and put away all forms of distraction.
ATLANTIC CITY

-- A man was found dead in a trash can Saturday morning in the city, according to reports.

Authorities discovered the unidentified man dead on the 1200 block of Adriatic Avenue around 10 a.m., NBCPhiladelphia.com reported.

Investigators were seen searching a yard of a house near where the body was found, according to the Press of Atlantic City.

Additional details were not immediately available, including the cause of death. Police said the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office was expected to release further information.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
missing AC teen

Sierra Heaton, who is also known as Sierra Reign (ACPD)

( )

ATLANTIC CITY

-- Atlantic City police on Saturday asked for the public's help to find a missing 17-year-old girl.

Sierra Heaton, who is also known as Sierra Reign, was last seen on the 2800 block of Pacific Avenue, according to city police.

The teen's mother alerted police around 3:30 p.m. and told authorities her daughter was in Atlantic City, and possibly being held against her will, police spokesman Sgt. Kevin Fair said. Detectives questioned several people in connection with the missing girl and checked two unspecified locations for Sierra, Fair added.

It was not immediately clear why the girl's mother believed she was possibly being held captive.

Police described the girl as 5-1 tall and approximately 115 pounds with blue eyes, strawberry blonde hair and a tattoo on her hip. She was last seen wearing a black hoodie, black leather jacket, grey leggings and black combat boots.

Anyone with information about the investigation was urged to contact the Atlantic City detectives at 609-347-5766. Information can also be sent by text to TIP411, beginning the message with ACPD. Police said all text messages are kept anonymous.

Additional details were not immediately released late Saturday.
EGG HARBOR TWP. -- Police are searching for a Philadelphia man suspected of randomly entering doctors' offices and stealing wallets and credit cards.

Tyrone M. Thomas, 24, of Philadelphia has been identified as the culprit behind a statewide credit card theft and fraud case. (Photo provided)

Tyrone M. Thomas, 24, was identified as the person behind a series of credit card thefts and fraudulent purchases in October, according to Egg Harbor Township Police.

In October, police began seeking the public's assistance trying to identify the suspect in one wallet theft.

While they investigated, police determined the same man was a suspect in a series of incidents where he was seen randomly entering offices around Philadelphia and South Jersey. After entering the offices, the man could be seen going into back offices and taking wallets from desks and purses. Police reported that the stolen credit cards were then used to purchase expensive electronics and jewelry.

Thomas has court cases pending in Pennsylvania in addition to charges throughout New Jersey for theft and credit card fraud.

Caitlyn Stulpin may be reached at cstulpin@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitstulpin. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
VINELAND

-- A shooting at a Vineland apartment complex left a

, according to a report.

The teen, whose name was not released, suffered life-threatening injuries and was taken to Cooper University Hospital in Camden for emergency surgery, the Vineland Daily Journal reported.

Police said the teen was shot at the Vineland Village Apartments on East Walnut Road around 9 p.m., the newspaper reported.

There were no arrests and authorities urged anyone with information to contact Vineland police or the Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
VINELAND - A teen was critically wounded in an apartment complex shooting, according to the Associated Press.

On Friday, around 9 p.m., Vineland police responded to a call of shots fired. Police told the Associated Press that after responding to the call, officers found the injured teen near Walnut Villas Apartments where he had fled from Vineland Village Apartments.

Authorities told the Associated Press the 16-year-old boy was flown to a nearby hospital for surgery and remains hospitalized in critical condition.

No motive has been disclosed and no arrests have been made.

Caitlyn Stulpin may be reached at cstulpin@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitstulpin. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Nearly 90 miles apart, two women labored to deliver the first babies of 2017 as the clock struck midnight.

The result was two babies born no more than a minute into New Year's Day:

In Voorhees, Sawyer Nelson arrived in this world at 13 seconds past midnight, earning the First N.J. Baby of the Year appellation that will stick with him the rest of his life. Mom Chelsea and father Patrick are from Mullica Hill.

An unknown number of seconds later - clocked officially at 12:01 a.m. - baby Nina was born at Clara Maas Medical Center in Belleville. Her mother is Jennifer Kisssi, and she's from Cliffwood in Monmouh County. Dad is Daniel Yeboah.

Sawyer weighs 8 pounds and is 19.75 inches long. Nina weighed 7 pounds, 4 ounces.

Nina is Kissi's first child. She said she went into labor Friday night at about 9:45 p.m.When her water broke Saturday afternoon, she was confident the baby would be born that evening. However, several hours of pushing later, her doctor informed her that if she wasn't able to keep pushing, the baby would have to be delivered by C-section.

That was incentive enough for Kissi, who recalls telling the doctor, "I can push, I can push!"

Coming in third - while being completely unaware there was any kind of contest to speak of - was Milan Evee Belle Swensen, born at 12:04 a.m. at Hackensack University Medical Center.

The parents, Dana and Kyle Swensen, are from Midland Park. They already have two boys: Jalen - 6 years old and Kamden 18 months old. Milan is 6 lbs 0.7 oz and is 19 1/2 inches long.

Kathleen O'Brien may be reached at kobrien@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @OBrienLedger. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
RARITAN - Three pets were saved from a fire that raged through a Raritan Township home Saturday afternoon, according to firefighters.

The blaze was called in around 12:30 p.m. Saturday at a home on the 100 block of Quail Ridge Drive, officials said. Firefighters arrived to find that there was no one in the house at the time of the fire, except for a dog and two cats, which were rescued from the flames, according to Raritan Township Fire Company Chief Steven Wetter.

Firefighters from Raritan, Quakertown, Clinton, Lebanon, Whitehouse Station and the Hunterdon Tanker Task Force, among others, worked for over an hour to get the flames under control.

The fire was still under investigation Saturday evening and firefighters did not know where it had started or what had caused the blaze, Wetter said.

Firefighters were able to save the structure but it remained heavily damaged and uninhabitable Saturday night.

Anna Merriman may be reached at amerriman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @anna_merriman
NEW BRUNSWICK -- An early-morning traffic accident resulted in a vehicle fire and downed utility wires that knocked out power to more than 2,000 homes and businesses in New Brunswick, according to transportation and utility officials.

The single-vehicle accident occurred at about 6 a.m. when a person driving south on Route 1 turned onto the exit ramp for Route 18, lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the utility pole, New Brunswick police said.

They said the ramp to Route 18 was temporarily closed, but one of the two lanes was reopened by 8 a.m. Both lanes were open by 11 a.m.

Utility workers at the scene of an early-morning car crash that knocked down a utility pole on Route 1 South in New Brunswick. (Tom Haydon | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

The accident resulted in power outages for 2,200 homes and businesses in the area, said Francis Sullivan, a spokesman for Public Service Electric & Gas.

Sullivan said all but one utility customer had power restored shortly before 7 a.m., but a care center very close to the accident scene was still without power as of 8 a.m. and likely won't have its electricity restored for several more hours.

Police said the driver, who was not identified, suffered minor injuries. It was unclear Sunday morning what caused the accident or if the driver would receive any summonses.

Authorities said a PSE&G repair crew was still working late Sunday morning to replace the pole.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Tom Haydon contributed to this report.

Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @LensReality or like him on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Jan 1 (PTI) New Army Chief General Bipin Rawat today said while the country and the force want to maintain peace and tranquility at the border, it will not "shy away" from using its power in any form.

He also made it clear that Eastern Army commander Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi and Southern commander Lt Gen P M Hariz, whom he superseded, will continue to serve the army and help maintain its unity and power.

advertisement

"Our country, our army wants peace and tranquility at the border. But it does not mean that we are weak. We are capable and powerful in all forms and if need be, we will not shy away from using our power in any form.

"Our aim is that peace is maintained at the border. But I will say it again that if need be, we will not hesitate in using our power," Gen Rawat said after reviewing the Guard of Honour at the South Block here.

India shares a 3,323-km boundary with Pakistan, including a 749-km Line of Control (LoC). The Indian Army has lost over 60 soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir in 2016 and there have frequent ceasefire violations by Pakistan across the LoC.

Gen Rawat also sent across a message to all ranks of the army, saying every soldier counted.

"I am fully conscious of my responsibility to the rank and file of the army. Every individual, every soldier in the army counts irrespective of the arms and service he belongs to because it is the contribution of every soldier that makes the army efficient and strong," he said.

He had yesterday taken over as the 27th chief of the 1.3 million strong Indian Army succeeding Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag, who retired after 42 years of service.

Gen Rawat said, "I would like to use the opportunity to convey to the rank and file in the army that everyone in the army, wherever or whoever he may be is equal in my eyes based on the tasks that they are required to perform."

His comments comes at a time when there is feeling among sections of the armoured corps that only the infantry, that Gen Rawat belongs to, has the upper hand and Lt Gen Bakshi could not make it only because he was from the armoured corps.

Both Gen Rawat and his predecessor Gen Suhag, along with senior officers in key positions, are from the Gorkhas.

Gen Rawat said he accepted the governments decision to appoint him as the chief with all humility.

advertisement

"I respect the officers who have been superseded. They have worked with me shoulder-to-shoulder and I can say it for certain that they will continue to work shoulder-to-shoulder to keep the unity and power of the army in the future also," he said.

He said he is fully aware of the role and task that has been assigned to the army by the government.

"We are duty bound to maintain the security and sanctity of our borders, assist the government in the maintenance of internal law and order and also provide succour during any disaster that may befall any part of our nation," he said.

The army chief said that welfare of veterans, veer naris, other widows and those who have been disabled in the line of duty would continue to be taken care by the army till their last breath. PTI SAP SC

--- ENDS ---
By Sahidul Hasan Khokon: Gaibandha-1 ruling Awami League lawmaker Manjurul Islam Liton was shot dead by miscreants in Gaibandha yesterday. He died in the evening after he was reportedly shot by unknown assailants at his village home in Sundarganj upazila of the district.

Witnesses said that three unidentified criminals, stormed into Liton's house in Bamondanga area, on a motorbike, around 5:45 PM and opened fire at him when he was sitting in the guest room. The attackers left the spot immediately after they shot Liton, leaving him injured in chest, said the Officer-in-Charge of Sundarganj Police Station Atiar Rahman.

advertisement

Liton was rushed to Rangpur Medical College Hospital where duty doctors declared him dead at the hospital's surgery department. Chairman Dr Bimal Chandra confirmed the matter.

Meanwhile, Rangpur Range DIG Khandakar Golam Faruk, Divisional Commissioner Kazi Hasan Ahmed and other high official visited the scene. Earlier, MP Liton was criticised countrywide after he shot a 10-year-old boy on October 2 in 2015.

--- ENDS ---
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.
By Press Trust of India: Washington, Jan 1 (PTI) Leveraging existing relationships with friends and family may be a more effective way to improve patients health than increasing interactions with physicians or other clinicians, scientists say.

In a new study, researchers suggest a five-step ladder to effectively engineering social engagements that promote health and to test their acceptability and effectiveness.

advertisement

"Spouses and friends are more likely to be around patients when they are making decisions that affect their health - like taking a walk versus watching TV, or what to order at a restaurant," said David Asch, professor at the University of Pennsylvania in the US.

"Patients are also more likely to adopt healthy behaviours - like going to the gym - when they can go with a friend," Asch said.

"Though people are more heavily influenced by those around them every day than they are by doctors and nurses they interact with only occasionally, these cost-free interactions remain largely untapped when engineering social incentives for health," he said.

Due to these lost opportunities, and the high costs when doctors and nurses keep tabs on their patients, the researchers said it is important to engineer social engagements that enlist the social support patients already have and allow organisations to test their acceptability.

"Concerns about privacy are often the reason doctors and hospitals avoid organising social support," Asch said.

"But while privacy is very important to some patients under some circumstances, more often patients would love if their friends and family helped them manage their diabetes, and those friends and family want to help people get their health under control," he said.

"Although we dont normally think of competition or collaboration among patients are part of managing chronic diseases like high blood pressure, heart failure, or diabetes, research shows that behaviour is contagious, and programmes that take advantage of these naturally occurring relationships can be very effective," said Roy Rosin, chief innovation officer at Penn Medicine.

The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. PTI SAR MHN

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 30 (PTI) CBI today carried out searches at the office of OSD of Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain in connection with alleged irregularities in his appointment at Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalya and subsequently as an aide to the Minister.

CBI sources said the searches took place at the office of Nikunj Aggarwal, OSD to Jain and Anup Mohta, Director Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalya.

advertisement

They said the teams have gone to the offices of Aggarwal and Mohta to get records related to appointment and other allegations including Aggarwals nomination for a course at IIM Ahmedabad and for a trip to Bejing, China.

The sources said the team also spoke to Aggarwal in his office.

Officials sources made clear that no searches have taken place in the office of Jain and the action is limited only to the office of the OSD and Director of the official as of now.

CBI had earlier registered an FIR in connection with alleged irregularities in the appointment of Aggarwal, as OSD to Jain.

The agency registered the case on the basis of a complaint from Delhi governments Deputy Secretary Vigilance K S Meena. The complaint is now the part of the FIR.

The FIR is against Mohta and Aggarwal, for alleged criminal conspiracy and under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

BJP leader Vijender Gupta had alleged that Aggarwal is the son-in-law of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals sister-in-law.

In its complaint, the vigilance department has claimed Aggarwal was appointed as Senior Resident (Ortho) in Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalya on ad hoc basis on August 10, 2015 even though there was no proposal to engage an SR and no such post was available.

"Also no advertisement was issued by the hospital for the selection of Dr Nikunj Aggarwal as SR. No walk-in interview was conducted for the purpose," it alleged.

Aggarwal had made a handwritten application on a "plain paper" for appointment in the hospital on August 6, 2015 and within four days his appointment was approved without following any procedure, the complaint alleged.

"Within few days of appointment of Aggarwal, his services were requisitioned for appointment as OSD to Minister of Health, GNCTD. As per the Residency Scheme, the resident doctors are engaged for working in hospitals, and not for other duties," it alleged. PTI ABS IKA

--- ENDS ---
Beginning January 1, Singapore will begin requiring the iris-scans of its residents. Singapore already collects photographic and fingerprint data of its residents, but the addition of iris scans poses the greatest potential risk to privacy.

4 Reviews

Happy new year! Please face the camera and hold still. Starting today, January 1, Singapore will begin recording iris scans of both its citizens and permanent residents to improve security and "convenient registration services", according to the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The ministry already collects photographs and fingerprints, but wants to collect iris maps as an additional identifier. Starting January first, citizens and permanent residents wanted to re-register or get a new ID card or passport will have their irises scanned. To help deal with the massive administrative task of scanning Singapore's 3.8 million residents, the government has bestowed the ability to register upon specific SingPost outlets.
By Press Trust of India: Kathmandu, Jan 1 (PTI) A Chinese national carrying an undeclared amount of Nepali Rupees 8.4 million has been arrested here.

Zhao Yi was arrested from a hotel at Jyatha in the heart of the capital on Friday, police said.

Cheques of a Nepali bank were also siezed from the arrested foreigner, police said, adding that his passport was also found in the hotel.

advertisement

Yi has been sent to Metropolitan Police Circle in Lainchaur for further investigation. PTI SBP MRJ

--- ENDS ---
MOPS ministry will meet for first time in 2017 on Jan. 6

MOPS, Mothers of Preschoolers, is a ministry led by moms for mothers from pregnancy through graduating kindergarten. The first meeting of 2017 will be from 9 to 11 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 6, at the Bethel Church, located at 2700 W. Philip.

Childcare drop off begins at 8:45 a.m. There is a $5 meeting fee. This meeting will be about Becoming Relaxed by learning more about Bible journaling with Alyssa Fabik as well as some mommy coloring and a surprise. There is childcare for school age children, so bring them. Each meeting includes food, fellowship and fun with other mothers as well as the MOPPETS program where children participate in fun, educational activities.

For more information, contact bethelmops@gmail.com.

NPCC hosting free homebuyer education class on Jan. 14

There will be a Homebuyer Education Class at 9 a.m. on Jan. 14 at North Platte Community Colleges south campus, 601 West State Farm Road, Room 124. The class is free of charge to Lincoln County residents and will be presented by the Lincoln County Community Development Corporation.

The class will advise attendees when the time is right to purchase a home, how to budget before and after buying a home, the ins and outs of credit issues, how credit affects the purchase of a home, mortgage products, how to find a house to buy, what a closing is, how to protect the investment in the house and the responsibilities of a homeowner.

Call 308-534-5095 to register or for information. This project is funded in part by a grant from Nebraska Department of Economic Development and Nebraska Housing Developers Association.

Kids and parents are invited to Intergenerational Playgroup

The Intergenerational Playgroup is every Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. at Centennial Park Retirement Village, 500 Centennial Circle. Kids of all ages and their parents can come play together and engage with older friends, who are often just happy to sit and watch little ones play.

There is no commitment and everyone is welcome to come as little or as often as works best.

For more information, contact Etirsa Gamez-Garcia at 970-556-3787 or etirsa@hotmail.com.

Rec Center announces New Years Eve, Day holiday hours

The North Platte Recreation Center will be closed today, and open from noon to 8 p.m. on Monday. For more information, call the Rec Center at 308-535-6772.
This year, the Nebraska Department of Education recognized 99 outstanding students from across the state for individual and team awards received at national events throughout the year.

The Nebraska Center for Student Leadership and Expanded Learning collaborate annually to conduct educational experiences for all high school students engaged in Career and Technical Education. Those students were celebrated Nov. 14 at the Commissioners Recognition.

The Commissioners Recognition is a collaborative recognition effort between the Nebraska Department of Education, including the Center for Student Leadership and Expanded Learning and the Governors office. More than 250 students, parents, teachers, administrators, State Board of Education members and senators attended the event. Commissioner of Education Matthew Blomstedt and Lt. Governor Mike Foley recognized the Nebraska Career Education students who received first, second or third place or finalist awards during their national leadership and skills competitions hosted by their respective Career and Technical Student Organizations.

The area students recognized during the Commissioners Recognition are members of FCCLA, FFA, PBL and SkillsUSA.

FCCLA Award Winners:

Sabra Schmidt of Medicine Valley High School; Adrianna Vinton and Lydia Vinton, both of Mullen High School

FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America) is a national student organization that helps young men and women become leaders and addresses important personal, family, work and societal issues through Family and Consumer Sciences.

FFA Award Winners:

Colton Thompson of Eustis-Farnam High School

FFA is an organization of agricultural education students preparing for careers in agriculture, food and natural resources.

Phi Beta Lambda Award Winners:

Rebecca Lorens and Jessica Premer, both of McCook Community College; Kandace Ward of North Platte Community College

Phi Beta Lambda is the collegiate division of the FBLA-PBL association, a group which prepares members for careers in business or business-related occupations.

SkillsUSA Award Winners:

Kelsey Epp, Taylor Kramer, Katei Hunt, Sydney McGahan, Abby Kring, Hallie Malsbury and Breanna Patterson, all of North Platte High School

SkillsUSA is a national organization serving high school and college students who are enrolled in training programs in technical, skilled and service occupations, including health occupations and tech prep.
The National Wildlife Federation brings nature to life in the pages of our publications, inspiring people of all ages and reading levels to develop a deeper relationship with our natural world.

To learn more about receiving magazines from the National Wildlife Federation, please visit our subscription page.

For information about rights and permissions, visit our Permissions page or contact permissions@nwf.org.
Pattis All-American, in Dyer, has promoted Diane Spevacekto to vice president of operations and Rhonda Zaluckyj to vice president of sales. Diane, formerly the general manager, and Rhonda, formerly assistant general manager, will continue with their already established duties while now having more prominent roles in class curriculum, staff, facility, and customer service procedures.

St. Mary Medical Center recently welcomed several new physicians to their Community Care Network, Inc.  the physician and health professional group affiliated with the medical center and Community Healthcare System hospitals. Dr. Joseph DeJoan is board certified in internal medicine and joins Dr. Eduardo Fletes in practice in Hobart. Joining the physicians of Porter County Primary Care in Valparaiso is Dr. Malek Maatouk. He is board certified in internal medicine. His office is in Valparaiso Health Center of St. Mary Medical Center.

The nursing staff at Franciscan Heath Crown Point recently bestowed its annual St. Raphael Award for performance excellence and outstanding teamwork to Dr. Timothy Wiess an obstetrics-gynecology specialist. The hospitals Performance Improvement Council-Shared Decision-Making presents the award, based on the number of nominations nurses submit.

Dr. Nitin Khanna served as faculty with other renowned international leaders in minimally invasive spine surgery at SOLAS in New York City, which presented a case-based review of controversial topics in lateral access spine surgery. He said it was an honor to serve on the faculty and build on the progress made during the past 10 years. Dr. Khanna is a spine care specialist with Orthopedic Specialists of Northwest Indiana.
NEW YORK  Few singers can match the career of the multi-octave superstar Mariah Carey, the winner of five Grammys who has sold more than 200 million records worldwide.

But sometimes, life gets a little strange in the spotlight.

She cursed on television during a 2013 appearance in Central Park that aired on "Good Morning America," a performance also disrupted by a tear in the back of her dress. While singing "Always Be My Baby" on the "Today" show in 2014, she seemed to suffer from temporary voice freeze, as her mouth moved but for several seconds no sounds came out.

TV watchers also remember her wacky "ice cream cart" cameo on MTV and the sight of her needing four people to put on her shoes during a scene from the reality program "Mariah's World."

Then there was the humiliation of "Glitter," Carey's disastrous 2001 foray into film stardom, which was lambasted by the critics and public alike.

But nothing quite compares to the meltdown of New Year's Eve, a case of what could be called "Auld Lang-ziety."

A representative for Carey cited technical difficulties for a disastrous appearance on "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest," which aired on ABC and was the subject of widespread mockery on social media. Commentators called the fiasco a fitting end to a traumatic year for the music industry, marked by the deaths of Prince, David Bowie and George Michael, among others. One tweeter, referring to the 2016 presidential campaign, joked that Carey's show had been hacked by the Russians.

Carey began with a brief, flawless "Auld Lang Syne" before descending into a show business nightmare. Her mood seemed to range from frustration to resignation as she struggled with the pre-recorded musical tracks. Telling revelers jammed into Times Square there had been no sound check for her hit song "Emotions," she lamented that "we're missing some of these vocals, but it is what it is."

"Let the audience sing," she decided as she paced the stage.

"I'm trying to be a good sport here," she said, adding her own sarcastic review of the performance. "That was ... amazing."

The next song, "We Belong Together," went no better. At times, she lowered the microphone from her mouth and the music, vocals and all, kept playing, making it clear she was lip-synching.

"Unfortunately there was nothing she could do to continue with the performance given the circumstances," Carey spokeswoman Nicole Perna said Sunday.

A representative for Dick Clark productions did not immediately return an email seeking comment.

Carey later tweeted about the night, starting with a brief profanity, throwing in a couple of sad emojis and concluding with, "Here's to making more headlines in 2017."
Corley's wife said he was caught cheating. According to her, he only stopped assaulting her because he heard kids screaming and noticed blood coming from her head.

By Indo-Asian News Service: US politician Chris Corley was arrested on felony charges of domestic violence after the children of the South Carolina lawmaker could be heard screaming "just stop, dad" on a 911 recording.

The Aiken County Sheriff's Office arrested Corley on December 27 after police said he hit his 37-year-old wife and pointed a gun at her, before threatening to kill himself, the Aiken Standard newspaper reported.

advertisement

HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE INCIDENT: It was the first 911 phone call Aiken city dispatch received on December 26 from Corley's home. "Please stop it. Just stop. Just stop... Dad, please stop," said the 911 audio recording released on Friday. "Please stop. Stop. Please stop, Chris. Just stop daddy, just stop. Chris, please stop. Daddy. Please help. Please Chris. Chris." After several attempts to get the Republican representative's wife on the phone, the dispatcher called Aiken county dispatch, saying, I had a caller, sounded like children screaming for help and begging their father to stop. A second 911 phone call was made to Aiken county dispatch by a female family member who lives across the street. There is a man threatening to kill himself, the woman told dispatch. He hit his wife and he is threatening to kill himself with the gun he has. Corley was released on a $20,000 bond and could face up to 15 years in jail if convicted of both the charges. The 36-year-old lawmaker, in the presence of an eight year old child, caused physical harm and injury to his wife, by striking her on the head and face with a closed fist and threatening to kill her, pointing a handgun at the victim causing her to fear for her life. Corley's wife said he was caught cheating. According to her, he only stopped assaulting her because he heard kids screaming and noticed blood coming from her head. According to Corley, he and his wife were arguing because she thought he was cheating on her. He said his wife attempted to strike him on the face with her fist, where he then pushed her off of him. The controversial attorney made headlines in 2015 for his efforts to keep the Confederate flag flying outside the South Carolina state house. The flag was removed in July 2015 after the massacre of nine people in a black church in Charleston by white supremacist Dylann Roof. During a debate on the issue last year, Corley suggested that the Confederate flag should be replaced with the white flag of surrender. Corley supported South Carolina's domestic violence bill signed into law in 2015, which includes a partial gun ban.

ALSO READ: Protection of women from domestic violence still awaits implementation

The story of a Colombian woman who was raped for speaking out against rape

--- ENDS ---
INDIANAPOLIS  Indiana annually spends more money on elementary and high school education than any other budget component, a trend likely to continue when the General Assembly convenes in January to determine how to spend anticipated revenue for the next two years.

Almost half of every tax dollar collected by the state, totaling nearly $7 billion, will be distributed during the 2016-17 academic year to a public school corporation, public charter school or through a private-school voucher to pay for the education of some 1.06 million Hoosier students.

Despite leading the nation in school choice options, the bulk of Indiana's kindergarten-through-12th grade education funding still ends up at traditional public schools, according to data compiled by the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency.

Indiana's 293 school corporations this year are projected to receive $6.5 billion (93 percent) of state education spending; the 93 charter schools will get about $305 million (5 percent); and $174 million (2 percent) will pay for children to attend private schools using a state voucher, according to the LSA.

Total education funding is up 4.75 percent compared to the 2014-15 school year. That nearly matches the 2008-09 peak when Indiana and other states received federal stimulus funds to help prop up their school budgets, as tax revenues cratered during Great Recession.

Indiana is different

Unlike Illinois, which relies heavily on local property tax revenues to pay for classroom instruction, those costs in Indiana now are borne mostly by the state.

Up until seven years ago, school districts could increase annual property taxes, which on average accounted for 15 percent of their general fund budgets.

But in 2008, Hoosier lawmakers increased the state sales tax rate to 7 percent, from 6 percent, to raise the money needed to replace the $1.8 billion a year that school corporations had been receiving from property taxes, whose rates also were capped.

Now, property taxes paid to Indiana school corporations only can be used for student transportation, building projects, debt service and other non-classroom spending.

That same 2008 law, however, also authorized a referendum process for school districts. Schools can get extra instructional funds if district voters agree to pay higher property tax rates through a ballot referendum. An operating fund referendum supports salary, benefits and some programs; a capital projects referendum raises money to build or renovate school buildings.

Money follows the child

The state takeover of student instructional costs has enabled Indiana to provide significant flexibility to parents in deciding which school is best for their child, according to school-choice proponents.

With limited restrictions, any student can attend a public school in the district they live in, a public school in a nearby district or a quasi-public charter school, which typically is operated by a private management company offering a specialized curriculum.

Children from low- and mid-income families also can choose to attend a private school on the state's dime through Indiana's largest-in-the-nation voucher program, established by the state Legislature in 2011, that now covers the tuition costs of about 40,000 students, according to the state Department of Education.

From the state's perspective, it doesn't matter where the roughly $6,500 a year per child it is paying for a student's education is going, since all public, charter and voucher schools must test students on Indiana's academic standards and submit to the state's accountability requirements.

But because the state's money follows the child, many school corporations with declining enrollments have struggled to maintain the courses and programs they've offered in the past, since losing just 10 students can require one or two full-time teachers be laid off to balance the district's budget.

The next level

In addition to deciding how much to spend on education in total, Hoosier lawmakers have said next year they are likely to consider adopting a potentially controversial program known as "education savings accounts."

With an ESA, a student's education funding that now goes to a public, charter or private school, instead is provided by the state directly to the student's parent.

The parent can use that money to pay for the child to attend any school, regardless of standards or accreditation, pocket the money if the child is homeschooled, hire a private tutor instead of going to school at all, or enroll in an online education program.

Parents also are permitted to save any money that's not spent in a school year for their child's future education expenses.

ESA supporters claim it is the ultimate in customizing education to meet a student's needs.

Critics fear the money will be wasted on programs and services that fail to provide a necessary foundation of knowledge.
As emergency responders across the Region and state are being trained in the administration of naloxone, groups are now reaching out to those even closer to opiate addicts.

"Ideally," said Joseph Bunch, director of LaPorte County Drug Free Partnership, "people who are impacted, the family or friends of the addict are the ones who want to help."

That's why the LCDFP is hosting a naloxone training and distribution program from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Jan. 21 at LaPorte's First United Methodist Church.

Partnering with the nonprofit Overdose Lifeline Inc., Bunch said they expect to train 100 people from all walks of life on how to administer the intranasal dosage of naloxone, the opiate antidote being credited for saving lives of those who have overdosed on heroin, fentanyl and prescription painkillers like OxyContin, Percocet, methadone and Vicodin.

Bunch said putting the antidote in the hands of a parent of an addict is empowering to that parent. While they may not be able to help their child kick the addiction, they know they can save their life if need be.

Bunch added the Indiana Department of Health issued an order July 1 that allows anyone to get a dose of naloxone from a local pharmacy without a prescription. The dosages may qualify to be paid for by some insurance companies.

Overdose Lifeline of Indianapolis is funding the event. President Kourtnaye Sturgeon said the agency services the entire state through a grant from the Indiana Attorney General's office. They've primarily trained and provided naloxone to emergency responders, but thanks to an extension of the grant, can now reach out to caregivers and community members. The group has been putting on training and distribution events throughout the state, including one last July in Lake Station. They will return to Lake Station on Jan. 12, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the fire station, for a training and distribution event.

Sturgeon said anyone who comes in contact with a person at risk, including caregivers, family members or the individual themselves are recommended to attend the training and obtain a dose of naloxone.

In addition, the group recently trained members of the Porter County Substance Abuse Council on the use of naloxone, said PCSAC director Dawn Pelc.

"We have registered with the state to distribute Narcan to the public," said Pelc, adding a coalition member is working on organizing an event in Porter County.

Sturgeon said her group's goal is to provide training and distribution of naloxone as well as breaking down the barriers of cost and stigma of the use of the antidote and addiction.
CEDAR LAKE  The Hanover Community School Corp. board awarded a new administrative contract and re-upped an old one at its last meeting of the year.

The board extended the contract for the current Hanover Central High School principal, Mary Ann West, by two years. It will expire on June 30, 2019. The board also awarded a two-year contract to Deborah Snedden, who will be taking over the helm of Hanover Central Middle School once current Principal Tony Hiatt retires. Snedden is presently principal at Jane Ball Elementary. Her contract as middle school principal begins July 1, and runs through June 30, 2019.

The board also said goodbye to two of its members, Mary Joan Dickson and Mary Pat Burkel, for whom the December meeting was their last act as members. Both gave urged their successors to do the right thing by students and to put them first.

Im not going anywhere, said Dickson, adding that shell still be involved in the community, especially when it comes to helping and supporting Hanover kids.
Happy new year, everyone. Heres to a great 2017.

With the new year comes the start of the nomination process for The Times Northwest Indiana Business and Industry Hall of Fame.

A new class will be inducted in May at what is always a signature business event in the Region. Details on the date and venue will come soon.

This is the 10th year for the Business and Industry Hall of Fame, and for the second straight year we are expanding it.

Last year we announced an annual category for enterprise of the year, and the deserving recipient was Urschel Laboratories Inc.

This year wed like to expand the nomination process to include residents of Lake, Porter or LaPorte counties who have made a substantial contribution to business and industry outside the Region as well as in the Region.

The key addition is outside the Region. We feel its time to remove the restriction of recognizing distinction only from achievements in Northwest Indiana.

The nomination process is open through January, and we welcome your contributions to help us build a a diverse field of nominees for our panel of judges.

To date, more than 40 award winners have been named to the Northwest Indiana Business and Industry Hall of Fame since the initial event in 2008.

Last years recipients, in addition to Urschel Laboratories, were Greg Ludkovsky, JoAnn Birdzell, Frank Schilling and Harley Snyder as Hall of Fame members and retiring state Sen. Earline Rogers as Partner in Progress.

Please visit www.nwi.com/halloffame this month to nominate.

Sharing your thoughts

There was a lot to write about in 2016, and when you turn the page youll see how many people wrote for Sunday Forum and our daily Opinion pages last year.

We want to thank the 777 writers, and weve listed all names on Page D3.

Find yours if you contributed a letter or a column to what essentially is a Region town hall. Also find others like Gov. and Vice President-elect Mike Pence, Gov.-elect Eric Holcomb and U.S. Sen.-elect Todd Young, who wrote columns during the year.

Editorial page editor Marc Chase welcomes 150-word letters and 500-word columns on topics of interest. Send them to letters@nwi.com.

"This is one of our most effective ways of interacting with readers and reflecting their ideas and thoughts," Chase said of editorial page contributions from the public. "We have a vast diversity of opinion in Northwest Indiana, and we like to reflect that."

With more contributions in 2017, our list of writers will top 1,000 next year. How about it?
The brute force of weapons with the potential to wipe out mankind has been balanced by a wide strata of interlocking elements, nuance, perception and predictability in the past half century.

There was a reason Soviet Chairman Mikhail Gorbachev had a sculpture of a goose on his Kremlin desk, a reminder that such a flock once set off his nations early alarm system.

The system, manned by lieutenant-colonel level officers who must make quick decisions on credible threats before passing them up the power chain, flirted with catastrophe on a scale where Hiroshima and Nagasaki are mere drops in the bucket. Mutually assured destruction never became the epic chain reaction because with Soviet, then Russian Federation, and American leadership, there was a level of predictability following the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.

So it was with significant and general alarm this past week when President-elect Donald Trump announced via Twitter he thinks a nuclear arms race is a good idea.

If that wasnt enough of a surreal moment, the following day, Morning Joe host Mika Brzezinski had a brief conversation with Trump, who reportedly said, Let it be an arms race. We will outmatch them at every pass.

In the nuclear era, no leader ever sought to overtly pursue a nuclear escalation. With the Truman, Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations and the Stalin and Khrushchev regimes, it was a tit-for-tat escalation. After the Cuban crisis, a hotline was installed between the Kremlin and the White House, and there were two decades of test ban treaties and missile limits.

And then came President Ronald Reagan, a man Gov. Mike Pence says reminds him of Donald Trump. Author David Hoffman, in his Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Dead Hand: The Untold Story of the Cold War Arms race and its Dangerous Legacy, reveals a Reagan walking through 25-ton blast doors of Cheyenne Mountain at the North American Air Defense Command.

The president asked what if a Soviet SS-18 hit nearby. It would blow us away, was the response.

Gen. James Hill would note that a look of disbelief came over Reagans face.

This is a president that in 1983 was one of 100 million Americans who watched The Day After movie about nuclear war coming to Kansas. It was a path that led Reagan to become a nuclear abolitionist. Reagan and Gorbachev unsuccessfully sought a plan to eradicate nukes. It put the U.S. and Soviets on a path of significantly downsizing their arsenals.

Prior to this month, Trump has displayed a troubling lack of knowledge about nuclear capabilities. Conservative radio show host Hugh Hewitt asked Trump about the triad, the three U.S. nuclear systems of submarines, silos and bombers. TIME magazine reports that Trump had no idea what Hewitt was talking about.

Trump replied, To me, I think nuclear  the power, the devastation is very important to me.

When pressed during the campaign, Trump is all over the radar.

The December tweets only heighten the angst about Trump, who doesnt read history, isnt taking his intelligence briefings and would choose to wade into the most sensitive policy arena with a Twitter blurt.

Our incoming leader is a man of thin skin, who holds grudges, and after noon on Jan. 20, will have monolithic power to use nuclear weapons as he sees fit.
Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoellers trip down the Wabash River in 2013 was memorable. With Asian carp jumping all around, and into the boat, he had a chance to see the closest thing Indiana has to shark-infested waters.

Zoeller and I talked about his tenure in the attorney generals office at the Radisson Hotel in Merrillville as both Zoeller and the hotel wound down the clock. The hotel closed yesterday, and Zoeller leaves office Jan. 9.

The vacation on the Wabash River, one of his annual family vacations on an Indiana river, resulted in money for the state to figure out how to control the population of those fish that bite back.

Zoeller has been no less zealous in fighting public corruption, which is, I suppose, another form of shark-infested waters.

He was former Attorney General Steve Carters top lieutenant when they were fighting public corruption in East Chicago.

Carter, a Lowell native, "knew a lot of the history and costs from that reputation that arose from the history" of corruption in Lake County, Zoeller said.

Thats why Carter was so eager to pursue a civil racketeering lawsuit against then-Mayor Bob Pastrick. Zoeller helped draft the complaint.

There was some concern that we really get it right, he said. So a draft of the complaint was sent to G. Robert Blakey, the Notre Dame professor who helped draft the federal law.

This is exactly what we intended, to be able to root out problems within a municipality or other governmental entity, Zoeller remembers Blakey telling him.

Blakey made some changes to the complaint and signed his name as co-counsel.

To this day, Zoeller said, it stands as the only time in U.S. history a RICO lawsuit has been filed against a municipalitys administration.

It was a civil suit, but thats because the attorney generals office doesnt have criminal prosecution authority except for tax and environmental cases. Criminal cases are left up to county prosecutors.

So the civil case was filed, and the state prevailed.

This case drew a lot of attention nationally. Zoeller has spoken about it at a number of state attorney general and American Bar Association meetings, he said.

Fighting public corruption remains a priority for Zoeller. He praised the Shared Ethics Advisory Commission and the statewide Public Integrity Coalition, which he helped form.

Lately, he has been busy helping fellow Republican Curtis Hill prepare to take over the attorney generals office upon Zoellers retirement.

One of the loose ends is the fight over emergency dispatch consolidation in Lake County. Its the county with the most public safety answering points -- the technical term for 911 call centers -- when the consolidation law was passed. In fact, Lake County inspired the consolidation law.

Lake also is the only county that didnt fully finish the consolidation. Schererville and Cedar Lake fought the consolidation tooth and nail and now have their own dispatch center. Zoellers office offered mediation, but even that didnt resolve the conflict.

People get in a fight, and a lot of time their personalities take over, Zoeller said.

For many of the lingering cases, though, time is of the essence.

Its a great time to haggle a deal because you dont know what youre going to get when Hill takes office, Zoeller said.

As Zoeller enters a new chapter in his life, hes biding his time. Hes going to tackle an assortment of projects that matter to him, and a job opportunity likely will arise from one or more of them.

Zoeller has been in public service for decades. Now hes going to have to get his footing in the private sector and see how else he can serve the public.
By Press Trust of India: By Amandeep Shukla & Manoj Pokhriyal

New Delhi, Jan 1 (PTI) Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu feels that the coming together of the Opposition on the demonetisation issue is a non-starter and not a threat to the BJP-led government and rules out any real political realignment before the next Lok Sabha elections.

He also says that this grouping up of Opposition parties, which are "jealous" of Prime Minister Narendra Modis popularity, is opportunistic and will not succeed.

advertisement

"Any political realignment should reflect social realignment or ideological realignment. It cant be based on opportunism propelled by the desire for power. Thats why it would not succeed," Naidu told PTI in an interview.

He was responding to a question on the chances of a realignment among political rivals on an anti-BJP plank fuelled by their opposition to the note-ban decision.

Asked about the coming together of these parties in the recent winter session of Parliament that was washed out, he said the Opposition is "jealous" of the popularity of the Prime Minister on account of demonetisation.

"Initially, they did not stop hailing the move. Then they realised, he is becoming further popular. Then they tried to find holes and slowly build a case against it. And then people in media are saying it has given scope for realignment of the political forces," Naidu said.

Attacking the Opposition, he said they are not going to people but only to TV studios.

"And they are holding joint press conferences and then falling apart. Moreover their obstruction tactics in Parliament are not appreciated by the people," he said.

Naidu said the grouping of these Opposition parties is bound to fall apart "because there is no ideological unity, there is no unanimity on programme and there is no unanimity on leadership also".

He added that "Mamataji (Banerjee) wants to project herself. Rahul feels he is the natural claimant to be the leader. Communists and Trinamool cannot go together. So there is no ideological cohesion or availability of a towering personality who has got the moral authority to lead the Opposition." (MORE) PTI ADS MP VSC ZMN DIP

--- ENDS ---
Marc Chase Editor Marc Chase is a veteran investigative reporter, columnist and editor of more than two decades. He currently leads The Times news staff as local news editor. He can be reached at 219-933-3327. Follow Marc Chase Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

Several local politicians seem to possess short-term memories regarding the "war on women."

Most of us surely remember the much-deserved ire that rained down on Donald Trump when a several-years-old recording surfaced during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Anyone not residing under a rock remembers the ugly, frankly predatory, words flowing from Trump's mouth regarding his supposed grabbing of below-the-waist female anatomy, as if it was a right due a person of his economic status.

Democrats and Republicans alike were disgusted and mortified. Even Trump's running mate, now Vice President-elect Hoosier Gov. Mike Pence, expressed disapproval at the words.

Nationally, Democrats pounced ferociously hard, dubbing Trump's past words a sign of his "war on women." Dems decried the GOP for fielding such a reprehensible candidate.

I heard from plenty of local Democrats who echoed those concerns, some incorrectly predicting Trump's past words would sink his candidacy.

But fast-forward to December, when one of their own, Democratic Lake County Councilman Jamal Washington, pleaded guilty in Porter County criminal court to battering his wife.

It was a true physical sign of a larger social war on women. In this case, Washington admitted to a misdemeanor battery count in order to avoid trial on more serious felony charges he had faced.

Since his plea, Times reporters and this columnist have looked high and low, trying to take the pulse of local politicians regarding Washington's guilty plea.

No one contacted by us condoned the admitted battery, but several have said they "like Jamal" or consider him a friend.

In other words, they're not letting Washington's admitted battery of his wife get in the way of their political friendship or alliances.

Where's the disgust? Where's the outrage and the proclamations of a Lake County councilman's war on women?

It's true Washington's status as a county councilman carries nowhere near the gravity of the U.S. presidency.

But he's an elected government official nonetheless.

Is this really who we want presiding over our county's fiscal affairs  or any other government business?

It's clear Washington has no intention of resigning his county council post, even though he should.

Perhaps that's in part because his fellow politicians  ones who should, at the very least, want to distance themselves from such conduct  are really giving Washington tacit approval.

The voters can speak when Washington is up for election in 2018, some local pols have said.

It's a misdemeanor charge that doesn't bar Washington from legally holding public office, and therefore it's Washington's "personal" decision whether he remains on the council or resigns, others have said.

This is awfully weak talk from folks who cast Trump's rhetoric, again rightly so, as an egregious affront to the female gender.

County Council President Ted Bilski, a Democrat, was about the toughest in terms of rhetoric on the Washington situation.

Bilski told me he was personally disgusted by the guilty plea. He also noted Lake County government, long associated with a history of corruption and criminal charges against unscrupulous elected officials, will never heal as long as such cases continue occurring.

But even Bilski, who I respect for his candor, believes Washington should face a yea or nay from voters when he's up for re-election in 2018. He's not calling for his fellow councilman to resign.

Neither of the two Republicans who sit on the council, Dan Dernulc or Eldon Strong, are calling for Washington to resign, either.

No one is, except for a number of residents who've called the Lake County Council office in recent weeks, disgusted by a sitting councilman who's admitted to battering his wife in criminal court.

This columnist and The Times Editorial Board also have called for Washington to step down in several columns and editorials dating back to when he was initially charged about a year ago.

If anyone wants to get fired up about an issue, here it is folks. It's a real tangible example of a war on women, brought to us courtesy of a local Lake County politician who admitted to battering his wife.

Washington may be refusing to leave. In recent weeks, he even masqueraded as a sort of Santa, trying to repair his public image by delivering gifts and donations to charitable groups.

Its a charade we shouldnt be buying.

If Lake County public officials  if we as Region citizens  let this one go, what message does it send to our children about improper conduct?

More important, what does it say about our society and its stance regarding a clear war on women?
Looking ahead with hope is one of the greatest opportunities a new year provides.

If 2016 is any indication, the Region has much to look forward to.

Here are a number of things Northwest Indiana, its leaders and citizens should resolve to work toward or realize in 2017:

Losing the chip

Our Region is notorious for its "us against them" mentality when it comes to relations with Indianapolis, state leaders and just about any other neighboring state or region.

Let 2017 be the year when the collective chip on our shoulders diminishes.

Northwest Indiana enjoys the economic and social benefits of a world-class city to our north with a far more attractive tax rate than Chicago  or our Illinois neighbors as a whole.

The Region hotel industry is booming, home construction is strong and our opportunities for economic growth remain within reach.

We enjoy one of the most beautiful freshwater coastlines in the world, with all of the recreational and natural resource benefits.

Region leaders from Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties are beginning to click with the important notion of our connected borders, economies and the need to share resources and ideas.

We have nothing about which to feel inferior. Lose the chip.

Clean government house

Despite the growing number of Region positives, a strong negative remains in some government leaders who believe public service is synonymous with self-enrichment.

Region leaders and residents should resolve to press for the resignations of Lake County Sheriff John Buncich and Portage Mayor James Snyder in 2017.

Both men face felony criminal charges in Hammond federal court in separate bribery schemes.

Guilty or not  and both will have their days in court  Buncich and Snyder should be pressured to resign by fellow public officials and party leaders.

The shroud of their criminal cases will continue to damage the reputations of their respective political offices and constituencies.

Lake County Councilman Jamal Washington, who pleaded guilty earlier this month to battering his wife, also should be pressed to resign.

Washington pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor battery count, thus avoiding trial on the original felonies he faced in Porter County Criminal Court.

But our elected leaders shouldn't have the repugnant embarrassment of a battery conviction looming over local government.

Washington remaining on the council continues to send a message that battering women holds little consequence.

Commuter rail

The economic benefits of expanding the South Shore commuter rail line have been demonstrated time and again.

We know commuter rail expansion attracts young professionals and their families to communities. It also further connects existing residents with the jobs and social opportunities afforded by Chicago.

Communities not already fully on board with expanding the line to Dyer and double-tracking the Region line for speedier commutes should punch their tickets in 2017.

Civility Counts

This is a no-brainer.

Mocking people, calling them names or degrading them is bad social and political policy and shows poor character.

The Community Civility Counts initiative began as a partnership between the Gary Chamber of Commerce and The Times and has grown to a nationally recognized movement.

Resolve to strive for more civility in 2017.

It's a smarter, kinder and more thoughtful way of conducting ourselves.
Crossing the line separating Indiana and Illinois sometimes means dealing with different laws and customs. Readers are asked to share ideas for this weekly feature. This week: Sick leave.

Neither Illinois nor Indiana requires employers to provide paid sick leave to their employees.

But an Illinois law, which takes effect today, mandates businesses that award sick leave must allow employees to use their paid time off to take care of any ill relative, and not just themselves.

Indiana does not have a similar statute. Though state workers are permitted to use their accrued leave to also take care of a sick immediate-family member who lives in their home.

Starting July 1, the Illinois law will apply to thousands more workers as new ordinances take effect in Chicago and Cook County allowing all full-time public or private employees to earn up to 40 hours of paid sick leave each year.

Indiana law prohibits local governments from similarly requiring businesses operating in their communities to provide paid sick leave to their workers.
Happy New Year, Northwest Indiana. We hope your 2017 is off to a wonderful start.

Perhaps youre planning to spend part of this New Years Day crafting those all-important resolutions, or if youre like me, re-writing last years with a new determination to actually keep them this year.

As youre making your list, Id like to ask you to consider joining us in what could be the most important resolution that any of us could make  the pledge to devote less than an hour to learn CPR.

None of us know when we may be the only person available to help keep a friend, family member, co-worker, or even a total stranger alive in the event of a heart attack, stroke or other emergency. A small investment of time can make a lifetimes difference.

Unfortunately, people needlessly die every year because not enough of us have taken the time to learn these basic lifesaving skills. According to Diane Kemp, executive director of Northwest Indianas branch of the American Heart Association, approximately 7 percent of the general public knows how to perform CPR.

We want to change that this year. The Times Media Company is partnering with the American Heart Association toward a goal of training 5,000 Region residents on how to perform CPR without rescue breaths, as well as other lifesaving skills. The training will be completed through the American Heart Associations CPR Anytime Family and Friends Kit  a 30-minute session (this is meant to train and does not include certification).

Over the course of the year, we will promote and partner on these events. Well publish stories and information in our Health & Fitness section on Fridays, along with how-to guides, and schedules for training programs in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties. We also hope to recognize everyone who participates in training during the year.

The American Heart Association will launch CPR training at various locations beginning mid-February. Three training opportunities already have been scheduled:

Porter County: Thursday, Feb. 16, Valparaiso University, Harre Hall (11 a.m.-1 p.m.)

LaPorte County: Friday, April 7, Uptown, Michigan City, (11 a.m.-1 p.m.)

Lake County: Thursday, May 4, Avalon, Merrillville (2-4 p.m.)

We believe that increasing knowledge of CPR in our communities will make the Region a safer place to live.

The community needs to be aware that only 7 percent of the U.S. population is trained in CPR and under 10 percent of cardiac arrest victims survive, but bystander CPR can more than double ones chance of survival, Kemp said. It is estimated less than 15 percent of cardiac arrest victims currently receive CPR.

To help decrease these alarming statistics, we must increase knowledge of the American Heart Associations 'Chain of Survival,' which consists of four critical links: Early recognition of the emergency and activation of the emergency medical service; early bystander CPR; early defibrillation; and early advanced life support.

I want to thank Mike Schrage, Heart of Gold executive champion; Kirk Cordill, Heart of Gold executive chair; and Joe Battistoni for bringing this issue to our attention, and I look forward to this springs Heart of Gold Gala. I hope by summer well be able to say that weve reached our goal of 5,000 and are able to double it.

Im committed to keeping my resolution to learn CPR this year. I ask you to do the same. None of us wants to be the person standing by helplessly as someone dies.

Chris White is publisher of The Times Media Co.
WASHINGTON  Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., noting that the number of cases on the Supreme Courts docket has declined, used his year-end report on the state of the federal judiciary to praise federal trial judges, whose workload is by many measures much larger.

In the term that ended last June, the Supreme Court issued 62 decisions in argued cases, down from 66 in the previous term. That amounts to about eight majority opinions per justice, even accounting for the vacancy created by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in February, and is a steep drop from the more than 150 decisions the court issued per year in the early 1980s.

While the Supreme Court is often the focus of public attention, the chief justice wrote in the report, released on Saturday, our system of justice depends fundamentally on the skill, hard work and dedication of those outside the limelight. He said the job of a trial judge was in some ways harder than his own.

For starters, the typical federal judge has more than 500 cases on the docket, an amount that he called a daunting workload.
Michel Deon, a French writer and a member of the Academie Francaise whose dozens of novels offered a witty, panoramic view of French society and history, died on Dec. 28 in Galway, Ireland. He was 97.

His death was announced by the academy, Agence France-Presse said.

Mr. Deon was known in the English-speaking world primarily for two novels. His Where Are You Dying Tonight? (Un Dejeuner de Soleil), the fictional biography of a mysterious man of letters, appeared in France in 1981 and became his first work translated into English, in 1989.

The other novel, The Foundling Boy, published in 1975 as Le Jeune Homme Vert, told the story, with robust humor and a nod to Henry Fieldings Tom Jones, of a Frenchman who comes of age amid the turbulent politics of the 1930s. An English translation appeared in 2013.

To French readers, Mr. Deon was a complicated and contrarian figure: a political reactionary whose work evolved from experimentalism to more traditional forms, and an enthusiastic champion of young renegade writers.
Writers are different from the rest of us. Their castoff scraps can be worth money, not to mention the obsessive attentions of future scholars.

Jonathan Lethem, 52, recently became the latest author to sell his personal paper trail to a major archive. The Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Yale University acquired a trove of his manuscripts, letters, notes and other artifacts, which will now sit alongside material from Walt Whitman, Sinclair Lewis, James Baldwin and Marilynne Robinson in its rich American literature collection.

Mr. Lethems papers contain items relating to the novels that made him something of a reluctant patron saint of Brooklyns literary ascendance, including Motherless Brooklyn (1999) and The Fortress of Solitude (2003). But as befits a lifelong collector, music obsessive, comics geek and dedicated chronicler of underground culture, there are also hand-drawn cartoons, New York 1970s ephemera and what is surely the largest cache of drawings of vomiting cats in any university collection.

For an author who is so much fun as a novelist, its interesting to see there is so much fun in his archival documents as well, said Melissa Barton, the curator of American prose and drama at the Beinecke. (Ms. Barton, citing library policy, declined to say what Yale paid in the sale, which was arranged by the Manhattan book dealer Glenn Horowitz.)
Early in Lydia Peelles first novel, The Midnight Cool, she surveys the teeming crowd of men and animals at a horse and mule auction, and writes: Skinny dogs trotted through it all like they had someplace to be, crescents of hoof trimmings from the blacksmith held like cigarettes between their teeth.

The people in Ms. Peelles fiction are fully imagined, but well get to them. Its animals that give her work its heartbeat. The first story in her 2009 debut, Reasons for and Advantages of Breathing  as assured and rewarding a collection as youll find  was titled Mule Killers, referring to the tractors that put these beasts of burden out of the agriculture business. The narrators father, a farmer, especially loves a now-unnecessary mule named Orphan Lad, with his sharp shoulders and soft ears, the mealy tuck of his lower lip.

The majority of the action in Ms. Peelles novel takes place in 1916 and 1917, in the months leading up to Americas entry into World War I, and mules are center stage. The book is even dedicated to them. Billy, a middle-age horse trader, and his young partner and charge, Charles, turn their attention to the British Armys  and eventually the American Armys  demand for strong mules overseas. Theyre not above cutting corners, but they operate in a patriotic atmosphere in which people remind one another: Dont just do your bit, but do your all.

Billy is injured by a bad-tempered, dangerous horse sold to the pair under false pretenses by Leland Hatcher, the richest man in a Tennessee town. Charles falls profoundly in love with Lelands spirited daughter, Catherine. The book revolves around three dramas, all of which unfold at a leisurely pace: Charless potential consummation with Catherine; the mens ability to navigate their mule business to an honest profit; and flashbacks to the late 1800s for Billys back story, including the explanation of his close relationship with Charles.
Caroline Goodspeed Gammill and Nathan Karchmer Rothstein were married Dec. 31 at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Rabbi Julie Zupan officiated. The Rev. Thomas J. Brown, an Episcopal minister, took part in a ceremony that incorporated both Jewish and Episcopal traditions.

The bride, 31, is keeping her name. She works as a corporate associate for the Boston law firm Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo. She graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania and received a law degree from Boston University.

She is a daughter of Susan H. Alexander and James F. Gammill Jr. of Belmont, Mass. The brides mother is an executive vice president and the chief legal officer of Biogen, a biotechnology company in Cambridge, Mass. Her father retired as a finance and technology consultant in Belmont. Until November 2011, he was the treasurer of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts.

The groom, 32, is a founder and president of Project Repat, a company in Boston that creates custom quilts from T-shirts. He graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Marissa Halewijn Brown, a daughter of Liet M. Brown and Dale M. Brown of Alexandria, Va., was married Dec. 28 to Colin Patrick McGreal, the son of Mary Ann McGreal and William K. McGreal of Coral Springs, Fla. Maureen Burke, a minister affiliated with the Universal Brotherhood Movement, officiated at the home of the brides parents.

The couple met at the Rhode Island School of Design, from which they graduated.

The bride, 48, is the home-product design director and a vice president of Martha Stewart Living, a lifestyle brand in New York.

Her father retired as a writer and editor at Time-Life Books in Alexandria.

The groom, also 48, is a creative director in Dallas for Reel FX, an animation and virtual reality studio.

His mother retired as a librarian from Westchester Elementary School in Coral Springs. His father retired as a certified public accountant in Coral Springs.
Called DERMACON 2017, the 3-day event will have brainstorming on skin problems and curbing use of steroids as two of its many agendas.

Over 6000 delegates from across the globe are expected to participate in the conference.

In one of the biggest congregations on dermatology, delegates from India and abroad will come together to raise awareness about the abuse of steroids.

Preceding the conference, a workshop will be held on the 11th of January and a medical education programme will take place on the 12th, events that will deal with some of the latest advancements in the field of dermatology.

On January 14, the ITATSA public task force is organising a run from the Science City to the Boat Club. The run will witness participation of filmmakers, writers and actors in the campaign.

Dr. Sudip Das, one of the organisers of the conference, confirmed, "There will be more than 28 international faculty members present in the conference. The conference will also be graced by eminent personalities like Dr. A.K. Bajaj and Dr. G.N. Singh, DCGI of India. We have also received 400 international registrations from neighbouring countries such as Africa and Australia. Around 6000 delegates have registered to attend the conference. The event will also be an enriching experience for all, and a meeting place for people from the same industry."

It is expected to be a huge boost for West Bengal's tourism industry, as most faculty members are showing interest in travelling to various places like Darjeeling and Sundarbans before and after the conference.

It is expected to be a huge boost for West Bengal's tourism industry, as most faculty members are showing interest in travelling to various places like Darjeeling and Sundarbans before and after the conference.
Katherine Lotspeich was stopped cold by the front page of The New York Times last Sept. 11. She was about to leave her home in Washington, D.C., to teach a Sunday morning yoga class. But she couldnt take her eyes off a photo depicting a portrait gallery of victims in the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center.

Where a portrait of Antonio Dorsey Pratt was supposed to be, the photo, by Angel Franco, showed a 5-by-7-inch panel with an oak leaf, its veins turned yellow and its lobes tinged in russet.

The accompanying article described how the museum was searching for the missing portraits of seven people, Mr. Pratt included, to complete its gallery of all 2,983 victims of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and Feb. 26, 1993. The oak leaf panels were merely place holders.

Wasting little time, Ms. Lotspeich sent an email to her boss, Tammy M. Meckley: How can we help?

She had a hunch they could help because they work for the Immigration Records and Identity Services Directorate, part of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Department of Homeland Security.
In 2007, Rey Canunayon and his wife, MaryGwen, immigrated to the United States from the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. In doing so, they were fulfilling their familys dreams.

For years, her parents had requested that the Canunayons join them in New York City. But her parents died before that could happen. Mr. Canunayon felt remorse about not honoring their wishes while they were alive. Still, he and his wife wanted to embark on the adventure and make the move.

America is a great nation, a kind nation, a nation of greener pastures and milk and honey and endless possibilities, Mr. Canunayon said.

When the couple arrived, they stayed with Ms. Canunayons family in New Jersey. Life was exciting, even relaxing, Mr. Canunayon said. But as they settled in a new country, he struggled to find work and grew despondent.
Not counting the 68 years prior, he added.

Mr. Caronetti, a retired banker, said it was the sixth time he had been on hand for the opening of a new train, having also gone on inaugural rides in Los Angeles and New Jersey.

Im just a train buff, he said, wearing an M.T.A. cap he had gotten on Friday.

Another train enthusiast at the station, Marvin Loja Espinoza, 17, a senior at Aviation High School, was waiting to get on the first train leaving there.

Originally from Ecuador, he discovered his love for trains when he moved to the United States in 2005. His hometown had no trains, he said.

Struggling to make friends in a new place, he spent his lunches in the library studying train maps, he said. His knowledge of the subway lines is so extensive that his friends call him M.T.A. Savage.

Ian Ma, 15, said that when he was a child, he would run his toy trains back and forth across the floor of the familys home in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn.

On Sunday, he couldnt stop grinning as he snapped photographs at the new station at 72nd Street. Ive always been a big train guy, he said. And I feel like Ive been waiting for this train my whole life.

Pete Cerwin, 51, has lived at 72nd Street and Second Avenue for 20 years. For him, it has been two decades of false starts, letdowns and construction.
He had stayed away since shortly after World War II, worried that the French authorities would pull him aside in the customs line at the airport and send him back to the army. He had served in Charles de Gaulles Free French Forces. He left the army with a letter from Georges F. Doriot, himself a French emigre who had served in the United States Army, promising him a place at the Harvard Business School.

As my father-in-law told the story  and he told it often  his real motivation was avoiding the next conflict, in Indochina. He maintained that even then, he knew that Indochina would be a disaster  as Vietnam would be for Americans  for the French. Maybe my father-in-law really was that smart. Maybe he just didnt want to go that far away.

Jane was swiveling around with the virtual-reality headset and talking about what she remembered of the apartment. The re-creation was based on photographs from the 1920s. By 1969, there was a television set. She remembered sitting in front of it, watching the lunar module from Apollo 11 touch down. She remembered hearing her grandfather marvel at seeing a man on the moon, just as he had marveled at seeing an automobile for the first time in his native Beirut at the beginning of the 20th century.

She swiveled again and fast-forwarded to 1981, when she had spent several weeks in Paris. She remembered lunches with her grandmother at the table in the center of the apartment. She recalled how her grandmother had served white asparagus for the two of them at lunch but had said it was too expensive to serve to the whole family at Friday night dinners. This, in an apartment with a Monet on the wall.
SAN FRANCISCO  Last month, Federico Viticci, who runs MacStories, a news site devoted to Apple and its products, made a change in how the site publishes articles for mobile gadgets. MacStories, he declared, would no longer support a Google-backed method for faster loading of mobile web pages, called AMP.

Mr. Viticci said MacStoriess pages already loaded quickly without Googles help. He also didnt like the idea of Googles obscuring his sites links  with AMP, they read google.com instead of macstories.net  in the interest of expediency.

Feels good to no longer use the Google standard, Mr. Viticci wrote on Twitter.

Mr. Viticcis experience underscores the ambivalent relationship that some web publishers have developed with what was supposed to be Googles great boon for mobile publishing. When Google introduced Accelerated Mobile Pages, or AMP, in October 2015, it said the new format would help publishers with one of their biggest headaches on smartphones: Browsing mobile websites was so frustratingly slow that many smartphone users abandoned pages before they opened.

AMP has since delivered on its promise of faster mobile web pages. Even so, publishers  of smaller sites, especially, or individual bloggers  are beginning to worry about giving too much control to Google in exchange for zippier web pages. Whats more, Googles approach to AMP has rankled some critics already suspicious of the companys outsize influence on the internet.
What U.S. Tech Giants Face in Europe in 2017

For American tech behemoths like Google and Facebook, Europe can be both a blessing and a curse.

The region and its 500 million consumers are one of the companies most important overseas markets. And in cities from Lisbon to Ljubljana, people often cant get enough YouTube videos, Amazon purchases and Twitter messages.

Yet policy makers in the 28-member European Union have also become some of the most ardent critics of how Silicon Valley companies dominate much of the digital world. The criticisms include the companies perceived failure to pay local taxes and their collection of reams of personal information.

These tensions took center stage in 2016: Apple was ordered to pay 13 billion euros, or about $13.7 billion, in back taxes to the Irish government; Google was accused of unfairly favoring some of its digital services over those of rivals; and Uber was prohibited from operating some of its ride-booking services in the region. The companies deny wrongdoing.

The next 12 months are shaping up to be potentially even more painful. Many of the investigations that started in 2016 will be decided in the coming year. If Silicon Valley companies lose the battles, they could be forced to change how they operate not only in Europe, but also farther afield.
The testimony presented by prosecutors during the guilt phase of Mr. Roofs trial detailed with gruesome precision how he had plotted and executed the massacre during a Wednesday night Bible study in the churchs fellowship hall. It was less satisfying in revealing why he had done it. With his choice to sideline his legal team and represent himself, the second phase  when the same jury of nine whites and three blacks will decide whether to sentence him to death or to life in prison  may prove little different.

Death penalty experts said it was exceedingly rare for capital defendants to represent themselves after allowing lawyers to handle the initial part of a case. Mr. Roof, who also faces a death penalty trial in state court, has not publicly explained his reasoning. But legal filings strongly suggest a split with his court-appointed defenders about whether to argue that his rampage resulted from mental illness.

Mr. Roofs lead lawyer, David I. Bruck, tried repeatedly to plant that notion during the guilt phase, knowing it might be his only chance. Because evidence of mitigating factors is supposed to be reserved for the penalty phase, Judge Gergel allowed him little leeway.

In his closing argument, while acknowledging Mr. Roofs guilt, Mr. Bruck managed to tell the jury that Mr. Roof subscribed to the mad idea that he can make things better by massacring the most virtuous, kind and gentle people he could ever have found. Mr. Bruck seeded his speech with words like abnormal, irrationality, senselessness, delusional, obsession and perseveration, a psychiatric term referring to the uncontrollable repetition of a particular response.

Mr. Bruck, one of the countrys most experienced death penalty litigators, portrayed his 22-year-old client as a loner whose most meaningful relationship seemed to be with his cat; who staged hundreds of photographs of himself with no sign of friends; whose racial hatred was ignited by internet searches and not personal experience; who could not pinpoint during his confession to the F.B.I. how many he had killed, how long he had spent at the church or even what month it was; who had no escape plan and left suicide notes to his parents.
On New Years Day in 1961, Learys team ingested mushrooms in his living room. Such a sense of awe, Professor Smith said afterward. It was exactly what I was looking for.

A year later, the group gathered in a church basement as a Good Friday service was being held upstairs and tried an experiment involving 20 volunteers in which half were given the psilocybin mushrooms and the other half a placebo. Professor Smith received the drug, which was legal at the time, and reported that he was certain he had had a personal experience with God. He thought that the voice of a soprano singing upstairs was surely that of an angel.

From that moment on, he knew that life is a miracle, every moment of it, Don Lattin wrote in The Harvard Psychedelic Club, a 2010 account of the psychedelic research project, and that the only appropriate way to respond and be mindful of the gift of Gods love was to share it with the rest of the world.

Professor Smith later became disenchanted with Learys tune in, turn on, drop out gospel, but he retained his belief that the briefest of insights from a psychedelic trip could be mind-expanding.

Those early drug experiments, however, were enough for him, he wrote in Cleansing the Doors of Perception: The Religious Significance of Entheogenic Plants and Chemicals (2000). (The word entheogenic refers to substances that produce an altered state of consciousness for spiritual purposes  God-enabling, in Professor Smiths words.)

If someone were to offer me today a substance that (with no risk of producing a bummer) was guaranteed to carry me into the Clear Light of the Void and within 15 minutes would return me to normal, Professor Smith wrote, I would decline.

Huston Cummings Smith was born to Methodist missionaries on May 31, 1919, in Suzhou, China. The family soon moved to the ancient walled city Zang Zok, a caldron of different faiths, he wrote in his 2009 memoir, Tales of Wonder: Adventures Chasing the Divine.
VILNIUS, Lithuania  Dozens of United States Special Operations forces are now in the Baltics to bolster the training and resolve of troops who are confronting a looming threat from Russia, and to enhance the Americans ability to detect Moscows shadowy efforts to destabilize the former Soviet republics.

Theyre scared to death of Russia, Gen. Raymond T. Thomas, the head of the Pentagons Special Operations Command, who visited here recently, said of the tiny militaries of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. They are very open about that. Theyre desperate for our leadership.

As a result, General Thomas said, American commandos now have a persistent presence here with Baltic special operations troops, after forging close ties with them over the past decade while fighting together in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Americans bring sophisticated surveillance technology and broad sources of intelligence. The Baltic partners have a deep understanding of conventional Russian military might as well as Moscows increasing use of cyberwarfare, information subterfuge and other means less than all-out war to weaken the Western-backed governments.

It is unclear how supportive President-elect Donald J. Trump will be of this initiative as he aims to mend fences with Moscow. Mr. Trump suggested during the election campaign that only NATO allies that paid their fair share deserved protection from the United States, although he has since softened his warning. His remarks alarmed the Baltic nations, which count on NATOs collective security efforts to deter an unpredictable Russia.
WASHINGTON  The most powerful and ambitious Republican-led Congress in 20 years will convene Tuesday, with plans to leave its mark on virtually every facet of American life  refashioning the countrys social safety net, wiping out scores of labor and environmental regulations and unraveling some of the most significant policy prescriptions put forward by the Obama administration.

Even before President-elect Donald J. Trump is sworn in on Jan. 20, giving their party full control of the government, Republicans plan quick action on several of their top priorities  most notably a measure to clear a path for the Affordable Care Acts repeal. Perhaps the first thing that will happen in the new Congress is the push for deregulation. Also up early: filling a long-vacant Supreme Court seat, which is sure to set off a pitched showdown, and starting confirmation hearings for Mr. Trumps cabinet nominees.

Its a big job to actually have responsibility and produce results, said Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader. And we intend to do it.

But as Republicans plan to reserve the first 100 days of Congress for their more partisan goals, Democrats are preparing roadblocks. The partys brutal election-year wounds have been salted by evidence of Russian election interference, Mr. Trumps hard-line cabinet picks and his taunting Twitter posts. (On Saturday, he offered New Years wishes to all, including those who have fought me and lost so badly they just dont know what to do.)
By Press Trust of India: Srinagar, Jan 1 (PTI) Despite restrictions on Internet and mobile services during the unrest in the Kashmir Valley, residents of Srinagar submitted more than four lakh suggestions to the administration in a bid to help the city win a spot in the Centres Smart City project.

Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) had in September sought suggestions from people on how to make Srinagar a smart city.

advertisement

"We received over 4.05 lakh suggestions from the residents," SMCs health officer Shafqat Khan told PTI.

Khan said the SMC used print and electronic media, besides holding feedback sessions, to solicit suggestions from the public.

"We connected with 9.5 lakh residents through the outreach programmes over the past four months. Besides using print media, we took help of radio programmes for this purpose," he said.

Many people visited the SMC office in person to give suggestions as mobile and Internet services were suspended due to unrest in the Valley, Khan said.

"Most of the people who visited our office were youths. It shows that the future generation is not indifferent toward their city," he said.

More than a thousand emails were received by the SMC while many more chose to send in their suggestions through SMS.

"Some people also connected with us through social media like Twitter and Facebook," he said.

The corporation also held essay and logo designing competition for its Smart City project bid and the response was encouraging.

"We had over 200 entries in the essay competition and almost an equal number in the logo designing competition," Khan added.

The draft for Srinagars Smart City bid has been almost finalised but the SMC will incorporate useful suggestions, if any, received in the days to come, the Health Officer said.

"The bid will be submitted at the end of January but we will incorporate any new suggestions we find useful and worthwhile," Khan said.

The Jammu and Kashmir government is making efforts to get two cities -- Srinagar and Jammu -- included in the Smart City project. PTI MIJ GVS DIP

--- ENDS ---
Before Valley Place, Ms. Kelly, who has four young boys, spent time in what she called the torturous D.C. General Family Shelter: the citys largest homeless facility, which houses hundreds of families. The mayor and City Council want to close the complex and replace it with more intimate shelters spread out across Washington. The city spends around $80,000 every night on hotel rooms for homeless families.

People underestimate the degree to which housing is out of reach for certain people, said Laura Zeilinger, the director of the Department of Human Services in Washington. She said her department had a commitment to make sure that families were safe and able to survive custody battles and violent homes, and that they were not living in gas stations or McDonalds or laundromats while we try to fix the system.

In such a desirable real estate market, landlords are circumspect, taking government subsidies for affordable housing before screening out potential tenants for qualities associated with homelessness, Ms. Zeilinger said.

Often the last line of defense for those facing this kind of discrimination is the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, where for 25 years Patty Mullahy Fugere has supervised a staff of lawyers who offer legal counsel on shelter and emergency resources to the homeless.

Theres a bit of a double standard with the city that weve seen: We improve our schools, our roads. We put in bike lanes and dock parks and spent a lot of public money trying to attract outsiders, she said. Its low-income residents who are drawn into the District who want to relocate here because theres a stronger safety net to help them get back on their feet. Then for whatever reason, those folks seem to be demonized.

Theres enough of the renaissance for everyone, Ms. Mullahy Fugere said.

Since her election in 2014, Mayor Muriel Bowser has made homelessness a higher priority than her more stringent predecessor did, extending the availability of shelters beyond the cold-weather months, when there is a threat of hypothermia. The survey pointed out that the Bowser administration had done especially well sheltering homeless children and veterans. In 2016, the city had the lowest percentage of unsheltered homeless among the studys cities.
LONDON  Burundis environment minister was shot to death while en route home from a New Years celebration early Sunday morning, an act that could exacerbate the countrys nearly two-year political crisis.

Emmanuel Niyonkuru, 54, the minister for water, environment and planning, was killed around 12:45 a.m. while returning to his home in the Rohero section of Bujumbura, the capital, according to a statement by Pierre Nkurikiye, a spokesman for the national police. He said that a woman who was with Mr. Niyonkuru had been detained for questioning.

Image

President Pierre Nkurunziza called the killing an assassination and said on Twitter: Condolences to the family and to all Burundians. This crime will not go unpunished.
YANAN, China  In 1944, a group of American diplomats in a beat-up C-47 propeller plane swooped down onto a rocky runway in Yanan. Their mission was to assess Mao Zedong, who had made the city in northern China his guerrilla redoubt, and judge whether he deserved American backing.

Some of the Americans concluded that because Mao had the support of the people, he would have the upper hand in the inevitable civil war with Chiang Kai-shek, viewed by Washington as obstinate and corrupt. They were in favor of the United States throwing its weight behind Mao.

For that judgment, they saw their careers destroyed during the McCarthy era. They became victims of the witch hunt for so-called Communist sympathizers and those who lost China.

But to this day in Yanan, they are heralded as the good Americans who understood China, and are even featured in a museum and compound here that eulogizes the Communist Partys embattled origins and endurance.
SEOUL, South Korea  North Koreas leader, Kim Jong-un, said on Sunday that his country was making final preparations to conduct its first test of an intercontinental ballistic missile  a bold statement less than a month before the inauguration of President-elect Donald J. Trump.

Although North Korea has conducted five nuclear tests in the last decade and more than 20 ballistic missile tests in 2016 alone, and although it habitually threatens to attack the United States with nuclear weapons, the country has never flight-tested an intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM.

In his annual New Years Day speech, which was broadcast on the Norths state-run KCTV on Sunday, Mr. Kim spoke proudly of the strides he said his country had made in its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. He said North Korea would continue to bolster its weapons programs as long as the United States remained hostile and continued its joint military exercises with South Korea.

We have reached the final stage in preparations to test-launch an intercontinental ballistic rocket, he said.
By that new standard, things had improved in Afghanistan. By August 2010, 100,000 American troops were on the ground in Afghanistan and were pushing back the Taliban in some critical areas. Despite uneven progress in the military campaign, Ryan Crocker, a diplomat who had reopened the American Embassy in Kabul in 2002 and served there again as ambassador in 2011, recalled thinking, Wow, this place looks great!

The Navy SEAL raid that killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in May 2011 added to Mr. Obamas conviction that he was on the way to closing the books on the war.

At midnight on May 1, 2012, Air Force One rolled out from behind a hangar at Joint Base Andrews to pick up the president for a secret trip to Afghanistan. He was going to sign a strategic partnership agreement with President Hamid Karzai that set the terms for relations after 2014, when the United States was scheduled to withdraw its combat troops and turn over Afghanistans security to the Afghans.

Aides to Mr. Obama had advised him not to go for security reasons, but he saw it as an important milestone.

The agreement promised an enduring partnership between the United States and Afghanistan, with pledges of American help in developing the Afghan economy and public institutions. Yet the promises obscured a starker reality: Mr. Obama had accelerated the timetable for drawing down American troops, and he was looking beyond the war.

Speaking to a national TV audience from Bagram Air Base, he suggested that Americas experience in Afghanistan had come full circle. One year ago, from a base here in Afghanistan, our troops launched the operation that killed Osama bin Laden, he said. The goal I set  to defeat Al Qaeda, and deny it a chance to rebuild  is now within our reach.

Earlier, Mr. Obama had met for an hour with Mr. Karzai. The two had long had a rocky relationship  on an earlier trip, Mr. Obama excoriated Mr. Karzai for the rampant corruption in the Afghan government  and this session did little to improve their rapport. Mr. Crocker recalled that the president was very aloof, almost cold, which bothered me a bit because Id worked a solid damn year to get Karzai in a better place with us.
Abis Rizvi made a Bollywood action film about tigers. Leanne Nasser insisted on traveling from Israel, even though her father was worried about her safety. Haykal Mousallem, a fitness trainer, came from Lebanon with his wife to ring in the new year. Khushi Shah was a designer whose clothes were favored by Indian celebrities. Also there to celebrate was Nawras Assaf, who owned a lounge and bar in Jordan.

These five people were among an estimated 39 victims killed early Sunday morning in a rampage by a gunman who entered a nightclub in Istanbul, on the shore of the Bosporus, and opened fire on a New Years Eve celebration.

Even after a year in which Turkey was pounded by a coup attempt, an assassination and multiple terrorist attacks, the Reina nightclub was still a buzzing oasis, frequented by Turks and foreigners, many of them from the Middle East or South Asia.

The patrons ranged widely in nationality and religion. What they tended to share was a zest for looking good and having fun, and the ability to afford an expensive evening on the town.
LONDON  Queen Elizabeth II, who has been battling a cold for more than a week, missed a New Years Day church service at her country estate in Sandringham, Buckingham Palace said on Sunday.

A week earlier, the queen, who is 90, missed a Christmas Day church service, for the first time since 1988, because of the illness.

The Queen does not yet feel ready to attend church as she is still recuperating from a heavy cold, the palace said in a statement.

The queens husband, Prince Philip, who had also been ill, was well enough to attend both services, in the church at Sandringham, which is in Norfolk, on the east coast of England.
When the United States failed to veto a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, breaking with decades of U.S. policy, it was clear that more, and worse, might be coming.

Secretary of State John Kerry declared in a speech that the two-state solution  Israel and a Palestinian state living side-by-side  is the only way to ensure Israels future as a Jewish and democratic state, living in peace and security with its neighbors as well as the only way to ensure a future of freedom and dignity for the Palestinian people.

Kerry spoke of saving the two-state solution and warned of other countries desire to have the UN dictate the terms of a solution or simply recognize a Palestinian state without waiting for an agreement between the parties. These are not the choices we will make, Kerry said.

That language struck CNNs Jake Tapper as a little vague. Is he saying that the U.S. would veto any resolution in the UN which might dictate a peace solution or might recognize a Palestinian state? Tapper asked Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes.

Yes, Rhodes insisted.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wasnt so sure. I think the United States, if its true to its word, he said, should come out and say we will not allow any resolutions, any more resolutions in the Security Council on Israel. Period.

But if President Obama is committed to saving the two-state solution before leaving office, he doesnt need a UN resolution. He has the power as president to recognize a Palestinian state, on whatever territory they claim.

In 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court considered exactly that question and reached exactly that conclusion.

The case of Zivotofsky v. Kerry involved the passport of a child born in Jerusalem to American citizens. Under a law passed by Congress in 2002, U.S. citizens born in Jerusalem had the right to ask the State Department to list their place of birth as Jerusalem, Israel on their passports.

Congress passed that law, section 214(d) of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, to override the U.S. governments long-standing policy that Jerusalem was not recognized as being under any countrys sovereignty.

The Supreme Court said the law was unconstitutional. Citing history as far back as George Washingtons recognition of the revolutionary government of France in 1793, the justices concluded, the power to recognize or decline to recognize a foreign state and its territorial bounds resides in the President alone.

Harry Truman recognized Israel in 1948. Will Barack Obama recognize Palestine in 2017?

If he does, recognition by the European Union, Russia and China could immediately follow. By the time President Trump arrives in the Oval Office, a Palestinian state hostile to Israel and controlled in part by the terrorist group Hamas, which governs Gaza, could be a fact on the ground.

Would he do it?

No one can stop him. Obama could recognize a Palestinian state on the morning of Jan. 20 and then go to the Capitol for Donald Trumps inauguration.

For the rocket-firing terrorists of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, who applauded the UN resolution condemning Israeli settlements after it passed without a U.S. veto, it would be a triumph.

For Israel, it might mean another war for survival.

But for Obama, it would be a wall of framed page-one newspaper stories in his presidential library. A legacy doesnt build itself, you know.

Susan Shelley is a columnist for the Southern California News Group. Reach her at Susan@SusanShelley.com and follow her on Twitter: @Susan_Shelley.
In fall 2014, Newport Beach resident Minu Kaur Singh began scouring Google for information about designing and building floats. It was the first opportunity the Sikh community had to showcase its culture and religion in the Rose Parade, and Singh needed a quick tutorial.

Given the 2015 theme Inspiring Stories, Singh and her team created a float that featured a replica of the Stockton gurdwara, the first Sikh temple to be built in the United States, in 1912.

Last Rose Parade, the float was an explosion of color, music and dance, as it showed how the community celebrates the harvest festival of Baisakhi, with sweets, street carnivals and spritely Bhangra dancers.

On Monday, the groups third time in the parade, the Sikh American float will showcase the most sacred symbol for Sikhs worldwide  the Golden Temple in Amritsar, India.

But the float also is a way to counter acts of hate increasingly being directed at Sikhs in California.

Members of the community have been victims of hate crimes, bullying and other negative expressions since 9/11. Sikh men are often targets of hate crimes because of their appearance  they wear turbans and long beards and are mistakenly identified as Muslims.

The number of incidents against Sikhs has increased noticeably over the last few months, said Los Angeles resident Bhajneet Singh.

Since the election, weve heard reports of incidents where people have been beaten, especially the elderly, which is disheartening, he said. Weve had reports of verbal abuse.

The Sikh community Rose Parade float was born from a desire to stem this tide of bullying and intimidation, Bhajneet Singh said.

We dont want to wait for bad things to happen to us, he said. We want to participate in this event that is so quintessentially American to let people know that weve been here for a long time. We dance, sing and celebrate just like everyone. The only difference is our turban and facial hair.

Minu Kaur Singh said the Golden Temple on the float ties in beautifully with the parades 2017 theme: Echoes of Success.

When we say success, its not just about material things, she said. For Sikhs, ours is a collective success.

Sikhs end their daily prayers with the Punjabi phrase sarbhat da bhala, a prayer for the welfare of all. So, she said, the temple is a symbol of the Sikhs collective success and well-being.

The original Golden Temple was built in 1601 and is regarded as the abode of Gods spiritual attribute. It is also home to the Akal Takht, or the throne of the timeless one, viewed as the seat of Gods temporal authority. The temple was built as a place of worship for men and women from all walks of life, even all religions.

The four entrances to the temple, representing the four directions, symbolize the openness of the Sikhs to all people and religions. The four doors will be prominently featured in the Rose Parade replica, with each door bearing a word that is integral to the principles of Sikhism  love, freedom, service and justice, Minu Kaur Singh said.

Over several days leading up to the parade, hundreds of volunteers have worked in shifts to help glue on powdered yellow straw flowers, gold clovers, flax seeds and turmeric to the replica to get that iconic golden sheen just right.

Bhajneet Singh said the Sikh community floats to date have been met with smiles and awesomeness.

People take pictures of us, the float, he said. They ask us questions and we answer them. Its been overwhelmingly positive.

The float excites Sikhs throughout Southern California, said Christine Udhwani, an Ontario resident who attends the Riverside Gurdwara in Jurupa Valley.

Udhwani said she is delighted by her communitys decision to prominently feature the Golden Temple, which she has visited several times.

For me, its the most peaceful place in the world, she said.

Udhwani particularly recalls the langar, or community kitchen, at the Golden Temple, which serves hot meals daily to between 50,000 and 100,000 people. The community kitchen is an integral part of all Sikh temples.

Its our way of giving back to the community, Udhwani said. We prepare the food ourselves, we sit on the floor and eat together. This humbling act makes us all equal regardless of caste, race or economic status.

Hate incidents against Sikhs are happening because of fear and misunderstanding, she said.

We look different, but thats nothing to be afraid of, Udhwani said. We have the same values as our American neighbors.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7909 or dbharath@ocregister.com
As 2016 comes to a close, so does the 114th Congress. Over the last two years, our country has faced great challenges, but we have also experienced tremendous success. I am honored to represent you this Congress and would like to share with you some of the landmark legislation we implemented to improve the lives of the American people.

We passed, and the president signed, legislation that will prevent the Pentagon from unfairly revoking bonuses paid to California National Guard servicemembers. This bill also provides our troops with a well-deserved 2.1 percent raise and ensures our brave men and women in uniform have the resources they need to fight terrorism and protect our national security.

We passed legislation to reform the Department of Veterans Affairs and ensure that our veterans receive the care they have earned. Among the reforms signed into law is the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act, which will reduce veteran suicides by improving access to quality mental health care.

The Survivors Bill of Rights, which I introduced, will ensure survivors of sexual assault have full access to justice. This bill, which was signed into law in October 2016, guarantees sexual assault survivors commonsense legal protections, such as the right to receive a medical forensic exam and to have the evidence preserved.

We also passed legislation to protect victims of human trafficking by providing law enforcement officers the tools they need to rescue survivors and prosecute traffickers.

We took major steps to get the federal government out of the classroom and increase local control in our schools by passing the Every Student Succeeds Act, which was signed into law last December.

The FAST Act, signed into law late last year, is the first long-term transportation bill in over a decade. This legislation reauthorizes and reforms federal highway, transit and safety programs. I secured language in the bill that requires the Department of Transportation to study the impact of driving under the influence of marijuana.

We also worked to fix our broken tax code by implementing the PATH Act, which permanently codifies family and business tax credits. It is one of many reforms we need to make our tax code simpler, fairer and flatter.

Earlier this month, we passed, and the president signed, the 21st Century Cures Act. This innovative legislation accelerates the discovery, development and delivery of life-saving cures and treatments. It also includes important provisions to combat the nationwide opioid epidemic and provides landmark reforms to our mental health care system.

As we look ahead to the New Year, Congress has the opportunity to fulfill our duty to the American people by implementing even more solutions that will put our country back on the right path.

I am excited to work as a unified Republican majority to implement our Better Way Agenda. This blueprint was carefully crafted after meeting with our constituents and hearing exactly what they need to make their American dream a reality. You can read our detailed policy proposals at better.gop.

It is a privilege to represent you, and I encourage you to continue to contact me to share your thoughts and views because your input is important. Please do not hesitate to reach out to our office at walters.house.gov or at 949-263-8703 whenever we may be of service to you.

I wish you all the best for a happy and safe new year.

Mimi Walters represents the 45th Congressional District.
Donald Trump wished a Happy New Year for all American citizens, including his "many enemies".

He tweeted, "Happy New Year to all, including to my many enemies and those who have fought me and lost so badly they just don't know what to do. Love!"

By Indo-Asian News Service: US President-elect Donald Trump wished a Happy New Year for all American citizens, including his "many enemies" and those who fought and lost the battle against him and now "don't know what to do."

Trump, who takes office as President of the United States on January 20, used his Twitter account to post his message, EFE news reported.

advertisement

He tweeted, "Happy New Year to all, including to my many enemies and those who have fought me and lost so badly they just don't know what to do. Love!"

The New York billionaire has frequently used Twitter to mock his opponents, a tradition that goes back to the days when he had nothing to do with politics and was known for his TV reality show "The Apprentice".

In 2013, during the Thanksgiving Day holiday, Trump tweeted, "Happy Thanksgiving to all -- even the haters and losers!"

Also read: Putin's stand on US Russia dispute: I always knew he was very smart, says Trump

Also read: Obama offers US assistance to Turkey after Istanbul attack

Also read: NYPD to allow Sikh officers to wear turbans, grow beard

--- ENDS ---
NEW ORLEANS  Their hair wrapped in side buns, wielding lightsabers and dressed as everything from Wookiees to stormtroopers, thousands of people turned out to honor Carrie Fisher, the actress famous for her iconic role as Princess Leia in the Star Wars movies.

Fisher, whose tough-talking princess defied Empire generals while tossing off one-liners like into the garbage chute, flyboy, died Tuesday.

In New Orleans, where death is marked by both mourning and merriment, the Mardi Gras group called the Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus organized a parade Friday in honor of the woman they consider royalty.

This is a public demonstration of our love for Princess Leia, said Brooke Ethridge, one of the founders of the Leijorettes, a dancing group made up of fans who dress like Princess Leia. Our first instinct was to hit the streets and parade and celebrate Princess Leia and Carrie Fisher.

Chewbacchus is dedicated to all things sci-fi and fantasy related and has always drawn inspiration from the Star Wars movies. The groups logo features the head of Chewbacca, the furry Wookiee who was Han Solos close friend and co-pilot.

Fisher had been hospitalized since Dec. 23 after falling ill aboard a flight and being treated by paramedics at the Los Angeles airport. One day after Fishers death, her actress mother, 84-year-old Debbie Reynolds, died as well.

Reynolds son Todd Fisher said the mother and daughter will be buried together. They will have a joint funeral, but it will be private. Todd Fisher said the actresses will be interred at Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles, the final resting place of numerous celebrities, including Lucille Ball, Dick Van Patten, Liberace, Florence Henderson, David Carradine and Bette Davis.

A public memorial is being contemplated, but no plans have been finalized.

The New Orleans parade was led by the Leijorettes, followed by a brass band playing the Star Wars theme as hundreds of people  many in costume or carrying light sabers  walked behind them. Fans lined the road, taking photos.

I didnt know her. But as an iconic character and as a person, a writer and a smart funny fantastic woman and role model, I was heartbroken and devastated, Dale Hrebrik said.

But even in a crowd where Fishers Princess Leia role was front and center, many pointed out the contributions Fisher had made even after her Star Wars acting wound down. One marcher in the crowd held a sign calling Fisher, who spoke openly about her struggles with bipolar disease, a mental health advocate.

Jacquelyn Ryan came with her husband and two children. Her hair was wrapped in the two side buns Fisher wore in the first movie, but Ryan said she was more impressed with Fishers other contributions.

Probably my first introduction to her was Star Wars, but she as a person was really important. Her activism, her mental health awareness, her activism for women, her unapologetic attitude about youth and beauty in Hollywood really spoke to me, Ryan said.
Health care not Obamacare

Re: The life and death fight to preserve Medicaid expansion [Opinion, Dec. 30]: This article was nothing more than a Democratic Party advertisement based on the fallacious lie that Obamacare dealt with heath care. It did no such thing. It dealt with health insurance. Health care is now less available and affordable for most people, including my granddaughter in Colorado.

There are not enough doctors to take care of all the patients due to doctor retirements and the low rate of new doctor training. I have Kaiser and my general practice doctor told me that she has 2,000 patients. That is one hour per patient per year! Another example is my sons premiums. They have more than doubled and the deductibles have doubled from what he was formerly able to afford. He now routinely pays for his doctors visits and uses his health insurance as catastrophic insurance since many doctors will not take Obamacare patients.

Medicaid is not tied to Obamacare. California decided to expand Medicaid independent of Obamacare. Many states did not expand Medicaid under Obamacare and are not now under the financial burden that it causes. The sooner we can get out of this socialized medicine Ponzi scheme the better it will be for all the people of California.

 George A. Kuck, Westminster

Warm fuzzy feeling an added risk

Re: Philanthropy investing: The returns could surprise you [Opinion, Dec. 30]: Our personal investing experience is directly contrary to the statement, Hedging your position by adding another value component to your portfolio. This logic brought a 60 percent loss to one of our retirement investments.

Out argued and assured by a very smart professional financial advisor with a good reputation, I approved a renewable resource-type investment against my better judgement. Several years and multiple reassurances later we gave up and exited the investment. It is still languishing. In investing, any consideration of environmental issue or policy impact should be viewed as additional risk. It should not be considered a deciding factor until potential for good financial returns are assured. It should absolutely not over rule or provide any influence on judgment regarding the validity of the investment.

For our family, retirement investments provide our retirement income. Use of my familys future income to provide a warm fuzzy feeling for a philanthropic financial advisor is not going to happen again.

 T. Nicholson, Garden Grove

Cox abused her position and should apologize

Re: Orange Coast College professor under attack for Trump talk [News, Dec. 29]: The OCC professor is experiencing what we used to call social pressure. It was used by adults to correct bad behavior in other adults, since there is no parent around to do it. In this case, the professor used her position of power and influence to make an outrageous and desperate political statement, instead of sticking to her course curriculum, as is her job. Her employer and union seem to think this is acceptable behavior, but society clearly does not. And, society is who is paying her salary.

This is not an issue of freedom of speech. Her statements in an open forum outside her role as educator would be seen as an expression of her sentiment. The country is full of such events these days. But in an environment such as a classroom, her responsibility as an educator precludes that right. It would be the same as if an employer gathered his employees together for a similar kind of rant. They dont belong in the workplace and the classroom is her workplace.

She feels threatened by the hyperbole of the reactions. Well, it only matches the hyperbole of her rant. We were not assaulted. We just had a presidential election. Thats all. No one was assaulted literally or figuratively. But the depth of societys disgust over her behavior is showing up only in its words. There has not been a single real incident of any direct physical threat. Instead of feeling threatened, she should learn from this experience. Her rant was not the issue here  where she expressed it was. She abused her position of power and authority, and is being held accountable for it in the court of public opinion.

She should apologize not for what she said, but where she said it  to her institution, and to her students.

 M. J. Knudsen, Trabuco Canyon

The shoe is on the other foot now

I do not, nor will I ever, condone someone being treated the way Ms. Cox characterizes her treatment. Although, as my father used to say, every cloud has a silver lining. The silver lining here is perhaps Ms. Cox will be able to put herself in the shoes of her students, particularly those not labeled liberal.

Hopefully she will understand that because you disagree with President Obamas world view, it doesnt mean you are a racist; that because you see no redeeming value in a political candidate who happens to be female doesnt mean you are a sexist. It means you are an individual American with the inalienable right to think and vote the way you believe without being called names and without having to justify it to anyone for any reason. Some on the political left believe so deeply in their world view they can not fathom, or even entertain any other view. Consequently, those who harbor an opposing view are either stupid or racist, or sexist or homophobic.

Ms. Cox and other teachers carry a very large burden, reminiscent of the adage, Those to whom much is given, much is expected. In my opinion, their job is to educated across the spectrum; to incite critical thinking without judging the individual based on their political or religious beliefs. Ms. Cox, like all teachers, has an extraordinary platform and carries a very large stick with which to punish those that disagree with her. Hopefully she will consider that in her future lectures.

 Herb Seitz, Huntington Beach

Brought down from the bully pulpit

Your recent article regarding Prof. Olga Perez Stable Cox painted a portrait of a victimized woman living in mortal terror, fearing that people who voted for President-elect Donald Trump were going to physically harm her. According to the article, the professor would spend another day isolated by fear, weeping, too scared to walk outside.

The picture painted seems a far cry from the woman who bullied her own students with her strident attacks on our future president. Because of her ability to affect a students GPA, she had a bully pulpit and far exceeded her assigned role as a professor teaching a class on human sexuality. Her behavior is, unfortunately, not uncommon among liberal college professors who take advantage of their positions to intimidate and attempt to indoctrinate their students with their own liberal and politically correct philosophies.

Im glad a student finally had the courage to record this womans egregious and unprofessional behavior. The teacher, not the student, should be disciplined and told to adhere to the curriculum she was hired to teach. This type of behavior is endemic to colleges lately and should not be allowed. Freedom of speech is one thing; using your position and authority to intimidate students who are not in a position to disagree with you is quite another.

 Leslie Day-Ebert, Orange

You cant have it both ways

Re: Most Influential 2016: Hussam Ayloush [News, Dec. 27]: I have to chuckle at the quote from Hussam Ayloush, one of your 100 influential game changers. He submits: Its really about creating a healthy society where each one of us feels happy and welcome, a society where everyone is treated with respect, dignity and equality. His quote rings true, but lets take a deeper look. Although we arent perfect, we here in the United States did create the best example of a society like that.

What Islamic dominated nation on earth functions in the manner that he wishes for? Women, gays and those of non-Islamic faiths are harassed, taxed and even killed for expressing their God-given rights and beliefs in these nations. CAIR itself has a few skeletons in its closet with regards to links and even support for terrorist groups.

As an example, they repeatedly fail to denounce Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist groups. CAIR denounces the acts of violence, but not their sponsors.

Spare me the specious quote, especially from CAIR. I personally dont buy it.

 Lawrence S. Wach, San Clemente
The California Legislature again was very active in 2016, which, on balance, tends to bode ill for the economic and personal liberties of the states residents. Here we present a sampling of the good, the bad and the voluminous bills that became law in the last year.

Sadly, the Good list is much shorter than the Bad list, but there were nonetheless several positive pieces of legislation. Assembly Bill 1668, for example, made California the 32nd state to adopt a Right to Try law, which allows terminally ill patients to bypass U.S. Food and Drug Administration restrictions on experimental medications.

Senate Bill 443 reforms the often-abused practice of civil asset forfeiture by requiring state and local police to obtain a conviction before seizing property worth less than $40,000, increasing the governments burden of proof and plugging a loophole that allowed police to partner with federal law enforcement agencies to keep more of the proceeds from seizures and operate under looser rules.

In addition, SB269 curbs lawsuit abuse related to the Americans with Disabilities Act by allowing businesses to correct minor violations of the plethora of ADA requirements and minimizing damages for certain offenses, and SB1322 addresses human trafficking by treating sex workers under age 18 as victims and preventing them from being prosecuted for prostitution.

Unfortunately, many more bills will have negative effects, such as the Legislatures decision to double down on its anti-gun laws and require background checks for ammunition purchases, which will do little to nothing to combat gun crime and will unnecessarily burden law-abiding gun owners. And while environmentalists hailed the passage of SB32, which extended and enhanced AB32, the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, others decried the accompanying powerful and expensive bureaucracies, higher energy costs for consumers and added costs to businesses in a state with an already woeful business climate.

Bills such as SB3, which raises the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2022, and SB654, which requires employers with as few as 20 employees to offer six weeks of parental leave, are designed to benefit workers, but will raise the cost of doing business, ultimately leading to fewer job opportunities and reduced hours for many.

And while smoking may be hazardous to ones health, those decisions should be made by individuals and private property owners, not the state. Even more egregious than raising the minimum smoking age from 18 to 21 was SBX2-5, which applies anti-smoking laws to e-cigarettes and regulates them like tobacco products, despite the fact that they contain no tobacco and have been shown to be a much safer alternative that many have used to quit smoking altogether.

The sheer number of laws is also a concern. The Legislature passed 1,059 bills during 2016, and Gov. Jerry Brown signed 898 of them into law. But what average citizen or business owner can even keep track of so many laws, much less obey them all?

The great proliferation of laws, and the fact that legislators have the time and the inclination to declare denim the official state fabric (AB501) and dictate who should be able to use single-occupant bathrooms at private businesses (AB1732), is a strong argument for a part-time legislature.

As lawmakers enter the New Year, they should be mindful of the wisdom of Roman Empire senator and historian Tacitus: The more numerous the laws, the more corrupt the government.
BURSA, Turkey  At least three people dressed in Santa Claus suits opened fire inside a packed Istanbul nightclub shortly after midnight New Years Day, killing at least 35 people and wounding dozens more, Turkish officials said.

The attack occurred about 1:15 a.m. at the nightclub, Reina, where as many as 600 people were celebrating the new year when the attack occurred, officials said.

Gov. Vasip Sahin of Istanbul province, who called it a terrorist attack, said the attackers fired on police before heading inside the club.

One person first kills the police officer outside, and then a civilian, the governor said. Inside he rained bullets brutally, mercilessly over innocent people who were there just to celebrate the new year and have fun.

The club overlooks the Bosporus, which separates the European and Asian continents, and some clubgoers were seen jumping into the water to escape the gunfire.

Mehmet Kocarslan, the clubs owner, told the Hurriyet.com.tr news site that there had been increased security at the club for the past 10 days after U.S. intelligence officials shared information about the planned attack. He said the attackers used Kalashnikov rifles.

Television footage showed dozens of ambulances rushing to the scene, and people fleeing, some walking with difficulty arm in arm.

Hurriyet.com.tr said three assailants dressed as Santas opened fire at the security staff members at the gate and stormed in. NTV said the police were still searching for the attackers.

On the European side of the countrys capital, about 8 miles from Istanbul, the neighborhood is an international travel destination known for its food stalls and vibrant night life.

Turkey is still recovering from a failed coup attempt that began July 15 in which at least 265 people were killed.

Although the effort sputtered in a matter of hours, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan responded with a sweeping, monthslong crackdown targeting alleged dissidents across Turkish society. In addition to arresting thousands of military personnel suspected of involvement in the coup, hundreds of thousands of civil servants, educational staff and journalists were purged.

The coup and the assassination of the Russian Ambassador Andrey G. Karlov in Ankara on Dec. 19 raised concerns that the countrys security establishment had grown ineffective. The turmoil also raised doubts about how well Turkey would be able to participate in international counterterrorism efforts, especially with regard to the Islamic State.
If you are among the Californians who make less than $15 an hour  more than a third of the states workforce  you can look forward to a raise.

If you are a farmworker toiling long hours in the fields, you finally will become eligible for overtime.

If you are a Latino or an African American earning less than a white colleague for doing the same job, you may be entitled to redress.

A host of powerful new California labor laws takes effect this month, improving the lot of millions of workers while placing additional burdens on businesses.

In Washington, President-elect Donald Trump is pushing a corporate-friendly agenda to roll back federal regulations, slash business taxes and install a secretary of labor who opposes minimum wage hikes, paid sick leave and mandatory health insurance.

Sacramento lawmakers have been heading in the opposite direction.

California remains entrenched in a deep blue bubble  while the national postelection map looks very red, said Los Angeles attorney Nancy Yaffe, who represents companies across the region.

For local employers, it is death by a thousand pin pricks.

But Tony Mendoza, D-Artesia, outgoing chairman of the California Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee, celebrates the blue.

The minimum wage hike to $15, scheduled to take effect gradually over the next six years, will be good for the economy, predicted the legislator, whose district spans parts of Los Angeles and Orange counties.

Most companies wont raise minimum wages on their own. Their bottom line is profit. But when people earn more, they spend more.

Today, the state pay floor rises to $10.50 an hour from $10 for companies with more than 25 employees  an annual paycheck of $21,840. Smaller businesses must meet that threshold next year.

However, some cities, citing the high cost of housing, already have boosted their minimums to $10.50, including Los Angeles, Malibu, Pasadena and Santa Monica. So has Los Angeles County, in its unincorporated areas.

In July, the rate will rise to $12 an hour for companies with more than 25 workers. Smaller businesses have an extra year to comply.

If you live paycheck to paycheck, a 50-cent increase is a thousand dollars a year, said Ada Briceno, secretary-treasurer of UniteHere Local 11, which represents 22,000 Los Angeles and Orange County hotel and restaurant employees.

Many of these people perform backbreaking work.

Business scores victories

The hike to $15, the most generous of any state, was fiercely opposed by a broad swath of industries, led by the California Chamber of Commerce, which had defeated a similar effort the previous year.

But in April, with a more stringent, union-sponsored ballot measure waiting, it was jammed through behind closed doors, said Bryan Starr, senior vice president of the Orange County Business Council. The business community was caught flat-footed.

Despite losing the minimum wage fight, the chamber boasted last month it had quashed 20 out of 24 bills on its annual job killer list.

Among them: a bill vetoed by Gov. Jerry Brown that would have guaranteed job protection to workers at businesses with 20-49 employees if they take up to six weeks of unpaid parental leave to bond with a new child. Currently, only workers at bigger companies are eligible for that benefit.

Another defeated bill, authored by Sen. Connie Leyva, D-Chino, would have required retailers, groceries and restaurants to give employees seven days notice before changing their work schedules.

Unreliable, just-in-time scheduling has become a major issue as part-time work expands and employees scramble to plan for child care, attend college or maintain a second job. Businesses asserted the measure would curb their flexibility and spur litigation.

Besides the minimum wage hike, the most far-reaching new laws encompass:

OT for domestics and farmworkers

Historically, nannies, home health care aides and other domestic workers were ineligible for overtime. But a 2013 law temporarily granted them standard workplace rights. It was set to expire in 2017. Now a new law, the Domestic Worker Bill of Rights, makes the right to overtime permanent.

Similarly, a new law will grant overtime after an eight-hour day to the states roughly 400,000 farmworkers, most of them Latino immigrants. Previously, they qualified only after working 10 hours.

Representatives of the states $54 billion agricultural industry, such as the powerful Irvine-based Western Growers, argue the law will spur mechanization and reduce jobs.

Advocates portray the measure as redressing a historic wrong, noting the 80-year quest to grant farmworkers rights taken for granted by other employees.

Sponsors compromised by phasing in the provisions over four years, beginning in 2019.

If you are a dishwasher or a factory worker, you get overtime, Briceno said. Farmworkers perform arduous and courageous work to put food on our table. Yet they have been the most exploited workforce.

Equal pay

In 2015, California passed the toughest gender- discrimination law in the nation, requiring employers pay men and women equally for substantially similar work and not just for equal work.

Two new laws expand the mandate.

One eliminates prior salary as an excuse to pay a man more  a change driven by the fact that female applicants often have earned less, a gap that automatically follows them from job to job.

The way most businesses recruit is if someone was historically underpaid, you could get them cheap, Yaffe said. Why pay more if you dont have to? That has to change.

Another law expands the 2015 Fair Pay act to race and ethnicity, a measure that opponents contend will trigger more litigation for employers.

The laws author, Sen. Isadore Hall III, D-Compton, argued that studies show blacks and Latinos on average make less than their white counterparts. In California, for instance, Latinas make 44 cents for every dollar a white male makes, greater than the average male-female discrepancy of 84 cents.

Workers comp

A comprehensive new law will expedite care for injured workers during the 30 days following a workers compensation claim. Physicians and practitioners convicted of fraud or abuses of Medi-Cal or Medicare programs would be forbidden to participate in workers compensation programs.

Mendoza, the laws author, said that after months of behind-the-scenes negotiations with doctors, attorneys, insurers, employers and worker advocates, the reforms had everyone on board.

Under the law, workers no longer can be denied doctor-approved medical care in the immediate aftermath of an injury, as was happening with firefighters and others in hazardous occupations, he said.

And we had unscrupulous medical providers selling liens on MRIs and X-rays to investors, driving up the cost of workers comp by billions of dollars. That will stop.

Bias against ex-offenders

A new state law forbids employers to ask applicants about criminal arrests or convictions under the jurisdiction of a juvenile court. An exception: Health facilities may inquire into sex offenses or drug possession within the previous five years.

The law comes as a national movement has gathered force to make it easier for ex-offenders to find jobs after serving sentences. Ban-the-Box initiatives require employers to bar the initial application box regarding criminal records. Checking the box often causes recruiters to automatically reject applications before a job seekers qualifications are considered.

In Los Angeles, a new ordinance, the Fair Chance Initiative, takes effect Jan.22, restricting businesses with 10 or more employees from asking about criminal histories before a conditional offer of employment is made. (Child care and law enforcement agencies are exempted).

After an offer, employers may ask. And they may then withdraw their offer.

An estimated one in four Californians has an arrest or conviction record. People who have served their time deserve an opportunity to provide for themselves and their loved ones, and rebuild their lives with integrity through hard work, said Mayor Eric Garcetti in signing the law recently.

He noted that research shows one of the most cost-effective ways to slash recidivism, making communities safer, is to help ex-offenders find work. Californias recidivism rate is 65 percent, but for individuals placed in jobs shortly after release, it ranges from 3 percent to 8 percent, according to studies.

Contact the writer: mroosevelt@ocregister.com Twitter: @MargotRoosevelt
Over the next four years, Donald Trumps administration is very likely to lead the United States into a more aggressive economic posture toward one or more top trading partners. Attention so far has focused around two countries in particular  China, which has been the butt of Trump provocations and allegations since the beginning of the presidential campaign, and Mexico, the NAFTA member long singled out for criticism around its impact on the distribution of jobs and benefits in the US.

One of the first questions Trumps team will face after Inauguration Day is how, if at all, the new presidents thematic attacks on China and Mexico can be translated into a consistent, coherent policy program. To be sure, Trump has room to fade on both fronts. As frustrating as it can be to see American companies freely avail themselves of cheap Mexican labor on both sides of the border, and as ominous as Chinas mix of breakneck growth, increasing autocracy and questionable financial practices may seem, Americans are in little mood for an all-out trade war on their western or southern flank. Much of Trumps appeal has been in saying what many think, regardless of how much follow-through actually turns out to be wise, and theres something paradoxically reasonable in a governing style thats heavy on the blunt rhetoric and light on clumsy, damaging acts.

On the other hand, Americans do want to see tangible changes for the better in their governments trade relationships. Mexico is widely seen for what it is  a country perilously close to state failure, ill served by its dominant political party, unable to impose basic order within large swaths of its territory, and somewhat insulting in the way it sometimes appears more than willing to take advantage of its economic dependence on the United States. China, meanwhile, is so closely bound to the United States economically that it can get away with applying pressure for its own benefit, thieving trade secrets, leaning perilously on shadow banking, courting claims of currency manipulation, and doing it all while illegally occupying claimed territory in other nations exclusive economic zones inside the South China Sea. Neither the Sino-American relationship nor the U.S.-Mexican relationship can drift along their current paths without their current costs increasing  including the political cost of restiveness at home.

Yet, considering the very full plate president Obama has left for Trump and his team, the odds are slim that the incoming administration will enjoy the time, energy, experience and resources necessary to mount simultaneous course corrections. The threats of error, destabilization and simply losing control of an overly complex situation are too great, and even the most ambitious members of the Trump circle cannot be dismissive of the risk that their boss will rack up two potentially fatal failures within the opening phases of his first term.

For that reason, the most likely approach from Trump is one step at a time, focusing primarily on making one, and only one, economic relationship more adversarial. Even  or perhaps especially  globalizations harshest critics admit that its difficult to treat any one trade tie in isolation, and to that degree, China, Mexico and the United States increasingly operate as a single semi-integrated economic unit. Nevertheless, the political and cultural divides are stark, and they link Americans and Mexicans much closer together than Americans and Chinese. In short, it is easier to apply pressure to China first, shoring up affairs with Mexico, than to attempt the reverse. The domestic U.S. political mood is more aligned with that approach, and the international climate is too.

Mexico, for instance, lacks a constellation of neighboring states that worry about its actions and intentions in its near abroad. China, by contrast, has worried or alarmed nearly all of its Pacific neighbors, with Japan at the front of the line of nations prepared to cement (even) closer working ties with Washington. And whereas a decisive Trump move against Mexico would probably face extraordinary domestic opposition from pro-business Republicans and socially liberal Democrats, a shift against China would rattle some nerves and provoke some apocalyptic warnings, but do little to mobilize public support against his broader domestic agenda.

Although it is still early going, President-elect Trump has already gone out of his way to signal that Mexico stands to benefit from just that kind of balance of priorities. He has exchanged kind words with influential billionaire Carlos Slim, in the wake of a meeting brokered by former campaign manager, now lobbyist, Corey Lewandowski. Beltway chatter has already swirled around the prospect of Lewandowskis new firm bringing on Slim as a client, the better to enrich all parties on the inside of future deals. But that is the kind of talk Trump has the political and personal capacity to tolerate  relative to a drumbeat of criticism around NAFTA, border security, deportation, racism and the rest.

Slim himself can set the tone, and he knows it. Despite all but laughing off Trumps troubled candidacy before Election Day, he has changed his tune right along with Trump himself. Its different to be a candidate than to be president, Slim recently told Bloomberg TV. He is talking about other issues that are very positive for Mexico. Like that he will create 25 million jobs, try to grow [the economy by] 4 percent and that investment in infrastructure will be $1 trillion in 10 years. Thats $100 billion a year. If it happens, at least in part, it would be very good for Mexico.

And very bad, as far as it goes, for China, where the top priority must be ensuring that Trump does not isolate Beijing politically so as to punish it economically. A cozy U.S.-Mexican relationship will likely become a bellwether: the better it gets, the more leverage the United States is likely to find against China. If Trump recognizes this and can execute on the idea, hes off to a good start  down a challenging road.

James Poulos is a columnist for the Southern California News Group.
America finds itself in the midst of what some call an epidemic, as tens of thousands of people are losing their lives every year due to overdosing on illicit or prescription drugs, while many more are using, misusing and potentially growing dependent or addicted to such drugs.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 50,000 Americans lost their lives last year to drug overdoses, more than 33,000 of which were attributable to prescription and illicit opioids, which have come under particular scrutiny in recent years. It should be noted that opioid overdoses are commonly linked to drug mixing, like drinking alcohol while using opioids.

During a December interview on CNN, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia invoked the opioid problem to call for, of all things, a war on drugs. Considering it has been 45 years since Richard Nixon already declared such a war, that weve already spent $1 trillion fighting it and have yet to arrest and bomb our way to a drug-free society, doubling down on such a war is unlikely to be the solution.

On the campaign trail, Donald Trump repeatedly suggested his glorious border wall would keep the drugs out. Considering that prisons and jails are incapable of keeping drugs out, it is highly unlikely a wall along part of the southern border of a nation with thousands upon thousands of miles of coastline and borders will do much better.

Politicians tend to prefer simplistic solutions, and tend to launch ill-advised crusades against things. This has been seen in the dominant narratives over opioids, which have been particularly demonized in recent years, and the response of well-meaning government officials whose good intentions have mostly made things worse.

Opioids, a class of drugs including opium derivatives likes morphine and semi-synthetic drugs like hydrocodone and oxycodone, have been used for thousands of years to treat pain and other ailments, and are generally safe. Millions of people across the country are prescribed them every year, and, according to a Cochrane review published in 2010, less than 1 percent of people prescribed them become addicted.

But in the past 25 years, prescriptions for opioids have skyrocketed. This has panicked policymakers and government bureaucracies tasked with combating the scourge of drugs. The Office of National Drug Control Policy has championed a prescription drug monitoring program, while the Drug Enforcement Administration has made a point of cracking down on doctors and the CDC advises doctors to prescribe fewer painkillers.

Unsurprisingly, these responses have been wholly ineffective at reducing rates of opioid use or overdose, argues the Drug Policy Alliance in a recently released action plan. Instead, what has been achieved is pushing many opioid-dependent people to heroin.

Though the vast majority of heroin users never become dependent, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, there are many risks associated with prescription opioids. Much of this is due to heroins illegality, including widely varying degrees of purity and the common presence of adulterants like fentanyl, which itself is generally safe in therapeutic doses and contexts.

Hence, while heroin use has steadily increased over the past decade, deaths associated with it have ticked up even faster. Despite a decrease in estimated heroin users between 2014 and 2015, heroin overdose deaths rose from 10,574 to 12,990 during that time period. This is likely a result of the heroin supply becoming less safe.

All of this speaks to the ineffectiveness of our current approach to drugs. Weve had 45 years to see how imprisonment, treatment with the threat of imprisonment and a litany of local, state, federal and international drug agencies and task forces work. They dont.

We would probably be better off dissolving the DEA and reallocating its multibillion-dollar budget to harm reduction and treatment. Decriminalizing personal possession and use of drugs should also be considered, as criminalizing drug users and addicts alike has failed to encourage treatment and better choices.

If we want to curtail the problems associated with the use of heroin, we should probably look more to the use of things like syringe exchange programs, supervised injection facilities and heroin-assisted treatment.

We might want to take a step back from prosecuting doctors or having government bureaucrats tell them how to do their jobs. We also should do a better job of educating the public about the actual dangers of drugs, which are real, but often misrepresented.

We dont need another war on drugs, we just need smarter approaches.

Sal Rodriguez is a staff columnist. He may be reached at: salrodriguez@scng.com
MOSUL, Iraq  The 19-year-old resident of Mosul pulled up his shirt and showed a festering wound on his back. It came, he said, from Iraqi troops who detained him for three days and beat him, trying to get him to confess to belonging to he Islamic State.

His story and similar stories by others only deepen worries among many of Mosuls mainly Sunni residents over what happens when the extremist group is defeated and Baghdads Shiite-led government resumes control.

Almost all those fleeing the city say they are relieved to see the end of the Sunni extremists grip. But they also have bad memories of Baghdads rule in the past.

Mosuls Sunnis long complained that the Shiite-dominated security forces treated them with suspicion and targeted them in indiscriminate crackdowns. They say the government intentionally neglect them, focusing on Shiite areas in the south, leaving Iraqs second largest city undeveloped and economically stagnant.

Mohammed Ayad said he was detained by troops earlier this month when he sneaked from his home neighborhood, which is under Islamic State control, across the Tigris River into a district recaptured by the military. He intended to buy cigarettes to sell back in his neighborhood, where Islamic State bans smoking.

They arrested me while sleeping at friends house on the east side, he said. They suspected me when I showed them my ID that says I live on the other side, said Ayad.

His interrogators beat him, asking him repeatedly when he joined Islamic State. After they released him, he went to a camp of displaced people south of Mosul.

Several other Mosul residents at the camp said Federal Police, a Shiite-dominated force, barred them from returning to their homes in recaptured areas, now that they are relatively safe. A group of Sunnis who fled the recently freed town of Tal Abta, west of Mosul, said they too were barred by Shiite militias from returning.

I feel like a third class citizen, like an Indian who will now have to live in a reservation, said one bearded Mosul resident who declined to give his name for fear of reprisals. It is like they jailed us here, he said of the camp.

There have been no reports of major or systematic abuse of Mosul residents by the military or security forces, which have been fighting since October to recapture the city. Thats a contrast to other former Islamic State-held areas, where Shiite fighters are accused of pushing out or otherwise abusing Sunnis. The military denies torturing suspects and insists no one is denied permission to return to their homes.

But there is a recognition that Baghdad needs to reach out to Sunnis.

I really cannot blame them for being apprehensive about the return of government rule, said a top military commander in Mosul, who agreed to discuss the subject in return for anonymity.

It is their right to feel that way. Before Daesh, there was too much corruption, and the security forces did nothing to help people, he said, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State.

Shiite Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has been sending reconciliatory messages to Iraqs minority Sunnis, speaking of a country reunited by the fight against Islamic State. Societal reconciliation is the appropriate answer to Daesh, he said recently.

The military in Mosul has reached out to residents with goodwill gestures, including distributing food and water and treating wounded or ailing residents in their field hospitals. They have helped those wishing to leave the city. Children flash the V for victory signs to soldiers and yell Mansoureen, or may you be victorious, as they drive by in their Humvees.

No matter how many times I say thank you I can never give you your due, one woman told a senior army general Thursday as he toured her frontline Mosul neighborhood.

But there is also mutual suspicion and apprehension. Faced with consistent Islamic State bombing and shootings in recaptured areas, the military fears sympathizers and sleeper cells among the population.

All a Daesh member has to do is take off his clothes and shave his beard and he becomes a regular citizen said the military commander in Mosul. Thats why we cannot drop our guard.

The armys security measures with the population dont help ease any ill-feeling.

Every day, hundreds of men, women, children and elderly fleeing the city wait for hours in the biting cold by a main road outside Mosul while security officials run their names through a database for any possible Islamic State links.

There are no chairs or benches and nothing to shelter them from rain and wind. A shortage of buses means that most of those cleared are loaded onto army trucks, where they stand with nothing to hold on except each other, to be taken to camps.

Conditions are tough for those who remain in recaptured Mosul neighborhoods as well. Piles of trash are everywhere and green sewage water runs on the side of many streets. Water and power are still out.

Some residents close off their streets with makeshift barriers against suicide car bombs, and many motorists still fly a white flag, signs of the fragile security.

Some 120,000 people have fled Mosul since the offensive began. The resources of the cash-strapped government are limited. It is trying to provide medical care, food, water and heating fuel to those staying put in the city and those who fled. But distribution has been chaotic, leaving some without, and it excludes residents of areas close to the frontline.

Mosul hospital clerk Waad Amin said hes glad the extremists are gone. While hes wary of the government, No matter what, they are still better than Daesh, he said.

But it is so bad here, its beyond description, he said of government-held parts of Mosul. The 53-year-old father of six works in a government clinic and hasnt been paid for nearly two years.

Amin is also worried that a wave of score-settling will break out among residents. Security forces have to keep control, but at the same time not get dragged in by informants wrongly accusing others of being Islamic State members, he said.

The government needs to have a security outpost in every neighborhood. If not, the situation will be very dire. They cannot leave us to kill each other, as they did before Daesh took the city.

Mosul long had a reputation as a bastion of Islamic militancy. Before Islamic State captured it in 2014, the groups fighters operated freely in some areas, attacking security forces and oil facilities. Militants ran protection rackets, and local government corruption was rampant. Authorities were seen as failing to dealing effectively with criminals and militants.

Ahmed Mohammed Hussein, a 52-year-old Mosul University employee, blames those government failures for the Islamic State takeover of the city in June 2014. It has left him bitter and suspicious ever since.

He spoke in a camp for the displaced in the northern city of Irbil, where he fled with his family. Nearby, his wife stood in line with other women to receive heating oil rations.

If they come back and wipe away my tears, pat me on the head and help me get back my life, then they are all welcome, he said of the government. But they will not be welcome if its all going to be about marginalization again.
Marla Jo Fisher was a workaholic hard news reporter before she adopted two children from foster care at age 46, picked up a scruffy dog along the way and somehow managed to keep them all alive, at least so far. She now writes the Frumpy Middle-Age Mom humor column that appears in the Orange County Register weekly. Due to her status as the cheapest person alive, she also writes about deals and bargains for the Register, including her Cheapo Travel column which also runs in newspapers around the country. When she's not having a nervous breakdown, she's usually traveling somewhere cheaply and writing about it.
PARIS  Money, and how to get it, has dogged French far-right presidential contender Marine Le Pen for years.

Now, as her National Front partys treasurer says its looking everywhere for the 20 million euros ($21 million) needed to fund upcoming campaigns, she may be looking to Russia for cash  again.

While foreign donations to French political parties are barred, loans are not. But its still a daring prospect for a party whose finances have already drawn unwanted scrutiny.

Alleged funding irregularities have prompted multiple legal investigations and an impending trial for several party officials and associates, and a 2014 loan from a Russian bank raised concerns over Moscows potential influence on French democracy. Not to mention the U.S. decision this week to impose sanctions and expel Russians over alleged cyber-meddling in the U.S. presidential election.

The French National Front says its the target of a smear campaign, and notes that other candidates have also had financial troubles.

Le Pens firm rejection of foreign influence would make fishing for finances outside French waters a no-go, were it not for her Russia-friendly stance and what party officials say is the refusal of French banks to lend money to the anti-immigration National Front.

Funds are needed to finance campaigning for the April-May presidential vote and June parliamentary elections. Party officials deny recent reports that they have already received a new loan from a Russian establishment  but no one is denying that the party may be asking for one.

We are looking everywhere. We are working discreetly, party treasurer Wallerand de Saint Just told The Associated Press. The National Front needs 20 million euros for its electoral campaigns, and already has a portion of it, he said in a telephone interview, without specifying the amount in hand. Theyre not ruling out funding requests from sources including Russia, the United Arab Emirates, or even the United States, he said.

The party borrowed 9 million euros in 2014 from the small First Czech Russian Bank, but the banks license was revoked this year, Saint Just said. Other Russian banks might consider a new loan.

Moscow has courted far-right parties in Europe in an influence-building campaign as friction between Russia and the West has mounted over Ukraine and the Syrian civil war. Some leaders like Le Pen have hobnobbed in Moscow and at embassy events at home. Chieftains of Hungarys anti-Semitic Jobbik and Austrias Freedom Party also have made the trip.

Le Pen envisions a concept of Europe that stretches from the Atlantic to the Urals, that would encompass Russia instead of pressuring it over Vladimir Putins authoritarian policies.

In a shifting of views in Russias favor, some mainstream politicians, from Frances conservative Francois Fillon, a top presidential contender, to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, are sympathetic to a friendly approach to Moscow.

Finding ways to raise money has run like a leitmotif through Le Pens quest to make the National Front an alternative to mainstream political parties  and has led to run-ins with the law.

The party treasurer, Saint Just, is among seven people called to stand trial for alleged schemes to bolster party coffers. Le Pen is not implicated, but the party has also been called in for judgment, along with two concerns run by old Le Pen friends. They allegedly helped raise funds through a complex system that judicial authorities deem illegal.

I will be acquitted, Saint Just said. We have absolutely done nothing wrong.

A trial date has not been set, but a judicial official said it was unlikely to take place before the elections, so as not to interfere with democracy.

There is concern now that any new effort to tap Russian banks for loans could do just that, however, by making France vulnerable to influence from the Kremlin.

There is an ambient Russia-phobia that is now leading to theories of plots, the National Fronts No. 2 official, Florian Philippot, said Thursday on the iTele TV station.

U.S. intelligence agencies suspect that Moscow hacked into private email accounts to interfere with the U.S. political process in favor of Trump  a claim shrugged off by Putin, who said recently that the hackers could have been located anywhere.

A Russia-friendly approach to geopolitics runs in the Le Pen family. Jean-Marie Le Pen, the National Fronts co-founder, his daughter Marine and her niece Marion Marechal-Le Pen have all made numerous visits to Moscow over the years. Russian guests were present at the partys congress in 2014.

Marine Le Pen even remarked in a May interview with RT France, a Kremlin-backed television network, that France could recognize Crimea as Russian if I were elected president.

Relations between Russia and the West degenerated after Russias 2014 annexation of Crimea amid fighting between Moscow-backed separatists and Ukraine government troops.

French satirical and investigative weekly Le Canard Enchaine last week published excerpts of what it said was a letter by U.S. Republican Rep. Mike Turner, on the Select Committee of Intelligence, worried about ties between Putin and Le Pen. He reportedly asked James Clapper, director of national intelligence, for supplementary information on a vast disinformation war against the U.S. and other countries whose interests are opposed to Russias.

The letter as reported by Le Canard Enchaine cited Le Pens remark on Crimea and claimed her party had asked Russia in February for a $30 million loan. Frances governing socialist immediately demanded clarification, calling the reported amount astronomical.

Treasurer Saint Just called the reported request mysterious. February would have been too early to seek a loan, he said, adding and I always said we want 20 million euros maximum. We dont want more.
By Press Trust of India: Indore, Jan 1 (PTI) The family members of two absconding accused in 2008 Malegaon blasts case have demanded an "immediate and fair inquiry" into the claim made by a suspended Maharashtra ATS officer that the duo was dead and falsely being shown as "alive" by probe agencies.

Maharashtra ATS former senior inspector Mehmood Mujawar, in an application filed before a magistrate court in Solapur, claimed that Sandip Dange and Ramji Kalsangra, accused in the Malegaon blasts case, are "no more".

advertisement

"I am not aware of the whereabouts of my husband since 2008. I am not aware in what condition he is. A fair inquiry should be conducted into the claims made by Mujawar and information should be shared with us," Kalsangras wife Laxmi, 50, told journalists here today.

She said that the remains of her husband should be handed over to her, if he is really no more. "We should be given his remains so that we can perform his last rites according to religious rituals," she added.

Danges father V K Dange, 80, also demanded a fair probe into these new revelations.

"At least, I should be informed whether my son is in this world or not," he added.

Police said that Kalsangra was a resident of MPs Shajapur district while Dange belongs to Indore.

Maharashtra ATS visited Indore on several occasions earlier in search of both the accused, said officials. PTI HWP ADU MAS RMT RYS

--- ENDS ---
MEXICO CITY  The holiday season has been a little less merry for car owners in Mexico as gasoline shortages in many parts of the country have forced grumbling customers to contend with hours-long lines.

In hard-hit parts like Leon, in Guanajuato state, filling up your tank often means driving around from one station to the next just to find one that has fuel.

Its chaos, said Guadalupe Lopez, a customer service worker in Leon who visited eight stations on a recent day before she finally found a pump that wasnt dry. One worker told me they had gone a day and a half without supply.

Rumors are swirling of gas station owners purportedly hoarding fuel ahead of a price deregulation that takes effect Sunday, and will let them sell it for as much as 20 percent more. Stories abound of Mexicans stocking up as much as they can before the hike kicks in.

Officials are largely downplaying the problems, citing factors such as pipeline theft, increased holiday demand and unforeseen shipping delays, and have sought to reassure consumers that theyre working hard to get the fuel flowing. But even with conditions improved somewhat since Christmas, analysts say a neglected fuel infrastructure is finally catching up with the country, and theres no quick fix in sight.

Jorge Pinon, an energy expert at the University of Texas, Austin, said Mexico is refining less than 1 million barrels of crude per day this year, down from 1.065 million per day last year. More and more the country is importing its gasoline  about half its current consumption  but state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, lacks adequate distribution and storage capacity.

We are up against a total collapse of the refining system of Pemex, Pinon said.

As examples, he pointed to tankers backed up in the Gulf of Mexico because the port of Veracruz is a bottleneck for offloading, and said pipelines that carry gasoline to central parts of the country are in poor shape and vulnerable to illegal taps.

Fuel theft is big business for organized crime groups such as the Zetas drug cartel, which has a strong presence in the oil-producing Gulf coast region, and officials estimate it accounts for $1.4 billion in losses per year.

In mid-December the Mexican Gas Station Owners Association warned that refineries were not operating at full capacity and imported gasoline was not being offloaded from ship because of delayed payments.

The entire system of refining and distribution is rotten, said Miriam Grunstein, an energy analyst at Rice University.

Pemex has acknowledged supply deficiencies in four central and western states, though Mexican media reported problems in 13 of the countrys 31 states.

That includes San Luis Potosi, where Mexico City resident Ignacio Lanzagorta shot a widely seen video of dozens of vehicles and people with jerry cans on the side of a highway, waiting for their turn at a Pemex station in the town of Salinas de Hidalgo. Lanzagorta told the AP he made the video Monday while driving from the capital to the central state of Zacatecas.

Pemex says tankers have been stranded in the Gulf by bad weather and unable to unload their shipments on time. It also cited the fuel thefts, which force pipelines offline, and said consumer stockpiling and panic-buying only exacerbated the shortages.

The federal consumer protection agency announced on Wednesday that it was investigating whether some stations may be hoarding fuel until January, as is widely rumored.

The problem is that there has not been enough investment in infrastructure for the storage and transportation of fuels, which has increased the risk of shortages, the Mexican government said in a statement debunking myths about gasoline that was also retweeted by Pemex. Going forward, the government will be obligated to increase minimum storage capacity to 15 days of total national consumption.

Pemex executive Carlos Murriet said in recent days that the country currently has six days worth in storage.

Grunstein called that ridiculously low and a sign of short-term thinking by the company.

With Pemex there is no planning  and simply fixing small holes ends up being more expensive, she said.

The 2017 price deregulation  part of a broader energy reform passed two years ago under President Enrique Pena Nieto allowing some private investment and ending more than seven decades of state monopoly over the sector  establishes 90 different tariff zones where prices will be allowed to fluctuate.

Officials say its time for Mexicans to pay market prices for gasoline and longtime subsidies are not sustainable especially with the pesos dramatic fall against the U.S. dollar. Earlier this year, the first gas stations run by companies other than Pemex began operating as part of the reform, on the theory that injecting competition will level the field for consumers. They are still far outnumbered by Pemex stations, however.

In a second phase in 2017, other companies will be also allowed to import and distribute gasoline instead of Pemex handling the entire supply chain.

Pricing will no longer be a government decision but rather a result of what happens in the market, Treasury Secretary Jose Antonio Meade told Radio Formula on Thursday.

But many Mexicans are skeptical that a dose of capitalism is a good thing for the energy sector, which was nationalized in 1938 and has long been considered part of the national patrimony. Opposition politicians on the left have lent support to calls for protests against the deregulation.

One message that circulated on social media called on people to fill their tanks before New Years and boycott gas purchases the first three days of the year as a peaceful revolution.

Pinon said as long as the country suffers from its logistical limitations, Mexicans will be paying an internal overpricing at the pumps. I dont see a near-term solution, he said.

He added that Pemex badly needs restructuring, and Grunstein said the company is weighed down by a powerful and corrupt union that obstructs attempts at reform.

Anyone saying gas is going to rise because of competition is crazy, Grunstein said. It will go up because of the lack of competition and lousy management.
Gabe Javage and 20 other people on the Sky Cabin ride at Knotts Berry Farm could only wait as rescuers secured and lowered them one by one nearly eight hours after the ride abruptly stopped 125 feet in the air Friday.

Javage, 45, and his family were visiting from Oregon and part of a group of seven who boarded the slow-moving observation ride around 2 p.m.

The ride carries passengers in a rotating room that provides panoramic views.

It was pretty mellow when we ascended, Javage said. About halfway down we knew something was up. The stop was pretty violent.

Firefighters with the Orange County Fire Authority were called to the park around 5 p.m. after failed attempts by Knotts workers to get the ride moving again.

During the wait for help, several riders needed to use the bathroom and got hungry, Javage said. Two children in his group snacked on gum and fruit candy.

At 7:25 p.m., the first passengers were being harnessed tightly to firefighters and gently lowered to the ground.

Javage said he was one of the last to be rescued around 9:54 p.m. His 15-year-old son and a cousin elected to not get on the ride and waited below.

Good choice for him, huh?, he said.

Knotts officials did not immediately return calls or emails Saturday concerning the incident.

The cause of the breakdown is unknown.

The ride will remain closed until a park investigation into the incident is complete, a park statement said. Each ride is inspected, check-listed and properly maintained daily, the statement said.

Sky Cabin was closed in 2010, was remodeled and opened again in 2012. In 2008, the ride got stuck while ascending. Within an hour firefighters used an aerial ladder to rescue the 24 people aboard.

Contact the writer: 714-796-2478 or lcasiano@scng.com
In politics, this sorry year was true to itself, right up until the very end. It was a year epitomized by boasting, lies, smears, back-stabbing, insults, threats and whining  and Im only counting Americas top politicians, and what theyve done since Nov. 8. The phrase political leaders? It was an oxymoron in 2016.

Too young to sound like a curmudgeon and too old to want to hear any more of their self-serving talk, I find myself hoping weve seen the last of the baby boomer presidential candidates, a cohort that includes Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton and Donald Trump at one end of the spectrum  born in the mid- and late-1940s  and Barack Obama, a child of the early 60s, at the other.

A simple question poses itself: Can anybody in this crowd just shut up? Oh, yes, one guy, George W. Bush. He knows how to keep it classy. You dont hear much from him, and I miss that man more each day.

Am I engaging in false equivalency here? Thats the favorite dodge of my disaffected liberal pals these days. To them, Trump trumps all. Trumps tweetsuber alles, and all that. OK, I get it. Government-by-Twitter is appalling. But The Donald is new to government. Ms. Hillary has been in public life for nearly half a century, so whats her deal? And what possible excuse do two-term presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have for acting like seventh-graders?

Where should we begin?

Lets start at the White House, with the current incumbent, because once again hes given us such maddening misdirection. Remember when it became apparent that the Obama administration was going to be succeeded by the Trump administration? What a bitter pill that must have been inside the White House, especially since Trump ran against the president as much as he did against the Clintons.

Obamacare? Toast. The Iran nuclear deal? History. Dont get me started on the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Yet, there he was, this cool customer wed admired since 2008, keeping it real, saying the right things in the aftermath of Election Day. He even reminded us  well, to be honest, hed never really talked about it much before  how great Dubya and his peeps had been during the 2008-09 transition. The O-man had perfect pitch.

Come to think of it, Hillary Clintons concession speech wasnt bad, either. It took her 12 hours to give it, but given how shocked she was by the result, thats understandable. Last night, I congratulated Donald Trump and offered to work with him on behalf of our country, she said. I hope that he will be a successful president for all Americans.

In those halcyon hours, Donald Trump rose to the occasion, too. He promised to be a president for all Americans in a victory speech that New York magazine, not exactly a pro-Trump outlet, pronounced shockingly gracious.

So where did things go off the rails?

It probably started when Hillary Clinton began handicapping her loss. Asked how she managed to let the likes of Donald Trump defeat her, she was only too happy to point fingers: the Russians, she said. And FBI Director James Comey. Besides, I won the popular vote  and did sobigly. This became a mantra for Clinton and her surrogates. Russian hacking, FBI incompetence, the stupid Electoral College.

This rap didnt go down well with The Donald, who isnt known for having a thick skin anyway. Regarding the tension between the popular vote results and the Electoral College, Trump suggested that if hed campaigned in California and New York  two states he wrote off  he might have won the popular vote. Thats doubtful, but its a legitimate rejoinder to disingenuous Democrats pretending that state-by-state voting is some strange new wrinkle they only heard of on Nov. 9.

Trump didnt leave it there, though. He also took two others tacks: First, he said he won the Electoral College in a historic landslide. Then he added, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally. Those statements were obvious whoppers and they incensed the media. But by then the Democrats were off and running in crazy different directions of their own.

First, Team Clinton associated itself with a Green Party recount effort in some of the close swing states. Meanwhile, grassroots leftists and Hillarys Hollywood pals began a campaign to bully, beg or beseech Electoral College voters to violate their own oaths, state party law, and the will of the people in their states  and become faithless electors.

Remember Las Vegas? When Trump refused in his final debate with Clinton to tell moderator Chris Wallace that hed abide by the results of the election? Thats horrifying, Hillary said. Turns out, she didnt mean that. She suddenly got very coy on this whole faithless electors scheme  as did President Obama.

Meanwhile, Bill Clinton got in on the act, too. He repeated the mantra to reporters  Jim Comey-Russian hackers-Hillary won the popular vote  before adding that Trump doesnt know much. But one thing Trump does know, Bill added, is how to get angry white men to vote for him.

This might have been more persuasive analysis coming from a more disinterested party, not to mention someone who didnt sound like an angry white man himself, but whatever. By now you know, dear reader, that Trump just couldnt let it go.

Bill Clinton stated that I called him after the election. Wrong, he called me (with a very nice congratulations), Trump tweeted. He doesnt know much  especially how to get people, even with an unlimited budget, out to vote in the vital swing states (and more). They focused on wrong states.

Meanwhile, the only adult in the room decided the unruly kids were having more fun than the teacher. Yes, Obama started opining on the 2016 election, too, saying he was confident that if hed have been allowed to run for a third term hed have defeated Trump. This statement was a work of art, really, a nasty little bank shot that simultaneously took out Hillary, her campaign advisers (presumably including Bill), and Trump.

Trump responded, natch. President Obama said that he thinks he would have won against me, he tweeted. He should say that but I say NO WAY!  jobs leaving, ISIS, OCare, etc.

As it turns out, the president and his secretary of state were working on leaving an actual, as opposed to rhetorical, lump of coal in The Donalds Christmas stocking. Without bothering to tell leaders of their own party, let alone the president-elect, John Kerry and Obama apparently conspired quietly with  dare I say it, Russia and other U.N. Security Council members  to condemn Israels settlement program on the West Bank and in East Jerusalem.

Trump tweeted about that, too, but this is a whole different deal. A lame duck president changes U.S. foreign policy in a way that hurts an ally and doesnt reflect the views of a majority of Americans or even his own party? Thats actually worth getting angry about, and shows why Trump needs to pick his spots.

Who cares whether Obama could have beaten Trump. Thats the fantasy world. Israels safety is a real-world concern. Happy New Year, everyone.

Carl M. Cannon is executive editor and Washington Bureau chief of RealClearPolitics.
PEOPLE from Tullamore, Leixlip and further afield came together last week in Leixlip to unveil a special memorial plaque commemorating two people from Tullamore who died in an accident returning from the Eucharistic Congress in 1932. The event was organised by the Leixlip Parish Council.

PEOPLE from Tullamore, Leixlip and further afield came together last week in Leixlip to unveil a special memorial plaque commemorating two people from Tullamore who died in an accident returning from the Eucharistic Congress in 1932. The event was organised by the Leixlip Parish Council.

An estimated 60 people from the Tullamore attended, including relatives of the two men who died in 1932.

On 27 June 1932, a lorry owned by Tullamore based company, Williams Waller, was returning from the Eucharistic Congress in the Phoenix Park, when it crashed through the railings of the Salmon Leap bridge.

There were 31 people on the lorry and Leixlip people came to the rescue of the injured in an accident which claimed two lives, Patrick Kenaney (23) and Edward Daly (28).

Aid was given by locals in the Salmon Leap pub, currently closed.

Twenty four others were injured but survived with varying injuries.

Last Tuesdays ceremony saw a plaque, created by Celbridge artist/sculptor, Jarlath Daly, unveiled on the bridge.

In attendance also were Leixlip Town Council chairperson, Joe Neville, and Tullamore Town Council chairperson, Sinead Dooley as well as Regina Daly and Michael Kenaney, a granddaughter and a nephew respectively of the deceased men.

Well known Leixlip teacher, Eva Buckley, a relative of Patrick Kenaney, also attended as did Eamon Fox from Tullamore a nephew of Edward Daly.

So too did Nellie Scully, whose father, Patrick Gorman, lost his left arm in the accident, which saw the lorry fall into the river.

Paul Carey, chairperson of Leixlip Parish Council, addressed the crowd and Leixlip parish priest, Fr. John McNamara, who was joined by Rev. Scott Peoples, Church of Ireland, led prayers and reflections.

Mr. Carey thanked Cllr. Frank ORourke for his help in the planning process for the plaque.

He said the Parish Pastoral Council became aware of the tragedy when preparing for the Eucharistic Congress and commissioned the plaque. Traffic was stopped temporarily for the ceremony, which started at the Church of Our Ladys Nativity. It involved the carrying of the Congress bell in a procession to the bridge, where it was rung for the last time before being sent to continue its pilgrim journey.
Briahna Elaine Reed is the first baby and the last baby.

Omahas first baby of 2017, she was born at 12:26 a.m. Sunday to parents Kelsie and Nick Reed of Essex, Iowa.

And she was the last baby after 40 years of deliveries at Creighton University Medical Center at 30th and California Streets.

After Briahna arrived, the labor and delivery unit at Creighton closed as part of the process of moving the teaching hospital to the Bergan Mercy Medical Center campus. The transition is to be completed in June.

Kelsie Reed cares for infants at the Essex (Iowa) Child Care Center. Nick Reed is a machine operator at NSK Corp.s ball-bearing plant in nearby Clarinda.

During labor, the couple could catch a glimpse of Omahas New Years Eve downtown fireworks from their window on the hospitals fourth floor.

Among the visitors for Briahna, officially 7 pounds, 6.8 ounces, were grandparents Tonia and Casey Radley, uncle Trent Radley and sister Aaliyah, who turns 2 next month.

The new Reed is named after her mothers brother, Brian, and her fathers mother, Elaine.

Staffers at Creightons labor center were comparing the progress of deliveries at other metro-area hospitals to see which would produce the first after midnight. The second birth came about six hours later at Methodist Womens Hospital.

The Reeds doctor, James F. Wyatt of Red Oak, Iowa, said he was among the first doctors delivering babies when Creighton opened in 1977. I was there to start it up, and I was there to finish it out.

Caring for the hospitals last baby was an honor, said Wyatt, who is an associate clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Creighton Universitys College of Medicine.

The first-of-the-year timing of Briahnas birth brought the hospitals final delivery special attention, Wyatt said. That is kind of sweet.
Theres Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Small Business Sunday. Now another frenzied affair joins the shopping lineup: Holiday Hangover Day.

This year, it falls on Tuesday, the day most Americans head back to the office.

According to sale-tracking website Brads Deals, retailers see a discernible uptick in online sales on that day, as Americans log in to buy jewelry (often for themselves), fitness equipment (to fulfill those pesky New Years Resolutions) and bedding and linens (which promise a fresh start to the year). Last year, there was a 15 percent spike in online sales on Monday, Jan. 5, compared with surrounding days. The year before, it was 10 percent.

Shoppers are getting back into their daily routines. Theyre back in the office, sitting in front of a computer again, with a list of things Santa didnt bring and a stack of gift cards they have to spend, said Rebecca Lehmann, a spokeswoman for the site, which coined the phrase Holiday Hangover Day. Its a perfect storm that adds up to a bigger-than-usual shopping day.

This holiday season has been a good one for retailers. Overall sales are expected to be 4.9 percent higher than they were last year  marking the largest jump in sales growth since 2005, according to Customer Growth Partners, a research firm in New Canaan, Connecticut. Online sales, meanwhile, are on track to grow 15 percent.

Americans are shopping at a rate not seen since the mid-2000s, Craig Johnson, president of Customer Growth Partners, told the Wall Street Journal.

Now retailers are hoping to keep some of that momentum going. A few days after Christmas, the daily deals site Zulily was advertising Everything you need for Christmas next year, while J. Crew Factory sent emails that said, PSA: Its OK to shop for yourself again.

This year, 48 percent of Americans  and 80 percent of millennials  said they planned to shop in after-holiday sales, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation.
Gov. Doug Burgum is going to reinvent government. We are not sure what reinventing means to him but if it means reorganizing agencies, he will discover that it is a losing proposition. North Dakotans dont take to reorganization.

Rather than going all the way back to statehood, lets just start with 1942 when the Public Administration Service of Chicago did a comprehensive analysis and reorganization plan for North Dakota state government. Some of the recommendations are still gathering dust today, indicating the low priority we place on reorganization.

Rather than implementing the report, state officials of the day thought it would be best to wait until after World War II was over. The connection between reorganization and the war was never explained but by the time the war was over, dust had buried the recommendations.

In 1966, voters rejected proposals to revamp the judicial, executive and legislative branches of government. So the reinventors thought of a different route  a constitutional convention to dramatize the need for reform.

The convention met. The proposed constitution would have made possible reducing the number of elected state officials down to the nationwide average of six per state. Opposed by every state official, and others, the document went down to defeat,

In 1984 and 2000, the voters refused to abolish the office of state treasurer, made obsolete in 1919 with the creation of the Bank of North Dakota.

In November 1980, the voters defeated another general proposal to revise the legislative and executive branches of government. In 1989, a similar measure was swamped at the polls.

Meanwhile, disorganization was spreading in the underbrush. In 2009, legislative librarian Marilyn Johnson counted 142 boards, councils and commissions. (If your interest group doesnt have a board, council and/or commission, you simply havent asked for one.)

We have more local governments per capita, the largest legislature per capita outside of New Hampshire and the most elected state officials outside of South Carolina. So there is room for a lot of reinventing, but the governor should be forewarned that the holder of every public office will fight him to the death.

Thats one reason we pretty much have the same government we started with in 1889.

What this tells us is that North Dakotans like access, even when it means throwing efficiency under the bus. People want a role  a big role  in government. Having many points at which citizens can be a part of government implements the cultural idea that everybody is important and should have a say.

If we havent dissuaded the governor from reinventing, he would be well advised to choose only those entities that have no constituencies because constituencies rise up with a wrath when abolition or consolidation of their entity is proposed e.g., if he told the barbers he was going to mess with their licensing board, he would have to go out of state for a haircut.

While the officeholders, agencies and their constituencies will be arrayed against him, the governor will be spending lot of political capital on something about which the citizenry does not care a hoot, meaning that the governor will have no citizen uprising on behalf of reinventing. Hell be out there alone.

Reinventing North Dakota state and local governments would require the effort of a mountain to produce a molehill. As a recovering government reinventor, I wish the governor well but will just sit this one out.

On the other hand, it has been said that those who say it cant be done are sometimes interrupted by somebody doing it.
By Press Trust of India: London, Jan 1 (PTI) Using the fire to fight fire aproach - touted as a potential breakthrough in the fight against diseases like cancer - may backfire by making infections more damaging, a new study has warned.

Researchers from University of Exeter in the UK have found that introducing friendlier less-potent strains into a population of disease-causing microbes can lead to increased disease severity.

advertisement

The research shows that far from being a silver bullet to weaken disease, the practice of introducing pacifist microbes into a host could make the aggressive pathogen stronger, which could hamper disease management.

Until now, introducing friendlier cousins, which do not cause severe disease, into a population of pathogens has been shown to reduce disease severity and damage to the infected host.

It has been suggested that this approach could be an effective way of treating cancer and research so far has proved effective and promising.

For example, scientists have already produced encouraging results in the fight against Clostridium difficile infections that are so common in our hospitals.

However, the researchers tested this strategy using a plant pathogen and found the therapy could go dramatically wrong, with devastating consequences for the host plant.

They introduced a mixed population of the fungus that causes this disease into rice, where the mixture included an aggressive strain and a pacifist mutant.

They expected that the overall disease severity would decrease because of the presence of the pacifist strain.

However, they found the opposite. The rice plants succumbed to much more severe disease.

The research, shows that the therapy can in some circumstances have the opposite effect, and that the way the pathogen will behave can be unpredictable, leading to more severe disease.

It highlights the need for these new strategies to be carefully tested before they are used therapeutically.

The scientists used cooperation theory and mathematical modelling to identify the reason for their surprising result.

They found that in some circumstances pacifists "helped" aggressive microbes to be more efficient in utilising resources obtained from the host.

"Our study shows that a promising disease management strategy may not always be effective and indeed may have damaging unforeseen consequences," said Ivana Gudelj, professor at University of Exeter.

"We find that the mechanisms driving our unexpected findings when treating rice blast infection are pertinent for many diseases involving bacterial and fungal pathogens," said Gudelj.

advertisement

The study was published in the journal eLife. PTI NKS MHN

--- ENDS ---
World-Herald News Service

Two women who were ex-wives died Saturday in what Lincoln police are calling a murder suicide.

Brenda Schroeder, 40, is believed to have shot Meagan Schroeder, 31, police say.

Meagan Schroeder was the mother of three children, according to a family member.

Lincoln police are investigating what lead up to the shooting and further details arent expected until Tuesday. Autopsies will be done on Monday, according to police.

Lincoln police say they received a call about threats being made in the vicinity of the Superior Place Apartments shortly after 3 p.m. Saturday.

As officers were searching the area, they noticed a black SUV and approached it. As they did so, they heard a single gunshot.

Meagan Schroeder was found dead in the drivers seat.

Brenda Schroeder, was in the passenger seat, wounded. She was taken to a local hospital, where she died shortly after 4 p.m.

The two women were formerly from North Platte. Family members say Meagan Schroeder had sought a protection order against Brenda. The couple was divorced.

The preliminary investigation leads us to believe Brenda Schroeder killed Meagan and then took her own life, the Lincoln Police Department said in the statement.
The University of Nebraska at Omahas Public Relations Student Society of America collected $1,200 and several boxes of pet supplies in its 10th annual Santa Paws fundraiser supporting Hearts United for Animals. The event was held Dec. 4 at the Bookworm.

Members of UNOs PRSSA group took photos of pets on Santas lap, printed the photo on site and turned it into a holiday card for a fee of $25 or two photos for $35. The event also included a donation drive for Hearts United for Animals. Among the donated items were Gerber baby meat sticks, hard chew toys, soft treats, blankets, towels, adjustable collars, leashes, laundry soap, bleach, paper towels and trash bags.

Hearts United for Animals is a national no-kill shelter, sanctuary and animal welfare organization.

Other fundraisers, donations, other charitable efforts in the Midlands include:

Diaper drive: Excel Physical Therapy donated 53,218 diapers to the annual Channel 94.1 Diaper Drive that benefits the homeless women and children of the Lydia House in Omaha. For the past 14 years, Excels clinics have collected diapers from their patients and team members in November and December. After the collection, Excels owners match that amount. This year, the Excel team collected a record 26,609 diapers and, after their owners match, a total of 53,218 diapers were donated to the Lydia House.

Family Christmas: Catholic Charities said that 313 families, 710 individuals and 45 senior adults were adopted for Christmas this year. Parishes, schools, businesses and individual families purchased gifts for families in need from the family enrichment programs at Catholic Charities St. Martin de Porres Center and Juan Diego Center locations.

Individuals, church and organization donations came from: St. Vincent de Paul, St. Stephen the Martyr, St James, St. Pius X, St. Stanislaus, St. Charles, St. Columbkille, St. Robert, St. John Vianney, St. Margaret Mary, St. Joan of Arc, Holy Cross, St. Wenceslaus, Christ the King, St. Thomas More parishes as well as TD Ameritrade, the Catholic Voice and National Indemnity.

Blood drives: The American Red Cross needs donors with all blood types for blood donations. Those who give blood through Jan. 8 will receive a long-sleeved Red Cross T-shirt, while supplies last. Blood drive locations this week include:

Omaha

Tuesday: Noon to 6 p.m., Boys & Girls Club of the Midlands-Westside Unit, 1414 Robertson Drive

Wednesday: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Good Samaritan Society Millard, 12856 Deauville Drive; 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Great Western Bank, 12670 L St.

Saturday: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., St. Michael Lutheran Church, 13232 Blondo St.; 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Remington Heights, 12606 West Dodge Road

Bellevue

Wednesday: Noon to 6 p.m., National American University, 3605 Summit Plaza Drive; 12:30 to 6:30 p.m., Bellevue Public Library, 1003 Lincoln Road

Saturday: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Bellevue Public Library, 1003 Lincoln Road

La Vista

Thursday: Noon to 6 p.m., La Vista Public Library, 9110 Giles Road

For more information about how to donate, go online to redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-733-2767 to make an appointment or for more information.
RED OAK, Iowa (AP)  Ernie Smith is considered the oldest active pilot in the world. He said hed rather be the worlds youngest, but at any age theres no better place than in the air.

So on his 99th birthday on Dec. 21, the Red Oak pilot easily stepped up into the tiny 1968 Cessna 150, roared the engine, and took off south down the runway.

Hes been flying since he got his first license in 1946, cruising over the farm fields of southern Iowa and into his favorite view  the rising sun.

I dont know how you could see anything nicer, Smith said.

As he piloted the plane to 3,000 feet, Smith said he loves it so much that he could fly for an hour, go have a cup of coffee at the Red Oak Municipal Airport, and fly another hour, if his budget allowed.

He figures there cant be any pilots with more takeoffs and landings. He budgets enough to rent a $90-an-hour airplane and take three or four short flights a week.

After word got out that a California pilot was claiming to be the worlds oldest pilot, Smiths family applied to the Guinness World Records, which confirmed in September that Smith was the record-holder. Federal Aviation Administration officials also confirm that he is the oldest license holder in its records.

I couldnt care less, Smith said, with a laugh.

The Des Moines Register reported that he fell in love with flying as a farm boy. He was given a dollar to go to the carnival in town. But he learned a man was giving airplane rides for a buck, so Smith walked a mile to find him. It was a thrill to look down on the land from high above. When he returned to the carnival, his friends on the Ferris wheel laughed because he had no money to ride.

I was a whole lot higher than that, he told them.

After that, when pilots zoomed overhead for training during the war, he would run to the fields waving his white flags at them. One time he heard a plane overhead while taking a bath and was so excited that he jumped from the tub to see it overhead, only afterward realizing he was standing outside naked.

He would save $2 to take 15 minutes of $8-an-hour flight lessons, and finally got his license in 1946. When he got older, instead of buying a wristwatch, he spent the money on flights.

Over the years, he flew to Canada to fish, to Boulder, Colorado, and all over the Midwest, piloting Cubs to Bonanzas and everything in between.

He flew me to my wedding at the Little Brown Church in Nashua in 1963, said his son, Mike Smith of Omaha, who joined several others for his fathers birthday celebration at the airport in the afternoon.

Norm Yeager, a flight instructor at the airport, said Smith is a terrific pilot. He remembers his textbook landing in a 15-knot crosswind.

Im trying to just follow in his footsteps, said Yeager, who is 82.

The airport specializes in pilot longevity. During one FAA presentation in 2015, four pilots were given awards for 50 years of flying, said airport manager Kevin McGrew.

Hanging on the wall near Smiths birthday cake was this plaque: Time spent flying is not deducted from ones lifespan.

Age doesnt matter, Smith said. His health has been good most of his life. Every two years, he has with little trouble passed his medical exam and flight test required to fly, he said.

Flying doesnt take special skills, he said, leaning in to lower his voice. But there are some guys who shouldnt be flying, and Ive ridden with them.

Smith has needed his skills a few times. Once, his airplane was malfunctioning and he had to throttle hard to clear the airport fence before its tail ripped through stalks of corn. Another time he made an emergency landing in South Dakota during a rainstorm.

He drove a beer truck for a living, retiring 32 years ago, and he got second looks as he pulled the truck up to hop in an airplane. He hadnt been drinking, of course, and rarely has done so during his healthy life.

But by age 80, his wife, Leila, persuaded him to give up flying. After her death six years ago, his buddies at the airport talked him into giving it another go.

Nothing to do, he said. Why not?

His family says it has kept him from being sad and lonely after his wifes death. His favorite route is over the old farm northeast of Red Oak, where he recalls the wooden silo that once stood. As a young boy, he would swing 6 feet in the air from a loose cable attached to it. Even then he liked to fly.

I would fly every day, he said. But especially on my birthday.

As Smith flew his plane over the East Nishnabotna River last month, proclaiming it the crookedest stretch of river in Iowa, he took in every detail of the familiar land below.

After another textbook landing, he was asked how long he would keep flying.

As long as I live, he said.
For America, 2016 was a dark year. The country was still at war. Our election was a brutal grudge match that left us more polarized than ever. Our closest allies were rocked by terrorism and turmoil. Adversaries toyed with our politics. Even the basic facts about life and science seemed to be in dispute.

However you voted, this was a year few would want to repeat. Now, as the calendar is about to turn, many of us look to the new year with a mix of hope and concern.

If youre like me, this holiday season is a time for reflection, sometimes with anguish, about how we got here and where were going. I found comfort in the image at the center of the Christian faith, of an innocent baby arriving in a dark land  the beginning of a story that has been more powerful over the last 2000 years than all the tyrants and tax collectors.

Americans are optimists, by birth or affirmation. We pledge allegiance to a country that is indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. We believe in The Fair Land, the abundant nation evoked by the Wall Street Journal in its Thanksgiving editorial, which has been printed every year since 1961: We can remind ourselves that for all our social discord we yet remain the longest enduring society of free men governing themselves without benefit of kings or dictators. Being so, we are the marvel and the mystery of the world.

The year ahead will test how well the system devised by our founders works under stress. Our new president, Donald Trump, proposes radical changes welcomed by his supporters but feared by many who voted against him. He wont succeed if he drives the country to the breaking point.

How hard will Trump push to undo existing laws and agreements? Will Congress play its role in checking raw executive power, or will Republican majorities be loyal to party first? Will officials who swear to protect and defend the Constitution demonstrate by their behavior in office that they mean it?

As Trumps inauguration approaches, he remains a mystery to many of us. He seeks to be a disruptive agent of change, but what are the limits? What if Trump tries to place himself above the law? He wouldnt be the first president to do so, but are the countrys institutions still strong enough to resist? What if he tries to subvert investigations of Russian hacking that are being conducted by our intelligence agencies and Congress? The cliche profiles in courage may actually get a test in 2017.

This coming year, America will face the severe strains that accompany change and political division. Were a soft target for our adversaries right now  a country whose nerves are raw and jangled, whose tribal fault lines are exposed and easy to exploit.

Our national heroes are the men and women who get up every day and serve the country  in the military abroad, in schools and hospitals and fire stations at home. We want to be as steadfast in adversity as they are. Well find out in 2017 how healthy our body politic really is, and whether our democratic institutions remain resilient.

This holiday season, I got a burst of sunshine in a production of Carousel, the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, produced at the Arena Stage in Washington. Many strands of our national myth come together in this sentimental story of a carnival barker who falls in love with a sweet, shy girl who works in a factory. Its a hymn to blue-collar America, to rebellious young people who insist on being free spirits despite the prissy elitists and censorious prudes who want to tell them what to think. Like Oklahoma, it describes the America many of us have in our heads when we think about the way life used to be.

How did this quintessential American story of working people in Maine emerge? It was adapted from a 1909 Hungarian play. The 1945 Broadway version was written by two Jewish-Americans and directed by an Armenian-American. Nowadays, the phrase melting pot is sometimes taken as a micro-aggression. Not then.

When Trump says Make America great again, he evokes the national mythology that binds us together, whatever racial or other biases it may conceal. After a bruising 2016, perhaps this is a theme that we all can embrace. America is at its greatest when its united, confident and inclusive of all its citizens. Lets hope thats what Trump has in mind for this country. We need to be great in that way again.
National Convention declares Akhilesh as Samajwadi Party president

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia

Lucknow, Jan 1: Drama continues in the Samajwadi Party after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav was on Sunday proposed as the new National Working President of the ruling Samajwadi Party at a meeting called by his supporters.

While address party leaders, Senior party leader Ram Gopal Yadav declared that the National Executive unanimously elects Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav as the national president of Samajwadi Party. Also proposed to the gathering that Shivpal Yadav be removed as state president and Amar Singh to be sacked from the party.

Akhilesh Yadav while addressing workers said that he will fight against those who are against the party. He further said that when the government will be formed again, the most happiest person will be Netaji (Mulayam).

Earlier, there was speculation that Ram Gopal Yadav will cancel the meet after he along with Akhilesh was re-inducted in the party by Mulayam Singh Yadav.

OneIndia News
Lunar eclipse 2022: Things you should not do during Chandra Grahan

'Delhi may get relief from pollution after Nov 5': Safar chief

Delhi MCD Polls 2022 dates likely to be announced today at 4 pm

Delhi: Man held for entering IGI airport using cancelled ticket

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Jan 1: A Jalandhar-based man was held at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi for allegedly entering the facility using a cancelled e-ticket to drop off his girlfriend.

Officials said the man, identified as V Singh, was caught by CISF officials late on Saturday night when he exhibited suspicious behaviour inside the terminal area.

Singh used his original passport and a cancelled e-ticket to gain entry into the airport as he wanted to see off his girlfriend who was travelling to Bangkok.

"He was handed over to Delhi Police for further action under criminal laws," officials said.

Entering the airport terminal is prohibited for any person except valid fliers, bonafide employees and staff working at the facility or people with prior special permission.

PTI
By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 31 (PTI) Praising efforts of bankers during the 50-day demonetisation period, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asked them to focus on normalising situation as fast as possible and prioritise lending to poor and lower middle class.

"My effort is to take the banking system to normalcy as fast as possible in the new year. I have asked all concerned officers in government to focus their attention to this task," he said.

advertisement

Addressing the nation on the eve of new year, the Prime Minister asked banks to work pro-actively especially for the rural and remote areas so that the difficulties of farmers and villagers can be removed.

In a stern warning to those indulged in malpractices during the 50-day period, he said, they will not be spared.

"Amid this herculean effort, some grave crimes by some officers in some banks have come to light. Some government official also committed serious offences and tried to take advantage of the situation and they will not be spared," he said.

Stressing that Indian banking system has never received such a large amount of money in such a short time, he said "While respecting the autonomy of the banks, I appeal to them to move beyond their traditional priorities and keep the poor, the lower middle class, and the middle class at the focus of their activities."

Prime Minister praised bank employees for their hard work to make demonetisation a success.

"Female employees too, worked till late hours as part of this mission. Post office staff, banking correspondents - all did exceptional work," he said.

Asking banks not to let go opportunity to serve poor in the centenary year of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay, he said they should take appropriate decisions in public interest promptly.

"When policies and programmes are made with clear objectives in mind, not only are beneficiaries empowered, but both short term and long term benefits are achieved. Spending is carefully scrutinized, and chances of good results are maximized," he said.

Noting that the progress of the MUDRA Yojana has been very encouraging, he said nearly 3 and a half crore people have benefited from this last year and the government now aims to double this, giving priority to Dalits, Tribals, Backward Classes and Women. PTI DP CS VSC BAL

--- ENDS ---
Kejriwal seeks White Paper on demonetisation

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

New Delhi, Jan 1: Branding demonetisation a "huge scam", Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday sought an independent probe into and a White Paper on the note ban. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader also told the media here that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had become a laughing stock globally after taking out 86 per cent of the currency from the system on November 8.

"The world has started making fun of Modi... At least (former Prime Minister) Manmohan Singh had the respect of the world." "Demonetisation is the biggest scandal in independent India," Kejriwal said. "The entire exercise was political and guided by corruption."

He claimed that even hardcore BJP and RSS supporters were disappointed by Modi's speech of Saturday because he failed to mention when people could resume withdrawing money from their bank accounts at will. "There should be an independent investigation into the note ban," he said. "There should also be a White Paper on the stated objectives of the demonetisation and what was really achieved."

He said the White Paper should detail the fall in GDP growth and in industrial and agricultural production after the November 8 announcement.

Kejriwal and the AAP have been among the most vocal critics of the note ban which caused an unprecedented cash crunch in the country. He said after all the hardships that people endured, none of the stated objectives in Modi's November 8 speech were achieved.

He said there had been no reduction in corruption, black money had not been wiped out and terror financing had not ended. The AAP leader accused the BJP leaders of converting black money into white before and amid the cash shortage and demanded to know why Modi was promoting Paytm for cashless transactions.

"Has he taken bribes from Paytm? Paytm is the biggest gainer from demonetisation." Kejriwal also denounced Delhi Metro's fiat that only Paytm transactions would be considered valid in select metro stations. "They can't do this. They can't promote one single company. I will ask them... Maybe they are under pressure."

IANS


No 'Mitron' in Modi's New Year address

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

New Delhi, Jan 01: "Mitron" or friends a word that Prime Minister Narendra Modi so often uses in his speeches was missing in his Decemeber 31st address to the nation. The nation waited with bated breath on New Years eve for the Pam's speech wondering what major announcement he would make.

On the social media the word @Mitron" was trending the whole of Saturday night. However Modi in his 45 minute address did not use the word even once. Many on the social media joked that they were disappointed that the PM did not use the word even once. Some questioned if Modi would replace the word with "Doston."

In his 45 minute address Modi defended the decision on demonetisation. He also announced sops for farmers, women and senior citizens. He further went on to state emotionally that the conditions would improve in the future.

OneIndia News
BJP's tact to divert attention from Morbi, says a stung Kejriwal after Sukesh's claims

Shoe hurled at Kejriwal again

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

A shoe was hurled at Delhi's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in Rohtak, Haryana, on Sunday, said reports. The incident took place during the AAP's 'Tijori Tod Bhanda Fod' rally held to oppose Prime Minister Narendra Modi's demonetisation move.

As per reports, the man who hurled the shoe, identified as one Vikas Kumar, was brutally thrashed by AAP supporters.

Kumar has been handed over to the police, who are interrogating him to ascertain the motive.

Kejriwal, meanwhile, attacked Prime Minister Modi over the incident. He reportedly said that the incident proves that Modi was a 'coward'.

The Delhi Chief Minister is not new to such incidents. In January last year a woman had thrown ink at Kejriwal. A few months after that an Aam Aadmi Sena, an group of disgruntled AAP volunteers, worker had hurled shoe at Kejriwal during a press conference.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Sunday, January 1, 2017, 18:52 [IST]
Violent lone-wolf attacks in Europe likely to rise, say terrorism experts

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

New Delhi, Jan 1: Two events in the last fortnight brought into sharp focus the changing threat perception on terrorism that global security forces are now grappling with -- lone-wolf attacks.

On December 19, the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, was shot dead in front of television cameras by Mevlut Mert Altintas, an off-duty Turkish riot policeman, who was protesting against Russian action in Syria. The same day, a man ploughed a lorry into a Christmas market crowd in Berlin leaving 12 dead.

The attacks were carried out by "lone-wolf" perpetrators or self-driven attackers without any organisational backing or affiliation. The Berlin attack was the second one in which a truck had been used as a deadly weapon by an individual. On July 14, a person drove a truck into a Bastille Day crowd in Nice, France, killing 86 people.

Four days later, an Afghan asylum seeker stabbed five people on a train near Wurzburg, Germany. On July 24, a Syrian refugee blew himself up outside a music festival in the German city of Ansbach, wounding 15 people.

Individuals acting on their own, but inspired by a common religious ideology, have emerged as a new trend in extremist violence.

"Lone wolf attacks will continue as these are the easiest to execute and most difficult to monitor in terms of intelligence," Lt. Gen. (retd) Ata Hasnain, former commander of Srinagar-based 15 Corps and a leading expert on terrorism, told IANS.

The possibility of stopping any attack by any individual, who is not on the watch list of intelligence agencies and who does not use traditional weapons and explosives, is very low.

Although an angry German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, said after the Berlin truck attack that the "unspeakable event will be severely punished", it's not an easy task. Often, the attacker is dead: There is no ring to be wound up or other members to be arrested or any conspiracy to be discovered.

Many of the lone-wolf attackers in Europe have expressed their allegiance to Daesh or Islamic State (IS) which has been using the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Syria to motivate Muslims across the world. The group, which has used extreme violence to shake up the Western world through its gruesome videos of beheadings, has encouraged young Muslims to carry out attacks in Europe through whatever means they can.

"Since most migrants from Syria to Europe and the US are Muslims, it is inevitable that they will carry some Islamist ideas that will come into conflict with the values of host countries," Tufail Ahmad, former BBC journalist and Executive Director of the Open Source Institute and an expert on extremist ideologies, told IANS.

"There is a risk that such migrants may be radicalised by Islamic clerics in European mosques or Arabic-language literature that they are able to read," Ahmad added.

Simultaneously, there has been a rise in radicalisation among the second-generation migrant Muslim population of Europe.

Extremism among migrants, says Lt. Gen. Hasnain, "will lead to a greater stand-off between the second/third generation migrants, whose parents arrived as workers, and the locals. The terror attacks have all been by these elements now under the influence of Daesh or IS and networked in a larger mesh of interest groups, all radically oriented."

Even if the Western world gives asylum or material benefits, "the anger and hatred towards Europe and the US can't be reduced. The Muslim world is of the opinion that Western powers have created designer states to create proxies and divide the Muslim world to suit their strategic interests," Brig. (retd) Narendra Kumar, another expert on counter-terrorism, told IANS.

His contention is that acts of terror in Europe were a way of taking "the battle to the European homeland and make the so-called evil empires pay for the crime the European powers have committed against Muslims, especially of West Asia". Efforts to integrate Muslim migrants have not fetched results, he adds.

The immigrant crisis in Europe has also given rise to a number of right-wing nationalist parties which are making substantial electoral gains and are demanding immigration control as well as restrictive movement across the border, which in turn ends up spreading Islamic radicalisation further.

Ahmad says European understanding of radical Islam or even Jihad is often flawed. "The common mistake made by the Western countries is that they think of religion and politics as two different things. (Muslims) are taught right from childhood to think of Islam as a complete way of life," he says.

"Islam," he adds, "is also a system of government that is now engaged in a conflict with democracy which is the accepted form of government for our age."

Even though radical Islamist ideas get a fillip from the war in in the Middle East, will these go away if peace were to return to the region?

"The problem of radicalism will remain in European cities where we are seeing the emergence of isolated enclaves of Muslim populations which live by their own Sharia-based legal system and do not approach the local police and legal authorities to resolve disputes between Muslims," Ahmad said.

Lt. Gen. Hasnain says that the solution to ending radicalisation lies within the larger Muslim community. "Unless the churning within Islam comes to rest through a final understanding between the various sects of Islam, and proxy games for political power end," it will continue.

The Islamic State, says Brig. Kumar, may be defeated and neutralised, but the entity as a terror organisation would continue to remain active for some time. "Rather, after the defeat of IS, it is likely to be more active since they have the reach of the European heartland now," he says, adding: "The worst is yet to come on both sides."



IANS


20 killed in Indonesia ferry fire

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Jakarta, Jan 1: At least 20 persons were killed and 17 others injured after a passenger ship caught fire in waters off Jakarta on Sunday, officials said.

\

With nearly 200 persons on board, the Zahro Express ferry heading to Tidung island caught fire in Jakarta Gulf after leaving Muara Angke sea port, spokesman of National Disaster Management Agency told Xinhua news agency.

"A total of about 20 bodies, containing bodies which have been burned, have been removed from the ferry to a police hospital in Kramat Jati (of Jakarta)," acting head of Search and Rescue Office in Jakarta Hendra Sudirman said.

The flames had engulfed all parts of the ferry made from fiber, but it remained floating, he added. Most of the passengers of the ferry were tourists on way to the Tidung island for recreation, according to him. The ferry has been pulled back to Jakarta and now is near Muara Angke sea port.

IANS
Celebrating New Years amounts to practising idolatry says Islamic State

International

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Washington, Dec 01: To celebrate New Year is practising idolatry, the Islamic State has said. While warning Muslims against celebrating New Years the IS has said that it amounts to practising idolatry with the infidels.

In a statement released on pro IS English channels, the IS says, "to celebrate New Year's Eve with the kuffar is to embrace their idolatry and paganism and to shun the rulings of our Lord."

Allah says: "O you who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians as Auliya' (friends, protectors, helpers), they are but Auliya' of each other. And if any amongst you takes them (as Auliya'), then surely he is one of them. Verily, Allah guides not those people who are the Zalimun (polytheists and wrong-doers and unjust)" (Al-Maidah 51).

There is nothing to celebrate. The Gregorian calendar is rooted in kufr and blatantly ignores the lunar calendar and that introduced to follow the Hijrah of our honorable Prophet (SAWS).

We also do not celebrate the start of a new year. Rather, we consider sacred the month of sacrifice and the 'Eids, which are also times to consider our Muslim brothers and ourselves.If a Muslim finds himself amid such a celebration, the kuffar commit all kinds of sin - imbibing of alcohol, fornication, and debauchery - that must be avoided.

OneIndia News
India seeking UN ban on Masood Azhar 'politically motivated': Pakistan

International

oi-PTI

Islamabad, Jan 1: Pakistan on Sunday said India's bid at the UN to ban Masood Azhar was "politically motivated" and "replete with frivolous information". The statement came two days after its close ally China blocked the proposal to get the JeM chief and Pathankot attack mastermind listed as a global terrorist.

Responding to reports on India failing to put Azhar on the United Nations Security Council's 1267 Sanctions Committee, Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said, "The 1267 Sanctions Committee related to ISIS/Al-Qaeda has rejected a politically motivated proposal by India. Replete with frivolous information and baseless allegations, the Indian proposal had no merit and was primarily aimed at advancing its narrow national agenda."

"The dismissal of this proposal is also a rejection of the Indian attempts to politicise and undermine the work of this important Committee of the Security Council," he added.

"While claiming to denounce terrorism, India has in fact deployed terrorism as an instrument of state policy, and has itself been involved in perpetrating, sponsoring, supporting, and financing terrorism," Zakaria said in a statement.

The arrest of Kulbhushan Jadhav, a RAW agent and serving officer of Indian navy, and his confession about involvement in terrorist activities aimed at destabilising Pakistan and killing or maiming of Pakistani citizens, is yet another proof of Indian sponsored terrorism in Pakistan, he said.

"With such duplicitous behaviour and blood on its hands", India has little credibility on counter-terrorism, he claimed.

The spokesperson said that in the coming days, Pakistan will share with the United Nations and members of the international community "additional evidence of Indian involvement in terrorism in Pakistan".

"It is clear that India's unfounded allegations against Pakistan are in fact aimed at masking its own terrorist activities in Pakistan, as well as diverting the attention of the international community from the grave violations of human rights and state sponsored terrorism perpetrated by the Indian occupying forces in Kashmir," the statement said.

"Pakistan has made significant contribution and rendered enormous sacrifices in the success of the international communitys counter-terrorism efforts. We are deeply committed to this common cause and look forward to continuing close cooperation with the international community in this collective endeavour," the statement said.

China had blocked India's proposal to get Pakistan-based Azhar listed as global terrorist by the UN, citing lack of "consensus" on the issue. In last nine months, China has twice put technical hold on listing Azhar as designated terrorist that would have forced imposition of asset freeze and travel ban on him by countries including Pakistan.

PTI
PM Modi gets Kalpak, Chapan, Samovar as gifts: What are these?

India to provide USD 200 million Line of Credit to support development projects in Kyrgyzstan

Indian origin man appointed as Major General in Kyrgyzstan

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Dubai, Jan 1: A Saudi-based entrepreneur of Indian origin has assumed a top position in the defence department of Kyrgyzstan, the media reported.

Sheikh Rafik Mohammed, a Keralite, was appointed Major General by Kyrgyzstan Defence Minister Ali Mirza at an official ceremony in the Central Asian country, said a report in the Khaleej Times on Saturday.

This could be the first time a Keralite has been included in top military leadership of a foreign country.

"It is a rare military position occupied by an overseas Keralite," said Rafik's media adviser Omar Abu Baker.

Rafik, who also holds Kyrgyzstan nationality, worked as an adviser to the former President Kurmanbek Saliyevich Bakiyev (2005-2010) whom he met in Iran where the young Indian entrepreneur was developing a major steel plant.

As an economic diplomat, Rafiq played a key role in attracting foreign investment from many countries to the nation by suggesting easy tax regimes that kept away foreign investors till then.

From there, he was invited by Saudi Arabia to develop some projects on the free zone model of Dubai.

"Rafik had left Kerala at a young age and he could complete only his primary school education. He went to Mumbai where the young man learnt all the tricks of business and from there to the Middle East. He has worked in the UAE, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Kyrgyzstan," his media adviser added.

IANS
Iraq: 5 killed, 24 injured in suicide attack

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Baghdad, Jan 1: At least five people were killed and 24 others injured on Sunday in a suicide attack at a security checkpoint close to the southern Iraqi city of Najaf, a security source said. A group of armed men attacked a security checkpoint and detonated explosives-laden vests when the officers tried to repel them, Efe news agency reported.

The security source said the armed militants were travelling in a modern vehicle when they carried out the attack on a checkpoint in the district of Al-Qadisiyah, some 70 km southwest of Najaf.

The toll could go up, the source said, adding that the attack also caused material damage. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.

However, the Islamic State terror group, in most cases, is responsible for such suicide bombings targeting Iraq security forces as well as crowded areas, including markets, cafes and mosques across the country.

IANS
2 Indians among 39 killed in Istanbul terror attack

International

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Istanbul, Jan 1: At least 39 people were killed and 40 others injured in an attack on a nightclub in Istanbul. India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said two of the 39 killed were Indians.

The two Indians have been identified as Abis Rizvi, son of former Rajya Sabha MP and Khushi Shah from Gujarat.

Reports say that the attackers was dressed in a Santa Claus costume. The attack took place at the Reina nightclub, in the Ortakoy area, at about 01:30 local time.

Several hundred people in the nightclub at the time, some of whom are believed to have jumped into the Bosphorus to escape. Authorities confirmed that it was a terror attack.

Istanbul had been on high alert with 17,000 police officers on duty in the city. The city which has been a target of the Islamic State has been on very high alert since the past one year.

Less than a fortnight ago, the Russian ambassador, Andrei Karlov, was shot dead by off-duty Turkish policeman Mevlut Mert Altintas as he gave a speech in the capital Ankara in December.

After the shooting, the killer shouted the murder was in revenge for Russian involvement in the conflict in the Syrian city of Aleppo.

OneIndia News
By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Jan 1 (PTI) Renewing its demand, India today asked Pakistan for consular access toKulbhushan Jadhav, arrested on charges of espionage, and Nehal Ansari, who was caught for illegally entering the country from Afghanistan apparently to meet a girl he had befriended online.

India called for consular access to the two after it exchanged with Pakistan the lists of their citizens including civil prisoners and fishermen languishing in each others jails as per provisions of the bilateral Consular Access agreement.

advertisement

The External Affairs Ministry said India remains committed to address on "priority" with Pakistanthe humanitarian matters, including those pertaining to prisoners and fishermen in each others country.

"In this context, we await from Pakistan confirmation of nationality of those in Indias custody who are otherwise eligible for release and repatriation.

"We also await consular access to those Indian nationals in Pakistans custody for whom it has so far not been provided including Hamid Nehal Ansari and Kulbhushan Jadhav," the MEA said in a statement.

The Pakistani security forces had arrested Jadhav from Balochistan in March and alleged that he was a serving officer in the Indian Navy and deputed to the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

Jadhav has been accused by Pakistan of planning subversive activities in the country.

India has acknowledged that Jadhav had served with the navy but denied that he has any connection with the government.

Ansari, a Mumbai resident, had crossed over illegally to Pakistan from Afghanistan in 2012 reportedly to meet a girl he had befriended online and then went missing.

He was later arrested and tried by a Pakistani military court, which pronounced him guilty of espionage.

The agreement on Consular Access, signed on 21 May 2008, provides that a comprehensive list of nationals of each country lodged in other country?s jails has to be exchanged twice each year, on January 1 and July 1. PTI MPB RT

--- ENDS ---
Netanyahu speaks to Putin over Syria conflict

International

oi-PTI

Jerusalem, Jan 1: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spoken on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the conflict in Syria and "continued security cooperation", his office said.

The talks came as the 15-member UN Security Council unanimously voted to back a Russian-Turkish peace plan for a ceasefire in Syria and the launch of new peace talks for the war-wrecked country.

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this evening... spoke by telephone with Russian President Vladimir Putin," the premier's office said in a statement on Saturday.

"The two leaders discussed developments in the region, with emphasis on Syria and continued security coordination in this sphere, which has already proven itself in preventing misunderstandings," it added.

During a visit to Moscow in April, Netanyahu discussed with Putin military cooperation between the two countries aimed at preventing confrontations between their warplanes in Syrian airspace.

In June, Netanyahu visited Moscow again and talks with Putin centred on "the implementation of these arrangements," the premier's office said at the time. Russia is a key ally of the Syrian government and has been fighting to bolster the Damascus regime since last year.

Along with Turkey, which backs the armed opposition, they brokered a ceasefire across Syria that entered its second day on Saturday and held despite sporadic clashes in parts of the country. Moscow and Ankara also say the truce aims to pave the way for peace negotiations later next month in Kazakhstan, also organised by Syria regime ally Iran.

Turkey and Russia have said the talks in the Kazakh capital Astana aim to supplement UN-backed peace efforts, not replace them. Israel is opposed to the Syrian government and has sought to limit its involvement in the conflict. But Israel has carried out sporadic sorties against the militant Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah, which is fighting alongside the Syrian regime. Israel fought a devastating war with the Iran-backed Hezbollah in 2006.

PTI
 2008-2022 One News Page Ltd.

All rights reserved.

One News is a registered trademark

of One News Page Ltd.
By Press Trust of India: By Priyanka Tikoo

New Delhi, Jan 1 (PTI) Ties with Pakistan and China which were on the centrestage of Indian diplomacy saw a "deterioration" in the year gone by, according to foreign policy experts who feel that the relationships are unlikely to see any forward movement in the new year.

The foreign policy establishment here has reached the conclusion that "no war, no peace" situation in the relationship with Pakistan will persist in 2017 given that it is not doing anything to stop terrorism directed at India.

advertisement

The year gone by also saw growing distance between India and its traditional ally Russia and hardening of Chinese positions on two strategically significant issues to New Delhi -- NSG and Masood Azhar, whose designation as terrorist by the UN was blocked by Beijing last week.

Foreign policy experts like G Parthasarathy, Kanwal Sibal and Naresh Chandra maintained that relationship with Pakistan "deteriorated" in 2016 and even with China there was no forward movement in ties.

Parthasarthy, however, said India has made it clear to both Pakistan and China that it wont ignore their actions which have a bearing on the countrys security.

"For the first time with Pakistan and China, we are responding. In case of China for example, we now have taken a position on the (disputed) South China Sea...", Parthasarthy said.

And with Pakistan, India has been able to convince the world that Prime Minister Narendra Modi tried his best to improve the ties and since they inflicted Pathankot and series of attacks on India, the government told Pakistan "enough is enough" by carrying out surgical strikes, the former High Commissioner to Pakistan added.

India had also launched a major diplomatic offensive to isolate Pakistan internationally following terror strikes including Pathankot, Uri and Nagrota.

"I think the message is loud and clear to both Pakistan and China that it takes two to tango. We are willing to reach out to you. But if you choose to remain totally ignoring what are our interests, we will react... the position is clear that anybody who harms our interest will pay a price without being provocative," he added.

However, most of the foreign policy experts also feel that the Indo-Pak ties are not expected to see any early breakthrough in the new year.

The establishment here also have come to a realisation that India has to live with the "no war, no peace" situation vis-a-vis Pakistan, a senior government source said. (MORE) PTI PYK MPB ZMN AAR

--- ENDS ---

advertisement
By Press Trust of India: Dubai, Jan 1 (PTI) An Indian-origin Saudi-based entrepreneur has been appointed Major General of Kyrgyzstan, a rare military position occupied by an Indian in the Central Asian country.

Shaikh Rafik Mohammed, who hails from Kerala, was appointed Major General of Kyrgyzstan by Ali Mirza, Defence Minister of Kyrgyzstan at an official ceremony held in the country, Khaleej Times reported.

advertisement

It is a rare military position occupied by an overseas Keralite, said Omar Abu Baker, media adviser of Rafik.

Rafik, whose family resides in Dubai, holds Kyrgyzstan nationality conferred by its former President Kurmanbek Saliyevich Bakiyev whom he casually met in his 20s while working in Iran, the report said.

Rafik was invited by the Kyrgyzstan government to take up the prestigious military position in view of his earlier contribution to the country.

"Rafik left Kerala at a young age and he could complete only his primary school education. He went to Mumbai where the young man learnt all the tricks of business and from there to the Middle East. He has worked in the UAE, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Kyrgyzstan," his media adviser added.

He migrated from Calicut in Kerala before completing his fifth-grade schooling culminated in his recent appointment as Major General of Kyrgyzstan, the report said.

While there are scores of successful business tycoons in the region, this could well be the first time a Malayali has occupied a top military leadership of a foreign country.

Rafik earlier worked as an adviser to the former Kyrgyzstan President Kurmanbek Saliyevich Bakiyev whom he met in Iran where the young Indian entrepreneur was developing a major steel plant.

After selling the successful project to the Iranian government, Rafik went to Kyrgyzstan and presented a similar project to Kurmanbek, then a governor who was preparing to contest presidential elections.

After Kurmanbek won the election, he appointed young Rafik as his chief adviser - a milestone in his career in his mid-twenties.

Rafik developed wide network of friends in the Central Asian country which has witnessed a rapid flow of foreign investment and reversal of socialist mode of development to a capitalist mode of production, the report said. PTI CPS

--- ENDS ---
Oneindia 13 Mar 2022

Local authorities in Ukraine reported that in a an air strike on Yavoriv military range in Lviv, near the Polish border, at least..
NewsVoir 26 Sep 2022

The journey of acceleration has just begun for the two winning startups of AkzoNobel's Paint the Future India startup challenge.The..
KSEE 02 Oct 2019

Glitter lipstick, lashes, and BB Cream. Just some of the makeup trends of the new year.


Javad Amoli visits Gorbachev in Moscow 1988

(Image by American Herald Tribune) Details DMCA



On January 1, 1988, just a year and a half before he passed away on June 3, 1989, Ayatollah Khomeini made a historic move, reaching out the Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, in a gesture of anti-imperialist solidarity, despite the long hiatus in relations with communist Russia. This was at a time of war against Iraq and continued subversion of Iran by the US and Israel. He sent President Gorbachev his only written message to a foreign leade r.



Ayatollah Khomeini made other prescient gestures in his short and difficult decade as the leader of the Islamic revolution in Iran; in the first place, the transfer of the Israeli embassy to Palestinian representatives, the canceling of recognition of Israel, and the inauguration of al-Quds Day as an annual international holiday on the last Friday of Ramadan. He met with Fidel Castro and other third-world leaders, encouraging solidarity against the imperialist foe.



The unprecedented visit of the Iranian delegation to Moscow was a sincere offer of support to the faltering Soviet leader, who had rejected the atheism of the Soviet past. It contrasts with the treatment of Gorbachev's new friend, Reagan, who was at the same time conspiring to subvert the Soviet Union, even as Gorbachev was sincerely reaching out to the hawkish Reagan, offering a generous plan of world nuclear disarmament.



The Ayatollah's warning not to trust the West was being brought home to Gorbachev graphically as the last Soviet troops were retreating into Uzbekistan in 1988. Despite the unilateral withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan, the US was continuing to arm the insurgents, killing those doomed soldiers as they crossed the Afghanistan-Uzbekistan Friendship Bridge, built in 1982. Imperialism takes no prisoners.





History has proved the fears that the Ayatollah expressed justified. Gorbachev was standing on the edge of the abyss. Sadly, he scoffed at the ability of the Ayatollah to see the danger and to want to help him. But it was too late by then. Gorbachev had lost control, thinking he was handing power to the people, not recognizing that such a wish was another illusion. The disaster of the collapse of the Soviet Union will reverberate for generations to come, as the Ayatollah predicted.



Gorbachev was operating on a different wavelength when he received the letter from the Ayatollah, trying to cozy up to Israel and the US, again, naively thinking goodwill gestures would be reciprocated. He opened the doors to the emigration of Soviet Jews in 1988 and prepared to renew full diplomatic relations with Israel.



At the same time Gorbachev promised Arafat during a state visit that year that the Soviet Union would recognize an independent Palestinian state if proclaimed, naively hoping that Israel would show gratitude for his generosity by negotiating a genuine peace with the Palestinians. Arafat declared independence in November 1988 and got Soviet recognition the next year, but it was not much consolation. Israel was busy setting up consular offices in Moscow and elsewhere, issuing eventually a million visas to Soviet Jews to come to Israel.



Hundreds of thousands of Russian Jews got instant Israeli citizenship and emigrated, many of them settling illegally in the Occupied Territories, nominally part of a Soviet-recognized Palestinian state. By the end of 1991 when full diplomatic relations with Israel were restored, over 325,000 Soviet Jews had emigrated. Gorbachev's hope to bring a quick peace to the Middle East were dashed as he was ousted from power, leaving the PLO abandoned and Israel stronger than ever.



Just as the Zionists had hoodwinked Stalin into recognizing Israel, they once again hoodwinked a Soviet leader into re-recognizing it. Instead of increasing Soviet/Russian influence by this dual recognition, all influence was lost, the Palestinians were hurt by the Soviet betrayal, while the Israelis welcomed a million new Jewish immigrants.



Gorbachev's trust was betrayed by both the US and Israel; the Soviet Union collapsed as Soviet Jews fled to the illusory western heaven. The world logically expected a new era free of the threat of war, a peace dividend that would improve the lot of people everywhere, ensuring that the material imperative behind war was eliminated. But the triumph of empire has never led to an end to empire, and strengthening empire has never led to improving the lot of the periphery.



This was clear in the centuries of imperialism, where the periphery was impoverished at the expense of the center. There was no reason to believe a new Great Game of empire could be any different, even Bush I's postmodern variant, with the US firmly in control. Indeed, the impoverishment of all who are not part of the center/periphery elite has only accelerated.

Today, the US continues to work with the Saudis to destabilize the Iran-Iraq 'Shia arc' replaying the endgame against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan, this time with clandestine operations being carried out by the US, Saudis and Israelis--all jealous of Iran's increasing influence in the Middle East.





Next Page 1 | 2

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
Hallelujah!

As President Obama is about to fade from the White House forever to make way for the Twitter King's juggernaut of furniture wreckers, his abstaining vote on a United Nations Security Counsel resolution to condemn Benjamin Netanyahu's settlement policies in the West Bank and Jerusalem as "illegal" has rocked the leadership of that tiny nation. Naturally, Netanyahu and others in the Likudist pro-settlement camp went ballistic, since they've written Obama off as a loser and know what a coup the condemnation resolution is. To be so condemned as an outlaw faction will encourage further opposition to Likudist Israel in Europe, as it will put an international stain on products made in West Bank settlements. Many of those products are being exported illegally, a situation that will now be in the public eye.

One of the brightest spots in all this is that, in the last three yards of his two-term run, President Obama assumed some backbone vis--vis Netanyahu, a leader who dis'ed and humiliated him publicly on several occasions. The same with Secretary of State John Kerry, whose 70 minute speech at the State Department Wednesday showed glimmers of the young Vietnam veteran John Kerry who publicly wondered, "How do you ask a man to be the last man to die in Vietnam? How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake? ... [W]e have been used in the worst fashion by the administration of this country."

To Netanyahu's remark that "Friends do not take friends to the Security Counsel," Kerry replied with the equivalent of the well-known public service line: "Friends don't let friends drive drunk." The runaway arrogance of the Israeli right can easily be seen as akin to being drunk at the wheel on one's own exceptionalism and entitlement.

John Kerry has been a longtime insider in the very same American government that "used him in the worst fashion" as a young man. So for me, his remarks come not from a "friend" of Israel, but from the equivalent of a parent who birthed Israel in 1948 under President Harry Truman. That post-WWII moment in history, of course, was rich with profound Washington decisions that Americans were forced to live with in the years that followed. Some of those decisions went completely off the rails. This has a compelling poignancy for me, since as a "baby boomer" born in 1947, my life spans the same years. Some might say I've gone off the rails. I presume Kerry must feel some of this, too; he was born in 1943. In 1947, Truman and Congress established the National Security State; the CIA was officially born out of the OSS that year. President Truman and "the buck stops here" was ground zero. For the Vietnam War, 1945 was the fateful year. It's when Truman decided to betray our WWII ally, the Viet Minh, and support the French desire to re-colonize Vietnam, a decision that led to 30 years of grotesque, unnecessary war on the people of Vietnam.

So, Mr. Kerry, welcome home, brother. If you follow the lead of your better-late-than-never, straight-talk censure of the Israel Likudists and don't slip back into shameless, toad-eating political expediency I'm going to consider you in this case again part of the Peace Movement, a movement that has been slandered and marginalized for the entire 20th century and into this century. (Among reluctant Republicans in Washington, we're told that toad is the gourmet meal-de-jour as the city prepares for the gala arrival of the Twitter King. Neo-con editor of The Atlantic David Frum reported it was "Toad for breakfast, toad for lunch and two toads for dinner.")

The basic lines of history seem clear. West Bank settlements and the assumption of whole sections of Jerusalem began after the 1967 war in which Israel took the land from Jordan as spoils of war. It must be said, the Arabs are not without sin, here. The world consensus has always been that peace negotiations should have followed the conflict, the goal being a two-state arrangement that would help establish some semblance of peace and justice in the Middle East. That never happened. Instead, with overt and generous US military support, the Israeli occupation of would-be Palestine grew tighter by the year. Ariel Sharon lumbered onto the scene as director of settlement policy and, then, as prime minister. The settlement movement grew steadily; settlers became more and more belligerent vis-a-vis the Palestinian people in the West Bank. Israeli rightists had visions of Israel stretching from the Mediterranean to the Jordan River. From the beginning of the Obama administration in 2009 to 2014, the West Bank Israeli settlement population went from 297,000 to 386,000; the East Jerusalem Israeli population grew from 193,000 to 208,000. This amounted to giving the finger to President Obama and others around the world working toward a two-state solution. Israel's Likud Party stoked fear and hatred and moved farther and farther to the right, until it has become a defacto expansionist party that feels entitled to everything.

I vividly remember the first time the idea of Israeli settlements in the West Bank entered my consciousness. Again, think baby boomer generation. I'm in a firebase along the Cambodian border in the mountainous Central Highlands of Vietnam; from the helicopter arriving at the firebase, it looks like a cigar burn in a shag carpet. Several of us were smoking and joking between the outgoing 105s and the incoming mortars from the North Vietnamese regular unit in the woods outside the perimeter. I was a 19-year-old military occupier without a clue why I was one of 500,000 similarly clueless US soldiers occupying that peasant nation. It was 1967, and Israel had taken the West Bank from Jordan some weeks before. A Jewish fellow in my unit was giddy with delight. I confess I didn't then know much more about Israel/Palestine or the West Bank than I did about Vietnam. Kerry's idea about being "used in the worst fashion" comes to mind. Being a miniscule part of that huge historic mobilization was later a strong goad for my self-education on Vietnam and post-WWII US military policy. I began reading up on it when I got home, and I have not stopped.

This Jewish fellow went on and on how great the moment was. I recall wondering what it meant for the future. I thought aloud: Wouldn't holding that land lead to more violence and war in the future? Might it be better to sort it out and make peace? I see this as a seed-moment for the later growth of my instincts toward the peace movement. But my fellow soldier was incredibly confident; I was not a Jew and, therefore, couldn't understand.

There's no question that Israel is a fact of life. National sovereignty is a matter of might-makes-right and the recognition of other nations in the world that you're qualified to be accepted into the club of nations. The United States became a fact of life in the same way -- after slaughtering Native Americans and corralling the survivors shamelessly into reservations. My ancestor was part of one of the original massacres, the attack on the Pequots in Connecticut. British settlers were very fearful of the powerful Pequots, so one morning at dawn my people attacked and slaughtered the 700 souls in the Pequot village; then they burned the village to the ground. The male braves were off on hunting expeditions, so those killed were mostly women, children and old men. With the help of pacified tribes, my people then hunted down the males and the Pequots weren't heard of again until they built a huge casino called Foxwood in the middle of Connecticut.

As Manifest Destiny moved west, we broke virtually every treaty we made with the Indians we had not killed. How did "Americans" get away with doing this? There was, of course, no United Nations then. It was the wild west, a lawless time and place. Protecting domestic settlements and the expanding railroad were the top priorities as the nation moved inexorably toward the Pacific Ocean. Domination was our destiny. The only way to peace for Native Americans was to accept they were losers and accept the terms of the winners -- accept being emasculated and herded into reservations or be hunted down and killed.

Obviously, in the mid-1940s following a great world conflagration, the conditions for the founding of Israel were different. The United Nations had just been formed to basically put the world in order following that destructive conflagration that included the genocide of millions of Jews by fellow Europeans. As we know, the devil is in the details. In what seems now a root problem, the US and European-dominated UN that followed on the ill-fated League Of Nations magnanimously handed over the League's Palestine Mandate to Zionist Jews fleeing Europe. Truman was the man in the White House where the buck stopped. In retrospect, the compassionate establishment of an ideally ecumenical Israel shifted over time into a wholly Jewish state with Palestinians seen as interlopers in their own land. Resentment and violence naturally became part of the equation. Live and let live was not a founding mantra. Emotions were raised, hatred and demonization prevailed, wagons were circled and before you know it you had an expansionist ideology like that of the Likudists.

All because of a thoroughly inadequate decision over the fate of two peoples who claimed the same land. Much of it because of the guy with the sign on his desk: The Buck Stops Here. Which raises the unholy idea that maybe Harry Truman wasn't such a great president. And maybe some of his decisions should be re-considered in today's world. At least that's how a good radical would see it: Locate the roots of it all.

Next Page 1 | 2

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).


Russian hacking malware

(Image by abc.net.au) Details DMCA



(updated below)

THE WASHINGTON POST on Friday reported a genuinely alarming event: Russian hackers have penetrated the U.S. power system through an electrical grid in Vermont. The Post headline conveyed the seriousness of the threat:

The first sentence of the article directly linked this cyberattack to alleged Russian hacking of the email accounts of the DNC and John Podesta -- what is now routinely referred to as "Russian hacking of our election" -- by referencing the code name revealed on Wednesday by the Obama administration when it announced sanctions on Russian officials: "A code associated with the Russian hacking operation dubbed Grizzly Steppe by the Obama administration has been detected within the system of a Vermont utility, according to U.S. officials."

The Post article contained grave statements from Vermont officials of the type politicians love to issue after a terrorist attack to show they are tough and in control. The state's Democratic governor, Peter Shumlin, said:

"Vermonters and all Americans should be both alarmed and outraged that one of the world's leading thugs, Vladimir Putin, has been attempting to hack our electric grid, which we rely upon to support our quality of life, economy, health, and safety. This episode should highlight the urgent need for our federal government to vigorously pursue and put an end to this sort of Russian meddling."

Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy issued a statement warning: "This is beyond hackers having electronic joy rides -- this is now about trying to access utilities to potentially manipulate the grid and shut it down in the middle of winter. That is a direct threat to Vermont and we do not take it lightly."

The article went on and on in that vein, with all the standard tactics used by the U.S. media for such stories: quoting anonymous national security officials, reviewing past acts of Russian treachery, and drawing the scariest possible conclusions ("'The question remains: Are they in other systems and what was the intent?' a U.S. official said").

Click Here to Read Whole Article
Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121

"Kall's Bottom-up explores refreshing yet timeless ways of seeing and ways of thinking about economics, knowledge and wisdom. He presents his message, that decentralized, local and small are both good and healthy in business and economics, in a model that makes sense and offers practical solutions."



Amar Bhide, professor of Economics, Tufts University, former editor, Capitalism and Society, author, The Venturesome Economy: How Innovation Sustains Prosperity in a More Connected World
From Consortium News



Samantha Power, Permanent Representative of the United States to the UN, addresses the Security Council meeting on Syria, Sept. 25, 2016. Power has been an advocate for escalating U.S. military involvement in Syria.

(Image by (UN Photo)) Details DMCA



The U.S. establishment is not content simply to have domination over the media narratives on critical foreign policy issues, such as Syria, Ukraine and Russia. It wants total domination. Thus we now have the "Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act" that President Obama signed into law on Dec. 23 as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for 2017, setting aside $160 million to combat any "propaganda" that challenges Official Washington's version of reality.

The new law mandates the U.S. Secretary of State to collaborate with the Secretary of Defense, Director of National Intelligence and other federal agencies to create a Global Engagement Center "to lead, synchronize, and coordinate efforts of the Federal Government to recognize, understand, expose, and counter foreign state and non-state propaganda and disinformation efforts aimed at undermining United States national security interests." The law directs the Center to be formed in 180 days and to share expertise among agencies and to "coordinate with allied nations."

The legislation was initiated in March 2016, as the demonization of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia was already underway and was enacted amid the allegations of "Russian hacking" around the U.S. presidential election and the mainstream media's furor over supposedly "fake news." Defeated Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton voiced strong support for the bill: "It's imperative that leaders in both the private sector and the public sector step up to protect our democracy, and innocent lives."

The new law is remarkable for a number of reasons, not the least because it merges a new McCarthyism about purported dissemination of Russian "propaganda" on the Internet with a new Orwellianism by creating a kind of Ministry of Truth -- or Global Engagement Center -- to protect the American people from "foreign propaganda and disinformation."

As part of the effort to detect and defeat these unwanted narratives, the law authorizes the Center to: "Facilitate the use of a wide range of technologies and techniques by sharing expertise among Federal departments and agencies, seeking expertise from external sources, and implementing best practices." (This section is an apparent reference to proposals that Google, Facebook and other technology companies find ways to block or brand certain Internet sites as purveyors of "Russian propaganda" or "fake news.")

Justifying this new bureaucracy, the bill's sponsors argued that the existing agencies for "strategic communications" and "public diplomacy" were not enough, that the information threat required "a whole-of-government approach leveraging all elements of national power."

The law also is rife with irony since the U.S. government and related agencies are among the world's biggest purveyors of propaganda and disinformation -- or what you might call evidence-free claims, such as the recent accusations of Russia hacking into Democratic emails to "influence" the U.S. election.

Despite these accusations -- leaked by the Obama administration and embraced as true by the mainstream U.S. news media -- there is little or no public evidence to support the charges. There is also a contradictory analysis by veteran U.S. intelligence professionals as well as statements by Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and an associate, former British Ambassador Craig Murray, that the Russians were not the source of the leaks. Yet, the mainstream U.S. media has virtually ignored this counter-evidence, appearing eager to collaborate with the new "Global Engagement Center" even before it is officially formed.

Of course, there is a long history of U.S. disinformation and propaganda. Former CIA agents Philip Agee and John Stockwell documented how it was done decades ago, secretly planting "black propaganda" and covertly funding media outlets to influence events around the world, with much of the fake news blowing back into the American media.

In more recent decades, the U.S. government has adopted an Internet-era version of that formula with an emphasis on having the State Department or the U.S.-funded National Endowment for Democracy supply, train and pay "activists" and "citizen journalists" to create and distribute propaganda and false stories via "social media" and via contacts with the mainstream media. The U.S. government's strategy also seeks to undermine and discredit journalists who challenge this orthodoxy. The new legislation escalates this information war by tossing another $160 million into the pot.

Propaganda and Disinformation on Syria

Syria is a good case study in the modern application of information warfare. In her memoir Hard Choices, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wrote that the U.S. provided "support for (Syrian) civilian opposition groups, including satellite-linked computers, telephones, cameras, and training for more than a thousand activists, students and independent journalists."

Indeed, a huge amount of money has gone to "activists" and "civil society" groups in Syria and other countries that have been targeted for "regime change." A lot of the money also goes to parent organizations that are based in the United States and Europe, so these efforts do not only support on-the-ground efforts to undermine the targeted countries, but perhaps even more importantly, the money influences and manipulates public opinion in the West.

In North America, representatives from the Syrian "Local Coordination Committees" (LCC) were frequent guests on popular media programs such as "DemocracyNow." The message was clear: there is a "revolution" in Syria against a "brutal regime" personified in Bashar al-Assad. It was not mentioned that the "Local Coordination Committees" have been primarily funded by the West, specifically the Office for Syrian Opposition Support, which was founded by the U.S. State Department and the U.K. Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
Two Indian are among the other foreigners in a attack on a crowded Istanbul nightclub during New Year's celebrations Sunday, killing at least 39 people.

Turkish police officers block the road leading to the scene of an attack in Istanbul, early Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017.

By AP: A manhunt is on in Turkey for an assailant in a Santa Claus hat who unleashed a salvo of bullets in a crowded Istanbul nightclub during New Year's celebrations Sunday, killing at least 39 people.

Two Indian are among the other foreigners in the fatalities.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj confirmed the death of two Indian nationals. She tweeted, "I have a bad news from Turkey. We have lost two Indian nationals in the Istanbul attack. Indian Ambassador on way to Istanbul".

advertisement

The victims are Abis Rizvi son of former Rajya Sabha MP and Khushi Shah from Gujarat.

The victims are Mr.Abis Rizvi son of former Rajya Sabha MP and Ms.Khushi Shah from Gujarat. /2 Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) January 1, 2017

According to latest reports, an 18-year-old Israeli woman and a Belgian national were among the others killed according to the two countries' respective foreign ministries. Close to 70 others were injured in what authorities described as a terror attack.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vehemently condemned "the terror attack in Istanbul's Ortakoy neighborhood in the first hours of 2017" and offered condolences for those who lost their lives, including "foreign guests."

HERE IS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW The attacker, armed with a long-barreled weapon, killed a policeman and a civilian outside Istanbul's popular Reina club at around 1:15 a.m. before entering and firing on people partying inside, Gov. Vasip Sahin said. "Unfortunately (he) rained bullets in a very cruel and merciless way on innocent people who were there to celebrate New Year's and have fun," Sahin told reporters. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack and authorities did not name any suspects. The bloodiest attacks that Turkey endured in 2016 were the work of the Islamic State group or Kurdish militants. Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the attacker has not been identified and is still at large. "Our security forces have started the necessary operations. God willing he will be caught in a short period of time," he said. Private NTV news channel said the assailant entered the upscale nightclub, on the shores of the Bosporus, on the European side of the city, dressed in a Santa Claus outfit. The minister said the lone attacker was believed to have left the club wearing different clothing. Security camera footage obtained by AP from Haberturk newspaper, shows the male assailant dressed in black and carrying a backpack as he shoots down a police officer outside the Reina nightclub. Footage taken by a different camera shows him inside the venue wearing different clothes and a Santa Claus hat. Turkey's Minister of Family and Social Policies Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya said citizens of Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Lebanon, Libya were among those hurt in the attack. Lebanon's Foreign Ministry said three Lebanese citizens were wounded. At least 15 of the dead were foreign nationals, according to Turkey's interior minister. Five of the victims were identified as Turkish nationals while authorities were still trying to identify the rest. At least 69 people were being treated in hospitals, four in serious condition, Soylu said, describing the attack as a "massacre, a truly inhumane savagery." He said three or four of the Turkish victims may have been employees at the nightclub, Some customers reportedly jumped into the waters of the Bosporus to escape the attack. Mehmet Dag, 22, was passing by the club and saw the suspect shoot at a police officer and a bystander. He said the suspect then targeted security, gunning them down and entering the club. "Once he went in, we don't know what happened. There were gun sounds, and after two minutes the sound of an explosion." Heavily armed police blocked the snowy street in front of the nightclub where the entrance was covered with blue plastic sheeting below a Turkish flag. Police patrolled the Asian side of the Bosporus on the other side of the club. Crime scene investigators were seen inside the club searching through piles of mingled chairs, tables and pieces of clothing left behind during the panic among the guests.

TURKEY AN ATTACK SITE IN 2016

Major attacks carried out by IS or Kurdish militants killed more than 180 people in Istanbul and Ankara alone in 2016.

On Dec. 10, a double bomb attack outside a soccer stadium near the Reina nightclub killed 45 people and wounded some 150 others. The attack was claimed by Turkey-based Kurdish militant group, the Kurdish Freedom Falcons.

"Turkey continues its combat against terror and is absolutely determined to do whatever is necessary in the region to ensure its citizens safety and peace," said President Erdogan in a written statement Sunday.

Also read: PM Modi condemns terror attack in Istanbul, says India stands by Turkey in time of grief

REACTIONS ON ATTACK

The nightclub attack drew quick condemnation from the West and Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his Turkish counterpart a a telegram of condolences, saying "it is hard to imagine a more cynical crime than killing innocent people during New Year celebrations."

"However, terrorists don't share moral values. Our common duty is to combat terrorists' aggression," Putin said.

The White House condemned what it called a "horrific terrorist attack" and offered U.S. help to Turkey.

An estimated 600 people were celebrating inside the club that is often frequented by famous locals, including singers, actors and sports stars. Several shocked revelers were seen fleeing the scene after the attack and the music fell silent.

advertisement

The prime minister's office issued a media blackout on the events and asked media to refrain from broadcasting and publishing anything that may cause "fear in the public, panic and disorder and which may serve the aims of terrorist organizations."

Watch the video here

--- ENDS ---
photo by Pete Souza, official White House Photographer





This is a great collection of the best White House photos of 2016, the last collection. Yes, indeed, after all the negativity and criticism of Obama during this tumultuous election, with a whole host of recriminations and blame that will main unresolved, even for the future historians who will attempt to record and reconstruct what really happened, the fact remains for me that I will miss this man and his family.





These photos reveal much more than did the accumulation of 8 years of mendacious mainstream media miasma, written in appreciation on my part, and not as a nattering nabob of negativity.





Thanks so much to Pete Souza, for putting this together! I met Obama at Occidental College in the spring of 1981, back when he was Barry from Hawaii, keen on political science, and considering leaving Occidental, which in fact he did. I wish the Trustees had listened then to his counsel about how to end apartheid by pulling the investments out of DeBeers, and South African gold and diamonds. Nelson Mandela could have been freed ten years earlier from his prison on Robben Island, where he served 18 of his 27 years in prison.

.

Here is the entire photo essay.





click here

My articles here at OpEdNews compiling the most of incisive of the many Obama editorial page endorsements go back to the 2008 campaign. Here is one:





click here





and another

click here
The Portland winter theater season in a word? Ambitious. From a 19th-century cross-country trek reaching the mouth of the Columbia River, to an illuminating visit with the Bronte family in the legendary English moors, Portland companies can barely contain themselves.

"db," Jan. 13-Feb. 4

There's only one way to tell the story of Pacific Northwest outlaw D.B. Cooper -- and that's with all "the momentum of a hijacking." Which is precisely what playwright Tommy Smith told The Oregonian/OregonLive when Smith's play, "db," was workshopped during the 2014 Just Add Water playwrights festival.

For those unfamiliar with the tale, it's the stuff of a Vin Diesel anti-hero actioner. In 1971, a dark-suited man hijacked a flight from Portland International Airport. After he received a $200,000 ransom delivered at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, the plane took off and the man parachuted, cash in hand, into snowy skies and a wind chill clocking in at minus-69 degrees. No one knows what happened after that. Smith's play, a world premiere from CoHo Productions, unpacks the myth of the man, but don't expect conclusions about whether he lived, died or what happened to the loot.

Starting January 13th through 2/4 - db Posted by CoHo Productions on Tuesday, November 29, 2016

"Astoria," Jan. 14-Feb. 12

In January, Portland Center Stage premieres part one of "Astoria," a live miniseries, if you will, based on Peter Stark's bestseller, "Astoria: John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson's Lost Pacific Empire: A Story of Wealth, Ambition, and Survival." The historical epic tracks the two expeditions -- one by sea, the other over the Rockies -- to found the first U.S. colony on the West Coast. Part two runs next season.

"When I first read it, I assumed that all the Oregon natives I knew would already be familiar with this chapter in our history, but nope. Not one," says Portland Center Stage's artistic director, Chris Coleman. He's adapting and directing the book for the stage -- a tricky logistical trek.

"The journey is full of storms at sea, and campfires, and trudging up mountains in the snow," Coleman says, "so I knew you couldn't be literal about the storytelling." Instead, he hooked on "a unique theatrical language" to dramatize what Coleman calls "an astounding story of survival and idealism, juxtaposed against greed and culture clashes."

"The Flick," Jan. 20-Feb. 11

"I worked as a projectionist and shift manager at the Mission Theater right out of college, so I know tons about the trappings of the play. So, in a way, this is kind of a full circle moment for me," says Portland actor and director Isaac Lamb of his role as Sam, the older theater employee in "The Flick," coming up from Third Rail Repertory.

Taking place in a New England movie house on its last legs, Annie Baker's workplace dramedy is sure to be a polarizing piece of theater. Early audience members didn't appreciate the three-hour-plus running time and the lack of discernable plot. But the Pulitzer Prize committee dug it: "The Flick" picked up the 2014 award for drama. Have faith that there is more going on than sweeping up popcorn and scraping gum from under the seats.

"Elliot, A Soldier's Fugue," Feb. 2-19

Profile Theatre's 20th season zooms in on Quiara Alegria Hudes, a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and self-styled barrio feminist, and includes what's likely the first full Oregon staging of the playwright's "Elliot" trilogy. Beginning with "A Soldier's Fugue" in February, we're introduced to Lance Corporal Elliot Ortiz, injured and adrift at home in Philadelphia after serving in Iraq. Come November, "Water by the Spoonful" and "The Happiest Song Plays Last," the second and third chapters of Elliot's rocky re-assimilation, run simultaneously. It's a brave, brutal schedule for Profile but what a windfall for Portlanders.

"Marjorie Prime," Feb. 7-March 5

In the year 2062, Alzheimer's and dementia remain incurable. But there's a new palliative option: primes. Humanoid companions with artificial intelligence, primes help restore lost memories, for better, or often not-so-better, as is the case in Jordan Harrison's play, a 2015 Pulitzer Prize finalist. Harrison's synthesis of science fiction, humor and family secrets is already a movie in post-production and aiming for the 2017 awards season. ("Mad Men" star Jon Hamm plays Walter, the handsome prime modeled after Marjorie's deceased husband.)

Adriana Baer, who directed Sarah Ruhl's "In the Next Room, or the Vibrator Play" and "Dead Man's Cell Phone" for Profile Theatre, seems like the perfect pick to helm this low-key, high-concept gig for Artists Repertory Theatre.

"Matilda The Musical," Feb. 28-March 5

Grab the kids and guiltlessly re-explore your own childhood when this splashy first national touring production lands at the Keller Auditorium as part of the Broadway in Portland series.

"Matilda," based on the classic Roald Dahl children's book, scored with critics and won five Tony Awards. The musical also earned raves for its clever staging and special effects. Eye-poppers in the "Matilda" adaptation include a ghostly chalkboard and flying chalk, magical desks and -- always an audience favorite --confetti cannons.

"Bronte," March 2-19

What could be more ambitious than a biographical play tracing the triumphant and tragic life of English novelist and poet Emily Bronte? How about corralling her sisters, brother and father all in the same story in a single evening? Hillsboro's Bag & Baggage Productions nabbed the Pacific Northwest premiere of "Bronte," British scribe Polly Teale's courageous undertaking. Naturally, center stage belongs to the three Bronte sisters, who were subtly subverting male publishing paradigms from their famous home near the West Yorkshire moors.

"Today it is difficult for us to imagine a world where women were not allowed to enter a library, where women had to publish under men's names, where women had no part in public life," wrote Teale in an essay for The Guardian. "We are fascinated by the Brontes because they broke the mould. They broke it and yet they were made by it."
Oil Prices

A rally in oil prices in 2016 drove up energy stocks. Among the 10 major sectors of the S&P 500, the energy sector had the best performance, surging 25 percent.

(David McNew/Getty Images)

With a year of historic stock highs officially closed, the week ahead is expected to bring a rare accord to life and, with it, a hint at the year ahead for global oil prices.

It has been one month since all 13 OPEC members agreed to cut oil production. Those cuts are due to begin as soon as next week. Usually, an OPEC agreement to reduce the amount of oil on the world market is greeted with winks and nods. The economic incentives to cheat are normally just too high, so countries will say they're following through with directives to cut production while not actually doing it and pocketing the profits. But even cash-strapped Venezuela has pledged to drop its oil production this time. If the deal holds and the OPEC nations follow through, it will mark the first production cut in eight years.

Oil prices have been rallying since February, when U.S. oil production began falling. A glut of new crude from shale drilling helped drive down oil prices to below $30 a barrel last winter. Still, OPEC wouldn't budge. But now, with prices almost twice what they were a year ago, OPEC hopes less global oil will help prop up already rising prices.

The rally in oil prices in 2016 fueled a rally in energy stocks. Among the 10 major sectors of the Standard & Poor's 500 index, the energy sector had the best performance, rallying about 25 percent.

The new year, though, begins with new uncertainty for energy investors. President Barack Obama has banned offshore oil drilling in certain areas of the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, potentially impacting future domestic supplies of fossil fuels. President-elect Donald Trump's secretary of state nominee, Rex Tillerson, currently leads the largest oil company in the world, Exxon Mobil. American gasoline demand isn't growing.

OPEC's compliance to its own production cuts will be tested in the weeks ahead as will investor patience for energy stocks to repeat their performance.

- The Associated Press
Gabriel Howe

I value Oregon's wood industry. My dad spent his career in wood products and made a good life for us. As a young man and a high school drop-out, I maintained dignity and independence through decent-paying jobs in wood manufacturing.

Before then, I had grown up in Sheridan, watching one-log loads fly down Highway 18, and even now in my 30s, I sustain a boyish fascination with logging systems, equipment and methods, and still revel in the rush of watching a tree fall.

I've spent thousands of hours laboring in Oregon's backwoods. It seems to be in my soul, and I just can't stay away for long. Needless to say, I'm a proud Oregon boy with a barrel chest, tough feet and callused hands.

I'm also a bleeding-heart conservationist. I believe in big, wild places and that experiencing wilderness is an American birthright. I'm absolutely convinced that those places still left uncut and undeveloped should remain intact and untrammeled.

In my early 20s, I dabbled as a volunteer for a couple of Oregon's environmental groups. But it didn't take long for them to leave me feeling put down for who I am and where I come from. Disillusioned, I swiftly and deliberately unaffiliated with them.

I am not alone. Through divisive tactics, inflammatory rhetoric, and by fostering a culture of exclusivity, Oregon's "wild" groups have left rural citizens out, turning swaths of potential advocates into ideological adversaries.

Insulated by colorful jackets made of space-age materials, environmentalists have turned a cold shoulder to the flannel-clad Oregonians that once constituted a critical share of Oregon's conservation movement. The new guard seems to operate without reverence for America's great conservation legacy informed by the Teddy Roosevelt ethos. And they've proven to be ineffective.

We haven't seen a wilderness expansion since 2009, the longest such period in history since the 1964 Wilderness Act. Other states, including conservative Idaho, have seen such expansions since 2009. How? Advocates there adopted inclusive, grassroots strategies that championed, rather than dismissed, America's rural way of life.

Now is the time for Oregon's conservation movement to follow suit. Regroup. Lace up your boots, and do the hard work of starting a real conversation with rural Oregon.

Share your opinion

Submit your essay of 500 words or less to commentary@oregonlive.com. Please include your email and phone number for verification.

Start the conversation by listening. Do so without lifting your noses, and you will find warm-hearted, hard-working citizens who value the environment. Develop meaningful relationships, search deep for points of agreement, and respectfully take steps to sway public perception.

It won't be easy. At times it will be demoralizing and there will be many failures along the way (kind of like working in the woods). But you can do it. And it must be done -- working for rural Oregon will prove meaningful and lasting.

Please, don't wait. Act quickly, because we need public lands advocates now more than ever.

Gabriel Howe is the executive director ofthe Siskiyou Mountain Club and lives in Ashland. The opinion expressed here is his own, not that of the Siskiyou Mountain Club.
"The president was briefed by his national security team on the attack in Istanbul," White House spokesman Eric Schultz said.

By Agencies: US President Barack Obama has expressed his condolences for the attack at a night club in Istanbul and directed his team to offer help to Turkish authorities, the White House said.

"This afternoon the president was briefed by his national security team on the attack in Istanbul," White House spokesman Eric Schultz said in a statement.

Also read | Terror attack in Turkey: Gunman dressed as Santa opens fire in Istanbul nightclub, kills at least 35

advertisement

"The president expressed condolences for the innocent lives lost, directed his team to offer appropriate assistance to the Turkish authorities, as necessary, and keep him updated as warranted."

Obama is on a vacation in Hawaii.

ISTANBUL ATTACK HORRIFIC: WHITE HOUSE

The White House has condemned what it calls a "horrific terrorist attack" in Istanbul.

White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price has said that the attack on "innocent revelers" celebrating New Year's shows the attackers' savagery. "The U.S. sends thoughts and prayers to the relatives of those killed", Price said.

He added that the U.S. supported its NATO ally Turkey as both countries were fighting terrorism.

WATCH VIDEO

--- ENDS ---
Between November 10-December 23, the total deposits in Jan Dhan accounts reported is Rs 41,523 crore in 48 lakh accounts. This, together with the total deposits of Rs 45,637 crore as on November 9, takes the aggregate amount in Jan Dhan accounts to over Rs 87,100 crore.

By Press Trust of India: Deposits in Jan Dhan account have more than doubled to Rs 87,000 crore in 45 days post demonetisation, prompting the tax department to "dissect" information relating to such deposits, a top government official said.

Besides, the tax department also has data on small cash deposits between Rs 30,000-Rs 50,000 made in Rs 4.86 lakh accounts totaling to Rs 2,000 crore.

advertisement

Between November 10-December 23, the total deposits in Jan Dhan accounts reported is Rs 41,523 crore in 48 lakh accounts.

This, together with the total deposits of Rs 45,637 crore as on November 9, takes the aggregate amount in Jan Dhan accounts to over Rs 87,100 crore.

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW: "All these information received on Jan Dhan Accounts are being dissected. If it is found that money deposited in these accounts belong to some other persons, necessary action will be taken at appropriate time," the official said. Cash deposit between Rs 30,000 and Rs 50,000 have been reported in Rs 4.86 lakh accounts till November 30, taking the total deposits in such quantum to Rs 2,022 crore. The official further said that inflow of funds into Jan Dhan accounts was the highest in the first week after demonetisation at Rs 20,224 crore, but after that the deposits went down substantially. "The inflow of funds in Jan Dhan accounts after the first two weeks was below Rs 5,000 crore per week and thereafter it got reduced to about Rs 1,000 crore per week," the official said, adding that the deposits have come down significantly after the tax department warned people not to allow their accounts to be misused for converting black money into white. On November 8 Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced junking of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, and replaced the currency with new Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 notes. After setting a cash deposit limit of Rs 50,000 in Jan Dhan accounts, the government had on November 18 cautioned account holders that they will be prosecuted under the Income-Tax (I-T) Act for allowing misuse of their bank accounts through deposit of black money in Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes during the 50-day window till December 30. The directive came against the backdrop of reports that some are misusing bank accounts of other people to convert their black money into new denomination notes. As per the latest data available, Rs 12.10 lakh crore in the form of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes have returned into the banking system till December 12, 2016. It was estimated that now defunct notes constituted 86 per cent or Rs 15.45 lakh crore in circulation.

Also read: Probe into suspicious transaction in Jan Dhan accounts

--- ENDS ---
Most work places don't require a sick note if you're feeling slightly under the weather. You get an allotted amount of sick days and you use them as needed.

However, some work places are extremely particular with their sick-days policy.
The calendar may have changed but the numbers all U.S. farmers will work with this new year are little different from the numbers everyone worked with last year.

For example, 2016s corn production was baked-in last fall and so too are most of 2017s options. We grew a staggering 15.3 billion bushels last year, will use 11.0 billion bushels here this year, will export 2.2 billion bushels, and will still have 2.4 billion bushels in the bin when the new harvest begins.

Which means, forecasts the U.S. Department of Agriculture, cash corn prices will average a thin $3.30 per bushel during the current marketing year.

The numbers for the coming 2017/18 crop year, according to USDA forecasts, improve only slightly: 1.1 billion bushels less production, 1 billion bushels less domestic usage, a relatively small (300 million bu.) drop in exports, and an average projected price of $3.60 per bushel.

Thats what 2.4 billion bushels of 2016 carryover does to the 2017/18 market; its long, long tail irritates prices for a long, long time.

Soybean forecasts for 2016/17 are equally bland: 4.3 billion bushel production, 1.9 billion bushels crushed domestically, and 2.0 billion bushels exported. As such, cash prices are forecasted to average a very modest $9.20 per bushel for the year. And thats the good news.

The bad news is that the relatively big, 480-million bushel carryover into the new crop year  added to above-normal 2017 acres and back-to-normal yields  will drain market prices. USDA sees little chance of a price breakout; it forecasts 2017/18 beans to average a dismal $8.75 per bushel.

Wheats coming year will be marginally better. Market forecasters see this years average price climbing from a bleak $3.90 per bushel to a little less bleak $4.50 per bushel next year.

But it could get worse, cautioned USDA in its Nov. 30 issue of Outlook for U.S. Agricultural Trade. The election of Donald Trump as U.S. President has introduced an element of uncertainty as the emphasis of the next administrations economic policy agenda is unknown, it explained.

A month later, it remains unknown. Christmas brought no farm and ranch news from the Trump team  no national economic plan, no secretary of agriculture, no global trade plan.

Moreover, USDA sees President-elect Trumps better-known views just as troubling as his unknown ones: A change in the U.S. trade relationship with China and Mexico is of particular concern for agricultural competitiveness. Together, these two countries were the destination for an average of almost one-third of total U.S. agricultural exports from 2013-2015.

In fact, USDAs analysts add, China alone was the destination for roughly 60 percent of U.S. soybean exports, on average, during this period.

How do U.S. farmers and farm groups reconcile what appears to be a growing breach between one of their biggest, best food customers and their about-to-be inaugurated president? Two ways.

First, most write off President-elect Trumps tough China talk as campaign-fueled overstatement that will become, they hope, more diplomatic once he assumes the presidency.

Maybe, but two-thirds through the transition he continues to confirm (most recently through a tweet on a submersible U.S. drone China already had said it would return) that his hard China line isnt softening. Indeed, the word still used to explain his China policy is reset, not return.

The second way, again hopefully, is that Trumps apprentice ambassador, Iowas Gov. Terry Branstad, will keep the grocery pipeline to China open and full no matter his bosss rhetoric because of Branstads extensive ties to China and a personal friendship with Chinese President Xi Jinping that dates back decades, noted the Dec. 7 Washington Post.

Thats the way its supposed to work, sure. Given the earth-rattling, precedent-shattering politics of 2016, however, anyone willing to bet that it will work like that in the new year?
By Press Trust of India: Jamshedpur, Jan 1 (PTI) Opposition JMM activists today showed black flags to Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das during a programme where the CM paid tribute to the statehood movement martyrs in Kharsawan, 60-km from here, in adjoining Seraikela-Kharswan district today.

JMM activists showed black flags to Das and also allegedly hurled shoes during the programme.

advertisement

Deputy Commissioner of Saraikela-Kharswan, Srinivasan said some shoes were hurled during the programme but the Chief Minister was not present at that time.

The JMM activists were airing their protest against the amendment in decades-old Chhotanagpur and Santal Paragana Tenancy Act (CNT and SPT) brought in by the Das-led government recently.

Das offered floral tributes at Shahid Park, in memory of the tribals who were killed in police firing on this day in 1948 for a separate homeland.

JMM activists led by the its local MLA Dasrath Gagrai, earlier tried to prevent Das from entering Shahid Park, were shouting ?Go back, go back?.

A week ago, JMM Senior Vice-President Champai Soren, had announced that they would not allow Das?s entry in the Shahid Park in protest against amendment enacted in the tenancy act.

BJP East Singhbhum district President, Dinesh Kumar condemned the incident and described it as "political stunt".

Sixty-eight years ago on this day, hundreds of tribal people defying prohibitory order had gathered for a meeting in newly Independent India when police had resorted to firing, killing many. PTI BS SUS RG

--- ENDS ---
NORMAL  Winter is always a challenging time to collect blood, but American Red Cross Heart of America hopes the long-standing rivalry between Illinois State and Bradley universities results in more donations.

The annual Challenge on 74, which began in 2011, resumes Jan. 24 through 26 at ISU in Normal and at Bradley in Peoria.

"The winter months can be among the most challenging times of year for the Red Cross to collect enough blood donations," said Matt Pitcher of the Red Cross.

"Many donors are busy with activities and inclement weather can force the cancellation of blood drives. Additionally, some donors become temporarily ineligible because of seasonal illness."

The friendly, three-day competition between the two universities comes when donations of all blood types  especially O, A negative and B negative  are needed, said the Red Cross' Blood Service Region.

Donated blood can help accident victims, surgery patients, organ transplant recipients and people receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or sickle cell disease.

Students, faculty, staff and supporters of both universities are asked to roll up their sleeves at any of six drives. The school that collects the higher percentage of its goal gets bragging rights for the next year.

ISU drives will be from: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 24 at the Bowling & Billiards Center, 100 N. University St.; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 25 at the Vrooman Center, 215 W. Mulberry St.; and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 26 at Watterson Towers, 315 S. Fell Ave., all in Normal.

Bradley drives will be from noon to 6 p.m. Jan. 24, 25 and 26 at Markin Center, 819 N. Glenwood Ave., Peoria.

For an appointment, download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit www.redcrossblood.org or call 800-733-2767.
NORMAL  Patricia "Pat" Shrader-Griffiths died peacefully Dec. 24, 2016, at her home in Huntsville, Texas, surrounded by her family, after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. Pat was 77.

Patricia was born July 13, 1939, as Patricia Helen Dvorak, in Iowa City, Iowa, to Leo and Genevra Dvorak. Throughout her life she lived in Oregon, Washington, Iowa, Nebraska and Texas, and spent many happy years in Normal, raising her two sons, William Dvorak Shrader and John David Shrader, along with an expanded loving family.

Pat had an enduring love for family and friends and a glowing kindness and generosity to help others. Her warmth has provided the seeds of growth for so many, from her beautiful grandchildren, to the Sam Houston State Music Program, her PEO group which she so loved, and her ongoing support of the Leo J. Dvorak Memorial Scholarship, which honors her father. She loved to help others to achieve and enjoy new opportunities.

As a gifted violinist and pianist, she earned a bachelor of arts in music from the University of Iowa, where she served as concertmaster and studied piano and music education. Early in her career as a music teacher, she pioneered educational television in Oregon, writing and teaching the state's first music education television series.

Throughout her life, she generously supported numerous women in their education. Pat invited a young Korean pianist (Wonmi Kim, Bologna, Italy) to stay with her family so that she could study with an internationally renowned pianist. Later, she invited a young woman from Poland (Dr. Agnieszka Lech, M.D., Pacific Grove, Calif.) to study in Nebraska, funding her undergraduate education and securing host families to continue her support through medical school. Most recently, Pat hosted Anna Smigelskaya, Houston, Texas, to study piano at Sam Houston State University. Pat has provided educational support to many others, both privately and through her participation as a lifelong member of PEO.

Pat loved traveling abroad, gardening and music.

Pat is survived by her devoted husband, Edward Griffiths; son, William (Hali); son, John (Nancy); stepdaughter, Courtney (Jason) Davis; stepdaughter, Charlsie Griffiths; grandchildren, Hannah and Leo Shrader (John), and Jack and Charles Davis (Courtney); younger sister, Marilyn (Alfred) Blatter; and dear family and friends far and wide.

In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests that memorial gifts be made to the Eastern Illinois University Foundation in support of the Leo J. Dvorak Memorial Scholarship. Gifts may be sent to the EIU Foundation, 600 Lincoln Ave., Charleston, IL 61920. A private memorial service is planned for her family at a later date.
UPDATE: Jenny McCarthy, anti-vaxxer and something or other, who is also the co-host of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, has spoken out about Mariah Carey's controversial performance, discounting the pop icon (and her team's) claim that she was sabotaged for ratings.

On her Sirius XM show, McCarthy was fairly blunt in her opinion, saying it was "unfair" of Mariah to blame the company that employs Jenny every year :

I think Mariah was nervous as hell. I think she chose really tough songs to try to sing along with I mean her voice is not there anymore. I don't think there is a problem with her inner ears. I just don't. I think she used it as an excuse.

Do we think Mariah even knows who Jenny McCarthy is?

---

Poor Mimi, her New Years Eve performance in Times Square would have been glorious had it not been sabotaged by a series of technical screwups.

She stood center stage in a sparkly bodysuit and a white fur coat, flanked by feathers and men, ready to vibrato her heart out when the music picked up without her. As the instrumental backing for "Emotions" played, Carey tried to sync the lyrics with the music but couldn't.

"We're missing some of these vocals, but it is what it is. Let the audience sing," she said to the tech staff while struggling to maintain her cool. "I'm trying to be a good sport here."

The album version for "We Belong Together" came on the speakers next with Carey's full vocals, proving she had been lip-syncing.

Her team has released a statement claiming the sound equipment was sabotaged for higher show ratings.

Robert Goldstein of Maryland Sound International, the production company in charge of the sound equipment for the night told the New York Times the fiasco wasn't their fault.

"Every monitor and in-ear device worked perfectly," Goldstein said. " I can't comment beyond that and don't know what her nontechnical issue may have been."

Carey left the stage after "We Belong Together," saying "It just doesn't get any better."

Shit happens  Have a happy and healthy new year everybody! Here's to making more headlines in 2017  pic.twitter.com/0Td8se57jr

 Mariah Carey (@MariahCarey) January 1, 2017

Header photo via YouTube
Recently the doctors in Scotland revealed a rather obvious but surprisingly neglected fact, that children under five years old should be given food after cutting it into tiny, easily chewable pieces. Fruits, hotdogs and other eatables can be very dangerous for little children if not ingested in appropriate sizes.

Children can choke on these foods, the Scottish doctors suggested. Although the message is very clear and apparently widely-understood, it is shocking that so many parents ignore this warning and do not cut down grapefruits, tomatoes, candies and hot dogs into small pieces to make it easier for their little ones to eat them. Hence, it is extremely important to spread this message instead of disregarding it as unnecessary.

As CBC explains, the severity of the situation can be determined by the high number of cases in the United States each year, in which children are rushed to the hospital after they choke up on large-sized fruits and eatables. Suction, CPR and patting a child's back repeatedly may help under these circumstances.

Many times in such cases, the choking even led to the children's death. It is an immensely painful experience for the family, one that could be prevented simply by acting on this small advice. Many cases have been reported of children choking and then dying subsequently and it is essential for the parents to watch over their children while they are eating, according to Health Medicine Network.

Keeping a check on kids' eating habits and having knowledge of the basic first aid drills can largely help prevent such distressing situations. Other safety precautions suggested include labeling the food which can potentially cause choking as a 'choking hazard.' This will help alert the parents to feed it to their children in appropriate sizes and shapes. Medical centers have also given out warnings against particular types of food which are hard to remove if they cause choking.
Apple acquired Anobit in 2011 and hired Aharon Aharon, a high profile figure in the Israeli tech scene. He founded Camero, an RF-based imaging system company in 2004, and worked for Zoran, Discretix and IBM. It was reported that Apple hired Aharon to assist them in opening a semiconductor development center in Israel. This week an Israeli publication reported that Aharon Aharon will be leaving Apple in the coming months to run Israel's 'Innovation Authority' which used to be called the Office of the Chief Scientist of the Economy Ministry. The Authority is in charge of the nation's innovation policies and aims to help foster resources and conditions to promote the nation's technological ecosystem.

The Times of Israel oddly referred to Aharon Aharon as the CEO of Apple Israel. The report specifically stated that "Aharon has served since 2011 as CEO of Apple Israel, and previously served in the IDF's elite Intelligence Unit 8200. He holds two degrees from the Technion, in computer and electrical engineering."

I don't know if that title is official or if it's just an awkward Israeli interpretation of the post he held, but it was used three times. Israel's Haaretz reporting on this same story simply referred to Aharon as 'Apple Israel Chief.'

Among the key challenges Aharon will have to face are an acute shortage of skilled manpower the high-tech industry is facing, to help continue to fuel the tech sector. The high-tech industry contributes to 50 percent of Israeli exports but employs less than 10% of the workers in the economy.

Whether Aharon's new appointment will give Apple any better governmental connections is unknown at this time, but it certainly won't hurt.

About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Those using abusive language or behavior will result in being blacklisted on Disqus.
News and commentary on organized crime, street crime, white collar crime, cyber crime, sex crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism.
Asalouyeh featuring Iran's petrochemical progress

01/01/17

By Mahnaz Abdi, Tehran Times

Iranian port of Asalouyeh demonstrated some of its new changes to a group of reporters and journalists who visited the area during a two-day media tour organized by the National Petrochemical Company (NPC).



Asalouyeh in Iran's southwestern province of Bushehr is home to a number of petrochemical complexes which receive gas and gas condensate feedstock from the giant South Pars gas field, which Iran shares with Qatar in the Persian Gulf.



The huge offshore field is estimated to contain a significant amount of natural gas, accounting for about eight percent of the world's reserves, and approximately 18 billion barrels of condensate.



Iran's petrochemical industry has witnessed prominent progress over the recent years in a way that "Arya Sasol Polymer Company, a major petrochemical complex in Asalouyeh, has one of the largest polymer production units in the region", a director of the company told the journalists who visited different units of the company during their tour.



Also, after the implementation of Iran nuclear deal, NPC has received high willingness from European companies for cooperation with Iran in the petrochemical sector both in financing and licensing, according to Farnaz Alavi, the company's director for planning and development.



Iran's petrochemical production which stood at 46.4 million tons in the past Iranian calendar year (which ended on March 19, 2016), is anticipated to reach 50-51 million tons by the end of current calendar year (March 20, 2017), and is planned to rise to over 180 million tons in a course of ten years, Alavi said on December 10.

'Urea, LPG major exported products'

Another site visited by the journalists was Pars Petrochemical Port from which products produced in the petrochemical complexes of the region are exported.



Sadeq Hajipour, one of the directors of the port, mentioned urea and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) the main products exported from the port and United Arab Emirates (UAE), India and Iraq the major export-destinations of the products.



He said each week one or two 40,000-ton vessel carry LPG from this port to the three mentioned countries.



The official went on to explain that Pars Petrochemical Port has three docks, one for export of LPG, the other one for condensate and the last one for bulk cargos such as polymer.



He said vessels with the capacity of 7,000-70,000 tons load cargos in this port.



Iran's annual petrochemical exports, which stood at 18.8 million tons in the past calendar year, is forecast to be 20 million tons by the yearend, and the worth of petrochemical exports, which was $9.6 billion in the preceding year, is anticipated to reach $9 billion by the yearend, according to Alavi.





See detailed map



'Asalouyeh welcomes foreign finance for welfare infrastructures'

Mohammad Safaian, the managing director of Pazargad Non-Industrial Operation Services Company, which provides welfare services in the region, said that his company welcomes any foreign investment to set up welfare infrastructures in Asalouyeh.



"A Canadian company will provide $4.5 billion finance for the establishment of an aqua park in the region in the next year and we are supposed to return the fund to this company in a course of five year," he stated.



The official went on to explain that the operations his company conducts are aimed at two objectives, one is to provide welfare services to create incentives and encourage the people who work under the difficult weather condition of the region and the other one is to create jobs for the local people.



He referred to the establishment of a tourism hub in the region as one of the projects carried out by his company.
California as a separate country a far-fetched idea

Re: Is California splitting away? Group believes California should form its own nation [News, Dec. 29]: As the article trumpets, its a far-fetched idea to make California a separate nation. First off, the federal funds California receives would be taken.

What makes California think any nation is going to provide funding for a bunch of Democrats using cheap labor? Sounds like China.

The other laugh is where will all their funding come from? Surely not the wealthy 1 percent. And how long could they afford their lifestyle before the new nation went belly up? I think the weed populace has had too much grass and they still havent figured that out.

As the article says, its never going to happen. You can only live like a king until the poor and hungry revolt against King Jerry Moonbeam Brown and the Democratic Party. They would then control their government right down the tubes.

 David Irvine, Claremont

With much at stake, hacking a big deal

Re: Is alleged Russian hacking a big deal? [Opinion, Dec. 12]: The right of a citizen to vote is both a privilege and a duty. It is a gift that was bestowed upon us by the Founding Fathers. Over the years, it has been preserved against countless threats through the sacrifice of generations of patriots.

These brave men and women were willing to fight and die for, in President Lincolns words, Government of the people, by the people, for the people.

There is no more sacred aspect of our democracy than the vote. Our leaders, and especially the president, make decisions that directly affect our livelihoods and the very security of our nation.

Our electoral process must ensure that we, the people, can fairly choose those who will lead us. When a crime is alleged, our legal system focuses on means, motive and opportunity to reach a judgment.

Given the role the internet and social media play in forming popular opinion, the generation of fake news, the manipulation of online discussions and the releasing of hacked emails provide clear ways of influencing voters. All these activities are well within Russias means.

The United States and Russia have a long history of conflicting interests, most recently manifested in the sanctions applied following Russias annexation of Crimea.

The desire to see these sanctions removed provide a plausible motive for trying to influence our presidential election. Even if Russia had the means and motive for putting a thumb on democracys scale, did they have the opportunity to actually make a difference?

Consider Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Less than a 1 percent shift in those states would have given the Electoral College win to Hillary Clinton.

Could fake news, disinformation and hacked emails have swayed one voter in a hundred there? When so much is at stake, yes, it is indeed a big deal.

 Ben Parker, Redlands

Good thing U.S. military hasnt intervened in Syria

Re: Aleppo and American decline [Opinion, Dec. 22]: Aloha, Charles Krauthammer. I respect and read your opinion pieces regularly. However, I disagree with your interpretation of the Syrian situation as being a negative for the United States.

I think it good for America to not be burdened with the maintenance and rebuilding of that unfortunate country. We had no fight in its civil war and I am glad we did not shed American blood nor throw billions of dollars down the drain there.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will realize he got into an unending bailout situation with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and that the Arabs hate Russia just as much as the United States.

I thank God the United States did not get involved in that lose-lose war.

 George Chung, Redlands

Come together

Im a modernist with little knowledge of the history of Israel and Palestines problems, and I dont think it has always been about differences in religious tenets.

It is about power and devotion to ones ancestry that stirs the pot of adversity. Why cant we, as a people of the world, live for whats best today. Things change. We know that and experience that from one generation to the next. Historys main contribution is for learning ones mistakes of the past, not for hanging on to those beliefs that separate us.

The world, geographically, is not becoming smaller, but being brought closer together through technology. We should be more tolerant of each other. If only everyone had the capability of using our new knowledge in a positive manner.

The thought that keeps rolling around in my head is, what if our world were invaded by aliens, true aliens, from another planet. Would we all band together for survival or fight as individuals because of our differences?

 Phyllis Wisz, Banning

Remember interventionisms failures

In light of the Trump administrations plan to increase military spending, it would be wise to review American interventionism post WWII in the nuclear age. Expensive, counterproductive wars in Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, etc. indicate that the era of traditional engagement is over.

Although bullets, bombs and soldiers will never be obsolete, our future security will depend more on our prowess in the realm of intelligence (artificial and human), diplomacy, economic clout and most importantly, battling ignorance, poverty and disease in America and throughout the world.

 Terry Boyles, Riverside

Dont forget drought because of rain

While we are in the midst of rain days it might be hard to get concerned about the drought, but we need to be pro-active, as in building desalination plants to cope with water shortages. Alas, not in California, much to our dismay.

The regulations governing desalination plants are now forcing additional delays for a proposed plant near Huntington Beach. The privately funded plant has been seeking approval since 2001.

Seems like a no-brainer, doesnt it? We need more water in dry times. But wait, at the height of the drought, San Diego had more water than it could use, but had no place to store it. New storage facilities, anyone?

Maybe it is time to get people in Sacramento that can actually use their brains to figure out smart ways to run the state.

 Dan Comerford, Banning

A pet with preying drive?

Re: Pit bull owner unlikely to be cited [News, Dec. 28]: There have been other responses from readers, along the lines of speaking up for the man who killed the pit bull, after the pit bull killed his dog, and who is now facing criminal charges.

I, too, feel for the man, but the details of what happened are not yet clear.

What I want do is to emphasize what was already said by Riverside County Animal Services spokesman John Welsh, who was quoted in the article. He said that pit bulls have a preying drive, and should be kept behind closed gates and high fences, to reduce the risk of escape. Not to eliminate the risk, as nothing can do that, but to reduce it.

Why would anyone want an animal with a preying drive?

 Walter T. Haessler, Temecula

Spiteful actions

President Obama has commuted 178 felony prisoners sentences, and California Gov. Brown has commuted one felons sentence and pardoned 112 felony prisoners in spiteful acts against the publics interests and safety  striking dangerous blows against our domestic security.

Worse, Gov. Brown has pardoned 1,258 felons since taking office. Coupled with AB109 and Proposition 47, Brown has released thousands of felons to prey upon the people of California.

Even worse, President Obama rejected a U.N. resolution to spite Israel, while Gov. Brown continues to bolster sanctuary cities throughout the state, further endangering our national security against terrorism.

Indeed, the only thing Mr. Obama has left to do is to empty Guantanamo and pardon Bergdahl, Manning and Snowden to secure his destructive legacy against America and the world  not to mention doubling the national debt  while none dare call it treason.

 Daniel B. Jeffs, Apple Valley
Storms moving across Southern California are likely to kick off 2017, with sporadic showers soaking the southland into next weekend.

Though forecasts in the fall predicted a dry, warm winter because of La Nina conditions, a series of storms are poised to steadily douse the region in rain  at least into the start of the year.

New Years Day, however, should bring mostly sunny skies. A slight chance of showers is expected Sunday night.

It looks like its going to clear out for New Years Day with temperatures below average,said National Weather Service meteorologist Derek Schroeter.

Fresh snow packed the San Bernardino Mountains Saturday and up to a foot of powder is forecast to hit Snow Valley Mountain Resort in Running Springs. The recent storm brought the resort more than two feet of snow.

On New Years Day, Riverside is expecting a high of 59 degrees and a low of 47 degrees, with nearby San Bernardino a few degrees cooler.

Coastal cities including Long Beach, Seal Beach, Huntington Beach and in South Orange County can expect highs around 60 degrees New Years Day with temperatures holding steady through Wednesday.

Lows in some parts of Orange County are expected to reach the high 40s. Evening temperatures in Inland Orange County are expected to be slightly warmer than in other parts of the region.

More storms are forecast for Northern California at the beginning of the week, and another storm could make its way to Southern California by Wednesday. Another splash of rain could be on the horizon for next weekend.

Next weekend theres a chance of storms moving back into the southland, Schroeter said. Its an active start to 2017 for Southern California as a whole.

Also in the forecast for New Years Day:

Pasadena will be chilly, with a low of 44 degrees and a high of 58 degrees  and mostly sunny weather.

LAX also is expected to hit a high of 58 degrees with mostly sunny skies, and nighttime temperatures at 51 degrees.

Big Bear should see clear skies with a high of 37 degrees Sunday and a slight chance of wind and snow showers Sunday night.

On Monday morning, those taking part in the Rose Parade in Pasadena  and lining the sidewalks to watch it  face a slight chance of showers, but then sunny skies are forecast, with a high of 56 degrees.

Contact the writer: lawilliams@scng.com
Senator-elect Kamala Harris is still deciding whether to keep outgoing Sen. Barbara Boxers downtown Riverside office.

The office at 3403 10th Street is one of six statewide branches for Boxer, who is retiring. Its the only Inland office maintained by either of Californias U.S. senators.

A spokesman for Harris, who was elected in November to succeed Boxer, said Wednesday, Dec. 28 that Harris is setting up a state operation and analyzing office locations.

All Californians will be able to access important services and (the) senator-elects staff no matter where they live, Nathan Click said.

But the lack of an Inland office would force the 4 million-plus residents of Riverside and San Bernardino counties to drive to Los Angeles or elsewhere to bring a matter to a U.S. senators attention or get face-to-face help with the federal bureaucracy.

It also would mean no standing presence for either of Californias senators in one of the states fastest-growing regions.

The Inland delegation to the House of Representatives has its own local offices. For instance, Rep. Mark Takano, D-Riverside, has a Riverside office, Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Redlands, has an office in San Bernardino and Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, maintains an office in Corona.

Harris, the states former attorney general, continues a trend of Northern California politicians in the states highest elected posts.

Jack Pitney, a professor of politics at Claremont McKenna College, noted that Gov. Jerry Brown used to be Oaklands mayor, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinsteinand Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom were mayors of San Francisco and Harris was once San Franciscos district attorney.

Brown, Boxer, Feinstein, Harris and Newsom all are Democrats.

Elected officials with roots in one part of a vast state have to make an extra effort to stay in touch with other parts of the state, Pitney said.

Click said Harris and her team are deeply committed to representing the entirety of the state, including the Inland Empire, just as the senator-elect has as attorney general.

Its not as though Harris, who will be sworn in Tuesday, doesnt know where the Inland Empire is.

She made Inland stops on the campaign trail, including a visit to Service Employees International Union Local 721s Riverside office in February. As attorney general, Harris helped broker a 2013 lawsuit settlement to mitigate the air-quality effects of a warehouse/business park project in Jurupa Valley.

Harriss office also hosted a public forum on immigration in Riverside  one of eight statewide  in 2015.

While the Inland Empire is more politically conservative than other parts of California, Riverside and San Bernardino counties went for Harris  her opponent also was a Democrat  and Democrats have made gains in the region in recent elections.

MORE INLAND POLITICS

Big changes are coming to Riverside County government.

Supervisor sent letter to governor before he died.

Group believes California should form its own nation





Contact the writer: 951-368-9547 or jhorseman@scng.com
Calling demonetisation the biggest scam, which is entirely guided by politics and corruption, Arvind Kejriwal said, "We demand for an independent inquiry and a white paper to be released on what was gained and lost due to the move."

By Press Trust of India: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal demanded a "white paper" and an independent inquiry on demonetisation, calling it the scam of all scams. He also claimed that the reputation of Prime Minister's office has been tarnished globally under PM Narendra Modi.

Terming Modi's New Year eve speech a sham, Kejriwal sought responses from the Prime Minister and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on the amount of money deposited and the eventual gain out of the 50-day exercise, that was announced on November 8.

HERE'S WHAT KEJRIWAL SAID Demonetisation is the biggest scam of independent India and is entirely guided by politics and corruption. He called demonetisation as the scam of all scams. We demand for an independent inquiry and a white paper to be released on what was gained and lost due to demonetisation, said Kejriwal during a press conference at his residence. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), led by Kejriwal, has been one of the staunchest critics of the currency ban measure since the beginning. The AAP chief has been addressing rallies across the country on the issue and has also levelled allegations of personal corruption against Modi. PM has become a subject of ridicule internationally. Prominent economists across of the world are talking about the repercussions of demonetisation. Former PM Manmohan Singh commanded respect internationally but Modi has destroyed the reputation of PM's office. Referring to Modi's December 31 address to the nation, Kejriwal said it was hollow as he did not speak about the gains and losses arising after demonetisation move. The schemes could have been announced even without enforcing any such measure, he said. Talking about the stated objectives of the measure, Kejriwal said that Modi had said it will achieve four objectives - reduce corruption, curb black money, reduce terrorism and circulation of fake currency. However, the move has failed to achieve the objectives. Demonetisation has not yielded any tangible benefits, instead it led to a spike in corruption, said Kejriwal. Around 100 people have lost their lives after demonetisation. Paytm has been the biggest beneficiary of demonetisation. It is a matter of inquiry whether bribe was taken for leaking prior information about demonetisation or was it shared for free. BJP has been running the racket of exchanging notes, he said. Modi is talking about a cashless economy. First of all, he should make BJP cashless that is accepting donations in cash. There is a list of 648 people who have Swiss bank accounts. PM should have announced that these people will be arrested, said Kejriwal.

advertisement

ALSO READ: Arvind Kejriwal demands rollback of demonetisation; says Modi government leaked information

Modi's degree is fake, demonetisation a Rs 8,000 crore scam, alleges Kejriwal

--- ENDS ---
Riverside may soon join other Inland cities in expanding its smoking ban to include use of electronic cigarettes, or vaping, and to cover a broader array of public places.

Cities such as Hemet, Murrieta, Norco and Temecula prohibit vaping, along with smoking tobacco. UC Riverside does so as well.

Riversides rules forbid smoking in or near city buildings and in public parks, but they dont specifically list e-cigarettes.

Changes that the council will consider Tuesday, Jan. 10, would add vaping to the smoking ban and extend it to include places open to the public such as bars, restaurants and stores, and at bus stops, gas stations and ATMs.

Riverside Councilman Chris Mac Arthur proposed the update, which the councils land use committee voted to support on Dec. 12.

Mac Arthur said he brought it up after several resident raised concerns about people vaping at gas stations. They had heard of incidents of e-cigarettes exploding and were worried about safety, he said.

Riverside would not be alone in banning vaping in places where tobacco smoking isnt allowed.

Norco added e-cigarettes to its smoking ban in city parks last March, and Hemet banned smoking and vaping in parks in 2015. UC Riverside became a smoke- and vape-free campus in 2014. Temecula barred e-cigarettes from city buildings as part of a 2013 clean-up of city codes.

Temecula City Councilman Mike Naggar and Hemet City Councilwoman Linda Krupa said all the comments they got from residents favored a smoking ban, except for one person who Krupa said argued that e-cigarettes arent harmful.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned of potential risks of using e-cigarettes, including nicotine addiction, exposure to toxic ingredients and a lack of long-term data on their safety.

RELATED: Will FDA regulations take the air out of vaping?

Naggar said enforcement of the vaping ban hasnt been a problem in Temecula. He said the city has permitted cigar and hookah lounges where people can go if they want to smoke.

The ban seems to be self-regulating, which is the best, he said. In reality, it would be a very hard law to enforce unless it was occurring in a public place and an officer saw it.

Krupa said she doesnt think any citations have been given to vapers, but people have been warned. The ban has benefited Hemet by improving its rating with the American Lung Association, she said.

Some Riverside businesspeople who sell e-cigarettes and customers who use them say theyre not sure e-cigarettes should be as strictly regulated as tobacco, but they dont think a ban on vaping will result in major changes.

If theres a no smoking sign, people usually out of courtesy just dont vape, said Nick Guzman, a warehouse employee at Dominant Distribution, a vaping supply wholesaler in Riverside.

At E-Cig City 4 near UC Riverside, customers Evan Benavidez, 30, and Ray Santiago, 26, said they already try to be courteous when they vape away from home.

I dont like to be, I guess, obnoxious with it, Santiago said. I dont want to be that guy.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9461 orarobinson@scng.comTwitter: @arobinson_pe
Call him what you may; a soothsayer, a pastor, a politician on a pulpit, or a prophet of doom. Isaac Owusu Bempah, founder and leader of the Glorious Word Ministry International continues to dominate the headlines in Ghana, often for reasons other than right.



The pastor, who has courted controversy in Ghana for several years appears to have a trigger that sparks such discussions about him.

The 31st of December 2016 was one such day he decided to make use of that trigger.

As is now custom at his church, hundreds of Ghanaians showed up for a 'taste of what to expect' in 2017 and Rev Owusu Bempah was sure to stay the course of not disappointing.

However, some of his utterances on new year's eve seem to have gotten Ghanaians more worried than excited.

The controversial man of God is predicting the deaths of a former president, a former first lady as well as a 'great king' in Ghana.

He's also predicting a terrorist attack in the country, a coup d'etat as well as more clashes between Christians and Muslims in the country.

The prophecies, though intriguing to the several who hear them, have left many pondering what really a 2017 Ghana will look like. But Rev Owusu Bempah could not be bothered about how his prophecies are interpreted. His message is simple: Pray to avert them.

As you engage in the debate of how accurate Rev Owusu Bempah's predictions are, have been and will continue to be in the future, here are 17 prophecies to mull over for the next 12 months.

- Death of a former president

- Death of a former first lady

- Coup d'etat in Ghana

- Death of Nigeria's president

- Terrorist attack in Ghana

- Death of several young men and women

- Important personalities in parliament will die

- Many people will be kidnapped

- Innocent blood will be shed in a particular political party

- Increase in occult practices

- Americans will go for war

- More Muslim/Christian clashes this year

- A great king will die

- Another plane crash in Ghana

- Fire outbreaks in important offices in Ghana

- More celebrities(Actors,musicians and media practitioners) in Ghana to die

- NDC to stay in opposition for 16 years

Source: Ghanaweb









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Bishop Nii Apiakai Tackie-Yarboi, the Founder of Victory Bible Church international (VBCI), has asked Christians to strive to win souls for Christ and love each other in 2017.



Ushering in the New Year at Dominion Sanctuary at Awoshie, in Accra, on the theme: "Manifesting His Glory," he asked the congregation to approach the year with a new beginning, and list the things they want to achieve in 2017.

Reverend Edmund Ankomah called on the congregation to look up to God as the source of their blessings and to be grateful to Him for seeing them through another year.

He buttressed his point with Proverbs 13: 2: "From the fruit of his mouth a good man eats good, but desire of the treacherous is for violence."

Rev Ankomah said one cannot experience God's glory if he or she was negative.

He said the battle for 2017 could be won through the word of God and winning souls for Christ Jesus.

Mr Richmond Dwamena Akenteng a leader of a choreography group of the VBCI, named Next Generation, led members to dance and praise God for giving them knowledge and strength to witness another blissful year .

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
While the majority of Aussies enjoyed safe passage into 2017, two people have been left dead in tragic firework-related incidents.

A 52-year-old man was struck while trying to light a firework at Budgewoi Beach, on the NSW Central Coast, suffering a serious head injury and dying at the scene.

In Victoria, a 46-year-old Springhurst man passed away after a firecracker reportedly exploded in his hand near the beach at Hollands Landing, in Victorias Gippsland, at about 9:35pm.

At least two others were treated for facial injuries from fireworks during last nights celebrations, including a man in his 20s who suffered burns when he copped a firework to the head near Warragul in Victoria.

Overall, cops say theyre pleased with the behaviour of NYE revellers across the country.

NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Mick Fuller had this praise for Sydneys party people:

Particularly when we reach peak crowd capacity at 9pm and we had to close a number of the key venues there was still many people on the street, they were extremely patient. From our perspective we really feel the community heeded our warnings. They planned the night, they have acted in good faith and really seen 2016 out in a positive way.

Nicely done, fam.

Photo: City of Sydney.
The organisers of Falls Festival have issued a statement defending their impeccable safety record and criticising media outlets who reported on the Friday night stampede that saw more than 60 patrons injured.

Survivors of the incident described the horror of being trampled in a crush when the crowd surged out of DMAs set, and many claimed that they had to rely on fellow patrons to rescue them, thanks to an apparent lack of staff and security.

Two days on, in response to these criticisms, organisers say that they would like to take this opportunity to clear up some of the misinformation that has been spreading in the media. Their statement reads:

Patron safety is tantamount at Falls,we spend a lot of time engaging with local authorities, emergency services, on a local and State level, specialist consultants, local and State [governments] and various other community services to ensure we are offering the safest environment for our patrons. Thanks to the level [of] planning and support from these parties, the Falls Festival in Lorne has had an impeccable safety record the the past 24 years.

Falls organisers maintain that there were 15 security guards stationed at the Grand Theatre stage on the evening of the crush, and that they responded with a number of event staff when a disturbance became apparent.

Concert-goers Ruby Campbell and Sophie Baldock claimed that they had to walk a kilometre before receiving medical attention after being trapped in the stampede, and that when they arrived, they found medical tent struggling to cope.

Falls fest organisers have not responded directly to this criticism, but claimed in their statement that affected patrons had access to medical facilities closer to the scene of the incident, saying:

A number of years ago a permanent 23m x 12m medical structure was built on the site to make patrons who needed medical attention as comfortable as possible and provide medical staff with a safe, reliable, robust working space  This is located a 100m walk from the Grand Theatre.

Organisers also said that they had staff numbers on site from Ambulance VIC and Event Medical Services Australia to assist those affected, as well as police and fire staff and teams from the Salvation Army.

In the wake of the incident, a number of festival-goers and their loved ones took to Falls social media channels to criticise organisers for their handling of the situation. Sophie Hadrill wrote:

All Ive heard so far is Falls putting this back on the crowd and downplaying what happened  Surprised it didnt happen earlier.





Michelle Kavanaugh Cox, a parent whose daughter was caught in the crush and subsequently hospitalised, also lashed out at organisers, saying:

At no stage have we been contacted by medical personnel or representatives from Falls as claimed above, despite repeated requests via the email address provided to do so. Any response we have received has been standardised and generic.

In response to this, Falls organisers claimed that they set up a comprehensive communication strategy including an email hotline, free phone lines for patrons, and notifications sent via social media and the festival app.

Many who were on site pointed to a lack of exits at the cramped Grand Theatre stage, and blamed the crush partly on this; on this score, Falls merely said that they suspended programming until amendments could be made to the area.

Organisers went on to say that they are devastated by the crush and beyond shattered at the number of injuries, promising a full debrief of the incident and an investigation into what the causes.

They are still attempting to make contact with some injured parties, and have asked those affected to message them via patroninfo@fallsfestival.com or via the official Facebook page.

You can read their statement to the public via Facebook here.

Earlier this year, musical conglomerate Live Nation purchased a controlling interest in Falls and Splendour In The Grass, but organisers insist that both festivals will maintain their integrity in future years.

Source: Falls Festival / ABC News.

Photo: Falls Festival / Instagram.
Thousands took to the streets for the Philadelphia Mummers Parade on Jan. 1, 2017. The brigade is a tradition in the City of Brotherly Love and is around 300 years old (even though it only became an official city event in 1901).

Check out the gallery above to see photos from the parade, which began at 9:30 a.m. Be sure to check back as we'll be updating the gallery throughout the day. At the moment it only shows the Fancy Club and the Wench brigades. The Fancy Brigades, String Bands and Comics start the parade later in the day.

Click here to see the gallery featuring photos of each part of the parade.

Learn more about Mummers and the parade in the links below.

In Philadelphia? There's more going on than just the Mummers.

Want more stories about Philadelphia? Click here for PennLive's coverage of the city.
Pink cats threw out glitter litter to battle Trump towers on New Year's Day in Philadelphia.

The Vaudevillains New Year's Brigade performed their skit "Sanctuary City Meow & Furever" on Jan. 1, 2017 as part of the Philadelphia Mummers Parade. The Vaudevillains are part of the Comics section of the parade, which comments on politics and current events.

The skit had the cats and their loyal cat ladies take out towers with the words "homophobia," "racism," "xenophobia" and "misogyny" on them. A voice over said that they were Trump towers.

President-elect Donald Trump has spoken out about planning to cut funding to sanctuary cities. Protests over his election in Philadelphia in the days after Nov. 8 frequently called Trump a homophobe, xenophobe, racist and a misogynist.

Watch their skit in the video at the top of the post.

The Mummers Parade has been criticized over the years for topics covered in its skits, including mocking Caitlyn Jenner in 2016. This year's parade is its most diverse and includes members from the city's LGBT, South Asian, Hispanic and African American communities.

One group of Mummers took on that issue of its controversial past head on with a skit themed "Strutting with Sensitivity." They performed with their mouths covered in black tape.

This group's theme was "Strutting with Sensitivity." They've covered their mouths with black tape #MummersParade pic.twitter.com/Ijep8vQn0V  Julia Hatmaker (@JuliaHatmaker) January 1, 2017

You can see photos of the 2017 parade in the gallery below. It is being updated throughout the day.

This post has been updated to clarify elements of the skit as well as to provide more context.
UPDATE: This article has been updated to include information about the shooting death of Robison's father by his mother. It has also been updated to include information confirming a grand jury's decision not to indict Robison's mother for murder.

HUNTINGDON -- As authorities continue their investigation into the death of a Pennsylvania state trooper fatally shot in Huntingdon County on Friday, few details have emerged about the man responsible.

With that in mind, PennLive reached out to friends and family of the gunman, Jason Robison, in an attempt to answer basic questions about him and the crime, as well as what ultimately may have motivated it.

Who was Jason Robison?

Jason Robison was a 32-year-old father and resident of Hesston, a tiny community of roughly 700 people located in Huntingdon County, along the shores of Raystown Lake.

What did he do?

Police say Robison fatally shot Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Landon Weaver after Weaver arrived at the home of Robison's mother, near Hesston, late Friday. Weaver was there to investigate Robison's violation of a Protection from Abuse order, or PFA, taken out against him by an ex-girlfriend.

Weaver was 23 years old and had graduated from The Pennsylvania State Police Academy in June.

Robison was killed by police the following morning, after an overnight manhunt.

Did he have a criminal record?

Yes. Online court records reveal Robison had a rap sheet dating back to 2005. It included charges of theft, assault, DUI, burglary and arson.

He was also charged with Weaver's death before being killed by police himself early Saturday morning.

MDJReport - Jason Robison by PennLive on Scribd

Were there signs of trouble?

It depends on who you ask. Some who spoke with PennLive recalled Robison as easy going, and a talented musician and artist. His works were even being showcased at a gallery in downtown Huntingdon, near Hesston, while also populating much of his personal Facebook page.

But others said he had long struggled with substance abuse and emotional problems.

"He was just going through a rough patch in life and had been bouncing around," Trevon Heaster, a friend of 15 years, said of Robison.

"If you ran into him on the street, he'd come up and give you daps or a handshake and ask you how you're doing," Heaster added. "He never really seemed down, but you could obviously tell by reflecting on his social media accounts" that something was wrong.

What do his social media accounts reveal?

Robison's Facebook page is full of tributes to his musical idols, Kurt Cobain of Nirvana chief among them.

The page also includes a litany of sullen, anti-social musings, as well as references to Russian Roulette and at least one apparent endorsement of cop killings.

Since Friday, the latter post -- one reading "the only good cop is a dead cop" -- has been deleted and Robison's page flooded with angry comments from strangers incensed over Weaver's death.

Did Robison have a grudge against cops?

The above post would certainly point to "yes."

But Heaster said he never heard Robison express any anti-police sentiment.

He also acknowledged, however, that the beating death of Robison's older brother, Joshua, deeply affected him, and that Robison may have felt authorities failed to work hard enough to solve the case.

"Someone beat him [Joshua] to death and they never found out who it was," Heaster explained.

"They didn't care."

Betty Noey, Robison's former art teacher, said she held weekly one-on-one lessons with Robison years before his brother's death. Sometimes Robison would show up. Other times he wouldn't.

She remembers sensing some inner turmoil even then.

"He had a lot of things on his mind," she added. "He was making little figurines out of clay and he did a [claymation] video one time. But it was a little strange and I started to watch it, but I couldn't watch anymore."

Noey indicated she had found the images disturbing.

Those who knew Robison say it's also important to note that he lost his father at less than three years of age. According to newspaper reports, the father was fatally shot by Robison's mother, Sherry, during a domestic dispute in Texas in 1987. The Galveston County, Texas, District Attorney's Office tells PennLive that while Sherry Robison was initially charged with first-degree murder in her husband's death, a grand jury later decided not to indict her.

An article from the Huntingdon, Pa., Daily News in February of 1987 detailing the shooting death of Jason Robison's father by his mother in Texas. Robison would have been less than three years old at the time. Image via newspaperarchive.com.

"He had a very traumatic childhood," Noey said of Robison on Saturday.

It wasn't immediately clear if Robison was present at the time of his father's shooting.

What do we know about the domestic disturbance at his mother's home on Friday?

According to a PennLive report published on Jan. 3, Trooper Weaver was killed while investigating Robison's violation of a protection from abuse order (PFA) secured by his ex-girlfriend.

The report adds the following detail, as taken from police accounts of the incident:

Weaver was assigned to investigate after the ex-girlfriend, Laura Whitesel, reported that Robison had been contacting her and had placed an item in her car at work. That probe led Weaver to the home of Robison's mother, Sherry Robison, on Baker's Hollow Road in Huntingdon County's Juniata Township on Friday.

When Weaver arrived around 6 p.m., Sherry Robison let the trooper into her house and told her son the trooper wanted to talk with him. Jason Robison came out of a bedroom and spoke with Weaver in the kitchen. Jason Robison admitted he'd been in contact with Whitesel and gave the trooper his cell phone which showed texts between the two.

Weaver then told Jason Robison he had violated the PFA. Weaver also said they could step out onto the porch, call a supervisor and "see if this situation could be worked out." In response, Jason Robison related that he "did not want to go to jail."

Jason Robison then went to his bedroom, saying he wanted to get a cigarette. With Sherry Robison's permission, Weaver followed him. The two men then went into a mud room off the kitchen, with Weaver in the lead.

Sherry Robison said her son came back into the kitchen, put a cigarette lighter on the counter and pulled a "small black gun" from his pants. When Sherry Robison asked, "Jason, what are you doing," her son didn't reply and stepped back into the mud room.

Sherry Robison said she immediately heard a "pop" and observed Trooper Weaver fall face down onto the kitchen floor. Sherry said she noted blood on the kitchen floor and logically concluded that her son "had just shot Trooper Weaver."

The report says Jason Robison would text the ex-girlfriend moments later, writing, "I killed the cop ... Shot him twice in the head he is dead. I love you! I always will. Good bye sweetheart. I'm sorry."

Heaster, meanwhile, said nothing seemed out of the ordinary when he spotted Robison on the street earlier Friday, aside from the fact that his hair had been dyed purple and his facial hair dyed blonde.

"I was driving down the street and I didn't get a chance to talk to him, but I beeped my horn and waved," Heaster said. "He waved back."

Weaver would be dead hours later and Robison the following morning.

UPDATE: This post has been updated to correct and clarify accounts of the police encounter at the home of Robison's mother on Friday, Dec. 30, 2016.
Jason Robison was less than three years old when his mother fatally shot his father during a domestic dispute, archived newspaper reports show.

Then, almost 20 years later, the body of Robison's older brother was found dumped in a Huntingdon, Pa., creek. Police believed he had been beaten to death.

A portrait of Joshua Robison drawn by his brother, Jason. Image via Facebook.

On Friday, that family history of violence continued to unfurl, with Robison himself accused of fatally shooting a rookie Pennsylvania state police trooper during a domestic disturbance at his mother's Huntingdon-area home.

The trooper, Landon Weaver, was just 23. Robison was 32 and killed by police on Saturday morning following an overnight manhunt.

In the aftermath, those who knew Robison struggled to comprehend the news. They also told PennLive of his troubled childhood, and his descent into substance abuse and criminality when pressed for possible motives or anything which might have foreshadowed this.

According to online court records, Robison had a rap sheet dating back to 2005 in Pennsylvania. It included charges of theft, assault, DUI, burglary and arson. His brother had also served time in prison, court records and acquaintances revealed.

But while none had thought the younger Robison capable of killing, some described him as a man trying, and at times failing, to escape his past.

"He had a very traumatic childhood," Betty Noey, Robison's former art teacher, said on Saturday. "He had a lot of things on his mind" as a student.

Those who knew him pointed frequently to the death of Robison's father at the hands of his mother, Sherry, in 1987.

According to an archived report in the (Huntingdon, Pa.) Daily News from February of that year, Sherry Robison, then 29, shot her husband through a door of their Texas home during an argument and physical struggle. The article lists the couple as former residents of the Huntingdon area.

It continues, recounting the moments leading up to the gunshot.

"As the argument ensued they went out of the residence and struggled at the rear of the house. The (Hitchcock, Texas) police chief said that the probe showed that Sherry broke loose during the struggle and returned to the house and locked the doors. Her husband Rick attempted to get into the house through a door leading from the garage and she fired one shot from a .45 caliber automatic revolver through the windowless door and the bullet struck her husband in the abdomen."

An article from the Huntingdon, Pa., Daily News in February of 1987 detailing the shooting death of Jason Robison's father by his mother in Texas. Robison would have been less than three years old at the time. Image via newspaperarchive.com.

Richard Robison, also 29, would later die from his injuries, while Sherry Robison would be charged with his murder. The Galveston County, Texas, District Attorney's Office tells PennLive a grand jury later decided not to indict Sherry Robison on the murder charge. A colleague says she was ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing.

She would return to the Huntingdon area at some point in the years that followed. And it was there, at her home on Bakers Hollow Road in nearby Hesston, that her son killed Trooper Weaver on Friday, officials say.

A PennLive report published Tuesday says Jason Robison had violated a Protection from Abuse order (PFA) taken out against him by an ex-girlfriend, and that Weaver went to his mother's home to investigate Friday. Weaver arrived at the house alone.

The report adds the following details, as taken from police accounts:

Sherry Robison let Weaver into her house around 6 p.m. and told her son the trooper wanted to talk with him. Jason Robison came out of a bedroom and spoke with Weaver in the kitchen. Jason Robison admitted he'd been in contact with (the ex-girlfriend) and gave the trooper his cell phone which showed texts between the two.

Weaver told Robison he had violated the PFA and that they could step out onto the porch, call a supervisor and "see if this situation could be worked out." Robison responded by saying he "did not want to go to jail."

Robison then went to his bedroom, saying he wanted to get a cigarette. With Sherry Robison's permission, Weaver followed him. The two men then went into a mud room off the kitchen, with Weaver in the lead.

Sherry Robison said her son came back into the kitchen, put a cigarette lighter on the counter and pulled a "small black gun" from his pants. When Sherry Robison asked, "Jason, what are you doing," her son didn't reply and stepped back into the mud room.

Sherry Robison told authorities she immediately heard a "pop" and observed Trooper Weaver fall face down onto the kitchen floor.

She also noted blood on the kitchen floor and logically concluded that her son "had just shot Trooper Weaver."

The report says Jason Robison would text the ex-girlfriend moments later, writing, "I killed the cop ... Shot him twice in the head he is dead. I love you! I always will. Good bye sweetheart. I'm sorry."

Robison would be dead by morning, and the residents of Huntingdon and Hesston -- a tiny lakeside town home to a handful of year-round residents and a mixture of bait and boat shops -- would be busy sorting out the details. Many would also recall the headlines made by the death of Robison's father decades earlier, and those made by the death of his brother, Joshua, just 8 years ago.

It's not clear if Jason Robison was present at the time of his father's shooting or even old enough to remember it. But some who knew him described his brother's 2008 death as a truly formative experience.

According to a July 25, 2008 report in the Altoona Mirror, Joshua Robison's body was found in Stone Creek in Huntingdon a week earlier, with "trauma to his face, including a broken nose, split bottom lip and a bruised right eye."

A July 2008 article from the Altoona Mirror details the investigation into the death of Joshua Robison. Image via newspaperarchive.com.

The article says the injuries were likely the result of an assault, although PennLive was unable to locate a final ruling on cause of death in the case Sunday.

The article also identifies a former Harrisburg resident as a potential suspect, or person of interest. But Trevon Heaster, who knew both Robison brothers, said charges were never filed in the case, and that Jason Robison may have felt authorities failed to work hard enough to solve it.

"Someone beat him [Joshua] to death and they never found out who it was," Heaster explained.

"They didn't care. They just swept it under the rug."

Still, Heaster said he'd never heard Jason Robison expressing hatred toward police. (Robison's Facebook page did include at least one apparent endorsement of cop killing, it should be noted.)

But based solely on their conversations, Heaster said he was struggling to make sense of Weaver's death and Robison's involvement.

"We used to run around together. He was a good guy. It kinda shocked me," Heaster said of Robison.

"He's always struggled with depression," he added, "and everybody has their everyday problems, but it's sad what took place ... All of this didn't have to happen."

Hours before the shootings, Heaster said he passed Robison on the street. Heaster was driving and Robison was walking, as he usually did.

"I didn't get a chance to talk to him, but I beeped my horn and waved," Heaster recalled. "He waved back."

Everything seemed normal, he added.

UPDATE: This article was updated (Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017) to correct, clarify and add to accounts of the police encounter with Robison at his mother's home on Friday. It has also been updated to include information confirming a grand jury's decision not to indict Robison's mother for the murder of his father.
As police in Lancaster County raced to a reported fire within the first 10 minutes of 2017, something exploded in front of one of the officers.

He ran over it, and the other two officers had to swerve to avoid whatever it was, police say.

Vincent Pierandozzi.

And now, the 37-year-old New Holland man they say threw the explosive is facing charges.

Vincent Pierandozzi was taken into custody early Sunday and was charged with propulsion of missiles onto a roadway, reckless exploding and three counts of recklessly endangering another person.

According to the New Holland Police Department, the incident occurred like this:

Three officers in separate cruisers were heading east on the 200 block of Main Street around 12:09 a.m. on their way to a fire.

As they approached a house on that block, they saw an object being thrown from a porch. It exploded in front of the bumper of the first police car.

The first police cruiser ran over the object, and the other two had to swerve into the oncoming lane to avoid it.

Officers say that Pierandozzi was the one who threw the explosive. They took him into custody and transported him to Lancaster County Central Booking to await arraignment.
FARGO  When Gov. Doug Burgum is thinking about North Dakotas future, he says everythings on the table  even the possibility of berry-growing operations in the Bakken oil field.

In past years, he has worked as a change agent in downtown Fargo, restoring many of the citys old buildings. Then, in 2016, Burgum, represented a change agent statewide.

He had never run for public office until taking on the Republican establishment, topping GOP nominee Wayne Stenehjem in the June primary and handily defeating Democratic and Libertarian candidates in Novembers general election.

Burgum, who grew up in Arthur, how takes office during lean budgetary times. He also steps into the swirling currents of a protest movement to block the Dakota Access oil pipeline. And while hes aware of these immediate issues, he also has his sights on what he calls reinventing government.

To Burgum, this means questioning the way the state does everything.

We have to have courageous curiosity, he said. We can come up with completely new paradigms in how we think about solving societys most pressing problems.

Burgum says this doesnt always require spending more taxpayer funds. Sometimes more money isnt the answer, he said. Sometimes a better idea is the answer.

Burgum said he plans to work with heads of state agencies to make government services more efficient and responsive to change. We want to treat taxpayers like customers, he said. I think over time people will see a difference in terms of  how well we listen and how well we respond.

He said part of reinventing government involves officials doing a better job of collecting data and using it to make smarter decisions. Were making a lot of decisions, in some cases, with no or very poor data.

Another part of it is understanding whats possible with new technology. As one example, he said online distance learning could help rural areas of the state offer more Advanced Placement classes to students.

Commodity rollercoaster

Declines in energy and farm commodity prices have dampened North Dakotas once booming economy. And last year Burgums predecessor, Gov. Jack Dalrymple, ordered budget cuts amid a severe shortfall in tax revenue.

Despite the tight fiscal climate, one of Burgums stated priorities is to balance the budget without increasing taxes. He says this should not be a problem for two reasons: 1) The state constitution requires a balanced budget. 2) The Republican supermajority in the Legislature is unlikely to ask him to sign any bills that raise taxes.

What may be a challenge, he said, is freeing up money to pay for the costs of reinventing government, whatever those may be. But he emphasized that government isnt always the answer.

Now that our economys slowed, weve got to slow the growth rate of the government, he said.

Looking ahead, the governor offered three ideas on how North Dakota can do more to shelter its budget from drastic swings in commodity prices:

 Do a better job of forecasting those prices and ensure forecasts are conservative.

 With the state receiving revenue as an owner of oil and natural gas, it could use financial maneuvers to hedge against potential drops in prices (This would be a new thing for the state).

 Diversify the states economy.

Burgum said one way to achieve the third step is by adding value to commodities before they leave the state. He gave the example of milling wheat into organic flour. That organic flour is going to have a much more stable price than the underlying commodity because youve added value to it through the processing, he said.

Main Street

North Dakota should grow and attract industries that can benefit from whats already here, namely abundant energy, Burgum said.

The same way Iceland has tapped its geothermal energy to raise crops year-round and become more self-sufficient in producing food, he said, North Dakota could use the excess natural gas lost to flaring in western North Dakota to heat greenhouses for crops like raspberries and blueberries.

Another way he hopes to strengthen North Dakotas economy is through his Main Street Initiative, an effort to foster vibrant, economically healthy downtowns in cities around the state. Its not just about great jobs, he said. Its about great communities.

Burgum said part of the initiative will involve state-funded incentives like the Renaissance Zone program. But it will also be about helping local leaders understand what makes a city thrive, which in Burgums view is an efficient, walkable urban footprint with mixed-use infill as opposed to single-use sprawl.

One of Burgums first orders of business on Dec. 15, his first day in office, was to post a YouTube video saying hes in favor of completing the Dakota Access Pipeline. The message came 11 days after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers denied a permit for an easement to run the pipeline under the Missouri River just north of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. The corps decision was a win for protesters concerned that the pipeline could taint the tribes drinking water.

Make no mistake, this infrastructure is good for our economy. And its the safest way to transport North Dakota products, Burgum said in the video. Failure to finish it would send a chilling signal to those in any industry who wish to invest in our state and play by the rules.

His support for the pipeline aside, Burgum said he plans to work with tribal leaders to rebuild relationships strained by the protests. We can honor a conversation around clean water, he said.
Mulayam has expelled Ram Gopal for the second time in last three days. The Samajwadi Party founder leader has also called a party convention on January 5 in Janeshwar Mishra Park in Lucknow.

By India Today Web Desk: The Samajwadi drama refuses to end. Moments after party general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav announced Akhilesh Yadav as party's national president and declared Mulayam Singh as the supreme guide or margdarshak of the party, the veteran leader shot back expelling Ram Gopal from the party for six years.

Mulayam has expelled Ram Gopal for the second time in last three days. The party's founder leader has also called a party convention on January 5 in Janeshwar Mishra Park.

advertisement

At the party's national executive meet earlier today in Lucknow party Ram Gopal Yadav proposed Akhilesh Yadav's name for party president post. The meeting which was termed 'unconstitutional' by party founder Mulayam also saw Ram Gopal proposing removal of Shivpal Yadav from state unit's chief and ouster of Amar Singh.

There was a roar of approval when Ramgopal Yadav proposed that Akhilesh Yadav be the new national working president and also declared that Shivpal Yadav would no more be the state party president.

Shortly after Ramgopal's announcements, Akhilesh said he continued to regard netaji (Mulayam Singh) as his father but spoke harshly against uncle Shivpal.

Both Akhilesh and Ramgopal were expelled for six years from the Samajwadi Party by Mulayam Singh on Friday (December 30). The decision was revoked a day later - ahead of the today's convention.

LIVE UPDATES:

Sometimes to protect the ones you love you must make the right decision. What I did today was a tough decision but one that I had to take: Akhilesh Yadav

Doctors conduct health check up on Mulayam Singh Yadav at his residence in Lucknow after complaint of high blood pressure.

Both Mulayum and Shivpal likely to reach Delhi on Monday. Will submit petition in Election Commission along with the constitution of the part.

Mulayam Singh Yadav to meet Amar Singh in Delhi on Monday.

Naresh Agarwal and Kiranmaya Nanda expelled from Samajwadi Party.

Mulayam Singh expels two more party leaders.

Akhilesh Yadav's supporters lay siege to SP headquarters in Lucknow, forcibly remove Shivpal Yadav's nameplate outside his room.

Mulayam Singh has also sent a letter to Election Commission saying that today's meeting where Akhilesh was declared as party national president was unconstitutional.

Meanwhile, Amar Singh has left for Delhi from London. He is likely to meet Mulayam on Monday (January 2).

Mulayam calls another Samajwadi Party convention on January 5.

Mulayam Singh issues new letter, expels Ram Gopal Yadav from the party again for six years.

I am ready to do whatever it takes to save my family, party: Akhilesh

Netaji is my father and I am his son, no one can divide us: Akhilesh

Hamari sirkar banne se sabse jyada khusi netaji ko hi hogi : Akhilesh

If there's a conspiracy against Netaji, then it's my responsibility to get to its root: Akhilesh

I respect Netaji even more now: Akhilesh

Amar Singh be removed from the party, proposed Ram Gopal.

Shivpal Yadav be removed from state party president post: Ram Gopal Yadav.

Ram Gopal proposes Akhilesh Yadav as Samajwadi Party national president.

Interestingly, Mulayam's confidant Naresh Agarwal is also at Ram Gopal meeting.

Akhilesh Yadav, Ram Gopal Yadav reach Janeshwar Mishra Park.

SP president Mulayam Singh Yadav writes letter to party workers asking them not to attend National Executive meet called by Ramgopal Yadav. Mulayam Singh Yadav writes letter to party workers, asks them not to attend National Executive meet called by Ramgopal Yadav pic.twitter.com/cigXo5sSn8 ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 1, 2017

As Mulayam was about to leave for national convention venue, Shivpal reminds him that he himself had declared the meeting unconstitutional.

Shivpal Yadav in meeting with Mulayam offers to step down from party state president post.

Shivpal Yadav meets Mulayam Singh Yadav at the party chief's house in Lucknow. The meeting lasted for just 5-10 minutes.

Name and photo of Shivpal Yadav is missing from posters, hoardings placed at Janeshwar Mishra Park, the venue for the national convention.

Lucknow: SP Convention called by Ramgopal Yadav to be held at Janeshwar Mishra Park shortly pic.twitter.com/raHbQpaev7

ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 1, 2017

advertisement

Watch the video here

advertisement

ALSO READ:

Akhilesh's popularity may force BJP to find CM face

Samajwadi feud: Mulayam watches as Akhilesh Yadav wins, Shivpal bruised again

Is Mulayam Singh fighting to save family as Akhilesh vies for Samajwadi Party?

--- ENDS ---
Pittsburgh Steelers-Miami Dolphins Ben Roethlisberger

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) sits on the sidelines against the Miami Dolphins in Miami Gardens, Fla. The Steelers will host the Dolphin for a rematch in the AFC Wild Card game next weekend. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)

(Lynne Sladky)

The Pittsburgh Steelers will host the Miami Dolphins in the Wild Card round of the playoffs next weekend.

Miami sealed the Wild Card matchup by losing to the New England Patriots, 35-14. The result means that no matter what happens in the Oakland Raiders' late afternoon kickoff against the Denver Broncos or the Kansas City Chiefs' with the San Diego Chargers the Dolphins will be the No. 6 seed in the AFC.

If the Chiefs win and the Raiders, lose though, then Kansas City becomes the No. 2 seed, which the Steelers would visit in the divisional round if they get past the Dolphins. A Raiders win or Chiefs loss means the Steelers travel to Oakland if they beat the Dolphins.

Pittsburgh lost to the Dolphins, 30-15, on Oct. 16 in Miami Gardens.

The time and date of the playoff games are to be determined.
A subsidised 14.2 kg cylinder will become expensive by Rs 2 to Rs 434.71 in Delhi, as against Rs 432.71 earlier.

By Indo-Asian News Service: State-run oil marketing companies (OMCs) on Saturday hiked the price of subsidised cooking gas, or LPG, along with kerosene and aviation turbine fuel (ATF).

The three state-owned OMCs revise rates of LPG, kerosene and ATF on the first of every month, based on global oil prices and the foreign exchange rate.

This is the seventh straight month of increase in cooking gas cylinder prices -- a subsidised 14.2 kg cylinder will become expensive by Rs 2 to Rs 434.71 in Delhi, as against Rs 432.71 earlier.

advertisement

In a move to reduce its LPG subsidy outgo, the government in July had decided on small hikes of around Rs 2 per cylinder every month.NON-SUBSIDISED LPG DEARER BY RE 1

The price of non-subsidised LPG, which consumers buy after exhausting their quota of 12 cylinders in a year, was also hiked on Saturday by Re 1 to Rs 585.

Meanwhile, kerosene will became dearer by 26 paisa to Rs 19.43 per litre in Kolkata.

Also read | Gas cylinders to cost more, price of subsidised LPG hiked by Rs 2.07

The ATF, or jet fuel, will be hiked by 8.60 per cent to Rs 52,540.63 per kl in Delhi. Prices vary at airports depending on local taxes.

--- ENDS ---
By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Jan 1 (PTI) A 30-year-old man died after he allegedly smashed a beer bottle on his own head following a pub brawl over playing music in south Delhis Hauz Khas Village on New Years eve.

The deceased has been identified as Deepak Tandon, police said.

He had come to a cafe and bar, at Hauz Khas Village, for partying with his friends on New Years eve.

advertisement

He allegedly was in an inebriated state following which he got involved in a fight over playing the music of his choice, the police said.

He was fighting over playing music of his choice and people were trying to pacify him but he refused to listen and smashed a bottle on his head in anger, they said.

Meanwhile, information about his unruly behaviour and the fight reached the beat officer who alerted the SHO of Safdarjung Enclave police station and an emergency response vehicle was rushed to the spot to take him to hospital, they added.

Tandon refused to go in the vehicle and it was after a lot of pestering that he finally agreed to go to Safdarjung Hospital where he succumbed during treatment, they said.

He had come down to Delhi from Ludhiana for celebrating New Years eve with two of his friends. In their statement, his friends have told police that they werent inside the venue when the incident happened.

Inquest proceedings have been initiated and post-mortem will be conducted tomorrow and the reason of his death will emerge thereafter.

Tandon was a small-time businessman. PTI SLB RG

--- ENDS ---
Pennsylvania Trooper Landon Weaver, 23, was reportedly shot and killed by Jason Michael Robison. (Photo: PA State Police)

Pennsylvania Trooper Landon Weaver, 23, responded alone to a domestic call Friday night before he was shot and killed by a man who had reportedly violated a protection from abuse order, Pennsylvania State Police officials said Saturday.

"He was alone" when he went to the home of Sherry Robison in Juniata Township, said Capt. David Cain, the commanding officer of Weaver's Troop G. Inside that house was Robison's son, 32-year-old Jason Michael Robison. Somehow, Cain said, the man obtained a firearm while he was being interviewed by the trooper, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer.

"Troop G members responded to the scene and realized Trooper Weaver needed immediate medical attention," Cain said. "They tactically removed Trooper Weaver from the residence," he added.

Weaver, a newlywed and dean's list criminology major at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, died of his gunshot wounds. Sixteen hours later -- after a central Pennsylvania manhunt that involved nearly 100 troopers, FBI, and other law enforcement personnel -- the alleged killer was found holed up in a house trailer near his mother's home.

About 10 a.m., Cain said the armed Hesston man was shot and killed by troopers who were "faced with a deadly situation" when Robison "failed to obey commands and made an overt threat toward the troopers."
Check out what's new in night vision and thermal imaging.

ATN

ATN

BinoX HD

ATN specializes in the design and manufacturing of advanced, precision electro-optical systems developed for the commercial, law enforcement, and military markets. Product offerings include digital night vision, advanced night vision systems, and thermal imaging units. The ATN BinoX HD is designed to make collecting video and photo evidence easy, day or night. The BinoX Smart binoculars offer a host of features and sensors: WiFi, GPS, 1080p video, night vision, range finder, gyroscope, compass, and much more.

www.atncorp.com

Aurora Tactical

Aurora Tactical

BAE Systems Skeet IR-X Micro Thermal Monocular

Aurora Tactical is an authorized distributor for the Skeet IR-X Micro Thermal Monocular manufactured by BAE Systems. LE/MIL restricted, this handheld unit is also weapons mountable and is the smallest thermal weapon sight available, according to the company. This unit can be used as a front clip on sight or stand alone. Weighing in at only 9 ounces, the Skeet IR-X also comes with video image capture and video recording capabilities, several reticle patterns, and zoom features.

www.auroratactical.com

Bushnell

Bushnell

Digital Sentry Night Vision

The Digital Sentry is Bushnell AR Optic's first night vision monocular. The 2x monocular is multiple carryhelmet and weapon mounts are includedor it can be used as a handheld device. The night vision is powered by an 850 nM LED IR illuminator with an intensity control for clear images in any level of darkness and a viewing area reaching out to 220 yards. It serves as a 2x magnifier during the day, and can be used with a red dot as a night aiming solution.

http://bushnell.com/tactical/night-vision

FLIR

FLIR

LS-Series Thermal Night Vision Monoculars

FLIR's new LS-X and LS-XR handheld thermal night vision monoculars are built specifically for those who serve and protect. This powerful, yet simple imager gives law enforcement an advantage whether searching for evidence or pursuing a suspect, all in the palm of your hand. The newest additions to this field-proven line, LS-X and the LS-XR, feature enhanced resolution displays, extended zoom capabilities, and video output.

www.flir.com/law-enforcement

Harris Corp.

Harris Corp.

F5032 Lightweight Night Vision Binocular

Harris Corp. recently introduced the new F5032 Lightweight Night Vision Binocular designed to increase a law enforcement officer's low-light and no-light capabilities. This lightweight binocular reduces fatigue during extended usage and provides an excellent 25-centimeter close range focus that allows users to conduct tasks such as map reading, operation of equipment, and other close-up duties that were difficult using previous versions of night vision goggles. The F5032 also features optional adjustable diopter lenses, eliminating a law enforcement officer's need to change static lenses for personal or mission requirements.

https://www.harris.com/what-we-do/night-vision

Luna Optics

Luna Optics

Long Range Thermal Binoculars With Built-In Laser Rangefinder

Luna Optics' new thermal binoculars are intended to be used for long range (up to 1,700m) observation, search, and detection in a great variety of ambient conditions (daylight, twilight, nighttime) as well as limited visibility (fog, snow, rain). It allows detection of moving and still objects, which have temperature contrasting with the environment, (people, animals, buildings, vehicles). A built-in laser rangefinder provides accurate distance measurements up to 700m. The binocular comes with distinctive fast-learning controls as well as video output, digital zoom, moisture control cartridges, tripod mount, and carry case. Available in 3.5x or 5x optical magnification.

www.lunaoptics.com

N-Vision Optics

N-Vision Optics

TC35 Thermal Clip-On Sights

TC Series clip-on sights are the latest additions to N-Vision Optics' thermal optics product line. The TC35 attaches in front of the day scope on a MIL-STD-1913 (Picatinny rail), allowing the flexibility to use the sight on multiple weapons. The TC35 is fully collimated to maintain boresight with the day optic, eliminating the need to re-zero, when attached or detached from the weapon. The TC35 can also be used as a stand-alone weapon scope, with four reticle patterns custom tailored for individual weapons with corresponding zero, color, brightness, and contrast. Standard 2x and 4x digital zoom enables clear identification of targets before engaging.

www.nvisionoptics.com

Night Vision Depot

Night Vision Depot

Night Vision Clip-On Weapon Sights

Night Vision Depot offers refurbished MIL-SPEC AN/PVS-30 night vision clip-on weapon sights from the battlefield. These AN/PVS-30s were exchanged by the U.S. Army with the factory for brand new systems. These systems have seen service in battlegrounds from Iraq to Afghanistan. Now you can own a piece of that history at a fraction of the price of a brand new system.

www.nvdepot.com

Safety Vision

Safety Vision

Thermal Imaging Cameras

Safety Vision has partnered with FLIR, known for its thermal imaging cameras, to supply the law enforcement industry with systems tailor-made for their specific patrol cars and other vehicles. Using Safety Vision's unique experience with wireless installations, critical visibility is now available when it is needed most. Using FLIR technology, you'll be able to easily identify human subjects in hectic, dark, and low visibility environments. Reliable FLIR cameras are the perfect complement to your Safety Vision ICOP PRO digital video recording system.

www.safetyvision.com

Seek Thermal

Seek Thermal

RevealPRO Thermal Imaging Camera

RevealPRO is Seek Thermal's most advanced handheld thermal imaging camera yet. Highly durable and easy to use, RevealPRO combines a high-performance 320 x 240 thermal sensor with intuitive software to help you work smarter. And, when you need it, a powerful 300-lumen LED light is available at the touch of a button. Offering adjustable thermal level, span, and emissivity settings, RevealPRO aims to offer high-resolution thermal imaging and software capabilities at an affordable price.

www.thermal.com

SellMark Pulsar

SellMark

Pulsar Quantum XD50S 2.8x-11.2x42 Thermal Imaging Monocular

Tested and reviewed by the National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA), and now recommended by the organization's membership, the Pulsar Quantum XD50S Thermal Monocular is an IPX4 weather-resistant thermal imaging optic designed to detect human-size heat signatures over 1,300 yards away. The Quantum XD50S features a high microbolometer resolution of 384x288, sharp 640x480 OLED display, video-out capability, range finding reticle, white hot/black hot viewing modes, and seven color palettes for varying environments. For distance surveillance, the XD50S even features 2x and 4x digital zoom functions, ranging from 2.811.2x magnification, while maintaining great imaging detail.

www.sellmark.net

TacView

TacView

3.10 Pole Camera

TacView is a pole mounted, IR/color camera that can help you search areas in full room light or total darkness. The camera head size is two inches in diameter with built-in auto on/off IR LEDs. It is strong enough to break and rake a window. The 3.10 model expands to from three feet to 10 feet, which allows viewing into a second-story window or onto the roof of a one-story building from ground level. In addition, its camera head will detach and may be clamped onto the top of a shield or hidden and linked to a 100-foot cable (optional) that will let you discreetly watch your objective behind cover 100 feet away.

www.tacview.com
Some of the leading public safety officials in Arizona are women. They include the chief of the Phoenix Police Department, the chief of the Phoenix Fire Department, the chief of the Prescott Police Department, the chief of the Tempe Police Department, and the marshal of the Town of Camp Verde.

PhoenixThe chief of the Phoenix Police Department, Jeri Williams, and the chief of the Phoenix Fire Department, Kara Kalkbrenner, attended the same high school, Maryvale High in west Phoenix. "She and I are both proud products of the public school system," says Police Chief Williams.

Fire Chief Kalkbrenner joined the Phoenix Fire Department in 1985. She has held the ranks of fire engineer, fire captain, division chief, deputy chief, and executive chief of administration. Kalkbrenner is one of only six female fire chiefs leading large metropolitan departments in the United States.

TempePolice Chief Sylvia Moir took charge of the Tempe Police Department in March. She was previously the chief of the El Cerrito (CA) Police Department and spent most of her career serving on the Sacramento force. In Sacramento she worked in every division and had a variety of assignments ranging from patrol officer to watch commander.

PrescottChief Debora Black took command of the Prescott PD in July. Before moving to Prescott, she was chief of the Glendale (AZ) Police Department. Black is a veteran of the Phoenix PD, where she began her career in 1980 and served with distinction, earning the Medal of Valor, three Medals of Lifesaving, and two Police Chief's Unit Awards.

Camp VerdeNancy Gardner has served as marshal of this small town since 2012. She has 27 years of law enforcement experience with three Arizona agencies, including Camp Verde, Avondale, and Gilbert. In Gilbert she served as the agency's first female SWAT team member and its first female SWAT commander.
Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Email

Print

The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) is warning Donald Trump that he will have no credibility as president if he continues to defend Russia while attacking the US intelligence community.

Video:

Transcript:

KARL: So lets pick up with the Russian hack. You heard from president-elect Trump last night saying hes still not convinced its the Russians. He says hacking is a very hard thing to prove so it could be somebody else. OK. You have been briefed on the intelligence.

How solid is the evidence that it was the Russians?

SCHIFF: Its very solid. Its indeed overwhelming and the president-elect, as you know, also said that he knows things that other people dont know. He needs to stop talking this way.

If hes going to have any credibility as president, he needs to stop talking this way. He needs to stop denigrating the intelligence community. Hes going to rely on them. Hes going to have to rely on them.

And this is the overwhelming judgment of the intelligence community and, frankly, all of the members of the intelligence committees in Congress, Democrats and Republicans. None of us have any question about this. The only one who does apparently is Donald Trump.

And this is the problem. Theres only one thing worse than someone who wins elective office after everyone told them that they would win and thats someone who wins after everyone told them that they would not because they believe in the infallibility of their own judgment. And this is very dangerous.

It can be argued that Trump has no credibility as president-elect, so it is possible that Rep. Schiff was being overly generous by assuming that Trump would have credibility as president.

Trumps behavior could harm the credibility of the presidency itself. Trump may not only lose credibility as an individual, but he could harm the respect for the presidency itself at home and around the world.

It is ironic that in 2000, Republican George W. Bush ran for president in part based on a promise to restore honor and dignity to the White House. Seventeen years later the idea of restoring honor and dignity to the office of the president seems quaint compared to the real damage in credibility that the presidency is poised to suffer from Donald Trump occupying the Oval Office.
As many as 39 people died in the massacre including two Indians. One of them was Abis Rizvi who was a film producer and son of former Rajya Sabha MP.

By Saurabh Vaktania: A gunman, disguised as Santa, killed at least 39 people partying inside a nightclub in Istanbul on New Year's eve, marking the first terror attack of the year. The massacre injured as many as 40 other people.

Read: Istanbul nightclub terror attack: Toll rises to 39, says Turkish Interior Minister

RIZVI FAMILY SUFFERS LOSS OF SON ABIS RIZVI The deadly attack on New Year's eve in Istanbul, Turkey, claimed lives of two Indians. One of them -- Abis Rizvi -- is the family member of Mumbai's famous Rizvi Builders. Abis was a film producer and son of Akhtar Rizvi who is a former Rajya Sabha MP and NCP leader. Bollywood celebrities like Madhur Bhandarkar, and friends, reached the Rizvi residence in Bandra to express their sympathies. Many politicians were also present. Father Akhtar Rizvi, late on Sunday evening left for Istanbul to claim the body of son Abis. The family members however are still not clear what Abis was doing there on the New Year's eve. Family did not wish to speak to media on the matter. They are now waiting for his body to reach Mumbai so that the final rites can be performed. Abis in his forties was the eldest among three siblings of Rizvi. A film developer by profession, and under the banner of Rizvi Builders, Abis recently produced a Bollywood film 'ROAR: Tigers of the Sundarbans'. A relative of Abis said, "He was a very cheerful and helpful man. He always helped those in need. It is a very unfortunate incident. The last rites will be conducted once the body reaches the house which would take almost two days. The family is in deep pain." Two Indians were among the 39 killed in Sunday's shooting at a night club in Istanbul, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said. "I have bad news from Turkey. We have lost two Indian nationals in the Istanbul attack. Indian Ambassador on the way to Istanbul," she Tweeted. Sushma added that her ministry was also helping the Rizvis with their Visa for traveling to Istanbul. "I have just spoken to Mr Akhtar Hassan Rizvi, father of Abis Rizvi. He and Mrs Rizvi also want to go to Istanbul. We are organising their Visa," she said.

advertisement

Apart from Abis Rizvi, the other victim has been identified as Khushi Shah who was from Gujarat.

Watch the video here

--- ENDS ---
Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Email

Print

Donald Trumps future White House Communications Director suggested that the American people should be discussing punishing Hillary Clinton for manipulating the 2016 election.

Video:

Transcript of Sean Spicer on ABCs This Week:

SPICER: What this says is that the DNC had a problem with their IT security and people tried to hack it and they need to do a better job of protecting it

KARL: The Russians succeeding in hacking

SPICER: But the fact of the matter is, but were having part of a conversation. Why arent we talking about the influence, other influences on the election? Why arent we talking about Hillary Clinton getting debate questions ahead of time? Thats a pretty valid attempt to influence an election. Somebody giving her the debate questions and the answers of an election. No, no, no. Its not hey. We havent, no ones asking those questions. And the fact is is that everyone wants to talk, make Donald Trump admit to certain things. When are we going to start talking about the other side of this. Which is what did Hillary Clinton do to influence the election? Is she being punished in any way? What are we doing to make sure that people dont get the debate questions ahead of time, because I can tell you this, if my boss at the time, Reince Priebus, had gotten the debate questions, and handed them off, he would have been driven out of this town on a steak, and Donald Trump would have been vilified. No one wants to ask those questions now.

Trumps press secretary/White House Communications Director floated the idea of punishing Hillary Clinton to distract and take attention away from the Russians interfering in a presidential election to help Donald Trump.

The president-elect and his team use projections of their own crimes and misbehavior to attack their political enemies as a standard technique. The American people should be appalled by the fact that the incoming administration cant stop talking about abusing their power to punish their political opponents. Spicer never mentioned how Hillary Clinton manipulated the general election.

Instead, he tried to falsely equate Clinton potentially receiving a primary debate question in advance with a foreign government interfering to impact the outcome of a US presidential election. The facts are that Hillary Clinton didnt manipulate a general election. The Russian government did. Congress and every American need to ask in a common voice why the Trump administration continues to defend Russia and try to sweep election hacking under the rug.

Punishing Hillary Clinton wont distract anyone from the reality that Putin and the Russian government got Donald Trump elected president.
David Slade is a senior Post and Courier reporter. His work has been honored nationally by Society of Professional Journalists, American Society of Newspaper Editors, Scripps foundation and others. Reach him at 843-937-5552 or dslade@postandcourier.com
The massive amount is unusual for a local school board race  and thousands more than any of the other 31 candidates have managed to raise. Read moreA CCSD board candidate has raised almost $100K in campaign funds
Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

Partly cloudy skies. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 78F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A few clouds. Low 68F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.
As parts of South Carolina continue to struggle with the effects of one of the strongest, costliest American storms on record, some automakers appear poised to destabilize one of the most important and effective public safety tools being used in the states recovery efforts. Read moreCommentary: Hurricane Ian a reminder of the importance of AM car radios
The pandemic stressed us all, but its impact was compounded among pregnant women and those who had just given birth; their rates of mood and anxiety problems doubled during that time. That should not come as a major surprise, given how the stresses around this life-giving, life-changing even Read moreEditorial: Important outreach to SC's expectant and new mothers
The Mumbai Police circular says that those violating the order will face action under Section 188 of IPC.

By Saurabh Vaktania: The Mumbai police has issued a circular stating that between December 31 and February 28, no person will use paragliders, balloons, and high-rise crackers; release kites and other light objects in and around the approach of funnel of runway; or flash laser light beams in the direction of landing aircraft.

The airport is situated in a thickly populated area. A senior officer with the Mumbai Police said, "The circular has been issued keeping in mind the festival of Makar Sankranti. In several instances in the past, kites and flying lanterns have come in the path of an aircraft. Bursting of crackers also disturbs the flight landing and take off."

advertisement

ALSO READ: Disaster averted at Delhi airport as Indigo, SpiceJet aircraft come face-to-face

Following is an extract from the Mumbai Police circular:

1. The authorities of the Greater Mumbai area have periodically received reports regarding flying of balloons, kites and other inflated objects in the aircraft runway zone. The bursting of high-rise crackers and the strong rays of laser illuminations being used in the free flight area pose a serious threat to the smooth functioning of various aircraft activities.

2. It is a matter of great concern and a strict vigilance needs to be put on the flying of such objects in the runway. A certain length of area should be made Laser Beam Free Flight Zone around the Chhattrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA). An immediate action will help in uninterrupted take-off and smooth landing of the aircraft.

3. Keeping these problems in mind, Deputy Commissioner Ashok Dudhe has passed the following orders:

In the jurisdiction of Mumbai Police Commissioner no person should use flying objects like paragliders, balloons, kites, high-rise crackers, laser beams in the Free Flight Zone around the CSIA.

Any person who observes or notices such practices which obstruct the aircraft functions-- take off and landing--must immediately report the offence to the nearest police station.

The above said orders will come into action from December 31, 2016 and will be in effect for 60 days i.e till February 28, 2017 unless withdrawn earlier.

Any individual violating the order shall face action under Section 188 of IPC.

A copy of the circular.

ALSO READ: Airports to now be ranked in India based on services, those with poor facilities will be named and shamed

ALSO WATCH

--- ENDS ---
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
Fewer companies went public in 2016 than in any year since the 2008-09 financial crisis, as a series of stock market hiccups from "Brexit" to the U.S. presidential election cooled demand for initial public stock offerings.

But the coming year could make up for 2016 malaise, as the pipeline of companies looking to go public is well stocked with IPO candidates.

Two reports out this month  Ernst & Young's Global IPO Trends study and Renaissance Capital's U.S. IPO Market Annual Review  are optimistic about a rebound in companies going public, despite lingering uncertainty around the European Union, the new U.S. administration and China's growth prospects.

"The most important catalyst for an IPO is how the existing ones have done," said Kathleen Smith, principal at Renaissance Capital, a Maryland-based manager of IPO-focused Exchange Traded Funds. "The returns are such that there is nothing in the way. Companies should be filing right and left when we return from the holidays."

Based on Renaissance's data, the average stock price increase for 2016 IPO companies on U.S. exchanges is 22.5 percent. Its Private Company Watchlist contains 277 companies likely to go public in the next 12 to 24 months.

ADVERTISEMENT

"I think we'll see 2017 being a lot better than 2016 now that there is some stability, at least in the U.S.," said Tim Holl, a San Diego partner with Ernst & Young. "The election is behind us. There is obviously some momentum in the market. So there is an expectation that 2017 is going to be better."

The numbers vary slightly between the Ernst & Young and Renaissance Capital reports, but the trends are similar.

Ernst & Young reported 112 companies raised $21.3 billion in IPOs this year in the U.S., down more than 35 percent from the prior year.

Renaissance pegged the number of IPOs at 105, with $18.8 billion raised. That's down from 170 companies raising $30 billion a year earlier.

A steep stock market sell-off early this year froze out potential IPO companies in the first quarter. In June, Brexit  the British referendum to exit the European Union  shook up investors again. Finally, the U.S. presidential election whipsawed markets toward year end. As of Friday, the Standard & Poor's 500 stock index was up 11 percent for the year.

Many companies that did go public in 2016 did so at a discount, said Smith of Renaissance Capital. They lowered their proposed prospectus stock price range prior to their IPOs, or they priced shares below publicly traded peers.

"Once private companies saw that, they were thinking maybe we should wait a little longer," she said. "There has been a lot of private capital that has been able to sustain these private companies longer than normal."

Another reason for the IPO slowdown, particularly for technology companies, is sky-high valuations for high-profile firms, including Uber, Snapchat (now called Snap), Dropbox, Spotify and Airbnb.

ADVERTISEMENT

The valuations created a chasm between what venture capitalists bet a company would be worth and what IPO investors are willing to pay. It led several big tech outfits to stay on the IPO sidelines this year.

Will that ease next year? It's unclear. But with growing pressure on venture capitalists to find exits for aging portfolio companies  coupled with another year for these companies to grow in hopes of justifying their lofty valuations  more tech firms are expected to test public markets in 2017, Renaissance Capital says. Snap already has filed for a $4 billion IPO that could value the company as high as $40 billion.

Nationwide, health care, which includes life sciences, was the top industry sector for IPOs this year, with 40 firms going public, according to Ernst & Young. Technology ranked second with 23 deals.

Shares of new health care IPOs haven't always performed well, however. Nine of the 10 worst-performing IPOs this year are health care firms, Renaissance Capital's data show.

Holl of Ernst & Young said the IPO window opened wide for the life sciences sector from 2013 to 2015, encouraging companies to go public earlier than they usually do.

Now the pendulum has swung back. Life sciences firms are going public later in a drug-medical device development cycle  which could improve post-IPO performance, he said.

"Good companies will get out," Holl said. "I think you will see activity in the first quarter and second quarter. I can't mention any names, but you'll see activity."
Becky Wendland, and Maeby, her almost three-year-old daughter, were ready to welcome in the new year. So what if it was 12 hours early. It was time to play at the Minnesota Children's Museum of Rochester.

"We've been talking about this party all day, haven't we?" Wendland asked Maeby. "You like the music?

"She goes to bed at 7:30 p.m., so, we came to have a party," Wendland added.

The little girl smiled at the sight of Clifford the Big Red Dog dancing to Justin Timberlake songs.

About 175 people gathered for the family party to ring in 2017 together. A disc jockey played party music, kids repeatedly blew into their noisemakers, and parents danced to their own beat.

ADVERTISEMENT

This New Year's Eve shindig was the fourth annual party hosted by the the children's museum. It was also the third sold-out event, showing the popularity of having a party just for families.

"It's great," said Melissa Brinkman, museum board chairwoman. "It's a fun way for people to give kids an event that's just for them. Then, the parents can go out for the night, while still letting the children have their own fun, too. Kids experience play, and play is learning."

Not complete without a ball drop, a small globe of light fell to the ground at noon as those in the vicinity gathered to bid farewell to 2016, and welcome the new year. For those parents who missed the ball drop at noon, there was another one scheduled for 6 p.m. for a second wave of families.

Aside from having fun drawing on Frosty the Snowman, or playing games, the young ones also got to write their new year's resolutions on slips of paper and enter them into a box. Perhaps, their wishes will come true.

Some wished for puppies, or pizza. Some wished for less tangible things such as peace and goodwill toward others. One wished for those less fortunate to have something to eat and a warm bed to sleep in.

"It's been a great success, and it's been well received," said Heidi Mestad, the museum's director. "There's so much energy for adults and kids to play. It just showcases the need for more opportunities to have fun."

As for the museum staff members' own resolutions, they hope to expand their outreach and programming by finding a bigger space.

"Everybody should play more," Mestad said regarding her vision for the museum in the upcoming year. "Myself included  that's the power of play."

ADVERTISEMENT

For the parents, the coming year will be another opportunity to make more memories.

"We're very much looking forward to 2017," Wendland said. "We're just looking to be happy and healthy."
ZUMBRO FALLS  A head-on crash just south of Zumbro Falls left one person injured Saturday afternoon.

The crash occurred at 3:34 p.m., according to the Minnesota State Patrol. Shane Gullickson, 40, of Plainview, was driving southbound on U.S. Highway 63 when his vehicle crossed over the center line and collided with a northbound vehicle driven by Charlotte Roe, 81, the patrol said.

Reports stated that Gullickson fled the scene. Roe sustained non-life threatening injuries and was transported to Mayo Clinic Hospital -Saint Marys Campus.

The Wabasha County Sheriff's Office assisted at the scene, along with Lake City Ambulance, the Plainview Police Department and the Zumbro Falls Fire Department.

ADVERTISEMENT
Tevi Troy offers his selections for the best books of 2016. At the top of the list is Yuval Levins Fractured Republic, which I discussed here (Steves podcast with Yuval is here.) It is certainly among the best books I read this year. So is Tevis own contribution, Shall We Wake the President?.

Ross Douthat of the New York Times offers a different sort of list  books for the Trump Era. Since I was as surprised as anyone by the onset of that Era, books that help explain it should be required reading for me.

At the top of Douthats list are Christopher Laschs The Revolt of the Elites (1995) and Samuel Huntingtons Who Are We? The Challenges to American National Identity (2004). I havent read either one.

However, few books ever made a stronger impression on me than Laschs The Culture of Narcissism (1979) and Huntingtons Clash of Civilizations (1996). If Lasch and Huntington have more to teach me, Im not surprised.

Douthat recommends another unforgettable book  The Abolition of Britain: From Winston Churchill to Princess Diana (1999) by Peter Hitchens, the brother of Christopher Hitchens. I think its the best piece of modern reactionary writing Ive ever encountered.

Douthat describes the book this way:

Writing early in the Tony Blair era, Hitchens argued that Britains rulers had broken faith with the island nations past, burying its history, customs and traditions, subjecting their people to a misguided European pseudo-empire, and tolerating social decay and disarray as the price of tolerance and progress. Nearly 20 years on, you will not find a clearer case against both Blair and David Camerons shared worldview, or a clearer explanation for why so many Britons voted for Brexit.

I dont believe that the American equivalent of Hitchens masterpiece has been written. But the case against Americas rulers seems almost as compelling today as Hitchens case against Britains was 25 years ago.

At any rate, it was compelling enough to launch, albeit very narrowly, the Trump Era.
Looks like Angela Merkel may be starting to get it. From the BBC:

Merkel: Islamist terror is greatest threat to Germany Islamist terrorism is the biggest challenge facing Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel has said in her New Year message. Referring to the deadly truck attack in Berlin by a Tunisian asylum seeker, she said it was sickening when acts of terror were carried out by people who had sought protection. She said 2016 had been a year of severe tests.

Theres an old joke about the preacher in church who said that although hed been violently mugged, he still considered himself a liberal and didnt blame criminals for the problems society had caused them to have. Whereupon an elderly lady in a pew in the back of the church said, Mug him again.

Fits Merkel, because she may not entirely get it, as the rest of the story makes clear:

But she also said she was confident Germany could overcome them. As we go about our lives and our work, we are saying to the terrorists: You are hate-filled murderers, but you do not determine how we live and want to live. We are free, considerate and open, Mrs Merkel said. . . The attacks have led to some criticism of Mrs Merkels policy of admitting more than a million refugees and migrants in 2015. But in her New Year message the chancellor said images of the devastation in the Syrian city of Aleppo, where Syrian government forces have forced out rebels after months of fighting, showed how important and right it was for Germany to take in those fleeing the conflict. All this is reflected in our democracy, rule of law and values. They are the opposite of the hate-filled world of terrorism and will prove stronger than it. Together we are stronger. Our state is stronger, she said.

Having called a few weeks ago for banning the burka in Germany, Merkel is clearly worried about re-election in September. I suspect this photo explains Merkels careful calibrations:

But this is likely to be more salient:
I wish I had thought to keep a list of best columns and articles of the past year, but I didnt. I do have a few tabs I kept open to revisit. I can guarantee that these columns and articles are worth your time. Here they are in alphabetical order by author:

James Ceaser, Whats next for the left?, Weekly Standard (February 8, 2016).

Matthew Continetti, The return of street corner conservatism, Washington Free Beacon (December 23, 2016).

Molly Brigid Flynn, The decline of the Western, Library of Law & Liberty (October 7, 2016).

Victor Davis Hanson, The ancient foreign policy, NRO (December 27, 2016).

Steven Hayward, Crisis of the conservative house divided, Weekly Standard (October 31, 2016).

Katherine Kersten, Transgender conformity, First Things (December 2016).

Publius Decius Mus, The Flight 93 election, Claremont Review of Books (September 5, 2016).

Ruth Wisse, My life with Leonard Cohen, Mosaic (November 30, 2016).

Let me just add here that Heather Mac Donald deserves special recognition for her continuing contribution to the discussion of race and crime. Heathers voice was particularly needed this year. City Journal has collected her contributions to the magazine here.

The (Minneapolis) Star Tribune has just posted a list of its most read opinion columns of the year. The Star Tribune is a liberal newspaper that relentlessly caters to a liberal readership. As the New York Times does for the national media, the Star Tribune sets the agenda for news coverage in the Twin Cities media. John Hinderaker and Katherine Kersten of the conservative think tank that John heads in Minneapolis  the Center of the American Experiment  nevertheless scored three of the top 16 most-read opinion columns in the Star Tribune. The popularity of each of these columns tells a story of its own. Here they are:

Number 4: Katherine Kersten, The school safety debate: Mollycoddle no more, Star Tribune (March 18, 2016).

Number 7: John Hinderaker, Minnesota, where the economy is not even average, Star Tribune (August 15, 2016).

Number 13: Katherine Kersten, Police, race and crime: Cops are racist story line ignores a great many facts, Star Tribune (August 5, 2016).

A PERSONAL NOTE: On a strictly retrospective personal note, I spent three weeks last year attending the trial of three Somali Minnesotans charged with terrorism related offenses in connection with their efforts to join ISIS in Syria. I wrote four articles about the case for the Weekly Standard. I was grateful that Weekly Standard editors Richard Starr and Kelly Jane Torrance, with whom I worked on these pieces, found the story of interest for their readers and let me testify to what I saw in my own voice. Those four Weekly Standard articles on the trial are all collected here. I was also grateful that the Star Tribune published my column on the trial for Minnesota readers in June after the jury returned with its guilty verdicts.
In this exclusive interview with PREMIUM TIMES Oluwatoyosi Olawande and Aminu Adamu, Nigerias Minister of Health, Issac Adewole, speaks extensively on various issues and developments in the health sector, including the performance of the 2016 budget in the sector and what to expect going forward.

PT: What is the ministry doing to forestall the strike threat by resident doctors?

ADEWOLE: We have met, and we are addressing the issues and a letter is going from the Permanent Secretary to the President of the National Association of Resident Doctors about what we have done on all the issues. Practically all the things have been looked into, some are key issues that are under our purview, some are key issues that will have no control over.

PT: What about the issue of their unpaid salaries?

ADEWOLE: I spoke to the Minister of Finance and Mr. President took a virement request to the National Assembly. It has been approved. The issue of November, December salary will be taken care of in the next few days, so that is the key element of their request.

PT: They spoke of worsening health indices

ADEWOLE: That is not true, that is very unscientific. I would have expected them to tell me the indices that have worsened since we came on board; none. You dont even do indices every year, you do indices every 3 years, every 5 years. The next demographic and health survey in Nigeria is due in 2018. The last one was 2013, so how did anybody come with worsening health indices?

PT: They complained about dilapidated infrastructures in health institutions in the country.

ADEWOLE: That is also not true, we are working hard. If you look at the 2017 budget, there is a lump sum of money that we put there, about N12 billion, N11.7 billion of that is for upgrade of tertiary centres. And what we are doing is to partner with the sovereign investment authority to get some private sector money together so that we can grow the money and make sure we work on our health facilities.

PT: You heard about the recent unfortunate death of a corps member at an NYSC camp?

ADEWOLE: NYSC is not under us but immediately the death occurred, I called the Director-General and I said DG, I am writing to all the federal health institutions to look after your corps members. In addition, Mr. President has directed that we should bring a memo to the Federal Executive Council enrolling Youth Corpers in National Health Insurance.

PT: Still on resident doctors, they said their colleagues have not been paid salaries for 3 months in Akwa Ibom State.

ADEWOLE: The thing is that there is a problem across the country. The last time we spoke with Mr. President, I think about 24 states or so have not been able to pay salaries regularly. Its a general problem.

PT: There is also the point about improper placement of doctors on entry point and non adjustment of their salary structure.

ADEWOLE: That is not true. Doctors are on CONMESS; CONMESS 1 to 7. Doctors who come back from NYSC actually start on CONMESS 2. They woke up and said that the entry point should be on CONHESS 9 and you are not on CONHESS.

That is what the Chairman of the Salaries and Wages Commission said, that if you dont want your salary, say so and move to another one. You cannot stay in a salary scale and say they should give you entry point of another one.

Sometimes when your constituency fights, you ask them, do they really know what they are talking about? What you should ask for is that, maybe the entry point of your own, if you think it should be higher, we can work on that, ask us to look at it, but dont say they must give you the beginning of another salary point because that is not what you need.

PT: What about pension deduction?

ADEWOLE: We have directed that they should deduct their money for pension, we dont see why that should be a problem.

PT: When will there be white paper on training programme?

ADEWOLE: We are working on that.

PT: On non-payment of salary in some states

ADEWOLE: We have no control. As I have said, I cannot force Akwa Ibom to pay you salary, it is not under our control. I cannot force Osun, I cannot force Oyo or any of these states that have financial hardship to pay you, we can only appeal to those states.

PT: What about the implementation of No Work No Pay Rule?

ADEWOLE: It is the policy of the land, its the law of the land. No Work No Pay is not my creation, its the law. You are free to go on strike but the law has to take its course, if you are on strike, then you dont get paid. There is nowhere in the world where you go on strike and say they must pay you.

We dont want strike, we will work hard to prevent strike and our job is to prevent strike. But we cannot but implement No work No pay rule.

PT: What is your roadmap and timelines for achieving your objectives in the health sector as a Minister?

ADEWOLE: We have a 4-year plan because this administration has a 4-year agenda and within the context of that agenda, we want to reposition the policy. We are working on that, it has been approved at National Council on Health, it is awaiting editorial input before we submit it to FEC for approval. Because, anything we do must be done within the framework of the policy, because the policy states what you want to do. This country has had a policy (reviewed) three times, in 1988, in 2004, this one is third one in the history of this country. Because we must have a roadmap, we can hold the policy and say look, this is what you promised to do.

Within the context of the policy, we want to do 4 quick things: improve on the policy environment; we want to improve on quality; we want to make sure that we care for the poor and the vulnerable  the president is so passionate about poor people, rural and vulnerable  and we want to prioritise health; and we want to begin the implementation of universal health coverage.

And when we talk about universal health coverage, it is a journey but it takes about 3 things. When you look at All Progressives Congress manifesto, it says that we will make health care accessible, affordable and qualitative. Those 3 means universal health coverage: that means you access health close to you, it must be of good quality and you must not look for money when you need it.

And thats why we then say how do we deliver it? We must revitalise Primary Healthcare Centres. When Nigerians are sick today, because they dont trust the Primary which has more or less collapsed, they walk into a Teaching Hospital or a Federal Medical Centre and say I have headache, I have skin rashes, I am having nausea and vomiting. And we say that its not what a Teaching Hospital or Medical Centre is meant for.

We want to reposition it properly so that it can sit at the base. We want a base which is the PHC, Secondary and Tertiary. Seventy per cent of Nigerians will access health at the Primary: those who want to deliver, those who have malaria, those who have diarrhoea and vomiting, those who have skin rashes, those who want to immunise their children, they dont have to go to a specialist hospital. Twenty per cent will access healthcare, those who cannot deliver and need caesarean section will go to Secondary; accidents, bad cases will go there. Then the super complex cases like the girl with cystic hygroma, the liver cancer, cervical cancer, renal failure, stroke, will go to a tertiary centre. So within the lifespan of this administration, we want to reposition this pyramid.

PT: How well did the ministry perform with the 2016 budget?

ADEWOLE: For the first time in the history of this country, we gave 50 per cent of our capital allocation to the Primary Health Care Development Agency. It has never happened before. If you look at it, Mr. President submitted a proposal of N35 billion, National Assembly reduced it to N28billion and that drastically affected us. But even with that, we decided to prioritize, we said we must give priority still to primary healthcare. The total allocation for primary healthcare was N17.745 billion, so 60 per cent of our budget went to PHC, Primary Healthcare Development Agency.

That was why when they picked out that polio, all I did was to meet Mr. President and say Mr. President, we need money. He said what do you need? I said sir, we make provision for it in our budget, all you need to do is direct that it should be released. He said it should be released and the Minister of Finance released the entire N9.8 billion, 100% release. It has never happened in the history of this country.

The international community even said this has never happened before, that Health will release the entire allocation and that is why we have been able to do six rounds of immunisation of polio and WHO came and commended Nigeria. There are other things, if you look at the budget, apart from Polio, we had N1 billion for other vaccines.

PT: There was a reversal in Polio eradication in Nigeria.

ADEWOLE: It is wrong to say Nigeria is free of Polio when part of Nigeria was not accessible. And when they say there is resurgence of polio in Nigeria, I say where? Inaccessible area. The day you pick Polio in Kano, in Sokoto, Ibadan then I will say there is resurgence. So when you say under my beat, Polio resurged, No, its wrong. Weve had 4 cases of Polio in Borno, all the four came from areas that were under control of Boko Haram.

When they say Nigeria was free of Polio, they should have said the free area or accessible area is free of Polio and it is still free of polio. We have not detected polio in Sokoto, Kano, Ibadan, Port-Harcourt, Abuja. We only picked 4 cases of Polio in Borno State, areas under Moguno IDP Camp, Murna Camp, and Gwoza. So that to me, scientifically, it is not resurgence. Resurgence is you have controlled it, it flared up.

We had no access to this place before. It is the security operations that enabled us to access them and that is why Mr. President said Go and look for more, you might still find children who are not vaccinated before. And if children were not vaccinated, they could develop polio and that is what happened. We did (immunization in) Borno State, we did five states and we did 18 states four times and we used soldiers to even vaccinate.

We worked with the Army, something that has never been done before and then we introduced IPV. The IPV is injection, you know oral polio will give about 4, 5 times because it is not as powerful as the IPV, but the IPV is in short supply all over the world, it is what we are introducing for routine immunisation. I directed that any IPV in Nigeria should be taken to Borno and any child that comes out, you are seeing, just give IPV because we may not see them again. Even if you give IPV once, you are sure you have given something.

PT: What are your immediate plans to ensure a transparent procurement process for 2017 budget implementation?

ADEWOLE: Well, the first thing is to say that we will continue to comply with the provision of the public procurement act, we would. Two, we would be transparent with our figures. I met the funders, even for 2016, this is what we have, we wont hide it. When they brought the proposals for 2017, I did photocopy and gave to all the directors. I also insisted that the director of procurement must not advertise without getting the quotation from the director or head of unit. Because its the head of unit who is the technical person who knows about what you want to procure, they must contact them and our budget will be on the website

PT: In the 2017 budget proposal, 303.9 billion was allocated to health which represents below 6 per cent of the budget. Is the Nigerian government not committed to the Abuja Declaration of 2000 (15 per cent of annual budget to improve the health sector)?

ADEWOLE: Number 1, I am a doctor so I want more money in Health. But when you look at Health, what we need to do is to quantify money going into Health. How much are the states putting there, how much are we getting from donors, from outside funding?

In 2016, we have a World Bank loan of $500 million, that is about N140 billion that is going into Health. It is a loan from the World Bank, Nigeria will repay but we give it free to the states as grant to improve primary healthcare: improve immunisation, improve maternal health, improve child health, improve nutrition, improve immunisation, improve family planning, and take care of HIV. When you start taking it, we go and check your levels and we give you more money next year.

The Global Fund will spend about $1 billion over 4 years in Nigeria; that has not been captured. PEPFAR is working in some states, 32 local government areas on HIV, it has not been captured. DFID is supporting 950 PHCs in the North, to revitalise them, its not been captured. EU will rehabilitate 774 PHCs in 3 states in 2017. So when you look at health, health is not an orphan. I want more money in Health, I am not going to deceive you, but it is not that we are completely helpless. My strategy is that whatever we have, lets use it well and ask for more.

For 2017, health recorded the single largest increase in allocation for capital. We have 79 per cent increase from 28 to 51 and we are assured that it will keep on increasing. When I discussed with the Minister of Budget, I tried to liken it to UBEC. UBEC is out of Education because UBEC is like NPHCDA, so maybe the solution is to take NPHCDA out of health so that people know that it is separate.

In fact, Bauchi is spending 16 per cent of their budget on health. So there are oasis of success and hope across the country. We will get there, I think part of the challenge in this administration, before now, we spent over 90 per cent of our budget on salaries. 2016 represents the first time Government is saying even if we are to borrow, lets put money on infrastructure.

When you pay salary, even when you increase my salary, nothing changes outside other than my buying imported goods. But when you put money on railway, on roads, you know what will happen? I told my STA, I said once you put money in roads, its a capital project. You find drivers, they will employ more people, food sellers will come and sell food, by evening ogogoro people will sell ogogoro, by evening you find some small shelters, prostitutes will come there, you develop a new life, some people will open a small clinic to look after those who have accidents. So when you invest in capital, its like you are investing in the life of the country. And so 30 per cent is going to capital and it will change the dynamics of things. When the American economy was down, all Obama did was to fund infrastructure and turn the economy around in spite of being a black person.

PT: How well has the ministry been able to harness and redistribute the resources contributed by the international community, donor agencies and international NGOs in respect to health for the benefit of Nigerians?

ADEWOLE: Excellently well. You know the interesting thing about this country, the problem of health in Nigeria is the problem of equity. The maternal mortality rate of the educated Nigerian is just like that of Europe and America. Ninety-one per cent of educated Nigerians with at least secondary school will attend antenatal care. Twenty per cent of the poor ones will go to antenatal care, so that is why we just must target rural people, the uneducated people.

The Save One Million is to the poor. We are also using the RRI, the Rapid Result Initiative, it is for poor people. We are doing free surgery for poor people, some of them were given transport money, some were given money to go and start some business. The one I saw in National Hospital, they repaired the palate cleft, I looked at the child, the hair was fluffy, showing malnutrition and I said please ask her what work she was doing. She said she doesnt do any work. I said will you like to sell a few petty-petty things? She said yes. I asked them to give her N50,000 to go and start selling something.

PT: How long will the Rapid Results Initiative last and what is the scorecard of the Initiative?

ADEWOLE: It will last the life of the Save One Million Lives, 4 years. We have the resources for the 4 years. So we are hoping every year, we will do 10,000 free surgeries. The whole concept of the RRI is to drive you. You set impossible targets. We did two series of workshops, invited the leadership of the ministry, media groups, some other people from outside, and said we want to do impossible things, touch the lives of Nigerians. What are the problems, set targets, they are impossible, when people hear it, they will say wow! That is the whole essence of RRI. Its not simple and we do not expect to achieve 100 but we must start, drive people. Because if you dont drive them, you wont achieve. Usually we set 100 days, we said we will rehabilitate 109 PHCs, test about 50,000 women. We said we will do 10,000 surgeries, between June and now, we have done under 5,000. Its because many of the CMDs didnt even believe, until they saw money in their account. The aim is not to score ourselves but to keep moving and we will roll it on.

PT: Between 2001 and 2014, Nigerian Government spent about N32 billion on the construction and rehabilitation of primary health centres, comprising 687 health centres across the nation. However, our investigations as published on our PTCIJ web page show that a higher percentage are either abandoned or not in use. What are your plans to resuscitate them?

ADEWOLE: There are about 30,000 PHCs across the country, our own data. For this 30,000, only about 20 per cent are working or functional. There are 9,244 political wards in this country, for ease of functionality, lets call it 10,000. If we can make the PHC work in each of these wards, that will enable us to deliver health to at least 100 million Nigerians. That will be a major achievement and that is why we are making that a cardinal issue in the life of this administration.

We are also looking at sustainable models. I went to visit one in Ibadan, at Ward 3 of Ibadan North local government. A private man, Kola Daisi, donated a building for PHC and every quarter, he was giving 200,000 naira, that is N800,000 per year. In 5 years, this PHC registered 18,000 people and has 21 million naira surplus in their account. It is being managed by his foundation, community medicine department of UCH and the community, they have a ward development committee. I sent the NPHCDA to go and look at this one. This model can work in any of our urban centres, that will reduce our burden of what to support in the rural areas.

I went there to personally supervise the PHC at Kunchigoro, Abuja. I invited the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, their Community Medicine Department, I said NPHCDA go there. I am talking to General Electric to give us simple equipment, the phototherapy machine, the ultrasound came from General Electric. And I called Sterling Bank, Sterling Bank give me 5 million to this account and then I told the Minister of FCT I am renovating your health centre, because that is the one they picked in FCT, they picked them across the country, 3 per state and FCT, 109. We will do some shops behind there to make some money, the ward people will open an account, they will manage it, there will be joint signatory and we are hoping that if we can replicate this, using FM model because the issue is let them survive, because it is not every year that we will be putting money there. And so this is a model, working with Sterling and we are also working with rich Nigerians, you can take a PHC. I am appealing to National Assembly, a building does not constitute a health facility, dont go and use your constituency money to put up a building and say its a facility. And that is what has happened. People have been building, putting building up, but that does not make it the health facility.

PT: What steps are being taken to accelerate tuberculosis case finding and treatment in rural areas in 2017?

ADEWOLE: I spoke to Eric Goosby, Eric Goosby and l, weve been working together. Eric Goosby is the special ambassador on TB in U.S.. And I told Eric, I said Eric you must support me, we have known each other for years. And Eric is going to support us. Apart from Eric, we have put money for at least 100 GeneXpert machines in 2017 budget, we are declaring 2017 as the year of accelerated case finding for TB.

The problem in Nigeria is that we can only diagnose about 20 per cent of the TB cases, the rest are out infecting other people. We have one of the lowest case detection rates in the world. So we are going to invest, we have about 300 machines, my vision is to find one GeneXpert in every local government, 774 that is where I am going, minimum. It is the new machine that has the better accuracy. But there is 100. In Abuja now we have about 300, so we will continue to improve, and make sure that we train more people.

PT: What caused the recent death of the health worker in Ogun State to Lassa fever? Measures to curtail an outbreak?

ADEWOLE: I got angry when I saw the report. It is unacceptable. The woman was there for almost 2 weeks on admission. I could not believe it could happen in a Federal Medical Centre. Because it is a nurse, they did not think of Lassa fever. Its madness, they treated for malaria for 3 days, started giving her antibiotics, they thought it was infection, Ciprofloxacin. I read the report, I have constituted a high powered team to investigate and we will sanction them.

That is the unfortunate side of the success story against Lassa. Because of the jingle and everything, you say its gone down. Now we have been having sporadic cases, we lost a doctor in Asaba who died I think in Anambra. When it affects the health care provider, its more serious, every patient that that doctor or nurse treats is at risk. That is why we are worried when it affects the healthcare provider. It also tells us that even the hospital is unsafe. How can a Federal Medical Centre, you have malaria that is not responding, the fellow was vomiting, has diarrhoea and you cannot think of Lassa fever until Saturday? They then decided to do a test and of course the woman died the second day. I got angry, I was livid with the commissioner and I have asked the NCDC to investigate and certainly we will sanction them. What we will also do is to step up, to continue the surveillance, keep on making noise that once you have malaria that is not responding, you have diarrhoea and vomiting, you should think of Lassa fever or any other viral infection.

PT: Mental Health in Nigeria

ADEWOLE: What we have decided to do is to look at the mental health situation in the North East, deliberately as a policy and we are working in that area.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


By Mail Today: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in a mood to play Santa on New Year's Eve as he addressed the nation on television and showered a flurry of sops on almost all sections of the Indian people. He also called the demonetisation a "Shuddhi Yajna".

While Modi exhorted the banking system to work for the poor and the marginalised and change its previous approach, he went on to announce major tax rebates for farmers and small traders, apart from senior citizens and women. Incidentally, the PM had come under a lot of fire after his demonetisation move disturbed the normal way of Indian life and affected one and all.

advertisement

While Modi exhorted the banking system to work for the poor and the marginalised and change its previous approach, he went on to announce major tax rebates for farmers and small traders, apart from senior citizens and women. Incidentally, the PM had come under a lot of fire after his demonetisation move disturbed the normal way of Indian life and affected one and all.

"India has undertaken a historic cleansing drive against black money. People have borne pain to vanquish the evil of corruption. There is a reason why the spirit of India can never be extinguished," the Prime Minister said.

"There will be long term benefits if banks start thinking of the welfare of people beyond their traditional customers. Banks have never had so much money in their systems ever before. Banks should start thinking about the poor, middle class and the lower-middle class. Some banks and some people were involved in serious corruption and they will not be spared."

Modi asked the political parties to shun their holierthan-thou attitude and free themselves from black money. "Political parties should not think that they are holier than thou. They need to work towards removing corruption in election funding," he said.

He, however, admitted that political parties have taken constructive steps time and again for the betterment of the country. The Prime Minister said, "Aaj aavashyakta hai ki sabhi rajneta aur rajnaitik dal rajneeti se upar uthke, milke pardarshita laaye, aur uske liye sahi kadam uthaye (The need of the hour for all politicians and parties is to rise above politics and together take the right steps to bring about transparency)."

In his address, the PM also spoke about starting a debate over holding of simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and Assemblies. This issue has been under discussion for a long time now. The Election Commission is also seized of the matter.

He said, "It is time we have a constructive debate and find a way to hold all elections across the country simultaneously and get rid of the various cycles of election."

"The banking system will be taken towards normalcy in the new year," Modi said. "All concerned people are directed to restore normalcy in the banking system, particularly in rural and far-flung areas, to end difficulties of people."

advertisement

In his 43-minute speech, Modi assured that the ruling National Democratic Alliance is a friend of the honest.

"The law will come down hard against corruption. This government is a friend of the honest and an enemy of the dishonest," he said.

"People of India were waiting for an opportunity to end this struggle against corruption.

Modi said it was unacceptable that only 24 lakh people in the country have declared that they earn over `10 lakh a year. "We all see big buildings and cars around us. In the big cities, one can find many people with more than `10 lakh income," he said.

The Prime Minister said this fight for honesty needs to be strengthened. "It is natural to discuss what will happen with the corrupt. Law will take its own course," he said.

--- ENDS ---
Antonio Guterres assumed office on January 1, 2017, as the ninth UN Secretary-General after Ban Ki-moons exit following the completion of a 10 year- tenure on December 31.

Mr. Guterres, in his maiden message as the UN Secretary-General, entitled: Appeal for Peace, urged the world to make a New Year resolution to put peace first.

On my first day as Secretary-General of the United Nations, one question weighs heavily on my heart.

How can we help the millions of people caught up in conflict, suffering massively in wars with no end in sight?

Civilians are pounded with deadly force. Women, children and men are killed and injured, forced from their homes, dispossessed and destitute. Even hospitals and aid convoys are targeted.

According to him, no one wins these wars rather, everyone loses.

Mr. Guterres pointed out that trillions of dollars were spent destroying societies and economies, fuelling cycles of mistrust and fear that can last for generations.

He regretted that whole regions were destabilised adding, the new threat of global terrorism affects us all.

On this New Years Day, I ask all of you to join me in making one shared New Years resolution: Let us resolve to put peace first.

Let us make 2017 a year in which we all  citizens, governments, leaders  strive to overcome our differences.

From solidarity and compassion in our daily lives, to dialogue and respect across political divides From ceasefires on the battlefield, to compromise at the negotiating table to reach political solutions

Peace must be our goal and our guide, the new UN scribe said.

According to him, all that we strive for as a human family  dignity and hope, progress and prosperity  depends on peace.

But peace depends on us.

I appeal to you all to join me in committing to peace, today and every day.

Let us make 2017 a year for peace, Mr. Guterres, who will arrive the UN Headquarters in New York on Tuesday for his first official working day, appealed.

The new UN chief was sworn in on Dec. 12, 2016 as the ninth Secretary-General.

Having witnessed the suffering of the most vulnerable people on earth, in refugee camps and in war zones, Mr. Guterres is determined to make human dignity the core of his work, and to serve as a peace broker, a bridge-builder and a promoter of reform and innovation.

Prior to his election as Secretary-General, he served as UN High Commissioner for Refugees from June 2005 to December 2015, heading one of the worlds foremost humanitarian organisations during some of the most serious displacement crises in decades.

The conflicts in Syria and Iraq, and the crises in South Sudan, the Central African Republic and Yemen, led to a huge rise in UNHCRs activities as the number of people displaced by conflict and persecution rose from 38 million in 2005 to over 60 million in 2015.

Before joining UNHCR, Mr. Guterres spent more than 20 years in government and public service.

He served as Prime Minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002, during which time he was heavily involved in the international effort to resolve the crisis in East Timor.

As president of the European Council in early 2000, he led the adoption of the Lisbon Agenda for growth and jobs, and co-chaired the first European Union-Africa summit.

The new secretary-general was a member of the Portuguese Council of State from 1991 to 2002.

Mr. Guterres was elected to the Portuguese Parliament in 1976 where he served as a member for 17 years.

During that time, he chaired the Parliamentary Committee for Economy, Finance and Planning, and later the Parliamentary Committee for Territorial Administration, Municipalities and Environment.

The UN scribe was also leader of his partys parliamentary group.

From 1981 to 1983, Mr. Guterres was a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, where he chaired the Committee on Demography, Migration and Refugees.

For many years, the ninth UN scribe was active in the Socialist International, a worldwide organisation of social democratic political parties.

He was the groups Vice-President from 1992 to 1999, co-chairing the African Committee and later the Development Committee, and served as President from 1999 until mid-2005.

In addition, he founded the Portuguese Refugee Council as well as the Portuguese Consumers Association DECO, and served as president of the Centro de Accao Social Universitario, an association carrying out social development projects in poor neighbourhoods of Lisbon, in the early 1970s.

The new UN chief is a member of the Club of Madrid, a leadership alliance of democratic former presidents and prime ministers from around the world.

Born in Lisbon in 1949 and graduated from the Instituto Superior Tecnico with a degree in engineering, Mr. Guterres is fluent in Portuguese, English, French and Spanish.

He is married to Catarina de Almeida, Deputy Mayor for Culture of Lisbon, and has two children, a stepson and three grandchildren.

(NAN)
By Press Trust of India: Hyderabad, Jan 1 (PTI) Police have registered over 1,500 cases of drunken driving under the three Commissionerate limits here, even as the New Year celebrations in the city passed off without any untoward incident.

Hyderabad City Traffic Police held a special drive to curb drunken driving, rash and negligent driving, overspeeding, triple seat riding on two-wheelers and booked 927 persons, including a woman for drunken driving, a release issued by the Hyderabad Police said.

advertisement

Traffic officials of Cyberabad Police Commissionerate registered 400 drunken driving cases at 17 checkposts, while traffic enforcement under Rachakonda Police Commissionerate booked 237 in a similar case.

Police had made elaborate arrangements for maintaining security and law and order during New Year celebrations.

The entire 15,000 strong police force of Hyderabad City Police supported by the RAF and Telangana State Special Police had been deployed ahead for the New Year celebrations. 100 SHE teams were also posted in the city throughout the night to take care of women safety, the release said.

Armed Interceptor Teams were deployed in all sensitive areas in Hyderabad City to prevent any incidents of violence.

A fine of Rs 4.03 lakh was collected for drunken driving and other traffic violations, the release added. PTI VVK RMT BAS

--- ENDS ---
In 1910, the Mexican people overthrew the corrupt and sclerotic dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz, who had ruled the country for decades with authoritarian rigor. Years of violence, civil war and assassinations ensued before the country stabilized under an institutional revolutionary party, which grew progressively more hierarchical and autocratic.

Outside Mexico, the revolution is remembered in large part through the mural style of Diego Rivera. It seems a colorful event, dense and teeming with people, yet rigidly choreographed, like theatrical spectacle.

But look a little closer, and Riveras stolid and statuesque rural peasants, industrial workers and revolutionary fighters dont really have much character. Their faces, if we can see them at all, are blank and expressionless, more a collection of racial and ethnographic types than actual people. And there is little in his static pageantry to suggest the violence of revolution, or much more than a caricature of the things that caused it.

An engrossing exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Paint the Revolution: Mexican Modernism, 1910-1950, includes an ample cross section of Riveras work and several iconic pieces by his wife, Frida Kahlo, who was a more emotionally searching painter. And it includes the work of the other great muralists and artists who captured the spirit of the moment  and the imagination of the world  including Jose Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqueiros.

But it goes well beyond these international art stars of the era, exploring the work of modernist artists who were not overtly political  painters who never fell into political lock step with the often ugly and parochial nationalism that was the dark side of the revolution  and movements and counter-movements of artists who looked to Europe and the wider art world for inspiration. If nothing else, this exhibition puts a face, often literally, on the human figures who gather all too obediently and orderly in the great murals of Rivera and his visually muscular confreres.

In The Labyrinth of Solitude, the Mexican poet Octavio Paz described his countrys revolution as an existential event, liberating and channeling enormous energies of self-discovery. It wasnt just a political project, and the ideology driving it was at best confused and disorganized. But there was, at least, an emergence from cultural stasis and solipsism into self-consciousness. The revolutionary explosion is a prodigious fiesta in which the Mexican, drunk with his own self, is aware at last, in a mortal embrace, of his fellow Mexican.

The art made during the period of the revolution, from the late years of the Diaz regime through the decades of efforts to institutionalize the revolution from the 1920s to 1940s, encompasses a vast range of styles and techniques.

The first rooms of the Philadelphia exhibition, which closes on Jan. 8, begin with artists struggling to create a distinctively Mexican identity while simultaneously engaging with the innovation of the leading art movements in Europe. Rivera is already a presence, and clearly a bit of sponge when it comes to the riches on offer in Paris. But the Mexican elements are superficial, often just a bit of color or spice mixed into the standard avant-garde recipe. Riveras portrait of Martin Luis Guzman, from 1915, is typical: a fluent cubist work with the brightly colored pattern of a decorative serape fitted into one of its flat, quadrilateral planes.

With the revolution, and the chaos that followed, the formation of a Mexican identity wasnt just an aesthetic project; artists struggled to take in hand the larger political definition of what it meant to be Mexican and what Mexico would become as a nation.

Among the larger tensions that organize the prodigious outpouring of creative energy during this period is one between self-discovery as psychological project and self-discovery as social or ethnographic project. With the revolution, people were seeing themselves in a new light, and seeing other people around them for the first time. So there are works such as Roberto Montenegros 1926 Maya Women, in which ethnic facial features are exaggerated and the women are arrayed against a flat background of peasant huts; and then there is the powerful self-portrait of one of the seminal figures of the revolutionary period, Gerardo Murillo, who went by the name Dr. Atl.

Murillo depicted himself with an oversize and commanding head, reminiscent of a Byzantine saint, set against a volcano in blue, a color with deep religious significance. Behind Murillos furrowed brow and intense gaze are forces waiting to erupt, psychological energies with volcanic power.

Self-discovery also led to smaller revolutions of identity, in the relations between men and women, and a new sexual liberation within urban enclaves. Two portraits from the early 1920s, one of the young painter Abraham Angel by Manuel Rodriguez Lozano, the other of Rodriguez Lozano painted by Angel, are refreshing after rooms full of often depersonalized art. The two men were lovers, and their images have a rare psychological intimacy in an exhibition often given over to stark symbolism and confrontational icons of suffering and injustice.

Angel and Rodriguez Lozano were associated with an arts group known as the Contemporaneos, who were inspired by European art trends, admired the decadence and dandyism of writers such as Andre Gide and Oscar Wilde, and sought aesthetic distinction in personal expression rather than the grand themes of political struggle and national identity.

Also appearing late in this 40-year survey of Mexican art are two animal paintings by another painter associated with the Contemporaneos, Rufino Tamayo. Both the 1942 Lion and Horse and The Mad Dog from 1943 seem at first like beasts that have wandered out of the tormented menagerie of Picassos Guernica. They are tragic images and, despite their subject matter, are very much about human suffering.

Far away from the revolution, the larger world was engaged in a brutal struggle. Mexican artists who identified strongly with the values of the revolution took up the anti-Fascist cause in posters, graphic design and paintings. But Tamayo in his animal portraits, and Rodriguez Lozano in a haunting (and hauntingly prescient) 1944 painting The Holocaust, underscored the suffering, the human dimension of the conflict and the appalling cultural toll of ideology.

These late works are powerful but lack the cultural-icon status of the more populist style cultivated by the muralists. They arent instantly recognizable as Mexican paintings, or political paintings, or revolutionary works. But one senses in them a quality easily lost in the tumult of revolution and political struggle, and a quality hardly detectable in much of the work of the muralists: the direct, spontaneous power of empathy.
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) Chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday addressed his first rally for party's campaign for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. Owaisi addressed a crowd of 5,000 people at the party's stronghold of Madanpura in south Mumbai.

Owaisi also called Modi a big mouth and said his Rs 6,000 to pregnant woman scheme is part of Food Security Act which has been in existence for years.

Hitting out at the BMC's poor performance, Owaisi highlighted the sad state of Urdu schools. Praising warrior king Shivaji, Owaisi hit out at the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance that rules BMC.

"Urdu schools don't have teachers at all and even basic infrastructure is lacking. The BMC has a budget of Rs 37,000 crore but there is no development. Had they used this budget properly, the city would have many more amenities. All Urdu schools are shutting down," Owaisi said.

"The Behram Baugh maternity hospital is shut and so are many dispensaries in Muslim localities. The Muslims aren't getting their due from the BMC and they are being ignored. I promise that the AIMIM will get funds for Muslims if it comes to power in the BMC. Muslims comprise 21 per cent of the population so at least Rs 7,770 crore must be spent on them," Owaisi added.

Owaisi said that his party wasn't against the Rs 3,600 crore Shivaji memorial. "We are not against the memorial. Many Muslims were part of Shivaji's army and administration. Making memorials is fine but what about stopping troublesome floods in the city during the monsoon. Who will stop that? Shiv Sena-BJP is creating enmity between Hindus and Muslims. We are not against any religion but we will fight for what is ours. Shivaji Maharaj was pro-poor but this government wants to dilute the atrocity act," Owaisi said.

The party won 40 seats in the recently concluded Municipal Council polls boosting its morale. MIM leaders said they were sure of winning at least 20 seats in the BMC. The AIMIM's charge is being led by firebrand legislator Waris Pathan.

"People have lost faith in parties like BJP, SP and Congress, who have been involved with nothing but scams in the city. People require facilities and despite having no corporators in the civic body, we have worked on potholes, fought to increase funds allocated for repair of dilapidated buildings and most importantly for more cemeteries in the city," Pathan said.

Pathan pointed out that their focus is to start with support from Muslim and Dalit dominated areas. According to MIM leaders, the party could bag seats in areas like Golibar, Bharat Nagar, Jogeshwari, Juhu Galli in Andheri, Malad, Behrampada and Naupada.

Pathan said that several leaders like Akhlaq Ansari from the Congress, Waseem Qureshi from the BJP and Furqan Sayed from an NGO named Sahas Foundation, had come on board.
ATLANTIC CITY  Police have identified the man whose body was found Saturday morning, and an Atlantic City man has been charged murder, acting Atlantic County Prosecutor Diane Ruberton announced.

The body of Ricky L. Ward, 52, of Delta Avenue in Atlantic City, was discovered in a trash can in the 1200 block of Adriatic Avenue near South Carolina Avenue.

Atlantic City Police and the Atlantic City Prosecutors Major Crimes Unit responded to the scene at 8:43 a.m. Ward was pronounced dead by medical personnel at the scene.

At 5:15 p.m., police arrested 64-year-old Thomas Green of the 1300 block of Atlantic Avenue, Atlantic City.

Green was subsequently charged with murder for allegedly hitting Ward in the head multiple times with stones.

Green also was charged with possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon, related to the stones.

Green was taken to the Atlantic County Justice Facility on $1 million full cash bail set by Superior Court Judge John C. Porto.

A conviction for murder carries a potential sentence of incarceration in New Jersey State Prison for a period of 30 years to life.

The Atlantic County Prosecutors Office Major Crimes Unit and the Atlantic City Police Department are continuing the investigation.
ATLANTIC CITY  The female peregrine falcon that has roosted for years at the now-closed Atlantic Club Casino Hotel has passed her breeding time at age 18, but she is still strong and feisty and helping to raise younger birds.

She and her mate successfully fostered a chick put into their nest last year, said Kathy Clark, of the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlifes Endangered and Nongame Species Program.

The story of the Atlantic Club peregrines starts in 1985, when a pair first set up housekeeping on a ledge there. That female started having chicks in 1988, said Clark, but was injured and died in 2001.

Thats when the current female took up residence there, having babies until about four years ago, when age prevented her from having any more.

What is unusual is she is still there, a good parent and a fierce defender, said Clark. And she still has a mate.

So Clark put three fake eggs on her nest last spring, then brought in a two-week-old chick from a nest where there were four hatchlings, which is a high number for any pair to feed.

The female responded as though she had laid the eggs and hatched the chick herself.

The buildings avian tenants have remained steady as the casinos name changed from Golden Nugget to Ballys Grand to the Atlantic City Hilton Casino Resort to ACH to the Atlantic Club, which closed in January 2014.

The Atlantic Club pair are part of a successful statewide reintroduction of the bird, which had become extinct east of the Mississippi River by 1964 as a result of the use of the pesticide DDT. The chemical damaged the birds eggs.

Reintroduced in the 1980s, the peregrine population has been stable since 2000 at between 20 and 24 pairs. In 2016, there were 23 known pairs in the state, according to a recent report by the Department of Environmental Protection.

Once the casino closed in 2014, and the bustle inside the building stopped, the male and female became much calmer, Clark said. They sat where they nested on the ledge outside the butlers kitchen in the penthouse, paying no attention to visitors.

But their old fighting spirit returned.

Christmas Bird Count shows trends in avian numbers Hundreds of birders  mostly amateurs with a deep knowledge of identifying species on the wi

She did get to be her usual, aggressive self after I gave her the fake eggs, and more so after the chick, said Clark.

Clark said she had to open the door after leaving the chick to retrieve a towel from the nest area.

She was attacking me, said Clark. I said, Wait a minute. I just gave you that chick, Im not going to take it. But its instinctual.

Females generally stop being able to reproduce at about age 15 or 16, Clark said.

Statewide, the falcons had average nest success and productivity this year, according to the DEP, doing best when nesting on towers and buildings, with less success in nests on bridges or natural cliff sites.

Nest success across all types of sites was 67 percent and an average of 1.57 young were produced per active site, said the DEP. But at natural sites on cliffs, the productivity rate was just 1.14 per site.

Peregrines first started nesting again on cliffs in the Palisades along the Hudson River in 2003, according to the DEP.

There are several reasons why natural cliff ledges can be more dangerous, Clark said, including predation by great horned owls. The large owls frequent natural areas more than the highly urbanized areas where peregrines nest on tall buildings.

Another problem is storm runoff from roads atop cliffs.

A good nest ledge will include overhead protection. But the number of good ledges in the Palisades is very limited, Clark said.

She hopes the birds will learn to choose better locations.

The Atlantic Club birds arent the only pair of peregrines in Atlantic City.

Another pair have been spotted atop one of the citys water towers in the north end. The contractor who painted the tower this year voluntarily built a nest box for them.

They had been using a space that was too small for the past few years.

The chicks didnt have enough space to flap their wings. They would usually land in the parking lot, said Clark. They had enough feathering they would float down without getting hurt but couldnt get back up again.

Neighbors would call her and she would go pick up the chicks, she said.

Life can be tough for peregrines. The typical turnover rate in most nest sites has been about five years.

Either they get out-competed by a younger bird or injured and die, she said. They live so hard and fast, any injury is not going to be good for them.
CAPE MAY  The city officially has a new mayor.

Clarence Chuck Lear was sworn in as mayor during the citys reorganization meeting Sunday, greeted by loud cheers and a standing ovation inside a packed City Hall.

Lear, who in November defeated longtime Mayor Ed Mahaney in a controversial race, called the ceremony a humbling experience during his first State of the City address.

Lear said he is eager to get to work on the issues residents brought to him during the campaign, including beach safety.

One of the City Councils first actions of the year was to approve a beach safety advisory committee.

The slope of the citys beaches, caused in part by beach replenishment projects, has been criticized by some residents as potentially causing injuries to swimmers.

Resident Dennis de Satnick, whose son Chad suffered a serious spinal cord injury in 2001, got emotional as the City Council on Sunday approved the creation of a beach safety advisory committee.

He will sit on the committee as a business community representative and a resident.

Its very satisfying to see this happen, de Satnick said after the meeting. We expect the (committee) meetings to be open to the public and we will be working with schools, hospitals and hopefully the Army Corps of Engineers.

Lear said the committee will be tasked to reach out to state and federal legislators to help with the slope of the beaches.

We appreciate all the work they (legislators) have done with replenishment projects, he said. But wed like to say to them, Hey, can you consider us for a demonstration project? because we think we have an issue with surf zone injuries here.

Lear hopes legislators can be convinced to fund a demonstration project to correct the steep slopes in the surf.

Meanwhile, the controversy surrounding former police Chief Robert Sheehans demotion continues to linger.

Lear, who spent 37 years at the Police Department, was in the middle of the controversy that led to the demotion of Sheehan after a city probe concluded he took compensatory time under the chiefs watch.

The Cape May County Prosecutors Office cleared Lear of that accusation, saying it was not sustained by the preponderance of the evidence.

Sheehan is suing to get his job back, and Lear said he will let that play out in the court system.

The courts have it, they will deal with it, he said. With our new solicitor, we will certainly try to see if there is a solution to lessen the impacts to the taxpayers here.

The new mayor also hopes to have a new city manager hired within the next six months.

Former City Manager Bruce MacLeod stepped down after his contract expired Saturday.

The council approved the creation of a search committee during Sundays meeting.

Were not going to rush it, Lear said. We will find the right person for here.
Local New Years Day polar plunges in the region had record crowds Sunday thanks to sunny skies and mild temperatures.

This is the largest crowd Ive ever seen, said Michael Hartman, who helps plan special events for Ocean City.

Bill Elliott, co-founder of the HERO Campaign, which sponsored the annual First Dip, estimated that 1,000 plungers made their way into the Atlantic Ocean. He guessed that at least 5,000 came out to watch the spectacle.

Temperatures hovered in the mid-50s and the sun was shining brightly Sunday afternoon.

At the Ventnor City Polar Bear Plunge, it looked like a summer afternoon on the beach as hundreds of people arrived pulling a wagon behind them with warm clothes and hot drinks.

Mike Wiesen, 59, the organizer of the Ventnors polar plunge, said the turnout was on par with last years, with most people watching and not plunging.

Everyone who does it is nuts, including me, said Wiesen, a Ventnor resident and co-owner of AAAA Bike Shop in Ventnor.

People showed up in Santa Claus outfits and wearing New Years Eve party hats from the night before. Plungers ranged in age from children to seniors. Some went into the water and quickly came flying back out. Others went in multiple times.

Jacob Lehman, 16, of Unionville, Pennsylvania, did his first polar bear plunge Sunday. He figured the cold weather would help his knee as he recovered from a high school wrestling injury.

It was pretty cold, said Lehman about the water. I would do it again.

In Ocean City, excitement mounted before the start of the dip as participants began to gather onto the sand at Eighth Street, towels in hand.

Mike Oehlert, 49, of Royersford, Pennsylvania, was taking the dip for the eighth time.

The first year we saw it and said, I could do that, and kept coming back, said Oehlert, donning a Seussian-style Santa hat.

This year, Oehlert brought along his wife, daughter and his daughters boyfriend.

Raine Giercyk of Linwood also had gathered a small group of friends to plunge Sunday.

This is our first trip to the plunge and its (on) our bucket list, Giercyk said, flanked by Christina Stancil and Casey Shows of Accokeek, Maryland, and Jan Giercyk of Vineland.

The ladies were dressed as divas they said, and were eager for their first First Dip. Stancil and Shows drove up from Maryland the night before just for the occasion.

I said a prayer that I didnt have a heart attack after, laughed Jan Giercyk.

Danielle Eland, 20, of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, ran out of the 40-degree water and into a towel, greeted by her dog, Tesla.

Her first plunge, Eland said it was a unique way to start off the new year.

It was so much fun, she said, laughing. Its cold, but you just feel really good.

In addition to First Dip, Ocean City also hosted its annual First Run 5K on the Boardwalk.
The imprisonment of convicted criminals attempts to balance punishment for their crimes with conditions conducive to their return to law-abiding lives. Correctional policies and practices have evolved considerably, based on experience and understanding, with consideration for all involved.

Such improvements are the work of experts and representatives of prisoners, guards and government agencies. But in New Jersey, its an occasion for politics, too.

The current squabble is regarding whether the state needs legislation to prohibit what is called solitary confinement. A Democratic leader and party fellows in the Legislature think it does; the Republican governor thinks it doesnt. We think its almost certain the answer is somewhere in the middle.

For starters, theres a reason those words are in quotes. The popular notion of solitary confinement, familiar from movies and TV, is of a prisoner kept alone in a bare cell. Thats history. The dispute now is over restrictive housing  for example, occupying a cell with just one or a couple of other prisoners for too many hours of the day.

State Sen. Raymond Lesniaks bill, passed by Legislature votes along party lines, would define isolated confinement as severely restricted activity, movement and social interaction alone or with other inmates for 20 hours or more per day. Much seems to depend how those words are interpreted, since prison itself severely restricts movement, activity and socializing.

The bill would ban the use of restrictive housing for inmates who are 55 and older, younger than 21  and in adult prisons, since its already banned from juvenile detention facilities  who are pregnant or have mental health or developmental disabilities. It would also require a prior physical and mental health exam, not just an administrative hearing.

Gov. Chris Christie, in vetoing the bill, said the state already eliminated punitive confinement during his administration and doesnt isolate inmates.

The state Department of Corrections has said 1,258 inmates (out of a total of about 20,000 inmates) are in restrictive housing, for such reasons as management control, administrative segregation, and protective and temporary close custody. Thats down from 1,604 two years ago. Such inmates still can participate in programs, recreation, visits and phone calls.

The department said it follows the recommendations of the American Correctional Association and the Association of State Correctional Administrators.

This doesnt seem to be an area in which New Jersey is lagging far behind best practices established in other states.

The Democrats bill would please interest groups such as ACLU-NJ and Amnesty International, which is fine, but there are many other interests involved, including those of correctional officers, administrators, and state citizens and taxpayers.

We expect that correctional reform will continue, but we would like to see more evidence that it recognizes the needs and goals of all stakeholders.

We dont see any reason the administration of justice for lawbreakers should be a political matter. Any worthy changes should be the product of a deliberate, thorough process that merits bipartisan support.
Plan needed on fentanyl

Regarding the Dec. 16 story, NJs opiod epidemic:

The often deadly synthetic fentanyl is coming from China. The key ingredients used to make synthetic fentanyl are unregulated in China or by United Nations conventions that police the global drug trade.

The real dilemma is China laboratories are constantly tweaking the fentanyl formula to create a new analog, which first must go through an FDA review before being listed on the U.S. governments list of controlled substances.

The Chinese laboratories are always one step ahead of the regulators, selling their new tweaked fentanyl. Also, ingredients and equipment to manufacture synthetic fentanyl are available online.

It only takes a few micrograms of fentanyl to cause a fatal overdose.

Washington must expedite a plan to prevent anyone else losing a loved one.

Nanci Skroski

Smithville

Notices belong in papers

Im grateful for the newspapers coverage of the attempt to allow municipalities to post legal notices on their websites, rather than publicly publish them in a community newspaper.

I have seen more fake items on the internet recently than true information. When I hold a printed newspaper in my hands, I know my fellow residents also see what I am holding. Also, not everyone is wired, or computer literate.

Newspapers have been used since the nation was born. It is not yet time to discard this proven practice.

Jack Kammer

Cape May

N.J. leaders self-serving

Its time to wake up here in New Jersey. Look at the governor and the Legislature conniving to give out raises and letting the governor write a book while still in office.

Shame on them and shame on us for continuing to elect the same thieves over and over. We can only count on these career politicians to take care of themselves while they sink the rest us.

Enough is enough. At the first opportunity, vote them all out.

Tom Depko

Atlantic City

Wonders about Trump

During the 1960 presidential campaign, the Democrats ran an advertisement featuring a photo of an unshaven Richard Nixon with a caption that read, Would you buy a used car from this man?

Im wondering if President-elect Donald Trump means what he says or is only a-twitter.

Ed Dean

Somers Point
By Press Trust of India: Islamabad, Jan 1 (PTI) Pakistan today said Indias bid at the UN to ban Masood Azhar was "politically motivated" and "replete with frivolous information", two days after its close ally China blocked the proposal to get the JeM chief and Pathankot attack mastermind listed as a global terrorist.

Responding to reports on India failing to put Azhar on the United Nations Security Councils 1267 Sanctions Committee, Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said, "The 1267 Sanctions Committee related to ISIS/Al-Qaeda has rejected a politically motivated proposal by India. Replete with frivolous information and baseless allegations, the Indian proposal had no merit and was primarily aimed at advancing its narrow national agenda.

advertisement

"The dismissal of this proposal is also a rejection of the Indian attempts to politicise and undermine the work of this important Committee of the Security Council," he said.

"While claiming to denounce terrorism, India has in fact deployed terrorism as an instrument of state policy, and has itself been involved in perpetrating, sponsoring, supporting, and financing terrorism," Zakaria said in a statement.

"The arrest of Kulbhushan Jadhav, a RAW agent and serving officer of Indian navy, and his confession about involvement in terrorist activities aimed at destabilising Pakistan and killing or maiming of Pakistani citizens, is yet another proof of Indian sponsored terrorism in Pakistan."

"With such duplicitous behaviour and blood on its hands", India has little credibility on counter-terrorism, he claimed.

The spokesperson said that in the coming days, Pakistan will share with the United Nations and members of the international community "additional evidence of Indian involvement in terrorism in Pakistan".

"It is clear that Indias unfounded allegations against Pakistan are in fact aimed at masking its own terrorist activities in Pakistan, as well as diverting the attention of the international community from the grave violations of human rights and state sponsored terrorism perpetrated by the Indian occupying forces in Kashmir," the statement said.

"Pakistan has made significant contribution and rendered enormous sacrifices in the success of the international community?s counter-terrorism efforts. We are deeply committed to this common cause and look forward to continuing close cooperation with the international community in this collective endeavour," the statement said.

China had blocked Indias proposal to get Pakistan-based Azhar listed as global terrorist by the UN, citing lack of "consensus" on the issue.

In last nine months, China has twice put technical hold on listing Azhar as designated terrorist that would have forced imposition of asset freeze and travel ban on him by countries including Pakistan. PTI NSA AKJ NSA

--- ENDS ---
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.




OAKVILLE,ON, Jan. 1, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp. ("APUC") (TSX: AQN, NYSE: AQN) announced today that a subsidiary of Liberty Utilities Co. ("Liberty Utilities"), APUC's wholly-owned regulated utility business, successfully completed its acquisition of The Empire District Electric Company ("Empire") for an aggregate purchase price of approximately Cdn$3.2 billion (the "Transaction"). Empire is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Liberty Utilities and will cease to be a publicly-held corporation.

With the closing of the Transaction, APUC has materially expanded its utility operations in the United States. APUC, through its 2,200 employees, now serves over 782,000 electric, gas, and water customers within its regulated utility business, and APUC's portfolio of power generating facilities now contains both regulated and non-regulated power facilities with a total capacity of over 2,500 MW.

"Empire is highly complementary to the scope of our current operations, brings valuable scale to our existing utility business, and adds further support to our annual dividend growth target of 10% through significant accretion to per share cash flows and earnings," said Ian Robertson, Chief Executive Officer of APUC. "The APUC and Empire teams have worked diligently to successfully bring our companies together, and we are excited about the many opportunities that our newly expanded platform brings to our growth prospects in North America."

As previously announced, Empire's shareholders will receive US$34.00 per common share which, including the assumption of approximately US$0.8 billion of debt at closing, represents an aggregate purchase price of approximately US$2.3 billion (Cdn$3.2 billion).

As a result of the closing, Empire's common stock is being delisted from the New York Stock Exchange. Empire shareholders will be provided with instructions on how to receive the merger consideration for their shares by Wells Fargo, in its capacity as paying agent for the transaction.

APUC will issue shortly a final instalment notice (the "Final Instalment Notice") notifying holders of its 5% convertible unsecured subordinated debentures ("Debentures") represented by instalment receipts of the date for payment of the final instalment (the "Final Instalment Date"), which shall not be less than 15 days nor more than 90 days following the date of such notice in accordance with the terms of the instalment receipts. Additional details will be set out in the Final Instalment Notice regarding, among other things, the right of holders of Debentures who have paid the final instalment to receive a make-whole payment and to convert their Debentures into APUC common shares.

About Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp.

APUC is a North American diversified generation, transmission and distribution utility with $10 billion of total assets. The distribution business group provides rate regulated water, electricity and natural gas utility services to over 782,000 customers in the United States. The generation business group owns a portfolio of regulated and long term contracted North American based wind, solar, hydroelectric and thermal powered generating facilities representing more than 2,500 MW of installed capacity. The transmission business group invests in rate regulated electric transmission and natural gas pipeline systems in the United States and Canada. APUC delivers continuing growth through an expanding pipeline of renewable energy development projects, organic growth within its regulated distribution and transmission businesses, and the pursuit of accretive acquisitions. Common shares, preferred shares, and instalment receipts are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbols AQN, AQN.PR.A, AQN.PR.D, and AQN.IR. APUC's common shares are also listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AQN. Visit APUC at www.AlgonquinPowerandUtilities.com and follow us on Twitter @AQN_Utilities.

Information Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements included in this news release contain information that is forward-looking within the meaning of certain securities laws, including information and statements regarding expected benefits from the Transaction and the issuance of the final instalment notice. These statements are based on factors or assumptions that were applied in drawing a conclusion or making a forecast or projection, including assumptions based on historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments. Since forward-looking statements relate to future events and conditions, by their very nature they require making assumptions and involve inherent risks and uncertainties. APUC cautions that although it is believed that the assumptions are reasonable in the circumstances, these risks and uncertainties give rise to the possibility that actual results may differ materially from the expectations set out in the forward-looking statements. Material risk factors include those set out in the management's discussion and analysis section of APUC's most recent annual report, quarterly report, and APUC's Annual Information Form. Given these risks, undue reliance should not be placed on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of their dates. Other than as specifically required by law, APUC undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements or information to reflect new information, subsequent or otherwise.

SOURCE Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp.

Related Links

http://www.algonquinpower.com


BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Jan. 1, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Morgan & Morgan, one of the largest plaintiffs' firms in the country, is pleased to announce the opening of our Birmingham office.

For decades we've fought for the people, taking on insurance companies and negligent medical providers, and getting workers' compensation benefits for injured employees. We've also represented clients in other lawsuits, such as those involving labor and employment, consumer protection, mass torts, and class actions. In 2016 alone, we've recovered $1 billion for our clients nationwide.

Morgan & Morgan attorney Alex Brown will be the managing partner in Birmingham. Brown brings to Birmingham a familiarity with Alabama, having attended the University of Alabama for undergrad and law school.

"We are extremely excited about opening our new location in Birmingham," Brown said. "The addition of an office here allows our firm to more effectively serve citizens throughout the state."

Morgan & Morgan also operates in Alabama out of Mobile, and both Alabama offices have the support of more than 300 attorneys and over 1,500 other employees in 10 states. The broad resources will allow the firm to effectively advocate for the people, not the powerful.

"Our firm has the experience and resources to take on any case, no matter the size, and we look forward to bringing our commitment to justice to Birmingham," Brown said.

Morgan & Morgan is a premier personal injury law firm, providing legal services to clients in Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Arkansas, and Alabama. Our Birmingham office is now accepting clients.

For more information on the law firm and the Birmingham office, contact:

Morgan & Morgan

2031 2nd Avenue North

Birmingham, AL 35203

(205) 517-6900

www.forthepeople.com/birmingham

SOURCE Morgan & Morgan

Related Links

http://www.forthepeople.com/birmingham


In early November, a team of expert pediatric surgeons and specialists from Le Bonheur Children's Hospital performed an 18-hour surgery to separate the conjoined twin girls who were fused together at the lower body. The life-saving surgery consisted of over 20 expert pediatric surgeons and specialists. With the 55" (140 cm) of unobstructed imaging the Insite  offers, the doctors were able to identify the intricacies of the life-threatening condition known as ischiopagus. This table is dedicated to giving surgeons better imaging access to their patients during many complex and complicated procedures. The Insite  is equipped with a radiolucent, cantilevered frame and customizable positioning pads and components making it the choice of many surgical experts from various fields.

Miracle and Testimony Ayeni were born over a year ago in Enugu State, Nigeria. With the help of the Nigerian-based Linking Hands Foundation (LHF), the twins were referred to the Le Bonheur Children's Hospital. LHF is an inter-denominational organization that focuses on children's education, health, and values. "The successful operation of the twins was a proud moment for Mizuho OSI," said Greg Neukirch, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "Our specialty operating tables make it possible for patients to have shorter hospital stays, improved outcomes, and faster recovery. Everyone at Mizuho OSI was excited that our surgical table played a role in helping ensure a successful operation and that the twin girls would have the best possible outcome for healthy lives," Neukirch stated.

Today the twins are receiving rehabilitation therapy and will soon be reunited with their family in Nigeria.

About Mizuho OSI

Mizuho OSI is a U.S.-based company and the leader in the markets for specialty surgery and patient positioning. The company's portfolio includes specialty surgical tables for procedure-specific approaches that improve patient outcomes in spine and orthopedic surgeries and a range of general surgical tables along with disposable and reusable surgical patient care products. Through its subsidiary, Trilux Medical, the company provides and manufactures surgical lights, surgical pendants, operating room patient integration, video management systems, and turn-key operating room solutions. These advanced systems allow Mizuho OSI to provide a complete operating room solution. At this time, Mizuho OSI products are sold direct in the U.S. and Trilux Medical products and solutions are sold direct in Germany and Japan. Both companies sell their products and solutions worldwide through authorized international distributors. Mizuho OSI is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mizuho Ikakogyo Co., Ltd. located in Tokyo, Japan, and is the leading surgical table manufacturer in Asia. More information is available at www.mizuhosi.com.

SOURCE Mizuho OSI

Related Links

http://www.mizuhosi.com


Istanbul, Jan 1 : At least two persons were killed and many were wounded in an attack on a nightclub in Istanbul on Sunday morning, reports said.

Abdullah Agar, a security analyst, told Xinhua news agency that one police officer and a civilian died in the attack, which took place in the Reina nightclub, in the Ortakoy area, at about 01:30 local time (23:30 GMT).

While Turkey's NTV said around 20 to 30 people may have been wounded, Agar put the number of injured at 40 to 60.

The channel says two attackers were involved, while CNN Turk reported they were dressed in Santa costumes.

Another eyewitness said he saw four bodies lying on the ground. Witnesses also reported about an explosion.

Unconfirmed reports say one attacker may still be inside, BBC reported.

Istanbul had been on high alert for any terror attacks, with some 17,000 police officers on duty in the city.

There were reportedly several hundred people in the nightclub at the time.
By Press Trust of India: Guwahati, Jan 1 (PTI) Stating that Prime Minister NarendraModi was riding a tiger that he cant afford to deboard now,former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi today said India wasgoing through an economic crisis and people have lost trust inthe financial system.

"Modi is now riding a tiger and he cant even deboard. Initially, he said normalcy will return in three days, then 50 days and now he does not say anything," Gogoi said.

advertisement

"When will normalcy return? Never in Indias history, suchrestrictions or rationing of my own resources took place," hetold reporters here.

He expressed anguish over the fact that "Modi still cannot say when normalcy will return and the clouds will be cleared" even though the country has been passing through uncertainty and "this is the danger".

The former chief minister said an economic crisis was going on and only the Centre was to be blamed for this lack of planning and the whimsical decision of Narendra Modi.

"The problem is that trust in Indian financial system is lost. More than 60 changes in rules in 50 days! I have never seen this. People have doubted the office of the prime minister. This is not good for the country," he said.

Talking about the prime ministers address to the nation last evening, the veteran Congress leader said Modis speech was an election gimmick. "Was it a Budget speech or what? Why is he playing the role of the finance minister? Everyone is suffering," he said.

"So far 105 people have died. Who is responsible for that? No comments on that," Gogoi said.

The former chief minister said BJP had promised a corruption-free government and that was their slogan against Congress with the BJP and its allies coming to power two and half years ago with this.

"But till now, we are only hearing the slogan that they will end corruption. Now they say only demonetisation will solve corruption. This is nothing but a diversionary tactic. They continue to say that black marketeers will be punished, but the question is when" Gogoi said.

Talking about demonetisation impact on Assam, Gogoi said the state was likely to lose Rs 1,000 crore revenue.

He said "due to demonetisation, Assam is likely to lose nearly 12 per cent revenue till March 2017. There is a decrease in sale of goods up to 20 per cent. The excise may lose Rs 100 crore of tax revenue, while it is likely to be a dip of 10-12 per cent for transport department.

advertisement

"The effect on Assam will be more as we are an agrarian state. The impact of demonetisation on daily labourers, farmers and small industry workers is huge." PTI TR PR ABH KKB

--- ENDS ---
Los Angeles, Jan 1 : Actor Olivier Martinez is reportedly disappointed as his relationship with actress Halle Berry has officially ended.

The former couple's divorce got finalised last week.

"He always hoped that they could work things out. He never expected to be divorced," a source told people.com.

"He and Halle always had a very passionate relationship. There was a lot of arguing, but also a lot of love," the source added.

Martinez has chosen to continue living in Los Angeles and take on smaller film projects so he can still be with his son Maceo.

The source said: "He loves being a dad. Olivier will continue to live in (Los Angeles) so he can spend as much time with his son.

"He has been working, but only on smaller projects. Olivier doesn't want to do bigger projects that will keep him out of Los Angeles for a long time."
Washington, Jan 1 : US politician Chris Corley was arrested on felony charges of domestic-violence after the children of the South Carolina lawmaker could be heard screaming "just stop, dad" on a 911 recording.

The Aiken County Sheriff's Office arrested Corley on December 27 after police said he hit his 37-year-old wife and pointed a gun at her, before threatening to kill himself, the Aiken Standard newspaper reported.

It was the first 911 phone call Aiken city dispatch received on December 26 from Corley's home. "Please stop it. Just stop. Just stop... Dad, please stop," said the 911 audio recording released on Friday.

"Please stop. Stop. Please stop, Chris. Just stop daddy, just stop. Chris, please stop. Daddy. Please help. Please Chris. Chris."

After several attempts to get the Republican representative's wife on the phone, the dispatcher called Aiken county dispatch, saying: "I had a caller, sounded like children screaming for help and begging for their father to stop."

A second 911 phone call was made to Aiken county dispatch by a female family member who lives across the street.

"There's a man threatening to kill himself," the woman told dispatch. "He hit his wife ... and he's threatening to kill himself. He has a weapon. Yes he does. It's a gun."

Corley was released on a $20,000 bond and could face up to 15 years in jail if convicted of both charges.

The 36-year-old lawmaker, in the presence of an eight-year-old child, caused "physical harm and injury" to his wife, by "striking her about the head and face with a closed fist" and threatening to kill her, "pointing a handgun at the victim causing her to fear for her life".

Corley's wife said he was "caught cheating". According to her, he only stopped assaulting her because he heard kids screaming and noticed blood coming from her head.

According to Corley, he and his wife were arguing because she thought he was cheating on her. He said his wife attempted to strike him in the face with her fist, where he then pushed her off of him.

The controversial attorney made headlines in 2015 for his efforts to keep the Confederate flag flying outside the South Carolina state house.

The flag was removed in July 2015 after the massacre of nine people in a black church in Charleston by white supremacist Dylann Roof.

During a debate on the issue last year Corley suggested that the Confederate flag should be replaced with the white flag of surrender.

Corley supported South Carolina's domestic violence bill signed into law in 2015, which includes a partial gun ban.
Lucknow, Jan 1 : Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav was on Sunday proposed as the new National Working President of the ruling Samajwadi Party at a meeting called by his supporters.

Senior party leader Ramgopal Yadav made the declaration amid a roar of approval at the meeting attended by thousands of party activists and many legislators.

Ramgopal Yadav also proposed to the gathering that party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav be the "Marg Darshak" of the Samajwadi Party and announced the expulsion of Amar Singh, a Mulayam confidant.
New Delhi, Jan 1 : Two events in the last fortnight brought into sharp focus the changing threat perception on terrorism that global security forces are now grappling with -- lone-wolf attacks.

On December 19, the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, was shot dead in front of television cameras by Mevlut Mert Altintas, an off-duty Turkish riot policeman, who was protesting against Russian action in Syria. The same day, a man ploughed a lorry into a Christmas market crowd in Berlin leaving 12 dead.

The attacks were carried out by "lone-wolf" perpetrators or self-driven attackers without any organisational backing or affiliation.

The Berlin attack was the second one in which a truck had been used as a deadly weapon by an individual. On July 14, a person drove a truck into a Bastille Day crowd in Nice, France, killing 86 people.

Four days later, an Afghan asylum seeker stabbed five people on a train near WArzburg, Germany. On July 24, a Syrian refugee blew himself up outside a music festival in the German city of Ansbach, wounding 15 people.

Individuals acting on their own, but inspired by a common religious ideology, have emerged as a new trend in extremist violence.

"Lone wolf attacks will continue as these are the easiest to execute and most difficult to monitor in terms of intelligence," Lt. Gen. (retd) Ata Hasnain, former commander of Srinagar-based 15 Corps and a leading expert on terrorism, told IANS.

The possibility of stopping any attack by any individual, who is not on the watch list of intelligence agencies and who does not use traditional weapons and explosives, is very low.

Although an angry German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, said after the Berlin truck attack that the "unspeakable event will be severely punished", it's not an easy task. Often, the attacker is dead: There is no ring to be wound up or other members to be arrested or any conspiracy to be discovered.

Many of the lone-wolf attackers in Europe have expressed their allegiance to Daesh or Islamic State (IS) which has been using the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Syria to motivate Muslims across the world. The group, which has used extreme violence to shake up the Western world through its gruesome videos of beheadings, has encouraged young Muslims to carry out attacks in Europe through whatever means they can.

"Since most migrants from Syria to Europe and the US are Muslims, it is inevitable that they will carry some Islamist ideas that will come into conflict with the values of host countries," Tufail Ahmad, former BBC journalist and Executive Director of the Open Source Institute and an expert on extremist ideologies, told IANS.

"There is a risk that such migrants may be radicalised by Islamic clerics in European mosques or Arabic-language literature that they are able to read," Ahmad added.

Simultaneously, there has been a rise in radicalisation among the second-generation migrant Muslim population of Europe.

Extremism among migrants, says Lt. Gen. Hasnain, "will lead to a greater stand-off between the second/third generation migrants, whose parents arrived as workers, and the locals. The terror attacks have all been by these elements now under the influence of Daesh or IS and networked in a larger mesh of interest groups, all radically oriented."

Even if the Western world gives asylum or material benefits, "the anger and hatred towards Europe and the US can't be reduced. The Muslim world is of the opinion that Western powers have created designer states to create proxies and divide the Muslim world to suit their strategic interests," Brig. (retd) Narendra Kumar, another expert on counter-terrorism, told IANS.

His contention is that acts of terror in Europe were a way of taking "the battle to the European homeland and make the so-called evil empires pay for the crime the European powers have committed against Muslims, especially of West Asia". Efforts to integrate Muslim migrants have not fetched results, he adds.

The immigrant crisis in Europe has also given rise to a number of right-wing nationalist parties which are making substantial electoral gains and are demanding immigration control as well as restrictive movement across the border, which in turn ends up spreading Islamic radicalisation further.

Ahmad says European understanding of radical Islam or even Jihad is often flawed. "The common mistake made by the Western countries is that they think of religion and politics as two different things. (Muslims) are taught right from childhood to think of Islam as a complete way of life," he says.

"Islam," he adds, "is also a system of government that is now engaged in a conflict with democracy which is the accepted form of government for our age."

Even though radical Islamist ideas get a fillip from the war in in the Middle East, will these go away if peace were to return to the region?

"The problem of radicalism will remain in European cities where we are seeing the emergence of isolated enclaves of Muslim populations which live by their own Sharia-based legal system and do not approach the local police and legal authorities to resolve disputes between Muslims," Ahmad said.

Lt. Gen. Hasnain says that the solution to ending radicalisation lies within the larger Muslim community. "Unless the churning within Islam comes to rest through a final understanding between the various sects of Islam, and proxy games for political power end," it will continue.

The Islamic State, says Brig. Kumar, may be defeated and neutralised, but the entity as a terror organisation would continue to remain active for some time. "Rather, after the defeat of IS, it is likely to be more active since they have the reach of the European heartland now," he says, adding: "The worst is yet to come on both sides."

(Rohit Srivastava can be contacted at Rohit.s@ians.in)
New Delhi, Jan 1 : India and Pakistan on Sunday exchanged lists of their nuclear installations and facilities.

"This is the 26th consecutive exchange of such lists between the two countries, the first one having taken place on January 1, 1992," the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

The agreement on the Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear Installations between India and Pakistan was signed on December 31, 1988 and entered into force on January 27, 1991.

Since then, the two countries inform each other of nuclear installations and facilities to be covered under the agreement on every January 1.

Both countries also exchanged lists of nationals (including civilian prisoners and fishermen) of each country lodged in jails of the other one.

"India remains committed to addressing with Pakistan on priority the humanitarian matters, including those pertaining to prisoners and fishermen in each other's country," the statement said.

"In this context, we await from Pakistan confirmation of nationality of those in India's custody who are otherwise eligible for release and repatriation," it said.
Bujumbura, Jan 1 : Burundian Environment Minister Emmanuel Niyonkuru was shot dead by a gunman on Sunday in the capital city of Bujumbura, the police said.

Three persons, including two watchmen and a woman, have been arrested in connection with the killing, Xinhua news agency reported.

Burundian police spokesman Pierre Nkurikiye said that the arrested woman was in the same car driven by the slain minister.

"Early investigations reveal that the killer was in the same car driven by the minister. This means that either it is the woman who shot dead the minister, or she knows who killed him because they were in the same car," said Nkurikiye.

He added that the 54-year-old minister was killed in front of his house after leaving the bar known as "Chez Andre" in Rohero neighbourhood.

"Some people at Bar Chez Andre will also be arrested for their alleged involvement in the assassination of the minister," Nkurikiye added.

Born at Rutegama in Burundi's Muramvya province, Emmanuel Niyonkuru was an economist and was the minister for water, environment and territory planning since August 2015.
London, Jan 1 : Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom would not be attending the New Year's Day service in Norfolk, eastern England, as she was still recovering from a heavy cold, Buckingham Palace said on Sunday.

The Queen, 90, also was unable to attend the Christmas Day service at the St. Mary Magdalene Church near her Sandringham residence due to her illness, Efe news agency reported.

The Palace said the royal was still suffering from cold symptoms and so had decided she would not be attending the service along with other members of the royal family.

Despite the state of her health, the Queen did attend private family Christmas celebrations in Sandringham, where the British royal family traditionally gets together for festive celebrations, the media reported.

The Queen and her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, 95, arrived at Sandringham a day later than planned as they were suffering from heavy colds.

Buckingham Palace recently said the Queen would cease being the patron of more than 20 charity organisations before her 91st birthday on April 21.
Rohtak, Jan 1 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a shoe attack on him here in Haryana.

A young man hurled a shoe at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader as he was addressing a rally. It hit an edge of the stage but fell short of Kejriwal who was speaking against demonetisation.

AAP activists immediately pounced on the attacker but Kejriwal repeatedly urged everyone to spare him.

"I have again and again said that Modi is a coward," the AAP leader thundered amid the commotion. "Today his supporter hurled a shoe at me. Modi doesn't have the guts to face us straight. He sends his agents."

Later, Kejriwal tweeted: "Modiji, we can also do this but our cultural values don't permit us to do this.

"I will keep on exposing the truth behind demonetisation scam and the Sahara-Birla bribery despite your CBI raid (on my minister) or shoe attack on me."
New Delhi, Jan 1 : A Station House Officer and four other policemen have been suspended for allegedly hushing up a "suicide" of an accused in the station premises here, a senior police officer said on Sunday.

According to the officer, Som Lal was called by police to the Adarsh Nagar police station in north Delhi for questioning on December 28 in a case. Seemingly fearing police interrogation and arrest, he went to fourth floor of the building and jumped off to his death.

The SHO, an Assistant Sub-Inspector and three constables feared that departmental action might be taken against them for the death of a man in police custody and dumped his body in a park near the police station, he said.

However, some locals and relatives of Som Lal complained to Deputy Commissioner of Police, Milind Mahadeo Dumbere who initiated a departmental inquiry, which found the five policemen involved in the death as well as hushing up the matter.

They were consequently suspended from duty, the officer said, adding that strict administrative and legal action will be taken against them.
Kolkata : Kolkata Jan 1 (IANS) Trinamool Congress will keep fighting against the Central government's "atrocities" till it become a major force at the central level, party Vice President Mukul Roy said on Sunday.

"Trinamool Congress will keep fighting against the atrocities of the Central government until it becomes a major force at the centre," Roy told the reporters on a programme celebrating the 19th foundation day of the party.

"As our supremo Mamata Banerjee had opposed the centre's decision of demonetisation, vendetta politics will intensify in the coming days. But this cannot restrain us from opposing the anti-people decision.

"Our party will not stop until and unless we play a decisive role in national politics in the coming days. In 2019, TMC will play a major role in government formation by uniting opposition forces," he added.

The announcement came at the time when Trinamool MP Tapas Paul was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation for his alleged involvement in the Rose Valley chit fund scam.

The West Bengal ruling party repeatedly alleged the central government of doing "vendetta politics" for their protest against central government's demonetisation move.
By PTI: Jan 4: Siddaramaiah

New Delhi, Dec 30 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured a decision on release of Rs 4,702 crore drought relief to Karnataka for kharif crop loss in 2016 will be taken on January 4, State Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today said.

An all-party delegation led by Siddaramaiah today called on Modi and requested him to release the entire drought relief fund sought by the state.

advertisement

He also asked the Centre to release second installment of Rs 2,856 crore under MNREGA at the earliest and also discussed Mahadayi inter-state water dispute issue with Modi.

The delegation included senior state BJP leaders Jagdish Shettar and K S Eshwarappa, JD (S) leaders H D Revanna and Appaji Gowda as well as state government representative in Delhi Appaji Nadagowda.

Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjuna Kharge as well as four Union ministers including Ananth Kumar, Sadananda Gowda and Nirmala Sitharaman were present in the meeting.

"We explained to the Prime Minister the extreme drought experienced in Karnataka. In the meeting, I was told a high- level meeting, headed by the Union Home Minister, has been called on January 4 to decide on the extent of drought relief to Karnataka," Siddaramaiah told media after the meeting.

"We have told the PM to put a word to the Ministers concerned to release the entire relief fund sought. The PM told he will talk to Ministers concerned," he said.

The Chief Minister said the state has also sought additional Rs 386 crore relief for kharif crop lost due to floods in five districts.

"The state has already spent Rs 400 crore in drought-hit areas. If the Centre does not give the entire relief amount, it will be a burden on exchequer. We have asked them to release the funds soon," he said.

In the meeting that lasted for 30 minutes, Siddaramaiah also discussed the employment guarantee scheme MNREGA and sought the centre increase the number of man-days to 200 considering severe drought situation in the state.

He also sought release of the second installment of MNREGA funds of Rs 2,856 crore to the state at the earliest.

Out of Rs 3,945 crore allotted to the state under MNREGA, the Centre has so far released Rs 1,860 crore, he added.

On the Mahadayi issue, Siddaramaiah said he told the PM that a meeting of three state Chief Ministers to resolve the dispute amicably out of court could not be convened yet.

advertisement

Karnataka has been facing severe drought for the past six years. The drought in 2016-17 was the worst in 40 years. The state has declared 139 taluks out of 176 drought-hit.

The state had a normal monsoon in June-July this year, but it witnessed a prolonged dry spell in August, September and October affecting agriculture, power generation, ground water recharge, drinking water supply and fodder availability. PTI CPB LUX TIR MVV

--- ENDS ---
Future home of the Franklin County Visitors Bureau is a former bank on Chambersburg's square. The nearly 10,000-sq. ft. building will be a launching point for visitors to Franklin County.

On December 29, the Franklin County Visitors Bureau (FCVB) completed purchase of a former bank property at 15 South Main Street on the southwest quadrant of Chambersburgs Memorial Square. The nearly 10,000-sq. ft. building will be a launching point for visitors to Franklin County, providing a variety of rotating exhibits, displays of local art, originating tours to destinations throughout the county, and providing expanded awareness to Franklin Countys events and destinations. FCVB will utilize the banks vault as a small theatre for visitors to view a variety of videos, including "Road to Freedom: Underground Railroad of South Mountain" and "1864 Burning of Chambersburg." In addition, an area will be designated as a resource library of local publications and online resources of Franklin County. As FCVBs new home, 15 South Main Street will house the administrative offices and include a 950-sq.ft. meeting and event space for FCVB to stage seminars, presentations, and hold community events.

Along with the new location, FCVB is planning to begin a Certified Tourism Ambassador (CTA) Program to create an educated, trained pool of volunteers to interpret and share the many stories of Franklin County. With significant early American, Underground Railroad, and Civil War history, Franklin County has a rich heritage. Complementing this history are important PA conservation stories, fresh foods, seasons of festivals, performing arts venues, varied arts and artisan initiatives, and distinctive community architecture. All will be incorporated into specific Franklin County training and will give many opportunities for CTAs to tell Franklin Countys stories.

FCVB will begin the CTA Program in April 2017 and hopes to train more than five dozen CTAs by September 2017. Design for the facility is presently under development. Rehab to the property is expected to begin in mid-Spring 2017, and FCVB is targeting move-in for December 2017. Overall, 2017 promises to be an eventful and formative year for tourism in Franklin County, PA.

The Franklin County Visitors Bureau invites all to explore history, arts and architecture, recreation, natural beauty, fresh foods and the warm hospitality of communities like Chambersburg, Greencastle, Mercersburg, Shippensburg, and Waynesboro. Franklin County, PA is located just north of the Mason Dixon Line and is an easy drive to Washington DC, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. Discover more...plan a visit soon at ExploreFranklinCountyPA.com or by contacting 866.646.8060.
Welcome Guest! You Are Here:
By PTI: Hyderabad, Dec 31 (PTI) President Pranab Mukherjee left for the national capital from here today after his 10-day annual southern sojourn.

Governor ESL Narasimhan, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and his cabinet colleagues, besides Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and other senior officials were present at the Hakimpet Airforce station to see him off.

Mukherjee stayed at the Rashtrapati Nilayam here, the erstwhile Nizam palace built in 1860, spread across sprawling 90 acres, and now serves as a presidential retreat.

advertisement

During his stay, he had attended convocation at the Army College of Dental Sciences, Secunderabad; addressed centenary celebrations of Federation of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

The President also participated in various programmes in Karnataka and Kerala. He visited the famous Balaji Temple in Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh.

An At Home reception was also hosted at the Rashtrapati Nilayam for senior dignitaries, ministers, officials and journalists yesterday. PTI GDK ARS RYS

--- ENDS ---
Snowfall was late to arrive in Sikkim this season, but it could not have come at a better time for the tourists visiting the state and the locals than the New Year day.

By Manogya Loiwal : If dense fog enveloped the most of north India, snowfall greeted the New Year in Sikkim and also diverted people's attention from demonetization as they took time out to enjoy the weather.

The snowfall brought smiles on people's faces reminding them of the Himalayas' natural beauty in this landlocked state, which is incidentally the first Organic State of India.

(Photo: Rajen Pradhan)

(Photo: Rajen Pradhan)

advertisement

Places in east Sikkim experience snowfall every year and this year even though it was late but when it arrived, it brought cheers with it.

(Photo: Rajen Pradhan)

(Photo: Rajen Pradhan)

It started snowing in Zuluk, Lungthung in east Sikkim and Nathula pass, Lachen in north Sikkim and has been continuously snowing.

(Photo: Rajen Pradhan)

(Photo: Rajen Pradhan)

The tourists as well as local people were distressed as the weather conditions were not favourable for a snowfall. They did not even expect it to snow now.

(Photo: Rajen Pradhan)

But, the weather changed and the snowfall just multiplied the joy of welcoming New Year.

(Photo: Rajen Pradhan) (Photo: Rajen Pradhan)

The happiness of the locals seems to be snowballing down the Sikkim valleys, as they are extremely relieved.

(Photo: Rajen Pradhan)

(Photo: Rajen Pradhan)

Tourists visiting the state are pleased beyond measure as their wish of witnessing snow this winter season have been fulfilled.

(Photo: Rajen Pradhan)

(With Rajen Pradhan in Sikkim)

--- ENDS ---
Welcome Guest! You Are Here:

Home Regional News East
Enrich young readers' experience of reading fiction by having them read nonfiction on the same topic and/or participating in related activities.

Picture book

When he gets sick shortly before Feb. 2, Pat Millers woodchuck auditions candidates to forecast the weather as Substitute Groundhog.

Try this activitiy: Be substitute groundhogs. Go outside early on Feb. 2 to look for your shadows. Older children can look at job openings listed in the newspapers classified section.

Read this nonfiction: Learn more about the animals in the story. Find books about groundhogs under 599.366, moles under 599.335, eagles under 598.943, bears under 599.78, squirrels under 599.362, and armadillos under 599.312.

Author Dee Phillips has described Groundhogs Burrow.

Read Clyde Bullas What Makes a Shadow? or other books under 535.

If your child has had a substitute teacher, talk about that experience. Read Harry Allards Miss Nelson Is Missing and Mike Thalers The Substitute Teacher From the Black Lagoon.

Short chapter books

Betty G. Birneys Humphreys Mixed-up Magic can lead children to perform magic tricks. Find books under 793.8.

Most entries in James Prellers Jigsaw Jones series introduce a code. Try writing messages to each other in that code or other codes found in books under 652.8. You might enjoy sharing riddles in code. (Find collections under 818.)

Novels

Joseph Bruchacs Code Talkers fictionalizes the experiences of the Navajo soldiers who used their own language as code during World War II. You can also read M.M. Ebochs Native American Code Talkers and Andrew Santellas Navajo Code Talkers (940.54).

Try this activity: Visit the grave of Pfc. John Willie Jr., one of the original 29 code talkers, at Rock Island National Cemetery on Arsenal Island (section L, grave 328).

After reading Kathryn Kennys Mystery on the Mississippi, look for books about the Father of Waters under 917.7 and 977. Visit the Mississippi River Visitor Center on Arsenal Island. (Enter at the

Moline ramp and get a pass at the Visitor Control Center. Adults must show photo ID.)

Reading Coco Simons Cupcake Diaries can lead to baking. Find recipes in Susannah Blakes "Cookies & Cakes; Tracy Nelson Mauers Cookies, Cupcakes, and Cakes; Dana Meachen Raus Whats Up, Cupcake?; and Nancy Tuminellys Cool Cake & Cupcake Food Art. Or

look at books under 641.8.

After reading Chloe Taylors Sew Zoey series, try simple sewing projects in Clea Hantmans I Wanna Make My Own Clothes, Amie Petronis Plumley'a and Andria Lisles Sewing School, and Judy Ann Sadlers Simply Sewing. Or check books under 646.2.

Books about the police

With police frequently in the news, you might want to read about these community helpers. Peggy Rathmanns picture book humorously chronicles the attempts Officer Buckle and Gloria make to share safety tips with children. Joan Plummer Russells photo essay describes the work

habits of Aero (a police dog) and Officer Mike. Find nonfiction under 363.2.

Visit http://search.prairiecat.info for more books.
CHICAGO (AP)  A former Chicago Police Department chief of detectives who helped run a nationwide ring of jewel thieves has died.

William Hanhardt, who also served as a deputy police superintendent, died Friday at Highland Park Hospital from complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to his family. He was 88.

Hanhardt pleaded guilty in October 2001 to running an alleged organized crime theft ring that stalked jewelry salesmen and stole more than $5 million in diamonds over 20 years.

Hanhardt was one of the highest-ranking Chicago police officials ever convicted of a crime.

During his 2002 sentencing hearing, then-Assistant U.S. Attorney John Scully said Hanhardt's loyalty was to organized crime. Hanhardt received a 12-year sentence and was released in 2011.

Hanhardt's family said his life shouldn't be defined by his court case.
By PTI: Mumbai, Dec 31 (PTI) Actor Shahid Kapoor, who welcomed daughter Misha with wife Mira Rajput in August this year, shared her first image on social media.

In the picture, the 35-year-old star has given a glimpse of his daughters feet wearing pink and beige colour woolen socks.

"Mi-shoe," Shahid captioned the image with a heart emoji.

advertisement

Misha is the first child for both Shahid and Mira, who got married on July 7 last year.

On the film front, Shahid is currently shooting for filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansalis "Padmavati" alongside Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh. He will also be seen in "Rangoon", which has been directed by Vishal Bhardwaj. PTI SSN SSN

--- ENDS ---
Its good to be optimistic about the future. As 2017 begins, however, I find it difficult to be optimistic. Rather, I find that I have a high level of anxiety -- anxiety that was heightened by an article which ran in a local newspaper while we were at our cabin in Montana for Christmas.

The Dec. 28, 2016 article in the Daily Inter Lake, reports plans by a neo-Nazi organization to have an armed march in January through the streets of Whitefish, Mont., a resort town 30 miles from our cabin. According to the article, the plans were announced on the Daily Stormer, a neo-Nazi blog, which called its followers to action to troll members of the Whitefish Jewish community, Whitefish businesses, and Love Lives Here, an advocacy group organized to counteract the hateful acts of neo-Nazi organizations.

White nationalist Richard Spencer is a part-time resident of Whitefish, where his mother, Sherry Spencer, lives. In a speech at a Nov. 18 white nationalists conference in Washington, D.C., he celebrated Donald Trumps election as president by proclaiming Hail Trump, hail our people, hail victory! which elicited straight-arm Nazi-type salutes from members of the audience.

The Daily Stormer blog stated that the armed rally would be called off if certain demands were met. Montanas U.S. Sens. Jon Tester and Steve Daines, U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke (Montana has only one representative), Montana Gov. Steve Bullock and Attorney General Tim Fox co-signed a letter strongly denouncing the threats and intimidation directed at the community. In an interview with the Daily Inter Lake, Sen. Tester stated, This is not a negotiation. ... Its discrimination and it should never be negotiable and neither is anti-Semitism. He added that Montanas elected officials intend to address the threats directly and forcefully.

In the wake of the white nationalist conference, the Trump transition team issued a statement saying that the president-elect has continued to denounce racism of any kind and he was elected because he will be a leader for every American.

Yet during the campaign, Mr. Trump did not hesitate to make derogatory comments about Mexicans and other groups. And his lack of respect for other people was made clear when he made fun of a reporter with a disability.

The statement that the president-elect has continued to denounce racism of any kind rings hollow in view of the fact that he appointed Steve Bannon, the former executive chairman of Breitbart News, to a prominent position in his administration, naming him as chief strategist and senior counselor.

Under Mr. Bannons leadership, Breitbart News gave voice to white nationalists and other far-right groups. For example, Breitbart ran an article entitled Hoist It High and Proud: The Confederate Flag Proclaims a Glorious Heritage in response to the horrific murder of the pastor and eight parishioners at Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, South Carolina, on June 17, 2016.

Even if one accepts the Trump transition teams assertion that Mr. Trump is not a racist, the tone which he has set provides cover for latent racism to emerge. Mr. Spencer was not speaking only for himself when he proclaimed, Hail Trump, hail our people, hail victory! And our people strongly suggests that he was not speaking about all people but only about a certain group of people, all of whom happen to be white.

All of this means that we are in for some difficult times -- times in which we are likely to see an increase in hate crimes. This is deeply troubling.

So also are Mr. Trumps shoot-from-the-hip comments about nuclear proliferation and a renewed nuclear arms race, and his apparent inclination to push aside years of multilateral efforts to address world problems, replacing them with unilateral courses of action which overestimate our power and overextend our financial resources. These matters, however, must await subsequent columns.
The U.S. Census Bureau released new migration data Dec. 20, and its frightening. Illinois has a massive people problem.

From July 2015 to July 2016, the states population declined by more than 37,000 people. Thats the worst population loss in the nation, and will likely mean the loss of a seat in the U.S. House. Pennsylvania, which also experienced a net population loss in the Census, is now set to overtake Illinois as the fifth-largest state. Illinois is simply sliding backward faster.

Census data show an alarmingly rapid trend fueling Illinois shrinkage: Illinoisans leaving for greener pastures. And Springfield has had practically no solutions for this problem.

Illinois lost more than 114,000 people to other states over this period. Thats akin to losing almost the entire population of Peoria in a single year, or 1 Illinoisan every 4 minutes 36 seconds.

Lynn Cisco is one Peorian whos already left.

After moving to Indiana in 2015, Cisco said her family is saving more than $400 a month on property taxes alone.

We felt like suckers for staying [in Illinois] for so long. That bill affects how you structure your family, she said.

Ciscos husband works for Caterpillar as a service engineer, and was transferred to Lafayette.

Im convinced Caterpillar is slowly, stealthily moving out of Illinois. The world headquarters might stay in Peoria but the manufacturing is absolutely leaving, she said.

The long-term trend of Illinoisans leaving for other states is astonishing.

Since 2000, Illinois has lost 1.2 million more people to other states than it gained from other states. This is roughly equal to the 10 largest Illinois cities outside of Chicago vanishing: Aurora, Rockford, Joliet, Naperville, Springfield, Peoria, Elgin, Waukegan, Champaign and Arlington Heights.

Tom Paul is leaving for Arizona.

Hes worked as a police officer and crime analyst in a village near the Wisconsin border for 30 years. But he wont be able to afford Lake County property taxes on a fixed retirement income. After that bill hit $5,000 a year in 2013, he and his wife began planning their escape.

Our kids are here, our grandbabies are here, but weve done the numbers on trying to maintain a home in Illinois and that math does not work at all, he said. Weve lived here all our lives so the weather wasnt really a driver. The main driver is the fixed income and zero trust in government to get these costs under control.

Some politicians refuse to believe this flight of people and wealth means anything about the state of the state. Steve Brown, spokesman for House Speaker Mike Madigan, had this to say about Illinois out-migration during an August interview on Chicagos AM 560:

"The important thing is to figure out the 'why.' What part of it is due to the quality of government services and what part of it is due to your grandchildren living somewhere, youre retiring, [and] you want to be in a warmer climate? Nobody's ever done that kind of qualitative analysis -- of the 'why' part."

Brown was either clueless or lying.

The Paul Simon Public Policy Institute found in October that nearly half of Illinoisans want to leave the state. Pollsters asked why. The most common response? Taxes.

And data show it isnt retired snowbirds driving Illinois migration losses: Its working-age adults.

Kayla Williams and her young son are leaving for Minnesota.

The budget impasse has thrown her work as a legal advocate for domestic violence victims into disarray. And she pays around $3,700 a year in property taxes on a Springfield home she cant sell for $50,000.

We tax everything and theres still money for nothing, she said. You cant really get much of a break in Illinois.

Good luck trying to balance a state budget in the long term while young taxpayers like Williams are leaving in droves.

And hiking taxes on a population thats clearly had enough is a great way to accelerate that trend.

Springfield lawmakers need to take a hard look at the long-term drift that has led the state to this point. Blaming the budget impasse is convenient, but isnt grounded in reality.

Illinoisans pay among the highest property taxes in the nation, suffer under the worst manufacturing jobs growth in the region, and arent seeing any signs of a better jobs climate or lower tax burden in the near future.

Illinoisans are holding politicians accountable for this state of affairs in the most damning way possible: mass exodus.
It was a big 2016 in radio, as the New Year rolls in; we are asking a bunch of you three quick questions. Up next its PD and GM of Nova 106.9 Brisbane, Jay Walkkerden.

The year in review, what are you most pleased with from 2016.

For me it was how well the station performed for the year. In 2016 we had the highest ever cume for a Brisbane radio station with 603,000 people. We won the year in our core 18 -39 year olds demo but also 10-39, 25-44 and 25 -54.

From a content perspective adding Susie ONeil into breakfast three days a week and for that show to win 4 out of 8 surveys this year and on the 8 survey average win 18-39 and 25-44 and 25-54 is an outstanding result. We had some serious fun along the way with things like blowing up a car, having a bloke ride a motorbike through the office and so much more.

KTM have had a stellar year for Brisbane as has Smallzy so we are really blessed to have such a strong line-up.

Im also really proud of Throwback Thursday which has strategically done an excellent job at driving our workday cume result which year on year showed a 10% YOY..

Biggest challenge facing your stations in the next 12-months?

Without sounding like a wanker our biggest challenge is ourselves. Making sure we keep pushing the boat out and being restless in the pursuit of the next great idea.

We are the only breakfast show next year not to have any changes in fact the station line-up is solid so Im looking forward to seeing how things shape up after a few surveys.

Favourite song of 2016?

So many so here is my top 5

1. Papercuts  Illy

2. Closer  chain-smokers

3. Starboy  the weekend

4. Say it  Flume

5. Oceans slip on stereo

{youtube}hyPkpXZNbK0{/youtube}
,



We're sorry, this article is not currently available
An anti-demonetisation rally was planned by the Aam Aadmi Party at Rohtak, where Kejriwal raised doubts about the stated motive of the demonetisation of high value currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000.

While Arvind Kejriwal questioned the demonetisaion move announced on November 8 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a shoe came flying towards the Delhi Chief Minister.

However, the shoe fell short of the stage, Kejriwal was delivering his speech, but it caused a little chaos and panic among the security personnel and Aam Aadmi Party supporters present there.

Policemen went after the shoe-thrower, but Kejriwal appealed to them to let the offender go free. Kejriwal said, "Let him go. He is a Modi Bhakt."

But, the AAP supporters captured and thrashed the shoe-thrower before handing him over to the police.

The accused was later identified as Vikas Kumar of Dadri district. He was taken to the Urban Estate police station.

Later, Arvind Kejriwal took to twitter to lash out at the PM saying that he would continue to expose 'the note ban scam'.
Three people were killed and 16 others were wounded during the first six hours of the year as the city ended a year that brought levels of violence that had not been seen in the city since the 1990s.

In total, four people were killed and 25 other people were wounded in separate shootings from New Year's Eve to early Sunday.

Advertisement

Around 2:30 a.m. an unnamed man was shot by a Chicago police officer, authorities said at a news conference Sunday, about 12 hours after the shooting. They reported that a man led cops on a car chase and physically resisted once he was finally stopped. The man, who is in critical condition, was shot after a scuffle, police said.

About two hours later, two men were killed in the year's first fatal shooting, which took place at 4:25 a.m. Sunday in the 4600 block of North Broadway in the city's Uptown neighborhood on the North Side.

Advertisement

A 38-year-old man was shot in the chest and the right leg. He was identified as Maurice Delaney, 38, of the 9000 block of Skokie Boulevard in Skokie, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

A second man, who police believed to be 35 to 40 years old, was shot multiple times on his right side. He was later identified as Ali Mohamed, of the 7000 block of North Kenton Avenue in Skokie.

Both men were taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where they were later pronounced dead at 5:19 a.m.

They were shooting at each other inside a business on that block, police said.

On the West Side just before 5:55 a.m., a 39-year-old man was shot to death in the West Garfield Park neighborhood. He was identified as John Warship, of the 4400 block of West Wilcox Street, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

Officers found Warship on the sidewalk in the 4600 block of West Monroe Street after responding to a call of shots fired. He had been shot multiple times and was pronounced dead at the scene at 6:10 a.m.

Officers guarded his body, which was covered by a white sheet. Warship was killed in front of two brick multiunit buildings. Police placed multiple evidence markers near the body.

A woman delivered newspapers to the quiet neighborhood, and a resident inside a home that was part of the crime scene played religious music as the sun began to rise.

Advertisement

Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >

The last homicide of 2016 happened about 12:30 p.m. Saturday while a man was driving in the 4800 block of West Chicago Avenue in the South Austin neighborhood. The man was reportedly sideswiped by a Mercedes-Benz. The driver of the Mercedes got out of the vehicle and an argument started, police said.

The man was later identified as Kenneth Weaver, 22, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. He died from a gunshot wound to the torso, the office determined following an autopsy Sunday.

At some point, the Mercedes driver pulled out a gun and shot the man in the left side. He was taken in critical condition to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

At a brief news conference late Saturday afternoon at the North Side's Town Hall police district, 850 W. Addison St., police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said the city added about 1,000 more police officers on the streets, including undercover police, for New Years Eve.

There were gang teams in neighborhoods as well as officers around Chi-Town Rising and Navy Pier celebrations.

"Basically the message we want to send Chicago is that we've prepared," Johnson said. "We want everybody to celebrate but we want everybody to celebrate responsibly."

Other shootings:

Advertisement

In the Back of the Yards neighborhood, a 52-year-old man was shot in the right leg after gunfire went through his home, police said. He was inside his home about 5:30 a.m. Sunday in the 4800 block of South Racine Avenue when a bullet hit his right leg. He was taken in good condition to Holy Cross Hospital.

A 26-year-old man was grazed in the head by a bullet at 3:55 a.m. in the 200 block of West 63rd Street in the Englewood neighborhood. He was in a vehicle when three people got out of a car and shot at him, police said. He was in good condition at Stroger Hospital.

On the Far South Side, three people were shot about 3:45 a.m. in the Morgan Park neighborhood, police said. A 19-year-old man was shot in the lower right back in the 11200 block of South Longwood Drive. His condition was stabilized at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. Officers who were responding to the shooting found two other victims, who told police that they had also been shot in the same area as the 19-year-old man. A 21-year-old man was shot in the throat, and he was taken in critical condition to the same hospital. A 20-year-old man was shot in the left shoulder, and his condition was stabilized at the same hospital.

About 2:30 a.m., a 24-year-old man was wounded in a drive-by shooting in the 9200 block of South Parnell Avenue in the Brainerd neighborhood. He was going inside a home when someone in a passing car shot at him, striking him in the right leg, police said. His condition was stabilized at Little Company of Mary Hospital.

In the Englewood neighborhood, a 26-year-old woman was shot in the left arm in a drive-by shooting about 2:20 a.m. in the 200 block of West 71st Street, police said. She was getting out of her car when someone in a passing car opened fire, wounding her in the arm. She was in good condition at St. Bernard Hospital.

About 2:15 a.m. on the Far South Side, a 29-year-old woman was grazed in the left leg while she was on the sidewalk in the 9500 block of South State Street in the Longwood Manor neighborhood, police said. She was with a group of people when someone began shooting at them. She was treated by paramedics at the scene, but she did not want to seek further medical attention.

Just before 2:15 a.m. on the South Side, a 22-year-old man was grazed in the eyebrow during a shooting in the 200 block of East Pershing Road in Bronzeville, police said. His condition was stabilized at Stroger Hospital.

Three people were shot at a house party about 2 a.m. in the 4400 block of South Indiana Avenue in the Bronzeville neighborhood. An unidentified man entered the party and opened fire. A 31-year-old woman and a 33-year-old man were each shot in the chest. Both were taken to Stroger Hospital, where their conditions were stabilized. A 20-year-old man was shot in the left hand, and he was in good condition at Mercy Hospital.

In the Near West Side neighborhood, a 23-year-old woman was shot in the back in a drive-by shooting about 1:40 a.m. in the 2300 block of West Jackson Boulevard, police said. The victim was inside a car when someone inside another car began shooting. Her condition was stabilized at Stroger Hospital.

Two people were wounded in a drive-by shooting about 1:05 a.m. in the 5500 block of West Drummond Place in the Cragin neighborhood, police said. A 21-year-old man was shot in the chest, and he was taken in serious condition to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood. A 19-year-old man was shot in the back, and his condition was stabilized at Loyola University Medical Center.

About 11:20 p.m. Saturday, two people were shot while they were standing on a porch in the 900 block of North Karlov Avenue in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, police said. A 23-year-old woman was wounded in the chest and right hand. She was in serious condition at Stroger Hospital. A 25-year-old man was shot in the right leg, and his condition was stabilized at Mount Sinai Hospital.

About 8:35 p.m., a 19-year-old man was shot in the right arm and groin while he was in the alley of the 7200 block of South Coles Avenue, police said. His condition was stabilized at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

A 38-year-old man was shot about 6:20 p.m. in the 3700 block of South Wabash Avenue in the Bronzeville neighborhood. He was standing outside when someone inside a brown sedan shot at him before driving away. The 38-year-old man was taken in good condition to Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

Another shooting happened about 5:30 p.m. in the 4300 block of South Wolcott Avenue in the Back of the Yards neighborhood. A 32-year-old man was walking when a red car pulled up and he heard shots and realized he'd been shot in the elbow. He was taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition, police said.

About 3:50 p.m. in the 4400 block of South Marshfield Avenue in the Back of the Yards neighborhood, two men were shot. According to preliminary reports, the two men, ages 22 and 27, were outside standing next to a vehicle when a green van pulled up and someone inside opened fire, police said. The younger man was shot in the buttocks, and the other man suffered a graze wound to the arm. The men drove to Stroger Hospital, where they were listed in good condition, police said.

Two men were killed in a shooting early on Jan. 1, 2017, in the Uptown neighborhood, Chicago police said. (Elvia Malagon / Chicago Tribune)

About 1:55 p.m., a 32-year-old man was wounded in the 4000 block of West 21st Place in the city's Lawndale neighborhood, police said. He was shot in the hip and arm, and he was taken in good condition to Mount Sinai Hospital, police said.

Another shooting happened shortly before 1 p.m. in the 5600 block of Corcoran Place and seriously wounded a 15-year-old boy. The boy was outside when an altercation began inside a business that then spilled outside. During the fight, a shot was fired and the boy was struck in the abdomen, police said. He was taken to Stroger Hospital in serious condition, police said.

Chicago Tribune's Gregory Pratt and Katherine Rosenberg-Douglas contributed.
Nearly 200 new Illinois laws are set to take effect beginning Jan. 1, 2017, including an official state artifact, tougher community college oversight and more contraception choices for women. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)

SPRINGFIELD  They couldn't agree on a full state budget at the Capitol, but Democrats in the legislature and Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner were able to set aside their differences to eliminate taxes on the purchase of tampons and other feminine hygiene products, create more flexible sick leave rules for workers, and add wage protections for domestic workers such as nannies and housekeepers.

Those are among about 190 new Illinois laws that take effect with the new year. The state gets an official state artifact in the form of a pirogue, a canoe made from a hollowed-out tree trunk, and hairdressers will be required to undergo training to spot signs of domestic violence among their clients. Students enrolled in driver education classes will now be taught what to do if pulled over by police, and community colleges will see tougher oversight following numerous revelations about questionable spending at the College of DuPage.

Advertisement

And one controversial measure that is set to take effect Jan. 1 is under review in the courts. At issue is state law that allows medical providers to decline to perform abortion procedures if they have moral objections. A change to that law would require health care providers that oppose abortion to provide patients with information about or a referral to other providers that will perform the procedure.

Supporters say the legislation is designed to give patients timely access to legal medical care. But opponents led by a group of anti-abortion pregnancy centers sued to block the law, arguing the legislation violates their free speech. Last week, a judge in Winnebago County said the state can't enforce the law against the handful of centers involved in the lawsuit while the case plays out.

Advertisement

Here's a look at some of the new rules for 2017:

Tampon tax

The state will no longer collect sales tax on tampons, sanitary napkins and menstrual cups  a rare area of agreement on taxes between Republicans and Democrats who can't agree on a budget.

Feminine hygiene products are subject to a 6.25 percent state sales tax, unlike some other necessities such as shampoo. That figure can be higher depending on local taxes. For instance, before the Chicago City Council voted to exclude tampons and sanitary napkins from the city's sales tax earlier this year, feminine hygiene products purchased in Chicago were taxed at a rate of 10.25 percent.

State budget officials estimate the change could cost the state roughly $15 million a year in tax revenue.

Advocates for the repeal said it was an unfair tax that's part of a broader trend in which women continue to earn less than their male counterparts in the workplace but are charged more for everything from razors to haircuts. They often call the trend a "pink tax" because women's products are so often marketed in pink packaging.

"It's important that women know they are paying more for things," said sponsoring state Sen. Melinda Bush, D-Grayslake. "This is a necessity that women have to have, and I don't think they should have ever been taxed. It's a wrong tax, and we are righting a wrong."

Contraception choices

Advertisement

Women will have more choices when it comes to contraceptive options under a new law that eliminates a complicated waiver process they must go through to get birth control medications not offered by their insurance companies.

Supporters say women should be able to choose birth control that's best for their bodies without having to pay more, contending the measure will save money by preventing more unintended pregnancies. Opponents questioned if a wider range of options would add costs to insurance companies.

Workplace changes

Nannies, housekeepers and other domestic workers will now be entitled to the state's minimum wage and various human rights protections, under legislation dubbed the Illinois Domestic Workers Bill of Rights.

Employers will be required to pay domestic workers at least $8.25 an hour, above the federal minimum of $7.25. And they must get at least 24 hours of rest in each calendar week and a meal period of 20 minutes for every 7.5-hour shift, according to the new law. They will also be covered by the Illinois Human Rights Act, which protects against sexual harassment, and the Wages of Women and Minors Act, which prohibits employers from paying women and minors "an oppressive and unreasonable wage."

Advocates say the changes will help protect domestic workers who are more vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.

Advertisement

Another measure would ban noncompete clauses between an employer and an hourly employee who earns $13 an hour or less. The law becomes effective after Jimmy John's agreed to a $100,000 settlement with the state attorney general over the company's noncompete agreements, which prevented employees from working at another sandwich shop for two years after they left a job at Jimmy John's. The attorney general's office said the rules were "highly restrictive."

Meanwhile, workers will now have more flexibility when using their sick leave. Under a new law, employees who qualify for sick leave benefits can use that time off to provide care for family members who are hurt or ill. Rauner signed the legislation against the wishes of many in the business community, who called it a mandate that limits an employer's ability to make decisions.

A new Illinois regulation is aimed at preventing traffic stops from escalating. CBS 2's Roseanne Tellez reports. (CBS Chicago)

Personal information

One measure aims to toughen the state's rules regarding data breaches and when companies, hospitals, banks, retailers and others must inform customers if their personal information has been compromised. Under the new rules, a customer must be alerted if their electronic medical information, health insurance information, claims information or biometric data such as a fingerprints have been improperly accessed. The law also requires notification if a username or email address has been compromised.

A separate law prevents employers from accessing an employee or applicant's personal online accounts. It bans employers from requesting, requiring or coercing workers into giving their username or password to any online account, or accessing that account in the presence of the employer.

Community college rules

Advertisement

Community colleges will face tougher oversight under a package of laws put in place following a Chicago Tribune investigation that uncovered numerous revelations about questionable spending and lax oversight at the College of DuPage.

The measures would require schools to undergo special audits every five years to examine contracts, transparency and compensation to school leadership; require extra training for community college board members on ethics, financial oversight and fiduciary responsibilities; and limit what income can be factored into pension benefits for university and college presidents.

Currently, those officials are able to get credit toward their pension for the cash value of perks like bonuses or car allowances. Under the change, pensionable income would be limited to salaries and not other benefits.

Law and order

Police agencies across Illinois will have new regulations on how they use cell site simulators, devices commonly known as "Stingrays" that collect cellphone data and can be used to track someone's location. The devices are commonly used by police to investigate crime, but those pushing for restrictions said police also were able to collect data from people who aren't the focus of an investigation at the same time.

New rules would require police to delete all data not related to the target of an investigation at least once every 24 hours, or within 72 hours if the simulators are used to identify an unknown communication device unless there is a court order directing otherwise.

Advertisement

A different law would require jails to accept cash to post bail. The measure came about after a Rockford teen was arrested for a traffic offense. When his mother tried to bail him out, the credit card machine was broken, and the Winnebago County Juvenile Detention Center had a policy to refuse cash. That meant her son was forced to sit in jail all weekend.

On a related note, it'll soon be cheaper for state prison inmates to make calls under a new law that requires the state to find a cheaper phone provider. Rates can not exceed 7 cents per minute for debit, prepaid and collect calls. The current rate is about 11 cents a minute. Supporters argue for-profit companies were gouging inmates, preventing them from staying in touch with family.

Meanwhile, police officers who are partnered with a police dog will get the first chance to adopt that dog when it's no longer fit for service. If the officer does not wish to keep the dog, other officers in the department could seek an adoption or it would go to a no-kill shelter.

Hairstylist Christine Walker works at the Belle De Jour Salon in Lemont on Friday, Dec. 16, 2016. "We always say we're not just hairdressers," she said. "We're your therapist, sometimes your doctor; we have a lot of different hats." (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

Some of the rest

Hairdressers will be required to take domestic violence and sexual violence awareness courses before they can renew their cosmetology licenses. The idea is to take advantage of the close relationship many customers have with their stylists.

Students enrolled in driver's education classes will soon be required to learn what to do if they are pulled over by police. Backers hope to prevent standard stops from escalating into violence.

Advertisement

Insurance companies must now consult the federal master file to determine if a policy holder has died and whether benefits are owed. The change pushed by Treasurer Michael Frerichs is aimed at closing a loophole that led to companies failing to pay out benefits because they would not check to see if a customer had died.

Property owners will be required to notify potential renters or buyers of any lead hazards. The notice must be given in writing before a lease is signed or renewed, or before a sales contract is signed.

The pirogue will become the official state artifact, after students at a Wilmette middle school pushed for the designation for the boat made of a hollowed-out tree used by native tribes of Illinois.

Grocery stores will now be allowed to consolidate eggs in cartons. Previously, if one egg in a dozen was cracked, the whole carton had to be thrown out.

Student musicians in grades six through 12 can now be excused from school to play taps at military funerals.

Catfish are now included on the list of fish that can be killed by a pitchfork, spear gun, or bow and arrow.

Advertisement

mcgarcia@chicagotribune.com
'Their vote bank has shifted to the BJP; the Congress is yet to realise it.'

Union Minister for Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar tells Sanjay Jog that while the Bharatiya Janata Party is changing the country, the Congress is changing old notes.

The Congress, he says, will be reduced to 4 seats in the Lok Sabha if it continues to follow party Vice-President Rahul Gandhi's line.

Why did Prime Minister Narendra Modi choose to address a Jan Sabha and not the Lok Sabha on demonetisation?

He was there, he wanted to speak.

With an irresponsible Opposition there cannot be a rational argument.

The PM was ready to speak and fully prepared.

On the last day of the winter session, at the parliamentary party meeting, the PM gave the two best examples from history on demonetisation.

When senior Congress leader and then Union minister Y B Chavan proposed the measure to then PM Indira Gandhi, she asked him, 'Do you want the party to stay out of the contest?' (Editor's note: First revealed in former home secretary Madhav Godbole's column on Rediff.com)

The intention of the Congress was clear: It did not want to implement demonetisation, only to distribute money and come to power and, thereafter, to earn money and distribute it again to retain power.

The PM also referred to the non-implementation of the Benami Property Bill passed during the United Progressive Alliance regime: The rules were not framed nor were they notified.

This clearly shows the Congress' lip service to the anti-corruption drive.

Besides, it was the BJP-led government that took the decision first to form a special investigation team against black money.

But the Opposition has blamed the PM and the ruling party for the washout of the winter session.

It is a fact that the winter session was a washout, but it happened because of the recklessness of Opposition parties.

For a democracy to survive, you need a responsible Opposition and a responsive government. We were responsive while the Opposition was irresponsible. Therefore, the session got washed out.

This is undemocratic -- negating the people's mandate. If you don't respect that and do not allow the government to work, then this is the end of democracy.

After that, on the last day the Opposition pretended to do some work.

There is a chronology to it. In the Lok Sabha, the Opposition said it wanted discussion under a voting rule.

The people have voted and elected us. We have a majority. So how could the situation have been different on the floor of the House?

That was an irrational demand and therefore we said, 'start the discussion.'

Thereafter, in the Lok Sabha, Telangana Rashtra Samiti member Jitender Reddy started the debate, but those in the Congress and other Opposition members did not allow him to speak.

This has never happened before.

This is rowdyism, goondaism and irresponsible behaviour.

Then, when there were new revelations in the AugustaWestland chopper deal -- that a political family has received Rs 115 crore (Rs 1.15 billion) as bribe -- we wanted to discuss that.

However, the Congress and the Opposition were not prepared. They neither allowed the ruling party to hold discussion on other issues nor did they participate in the debate on demonetisation.

This was again, irresponsible behaviour.

In the Rajya Sabha, the Opposition debated on the first day and realised that people, by and large, were not supporting them.

Besides, they had nothing to offer; there was no logic to what they were saying.

Thereafter, the Opposition started disruption, demanding that the PM be in the House all the time.

When the PM came, they said he should apologise. They kept changing their demand.

If the Congress continues to follow Rahul Gandhi's line, from 404 Lok Sabha seats after the 1984 elections and now down to 44, they will be reduced to 4 in the next election.

BJP members of Parliament have expressed concern about the inconvenience caused to the people because of lack of availability of currency notes of small denominations.

We must salute bank officials and employees -- they have done a laudable job.

There might be a few branches where things have gone wrong, but steps are being taken to put more and more notes in circulation.

All four printing presses have been pressed into service 24x7 to print more currency notes, especially in small denominations.

Some MPs also warn that the BJP may find it difficult to win the assembly polls if the situation does not become normal soon.

The BJP will win the polls because of Modiji's leadership and the track record of the government and the party.

Demonetisation is too big a step; it has not been done to win polls.

It is for the benefit of the whole country.

People are adapting to demonetisation; they are with us.

Demonetisation will not hamper the BJP's poll prospects in any way.

As far as the Congress is concerned, its USP was the poor, but the party has already lost them.

The poor have come to us. Their vote bank has shifted to the BJP; the Congress is yet to realise it.

A sting operation by a news channel showed that the All India Congress Committee had become the 'All India Currency Conduit,' involved in changing old notes and charging 40 per cent commission.

Hum desh badal rahe hain, woh note badal rahe hain (We are changing the country, but the Congress is engaged in changing old currency). They have been exposed.

What are the efforts being made by the government and the party to reach out to the people?

The HRD ministry has launched a digital financial literacy campaign. In just 4 days 100,000 college and university students have joined.

I am sure that ultimately 2.5 million trained students will spread the message of digital payments.

There will be batches of trainers in every college. Students will convert 10 families each to the digital mode, teach them how to open an account, help them get an Aadhaar card and tell them how to link it to an account and how to link a mobile phone to an account.

These are prerequisites for the digital transition. The Aadhaar-based payment system will catch up in the next two months.

Other ministries are taking similar initiatives on the digital transition. The party will give training to the rank and file.

We will concentrate on 500 cities with population of 100,000 and above: 70% of cash transactions happen there, while the remaining 30% take place in 600,000 villages.

Are the days of tax raids and inspector raj back?

No. Modiji is against inspector raj.

He wants to do away with it as he wants to bring all transactions into the banking system, which would be tracked.

Will the new income declaration scheme with stringent penalties be the 'last window' for people with unaccounted wealth to come clean?

It is not a second income disclosure scheme, but the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana where you pay 50% tax upfront and 25% without interest-term deposit, so that the government can use that money for various programmes and you can keep only 25%.

However, that is not a cover for corruption money.

You have to make a distinction between undisclosed wealth, corruption, tax avoidance and corruption money.

Tax avoidance can be addressed by this, not black money.

Is the government still optimistic about the launch of the goods and services tax despite a wider rift with the Opposition?

The GST will happen.

States have recently released advertisements on GST registration for traders.

The winter session was an exception, but the next session will be a meaningful one.

If the Congress continues to play disruptive politics, it will not be trusted.

IMAGE: Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah had a meal with a Dalit family in Jogiyapur village in the Sevapuri assembly segment in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency, June 2016.
New Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Sunday said while the country and the force want to maintain peace and tranquility at the border, it will not "shy away" from using its power in any form.

He also made it clear that Eastern Army commander Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi and Southern commander Lt Gen P M Hariz, whom he superseded, will continue to serve the army and help maintain its unity and power.

"Our country, our army wants peace and tranquility at the border. But it does not mean that we are weak. We are capable and powerful in all forms and if need be, we will not shy away from using our power in any form.

"Our aim is that peace is maintained at the border. But I will say it again that if need be, we will not hesitate in using our power," Gen Rawat said after reviewing the Guard of Honour at the South Block in New Delhi.

India shares a 3,323-km boundary with Pakistan, including a 749-km Line of Control. The Indian Army has lost over 60 soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir in 2016 and there have frequent ceasefire violations by Pakistan across the LoC.

Gen Rawat also sent across a message to all ranks of the army, saying every soldier counted.

"I am fully conscious of my responsibility to the rank and file of the army. Every individual, every soldier in the army counts irrespective of the arms and service he belongs to because it is the contribution of every soldier that makes the army efficient and strong," he said.

He had on Saturday taken over as the 27th chief of the 1.3 million strong Indian Army succeeding Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag, who retired after 42 years of service.

Gen Rawat said, "I would like to use the opportunity to convey to the rank and file in the army that everyone in the army, wherever or whoever he may be is equal in my eyes based on the tasks that they are required to perform."

His comments comes at a time when there is feeling among sections of the armoured corps that only the infantry, that Gen Rawat belongs to, has the upper hand and Lt Gen Bakshi could not make it only because he was from the armoured corps.

Both Gen Rawat and his predecessor Gen Suhag, along with senior officers in key positions, are from the Gorkhas.

Gen Rawat said he accepted the government's decision to appoint him as the chief with all humility.

"I respect the officers who have been superseded. They have worked with me shoulder-to-shoulder and I can say it for certain that they will continue to work shoulder-to-shoulder to keep the unity and power of the army in the future also," he said.

He said he is fully aware of the role and task that has been assigned to the army by the government.

"We are duty bound to maintain the security and sanctity of our borders, assist the government in the maintenance of internal law and order and also provide succour during any disaster that may befall any part of our nation," he said.

The army chief said that welfare of veterans, 'veer naris', other widows and those who have been disabled in the line of duty would continue to be taken care by the army till their last breath.

WATCH: Army Chief General Bipin Rawat pays his tribute at Amar Jawan Jyoti

Photographs: Indian Army
General Bakshi is understood to have been assured by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar that the process was under way to appoint him as India's first tri-service commander, a post that would, at least nominally, place him senior to General Rawat.

Ajai Shukla reports.

Lieutenant General Praveen Bakshi, who has been superseded by General Bipin Rawat as the chief of the army staff (COAS) from the New Year, has announced he will continue in service.

Even as General Rawat was ceremonially taking over charge as army chief on Saturday morning in New Delhi, General Bakshi personally addressed his staff at Headquarters Eastern Command in Kolkata, stating that he would extend his full support to General Rawat.

General Bakshi's address was relayed by videoconference to other headquarters under his jurisdiction.

General Bakshi complimented all the men in the Eastern Command for their commitment and service and urged them to join him in continuing their good work.

Following the government's announcement on December 17 that General Rawat would succeed the outgoing chief, General Dalbir Singh Suhag, speculation had been rampant that the two generals who General Rawat would supersede -- General Bakshi and Lieutenant General P M Hariz who heads the Southern Command -- would resign from service.

Defence ministry sources put out the rationale that General Rawat, an infantry officer, had greater experience in handling counter-insurgency operations than General Bakshi, who is from the armoured corps and well-versed in mechanised warfare.

It is an unwritten military tradition for senior generals to resign when a junior supersedes them for the post of army chief (though not for lesser posts).

When General Arun S Vaidya superseded his senior, Lieutenant General S K Sinha as COAS in 1983, General Sinha promptly submitted his resignation.

In this case, however, General Bakshi is understood to have been assured by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar that the process was under way to appoint him as India's first tri-service commander, a post that would, at least nominally, place him senior to General Rawat.

This assurance was apparently conveyed when General Bakshi met Parrikar in his office on December 21.

Parrikar, as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have publicly committed to appointing a tri-service commander.

Clearing this post has been a difficult process; with the Indian Administrative Service bureaucracy steadfastly opposed the announcement of a five-star chief of defence staff (CDS), who would be senior even to the Cabinet secretary, the top bureaucrat.

The compromise solution being worked through the system involves creating the four-star post of 'permanent chairman chiefs of staff' (PCCOS), which the Naresh Chandra Task Force had proposed in 2013.

This would be a fourth four-star general, in addition to the existing chiefs of the army, navy and air force.

The PCCOS appointment would require Cabinet clearance.

The PCCOS is spoken of as a 'first amongst equals' with the three service chiefs.

However, at least for the present, the three service chiefs would have clear fiefdoms while the PCCOS would only be a an upgraded version of the three-star officer who currently heads the Integrated Defence Staff, handling perspective planning, and tri-service issues of equipment and manpower structuring.

Appointing General Bakshi as PCCOS would involve the delicate matter of leap-frogging him above Admiral Sunil Lanba, the current navy chief, who is senior to General Bakshi.

Admiral Lanba is currently the chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee, which includes the three service chiefs.

Furthermore, it is unclear what time lines the government is working on for clearing the appointment of the first PCCOS, or precisely what assurances have been given to General Bakshi.

Speaking on television on Friday, Parrikar stated that he would put up a proposal to the PM in January, who would then take a decision.

General Bakshi is due to retire in the normal course in July 2017. In case the government is unable to clear the PCCOS post by then, it would fall to another officer.

IMAGE: General Bipin Rawat, the new army chief, bids farewell to General Dalbir Singh Suhag.
This story has expired

By Arpan Rai: This story has expired

--- ENDS ---
Ties with Pakistan and China which were on the centre stage of Indian diplomacy saw a deterioration in the year gone by, according to foreign

policy experts who feel that the relationships are unlikely to see any forward movement in the new year.

The foreign policy establishment has reached the conclusion that no war, no peace situation in the relationship with Pakistan will persist in 2017 given that it is not doing anything to stop terrorism directed at India.

The year gone by also saw growing distance between India and its traditional ally Russia and hardening of Chinese positions on two strategically significant issues to New Delhi  Nuclear Suppliers Group and Masood Azhar, whose designation as terrorist by the United Nations was blocked by Beijing last week.

Foreign policy experts like G Parthasarathy, Kanwal Sibal and Naresh Chandra maintained that relationship with Pakistan deteriorated in 2016 and even with China there was no forward movement in ties.

Parthasarthy, however, said India has made it clear to both Pakistan and China that it wont ignore their actions which have a bearing on the countrys security.

For the first time with Pakistan and China, we are responding. In case of China for example, we now have taken a position on the (disputed) South China Sea..., Parthasarthy said.

And with Pakistan, India has been able to convince the world that Prime Minister Narendra Modi tried his best to improve the ties and since they inflicted Pathankot and series of attacks on India, the government told Pakistan enough is enough by carrying out surgical strikes, the former high

commissioner to Pakistan added.

India had also launched a major diplomatic offensive to isolate Pakistan internationally following terror strikes including Pathankot, Uri and Nagrota.

I think the message is loud and clear to both Pakistan and China that it takes two to tango. We are willing to reach out to you. But if you choose to remain totally ignoring what are our interests, we will react... the position is clear that anybody who harms our interest will pay a price without being provocative, he added.

However, most of the foreign policy experts also feel that the Indo-Pak ties are not expected to see any early breakthrough in the new year.

The establishment also has come to a realization that India has to live with the no war, no peace situation vis-a-vis Pakistan, a senior government source said.

With China, relationship has deteriorated despite the fact that the PM and Chinese President Xi Jinping met three times in 2016 and Modi raised the issues which are of concern to us. The outcome has not been satisfactory because not only there is no change in Chinas position but they are asserting their negative position on our NSG membership quite openly, Sibal said.

On growing distance between India and its traditional ally Russia amid increasing proximity between Moscow and Islamabad in 2016, Sibal, a former foreign secretary, admitted that it was a matter of concern.

Yes, it is a concern because the (Indo-Russia) relationship has been stable right from 50s till today. We had ups and downs but they were manageable... If that relationship begins to erode then it is a problem for us because Russia remains our major defence partner, Sibal said.

Former Indian Ambassador to the US, Chandra also noted that despite Indias protest, Russia did military exercises with Pakistan.

The South Block sources, however, played down China scuttling Indias NSG bid as well as blocking Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Azhars listing as terrorist by the UN, saying there will always be differences between any two countries but the maturity is that one should not allow these differences to become conflicts.

The sources also maintained that though the developing equations between Pakistan-Russia and Pakistan-China needed to be monitored but it was not an alarming situation.

One of the high points in Modis foreign policy has been his personal equation with outgoing US President Barack Obama and now it remains to be seen that how the Indo-US ties would pan out in the new year given that President-elect Donald Trumps approach towards India is unknown even though he has made right remarks about Indians.

During the last year of Obamas presidency, India and the US also signed a strategic defence pact under which the country became US major defence partner.

The year gone by also saw development of military dimension in Indo-Afghan ties. India already has an effective economic cooperation programme, having spent more than $2 billion and committed another billion dollars earlier this year.

The governments demonetisation decision saw foreign missions lodging strong protest over cash shortage and calling for easing the restrictions on cash withdrawal. Dean of Diplomatic Corp Frank Hans Dannenberg Castellanos, who represents over 150 missions, even termed the restrictions

serious breach of Vienna Convention.

The year 2016 also saw Modis high-profile visits to a number of countries including Japan, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Iran, Mexico, Switzerland, South Africa and Belgium.
Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire on Sunday along the Line of Control in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir but there was no casualty.

"There was firing by troops from across from 0900 hours along LoC in Poonch sector today," an officer said.

The Indian troops retaliated and there was a brief exchange of firing, he said, adding there was no causality.

The firing took place in Shahpur sector of Poonch.

On December 30, a civilian was killed as Pakistan army indulged in heavy cross-border firing targeting Indian positions and civilian areas along the Line of Control in the Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir, prompting the Indian side to give a befitting reply.

On December 16, Pakistan army had targeted Indian positions along the LoC in the Balakote sector of the same district.

The 2003 India-Pakistan ceasefire agreement has virtually become redundant with a whopping over 300 incidents of firing and shelling along LoC and IB in J&K by Pakistani troops that resulted in death of 27 people, including 14 security personnel, since the surgical strike on terrorist launch pads in PoK on September 28-29.
Two Indians were among 39 people killed in a terror attack at a night club in Turkish city of Istanbul during New Year's celebrations in which at least 70 others were injured.

IMAGE: Turkish police stand guard outside the Reina nightclub by the Bosphorus, which was attacked by a gunman, in Istanbul. Photograph: Huseyin Aldemir/Reuters

The deceased Indians are identified as Abis Hasn Rizvi, son of former Rajya Sabha MP and noted builder of Bandra in Mumbai Akhtar Hasan Rizvi, and Khushi Shah from Gujarat.

Confirming the deaths, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted, "I have a bad news from Turkey. We have lost two Indian nationals in the Istanbul attack. Indian Ambassador is on way to Istanbul.

"The victims are Mr. Abis Rizvi son of former Rajya Sabha MP and Ms. Khushi Shah from Gujarat. Abis Rizvi was CEO of Rizvi Builders and had produced a number of films including the 2014 movie Roar: The Tigers of the Sundarbans," she said.

IMAGE: Turkish police stand guard outside the Reina nightclub. Photograph: Huseyin Aldemir/Reuters

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences.

"Heartfelt condolences to the government and people of Turkey on the tragic loss of lives in Istanbul," he tweeted.





IMAGE: Women who survived an attack by a gunman, react outside the club. Photograph: Huseyin Aldemir/Reuters

The two Indians were among 15 foreigners who have been killed when a gunman went on a rampage at the waterside Reina nightclub where revelers were celebrating the New Year.

Nightclub owner Mehmet Kocarslan Turkeys Hurriyet news site that security at the venue had been increased over the past 10 days following warnings from American intelligence officers.

IMAGE: Police secure the area around the nightclub. Photograph: Osman Orsal/Reuters

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the attacker escaped and security forces have launched a major manhunt to nab him while expressing the hope he will be caught soon.

Soylu said 20 victims have been identified so far out of which 15 were foreigners and five were Turks.

At least 70 wounded people have been admitted to hospital.

IMAGE: Ambulances rushed to the spot following the shooting. Photograph: Osman Orsal/Reuters

"This was a massacre, a truly inhuman savagery. A manhunt for the terrorist is under way. Police have launched operations. We hope the attacker will be captured soon," Soylu said.

"Our security forces have started the necessary operations. God willing he will be caught in a short period of time," he added.

Turkish state news agency Anadolu also quoted Family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya as saying most of the dead were foreigners "from different countries -- Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Lebanon, Libya".

Private NTV news channel said the assailant entered the upscale nightclub, on the shores of the Bosporus, on the European side of the city, dressed in a Santa Claus outfit.

Eyewitness Sinem Uyanik said she saw several bodies inside the Istanbul nightclub that was attacked during New Year's celebrations.

Her husband Lutfu Uyanik was wounded in the attack.

IMAGE: Security forces are still searching for the shooter. Photograph: Osman Orsal/Reuters

Before I could understand what was happening, my husband fell on top me,she said outside Istanbul's Sisli Hospital.

I had to lift several bodies from on top of me before I could get out.

After a year that has seen a run of deadly attacks in Turkey, security was tight across Istanbul and other major cities. Around 17,000 officers were on duty in the city, some of whom were themselves disguised as Santa Claus, according to the Anadolu news agency.

IMAGE: A police boat patrols the Bosphourus near a nightclub where a gun attack took place. Photograph: Osman Orsal/Reuters

The minister said the attacker was believed to have left the club wearing different clothing to what he entered the club in. He said the attacker is believed to have carried out the assault alone.

Police with riot gear and machine guns backed up by armored vehicles blocked the area close to the Reina nightclub, one of the most popular night spots in Istanbul. Several ambulances flashing blue lights arrived on the scene, some taking wounded to hospitals.

With input from agencies
People of Srinagar submitted more than 4 lakh suggestions to the municipal corporation to help their city win a spot in the Smart City project.

By Press Trust of India: Despite restrictions on Internet and mobile services during the unrest in the Kashmir Valley, residents of Srinagar submitted more than four lakh suggestions to the administration in a bid to help the city win a spot in the Centre's Smart City project.

Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) had in September sought suggestions from people on how to make Srinagar a smart city.

advertisement

"We received over 4.05 lakh suggestions from the residents," SMC's health officer Shafqat Khan said.

Here is the story in detail: Health officer Shafqat Khan said the SMC used print and electronic media, besides holding feedback sessions, to solicit suggestions from the public. "We connected with 9.5 lakh residents through the outreach programmes over the past four months. Besides using print media, we took help of radio programmes for this purpose," he said. Many people visited the SMC office in person to give suggestions as mobile and Internet services were suspended due to unrest in the Valley, Khan said. "Most of the people who visited our office were youths. It shows that the future generation is not indifferent toward their city," he said. More than a thousand emails were received by the SMC while many more chose to send in their suggestions through SMS. "Some people also connected with us through social media like Twitter and Facebook," he said. The corporation also held essay and logo designing competition for its Smart City project bid and the response was encouraging. "We had over 200 entries in the essay competition and almost an equal number in the logo designing competition," Khan added. The draft for Srinagar's Smart City bid has been almost finalised but the SMC will incorporate useful suggestions, if any, received in the days to come, the health officer said. "The bid will be submitted at the end of January but we will incorporate any new suggestions we find useful and worthwhile," he said. The Jammu and Kashmir government is making efforts to get two cities--Srinagar and Jammu--included in the Smart City project.

ALSO READ: Kashmir unrest: Over 7,000 civilians, 2400 CRPF injured in stone pelting since July 8

ALSO READ: Operation Calm Down: Army introduces bulletproof vehicles to counter Kashmir stone pelters

ALSO WATCH

--- ENDS ---
Center for Performance is finished, more to do at Hall of Fame Village
The URL has been copied to your clipboard

The code has been copied to your clipboard.

A manhunt is under way in Istanbul for the gunman responsible for killing 39 people and wounding dozens more at a nightclub in Turkey's largest city early on January 1.

Officials said 24 of the 39 people killed were foreigners. Sixty-nine people were wounded in the attack and four of them were in critical condition.

A source at the Russian Consulate in Istanbul told TASS that one of the victims was a female Russian citizen who had originally been mistakenly identified as a citizen of Azerbaijan.

Other foreigners that have been identified among the killed include at least one Saudi citizen, three Jordanians, three Iraqis, three Lebanese, one Tunisian, and one Franco-Tunisian, two Indians, one Arab Israeli, one Belgian-Turkish dual national, and one Libyan.

The gunman killed a police officer at the entrance to the Reina nightclub in the citys Ortakoy district about one hour after midnight.

Carrying a long-barreled weapon, he opened fire on many of the some 500 to 700 people in the upscale club who were celebrating the new year.

Several people reportedly jumped into the Bosphorus Strait to escape the gunfire.

The gunman was apparently dressed as Santa Claus.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim says the attacker left a gun inside the venue and escaped by "taking advantage of the chaos" that ensued.

Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin described the attack as a terrorist incident.

"Unfortunately, [he] rained bullets in a very cruel and merciless way on innocent people who were there to celebrate New Year's and have fun," Sahin said.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the attacker has not been identified and is still at large. He said the gunman is believed to have removed his Santa suit and left the club wearing different clothes.

"Our security forces have started the necessary operations. God willing, he will be caught in a short period of time," Soylu said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the attack was aimed at creating chaos in Turkey.

"They are working to destroy our country's morale and create chaos by deliberately targeting our nation's peace and targeting civilians with these heinous attacks," Erdogan said in a statement on the presidential website.

The Turkish government has imposed a media blackout regarding the January 1 attack, making an exception only for statements by government officials.

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini tweeted: "Our thoughts are with victims and their loved ones. We continue to work to prevent these tragedies."

In the United States, the White House condemned the incident as a "horrific terrorist attack." U.S. President Barack Obama ordered that all possible assistance be provided to Turkey.

Security was high as the city was celebrating New Years. In Istanbul, some 17,000 police were reportedly on duty.

Istanbul and the Turkish capital, Ankara, were hit by numerous terrorist attacks in 2016. On December 10, 44 people were killed and 149 injured in a double bomb attack outside an Istanbul soccer stadium.

With reporting by Reuters, dpa, AFP, AP, BBC, and Sky News
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump says he has unrevealed information about alleged Russian hacking during the presidential election that he plans to present next week.

Speaking briefly to reporters on his way to a New Year's party in the U.S. state of Florida, Trump responded to a query about the alleged hacking by saying, "I know things that other people don't know" and "you will find out on Tuesday or Wednesday [January 3 or 4]."

He also said that he still believes the hacking of e-mails of U.S. Democratic Party officials could have been carried out by "somebody else" other than Russia. He said he knew a lot about computer hacking and that it's "a very hard thing to prove."

Last week, the U.S. government expelled 35 Russian diplomats and imposed sanctions against Russian security officials and agencies over the alleged hacking. U.S. intelligence agencies have said they believe Moscow ordered the hacking in order to help Trump win the election.

Asked whether he would meet with the president of Taiwan if she traveled to the United States, Trump refused to rule it out, saying merely, "We'll see."

The United States does not recognize Taiwan, which China considers a renegade province.

Trump said that under his presidency, the United States will have "great relationships" with many countries around the world, including Russia and China.

He also said that Israel was "very, very important to me."

Based on reporting by Reuters
A trio of U.S. senators has said on a visit to Georgia that they will work to get Congress to pass tougher sanctions against Russia and President Vladimir Putin.

Senator Lindsey Graham (Republican-South Carolina) said after arriving in Tbilisi on January 1 that "we hope to make 2017 a year of offense.... It is time to push back against Putin."



"It is time for new sanctions to hit [Putin] hard as an individual, [as well as the Russian] energy...[and] banking sector," he said

Graham is on a two-day visit to NATO-hopeful Georgia with Senator John McCain (Republican-Arizona) and Amy Klobuchar (Democrat-Minnesota).

"We will strongly urge our colleagues to enact more meaningful and stronger sanctions against Russia because of their [hacking] attack" on the United States, McCain said, adding that "it's very clear that the evidence is overwhelming that it was Russia [that hacked into Democratic National Committee e-mail accounts]."

The senators visited Khurvaleti, on the boundary with the breakaway Georgian territory of South Ossetia that has been controlled by Russian forces since a brief war in 2008.

"These are very difficult and challenging times," McCain said. "We will continue to do everything we can to support the total independence, freedom, and territorial integrity of the country of Georgia."

WATCH: McCain Visits Georgia's Breakaway Region Frontier

The U.S. senators will also meet with Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili and President Giorgi Margvelashvili, and opposition leaders, and visit the Georgia-NATO joint training center in Krtsanisi while in Georgia.

Graham said the three senators will return to Congress and tell others "what Russia is up to in the Baltics [and] what they are doing in Ukraine."



The U.S. senators are visiting Georgia following a trip to Ukraine and a three-day tour of the Baltic states.



Speaking on December 31 on the front line in Ukraine's eastern conflict zone, McCain promised continued support for Kyiv in the face of aggression from Moscow.



"I send the message from the American people -- we are with you, your fight is our fight, and we will win together," McCain was quoted as saying by Ukrainian President Poroshenko's press service.



"In 2017, we will defeat the invaders and send them back where they came from. To Vladimir Putin -- you will never defeat the Ukrainian people and deprive them of their independence and freedom," McCain said after a visit to a military base in the southeastern town of Shyrokyne.

With reporting by Reuters
Ahead of the Assembly polls, the SC verdict will set the crucial standards for political speeches and approach of parties to voters.

By Anusha Soni: As the electoral battle is set to begin in five states by March, the Supreme Court will pronounce a crucial judgement as to what constitutes as election malpractice under the Representation of People's Act, 1951. The five states set to witness the State Assembly Elections early this year are Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand.

Contrary to the popular notion of being known as the 'Hindutva case', the case of Abhiram Singh v. CD Commachen will settle various issues pertaining to electoral malpractices and to what extent contestants in the elections can appeal to caste or religion. The seven-judge bench headed by Justice TS Thakur had clarified that they will not deal with the issue of 'Hindutva' or the question whether Hindutva is a religion or a 'way of life'.

advertisement

Ahead of the crucial Assembly elections, the seven-judge bench verdict is likely to settle the questions around the interpretation of section 123(3) of the Representation of People's Act. Under Section 123(3) candidates are barred from promoting enmity, hatred or communalism to garner votes.

FOLLOWING ARE FEW POINTS THAT THE SC WILL CONSIDER

How far religion, creed or community sentiments can be invoked to seek votes in the election and whether it constitutes 'corrupt practices'. If a person fighting elections appeals to a religion other than his own, does it also constitute as 'election malpractice'.

Can one leader of a political party be made accountable for the speeches or appeals of another? Is there a liability for an agent of a political leader? For example, can an appeal from a priest for a candidate attract the provisions of Section 123 of RPA.

The CJI also clarified that the court will not give an exhaustive list of the dos and don'ts in election speeches but would rather set a broad context.

RELATED PETITIONS

Various NGOs including the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat also made their interventions during the hearing. Indira Jaising, appearing for activist Teesta Seetalvad, argued before the Supreme Court that election manifestos seeking vote in the name of community or religion in the cloak of reform constitutes 'corrupt practise'. Jaising batted for a complete divorce of religion from politics, however, the court clarified that it's not going to deal with the definition of 'Hindutva' or any other religion.

ASG Tushar Mehta, appearing for states, argued that any lacunae should only be addressed by the legislature and the Section 123(3) should be given a plain reading. Responding to the submission, CJI questioned Mehta, "Why are the states concerned to make a representation? Why should a single drop of poison be allowed to perpetrate in the name of religion? Parliament intension has been clear that no single instance should be ignored."The Supreme Court reserved its judgement on October 27, 2016. The other judges include Justice Madan B Lokur, SA Bobde, AK Goel, UU Lalit, DY Chandrachud, L Nageswara Rao JJ.

advertisement

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CASE

After the 1990 State Assembly elections in Maharashtra, Abhiram Singh, who had contested election on behalf of BJP got a set back from the Bombay High Court when a plea seeking to cancel his election was allowed. He appealed to the Supreme Court and got relief. However certain key questions continued to remain unanswered which pertain to the interpretation of the Section 123 of the Representation of the People's Act, 1951.

After decades of passing through various benches, the matter was finally referred to a constitution bench of seven judges. Chief Justice of India TS Thakur led the seven-judge bench and clarified during the hearing that the court is not primarily looking to settle the definition of 'Hindutva' as to whether it is a way of life or a religion but rather, is seeking to explore as to what extent appeal to religion is permitted or is it even permissible at all.

Also read: Manmohan Singh to release manifesto of Punjab Congress

Donations to political parties: SC refuses urgent hearing on I-T exemption

Supreme Court to decide Anurag Thakur, BCCI's fate on Monday

advertisement

--- ENDS ---
The commander of Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Hossein Salami, warned protesters that October 29 would be their last day of taking to the streets.

"Do not come to the streets! Today is the last day of the riots," Salami was quoted as saying by state media.



Iran has been gripped by protests triggered by the death of a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, in the custody of Tehrans morality police.



Since Aminis death on September 16, thousands have been demonstrating across the country against the clerical establishment.



Protests were reported on October 29 at several universities across the country where students chanted, Death to the dictator, and, Woman, life, freedom.



Iran has blamed its foreign enemies and their agents for the unrest.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA) posted videos on Twitter showing protests at several universities. One of the protests showed people holding hands in a large circle and chanting: "If we don't unite, we will be killed one by one."

HRANA said 272 protesters had been killed in the unrest as of October 28, including 39 minors. Some 34 members of the security force have also been killed and nearly 14,000 people have been arrested, it said.

The Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights also posted a video of a protest at a university campus and said that in the city of Arak state security forces fired tear gas as mourners gathered for the funeral of Mehrshad Shahidinejad, a young aspiring chef who reportedly was killed after being arrested during a protest.

The IRGC warning on October 29 came as the United Nations expressed "increasing concern" about reports of deaths in the antiestablishment protests in Iran.

"We condemn all incidents that have resulted in death or serious injury to protesters and reiterate that security forces must avoid all unnecessary or disproportionate use of force against peaceful protesters, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in New York on October 28.

Those responsible must be held to account, he said, adding that the UN was urging Tehran to address the legitimate grievances of the population, including with respect to womens rights.

The United Nations urged the Iranian government in Tehran to respect human rights, noting that the crisis can and should be brought under control through dialogue.

In a separate statement, World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also expressed concern about "rising fatalities and injuries" to protesters in Iran.

"Its essential that unfettered access to health care is provided to those in need, [including] the appropriate use of medical vehicles, facilities & the ability of health workers to help patients," WHO chief Tedros said on Twitter on October 28.

Protesters clashed again with security forces on October 28 in Zahedan, a city in southeastern Iran were dozens of people were killed in clashes four weeks ago during anti-government protests.

Activists posted videos on social media showing protesters in the city calling for the death of "dictator" Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and against the Basij militia, which has played a major role in a crackdown on the demonstrations.

The United States and Albania will hold an informal UN Security Council gathering on November 3 that will focus on the protests in Iran, according to a note outlining the event seen by Reuters. Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi and Iranian-born actress and activist Nazanin Boniadi are set to address the gathering.

"The meeting will highlight the ongoing repression of women and girls and members of religious and ethnic minority groups in Iran," the note said. "It will identify opportunities to promote credible, independent investigations into the Iranian government's human rights violations and abuses."

Javaid Rehman, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, is also due to address the meeting, which can be attended by other UN member states and rights groups.

"The meeting will underscore ongoing unlawful use of force against protesters and the Iranian regime's pursuit of human rights defenders and dissidents abroad to abduct or assassinate them in contravention of international law," read the note about the planned meeting.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and dpa
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned the deportation of Ukrainian citizens from Russian occupied regions in southern and southeastern Ukraine.

"The Russian occupation administration has begun mass forced relocation of residents of the left bank [of the Dnieper River] of the Kherson region...to the territory of the temporarily occupied Crimea or the Russian Federation," the ministry said in a statement on November 3.



Similar deportations are also being carried out by Russia in the Zaporizhzhya, Luhansk, and Donetsk regions, as well as in Crimea, the ministry said.



Volodymyr Saldo, the Russian-appointed head of Kherson, announced on October 31 an expansion of what Russia has called the evacuation of Ukrainian citizens.

Saldo said he was moving people further into the region or to Russia because of the risks of a "massive missile attack."



Just three days earlier, Russian-installed officials announced that the evacuation process in Kherson region had ended.

Kyiv reiterated on November 3 that it saw the move as a "deportation." It also said reports continue circulating about the alleged mining of the Nova Kakhovska hydroelectric power plant by Russian troops.



Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy previously said that Ukraine suspected Russia had mined the dam and units of the power plant on the Dnieper River in southern Ukraine, and if it were blown up, more than 80 settlements, including Kherson, would be in danger of flooding.



The Foreign Ministry statement also accused Russian troops of looting industrial, cultural, educational, and medical institutions, as well as private houses and apartments.



The ministry called on the international community to condemn the forced relocation, to introduce new sanctions against Russia, and to increase military aid to Ukraine for the liberation of its occupied territories.

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 Ukrainian military's General Staff also said on November 3 that Russian forces continued the so-called evacuation of the local population in the Kherson region and accused them of taking away civilian and communal property, even equipment from hospitals, as they carried out the evacuation.



Russian forces also removed the roadblocks in Kherson. The head of the Kherson regional military administration, Yaroslav Yanushevich, believes that they did this to create an illusion that they have left the city.



It was also reported that the Russian flag was removed from the Kherson regional administration building. The head of the joint coordination press center of the Defense Forces of Southern Ukraine, Natalya Humenyuk, said that this could be a provocation.



Russian troops captured Kherson in March in the early days of the war. Its loss to Ukrainian troops would signal a significant retreat.



U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, asked to comment on the battlefield situation in southern Ukraine, said Ukrainian forces in the Kherson region "have the capacity" to retake the territory on the west side of the Dnieper River and Kherson city from Russian troops.



Austin, speaking at a news conference at the Pentagon, did not answer a question about whether Russian forces were preparing to leave, but he expressed confidence in the Ukrainian troops' ability to beat back Russian forces.

With reporting by Reuters
Iraqi officials say two suicide bombers have killed at least eight people in the holy Shi'ite city of Najaf.

Police and hospital officials said the January 1 attack at a checkpoint in Najaf, located 180 kilometers south of Baghdad, also wounded 22 people, including many police officers.

Witnesses told dpa the attackers opened fire at the checkpoint, in Najaf's district of Qadisyia, before detonating their explosive belts.

The bombing comes one day after two suicide bombers killed 28 people at a busy Baghdad market.

That attack was claimed by the extremist Sunni group Islamic State (IS), which considers Shi'a to be heretics.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the Najaf attack.

IS militants have stepped up their attacks in recent weeks as government forces backed by U.S.-led forces are pursuing a campaign to oust IS fighters from its Mosul stronghold, a city the extremist group captured in 2014.

Based on reporting by AP, dpa, and AFP
There are still many questions about Kyrgyzstan's December 11 referendum on constitutional amendments. Why the rush? Why did it have to happen now, less than a year before the presidential election? What was really the need for 26 amendments to a constitution that was not supposed to be changed until 2020? Is there an ulterior motive for changing the constitution now?

To discuss these questions, and other matters connected to Kyrgyzstan's recent referendum, RFE/RL assembled a Majlis, or panel.

The Majlis podcast was an in-house talk for our RFE/RL colleagues at our Prague headquarters.

RFE/RL President Tom Kent was the moderator for the discussion. Venera Djumataeva, the director of RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, known locally as Azattyk, participated in Prague. From Bishkek, Emil Juraev, associate professor of international and comparative politics at the American University of Central Asia, joined the talk. I was in the building, so I found myself a seat and said a few things also.

Djumataeva started by pointing out that the idea of amending the constitution was met with skepticism from the very start, in November 2015, when Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev first mentioned the need for changes to the constitution.

"When the first original amendments appeared, became public, and they were offered for discussion in the parliament," Djumataeva explained, "the majority of people, politicians, experts, journalists were very disappointed because they were not the right moves to make Kyrgyzstan a pure parliamentary democracy, rather they were perceived as President Atambaev's attempt to secure his legacy and his political survival."

Revisions were made several times but Atambaev was persistent in pushing the issue forward to a national vote.

Juraev said Atambaev was not alone in seeing a need for amendments. "The range of critics of the constitution was vast, basically it was very difficult to find anyone who did not criticize the constitution as being raw and being contradictory, as leaving too many loopholes."

All the same, the constitution, written after the ouster of former President Kurmanbek Bakiev in 2010, specified that there were not to be any amendments until 2020, and many people in Kyrgyzstan felt this period should be respected.

Kyrgyzstan's people are weary of referendums, as both Djumataeva and Juraev pointed out. The December referendum was the seventh time in Kyrgyzstan's 25-year history that voters were asked to approve or reject changes to the constitution. And there was another referendum, the very first in Kyrgyzstan, in January 1994, that asked simply, "Do you confirm that the president of Kyrgyzstan who was democratically elected on October 12, 1991, [Askar Akaev] for five years is the president of the Kyrgyz Republic with the right to act as head of state during his term in office?"

Why Now?

Accompanying concerns about the haste with which the amendments were drafted and the referendum held are questions about the reason for needing to do it now.

Juraev said, "It would have been much more reasonable to ask people for a single answer to the question, would you like us to go back and redraft the constitution, and then that would open the way for a new constitutional council to do the work."

Only some 42 percent of eligible voters, about 1.1 million out of 2.7 million, cast ballots in the national referendum.

Juraev pointed out, "If you were to run this referendum by the previous version of the law on referendums it would not have passed, because it required at least 50 percent turnout," whereas this time "the bar was 30 percent." The decision to lower the required percentage was adopted when the new law of referendums was passed, paving the way to conduct the December 11 referendum.

There are also concerns about some of the amendments. Supporters of the amendments portrayed the changes as helping Kyrgyzstan make the jump from a presidential to parliamentary system of government, as was intended in the 2010 constitution.

But Djumataeva said some of the amendments seemed to be responses to very recent problems. She recalled the case of Azimjon Askarov, an ethnic Uzbek activist from southern Kyrgyzstan who is in prison. A Kyrgyz court ruled Askarov was involved in the interethnic violence in southern Kyrgyzstan in June 2010. Askarov claims he was documenting the abuses committed during the violence but did not participate in any way.

The UN Human Rights Committee released a statement in April that said Askarov had been "arbitrarily detained, held in inhumane conditions, tortured and mistreated, and prevented from adequately preparing his trial defense," and called for his immediate release.

The 2010 constitution reads that if international human rights bodies "confirm the violation of human rights and freedoms, the Kyrgyz Republic shall take measures to their restoration and/or compensation of damage."

That part is removed in the new constitution.

Juraev also pointed out the new constitution gives the state the right to revoke citizenship. This is a response to several hundred Kyrgyz nationals, out of a population of more than 6 million, going to places like Syria and Iraq to join extremist groups during the last few years.

In keeping with tradition, not only in Kyrgyzstan but throughout Central Asia, voters could only vote to approve or reject the package of amendments. It was not possible to vote on individual changes.

Now the question is, what do these changes mean for Kyrgyzstan's presidential election in 2017?

The five referendums on constitutional changes prior to one in 2010 resulted in giving more power to the executive branch of government. That is the history of Kyrgyzstan's constitutional amendments.

So people could not be blamed for wondering if there is something hidden in this latest package that works to President Atambaev's advantage.

Djumataeva explained that despite Kyrgyzstan officially having a parliamentary system, the prime minister -- and she noted there have been five prime ministers since Atambaev was elected in 2011 -- has always been far in the background. So the office of the president remains a powerful office and the amendments, while adding some power to the prime minister, don't seem likely to finally sway authority into the latter's hands.

The panel discussed these topics in greater detail and looked at other aspects of the referendum, such as what role, if any, Russia and China might have had in prompting the vote.

You can listen to the full discussion here:

Listen to or download the latest Majlis podcast above or subscribe to the Majlis podcast on iTunes.
Two armed men were killed during a special operation by security services in Russia's volatile republic of Daghestan, Russian media reports.

A security-service official in Daghestan said on January 1 that two militants had been killed in an counterterrorist operation by security forces as they hid in a house in the village of Yaman-Su in the Novolaksky district.

Two security-service officers were reported wounded while storming the house during the operation, the official said, adding that the operation was ongoing.

Violence is common in Russia's North Caucasus, which includes the restive, predominantly Muslim-populated regions of Chechnya, Daghestan, Ingushetia, and Kabardino-Balkaria.

Islamic militants in the region have mounted frequent attacks on police and officials, and some have sworn allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) extremist group.

Based on reporting by Interfax and TASS
Russian diplomats who were expelled by order of U.S. President Barack Obama have left Washington and are heading to Moscow, Russian news agencies reported, citing Russia's embassy.



"The plane has taken off," a spokesman for Russia's embassy in the United States, Nikolai Lakhonin, was quoted as saying on January 1.



He added that all the expelled diplomats who were due to leave on January 1 were on board the flight.



Obama last week ordered the expulsion of 35 Russian suspected spies and imposed sanctions on two Russian intelligence agencies over allegations of hacking aimed to interfere in the U.S. election, espionage, and harassment of U.S. diplomats in Russia.



Russian President Vladimir Putin said on December 30 that Moscow would not expel any Americans from the country.



Putin said he would consider the actions of President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on January 20, when deciding on further steps in the relations between the two countries.

Based on reporting by Reuters and TASS
Even for flamboyant firebrand Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the remarks seemed strikingly provocative: "God save the tsar!" he said, raising his hands high in an ornate Kremlin hall where President Vladimir Putin had just hung an eagle-and-cross Service to the Fatherland medal around his neck. "Reign for our glory, reign to strike fear in our foes, Orthodox tsar. God save the tsar!"

Putin's reaction is not visible in footage from the ceremony on September 22, four days after tightly controlled elections handed the loyal United Russia party more seats that ever before in the State Duma -- easily enough to pass a constitutional amendment abolishing presidential term limits, should Putin seek to stay in power for life.

But whether Zhirinovsky quoted from an imperial-era national anthem off the cuff or under orders from the Kremlin, his outburst neatly complemented an image Putin seems to have cultivated assiduously over 17 years in power -- that of a Russian tsar.

The image-making is evident in words and actions both large and small, from his sumptuous surroundings in the Kremlin and a lavish Sochi summer headquarters to surprise decrees and dismissals, as well as efforts -- such as an hourslong annual call-in show -- to cast himself as the only hope for everyday Russians beleaguered by craven tycoons and indifferent bureaucrats.

Abroad he has also acted with a tsarlike assertiveness, particularly in his third term, seizing Crimea from Ukraine -- a move he claimed righted a historical wrong by restoring Russian control over a region previously annexed by Empress Catherine the Great, in the 18th century -- and challenging Western leaders while seeking to bolster Moscow's power in Europe and beyond.

The Empire's Glaring Flaw

But the picture of Putin as a tsar has one glaring flaw, and it's plainly visible at the heart of Russia: The embalmed corpse of Vladimir Lenin, whose seizure of power following the Bolshevik Revolution sealed the fate of the Romanov dynasty and ushered in more than 70 years of communist rule, lies on view in a squat stone mausoleum just outside the Kremlin walls.

Visited by tourists from the Russian provinces and the rest of the world, the tomb on Red Square is a stark reminder of a big break in any line drawn from the Russian tsars to Putin, who was born smack in the middle of the Soviet era -- in a city that then bore Lenin's name -- and served for 16 years as an officer of the KGB.

The blot Lenin's body places on Putin's image as a tsar is particularly obvious every year on May 9, when the mausoleum is hidden from view as the president addresses a military parade commemorating what for many Russians is the proudest moment of the troubled Soviet era -- the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.

Putin has drawn on aspects of both the tsarist and Soviet eras in his efforts to shape Russia. Many critics accuse him of echoing practices of Soviet times -- and even of dictator Josef Stalin -- in his quest to tighten his grip over Russia.

But he has done more to link his image to the long history of tsars than to the relatively brief, badly checkered Soviet experiment -- seven oppressive decades that began with the kind of upheaval Putin seems bent on ensuring does not threaten his rule.

"We've seen a long-term buildup of the sense that the real model is to be found not so much in the Soviet times, but actually in tsarist times," says analyst Mark Galeotti, a senior policy fellow at the Institute of International Relations in Prague.

"And I can't help but wonder if while once upon a time Putin was willing to say that the collapse of the Soviet Union was the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century, he might well now actually be saying that 1917 was," Galeotti adds.

Time To Consign Soviet Era To History?

Amid intermittent calls from Russians to put Lenin in the ground, Putin -- who is often described as pragmatic -- may have been weighing the possibility for years. And 2017, the centenary of the revolution, would seem like the time to do it.

For one thing, burying Lenin could drive home the message that revolution is bad.

He criticized Lenin last January, accusing him of planting a "time bomb" beneath the state and sharply denouncing brutal repressions by the Bolshevik government.

Others have gone further. Natalia Poklonskaya, a Russian lawmaker and former prosecutor in the Russian-imposed government of Crimea, lumped Lenin together with Hitler and Mao Zedong as "monsters" of the 20th century. And ultranationalist Zhirinovsky has called for Moscow's Leninsky Prospekt -- Lenin Avenue -- to be renamed after Ivan the Terrible.

In a reference to the Bolshevik Revolution during his state-of-the-nation address on December 1, Putin said that coups invariably lead to "the loss of human life, casualties, economic decline, and misery." He warned against "speculating on tragedies that occurred in nearly every Russian family" as a result of the revolution -- a warning, at least in part, not to try anything like it again.

No Regime Change Here

Putin's fear of revolution appears to be rooted partly in his dismay at the protests that have brought down governments in the former Soviet republics of Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, and Ukraine in the past 13 years -- political change that he accuses the United States of fomenting.

Analysts say he was rattled by the big street protests that erupted in Moscow over widespread evidence of fraud in a December 2011 parliamentary elections and anger over his plan to return to the presidency after four years as prime minister.

Putin weathered those protests and, back in the Kremlin in May 2012 for a six-year term, swiftly took steps to narrow the scope for street demonstrations and clamp down on dissent. Now he is gearing up for the next presidential election, due in March 2018.

Putin is widely expected to run and to win. But the future will be clouded from the moment he takes the oath, because the constitution bars him from seeking a third straight term in 2024, when he will be 71.

At the very least, burying Lenin months before the election would inject a jolt of energy into the tightly controlled political process.

It could also help Putin dispel a potential future threat from the Communist Party, which Galeotti says is the only major independent political machine in Putin's Russia and may be revitalized by a new generation of leaders and supporters. "It makes a statement that the Kremlin is in charge and is moving forward, and that it's time to forget the past," he explains.

More broadly, burying Lenin would add substantially to Putin's legacy, etching him in history as a leader who made a big break with the Soviet past. It could help him replace Lenin as a father figure and aid his quest to unite Russian citizens around some overarching national idea -- a goal that has so far been elusive.

And on a practical, political level, it could help pave the way for a constitutional change or some less formal arrangement that would keep him in power past 2024. Or, if Putin prefers to step off center stage and help Russia forge a political system more reliant on institutions than on a single ruler, removing Lenin would give that process a symbolic boost.

Communist Martyr?

But it could be risky.

There have been calls for Lenin's burial since the Soviet Union fell apart in 1991. In 2013, a poll by the independent Levada Center found that only 25 percent of Russians believed his body should remain in the mausoleum on Red Square.

But the Kremlin has always been cautious, concerned about offending those who feel nostalgia for the Soviet era and about angering the Communists -- who have come in second in every parliamentary election since 1995, when they came in first.

Just as the Bolsheviks feared that revealing the location where the bodies of Tsar Nicholas II and his family were dumped after they were shot in a provincial cellar in 1918 would give them posthumous power as martyrs and spark protests, post-Soviet leaders have worried that moving Lenin's body from its prominent place could give leftist Kremlin opponents more force and focus.

Putin will want to avoid any step that would "unleash forces that are going to get out of control very fast," Anna Arutunyan, author of the book The Putin Mystique: Inside Russia's Power Cult, said in a Power Vertical Podcast on RFE/RL in November. "Such an emotional thing as this -- it could actually backfire in terms of creating more support for the Communist Party instead of less."

Galeotti believes, however, that Putin's government could seek to put paid to such a threat -- and also clear the body off Red Square -- by publicly casting his burial as a "final gesture of respect" for a man who played a crucial role in Russian history, good or bad.

But as 2017 approached, Russian officials made it clear that Putin plans to use the 100th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution as an occasion to plug the idea of national unity. While Putin may see Lenin's burial as a chance to do just that, he could also decide that Russia is still not ready for such a step.

"There is this backlash against Lenin, but he is still in the mausoleum, and I'm not really seeing him being taken out of the mausoleum any time soon," Arutunyan said.
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
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
'I am innocent. I am not guilty at all. Everything will be proved later,' Tapas Pal said.

By Indo-Asian News Service: Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Tapas Pal, who was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) last Friday for his alleged involvement in the Rose Valley Chit fund scam, today said his innocence will be proved in due course.

"I am innocent. I am not guilty at all. Everything will be proved later," Pal told the reporters while getting into a car of the CBI in Odisha's (Bhubaneswar) after a health check-up in a hospital.

advertisement

Asked about the allegations that he took financial advantage from the chit fund company, Pal vehemently denied it.

"I deny all the allegations against me. I know for a fact that I haven't taken any monetary advantage from anyone," he said.

HERE IS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW: Pal alleged that Union minister Babul Supriyo is involved in the multi-crore Rose Valley chit fund scam. "Babul Supriyo tricked me into the scam and he is involved in it," Pal claimed. "Many other ministers also have links with the multi-crore chit fund scam," he added. The TMC leader said that his party stads by him. "My party is with me." Terming his arrest as "politically motivated", his wife Nandini Pal reiterated his claims, saying the actor-turned-politician was not involved in anything illegal. "It is definitely politically motivated," Nandini said. "He hasn't done anything illegal. He worked as a director in a film produced by the Rose Valley and received monthly remuneration by cheque after Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) deduction. I know he hasn't taken any money apart from the remuneration," she said. Pal was arrested on Friday afternoon by the CBI sleuths from Kolkata after being interrogated for four hours for his alleged links with the ponzy scheme. He was shifted to Bhubaneswar in the late hours of Friday on transit remand. The Special Chief Judicial Magistrate's court of the CBI in Bhubaneswar on yesterday allowed the agency to take the Trinamool MP on a three-day remand.

Also read: Rose Valley chit fund scam: CBI takes TMC MP Tapas Pal to Bhubaneswar for questioning

--- ENDS ---
The room is still as Dr. Aparna Ranjan enters, and the man lying in the hospital bed does not open his eyes.

Ranjan walks quietly around him and touches his arm. His face is pale, his voice and body are thin, and she has to put her ear next to his mouth to hear how he responds to her questions. Then, she leans back and listens to his chest with a stethoscope.

Im a little worried about you, she says, but he does not respond.

She explains why she will not be discharging him today.

Youre in a good place right now, she says, and puts her hand on his. He does not respond.

Ranjan, the medical director of the Bon Secours Community Hospice House in Chesterfield County, cares for people as they approach death, which is the point of hospice care: to ensure that the dying are free from pain, both emotionally and physically.

We try to make the journey easy and comfortable, she said.

As Ranjan leaves the room of the unresponsive man, she shakes her head.

Hes very close to dying, she says. He had what we call a death smell.

This is what its like to help people die.

Many doctors are not trained to help people accept that they are dying, Ranjan said. Most physicians are taught to reach always for some treatment or option  even if there is little chance of success.

Sometimes, patients will enter Ranjans care without knowing theyre close to dying, because their previous physicians were trained only to help people live and rarely broach the topic of death.

A few days before Christmas, Ranjan planned to start her morning by debriefing with the nurses on duty before visiting a new patient who arrived at the hospice house overnight.

But on her way, the facilitys social worker stops her in the hall to tell her that Steven White, one of the nurses on duty, thinks that another patient  a man who was due to be sent home that afternoon  has gotten worse.

Ranjan listens and nods, then says, Im not surprised by that.

She has known the patient for several months and has grown fond of him, as have some of the nurses. White calls the patient his buddy.

He has been at the hospice house for a few days, and Ranjan had noticed the beginning of his decline.

Hes such a sweet man, she says.

The 16-bed Bon Secours Community Hospice House is the only freestanding inpatient hospice facility in the Richmond area.

Other hospices typically send providers to patients homes. Although the hospice house tries to stabilize patients so they can be discharged, the facility is built for those whose conditions are too severe to be at home.

But many patients, including the new one Ranjan is about to meet, want very much to go home anyway.

Once Ranjan reaches the nurses station, White tells her about the new patient.

The patient, a woman, is unhappy and confused. White proceeds to empty a bag filled with dozens of prescription medications onto the counter, and he and Ranjan sort through them to get a better understanding of what the patient has been prescribed, a task they do frequently.

They discuss the hospice care she has received previously, and Ranjan mentions bringing in the patients nurse from another hospice program, also a typical task for a hospice provider. Their days not only involve caring for patients but coordinating with families and outside services as well.

Often, Ranjan must work through the labyrinth of symptoms, drugs and family members to understand the patients situation. Is she stable enough to go home? Are the drugs she is taking helping or hurting?

Once Ranjan has at least a baseline understanding of the new patients situation, she and White walk into her room.

Ranjan is a petite woman with dark hair, a light Indian accent and a straightforward demeanor. When meeting with patients for the first time, she is honest about their situation but laces her words with kindness.

Though she is the medical director of the facility, she spends as much time listening to the patients, their families and her nurses as she does giving instructions.

She listens to the new patient. Then Ranjan asks the question she does of every patient.

Do you understand why youre under hospice care?

***

Patients enter hospice care for various reasons.

Sometimes, they choose hospice because they do not want to go through harsh, painful treatment for their illness or disease. In that case, Ranjan said, the patients choose a higher quality of life through hospice care versus living a longer amount of time.

We have some patients who have tried everything, and theyre just not getting better, she said. They have more sick days than good days.

Other patients simply have no treatment options left.

Often, Ranjan said, cancer patients have an easier time accepting the news that they are out of treatment options than those with other chronic illnesses.

Between 40 and 50 percent of the patients she sees are dying from something other than cancer.

That may be because, as people live longer, other issues are more likely to develop, such as congestive heart failure or neurological diseases, including dementia.

On Dec. 18, Nancy Hardings husband, Wayne, was transferred from Bon Secours Memorial Regional Medical Center in Mechanicsville to the hospice house. He turned 81 on Dec. 23.

He was admitted to hospice care because of his Parkinsons disease and progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare disease that affects movement and cognition.

At one point after he was admitted to the hospice house, Nancy Harding asked her husband how he was feeling.

He said, relaxed, and he never uses that word, but I think its the atmosphere here, she said. Its so peaceful and just kind of tucked back (from the main road) so youre not seeing the traffic and hustle and bustle and noise.

It just made me feel good to hear him say, Im relaxed. I dont know if hes getting to the point that he realizes, I just cant keep fighting this. But it just makes me feel good, and my family feels good.

***

Dot Eckles put on a brave face during the day.

The 86-year-old would play cards, watch movies and spend time with her little dog, Scampy, who was permitted to visit the hospice house when Eckles resided there from June to Oct. 8.

It was at night, after her family had gone home, that Eckles would dissolve.

She knew that she couldnt get better, and she didnt understand why she was taking so long to die, said daughter Dee Majette.

So at night, one of the hospice house nurses would lie down next to Eckles in bed and listen to her, Majette said.

Once, my mom was crying, and said she couldnt understand why she was still here, Majette said. The nurse said, Well, probably its because you have something still to teach me.

Hospice care does not necessarily mean immediate death, Ranjan said, and patients can live for six months to a year while receiving the care.

But they can still have trouble accepting the idea of being near death. Ranjan said she sees many patients deal with terminal agitation, which is characterized as general restlessness before death.

Sometimes, patients are waiting for something, she said.

Their families may not have given them permission, telling them, Were OK, well be OK, we love you, she said. Once they hear that, the patient can pass. Weve seen that.

***

Ranjan has been working in hospice care for more than 15 years. That is why she has come to recognize signs, she said, such as the smell of people close to death.

After she recognizes that smell, the patients typically have 48 to 72 hours left.

Ranjan attributes her career choice to a variety of factors. Growing up in India, she lived with several extended family members and would help her parents care for her grandparents.

We all lived in the same home and we saw people fading away, and we had to step in and help out as I was growing up, she said.

Lynda Marroletti, director of the hospice house, said many of the staff members at the facility do their work because of a personal experience they have, such as caring for an elderly relative.

Bon Secours offers support groups and bereavement programs that are available to staff members as well as families. White said he and the other nurses become close to the patients, especially those who stay at the hospice house for extended periods.

Another nurse with the facility, Norma Rowe, uses her faith to help her deal with patients death.

We know where theyre going, she said of the patients who die.

For Ranjan, dealing with the death of a patient with whom she has grown close is as simple as letting herself feel and process the emotions.

Sometimes after a death, if she gets especially tearful, she will go into her office, put a Do Not Disturb sign on the door, and sit quietly. Sometimes, she said, she will cry.

She usually recites one prayer she knows by heart:

Lord I pray for you to give me strength, wisdom and courage to help the dying live and when their life is over and on I will go, comfort my aching heart so to others the same care I can show.
A gunman, disguised as Santa, killed at least 35 people partying inside a nightclub in Istanbul, marking the first terror attack of the year.

By Agencies: Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu has said the death toll in the Istanbul nightclub terror attack has gone up to 39.

At least one gunman shot his way into an Istanbul nightclub packed with hundreds of New Year's revellers on Sunday, killing 35 people (as first reported) and wounding more than 40 in what the provincial governor described as a terrorist attack.

advertisement

One assailant shot a police officer and a civilian as he entered the Reina nightclub before opening fire at random inside, Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin said at the scene. Some reports suggested there were multiple attackers.

The minister said on Sunday that of the victims identified so far, 16 were foreign nationals. He did not provide any information on which all countries they belonged to.

ATTACKER STILL AT LARGE

Soylu said the attacker was still at large and that 69 people were being treated in hospitals following the shooting.

"A terrorist with a long-range weapon ... brutally and savagely carried out this attack by firing bullets on innocent people who were there solely to celebrate the New Year and have fun," Governor Sahin told reporters.

ALSO READ: After the horrifying Istanbul attack at the year end, here are 10 deadliest attacks of 2016

The attack again shook Turkey as it tries to recover from a failed July coup and a series of deadly bombings in cities including Istanbul and the capital Ankara, some blamed on Islamic State and others claimed by Kurdish militants.

The club, one of Istanbul's most iconic, popular with locals and foreigners alike, overlooks the Bosphorus Strait separating Europe and Asia in the city's cosmopolitan Ortakoy district.

500-600 PEOPLE INSIDE THE NIGHTCLUB

Around 500 to 600 people were thought to have been inside when the gunman opened fire at around 1:15 a.m. (2230 GMT), broadcaster CNN Turk said. Some jumped into the waters of the Bosphorus to save themselves and were rescued by police.

US President Barack Obama, on vacation in Hawaii, expressed condolences and directed his team to offer help to the Turkish authorities, the White House said.

Sahin said there was only one attacker but other reports, including on social media, suggested there may have been at least two, dressed in Santa Claus costumes which they later ditched.

The Hurriyet newspaper cited witnesses as saying there were multiple attackers and that they shouted in Arabic.

"We were having fun. All of a sudden people started to run. My husband said don't be afraid, and he jumped on me. People ran over me. My husband was hit in three places," one club-goer, Sinem Uyanik, told the newspaper.

advertisement

"I managed to push through and get out, it was terrible," she said, describing seeing people soaked in blood and adding that there appeared to have been at least two gunmen.

"POLICE MOVED IN QUICKLY"

Dozens of ambulances and police vehicles were dispatched to the club in Ortakoy, a neighbourhood on the city's European side nestled under one of three bridges crossing the Bosphorus and home to nightclubs, restaurants and art galleries.

"I didn't see who was shooting but heard the gun shots and people fled. Police moved in quickly," Sefa Boydas, a Turkish soccer player, wrote on Twitter.

Also read | Terror attack in Berlin: 12 dead after Pakistani youth on a truck ploughs into Christmas market

"My girlfriend was wearing high heels. I lifted her and carried her out on my back," he said.

Hurriyet quoted Reina's owner, Mehmet Kocarslan, as saying security measures had been taken over the past 10 days after US intelligence reports suggested a possible attack.

Turkey, a NATO member and part of the US-led coalition against Islamic State, faces multiple security threats including spillover from the war in neighbouring Syria.

advertisement

It launched a military incursion into Syria in August against the radical Islamist group and is also fighting a Kurdish militant insurgency in its own southeast.

The New Year's Eve attack came five months after Turkey was shaken by a failed military coup, in which more than 240 people were killed, many of them in Istanbul, as rogue soldiers commandeered tanks and fighter jets in a bid to seize power.

ISTANBUL STRUCK SEVERAL TIMES

Istanbul, Turkey's most populous city, has seen several attacks this year, the latest on December 10, when two bombs claimed by Kurdish militants exploded outside a soccer stadium, killing 44 people and wounding more than 150.

In June, around 45 people were killed and hundreds wounded as three suspected Islamic State militants carried out a gun and bomb attack on Istanbul's main Ataturk airport.

Watch the video here:

--- ENDS ---
The Virginia Department of Corrections is one of five prison systems selected to participate in an initiative aimed at safely reducing the use of inmate solitary confinement, also known as segregation.

The Vera Institute of Justice said that in addition to Virginia, prison departments in Louisiana, Minnesota, Nevada and Utah were chosen after a competitive proposal process.

Five other jurisdictions  Nebraska, North Carolina, Oregon, New York City and Middlesex County, N.J.  already are participating.

Solitary confinement has been used widely in prisons and jails across the country both for punitive reasons and for safety  to protect the inmate in question or other inmates from a dangerous prisoner.

However, it long has been known there can be serious mental and physical effects on people held in solitary for extended periods. It also is a more expensive way to imprison people.

The Virginia Department of Corrections says it has been moving toward curbing the use of solitary confinement.

The U.S. Department of Justice, in a 2016 report on restrictive prison housing across the country, favorably cited Virginias effort to reduce inmate segregation at Red Onion State Prison through its administrative segregation step-down program.

In 2011, Red Onion, in Wise County, held 511 inmates in maximum-security administrative segregation. As result of the step-down program, as of last March only 84 inmates remained in segregation there. The departments says it now is examining ways to apply the Red Onion results systemwide.

The Vera Institute, a justice reform organization that works with government and civic leaders to foster change in public safety and justice systems, said many corrections departments want to reduce the use of solitary confinement, but it often is entrenched as a way to maintain order and respond to infractions.

Segregation can be overused for the young and people with mental illnesses, the institute said.

The 21-month initiative on segregation begins in early 2017 and is supported by a $2.2 million grant awarded to Vera by the U.S. Department of Justices Bureau of Justice Assistance. The states will provide a match up to $50,000.

According to the institute, it will work with Virginia and the other selected states to assess how they use solitary confinement, develop ways to safely reduce that use, and help implement changes.

We are thrilled to now be working with 10 jurisdictions to not only improve the safety and well-being of individuals, prisons and communities in their states, but also to model promising practices for others who share this vision, said Fred Patrick, director of Veras Center on Sentencing and Corrections.

Harold Clarke, director of the Virginia Department of Corrections, said, While we are pleased with the progress we have made  we also know that there is more work to be done. We are delighted to be selected for this initiative, and we welcome the opportunity to learn and share ideas with Vera and the participating departments.

Virginia has more than 30,000 inmates in its prisons. Red Onion State Prison, which held 800 to 900 inmates last month, opened in 1998 as the states first so-called supermax prison designed for the most dangerous of Virginias criminals.

Under the step-down program, prisoners who once were kept in cells for 23 to 24 hours a day are given a chance to work their way out and join small groups of other prisoners.

Performance expectations rise at each level of the program, and additional privileges can be earned.

All but 84 of the original 511 offenders in segregation at Red Onion have completed the step-down program and transitioned to general population housing. The Department of Corrections said that just 15 of those who completed the program have returned to segregation.

The department said that at Red Onion, from 2011 through 2015, incident reports were down 65 percent; inmate grievances fell 71 percent; and informal complaints were reduced by 76 percent.

A school opened for the first time at Red Onion in 2013. By last year, 260 inmates were enrolled.
DICKINSON  Shayna Monson showered alone this fall for the first time since her car accident more than a year ago. She was nervous, her mom recalled. So Connie Monson waited by the stall just in case.

The 22-year-old washed herself and rinsed. Then she turned to her mom, pumped her fists and mouthed a silent scream of joy.

We're at home, Connie told her. You can holler.

She did.

Excitement built with each new accomplishment. Shayna clipped her own fingernails. She walked barefoot without braces across the carpet.

"It was so awesome," Shayna remembered at her Dickinson home on Wednesday afternoon. I feel so normal again.

Shayna is the sole surviving victim of a June 2015 drunken driving crash in Mandan, in which 30-year-old Jordan Morsette slammed his vehicle head-on into Shaynas car at the McKenzie Drive exit of the Bismarck Expressway. The impact killed her two passengers, 22-year-old Abby Renschler and 21-year-old Taylor Goven.

Goven was her college roommate. Shayna had met Renschler just that night.

Morsette, a two-time drunken driver, pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal vehicular homicide and one count of criminal vehicular injury in May 2016. He was sentenced to serve 25 years the North Dakota State Penitentiary. He'll first see a parole board in 2027, according to the parole clerk.

Meanwhile Shayna faced a long road to recovery, undergoing a series of surgeries and rehabilitation courses. She spent four months at hospitals in Denver and another five months in a rehabilitation center in Omaha, returning home to Dickinson in April.

The force of the accident threw Shaynas car engine across the road, a witness told the Tribune last spring, and did something similar to her brain. As one doctor told her mom, she was like a newborn in an adult body.

Connie said Shaynas brain probably slammed forward, like shaken baby syndrome. It tore the tissue between her brain and skull, causing bleeding and swelling. Surgeons had to remove the front of her cranium, and now she has a titanium replacement. The brain injury also caused her right hand and both feet to clench. So, doctors snipped tendons and wrapped her limbs in casts to straighten them.

When Shayna became aware for the first time three months after the accident, she was confused about why she was in a Denver hospital room wrapped in casts.

I did not know where I was. And I was thinking, what happened here? Shayna said. And then it was hard for me to find out, because some people, they told me, and I said, what? So it was hard.

Shayna still doesnt remember the crash  which may be for the best. But she and her mom talk about it, and she testified at Morsettes sentencing this spring.

Theres times that she says to me, 'Mom, if I wouldnt have gone to see Taylor that night, this wouldnt have happened,' Connie said. But I say, 'but it happened. We cant go back and change it. This is the situation were in. So well make the best of it and go forward.'

At the time of the accident, Shayna was only 14 credits away from graduating with a degree in biology and chemistry from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. She was planning to go to medical school.

Now, Shayna's days go more like this: Wake up, have breakfast, go to therapy, practice reading or moving in the afternoon. She has iPad apps that exercise her brain and her therapists ask her to write summaries of the novel she's reading.

Shayna said she still feels like who she was before, albeit with less capacity. She had lost some of her memory as a result of the accident, but this fall, she started recalling things from her childhood.

I feel like Im almost the same person, but Im a little different, because I cant do everything I could have before, Shayna said. Im not mean and Im not mad. Im just friendly and shyish.

Luckily, friends have stayed close. On Wednesday afternoon, Liz Brown, a classmate from high school and college, dropped by to take her to coffee. Brown said Shayna remains the same person inside, and they like to talk about what they did together as teens.

Figuring out how to interact with Shayna again was kind of hard for me, Brown said. I guess I wasnt sure what [she was] going to be like after the accident.

Shayna still has many physical challenges. She often looks up instead of at you. She can't balance well on her feet, so it's hard to walk more than 15 minutes. And she can't be home alone. If she fell, it's possible she couldnt get up and call for help. So, her mom, dad and sister take turns staying with her.

Her voice is slow, slurred and often hard to understand. She recently came off a brain stimulant medication, which she may need to go back on, as Connie thinks her speech has grown worse.

It's unclear how much more progress Shayna will make. Will she be able to live on her own? Volunteer at a coffee shop? Finish college? That's all still unknown. Brain injury patients typically make their biggest recovery in the first year after an accident, Connie said. In Shayna's case, the doctors contend she may see more improvement because her severely injured brain was simply healing in the first year.

For now, Shayna says its awesome to be back in Dickinson. And her mom tries to remain positive.

In May, Connie traveled to Grand Forks to watch Shaynas pre-med classmates graduate, a memory which brought her to tears.

Knowing that Shayna should have been there with them and she wasnt. Theyre moving on, theyre getting jobs, theyre doing so much with their lives, and Shayna cant at this point. So thats been really hard, Connie said. But then I look at the fact that Taylor and Abby are gone. What their parents are feeling has got to be so much more horrible than what Im feeling, because I do have hope for Shayna. We do know that she has a future.
Heartfelt condolences to the government and people of Turkey on the tragic loss of lives in Istanbul said PM Modi.

By Press Trust of India: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today described the terror attack in Istanbul as "barbaric" and said India stands by Turkey in this time of grief.

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WHAT PM MODI SAID: Heartfelt condolences to the government and people of Turkey on the tragic loss of lives in Istanbul, he tweeted. "We strongly condemn the barbaric attack and stand by Turkey in this time of grief," said PM Modi. Thirty-nine people, including foreigners, were killed when a gunman stormed an Istanbul nightclub as revellers were celebrating the New Year.

advertisement

ALSO READ: Istanbul nightclub terror attack: Toll rises to 39, says Turkish Interior Minister

Modi's arrow against evil: Terror knows no border, world must unite against it

2016 a year of India's quiet diplomacy, soft power at UN, but setback on terrorism

--- ENDS ---
In a series of tweets today, the former Rajya Sabha MP, in a veiled attack on PM Modi, said that while the prime minister advocates use of technology, government agencies refuse to take his words seriously.

By India Today Web Desk: Vijay Mallya, the absconding liquor baron who is facing loan default case of over Rs 9,400 crore, has targeted central agencies probing cases against him while appealing Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure a 'fair' and 'impartial' investigation.

In a series of tweets today, the former Rajya Sabha MP, in a veiled attack on PM Modi, said that while the prime minister advocates use of technology, government agencies refuse to take his words seriously.

advertisement

"In 2017 I would only hope that PM Modi Ji's vision can be correctly fairly legally and impartially executed by his government. Our esteemed PM speaks about use of technology even for farmers. Wonder why enforcement agencies refuse use of technology," Mallya said.

"Will our dynamic forward thinking corruption free PM care to guarantee that criminal agencies under his control are fair, impartial and legal," he added.

MUST READ: From India Today magazine - Bad times for Mallya

MALLYA SNEAKED OUT OF INDIA IN MARCH, 2016

Mallya, who sneaked out of India last March and is reportedly living in London, is wanted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The government and the RBI have hinted at going hard at the fugitive business tycoon.

Vijay Mallya, on his part has denied any wrongdoing. He left India in March and has not returned since fearing arrest by the probe agencies. Mallya has claimed several times that he is in negotiation with banks to settle his loan default case.

So far, the ED Mumbai has attached properties of Mallya and his companies having market value more than Rs 8000 crore.

UK REFUSES TO DEPORT MALLYA

In May 2015, New Delhi's effort to bring back Mallya suffered a set back when UK turned down its request to deport him.

India had written to the British High Commission in Delhi seeking Mallya's deportation to India. However, the UK government told India that it is not imperative on it to handover Vijay Mallya, despite the tycoon losing his passport, after Delhi revoked it.

ALSO READ:

Ferrari, swimming pools, helipad: An exclusive look inside Mallya's Goa villa

Endgame Vijay Mallya? ED asks Interpol to issue Red Corner Notice against him

WATCH: Inside report - Vijay Mallya's Kingfisher villa

--- ENDS ---
TWO former British Steel workers have been recognised for their contribution to education in the Queens New Year Honours list.



Chris MacCormac and Ken Barrass have both been made Members of the Order of the British Empire, landing them the title of MBE  which is awarded for a significant achievement or outstanding service to the community.



Former Rotherham and Barnsley Chamber of Commerce president Mr MacCormac has been recognised for his services to education and business in South Yorkshire.



Mr Barrass, a former chairman of governors at Rotherham College, was rewarded for his services to further education.



Mr MacCormac (57) said he was humbled by the award and did not know who had nominated him.



I am delighted to be given such an honour that represents for me the positivity of many people in our town, he said.



I hope more organisations and the public nominate more of the towns hardworking workers, volunteers, professionals and business people  so that the real positive spirit of Rotherham and its people can shine bright for all to see.



Mr MacCormac, who left school at 16 to become a production apprentice at British Steel, began working in the education sector in the early 90s after being made redundant from his job as a HGV driver.



He joined Christian-based charity, Morthyng Group Ltd in 1994 and in his first year turned the organisation around from a 100,000 trading loss to a profit.



The current turnover is now over 2 million and the charity helps over 500 young people every year, mainly from disadvantaged backgrounds.



The charitys success has been put down to chief executive Mr MacCormacs leadership and tireless fund-raising.



The Bramley father-of-two said a career highlight was coming from the voluntary sector and putting the Chamber back on track financially.



As Chamber president, he led a large-scale restructuring exercise that turned a 235,000 deficit into a profit of 387,000.



The Chamber remained profitable until the end of his presidency in 2012.



He remains chairman of the charity Lost Chord which supports people with dementia and is the chairman of governors at his former schools, St Gerards Catholic Primary school in Thrybergh and St Bernards.



Mr MacCormac added: This town has been very good to me, so its about putting something back in.



Fellow MBE recipient Mr Barrass (69) said he was delighted with the unexpected honour.



He has been recognised for his 17 years voluntary work at Rotherham College where he was a governor and vice-chairman for 12 years prior to becoming chairman in 2011.



Mr Barrass stepped down from the role in July 2016 after playing a key role during a major 20 million redevelopment at the college.



The former British Steel finance manager said he had found his voluntary work with the college a very rewarding experience.



His highlights included saving and turning around the colleges Dinnington campus, a visit from Prince Andrew to open the Wentworth Building, the good Ofsted grade and seeing the improvement in success rates of the students.



He also worked with the board and leadership of the college to forge a merger in 2016 with North Notts College, based in his hometown of Worksop, to form the RNN Group, which is now one of the largest education and training providers in the region.



He was chairman of the group for the first six months of its life before stepping down in August 2016.


Kim Jong Un said that North Korea is in the final stage of preparations to test-fire an inter-continental ballistic missile.

Kim made his remarks in a New Year televised address as he outlined his country's military achievements for the past year, North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said Sunday. North Korea has conducted three nuclear tests under Kim and launched a series of long-range rockets.

North Korea will continue to strengthen its ability based on nuclear might to mount a preemptive attack, Kim said.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Political News
By Rohit Kumar Singh: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been pushing hard towards creating a cashless economy and for this the Centre is indulging into massive publicity campaign promoting cashless transaction and digital payment. Now, results of the PM's appeal is being seen with the latest being the world heritage site, Mahabodhi temple, a Buddhist temple in Gaya district of Bihar which has now become completely cashless.

advertisement

The new cashless system became fully operational from Saturday. After the new cashless system became operational, devotes both domestic and foreign would be able to donate money for the temple using their debit or credit cards. The new cashless system was inaugurated by the Gaya District Magistrate Ravi Kumar.

The Mahabodhi temple management has installed several swipe machine at all the cash counters in the temple to facilitate devotees. Once the cashless system started to function, Buddhist monks donated Rs 500 to the temple using the credit card.

"Keeping in mind demonetisation and Centre's push for a cashless economy, the cashless system has now been started at the Mahabodhi temple. Devotees from Indian and from other part of the world can now donate money using their debit or credit cards. Swipe machines have also been installed for this", informed Ravi Kumar, District Magistrate of Gaya.

--- ENDS ---
William Christopher, the actor who played mild-mannered Father Francis Mulcahy on the hit television series MASH, died Saturday at age 84.

Christopher died in his Pasadena home from non-lung small cell carcinoma, his eldest son John Christopher told the Times. The actor played the role of Father Mulcahy from 1972 to 1983 and in the follow-up series After MASH from 1983 to 1985.

He graduated from Wesleyan University in Connecticut with a bachelors degree in theater arts before landing acting parts in New York, his son said.

Advertisement

He moved to California, where he played recurring roles on 1960s television shows, including Gomer Pyle and Hogans Heroes, and won small movie roles in The Fortune Cookie and With Six You Get Eggroll.

He was diagnosed with the cancer about 18 months ago and doctors had given him less than a year to live, John Christopher said.

He responded very well to several rounds of chemotherapy treatment and was able to keep the disease at bay until about three weeks ago, when he fell ill.

He was leading a somewhat normal life until recently, his son said.

The actor was something like the mellow chaplain he played on MASH, John Christopher said.

He was a very sensitive man, the son said. He was a very thoughtful person.

The actor had a great interest in astronomy and the possibility of life on other planets and moons, such as Jupiters icy moon Europa.

Christopher also had great affinity for ancient Greece and Greek literature. He even took on the feat of reading Homers The Iliad in the original Greek, his son said.

He would have been known to the other MASH cast with going around with a copy of The Iliad and working on that, his son said.

The actor, whose son Ned has autism, was also known for his charity work on that condition.

William Christopher is survived by his wife Barbara and sons John and Ned.

City News Service contributed to this story.

ALSO

Barbara Tarbuck, stage actress and General Hospitals Jane Jacks, dies at 74

Tyrus Wong, artist whose paintings inspired Disneys Bambi and other films, dies at 106

F. Ross Johnson, former chief executive of RJR Nabisco, dies at 85

UPDATES:

9:05 p.m.: This article was updated by staff with comments from William Christophers son.

This article was originally published at 7 p.m.
Teachers college didnt take, and after working on his college paper, John Stryker Meyer focused on a career in journalism rather than following his political science degree. Before his nearly 30 years of work as a newspaper reporter and editor, Meyer joined the Army in 1966 when he was 20 years old. A Green Beret, he served two tours of duty in Vietnam between 1968 and 1970 involving missions for the secret war in Laos and Cambodia. In recent years, hes been working to provide assistance to fellow veterans with issues like housing, health care or employment.

He was a founding trustee of the Veterans Association of North Countys (VANC) board of directors, serves as co-chairman of the Interfaith Community Services/VANC veterans advisory committee and director of the Veterans Affordable Housing Program, among other roles with veteran-related organizations.

Meyer, 70, lives in Oceanside with his wife, Anna, and they have five children. Hes also co-author of On the Ground: The Secret War in Vietnam with John Peters, and wrote Across the Fence: The Secret War in Vietnam about his own experiences and those of other soldiers serving with him. He took some time to talk about how his experience in the military has informed the work he does for other veterans, what would have been helpful to him when he got out of the military and how he was on his way to once becoming a music teacher.

Advertisement

Q: Why did you enlist in the Army?

A: During the summer of 1966, I read the book The Green Berets by Robin Moore. After flunking out of college, my draft notice came, and I knew I would get more training than draftees in Special Forces if I enlisted in the Army. I didnt know if I could pass the qualification course or not, so it was a challenge for me personally.

Q: What led you to pursue service in Special Forces?

A: I wanted to go to Vietnam with what appeared to me to be the most unique U.S. military branch of service, fighting in unconventional warfare as President Kennedy had predicted would replace conventional World War II-type battles.

Q: In your book Across the Fence: The Secret War in Vietnam, you recount your own experiences and those of other soldiers as members of the Studies and Observations Group during the Vietnam War. What made you decide to tell this story?

A: With the encouragement and assistance of my wife, I wrote it for my family first, and to record some of the stories of valor by the Green Berets, South Vietnamese and aviators from Air Force, Marines and Army who fought in the deadly secret war.

What I love about Oceanside ...

We enjoy the unique Vietnamese restaurants, Fiesta Mexicana, GoJump Oceanside, Iron Sights, quiet morning walks, and its the home of the Veterans Association of North Countys resource center, which houses Interfaith Community Services veterans services staff.

Q: How has your military experience framed the way you approach your current work for veterans?

A: The traditional Green Beret statue has the soldier reaching out with his left hand offering to help his counterpart. I have tried to help veterans in the same spirit, wherever possible.

Q: What led you to your current work with veterans after nearly 30 years in journalism?

A: Ive had opportunities to work at Interfaith Community Services, 2-1-1 San Diego on a part-time basis, and today with the Veterans Affordable Housing Program.

Q: Tell us about the Veterans Affordable Housing Program.

A: I joined three years ago, and its a program to help veterans find affordable housing. It was started several years ago by an original Green Beret, Richard Simonian, who is 84. The program helps veterans own manufactured homes in communities throughout the five Western states.

Q: What are your responsibilities as director?

A: I work with some of the 650-plus veterans who live in our communities, oversee veteran-oriented meetings, bring in speakers and various forms of assistance for those veterans.

Q: What are your goals for the program?

A: To help veterans when needs arise. For example, early in December, a police officer in Orange, Sharif Muzayen, was severely injured by a drunk driver while on the job. Hes a combat Marine with two tours of duty in Afghanistan, and our non-profit teamed up with the Christian Business Mens Connection to host a breakfast/fundraiser/toy drive for Officer Muzayen (who remains hospitalized) and his family last month. We raised more than $12,500 at last count, and collected toys for his two children.

Q: When you first left the military, what would have been most helpful to you as a veteran?

A: Job training, such as the Transition Assistance Program that is run at the Veterans Association of North County for veterans and service members approaching the end of their enlistments.

Q: What do you think, currently, are some of the more pressing issues veterans need assistance with?

A: Transitioning from military service to civilian work force. When I left the service, I remember going to the local Mack Truck dealer answering a job advertisement. The human resources guy asked me if I could drive dual-transmission trucks. I had no experience with dual-transmissions, only five-ton and two-and-a-half ton trucks and jeeps in the Army. That interview ended quickly.

Q: What is the greatest challenge facing nonprofits working to help veterans and their families?

A: Funding. The scandal that erupted around the Wounded Warrior Project (in which former employees claimed the charity was engaging in questionable spending practices) continues to hamper every outreach effort by nonprofits that work with and assist veterans.

Q: What have you learned about yourself as a result of your work with veterans over the years?

A: I sometimes take on too many volunteer tasks.

Q: What is the best advice youve ever received?

A: Try to avoid getting killed on a mission so you can live to run another mission.

Q: What is one thing people would be surprised to find out about you?

A: My first college major was music education. I was a voice major, with a minor in piano. My mother was a piano teacher and dad played alto sax and clarinet. I could read music before words.

Q: Describe your ideal San Diego weekend.

A: Hiking in county parks in Julian, eating lunch at Jeremys On The Hill, dinner at the Julian Grille completed with a night or two at Orchard Hill Country Inn.

Email: lisa.deaderick@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @lisadeaderick
An off-duty Los Angeles police officer was killed overnight when two cars, including one being used as an Uber, crashed in Simi Valley, authorities said.

Officer Heather Monroe was a passenger in the car that collided with the Uber at the intersection of Cochran Street and Sycamore Drive shortly after 2:10 a.m. Sunday, said Cmdr. Robert Brill of the Simi Valley Police Department.

Both drivers and a passenger in the Uber were treated for non-life-threatening injuries at a hospital, Simi Valley police said in a statement. Monroe, they added, appeared to be wearing her seat belt when the cars crashed.

Advertisement

Investigators had not yet pinpointed what caused the crash. Authorities said that it appeared one of the vehicles didnt stop at a red light at the intersection, but were still trying to confirm which car may have run the light.

Police are also looking into whether drugs or alcohol were a factor. Investigators spent 11 hours at the scene Sunday, photographing the wreckage, examining the debris strewn across the intersection and looking for video that may have captured the crash. They asked anyone who may have witnessed it to call police.

Uber and other popular ride-hailing services are frequently touted on New Years Eve and other holidays as a way for revelers to avoid driving after drinking. The passenger in the Uber did just that, Simi Valley police said, calling for a ride after consuming alcohol during a New Years Eve celebration.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the officers family, the LAPD and the law enforcement community, a spokesman for Uber said in a statement. We are thankful police have confirmed our driver partner and her passenger were not seriously injured and wish all the injured parties a speedy recovery.

Monroe, who lived in Simi Valley, joined the LAPD in 2009, according to department records. The 30-year-old officer was assigned to the Devonshire station in the San Fernando Valley, and had previously worked at the LAPDs jail in Van Nuys and the departments Mission division.

An LAPD spokesman called Monroes death a tragic start to the new year.

Losing an officer is devastating, but the pain is intensified for the men and women of the department when it happens during what is supposed to be the happiest time of the year, the spokesman, Josh Rubenstein, said in a statement.

News of the deadly collision quickly spread throughout the LAPD Sunday morning after officers saw reports that an off-duty cop had been killed.

Detective John Lamberti was one of those officers. When he learned that the crash had happened in Simi Valley, he said he immediately thought of his friend who lived there, Heather, and hoped it wasnt her.

Lamberti and Monroe worked together at the Van Nuys jail in 2011, both fresh off the probationary period for rookie cops.

Monroe was unflappable, Lamberti said, never rattled by even the most difficult inmate. She was smart with a good sense of humor, compassion and a presence that made people want to be around her, he said. When Monroe told stories about what she had seen as an officer, he added, you could tell she genuinely cared about the people.

She was absolutely the embodiment of everything that an LAPD officer should be, Lamberti said. Its just an absolutely devastating loss  not just for her friends and family but for the city in general. She was going to do great things in this department.

Lou Turriaga, a director for the union that represents rank-and-file LAPD officers, spent Sunday at roll-call meetings with officers who worked with Monroe. Many were distraught, he said, and were offered time away from work to process the news.

But, Turriaga said, even those who didnt know Monroe were rattled when they learned that an officer had been killed  himself included.

It hits you hard, Turriaga said, pausing as he spoke. It takes the air out of you.

UPDATES:

7:15 p.m: This article was updated with comments from Uber, and from LAPD union director Lou Turriaga and Detective John Lamberti.

2:10 p.m.: This article was updated with additional information from Simi Valley police about the crash, as well as a statement from the Los Angeles Police Department.

11:30 a.m.: This article was updated with more information from Simi Valley police Cmdr. Robert Brill, including the name of the off-duty LAPD officer killed in the crash and the involvement of a vehicle used as an Uber.

This story was originally published at 8:25 a.m.
Even the Time Machine cannot stop

HG Wells' works entering

the public domain

John Dube in c. 1910

In many jurisdictions, copyright works (with some exceptions) expire after 70 years from the end of the calendar year in which the creator died. This means that from 1 January 2017 many works will enter the public domain. This blog celebrates these creators. It is by no means comprehensive so please do add any omissions to the comments section.

H. G. Wells an English novelist best known for his science fiction. His most famous works include The Time Machine, The Invisible Man and The War of the Worlds. He pioneered the modern image of "the future". Whilst his science fiction works were entertaining they all had a social dimension. An American radio adaptation of The War of the Worlds allegedly led to mass panic when an English novelist best known for his science fiction. His most famous works include The Time Machine, The Invisible Man and The War of the Worlds. He pioneered the modern image of "the future". Whilst his science fiction works were entertaining they all had a social dimension. An American radio adaptation of The War of the Worlds allegedly led to mass panic when first broadcast in 1938.





Alfred Stieglitz's

The Steerage

John Langalibalele Dube, a South African politician helped establish Zulu literature. He wrote a mixture of essays and biographies and together with his wife founded the first English/Zulu newspaper Ilanga laseNatali (The Sun of Natal) in 1903.

There's no traffic on this A19

Alfred Stieglitz, was the husband of , was the husband of Georgia O'Keeffe and a celebrated photographer in his own right. He was instrumental in turning photography into an accepted art form. His most famous photograph, The Steerage , is now recognised as one of the most important photographs of the Twentieth Century for its documentary quality and modernist geometric forms.









Gertrude Stein painted by Picasso

Laszlo Moholy-Nagy was a Hungarian painter and photographer and designer as well as a professor in the Bauhaus school. He was highly influenced by constructivism and a strong advocate of the integration of technology and industry into the arts.

Gertrude Stein, was an American novelist, poet and playwright.

She first found fame with a memoir of her years hosting a Paris salon which entertained artists and writers like Hemingway, Picasso, Matisse and Fitzgerald told from the perspective of her partner, Alice Toklas.

John Maynard Keynes was an influential British economist. His ideas were at the heart of many European and American governments' economic policy from around the 1930s to 1970s. According to Keynesian economics, free markets do not work well over a long term and state intervention is necessary to moderate boom and bust cycles of economic activity.
Smugglers use whatever method they can to get drugs, weapons and people into the United States, from tunnels to unsecured border fences to secret compartments in vehicles.

But there is an even safer way, known in smuggling circles as a guaranteed method: bribe a border officer who will either wave the illegal load through a port of entry or perhaps even carry the goods into the U.S.

Incidents of bribe-taking border officers  including recent cases in San Diego  continue to raise alarms, prompting the FBI and Department of Homeland Security to create a campaign asking for the publics help to catch corrupt officers.

Advertisement

If you live near, work at or cross the border, you can be our eyes and ears when you witness public corruption. Dont turn a blind eye, report it to the FBI, Sergio Galvan, chief of the FBIs Public Corruption Unit at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C., urges in a new public service announcement.

The campaign targets frequent border crossers, people who work at the border, truck drivers and even law enforcement who might notice odd behavior or lax security. But the signs can be subtle and not easy for most to spot.

Its the people who have consistent contact, going through enough times to realize this doesnt look typical, said FBI Supervisory Special Agent Todd Hemmen, who supervises San Diegos Border Corruption Task Force. Those are the people who are in the best position to come from a place of experience.

Tipsters are urged to report suspicions to tips.fbi.gov, where the reports will be picked up by one of the more than 250 officers from the FBI and other federal agencies who work on border corruption task forces nationwide.

The campaign will include bulletin boards, a video, social media outreach and posters with the catchphrase Dont turn a blind eye. Report border corruption. The campaign will be rolled out in English and Spanish in 10 border regions, including San Diego; El Paso, Texas; Buffalo, N.Y.; Miami; Phoenix; Detroit; and Fargo, N.D.

It is not certain how the campaign will take shape in San Diego specifically.

Task force investigations into potential corruption in San Diego and Imperial counties remains steady, Hemmen said. He declined to give specific tallies on the number of open or completed cases.

A New York Times report in December found that almost 200 employees and contract workers of the Department of Homeland Security have taken nearly $15 million in bribes over the past 10 years. That includes authorities who patrol the borders, guard the ports of entry, screen passengers at airports, provide immigration documents and investigate smuggling crimes.

The number is less than 1 percent of the 250,000 or so employees at the agency, but it is still troubling considering the massive amount of drugs being imported, as well as what Hemmen calls the worst case scenario  allowing terrorists to infiltrate the country.

Task force investigators often rely on tips from the public to open cases against officers, as well as intelligence that comes from other investigations, Hemmen said.

The investigation into U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer Jose Luis Cota in San Diego began in 2013 with a tip from an unauthorized immigrant, who told authorities the officer offered to help smuggle her across the border.

The FBI investigation found Cota had partnered with a woman and allowed her to repeatedly drive undocumented immigrants into the United States through Cotas lane at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, in exchange for sexual favors and cash bribes, according to court documents.

While the investigation was secretly underway, a co-worker also reported suspicious behavior by Cota, specifically that he was texting while on duty and looking at the agencys internal database on his phone, court records show.

Cota was arrested in September and pleaded not guilty.

Federal investigators also received tips to look into the activities of Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Tyrone Duren, accused of stealing cash that he seized from drug couriers and then laundering the money. He quit his job amid the investigation. He was arrested Nov. 30 and has pleaded not guilty.

Most recently, a man who told authorities he met Border Patrol Agent Noe Lopez at a party tipped off U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents to suspected corruption. The tipster said Lopez offered to help him smuggle backpacks full of drugs left at strategic spots along the border fence in San Diego, prosecutors said.

Lopez was arrested earlier this month following an undercover sting that included $10,000 in bribes, according to the complaint. He has also pleaded not guilty.

kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @kristinadavis
Interviewing dedicated birders is tough  theyre always being distracted by birds.

Honkers! There they are! said Sonia Beeve as a large flock of Canada geese with their distinctive call flew through the fog and rain over the San Pasqual Valley just after dawn Saturday.

Theres a woodpecker, said Jim Beckman. You can tell from the way they swoop when they fly.

Advertisement

Beckman, vice president of the Palomar Audubon Society, was leading a team of five birders assigned to count birds in the valley east of Escondido. It was part of the annual Christmas Bird Count, a nationwide Audubon Society event that takes place between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5 every year with the goal of counting every bird species in the United States.

Palomar Audubon, which is responsible for the inland North County area, had chosen Saturday for its annual Christmas count. The fact that it was raining wasnt about to stop them.

Saturday morning there were 22 teams of birders out and about in areas that included Valley Center, Escondido, Ramona, Poway and the San Pasqual Valley. Each team member spent the morning with their heads looking to the sky and trees and recording not just different bird species but also how many of each they saw.

When several flocks of cormorants flew by, many excited team members yelled out the identification at the same time.

Included in Beckmans team was 14-year-old Drew Beamer, who just recently has taken to birding with great enthusiasm, having spotted over 300 species this year alone.

Its a really nice hobby for a kid, said his mother, Jennifer Beamer. It keeps him out of trouble, keeps him active and gets his mind going. Its great.

Beckman said birding  the term bird watching is no longer preferred  is one of the fastest growing hobbies in the United States. It used to be bird watching was kind of a geeky hobby but not anymore. Now its kind of cool. Now were called birders.

Jack Friery, another member of the San Pasqual team, said he read once that a good hobby should demand patience and concentration. This is a hobby that does exactly that, he said. Ultimately though, this is an excuse to be outdoors early in the morning and in a really nice place. Everything else, all the birds, is icing on the cake.

The best thing is getting outdoors and just enjoying the birds and their beauty, echoed Beeve.

Beckman arrived at the San Diego Archaeological Center off state Route 78, the meeting location for the team, before sunrise. As he drove into the lot he said a large barn owl flew from an owl box in a tall tree nearby. His face lit up as he talked about the bird flying to some other nearby tree and how the owl was probably watching us now.

Later he and the team hiked high up a hill behind the San Pasqual Battlefield Museum along a muddy trail to the top of a ridge, and then walked through a wet field, always looking up with their binoculars or scopes.

All 22 of the Palomar teams worked until about noon, counting and recording. They then gathered at Kit Carson Park in Escondido to compile information.

The weather was probably going to keep the count down this year, Beckman predicted.

Birds hunker down when its rainy, he said. They like the sun and the insects and everything that goes with a nice day. So were going to have some problems today finding a lot of birds. But thats OK. Thats all part of it.

The final count: Beckmans team ended with 48 different species, down just slightly from recent years. All 22 teams participating in the Christmas Count combined for 151 species, which is good considering the weather, Beckman said.

San Diego County is home to a greater variety of bird species than any other county in the nation, according to the Audubon Society. Its the geography, Beckman explained.

We have the ocean, the desert, the mountains, the valley and the chaparral. Each of these locations takes different kinds of birds to populate it.

jharry.jones@sduniontribune.com; 760/529-4931; Twitter: @jharryjones
Lifeguards pulled a body from the Tijuana River in San Ysidro during a Saturday night rainshower.

U.S. Border Patrol agents found the body, which appeared to be stuck in mud in the swollen river south of Camino de la Plaza, authorities said.

San Diego police and the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department were notified about 5 p.m. A lifeguard river rescue team was sent to recover the body.

Advertisement

No information about the person or the cause of death was immediately available.
Longtime San Diego public relations guru Bill Trumpfheller, president and CEO of Nuffer, Smith, Tucker, passed away Thursday night, his wife and company officials said Saturday.

He was 53.

Trumpfheller was well-known in San Diego civic and social circles, directing organizations ranging from the San Diego/Imperial Counties Chapter of the American Red Cross to the San Diego State University Alumni Association to CowParade La Jolla.

An avid skier and volunteer member of the National Ski Patrol, Trumpfheller died of cardiac arrest while in the San Bernardino mountains with his family, according to a statement issued by the company.

He is survived by his wife, Nola Trumpfheller, and two daughters.

Advertisement

He described himself on his Twitter account as PR guy by day, dad by night, ski patroller on weekends.

This is a tragic loss. We will all miss Bill very much, said San Diego Fire-Rescue Department Chief Brian Fennessy, who served with Trumpfheller on the local Red Cross board of directors. Of course our thoughts and prayers go out to all of his family and friends.

Trumpfheller joined Nuffer, Smith, Tucker, a major public relations firm in the San Diego and Tijuana region, as an intern in 1986 and became its president in 2000.

His company biography said he earned his way to the top by working 90-hour weeks and applying his talents learned through the San Diego State University public relations program ...

The biography noted that he had been a communicator and strategist since his first direct mail job at age 13, stuffing envelopes for his mothers travel agency.

Trumpfheller was named Public Relations Professional of the Year by the Public Relations Society of Americas local chapter, which also presented him with the Otto Bos Lifetime Achievement Award and the Eva Irving Award for Community Service.

He has served on the boards of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, Senior Community Centers, LEAD San Diego and the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau. He regularly turned out for fund-raising galas supporting the Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Council on Literacy and other events.

He was so full of life  larger than life, said Jerry Sanders, president and CEO of the Regional Chamber of Commerce and the citys former mayor and police chief. I have known him since the 90s. He was everywhere, doing everything.

Sanders said he worked with Trumpfheller at United Way, as well as at the Red Cross and Chamber.

Bill Earley, CEO of the local Red Cross chapter, described Trumpfheller as smart, insightful and caring.

Bill was a guy of great character and at the same time a great character himself. He lit up a room.  He enjoyed everything he was doing at the time he was doing it.

The company statement on his passing said, in part: Those of you who knew Bill can attest to his big personality, charisma, and commitment to agency values. That said, Nuffer, Smith, Tucker is a firm he helped build to what it is today and he would want that legacy to continue and for us to focus on providing continuity for our clients.

Company Vice President Teresa Siles will step in as managing director.

Nola Trumpfheller issued a personal statement on Saturday, saying, As you can imagine, this is a difficult time for our family, the NST team and the countless others who knew, respected and loved Bill. We are all navigating this tragedy the best we can, and I am working closely with the NST team, which in many ways is an extension of our own family. There is a strong leadership team in place consisting of people who I and Bill have known for years. We trust them. We have confidence in them, and we know they will continue the legacy and great work of my husband.

The firms clients have included the regional Chamber of Commerce, WD-40 Multi-Use Product, McDonalds San Diego franchisees, Dairy Council of California, Ace Parking, San Diego Association of Governments and various local cities.

Arrangements for a memorial service are pending.
One person, one vote is the only fair path

J.B. Harrington (Vote total misleading; electoral process works, Dec. 27) argues that because you live in a rural area you should get more votes (or votes worth more) than if you live in a large city. So a farm worker in Wyoming gets a bigger say in what goes on than a Silicon Valley CEO. This is democracy?

Why stop at location as a voting criteria? Why not give more votes to billionaires and less to McDonalds workers because there are fewer of the former? Rather than allocating votes according to location or circumstance, why not do it according to IQ? That would not make more sense.

Letters and commentary policy

The U-T welcomes and encourages community dialogue on important public matters. Please visit this page for more details on our letters and commentaries policy.

Advertisement

E-mail letters@sduniontribune.com

Mail: Andrew Kleske, Reader Outreach Editor San Diego Union-Tribune P.O. Box 120191 San Diego, CA 92112-0191.

You can also leave a comment below

Obviously. any system that gives more or bigger votes to one person than another for any reason is not a democratic system. Mr. Harringtons rationale is seriously flawed, and so is the electoral system.

Phil Kirk

Encinitas

Electoral College has proven its worth to U.S.

W. Reed (It is time to embrace one person, one vote, Dec. 29) wants to do away with the Electoral College.

In the recent election won by Donald Trump, if Reed had his/her way the popular vote of the five boroughs of New York City and the popular vote of only seven counties in California would have elected Hillary Clinton president.

The Electoral College was established to prevent regions with a high concentration of like-minded voters from determining the outcome of presidential elections.

Elections for a states senators (two each) and congressmen/women is by popular vote and reflects the citizens in each state. But it does not affect the citizens of the other 49 states.

Gary Ritzman

La Jolla

Ryan was just trying to preserve some order

The U-Ts editorial regarding trust in government (Is House Speaker Paul Ryan trying to hurt trust in government? Dec. 28) failed to mention a significant fact. Government transparency is not so much the issue as is House decorum and the prevention of anarchy.

The House has had a ban on the use of cameras and recording devices in place for years. Speaker Ryan is merely trying to add the imposition of fines to assist in enforcing those existing rules. In so doing, he hopes to prevent the recurrence of this years petulant display by House Democrats who apparently do not wish to be bothered by rules when they want to make a statement.

The U-Ts failure was either an act of careless omission or calculated commission. If the former, then an amended editorial is in order. If the latter, then shame on you for contributing to a false narrative.

Bryan Wiggins

La Mesa

Ignoring some facts does not serve readers

Your article Blacks stand out as crime victims (Dec. 24) is both superficial and misleading. In describing the study, the writer only cites that while blacks are only 4 percent of the county population, they suffer 14 percent of the violent crimes committed.

True enough, but what is ignored is that blacks were suspects in 26 percent of all violent crimes that year (2015)  or over six times their population representation.

Implicit in the above is that blacks perpetrate most of the crimes on themselves, with a lot left over for other races and ethnic groups. Where was this analysis? Look no further than this kind of biased and politically correct reporting to explain Trumps victory.

Chris Skillern

San Diego

Give Trump a chance to make good on promises

Regarding Suzanne Macks recent letter Trump should grow up before taking office (Dec. 18). She sounds very immature to me. Donald Trump won the election, get over it.

If Mack will give him a chance before judging Trump, she might be surprised at the outcome of his election and office. She sounds like a poor loser and crybaby. Her neener-neener-neener sounds more like a first-grader than an adult.

She needs to get over her anger and make America great again.

Shirley Kennerly

Santee

Other nations should foot bill for defense

I was just reading one of the latest AvWeek magazines and it reported that we have 1.3 million personnel under arms.

It further listed the countries where we have personnel deployed. These included Bahrain, Belgium, Egypt, Germany, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, UAE, Uzbekistan and Yemen.

Its no wonder we have a bloated defense budget. Why in the world do we, the United States, have personnel deployed in these places? Germany, Italy, Japan, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Turkey and UAE are certainly more than capable of defending themselves.

If they want or need our help, are they paying for it? They all certainly have the financial capabilities to do so.

Maybe we need to start asking our allies to begin paying for services rendered.

Gordon Cress

Carlsbad

Japan takes good first step, must continue on

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abes visiting Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona memorial with President Obama is a big step to acknowledge the Japanese attack on Hawaii during World War II. He offered his sincere and everlasting condolences to those who lost their lives during the Japanese surprise attack.

His visit reconciles the U.S.-Japanese relationship. How about the relationship between Japan and other Asian countries that Japan had invaded, like China, South Korea, Philippines and elsewhere?

Following the route of Abes visiting Pearl Harbor memorial, we hope Abe will visit Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall in 2017, the 80th anniversary of the Rape of Nanking.

This atrocity by the Japanese imperial army began on Dec. 13, 1937, with 300,000 Chinese brutally killed in six weeks. A formal apology from Japanese government to all victims in Asia will heal the wounds of Asian people and tout the alliance between Asian countries and Japan.

Nancy Lo

La Jolla

Want to see more letters that appear only online? Follow @UTLetters on Twitter and UTOpinion on Facebook.
With certainly one of the most, if not the most, divisive presidential elections in memory, last year was ripe for readers to offer feedback to the U-T.

Most of it was cordial, but some was the nastiest Ive experienced in the two-plus years of being the Readers Rep.

The most-often heard complaint I received was of perceived liberal bias in campaign news coverage.Many readers were general in their accusations  they did not point to a specific story. Others seemed to mix the opinion pages with the news pages. Some of those referred to the U-T editorial boards endorsement of Hillary Clinton and felt that support spilled over into the news pages. That, however, was not, and is not, the case. The editorial and news departments function separately.

Advertisement

The Readers Rep frequently heard the perception that only bad news about Donald Trump would be published and only good news about Clinton.

I looked at several weeks of coverage that appeared in the U-T during the campaign and could not detect that bias. In fact, what I discovered was that the A1 editors appeared to go out of their way to give Trump and Clinton coverage equal play, including headline and photograph size.

What, I did find, however, was a surprising amount of editorial tone in some political stories provided by news services. (The U-T primarily uses the New York Times, Washington Post and Associated Press for its national news report.)

Heres one of the worst examples I saw, which not only had an opinionated tone but smacked of partisanship: Senate Democrats, aware of the dead weight that Donald Trump has placed on their vulnerable Republican colleagues, can taste a reclaimed majority. The sentence appeared in a New York Times story that ran on A4 on Aug. 26. I included it in a Sept. 11 column on the subject of bias.

Its as if reporters feel they must drop analysis into their stories in the quest to provide perspective or context. As a longtime editor, its a trend I truly dislike, and I know A1 editors spent a lot of time trying to remove the loaded tone from some news service stories.

Readers consistently wrote in during the year that they want just the facts. I agree. The analysis tone in news reports, I think, is partially responsible for the claims of bias and damage to the mainstream medias reputation.

Like the Readers Rep, the letters editor, Andrew Kleske, receives regular feedback from readers. I wondered what his recollections were of 2016.

I wouldnt say people were more mean-spirited because of the election, but I would say they were slightly less filtered because the nature of discourse has devolved with a growing acceptance of name-calling and unsubstantiated accusations one sees more and more of in social media, Kleske said. We try to keep things civil and factual in letters, and the lack of anonymity helps in that regard.

Letters that are nasty for the sake of being nasty dont even make it to the website, much less the print edition, he said.Kleske can publish only so many letters in print because of space constraints, but he runs others on the U-T website. He said the presidential election led to more online letters and themed letter packages than in the past.He said he received many letters about stories found on fake news sites.

The letter writers are frustrated that we arent taking these stories seriously  such as Donald Trumps supposed plans to rename New Mexico or Hillary Clintons body double appearing at the debates.

But when shown that these stories are hoaxes, writers tend to appreciate our commitment to presenting only factual stories.

The Readers Rep also experienced that last year. One reader in particular would forward news from websites I would not consider trustworthy and ask why he wasnt seeing the stories in the U-T.

I recall another reader accusing the U-T of bias because he did not read about President Obama barring the national anthem from being played at sporting events. I had not heard of this and was dumbfounded the president would do such a thing. Mainstream media didnt pick up the story because it was fake.

Big stories of 2017?

What do you think will be the top  factual  stories of 2017? Lets hear your thoughts. Write to readers.rep@sduniontribune.com and include your full name and community of residence so the comments can run in this column.adrian.vore@sduniontribune.com
San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer is facing several challenges this year.

Will President Donald Trump be one of them?

The Republican mayor has received lots of positive attention locally and nationwide for his actions and positions  at least three of them in areas that are potential flashpoints with Trump:

Advertisement

Climate change: Faulconer an avowed believer. Trump a denier.

Immigration: Faulconer backs a comprehensive solution. Trump is focusing on deporting law-breakers.

Relations with Mexico: Faulconer easily reaches across the border and speaks Spanish. Hes a booster of the maquiladora industry and related border-economic efforts. Trump wants to dismantle NAFTA as we know it and suggests slapping tariffs on countries he considers bad trade actors.

Faulconer conceivably could look the other way if Trump takes a hard line in these areas.

After all, he has the nations eighth-largest city to run with its share of gritty municipal issues to deal with.

But those areas of potential conflict are local issues, too. Anything that threatens the currently booming cross-border economy threatens San Diego.

The citys Climate Action Plan is arguably Faulconers signature achievement; its hard to imagine him shrugging if that gets undermined at the federal level.

And regardless of where you stand on illegal immigration, sweeping deportations could disrupt San Diego.

Faulconer has long been tabbed as a Republican to watch by political analysts everywhere, and theyll probably be more interested in  and judge him on  how he responds to Trump than how many miles of streets he paves.

This from a recent Los Angeles Times story about all the California Democrats who are preparing for confrontation with Trump: The most compelling [GOP] figure on the local level to watch could be San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, a Republican who did not support Trumps campaign.

Post-election, Faulconer has urged unity, saying of Trump at a Los Angeles Times event, hes our president  we have to come together now.

Much depends on what Trump actually does and thats never been clear.

Even during the campaign he started toning down his rhetoric, at times, on unauthorized immigrants.

Hes suggested hes first going after those who are criminals, but that hasnt been defined.

Hes a businessman who recognizes success, and border boosters believe he will see that in the cross-border industries and leave them alone.

Even some titans involved in the maquiladora business voted for him, believing hell be good for business.

Climate change, thats a tough one. Trump appointees range from skeptics to deniers. But theres some thinking that states  some two dozen  are so far along in the renewable energy/climate change battle that it will be tough to reverse that, at least not without a long fight.

In any event, Faulconer has other, more immediate concerns. Judgment Day on the whether the Chargers move to Los Angeles is approaching again, the once-healthy city budget is less so and the mayor has already said some cuts will be coming, and homelessness still seems like an intractable problem in San Diego.

Any problems Donald Trump may present for the mayor may seem abstract by comparison.

When youre a jet, youre a jet all the way (to my house)

Apparently, the airports not leaving. So Point Loma residents have pretty much stopped complaining about it.

For some time, residents of Point Loma swore jets were flying closer to their neighborhoods. And for about as long, officials with the FAA and San Diego International Airport said nothing had changed.

Official complaints skyrocketed, but airport officials said a new developing flight path plan was to blame. The implication was it was a matter of perception, not reality, driving the gripes.

This was last year, and it was all tied up in a dispute over the proposal that would bring planes closer to certain homes on the peninsula.

The plan, known as the SoCal Metroplex, was never enacted, as officials withdrew it in the face of opposition not just from residents, but local elected officials as well.

Despite the airports contention of status quo, inewsource points out that data tells it differently: Documents show early turns below 6,000 feet and curfew violations, two main causes for noise in Point Loma and nearby neighborhoods, have increased since 2014.

But the complaints, which had jumped 600 percent, have fallen off almost as dramatically, inewsource reports. People are just worn out by what has to be complaining at a record-setting pace.

Steve Crow, a Point Loma resident of 10 years, complained about airplane noise far more than anyone else in 2016, filing 20,068 complaints, according to inewsource.

In February alone, he filed 4,084 complaints, as many as 251 in a day. In November, he lodged 39.

It really just started two years ago, Crow told inewsource about planes flying over his neighborhood. But Ive stopped logging complaints because it wears on you.

Tweet of the Week

Scott Peters (@ScottPetersSD), Democratic congressman from San Diego.

To lift my spirits about 2016 and about returning to DC in January, I have picked up a book about Lusitania being torpedoed
Our mission is to take on the most difficult circumstances in the hardest-to-reach places. And we know we have to step up even more and do whatever it takes to deliver and inspire progress for children.

Janti Soeripto, President and CEO of Save the Children
An international team of researchers from Spain and the UK has found that the protein TLR2 (Toll-like receptor 2)  a critical detector of the microbiota found in the intestine  regulates levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter intimately connected to the brains regulation of appetite, sleep, and mood.

The study, carried out in cell cultures and verified in mice, provides strong evidence that microbiota can interfere with human physiology by modulating the serotonin transporter activity.

Serotonin transporter is a target for numerous diseases and it seems that microbiota living in our guts is able to interfere with this transporter, controlling our serotonin levels.

The finding, published in the journal PLoS ONE, comes as researchers are working to understand the complicated interactions between the invisible world of the microbiota in our bodies and the impact they have on our health and even our moods.

Recently, scientists found evidence that the bacteria in the gut play a role in causing Parkinsons disease.

It may also help explain how the gut microbiota affects our physiology.

Inflammatory bowel disease is thought to be triggered when TLR2 is not functioning properly, but so far, the mechanisms behind this have not been fully understood. The current study aimed to further this understanding.

The new finding helped to further understanding in a fast-growing research area, said study lead author Dr. Eva Latorre, from the University of Exeter Medical School.

Our paper has concluded that the protein TLR2 alters the availability of serotonin, which is important in a range of conditions from depression to inflammatory bowel disease. It is early days in this research though.

We need to understand much more about the relationship between the microbiota in our guts and how they interact, before we can hope to harness effective new treatments.

Dr. Latorre and co-authors examined human cells in a model of the intestine, looking at how they express proteins and RNA  activities which regulate how they behave.

The researchers found that TLR2 controls serotonin transporter  obtaining the same result in studies on mice.

This paper opens our minds about the complex universe of this forgotten organ: the microbiome, said senior author Prof. Jose E. Mesonero, from the University of Zaragoza.

We have concluded that TLR2 not only can detect microbiota, but also modulate serotonin transport, one of the crucial mechanism in neurological and inflammatory diseases.

Much has to be yet studied, but this work can improve our understanding about the connection between gut and brain thought microbiota.

_____

E. Latorre et al. 2016. Intestinal Serotonin Transporter Inhibition by Toll-Like Receptor 2 Activation. A Feedback Modulation. PLoS ONE 11 (12): e0169303; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0169303
FLORENCE, S.C.  The hospitality industry expects steady growth in 2017.

Raldex Hospitality President Greg Parsons said the company is looking forward to breaking ground on new corporate offices on Celebration Boulevard within the next 60 days to create about 7,000 square feet of workspace.

Weve been looking forward to that for a long time, he said.

Construction of Staybridge Suites  112 rooms on eight floors  is well underway with an anticipated opening in the first quarter of 2018 on West Radio Drive behind the Holiday Inn Express. A key facet of Staybridge is a ballroom thats about 2,500 square feet and divides into separate meeting rooms if needed to accommodate the many corporate meetings Staybridge hosts. Raldex is also completely renovating the Holiday Inn Express and already has about a third of the project completed for the 87-room property.

Its a complete renovation of the rooms, the lobby and breakfast area, Parsons said. The work should be done by June.

Overall, he sees 2017 as being a little busier than 2016.

We expect numbers to be up slightly; were very excited about 2018 because of Staybridge, the expansion of the (Florence) Civic Center and improvements to Radio Drive and Woody Jones Boulevard, he said. The road work is expected to improve traffic flow and use sidewalks to get hotel guests safely to restaurants. Theres a lot of exciting things going on that will really come together in 2018." Parsons said. "Well be moving from about 230 team members to almost 300 with the opening of Staybridge, so were adding jobs.

Ron Glancy, vice president of operations at Raines Hospitality, also expects a banner year.

Its definitely going to be our busiest year ever on the development side of things, he said. Well have two hotels opening within 90 days of each other, which is a first for us.

Around the first of February, the 86-room Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott, developed in conjunction with SpringBridge Development LLC, will open with a main entrance off Woody Jones Boulevard as Hospitality Boulevard adds another option for travelers and business people. Glancy expects by mid-April a Courtyard by Marriot in Cayce with 100 rooms will be open as well.

And as soon as that opens, well start construction on the Hyatt Place downtown, he said. That project should take about a year to complete. It is also a project developed by SpringBridge that will be managed by Raines Hospitality.

In the Mount Pleasant area, Raines is looking to add to its portfolio in that market, Glancy said, as a Cambria Suites should bubble up to the top sometime in 2018. The homegrown company will also look to bolster its roster and add about 50 employees to the 200-strong work force in 2017 and perhaps another 75 to 80 in 2018, he said.

Were excited about our growth and the way we are going, he said. A lot of work goes into opening a hotel and were really proud to see how our team comes together to open a property.

In a regular newsletter, President Grey Raines made note of the Hyatt Place construction and asked folks to be on the lookout for other big announcements throughout the year.

We want to thank everyone for your continued support in helping make this a great year for us, Raines wrote. With this support, we are able to grow and expand our horizons greater than we could have imagined.
FLORENCE, S.C.  Partygoers were ready to start the New Year off right with a celebration on Restaurant Row in downtown Florence on Saturday.

The Library, Wholly Smokin Downtown, Dolce Vita Cafe & More, and what was 1031 Grill & Taproom hosted the Once-Upon-A-Time party, with a theme based on the popular television series. Visitors enjoyed live music, a DJ dance party, hors doeuvres, and a champagne toast as the ball drop in Times Square was broadcast live.

As the event was about to kick off, Liz Davis and Sam Davis were out in the Renaissance Courtyard chatting. Liz Davis, a member of Masterworks Choir and Florence Little Theatre, says her New Years resolution is to continue to inspire others to do what they love.

My goal is always to make sure that I encourage other people to use whatever talents and gifts that they have, she said. I want to be an encouragement to people and I want to lead by example by making sure that I fully use all my gifts and talents.

For Bill Travis, co-owner of Wholly Smokin Downtown, the party was an opportunity to boost business and work with other local restaurants.

It brings people out, he said. Its good for the city and we wanted to be a participant, we wanted to be a team player. The whole downtown movement we fell like is really growing so we want to be a part of that.
Its no surprise our states politicians have credibility problems thanks to distant and recent scandals that continue to tar the whole Statehouse. Confidence in government, to put it mildly, aint all that strong.

In the 1990s, several South Carolina legislators went to jail after a Statehouse sting. A generation later, despite ethics reforms, corruption allegations led to resignations of a lieutenant governor and powerful House speaker. And then December brought a 30-count corruption indictment for one House member and a felony domestic assault charge against another.

Any state legislature or public body is composed of people who reflect society as a whole. In our legislature, there always are a few questionable apples mixed in with a lot of good, honest people. Those serving in state government, however, are expected to meet a higher standard of ethical behavior. With this in mind, here are a few observations about effective lawmakers.

>> Be leaders, not followers. Too many politicians are lemmings  followers of the latest popular, partisan rants. Its easy to collect political scalps by reacting and doing exactly what the party says. Its harder to do whats right and best for everyone, not just the party.

>> Collaborate. A benefit of the legislative process is that it brings together different ideas and seeks common ground. The best state legislators are open to ideas from other parties and perspectives. They try to solve problems effectively and incorporate pragmatic ideas into solutions that work for most.

>> Compromise. Just as lawmakers should share ideas to make them better, good ones are willing to compromise. In recent years, South Carolina has seen too many my-way-or-the-highway politicians. Lets hope their days are numbered and the spirit of compromise comes back.

>> Work for the greater good. Its important for legislators to remember to keep people in their districts happy. Thats Politics 101. But state legislators also have to look out for the whole state and, sometimes, need to cross the aisle and address the needs of the state. Its a mistake, Cicero reminds us, to refuse to set aside trivial preferences.

>> Do homework. Lawmakers should know what theyre voting on, instead of just going along for convenience. That means doing the reading  or questioning of expert legislators  to have a background to be able to make informed votes.

>> Become an expert in something. Issues in the Statehouse are too broad for one person to know everything. New lawmakers should master an issue  and then rely on trusted colleagues for substantive help on other issues.

>> Be honest. This shouldnt require an explanation, but in the hyper-sensitive ethical environment now encompassing the Statehouse, elected officials should go out of their way to do things in the open and to be transparent. If it feels wrong, it probably is.

>> Ask questions. The best state leaders seem to be naturally inquisitive. Those who dont understand something should ask a question, because more than likely someone back home will ask it at some point.

>> Connect with others. Another way to ask questions is to develop relationships with a broad array of other officials and community leaders. Ask for their opinions and input. Legislators should develop a kitchen cabinet to help understand the pulse of a region.

>> Be accessible. State lawmakers need to answer their mail, pick up their phones and get rid of auto-respond on their email. There should always be enough time in the day to answer a question from a constituent or steer them in the right direction. In the long run, this will pay off as good re-election politics.

>> Manage time. State lawmakers need to manage time well to ensure they can make a living and be effective lawmakers. They also need to keep in mind that they shouldnt waste time, either.

>> Dont burn bridges. Not everyone is going to agree all of the time at the Statehouse. But theres no reason to make an enemy over an issue today when you may need that persons help down the road.

>> Smile. People at the Statehouse need to have a little more fun. The best lawmakers enjoy being there, and it shows every day in their friendly demeanor.

Andy Brack is editor and publisher of Statehouse Report, which starts its 16th year in 2017. Have a comment? Send to: feedback@statehousereport.com.
So President-elect Donald Trump is having trouble finding celebrities to entertain at his inaugural celebration. You know youre in bad shape when Elton John turns you down. Sir Elton played at Rush Limbaughs wedding.

Celine Dion turned down Trump. So did the Beach Boys and a host of others.

So who will show up? The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, even though 15,000 Mormons signed petitions against such an appearance. The Radio City Rockettes will perform, after working things out with several dancers who didnt want to go. Rockettes who dont want to take the stage wont have to.

The Trump inauguration committee spokesman told CNN that all this was OK, that this is not Woodstock. Trump himself was typically restrained in a tweet on the subject, saying, The so-called A list celebrities are all wanting tixs to the inauguration, but look what they did for Hillary, NOTHING. I want the PEOPLE!

Well, maybe hell get them. Plus a few country-western performers who really need a gig.

It sounds like size is everything for Trump. That being the case, keep in mind that 2 million people showed up for President Obamas first inauguration in January 2009.

Thats the target, Mr. Trump. See if you can top it.

President Obama made good on his promise to do something about Russias campaign hacking activities, evicting a number of Russian diplomats including some of our friends in San Francisco.

The assumption is that those who were expelled were cyberqualified diplomats. Maybe. One of those who got the heave-ho from Green Street was the consulate chef, so we can be sure he was cooking up something.

Obamas actions free President-elect Donald Trump from having to do anything on the subject, and given that the Russian hacking apparently was intended to help him get elected, that must make him a bit relieved.

Interesting that Russian President Vladimir Putin chose not to retaliate to Obamas retaliation. Maybe hes doing what he can to keep this mess off his friend Trumps plate. Or maybe hes legitimately trying to start a new chapter in U.S.-Russian relations. More to come, Im sure.

Partaking of happy hour is still good sport in this town, and if youre up for it, check out the one at E&O at Sutter and Grant. The Blushing Geisha and Moscow Mule are just two of the livelier drinks, the eats are good, and its not too expensive.

Movie Time: Early bird specials are still my favorite, and for eight bucks I saw Fences. August Wilsons great Broadway play has been turned into a blockbuster movie directed by and starring Denzel Washington. He, co-star Viola Davis and a fantastic supporting cast replicate what youd get on a Broadway stage. Its a major winner.

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.

For pure inspiration, see Hidden Figures. Its the story of three African American women  a mathematician, engineer and computer programmer  whose talents constitute the foundation for John Glenns first space flight around Earth. Every student in every school should see this movie.

And then, Why Him? All I say is, why indeed?

The film ridicules the lifestyle of tech geniuses. I guess they can take it. But to call the dialogue juvenile is an insult to juveniles, and anyway, juveniles should be kept well away from this foul-mouthed farce.

So 2016 is over, and boy am I glad. So many talented, sensitive, productive and wonderful people passed away.

For us in San Francisco and for me in particular, three notables are especially missed: Rose Pak, Warren Hinckle and the most beloved Wilkes Bashford. Im already wondering how well get through 2017 without them.

As for 2017, all I can say is, may the Force be with us. Looks like well need it.

Want to sound off? Email: wbrown@sfchronicle.com
Affordable homes with ample lots lure many families to the San Bernardino County town of Apple Valley in the Mojave Desert. But amenities are limited  no department stores, no Costco and, more important, few affordable medical care options for pregnant women.

For Cassandra Lindstrom, that meant scheduling the birth of her second baby at a hospital at least an hour away over busy Cajon Pass. I was worried that I wouldnt make it in time and (would) give birth on the freeway, she said.

Her situation is mirrored by countless other women in a state with a severe shortage of obstetricians and gynecologists. Eight California counties, mostly in the far north and east, lack even one licensed obstetrician/gynecologist, and 11 other counties have only a handful, according to the state Health and Human Services Department.

Certified nurse-midwives, who help ease the load, argue that they could do more. But they are restrained by the fact that California is one of just six states requiring them to work only under a physicians supervision. A bill that would have expanded their reach by permitting nurse-midwives to work independently almost cleared the Legislature, but failed in the waning hours of the session amid opposition from the doctors lobby.

Supporters will be pushing the idea again, said Assemblywoman Autumn Burke, D-Inglewood (Los Angeles County), who sponsored AB1306 with Assemblyman Mark Stone, D-Santa Cruz. For me, this is about expanding womens health care options, Burke said.

The bill fell short of passage after it was amended to allow hospitals to hire certified nurse-midwives  a way to garner support from the hospital lobby. Doctors groups including the California Medical Association, which represents more than 41,000 physicians, contend that the measure failed to protect patients by, for example, not mandating that midwives inform patients that they would be working without physician supervision.

Certified nurse midwives currently work as an important part of the care team to provide necessary reproductive health care to California women, the medical association said. However, AB1306 was a flawed bill.

The doctors also argued that it was important to keep corporations from influencing patient care by barring hospitals from directly hiring midwives.This concept is particularly important in todays environment where businesses and hospitals, because of profit or through directives, are seeking to deny and limit access to reproductive health care, the medical association said.

Advocates of the bill say its critically needed, particularly by women who live in remote regions or areas without an affordable obstetrician/gynecologist, or any OB/GYN at all.

If were going to meet the populations needs, were going to need providers that can provide different levels of care, said Linda Walsh, president of the California Nurse-Midwives Association. Certified nurse-midwives know the scope of their care, and theyre not going to go beyond that.

The approximately 1,200 certified nurse-midwives in California hold masters degrees and are trained to provide maternity care and primary care to women from puberty through menopause, including upper respiratory problems, Pap smears and urinary tract infections. They work in hospitals, clinics and birth centers, and are more highly trained than regular licensed midwives, who work primarily in homes and birthing centers.

Although certified nurse-midwives are hired and supervised by doctors, those doctors are not required to be present during clinic visits, births or hospitalizations. In other words, current law tethers nurse-midwives to where doctors practice, without providing for full oversight.

With the number of U.S. births projected to soar over the next decade, a scarcity of OB/GYNs is worsening. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists estimates that in four years, the nation will have 6,000 to 8,800 fewer OB/GYNs than it needs.

State data suggest there may be troubling repercussions: California counties with few or no obstetrician/gynecologists, including Colusa, Del Norte, Glenn, Inyo, Siskiyou and Trinity, had among the highest preterm birth rates in recent years.

Many states have already responded to this shortage by relaxing requirements on nurse-midwives. About half of states allow them to practice with complete independence, according to a report from the Pew Charitable Trusts. The number of nurse-midwives has grown by nearly a third in the past few years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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.

While California lawmakers try to figure out how to allow certified nurse-midwives to furnish more care without sparking objection from hospitals or doctors, women in underserved areas must resign themselves to dealing with the disparities.

The statistics paint a stark picture. San Bernardino County, the fifth-most-populous county in the state, has 153 licensed obstetrician/gynecologists  one for every 14,000 people. The situation in two neighboring counties is vastly different: Los Angeles County has one per 8,500 people, and Orange County has one for every 7,000 people.

In Apple Valley, Lindstrom is thankful that her son was born in February without any complications despite having to trek down the hill, as locals call the Cajon Pass, to Loma Linda University Medical Center. Lindstrom, 27, recalls the difficulties she had seeking care after having an emergency cesarean section delivery with her first child three years ago: No local doctor who accepted her Medi-Cal coverage would allow her to have a vaginal birth after her C-section.

Teresa Lomas, a teachers aide in Imperial County, says she worries about whether her delivery will go smoothly, considering she didnt have the luxury of choosing from a long list of obstetricians to deliver her baby.

Lomas and her husband, who works in construction, chose to live in Brawley, a rural city, because of its cheaper housing. The county has nine licensed obstetrician/gynecologists for a population of more than 175,000  one gynecologist for every 19,000 people.

If you have insurance and youre fairly healthy, you have some choices. You can go to a doctor and have your baby in a hospital without too many worries, Lomas said. But if you dont, and there are many women around here like that, then youre stuck with some bad choices.

CALmatters is a nonprofit news outlet focused on coverage of state policy and politics. Minerva Canto is a freelance journalist and CALmatters contributor based in Southern California.
Tycho, the brainchild of producer and graphic designer Scott Hansen, closed out 2016 with a bang. The ambient electronic music act performed in the middle of a storm at the Treasure Island Music Festival; released its fifth album, Epoch; and picked up a Grammy nomination in the best dance/electronic music album category. Tycho kicks off the new year with a world tour that begins on Saturday, Jan. 7, at the Fox Theater in Oakland, with an itinerary that will take Hansen through Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia and Singapore, before moving on to several sold-out dates in Europe. We spoke with him during rehearsals.

Q: You just released Epoch in September and already have a Grammy nomination. How does that happen?

A: It was surreal. Its the only way I could describe it. How it happens, I dont have much insight. We were aware of the cutoff date to be eligible, and I remember my record company telling me I had to have it in by the 30th of September, so I did.

Q: Epoch debuted at No. 1 on Billboards top dance/electronic albums chart, rubbing elbows with artists like Justin Bieber, Calvin Harris and the Chainsmokers. Do you think electronic music has gone mainstream or the other way around?

A: I think its a little bit of both. People are always bemoaning the fact that electronic music is finding its way into the mainstream. To me, thats the best possible thing. Its going to give us a much bigger platform. Its going to train peoples ears to these sounds so they can listen to a track even if it doesnt have vocals.

Q: There are a lot of layers on the album. Were you thinking about how you were going to pull it off live?

A: This one, there wasnt any consideration about performing it live. At the end of the day, Im going to have to be able to translate this thing in front of an audience, but its totally an afterthought. I was just trying to get back to that center point in my head  what do I want to write right now? I had more confidence. With the previous album, Awake, it was this massive anxiety situation. We had this great run of touring and were barely getting by. I didnt know if we could do it anymore.

Q: What changed?

A: We had two solid albums behind us that captured an audience. This album could be whatever I wanted it to be. Thats just the way it works. You have to do something that makes people want to come to your shows. We built enough momentum with the last two albums where we could go out there and we were in a much more comfortable place.

Q: Have you got to the point where you enjoy playing live?

A: I had big problems with stage fright in the past. I think slowly, as Ive gotten better at it, Ive started to enjoy it. Its made me a more confident person in my normal life. I can open up and be myself in situations that used to be abject terror. It also makes you feel like you deserve to be a musician. When you play onstage and you see people liking what you do, it feels so much better than when youre in your bedroom making music by yourself.

Aidin Vaziri is The San Francisco Chronicles pop music critic. E-mail: avaziri@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @MusicSF

Tycho: 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7. $35. Fox Theater, 1807 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. www.ticketmaster.com

To see a video of Division at Red Rocks: www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhNKih56n1s
Its not every century you get to ring in a new millennium.

The Chronicles front page from Jan. 1, 2000, covers the celebration surrounding the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st.

Millions of people celebrated the last moments of the old year and the dawn of a new era last night with champagne, glitter and a bit of romance, the story read. It was a night to remember from Sydney, Australia, to San Francisco  part fun, part sadness, a night to whoop it up or to stay home with family and friends.

Up until 11:59:59, fears persisted across much of the globe that the Y2K bug would cause chaos.

Like the rest of the world, California escaped the Y2K glitches that threatened to wreak havoc with banking, energy, telecommunications and just about every other system dependent on computers, another front-page story read.

As the clock tolled midnight around the globe and just about nothing untoward happened, the news that things looked pretty good trickled westward as time zone after time zone reached the witching hour and nations kept going without losing power or anything else that mattered.

Glitches, bugs, computer flubs and unfounded fears were far from the minds of most revelers in the City by the Bay.

As showers of fireworks soared into the sky behind the Ferry Building at midnight, the story read, celebrators who had been waiting in the cold for hours cheered themselves hoarse, threw bushels of confetti and danced madly in the streets.

Coincidental timing?: Nearly lost on this front page, relegated to the bottom-left column on a day of coverage that included the turn of a century and the relief following fears of a global tech meltdown, was this ominous little story: President Boris Yeltsin shocked his nation and the world yesterday by announcing his resignation six months before his term expires and handing over power to his favored successor, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Whoa. A monumental transfer of power under the cloak of the most predictable big-story news cycle in more than 99 years. Hmm.

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.

See more front pages: Go to SFChronicle.com/covers to search a database of hundreds of Chronicle Covers articles that showcase the newspapers history.

Chronicle Covers is a yearlong project 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
A great cloud of melancholy has settled over Facebook land, or at least over those regions I inhabit. The coming ascension of Donald Trump has deeply darkened the usual year-end winter blues. But you can also feel a kind of strange euphoria in progressive enclaves like the Bay Area  the growing fierceness of soldiers eager for battle.

Of course if this rising passion is to have any real political impact, it has to be directed and disciplined. So Ive been eagerly reading two new books that are loaded with useful advice about how to build a mass movement and make major change. The first, Rules for Revolutionaries: How Big Organizing Can Change Everything, is co-written by Becky Bond, an experienced 46-year-old San Francisco activist, who, with co-author Zack Exley, helped mobilize the sprawling volunteer army that came amazingly close to winning the Democratic nomination for a 75-year-old Jewish socialist from Vermont.

The first important lesson that Bond and Exley learned from the Bernie Sanders campaign: demand big changes. In recent years, note the authors, politics has become professionalized, with a technocratic elite focusing on small issues and running campaigns according to computer models. But Bernie thought big: He demanded a revolution to counter the corporate oligarchy that has taken over the country. And he wasnt afraid to use the word socialism.

You wont get a revolution if you dont ask for one, Bond and Exley write. Too often, Democrats run business-as-usual campaigns that fail to ignite volunteers and voters because the changes promised are too small to be worth anyones time. Though their book was sent to the publisher before the November election, they could have been writing about Hillary Clintons uninspired campaign.

Another key lesson from the Sanders campaign: The revolution will not be staffed. Because Bernie worried about being stuck with a big campaign debt, his relatively small staff was forced to rely on a growing multitude of volunteers, which proved to be one of the campaigns great strengths. By leveraging teams of trained volunteers across the country, the Sanders campaign was able to tap into a torrent of human energy and ideas.

To do this, the political professionals in Sanders inner circle had to overcome their fear of losing control of the campaign. We had to give away the keys, Bond told me over lunch last week at the Precita Park Cafe, near where she lives.

Usually, it paid off, as it did with two early Bernie supporters, Winnie Wong and Charles Lenchner, the professional digital troublemakers behind one of the first volunteer groups, the People for Bernie. They were running out ahead of us and outflanking us with their social media brainstorms, write the authors.

Of course, there was the occasional disaster, like the guy who offered to host a phone bank in his New York apartment. When campaign volunteers showed up at his place, there was porn on the TV and the guy was smoking weed, recalled Bond and Exley. But thats not the worst thing. He tried to charge people for attending his volunteer phone bank!

Successful campaigns cant be run by consensus, caution the authors. You need to have a strategic central plan. But the responsibility for making it work has to be widely distributed, and the campaign must be flexible enough to allow ideas to bubble up from the ground.

The year 2017 is off the election cycle so the political action is likely to move into the streets. Thats why, like Bond herself, Im also reading This Is an Uprising: How Nonviolent Revolt Is Shaping the 21st Century, by writer Mark Engler and his activist brother Paul. The book is a deeply informative history of direct action, from Martin Luther King Jr.s groundbreaking Birmingham, Ala., campaign in 1963 to Occupy, the Arab Spring and Black Lives Matter. While his nonviolent heroism enshrined King as a saint, observe the authors, he was actually more calculating and confrontational than is generally recognized. It takes bold military-like planning and tactics to overcome entrenched power. When King made the difficult decision to send high school students into the streets of Birmingham against the clubs, dogs and fire hoses of Bull Connors police, the risk paid off. But, they note, at least one observer was astounded by Kings emphasis on pragmatic rather than spiritual considerations in mobilizing what came to be known as the Childrens Crusade.

Stephen Zunes, a University of San Francisco politics professor whose study of nonviolent resistance is cited by the Englers, believes that were about to see a tidal wave of such popular action. I think theres going to be more street protests and mass arrests than in the 1960s, he says. Theres a growing movement on the left, just as the most right-wing president in history takes power. And there are limits to what people can do within the system, since the Republicans control every branch of government. Zunes predicts that Trump will be a lightning rod for tumultuous activism. Hes different from someone like Reagan, who enjoyed a fair amount of popularity.

My main concern, he adds, is that there will be a lot of new people involved in these protests  lots of inexperienced, young people who are angry and scared and prone to action that is cathartic instead of politically strategic. Fortunately, says Zunes, there are many nonviolent action experts and veterans, including local activists like Kazu Haga and David Solnit, who can help train people.

Bond and Zunes agree that the Bay Area could become a central battleground in the protests to come. Even I might not make it through the coming year without being arrested, says Zunes, with a wry laugh. And I havent been in jail since 1986, when I was arrested as a Cornell student at an antiapartheid sit-in.

Zunes points out that San Francisco has become a national symbol of the wealth gap crisis. I have students who are homeless, and Ive never encountered that before. One student, who is very bright, broke down in my office. He has two jobs but cant afford anywhere to live. Hes been couch surfing and sneaking into lounges on campus to sleep.

Theres a growing disconnect between the social crisis in San Francisco and the political machines inability to deal with it, says Bond. Wheres Mayor Ed Lee? Wheres the bold vision? This is the kind of failed leadership that sparks a revolution. We will see more direct action, more antieviction protests, more occupations, more efforts to build homeless shelters. If the politicians dont act, the people will.

San Francisco Chronicle columnist David Talbot appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Email: dtalbot@sfchronicle.com
Eric Risberg/Associated Press

Californias powerful utilities regulator is getting fresh blood at the top level very much on Gov. Jerry Browns terms. Hes replacing two commissioners whose terms had run out with a pair of environmental advisers from his inner circle.

Its a move that puts the governors stamp on an agency that ranges across energy and telecommunications issues all the way down to limousine rates and safety rules for self-driving cars. Most notably, the commission had failed to adequately oversee gas pipelines and storage facilities, as shown by the deadly San Bruno explosion that killed eight people in 2010 and the huge natural gas leaks that emptied a Los Angeles community in 2015.
It wasnt supposed to air until next spring, but HBO moved the films broadcast up after its subjects died just a day apart.

How do you not consider that context watching Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, now set for Saturday, Jan. 7? Of course, you cant, but the 94-minute documentary, directed by Alex Bloom and Fisher Stevens, never needed the heartbreaking loss of Reynolds and Fisher to be compelling.

Fisher, 60, suffered a cardiac incident on a flight from London to Los Angeles on Dec. 23 and died at UCLA Medical Center four days later. Reynolds, 84, was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Dec. 28, and died that day. The mother-daughter bond, so monumentally tested at various times during their 60 years together, was so strong, it made a kind of sense that their lives would end in the same week.

Although Bright Lights was filmed in 2015, it sometimes has an eerie valedictory quality  not just about Reynolds, but even about Fisher. Reynolds at times appears frail, even disoriented. At one point, she gamely shows up for an auction of part of her formidable collection of Hollywood memorabilia with half her face purple with bruises because shes fallen in the bathroom earlier that day.

She really was the title character she played in the film The Unsinkable Molly Brown.

One sequence is especially telling: Reynolds is dressed in pink, smiling, of course, seated in her home as Stevens and Bloom are about to film her. Suddenly, an alarm goes off in another part of the house. We see Stevens and others scrambling to find the source of the blaring sound and disable it. Reynolds remains perfectly poised and smiling, the calm center of a momentary domestic storm.

At first we think shes unaware of the sound, but then we realize shes completely aware but intends to keep calm and hold her pose. After all, thats what she was trained to do as a young ingenue at MGM, where she began working in 1948, and the training has served her well ever since.

The film is surprisingly revealing, given the fact that its two subjects, in both similar and individual ways, are playing for the audience. One is an octogenarian with a fixed smile, twinkling eyes, and the voice and name of a much younger woman who held her own at age 19, dancing and singing with Gene Kelly and Donald OConnor in the film Singin in the Rain.

The other woman underwent a noticeable personality change at 13 and only a few years later, wrestled with worldwide fame after she played Princess Leia in the first Star Wars film. Fisher battled drugs, alcoholism and mental illness all her life, but found her way out of the thicket through treatment and therapy, and by pulling few punches in her later drug- and alcohol-free life.

You know what would be so cool? she asks rhetorically. To get to the end of my personality and, like, lay in the sun.

She delivers the statement right after recalling the I should have been a pair of ragged claws lines from T.S. Eliots The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufock.

Some of the things she says seem rehearsed at first, as if shes trying to convince us of something. But we soon realize that her way of accepting who she is is to avoid filtering herself. She says what she wants, what she feels. She readily admits she has two basic moods, and shes named them: Roy is her happy state, while Pam is the name for her other pole, depression.

It is a performance, in a way, although not the kind of performance to which Reynolds defaulted: the perfect star, courtesy of MGM. Smile for the camera, even when your husband has dumped you for your best friend, Elizabeth Taylor, and youre besieged by the press everywhere you go, even when your next husband gambles away his money and yours.

Performing is her life, Fisher says. It feeds her in a way family cannot. Thats why weve always been frustrating for Reynolds. That must have taken a toll on a young girl feeling her mothers job came first. If so, the grown woman has made her peace with reality.

Everything in me demands that my mother be as she always was, Fisher says as she weighs the reality of her mothers increasing frailty. Even if thats irritating.

Seeing how close they are in the film, even while bantering from time to time, its hard to imagine how they survived for the decade or so that Fisher refused to have any contact with her mother. We can only guess at what drove Fisher to shut her mother off, but we readily see why reconciliation was inevitable.

Just do what your mother says. Its easier, Reynolds deadpans.

Neither woman ever opted for easier. It may have made their relationship challenging, but it also made it unbreakable, right up to its Hollywood ending.

David Wiegand is an assistant managing editor and the TV critic of The San Francisco Chronicle and co-host of The Do List every Friday morning at 6:22 and 8:22 on KQED FM, 88.5 FM in San Francisco, 89.3 FM in Sacramento. Follow him on Facebook. Email: dwiegand@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @WaitWhat_TV

Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, documentary, 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7, on HBO.
It will be difficult to tear your eyes away from the drama unfolding on Earth in 2017. But what might Donald Trump mean for Americans in space?

Traditionally, transitions are a time to set new destinations. When President Obama took office, he axed the Constellation program, which would have sent astronauts to the moon, and set his sights on Mars. NASA has been working toward a human mission to the Red Planet with a pit stop at an asteroid, though the agency looks unlikely to meet its 2030s deadline at current levels of funding.

Trump's election could signal a pivot back to the moon - a destination historically favored by Republicans. During the campaign, Trump offered few specifics about his vision for NASA but said the agency should focus on exploring deep space and being "inspirational." A new moon mission would meet those criteria. It would be an infrastructure project for the ages, one that fit with Team Trump's nostalgia for bygone moments of American "greatness." Plus, there is international interest in building a lunar base, and studies suggest that such a base could be a (comparatively) cheap way station en route to Mars.

NASA has already been working on a heavy-lift Space Launch System rocket and Orion crew capsule - spacecraft that could be retooled for a potential moon mission. If the moon is Trump's goal, we might expect to hear about it during his first 100 days, when most presidents set their agendas.

Then again, the president-elect's emphasis on reining in the budget might mean that NASA goes nowhere in the next four years. Funding for the agency has historically tracked with overall non-defense discretionary spending, which Trump plans to cut to historic lows. Even if most of NASA's budget stays intact, there's a good chance the space agency's Earth-observing programs will be slashed - bad news for climate scientists, meteorologists and others who rely on data from NASA satellites.

The year could also be big for private space explorers. Moon Express has permission to launch a commercial lunar lander; if it happens, it will be the first private mission to ever leave Earth's orbit. SpaceX is slated to shuttle astronauts to the International Space Station - the first crewed space station launch from U.S. soil in years. And Blue Origin (whose owner, Jeff Bezos, also owns The Washington Post) is racing to catch up; the company wants to put astronauts in space by the end of the year.

A scientist would caution against drawing conclusions without data, and Trump hasn't given us much data to work with. For now, space-watchers will have to do what they have always done: wonder what's out there as they contemplate the chilly unknown.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

About 200 people plunged headfirst into the new year with a dip in the freezing waters off Ocean Beach.

The annual tradition brought together a diverse crowd Sunday: families, loads of people in their 20s and 30s, a few nudists and even a toddler. There were the regulars, the first-timers and the out-of-towners who wanted to see what the hubbub was all about.

Its a way to wash off everything from the year before, Alex White of Berkeley said as he put on a rubber swim cap and goggles in preparation for the plunge.

White said he has jumped into the ocean seven times before on New Years Day, including off of Coney Island in New York. There was snow on the ground in New York  Ocean Beach seemed tame by comparison despite the chilly wind.

White said jumping into the freezing water induced a moment of clarity.

Youre not able to think of anything. Its a clean slate. Its like an empty canvas. You can totally start the year fresh with your new intentions and resolutions.

First-time jumper Kim Day traveled from Pleasanton an hour and a half away to participate. Im not very spiritual, but I feel like its a spiritual cleansing.

Day wore furry boots, a hoodie, a hat and gloves as she contemplated her strategy for jumping in. Im going to balls-to-the-wall go for it because otherwise Im going to chicken out.

The loosely organized event  publicized on the website FunCheapSF  has no clear leader. San Franciscan Eddie Clark may be the closest there is to one. He said he thought the New Years Day Ocean Beach plunge had been going on for six years and described the event as a neighborhood, spontaneous idea.

Clark designed T-shirts to celebrate the plunge that proclaimed Dive fearlessly into your future.

Clark did just that, plunging into the ocean with his wife and 2-year-old daughter, Leah. It was Leahs third time taking part in the event. The first time was in her mothers womb and the last two years as a full-fledged human.

Leah has another 18 years of New Years plunges before she can join the other brave jumpers and continue the revelry at the Sunset bar Riptide. Thats become part of the tradition, and dozens of young people migrated from the ocean to the bar where they sipped on Bloody Marys and warm alcoholic beverages.

The whole affair exemplified the eccentric San Francisco spirit, said Brad Corteza, in town from Austin, Texas, to go to a Sleater-Kinney concert. He decided to jump in the ocean still wearing the suit and tie he had donned to go to the concert the night before.

San Franciscans  they are all crazy. And thats coming from an Austinite, Corteza said.

But he said, When in Rome  before trailing off and laughing as he shimmied out of his wet clothes and basked in the New Year spirit.

Emily Green is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: egreen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @emilytgreen
If you are reading this at 3 a.m., chances are that James Proud wants to put you in a deep slumber.

As the inventor of the sleep-tracking device Sense, Proud has enjoyed heady success in the quickly growing sleep tech field: Senses 2014 Kickstarter campaign raised about $2.4 million even though the goal was only $100,000.

One of Prouds business partners is Arianna Huffington, who stepped away from her media empire to be the queen of lifestyle wellness.

Im fascinated by helping people live better, said Proud, 25, a British citizen who came to the United States on a Thiel Fellowship, which gives entrepreneurs $100,000 for skipping college. And sleep is the foundation of everything. So its the best place to start.

Insomnia and other temporary and recurring sleep disorders affect 50 million to 70 million Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health, and the effects only worsen as people grow older. Technology, while still nascent, is an alternative for those who do not want to take sleeping pills, which can be highly addictive.

Sense is the first product offered by Prouds 50-employee San Francisco company, Hello. It is sold on Amazon and will soon appear in Target and Best Buy stores. To finance Sense, Proud has raised over $40 million from backers like Allen & Co. and Temasek Holdings, owned by the Singapore government.

Like many other tech devices that monitor every twitch and turn of the human body, Sense uses sensors to collect reams of data. The information is then uploaded to a smartphone app that analyzes sleep cycles. An accelerometer about the size of a quarter attaches to a pillow and tracks tosses and turns. And a bedside hub, shaped like a ball, tracks sounds, light and temperature in a room. It glows green when sleep conditions are optimal.

You can fall into bed drunk and it still works, said Proud, a self-taught programmer.

Sleep technology products range from the basic app to the esoteric. The Sleep Shepherd headband, invented by a professor whose daughter had a sleep disorder, monitors brain waves while the wearer sleeps. Noise-canceling headphones pipe in sound. Other devices also emit light, some mimicking sunsets. They join hundreds of downloadable apps, like Sleep Cycle and SleepBot, which track every sleep tic.

All are trying to solve an age-old problem with technologies that experts say are still mostly unproven.

Most of these apps and wearables dont have good-quality research that shows they improve sleep, said Dr. Neil Kline, a representative of the American Sleep Association and a sleep specialist. It takes years to do good research. And a lot of these technologies just came out.

Yet, experts agree that the market is huge and important. About half the U.S. population will have insomnia on any given night, Kline said.

Now, technology is being applied to difficulty in sleeping caused in an increasing number of Americans by the beeps and Day-Glo lights of tech devices.

Insomnia is also proved to cause a litany of problems, such as deadly motor vehicle accidents, heart disease and difficulty in concentrating. According to a Rand Corp. study, sleeplessness costs the economy up to $411 billion a year in lost productivity.

A huge slice of society would be interested in this technology, Kline said.

After his own sleepless nights, Matteo Franceschetti decided in 2014 to start his sleep tech company, Eight, named after the optimal hours of sleep for humans. Franceschetti, an Italian-born lawyer, attacked sleep from a different angle: by making mattresses smart.

The company invented a system that tracks time awake, breathing rate and number of tosses and turns through a mattress cover embedded with sensors. An app then grades users sleep, allowing them to adjust their sleeping habits.

We provide insight to users, said Franceschetti, a serial entrepreneur who started two clean-tech companies in the last several years. Its partly education.

Eight, based in New York, has 17 employees. It has raised $6.5 million so far from Y Combinator, Comcast Ventures, Azure Capital Partners and others.

Everyone knows about nutrition and fitness, said Paul Ferris, general partner at Azure Capital Partners. Sleep is the third pillar.

The rapid rise of wearable fitness trackers like Fitbit, he added, helped set up a fire hose of data that people could harness to track behavior.

Early adopters like Alex Muir, a tech support analyst who works at a New York private school, are helping test these early sleep technologies. In 2015, he contributed $199 to Eights Indiegogo campaign, and got the companys smart cover, hub and app.

Eight is helping me identify whats going on with my sleep, he said. When its colder, I get a better nights sleep, and I can see that in the app.

Muir acknowledges that technology alone cant solve problems with sleep.

It can provide a baseline of information, though, he said.

Some who study sleep, however, say sensors and technology do not necessarily solve the underlying problems of insomnia.

Sleep sensors are feeding back inaccurate information, said Hawley Montgomery-Downs, a sleep expert and an associate professor of psychology at West Virginia University. Theyre telling people they sleep better than they do.

Additionally, she said, no federal regulations or standards govern the sleep tech niche.

The industry is screaming for grown-ups to come along, she said. But sleep is sexy and lucrative. So people need to ask questions about empirical evidence for these apps.

Experts add that sleep apps also collect lots of data that are not then interpreted.

The devices can show you when youre awake, Kline said. But they dont tell you why. So the technology cant help consumers fix all their sleep problems.

In the sleep field, wearables may be the toughest sell.

People dont want to wear wearables at night, because most people take technology off, said Proud, who also tried out his product, Sense, as a wearable. Silicon Valley is arrogant and gets it wrong sometimes.

Barak Kassars experience with a wearable is a case in point. When worn at night, it gathered sleep data and sent it to an app.

But Kassar quickly found out that the data collected wasnt useful. He learned that I wake up in the middle of the night, which showed up on the graph on my phone, he said. But I already knew that. Now he wears the modernistic-looking device as jewelry.

However, recent research does show that online cognitive behavior therapies can help restore sleep. After Peter Hames developed insomnia, his doctor in England prescribed sleeping pills.

Drugs have had a monopoly on evidence-based health care, Hames said. Instead, he turned to a course in cognitive behavior therapy developed by an expert, which cured him in six weeks.

So Hames and others founded the digital health startup Big Health and created Sleepio, an online sleep improvement program that uses a virtual therapist. Cognitive behavior therapy was shown to have good results in peer-reviewed trials in Britain and elsewhere. And a report in the JAMA Psychiatry journal found that insomniacs could benefit from cognitive behavior therapy.

So far, the company has raised $15 million from backers like Kaiser Permanente Ventures and Octopus Ventures, based in London. It has a 25-person team, including three clinical researchers. Clients include big employers like LinkedIn and Comcast, which pay for a years access.

We synthesize the worlds best experts, he said. Other apps have been toys, not true medicine.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

The flash and boom of glittering fireworks welcomed in the New Year Sunday as tens of thousands of enthusiastic revelers braved the chilly weather and jammed the Embarcadero for the citys annual late night party.

There was plenty of noise and an overflow of merriment as folks took time to look ahead to the future and back at the year just passed.

When it was all said and done, 2016 wasnt that bad, at least according to a few in the crowd ringing in the New Year at San Franciscos Ferry Building.

The annual fireworks celebration was a family affair for many in San Francisco, who came out celebrating motherhood, new jobs and the end of school studies as a tumultuous year came to its end.

Its a new year. Its a new history book, said 22-year-old Pedro Navarro, sitting alongside his sister.

He fared well in 2016, eager to soon graduate from City College with a degree in linguistics and ready to start his career as a translator.

He sat holding an empty Starbucks coffee cup next to his 16-year-old sister, whose knees shook as she shivered in her fashionably ripped jeans. They got to their ideal spot by the water, with the best view of the midnight fireworks, just before 7 p.m.

We wanted to get the best spot, he said. Its kind of a tradition to come here, watch the fireworks.

For his sister, Lesly Navarro, a junior at Immaculate Conception Academy in the city, 2017 is the year to get serious about looking at colleges.

Im kind of like scared but at the same time excited, she said.

Across from the Navarros sat Monique Hatch, holding her baby nephew while sitting in a circle with her children, aged 14, 11 and 10.

Usually I dont really come down because I dont like the crowds that much, said Hatch, 35. This time I said, You know what, Im just going to go down. Bring my kids out. Have some memories.

She had few complaints about 2016.

This year was really nice, actually. I got a new job, said Hatch, who now works at Community Housing Partnership. Im expecting. Im looking forward to having a baby in July.

Ana and Mario Mendoza, visiting from Riverside, had blankets as they watched their three nephews. The couple plans to add to their family in 2017.

Next year, were hoping to have kids, said Ana, 31. He wants a girl. I want a boy.

But this year was pretty good, too, said Mario Mendoza, 33.

Wouldnt change nothing about it, he said.

The Embarcadero was lined with street hawkers selling glow in the dark toys, shiny pedicabs providing rides to tipsy revelers and clogged sidewalks of people bundled in winter coats as they waited for the start of a new year.

But some people didnt have to wait for midnight to celebrate the joy of the season.

The last night of the eight-day celebration of Hanukkah Saturday night was marked in San Franciscos North Beach neighborhood with a welcome gift as a small group braved chilly temperatures to light an emergency menorah brought in to replace its stolen counterpart.

Rabbi Peretz Mochkin stood in front of a new wooden menorah at Washington Square Park, beaming as the torch he held illuminated his beard, glasses and black hat.

It really has been an amazing Hanukkah this year, he told the crowd of about 20 gathered on the grass. In fact, it was better than we thought it would be, considering how it started off.

The original 6-foot-tall, 100-pound menorah, owned by the North Beach branch of the Jewish group Chabad, was reported stolen on the second night of the annual holiday. The celebration marks the miracle said to have occurred in the second century B.C. in Jerusalem, when one nights worth of oil lasted for eight nights.

The stolen steel candelabrum cost about $1,000. Word of the theft  regarded by the Chabad group as a hate crime but thought by police to be the work of an opportunistic thief looking for metal to sell  spread all the way to Massachusetts.

There, Mitch Bogart, from the small town of Sharon, was moved to donate one of his 6-foot-tall, wooden fold-up menorahs to the community.

And it was showcased Saturday night, as the faithful gathered to marvel.

Oh, thats beautiful, said Rebekah Alessi, walking up to get a better look at the giant candelabrum. Can I touch it? Whoa.

Alessi said she spent previous nights lighting the ceremonial candles either at her home or her synagogue, but she, her husband and her 13-year-old daughter came out to the park to celebrate the eighth day in solidarity with the neighborhood.

We decided for the last night wed come down, she said. I just feel like, Oh wow, my cultures here, she said. It feels really sweet. I guess I think its really neat that it got replaced.

Naomi Assaraf, 39, jogged in a bright blue jacket to the park, ending her year with a nearly 12-kilometer run, she said. She said she felt the need to be with others as they made the best of an unfortunate situation.

The gift that everyone has in us is to always look for the good even when something bad happens, she said. The community still gathered on a really cold night and shared the significance of the holiday, which is really to just share light.

After lighting the eight candles, Mochkin grabbed a guitar and led the group through a mix of Hebrew songs and tunes more familiar to gentiles like I Have a Little Dreidel and Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah.

A parable states that there are two ways to be warm, Mochkin said. One is to wear a coat; the other is to light a fire. But in lighting a fire, warmth can be shared among those close to you.

A theft left the flame momentarily snuffed, but the goal, to spread light, was a success, he said.

Even if you have dark moments, you should have quick turnarounds. If we can all have that, we can have an amazing, amazing, year together, he said.

Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJourno
1 Trooper killed: The suspect in the fatal shooting of a Pennsylvania trooper was shot and killed after making threats to police who located him Saturday, authorities said. Trooper Landon Weaver, 23, was killed responding to a domestic complaint Friday night in Huntingdon County. An overnight manhunt for the suspect ended Saturday when police found Jason Robison, 32, at a mobile home in the area, authorities said. Weaver was responding to a reported violation of a protection-from-abuse order when he was shot.

2 Trump taunt: Americans woke up on the last day of 2016 to a message from President-elect Donald Trump wishing them a happy new year. But the holiday missive, posted on Trumps official Twitter account, came with a pointed jab. Happy New Year to all, Trump wrote, including to my many enemies and those who have fought me and lost so badly they just dont know what to do. Love! Even a holiday known for its good cheer, it seems, could not dull Trumps penchant for doling out taunts and insults via Twitter. The president-elect was spending his New Years Eve at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla.
AUSTIN, Texas  A federal judge in Texas has ordered a halt to another Obama administration effort to strengthen transgender rights, this time over health rules that social conservatives say could force doctors to violate their religious beliefs.

U.S. District Judge Reed OConnor granted a temporary injunction Saturday that stops federal health officials from enforcing rules that are intended to ban discrimination by doctors and hospitals against transgender people.
LOS ANGELES  In the late 1930s, when few doors were open to the son of a poor Chinese immigrant, Tyrus Wong landed a job at Walt Disneys studio as a lowly in-betweener, whose artwork filled the gaps between the animators key drawings. But he arrived at an opportune moment.

Disneys animators were struggling to bring Bambi to the screen. The wide-eyed fawn and his feathered and furry friends were literally lost in the forest, overwhelmed by leaves, twigs, branches and other realistic touches in the ornately drawn backgrounds. Too much detail, Mr. Wong thought when he saw the sketches.

On his own time, he made a series of tiny drawings and watercolors and showed them to his superiors. Dreamy and impressionistic, like a Chinese landscape, Mr. Wongs approach was to create the atmosphere, the feeling of the forest. It turned out to be just what Bambi needed.

Mr. Wong, who brought a poetic quality to Bambi that has helped it endure as a classic of animation, died of natural causes early Friday in his Los Angeles home, said his daughter Kim Wong. He was 106.

Ty had a different approach and certainly one that had never been seen in an animated film before, Disney animators Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston once wrote of the humble artist, whose contributions to one of the studios productions went largely unheralded for years.

Mr. Wong worked at Disney only a few years, his employment cut short by a strike in 1941. But he quickly was picked up by Warner Bros., where for more than 25 years he drew storyboards and set designs for such movies as Rebel Without a Cause, The Wild Bunch and Sands of Iwo Jima.

When he retired from Warner Bros. in 1968, he continued to paint, turning some of his work into top-selling Christmas cards for Hallmark. He also channeled his artistry into kite making and in his 10th decade was still flying his creations  swallows, snow cranes, a 100-foot-long centipede  at Santa Monica State Beach. He was the subject of Tyrus, an award-winning documentary by filmmaker Pamela Tom released in 2015.

Mr. Wong was born in Guangdong province in China on Oct. 25, 1910. At age 9, he said goodbye to his mother and sister and sailed to America with his father, Look Get Wong. On Dec. 30, 1920, they landed at Angel Island in San Francisco Bay.

In 2013 and 2014, Mr. Wong was the subject of Water to Paper, Paint to Sky, a major retrospective at the Disney Family Museum in San Francisco.

Mr. Wongs wife, the former Ruth Kim, died in 1995. His survivors include three daughters, Kay Fong, Tai-Ling Wong and Kim Wong, and two grandchildren.

The New York Times

contributed to this report.
This Account has been suspended.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Anthony Bourdain, an outspoken critic of President-elect Donald Trump, has called out "privileged Eastern liberals" - including himself - for their "utter contempt" of working-class Americans that he says made Trump's presidency possible.

In an interview with Reason magazine, the celebrity chef and television host lamented the proliferating "fear of the Other," which he believes has led to a rise in nationalism globally, citing examples in the Philippines, Russia and Italy, as well as the Brexit vote earlier this year.

"When people are afraid and feel that their government has failed them they do things that seem completely mad and unreasonable to those of who are perhaps under less pressure," Bourdain said.

Still, Bourdain said he was empathetic to the circumstances that led to outcomes in those countries. And he faulted those same forces for Trump's win in November.

"The utter contempt with which privileged Eastern liberals such as myself discuss red-state, gun-country, working-class America as ridiculous and morons and rubes is largely responsible for the upswell of rage and contempt and desire to pull down the temple that we're seeing now," Bourdain told Reason.

"I've spent a lot of time in gun-country, God-fearing America," he added. "There are a hell of a lot of nice people out there, who are doing what everyone else in this world is trying to do: the best they can to get by, and take care of themselves and the people they love. When we deny them their basic humanity and legitimacy of their views, however different they may be than ours, when we mock them at every turn, and treat them with contempt, we do no one any good."

More for you Anthony Bourdain fires back at protestor who claimed Bourdain eats dog meat

Bourdain went on to criticize HBO political talk show host Bill Maher as "the worst of the smug, self-congratulatory left" after being asked about an appearance on "Real Time with Bill Maher" a few years ago.

"Not a show I plan to do again. He's a classic example of the smirking, contemptuous, privileged guy who lives in a bubble," Bourdain told the magazine. "And he is in no way looking to reach outside, or even look outside, of that bubble, in an empathetic way."

Such "preaching to the converted," Bourdain said, was no way to win the hearts and minds of Trump supporters.

"It doesn't change anyone's opinions. It only solidifies them, and makes things worse for all of us," Bourdain said. "We should be breaking bread with each other, and finding common ground whenever possible. I fear that is not at all what we've done."

The prolific chef received some criticism online for his comments, but he has defended his working-class background on Twitter, saying he had spent three decades rising up through back-of-the-house restaurant jobs.

Bourdain did not specify in the interview whether he might be interested in breaking bread with Trump, a notion he shot down in a September conversation with the Wrap. At the time, Bourdain was asked whether he might consider a private dining session with Trump if he should be elected president.

"Absolutely f--ing not," Bourdain told the Wrap. "We know him well here [in New York]. . . I would give the same answer that I would have given 10 years ago, when he was just as loathsome."

The interview with Reason was conducted Dec. 20, the day after the electoral college made Trump's win official. Bourdain's comments were part of a wide-ranging conversation that included talk of "Sichuan peppers, sex, eating dogs and political correctness," according to the magazine.

Such an amalgam of topics - along with his usual dissing of vegetarians - can be expected from just about any recent Bourdain interview. The globe-trotting, often foul-mouthed celebrity chef is also a best-selling author and host of CNN's "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown," now in its eighth season.

This season's premiere aired on Sept. 25 with a guest appearance by none other than President Obama in Hanoi, where the two drank beer and ate bun cha - a Vietnamese dish of grilled pork and rice vermicelli - atop plastic stools at a casual family-run restaurant.

Bourdain has made no reservations about his disdain for Trump - or for those who choose to do business with him.

In a recent interview with Eater, Bourdain said he had "utter and complete contempt" for restaurateur Alessandro Borgognone, who announced in November he would open a sushi restaurant at Trump's hotel in Washington.

"I will never eat in his restaurant," Bourdain declared in that interview.
Welcome, Neighbor!

Thank you for sharing my journey with me. It's a bumpy ride, but hopefully you'll find it worthwhile! To reach out to me, send me an e-mail at jamesbradfordpate@yahoo.com.


[Provisional Translation]



Happy new year to all.



The poem read by Emperor Showa 30 years ago in the Utakai Hajime (the Imperial New Year's Poetry Reading) of 1987 goes,

The dawn redwood tree

grows year by year

along with Japans recovery.



After the war, Japan arose out of burnt-out ruins stretching as far as the eye could see to achieve recovery in a truly marvelous way. In 1987 when the thoughts of Emperor Showa turned to the path Japan had followed, both Japan and the world had already neared a major transition stage.



The number of children born that year was the lowest ever in the postwar era. The economy was surging in the bubble years, but that became the prologue to an extended period of deflation. On the world stage, the United States and the Soviet Union agreed to eliminate intermediate-range nuclear forces, signaling the end of the Cold War that was to come.



A quarter-century later, Japan found itself facing a rapidly shrinking birthrate and a swiftly graying society, a deflationary mindset that could not be shaken off, and an increasingly severe security environment. The Abe Cabinet has done its utmost to tackle such issues over the past four years.



Before the LDP retook the reins of government, there were even pessimistic views kindling anxiety toward the future, claiming that Japan could no longer grow or that Japan was heading into its twilight years.



But under no circumstances shall we give up. There is no doubt that we can change the future by building up our efforts over time with a strong sense of determination. The Abe Cabinet will continue to take on challenges toward the future.



This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Constitution of Japan coming into force.



Former Prime Minister Hitoshi Ashida made an appeal upon the enactment of the present Constitution, saying, In the present day, as a result of the historically unprecedented defeat Japan suffered, most of the imperial capital has been transformed into burnt ruins, and tens of thousands of widows and orphans cannot even find the respite that would allow their tears to dry. How can we impart to them the light of hope?



Amidst the ruins and the extreme poverty, our predecessors resolutely raised themselves to their feet and created for us who would live in the future the worlds third-largest economy, renowned around the world as a free and democratic nation.



We who are living today must squarely confront the many issues facing us and impart the light of hope to our children and grandchildren, who feel unease about the future, as well as to future generations. We must fulfill our responsibilities toward the future.



We will create a society in which all citizens are dynamically engaged, where each person is able to demonstrate his or her abilities, whether female or male, old or young, a person with a disability or an intractable illness, or someone who has failed before. By doing so, we will map out a new trajectory for growth for the Japanese economy.



In the rough seas of a rapidly-changing international situation, we will hoist the flag of Proactive Contribution to Peace even higher and make Japan shine in the center of a worldwide stage.



Moreover, it is children that are the very future of Japan. We will create a Japan in which all children can pursue their dreams full of hope for the future, regardless of their family circumstances.



Our future is not something that is given to us by others. We Japanese are now called upon to have the mettle to carve out our own future with our own hands.



This year, the Abe Cabinet will together with the Japanese people launch in earnest its efforts to build a new nation, keeping our eyes firmly fixed on the future, to 2020 and beyond. We will make 2017 a year in which we carve out the future of this country. I am resolutely determined to do so as we begin this year, which will be a major turning point for our nation.



As I bring my New Years reflection to a close, I would like to extend my heartfelt wishes for 2017 to be a splendid year that is happy and prosperous for one and all.



Shinzo Abe

Prime Minister of Japan
The two-story home on Joo Chiat Terrace is packed with porcelain, jewelry, silver, clothing, shoes, and intricately carved display cases. A woman prepares tea in the kitchen. Her husband dusts the colorful tiffin carriers stacked on the stairwell. Their son, Alvin Yapp, cant keep still as he describes the house.

Which also is a museum.

When I was growing up, I didnt know what it was like to be Peranakan, Yapp says, perching on a chair inlaid with mother-of-pearl in the front of the house in Singapores Joo Chiat neighborhood. Im not full Chinese, but because multiethnic cultures werent emphasized, I felt like something less.

At 15 years old, he was inspired to learn more about his Peranakan heritage. I began collecting, and it helped me understand the culture.

In a city-state that tends to emphasize its hyper-modern, glitzy skyline and its complex collections of cultures, it can be difficult to find Singapores deeper roots. The Joo Chiat and Katong neighborhoods, however, are the countrys most dense enclaves of Peranakan life  past and present.

Strolling among the pastel shophouses, past women dressed in sarong kebayas (a traditional blouse-dress combination with elaborate costume embroidery), Im seeking to find out not just if the 400-year-old Peranakan Chinese culture is still thriving here, but whether experiencing it offers a different, older view of Singapore that most visitors never see  or realize the significance when they do.

And while, in many cases, learning about a culture is limited to museums and galleries, Singapores living Peranakan world cant stay contained in a building  even a brightly colored shophouse.

Peranakan Chinese, or Straits Chinese, in Singapore can trace their origins to 15th century Malacca, where their ancestors were Chinese traders who married Malay women. Peranakan, meaning locally born in Malay, was used to distinguish early from later immigrants.

While many of the Straits Chinese have assimilated into the broader Chinese community, they retain distinctive cultural traits  most notably in their traditional dress and their cuisine, which features strong Malay and Indonesian influences with its use of spices and coconut milk.

One of the most extensive introductions to this culture is at the Peranakan Museum. It is here  as I duck into galleries covering language, fashion, weddings, religion, public life and food  that I learn that while Chinese Peranakans are the majority, there are also Peranakan communities of other ethnicities in Southeast Asia, including Arab, Indian and Eurasian.

Many pieces in the museum come from family donations. The addition of the owners photo next to a display adds a personal touch to the different styles of sarong kebaya, which illustrate how the silhouette of the dress style changed over time with shifting notions of fashion and femininity.

Another step into the Peranakan past is at the Baba House, one of Singapores last remaining untouched Straits Chinese houses. Baba is an honorific term for a Peranakan male, while Nyonya is used to distinguish Peranakan females. Once home to descendants of 19th century Chinese shipping tycoon Wee Bin, this home has been restored to showcase the domestic culture of the Peranakan in context.

As my tour moves from the first (reception) hall to the second (ancestral) hall, and on to the kitchen in the belly of the home, the display of household items allows me to see more easily how some belongings may suggest the familys affluence, but the mix between rare and common items are as varied as the Peranakan blend of cultures.

Asia Images/Getty Images/AsiaPix RF

My hands are full with containers of liquid beet root, carrot, pandan and suji leaves, blue pea flower, and coconut milk. This rainbow of colors (red, orange, green, blue and white) counts among the key ingredients for kueh lapis  nine-layer cake. As I help his mother assemble the ingredients, Edmond Wong explains why I shouldnt just bite into the popular snack without a second thought.

The real Peranakan way to enjoy kueh lapis is to savor it layer by layer, he says. It reminds you that life is best enjoyed moment by moment.

While there are nearly endless opportunities to sample Peranakan food  a combination of Chinese cuisine with influences from Malays, Indonesians, Thais, Indians, Portuguese, Dutch and English  one of the best ways to get an in-depth taste is to participate in a cooking class.

Wong is a third-generation family member behind Kim Choo Kueh Chang, a maker of traditional Nyonya rice dumplings and snacks, and the companys workshops in cooking and bead work provide a more extensive look into the Straits Chinese culture.

The spicy cuisine is named after Peranakan women. Nyonya recipes are passed from generation to generation, and the women in the family are expected to master them.

Theres so much in the Peranakan heritage thats not written, says Singaporean cooking grande dame, Violet Oon. That includes recipes. If you are cooking with a Nyonya, you learn the dish on the spot.

As I frantically scrawl recipe notes while helping to make the kueh lapis, I suppose Im cheating by not committing them to memory. But between laying banana leaves in the bottom of the pan, mixing the rest of the ingredients, and pouring layers of color to set and steam for five minutes each, its more than likely Ill forget how to make this at home unless I write it all down.

When the kueh is ready and displayed on a turquoise and pink plate, Wong explains that the phoenix on Peranakan pottery represents the passing on of culture through the matriarchal side, as opposed to the patriarchal dragon on Chinese pottery.

I peel the kuehs top layer first, enjoying life as it should be, Peranakan style.

Jill K. Robinson/Special to The Chronicle

If the Peranakan Museum and Baba House are a little akin to snorkeling, in terms of allowing a broad understanding of the Straits Chinese culture in Singapore, the Intan is like scuba. Having Yapp as a personal guide through his collection helps understand both past and present Peranakans.

Peranakan Chinese culture is a mix of Chinese and local culture with European influence, which you see in our language, our attitude, and our material items, says Yapp. The ladies wear these beaded shoes, called kasot manek, and the beads would have originally come from France, the motifs and designs began as European flowers, but the slip-on shoes are a little short, so to keep them on, the ladies would have to shuffle in whats known as a Nyonya gait.

The beaded shoes at the Intan are lined up in a rainbow of colors as if a perch of tropical birds. And in fact, the bright colors of Peranakan clothing and porcelain are because were tropical, according to Yapp.

But despite the rich display of hues, jewelry did not follow that trend. Victorian fancy gold and diamonds were considered everyday wear for wealthy Nyonyas. However, silver and pearls were favored for funerals  a practice thats still generally followed today.

Although much of Yapps collection is from earlier times in Peranakan history, he maintains that the culture is more alive now than its ever been.

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Singapore Tourist Board Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Singapore Tourist Board Show More Show Less 3 of 3





We are Asians, but we are not your typical Asians, nor are we completely Westerners, he says. Historically, at home we are very Malay. When we went to work, we would put on a Chinese suit. And then, when it came to celebrations, we wore bow ties and drank Champagne like Europeans.

As we talk, other visitors pass through Yapps museum-home  less than 2 miles from Singapores thoroughly modern downtown core, with its modern-art skyscrapers and gleaming plazas  soaking up the history and tropical colors from the shoes, the clothing and the Phoenix displayed on porcelain bowls stacked on the family altar.

More than the sum of its parts, Peranakan culture is one of Singapores essential elements, a flavor and color without which the rainbow-like kueh lapis wouldnt taste the same. You just have to find the layers.

Jill K. Robinson is a Half Moon Bay freelance writer. Email: travel@sfchronicle.com. Twitter and Instagram: @DangerJR

If you go

Getting there

Daily direct flights from San Francisco to Singapore on United Airlines began in June, cost about $1,200 and take nearly 16 hours. In October, Singapore Airlines began offering a daily nonstop on this route, as well. Other airline options require connections.

Where to stay

Hotel Indigo Singapore Katong: 86 East Coast Road, Singapore. +65 (6) 723-7001, www.ihg.com/hotelindigo/hotels/us/en/singapore/sinki/hoteldetail. Housed in the former Joo Chiat police station, this hotel honors local Peranakan roots in its old-school fixtures and colorful decor. Rates start at about $129 per night.

Hotel Vagabond: 39 Syed Alwi Road, Singapore. +65 (6) 291-6677, www.hotelvagabondsingapore.com. This glamorous boutique hotel with Art Deco roots provides a home base in Kampong Glam, near the citys Little India district. Rates start at about $182 per night.

Where to eat

National Kitchen by Violet Oon: 1 St. Andrews Road No. 02-01, National Gallery Singapore, Singapore. +65 (9) 834-9935, www.violetoon.com/national-kitchen-by-violet-oon-national-gallery-singapore. Grande dame of Singaporean cooking Violet Oon learned the dishes of her Peranakan heritage from aunts and grand aunts. Menus lean toward authentic Peranakan cuisine. Entrees about $8-$29.

House of Peranakan Petit: 42 Eng Hoon St., Singapore. +65 (6) 222-1719, www.houseofperanakan.com.sg. The newest of three Peranakan restaurants run by the Seah family, this intimate spot in Tiong Bahru serves traditional Nyonya cuisine. Entrees about $8-$14.

Lynnettes Kitchen: www.lynnetteskitchen.com. These home dinner parties are hosted by Singapore Symphony Orchestra violinist Lynnette Seah, and include a variety of dishes, including Peranakan favorites. All night, a Peranakan man kept muttering, This is better than my grandmas. Six-course dinners (including dessert) for about $84 per person.

What to do

The Intan: Joo Chiat, Singapore. +65 (6) 440-1148, www.the-intan.com. This Peranakan home-museum is run by Alvin Yapp, an antiques collector. Personal tours make the experience a deep dive into the culture. One-hour tours include tea and refreshments and are about $45 per person (minimum six people), or $85 per person for two people.

Baba House: 157 Neil Road, Singapore. +65 (6) 227-5731, cfa.nus.edu.sg/visit/nus-baba-house. Once the ancestral home of shipping tycoon Wee Bin, this prewar terrace house is one of the few traditional Peranakan shophouses in Singapore with its interiors still intact. Tours are free, but advance booking is required.

Peranakan Museum: 39 Armenian St., Singapore. +65 (6) 332-7591, www.peranakanmuseum.org.sg. This museums galleries illustrate the cultural traditions and distinctive visual arts of Peranakan communities in Southeast Asia. Admission: $7 adult, $4 students and seniors, free for children 6 and under.

More Information

Singapore Tourism Board: www.yoursingapore.com

Side Trips

While museums are a great help in understanding the history and traditions of Peranakans, its important to remember that the culture is alive, not merely something to view in museums and shops. Get an inside peek at modern-day Peranakan culture with experiences offered by two Peranakan-owned boutique shops located side-by-side on East Road Road in Katong.

At Kim Choo Kueh Chang, shoppers can buy Peranakan Chinese porcelain wares, clothing and food. The shop is especially well-known for delicious, savory Nyonya dumplings, sticky rice packages (with a choice of other fillings, from pork to chili prawn) wrapped in fragrant pandan leaves. The shop is also where you can find Raymond Wong, in-house fashion designer (who recently created a shawl for Michelle Obama), if youre looking to customize your kebaya. Go deeper yet with a workshop at the artist residence in Joo Chiat, where you can learn Peranakan beading techniques or cook traditional cuisine from Itek Tim to nine-layer kueh.

At Rumah Bebe, shop for porcelain, jewelry, clothing and food, or take a private tour that includes a beading demonstration, dressing up in Nyonya attire, and tasting Peranakan savory snacks. Beginner classes are also offered for those who want to learn Nyonya beading style and make their own creations. Even if you have excellent eyesight, extended time working with the little beads may make you wish you had glasses.

Kim Choo Kueh Chang: 109 East Coast Road, Singapore. +65 (6) 741-2125, www.kimchoo.com.

Rumah Bebe: 113 East Coast Road, Singapore. +65 (6) 247-8781, www.rumahbebe.com
KINSHASA, Congo  Political parties in Congo reached a deal late Saturday that calls for President Joseph Kabila to leave power after an election that now will be held by the end of 2017 instead of mid-2018 as his party originally proposed.

The New Years Eve agreement comes after months of unrest that killed dozens and threatened to further destabilize the vast central African nation with a painful history of dictatorship and civil war. Catholic church officials had mediated talks to reach the compromise.

Monsignor Marcel Utembi, president of the church body known as CENCO, hailed the progress but acknowledged the challenges still ahead with implementation. Its one thing to have a political compromise but putting it into place is another, he said.

Kabila became president in 2001 after the assassination of his father, and was constitutionally barred from seeking another term after his mandate expired Dec. 19. However, no presidential election was held in November and a court ruled he could stay in office until such a ballot could be organized.

The presidents party said that wasnt possible before mid-2018 because of logistical challenges in organizing the ballot. An angry opposition took to the streets demanding that the vote be held as soon as possible.

Under the deal, the vote will be organized by the end of 2017 though some details still need to be finalized. That process could reveal other disputes, and opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi already has signaled that his supporters will only be satisfied the day the transfer of power will happen.

Still, the agreement to not modify the constitution effectively blocks Kabila from rewriting it so that he can seek a third term, a major victory for the opposition.
BURSA, Turkey  Attackers dressed in Santa Claus suits opened fire inside a crowded Istanbul nightclub about an hour after midnight on New Years Day, killing at least 39 people and wounding dozens more, Turkish officials said.

Gov. Vasip Sahin of Istanbul province called it a terrorist attack. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the shootings, which came as threats against Turkey by the Islamic State and its supporters have increased. It was the fourth terrorist attack in Turkey in less than a month.

The assault started about 1:15 a.m. at the popular nightclub Reina, which overlooks the Bosporus and is known for its celebrity clientele. As many as 600 people were celebrating the new year when the assailants, who were said to be armed with Kalashnikov rifles, burst in, officials said.

Sahin said the attackers  initial reports said there had been as many as three  had fired on the police before heading inside.

One person first kills the police officer outside, and then a civilian, Sahin said. Inside, he rained bullets brutally, mercilessly over innocent people who were there just to celebrate the new year and have fun.

In the ensuing panic and the rush to escape, some club goers jumped into the Bosporus  which separates Europe and Asia  and other hunkered down for safety.

Sinem Uyanik, who was there with her husband, Lutfu Uyanik, told the Associated Press she had seen several bodies inside the club. Her husband was wounded, she added, but not seriously.

Before I could understand what was happening, my husband fell on top me, she said. I had to lift several bodies from on top of me before I could get out.

A wounded man on a stretcher told the independent Turkish news agency DHA that the attackers had put a bullet to the head of anyone alive.

The Hurriyet news website said three attackers in Santa costumes had opened fire at the security staff at the gate before storming into the club. NTV, a Turkish network, said the police were still searching for the attackers.

Reinas owner, Mehmet Kocarslan, told Hurriyet that security measures had been beefed up over the past 10 days after U.S. intelligence officials had warned of an attack in Turkey over the holidays.

The shooting came just days after the Nashir Media Foundation, a group identified by experts as being pro-Islamic State, published the last of three messages calling on individual attackers in the West to turn the holiday season into days of terror and blood. It urged attacks on clubs, markets and movie theaters.

In addition, there have been numerous threats by the Islamic State, including from its highest official, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who in his most recent speech called for attacks against Turkey.

On Dec. 22, the U.S. government issued a statement that extremist groups were continuing aggressive efforts to conduct attacks throughout Turkey in areas where U.S. citizens and expatriates lived or visited. The statement urged caution about being in crowded places and public gatherings during the holidays.

A White House official said President Obama had been briefed by his national security advisers about the attack. Obama expressed his condolences and offered assistance to the Turkish authorities.

Ned Price, a spokesman for the National Security Council, condemned the attack in a statement and said the savagery of the attackers was underscored by how they had targeted innocent revelers.

Turkey is still recovering from a coup attempt that began July 15 in which at least 265 people were killed. Although the effort sputtered in a matter of hours, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan responded with a crackdown targeting dissidents across Turkish society. In addition to arresting thousands of military personnel suspected of involvement in the coup, the government purged hundreds of thousands of civil servants, educational workers and journalists.

The coup and the assassination of the Russian ambassador, Andrey Karlov, in Ankara on Dec. 19 raised concerns that the countrys security establishment had grown ineffective. The internal turmoil also raised doubts about how well Turkey would be able to participate in international counterterrorism efforts, especially with regard to the Islamic State.

In the wake of the crackdown, protests against Erdogan have led to frequent clashes between demonstrators and the police. And reports of targeted attacks against civilians after martial law was declared in July have revived painful memories of the political violence Turkey experienced in the 1970s and 1980s.

Turkeys struggles with security had already grown severe months before the attempted coup. A spate of suicide bombings and other attacks since 2015 was capped by a June 28 attack on Istanbul Ataturk Airport, the countrys busiest. The attack killed 45 people.

The Associated Press

contributed to this report.
JAKARTA, Indonesia  At least 23 people were killed and 17 others were missing after a ferry caught fire Sunday off the coast of Indonesias capital, officials said.

The vessel was carrying more than 230 people from Jakartas port of Muara Angke to Tidung, a resort island in the Kepulauan Seribu chain, when it caught fire, officials said. Most of the passengers were Indonesians celebrating the New Years holiday, according to local media.

Seply Madreta of the Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Agency said the fire gutted half the vessel. At least 22 injured victims were rushed to hospitals, and 23 bodies have been recovered, he said.

Twenty bodies that were found inside the vessel were burned beyond recognition and were transferred to a police hospital for identification, said Col. Umar Shahab of the Jakarta polices health department.

A search involving 10 ships was under way to find those who were missing, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency said.

Witnesses told MetroTV that the fire broke out about 15 minutes after the ferry left Muara Angke. The cause of the fire was not immediately clear. Some passengers said they first saw smoke coming from the ferrys engine.

TV footage showed people in the water with the ferry in flames in the background. A woman told the TV station that she and other passengers were rescued by a small boat.

Despite officials saying that more than 230 people were aboard the ferry, the manifest showed only 100 were registered as passengers, along with six crewmen, said Denny Wahyu Haryanto, head of the Disaster Mitigation Agency. He said the vessels captain was under police investigation over the incident.

Ferry accidents are common in Indonesia, which comprises more than 17,000 islands. Many accidents are blamed on lax regulation of boat services.
1 Iraq bombings: A pair of suicide bombings minutes apart hit a central Baghdad market Saturday, killing 28 people and wounding at least 54, police and hospital officials said. The twin attacks hit al-Sinak, a busy commercial district, and prompted security forces to ban traffic from key streets at the center of the Iraqi capital. Minutes after the first suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden belt, the second one struck amid the crowd that gathered, according to the officials, who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attacks in a statement posted by its Aamaq news agency, saying the blasts came from a pair of suicide bombers. Later Saturday, three separate attacks in and around Baghdad killed eight people and wounded 17.

2 Nigeria violence: In a new video, Boko Harams leader denies the Nigerian government claims that his Islamic extremist group has been crushed. President Muhammadu Buhari said recently that soldiers had driven Boko Haram from its last forest enclave, boasting the terrorists are on the run and no longer have a place to hide. In a video posted on YouTube, Abubakar Shekau announced: I am here, well and alive and that the battle is just beginning. He urged his followers, in graphic terms, to continue the campaign. Nigerias military has claimed to have killed Shekau at least three times, and earlier last year declared he had been fatally wounded. The 7-year-old Islamic uprising has killed more than 20,000 people.
Times Square New Years Prep

The New Year's Eve ball rests at the top of a building overlooking Times Square. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- It's almost time to ring in the new year!

More than two million people are expected to turn out to Times Square to watch the ball drop on New Year's Eve.

Watch the celebration unfold live via the video player above.

The webcast starts Saturday at 6 p.m. and ends at 12:15 a.m. on New Year's Day.

The eighth annual webcast will feature live musical performances, hourly countdowns, behind-the-scenes stories, and interviews as the night makes its way to the midnight countdown. More than 3.6 million viewers from over 200 countries watched last year's webcast.

Gavin DeGraw and Rachel Platten are headlining the live, commercial-free webcast. Jonathan Bennett, Mean Girls actor and host of Cupcake Wars, will be the host for the webcast.

Also performing are Silento, who will sing his hit single, "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)," and Jojo Abot, who was selected to perform as part of the inaugural "New Year, New Voices," platform.

"New Year, New Voices," was inspired by the idea that Times Square New Year's Eve can become a platform to launch the career of a local NYC musical artist.

The USO Show Troupe will also perform their popular "A Military Salute" to honor our Armed Forces.

NEW YEAR'S EVE WEATHER FORECAST

Saturday's forecast calls for a high temperature of 44 degrees, which is expected to drop to 36 degrees as we head into the late evening, according to the National Weather Service.

There is only a 20 percent chance of rain showers after 8 p.m. on Saturday, with wind gusts as high as 30 miles per hour, the service says.

New Year's Day's forecast is expected to be sunny with a high temperature of 48 degrees.
Every year as part of our travel link up I look to the year ahead to tell you what my current travel plans are and those that I hope to add. In 2016 year I visited six new countries: Japan, The Philippines, Switzerland, Germany, Kenya and Tanzania and I revisited France (several times), Italy (twice), Spain and Hong Kong. Theres not many definite plans yet for 2017 but heres what I have so far:

January 2017: Vienna, Austria

As a child the Sound of Music was my favourite film by far, I must have watched it about 100 times and I know all the songs off by heart. Having said that Ive always wanted to visit Austria and though I dont have time to visit Salzburg where the film was actually set, I cant wait to take in the culture and history of Vienna.

As well as admiring the beautiful architecture, exploring churches and palaces, Ive definitely got lots of foodie plans up my sleeve. Ill be exploring the Viennese coffee culture, sampling some schnitzel and finding the best apple strudel. Vienna is also the city of wine, and the only capital to produce a large amount of wine within the city itself, that said Ill be sampling local wine and I have some cellar visits in my plans.

Tips for places to see and where to eat are hugely welcomed.

February / March 2017: The Maldives / Dubai

I honestly dont know how long the Maldives has been on my bucket list but Ive pretty much wanted to visit for ever and ever! Mr S and I decided that this will be the year that we finally tick the paradise destination off our bucket list. As I mentioned in my Top Ten Travel Moments of the Year, Ive become more and more inclined to enjoy relaxing holidays rather than madly trying to see everything, *Mr S breathes a sigh of relief*.

Not being someone thats hugely into watersports, Im looking forward to some warm weather, enjoying lots of great food, cocktails and spa treatments while were there.

Images of Huvafen Fushi are provided by the hotel

Owing to the nature of the flights and the availability of air miles, were thinking that our trip to the Maldives will involve a stop over in Dubai so Id love any hotel or restaurant tips for our time there.

May 2017: Lake Como, Italy / Milan

A few years ago, Mr Silver and I visited Lake Como for a day trip whilst staying in Milan. We totally fell in love with the beautiful place and it seemed the perfect destination for our three year wedding anniversary.



Ive booked to stay in Hotel Grand Tremezzo which has been on my hotel bucket list for years; here well enjoy some of the best modern Italian cuisine, boating on the lake and visits to nearby historical villas.



Well also have one glamorous night in Milan, celebrating our three years together in style with dinner somewhere special.

On my Bucket list for 2017

Every year I create bucket list and tick one or two things off, this year Im going to focus my list on the parts of Europe that Ive always dreamt of seeing and aim to cover them all with weekend breaks.

1. Stay in the Gresham Palace in Budapest

Budapest was on my wish list for last year and its still firmly on there! I will make it there this year and finally live out my dream of staying in the Gresham Palace, one of the worlds best hotels.



Image from iStock

Im also keen to bathe in the thermal baths, see the view from Fishermans Bastion and take a cruise on the river Danube.

2. Take a dip in the Blue Lagoon in Iceland

Iceland is another country that remains on my bucket list from last year, Im still keen to see the glaciers and geysers of Iceland, take a dip in the famous Blue Lagoon and perhaps a glimpse of the Northern lights.



This is happening this year, I promise!

3. Drink Vodka in Russia

I actually have family roots in Russia so Ive always wanted to visit, and not over discover the history but also find out more about the background to the literary history which I studied at university. But Russia is huge, where should I begin?

4. Go for a fika in Stockholm

When I was deciding on my January trip it was a close call between Vienna and Stockholm but Im now planing to pay a visit to the capital of Sweden before the end of the year.

As well as going for fika, Im keen to explore the fashion and design in Stockholm and experience Scandinavian cuisine.

Those are my plans and my wanderlust wish list for 2017 what are yours?

Im also excited to announced that Polly from Follow Your Sunshine will join Emma and I as co-host for the monthly travel link up. Ive been a huge fan of Pollys blog for a couple of years now, originally from the UK, she now lives in Doha with her husband and baby Sophia and has all sorts of luxury travel and gastronomic adventures both at home and abroad.




The hailstorm that hit the Lincoln area on May 9 was likely one of the costliest storms in terms of insurance claims in the city's history.

Neither the state Department of Insurance nor insurance industry groups compiled claims data on the storm, but anecdotal evidence from some of the state's largest property insurers suggests it would rank among the city's costliest weather events.

State Farm, the largest insurer of homes and automobiles in Nebraska, has paid out nearly $100 million to date on more than 9,900 claims from the Lincoln storm and $63.5 million on 6,350 claims from the hailstorm that hit Omaha a couple days later.

Farmers Mutual of Nebraska, based in Lincoln with more than 80 percent of its policies in Nebraska, has paid out $48 million on about 6,600 claims so far, a majority of which are in the Lincoln area.

"It was the third-largest storm event we've ever had in the history of our company," said Mark Walz, president and CEO of Farmers Mutual, which has been in business for 125 years.

Another one of the state's major property insurers, American Family Insurance, reported 1,600 claims and a payout of about $10 million for the Lincoln storm.

Of the three other largest property insurers in the state, Farm Bureau Financial Services had nearly 6,200 claims and Farmers Insurance reported 3,450 claims. Both of those included both the Lincoln and Omaha storms and both companies declined to give claims payout amounts. Nationwide Insurance said it does not make claims information public.

To put the scope of the storm in context, the five insurers that provided claims figures had a little more than 32,000 total claims. That's about 50 percent higher than all hail claims in the entire state in 2015.

A large chunk of the claims were for roofs that were damaged by the storms. That included homes that had holes punched in them by softball-sized hailstones. In many cases, those homes also had other major damage, such as shattered windows, destroyed gutters and damaged air-conditioning units.

Kiley Eaton, director of advertising for White Castle Roofing, one of the largest roofing companies in Lincoln, said it was the most storm damage anyone at the company could remember in at least 30 years.

"This was a whopper for sure," she said.

Eaton said the company received about 8,000 phone calls from home and business owners in the weeks and months after the storms.

She said that in a normal year the company would do about 1,500 roofing jobs, but that number was closer to 2,000 in 2016, including jobs that were scheduled but still haven't been completed.

And White Castle could have done a lot more jobs, Eaton said, if the company had more employees.

Even though the hailstorm was unusual for the Lincoln area, hailstorms causing property damage are quite common in Nebraska.

From 2000-2013, there was an average of $135 million a year in insured damage in Nebraska from hailstorms, according to a report from Verisk Insurance Solutions. From 2010-2013, the annual average was $252 million.

And the state ranked either first or second in number of hail claims paid out in nine of the 14 years included in the report.

From 2013-2015, Nebraska had more than 148,000 hail loss claims, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau. That put the state at third nationally for number of claims, behind only Texas and Colorado. On a per-capita basis, however, Nebraska was a close second to South Dakota.
BLACK REPUBLICAN BLOG - The Republican Party is the party of civil rights and the four Fs: faith, family, freedom and fairness. The Democratic Party is the party of the four Ss: slavery, secession, segregation and socialism (Quote By Author Michael Scheuer).
By clicking Agree, you consent to Slates Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and the use of technologies such as cookies by Slate and our partners to deliver relevant advertising on our iOS app to personalize content and perform site analytics. Please see our Privacy Policy for more information about our use of data, your rights, and how to withdraw consent.

Agree
As many Canberrans were heading home after the fireworks, or already in bed, an Isabella Plains couple were welcoming the birth of their first child in the early hours of 2017 at Canberra Hospital.

After more than 24 hours in labour, Fiona Odewahan gave birth to Michael Kurt Leslie Byrne at 1.32am on January 1.

Fiona Odewahn and Kurt Byrne with their newborn Michael Kurt Leslie Byrne who is Canberra's first 2017 baby and was born at 1.32am. Credit:Rohan Thomson

Michael was the first baby born in Canberra this year, leading the way for about 5500 more babies expected to be born in the city over the next 12 months.

The quiet newborn weighed in at 3580 grams, measuring 49 centimetres long and with a head circumference of 33 centimetres.
Arguably it was the single most fraught issue in retailing over the past two decades  shopper docket fuel discounts, which helped underwrite the emergence of the two dominant retailers, Coles and Woolworths, to control close to half of the national retail sales of petrol.

The value of that position of strength was on display last week with the sale by Woolworths of its petrol business to BP for $1.8 billion as the troubled retailer tries to revive its flagging fortunes.

For Caltex, the loss of the contract to supply Woolworths will see its share of retail fuel sales shrink from a combined 42 per cent, when including the lower-margin volumes supplied to Woolworths, to just 18 per cent, while BP will bulk up to an estimated 39 per cent of the national market from its present share of 15 per cent.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, faced with the loss of volume Caltex has been talking down the merits of the Woolworths business, arguing that shopper dockets are no longer the drawcard they used to be when it was a common sight for shoppers to make multiple transactions at the cash register so they could maximise the number of shopper dockets so they could receive the fuel discount at the retailers affiliated petrol retailer.
The pursuit of free trade agreements remains a strong priority of the federal government in the face of threats from rising populist protectionism, particularly from US President-elect Donald Trump.

Mr Trump has vowed to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership on his first day in office in the most striking example of a backlash against globalisation that has buoyed nationalistic political movements around the world.

But federal Trade Minister Steven Ciobo insists the deal could still survive and expressed confidence that Australians still supported the pursuit of such agreements.

"Australia is an exporting nation, It is a fundamental driver of the Australian economy. I think Australians fundamentally get that as a trading nation our economic strength is derived from our ability to trade," he told Fairfax Media.
Christine Guzara is among thousands of injured workers who will be cut off the NSW workers compensation scheme this year despite it posting a record $1.4 billion surplus.

"I will get kicked off with nothing," Ms Guzara said.

"I said, what do I do when my weekly benefits cease and I was told to go to Centrelink."

Injured workers who had been covered for weekly benefits until retirement and medical expenses for life will now lose those entitlements from October under changes to the compensation scheme that were introduced in 2012.
Mame Dennis, Patrick Dennis' wonderfully free-wheeling Auntie Mame, had a saying for everything.

My favourite is her scathing indictment of the whingers, the worriers, and the workaholics among us who seem to miss out on enjoying their lives as they live them: "Life is a banquet  but most poor suckers are starving to death!"

Experience the joy of life like Aunty Mame.

The basis for this is, I think, a lack of proper appreciation for life itself. Ironically, some of us feel the life-force most at the funerals we attend. If the deceased has been well-loved  no matter the number or nature of their accomplishments  the ceremony is both sad and joyful.

Warmth flows from the memories of the one loved to everyone who knew them. In the midst of its loss people are acutely conscious of life and how inimitably precious it is.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of when Australians last voted to change the Constitution. That was on May 21,1977, when the people voted Yes to three proposals, including setting a retirement age of 70 for federal judges. This remains the most successful referendum day in the nation's history.

The years since have produced a depressing array of failures and stuff-ups. Eight further proposals have been put to the Australian people, and all have been rejected. One set of changes in 1988 even produced the lowest Yes vote since Federation. Australia's most recent referendums were in 1999, when the people were asked to make Australia a republic and to insert a new preamble, or opening words, into the Constitution. Neither got close to passing.

Several reforms have been debated since 1999. A referendum seemed certain in 2013 on changing the Constitution to recognise local government and provide for its funding by the Commonwealth. On the eve of the 2013 election, Kevin Rudd deposed Julia Gillard as prime minister, and the proposal was discarded.

Australians have also spent the best part of a decade debating whether to recognise Aboriginal peoples in the Constitution. The idea has been supported by every major political party, and has been the subject of national reports, countless local meetings and years of community campaigning. Despite this, our leaders have not got close to agreeing on a model for change. Instead, every time a decision-point is reached the issue is shunted off to a new committee.
The cabinet was told that the Simon Wiesenthal Centre in Jerusalem had informed Australian authorities that 14 people who moved here after World War II had committed war crimes.

Although no death certificates had been obtained, 10 were "probably dead" and four were alive and well and living in Australia.

Federal attorney-general Michael Duffy in 1992. Credit:Neil Newitt

But enthusiasm for hunting down war criminals had flagged.

In September 1992, the cabinet discussed winding up the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) and replacing it with a War Crimes Prosecution Support Unit.
A man has been charged with torture and beat/cause death of animal after he allegedly stabbed a dog in the early hours of the new year.

About 12.20am on Sunday a man and woman were drinking outside a residence in Airds, south-west of Sydney, when the woman's pet dog became spooked by fireworks.

A man has been charged after dog dies from stab wounds

The dog ran to a nearby house and bit a 26-year-old man who was at the property. It's understood the dog ran back to its owner and police will allege the man then allegedly stabbed the dog.

The animal was taken to a local vet, but had to be euthanased due to the extent of its injuries.
More women are being diagnosed with diabetes during pregnancy and more are having births induced or delivered by caesarean, new figures show.

While the average new mother is older than in the past, the proportion of teen pregnancies is falling. Most women who had babies last year (35.3 per cent) were aged between 30 and 34. The number aged over 45 rose from 224 in 2011 to 268 last year.

Births have fallen in NSW overall, bur risen in areas such as south western Sydney.

The new Mothers and Babies 2015 report released by the NSW government on Sunday shows the reported rate of gestational diabetes rose from 6.4 per cent in 2011 to 8.3 per cent in 2015. The rate of diabetes mellitus also increased from 0.6 per cent to 1.5 per cent over the same five-year period.

The rate of spontaneous labour fell from 39.4 per cent in 2011 to 36 per cent in 2015 and the rate of induction of labour rose from 26.5 per cent to 30.5 per cent over the same period.
Police in Queensland's far north have a "tail" to tell after a three-and-a-half metre crocodile swaggered up the street and into the backyard of a house on New Year's Eve.

The crocodile wandered into the backyard of a property at Karumba, in Queensland's gulf country, enjoying basking in the sun in the backyard for a few hours from about 6am.

Police boxed in a crocodile at Karumba with hay bales and wheelie bins while waiting for wildlife experts from Cairns to arrive on New Year's Eve. Credit:McLeod.ChrissieL[CCC]

He then made the snappy decision to move out to the front gate, where he remained for the rest of the day.

Creative police officers and locals initially built a barrier out of wheelie bins in an attempt to funnel the crocodile back towards the water.
Falls Festival organisers have blamed the terrifying crowd crush on a "confluence of events", but say the exact cause is still being investigated.

Punters who were injured in the crush on Friday in the Grand Theatre at the Lorne festival site have also been asked to come forward because organisers are blocked for privacy reasons from accessing patient names and records.

On Sunday night, there were still 13 people at Geelong Hospital being treated for injuries they received at the festival on Friday.

In a media statement released on Sunday afternoon, festival co-producer Jessica Ducrou said addressing "such a serious situation is very distressing for all".
This tale, at least, has a happy ending. The whip-fast speed of Ophelia's hind quarters on Sunday morning was tribute to that.

The five-year-old Jack Russell's tail was wagging wildly - with the reverberations travelling all the way up her black and white body. After an unscheduled sleepover - having fled the family home on New Year's Eve - she was being reunited with owners Janine Turner and Lewis Hook.

Lewis Hook, 9, is reunited with his Jack Russell, Ophelia, at the Lost Dogs' Home. Credit:Chris Hopkins

Frightened by a loud noise in the house, Ophelia had made a dash out the front door and escaped.

Nine-year-old Lewis was sobbing as the family combed the streets around Ascot Vale looking for her. First stop was the park, but she was nowhere to be found.
Paramedics have been kept busy the past 24 to 36 hours, with more than 1000 jobs attended to across Perth, including more than 80 which were drug and or alcohol related.

Among the jobs paramedics attended was a 19-year-old who fell from a balcony in Perth overnight after overdosing on drugs.

Police had warned the public in the lead up to New Years Eve about a dangerous new batch of drugs. Credit:Matt Tompsett

They were taken to Royal Perth Hospital with two suspected broken legs.

Another person overdosed on drugs at the Origin New Year's Eve festival in Claremont. They were also taken to hospital by paramedic crews.
Arson Squad detectives are investigating a house fire in WA's Wheatbelt region in the early hours of Sunday.

The house fire was reported just after 2am at a property on Gaden Road in Wundowie, about 65km east of Perth.

The burnt out car from the Wundowie fire. Credit:WA Police

Police say significant fire damage was caused to a utility and the house.

Arson Squad detectives will visit the scene on Sunday to investigate the circumstances surrounding the fire.
Paris: French President Francois Hollande has warned against the risks of nationalism in his last New Year address ahead of the election of his successor next spring.

Hollande, who said this month he would not seek a second term in 2017, defended his legacy as president and addressed the policies of the anti-immigration and anti-euro National Front, whose leader Marine Le Pen is set to make it to the second round of the election, if recent polls are correct.

France's President Francois Hollande smiles at a French soldier as he visits the security measures at the Champs Elysees in Paris. Credit:AP

"There are periods in history when everything may change dramatically. We're in one of them," Hollande said an address that was broadcast on French television.

"How can we imagine our country being curled up behind walls, reduced to its internal market, going back to its national currency and, on top of that, discriminating between its own children according to their origins?" he said.
Los Angeles: Changing the letters of the Hollywood sign above Los Angeles has become something of a tradition, and vandals struck again over New Year's Eve, this time to change it to "Hollyweed".

Perhaps celebrating the first year in which marijuana will be completely legal in California, the stunt wasn't the first time the sign has read that way.

On New Year's Day, 1976, the day marijuana was decriminalised in the state, Hollywood resident Daniel Finegood was the first to have the idea that the sign could also celebrate pot.
London: Islamic State will likely attempt more terror attacks and morph into a counter-insurgency group as it faces the loss of its Iraqi stronghold in 2017, the US spokesman for the global coalition has warned.

Speaking to journalists at Whitehall, Colonel John Dorrian conceded that the battle for Mosul had become protracted but declared: "the Iraqis are going to liberate Mosul, that is fact."

"It will happen it's just a matter of time," he added.

Once Mosul is reclaimed the global coalition will then turn its attention to taking back Islamic State's last stronghold and its so-called Syrian capital - Raqqa.
Sunsets only found in Nebraska.

Churches majestic and modest, dotting wind-blown prairies.

Snow-laden limbs forming archways over less-traveled roads.

Blur of headlights zipping along Interstate 80.

Fields of windmills, sunflowers, wheat and corn.

Ninety-three images -- one from each of the states counties -- depict who we are, where we have come from and where we hope to go.

"Bridges: Sharing Our Past to Enrich the Future" is the culmination of a three-year endeavor by the Hildegard Center for the Arts in collaboration with the Nebraska Tourism Commission and Nebraska State Historical Society.

On Friday, six days into the Nebraska sesquicentennial year and celebration, "Bridges" will open with a reception at the Great Plains Art Museum, 1155 Q St. in Lincoln, 5-7 p.m.

The 93 images and the narratives by those who captured them through the lens of their phones and cameras will remain on exhibit through March 25 before embarking on the next leg of their statewide journey.

Lincoln artist/photographer Cathy Harrington spearheaded the effort three years ago.

In June 2015, Hildegard sent out a statewide call, seeking photographs representing Nebraskas essence from its historical landmarks to its cultural icons to its personal perfections making this state and each of its 93 counties unique.

In all, more than 800 digital photographs were submitted by people from all over the country, each accompanied by a note explaining the significance and meaning of the image and how the photos bridge the past with the present.

Every photo has a story to tell, said Harrington said in 2015.

She describes "Bridges" as a chance to not only connect the past to the future, but to enrich the future.

For so many places in this state there is no opportunity to put a spotlight on their community treasures, she said, noting a shortage of museums, studios and other art venues on the western side of the state.

"Bridges" seizes that opportunity, taking the exhibit -- or at least a portion of it -- to each region of the state in 2017. Some venues did not have enough space for all 93 photos, said Kim Einspahr, co-founder of the Hildegard Center for the Arts, but all 800 photos will be available for viewing online early this month at hildegardcenter.org.

The photo call was juried by Joel Sartore, contributor to National Geographic and NEBRASKAland magazines; George Tuck, professor emeritus from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln; and Bobbi and Steve Olson, regular contributors to Nebraska Life Magazine. Their charge was to pick one photograph from each county.

Because photos were accepted over the course of 18 months, the submissions were rich and varied, representing all four seasons.

We got a good cross section of what makes Nebraska, Harrington said. Urban areas versus rural, agriculture, different cultures  solitude and action 

The narratives are a critical component of the exhibit, she said.

They tell the story behind the photos. You learn about the person, and the story continues from past to present.

The blind jury process used a point scale to winnow the entries down to the final 93.

Looking through all the pictures, its amazing how great they all were, said Jenn Gjerde, who served on the project committee. I wish we could have picked more. There were amazing losers, too.

Feedback from photographers revealed the depth of a project that extended far beyond the view through the lens.

One couple said it was the most meaningful thing they have ever done together, and allowed them to explore their roots, Harrington said.

A father-and-son team shot photos and discovered the project did more than capture stunning images, she said. It built a relationship.

Some people said they learned so much about counties they didnt know anything about," said Angela Carroll of the Nebraska Tourism Commission.

The Olsons, two of the jurors, said the project was a wonderful opportunity to personalize Nebraska on a county-by-county basis.

Shown together, the photographs weave a fascinating story showcasing the history and beauty of the state as a whole, they said in a prepared statement.

Kimberly Sharples, whose stunning photos of a Banner County field of sunflowers at sunset, said the project allowed photographers to reveal how wonderful Nebraska is.

I chose photographs for the 'Bridges' exhibit that I felt would allow others to see western Nebraska through my eyes; a place with great history and beauty, she said.

Ted Kooser, U.S. poet laureate 2004-06, said the "Bridges" exhibit reminded him of walking through a blue-ribbon photo exhibit at the Nebraska State Fair.

What I think is most charming is that it not only offers us masterful images from one end of the beautiful state to the other, but that each image reveals the eye and enthusiasm of a neighbor of ours, he said. I was especially delighted by the Butler County entry because I drive past that old house at least once a week. Its great fun that someone else has noticed it, and has stopped to capture it for us, and its that generous sharing of experience that this is all about."

Like so many Hildegard projects, "Bridges" morphed into a much more comprehensive endeavor as submissions came in.

Go big or go home, Einspahr said, quoting the mantra of Hildegard co-founder Anne Woita.

And so the "Bridges" project provides supplemental materials for Nebraskas fourth-grade social studies curriculum.

As the 'Bridges' committee poured over the photos of each Nebraska county, we realized the photos represented a collage of Nebraskas economics, culture, history and geography, said Donna Williams, chairwoman of Hildegards subcommittee for instructional resources and retired Zeman Elementary School principal.

Williams committee correlated the 93 photos and narratives with the states educational standards, allowing fourth-grade teachers to enhance their Nebraska history curriculum.

Paul Hunt, an adjunct geography professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, created a story map that allows teachers and students to access the instructional resources of a county through a virtual Nebraska map.

Although the materials are drafted to complement the fourth-grade social studies standards, they are available to everyone at no cost, Williams said. Educational materials will be available through the Hildegard Center website.

It is the vision of Hildegard that the instructional resources will serve as a bridge between students and this beautiful collage called Nebraska, she said.

In addition, the Nebraska Tourism Commission featured 14 of the winning photos in a limited edition 2017 state calendar. All 2,500 copies of the calendar were quickly claimed, Carroll said.

The photographs and narratives also are included in the Nebraska: 150 Years Told Through 93 Counties collectors book ($29.95 hardcover) published by the Omaha World-Herald. The book is available in stores and at owhstore.com.

Harrington, who spent three years turning an idea into an inspirational reality, said the project is all she hoped for and more.

I was emotionally moved by the stunning beauty, historical richness and personal stories told through these images, she said. This photo exhibit truly provides a visual bridge to connect history, generations and cultures.
London: Abis Rizvi made a Bollywood action film about tigers. Leanne Nasser insisted on travelling with other teenagers from her hometown in Israel, even though her father was worried about her safety. Haykal Mousallem, a businessman, came from Lebanon with his wife to ring in the new year. Also there to celebrate was Nawras Assaf, who owned a lounge and bar in Jordan.

The four people were among an estimated 39 victims killed early on Sunday morning in a rampage by a gunman who entered a nightclub in Istanbul, on the shore of the Bosporus, and opened fire on a New Year's Eve celebration.

Even after a year in which Turkey has been pounded by a coup, an assassination and multiple terrorist attacks, the Reina nightclub was a buzzing oasis, frequented by Turks and foreigners, many of them from the Middle East or South Asia.

The patrons ranged widely in nationality and religion. What they tended to share was a zest for looking good and having fun, and the ability to afford an expensive evening on the town.
Washington: North Korea's President Kim Jong-un says his country is in the "last stage" of preparations to test-fire an inter-continental ballistic missile, a fresh signal that he is refusing to slow his nuclear arms development despite international condemnation.

Kim made his remarks in a televised New Year's address as he outlined his country's military achievements for the past year, North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said on Sunday.

North Korea has conducted three nuclear tests under Kim and launched a series of long-range rockets.

The country would "continue to strengthen its ability based on nuclear might to mount a preemptive attack," Kim said during a half-hour speech that touched on a range of issues, including economic policy and relations with South Korea.
Seoul: South Korean President Park Geun-hye has denied allegations of wrongdoing in a political scandal that threatens her presidency, saying the accusations against her were "fabrication and falsehood".

Park said Choi Soon-sil, her long-time friend, was "merely an acquaintance", and denied Choi was allowed to wield undue and wide-reaching influence over state affairs, local media said.

Park Geun-hye, pictured in November, is accused of colluding with long-time friend Choi Soon-sil to pressure big businesses to make contributions to non-profit foundations backing presidential initiatives. Credit:AP

Park's fate is in the hands of Constitutional Court judges who have up to 180 days to uphold the impeachment or reinstate her.

She has denied wrongdoing previously but apologised for carelessness in her ties with Choi, a friend for four decades, who has also denied wrongdoing. Choi is in detention while on trial.
Jakarta: Twenty-three people have been killed and at least 17 have been injured after a fire on board a ferry on the way to one of Indonesia's Thousand Islands, a popular tourist getaway for Jakartans, on New Year's Day.

The Zahro Express, which was heading to Tidung Island, caught on fire at 9.42am on January 1 after leaving Muara Angke Port in North Jakarta.

The Zahro Express ablaze at sea about 20 minutes after leaving port in Jakarta on New Year's Day. Credit: Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management/Twitter

Thousand Islands police spokesman Ferry Budiharso said the number of casualties was at 23.

He said three people died at Atma Jaya hospital and another 20 bodies were found on the boat.
Washington: US President-elect Donald Trump won't end the onslaught of posts on Twitter that fed his unconventional campaign, even after taking on the formalised duties of the Oval Office later this month.

Making news and issuing statements on social media sites that also include Facebook and Instagram will "absolutely" continue, despite earlier promises by Trump to cut back, incoming White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Sunday on ABC's This Week.

"You know what? The fact of the matter is that when he tweets, he gets results," Spicer said.

In recent tweets alone, Trump has hinted he'd like to change decades of policy on nuclear weapons; praised Russian leader Vladimir Putin even after accusations by intelligence agencies that Russia attempted to tamper with US elections; and said the United Nations is a "club for people to get together, talk and have a good time".
For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. Here are the instructions how to enable JavaScript in your web browser
International Relations, War/Peace  December 30, 2016  David Bush

The debate over Syria on the Left is toxic. I pulled together 13 points about the situation in Syria I hope can be useful in framing the discussion in a more productive way. The ultimate goal of these discussions in Western countries should be to have a clearer idea about how to strengthen antiwar movements to stop the madness of imperialism.

1. A political assessment of the conflict should be rooted in a deep concern for human life. It is horrific to watch what is happening in Syria and in the wider region. War brings suffering and those that suffer the most are everyday working-class people.

2. The Syrian Civil War emerges from the Arab popular revolts that spread throughout the region in 2011. The protests against Bashar al-Assad had both economic and democratic demands. As the protest movement evolved and spread it developed organs of political expression and governance, such as democratic councils or Local Coordination Committees (LCC). In Rojava, the popular uprising in the rest of the country allowed the Kurdish Democratic Union Party to establish an autonomous self-governing region.

3. The turn to armed struggle was a product of the regimes strategy to smash the movement by force. It weakened rather than strengthened the forces of the popular revolt. As Ghayath Naisse, a member of the Revolutionary Left Current (RLC), explained, in the first year of the popular uprising, the LCCs lost three successive generations of leadership to Assads violence.

Atrocities and Interventions

4. There can be no denying that Assad and his allies have committed atrocities. This should come as no surprise as his regime has frequently used brutal methods to crush political dissent in the past. For example, in 1982 the regime levelled large sections of Hama in order to defeat an uprising led by the Muslim Brotherhood, killing an estimated 10,000 people in the process. Assad and his fathers regime have used torture. Remember how Western security agencies outsourced Maher Arars torture to the Syrian regime.

The reality of the conflict is brutal. You simply cannot use artillery and drop bombs in dense urban areas without inflicting a large amount of civilian casualties.

5. The armed struggle also brought in numerous imperial and sub-imperial powers into the conflict. America, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Jordan, Canada, UK, France, Israel, Australia, Belgium, Germany and Denmark have all actively intervened in the conflict. This has taken many forms: direct bombings, special forces activities, training troops, providing intelligence and arms, and funding.

6. The brutality of the war and the numerous interventions creates its own logic in the armed struggle. Reactionary factions in the anti-Assad camp have grown in prominence through the armed struggle, as they had easier access to arms, money and training from foreign governments. The rebel factions have also committed atrocities.

7. It is wrong to talk of a unified rebel side. There are numerous factions that have been labelled as rebels. These groups can be broken down into dozens of fronts that operate as fluid coalitions. For instance the Free Syrian Army was at one point a coherent armed force, now it is generally referred to a broad spectrum of different and sometimes competing armed groups such as the Southern Front and the Army of Conquest (the FSA has as many as 27 different factions associated with it). A long list of other factions, some secular and many Islamist, have formed into dozens of fronts in various regions throughout the country. One of the best organized forces on the rebel side is the former Al-Qaeda group Jabhat Fateh al-Sham.

8. The conflict must also be put into a wider historical and regional context. The rise of ISIS was a product of the invasion and occupation of Iraq and the chaos and sectarian conflict that it both caused and deliberately fomented. ISIS now controls parts of western Iraq and eastern Syria and is formally opposed to all sides in the Syrian conflict, though in reality it is supported or tolerated by various different regional actors.

9. Strange bedfellows abound in protracted conflicts involving so many forces. For instance, the YPG, the armed Kurdish group, has been fighting in coordination with Assads group against other rebel groups and actually took part in the fighting to recapture East Aleppo. Turkey supports various rebel groups against the Kurds and the regime, even though the United States, its ally has supported various rebel factions, the YPG and Turkey.

Propaganda and Social Media

10. Each side and their foreign backers have been pumping unceasing amount of propaganda which makes it very hard to discern the truth of claims and counter claims. The reporting on the ground has been spotty at best  in part this is the result of the killing of a number of journalists in the first couple of years of the conflict.

11. The Left has not fully grappled with phenomenon of social media in relation to this story. The instant hot takes and analysis is often based on partial or totally misleading stories. The promise of social media, its potential to bypass the corporate media and elevate the voices of regular people, has failed to materialize. Rather social media as a medium has been effectively incorporated into the propaganda system which is still owned and operated by the corporate media, state-owned media, and the PR strategies of governments.

Instead of analysis being driven by sober reflection and diligent research, it has come to reflect the churning outrage of the medium itself. This is not to say people shouldnt be outraged, but the Left should be trying to offer useful and critical analysis. We should insist on the best facts possible and resist the urge to amplify the hyperbole. This means putting existing media narratives into a wider context.

12. We should insist on linking the Syrian conflict to the broader conflict in the region. This means looking at what is happening in Yemen and Mosul and asking why some victims matter to our politicians and media, but other victims dont. This should not be done in a cynical manner, to divert attention from actual crimes, but rather to illuminate wider truths in the region and conflict.

13. The debate about strategy is being carried on in the abstract. If people in the UK, U.S., Australia and Canada want to protest Russian embassies they should do that (for the record I think this is a strategic mistake). But critics who arent building antiwar movements or organizing protests should stop demanding that others do what they havent.

The antiwar movement in the West faces numerous challenges: the rising right represented by Trump and the European far-right, increasing xenophobia and Islamophobia, increased terrorist attacks, the refugee crisis, and the expansion of unending wars in the Middle East. Framing these questions around abstract debates about how some on the Left orient to Russia actually hinders the growth of antiwar movements and sentiments. Opposing Russian aggression above and beyond ones own government is a strategic dead end for the antiwar movement, especially in the context of rising nationalism and anti-Russian rhetoric pumped out by the media and politicians.

We should ask ourselves why the UK is the only Western country with a broad and active antiwar movement? The reason is because they have united around stopping their own countrys drive to war. Critiques of existing antiwar groups like Stop the War coalition have not offered up any actual strategic alternative other than some version of No Fly Zones, which in reality are only further acts of war, or increasing military aid into the region, which could only escalate the conflict.

All imperial powers out of the region is the correct position. Applying that in the concrete means stopping your own governments interventions and supporting refugees, which is crystallized in the slogan Troops out and Refugees in!

Those of us in countries like Canada, UK and the U.S. need to strongly oppose the brutal war in Yemen and the siege of civilians in Mosul and any and all intervention in Syria. We need to understand that solidarity with the people of Syria, Iraq and the entire region begins with us actually stopping the reflexive reaction to intervene in countries we dont live in. 
Margaret Reist Local government reporter Margaret Reist is a recovering education reporter now writing about local and county government and the people who live in the city where she was born and raised. Follow Margaret Reist Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

The fear is familiar.

In the days after the country elected a president who built his campaign on erecting a wall on the border, creating registries for Muslim immigrants and deporting millions, Lincoln Public Schools Superintendent Steve Joel met with the districts bilingual liaisons.

Those are the folks who work with the 3,200 students in LPS who speak 68 different languages.

They represent the children who have fled war and violence and years in refugee camps to make their homes here. More than a third of those students come from Iraq. Hundreds left refugee camps in Thailand and fled violence in South America. They are from Mexico, Vietnam, Sudan and more than 100 other countries.

Many are here legally. Some are not. And the president-elects rhetoric scares them.

I saw the same pain and fear in their eyes that I saw in Grand Island, Joel said about his meeting with the liaisons.

What happened in Grand Island a decade ago is one well-documented day in the nations history of immigration enforcement. Joel, then superintendent of Grand Island Public Schools, was in the middle of it.

On Dec. 12, 2006, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials raided Swift and Co. meatpacking plants in six cities in Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Texas, Colorado and Utah in the largest single workplace enforcement in U.S. history.

In the end, about 1,300 people were apprehended  278 of them in Grand Island.

At the time, Grand Island was among the cities in Nebraska undergoing a cultural and demographic shift. The 1980s farm crisis sparked an exodus from rural Nebraska, and the meatpacking plants prompted an influx of Latinos and other minorities. It changed storefronts and churches and schools, where by 2006 minorities comprised 42 percent of the districts enrollment.

That created tension. The raid created chaos, and the memories from that day remain vivid for Joel.

He took a stand, holding press conferences to assure families that schools would do everything they could to protect students, while ICE agents led workers out in shackles, put them in temporary jails and transferred them to a processing center in Iowa.

Agents took anyone who didnt have documentation with them  even those with authorization to work, Joel said, while teachers and administrators scrambled to figure out which students had parents who worked at the plant.

The district set up a temporary shelter at a middle school after the school day and hundreds of teachers offered to let students stay with them.

In the end, about 165 students had a relative detained  25 who had two parents missing  and school officials made sure each one left with an adult they knew and trusted. In the coming days, families were afraid to come to their doors, and many students didn't come back to school, Joel said.

Thats why -- 10 years later -- Joel wanted to assure the liaisons and the families with whom they work that hed do whatever he could to protect students, whatever might happen.

I said you tell your families we are going to do everything we can to protect their children and their right to an education and we want them in school and well commit whatever resources we need to commit to make sure school continues to be a safe place, he said.

Joel garnered national attention for his reaction to the raid and since Donald Trumps election night victory, hes gotten calls from around the country seeking advice.

The fear is mixed with a lot of uncertainty.

Thats the complex dynamic, said Darcy Tromanhauser, Nebraska Appleseed director of immigrants and communities. Some of whats been said is really worrisome and would tear apart our families and communities locally but we dont know whats going to be proposed.

As an advocate, Tromanhauser finds the focus on border control rather than much-needed broad immigration reform frustrating.

We have a lot of good people and contributing members of our community that are just caught up in an antiquated system, she said.

But thats not the message from the president-elect, and advocacy groups in Nebraska are working together to find ways to reach out to people who may need legal counsel or other services.

Milo Mumgaard, executive director of Legal Aid of Nebraska, said his organization is working with community centers in Lincoln to connect with people and refer them to the services they need.

The need for legal services, he said, will likely increase. If Trump rescinds Obamas Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival program, more than 3,000 young adults in Nebraska would need legal representation, Mumgaard said. DACA allows young adults who came to the United States as young children to get a two-year deferment from deportation and be eligible for a work permit.

Its hard to know what might happen, but Mumgaard doesnt think a wide-ranging action like workplace raids are out of the realm of possibility.

Politics was the driving force behind the Swift raids in 2006, he said.

The bottom line is they had to show they were willing and able to enforce the immigration laws, he said. You look at the politics a decade later and were still looking at the same issues and it wouldn't surprise me if there was another Swift raid coming down the pike.

In the 1990s and early 2000s, federal immigration authorities cracked down on industries that relied heavily on immigrant labor -- industries like meatpacking plants that actively recruited workers from Mexico.

Those workers were easily exploited by companies, Mumgaard said.

In the late 1990s -- before electronic verification systems were used by employers -- ICE conducted efforts such as Operation Vanguard in Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota, comparing company records to INS and Social Security documents to come up with lists of "suspect" employees.

Just 34 people were deported in Operation Vanguard, but thousands left their jobs and that hurt productivity. The backlash from business, agricultural lobbies -- as well as immigration advocates -- was strong.

Between 1999 and 2003, federal immigration officials scaled back work-site enforcement operations by 95 percent, according to a 2006 Washington Post story.

Following the Swift raids, low-key enforcement continued and -- despite the campaign rhetoric -- deportations reached an all-time high during the Obama administration.

Joel remembers the fear, disruption and divisiveness of a decade ago, as well as the good it brought out in people who stepped up to help families being torn apart.

And he'd do the same thing he did a decade ago, without hesitation. But it's important to remember it hasn't happened yet and he knows campaign rhetoric doesn't always become the law of the land.

"The truth of the matter is I want to have more faith and confidence in the government, which has done this before and had these really horrible results, he said. I mean is that the message we want to send out? To me, I would be surprised if it was on the same scale.
Water shutoffs in South Bend resume in December. Money is available.

Shutoffs and late fees for water service were paused in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic but will resume in December.
Welcome to SwanseaOnline - your home for the best news, sports and what's on coverage of the city.

Never miss a Swansea story with our daily newsletter Sign up to comment on our stories here

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter | Swansea City news | Ospreys news | InYourArea
On Christmas morning, I sat in a recliner in a room at CHI Saint Elizabeth while a machine dripped a breakfast buffet of antibiotics into my bloodstream, and you know what? Id wager I was the happiest human in Lincoln. It was 8 a.m., and I was in outpatient infusion. Outpatient!

There are glass-half-empty folks. And theres the glass-half-full contingent. That morning I started my own group, the Hey-Ive-got-a-glass gang.

Sixteen hours earlier I sat in a hospital bed in a drafty gown with next-to-no white blood cells, only a few more platelets and a fever. In other words, the post-radiation chemotherapy for bile duct cancer had caught up to my immune system and made me a candidate for an infected anything.

From the moment I went into the hospital on Dec. 22, the medical staff braced me for spending the holiday with the good folks of adult inpatient care.

A few weeks earlier, my wife, Allison, and I started to joke that our sole goal this year was to get our family of six together in one place on Christmas Day. We were already fudging a little because our oldest son is on a two-year church mission, but we knew wed have a video call with him so, technically, his face would be under our roof on a computer screen.

The tricky one would be our daughter, Genevieve. Two weeks before Christmas she landed in the pediatric intensive care unit at Childrens Hospital in Omaha with worsening asthma. But we got her out on Dec. 10, her 16th birthday, which we marked with Chinese carryout. It looked like we were good.

The next Wednesday, Genevieves serious chest pains turned out to be air bubbles that had leaked outside her lungs and were moving up into her neck. There's a name, but it's so long and complicated I can't get close enough for Google to help spell it. A cold snap had filled up emergency pediatric beds in Omaha and Kansas City, so Genevieve was flown to Des Moines and the nearest hospital that could take her. With no extra room on the jet, Allison packed a bag and hit I-80 east. Id just finished a chemo treatment, but I had enough energy to ensure our 12-year-old twins ate and changed their underwear regularly.

Genevieve was released on Dec. 18. We thought we just might make it to Christmas after all. But first I had a quick trip up to the Mayo Clinic for a Dec. 20 surgery to replace a stent in my bile duct that the cancer was trying to push closed. I didn't feel great, but the 6-hour drive home Wednesday was uneventful. Just three days to keep everyone out of the hospital until Christmas.

We didnt make it. What I had assumed was some post-surgical wooziness turned into a fever, and both my home and away oncologists told me to get to the hospital. I got great care fast, but to keep me grounded in reality, they told my wife and me that we should be prepared to adapt our holiday traditions to a hospital room. What began as a joke was now reality.

Despite everyones best efforts, my body just couldnt crank out a few lousy blood cells. And in their absence, I had to get IV antibiotics for just about any kind of infection that might lurk on a light switch, door handle or pair of 12-year-old boys.

By midafternoon on Christmas Eve, medical personnel could tell my body was trying, though still pretty ineffectively, to do what theyd been goading it into pharmaceutically. Finally at 4:30 p.m., an oncologist who looked nothing like Santa gave me the best Christmas present: He told me to ask Allison if she could hold the roast until 7 p.m., because by then I would be sitting at my own dining room table.

The price to be home for dinner, to spend Christmas Eve loading presents under the tree, sleep in my own bed in nightclothes with legs and be there Christmas morning when my three kids still at home thundered down the stairs was simple: I had to go back twice a day for two- or three-hour outpatient drug infusions for maybe a week.

So thats why sitting in a recliner in a hospital room on Christmas morning was a wonderful gift.

The tumor remains inoperable but stable, like were having a staring contest via CT scan. Oddly, my wife and I find our eyes tearing up more now than ever, but they are always tears of joy, acknowledgments of prayers, acts of kindness or even a great bile duct joke.

Ive been around a lot of sick people and caregivers lately. Theres little in life more noble than family members and friends sacrificing to help someone get better, get by or just get through.

So, it being New Years Day, heres my vote for a resolution.

If youre sick and struggling, look hard for the tiny blessings you can find in life every day, a beautiful sunrise, a really good doughnut, a hug, a good joke, a vivid happy memory.

If youre the family member or friend of someone who is sick or struggling, try to figure out how to put a smile on his or her face just once a day.

And if you dont know anyone whos sick or struggling, well, youre probably not looking hard enough. Sick people dont always wear hospital gowns. And sad people dont always wear frowns. But Ive heard, too, that its OK to do good for people who are already doing well.

This was a roundabout way to follow up my October column. The cancers still in there and still about the same size. Hope, happiness and gratitude are all still there, too, but growing nicely.
Happy New Year from the International Space Station! Although the orbiting lab operates on Universal Time, Expedition 50 crewmembers celebrated the New Year at midnight in three different time zones, each corresponding to their homes in the United States, Russia and France.

Happy New Year from the International Space Station!

Six crewmembers aboard the orbiting laboratory celebrated the start of 2017 after finishing their last few days of 2016 goofing around and working hard.

Two NASA astronauts, three Russian cosmonauts and one French astronaut all rang in the new year together at 0000 GMT (i.e., midnight)  the designated time zone at the International Space Station (ISS)  which was 7 p.m. EST on New Year's Eve. "Wishing everyone on Earth a Happy New Year from 250 miles above our planet!" NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough, the station's commander, wrote on Twitter Saturday (Dec. 31). [Holidays in Space: An Astronaut Photo Album]

See more

Though the ISS crewmembers  NASA astronauts Peggy Whitson and Kimbrough; Russian cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy,Andrei Borisenko and Sergei Ryzhikov; and French astronaut Thomas Pesquet  still had to work between Christmas and the new year, they seemed to find plenty of time to enjoy the holidays and have a little fun.

"The crew has their typical off-duty time, since it's a weekend on New Year's Eve and Day," NASA spokesman Dan Huot told Space.com. "They will also have Monday, Jan. 2 off." The crew also enjoyed an extra off-duty day Monday (Dec. 26) after celebrating Christmas aboard the orbiting lab.

See more

Pesquet celebrated the New Year by taking a photo of Houston, home of NASA's space station Mission Control Center, and wishing the station team a happy New Year's Eve.

"The sprawling city of Houston, TX, home of @NASA-JSC and of many of my friends. Have a great party tonight, see you in 2017!" Pesquet wrote.

French astronaut Thomas Pesquet and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy compete in a holiday cookie-decorating contest aboard the International Space Station. (Image credit: NASA / Peggy Whitson)

NASA astronaut Peggy Whitsontweeted a photo of an intense cookie-decorating contest between Pesquet and Novitskiy. The results of the match were never disclosed, so let's just say these two zero-g cookie decorators are both winners.

French astronaut Thomas Pesquet juggles camcorders aboard the International Space Station in this photo he tweeted on Dec. 27, 2016. (Image credit: ESA/NASA)

Pesquet also found some time to practice his juggling  something that isn't as easy to do without gravity as you might think. When he tweeted the photo, he wrote, "Juggling in space initially seems much easier than on earth except nothing falls back down, so it's all but impossible!"

See more

On Thursday (Dec. 29), the crew took the "mannequin challenge" to new heights, posing motionless while floating in microgravity. Pesquet shared a video of the whole charade on Twitter.

Pesquet, who is now two months into his first trip to space, seems to be having a lot of fun playing with his food in microgravity. Can you blame him? On Friday (Dec. 30), he tweeted a video of a floating "burger" made with homegrown lettuce from the ISS!

See more

Though everyone on the space station seems to have had a jolly time during the last week of 2016, it wasn't all fun and games the entire time. Tuesday through Friday were spent working as usual, running tests and doing science experiments.

Even on holidays, crewmembers have to spend at least 2 hours a day exercising to maintain their muscle mass, which would otherwise dwindle in zero gravity. Unlike many folks on Earth, these space travelers probably won't be hitting the gym any harder to lose those holiday pounds. With carefully portioned meals, crewmembers at the ISS don't have to worry about gaining weight over the holidays  even after those cookie-decorating contests.

Email Hanneke Weitering at hweitering@space.com or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2016 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.
The country is in the throes of a major epidemic, with no known cure and some pretty scary symptoms. Its called Trump Derangement Syndrome, or TDS, and its rapidly spreading from the point of origin  the political class  to the population at large.

In the first stage of the disease, victims lose all sense of proportion. The president-elects every tweet provokes a firestorm, as if 140 characters were all it took to change the world.

Trump set up a single phone call with Taiwans president, and suddenly TDS patients were insisting that our One China policy was no more. But the reality is that telephonic communication isnt the same thing as official diplomatic recognition. Besides, in their eagerness to highlight Trumps alleged recklessness, the president-elects critics misunderstand our policy. One China means we dont recognize Taiwan as a sovereign country or Chinas sovereignty over Taiwan. Weve never considered Taiwan a mere province, and the Taiwan Relations Act obligates us to defend the island against attack.

The mid-level stages of TDS have a profound effect on the victims vocabulary: Sufferers speak a distinctive language consisting solely of hyperbole. Politico recently ran a piece that noted Trumps supposedly unprecedented decision to continue using his private security force, which provoked former independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin to tweet: A predictable move for a kleptocratic authoritarian who wants to operate outside the bounds of law and basic ethical standards. Even more troubling, he may use the forces lack of government oversight & presidential veneer to carry-out extralegal acts of force.

Its quite a stretch to suggest that a desire to keep trusted lieutenants is actually a sinister plot to create a version of the Brownshirts, but such illogical leaps are the pathway to the next stage of TDS: a state of constant hysteria.

Especially when discussing Trumps views on immigration, hysterical TDS victims assume theres no difference between the president-elects rhetoric (get out!) and his proposed policy (deporting known criminals who are in this country illegally). As Reince Priebus, Trumps chief of staff, put it: Hes not calling for mass deportation. He said, No, only people who have committed crimes. And then only until all of that is taken care of will we look at what we are going to do next.

As TDS progresses, the afflicted lose the ability to distinguish fantasy from reality. Despite Trumps expressed desire to work something out for the so-called Dreamers  those brought here as very young children  his critics continue to harp on this issue. Immigration advocate Frank Sharry, executive director of Americas Voice, who has a very bad case of TDS, inadvertently revealed this mindset when he said: Before anyone falls into the trap of believing that Trump is softening on immigration, they should remember that weve seen this movie before.

A movie, eh? In the advanced stages of the disease, the afflicted lose touch with reality. Opinion is unmoored from fact. Life resembles a dark fairy tale in which the villain  Trump  is an amalgam of all the worst tyrants in history, past and present, while the heroes  Trumps critics  are akin to the resistance fighters of World War II.

TDS victims routinely compare Trump to Hitler: Time magazine ran an opinion piece that asked Just how similar is Donald Trump to Hitler? The answer: The comparison between Hitler and Trump is so poignant because both men represent their personal character as the antidote to all social and political problems.

Since Hitler has been dead for more than 70 years, though, victims may feel the need for a more potent bogeyman, a tyrant with more currency. And theyve found one in Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom they insist ordered a hacking campaign to help Trump win the election.

The other day, Tucker Carlson of Fox News interviewed TDS-riddled Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. Carlson asked for evidence that Putins alleged machinations had any effect on the election. Unable to come up with a coherent answer, Schiff morphed into J. Edgar Hoover: Youre carrying water for the Kremlin, he said, youre going to have to move your show to Russia Today.

If you ask a TDS victim what might help them feel better, theyll use the word normalize. As in, we mustnt normalize Trump.

What theyre really saying is that normal means of dealing with him arent enough. Which raises the question: If hes another Hitler, if hes in league with Putin, then why is assassination out of the question? Poke a TDS victim and youll find they dont think that solution is out of the question at all.

This is the final stage of the TDS epidemic: violence against a democratically elected leader. Unless a cure for TDS is found, this is where we are headed.
She was a princess, a senator and a general, and her unflinching competence inspired rebel soldiers, starry-eyed dreamers and scruffy-looking smugglers to trust her with their lives. Swashbuckling Jedi did her bidding.

When captured by the most terrifying creature in the galaxy, she scolded him like a child: Darth Vader, only you could be so bold. The Imperial Senate will not sit still for this. And no one, not once, ever looked down at her  very young and almost fragile  and asked, Who do you think you are?

Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan always knew exactly who she was. As we pay our respects to the woman who created her, we cant allow ourselves to confuse the two women, one real and one not, but perhaps we can be excused for occasionally allowing that line to blur.

Carrie Fisher gave Leias voice its grit. She carried off the costume, flawlessly designed for a rebel princess on the move with its high and tight neckline, easy-to-move-in flowing skirt, and sensibly flat-heeled boots. She convinced us that this was a princess who fought on the front lines and fomented espionage. And she did this at a time when the women watching her on the big screen lived lives that were limited in ways that are hard to grasp today, even for those of us who remember 1977.

There were no women in the U.S. Senate when Star Wars brought us Imperial Sen. Organa. In fact, no woman had ever been elected to a full term in the Senate without her husband having previously served in Congress. Nancy Kassebaum achieved that milestone a year later. There had never been a female general in the U.S. Marine Corps, and the swearing-in of the first female Army general was only seven years in the past.

How did Fisher, living in that world, make us believe she was a critical leader in a galactic rebellion? I have no idea, but Im glad she did. I was a 15-year-old girl sitting in the audience watching Star Wars in 1977, imagining my own exciting future, and I had no idea that Harvard was only then preparing to begrudgingly admit its first women. My world was doing its best to throttle any dreams I might have, but I was blissfully unaware of it because I was watching Princess Leia save the galaxy.

She was the princess I was looking for, and I cant move along without saying so.

I cannot tell you how many times my sister, Suzanne, and I have watched the original Star Wars movie, but every time Princess Leia picked up a blaster and announced to her clueless rescuers that, Somebody has to save our skins, Suzanne said, I want to go to the princess school that she went to!

So did I. Dont you?

Heck. The woman didnt just wield a blaster. When the spaceship standing between her body and the heartless vacuum of space got damaged, she didnt get flustered or fall apart. She picked up a welder and she fixed it.

Its not just our imaginations that blur the line between Fisher the actress and the iconic character who dominated her life but whom she never came to resent. Fishers surviving Star Wars script shows that she edited her own dialogue, helping create a smart, sharp-tongued, articulate character who had more than a little in common with the woman who has kept company with Leia for all these years.

She was the princess I was looking for, and I cant move along without saying so.

Because she was open about her troubles, we know that Fisher struggled for the rest of her life with mental health issues that would have floored most of us. She was Hollywood royalty, so she could have traded on her fame for the rest of her life. Instead, she acted and wrote and spoke out about important causes. She lived her life. She played the cards she was dealt.

In the end, isnt that what Leia did? When a fascist empire threatened, she fought back. When it destroyed her home, her family, her entire planet, she picked herself up and went on. She lived her life. She played the cards she was dealt. We could all learn a lot from Princess Leia and Carrie Fisher.

Rest in peace, Your Worshipfulness.
A group of senators within our elected legislative chamber would like to attempt to introduce a rule that would dispense with the current voting procedure for committee leadership positions ("Sailing forth into uncharted waters," Dec. 26).

According to this select group, as well as several shoutouts from PACs supporting the idea, this will lead to greater transparency in our state government. This is a state government that already invites the people of Nebraska to hearings for each piece of legislation so they can effectively become the lower house deliberative body.

Its a state that has enacted a balanced budget that is published for review, a state where each senator has a web page showing district, introduced bills and those he or she has co-sponsored. What we as an electorate dont get to view is the American Legislative Exchange Council meetings that are attended by several of these same senators calling for greater transparency.

What doesnt need to be explained to me is that I voted for the senator who currently represents my district. If he or any of the other 48 decides to apply for a leadership position, the best outcome will be served by selecting the most qualified leaders. Partisan pressure does not equal transparency in this process.

Larry Weixelman, Lincoln
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

When the World Trade Center crumbled in front of onlooker Marcia OKane, her vision for her career transformed along with the Manhattan landscape.

I had lunch there every day, so to stand there and watch it implode... said OKane, who worked in finance in New York City before her current job as president of the Greenwich Chamber of Commerce.

Watching the scene pushed OKane to revise her career trajectory.

The impetus to change careers was less catastrophic but similarly unexpected for attorney turned bakery owner Helene Godin. Without much forethought and without a plan, Godin went into her office at Bloomberg and told her boss she was quitting.

The reasons vary for why people like OKane and Godin abruptly alter their careers. But the top New Years resolution for 2016 was to enjoy life to the fullest, according to a Google Consumer survey. For many, that involves finding greater satisfaction at work.

Following are the stories of a handful of local business people who pursued that risky endeavor and are flourishing.

Marcia OKane

Riding the 5:20 a.m. train to the city and catching a late train back to the suburbs defined much of OKanes career in finance.

It often prompted OKane to ask herself, What am I doing with my life, she said.

She started out as an investment banker at Brown Brothers Harriman and went on to spend almost 20 years at the Royal Bank of Canada Dominion Securities. I was climbing the corporate ladder, getting a promotion every two years, OKane said.

Then her office turned into a front-row seat to 9/11. Seeing two of New York Citys most identifiable structures burst into flames and collapse caused OKane to reflect on the job that shaped much of her own identity.

It inspired me to think about my quality of life and the shortness of it, she said. I re-thought the direction of my career.

A few months later she left her job on Wall Street and became a vice president at Webster Financial Advisors in Connecticut. She became a bank vice president two years later.

Ten years after 9/11 upended her career, OKanes background in finance and philanthropy brought her to the helm of Greenwichs Chamber of Commerce.

In the five years since OKane took over, shes guided it away from the brink of bankruptcy and turned it around. Shes added more than 250 members and a calendar filled with events.

OKane now enjoys driving to work after dawn, dressing in something other than black suits and contributing to her community.

She maintains that she wouldnt change having worked in banking.

Time on Wall Street equipped her with the tools and credentials for her new career, she said. She encourages others to consider their first few jobs as stepping stones to something different later.

Young people shouldnt think they will have just one career, she said. Its exciting to think that life is tabula rasa  you can start over.

Helene Godin

Last year, Westchester Magazine included Godin, owner of By the Way Bakery, in its annual list of most influential women.

She joined the ranking just a few years after quitting her corporate legal career without a plan.

The spunky Godin said she began to dream early on of following her fathers and grandfathers footsteps and becoming an attorney.

She went on to hold legal positions at NBC, Readers Digest, Audible and owned her own firm. In 2008, she joined Bloomberg.

At every job I learned something, Godin said. At Bloomberg I learned I was done...Business isnt about money, its about passion. I stopped being a lawyer when the passion went away. Godin quit in 2010 and within four days was bored out of my mind, she said.

Shed noticed the gluten-free section of her grocery store expanding, so she decided to take advantage of the growing demand and open a cozy little bakery in a sleepy town.

She researched the business concept with the same intensity shed reviewed NBCs Saturday Night Live scripts for defamatory language. In 2011, she opened By the Way Bakery in Hastings, N.Y. It was only open 4.5 days a week, she said. I was basically semi-retired.

The same hunger for excellence that gnawed at her as an attorney consumed her as a small business owner.

She soon expanded, and the tiny bakery now counts four locations, a big, new production facility, and plans for a fifth opening in 2017. Theres no stopping me now, Godin said the day her Greenwich store opened in 2016. The finish line is always moving.

John Fullerton

On a fateful day in 1995, Fullerton was sitting in business class, reading the newspaper on his flight to Asia. Hed just been charged with leading JP Morgans global commodities team and was en route to meet his team.

I should be happy as a clam. But here I was on this flight to Asia on Fathers Day, and I was miserable, said Fullerton, who had two toddlers at home at the time.

A front-page story caught his eye about billionaire Walter Annenbergs donations to academic institutions.

On that day it hit me that I didnt want to be that guy to work up the corporate ladder his whole career and give away all the money when I was old, Fullerton said. I was going to find a way to find more meaning earlier in life. My career was starting to feel like it lost its purpose, and I was doing it for the sake of being successful and making money.

He left the corporate world in early 2001 and planned to take the summer off until witnessing 9/11 caused him to extend his break. The 2008 financial crisis book-ended what became a long-term sabbatical, and he founded The Capital Institute in 2009. His Greenwich-based nonprofit is the upshot of years of research and a conclusion that Americas financial system isnt working.

Fullerton now dedicates his career toward writing and speaking on the topic of regenerative economies and investing in projects that advance regenerative economic principles. The goal of re-wiring the economy is difficult to achieve Fullerton admits, but that doesnt seem to dishearten him.

I feel confident were onto something with this approach, Fullerton said, who credits his career in finance for providing him with the opportunity to pursue this work. I wouldnt trade it for the world. The main reason I have a voice in this conversation is because I have the experience and credibility of an insider.

Paul Horowitz

Disappointing home care services for his ailing wife made Paul Horowitz think he could do better. Hed spent his career in Manhattan hedge funds, but his wife passed away in 2009, and he empathized with families whose loved ones endured similar home care experiences.

I had empathy, resolve and the financial wherewithal, Horowitz said. I knew this was the time to do it, or Id never do it at all.

Ten years later, he opened Greenwich Home Care, which introduces more engaging methods for service providers to interact with clients. The concept is catching on and Horowitz is settling into small business ownership using the skills he gained from working in finance, he said.

Im used to spreading the risk, so if something blew up, it wouldnt take down the whole fund, Horowitz said. Here, I have to pitch my services to multiple clients because I cant get every account.

His diligent work ethic is another critical carry over thats helped him turn the start-up into a rapidly growing business. Wall Street could be a 24/7 job, Horowitz said. But this is always 24/7. Its very hands-on, and when a client calls on Sunday night I have to take care of it...Were responsible for peoples well-being.

A tragic loss prompted Horowitzs career transition, but hes making the most of his new lifestyle. He enjoys working for himself and how owning a local business fosters a deeper sense of community, he said.

On Wall Street its all about p and l (profit and loss), Horowitz said. Here its about family. As I learned with my wife, its not about money. Its about people.

MBennett@hearstmediact.com, 203-625-4411; Twitter @Macaela_
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

STAMFORD  From their storefront windows, Pacific Street merchants can see their neighbors in the apartment buildings that have sprouted in recent years in the South End.

They are still waiting to get to know most of the new arrivals.

Some eight years after construction started on the mixed-use Harbor Point development, establishments that operate around the periphery of the new buildings have not seen the influx of residents translate into a significant increase in business.

Its not steady yet, said Sergio Mardones, a manager and hairdresser at Rons Barber Shop at 704 Pacific St. We get some of them from Harbor Point, but its not a big business. We rely more on business from regular customers who weve seen for a long time.

Many new neighbors 

but few new customers

In a few minutes, Harbor Point residents can walk from their buildings to the corner stores, barber and beauty shops and restaurants that line Pacific Street between Walter Wheeler Drive and Henry Street.

Harbor Point houses about 2,360 apartments, but the Pacific Street establishments generate most of their business from residents of other South End neighborhoods and maintenance, construction and service workers in the area.

Harbor Point maintenance people  they come here and give us a lot of business, said Vanessa Polonia, who works at Rafa Deli at 738 Pacific St., which is owned by her father. The residents, not so much.

Staffed with bilingual employees, many of the establishments on the street instead focus more on Spanish-speaking customers.

Ive got a different group  more from Central America, like from Guatemala, said Candy Sanchez, manager of Reyes Wine & Liquor at 734 Pacific St.

Unease about the neighborhoods safety represents one of the greatest obstacles to generating more foot traffic from Harbor Point denizens, according to several of the streets merchants and property managers.

Harbor Point (residents) are not going to come down past that corner because they dont feel secure with the drug dealers and homeless people hanging out here, said Jonathan Marin, building manager of 695 Pacific St. Standing at the corner of Pacific Street and Woodland Avenue, the property includes Tres Hermanos Market and several apartments.

Sanchez said she notices apprehension among some Harbor Point residents.

Sometimes, they come here and ask Does the ATM work?  Sanchez said. I say, No, but you can go to the next corner. But they dont go. They dont walk to the next corner.

Many Harbor Point residents cite concerns about walkability. Alexa Comeau, who lives in the Infinity building, said she sometimes goes to Reyes Wine & Liquor and Rafa Deli and walks along Pacific Street to get to other Harbor Point businesses.

Comeau said she has not been accosted on Pacific Street. But, as a precaution, she avoids walking on the thoroughfare alone at night.

I know most people dont feel comfortable walking through, Comeau said. Thats why I think the majority of people dont go.  I would frequent it more if I felt comfortable walking by myself at night.

Public safety officials said they closely watch the South End. Their communication with residents and businesses includes the attendance of the police departments district commander, Capt. Susan Bretthauer, at monthly neighborhood meetings, according to Ted Jankowski, the citys public safety director.

Capt. Bretthauer has an open line of communication with the local business owners and property managers and addresses any concerns from a law enforcement perspective as legally appropriate, Jankowski said in a statement. She has not received any concerns in the last several months.

Some business and property owners cite other impediments to integrating the neighborhood with Harbor Point. Marin said that, in addition to expressing his concerns to city officials about homeless vagrancy, he has tried unsuccessfully to get them to fix sidewalks.

Theyve been totally absent, Marin said. We went to them in addressing both of those issues. They were never responsive.

City officials said they have not received any complaints about deficient South End sidewalks.

Ernie Orgera, the citys director of operations, said he has a crew assessing sidewalks in the neighborhood. Those walkways would be eligible for funding to improve them, if the city determines such a need, according to Orgera.

Forging new connections

The South End reached another milestone last month with developer Building and Land Technologys sale of five of its Harbor Point buildings for nearly $400 million to the Manhattan-based Gaia Real Estate.

Executives at Gaia have said they want to connect residents with neighboring businesses through a mobile app and other initiatives and create a stronger sense of community in Harbor Point. Pacific Street establishments would be able to advertise deals to residents, they said.

BLT, meanwhile, still owns most of the Harbor Point properties.

Executives at BLT said they give non-Harbor Point businesses equal opportunities to promote their businesses to residents and would welcome advertising inquiries from neighborhood establishments.

Were happy to work with all the businesses in the South End, said BLT Chief Operating Officer Ted Ferrarone. The idea of Harbor Point is to create a very walkable and vibrant community that is serving the needs of everyone in the South End, including the new and existing businesses.

Expecting improvement

Gaia takes over the five apartment buildings at a time of increasing confidence about the South Ends future. Pacific Street business owners and city business leaders point to auspicious changes in recent years.

The neighborhood is now safer than it was before, said Rafa Deli owner Jose Lantigua. He opened the store in 2003.

Harbor Points continued development  BLT plans to build another 2,400 units  will support its integration with surrounding neighborhoods, said Jack Condlin, president and CEO of the Stamford Chamber of Commerce.

The South End is doing really well, Condlin said. Its got a ways to go, but its done very well when you consider what it was 10,15, 20 years. Its still transitional, and, as the growth continues, you will get more back and forth from the two parts of Harbor Point.

A number of the Pacific Street merchants expect the neighborhood to further develop in response to Harbor Points growth.

This area was bad, said Mardones, of Rons Barber Shop. Its changing gradually. I think in the future it will break out. But now, its just there.

pschott@scni.com; 203-964-2236; Twitter: @paulschott
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

STAMFORD  Several high-profile cases with ties to the city will progress through the court systems in 2017.

A Stamford day care owner accused of killing a baby she was watching, a trio of New York party boys charged in the death of a popular Westhill High grad and the teen accused of the downtown stabbing outside McDonalds are among the defendants who will appear in court this year.

Day care homicide

A New Canaan baby was one of four children who died in 2016 at Connecticut day care facilities.

Nydia Carrillo-Maldonado, 34, the owner of the Stamford day care, has been charged with first-degree manslaughter and first-degree risk of injury in the death of 2-month-old Bella Redondo.

However, details of the homicide at the East Side day care remain sealed in Carrillo-Maldonados arrest affidavit and its unclear how long it will take for the case to be resolved.

"It's not an easy case. You have a child that died, defense attorney Christian Bujdud said. What time did she sustain the injury? Did it happen at the day care or earlier? We just don't know yet. Each case is different and there have been no pretrial discussions on it yet, so I can't determine if it will resolve this year or not."

Medics were called July 12 to the Wardwell Street day care, where the baby was having trouble breathing. The child died several hours later at Stamford Hospital. The medical examiner ruled her death a homicide by blunt-force trauma. However, details of the injuries have not been released.

Mark Sherman, who is representing the Redondo family, said authorities showed a genuine sensitivity and urgency in making this arrest.

The Redondo family is hopeful that this case will resolve this year, because the longer this case goes on, the more the family suffers, Sherman said.

However, cases involving the deaths of young children often take years to resolve. Richard Colangelo, the Stamford States Attorney prosecuting the case, said this homicide is very complex. He said there are no witnesses and the cause of the injuries could be open for debate.

Colangelo, who has prosecuted more than a dozen cases involving childrens deaths as a result of head trauma, declined to comment on the specifics of this homicide.

It is hard to say if it will resolve this year, he said. I understand and share the familys concerns.

Westhill High grad killed in New York

Three people have been charged  but none with murder  in the death of a popular Westhill High grad and will appear in New York City court this month.

The body of Joseph Comunale, 26, was found buried in a shallow grave in New Jersey, days after he went missing from a luxury New York City apartment on Nov. 13.

Police believe Comunale was stabbed 15 times inside the apartment of James Rackover, the surrogate son of Jeffrey Rackover  a celebrity jeweler whose clients include President-elect Donald Trump.

James Rackover, 25, and Lawrence Dilione, 26, of Jersey City, N.J., have each pleaded not guilty after being indicted on charges of concealing a human corpse, hindering prosecution and tampering with evidence.

The New York Police Department initially charged Rackover and Dilione with second-degree murder, but the District Attorneys Office dropped the charges as investigators try to determine who stabbed Comunale.

Max Gemma, 29, who lives near where Comunales body was buried in Oceanport, N.J., has been charged with hindering prosecution and tampering with evidence.

Comunale, a 2008 Westhill High grad, went out with friends in New York City before going with Dilione and three women to Rackovers apartment. Comunale was last seen on security footage returning to the apartment early Sunday, Nov. 13.

Police said blood splatter was found on the walls of Rackover's apartment and Comunales bloody clothes were thrown down the buildings garbage shute.

Rackover was also seen loading a large duffel bag into his car, which was then tracked going through the Holland Tunnel into New Jersey and then back to New York the night Comunales body was believed to have been dumped, according to police.

McDonalds murder

The defense team for a 15-year-old boy accused of stabbing a man to death outside the Bedford Street McDonalds in 2015 is preparing to call a clinical psychologist to testify if the case heads to trial this year.

Marquest Hall has been charged in the killing of 52-year-old Antonio Muralles on March 10, 2015. Police said Muralles bumped into the teen, who spit in his face and then asked if he wanted to die.

Witnesses said Muralles lunged at Hall who pulled out a knife and fatally stabbed the Guatemalan immigrant in the heart, police said.

Hall rejected a plea agreement last summer that would have sent him to jail for 25 years.

Defense attorneys Ryan ONeil and Mark Sherman initially planned to mount a mental disease or defect defense, but were unable to find a psychiatrist who would testify in the case.

ONeil said the team is now working with a clinical psychologist who would testify about brain development and Halls ability to form the specific intent to kill, as opposed to an intent to commit serious bodily harm. The witness may testify about Halls inability to fully understand the consequences of certain actions and his perception of the interaction with Muralles.

We continue to exchange information with the state and as always during the course of our discussions, I am open to discussing a resolution, ONeil said. We are preparing as though it is proceeding to trial, but things can always change.

Lione Park murder

The shots rang out about 10 p.m. Nov. 2, 2015.

Moments later, Adrina Roberts realized her mother, Maxine Gooden, 43, had been shot in the abdomen. The mother of five died a short time later at Stamford Hospital.

Witnesses saw two men leave the park seconds after four shots were fired. The witnesses saw them hop into a Jeep, which they followed and helped lead police to the three suspects who have been charged in the murder.

Jhonel Telemin-Valerio, 22, of Lafayette Street, was identified as the gunman and immediately charged with murder. Deshawn Hayes, 24, of Givens Avenue, and Morris Joel Moore Jr., 23, of Cove Road, were also each charged with murder in 2016 based on new evidence.

Defense attorney Darnell Crosland, who is representing Hayes, requested a probable cause hearing for the prosecution to prove it has enough evidence to support the murder charge against his client. The hearing began in December and is expected to continue early this month.

If my client walked into a park and he was with someone else and another person pulls a gun and shot someone, the mere fact that they were together does not impugn any kind of criminality on the part of my client, Crosland said. The state has a burden of showing that my client assisted in the crime, not the mere fact that he was present.

Telemin-Valero has pleaded not guilty.

Robert Bello, who is representing Telemin-Valerio, said the case should be decided by a jury.

I dont ordinarily comment on pending cases, but this may be a case where a jury will have to ultimately decide, Bello said.

Francis OReilly, who is representing Moore, declined to comment on the case.

Custer Street shooting

Senior Assistant States Attorney Joseph Valdes in December tossed out a murder charge against Randy Francis, who was arrested with Glachan Charlestin in the July 2012 shooting death of 22-year-old Darius Jones.

One of the longest ongoing cases in the Stamford courthouse appears headed to trial for the murder charge against Charlestin.

Valdes vowed last month to vigilantly prosecute Charlestin for Jones death when he dropped the murder charge against Francis, admitting there was not enough evidence against that defendant. Francis was wearing an electronic-monitoring device that revealed he likely did not have enough time to participate in the killing and return home without setting off the monitor.

According to the arrest warrant, witnesses saw Charlestin with a gun on the night of the killing.

Defense attorney Aaron Romano began representing Charlestin in December after his previous lawyer was released due to a conflict. Romano said each case should be evaluated independently.

The prosecutor felt the appropriate disposition was to withdraw prosecution against Francis, Romano said. "Once I am able to get up to speed on the case, I will have discussions with the prosecutor and we will decide where to go from there.

OReilly, who represented Francis, said Charlestin may want to take the case to a jury.

For Mr. Charlestin, it is certainly a triable case, because the states witnesses have contradictory versions of the events, OReilly said.

Christmas sex assault

One of two men charged in the sexual assault of a woman days before Christmas 2014 appears headed for trial.

Two witnesses who helped stop the sexual assault told police they saw Ruben Enio Sandoval, 37, and Augusto Carreras, 53, carrying a drunken woman into a Dolsen Place rooming house, according to an arrest warrant.

A police officer found Sandoval raping the woman who was passed out on a mattress in Carreras room, the warrant said.

Sandoval pleaded guilty in 2016 to second-degree sexual assault and agreed to be sentenced to nine years in jail when he returns to court in January.

Carreras rejected an offer last month that would keep him in jail for nine years and likely get him deported.

It was Sandoval who had contact with the victim. My client never touched her, Carreras attorney, Stephen Seeger, said. The offers we are getting are not commensurate with the allegations against my client.

Senior Assistant States Attorney James Bernardi, who is the prosecutor on the case, said hes ready to take the case to trial.

We are prepared and ready to go to trial and as a general rule any agreed disposition (plea bargain) on a case cannot occur without the victims approval, he said.

Heroin death

Mark Lynch, the New Canaan father accused of providing the heroin that killed his 25-year-old son, had his case transferred to the Stamford courthouse.

Lynch, 57, was charged in November with second-degree manslaughter, narcotics possession and distribution of hallucinogenic drugs in the overdose death of his son, Chris.

Chris Lynch had been living in Colorado and appeared to be successfully fighting his addiction to the powerful narcotic that his father introduced to him, Lynchs arrest affidavit said.

Chris Lynchs Colorado drug counselor told New Canaan police he was afraid to come back to Connecticut last summer for a court appearance because he knew his father still had drugs in the house.

Mark Lynch picked up his son and his girlfriend from her parents house in upstate New York on Sept. 24. Chris Lynch appeared to be nodding off and out of it during the ride to New Canaan, his girlfriend told police. Mark Lynch found his son dead in his New Canaan home the next morning.

Mark Lynch, who has pleaded not guilty, turned over to police four folds of heroin and said he allowed his son to use the drug after he picked the couple up in New York, according to his arrest affidavit.

jnickerson@scni.com
A large number of Nebraskas cities have changed their names or their spelling through the years and a few have even picked up and moved their physical locations. Callaway, in Custer County, changed names and moved so many times in its early days that one resident said that when he went to bed he was unsure of exactly where he would wake up.

It was most probably Ira Graves who submitted a request for a post office on his land in Custer County in late 1879 or early 1880. The name he submitted was Letup, with no explanation as to its meaning. For unexplained reasons the post office was granted in August 1880, but the U. S. Post Office altered the name to Setup or sometimes noted as Set Up in what would be Delight Township. Less than 30 days later Setups name was changed to Delight.

The only businesses were John Morans Delight Store and the Delight Post Office. Other nearby post offices were named Stop, Over, Noel and Triumph, so interesting place names abounded.

In the autumn of 1885, J. Woods Smith discovered that two railroad lines were projected through Custer County by the Union Pacifics subsidiary, the Omaha & Republican Valley Railway. Smith projected where the line would connect with a line hopefully to be built from Kearney and learned that the intersection points land was owned by Graves. Smith made an offer on the land where the merger was anticipated but was apparently a bit over eager as Graves then decided to initiate his own town at the junction.

Smith, undaunted, bought two other tracts in the area. On one site, which already was being graded by the railroads branch from Kearney, he platted the village of Grant in April 1866, most probably to honor Ulysses S. Grant. In August, Smith changed the name from Grant to Callaway, which he named for Samuel R. Callaway, vice president of the Union Pacific Railroad. That August the village of Callaway claimed to have 50 houses, an opera house, hotel, newspaper, a number of small successful businesses, the post office, which had then been moved from Delight, and a population of 200.

Graves retaliated by forming New Callaway on his land about a half mile from Callaway and predicted that the railroad would actually build through his site. It seems probable that the name Callaway was attached to both in hopes of wooing Samuel R. Callaways endorsement. The original Callaways postmaster moved his residence to New Callaway, but the post office stayed behind in the original Callaway. Callaway residents began referring to the new village as Podunk.

By the summer of 1887 the railroad had not built to either location, while New Callaway claimed a population of 50 and Callaway 200. Time passed and two years later, still with no railroad at either site, George Mair, editor of the New Callaway Courier, noted that he was possibly the only resident left in the new town venture and had set up the newspaper in an abandoned sod schoolhouse, living in the back room.

In late 1889, Mair gave up and moved himself and the newspaper to Callaway. On Oct. 7, 1890, the Kearney & Black Hills Railway, which had been incorporated in Kearney the previous year, finally arrived but not in Callaway or New Callaway, but on Smiths other property between the two Callaways. Smith then established the Callaway Improvement Co. which platted the third incarnation of Callaway.

One of the newest Callaways first buildings was Smiths amazing, vast, two-story frame, turreted, $10,000 Grand Pacific Hotel on the southwest corner of Grand Avenue and Pacific streets. With the 1893 depression followed by drought and grasshoppers, the population faltered and the hotel proved far too large to stay in business. Smith offered to sell the building to the city for a community hall but even the $3,000 offering price was more than the city could justify. After several attempts by other businesses, the hotel was razed for salvage in 1918.

When the Courier and post office were moved to the current site, enough complaints were filed to have a U.S. Postal investigation. First the post office was officially moved back to the original site, then, as proper requests were filed, it moved, hopefully permanently, to the third and present Callaway.

Through the years the population is hard to trace exactly from one location to the next, but official U.S. Census figures show Callaway town as 234 in 1890, 406 in 1900, 765 in 1910, a peak population of 840 in 1930 and in 2010 a fairly stable population of 539. No plans for a fourth location are in the offing but who knows.
STAMFORD  The first question that I get from everyone when I tell them I went to Cuba is always a broad one  How was it?

Its asked in a way that indicates general curiosity. After all, its a place where most Americans havent been, and the vast majority dont even know someone who has gone there.

The answer that I have given repeatedly is: Its complicated. As a nostalgic trip to understand my familys roots it has been incomparably wonderful. Im 100 percent glad I did it. But as a pure tourist destination it has some pretty serious challenges.

Neither American ATM cards nor American credit cards are usable anywhere in Cuba, effectively meaning that you must travel to the island with the amount of cash you expect to use. Changing money requires waiting in a line. Taxicabs are disproportionally expensive. A 10 minute cab ride will be the same cost as dinner  around $10 to $15  and is the only available method of transportation.

The tourism infrastructure is not well developed. Apart from a few blocks in the Old City of Havana and the large tourist hotels, there is little for the average tourist. More adventurous, off-the-beaten-track visitors may find pockets of interest, but, by and large, it is closed off. The few times we ventured into bars and restaurants that operated on national money as opposed to tourist pesos, I encountered difficult conditions, skittish people at best, and certainly no English.

The Cuban soul remains, though. In hushed conversations with people, they quietly expressed their displeasure at the government, and saw the direct American flights as the first step in a long process to improve relations and, hopefully, the economy of the country. When people found out that I was American, their reaction was universally positive, inquisitive and friendly.

More Information Editor's note: This is the final installment in a three-part series about a Stamford man's December weekend in Cuba after the easing of travel restrictions to the communist island nation. For the first installment, see http://bit.ly/2hA2emB See More Collapse

Because of the way the Internet is regulated in Cuba, it was impossible for me to communicate with the rest of the world at all. That meant no texts, no calls, and no Instagram for four days. In that way, my experiences there were completely insulated from everything in the United States. In some ways, it felt like a four-day dream. None of what happened in Cuba blended into my life in the United States.

That final feeling of stepping off the plane in Atlanta, and being barraged with texts, e-mails, and social media must have been in some ways like the experience of exiles leaving the island. My grandfather left a repressive government and worked at Machlett Laboratories in Stamford for 35 years. My uncle left and became a Stamford police officer. With the changes brought this year, hopefully more Americans will travel to the island, improving contact and perhaps one day giving Cubans the economic and political freedom that they deserve.

Stamford resident Daniel Dauplaise is a staff attorney for the International Institute of Connecticut in Bridgeport, where he specializes in asylum and human rights law. daniel.dauplaise@gmail.com
Ive just signed up for Medicare. I guess Im still clinging to the dubious belief that Paul Ryan and his GOP cronies wont expropriate it (and my Social Security) to fund the huge tax breaks our billionaire president-elect has promised to his billionaire GOP cronies.

Ive paid into Medicare and Social Security for decades, so, unlike Ryan Republicans, I dont consider them charitable entitlements. I want them because I believe its my money, but, as one famous senior citizen put it: You cant always get what you want. Sadly, with right-wing politicians, you often find you dont get what you need either.

One thing Ive always wanted to believe in is exceptionalism. The affirmation of mans privileged place in the cosmos dates to the Egyptian pharaohs, who were worshiped as deities. This sort of thing probably made sense when ancient peoples thought the entire universe was circumscribed by a few rivers in the Fertile Crescent, and Jehovah lived on Mount Sinai, from which He controlled all of history. Today, its a bit harder to believe.

In 1990, the Voyager I space probe took a beautiful photograph, at a distance of 3.7 billion miles, of our tiny Earth, which astronomer Carl Sagan called, a pale blue dot. Its humbling to contemplate that every mighty king, conqueror and demagogue youve ever read about strove to control small regions of this insignificant (0.12-pixel) speck of dust. And we now know our solar system isnt even at the center of the Milky Way, which contains 400 billion other stars and is merely one of at least 200 billion galaxies.

Mankinds cosmic exceptionalism may have become untenable, but American exceptionalism remains practically a religion in the United States, even though the history books make it a difficult doctrine to embrace. Our treatment of the American Indians comprises centuries of genocidal cruelty, weve always been unwelcoming to immigrants and we kept slaves long after the rest of the civilized world outlawed that unholy institution.

We pat ourselves on the back because more than 300,000 Union troops gave their lives during the Civil War, at least in part, to free the slaves. However, 300,000 Rebels died while killing those Yankees to keep human beings in bondage. And it goes without saying that our record on civil rights since Emancipation has been nothing to brag about.

Weve had a long history of wars, and, although it may sound unpatriotic to say it, we werent always the good guys. There were no good guys in the War of 1812 or World War I, and weve often bullied weaker opponents  the Indian, Mexican and Spanish-American wars come to mind  to seize their lands with little or no justification.

We rightly praise the Greatest Generation for defeating three heinous enemies in World War II. However, the United States had little interest in Japanese atrocities before Pearl Harbor, and we avoided confronting the Germans until Hitler declared war on us first. Ive heard anti-Semites say the Jews should be grateful to America for liberating them from the Nazis; however, that was a byproduct of our invasion of Europe and never our goal.

We rightly pat ourselves on the back for outlasting the Soviet Union in the Cold War, but what was the alternative? During this period, weve been, by far, the most belligerent nation on the planet: Of the 248 armed conflicts since World War II, 201 were initiated by the U.S., which is more than the USSR and China combined. Whether you see this as good or bad is likely to color your view of our exceptionalism.

The United States is undoubtedly the worlds No. 1 military power, but were also No. 1 in gun-related murders in the developed world. Although we have the worlds biggest economy, we rank poorly in health care, including both infant and adult mortality, as well as education, where were 17th out of 50 developed nations, and even worse in math and science. And the huge and ever-widening gap between our rich and poor is disturbing.

I want to believe in our exceptionalism, but we just elected a president who ran a fact-free campaign based on misogyny, racism and bigotry. This is depressing for the majority who voted against him, and even more unsettling is that the largest voting bloc was those who didnt even bother going to the polls. (Evidently, we Americans love democracy, as long as its not too inconvenient.) I dont know any liberals whove moved to Canada because of Trumps election, but not many Canadians are planning to move here either.

Many of us were told in Sunday school that, God has a plan for each of us, but its hard to believe in personal exceptionalism after a lifetime of random events. In 1972, I T-boned a Ford station wagon on I-95 at 65 mph. My car was crushed and splattered with my blood, but I was able to limp away from it. Friends and family who saw the mangled wreckage told me my survival was a miracle, but it was as accidental as my accident.

Had I spent two extra seconds drinking coffee that morning, that Ford would have passed by me unharmed. Two seconds less, and it would have slipped behind me. Either way, Id have been unscathed. Much of life is just that random. A half-second earlier, and Id have crushed the Fords left front door, instead of its rear door, and both the driver and her baby wouldve died instantly. Their survival was no more a miracle than my own.

Being old enough to have a Medicare card hasnt given me the wisdom to know whether theres a god or not, or whether that deity has a destiny planned for our species in the cosmos, for our nation or for any of us as individuals. Among the goofiest Facebook posts Ive seen this year was an especially moronic one that claimed Trumps election should prove to all the atheists that theyre wrong about gods existence.

I find it hard to believe that the Creator of the Universe took time out from directing the movements of billions of galaxies and their trillions of stars to number the hairs on my head (Luke 12:7) or to intercede in Americas 2016 election on behalf of Donald J. Trump. Sometimes bad things happen to good people. Sometimes, its the other way around. And most of the time, well, you cant always get what you want.

Greenwich native Mark Drought (markdrought4@gmail.com) is an editor at a Stamford IT firm and was an adjunct English professor at the University of Connecticut-Stamford.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Handicapped signs

The traditional blue-and-white handicapped signs will slowly but surely be replaced with a new logo, with a character in a wheelchair leaning forward, simulating action. The image will be shown on special license plates and rearview mirror hangers, as well as new or replacement parking-space signs. Instead of handicapped, the signs will read reserved.

Higher pay

Connecticuts minimum wage will rise to $10.10 per hour, up from $9.60. The increase could affect earnings for about 200,000 lower-paid state residents, according to the Connecticut Association for Human Services.

Home improvement

Contractors engaged in water and fire-damage repairs, storm restoration and mold remediations will now have to register with the state Department of Consumer Protection.

More access to marijuana

Advanced practice registered nurses will now be able to certify patients for the states medical marijuana program.

Overdose protection

Drug stores will now sell anti-overdose drugs such as Naxalone without a prescription and health insurers that provide prescription coverage, must pay for it without requiring prior authorization.

Breast cancer screening

Connecticut health insurance policies must cover three-dimensonal mammograms, called breast tomosynthesis, including baseline mammograms for women aged 35 and 39, plus annual mammograms for those 40 and older.

Ban the box

Employers will now be prohibited from asking job candidates about their history of arrests, criminal charges or convictions, except for jobs requiring a security or fidelity bond and for certain employers required by state or federal law to ask.

Juvenile detention

The new law establishes a maximum amount of time  seven days  a juvenile may be held in criminal detention. After a review, a renewal period may not exceed seven days. Courts may also impose alternatives to detention based on a new risk-assessment protocol. Also, the state Office of Policy and Management must track and analyze recidivism rates for children.

Family support magistrates

The governor will now nominate and the General Assembly approve nine family support magistrates to serve five-year terms. Prior law allowed the governor to make direct appointments, without legislative approval, to three-year terms.

kdixon@ctpost.com;
I always prefer to talk about what Stamford Health is doing to help people and to be a strong anchor in our community, but today I need to share some thoughts about the financial health of our health system and how important that is to all of us.

In our more than 100-year history of serving the community, perhaps the most difficult was some 14 years ago when a dedicated group of people brought Stamford Hospital back from the brink. It was hard work and it took everyones efforts, including the help of the Stamford community. But we did it. As our financial position grew stronger, we were able to upgrade our technology, recruit and retain the best people, work with other partners in the community to provide free care for those who werent able to pay for it and even put some money aside for the day when we would need a new hospital to meet the growing needs of this community.

Today, Stamford Health is one of the largest private employers in the area, with nearly 3,000 people on staff. Our activities also create more than 2,000 other jobs. Our combined economic impact on the greater Stamford area, including purchase of local services, totals nearly $1 billion every year. And last year alone, we were able to provide uncompensated care to our neediest citizens valued at more than $59 million.

Earlier this year, we opened the new Stamford Hospital, at a cost of $450 million, which replaced our older buildings, some of which were built more than 50 years ago. Much of this money came from generous donations  large and small  from the Stamford community and beyond, and the positive economic impact of that construction was dramatic.

However, our strong financial footing is being challenged this time by decisions being made by our state government in Hartford. Let me explain.

In 2012, an ill-conceived provider tax was imposed on hospitals revenue in Connecticut. The original idea was thoughtful, though complex, public policy. By taxing hospitals bills, the state could apply for significant federal money and help state hospitals with underpayments for Medicaid and no payments for charity care patients. All of the money raised by the provider tax as well as the increased federal grants was to be given back to hospitals to help with uncompensated care.

However, when the states finances started to weaken, facing billions of dollars in deficit, the governor and legislature decided to divert the state provider tax money as well as the federal match monies. In other words, instead of a program to help hospitals with their uncompensated care patients, the program became a tax on tax exempt hospitals to help pay for Connecticuts general budget. Last year the tax on hospitals revenues was $556 million with only $118 million expected to return to the states hospitals in 2017. Since 2012, Stamford Health has absorbed taxes and cuts to its revenue to the cost of nearly $75 million and this is expected to surpass $100 million by next year.

Clearly, this tax has had significant impact on our finances and, as a result, has impacted our ability to continue to serve the Greater Stamford communities health needs. We are very concerned about our continued ability to adequately meet the needs of our uninsured, as well as serve the Medicaid community. Our public officials must urgently review the merits of the provider tax and begin the process of phasing out this tax on hospitals.

While we are at it, another challenging issue is the unfair competition from the growing number of private, investor-owned Ambulatory Surgical Centers (ASC). These facilities offer a growing array of surgical procedures formerly performed in hospital settings.

ASCs are independent entities, typically owned and operated by physicians or other for profit companies, offering surgical and related procedures in direct competition with area hospitals. Some doctors see owning an ASC as a business opportunity, providing an alternative to practicing at a local hospital or an outpatient treatment facility affiliated with a hospital. Typically, ASCs have only accepted insured patients at their facilities to the point where they are now having a significant impact on local nonprofit hospitals.

Isnt this just free enterprise, you may ask? Yes, if everyone was playing by the same rules. Years ago, a regulatory system for health care was put in place by the state called the Certificate of Need (CoN), designed to avoid costly duplication of services and equipment. This process has helped control some unnecessary duplication in the market, but ASCs have been grandfathered in and allowed to operate with less stringent regulations, less stringent reporting and inspection requirements, and less stringent training and staffing standards than hospitals. For example, ASCs are under no obligation to accept Medicaid patients. So hospitals, opened and staffed 24 hours a day, are required to meet far more stringent quality and safety standards  and are more often the only ones treating those patients who are unable to pay or are under-insured through Medicaid or have inadequate coverage while ASCs only treat well-insured patients.

Connecticut isnt the first or only state to be confronted with this, it is a national problem and we can learn from what other states have done:

In New Jersey, non-profit hospitals suffered from the impact of un-regulated ASCs; the state recognized that private ASCs were draining so much money from the area hospitals that the safety net of free care for the needy was rapidly disappearing. The state took action and placed significant restrictions on New Jersey ASCs, requiring larger ASCs to have a financial affiliation with a local hospital.

Seeing a similar threat to their health system, North Carolina completes a period needs assessment that effectively placed an outright CoN moratorium on new ambulatory surgery operating rooms for most areas of the state.

We at Stamford Health are happy to compete on the basis of clinical quality, safety and outcomes. These additional safety features do come at an additional cost. But we will not take any shortcuts when it comes to quality and patient safety. The problem is that losing well insured, paying patients to investor-owned ASCs creates an imbalance in the system.

Again, we dont mind competition, but there has to be a level playing field.ASCs should be required to take Medicaid patients and should be required to meet the same regulatory standards Stamford Hospital and other state hospitals must meet for licensure. This is simply about fairness.

We recognize our unique role as a tax-exempt organization to provide care for the uninsured, but we will be less able to do so in the future if the state does not promote fair competition for paying patients. We need your help to engage our public officials at the local and state level to let them know a strong, viable Stamford Health (system) is critical for the health needs as well as the economy of the region.

Brian Grissler is president and CEO of Stamford Health.
A 23-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a fatal stabbing outside a block of flats in Peckham.

The man, aged in his 20s, was stabbed to death outside the Deerhurst House apartment block on Friday afternoon.

Medics fought to save him but he was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Murder detectives have launched an investigation following the fatal stabbing in Haymerle Road at about 5.30pm.

Scotland Yard said on Sunday morning that the arrested man was in custody at a south London police station.

The victims next of kin have been informed but he has not yet been formally identified.

A post-mortem was scheduled to take place on Sunday.

A Met Police spokesman said: An incident room has opened under Detective Chief Inspector Lee Watling of the Homicide and Major Crime Command.

Detectives would like to hear from anyone who was in the area of Haymerle Road at the time who may have information that will assist the investigation. 

Anyone who witnessed the assault or moments leading up to it are asked to contact the incident room on 020 8721 4205 or via 101 or contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit crimestoppers-uk.org.
H undreds of people were forced to flee after a ferocious blaze tore through a pub packed with New Years Eve revellers in west London.

Dramatic images showed the Aeronaut pub in Acton engulfed by a raging inferno in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Ten fire engines and 72 firefighters raced to the scene of the fire in the High Street at about 12.30am.

Some 340 customers and 12 workers fled the venue, which was hosting a circus spectacular, and Acton police station, next door to the pub, was also evacuated as a precautionary measure.

Blaze: The pub was engulfed by flames / AP

A dozen people were rescued from the roof of the pub by firefighters wearing oxygen masks.

Five people were taken to hospital with minor injuries, London Ambulance Service said.

Musician Matt Blair said he was rescued from the roof of the building after his performance with double-act Rayguns Look Real Enough.

He tweeted: "We're fine but 2017 has already got off to a bad start. One of our favourite venues that we just played burned down. Everyone is fine.

Firefighters work to extinguish flames in the building above the pub / AP

"Manic. We were upstairs, had to get on a roof area and luckily found a ladder we could climb down. Scary stuff.

"It was pretty scary and shocking. Physically we're all fine. Just a bit shocked and sad."

The pub was hosting the circus-themed event with 10 separate acts to see in 2017.

The London Fire Brigade (LFB) said it rescued six people from the first floor flat while firefighters worked to dampen the flames, which were brought under control by 5am.

A spokesman said: "Half of the ground floor of the building is alight. The first and second floors, including the roof of the three-storey building, have been gutted by the fire."

Scotland Yard said three officers from the station were treated for smoke inhalation after they rushed to help.

The Metropolitan Police said the cause was not believed to be suspicious while the LFB said it was unknown.
P aramedics faced their busiest night of the year as drunken New Years revellers wreaked havoc across the capital.

The London Ambulance Service warned millions of revellers celebrating across the city of the dangers of binge-drinking on the biggest night of the year for party-goers.

Spectators from nearly 100 countries flocked to the banks of the Thames to watch the spectacular New Year's firework display.

The warning came as an NHS chief issued a stark reminder that the countrys health provider should not be used as a national hangover service.

A technical fault sparked chaos for call-handlers who were forced to log emergencies using pen and paper.

The emergency service shared tales of collapsed revellers falling down stairs and patients who drank so much they lost the ability to walk as Londoners welcomed the New Year.

LAS used its Twitter feed to highlight the dangers of drinking too much alcohol.

At 11.30pm the service shared an image of paramedics treated an unconscious man along with the caption: This man didn't make it to midnight. He's unconscious after drinking too much.

Another tweet, posted at 3am, read: We're responding to a patient who has had too much to drink and fallen down some stairs. Please get home safely.

Paramedics, along with volunteers from St Johns Ambulance Service, treated 162 patients.

A spokesman said many patients suffered alcohol-related injuries and others were helped to sober up.

Deputy Director of Operations at LAS Kevin Bate said: Every year we work closely with St John Ambulance at temporary treatment centres to ensure people out celebrating receive the most appropriate medical care as quickly as possible. By caring for people in treatment centres we can avoid taking them to busy A&E departments.

We expect to continue to be busy throughout New Years Day.

Many Londoners will wake up feeling unwell after a heavy night.

We would encourage them to consider using other healthcare services such as walk-in centres or calling NHS 111 for health advice to ensure our medics are free and able to respond to the patients in serious and life-threatening conditions."


A huge fire ripped through a Renault garage in east London on New Years Eve.

More than three quarters of the car workshop and half of a mezzanine floor were gutted when the blaze broke out in Forest Road, Walthamstow.

Two cars and a van were also destroyed by flames.

A propane cylinder exploded before fire crews safely removed two others.

Some 72 fire fighters battled the inferno for more than three hours until it was put out at 11.20pm.

Group Manager John Graham was at the scene: "Crews were faced with a severe fire and worked very hard in difficult conditions, which they're now starting to bring under control.

We're working closely with British Transport Police and Transport for London to maintain the Victoria line service."

The cause of the fire is under investigation, London Fire Brigade confirmed.
T he Queen will not attend a New Years Day service at Sandringham because of a lingering heavy cold.

She and the Duke of Edinburgh were forced to delay their journey from Buckingham Palace to their Norfolk estate in the days before Christmas after she fell ill.

The 90-year-old also had to miss the Christmas Day ceremony at St Mary Magdalene Church, which other members of the royal family attended.

Buckingham Palace said the Queen was still suffering the effects of the cold and had decided not to attend the service with other members of the royal family.

Inspiring: The Queen praised Britain's Olympians and Paralympians during her Christmas Day speech

The Queen has had the cold for more than a week, although she is understood to be up and about.

Prince Philip is expected to attend the service, led by the Bishop of Norwich, after fully recovering from his cold.

It is not known whether the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have travelled to Sandringham for new year after they, Prince George and Princess Charlotte spent Christmas with Kate's family at Bucklebury in Berkshire.

A Palace spokeswoman said: "Her Majesty The Queen will not attend Sunday worship at Sandringham today.

"The Queen does not yet feel ready to attend church as she is still recuperating from a heavy cold."
A t least 39 people were killed and dozens more injured after a gunman believed to have been dressed as Santa Claus opened fire at a nightclub packed with New Years revellers in Turkey.

The attacker, who struck alone, was still at large after he stormed the Reina nightclub in Istanbul in the early hours of the morning in what is being treated as an act of terror.

Sixty-nine other people were wounded  four of them critically - in the attack on the nightclub.

Turkish interior minister Suleyman Soylu said 15 foreign nationals had been identified among the dead.

An armoured police vehicle blocks a road leads to a nightclub where a gun attack took place during a New Year party in Istanbul / REUTERS

The gunman, armed with a long-barreled weapon, killed a policeman and a civilian outside the nightclub  one of Istanbuls most popular venues  at about 1.15am before entering and firing on people partying inside about half an hour later, Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin said.

Private NTV news channel said the assailant entered the upscale nightclub, on the shores of the Bosporus, on the European side of the city, dressed in a Santa Claus outfit. The minister said the attacker was believed to have left the club wearing different clothing to when he entered. He said the attacker is believed to have carried out the assault alone.

Mr Soylu said: "This was a massacre, a truly inhuman savagery.

The Foreign Commonwealth Office (FCO) said UK tourists should follow the advice of local authorities while remaining vigilant.

Mr Sahin said: "Unfortunately [he] rained bullets in a very cruel and merciless way on innocent people who were there to celebrate New Year's and have fun.

Armed: Police secure an area near an Istanbul nightclub, following a gun attack / REUTERS

The FCO was attempting to find out whether any British nationals were injured in the attack at the club, where more than 500 revellers were seeing in 2017.

A spokesman said: "We are in touch with the local authorities following reports of an incident at a night club in Istanbul."

Five of the dead have been identified as Turkish nationals, up to four of which were working in the club, while authorities are yet to identify 19 others.

Clubbers reportedly jumped into the waters of the Bosporus strait to escape to flee the attacker.

Eyewitness Sinem Uyanik said her husband Lutfu Uyanik was wounded in the attack.

Ambulances line up on a road leading up to the nightclub / REUTERS

"Before I could understand what was happening, my husband fell on top me," she said outside Istanbul's Sisli Hospital.

"I had to lift several bodies from on top of me before I could get out."

Officers in riot gear and armed with machine guns were backed up by armoured vehicles to secure the area surrounding the club, which is one of the most popular spots in the city.

Istanbul nightclub shooting 1 /12 Istanbul nightclub shooting People leave as medics and security officials work at the scene AP An ambulance arrives near at the nightclub REUTERS Young people leave the scene of the attack on the nightclub AP Armed: Police secure an area near an Istanbul nightclub, following a gun attack REUTERS Tributes: A man lays flowers outside the Reina nightclub REUTERS Grief: Mourners grieve for the victims of the nightclub massacre AP Photo Ambulances line up on a road leading up to the nightclub REUTERS An armoured police vehicle blocks a road leads to a nightclub where a gun attack took place during a New Year party in Istanbul REUTERS Gun massacre: Ambulance line the street at the scene of a mass shooting at a nightclub in Istanbul AP

Security in Turkish cities had been heightened with 17,000 police officers, some camouflaged as Santa Claus, on duty in Istanbul, state news agency Anadolu said.

Terrorists from the Islamic State group and Kurdish rebels targeted Istanbul and Ankara several times inflicting a death toll of more than 180 in 2016.

Turkish-backed rebel groups in Syria have been targeting IS militants.

The White House condemned the "horrific terrorist attack" and offered US help to Turkey.
C hilling footage has emerged appearing to show a gunman wearing a Santa Claus hat prowling the scene of the Istanbul nightclub massacre.

The CCTV appeared to show the shooter walking among abandoned drinks booths inside the Reina nightclub in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Another video, obtained by a Turkish newspaper, showed the assailant dressed in black and carrying a backpack as he apparently shot a police officer outside the venue.

A manhunt was underway for the attacker after he killed a policeman and a civilian outside the nightclub at about 1.15am, before entering and firing on people partying inside about half an hour later.

CCTV: Footage apparently showed an attacker carrying a gun in the nightclub / AP

At least 39 people were killed and sixty-nine people were wounded  four of them critically  in the attack on the nightclub.

Turkish interior minister Suleyman Soylu said 15 foreign nationals had been identified among the dead and the Israeli foreign ministry said an Israeli woman was killed in the attack.

He said the attacker, who has not been identified, is still at large, adding: "Our security forces have started the necessary operations. God willing he will be caught in a short period of time."

Ambulances line up on a road leading up to the nightclub / REUTERS

It confirmed that 18-year-old Leanne Nasser from the Israeli-Arab town of Tira was killed. She was celebrating with three friends at the nightclub when the gunman broke in and opened fire.

Her friend Ruaa Mansour, also 18, was moderately wounded and another two friends were unharmed.

Heavily armed police were blocking the snowy street in front of the nightclub in the aftermath of the attack where the entrance is covered with blue plastic sheeting below a Turkish flag.

Tributes: A man lays flowers outside the Reina nightclub / REUTERS

Crime scene investigators were seen inside searching through piles of mingled chairs, tables and pieces of clothing left behind during the panic among the guests. Turkish police boats were patrolling the Asian side of the Bosporus on the other side of the club.

Emotional scenes played out in front of a city morgue where those shot dead were brought for identification.

Grief: Mourners grieve for the victims of the nightclub massacre / AP Photo

Some relatives cried out and fell to the ground as they apparently learned the fate of their loved ones.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: "I vehemently condemn the terror attack in Istanbul's Ortakoy neighbourhood in the first hours of 2017."

Istanbul nightclub shooting 1 /12 Istanbul nightclub shooting People leave as medics and security officials work at the scene AP An ambulance arrives near at the nightclub REUTERS Young people leave the scene of the attack on the nightclub AP Armed: Police secure an area near an Istanbul nightclub, following a gun attack REUTERS Tributes: A man lays flowers outside the Reina nightclub REUTERS Grief: Mourners grieve for the victims of the nightclub massacre AP Photo Ambulances line up on a road leading up to the nightclub REUTERS An armoured police vehicle blocks a road leads to a nightclub where a gun attack took place during a New Year party in Istanbul REUTERS Gun massacre: Ambulance line the street at the scene of a mass shooting at a nightclub in Istanbul AP

Offering his condolences for those who lost their lives, including "foreign guests", Mr Erdogan added: "Turkey continues its combat against terror and is absolutely determined to do whatever is necessary in the region to ensure its citizens' safety and peace."
W orld leaders have united behind Turkey after a gunman dressed as Father Christmas opened fire inside a packed nightclub in Istanbul and killed at least 39 people.

The lone assailant remains at large after he stormed the Reina nightclub and slaughtered revellers in the early hours of New Year's Day in what is being described as an act of terror.

Sixty-nine other people were wounded  four of them critically - in the attack with 15 foreign nationals identified among the dead.

British tourists have been urged to remain vigilant in the wake of the massacre as the Foreign Office investigates whether any were caught up in the violence.

Gun massacre: Ambulance line the street at the scene of a mass shooting at a nightclub in Istanbul / AP

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson tweeted: Thoughts with #Turkey after cowardly act of terrorism in #Istanbul nightclub attack. We stand shoulder to shoulder with our Turkish friends.

A Downing Street spokeswoman said Theresa May was due to have talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at some stage.

In a written statement, President Erdogan said: I vehemently condemn the terror attack in Istanbul's Ortakoy neighborhood in the first hours of 2017.

Armed: Police secure an area near an Istanbul nightclub, following a gun attack / REUTERS

Turkey continues its combat against terror and is absolutely determined to do whatever is necessary in the region to ensure its citizens safety and peace."

CCTV footage shows Turkey attack suspect inside nightclub

German Chancellor Angel Merkel sent her condolences and said: Terrorists ... have carried out an inhumane and devious attack on people who wanted to celebrate the New Year together.

"My thoughts this morning are with the victims, their families and friends.

Grief: Mourners grieve for the victims of the nightclub massacre / AP Photo

In a telegram to president Erdogan, Russian premier Vladimir Putin said: It is hard to imagine a more cynical crime than killing innocent people during New Year celebrations.

However, terrorists don't share moral values. Our common duty is to combat terrorists' aggression.

Italian foreign minister Angelino Alfano said unity was needed among countries and continents to combat terrorism.

White House spokesman Ned Price reaffirmed US support for Turkey as it also joined countries in condemning the attacks.

CCTV footage showed the gunman wore a Santa Claus hat for part of the attack, which unfolded despite increased security measures.

No-one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
Rotary Trail.JPG

A dedication and sign-lighting ceremony marked the grand opening of Birmingham's Rotary Trail, Wednesday, April 6, 2016. The 46-foot Magic City is a version of the original "Magic City" sign erected in 1926. The sign marks the gateway's western end. (Tamika Moore / tmoore@al.com)

ComebackTown is published by David Sher to begin a discussion on a better Birmingham.

David Sher is Co-Founder of AmSher Compassionate Collections and past Chairman of Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce, ONB, and CAP.

Let's turn Birmingham around. Click here to sign up for newsletter. There's power in numbers. (Opt out at any time)

The speaker completed his talk at my Rotary meeting.

When I got up from my table to leave, a young man tapped me on my shoulder.

After introducing himself, he said, "Mr. Sher, I enjoy reading ComebackTown, but I was upset by one of your articles."

He was referring to a piece I had written about Birmingham losing our large public companies and the community leaders we also lose. As a result, the remaining business executives are forced to assume multiple high level civic roles.

He complained that the Birmingham business community has created a 'closed' culture--not allowing young people the opportunity to grow into meaningful leadership positions.

He said he is disappointed with the Rotary Club of Birmingham-which I am a member.

He told me he currently belongs to the Rotaract Club.

Rotaract is a Rotary sponsored service club for young men and women ages 18 to 30. The Rotaract Club of Birmingham allows members to belong until age 35. He said he soon will be 35 and he will be required to leave the club.

He explained that he would like to grow his career within Rotary, but because he works for a large company, the Rotary Club of Birmingham limits the number of memberships to top corporate management--and he is not eligible.

He said he knows he could join other Rotary or civic clubs--but felt constrained.

Birmingham's probably the best civic club town in America.

Both the Rotary Club of Birmingham and the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham are the largest in the world. Our Rotaract Club, which my young friend is a member, is also the largest Rotaract Club in the world.

Many people don't know that the Civitan Club was founded here in Birmingham.

Our civic clubs are incredibly generous and make a difference both locally and internationally.

Our Birmingham Rotary Club has played a major role in seeking to eradicate Polio worldwide.

Some of our many projects included establishing an effective Birmingham preschool learning initiative; responding generously to the destruction of the 2011 Birmingham tornadoes; and funding the Rotary Trail.

But I'm approached most every week by young professionals looking for advice on how to get involved in making Birmingham better.

Unfortunately, I don't have an easy answer.

So I ask these questions to our millennials...

Do you feel Birmingham provides meaningful opportunities for leadership roles for young professionals?

What opportunities should be provided?

What do you recommend to our established business community and to our many civic clubs?

You young folks are our future.

How can we best take advantage of your talents, energy, and vision?
WHITECLAY -- Consider the consequences of this simple math: Seven cans of beer are purchased every minute of every hour of every day in Whiteclay.

Perched on the northern edge of Sheridan County, the unincorporated town of a dozen residents is home to four beer stores that collectively sold the equivalent of 3.5 million cans of beer in 2015  almost all of it to Native Americans from the Pine Ridge Reservation, which hugs the state border on the South Dakota side.

The Whiteclay beer store owners, brewers, beer distributors, bootleggers, the state of Nebraska and the federal government all profit from beer sold in the town.

But each pop of a tab comes with costs that far exceed the money made from the simple sales transaction. They include:

* Costs to law enforcement handling violence and drunkenness in the town and on the reservation.

* Costs to health care providers treating alcohol-related injuries and illnesses, including an epidemic of babies born with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.

* Costs to county, state and federal governments caring for unemployed alcoholics and their dependents.

* Costs to Natives of the Pine Ridge Reservation in lost lives and broken families.

No one  not the federal government, not the states of Nebraska or South Dakota, not local or national news organizations  has tallied up all of the costs. But months of research into data from tribal, county, state and federal sources make it evident the total is in the tens of millions of dollars annually. While the costs may be murky, one thing is crystal clear: Who picks up the tab.

It all comes from taxpayers, said Matt Walz, a founding member of the South Dakota Alcohol Policy Alliance. No matter which way you slice it.

But those are just the costs in dollars and cents. For the Lakota of the legally dry Pine Ridge Reservation, the bill is paid in pain and suffering.

Its in every single one of our families, said 40-year-old Olowan Martinez, a longtime Whiteclay activist and Pine Ridge resident. No matter how educated, no matter how nice our homes and how good we live. We could be some of the haves, of have-nots, and still be affected by it.

* * *

At the end of a long day in October, Sheridan County Sheriff Terry Robbins points his new white Ford F150 north toward Whiteclay. At just a tick under the speed limit, the 22-mile journey up Nebraska 87 from Rushville takes about 25 minutes. He wears a standard-issue brown shirt and sandy-colored pants accessorized with a big silver belt buckle. His cream-colored cowboy hat rests on the dash.

Robbins says he usually travels to Whiteclay a couple of times each week  the town accounts for about 5 percent of his departments calls  and he spends no more than a few hours there total. Most of the problems go unattended, Robbins says, because no one is monitoring the town 24/7.

Just before Robbins arrives at Whiteclays short, dusty main street, he turns onto a gravel road. There, in a grassy ditch under the shade of a tree, sit two Lakota men. One hides his beer behind his back; the other pulls down an open can of Camo Black Ice from his mouth.

Is that open? the sheriff asks.

Ill spill it out, the man replies. He tips the can upside down, and watches as 24 ounces of high-octane malt liquor splash onto the gravel road.

Its easy to get drunk on a few bucks in Whiteclay, where beer is cheaper than water. Most of the Lakota drink big cans of high gravity malt liquors, such as Hurricane and Camo Black Ice. For about $1.50, each 24-ounce can delivers the equivalent of a six pack of beer or four shots of whiskey.

Thats about 38 cents a shot.

Of that $1.50, about a quarter is taken out for taxes. The state of Nebraska receives 7 cents in sales tax and 6 cents in excise tax, which is paid on products such as alcohol and gasoline. The federal government receives 11 cents. That leaves $1.26 for the brewers, distributors and the four Whiteclay beer store owners. The breakdown of who gets what isnt publicly available. But $2,142,000  what you get when you collect $1.26 for each of the 1.7 million 24-ounce cans sold in 2015  is a lot of money to divvy up.

Asked to discuss the situation in Whiteclay, three of the beer store owners declined to comment on the record. The fourth owner could not be reached.

As for the taxes, the federal government received $192,221 in 2015 and the state of Nebraska $102,739. All of the states money goes into the general fund.

South Dakota, where nearly all Whiteclay beer is consumed, doesnt see a penny in tax receipts. Instead, every can consumed by South Dakota residents costs their state $1.59, according to a 2015 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Based on a standard-size alcoholic drink, like a shot of whiskey or a 12-ounce beer, the CDC number takes into account all costs attributable to excessive drinking, including those in the health care, law enforcement and criminal justice systems as well as the cost of reduced workplace productivity.

But $1.59 is an average cost to South Dakota for each alcoholic beverage consumed in the state. Whiteclay alcohol is likely to carry an even higher price tag; at 24 ounces, cans of Hurricane and Camo Black Ice are twice the size of a standard beer and four times the alcohol content.

Back in Whiteclay, Robbins pulls up next to a man lying on the ground, just yards away from the highway. The sheriff steps out of the truck, walks over and helps him sit up.

Get up, Robbins says.

I will, the man replies as he sits up and slouches against a fence, his eyelids stuck in a drunken droop.

Are you drunk, or are you just chillin?

The man mumbles something inaudible.

What have you been drinking? Beer? the sheriff asks.

Just Kool-Aid.

The sheriff makes sure the man stays sitting up before driving away. Theres not a lot he can do to help.

Taking a drunk home is rarely an option  the reservation is about the size of Delaware and Rhode Island combined. Plus, theres not an easily accessible detox. From Whiteclay, the nearest one is 37 miles away in Gordon. The reservation does have an eight-bed detox  but theres a year-long wait.

The sheriffs realistic options are to take a Whiteclay drunk to the county jail in Rushville or to the Pine Ridge Hospital just a few miles down the road.

But the hospital has no detox unit or the money to pay for one. Still, it often bears the brunt of the cost of dealing with the problems related to Whiteclay alcohol. Robbins said he takes street people to the hospital at least once each week. In 2015, the hospital handled 152 ambulance calls to the tiny town. With the nearest Nebraska hospital in Gordon, the Pine Ridge ambulance is often the sole responder to a Whiteclay call.

As for the jail, Robbins said he doesnt like to burden the Sheridan County taxpayers with the cost of detaining Whiteclay street people.

County Commissioner James Krotz has said a third of the Sheridan County budget goes to Whiteclay. When asked further to explain that number, he said it was roughly attributed to an 8-year-old study on the county jail, which found a third of the people detained in Rushville had Pine Ridge addresses.

At an Oct. 11 hearing at the Nebraska State Capitol, Sheridan County Commissioner Jack Andersen succinctly summarized the countys Whiteclay problem: We really need help with law enforcement.

But Paul Thibeault, a lawyer at Legal Aid of Nebraska, said his research has found Sheridan County actually has minimal involvement in Whiteclay.

The truth is that they ignore Whiteclay, and they minimize their expenses to Whiteclay, he said. Without any compensation, without any agreement, they transfer the burden to the reservation.

Four hundred yards north of Whiteclay is the reservations law enforcement counterpart to Sheridan County. The Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety is on the frontline of Whiteclay troubles.

Interim Police Chief Mark Mesteth says Whiteclay, a town just barely out of his departments jurisdiction, is responsible for 80 percent of his calls.

That makes Mesteth a busy man.

In October, the only place he could meet to talk about Whiteclay was a reservation jail in the small town of Kyle, South Dakota, where he was meeting federal investigators to discuss a drug-related killing outside a reservation youth complex. He only had 10 minutes for an interview that had been scheduled to take place six hours earlier and 34 miles away.

Appointed interim chief in July, Mesteth inherited an understaffed and overworked department. As of October, he had only 26 officers to police a population of 32,152 spread over 3,469 square miles. By comparison, Rapid City, South Dakota, just north of Pine Ridge, has a force of 125 officers and a population of 70,812. Thats one officer for every 566 people.

On the reservation, its one officer for every 1,237 people.

Mesteth said his department struggles to keep up with the Whiteclay problems. Hed like more officers. In fact, he has the money to hire another 18. Applications are scarce, however, and the department has a high turnover rate because its a burnout job.

He said there needs to be a solution to the deluge of Whiteclay-related calls, such as shutting down the towns beer stores or legalizing alcohol on the reservation.

We could be cops instead of chasing drunks, he said.

* * *

The frontline of Whiteclay first responders stretches along U.S. 18 from the reservations police headquarters to the Pine Ridge Hospital 3 miles away.

Rainey Enjady, CEO of the hospital, echoed Mesteths assessment. Alcohol, she said, is a huge expense  one the hospital cant afford. Like Mesteth, Enjady is an interim appointment, arriving from New Mexico at the beginning of September. She directs the reservations only hospital and its $51.8 million annual budget.

In 2015, just $4 million of that budget was supplied by payments from private insurance. The rest came from the government: $502,000 from Veterans Affairs, $22 million from Medicaid, $5.1 million from Medicare and an estimated $20 million from Indian Health Services, also a federally funded organization. That means only about 8 percent of the budget is privately funded.

While its easy to say where the money comes from, its difficult to pin down how the hospital spends it. Enjady was uncertain about alcohol-related expenses. She said the hospital tracks the number of alcohol-related illnesses, but she couldnt find it. Lack of numbers notwithstanding, Enjady said the cost of alcohol is a big one.

Alcohol-related items that we see are very expensive and contribute to a lot of our deficit, she said.

Other high-ups on the reservation also couldnt quantify the impact. According to Cleve Her Many Horses, superintendent of the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Pine Ridge, no one tracks alcohol consumption or alcoholism on the reservation.

Alcohol plays a role in a variety of diseases. Well known are cirrhosis of the liver and eight types of cancer, including liver and breast cancers. Assigning a specific cost to the role of alcohol in some diseases can be problematic. But theres one disease in which alcohols cost can be clearly assigned: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.

FASD is not widely known to the general public, but it has occurred at epidemic proportions on the Pine Ridge Reservation. At one point, The New York Times reported, as many as one in four babies on the reservation was born with FASD.

Drinking alcohol while pregnant causes FASD. Its effects vary according to when during the pregnancy the alcohol was consumed and how much was consumed. Mild effects can be as simple as learning disabilities, such as having difficulty focusing. More severe effects include abnormal organ development  most lethally of the heart  seizures, brain damage and relatively low IQs. In the most severe cases, the fetus doesnt survive.

FASD carries a high price. The disorder costs the federal government about $4 billion annually, according to the CDC, and caring for a child with FASD costs $2 million over a lifetime.

Thats the average, though.

In a double-wide trailer 40 miles west of Rapid City, Nora and Randy Boesem raise and care for nine adopted children. Each has some form of FASD. By age 3, their daughter, Arianna, had required surgeries, medications and hospitalizations costing more than $3 million. To meet the familys needs, Nora said, the local pharmacy had to hire someone specifically to fill their medications. The Boesems couldnt begin to afford these astronomical health care costs. So, the state of South Dakota, through its Medicaid program, picks up the tab.

Frank LaMere, a member of the Winnebago Tribe and long-time campaigner for change in Whiteclay, said alcohol sold there is a tragedy because of what it does to babies and future generations.

We continue to export the misery of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome north to Pine Ridge, he said, while sending revenue and tax dollars south to Nebraska.

The carnage, he said, must be stopped.

* * *

Sitting at a small table in Big Bats, the gas station and convenience store hub of reservation activity in the town of Pine Ridge, Bryan Brewer says, Hi, to all the regulars walking by. The current school board president and former tribal president, Brewer is well-known on the reservation.

Nursing his coffee, he recounts the first time he watched TV. It was in a bar in Whiteclay. He and other kids sat at the bar, watching the Ed Sullivan Show on a tiny screen, while their parents drank.

Brewer knows the cost of alcohol to his people far exceeds dollars-and-cents accounting. Hes heard the news of a teenage girl dying from cirrhosis of the liver and a 6-year-old boy attempting suicide. And hes paid the price himself.

Brewer picked up his parents drinking habit as a teenager. Then he went to Vietnam, and his drinking worsened.

When he returned from the war, he and other vets spent much of their time in Whiteclay.

We were the abusers, he says today. We were in Whiteclay in the bars fighting each other, abusing women, our wives.

But he realized he had to change. So, he started attending Black Hills State University and quit drinking. He taught high schoolers on the reservation for 30 years, became tribal president and now sits as the head of the Oglala Lakota County School Board.

The reservation, he says, needs a lot of healing.

The biggest cost is to our children and the adults that were losing because of alcoholism.

But for Brewer alcoholism is a symptom of the bigger problem on the reservation  generational poverty. Brewer remembers an 18-year-old who walked into his office when he was tribal president and asked for a job. The teenager said he didnt know how to get one. His parents never had a job; his grandparents never had a job. But he wanted his life to be different.

Fifty-five percent of Pine Ridge residents are unemployed, according to 2015 census data and the 2013 American Indian Population and Labor Force Report. The reservation has a few thriving businesses, like the Prairie Wind Casino & Hotel and Big Bats. Otherwise, reservation businesses are few and far between.

Theres not even a place to buy a coat.

As board president, Brewer says hes seen too many kids walk into school without winter coats. And too many parents, he says, spend what little money they have on alcohol. So, each year, Brewer budgets money to buy coats for the kids.

On the reservation, coatless children too often end up as tragic victims of suicide and drunk-driving accidents. Adults dont fare much better. Most people on the reservation do not live to retirement age. According to hospital data, the life expectancy for men on the Pine Ridge Reservation is 47  the lowest in the world. For women, it is 55  the seventh lowest in the world.

It is not an exaggeration, Frank LaMere said, to say tens of thousands have died in Pine Ridge because of alcohol attributed to Whiteclay.

Over the years, Brewer has tried to work with the state of Nebraska to resolve the problems the village of 12 has caused his people. He remembers one such attempt in particular.

While tribal president, Brewer had arranged a meeting with then-Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman. He walked into the governors office, hoping to get a minute to talk about Whiteclay. The meeting was short.

The governor told me that, Whiteclay is your problem; its not mine. Meeting ended. It was not good, Brewer recalls. I never went back.

As for the meeting, Brewer and Heineman agreed on one thing  it was short. The former governor had a different take. Heineman said he told Brewer, that as tribal president, he should educate his people on alcohol and alcoholism.

I felt like that was a responsibility for him as a leader to help educate Native Americans about that. And he just didnt want to talk about that, said Heineman, who received $47,500 in campaign contributions from 2005 to 2012 from Anheuser-Busch Companies LLC  one of the brewers of Whiteclay malt liquor.

So, after all these years and all these efforts, what would Brewer do about Whiteclay? He says closing the beer stores wouldnt resolve all of the problems the town has caused the reservation. And it isnt the only answer to pulling Pine Ridge out of poverty.

But shutting down that evil place, he says, would be a good start.
In three weeks, Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 45th President of the United States of America. Leading up to this, he has talked a lot about his first 100 days in office.

I agree with nearly every single thing on his list: Propose term limits on Congress, place a hiring freeze on federal employees, introduce a five-year ban on White House and Congressional officials becoming lobbyists, renegotiate NAFTA, and withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Trump also wants to identify trading abuses that negatively affect American workers, cancel President Obamas unconstitutional executive orders, nominate a replacement for Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, cancel federal funding to sanctuary cities, begin removing criminal illegal immigrants, and there is more.

But the one thing I cannot and will not support is Trumps approval of the TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline. More about that in a moment. In the meantime, Trump also wants to direct the Secretary of the Treasury to label China a currency manipulator, and as we all know, Trump is no fan of China, especially when it comes to the huge trade deficit they have over the United States.

So, the KXL pipeline; It would be owned by TransCanada, basically a shipper of oil on this project. They dont own the oil, so who does? Well, a major investor has been China, investing over $30 billion at one point. Yes, $30 billion dollars! Isnt it safe to assume they want their oil? Of course it is, which is exactly why we have been saying for years that the KXL is a pipeline through America, not to America. Anyone who has spent ten minutes looking into this ill-conceived project knows that, but I am not sure President-elect Trump knows this yet.

Here are some other things we all know that I am sure Mr. Trump does not know about the KXL pipeline:

This 36-inch pipe will not carry oil. It carries Diluted Bitumen, DilBit for short. What is that? It is thick gooey tarsand mixed with diluents to make it thin enough to go through a pipe. The KXL would pump 33,000,000 gallons of DilBit per day and of that nearly one third or over 10 million gallons a day are those diluents, highly toxic lighter hydrocarbons like Naphtha which is laced with benzene, and can cause cancer and birth defects. Does Trump know that? And does he know it would be pumped just inches away in some cases from the Ogallala Aquifer? Of course he doesnt.

Does Donald Trump know that American oil has to pay 8 cents per barrel into the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, money which is used when these pipes rupture? He may know that, but does he know that DilBit does not have to pay that tax? No, I am sure he doesnt, even though when this DilBit spills into water it is far more difficult to clean up than conventional crude because DilBit sinks!

Does Trump know that the reason DilBit pays no spill tax is because our very own Congressional House Ways and Means Committee determined years ago that Tarsand is not oil, nor is it petroleum, therefore the IRS, based on the Ways and Means Committees definition, said it cannot be taxed under the oil spill tax because it is not oil! Let me tell you who does know this. It is Nebraskas very own Third District Congressman Adrian Smith. He sits on the Ways and Means Committee and has known about this free- ride DilBit gets for years, costing the American Treasury million and millions of dollars every year. Repeated requests for him to walk into that committee and say, Ladies and gentlemen, we have a problem have been brushed aside as he cozies up to the energy lobby more than he wants to build a spill response fund when these pipes rupture. A

nd they do burst. Just ask those living along the Kalamazoo River in Michigan where over a million gallons spilled, followed by a five-year cleanup that cost over a billion dollars.

The fact is Congressman Smith puts it off, year after year, giving the excuse he would rather address this inequality under the scope of comprehensive tax reform. Sure Congressman, like that happens every day, yet every day Adrian Smith continues to let this DilBit go through our nation Oil Spill Tax free. Speaking of Adrian Smith, the KXL would be buried mostly in his district, just above and in some cases directly through the aquifer. He chooses to ignore the risk to the aquifer even though it may be minimal. I say no risk is acceptable, especially when the DilBit is destined for countries other than the U.S.

I wonder if Trump knows the eminent domain laws of Nebraska which clearly state they can only be invoked for the public good? A pipeline full of poison, pumped under a thousand pounds of pressure, to Port Arthur, Texas, where it will be refined and then exported is not in the public good. It is good for China. It is good for TransCanada investors, but it is All risk, no reward for Nebraskans.

As I said, I hope many items on President Trumps first 100 days action list become reality. But I would hope, before he ignorantly approves what he thinks is just another oil pipeline, he would come to Nebraska and visit the Energy Barn in Bradshaw and sit down with the courageous KXL fighters to explain why giving up some control of their land which has been in their families for over a hundred years, just so China and other countries can get their hands on Canadian DilBit is good for America. Congressman Adrian Smith, you are invited to attend too.

I will be there, standing arm in arm with those farmers and ranchers, standing just a hundred feet above the Ogallala Aquifer, standing to defend property rights for everyone who has ever called this home and for everyone who is willing to fight for right over wrong.

And this TransCanada KXL pipeline is wrong for America and has been since its inception. What say you? greg.awtry@starherald.com
Blog Archive Apr 2010 (22) May 2010 (25) Jun 2010 (8) Jul 2010 (12) Aug 2010 (18) Sep 2010 (19) Oct 2010 (29) Nov 2010 (30) Dec 2010 (18) Jan 2011 (13) Feb 2011 (21) Mar 2011 (23) Apr 2011 (19) May 2011 (31) Jun 2011 (36) Jul 2011 (46) Aug 2011 (26) Sep 2011 (12) Oct 2011 (15) Nov 2011 (17) Dec 2011 (7) Jan 2012 (18) Feb 2012 (4) Mar 2012 (12) Apr 2012 (18) May 2012 (10) Jun 2012 (21) Jul 2012 (8) Aug 2012 (15) Sep 2012 (7) Oct 2012 (17) Nov 2012 (20) Dec 2012 (10) Jan 2013 (58) Feb 2013 (59) Mar 2013 (60) Apr 2013 (98) May 2013 (134) Jun 2013 (204) Jul 2013 (293) Aug 2013 (351) Sep 2013 (363) Oct 2013 (347) Nov 2013 (374) Dec 2013 (440) Jan 2014 (544) Feb 2014 (475) Mar 2014 (525) Apr 2014 (527) May 2014 (470) Jun 2014 (408) Jul 2014 (472) Aug 2014 (522) Sep 2014 (441) Oct 2014 (471) Nov 2014 (496) Dec 2014 (535) Jan 2015 (535) Feb 2015 (520) Mar 2015 (579) Apr 2015 (657) May 2015 (679) Jun 2015 (673) Jul 2015 (728) Aug 2015 (803) Sep 2015 (923) Oct 2015 (921) Nov 2015 (801) Dec 2015 (791) Jan 2016 (782) Feb 2016 (835) Mar 2016 (929) Apr 2016 (864) May 2016 (946) Jun 2016 (1044) Jul 2016 (882) Aug 2016 (1035) Sep 2016 (966) Oct 2016 (918) Nov 2016 (854) Dec 2016 (885) Jan 2017 (879) Feb 2017 (777) Mar 2017 (896) Apr 2017 (872) May 2017 (850) Jun 2017 (851) Jul 2017 (971) Aug 2017 (1040) Sep 2017 (998) Oct 2017 (1144) Nov 2017 (1046) Dec 2017 (838) Jan 2018 (873) Feb 2018 (769) Mar 2018 (885) Apr 2018 (808) May 2018 (827) Jun 2018 (820) Jul 2018 (840) Aug 2018 (854) Sep 2018 (844) Oct 2018 (851) Nov 2018 (870) Dec 2018 (912) Jan 2019 (919) Feb 2019 (827) Mar 2019 (957) Apr 2019 (913) May 2019 (1007) Jun 2019 (934) Jul 2019 (949) Aug 2019 (936) Sep 2019 (910) Oct 2019 (920) Nov 2019 (874) Dec 2019 (908) Jan 2020 (941) Feb 2020 (848) Mar 2020 (898) Apr 2020 (848) May 2020 (822) Jun 2020 (787) Jul 2020 (819) Aug 2020 (858) Sep 2020 (841) Oct 2020 (873) Nov 2020 (811) Dec 2020 (780) Jan 2021 (765) Feb 2021 (716) Mar 2021 (819) Apr 2021 (805) May 2021 (815) Jun 2021 (824) Jul 2021 (830) Aug 2021 (832) Sep 2021 (791) Oct 2021 (754) Nov 2021 (683) Dec 2021 (693) Jan 2022 (694) Feb 2022 (654) Mar 2022 (740) Apr 2022 (745) May 2022 (748) Jun 2022 (701) Jul 2022 (704) Aug 2022 (702) Sep 2022 (699) Oct 2022 (737) Nov 2022 (70)
This list is not comprehensive. Municipalities are listed as they appear on the criminal complaint. For more information, visit www.journaltimes.com/gallery.

Chastity M. Allan, 800 block of Grand Ave., Racine, disorderly conduct, domestic abuse assessments.

Daniel T. Biersach, 600 block of Oak Lodge Road, Waterford, theft of movable property.

Billy R. Billups, 1500 block of Isabelle Ave., Racine, battery, domestic abuse assessments, and disorderly conduct.

Bruce G. Braught Jr., 500 block of 75th St., Kenosha, retail theft, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Keion M. Brisco, 1700 block of Winslow St., Racine, obstructing an officer.

Haley R. Christman, 30 block of S. Newman Road, Mount Pleasant, personal identification theft, and theft by acquisition of a credit card.

Eliezer Colon-Santos, 900 block of Jackson St., Racine, disorderly conduct, and obstructing an officer.

Tedarl Farrier, 1900 block of 89th St., Kenosha, operate a motor vehicle while revoked.

Brittany A. Fransen, 300 block of Mill Ave., Union Grove, retail theft, and disorderly conduct.

Lukas S. Goller, 500 block of Grey Fox Run, Watertown, possession of narcotic drugs.

Charlene P. Griffin, 600 block of 11th St., Racine, disorderly conduct, and bail jumping.

Robert E. Gunn, 1900 block of Jackson, Evanston, Ill., disorderly conduct, battery, and false imprisonment.

Xavier J. Hill, 2200 block of Lawn St., Racine, obstructing an officer.

Brian S. Hort, 800 block of Hagerer St., Racine, disorderly conduct, domestic abuse assessments, resisting an officer, causing substantial bodily harm to an officer, and criminal damage to property.

Steven A. Jedkins, 3900 block of Colorado Court, Racine, resisting an officer, and escape.

Demetrius D. Johnson, 1500 block of Flett Ave., Racine, obstructing an officer, disorderly conduct, domestic abuse assessments.

Donnis J. Jones, 1300 block of Erie St., Racine, possession with intent to deliver or manufacture marijuana, and bail jumping.

Brian M. Latta, Bark River, Mich., possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and carrying a concealed weapon.

Edward L. Ludwig Jr., 7100 block of Ashwood Lane, Wind Lake, threat to a law enforcement officer, bail jumping, possession of narcotic drugs, resisting an officer, disorderly conduct, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Phyllis v. Madeja, 1400 block of West St., Union Grove, first degree recklessly endangering safety, and reckless injury.

Jeremy A. McGee, 800 block of College Ave., Racine, disorderly conduct, domestic abuse assessments.

Joseph D. Melnik, 2100 block of Rupert Blvd., Racine, burglary of a building or dwelling, and possession of marijuana.

George L. Mitchell, 1500 block of Winslow St., Racine, battery, domestic abuse assessments, physical abuse of a child, intentionally cause bodily harm, disorderly conduct, bail jumping, and obstructing an officer.

Randall J. Narlock, 3200 block of N. 35th St., Milwaukee, attempt uttering a forgery.

James A. Orosz Jr., 800 block of Eastern Ave., West Bend, second degree sexual assault, and possession of a controlled substance.

Jay F. Passey, 26500 block of Susie Court, Wind Lake, disorderly conduct, domestic abuse assessments.

Andrew R. Pharr, 3200 block of Meachem Road, Mount Pleasant, operate a motor vehicle while revoked.

Gregory Phillips, 2200 block of Green St., Racine, disorderly conduct.

Sarah B. Potts, 5600 block of 38th Ave., Kenosha, operate a motor vehicle while revoked.

Theresa M. Rivers, 1100 block of Kilbride Drive, Racine, disorderly conduct, domestic abuse assessments, and bail jumping.

Edward Rodriguez, 600 block of S. Green Bay Road, Mount Pleasant, burglary of a building or dwelling, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Francesco J. Ruffolo, 5200 block of 31st St., Kenosha, retail theft.

Joseph B. Russo III, 3700 block of Northwestern Ave., Racine, possession of cocaine, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Chad M. Schultz, 1000 block of Hayes Ave., battery, criminal damage to property, disorderly conduct, domestic abuse assessments.

Jason A. Scott, 3000 block of Northbridge Drive, Racine, possession of marijuana, operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Kevin J. Sell, 800 block of Grand Ave., Racine, disorderly conduct.

David K. Shabazz, 1900 block of Prospect St., Racine, violation of temporary restraining order, disorderly conduct, domestic abuse assessments.

Benjamin K. Shumway, 3500 block of 14th Ave., Kenosha, battery, domestic abuse assessments, and disorderly conduct.

Deetta M. Smith, 800 block of Grand Ave., Racine, disorderly conduct, domestic abuse assessments.

Kenneth R. Sobbe, 300 block of Milwaukee Ave., Burlington, substantial battery, domestic abuse assessments, and bail jumping.

Jason A. Stowe, 20400 block of West Good Hope Road, Lannon, retail theft.

Michael J. Stulo, 2800 block of Crossridge Drive, Racine, disorderly conduct, domestic abuse assessments.

Antonia D. Taborn, 600 block of Royal Park Road, Racine, disorderly conduct, domestic abuse assessments and bail jumping.

Kenneth A. Tibbits, 700 block of S. Bettinger Court, Milwaukee, operate a motor vehicle while revoked.

Jeffrey M. Wilde, 6100 block of S. Indiana Ave., Cudahy, theft, and entry into a locked coin box.

Leonta L. Willis, 700 block of Racine St., Racine, obstructing an officer, and theft.
The man, 40, is from South Carolina and was visiting friends in the 2700 block of Tulane Street, where he was burned shortly before noon, said Battalion Chief Tom House of the Alton Fire Department. House said the man suffered second and third-degree burns to more than half of his body, including his face and arms.
SPANISH LAKE  St. Louis County police found a man suffering from gunshots at about 2 a.m. Sunday after he had been shot while driving, crashed and briefly ran from his car.

Officers from the North County Precinct responded to the intersection of Bellefontaine Road and Larimore Parkway at 1:55 a.m. for a call about a shooting. Once there, they found an abandoned vehicle, which had crashed, and its 20-year-old driver nearby.

Police believe two men specifically targeted the victim while he was driving, according to a news release.

Police are asking anyone with information to contact the St. Louis County Police Department at 636-529-8210 or CrimeStoppers at 1-866-371-TIPS.
I took my children into the voting booth with me and later my grandchildren so they could learn the procedure and why it is so important.
RACINE COUNTY  More than 100 GOP supporters and media members chatted idly at Veterans Terrace as they waited for House Speaker Paul Ryan, who was set to appear at a late afternoon campaign rally May 5 with U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson.

What they didnt know was Ryan was taping an interview that, within minutes, would send shock waves through the political world.

As he stood on the Burlington stage delivering remarks, the CNN interview aired and revealed that Racine Countys congressman was not ready to back his partys presumptive presidential nominee, Donald Trump  an extraordinary rebuke from the nations highest-elected Republican.

Ryans struggles with Trump was just one part of an often-shocking and unprecedented campaign, which continued all the way to election night when Trump won a stunning victory over prohibitive favorite Hillary Clinton.

Ryan, Trump and the historic election was voted the No. 1 local news story of the year by The Journal Times newsroom staff. Stories were chosen based on news value and impact, without consideration given to whether the impact was positive or negative.

Trump lifts Ryan challenger

Save for a few criticisms of incendiary Trump statements, Ryan mostly tried to avoid commenting on the presidential primary, citing his role as chairman of the Republican National Convention.

After it became clear Trump would be the nominee, Ryan told The Journal Times he was just being who I am in not immediately endorsing the New York billionaire.

If we go forward pretending that were unified, then we are going to be at half-strength this fall, he said in an interview.

Ryans endorsement eventually came about a month later. He told The Journal Times Editorial Board the House GOP agenda had a better chance of succeeding with Trump in the Oval Office than Clinton, and he wanted to unify the party around the nominee.

But the Ryan-Trump tension was far from over.

In early August, Trump lifted Ryans little-known and longshot primary challenger Paul Nehlen out of obscurity, thanking Nehlen on Twitter for his kind words. A day later, Trump refused to endorse Ryan in the primary using words eerily similar to Ryans CNN interview, saying he was just not quite there yet.

Trump eventually backtracked and endorsed Ryan, but not before the dust-up brought an unexpected burst of national attention to the primary and political reporters descended on southeastern Wisconsin. It mattered little to the Aug. 9 primary result, as Ryan crushed Nehlen with 84 percent of the vote.

Ryan nixes Trump appearance

Then came Elkhorn.

It appeared Trump would appear with Ryan for the first time in an event in Ryans home district. The annual 1st Congressional District GOP event was moved from Brightonwoods Orchard to the Walworth County Fairgrounds to accommodate a larger crowd for the GOP presidential nominee.

But less than 24 hours before the event began, a bombshell video dropped in which Trump was heard making vulgar and sexually-charged remarks, including appearing to condone sexual assault.

Ryan nixed Trumps appearance, saying he was sickened by what he heard. The event went on amid catcalls and boos throughout the afternoon, as Republican speakers avoided any mention of Trump.

Ryan later announced he would no longer campaign with or defend Trump. Trump fired back, saying he didnt want Ryans support.

With Clinton up in the polls nationally and in many battleground states, Ryan said his focus would be on keeping Republicans in control so Clinton wouldnt get a blank check if elected.

That, of course, wouldnt be necessary.

After Trumps dramatic victory, he visited the speakers Capitol office, where he was greeted by a smiling Ryan. He took Trump on a tour of the Speakers Balcony overlooking the National Mall and promised they would get this country turned around and make America great again.

And just like that, months of acrimony was brushed aside.
DALLAS, Dec. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Marcus Hiles, an acclaimed property developer, advises apartment hunters to be on the lookout for a clear presence of recreational pathways throughout the site of the unit. As the Chairman and CEO of Western Rim Property Services, a company that has designed and currently manages more than 15,000 rentals in cities across Texas, Hiles appreciates the benefits multi-use walkways hold for residents.

Western Rim's luxury townhomes and loft-style apartments are built within the state's expansive green spaces, located within easy reach of urban centers. Marcus Hiles upholds eco-friendly construction practices that maintain the serenity of the environment, bettering it by establishing walkways and parks. An abundance of trees and vegetation surrounding these areas offer tremendous benefits, as they remove air pollutants while storing and sequestering carbon dioxide. The USDA Forest Service trust 'trees properly placed around buildings can reduce air conditioning needs by 30 percent.'"

Marcus Hiles encourages renters to pick locations with footpaths, as tenants who take advantage of even mild exercising on the paths enjoy healthier lives. A 2008 study by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine suggests people who live near park areas tend to have a lower risk of obesity; while a 2010 study by the journal Social Science and Medicine concluded people who reside near larger amounts of green space were more relaxed than others who spent less time outdoors. Trails also promote a sense of closeness among neighbors, with pathways encouraging spontaneous meetings and interactions.

Founder of Western Rim Property Services, Marcus Hiles, Dallas news regular is a respected property development authority and philanthropist who has spent more than three decades creating properties that embody his vision of luxury living. Having successfully planted a total of 30,000 trees in the last 10 years, Hiles' environmentally minded goal of continuing to plant 2,500 trees annually is part of Western Rim's long-term objectives. Marcus Hiles remains devoted to giving back to the state of Texas; he has personally donated over 59 acres of parkland to the general public to preserve wildlife habitats and offer residents accessible green spaces.

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

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/marcus-hiles--discusses-crucial-role-of-onsite-walking-trails-300384339.html

SOURCE Marcus Hiles
French President Francois Hollande listens to explications during his visit to the French elevators company ETNA France in Taverny, near Paris, France, on December 26, 2016. REUTERS/Lionel Bonaventure

PARIS (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande on Saturday said he would visit Iraq on Monday to salute troops which are taking part in a U.S.-led military coalition against the Islamic State.

"We're not done with the plight of terrorism. We have to keep on fighting it," Hollande said in a New Year address to the nation that was broadcast on French television.

"This is the reason for our military operations abroad, in Mali, in Syria, in Iraq -- Iraq where I'll be going the day after tomorrow to salute our troops."

(Reporting by Mathieu Rosemain and Emmanuel Jarry; Editing by Ingrid Melander)
MUSCAT (Reuters) - A policeman was killed on Sunday when armed men attacked a prison in Bahrain, freeing several convicted inmates, the interior ministry said, in what it described as a terrorist act.

It did not provide an exact number for those who had escaped or identify them but said authorities were searching for them.

Thousands of mainly Shi'ite Muslim Bahrainis are in jail on charges ranging from participating in anti-government protests to armed attacks on security forces in the Western-allied Gulf kingdom, where the U.S. Fifth Fleet is based.

"An armed attack on the Jau reform and rehabilitation center resulted in the death of policeman Abdul Salam Saif and the escape of a number of inmates convicted of terrorist crimes," the ministry said in a statement posted on its Twitter account.

A Bahraini court in January last year sentenced 57 men to 15-year jail terms for taking part in a 2015 riot inside Jau prison, which is located outside the capital Manama. [nL8N159268}

Bahraini security forces tear-gassed and beat inmates at the prison while trying to quell clashes that erupted during family visits, local human rights group Bahrain Youth Society for Human rights said at the time.

Bahrain crushed mass Arab Spring protests in 2011 but continued to suffer occasional outbursts mostly by majority Shi'ites demanding reforms and a bigger share in running the island state wedged between regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Shi'ites complain of discrimination by the Sunni-led monarchy, a charge the government denies.

(Reporting by Omar Fahmy, Writing by Tom Finn and Sami Aboudi, Editing by Ruth Pitchford)
KENOSHA  WGTD (91.1 FM) is owned and operated as a public service of Gateway Technical College and is an affiliate of Wisconsin Public Radio. For an updated schedule, visit its website at www.wgtd.org.

The Morning Show airs every weekday between 8:10 and 9 a.m. Following is a schedule of show topics for the coming week:

Monday  No program because of New Years.

Tuesday  Marc Cushman, author of the definitive guide to Lost in Space.

Wednesday  Mark Czerniec discusses how to build a website.

Thursday  A preview of the Choral Arts Societys performances of Amahl and the Night Visitors. The program will include conversations with some of the young men who have portrayed the role of Amahl in previous productions of the opera.

Friday  We rebroadcast a past interview with choral music legend Weston Noble, who passed away on Dec. 21 at the age of 94.

Saturday  Programming includes Financial Overview at 9 a.m., Breakfast Bytes at 9:45 a.m., Education Matters at 10:30 a.m. and Community Matters at 11:15 a.m.
Pakistan Armys Public Relations Department Saturday issued details of successes achieved by the countrys armed forces during the outgoing year 2016.

According to a tweet by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) boss Major General Asif Ghafoor, India committed 379 ceasefire violations during the year; and, in retaliatory actions, it lost 40 of its security personnel.

Journey 2016....

Towards a secure and peaceful Pakistan

Pakistanis Zindabad. pic.twitter.com/rBGJhWlDgN  Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor (@OfficialDGISPR) December 31, 2016

At least 46 civilians were martyred in Indian unprovoked aggression from across the border, it added.

As many as 2947 criminals were rounded up during 1992 operations that were launched in Karachi during the outgoing year.

According to details, Pakistan successfully tested enhanced version of Babur cruise missile and indigenously produced air launched Ra'ad missile to make the defence of country impregnable.

Similarly, arrangements for security of China -Pakistan Economic Corridor were made, including raising of Special Security Division for 87O kilometer road network.
Crazy. Definitely the most crazy experience of my entire life. It was early mornings and late nights every day, and it was much, much harder than I expected. [It was about] 3000km in less than two-and-a-half weeks  in a tuk tuk.

Nate says that drive was the most dangerous thing hes ever done. They were the maddest roads Ive ever seen. We saw a lot of crashes along the way, and although none of us were injured, there were quite a few close calls.

Ive never been that close to death in my life, and it happened multiple times while we were there.

It was all in a good cause though  Nate and his fellow drivers raised $10,000 to split between A Cool Earth and World Teacher Aid, which used their half of the donation to help fund the construction of a new classroom at a local school, and to purchase a bunch of school equipment.

Since the January ride, Nate and partner Hannah Martin have covered a lot of ground. From India, NZ, Colombia, the United States, Ecuador, back to Colombia, back to the US, back to NZ for a quick family visit, then cross-country from Los Angeles and to New York City, Mexico for a few months, then back to the US for another road trip, and now back in New Zealand for summer.

Surely, theyre taking a rest after that? Whats on the agenda for 2017?

A lot more travel, says Nate, And a lot of unknown. We never plan more than three months ahead, and never commit to staying in one place for longer than a month. And our plans change all the time.

It requires a certain mindset to live like that, a refreshing one coming from young people in such a consumer-driven society.

For us, travel isnt about shopping, says Hannah, We live a minimalist lifestyle, so its about experiences.

Nate agrees. Experience is worth more than material possessions. Wed rather spend our money on doing things and gaining memories. Wed rather jump out of a plane skydiving than buy a souvenir.

The couple have turned their lifestyle into a brand and a business, or rather, two brands and two businesses. While they travel together, for the most part, they keep their online businesses separate. Different markets, says Nate. Different followers, different stories.

To follow Nate and Hannah around the world, visit: www.facebook.com/worldnate and: www.facebook.com/intrepid-introvert on Facebook or @world_nate and @thehannahelizabeth on Instagram.
The policemans calling on you and I, Joe Blow, the public, to join forces in the battle against opportunistic criminals. Because, he says, the Police cant do it on their own.

For me its about every individual taking ownership of preventing crime, says Senior Sergeant Phil Gillbanks of the Tauranga Police.

The public have very high expectations of our Police and rightly so.

But the Police expect some help in return from the public. We cant do our job without it. It starts with you!

The Senior Sergeants appeal was prompted by the simple theft of a trailer a few months ago.

A tradesman had parked his work trailer with a locked tool compartment in the driveway of his home for the night, as he had done on previous nights. Good street, good neighbourhood, he thought it was safe.

It was sadly naive, says Phil. And he paid for that naivety. Next morning the trailer worth $2500 and tools valued at about $4000 were gone.

The policeman says the trailer theft is symptomatic.

It doesnt matter how many police officers we have, its not going to stop opportunistic offenders seizing an opportunity if they are presented with a chance opportunity, says Phil. An unsecured trailer sitting in a driveway, an unlocked vehicle, a bicycle leaning up against the side of a house, a childs scooter on the lawn, is such an opportunity.

Its the simple common sense things that need to be done, like putting a lock on a trailer; if you have an alarm system in your house then turn it on, when you are leaving your house make sure your windows are fully closed and all the doors are locked.

What the policeman is telling us is we need to make it hard for the criminals.

Christmas is coming, dont leave garage doors up advertising to the world that your property may also look good in someone elses home.

Dont leave packaging curb side announcing whats new at your address, says Phil.

This is not a new message, its a reminder.

Serial numbers  the Police need serial numbers and identifying marks of electronic goods and tools when investigating theft and burglary. They need something to work with. But we arent good at recording them.

Record full details of your property so, heaven forbid, if your house is burgled or something is stolen from your car, you can accurately report it to the Police and you have a chance of getting your property back.

A serial number is the unique identifying feature of the item, and without these being recorded Police have a hard time linking property located to its rightful owners. You can record your serial numbers and valuable property online at: www.snap.org.nz

If the Police dont have an accurate description of the property stolen, including serial numbers, how can they prove an item is in fact stolen? And how can they identify those doing the receiving, or the burglars themselves?

Phil says that in the 23 years hes been in the Police he can probably only remember just 10 occasions where he has checked a serial number on suspiciously-located property to find that it is in fact stolen. Just 10 occasions among hundreds of searches.

We search a lot of properties, whether its in relation to drug offending or whatever. Were also searching for electronic items that could be stolen as where there are drugs there is stolen property. We check serial numbers because they are the one solid link we have.

But the reality, according to the Policeman, very little stolen property is recovered because of the complacency of the owners themselves. We are not helping ourselves. We are inherently complacent until something happens to us.

And that is very frustrating for the Police. When the trailer heist went up on SunLive a disgruntled commenter, another builder whod also had his tools stolen, said there was no point reporting it because the Police wouldnt investigate it. This is a common theme in social media.

That rankles with the Police. Every policeman wants to catch burglars. Burglars are people who affect us all. And its ingrained in every policeman to want to catch them. We care and we care greatly. And so to turn around and say we dont care is frustrating.

The policemans other problem is the reluctance to report crime particularly about those dealing in stolen property. If you think of the number of burglaries occurring and the sheer volume of stolen goods out there in circulation, why are New Zealand citizens so happy to turn a blind eye? This stuffs not sitting in a warehouse, its going somewhere. People are buying the property and so they must know who is supplying it.

But no-ones telling the police. We need people to talk to us. Anonymously, if necessary, or if they have fears report anonymously through the Crimestoppers. Call 0800 555 111.

Phil is also appealing for a little bit of social conscience. If you bought something and you decide what you have done is wrong, then you wont get prosecuted for it. Bring it in, make a report and we will get onto it. The aim is to get on top of the other end of the operation.

But there are inherently good people out there who are accepting stolen goods and turning a blind eye.

An important message from me is that its not the publics fault. It is the offenders who are the problem, but we have to unite and make it harder for them.
crime icon.jpg

VERONA, N.Y. -- A Rome man was charged with driving-while-intoxicated early Saturday after he crashed his car into a ditch in Oneida County.

Zachary R. Esser, 19, told state police he pulled off Patrick Road in Verona shortly after 5 a.m. Saturday so he could wipe fog from his windshield, according to state police. When he pulled off the road, Esser's 2004 Buick LeSabre got stuck in a ditch, state police said.

A state trooper who was dispatched to the scene noticed alcohol on Esser's breath, state police said. The trooper gave Esser breath and sobriety tests, which showed Esser was intoxicated, state police said.

A breath test showed Esser's blood-alcohol content was .11 percent, state police said. He was charged with DWI and transported to the state police barracks in Oneida.

Esser was also charged with driving with a BAC of .08 percent or greater and inadequate headlights. He's scheduled to appear in Verona Town Court Jan. 10.
crime icon.jpg

LENOX, N.Y. -- State troopers investigating a noise complaint at a Madison County motel Friday night discovered a fugitive from drug charges in Delaware.

Trooper Michael Petrie responded at 9:40 p.m. to a noise complaint at the motel on Route 5 in the town of Lenox, according to state police.

While they were there, troopers learned that Diane R. Hawkins had an arrest warrant out of Delaware on a charge of conspiracy to make methamphetamine, state police said.

Hawkins, 35, of Vernon Center, was arrested and arraigned in Sullivan Town Court. Authorities in Delaware told state police they wanted Hawkins extradited.

A judge ordered Hawkins held in the Madison County Jail pending her extradition to Delaware.
As if tension between the United States and Russia wasn't already high enough, government officials recently disclosed that they've found evidence of Russian malware on a computer belonging to a Vermont utility company.

Burlington Electric Department (BED), an electric utility provider in Burlington, Vermont, said in a press release last Friday that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) alerted US-based utilities of a malware code used in a Russian hacking campaign dubbed Grizzly Steppe.

Acting on the intelligence, the utility said it scanned all computers in its system and found the malware on a single laptop that was not connected to their grid system. Immediate action was taken to isolate the infected machine, the BED said. They also alerted federal authorities.

In a follow-up on New Year's Eve, the utility added that federal officials told them that the specific type of Internet traffic related to the malicious activity they reported a day earlier has also been observed elsewhere in the country and thus, is not unique to BED. What's more, the utility ensured that there is no indication that the electric grid or customer information was compromised as a result of the malware infection.

In a public statement on the matter, Vermont senator Patrick Leahy said the attack is beyond hackers having electronic joy rides as they're now trying to access utilities to potentially manipulate the grid and shut it down in the middle of winter. It's a direct threat to Vermont which the senator said is something they do not take lightly.

Image courtesy Kevin Lamarque, Reuters
SpaceX's reusable rockets. Water on Mars, Climate change. The menace of Zika virus. 2016 certainly kept the scientific community busy.

With so much already done yet so much still to do, 2017 looks like it is in for even more breakthroughs, transitions and discoveries.

Space Exploration

The efforts to search for possibly life bearing planets and even planetary moons may bear fruit in 2017 as Cassini-Hyugen's 12 year journey to Saturn is nearing its end. As it runs out of fuel, the vessel is scheduled to end its journey on September 15, 2017 as it dives into Saturn's surface. In addition to this momentous event, NASA's Spacecraft Juno is also expected to make its landing in Jupiter where it will examine the planet's surface and composition. By and large, 2017 is set to be quite the monumental year for space exploration.

Climate Change And The Environment

2016 was a momentous year for environmentalists and climate change activists because the Paris Agreement was ratified and implemented this year. With more and more people, even celebrities, speaking out about the phenomenon, awareness is continuing to spread among the masses.

However, despite this hopeful event, President-elect Donald J. Trump's decision to appoint Climate Deniers including Texas Governor Rick Perry to his cabinet raises concerns among environmental advocates such as members of the Climate Reality Project founded by former US Vice President Al Gore.

The organization's President and CEO Ken Berlin has already released a statement expressing his concern about these recent appointments. As one of the most influential countries, this decision could drastically affect the United States' implementation and support of the global agreement.

With the Paris Agreement already in place and countries slowly, and some even drastically, moving away from fossil fuels, 2017 will be a transition period to be observed as there will still undoubtedly be apprehensions about this much needed change.

Astronomy

A total solar eclipse that hasn't been seen in the United States since the American Revolution will be a great treat for sky watchers in 2017. On Aug. 21, 2017, the very rare total solar eclipse will be seen from coast to coast and last for about 2 minutes.

Another massive treat for astronomy enthusiasts is the possibility of seeing the first images of the massive Sagittarius A black hole in Milky Way. With China's new massive telescope ready to explore, the scientific community could truly advance their observations of celestial events and the hunt for extraterrestrial life.

Biology, Health And Medicine

The closing year's big health alert was the Zika virus and its effects on unborn children. Unfortunately, scientists do not see this virus backing up just yet. But while the virus continues to be a health hazard to many, more information is gathered about the virus by the day and vaccine trials will hopefully be underway. However, continuous experiments on antibiotics could result in more drug-resistant, harder to kill bacteria.

Genetic modification may also be another focus among the medical community to search for cures, vaccines and solutions to various medical problems including the dreaded cancer and HIV. In relation to the current problem with Zika Virus, there is a possibility of releasing genetically modified mosquitoes to combat the Zika virus and Dengue Fever in the Florida Keys.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Caffeine helps many of us navigate through the circumstances of each day. For one man, however, caffeine only brought headaches after being charged with driving under influence even though he had no other substance in his system.

Caffeine, A Peculiar Case

Just smelling the aroma of the coffee will make one feel less stressed. Besides its delicious taste, it also has numerous positive effects to the body, which is why an average American drinks around 3 cups of coffee per day. However, the supposedly harmless drink may have gotten one particular driver into trouble.

In 2015, 36-year-old Joseph Schwab was pulled over by a California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control agent in an unmarked car, who was worried by Schwab's erratic behavior  he was reportedly driving in and out of traffic until the moment he was stopped.

The agent assumed that the man was under the influence of a substance, considering the way he drives. However, when the breathalyzer was used, Schwab had no alcohol whatsoever in his system. Further blood tests also revealed there was no other substance that could have influenced his driving and the only substance to be discovered was caffeine.

Schwab was quite surprised to find himself charged with DUI and is currently preparing for the trial. His defense team wants the cased dropped due to the fact that no actual charges were filed by the authorities for about 10 months after the incident. If the trial is to happen, then the blood test results will be among the most important pieces of evidence.

"No one believed me that I only had caffeine in my system until I showed them the lab results. I want the charges to be dismissed and my name to be cleared," noted Shwab.

The prosecution plans not to rely on the fact that caffeine was found in the man's system, but will rather try to prove he was under the influence of some other substance, even if it was never detected. The Califnornia Distric Attorney's office filed a motion to dismiss the case but just because the DUI charges didn't stick doesn't mean the man can't be charged with reckless driving.

Grab Your Cup!

In spite of the peculiar incident, no one can deny the many advantages of caffeine. First of all, it may actually make us better drivers due to its effect on the brain. Moreover, it temporarily increases brain power and may even help athletes reach better performances.

So, if you are looking for a stronger dose, choose light roasts instead of dark blends, because less caffeine is lost in the preparation process. Also, don't be afraid to have a cup of your favorite drink in the afternoon. Scientists say it will have a more powerful effect than in the morning.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
SpaceX surprised the world with a glimpse of its biggest rocket, the Falcon Heavy, on its Instagram page.

The photo was the perfect teaser, showcasing just part of the massive rocket as it rested in the factory, with its logo stamped on the side.

The caption on the Instagram photo echoes the company's decision to launch in 2017, after being pushed back from the original 2016 plans.

The World's Most Powerful Rocket

SpaceX has many rockets to showcase, but the Falcon Heavy is undoubtedly one special rocket. From the name itself, Falcon Heavy will be the world's most powerful rocket. The Falcon Heavy boasts 27 Merlin engines with the thrust ability comparable to approximately 18 747 engines and a payload that can carry a fully loaded 737 jetliner.

Only one rocket surpasses this massive rocket's incredible payload, and that is the Saturn V Moon rocket that was last flown in 1973. One of the Falcon Heavy's aims is to reestablish the possibility of bringing humans into space.

The Giant's Flight Delay

The Falcon Heavy's new target launch will be some time in the first quarter of 2017, though a specific date has yet to be announced. In SpaceX's launch manifest, the Falcon Heavy was supposed to launch in the third quarter of 2016, four years after the initial debut target.

However, the explosion that occurred during Falcon 9's launch on Sept. 1 pushed the Falcon Heavy's launch even further.

Falcon Heavy interstage being prepped at the rocket factory. When FH flies next year, it will be the most powerful operational rocket in the world by a factor of two. A photo posted by SpaceX (@spacex) on Dec 28, 2016 at 12:33pm PST

What Does Falcon Heavy Contribute To Space Exploration?

With the payload that the Falcon Heavy has to offer, it's not surprising that SpaceX has already signed contracts such as the launch of the Saudi Arabian Arabsat 6A communications satellite.

However, the Falcon Heavy is also significantly being considered for the resumption of the Moon and Mars exploration programs.

The Falcon Heavy's launch is timely as the incoming Trump administration plans to reopen the idea of yet another moon exploration.

Charles Miller, one of President-elect Donald Trump's appointees for the NASA transition team, is highly supportive of possibly mounting more lunar explorations than before. In the economic assessment report led by Miller, he stresses the prospects that could arise from a sustained human presence on the moon.

Included in the report is his interest in a possible human civilization on the moon. Funny enough, the report mentions SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk as an inspiration for the spike in aerospace education enrollments, saying that children today compare Musk to Tony Stark, the fictional genius behind Iron Man.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
After joint mechanism meet, projects show progress

The process of getting Indian approval to the detailed project report (DPR) of various road projects under the third Indian line of credit (LoC-III) has moved forward since the first meeting of the oversight mechanism on November 29 in Kathmandu.
The Great Barrier Reef is Australia's pride as its sheer beauty claimed great honor in being named one of the seven wonders of the natural world. As such, the destruction to this wonder of nature is being closely monitored. Unfortunately, the effects of climate change on the Great Barrier Reef this year has been catastrophic to the point that it is almost close to death.

A report on the ongoing observations on the damage to the Great Barrier Reef was released recently, and the results are staggering. The combined efforts of aerial and underwater observations reveal that 67 percent of corals along the northern regions of the coral reef has already died in the last nine months alone. In fact, 2016 yielded the worst recorded coral bleaching to the reef in recorded history. A combination of the coral bleaching, intense ocean acidity and physical damage contributed to this damage though climate change is seen as the most likely culprit for a majority of the destruction.

Coral Bleaching, Ocean Acidity And Climate Change

We've all heard it before but how does climate change actually lead to these destructive phenomena. One of climate change's most prominent indications is a rise in ocean temperatures. When the ocean temperatures rise, the life balance of ocean wildlife is disrupted and one such adverse effect is the stress inflicted on coral life. The stress leads to the disruption of the symbiotic relationship between coral and its main food source, algae. The algae's exit from the corals' tissues leaves the latter vulnerable to diseases and eventually leads to the corals' doom, turning them into the skeletal white color that is the marker of coral bleaching and eventually, death. Pollution and climate change are two of the vicious causes of this phenomenon.

On another note, the staggering amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere result in the acidifying of oceanic waters, leading to the erosion of corals. While carbon is a naturally occurring gas in the atmosphere, the use of fossil fuels causes an unnatural spike in carbon levels in the atmosphere and in turn, the natural balance of the planet disrupted to say the least.

The Green Ring And the Silver Lining

Despite the grim reality of the destruction of this natural wonder, there is still hope for the Great Barrier Reef. Although an obituary was made earlier in the year to honor the "death" of the reef, much lesser damage and death is recorded in other regions of the reef such as the central and southern regions. In addition, some of the previously bleached corals in the said area escaped death and have regained their previously vibrant colors. However, it would require sustained and persistent effort if we wish to save not just this reef, but all vulnerable reef systems across the planet. Currently, the Australian and Queensland Governments are taking action on the preservation of the Great Barrier Reef through the Reef 2050, a 35 year action plan to preserve the world wonder for generations to come.

Further, more and more efforts are being done to combat the very root of this coral damage problem- climate change. Organizations such as the Climate Reality Project are continuous in their international efforts to inform people about the reality of climate change. The organization recently held 24 Hours of Reality, a 24 hour worldwide effort to spread awareness about climate change and encourage many more to take a stand for the planet. Actively involved in this organization are Climate Reality Leaders from the Great Barrier Reef's home country Australia, which happens to be one of the most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change. Part of the message they impart is that there is still hope for humanity to combat this man-made catastrophe.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Hawaii's Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) announced on Friday, Dec. 30, that access to the Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve in South Maui has been closed after a whale carcass was washed ashore in the area.

The carcass is believed to be that of a humpback whale, and it is the fifth one to be beached on the shoreline in recent weeks. Other whale carcasses have been spotted in several areas, including Kauai, West Molokai, West Oahu and Kailua Bay, since November.

Paul Haake, captain of the Maui Fire Department, said the dead whale was washed ashore and became on a shallow reef Friday morning.

Officers from the DLNR and Maui County have conducted a survey of the surrounding area to find out if there are any sharks that might have been attracted to the dead whale, but no predators have been spotted.

Warning signs have been placed around the shoreline where the carcass was found to let people know about the potential dangers of sharks in the water.

Depending on the dead whale's movements, the DLNR may also add more warnings or declare other shoreline closures at Makena State Park and other nearby areas.

Haake said shark warning signs have also been placed at Big Beach, though it remained accessible to beachgoers Friday afternoon.

Whale Carcass On Maui Shoreline

The DLNR is working with officials from Maui County and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to determine the best way to address the beached humpback whale carcass.

Authorities are looking at possibly towing the animal's massive body out to sea or leaving it on the shoreline. They have consulted Hawaiian cultural experts about the appropriate protocols they should be aware of in disposing of the carcass.

As a safety precaution, beachgoers are advised not to approach any dead whales that may get stuck in the ocean or wash ashore for. They should also check with lifeguards in charge of the area before entering the water.

Officials remind the public that humpback whales are protected by state and federal marine mammal laws, regardless whether they are alive or dead.

In October, beachgoers spotted a dead blue whale at a local beach in Daly City, California. The massive marine mammal may have been struck by the propeller strike a passing vessel.

Another humpback whale carcass was also washed ashore at a Los Angeles County beach in July. Local whale experts discovered entanglement scars on its body, which indicated that it may have been caught in some fishing lines in the past.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Top 10 Best Screen Recording Software For Your Windows PC/Laptop

Screen Recorders are useful tools that can capture a video-audio record of the entire computer screen or part of it. To put in simpler words, if a screenshot is like using a camera to take a photo of your desktop, then a screen recording is like using a camcorder to record a video of your desktop. These tools do provide live-capture enhancements, post-capture video editing options and more.

Such tools prove helpful when you want to make an effective video tutorial, market your business to online customers, or even recording a new manoeuvre in your favorite game. Completed videos may be uploaded to YouTube, posted on web pages or social media, and/or uploaded to e-Learning courses.

In this article, we have made a list of top 10 best screen recording software for your Windows PC/laptop.

1. CamStudio (Free)

CamStudio is a lightweight, open-source screen recording software creates videos in AVI format that can later be converted to SWF. CamStudios website claims its software is so easy to use, you can learn it in a matter of minutes, thanks to their built-in help files. You can enable or disable your mouse cursor, record sounds from software or a microphone. You can even select your screen pixel to be recorded or a selected program window so that the rest wont be recorded in your desktop. CamStudios website also claims the file size of the videos you create with their software will be smaller in size than other leading video screen recorders, and have great quality. Link.

2. Icecream Screen Recorder (Free)

Icecream Screen Recorder is an easy, simple and useful tool. It allows the user to record specific areas of the screen, as well as allows the recording of video games. The user can also take screenshots and use the drawing tool that comes with the program to add personal touches to both screenshots and recordings. You can use Icecream Screen Recorder to make professional-looking videos of webinars, games, and Skype conversations. Icecream Screen Recorder also supports hot keys, as well as the ability to turn a screenshot into a URL. There is also a clipboard feature and the ability to go through the projects history. Link.

3. Ezvid (Free)

Ezvid is a free screen-recording program that allows videos to easily be uploaded to YouTube. Ezvids web page claims to use your computers processing power to increase the speed of its screen recording and video editing capabilities. Ezvid comes with an in-built video editor where you can split your recordings and you can add text and slip your recordings and create a slideshow effect. Speed control, speech synthesis, etc. are also noticeable features of this tool. It supports Windows XP to Windows 8. Link.

4. ActivePresenter (Free + Paid)

ActivePresenter focuses on making screenshots and recordings bit more interactive that will be useful while explaining educational topics or tutorials. You can add interactive elements like voiceover, callouts, annotations, videos and graphics. Simultaneously, its support for SCORM-complaint Learning Management Systems suits its role as a corporate training tool as well. You can export your video to website, desktop, mobile device. In addition to free version, professional and standard editions are available. Link.

5. Jing (Free)

Jing is a small yet effective tool for screen capturing tool, available free. Jing does not come with high quality, feature-rich and productive editor and other stuff, but it lets you plan, record and share videos in a matter of seconds. In Jing, we can create short keys to make things quicker. You can record and select Window or region that you would like to record in Jing. Link.

6. Fraps (Paid) (Free  Trial Version Only)

Fraps is widely used by gamers to record game play. Fraps can capture audio and video up to 76804800 with custom frame rates from 1 to 120 fps (Frames per second). In Fraps, we have hot keys to record screen. Link.

7. Screenr (Free)

Screenr has nothing to do with PC or installation unlike other software. It is a free online tool that works solely based on your web browser. The only thing you have to ensure is that Java has been installed in your PC. Therefore, when you want to record, let it be any device, go to Screenr.com and start recording. It allows you to record up to 5 mins maximum. Link.

8. Webinaria (Free & Open Source)

Webinaria is the best answer to find an open-source product for screen recording and screen capturing. Using this Windows-based application, you will be able to create Flash videos of PC (AVI to FLV) recording. Webinaria comes with the ability to insert text and record voice-overs for the video. It features hotkeys as well. Link.

9. Rylstim Screen Recorder (Free)

Rylstim Screen Recorder is simple software that just records your screen. Once you have done with installation of this recorder, you have to select codec, frame rate and location where you would like to store the file and just hit Start Recording. It will give you the result video once you have finished this recording process. This software also doesnt record input device like microphone. Rylstime Screen Recorder is a free software and you can even get a portable version. Link.

10. Camtasia Studio (Paid) (Free  Trial Version only)

Camtasia Studio simplifies the process even more while retaining the ability to make the screen-recording look professionally done. Camtasia Studio supports cross-platform screen recording, which makes it useful in virtually any situation. You can even import videos, music, photos and customize according to your need. It allows you to record audio and video one after the other, combining the results afterwards. You can also export your video or upload your video directly to YouTube. A 30-day free trial is available. Link

Since there are number of screen recording tools, we might have missed some from the list! Do let us know your favourite screen-recording tool in the comments section below so that we can check and update the post.
Better irrigation

The agriculture sector remains the backbone of Nepali economy contributing above 30 percent to Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and employing a big portion of population directly or indirectly.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro assured on Thursday that the time has come for his country to return to the Andean Community of Nations with all the productive and commercial capacities... | Read More
China court jails 16 for black market kidney trading

Sixteen people in China have been jailed for up to five years each for involvement in illegal kidney transplants, state media report.
Purchases made via links on our site may earn us an affiliate commission
Community forest security guard murdered in Taplejung

A forest security guard of Area Forest Office, Khokling, in Taplejung district was murdered apparently over a land dispute on Sunday.
There will be fun for the kids at Summernats 30 which revs its engine at Exhibition Park in Canberra from Thursday to Sunday.

The Kids Club will be open at Summernats on Friday and Saturday from 10am to 4pm.

A scene from the 2016 Citycruise. Credit:Graham Tidy

There will be face-painting, a jumping castle, water balls and trophies awarded in categories such as best-decorated hat.

"It's basically a chill-out zone for the little ones," a Summernats spokesman said.
The Keating government considered selling off the Royal Australian Mint more than two decades before Tony Abbott mooted the idea.

A newly released cabinet minute from July 1993 shows the Finance Department proposed two options to dispose of the mint.

The Finance Department proposed selling the Royal Australian Mint for about $27 million in today's prices. Credit:Andrew Meares

The first was to privatise it while continuing to buy coins exclusively from the new owner. The second was to sell it and buy coins from an open market, likely an overseas provider.

Privatisation was a crucial part of prime minister Paul Keating's plans to restructure the economy. Also in 1993, his government oversaw the privatisation of Qantas. It had earlier begun the gradual sale of the Commonwealth Bank.
I opened the Smiggle diary I got for Christmas and read through the resolutions I'd written in coloured pen the hours before the clock struck midnight. To look back now, the list looks simple: Be kind to myself and others, Go back to study, Work towards a career,

Find a stable place to live, Stop abusing substances. These things I wanted so badly  which seemed to come easily to everyone else  had been out of reach in recent times. But this was going to be my year. No one arrives at a detox sober. It's a well-known rite of passage among those who frequent them to show up as wasted as one can possibly afford to be. The tall tales of excessive consumption then provide fodder for bonding when talking to your fellow patients over instant coffee and cigarettes.

I was no exception. I walked in feeling wonderful. It was easy to imagine all the possibilities. Next year was going to be my year! But as the hours passed, slowly, the future seemed less bright and more uncertain. Until it felt unbearable. Get. Me. Out. Of. Here. Depleted of the necessary chemicals to provide rational thought, my mind raced: "It's not right I'm in here over New Year's. I'll leave and come back at a more suitable time. Maybe I could trick them into using the telephone and get someone to throw something over the fence. Just. One. Last. Time." By this New Year's Eve, alone in bed cradling my resolutions, a drop of hope had crept back in. Maybe I could go back to uni and work towards a career. Perhaps I could help society instead of being a drain on it.

Maybe my mum could sleep again. But in the following days, the internal battle waged on: "You're too stupid, too hopeless, too pathetic for anything good to come of you. It's useless. Nobody loves you. F---. Them. Anyway." Nothing could stop the stream of negative thoughts. Words floated on the pages of my books, my mind unable to absorb them. It felt like the weathered couch and all the weathered bodies that had ever sat on it had climbed on to my back and pinned me down. Within an hour of leaving detox a few days after New Year's Eve, I was at my dealer's house. I was booked to go straight into a long-term rehabilitation facility later that day, with a condition of entry being that I was clean.

I got away with it. That evening, as I spent my first night in rehab, my mind was quiet. There were about 12 of us in this place  a sprawling, rundown farm a few hours from Melbourne. It reminded me of a school camp crossed with a mental asylum. Andy* was experiencing such bad psychosis he tried to get on the outings bus wearing nothing but a bath mat as a skirt. Oh, how we howled with laugher. Dan*, the fat ice addict. "Aren't you meant to be skinny?" We all asked him over and over, slapping our thighs on our prescriptive morning walks. And lovely Annie*, the older woman who was coming off so much medication  prescribed by her country doctor  she could barely hold her head up weeks into the program. Hilarious, we thought.

We spent long, hot days painting walls, cleaning and recleaning cupboards, piling leaves only for them to be blown away again. Complaining, laughing, crying, singing, fighting, scheming, praying. Despite our vast differences in personalities, backgrounds and substance preferences, we became close. A camaraderie built on our shared despair over where our lives were. But also on hope that we were on the path to somewhere better. We dreamt together about our futures. We believed in one another. One day, the staff told us some of us would die. They showed us a pile of old files belonging to people who didn't make it. This wasn't so funny. But this wouldn't happen to any of us. Four of my friends are now dead. Handsome John*, always in trouble for telling us about his military exploits in Afghanistan, spent his post-traumatic stress disorder compensation on drugs and overdosed alone in a hotel room. We all went on an outing to his funeral later that summer.

Emily*, from the posh, uptight family, who drank and starved herself to death later that year. Then went big Ben*, the one with the sad eyes who gave the best bear hugs. And a few years later, the vivacious and elegant Penny*, found rotting in her apartment. As I look back, the hardness I'd developed to get through those years faded, tears roll down my face. "They died," my mind says over and over. Through writing it down, I'm finally able to comprehend it. I think of them, of all the people struggling with addiction and how fortunate I am to still be here. I think of my fellow patients' life stories  the sexual abuse, the beatings, the dead children, the loss or lack of love. Not one hadn't gone through some kind of trauma or mental illness. I shake my head at the people who want to cut off our welfare. Sterilise us. Shoot us.

But I also I think about the ones who survived. Who flourished despite their difficulties because they were given a chance  often more than once. A chance that many aren't given. Especially if they are poor. Andy is a successful chef. Dan lost weight and is still making people laugh, but as a comedian. Annie is a drug and alcohol worker, who holds her head up high helping others to turn their lives around. I wonder what could have become of the heroin users dying in Richmond's alleyways if they had a safe place to inject. Of the ice users if they could afford rehab. Or of the alcoholics if they weren't, because of stigma, too proud to get help. And me? Well that summer wasn't the start of my year. I, once again, couldn't resist the voice of just one more. The voice that says we're worthless. That kills. That needs support and treatment to be overcome.
In March the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Robert Tickner requested $540 million over five years to advance a broad agenda of services to end the marginalism identified by the Royal Commission into deaths in custody.

Then prime minister Paul Keating delivers an emotional speech in Redfern to mark the International Year of the Worlds Indigenous People on December 10, 1992. Credit:Kylie Pickett

Paul Keating's Redfern speech in December 1992 acknowledged that Europeans had caused the woes of the First Australians but his government was loathe to put its money where his mouth was.

Then prime minister Paul Keating, chairman of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation Patrick Dodson and Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs Robert Tickner in February 1992. Credit:National Archives of Australia

Finance questioned whether any direct relationship could be made between the deaths and systemic disadvantage. Treasury questioned the need for additional funding based on the commission's recommendations when many existing programs already targeted Aboriginal issues.

Cabinet was also informed in May the states resented federal government intrusion into issues they had been wrestling with for years.

Then in June 1992, the High Court handed down its Mabo decision and cabinet agreed on a committee to inquire into "the implications of Mabo for the Commonwealth, in particular on ways in which continuing litigation by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples seeking to establish title to particular land, with the uncertainty that would create, could reasonably be avoided".

A year later, the Wik people lodged their High Court claim and cabinet was told it had the potential to put mining leases at risk, in particular Comalco's bauxite mine at Weipa: "The opportunity costs to the nation if Comalco fails will be obvious and large".
NSW Labor has fired its first political shot of the new year with an assault on the Baird and Turnbull governments over housing affordability.

Acting Opposition Leader Michael Daley says the Australian dream of home ownership is "fast becoming a nightmare" in Sydney and nearby regions, with the metropolitan housing crisis now spreading to major centres north and south of Sydney, particularly the Central Coast and the Illawarra.

"It's a number one issue, its the dinner time conversation, they are talking about it in the pubs and clubs," Mr Daley told Fairfax Media, saying housing affordability was one of NSW Premier Mike Baird's "biggest policy failures".

"People are fleeing from Sydney down to the Illawarra and up to the Central Coast but they are generally armed with higher wages, so they are pricing the locals out of those areas and starting to inflate those property markets as well.
Letter From Europe - First In 2017 - 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio RWD A 4 Door Ferrari - 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Thumbs Up

From Andrew Frankl

European Bureau Chief

The Auto Channel

As Grand Prix Editor of FORZA, a magazine about Ferrari, I have most definitely not been a fan of the Italian-Canadian boss of FCA. FCA, which stands for Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles, is an awful lot more than that. It includes Alfa, Ferrari and Maserati, as well plus a multitude of other things such as Iveco trucks.

Until now I have judged Sergio (the Boss) on what I thought was his appalling performance at Ferrari.

Until now... The other day he had the decency to apologize for rubbishing the engineers, the drivers , anyone and everyone associated with this magic brands racing division. Surprise, surprise, Vettel and Raikkonen didnt win a single race between them. The atmosphere was toxic. The chief engineer was fired, the boys were demoralized. Anyway, the good news is that Marchionne atoned for his sins and promised to treat staff as human beings. Not a minute too soon.

In fairness he did do a much better job elsewhere. Take the new Alfa Romeo Giulia range and the Chrysler Pacifica....hats off Sergio, both are quite exceptional.

The Alfa Quadrifoglio is basically a 4 door Ferrari or certainly the nearest thing to it.

For a start it has a 2.9 liter aluminum V6 engine designed by Ferrari. It delivers 505 hp at 6500 rpm and 443 lb-ft of torque. The ZF designed gearbox (not one of my favorites) shifts in milliseconds but having said that doing a three point turn can prove to be very embarrassing as shifting from D to R can often end in N or P. Same fault as in the Maserati which uses the same box.

Like all real performance cars the Alfa has rear wheel drive and goes like smoke! In fact FORZAs editor Aaron Jenkins came back to the office with a grin I have not seen in 17 years of working with him. Mind you, saloons tend not to have a 0-60 mph acceleration of 3.8 seconds and the sound that goes with it. The cabin is surprisingly quiet, rattles and leaking seals of yesteryear are just that. History.

All in all if you have driven all the BMW M3s and the Mercedes AMGs and have 75 thousand dollars to spend you will have a very special motoring experience. For a start there will be very few QFs around so you will be the hero of every coffee and croissant meeting. These meets have proliferated all over the United States and are perfect for stories small and tall. In Sausalito, California we had Ferraris, Porches, the odd Maserati, even an old Lotus Cortina.

The Alfa QF is not for the faint-hearted and definitely not for little Johnny on his 16th birthday. When it reaches America do take one for a drive. I think you will love it take your time to figure out all the gizmos which are numerous. An engineering degree might come in handy..

Unlike the QF, what is definitely for the whole family is Chryslers truly exceptional Pacifica. As inventors of the genre Chrysler has years and years of experience as far as family transportation is concerned. That is not to say that they are brilliant at everything, their 200 and 300 saloons were shall we say underwhelming. But back to the Pacifica. I loved it so much that I drove it to Petaluma during Christmas ! just to get opinions from the grand children. Unanimous thumbs up. They particularly loved the fold out screens in the back of the drivers seats.

I found the instrument panels excellent and I did like the way the various needles encouraged you to drive in an eco mode. I love playing this game. The Pacifica was showing 16.7 mpg, when it left me it was up to 20 and I hadnt even started.

Dislikes? Hand on heart I cannot think of any. Hurtling around corners is not to be recommended but then it wasnt built for that purpose.

Having crossed America twice-once in a pick up truck and once in a Ferrari I must say that doing the same with a bunch of silent (!) kids in the back would be fun.

So well done Sergio, just remember to be nice to the F1 boys and all will be well.

Happy New Year!
Monday 05 September, 2016 Reliable information reaching Biafra writers desk has it that the life of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indi...
In 1996, the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam was officially unveiled in a ceremony presided over by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. It is a beautiful work of designa sleek and modern expanse of cables sweeping in an upward arc from one shore to reach the point of a steel column that anchors the bridge on the other.

Still, there is another work of art that could have stood in this space, one that would have delighted pedestrians and drivers alike with its quirky sense of humor.

In 1977, artist Claes Oldenburg and his wife and collaborator Coosje van Bruggen created a proposal for a bridge intended to span the same Niewe Maas river in Rotterdam. From the start, the proposal was just theoretical, but, as it went along, the Pop Art duo created drawings, plans, and even a model in the hopes of convincing the government to bring it to life.

The project was called the Screwarch Bridge, and it was just thata design of two massive screws, one on either shore, that were bent in an arch so the narrow tips would meet at an anchor point in the center of the bridge.

The now 87-year-old Oldenburg is considered one of the great Pop Artists, but his artistic career started as a child obsessed with drawing, one who used his imagination and drafting talents to create his own country, Neubern. No doubt influenced by his diplomat father, the young Oldenburg--who was born in Sweden but grew up largely in Chicago and became an American citizen in 1953--crafted a country from scratch complete with houses and cars, residents, and even a navy and an air force.

I spent a lot of time drawing, he told Interview in 2015.

After studying literature at Yale, Oldenburg returned to his early passion and enrolled at the Art Institute of Chicago. As he embarked on his career as an artist, he quickly joined the burgeoning world of performance art and Happenings that were being staged in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Throughout his long career, Oldenburg has experimented in multiple disciplines of art, and these forays have often inspired and blended into each other.

In the early 1960s, the artist debuted his soft sculptures, large objects made out of flexible materials like naugahyde and vinyl that achieved the same size as traditional hard sculptures, but were malleable and subject to constant change. He used this innovative and revolutionary technique to create pieces like his Floor Hamburger and slice of Floor Cake, Three-Way Plug and Ice Bag. All were ordinary objects, but ones that were blown up into enormous sizes and created in vibrant pops of color. Oldenburg designed the works of art, while his first wife, Patty Mucha, helped sew the objects into being.

This interest in transforming everyday objects into fun, whimsical, and sometimes ironic pieces of art has stayed with Oldenburg since the beginning of his career. Id like to get away from the notion of a work of art as something outside of experience, something that is located in museums, something that is terribly precious, he once said.

After debuting his new soft sculptures, Oldenburg set his sights on the outside world. He became interested in public works of art and large-scale sculptures. His first of these pieces was Lipstick (Ascending) on Caterpillar Tracks, a substantial monument installed at Yale and funded by the student body as part of their demonstrations against the Vietnam War. In this piece created in 1969, a massive tube of pink lipstick sits atop a charcoal black tank.

In the mid-60s, Oldenburg also began playing around with the interaction of art and architecture. In a series of works he called the Proposed Colossal Monuments, he created drawings of wonderful and outrageous monuments that were tied to specific locations.

There was a skyscraper-sized vacuum cleaner propped up against neighboring buildings in the Battery in Manhattan; a giant fan stood guard on Staten Island in a parallel position to the Statue of Liberty; a train station in Florence was sketched out in the form of an oversized wristwatch; and an enormous teddy bear was plopped down in the middle of Central Park.

These projects may not have been realized, but they did lead to a series of public art sculptures that Oldenburg continues creating to this day that maintained the sense of humor of all of his work, while also interacting with their surroundings.

His first of these sculptures was a 45-foot Clothespin debuted in 1976 and situated between two office buildings in Centre Square in Philadelphia.

In this same year, Oldenburg says he began to noticeas he and his soon-to-be second wife and partner in art, Van Bruggen, traveled around the Dutch countrysidethat the arches of bridges mirrored a screw.

They set about creating plans for a bridge that would bring this artistic observation to life, and, after learning that Rotterdam was planning on constructing a new bridge, they chose the center of the city as its location.

Of course we realized how unlikely it was that a large bridge of our design might be chosen by the city, but we proceeded as if it could happen, Oldenburg wrote in a statement on the project.

In addition to continuing Oldenburgs series of real and theoretical large-scale art installations connected to their environments, the Screwarch Bridge project also had a personal significance for the couple.

Oldenburg revealed that Van Bruggen means of bridges in Dutch, and that the couple had also observed that B laid on its side resembles a bridge.

The drawings and plans for this bridge led to etchings in both black and white and in color. But the biggest contribution to this ultimately unrealized project came in 1978 when Oldenburg and Van Bruggen were chosen to participate in a show at the Boymans van Beuningen Museum in Rotterdam.

For their exhibit, they collected all of the materials they had prepared for the Screwarch Bridge, and created a new table model and a single large-scale Screwarch sculpture in aluminum, 3.86 meters high, or a model of what would have been half of the bridge.

And thats as far as the Screwarch Bridge went. The project was only ever meant to be a fantastical ideaalbeit one with the kernel of hope that some enlightened city officials might surprise the artists and choose it as the final bridge design.

But that doesnt necessarily mean its dead forever. After all, there are many crazy bridges in the world, like the Slauerhoffbrug also in the Netherlands, a bridge that uses the idea of a catapult to move the road out of the way of incoming boats, and the Rokots (or Devils) Bridge in Germany the creates the optical illusion of a circle using the water below.

And then, of course, theres the Da Vinci Bridge in Norway, a bridge based on designs the master artist and inventor created in 1502 for the Golden Horn in Istanbul. Those city officials may have rejected the design, but, nearly 500 years later, others in Norway discovered the sketches and gave it a chance, debuting a smaller scale version of the bridge in 2001.

Maybe, just maybe, the Screwarch Bridge will enjoy the same fate and one day, years from now, the lucky residents of some European city will find their morning commutes brightened by a delightful drive across a bridge that looks like two giant screws doing a backbend to meet in the middle.
'Dhaka Topi Day' being celebrated (In photos)

Nepali youths are celebrating the "International Dhaka Topi Day on Sunday.
The life of nomads is nearly finished.

Often the gloomy assessment of NGOs and anthropologists, in this case the words come from Mohammed Taher Ould Elhadj, a chief of the Arabic-speaking Berabish nomads of northern Mali. People are dying, he told me, not only from the lack of food and medicine, but also from the lack of hope. But why does this matter? Beyond the cultural heritage, even beyond the economic value of pastoral herding in landscapes too arid for sedentary grazing, there is another pertinent reason to fight for the survival of North African nomadism: because without the nomads, there can never be security in the Sahara.

The decline of nomadism in North Africa goes back to the nineteenth century. When French forces starting making inroads in the region, it was nomadic chiefs who led the insurgency against them. Subdued by the superiority of French artillery, they would be squeezed by the policies the French introduced. Drawing on the agricultural policies of their homeland, French officers tipped the scales in favor of Africas sedentary communities. There are numerous examples of mass killings perpetrated against rural populations (the Voulet-Chanoine mission from Dakar to Lake Chad, which exterminated thousands, is the most notorious), but the French colonial attitude to nomadic life is best reflected in the borders they left behind.

The Sahara straddles ten countries (and one occupied territory). In every single one, the areas inhabited by nomadic tribes are peripheral. Along with the catastrophe of colonialism were climate-related disasters. There have been terrible droughts throughout Saharan history (a drought in 1913 led to the abandonment of several colonial outposts and thousands of deaths), but few have registered as devastating an impact as the Great Sahel Drought of 1968-74, which destroyed around a third of the countrys herds. Before numbers could recover, another major drought struck the region, in the 1980s. Water tables sank, soil moisture was reduced, plant cover thinned, trees died and more than 100,000 people are thought to have been killed by famines and diseases. One elder I met in central Mali listed seven different grasses that no longer grow, exterminated by the droughts.

The impact continues to be felt. In Mali, the droughts lowered the flood level of the Niger river, prompting rice farmers to move closer to the river-bed. As a result, Tuareg herdsmen were unable to feed their animals from the nutritious bourgou-grasses flanking the river. In a very short time, according to ecologist Charles Gremont, the multiple ties with the people and resources of the Niger valley that had long been fundamental to the history of the southern Tuareg were cut off. This kind of climatic degradation helps to explain the roots of the present-day Malian conflict.

Colonialism and climate change: a double-headed monster with a long shadow. Once flourishing rural communities now find themselves destitute. Grazing routes have been blocked by neo-liberal economic policies and land privatization, and despite its importance to the meat and dairy industry (as well as leather products), pastoral herding is increasingly under-valued. Aid funds ear-marked for remote communities in the desert rarely reach them intact, whilst plush villas continue to be raised in the big cities (for example, in Bamako, the Malian capital, there is an area known as Quartier de la SecheresseDrought Quarterbecause so many of its buildings have been funded by misappropriated relief funds). With herd numbers and animal productivity sliding, many young men find themselves without gainful employment. In such circumstances, they become easy prey for jihadist recruiting officers.

Africa and the Middle East are distorted mirrors of each other. Before the Syrian civil war broke out, herders in the northeast of the country lost around 85 percent of their livestock in the most severe drought in 900 years. They became embroiled in the displacement of around 1.5 million rural inhabitants, which security analysts have cited as a cause of the Syrian civil war. In Iraq, the anti-Sunni policies of successive governments and their backers weakened the partially nomadic Anbar tribes, enabling Islamic State to reassert itself, after previously being repelled by the tribes.

In Africa, nomadic communities face similar levels of vulnerability. The Tuareg National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), fighting for broader representation and economic opportunities in 2011, allowed itself to be co-opted by armed jihadist groups, unleashing devastation on Mali. In Nigeria, Boko Haram exploits Fulani cattle herders, exacerbating tensions between herders and farming communities. These are tough places to eke out a living. Without the jihadists, there would still be tensions and disputes; with them in the mix, the carnage is unstoppable.

Is there a way out? Actually, yes. Nomadic life needs investment. Grazing routes need to be protected. More wells need to be dug, and nomads need greater access to equipment, medicine and veterinary education. If nomadic life flourishes, the desert will have its guardians; the incentive to cooperate with jihadists will shrink, along with the rate of drug-trafficking, arms-smuggling and migration. As one Malian corporal pointed out to me, the nomads are fatigued by the jihadists they want an end to this. For too long, the equation of Western engagement with North Africa has been: its too volatile to invest in. But the reality is: invest in it, because its volatile. As long as we cold-shoulder this delicately poised region, it will be a pariah on Europes back. Only by working together can both regions thrive.
Kelly Clarkson still doesnt get the respect she deserves. Fourteen years after winning the debut season of American Idol, she has yet to amass the cultural cache of contemporaries like Beyonce and Adele. But damn, can she sing.

She proved as much at the very end of Seth Meyerss first New Years Eve special on NBC Saturday night when she took the stage to belt out her version of Its Quiet Uptown, a stand-out track on this past months Hamilton Mixtape album of covers, demos and remixes from Lin-Manuel Mirandas hit Broadway show.

On an album full of excellent new takes on Hamilton hits by stars like Busta Rhymes, Usher, Sia, and more, Clarksons song stands more or less alone in its ability to surpass the original version from the cast album, sung primarily by Renee Elise Goldsberry, who plays Alexander Hamiltons sister-in-law Angelica.

There was no way Usher was going to out-sing Leslie Odom Jr. on Wait for It, but Clarkson does manage to take Its Quiet Uptown to an anthemic height it never quite reaches in the show. (Ja Rule achieves something similar in his throwback verse with Ashanti on Helpless.)

And its fitting that Meyers chose to end his New Years Eve special with this performance by Clarkson. 2016 was the year of Hamilton in numerous ways, from the casts ground-breaking performance at the Grammy Awards in February to President-elect Trumps unlikely feud with the show in November. But beyond that, the songs lyrics perfectly encapsulate the mournful attitude that much of the country is feeling after a year in which the unimaginable happened politically and so many great pop-culture icons were lost.

In the context of the musical, the song comes toward the end of show after Hamiltons son Philip has been shot and killed in a duel. Hamilton blames himself for his sons death and moves uptown to grieve and retreat from public life. Miranda famously sent a demo of the devastating song to Oskar Eustis, artistic director of The Public Theater, after the early Hamilton supporters son committed suicide.

For me, the beautiful thing about Quiet Uptown is, it serves a ritualistic functionit takes us into the grief, and then it takes us out of it, Eustis told The New York Times this past fall. And theres nothing, theres no other ritual that I know of, that can do that for me.

There are moments that the words dont reach. There is a grace too powerful to name, Angelica, and now Clarkson, sings in the song. We push away what we can never understand. We push away the unimaginable.

Those words feel just as relevant to this tragedy-filled year as another refrain from the showThe World Turned Upside-Downdid when the cast performed that song in the wake of the massacre at a gay nightclub in Orlando at the Tony Awards in June.

While losing the presidency is a very different type of grief from losing a child, the words that Angelica, Eliza and others use to describe Hamilton in the song could just as easily refer to the much-parodied image of Hillary Clinton, taking somber walks in the woods near her house in Chappaqua, New York, in the days following the election.

If you see him in the street, walking by himself, talking to himself, have pity, they sing. He is working through the unimaginable. His hair has gone grey. He passes every day. They say he walks the length of the city. The song is about coming to grips with a reality that never seemed possible, something Clinton and those who assumed she would be taking the oath of office on Jan. 20 are still struggling through today.

The thundering climax of Clarksons cover comes in the last 30 seconds of the song. While the original version begins to fade out near the end, the company singing more softly as the song comes to a close, Clarkson allows herself only a brief moment of quiet before building toward a powerful finish.

Forgiveness. Can you imagine? she sings, growing louder. When she repeats that phrase, it soars over the background vocalists, giving the song an emotional resonance it never reaches on stage.

If you need one more cathartic cry before starting fresh and gearing up for what will no doubt be an equally challenging 2017, look no further.
Late in the evening on Christmas day, Stephanie Pazmino slashed a black, transgender man after he offered her a subway seat. I dont want to sit next to black people, Pazmino told the victim. A couple of weeks ago a man walked into a 7-Eleven in the Bronx. He had no intention to purchase anything but wanted to use the stores microwave. When the Muslim clerk told him that this was against store policy, the man responded that he could do whatever he wanted. He told the clerk to go back to his country and threatened to physically harm him.

At the beginning of December a hijab-wearing city transit worker was assaulted by a passenger who confronted her on the 7 train. Youre a terrorist and you shouldnt be working for the city, said the man, according to reports, as he jabbed a finger at her MTA badge. He followed her off the train at Grand Central Terminus, and then pushed her down stairs at the station. (She was taken to hospital with injuries to her knee and ankle.) The attacker was not apprehended, and there were no reports of anyone trying to intervene.

That same week, a Bay Ridge resident named Christopher Nelson called an off-duty police officer wearing a hijab an ISIS bitch. I will cut your throat! Mr. Nelson threatened her. Go back to your country!

According to the New York Police Department, bias incidents in New York have spiked 400 percent in the two weeks that followed the election of Donald J. Trump, compared to the same period last year. The Southern Poverty Law Center, an advocacy organization that tracks hate incidents and provides tolerance training in schools, has released a report that stated that bias incidents have surpassed the 1,000 mark since the election. The vast majority of these incidents were directed towards immigrant women.

Earlier this year, I was a witness to one such attack. Riding the 7 Train into Manhattan from Queens, arguably the most diverse place on earth, I heard someone yelling anti-Muslim insults. A man had pushed a young woman in a hijab off her seat, and the woman was crying.

I decided to stand between victim and perpetrator. I was the only person who responded until a man who appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent joined me. My heart was racing, as I explained to her, between gasps for air, that theres a red emergency button she can push if something like this ever happens again. The woman spoke little English and didnt seem to understand.

I felt silly. A red button was the only mode of empowerment that I could come up with? A button, because no one but me had dared to stand up?

I am not sharing this story to congratulate myself but to illustrate what Ive learned from growing up in Germany.

Im a small but furious German. When I went to high school in Bavaria in the late 1980s and early 90s, the horrors of fascism still echoed through the classrooms. Germans have internalized that the reason why Adolf Hitler was able to rise to power was that no one stood up for the Jews.

Maybe thats also why Germans are so quick to let you know when you do something wrong. Cross a street at a red light and your fellow pedestrians will start yelling. Youre setting a bad example for the children! And dont even think of dropping a wrapper on the street. Youll get a scolding and be told to Pick it back up. Quick!

One time, I took an American boyfriend to a large spa in Hamburg. When he kept his towel on in the sauna, a chorus of sweating, naked old men and womenGerman saunas are co-ed, what else?demanded he take it off. Germans, he learned, have agreed on exposing their private parts in the sauna. So unless you want to embarrass them, you follow suit.

I have plenty of problems with Germany, but its peoples willingness to speak their minds and stand up for others isnt one of them. Whatever you do, in Germany the public good trumps your individual desires. While I think demanding someone to drop their towel might be taking things a step too far, I also think that there is a lesson to be learned.

Germans have also worked hard to understand how the unspeakable happened. They have one of those unwieldy compound words for it: Vergangenheitsbewaltigung, or the process of coming to terms with your past. The concept includes a duty to intervene when anothers dignity or life is in danger.

I vividly recall the teacher-led discussions in high school that dealt with the persecution and deportation of Jews. What would you do if it was your neighbor: look the other way or step up? We read eyewitness accounts of good Germans who hid Jews in their attics.

At home, my mothers parents, who were socialists, openly admitted to the helplessness and devastation they felt when they saw Jews being picked up and loaded onto trucks. Unlike my fathers parents.

The Jews had it coming, my paternal grandmother told me. More than once she said, The Nuremberg Rallies were the best times of my life.

Perhaps it is for this reason, more than my schooling, that the recent spike in hate crimes hits close to home.

These arent isolated incidents anymore. Yet it is a trend our soon-to-be leader has decided to ignore. So how should we respond? What can we do to avoid becoming bystanders in something unspeakable? If you still think that we should just wait and see, I wonder when will you step in. Will you step in when it is too late?

When you move to the U.S., even from a western country like Germany, there will always be things that remind you that you dont fully belong. Dont get me wrong, there are many things I love about America. (Yes, your cling wrap and vacuum cleaners leave much to be desired, but, OMG, your invention of Goo Gone and duct tape was GENIOUS.) You are funny and diplomatic, chatty, warm and openhearted. If youre a storyteller like me, America, and New York in particular, is the place to be. Its wonderful to go the supermarket and be able to have amiable conversations with total strangers. One moment you look at the couple across the aisle thinking, I wonder what language they are speaking. The next moment youre exchanging the addresses of your favorite ethnic restaurants. Its amazing how quickly immigrants adapt to this great, magnanimous American way of life. And yet for the most part, it is our job as immigrants to this country to assimilate to the American way, rarely the other way around.

I am beyond frustrated that were stuck with a president who, just like Adolf Hitler, despises refugees, intellectuals, journalists, women and non-Christians. I am married to a Mexican immigrant, and both my husband and I became American citizens in order to be able to vote and perform jury duty. We pay our taxes here and take our civic duties very seriously. Like all immigrants, we are grateful to our adopted home for taking us in and allowing us a life here.

And yet it has always struck me as odd how timid most Americans become when asked to object to something, even politely. At the dinner table, Ive noticed, what Germans call a discussion, Americans call an argument.

I know I am often perceived as harsh because I speak my mind. But I also see how the very thing that makes America greatits peoples quiet acceptance of other beliefs, their overwhelming friendliness, their effort to always get alongnow threatens to become its downfall. I loathed having to read my friends whiny Facebook posts about how they were dreading Thanksgiving because of the elections. Boohoo, I have to talk about politics to someone who thinks differently than I do!

Here, this German said it. Will you still like me? I am asking because I believe what stands in the way is Americans compulsive need to be liked. At moments like this, though, we need to learn to object and intervenewhether in public protest or simply around the family dinner table. You dont have to get into a fight to try out my little German lesson, but if you see something, do something.

Americans are fond enough of multi-ethnic, culinary mashups, and I think its time for all of us to try out a little German-American fusion. If you dare to bite into a Cronut or kimchi taco, you might want to try out my little German lesson. Hateful graffiti at the bus stop? Be like my Queens council man Jimmy Van Bramer: Get a sponge and detergent, and scrub it away. Hear abuse on the subway? Talk to the victim and lead her to safety. The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing, wrote the philosopher Edmund Burke. Exactly. So dont just be good. Be a good German.
History tries correcting the tricks memory plays on uswhile respecting memorys power. Thomas Jefferson is famous for writing the Declaration of Independence during the Revolutionalthough he served as Virginias governor during the war too. Paul Revere is best known for his Midnight Ride in 1775although the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow coined the phrase One if by land, two if by sea  85 years later.

Similarly, Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism, is mostly famous for launching his movement in reaction to the anti-Semitism of the Alfred Dreyfus trial. As with all great historical tales, Israels foundation story conveys one essential truthreactions to European Jew hatred did inspire Zionism. But this too-simplistic story risks eclipsing other nuanced truths, making Zionism seem too defensive and a critique of French liberalism rather than a more affirmative nationalism that also feared Austro-Hungarys blood-and-soil anti-Semitic right.

But first, Herzls Zionist Aha Moment. Its December 1894 in Paris. Theodor Herzl, a 34-year-old assimilated Austrian-Hungarian Jew, is covering the Dreyfus Affair. This lawyer, playwright, and journalist, with piercing eyes and a beautiful black beard, embodies the Enlightened rationalism and liberalism that freed Europe from the Middle Ages and Jews from their ghettoes. Alfred Dreyfus, a French officer, stands trial for treason. On December 22, 1894, when the court convicts Dreyfuson trumped up charges, leading later to Emile Zolas famous Jaccusethe crowd, inflamed by nationalism, doesnt shout Down with Dreyfus. Instead, they yellin Enlightened ParisDown with the Jews. Theodor Herzl has his Jewish awakening. Watching European nationalism cohere, appreciating the nation-state as the modern worlds defining political unit, knowing that, as he writes, the Jews are one people, Herzl realizes that until the Jews control their own country, Jew hatred will persist. The Jews must leave Europe and re-establish their ancestral homeland, the Land of Israel. With this evolution from the Wandering Jew to the Settled Israeli, Herzl theorized, anti-Semitism would disappear, Jewish pride would reappear. Jews could be normal againafter centuries of national purgatory causing persecution. Herzl writes a pamphlet, Der Judenstat, the Jewish State, in 1896; organizes the first Zionist Congress in Basel in 1897; visits Palestine in 1898; and dies tragically in 1904. The man who insisted If you will it, it is no dream, was prophetic. Herzl wrote in 1897, At Basel, I founded the Jewish State. If I said this out loud today, I would be answered by universal laughter. If not in 5 years, certainly in 50, everyone will know it. Fifty-one years later, in 1948, Israel, the Jewish State, was established. Its a great story, mostly accurate, although not fully true. The idea of Jewish peoplehood and a homeland was thousands of years old. And pressure for a modern Jewish State had been building for decades before Herzls epiphany. Herzl himself is more complicated. He endured anti-Semitism in Vienna and worried for years about the Jewish Problemcan that perennially persecuted people ever fit into Europe? He also wasnt some illiterate, anti-anti-Semitic Jewish pagan fleeing anti-Semites to build a garrison state of Jews. He loved Judaism, calling Zionism a return to Jewishness, even before it is a return to the Jewish landalthough it took him awhile to realize Palestine was the only option for his Jewish state. He understood that the Jews unique heritage mixing religion and peoplehood could yield a State filled with Jewish values without being a theocracy because Jewish is a national concept too. He wantedas he titled his 1902 utopian novelan Altneuland, an Old-New Land, being what Barack Obama would call someone who had the foresight to see the future of the Jewish people had to be reconnected to their past. And, as a good liberal democrat, Herzl captured the universal possibilities pride in your particular heritage can bring. We shall live at last as free people on our own soil, and in our own homes peacefully die, he concluded in Der Judenstat. The world will be liberated by our freedom, enriched by our wealth, magnified by our greatness.

Historically, Herzl wasnt just reacting to liberal Frances illiberalism but to what we might today be tempted to call the alt-Right that emerged as the Austro-Hungarian Empire collapsed. In Herzls home city of Vienna, anti-Semitic, radically populist candidates emerged, with Karl Lueger of the Christian Social Party denouncing corrupt liberalism and Jewish power. These anti-Semites were deterministic racists, the political scientist Shlomo Avineri explains, fearing Jewish blood not attitudes. And they feared Jews perceived success not weakness. Israels current status leads friends to overlook one of Herzls failures and foes to exaggerate another one. Given how central the Jewish national project is to Jews today, and given how the Holocaust justified Herzls fears, its easy to minimize just how marginal, even ridiculous, Herzl seemed to be. There he was, visiting European leaders, negotiating with the Ottoman Sultan, purporting to represent European Jews, most of whom wanted to stay homeor move to rich and free America not godforsaken Palestine.

And, given how the last century has played out, and given how wrong Herzl was about a Jewish state eliminating Jew hatred, many distort his views regarding the Arabs of Palestine. Palestinian critics caricature Herzl as a Cecil Rhodes-like Western imperialist, solving the Jewish problem on the Arabs backs. Israeli fans caricature him as a male, Jewish, Mother Teresa, sure that a Jewish state will redeem the Arabs too. The truth, of course, lies somewhere in the nuanced middle. Herzl did imagine Jews and Arabs living happily ever after in our common Fatherland. But Herzl also underestimated how deep Arab ties were to the landand their resistance to the Jews return. Ultimately, we must abandon the Hollywood black or white version of Theodor Herzl, appreciating this complex character tackling a confounding problem in complicated times. He shared liberals idealistic faith in nationalismeven as he saw its ugly reactionary side. He echoed some Europeans condescending attitudes toward others. And he wasnt some superhero saving the Jews, the Arabs, or the world.

However, like all great leaders, Theodor Hezl had an appealing vision suited to a particular moment that by (eventually) mobilizing millions shaped history. And like all great democratic leaders, he wasnt just defending his peopleor targeting enemies. In his moving Chanukkah story The Menorah, about a man who deep in his soul felt the need to be a Jew, Herzl imagined a once-assimilated Jew lighting the traditional Jewish candelabra. Watching the lights flicker, he and his family conclude, The darkness must retreat. Herzl adds: The young and the poor are the first to see the light; then the others join in, all those who love justice, truth, liberty, progress, humanity and beauty.

Herzls vision, like Jeffersons and Reveres, was neither perfect nor sin-free. But its liberal nationalist sensibility gave the resulting movementand statethat extraordinary democratic capacity to evolve ideologically, demonstrating not just grit and resilience but idealism and goodness, seeking love, justice, truth, liberty, progress, humanity, beautyand may we add, peace.

FOR FURTHER READING

Shlomo Avineri, Herzl: Theodor Herzl and the Foundation of the Jewish State (2008, 2013): based on Herzls diaries, puts Herzls Zionist Aha moment in broader historical context.

Theodor Herzl, The Jewish State (1896): Herzls vision for a Jewish State.

Theodor Herzl, Altneuland (1902): Herzls utopian novel imagining an Old New country flourishing for all in Palestine.

George Yitzhak Weisz, Theodor Herzl: A New Reading (2013): argues that Herzls Jewish roots were deeper and more resonant than most believe.
In his memorable post-election monologue on SNL, Dave Chappelle spotlighted black access to the White House. He recalled attending the BET party there a few weeks prior to the election, where everybody was black, except Bradley Cooper, for some reason.

Chappelle contrasted that moment of pride with the far more restricted experience blacks had known in the past. Im not sure if this is true, he said, but to my knowledge the first black person that was officially invited to the White House was Frederick Douglass. Switch out person for leader and thats accurate.

With a note of sorrow, Chappelle then stated that when the former slave came to meet the president, They stopped him at the gates. Abraham Lincoln had to walk out himself and escort Frederick Douglass into the White House. Here Chappelle mixed up two different eventsalthough he did capture the essence of what happened at one of them.

The nations leading black abolitionist visited Lincoln twice during the Civil War, first in August 1863 and again in August 1864. Douglass recalled no such hostility at either meeting. The anecdote Chappelle brought up is actually from the third time he came to the White House, on inauguration night in early March 1865.

Douglass provided the basic outline of what happened in his third autobiography, Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, first published in 1881. And he vividly expanded his reflections in a Lincoln Day speech he delivered in Brooklyn in 1893, two years before his death.

The great orator had previously regaled Brooklyn audiences with his accounts of his first meeting Lincoln, whom he praised for his ability to entertain and converse with a black man without once reminding him of the color of his complexion. In February 1893, Douglass spoke at the Union League Club (on Bedford Avenue in Crown Heights), a gathering of Brooklyns leading Republican Party figures. His talk was preceded by a ten-course meal that commenced with Blue Point oysters.

As the Brooklyn Daily Eagle described it, when the colored orator stood up to address the banquet room, the stuffed company rose with him, cheering, waving handkerchiefs and striking into a chorus of For Hes a Jolly Good Fellow with a vim that made the candle-shades shake.

Douglass then delivered what amounted to his own farewell address, during which he described the inauguration night events with his signature mix of insight, wit, and pride. Heres what he said, with audience reactions recorded by Brooklyn newspapers in brackets.

In the evening I attended Mr. Lincolns inaugural reception. It was a new experience for Washington, a new experience for me, and a new experience for the country, to see a person like myself present on such an occasion. [Applause.]

Having witnessed the inauguration of Mr. Lincoln in the morning, my colored friends urged me to attend the inauguration reception at the executive mansion in the evening. Here, indeed, I found solid ice to break, for no man of my race, color or previous condition, had ever attended such a reception, except as a servant or waiter. I did not look upon the matter lightly, either subjectively or objectively. To me it was a serious thing to break in upon the established usage of the country, and run the risk of being repulsed; but I went to the reception, determined to break the ice, which I [did] in an unexpectedly rough way.

When Mrs. Louise Dorsey [wife of a leading black businessman from Philadelphia] and I presented ourselves at the door of the White House we were met by two sturdy policemen, who promptly informed us that we could not be allowed to enter, and when we attempted to enter without their consent they pushed us back with some violence. I was, however, determined not to be repulsed and forced myself and lady inside the door, despite the guard. But my trouble was not ended by that advantage. A policeman inside met us and with a show of friendliness, said to us: Oh, yes; come this way! come this way! Thinking that he was about to conduct us to the famous East Room, where the reception was proceeding, we followed the lead of our new, red-faced, burly, blue-coated friend; but just when we thought that we were entering, we found ourselves being conducted through an outside window on a plank for the exit of the visitors. [Laughter.]

I never knew so exactly what was meant by walking the plank. [Laughter.] I said, This will not do. To a gentleman who was passing at the moment I said, Tell Mr. Lincoln that Frederick Douglass is at the door and is refused admission. I did not walk the plank, and, to the policemans astonishment, was especially invited into the spacious East Room, and we found ourselves in a bewildering sea of beauty and elegance [applause], such as my poor eyes had never before seen in any one room at home or abroad. High above every other figure in the room, and overlooking the brilliant scene, stood the towering form of Mr. Lincoln, completely hemmed in by the concourse of visitors passing and taking his hand as they passed. The scene was so splendid, so glorious that I almost repented of my audacity in daring to enter.

But as soon as President Lincoln saw me I was relieved of all embarrassment. In a loud voice, so that all could hear, and looking toward me, he said, And here comes my friend, Frederick Douglass! [Good! Good!] I had some trouble in getting through the crowd of elegantly dressed people to Mr. Lincoln.

When I did succeed, and shook hands with him, he detained me and said, Douglass, I saw you in the crowd today, listening to my inaugural address. How did you like it? I replied, Mr. Lincoln, I must not stop to talk now. Thousands are here, wishing to shake your hand. But he said, You must stop. There is no man in the United States whose opinion I value more than yours. How did you like it? [Applause.] I said, Mr. Lincoln, it was a sacred effort, and passed on, amid some smiles, much astonishment and some frowns. And this was the last time that I heard the voice and saw the face and form of honest Abraham Lincoln.

150 years later, the Republicans claim to be the Party of Lincoln is pure fraud. And the nations first black president is now passing the torch to a man whose idea of a civil rights leader is Don King.
Perhaps because there are so many casualties already accruing and so much damage already being done, it has gone less noted than it should that among the incoming Trump administrations most endangered victims is the English language itself. Nouns shudder. Adjectives cower. The entire edifice of grammar quivers with fear as January 20th nears.

Of course, one could make the argument that at a time when all the groceries are up in the air, we must prioritize what to catch. Climate change and war are eggs; perhaps language is a loaf of bread.

But language, as any linguist, Lacanian or deliman knows, is the sandwich within which we stuff our world. If a thing doesnt fit inside our words, we cant bring it to our mouths. It is fundamentally indigestible.

As a speaker and Tweeter of the English language, Donald Trump makes George W. Bush, our last least literate president, seem like William Jennings Bryan.

As researchers in Carnegie Mellon University's Language Technologies Institute (LTI), have noted, throughout the campaign he lagged behind his fellow Republican hopefuls and his Democratic opponents in terms of both lexical level and grammar. He speaks on a sixth grade level but makes it only about halfway through fifth grade in terms of grammar. His word choicethe so-called lexical levelis as picked over as a rack at a sample sale late in the day.

The tide so low it is inevitable the shoals would show. And from the toxic, batshit-racist, bullshit pool of his, there is one that keeps bobbing to the surface: the word very.

How strong is Trump on Israel The answer is, perhaps unsurprisingly, very strong on Israel. How is his disastrous transition going? Very very smoothly. Hey, how did that meet-cute with Obama go? We had a very nice conversation. And Putins letter? It was a very nice letter.

Those computers, however, the kind with which Russia hacked the election, have complicated lives very greatly. Trump rarely varies his verys though occasionally42 times during the campaignhe doubles them up, which, like a double bounce on the trampoline, exponentially increases the veriness.

In an analysis of Trumps language during the campaign, University of Pennsylvania Professor of Linguistics Mark Liberman found Trumps usage of the word very surpassed only they, I, dont, going, and it. It rates just above tremendous.

Furthermore, Liberman found that Trumps rate of usage far outstripped that of the other candidates. He used the word at a rate of 6960 times per million. Thats more than Clinton and Sanders combined.

Why is that very worrisome? Very is as an intensifier. Like the words strongly or extremely it carries scant information about that which it is modifying except that that whatever it is, it is intense, bro. Its like a lexical underline or textual shouting.

Very wasnt always this way. Originally in the late 13th century, the word derived from the Anglo-French verray, which of course, means true, real, genuine. It was a close cousin to its slightly more Biblical verily. One can still see the contours of this meaning in the French word, vrai. For 200 years, very meant true in English until in the 15th century, when it came to mean extremely. And heres where our troubles began.

Today, though stripped of its literal meaning of truthiness, very is a very dangerous word. Its dumb in the sense that it is the Blaster to the modified Master, blind in the sense it has no eyes of its own. Its both like a drug that no matter what you feel, simply intensifies that feeling, and like a puppet, has no animating spark of its own.

Perhaps Trump is simply the apotheosis of a larger cultural movement toward hollowing out meaning. Much of our cultural outputat least the monetized part--depends on virality, which is a method of transmission rather than a constitutional description, and on platforms, which are purportedly if not actually neutral.

In bleak conference rooms across America, the much ballyhooed content strategy is to make viral content. The biggest media companiesGoogle, Facebook and Twitterhide behind the excuse that they are simply platforms, free of any identifying characteristics.

More specifically and even less defined are memes which, by definition, are sufficiently vague to be widely applied. We live in an era of memes which is to say our depth of focus has shortened to see only the lens, not the contents of the image behind it. Or, in the case, of very, the intensity without what that intensity is applied to.

As it pertains to Donald Trump, there are two insidious aspects to his usage of the word. Firstly, and more substantially, his fondness for it belies the fundamental truth that he too is, essentially, an intensifier. He is a living embodiment of the word, very: empty and inflammatory. He pumps up contrast and darkens the shadows. Thats great for an Instagram filter but terrible for the world.

Every time he writes very or very very, one cannot help but be reminded that we are entering into an administration that privileges the volume of the song more than its melody. Like the word itself, the 45th president is an indiscriminate megaphone, adding fire- and horsepower to whosoever holds his attention.

But secondly, in the vast oil slick of words that flows from his mouth, very takes up space one might hope might be occupied by more substantial synonyms, plucked from the vast array of words available. For every very nice, a substantial, constructive, respectful or warm sits unused. For every very strong on Israel, a more precise policy statement, made with words that matter, wilts a little bit. For every Merry Christmas and a very, very, very, very Happy New Year to everyone!, an opportunity is lost to limn more accurately how exactly and what would make the new year happy.

Vain is the hope and foolish the desire that Mr. Trump should ever be a beacon of learning. And among the many things we can no longer look to the occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue (or more likely, 721 Fifth Avenue) for is linguistic inspiration. Trump uses language roughly, swings it like an axe with great force but not precision. And if theres a word he doesnt know or care to use, thats okay by him. He just grabs it by the very and says it anyway.
Govt leading nation towards confrontation

With the ruling Nepali Congress and CPN (Maoist Centre) and the Madhesi Morcha set to push the constitution amendment proposal through Parliament, the main opposition CPN-UML has accused the government of leading the country towards confrontation.
Istanbul Reina nightclub attack 'leaves 39 dead' (Update)

At least 35 people have lost their lives in an attack on a nightclub in Turkey, Istanbul's governor has said.
Here we are, on the first day of a new year -- and for many Americans it couldn't come too soon.

Last year was long and often ugly. Tensions around the world were high, with terror attacks in numerous places, a humanitarian crisis in Syria, the never-ending strife between the Israelis and the Palestinians, heightened strain between Russia and the United States. At home we witnessed questionable police shootings of black Americans and retaliatory murders of law enforcement officers, including five in Dallas. We recoiled with horror at the massacre of some 50 people in an Orlando gay nightclub. We witnessed a rising tide of killings in Chicago.

Then there was the presidential election, full of ugliness all around. There was more than enough nastiness to last several lifetimes. And when the election ended in a surprise, the nastiness continued unabated. As we start this new year, many Americans refuse to accept the legitimacy of the election, refuse to acknowledge Donald Trump as our 45th president. He lost the popular vote, they note, as if that matters. He is going to destroy America -- the world -- they worry, and Trump certainly has played into their fears with his embrace of Vladimir Putin, his cabinet appointments and his threat of a renewed nuclear arms race.

But this is a new year, one we should enter with hope not fear. No one knows what 2017 will bring, but we should give it a chance.

In less than three weeks, we will have a new president -- our 45th -- and a new direction for our nation. There are concerns, to be sure, but President Trump should be given a chance to be, well, president. It is to be hoped that the mantle of the presidency will soften Trump's strident side, will mellow his more outrageous traits. This isn't to say that the president shouldn't be challenged when he does something with which we disagree, but he must be given the chance to lead. He just might surprise us.

Those of us who proclaim Donald Trump is not my president should remember how they felt when others said Barack Obama was not their's. Thanks to the beauty of our Constitution, Trump will become our president on Jan. 20, just as Obama became our president on Jan. 20, 2008. That's how it works, and it works so well.

The fact is we are one nation, one people striving for a better life, a more equitable society. Our political parties often try to divert us from that goal and we must not let them. We should reject the partisanship that gridlocks Washington and reach out to people of different philosophies, different faiths, different colors, different orientations and relearn how to work together for the good of all of us.

Reject the politics of division and embrace the reconciliation of unity. Look not to the past, but to the future, a future that should be bright for each and every one of us.

And together, we will make an even greater America.

Happy new year! Best wishes for a wonderful and peaceful 2017.
Conservation board tables property lease program, examines deficit

The Des Moines County Conservation Board on Wednesday tabled a proposed program that would have generated revenue for the conservation department.
Levy burden taken off workers in Malaysia

In a major change in its tax regime, Malaysia has exempted foreign workers from paying levy to the government on their salary.
Making room

Accessibility is a defining issue in urbanisation all over the world. With more and more people moving to towns and with new urban centres being planned and created to meet the needs of the newcomers, urbanisation is an opportunity, and at the same time, a matter of concern for many.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

HAVANA  Living in Stamford, we dont ordinarily hear cannons.

But at 8:58 p.m. in Havana, Cuba, on Dec. 15, it was the only thing I was listening for.

For hundreds of years, the firing of a cannon from El Morro Castle marked the closing of the gates in the city walls, and to this day, it remains a tradition.

It was a story Id heard dozens, if not hundreds, of times from family members  about how couples would walk along El Malecon, the pedestrian seawall, at night  and the cannon shot would prompt everyone to check their watches. Right at 9 p.m. I became part of the tradition, listening to the boom across Havana Harbor.

The smell in the airport upon arrival was a moist, cigarette-tinged warmness I associate with Latin America in general. Outside, the balmy 85 felt the same as Miami would, and the cab ride into the city gave my sister and me our first glimpse of the Havana of coffee table books.

Derelict buildings, horse-drawn carriages, pedestrians crossing streets at odd angles, and, of course, the odor. Not unlike other Latin American cities with lax emissions restrictions, the entire city smells as though youd lifted the hood of your car and taken a good whiff near the exhaust.

More News Stamford man traces roots back to Cuba

Stepping into Old Havana, we are bombarded with tourist offerings of every size and shape. Cuban flags printed on everything, Che Guevara berets, key chains, and innumerable bars all serving mojitos, daiquiris and Rum and Cokes (made, of course with Cubas answer to Coca-Cola, also coming suspiciously in a red can).

Roving groups of Latin musicians stopped at restaurants or just played in the streets. Old ladies dressed flamboyantly with huge cigars in their mouths, hoping that a tourist would ask for a picture in exchange for a few pesos. Four American girls who had just returned from a Peace Corps posting chatted with me idly in a bar, drinking cheap and delicious Cuban beer.

More Information Editor's note: This is the second installment in a three-part series about a Stamford man's Dec. 15-18 weekend in Cuba after the easing of travel restrictions to the communist island nation. For the first installment, see http://bit.ly/2hA2emB See More Collapse

Leaving the tourist quarter and walking down Calzada del Cerro, I turned on to Calle Trinidad and saw the house where my grandfather grew up  number 55. And then the apartment building up the street where my mother lived  1213, Apartment 17.

I then went to Colon Cemetery and put a bouquet of flowers on my great-grandfathers grave.

I found myself checking street signs, each time hoping that I will have found another storied place from my childhood: Calle Empedrado, Calle Infanta or Calle Reina  Number 402  where my grandfather worked. In some small way, each step down one of those streets is a step into my past.

Doing the tourist circuit was the same as in any other country  bars with cold beer and good music. Wandering the back streets of Havana has been like hearing the cannon shot  a reminder that I have a connection to the country.

Stamford resident Daniel Dauplaise is a staff attorney for the International Institute of Connecticut in Bridgeport, where he handles asylum and human rights law. daniel.dauplaise@gmail.com
We're living in a time where company loyalty doesn't mean what it used to. Millennial workers have a reputation for moving from job to job, being constantly on the lookout for the next best thing. Businesses have realized that they must promote their workplace as an ideal location for top talent to do great work -- and that even when workers transition from full-time employment, they can still be an advocate for the companys brand. Planning for shorter employee tenures is the new normal.

This doesnt mean that retention of key talent isnt still critical. When it comes to employee retention, tech companies have some of the highest turnover rates of any industry. Retaining top talent is a struggle for many businesses, but there are several things you can do to increase the likelihood of your young, talented tech team sticking around a little longer than average.

Keep reading for 10 helpful tips on how to retain top talent today.

1. Encourage flexibility.

Today's workers want mobility and flexibility in the workplace. Gone are the days of strict 9-to-5 hours. In their place are remote working options, flexible hours, sabbaticals and fluid PTO policies. Flexible workers are not only happier; they're more productive. Allow your employees the mobility they desire and they'll likely stick around longer and have a more positive impact on your business.

Related: Why Entrepreneurs Should Prefer Remote Teams Than Ones In-House

2. Level up your employee engagement strategy.

Only about 33 percent of new employees are fully engaged in their new role. That's a disappointing statistic considering the great lengths many companies take to try and create a positive onboarding experience and ensure open, frequent communication. Invest time and money in developing the right strategy and implementing the right technology to ensure your engagement is both up-to-date and impactful.

Emerging trends in employee engagement include collaborative software that prevents managers from wielding power by selectively withholding information and complete transformation of day-to-day processes such as bad email habits.

3. Create an enticing program for recent college grads.

An impressive 77 percent of students stay at their first job for less than one year. In an effort to remedy this issue, many tech companies are creating and implementing programs to nurture student talent.

Some organizations offer long-term fellowships to provide students with immersion opportunities at various departments throughout a company, while other organizations create short-term intensive programs that offer recent grads an opportunity to fine-tune their business skills and learn how to lead.

4. Ensure your onboarding processes are as streamlined as possible.

Seventy percent of workers say they are more likely to stay at their new company for three years or more if they experienced a favorable application process. The application process is the first critical touch point you have with your future workers. By making the process as smooth, quick and painless as possible, you'll be sending a message of efficiency and straightforwardness to your talent.

Once you've brought a new employee on board, the hiring process is not over. Ensuring your employees have a positive, engaging onboarding experience is just as important as making sure your application process goes well. If typical worker tenures are getting shorter and shorter, its not acceptable to require one to two years for people to get acclimated to their work environment anymore. The onboarding process is your first impression with a new employee. You want to put your best foot forward, and get them fully productive quickly.

Related: 6 Steps to Create an Effective Employee Onboarding Experience

5. Provide frequent constructive criticism and praise.

Negative criticism can kill motivation in even the most productive of workers. There is a time and place for constructive criticism, but be wary of how you present it and communicate it to your employees. Year-end reviews are too often a rushed and ingenuine process. Consider revamping or replacing your year-end reviews with a more direct and honest way of communicating. Consistent, in-person, one-on-one meetings are a great way to provide your talent with constructive criticism, feedback, advice and praise.

6. Invest in the consumer-grade tools and technology for all of your employees.

One of the top complaints today's workers have is outdated hardware and technology that creates redundancies and inefficiencies in their work flow. Not only does faulty tech slow down your employees, it sends the message that your business isn't interested in staying up to date with the latest, automated tools. Show your employees that you care about them and their ability to do their jobs well by arming them with tools and technology delivered through multi-tenant, public cloud systems -- the ones that do the best job of keeping current with consumer-grade standards.

7. Eliminate unnecessary barriers in the workplace.

Workers spend an average of four hours per week simply searching for the right information. This is not only frustrating, but a poor use of their time. Eliminate unnecessary barriers to information within the workplace by arming your employees with the right tools, devices and access.

Tie business metrics to business outcomes in a way that helps tell a story, and provide decision-makers in the business with proactive insights that will help them be more effective and intentional in their jobs.

8. Offer opportunities for professional development and continuing education.

Keep your employees updated, and make sure they're fully aware of the different certification, training and education options available to them. To encourage employees to take advantage of additional education programs, many organizations offer partial or complete tuition reimbursement and/or time off work to complete courses and schooling.

Providing your workers with consistent access to professional development opportunities will create an environment where education and learning are valued.

Related: Focus on Education and Training to Retain Your Workforce

9. Create bi-directional channels to engage with employee feedback.

Communication is the root of many employee frustrations. Make sure your business is creating channels for honest, specific feedback from and to your employees and taking advantage of ways to provide praise and constructive criticism in real time. Top-down communication can quickly become messy and convoluted. Instead, focus on direct, one-on-one conversations when possible. And provide digital spaces like employee communities to allow workers to come together and solve issues without management always being in the middle.

10. Continue to nurture your employer advocates.

If your business does a good job retaining its employees, you'll eventually develop employer advocates who become positive internal influences and community champions for your organization. Your work retaining these employees is not over, however.

Continue to nurture and support these assets to your business by offering them ongoing opportunities for professional growth and development, continuing to provide constructive feedback and showing them that their opinions and efforts are heard and valued.

Related:

10 Tips for Retaining Top Talent

4 Ways to Guide Your Employees Toward Empowered Decisions

What Clark Griswold's 'Christmas Vacation' Teaches Us About the Employee Experience



Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

NORWALK  It was a year of change for Norwalk Public Schools.

There was the adoption of a strategic plan to guide the district through 2019, finalized proposals to construct a new school, the exit of a prominent and longtime district employee and the arrival and departure of yet another chief of special education.

As the district looks to 2017 it will be important to keep the wheels of progress turning.

Moving plans along for the construction and expansions of facilities will be a key priority as the district currently sits at roughly 108 percent occupancy.

Securing a special education chief who is both a good fit and willing to commit long-term will be equally important as special education parents have grown even more frustrated following the leave of Lynn Toper.

And finding ways to pay for it all will continue to be an obstacle, as Superintendent of Schools Steven Adamowski proposes a goal of increasing the district's budget while already minimal state funding gets slashed even further.

Adopting a plan

For the first time in decades, teachers and administrators at Norwalk Public Schools started the school year with a plan. The 2016-2019 Strategic Operating Plan was introduced in its final form in June. It was developed by Adamowski, the Board of Education, school administrators and feedback received from teachers, staff, parents and members of the community. The mantra of the plan, which is publicly available in its entirety at norwalkps.org, is to raise the bar and close the gaps among Norwalk students.

Adamowski outlined the six goals in the strategic plan, which include improving achievement of all Norwalk students in reading, math and science, increase the achievement of Norwalks high needs student subgroups to reduce achievement gaps and developing exemplary teachers and school leaders by training and promoting within the district.

CCJEF and funding

Norwalk, which has been dubbed a poster child school for its underfunding through the states Education Cost Sharing funding formula, was hopeful after a Connecticut State Superior Judge ruled that the state is not meeting its obligation in how its education funding is distributed in the trial known as Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Funding v. Rell.

However, that case was appealed to the state Supreme Court and no education funding reform has occurred. To make matters worse, the states Office of Policy and Management announced Thursday that Norwalk will actually see a cut of $250,000 or 2.2 percent of its $11.49 million allotment from the state for the upcoming year. Thats as Adamowski presented his goals for a 7.8 percent increase in the school districts budget for the 2017-18 school year to pay for rising employee healthcare costs and other initiatives within the districts strategic plan.

Special education

After only five months on the job, Lynn Toper, the public school districts chief of special education, tendered her resignation effective Dec. 23.

Toper started with the school district in July and was tasked with overhauling the districts issue-laden special education programming. But the high hopes of her tenure never materialized.

In October, Toper went on partial leave to provide assistance to her family following an unexpected family illness that took place in August. Her leave of absence was scheduled to end in mid-December. However, Toper told district officials Wednesday that her last day would be Dec. 23.

Topers placement in the school district came after years of issues within Norwalk Public Schools special education programs. A 2007 review of the districts special education raised several concerns. A CREC review of the utilization of resources, organization structures and processes within the Special Education Department in 2008 showed no improvement. A second CREC report in 2012 revealed minimal progress. And a third CREC report in 2015 found the district worse off than in 2012.

A search for a new chief of specialized learning and student services began immediately and would be conducted at no cost to the school district by Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates, the firm that conducted the previous search for this role.

Plans for a new school

The Board of Education was presented with a Phase I Master Plan on Tuesday evening. The five-year outlook has been in the works for months and was presented to the full board for the first time by the superintendent and the facilities committee.

The full board is to vote on the plan at its Jan. 17 meeting. Under the plan: Columbus Magnet School would move into a newly constructed pre-K-8 school campus at the site of the former Nathaniel Ely School, the current Columbus Magnet School building would be renovated as new to house a K-5 intra-district magnet school with an International Baccalaureate Early Years Programme, Ponus Ridge Middle School would be transformed from a middle grades school into a full-fledged pre-K-8 STEM-themed magnet campus, and Jefferson Science Magnet School would lose its temporary trailers and magnet-school status and return to being a neighborhood school.

The effort for changes in school facilities come as the district runs roughly 750 seats short and is expected to grow to over 1,000 by 2025. To make matters worse, nearly 400 kids are stationed in 15 portable trailers that are nearing the end of their designed lifespan.

The school district is looking to construct a new school in South Norwalk as it is the only area without a neighborhood school and much of the citys growth is centered there. Its looking to renovate the current Jefferson Science Magnet School and Columbus Magnet School buildings as new as they were deemed in poor condition and in great need of work.

New childhood center

The Norwalk Early Childhood Center, which is situated within the same building as the Norwalk Senior Center on Allen Road, officially opened to students at the beginning of the 2016-17 school year.

the renovated building was developed to serve as a centralized facility for Pre-K classes that were previously scattered throughout Norwalk Public Schools. The centers half of the building underwent a months-long renovation after previously housing the Tumble Bugs Day School and Roosevelt Elementary School years prior.

A maximum of 208 Pre-K students can attend the center from across the district.

Improving school climate

A survey set up to measure the quality of life for students, faculty and parents in Norwalk Public Schools revealed a new baseline set of strengths and weaknesses for the district.

Results for the Comprehensive School Climate Inventory  given for the first time in Norwalk at the end of the 2015-16 school year  revealed generally favorable views within the district as it pertains to the communication and enforcement of rules and norms and relationships between adults and students. Areas of weaknesses, as indicated by the results, centered on a sense of social-emotional security and safety in the realm of social media.

This was the first year for the inventory, which replaced the Panorama Student Survey. The new survey is more comprehensive and captures the student voice, which the Panorama did not.

The district didnt have any category fall below 2.5, which would be considered negative, meaning all of the scores were at the neutral or positive level. Moving forward, district officials told schools to focus on two or three dimensions at a time for improvement.

KSchultz@thehour.com; 203-354-1049; @kevinedschultz
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

NORWALK  Norwalks urban renaissance will continue to gather steam in 2017 with the reconstruction of one of Connecticuts oldest public-housing complexes.

For decades, Washington Village residents have suffered undersized apartments and the constant threat of flooding.

In January, the Norwalk Housing Authority and Trinity Financial plan to break ground on 80 new apartments at 13 and 20 Day St. as part of the first phase of a roughly $140-million Washington Village Transformation Plan.

Were looking forward to it. Our clients will not have to worry about stuff like this, said NHA Executive Director Curtis O. Law while pointing at rain falling on South Norwalk on Thursday afternoon.

Thomas J. Ivers, NHA Choice Neighborhoods director, expects the first phase to be substantially completed by the end of 2017.

If Connecticuts sixth-largest city appeared to many residents to be one big construction site last year  the Norwalk Building Department issued 1,328 building permits during 2016  the trend will only continue in 2017.

Among other things, the new year promises to bring more apartments, the rumblings of the massive Walk Bridge replacement project and the start of work on The SoNo Collection.

The SoNo Collection

The Norwalk Zoning Commission in June approved General Growth Properties plan for a nearly million-square-foot upscale regional shopping center off West Avenue and Interstate 95.

GGP Senior Director Douglas T. Adams predicts 2017 will be an important year for The SoNo Collection.

We expect to complete our pre-construction and permitting tasks with the hope to get in the ground as soon as we can in 2017, Adams said. Initial construction in 2017 would be excavation and foundations.

As such, motorists and pedestrians passing by the long-vacant, dozen-acre development will see by years end concrete being poured to form the foundation of the mall. When finished, The SoNo Collection will be home to Bloomingdales and Nordstroms department stores, 80 smaller retailers, an eight-story boutique hotel and lots of public space.

Waypointe

The West Avenue redevelopment project known as Waypointe will move into its final phases in 2017 with occupancy of The Berkeley  a six-story apartment building with offices, retail and restaurants at 500 and 520 West Ave.  beginning in January.

People will be moving into The Berkley starting January 15, said Belpointe Capital partner Paxton B. Kinol. We already have certificates of occupancy for the first 38 apartments.

Belpointe Capital hopes to break ground this year on the Waypointe South Block  138,630 square feet of development, including retail, restaurants, a 620-seat iPic theater and new apartment building off West Avenue and Butler Street.

After including The Berkeley, 640 apartments have been built along West Avenue as part of the Waypointe development. Kinol said residents and visitors should look for additional restaurants to come online this year as part of the project.

Bobby Qs barbeque should open in January and we expect the rest of the restaurants at Waypointe to open in 2017, Kinol said.

Highpointe East & West

Waypointe isnt the only mixed-use redevelopment project being undertaken by Kinol in Norwalk.

Last February, the Norwalk Zoning Commission approved plans for Highpointe East and Highpointe West  278 apartments in six-story buildings along High Street, Main Street and Route 1.

Demolition will start in the first half of the year and new construction in the summer, Kinol said. If we start real construction in June, it would be the following June (2018) that people would move in.

Head of the Harbor

Closer to Wall Street, local developer M.F. DiScala & Co. is looking to wrap up work on 60 residential units, retail and a public waterfront boardwalk along upper Smith Street as part of Head of the Harbor South.

Were shooting for mid-second quarter for occupancy of HOTH South, said Alan Webber, CFO for M.F. DiScala.

Webber said M.F. DiScala is negotiating with the city over land that would become Head of the Harbor North. Conceptual plans show a five-story and 80-unit apartment building rising along High Street and a two-story retail building on Main Street.

We hope to be under construction before the end of the 2017, but dont know for sure, Webber said.

Wall Street Place

Officials hope to see construction resume in 2017 on Wall Street Place. Last August, work ground to a halt on 101 apartments, retail space and parking garage off Isaac Street amid financing issues between developer POKO Partners and CitiBank.

CitiBank has committed to continuing that project to the completion of phase one and then exploring the possibilities for phases two and three, said Mayor Harry W. Rilling.

Last fall, some construction resumed at the site with the pouring of concrete and sealing of the half-completed building to protect exposed plywood from the elements.

Wall Street Theater

In early 2017, the historic red-brick building that opened at 71 Wall St. a century ago as a vaudeville venue will emerge from a $9 million rehabilitation and become a next-generation performance space, according to Wall Street Theater Co.

Were going to be done in December with the substantial construction, developer Frank Farricker said in November as work proceeded inside. Obviously, well have little things to do  the decorations and getting all the systems in place  but we hope to be performing in February or March.

Drawn by the theater, Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network has submitted drawings to the city for a Connecticut Public Broadcasting Norwalk Innovation and Tech Center at the adjacent building at 67-69 Wall St.

Walk Bridge

While the Connecticut Department of Transportation doesnt plan to begin replacing the 120-year-old Walk Bridge until mid-2018, work on several related projects may start in spring 2017.

In April, the DOT expects to begin realigning tracks, replacing catenary structures, installing new signals and putting in a drainage system along the New Haven Line east of the bridge.

At the same time, the state plans to start work on track improvements and a new dockyard along Metro-North Railroads Danbury Line in Norwalk. The work will occur between the New Haven Line and Jennings Road crossing.

The work includes the addition of two new track sidings, switch improvements, replacement of overhead catenary wires and structures, signal improvements, installation of a new balancing substation at Science Road, and the replacement of the superstructure of the rail bridge over Ann Street with a new ballasted deck, said DOT spokesman Judd Everhart.

rkoch@hearstmediact.com
NC leaders say polls bottomline

Nepali Congress leaders have stressed the need for holding the local elections as soon as possible, urging the main opposition CPN-UML to let Parliament function for passing necessary legislations.
In this holiday season, when outlandish political events have marred the Merry in Christmas for many Americans, the New Year offers a chance to regroup and make resolutions with more vigor than usual.

My resolutions for 2017 have been composed with much thought and, ahem, the assistance of festive adult beverages. With resolutions like these, we may yet make America not grate again on the nerves.

My first resolution may surprise some, but I resolve never to say that the new president is not my president. This disgusting language was used by conservatives to denigrate President Barack Obama and I had no tolerance for it then and I have none now.

Of course President Grumpy Cat will be my president. If he were not our president, none of us would have a problem. To say otherwise is to disrespect the will of the people, some of whom voted in such a self-destructive way because they felt disrespected. I dont like it but I accept it.

It does not matter that the incoming president lost the popular vote by 2.8 million votes. The system is what it is, the fruit of the Founding Fathers wisdom. Too bad that in this instance they gave us lemons to suck instead of lemonade.

I also resolve to remain unwavering in my opposition to all acts of folly but stand ready to applaud anything good that might happen under the new regime.

As a matter of mathematical certainty, not everything will be bad. Even a blind pig can find the occasional truffle. And, no, I am not comparing the new president to a blind pig. Pigs may be big hams but they are not so egotistical.

In that vein, I resolve to give the new president a chance to prove that Americans worst fears are exaggerated. Who knows? Maybe leopards can change their spots. Maybe a government of the billionaires, for the millionaires will not make all hopes perish for the ordinary people. I hope to be astounded.

As to the length of this grace period, I believe all criticism should be withheld for the same duration as President Obamas opponents gave him after he took the oath of office. Help me out here: Was that 15 seconds or 30 seconds? Heck, Ill round it out to a full minute, so magnanimous am I feeling.

I wish that the benefit of the doubt due to the incoming president could be longer. But with his Cabinet choices  persons handpicked to destroy the very departments they are set to administer  he has shown that the symbol of the new administration will not be the fascist salute but a finger raised in the direction of anybody thoughtful.

Sadly, then, the resistance must start immediately. But a note of caution: With feelings high and rebellion in the air, I am not for entering crazy land. It is a locale that has been all too familiar of late.

When protesters blocked traffic after the election, they succeeded only in making asses of themselves. When other people put faith in the members of the Electoral College to overturn the election, they lost their minds.

I have not decided what form my own resistance will take. Some creative sulking perhaps? However, I do resolve not to leave this country but stay and irritate those who deserve to be irritated.

Our resistance must proceed with a respect for decency and facts. It must not march to the same tune as the trolls who brought us so low. The motto of the resistance should be: We are as mad as hell but we will not take it crazily anymore.

Indeed, this resurgence should not be about Democrats and Republicans but about the reasoned and the irrational. It should welcome any thinking Republican who has not impersonated Neville Chamberlain to bring a piece of ideological nonsense in our time.

I resolve not to be put off by being called a crybaby or a whiner. You will notice that this complaint comes from those who have spent the last eight years whining and crying.

What was the Tea Party but well-off people acting out like spoiled brats because they had their medical insurance and they didnt want others to have theirs? Imagine if their candidate had got 2.8 million more votes nationwide but had lost the election? There would be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

My final resolution is to remain defiantly optimistic. They will have to pry jokes from my cold, dead fingers before I lose my sense of humor.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Abrori Charliene (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, December 31 2016

Dynamic discourse over capital punishment in the country is why Indonesia abstained from the latest UN resolution on a moratorium for the death penalty, officials said Thursday.

Earlier activists said they appreciated the stance as a middle way, given that 18 executions had occurred from 2015 to 2016.

Indonesia abstained because on one side the resolution did not call for the abolishment of the death penalty, only a moratorium, Hasan Kleib, the Foreign Ministrys director general for multilateral affairs, told The Jakarta Post.

to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content

e-Post daily digital newspaper

No advertisements, no interruptions

Privileged access to our events and programs

Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login
Nepal headed for largest paddy harvest in history

Nepal is headed for the largest paddy harvest in history as the heavens have smiled on farmers and sent down an above average monsoon, according to a preliminary crop production report released by the Agricultural Ministry on Sunday.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Cecillia Bae (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, December 31 2016

After eight months, the re-imprisonment of faculty members Neil Bantleman, a Canadian citizen, and Ferdinant Tjiong, an Indonesian citizen, from the Jakarta Intercultural School (JIS) has remained a cause for concern, fear and skepticism within communities in the country and abroad over protection of human rights in Indonesia.

Ever since allegations of child molestation surfaced in April 2014, six janitorial staff members working at the school were immediately incarcerated. Shortly afterward, Bantleman, an assistant principal at the elementary school, and Tjiong, a teaching assistant, were also detained after more allegations of sexual abuse followed.

The sole fact that these eight people could be detained for more than 24 hours, let alone imprisoned, without any substantial evidence in sight was the first of many human rights violations to come. Furthermore, one of the janitorial staff members  suspiciously physically battered  died in custody; the five others retracted their confessions to the crime, stating that the police extracted them through torture.

to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content

e-Post daily digital newspaper

No advertisements, no interruptions

Privileged access to our events and programs

Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Ganug Nugroho Adi and Suherdjoko (The Jakarta Post) Klaten/Semarang  Sat, December 31 2016

In its latest operation on Friday, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) arrested Central Javas Klaten Regent Sri Hartini for alleged graft, signaling its seriousness in combating corruption in the regions.

KPK investigators arrested Sri Hartini at her official residence at 9 a.m. During the operation, the antigraft body also seized Rp 2 billion (US$148,776) in cash.

Besides Sri Hartini, the KPK also nabbed two officials at the Klaten Education Agency as well as an official at the Klaten Employment Agency (BKD), said the regents aide, Tri Nugroho.

to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content

e-Post daily digital newspaper

No advertisements, no interruptions

Privileged access to our events and programs

Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin (The Jakarta Post)  Sat, December 31 2016

Here are the four shortened versions of the articles published at Lifestyle channel on www.thejakartapost.com. If you are keen to read the full articles or want to look for more interesting lifestyle pieces, complete with photos and videos, swing by to the Lifestyle channel in our website. For a quick access, download QR scanner application in your smartphone and scan the codes display next to the articles.

Streaming of George Michaels songs skyrockets



Following the death of British pop superstar George Michael on Sunday at the age of 53, the number of people streaming of his songs reportedly surged on Monday.



As reported by Antara news agency, digital music service Spotify recorded a 3,158 percent global increase in the streaming of Michaels solo tracks the day after news of his death was announced.

to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content

e-Post daily digital newspaper

No advertisements, no interruptions

Privileged access to our events and programs

Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Jon Afrizal (The Jakarta Post) Jambi  Sat, December 31 2016

A bylaw introduced in late 2015 played a major role in preventing massive land and forest fires in Jambi, a local expert said Friday.

Following the enactment of the bylaw we have seen that in 2016 the province has not experienced massive land and forest fires in the magnitude we saw in 2015. [It seems] the bylaw has managed to convince relevant parties to stop clearing land by burning it, member of the Jambi Legislative Councils experts team, M. Junaidi, said.

Slash-and-burn is a common land clearing method for local farmers and plantation firms operating in Sumatra and Kalimantan. This method has been blamed for triggering uncontrolled fires.

to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content

e-Post daily digital newspaper

No advertisements, no interruptions

Privileged access to our events and programs

Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin (Associated Press) Istanbul  Sun, January 1, 2017

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has condemned the attack on an Istanbul nightclub that left at least 39 people dead and nearly 70 wounded, saying Turkey will relentlessly continue fighting terror.

Erdogan said in a written statement Sunday: "I vehemently condemn the terror attack in Istanbul's Ortakoy neighborhood in the first hours of 2017."

Offering his condolences for those who lost their lives, including "foreign guests," Erdogan says "Turkey continues its combat against terror and is absolutely determined to do whatever is necessary in the region to ensure its citizens safety and peace."

___

12:35 p.m.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent Turkey's president a telegram of condolences, denouncing the Istanbul nightclub attack.

"It is hard to imagine a more cynical crime than killing innocent people during New Year celebrations," Putin said in the message to Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Kremlin said Sunday.

"However, terrorists don't share moral values. Our common duty is to combat terrorists' aggression," Putin said.

Nordic and Baltic leaders reacted on Twitter, with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius saying "terrorist cowards can kill, but can't win."

Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite sent her "heartfelt condolences," while Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven called the attack "awful."

In Norway, Prime Minister Erna Solberg said it was a "cowardly armed attack toward innocent civilians."

There were no immediate reports of casualties from the region among the foreign victims.

___

11:15 a.m.

Mehmet Dag, 22, was passing by the club where a gunman killed at least 39 people and wounded nearly 70 in Istanbul and saw the suspect shoot at a police officer and a bystander.

"I was in shock at the scene," he said. Dag says the suspect then targeted security, gunning them down and entering the club. "Once he went in, we don't know what happened. There were gun sounds and after two minutes, the sound of an explosion."

Istanbul's governor said the attacker, armed with a long-barreled weapon, killed a policeman and a civilian outside Istanbul's popular Reina club at around 1:15 a.m. before entering and firing on people partying inside.

IPhone footage filmed by Dag and obtained by The Associated Press shows a police officer lying on the ground outside the club, and then a woman. Dag tells the woman, who is lying on the floor face down in a pool of blood, "my sister, you will get better." He calls for an ambulance. Footage shows ambulances and the lights of an Istanbul bridge when the sound of gunfire rings out inside the club.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Arya Dipa (The Jakarta Post) Bandung, West Java  Sun, January 1, 2017

Personnel from the West Java Police General Crimes Investigation Directorate have arrested IR, a man who claimed to be an official with the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), for allegedly deceiving defendant Ojang Sohandi. The non-active Subang regent is undergoing a legal process in an alleged Rp 1.25 billion (US$92,421) bribery case related to Social Security Agency (BPJS) health funds.

West Java Police chief Insp.Gen.Anton Charliyan said IR, a resident of Bekasi, West Java, had been arrested in Bandung, West Java. We are now tracing his network, he said in Bandung on Friday.

Anton said the investigation was conducted to follow up on the suspects claim that he could help settle the corruption case currently implicating Ojang.

IR claimed he was a KPK member. He intimidated people by saying that they would be named suspects by the KPK. He even acted as if he could settle their problems. He will be charged with violating articles 372 and 378 of the Criminal Code [KUHP]. Since December, six people have reported him to the police, said Anton.

IR received money twice from Ojang and his staff before he was arrested by the police. At first, IR asked Ojang to pay Rp 500 million and then he requested another Rp 675 million from a staff member.

KPK deputy chairman for internal surveillance and public complaints, Ranu Miharja, said the antigraft body was investigating other alleged extortions reported by Ojang and other witnesses.

Ojang and his staff members gave money to the suspect in stages between April 2015 and May 2016. This was before the KPK started to handle Ojangs case, said Ranu.

While committing his crimes, Ranu said IR had always shown a KPK ID card and conveyed documents he claimed to be a corruption report received by the antigraft body.

We coordinated with the police to handle this case, which led to his arrest, said Ranu. Ojang is undergoing trial at the Bandung Corruption Court. (ebf)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Safrin La Batu (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, January 1, 2017

A ferry traveling from Kali Adem to Tidung Island in North Jakarta burst into flames on Sunday morning after a fire in its engine room reached the fuel container. Twenty three people were killed in the explosion.

Thousand Islands Regency fire fighter and safety agency head Eko Mahendro said the ferry, the Zahro Express, departed from Kali Adem Port in Penjaringan at 8:50 a.m. The ferry was carrying around 100 passengers.

The incident occurred at 9:24 a.m, he said.

Fire fighters tried to put out the fires by sending two water pumps and a fire boat unit. (wit)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Ruslan Sangadji (The Jakarta Post) Poso  Sun, January 1, 2017

The police said on Saturday that its mission to wipe out a terrorist group in Poso, Central Sulawesi, had been successful over the past year. The police also said the operation would be extended to capture the group's remaining members.

The commander of Operation Tinombala, Brig. Gen. Rudy Sufahriadi, said the joint police-military operation had resulted in the death of Santoso, the leader of the East Indonesia Muhajidin (MIT) and the country's most wanted terrorist for years. The operation has also led to the neutralization of 32 members of the MIT, he added.

Rudy said 10 of the members had been captured alive while another 20 had been killed during firefights with officers. Another two were found dead.

Although weve successfully neutralized Santoso, the operation will be resumed in 2017, said Rudy, who is also Central Sulawesi Police chief.

MIT is now led by Ali Kalora, said Rudy.

(Read also: Operation Tinombala likely to be extended: Chief)

The operation, which was initiated in 2015, had been extended several times because of the failure to capture Santoso. After he was shot dead in July, there were plans to terminate the mission.

But the police said the operation was still necessary to capture all remaining MIT members.

At least 19 operation personnel have passed away because of illness or firefights with members of the MIT. (wit)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, January 1, 2017

The police arrested Ridwan Sitorus, aka Ius Pane, a suspect in the killings at a house in Pulo Mas, East Jakarta, last week, at a bus station in Medan, North Sumatra, on Sunday morning.

Yes, the perpetrator was apprehended this morning. He is now with police officers on the way from Medan to Jakarta, Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Raden Prabowo Argo Yuwono said as reported by kompas.com.

(Read also: Pulo Mas killings suspect Ridwan Sitorus wanted dead or alive)

Argo gave no details on the arrest of one of the country's most wanted suspected criminals who, along with three other accomplices, allegedly robbed the house of architect Dodi Triono and left 11 people locked in a small bathroom, ultimately leading to the deaths of six by asphyxiation

Raden said the arrest had been led by Jakarta Police detectives chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Sapta Maulana Marpaung.

The police earlier nabbed Ridwans accomplices, one of whom was shot dead, on Wednesday in Bekasi, West Java.

The suspects are believed to have entered the house last Monday, keeping the 11 victims in the bathroom, before leaving the scene with precious valuables.(jun)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Fadli and Jon Afrizal (The Jakarta Post) Batam  Sun, January 1, 2017

A Russian national was accosted by a group of locals while on holiday in Batam, Riau Islands, on Saturday, for wearing a t-shirt displaying communist symbols.

Igor Riabchuk was approached by members of an organization calling themselves Children of the Red Beret Command (AKBM) while he was walking in Batams Nagoya. The group said the 49-year-old man had violated the law for wearing a t-shirt bearing the hammer-and-sickle logo, the symbol of communism.

Riabchuk, who cannot speak English or Indonesian, could not understand them and could not resist when they took him to the police station.

Riau Islands Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Saptono Erlangga told The Jakarta Post that the police decided to hold him for a while for his own safety.

He can only speak Russian so he didnt understand why these people approached him, said Saptono.

Saptono said the police later confiscated the t-shirt and returned the man to his hotel.

Igor said he purchased the t-shirt in Vietnam.

Hes only a tourist. No political motive, said Saptono.

Indonesian law still bans communism and often jails people for discussing the ideology or wearing paraphernalia related to communism.

(Read also: Thousands rally in protest of alleged revival of PKI)

Earlier, the local military command detained a Singaporean, Azri Zulfarhan bin Kamsin, for wearing a similar t-shirt. He was also released and had the t-shirt confiscated.

In Jambi, the police detained Rudiyanto, a resident of Alambarajo, Jambi, for wearing a hammer-and-sickle t-shirt on New Year's Eve.

The motorcycle taxi driver was stopped while crossing the street wearing the red t-shirt.

Rudianto said he bought the shirt two weeks ago at a local flea market.

"I was on my way to see the New Year's celebration, but ended up here at the police station," he said on Sunday. (wit)
New Year celebrations: Global festivities welcome 2017

Fireworks have lit up the skies over some of the world's most iconic landmarks as people across the globe gather to welcome the New Year.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Theresia Sufa (The Jakarta Post) Bogor, West Java  Sun, January 1, 2017

Why are tropical rainforests important? This question will be answered by the Bodogol Nature Conservation Education Center (PPKA), which is ready to educate people about the function of tropical rainforests, especially those who live in areas around the Gunung Gede Pangrango National Park (TNGGP).

PPKA Bodogol head Tangguh said the center educated people through education and ecotourism programs with various themes, such as useful plants, mammals in tropical rainforests and the origin of water. Local residents are trained to guide visitors who want to walk around PPKA Bodogol areas.

We want our people to learn about conservation directly from nature because the animals found in Bodogol adequately represent the kinds of species living in the TNGGP, said Tangguh.

In the areas of Bodogol, with an altitude of around 800 meters, various protected animals such as the silver gibbon, locally known as the Owa Jawa, Javan hawk-eagle and Javan surili, can be found.

Javan leopards, the top predator in the TNGGP, still inhabit the area, said Tangguh.

With quite high rainfall, the national park is heavily covered with various types of trees, creeping plants and epiphytes.

Learn from nature  Visitors pass a canopy trail, one of the facilities at the Bodogol Nature Conservation Education Center in the Gunung Gede Pangrango National Park (TNGGP) in West Java.(JP/Theresia Sufa)

Covering 2,300 hectares, the PPKA Bodogol was founded in 1998 as a result of the partnership among three institutions, namely the TNGGP and two conservation institutions  Conservation International Indonesia (CII) and Yayasan Alam Mitra Indonesia (ALAMI).

PPKA Bodogol guide Andri said conservation education provided by the TNGGP was very important.

People used to catch birds and take wood from the forests. But they now understand they should no longer do it. They are aware that they should participate in conserving the forests because they will not face water shortages if the forests are conserved, said Andri. (ebf)
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Funny Girl

The Play That Goes Wrong

Hairspray

The critically acclaimed National Theatre production will tour the UK and Ireland starting in June 2017. The play, written by Simon Stephens, has picked up Tony Awards and a record breaking number of Olivier Awards since it began in 2012. It tells the story of Cristopher Boone, a 15-year-old with an extraordinary brain. A talented mathematician with difficulties interpreting everyday life, he sets out to solve the mystery of the death of his neighbours dog. The production is sensitive and visually astounding.In 2016, after 50 years, Funny Girl returned to the West End stage starring Sheridan Smith. The musical had rave reviews with the Evening Standard describing it as Triumphant and the Financial Times saying it had wit, charm and energy, sparkly choreography, and a strong, ebullient cast. Now the musical is set to play at 22 theatres up and down the country with its fabulous leading lady, Sheridan Smith, confirmed for the first month of the tour.Mischief Theatre was founded in 2008 by a group of graduates of The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and began as an improvised comedy group, since then it has taken over the comedy scene in the West End with their productions of A Comedy About a Bank Robbery, Peter Pan Goes Wrong and the original, The Play That Goes Wrong. The Olivier Award-winning comedy will tour 29 venues and is a brilliant opportunity to see some of the greatest new comedy to hit the theatre in a long time.The feel-good, fabulous musical that is Hairspray will be returning to a stage near you in 2017. If youve never experienced Hairspray (where have you been?!), the story follows Tracy Turnblad. Set in Baltimore in 1962, it follows Tracy as she wishes to dance her way onto national TV and charm the gorgeous Link Larkin. She uses her new found fame as a catalyst for racial equality. With big hair, big girls, big laughs and big hits, Hairspray is still loved by audiences everywhere.
PM for tabling amendment bill tomorrow

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has agreed to table the constitution amendment bill in Parliament, possibly on Monday, after the Madhes-based parties renewed their pledge to support the local elections.
This is a Student Travel Writer 2018 competition entry

When setting foot into a new city, I've always thought about how different the city must look to people that actually live there on a daily basis. People who are concerned with bus routes and the best shop to do dry cleaning, rather than the historical landmarks and touristy attractions. Although I live in London, I seldom see Westminster Abbey or Big Ben.

So when in Berlin, I went on a tour of the Real Berlin with Alternative Berlin, exploring the German capital through the eyes of people that develop their every day business between a couple of streets and train tracks, no Check-Point Charlie or Wall. What bothers a Berliner is indeed far from those tourist attractions; it's more of an urban battle between their flat and the flat being restored on the floor above them. It's a construction feud between the state owned condominiums and the expensive luxury privatized ones.

Gentrification is what's eating away at the Berlin a German looks at, through the eyes of a resident.

Progress is key to mankind and if it werent for constant renewal, innovation, invention and that buzzing sound of looking for something even better all the time, wed probably all still live in freaking teepees and huts. Yet, when it comes in the form of gentrification within cities, renewal and innovation can prove to have both a monetary cost and human cost. In fact, revival of deteriorated urban neighborhoods is a very controversial topic. Improving areas with expensive rebuilding causes increased property values, so landlords start raising rents, and therefore displace lower income families and businesses, since they cannot afford to live there anymore.

Unfortunately, London has already been shredded to pieces by gentrification, raising its prices so high that it becomes increasingly complicated to find a place to stay. Shoreditch, specifically, is a London borough where everything artsy and creative used to thrive, with bohemians setting their roots, but now is being renovated to costs that those same bohemians can no longer afford.

Berlin is slowly slipping into the same vicious cycle. After the Cold War, the German capital flowered with alternative lifestyles and interesting and distinctive areas with great capacity for cultural production. These values are being swept aside as big corporation buy out property for business and landlords renew property making it unaffordable. Berlin is a poor city, but innovators and business moguls believe it is necessary for the capital to keep up with the marketing development of the German nation, a world-class economic power.

On my visit of Berlin for the Student Travel Writer 2016 competition I had the chance to do a little research on how bad gentrification has got within the city.

Berlins average rent has risen 57% since 2004. 85% of the population in Berlin is made up of renters. Low income workers are being priced out of inner-city neighborhoods, causing a massive surge in inequality and a mix and match within the social make-up of urban centers. Kreuzberg used to be the Shoreditch of Berlin, but now is rendered unaffordable for several. As creative Berliners are being squeezed out of their cheap rented flats, more and more people move into the city, causing a breaking house shortage. The Financial Times reports that Experts say Berlin must build an additional 25,000 homes every year to keep up with the growth in its population. But last year, only 8,000 were constructed, city officials say.

However, Germans are trying to do what they do best, aka, fixing issues. Indeed, the Deutsch government is doing whats possible to combat this gentrification pandemic. The six state-owned housing companies will build 53,400 new apartments and buy 26,600 new flats, reserving 30% of them to low-income families, increasing the number of affordable flats from 80,000 to 400,000 by 2026.

More controversially, the government has also established that 33 neighborhoods are designated as urban conservation areas, banning expansive developments in such boroughs. According to the Guardian, this includes: changing floor plans, merging two flats into one or splitting large flats up into several, adding balconies or terraces larger than four square meters, installing fitted kitchens or undertaking luxury bathroom renovations.

Berlin has also adopted a rental brake policy, by which the rent to newcomers cannot be higher than the average local rent by any more than 10% maximum. Landlords in the urban conservation areas are also prohibited from letting out their homes with Airbnb, noting that for example in Kreuzberg there are more holiday flats than actual flats to rent.

However, this tight control reminds the population of their scars from a Stasi past and most probably defeats the purpose of keeping it cool and casual, if cool and casual is forced. This governmental intervention process can also come across as an attack to flexible ownership rights as well as an undermining of the chance to buy, notwithstanding the low costs of borrowing. Plus, if only some areas are protected by law and some arent this risks creating a social divide and a big gap between the citizens of Berlin. Finally, it must be kept into mind that there needs to be a point of balance between affordability and innovation, because it is important to progress.

Take the Real Berlin tour with Alternative Berlin to learn more.

In order to provide no entrant with an unfair advantage, Student Travel Writer 2018 competition entries are edited for grammar only - stylistic choices and headlines are solely the work of the writer in question and not of The National Student's editorial staff.
Tentang Situs Slot Online Resmi MGS88 Nama Situs  MGS88 Minimal Deposit  Rp. 10.000,- (Sepuluh Ribu Rupiah) Proses Deposit   2 Menit Metode Deposit  Bank Transfer,  Pulsa,  E-Wallet Judi Online Terbaik  Slot Online,  Judi Bola,  Casino Online,  Togel Online,  Tembak Ikan Provider Slot Gacor Mudah Maxwin  Pragmatic Play,  PGSoft,  MicroGaming,  Habanero Slot Gacor Gampang Menang  Gates of Olympus,  Sweet Bonanza,  Wild West Gold,  Starlight Princess Win Rate 98%

RTP Live Slot Gacor Tertinggi Hari Ini Terbaru Terlengkap

Selamat datang di halaman RTP live dan informasi soal slot gacor hari ini dari situs MGS88 yang setiap hari selalu update. Berdasarkan RTP Live MGS88, Anda bisa mendapatkan informasi tentang slot online yang saat ini yang sedang Gacor atau onfire dengan persentase yang terbukti akurat, ini bisa menjadi rekomendasi anda sebelum memilih permainan slot online di situs MGS88. Cek RTP Slot sekarang juga bosku

Klik Provider Slot Untuk Mengetahui RTP Slot Secara Real Time

Selamat datang bagi kalian yang sedang mencari situs RTP Live terlengkap dan terkini hari ini. Sangat sesuai jika Anda mengunjungi website MGS88 RTP live untuk informasi tentang permainan slot yang lagi gacor dengan slot RTP yang terupdate. Persentase kemenangan yang kami berikan tentunya diambil dengan data yang sangat valid dan hanya untuk permainan slot yang tersedia di situs MGS88. RTP yang tersedia juga akan selalu diperbarui setiap hari berdasarkan level kemenangan yang diberikan kepada member kami.

Memang sih untuk bermain slot itu tergantung hoki dari setiap pemain, Namun RTP live atau bocoran slot dari yang kami sediakan ini adalah data autentik dari banyaknya pemain yang telah bermain dan mencapai kemenangan tinggi. Sederhananya, kalau banyak pemain yang menang di dalam 1 permainan slot, karena itu permainan slot tersebut akan mempunyai persentase RTP yang sangat tinggi.

Namun kami tegaskan sekali lagi, ini bukan sebuah paksaan kami situs MGS88 untuk anda bermain di game slot yang mana. Ini bisa dijadikan sebagai referensi atau tolok ukur, boleh dicoba kalau anda mempunyai feel yang kuat dalam memainkan permainan game slot. Anda dapat mengakses kapan saja dan di mana saja selama anda siap bermain. Jangan ragu untuk bertanya ya seputar pola putaran terhadap kami, sebab kami juga menyediakannya loh.

Apa itu RTP Live?

RTP Live ialah informasi mengenai persentase tertinggi saat ini dari hasil RTP Live dengan bocoran kemenangan pemain saat ini. RTP Live merupakan singkatan dari Return To Play atau bisa juga diartikan sebagai Return to Player. Karena itu, para pemain slot sekarang jika ingin mengetahui seberapa besar kemenangannya, bisa dengan memainkan permainan yang akan dimainkannya dan bisa untung dengan mudah dan tentunya maksimal.

Apa itu RTP Slot?

RTP Slot juga dikenal sebagai return to player atau pengembalian ke Pemain. RTP slot ialah persentase dari nilai pengembalian semua uang yang dipertaruhkan pemain dari waktu ke waktu. Dengan kata lain, RTP juga dianggap sebagai salah satu fitur slot yang mengembalikan uang pemain saat pemain kalah.

Persentase digunakan untuk menghitung RTP dalam permainan slot. Misalnya, jika slot memiliki RTP 97%, itu berarti untuk setiap 100.000 koin yang hilang di slot, slot dapat mengembalikan 97.000. Jika Anda mengetahui RTP sebuah permainan slot, Anda dapat memutuskan permainan slot mana yang akan dimainkan tanpa kerugian besar.

Apakah Angka Persentase RTP Slot Itu Penting?

Biasanya pemain slot itu tidak memperhatikan RTP dalam permainan yang akan dimainkan, biasanya setelah anda mengisi saldo utama anda akan langsung buru-buru memainkannya. Yang terakhir 90-96% mempengaruhi jumlah kemenangan. Semakin tinggi jumlah RTP yang digunakan, semakin luas peluang untuk mendapatkan keuntungan.

Akan namun itu segala tak secara 100% menjamin kemenangan kau dalam bermain, RTP itu cuma sebagai kalkulasi pengeluaran anda saja selama bermain slot.Dengan adanya RTP, kau dapat mengerjakan pengaturan atas uang yang akan kau pertaruhkan nanti pada ketika bermain.Untuk itu pada ketika kau bermain slot dan telah mengalami banyak kekalahan di satu permainan, direkomendasikan kau pindah ke permainan slot lainnya yang RTP nya lebih tinggi dari permainan yang tadi kau mainkan.

Keuntungan Menggunakan Bocoran RTP Slot Hari Ini

Situs MGS88 Akan dengan senang hati akan beberapa keuntungan yang didapatkan jika anda bermain slot dengan menggunakan RTP Live yang telah disediakan. Berikut Keuntungannya :

Peluang Kemenangan Meningkat Tentu saja, saat bermain slot online, menang adalah hal yang paling penting. Di sinilah RTP berperan sebagai metode atau metode baru yang akan membantu Anda memilih permainan slot persentase tinggi. Mendapat variasi dalam Memainkan Game Slot Pastinya banyak pemain slot online yang hanya memainkan 3-5 permainan slot saja. Namun dengan RTP Live slot akan memberikan banyak game slot lain yang bisa anda coba. Tentunya semua permainan slot memiliki potensi kemenangan yang besar, jadi jangan hanya mengandalkan beberapa permainan saja. Menambah Pengalaman Dalam Bermain Slot Keuntungan terakhir adalah Anda tentu saja menambah pengalaman dan keahlian dalam permainan slot online. Dengan berbagai macam permainan slot yang dimainkan, Anda pasti mengetahui karakteristik dari setiap permainan slot yang Anda mainkan. Akibatnya, Anda pasti bisa dianggap sebagai pemain slot yang andal, yang pasti akan meningkatkan peluang Anda untuk menang besar menggunakan RTP.

Daftar 8 Situs Dengan RTP Slot Live Tertinggi Hari Ini

Ada banyak penyedia mesin slot online di internet. Tetapi tidak semuanya memiliki peluang tinggi atau RTP Live Slot yang sangat tinggi. Tapi jangan khawatir, berikut ini adalah situs slot gacor yang akan memberikan bocoran slot dengan RTP Live Tertinggi:

RTP Live Slot Pragmatic Play (RTP Slot 97.85%) RTP Live Slot PG Soft (RTP Live 96.15%) RTP Live Slot Habanero (RTP Slot 95.89%) RTP Live Slot CQ9 (RTP Live 98.83%) RTP Live Slot Spade Gaming (RTP Live 94.99%) RTP Live Slot Micro Gaming (RTP Slot 95.39%) RTP Slot Live Top Trend Gaming (RTP Live 96.14%) RTP Slot Live JOKER123 (RTP Live 97.45%)

Itulah Daftar 8 Provider Slot Gacor dengan RTP Live teratas diatas tentunya kami analisa terlebih dahulu. Anda bisa membuktikannya langsung dengan mengklik banner atau meprovider game slot yang sudah tersedia di atas. Saran kami yaitu Anda harus memainkan semua penyedia slot di atas untuk mencapai peluang kemenangan terbaik.

Daftar Slot RTP Live Tertinggi Sering Kasih Jackpot

Selain mempertimbangkan RTP Slot Gacor yang ada, sebenarnya ada banyak faktor penting untuk menang dalam permainan judi online. Sebab ada banyak game yang memiliki fitur dan mekanisme unik dan bisa membantu anda meraih Jackpot yang sangat besar.

Berikut ini akan kami ulas daftar 5 game slot paling populer karena sering memberikan jackpot:

RTP Live Gates of Olympus Gates of Olympus adalah game slot teraneh dan terbaik di Indonesia. Karena permainan mesin slot ini paling populer karena kakek Zeus dapat mengizinkan pengganda x500. Selain itu, fitur dan mekanik Gates of Olympus juga sangat menguntungkan untuk memenangkan Grand Jackpot. Secara teoritis, RTP slot langsung Gates of Olympus bernilai 96,50%, yang berarti peluang Anda untuk memenangkan MaxWin cukup tinggi. RTP live Sweet Bonanza Sweet Bonanza adalah permainan slot terpopuler kedua. Game slot bertema buah dan permen yang lezat ini sepertinya akan menarik banyak perhatian karena tergolong slot gacor yang mudah menang. Secara teoritis, slot Sweet Bonanza RTP bernilai 96,48%, yang berarti peluang Anda cukup tinggi untuk memenangkan jackpot. RTP Live Wild West Gold Wild West Gold adalah permainan slot bertema koboi yang juga populer di kalangan penggemar konspirasi. Permainan slot Wild West Gold sendiri kerap menawarkan kejutan jackpot bagi para pemainnya. Selain itu, nilai RTP Live Slot menunjukkan indeks tertinggi hari ini, yang berarti sangat layak dan sangat direkomendasikan. RTP Live Starlight Princess Slot Starlight Princess ini memiliki gaya dan fitur yang mirip dengan Gates of Olympus. Perbedaannya hanya pada desain dan karakter gamenya saja, karena memiliki fitur dan mekanik yang sama tentunya RTP slot teoritis pada game slot ini sama yaitu 96,50%. RTP Live Cash Elevator Mungkin sebagian dari Anda baru mengenal slot Cash Elevator. Namun dari data benchmark yang diungkap, ternyata banyak sekali yang menikmati permainan slot ini. Dengan fitur dan mekanisme unik seperti Lift up and down asli, slot ini juga memiliki slot RTP Live dasar 96,64% yang juga memiliki mekanisme yang sangat menguntungkan untuk memperlancar tingkat kemenangan besar.

Bocoran Jam Main Slot Gacor Hari Ini

Dalam bermain permainan slot online itu tidak bisa dilakukan dengan sembarangan yah. Jadi, Jika anda bermain pada waktu tertentu seperti yang akan kita bahas sesaat lagi, ada kemungkinan anda untuk mendapatkan kemenangan lebih tinggi. Jam RTP Slot Gacor merupakan bocoran jam main slot yang akan memberikan anda kapan waktu yang pas dalam bermain game slot.

Tentu saja seluruh provider slot online memiliki jam tertentu dalam memberikan peluang kepada para pemainnya untuk mendapatkan kemenangan. Disini kami akan memberikan anda Bocoran Jam Slot Gacor yang Paling Akurat Hari ini:

Jam Slot Gacor Pragmatic Play 02:30 WIB - Jam 05:25 WIB Jam Slot Gacor Habanero 14:26 WIB - Jam 17:38 WIB Jam Slot Gacor CQ9 00:45 WIB - Jam 05:53 WIB Jam Slot Gacor PG SOFT 14:25 WIB - Jam 17:35 WIB Jam Slot Gacor Joker123 17:41 WIB - Jam 20:42 WIB Jam Slot Gacor Microgaming 22:30 WIB - Jam 00:35 WIB

MGS88: Situs Judi Slot Online Gacor Pay4D Resmi dan Terpercaya

MGS88 adalah situs game slot online Gacor terbaru yang bermitra dengan Pay4D, Pay4D sendiri merupakan daftar situs game slot online terpercaya dengan berbagai macam permainan judi yang mudah dimenangkan seperti Game Bola, Casino Online, Slot Pay4D, Tembak Ikan dan Pay4D Online Permainan togel seperti Singapura, Hongkong, Sydney dan lain-lain. Tujuan utama kami adalah menjadi situs judi online Pay4D yang menyediakan layanan judi online terbaik di Indonesia.

Kami juga salah satu situs resmi PAY4D di Indonesia yang pasti akan membayarkan semua kemenangan kepada semua member kami, karena kepercayaan dari semua member kami adalah prioritas utama kami sebagai mesin slot 4d Asia terbaik di Asia, khususnya di Indonesia.

Dalam melakukan sistem transaksi sistem simpanan dapat dilakukan dengan mudah melalui mobile banking dan electronic banking berupa bank BCA, BSI, BRI, BNI, Cimb Niaga, Permata dan Mandiri. Selain itu, transaksi e-wallet juga tersedia melalui Dana, Gopay, LinkAja dan Ovo serta dapat digunakan untuk pulsa tanpa dipotong.

Untuk mempermudah dan kenyamanan dalam melakukan registrasi atau melakukan setiap transaksi, MGS88 menyediakan layanan live chat dan Whatsapp terhubung langsung dengan customer service online 24 jam.

Mengenal Istilah Dalam RTP SLOT

Di slot RTP Live Anda akan melihat berbagai fitur yang mungkin tidak Anda pahami masing-masing. Namun jangan khawatir, disini sebagai situs slot gacor MGS88 kami akan memberikan penjelasan lengkap mengenai tentang istilah yang ada di RTP SLOT dibawah ini.
S Koreans protest against President Park on New Year's Eve

South Koreans have gathered in large numbers at a New Year's Eve protest against their impeached leader, demanding her removal from power.
Exiled from the forests: Paraguays Ache people want their old land back

PARAGUAY: Forced from their ancestral forests by the arrival of big agriculture in eastern Paraguay, the Ache people gave up the hunter-gatherer lifestyle that had sustained them for centuries.

animalscultureland

By AFP

Sunday 1 January 2017, 12:00PM

In a country whose indigenous peoples often live in poverty, the Ache of Paraguay are admired for finding success as farmers, a remarkable transition in a very short time. Photo: Daniel Duarte/AFP

Now they have taken up farming themselves  and they want their old land back.

The Aches homeland was remade in the 1970s by the mass arrival of industrial farmers from neighbouring Brazil.

A territory of fertile land and abundant rivers, the tropical region provided the lush backdrop for the 1986 Academy Award-winning film The Mission.

Drawn by these natural riches, the Brazilian settlers set up huge farms, clearing forests to make way for agriculture.

The changes were devastating for the Ache, who had managed to preserve their way of life despite centuries of clashes with white colonisers from Spain and Portugal.

The animals they once hunted for food became scarce as their habitat was destroyed. That ultimately forced the Ache, who risked dying out completely, to abandon the forest.

They were among the last indigenous people in Paraguay to give up hunting and gathering and adopt a sedentary lifestyle.

Now, what they lack is land  once abundant and free, suddenly scarce and expensive.

Lorenzo Puapirangy, 38, chief of the Ache village of Puerto Barra, says its inhabitants between them have just 270 hectares to grow soybeans, wheat, corn  an area smaller than New Yorks Central Park.

By contrast, a single family of Braziguayans, as the Brazilian settlers descendants are known, typically has around 5,000 hectares.

Paraguay owes a debt to its indigenous peoples. We want our land back, said Marciano Chevogy, 37, another chief who is helping to organise a growing protest movement.

He plans to lead 1,500 Ache  of the 2,500 that remain  to the capital, Asuncion, to protest for more land.

In a country whose indigenous peoples often live in poverty, the Ache are admired for finding success as farmers  a remarkable transition in a very short time.

Some 50 Ache families live in Puerto Barra, a scattering of wooden houses set amid the rich ochre soil and lush green of their fields.

In addition to cash crops, they run small cattle ranches, fish farms and bee-keeping yards.

The indigenous leaders say they are not asking much  several thousand hectares to expand.

But the regions politics, economy and culture are dominated by the Braziguayans.

Local radio stations broadcast in Brazilian Portuguese. In Santa Rita, a town of 40,000 people founded by Brazilian immigrants, the main road is lined with farm equipment stores catering to Braziguayan clients.

The Ache complain their demands to the government have so far fallen on deaf ears.

If the situation is not resolved, we will sue in international court, said Jose Anegy, another community leader in Puerto Barra.

We demand our territory be respected. We are humble, peaceful workers.

In a rural region where the state has little presence, the Paraguayan government needs to finally intervene, said Bjarne Fostervold, an American missionary who is married to an Ache woman and has adopted their cause.

The Ache only learned they were in Paraguay when they came out of the forest, he said.

They lost their habitat, an impenetrable forest... Whats at stake here is the survival of a people, with their dignity intact. Their ability to be the architects of their own destiny.

Perched between modernity and tradition, many Ache are nostalgic for the past.

In the forest we were free. We lived well. Life was easier. We didnt have to buy anything, said Anegy.

The oldest resident of the village, Lorenzo Krachogy, who is about 90, reminisced about life before the forests began disappearing.

There were lots of animals and fruits in the forest. We lived without clothes, with our bows, arrows and axes, he said in the Ache language.

Then, things started to change.

When I was nine years old, my father was killed by white men. They had dogs and rifles. They captured me and sold me, he said.

Rescued by a missionary  Fostervolds father, Rolf  he set about finding other displaced Ache and gathering them together in the settlement that would become Puerto Barra.

But life has never been the same, said Victoria Pikigy, an 80-something Ache woman, sitting on a mat of woven palm fronds.

Back then we were happy, she recalled.

Sometimes when I go back to the forest I cry. Because those times are gone, and theyll never come back.
King calls for New Year unity

BANGKOK: His Majesty the King pledged to unite with the people in carrying out the wishes of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej during his first New Year greetings broadcast to the nation after acceding to the throne last month.



By Bangkok Post

Sunday 1 January 2017, 11:48AM

His Majesty the King appears on national television to send New Year's greetings to the Thai people. He thanked them for showing their respect for the late King. Photo: Royal Household Bureau

He also thanked the people for their goodwill and for mourning his father.

The country had gone through an important event with the passing of King Bhumibol on Oct 13. His passing had brought great loss for the entire nation and His Majesty said he was touched witnessing people from all walks of life coming out and showing their respect for the late King.

This shows Thai people are good-hearted, grateful, compassionate and patriotic, which are the qualities inherent in the nation.

His Majesty said he believed that whatever obstacles or problems that occur in the country, people are certain to rally behind one another in resolving them.

For this year, the King urged the people to continue to firmly maintain such qualities and consider what comes their way based on the truth with no bias. They also should stay committed to pursuing all tasks in line with guidance given by the late King so that everything will be accomplished and be prosperous for themselves as well as the country.

This is a way of remembering the late King, His Majesty said.

His Majesty also said he would like to join the people in pursuing his duty to his full ability to carry on the wishes of the late King. His Majesty also kept with the royal tradition by presenting a New Year's greeting card wishing the best for Thai subjects.

The front of the card features the emblems of the Chakri dynasty, the late King and the Queen Sirikit.

Inside the card, on the left-hand side, is a message reading "B.E. 2560 (2017) Season's Greetings and Best Wishes for the New Year". Appearing on the right-hand side of the card are the emblems of the late king, the Queen Sirikit and His Majesty. The card also features the portraits of the late King, Queen Sirikit, His Majesty the King and his siblings, HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, HRH Princess Chulabhorn and Princess Ubolratana.

Meanwhile, to mark the New Year, several public figures, including a highly revered Buddhist monk, also expressed New Year wishes to Thai people

Somdet Phra Buddha Kosachan (Prayudh Payutto): "In Lord Buddha's words, humans are able to find happiness more refined than indulgence through the physical senses. A refined happiness is characterised by one's achievement of self-liberation. A true happiness is self-attained and not subject to influences of external objects. Even if no such objects existed, one would be able to be happy. This balances out the desire to search for or consume externally derived happiness, leading to genuine happiness."

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha: "My wish is for the people to hold to what they have learned and experienced in the past year and adjust it to suit how they plan to lead their lives this year, by being aware of their actions and not being reckless. People should also be united and apply this unity as a collective force to move themselves and the country to a better future. May all of us be happy, prosperous, healthful both of the body and mind, and away from harm.

National Legislative Assembly president Pornpetch Wichitcholchai: "May all find happiness and prosperity and succeed in one's endeavours, be free of dangers and full of health and together work as an important force to advance the country."

Former prime minister Chuan Leekpai: "2016 marks a year of sadness for the tremendous loss we have experienced. But it is through such loss that we Thais, and the world, have learned the facts about the late King's countless achievements and his indescribable generosity throughout the 70 years of his reign.

"This year, for whatever way the situation will become in the country, if all sides uphold and adopt King Bhumibol Adulyadej's guidance, all the problems can be prevented and resolved. May all Thais secure success in every task they pursue throughout this year and many more to come."

Former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra: "Happy New Year 2017. I wish all Thais happiness, strong health and a better living. May this year also usher in bright changes for everyone."

Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang: "May the civil servants, staff at the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and every citizen be blessed with good health, advancements and fulfilment in all aspects of their lives. May our common love and compassion for each other and unity drive us forward."

Suthep Thaugsuban, chairman of the People's Democratic Reform Committee Foundation: "To mark the new year with my love, respect and goodwill to all Thais, may all of us who are protected by Lord Buddha, by His Majesty the King and the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej find happiness, delight and success in their lives with all their hopes fulfilled."

Read original story here.
Phuket rings in New Year with no road deaths

PHUKET: Phuket rang in the new year with zero fatalities in the Seven Days of Danger road-safety campaign for the New Year holidays, the Phuket office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM-Phuket) reported today (Jan 1).

transportaccidentstourismdeathpolice

By Yutthawat Lekmak

Sunday 1 January 2017, 05:25PM

Police order vehicles to pull over at the Kathu Checkpoint. Photo: Tanyaluk Sakoot

The DDPM-Phuket reported that there were zero deaths from road accidents during Day 3 of the campaign, on Saturday, Dec 31 (midnight to midnight).

However, 16 people were injured in 16 accidents during the 24-hour period.

Eight of the accidents were in Muang District, which encompasses Phuket Town, Kata-Karon, Wichit, Chalong, Rawai and Nai Harn.

Four of the accidents were in Kathu District, which includes Patong, and the remaining four accidents were in Thalang District, which covers the northern half of the island.

Eight motorists were injured in Muang District, with four more injured in Kathu and the remaining four injured in Thalang.

All people injured were in motorbike collisions with a variety of vehicles, including a pickup truck, a van and a car.

Four of the persons injured were not wearing helmets, the DDPM-Phuket reported.

The first casualty was at 7am during the 24-hour period, and the rest were injured in accidents between midday and 10pm, the report said.

The Day 3 casualty report brings the total number of people injured in road accidents since the campaign began on Thursday, Dec 29 (midnight to midnight), to 35, but with zero deaths.

Police reported issuing 1,049 fines for moving violations during the Day 3 24-hour period, as follows:

578 people fined for not wearing helmets

13 fined for reckless / dangerous driving

63 fined for not wearing seatbelts

295 fined for driving without a licence

18 fined for speeding

18 fined for running a red light

17 fined for ghost driving (driving opposite traffic flow)

6 fined for dangerously cutting off other motorists in traffic

26 fined for using mobile phones while driving.

Of note, 15 people were arrested for drunk driving during Day 3 of the campaign.

This year police in Phuket will seize the vehicles and drivers licenses of all people caught drunk driving. The vehicles and licences will be returned only after the Seven Days of Danger campaign has ended at midnight Jan 4. (See story here.)
Tatopani coming back to life

Tatopani is slowly coming to life after the opening of the 26 km Barhabise-Tatopani road that was severely damaged in the 2015 earthquakes.
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.
Triumphant year for countrys energy sector

Upper Madi Hydroelectric Project started generating electricity from Friday after Energy Minister Janardan Sharma inaugurated the 25MW plant located at Sildujure in Kaski. As the year 2016 was drawing to a close,
UML not to let House hold constitution amendment bill discussion

CPN-UML general secretary Ishwar Pokharel has said that the constitution amendment bill cannot be discussed in the parliament, as it is against the constitution.
Whether views of the Chief Economic Advisor and the Finance Minister were taken before the sudden announcement of demonetisation of high-value currency notes by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 8?

The Reserve Bank of India feels this query cannot be answered under the Right to Information Act as it does not comes under the definition of information under the transparency law.

The applicant wanted to know whether the "views of Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramaniam and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley were taken before announcement was made".

"Query is in the nature of seeking opinion from CPIO which is not defined as information as per Section 2(f) of the RTI Act," the RBI said in response to an RTI query.

Asked whether the information sought will fall under "seeking opinion" from the CPIO, former Chief Information Commissioner A N Tiwari said, "No. It does not. It is a fact sought by an RTI applicant. The CPIO cannot say an opinion has been sought from him."

"How it can be called seeking opinion? Whether someone was consulted or not is a matter of record. Had the question been that should views be taken then it would mean taking opinion," former Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi said, expressing surprise at the response of RBI Central Public Information Officer.

The definition of information covers "any material in any form, including records, documents, memos, e-mails, opinions, advices, press releases, circulars, orders, logbooks, contracts, reports, papers, samples, models, data material held in any electronic form and information relating to any private body which can be accessed by a public authority under any other law for the time being in force".

The query was also sent to the Prime Minister's Office and the Finance Ministry but it remained unanswered even after 30 days of filing of the RTI application.

The applicant had also sought to know the designation and the names of officials who were consulted before scraping of old Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes.

"The information sought relates to sensitive matters pertaining to discontinuation/withdrawal of bank notes. The information is exempt from disclosure under Section 8(1)(a) and (g) of RTI Act," the RBI said.

The monetary policy regulator also did not disclose if the decision to demonetise currency notes worth Rs 20 lakh crore was opposed by any official or minister, saying the information sought is "hypothetical" in nature.

It also cited Section 8(1)(a) of the RTI Act to deny minutes of deliberations related to demonetisation.
As the Tata-Mistry tussle continues, an unintended consequence for the multi-billion dollar image-conscious group has been the bad press it  and its "patriarch" Ratan Tata, 78  has received globally.

From a piece in The Economist headlined "Ratantrum" and a New York Times report that dwelt on some of the Tata Group's alleged murky deals, to a Financial Times columnist who said "much of the fiasco is Mr Tata's fault", a good bit of the reporting and analysis has been critical of the manner in which Tata's handpicked successor Cyrus Mistry was suddenly ousted from the $100 billion "salt to software" conglomerate  India's first true multinational.

The Economist of Britain  where Tata is a familiar name because of its takeover of Corus Steel and Jaguar Land Rover  bluntly said: "One of Asia's most important firms has descended into chaos. Its patriarch, Ratan Tata, is largely to blame."

Describing the Tata Group as a "rare beacon of good governance in Asia" "until few months ago", the magazine  which calls itself a newspaper  said: "That reputation has now been shredded owing to a brutal fight for control between Ratan Tata and Cyrus Mistry The battle is bad for Tata, rotten for its outside investors and damaging to India."

The Economist said that Mistry, who took over in 2012 when Ratan Tata stepped down after decades at the helm, has been grappling with two problems. One, that the group is "worryingly flabby" thanks to "an expansion binge at home and abroad" during Ratan Tata's reign, with "vast chunks of the group are not making enough money"  a reference to the UK steel acquisitions and the small-car Nano.

And two, the group's "Byzantine structure", with companies "controlled by a private holding company" which, in turn, is "controlled by murky and secretive charitable trusts set up in 1919 and 1932. Until recently they were widely viewed as benign and passive, but they now appear to be under Mr Tata's sway".

It added: "Mr Mistry may have thought he had a free hand. Far from it. Mr Tata was breathing down his neck from the start. On October 24th Mr Tata, through the trusts, orchestrated the firing of Mr Mistry from the holding company."

It concluded that, "Not long ago he (Ratan Tata) was among the most revered figures in the past half century of Indian public life. Now he is flirting with disgrace."

A long report in The New York Times dwelt on allegations levelled by "crusading" BJP MP Subramanian Swamy that a government report had suggested "that Mr Tata in 2008 used a front company to apply for a telecommunications license, potentially circumventing the limits on the number of licenses one investor could hold". The Tata Group has, however, said it was part of a "bona fide real estate deal" that had nothing at all to do with telecoms licensing.

The NYT report also said that Mistry's ouster was triggered in part because he had "begun reining in some favours that the company had previously extended to Mr Tata's personal friends".

A report in the Financial Times quoted Mistry's warning to shareholders that "we have witnessed an unmatched erosion of ethical valuesreplaced by whims, fancies and personal agenda", and blamed the "fiasco" on Ratan Tata.

"He either badly misjudged Mr Mistry in the rush to name a successor five years ago, or he could not adjust to a new Tata chairman ditching parts of his legacy. Either way, he fell into the trap he always wanted to avoid," the report said.

The Financial Times report underlined the need to professionalise the group's management, noting that it "urgently needs to outgrow its patriarch That means a professional chairman being given real power at Tata Group".

Among other reports, The Wall Street Journal said investors have raised questions about whether independent directors at the various Tata companies are playing their proper role.

And Japan's Nikkei Asian Review pointed out that Tata group members have lost a combined $11 billion in market capitalisation since Mistry was sacked as chairman in October.
Alleging that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's focus has not been on Delhi, BJP has formed an "impartial" committee to probe AAP government's performance.

Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari said during his visit to different parts of the city, he found "there was water scarcity in Narela, no marshals in buses, not even 15 CCTV cameras in city against 15 lakh promised by Kejriwal and Delhi has turned poisonous due to pollution."

"Kejriwal has been everywhere except Delhi since he became chief minister. I have decided to set up an enquiry against Kejriwal since he has committed crime against Delhi," he said.

The committee comprising of a doctor, a guest teacher and a legal expert will give its opinion on Kejriwal's performance, he said.

"I hope the committee will give its impartial report in shortest possible time so that everything becomes clear about Kejriwal's crimes," Tiwari added.
JCT Mills Chairman and Managing Director Samir Thapar and his 15 friends were arrested with prohibited arms and ammunition from Kotdwar in Uttarakhand on Saturday night.

The Uttarakhand Police received information about some anti-social elements, wearing army like uniform entering the protected area of the Lansdowne Forest Division and conducted search operation.

The textile industry tycoon was arrested with ten Delhi, two Punjab, two Haryana and one Chandigarh friends.

The group members were arrested under Arms Act and Forest Trespassing Act and their eight vehicles were seized.

A 300 bore German rifle with 23 live cartridges, 171 liquor bottles of different brand and packaged meat were recovered from the group.

Thapar and his friends arrived in Uttarakhand for celebrating their new year bash, but police spoiled their party. The group was nabbed for illegally camping inside protected area without obtaining tenting permission from the forest department- carrying illegal rifle, liquor and setting fire inside protected area.

Carrying imported rifle without license could land Thapar and friends in big trouble. The accused could face 5-10 year jail term and a fine for carrying prohibited arms and ammunition.

Pauri Senior Superintendent of Police Mukhtar Mosin said, After receiving tip-off from informer a team was dispatched to Kolhuchaur. The Police asked for tenting license, but the group failed to provide it. The cops searched the guest house and recovered 171 bottles of liquor, a German 300 bore rifle and 23 live cartridges. Besides this 15 live cartridges (375 bore) were recovered from Arif Hussain- another member of the group.

Thapar and his friends were enjoying camp fire when the cops reached the spot. The group failed to produce license of the gun, liquor license and camping permission.

Packaged meat was also recovered and police is sending the nabbed material for lab test.

The arrested include Thapar, Rohit Daggar, Raj Kamal, Sunil Kumar, Rahul Rao, Narendra Anand, Manoj Sheghal, Siddharth Sharma, Arif Hussain, Rajiv Khanna (all from Delhi), Randeep, Swarndeep (both from Haryana), Mohinder, Rajiv Jain (from Punjab) and Romi Bhatt from Chandigarh.

The group was only successful in producing the forest guest house booking slip by one Mohinder Singh.

The police has booked the group under section 26 (b,c,d) of the Indian Forest Act, section 52 of the Indian Forest Act, section 25 & 35 of the Arms Act and section 60 of the Indian Excise Act.
Over 26,000 youth would get employment in industries sector in coming years with state government giving approval for setting up 283 new industrial units in Himachal Pradesh.

A government official said the State Level Single Window Clearance and Monitoring Authority has approved 283 industrial enterprises involving investments worth Rs.13262.27 crore. These industrial units would provide employment opportunities to 26,680 youths, he said, adding, 7054 persons have already been provided with employment under Prime Minister Employment Generation Program.

The official said the state governments efforts have has borne fruit as 3659 industrial units have been established in the state with an investment of Rs.3581.48 crore during the last four years. These industries had provided employment to 48,422 youth of the state. In addition, loans worth Rs.23.93 crore were distributed to the youth to start their self-employment ventures, he said.

He said, three State of the Art industrial areas are being developed in Una, Kangra and Solan districts. World class facilities would be provided in these industrial areas to the entrepreneurs for setting up their ventures.

Further, land measuring 72-82-74 hectare has been transferred for developing industrial area at Kandrori in Kangra district by spending an amount of Rs.88.05 crore. Similarly, Rs.95.77 crore would be spent on developing an industrial area at Pandoga in Una district said the official.

A Technology Centre is coming up at Baddi with a cost of Rs.102 crore and 100 bigha land at Bhatoli-Kalan village has been provided for this. This would provide technological support and tooling facilities to micro, small and medium sector enterprises and also help in skill development and up-gradation of unemployed youth. With a view to boost export from the state, Inland Container Depot has been constructed at a cost of Rs.14.42 crore at Baddi.

A Trade Centre has been stablished at Baddi with an investment of Rs.10.81 crore and a Ware House has been constructed at a cost of Rs.26.89 crore at Baddi. A Common Facility Centre has been established at Nalagarh with an investment of Rs.2.11 crore, he added.
Stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was riding a tiger that he can't afford to deboard now, former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi on Sunday said India was going through an economic crisis and people have lost trust in the financial system.

"Modi is now riding a tiger and he can't even deboard.Initially, he said normalcy will return in three days, then 50 days and now he does not say anything," Gogoi said.

"When will normalcy return? Never in India's history, such restrictions or rationing of my own resources took place," he told reporters here.

He expressed anguish over the fact that "Modi still can not say when normalcy will return and the clouds will be cleared" even though the country has been passing through uncertainty and "this is the danger".

The former chief minister said an economic crisis was going on and only the Centre was to be blamed for this lack of planning and the whimsical decision of Narendra Modi.

"The problem is that trust in Indian financial system is lost. More than 60 changes in rules in 50 days! I have never seen this. People have doubted the office of the prime minister. This is not good for the country," he said.

Talking about the prime minister's address to the nation last evening, the veteran Congress leader said Modi's speech was an election gimmick. "Was it a Budget speech or what? Why is he playing the role of the finance minister? Everyone is suffering," he said.

"So far 105 people have died. Who is responsible for that? No comments on that," Gogoi said.

The former chief minister said BJP had promised a corruption-free government and that was their slogan against Congress with the BJP and its allies coming to power two and half years ago with this.

"But till now, we are only hearing the slogan that they will end corruption. Now they say only demonetisation will solve corruption. This is nothing but a diversionary tactic.

They continue to say that black marketeers will be punished, but the question is when" Gogoi said.

Talking about demonetisation impact on Assam, Gogoi said the state was likely to lose Rs.1,000 crore revenue.

He said "due to demonetisation, Assam is likely to lose nearly 12 per cent revenue till March 2017. There is a decrease in sale of goods up to 20 per cent. The excise may lose Rs 100 crore of tax revenue, while it is likely to be a dip of 10-12 per cent for transport department.

"The effect on Assam will be more as we are an agrarian state. The impact of demonetisation on daily labourers, farmers and small industry workers is huge."
Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Sunday said the Centre and Haj Committee of India had started preparations to ensure a smooth and hassle-free Haj pilgrimage this year.

Inaugurating a renovated office of Maharashtra State Haj Committee here, Naqvi said it was the responsibility of the government to provide best facilities to Haj pilgrims and his ministry was working on a war footing for this.

"Every state should construct a Haj House and Minority Affairs Ministry is ready to help. We have written to the states in this regard," he said.

"The Centre is working hard so that like last Haj, this year's Haj is also smooth and comfortable. For the first time, Minority Affairs Ministry had sent a delegation of officials to Mecca to take stock of preparations (last year). This time also a delegation of senior officials will visit Saudi Arabia," he added.

Arrangements for Haj pilgrims were discussed at a meeting in December with Saudi ambassador to India Dr Saud Mohammed Alsati, he said.

"During the last Haj too the Saudi Arabian authorities cooperated a lot. We have received several important suggestions on Haj pilgrimage and we are moving forward keeping in mind these suggestions," the minister said.

A review meeting was held two months ago where issues of accommodation and transport facilities for Haj pilgrims, among other things, were discussed, he said.

Discussions were also held with Civil Aviation Ministry to ensure availability of aircraft with modern facilities for pilgrims, he said.

Applications for this year's Haj would be accepted from January 2 to January 24.

About 99,903 people went to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for Haj from 21 embarkation points across India through the Haj Committee of India last year. Besides, 36,000 pilgrims went for Haj through private tour operators.
India and Pakistan on Sunday exchanged for the 26th consecutive year a list of their nuclear installations under a bilateral agreement that prohibits them from attacking each other's atomic facilities.

"India and Pakistan today exchanged, through diplomatic channels simultaneously at New Delhi and Islamabad, the list of nuclear installations and facilities covered under the Agreement on the Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear Installations between India and Pakistan," the Ministry of External Affairs said.

The agreement, which was signed on December 31, 1988 and entered into force on January 27, 1991, says the two countries inform each other of nuclear installations and facilities to be covered under the agreement on January 1 of every calendar year.

This is the 26th consecutive exchange of such list between the two countries, the first one having taken place on January 1, 1992.

The two countries also exchanged, through diplomatic channels simultaneously at New Delhi and Islamabad, the lists of nationals (including civil prisoners and fishermen) of each country lodged in their respective jails as per provisions of the Agreement on Consular Access, the MEA said.

The agreement on consular access, signed between the two countries on May 21, 2008, provides for exchanging a comprehensive list of nationals of each country lodged in their jails twice each yearon January 1 and July 1.

"India remains committed to addressing with Pakistan on priority the humanitarian matters, including those pertaining to prisoners and fishermen in each other's country. In this context, we await from Pakistan confirmation of nationality of those in India's custody who are otherwise eligible for release and repatriation.

"We also await consular access to those Indian nationals in Pakistan's custody for whom it has so far not been provided including Hamid Nehal Ansari and Kulbhushan Jadhav," said the MEA statement.

The Pakistani security forces had arrested Jadhav from Balochistan in March and alleged that he was "a serving officer in the Indian Navy and deputed to the Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW)." Jadhav has been accused by Pakistan of planning "subversive activities" in the country.

India has acknowledged that Jadhav had served with the navy but denied that he has any connection with the government.

Pakistan has so far turned down India's request for consular access to Jadhav whom Pakistan claimed to be a RAW spy.

Ansari had crossed over illegally to Pakistan from Afghanistan in 2012 reportedly to meet a girl he had befriended online and then went missing. He was later arrested and tried by a Pakistani military court which pronounced him guilty of espionage.
Two Indians, among 39 people, were killed on Sunday at a night club in Istanbul, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said.

I have a bad news from Turkey. We have lost 2 Indian nationals in the Istanbul attack. Indian Ambassador on way to Istanbul, Swaraj said in a series of tweets.

The victims are Abis Rizvi son of a former Rajya Sabha MP and Khushi Shah from Gujarat, she added.

The Indians are among the foreigners including an 18-year-old Israeli woman and a Belgian national who were killed in the attack in which around 70 others were injured.

The incident happened when a gunman went on a rampage at an exclusive nightclub in Istanbul where revellers were celebrating the New Year.
The Samajwadi Party on Sunday split with rival factions carrying out mutual expulsions as Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav sought to take control of the ruling party in Uttar Pradesh.

In dramatic developments, Akhilesh was "unanimously" crowned the SP president and his warring uncle Shivpal Yadav removed as state party chief at a national convention called by Ram Gopal Yadav, where the CM's faction claimed that over 200 of the party's 229 MLAs, around 30 MLCs, besides majority of office bearers of district units were present.

Ram Gopal also moved a proposal to make Mulayam Singh, the founder president of the party, as party patron while "outsider" Amar Singh was expelled from the party.

The proposal to make Akhilesh SP chief was welcomed by a huge applause by nearly 5,000 partymen who had gathered at the sprawling Janeshwar Misra Park here.

Mulayam soon struck back expelling his cousin Ram Gopal from the party for six years and termed as illegal all decisions taken at the convention.

In a hard-hitting letter, he said the convention had not been called with permission of the national president and so all decision taken there were illegal.

Although Mulayam warned that participation in the convention will be taken as indiscipline and action will be initiated against those attending it, almost all senior leaders who had been longtime associates of Mulayam shared the dais with Ram Gopal and Akhilesh.

Addressing the convention, Akhilesh said he respected his father more than ever and that he would stand against those conspiring against the party while Ramgopal attacked Shivpal for working in an "arbitrary" manner, alleging tickets were being given to those who are not even members of the party.

The convention also authorised Akhilesh to constitute a national executive, parliamentary board and various state units, as required, and inform the Election Commission of the developments at the earliest.

The fresh developments which almost left both Mulayam and younger brother Shivpal isolated in the party came a day after SP revoked the expulsion of Akhilesh and Ramgopal amid the running bitter turf battle in the Yadav clan which threatens to affect its prospects in the upcoming Assembly election.

In more signs of defiance, Akhilesh appointed MLC Naresh Uttam as the new state president, replacing Shivpal.

Mulayam retorted by expelling national vice president Kiranmoy Nanda and general secretary Naresh Agarwal from the party for taking part in the convention.

Soon after the appointment of the new state unit president, supporters of Akhilesh laid siege to the state SP headquarters here in the high security VIP zone and forcibly wrenched out the nameplate of Shivpal to vent their ire.
Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday called the dispute in the Samajwadi Party a 'drama, comedy and melody'.

It is a drama, a family drama. At times it is comedy, sometimes it is melody but it will end in tragedy, the Union minister tweeted.

In a dramatic turn of events, the Samajwadi Party on Saturday revoked the expulsion of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Ram Gopal Yadav, a day after they were ousted from the party for six years over anti-party activities.
To interview a jihadi is one thing, to live among jihadis quite another. To share their prison cells and their jail trucks on the way to a dictatorships trials is both a journalists dream and a journalists nightmare. Which makes Mohamed Fahmy a unique figure: in a prison bus, he hears his fellow inmates rejoicing at the beheading of a captured journalist in Syria. They wont let us out, a voice shouts at Fahmy in Egypts ghastly Tora prison complex. We havent seen the sun for weeks. And he hears the rhythmic voices of prisoners reciting the Koran.

Fahmy, who is an Egyptian with Canadian citizenship, is the Al Jazeera English channel reporter who spent almost two years in his native countrys ferocious prison system, as a guest of President al-Sisi, locked up with two colleagues for being a pro-Muslim Brotherhood terrorist, fabricating news and endangering the security of the state.

The charges were lies and the trials that followed were a mockery of justice. And when Fahmy was eventually released to travel to Canada, he took with him an extraordinary account of life among those dedicated to the Wests destruction.

I should say at once that Fahmy is an old friend of mine, and his story is not as straightforward as it may seem. He and his wife-to-be first welcomed al-Sisis military coup, which overthrew the elected Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood president Mohamed Morsi, and Fahmy uses the word terrorist quite often  rather too much in my opinion  and when I last spoke to him this week, he was back in Cairo, preparing for a New Year holiday in the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

But in the fastness of Canada, he has written and published a frightening account of his years of imprisonment  why it has not been picked up in Britain or the US is a publishers mystery  which should be a footnote in future history books on the jihadi struggle in the Middle East.

For Fahmy found himself both appalled by the self-righteousness of his fellow prisoners, but trusted and admired by them, because he too had fallen foul of the same cruel dictatorship. You can understand how this affects him. The Koranic recitations echo through Tora Prisons verminous Scorpion section, and as Fahmy mumbles half-remembered verses, my rational, Western educated mind rises up in protest  it is, after all, a group of incarcerated Islamists with whom I pray. I feel self-conscious. Silly almost But a few of the prayers I learned as a young boy return and wash over me, drawing me along in their tide.

On arrival in his cell, an army of mosquitos descending upon him, Fahmy discovers that he is imprisoned with men whom he was interviewing only a few months earlier as members of the Morsi government: Essam al-Haddad, Morsis executive aid who had met President Obama; Khaled al-Qazza, Morsis foreign affairs adviser.

But there are others. I am Sheikh Murgan Salem al-Gohary, a voice calls to Fahmy down the corridor. I am a Salafist jihadist who fought alongside brother Sheikh Osama [sic] bin Laden against the Soviet and the American devils in Afghanistan, I have been married three times and I have many children. I dont allow any of them to visit me to avoid humiliating themThis is all a play, a political performance by these pigsStick to the Koran.

Murgan was a member of Islamic Jihad in Palestine with strong ties to the Taliban, twice sentenced to death by ex-President Hosni Mubarak. On an Egyptian television talk show, he had called for the destruction of the pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx  a true follower of the Buddha-smashing Taliban and the antiquity-exploding Isis  and Fahmy notes that Murgan is known as an angry and murderous radical. Fahmy is appalled. What a nut! Now I am living with him and he is giving me advice, too.

Much to Fahmys distress, a number of other prisoners shout their support, praising Al Jazeera which had, at the time  to Fahmys horror, because his own reports were subtitled and used without his knowledge on the same channel  been carrying pro-Brotherhood material on its live Egypt network broadcasting out of Cairo. You journalists have been sent here to see the truth, a man shouted. There is a reason why God led you here! And then Fahmy discovers that some of his fellow Islamist prisoners had been filming for the Al Jazeera live channel. No wonder he was in his cell.

The Scorpion unit of the prison is a concrete tomb. When Fahmy is taken for further interrogation, he finds himself in a police truck amid the Cairo traffic, and his companions whoop with delight when the drivers radio tells of three policemen killed at a checkpoint. And they begin to sing: Brandishing our guns along with our explosive belts. We will cut off the head of the snake

Fahmys neighbour, to whom he is handcuffed, is puzzled. Brother, why arent you singing? Fahmy manages to reply calmly: I make jihad with my pen. The man, Ammar  a boxer and bomb-maker, he admits  has just returned from Syria to make jihad in Egypt against al-Sisi and his illegitimate regime.

Fahmy meets Mohamed al-Zawahiri, brother of Ayman, the man appointed al-Qaedas leader after the assassination of bin Laden. We are not bloodthirsty merciless killers, he assures Fahmy. We merely defend ourselves.. .demand our rights of establishing a governance based on Islamic sharia. When Fahmy asks whether his connections in Sinai, where Islamists have been attacking police and troops along the Egyptian-Gaza border, might have led to his imprisonment, a man beside al-Zawahiri shouts: What Sinai! Those are legitimate resistance fighters. Whose side are you on?

Whose side, indeed? In August 2014, Isis released a video of the beheading of American journalist James Foley. In another prison truck, the radio news is greeted with a cheer from Fahmys fellow prisoners. Isis promises to kill another reporter, Steven Sotloff, if the US continued to bomb their positions in Iraq. Fahmy was a friend of Sotloff. He must be a spy, the prisoner handcuffed to Fahmy spits out. Why would an American put himself in such danger otherwise?

Fahmy knows why: risking ones life to get the story, to show the suffering, to try to make a difference, to stop the madness. He listens, aghast, as another man says that hes just one American. What about the thousands of innocent Iraqis killed by the US?

Then it is Sotloffs turn. Fahmy sees the next video. Steven, head and beard shaved, wears an orange jumpsuit His small glasses, the round curves of his warm face, and the kind smile are nowhere to be seen He has the fortitude to hold himself upright. I pray that his mind and heart were calm Fahmy is enraged that this hideous man who killed Steven and I are being labelled with the same name: terrorist.

But as Fahmys freedom draws near, he can barely contain his emotion at the thought of leaving his fellow prisoners  even though he will soon fly to Canada, marry his young Egyptian fiancee, take up a journalism professorship and then return as a correspondent to the Middle East. He shakes hands with a man under sentence of death. For the past six months, these men, some of them jihadists who call death and destruction down on the world for an inhumane ideology, have generously shared their food and meagre possessions.

Fahmy remains convinced that the torture and prison regimes of the Middle East are universities for future jihadis. He also fears for the future of his own profession. He quotes Adel Iskandar, a Canadian professor of Egyptian origin, on Al Jazeeras coverage of Egypt during the military coup. Al Jazeera picked a side in the conflict and ran with it, he told Fahmy, and when the station was unable to deliver coverage from the ground, they relied on footage and reports produced by Islamist opposition groups and armed militia factions. This technique became their modus operandi in Syria where the stakes and the costs are extremely high  particularly to journalists.

Now what, I wonder, does that remind us of?
General Bipin Rawat has been appointed as the next Chief of the Army Staff and has assumed charge on New Years day. His appointment has surprised many and become the subject-matter of controversy, since it has gone against the decades-old tradition of the Indian army to appoint the senior-most general as the Commander-in-Chief. General Rawat supersedes two officers senior to him ~ Lieutenant General Praveen Bakshi and Lieutenant General P M Hariz.

The tenure of the army chief is for three years or till the age of 62, whichever comes earlier. In the appointment of the army chief, supersession of senior officers is not without precedent. While appointing the successor to General K V Krishna Rao, the Indira Gandhi government overlooking the then senior-most officer, Lieutenant General S K Sinha, appointed General Arun Vaidya as the Commander-in-Chief.

The procedure followed for the appointment of the army chief is that the Ministry of Defence forwards the names and dossiers of five senior-most army officers to the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC). The ACC may call for a longer list if it feels that there are a few more suitable names deserving consideration. The government is competent to make the choice of the army chief from among the qualified officers, after going through their records.

There is widespread speculation regarding the reasons behind the governments decision to appoint General Rawat as the Army Chief superseding two of his seniors. General Rawat has vast and varied experience in tackling terrorism, particularly cross-border terrorism which is bleeding the country. He served in the Jammu & Kashmir region for a long time. He has commanded the famous Dagger Division at Baramulla, which is responsible for guarding the most crucial part of the Line of Control. He has commanded a corps in the north-east. He also oversaw planning and execution of the cross-border operation across the Myanmar border in July 2015. He made his mark as an outstanding officer from his early years in service. He was awarded the Sword of Honour and declared the best all-round general cadet.

The Appointments Committee may have taken into consideration the fact that General Rawat has the best expertise to deal with the combustible situation on the Line of Control and international borders. Terrorist threats coming across the border require competent understanding and handling. Of late, the army has suffered many casualties and the jihadi terrorists have stepped up their operations across the border. General Rawats hands-on experience may have tipped the scales in his favour and persuaded the government to appoint him as the next Army Chief. He has a difficult and challenging role before him.

However, it is felt that the Government should have made the decision regarding appointment of the Army Chief months earlier as this would have allowed the controversies and speculation to die down before the new chief assumes office. Perhaps the intention of the government was to make the announcement after the winter session of Parliament to avoid controversies. If so, it was a wrong move.

General Rawats elevation was done on the basis of seniority-cum-merit. Five senior-most generals were being considered and the third in seniority among them was picked. The challenges before the chief are many as 2016 was a difficult year for the Indian Army. Three major terrorist strikes at Pathankot, Uri and Nagrota on important bases showed that Pakistans proxy war will continue and jihadis are able to cock a snook at the Indian army.

There has also been a change of guard in the Pakistan Army. Qamar Javed Bajwa has succeeded General Raheel Sharif as the Army Chief. General Bajwa has extensive experience of operating in Kashmir. He commanded the important 10 Corps in Pakistan and is well-acquainted with the country's policy towards India. He is reportedly a proponent of strong civil-military relations. This, as per one account, is the main reason why Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who has often sparred with the army, selected him for the job. He is also regarded as low-key, and unlike his predecessor, camera-shy. General Bajwa has quickly moved to stamp his own identity on the Pakistan army by carrying out a major reshuffle after taking over from General Raheel Sharif. He has replaced ISI Chief, Lt General Rizwan Akhtar, with Lt General Naveed Mukhtar. The other key transfer is of Lt General Asim Bajwa as Arms IG. Lt General Bilal Akbar has been appointed Chief of General Staff.

However, it is premature to expect any change in the Pakistan army's policy towards India. It views India as an existential threat and when it comes to the Pakistan army, the institution is stronger than the persons who lead it.

Arrival of a new army chief on the scene, with moderate views about India and a desire for improved civil-military comity will not lead to any attitudinal or policy shifts. Bajwas predecessor General Raheel Sharif was viscerally hostile to India. The Army and ISIs policy to bleed India through subversion and cross-border terrorism perhaps will continue. The Pakistan army justifies its role as preserver of Pakistans integrity and defender of the country from the perceived threat of India. If India is not viewed as a threat, it weakens the raison detre of the Armys dominant role.

Earlier Nawaz Sharif had selected General Parvez Musharraf in 1998 only to be ousted by him a year later. He also did not enjoy a good rapport with General Raheel Sharif whom he had selected in 2013. The Pakistan army continues to believe that with its nuclear shield, it can harass soft India and with its tough army, it can withstand Indian pressure. Christian Fair, Professor at Georgetown University, who has written extensively on the Pakistan Army, has tweeted that the new general is also cut from the same cloth and there would be no difference.

Destabilising India by a thousand cuts remains an obsessive motive of the Pakistan army and it is not going to change soon. The world knows, and many in Pakistan also realise, that the fear of existential threat from India is a phoney threat intended to bolster the armys position as the protector of the countrys integrity. Though there may be some differences among the constituents of the Pakistan establishment ~ the political, military and bureaucratic elite ~ they share a deeply adversarial perception of India. This reality has to be constantly borne in mind.
From Indias demonetisation to controversial tycoon Donald Trump winning the US Presidential Election, the year 2016 witnessed many interesting events around the globe. As the leap year comes to a hurling end, here's a flashback of the top five events that created quite a stir.

Surgical Strike on black money

Taking the nation by surprise, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 8 banned Rs.500 and Rs.1000 notes starting November 9 as a crackdown on black money.

The newly minted Rs.2000 and Rs.500 were dispensed at the ATMs; however withdrawal limit was imposed. Shrouded under extreme secrecy, Modis Coupe de maitre triggered mayhem as the country witnessed long queues outside banks and ATMs. However, the majority seemed to support the move to curb black money.

Hillary Trumped

Against all odds, polls and projections business tycoon and reality TV star Donald Trump won the US Presidential race on November 9. One of the ugliest campaigns in the US history, Trump's Republican Party clinched 288 seats defeating formidable opponent Hillary Clinton of the Democratic Party.

The celebrity businessman with no political background and marred with scandals and gaffes made some controversial statements like calling for a ban on Muslims entering the US, revoking visas of Mexicans, and building a wall between the US-Mexico border to keep out illegal immigrants.

Britain closes door on EU

Rocking political establishments throughout the world, Britain exited European Union on June 23 following a public referendum in which 52 per cent voted to leave the EU.

Prime Minister David Cameron announced his resignation soon after and Theresa May was appointed as the new prime minister.

Soon after the vote, the British economy tumbled with the Pound dropping to its lowest level since 1985.

The Dictator laid to rest

Cuba plunged into mourning as former President and dictator Fidel Castro breathed his last on November 25 at the age of 90.

Thousands lined up the streets waving Cuban flags chanting Long live Fidel for the man who ruled Cuba for 49 years with charisma and iron will.

Castro, a fiery revolutionary leader known to have brought the Cold war to the Western Hemisphere in 1959 and defying the US for several decades, survived many assassination attempts.

Black Ops: India spanks Pakistan

Nearly 10 days after the Uri attack, India conducted surgical strikes on September 29 in the de facto border of Kashmir, Line of Control (LoC) in the wake of the increase in infiltration bids.

Indian armys elite forces entered the LoC barricades with snipers and paratroopers. The commandos were airdropped in the LoC to cross over to the Pakistan occupied Kashmir. The strikes were carried out in Pakistans Bhimber, Hotspring, Kel and Lipa sectors.

However, Pakistan dismissed the surgical strike terming it as an illusion.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye denied again on Sunday her involvement in the corruption scandal that shook the country and led Parliament to impeach her, a decision that is, however, yet to be ratified by the constitutional court.

Park Geun-hye expressed sadness over what she termed "distorted and false" suspicions and "erroneous" media coverage regarding her involvement in South Korea's so-called "Rasputin scandal", Efe news agency reported.

Park has faced charges that she allowed her friend Choi Soon-sil to meddle in important state affairs and illegal access to facilities and funds.

"Rumours, stories and broadcasts have been distorted, and false information has been getting out of hand," Park said during a meeting at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, according to the Yonhap news agency.

The President said she will cooperate with the prosecutors, who consider her as an accomplice in the corruption scandal, and seek to accuse her of multiple crimes, such as the abuse of power, extortion or disclosure of official classified information.

Her attorneys have denied all the charges.

The prosecution believes that Park allowed her friend Choi Soon-sil, 60, to have access to confidential documents as well as interference in decision-making although she does not hold any official post.

Choi is also suspected of cooperating with Park to extort several companies and get them to donate large sums of money to several foundations that she would then try to partially acquire.

According to the investigations of the public prosecution, the South Korean Parliament agreed on Decembre 9 to impeach Park.

However, the constitutional court still has to ratify the decision through reviews and consultations that could last until May.
In this photo taken Dec. 16, 2016, President Barack Obama speaks during a news conference in the briefing room of the White House in Washington. President Barack Obama will strategize next week with Democratic lawmakers about how to prevent Republicans from destroying his Affordable Care Act. Hell also give a speech in Chicago on Jan. 10, 2017, that is expected to be his closing message as president. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
New Zealands United Nations Ambassador Gerard van Bohemen, left, and Russias ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, raise their hands as they join other members of the Security Council at the United Nations headquarters Saturday voting to pass a resolution supporting efforts by Russia and Turkey to end violence in Syria and jumpstart peace negotiations. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
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 ...
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a shoe attack on him in Haryana.

"I said Modiji is a coward. Today some Modi supporters hurled a shoe at me. Modiji, we can also do this but our cultural values don't permit us to do this," Kejriwal tweeted.

"I will keep on exposing the truth behind demonetisation scam and the Sahara-Birla bribery despite your CBI raid or shoe attack on me," Kejriwal added.

Kejriwal was addressing a rally in Rohtak when a young man hurled a shoe directed at Kejriwal. It fell far short of the stage.
The internal feud in the Samajwadi Party turned murkier on the New Year, with Akhilesh Yadav, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, staging a coup on Sunday morning removing his father Mulayam Singh Yadav as the party's national president, sacking his uncle Shivpal Yadav as party's state head and expelling Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh from the party.

Here are the 10 highlights of the big story

1. In a hurriedly called emergency convention at Janeshwar Mishra Park in Lucknow, Akhilesh Yadav supporters elected him the Samajwadi Party's new chief in place of Mulayam Singh Yadav. Akhilesh's another uncle Ram Gopal Yadav moved motions to this effect.

2. The convention said Mulayam, who is the founder leader of the party, would be party's 'Marg Darshak'.

3. Mulayam Singh struck back and called the convention illegal. He also expelled Ram Gopal from the party for six years. Mulayam Singh also announced a convention of his own on January 5.

4. On Sunday afternoon, Akhilesh supporters laid siege to party headquarters in Lucknow and forcibly removed Shivpal Yadav's nameplate outside his room.

5. The new developments came a day after the high drama in which Mulayam expelled Akhilesh and Ram Gopal Yadav for six years on Friday only to take them back to the party on Saturday morning, sensing that most of the MLAs were supporting the chief minister.

6. In a show of strength on Saturday, more than 200 party legislators of the total 229 in the state assembly attended a meeting called by Akhilesh Yadav, despite stern warning from Mulayam. Prominent among them were Rajya Sabha MPs Reoti Raman Singh and Naresh Agarwal and ministers Rajendra Chowdhary, Balram Yadav, Abhishek Mishra, Nitin Agarwal and Ahmad Hasan.

7. On Sunday, Akhilesh said nothing had changed between him and his father and that he would continue to serve him in the capacity of a son. He said that his father would be the happiest if the Samajwadi Party won the coming assembly elections, likely to be announced any time now.

8. Akhilesh lashed out at Shivpal Yadav accusing him of working against the interest of the party. He also thanked everyone who have stood by him in the ugly war within the state's first family.

9. The latest crisis began after Akhilesh and Shivpal Yadav prepared separate candidates list for the assembly elections, prompting Mulayam to make a fresh list of candidates.

10. With the party moving towards a virtual split, supporters of both Mulayam camp and Akhilesh camp staged protests in Lucknow.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday spoke by telephone with Russian President Vladimir Putin about Middle Eastern security and especially the situation in Syria, according to an Israeli government statement.

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this evening ... spoke by telephone with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The two leaders discussed developments in the region, with emphasis on Syria and continued security coordination in this sphere, which has already proven itself in preventing misunderstandings," EFE news quoted the Israeli premier's office as saying.

The Russian President's office added that the pair also spoke about the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, without providing any further details, an issue that the Israeli communique did not mention.

The two countries maintain strategic ties, given that there are 1.5 million Russian-speaking Israeli residents, and in 2016 they celebrated the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

The Kremlin recently tried to spur peace negotiations, proposing Moscow as the site of a meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Netanyahu, but those talks were ultimately postponed at the request of Israel.
Killeen, TX (76540)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms in the morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. A few storms may be severe. High around 80F. Winds SSW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Mostly clear skies. Low 46F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph.
[COMMUNICATED CONTENT]

The crowdfunding by talmidim and friends of Harav Nissan Kaplan to build a new shul for the renowned Magid Shir and mechanech is still $250,000 short of the $1 million necessary to build the Bais Medrash. In a remarkable show of support and affection for the Magid Shir in Yeshivas Mir in Yerushalayim, over $500,000 was raised in the first week of the campaign with an additional $250,000 to be covered by a matching grant. Yaakov Neiman, a talmid of Harav Kaplans (2005-2009) and one of the key talmidim involved in the effort says that the campaign will now be extended to Tuesday night January 3 rd to enable more talmidim and friends to meet the goal of $1 million to build the shul. The unprecedented campaign was launched after Harav Kaplan accepted a community request to become the Mara Dasra of the Kehilla Givat Hamivtar in the Ramat Eshkol area of Yerushalayim.

This demonstration of hakoras hatov is unprecedented and is a reflection of the incredible bond that his talmidim have well after they have left the yeshiva, says Mr. Neiman. The shul is currently located in trailers, which the talmidim hope will be replaced by the beautiful shul. Some of his talmidim daven in his new shul and many have no doubt that his influence will be felt even by the secular Jews who live in the Ramat Eshkol area. Neighborhood residents are extremely excited about having a Rav of such caliber in their midst, expressing the view that he will have an impact on the entire community.

For so many who studied at Yeshivas Mir, Harav Kaplans home was a home away from home. They bonded with their beloved rebbe and those years became the basis for an enduring relationship. Harav Kaplan frequently travels to different parts of the globe to maintain his strong bond with his talmidim. Irrespective of what stage in life we are in, says Mr. Neiman, Harav Kaplan is always there for us. It is amazing how our families become so much a part of his extended family. Harav Kaplan is considered one of the great mashpiim of our generation, inspiring so many young men and their families to follow the Torah derech that he is well-known for.

Harav Kaplan is a marbitz Torah revered worldwide, often giving shiurim and divrei chizuk to thousands. He meets often with Gedolei Yisrael on a host of topics. His shiur at Yeshivas Mir attracts hundreds of bachurim often filling some of the largest halls at the Yeshiva. Talmidim and others who wish to be part of this historic undertaking can click on to https://www.duvys.com/simple/kehilatgivathamivtar?aff=pr142
It was three hours of pure bliss for over 300 children of divorce on Wednesday, December 28th as they were dazzled and delighted by the ultimate kids Chanukah bash hosted by Frum Divorce.

Created in 2011 to meet the unique needs of divorced men and women within the Jewish community, Frum Divorce has run dozens of successful events including seven semi-annual Shabbos getaways, shiurim and other gatherings. Chanukah and Purim parties geared specifically towards kids are highly anticipated events, turning what could be a stressful time for children of divorce into priceless memories that will be forever cherished.

Frum Divorce founder Benny Rogosnitzky reflected on a phone call he received three years ago from Dr. Faigy Zakheim a month before Chanukah, wanting to make sure that the needs of children, the youngest victims of divorce, were also being addressed. As details of the first Frum Divorce were being ironed out, Zakheim took matters into her own hands, trekking out to a toy store in Midtown Manhattan on a snowy pre-Chanukah night and lovingly hand picking presents that would be appropriate for each age group.

She wanted to be absolutely certain that every child would leave with a smile, said Rogosnitzky. Many people are blessed with good fortune and wealth and donate to charity, but a precious few get involved with their hearts like Faigy, taking the time to be involved in the most intricate details.

This years third annual Chanukah gala was held at the New York Hall of Science in Queens. Guests of all ages had the run of the entire museum, enjoying the fascinating exhibits as the latest and greatest in Jewish music played throughout the highly popular venue. Partygoers were also treated to an hour long show featuring the incredible magic of Ben Cohen and the zany antics of Cousin Nachum followed by menorah lighting, with children called up to the stage on numerous occasions to savor a golden moment in the spotlight.

A six foot tall stack of empty pizza boxes bore testament to a kid friendly dinner that also included French fries, sufganiyot, fruit, cookies, cupcakes and an irresistible spread of blue and white candies and snacks that were as gorgeous as they were delicious. Throughout the night guests had the opportunity to enjoy face painting, a balloon artist and a prop laden photo booth, in addition to being gifted with several small prizes.

The highlight of the night was the Chanukah presents, several hundred in all, sorted by age and piled high on tables, each one painstakingly wrapped by volunteers. Guests waited patiently for their gifts, some squealing with delight as they sat down in the middle of the atrium to unwrap their newfound possessions.

Mesivta Tifereth Jerusalem seventh grader Zev Goldman scored a pair of Sharper Image Bluetooth wireless headphones. Goldman said this was his second Frum Divorce Chanukah party.

The coolest part? Probably looking around the museum, said Goldman.

Yehuda Feldman of West Hempstead came to the museum with his 12 year old daughter and 10 year old son. Having been at every Frum Divorce Chanukah party, Feldman said that his children look forward to seeing the friends they have made over the years.

There is nothing else like this out there for them and my kids want to come back every year, said Feldman. It wasnt even my time to have the kids on Chanukah but they begged me to come take them.

The night was full of smiling faces, with parents capturing memorable moments on their cell phones, something Frum Divorce board member Chaya Klein described as a great equalizer.

When they come here Chanukah is normal and is spent with people who get their lives and understand what they are all about, said Klein. They have a sense that they belong and for once, they dont feel like the odd man out. Best of all, it gives them something to come back to school and tell their friends about.

While almost everyone in attendance came from the New York metropolitan area, there were a few notable exceptions, including one mother who flew in from Canada with her two children. Devorah Weinreb said that despite the fact that she still had to cook the food for her sons aufruf being held just two days after the Chanukah gala, she and her eleven year old spent almost three hours driving in to the party from Scranton.

He needed something for Chanukah so I made the decision to spend some time with him, said Weinreb. He is going to be able to go back into school next week and say he went to the Hall of Science. The kids will all ask him a ton of questions and he will be able to answer them all.

Debbie Rochlin, a member of Frum Divorces advisory board, radiated energy and enthusiasm throughout the party, buoyed by the magic of making dreams come true for children who are faced with adult-sized challenges.

From this evening I cry out of both sides of my eyes, said Rochlin. One side are tears of joy that I can provide this for these children and the other side are tears of sadness because I know that some of the children are just living through a nightmare.

It was a second trip to the Chanukah funfest for Maya Dagan of Brooklyn who came with three children ages 12, 11 and nine years old.

We came late last year and it was so amazing that we left the house early so that we could come on time this year, said Dagan. Just pulling up here and seeing the lights and getting closer and hearing the music had everyone so excited.

Dagan said that she was grateful to Frum Divorce for creating an event that was filled with so much joy.

This place is so exciting and it makes every kid feel important, said Dagan. It just lights up their Chanukah and there is nothing more that a mother wants in life than to enjoy her childs smile.

To find out more about Frum Divorce or to register for their upcoming retreat visit them online at www.FrumDivorce.org

(YWN Desk  NYC)
Malware code linked to Russian hackers and found on a Vermont electric utilitys computer is further evidence of predatory steps taken by that country against the U.S., a Vermont Democratic congressman said Saturday.

The Burlington Electric Department confirmed Friday it had found on one of its laptops the malware code used in Grizzly Steppe, the name Homeland Security has applied to a Russian campaign linked to recent hacks. The company said U.S. utilities were alerted by the Department of Homeland Security on Thursday of the code.

This attack shows how rampant Russian hacking is. Its systemic, relentless, predatory, Rep. Peter Welch said in a statement. They will hack everywhere, even Vermont, in pursuit of opportunities to disrupt our country.

Welch said the breach also underscores that sanctions President Barack Obama took against Russia this week were warranted. Russia, which has denied hacking U.S. systems, has been accused of interference in the U.S. presidential election by hacking American political sites and email accounts.

Sen. Patrick Leahy said the latest discovery of the malware goes beyond hackers having electronic joy rides. It is the latest example that state-sponsored Russian hacking is a serious threat, the Vermont Democrat said in a statement Friday.

The Washington Post first reported on the Vermont utilitys discovery of the malware. Burlington Electric, which is municipally owned, confirmed in an emailed statement to The Associated Press that it detected the malware in a laptop not connected to its grid systems. It said it took immediate action to isolate the laptop and alerted federal officials.

Our team is working with federal officials to trace this malware and prevent any other attempts to infiltrate utility systems, the company said.

It said it had briefed state officials and would fully support an investigation into the potential Russian hack.

Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin said his administration has been in touch with the federal government and the states utilities.

Vermonters and all Americans should be both alarmed and outraged that one of the worlds leading thugs, (Russian President) Vladimir Putin, has been attempting to hack our electric grid, which we rely upon to support our quality-of-life, economy, health, and safety, the governor said in a statement.

He said the hacking episode should highlight the urgent need for the federal government to vigorously pursue and put an end to this sort of Russian meddling.

Burlington Electric, which says its at the forefront of the green energy revolution, is one of the states two largest electric utilities. The other, Colchester-based Green Mountain Power, said its systems were secure.

Green Mountain Power, which serves about 265,000 residential and business customers, said it was thoroughly reviewed recently for safety by Homeland Security. It said it would continue to rigorously monitor its systems and remain vigilant.

(AP)
Republicans grip on all levers of power stands as a mandate to the GOP-led Congress, which will move swiftly to try to undo eight years of outgoing President Barack Obamas agenda.

With Republican President-elect Donald Trump weeks away from assuming office, GOP lawmakers plan to open the 115th Congress on Tuesday and immediately take steps to repeal Obamas health care law. Beyond that, theyll look at a tax overhaul, reversing Obama-era environmental regulations and other conservative priorities.

Republicans will face some obstacles. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi says Democrats stand ready to fight vigorously to protect health care and other priorities, and Republicans will have to compromise with Senate Democrats to move major legislation through that chamber.

A look at what the 115th Congress will be up to in 2017:

___

NEW MEMBERS

New members of the House and Senate will be sworn in on Tuesday, the first day of the new Congress.

In the Senate, five Democrats and two Republicans will be sworn in for the first time, joined by returning members who won re-election in 2016. After those members are sworn in, there will be 52 Republicans, 46 Democrats and two independents who caucus with the Democrats.

The House will have 52 new members  27 Republicans and 25 Democrats. There will be 241 Republicans in the House and 194 Democrats.

___

CONFIRMING A NEW CABINET

Trump is sworn in on Jan. 20, and Republicans in the Senate will spend the first days and weeks of his presidency pushing to confirm his Cabinet picks. Democrats changed the rules and curbed the filibuster in 2013, making it easier for Republicans to move nominations. But even though they wont be able to block Trumps nominees, Democrats have pledged to fight many of them anyway, highlighting what they say is the hypocrisy of Trumps populist message and his wealthy, corporate-favoring nominees for several posts.

___

REPEALING OBAMAS HEALTH CARE LAW

The Senate plans to begin repealing Obamas health care law on Tuesday, Congress very first day, with consideration of a procedural measure that will shield from Democratic filibusters legislation annulling much of that statute.

Lawmakers will then spend the next few months working on legislation canceling broad swaths of the law. Likely to go are its mandate that people buy health insurance or face IRS fines, and its expansion of Medicaid coverage to more lower-earning Americans. Some elements of the repeal likely wouldnt go into effect for two to four years.

Republicans will then begin the more complicated task of building a new system. The GOP will have to craft new programs for the nations $3 trillion health care system and make sure insurance markets dont collapse while the transition is under way.

___

TAX OVERHAUL

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., want a massive overhaul of the tax system with the goal of simplifying a complicated tax code that rewards wealthy people with smart accountants as well as corporations that can easily shift profits and jobs overseas.

It would be the first major tax overhaul in 30 years. Trump has also advocated a tax overhaul, but with fewer details. He promises a tax cut for every income level, with more low-income families paying no income tax at all.

___

SUPREME COURT

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died 11 months ago, but the Senate still hasnt considered a replacement. Thats because McConnell blocked consideration of Obamas nominee, Judge Merrick Garland, saying the next president should make the pick. The strategy paid off, and the Republican Senate will consider whomever Trump nominates.

___

MEDICARE CHANGES

Ryan is the most powerful advocate in Washington for an overhaul of Medicare and a premium-support approach that would, over time, remake it into a voucher-like program that could force some seniors entering the program to buy health insurance on the open market instead of getting coverage through the traditional open-ended program.

But his ideas likely will run into a political reality. Trump said on the campaign trail that he wouldnt cut the program, and Senate Republicans havent been as enthusiastic either.

Candidate Trump also initially promised not to cut Medicaid  the federal-state health insurance program for low-income and severely disabled people. During the campaign, Trump seemed to shift, backing block grants that limit federal funding.

___

SOCIAL SECURITY

Like Medicare, some House conservatives have said they want to overhaul Social Security and slow the programs growth to curb spending. But Trump has said he doesnt want to touch those programs, and Ryan told CBS 60 Minutes in December that he has no plans to change Social Security.

___

REVERSING REGULATIONS

Republican leaders have complained throughout Obamas presidency about burdensome regulations, a theme Trump used frequently during the campaign as well. GOP lawmakers now want to undo some of Obamas regulations and executive orders using the Congressional Review Act, a rarely invoked procedure.

Many of the regulations they are targeting are environmental rules put in place by the Environmental Protection Agency, including the Clean Power Plan to cut carbon pollution from coal-fired power plants, a clean water rule that has drawn the ire of farmers and another rule imposed in December to protect nearby streams from coal-mining debris.

___

INFRASTRUCTURE

Trump made rebuilding the nations aging roads, bridges and airports a major part of his job-creation strategy in the presidential race. But those plans appear to have fizzled, somewhat, as GOP leaders have questioned the spending.

(AP)
U.S. relations with Moscow during and after the Cold War have been marred by diplomatic dustups ranging from espionage scandals to an Olympics boycott.

Current tensions, highlighted by President Barack Obamas decision to impose sanctions and expel 35 Russia diplomats, are exceptional because they stem from U.S. allegations of Russian cyber meddling in the presidential election and because they are playing out during a White House transition. They also coincide with a collapse of military-to-military relations and nervousness in Europe over Russias annexation of Crimea and aggression in eastern Ukraine.

Some of the more significant episodes of the past three decades:

 MAY 2013: A U.S. diplomat was expelled after the Kremlins security services said he tried to recruit a Russian agent, and they displayed tradecraft tools that seemed straight from a spy thriller: wigs, packets of cash, a knife, map and compass, and a letter promising millions for long-term cooperation. The FSB, the successor agency to the Soviet-era KGB, identified the diplomat as Ryan Fogle, a third secretary at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. The Fogle case was a reminder that years after the Cold War ended with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia and the United States still spy on each other and maintain active counterespionage operations.

 DECEMBER 2012: President Vladimir Putin signed into law a ban on adoptions of Russian children by American citizens. The ban was a blow to U.S.-Russian diplomatic relations and was imposed in response to Russian accusations of abuses of adopted Russian children in the United States. It was included in a broader Russian law retaliating for U.S. passage of the Magnitsky Act, an effort to punish Russian human rights violators.

 JULY 2010: In the biggest spy swap since the Cold War, 10 confessed Russian agents who infiltrated suburban America as sleeper agents were ordered deported in exchange for four people convicted of betraying Moscow to the West. The agents, many speaking in heavy Russian accents despite having spent years in the U.S., pleaded guilty to conspiracy, were sentenced to time served and were ordered out of the country. The 10 were accused of embedding themselves in ordinary American life while leading double lives complete with false passports, secret code words, fake names, and encrypted radio.

 FEBRUARY 2001: A veteran FBI counterintelligence agent, Robert P. Hanssen, was arrested and charged with committing espionage for Russia and the former Soviet Union by providing highly classified national security information to intelligence officers assigned to the Soviet embassy in Washington. In the aftermath, the U.S. expelled 50 Russian diplomats. The FBI has called Hanssen the most damaging spy in the bureaus history.

 FEBRUARY 1994: The U.S. expelled Russian senior intelligence officer Alexander Lysenko, saying he was in a position to be responsible for the spying of CIA agency Aldrich Ames. This was just days after Ames and his wife, Rosario, were arrested on charges of selling secrets to Moscow from at least 1985 to 1993. Even in expelling Lysenko, the administration of President Bill Clinton softened the blow by emphasizing the importance of strong ties with Russia and the continuation of reforms under Boris Yeltsin, who was seen as key to Russias move toward democracy.

 OCTOBER 1986: In one of the more memorable tit-for-tat expulsions for alleged espionage activities, President Ronald Reagan ordered 55 Soviet diplomats in Washington and San Francisco to leave the U.S., shortly after expelling 25 others from the Soviet mission to the United Nations. The Soviets retaliated each time, kicking out American diplomats and announcing that the U.S. missions in Moscow and Leningrad could no longer employ Soviet workers.

 MARCH 1980: In response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979, President Jimmy Carter announced the United States would boycott the Summer Olympic Games scheduled to be held in Moscow. He acted when the Soviets refused to comply with Carters ultimatum for the withdrawal of their troops from Afghanistan by February. The Soviets retaliated by leading a communist-bloc boycott of the 1984 Summer Olympic Games held in Los Angeles. The Soviet army did not leave Afghanistan until 1989.

(AP)
The Israeli female from Tira reported missing in Istanbul following the night club terrorist attack, 18-year-old Leann Zaher Nasser, was found dead by authorities in Turkey, another victim of the New Years attack. Leann as there with three other Israel Arab women from Tira, one sustaining moderate wounds and the others escaping injuries.

At least 39 people were killed and over 70 injured in the attack when terrorists dressed in a Santa Claus costume opened fire in the crowded night club in all directions.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
[COMMUNICATED CONTENT]

Machon Yerushalayim, The Jerusalem Institute of Talmudic Research, which is renowned all over the world for being the leading publisher of rabbinical commentaries, is in the midst of their annual sale of its classic collection of seforim.

The sale highlights an array of new releases including: Otzar Meforshei HaTorah, where most of the Rishonim and Achronim explain the pshat of the passuk; the Mishnah Brura Or Hamizrach, which features the psakim of the prominent Sephardic commentators; the Shoel Umeishiv, a responsa on the four parts of the Shulchan Aruch, penned by the illustrious Rav Yosef Shaul Natanson, ZTL and many more new releases.

Machon Yerushalayim has seen numerous miracles as manuscripts have landed on its doorstep, sometimes without even the owner of the manuscript realizing its tremendous value to Klal Yisroel. As is the case with many of Machon Yerushalayims efforts to redeem important Hebrew manuscripts and reprint scholarly works that in many cases were thought to be lost forever, the completion of Shaarei Torah was extraordinary. In fact, the behind-the- scenes story of how the manuscript was discovered by Machon Yerushalayim nearly 30 years ago, is a prime example of how hard work and Siyata Dishmaya can reap rewards for all of Klal Yisroel.

Rav Binyomin Wolf Low (also pronounced Lowey, Lev or Ley) was a Polish-Hungarian rabbinical luminary (1775-1851), who was educated by his revered father Eleazar Low, AH in Talmudic literature and became the spiritual leader of a congregation in Poland when he was very young. Shaarei Torah, a holy manuscript on the principles of Talmudic law, was the only sefer Rav Low, ZTL ever published. The sefer received haskamos from some of the greatest Torah luminaries of his generation including Rav Akiva Eiger, ZTL, the Chasam Sofer, ZTL, Rav Mordechai Bennet of Nickelsburg, ZTL and others.

Three parts were published in Vienna (1821, 1850) and Satoraljaujhely (1872). The fourth part, which started with Siman Aleph and completes the set, was still in manuscript form in 1906 and then disappeared from view. Rav Yosef Buxbaum, ZTL, the founder of Machon Yerushalayim wanted to publish the sefer and wondered if they should reformulate and change Siman Beis to Siman Aleph. However, the Jerusalem Gaon and Av Beis Din, the Minchas Yitzchak, ZTL (Rav Yitzchok Yaakov Weiss, 1902-1989), ruled that it was not proper to change the sequence.

Nearly 30 years ago, Rav Yosef Buxbaum, ZTL, was in the USA. During the course of his visit, he received a telephone call from a widow, claiming that she had a piles of old letters and notations that her late husband had left behind and had no use for them. Rav Buxbaum, ZTL traveled to the womans house. He took the letters and notations, thanking the widow for her generosity.

When he returned to his hotel, Rav Buxbaum ZTL began to meticulously examine the letters and notations. Much to his surprise, within one of the envelopes there was a letter from a great rabbi to potential charitable donors, asking them for funding to publish his sefer Shaarei Torah, which he could not afford to do by himself. Lo and behold, the missing Siman Aleph was actually inside the envelope, so potential donors could sample his scholarly work!

Needless to say, Rav Buxbaum, ZTL was astounded by his discovery and upon return to Jerusalem revealed the lost sefer to his awe stricken colleagues.

Now, Machon Yerushalayim could produce the lost sefer in its entirety.

It is in the merit of the esteemed Mr. Avrohom Schonberger, the Director of Machon Yerushalayim in the USA, who helped sponsor and propel the publication of the Shaarei Torah set, as well as other seforim.

This is just one example out of many of how Machon Yerushalayim received manuscripts of many Gedolim from the past and was able to publish their holy work for the benefit of Klal Yisroel.

The annual seforim sales event, which is now in its 7 th year and continues till January 13, is available at Judaica bookstores throughout the metro New York-New Jersey region, as well as Lakewood, Baltimore, Cleveland Heights, Miami, Los Angeles and Oak Park-Southfield. Some of the other seforim that are on sale include, the Shulchan Aruch-Friedman Edition, the Maharal, Minchas Chinuch, the Rishonim, along with many other fundamental seforim that are available now for a limited time only.

During the coming year, Machon Yerusahalayim will be releasing a potpourri of important new Seform including Tshuvos HaRi Migash, Keser Rosh, Michas Solles, Shut HaRambam 2 and many more.

To see all of the seforim which are on sale from Machon Yerusahlayim, please visit their sale website at: www.torabooks.com
The tragedy which occurred earlier today, the death of a mother and her four children at 85-93 Derech Hebron Street in the capital is being investigated.

Police spokeswoman Galit Ziv reports that despite the findings, an official cause of death has not yet been determined as investigators are working the scene.

The father is being treated by medical professionals who are escorting him as he speaks with police and other investigators. United Hatzalahs Psychotrauma Unit was at his side since he arrived at the scene and learned of the tragedy that has befallen him  his entire family gone.

When Police, fire and EMS arrived at the scene they ran up and broke into the sixth-floor apartment but it was too late for the mom, as well as the girls who were locked in the burning room. They had RL been burned to death.

The victims moved to Israel 13 years ago, from France. People who knew them explained this is the case and all of the children were born here. It is added that city social services had a file on the mother. No additional details are being released at this time.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Profits at trade union law firm Thompsons Solicitors plunged from 16.1 million to just 3.3 million following official crackdowns on personal injury and employment tribunal claims.

Revenues at the firm  which shares its head office in Central London with the Trades Union Congress  fell from 76million last year to 67.3million.

Personal injury companies have been hit in recent years by a crackdown on the fees they can charge to bring accident claims.

Law change: The Government capped legal fees in personal injury claims in 2013

In 2013, the Government capped legal fees in personal injury claims. In addition, it recently announced plans to further bear down on whiplash claims in road accidents.

Employees hoping to bring tribunal cases now have to pay fees running into hundreds of pounds.

Ministry of Justice figures show that only 83,000 employment cases were brought in 2015-16 compared with 192,000 in 2012-13.

Thompsons fees dropped by 11 per cent in the year to the end of April. The firm included a 3.7million provision in its accounts for redundancy payments.

The accounts did not attempt to explain why fees have fallen and gave no further details of the redundancies.

Thompsons, which employs almost 1,000 people in Britain, said: 'It has been a challenging year in which we have undergone major reshaping as a result of LASPO and employment tribunal fees, with significant redundancy costs which are reflected in the firm's profits for the year.
Predictions of a massive surge in tourist numbers  following the Brexit vote and the resulting slump in the pound  have failed to materialise, according to the leisure industrys trade body.

The British Hospitality Associations Travel Monitor revealed that the volume of tourists coming to the UK declined for the second month in a row in November, while the number of Britons going abroad continued to grow.

Gloomy outlook: Tourists coming to the UK declined for the second month in a row

Many experts had expected that the fall in the value of the pound following the result of the EU referendum would lead to a jump in the number of visitors, but instead the BHA found that 450,000 fewer holidaymakers came here in the year to November compared to the same period in 2015.

By contrast, outbound tourist numbers continued to grow strongly, suggesting a slowdown in the UK staycation market.

The Travel Monitor also found that overseas visitors were splashing out less, while the spending by British tourists overseas was up 10 per cent for the year to date.

Ufi Ibrahim, chief executive of the BHA, said: Our analysis has shown there is increasing pressure on the industry through lower inbound holiday passengers and higher outbound holiday passengers.

Splashing out: Tourist spending could increase by 8 per cent to 24.1 billion

With political and economic uncertainty increasing it is more important than ever to ensure tourism can compete.

The BHA Travel Monitor sets a worrying trend for the short-term future of the hospitality and tourism industry which is crucial to the UK economy.
Britain's need for new homes is being held back by a shortage of skilled workers such as bricklayers and carpenters, experts have warned.

They say the crisis threatens a Government promise to provide 200,000 new homes a year by 2020.

Demand on building sites is so high that brickies can earn 50,000 a year in some areas.

Shortage: Demand on building sites is so high that brickies can earn 50,000 a year in some areas

The Federation of Master Builders said 59 per cent of small and medium-sized construction firms were struggling to hire skilled bricklayers, while 55 per cent had trouble finding carpenters and joiners.

'This severe shortage of skilled labour is starting to have a very real effect on the industry's capacity to deliver more homes,' said FMB chief executive Brian Berry.

'A shortage of tradespeople is a major barrier to increasing the delivery of new homes.'

John Tutte, chief executive of the housebuilder Redrow, said: 'A drive for more homes must come hand in hand with a drive to recruit workers.'

There are also fears that Brexit could cut off a vital supply of manpower from Eastern Europe.
Banks are set to slash bonus payouts to staff by 1 billion this year but will still hand over as much as 4 billion in total.

City pay experts say bonuses are likely to be cut following a poor year for investment banks and amid continuing public disgust at the extraordinary sums earned by top bankers.

Jon Terry, a partner at PwC, said: Our estimate is that bonuses at European banks will be down 15 to 20 per cent.

Tough times: Bonuses are likely to be cut following a poor year for investment banks

HSBC paid 2.3billion in bonuses last year and Barclays forked out 1.67billion  making up the lions share of payouts by the Big Four banks.

RBS still has a small investment bank and paid bonuses of 373 million last year while Lloyds handed over 354 million.

Terry said some European banks could cut bonuses in half, but in contrast US banks such as JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs are likely to increase their year-end payments  in some cases by as much as 10 per cent.

Banks are starting to set bonus levels now following the end of the year.

Terry said: Theres a growing difference between US banks and European banks. The performance of the US banks has held up better. European banks have also begun to respond to wider concern around the size of bonuses.

He predicted there would be a big rise in the number of staff who get no bonus at all.

Pressure: UK banks have reined in bonuses in recent years following the financial crisis

Typically fewer than 10 per cent of bank employees have been given a very small bonus or none at all in the past.

Bank bonuses have come under intense pressure in Europe following the financial crisis and amid continuing anger at bank misbehaviour.

Exactly how much each of the big UK banks will pay out will depend on the performance of their individual investment banks.

HSBCs global banking and markets division had seen profits slip by more than 10 per cent when it reported results for the first nine months of the year in November.

Rule change: Bonuses can no longer be more than double a banker's salary

Barclays corporate and investment bank has done better this year following a strong third quarter performance.

RBSs investment bank has also improved in terms of interest income compared with 2015.

Lloyds does not have an investment bank and its bonuses for all staff are dependent on its overall performance.

Gary Greenwood, banks analyst at broker Shore Capital, expects Lloyds to report adjusted profits of 7.8 billion in 2016, slightly down on the 7.9 billion recorded in 2015.

UK banks have reined in bonuses in recent years amid public pressure.

RBS paid 1.3billion in 2010 while Barclays paid 3.5billion in the same year.

Europe has introduced restrictions on bank bonuses which mean they cannot be worth more than double a bankers salary.

Banks attempted to sidestep the rule by paying fixed share-based allowances that supposedly counted neither as a bonus nor as salary, but the European Banking Authority is clamping down on the practice.

The banks declined to comment.




The Government is facing calls to return more than 1billion to companies which experts claim have been overcharged for business rates collected in the past six years.

Claims of a massive overcharge will add to growing anger among companies over business rates and will fuel calls for the complex system to face an overhaul.

The dispute relates to about 6.5billion collected since 2010 to cover the cost of successful business rates appeals.

Fiasco: Waterstones' James Daunt warns small stores could go bust

The sum, which is spread across all rates bills, is used to cover the cost of appeals when firms successfully win a rebate by arguing their business premises have been overvalued.

But it has emerged that the amount charged far exceeds any sums paid back in rates rebates.

A Freedom of Information request lodged with the Valuation Office  part of the Department for Communities and Local Government which oversees business rates  revealed that while 6.5billion has been collected to cover rebate payments since 2010, by March this year just 4billion had been paid out.

Experts forecast that after dealing with the remaining appeals, central government and local authorities would have reaped at least 1.1billion more than the tax allows under legislation.

The final figure could be far higher. Fury over the business rates regime had already been heightened after The Mail on Sunday exposed Government plans to block firms from appealing against bills even when they are known to be wrong.

Business rates have been blamed for hastening the demise of many high streets battling the spectacular rise of the internet in the past five years. It is a property-based tax which does not affect large internet firms such as eBay or Amazon.

Closing down: Business rates have been blamed for hastening the demise of many high streets

Mark Rigby, chief executive of business rates adviser CVS, said the Government should adhere to rules preventing it from overcharging firms on business rates.

With so much discontent surrounding the amount businesses pay in rates, I would argue that the unaccounted for 1.1 billion should be handed back to businesses as an overcharge, he said.

Whilst this is unlikely, the Government could and should use the windfall to reduce the pence in the pound businesses pay come next April in order to ease the burden of new rates bills soon to be landing on the doormats of businesses.

The Mail on Sunday warned in November that a new system of appeals will reduce payouts further even though there are suspicions that the amount collected to cover the cost of appeals is set to rise.

The law prohibits the Government from collecting more in business rates than set by Parliament.

A surcharge is added to ensure there is enough to pay rebates on appeals when rates have been unfairly collected, for example if a business can prove that trade has been disrupted by a nearby development.

In 2010 the rebate was set at 3.6 per cent, which amounts to 6.5 billion between 2010 and 2017.

Overtime: Pubs will have to serve 121 million extra pints to fund the increase in business rates

The Local Government Finance Act 1988 allows adjustments to overall future rates charges to compensate if it emerges that the provision turns out to be excessive.

There is no evidence that the Government has made such an adjustment under existing plans for the current revaluation which comes into force in April. There are fears that the new revaluation could have a host of unintended consequences by taxing property values rather than profits.

James Daunt, managing director at bookseller Waterstones, said properties in London and the South East were braced for very substantial increases in April which would have an overall negative effect on his chain which is currently fighting hard against internet companies.

He said there are transitional tax relief arrangements to compensate. But he explained: They are such that the increases come very quickly and the decreases in other parts of the country come extremely slowly  which is unfair.

The really unfortunate consequence of all this is that even more independent shops will close and there will be even less diversity on the high street.

We can weather it, but for small independents in London and the South East, its a catastrophe, he said.

Business rate bills for more than 44,000 pubs across England and Wales are expected to rise by a staggering 421 million over the next five years because their rateable property values have shot up by 14 per cent. Pubs will have to serve 121 million extra pints just to fund the increases.

Meanwhile, supermarkets are set for huge tax reductions on their largest stores. Tesco, Sainsburys, Asda, Morrisons and others are set to see the rateable values for their superstores in England and Wales slashed by 5.9 per cent overall.

A DCLG spokesman said there is no set amount put aside for business rate appeals and said claims that a rebate was due is spurious.
The co-founder of a fashion website aimed at young Muslims is on a list of ten London entrepreneurs under 30 to watch in 2017.

Nafisa Bakkar launched the website, Amaliah, with her sister Selina to address the difficulty Muslim women can face looking for clothes that are modest yet fashionable.

The site picks out items from retailers collections that have full leg and arm coverage, and states: We arent here to tell you what is or isnt modest, we are just here to make the journey a little easier.

One to watch: Amaliah founder Nafisa Bakkar is on a list of top London entrepreneurs under 30

Now Nafisa has been put on a list of top entrepreneurs by experts from Royal Bank of Scotland, mentoring group Capital Enterprise and Google Cloud Platform.

Since launching in September 2015, the brand has evolved to also become a forum for Muslim women in the UK, with a platform for bloggers.

Sir Martin Sorrell, the chief executive of advertising giant WPP, has described Generation M  young Muslim consumers  as one of the 21st Centurys most important economic forces.

Amaliah, which raised 1,800 via crowdfunding site Seedrs for 20 per cent equity in July and is based in Shoreditch, East London, is targeting a growing market.

The number of Muslims is expected to increase from 1.6 billion in 2010 to 2.8 billion by 2050. A third of Muslims today are under 15.




By Mandingo Tshaka

(Re: Helms Brothers application to allow a Volvo dealership to operated at 207-22 Northern Blvd.)

My name is Mandingo Osceola Tshaka and I am a Bayside community advocate and president of the Bayside Clear Spring Council, the civic organization covering the site in the application. I regret that I cannot appear in person at the Dec. 13 hearing. I am sending in testimony again to voice my opposition over this application. My concerns include the following:

1) The block where the Volvo dealership is operating is already saturated with auto-related businesses. How can the BSA expect this community to deal with yet another auto dealership? Arent four other auto dealerships, a transmission repair business and a body shop and repair business enough to handle on one block?

2) Why is this auto dealership operating before the variance under consideration has even been approved?

3) It is my understanding that vehicles from this Volvo dealership may be allowed to be test driven along 45th Road, in the residential area, as part of the route to be followed. This is unacceptable. All vehicles should exit and enter from Northern Blvd. if an auto-related business is allowed to operate at this site. A monitor from the auto business should be stationed when vehicles are accessing the front of the building to ensure that they can safely access Northern Boulevard. Test drives should be conducted only along major thoroughfares, not through residential streets. Let them go east on Northern, then south on Bell Boulevard, then west on Rocky Hill Road, then north on Francis Lewis Boulevard, and then back east on Northern Boulevard to the business. That would affect the least number of residents in my community.

4) As I stated in my submitted testimony of Aug. 23rd, 2016, nowhere else do we find such a saturation of auto-related businesses in northeast Queens. The people living here are constantly bombarded with auto fumes and congested traffic. Quality of life is negatively impacted. Home values in this area suffer.

5) The problem is compounded because many of the businesses on this block are breaking the law. Some have encroached into the residential zoned area of 45th Road. The many homes that used to line the north side of 45th Road have all been demolished and in their place, parking lots, extended buildings and the like have crept in. I have reported these violations many times. However, the Department of Buildings has failed to act to enforce the zoning regulations.

6) I truly feel that this type of illegal practice that is condoned by the city of New York is blatant racism. The people living in my neighborhood are predominantly African American and other people of color. This intolerable situation is not found in any other part of Bayside or northeast Queens. It would not be allowed by the people living there and it should not be allowed in my neighborhood either. I see the same kind of commercial development blight in other Queens neighborhoods where people of color reside, including in South Jamaica.

Before you render your decision, I hope that the BSA will take these concerns and comments into serious consideration. I truly believe that the future of my community is at stake.

Mandingo Osceola Tshaka

Bayside
Much of the globe celebrated the beginning of 2017 with fireworks, parties and other festivities, though many were somber in reflecting on the politics and popular culture of the past tumultuous year.

Revelers gathered in Times Square, New York Citys iconic tourist attraction, to watch the famed crystal ball mark the seconds to the new year.

New York City officials positioned dozens of dump trucks filled with loads of sand among the towering Times Square skyscrapers. The trucks are meant to act as a protective barrier as an estimated 1 million revelers joined the countdown to fireworks and confetti to mark the beginning of 2017.

President Barack Obama, in his weekly address, reflected on the past year, and his two terms in office. He ended the address by saying and from the Obama family to yours, have a happy and blessed 2017.

President-elect Donald Trump tweeted out his New Years greetings: Happy New Year to all, including to my many enemies and those who have fought me and lost so badly they just dont know what to do. Love!

Hours earlier, New Zealand, nearby Pacific islands, Australia and Russia were among the first to ring in 2017.

One of the first prominent New Years celebrations to start 2017 was the annual fireworks show in Sydney, which drew a crowd of more than 1 million people, who lined the waterfront to watch a show dedicated to the late entertainers David Bowie and Gene Wilder  just two of the many celebrities who died in 2016.

Many countries were focused on security while anticipating big crowds at celebrations to ring in 2017.

In Istanbul, Turkey, celebrations were interrupted by an armed attack at a nightclub that killed at least 39 people.

Added security is in place in many cities after the December 19 hijacked truck attack on a Berlin Christmas market that killed 12 people, and other attacks during 2016.

The German capital has added concrete barriers and armored cars near the traditional Brandenburg Gate celebration venue to protect crowds from vehicle attacks.

In Dubai, hundreds of thousands of people watched fireworks launched from the Burj Khalifa, at 828 meters the worlds tallest building. The fireworks show was also streamed online.

Private security guards were stationed every 50 meters and streets were blocked off from sidewalks to keep the roads clear for roaming emergency vehicles.

In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin said each person may become something of a magician on the night of the new year, by treating family members, co-workers, friends and those in need with respect and mercy.

This is the whole secret, he said, speaking in an address broadcast near midnight, in turn, in each of Russias 11 time zones.

French President Francois Hollande used his televised New Years message to warn against the risks of rising nationalism.

At Vatican City, Pope Francis called on his followers to help young people find a place in society, speaking during vespers marking New Years Eve. He said young people have been deprived of dignified and genuine work, leaving them to knock on doors that, for the most part, remain closed. He said young people should be allowed to take part in society rather than be pushed to the margins of it.

Paris canceled fireworks at the Eiffel Tower again this year, but a display was staged along the Champs-Elysees, which has been fortified by armed soldiers and traffic barriers.

In central London, armed police were deployed on board underground trains for the first time. Some armed officers have protected the subway system in recent years, but this is the first time officers with guns will ride the trains with passengers traveling to and from Trafalgar Square and the banks of the Thames River to celebrate the new year.

SOURCE: VOANEWS
Ever since the end of the WWI, and especially since the end of the WWII, the UK official foreign policy line was nearly always the same, imperial  partition and division. Divide/atomise and rule (divide at impere) ! Was it Asia, Latin America, Africa, Ukraine, Balkans or the Middle East  Pakistanization was the UK classical (colonial) concept, action and answer ! With the Brexit at sight, seems that the Pakistanization (finally) came home.

However, certain destructive UK quasi-intellectual circles are trying to postpone inevitable. Following lines are about that ill-fated attempt.

Foreign Affairs, a renowned American foreign policy journal, recently published an article under the title Dysfunction in the Balkans, written by Timothy Less. In this article the author offers his advice to the new American Administration, suggesting it to abandon the policy of support to the territorial integrity of the states created in the process of dissolution of the former Yugoslavia. Timothy Less advocates a total redesign of the existing state boundaries in the Balkans, on the basis of a rather problematic claim that the multiethnic states in the Balkans (such as Bosnia-Herzegovina and Macedonia) proved to be dysfunctional, whereas the ethnically homogenous states (such as Croatia, Albania and Croatia) proved to be prosperous. Also, the author claims that the peoples in the Balkans, having lost any enthusiasm for the multiethnic status quo, predominantly strive to finally accomplish the imagined monoethnic greater state projects  so-called Greater Serbia, Greater Croatia and Greater Albania. According to Less\ design, the imagined Greater Serbia should embrace the existing Serb entity in Bosnia-Herzegovina (that is, 49% of the Bosnian territory), but also the entire internationally recognized Republic of Montenegro; the Greater Croatia should embrace a future Croatian entity in Bosnia-Herzegovina; the Greater Albania should embrace both Kosovo and the western part of Macedonia. All these territorial redesigns, claims Less, would eventually bring about a lasting peace and stability in the region. The question is, to what extent these proposals can be seen as founded in the geopolitical reality of the Balkans, or the author only acts as a spokesperson for particular interest groups whose aim is to accomplish their geopolitical projects, regardless of the price paid by the peoples of the Balkans?

First, let us take a look at the author\s professional background. According to his official biographies, Timothy Less was the head of the British diplomatic office in Banja Luka, the capital of the Serb entity in Bosnia-Herzegovina. He was also the political secretary of the British Embassy in Skopje, Macedonia. Now he runs a consulting agency called Nova Europa, so he has officially left the British diplomatic service. Thus he served as a diplomat exactly in those two states which are, according to his analysis, the most desirable candidates for dissolution. If one remembers that the British foreign policy, since the 1990s, has occassionally but unambiguously advocated the creation of the imagined monoethnic greater states  Greater Serbia, Greater Croatia and Greater Albania  as an alleged path towards lasting stability in the Balkans, it is difficult to escape the impression that this diplomat, having served in Banja Luka and Skopje, probably acted as an informal adviser to those very political forces, such as the Serbian and Albanian separatists, who should be the most active participants in the realization of those greater state projects. And ever since he left the diplomatic service, Timothy Less has regularly published articles in which he \foresees\, that is, invites new ethnic conflicts and ethnic divisions in the Balkans. In the Foreign Affairs article now he attempts to persuade the new American Administration that it should also adopt the policy of completion of the greater state projects in the region. Ironically, Less now makes that in order to prevent all those ethnic wars that he himself has been announcing, that is, inviting and advocating. Obviously, the long-term strategy of inviting ethnic conflicts in order to implement the greater state projects in the Balkans, together with the current strategy of advocating their completion in order to allegedly bring the stability back to the region, must be perceived as a serious geopolitical projection designed by one relatively influential part of the British foreign policy establishment. In that context, so-called \independent experts\, such as Timothy Less, have a task to persuade the world that such projections can be \the only reasonable solution\.

Still, it is clear that he is as independent as his solutions are reasonable. For example, Less claims that multiethnic states, in which the aforementioned national projects have remained unaccomplished, are the main impediments to stability in the Balkans. However, the historical reality has demonstrated that this claim is a simple red herring fallacy. For, the very concept of completed ethnonational states is a concept that has only led towards perpetual instability wherever applied, because such ethnonational territories cannot be created without violence, that is, without ethnic cleansing and wars. The strategy of \solving national issues\ has always led, both in the Balkans and elsewhere, only towards permanent instability, never towards final stability. What is particularly interesting, in accordance with the principle of national self-determination promoted at the Peace Conference in Versailles the winners in the World War I advocated the creation of the common national state of the Southern Slavs. Some seventy years later, the same great powers accepted, and sometimes advocated, the dissolution of that very state in the name of self-determination of some other national states, since all the former Yugoslav republics, with the exception of Bosnia-Herzegovina, had been constituted as national states. And now, their spokespersons, like Less, advocate a dissolution of most of these states in order to complete some greater state projects  of course, again in the name of national self-determination. Looking from that perspective, one can only conclude that national self-determination, as much as the nation itself, is a totally arbitrary category, changeable in accordance with current geopolitical interests  of course, the interests of the big ones, not of those small ones whose \problem of national self-determination\ is allegedly being solved.

Since we cannot reject Less\ proposal as a mere list of the author\s wishes and desires, let us ask ourselves what is the true relevance of Foreign Affairs in international political circles and how much this article can really influence future actions of the new American Administration. Foreign Affairs is a publication sposored by the body called the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), whose membership from the very beginning consisted of senior politicians, secretaries of state, directors of CIA, bankers, academics, lawyers and senior media figures. This body was founded in 1921 as a common Anglo-American project, conceived as the embodiment of the so-called special relationship between the United States and Great Britain, which had been created during the World War I and has remained present to the present day. In this sense, there can hardly be a journal in the entire world with greater political influence, comparable only with the influence of the CFR itself. Therefore, the geopolitical manifesto written by Timothy Less must be taken with ultimate seriousness, because it certainly reflects the interests of some influential circles within the Anglo-American foreign policy establishment. Bearing in mind all the public support that Hillary Clinton enjoyed during her presidential campaign from the people gathered around Foreign Affairs, it is reasonable to assume that she would probably adopt Less\ suggestions. However, it is less likely that the newly-elected President of the United States, Donald Trump, who did not enjoy a slightest support from these circles, will not be so naive as to adopt the strategy of completion of greater state projects presented in Foreign Affairs as his own strategy and a vision that can contribute to peace and stability in any part of the world. However, if that happens, we shall face not only new ethnic conflicts in the Balkans, but also a lasting instability in the rest of the world.

Graduate of the London School of Economics, prof. Zlatko Hadzidedic is a prominent thinker, prolific author of numerous books, and indispensable political figure of the former Yugoslav socio-political space in 1990s, 2000s and 2010s.





The views expressed in this article are the author\s own and do not necessarily reflect The Times Of Earth\s editorial policy.
Beaver County preparing for robust Election Day turnout

As the Nov. 8 midterm election approaches, nearly 114,000 people are registered to vote in Beaver County.
Albany

Gov. Andrew Cuomo vetoed legislation late Saturday that would have shifted the cost of pricey legal services for the poor from counties to the state in coming years.

Cuomo wrote in his veto message the legislation ultimately would require that the state spend more than $800 million a year to fully reimburse counties for all expenses associated with non-criminal legal defense work, including legal services in family and surrogate court.

"This bill would do little more than transfer to the taxpayers of this state an entirely new obligation to pay for any and all existing expenses related to general defense legal work, far beyond legal representation of indigent criminal defendants," Cuomo wrote.

The state now pays roughly 10 percent of the 2010 spending levels for indigent legal services for each county currently.

The legislation called for the state to assume control of indigent legal service costs by 2023, with the state assuming 25 percent of costs starting April 1, the start of the next fiscal year.

The governor proposed modifications to the bill that he contended would have led to state funding for costs associated with extending reforms statewide, with fiscal oversight through the state Division of Budget.

"Unfortunately, the Legislature did not adopt those modifications, highlighting a basic and fundamental misunderstanding within the Legislature as to the true, intended purposed of this bill," he wrote. "The Legislature framed this bill as 'indigent defense' bill. It is not. This bill is nothing more than a backdoor attempt to shift costs from the counties to the state taxpayers under the guise of indigent defense."

The governor pledged to introduce a plan aimed at ensuring "that counsel at arraignment, caseload standard reform, and quality improvements are extended throughout the state, with appropriate tools to ensure accountability and results."

Bill supporters expressed disappointment with the veto.

"Despite the tremendous support to achieve this long overdue criminal justice reform measure to bring cost savings and better access to counsel for indigent defendants across New York State, we have failed in these final hours to reach agreement," Assembly sponsor Patricia Fahy, D-Albany, said in a statement. "I remain fully committed and look forward to working with the Governor, Speaker Heastie, Senator DeFrancisco, and more to fix this critical need for our counties in the 2017 session. We have waited 50 years to fully implement this constitutional mandate and we want to get this right for the sake of all New Yorkers."

Cuomo's veto comes more than two years after New York settled a lawsuit  known as Hurrell-Harring  over the state's requirement that it fund indigent legal services in five counties. The settlement required that the state cover the cost of services in Suffolk, Washington, Ontario, Onondaga and Schuyler counties over a seven-year period.

The legislation's backers saw its impacts as twofold.

Firstly, a lack of indigent legal services in some areas because of inadequate funds is seen as disproportionately affecting minority communities.

"Our current public defense system operates in a way that connotes the message, and very strongly does, that this state does not equally value the lives of black people," Alice Green, executive director of the Albany-based Center for Law and Justice, said at an event in Albany earlier in December. "The governor's signature on the (indigent legal services) bill will reverse this notion and send a very strong and clear message to the state and to the nation that black lives really do matter."

Secondly, counties choked by a property tax cap that is below 1 percent for 2017 see the shift of services, albeit over time, as a massive weight that could be lifted off of local taxpayers. In 2015, indigent legal services cost about $390 million statewide.

The veto comes when the state is not on as solid fiscal footing as in years past. Cuomo earlier this month acknowledged that the state is facing a revenue shortfall for the current fiscal year, meaning both he and lawmakers are going to have to be more stingy in crafting the next budget.

Though that bill must now wind its way through the legislative process again, a new law signed by Cuomo creates a rotating schedule of courts to hold off-hours arraignments in counties outside of New York City.
Petition seeks to 'Keep Abby and Libby arrest evidence sealed'

A petition on Change.org urges the prosecutor to keep the probable cause affidavit sealed in Richard Allen's arrest in the Delphi double homicide.
IF LOCAL VOTERS REFUSES TO DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY, ANSWERS AND RESULTS FROM PUBLIC OFFICIALS ON THE SUBJECT OF THE HORRIFIC KANSAS CITY HOMICIDE COUNT THEN THIS MASSACRE WILL CONTINUE IN 2017!!!

Kansas City counts 125 murders this year and no elected or appointed official will lose their job as a result of this unacceptable level of violence on local streets.This year elected officials avoid any pointed questions from mainstream media as bodies piled up on neighborhood streets and the administration ofrather than addressing life threatening danger posed to residents of outside of the taxpayer subsidized downtown loop.Across the street, theFinally,while hotspot policing, community outreach and so many other buzzwords proved ineffective to prevent a historic KCMO body count.What's worse is that the strategies employed by all of these Kansas City elected leaders directed blame and criticism back at the community, residents and voters rather than taking on any leadership or responsibility for a level of violence and murder that keeps trending higher.Sadly, the rhetorical tricks of these public officials who are bound to serve the very public they seek to blame were mostly accepted and unquestioned by most so-called journalists in Kansas City.And here is the danger and our warning for the new year . . .One liners and talking points can no longer be accepted when people are being beaten, robbed and killed in Kansas City at an alarming and increasing rate.This isn't personal, Mayor Sly James, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker and Chief Forte are all fine people but their performance and the politically motivated priorities of their offices have proven disastrous for the people of Kansas City. So often, criticism is met with hurt feelings and defensiveness from elected officials who only confirm their inability to cope with the duties of their office by an unwillingness to engage in any real discussion or debate. Given the current carnage on Kansas City streets, voters can no longer worry about sparing the feelings of these politicos for what is a clearly a dereliction of duty. With respect, calm but unyielding resolve . . . Kansas City must press for real answers to this homicide and violence crisis that goes beyond performance protest art or social justice whining. If our elected officials cannot or will not take the question of KC's sickening murder rate seriously, then they must be replaced and removed from office.Holding our public officials accountable for the responsibilities they have sworn to uphold is vital to the future of communities, children and our local Democracy. Without a strident challenge to the status quo that has resulted in a shocking uptick in violence this year, Kansas City is doomed to relive the same tragic bloodshed in 2017.
As the level of violence and murder has increased in Kansas City amid a bloody, violent and murderous 2017  We notice that levels of crime are also rising among our neighbors as well.KCK, Overland Park, Independence, MO, Lee's Summit and even enclaves as far out as Lenexa have seen upticks in assaults, robberies and even murder.Think about it this way . . .and aallegedly by two seemingly middle-class denizens. In both of these instances, the suspects weren't "urban core" offenders but denizens from outside the metro.Think about this trend in terms of- the spread of cultural itemssuch as ideas, styles, religions, technologies, languages etc.between individuals, whether within a single culture or from one culture to another.Translation: The chaos and disrespect for humankind displayed in the horrific KCMO killings is now taking hold among our suburban neighbors who see this kind of crime go unchecked and are adopting the violence as part of their own identity.Amid increasing availability of firearms . . . This trend is just a bit more serious than middle-class kids who like Jordans and hip-hop.More to the point . . . Beyond political and biz leaders want to stress the economic development connections of the metro whilst touting their biz development tax subsidy schemes . . . What we're seeing is that crime and desperation also link our communities. This isn't just about gun violence as theStill, throughout the course of this blog and amid this past year we've seen the illusion of suburban safety and distance from the violence of the urban core shattered among just about everybody in the metro except maybe those denizens in faraway towns like Belton . . .But I digress . . .The point here is that throughout history we've seen violence in societies erupt in the very same parallel manner and it's not invading hordes of Mexicans or roving gangs of urban core residents who mostly threaten suburbanites . . . Given that most people are simply trying to scrape by a living . . . Instead, the idea of violence as part of an American cultural identity, a solution to disputes and the growing disrespect for the sanctity of life now threatens all of the metro amid the horrific example of the unabated Kansas City urban core slaughter we have all witnessed.
Cancel The $800 Million Blank Check Bond Issue

Kansas City Doesn't Need An Inconvenient New Single-Terminal Nightmare Airport

Check Out Of The Kansas City No-Tell Hotel Downtown Debacle

Stop Toy Train Streetcar Expansion In Its Tracks Without CITYWIDE Voter Approval

No More Taxpayer Cash For Kansas City Luxury Living Space

THE SLY JAMES ADMINISTRATION HAS RULED AS CORPORATE PUPPET KING AND THIS LACK OF LEADERSHIP THREATENS TO BANKRUPT KANSAS CITY AS THIS TOWN SINKS FURTHER INTO A VIOLENT ABYSS THAT WE REFUSEE TO CONFRONT!!!

Refocus KCMO Priorities On Neighborhoods, Residents And Public Safety

A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO OUR TKC FREE SPEECH BLOG COMMUNITY WHICH REMAINS THE LAST BASTION OF CRITICAL KICK-ASS DISCOURSE IN KANSAS CITY!!!

Nothing changes onand the challenges Kansas City confronts at the outset of this year are even more threatening given the totalof local government and City Hall last year.Quick look at the struggle and action that will prevent further damage . . .Voters need to demand deets from politicos who are simply looking for another handout without having to make specific promises for public improvements and avoid aLocals haveand the last few people pushing this idea are nothing more than an army of paid consultants looking to cash their checks.They won't disclose financial deets to City Hall and therefore give the project a sketchy and dubious presentation to voters despite financial assurance.They were told. Now, only Clay is asking all of KCMO for expansion while a small clique of hipsters wants to bypass the electorate in another undemocratic and gerrymandered election that cheapens voting rights and weakens otherwise good arguments for investment in a line that has recently endured a dramatic ridership falloff,.This shouldn't be a controversial statement but it is: Kansas City needs to stop giving money to millionaires to subsidize the housing of other millionaires. Mayor Sly has pushed forward this tragic bit of crony capitalism more than any other leader in KCMO history and it's the greatest corruption our town has ever seen of priorities and principles of our Mayoral public office.Moreover . . .But better than complaints . . .Our blog community has solutions . . .If Kansas City is to celebrate a Happy New Year . . . Corporate rule by way of a puppet leader must stop and neighbors, activists, volunteers and denizens of local neighborhoods need to stand up to consultants all their happy talk via social media.and it has come to pass under the leadership of an Administration that champions insider, lawyer and corporate connections over real community based development.Theof Mayor Sly James is merely symptom of a bigger problem with Kansas City politics and local government and the only hope is a new start and challenge to his corruption.And so . . .You decide . . .
When it comes to the debate about which animal on terra firma is the most awesome and capable of snapping necks and cashing checks, few people ever give consideration to the animal thats also the most delicious: the humble chicken. Were going to try and fix that with this list of 10 reasons gallus gallus domesticus probably deserves, at the very least, marginally more respect that it gets now.

10. Farmers Made Them Wear Sunglasses in the 50s

Sunglasses are the universal pop culture shorthand for cool, with it being generally accepted that the more awesome you are, the more people are willing to overlook you wearing them in places theyre not necessary. With that in mind, consider that fact that in the 50s, millions of domestic chickens wore sunglasses indoors, at night, while sleeping.

While the image of millions of chickens wearing tiny, custom-made sunglasses is certainly an amazing one, youre probably curious about why, right? Well, chickens are naturally aggressive creatures and it appears to be hard-coded into their DNA to attack anything covered in blood on sight, something well explain in further detail in a later entry. Since this was before the days of battery farming, farmers decided that the best way to stop chickens from seeing blood was to outfit them all with tiny red-tinted sunglasses that they had to wear at all times.

In other words, farmers in the 50s made every chicken they owned wear ruby colored sunglasses, just like Cyclops from the X-Men, to stop them from pecking each other to death. How metal is that?

Hey, speaking of metal

9. They Directly Inspired One of the Greatest Guitarists of All-Time

Buckethead is a guitarist were guessing few people reading this are familiar with, unless you played Guitar Hero II, in which case you might know him as the guy who wrote the hardest song in the entire game, Jordan. For anyone unfamiliar with Guitar Hero, Buckethead also contributed to the soundtrack for the two live action Mortal Kombat movies, played with Guns N Roses before being fired for being too weird, and wrote a guitar solo for the Power Rangers movie, so you know hes a cool dude. He also loves chickens.

As his name suggests, Buckethead plays guitar with well a bucket on his head. Specifically, a bucket from KFC, to obscure his face. Buckethead has maintained this gimmick for his entire career and has subsequently crafted an entire mythology about himself, directly crediting chickens with his ability to play blisteringly fast solos, stating that whenever he plays, hes channeling their spirit through his guitar. This is notable because while Buckethead has never really enjoyed mainstream success, hes widely considered one of the most skilled guitarists of his generation for his range and ability to shred. Hes also one of the most prolific musicians of recent times, releasing nearly 300 albums during his career, and has collaborated on songs with everyone from Serj Tankien to Viggo Mortensen. Meaning chickens are indirectly responsible for a musical collaboration between the guy who wrote the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers soundtrack and Aragorn.

Keeping with the theme of all things metal, we should also mention that

8. Theres an Insanely Metal Chicken that is Entirely Black

Ayam Cemani is the name given to an obscure and rare breed of chicken hailing from Indonesia that is notable for a singular, amazingly metal feature: it is entirely black. And when we say entirely, we mean it.

Literally every part of an Ayam Cemani, save for its blood (which is deep crimson), is jet black, including its beak, eyes, organs and even its bones. Prized for their startling appearance, Ayam Cemani regularly sell for thousands of dollars in the States and are sometimes referred to by the kick-ass sobriquet of Lamborghini of Poultry due to their desirability and rareness. The birds coloration is due to a quirk of genetics that results in an overabundance of pigments in the animals body, something wed probably be inclined to discuss more if we werent currently thinking about how awesome a band name Lamborghini of Poultry is.

Moving on, did you know that

7. Chickens Can Live Longer Without a Head, Than the Time They Can Fly

Despite being birds with all the physical characteristics typical of their feathered cousins, chickens are exceptionally poor flyers. To date, the longest ever recorded flight time for a chicken is about 13 seconds, during which time the chicken in question managed to cover just over 300 feet. In contrast, the longest time a chicken has ever survived without a head is about 18 months. Thats not a typo.

Mike the Chicken, or Miracle Mike as he was billed at 50s sideshows, was a Wyandotte chicken that became world famous when he managed the not unimpressive feat of living for 18 months without a head. As unbelievable as this is all sounds, it wasnt a hoax. Mike was examined by dozens of experts and his existence is corroborated by photos and periodicals from the period, which begs the question: what the hell?

As it turns out, most of a chickens brainstem (which controls most basic bodily functions) is nestled inside of their neck, and in Mikes case the farmer cutting his head off with a big axe missed it completely while simultaneously cutting off the rest of his head. This, combined with a fluke blood clot, saw the wound close almost instantly, leaving Mike without a head, but the basic ability to walk around and do chicken things. His owner, feeling sorry for him, took to feeding Mike with an eyedropper, pushing food and drink into the open wound where his face used to be. As impressive as this all sounds, its hardly surprising given the chickens history as a hardened warrior animal, arising as a result of them

6. Being Originally Domesticated for Their Killing Ability, Not Their Taste

As noted in a previous entry, chickens are seemingly programmed at a genetic level to hate the sight of blood and will viciously attack anything they see covered in it. This is thought to be because the bird was first domesticated by early man around 10,000 years ago, specifically to coax them into fighting to the death.

Even before man began to breed combat chickens, the bird was known for its extreme aggressiveness to the point its claimed an Athenian general called Themistocles was able to rouse his troops into defeating the Persian army by making them carefully observe how chickens would fight to the death  not for glory or the gods, but simply to win. A story thats important because, if true, it would mean chickens helped create Western Civilization as we know it.

Over time, we as a species realized that chickens were delicious and began to instead breed them for food, rather than cockfighting. However, the desire to murder one another still burns in the hearts of many chickens and as a result, cockfighting is still a thing. Which is why we can now you tell the story of the time

5. A Chicken Stabbed a Man to Death, with a Knife

While weve mostly bred out the aggressive tendencies of chickens, the desire to fight still remains within them on a primal level, and the jerks of the world take advantage of this to make them fight to the death for their amusement. In 2011, one unidentified chicken decided to take a stand by stabbing a guy to during a cockfight with a knife.

According to the official police report, the man, identified as one Jose Luis Ochoa, was kick-stabbed in the thigh by a rooster, which had a small blade strapped to its foot (presumably in an attempt to give it a literal edge in combat). Ochoa later died at the hospital, which would be sad if he wasnt a guy who had been previously convicted of being a prick to chickens by making them fight to the death.

But heres the weirdest part: Ochoa was just a guy in the audience watching the cockfight when he was stabbed, and yet somehow the chicken seemed to know that hed been convicted of subjecting his chicken brothers to the same fate and singled him out for attack. While we cant confirm that the chicken specifically targeted Ochoa, we are going to say that we wouldnt be at all surprised to learn that it did.

4. They can Grow Testicles, Seemingly Through Sheer Force of Will

Like many creatures, adult male and female chickens have a number of distinguishing features that help differentiate them from one another. Most noticeably, the cool little mohawk things seen on roosters.

Curiously though, female chickens can not only grow a wattle, but change sex entirely under the right circumstances if they feel like it. This is because female chickens, rather than having two ovaries, have one ovary and an undeveloped sex organ inside their bodies that is sort of like a proto-testicle. If a female chicken finds itself suffering from a disease or illness that harms its functional ovary in any way, the proto-testicle can turn into a new ovary, or in some cases, simply flood the chickens body with male hormones, turn into a real testicle, and make the chicken become biologically male in most every way, save for the ability to breed.

This option, however, isnt open to male chickens, as they dont possess their same undeveloped sex organ females do, which is probably a good thing given that female chickens sometimes, for no reason

3. Lay Giant Eggs That Contain Other Eggs

A fertile chicken can lay an egg almost every single day, and in 99.9% of these cases, the egg will look just like any other. Sometimes, though, the egg will be shall we say different. By which we mean sometimes it will contain another freakin egg.

Typically laid by juvenile or exceptionally fertile chickens, double  or Xzibit eggs, as they should almost certainly be known  are rare and normally harmless to the chicken laying them. However, sometimes they will be double or even triple the size of a regular egg (which cant be comfortable for the chicken) and will, as mentioned, contain another, fully developed egg. And yes, before you ask, it is possible for this second egg to also contain another egg, and so on and so on, if the chickens reproductive system is particularly out of sync and keeps releasing the signal to produce another egg while one is already in its body.

Additionally, chickens can also sometimes lay eggs that are empty, in that they contain an egg white, but no yolk. Something were only bringing up so that we can also tell you that these eggs are sometimes known as fart eggs.

2. The Devil is Afraid of Them

The crow of a rooster is synonymous with morning and, well, little else. Go back a few hundred years, though, and the crow of a rooster was regarded by some as the singular most badass noise in the entire world, because it was noted as being one of only a few sounds Satan himself feared.

Chickens have long being associated with God, and have historically been seen as a creature capable of warding off evil simply by screaming really loud. This is because a roosters crow, as noted, is synonymous with the rising of the sun and the end of darkness, which Satan and all his demon buddies need to skulk around in. As a result, Beelzebub came to treat the creature that heralded the morning with great respect and fear. On the other hand, because of their long-held association with Christianity, those with an interest in the occult looking to sacrifice a creature invariably choose to slaughter a rooster, as doing so is symbolically tantamount to spitting in the eye of God. Which is still pretty badass, but kind of sucks for rooster in question.

1. You can Become a Beast Master by Hypnotizing One

We hope by this point in the article youve learned enough about chickens to think of them as a more than the things they make McNuggets out of, and maybe even, like us, think theyre pretty cool. If so, you may be pleased to learn that its possible (and surprisingly easy) to hypnotize a chicken and make it your mind-slave.

By doing nothing more than gently holding its head and drawing a small line away from its beak, its possible to immobilize a chicken for upwards of half an hour, turning it into a living statue frozen by your superior will. This trick takes advantage of a quirk in the chickens DNA that paralyzes it when confronted with a specific threat (in this case, a line in the dirt) and is regarded as a holdover in the animals genetics from history.

The trick neither hurts the chicken nor causes any lasting harm, but it will make you look like a total badass if you do it immediately after telling people that chickens are programmed at a genetic level to murder, can live without their heads, are feared by Satan, and possibly helped create democracy as we know it.

Other Articles you Might Like
Saudi Arabias King Abdullah Port was an associate sponsor and a leading participant in the recently concluded TOC Middle East, a major regional and global event in maritime shipping, ports and terminal operations.



TOC Middle East was held in Dubai, UAE and was attended by representatives of the regions ports and terminals managements, in addition to key personnel of the maritime transportation industry.



King Abdullah Port had its own booth at TOC Middle East, where visitors were introduced to the ports latest achievements and the stages of development it has reached, as well as its various services offered and technologies employed. The exhibition booths staff witnessed a remarkable interaction from visitors who showed great interest in the ports innovative work system.



TOC Middle East is undoubtedly one of the most important annual events that we are keen to participate in, said Abdullah Hameedadin, managing director of the Ports Development Company, owner and developer of King Abdullah Port.



We consider this event an ideal opportunity for us to cooperate and exchange knowhow and expertise with other ports and professionals in the maritime transportation industry. It also helps bolster the Kingdoms standing as a leading provider of shipping and logistics solutions on a global level. Events like this are vastly important not only in terms of King Abdullah Ports growth and prosperity, but to the industry at large.



King Abdullah Ports presence at TOC Middle East was boosted by the attendance of Neville Bissett, general manager of the Ports Development Company, who took part in a session titled Latest on Regional Port & Terminal Development, which had been held as part of the Container Supply Chain Conference.



In his presentation, Bissett gave an overview of King Abdullah Port as one of the Middle Easts biggest infrastructure megaprojects. He also outlined the value it is set to add to the regional and global maritime transportation industry. He underlined Saudi Arabias strategy of integration between the public and the private sector, and the competitive edge the Kingdom is set to gain by becoming the regions new logistics hub.



He pointed out that the rise in the ports annual throughput is expected to top the 1.27-million-container throughput it had achieved in 2015 by the end of this year, which will be quite an achievement given the challenges faced by the market and a slowing down of global economic growth.



Work is underway to finalize the first phase of the bulk cargo terminals with a capacity of three million tons, in addition to the RORO (roll-on/roll-off) terminals with a capacity of 300,000 CEU by the beginning of 2017, concluded Bissett.



Run by the Ports Development Company, King Abdullah Port is the Kingdoms first port to be fully owned, developed and operated by the private sector. TradeArabia News Service
When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site.
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, January 1

Police officials at the Maur police station have booked workers of the Aam Aadmi Party on attempt to murder charge on the basis of a complaint by a resident of Ramgarh Bhunder village.

Complainant Mohan Singh said Sukhdev Singh, Bahadur Singh, Sukhmandar Singh, all residents of Ramgarh Bhunder and 10 unidentified persons attacked him.

He said the accused forcibly tried to install a banner of AAP at the entrance of his house on November 30 around 8 pm.

Police officials said the complainant tried to stop the AAP workers from putting up the banner, which led to a tussle.

The complainant said the accused, equipped with sharp-edged weapons, attacked him with an intention of killing him.

A case under various Sections, including Section 307, of the IPC has been registered. No arrest has been made so far. The police are further investigating the matter.
Vikas Singhania

Since November 8, 2016 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, the country has seen a significant improvement in embracing digital payments over cash. To sustain the momentum and encourage it further, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced a series of incentives that marked completion of a month of demonetisation. The incentives range from discounts at fuel stations, booking railway tickets online, insurance policies purchased and payments made at toll plazas.

Trading apps

The massive push to cashless and online transactions in India means retail investors in stock market will now increasingly turn to their mobile-based trading apps for its convenience, efficiency and security. We have already seen the launch of a series of trading apps by broking firms which offer big-data analytics and now artificial intelligence to trade better and faster from the mobile.

With bank accounts now getting linked to mobiles, we will see more retail investors moving to mobile/internet-based trading, which is getting seamless with little interference from brokerage houses.

Moreover, broking houses too have realised the importance of technology and are thus making sizeable investments to make their products and services faster and smarter. In fact, broking houses now focus on offering better technology to their investors rather than fight on brokerage/commission rates.

New products

Soon, we will witness the next level of technology development where apps will permit brokers to offer their e-KYC to their customers. With e-KYC, brokers can open trading account for customers electronically. Investors with Aadhaar number and PAN can start trading in five minutes if they have registered their signature electronically.

Recently, many technology companies have launched a series of new products for the broking community, which will be soon integrated by several broking houses in different formats and that will help revolutionise the customer experience.

Fastest-growing market

India has already become the worlds fastest-growing market for mobile-based stock trading since its launch in 2010. On the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the turnover of mobile transactions has increased by 350% in the past year  from Rs 37,900 crore in March 2015 to Rs 1,70,800 crore in November 2016. We believe these figures could double in the next two years. The contribution of mobile trading to total turnover could thus rise from 1.75% now to 3-4%.

Mobile trading is favoured by retail investors whose ticket size of investments is low. Increasingly affordable smartphone devices and cheap internet plans have surely helped push mobile-based trading. All you need is a smartphone and a trading account with a broker. After shopping and booking taxis, it is a natural progression for mobile users to start trading on their hand-held devices for stock trading. The ease of trading while on the move is the primary reason for customers shifting to the platform. Mobile-based trading has also made the stock market accessible to investors in small towns.

Points to keep in mind

* Investors must understand the issues and limitations of online investing. You may occasionally experience delays on these new systems. Demand has grown so quickly that many firms are racing to keep pace with it. You may have trouble getting online or receiving timely confirmations of trade executions. You should investigate and understand options and alternatives to executing and confirming your orders if you encounter online problems.

* Investors may sometimes be surprised at how quickly stock prices actually move. For example, many stocks have recently had dramatic and rapid price movements. When many investors attempt to purchase (or sell) the same stock at the same time, the price can move very quickly. Just because you see a price on your computer or mobile screen doesnt mean that you will always be able to get that price in a rapidly changing market. You should take precautions to ensure that you do not end up paying much more for a stock than you intended or can afford. One way to do this is to use limit orders rather than market orders when submitting a trade.

* Those investors who are buying securities on margin may not fully understand the risks involved. In volatile markets, investors who have put up an initial margin payment for a stock may find themselves being required to provide additional cash (maintenance margin) if the price of the stock subsequently falls. If the funds are not paid in a timely manner, the brokerage firm has the right to sell the securities and charge any loss to the investor. When you buy stock on margin, you are borrowing money. And as the stock price changes, you may be required to increase the cash investment. Simply put, you should make sure that you do not over-extend.

* While new technology available to retail investors may resemble that of professional traders, retail investors should exercise caution before imitating the style of trading and risks undertaken by market professionals. For most individuals, the stock market should be used for investment and not trading. Strategies such as day trading can be highly risky, and retail investors engaging in such activities should do so with funds they can afford to lose.





The writer is Executive Director, Trade Smart Online. The views expressed in this article are his own
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 1

Two unidentified miscreants snatched a bag containing Rs 4.85 lakh from a businessman outside his house in Sector 11 tonight.

According to the police, the businessman has been identified as Saranjeet Singh.

DSP (Central) Ram Gopal said as soon as the victim parked his car and was about to enter his house, two unknown persons came on foot and snatched the cash from the victim.

It is suspected that the accused then fled from the spot on an Activa scooter that was parked close to the spot, the DSP said.

The victim informed the police following which the police visited the spot.

The police recorded the victims statement. Sources said the police would examine the footage of CCTV cameras installed in the area.

An investigation has been initiated at the Sector 11 police station.
TKA Nair

Though modern technology and globalisation broke many barriers and created a global village of myriad inter-relationships, humankind has yet to fully grasp and absorb its reality in its different manifestations. Consequently, the world finds itself adrift in the midst of incredible contradictions making life on earth complex beyond imagination. Cutting across countries and continents, the contradictions are reflected in many ways in different parts of the world and ultimately affect day-to-day life especially of the weak and the vulnerable.

The recent U.S. elections and the Brexit are two telling examples of the phenomenon of post-truth. The possible short and long term impact of these two events has become matters of concern not only to the citizens of the US and Great Britain, but to the global community at large. Some concerned observers perceive an underlying common thread of far reaching consequences to the global order. The US Presidential campaign degenerated into a slanging match with the Republicans fanning feelings of racial hatred and insecurity amongst certain sections of the electorate. Immigrant citizens were often portrayed as anti-nationals, a threat to national security and the livelihood of the natives. The US verdict sent shockwaves throughout the world which looked upon the U.S. as the land of opportunities for all in the most liberal democracy. The Brexit referendum too demonstrated how strong the narrow nationalistic rhetoric of a vocal leadership swayed the electorate against its own long term interests. Straws in the political winds blowing across Germany and France also presage chauvinistic trends fuelled by fears of large influx of refugees threatening life styles, employment and national security.

Against the backdrop of the emerging trends and their possible impact on the global order that has been in vogue post World War-II, where does India stand? And, in which direction are we moving deserves to be viewed in proper perspective. Casting off centuries of colonial rule through an incredible movement spearheaded by an apostle of peace and non-violence, India with its teeming millions of poor and illiterates has grown into a giant military power armed with nuclear weapons and rockets and missiles capable of large scale annihilation. At the same time, productive employment for the millions of poor and unemployed is hard to find, though the security services armed with lethal weapons are bulging by the day. The eco system which supports life on earth is under siege, but in the midst of squalor and misery, pockets of vulgar affluence and luxury thrive.

Our parliamentary democracy has come under heavy stress and strain often leading us to wonder what is becoming of our hallowed institutions of governance. While their trappings and forms and authority are sought to be zealously protected, their spirit and substance have been steadily slipping. The Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary have been part of the process of decay often competing with each other in destroying the spirit of parliamentary democracy! The presence of alleged bandits and criminals besmirch our legislative bodies and erode their credibility. Perceived to be corrupt, arrogant, self serving and insensitive, the executive has become the butt of ridicule. Perpetuating unconscionable delays in administering justice caught in archaic processes of its own making and turf war, the judiciary too has lost much of its majesty.

Sacred places of worship have been turned into citadels of corruption and venality of the worst type. Some of them are found to be harbouring criminals and storing weapons of violence. High priests of divinity have become merchants of hatred and violence. Temples, churches and mosques are bursting to the brim with devotees, many of them young and educated queuing up to make their offerings to propitiate the Gods and earn their favours for self aggrandisement. Many of them indulge in violence and inhuman crimes against fellow beings not even sparing hapless women and innocent children.

What do we, in India, make of the goings on around us in the context of the global developments? How do we respond to them? Obviously, ignoring them and remaining unmindful of their consequences on our lives is an easy but perilous option. At the level of the individuals, families, our communities and the country, we get caught in them with unintended consequences. Take for instance, Trumps declared stance on the Paris agreement on climate change. Though it is not yet certain whether he would walk the talk, the very thought that he could is unsettling. Even in the best possible scenario with commitment and support of the developed countries led by the U.S. and the willing participation of developing countries, the spectre of devastating climate change caused by carbon emissions looms large. With the U.S. pulling out or even slowly reneging on its commitments, the Paris agreement is doomed to failure steadily leading to global disaster. Neither the rich, not the people of poor countries will remain unaffected. But as always in such situations, the poor would be the worst hit. At the level of local communities, struggles for power and dominance on the one hand and for sheer survival of the marginalised outcasts of society on the other could take different forms like caste wars leading to bloodshed, breakdown of law and order and consequent jungle raj. At the same time, aspiring young men and women including the educated and well heeled in their incessant search for instant gratification pursue the path of avarice and cruelty to fellow human beings.

Do we throw up our hands in despair or worse try pretending ignorance of the potentially violent and devastating trends? Neither would help humanity to muddle through in the business as usual mode or even survive them. With two catastrophic world wars, a great depression and many booms and busts behind, the world has learnt many unforgettable lessons and reinvented itself not only to survive but thrive with renewed vigour. The history of Western Europe, specially Germany, is an inspiring story of nations rising from the ashes. Global institutions, nation states, enlightened leaderships, scientific and technological innovations and above all, the determination and grit of citizens in different ways of their own, have been partners in the process of deconstructing and rebuilding the global order with its infinite diversity. History is witness to it.

Learning from the lessons of human history and taking inspiration from our civilizational heritage of thousands of years which had survived many upheavals and twists and turns, we in India need not despair of the I, Me, Myself generation and the raging post-truth phenomenon. With unswerving faith in the essential goodness of our fellow human beings, let us in India steadfastly pursue the path of inclusive human development encompassing the values of tolerance, compassion and caring and sharing. History is replete of inspiring examples of collective human courage and will power transforming people and leading them to heights of glory from depths of despair.

Pious hope; perhaps yes, but certainly better than despair in our troubled times.





(The writer is a former Principal Secretary & Adviser to Prime Minister)
MK Bhadrakumar

THE symbolic weight and the cultural residue of the cult of remembrance of things past are embedded in the Russian national psyche. They combined to make it meaningful that Moscow scheduled the trilateral meeting of Russia, China and Pakistan on Afghanistan on December 27, which is a significant anniversary date of its national history that cannot easily be decontextualised or despatialised. The Indian commentators, with their very limited vocabulary, repertoire and portfolio of text, ritual and symbol in Russias tumultuous history altogether miss the plot when they impulsively view the trilateral as an unmeditated Russian dalliance with our arch enemy, Pakistan.

It was on December 27, 1979, that the first column of the Red Army under the command of Marshal Sergei Sokolov crossed the Amu Darya and entered Afghanistan from the north even as the 103rd Guards Vitebsk airborne division began landing at the airport at Bagram to the north of Kabul, and the momentous deployment of Soviet troops to Afghanistan got under way. Thirty-seven years later, Moscow is preparing for another intervention in Afghanistan  as peacemaker.

The question that is missing in the Indian strategic discourses is: What is it that India can do to join forces with Russia to bring the Afghan conflict to an end?

This has been the third round of the trilateral format of Russia, China and Pakistan, but there is heightened interest in the outsiders perception. Why so? For a start, Afghan war turns out to be inconclusive and an inflection point arises insofar as the war may breed new hybrid wars, which can infinitely complicate matters. The backdrop too is intriguing. The US President-elect Donald Trumps interest in following the footfalls of Barack Obama in the Hindu Kush is in serious doubt. He may cut loose early enough. There is general acceptance in American opinion that the Taliban does not threaten US interests.

Trump hasnt bothered to have a phone conversation with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. Yet, without US backing (and generous funding), Ghani faces uncertain future. He is on shaky ground, since Afghan state structures lack legitimacy. The parliamentary elections are long overdue and cannot be held and there are no elected provincial councils. Corruption and infighting tear apart Ghanis US-sponsored government. Trump would know all this. He is unlikely to throw money into black holes. Nor is he in the business of nation-building. Trump doesnt fight wars unless American interests are directly threatened.

There is a concerted attempt to hype up the threat from the IS, which is gaining presence in Afghanistan in a hybrid war, as happened in Iraq and Syria. None other than the former head of US Defence Intelligence Agency (and Trumps National Security Advisor-designate) Gen Michael Flynn is on record that the IS rise in Syria stemmed from a wilful decision by the Obama administration to promote the agenda to overthrow President Bashar Al-Assad. Turkeys President Recep Erdogan also claimed last week that Ankara is in possession of confirmed evidence, with pictures, photos and videos regarding covert US support to IS in Syria.

Enter Russia. Moscows best hope lies in Trump moving away from Obamas ambivalence and doublespeak on terrorism and put a full stop to using extremist Islamist groups as geopolitical tools. The security and stability of Central Asia and North Caucasus is at stake. Therefore, Russia must do what it takes to safeguard its national security interests. That is the crux of the matter regarding Russias return to Afghanistan. Russia has no option but to be proactive, because the enemy who is being driven out of Syria and Iraq might regroup any day at the gates to Central Asia and a new hybrid war may begin, tapping into the contradictions thrown up by the Taliban insurgency. Unsurprisingly, Russia began networking with China and Pakistan (and Iran), who would have similar worries regarding the US hidden intentions, with a view to somehow bring the Afghan conflict to a settlement by integrating the Taliban.

Fundamentally, therefore, the Indian policymakers need to rethink on three core areas. First and foremost, who are the Taliban? There must be great clarity here. The Taliban began in the nineties as a Pakistani-US-Saudi proxy, which eventually accepted funding from the Al-Qaeda for want of UN aid. It has phenomenally transformed since 2001. Today, it is a fragmented movement with an uninspiring leadership, largely based on Afghan soil. The constant has been Talibans substantial support base among Afghan people, which makes it imperative to reconcile with it.

India should have dealt with Taliban as an indigenous movement and established contacts, with the foresight that its eventual integration into Afghan politics would someday become inevitable. Most foreign players with interest in Afghanistan saw the writing on the wall  the UN, US, UK, Germany, France, Norway, Turkey, Iran, Qatar, Central Asian states, China, Russia, etc. But India kept viewing Taliban through the jehad prism of the nineties as a mere Pakistani proxy. This puts India seriously at odds with the regional and world opinion about the Taliban.

Second, the Taliban is not an India-Russia or India-Iran issue, but an issue of inept intelligence work. Simply put, our intelligence operatives found it far more agreeable (and safer) to confine themselves to dealings with Afghan counterparts, with an eye on Pakistan, instead of stepping out to the arduous field work needed to search out for Taliban who are omnipresent  including probably at the very doorstep of the Indian consulates in Jalalabad, Kandahar or Herat but not visible to the naked eye. Policy cannot be twisted as cover-up for shoddy intelligence work. Policy stands exposed as stagnant when it fails to take into account the vicissitudes of time.

Finally, stemming from the above, Indias policy to use Afghanistan as a second front against Pakistan negatively impacts the regional security and stability, where regional states  be it China, Central Asian States, Russia or Iran  also happen to be stakeholders. Alas, India has not cared to harmonise its policies with the regional stakeholders and instead bucked the regional trend by consorting with the Obama administration, whereas regional states view with varying degrees of disquiet the US agenda to keep the pot simmering in Afghanistan to create a raison detre for its open-ended military presence in a strategic hub of regional politics.

The spectre that is facing India is of the Trump administration reversing the Obama-era great game and instead pool efforts with Russia (and China) to influence Pakistan and accelerate a peace process to integrate the Taliban. No one wants the futile war against the Taliban to continue, except apparently India.





The writer is a former ambassador
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 1

Three persons have been arrested from Uttam Nagar and Saket in connection with the murder of a contractual employee of Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation (DTTDC), police said today.

Acting on a tip-off, police spotted Pankaj Sharma and Dharmender Yadav at Uttam Nagar yesterday. In order to evade arrest, Pankaj fired at the policemen, but the duo were arrested after a scuffle, a police officer said. The third accused, Vivek Kashyap, who is Pankaj's brother-in-law, was arrested from Saket, the officer said.

Brij Bhushan Prasad, employee at a liquor vend in Yusuf Sarai under DTTDC was killed in south Delhi's Mehrauli area on December 20.

The accused had thought that Prasad used to carry cash proceeds of the liquor vend for that day home and hatched a plan to rob him, said DCP(South) Ishwar Singh.

On December 20, when Prasad was on his way home after closing the liquor vend, he was attacked by some persons who also fired at him. His car was vandalised. The victim was taken to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

"During investigation, it was revealed that even though Prasad was not involved in public dealings at his workplace, he could be seen handling the sale proceeds of the vend in the late evening hours," Singh said.

The vend was frequented by many servants, delivery boys and restaurant employees in the evenings to purchase liquor for their employers.

"It was learnt that since the incident took place, at least four to five local delivery boys and some other blue collar workers were reported absent. After further scrutiny, two to three suspected persons could not be traced and their absence from their workplaces also couldn't be explained," the DCP said.

The images of the accused were also captured CCTV cameras near the site of the incident which led to their arrest. "During interrogation it was revealed that Vivek, who used to visit the liquor vend frequently, had on several occasions seen Prasad counting cash," said DCP.
Kuldeep Chauhan

The first blow to Mansa Ram and Jhinchu Ram, both Dalit farmers from Rapari village in Chopal, came about 15 years ago. The government banned their slate mine that had been their only source of livelihood since ages.

Left with no other option, they raised small apple orchards around the barren land in their village. But an unprecedented worst came around last Diwali when the joint forest-police team cut the 120 apple trees raised on forestland, an encroachment which had to be removed as per the High Court orders.

First the slate mining was banned and then our apple trees were axed by sarkar even though we had not cut any trees to plant the orchard, they rue. They have a family of 10 members each to feed and support with no source of income left. Helpless against the anti-encroachment drive under which 3 lakh fruit-bearing apple trees have been cut, these poor and marginal have nothing to fall back on.

As you travel through the apple belt, similar tales of woes are narrated by small and marginal farmers, who point towards the fire-ravaged jungles and parched fields hit by the four-month-long drought. They term the Congress governments four-year regime as a reign of broken promises and shattered dreams.

At Muina village in Pulbahal, Jeet Ram, 75, another Dalit farmer, recalls how the forest team came before Diwali and got the sarkari zameen vacated around his house. They chopped off 130 fruit-bearing apple trees that used to feed my family, he says, helplessly.

Bitu Jhagta of Bamta lost his father about seven years ago. He had raised a small apple orchard around his house, but the DFO ordered his eviction as it was also on the sarkari zameen. The plight of Shaukat and Saddiq Mohammad of Kothmal village in Dewat panchayat is no different. Shaukat says his apple trees have been cut as janglati staff say it is on sarkari land.

In Rohru, once represented by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, Prakash of Dhara village (Shakla) and Suni Ram of Kiarku village are faced with the same bleak future. The government has failed to fulfill its promise to regularise 10 bighas of land of small farmers, but on the contrary their orchards have been cut, says Dr Kuldip Tanwar, president, Himachal Kisan Sabha.

The small and marginal farmers in Kullu, Mandi and Shimla and Kinnaur narrate the same story. They rue how the poor are being deprived of their sources of livelihood. What irks them even more is the pick-and-choose policy of the Forest Department in evicting only the small farmers while letting off the big fish, who own huge orchards on encroached forestland.

As far as growing cash crops is concerned, there isnt enough water to drink, what to talk of irrigating land. To make matters worse, the monkey menace has forced people to abandon growing maize, peas, cauliflower and vegetables. The poor road connectivity in areas like the Chehta-Bhalu belt in Chopal and Chirgaon tehsils of Rohru, where most villages are at a walking distance at least 500 m from the road, carriage of crops is a major problem.

As you travel through the apple belt, most roads are potholed. The farmers pay more than 40 per cent to truckers to transport fruits to markets. The government had promised to increase the irrigation facility from 20 to 40 per cent, but four years down the line, it is a dismal scenario. More than 80 per cent of fruit, maize and other cash crops still remain at the mercy of rain gods.

Monkeys, wild boars and stray cattle coupled with forest fires continue to devastate crops, but no compensation has been provided to farmers.

Many orchards were destroyed in the Shimla apple belt due to the spread of fire from the contiguous pine forests in Ksha village. Also, the fires devastated 1,750 hectares worth Rs 2.54 crore of forest areas, including rare chilgoza, blue pine and juniper jungles in tribal Kinnaur this year alone.

No farm panel

Farmers point out that the government failed to set up a state agriculture commission to solve their problem despite this being part of their 2012 manifesto. The farmers produced about 15 lakh tonnes of vegetables, but no cold storage facility was provided to save them from distress sale during the glut period, say Prem Kumar and Virender Verma, vegetable farmers in Shimla rural area.

The performance of the Congress regime with regard to combating monkey menace too is far from satisfactory. The government has squandered Rs 20 crore on sterilisation of over 1 lakh monkeys, but the simians continue to play havoc with our crops, say farmers.

The list of failed promises includes an increase in import duty on apple and treating it as a special category fruit and providing only limited subsidy on the anti-hail nets scheme, which is quite effective in saving crops. The relief manual too has not been reviewed. The loss to vegetable crops, which is the mainstay of small farmers, was not compensated and relief was not enough to even meet the production cost. Though 39,000 farmers have adopted organic farming but they lack both irrigation and markets to sell their produce.
Dinesh Manhotra & Amir Karim Tantray

Tribune News Service

Jammu, January 1

The Budget Session of the Assembly, beginning here on Monday, is likely to be a stormy one as the Opposition has enough ammunition to take on the PDP-BJP coalition. As the session is going to be held in the backdrop of the five-month long unrest in Kashmir, the Opposition is likely to corner the government on the issue of the killing of over 90 civilians during the turmoil.

The over one-month long session will begin with the address of Governor NN Vohra to a joint sitting of the State Legislature on January 2. Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu will present the Budget on January 10.

As the state witnessed unprecedented violence following the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani on July 8, the Opposition will make the government accountable for the large-scale violence and killing of people in the past five months of the unrest.

Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee chief Ghulam Ahmed Mir today made it clear that his party legislators would corner the government on the issue of violence in the Valley. Since July 8, 2016, it appears that there is no government in the state and we will definitely raise this issue, Mir said, adding that the Congress legislators would make the government answerable for the violence and bloodshed in the Valley.

The recent Supreme Court verdict on the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest (SARFEASI) Act has provided another opportunity to the Opposition to target the state government. The National Conference and other Kashmir-centric parties have already blamed the state government for not taking the SARFEASI case seriously.

Furthermore, the issue of granting identity certificate to West Pakistani refugees (WPRs), who are living in the state since 1947 without citizenship, is also likely to dominate proceedings of the House because a stir against the move has already begun in the Valley. Besides, the Opposition legislators will also corner the government on the ongoing power crisis in Kashmir and unprecedented shortage of ration in the state. The government has also hiked rates for the ration which is distributed under the public distribution system.

Meanwhile, the National Conference, Congress and independent legislators held a meeting this evening to prepare a strategy for the session.

Pradesh Congress Committee senior vice-president Sham Lal Sharma said they had made a strategy to go for issue-based opposition during the session.
Shyam Sood

Rajouri, January 1

While interacting with teachers at a government school in Jammu recently, Education Minister Naeem Akhter had asked them to nurture and prepare their students in such a way that they achieved success and became an asset to society and nation.

But this can only be possible when the government provides better infrastructure, qualified staff and other modern facilities to the government schools situated in remote areas.

In Rajouri district, most of the government schools in remote and rural areas have no adequate infrastructure, staff and facilities like computers and electricity. Some of the schools have no provision for safe drinking water and toilet facilities. Government Middle School at Kakra in the district is without a building since its inception in 2006. Despite villagers donating two kanals, the Education Department has failed to construct the school building.

The department had sanctioned Rs 6.60 lakh in 2006 but no contractor came forward to construct the rooms against this amount. Since then, the students attend classes in the open, said Mohammad Razak, a resident of Kakra.

In 2006, the school management had taken a kuccha house on rent to run the school but the house was damaged in 2009, forcing the school management to teach the students in the open. Locals said whenever it rained or the heat wave increased, the students were sent home. We are finding it difficult to manage hold classes in the absence of a building. 148 students have been enrolled in the school. There is no space even for the six staff members where they can sit comfortably or take rest during the recess, said Nissar Ahmed, the school headmaster.

An official of the Zonal Education Office said the matter had been brought to the notice of the Chief Education Officer (CEO), Rajouri, Choudhary Altaf Hussain and other senior officials. According to the CEO, the construction work for 174 classrooms couldnt be started and work on 181 classrooms was abandoned by the contractors or Village Education Committee members for various reasons.
Tribune news service

Mullanpur, December 31

Office bearers and activists of district Congress Committee Ludhiana led by the MP, Ravneet Singh Bittu and district president Gurdev Singh Lapran staged a protest in front of police station at Mullanpur Dakha for nearly four hours.

The protest was held to impress upon the chief election commissioner to deploy paramilitary forces at localities falling under Dakha Assembly segment during the forthcoming elections, as according the protestors the police and civil administration had been shielding antisocial elements allegedly backed by the SAD legislator of the segment.

Failure of the Dakha police to nab accused booked for alleged attempt to murder against Malwa Congress Jaat Mahasabha president, Major Singh Mullanpur, about a month ago, was reported to be main reason behind the protest.

Congress leaders including former minister Malkit Singh Dakha, former legislator Jasbir Singh Khangura, Kulwinder Singh Vaid, Dr Amar Singh Gill and former chairman Housfed Krishan Bawa alleged that antisocial activities undertaken by activists of the SAD led by legislator Manpreet Singh Ayali had virtually transformed the area into drug hub and a slaughter house where murderous attacks on leaders of the opposition parties have become a routine.

Attacks on Sant Ranjit Singh Dhadrian Wala, former MLA Jasbir Singh Jassie Khangura , former minister Malkit Dakha and AAP Supremo Arvind Kejriwal were cited as cases in which the police had failed to take action against the accused.

The speakers alleged a large number of activists and leaders of opposition parties had been implicated in false cases, which were registered by the police to appease the SAD leaders including legislator Ayali.
Rajan Kashyap

THE politician: Nation, party, self, all three I promote; My principles suit my colour of coat; Ive solemnly got, Believe it or not, To serve poor voter, not just his rich vote.

The bureaucrat: Stretching red tape mile by reamy mile; Master of tact, indecision and guile: This pledge I engrave under hand so brave; Ill not cling to chair, nor ever sit on file.

The policeman: Gone sadly my days of swag and saunter; When my word held sway, the law my hunter: Ive changed my course for better or worse; Farewell the weekly joyful encounter.

The sycophant: Why do they love me, heroes that I pump? I please every ear, smoothen every dump. The sights I perceive will no longer deceive; Ill call spade a spade, though diamonds be trumps.

The journalist: Great events revealed my stories galore; Based oft on fact, or fiction to the core: A fig leaf I turn, And dimly affirm to scoop new tales, without peeping in door.

The lawyer: Lungs my strength, with law a sometime guide; My wits the dread of foe and judge beside: Every small adjournment is manna heaven sent; I vow not to charge, till the verdict my side.

The judge: From bar to bench is no elevation; For wallet slim, no pomps compensation: All causes Ill clear, And ancient arrear; Forget contempt and PIL litigation.

The businessman: Books, entries and prices transferred with ease; Factories flourishing, all busy as bees: I forthwith resolve my funds to revolve; No corners shall I cut, nor dry palms grease.

The priest: The Lord I profess, great causes espouse; Fine crowds of men, my words of wisdom browse: No more will they fight, Since I now deem right to link faith with faith, not rabbles rouse.

The retiree: No more on ancient conquests will I dwell; Nor tales of skirmishes with leaders tell: Eschew coarse humour; Even huge pension rumour: All post retirement sinecures farewell.

The ruler: The arms theyre not for waving; The face, twill swell with shaving: Happy days have come, no doubt, So why need I scream and shout? Victory is mine, come bank notes or saving.

The opposer: My turn is near, long overdue in fact; All those wild charges I'll duly retract: My mouth I'll carefully seal except for fervent appeal: But keeping foot out will need much tact.

God: Is this my creation, or another empire? Wheres fled the turmoil, the brimstone, the fire? Are men grown so suddenly good? Not really as I dreamed they would! If alls so fine, this job I decline, this year to gracefully retire.
New Delhi, January 1

Two Indians were among 39 persons killed in a terror attack at a night club in the Turkish city of Istanbul during New Year celebrations in which at least 70 others were injured.

The deceased Indians were identified as Abis Hasn Rizvi, son of former Rajya Sabha MP and noted builder of Bandra in Mumbai Akhtar Hasan Rizvi, and Khushi Shah from Gujarat.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted, I have bad news from Turkey. We have lost two Indian nationals in the Istanbul attack. Indian Ambassador is on way to Istanbul.

Abis Rizvi was CEO of Rizvi Builders and had produced a number of films, including the 2014 movie Roar: The Tigers of the Sundarbans, she said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences.

The two Indians were among the 15 foreigners who were killed when a gunman went on a rampage at the waterside Reina night club where revellers were celebrating the New Year.

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the attacker escaped and security forces have launched a major manhunt to nab him, while expressing the hope he will be caught soon. This was a massacre, a truly inhuman savagery, Soylu added.

Turkish state news agency Anadolu also quoted Family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya as saying that most of the dead were foreigners from different countries  Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Lebanon, Libya.

Media reports said the attacker may have been wearing a Santa Claus outfit.  PTI
Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 1

Army Chief General Bipin Rawat, who has planned and executed two cross-border surgical strikes, today sent out a strong message, saying India wanted peace and tranquility at its borders, but would not hesitate from using its power in any form.

General Rawat was addressing the media after inspecting his first ceremonial guard of honour at the South Block in New Delhi. He had taken over as the Chief on Saturday.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

He said: We want peace and tranquility at our borders but the target for peace does not mean we are weak. If need be, we will not hesitate to use force.

General Rawat is former Army Vice Chief. He closely monitored the cross-Line of Control (LoC) surgical strikes on September 29 to target militants launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). In June 2015, General Rawat was heading the Dimapur (Nagaland) headquartered 3 Crops, when the Army destroyed militant camps of the NSCN (k) in Myanmar.

India shares 3,323 km border with Pakistan, including a 749 km Line of Control (LoC). The Armies on either side are eyeball to eyeball. Indian Army lost 63 soldiers in Jammu & Kashmir in 2016. There have been 225 violations of ceasefire by Pakistan across the LoC.

On the priorities, he said: There will be no change in the vision and thrust areas of Army. It has been arrived at after due deliberations.

Earlier in the day, General Rawat said: I am aware of the roles and tasks assigned to the Army. This will include maintaining security at the borders.

On two of his seniors  Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi and Lt Gen PM Hariz  being superseded, General Rawat said: Its the decision of the government. I respect the superseded officers. I hope we continue to work shoulder to shoulder in future to strengthen the unity and strength of the Army.

General Rawat also sent across a message to all ranks of the Army saying every soldier of the Army counts. Everyone counts and is equal in my eyes, he said in a possible effort to put a lid on the social media comments talking about promotion of Infantry officers over those from the armoured corps or the Artillery.
New Delhi, January 1

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday demanded a "white paper" and an independent inquiry on demonetisation, dubbing it as the "scam of all scams" even as he claimed that the reputation of Prime Minister's Office has been tarnished globally under Narendra Modi.

Terming Modi's new year eve speech a "sham", Kejriwal sought responses from the Prime Minister and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on the amount of money deposited and the eventual gain out of the 50-day-exercise that was announced on November 8.

"Demonetisation is the biggest scam of independent India and is entirely guided by politics and corruption. The scam of all scams. We demand that an independent inquiry be conducted and a white paper be released on the what was gained and lost due to demonetisation," Kejriwal told a press conference at his residence here.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led by Kejriwal has been one of the staunchest critics of the currency ban measure since the beginning. The AAP chief has been addressing rallies across the country on the issue and has also levelled allegations of personal corruption against Modi.

"PM has become a subject of ridicule internationally. Big economists of the world are talking ill about the whole exercise. Dr Manmohan Singh commanded respect internationally but Modi has destroyed the reputation of PM's office," Kejriwal said.

Referring to Modi's December 31 address to the nation, Kejriwal said it was hollow as he did not speak about the gains and losses arising out of the shock currency move.

The schemes could have been announced even without enforcing any such measure, he said.

Taking on the stated objectives of the measure, Kejriwal said that Modi had said it will achieve four objectives  reduce corruption, curb black money, reduce terrorism and circulation of fake currency.

It has neither managed to curb black money nor reduce terrorism or circulation of fake currency, as fake Rs 2,000 notes are available in the market. It has not yielded any tangible benefits and has instead led to a spike in corruption, Kejriwal said.

"Around 100 people have lost their lives. People's houses have been ruined. PayTM has been the biggest beneficiary of demonetisation. What did we achieve? BJP had informed its rich friends about the measure.

"It is a matter of inquiry whether bribe was taken for leaking prior information about demonetisation or was it shared for free. BJP has been running the racket of exchanging notes," he said.

"Modi is talking about a cashless economy. First of all he should make BJP cashless that is accepting donations in cash. There's a list of 648 people who have Swiss bank accounts. PM should have announced that these people will be arrested," he said.  PTI
New Delhi, January 1

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has come out with conditions for exchange of defunct notes for those, including non-resident Indians, who failed to do so till Friday, the last day for depositing the invalid currency notes in banks.

Resident Indian citizens, who were abroad from November 9 to December 30, can avail this facility up to March 31 and NRI citizens, who were abroad during this period, can exchange their defunct notes up to June 30.

While there is no monetary limit for exchange for the eligible resident Indians, the limit for NRIs will be as per the relevant FEMA Regulations, that is, Rs 25,000 per person.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

The RBI, in a statement, said citizens could avail this facility in their individual capacity, once during the period, on submission of ID documents, and on submission of documentary evidence showing they were abroad during the period and that they had not availed the exchange facility earlier.

The statement added that no third party tender would be accepted under the facility.

This facility will be available through Reserve Bank offices at Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and Nagpur. According to the RBI, Indian citizens residing in Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan and Bangladesh cannot avail this facility.

Any person, aggrieved by the decision of the Reserve Bank, may prefer an appeal to the Central Board of the Reserve Bank within 14 days of the communication of such refusal to him, it said. Such representations may be addressed to the Central Board, Reserve Bank of India, Secretarys Department, it added. ANI
Shahira Naim

Tribune News Service

Lucknow, January 1

The New Year saw a generational change in the Samajwadi Party. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav replaced his father Mulayam Singh Yadav as national president. The latters confidant Amar Singh was shown the door and brother Shivpal Yadav removed as state president. While Mulayam was made party patron, all party organisations were dissolved.

Edit: The lucknow drama

These decisions were taken by an overwhelming majority at the partys national convention here today. The convention was summoned by Akhilesh supporter and party general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Not one to take the coup lying down, Mulayam expelled Ram Gopal from the party for six years  his third expulsion in recent weeks  as also Rajya Sabha MP Kironmoy Nanda for presiding over the convention and Naresh Aggarwal for supporting Akhilesh.

A letter, signed by Mulayam but written in the third person, claimed: Some people want to benefit the BJP by insulting him (Mulayam). They are the ones who called the National Convention on Sunday. Mulayam has called a national convention at the same venue (Janeshwar Mishra Park) on January 5, terming the one held today unconstitutional.

He claimed that all resolutions passed at the convention were invalid.

Endorsing the two lists of candidates released by him and Shivpal, he said the names for the remaining seats would be released soon.

In the morning, the party patriarch made a desperate attempt to stall the convention, threatening disciplinary action against those attending it. Signing or supporting any resolution will be considered anti-party activity and stern action taken, warned Mulayams letter, probably his last as the party president.

Speaking after his elevation, Akhilesh said for him, Netajis position was most important. I am his son. No one can change that. I will do anything to protect him and the party. My respect for him has increased. He will be the happiest when the Samajwadi Party returns to power.

He alleged that some people had been taking decisions in Netajis name, harming the party. He said it was his fear that these elements may strike a compromise with communal forces and get his fathers approval to a decision which may hurt the party's electoral prospects.

Even as Mulayam claimed the decision to expel Ram Gopal was taken at the parliamentary board meeting, most of its members were on stage with Akhilesh at todays convention where important resolutions were passed. Almost all party MPs, including party veteran Reoti Raman Singh, supported the resolutions to replace Mulayam, throw out Amar Singh and remove Shivpal.

Later in the evening, Akhilesh appointed party vice-president Naresh Uttam Patel as state president. A three-term MLC, Patel belongs to the Kurmi (OBC) community. His appointment assumes significance as Akhilesh is keen to contest the elections from Bundelkhand that has a sizeable Kurmi population.

On the other hand, Shivpal expelled six district presidents for attending the convention. There was a ruckus at the SP office as Akhileshs supporters forcibly entered the premises and removed Shivpal's nameplate. Observers say both factions may now either approach the Election Commission or the courts to claim the party symbol and establish control over the party.
No

Yes, a light case

Yes, two or more light cases

One serious case

Two or more serious bouts

Vote

View Results
Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 1

Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat on Sunday sent out a strong message saying India wanted peace and tranquillity at the borders, but if needed, they would not hesitate to use force.

General Rawat was talking to the media after inspecting a guard of honour at the South Block here. He had taken over as chief on Saturday and this was his first ceremonial guard of honour.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Gen Rawat said, We want peace and tranquillity at the border but the target of peace does not mean we are weak. If need be, we will not hesitate to use force.

India shares a 3,323 km boundary with Pakistan, including a 749 km Line of Control (LoC). The Indian Army lost 63 soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir in 2016 and there have been 225 violations of ceasefire by Pakistan across the LoC.

On being asked about his priorities, he said, There will be no change in vision and thrust areas of the army. It has been arrived at after due deliberations.

Earlier in his remarks, Gen Rawat said, I am aware of the roles and tasks assigned to the army. This will include maintaining security at the borders.

On being asked about the fact that two of his seniors, Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi and Lt Gen PM Hariz, had been superseded, Gen Rawat said, Its a decision of the government. I respect the superseded officers. I hope we continue to work together to strengthen the Army.

Gen Rawat also sent across a message to all ranks of the army saying every soldier counted. Everyone counts and is equal in my eyes, he said in a possible effort to end the social media comments about promotion of Infantry over the Armoured Corps.
Tribune News Service

Patiala, January 1

Dr Damanjit Sandhu, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Punjabi University, has been elected as President of the Association of Mental Health Counselling by executive committee of the association in the meeting held at Kentucky, US.

Dr Sandhu is Doctorate in the field of Adolescent Psychology. She has the distinction of being first lady President of Indian origin. The multifaceted young scholar is contributing outstandingly in the field of research, particularly to address the problems of youth and adolescent children. She has participated and presented around 40 research papers in national and international conferences of repute in different countries, including England, Canada, Australia, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, France, South Africa, Belgium and Dubai. Her publications have also been referred by internationally known scholars across the globe.

Dr Sandhu has completed two major research projects given by the University Grants Commission (UGC), and the Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi. She is also Principal Investigator of highly-reputed Indo-European Network Project in social sciences which deals specifically with bullying, cyber bullying, pupil safety and well being.

She has received Best Scientific Research Paper Award at the Global Mental Health Conference at Cape Town (South Africa) and Young Women Excellence Award by the Government of India, New Delhi, and Navkiran Award by the Delhi Government. She is also member of academics bodies of different universities of India and ardently involved in motivational lectures organised by colleges and universities of the region.
Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 31

Amid high drama, Punjab Education Minister Dr Daljit Singh Cheema staged a dharna outside the Punjab Raj Bhawan late this evening in protest against the failure of the Chandigarh Police to evict protesting ETT teachers from his official residence here.

It was only late in the night that Cheema ended his dharna on the intervention of Punjab Governor-cum-UT Administrator VP Singh Badnore. The Governor summoned IG Tajendra Singh Luthra and asked him to inquire into the matter and get the minister's house vacated.

A livid Cheema, accompanied by Akali leaders, had reached the Raj Bhawan and launched a dharna there. I am protesting against the callousness of police and civil officials of the Chandigarh Administration who are busy celebrating the New Year rather than ensuring law and order. If a Cabinet Minister has to stage a dharna to ensure police action on his complaint, one can well imagine the plight of the common man in Chandigarh, he said, even as the police cordoned the high-security zone to ensure that the minister's supporters did not join him in the dharna.

As many as 109 ETT teachers of Punjab, who have not been given permanent jobs, gathered outside the minister's residential complex at noon. They managed to enter the complex and then the residence on the pretext of meeting the minister. Once inside, they refused to budge.

Perturbed, the minister called up top police officials several times, but to no avail. A posse of cops remained stationed outside his house, but no effort was allegedly made to remove the protesters.
Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Batala, January 1

Sikh religious preacher and radical Baljit Singh Daduwal was arrested by the Batala police from Qadian after he allegedly delivered a provoking speech against the SAD government at a public function held at Thikriwal village, 5 km from Qadian, today.

Daduwal was appointed Jathedar of the Takht Damdama Sahib at a Sarbat Khalsa held at Chaba village in Tarn Taran on November 10, 2015.

However, the police and eyewitnesses gave conflicting versions. The police say he was arrested after he could not satisfactorily reply to some questions put to him by the Qadian SHO at a check post. However, eyewitnesses say he was picked up from his Qadian residence. Daduwals accomplice Jagmeet Singh too was arrested.

Sources say the cops bypassed the mandatory medical examination and sent him directly to the Gurdaspur jail amid high security after registering a case at the Qadian police station under Section 107/51 of the IPC (when a person is likely to commit breach of peace or disturb public tranquility).

However, Batala SSP Manmohan Sharma said the medical examination was conducted.

An officer said Daduwal had been taken into preventive custody as he was to go to Patna to attend the 350th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Gobind Singh.

Apprehending that he may cause disturbance in Patna, senior officers decided to arrest him here in Punjab itself, he added.

At the Thikriwala congregation, Daduwal is said to have lashed out against Cabinet Minister Sikander Singh Maluka for indulging in a blasphemous act recently. He also spoke against Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal saying, He was responsible for giving shelter to people like Maluka who were doing injustice to the Sikh community.

Daduwal, before being taken to jail, managed to record an audio in which he said, The Badal government is giving a New Years gift to the Sikhs by arresting people like me.

Sources say Daduwal, two days ago, held a meeting at the Akal Takht with radicals Dhyan Singh Mand and Jathedar Amrik Singh, where it was decided to ask Maluka to be present at the Akal Takht on January 9 to clarify his position.
PK Jaiswar

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, January 1

After demonetisation, arbitrary increase in freight charges on the international cargo by the truck union has adversely hit the cross-border trade bringing it to a virtual standstill.

The traders and the truck union at the integrated check post (ICP) have come face to face over arbitrary increase in freight charges.

The traders are peeved over the high-headedness of the truck union. Frequent disruptions by the unauthorised truck union at the Integrated Check Post have come under severe criticism by the business community involved in import and export with Pakistani traders.

Members of the Confederation of International Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CICCI) have lashed out at the truck union.

At a time when demonetisation has adversely affected the cross-border trade, the truck union is demanding higher freight charges. Earlier, it disallowed the entry of trucks from other operators to ferry goods. This is totally against the government orders, said a trader.

Earlier too the union had disrupted trade and it was after the intervention of the district administration and police that the matter was resolved.

This time too, the traders have appealed the administrative and the police authorities to press upon the union to stop their arbitrary dictates and allow the smooth function of trade.

Anil Mehra, president of the Federation of Dry Fruit and Karyana Commercial Association, said they were trying to resolve the matter over the table and did not want any confrontation with the union.

However, he added that the interests of traders would be kept in mind and if needed agitation would also be launched.

At present, only 25 trucks of cement, 25 trucks of gypsum and around seven trucks of dry fruit were being imported from Pakistan while only seven to 10 trucks of cotton yarn and plastic granules were being exported to the neighbouring nation, he added.

A customs official confirming this said the trade had reduced to just a few trucks after the currency ban as traders were finding it difficult to make payments.

Earlier, the porters at the integrated check post had staged an agitation as they were not getting payment in cash.
Washington

A NASA photographer has captured a stunning image of the International Space Station (ISS) making its way in front of the Sun at a speed of about 28,968 km per hour.

Noel Kowsky, a lensman working for NASA captured the photograph of the ISS just when it was about to make a transit in front of the Sun on December 17.

Kowsky was able to capture several images of the event, 10 of which combined to make a single composite view of the ISS.

The image shows the orbital space station  considered to be the largest man-made structure ever to be built in space  transiting across the Sun.

Capturing a photo of such solar transits is no small feat since it takes a considerable amount of time to plan and actually pull off, 'Tech Times' reported.

The ISS orbits the Earth at an altitude of about 330 to 435 km that it would be very difficult to see it directly without the help of a high-powered telescope at times.

There is also the challenge of knowing where the space station will be, relative to Earth and at what time.

Stargazers often use a tracker to find out the location of the ISS.  PTI
Sandeep Rawat

Tribune News Service

Haridwar, January 1

The stern directive of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) prohibiting the use and selling of plastic material based goods in and around the sanctum sanctorum of Brahma Kund and Har-ki-Pauri, is being openly flouted.

Local traders and vendors violating NGT orders are selling cans used to fetch holy Ganga jal, plastic sheets, disposable thermocol plates, cups and polythene bags.

After the NGT directives, the district administration and the Municipal Corporation, a few months back and during President Pranab Mukherjees visit, raided polythene bag stockists, traders and vendors and freed the Har-ki-Pauri mela zone area and Ganga ghats from vendor selling such items.

Ganga Sabha president Purushottam Gandhivadi said they had apprised the district administration and the Municipal Corporation on the issue of polythene ban. The sabha had demanded legal powers from the administration to deal firmly with the violators. Gandhivadi said during Ganga Arti, they urged the tourists and visitor not to pollute the Ganga.

He said they had also noticed the impact of the announcement on pilgrims during Ganga Arti. The Ganga Sabha president said alternative options needed to be provided to the pilgrims to fetch Ganga jal.

Mahanagar Vyapar Mandal president Sunil Sethi said traders should realise the negative use of polythene. Traders had also carried an awareness drive on the issue.

Earlier, during the tenure of former Municipal Town Commissioner Vipra Trivedi, jute and cloth bags were given to traders as an attempt to generate awareness about the harm of plastic bags.

Mayor Manoj Garg on selling of plastic canes and bags at Har-ki-Pauri said the civic body had earlier formed various teams to seize such material but due to lack of support and cooperation from the local administration, traders and people, the drive couldnt make much impact for long.

Social activist JP Baduni, who has filed numerous RTIs regarding Ganga pollution and mismanagement in handling the affairs of Har-ki-Pauri, lamented that teerth purohits and punda community had also not been serious over the issue.

Several teerth purohits, pundits and Ganga Sabha office-bearers have their shops at Har-ki-Pauri and adjacent markets. They are associated with political parties and pressurise administration officials not to carry such drives, alleges Baduni.
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, January 1

Former Bahujan Samaj Party legislator Mohammed Shahzad will contest from the Piran Kaliyar Assembly segment. Making an announcement after holding various meetings and talks with his supporters, Mohammed Shahzad today told TNS that he would contest elections from Piran Kaliyar.

I have full faith in BSP supremo Mayawati, who is the flag bearer and protector of Dalits and minorities. She has given me various responsibilities in the party cadre and then Assembly ticket from Bahadrabad in the 2007 elections. She will again repose faith in me in this Assembly elections too, said Shahzad, who is still trying to make his comeback into the BSP after being suspended from the party last year.

Though he made it clear that if he was not given BSP ticket, his supporters would want him to contest as independent to which he has made up his mind. I will contest as Independent only if the BSP denies me ticket as I have been associated with the party for more than two decades, he added.

Lashing out at the Congress, Shahzad said despite having government in the state, Chief Minister Harish Rawat didnt appoint him as Cabinet minister as he was the only minority face.

The minorities have only been neglected when it comes to mainstream development or giving plum posts in the Cabinet, said MohammedShahzad.

Terming demonetisation as total failure, the ex-legislator saidt this was done to hide the incapability of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.

The poor and common man are suffering due to scrapping of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currencies. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley have to explain to the country how come crores of new currency notes are being seized across the country, while common man is finding it difficult to even get Rs 2,000 from ATMs, said Mohammed Shahzad.
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, January 1

The Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (Progressive) will raise the permanent capital issue for Gairsain in Chamoli district as one of its major poll issues in the upcoming Assembly elections.

Apprising mediapersons here today, Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (P) media secretary Uday Ram Semwal said both Congress and BJP since the creation of the separate state, had failed to resolve this issue.

Semwal pointed out that instead of making Gairsain a permanent capital after the state formation, the BJP made Dehradun as interim capital.

Later, when the Congress came to power in 2002, it also neglected the capital issue and the BJP followed it when it formed the government from 2007-12.

Now the Congress has again complicated the permanent capital issue by having two separate Assembly buildings, secretariat and legislator-transit hostels at Gairsain and Raipur in Dehradun. Where is the need to have two separate Assembly buildings if people want Gairsain as its capital. The Congress and BJP are befooling people, who gave their all during the separate statehood movement from 70s to late 90s, stated Uday Ram.

Urging people to vote for the UKD only, he said only the regional party could cater to the aspirations of the people of the hill state as the national parties governed through the party high command sitting in New Delhi or state high command in Dehradun.

Unemployment, migration, chakbandi, corruption, demonetisation and corruption will be other issues the UKD will highlight in its manifesto this time.

The UKD will also reach out to voters directly in the coming days by holding meetings and marches to expose the hidden agenda of both Congress and BJP.

We are mobilising our cadre across Garhwal and Kumaon divisions to reach out to voters and expose the real face of the national parties.

Our youth wing has been asked to carry survey in their respective Assembly segments and give report about local issues, so that we can incorporate some of them in our partys election manifesto, he added.
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, January 1

Chief Minister Harish Rawat today said he would observe a day-long fast in Delhi on January 5 against the Centres anti-Uttarakhand attitude, which includes its opposition to the Bhagirathi eco-sensitive zone plan, reduction in wheat quota for the state, closure of Rishikesh-based India Drug Pharmaceutical Limited factory and creation of stumbling blocks in various development initiatives of the state.

Addressing a press conference here, Rawat said the Centres stance on Bhagirathi eco-sensitive zone plan was dismal for the states development. Thus, to draw the Centres attention towards that, I have decided to observe a hunger strike on January 5 in Delhi, he said.

The state government had submitted its master plan for the development for Bhagirathi valley area, but the Central Government recently rejected it citing that the ecological concerns of the Bhagirathi valley region were not taken into account while chalking out the development plan.

Despite being dubbed destructive for water resources by the Union Ministry, the state government has stuck to its zonal master plan of the Bhagirathi eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) that proposes to open up the fragile area for hydropower projects above 2 MW, mining and roads. The last pristine stretch of Ganga flows through this ESZ. The National Green Tribunal (NGT), which is hearing a petition pleading for the speedy implementation of the ESZ and adequate compensation to those affected by the 2013 floods, had recently directed Shashi Shekhar, secretary, Ministry of Water Resources, to hold a meeting. Uttarakhand also demands nod for hydro power projects (up to 25 MW), riverbed mining, and construction of roads among others which are all restricted by the ESZ notification.

Adequate funds have not been provided to the state. Ministers of the Union Government, who are frequently visiting Uttarakhand these days, owe a reply to the people of the state on deliberate reduction of Central funds to the state, he said.

According to the Chief Minister, the state would soon become defecation free. Eight of our districts have already become defecation free and the rest too will achieve the target son, he said.

Rawat also took opportunity to criticise all five BJP MPs of the state for doing little for the state. The BJP MPs have failed to raise their voice to air genuine concerns of the state. They have become just courtiers of the Modi government, he said, adding that the way the state government had worked in the social sector, he was sure that there would no BPL family in Uttarakhand by 2020.

Chief ministers media adviser Surendra Kumar was also present at the press conference.

(With inputs from ANI)
Blog Archive August 2022 (1) July 2022 (1) June 2022 (2) May 2022 (7) April 2022 (4) March 2022 (8) February 2022 (4) March 2021 (5) December 2020 (1) September 2020 (6) August 2020 (7) June 2020 (13) May 2020 (32) April 2020 (24) March 2020 (31) February 2020 (31) January 2020 (8) November 2019 (1) October 2019 (1) September 2019 (3) May 2019 (1) March 2019 (1) February 2019 (1) January 2019 (6) December 2018 (1) September 2018 (3) August 2018 (1) July 2018 (6) June 2018 (13) May 2018 (2) April 2018 (4) March 2018 (5) February 2018 (5) January 2018 (12) December 2017 (8) November 2017 (3) October 2017 (8) September 2017 (4) August 2017 (7) July 2017 (16) June 2017 (17) May 2017 (4) April 2017 (7) March 2017 (9) February 2017 (4) January 2017 (17) December 2016 (13) November 2016 (9) October 2016 (7) September 2016 (4) August 2016 (18) July 2016 (13) June 2016 (13) May 2016 (5) April 2016 (9) March 2016 (13) February 2016 (20) January 2016 (17) December 2015 (26) November 2015 (24) October 2015 (26) September 2015 (34) August 2015 (27) July 2015 (33) June 2015 (20) May 2015 (11) April 2015 (17) March 2015 (22) February 2015 (21) January 2015 (23) December 2014 (19) November 2014 (27) October 2014 (18) September 2014 (33) August 2014 (23) July 2014 (25) June 2014 (21) May 2014 (24) April 2014 (10) March 2014 (15) February 2014 (8) January 2014 (26) December 2013 (1) November 2013 (1) October 2013 (2) September 2013 (4) July 2013 (8) June 2013 (7) May 2013 (8) April 2013 (14) March 2013 (27) February 2013 (14) December 2012 (9) November 2012 (5) October 2012 (3) September 2012 (2) July 2012 (8) June 2012 (15) May 2012 (19) April 2012 (1) March 2012 (7) February 2012 (15) January 2012 (14) December 2011 (28) November 2011 (16) October 2011 (17) September 2011 (10) August 2011 (14) July 2011 (6) June 2011 (13) May 2011 (14) April 2011 (18) March 2011 (17) February 2011 (27) January 2011 (6) December 2010 (14) November 2010 (9) October 2010 (2) September 2010 (2) August 2010 (10) July 2010 (18) June 2010 (8) May 2010 (9) April 2010 (8) March 2010 (9) February 2010 (2) January 2010 (15) December 2009 (3) November 2009 (11) October 2009 (14) September 2009 (16) August 2009 (27) July 2009 (28) June 2009 (32) May 2009 (61) April 2009 (67) March 2009 (42) February 2009 (53) January 2009 (27) December 2008 (21) November 2008 (28) October 2008 (33) September 2008 (36) August 2008 (42) July 2008 (58) June 2008 (84) May 2008 (56) April 2008 (36) March 2008 (48) February 2008 (56) January 2008 (48) December 2007 (26) November 2007 (40) October 2007 (37) September 2007 (37) August 2007 (27) July 2007 (25) June 2007 (14) May 2007 (22) April 2007 (15) March 2007 (9) February 2007 (13) January 2007 (15) December 2006 (7) November 2006 (3) October 2006 (13) September 2006 (21) August 2006 (9) July 2006 (5) June 2006 (2) May 2006 (4) April 2006 (5) March 2006 (12) February 2006 (10) January 2006 (10) December 2005 (18) November 2005 (12) October 2005 (4) August 2005 (5) July 2005 (4) June 2005 (4) March 2005 (1) February 2005 (4) January 2005 (3) November 2004 (4)
Istanbul, January 1

Thirty-nine persons, including more than 15 foreigners, were killed today when a gunman went on a rampage at an exclusive night club in Istanbul where revellers were celebrating the New Year. As the police launched a dragnet for the assailant, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the carnage sought to sow chaos and undermine peace, but that Turkey would never bow to the threat.

The shooting spree at the waterside Reina night club was unleashed when 2017 in Turkey was just 75 minutes old, after a year of unprecedented bloodshed that saw hundreds of people die in strikes blamed on Kurdish militants and jihadists and a bloody failed coup.

The assailant shot dead a policeman and a civilian at the club entrance and then went on the rampage inside where up to 700 people were ringing in the New Year.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the attacker had escaped and was now the target of a major manhunt, expressing hope the suspect would be captured soon. He said of the 20 victims identified so far, 15 were foreigners and five were Turks. Another 65 people were being treated in hospital.

Many revellers threw themselves into the water in panic. Dogan news agency said the gunman was dressed in a Santa Claus outfit, although this has yet to be confirmed. Soylu said the gunman had arrived with a gun concealed underneath an overcoat but subsequently exited the venue wearing a different garment. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the bloodshed.

Family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya indicated there were many Arabs among the wounded. Jordan said three of its nationals mere killed while the Tunisian foreign ministry said two Tunisians lost

their lives. An Israeli woman was killed and another injured, Israels foreign ministry said.

Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin said at the scene on the shores of the Bosphorus that the attacker targeted innocent people who had only come here to celebrate the New Year and have fun.

Television pictures showed party-goers  including men in suits and women in cocktail dresses  emerging from the nightclub in a state of shock. The Hurriyet newspaper cited witnesses as saying the attackers shouted in Arabic as they opened fire at Reina. We were having fun. All of a sudden people started to run. My husband said dont be afraid, and he jumped on me. People ran over me. My husband was hit in three places, Sinem Uyanik, a club-goer, told the newspaper. I managed to push through and get out, it was terrible, she said.

Erdogan said in a statement that with such attacks, they are working to destroy our countrys morale and create chaos. Turkey would deploy every means to fight terror organisations and the countries supporting them, Erdogan said.

US President Barack Obama, on vacation in Hawaii, expressed condolences and directed his team to offer help to the Turkish authorities.  Agencies
Paris, December 31

French companies will be required to guarantee a right to disconnect to their employees from Sunday as the country seeks to tackle the modern-day scourge of compulsive out-of-hours email checking.

From January 1, a new employment law will enter into force that obliges organisations with more than 50 workers to start negotiations to define the rights of employees to ignore their smartphones. Overuse of digital devices has been blamed for everything from burnout to sleeplessness as well as relationship problems, with many employees uncertain of when they can switch off.

The French measure is intended to tackle the so-called always-on work culture that has led to a surge in usually unpaid overtime  while also giving employees flexibility to work from outside the office.

Theres a real expectation that companies will seize on the right to disconnect as a protective measure, said Xavier Zunigo, a French workplace expert, as a new survey on the subject was published in October.

At the same time, workers dont want to lose the autonomy and flexibility that digital devices give them, added Zunigo, who is an academic and director of research group Aristat. The measure was introduced by Labour Minister Myriam El Khomri, who commissioned a report submitted in 2015 which warned about the health impact of info-obesity which afflicts many workplaces.

Under the new law, companies will be obliged to negotiate with staff to agree on their rights to switch off and ways they can reduce the intrusion of work into their private lives. If a deal cannot be reached, the company must publish a charter that would make explicit the demands on and rights of employees out-of-hours.  AFP
Palm Beach, January 1

President-elect Donald Trump says that no computer is safe when it comes to keeping information private, expressing new scepticism about the security of online communications his administration is likely to use for everything from day-to-day planning to international relations.

Trump rarely uses email or computers despite his frequent tweeting. You know, if you have something really important, write it out and have it delivered by courier, the old-fashioned way. Because Ill tell you what: No computer is safe, Trump told reporters during his annual New Years Eve bash. I dont care what they say.

Trump has repeatedly cast aside chrages by US intelligence agencies that Russia tried to influence the presidential election through hacking. President Barack Obama earlier this week ordered sanctions on Russian spy agencies, closed two Russian compounds and expelled 35 diplomats the US said were spies. The Russian government has denied chrages. Trump, who will meet intelligence officials next week, said he wants US officials to be sure because its a pretty serious charge.  AP

Choir member refuses to sing for Trump, quits

A member of a famed choir group selected to perform at Trumps inauguration has resigned, saying performing at the ceremony would be like endorsing tyranny and fascism. Jan Chamberlin, a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, sent a resignation letter to the choir president, saying that she could never sing for Trump. Ive tried to tell myself that it will be all right and that I can continue in good conscience before God and man, Chamberlin wrote in a Facebook post. PTI
Over the past three years, the Tulsa Police Departments homicide unit has solved an average of 87 percent of the citys homicides per year.

In 2016, when Tulsa recorded 81 homicides, up nearly 40 percent from 2015, the clearance rate was nearly perfect: 94 percent.

The remaining 6 percent to be solved, homicide Sgt. Dave Walker said, are nearly complete with the exception of one case. The only thing the department needs is more time  something 2016, with its unprecedented number of homicides, has not always allowed the units detectives.

I dont think anybody expected that or we are prepared for it, he said. We look at the numbers rising as the number of officers are declining. That cannot be a good thing.

Record-setting year

Tulsas first homicide in 2016 occurred the evening of Jan. 3, when 19-year-old Kyle Stapleton was fatally shot during an attempted robbery at the Cobblestone Apartments, 4949 S. 76th East Ave.

Since then, homicide detectives have stayed busy. Throughout the year, there were only 13 full weeks where investigators werent working a new case. Some weeks, detectives would be called to multiple slayings in a day.

Tulsa broke 2009s high mark of 71 homicides on Nov. 18, when 51-year-old Rodney McGee was fatally shot, followed shortly thereafter by 29-year-old Leroy Coleman Jr.s death.

Whereas the citys 71 homicides in 2009 were attributed to gang-related activities, Walker doesnt see any trends this year to explain the increase.

Theyre all pretty much the same this year. Theres really no set pattern, he said.

Walker noted that in many of the 81 homicides, the victims and assailants knew each other.

When the gunshots go off, the range is going to be closer, he said. So you can obviously see, even the best shot is a better shot when youre standing right next to someone.

Those relationships are part of why the departments homicide clearance rate is so high. When a victim and offender know each other, cases are easier to close, Walker said.

As far as his theory for the record number of homicides, he thinks it is a combination of drug use and possible mental health issues paired with the availability of guns and the propensity to fire them to solve conflicts.

Significant statistics

While theres no underlying trend to explain the citys record number of homicides, there were some themes:

 Nearly 10 percent, or eight, occurred in public housing, compared with just over 5 percent from three homicides in 2015.

 Police shootings also accounted for 8.6 percent  or seven  of the years homicides. In 2015, there was one, accounting for only 2 percent of the years homicides.

 2016 also marked only the fourth year since 2000 that the number of white people killed outnumbered the number of black people killed, despite black people accounting for just over 15 percent of Tulsas population.

Toward the end of the year, Walker said he noticed another trend: Many of the homicides in some way involved the dissociative drug phencyclidine, also known as PCP.

Investigations into the deaths of 40-year-old Terence Crutcher, 37-year-old Leon Crockett, 40-year-old Antwan Hampton and 23-year-old Courtney Palmer all found the drug.

The four died between mid-September and December.

Walker said PCP isnt conducive to good behavior, which would explain some of the slayings.

Theres not too much rational thinking going on. So, if you put two people with guns (together), theres going to be a gunfight, and somebodys going to end up dead, he said. And thats kind of what were seeing at the end of the year.

While Tulsas homicides reached record levels, 37 of the nations 65 largest police agencies also recorded increases from 2015, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Tulsas murder rate also seems in line with a rise in general crime across the city. Of homicides, rapes, robberies, burglaries, aggravated assaults, larcenies and automobile thefts, only the number of burglaries decreased from 2015 into 2016, according to Tulsa Police Department statistics.

Time to solve

In addition to the ease of investigating murder cases between parties who know each other, Walker said his units success also relies on tips from the public and the effort of other officers.

His detectives share information about cases they are working with other officers as well as the public, which in turn provides investigators with leads. That helps, he said.

But it is more when were going into the community and something happens, people know us, he said, and they know its their turn to step up at that particular moment and tell us what they saw.

Teamwork between homicide detectives is also important, but when there are so many cases to work, like in 2016, casework can become more of an individual effort.

Thus, if cases arent solved quickly, detectives fall behind.

Such is the situation with the case of 26-year-old Anthony Reed, who was fatally shot Feb. 1 at the Towne Square apartments, 1607 E. Young Place.

Walker said the case had fallen prey to sheer numbers.

With the exception of the death of 36-year-old Kyle Thomas, Walker said the remaining uncleared cases are solvable.

Every one of them this year is really close to being solved, so its just if we get the time to go back and work on them, we could probably get it done, he said.

Looking into 2017, Walker said he doesnt have any ideas to help the department deal with the increased workload if the homicide rate stays steady.

He said he doesnt have a solution, but he doesnt think more homicide detectives would solve the problem. Thats in part because theres not an obvious trend in 2016s murders.

Even if you give me a lot of people, I cant be in the spot where the murders happen all the time, because its not one area of town, its not one reason, Walker said.

As far as solutions, Walker believes outside nonprofits and other programs to help drug-addicted or mentally ill individuals could slow the murder rate by getting those people off the streets and into treatment.
The big Swedish retailer Ikea earned headlines this month by announcing up to four months of paid leave for its U.S. workers, male or female, salaried or hourly, who become parents whether through birth, adoption or fostering.

Effective Jan. 1, Ikea vaults high in attractiveness to workers in that demographic niche. Its benefits package, superior to most U.S. competitors, puts the retailer on par with many blue-chip companies that are striving to be best-in-class in recruitment and retention.

Ikeas benefit gives workers with three or more years of tenure a family leave payment equal to 100 percent of their base wages for the first eight weeks and 50 percent for the next eight weeks. And its in addition to the existing six to eight weeks of short-term disability benefits available to all Ikea employees regardless of tenure.

The benefits uptick dovetails with a small but emerging trend among talent-hungry U.S. employers such as Facebook, Twitter, Spotify, Microsoft and major accounting firms that have boosted their paid leave offers. Netflix even extended its family leave to as much time as a new parent needs in the first year.

But the U.S. Department of Labor estimates that only 12 percent of private-sector U.S. workers have access to such paid family leave.

The paid part is an important distinction. The federal Family and Medical Leave Act since 1993 has provided, in general, up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for employees with at least a one-year tenure in companies that employ at least 50 workers.

A crucial FMLA benefit includes job protection so that a user cant be fired for taking the leave. But the drawback is that FMLA leave isnt truly a benefit if a worker cant afford to take it. And many cant.

There is no federal paid leave requirement for U.S. companies, so the practice is left to individual corporate decision-making. Some changes are motivated by globalization. In Sweden, for example, Ikeas workers are entitled, by law, to up to 480 days of paid family leave.

Other changes give a nod to benefits for society as much as for individual workers.

Our research shows that, among other things, paid family leave can reduce the percentage of those who receive public assistance or food stamps in the year following a childs birth, encourage women to stay in the workforce, and allow fathers to take a more active role in caretaking, said Wendy Doyle, CEO of the Womens Foundation in Kansas City, Mo.

But in the workplace trenches, as with FMLA leave, theres indication that even paid family leave wont be used to full advantage. A national Deloitte survey found more than a third of eligible men said they wouldnt use their benefits because they were afraid of jeopardizing their positions at work.

Fears of that stigma among men and women alike may ease as more companies offer paid family leaves. And some states  California, New Jersey, Rhode Island and New York  have passed guaranteed paid leave laws, as have some cities. Its a trend with traction.
Former Will & Grace actor Leslie Jordan says the sitcom is returning for 10 new episodes.

Jordan, who played Beverly Leslie, said Its back, in a radio interview. [NBC] has ordered 10 [episodes]. Itll be for next season, so theyll go in in July.

Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Megan Mullally and Sean Hayes recently reunited in a pitch perfect video ahead of the US election.

Not long after Debra Messing said that she would never say never about a revival.

Now there are platforms where you can do six or 10 episodes. I dont believe we would ever come back to network [TV] again, she said. I think that the logistics of all of our lives  there would just be way too many things to hammer out. But for something shorter-lived and maybe having the limitations of being on network TV lifted may give us a fun, fresh opportunity because we could be really, really naughty!

So far NBC is yet to comment.

Source: Hollywood Reporter
Rumours are afoot that Steve Price is the shock jock heading into the jungle for Im A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.

According to News Corp, because he has returned to work earlier than usual the speculation is he will have time off for the TEN series. A pretty good theory.

TEN isnt giving any other hints on its outspoken, unapologetically controversial person, but The Project regular fits the bill.

Meanwhile here are the clues thus far on the others:

A US sitcom star is not only a world famous television actor but also a stand-up comedian who has appeared in over 60 films.

A much-loved, three-time Olympian has had success in sport, business and on television.

One of AFLs biggest characters and an AFL legend is a straight-talking Brownlow medallist.

A pop diva and soap star has had a number of top 10 hits and is one of the biggest names on Australian television.

TEN is yet to confirm a January 29 airdate.
US actor William Christopher, best known for M.A.S.H. has died, aged 84.

He died from non-lung small cell carcinoma on Saturday at his home in California.

Christopher played the soft-spoken Father John Mulcahy on MASH from 1972-1983. He served as the moral compass for the show who frequently struggled to offer spiritual guidance and pastoral care amid the horror of the Korean War.

Variety notes he landed the role after producers decided to recast the actor who played Father Mulcahy in the pilot, George Morgan, who had no lines. He also featured in the spinoff series AfterMASH, which ran from 1983-85.

Before MASH Christopher worked steadily on TV in character roles on The Andy Griffith Show, Gomer Pyle, Hogans Heroes, That Girl, Nichols, The Patty Duke Show, Death Valley Days, The Virginian and Alias Smith and Jones.

His other credits included Days of Our Lives, The Smurfs, Mad About You, Murder She Wrote, Diagnosis Murder, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and Team Knight Rider.

Film credits included The Fortune Cookie, The Shakiest Gun in the West, With Six You Get Egg Roll and Hearts of the West.
Hi, my name is Scott C. Waring and I wrote a few books and am currently a ESL School Owner in Taiwan. I have had my own UFO sighting up close and personal, but that's how it works right? A non believer becomes a believer when they experience their first sighting. You witnessed it, your perceptual field changes, so now you need to share it.





I created this site to help the UFO community get a little bit organized. I noticed that there was a lot of chaos when searching for UFO sighting reports, so I hope this site helps. I wanted to support those eyewitnesses who have tried to tell others about what they have seen, yet were laughed at by even closest of friends.





More and more each day the governments of the world leak bits and pieces of UFO information to the public. They have a trickle down theory in hopes of slowly getting citizens use to the idea that we are not alone in universe and never have been. The truth is being leaked drop by drop until one day we look around and find ourselves neck high in it.





The discovery of alien species in existence is the most monumental scientific event in human history, suppression of that information is a crime against humanity.





About me:

I live in Taiwan. I OWN MY OWN ENGLISH SCHOOL, AND ONCE HAD 5 SCHOOLS.

Am Former USAF at SAC base (flight line).

Age: 42

Educ: BA in Elem ed. Masters in Counseling ed.





I had two UFO sightings, (30+bus size orbs) in military and in 2012 personally saw the UFO over Taipei 101 building on New Years Day (and recored it).
MINNEAPOLIS  In real estate, the mantra has always been location, location, location. Then it was web, web, web. Now theres a new refrain: Mobile, mobile, mobile.

Smartphones and other mobile devices have upended the real estate world and the way brokerages do business. The latest data from the National Association of Realtors show that 71 percent of millennials start their house hunt using a mobile app or website. For Gen Xers, 64 percent started on the web, compared with 46 percent of baby boomers.

At Edina Realty, based outside the Twin Cities, traffic on the companys website in 2015 increased 100 percent compared with the previous year, and visits to its mobile apps surged by nearly 20 percent.

Greg Mason, president and CEO of Edina Realty Home Services, said that data offered an ah-ha! moment when he and his team started thinking about rebuilding the companys website.

Our approach had to be mobile first, Mason said.

It was nearly two years ago when the company decided to tackle the issue head-on by revamping its website to better serve people using mobile devices, including tablets and smartphones, to do their house shopping.

Smartphones have become so ubiquitous. We had to take a serious look at the changing demographics, usage patterns, what consumers want and how they prefer to access information about homes, Mason said.

Even the web itself and the way people access that information is changing dramatically as every successive generation of buyers brings its own preferences to the process.

Edina already had a mobile website, but it offered a more limited experience than what desktop users were getting because of the constraints of the small screen. So the company launched an effort to build a more responsive, integrated website that looks the same regardless of the device on which it is being viewed.

Nearly half of all consumers now say online content does not display properly on their smartphones, according to a 2015 Pew Research Center report.

Companies have been focused on providing responsive website designs that quickly adapted to the search habits of the user with multiple pages, photos and other visual elements, but translating that experience in an integrated way for a variety of mobile devices has been difficult.

The first order of business was taking control of that technology from a third-party vendor that retained all the responsibility and control of the site, making it somewhat cumbersome for agents and brokers to maintain and update the site.

That vendor was also more adept at catering to desktop devices and lacked the expertise the company needed to create a streamlined and consistent experience for mobile users.

Edina made a fundamental decision to take the website in-house with the support of two key partners: Microsoft and RBA Consulting, a national digital and technology consulting company thats based in Minneapolis.

By bringing Edina Realtys website in-house, we can adapt the site to our clients changing preferences and reduce the time it takes to introduce innovative online tools to the market, Mason said.

Eric Raarup, RBA Consulting vice president of digital experience, CRM and marketing, led a team of strategists, designers and technologists who were responsible for designing and developed the website.

Raarup said the biggest challenge was creating a modern website that serves loyal users while attracting new ones through an improved mobile experience.

At the same time, we wanted to enable the Edina Realty team to have more direct ownership of the content, data and the platform, Raarup said.

The website is built on Microsofts Azure cloud computing platform, which provides storage for data and creates virtually unlimited potential for updates and growth. The site is also much better suited to cope with fluctuations in web traffic.

Thats important for a company thats managing more than 60,000 listings from 13 multiple listing services across the state, each with its own system for managing data.

The new site also features one-touch access to speak with an agent. Every listing automatically includes community statistics, county property data and market data including sales and listing information. There are also articles about buying, selling and other homeownership topics. And theres an interactive map with a drawing tool to refine search parameters.

Shoppers can use a standard search bar, but they can also use do a quick search by clicking on one of several tiles with subjects like waterfront, new construction or a swimming pool. Buyers can search for homes based on the school attendance zones and review school ratings.

The modernized Edinarealty.com features a search that allows consumers to easily select criteria that is important to them, Mason said. This approach allows for a user to more easily filter the list of available properties to their must haves when looking for a home.
The Nvidia Quadro P6000 was tested in various workstation-specific and even in gaming benchmarks, easily outpacing the mighty Titan X. This could mean that Nvidia may have the best graphics card to date by giving the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti with a full GP102 core, then it could be the very first 4K capable of running games at 60 FPS.

The Nvidia Quadro P6000 graphics card and its lower variant, the Quadro P5000 were unveiled during the SIGGRAPH 2016 as the only Pascal-based graphic cards of Nvidia. The Quadro P6000 is offered for workstation and professional use, but has been tested in both workstation-specific and gaming benchmarks.

Nvidia Quadro P6000: Flagship Quadro Solution

The Nvidia Quadro P6000 utilizes in full the GP102 GPU, yielding a configuration of 3,840 CUDA cores as against Titan X's 3,584 cores. It is clocked at 1.417 MHz with a boost to 1,530 MHz, clock speeds that produce a rated compute output of 12 FLOPS, which is above the single precision performance on the Tesla 100.

The Nvidia Quadro P6000 has the highest capacity in the Pascal architecture with 24GB of GDDR5X VRAM and a memory clock running at 9.0 GB/s alongside a 384-bit bus. Its total memory bandwidth is around 432 GB/s using the GDDR5X standard, an impressive performance according to Wccftech.

The Nvidia Quadro P6000 does not have the double precision hardware like the Tesla, which is compute-intensive, allowing it to produce single and half precision performance with higher clock speeds under a lower TDP. Its TDP is at 250W, which is below the 300W on the Tesla 100.

Nvidia Quadro P6000 in Workstation-Specific Benchmarks

HotHardware tested the Nvidia Quadro P6000 in workstation-specific benchmarks and it discovered that it has easily outpaced the GeForce GTX Titan X, producing a score of 8,698 as against Titan X's 8,175. The main difference between the two cards is that Titan X utilizes a scaled-down variant of the GP102, while P6000 utilizes it in full.

Nvidia Quadro P6000 in Hitman 2016

The NVidia Quadro P6000 was tested in Hitman 2016, a graphics intensive game running it easily at 60 FPS. The Titan X's average FPS is at 58.39 against P6000's 68.37 FPS.

Geforce GTX 1080 Ti

The Nvidia Quadro P6000 benchmark results reveal that Nvidia could launch the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti utilizing in full the GP102 core instead of a cut-down variant. In so doing, the 1080 Ti could be the first 4K graphics card able to run at 60 FPS, according to Forbes.
PHILADELPHIA  Julian Rinaldi knew he was onto something with serious entrepreneurial potential when his shop hadnt even officially opened for business and someone wanted to make a purchase.

The person wanted to buy Rinaldis father. Well, a 3-D model of him, anyway.

Dressed in a suit and striking a confident pose  albeit standing just 9 inches tall  was Philip Rinaldi, chief executive of Philadelphia Energy Solutions LLC, in the window of his sons storefront. It was such a spot-on likeness that the person passing by recognized him immediately and asked whether the figurine was for sale.

It wasnt. Philip Rinaldis role was precisely what played out that day: to catch the eye of passersby and lure them into this odd new entrant on a street of startups, galleries, restaurants, and shops.

PeoplePrints 3D is believed to be the only business in Philadelphia exclusively devoted to 3-D selfies. They come in three forms: head, half-body and full-body.

In this era of self-absorption and promotion enabled by Instagram, Snapchat and other sharing arenas of social commerce, three-dimensional selfies were only a matter of time.

Open since August, PeoplePrints 3D is already profitable, with monthly sales reaching $20,000, exceeding Julian Rinaldis expectations.

I get multiple people in here every day saying its the coolest thing theyve ever seen, he said on a recent morning, in a shop whose display cases hold several sizes of himself and others. The native of Bridgewater, N.J., lives in an apartment upstairs.

While he thought 3-D selfies would be a hit with millennials, Rinaldi  who, at 33, is one of them  is thrilled that the idea appears to hold even broader appeal.

Fans have included grandparents, grieving pet owners, even a guy wanting to make his marriage proposal extra-memorable. He gave his beloved a three-quarter-inch miniature bust of himself on a ring with a white-gold band.

The growth potential is essentially limitless, Rinaldi said: The market is every person on the planet.

A graduate of the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Rinaldi majored in information technology and envisioned operating some sort of an online business. Instead, he dabbled in many ventures, including helping to open a restaurant, teaching winemaking, creating winemaking equipment and occasionally arranging charters for his familys yacht.

Then I kind of saw how 3-D technology was taking off, Rinaldi said. I really liked the technology and was trying to figure out a way you could make money with it.

Though medicine, architecture and manufacturing were among the more common 3-D printing applications, I just thought people would love to have models of themselves, he said. His research uncovered competitors in California and New York and at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn., but no one basing an entire business around it in the Philadelphia area.

An area company called BluEdge has offered 3-D selfies at Philly Tech Week the last two years as kind of a marketing thing  a way to attract a more consumer-based client to a 118-year-old printing company that has largely served architects, inventors and law firms, said Simonas Indrele, a 3-D consultant there. The business recently changed its name from NRI, or National Reprographics.

One 3-D customer Indrele served was an insurance salesman who got busts made of himself and used them as business cards, his contact information and title printed on his back. Another sent his busts to business meetings he could not attend so he could be on the table, Indrele recalled.

Knowing the next generation of smartphones are going to have 3-D cameras built into them, Indrele said, he expects 3-D selfies to proliferate.

Also sensing those prospects, Julian Rinaldi came up with a business plan and dove right into it about nine months ago. He found the retail space (a former umbrella shop), bought a full-body scanner consisting of 100 cameras, hired a couple of art-school students with 3-D printing experience, filled the front window with models and opened for business.

Because of the prohibitive cost of an advanced color 3-D printer  about $80,000  Rinaldi is outsourcing the printing to a company in Long Island City, N.Y., for now. With plans to open another studio store in Philadelphia within six months and one in the suburbs within a year, he said he will likely buy a 3-D printer eventually to create the models in-house. His ultimate goal is to offer franchise opportunities.

Prices, detailed at peopleprints3d.com, range from $35 for a three-quarter-inch bust to a four-person, 9-inch-tall, full-body group for $658. A single 9-inch model goes for $230. Prices include free shipping directly to customers homes.

Models cannot be made from pictures. Subjects must be photographed (it takes only a few seconds) at PeoplePrints 3D, where artists touch up portraits before they are sent out for printing.

Its amazing how accurate it is, Michael Cahill, a K-9 officer with the Philadelphia Police Department, said of a 7-inch model of his late partner, Gero, a 10-year-old German shepherd whose replica he had PeoplePrints 3D make in the fall. It was one week before Cahill, 39, a 17-year veteran of the force, had to put down Gero because of cancer.

The model, including the dogs police badge, sits atop the box containing his ashes that Cahill keeps on the mantle of his home. I have a ton of pictures of him, Cahill said, but this is, to a T, him.

Thats the way Evan Kushin, 34, thought of his bust. He incorporated it into one of six whimsical engagement rings he surprised Morgan Kato, 31, with over the course of a week last summer before presenting her with a real diamond.

I thought it was an interesting and unique idea, said Kushin, a bartender who also works in events production. Evidently, Kato did, too. She said, Yes, I think seven or eight times.

A variety of requests have been honored, including those wanting to pose wearing only body paint or a bikini. There are limits on the work PeoplePrints 3D can do.

I get a lot of weight-reduction requests, Rinaldi said. If I could do that, I would be a lot thinner in my own models.

Calling his sons latest venture consumer interaction touching the kind of psyches of millennials, father Philip Rinaldi said he has lent his support  and his likeness in a variety of heights  to the cause because I thought it was a really, really terrific idea.

As an engineer, Philip Rinaldi envisions 3-D printing as the wave of the future in industry, and 3-D selfies as a nice pathway of retail connectivity with young ones.

Theyre also pretty effective self-awareness tools, he said:

When I saw how shabby my suit looked, I had to run out to my tailor.

Quote I just thought people would love to have models of themselves. Julian Rinaldi
It was dubbed the forgotten ship. It was a Florida-Class battleship that was, ironically, an anti-aircraft gunnery training ship active in Pearl Harbor. Crippled by Japanese torpedoes, it rolled over with its crew members scrambling for their lives. Listening to Glen Miller's Elmer's Tune which was number one on the Hit Parade, a popular ranking of music at the time, retired Chief Electronics Technician Gilbert Meyer, a crew member of USS Utah (BB-31/AG-16), was performing his normal duties. After watching a movie and listening to music, I went on the 0000 to 0400 watch, he said. After that, I was dead tired so I went to my rack two decks below on the starboard side. Four hours later his life changed forever. Eight in the morning normally is a patriotic moment when colors is performed. This is when you raise the American Flag, salute and carry out the plan of the day. For Meyer and his shipmates, their lives were endangered a minute following colors. A torpedo hit the port side, the second torpedo hit and got my attention and I had to start climbing up topside, Meyer said. Some of the crew saw the fighter planes coming but I was sleeping and I didn't know what was going on. All I knew was the ship was in peril. The sound of the ship as it was rolling over scared me. Many of the men had already swum to shore; I swam to shore in my skivvies.  Sixty four men paid the ultimate price for their country in matter of minutes. Today, the watery grave and humble reminder of those brave Sailors sits partially submerged as a memorial on the opposite side of its famous sister ship USS Arizona on Ford Island.

December 07, 2016 - Retired Chief Petty Officer Gilbert Meyer (right), a USS Utah and Pearl Harbor survivor, and Capt. Jeffrey Rathbun, U.S. Pacific Fleet Command Deputy Director, Logistics, Engineering and Security Cooperation, return honors to USS Halsey (DDG 97) as the ship sailed past the USS Utah Memorial on Ford Island in Pearl Harbor as part of a pass in review and salute to USS Arizona and Pearl Harbor survivors. This is the first time a U.S. Navy Ship has rendered honors to the Utah as part of an official ceremony. The salute is part of the 75th Pearl Harbor Commemoration, co-hosted by the U.S. Military, the National Park Service and the State of Hawaii, provided veterans family members, service members and the community a chance to honor the sacrifices made by those who were present Dec. 7, 1941, as well as throughout the Pacific theater. As a Pacific nation, the U.S. is committed to continue its responsibility of protecting the Pacific sea-lanes, advancing international ideals and relationships, well as delivering security, influence and responsiveness in the region (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Corwin Colbert) The Utah Memorial is a beautiful and solemn white wooden L-shaped pier reaching into the calm blue water of Pearl Harbor. It turns left pointing to souls of the Greatest Generation still inside the ship, its deep brown rusty hull contrasting with the sea. Though not all those lost are physically entombed inside, the fact that the ship is so close to the shoreline, almost in touching distance, makes the memorial that much more personal. More than a million tourists visit Pearl Harbor each year. Few know where Utah resides. No tour buses or guides make their way to the other side. There are no honors rendered unless there is a specific event normally for and/or by the survivors. In fact, the Naval Telecommunications Procedures flags, pennants & customs publication states, when a Navy ship is passing the USS Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii between sunrise and sunset, passing honors consisting of sounding "Attention" and rendering the hand salute by all persons in view on deck and not in ranks shall be executed by that ship. Not so for the USS Utah. These are a few of the many reasons why Utah was dubbed The Forgotten Ship. Forgotten no more -- On December 7, 2016, during the 75th Anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack, the day came, symbolically, for the forgotten to be remembered. On a day when the weather was eerily the same 75 years ago, clear with clouds over the mountain range, USS Halsey (DDG 97) an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer sailed around Ford Island as part of a Pass in Review and salute to USS Arizona and Pearl Harbor survivors. Before passing by the USS Arizona, however, with the crew on deck in their dress uniforms, they paid their respects to the officers and enlisted of Utah. There to return the salute was Meyer. Meyer is well into his 90's, recovering from chemo surgery, tired and frail. However, this greatest generation Sailor popped tall and saluted for more than three minutes as the modern haze gray giant slowly cruised by with this generation's Sailors popping just as tall, mirroring his gesture. Meyer said the moment was emotional and special for him but he felt he fulfilled a higher calling. All I was thinking about standing there was my shipmates, said Meyer. This was special and it was for my shipmates. By U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Corwin Colbert

Provided through DVIDS

Copyright 2016 Comment on this article
Notably, the LG Electronics failed to declare its special relationship with its partner LG Display member companies. Besides, the company has yet to declare the insurance charge and container imbalance charge (CIC) for its batches of goods imported from foreign fellow member companies of LG Display.

Accordingly, the company will have to pay tax arrears of VND6.8 billion ($298,893) and a fine of VND1.3 billion ($57,141). Previously, the company confirmed that the lack of declaration of the special relationship between it and LG Displays member companies is only its laches.

However, in reality, the lack of declaration of the special relationship between member companies of the same group is considered a sign of transfer pricing and tax evasion.

In April 2015, LG Display inaugurated its 800,000-square-metre electronic manufacturing complex in Trang Due IP in Dinh Vu-Cat Hai EZ, which specialises in producing price-competitive electronic goods, including televisions, mobile phones, washing machines, and air conditioners. The total sum of $1.5 billion invested in the complex will be disbursed between 2015 and 2028.

Being LGs largest facility in Southeast Asia, the complex helps to make Vietnam one of the largest electronics export hubs in the world. Furthermore, it opens up good opportunities for part suppliers in Vietnam to co-operate and meet the groups demand for support services and components. In the next five years, 70 per cent of the Haiphong-based complexs products will be exported to 35 countries worldwide.

In addition, on May 6, LG Display organised the ground-breaking ceremony of the $1.5-billion hi-tech screen (OLED) production factory in Trang Due IP.
A representative of the General Department of Vietnam Customs said that the decision was based on investigation results and the approval of the Supreme Peoples Procuracy of Vietnam.

A representative of Euro Auto Corporation told Vnexpress that the company is surprised with the General Department of Vietnam Customs decision.

Earlier, in late November, the Ministry of Finance (MoF) asked the General Department of Vietnam Customs to collaborate with the Supreme Peoples Procuracy of Vietnam to investigate foreign-owned Euro Auto Corporation after detecting signs of smuggling and trade fraud.

Notably, the company arbitrarily bought BMW automobiles without completing customs clearance or receiving the customs authoritys permits.

The company also refused to provide certificates of origin as well as the relevant files of BMW automobiles for the authority, thus drawing suspicions of trade fraud.

Furthermore, Euro Auto used counterfeit bills and sales contracts to import BMW automobiles.

However, both representative of Euro Auto and BMW Group confirmed that the lack of certificates of origin during the inspection was because Vietnamese customs authorities did not ask Euro Auto Corporation to submit them after purchasing BMW automobiles.

BMW also added that representatives of the group, the MoF, and the General Department of Vietnam Customs will participate in a working session in Hanoi in mid-January 2017.
The company had only resumed operation in August after finding a bank that would guarantee the tax debts it owed to authorities, which caused the Quang Nam Department of Planning and Investment withdraw the business registration of Phuoc Son Gold, Besras Vietnamese subsidiary in charge of operating the Phuoc Son gold mine, in July.

Nguyen Manh Ha, chairman of the Peoples Committee of Phuoc Son district of Quang Nam province said that he had received the companys notice about suspension of operation.

The company is trying to find funds to restart operation again, but it did not say when it would be able to do so, he said.

Le Mai Khac Hung, deputy director of the Quang Nam Department of Taxation, said that after resuming operation in August, Phuoc Son Gold paid the tax according to its commitment. Specifically, at the moment, the company had submitted VND120 billion ($5.4 million), out of the VND334 billion ($14.9 million) in tax arrears and VND100 billion ($4.48 million) in late payment fines.

He said that if Phuoc Son Gold does not submit the rest, the department will work with guarantor Viet A Bank.

In Vietnam, Besra operates the Phuoc Son and Bong Mieu gold mines. The company stopped operation of the Bong Mieu mine in July and never resumed it. It still owes the authorities over VND100 billion ($4.5 million) in tax debts from the operation of this mine.

Earlier, on November 18, the company announced on its website that it had closed its long-anticipated CAD10million ($7.41 million) exit financing, thus satisfying the remaining condition precedent to the Amended Proposal approved by creditors pursuant to the Canadian Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act. The company procured the proceeds after selling shares to Pangaea Holdings Limited.

On the occasion, John Seton, Besras Managing Director commented that Besra would re-focus [its] efforts on rebuilding shareholder value, based on [its] world class Bau project in East Malaysia. He did not mention a plan for the Vietnamese operations.
Ancient tradition: The stone welcome gate of the Ninh Van stone carving village.  VNS Photo Bach Lien

The 100 year-old house, almost entirely built of natural blue stone, has attracted lots of tourists from Viet Nam and abroad who are interested in the art of stone carving of this ancient capital.

Besides the red tiled-roof, almost all other parts of the house and its furniture were built in stone: from its walls and pillars, to its gate and fences.

The house was built by her husbands grandfather who was a talented stone carver.

He was invited to build the stone Phat Diem cathedral in Kim Son District of Ninh Binh Province. After he finished building the cathedral, he invited the group of stone carvers (who built the cathedral with him) to his village to help him build his house, recalls the 77 year-old woman.

It took them two years to build the house.

Nguyen Quang Dieu, who is head of the managing board of the stone carving village, says the house is unique in the region. Many researchers and stone carvers have come here to study how the house was built, he said.

400-year tradition

The art of stone carving first appeared in Ninh Van Commune four centuries ago, a natural development given that Ninh Binh is surrounded by spectacular limestone mountains.

Tourist attraction: The 100-year-old house owned by Madame Dinh Thi Long is almost entirely built of natural blue stone. - VNS Photo Bach Lien

In the past, stone carving was only practiced in a few households in the commune, and they mainly produced items made of blue stone, which were sold locally.

But gradually many people began to benefit from this industry.

Dieu said that the village has known a wave of development in the past 20 years in light of an increasing demand for stone products nation-wide.

Almost 85 per cent of the communes working age inhabitants (about 3,000 inhabitants) take part in the carving industry. They produce stone carvings ranging from simple to sophisticated designs, most of which have become popular in many areas of the country.

The villages diverse products are also exported to the US and Europe. These range from small ornamental plant pots, to large-scale Buddha statues, war martyr statues and even bridges.

Increasing demand: A craftsman in Ninh Van carves in stone. - Photo ninhbinhtravel.net

Nguyen Van Thinh, 55, son of Madame Phong, said he learned the art when he was a small child.

Since I was a child, I helped my father with his work. We did it manually, and it was very hard. But I loved watching the beautiful objects that my family could create from huge stone blocks, he recalls.

When he grew up, he opened his own stone carving enterprise. The work has become easier with the advent of machinery.

To better understand how much our villages stone carving is appreciated, you should come to see some well-known sites in my province. They include the stone Phat Diem cathedral, the welcome gate at the Tam Coc Bich Dong tourism area, and the stone bridge leading to the Dinh and Le King temples  where the kings of the Dinh and Le dynasties are worshipped, he said.

The popularity of the stone products is a source of pride to its residents. The village itself, located 2-hour drive from Ha Noi, is well worth a visit.
Photo : nasa.gov

The US space agency had already pushed back the launch by a day to Tuesday.

If technicians are able to finish their repairs as planned, Discovery and its six American astronauts will now launch from Florida's Kennedy Space Center at 3:52 pm (1952 GMT) Wednesday, NASA test director Jeff Spaulding said.

The flight to the orbiting International Space Station is the fourth and final shuttle flight of the year, and the last scheduled for Discovery, the oldest in the three-shuttle fleet that is being retired in 2011.
The New Years Eve Fireworks illuminate the sky above Sydney Harbour with its Opera House and Harbour Bridge, taken from Mrs Macquaries Point in Sydney, Australia, December 31, 2016. EPA/VNA Photo

Revellers crammed into major cities to celebrate New Year with security tightened amid fears large crowds of people could present a target for extremists.

Getting the festivities started was Sydney, where around 1.5 million people thronged Australias biggest city to watch midnight fireworks erupting from the Harbour Bridge.

Crowds in Hong Kong also flocked to the waterfront to watch fireworks explode over Victoria Harbour while in Japan thousands packed the streets of Tokyo to release balloons into the air.

Celebrations swung into Europe with the night sky over Moscows Red Square literally painted red by the fireworks.

And nearly 500,000 people were expected on Pariss famous Champs-Elysees, where the Arc de Triomphe was lit up with a colourful countdown to 2017 and the word "welcome" in dozens of languages.

The raucous celebrations drew to an end a year of political shocks, from Britains vote to leave the European Union to the election of maverick leaders in the United States and Philippines.

It has also been a year of celebrity deaths from David Bowie to Prince and Mohammed Ali.

2016 was also a year of bloodshed and misery that has seen the war in Syria, Europes migrant crisis and numerous terror attacks dominate the headlines.

Fireworks explode over Victoria harbour during New Year celebrations in Hong Kong on January 1, 2017. AFP/VNA Photo

'Tonight is about fun'

The violence continued on Saturday, with twin bomb blasts killing at least 27 in a busy market area in central Baghdad.

But this did not stop people flooding the streets of the Iraqi capital to celebrate and families in evening dress headed to swanky hotels for parties.

Fadhel al-Araji, a 21-year-old from the neighbourhood of Sadr City, already had his beer in the back of his car.

"Tonight is about fun... Everybody can do what they want and nobody cares.

We need a night like this, Iraq needs it," he said, behind the wheel of his beat-up Toyota.

In the shattered Syrian city of Aleppo, 20-year-old student Abdel Wahab Qabbani was also determined to see in 2017 in a positive frame of mind.

"The last two years, I didnt go out for New Year. This time, Im going to party," he said.

The Gulf emirate of Dubai marked the new year with its usual gigantic pyrotechnics off the worlds highest skyscraper, Burj Khalifa, as well as other landmarks.

This years celebration passed without problems, unlike last year when a fierce blaze broke out at a nearby tower.

'Concrete blocks'

But revellers did have to contend with reinforced security measures and a heightened police presence.

There were some 2,000 extra officers in Sydney after a man was arrested for allegedly making online threats against the celebrations and garbage trucks were deployed to block any attempt to plough a vehicle into the crowd.

Following a deadly attack on a Berlin Christmas market on December 19, the German capital beefed up security, deploying extra police, some armed with machine guns.

"This year, whats new is that we will place concrete blocks and position heavy armoured vehicles at the entrances" to the zone around Brandenburg Gate, said a police spokesman.

However, visitors seemed undeterred by recent events as they began to gather under a freezing Berlin sky for a series of concerts ahead of a large midnight fireworks display in the area.

A view of the fan zone with the Brandenburg Gate (back) during New Years Eve celebrations in Berlin, Germany, December 31, 2016. EPA/VNA Photo

In Paris, there will be fireworks again, after muted 2015 celebrations following the massacre of 130 people by jihadists in the French capital.

Nearly 100,000 police, gendarmes and soldiers will be deployed across France against the jihadist threat and President Francois Hollande inspected the security measures on the Champs-Elysees.

Brussels, meanwhile, reinstated its fireworks show after last years was cancelled at the last minute due to a terrorist threat.

With more than a million people expected to turn out to watch the ball drop in Times Square, New York is deploying 165 "blocker" trucks and some 7,000 police.

Extra security was also in place in Moscow, Istanbul and London.

'Leap second'

Rome stationed armoured vehicles and greater numbers of security forces around the Coliseum and St Peters Square, where Pope Francis will celebrate a "Te Deum" hymn of thanksgiving.

In a Mass earlier Saturday, the pontiff urged people to reflect on the plight of the young as the year drew to a close.

"We have created a culture that idolises youth... yet at the same time paradoxically we have condemned our young people to have no place in society," he said.

Elsewhere, issues other than terrorism threatened to dampen the party.

Up to two million people were expected at Rios Copacabana beach. But with Brazil mired in its worst recession in a century, the fireworks have been cut to just 12 minutes.

And normally boisterous Bangkok was seeing in the new year on a more sombre note as the nation grieves for King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died in October.

Nevertheless, revellers will at least get one extra second to enjoy the nights festivities.

At the stroke of midnight, there will be a "leap second" decreed by the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service to allow astronomical time to catch up with atomic clocks that have called the hour since 1967.
Music Time in Africa is VOAs longest running English language program. Since 1965, this award-winning program has featured pan African music that spans all genres and generations. Ethnomusicologist and Host Heather Maxwell keeps you up to date on whats happening in African music with exclusive interviews, cultural information, and of course, great music -- including rare recordings from the Leo Sarkisian Library of African Music.
Police in Burundi say the countrys environment minister was shot dead in the capital early Sunday.

Police spokesman Pierre Nkurikiye said in a tweet that Emmanuel Niyonkuru, who was 54, was killed in Bujumbura while on his way home.

The shooting is the first of a senior government official since Burundi fell into political turmoil nearly two years ago over President Pierre Nkurunzizas controversial bid for a third term.

Abuses widespread

Human rights groups have warned that the tiny African country is at risk of genocide, calling for international action. They recently released a report that documents widespread abuses under the government of Nkurunziza.

The report describes killings, tortures, rapes and disappearances in Burundi since popular protests erupted in 2015 against the presidents third-term bid.

The report also says more than 1,000 people have died, hundreds have gone missing and thousands more are being detained or fleeing the country. It says many of the abuses were committed by youth militias and government security forces.

The human rights groups have called for an international peacekeeping mission and political dialogue to resolve the crisis.

Warnings of genocide

Florent Geel, Africa director for the Paris-based umbrella group International Federation for Human Rights, said, Each day, a few people are arrested, disappeared, are killed. This is not a massive violation where all the cameras are coming, but its a daily violation.

Anschaire Nikoyagize, the head of Burundian rights group ITEKA, currently lives in exile in Uganda. He said a new government census is among the tools being used to push Hutus to side with the government and turn a political conflict into an ethnic one  in a country scarred by a history of ethnic killings.

United Nations investigators have also warned of risks of a genocide in Burundi, and the International Criminal Court is considering a full investigation into alleged atrocities. The government, which denies its forces are involved in abuses, recently announced it was pulling out of the ICC.

Lisa Bryant in Paris contributed to this article.


Heavy smog in northern China on Sunday caused hundreds of flights to be canceled and highways to shut, disrupting the first day of the new year holiday.

Large parts of the north were hit by hazardous smog in mid-December, leading authorities to order hundreds of factories to close and to restrict motorists to cut emissions.

The latest round of air pollution began Friday and is expected to persist until Thursday, although it is expected to ease slightly Monday, the last day of the new year holiday.

Particle levels especially high

In Beijing, 24 flights were canceled at the citys main airport, and all buses from there to neighboring cities suspended, the airport said in a statement on its official microblog.

Average concentrations of small breathable particles known as PM2.5 were higher than 500 micrograms per cubic meter in Beijing  50 times higher than World Health Organization recommendations.

In Tianjin, Beijings next-door metropolis, the smog was not as serious, but visibility was much worse, with more than 200 flights canceled at Tianjin airport and conditions not expected to improve in the near term, the city government said.

Some bus routes and highways in Tianjin were also closed because of the smog, the government added. In Shijiazhuang, the provincial capital of Hebei province that surrounds most of the Beijing, about two dozen flights were canceled and eight flights diverted to other airports because of the smog, the Peoples Daily said on its website.

45 cities on alert

A total of 24 Chinese cities have issued red alerts for the current round of pollution, which mandate measures like limiting car usage and closing factories, while 21 have issued orange alerts, including Beijing and Tianjin.

China began a war on pollution in 2014 amid concerns its heavy industrial past was tarnishing its global reputation and holding back its future development, but it has struggled to effectively tackle the problem.

Pollution alerts are common in northern China, especially during winter when energy demand, much of it met by coal, soars. The countrys northern provinces mostly rely on the burning of hundreds of millions of tons of coal each year for heating during northern Chinas bitterly cold winters.


Congo's opposition leaders signed a deal with the party of President Joseph Kabila on Saturday that will require him to step down after elections that must take place before the end of 2017.

Mediators from the Congo's Catholic church had been heaping pressure on both sides for weeks to sign an agreement aimed at averting a slide into anarchy and possibly another civil war over Kabila's decision not to step down despite the expiration of his mandate more than a week ago.

If they stick to it, the agreement will deliver the Democratic Republic of the Congo's first peaceful transfer of power since independence from Belgium in 1960.

"Today, we are happy to head up a political compromise," said Marcel Utembi, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference, before representatives of Kabila's party, including Mines Minister Martin Kabwelulu and Interior Minister Emmanuel Shadary, and its main opposition alliance signed the deal.

Huge hurdles remain, however. The electoral commission has said elections may not be possible before 2018, and many doubt Kabila really intends to stand down. Several of his supporters have floated the idea of changing the constitution to enable him to run for another term, as other African leaders have done.

Any failure to implement the deal would worsen instability that has seen scores of people killed over the past four months, many of them protesters shot dead by security forces. Police and military killed around 40 people last week who were protesting when Kabila's mandate ran out December 20.

"Now that all pretexts for various plots against the republic have been removed, I call everyone to ... to create conditions of true peace and stability throughout the country," Kabila said in a year-end address to the nation, which however did not directly address his own view on the talks.

Diplomats fear growing unrest could trigger a repeat of the wars between 1996 and 2003 that killed millions, unleashed dozens of predatory armed groups and drew in more than half a dozen neighboring armies.
At least 23 people were killed after a fire broke out on a ferry that was carrying more than 200 people to islands north of the Indonesian capital of Jakarta on Sunday, officials said.

The fire started aboard the passenger ferry shortly after it left the Muara Angke port, heading to Tidung Island, a tourist destination about 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of Jakarta, national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said Sunday.

In addition to the dead, more than a dozen people were injured and more than a dozen are missing, officials said.

Seply Madreto, an official from the local Disaster Mitigation Agency, told MetroTV the fire gutted about half of the ship, according to the Associated Press.

A survivor named Ardi, who was traveling with his son, told Reuters news agency, Thick smoke suddenly emerged, blanketing the cabin. All passengers panicked and ran up to the deck to throw floats into the water. In a split second, the fire becomes bigger coming from where fuel is stored.

Ardi was one of the survivors taken to a Jakarta hospital for treatment.

Boats are a popular form of transportation in Indonesia, a sprawling archipelago of more than 250 million people, but overcrowding and poor safety enforcement make accidents common. Indonesia has been plagued by transportation accidents in recent years, from plane and train crashes to ferry sinkings.
A one-passenger train from Heaven arrived Dec. 26, 2016, at 10:20 a.m. God called his faithful servant, Donna, and she boarded the train and arrived at her eternal destination in Heaven. She was greeted by many family members and friends who were awaiting her arrival. Within two months of receiving the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, her life was shortened.

Donna was born June 9, 1934, to Esther (Olson) and Clifford C. Berry at St. Annes Hospital (Mayo Health Systems) in La Crosse. On May 10, 1944, a baby sister, Nancy Jeanette, joined the family in their North Side home. From that point on, they were always known as the Berry Girls.

She attended Roosevelt Elementary School and graduated from Logan Sr. High School in 1952. On her 18th birthday she began her 44 year career with CB&Q (Now Burlington Northern Sante Fe) Railroad, starting as a field clerk, at the railroad freight office in downtown La Crosse. From 1973, until her retirement Oct. 15, 1996, she served as chief clerk and personnel director at the North Side Burlington Northern Railroad.

Her compassion, concern and caring heart made each day of her co-workers lives easier, knowing Donna was always there to support them. She was warmly referred to as Railroad House Mom. Donna was one of Burlington Northerns elite employees, those so special they are singled out as role models by their peers and supervisors, to receive special recognition from their employer. Such honors dont come easily or often, and Donna was chosen as the person to receive this prestigious Burlington Northern Presidential Award in 1990.

One Sunday morning in January 1990, Donna saw her picture in the local newspaper, where she was further honored by her Burlington Northern co-workers at La Crosse, as the Special Woman of the Year. They proclaimed 1990 as Donna Berry Appreciation Year and set out to show just how much they really appreciated her. She was presented with a surprise luncheon and limo pick-up, roses and gifts, and throughout the year on holidays and on her birthday, they planned something special with flowers and gifts. She was deeply touched by the honor because it came from the fellows she worked with every day, which made it especially meaningful. Upon her retirement in 1996, her Burlington Northern family again expressed their appreciation to Donna by hosting a wonderful retirement party at Copeland Park. They presented her with a parting gift of an all-expense paid trip to Scottsdale, Ariz., which included her flight, a rental car, and a month stay at a large condo, which she shared with family and friends.

On Oct. 7, 1979, Donna, her sister and their mother, joined North Presbyterian Church in North La Crosse. Donna served as an elder, a Sunday school teacher, helped with fundraising events, along with organizing and coordinating many other church activities. Her dedicated support and service to the church continued throughout her life. She was a charter member of the American Business Womens Association in La Crosse, and served as recording secretary, was on the credit committee of the Burlington Northern Credit Union, and on the Board of Directors for several years. She was also an active member of the 4000 Foundation and a loyal supporter of the Logan Booster Club.

In 1991, Donna was appointed by the Mayor of La Cross, to serve on a committee to study community-based facilities to provide homes for recovering alcoholics, the mentally ill or handicapped and others unable to live alone.

In 1996, Donna was honored to be chosen as the Oktoberfest Torchlight Parade Marshal. She was always proud of being a resident of the North Side for many years and was humbled by the honor to represent her community in this new role.

After being single into her 60s, a telephone call changed Donnas life, when she rekindled a love from the past with David Swanke. They were married Sept. 8, 2002, and had a wonderful life together until his passing. They enjoyed many road trips, plane trips, an Alaskan cruise, a river cruise on the Mississippi Queen, and always enjoyed a few weeks vacationing in Florida, during the winter months.

For all who knew her, Donna will be forever loved and remembered for her cheerful personality, her kindness, thoughtfulness, generosity, her sincere interest in the lives of her many friends, co-workers and their families; and of course, her organization, paper cutting and penmanship. She never missed a beat! Shell also be remembered as a person who lived her life to the fullest, always with a positive attitude. Donna loved quotes and her favorite one was from Billie Holiday, If I dont have friends, then I aint got nothing! She also had a philosophy about life, and a quote she lived byThe greatest gift you can give someone is your time, because when you give your time, you are giving a portion of your life you will never get back.

Donna is survived by her loving sister, Nancy J. Carlsen; dear godson, Dan Poehling and partner Matt Worges; a stepniece, Dawn Carlsen and partner Holly Zimmerman; a special sister, Judy Corbett-Hutchens; stepgrandson, Brett (Becky) Grill, and their children, Paige and Tyler; stepson-in-law, Jerry Grill; life-long friends/family, Randy Sr. and Judy Eddy, Randy Eddy Jr., and children, Annie and Amber; Tanya (Eddy) and Bryan Goetting, and children, Victoria and Barrett. She is also survived by many cousins; and her life-long friends, Joyce, Harriet, Rae and Arlan, Linda and Dan, Linda B., Donna, Tom, Linda K., Barb, Noreen, Nancy J. and so many more, too numerous to mention; but also including her many friends at Pine Ridge Apartments and North Presbyterian Church.

In addition to her husband, David Swanke, she was preceded in death by her parents, Esther and Clifford Berry; grandparents; aunts and uncles; brother-in-law, Gerald R. Carlsen; stepdaughter, Cheryl Grill; plus many life long friends.

In lieu of flowers, memorials to North Presbyterian Church, 1327 N. Salem Rd., La Crosse, WI 54603; or The 4000 Foundation, Ltd., P.O. Box 3411, La Crosse, WI 54602-3411 are preferred.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 4, at the North Presbyterian Church, 1327 N. Salem Rd., La Crosse, with Pastor Scott Skogen officiating. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 3, at the Dickinson Family Funeral Home, 809 Gillette St., La Crosse, and again from 10 a.m. until the time of service Wednesday at the church. A private burial service will take place at a later date at the Mormon Coulee Cemetery in La Crosse.

Nancy wishes to express her heartfelt thanks and appreciation for the support from family and friend, during Donnas illness throughout 2016, and during her last hospital stay.

Also, a sincere thank you to Dr. OBrien, the Mayo 6th Floor Comfort Care staff, and to Dr. Irina Shakhnovich, of Gundersen Health System, for the kind and excellent care provided to Donna.

Donna  Your wings were ready, but my heart was not.

Your loving sister,

Nancy
Officials in southern Iraq say gunmen wearing suicide vests and driving an explosive-laden vehicle have attacked a police checkpoint, killing seven people.

Authorities say at least 15 people were wounded in the attack Sunday near the town of Qadisiyah, 180 kilometers south of Baghdad.

All the attackers were killed in the incident claimed by the Islamic State.

Interior Ministry spokesman Saad Maan said the militants "were planning to head to Najaf to blow themselves up there." Najaf is a considered the religious capital for Iraq's Shiite majority .

Jihadists attacks in overwhelmingly Shiite southern Iraq are extremely rare.

IS has not controlled territory in southern Iraq, but has occasionally launched attacks in the area.
Israel's security cabinet decided Sunday not to return the bodies of Hamas militants killed by Israeli forces to their families, saying that the state of Israel itself would bury the remains.

The cabinet made its decision after Hamas posted a video mocking Israeli soldier Oron Shaul who was killed in Gaza in 2014. Hamas took custody of his body and that of a second soldier, Hadar Goldin.

Hamas has refused to surrender the bodies.

The video shows a mock birthday party for Shaul, complete with a cake, a baby's lullaby, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's face superimposed on a clown.

Israel's Channel 10 quotes Shaul's angry and distraught parents as saying "We have already given up on the things the Israel government says on the matter, and we are waiting for operative actions.... Nothing has changed and we are waiting for the prime minister to take a leadership decision and bring home from war Oron Shaul."

There has been no reaction so far from Hamas.

Israel's security cabinet met to talk about how to retrieve the bodies of the two soldiers and two other Israelis who are being held captive after crossing into Hamas-controlled Gaza on their own last year.

Netanyahu's office says the cabinet came up with a plan to bring back the Israelis, but gave no details.
A manhunt for the gunman who killed 39 people in an Istanbul night club early Sunday continued into the evening, but authorities still have "no clarity" on who was responsible, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildrim said.

"Some details have started emerging, but the authorities are working towards a concrete result," Yildrim told reporters Sunday evening.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack on the nightclub that was packed with New Year's revelers.

Some reports said the gunman was dressed as Santa Claus, but Prime Minister Yildrim denied them.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu and Vasip Sahin, Istanbul's governor, said the assault on the club was carried out by a lone gunman.

Among those identified, 15 of the dead are foreign nationals, five are Turkish, Soylu said, adding that a police officer was also killed. Eighteen victims are yet to be identified.

Soylu said 69 people are being treated in hospitals for injuries, four of them are serious and one very serious.

City governor Sahin called the incident a terror attack. He said the attacker used a long-barreled weapon to brutally and savagely shoot revelers.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the attacker wanted to create pandemonium in the country but failed.

"They are trying to create chaos, demoralize our people, and destabilize our country with abominable attacks which target civilians," President Erdogan said. "We will retain our cool-headedness as a nation, standing more closely together, and we will never give ground to such dirty games."

Turkish police converged on the area around the Reina club in Istanbuls upscale Ortakoy area, an entertainment spot on the Bosporus that is popular with celebrities and foreigners.

Witnesses to attack

Witnesses said as many as 600 people were inside at the time of the attack and said some revelers jumped into the waterway to escape the gunfire. Local reports say the police officer and a civilian were gunned down outside the facility before the gunman gained entry.

Aziz Ozcan, whose brother Suleyman was working at the bar section of the nightclub, told VOA's Turkish service he was working elsewhere when he heard of the attack.

"My father and my mother are old, they cant come here so I came down here. But I dont know what to do. We didnt receive any information. ... I dont know if he is alive or not. ... We are just waiting," Ozcan told VOA's Turkish service.

We were having fun. All of a sudden people started to run. My husband said dont be afraid, and he jumped on me. People ran over me. My husband was hit in three places, club-goer Sinem Uyanik told The Hurriyet newspaper.

I managed to push through and get out, it was terrible, Uyanik said, describing seeing people soaked in blood.

I didnt see who was shooting but heard the gun shots and people fled. Police moved in quickly, Sefa Boydas, a Turkish soccer player, wrote on Twitter.

My girlfriend was wearing high heels. I lifted her and carried her out on my back, Boydas said.

The Turkish government imposed a temporary blackout on coverage of the attack, citing national security reasons.

Video posted on social media showed rescue vehicles and police cars rushing to the scene right after the attack was first reported. Wounded people were seen being taken into ambulances.

The Hurriyet quoted Reinas owner, Mehmet Kocarslan, as saying security measures had been taken over the past 10 days after U.S. intelligence reports suggested a possible attack.

Obama briefed

Principal Deputy White House Press Secretary Eric Schultz said U.S. President Barack Obama has been briefed on the Istanbul attack by his national security team.

The president expressed condolences for the innocent lives lost, directed his team to offer appropriate assistance to the Turkish authorities, as necessary, and keep him updated as warranted, Schultz said.

Obama also reaffirmed U.S. support for NATO ally Turkey.

In a statement from the U.S. State Department, Deputy spokesman Mark Toner said: These attacks only reinforce our determination to work with the government of Turkey to counter the scourge of terrorism.

Watch: Istanbul Terror Attack: Interviews With Eyewitness, Family Members

Security measures have been upgraded in major Turkish cities following a spate of terror attacks in recent months.

Two explosions near an Istanbul football stadium earlier this month killed 38 people and wounded more than 150 others.

A Kurdish militant group later claimed responsibility for that attack.

In late June, a separate attack claimed by Islamic State extremists killed more than 40 people at Istanbuls Ataturk airport.
A gunman opened fire in an Istanbul nightclub packed with New Year's revelers early Sunday, killing 39 people.

VOA's Turkish service interviewed several people outside the Reina nightclub in Orkatoy.

WATCH: Eyewitness Enver Akn

Eyewitness Enver Akn, who was in the vicinity during the attack, said: "We heard some noise but we thought it was fireworks. Then saw the patrol cars arriving. Then the ambulances followed about half an hour later. It was a mess. We then realized there was a serious thing going on. Then we saw the wounded being taken out. We have had friends inside. People were in shock. The police escorted people out. There were many foreigners as far as I could see. They were also in shock.

WATCH: Aziz Ozcan's brother Suleyman was working at the bar

Aziz Ozcan, whose brother Suleyman was working at the bar section of the nightclub, said: "I dont know anything because I was at work when the attack happened. I was contacted by phone, someone called me and thats how I was notified of what was going on. I arrived here later. I dont know how it happened.

My father and my mother are old, they cant come here so I came down here. But I dont know what to do. We didnt receive any information as well so I dont know. I dont know if he is alive or not. We couldnt get any answers from any hospitals either. We are just waiting.

WATCH: Asm Uslu, whose son Erkan is a marketing director at the nightclub

Asm Uslu, whose son Erkan is a marketing director at the nightclub, said: "I guess, it happened around 1 a.m. My brother-in-law heard it on the news on TV from Erzurum (eastern Turkey). He then called my wife and told her about what happened here. He told my wife that he talked to my son, Erkan, and he was doing all right but some of his friends were shot dead or wounded. I heard about all of this at 4 a.m. and left home immediately. As of now, I havent heard anything from my son.
A federal judge in Texas on Saturday ordered a nationwide halt to enforcement of new Obama administration rules protecting those who apply for transgender or abortion-related health care services.

U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor issued the temporary injunction the day before the new anti-discrimination provisions were due to go into effect. His ruling was the result of a lawsuit brought by Texas and a handful of other states.

Those who oppose the new federal regulations say they could violate the religious freedom of physicians and other health care workers and thwart their "independent medical judgment" in cases involving transgender patients or women seeking abortions.

There was no immediate comment from the White House or other federal officials in Washington. The government could appeal the injunction or ask the judge to limit his ruling to the plaintiffs in the case. But since President Barack Obama is due to leave office on January 20, the fate of the lawsuit remains unclear.

O'Connor is the same judge who overruled the Obama administration in a similar case four months ago. He enjoined the federal government from restricting federal aid to schools that do not comply with rules prohibiting discrimination against transgender students. That case is currently under appeal.
Buckingham Palace says Queen Elizabeth II will not be well enough to attend a New Years church service because of a lingering cold.

The palace said Sunday the queen does not yet feel ready to attend church as she is still recuperating from a heavy cold.

She also missed the Christmas church service last week.

The 90-year-old monarch had earlier delayed her departure for her rural estate in Norfolk for the Christmas holidays because both she and her husband Prince Philip were suffering from colds.

Other members of the royal family plan to attend the service Sunday at the church on the grounds of her Sandringham estate.

The queen's illness has lasted at least 10 days. The palace has not revealed when she contracted the cold.
Republican Senator John McCain said on Sunday the United States could only improve its relations with Russia by taking a tough stance with President Putin, calling for stronger sanctions against Moscow.

On a tour of the Baltic states, Ukraine and Georgia, McCain and other senators assured the former Soviet-dominated countries that the United States would support them, despite President-elect Donald Trump's praise of Putin and expressions of doubts about NATO.



"We will strongly urge our colleagues toward more meaningful and stronger sanctions against Russia because of their attack on the United States of America," McCain told reporters in Georgia's capital Tbilisi.

"I believe that we must continue to improve our relations and to understand that Vladimir Putin - unless we stand up to him - will continue his aggression and we must stand up to Vladimir Putin," McCain said.

On Thursday, President Barack Obama ordered the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats and imposed sanctions on two Russian intelligence agencies over the hacking of U.S. political groups during the election.

But Trump signaled during his campaign that he might take a softer line with Moscow, and on Friday congratulated Putin for not retaliating to the expulsions, tweeting: "Great move on delay (by V. Putin) - I always knew he was very smart!"

Earlier, in Kyiv, McCain vowed continued U.S. support to Ukraine.

"I send the message from the American people - we are with you, your fight is our fight and we will win together," McCain was quoted as saying by Ukrainian President Poroshenko's press service.

"In 2017 we will defeat the invaders and send them back where they came from. To Vladimir Putin - you will never defeat the Ukrainian people and deprive them of their independence and freedom," McCain said.

Reinforcing the line that the U.S. Congress could oppose any move by Trump to take a softer line on Russia, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, traveling with McCain and others, said it was time "to push back against Putin, to be a better friend to our allies here including Georgia."

"So 2017 is a year of offence and we're going to tell our colleagues what's at stake if we don't push back," Graham said.
Incoming United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres took over the top position at the world's top diplomatic body Sunday, after outgoing leader Ban Ki-moon's term ended at midnight, December 31..

Guterres, former prime minister of Portugal and former High Commissioner for Refugees, has told the United Nations in a speech that the question of how to help millions of people caught up in conflict and war weighs heavily on his heart.

He noted that civilians are faced with deadly force, killed and injured, forced from their homes, and thrown into poverty. He lamented that even hospitals and aid convoys are not safe from violence.

Bridge builder

Guterres called on his peers at the U.N. to make one shared New Years resolution: Let us resolve to put peace first.

From solidarity and compassion in our daily lives to dialogue and respect across political divides, he said, from cease-fires on the battlefield, to compromise at the negotiating table to reach political solutions  peace must be our goal and our guide.

Guterres has promised to be a bridge builder at a time when the U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has voiced concern that the United Nations is ineffective. Guterres has pledged to work with the Trump administration despite the friction and to try to cooperate on the enormous challenges that the United States and the United Nations will face in the coming years.

Ban farewell

Ban, the outgoing secretary-general, told his colleagues at the United Nations in his final address Friday that he is so very proud to have worked with them for the past 10 years. He asked them to set priorities and stay focused on issues such as sustainable development, climate change, womens empowerment, youth empowerment, and many other issues.

He also pleaded with them to never give up. To keep dreaming, he said, to keep believing, and to keep working hard until we achieve progress.

He asked them to keep their focus on peoples rights and dignity, and to stand up for those who are left behind  those who have escaped the attention of the world community but still need help.

Bans second five-year term ended December 31. He said he felt a bit like Cinderella because of the abrupt change at the stroke of midnight. But he pledged always to carry the title of global citizen and said his heart will always be with his colleagues at the United Nations.
North Koreas leader says his country is in the final stages of developing an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Kim Jong Un made his remarks Sunday in a televised New Years speech.



U.S. State Department spokeswoman Anna Richey-Allen on Sunday called on North Korea "to refrain from provocative actions and inflammatory rhetoric that threaten international peace and stability." She also called on "All states to use every available channel and means of influence to make clear to the DPRK and its enablers that launches using ballistic missile technology are unacceptable, and take steps to show there are consequences to the DPRK's unlawful conduct."

North Korea conducted two nuclear tests in 2016 undeterred by international rebukes and increased sanctions.

New arms race?

Beyond the existential threat to the world posed by permitting the unpredictable and repressive North Korean state to possess these weapons of mass destruction, analysts say giving in to Pyongyangs demand to withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) it signed in the 1980s could also spark a new global arms race.

The country has been under U.N. sanctions since 2006 over its nuclear and ballistic missile tests. Pyongyang has responded to the sanctions by accelerating its weapons development programs through the summer, testing numerous land-based and submarine-launched ballistic missiles.



The sanctions were tightened last month after Pyongyang conducted its fifth and largest nuclear test September 9.

Ban Ki-moon concerned

Former United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon has said he is deeply concerned (about) the mounting tension on the Korean peninsula imposed by North Koreas ballistic missiles test as well as nuclear tests.

A senior U.S. military official said last month that North Korea appears able to mount a miniaturized nuclear warhead on a missile but is still struggling with missile re-entry technology necessary for longer range strikes.
Authorities in Dhaka have demanded that Myanmar repatriate tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims who crossed the border to escape what they say is persecution, and are now living illegally in Bangladesh.



Myanmar says it will accept a small fraction of the refugee population now in Bangladesh, but the Rohingya themselves say they are unwilling to go back to Myanmar's Rakhine state. Refugee community leaders are appealing to "Rohingya-friendly" countries to take them in.



Ko Ko Linn, a Rohingya community leader in Bangladesh, told VOA that conditions in Myanmar had become unlivable, particularly in recent weeks, and "they do not want to return to this anti-Rohingya Myanmar."





'Unlivable' situation



Linn, an executive member of the Arakan Rohingya National Organization, said, "The Myanmar government and the country's Buddhist-majority society have turned extremely hostile against the Rohingya Muslims, turning the country into a hell for them."

An Amnesty International report last month accused Myanmar security forces of being responsible for unlawful killings, multiple rapes and the burning down of houses and entire villages in a "campaign of violence against Rohingya people that may amount to crimes against humanity."



The Foreign Ministry of Bangladesh called in Myanmar's ambassador Thursday to complain about the refugees and to demand an early return of all Rohingya migrants to Myanmar.



Kamrul Ahsan, Bangladesh's Bilateral and Consular Secretary, told Ambassador Myo Myint Than there is "deep concern at the continued influx of Muslims" from Myanmar.



A Foreign Ministry statement in Dhaka said Ahsan asked "the Myanmar government to urgently address the root cause of the problem," so that the Rakhine Muslims are not forced to flee Myanmar and seek shelter in Bangladesh.



Less than 1 percent can return



One day after that tense meeting in Dhaka, Myanmar said it would agree to accept the return of fewer than 2,500 Rohingya from Bangladesh  less than 1 percent of the total refugee population, which is estimated to be at least 350,000 people.



Authorities in Yangon contend most of the impoverished Rohingya now seeking shelter in Bangladesh are not citizens of Myanmar, because they are descended from illegal immigrants who arrived years ago. The Rohingya, however, claim their community has lived where Myanmar is located for several centuries.



Separately, Bangladesh's foreign secretary, Shahidul Haque, said Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi is expected to send a special envoy to Bangladesh soon, to take stock of the Rohingya refugee situation.



Violence directed at Rohingya Muslims has broken out in Myanmar sporadically in recent years, and members of the Muslim minority fleeing persecution kept crossing over to southeastern Bangladesh, which lies adjacent to their home villages in Rakhine state. The situation worsened considerably 11 weeks ago, however, after nine Myanmar border guards were killed in an armed attack blamed on Rohingya militants.



Refugee tide swelled recently



A military crackdown in Myanmar that followed the border attack has been blamed for human rights abuses including extrajudicial killings, rapes and arson in Rohingya villages. In those recent weeks up to 50,000 Rohingya men, women and children have crossed into Bangladesh seeking safety.



Bangladeshi officials' estimates of the Rohingya population vary, but most contend there are 350,000 to 500,000 Rohingyas living in Bangladesh, over 90 percent of whom are illegal refugees.



Bangladesh, one of the world's most densely populated countries, has long complained that its congested urban areas and villages cannot cope with the burden of Rohingya refugees pouring into the country. About 10 years ago, Bangladesh quietly adopted a policy to push the refugees back to Myanmar, yet the Rohingyas have consistently managed to return, slipping through the porous border, usually by river crossings.



Authorities in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, claim that all the allegations of abuse, killings and rapes by soldiers are fictitious, but such complaints by newly arrived refugees have increased dramatically since October. The Rohingya say they have been the victims of violence by Buddhists in Rakhine, also known as Moghs, as well as government soldiers.





Hasina Begum, who has been staying in the illegal Rohingya settlement of Kutupalong in Bangladesh since November, said that under no circumstances would she agree to return to Myanmar.



"Soldiers and Moghs were raping and torturing the people around us. My children were murdered. I was beaten and they broke my waist. My husband was taken away by the soldiers and he has disappeared since then," Begum told VOA.



"Moghs looted my house before burning it.  Unable to bear this torture I have fled to Bangladesh," she continued.



"If Bangladesh says we must go back, we shall kill ourselves. But we will not return to Myanmar," the Rohingya woman added.



Nuruzzaman, a 55-year-old Rohingya man, told VOA, "I had eight members in my family. I lost three of them, including my young daughter, to the violence there. To save our lives five of us have fled to Bangladesh. ... In Burma they say, 'You belong to Bangladesh.' In Bangladesh they are saying, 'you belong to Burma.'



"Where shall we go? ... The world is so big. Is there not some space for the Rohingyas to live?"





Hoping to refuge in Muslim-majority countries



Nuruzzaman said he hoped Muslim-majority countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia or Turkey, all of whom have been sympathetic to the Rohingyas' cause, could provide refuge.



"They can perhaps arrange our transportation from Bangladesh to their countries by ship or plane," the refugee told VOA. "That way, perhaps, the Rohingyas could be saved from dying a bad death here."



Nurul Islam, a Britain-based Rohingya rights activist and community leader, said that there is an exodus from Rakhine state because Rohingyas there "are desperate to save their lives."



"By just crossing a river they can reach safety, they know," said Islam, who is president of the Arakan Rohingya National Organization, told VOA.



"If Bangladesh really does not want to host these refugees any more and some other countries are willing to help," Islam told VOA, "we will be thankful if those countries offer temporary refuge to this hapless community."
I recently asked a married couple who have three kids, none of whom are yet teens, Who are the most important people in your family?

Like all good moms and dads of this brave new millennium, they answered, Our kids!

Why? I then asked. What is it about your kids that gives them that status? And like all good moms and dads of this brave new millennium, they couldnt answer the question other than to fumble with appeals to emotion.

So, I answered the question for them: There is no reasonable thing that gives your children that status.

I went on to point out that many if not most of the problems theyre having with their kids  typical stuff, these days  are the result of treating their children as if they, their marriage, and their family exist because of the kids when it is, in fact, the other way around. Their kids exist because of them and their marriage and thrive because they have created a stable family.

Furthermore, without them, their kids wouldnt eat well, have the nice clothing they wear, live in the nice home in which they live, enjoy the great vacations they enjoy, and so on. Instead of lives that are relatively carefree (despite the drama to the contrary that they occasionally manufacture), their children would be living lives full of worry and want.

This issue is really the heart of the matter. People my age know its the heart of the matter because when we were kids it was clear to us that our parents were the most important people in our families. And that, right there, is why we respected our parents and that, right there, is why we looked up to adults in general. Yes, Virginia, once upon a time in the United States of America, children were second-class citizens, to their advantage.

It was also clear to us  I speak, of course, in general terms, albeit accurate  that our parents marriages were more important to them than their relationships with us. Therefore, we did not sleep in their beds or interrupt their conversations. The family meal, at home, was regarded as more important than after-school activities. Mom and Dad talked more  a lot more  with one another than they talked with you. For lack of pedestals, we emancipated earlier and much more successfully than have children since.

The most important person in an army is the general. The most important person in a corporation is the CEO. The most important person in a classroom is the teacher. And the most important person in a family are the parents.

The most important thing about children is the need to prepare them properly for responsible citizenship. The primary objective should not be raising a straight-A student who excels at three sports, earns a spot on the Olympic swim team, goes to an A-list university and becomes a prominent brain surgeon. The primary objective is to raise a child such that community and culture are strengthened.

Our child is the most important person in our family is the first step toward raising a child who feels entitled.

You dont want that. Unbeknownst to your child, he doesnt need that. And neither does America.
U.S. officials say they have no information that a power grid in the northeastern state of Vermont was penetrated, even as they continue to investigate suspected Russian malware found on a utility's laptop computer.

The Department of Homeland Security said late New Year's Eve that the laptop was not connected to the electrical grid operated by the Burlington Electric Department. The U.S. agency said the utility "took immediate action to isolate the laptop" after finding the malware code used in Grizzly Steppe, the name U.S. authorities have given to suspected malicious Russian computer intrusions.

The discovery of the malware sparked concern in the U.S. about the vulnerability of its key infrastructure operations. The Homeland Security officials declined to say whether other utilities or groups had reported finding similar malware on their systems, but said such information would be confidential.

Infrastructure security concerns

The Vermont incident prompted several U.S. states to have cybersecurity officials re-examine their utility networks to make sure they are free of malware that could affect their electrical grids, but there were no immediate reports of problems.

U.S. congressman Peter Welch said Russian hackers' malware found in Vermont was evidence of "rampant Russian hacking," but President-elect Donald Trump says such charges should be investigated carefully.

Welch said the discovery proves that Russian computer hacking of U.S. networks is "systematic, relentless and predatory."

"They will hack everywhere, even Vermont, in pursuit of opportunities to disrupt our country," Welch said. His statement came as criticism of Russian cyberspying escalated and support broadened for sanctions President Barack Obama has imposed on Moscow.

But Trump, who assumes power January 20, continued to cast doubt on the spy allegations, saying he wants U.S. intelligence agencies to be certain of their conclusions "because it's a pretty serious charge" against Russia.

Trump said he knows more information about the extent of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election through computer breaches than has been made public and plans to disclose it in the coming days.
South Korea's impeached president held a rare meeting with reporters Sunday to deny allegations that she colluded with her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil to extort money and favors from Korean conglomerates.

It was the first time Park has spoken to the media since being impeached by parliament on December 9.

She told the selected reporters the charges against her were "fabrication and falsehood" and that she was "completely framed."

"The matter is under investigation, so I can't make detailed explanations that might put both sides in trouble, but what I can assure you is that I have never conspired with anyone or did anything to give favors to someone, not even by a bit," Park said, according the minutes of the meeting that were provided by her office.

Park has apologized numerous times and has maintained the actions she took were in the national interest. She insists she never personally benefited from her 18 years of public service.

The president's image as a strong and incorruptible leader crumbled under allegations her longtime friend, Choi, secretly exploited her close relationship with Park to force Korean conglomerates to donate nearly $65 million to two dubious foundations, while at the same time funneling some of the funds and lucrative side contracts to companies owned by herself and her friends.

Choi is currently detained while on trial.

The Constitutional Court is reviewing the impeachment motion, a process that can take up to six months. If the court affirms, a new presidential election will be scheduled within two months of the ruling.

Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn assumed the rule as government caretaker after Park was impeached.

On Tuesday, 29 legislators split from South Korea's ruling Saenuri Party over the corruption scandal. The lawmakers established a new party, unofficially named the New Conservative Party for Reform, that will launch on January 24.

The new party hopes to win the support of conservative voters who are displeased with the ruling party before the next presidential election. As part of the effort, the new party may try to convince outgoing United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to be its presidential candidate.
Two suicide bombers detonated their explosives, killing at least two security officers in the Syrian coastal city of Tartous, Syrian state television reported early Sunday.

It said the officers were part of a security patrol that stopped the bombers, who then blew themselves up. Others were injured in the blasts, including civilians, state TV said. It gave no further details.

British-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said there had been explosions from suicide bombers in Tartous and that at least two people were killed.

Tartous has not been targeted for several months, and has largely escaped the violence that has engulfed other areas of the country. The city is part of President Bashar al-Assad's coastal heartland.

The incident took place as a fragile Russian and Turkish-backed cease-fire, welcomed by the United Nations, entered its third day with ongoing violations including clashes and air raids.

A series of bombings in May killed scores of people in Tartous and another city on the Mediterranean coast near government-controlled territory that hosts Russian military bases.

Russia supports Assad in the nearly six-year conflict, which has killed more than 300,000 people and made more than 11 million homeless.

Rebels suffered a major defeat being driven out of their last major urban stronghold in Aleppo this month.
Syrian monitors say hundreds of civilians fled villages outside the Syrian capital Sunday, as fighting continued for a third straight day between government forces and several rebel groups that include al-Qaida-linked jihadists excluded from last week's cease-fire declaration.

The exodus from the Barada Valley, also reported by the Damascus government's official news agency, is said to involve about 1,300 people seeking safety from airstrikes and artillery shelling by the Syrian military and its Russian allies.

Monitors from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights provided no tally of airstrikes or casualties on Sunday. But Saturday, the observatory said the area had been struck multiple times since Friday, with 10 separate strikes alone in a brief period Saturday morning.

The fighting comes despite a truce brokered by Russia, Syria and Turkey that took effect early Friday and is said to be largely holding in other areas of the war-ravaged country.

That truce declaration excluded the Barada Valley, where al-Qaida-linked jihadists from the former al-Nusra Front are reported interspersed with rebels seeking to topple the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

Water shortages

The valley's Barada river is the primary source of water for Damascus and its surrounding area, and the new fighting is said to coincide with severe water shortages in the capital first reported December 22. The government has accused rebels of contaminating water supplies with diesel fuel, forcing severe rationing in Damascus and heightening a sense urgency by the government to clear the region of rebel forces.

For their part, rebel groups dug in at Barada since 2012 linked the contamination to government airstrikes they claim heavily damaged a key water processing facility that supplies the city.

The truce agreement that took effect Friday is the first cease-fire initiative in the Syrian civil war that does not involve the United States or the United Nations.

The deal came two weeks after Syria and its Russian allies declared victory in the northern city of Aleppo, after a months-long air offensive that saw Russian and Syrian warplanes destroy the rebel-fortified eastern sector of the city. In the last days of the siege, Russia-backed Syrian ground forces pushed through the sector, cutting it in half and forcing rebels out.

Analysts say the victory strengthened the Syrian president's hand as warring parties in the multi-sided conflict prepare for peace talks in late January in the Kazakh capital of Astana.
President-elect Donald Trump has not ruled out meeting with Taiwans president if she visits the United States after he is sworn into office January 20.

Trump said Saturday at a New Years Eve celebration at his Mar-a-Lago estate that a meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen would be a little bit inappropriate, from a protocol standpoint, but well see.

He was roundly criticized for a phone conversation he had with Taiwans president after he won the presidential election in November.

No U.S. president or president-elect has had such contact with a Taiwanese leader since Washington broke ties with Taiwan in 1979 and switched to the larger, fast-growing China. But the U.S. has remained a staunch informal supporter of Taiwan since then.

In the 1979 U.S.-China Joint Communique, the U.S. recognized Beijing as the sole legal government of China, acknowledging the Chinese position that there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China.

Chinese state media said that Trumps inexperience led him to accept the call from the Taiwanese president but warned that breaching the one-China policy would destroy relations between Washington and Beijing.

Trump seemed bemused by the reaction to the call, saying on his Twitter account, Interesting how the U.S. sells Taiwan billions of dollars of military equipment but I should not accept a congratulatory call.

Over Chinas objections, U.S. President Barack Obama a year ago authorized a $1.83 billion sale of defensive weapons to Taiwan, including two frigates, amphibious assault vehicles, and anti-aircraft and anti-ship systems.
The U.S. government is working to permanently resettle hundreds of Iraqis who were victims of Islamic State (IS) violence.

Larry Bartlett, director of the Office of Refugee Admissions at the State Department told VOA that the U.S. is coordinating with the U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to bring in hundreds of Iraqis to several to be determined locations in the U.S. Most of them are Yazidis and Christians whose communities were uprooted by IS. Many of them suffered brutality and torture at the hands of IS.

The criteria will be to look for people who have returned from being enslaved, Bartlett said. It will be to look at families that have suffered killings by [IS] and we understand that some of these killings were made in front of their family members.

The resettlement efforts mark the first widespread attempt by the U.S. to admit Iraqis who survived under IS. Since the rise of IS in mid-2014 in the Middle East, the U.S. admitted 15,583 Syrian refugees of civil war and IS rule between January 2014 and October 2016, according to the Center for American Progress.





A few Iraqis have come to the U.S. under medical and other programs.

Delegations from the State Department and the Canadian Ministry of Immigration visited northern Iraq in early December. They met with local government officials and aid groups to identify victims for resettlement under the new program.

We confirmed that Yazidis were the most traumatized [and] were the most victimized, Bartlett said. But there are other groups that were also affected by [IS] such as Christians and other religious minorities up there in the north.

Mirza Dinnayi, head of the German-based organization Air Bridge Iraq, who attended the delegations' meetings, told VOA that at least 750 Iraqis will be sent to the United States while Canada will take in between 700 to 1,200 Iraqis.

They intend to start the program with ten cases at the beginning, Dinnayi said.

Bartlett said the numbers are in flux.

Resettling families

We would expect that within a course of a year we would do hundreds of people, Bartlett said. One of the things we want to focus on is resettling families as a whole. There have been other programs in the past where just some of the victims were resettled for treatment. We are looking at this differently. We are looking at this as a family unity program of linking families together as much as possible.

U.S. resettlement cases can often take as long as 18 months. Bartlett said the U.S. is trying to fast track this program.

But Dinnayi worries the process could be lengthy saying most of the Iraqis live in camps and need urgent help.

The U.S. is a little bit complicated, Dinnayi said.

The resettlement process comes as the U.S. prepares for a change in presidential administration.

President-elect Donald Trump said during his campaign that if elected he would "suspend immigration from areas of the world when there is a proven history of terrorism against the United States, Europe or our allies, until we understand how to end these threats."

But Trumps policies will not evolve until after he takes office on January 20.

We dont know if policies of the new administration will affect this type of program, Bartlett told VOA. The world is well aware of the atrocities that have been committed by [IS] This work is a part of our response.
Document I

Statement on establishing the ceasefire regime in the Syrian Arab Republic

With a view to fostering the necessary conditions for establishing a direct political dialogue among all conflicting parties in the Syrian Arab Republic, as well as reducing violence, preventing casualties among civilians and providing unhindered humanitarian access, the Russian Federation, guided by the provisions of Security Council resolution 2254 (2015), proposes to establish a ceasefire regime throughout Syria (excluding areas of combat operations against the terrorist groups Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the Nusrah Front) from 00:00 hours on 30 December 2016 (Damascus time).

From that time onward, all armed groups of opposing sides and their supporting forces are invited to make the following commitments:

To cease attacks with any weapons, including rockets, mortars and anti-tank guided missiles, and to cease using combat air forces;

To refrain from seizing or seeking to seize territory occupied by other parties to the ceasefire;

To use proportionate retaliatory force (only to the extent necessary for protection against an immediate threat) for self-defence purposes;

The Russian Federation urges the Government of Syria, armed opposition groups supporting a peaceful resolution of the conflict and not affiliated with international terrorist organizations, and States with an influence on the parties to the conflict, to accede to the proposed terms of the ceasefire.

Document II

Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey

Turkey has been undertaking intensive efforts to end the violence and begin the flow of humanitarian aid in Syria and for the resumption of talks between the regime and the opposition for a comprehensive political solution of the Syrian conflict.

As a result of our efforts, the warring parties in Syria have reached an understanding on a country-wide ceasefire that will go into effect at 00:00 on 30 December 2016. We welcome this development.

Terrorist organizations designated by the United Nations Security Council as such are excluded from this ceasefire.

Turkey and the Russian Federation support this understanding as guarantors.

The parties, with this understanding, are committed to cease all armed, including aerial, attacks and to refrain from expanding the territories under their control at the expense of one another.

Adherence of all parties to this ceasefire is crucial. Turkey and Russia strongly support and will jointly monitor the ceasefire.

The support of the countries with influence on the parties on the ground in sustaining the ceasefire will also be vital.

Turkey played the decisive role in completion of humanitarian evacuations in Aleppo a few days ago and in ensuring the entry of force of the country-wide ceasefire, as of tomorrow.

Hopeful that, with the full observance of the ceasefire to realize a genuine political transition, based on the Geneva communique and Security Council resolution 2254 (2015), the regime and the opposition will soon meet in Astana, with the presence of the guarantor countries, to take concrete steps towards revitalizing the United Nations-led political process. Turkey will continue her efforts to that end incessantly.

Document III

Agreement on the mechanism to record violations of the ceasefire regime declared in Syria that will take effect on 30 December 2016, and on the regime for applying sanctions to violators

The Russian Federation and the Republic of Turkey,

Assuming obligations as Guarantors (in the parts designated to each) of the ceasefire regime in Syria that will take effect on 30 December 2016;

Bearing in mind that Syrian armed opposition groups (hereinafter  the Opposition) and the Government of Syria consent to the drafting and adoption of a separate document  an Agreement on the mechanism to record violations of the ceasefire regime declared in Syria that will take effect on December 2016 and on the regime for applying sanctions against violators;

Have agreed as follows:

Article 1. Joint Commission

1. The Guarantors shall establish a Joint Commission that shall serve as the main body to consider all complaints and issues related to violations of the ceasefire regime.

2. The Joint Commission:

(a) Shall administer the activities of checkpoints to monitor compliance with the ceasefire regime by parties to the Syrian crisis (hereinafter  the Parties);

(b) Shall submit proposals to the Parties to hold to account persons guilty of violating the ceasefire regime, and shall also submit proposals to the Guarantors on imposing sanctions on violating parties.

3. Russian and Turkish offices of the Joint Commission shall be located in Moscow and Ankara respectively.

The Guarantors shall establish a direct communication channel between the offices.

Article 2. Checkpoints

1. With a view to recording violations by the Parties to the ceasefire regime, the Guarantors shall establish checkpoints in residential areas in the vicinity of the actual line of contact among the Parties in order to guarantee compliance with the ceasefire regime by the Parties.

Article 3. Imposition of sanctions on violating Parties

1. The Guarantors shall undertake all possible measures to resolve differences among the Parties on compliance with the ceasefire regime and the resolution of conflicts among them.

2. Should the Parties fail to reach agreement, the Joint Commission shall send to the violating Party a demand to cease the violations and to take measures to compensate the affected Party for harm inflicted on its population and infrastructure. If the demand is not complied with, the Guarantors shall apply enforcement measures to the violating Party.

Article 4. Final Provisions

1. This Agreement is concluded for the duration of the ceasefire regime.

2. The Guarantors agree to draft and sign thereafter an expanded version of this Agreement that will elaborate on its provisions.

3. Done at Ankara on 29 December 2016 in three copies, having equal legal force, each in the Russian, Turkish and Arabic languages.

Document IV

Agreement on establishing delegations to launch negotiations on a political settlement aimed at a comprehensive resolution of the Syrian crisis by peaceful means

The Government of the Syrian Arab Republic, having declared a ceasefire in Syria on 30 December 2016,

Confirms that there is no alternative to a comprehensive resolution of the Syrian crisis and that there is a need to launch a political process in Syria pursuant to Security Council resolution 2254 (2015);

Acknowledging the need to fully respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic, safeguard the interests of the Syrian people, cease the bloodshed and guarantee national security, and seeking early stabilization in the country in coordination with the representatives of the Russian Federation, hereinafter  the Guarantor:

1. The Government of the Syrian Arab Republic shall commit to form a delegation, prior to 31 December 2016, to pursue negotiations on a political settlement. The Government of the Syrian Arab Republic shall determine the composition of the Delegation independently.

2. The Delegation shall begin joint work with the Delegation of the opposing side on 15 January, 2017, which shall take place in the city of Astana (Republic of Kazakhstan) with the participation of the United Nations.

3. The outcome of the joint work of both Delegations shall serve as a basis for elaborating, no later than __ _______ 2017, a road map to resolve the internal political crisis in Syria.

4. The work of both Delegations shall be conducted with the support of the Guarantor.

5. This Agreement shall enter into force at the time of signature by the plenipotentiary representative of the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic and shall become legally binding provided that an agreement with similar contents to this Agreement is signed by representatives of the opposing side, with the participation of the Russian Federation. The Guarantor shall inform the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic about the signature of such an Agreement in the shortest possible time.

Subsequently, both Agreements shall be considered by the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic and the opposing side, and also by the Guarantor, as a single document regarding the establishment of delegations for the launch of negotiations on a political settlement aimed at a comprehensive resolution of the Syrian crisis by peaceful means.

Done at Damascus on _ December 2016 in two copies, having equal legal force, each in the Russian and Arabic languages.

Document V

Agreement on establishing delegations to launch negotiations on a political settlement aimed at a comprehensive resolution of the Syrian crisis by peaceful means

The leaders of Syrian armed opposition groups, hereinafter  the Opposition,

Support the ceasefire regime declared in Syria on 30 December 2016 and accede thereto;

Confirm that there is no alternative to a comprehensive political settlement of the Syrian crisis and that the launch of a political process in Syria must be expedited, as stipulated in the Geneva Communique (2012) and in Security Council resolution 2254 (2015);

Acknowledge full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic and the need to safeguard the interests of the Syrian people, cease the bloodshed and enable a State that represents all Syrian people to exercise its authority;

Declare a comprehensive commitment to swiftly stabilizing the situation in the country, with the participation of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Turkey as Guarantors (hereinafter  the Guarantors); and

Agree as follows:

1. By 16 January 2017, the Opposition, with the direct participation of the Guarantors, shall commit to establishing a delegation to pursue negotiations on a political settlement, aimed at a comprehensive resolution of the Syrian crisis by peaceful means (hereinafter  the Delegation).

The Opposition shall independently determine the composition of the Delegation.

2. The Delegation shall begin joint work with the Delegation of the opposing side, from 23 January 2017, which shall take place in the city of Astana (Republic of Kazakhstan) with the participation of the United Nations.

3. Based on the outcome of the joint work of both Delegations, a road map shall be drawn up as soon as possible to resolve the Syrian crisis.

4. The work of both Delegations shall be carried out with support of the Guarantors.

5. This Agreement shall enter into force at the time of signature by the Opposition and shall become legally binding provided that an agreement with similar contents to this Agreement is signed by a representative of the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic with the participation of the Russian Federation. The Guarantors shall inform the Opposition about the signature of such an Agreement in the shortest possible time.

Subsequently, both Agreements shall be considered by the Opposition and the Government of Syria, as well as the Guarantors, as a single document  an Agreement on establishing delegations to launch negotiations on a political settlement aimed at a comprehensive resolution of the Syrian crisis by peaceful means.

Done at Ankara on 29 December 2016 in three copies, having equal legal force, each in the Russian, Turkish and Arabic languages.
From good to bad, from serious to silly, the stories kept coming in 2016. Sometimes its possible to look to years past to predict whats coming in years ahead. The news business is funny that way.

The Weber effect

Don Weber further changed the face of downtown La Crosse in 2017, this time with the $68 million Belle Square, the full-city-block residential/office/retail development on what has variously been the site of La Crosse Countys courthouse, a Montgomery Ward store and a parking area with the utilitarian moniker Lot C. The 600-space public parking ramp across the street at Third and Vine streets will be finished in September.

And Webers Nov. 16 announcement of new contracts with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will mean the doubling of Logistics Health Inc. employment, to 2,500 workers, within a year.

Stop by and visit

Downtown La Crosses hospitality renaissance continued in 2017, with the opening of two more hotels and the groundbreaking by Gundersen Health on a hotel on its own campus, just blocks away. That will mean five hotels and nearly 500 new rooms since September 2015.

Much of that development hinged on the city of La Crosses commitment, cemented in the past year, to updating the La Crosse Center  a $35 million to $47 million project, depending on the availability of state funding, to be planned in 2017 and built in 2018 and 2019.

Election 2016

In an election that saw Wisconsin voters favor a Republican presidential candidate for the first time in more than 30 years, state Sen. Jennifer Shilling nearly lost her seat to Republican Dan Kapanke. Kapanke challenged the Senate minority leader who unseated him in a 2011 recall, and, after a recount, Shillings margin was just 61 votes out of more than 89,000 ballots cast in the 32nd District.

In the neighboring 92nd Assembly District, incumbent Democrat Chris Danou lost his seat to Mondovi Mayor Treig Pronschinske as Republicans increased their third-thirds majority in the lower chamber of Legislature. In a marquee statewide race, a former three-term U.S. senator, the once-popular Russ Feingold, was firmly beaten back by the outsider who beat him 2010, the now-two-term-incumbent Ron Johnson.

Doing good, writ large

The La Crosse Collaborative to End Homelessness found shelter for veterans in La Crosse in fewer than 100 days to meet a Christmas deadline. The seeds of that goal were planted during April meetings with a New York consultant. Next on the agenda: movement early in 2017 to arrange housing for other homeless people  on the way to the audacious goal of ending homelessness in La Crosse altogether.

Murder most foul?

It was clear from the time of a fatal crash in September that there was something strange about Barbara Kendhammers death. Authorities usually are quick to report about accidents that result in injuries. Not in this case. It was days before the La Crosse County Sheriffs Department reported the circumstances of her death. And, in December, Todd Kendhammer was charged with killing his wife and trying to conceal the crime by staging a crash. Hes free after posting $250,000 cash and is due in court Jan. 13 for a pretrial conference.

In a homicide in which the facts of the case were undisputed, a La Crosse County jury found 36-year-old Haron Joyner acted intentionally when he stabbed to death his 29-year-old wife, Jessica, in front of her children. The moments preceding the murder were captured on the victims cell phone, and the jury took 25 minutes to find Haron Joyner guilty of first-degree intentional homicide after a two-day trial. Joyner had argued he was guilty of reckless homicide.

Getting from here to there

Work was completed this fall on a $189 million, four-year project to replace the nearly 50-year-old Interstate 90 bridge across the Mississippi River and the interchange with Hwy. 61 in Minnesota. The bridge carries about 28,000 vehicles per day between Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Flooding

Torrential rains drenched western Wisconsin for two days in September, claiming two lives, causing a BNSF train to derail near Ferryville, damaging hundreds of homes and businesses and causing more than $21 million in damages in 12 counties. Vernon County was the hardest hit, with two fatalities and an estimated $5.2 million in damage to roads and bridges, in addition to 44 destroyed and hundreds of damaged homes and businesses.

Organic food is big business

La Farge-based Cooperative Regions of Organic Producer Pools celebrated its first billion-dollar year during Organic Valleys annual meeting in La Crosse. The 1,850-member co-op is riding the biggest surge in the market weve ever seen, CEO George Siemon said, with organic products finding their way onto shelves in general merchandise grocery stores, as well as the big-box outlets such as Costco.

Tomah VAs struggles continue

The Veterans Administration is testing almost 600 patients of its Tomah hospital for blood-borne disease after discovering that a dentist wasnt using sterilized equipment. It is the latest in a series of scandals that have plagued the Tomah facility since media reports in 2015 detailed overprescription of opioid painkillers and a pervasive culture of intimidation and retaliation against employees who spoke out. The really bad news: The fact that no HIV or hepatitis cases have been discovered halfway through the testing process is about as close in the past two years as the beleaguered VAMC in Tomah has come to making big headlines for the right reasons.
At least seven school districts in McLennan County may soon join Waco Independent School District and opt for more local control by becoming what state law considers a District of Innovation.

A law passed during the last legislative session allows districts in good academic standing to have exemptions from state mandates similar to the exemptions charter schools have.

China Spring, Connally, La Vega, McGregor, Midway, Robinson and Valley Mills ISD school boards have spent the past two months exploring what those exemptions could mean for their schools. Those school boards could make a decision within the first couple of months of the new year to implement the exemptions during the 2017-18 academic year, superintendents said.

Waco ISD was one of the first school districts in the state to pursue District of Innovation status. It was the only district to pursue the exemptions out of the 20 in McLennan County until this local shift took place. Now, about 120 school districts across Texas have taken steps toward earning this status, according to the Texas Association of School Boards website.

I am pleased to see area school districts join Waco ISD in taking advantage of TEAs (the Texas Education Agency) opportunity to explore a wide array of options, Waco ISD Superintendent Bonny Cain wrote in an email. More local control is critical to public schools, as those elected to serve on school boards can make much better decisions for area students than can elected officials in Austin or Washington, D.C.

Mandate exemptions

Becoming a District of Innovation would give districts the chance to be exempt from mandates, including the school start date, the 90 percent attendance rule, class-size ratios, site-based decision-making processes, certain student discipline provisions, the use of planning and preparation periods and teacher appraisal requirements, according to the Texas Association of School Boards website.

To become one, a school board must pass a resolution or have a petition signed by the majority of a district advisory committee that states it is interested in exploring the option. Then, school boards have to hold public hearings and appoint a committee to map out an education program and specific exemptions.

The exemptions can also be customized for specific grade levels or campuses, the Texas Association of School Boards website states. After a district follows through the full exemption process, their plans are approved for five years.

While Waco ISD has made it as far as having a board-appointed committee, the other districts have approved resolutions to start exploring the option, district superintendents said.

(This law) kind of had a misperception that it was something for big schools, but there are schools doing it that are our size, and I think thats a good thing, Valley Mills Superintendent Judi Whitis said. Were going to be able to look at things that are unique to our community, and I think thats one of the best points about being able to do this. We can tailor it within the guidelines for our kids and just provide some enhanced learning opportunities. Im excited about that, and having those conversations is a good thing.

Many superintendents said they are particularly happy with an exemption that lets districts set their own start date and an exemption that lets them bring in mentors and career and technology education instructors who dont have traditional teaching certificates or degrees.

For districts like La Vega, that extra support can go a long way for veteran teachers when they face new initiatives and curriculum, La Vega district officials said.

Its so difficult when youve got a nurse who has the certification and you want them to go back and add a teaching certificate with it, when they have the experience. They dont have the pedagogy knowledge, but when we mentor teachers or individuals, that would allow us to do that, said Charla Rudd, La Vegas secondary education director.

The other thing is were only one of about four other districts in Region 12 that are early college high schools, so to move forward with that initiative, these exemptions will allow us to move forward and provide more opportunities for our students.

But not all see the potential change as a positive move forward in flexibility, and not all consider the law to be innovative.

Since the laws passing, representatives with the Association of Texas Professional Educators have been outspoken about the possibility of Districts of Innovation being used as a blanket waiver to avoid following important state education rules, association spokesperson Stephanie Jacksis wrote in an email to the Tribune-Herald.

For example, they dont have to hire educators who have a teaching degree or are certified teachers. This creates a problem because while people who may be good at their jobs (say if they got a degree in journalism and want to teach journalism), it doesnt necessarily mean they are good teachers, Jacksis wrote. They wouldnt be trained on how to create lesson plans, work with children with behavioral problems, etc.

No license to revoke

Also, if that teacher gets in trouble by having an inappropriate relationship with a student, theres no revoking their teaching license to make sure they dont jump to another district, because they never had one in the first place.

Becoming a District of Innovation could also allow school districts to shove more students into classrooms in an effort to save money, Jacksis wrote.

By state law, school districts can only be exempt from the 22-to-1 student-teacher ratio by applying for a waiver through the TEA and notifying parents accordingly.

As a DOI, they can have as many students as they want in that classroom, with an uncertified teacher, and not have to say a word to the parents about it, Jacksis wrote.

Midway ISD Superintendent George Kazanas said thats not something to worry about. The law is not as innovative as it sounds, and the flexibility that comes with the law, although better than whats currently in play, is still flexibility within limitations, Kazanas said.

Its just about deciding which exemptions his district wants and whats best to open the doors for students and teachers to be innovative in their classrooms, he said.

A District of Innovation doesnt necessarily describe to me what were doing. I dont see what were looking at as innovative. I see it more as a district requesting flexibility more than innovation, Kazanas said. Thats not my definition of innovation. If it is, to have some statutes relaxed, then OK.

To me, innovation is what were doing in our Studio (a Midway ISD creative space that opened earlier this year). Innovation is finding those kinds of spaces for kids  innovation in the classrooms, innovations in things like that. Some of these could lead to it, if you have a little flexibility with the calendar or a little more flexibility throughout the day. The Legislature opened the door, and I, personally, want to explore it at least to see if any of these flexibilities benefit us.
Several bikers clamored for speedy trials shortly after their arrests in the May 2015 Twin Peaks shootout.

However, because of the complexity of the cases, the number of defendants and the massive volume of evidence recovered from the scene that needed to be analyzed, those speedy trial demands proved somewhat unrealistic despite the relative quickness with which prosecutors obtained identical indictments against the bikers.

Prosecutors indicated recently that the state of the evidence should allow them to be ready to proceed with trials soon. They met with judges and defense attorneys recently to map out a tentative plan for trying the first few Twin Peaks defendants.

McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna did not return a phone call to his office. His first assistant, Michael Jarrett, said he could not discuss pending cases.

Judge Ralph Strother of Wacos 19th State District Court will preside over the first trial, set now to begin April 17, 23 months after the Twin Peaks shootout between rival biker groups left nine dead and two dozen wounded.

In complex cases, its not uncommon for the trial to occur 18 months to two years after the alleged incident occurred, 54th State District Judge Matt Johnson said.

After a month off to gauge the effect of publicity on the cases and to see if attorneys file motions to move the next trials out of McLennan County, Johnson is tentatively set to try the next Twin Peaks case in June. After that, the two judges will alternate trying a Twin Peaks case every month.

Its not like we had a shortage of cases before Twin Peaks came along, Strother said. Its just the vagaries of the system, the complexity of the cases and the sheer volume that is present in the criminal justice system.

In the two years since the shootout, attorneys for some of the 155 indicted bikers have sought dismissal of the charges, insisted on speedy trials, asked for a change of venue and tried to disqualify Reyna from handling the cases. So far, those efforts have not been successful, although Dallas attorney Clint Broden is appealing his failed effort to disqualify Reyna.

The first biker to stand trial likely will be Christopher Jacob Carrizal, his father, Christopher Julian Carrizal, or Jerry Edward Pierson, all Bandidos from Dallas. Stephenville attorney Landon Northcutt represents all three. He did not return phone messages to his office this week.

The seven bikers with tentative trial dates from June through December are either Bandidos or Cossacks, according to court records.

Reyna and Jarrett have told the judges they think the first case will take about two weeks to try.
For seven years now, from his days as a congressional candidate riding the 2010 tea-party tidal wave to Washington to his concluding tenure as chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee, Bill Flores has lambasted President Obama as contemptuous of Congress and intent on circumventing its constitutional authority to forge law through bureaucratic overreach and executive orders. The Central Texas congressman has spoken eagerly of the Obama administrations Jan. 20 exit.

The American people have spoken, the usually unruffled, former oil company executive said in a statement after the Nov. 8 election. They will no longer stand for Washingtons weakened national security, expansive bureaucracy and excessive spending. Our nation is ready to turn the page from the last eight years of failed Obama policies. It is time that we restore confidence in our federal government. My fellow conservative colleagues and I will continue to push our A Better Way agenda throughout the next Congress. We can and we will deliver a promising future for hardworking American families in 2017 and beyond.

Left largely unsaid since then: What Flores thinks of unwittingly becoming an example of what Republican lawmakers can expect from President Donald Trump and fiercely supportive alt-right and white supremacist news sites if Republicans on Capitol Hill dont fall in line with Trumps wishes, confounding as those may be.

Consider how Flores spent much of the holidays: being trashed by the extremist fake-news site TruthFeed in a malicious, wildly misleading Dec. 6 account drawn from a Breitbart story about how Flores intends to sabotage Trumps election-winning priorities. TruthFeed placed this incendiary headline over its own story: BREAKING: Rep. Bill Flores Has CRAFTED a PLAN to BLOCK Trumps Immigration Reform.

Things got worse when Trump loyalists spread the TruthFeed account via social media. For instance, one prominent local Republican posted the story to his Facebook page, inciting a frenzied mob of friends vowing to oust Flores, complete with allusions to Trumps promise to drain the swamp. I was astonished at how few area Republicans rushed to Flores defense.

Flores example has not gone unnoticed by the national media. In a Dec. 21 report, Politico noted this unusually vicious fallout, particularly after Trump acolyte and Fox News commentator Sean Hannity aggravated matters further. @RepBillFlores get in @realDonaldTrump way & we will burn your career down until you are reduced to selling life insurance, one Trump loyalist tweeted. Another wrote: @RepBillFlores you can go hang yourself!!

Or as one posted: Recall and replace! You GOP folks are SERVANTS, GOT IT! You will be FIRED!

Any rational Republican who bothered to listen to Flores remarks sparking all this furor would be surprised at how measured and innocuous those remarks are. The low-key congressman offered his thoughts before a mostly conservative audience at a Dec. 1 forum at the American Enterprise Institute, a long-established conservative think tank. And his comments on immigration came largely separate from those on Congress possible differences with the Trump administration.

And of differences between Trump and Congress? Well, Flores hasnt changed his belief in Congress constitutional authority in crafting laws. But some constituents sure have changed theirs.

I think wed all agree that some of President Trumps proposed policies are not going to line up very well with our conservative policies [in Congress], Flores said at the AEI forum. With respect to that, what Id like to do is, if I had absolute control over the agenda in the House, and I dont, I would say: What are those areas where we have good alignment with where President Trump wants to go and where we want to go, and we just tell him, Hey, well take the lead on this and we will give you the legislative and constitutional support to go forward. That way hes not inclined to try to use a pen to follow the Obama model [of overreach through executive orders].

Flores continued: Early on, during the election process, [Trump] said, I will do executive orders to do this, this and this, and I think you saw over time where he began to ameliorate those views and soften them because I think his advisers said, Hey, you got to pay attention to what Article I [of the Constitution] says [regarding congressional law-making authority] versus what Article II says [regarding executive-branch authority]. So I think to reinforce that and make him feel comfortable with that, lets do tax reform, lets repeal Obamacare, lets replace Obamacare, lets start dealing with border security, lets rebuild national security.

Flores said the first six months of the congressional session beginning Tuesday could be spent passing legislation on which Trump and congressional Republicans agree: And that gives us the next six months to try and figure out where is the commonality between what he wants to do with respect to infrastructure [projects] and what we would do with infrastructure, just as one example.

TruthFeeds interpretation days later: We cannot forget that President-elect Trump is heading into a global snake pit and he will get push-back and attempted sabotage at every turn. Just because we elected a populist does not mean the globalists will turn over a new leaf. As a matter of fact, it looks like theyre already scheming to stop Trump. An ally of [Republican House Speaker] Paul Ryan, Rep. Bill Flores, has already crafted his strategy to isolate and block many of Trumps campaign promises including immigration reform.

Actually, Flores immigration plan  shaped by local conservatives such as Baptist pastor Ramiro Pena and given something that sure sounded like consent during Flores town-hall meetings, including one at Texas State Technical Colleges Waco branch just last August  only confirms that Flores is representing his constituents in all this. His plan includes a pathway to legal status for illegal immigrants, a path to citizenship for so-called Dreamers brought to the United States as children and, first and foremost, tightened border security through a wall, virtual or otherwise.

And so I think you go back to what President-elect Trump said  you build a wall, Flores said at the AEI event. I look at whether its a physical wall or a virtual systems wall. But you make the American people feel comfortable that theyre safe from people coming across the border. Then you can have the discussion about what to do with the folks who are already here, the Dreamers, the folks who actually committed the crime when they came across. And if you can take a conservative district like mine and find a way that sounds like a liberal policy but its not  its a compassionate, conservative policy  I think there are ways to have a good, robust discussion about this and do the right thing.

Ironically, even Trump has relaxed his hardline immigration views since the election, particularly regarding those brought to the United States as children  though his staff has greatly confused matters by walking such talk back.

Far more troubling: Flores and fellow House Republicans may find themselves confronted with constituents who loudly cited the Constitutions Article I powers amid federal overreach by President Obama but are happy to overlook such constitutional niceties now that their man is bound for the White House and ready to employ the same executive excesses. Given that Democrats have ceased to be politically relevant, one big question of 2017 is: Can Republicans restrain the same executive-branch abuses by one of their own?

Comments on Flores own Facebook page suggest some constituents might have conflicting standards. One, invoking the need to build a wall at the border, added: Rep. Bill Flores needs to get on board the Trumptrain when it comes to border security. The idea he can block Trump on this will be devastating to his career! Were watching!! Another warned: I pray that you and other conservatives work WITH Pres. Donald J. Trump and not try any funny stuff.

For his part, Flores voices guarded optimism about dynamics swirling about in the chaotic Republican universe these days. At least, thats how he couched all this to me: We just won this great victory and the American people spoke pretty loudly on Nov. 8 in terms of what they want. Im hopeful we can work together on these things. I know Donald Trump and I can work together. I know Mike Pence and I can work together. I just hope all the other Republican elements can work together. I do see from time to time that people are going to try to stir things up.

Trump himself will likely do some of the stirring, judging from the clear threat he leveled at House Speaker Ryan during a Trump victory tour stop on Ryans own Wisconsin turf last month. During an interview on MSNBC, Republican Congressman Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania was cautious when questioned about the prospect that Republicans on Capitol Hill might be intimidated by threats and criticism from President Trump and social-media sites loyal to him. Dent insisted of Trump and Congress: We might have to check him from time to time Were not a bunch of potted plants. That, of course, remains to be seen.

Nor will the political pressure lighten from other quarters. On Dec. 15 a group of local citizens spent part of the afternoon at Flores downtown Waco office, expressing deep concerns for the safety and rights of immigrants (including Dreamers), racial and religious minorities and women under a coalescing Trump administration that in campaign mode expressed hostility to all at one point or another. To their credit, the local group rigorously discouraged anyone from bringing signs to the congressmans office so as not to humiliate or intimidate Flores.

One shouldnt look for many such considerations and courtesies in 2017.
Its absolutely critical that the next Congress and President Trump overturn as much of President Obamas legacy as possible. Not just because most of his policies were bad but to discourage all future presidents from thumbing their noses at the legislative process prescribed by the U.S. Constitution.

There are reports Obama is concerned that many of his legacy efforts  we cant really say legislation because he so often bypassed that route  will be overturned by the next administration. Well, he should be concerned.

Had he worked to gain bipartisan support for his agenda and pass legislation through Congress  as President George W. Bush did with his prescription drug benefit and education reform  Obama would have little to worry about. Bipartisan legislation, for better or worse, is almost never overturned.

The president claims Republicans wouldnt work with him, but it was clearly the other way around. As Politico reported in January 2009, President Obama listened to Republican gripes about his stimulus package during a meeting with congressional leaders Friday morning  but he also left no doubt about whos in charge of these negotiations. I won, Obama noted matter-of-factly.

In essence he was saying, Its not my job to listen to you, its your job to listen to me.

Republicans pushed back and voters agreed in the 2010 and 2014 elections. And so Obama decided to take up pen and phone and do whatever he could to implement his agenda, even if his actions were constitutionally questionable. And when Republicans pushed back even harder, he sneered, So sue me. Which they did  and have been reasonably successful.

But better yet, the voters responded, and the presidential candidate who promised to protect the Obama legacy, and even double down on it, lost.

Our Constitution did not envision one-man rule. The best way to ensure that no president ever takes that approach again is to repeal and remove any and all legislation and executive actions that ignored the constitutional process.

Merrill Matthews is resident scholar of the Institute for Policy Innovation, a conservative think tank based in Dallas dedicated to individual liberty, limited government and free markets.
Life insurers would be banned from relying on broad exclusions to knock back otherwise legitimate claims under proposals from consumer advocates, with the Financial Ombudsman Service also saying the issue should be reviewed.

Unlike other consumer-facing industries, insurance is not subject to unfair contract laws. These laws, which apply to other parts of finance such as banking, stamp out terms in standard contracts that place consumers at a disadvantage, and are not needed to protect the business' interests.

Unfair contract rules do not apply in insurance. The financial ombudsman says this is worth reviewing given the importance placed on life insurance. Credit:

In submissions to a powerful parliamentary inquiry, consumer advocates argue this carve-out for the industry should be ended, because it allows insurers to unfairly knock back claims.

Insurers have rejected the push in the past, arguing that customers' interests are adequately looked after by laws that apply specifically to the industry.
The $400 billion industry superannuation sector is pushing for the big banks to bear the "lion's share" of funding the corporate watchdog, arguing they cause more problems for the regulators.

The federal government wants the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) to move to a self-funding model and closed consultation on how that might work just before Christmas.

Industry Super Australia used its submission to that inquiry to sharply criticise the government's proposal that the fee for superannuation trustees be weighted according to how much money funds are managing.

For a fund with $2.5 billion under management the annual fee would be $29,250, while for a fund with $34 billion in funds under management the annual levy would be $186,750.
A man has died and another is at risk of losing his eyesight after trying to light fireworks following New Year's Eve celebrations across NSW.

Police largely praised the behaviour of NYE revellers, many of whom flocked to the Sydney Harbour foreshore and streets across the city to watch the world famous fireworks display unfold.

However the night was not without some trouble.

On the Central Coast, a man was killed after he was hit in the head by a firework at Budgewoi Beach.
Relatives of victims gather near the club Reina. Credit:Getty Nationals of Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Lebanon, Libya, Israel and Belgium were among those killed, officials said. France said three of its citizens were wounded. Australian embassy officials were working with Turkish authorities to determine if any Australians were caught up in the attack. Turkish police secure the area at Ortakoy district under Bosphorus Bridge near night club Reina. Credit:Getty Officials spoke of a single attacker but some reports, including on social media, suggested there may have been more. Some witnesses reported hearing attackers shouting in Arabic.

The gunman shot his way into the Reina nightclub at around 1.15am local time, just over an hour into the new year, killing a police officer and a civilian before opening fire at random inside. An ambulance rushes from the scene of an attack in Istanbul. Credit:AP The incident bore echoes of an attack by militant Islamists on Paris's Bataclan music hall in November 2015 that, along with assaults on bars and restaurants, killed 130 people. "We were having fun. All of a sudden people started to run. My husband said 'don't be afraid', and he jumped on me. People ran over me. My husband was hit in three places," one club-goer, Sinem Uyanik, told the Hurriyet newspaper. People talk to medics in an ambulance near the scene of an attack in Istanbul. Credit:AP

"I managed to push through and get out, it was terrible," she said, describing seeing people soaked in blood. Her husband, Lutfu Uyanik, was wounded in the attack but was not in serious condition. Policemen secure the area after an attack on Reina, a popular night club in Istanbul. Credit:STR The attack again shook Turkey as it tries to recover from a failed July coup and a series of deadly bombings in cities including Istanbul and the capital Ankara, some blamed on Islamic State and others claimed by Kurdish militants. The nightclub, one of Istanbul's most iconic and popular with locals and foreigners alike, overlooks the Bosphorus Strait separating Europe and Asia in the city's cosmopolitan Ortakoy district.

Turkish police patrol in central Istanbul on New Year's Eve. Credit:Emrah Gurel On the European side of Istanbul about 12 kilometres from the city centre, Ortakoy is an international travel destination known for its food stalls and vibrant night life. The area is a mix of stone, brick and wooden buildings along pedestrian lanes. Around 500 to 600 people were thought to have been inside when the gunman opened fire. Some jumped into the waters of the Bosphorus and were rescued by police. An image, reportedly of one of the gunmen involved in the attack at the Istanbul nightclub. Mehmet Kocarslan, the club's owner, told the Hurriyet.com.tr news site there had been increased security at the club for the past 10 days after US intelligence officials shared information about a planned attack. He said Kalashnikov rifles were used in the attack.

Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin said the attacker had used a "long-range weapon" to "brutally and savagely" fire on people, apparently referring to an assault rifle. "One person first kills the police officer outside, and then a civilian," he said. "Inside he rained bullets brutally, mercilessly over innocent people who were there just to celebrate the new year and have fun." There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the shooting. The mass killing was at least the fourth major attack in Turkey in less than a month, raising questions about the ability of the government, a NATO member and regional ally of the United States, to counter an array of threats stemming from the war in neighbouring Syria, as well as an escalating conflict with Kurdish militants inside Turkey. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country would fight to the end against all forms of attack.

"As a nation, we will fight to the end against not just the armed attacks of terror groups and the forces behind them, but also against their economic, political and social attacks," he said in a written statement. "They are trying to create chaos, demoralise our people, and destabilise our country with abominable attacks which target civilians ... We will retain our cool-headedness as a nation, standing more closely together, and we will never give ground to such dirty games." Security measures had been heightened in major Turkish cities, with police barring traffic leading up to key squares in Istanbul and the capital Ankara. In Istanbul, 17,000 police officers were put on duty, some camouflaged as Santa Claus and others as street vendors, state news agency Anadolu reported. International support from Turkey's allies was swift, with US President Barack Obama quick to express his condolences in the wake of the attack. "This afternoon the President was briefed by his national security team on the attack in Istanbul," White House spokesman Eric Schultz said in a statement.

"The President expressed condolences for the innocent lives lost, directed his team to offer appropriate assistance to the Turkish authorities, as necessary, and keep him updated as warranted." Britain's Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, responded on Twitter, saying his thoughts were with Turkey after this "cowardly act of terrorism". "We stand shoulder to shoulder with our Turkish friends," he added. Ankara and Istanbul have been targeted by several attacks in 2016 carried out by the Islamic State group or Kurdish rebels, killing more than 180 people. Turkey is still recovering from a failed coup attempt that began July 15 in which at least 265 people were killed.
Lee Rasch may be the last to admit it, but he has become one of La Crosses go-to leaders.

Rasch came to the city in 1989 to become president of Western Technical College. He thought hed hold the job for a few years before moving on.

Instead, he has spent nearly three decades leading efforts to strengthen the college, its reputation and the downtown where the main campus is located, including a recently completed $80 million project to modernize the colleges facilities and programming.

For his achievements at Western, his devotion to economic development and his passion for serving our region, Rasch is the La Crosse Tribune Person of the Year for 2016.

As longtime colleague John Wettstein said: He has that ability to be the positive person in the room when things go all to hell.

Rasch has come back from his share of setbacks. With his years of experience, he still gets a nervous pit in his stomach on important projects. Before he came to La Crosse, his first foray into the business world flopped, which spurred Rasch on to his career in higher education.

He tried twice to transition to elected office in the mid-90s, only to lose both primary battles, the second against La Crosse Democrat Ron Kind in the 3rd Congressional District race in 1996. Wettstein, who served with Rasch on the board of Downtown Mainstreet Inc., said La Crosse would have lost more than it would have gained by sending him to Washington.

We needed him here, Wettstein said. History shows the voters made the right decision.

Denise Vujnovich, Westerns vice president of student development and success, said Rasch looks beyond accomplishments, focusing on doing the right thing whether forgoing an approved pay raise during tight budget times or taking a personal interest in the colleges employees.

Vujnovich, too, gained from Raschs mentorship.

She started at Western in 1987 and had planned to leave soon after Rasch was hired. Instead, he encouraged her to take risks and tackle new challenges such as completing graduate degrees. Unlike other supervisors she has had, he made a point to ask her what her personal goals were for life outside the college and helped her pursue them.

He is a true servant leader, she said. He is selfless. He believes in the best of people and that anyone can be successful.

Vujnovich estimates Rasch has had a positive impact on tens of thousands of Western students and their families by giving them access to opportunities and careers.

When he retires in June, Rasch will pass on the title of longest-serving president in the Wisconsin Technical College System  and the engraved wooden cane that goes with that honor. During his tenure, he has worked with more than 60 presidents at the 16 campuses in the system.

Finding the right-sized pond

Rasch was born in Oak Park, Ill. He spent some of his early childhood in Wisconsin before spending 30 years living in and around the Chicago suburbs. Rasch started his career as a job-skills trainer in juvenile detention facilities for the Illinois Department of Corrections, a job he held for five years.

He tried to turn those job-training skills into a business, founding the Institute for Training and Development in 1981. But the venture never really took off, and Rasch said he had to decide whether he could scrape by with the few projects he had managed to line up.

I figured I would starve if I kept trying to make it work, he said. Even though it was a setback, it provided direction for the future.

Rasch joined the staff of Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills, Ill., where he worked his way up to senior vice president. After a few years in the role, he said he knew he wanted to become a college president, and at the time two colleges  one of them Western  caught his eye.

At the other college, he interviewed with the hiring committee in a nearby hotel. He was asked to register under an assumed name, and only got a quick tour of campus from the passenger seat of a car.

Then I came here, he said. The people were real. I knew this was a good place. The kind of place I wanted to be.

In Chicago, he was a small fish in a big metropolitan pond. Here in La Crosse, he said he felt he could get involved and could make a difference.

When the board hired him, Rasch said they asked how long he thought he would stay in the role. He was not yet in his 40s, so he said he thought he would stick around at least three to five years.

That was 1989. Now nearly 28 years later, Rasch admits that La Crosse has gotten ahold of him. While he plans to make a clean break from Western after his successor is chosen, he said he will continue his work in the community.

He developed these roots in the first five to 10 years here, said Brent Smith, a La Crosse attorney and former chair of the WTCS board. And those roots run deep.

Part of that had to do with his role at Western. When he joined the college, he said it didnt have the reputation it has now. His board wanted him to fix that.

For Rasch, that meant gaining community trust by getting involved off-campus. Because of the location of Westerns La Crosse campus, Rasch wanted to play a role in revitalizing downtown through organizations such as DMI and the City Vision 2000 master plan.

Wettstein, former DMI executive director Bud Miyamoto and Rasch were instrumental during those early days of downtown revitalization. The city was struggling with what that new vision would be, and the three faced many uphill battles in City Hall or working with the business community.

When things become unraveled, people might give up, Wettstein said. Lee provided a calm energy. He took a step back and looked at another approach. He would take another shot and kept moving.

This was evident in his work to create a business district downtown or to use tax-increment financing to subsidize downtown development. Not everyone got on board with the ideas, Wettstein said, but Rasch knew how important they were to moving the work forward.

This creativity was also evident in his work with the La Crosse Center board during the expansion effort in the late 90s. He was one of the people who came up with the idea of using a room tax and ticket surcharges to help fund the expansion to the center, both of which were crucial to getting the approval of city hall.

He obviously had this creative genius about him, Wettstein said. He found solutions to problems.

A personal side to his work

Like all of those who have been selected Tribune Person of the Year, Rasch tried to brush off the accolade. He is quick to point out just how much of a role other people at Western and in the community have played in all the things that have been accomplished.

Hes the first person to tweet out a new project or accomplishments that his college colleagues have achieved, Smith said. He would much rather someone else gets the attention.

Lee gets this twinkle in his eye when he can give credit to others at Western, Smith said. Those are the things he puts out there. He highlights what the staff does, what the students do.

Westerns mission to be people-focused is because Rasch lives his life that way, Vujnovich said. By mentoring her and others, he has set an example those at the college follow, an example that changes lives for people and their families.

If I needed to go to someone, he is the first person I would go to, Western Technical College District Board member Dan Hanson said.

Rasch also has an artistic side, one he fuels through his involvement in local choirs such as the Coulee Chordsmen and as bass guitarist in 60s tribute band The Executives. The band formed in 1997 after Tim Tracy, who was then executive director of the La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce, asked some of the members if they would play at Riverfest that year.

Hanson was introduced to Rasch in a garage during a band rehearsal. The band has played at festivals and private engagements all over the region and will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year.

The group is a band of brothers, River Valley Media Group Advertising Manager Tom Kelley said. When the group comes together to play a concert, each member puts aside his professional role and has a good time. Rasch will transform as he lets the passion of the music take over and puts the pressure of his other duties behind him.

It lets me put the days stuff behind, Rasch said of the bands Monday night practices. It is a real important life balance for me.

La Crosse isnt the only community Rasch has made a connection with. He has been instrumental in building the sister city relationship between La Crosse and Kumbo, Cameroon, after a chance encounter with a member of the Tertiary Sisters of St. Francis at Western.

The Cameroon sisters have long had a partnership with La Crosses Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, and Sister Mark Verjai had come to Western in 1999 to study dentistry and bring those skills back to the sisters hospital in Shishong. She met with Rasch during her time in the United States, and asked him to visit the sisters, which Rasch and his wife Susan Fox did in 2008.

That visit was the first of several for Rasch and Fox, both of whom have also worked to develop the sister city relationship including exchanges of delegations and additional sisters studying at Western to learn how to network their hospital and implement an electronic medical records system. Rasch has also worked through his involvement in the Rotary Club of La Crosse to help raise $66,000 to send a shipping container full of books and help improve the facilities of nearly a dozen rural schools around Kumbo.

For me, it was life-changing, Rasch said. I saw a part of the world I normally probably wouldnt have.

The couple became vocal advocates in the early 90s for greyhounds and opponents of dog racing in Wisconsin. The family adopted their first greyhound after Fox surprised Rasch with Meggie for his birthday in 1991.

She came leading the dog into the middle of a business meeting, Rasch said, but he took one look at Meggie and instantly fell in love with her. The couples first greyhounds, Rudy and Meggie, could often be seen with them around the city, including helping Rasch and Fox during bell ringing for the Salvation Army.

The breed is just so caring and loving, Rasch said, but many of the animals were rescued from Wisconsins now defunct racetracks and suffered from abuse and neglect. As part of their advocacy, both sat on the board of directors for the Coulee Region Humane Society and Rasch was instrumental in leading the capital campaign to build a new, larger shelter for the organization in the early 2000s.

Some people dont like to ask for money, he said. I dont mind if it is for a good cause.

Creating a vision for the future

During his tenure, Western has received voter approval for three referendums. The 11-county college district includes facilities in Black River Falls, Independence, Mauston, Tomah, Viroqua and Sparta.

But the largest and most visible is the recent Vision 2020 referendum which asked voters to approve $79.8 million in renovations and expansions at the campus locations in La Crosse and throughout the region.

One of the featured projects was construction of the Integrated Technology Center housing 15 programs, many in the skilled trades. The upgrades at the center and other Vision 2020 projects will continue efforts that Rasch started when he came to Western to ensure graduates have the skills they need to meet workforce demands.

More than new and improved facilities, the plan also called for a change from a semester schedule to a year-round system of trimesters, a reorganization of programs and courses into career pathways and an expansion of partnerships with local high schools through academies. It also continues Raschs hallmark of creating regional partnerships for economic development such as the colleges collaboration with the 7 Rivers Alliance and The Upper Mississippi Manufacturing Alliance.

Lee is very connected with the needs of business in the Coulee Region, Trane Human Resources Director Richard Karcher said. A lot of tech schools are still in the 20th century. He has taken Western to the 21st century.

Rasch said trying to do these things in fits and spurts would never work, so the decision was made to go to the voters. But in 2012, the region was still recovering from the recession and the idea of raising property taxes was not a popular topic.

In order to get the approval needed, Rasch gave more than 90 presentations in the lead-up to the election, sometimes three or four in one day. He said he would wake up in the morning with a pit in his stomach full of worries about what voters would think about the proposal.

We would tell our story and get good feedback, he said. Then Id go to bed, and get up in the morning with that same pit in my stomach.

Smith said Raschs team made a good case for the project. Instead of building new buildings, they asked to renovate many of Westerns facilities. And he and his team let the students and alumni speak for the college by highlighting how many graduates stay in the region or go on to own their own businesses.

He gets things done, Smith said. When you give Lee a project, he goes at it full bore.

My biggest hope is he stays in the community. That he continues to make these contributions to our area.
London: The Queen missed a New Year's Day church service on Sunday due to a heavy cold, Buckingham Palace said, a week after the 90-year-old monarch missed a Christmas Day service for the first time in decades.

The world's longest-reigning monarch, who became unwell before Christmas, stayed indoors at her Sandringham country estate in Norfolk, eastern England, while other members of the royal family attended the service.

"The Queen does not yet feel ready to attend church as she is still recuperating from a heavy cold," Buckingham Palace said in a statement.

The Queen and her husband Prince Philip, 95, were both suffering from heavy colds in the week leading up to Christmas and delayed their journey from London to Sandringham by a day, travelling there by helicopter on December 22.
Intrepid Potash, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the extraction and production of the potash in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Potash, Trio, and Oilfield Solutions. The Potash segment offers muriate of potash or potassium chloride for use as a fertilizer input in the agricultural market; as a component in drilling and fracturing fluids for oil and gas wells, as well as an input to other industrial processes in the industrial market; and as a nutrient supplement in the animal feed market. The Trio segment provides Trio, a specialty fertilizer that delivers potassium, sulfate, and magnesium in a single particle. The Oilfield Solutions segment sells water for use in the oil and gas services industry; and offers potassium chloride real-time mixing services on location for hydraulic fracturing operations and trucking services. The company also offers salt for use in animal feeds, industrial applications, pool salts, and treatment of roads and walkways for ice melting or to manage road conditions; magnesium chloride for use in the deicing and dedusting of roads; brines for well development and completion activities in the oil and gas industry; and metal recovery salt, a combination of potash and salt to enhance the recovery of aluminum in the aluminum recycling processing facilities. Intrepid Potash, Inc. was founded in 2000 and is based in Denver, Colorado.
Advertisement

By Adam Beam, The Associated Press

Dec. 31, 2016 | FRANKFORT, KY

By Adam Beam, The Associated Press Dec. 31, 2016 | 04:56 PM | FRANKFORT, KY

Republicans will take over the Kentucky legislature next week with the help of millions of dollars in contributions from the finance and energy industries.



Republican House candidates and committees received more than $8 million in contributions for the 2016 election cycle, according to an analysis of disclosure reports by The Associated Press. Their largest donations come from bankers, coal company CEOs and a bundle of checks wrangled by Nashville-based economist Arthur Laffer, the famous supply-side economist who once advised President Ronald Reagan. Republicans also benefited from $70,000 in donations form the Bluegrass Committee, which is associated with U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell.



Overall, House candidates and political parties on both sides raised nearly $19 million in 2016 for the pivotal elections that saw Republicans win a majority for the first time since 1921. About $4.5 million came from political action committees, while $4.3 million came from individual donations. The rest came from loans and transfers from prior campaigns. The final numbers will be higher, as some reports were not yet available on the website of the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance.



Democrats raised about $1 million more than Republicans, but it didn't help as GOP candidates knocked off 16 Democratic incumbents on their way to a 64-36 super majority. Most of the top Democratic donors came from political action committees from groups like labor unions and teachers. Most of the top Republican donors came from wealthy individuals.



Some groups chose a side, like the Kentucky Education Association. Of the nearly $100,000 they spent on contributions, $95,000 went to Democrats. The group was concerned about an effort to bring charter schools to Kentucky. But now that Democrats no longer control the House of Representatives, the group's ability to influence legislation could be hindered.



"My hope is that as education experts in this state, that the legislature will take the opportunity to seek our advice," Association President Stephanie Winkler said.



Other groups, like the Kentucky Bankers Association, were more bipartisan in their giving. The Bankers' PAC gave $54,000 to Democrats and $51,000 to Republicans. The new Republican administration has made tax reform a top issue for the upcoming session, something the banking industry will be watching closely. The industry changed the way banks were taxed about 20 years ago when it convinced the legislature to tax banks based on their capital instead of their profits.



Matthew Vance, the association's CFO and treasurer of its political action committee, said the group purposefully gives equally to both sides to avoid any charge of favoritism. The group even donated to Democrat Hubert Collins and Republican William Wells  who ran against each other. Wells won.



"We don't really look at Democrats and Republicans, we look at individuals and their positions taken in the past," he said.
Drink Local Wine 2013

The Drink Local Wine tasting and tweet-off in April 2013 filled a room that overlooked Camden Yards in Baltimore, allowing regional exposure for a number of Maryland wineries. TasteCamp should enable more of that same exposure.

(Carlo DeVito/East Coast Wineries blog)

Drink Local Wine (DLW) was created as a grassroots effort by several wine journalists to raise awareness of the presence of the industry in states not located on the West Coast, in the "other 47."

Founded in 2008 by Jeff Siegel, "The Wine Curmudgeon," and Washington Post wine columnist Dave McIntyre, it spearheaded an annual Regional Wine Week and complemented those with an annual conference, hopscotching from Texas to Virginia to Missouri to Colorado and the landing in Baltimore for what turned out to be the last one, in the early spring of 2013.

That program included a two-day conference and then a Twitter Tweet-Off at Camden Yards over looking the ballpark, the latter event drawing a crowd of wine professionals and the general public. It was a coming-out party for several Maryland wineries that have raised the bar for quality, particularly Old Westminster and The Vineyards at Doden.

Here is a link to the DLW website, which includes its mission statement.

While the conferences ended in 2013, the initiative continues, and the energy and goals from DLW was transferred into an annual gathering called TasteCamp, run by wine writer Lenn Thompson and the New York Cork Report. Last year's took place in Vermont, and drew winemakers, cider makers, distillers, brewers and creameries from around the state for a three-day conference.

This year's will take place in Frederick, Md., from June 9-11, a chance for wine writers, bloggers and those in the trade to get a taste of what Maryland beverage makers - from wine and cider to beer and distilled products - are making.

I'll provide more details as I hear about them.

Kevin Atticks, whose Grow & Fortify LLC represents wineries, breweries and distilliers across the state, said last week he's looking forward to generating the kind of energy that the DLW meeting and Tweet-Off did four years ago.

"We loved that event," Atticks said of the DLW conference. "There was so much energy about it. TasteCamp will be kind of a mini Drink Local Wine. We'll gather together the industry again, only this time in Frederick rather than Baltimore. There seems to be that really interesting cross-section of wine, beer and spirits down in Frederick."
Advertisement

By Jim Waters

Jan. 01, 2017 | LEXINGTON, KY

By Jim Waters Jan. 01, 2017 | 03:52 PM | LEXINGTON, KY

To politicians across Kentucky who plan to vote against school choice for any reason, or who think supporting rules allowing only local school districts to authorize charters will let them skate by without accountability: meet Bethany Littlefield.



Littlefield is one of five parents and a grandparent representing seven students attending Crosby Middle School in eastern Jefferson County.



They've joined together to file a federal lawsuit against the Jefferson County Public Schools, alleging violation of their children's civil rights by district officials who failed to confront the school's known bullying and violence.



Rock-star lawyer Teddy Gordon calls Crosby a "den of anarchy" and claims its students have been going "through pure hell on a daily basis."



While lawsuit claims offer only one side of the story, the case could get a boost from Louisville's WDRB-TV report of 336 harassment and bullying incidents registered just at Crosby last year.



The lawsuit claims one girl was "left a bloody mess on the floor" by vengeful students angry that she reported bullying.



Littlefield described how her severely traumatized son "wouldn't even stop at his locker" and would "run through the halls because of how dangerous it was."



She eventually had to put him in Our Lady of Peace last year for treatment of severe depression after "he attempted to end his pain the only way he knew how."



The district unbelievably denied Littlefield's request that she be allowed to transfer her son to another JCPS school. She can't afford private-school tuition.



Vickie Santana is another parent whose son attended Crosby for 1  years before she and her ex-husband felt forced to remove her son from Crosby -- which she claims had developed a culture of bullying and "environment of violence" -- and enroll him in a private school.



Gordon rightly seeks monies in the lawsuit to help parents like Santana cover private-school tuition costs.



Even if some of the lawsuit's charges do end up being overstated, collectively these incidents seem more than enough to give pause even to the most hardened school-choice opponent.



Options such as charter schools and scholarship tax credits could help defuse bullying, allowing families multiple, affordable alternatives to provide their children with better, safer educational experiences.



In addition to charter schools, if Kentucky creates a scholarship tax-credit program, businesses and individuals could make contributions against their state tax bill to nonprofit organizations for use as scholarships by parents whose financial circumstances resemble Littlefield's but who also desperately want better schools for their children.



Even if it turns out Crosby doesn't have a big problem, why should any parent in Kentucky or America be denied the option of enrolling or transferring their children to a traditional, charter or private school that works best for them?



Until Kentucky parents are empowered with more choices, bureaucrats and union bosses will continue imposing their will, which always seems centered on what's best for school-system adults rather than what works for kids.



If edu-crats know parents have no realistic options, what motivation exists for them to respond to the pleas of the Bethany Littlefields of Kentucky?



Some might; too many won't.



It's time for policymakers to pass a strong statewide charter-school bill that doesn't allow "deaf ears" to be the only authorizers while holding defenders of the status quo accountable for failing to competently confront the violence in their schools, all while bullying school-choice supporters who only want the best for their children.



It's also past time to allow parents the kind of financial support empowering them to choose a private school if doing so offers the best opportunity for their child.



Even if policymakers -- urban, suburban or rural -- don't consider themselves their brother's keeper, they must understand: They are our children's keepers.



Jim Waters is president of The Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions, Kentucky's free-market think tank. Read his weekly Bluegrass Beacon column at www.bipps.org. He can be reached at jwaters@freedomkentucky.com and @bipps on Twitter.
HORIZON & HANNAH FLANAGAN'S TEAM UP TO DONATE TO THE COMMUNITY

Horizon and Hannah Flanagans team up to contribute $24,000 to the local community

Hendersonville, N.C., December 30, 2016: Horizon Heating and Air Conditioning and Hannah Flanagans are pleased to announce a partnership which will double the charitable community awards program during 2017. Each month, Horizon and Hannah Flanagans will award $2,000 to one or more Henderson County nonprofits placing a total of $24,000 charitable dollars into the community for 2017.

Dan Poeta, president of Horizon Heating and Air Conditioning stated I am excited to partner with Hannah Flanagans to double the awards available to the community. Matt Johnes, Owner of Hannah Flanagans, said The community has been very responsive to my business helping us grow throughout the years and I am excited to partner with Horizon Heating and Air to be able to give back. They also welcome and encourage other small business owners to participate in the future.

Applications for the 2017 Calendar Year are being accepted January 2, 2017 through February 3, 2017 only. In order to qualify, you must be a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) organization, operating programs in Henderson County or programs for the benefit of the residents of Henderson County. To make an application visit www.HorizonHeatAC.com or www.theoriginalhannahflanagans.com. Follow the links for the Horizon and Hannah Flanagans Community Fund.

Horizon Heating and Air Conditioning installs residential and commercial heating and air conditioning systems along with commercial refrigeration systems in Hendersonville, Brevard, Waynesville, Asheville and other areas of Western North Carolina.

Hannah Flanagan's Irish Pub is located on Main Street in downtown Hendersonville, NC. It offers Irish-influenced pub grub and an extensive, ever-changing beer list in a relaxed, old-world setting, with outside dining, daily drink specials and delicious Irish Pub food.

Both Horizon Heating and Air Conditioning and Hannah Flanagans have established charitable giving funds at the Community Foundation of Henderson County.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 01/01/2017 (2133 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

After getting off to a nice, mild start, the new years weather is expected to turn nasty over the next few days, Environment Canada says. A Colorado low followed by colder weather are forecast for Winnipeg and southern Manitoba.

A very active storm track is happening with another Colorado low developing Sunday night then moving northeastward, Environment Canada says.The heaviest snow should remain south of the international border with areas along the Trans-Canada Highway corridor receiving five to 10 cm of snow, its advisory issued Sunday morning said.

Areas near the international border in southeastern Manitoba should expect 10 to 20 cm of snow by noon on Tuesday. Light snow is expected to develop from the southwest late tonight and periods of light snow expected through the day on Monday.

WAYNE GLOWACKI / FREE PRESS FILES There's more snow clearing in the forecast once the Colorado low moves through the province.

The heaviest snow should occur from Monday evening into the early morning hours of Tuesday then taper off from west to east on Tuesday. In addition to the snow, strong northerly winds gusting to 50 and 60 km/h will develop Monday night, especially over the southern Red River valley. This may produce poor visibilities in snow and blowing snow over the Red River valley Monday evening and Tuesday morning. Temperatures are expected to drop to daytime highs of -19 C by Tuesday in Winnipeg. It will feel colder than that with the wind.

Environment Canada advises travellers that conditions will likely be worse over North Dakota and northern Minnesota on Monday and Tuesday with winter storm watches. To report severe weather, send an email to ec.storm.ec@canada.ca or tweet reports to #MBStorm.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 31/12/2016 (2134 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Premier Brian Pallisters Progressive Conservatives are enjoying an extended honeymoon with Manitobans, a Probe Research poll conducted for the Free Press reveals.

The Tories are at 49 per cent support among voters in the province, the survey  conducted Nov. 29 to Dec. 11 determined. The leaderless NDP and Liberals trail well behind with 24 per cent and 19 per cent, respectively.

These are consistent with other surveys we have seen, like the national premiers popularity poll, said Probe Research president Scott MacKay. Pallister is right at the top with (Saskatchewan Premier Brad) Wall.

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES

The level of support for Pallisters party has remained virtually unchanged from Probe surveys in September (48 per cent) and June (46 per cent) in the afterglow of Aprils provincial election, in which the Tories rode to victory with more than half of the vote.

We knew they were popular, MacKay said, adding the question is whether the numbers will be the high for the Tories and the low for the NDP. The survey was completed before Manitobans learned of the premiers plan to spend eight weeks a year in Costa Rica and before they knew the provincial deficit had surpassed the $1-billion mark.

The next Probe survey is scheduled for March.

The Liberals are doing better than they did in the election with a leader, MacKay said.

And the NDP may think it has bottomed out, but Probe conducted its poll before popular Point Douglas MLA Kevin Chief announced he was leaving politics and before the party publicly confirmed Maples MLA Mohinder Saran was tossed from caucus and the subject of an investigation after he was accused of sexual harassment by two staff members.

MacKay said theres no sign Pallisters popularity, especially with rural Manitoba men, will fade any time soon.

Theyre winning everywhere; this is a very broad-based level of support, he said, adding the new regime on Broadway may escape blame for the bloated deficit.

Pallister is right at the top with (Saskatchewan Premier Brad) Wall

Will people still think thats a hangover from the NDP, some sort of legacy theyve left? A lot of people would think that.

Notwithstanding the rosy picture this polls results paint for Pallisters government in the early going, MacKay said 79 per cent of Manitobans who were surveyed by Probe online last summer interpreted the Tories election triumph  winning 40 of 57 seats  simply as a desire for something different, not a massive philosophical shift.

It was not a right-wing endorsement; it was time for a change, MacKay said. Despite Pallisters significant support, its not that weve moved to the right. It was more, You guys are the other guys.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
Books are slow food. It generally takes two years, two hardworking years, to cook up a book from idea to publication. Some writers can go faster  those who publish a book a year (or more) are working at top speed  while others write much more slowly, ruminating and reworking and false-starting for a decade or more. By the time we readers get them, books are self-contained objects, narratives that have evolved outside of the relentless news cycle and Twitter chatter. More than any other medium, books give us deep, rich stories that stand apart from the hubbub.

Except sometimes, that years-long process winds up being right in the center of the conversation. Which brings us to these, the 10 most important books of 2016. No matter when they started or how long they took, they touched on something that was essential this year, and will be essential when we look back at it from 2017 and beyond.

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead. Pick your metaphor: Grand slam, EGOT, Royal flush. Whiteheads novel The Underground Railroad  the story of a young womans escape from slavery via an imaginary railroad that brings her to different, imperfect versions of America  was a success on every level. Its publication date was moved up by a month so Oprah could pick it for her popular book club; it also won the National Book Award for fiction. Reviewing it for The Times, critic-at-large Rebecca Carroll wrote that the book is a fiercely salient reckoning of what it means, has meant and continues to mean to be black in America. Whitehead, who was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 2002, told Terry Gross on Fresh Air that he was reluctant to immerse myself in the history of slavery; it took him 16 years to write.

Trump Revealed: An American Journey of Ambition, Ego, Money, and Power by Michael Kranish and Marc Fisher. This swift book is the exception to the rule. Kranish and Fisher worked like lightning to get Trump Revealed to print while he was a presidential candidate (it was published in late August, a month after the Republican convention). The writers turned the reporting of their fellow Washington Post reporters into a detailed, researched story of Trump that included 20 hours of face-to-face interviews with the man himself. As we look ahead to a Trump administration that appears particularly disinclined toward transparency, this book is all the more valuable in understanding how Trump, our president-elect, has behaved in the past as a manager, businessman and private person.

Evicted by Matthew Desmond. Desmond moved to a trailer park in Milwaukee in 2008 known for its substandard conditions to begin gathering stories of eviction; later, he moved into a run-down apartment complex. He follows eight families struggling to get by while paying more than 70 percent of their incomes for housing, falling behind, being evicted, trying again. Desmond, now a Harvard professor, has a close-up empathy that makes the book lasting. The housing crisis for families like these is not over; there may be another landlord, like one Desmond tracked, who will evict a single mother and her children two days before Christmas this year.

The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon. Yoons sophomore novel was a National Book Award finalist for young peoples literature. Its told from two main points of view: Daniel, a poetry-loving Korean American teenager whose parents want him to be a doctor, and Natasha, a student who hopes to be a scientist and is trying to prevent her family from being deported back to Jamaica. The swift, romantic story follows the threads of these two teens lives and those they intersect with over the course of a day. This book for young adults is full of intelligence, understanding and hope.

Shrill by Lindy West. At 34, West came of age as a writer in the full light of the internet, a young feminist speaking out against fat-shaming  publicly addressing her colleague at the Stranger, Dan Savage  and writing about periods and rape jokes at Jezebel and the Guardian. On This American Life, she chased down an internet troll that had been stalking her. These pieces are collected here, along with her thoughts about how vital it is for young women to raise their voices: the book is subtitled notes from a loud woman.

The White Donkey by Maximilian Uriarte. It was 2010 when Uriarte, a lance corporal in the Marine Corps, created the online comic Terminal Lance, which swiftly developed a fan base. Using some of the same characters, he created a more serious and involved graphic novel, The White Donkey, based on his 2007 deployment in Iraq. First self-published by Uriarte with a Kickstarter campaign that raised eight times its original goal, the graphic novel was then picked up by Little, Brown and released to a wider audience ready to see Fallujah through the eyes and (digital) pen of someone who was there.

City of Thorns: Nine Lives in the Worlds Largest Refugee Camp by Ben Rawlence. According to the UNHCR, there are more than 65 million people worldwide who have been forcibly displaced. The worlds largest refugee camp, Dadaab in northern Kenya, is the temporary-turned-permanent home to as many as 600,000 people. Thats where Rawlence, a former researcher for Human Rights Watch, spent five months for this book. City of Thorns is as much about the rest of us as it is about the refugees it describes, Jill Leovy wrote in our review. It evolves into a meditation on the war on terror, the European refugee crisis, and corruption in the developing world without ever releasing its tight focus on Dadaab.

Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen. One of our biggest rock stars, Springsteen has written a new canon of rock songs that deeply integrate his own desire, trouble and longing with the larger story of America. This memoir, the first from the 67-year-old, tells of his Catholic upbringing, his youthful ambitions, his adult convictions and his deep commitment to social justice. In our review, Randy Lewis writes, What emerges unequivocally is his almost singled-minded devotion not to scoring hits, or finding fame and fortune, but to creating a body of music that matters.

Frantumaglia by Elena Ferrante. Ferrante, the Italian author of the internationally bestselling Neapolitan novels, is a phantom, a pseudonym. Frantumaglia is an autobiographical assemblage of writings, sharing some of her history (possibly fabricated) and explaining that she wants to remain unknown because of the burdens put on female writers. Weeks before the books American release, a European journalist claimed to have discovered Ferrantes true identity, raising questions of who needs to know what about whom. For those who like fiction, the idea of crafting a character who is the stand-in for the novelist is more interesting than poking into a publishers financial records. Frantumaglia is the real accomplishment.

Swing Time by Zadie Smith. Smith is one of todays literary lights, and her novel has the flow of Fred and Ginger in Swing Time, the movie that gives this novel its name. Its about two young, mixed-race dancers growing up in England; the friends push and pull against each other as they deal with class, ambition and race. One becomes the assistant to a starlet, adding the complications of fame and its absence, threaded through with shifting senses of belonging. Its precision is thrilling even as it grows into a book-length meditation on cultural appropriation, played out on a celebrity-besotted global stage, writes our reviewer Karen Long, calling it a multilayered tour-de-force.
Sewing quilts has been a long tradition for most of the Winona Area Quilters Guild members.

The guild has been around ever since the historical society asked for a quilt show about 35 years ago, and decided there was enough interest to start a group in Winona.

The process behind the creation of a quilt is not simple: starting by picking up the right fabric, the quilters take the time to work meticulously on a project that requires precision, creativity and a lot of devotion.

At their most recent exhibit at the Winona Public Library this month, the members displayed their artwork in a collection that gathered twelve by twelve inch handmade miniature quilts.

Inspired by the artists in the book The International Quilt Challenge, who created quilts related to a specific word, such as chocolate or identity, the Winona quilters decided to chase the same idea.

Winona area quilters guild member Sheila Allard said the members get together monthly and come up with different words that are collected together. The words range from love to music and serene; they can be realistic or abstract. Once the members draw a word, they use it as the inspiration for their projects.

Allard joined the group about six years ago and has found the environment of the guild to be warm and welcoming. The members usually meet at each others houses and schedule workshops and meetings with guest speakers to help them advance in their skills.

Sewing quilts for Allard is not just a hobby.

Its an opportunity to spread your wings artistically, try new techniques and learn new methods of sewing, Allard said.

From the moment she picks a word, she has to challenge her creativity into matching the word with a pattern that explains what the word means to her. Typically, two members will work on the same word that expresses their own perspective on a subject.

Its the same word but there are so many different interpretations, Allard said. Its amazing how this process sparks your creativity.

One of her most recent works showed her own interpretation of the word Rudbeckia, featuring a detailed coneflower with a black center and a bee flying around it. Above her work, member Marianne Texley created a more symmetrical quilt, thinking of a traditional block pattern to embody the summer flower.

Its all about expressing an idea, if that comes through, then I feel like my work was successful, Allard said.

What Allard loves the most about quilting is being able to finish her artwork. As a professor, she said, her students are a work in progress, always developing and growing, whereas quilting is something different.

Its a project I can see the end of; one place in my life where I can finish something, Allard said.

Like Allard, guild member Mary Nelsons quilts have a particular story behind each one of them.

Nelsons piece called My Swedish Roots was associated with the term tradition to explain her roots and familys tradition in putting up a Swedish tree with woven wheat ornaments during Christmas. The miniature quilt was decorated with small ornaments representing angles, horses and a small Swedish flag, and stood out with its color combinations.

Nelson said she has been a member of the guild for 29 years and started by taking a class from community education. Every time she starts a project, fabric is what inspires her work at first, she said.

If youre a chef, there is a certain tool that you want, and the same goes with quilting. Everything starts by finding the right pattern, Nelson said.

Member Judy Boehm, meanwhile, finds inspiration from the people she creates quilts for, for weddings or other special occasions.

Boehm was introduced to the group when she was going through a hard time in her life and thought sewing would have given her strength and support. When she was little, she used to sew her own clothes, and later found herself quilting for her grandchildren.

I felt as if I was in third grade again, cutting and drawing, she said.

When Boehm joined the group three years ago, the members soon became some of her closest friends. Boehm said she would just have to ask what project they were working on and conversations would flow.

Theres such a plethora of knowledge, Boehm said. Everybody is so warm.

Terri Spartz is one of the newest members, having joined the group a year ago.

One of Spartzs quilts is related to the term shadows, and displays two hands forming a heart on a patterned gold background. To create her work, she was inspired by a quote stating, Life without love is a shadow of things that might be.

Spartz has been quilting for 11 years and said joining the group was a chance for her to practice new skills.

It was a small-scale opportunity that allowed me to progress through time, Spartz said.

As with other members, Texley said she loves exchanging ideas and improving thanks to each others help. The group has people with different backgrounds, from teachers, to engineers to social workers. Texley described the members as being very giving because not only do they make quilts for exhibits, but they also do work for the community.

Twice a year, the group makes handmade blankets for newborns at the Winona Health Family Birth Center. Last year, the members donated around 30 blankets.

The group also donates a bed-sized quilt to the Winona County Historical Society and sells raffle tickets to win it, as a way to thank the society for letting them use the facility for their monthly get-togethers.

Although the members have different backgrounds, professions and art styles, they all found a form of self-expression they love and can share with others. In the future, they will keep working on quilts not only as a way to accomplish a project, but they also want to keep being sources of inspiration for people who look at their work.

There are a lot of meanings attached to the quilts, Texley said.

Its the same word but there are so many different interpretations. Its amazing how this process sparks your creativity. Sheila Allard
CANTON, Minn.  Almost two years after its church burned down, the Henrytown Lutheran Church congregation is almost ready to go home.

Members are nearing completion of a new building for its congregation, which has been sharing the Assumption Catholic Churchs space to hold its weekly services after their home church was destroyed by a fire in April 2015.

Six of the 12 stained glass windows have been installed, and the remaining six hopefully will be installed in early February, said Fay Garness, church treasurer. While the church is waiting on altar furniture and finishing some small details, theres no official opening date.

There will be some changes, including the congregations leadership. The Rev. Paul Thompson ended his time at the Henrytown Lutheran Church on Nov. 10 after accepting a call to serve two congregations in the Rochester area.

Its not easy for me to say goodbye ... I have grown fond of you, Thompson wrote on the parishs Facebook page.

The congregation hopes to find someone to fill the pastor position before the first service is held in the new church. Many changes await the congregation, but the people are steadfast in their faith.

Despite their church having experienced a great loss, they are ready to move on, Garness said.

Henrytown feels so blessed and thankful for all that has been given to us. God continues to bless us ... We are all getting very excited to be home again.
Christmas morning conjures images of family members sitting around a lit-up tree as they open presents in pajamas and robes. Age does not matter, previous disagreements are forgotten and distances traveled are reminisced by the glow.

This is Christmas; these are the memories, young or old, that people keep forever.

Now, instead of imagining wrapping paper strewn across the living room floor and gifts sitting untouched after the last piece of tape was ripped off, the family is there, but they are discussing something new  something conversation-worthy:

They know their DNA.

As a shared Christmas gift, the Baarsch family of Spring Valley took the opportunity to learn their lineage. Made up of two daughters adopted from Russia and a son adopted from Minnesota, the Baarschs, although always a family, have answered questions asked aloud or not.

We wanted to see if the girls who are Russian and our son who is American, if there is some kind of overlap in our genetics, Bob Baarsch said. Its good for us to share our genetics at Christmastime. Its a discussion point, and more so, its a missing piece for our children, more than for my wife and me. It gives them that attachment to the past.

Kathy Baarsch came across the idea when she drove through Spring Grove. It was there that she saw a sign on the sidewalk advertising DNA testing through the Giants of the Earth Heritage Center. The $175 test administered by the center asks participants to give them about an inch of saliva. The DNA is tested through ancestry.com.

Jill Storlie, a volunteer at the center, convinced Kathy, Bob and two of her children to participate in the test for Christmas.

I told Kathy, Dont just get the kits and hand them out for Christmas, do it now and get the results, go over them on Christmas, Jill said. Youre doing it for the family and if theyre not in the same place; its finding out new things to discuss.

We decided to do it, so we came back the next week to sign up. We had to do it at least six weeks ahead of Christmas. It didnt end up taking that long, but we didnt want to risk it, Kathy said.

According to Jill, it is not unusual for people to want to do the test for Christmas or give it as a present.

Jills boyfriend, Roar Moe, who lives in Norway, has bought the test as a Christmas present for his mother, Rigmor.

The Baarschs were lucky enough to find a connection in their heritages.

We all found out that we had some Scandinavian in us, Bob said. Our girls are from northern Russia, and they have blue eyes and are light skinned, so we thought they would have some Scandinavian in them. It connects us.

The centers genealogical research is headed by Jill Storlies brother, Johnathan Storlie. He received his undergraduate degree from Luther College in 1993 and has studied philosophy at Boston College, as well as received his doctorate from the University of Iowa in microbiology, with an emphasis in human virology.

My interest in genealogy really expanded when my first cousin, Pastor Rolf Storlie of Caledonia, asked me to continue the familys genealogical research. He wrote a book, Storlies in America,  John said. Ive married my interest in science with the expansion of his work through the genealogical research weve done.

Pastor Rolf Storlie passed away in 2005, and John accepted his position at the heritage center in 2009.

John has pushed his research into genealogy to a new level with those of Norwegian descent in Spring Grove and the surrounding areas. He has helped create a digital Bigda Book  a traditional Norwegian genealogical book  and has traced 65,000 people who are no longer living.

The centers research team is made up of John and his assistant, Stacy Wold. They send DNA to ancestry.com, then they go over results with clients, and John will sit down upon request to go over potential health issues.

We just had a family in here that has suffered from a variety of genetic disorders for generations, he said. Going over their DNA, we saw a deficiency in an enzyme. Less than 1 percent of society has this enzyme and doctors have always misdiagnosed them.

Johns work brings in about 12 clients a week. He will sit for a few hours with each client and help them begin to build their family tree online. The informative health review, like the ancestry review, is currently free to the public, although the center does accept donations.

Its such a joy to work with people and to hear their stories, and to help them, he said. It gives a sense of history to people, which empowers them to believe in themselves. If they think, My ancestors made a difference in the world, then that can inspire their lives.
Today, Minnesota joins the majority of U.S. states in choosing its presidential candidates in primary elections.

Minnesota has used caucuses to choose presidential candidates throughout its voting history, save for three elections.

While the first presidential primary under the new law wont be held until March 2020, the system officially goes on the books today.

The shift from a caucus system to primaries is the most notable of the new laws taking effect in Minnesota at the change of the year. The others deal with minor changes to workers compensation and life insurance laws that wont much affect the general public.

Moving to a primary means that voters will have a full day to cast their ballot for one of their partys presidential candidates rather than having to gather at a specific time on a specific day for a caucus. The last time Minnesota tried a presidential primary was in 1992, when parties held both primaries and caucuses a month apart.

A year ago, it seemed unlikely that Minnesota would move to a primary system; caucuses are cheaper and rooted in political tradition. Theyre also relatively simple to set up: Political parties, which run the caucuses, need only a few volunteers and a room for a few hours to hold one.

But when heavy turnout led to long lines and confusion at presidential caucuses across Minnesota in March, the momentum to abolish caucusing and adopt a primary grew.

Rep. Tim Sanders, R-Blaine, and Sen. Ann Rest, DFL-New Hope, sponsored the measure that became the law that will go into effect at the start of the year. The secretary of states office will reimburse local elections officials for expenses related to holding the presidential primary.

Voters who would like to participate in primaries will be required to register with a party, and that affiliation will become public record. Precinct caucuses are allowed to continue, but only if the party chooses.

Shifting to primaries will likely increase participation in choosing presidential candidates  caucuses have notoriously low turnout. Thats at odds Minnesotas generally progressive voting laws and high turnout rates.

The main reason Minnesota kept caucuses for so long is a simple one: Tradition.
1966

Jim Crombie, who died last Thursday, liked to entertain and his hospitality does not end with his death. Included in his will was the sum of $200 to entertain the officers, employees and directors of the Rio-Fall River Union Bank within 30 days after his death.

The 13th annual Zor Shrine Circus will officially open the new $5 million Dane County Memorial Coliseum which has a seating capacity of 7,500.

John Hein won first place in the religious category and Maril Thiede was first in the miscellaneous class in the Columbus Home Lighting and Decorating Contest.

1976

The sixth grade homerooms at Dickason School presented holiday plays. Mrs. Nikki Masons homeroom had a play with the scene of Santas workshop and Mrs. Vi Newtons homeroom presented a play about a crabby old man who found he enjoyed the Christmas spirit.

Perhaps the tallest Christmas tree in Columbus this year is the one in the Farmers and Merchants Union Bank. The tree is about 16 feet tall and was ordered for the bank by George Kaschub.

1986

George and Mary Kaschub, owners and operators of Georges 66 Service will be retiring and going out of business after 23 years of service. Kaschub started with Texaco products and switched to Phillips 66 products when Texaco left the area. The station provided complete car service, minor repairs and a 24-hour towing service.

Dr. Clement Cheli was honored at a recent luncheon for his 54 years of service to Columbus Community Hospital and the Columbus area.

1996

The Food and Fund Drive was a success with Frank Porth Chevrolet-Buick collecting over $600 of new toys and Columbus Chemical Company collecting over $650 in cash for the food and fund drive.

The city of Columbus was awarded an $184,723 Community Block Grant that the city will match for a City Hall Annex that will make the building handicapped accessible. Construction should be completed by Sept. 30, 1997.
Fortis Inc. operates as an electric and gas utility company in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean countries. It generates, transmits, and distributes electricity to approximately 438,000 retail customers in southeastern Arizona; and 100,000 retail customers in Arizona's Mohave and Santa Cruz counties with an aggregate capacity of 3,485 megawatts (MW), including 53 MW of solar capacity and 252 MV of wind capacity. The company also sells wholesale electricity to other entities in the western United States; owns gas-fired and hydroelectric generating capacity totaling 65 MW; and distributes natural gas to approximately 1,065,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in British Columbia, Canada. In addition, it owns and operates the electricity distribution system that serves approximately 577,000 customers in southern and central Alberta; owns 4 hydroelectric generating facilities with a combined capacity of 225 MW; and provides operation, maintenance, and management services to five hydroelectric generating facilities. Further, the company distributes electricity in the island portion of Newfoundland and Labrador with an installed generating capacity of 143 MW; and on Prince Edward Island with a generating capacity of 130 MW. Additionally, it provides integrated electric utility service to approximately 68,000 customers in Ontario; approximately 272,000 customers in Newfoundland and Labrador; approximately 32,000 customers on Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands; and approximately 16,000 customers on certain islands in Turks and Caicos. The company also holds long-term contracted generation assets in Belize consisting of 3 hydroelectric generating facilities with a combined capacity of 51 MW; and the Aitken Creek natural gas storage facility. It also owns and operates approximately 90,200 circuit Kilometers (km) of distribution lines; and approximately 50,500 km of natural gas pipelines. Fortis Inc. was founded in 1885 and is headquartered in St. John's, Canada.
A New Lisbon man faces three charges after allegedly threatening a law enforcement officer Dec. 2.

Steven R. Williams, 49, was charged with making a threat to a law enforcement officer, telephone harassment, and disorderly conduct.

According to a criminal complaint, Williams made several calls to the Juneau County 911 dispatch center, as well as the non-emergency number. Responders called the number back and told Williams not to make any further calls unless it was an emergency. Williams allegedly told them he had a gun and would kill anyone that came to his door, including police officers.

The New Lisbon Police Department, along with officers from the Juneau County Sheriffs Office, went to Williams residence. He allegedly told them to go away and said he did not need help. He also stated he never called 911. After further conversation, Williams opened the door and let officers inside.

After entering the residence, Williams was ordered to the floor. He complied and was placed in handcuffs. While being arrested, Williams allegedly told officers he would put a bullet through their heads and they would all die. He also threatened to shoot a Juneau County judge.

Once at the jail, Williams mood was very up and down. He started yelling, being very non-compliant and tried kicking an officer. He also allegedly made vulgar sexual comments.

After being sent to Mile Bluff Medical Center for medical clearance, Williams, according to the report, pulled his pants down and exposed his buttocks to two female nurses.
LYNXX/Lemonweir Valley Telcom recently completed its eight annual Giving Tree event.

This year, over 70 childrens gift wishes were fulfilled. Oakdale, Camp Douglas and New Lisbon area children ranged in age from two years old through 12th grade. All childrens names are kept anonymous. New Lisbon Elementary School, Camp Douglas Elementary School and Oakdale Elementary School collaborate with LYNXX/Lemonweir Valley Telcom on this event, and many individuals and organizations from the Camp Douglas and New Lisbon areas donated gifts.

The event originated as a leadership project created by Lynxx employee Karla Krause, when she participated in the Juneau County Advanced Leadership Program. Krause organized the Giving Tree as a way for individuals, businesses and organizations to help families in Juneau and Monroe counties.

Along with Krause, other LYNXX employees delivered gifts to the schools. Kevin Barth, Ann Anderson and Kayla Giraud assisted in the gift delivery.

Others who contributed to the Giving Tree project were Volk Field Air National Guard, Royal Bank employees and customers, Camp Douglas Memorial VFW Post 10911 and Ladies Auxiliary and Lynxx customers, employees and directors.
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.
Local residents will have an opportunity to have fun and support programs for veterans through a special fundraiser.

The Veterans Assistance Foundation and the Veteran Equine Trail Services organization are teaming with the Chapparal Restaurant for a fundraiser to benefit local veterans. The event will be held on Saturday, Jan. 7 at 1 p.m. Proceeds from the fundraiser will go to both programs.

The event will feature a 50/50 drawing for prizes, silent auction, bake sale, arts and crafts sale, drawings for prizes and live music from the band Country Gold. Items featured in the drawing will be a one-night stay at Hotel Hillsboro, one-night stay at September Farms Bed and Breakfast, several afghans, and 20 pounds of pork loin, along with several other donated prizes. There will be a $5 cover charge at the door.

VAF, based in Tomah, helps provide veterans with transitional housing, rapid re-housing, homelessness prevention and access to benefit services for veterans and their families throughout the state. The equine program, from La Valle, offers many services at no cost to veterans and their families. V.E.T.S. specializes in assisting veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and traumatic brain injuries by helping them regain self-awareness and confidence, along with task completion skills by spending time with horses.

Both of them are wonderful programs and weve seen some real interaction between both, said event organizer Nancy Miller. The vets love coming down to the (horse) farm from Tomah. When we see the vets, they always say, I wish we could get down there more often.

The fundraiser on Jan. 7 will also feature speakers from both veterans organizations. In addition, Miller has asked two veterans that have participated in both programs to speak.

I hope this will be a great success for both programs because they are both wonderful, Miller said. My husband (Jim) and I strongly believe in both programs and that they actually do work.

Miller said she is still looking for donations for the silent auction and 50/50 raffle drawing. To contact Miller, call 608-489-3703 for more information.




China News on Women





Sorry, the page you requested was not found. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Womenofchina.cn, try visiting the Womenofchina Home page
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
Appeal to Help Trace Missing Teenager From Wrexham

This article is old - Published: Sunday, Jan 1st, 2017

North Wales Police have this morning issued an appeal for a missing teenager from Wrexham.



15-year-old Ethan Davies was last seen on December 30 2016.

He is wearing a black North Face cap, grey and black tracksuit and blue Nike Air Trainers.

Anyone with any further information is urged to contact North Wales Police on 101.
CCole Leinbach is a senior at Davis High School and is a member of the Yakima Herald-Republics Unleashed program for teen journalists.
The Palestinians have been presented with three proposals to establish a Palestinian state on 95 percentmore or lessof the land Israel currently controls. They said 'no' three times.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



To understand the Palestinian logic, one must listen to the comments made, for example, by Abbas Zaki, one of the PLO's senior officials, about five years ago: "When we say that the settlement should be based upon (the 1967) borders, President (Abbas) understands, we understand, and everybody knows that the greater goal cannot be accomplished in one go ... If Israel withdraws from Jerusalem, evacuates the 650,000 settlers, and dismantles the wall  what will become of Israel? It will come to an end ... Netanyahu, Lieberman, and Obama ... All those scumbags ... If one says that one wants to wipe Israel out... C'mon, it's too difficult. It's not (acceptable) policy to say so. Don't say these things to the world. Keep it to yourself."

Zaki didn't keep this strategy to himself. He presented it in an interview with Al-Jazeera . It may not be the position of the entire leadership at the Palestinian Authority, but he's obviously representing a lot more than we think.

US Secretary of State Kerry speaking at the State Department (Photo: EPA)

John Kerry's speech this week included no mention of the Palestinian intransigence. Not even a word. To those who aren't familiar with the history of the negotiations from the Oslo Accord to this very day, it must seem like a commendable speech. Kerry knows how to get the message across. He's in favor of peace and in favor of a Jewish state. He's against the settlements, which were mentioned in his speech more than anything else. His speech explained that therein lies the rub, and no other issue is as grave.

This was also his explanation for the UN Security Council Resolution 2334. Except that there is a difference. In his speech, Kerry spoke about land swaps. The Security Council's version was entirely different. It was a resolution calling to return to the 1967 lines. The Obama administration has given it its stamp of approval. It was a shot of encouragement to the peace refusniks on the Palestinian side.

The cheers coming from the Palestinian camp following the vote at the UN Security Council were the result of the success of the strategy Abbas Zaki was talking about. The demand to return to the 1967 lineswithout any compromises, without Israel keeping its settlement blocshas turned into a tool used against the very existence of Israel.

Kerry's farewell speech on Israeli-Palestinian conflict ()

X

One must admit, though, that here and there, different voices were heard. There are moderate Palestinians. There was willingness, like the Geneva Initiative, to reach a compromise based on two states for two peoples, while including the settlement blocs in Israeli territory.

But it appears the "Eradicate Israel" camp has the upper hand. And that's exactly what Kerry's problem is: he's following the action pattern of the world's "forces of progress." These "forces of progress" absolve the Palestinians of any responsibility. The Palestinian incitement was hardly mentioned. Their intransigence doesn't exist. Kerry's speech was a biased, lacking in any integrity and one-sided indictment against Israel and only Israel.

The Palestinians' move at the UN was not meant to promote any kind of peace agreement. It was meant to block one. Just like the Palestinians' appeals to parliaments and governments around the world to gain recognition for a Palestinian state. A slew of useful idiots, led by Israeli diplomat Alon Liel, became the main instrument of their strategy. Liel and his ilk joined the struggle to convince parliaments around the world to accept the Palestinian demand. After all, these useful idiots don't require anything of the Palestinians: Not letting go of the "right of return" fantasy nor stopping the incitement against Israel.

The document that was leaked to an Egyptian newspaper this week is reminiscent of a fateful meeting that took place in the White House on March 17, 2014. During that meeting, President Obama presented Mahmoud Abbas with Kerry's second peace framework, which is similar to the one Kerry himself presented in his speech this week. The Palestinian team rejected the framework and negotiator Saeb Erekat was rewarded with a juicy curse word from National Security Advisor Susan Rice.

Palestinian President Abbas (Photo: AFP)

The Americans should have realized back then who they were dealing with. But that didn't happen. Unlike Bill Clinton, who pointed to Yasser Arafat as the one who thwarted his generous proposal, Obama and Kerry chose the opposite direction. Abbas told them no, but they never said a word about it. Silence. Complete silence. Deceit. Even an editorial in the Washington Postwhich is not exactly a conservative newspaperaccused Obama this week, using harsh words, of serial failure.

All of this still doesn't justify Netanyahu's retaliation. When the prime minister of Israel cancels a visit by the prime minister of Ukraine, a meeting with the British prime minister, and cooperation with African nations, there is no other option but to say that he has gone off the rails. After all, Theresa May has recently delivered one of the more important pro-Israel speeches. But his response to May is rather similar to his response to journalist Ilana Dayan. This isn't how a prime minister responds. This isn't national pride. It's megalomania. And mostly, what the BDS couldn't even dream of doing to IsraelNetanyahu is doing. Netanyahu didn't climb up such a high tree even during his campaign against the Iran deal.

Prime Minister Netanyahu (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

It appears that throughout almost the entire affair, his position was just. He had excellent reasons to come out against the president of the United States, who turned Iran into a regional superpower that cultivates violence and terrorism. And there is no doubt that the nuclear deal is ten times worse than the UN Security Council's resolution about the settlements. And it is precisely because of this that Netanyahu's response raises questions. What's going on with him? For years now that Israel's enemies have been trying to undermine its relations with important nations. And now Netanyahu, he and no other, has decided to do their work for them.

The Zionist Union and Yesh Atid released harsh statements against the UN Security Council resolution. On the other side was the camp of Zehava Galon, Ahmad Tibi, the useful idiots, B'Tselem and Haaretz, who encouraged the resolution and welcomed it. So the division on this issue is not between the Right and the Left. It's between the radical Left and everyone elsethe Zionist Left, the center and the Right. But for the post-truth Netanyahu, the picture is entirely different. In his mind, anyone who questions his response belongs to the radical Left that seeks to harm Israel.

On January 20, Netanyahu's close associates say, everything is going to change. A new president and a new administration in the US. What a delusion. Is Trump going to change Ukraine or Britain's positions? Can the State Department tell the campuses in America what to do? Is this what's going to stop the campaign of hate against Israel? Of course not. And more importantly: Not everyone out there hates Israel. Far from it. Obama and Kerry enabled Palestinian intransigence. Netanyahu is enabling Israel's haters.

It was a bad week for anyone who still hopes that one day, we'll have a peace agreement. It was a week of deceit and radicalization. Obama, Kerry and Netanyahu are this week's heroes. Or rather, its anti-heroes
Around the turn of the century I was in Europe in the summer marveling at people all around me with six weeks vacation. I asked Europeans and Americans  In an increasingly global market, how do Europeans compete with the Chinese who never take vacation (an obvious exaggeration  you get the idea). They had no answer.

A hotel room in French Polynesia  many of them have a glass coffee table with a movable top, allowing you to feed the fish from your room.





Some years later, Europe dragged the world into a financial crisis more than once. There is lots of room for debate on the reasons but if government overregulation is the enemy of business  European government is at war with company profits.

The U.S. and UK have seen successful populist uprisings as a result poor trade deals and laws which make their companies far less competitive than those in non-western countries.

Just what is an example of a law which will lead to far less employment? As luck would have it, France just passed one which takes effect in the new year. The right to disconnect. Basically workers in France with more than 50 workers can negotiate with their employer for the right to ignore their devices after work hours. Germany passed a similar rule some years back.

Why is this law about as stupid as any law can be? The reason they are passed according to politicians, are to avoid employee burnout. The politicians acknowledge that such laws hurt companies which is why they only impose it on organizations with 50 or more people.

So smaller companies are spared from the rule but top workers may avoid such companies because they arent able to negotiate. In other words, smaller companies are permanently hurt by such laws. As a result, there is less competition in the market. When there is less competition, the upward pressure on wages decreases.

So with one dumb law the French authorities have lowered the competition for workers and reduced productivity for the entire population. Way to go.

Here is the bottom line  when a company is looking for the best place to set up shop, taxes, regulation and workforce productivity are what they look at.

If I am right  and the logic above seems fairly infallible, France will see decreased employment as a result of this new rule, the populist uprising in the country will increase and France could break away from the EU. This was #36 from my list of 2017 predictions from earlier this month. Well see what happens Keep in mind, 82% of the French think their country is heading in the wrong direction. And by the way, Happy New Year!!
Fifteen or sixteen of the 39 people killed when a gunman attacked a nightclub in Istanbul on Sunday were foreigners, but only 21 of the bodies have so far been identified, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said.

Soylu said a manhunt was underway for the attacker.

Speaking to reporters, he said that five Turkish citizens were among the dead and that 69 people were in hospital.
Israel's Ambassador to Turkey, Eitan Na'eh, condemned on Sunday morning the New Year's Eve terror attack at an Istanbul nightclub.

He expressed his condolences to the Turkish people, saying "A new year, old commitmentsterrorism will never win."

Thirty-nine people were murdered in the attack. Four Israeli women were at the club, one of them moderately wounded, another suffering from shock and one is currently missing. The fourth was unharmed and taken to the police station to give her testimony.
Exactly one year ago to the day on Friday, a terrorist opened fire in Simta bar in Tel Avivs popular Dizengoff Streets as crowds gathered to celebrate 2016s New Years Day.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



One year later, Ariel Nusbecherwho was at the bar celebrating his birthdayreturned to celebrate his 32nd birthday on Friday at the same place on 122 Dizengoff Street to demonstrate his defiance against the cruelties of terror.

At around 2:40pm on January, 1 2016 Nashat Milhem, an Arab-Israeli terrorist living in Ar'ara arrived at the vibrant scene before opening fire on random civilians, killing Alon Bakal, 26 who was the manager of the Simta bar, and Shimon Ruimi, 30, from Ofakim.

Returning to the scene of terror to celebrate a birthday (Photo: Dana Kopel)

Both victims were close friends of Ariels, who himself was shot in the stomach and moderately wounded in the hit. Seven others were injured in the attack while Amin Shaaban, a taxi driver was found murdered on Weizman Street in north Tel Aviv as Milhem fled the scene.

Unphased however, and resolute in his refusal to enable terror to dictate his daily life, Ariel managed to overcome the harrowing images indelibly etched into his memory and return to the once-macaber spot and transform it yet again into a scene of joy and celebration as he embraced his 33rd year in the world.

Moreover, Ariel and his friends lit together the Hunukkah candles, marking its penultimate night.

It was strange because of what we experienced there on my birthday a year ago, Ariel told Yedioth Ahronoth, Ynets sister print publication. A childhood friend of mine was killed. Shimmy, he said, referring to Ruimi, would have wanted us to celebrate this way.

Reflecting on the fact that not every victim of the attack died, Ariel said, One of my friends said to me that my birthday is everyones birthday because people (who werent killed) were given their lives as a present on this day.

Despite his determination, Ariel said that the memories of the attack will never fade.

The memory of what happened to me a year ago will accompany me for the rest of my life. Shimmy will have a place in my heart or the rest of my life, he said. It was important for us to come and say that we are continuing to celebrate despite the attack because you cannot surrender to terror.
Israelis rang in the new year on the cold and rainy Saturday night with a toast and the traditional New Year's kiss.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



Mirit and Tal, a couple from Givatayim, went to a private party in Kfar Yona. "This is a party organized by a Facebook group, 'Women Talk,' where we met. For a second there, we felt like we wanted to feel young for a moment so we went out. We'll stay til after midnight and of course we'll kiss. Don't worry, we got a babysitter for the kids," they said.





A New Year's Eve party in Jaffa (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

Noa, an 18-year-old soldier from Gedera, said she and her friends went to a bar in Rishon Lezion, where they planned to stay until 2am. "New Year's Eve is a chance to celebrate, so we do. And the rain doesn't bother us."

Drinking at a pub in Kfar Giladi

A New Year's Eve party in Jaffa

Yuli, 33 from Tel Aviv, spent the night with her partner Sagi and other friends at a concert. We chose to go to a concert of (Israeli rock bands) Mofa Ha'arnavot Shel Dr. Kasper and HaYehudim at the Zappa club in Givat Brenner because we didn't feel like waiting in lines. It's cold outside and we didn't want to go someplace crowded," she said. "The most important thing is to be with the people you love, good music, and alchohol. The rest we'll leave for warmer days."

Handing out tests to discover presence of 'date rape' drug in Kfar Giladi (Photo: Avihu Shapira)

A kiss at midnight (Photo: Avihu Shapira)

Magen David Adom paramedics treated hundreds of people across the country overnight, including 189 who were treated at New Year's Eve celebrations and events. Among them, 35 were hurt in road accidents, including one 23 year old who was killed after his car flipped over on Route 98 near Buq'ata.

Forty people were hurt in violent incidents, three were in moderate condition. Eighty-three teenagers and adults were treated for excessive alcohol consumptionall were in light condition. One, a 33-year-old man, fell from the first floor in Ashdod.
The family of IDF soldier Hadar Goldin, whose body was abducted by Hamas terrorists in Operation Protective Edge in 2014 after he was killed, issued a scathing statement Sunday over what they described as the governments failure to engage in any serious negotiations to secure the release of their sons body, or that of Oron Shaul, who met the same fate.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



Publishing the statement shortly before 2017s first political-security cabinet meeting on Sunday, which is set to discuss the return of the soldiers bodies, the family expressed their disappointment in repeated government statements of proclaimed steps taken which have yet to bear fruit.

We expect that in this discussion operational decisions will be taken and we wont hear the same statements again that the Israeli governments is doing everything to bring the boys back. Time and again this statement, completely empty and devoid of content, is made, they said.

Hadar Goldin (L), Oron Shaul (C), Abera Mengistu (R)

During the talks, Col. (res.) Lior Lotan, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coordinator on the issue of POWs and MIAs, will present an overview listing contacts which have been established thus far to bring the soldiers back to Israel, along with the latest update on efforts made to bring Abera Mengistu back to Israel, an Ethiopian-Israeli reportedly held hostage by Hamas, and Hisham al-Sayedboth believed to have been suffering from psychiatric problems and who crossed the border into Gaza voluntarily.

The participants in the discussion will be apprised of all the most recent efforts to exert pressure on Hamas which, inter alia, include toughening up the conditions for imprisoned Hamas terrorists.

This notwithstanding, the Goldin family expressed their dissatisfaction with the efforts. Our moral obligation as a people and the obligation of the IDF is to bring soldiers back from the battlefield, the letter read, accusing the prime minister directly of surrendering to Hamas.

Unfortunately, the prime minister waved a white flag at Hamas and gave up on bringing Hadar and Oron home. The Israeli government is demonstrating terrible weakness to Hamas.

The family went on to describe the soldiers release as a humanitarian responsibility while decrying the governments delivery of goods to Gaza and its assent to the return of bodies of many terrorists over recent months.

While the two sit in Hamas captivity, the family said, Netanyahu releases bodies of terrorists, while Hamas prisoners receive deluxe conditions and the government pays the salaries of Hamas terrorists.

The state is allowing the massive entry of goods into Gaza that no government has done in the past. While the state is creating water desalination factories in Gaza, the State of Israel doesnt even demand to receive information about Hadar and Oron and isnt conducting negotiations for their return. Anyone in the Israeli government who thinks this is a humanitarian issue, they continued, must know that so is bringing bodies back to be buried. It is also a religion issue.

On Saturday, Hamas's military wing released videos of a mock birthday party for Oron Shaul.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent Turkey's president a telegram of condolences, denouncing the Istanbul nightclub attack.

"It is hard to imagine a more cynical crime than killing innocent people during New Year celebrations," Putin said in the message to Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Kremlin said Sunday.

"However, terrorists don't share moral values. Our common duty is to combat terrorists' aggression," Putin said.

Nordic and Baltic leaders reacted on Twitter, with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius saying "terrorist cowards can kill, but can't win."

Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite sent her "heartfelt condolences," while Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven called the attack "awful."

In Norway, Prime Minister Erna Solberg said it was a "cowardly armed attack toward innocent civilians."
HILLA - Islamic State militants attacked a police checkpoint near the southern Iraqi city of Najaf on Sunday, killing seven policemen and wounding 17 others including civilians, local police sources said.

The assailants were travelling through the desert in two vehicles around al-Qadisiya town west of Najaf. When police stopped the first vehicle for inspection, the driver detonated an explosive load. The second vehicle fled and was stopped by police who killed the two militants inside.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement distributed online by supporters. It said four gunmen had opened fire before detonating explosive vests and then a fifth assailant launched a suicide car bomb.
Turkey's Minister of Family and Social Policies says foreigners are among the wounded in the attack on an Istanbul nightclub that left at least 39 dead and nearly 70 wounded.

Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya said: "There are many different nationalities, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Lebanon, Libya and citizens of other nations."

The minister was speaking to the media outside a hospital after visiting the wounded, according to Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency.
Just like every new year, some parents are determined to give their children a special birth date1/1. At the close of 2016, some babies were fortunate enough to make it first past the finish line just late enough to be crowned the first of 2017.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



We waited until the clock turned to midnight and then according to the the birth instructions, I started to push really hard. Minutes later, the surprise came into the world, said Hilla Sol overnight Sunday, who gave birth to her daughter at 00:09.

Her husband Lior was also in the room with her as she was giving birth in Ichilov hospital.

Hilla and Lior Sol welcome their New Year's daughter

In Sefad Ziv Medical Center, just a few minutes after midnight the first baby of 2017 was born to the happy parents, Dikla and Haim Moshe from Kiryat Shmoneh.

Despite the heavy winds and cold temperatures outside, their new bundle of joy was able to warm everyones hearts.

The baby, born just after midnight, weighed just 3.880kg, meaning Amit and Roni Moshe now have a new brother.

In 2016, 2,441 babies were born in the new delivery room in the Ziv Medical Center.

In Beilinson Hospital, four babies were born overnight. Efrat (33) and Yossi (37) from Petah Tikva arrived at the hospital on the last day of 2016 and the following morning at 4:33am, Efrat gave birth to an adorable little baby weighing just 3,330kg.

Efrat and Yossi Moshe with their new daughter

But for Efrat and Yossi, the fact that yesterday marked the birth of their first child means that the timing could not have been more appropriate.

When we left for the hospital I was scared that it would be crowded but the moment that we got there I saw that everything was going on as usual and we thought 1/1 is a great date, Efrat said with a huge smile.

The truth is that this is something totally spontaneous, and not planned. We said that it should come whenever it is ready. What is clear is that she has good taste.

Efrat said that the birth was comparatively easier than the first time, praising the medical staff for their work. The medical team gave us a good feeling every step of the way and they were simply wonderful, she said.

Michal overwhelmed with joy for her premature but healthy baby (Photo: Liad Avial/Assaf HaRofeh Medical Center)

The couple have yet to name their daughter and due to her pregnancy, Efrat said, I never celebrated Yossis birthday but now he has received a really beautiful birthday present. I am so excited. This is our first year as parents. I wish for her to grow to be a happy and loved girl.

Also shortly after midnight, Michal and Rom brought a little 1.480kg boy into the world at Assaf HaRofeh Medical Center. They decided to name him Eitan. The mother and baby are both in good health, despite the babys premature birth.

He was supposed to be born in a month but Eitan chose otherwise, ran ahead of everyone and became the first baby to have been born in this hospital in 2017, the parents boasted with pride.
17,387,971 international travelers passed through Ben Gurion Airport in 2016, according to data released Sunday by the Israel Airports Authority. The numbers represent an 11 percent rise over 2015.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



Including domestic travel, more than 18 million people utilized the countrys main airport last year.

Leading destinations for travel to and from Israel included Turkey (1.6 passengers, most of whom were in transit), the United States (1.45 million), Germany (1.2 million), Italy (1.5 million). One million passengers travelled to both Russia and France.

Terminal 3 at Ben-Gurion Airport (Photo: Shutterstock)

Top airlines included Israel's national carrier El Al (5.5 million passengers), Turkish Airlines (932,000), easyJet (719,000), Aeroflot (704,000), Arkia (650,000) and Israir (548,000).

Currently, more than 100 airlines fly out of Israel to 135 international destinations  numbers that are unusual for an airport of Ben Gurions size.

But spokespeople for the Airports Authority said that infrastructure and security work at the airport would allow Israel to further expand air travel in and out of the country and to accommodate additional airlines wanting to expand their services to include Israel.

Thirty-six percent of travelers check in for flights online from home, and nine percent use kiosks in the departures hall. Ninety percent of passengers on low-cost airlines checked in online and printed boarding passes at home.

Uvda International Airport, near Eilat, registered 128,595 travellers during 2016, a 97.8 percent spike over 2015.

We are entering the fifth year of the 'Open Skies' agreement with the European Union. In contrast to all the predictions, Israeli citizizens have benefitted from the agreement, and Israeli airlines have not suffered losses," Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz said. "On the contrary, they have added flights to many international destinations.
A lawyer from Bi'ina in northern Israel was convicted in Haifa District Court on Sunday for passing messages between security prisoners in Israel and Hamas.

According to the indictment, Mohammad Abed met with many Hamas inmates and transferred their messages to the terror organization along with instructions for action to those incarcerated in other prisons.

Among other things, Abed was convicted for establishing contact with a foreign agent and money laundering of more than a million shekels.
President Reuven Rivlin on Sunday slammed the UN Security Council's anti-settlements resolution and US Secretary of State John Kerry's speech on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



"Resolution 2334 and the speech by the Secretary of State put Israel on trial," he told a group of Israeli ambassadors stationed in Europe.

"The adoption of the resolution proves that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ... is on the worlds stage and we cannot look the other way in the hope it disappears," he added.

Rivlin speaking to Israeli ambassadors to Europe (Photo: Avi Kaner)

"If we will not be sure of our strength and the justness of our path, and in our ability to convince that we act justly, with respect, fairness, and with morality towards all the residents of this land, we will be stuck forever in this war," the president continued.

He went on to explain that "the existence of a clear disagreement between Israel and the international community on the question of the 1967 borders, is sacred to the resolution of the conflict. The international community still sees the 1967 borders as sacred to the solution of the conflict, while within the Israeli Jewish consensus, there are perhaps none who see a return to the 1967 borders as realistic. There are those who would enlarge or narrow, but the majority of the public knows what would not be accepted. This is a genuine, deep, and even sometimes difficult disagreement between Israel and the international community, yet it needs to be clear and open, and we have the duty to address and explain it."

The president told the Israeli diplomats that "military strength and erecting high walls will never suffice in safeguarding our sovereignty and security. The strength of the State of Israel is drawn since its first days from the combination of military and diplomatic strength ... today, perhaps more than ever; professional diplomacy is a central and crucial component to preserving Israels national and international resilience."

Rivlin speaking to Israeli ambassadors to Europe (Photo: Avi Kaner)

"The world around us is unsettled and shifting," he continued. "Axes are taking shape; some on a diplomatic level are more comfortable for Israel, like the Sunni axis, and some are hostile and dangerous, like the Syrian-Hezbollah-Iran axis. In the wider sense, these changes are not just regional. The shock-waves occurring in the Middle East impact more than metaphorically, but significantly, on Europe: as waves of refugees, as terror attacks, and Jihadists, which rove from here to there and from there to here."

"The political agenda for the continent in 2017 is certain to be far from boring for us, and certainly not for you," Rivlin added. "None more than you know the significance each of these elements for the State of Israel; on what occurs here, on its relations with the West, with the whole world."

Rivlin also expressed his condolences to the families of the 39 victims of the New Year's Eve terror attack at an Istanbul nightclub, which include Israeli Leann Nasser from Tira.

"Last night, Turkey endured yet another terror attack. I send from here my sympathies and wishes for better days, to the families who have lost their sons and daughters, and to the Turkish people after another disaster which has befallen them," he said.
Turkish media say the victims of the New Year's attack inside an Istanbul nightclub include a police officer and a travel agent.

State-run Anadolu news agency reported Sunday that the body of 22-year-old police officer Burak Yildiz was en route to his hometown in the southern city of Mersin. Yildiz, who had been on the force for 1.5 years, was shot and killed outside the Reina nightclub.

Private Dogan news agency reports that 47-year-old travel agent Ayhan Arik, a father of two, was another of the first victims of the early morning attack that killed 39 people.

The news agency says the gunman shot Arik in the head outside the club.
The US Consulate General in Istanbul is warning American citizens to limit their movements in the city in the wake of the bloody nightclub attack.

The consulate said in a statement Sunday that "security operations are still ongoing in the aftermath of the January 1st gunfire attack at Reina nightclub" and that "US citizens are advised to shelter in place and to limit movements to an absolute minimum."

It also is urging Americans in Istanbul to keep in close contact with concerned family members in the US.

The statement reminds US citizens that extremists "are continuing aggressive efforts to conduct attacks in areas where US citizens and expatriates reside or frequent."
Turkey's prime minister has denied news reports claiming the gunman who killed 39 people inside an Istanbul nightclub during New Year's celebrations wore a Santa Claus outfit.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told reporters Sunday: "There is no truth to this. He is an armed terrorist as we know it."

The prime minister also said after visiting the wounded in a hospital that the assailant attacked security personnel outside the club before shooting randomly inside.

Yildirim says the attacker left a gun inside the venue and escaped by "taking advantage of the chaos" that ensued.
Internal Affairs and Environment Committee Chairman MK David "Dudi" Amsalem (Likud) announced that he plans on submitting a bill on Monday that would prohibit the investigation of a sitting prime minister on suspicions of bribery, fraud or breach of trust. The bill will be promoted while sitting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to be investigated, with Monday set as the date of his questioning with the police..

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



The bill would have a prime minister serve out his term before facing an investigation, except in cases of suspected security-, sex-, violence- or drug-related crimes, describing these cases as "extremely severe offenses" that warrant a quick and efficient investigation. Another caveat includes situation where not investigating a certain suspicion in real time could cause serious security or financial damage.

Even if the bill were to pass all three readings, it will likely not be considered retroactively, and therefore would not relieve Netanyahu of his pending investigation. Despite this, Amsalem stated that "This bill seeks to send a clear message."

Netanyahu (L) and Amsalem

A previous bill of Amsalem's also tried to prevent investigations against the PM, but it has only referred to "light offenses" and did not specify further.

"The prime minister position is one of the most complex positions there are," the bill stated. "They must make critical decisions in matters that affect the entire public, including matters of diplomacy, security, finance and society. For this reason, they must be completely focused on these issues."

"Over the past few years, there have been several occasions where prime ministers were preoccupied with investigations opened against them for different matters, some of them relating to events that took place before they had taken office. To avoid this, it is now suggested to determine that a criminal investigation will not be opened against the prime minister during their time in office."

As certain offenses have statutes of limitations, the bill suggests freezing them for the prime minister's time in office.

"Over the last 20 years, all the prime ministers have been investigated, which led the entire country to repeatedly shut down," said Amsalem. "Running this country is ultimately what matters most. And it is impossible to continue what we are witnessing. The people should decide on the prime minister via elections, and not Meni Yitzhaki," the head of the police's Investigations and Intelligence Department.

Amsalem added that the police are exhibiting a different attitude to the prime minister compared to common citizens. "If it were just a regular guy, the police would have no motivation. I suppose that if Netanyahu weren't the prime minister, they wouldn't have summoned his son to find out whether he was invited to some hotel or another. There's an entire, vast army that is intent on replacing the prime minister. I think there's also foreign, overseas funding at work herethey're doing everything they can to get rid of Netanyahu and gain control of the government for their leftist agenda."

He added, "It is inconceivable to have the police, state attorney and court system run the country."
The Security Cabinet on Sunday ruled that it would not release to their families the bodies of Hamas militants killed during attacks on Israelis but would instead bury them, the government said.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



The decision followed the release on Saturday by Hamas terrorist group of video footage showing a mock birthday party for Israeli soldier Oron Shaul , believed by the army to have been killed in the 2014 Gaza war.





Netanyahu (Photo: Yonatan Sindel, Flash 90)

"The political-security cabinet discussed standing policy on treatment of the bodies of Hamas terrorists killed during terror attacks and decided that they will not be returned but will be buried," a statement posted on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's official Twitter account said.

L to R: Hadar Goldin, Oron Shaul and Abera Mengistu

It did not elaborate on the burial plan, but said that the same meeting discussed ways of returning the remains of soldiers killed in the 2014 Gaza war and obtaining the release of two Israeli civilians missing in Gaza and believed to be held by Hamas. The statement said ministers adopted a "plan of action", but gave no details.

In the past, Israel has buried the bodies of slain militants at secret locations in remote parts of the country.

Hamas's military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, said in a New Year's Eve statement that it had posted online "two video clips to mark the 23rd birthday of the Zionist soldier and prisoner Oron Shaul."

The IDF believes that another soldier, Hadar Goldin, was killed along with Shaul two years ago and that Hamas holds their bodies as potential bargaining chips.

Returning the bodies of Hamas terrorist could have also been used as leverage in negotiating the release of Abera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, two Israelis reportedly suffering from mental illness who are believed to be held by Hamas after crossing the border voluntarily.

In September, a senior Israeli official said that Israel had been holding since the 2014 Gaza war 18 Palestinians from the enclave as well as the bodies of 19 others and "offered to swap them for the bodies of the two Israeli soldiers."

However, Netanyahu's coordinator on the issue of POWs and MIAs Lior Lotan said at the time that Hamas rejected the offer.
A total of five persons perished on Sunday during an apartment fire in the Talpiot neighborhood of Jerusalem in what is suspected to be a murder-suicide. The deceased included a 36-year-old mother, and her four children, including two girls of approximately 12, one of approximately seven and a toddler of about two.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



Israel Police suspect that the mother killed the girls and then committed suicide. Firefighters said that they suspect that the mother set her children aflame with an accelerant, possibly strangling them first, and then killed herself by hanging. The family had immigrated to Israel from France.

Firefighters after subduing the blaze (Photo: Yoav Dudkevitch)

Emergency services were informed of the fire while it was still burning in the sixth-floor apartment. Once it was controlled, paramedics attempted to revive the deceased.

Menachem Estrick, the first Magen David Adom medic to arrive on the scene told the press, "When I got here I saw smoke coming out of a window on the top floor. I went up immediately and went into the house, which was full of smoke, together with firefighters who broke into the apartment. I saw a woman in her 30s unconscious, with no pulse and not breathing, I did some first aid, but she did not respond. A short while later she was confirmed dead.

ZAKA personnel (Photo: Yoav Dudkevitch)

"Firefighters found four children, aged 3-12, unconscious and badly burned. They pulled the children onto the porch in order to administer medical treatment and to resuscitate them, but a short while later we had to confirm that they had died."

The burnt apartment (Photo: MDA)

Volunteers from the United Hatzalah Psychotrauma Unit worked to stabilize the husband and father of the woman and children who perished in the fire. According to Jerusalem District Police Commander Yoram Halevy, the father was located nearby. The police will be conducting an investigation into the deaths. All the bodies were taken for autopsies.

(Photo: Gil Yohanan)

ZAKA Jerusalem volunteer Shalom Klein said "This is the most shocking scene. I arrived at the scene of the fire, and the neighbors brought me to the apartment balcony. The mother was dead. Her four children were burned to death. ZAKA Jerusalem volunteers are dealing with the bodies and collecting the remains."

(Photo: Yoav Dudkevitch)

While the city of Jerusalem and Welfare Ministry stated that the mother was not known to welfare services, the police stated that she had received psychiatric treatment in the past. The municipality did clarify that the mother had telephoned welfare services three months ago to enquire about babysitting services. The local welfare office explained that none were provided by them, but they invited her to visit them in person to discuss other available services. The mother did not contact them again.

Yoram Halevy updates the media (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

The schools where the slain girls studied began preparations on Sunday evening for addressing their deaths to their peers on Monday when they return from the Hanukkah vacation.

Omri Efraim, Yael Freidson, Kobi Nachshoni, Liran Levi and TPS contributed to this report.
The terrorist who killed at least 39 and wounded 69 in Istanbul during New Year's Eve on Saturday has yet to be caught, with Turkish authorities in pursuit of the assailant. In the meantime, another video and photos of the supposed terrorist have surfaced. The video shows him breaking into the Reina nightclub where he opened fire, while the pictures appear to be of him at Istanbul Ataturk Airport.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



Four Israeli women who were at the club on the night of the attack were caught in the midst of the shooting attack. One of them was 18-year-old Leann Nasser, who succumbed to her wounds and was pronounced dead shortly after noon on Sunday. Nasser's body was initially not identified, as it was separated from her purse and phone. However, she was eventually found to be at an Istanbul hospital. As she was uninsured, Israel's Interior Ministry funded the return of her body, which is expected to arrive in the country on Monday.

The terrorist at the Istanbul nightclub

X

A screenshot of the attacker at the nightclub

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yldrm issued a statement following the attack. In it, he denied initial reports that the terrorist had dressed up as Santa Claus to dissuade any suspicion as to his presence on New Year's, though reoprts from those injured stated that he did. Among them was Israeli Ruaa Mansour, who was flown back to Israel on Sunday.

Ruaa Mansour, an Israeli who was injured in the attack

Presently, no organization has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Alleged screenshots of the terrorist from Istanbul Ataturk Airport

Turkish Minister of the Interior Suleyman Soylu stated that out of the 20 victims who have already been identified, 15 are foreigners. He added that the assailant arrived at the club concealing his weapon, but left wearing a different outfit.
Former minister of Justice and Finance Yaakov Neeman died on Sunday following a battle with an illness. He was 77 and is survived by his wife and six children.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



Prime Minister Netanyahu praised Neeman as one of Israels leading jurists and mourned the loss of a dear friend.

Yaakov Neman (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

Yaakov Neeman was one of the leading jurists in this country, a sharp mind with a warm Jewish heart. He held strong nationalist views, and always endeavored to find the path of compromise and dialogue, as he did when he led with sensitivity and wisdom the committee on the subject of conversion. I found in him a wonderful partner for public action. As minister of Finance, he led and supported important reforms, primarily the opening of the foreign exchange market, which had a huge impact on Israeli economy, Netanyahu said.

L to R: Yaakov Neeman, former minister of Public Security Yitzhak Aharonovich and Benjamin Netanyahu (Photo: Avi Ohayon/GPO)

Neeman, an legal expert on taxation, was originally appointed director general of the finance Ministry in 1979 by then-Prime Minister Menachem Begin, a position he served until in 1981. Later, in 1996, he was appointed minister of Justice during Binyamin Netanyahus first term as prime minister, despite not being a member of the Knesset.

L to R: Supreme Court President Emeritus Asher Grunis, Shimon Peres and Yaakov Neeman (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

Neeman resigned just two months later, when then-Attorney-General Michael Ben-Yair opened a criminal investigation against him on suspicions of two counts of of perjury in the trial of Aryeh Deri, who was convicted for bribery. Neeman was eventually cleared of all charges.

L to R: Supreme Court Justice Emeritus Dalia Dorner, Yaakov Neeman and Supreme Court Chief Justice Emeritus Dorit Beinisch (Photo: Arnon-Paz)

After serving as minister of Finance between 1997 and 1998, Neeman was re-appointed Minister of Justice when Netanyahu was re-elected in 2009, a position he served until 2013. During his tenure, the Israel Tax Authority revealed it had been investigating Neeman for tax evasion, which had allegedly occurred during his years as a partner in the renowned law firm Herzog, Fox & Neeman.

Supreme Court Justice and former attorney general Meni Mazuz (L) and Yaakov Neeman (Photo: Ata Awisat)

Neeman again resigned, and again was later cleared of charges by the Tel Aviv Magistrates Court.

A close confidant of Netanyahu, Neeman was a controversial character due to the numerous investigations but also dueto his ambiguous statements made with regard to the place of religious law and the Knesset, and the possibility of Israel one day coming under Jewish religious law.

Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked (Bayit Yehudi) further stated: The entire Justice Department bows his head at the news of the death of Prof. Yaakov Neeman, a man of great stature, who managed to combine Torah and implementation, and had always worked in favor of the state.

Another official to eulogize Neeman was Opposition Leader Isaac Herzog (Zionist Union), whose father, former prime minister Haim Herzog was Neeman's partner at Herzog Fox & Neeman.

Prof. Neeman, a former Justice and Finance, was a mentor and close friend for tens of years. He was a tender-hearted, broad-minded and generous man who supported serving in the Israeli Military, connecting between different sectors of Israeli society, a brilliant legal expert and one with a substantial and important for the State of Israel and its citizens, said Herzog.

He always saw the good of the country and the unity of our people as his top priority, and he acted to achieve these goals.
Hi there, reader! Yes you, my dear, ogling at this bright page spilling into red. Its because of you that we at Zee News are all worked up! From the bossy types (hey boss its just a blog!) to the <I> chai chors</I> (the peon who is too busy looking at Mallika Sherawat on site)! All excited and taking a deep breath before plunging into the spicy world that the new India- Your India, my India- has come to live in.<br/><br/>Welcome to the heady times of a youngistan India. Where the gentlemens game has turned into a sporting orgy incomplete without a bevy firang beauties jiggling what they got, where your fav stars are willing to shake what they got with YOU on a reality show, where blogs have replaced eyes as the window to ones soul, and where the letter S truly represents everything we love- silver spoons, saucy curves, sushi, sex, street food, style, smooth skin, saree, spotlight, speaking (arguing, if a certain Sen is to be believed), soul-searching, sparkling drinks and spice.<br/><br/>Lots of the last S.<br/><br/>Its not for nothing that our land is often called the spice bowl. Since the time our ancients found spices to churn the curry culture, our <I>mirch-masala</I> has tickled many a-nose and made them stream with tears of gluttonous gratitude.<br/><br/>You see, we are like that only.<br/><br/>Celebrating birth and death, kindling a thousand lights on a moonless night, squeezing lemon into our soft-drinks, making our <I>sati-savitris</I> drench on screen with proper <I>jhtakas</I> in my-white-is whiter-than-your-white sarees, throwing colours at none other than Godthe spice train just goes on.<br/><br/>Spice is truly the way of life in India. And in such a charged atmosphere, how could we ignore the amount of fun you are having and, indeed, want to have?<br/><br/>After all underneath us all Indians is a <I>chaat </I>loving foodie who just cant do without his daily mouthful of <I>golgappa</I>. No, not even the hard news nosed nosey types (us) who like to drown themselves under the Sethusamudram or periodically choke themselves with nuclear deal dramas.<br/><br/>So it was that we decided to add some <I>tadka</I> in your- and our- life. Smelling it already? Well thats Spicezee.com brewing!<br/><br/>Its your adda, dhaba, lounge, pub, disc, mehfil- call it what you will- of glamour, glitz and girls. From Rakhi Sawants latest nakhra to Britneys newest revelation (not just the sans underwear type), from movies and music ratings to whats happening at a theatre near you, from the latest offering from Salman Rushdie to Sri Sri Ravishankars enlightening musings- Spicezee is your first and last stop on the entertainment trail.<br/><br/>Basically spicezee.com puts anything and everything about the well heeled and sought after trendsetters from India and across the world just a click away.<br/><br/>Television, Fashion, fads, funny & weird stories from around the world, Bollywood/Hollywood gossip, hotties on the dating circuit, latest pictures & videos, blogs, interviews, reviews & previews, fitness & yoga- you ask it, Spicezees got it.<br/><br/>And oh I hope you didnt miss the main ingredient of this mouth watering salami of a site, its main <I>masala</I>- You. This offering is made entirely with you in mind. You can have your say on every story posted, every picture shown, every video played- you type it, we make it live instantly.<br/><br/>Believe me you, feedback is something taken very seriously here. So bring on the compliments/<I>Wah Wahs</I>, the brickbats/<I>Chi Chis</I>- we are all ears dear reader.<br/><br/>And in the end, well a statutory warning:<br/><br/>Logging on to Spicezee.com can be intoxicating. You may feel like abandoning the eggs simmering on your pan or the sandwich grilling in the oven and find your eyes & ears glued to the computer screen. We take no responsibility for sudden wardrobe changes due to the fashion tips offered on site nor would the company be liable in case of your sudden urge to karaoke your neighbours deaf just to be published on the website. We will entertain no complaints about any rise in the number of gossip aunts who know why Katrina has become such a cat or why Amy Winehouse craves for pills. In short, click at your own risk.<br/><br/>Happy snee..ee.e.aAAAcChHOOOO..zing!<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>
Posted Sunday morning, January 1, 2017.

Toby Howard: How have you managed to stay out of prison for a year? Tanner Howard: Its been difficult.

Our feature for Mannion Family Movie Night last night and my favorite movies from 2016. Heck, one of my favorite movies of the 21st Century.

The Howard brothers, Tanner (Ben Foster, left) and Toby (Chris Pine, right) rest up and reflect after their most recent bank robbery in director David Mackenzies sad, ironic, and political contemporary western Hell or High Water.

Hell or High Waters one of the best westerns Ive seen in a long time.

Its also one of the saddest.

And one of the most overtly political.

If I had world enough and time I might make the case that it does a better job of examining the causes of the economic collapse of 2008 and its subsequent devastations than The Big Short. In The Big Short the victims are mostly invisible and the few villains we see are mainly clowns. The evil being perpetrateds an abstraction that needs constant cinematic tricks and stunts to keep it in focus.

Theres nothing abstract in Hell or High Water and the victims and their sufferings are almost never off screen.

To be clear right way, Hell or High Water is a contemporary western. Like the TV series Justified, it transplants themes, tropes, conventions, and stock characters established in classic westerns to the 21st Century United States. Hell or High Water is even set in the west. West Texas, to be exact. But unlike Justified, Hell or High Waters western-ness isnt a matter of the filmmakers taking poetic license.

Justified turns Kentucky coal country into a modern day Tombstone in order to give Marshal Raylan Givens an excuse to act like Wyatt Earp and get away with racking up a body count that would fill several movie Boot Hills to capacity. It really isnt much of a stretch but its a stretch to have Boyd Crowder and the rest of the criminal Crowders and Bennetts behaving like the Clanton Gang and the Cowboys who ran Tombstone before the Earps came to town. But it takes a good deal of our willingness to suspend disbelief to accept every other episode including a version of the Gunfight at the OK Corral.

I wouldnt call Hell or High Water a model of cinematic realism. But the picture it presents of economically blasted West Texas as the the Wild West or, rather, not as far removed from the days when it was the Wild West, has an essential realism.

The historical fact is that once upon a time the Wild West began just a short walk up from the beach at Plymouth, Massachusetts. A better name for the Wild West would be the western frontier and the story of the Taming of the West is the story of white settlement pushing the boundaries of the frontier farther and farther west.

The stuff of the legends, myths, and tall tales and the characters and exploits of the pioneers, immigrants, frontiersmen and women, heroes, folk heroes, and villains that have become in our collective imagination the story of the Taming of the West as we know it mainly from movies and TV began with the settlement of the wildernesses of Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

Its not unrealistic or at all ahistorical to see George Washington as one of our first frontiersmen heroes. James Fenimore Coopers Leatherstocking Tales, which are set in what are now some of the more touristy spots of upstate New York but were then the farthest reaches of the frontier, are literatures first Westerns. The second part of Nathaniel Philbricks Mayflower, which focuses on the second generation of Puritan settlers in New England and their part in King Philips War, reads like a prequel to Cooper---written by a smart writer who took to heart Mark Twains furious contempt for Coopers writing---and includes a heroic Indian fighter who rivals Hawkeye in derring-do, fighting and tracking skill, and luck in surviving dangerous and bloody adventures and its all true. Mayflower is non-fiction. And what Im saying is that much of what we think of as legend, tall tale, and myth is part of the true history of the of the often bloody civilizing of the frontier.

At one point, the West Texas of Hell or High Water was one of the farthest reaches of the frontier and it remained on the frontier for a longer time than other places on the continent where civilization took hold faster and more deeply. Basically, West Texas was what we think of as the Wild West long after the rest of the west was won and in defining economic ways it stayed the Wild West right up until the beginning of the 21st Century.

And what we see in the movie is that for many people West Texas as theyve always known it is reverting back to the frontier it was when their ancestors arrived.

Its important to keep in mind that a key part of the history of the taming of the West is white, English-speaking people stealing land from other people who were there ahead of them, people who in most places were Native Americans. But the English and their descendants also stole land from the French, Dutch, and Spanish while they were at it.

That the land were all living on today is mostly stolen land is a theme of Hell or High Water.

A Texas Ranger, whos part Mexican and part-Comanche while without question being all Texan and all American, observes that the land the economically hard-pressed white people of West Texas feel being stolen out from under them by the banks and oil companies was stolen by their ancestors from his Mexican ancestors who in turn had stolen it from his Comanche ancestors who in their turn had stolen it from other Native American tribes.

This makes Hell or High Water an ironic tragedy. Theres a poetic justice in the people were rooting for, represented by the failed rancher turned bank robber, having their land stolen from them.

Theres another irony at work too, and thats our recognizing that while were aware that their ancestors stole the land, in other movies were meant to root for those ancestors to get away with the theft.

This makes it hard to know who and what to root for in Hell or High Water.

Toby Howard (Chris Pine) is a divorced father of two sons he very much doesnt want following in his footsteps. Hes been a sometime roughneck in the oil fields, a sometime ranch hand on his mothers small and far from prospering ranch, and pretty much a full-time failure. Up until recently, he took a life full of hardship, money woes, and disappointment for granted. But his mother has died, leaving behind nothing but a pile of medical bills and the ranch and the ranch is facing foreclosure. His mother had fallen behind paying off the loan she been talked into taking on predatory terms by unscrupulous bankers. The ranch itself isnt worth much as a ranch. Tobyd only worked it to help out his mother and hes not attached to it. Hed just as soon let it go except...oils been discovered on the property.

This is Tobys big chance, but he sees as not a chance for himself but for his sons. Problem is the oil company wont start drilling and paying out unless he owns the place free and clear. He has to pay off the bank---forty-three thousand dollars in a matter of a couple of weeks.

He comes up with a plan to raise the money by robbing the very chain of banks looking to foreclose. Looking forward to foreclosing. The banks want that oil money too.

Toby, who has always been an honest man if not a successful one, enlists his ex-convict brother in the scheme. Tanner Howard (Ben Foster) has just finished doing a stretch in prison for killing a man in a bar fight. This was his second murder. He was never charged for the first one hed committed. Hed shot his the brothers abusive father. That one got passed off as a hunting accident. Point is, Tanner is a man of uncertain temper, violent impulses, a live for the moment and to hell with the consequences philosophy, and a guilty conscience. Hes the type who tends to maximize trouble by way of solving a problem.

But hes brave as all get-out---mainly because he doesnt care if he lives or dies---and hes fiercely loyal to Toby. Hes the older brother and he killed their father to protect his little brother.

Tobys plan is to rob a string of the banks branches, taking only relatively small scores in small bills so they cant be traced, until theyve raised the required forty-three grand which hes figured out how to launder. Its a clever plan but it gives the Texas Rangers who are soon on their trail time to figure out more or less what theyre up to and start anticipating their next moves.

The two Rangers after the Howards are Marcus Hamilton (Jeff Bridges), a cynical and worn-down days away from retirement but still almost as brilliant and fearless an investigator as he was in his prime, and his longtime---and longsuffering. Hamilton is deliberately difficult to get along with.---partner, Alberto Parker (Gil Birmingham), the Ranger I mentioned above who voices and embodies the movies central irony. Hes a man of two worlds. In his Mexican and Indian heritages, he represents both West Texas frontier past and its diverse, post-agricultural, knowledge-based white-collar future.

Hamilton, too, is a man of two worlds. In temperament and by virtue of his own history as a Ranger, hes a throwback to the old-fashioned lawman of classic Westerns. But on principle and through dint of intelligence, education, professional training, and common sense, hes very much a modern police officer and detective. He knows what the futures bringing and hed be looking forward to it, if only he could be part of it. Forced retirements getting in the way of that. But it still makes him someone whose heart is divided between two worlds he cant be part of, the lingering Wild West of his glory days and the bright civilized future he fatalistically figures he wont live long enough to enjoy witnessing let alone be an active part of. Retirement, as a consequence, is looking to him like a state of death in life.

No surprise then that hes clinging hard to the present moment and enjoying maybe a little too much the chase theyre on after the bank robbers. Its his last hurrah. Alberto, though, worries that Hamiltons looking to go out in a blaze of glory.

Hell or High Water, then, is the story of three desperately unhappy men, Hamilton and the two Howards, at the ends of their ropes, with only one of them, Toby, feeling he has anything left to lose.

Hamilton and Tanner seem to be having a high old time playing out a real life western, Tanner seeing it as a game of cowboy and Indian, with himself as the Indian. But at bottom both are as sad and sick at heart as Toby, and the three mens different sadnesses are part of what makes Hell or High Water that saddest of westerns I described it as up top.

But that sadness doesnt stop it from being an exciting western or a fun one.

Finally cutting to the chase, which is the opposite of what director David Mackenzie has done. Mackenzie smartly opens with the chase and takes some time to let the action settle down before laying out his themes and giving us the backstory.

We meet the Tanners in the middle of their pulling off their first robbery. And were told anything about them except that theyre not particularly experienced bank robbers. Terror, exuberance, affectionate squabbling puts us on the Howards side before we know who they are or what their longterm plans are. All we know is that they are in more trouble and immediate danger than the people in the banks they rob.

The teller at the first bank (Dale Dickey), although scared, is annoyed at them as much as frightened. She recognizes at once that theyre amateurs who havent come to work prepared. Her practical, no-nonsense reaction is indicative of most of the characters were going to meet along the way.

The regular folks of West Texas and the Oklahoma panhandle---a casino there figures at the center of Tobys scheme to beat the banks with their own money---are like her, practical-minded, common-sensical, stoical, and even good-humored in their determination to make the best of bad situations. But thats one of their problems. Theyre resigned to hard times.

The teller is different in that we can see at once shes someone who will survive and thrive whatever comes her way and not just because she works for a bank, one of the few prospering businesses around. Shes the type who thinks and plans ahead, who can think and plan ahead because she can imagine a different and better future for herself. (At the exact present moment that means coming out of this robbery alive.) But others can only see more hardship and sorrow ahead of them and their only solace is a kind of retreat into memories of a glorified past or dreams of improbably rosy future brought about not by hard work or careful planning but sheer good luck.

In counterpoint to the bank teller is a waitress at a diner where Toby and Tanner happen to stop in for breakfast on their way to their next hold-up. Shes a single mother who sees her only hope for a better life for herself as attracting the romantic interest of a customer with a good job. She is consequently overtly and too obviously and desperately flirtatious. We can easily guess that far more often than shes come close to landing a husband and father for her child, shes essentially prostituted herself for very little money, most likely usually not much more than a too generous tip.

Whats more important, though, is that we see through Kelly Mixons heartbreaking performance the waitress self-awareness and self-disgust and at the same time her resolve to keep her pride despite her sense that shes humiliating herself and that her belief that her situation is hopeless.

This mix of courage and shame makes her more typical than the teller of the characters who populate the movies West Texas, and that includes Toby.

Toby is forward thinking and hes a careful planner, but both are new to him and theyre reactions to the sheer dumb luck of oil being found on his mothers ranch and his mothers dying when she did---had she lasted a few more days, he might not have had time to put his plan into action before the bank took possession of the ranch. And his careful plan requires him to debase himself. An honest, considerate, and gentle man, he has to turn himself into a thief and point guns at innocent peoples heads. Already ashamed of himself for a lifetime of failure, hes now disgusted with himself for having become a criminal and a threat and danger to people whove never done him any harm.

Jeff Bridges as Ranger Marcus Hamilton is unsurprisingly terrific, and I could go on and on about him and his performance; however, I think its best to leave things to Bilge Elbiri who writes about Bridges' remarkable career as one of Hollywood's best leading men of the past two generations in a article at the Village Voice. Chris Pine, though, does a to me gratifyingly excellent job as Toby. Ive been rooting for him to become a major star since the first movie in J.J. Abrams reboot of the Star Trek franchise.

It was fun to see Hell or High Water not too long after Star Trek: Beyond. Abrams reconceived Jim Kirk as the popular jock who makes the class nerds feel good about themselves and inspires them to be heroes. But Pine never lets us lose track of the fact that Kirk is the son of a pair of brilliant scientists and takes after them in important ways. The driving quality of his life is an intelligent curiosity---what he wants most in life is to know. Hes every bit as smart as the nerds who look up to him and is, at heart, a nerd himself. In Star Trek: Beyond, Pine takes his Kirk a step closer to that Kirk, which is to say the Kirk we know and love from the original series. And that Kirk, besides being very smart, is a comic character. Although he has a melancholy streak, hes essentially a happy man who takes great joy in life and in being himself.

Toby Howard is not a happy man nor does he take much joy in anything, especially not in being himself. Hes not stupid, by any measure, he is in fact quite smart. But he doesnt really know how to be smart. Hes never had to be. Hes gotten by up until now by going along. He knows objectively that his plan is a smart one but he lacks faith in it because he lacks faith in himself. And more than hes impressed by his own plans brilliance, hes oppressed and depressed by its necessary criminality. That he has to break the law in order to save his sons' lives is proof to him that as smart as the plan is, it mean he's smart. A smart man wouldnt have to resort to robbing banks, even if those banks deserve to be robbed.

Pine lets us see Tobys heartbroken shame and self-doubt as clearly as Kirks exuberant and inspiring and good-humored self-confidence.

But as good as Bridges and Pine are, I think its Ben Foster who steals the show. While never letting us forget that Tanner has an awful mean streak, that hes dangerously lacking in self-control, and that as much as hes driven by loyalty to Toby, hes driven by a desire to break things, he also never lets us forget that Tanner is large-hearted, brave, and in his way noble. Hes also very smart, in his own way. He doesnt think before he leaps, but once in the air his mind sharpens and his thinking becomes focused and practical. In other circumstances---in another kind of movie---hed be a hero. Hes practically the hero of this movie. A tragic hero, however and of course, because unlike all the other characters in Hell or High Water, including Toby and Hamilton, hes not simply a victim of circumstance. Hes a victim of his own nature. It wouldnt matter, when and where he found himself, he would eventually find himself on a path to self-destruction.

Hard times are what they are, is one of the messages of Hell or High Water, and to a great degree were all at the mercy of economic forces beyond our control, and thats not just a tragedy its a crime, because there are people who can control those forces and who choose to use their control to serve their own narrow interests and destroy other peoples lives in the process.

But along with not having enough of a say in what happens to us, unless like Toby we strike oil in one way or another, that is, we get very lucky, we dont have a lot of say in who we are either.

Mackenzie doesnt push it, but its key to our understanding whats going on that we keep in mind that Tanner and Toby are the sons of an abusive father and a cold and withdrawn mother who enabled the abuse.

The problem for other characters in the movie is that they too readily accept whats happening to them.

Tanners heroism may lie in his too readily accepting who he is.

____________________________________________________________

As if you don't have enough to read, here's my review of Star Trek: Beyond: Kirk's Odyssey Begins.

And over at the Village Voice, Bilge Ebiri's article The Searcher: On the Enduring Appeal of Jeff Bridges, All-American Loser.

__________________________________________________________

Hell or High Water, directed by David Mackenzie. Screenplay by Taylor Sheridan. Starring Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Gil Birmingham, Kelly Mixon, Dale Dickey, Buck Howard, and Kevin Rankin. Rated R. Now available on DVD and Blu-ray and to watch instantly at Amazon.
- It seems Tiwa Savage and husband Tee Billz are back together!

- The estranged couple who speculations have it that they are working on getting back together attended Nollywood actress Stepahnie Coker's wedding to Olumide Aderinokun on Friday, December 230, 2017

- Tiwa nd Tee Billz parted ways went their separate ways in April, 2016 Tiwa Savage and Tee Billz are back

Tiwa Savage and Tee Billz are back

Yes! Tiwa Savage and her husband Tee Billz had issues with their marriage and when many thought they can never come back together as a couple again, the couple comes out stronger.

READ ALSO: Tiwa Savage opens up about her addiction problem

Tiwa Savage and Tee Billz attend Stephanie Coker's wedding as couple

There have been speculations concerning Tiwa and Tee Billz working on their estranged marriage and this has started yielding result as the couple was spotted together at the traditional wedding of Nollywood actress Stephanie Coker to her beau Olumide aderinokun on Friday, December 30, 2016.

DOWNLOAD: Legit.ng Wedding app for android to get the latest posts

Both Tiwa and Tee Billz were looking happy as they took photo with the new couple.

The Mavin Records first lady got married to her talent hunt and manager husband Tee Billz on April 26, 2014 in Dubai. They had their son in July, 2015.

Source: Legit.ng
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
Saturday, December 31, 2016

An attorney disbarred in North Carolina has filed a motion consenting to the same sanction in Illinois.

The criminal charges that formed the basis of the consent

On June 10, 2015, Movant was involved in an argument with his paramour while at Hudsons Market at the Wild Dunes resort in Isle of Palms, Charleston County, South Carolina. During the argument, Movant pointed a black Ruger LCP .380 firearm at his paramour and others. Witnesses called the police, and officers arrested Movant outside Hudsons Market. Upon arrest, officers found Movant to be in possession of less than one gram of cocaine.

On June 1, 2016, Movant entered pleas of guilty to one felony count of pointing and presenting a firearm at a person, one misdemeanor count of unlawful carrying of a pistol, and one misdemeanor count of possession of cocaine in Charleston County, South Carolina...and judgments of conviction were entered against him the same day. Movant was sentenced to a total of one year in the State Department of Corrections (with credit for time served) and five years of probation. Movant is currently on probation.

We had the story of his interim suspension in North Carolina linking to a report by WRAL.com

A 39-year-old Cary man, who has worked as a tax attorney in Raleigh, is accused of holding his ex-girlfriend hostage at a South Carolina grocery store.

The Isle of Palms Police Department has charged Robert Howell with attempted murder, kidnapping and first-degree burglary in the incident, which happened Wednesday.

Investigators said Robert Howell followed Autumn Yee, 29, of Cary, to Isle of Palms, where she was vacationing. Howell allegedly took Yee to Hudson's Market, where she alerted one of the clerks by silently mouthing "call police."

In a 911 recording, the woman can be heard speaking to an emergency operator about the situation.

"I need you to come to Wild Dunes, please. There's a man with a gun and he's holding me hostage," she said. "I need you to get here quick."

Isle of Palms police Capt. Kimberly Usry said Yee tried to keep herself and her assailant in public places so someone could see them. At some point, she jumped over the counter to try to get away. Howell grabbed her, ran out of the store toward the beach and was arrested, Usry said.

Police said Yee, who suffered minor scratches in the incident, had gone to Isle of Palms to flee from Howell a day after he allegedly assaulted and threatened her in her Cary home.

"Officers responded and found that a subject and been harassing the victim there," Cary police Capt. Randall Rhyne said.

In a 911 call that day, Yee told dispatchers she arrived home and found him pacing back and forth in the road, staring at her. She said she was frightened and asked the call-taker to stay on the line until help arrived.

"I'm just afraid to get out of the car," she said in the recording released Monday. "I just want a cop to escort me to my door and ask him to leave."

Robert Howell and his estranged wife, Sarah Howell, are locked in a contentious custody battle over their three children. According to court documents, Sarah Howell had subpoenaed Yee in the custody case.

A day after Yee was held hostage, Sarah Howell sought a protective custody order against her husband, citing the kidnapping as proof that he posed a danger to her and her children.

Cary police said they are now working with South Carolina authorities to serve Robert Howell with additional warrants.

(Mike Frisch)

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/legal_profession/2016/12/an-attorney-disbarred-in-north-carolina-has-filed-a-motion-consenting-to-the-same-sanction-in-illinois.html
Debbie Reynolds son, Todd Fisher, said his mother told him that the death of her daughter, Carrie Fisher, was too much for her.

On Wednesday, one day after Fishers death, Reynolds, 84, died.

I want to be with Carrie, is what she said just before her death, Todd Fisher told the Associated Press.

Can people die because they are so upset over the loss of a loved one? Some call it broken heart syndrome.

The American Heart Association lists a broken heart as a medical condition. It reports that it can lead to sudden intense chest pain, especially for women.

The good news, it said, is most people make a full recovery.

Debbie Reynolds was a movie star, beginning with her starring role in 1952 with Gene Kelly in Singin in the Rain. Fisher, 60, won fame through books, movies and plays. She is best known for playing Princess Leia in four of the Star Wars movies.

All of Us Feel Loss

Susan Gennaro is dean of the William F. Connell School of Nursing at Boston College. She said all people have felt or will feel the loss of a loved one that leaves them feeling like their heart is breaking.

That can bring on stress, which can affect a persons health, Gennaro said. That is especially true for a person who already has health problems.

Gennaro said she does not believe people know how to control their bodies to the point that we can will ourselves to die.

But, people can make the decision to give up on life, or to fight and hang on, she said.

I don't know why we are surprised as we also all have stories of people who were dying and waited until a loved one arrived before dying or some other important event, Gennaro said.

For people who believe that death is followed by an afterlife, it can make sense to want to join a loved one who passed away, Gennaro added.

It makes all the sense in the world that Debbie Reynolds having lived a full life would prefer to pass to another existence with her daughter, Gennaro said.

Grief brings with it stress

Harvard Universitys School of Public Health did a study in 2013 that examined health information for 26,000 Americans over age 50.

It found an increased chance of dying after a spouse dies. People who lost a wife or a husband had a 66 percent increased chance of dying three months after the spouses death, the Harvard researchers said.

David Kessler is a grief expert who has written five books about losing a loved one.

There is a stress that comes with deep heart break and that stress can affect your heart, Kessler said. For some people that passes. But, in some cases, people die from it.

Kessler said his advice to people experiencing loss of a loved one is to accept the pain and sadness.

We often want to run away from the pain, but that grief will actually help us heal in time if we dont run away from it, Kessler said.

Kessler is still dealing with his own grief. His 21-year-old son died unexpectedly on September 12.

Ive worked many years with people going through grief, Kessler said. This year, its personal. I certainly feel a kinship with Debbie. Your heart is just so broken when you lose a child. I can see at 84 years old, she was just done.

Im Bruce Alpert.

And I'm Jill Robbins.

Bruce Alpert reported on this story for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and share your views on our Facebook Page.

_______________________________________________________

Words in This Story

upset - n. a period of worry and unhappiness caused by something that has happened

syndrome - n. a disease or disorder that involves a particular group of signs and symptoms

stress - n. a state of mental tension and worry caused by problems in your life

existence - n. the state of existing

spouse - n. someone who is married -- a husband or a wife

grief - n. deep sadness caused especially by someone's death

actually - adv. used to refer to what is true or real
China wants to develop strength and size in its space program, a China National Space Administration official said last week.

In the next five years, the country plans to speed up the development of its space program. China wants to become the first country to carry out a controlled landing of a probe on the far side of the moon in 2018.

China also has plans to launch its first probe to the planet Mars by 2020.

China released an official policy proposal, known as a white paper. The document provides details of Chinas plans for space exploration for the next five years. It was released by the State Council Information Office last Tuesday.

"To explore the vast cosmos, develop the space industry and build China into a space power is a dream we pursue unremittingly," the white paper said. China says it will use space for peaceful purposes, to guarantee national security and to carry out new scientific research according to the paper.

Russia and the United States have more experience in manned space travel with programs that have been operating for more than 50 years. China's military-supported program, however, has made progress in a short time.

Morris Jones is an independent writer and an expert on the Chinese space program. He is based in Australia. He told VOA that the Chinese have one of the worlds best space programs. He said it was about the same as the European program.

Theyre moving ahead very rapidly. They have a very impressive human spaceflight capability. They've recently completed their longest space mission to date, which was roughly a month. And theyre preparing probes to go to the moon and deeper into space.

China conducted its first manned space mission in 2003. Since then, Chinese astronauts have carried out a spacewalk. China also landed a vehicle on the moon in 2013. That was the first time a spacecraft had made a soft landing on the moon since the 1970s.

Most recently, two Chinese astronauts stayed aboard China's Tiangong 2 experimental space station for one month. It was the country's sixth and longest space mission. A fully operating, permanently crewed space station is to begin operations six years from now. It is expected to operate for at least 10 years.

In the white paper, Chinese officials do not talk about sending humans to the moon, but Jones says that may happen in the future.

What I also think is interesting to consider is the fact that the white paper gives further hints that even beyond landing robot probes on the moon, China is moving steadily in the direction of eventually sending humans there.

Jones says landing a probe on the far side of the moon is technically difficult. Because of the moons orbit, the far side of the moon always faces away from Earth. That, Jones says, makes communications with the landing probe more difficult. He says China will have to use advanced technology including a special satellite to communicate with the lander.

China says landing on the far side of the moon may help explain the formation and evolution of our only natural satellite.

He Qisong is a space security expert at Shanghai University of Political Science and Law. He said a soft landing on the far side of the moon would show that China has fully developed the technology needed to land on a specific area of the Moons surface.

"China never talks big and says something it's unable to achieve," he told the Associated Press.

The white paper says that China is committed to the peaceful use of space and opposes a space arms race.

Jones disagrees. He says China continues to develop its military space program.

Its not accurate at all because China has one of the worlds most advanced military space programs. They use space flight for most aspects of their militarycommunication, surveillance, weather forecasting. But one of the rising trends in China is the fact that they have a very aggressive development program for anti-satellite weapons. Theyve been able to hit satellites in low orbits for quite some time.

Jones says China has the ability to attack satellites in geostationary orbit or ones that are in a lower Earth orbit.

That means, they can probably try to knock out Americas GPS satellites in the event of a war, says Jones.

China plans to join Americans and Europeans who plan to go to Mars either with robots or humans. The white paper discusses China's plans to launch its first Mars probe by 2020. One goal is to explore and bring back samples from the red planet.

China also wants to explore Jupiter and to carry out research into major scientific questions such as the origin and evolution of the solar system, and search for extraterrestrial life."

Im Anne Ball

Anne Ball wrote this story for Learning English with material from VOA. Mario Ritter was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and visit us on our Facebook page.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

probe  n. an instrument used to examine something

cosmos  n. the universe, especially when it is understood as an ordered system

unremittingly  adj. not stopping or growing weaker

hint  n. a small piece of information that helps you guess an answer or do something more easily

surveillance  n. the act of carefully watching someone or something especially in order to prevent or detect a crime

geostationary  adj. a circular orbit above the Earth that follows the direction of the Earths rotation, so to ground observers, the satellite appears as a fixed position in the sky

GPS  n. stands for global positioning system and means a radio system that uses signals from satellites to tell you where you are and to give you directions to other places
In 1967 the Supreme Court struck down state laws banning interracial marriage. At the time, there were 16 states with such laws on the books.

The Court ruling came as a result of a case called Loving v Virginia, named for Richard and Mildred Loving, a white man and a black woman who lived in Virginia, but were jailed and then forced to leave the state.

50 years later, a growing number of Americans are in mixed-race marriages. Im one of them. Im white, and my wife is black. Weve been happily married for over 10 years.

My wife and I wanted to do something special to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Loving v. Virginia. So we launched The Loving Project.

The first part of the project is a podcast. Were interviewing interracial married couples and asking them to tell their stories and share their thoughts about their relationships and about this moment in history.

You can visit the Loving Project website for more details, or subscribe to the show to make sure you never miss an episode.

The Loving Project is also on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

Weve done several interviews so far, and everybodys story is different and each is compelling in its own way. You can check out our first interview by clicking the play link below:

Were also planning to organize some sort of Loving Day event close to the June 12th anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling, which has become known by many as an unofficial holiday called Loving Day. So if youre in the Philly area, stay tuned for details.
Preparation and celebration of New Year begins in Australia from the middle of December. Australians celebrate New Year at work and at home with their friends.

As our compatriot, Armen Sargsyan, who lives in Sydney tells, even though residents of the remote continent celebrate New Year in summer  Australia is located at the southern part of the planet - they have fun no less than people in other parts of the world. People decorate Christmas trees in offices and houses.

Prior to this, each draws a lot with the name of his colleague, purchases a small gift for him/her, and puts it under the New Year tree. It is important, that the gifts are made with a humor. It is a common tradition. Christmas holidays are coming at around December 25. Many people prefer to go somewhere for a week, said Armen Sargsyan.

For Australians, Christmas is a family holiday, to be met at home with their families. As for New Year, they spend it in noisy companies.

By the way, there is a Chinatown in Sydney, and Chinese New Year is celebrated no less noisily, said Armen. The most colorful show in Sydney on New Year's Eve is launching fireworks. People occupy spots in downtowns at all possible lawns from the morning.

However, I havent seen any special decorations, like they are in Europe, said our compatriot.

Armenians of the Diaspora mainly celebrate Christmas and New Year following the traditions, they had adopted in the countries they came from (Lebanon, Syria, etc.)

As to the Australians, they like to grill shrimps at Christmas and New Year because its hot. They also cook fish and drink bear and white wine. They do cook turkey too, but shrimps are a more traditional Australian dish. As to dessert, they prefer mango and Pavlova cake, named after Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, he said.
Protests turn violent in Iran's Alborz Province

Portugal is considering abandoning golden visa scheme

Biden and Erdogan to meet at G-20 summit

NATO supports normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan and welcomes EU efforts

Bank of England raises interest rates by largest amount since 1989

Scholz says Berlin must change its attitude toward China

Cavusoglu and Stoltenberg disagree over Sweden's and Finland's fulfillment of commitments

Turkish Vice President to visit Azerbaijan and occupied Shushi

Britain buys 250 million pounds worth of oil from Azerbaijan from July 2021 to June 2022

Yair Lapid congratulates Benjamin Netanyahu on winning election

Armenian MOD: Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense spreads another disinformation

ENISA: War in Ukraine, geopolitics fuel cyberattacks

Armenian MFA: Yerevan and Baku agree to speed up work on agreeing procedure of Commissions' activities

Zelenskyy will not participate in G20 summit if Putin participates in it

WP: Man who attacked Pelosi's husband was in the U.S. illegally

At Upper Lars, 30 cars are allowed through per day instead of previous 300: What are authorities doing?

Bloomberg: Turkey unlikely to sign Sweden's bid for NATO membership before the end of the year

Military servicemen in Armenia to be attested: Discussion at parliamentary standing committee

IEA calls for urgent action on gas shortages in Europe

French Senate to consider resolution demanding immediate withdrawal of Azerbaijani troops from Armenian territory

Papikyan: The final number of dead will be published after the identification is complete

Armen Grigoryan presents to Patrushev consequences of Azerbaijani aggression

Indonesia reveals its own kamikaze drones

UN: Russia resumes participation in inspection of ships in Black Sea

Grigoryan: Armenia interested in using communication routes through Azerbaijan

Investigative Committee: 10 officers charged in Armenia

FT: Azerbaijan demands EU funding and long-term contracts for gas supplies

Security Council Secretary: Azerbaijani troops must leave Armenian territory

US becomes 2nd largest gas supplier to EU

Russian Defense Ministry reports release of 107 Russian servicemen from Ukrainian captivity

How U.S supports Azerbaijan in 20 years by suspending 907th Amendment?

Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will receive less funds in 2023 than in previous two years

German government urges its citizens to leave Iran

Armenian MFA: Unblocking infrastructures is one of the main directions of talks

Armenia MFA: We expect positive results in relations with Turkey in near future

Armenia to open diplomatic representations in several countries in 2023: Uruguay among them

Former Pakistani Prime Minister injured in shooting of election motorcade

Russian MFA: Great Britain transferred underwater drones to Ukraine

Armenia FM: International community has sent very clear signal to Azerbaijan

Prime Minister receives Arin Karapet, Swedish MP

Dollar, euro drop in Armenia

Armenia FM: In few days there will be meeting between me, Bayramov, Blinken in Washington

IRNA: Iran's IRGC eliminated a group that was planning attacks on government agencies

Lawcoster 'Pobeda' to resume flights to Armenia at end of this year

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: One cannot despair, struggle must continue

Deputy FM: Armenia can make some progress in simplifying visa regime with EU

Turkey says Russia assures not to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine

CSTO deputy chief: Armenia-Azerbaijan escalation, confrontation risk remains

Armenian MFA: Cautious optimism in restoration of diplomatic relations with Hungary

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

Minister of Economy: Armenia's role in Eurasian Economic Union grows

Biden says U.S. troops will stay in Europe for a long time

Vahan Hunanyan: Yerevan and Tehran have no disagreements on most issues

Armenia, Russia to collaborate in information security

Artsakh State Minister: There are many principal disagreements with Armenian authorities

Public TV Company of Armenia to make purchase worth AMD 2 698.6mln for Junior Eurovision 2022

Armenian-Russian trade turnover up by 71.7%, Economy Minister

Secretaries of CIS Security Councils to discuss nuclear security

Economy minister: Armenia exports to other EEU countries increased 2 times

Outgoing Artsakh Minister Artak Beglaryan to take position in state government system

Japan Coast Guard reports 3 North Korean missile launches in a day

Pashinyan says Armenian government did a lot for revival of Armenian aviation

Oil falls in price

Patrushev comments on Zelenskiy's statement about preventive nuclear strike

WSJ: Americans favor Republicans over Democrats

Turkey announces normalization of grain corridor

Gold prices are down

Putin calls on CIS countries security councils to use all their security capabilities

SPRING PR founders were awarded the 'Global PR Leader of the year'

Copper prices are rising

State Duma member proposes to extend term of military service in Russia

Iranian MPs: Powerful Iran will never tolerate changing of its borders

Turkey to complete construction of pipeline in Black Sea in November

Newspaper: Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty to be signed in Georgia

US delivers more than 200 artillery systems to Ukraine since February

Secretary of Armenian Security Council to visit Moscow

Switzerland to direct $100 million to repair energy infrastructure in Ukraine

Study: Blue whales eat 10 million particles of microplastics a day

Microsoft president warns of shortage of staff to fight climate change

Latvia extends state of emergency on Belarus border

WSJ: UAE tried to convince Saudi Arabia not to cut oil production

Cavusoglu: Greece must stop arming the demilitarized islands in the Aegean Sea

Moody's downgrades outlook for banks in Germany, Italy, and 4 other countries to negative
YEREVAN.  Due to work, Armenian capital city Yerevan taxi driver Karen Hovhannisyan, 50, had celebrated New Year 2016last yearin his car, and congratulated his relatives and acquaintances by phone.

Hovhannisyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am that cab drivers in Yerevan are very busy during the last two weeks of December, while on December 31, they spend the whole day in their cars, due to traffic jams; and as a result, they cannot finish work on time and welcome the New Year at home, with their families.

And thats why last year I welcomed the New Year in the car, he added.

The taxi driver had started New Year 2016 in his vehicle, and together with Santa Claus, who likewise was working.

We were stuck in a traffic jam, said Karen Hovhannisyan. [But] I must say that it was very happy. The twelve [oclock midnight] struck, I congratulated Santa Claus, and then I called my wife [and] said, Im with Santa Claus; Ill come home late.
This week we finish the three-part story Mystery at The Ice Castle Inn. You will learn not only the ending of the mystery but also more English expressions that deal with cold.

At the end of part two, our four travelers had gone on a treasure hunt. They followed clues and searched the castle. But as they gather by the fire to tell what they found, no one is happy. What they found are not treasures at all.

The actress, Sylvia, is deeply disturbed by a pink babys rattle. A framed termination letter unnerves teacher Madeline. A white wedding veil angers Vincent, the handsome athlete. Major Jack is saddened by a military medal.

As each person looks at their so-called treasure, they hear a terrifying sound from the room above.

They all break out in a cold sweat. They are so scared they cannot speak -- well, all but one. The housekeeper remains as cool as a cucumber. They wonder why she is able to stay so calm while they are scared to death.

The housekeeper tells them to not move. She will investigate.

As they listen to her footsteps traveling up the massive staircase, Sylvia asks, Shouldnt one of us go with her? What if it is a wild animal?

Vincent says, I am staying right here by the fire and drink my wine. I have a feeling its going to be a long night.

The teacher suggests they use furniture to block the door in case the creature, whatever it is, is dangerous. Major Jack suggests they each find something to use as a weapon.

Time passes. Finally, Sylvia speaks. Someone needs to check on the housekeeper, she says. The actress goes the door. But when she tries the knob, it will not turn! She runs to a window and pulls up. But it does not move.

She cries out. We are not only snowed in --- we are locked in!

Everyone stops cold. They stop immediately.

You cant snow us, Sylvia, yells Vincent. And why would you try to fool us, anyway?

He hurries to the door but finds it is, indeed, locked. The others run to the windows but none will open.

Major Jack finally loses his cool and yells at the group. Why are we here?! What is going on?

Look, everyone just chill out, Madeline says, using her poor classroom discipline skills to try to calm the group. Then, she explains why she is at The Ice Castle Inn.

I was invited, she says. Thats why I'm here. The plane ticket, room, food -- everything was free!

The others look at each other in shock. They all received identical invitations. Each guest comes to the same realization at once: they are victims of a trick.

Getting us all together here in this castle  it is one big snow job, says Major Jack.

Sylvia agrees, Yes, but who is trying to snow us? Who invited us?

Just then, the door to the room creaks open. The four guests stare as the housekeeper walks into the room. She has returned from investigating the upstairs.

I invited you, she says.

You? You?! Youre just a housekeeper, says Madeline.

She eyes them each, coldly.

No, Im not just the housekeeper. My name is Crystal Castle. The Ice Castle Inn is mine. And now, Id like you to meet my daughter, my adopted daughter, Hope.

A young woman enters. She is very thin and her straight, blond hair is messy. But her face  its like an angels. She wears a silky white nightgown and robe. They look costly. But her feet are bare. Her body twitches and her eyes move nervously around the room. She doesnt speak.

Vincent drops his wine glass. He is suddenly stone cold sober, as he says, Hope? Is that you?

Madeline, is now standing next to Vincent.

It cant be. Hope? I havent seen you in years.

You havent seen her in exactly 5 years. says Crystal.

Sylvia and Major Jack do not recognize Hope. They are only more confused.

Was she the one who made that terrible noise? Is she  mad? I mean, is she crazy? asks the major.

Crystal, no longer the housekeeper, yells at them, Hope is as pure as the driven snow! She is good and kind. But yes, she is mad. And you four people in this room drove her to madness! That is why you are here!

It is now the middle of the night. Crystal lets everything out in the open. She explains how each person in that room contributed to her beloved girls insanity.

Ill start with you, Vincent. You and Hope were engaged. But on the wedding day, you broke your promise to marry her, leaving her stranded at the church!

Vincent says nervously, I got cold feet! I was nervous and changed my mind at the last minute.

He picks up the white wedding veil from the floor and holds it tightly.

If you must know, it was the worst mistake of my life. Ive never been the same. Ive never been happy. I was happy with Hope. But I was too young to marry.

He sinks into the chair. He looks deep into the fire, his mind trapped in the mistake of years past.

You may think you know me but you dont know anything about me, he says, his voice filled with regret.

I know a lot about you, Vincent, Crystal says.

She knows, for example, that Vincents wealth and status come entirely from his wifes family. She also knows that he was married before and never got divorced.

Which means, she continues, that you are not legally married to your rich wife. What will happen if I tell her and her family?

I would lose it all, he says, my wealth, home, social position. But, I dont care. Tell them. I dont care about anything. Life without Hope has been a cold and lonely place. I bet you didnt know that.

Outside the storm is easing. The wind blows lighter and the snow has stopped. And, Hope has changed ever so slightly. She puts on a pair of slippers and moves toward the fireplace. Standing over Vincent, she lays a hand on his head.

And then she speaks. It is okay, Vincent. We were very young.

They are Hopes first words in many months.

The young man cant bring himself to look at Hope. He simply holds tighter to her wedding veil.

Crystal moves to her daughter, hugs her tightly and puts a coat over her shoulders. Then, she redirects her frigid stare to Madeline. The teacher looks down at the framed letter in her hands.

You dont need to speak, Crystal. I can explain this myself, Madeline says.

She says she and Hope worked at the same school. At first, they were best friends. Hope was very talented, beautiful and kind. Everyone liked her very much. Over time, Madeline became very jealous.

I tried to freeze her out as much as possible. I gave Hope the cold shoulder. I tried my best to leave her out of things. But that didnt work. So, I stole money from the school and made it look like Hope did it. She was fired immediately.

Crystal answers with anger. You destroyed her career and her reputation!

Crystal, you should check again, Madeline says. Several teachers investigated the theft knowing their beloved Hope would not steal. They suspected I was to blame for the situation. But, they couldnt find any evidence against me so they couldnt fire me.

But, my career has been in a deep freeze ever since, Madeline continues. "My students hate me, the other teachers hate me and I hate my job. And Ive never had another friend like Hope. As she says this she throws the framed termination letter across the room.

Hope says in a calm, clear voice, It will all be okay. Listen  outside  the storm has stopped.

The actress, Sylvia, suddenly feels an unexpected and strong feeling for this strange, quiet young woman. Then she asks Crystal how she is connected to Hope.

Crystal says with an icy tone in her voice, Why, Sylvia, Hope is your daughter.

With that news, Sylvia passes out cold.

When she wakes up, the others learn why the actress so often holds her gold locket close to her heart. In the locket are pictures of a baby girl and a baby boy  babies she gave up for adoption.

I was young and alone, Sylvia explains. I was poor and snowed under so many unpaid bills that I could barely breathe. I didnt know what to do with two babies. But I have thought of them every day since. But how did you come to adopt them?

Crystal says she was a young doctoral student assigned to the orphanage. She took care of the brother and sister. When a rich relative died, she inherited a fortune and The Ice Castle Inn. So, she adopted the two babies and raised them as her own.

As Crystal talks of raising two wonderful children, the actress holds the locket to her chest.

It was Crystals plan all along to expose Sylvias history. She thought that people would stop seeing her films if they knew she had given up her own children to further her career. But she now realizes that that is not true.

Crystal also realizes she was wrong and feels, quite unexpectedly, ashamed. She doesnt feel any better when Sylvia looks down at her locket and asks, Where is my son?

This is where the major comes into the story, Crystal says hesitantly.

Major Jack says that he does not know this young woman.

Crystals agrees with him. Thats right. You dont, she says. But you did know her brother  her only brother. They were so close growing up. They were more like best friends than brother and sister. His name was Lieutenant Justice Castle.

Major Jacks blood turns to ice. Yes, he knows the name Justice Castle very well.

Justice was a soldier under my command  one of the finest soldiers I have ever met. We were on a peace keeping mission and werent supposed to see any fighting. But I got my information wrong. I sent his squad into a dangerous area.

The major has a difficult time continuing. His voice breaks as he speaks and his eyes fill with tears.

Justice was killed in action because of my mistake. But I lied on official reports. I blamed him for misreading a map. This has haunted me ever since. Before coming on this trip, I told my superiors the truth about what happened that day. When I return, I will probably be court-martialed. And I deserve it.

Crystal turns off a recording device. She had planned to say, And now I have recorded your statement, Major. She had planned to say, Now, I have the proof I need to ruin you too.

But her plans are not necessary now. He is already a ruined man.

Vincent is the next to speak. Do you mean to tell us, that for the past several years you have been collecting information on us, planning this whole trip just to get even with us?

Crystal stares at the empty faces of the group and says, Revenge is a dish best served cold.

What does that mean, mother? asks Hope as she moves to Crystals side.

It means, she explains, that I have waited a long time to get my revenge. And that just makes my revenge feel even better.

But revenge wont bring back Justice, will it.

No, it wont, my dear.

Crystal collapses into a chair, tired from the years of planning and hating. She has waited so long to get her revenge for her daughter but now it is cold comfort. The revenge has offered her none of the reward she thought it would.

Oh, look! The sun is coming up! Hope says happily. And whats that on the horizon?

The group are shocked to hear the sounds of a helicopter approaching.

Look mother! says Hope. A helicopter is landing on the big lawn! How beautiful the day is going to be. She looks reborn, renewed.

Yes, I think it will be, says Crystal Castle. Lets get our bags and leave this cold place. How would you like to spend the rest of the winter on a tropical island?

That sounds lovely, Hope says as the color returns to her cheeks. But what about the others? I hope they will be alright. I hope.

A helicopter is not the only sound they hear. A snow plow is slowly working its way up the long drive to The Ice Castle Inn. It wont be long before Vincent, Madeline, Sylvia and Major Jack will be able to leave the inn and return to their normal lives.

Or will they? Will their lives ever be normal again? Will any of them ever be the same ever again?

And so ends Mystery at The Ice Castle Inn.

Im Anna Matteo.

Anna Matteo wrote Mystery at The Ice Castle Inn. Kelly Jean Kelly, Ashley Thompson and Caty Weaver edited the three parts.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

disturb  v. to worry or upset (someone)

obvious  adj. easy for the mind to understand or recognize

stranded  v. to leave (a person or animal) in a place without a way of leaving it

identical  adj. being the same

twitch  v. to make a slight, sudden movement that is not controlled or deliberate

insanity  n. severe mental illness : the condition of being insane

regret  n. to feel sad or sorry about (something that you did or did not do)

frigid  adj. very cold : not friendly or loving : lacking emotional warmth

inherited  v. to receive (money, property, etc.) from someone when that person dies

fortune  n. a very large amount of money  usually singular

lullaby  n. a song used to help a child fall asleep

revenge  n. he act of doing something to hurt someone because that person did something that hurt you

ashamed  adj. feeling shame, guilt, or disgrace

hesitantly  adv. slow to act or proceed

haunt  v. to keep coming back to the mind of (someone) especially in a way that makes the person sad or upset : haunted  adj.

court-martial  v. to present evidence against (someone) in a military court : to put (someone) on trial in a military court

tropical  adj. of, relating to, occurring in, or used in the tropics
Armenia stands ready to deepen relations with the United States (US), Armenian Ambassador to the US, Grigor Hovhannissian, told Voice of America Armenian service.

Our relations are close, and they still have more room for development, he added. And there is [respective] willingness both in the United States and in Armenia.

The Armenian ambassador recalled that the US has a special good-neighborly position towards Armenia, ever since after World War I.

Hovhannissian added that, 30 years ago, when the national liberation movement had begun in Armenia, the US was the force that had stood with the Armenian nations.

When asked to what extent Armenias current close cooperation with Russia could limit the deepening of Armenian-American relations, the Armenian diplomat stressed that today there is no obstacle before the development of Armenia-US relations, and that Armenian-American cooperation is developing.

Ambassador Hovhannissian also noted that economic cooperation is an important element in Armenian-American relations. He added that the majority of high-tech products of Armenia is sold in the US market.

And reflecting on Yerevans expectations from the new US administration to take office in January, Grigor Hovhannissian highlighted the stable American policy towards Armenia.
Five Types of People in Organizational Change

Experience shows that change, especially culture change, happens best from within.

Knowing the five types of people that exist throughout your company will be the differentiator with your next organizational change effort. In most businesses today, change is the only constant, and not everyone adapts well.

Japanese scholar Okakura Kakuzo believed, "The art of life is a constant readjustment to our surroundings." Some people behave as though they appreciate that perspective. Others are quite content living in the rut that has become all too familiar. After leading countless organizational change efforts in entities of all shapes and sizes, experience shows that change, especially culture change, happens best from within.

The model below, Five Types of People in Organizational Change, has been successfully used both with pilot projects and team-based top-down, middle-out, and bottom-up initiatives to help categorize where people are, when and how best to involve them, or the decision not to involve them. Keep in mind people will fit in different groups, depending on the type and target of change.

1. Pioneers  These are the individuals who like and embrace new things or initiatives. They are either the first in line or the first seeking out further information with keen interest.

2. "Yes" People  These are individuals who, when asked to be a part of something by their boss, feel obligated to do it. They might not be the first in line to volunteer, but they almost never refuse.

3. Crowd Followers  These are individuals who tend to take a wait-and-see approach. When it is obvious something new is happening and adding value, they want to be involved and on the winning side, once it is clear which side is winning.

4. Skeptics  These are individuals who trust data and have a low opinion of opinions. No amount of hype or popularity will convince them, but once they have come to the conclusion this is the way to go, they become strong advocates and valuable allies. Most good skeptics have a following of people who admire their analytical skills and value their conclusions. Winning over a skeptic often also means winning over their followers.

This article originally appeared in the January 2017 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.
Hazard Communication Program  Training is the Key

Employees are to be trained when they are initially assigned to work with a hazardous chemical. Additional training is to be done whenever a new health or physical hazard is introduced into the work area.

The intent and purpose of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Hazard Communication Standard (29 Code of Federal Regulations 1910.1200) is "to ensure that the hazards of all chemicals produced or imported are classified, and that information concerning the classified hazards is transmitted to employers and employees" (29 CFR 1910.1200(a)(1).

Employers must ensure that employees who may be exposed to hazardous chemicals under normal operating conditions or in foreseeable emergencies are adequately trained and are equipped with the knowledge and information necessary to do their jobs safely.

Hazard Communication Standard Revised

In May 2012, OSHA revised the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS 2012) and adopted portions of the United Nations' Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) Revision 3. This set in motion a series of compliance deadlines for chemical manufacturers, importers, distributors, and employers who are covered by the standard:

Dec. 1, 2013: Train employees on the new label elements and safety data sheet (SDS) format.

June 1, 2015: Comply with all modified provisions of the final rule, except:

 Dec. 1, 2015: Distributors must not ship containers of hazardous materials labeled by the chemical manufacturer or importer unless they carry the appropriate HCS label.

 June 1, 2016: Update alternative workplace labeling and hazard communication program as necessary and provide additional employee training for newly identified physical or health hazards.

HCS 2012 still requires chemical manufacturers and importers to evaluate the chemicals they produce or import and provide hazard information to employers and workers by putting labels on containers and preparing Safety Data Sheets. HCS 2012 provides a single set of harmonized criteria for classifying chemicals according to their health and physical hazards. These hazards are then communicated to downstream users through the use of "shipped container labels" and standardized SDSs. The "old" standard (HCS 1994) allowed chemical manufacturers and importers to convey hazard information on labels and material safety data sheets (MSDSs) in whatever format they chose.

This article originally appeared in the January 2017 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.
Safe Footwear Improves Worker Outcomes

OSHA- and ASTM-compliant footwear prevents workplace injuries.

According to statistics gathered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there were an estimated 2.9 million private-sector workplace injuries reported in 2015. The same study reported that an estimated 752,600 public workers reported on-the-job injuries.

Many of these injuries required that workers miss time from work to recover. In fact, out of every 10,000 workers, 104 cases reported to BLS required that the employee miss work.

On-the-job injuries cost companies time and money, not to mention the impact on employee health, morale, and overall financial well-being. While BLS reports that the overall number of workplace injuries is on the decline, workplace safety is of the utmost importance.

It's imperative to ensure that employees follow industry safety regulations, including wearing required safety gear. In many industries, this means wearing proper footwear to ensure that feet are protected from common workplace hazards.

Typical Workplace Hazards

Employees can encounter a number of hazards within the workplace. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, some of these hazards include:

Electrocution

Slips

Burns

Puncture wounds

Chainsaw wounds

Crushing

In a 2005 study, BLS found that there were around 60,000 foot injuries a year and that 75 percent of those cases involved workers not in compliance with current safety regulations. The financial impact of these foot injuries was an estimated $9,600 a day. Proper foot protection is imperative in minimizing the number of these kinds of injuries.

Protective Footwear Standards

Due to the hazards present in many workplaces, OSHA recommends that employees who work in construction, logging, shipping, and similar industries wear footwear that provides the proper amount of protection against those hazards. Protective footwear should protect an employee's feet from rolling or falling objects, being pierced by objects, slipping on wet surfaces, as well as protecting their feet from electrical and other hazards.

This article originally appeared in the January 2017 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.
Summing Up 2016

The Zika virus was a concern throughout 2016, and November voting showed a clear trend toward broad legalization of marijuana in the United States.

Looking back, 2016 was quite a year. A much-discussed presidential election, security at the Rio Olympics, and many more headlines dominated conversation. In the world of health and safety, marijuana legalization, the Zika virus, and new OSHA regulations regarding worker injury and illness reporting were some of the key moments of the year. Going forward, it's unclear what the Trump administration will mean for occupational safety and health. Many expect regulations to be pulled back, which could have unintended consequences for those working in dangerous situations. But before moving ahead, let's take a look back at some of the biggest stories of the past year:

Marijuana Legalization

Marijuana legalization continued to be a major topic in 2016, with several measures to make the drug legal in different forms passing during the November election. Measures to legalize recreational marijuana succeeded in California, Massachusetts, Nevada, and Maine, while medical marijuana has been legalized in North Dakota, Arkansas, Florida, and Montana. Arizona was the only state where voters said no to legalization on their ballot in 2016.

No one yet knows whether President Trump will do anything to change the laws regarding marijuana, although he has said in the past that he plans to respect the states' laws. Vice President Mike Pence is on record as against legalizing marijuana, as are Chris Christie and Rudy Giuliani, who in the days following the election were reported to be possible choices for the presidents new cabinet.

What implications these state votes have in the workplace is in some ways unknown, but proposed legislative frameworks show the laws trending toward workers' rights. Writing1 in the February 2016 issue of OH&S magazine, DATIA Chairman-elect Jo McGuire highlighted a provision in Illinois that said employers may not discriminate against any employee participating in the state's medical marijuana program. Employers are also entitled to participate in the federal safe and drug free workplace program, which has left them wondering what will happen should those two laws contradict each other, she wrote.

This article originally appeared in the January 2017 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.
Using State-of-the-Art Technology

Without mass notification systems, the silence can be deafening and fatal.

Ever since there have been buildings, there has been a need to alert people on how to get out of them safely in the event of an emergency. Three hundred and fifty years ago, the prime danger was fire, which was the case when London was leveled by a conflagration that destroyed 13,000 buildings. Remarkably, only a few people perished as the warning system of the day, a ringing bell and people yelling out warnings in the street, proved sufficient. In 1871, the Great Chicago Fire leveled the same number of buildings, but the death toll topped 300, the difference being that Chicago lacked a clear means of communication, coupled with more complex building structures. In short, there was no clear direction on a means to escape. Even when fire alarms became the norm in the 1900s, the piercing screech and flashing lights told you there was a fire, but not where the fire was, where the exits were, or even if you were heading into the inferno.

In today's society, a world forever shaped by events such as 9/11 and Katrina, fire is not the only peril facing occupants of buildings, whether they are schools, hospitals, apartment buildings, or office buildings. In particular, school shootings like those at Virginia Tech and Sandy Hook cry out for a more sophisticated emergency communication system to allow those in harm's way to be alerted as to the precise nature of the danger and how to safely escape from it. Even as the PA system at Sandy Hook Elementary was crackling with gunfire and screaming, those in the school were still without necessary information, such as where is the shooter, how many shooters are there, and what is the safest exit route or next action?

The ability to communicate real-time information in the case of a dangerous situation, to as many people as possible, via different technological routes such as voice via speakers, signage, email, texts, large loudspeakers, computer monitors, and phone systems, is known as the Mass Notification System (MNS). The National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code provides the latest safety provisions required to meet society's changing fire detection, signaling, and emergency communications demands. In addition to the core focus on fire alarm systems, this code now includes requirements for mass notification systems used for weather emergencies; terrorist events; biological, chemical, and nuclear emergencies; and other threats. The code covers the application, installation, location, performance, inspection, testing, and maintenance of fire alarm systems, supervising station alarm systems, public emergency alarm reporting systems, fire warning equipment and emergency communications systems (ECS), and their components.

This article originally appeared in the January 2017 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.
- The Movement for the Emancipation for Niger Delta (MEND) has turned its back against President Buhari

- The group believes the president has betrayed them after a meeting with the group in November, 2016

- MEND has now given certain conditions to the Nigerian president

President Muhammadu Buhari has been handed a very massive missile by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), as the group passed a vote of no confidence on his government.

According to Vanguard, a statement signed by Jomo Gbomo, the group's spokesperson, the president has not done enough in its handling of the crisis rocking the region.

Without prejudice to the pre- 2015 Presidential election endorsement freely and voluntarily given to President Muhammadu Buhari on January 6, 2015, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) hereby categorically and unequivocally pass a vote of no confidence on the government of President Buhari; specifically with regard to the governments handling of the current Niger Delta crisis.

Niger Delta group has issued a stern warning to President Muhammadu Buhari.

We hereby demand that President Muhammadu Buhari must put a stop to his cunning, crafty and un-statesman rhetoric about the Niger Delta region as they have only served the purpose of jeopardizing the fragile peace in the region," the statement read in part, while also urging the president to direct the relevant agency of government to immediately commence dialogue with the Niger Delta region; as duly and ably represented by PANDEF.

The statement sounded more warnings to the president, saying: Furthermore, notice is hereby given to the Federal Government that all Niger Delta militant commanders and/or individuals, who were tracked and arrested while observing a ceasefire ahead of talks with the federal government, should be treated well.

They should be allowed access to their lawyers, the International Red Cross and a delegation from PANDEF so as to ascertain their wellbeing and ensure they have not been tortured or killed, extra judicially."

On why it decided to turn its back against the president, the group noted that they had thought he would reason with and reach a fair conclusion with them during a meeting held in November, 2016, but they were not happy with the outcome.

"Prior to and after his reluctant meeting with the traditional rulers, opinion leaders and stakeholders of the Niger Delta region, under the auspices of PANDEF on November 1, 2016, President Muhammadu Buhari has been carrying on arrogantly and making controversial, prejudicial, conflicting and contradictory statements about the politics and economy of the oil-rich region.

READ ALSO: Buhari asks Army to unite Nigeria, stop group restiveness

Since after he assumed the reins, President Muhammadu Buhari has always, for reasons best known to him, held the Niger Delta region in contempt; while accusing and/or blackmailing the leadership of the region of not being ready for dialogue whereas it is the Federal Government who are not ready or willing to name a Team to dialogue with the people.

Prior to the inauguration of PANDEF, the several sessions of dialogue held between representatives of MEND, on the one hand; and those of the Federal Government, on the other hand; where concessions were secured for the release of the Okah brothers and several other political detainees and prisoners of conscience was a grand deception on the part of the Federal Government.

After the MEND/FG dialogue, which was publicly confirmed by no less a person than President Buhari in his farewell remarks to Mr. Michael Zinner, the out-going German Ambassador to Nigeria, President Buhari reneged on the agreements reached at the dialogue.

And following on the heels of the breach of the agreements, President Buhari personally wrote and signed a damaging and prejudicial letter to the Government of South Africa in an attempt to willfully truncate the on-going peace process in Nigeria; sabotage the legal options open to Henry Okah and simultaneously influence the on-going trial of Charles Okah and others, at the Federal High Court in Abuja, in favour of the Federal Government, MEND spokesperson added.

Meanwhile, Mujahid Asari Dokubo, an ex-militant and leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force, has urged Christians in southern Kaduna to defend themselves in the recent killings in that region of the northern state.

The Punch reports that Asari Dokubo made the call in a statement by his spokesperson Rex Anighoro in Abuja.

Source: Legit.ng
Manufacturing activity in China slowed slightly in January, official figures showed Wednesday, as the world's second largest economy shows continued signs of stabilising.

The downtick comes as many businesses closed for Chinese New Year at the end of the month, with workers heading home for a week or more to celebrate.

The official purchasing managers' index (PMI), which gauges conditions at factories and mines, came in at 51.3 in January, down from 51.4 the previous month.

A figure above 50 marks an expansion of manufacturing activity, and below 50 a contraction. Analysts surveyed by Bloomberg had expected an average of 51.2 for January.

The key manufacturing sector had been struggling in the face of sagging world demand for Chinese products and excess industrial capacity left over from the country's infrastructure boom.

But an upturn in the housing and construction markets thanks to cheap credit -- following a series of monetary easing measures -- has contributed to a sharp rebound in manufacturing activity.

China is a vital driver of global growth, but its economy expanded only 6.7 percent in 2016 -- its weakest rate in a quarter of a century.

The country saw a slight uptick in the last three months of the year, rising to 6.8.

But it is facing uncertainty in the new year, with US President Donald Trump threatening to slap massive tariffs on the highly export-dependent country.

Beijing has said it wants to reorient the economy away from relying on debt-fuelled investment and towards a consumer-driven model, but the transition has proven challenging.
An evangelical mega-church bishop who once branded Catholics demons was sworn in as Rio de Janeiro's mayor on Sunday, putting a staunch conservative in charge of one of Latin America's most liberal cities. Marcelo Crivella, from the socially conservative Brazilian Republican Party (PRB), won the mayoral race in October municipal elections. His election was in keeping with a rightward political shift across Latin America, including in Brazil -- the continent's biggest country -- where the socialist president was recently impeached and where her Workers' Party suffered stark losses. The Workers' Party in that election lost about two-thirds of the mayoral posts it had won in 2012 elections, including in Brazil's largest city Sao Paulo. Crivella -- a bishop in the giant Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, founded by his billionaire uncle -- has promised to bring law and order to Rio, a city beset by high crime. Evangelical politicians are advancing steadily across Brazil, helped by disgust over revelations of systemic corruption among leading politicians and executives during the Workers' Party era. The scandal-plagued party received another blow in 2016 when President Dilma Rousseff was removed from office on charges that she broke government budget laws. The evangelical message has taken root among Brazil's poor, who earlier were more inclined to vote along leftist lines. However, Crivella has had to work hard to distance himself from statements he made in a book he wrote in 1999 in which he described Roman Catholics as "demonic" and claimed that Hindus drank their children's blood. The 59-year-old has also described homosexuality as evil and African religions as worshiping "evil spirits."
AFP News

Zhang Yao recalls the moment he realised something had gone deeply wrong at the Chinese mega-factory where he and hundreds of thousands of other workers assembled iPhones and other high-end electronics. In early October, supervisors suddenly warned him that 3,000 colleagues had been taken into quarantine after someone tested positive for Covid-19 at the factory. "They told us not to take our masks off," Zhang, speaking under a pseudonym for fear of retaliation, told AFP by telephone. What followed was a weeks-long ordeal including food shortages and the ever-present fear of infection, before he finally escaped on Tuesday. Zhang's employer, Taiwanese tech giant Foxconn, has said it faces a "protracted battle" against infections and imposed a "closed loop" bubble around its sprawling campus in central China's Zhengzhou city. Local authorities locked down the area surrounding the major Apple supplier's factory on Wednesday, but not before reports emerged of employees fleeing on foot and a lack of adequate medical care at the plant. China is the last major economy committed to a zero-Covid strategy, persisting with snap lockdowns, mass testing and lengthy quarantines in a bid to stamp out emerging outbreaks. But new variants have tested officials' ability to snuff out flare-ups and dragged down economic activity with the threat of sudden disruptions. - Desperation - Multiple workers have recounted scenes of chaos and increasing disorganisation at Foxconn's complex of workshops and dormitories, which form a city-within-a-city near Zhengzhou's airport. Zhang told AFP that "positive tests and double lines (on antigen tests) had become a common sight" in his workshop before he left. "Of course we were scared, it was so close to us." "People with fevers are not guaranteed to receive medicine," another Foxconn worker, a 30-year-old man who also asked to remain anonymous, told AFP. "We are drowning," he said. Those who decided to stop working were not offered meals at their dormitories, Zhang said, adding that some were able to survive on personal stockpiles of instant noodles. Kai, a worker at in the complex who gave an interview to state-owned Sanlian Lifeweek, told the magazine Foxconn's "closed loop" involved cordoning off paths between dormitory compounds and the factory, and complained he was left to his own devices after being thrown in quarantine. TikTok videos geolocated by AFP showed mounds of uncollected rubbish outside buildings in late October, while employees in N95 masks squeezed onto packed shuttle buses taking them from dormitories to their work stations. A 27-year-old woman working at Foxconn, who asked not to be named, told AFP a roommate who tested positive for Covid was sent back to her dormitory on Thursday morning, crying, after she decided to hand in her notice while in quarantine. "Now the three of us are living in the same room: one a confirmed case and two of us testing positive on the rapid test, still waiting for our nucleic acid test results," the worker told AFP. Many became so desperate by the end of last month that they attempted to walk back to their hometowns to get around Covid transport curbs. As videos of people dragging their suitcases down motorways and struggling up hills spread on Chinese social media, the authorities rushed in to do damage control. The Zhengzhou city government on Sunday said it had arranged for special buses to take employees back to their hometowns. Surrounding Henan province has officially reported a spike of more than 600 Covid cases since the start of this week. - Distrust - When Zhang finally attempted to leave the Foxconn campus on Tuesday, he found the company had set up obstacle after obstacle. "There were people with loudspeakers advertising the latest Foxconn policy, saying that each day there would be a 400 yuan ($55) bonus," Zhang told AFP. A crowd of employees gathered at a pick-up point in front of empty buses but were not let on. People in hazmat suits, known colloquially as "big whites" in China, claimed they had been sent by the city government. "They tried to persuade people to stay in Zhengzhou... and avoid going home," Zhang said. "But when we asked to see their work ID, they had nothing to show us, so we suspected they were actually from Foxconn." Foxconn pointed to the local government's lockdown orders from Wednesday when asked by AFP if it attempted to stop employees from leaving, without giving any further response. The company had on Sunday said it was "providing employees with complimentary three meals a day" and cooperating with the government to provide transport home. Eventually, the crowd of unhappy workers who had gathered decided to take matters into their own hands and walked over seven kilometres on foot to the nearest highway entry ramp. There, more people claiming to be government officials pleaded with the employees to wait for the bus. The crowd had no choice as the road was blocked. Buses eventually arrived at five in the afternoon -- nearly nine hours after Zhang had begun his attempt to secure transport. "They were trying to grind us down," he said. Back in his hometown, Zhang is now waiting out the home quarantine period required by the local government. "All I feel is, I've finally left Zhengzhou," he told AFP. bur-tjx/oho/je/mca/cwl
While the prospect of comprehensive tax reform looms large, there are some actions that you can take now that will help you and your business do well under current or new tax rules. In addition, law changes and other factors may influence actions you need to take now.

Here are 10 ideas.

Business Finance Tips for 2017

Review 2016 Revenue and Expenses

How did you do last year? Were your revenues what you expected them to be? Were your expenses higher or lower than you budgeted? Understanding what happened last year should suggest you what to do now. Perhaps you should raise prices for your goods or services, rein in spending, or make other adjustments to improve profitability.

Adapt to Minimum Wage Increases

While the federal minimum wage is unchanged so far for 2017, there have been some increases at the state and local levels. For example, Washingtons rate increases to $11 per hour. A similar rate applies in New York City for employers with 11 or more employees ($10.50 for smaller employers). Check with your state labor department or view this map to make sure you are following the law.

Note the Higher Social Security Wage Base

If you have owners, managers, and other high earners, the company may have higher payroll taxes for the year. The reason: The wage base for the Social Security tax portion of FICA in 2017 is $127,200 (up from $118,500 in 2016). There is no limit on compensation subject to the Medicare tax portion of FICA.

Check for Changes in State Laws on Leave Time

States have been implementing laws on paid family leave time, sick pay, and school/parental leave time. For example, Vermont mandates paid sick leave as of January 1, 2017, although employers with five or fewer employees are not subject to the rules until 2018. Under this new law, employees earn one hour of sick time for each 52 hours worked, up to 24 hours per year in 2017 and 2018, and 40 hours beginning in 2019.

Mark Your Odometer

If you use a personal vehicle for business driving, you need to keep track of your mileage. Start doing this by noting your odometer on January 1. Use an app, such as MileIQ, or a written log to substantiate your business driving for the year so youll be able to deduct the cost of business driving. You need this record even if you rely on the IRS standard mileage rate (53.5 cents per mile in 2017).

Budget for Postage Hikes

Beginning January 22, some new rates go into effect. For example, the price of a first-class stamp will go from 47 cents to 49 cents.

Implement the New I-9

Starting on January 17, you must use a revised form for verifying the legality of a new employee to work in the U.S. The new Form I-9 only needs an employees last name (rather than all names used) and some sections have been simplified.

Decide Whether to Use Health Reimbursement Arrangements

Part of the 21st Century Cures Act, which was signed into law on December 13, 2016, allows small employers to reimburse employees for their individual health insurance premiums. As long as employers follow certain rules regarding caps on reimbursement, notice requirements, and more, employers wont be penalized for having a health plan that does not comport with Affordable Care Act requirements, as had been feared before this law. Its been estimated that reimbursing employees costs about 60% less than offering a company health plan, so more small employers can assist employee with their health coverage through small business HRAs.

Meet with Advisors Now

Before you go too deep into the New Year, schedule an appointment with your CPA or other to get ready to file your tax return and other information returns for 2016. Also, talk to your insurance agent if you havent already done so to price out your coverage needs when the anniversary of your policy (or policies) occurs.

Monitor Legislative and Regulatory Developments

With a new administration, things are going to change, and will likely impact your business. Make sure to watch developments carefully so you can take action as needed.
It wasnt the fire alarm, but rather thieves that brought Fire Station 9 to life early New Years Eve morning.

Albuquerque police said a trio had been cruising around in two stolen Ford F350 trucks, and they had their eyes on another one that belonged to a firefighter who works at the station near Menaul and Eubank NE.

At around 5:30 a.m. Saturday, firefighters at the station heard a window break outside and saw someone rummaging through one of their trucks.

They shout out the window, Hey, get away from the vehicle, and then they come out and by then  they had all scattered into one (truck) and drove off, Albuquerque Fire Chief David Downey said in an interview outside the station later in the day.

The suspects got away but, at around 7:15 a.m., firefighters spotted one of them  a woman  walking up an alley toward the station. She got in the stolen truck the group had left behind.

Three firefighters approached and Downey said one was struck when the woman sped off in reverse. A commander in the department then blocked the road with a fire department Chevrolet Tahoe. The woman crashed into the Tahoe.

Both firefighters are OK, Downey said.

For some reason, people dont think property crime offenders are dangerous, Police Chief Gorden Eden said at a news conference.

Firefighters and neighbors were able to hold the woman down until police arrived and took her into custody.

They described her to me as confrontational and threatening. Well be back  that kind of language, Downey said.

Officers who responded said the woman refused to give them her name.

And then another officer said, Thats Jennifer Christensen, Ive dealt with her before,' officer Simon Drobik said.

Eden said Christensen, 32, was wanted on six warrants in Bernalillo County and one in Torrance County. A state courts website shows that, in 2011, Christensen pleaded no contest in a plea deal for several felony cases against her. She was sentenced to 12 years in prison, but eight years were suspended.

Several warrants have been issued for her in recent years for violating probation, the most recent in August, the website shows.

Christensen complained of having an injury and Drobik said she was taken to a local hospital.

He said she will be booked into jail on suspicion of two counts of aggravated battery and one count of receiving or transferring a stolen motor vehicle.
FARMINGTON  Jim R. Parris, the man responsible for managing the Navajo Nations financial matters, submitted his resignation this week amidst accusations that he was pressured to act unethically.

The resignation comes about a week after the introduction of a bill that would have removed him from the job.

Parris had been serving as the tribes controller since being named to the position last December by tribal President Russell Begaye.

Members of the Navajo Nation Council confirmed his appointment on Jan. 27.

Speaker LoRenzo Bates said on Friday that Parris submitted his resignation Monday and it listed Saturday as his last day.

The letter was addressed to Bates, Begaye and Delegate Seth Damon, who serves as chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee.

Damon is one of four delegates who sponsored the bill to remove Parris.

When asked if Parris provided any reason for his decision to leave, Bates said: Its a personnel matter.

Begaye said in a written statement to The Daily Times on Friday that Parris was asked to resign or be terminated by legislation.

The president added that Parris resignation letter noted that on several occasions Bates made ultimatums that Parris should support the council or face removal.

This type of political pressure hadnt skewed his ethics but was not conducive to performing financial diligence on behalf of the nation, Begaye stated.

When contacted late Friday, Bates denied Begayes allegation, which he characterized as completely false.

I find it interesting that within the last hour the president would make such an allegation, Bates said adding he spoke to the president earlier Friday evening and they had a disagreement over a law that designates authority to allocate money in a tribal fund created from a settlement over federal mismanagement of the tribes natural resources.

Bates said he told Begaye that he will not break the law then reiterated Parris resignation is a personnel matter and cant be discussed publicly.

The speaker also expressed disappointment in what he said was the presidents decision to violate the confidentiality surrounding Parris letter of resignation by including information from it in Fridays statement.

The presidents statement also expressed concern that Parriss removal could create a financial crisis.

He wrote the controller has the authority to issue checks to tribal employees, contractors and other entities on a daily basis and without a controller, the tribe could be brought to a financial halt.

Tribal law allows the president, with consent from the Budget and Finance Committee, to appoint an acting controller to serve when the office is vacant.

Begaye wrote that because the resignation came quickly, it limited the time to find another controller who meets the qualification of being licensed as a certified public accountant.

Tribal law mandates the controller have a bachelors degree in accounting or finance, eight years of experience in governmental finance and accounting administration and be a certified as a CPA.

At this time, we dont have an employee on the Navajo Nation that meets this criteria and that could step into this position, Begaye stated.

We have potential individuals that have expressed interest in the position, however they are very aware of the turmoil of abiding by the CPAs code of ethics which could mean standing against actions taken by the three branches, the president added.

Parris could not be reached for comment on Friday.

In a previous interview, Parris, who was certified as a CPA in 1981, said he had not spoken to the delegates who were sponsoring the bill but he understood the reasons why it was being proposed.

The legislation was posted on the councils website on Dec. 20 and it became eligible for council action after Monday.

Bates said to his knowledge, the bill has not been withdrawn and it can be considered regardless of Parris resignation.
Corrales bookbinder Jerome Goss looks at a book and makes comparisons with the human body.

Theres the back of the book, or the spine; the hinges that run on both sides of the spine that he likens to joints; the front and back boards, or covers, which he thinks of as the skin; and the inside pages, representing the myriad internal organs and vessels.

Its understandable that Goss, 81, a retired cardiologist, sees those comparisons.

Although he has always loved books and his Corrales home has an impressive library, it never occurred to me that I might become a bookbinder, he said; that is, not until he started thinking about what to do after he retired from medicine.

In 2002, he took some private lessons with a local bookbinder and found that it really interested him. Wanting to learn more about the repair and restoration of old leather-bound books, Goss enrolled in a yearlong bookbinding program in 2004 at the Glasgow Metropolitan College, a trade school in Scotland that teaches this highly specialized craft of antiquity. Of 12,000 students attending the trade college at the time, Goss said, only 12 were signed into the bookbinding program.

Early love for books

Goss was born in Dodge City, Kan., and grew up in heavily agrarian western Kansas. His father ran a restaurant and his mother was a school teacher who cultivated in him a love of books. In the summer, no matter what else I was doing, she had me at the library in the summer reading programs, he recalled.

Initially, he entertained the notion of becoming a geological or petroleum engineer. That changed when, as a high school athlete, Goss got hurt in a track and field accident in which he severely injured his leg and an artery in his abdomen. I wound up spending two months in the hospital, and saw what the doctors and nurses did, and that got me interested in medicine, he said.

After graduating from the University of Kansas, he attended medical school at Northwestern University in Chicago. He graduated in 1961, and trained at hospitals in Chicago, Cleveland and Denver. He did a stint in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War era, practicing cardiology at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.

Goss found his way to Albuquerque in 1968 to help start a cardiac catheterization program at the University of New Mexico medical school, but a lack of funds and other issues delayed the launch of the program. Presbyterian Hospital, however, was looking to start a similar program, so Goss put his talents to use there. It was at Presbyterian that he met Lorraine, a registered nurse whom he married in 1986. Goss ran the program until 1995 and remained with the hospital until his retirement in 2004.

Tools of the trade

The tidy home workshop of Gosss Milagro Bookbinding & Repair contains the tools and material of the bookbinding trade: book labeling machines; board cutters; a guillotine for cutting stacks of pages; book presses to compress and hold books and pages while glue dries; drawers containing high-quality paper; cabinets with rolls of calf, goat and kangaroo leather, Gosss three favorite skins to use as book covers; and a selection of dyes and shoe polish containing wax needed to blend and match cover colors.

I always work on three books at a time because a lot of time involves gluing, compressing and waiting for things to dry, he said.

And artisanal bookbinding is not just time consuming  it is also expensive. Depending on the size of a book and the complexity of work required, a repair or restoration can take from weeks to months to complete, and could cost from $100 to more than $800, he said.

There are only two reasons to have a book repaired or restored  if theres an emotional attachment or if its valuable, Goss explained.

Thats why most of his business comes from people who want to repair or restore favorite volumes and old family Bibles, or from antiquarian book dealers who have old and valuable books that need to be stabilized before theyre sold.

Among his current projects are books on the history of Ireland and a family Bible, both from the 1800s; a collection of profiles of people from Louisiana from the early 1900s; a medical book from 1619 written in Latin; and a compendium of Greek words from the 1500s.

When you have a book that is 400 years old, and you see the print quality and the paper quality, you know that people worked at making things beautiful and making them to last, he said.

And likewise, when I put my label inside a book and it says Jerome Goss, bookbinder, I know someone is going to see that 100 years from now. They may not know who I was, but they will recognize the quality of the work.
Nob Hills Aux Dog Theatre holds its third annual Q Solo Festival, with six actors, from Thursday through Feb. 5.

This years celebration features two New Mexico premieres, original works and a performance by transgender artist/musician Cydny Bullens.

 The series opens with Ninette Mordaunts two-hour show about the life of Madame Curie, The Seven Ages of Manya, directed by Georgia Athearn on Jan. 5-6. Curie was the first woman to win two Nobel Prizes in physics. Mordaunt has performed on most Albuquerque stages. Performances start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets $15.

 The festival continues with two solo performances. Lena Armstrong will debut Tales of a Hoarding Minimalist, the story of her journey through 40 years of hoarded boxes of notes, letters, photos and stuff as ghosts and stories emerge from the clutter.

Michelle Estrada Allreds original Secretos de Banos showcases a woman sharing her bathroom secrets as she invites the audience into the private moments of her childhood to the present day.

Performances are scheduled for 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 7 and 8. Tickets are $15.

 Directed by Tanya Taylor Rubinstein, Debrianna Mansinis The Meatball Chronicles traces the culinary journey of her childhood, her relationships and  especially  her complicated relationship with her mother. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Jan. 13-14 and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 15. Tickets $15.

 Albuquerques Angela Littleton will perform Santa Fe playwright Mark Dunns Elvis and Eleanor, directed by Kristine Holtvedt . Trudy Turmans half-sister is going to perform her one-woman play, Eleanor, the Twilight Years, at a charity event. But when she is unable to perform, Trudy steps in with just an hours rehearsal. When it becomes obvious to everyone that she isnt the actress she had led folks to believe, she decides to salvage the carnage by telling the story of the night she spent with Elvis Presley. Performances are at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Jan. 20-21 and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 22. Tickets $15.

 Cidny Bullens will perform Somewhere Between: Not an Ordinary Life, the autobiographical play about the Grammy-nominated musician Cindy Bullens and his transformational journey to his true self, Cidny. Performances are scheduled for Jan. 27-29 and Feb. 3-5, at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 3 p.m. on Sundays.

If you go

WHAT: Aux Dog Third Annual Q Solo Festival

WHEN: Jan. 5 to Feb. 5

WHERE: Aux Dog Theatre, 3011-3015 Monte Vista NE

HOW MUCH: $15-$18 at 254-7716
Public Service Company of New Mexico customers can expect to pay about 30 cents more a month starting in August to fund a $17 million bundle of energy efficiency programs approved by state regulators for the coming year.

PNM will continue to offer customers most of its existing programs, such as the refrigerator recycling rebate and discounts on compact fluorescent light bulbs, as well as power and peak saver programs for small and large businesses, says PNM spokesman Don Brown. In addition, it will participate in the New Mexico Energy$mart Program to provide weatherization upgrades and replace old appliances for low-income customers who live in rental units, he said.

The Public Regulation Commission adopted the program last week, trimming about $1.2 million from the $18.2 million budget recommended by a hearing examiner. PNM, whose program budget for the past year was $16 million, had proposed $18.9 million. The program year begins July 1.

The state requires utilities to assist customers with energy efficiency measures with the goal of slowing rising energy costs and protecting the environment by reducing the need to build new generation plants.

PNM funds the program through an energy efficiency surcharge  about $1.46 a month now  included in customers utility bills. The company is calculating the impact of the reductions ordered by the PRC, but estimates it would increase the charge to about $1.76 a month, Brown said.

We expect it will go into effect beginning with the August bills, he said.

Under the Energy$mart Program, which is administered by the New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority, PNM and participating landlords would each pay 10 percent of the costs to weatherize and replace old appliances in rental units occupied by low-income customers. The remaining 80 percent is funded through existing federal stimulus funds.

Our estimate is that this could result in weatherization upgrades for about 700 rental units, Brown said.

The energy efficiency increase is in addition to what will be approved in a rate case pending before the PRC. PNM proposes a 10.8 percent, $85 million rate increase.

 This article appeared on page B4 of the Albuquerque Journal
WASHINGTON  For America, 2016 was a dark year. The country was still at war. Our election was a brutal grudge match that left us more polarized than ever. Our closest allies were rocked by terrorism and turmoil. Adversaries toyed with our politics. Even the basic facts about life and science seemed to be in dispute.

However you voted, this was a year few would want to repeat.

Now, as the calendar is about to turn, many of us look to the new year with a mix of hope and concern.

If youre like me, this holiday season is a time for reflection, sometimes with anguish, about how we got here and where were going.

I found comfort in the image at the center of the Christian faith, of an innocent baby arriving in a dark land  the beginning of a story that has been more powerful over the last 2,000 years than all the tyrants and tax collectors.

Americans are optimists, by birth or affirmation. We pledge allegiance to a country that is indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. We believe in The Fair Land, the abundant nation evoked by the Wall Street Journal in its Thanksgiving editorial, which has been printed every year since 1961: We can remind ourselves that for all our social discord we yet remain the longest enduring society of free men governing themselves without benefit of kings or dictators. Being so, we are the marvel and the mystery of the world.

The year ahead will test how well the system devised by our founders works under stress. Our new president Donald Trump proposes radical changes welcomed by his supporters but feared by many who voted against him. He wont succeed if he drives the country to the breaking point.

How hard will Trump push to undo existing laws and agreements? Will Congress play its role in checking raw executive power, or will Republican majorities be loyal to party first? Will officials who swear to protect and defend the Constitution demonstrate by their behavior in office that they mean it?

As Trumps inauguration approaches, he remains a mystery to many of us. He seeks to be a disruptive agent of change, but what are the limits? What if Trump tries to place himself above the law? He wouldnt be the first president to do so, but are the countrys institutions still strong enough to resist?

What if he tries to subvert investigations of Russian hacking that are being conducted by our intelligence agencies and Congress? The cliche profiles in courage may actually get a test in 2017.

This coming year, America will face the severe strains that accompany change and political division. Were a soft target for our adversaries right now  a country whose nerves are raw and jangled, whose tribal fault lines are exposed and easy to exploit.

Our national heroes are the men and women who get up every day and serve the country  in the military abroad, in schools and hospitals and fire stations at home. We want to be as steadfast in adversity as they are. Well find out in 2017 how healthy our body politic really is, and whether our democratic institutions remain resilient.

This holiday season, I got a burst of sunshine in a production of Carousel, the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, produced at the Arena Stage in Washington. Many strands of our national myth come together in this sentimental story of a carnival barker who falls in love with a sweet, shy girl who works in a factory.

Its a hymn to blue-collar America, to rebellious young people who insist on being free spirits despite the prissy elitists and censorious prudes who want to tell them what to think.

Like Oklahoma, it describes the America many of us have in our heads when we think about the way life used to be.

How did this quintessential American story of working people in Maine emerge? It was adapted from a 1909 Hungarian play. The 1945 Broadway version was written by two Jewish-Americans and directed by an Armenian-American. Nowadays, the phrase melting pot is sometimes taken as a micro-aggression. Not then.

When Trump says Make America great again, he evokes the national mythology that binds us together, whatever racial or other biases it may conceal.

After a bruising 2016, perhaps this is a theme that we all can embrace. America is at its greatest when its united, confident and inclusive of all its citizens. Lets hope thats what Trump has in mind for this country. We need to be great in that way again.

Copyright, Washington Post Writers Group
There is a logic and a fairness to broadening the states gross-receipts tax base while lowering the rate. Theres also a definite appeal to consumers who pay those taxes considering the state levies 5.125 percent and cities and counties tack onto that. In Albuquerque its 7.3125 percent; in Bernalillo County its 6.25 percent. It comes close to 9 percent in some New Mexico municipalities, like portions of Espanola.

And that adds up fast for everyone who buys goods and services  up to almost 90 cents for every $10 spent.

So as legislation is crafted for the 2017 legislative session and as political posturing heats up, lawmakers should keep that goal of logical, fair and lower at the forefront of the tax reform debate.

Rep. Jason Harper, R-Rio Rancho, and other members of the interim Revenue Stabilization and Tax Policy Committee are putting together a tax package that would lower the states gross-receipts tax rate by closing more than 100 existing tax loopholes and deductions, and increase collections by encouraging online retailers to collect a gross receipts tax from New Mexico customers, as well as reinstating the food tax that was repealed in 2004.

Before the no-new-taxes howling starts:

 New Mexico is perennially trying to compete with its neighbors in economic development as well as personal financial standing. Utah and Colorado have established systems that respect a recent Supreme Court decision yet encourage out-of-state companies to pay Internet GRT.

Harper says at its core, this is just really an issue of fairness. Were sadly punishing the brick-and-mortar stores that are here by giving out-of-state-based online retailers an advantage. As John Langell shuttered his familys 67-year-old Albuquerque art supply business in 2012, he explained it had become hard to make money when his inventory basically became an Internet showroom.

The nonpartisan New Mexico Tax Research Institute estimates online GRT could bring in anywhere from $40 million to $100 million annually  helpful in the face of a $69 million budget shortfall.

 Regarding reinstating the food tax, critics including Santa Fe Archbishop John C. Wester consider it an attack on the states poor. If the food tax had been repealed in a vacuum, or was to be reinstated in one, that might have some basis in reality  but that was not and will not be the case.

When the state stopped taxing food and medicine in January 2005, it continued to funnel commensurate payments to local governments to make up for their lost share of tax revenue. That means that for 12 years the state has taken money that could have been used elsewhere and instead shuttled it to municipalities to hold them harmless from the repeal.

Then, in 2013, municipalities were given the authority to raise their gross-receipts taxes as the hold harmless payments started a 15-year phase-out; several eagerly imposed their own gross-receipts tax increases that far outstripped what they had been receiving.

And so in 2016 the poor families the archbishop and others want to help pay no tax on bread and milk, but they pay much more tax on other necessities, including shoes and underwear for their children. Meanwhile the wealthy so-called 1 percenters pay no tax on their purchases of Kobe beef and lobster tails.

After the 2017 session, just as in 2004, federal regulation will prohibit taxing food purchased with food stamps  now called SNAP. And while those purchases are just a portion of a low-income familys grocery bill, the fact they would be paying less for everything else they buy is an important offset to a reinstated food-tax. So is the low-income tax credit.

Harper says that in isolation, as a stand-alone piece of legislation, I would be opposed to the food tax as well. But as part of a comprehensive package that includes fixes to a tax code that is strangling small businesses, it will ultimately reduce the tax burden of the great majority of New Mexicans.

Reducing that tax burden by making New Mexicos tax base wider and shallower, by getting more people to pay while requiring everyone to pay less, is logical and fair. It deserves serious consideration by lawmakers  and Gov. Susana Martinez  when the session starts Jan. 17.

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.
SANTA FE  Artists have sought to capture the divine since the first painter put brush to petroglyph.

Spanish Colonial Viceregal paintings capture a sense of the sacred, transforming transcendence into the fabric of everyday life.

Santa Fes Peyton Wright Gallery will showcase that radiance with its 24th annual Art of Devotion  Historic Art of the Americas exhibition. This collection of 17th to 19th century Spanish Colonial Viceregal artwork features paintings, furniture, silver and objects from the former Spanish and Portuguese colonies, including Bolivia, Peru, Argentina, Mexico, Ecuador, Chile, Venezuela, Brazil, Guatemala and the Philippines.

Much of this years collection came from a four-generation Santa Fe estate, gallery owner John Wright Schaefer said.

These are cataloged and collected 17th century painters, all top-tier, and the provenance is as immaculate as their condition, he said.

Miguel Mateo Maldonado y Cabreras La Virgen Dolorosa, circa 1750, arguably is star of the show. The painting by the Mexican master has been donated to the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art.

During his lifetime, Cabrera was recognized as the greatest painter in all of New Spain. He created religious and secular art for the Catholic Church and wealthy patrons. His casta paintings, depicting interracial marriage among Indians, Spaniards and Africans, are considered the genres finest.

A cartouche marks the compositions lower left corner, indicating it was painted for someone of standing in either the church or Mexican political life.

In typical Cabreran fashion, it is beautifully and exquisitely painted with the subtexts and nuance hes known for, Wright Schaefer said. His elegant and understated palette is very much in keeping with the European tradition.

Antonio de Torres Madre Dolorosa, 1718, is another version of the same Our Lady of Sorrows.

Torres was one of Mexicos leading painters of the early 18th century. He created an extraordinary number of works for the wealthy mining towns of San Luis Potosi and Zacatecas, in north-central Mexico.

This was an informed collector who had an educated eye and acquired quality work when it was available, Wright Schaefer said.

A 1752 duet by Jose de Ibarra depicts Mary with her parents, Santa Ana and Joachim. Many of Ibarras pieces are preserved in Mexican museums and the Metropolitan Cathedral in Mexico City. He was one of the most prolific painters of his day, producing mainly religious paintings for the cathedrals of Mexico.

Like Cabrera, he was known for his gestural paintings of the human form, Wright Schaefer said.

A Peruvian painting of The Annunciation, circa 1750, on fine linen was almost certainly created by an indigenous artist.

This is not a Spanish painter in Peru, Wright Schaefer said. The charm and whimsy and folkloric elements many institutions find fascinating. Some of the anatomical posing and the palette support that it is an indigenous painter.

Its original gold overlay reveals it likely hung in a private chapel, he added.

For the Spanish colonists, devotion was a part of daily life. The devout never cloistered artwork in churches but kept it in private homes and chapels. From about 1520 to 1820, European religious orders sailed to the New World to evangelize the Natives. They brought thousands of liturgical prints to help communicate the lives of the Catholic saints. Local artists learned to reproduce European styles and motifs as they incorporated their own materials, methods and subjects. The results grew into an artistic hybrid that remains unique in history.

Gallery owner Wright Schaefer launched the annual show with about a dozen works and a few hundred visitors. Today the event draws art lovers by the thousands, many of them from Albuquerque.

If you go

WHAT: The 24th Annual Art of Devotion  Historic Art of the Americas

WHEN: Through Feb. 28

WHERE: Peyton Wright Gallery 237 E. Palace Ave., Santa Fe

HOW MUCH: Free. Info. at 505-989-9888.
It is often asserted that the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 proved that HWA was right and he really did see the future.

This of course is nonsense. Herbert W. Armstrong said that Christ would return within twenty years in his book Mystery of the Ages. (PCG has since deleted those words so someone in there knows HWA spoke nonsense.) How convenient for them to forget this.

Also Herbert W. Armstrong never said the Soviet Union would collapse. He thought it would survive intact until a few years after Christ's return. It shows how biased some many in the COGs are that they never seem to notice this. This inconvenient truth is just tossed into the memory hole.

It is true that HWA said that some Eastern European states would break away from Moscow's orbit and join the European Empire he said would arise at any moment. But he never talked of the Soviet Union collapsing. He did not teach that. Also he portrayed the rise of the European Empire to be far quicker then what has actually happened. In Mystery of the Ages Christ was supposed to return by 2005 at the most.

So assertions that the fall of the Berlin Wall somehow prove that HWA was right is just complete nonsense spread by people who, for whatever reason, are still in denial that HWA was a false prophet who merely talked out of his own "human reasoning".
WASHINGTON  Mitch McConnell will be Washingtons most important player in 2017. Not President Donald Trump or House Speaker Paul Ryan or the lobbyists or the big money donors.

McConnell is the Senate majority leader, the man charged with building consensus among 52 Republicans with their own differing agendas and constituents. All it takes to trigger gridlock is for three Republicans to join the 48 Democrats, and Cabinet nominees will be blocked, Trump initiatives will stall and Washingtons reputation for ineptness will persist.

McConnell, R-Ky., has long been a master of solutions, of knowing when to be defiant and when to be compliant. Hes a head counter, said Tripp Baird, who was floor assistant for Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss.

When the 115th Congress begins Jan. 3, Republicans will control both the legislative and executive branches of government for the first time in 10 years. They will have a 241 to 194 majority in the House.

We have an opportunity to do big things and tackle some that are not traditional, said Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C., who will chair the Houses Republican Study Committee, its influential conservative caucus.

Before Congress digs into overhauling the tax code, the Affordable Care Act or immigration, the Senate faces confirmation hearings and votes on Trump nominees.

McConnell wants to approve as many as possible by the time Trump takes office, as the Senate usually does, but the path to 51 votes is loaded with political dynamite. Civil rights activists are upset with Attorney General-designate Jeff Sessions. Consumer interests worry about Treasury-designate Steven Mnuchins Wall Street ties. Obamacare advocates shudder at the prospect of Obamacare repeal enthusiast Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., the nominee for health and human services secretary.

And most ominously, theres Russia.

Trump has expressed approval toward Russia. McConnell told reporters this month, Russia is no friend of ours.

In response to President Barack Obamas sanctions against Russia over the election-related hacking, Trump said Thursday: Its time for our country to move on to bigger and better things. McConnell will have the Senate Intelligence Committee look into the reports.

Thats not good enough for incoming Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and John McCain, R-Ariz., who all support a special bipartisan investigative panel. So far, McConnells not budging.

Concern over Russia could spark the biggest early test of the Senate-Trump relationship. Secretary of State-designate Rex Tillerson, who has close ties to Russia and President Vladimir Putin, faces an unpredictable confirmation hearing.

Based upon his extensive business dealings with the Putin government and his previous opposition of efforts to impose sanctions on the Russian government, there are many questions which must be answered, Graham said.

Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., a top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he was deeply troubled by Tillersons close personal relationship with Putin.

Winning approval for budget matters is not expected to be difficult in the House, where rules allow Republicans to more easily cut off debate and limit amendments.

The Senate is a different matter. Most policy changes require 60 votes to cut off debate, and the political pressure has a different hue. While all 435 House members are up for re-election in 2018, the middle of Trumps term, two-thirds of the senators dont face voters again for at least four years.

They can be less tethered to party orthodoxy and to Trump. It means McConnell will have to work at times independently of Trump to find majorities.

Its going to be a complicated relationship, said Darrell West, vice president and director of governance studies at Washingtons Brookings Institution, a research group, of McConnell and Trump.

McConnell says he agrees with Trump on far more than he opposes.

We have a terrific relationship, the senator said. Hes very, very accessible; very energetic.

He finds Trumps nominees pretty impressive. Hes all for repealing key parts of Obamacare and says the Senate will take up a tax overhaul.

He likes Trumps proposal to improve infrastructure, but wont commit to any precise approach. Im interested in seeing what the administration is going to recommend, McConnell said. His wife, Elaine Chao, is Trumps nominee for transportation secretary.

McConnell has staked his own ground on some matters. Trump wants a wall between the U.S. and Mexico. McConnell wont go that far. I want to try to achieve border security in whatever way is the most effective, he says.

The president-elect has questioned whether the U.S. should continue in NATO. No, says McConnell. I will say for myself the NATO alliance is every bit as important today as it ever was, he says.

Translation: The Senate, as it traditionally does, will move at its own pace.

The day after Trump won the election, McConnell offered a subtle declaration of independence. I think in a day when people were voting for change, he said, they didnt decide they wanted to change the Republican Senate.
PALM BEACH, Florida  President-elect Donald Trump has an unusual New Years message for his Twitter followers.

He is wishing a Happy New Year to all, including to my many enemies and those who have fought me and lost so badly.

Trump adds, they just dont know what to do, ending his message with the word, Love!

The president-elect will be spending his New Years Eve at his private Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida.

Hell be throwing a private party that is expected to draw hundreds of guests, including action star Sylvester Stallone.
FILE - This image made from video posted online by Islamic State militants in April 2015 shows a militant taking a sledgehammer to a stone carving at the ancient site of Nimrud near Mosul, Iraq. Militants blew up and hacked apart much of the nearly 3,000-year-old city's remains, destroying one of the Mideast's most important archaeological sites. Nearly a month after the extremists were driven out, the site is still in danger, with the wreckage unprotected and vulnerable to being stolen. (Militant video via AP) An ancient relief lies shattered in the Northwest Palace at the nearly 3,000-year-old site of Nimrud, Iraq, in this Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016 photo. The destruction wreaked by Islamic State group militants at the site was extensive, leaving chunks of ancient reliefs, pieces of statues and pieces of cuneiform writing strewn amid rubble and dirt. With no protection more than a month after IS was driven out, those pieces are vulnerable to looting.(AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo) An Iraqi Army general stands near a stone slab depicting a winged genie at the entrance to the Northwest Palace at the ancient site of Nimrud, Iraq in this Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016 photo. The Islamic State group militants who destroyed the remains of the nearly 3,000-year-old city have been driven away. But with the war still raging nearby, no one has been assigned to guard the site and the wreckage strewn around it is vulnerable to looting. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo) UNESCO's Iraq representative Louise Haxthausen documents the damage wreaked by the Islamic State group at the ancient site of Nimrud, Iraq, in this Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016 photo. More than a month after the extremists were driven out, the site is still in danger, with the wreckage unprotected and vulnerable to being stolen. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo) This Nov. 19, 2008 photo released by the U.S. Army shows the statues of the lamassu, the winged, human-headed bulls that stood at the gates of the palace and were believed to ward off evil in the ancient city of Nimrud, near Mosul, Iraq. The bulls were destroyed by Islamic State group militants in early 2015 as they razed the entire site, one of the most important archaeological ruins in the Middle East. (Staff Sgt. JoAnn S. Makinano, U.S. Army via AP) A fragment of an Assyrian-era relief shows the image of a genie holding a pine cone at the ancient site of Nimrud that was destroyed by Islamic State group militants near Mosul, Iraq. in this Nov. 28, 2016 photo. In the 9th and 8th centuries BC, Nimrud was the capital of the Assyrian Empire, which burst out of Northern Mesopotamia to conquer much of the Mideast. The remains of its palaces, reliefs and temples were methodically blown up and torn to pieces by the Islamic State group in early 2015 in its campaign to erase history. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo) Iraq archaeologist Layla Salih, left, confers with UNESCO's representative in Iraq Louse Haxthausen, right, at the ancient site of Nimrud, Iraq, on Dec. 14. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo) Prev 1 of 7 Next

NIMRUD, Iraq  The giant winged bulls that once stood sentry at the nearly 3,000-year-old palace at Nimrud have been hacked to pieces. The fantastical human-headed creatures were believed to guard the king from evil, but now their stone remains are piled in the dirt, victims of the Islamic State groups fervor to erase history.

The militants fanaticism devastated one of the most important archaeological sites in the Middle East. But more than a month after the militants were driven out, Nimrud is still being ravaged, its treasures disappearing, piece by piece, imperiling any chance of eventually rebuilding it, an Associated Press team found after multiple visits in the past month.

With the government and military still absorbed in fighting the war against the Islamic State group in nearby Mosul, the wreckage of the Assyrian Empires ancient capital lies unprotected and vulnerable to looters.

No one is assigned to guard the sprawling site, much less catalog the fragments of ancient reliefs, chunks of cuneiform texts, pieces of statues and other rubble after IS blew up nearly every structure there. Toppled stone slabs bearing a relief from the palace wall that the AP saw on one visit were gone when journalists returned.

When I heard about Nimrud, my heart wept before my eyes did, said Hiba Hazim Hamad, an archaeology professor in Mosul who often took her students there. My family and neighbors came to my house to pay condolences.

Perhaps the only vigilant guardian left for the ruins is an Iraqi archaeologist, Layla Salih. She has visited it multiple times in recent weeks, photographing the destruction to document it and badgering nearby militias to take care of it. Walking with the AP across the broad dirt expanse of the ruin, she was calm, methodical and precise as she pointed out things shed seen on previous visits that were no longer in place.

Still, Salih does not despair. She searches out reasons for optimism.

The good thing is the rubble is still in situ, she said. The site is restorable.

To an untrained eye, thats hard to imagine, seeing the extent of the destruction that the Islamic State group wreaked in March 2015. Salih estimated that 60 percent of the site was irrecoverable.

The sites various structures  several palaces and temples  are spread over 360 hectares (900 acres) on a dirt plateau. A 140-foot-high ziggurat, or step pyramid, once arrested the gaze of anyone entering Nimrud. Where it stood, there is now only lumpy earth. Just past it, in the palace of King Ashurnasirpal II, walls are toppled, bricks spilled into giant piles. The palaces great courtyard is a field of cratered earth. Chunks of cuneiform writing are jammed in the dirt. Reliefs that once displayed gods and mythical creatures are reduced to random chunks showing a hand or a few feathers of a genies wing.

During a Dec. 14 assessment tour by UNESCO, a U.N. demining expert peered at a hole leading to a tomb that appeared to be intact. It might be rigged to explode, the expert said, and the UNESCO crew backed away.

The militants boasted of the destruction in high-definition video propaganda, touting their campaign to purge their self-declared caliphate of anything they deemed pagan or heretical.

They dismantled the winged bulls, known as lamassu, as purposefully as any decapitation in Raqqa or Mosul. The bearded male heads of the statues are missing  likely taken to be sold on the black market as IS has done with other artifacts. They then wired the entire palace with explosives and blew it apart, along with the temples of Nabu and of the goddess Ishtar.

It was a brutal blow to a site that gave the world a wealth of startling Mesopotamian art and deepened knowledge about the ancient Mideast.

Nimrud was a capital of the Assyrians, one the ancient worlds earliest and most ferocious empires. Known at the time as Kalhu, the city was the seat of power from 879-709 BC, an era when Assyrian armies expanded out across the Levant, capturing Damascus and other cities, crushing the kingdom of Israel and turning its neighbor Judah into a vassal.

A British-Assyrian team first excavated Nimrud in 1945, then it was re-excavated in the 1950s by Max Mallowan. Though famous in his own right at the time, Mallowan is better known as the husband of Agatha Christie , who accompanied him and photographed and filmed the digs.

Its just one of the most beautiful sites in the Middle East, or at least it was, said Georgina Herrmann, a British archaeologist who worked at Nimrud with Mallowan. It used to be covered with wildflowers. Youd be there and thered be bits of ancient sculptures sticking out.

Besides the reliefs and statues, archaeologists dug up hundreds of stone tablets written in cuneiform letters containing everything from treaties to temple and palace records. The tombs of queens yielded troves of gold and jewelry. Iraqi archaeologists also made a grisly find: more than 100 skeletons inside a palace well, including some with shackled hands and feet, possibly prisoners dumped in when Nimrud was sacked in 610 BC.

Salih, 40, came to Nimrud a few days after IS fighters were driven out in early November. So far, she is the only Iraqi antiquities official to visit. Ancient Assyria is not even Salihs field; she specialized in Islamic art and architecture. But there was no one else to do it. Half of the 50-odd government archaeologists in Mosul are still trapped there under IS rule.

She confirmed what satellite images had already shown: Sometime between Sept. 1 and Nov. 4 as international forces closed in, IS bulldozed the ziggurat.

It had never been explored by archaeologists. What exactly was inside it only ISIS knows, said Herrmann.

Touring the site, UNESCOs representative to Iraq, Louise Haxthausen, called the destruction absolutely devastating.

The most important thing right now is to ensure some basic protection, she said.

But the government has many priorities right now. It is still fighting IS in Mosul. Moreover, there is a long and expensive list of needs in rebuilding the country from the Islamic State groups legacy. Tens of thousands of citizens live in camps. Large swaths of the western city of Ramadi were destroyed in the offensive to wrest it from IS control. Mass graves are unearthed nearly every day in former IS territory, with more than 70 discovered already. Other ancient sites remain under IS control, including Nineveh  another ancient Assyrian capital  in the heart of Mosul.

Nimrud is in an active war zone, on the edge of the Tigris River valley south of Mosul. To reach it, one drives through checkpoints of multiple armed groups fighting IS  the Iraqi military, Shiite militias, Kurdish peshmerga and Christian fighters.

None of those forces is assigned to guard Nimrud. The first three times the AP visited, Sunni and Shiite fighters eventually showed up after an hour, apparently after hearing of the teams presence.

During the UNESCO tour, Salih noticed that some of the ancient bricks from the palace rubble had been neatly piled up as if to be hauled away. She questioned two Shiite militiamen about them.

Both of them told me different stories, she said in exasperation. One said Islamic State extremists did it, intending to sell the bricks; the other said the militia members themselves stacked them to protect them. Salih believes neither story and thinks someone had hoped to take the bricks to repair homes damaged in fighting.

Its hard to say whats missing, because no one even knows whats in the piles of rubble to know if its being stolen.

Two locals were recently arrested with a marble tablet and stone seal from Nimrud, presumably to sell. The men remain in custody.

The artifacts seized from them, however, are harder to track down. The police insisted they were at a lab in Irbil, the capital of the Kurdish region in northern Iraq. The lab said it knew nothing about them. The Antiquities Ministry in Baghdad said they were safe in the Ninevah government offices, while an official in those offices said they were with the police awaiting transit to Baghdad.

It was a perfect circle of confusion  one that makes it easy for someone to simply steal items.

Salih is working to get international funding to pay someone to guard the site. But she recognizes that job will have to go to one of the militia factions. She has no illusions that the militias will provide full protection.

But she has grown used to compromises that once would have been unimaginable. Before she fled her home in Mosul soon after the IS takeover in 2014, she and other archaeologists pleaded with the militants to let them destroy the citys ancient tombs that the group so despised. At least that way, the buildings housing the tombs could be spared.

The plea was futile, and IS detonated the buildings and tombs.

So she will negotiate now with the militias to do as much as they can to preserve Nimrud. On the final visit with the AP, wind-whipped winter rains sent rivulets of water through the loose dirt, further dislodging the remains.

There isnt another choice, as you see, she said.

___

Associated Press photographer Maya Alleruzzo and videographer Bram Janssen in Nimrud; and Salar Salim and Mohammed Nouman in Irbil, Iraq, contributed to this report.

___

Read previous reports in the APs series A Savage Legacy chronicling the impact of the Islamic State group at: https://www.ap.org/explore/a-savage-legacy/
Copyright  2017 Albuquerque Journal

This time last year, Anthony Samora was in state prison serving a life sentence for raping a 16-year-old boy, who had dwarf-like features and a very low IQ, in his truck after offering him a ride.

At the time of that incident, Samora was on a GPS monitor and sex offender parole for raping another boy after offering him a ride three years earlier.

In addition to those two rape cases, Samora is the subject of decades of other police reports, including a handful from small, slender teens and boys who say he harassed, sexually assaulted or outright kidnapped and raped them after offering them a ride.

Local prosecutors and detectives consider Samora to be one of the most overt and consistent sex offenders in the city.

But an Albuquerque jury last month, knowing nothing of Samoras past and patterns, freed the 49-year-old from prison after a five-day trial before 2nd Judicial District Judge Jacqueline Flores.

In a phone call Friday, Samora said that he is innocent in his latest case and prosecutors and detectives are targeting him. He refused to acknowledge his previous sex offense and the existence of the additional people who are listed as victims or possible victims in police reports involving him.

Here is how in the course of a year, Samora went from high-risk offender in prison for life to living free in a tidy Northeast Heights home.

Round 1

When the boy first testified in 2013 about being raped in a strangers truck when he was 16, hed already had a hard life.

His very low IQ combined with his small size and his dwarf-life features earned him a fitting gang name, and his criminal record at that time for auto theft and other crimes reflected a less-than-stable childhood.

Still, when he told an Albuquerque jury about that May 2008 afternoon, when a man who called himself Anthony and wore a GPS monitor offered him a ride home then trapped him in his truck and raped him, jurors believed him.

That jury convicted Anthony Samora of criminal sexual penetration during the commission of a felony, in this case kidnapping. This is an important detail to remember as it set the circumstances that ultimately released Samora from prison.

The GPS monitor Samora was wearing the day he picked up the boy in 2008 was part of the sex offender probation he was on for pleading guilty to raping a 14-year-old boy in 2003.

Samora was convicted as a habitual offender in the 2008 case and sentenced in April 2014 to life in prison with the chance for parole after 30 years, plus another 18 years.

Prosecutors at the time were relieved to get the conviction, especially because of the hoops they had to jump through to avoid mentioning Samoras history.

For example, prosecutors could not mention that Samora was on the sex offender registry and that after the incident the boy, with the help of a friend, had found Samora on the sex offender website. Instead, they could say only that Samora was on a state monitoring program and that the boy had found Samora on the internet or on a webpage.

Samoras sex offender probation officer could be referred to only as a state employee.

The map that Samoras GPS monitor made that corroborated the boys report could only be called records from a tracking device.

And a statement from Samoras court-ordered sex offender therapy that he had raped a midget  remember the boy was short and had dwarf-like features  was inadmissible.

And forget about telling the jury that Samora had in 2004 pleaded guilty to offering a ride to a 14-year-old boy, driving that boy around town until he was disoriented and then taking him to his trailer and raping him multiple times.

The 16-year-old mentally delayed boys criminal history, however, was fair game. He was on juvenile probation at the time, and Samoras public defender, Edward Bustamante, said that gave the teen motive to lie. Bustamante had no comment in response to questions about the case.

The boys criminal record and his challenged memory became an even bigger target in the second trial Samora secured through appeal.

Appeals, instructions

With the help of his public defender, Samora appealed his life sentence conviction twice.

The first time, he tried to say legislators had changed the law, but the court ruled the law was basically the same; it just had a new number on it, so stay in prison.

The second time, though, Samora found an argument the Supreme Court agreed with.

He argued that the jury had not been given the option to consider whether the 16-year-old boy had consented to the sex.

New Mexico law says a child younger than 13 cant consent to any sex at all. A child between age 13 and one day shy of 16 can consent to sex with someone no more than four years older. And a 16- or 17-year-old can consent to any sex.

Because the boy was 16 at the time of the incident, he could have consented.

Also, there were some elements of the case that raised doubts about the boys testimony, the justices wrote in their opinion.

The boy, who was 4 feet 11 inches tall and weighed less than 100 pounds, didnt have any injuries despite saying he had been pushed into a receptive sexual position.

Samora hadnt denied the sex.

And the boy, who was in a gang and had a very low IQ, had some inconsistencies in the few interviews he was required to give to his nurses, forensic interviewers, detectives and attorneys.

If the jury believed (the boy) was in some way unreliable or not telling the truth, the jurors could have reasonably concluded that (Samora) and (the boy) went to a remote location and engage in consensual sex, the opinion reads. We conclude that there was sufficient evidence presented to the jury to put consent at issue in this case.

That was enough for the justices, in an opinion written by Justice Edward Chavez, to order a new trial for Samora.

Jury instructions

When a jury is ready to consider guilty or not guilty, it is given instructions about what elements have to be met for someone to be found guilty of a particular charge. The instructions are crafted by prosecutors and defense attorneys and approved by the trial judge.

In Samoras case, the jurors were instructed that they should find Samora guilty if they agreed that he had unlawful sex with the boy.

For the act to have been unlawful it must have been done with the intent to arouse or gratify sexual desire or to intrude upon the bodily integrity or personal safety of the boy, the instruction said.

It was a standard instruction form that many rape cases used. The standard form also included various modifications for variations of cases.

In a rape case between two adults, the instructions could, for example, include the words without consent as an additional description of unlawful.

But this jury was not given instructions that included the without consent even though the boy was old enough to consent.

That was enough to warrant a retrial, the Supreme Court said.

Round 2

So the case was sent back for another trial.

A jury was convened, and the boy, now 24 and still with the 70 IQ, was called back eight years after the incident to testify.

But those years had turned him even harder.

Suffering from a drug addiction that ramped up after the incident, he committed additional crimes and was sent to prison. There he got a gang tattoo across his forehead. His appearance, a bit sallow after years of drug addition, melded with his slow demeanor and his desire to put the incident behind him.

Ultimately, having a special needs victim who had not thought about the case in nearly three years and who has worked to try to forget what happened resulted in some difficulty on the stand. Juries often have high expectations for a victims ability to recall a traumatic event and judge their credibility negatively when victims are not able to easily articulate what they remember, the office of District Attorney Kari Brandenburg said in an email statement.

That, and prosecutors in this case faced the same limitations on addressing Samoras history.

Because of prior Court orders, the State also had to be very careful to not speak about or elicit testimony regarding the Defendants prior conviction and the several prior investigations by law enforcement.  These limitations made it difficult to develop testimony through witnesses in a natural and thorough manner, DAs Office spokesman Phil Sisneros said in the email.

But parts of the boys criminal history  even that which happened after the incident  were presented to the jury.

The criminal history of witnesses is usually fair game in trials because it establishes trustworthiness  even if the witness is the victim.

And Samora was retried only on the charge he was convicted of, which was rape during the commission of kidnapping.

This jury decided it did not believe the alleged victim.

Jurors found Samora not guilty of kidnapping.

Because the rape charge was linked to the kidnapping, the rape charge basically disappeared.

And Samora was found to be an innocent man.

The young man decided he didnt want to pursue any further charges  and be forced to testify a third time  so the case against Samora is over.

Samora said Friday that the verdict shows he is innocent and the conviction was unlawful. He would not comment about how he characterized the sex with the boy.

If I would have committed this crime (I was) accused of and in consideration of how persistent the DA prosecuted this case, I would have taken one of the 10 plea bargains offered to me over the 8 years. For over 8 years I stood by my innocence, and I was found not guilty by the people of New Mexico, he said.

Released

Samora was released from prison in Lea County on Dec. 20 and put on a bus to Albuquerque. He told prison officials he planned to live with his mother in Sheldon, Iowa, but the OBrien County Sheriffs Office told the Journal he was not allowed to because her home was across from a school.

So on Tuesday, he registered as a sex offender in his brothers comfortable home near Juan Tabo and Interstate 40.

But Bernalillo County sheriffs detectives who worked on the most recent and some of the older of Samoras cases worry that sex offender registration wont keep him from hurting other people and could alert others who might want to hurt him to where Samora is living.

After a mans body was found recently behind a Northeast Heights Wal-Mart decapitated and with mutilated genitals, some people close to Samoras case wondered if it might be Samora fallen victim to revenge or other circumstance.

It wasnt, but the thought shows the place Samora holds in the mind of local law enforcement and criminal justice officials.

Anthony Samora is a predator, and that was rarely seen by the court, said Sgt. Amy Dudewicz, who handles special victims cases for BCSO.

She laments the restrictions prosecutors have on bringing up a defendants criminal history and patterns, though she acknowledges the importance of a balanced trial.

If you sit on a jury, you know youre only getting an iceberg version, she said.

Jurors in this case did not return the Journals phone calls.

Dudewicz said the defense attorney picked apart the mentally challenged mans statements and talked about his criminal past, including the crimes he committed after the first trial ended, a fact she felt was unfair considering none of Samoras criminal history was presented to the jury.

If you are a juror, dont you feel slapped in the face? she asked.
Perhaps we should have known you were going to break our hearts, 2016.

Just 10 days together and you had already snatched David Bowie. As if that hadnt been enough of a clue, you also robbed us of Glenn Frey of Eagles fame and Paul Kantner of both Jeffersons Airplane and Starship. You took Alan Rickman that month, too.

Even Abe Vigoda, perennially pronounced dead year after year, was dead.

But you were just getting started.

One by one, our giants fell. Antonin Scalia. Nancy Reagan. Patty Duke. Prince.

You took Muhammad Ali and Gene Wilder in summer.

As you grew older and colder, you also grew crueler, killing off Arnold Palmer, Leonard Cohen, Gwen Ifill, our TV parents Florence Henderson and Alan Thicke, our hero John Glenn. George Michael was gone on what turned out to be his last Christmas.

And, oh, this week you dealt the cruelest blow of all when you took out Carrie Fisher, the fiercest and funniest princess general of the galaxy, and then, the very next day, her unsinkable Hollywood legend mother, Debbie Reynolds.

We were so over you.

Losing famous folks was by no means the only horrors you wrought. In New Mexico, we wept often over the violence in our communities, especially when it resulted in the loss of children. Remember? Jayden Dayea, 1. Victoria Martens, 10. Nhi Nguyen, 11. Carmen Esmeralda Rivera Nevarez, 10. Ashlynne Mike, 11. Then three more last month  Mascarenas siblings Elijah, 5, Olivia, 6, Ian, 9.

All the while, you let wars rage, refugees suffer, terrorists terrorize, Russians hack, Congress sulk.

You popularized words like xenophobia, alt-right and post-truth.

You turned Aleppo into hell and social media into a cesspool of hate and fake news. And then you gave us the most brutal, bitter, bizarre and seemingly endless presidential election, the result of which has done little yet to mend the wounds of a divided nation.

The new year cannot come soon enough.

But, yes, I know what youre going to say. Dont blame you. Things happen in their own time, which just happened to be 2016.

And yes, things happen sometimes because we let them, because we make them, because we did not do enough to do better.

Maybe its us we have to blame for this mess, not you.

And, yes, maybe you werent all bad anyway  maybe we werent all bad.

We had the Olympics and those amazing athletes twirling and leaping and running and swimming and winning, if not the gold medal then our hearts.

We had the Chicago Cubs first World Series win in 108 years and the University of New Mexico Lobos fourth bowl victory ever.

We have an Ebola vaccine and a fighting chance against ALS now that the gene responsible for the disease has been identified.

This year, Hamilton won 11 Tony awards.

This year, more than 20 million Americans have health care coverage thanks to the Affordable Care Act. In New Mexico, that translates into a drop of the uninsured rate from about 20 percent in 2010 to 14.5 percent. No matter the politics and the glitches, thats a good thing.

This year, a woman made it closer than any other in U.S. history to the highest office in the country. She didnt win, I know, but that doesnt negate that milestone, nor does it diminish the empowerment she helped inspire in millions of women and young girls.

This year, Standing Rock stood against the Dakota Access Pipeline and won  for now.

This year, the unemployment rate is the lowest in 10 years.

So, yes, thank you, 2016, for all that. Thank you for Pokemon Go (or not), the laughing woman in the Chewbacca mask, Carpool Karaoke, cauliflower rice, for Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, protesters and police, books, independent newspapers.

Thank you for This Is Us and Season 3 of Transparent. Thank you for Zootopia (so much more than a kid flick).

Thank you for cold craft beer and hot green chile, both made in New Mexico. Thank you for beautiful sunsets and breathtaking vistas, for family and friends.

Thank you for leaving us Betty White.

You have not been easy to love, 2016, but even when you took away those icons we loved you reminded us of their gifts and their genius and why they mattered to us. Thanks for that, too.

So as Bowie might have said, its time to put on our red shoes and dance the blues. And so we shall, into the new year.

The Chicago Cubs win the World Series. (Charlie Riedel/Associated Press) "Chewbacca Mom" (Wade Payne/Invision) Standing Rock victory on the Dakota Access Pipeline. (David Goldman/Associated Press) "Zootopia." (Source: Disney) Prev 1 of 4 Next

UpFront is a daily front-page news and opinion column. Comment directly to Joline at 823-3603, jkrueger@abqjournal.com or follow her on Twitter @jolinegkg. Go to www.abqjournal.com/letters/new to submit a letter to the editor.
Everybody, welcome to 2017.

But before Albuquerque could ring in the New Year, it had some celebrating to do. And there were several official parties happening throughout the Duke City on Saturday.

Civic Plaza in Downtown drew a bundled-up crowd, where partygoers counted down to midnight. While, in a rare occurrence, New Years Eve coincided with the final night of Hanukkah and there was a celebration for that at Balloon Fiesta Park. Even the kids got in on the action before bedtime with a balloon drop at Explora when the clock struck noon.

By 9:30 p.m., Civic Plaza was bumping with hundreds of people in a festive mood. A crowd had gathered on the stage, and was dancing to Michael Jacksons hits and other pop songs. There were several bars selling alcoholic beverages, as well as food trucks, fire pits, a crowded ice rink and inflatables for kids at the event that had a family-oriented feel.

Its amazing, said Amelia Reyes Sandoval, who was her husbands designated driver. I mean, usually you have to pay to go out and celebrate New Years. When I saw that everybody was invited (to this event), I was like, Oh, thats amazing.'

Garrison Benally bought a beer and chatted with friends. He said he was probably going to have a drink before heading home prior to the countdown.

Im too old for late nights anymore, he said.

At Balloon Fiesta Park, organizers had planned to go for a world record by lighting the largest menorah in history  one made out of the citys famous hot air balloons.

Because of the wet and windy weather, that plan was nixed and the crowd settled for burners alone being lit.

The mood remained cheerful, though.

The countdown to the menorah lighting was led by Mayor Richard Berry, who got a round of applause from the crowd for being a mensch  thats a stand-up guy for you non-Yiddish speakers.

There was also a live band and food following the lighting.

Marty Finston, a member of Bnai Israel in Albuquerque, went to the event with his friend and their wives.

I had a friend in from out of town and wanted to show them something out of the ordinary, Finston said. And, more importantly, something exciting involving the local Jewish community.

Jessa Mitchell, 17, attended with her mother and sister. She said her family is Christian, but likes experiencing other cultures holiday traditions.

There are usually nice and happy people around the holidays, she said.

Albuquerques youngsters got in on the celebration at Explora earlier in the day.

A huge crowd of children counted down to noon, at which time 2,017 balloons were dropped into the fountain at the science center and childrens museum in the Old Town area.

Joshua Serafin, a 9- year-old from Los Lunas, plucked up a blue balloon during the celebration.

I loved it, said Mercy Serafin, Joshuas mother. The kids got to experience New Years.
Tourists have been warned to "remain vigilant" in Turkey where at least 39 New Year's Eve revellers were killed by a gunman believed to have been dressed as Santa Claus.

More than a third of the victims were foreigners.

The killer has not yet been apprehended.

Turkish interior minister Suleyman Soylu said 15 foreign nationals had been identified among the dead at the Reina nightclub in Istanbul.

The "terrorist" was still at large after striking alone in the attack, in which he changed clothes and injured a further 69 people in the early hours of Sunday, Mr Soylu said.

"This was a massacre, a truly inhuman savagery," he added.

Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin said the "terror attack" began when the assailant, armed with a long-barrelled weapon, killed a policeman and a civilian outside the club.

The attacker then entered the club in the Ortakoy district and fired at partygoers at around 1.45am local time, Mr Sahin said.

"Unfortunately (he) rained bullets in a very cruel and merciless way on innocent people who were there to celebrate New Year's and have fun," he added.

More than 500 revellers were seeing in 2017 in the club. The nationalities of the dead have not all been established as yet.

A spokesman said: "We are in touch with the local authorities following reports of an incident at a night club in Istanbul."

Five of the dead have been identified as Turkish nationals, up to four of which were working in the club, while authorities are yet to identify 19 others.

Clubbers reportedly jumped into the waters of the Bosporus strait to escape to flee the attacker.

Eyewitness Sinem Uyanik said her husband Lutfu Uyanik was wounded in the attack.

"Before I could understand what was happening, my husband fell on top me," she said outside Istanbul's Sisli Hospital. "I had to lift several bodies from on top of me before I could get out."

Officers in riot gear and armed with machine guns were backed up by armoured vehicles to secure the area surrounding the club, which is one of the most popular spots in the city.

Security in Turkish cities had been heightened with 17,000 police officers, some camouflaged as Santa Claus, on duty in Istanbul, state news agency Anadolu said.

Terrorists from the Islamic State group and Kurdish rebels targeted Istanbul and Ankara several times inflicting a death toll of more than 180 in 2016.

Turkish-backed rebel groups in Syria have been targeting IS militants.

The White House condemned the "horrific terrorist attack" and offered US help to Turkey.
Iconic Africa Launches East African Safaris Fostering Surging Area Popularity

Africa offers a unique diversity of wildlife, landscape, culture, hospitality and luxury, publishes iconicafrica.com

--

Reports from the travel and tourism industry point to Africa as the second fastest growing destination in the world with an estimated 300 percent uptick since 1990. Among the continent's current most sought-after locales is Tanzania whose visitor rate doubled over the last decade. Following a four-year decline, Kenya is also rising through the ranks courtesy of a 14 percent tourism uptick earlier this year. In response to this development, Terri Abadi of Iconic Africa has launched the travel agency's latest safari destinations.

Abadi Said, "We're excited to announce we've recently expanded into East Africa and now offer an entirely new array of luxury safaris. Iconic Africa Destinations now include both Kenya and Tanzania as well as a range of other options. We bring our clients customized trips to Africa's most popular safari destinations, all of which are visited and handpicked by John Holley and myself for their combinations of opulent luxury, culture, diverse wildlife, natural beauty and a number of additional wonders unique to each area in our selection."

Tanzania offers a wide range of geographical features, including savannas, forests, indigenous Baobab trees, floral fields, swamp land, snow-covered mountains and shoreline. This area is home to the Serengeti and Tarangire National Parks as well as the Ngorongoro Crater and the Zanzibar archipelago. Native wildlife is said to roam the area year-round with three distinct safari circuits available to visitors. Kenya's attributes include the Maasai Mara National Reserve bordering the Serengeti.

Serengeti National Park, specifically, is Tanzania's oldest game reserve and home to the Great Migration, an annual crossing of three million wildebeest and other large game into Maasai Mara. The Maasai Mara Reserve offers panoramic views surrounding red savannas, white and whistling thorns, wild olives and fever trees as well as a range of native animals. Zanzibar has been described as a tropical paradise in addition to holding ruins of ancient mosques, bath houses and palaces once home to Persian Sultans.

Abadi Concluded, "Iconic Africa Safaris provide an unequaled chance to experience all the beauty and wonders of the continent. Our luxury holidays are a labor of love designed to showcase the best and most renowned features of this amazing country and everything she has to offer. We encourage anyone considering taking a trip to Africa to contact us for a customized holiday unlike any other. From up-close encounters with indigenous species to the area's most indulgent accommodations offering the unparalleled hospitality for which Africa has become known, we strive to help clients create unforgettable memories."

About Iconic Africa:

Offering couples and families luxury safaris to the best lodges and locations in Africa, Iconic Africa is an online travel agency specializing in bespoke luxury safaris.

For more information, please visit http://www.iconicafrica.com/destinations/tanzania/

Contact Info:

Name: Terri Abadi

Organization: Iconic Africa

Phone: 1 (888) 345-3443

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/iconic-africa-launches-east-african-safaris-fostering-surging-area-popularity/158148

Release ID: 158148

For more information visit r



Recent Press Releases By The Same User

Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17)

Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)

Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17)

Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)

Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)

Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)




Haiti - FLASH : Unlimited strike in 19 hospitals, MSF is overwhelmed





The new strike began at the Hospital of the State University of Haiti (HUEH) on 5 December and extended to the country's 19 public hospitals on 12 December 2016 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19531-haiti-health-new-strike-in-public-hospitals.html has reached an ultimate stage. In agreement with the 19 public hospitals, an unlimited strike was launched which touched the most disadvantaged stata of the population.



At the beginning of December, Daphne Benoit Delsoin, the Minister of Health had announced to the ex-strikers the impossibility for its Ministry to respect the commitments made during the last strikes that lasted nearly 6 months and made several victims, faults of having finding the financial resources in the Public Treasury...



Strikers who no longer accept false promises demand respect for the commitments made by the Ministry under the August agreement https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18474-haiti-health-strike-ends-for-medical-residents.html



In hospitals or clinics where they are absent, few medical staff are present, but most services are dysfunctional and some are closed. Sick people without financial resources to seek treatment in a private hospital, are left to their fate, some between life and death...



The consequences of this strike cause a significant displacement of the patients in particular to the emergencies of the Center of the organization of Medecin sans Frontiere (MSF). The Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) Center for Traumatology and Emergency Surgery (MSF), located in Tabarre, informs the population that it is overwhelmed by the influx of patients coming to it in recent days. Since mid-December, 121 hospital beds have been continuously filled. Because of the strike in progress, our center is unable to refer less severe cases to decongest its services, explains the medical direction.



Despite its four operating theaters and operation 24/24, the center can not admit all patients with an emergency. It should be remembered that the Center of Tabarre supports the victims of road accidents, the wounded by bullets and weapons, victims of domestic accidents and those requiring emergency surgery. Since the capacity of the center is limited, the medical team is obliged to sort patients in order to manage the most severely affected.



Since December, the center receives an average of 50 new patients per day. More than 90% of these cases are victims of trauma. At the same time, the hospital receives in ambulatory, for bandages, and consultations, about 150 patients daily.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18474-haiti-health-strike-ends-for-medical-residents.html



SL/ HaitiLibre


















Love Jihad is an activity under which young jihadi boys and men reportedly target young girls belonging to other communities (mainly Hindus as they are easily vulnerable) for conversion to Islam by feigning love. This issue has garnered national attention in 2009 when large number of conversions were found as a result of Love Jihad in Kerala and areas surrounding it.

This issue though continuously projected as a threat by the leaders of Hindu society, has been denied as a matter of controversy by the secular media and liberal intellectuals citing the personal choice of choosing life partner as the reason for such conversions, despite of all the rapes and murders it has caused and the suffering of many Hindu girls who are exploited and abused after marriage under sharia law. But on the other hand, even former communist CPM and Congress chief ministers of Kerala had acknowledged the rapid conversions, especially of women into islam over the years.

But will personal choice of choosing life partners make our young girls choose such cruel men, giving rise to increase in crime against women and forcible conversions? Let us have a detailed analysis over this issue.

Recently, a 16 year old girl named Amritas body was found lying at the railway track near the Mukkali station in Kerala. Though it was projected as suicide by the secular media, subsequent events have made the police take custody of three young jihadi men. It was later revealed by the police that the girl was spotted together with one of the guys named Muhammad Irshad a while before her she was found dead as per an eye witness. Some reports say she committed suicide, but the photographs of her dead body say otherwise. Will a girl coincidentally have chosen such a cruel man as her partner without any acting or efforts taken by him? (Reference: http://vatakara.truevisionnews.com/news/social-media-post-about-amritha-suicide/)

Let us see some other cases where the girls ended up with similar fate. In May 2015, 23 year old Anuja was found hanging with her head tonsured and hair strewn on the ground. Later it was revealed that the girl was in a live in relationship with a man named Khaleem who was the chief accused in the murder of BJP leader Manikandan (murder of BJP and RSS leaders are very common in Kerala, another thing which is continuously ignored by media and central government), which made police take custody of Khaleem and find out his history. Khaleem, a married man with three children, had wooed Anuja through facebook and professed love, following which the couple decided to marry making Anuja end up with this fate.

Few months ago, days before the state elections of Kerala in 2016, a rape case stunned the nation. A 29 year old law student named Jisha was found dead in her home at Perumbavoor. She was living with her mother who worked as a labourer. Police found her body in a mutilated condition. After weeks of probe, police finally arrested the culprit, Ameer-Ul-Islam from Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu. Further enquiries of the accused, revealed that Jisha had resisted sexual advances from him earlier on the day she died, which led to her cruel rape and murder by the culprit, making us suspicious about whether Amrita too had the similar fate in the hands of Muhammad Irshad and his friends.

These incidents show that our young innocent girls like Anuja, Jisha and Amrita are in grave danger by these jihadists who lure Hindu women to marry them for a life of exploitation and abuse, and do not hesitate to rape and kill them if they resist.

In July 2016, it was reported that the girl named Nimisha who converted into islam and left to join ISIS with her jihadi partner had won prizes in Gita chanting when she was at school. So this means that just the basic education of Dharmic tradition from childhood is not enough, we must also teach our kids to abhor all sort of jihadist elements much like how jihadis teach their children to detest polytheism and idolatry by showing examples from their scriptures and deeds of their prophet. It is now one of the duties of elders in Hindu families to educate their girls from childhood about the harm people like Muhammad Irshad can cause to them, preventing them from undergoing any such sufferings.

(This article has been written jointly by @dauhshanti & @paanchajanyaa)

Source : HinduPost
The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution supporting efforts by Russia and Turkey to end the nearly six-year conflict in Syria and jump-start peace negotiations.

The resolution approved this afternoon also calls for the "rapid, safe and unhindered" delivery of humanitarian aid throughout Syria. It also anticipates a meeting of the Syrian government and opposition representative in Kazakhstan's capital Astana in late January.

The resolution's final text dropped an endorsement of the Syria ceasefire agreement reached on Thursday, as Western members of the council sought changes to the circulated draft resolution to clarify the UN's role and the meaning of the agreement brokered by Moscow and Ankara.

Meanwhile on the ground in Syria, rebels warned on Saturday that ceasefire violations by pro-government forces threatened to undermine a two-day-old agreement intended to pave the way for talks between the government and the opposition in the new year.

Air strikes pounded opposition-held villages and towns in the strategically-important Barada Valley outside Damascus, activists said, prompting rebels to threaten to withdraw their compliance with a nationwide truce brokered by Russia and Turkey last week.

Rebels also accused the government of signing a different version of the agreement to the one they signed in the Turkish capital of Ankara, further complicating the latest diplomatic efforts to bring an end to six years of war.

Nearly 50,000 people died in the conflict in 2016, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which maintains networks of contacts on all sides of the war. More than 13,000 of them were civilians, according to the Observatory. Various estimates have put the war's overall toll at around 400,000 dead.

If the truce holds, the government and the opposition will be expected to meet for talks for the first time in nearly a year in the Kazakh capital of Astana in the second half of January. Those talks will be mediated by Russia, Turkey, and Iran.

Syrian foreign minister Walid Moallem and Major General Ali Mamlouk, head of the National Security Bureau, were in Tehran Saturday to discuss developments with their Iranian counterparts, according to Iranian state media. They met with foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council.

The Kremlin meanwhile said Russian president Vladimir Putin and Iranian president Hassan Rouhani confirmed their commitment to negotiations in Astana, in a phone conversation between the two leaders.

Iran and Russia have provided crucial military and diplomatic support to Syrian president Bashar Assad throughout the conflict, while Turkey has served as a rear base and source of supplies for the opposition.

The resolution also calls for "rapid, safe and unhindered" access to deliver humanitarian aid throughout the country.

The developments follow months of talks between Ankara and Moscow that culminated in a ceasefire agreement that went into effect on Friday at midnight.

But in a statement issued by a coalition of 11 rebel factions, including the powerful Army of Islam group operating in the Damascus countryside, rebels said they could not abide by the ceasefire if the government continued its assault on Barada Valley.

The statement also complained that the government's version of the agreement signed in Ankara last week had deleted "a number of essential and non-negotiable points".

It said the opposition had agreed to a ceasefire encompassing the whole of Syria, without any exceptions to region or faction.

The Barada Valley Media Centre said Lebanese Hezbollah militants were firing on villages and towns in the water-rich region as Russian and government aircraft carried out raids for the 10th consecutive day on Saturday. The Lebanese militant group is a key ally to Mr Assad's forces.

The Barada Valley is the primary source of water for the capital and its surrounding region.

The government assault has coincided with a severe water shortage in Damascus since December 22.

Images from the valley's Media Centre indicate its Ain al-Fijeh spring and water processing facility have been destroyed in air strikes. The government says rebels spoiled the water source with diesel fuel, forcing it to cut supplies to the capital.

The Observatory reported at least two civilians and five militants have been killed in battles over opposition-held Eastern Ghouta and Barada Valley regions around Damascus, since the truce came into effect.

The Syrian military on Friday denied attacking the valley, saying it respected the Russian and Turkish brokered truce.

Meanwhile, Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency reported the death of an Islamic State commander in a Turkish air strike near the north Syrian town of al-Bab on Friday. The truce does not cover operations against the Islamic State group or al Qaida's Syria affiliate, the Fatah al-Sham front.

Anadolu identified the commander as Abu Ansari. The report could not be independently verified.

AP
On Dec. 22, President-elect Donald Trump startled the worldwide community of arms-control experts with a message on Twitter.



He wrote, "The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes."



The next day, Trump spoke off-camera with Mika Brzezinski of MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program and reportedly told her, "Let it be an arms race. We will outmatch them at every pass and outlast them all."



But on the same day, President Obama signed legislation that could do more to set off an arms race than anything the president-elect has said. The National Defense Authorization Act, an annual bill affecting every aspect of the U.S. military, for the first time strikes the word "limited" from the language that describes the nation's missile defense system.



Another provision in the law calls for the Pentagon to begin research, development and testing of space-based missile defenses.



That opens the door for virtually unlimited spending on new missile defense systems aimed at countering a nuclear threat from Russia and China, an escalation from current systems designed to stop smaller threats from nations like North Korea.



This significant change in U.S. policy was made quietly on Capitol Hill and approved by overwhelming bipartisan majorities in both houses of Congress. Although President Obama issued a four-page signing statement criticizing parts of the bill, he was silent on the changes in the nuclear defense policy.



A 2012 study of missile defense technologies conducted by a panel of the National Academy of Sciences at the request of Congress estimated the minimum cost of building a space-based missile defense system at $200 billion, not including hundreds of billions of dollars to operate it. The co-chair of the panel, retired Lockheed Corp. executive L. David Montague, said in an interview that a missile defense system could never ensure against a dedicated attack, but was "an opportunity to waste a prodigious amount of money."



Of course, to some members of Congress, it's not a waste of money if it creates a brand new defense facility and high-paying jobs in their districts.



But the new arms race is not solely of U.S. making. Trump's message on Twitter followed a speech by Russian President Vladimir Putin vowing to "strengthen the strategic nuclear forces" of his nation, and calling for an upgrade of non-nuclear forces so they are "capable of neutralizing any military threats."



The Washington Post's Bob Woodward reported that military and intelligence sources see "a giant buildup" of Russia's nuclear arsenal while the U.S. relies on aging weapons from the Kennedy and Reagan eras. Trump's national security adviser, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, told Woodward the president-elect is convinced the United States has to modernize and spend "vast amounts of money" to maintain a position of strength.



The so-called "peace dividend" that followed the end of the Cold War in the 1990s appears to have run its course. The U.S. is headed for a major expansion of military spending, set in motion by lawmakers of both political parties and by two presidents.



The biggest fight may be between Congress and the White House about where the money will be spent first.



This editorial appearedon the Orange County Register and was distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.




Al Arabiya said that Egypt, dealing with an excessive number of stray dogs, is looking to export them to Korea.

/ Korea Times file



By Ko Dong-hwan

Korea has agreed to help Egypt solve the Middle Eastern country's problem of stray dogs, Al Arabiya news outlet reports.

Al Arabiya said on Dec. 10 that Egypt was looking into sending live dogs to Korea.

Egyptian executioners' have been shooting the dogs on sight.

But online reports about the culling have brought strong criticism.

Photos showed public workers shooting stray dogs in Alexandria.

The alleged dog trade was greeted with surprise in Korea.

The Korean Embassy in Egypt and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency are investigating where the report originated.

"There is a possibility that a private entrepreneur in Korea contacted the Egyptian government or a businessman in Egypt," an embassy official said.

He said confirming the veracity of the report was most urgent.

Koreans have traditionally eaten dogs, a custom often criticized as barbaric.

Korean residents in Egypt doubted whether the report was true, and if it was even possible to trade live stray dogs.

"Not only would exporting live dogs be problematic, but processing them in Korea  slaughtering and storing  would also open up problems," a Korean trade company official in Egypt told Hankook Ilbo.

Al Arabiya also said the General Organization for Veterinary Services at the Ministry of Agriculture in Egypt had agreed to send 10,000 live donkeys to China  which needed the skins rather than the meat  after requests from many Chinese companies.

The trade was reportedly respective of an Islamic ruling in Egypt's al-Azhar.
Kinshasa (AFP) - The government and opposition parties in the DR Congo on Friday clinched a hard-won deal over President Joseph Kabila's fate, ending a political crisis that sparked months of deadly unrest.

Under the terms of the deal, Kabila will stay until the "end of 2017" but a transition council will be established, headed by opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi.

In addition, a prime minister will be named from the opposition ranks.

The talks were launched by the Roman Catholic Church to ward off violence as Kabila's second and final mandate ended on December 20 with no sign of him stepping down and no election in sight.

The final deal was signed after 13 hours of negotiation on Saturday and only after several last-minute hitches nearly derailed an accord.

According to a working document for the deal previously seen by AFP, Kabila guarantees that he will not seek a third mandate.

In return, the opposition accepted the president remain in office until handing over to an elected successor.

The opposition had previously demanded his immediate departure from public life.

Objections

The Catholic Church, which plays a key role in the vast central African country of some 70 million people, launched the negotiations on December 8 and had initially hoped to see a deal before Christmas.

Voters in DR Congo were originally to have chosen a new president in 2016, but the authorities said the electoral registers must be revised, a huge enterprise in a country almost the size of Europe.

And in a highly controversial ruling, the constitutional court said Kabila could remain in office until an election was held.

The ruling fed opposition fears that he planned to amend the constitution to allow him to run for a third term.

Kabila, 45, has been in power since the 2001 assassination of his father Laurent at the height of the Second Congo War.

He was confirmed as leader in 2006 during the first free elections since independence from Belgium in 1960, and re-elected for a second term in 2011 in a vote marred by allegations of massive fraud.

Sixteen representatives met on Saturday, comprising eight from the opposition coalition, called Rassemblement ("Gathering"), and eight from the government and groups which had signed a deal with the regime in October.

No democratic transfer

One dispute was over wording for the appointment of the prime minister -- the government side want the individual to be "drawn from the opposition," whereas Gathering want the premier to be "appointed by the opposition."

The opposition side also want the deal to allow a wealthy businessman and potential presidential candidate, Moise Katumbi, to be allowed to return to the country.

Katumbi has been sentenced to a three-year term in prison in an alleged case of property fraud and faces another trial in an alleged case of mercenary recruitment.

DR Congo has never witnessed a democratic transfer of power following polls since independence from Belgium in 1960.

Two decades ago, the country collapsed into the deadliest conflict in modern African history.

Its two wars in the late 1990s and early 2000s dragged in at least six African armies and left more than three million dead. Its restive east remains a battleground for rival ethnic militias.
Ain Salah (Algeria) (AFP) - Gathered in a tent in the Algerian desert, 30 young women are preparing for a big day many thought they could never afford -- a wedding.

Draped in beaded fabrics, the women lift their veils so make-up can be applied to their faces and hold out their hands for henna tatoos, the smell of incense wafting through the tent.

The next day, their 30 grooms gather separately, dressed in traditional robes, their heads wrapped in turbans.

Ornamental swords rest on their laps as they sit cross-legged on carpets outside, listening quietly to chants and drumming as they are shaved and kohl is applied around their eyes.

In the evening, the girls will be brought to the grooms' family homes, lifting their veils to reveal their faces to their new husbands.

The most modest Algerian marriage costs around 600,000 dinars (4,000 euros) for each spouse, more than two years of minimum wage (150 euros) an expense most can't afford

"For us, tradition is paramount, a woman is not properly married if she doesn't follow our traditions," says Hadja Hnizga, a volunteer helping to prepare the ceremonies.

The 30 couples, all from poor families, are taking part in a mass wedding organised by charitable association "SOS 3e-age El-Ihsane".

Without the group's help, few would have been able to afford an individual ceremony, which can cost at least 1.2 million dinars ($10,000/8,000 euros) -- the equivalent of nearly two years' worth of earnings at Algeria's minimum wage.

Costly ceremonies

The high cost of nuptials in Algeria appears to be deterring some from tying the knot -- there were about 370,000 weddings in 2015, a drop from around 386,000 the year before, despite a rising population.

"In these back country areas, people are poor and need help," says Souad Chikhi, the president of the association that organised the mass wedding in Ain Salah.

An Algerian man applies kajal (eye kohl) to a groom ahead of a group wedding ceremony, in the Sahara desert village of Ain Salah, south of Algeria

An oasis town in the heart of the Sahara in central Algeria, Ain Salah sits near major natural gas production sites, but not everyone here has benefitted.

The 30 grooms in the recent ceremony work in low-wage jobs, some as drivers, others as security guards or agricultural labourers.

The brides are mainly unemployed and after their marriages most of the couples will live with families as they cannot afford their own homes.

Many were thankful that -- despite the other difficulties in their lives -- they were able to have a proper wedding.

"The initiative to finance and help young people is good," said Mohammed, one of the grooms.

"When I heard about this association, like other young people I wanted to take part in this marriage. This association helps those who are in need a lot."

As well as the ceremony itself, the association organised gift baskets to be given to the couples that include appliances, dishes and clothes.

"Thank God, we were able to gather their gifts," Chikhi said. "We were able to pay the dowry for the boy and the girl and I hope that will bring them happiness."
Nairobi (AFP) - Burundi's environment minister was shot dead in the capital Bujumbura early Sunday, police said, the first killing of its kind since the country was plunged into political turmoil two years ago.

Emmanuel Niyonkuru, 54, the country's water, environment and planning minister, was killed shortly after midnight, according to a tweet sent by police spokesman Pierre Nkurikiye.

The murder, the first of a serving government minister since Burundi sank into turmoil over President Pierre Nkurunziza's controversial bid for a third term in 2015, comes after months of relative calm.

"Minister of water and environment killed by a criminal with a gun on his way home to Rohero, around 00:45," Nkurikiye wrote four hours after the incident.

He added that a woman had been arrested following the "assassination" although the motive for the attack was not immediately clear.

Also on Twitter, Nkurunziza offered his condolences "to the family and all Burundians", vowing the crime would be punished.

The murder comes days after Nkurunziza hinted he might seek a constitutional amendment allowing him a fourth term in 2020.

"If the people request it, we won't betray the confidence of the country, we won't betray the confidence of the people," Nkurunziza said Friday.

Regime figures targeted

At least 500 people have been killed and 300,000 have fled the country since unrest began in April 2015 as protesters -- and then military coup-plotters -- fought against Nkurunziza's third mandate.

Niyonkuru is the first cabinet minister to be killed but other senior regime figures have been targeted during the months of crisis.

General Adolphe Nshimirimana, considered Nkurunziza's right-hand man, was killed in August 2015. Almost a year later former government minister and spokeswoman Hafsa Mossi was killed by gunmen in her car.

Other attacks have failed, with senior presidential advisor Willy Nyamitwe, a spokesman widely regarded as the public face of the government, escaping an ambush by a group of gunmen as he returned to his Bujumbura home in November.

And in April, human rights minister Martin Nivyabandi and his wife were injured in a grenade attack while leaving church.

Burundi has commonly blamed neighbouring Rwanda for the attacks.

The murder of Niyonkuru comes as Nkurunziza shores up his control of the restive nation.

The loyalist parliament has passed a law imposing strict controls on international aid groups that Nkurunziza has accused of backing insurrectionists.

It has also begun the process of withdrawing the country from the International Criminal Court (ICC) which was looking into allegations of government abuses, including murder, torture and rape.

UN and NGO human rights reports have raised fears that Burundi's political crisis might take on an ethnic dimension, warning of the potential for genocide.
Istanbul (AFP) - At least 15 foreigners including several Arab nationals were among the dead in the New Year shooting rampage at an Istanbul nightclub, officials said on Sunday.

A total of 39 people were killed in the assault at the exclusive Reina club on the shores of the Bosphorus and 65 injured, officials said.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said that of 20 victims identified so far, 15 were foreigners and five were Turks.

Here is a breakdown of the nationality of the dead and wounded known so far:

Saudi Arabia

Riyadh's consulate in Istanbul said that Saudis were among the victims, but gave no figures. The Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper however quoted a consulate source as saying that five Saudis including two women had died and 11 other people were injured. Al-Arabiya television also spoke of five dead and nine wounded.

Jordan

The foreign ministry in Amman said three Jordanians were killed and four injured, the official Petra news agency reported.

Lebanon

The Lebanese foreign ministry announced the death of three Lebanese and said another four were wounded.

"I was saved by my passport which I was carrying right near my heart," one of the injured, Francois al-Asmar, told Lebanese television from his hospital bed.

Tunisia

The Tunisian foreign ministry said on its Facebook page that two Tunisians died, with media reports saying the victims were a businessman and his wife.

India

India's external affairs minister said two nationals were among the dead, naming them as Abis Rizvi, the son of a former MP, and a woman, Khushi Shah.

Israel

The Israeli foreign ministry said a young Israeli woman, identified in the media as 19-year-old Leann Zaher Nasser, had died, and one of her friends was injured.

Turkey is a top tourist destination for Israelis, with tens of thousands visiting each year.

Belgium

Belgium's foreign ministry confirmed that a man in his 20s, a Belgian-Turkish dual national, was killed.

France

Paris said a French-Tunisian dual national woman had died along with her Tunisian husband. It was not immediately known if they were among the dead listed by Tunis.

Another three French people were injured, the foreign ministry said.

Libya

One Libyan was killed and three others hurt in the attack, according to the north African country's foreign ministry.

Morocco

Three Moroccans were wounded, the MAP news agency quoted the embassy in Ankara as saying.
President Nana Akufo- Addo

01.01.2017 LISTEN

Dear Mr President,

I am writing you this letter to congratulate you on your historic and epic victory and to thank you for the monumental effort you have put in in order to wrestle the country out of the grips of John Dramani Dumsor Mahama. I was a staunch supporter of Mahama when he first assumed the presidency, but I quickly realised that he does not have what it takes to run a country, especially a developing country such as Ghana, and as such needed to be replaced quickly in order not to let Ghana disintegrate. I, therefore, became his staunchest critic and nemesis, starting from a little over two years ago.

Mr President, I want to have a little conversation with you in this letter about the future of our country on matters such as corruption, petty tribal politics, the dirty environment, the Police Service, the public services, the open-mouth gutters (and the filth in them), the shattered roads (especially those in Accra (the capital) and Tema), the economy, the noisy and ubiquitous churches, the intelligence of black Africans, and more. The major points I am making in this letter are also contained (in a fuller form) in a disquisition I wrote entitled How to Build Modern Ghana and which was published on this platform in April 2015. So, without further ado, let me begin.

Getting rid of corruption

You promised on your campaign trail that you would banish corruption. You must not fail on this promise even if you fail to deliver some of the other promises you have made. This is because apart from the fact that corruption is both stealing and cheating, it is the bane and scourge of modern society. Ghana is stagnating because it has been suffocated by corruption (not only by politicians but also by all other public services). In fact, one of the secrets of the advanced Western countries is that they have come to realise that once corruption is got rid of or brought to very minimal levels, society leaps forward in bounds and more or less runs itself.

Getting rid of petty tribal politics

You said it on the campaign trail. It came from your mouth loud and clear: I will get rid of 'petty tribal politics'. I was mesmerised when the words flew out of your mouth. I asked myself at the time: Is that coming from Nana Akufo-Addo? The fact of the matter is, however one looks at it, tribalism or ethnocentrism is parochial and is the product of a primitive and undeveloped mind. Tribalism is pushing black Africans further and further back; therefore, it is appropriate that it be banished.

Because of your running mate Mahamudu Bawumia, you have more or less bridged the gap with the northern regions. Therefore, you can now turn your attention to the other tribes. With regard to the Volta Region, your recent pronouncements show me that you are on the right track and that you will get there eventually. The aim is that you bring Ghana to a level of attainment where at elections we vote on policy rather than on which tribe we belong to. You said during the campaign that you would build a harbour at Jamestown and Keta. I urge you to keep the promise. If you do, it will go a long way to help the people in the areas and also go towards banishing petty tribal politics.

Malfunctioning public services

All our public services, including the law courts - the courts are dreadfully inefficient - have failed us, and in a mega way. These public bodies are just not doing their work properly. From the courts to the Police Service to the Lands Commission to the Lands Title Registry to DVLA  dare I say more? It is almost impossible to have any significant dealings with these services without getting scarred in some form. What is it in the DNA of black Africans that we cannot improve as human beings? Is reading books, memorising and regurgitating to pass examinations all black Africans can do? Why can we not copy the good attitude of the advanced West (Japan included) about how to run public services? Please ensure that by the end of your (first) tenure in four years' time, all our public services, especially the judiciary (the courts) and the Police Service, run like clockwork. Why not? If you do that you will forever be etched in our memories. If you do not remove the last vestiges of corruption from the system or have a zero-tolerance attitude towards it, then you will not be able to industrialise the country as you are planning to do because industrialisation and the indiscipline of corruption are incompatible.

The inadequate Police Service

I single out the Police Service here for special comment because without a good and efficient police force, a country is on a hiding to nothing. Our existing Police Service is not fit for purpose: too much corruption, too much inefficiency, too much ignorance, too much arrogance, too much unprofessional attitude, too much lackadaisical attitude  dare I say more? A lot of praise was heaped on the Police during the 2016 elections for doing a job that should ordinarily be expected of them; however, that was just a veneer; underneath that veneer is a rotten and decaying core. The Police Service needs a lot of urgent and overdue training and education, and a very good one indeed.

What stops us training Ghana Police to behave like the Police in the advanced West (except, of course, the Police in the USA who behave like bloodthirsty, racist hooligans)? The Police in Britain are fairly good except that they too are dreadfully racist and brutalise black people, just like in the USA but without the American hooliganism that goes with the racism; (black here means black African and black Caribbean). If Ghana Police is trained to the level of British Police, it would be a joy to work with. Incompetent and/or corrupt police officers and those police officers who set up road barriers in order to extort from and bully citizens should not be mollycoddled but summarily dismissed. It is my wish that by the time you leave office our Police Service will have been transformed for the better.

The topsy turvy economy

I am sure you are aware that a big chunk of economic theory  neoclassical economic theory that is, the one taught in our colleges and universities and the one on which prime ministers and presidents are advised  is nonsense! Christine Lagarde, the IMF supremo, does not know what she is talking about half the time. Because of this, the modern trend is that prime ministers and presidents are tailoring economic theory to suit their own needs. Shinzo Abe of Japan has his dubbed Abenomics, designed to meet Japan's peculiar needs. Soon, we will have Trumpnomics (designed solely to benefit Americans). I, therefore, hereby christen your one-district-one-factory economic policy Akufo-Addonomics. Have the courage of your convictions and the foresight to do your own thing to help Ghana. Economics these days is trial and error. Many economic-theory books were burnt or thrown away after the Great Recession of 2007/8. The (neoclassical) economic theorists did not see the Recession coming, that is why their books had to be got rid of.

In the book Debunking Economics, by Professor (of Economics) Steve Keen (ISBN 978-1-84813-992-3), he debunks economic theory that has been in existence since Margaret Thatcher/Ronald Reagan (that is neoclassical economic theory) as mainly false. If you have time, read this fascinating book. I would not recommend a book to anybody unless I have read it myself.

Your one district-one-factory policy is a remarkable policy initiative. Seeing you talking confidently about how you intend to transform Ghana's economy is mesmerising, refreshing and gladdens my heart. It is a far cry from clueless busted flush Mahama. I hope Mahama is listening, watching and learning from the maestro. What I have derived from what you are trying to do is that you want to start industrialisation of Ghana, and you want to do this by a mixture of private capital and state capital (a mixed economy)  something I have advocated vigorously for a long time. There is no way industrialisation of a developing country like Ghana can be left solely in the hands of private capital. That way the industrialisation will never happen; the state has to play a major and leading role for it to happen. Your one-district-one-factory initiative is the major and leading role the state or government ought to be playing, and you have assumed that mantle brilliantly. To all intents and purposes, you are on the right track to develop Ghana. I cannot wait!

You must never give up on your aim to industrialise, or start industrialisation of, Ghana. You must continue with this initiative come hell or high water until Ghana becomes industrialised. Ghana has reached the point of inflection whereby the buy-and-sell economy is no longer serving us well; the only alternative left is industrialisation, and you must not shirk or wobble. Japan, China, South Korea, Singapore and Malaysia have already walked the path you are about to walk; therefore, they serve as exemplars for you to follow.

Please read the following interesting three books about development economics to spur you on and to be your companion in case the going gets tough and lonely: (1) 23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism, by Ha-Joon Chang (ISBN 978-0-14104-797-3); (2) Bad Samaritans, The Guilty Secrets of Rich Nations & The Threat To Global Prosperity, by Ha-Joon Chang (ISBN 978-1-905-21137-1); (3) Kicking Away The Ladder, Development Strategy in Historical Perspective, by Ha-Joon Chang (ISBN 1-84331-027-9).

I would not recommend a book I have not read; I have read all the three books. You would have noticed that the same person has written the three books. Ha-Joon Chang is a South Korean-born University of Cambridge (England) professor of development economics. He knows all about the tribulations of a modern-day country trying to industrialise. He has written it all down in these three books. Nevertheless, there is no harm talking to him. He will probably tell you how South Korea managed to industrialise.

Environment & Sanitation

I do not know what is in the genetic make-up of black Africans that they cannot keep their towns and cities (and the general environment) clean and tidy, and inviting. The South African state (and its towns and cities) was built by white South Africans and handed over to the black South Africans; that is why South Africa is such a nice and inviting place. The black South Africans could not have built a state like that if left on their own; it is just not in the genetic make-up of black Africans to keep a clean and tidy environment; everything has to be chaotic and shabby! The shabby way we black Africans live tells a lot about our intelligence, or lack of it!

Despite the Sanitation Day events that take place here in Ghana every month, almost all the open-mouth gutters in Accra (the capital) and Tema are full with millions of plastic bottles and plastic sachets, and a black cocktail of dirt and grime, in some cases right to the brim especially when it rains. This can be seen almost everywhere in Accra: it is at Accra city centre; it is at Eco Bank, Kotobabi, on Spintex Road, and several other places in the capital. It is as if Sanitation Day events do not take place in these places or take place at all anywhere. What beats my imagination though is how and why the powers-that-be can allow our environment to be that dirty and are comfortable living in such an environment. We should not tolerate this level of nonchalance from the authorities when it comes to keeping our environment clean and healthy. How can we claim to be intelligent human beings when we cannot even clean our surroundings? Intelligence is not the ability to solve a quadratic equation or to acquire a university degree (especially by rote learning); intelligence is more than that. Black Africans have failed the intelligence test in the way they keep their environment.

Mr President, I did not hear you once talk about our dirty towns and cities during the whole of your election campaign. Nevertheless, I would like you to make cleaning of our towns and cities one of your priorities. Make cleaning a serious profession; create a culture whereby people should be able to earn a living out of cleaning. You cannot leave the cleaning of our towns and cities to Zoomlion; honestly, I do not know what Zoomlion does. Despite the ubiquitous presence of Zoomlion, our towns and cities are atrociously dirty. What you need to do is to create a Ministry responsible solely for cleaning the open-mouth gutters in our towns and cities, and then covering them up with permanent structures. And, please, ask the road-building contractors to stop building more open-mouth gutters! None of the advanced cities in the world  London, Paris, Tokyo, etc  has open-mouth gutters. If we are serious in this country, then you must stop building open-mouth gutters and cover the existing ones up.

Town planning

What strikes a visitor to Ghana from the advanced West (including Japan) is the chaotic way we place our buildings. There seems to be no pattern to the way we put up buildings in our towns and cities, yet we have town planners and a government town planning department. I saw and heard a prominent town planner on television recently saying the reason buildings are being erected chaotically in our towns and cities is because town planning has been politicised. What does he mean by that? What he means is that politicians are interfering with town planners and town planning. For example, if someone is refused planning permission to put up a building somewhere, a politician could intervene allowing the building to be put up where the applicant wants it. This is bizarre! I urge you, Mr President, to de-politicise town planning. Because you are planning to industrialise the country, there will be exponential growth in buildings; hence, the reason to buttress up the town planning laws.

While you are at it, this is the time for you to think seriously about modernising Accra (the capital). A big chunk of Accra is a collection of fishing villages which form the home for the indigenous people of the area (the Ga people). The housing stock of the indigenous people is too shabby. The government has to replace the housing stock for the indigenous people with modern housing, starting from the Nungua Barrier to the city centre (of Accra) and past it to Jamestown and beyond. The government can go it alone or get into partnership with a private company or companies to build the homes and sell and/or rent to the indigenes at very affordable prices. I do not think the indigenes would be able to eradicate the poor housing if left on their own.

Shattered roads in Accra & Tema

What baffles me is that Mahama is always boasting about building the road infrastructure in the country, yet there are many atrociously bad roads  red, dusty roads - in the capital city itself. If so, what is the meaning of Mahama's boast about building the infrastructure in the country? The Lashibi-to-Ashaiman-Road turned from a tarred road to a red, dusty road over eight years ago, but the road is still in such a condition as Mahama leaves office! Yet this is a man boasting vociferously about building the road infrastructure in the country. Is Accra not part of Ghana in Mahama's books? Eight solid years, that is incredible! What is most peculiar is that the road in question is a very important road in the heart of the capital.

A second example is Community 18-to-Abbatoir-Road. This road was a nice, motorable road until about three years ago when it became riddled with potholes. Instead of Mahama's ministers resurfacing the road immediately, they left it to deteriorate further. About six months ago they came and scraped the tar off the surface of the road. One would expect them to resurface the road immediately. But, no, they have better ideas; they have now embarked on building open-mouth gutters along the road at a very slow pace (a project that will probably take them two years to complete). Meanwhile, we are now lumbered with a red, dusty road and a road whose open-mouth gutters are now being constructed; this is something we have not bargained for. If Mahama's ministers are not prepared to resurface the road immediately why scrape off the old tarmac? There is so much ineptitude in our society. Mr President, please make it one of your priorities to tarmac all the roads in Accra and Tema as soon as possible so that vehicular traffic can improve and so that we have a less dusty environment to contend with.

Enforcement of laws of the land

One of the biggest weaknesses of black Africa is the inability to enforce the laws of the land. We live in a culture of impunity. Black Africans do not as yet realise the importance of law enforcement. For example, if someone drops litter and you punish him, he will not drop it again and, consequently, you will have less litter to clear. However, if you let him go unpunished he will continue dropping litter and you will be clearing after him. Mr President, right now I know you are euphoric because of your epic election victory. However, sooner or later, you should put emotions to one side and try and instil discipline in Ghanaians; discipline is what Ghanaians need more than anything else. If you are able to instil discipline, the country will run like clockwork and you will find that will reduce your workload significantly. Instillation of discipline is very important; please do not relegate it.

Show of intelligence

Since emerging from the bondage and humiliation of chattel slavery and the subsequent colonisation, black Africans have not demonstrated to the world that they are intelligent humans, and people to be reckoned with. My assessment is that black Africans have not managed to demonstrate they are intelligent because the intelligence is simply not there. Tell me, which intelligent human being would cover his head with a (white) horse-hair-wig in a warm  almost hot  climate such as ours while he is adjudicating cases in court just because some (superior) human being, who came to dominate him for hundreds of years, also wears the same headgear in court in his country although that superior human being lives in a very cold country (that may be why he wants to warm his head with the horse-hair-wig)? I am, of course, talking about our ludicrous and unthinking judges, the horse hair brigade; people who prefer horse hair to their own. People who insist on being addressed My Lord in court when they do not look like the Lord to me and when we do not have a House of Lords here in Ghana!

Sadly, black Africans have mistaken bookishness for intelligence. Intelligence is not the ability to acquire a university degree (mainly by rote learning in the case of the black African); intelligence is more than that. White people, the Japanese, the Chinese, the South Koreans, the Singaporeans, the Malaysians, even the Indians, have all demonstrated that they are intelligent people. Black Africa has not as yet demonstrated that. Black Africa is yet to show the world that it has more to offer it than just Ebola. The failure of black Africa is, of course, the failure of black Africa's so-called intelligentsia. In reality black Africa has no intelligentsia at all because the ones in black Africa masquerading as the intelligentsia  the horse hair brigade, for example  are not intelligent at all if compared with their counterparts in Europe, America, Japan, China, South Korea, Singapore and Malaysia. Mr President, it is over to you; please show the way.

Ghana's lingua franca

This may seem a trivial point, but it is not. As a nation we have become so sloppy that nothing seems important anymore. It is because of our excessive sloppiness that Mahama's ministers wrote down in the Independence Day programme Uhuru Kenyatta, Mahama's guest, as the President of Ghana (and not Mahama). Shocking! I want to pose the question: what is Ghana's lingua franca? Is it British English or American English? As far as I know, for good or bad, Ghana's lingua franca is British English. Therefore, let us use British English spellings in our everyday discourse. It is so irritating to see American English spelling of words even on GBC (Ghana Broadcasting Corporation) Television: words such as counseling instead of counselling, center instead of centre, panelist instead of panellist, color instead of colour, and many more.

Does it matter which spelling is used? Yes, it does matter. What is happening at present is an indication of our confusion, sloppiness, shoddiness and indiscipline. There must be insistence that the GBC, the ministries and all other government departments use British English spelling of words. Those Ghanaians who have been educated in America and who have come back to live and work in Ghana must be made to use British English spelling of words. It bodes ill for us as a people if we cannot even decide what our lingua franca is or cannot discern that there is a difference between British English and American English.

While on the subject of GBC broadcasting, I would like to say that it is comical and embarrassing to watch GBC newsreaders trying to connect to their reporters in the field. GBC newsreaders almost always find it impossible to connect to their reporters in the field to add details to the news. Why is this so? Can the managers of GBC News not see that their newsreaders are finding it impossible to connect to their reporters in the field? Is the problem due to old and outdated equipment? If yes, can the GBC not afford to replace the outdated equipment?

This farcical pantomime of newsreading came to an excruciating and embarrassing crescendo during the 2016 elections when the newsreaders or the news anchors just could not connect to their various reporters in the field. The GBC is just operating within Ghana, yet it cannot connect to its reporters in the field. If so, how come news agencies such as Aljazeera, BBC, CNN, etc, are able to connect to their reporters across continents in the twinkling of an eye but the GBC cannot connect to someone in Wa? Mr President, although the GBC is under-performing, its managers are not able to see it. On the contrary, the GBC is complacent and self-congratulatory. You want to give us a new beginning, please do not leave the GBC out of your plans.

Location of churches in residential areas

Why do Ghanaians (black Africans) pray like maniacs? What are Ghanaians praying for incessantly? Are they praying for manna to fall from heaven? No, manna does not fall these days; these days, people starve if they do not go out to find food. Since the advent of technology God has stopped dropping manna from heaven because he does not want to make a scene! In the lead up to the 7 December 2016 elections, Ghanaians prayed like maniacs. One could be forgiven for thinking that 7 December was the day the battle of Armageddon was going to be fought or it was the day we were going to witness the coming of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. I guess the churches are now suffering from prayer-withdrawal symptoms now that the elections are over and we have not murdered one another; they now have nothing to pray for.

The serious point I want to make though is that because in Ghana church services are 24/7 and noisy, the government should enact a law to prevent churches locating in, or near to, residential areas so that people can relax and rest in their homes both at night and on Saturdays and Sundays when they are not at work. Mr President, please bear in mind that, although it is hard to believe, not all of us pray like maniacs, nor are all of us interested in the 24/7 church mania. When I was young, people only went to church on Sundays and for about just two hours or so, but that is no longer the case today. Some of us want peace of mind to think and reflect, at least when we are in our homes.

A special place should be designated for churches where churchgoers can shout and make merry until they go hoarse without disturbing others. If Ghanaian churchgoers are not hypocrites and timewasters, how come about 99 percent of Ghanaians go to church  I am yet to meet a Ghanaian who does not go to church  yet the country is riddled with corruption? It is not only politicians who are corrupt in Ghana; the whole of Ghanaian society is egregiously corrupt! If so, what then are the pastors or the maniacal-men-of-God preaching from the pulpit? The point I am making here is a very serious one. I do hope you take note of it.

Award of honorary degrees

You ought to ask yourself, Mr President, how come Western universities do not give their honorary degrees to their heads of state? For example, why did University of Aberdeen not give its honorary law degree to Nicola Sturgeon, David Cameron or Barack Obama but to Dramani Mahama? The short answer is the first three mentioned would not turn up to collect the degrees but Dramani Mahama would because black Africans are, in the main, simple-minded people. If you come to look at it, the offer of honorary degrees by Western universities to black African leaders is patronising and demeaning! Why should a head of state (a prime minister or a president) be distracted from his/her work with the offer of something as trivial as an honorary degree? What purpose does it serve? What possible use is the honorary doctor of laws degree to Mahama now that he is no longer the President? It is absolutely no use to him because he does not understand law; therefore, he can neither practise law with it nor teach law in a university with it.

Black African leaders go gaga at the sight of an honorary degree. Dramani Mahama, on receiving his honorary doctor of laws degree from University of Aberdeen in March (2016), said: I consider this an honour for all Ghanaians and it is a reflection of the strides we have made as a people, both internationally and at home. This is how low black Africans have sunk. We are so obsessed with academic titles we have stopped thinking. What on earth makes Mahama think that Ghanaians are more interested in his funny-peculiar academic indulgence than in the horrible state of our choking, open-mouth gutters back home? In fact, white people will forever control and dominate black Africans because in sooth black Africans are unintelligent and small-minded people! Mr President, my advice to you is that you must not leave your post to go and collect an honorary degree from any university. If they insist on giving you an honorary degree, they should bring it to you in Flagstaff House. Of course, you can go and receive a Nobel Prize (for defeating Mahama in the elections, for example) if they offer you one, but not an honorary degree in nonsense!

Your relationship with Britain/UK and USA

The reality of life is that, however much we wish it was not true, all white people detest black Africans and do not respect them because they consider black Africans unintelligent people! However, because white people are, in the main, hypocrites, some pretend to like black people, but in reality no white person likes a black person. The way white people truly behave towards black people is to be found in their workplaces and not the way they behave at the diplomatic level. For example, Britain treats its black-skin citizens (in Britain) (black defined as black African or black Caribbean) as lepers and as third-class  not even second-class  citizens, yet we have curly-hair Jon Benjamin (UK's High Commissioner to Ghana) running round reassuring Ghanaians that Britain values its relationship with Ghana. The sad reality is that black people who have chosen to make Britain their home do not live meaningful and fulfilled lives because of white racism. This is sad but is the reality of life in Britain for black people.

Your relationship with Britain and the USA will play a part, if not a critical part, in your plan to modernise Ghana. Therefore, I suggest you deal with the two countries in a matter-of-fact way at all times. For example, it is most probable that in about two years' time Queen Elizabeth will send you a red-carpet invitation to Buckingham Palace to be pampered (like they did for Kufuor). They will not be inviting you because they like you, but because Britain will be positioning itself in case something positive comes out of Ghana (as a result of your modernisation agenda) so that it can take advantage. There is no harm Britain jostling for position as long as you know what the score is.

By all means go and walk on the red carpet and be pampered, but you should be more concerned with how Britain can help you with your industrialisation plan for Ghana. For example, if I were you, I would ask Britain to build a comprehensive sewerage system in Accra and Tema for me. They have the Joseph Bazalgettes there, so why don't you ask? (Bazalgette built the sewerage system under London 147 years ago; it took him nine years to complete.) They may ask for something or nothing in return. Remember, nothing ventured, nothing gained; if you do not ask you will not get. Always ask for practical assistance when you get the opportunity, rather than engage in unnecessary diplomatic niceties with Jon Benjamin. (Jon Benjamin is rough-hewn and does not like diplomatic niceties anyway!)

Regarding the USA, having Donald Trump in the White House is not as bad as it seems for black Africa. We all know he does not like black people, so at least you know where you stand with him. In my view, dealing with the red-necks like Trump is more straightforward than dealing with hypocritical white liberals. White liberals are only nice to black people if the black people concerned are not competing directly with them for jobs. A white liberal shows his/her true colours once a black person gets into competition with them. In their book Game Change, John Heliemann and Mark Halperin claim that during the 2008 Democratic Party primaries between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton rang the late Ted Kennedy to canvass support for his wife. The authors claim that during that conversation Bill Clinton said to Ted Kennedy about Obama: A few years ago, this guy [Obama] would have been getting us coffee.

Bill Clinton never came out to deny the horrible allegation; therefore, most of us have assumed that he did make the comment. Yet, this same Bill Clinton claims to be a white liberal, and has been famously described by Toni Morrison in 1998 as the first black president. The problem here for the white liberal is that he is being challenged by a blackman (Obama) for the same job (Hillary's ambition to be president). When that happens, a white liberal is no longer a liberal; he/she becomes a monster just like the non-liberals. The moral of the story is: treat Donald Trump and any other white person who comes your way in a matter-of-fact manner. In fact, Donald Trump's racism may be a blessing in disguise for black Africans: his rough-and-ready racism will force lazy and disorganised black Africans to do something tangible for themselves!

I hope you find the points I have made in this letter appealing.

Yours sincerely,

Abraham Agbodo

Political & Social Commentator
Just as we have new prophecies from various men of God for the new year 2017, there were lots of 2016 prophecies from major men of God that did not come to pass.

The Punch has however collated some of the prophecies by popular great men of God in Nigeria which did not come to pass in 2016. Enjoy below:

1. Buhari may be killed  Father Mbaka

Earlier in 2016, controversial Catholic priest and spiritual leader of Adoration Ministry, Reverend Fr. Ejike Mbaka, raised the alarm over what he says is a plot to assassinate President Muhammadu Buhari in 2016. He said: a plot to assassinate President Muhammadu Buhari in 2016. He said: Many people are planning, as it is revealed, to kill Buhari. There are many plans on how to eliminate his life so that corruption, embezzlement will continue....By the end of this year, Buhari will expose the names of the people who looted money meant for our roads. What we are suffering now is the resultant effect of the last malignant administration that was intrinsically corrupt. What we are suffering now arose from past administration. But the Lord says there is hope. Many people are going to suffer. We should all get ready. But after the suffering, we will all smile.

Some Nigerian pastors

But throughout year 2016, there were no reports of plots to kill the President. Also, the president did not expose the names of looters. Instead, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo explained that the government did not name the looters because doing so would jeopardize ongoing investigations.

2. New STD will emerge  Pastor E. A. Adeboye

Part of the prophecies that the general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, gave on January 1, 2016 was a new s*xually transmitted disease would surface in 2016. This did not happen. The only new virus that made headline last year was Zika virus - a mosquito-borne flavivirus.

3. A woman will win US election  T.B Joshua

The general overseer of The Synagogue Church Of All Nations, T.B Joshua, got the attention of everyone in the world when he predicted that Democratic Party candidate, Hillary Clinton, will win the US presidential election but alas, Republican candidate, Donald Trump, won!

4. El-rufai will die if he doesn't revoke preaching law  Apostle Suleiman

Apostle Johnson Suleiman of the Omega Fire Ministry declared that Governor El-Rufai will die if he does not revoke the controversial preaching bill he came up with. During a service, Apostle Suleiman expressed distaste over the bill, noting that such amounted to suppressing the freedom of religion. The state government has not revoked the bill although the noise over it has died down. But el-Rufai is still living despite the non-revocation of the bill.

Also, Apostle Suleiman predicted that except Americans prayed, President Barack Obama would seek third term with a likelihood of the presidential elections not holding. Well, you know the end result as there was no such case of desire for tenure elongation by Obama. Obama even campaigned for his partys (Democratic Party) candidate, Hillary Clinton, who lost to Trump. At no time, before or during the electioneering was any issue about seeking third term in office raised.

5. The Queen of England may die  Prophet Joshua Iginla

In January 2016, the general overseer of Champions Royal Assembly, Prophet Joshua Iginla, an Abuja-based pastor, also had many predictions which cut beyond Nigeria. Some of the predictions came to pass while one of the most controversial of them was that the Queen of England may die.

He said: The Queen of England should pray for her health. I see strong challenge and should pray to see the end of the year. The Queen had a spectacular 90th birthday celebration in the year in review with no major health issue.

Also, Prophet Iginla also said there will be a major stampede at a religious gathering in Zambia which would claim lives. But in 2016, Zambia did not record any major stampede at any religious gathering. Instead, it was in India that a major stampede at a religious gathering occurred.

6. Osinbajo may go missing after a meeting  Prophet Muyideen Kasali

The general overseer of the Hour of Mercy Prayer Ministry, Prophet Muyideen Kasali, unveiled some of his prophecies for the year 2016, on January 10. The blind prophet prophesied that Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo would go missing after leaving a meeting.

Well, in the year in review, Osinbajo toured the country and attended several meetings on behalf of the president and nothing happened.

Also, the blind cleric said the All Progressives Congress would split into four groups last year due to numerous crisis and 'too much success'. Though there was crisis within the party, the party did not split into four groups throughout the year.

7. Fayose will be removed from office, Peterside will be Rivers governor - Prophet Christopher Owolabi

The presiding cleric of Christ Apostolic Church, Ori-Oke Irapada, Omu-Aran, Kwara state, Prophet Christopher Owolabi, said Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti state would be removed from office in 2016 unless he prayed fervently against it. He also said the APC would win the governorship election in Rivers state. But the opposites are what happened. Fayose was not removed from office, and Governor Nyesom Wike of the PDP is still in charge of Rivers state.

Read more here.

Source: Legit.ng
- Former Governor of the old Anambra, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, has accused President Buhari of trying to push the Igbos out of Nigeria

- He also accused the president of not having respect for the region

- He claims that the Igbos are not after special treatment but a fair sharing in the scheme of things in Nigeria

Igbos are not after special treatment in Nigeria but fair sharing of power says former governor

Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, elder statesman and former Governor of the old Anambra state, has stated that President Muhammadu Buhari is unwittingly chasing Igbo people out of Nigeria, The Punch reports.

The elder statesman noted that President Buhari has not lived up to his words during his inauguration speech in 2015 when he said he belongs to nobody

Ezeife who spoke to The Punch posited that Igbos are not after special treatment but fair sharing in the countrys scheme of things.

READ ALSO: Jonathan prays for Nigeria in New Year message

Ezeife said: Chief Olusegun) Obasanjo was president of Nigeria. Was IPOB fighting him? Was MASSOB (Movement for the Sovereign State of Biafra) fighting him? Was Biafra being promoted? (Former President Umaru) YarAdua was also from the North. (Dr. Goodluck) Jonathan spent over four years as the president of Nigeria. During his time, did you hear of anyone fighting for Biafra? Why is Buhari pushing the South-East out of Nigeria? If one wants to appoint people and they are removed from the offices they are in, does he want to make Igbo traders bankrupt?

Last time, Mr. President said he was coming to Enugu state. He didnt go, neither did he send a representative or an apology. The President is disdainful of Igbos and it doesnt matter. We are begging him because hes President. We could say we dont care. But we must care because he is sharing what belongs to all of us to some of us and Igbos are left out.

The former governor also noted that the reason while Igbo people stood behind former President Godluck Jonathan was that Jonathan did not neglect them while in office.

READ ALSO: Buhari asks Army to unite Nigeria, stop group restiveness

He said: In Nigeria, no person from the South-East has been president. The South-East gave him (Jonathan) all the votes it could give him. Even for a second term, they stood by him without looking back. Yes, our roads were not taken care of, yet we had our sons and daughters in high positions of Jonathans government  and we had Jonathan himself. At Enugu, I raised the question when Jonathan came for a town hall meeting: Are you sure nobody is sabotaging you as far as roads in the East are concerned?

All the roads were bad and these were the people that voted in the president. I said it openly, but that didnt stop the South-East and South-South from giving maximum votes to Jonathan. Obasanjo placed our son (Jonathan) as vice president (under YarAdua). So, we are grateful to Obasanjo. We must support our son and we did.

Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has declared that he would no longer condone the violence and political madness in the north-east, Niger Delta and the eastern parts of the country.

Source: Legit.ng
- President of Nigeria Union in South Africa, Ikechukwu Anyene, has accused South African police of murder and abduction of Nigerians

- Anyene says a Nigerian was handcuffed and suffocated to death by a policeman

- He calls on Nigerian government to prevail on South Africa government to stop the killings of Nigerians in the country

S/Africa police allegedly suffocate Nigerian to death, abduct other

The South African police have been accused of killing a Nigerian living in the country while another Nigerian was also abducted in the country.

Ikechukwu Anyene, the president of Nigeria Union in South Africa, confirmed the death and abduction to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on telephone from Pretoria.

Anyene added that both incidents had been reported to the Nigerian Mission in the country.

He told NAN that one Victor Nnadi, a native of Orlu in Imo, was suffocated to death on Thursday December 22 by the Metropolitan Police in Cape Town while one Austin Agunwa, a native of Umuawulu, in Awka South local government area of Anambra, was abducted by unidentified persons at Rustenburg, North West Province on Dec. 24.

According to Anyene, an eye witnesses saw the police handcuff the victim and suffocated him to death.

READ ALSO: Beautiful lady allegedly kills boyfriend for trying to break up with her (photos)

When the people saw what happened, they raised an alarm and confronted the police.

The union`s chapter in Cape Town is already on top of the situation and trying its best to facilitate the release of the detained brother of the deceased, he said.

Speaking further, Anyene call on the federal government to prevail on the South African government to put measures in place to stop the wanton killing of Nigerians.

He also disclosed that Nigerians in the province in efforts to get to the root of the matter raised a search team which later found the abandoned car of the victim after a crash near a bridge

However, Anyene, noted that the vehicle had no blood stain.

As we speak, we dont know his whereabouts and nobody has claimed responsibility for his abduction.

We have directed the union`s chapter in the area to report the incident to the police and open a case on the missing Nigerian, he said.

READ ALSO: Biafra: IPOB accuses Buhari of plotting to eliminate detained members

On the other hand, Anyene disclosed that the union`s national body would work together with Nigerias High Commission to visit Rustenburg over the incident.

He however calls for calm, adding that the situation is being handled by the relevant Nigerian authority in South Africa.

We have also advised our people to be calm and remain law abiding as the union and the Nigerian Mission are handling the situation, he said.

Meanwhile the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB has alleged President Buhari of plotting to murder their detained members in Abuja.

Source: Legit.ng
- The Indigenous People of Biafra has said that some international observers will be present during the next court sitting for its leader Nnamdi Kanu

- The IPOB urged all its members resident in Abuja to be at the court on Tuesday, January 10

The international observers will be present to monitor the court process

The Indigenous People of Biafra has said that some international observers will be present during the next court sitting for its leader Nnamdi Kanu.

The group in a statement signed by its spokesperson Powerful Emma said the observers will be on ground to monitor the court process.

This is to let the world know how formidable and resolute we are towards ensuring that justice is done in the case of our leader and to remind the world that the restoration of our God given nation called Biafra is irreversible and on course," IPOB said.

Kanu is expected to appear before Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday, January 10.

READ ALSO: Biafra: Buhari chasing Igbos out of Nigeria says former governor

It is also expected that Kanus secret trial will commence on the said day.

However, IPOB said: The groups that will be on ground in Abuja to monitor the events in the court that day will be International Human Rights Groups, Int'l Media organizations and other foreign observers who will storm Abuja for this case that has caught the attention of the world.

The group also called on all its members in Abuja to be present in court on that day.

Therefore, we are expecting the entire members of the Indigenous people of Biafra (IPOB) and Biafrans that resides around Abuja and it's environs to be in court on that faithful day in Abuja to witness the court proceedings of the case between our leader and Muhammadu Buhari.

READ ALSO: Biafra: These 12 prophesies have been fulfilled under Buhari - IPOB

The world must know that the presiding judge Binta Nyako is from the same town as Buhari. She is Fulani and a practicing Muslim whose interest quite naturally is to do the will of his fellow Muslim, Fulani tribesman and to keep her fraudulent husband out of EFCC custody.

That day we shall be waiting for the imported masquerades from Ghana and Cameroon to appear as Buhari witnesses against our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu will be exposed by the international observers, international media outfits and the international human rights organizations designated to monitor Nyako Binta with her secret trial pattern on the said date.

The leadership of IPOB are urging every Biafran from far and near to storm Abuja for this purpose. We are also using this medium to urge business men and women residing both within and outside Abuja to dedicate that very day in honour of our leader who has paid so much sacrifice that we may have freedom from oppression and slavery, the IPOB said.

Source: Legit.ng
Police in Tasmania are investigating reports of three separate sexual assaults at the Marion Bay leg of Falls Festival, an hour outside of Hobart.

Detectives from the Bellerive CIB are investigating the alleged incidents, two of which are said to have occurred in the mosh pit area at the festival.

One assault took place on a young woman during a Hot Dub Time Machine DJ set on Thursday night, and another took place during a performance by Illy.

The third incident under investigation took place in the camping grounds on Thursday night.

Police have urged members of the public to come forward with any information they might have about these incidents, and Inspector Doug Rossiter told patrons:

If you become isolated and feel unsafe at any time, go straight to the nearest police officer, security guard and talk to them.

This news comes after reports out of the Lorne leg of the Falls Festival, where more than 60 people were injured in a crush last night as crowds filed out following DMAs set.





Source: ABC News.

Photo: Falls Festival / Instagram.
Startbubble is a new online community platform to help you meet startups, entrepreneurs, SMEs and investors, for FREE!

End

--Entrepreneurship is at an all time high, with young people and stay at home innovators finding niche ways of making money to compliment or replace their existing incomes. But how can these new businesspeople connect, learn and meet other people like them? Sure, there are business meet ups, small networking groups in the local hall, but nothing that resembles an online based, active social community tailored specifically for this new startup generation. A new UK based startup aptly named Startbubble aims to change this.Startbubble, based in London, is a brand new website that allows entrepreneurs, startups, SMEs and investors to meet, network and share advice with likeminded people using their free online platform, released in late 2016.The young startup claims that users can create a completely free account which allows them to join or start discussions in their community Activity Feed (a feed of the latest articles, posts, comments, discussions and much more), find other members and add them to their 'Network' where they can track their activity and even start a private chat, read and submit free business articles, meet other entrepreneurs and much more. Reece, one of the Founders at Startbubble, claims this feature is perfect for discussing business deals privately with people you have met on the site, which you wouldn't want to discuss publicly. Even more excitingly, the company is introducing a new feature called Groups, which allows members to create mini private communities based around business topics, such as 'Seeking a Business Partner' or 'Looking For Startup Advice'. Any registered member can create these groups, join and track their activity all from within their dedicated customisable user profile.Speaking with Reece and Scott, the partners behind the platform, the two University students believe that 'Startbubble is a platform that takes the dated local business meet up model and puts it online, expanding these local groups into an international community of likeminded innovators and creatives. We see the platform helping thousands of young startups and entrepreneurs find people who can help them develop their business model, find investment and start their own thing.'Currently, Startbubble is available in the United Kingdom and United States, with other English speaking countries to follow.
This page may have been moved, deleted, or is otherwise unavailable. To help you find what you are looking for:

Enter Search Term(s):

Still cant find what youre looking for? Send us a message using our contact us form. To report a broken link or other problems with the website, please include the URL.

Thank you for visiting state.gov.
After years of trying Israel has finally obtained an export order for its Iron Dome anti-rocket system. Export customers were hard to find since few other countries had problems with stray mortar and rocket fire. Actually there are several countries that fit that description but they are all Moslem and thus under tremendous political and financial pressure from other Moslem nations to maintain the trade boycott of Israel. Not all Moslem majority nations observe the boycott but Azerbaijan is one of few with oil wealth that does. Moreover, Azerbaijan is populated largely by Azeri Turks who have long been on bad terms with neighboring Iran. The major military threat to Azerbaijan, however, is Christian Armenia, a very hostile neighbor because of an old territorial dispute. Despite efforts by Russia to quiet things down and get a negotiated settlement, border violence continues. This is the sort of thing Iron Dome deals with. Details (quantity purchased, delivery schedule) of the sale have not yet been made public.

In 2016 Iron Dome was successfully modified and tested to shoot down various types of UAVs. This required some software modifications and was done at the request of the U.S. Army. Iron Dome was already capable of shooting down aircraft and helicopters. The UAVs were often much smaller, but so are the rockets and mortar shells Iron Dome can knock down. The United States has contributed over a billion dollars to development and procurement of Iron Dome. Adding new features like this were also expected to help produce export sales. This new feature was of interest to Azerbaijan.

Iron Dome has been in service since 2009 and has proven itself in combat. Iron Dome uses two radars to quickly calculate the trajectory of the incoming rocket and do nothing if the rocket trajectory indicates it is going to land in an uninhabited area. But if the computers predict a rocket coming down in an inhabited area one (or often two to be sure) $50,000 Tamir guided missiles are fired to intercept the rocket. This, and the fact that the Iron Dome fire control system can track hundreds of incoming missiles at once makes the system cost-effective. By 2016 Iron Dome had shot down 700 rockets, which is about 85 percent of the rockets it calculated were headed for a populated areas. The Tamir missiles used by Iron Dome weigh 90 kg and have a range of 70 kilometers against rockets, mortar shells and artillery shells up to 155mm. Iron Dome can also shoot down aircraft and helicopters at altitudes of up to 10,000 meters (32,000 feet). Iron Dome is the principal Israeli defense against short range rockets fired from Gaza or Lebanon. Work is underway to increase Iron Dome range from 70 to over 200 kilometers.

By 2014 Israel had fifteen batteries of Iron Dome and over 2,000 Tamir missiles. That was enough to shut down the Hamas effort to hit Israel with thousands of rockets. Each battery has radar, fire control equipment, and 3-4 missile launchers (each with 20 missiles) and costs about $37-50 million depending on how many missiles it is shipped with.

In 2014 the U.S. Army has purchased an Iron Dome battery from Israel, mainly for evaluation purposes. The Americans wanted to see if Iron Dome would be worth getting for deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan, where American troops are still stationed and probably will be for some time to come but an American order did not materialize.

Despite years of Iron Dome success in knocking down rockets under realistic combat conditions the system did not become a hot export item. Israel is one of the top ten weapons exporters in the world mainly because Israeli stuff works well and is usually combat tested. But all that has not helped Iron Dome. Although Iron Dome system had shown is worked reliably and consistently it did so in a unique situation. Few other countries have a situation similar to the rocket threat against Israel.

The main problem is that Iron Dome was designed to deal with an enemy that is a terrorist organization (Hamas) operating out of an area (Gaza) that is basically home for Palestinian refugees who have been there for over 60 years and want nothing less than the destruction of Israel. A similar organization (Hezbollah) controls southern Lebanon and is also dedicated to the destruction of Israel, using 40,000 unguided rockets they received from Iran. This is the unique situation that Iron Dome was designed to deal with.

Another interesting aspect to this is that Azerbaijan has had bad relations with neighboring Iran, which has long wanted Israel destroyed and has supplied most of the rockets now sitting in Gaza and Lebanon and aimed at Israel.
Army and police operation in western Mexico led to the arrest of members of the Gulf drug cartel and Sinaloa cartel as well as members of the Valencia cartel. The Gulf cartel arrests were made in Veracruz (on the east coast of Mexico). Apparently, members of the Gulf cartel's associated gang, the Zetas, had also been arrested. The Zetas operate as a "private army" and have been involved in numerous murders along the Texas-Mexico border. The Mexican government is sending a political message. The Calderon government will challenge the drug cartels. Though there has been no rhetorical or media indication that the Mexican government has chosen to treat the cartels as "insurgents," the focus on the gangs' "combat power" certainly suggests the Mexican government has taken that tact in operational terms.

December 23, 2006: The government approved at $205 billion budget. Moreover, the budget is supposedly a balanced budget. During the presidential campaign, President Felipe Calderon promised he would work for fiscal and budgetary responsibility.

December 22, 2006: The government reported its security forces had seized seven tons of marijuana. The marijuana was on board vans ready for shipment (presumably north to the U.S.). The raid caught the vans on a ranch north of Guadalajara, Mexico. This indicates the anti-drug operation that began in Michoacan state has been expanded into other regions of Mexico.

December 21, 2006: The Army arrested ten alleged drug traffickers in Michoacan state.

December 17, 2006: The Army announced a major drug bust operation in western Mexico. The army arrested Elias Valencia, head of the Valencia drug cartel. (Elias Valencia took control of the gang when his father, Armando, was arrested in 2003.) The Army and various police organizations began a large-scale counter-drug operation in Michoacan state on December 11. The operation included a large "sweep" of Michoacan by troops supported by armored vehicles. Police had been ambushed in southwestern Michoacan and it looks like the armored vehicles were a response to the road ambushes. The state has been the scene of fighting between the Gulf Cartel (out of Matamoros) and the Valencia cartel. The two cartels had been shooting at one another and committing "execution style" gangland slayings. The army reported one firefight on December 13 near what was described as a "marihuana plantation." One drug gang member was killed in that incident and a second man was arrested. Mexico's new president, Felipe Calderon, promised he would take action against the drug gangs. It looks like action includes the Mexican Army deployed as a police force but also conducting operations that look more than a bit like counter-insurgency operations.
Genres : Biography, Drama, History

Starring : Nate Parker, Armie Hammer, Penelope Ann Miller

Director : Nate Parker

Plot Synopsis

Set against the antebellum South, The Birth of a Nation follows Nat Turner (Nate Parker), a literate slave and preacher, whose financially strained owner, Samuel Turner (Armie Hammer), accepts an offer to use Nats preaching to subdue slaves. As he witnesses countless atrocities, against himself and his fellow slaves, Nat orchestrates an uprising in the hopes of leading his people to freedom.
It seems like just yesterday that Lauren Conrad was one of the most important women on all of reality TV. 
Not that theres anything wrong with the old you  but here are a few books that might help you start your new year off on a fresh foot.

100 Tricks to Appear Smart in Meetings, Sarah Cooper

There are tons of dumb business how-tos but this one is both funny and wise. It teaches: how to nod and pace around the room; what to do with your face; how to make ridiculous analogies. Good meeting tactics include: Step out for an important phone call. React to everything as if you already knew that. Sit next to the person leading the meeting. And much more. Coopers bio says she started jotting down these tips while pretending to pay attention at meetings when she worked at Yahoo! and Google.

Your Inner Critic is a Big Jerk, and Other Truths About Being Creative, Danielle Krysa, paintings by Martha Rich

Danielle Krysa runs The Jealous Curator, a site she began in 2009 as a showcase for art that made her jealous in a bad, toxic, soul-crushing way. Today, that same art, by creators around the world, has become her inspiration. This book is designed to unblock the rest of us who want to make stuff  photographs, fine art, writing, breakfast  but find our inner critic getting in the way. There are 10 chapters, each of which deals with the excuses, inner demons, misapprehensions and sundry other blocks that make us run shrieking from a blank sheet of paper.

How to be a Person in the World: Ask Pollys Guide Through the Paradoxes of Modern Life, Heather Havrileky

Cards on the table: this book will not teach you how to be a person in the world so it shouldnt be among these quasi-instructional titles. But it is amusing and might offer insights into the human condition. Havrileky has been writing Ask Polly, her existential advice column, for three years, first for The Awl, now at New York magazine. Three sample chapter headings: Im Tired of Being So Nice, Im Thirty-Eight and Everything is Awful and How Do I Get Over This Betrayal?

Set Your Voice Free: How to Get the Singing or Speaking Voice You want, Roger Love

Its possible, perhaps even likely, that in 2017 you will be invited to give a Ted Talk and will have to develop your public-speaking chops. Or perhaps you merely wish to avoid shaming yourself as you did during the recently past caroling season. In either event, Roger Love can help: He has given voice training to Gwen Stefani, Keira Knightley and Colin Farrell, so he knows a thing or two about emoting. Researchers say we have one second to make a good vocal impression when meeting someone new. Youve been warned.

The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well, Meik Wiking

Hygge (pronounced hoo-Gah) is a Danish concept that embodies a philosophy (actually, more simple than a philosophy, an atmosphere) of enjoying the simple things in life with good people. Meik Wiking is the CEO of Copenhagens Happiness Research Institute and this book is billed as the definitive guide to living well. Warmth and light (candles, fireplaces) play an important role, as do comfort food and cosy sweaters. As does living in Denmark. You get the idea.

SHARE:
Former University of Toronto chancellor Rose Wolfe, who graduated at least 60,000 students at 90 convocations and bestowed about 60 honorary degrees, died on Friday. She was 100.

Born on Aug. 7, 1916, Wolfe served two terms as U of Ts chancellor, from 1991 to 1997.

At the age of 75, when many people begin to rest, Rose became chancellor of the University of Toronto and worked tirelessly for the next six years, said former U of T president Robert Prichard in a statement.

He described Wolfe as a powerful force for good who lived a rich and full life, personified the very best values of the university and built bridges to the many communities it serves. Quite simply the perfect chancellor is how he once described her to the Star.

Wolfe would have been touched by the words of fondness and admiration that have marked her passing, her daughter Elizabeth told the Star in an email.

She said Wolfe would want to be remembered as someone who challenged authority, called into question conventional wisdom and demanded action.

She believed in rocking the boat, Elizabeth said. She never shied away from taking leadership to task, to do more and better.

Born Rose Senderowitz, she once wanted to be a doctor but felt her marks in math were not good enough, so she chose sociology instead, graduating from U of T in 1940, the same year she married Ray Wolfe.

The job that changed her life came in the 1940s at Jewish Family and Child Services. She was to place Jewish children from displaced persons camps in Poland, Belgium and France in Canadian Jewish homes.

She described the children as undersized, pale and withdrawn in an earlier Star report.

The war was over, she said. But we really didnt know the numbers or the horrors they went through. They didnt talk.

One of the children she helped, John Freund, remembered Wolfe on Saturday as a very fine and beautiful woman.

Freund came to Canada as a Jewish war orphan when he was 18, in 1948. He said he told Wolfe that he wanted to finish high school, which he had started in Prague. He remembers that she advocated for his education at the Canadian Jewish Congress, at which point he was granted the financial aid to finish school.

That experience cemented Wofles decision to establish a chair in honour of her late husband for the study of the Holocaust.

We owe it to our predecessors, to ourselves and to future generations to understand what happened during that terrible period in human history, the universitys campus magazine quotes her as saying.

Among the many high points of Wolfes career were serving as vice-president of the womens division of the United Jewish Appeal; president of the Federation of Jewish Womens Organizations; and president of Jewish Family and Child Services.

Through her work, Wolfe often rubbed shoulders with famous people, including former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

She was also known as U of Ts most prominent volunteer, once visiting a Scarborough hospital in her chancellor regalia to present a dying Victoria University student with his diploma

Wolfe had two children, Elizabeth and Jonathan, late in life, and continued working for a time, as she told the Star in 1996. Mother and daughter both recalled the day she resolved to quit.

She did leave her work after coming home to my 5-year-old self crying on the doorstep, Elizabeth told the Star in an email on Saturday. She committed to being there for us when we were young and made certain we were always well fed, well dressed, well groomed, well behaved and actively engaged in activities.

Elizabeth said Wolfe had high expectations in all aspects of life and believed her children were a reflection of her.

Wolfe was also a very impressive hostess, Elizabeth said. My fondest memories of her were watching her act as hostess at her dining room table, serving the most elegantly prepared meals and engaging guests in vibrant and entertaining conversation.

From the early 1960s on, Wolfe was deeply involved in community activities, Elizabeth said. She treated her volunteerism as though it were her profession  a full-time undertaking with regular prep work, meetings and debriefings.

When I was a young practising lawyer, she would often call at night for consultations, Elizabeth said. Those conversations instilled in me my own commitment to community engagement.

Through her exemplary service as chancellor, as a member of the universitys Governing Council and in her many volunteer positions, Wolfe has left a magnificent legacy, said U of T president Meric Gertler in a statement.

The University of Toronto has lost a beloved champion, a distinguished alumna, and an incredibly warm and generous friend, Gertler said.

Many aspects of life at U of T have benefited from Wolfes leadership and dedication, from the experience of commuter students to alumni engagement, fundraising and the universitys global academic standing, Gertler noted.

Wolfes name will always be synonymous with generosity, free spirit and intellectual freedom, said Anna Shternshis, director of the Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies at U of T.

The former chancellor was extensively involved in the life of the centre, Shternshis said in an email, adding that Wolfe advocated for female leadership in academia and for the study of Yiddish  a Jewish language brutally damaged by the Holocaust.

She took a keen interest in our current students, met with them, wanted to know about their concerns and challenges, Shternshis added. They trusted her because they sensed her ultimate devotion to their success.

Michael Marrus, professor emeritus of history at U of T, spoke fondly of Wolfe. He was the inaugural holder of the professor of Holocaust Studies chair that she endowed 20 years ago as chancellor.

I knew Rose before this, from Jewish community activity, Marrus said. (She) was emphatically present with her Jewish identity but also with her sense of community responsibility.

Marrus also recalled Wolfe as extraordinarily poised and elegant  not a hair out of place  perfectly attuned to the moment, and very diplomatic.

Wolfe was succeeded as chancellor by Hal Jackman, and Marrus said she gave advice to her successor about how best to be a greeter for the school.

Marrus said, Rose spoke regularly and spontaneously and spoke in a milieu in which academics are used to speaking themselves  fluently and graciously and in a way that made everyone feel happy and at home.

He remarked that this quality was one of her strengths, and that people looked to her to create a great family in the community.

Martin Sampson, communications director for the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, described Wolfe as a giant in the Jewish community.

She was a great Canadian committed to social justice, education and philanthropy, he said.

In 1999 Wolfe was inducted into the Order of Canada. She is a defender of social justice, whose extensive and tireless involvement with many boards and committees has made her a dynamic contributor to society, the citation read.

Wolfe was predeceased by her husband and is survived by her daughter, Elizabeth Wolfe; her son, Jonathan, and daughter-in-law Amal Wolfe; and grandchildren Ryan, Jaimie, Michael and Rachel.

Funeral services will be held Monday at Benjamins Park Memorial Chapel.

SHARE:
The GTAs first baby of 2017 arrived exactly at the stroke of midnight.

Mississauga Hospital on the Queensway has claimed the new years first birth, saying Alan Wang, a baby boy weighing about seven pounds 10 ounces, arrived at exactly 12 a.m. on Jan. 1.

I was worried because hes so small, Longzhu Wang said.

This is her first baby.

Although a little tired, both mother and son are healthy and doing well, said Trillium Health Partners, which runs the hospital.

The mothers due date was Dec. 21.

Wang said she started feeling a few pains on Dec. 31, and checked into the hospital around 5 a.m.

Labour began around 11 p.m.

Jeanine Pamintuan, who is working with the Wangs, has been a registered nurse practitioner for 20 years, and this is her first new years baby.

Are you sure it is 12:00:00? Pamintuan said she asked the doctors.

Birth time is determined when the baby crowns and the head is pushed out, she said.

At Markham Stouffville Hospital, Robert Leclair came into the world at 12:00:01 a.m., just one secondinto the New Year, yet could not claim the honours as 2017s first arrival.

Markham Stouffville hospital spokesperson Lisa Joyce said when she called up the hospital around 11:30 p.m., medical staff told her it wasnt likely the baby would arrive soon.

And then I called back, about (12:10 a.m.), and they were like: Oh my God! Youre not going to believe what happened, said Joyce.

Hospital staff have not confirmed young Leclairs weight, but his arrival left hospital staff in good spirits.

Markham-Stouffville claimed the first baby of 2016 with the birth of Avery Laswick, the daughter of Ashley and Ryan Laswick. Avery was delivered there just three seconds after midnight.

Michael Garron Hospital in East York reported their first birth of the year as being at 12:04 a.m.

Meanwhile, the Scarborough Hospital welcomed its first 2017 baby at 1:47 a.m.

The Durham regions first 2017 baby reportedly arrived at 4:09 a.m. Nathan James Wizzard, who weighs six pounds 13 ounces, was delivered at Lakeridge Healths Ajax-Pickering hospital.

According to hospital spokeswoman Lindsay Cochrane, Wizzards proud parents, Mark and Anna, received a special celebratory basket to mark the occasion.

With files from Nick Westoll and Emma McIntosh

SHARE:
A man in his 50s is in critical condition after his car crashed into a Corktown storefront on New Years Day, said Toronto paramedics.

The crash happened at around 10:15 a.m. at Richmond St. E. and Parliament St., said Toronto police. The car also smashed into a light pole, appearing to topple it over.

After the driver was pulled out of his badly damaged vehicle, he was rushed to hospital via emergency run, said Toronto Paramedic Services.

One other person from inside the store was also treated at the scene, but did not need to be taken to hospital. No one else reported injuries, paramedics said.

Toronto police closed roads in the area after the crash to investigate. TTC routes were also diverting around the scene.

SHARE:
Given the epidemic of fake news and the influence it may have had on the U.S. election, Section 181 of Canadas Criminal Code would seem particularly noteworthy.

The charge: spreading false news.

Every one who wilfully publishes a statement, tale or news that he knows is false and that causes or is likely to cause injury or mischief to a public interest is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, it states.

Except, of course, it was struck down by the Supreme Court of Canada in 1992 for violating the right to freedom of expression, and ever since has been, in legal terms, of no force and effect.

You wouldnt know that, however, from the publicly available version of the Criminal Code on the government website.

It doesnt take much to think its kind of outrageous, that the government would say: Here is the law of the land. Go look it up. Here online is the Government of Canada website saying the criminal law of Canada. And its wrong, said Steve Coughlan, a criminal law professor at the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University in Halifax.

Also still listed as offences: abortion, duelling, making and selling comic books that show crimes being committed, advertising Viagra, blasphemous libel and pretending to practise witchcraft.

Some of the offences are clearly archaic. Others were found unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, but remain in the Criminal Code as what legal experts call zombie laws.

One such law lurched into headlines earlier this year when an Alberta judge accidentally used a defunct section of the code to find Travis Vader guilty of murder  a decision that just happened to be broadcast live in a milestone for cameras in the courtroom. After the mistake was realized, the verdict was changed to manslaughter.

The family of Vaders victims, Lyle and Marie McCann, have called for the government to update the Criminal Code so it accurately reflects the current state of the law.

The simplest solution is a sort of charter cleanup bill that would remove offences that have been voided or are no longer relevant, Coughlan said.

It just never rises to the top of anyones agenda  it never seems like the most pressing thing, he said.

A first step in that direction came through a recent move by the government to repeal a provision that banned anal intercourse with exceptions for heterosexual couples over the age of 16 and all adults over the age of 18  discriminating against gay and bisexual teenagers.

But the problem is more complex than just removing the obviously outdated or defunct sections, Coughlan said.

Some sections have been effectively rewritten through Supreme Court of Canada decisions, so the Criminal Code section wont accurately reflect what the law really is. There is also the issue of new sections being drafted with language that is different from older ones, creating confusion about important terms.

It is now literally impossible to insert a new section into the Criminal Code in a way that wont contradict the language of some other provision, he said.

Coughlan said there needs to be a thorough overhaul of the code to make it manageable and consistent.

The police look at the Criminal Code before they arrest people, so if we are telling police the wrong thing about what behaviour is illegal, that is a bad thing, he said. We should have some obligation for it to be accurate.

Federal Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould has instructed her officials to conduct a review of Criminal Code provisions that are outdated or have been found unconstitutional with a view to making changes to reflect these decisions, where appropriate, according to a spokesperson for the ministry.

This work is ongoing and the minister intends to bring forward legislation as soon as is practical, the spokesperson said.

SHARE:
DETROITYou, sir, (or maam): Focus, if you will, on a historic, on fleek listicle containing words nominated for bigly banishment. But dont convene a town hall meeting or get your dandruff up in the echo chamber over them.

Lake Superior State University in northern Michigan on Saturday released its 42nd annual List of Words Banished From the Queens English for Misuse, Overuse and General Uselessness.

The tongue-in-cheek list comes from suggestions sent to the university. This year it includes you, sir, focus, town hall meeting, historic, echo chamber, on fleek, bigly, listicle and get your dandruff up (dandruff being an apparent substitute for dander).

Other terms on the list are Frankenfruit, dadbod, post-truth and 831  a texting encryption of I love you (eight letters, three words, one meaning).

The divisive 2016 presidential election influenced nominations, and was reflected in the inclusion of bigly and post-truth.

Bigly also made Merriam-Websters Top 10 list for 2016. President-elect Donald Trump was fond this year of saying big league but making it sound like bigly, an archaic adverb or adjective dating to around 1400.

Post-truth, a term sometimes used to describe the current political climate, is Oxford Dictionaries word of the year.

John Shibley, Lake Superior State spokesman and list-compiler in chief, said lots of political vitriol came in this year, with people wanting to ban President Trump, Crooked Hillary and electoral college. Shibley said he made an editorial decision not to wade into that swamp  drained or otherwise.

He said all the words that made the final list garnered 200 to 300 votes apiece, and the top vote-getter was echo chamber, with more than 500 submissions.

Overall, the university received submissions from about 8,000 people and maintains an archive of more than 850 words.

Another Michigan school takes the opposite approach: Detroits Wayne State University attempts through its Word Warriors campaign to exhume worthy words that have fallen out of favour. This years list included absquatulate, which means to discreetly and abruptly leave a place, such as a gathering or party, without informing the host. Thats an old-school analog to ghost on the banished words list.

Better left unsaid

Lake Superior State Universitys 42nd annual list of words nominated for banishment by members of the public:

Bete noire

Bigly

Dadbod

Disruption

Echo chamber

831

Focus

Frankenfruit

Get your dandruff up

Ghost

Guesstimate

Historic

Listicle

Manicured

On fleek

Post-truth

Selfie drone

Town hall meeting

You, sir

SHARE:
BURLINGTON, VT.Several U.S. states asked cybersecurity experts to re-examine state and utility networks after a Vermont utilitys laptop was found to contain malware that U.S. officials say is linked to Russian hackers.

The Burlington Electric Department, one of Vermonts two largest electric utilities, confirmed Friday it had found on one of its laptops the malware code used in Grizzly Steppe, the name the U.S. government has given to malicious cyber-activity by Russian civilian and military intelligence services.

A Burlington Electric Department spokesman said federal officials have told the company the threat was not unique to them.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security would not say on Saturday whether any other utilities, organizations or entities had reported similar malware on their systems following the report. The official said any such information would be confidential.

Officials in New York, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut said they are more closely monitoring state and utility networks for anything suspicious.

We specifically have been looking for signatures that match those reported last week by DHS and the FBI related to Russian actors, said Chris Collibee, spokesman for the governors office in Connecticut. We have not detected any activity matching the reported malware at this time.

In New York, a spokesman said Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo directed all state agencies to re-examine their computer systems for any security breaches. Nothing has been found.

An attack on a U.S. power grid has long been a nightmare scenario for top U.S. officials. National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command chief Adm. Michael Rogers have previously warned that its not a matter of if, but when attackers will also target U.S. power systems. On Dec. 23, 2015, a highly sophisticated cyberattack on the power grid in Ukraine hit three regional electronic power distribution companies within 30 minutes of each other, blacking out more than 225,000 customers.

Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin said his administration has been in touch with the federal government and the states utilities.

Vermonters and all Americans should be both alarmed and outraged that one of the worlds leading thugs, (Russian President) Vladimir Putin, has been attempting to hack our electric grid, which we rely upon to support our quality of life, economy, health and safety, the Democratic governor said in a statement.

Burlington Electric noted it was not connected to the grid system and did not explain how the malware got onto the computer.

The company said U.S. government authorities alerted American utilities about the malware code in a report on Thursday that was released at the same time President Barack Obama announced the U.S. response to election hacking. Obama ordered sanctions on Russian intelligence agencies, closed two Russian compounds and expelled 35 diplomats the U.S. said were really spies.

Our team is working with federal officials to trace this malware and prevent any other attempts to infiltrate utility systems, the company said.

A Russian state television channel on Saturday sought to discredit reports linking the malware to the Kremlin.

If Russia is found to be connected to widespread hacking of U.S. utilities, it will make it harder for president-elect Donald Trump to soften anti-Russian sentiment on Capitol Hill, where hearings on hacking are scheduled next week.

Rep. Peter Welch, a Democrat from Vermont, said the incident proves that Obamas response was warranted.

This attack shows how rampant Russian hacking is. Its systemic, relentless, predatory, Welch said in a statement. They will hack everywhere, even Vermont, in pursuit of opportunities to disrupt our country.

The Washington Post first reported on the Vermont utilitys discovery of the malware.

The Rossiya state television channel said the Post provided no confirmation that Russia was in fact involved. It said the Post report spoke only about the identification of malicious software code that Washington previously concluded had been used by the Russian intelligence services in the cyberattack on U.S. political institutions.

In a report released Thursday, Homeland Security and the FBI provided technical details about the tools and infrastructure they say Russian civilian and military intelligence services have used to compromise and exploit networks associated with the U.S. election as well as a range of U.S. government, political and private sector entities.

This activity by the Russian civilian and military intelligence services is part of an ongoing campaign of cyber-enabled operations directed at the U.S. government and its citizens, the report said. These cyber-operations have included spear-phishing campaigns targeting government organizations, critical infrastructure entities, think tanks, universities, political organizations and corporations leading to the theft of information.

SHARE:
Many people would argue that 2016 has been the year of celebrity deaths. Others might say it was the year of fake news. A story from Britain this week showed it could perhaps be both.

Late Thursday, a Twitter account with the handle @BBCNewsUKI sent out a message claiming Buckingham Palace had announced the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom. Circumstances are unknown, the tweet read. More details to follow.

The news had an air of believability: Elizabeth is 90 years old and has been in poor health recently. This year, for the first time in three decades, she failed to attend a Christmas Day church service near her country home in Norfolk after suffering what was described as a heavy cold. The queen has not appeared in public since she fell ill.

Additionally, if the queen were to pass away, it is the BBC that would make the announcement. In fact, Britains public service broadcaster is known to hold regular rehearsals in case a member of the royal family dies unexpectedly.

The tweet, of course, was not real. @BBCNewsUKI followed up its tweet with the rather less-BBC-like message, Love a Tuesday off if the queens dead, announce it before its too late. The account was a fairly obvious fake, and it was soon suspended by Twitter.

But rumors that the queen was dead still sparked a frenzy online, with users rushing to add condolences and others attempting to verify the news.

A number of Twitter users began tweeting that there had been a media blackout in an attempt to hide news of the queens death from the public. By Friday, it was one of the top trending topics on Twitter - though many of the tweets appeared to be mocking the idea. One curious user even jogged down to Buckingham Palace to look for signs of activity. Silly twitter, he concluded.

The incident appeared to confirm that rehearsals for the death of a British monarch, long murmured about by BBC journalists, really exist.

If a Category 1 royal  a list which would include the queen and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles and Prince William  were to die, the BBC has to quickly pull together a remarkably complicated but somber event. Normal broadcasting would be interrupted for an official announcement  probably a statement from Buckingham Palace itself  and the national anthem.

It is also expected that all comedy on the BBC network would be canceled until the after the funeral is held, as it was after the death of King George VI in 1952.

Read more about:

SHARE:
JAKARTA, INDONESIAAt least 23 people were killed and 17 others were missing after a ferry caught fire Sunday off the coast of Indonesias capital, officials said.

The vessel was carrying more than 230 people from Jakartas port of Muara Angke to Tidung, a resort island in the Kepulauan Seribu chain, when it caught fire, officials said. Most of the passengers were Indonesians celebrating the New Years holiday, according to local media reports.

Seply Madreta, an official from the Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Agency, said the fire gutted around half the vessel. He said that about 22 injured victims were rushed to hospitals, and that 23 bodies had been recovered.

Twenty bodies that were found inside the vessel were burned beyond recognition and were transferred to a police hospital for identification, said Col. Umar Shahab of the Jakarta polices health department.

A search involving around 10 ships was underway to find those who were missing, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency said.

Witnesses told MetroTV that the fire broke out about 15 minutes after the ferry left Muara Angke.

The cause of the fire was not immediately clear. Some passengers told local media that they first saw smoke coming from the ferrys engine.

TV footage showed people in the water with the ferry in flames in the background. A woman in the water can be heard screaming Ya Allah! Ya Allah! or Oh God! Oh God!

Another woman told the TV station that she and other passengers were rescued by a small boat.

Despite officials saying that more than 230 people were aboard the ferry, the manifest showed that only 100 were registered as passengers, along with six crewmen, said Denny Wahyu Haryanto, head of the Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Agency. He said the vessels captain was under police investigation over the incident.

Ferry accidents are common in Indonesia, the worlds largest archipelagic nation, with more than 17,000 islands. Many accidents are blamed on lax regulation of boat services.

Read more about:

SHARE:
BERLINColognes chief of police dismissed claims of racial profiling Sunday after officers detained hundreds of North African men in an effort to prevent a repeat of sexual assaults during New Years festivities in the German city a year ago.

The men had gathered late Saturday at Colognes main train station and in the Deutz district, across the Rhine river. In an overnight tweet, police had described them as being seemingly of African descent, prompting online criticism that people were being detained based on their appearance alone.

I reject this negative criticism, Police Chief Juergen Mathies told reporters. The clear aim was to prevent similar events to previous year.

Hundreds of people were robbed and sexually assaulted during New Years celebrations in Cologne last year. The crimes were blamed largely on men of North African origin who had taken advantage of chaotic and crowded scenes around the citys cathedral.

Mathies said he had instructed officers to intervene sooner this year. Of the 650 people detained for identity checks, almost all were from North African countries, he said.

Their characteristics were such that potential crimes could indeed be expected, he added, without elaborating,

About 100 people in all were arrested overnight, while authorities logged about 160 crimes that included almost a dozen assaults or insults of a sexual nature, police said.

Cologne Mayor Henriette Reker said she was happy and relieved that the night had passed fairly uneventfully. About 50,000 people rang in the new year in front of Cologne Cathedral, officials said.

Anti-immigration groups seized upon last years assaults to criticize the government, although police noted that very few suspects came from the same countries as the majority of migrants who arrived in Germany during the previous two years.

Read more about:

SHARE:
Antonio Guterres took the reins of the United Nations on New Years Day, promising to be a bridge-builder but facing an antagonistic incoming U.S. administration led by Donald Trump who thinks the world bodys 193 member states do nothing except talk and have a good time.

The former Portuguese prime minister and UN refugee chief told reporters after being sworn-in as secretary general on Dec. 12 that he will engage all governments  and, of course, also with the next government of the United States  and show his willingness to co-operate on the enormous challenges that well be facing together.

But Trump, with his America First agenda, has shown little interest in multilateralism, which Guterres says is the cornerstone of the United Nations.

So as Guterres begins his five-year term facing conflicts from Syria and Yemen to South Sudan and Libya and global crises from terrorism to climate change, U.S. support for the United Nations remains a question mark.

And it matters because the U.S. is a veto-wielding member of the UN Security Council and pays 22 per cent of the UNs regular budget and 25 per cent of its peacekeeping budget.

Immediately after the U.S.s abstention on Dec. 23 allowed the Security Council to condemn Israeli settlements in the West Bank, a stunning rupture with past practice, Trump warned in a tweet: As to the UN, things will be different after Jan. 20th, the day he takes office.

Trump followed up three days later with another tweet questioning its effectiveness. The United Nations has such great potential but right now it is just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time. So sad!

John Bolton, a conservative Republican and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said in an interview with The Associated Press that Guterres would be well advised especially given the incoming Trump administration to follow the model of his predecessor, Ban Ki-moon, and do what member governments want.

If he tries to follow what Bans predecessor, Kofi Annan, did as secretary general and try to be the worlds top diplomat and what some called a secular pope, Bolton said, I think especially in the Trump administration, he would run into big trouble very quickly.

Guterres has made clear that his top priority will be preventing crises and promoting peace.

In the first minute after taking over as UN chief on Sunday, Guterres issued an Appeal for Peace. He urged all people in the world to make a shared New Years resolution: Let us resolve to put peace first.

Let us make 2017 a year in which we all  citizens, governments, leaders  strive to overcome our differences, the new secretary general said.

He has said there is enormous difficulty in solving conflicts, a lack of capacity in the international community to prevent conflicts, and the need to develop the diplomacy for peace, which he plans to focus on.

Guterres has said he will also strive to deal with the inequalities that globalization and technological progress have helped deepen, creating joblessness and despair especially among youth.

Todays paradox is that despite greater connectivity, societies are becoming more fragmented. More and more people live within their own bubbles, unable to appreciate their links with the whole human family, he said after his swearing-in.

Guterres said the values enshrined in the UN Charter that should define the world that todays children inherit  peace, justice, respect, human rights, tolerance and solidarity  are threatened, most often by fear.

Our duty to the peoples we serve is to work together to move from fear of each other, to trust in each other, trust in the values that bind us, and trust in the institutions that serve and protect us, he said. My contribution to the United Nations will be aimed at inspiring that trust.

Guterres won the UNs top job after receiving high marks from almost every diplomat for his performance in the first-ever question-and-answer sessions in the General Assembly for the 13 candidates vying to replace Ban, whose second five-year term ends at midnight on Dec. 31.

In an interview during his campaign with three journalists, Guterres said the role of secretary general should be an honest broker, a consensus builder who engages as much as possible, in many circumstances discreetly.

Its not just to have a personal agenda, because it would be regrettable or ineffective, or to appear in the limelight. No. On the contrary, its to act with humility to try to create the conditions for member states that are the crucial actors in any process to be able to come together and to overcome their differences, he said.

Whether the Trump administration will join Guterres and UN efforts to tackle what he sees as a multiplication of new conflicts and the myriad problems on the global agenda remains to be seen.

Trumps choice as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley who is the Governor of South Carolina, has a reputation as a conciliator, which could be very useful especially in dealing with the Security Council and the four other permanent veto-wielding members  Russia, China, Britain and France, all of whom have their own national agendas.

But she will be taking instructions from the president.

Richard Grenell, who served as U.S. spokesperson at the UN during president George W. Bushs administration and has been working with Trumps transition team, downplayed the prospect that Trump will withdraw from or even disregard the United Nations.

He said in an AP interview earlier this month that Trump is talking about reforming the UN and other international organizations so they live up to their ideals.

Guterres also wants to reform the United Nations to make it nimble, efficient and effective. He said it must focus more on delivery and less on process, more on people and less on bureaucracy, and ensure that the more than 85,000 U.N. staff working in 180 countries are being used effectively.

Read more about:

SHARE:
PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLICTrain and railway station patrols set up by a far-right parliamentary party are illegal in Slovakia as of Sunday.

The Peoples Party Our Slovakia launched the unarmed patrols in April following a violent incident on a passenger train, claiming the state was unable to keep people safe. After efforts by the state railway company to ban the patrols had failed, lawmakers voted in October to outlaw them.

The far-right populists entered Slovakias parliament in March 2016 with 14 lawmakers in the 150-strong chamber. Their leader, Marian Kotleba, is known for his support of the wartime Nazi puppet Slovak State.

Kotlebas party is popular with young voters, according to a study released in December by the Bratislava-based Institute for Public Affairs.

SHARE:
Problems with reception, lots of channels no one in the family watches and a monthly bill that's not inexpensive. Sounds like the usual venting of a typical cable TV subscriber from the 2000s or even the 1990s.

But wasn't AT&T's (T) DirecTV Now supposed to be different?

A month after launching its ambitious pay-TV platform with the headline-grabbing offer of 100 channels for $35 per month, AT&T said this week that it will begin charging $60 per month starting Jan. 9 for any new subscribers to the package. Consumers also can choose smaller $35 and $50 per month bundles as well as a 120-channel package for $70.

Back in late October, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson stoked interest in DirecTV Now when he said that the multichannel streaming platform would offer 100 channels at $35 per month.

Skeptical Wall Street analysts promptly flooded investor emails with reports proclaiming that the economic didn't work: AT&T couldn't possibly make a reasonable profit, or any profit at all, by selling a service with so many networks at a comparatively low price point.

And they were right.

Soon after the service debuted, AT&T said it would eventually rescind the $35 per month offer but that anyone subscribing before the offer was increased would lock-in the lower price for the life of their service. On Thursday, the company made clear that offer will expire Jan. 9.

The move acknowledges that the licensing costs of a traditional bundle of networks --whether for cable TV or digital transmission -- can't get much lower than $60 per month even when accounting for lower overhead, i.e. a service that doesn't require a visit from the cable guy or a newfangled set-top box.

As for managing costs, AT&T also likely has had to factor in the cost of adding CBS (CBS) to its basic offerings. CBS CEO Leslie Moonves earlier this month said the company was in talks with AT&T about including its flagship network, still the country's most-watched channel, in DirecTV Now.

"We're in discussions with DirecTV Now, and I'm assuming we'll get there with them," Moonves said on Dec. 5. "There are some issues to be ironed out, but we've always been able to come to some agreement."

The price increase to $60 per month also underscores AT&T's focus on a general consumer more likely to want a full selection of channels rather than those seeking a so-called skinny bundle at a lower price. Such viewers are more likely to opt for DishNetwork's (DISH) Sling TV or any combination of streaming services that might include Netflix (NFLX) , Hulu or Amazon (AMZN) Prime Video, the country's largest streaming operators, according to Dallas consulting firm Parks Associates.

DirecTV Now also has had a handful of service glitches and buffering issues that have marred its debut, though the company has been quick to say over Twitter that those outages have been promptly corrected.

Earlier this month, DirecTV Now suffered a second outage in just five days, according to the TV Prediction website, adding that users had complained of no service for as long as three hours. Such outages might be expected for such a large offering running over numerous networks to all corners of the country, but for customers paying a monthly fee, even modest functional issues prompt angry complaints and a deluge of Tweets.

For AT&T, the early growing pains of a digital pay-TV service are likely the price to be paid for establishing DirecTV Now as an all-encompassing digital facsimile of cable TV. The service also offers packages of $35 per month for roughly 60 channels, $50 per month for about 80 channels, and a larger collection of 120 channels for $70 per month.

Already the service competes with Sling TV and Sony's undefined PlayStation Vue, and in the coming weeks will have to go head-to-head with Hulu's own multichannel streaming service and something similar from Alphabet's (GOOGL) Google called Unplugged.

DirecTV Now is focused on the roughly 10 million households that don't subscribe to any pay-TV service. Just how AT&T manages the service is likely to be a subject of scrutiny at the Department of Justice's antitrust division and possibly at the Federal Communications Commission as the company seeks approval for its $85.4 billion acquisition of TimeWarner (TWX) .

At a Congressional hearing earlier this month, Stephenson told legislators that AT&T would not seek to favor Time Warner channels above rivals licensing their networks on DirecTV Now. Nonetheless, the AT&T CEO has said the economics of owning Time Warner will make it easier to roll out other subscription streaming services in addition to DirecTV Now.

In October, Time Warner launched Filmstruck, a $6.99 per month streaming service for film enthusiasts that leverages Warner Bros.' enormous movie library.

Alphabet is a holding in Jim Cramer'sAction Alerts PLUS Charitable Trust Portfolio. Want to be alerted before Cramer buys or sells GOOGL? Learn more now.
Based on satellite and webcam images KVERT reported that explosions at Klyuchevskoy recorded on 1 January generated ash plumes that rose to an altitude of 5 km (16,400 ft) a.s.l. and drifted 114 km SE. The Aviation Color Code was raised to Orange (the second highest level on a four-color scale). ...

Background:

Kliuchevskoi is Kamchatka's highest and most active volcano. Since its origin about 6000 years ago, the beautifully symmetrical, 4835-m-high basaltic stratovolcano has produced frequent moderate-volume explosive and effusive eruptions without major periods of inactivity. Kliuchevskoi rises above a saddle NE of sharp-peaked Kamen volcano and lies SE of the broad Ushkovsky massif. More than 100 flank eruptions have occurred at Kliuchevskoi during the past roughly 3000 years, with most lateral craters and cones occurring along radial fissures between the unconfined NE-to-SE flanks of the conical volcano between 500 m and 3600 m elevation. The morphology of its 700-m-wide summit crater has been frequently modified by historical eruptions, which have been recorded since the late-17th century. Historical eruptions have originated primarily from the summit crater, but have also included numerous major explosive and effusive eruptions from flank craters.

---

Source: Klyuchevsky information by the GVP (Smithsonian Institution)
F. Ross Johnson, the RJR Nabisco Inc. chief executive officer whose efforts to take the company private in the 1980s led to the then-largest takeover in Wall Street history chronicled in the best-selling book Barbarians at the Gate, died Dec. 29 at his home in Jupiter, Fla. He was 85.

The cause was pneumonia, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing his spokesman.

The Canadian-born businessman triggered the fiercest contest of the leveraged-buyout era in 1988 by attempting a management-led purchase of the maker of Ritz crackers, Oreo cookies and Winston cigarettes.

He lost control of the process after making an initial bid of only $75 a share, giving private-equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. room to woo the companys board and shareholders with a richer offer. KKR won the battle by paying $109 a share. The $30 billion total cost was the largest amount paid for a corporation at the time.

The six-week bidding war for the company pitted Mr. Johnson, backed by Shearson Lehman Hutton Inc., against KKR. As teams of lawyers and advisers entered the fray, Mr. Johnson couldnt even count on the support of his own board, which weighed increasingly higher offers from bidders using junk bonds for their financing.

Mr. Johnson died Dec. 29 at 85. (Johnson family photo)

Every Wall Street chief was avid to land historys biggest LBO, John Helyar, the co-author of Barbarians at the Gate, wrote in a Bloomberg column in 2008.

A former accountant who was skilled at marketing, Mr. Johnson had more experience selling companies than buying them. He engineered the merger of Standard Brands Inc. with Nabisco Inc. in 1981 and then the $4.9 billion acquisition of Nabisco Brands Inc. by R.J. Reynolds Industries Inc. four years later. In both cases, he eventually ran the newly created company.

The man who famously ferried his pet dog around on corporate jets enjoyed the high life, yet he was seen as ill-equipped to deal with a private-equity war that rendered longstanding friendships irrelevant and greed the only motive.

Johnson seemed so open, so trusting, so  how to describe it?  yes, naive, Bryan Burrough and Helyar wrote in Barbarians at the Gate (1990). Did he realize the forces he was on the verge of unleashing?

Kravis tapped Louis Gerstner, president of American Express Co., to become chief executive after the deal was concluded, and Mr. Johnson departed with a payout that some estimate at more than $50 million. Mr. Johnson was featured on a 1988 Time magazine cover headlined A Game of Greed and was portrayed by actor James Garner in a 1993 television-movie version of the book.

Bored with the status quo, Johnson engineered a new and exciting no-lose game for himself, Michael Lewis wrote in The Money Culture (1991). If he won, he became rich. If he lost, he also became rich, thanks to the golden parachutes his board had approved.

Frederick Ross Johnson was born on Dec. 13, 1931, in Winnipeg, the largest city in Canadas Manitoba province.

He received a bachelor of commerce degree from the University of Manitoba in 1952 and a masters degree from the University of Toronto, where he later taught for a few years. Mr. Johnson then had jobs as marketing director at Canadian General Electric and as a merchandising manager at retailer T. Eaton Co. in the mid-1960s.

In 1971, he became president of Standard Brands in Toronto, before moving to New York where he took over as chief executive of the parent company five years later. After the merger with Nabisco, Mr. Johnson became chief operating officer of the combined company, Nabisco Brands Inc., and later took over as chief executive when Robert Schaeberle retired. He became chief executive of RJR Nabisco in 1987.

After departing the company, he was chairman and chief executive of his own investment company, RJM Group Inc., in Atlanta.

Mr. Johnson was married to Laurie Graumann, and the couple had two sons, Bruce and Neil, prior to a divorce. He later married Susan Johnson.

Sterling Wong contributed to this report.

Bloomberg News
Don Burns, shown at his store in McLean, Va., started Burns Brothers dry cleaning with his brother, Bob, in 1949. (John Kelly/The Washington Pos)

It could occasionally get awkward at Burns Brothers dry cleaners in McLean, Va., like whenever Rep. Debbie Dingell and Callista Gingrich showed up at the same time and heaved their clothes onto the Formica counter.

Debbie is a Michigan Democrat. Callista is former House speaker Newt Gingrichs third wife. Mrs. Dingell was friends with the second Mrs. Gingrich, explained Amy Burns, a daughter of Don Burns, who co-founded the shop in 1949.

But everyone would be cordial. Burns Brothers has always focused on actual dirty laundry, not the metaphorical kind, a wise practice considering that its customers spanned the political spectrum, from the Republican Gingriches, Meeses and Quayles to the Democratic Dingells, Gephardts and Kennedys.

William Rehnquist used to drop off his dry cleaning, too, although not his Supreme Court robes, said Amy, 57.

Burns Brothers has been a fixture on Old Dominion Drive for 67 years, but Saturday, it closed its doors for good. I dropped by Friday.

I am distraught, said longtime customer Nancy Thompson, a travel agent. She hadnt known the store was closing.

They know how to do Hermes scarves, Nancy said, whipping one from around her neck. The edge is hand-stitched. You cant just press them. It ruins them. I used to send mine to New York to be cleaned until I found out they could do them here.

Nancy had brought in a wool sweater she had gotten in New Zealand. It didnt look like much  a shapeless brown pullover covered in pills  but she wouldnt trust it to anyone else.

Burns Brothers wasnt officially accepting new items, but Amy wrote out a ticket and promised it the next day.

Burns Brothers became known for its posh clientele, which is ironic, because when Don and his brother, Bob, opened the shop, McLean was dotted with dairy farms, not mansions.

People would say, Are you going to dry clean the farmers overalls?  said the retired Don, 87, who had stopped by on his way to the bank.

It was Don who transformed the establishment into the laundry equivalent of a trendy nightclubs velvet-roped VIP area. In the early 1980s, Burns Brothers was so busy that Don felt his service was suffering.

Business professors would tell you to open up a second location or crank up the prices 20 percent, said son Mark Burns, 50. You might lose 20 percent of your customers, but youd still make money.

Don didnt do that. Instead, he instituted a waiting list. It grew to more than 3,000 names  longer than the Chevy Chase Country Clubs, Don crowed to a Post reporter in 1985.

It made us look snobby, Amy said of the waiting list, but it was fun.

[From 1985: Dry cleaners of the rich & famous]

It seems to have worked. Dry cleaning put Dons six kids through college, each one spending time working at the shop.

In the back of the building, under hangers strewn with blouses, pants, wedding dresses and blankets, I talked with Amy and Mark about stains. Yellow Frenchs mustard is a pain, they said. So is bronzer. That fake tan stuff only started showing up in the past few years.

Said Mark: Theyll wear a white knit suit and you open up the collar and its like, Oh, my God, Tammy Faye Bakker wore this, I see. 

They chuckled at some customers home remedies, such as pouring white wine on a red-wine stain.

Now Ive got to clean white wine and red wine out of there, Mark said.

The secret to a red-wine stain is to pour boiling water through it. But be careful, Amy said. One client misunderstood her and set a large pan of water to boil on the stove, then pulled a tablecloth through it, catching the fabric on fire.

You just made yourself a smaller tablecloth, Mark said.

Of course, never use hot water on bloodstains. It sets the proteins. Use cold water instead.

Speaking of blood brought another Burns Brothers customer to mind: Edward Kennedy. Mark said the late Massachusetts senator was partial to dress shirts made of silk  a demanding fabric  the collars of which would often be blotted with blood from shaving cuts.

Then there was all the food, Mark said. He was kind of a slob, which made him a great customer.

Ted Kennedys gone and so is the world he came from. What we call dressing up, a previous generation just called dressing.

Sighed Mark: I think the dry cleaning industry is just heading downhill, honestly. There are too many casual days. Even lawyers, he said, only wear suits on special occasions.

The 2008 recession dealt a blow from which Burns Brothers never really recovered. Recent rent increases didnt help. And then came word that the entire shopping strip will eventually be torn down and replaced by a town center.

Theres never mom-and-pop shops in the middle of them, Mark said.

And in the end, thats what Burns Brothers was: a family business that didnt just clean the fabric of McLean, but was part of it, too.

Helping Hand

Start off the new year right by donating to The Washington Post Helping Hand. Our three charities  Community of Hope, Homestretch and Sasha Bruce Youthwork  help homeless families and youths in our area. For more information or to donate online, visit posthelpinghand.com.

Twitter: @johnkelly

For previous columns, visit washingtonpost.com/johnkelly.
MARYLAND

Fatal shooting in Capitol Heights

A man was found fatally shot Friday night near White Pearl Place and Pepper Mill Drive in the Capitol Heights area, Prince Georges County police said.

Sharon Taylor, a sheriffs office spokeswoman, said deputies were driving in the area when they heard a gunshot.

They saw someone jump from a car, Taylor said. Then, she said, a second car crashed head-on into the deputies cruiser. A deputy got out of the cruiser and accidentally discharged his gun in the chaos.

Authorities were unable to say what role if any the shooting victim played in the incident. Taylor said the shooter fled and was not located. The victim has not been identified.

 Justin Jouvenal

Woman found deadin Suitland area

A woman was found dead early Saturday in the 3500 block of Silver Park Drive in the Suitland area, and her death is being investigated as a homicide, Prince Georges County police said.

Police were sent there to check on her welfare. Her name was not available.

 Justin Jouvenal

Train kills pedestrian in Montgomery

A pedestrian was struck by a train and killed about 9:30 p.m. on New Years Eve near the MARC station in the Germantown area, the Montgomery County fire and rescue service said.

Fire spokesman Pete Piringer said police were conducting a death investigation.

 Martin Weil

THE DISTRICT

Man, 25, found stabbed in SE dies

A man was stabbed to death late at night in Southeast Washington, D.C. police said.

Antoinios Deangelo Butler, 25, of Southeast, was found by a bystander late Friday or early Saturday in the 4600 block of East Capitol Street, police said.

 Justin Jouvenal

Virginia

Beltway chase ends in crash; driver charged

A car being pursued by state police accelerated to more than 110 mph and rammed a state troopers car on the Capital Beltway in Alexandria on Saturday, the state police said.

They said the chase started about 9:30 a.m. in Fairfax County with an effort to stop the car after it was spotted driving at 88 mph.

It ended shortly after the crash near Route 1 in Alexandria, when the driver lost control of the car, the state police said, and it caught fire.

Dema Jamal Hadieh, 27, of Vienna was charged with reckless driving, police said.

 Martin Weil
A 16-year-old girl was fatally shot and her mother was wounded early Sunday by a teenager who then shot himself in the head inside a home in Howard County, Md., according to police.

Authorities late Sunday afternoon said they had identified the suspected gunman as a 15-year-old boy. His name was not made public. He in critical condition at Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore.

A police statement said it is unclear if he had any connection to the victims.

Police identified the 16-year-old as Charlotte Zaremba, a student at Howard High School, and her mother as Suzanne Zaremba, 52. The mother was treated and released from Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore.

The shooting happened at about 2 a.m. in a home in the 4800 block of Knoll Glen Road in Ellicott City, about midway between Baltimore and Washington. Police said another family member was home at the time of the shooting, but was in another part of the house and was not hurt.

Howard County police said in a statement that the mother heard a scuffle in her daughters bedroom and walked inside. Police said the suspected gunman fired a shot at her, and then the girl, and then himself. Police said they knew of no motive.

Relatives did not respond to interview requests Sunday. John White, spokesman for the Howard County school system, said counselors would be sent to Howard High, about two miles from the victims house, to help students and teachers. He said that as of late Sunday afternoon, the principal had not talked with the girls mother and thus would not discuss the victim.

More than 50 people commented on the Howard County Police Departments Facebook posting describing the crime, including friends of both the slain teen and her mother.

Several people identifying themselves as her former teachers also posted to the site, one saying: She was one of my sweetest students. She will be greatly, greatly missed in our class. My thoughts and prayers are with her family.
Students and staff unveil murals dedicated to Bradbury Heights Elementary School teacher NeShante Davis and her 2-year-old daughter, Chloe Davis-Green. They were among the Washington regions 2016 homicide victims. (Lynh Bui/The Washington Post)

The District ended 2016 with 135 homicides, down 17 percent from the previous year, but the annual total for the Washington region held steady because the number of killings rose in several suburbs.

Prince William County, in Northern Virginia, marked its deadliest year on record. It had 22 killings  more than double the 10 recorded in 2015.

The 97 homicides investigated by Prince Georges County police in 2016 marks the second year in a row that the Maryland jurisdiction saw its homicide count rise, with an increase of 20 over the previous year.

Counting a handful of cases that emerged Friday and Saturday in the District and Prince Georges, there were at least 301 homicides last year in Washington and its surrounding cities and counties, compared with 305 the year before.

The upward trend in many local jurisdictions echoes the pattern in big cities nationwide, according to surveys and analyses from law enforcement experts. The numbers, however, are generally not as alarming as the surge in 2015 that prompted police chiefs from major cities to gather in the District for a summit on the violence.

Mary Rich, mother of slain DNC staffer Seth Rich, appeared at a news conference in the Districts Bloomingdale neighborhood in August. The 2016 homicide remains unsolved. (Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post)

Theyre up again [in 2016], but maybe not quite as bad as the year before, said Darrel Stephens, executive director of the Major Cities Chiefs Association.

As of Sept. 30, 37 of 65 agencies the association surveyed reported an increase in homicides compared with 2015. But only five or six major cities are responsible for driving up homicide figures nationally, Stephens said. Most notable is Chicago, where the citys 700-plus slayings are more than double the combined total in the Washington region.

The District was among the major U.S. cities where killings spiked in 2015, leaving frightened residents to cite crime as one of their top concerns for the first time in many years. But in 2016, the District was in the minority of large cities that saw a reversal: Its homicide total fell to 135, from 162 in 2015.

Montgomery County had half as many homicides in 2016 as the 30 it recorded in 2015. That was a significant turnaround for the Maryland jurisdiction after one of its deadliest years in two decades.

The homicide tally in Fairfax County rose to 18, up from 12 in 2015, and it edged upward in a few other Northern Virginia communities.

Criminologists with the Brennan Center for Justice say while many major cities are again seeing a rise in killings, its too soon to call it a national crime wave. They also add that overall crime is level, holding at historic lows.

D.C. police say crime is down in most categories. Burglaries are down 16 percent, and robberies and incidents of stolen vehicles are down 12 percent. Overall crime in Prince Georges County is down about 9.5 percent.

Interim D.C. police chief Peter Newsham said repeat offenders, robberies and the prevalence of firearms fueled the 2015 spike. In 2016, police targeted robberies and repeat offenders to drive down homicide numbers.

While killings were down this past year in the District, many attracted widespread attention.

Christmas weekend in the city contained a violent burst with five homicide victims in four days, including Tricia McCauley, a 46-year-old yoga instructor and actress who was killed on her way to a holiday dinner.

Earlier in the year, at least three teens were killed at a bus stop or Metro station.

And the District recorded the death of Deeniqua Dodds, 22, who police say was killed during a robbery by a man targeting transgender women.

Seth Rich, a 27-year-old staffer with the Democratic National Committee, was fatally shot during what D.C. police describe as an attempted robbery in July. That case, which remains unsolved, quickly set off conspiracy theories, including one suggesting that he handed emails to WikiLeaks that embarrassed the DNC during a contentious presidential election. WikiLeaks fueled the rumor without confirming it by offering a $20,000 reward in the case.

[Murders double in a Virginia county and a community scrambles for answers]

Many of the Northern Virginia killings involved family members, including an Arlington teenager accused of stabbing his father to death and an Alexandria woman charged with killing her husband during a fight over their dog. In Fairfax, Roy Eugene Rumsey, 58, killed his 2-year-old daughter and then himself before setting their home on fire, according to police.

Some Virginia cases remain mysteries.

Retired World Bank economist Johan De Leede was shot and killed at his home in quiet and upscale Mason Neck, baffling those who knew the 83-year-old civic activist. George Mason University student Hosung Lee, 21, was beaten and stabbed by a mob at a party on April 24; friends drove him home and put him in bed, according to court documents, where he was found dead the next day.

The record number of slayings in Prince William has unsettled the Virginia jurisdiction about 30 miles from the District. Law enforcement officials point to gang activity and domestic violence as some of the reasons for the historic high.

It certainly gets my attention, theres no doubt about that, Prince William Chief Barry Barnard said. The rise in homicides just reinforces with me we need to work harder and do what we can in terms of prevention, education, information, treatment and enforcement.

Officer Ashley Guindon, 28, one of the Prince William homicide victims, was shot and killed on her first day on the street as she was answering a domestic violence call.

Two weeks later, Prince Georges County Officer Jacai Colson, 28, was killed in what authorities have described as an attack on a police station by three brothers seeking notoriety by posting a recording of the shooting online. Colson, an undercover narcotics detective, responded to the chaotic scene in street clothes when he was shot by a fellow officer who mistook him for an assailant, prosecutors said.

It was a difficult year for first responders, who also mourned the death of Prince Georges County firefighter John Skillet Ulmschneider, 37. Ulmschneider and another firefighter were breaking down the door of a home where they believed a man was suffering a medical emergency. As they entered, the homeowner inside fired, thinking the firefighters were intruders. Ulmschneider was killed. The homeowner was not charged with murder but faces a trial in 2017 on illegal handgun charges.

[Homicides are spiking again in some big U.S. cities, with Chicago accounting for nearly half the increase]

In addition to the 97 homicides investigated by Prince Georges police, Greenbelt police investigated the killing of a man shot in his condo and the FBI investigated a fatal stabbing at the Suitland Metro station.

Most of the homicides in Prince Georges from 2016 stem from domestic violence, drug cases or disputes between people who knew each other, Police Chief Hank Stawinski III said.

In May, Eulalio Tordil killed his estranged wife outside a Prince Georges high school before continuing on a shooting rampage in Montgomery County that killed two others and wounded three more.

Domestic violence is something that we take very seriously, but unfortunately in many cases, the first thing we know about it is the call for shots fired or someone who has been stabbed or killed, Stawinski said.

Prince Georges States Attorney Angela D. Alsobrooks said one of the worst cases in 2016 was the Feb. 2 killings of NeShante Davis, 26, and her 2-year-old daughter, Chloe Davis-Green. Prosecutors say the girls father shot the child while she was strapped in her car seat and killed her mother over child-support payments.

The babies in particular are hard to accept, Alsobrooks said. It was a tough year for us.

Nine months after the mother and daughter were killed, students gathered outside Bradbury Heights Elementary School, where Davis had taught. On the day Chloe would have turned 3, the school unveiled a mural in honor of the mother and daughter. Beneath brightly colored pictures featuring a wounded heart with wings, a chorus of students sang Michael Jacksons Man in the Mirror.

If you wanna make the world a better place, they sang, take a look at yourself, and then make a change.

Dana Hedgpeth, Justin Wm. Moyer, Victoria St. Martin, Peter Hermann, Rachel Weiner, Dan Morse and Justin Jouvenal contributed to this report.
D.C. police arrested one of two suspects Saturday in the Dec. 26 fatal shooting of a man outside a 7-Eleven store in the Districts Takoma neighborhood.

Shawn J. Brown, 28, of Northwest Washington, was charged with second-degree murder while armed, police said Sunday. He was arrested on a warrant by members of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force.

[Video shows argument leading up to fight in Takoma neighborhood]

Police said the shooting happened about 7:45 p.m. in the 200 block of Cedar Street NW. The victim, James Dorsey Jr., 37, of no fixed address, died at a hospital. Police have not commented on a possible motive.

The arrest comes several days after police released a surveillance video that shows men arguing inside the store, then a group of men outside in the stores parking lot. A man in a green sweatshirt is seen confronting two men with what appears to be a chain. The men back away, and then others converge and fight. The video does not show the shooting.
A hotel guest who had gone to the roof of the Dupont Circle Hotel to see the sights shortly after New Years was killed when he fell into a boiler shaft and tumbled 10 floors to the basement, according to the D.C. police and fire departments.

It took firefighters about an hour to retrieve the mans body. It happened Sunday shortly before 2:30 a.m. at the nine-story hotel in the 1500 block of New Hampshire Avenue NW. The hotel is owned by the Doyle Collection group.

It looks like a fall, said Rachel Schaerr, a spokeswoman for the D.C. police. He went up to the roof to catch a really good view.

Police identified the victim as John Leonard, 23, of Herndon, Va. Schaerr said Leonard was a guest at the hotel and that he was on the roof with another person, possibly his girlfriend.

Mark Caldwell, one of the hotels managers, read a prepared statement calling the incident a tragic accident. Caldwell declined to provide more details, including how Leonard got to the roof and how he apparently fell into the shaft.

A spokeswoman for Doyle Collection did not respond to calls seeking comment.

Vito Maggiolo, a spokesman for the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, said crews who are experts in confined-space rescues handled the call.

Four years ago, a Maryland man was found dead 50 feet down an apartment buildings ventilation shaft after he had been out celebrating on New Years Eve in Adams Morgan. He had been last seen at a bar on 18th Street, disappeared on his way home and was found two days later in the shaft, just blocks from the entertainment district.
Robert McCartney isnt predicting that Donald Trump will cut a deal with Redskins owner Daniel Snyder to build a huge, beautiful new stadium on the site of RFK. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)

Most of us in the media had a historically dreadful year making predictions in 2016. Remember all those headlines saying Donald Trumps path to victory was virtually nonexistent?

By contrast, my record on local topics was surprisingly good. Looking back at my annual forecasts a year ago, I had four correct and only one wrong. Among other things, I called it right that Democrat Hillary Clinton would carry Virginia in the presidential election and that former District mayor Vincent C. Gray (D) would run for the Ward 7 council seat and win.

My record could have been considerably better  or worse  except I had five no decisions, where it was impossible to say whether I was right or wrong. For example, I predicted the new FBI headquarters would go to Greenbelt, Md., but the feds postponed the choice.

I also predicted Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) would fail to obtain tighter gun controls, but he agreed on a compromise that tightened some and loosened others. I predicted the Redskins would miss the playoffs, but we wont know until some time on New Years Day. (Im happy to say I expect to be wrong on that one.)

Hoping for more clear-cut results, here is the Eighth Annual Washington Regions Predictions Quiz for 2017. As always, the format is a multiple-choice questionnaire. Im making it harder this year, with four questions where you pick all that apply:

1. The presidential administration of Donald Trump will have significant impact on the Washington region in 2017 in the following ways (pick all that apply):

a. A flood of new military spending will overheat the areas economy.

b. A surge of new infrastructure spending will bail out Metro and pay to improve highways and bridges.

c. Clashes will arise with the District, Montgomery County and other local governments over sanctuary policies for illegal immigrants.

d. Area governments will struggle to protect the social safety net after federal cuts in programs to help the poor.

e. Trump will cut a deal with Redskins owner Daniel Snyder to build a huge, beautiful new stadium on the site of RFK, on the condition that it is named Trump Field.

[You mean, drain THIS swamp? D.C., suburbs react to Trumps victory.]

2. In the race to be Virginias next governor, the voters will elect:

a. Former Republican National Committee chair Ed Gillespie, who deftly unites the GOP establishment and the tea party, and uses his long residency in Northern Virginia to cut into the Democrats base.

b. Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam (D), who benefits from a strong backlash against the first nine months of the Trump administration.

c. Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chairman Corey A. Stewart (R), whose enthusiasm for the Trump agenda captures voters imagination as the new presidents popularity soars.

d. State Sen. Frank W. Wagner (R-Virginia Beach) or another dark-horse candidate.

3. The Maryland political scene will experience an unexpected jolt when:

a. Trump writes disparaging tweets about Gov. Larry Hogan (R), who refused to support him in the presidential election.

b. House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) retires because of poor health.

c. U.S. Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D) decides not to seek reelection, after the Democrats defeat in 2016 dashed his dream of chairing the Foreign Relations Committee.

4. Highlights of the year for the Metro transit system will include the following (pick all that apply):

a. Reliability improves because of intensified repairs and maintenance under the SafeTrack program.

b. A Metro Safety Commission to provide oversight is approved after a battle in the Virginia legislature over whether to weaken union protections.

c. A new six-year capital funding agreement is approved in the spring.

d. New Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao orders a federal takeover of the system, citing safety problems and financial mismanagement.

[There are four proposals to save Metro. Which might prevail?]

5. The Redskins record will be:

a. 10-6 or better, as offseason acquisitions strengthen the defense.

b. Between 7-9 and 9-7, as the competition gets stronger in the NFC East.

c. 6-10 or worse, after the team loses too many quality players to free agency.

6. The Nationals will:

a. Make it to the playoffs and win at least the first round, as Bryce Harper returns to his 2015 MVP form.

b. Make the playoffs but lose in the first round again.

c. Fail to make the playoffs, as Harper has another disappointing season and the team never finds a decent closer.

7. In District politics, the issue generating the most debate will be:

a. Homelessness and affordable housing, as the city deals with federal cutbacks.

b. A generous but expensive child-care bill pushed by the D.C. Council.

c. Crime and public safety, because of the homicide rate, the need to select a new police chief and fallout from The Washington Posts recent series on repeat violent offenders.

d. Education reform under new Schools Chancellor Antwan Wilson.

e. Grays push for a new hospital east of the Anacostia River.

[Millennial voters help push D.C. Council to the left.]

8. By this time next year, the declared candidates to challenge District Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) in 2018 will include (select all that apply):

a. Gray.

b. Attorney General Karl A. Racine (D).

c. Council member Kenyan R. McDuffie (D-Ward 5).

d. Council member David Grosso (I-At Large).

9. By this time next year, the declared candidates for the Democratic nomination to challenge Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan in 2018 will include the following (select all that apply):

a. Prince Georges County Executive Rushern L. Baker III.

b. Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz.

c. U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez.

d. U.S. Rep. John Delaney.

e. Del. Maggie L. McIntosh (Baltimore City).

f. Wine magnate and activist David Trone.

[Baker to decide on gubernatorial run after presidential elections.]

10. Assuming the federal government finally decides, the site selected for the new FBI headquarters will be:

a. Greenbelt, as I predicted last year.

b. Landover, Md., because its closer to Virginia, where many FBI employees live.

c. Springfield, Va., because Trump wants to help the Republicans win the governorship.

d. Irrelevant, because Trump outsources the FBIs duties to the KGB.

My choices: 1. c. and d.; 2. b.; 3. c.; 4. a. and b.; 5. a.; 6. c.; 7. c.; 8. b. (Trick question: Gray will wait to announce in 2018); 9. a., b. and c.; 10. a.

Happy New Year!
In the past month alone in Virginia, Accomack County briefly pulled Huckleberry Finn and To Kill a Mockingbird from classrooms and libraries after a parent complained about their use of racial slurs. (Handout image)

Virginia regulators are drafting rules that would require school districts to red-flag objectionable teaching material and make it easier for parents to control what books their children see in the classroom, though a similar bill was vetoed last year by Gov. Terry McAuliffe.

Virginia schools would have to send parents a list of any teaching materials containing sexually explicit content at the start of every school year under a policy being considered by the state Board of Education. All local school boards would be required to set up a way for parents to opt out of objectionable materials; teachers would have to provide replacement texts for those who ask for them.

[McAuliffe vetoes bill permitting parents to block sexually explicit books in school]

School reading lists have long been sources of controversy, with parents concerned about exposing their children to vulgar language or sensitive topics, fighting to expunge even classic works  such as Mark Twains Huckleberry Finn  from classrooms. Teachers and literacy organizations often decry such moves as censorship that erase important literature from curriculums.

In the past month alone in Virginia, Accomack County briefly pulled To Kill a Mockingbird and Huckleberry Finn from classrooms and libraries after a parent complained about their use of racial slurs. In September, Chesterfield County considered removing books from its schools after parents condemned summer-reading-list titles such as Eleanor and Park and Dope Sick as pornographic and trash.

[School district weighs ban of Mockingbird, Huckleberry Finn after complaint]

The latest effort has drawn sharp rebuke from free-speech groups and educators, who worry about stigmatizing literature that they view has deep educational value.

This is not good policy, and its treading on dangerous legal ground, said Claire Guthrie Gastanaga, head of the Virginia American Civil Liberties Union, which joined with six other groups in sending a letter of opposition to the state board. Well be evaluating what happens at every step of the way.

The regulations, which will be reviewed by the board this month, cover the same ground as the Beloved bill, passed by the General Assembly last year amid much controversy. The measure got that name because a Fairfax County parent whose high-school-aged son was assigned to read the Toni Morrison book sought to ban it.

[Fairfax County parent wants Beloved banned from school system]

McAuliffe (D) vetoed that bill in part because it could cause a work of literature to be deemed sexually explicit based on a single scene, without context, he said at the time. Numerous educators, librarians, students, and others involved in the teaching process have expressed their concerns about the real-life consequences of this legislations requirements, he said in his veto statement.

But McAuliffe also said he was acting because the state board was looking into the issue, and thats the process moving forward now.

The governor ultimately believes that the decision lies with the Board of Education. Theyre given those powers for a reason, and they make that determination, said Sam Coleman, a spokesman for McAuliffe.

He also pointed out that the Assemblys legislation required the state board to define the term sexually explicit, while the proposed regulations leave that definition up to each local school board.

The governor respects the autonomy of local school divisions to determine the definition of sexually explicit,  Coleman said.

About half of Virginia school divisions have a policy of sending parents advance warning of sensitive or controversial materials in the classroom, according to a state survey from 2013.

Most districts also have policies that permit parents to object to sensitive or controversial material, and some allow them to ask for alternative assignments.

But educators fear that labeling books sexually explicit will lead some parents to dismiss their educational value, said Sarah Crain, advocacy chair for the Virginia Association of Teachers of English and the literacy coordinator for Stafford County Public Schools.

The big concern is when you take a label that has a very broad definition and you reduce a book or a work down to something that is a mere decontextualized fragment of the work . . . that actually impedes the ability for teachers and parents to have informed conversations, Crain said.

She also said she worries that school districts will define sexually explicit too broadly, sweeping things such as classical Greek art and historical photos of disrobed Holocaust victims into the same category as Fifty Shades of Grey, the wildly popular erotic romance novel.

Laura Murphy, the Fairfax County parent who wanted Beloved removed, wrote the board in support of the proposed regulations and testified at a November meeting. She said many parents are too busy to thumb through the books on their childrens reading lists to know whats in them, particularly when students can be assigned 10 or more books in a school year.

There are so many different situations where parents are not able to keep up with the reading material, Murphy said. How in the world are they going to know whats inside those books unless theyre notified beforehand?

Murphy said she believes teachers should have to make the argument that material labeled sexually explicit has educational value.

That burden is on the teacher to explain why its worthwhile and why its a good read and a valuable component of the childs education, Murphy said. Its just more transparency, full disclosure, let the parent become involved in the decision-making.

Many school districts have exhaustive notification processes for parents when it comes to sex education, allowing parents to screen all teaching materials and opt their children out if they object. Murphy said the state should do the same for English courses.

Crain and others object to that comparison and lament that it is reducing works of literature to just their sexual content, rather than looking at what they might teach children beyond that.

The state board has been looking at the issue since Murphy and others raised it in 2013, said Assistant State Superintendent Cynthia Cave, who presented the proposed language to the board in November.

If the board decides at its Jan. 26 meeting to move ahead with the proposed language, that would start a rulemaking process that could take a year or more to complete. There will be extensive opportunities for public hearings and for review by the governor and attorney general, Cave said.

An earlier version of the language released on a state website drew hundreds of comments from the public. Most parents were supportive of the change, but teachers were overwhelmingly against it, according to state documents.

Gastanaga, of the ACLU, said she views the proposed regulation as unconstitutional in two ways. First, she said, it potentially infringes on the federal protection of free speech. The term sexually explicit is vague, over-inclusive and potentially prejudicial, the ACLU and six other free-speech groups complained in their letter to the board, arguing that the term could be used to describe works as varied as Romeo and Juliet, The Diary of Anne Frank and Brave New World.

In addition, Gastanaga said that the rules would trample on the power the state Constitution gives to local school boards to set their own standards.

Opponents also raised questions about increasing the burden on overworked teachers by requiring them to develop an alternative lesson plan for pupils whose families demand it.

Thats a factor the board will take into account. The board is sensitive to anything they feel is an additional burden on teachers, Cave said.

She objected to the idea that the measure would infringe on free speech. Theres nothing that says were going to ban these materials, Cave said. Theres nothing that says other students whose parents do not object may not use them. Whats important is to let parents know.
It was already going to be awkward: Two state senators, once friends, will return to the Capitol this month as rivals for the GOP nomination for lieutenant governor.

But the battle between Sens. Bryce E. Reeves (Spotsylvania) and Jill Holtzman Vogel (Fauquier) has grown unusually ugly and personal, with allegations of deeply hurtful dirty tricks.

An email sent to some Reeves supporters accused him  falsely, he said  of having an affair with a campaign aide. Armed with subpoenaed Internet records, Reeves told The Washington Post that he had proof that Vogel or someone close to her was behind it. The message was linked to a cellphone belonging to Vogels husband, Alex Vogel, and to two IP addresses  one tied to the Vogels Upperville estate and the other to their next-door neighbors home, according to copies of the records provided to The Post.

I dont even know what to say, Im so hurt, said Reeves, a former Army Ranger and Prince William narcotics detective who is married with two children. Ive been in their home. Ive eaten dinner with them. Ive gotten to be a good friend of their children. But I guess when you want to win at all costs, youll do whatever it takes.

Vogel, a nationally known GOP ethics lawyer, referred questions to her campaign manager, Pat Trueman, who issued a statement saying that the Vogels knew nothing about the message. The statement said the couple had not yet determined if the email really was linked to Vogel family electronics, saying they had only learned about Reevess claim after Christmas.

But the statement raised the possibility that the Vogels, both high-profile attorneys who made headlines in 2015 by buying part of an Upperville estate that had belonged to the late billionaire arts patron Rachel Bunny Mellon, had been victims of hacking.

[A $7.25 million fixer-upper: Turning Bunny Mellons private art museum into a home]

Jill and Alex Vogel have not sent, have not authorized, have not approved, and were not aware of any anonymous communications concerning either of her competitors for the Republican nomination, the statement said. They would never condone such tactics, nor would they permit a campaign employee or volunteer to do so on behalf of our campaign. . . . Regrettably, in this day and age, there are many ways a person can send an anonymous email and make it appear to have originated from another sender.

The Vogels next-door neighbor, Lisa Gable, whose home IP address was linked to the email, said she knew nothing about the message. She said the two families set up a shared wireless Internet system because of the lack of high-speed access in their rural area. Gable speculated that someone might have been able to tap into the system by parking in her driveway or the Vogels.

Its beamed wirelessly across the neighborhood, but its not password protected, she said. We all live out in the country and never thought about it.

Reevess campaign spokeswoman, Sam Azzarelli, responded to the hacking theory by suggesting that the Vogels agree to have their phones, computers, and electronic devices forensically tested by a mutually agreed-upon third party.

We will help fund it to find out if they were truly hacked, she said.

Vogel, former chief counsel to the Republican National Committee, is managing partner of Holtzman Vogel Josefiak Torchinsky, a firm with locations in Washington and Warrenton. She specializes in ethics, campaign finance and tax-exempt organizations.

Alex Vogel, who has served as the RNCs deputy counsel, is managing partner of VogelHood Group, which bills itself as Washingtons premier policy research and consulting firm.

Truemans statement said that Vogels campaign condemns the practice of disseminating information by scurrilous emails.

[State Sen. Bryce Reeves to run for Virginia lieutenant governor]

The bitter finger-pointing has erupted as Reeves, Vogel and fellow legislators from across the state prepare to converge on Richmond on Jan. 11 for the General Assemblys 46-day session. Any infighting will be unwelcome for Republicans, who are hoping to put the divisive 2016 presidential primary behind them as they prepare for the November contests for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general. While the GOP controls both houses of the General Assembly and a majority of Virginias congressional seats, the party has not won a statewide race since 2009.

The Reeves-Vogel rivalry will hardly be the only one simmering inside what everyone here calls Mr. Jeffersons Capitol. Just down the marble hallway from the Senate sits a third GOP contender for lieutenant governor, state Del. Glenn R. Davis Jr. (Virginia Beach). And inside the Senate, a Republican running for governor, state Sen. Frank W. Wagner (Virginia Beach), will surely tangle with the Democratic gubernatorial candidate who happens to preside over the chamber, Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam.

[Virginia Del. Glenn Davis to run for lieutenant governor]

But the drama swirling around Reeves and Vogel promises to upstage the others given its deeply personal nature and the startling turnabout it represents for the onetime friends. The two used to be part of the Senates raucous caucus, a tight band of GOP allies who once occupied the far corner of the chamber and drew occasional scolding from the Senate clerk for cutting up. They sit just a few seats apart in the chamber and serve on some of the same committees.

On Sept. 30, some Reeves supporters received an email from someone purportedly named Martha McDaniel, under the email address staffordforfreedom@gmail.com.

I am writing to you today concerning your public support for the candidacy of Sen. Bryce Reeves to be our next lieutenant governor, it begins. As a Christian, I am deeply troubled by Sen. Reeves personal conduct. People around the commonwealth have repeatedly talked about the fact that Sen. Reeves is carrying on an open and obvious adulterous relationship with his campaign staffer and constant companion.

After hearing about the message from several recipients, Reeves said he tried to track down a Martha McDaniel but could not find anyone by that name in Stafford, a location hed inferred from the gmail address. On Oct. 3, he filed a defamation lawsuit in Stafford County Circuit Court against McDaniel, whose only known address was staffordforfreedom@gmail.com.

Through subpoenas to Google and two service providers, Reeves found the Gmail account was associated with a certain cellphone number  one belonging to Alex Vogel. The account was accessed via two IP addresses, one associated with the Vogels estate and the other with their neighbors, Lisa and James Gable.

Reeves said he does not know where the case goes from here.

I think the next step is Anne and I need to pray about it, Reeves said, referring to his wife of 25 years. We have legal counsel. And were trying to figure out, now that we know who it is, do we go after them civilly? Do we file a bar complaint? Right now were trying to get our hands around where we are.

Among those who received the email was Del. Nicholas Freitas (R-Culpeper) and Travis Witt, pastor of Gilboa Christian Church in rural Mineral and the former chairman of the Virginia Tea Party Patriots Federation.

Ive known Jill for five years, Freitas said. I dont want to believe shes capable of this. I desperately hold out hope theres another explanation. I just dont see what it would be at this point.

Witt said his first instinct was to call Reeves, who assured him the affair allegation was false. His next was to write back to the sender.

As a Christian, you have a responsibility to secure the facts, he wrote. If you have not spoken to Bryce Reeves about this matter, then speaking to me or anyone else based on the comments of others is biblically incorrect, aka gossip and rumormongering.

He said he got no response.

It dismays me that this is a part of the political process, he said. It doesnt belong in politics. We dont need this stuff.


Rakeem Jones, left and John McGraw. (Photos by Liz Condo for The Washington Post) (Photos by Liz Condo for The Washington Post/Photos by Liz Condo for The Washington Post)

They hadnt seen each other since the day one attacked the other, and now it was nine months later, and they were approaching a county courthouse to face each other for the second time in their lives. First came John Franklin McGraw, 79, who goes by Quick Draw McGraw and spends his days in a cowboy hat and leather boots with two-inch heels because, he says, a cowboy cant be 5-foot-8. Then came Rakeem Lamar Jones, 27, a man in skinny jeans who has long dreadlocks and tattoos up and down his arms.

McGraw sat in the front row, and Jones found an open seat in the back. The last time they saw each other, McGraw was elbowing Jones in the face at a Donald Trump rally, one of the first moments of violence in what would become a historically contentious presidential campaign. After Jones was pulled up from the ground by county sheriffs and escorted out of the coliseum and the rally was over, McGraw went even further. We dont know if hes ISIS. We dont know who he is, he said. The next time we see him, we might have to kill him.

But it was another thing he said that both men have also been thinking about since that day: We know hes not acting like an American.

(Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

Nine months later, with so many things settled  the rallies done, the election over, Trump the winner  one of the questions that remained in their minds was what it means to be an American.

McGraw voted for Trump. Jones voted for Hillary Clinton.

McGraw is white. Jones is black.

If they have anything in common, its that both live in the same place, but Fayetteville is an increasingly polarized city in a polarized state in a polarized country, and they live in different parts. Now, hoping this hearing would perhaps bring some clarity, they wait for it to begin.

***



Rakeem Jones, 27, sits outside his home in Fayetteville, N.C. After he was elbowed in the face at Donald Trumps rally, Jones quit his job because the companys name was published and found a new job in a different part of town delivering pizzas. (Liz Condo/For The Washington Post)

Five days before the hearing, Jones was cradling a phone against his ear and typing another pizza order into a computer. Rakeem! his manager yelled as two pizzas were slid into a carry case and placed beside him at the front counter. Youre out!

Working the counter, he makes $7.35 an hour. On deliveries, it goes down to $4.25 an hour, but theres always the chance for a big tip, and he hustled the pizzas to a faded Mitsubishi sedan with a cracked windshield. Hed bought it earlier in 2016 for $1,600  most of his savings  when McGraws attack at the Trump rally left him feeling unsafe riding the city bus. What if McGraw was serious about killing him? Considering the way the election had gone, what if a white-supremacist group decided to try something? Where he comes from, a rough neighborhood in northwest Fayetteville, threats are sometimes carried out. A few of his friends were murdered when he was younger, and two years before, someone shot up his aunts trailer, killing his 3-year-old cousin sleeping inside. So in the days after the rally, he quit his job after the companys name was published, stopped taking the bus, bought a car and found a new job in a different part of town delivering pizzas.

He put on a rap song and turned it up. He passed a neighborhood  tall pines, wide lawns and two-story brick houses  that characterizes one part of Fayetteville, a city that is 42 percent black and 46 percent white and anchors a county that went 56 percent for Clinton and 40 percent for Trump. The part he has lived in is mostly trailer parks and corner stores, and if he can ever make enough money at the pizza shop, hed like to live in a neighborhood like this one, even though he has come to see it as Donald Trumps America, an America where more and more he feels as if he doesnt belong.

He pulled into a gated complex, got out with the pizzas and saw a large red truck with plates that said: Kill em all. Let God sort em out.

Its Fayetteville, he said. Thats the mentality.

There was a time when he thought differently, not just about Fayetteville but about America as well. He knew there were racists in his country and community, but he also trusted that its people were tolerant of diversity and wouldnt vilify someone who went to a Trump rally and yelled out some words of protest. But since that night, he has thought about race constantly. He has thought about it when he has delivered pizzas to houses with Trump yard signs. He has thought about how he must look walking up to the door with his dreadlocks and tattoos, at times wondering whether hed be welcomed if he werent holding a pizza.

A pizza now extended in front of him, he knocked on a second-floor door, and when a woman and a small boy answered, he smiled.

How you doing, maam? he asked, then looked at the child. How you doing little man? You hungry?

Were starving, the woman said.

He handed the pizzas to the boy  Be careful with that. Its hot.  collected a $2 tip from the woman and walked to his car, feeling pleased. Hey, it adds up at the end of the night, he said. He headed back to the shop, where he saw his next delivery was a large order of 15 pizzas. There had been a delay in getting the food ready for delivery, and when he grabbed the pizzas and hurried back out to his car, he knew he would be significantly late. In the car, he thought he recognized the address so he called ahead to make sure he was heading to the correct place.

Is that a church? he asked into the phone. All right, maam. Yeah, Ive delivered to this place before.

By the time he got there, the pizzas were 30 minutes late. Balancing all 15 of them against the wall with one hand, he opened the front door with the other and saw a childrens party inside. He set the pizzas down on a counter as a man talking on a cellphone came up to him.

Im on the phone with your manager right now. We need to talk over here, the man said, and Jones followed him into another room where they were alone. You should have been here 30 minutes ago, he told Jones as the manager listened. Im not happy right now.

I understand, Jones said, as the man said to the manager, He called, I dont know, maybe 20 minutes ago, saying he was lost.

I never said I was lost, Jones said quietly.

You were asking my wife where we were.

I was making sure it was this church.

That makes me feel like you were lost, he said. Jones looked straight ahead and was silent as the man spoke again to the manager. We were planning on giving him a nice large tip, but based on the situation that we got going on here, were just going to pay for the pizza, he said. And Im saying all of this in front of him.

He hung up and gave Jones $100. The bill for the pizza was $98. Jones put the money in his pocket as the man pointed at the back door. Exit out this door out here, he said.

Another $2 tip. He started back to the pizza shop.

Thats my America, Jones said.

***



John McGraw, 79, who worked as a ranch hand and horse trainer in Texas, now makes leather belts, leather wristbands and gun holsters that he sells at gun shows and flea markets. (Liz Condo/For The Washington Post)

Three days before the hearing, John McGraw was waiting for his attorney to call to talk about what could happen in court. He told me hed call today, McGraw said. He sat alone in his workshop down a dirt road just outside Fayetteville and glanced at a sheet of paper where he had written all he was going to be doing that day:

1) 38 39 Belt, Jim

2) Wrist Band (Evans)

3) Sons Belt 33 1/4

This is how McGraw earns income beyond his Social Security checks, making leather belts, leather wristbands and gun holsters that he sells at gun shows and flea markets. He looked around the cramped shop, which contained nearly everything he owned. A pile of unfinished leather strips. A collection of nine black powder rifles, replicas of the sort used in the Revolutionary and Civil wars. A miniature Confederate flag and a sign that says: You cant have my country. You cant have my guns. And I dont want your handouts. He spends most of his days in this shop and his nights sleeping in a small trailer parked just outside, the latest phase in a life in which he married and divorced three times, had children he hasnt seen in 30 years, worked as a ranch hand and horse trainer in Texas, sold leather work and was now living alone, rarely greeting guests beyond a neighbors dog that sometimes comes by.

Out came two strips of belt leather. He settled each onto his workbench and rubbed beeswax into them until they darkened and turned shiny. Other belts arent done like this, he said. Theyre not hand-rubbed. But when I make a belt, its made for life.

At times he has looked at the belts that some people wear, noticing the cheap buckles, the fraying ends, the fake leather, and wondered how someone could buy a belt like that. And lately, it has not just been that question, but a lot of questions he has been having about the changes in the country. Gay marriage. How is that now legal? Baltimore and Ferguson. How could people burn down those buildings and shut down the roads? A Trump rally. How could someone think it was okay to shout obscenities and boo a man running for president? Decency. What happened to decency? And on the night of March 9, when he saw Jones shouting at Trump and others, he got up from his chair as Jones was passing, threw an elbow, and now he was regretting it not only because he was arrested the next day, but because the other person acting indecently was him.

He looked at his flip phone, saw he hadnt missed any calls from his attorney, and finished the first belt.

Why, he has often asked himself, did he act the way he did? How could he have suspected Jones was a terrorist? He had never considered himself a bigot or a hateful person  far from it  and now, thinking about what happened, as he does every day, he clenched his jaw and shook his head. He said he had never been so humiliated in his life. All the newspaper articles, television clips and political ads suggesting he was a racist. But sometimes he felt he was the one who was actually the victim of racism. This wouldnt have been news, he thought, if Jones had been white or he had been black. His case wouldnt have dragged on for nine months. He wouldnt have been kicked out of his fast-draw shooting club because he didnt reflect its values. People wouldnt be baiting him into racial arguments at the flea market.

He finished the second belt, placed it in a plastic bag and zipped it closed.

Maybe Im too defensive. Maybe Ive lived too long, he said. Years back, maybe I should have just been put down like a trained dog you cant have in public.

Since the rally, a friend of his named Ed Hood had tried many times to talk to McGraw about his defensiveness.

Weve been talking about this since March, Hood told him one time when McGraw was again talking about why he had elbowed Jones. Theres somebody with an attitude that can make you angry enough that you might want to fight them. But dont do it. You got to let the talk go by you.

Eddie, I had a fear of what might happen next, McGraw said. I didnt know what would mushroom. I didnt know where it would go.

Yeah, that was your interpretation, Hood said.

If I had run into Jones on the street, I would have said, Go on home, boy, before you get yourself hurt. I wouldnt have hit him, McGraw said. But under the circumstances.

That public behavior is disappointing to you?

Yes, it is.

That people dont act more orderly?

Its a disgrace. . . . It was a situation way beyond decency.

Its a misunderstanding is what it is.

He now picked up the next thing on his to-do list, a leather band. He etched the name Evans into it and carved an intricate pattern. He painted the border in a rich red and put down his brush. Thats a right cute little wristband, he said.

He looked at his phone again. His attorney still hadnt called. He looked at his list. All done. He looked at the clock. His day still had six more hours to go.

***



John McGraw carves a design into a custom leather holster in his workshop in North Carolina. He spends most of his days in this shop and his nights sleeping in a small trailer parked just outside. (Liz Condo/For The Washington Post)

On the day of the court hearing, Jones and McGraw drove through a town that in the nine months since the Trump rally has found little public agreement over who was ultimately the true victim that night. They walked into a courtroom that was already filling with dozens of people  some black, some white, some supporters of McGraw, others Jones.

McGraw took off his cowboy hat and leather jacket, and as he was sitting in the first row, a man in a suit in front of the bench said Quick Draw McGraw! People around him began to laugh, and a bailiff said Quick Draw! and McGraw shifted in his seat and didnt say anything. Jones took an open spot in the back, and neither one reacted to the other until the judge called the case. Jones stood, walked to the prosecutors table and clasped his hands behind his back. McGraw stood a few feet away at the defendants table. He was facing two misdemeanor charges of assault and battery and disorderly conduct. McGraw looked ashen and a little dazed, and when the judge asked how he would plead, his attorney said no contest as McGraw lowered his gaze.

Does the victim wish to be heard? the judge asked Jones.

Jones, who had yet to look at McGraw, thought for moment. From the beginning, it even took place in front of the sheriffs, the way it was handled wasnt right. He was allowed to go home, he said. I know he is not going to receive jail time, but at the same time I have a friend who is facing five years for what was, at the root of it, a fight. I just dont understand that. I dont agree.

McGraw, who had looked at Jones the entire time he spoke, now glanced at the judge, who asked McGraws attorney whether he had anything to say.

It needs to be stated by my client through me that Mr. McGraws actions were not racially motivated, the lawyer said. McGraw shook his head. People in the audience began to chuckle and smirk at one another. He wants the country and the United States to know it had nothing to do with race, he continued, and that this country needs to heal as it relates to racial tensions that have been generated as a result of this case.

Jones listened and asked whether he could say more. Not one time throughout this whole six months have I mentioned race, he said. The crowd went silent. As far as race, its not my concern. I got hit by a man, period.

The judge asked McGraw whether he wanted to say something, too. Im extremely sorry this happened, McGraw said, and when the judge told him to explain it to Jones, not him, he turned to Jones and took a step toward him. It was the closest theyd been to each other since the rally.

This was between two men. You know what you did. And I know what I did. Im not going to say you were wrong or I was wrong, McGraw said. You and I both know what occurred, and I hate it worse than anything else in the world. He stepped closer to Jones and raised a finger. We got caught up in a political mess today, he said. His jaw began to tremble. And you and me, we got to heal our country.

All right, man, Jones said after a moment. He reached out to pat McGraw on the shoulder, and he seemed surprised by the contact. He put out his hand. Jones grasped it, and, as a few claps in the audience grew into an applause, the two men embraced.

(Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

The sentence McGraw received was one year probation, and after the judge was done and the case was over, McGraw had one more thing to say to Jones. Weve got to stick together, he quietly told Jones. We cant let them come between us. Then he walked toward a side exit and put on his cowboy hat, and Jones went in another direction, toward a friend who had been with him the night of the rally.

It was a slap in the face, man, the friend, Ronnie Rouse, told Jones. What messed me up here was the guy didnt apologize.

Yeah, Jones said and nodded his head. Yeah.

If it was me? Ninety days, five-year probation, $1,000 fine. Its crazy, Rouse said, and a few minutes later, standing outside with Jones, he looked back at the courthouse. He really believes in how he acted. Hes just a stubborn old man.

Its real life, Jones said. What you see is what you get.

What he got when he returned to the trailer park that day were outraged messages and online comments. As news spread, more people started calling him a sellout for forgiving McGraw. They told him he was wrong to shake his hand, that he was wrong to hug him. But he had spent nine months thinking about McGraw and the Trump rally and believed, with the election weeks past, it was time to let it go. So when McGraw, now in his own trailer, unexpectedly phoned him the next day to see how he was doing and to thank him for his decency, Jones listened awhile and told him he appreciated the call.
UNITED NATIONS

Syria peace efforts get Security Council okay

The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution Saturday supporting efforts by Russia and Turkey to end the nearly six-year conflict in Syria and jump-start peace negotiations, as a fragile countrywide cease-fire wavered.

The resolution calls for the rapid, safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid throughout Syria. And it anticipates a meeting of the Syrian government and opposition representative in Kazakhstans capital, Astana, in late January.

Meanwhile, on the ground in Syria, rebels warned that cease-fire violations by pro-government forces threatened to undermine a two-day-old agreement intended to pave the way for talks.

Airstrikes pounded opposition-held villages and towns in the strategically important Barada Valley outside Damascus, activists said, prompting rebels to threaten to withdraw their compliance with a nationwide truce brokered by Russia and Turkey last week.

 Associated Press

GERMANY

Merkel: Islamist terrorism tests nation

Islamist terrorism is the biggest test facing Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday in a New Years address to the nation, vowing to introduce laws that improve security after a deadly attack last month on a Christmas market in Berlin.

Despite that attack and other terrorist acts across Europe, Merkel urged Germans to shun populism and said the country should take a leading role in addressing the challenges facing the European Union.

Many attach to 2016 the feeling that the world had turned upside down or that what for long had been held as an achievement is now being questioned. The European Union, for example, said the chancellor, who is seeking a fourth term in this years elections.

Or, equally, parliamentary democracy, which allegedly is not caring for the interests of the citizens but is only serving the interests of a few. What a distortion, she said in a veiled reference to claims by the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD).

Polls put her conservative bloc well ahead of rivals, but a fractured electoral landscape adds uncertainty to the coalition arithmetic.

 Reuters

Bombs kill dozens in Baghdad; ISIS claims credit: Three bombs killed 29 people in Baghdad on Saturday as fighting intensified in the northern city of Mosul, where Iraqi government forces are trying to rout Islamic State militants from their last major stronghold in the country. Blasts, including one suicide attack, tore through a busy market in the Sinak neighborhood, police said. A pro-Islamic State news agency said the target was Shiite Muslims, whom the militants regard as apostates. The Islamic State has continued to launch attacks in the heavily fortified capital, despite losing most of the northern and western territory it seized in 2014.

Modi defends Indias monetary policy: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi defended his governments decision to demonetize the countrys highest-value currency bills last month, in an unusual New Years Eve message to the nation Saturday. Modi called Indias massive demonetization drive, which withdrew 86 percent of the countrys currency bills from the system, a historic purification ritual to cleanse the system of tax evasion and corruption. In an announcement Nov. 8 that caught the country by surprise, Modi said in a similar address to the nation that India was withdrawing 500- and 1,000-rupee bills as legal tender to crack down on the countrys massive amounts of black money, or untaxed wealth.

Venezuela releases former presidential candidate: Venezuelas government has freed a former presidential candidate, along with several student activists who were jailed during anti-government protests in 2014. Former opposition candidate Manuel Rosales was imprisoned in October 2015 on charges of illicit enrichment upon returning to Venezuela after six years of exile in Peru. A former governor of Zulia state who ran for president in 2006, he was released before dawn Saturday, as were five other activists who opposition groups consider to be political prisoners.

 From news services
While Californians passed a ballot measure to bring back bilingual education in the upcoming school year, educators say a challenge to getting the programs started will be finding more bilingual teachers.

Nearly 20 years after banning most bilingual education, Californians voted in November to let schools restore it for English learners and English speakers whose parents want them to learn Spanish, Mandarin and other languages to compete globally.

Educators say growing interest in bilingual programs will boost already high demand for teachers trained and credentialed to teach the classes. Schools that already have such programs in California  and in other states, including Utah and Oregon  have brought teachers on visas from overseas to meet the need.

There is already a shortage for bilingual teachers with just the demand we have right now, said Joshua Speaks, a spokesman for the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.

The overwhelming vote in favor of Proposition 58 is a huge turnaround from the backlash to bilingual education that followed a surge in immigration to California in the 1990s. Since then, some schools started bilingual programs, but parents of English learners had to sign annual waivers for their children to participate, and many districts were reluctant to take on the paperwork.

With the measure passed  73.5 percent of voters supported it  many schools are expected to expand bilingual offerings or start programs. Among the most popular models are dual-language immersion programs mixing English learners and English speakers in the classroom and splitting instructional time between English and another language.

Californias Department of Education estimates that the state has at least 350 dual-language immersion programs, although the vast majority of the states 1.4 million English learners are taught using English immersion. Robert Oakes, a department spokesman, could not say how many districts will start bilingual programs but expects that many will.

There is a hope and an expectation there will be a big expansion, he said.

California already had a teacher shortage that followed the economic downturn. Areas where teachers are needed most include special education, science and bilingual education, Speaks said.

To be authorized to teach bilingual classes, teachers must take extra courses and exams. In the 2014-2015 school year, the state issued about 400 bilingual authorizations, Speaks said.

Cristina Alfaro, a professor of dual-language and English-learner education at San Diego State University, said her program annually graduates about 60 bilingual teachers.

We dont even credential enough to meet the demand for San Diego, and we have a lot of people from out of state and throughout the state who call us, she said. My phone rings off the hook.

The lack of bilingual classrooms in California over the last two decades, especially at the high school level, has contributed to the dearth of bilingual teachers, said Nicole Knight, executive director of English Language Learner and Multilingual Achievement at Oakland Unified.

To meet the demand, school districts have looked overseas. Los Angeles Unified, which has more than 500 teachers in dual language immersion programs, brought nine teachers and two support staff on visas for Mandarin programs, said Barbara Jones, a district spokeswoman. In Oakland Unified, the district has brought visiting teachers from Mexico and Spain.
Pasco County Deputy Angel Rojas keeps pieces of his law enforcement career neatly organized in a binder.

But he doesnt need pictures or newspaper clippings to remember what happened on December 31, 1986.

I still remember everything that happened step by step, Rojas said.

Pasco deputy remembers Puerto Rican hotel fire

98 people killed, 140 injured from the fire at Dupont Plaza Hotel

Disgruntled employees set fire to the hotel on Dec. 31, 1986

Saturday is the 30th anniversary of the Dupont Plaza Hotel fire. Three disgruntled employees set the hotel on fire, killing 98 and hurting 140.

Rojas and two other Puerto Rico Police officers were dispatched to the scene in a helicopter to help.

There was a huge cloud of black smoke and yellow fire and at that point we realized everything was really out of control, Rojas said.

Guests ran to the roof to escape the flames and the officers began lifting people to safety.

On that first rescue we put five people in the back, Rojas said. I dont know how they fit back there, but thats what we did.

Rojas said they went back and forth for hours, rescuing about 100 people, including one of the employees who set the fire and one familiar face.

The last guy I got from the rooftop, believe it or not, to my surprise, was my brother, Rojas said.

Rojas was honored for his heroic actions, but said he wished he could have saved more.

Those panicking, scary, astonishing faces, its something that you will never forget, he recalled.
President-elect Donald Trump, retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn and Chief of Staff Reince Priebus walk out to speak to members of the media at the Mar-a-Lago club on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2016. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

Reince Priebus says that one of his most important tasks as Donald Trumps chief of staff will be to establish some level of order within the White House.

That, of course, has been the central mission of everyone who has held this post in the past, but it is certain to be a particularly daunting challenge with a president who regards chaos as a management tool.

Trumps Twitter feed is a daily, sometimes hourly, testament to his impulsive nature, his disregard for norms and protocol, his bottomless appetite for random information and misinformation.

Adding to the potential for tension is the fact that Trumps White House is being set up with rival centers of gravity.

The structure puts Priebus on the same level as Stephen K. Bannon, whom Trump named to be his senior counselor and chief strategist. Bannon is the former chairman of Breitbart News, a media voice of the alt-right, which is a fiery fringe movement that embraces elements of white nationalism. Though the post-election announcement of Trumps White House team described Bannon and Priebus as equal partners to transform the federal government, it listed Bannon first.

(Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post)

Trumps son-in-law and consigliere Jared Kushner is also expected to be close by in some kind of capacity that will give him a say in major decisions.

None of the three has ever worked in a White House.

All of this means that the 44-year-old Priebus will be at the center of an experiment to determine whether Trumps singular style of leadership  honed in his family business, displayed on reality television, and used with devastating effect in a presidential campaign that defied every expectation  will transform Washington as Trump promised or prove ineffective when applied to the more complex work of presiding over the massive federal government.

The role in Trumps inner sanctum is, by some measures, a surprising spot for Priebus. After the partys 2012 defeat, the party chairman presided over an autopsy report that called for courting minorities by, among other things, embracing looser immigration laws. Trump, who campaigned on building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border and endorsed mass deportations, effectively rejected the recommendation  and won anyway.

The power-sharing dynamic between Priebus and his new colleagues looks worrisome to those who have had Priebuss title in prior administrations. Some predict flatly that it will not work.

The president has to make it clear that Reince is first among equals, said Ken Duberstein, who served as chief of staff under Ronald Reagan. Youve got to empower somebody on the staff.

The chief of staff, I think, has the responsibility to be all-knowing  to decide what the president should know, what he needs to know, what he doesnt need to know, agreed Andrew Card, who ran George W. Bushs White House staff for 5 1 /2 years, the second-longest tenure of any chief of staff in modern history.

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.

Ambiguous lines of authority, Card added, are likely to be a challenge.

In my opinion, there can only be one chief of staff, Card said.

Priebus, however, brushes off the skepticism.

Bannon, Jared and I work together extremely well, he said in an interview. Weve got a good team of people around [Trump] where we respect each other and we present options for him that I think he looks at and says, Well, if these folks are on the same page, then its probably a pretty good option to take. 

But Trump is also known for being swayed by the last person he has talked to, especially if the advice is accompanied by flattery. In his White House, an array of people, some with strong personalities, are expected to have coveted walk-in privileges to bring their viewpoints directly to the Oval Office. Besides Bannon and Kushner, this will probably include counselor Kellyanne Conway, policy adviser Stephen Miller, national security adviser Michael T. Flynn and counterterrorism adviser Thomas Bossert.

Trumps spokesmen did not respond to a request to interview the president-elect about his relationship with Priebus, or how Trump envisions Priebuss role.

Historically, a White House chief of staff is often the first to be blamed when something goes wrong. It is a burnout job. Even successful ones rarely last more than a couple of years.

Priebus, with a buttoned-up Midwestern bearing, has demonstrated a mastery of internal politics. His tenacity has been tested by the fact that he has survived six turbulent years  a record  as chairman of the Republican National Committee.

Reince has this kind of aw, shucks demeanor, but hes pretty tough, said former RNC chairman Ed Gillespie.

Wisconsin assembly Speaker Robin Vos, who was a college roommate of Priebuss, described him as a shrewd operator, in the best sense of the word.

This side of Priebus was not always apparent over the past year. He often seemed like a hapless passenger, along for the wild ride that was Trumps candidacy. Priebus joked that it wasnt all that bad  he had not yet taken to pouring Baileys Irish Cream on his cereal in the morning.

The GOP chairmans plight became so comedic that host Stephen Colbert and actor Tom Hanks tried that recipe of whiskey-and-cream liqueur over Lucky Charms on the Late Show. Colbert said: Theyre going to be serving this at the convention, as part of the suicide pact. Hanks pronounced it friggin delicious and said he would start voting Republican.

Priebus does not deny published accounts of one particularly low moment, which came in the wake of The Washington Posts Oct. 8 revelation of a 2005 tape in which Trump was heard making lewd comments about women and boasting of groping them. The distraught party chairman reportedly urged the GOP nominee to drop out of the race, or face losing it in a landslide.

Im not going to talk about private conversations, Priebus said when asked if it was true. Sure, I mean I was nervous about it, like everybody was, and he apologized for it, and we started doing debate prep again the next day. And he just killed it in the second debate. He did such a great job, and he addressed it, and he did so, I think, like a champion, and he moved forward.

Building a relationship

Going back to Priebuss early days as party chairman in 2011, Trump Tower had been a regular stop on his fundraising rounds. When Priebus made the pilgrimage to Manhattan in early 2015, he noticed something seemed different about Trump.

The celebrity real estate developer had flirted with a presidential run so many times before that no one gave the idea much credence anymore. But Trumps questions about the primary process struck Priebus as unusually detailed and pointed: How did the Iowa caucuses work? How were delegates awarded? Did straw polls matter?

I left, and I started wondering whether he was actually getting very serious about running, Priebus recalled.

It would soon become apparent that he was, and as the campaign unfolded, Priebus began talking to Trump far more frequently than the other contenders.

Perhaps some of the reason we became close is that he wasnt as rigid as a lot of the people running for president, Priebus said. They were very controlled. Theyre trained to be at arms length, even if youre friends with them. Set up a phone call at 4:30 tomorrow to talk for 15 minutes to somebody. Thats just not the way that President-elect Trump runs.

Early on, Priebus used some of those sessions to urge Trump to tamp down his incendiary and divisive rhetoric. That turned out to be futile.

Yes, occasionally we had disagreements along the way, Priebus said. We ended up creating a relationship where our front-runner felt comfortable with the chairman of the party, and the chairman of the party felt comfortable with a front-runner that was not the typical plasticized Washington politician.

The ultimate diplomat

The Trump-Priebus relationship has had its rough patches during the campaign, but in one important regard, it also turned out to be what Priebus called a perfect marriage.

As he had dug the Republican Party out of debt, Priebus had been working for years to construct the kind of political infrastructure Trumps campaign had neither the resources nor the inclination to build for itself. Such unglamorous basics as ground operation and data collection were a badly needed asset in some of the close states Trump needed to put him over 270 electoral votes.

The party had to be just about perfect to win. The Democrats can be good and still win, but we have to be about perfect in order to win, Priebus said. It just turns out that the president-elects message was ringing extremely true to the electorate and we had the data and the infrastructure to back it up.

And from the time when it had become clear that the New York real estate mogul would be the 2016 standard-bearer for a party whose establishment he had trashed, Priebus had taken on the difficult task of tugging the warring GOP factions toward reconciliation and acceptance, if not enthusiasm.

One of this most important projects was bringing aboard key party leaders in Priebuss home state of Wisconsin, which had gone for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) in the primary and where Trump had been at war with major political figures. The most important target, allies said, was House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.).

Priebus was the ultimate diplomat, said Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, whose own 2016 presidential hopes had fallen early victim to Trump. Pauls support was critical to sending a message, not just to House members, but just overall Republican voters. Reince was just tenacious.

Vos, like many prominent Wisconsin Republicans, had supported Walker, then Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), then Cruz, only to see each of their hopes incinerated in the anti-establishment brushfire that Trump had ignited.

As soon as Donald Trump became the presumptive nominee, he was all over me, Vos said of Priebus. I said, Ill take whatever you got. 

Trump carried Wisconsin by less than a percentage point, becoming the first Republican to do so since Ronald Reagan in 1984.

As Trump and his team have turned to governing, people knowledgeable about the internal deliberations of the transition say, Priebus has more often than not gotten his way on key administration hires. Several of his top aides are being lined up for big jobs in the White House. Most notable thus far has been RNC communications director and Priebus confidant Sean Spicer as press secretary. Katie Walsh, currently Priebuss chief of staff at the RNC, is considered likely to become a deputy White House chief of staff.

Trumps naming of Priebus sent a reassuring signal to the Washington establishment, including Ryan, whose ability to work with Trump is going to be vital to Republicans getting anything done.

Priebus said his new job was not the result of outside lobbying, but all a matter of Donald Trumps opinion.

Politics in his blood

Priebus grew up in historically Democratic blue-collar Kenosha, the son of a German American electrician father and a Greek mother born in Africa. His first name is short for Reinhold.

He was campaign chairman for Ronald Reagan in his third-grade mock election, listened to speeches by rising GOP firebrand Newt Gingrich on cassettes in his car as a teenager, and took his future wife, Sally, to a party fundraiser on their first date.

Priebus had nurtured a dream of being elected to office himself some day but lost a close race for state Senate in 2004, forcing him to recalibrate his ambitions and rechannel his love of politics.

In 2007, he became Wisconsin party chairman at the beginning of a turbulent era in that states politics, requiring some of the rough-water navigation skills he would later need on the national level.

Though Priebus had establishment credentials as a lawyer with one of the states big firms, he also became a regular presence at tea party rallies and grass-roots gatherings.

He was this interesting mix, said Walker, who was a legislator and county executive during those early years. Youd think, historically, people like that are raising money. Theyre good at knowing the major power players in the Milwaukee area. Reince could do all that. He was also very much connected to the grass roots and the true believers.

Priebus, as a result, shared in the credit for the 2010 election of tea party favorites Walker and Sen. Ron Johnson. And for helping Walker weather a recall effort.

Those successes made him something of a star in GOP circles. He became RNC chairman in 2011 at a desperate time for the party, which was $24 million in debt. It had a little more than $350,000 cash on hand and a $400,000 payroll due six days later  a situation so dire that, early on, he had to help float it by maxing out two personal credit cards to pay his travel expenses.

When you dont have the White House and you dont have the Congress, dialing for money is just hard as hell, and he just kept doing it, and he didnt have anybody helping him, said lobbyist Richard Hohlt. He loved the job.

By the end of 2012, the RNC has $3.3 million in the bank and no debt.

As different as he is from Trump, Priebus shares one thing with the president-elect: little apparent need for sleep. Walker marveled at how he has texted Priebus at 11 p.m. on a Saturday, gotten an immediate response, and then awakened to a follow-up sent at dawn.

That means that when the future president is firing off tweets in the wee hours, as is his wont, his chief of staff will probably be up and seeing them.

The two also will be learning the fundamentals of their jobs together. At a recent lunch with former White House chiefs of staff, hosted by the current one, Denis McDonough, Priebus peppered his predecessors with basic questions, according to three sources with knowledge of what was said during the private session. Among his queries: How do you involve Cabinet officials, and make sure they are pursuing the presidents agenda, rather than their own? Who are the most crucial allies to have in the building? How do you control who gets the presidents ear?

What is paramount, said former chief of staff Card, is that no one be allowed to make end runs around Priebus.

Almost no debate in the Oval Office should come without a prior debate in the chief of staffs office, Card said. It is going to be a challenge for Reince.

Priebus disagreed.

No, I dont think its a particular challenge, he said, promising an orderly system in place in which the president is informed, and not exhausted with multiple sources of information in an unorganized fashion.

There was that word again: order. Achieving it could determine Trumps success. And the responsibility for making it happen will be riding on his chief of staff, who might want to keep a bottle of Baileys handy, just in case.

Robert Costa contributed to this report.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country is in the last stage of preparations to test-fire an intercontinental ballistic missile, refusing to slow his nuclear-arms development as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office in Washington.

Kim made his remarks in a New Years televised address as he outlined his countrys military achievements for the past year, the countrys official Korean Central News Agency said Sunday. North Korea has conducted three nuclear tests under Kim and launched long-range rockets.

North Korea will continue to strengthen its ability based on nuclear might to mount a preemptive attack, Kim said during a half-hour speech that touched on a variety of issues, including economic policy and relations with South Korea.

Since taking power in late 2011, the North Korean leader has concentrated on developing nuclear-armed missiles that could reach the United States. The country has refused to accept U.S. demands to freeze its arms development before the two sides can resume international disarmament talks.

Trump, who takes office Jan. 20, likened Kim to a maniac during his campaign while suggesting that he could meet with the North Korea leader for nuclear talks. While Kim made no mention of Trump in his speech, his comments released Sunday signal that North Korea might seek to test-fire a long-range missile around the time of the U.S. presidential inauguration to raise stakes ahead of potential talks with the Trump administration.

North Korea is showing its leverage ahead of future negotiations, said Kim Tae-woo, who teaches military issues at South Koreas Konyang University. North Koreas hope to be recognized as a nuclear power through some sort of big deal with the U.S. hasnt lessened, and we may even be seeing Kim deploying ICBMs this year.

The regime said previously that it had the ability to mount nuclear warheads on missiles with the range to reach the United States, an assertion that was bolstered by its launch of a long-range rocket in February and another in August. It conducted its fifth nuclear test in September.

Kim said he would gladly join hands with anyone who seeks better relations between North Korea and South Korea.

South Korea may hold a presidential election earlier than its initial schedule for December after President Park Geun-hye was impeached last month over an influence-peddling scandal. Park has called for sanctions to persuade North Korea to end its nuclear arms ambitions. She is suspended from power while the Constitutional Court considers whether the parliamentary motion to impeach her was constitutional. If it agrees, a special election will follow in 60 days to replace her.

Former United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon and South Korean opposition heavyweight Moon Jae-in are neck-and-neck in presidential polls. Both served as senior officials under South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, who advocated greater exchanges with North Korea. Ban has yet to formally declare his intention to run, while Moon said hed welcome a chance to compete for the presidency.

North Korea is banned under U.N. Security Council resolutions from developing ballistic missiles and testing nuclear devices. The council in late November unanimously passed sanctions that include cutting North Koreas coal exports, one of the few sources of hard currency for the Kim regime after the country conducted its fifth test in September.
Reisy Abramof sits in a Tel Aviv cafe a few days after immigrating to Israel from Venezuela. She said she left the country because there were no opportunities there for her. (Ruth Eglash/The Washington Post)

When Daniel Oritz moved to Israel from Venezuela , his first meal was a bowl of chicken soup. He took one spoonful and began to cry.

For him, the soup signified an escape from the poverty and deprivation he has experienced for more than two years.

We were very hungry, said Oritz, who moved in November. There was no meat, no sugar, no pasta.

Venezuelas economic crisis is so severe that citizens must wait in lines for hours at grocery stores to buy basic staples, or pay exorbitant prices on the black market. Some have even died of basic illnesses because of a shortage of medical supplies.

Tens of thousands have left the country, including a growing number of Venezuelan Jews who have relocated to Israel.

[Venezuelas crazy currency swap looks like alchemy, not economics]

The process is not easy because Israel and Venezuela do not have diplomatic ties. In 2009, following Israels war with Hamas in Gaza, then-President Hugo Chavez expelled the Israeli ambassador and his staff from Caracas. He aligned himself with the Palestinians, recognizing their right to statehood later that year, and developed relations with Iran, Israels nemesis.

Official Israeli government figures show that 111 Venezuelan Jews made aliyah, the Hebrew term for immigration meaning ascending, to Israel in 2015, more than double the number who arrived in 2012.

And although final figures for 2016 are not in, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, a charity that works to bring Jews from distressed places to Israel, said it had helped about 90 people immigrate.

Between 6,000 and 9,000 Jews remain in the country of 30 million.

Organizations working to help Jews leave Venezuela, including the Jewish Agency for Israel, said they prefer not to talk about the process because it could endanger those who remain.

We work outside of the Jewish community and under the radar, gathering information by word-of-mouth about Jews who are interested in moving to Israel, said an employee of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, speaking on the condition of anonymity because she shuttles between Israel and Venezuela on a regular basis.

She said that in the past, Venezuelan Jews opted to move to the United States or Panama but that those places are too expensive because the economic crisis has devalued their property and other assets.

Israel is really the only option for them, she said.

[Venezuelans are so desperate they are streaming over the border to buy food]

Jews moving to Israel are entitled to a basket of benefits offered by the state, including greatly subsidized health care, free schooling, and discounts on apartment rentals and other goods.

Anti-Semitism was widespread under Chavez and has continued since his death in 2013. Jewish groups estimate that about 50 percent of the 22,000 Jews who lived in the country when Chavez came to power have left.

Last year, the U.S.-based Anti-Defamation League condemned a magazine for using anti-Semitic imagery on its cover that suggested the countrys economic problems were brought on by wealthy people of Israelite origin.

For several years we have seen anti-Semitic accusations and themes appear in Venezuelan public discourse, said Jonathan A. Greenblatt, chief executive of the ADL, responding to the magazines cover in August. This shockingly graphic manifestation of anti-Semitic imagery on full display on Venezuelan newsstands is unacceptable and repulsive.

Oritz, who grew up and emigrated from the city of San Cristobal, not far from the border with Colombia, said his family was victimized in a violent robbery just over a year ago. A band of armed men broke into his home, tied up the family and threatened to kill them if they fought back. They proceeded to take everything his family owned, including their car. Nothing was retrieved, and no one has been arrested for the crime.

It was a harrowing experience, he said, one that he thinks brought on his mothers death a few months later. The attack pushed him to find a way out of the country and make his way to Israel.

Oritz had been to Israel  he immigrated in 2006, only to discover that his mother was sick, forcing him to return home. Over the years, he said, he yearned to move back. Now, the situation in Venezuela is so bad that he had no choice, he said.

Once he is set up, he will bring his father, sister and his girlfriend, and their 5-year-old daughter.

For Reisy Abramof, who also is Jewish and arrived in Israel on the same flight as Oritz, the political situation in Venezuela is surprising and alarming.

It is very sad to see people queuing up for food and others dying in hospitals because there is no medicine, said Abramof, who is from Venezuelas third-largest city, Valencia.

Her family could afford to buy goods on the black market at inflated prices.

But Abramof, 29, who spent five years at college in the United States, said there is no future for young people in Venezuela.

I feel hopeful in Israel; its a country filled with social innovation and opportunities, she said. I have already had a few job interviews, and now I need to learn the language.
GET OUR APP Our Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. Download it here.
Kano (Nigeria) (AFP) - One person was seriously injured when a suicide bomber aged around 10 blew herself up in a New Year's Eve attack in the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri, witnesses and aid workers told AFP Sunday.

The girl approached a crowd buying noodles from a food vendor in the Customs area of the city around 9:30 pm on Saturday and detonated her explosives, they said.

Although no one has claimed responsibility the attack bore the hallmark of Boko Haram Islamists who are notorious for using suicide bombers, mostly women and young girls, in attacking civilian targets.

"The girl walked towards the crowd but she blew up before she could reach her target," said witness Grema Usman who lives in the area.

"She died instantly, while one person was seriously hurt after after he was hit by shrapnel."

"(Judging) from her corpse the girl was around 10 years old," Usman said.

An aid worker involved in the evacuation of the body gave a similar estimate of the bomber's age.

"The girl was clearly not more than 10 and this could have made her too nervous, making her to detonate the explosives prematurely," the aid worker suggested.

Borno state police spokesman Victor Isuku, meanwhile, said a second female suicide bomber was caught and lynched by an angry mob. Her bomb was safely detonated by security forces, he said.

In December two girls aged between seven and eight detonated explosives in suicide attacks on market in the city, injuring 19 people.

Authorities blamed the attack on Boko Haram, whose seven-year insurgency has killed 20,000 people and displaced 2.6 million others. The conflict has spilled into Nigeria's northern neighbours.

Saturday's attack came a week after Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said the jihadist group had been routed from Sambisa forest, its last stronghold in Borno state.
Upgrade your travel experiences by following these 10 tips for getting premium sleep while away from home.

At its best, travel can be a thrilling adventure that reboots both body and mind. At its worst, it can wreak havoc with sleep, which will put a cranky damper on exploring your destination.

Long-term lack of sleep can make you look older; it can cause you to gain weight and experience more pain; and it can leave you more likely to engage in risky behavior or act unprofessionally in work settings. While chronic sleep deprivation may significantly compromise overall health and well-being, even brief periods of sleep loss can affect mood and memory. So if you want to etch the highlights of a trip into your recollections, getting quality slumber while traveling should be a priority, and it is easier than ever to do so.

The real issue when crossing time zones, says Dr. Rachel Salas, a neurologist at Johns Hopkins Medicine, is exposure to light. Light, especially sunlight, is the biggest clock resetter we have, she says. If we can reset our circadian clocks when we travel, then we are much more likely to enjoy the trip. Many top international hotels design their rooms for optimal sleep so you can be your best self.

Travel can also be tough on sleep because by its very nature it casts aside routines. A healthy sleep regimen, however, is one habit you will want to preserve during your trip. Dr. Param Dedhiathe director of sleep medicine at Canyon Ranch in Tucson, Ariz.says ideal sleep hygiene includes keeping non-sleeping activities out of the bedroom. Thats challenging when your hotel room or flight cabin has to serve as a workspace. Nevertheless, you can still harmonize your external environment with your internal state by following these tips:



1. Reset before you even leave home.

You can begin adjusting your sleep clock to a new countrys time zone at home by wearing darkening glasses or visors, or by going to bed and waking earlier or later, says Salas. She also suggests using a light box to tell your brain to wake up, even if its dark outside, or drawing blackout curtains to bring on the night a little earlier.



2. Plan to arrive in a foreign country in the morning and sleep on the plane.

If you need help falling asleep, Salas suggests a 1 mg dose of melatonin, a hormone the body produces to signal the mind that sleep is around the corner. Take it 30 minutes to 1 hour before you want to sleep, she says, but dont use it as a sleeping pill: Its not a very good one. In our clinic we use it as a circadian-rhythm anchor.

Story continues

3. Forgo the beverage-service nightcap.

The most commonly used sleep aid, Dedhia says, is alcohol. However, its a poor choice. Every serving of alcohol affects sleep for 2 hours, he says. Sedation levels increase for the first hour, but during the second hour arousal increases as the alcohol leaves the body.



4. Bring your own pillow.

Sleep posture can affect sleep quality, especially if you have pain or sleep apnea, says Nancy Davis, an expert on sleep posture at Canyon Ranch. Unless you have sleep apnea, sleeping on your back is bestand most first-class lie-flat airline seats now extend to 6.5 feet. Side sleeping is the second preferred position for good slumber, Davis says. Whatever your sleep position, you want a pillow that supports your neck. Davis notes that most down pillows can easily be stuffed into a carry-on. She suggests tugging the bottom corners of the pillow down toward the shoulders to make a nest for your head.





5. Get exposure to light early in the day and retire to a dark room at night.

When you change time zones, youre really changing when your body is being exposed to light, which confuses the sleep/wake signals for the brain. If you get light exposure at the same time every morning, thats essentially when your brain is reset, like a stopwatch, says Salas. When you alter that, you scramble the cues to the brain.

6. Choose a hotel with a pillow menu, blackout curtains, and circadian lighting.

Most luxury hotels have made guests sleep a priority. MGM Grand, for instance, offers Stay Well suites in Las Vegas. Theyre equipped with dawn-simulating alarm clocks, warm-hued lighting that wont send the brain cues to wake more substantially during middle-of-the-night bathroom trips, and energizing light therapy for the morning. At Zurichs Dolder Grand, the darkening shades can even be programmed to let light into the room gradually.



7. Embrace sleep-inducing technology.

Use downloadable dimmers for your computer and the night-shift function on your iPhone to switch over from brain-waking blue light to sleep-inducing warm-hued light. Consider using products like the new Genesis lamp from Lighting Science, which attunes to your circadian patterns and adjusts its light output accordingly.

8. Be mindful of sleep trackers.

These could backfire and cause anxiety if you discover youre not getting enough sleep. But, Salas says, they can help by making sleep a priority.

9. Keep it cool.

To help restore cells, the body and brains temperature drops during sleep, says Dedhia. Travelers can fall asleep faster by mimicking this cooling process. Dedhia and Salas both suggest indulging in a hot bath or shower before bed. The subsequent cooling can help prompt sleep. And keeping your hotel rooms temperature between 64 and 69 degrees will help you sleep soundly.

10. Stick to your normal routines as much as possible.

The brain loves patternsthey help it understand when its time to wake or sleep. You can give it the same signals when you travel by sticking to that morning workout or after-dinner walk. Just avoid strenuous activity too close to bedtime, Salas advises, because it stimulates waking hormones and endorphins. The mind and body respond to habits, Dedhia says, so consistency of sleep and wake times might be even more important than the number of horizontal hours you log.

11. Get comfy.

If youre not flying privately, then choose first class or business class. You especially want to be well rested if you have to hit the ground running when you arrive at your destination. Try to book a lie-flat seat bed or premium cabin with sleep pods, such as those on British Airways, Qantas, and Korean Air airliners. Better still are the full-bed suites and first apartments offered by Singapore Airlines and Etihad Airways. You can lower the light, block the noise, and control your sleep environment, says Johns Hopkins Dr. Rachel Salas.

More From Robbreport.com

One of the UKs Oldest Auction Houses Kicks Off Its 2017 Horological Sales



Airbus Unveils a Curvaceous Cabin Concept for Corporate Jets



Seven New Hot Spots in South Africas Stunning Cape Winelands



Bringing Back the Swinging 60s, One Whisky at a Time



Your Safari Plane Is Ready



Around the World with NFL Star Larry Fitzgerald


13 most empowering moments for women in 2016, from the HelloGiggles editorial team

Farewell, 2016, we barely knew ye! (JK, 2017 could not come fast ENOUGH.) While 2016 has been declared The Most Awful Year Ever, we did witness some inspiring moments, especially moments coming from strong, resilient women. Here at HG, we celebrate the things women do every single day, so lets not forget these triumphs.

For me, when the Emily Doe (Stanford rape victim) letter went viral, I felt that people EVERYWHERE were talking about sexual assault and rape culture and there was a dialogue going on and to be honest, I havent stopped talking about it since, loudly. I think its amazing that one letter could be the catalyst for a larger conversation. -Karen Fratti, Weekend Editor

When survivor Emily Doe allowed BuzzFeed to publish the victim statement she read to Brock Turner before his sentencing, she helped ignite a national conversation that had been forced into silence for too long. I witnessed men I had known for years starting to understand the reality or rape culture  and how they subconsciously perpetuate it  for the first time in their lives, all because of her words. I will always be motivated and empowered by Emily Does ability to stand in her anger. -Rachel Sanoff, Features Editor

Emmy Rossom fought for equal pay on Shameless  and she won. While more and more women are starting to make some noise about their pay, I feel like were not nudging, or being polite anymore. Were fiercely demanding (Jennifer Lawrence, Patricia Arquette, Hilary Swank, and Emma Stone are just a few of those women), and thats amazing to see. -Gina Vaynshteyn, Editorial Director

Michelle Obamas New Hampshire speech. Michelle Obamas speech on October 13th in New Hampshire was hailed as her most powerful of the campaign season. Her impassioned words hammered home the notion that violating words and actions against women are not just politics as usual. [They] are disgraceful. [They] are intolerable. FLOTUS, you will be deeply missed. -Emily Popp, Deputy Editor

Story continues

Michelle Obamas New Hampshire speech. Not only is it super inspiring, but she executes it with such grace and poise and never stoops to a low level. She remains calm and collected throughout, while making valid points. She rises above, and never once names anyone or shames anyone in particular. Its a testament to her talent as a public speaker, but also to her strength and her power. I was moved to tears by it, and think that we could all learn something from it. Similarly, Madonnas speech at the Billboard Women in Music event made me cry, too. -Alim Kheraj, U.K. Editor

obama

The most empowering moment this year for me, for women but also as a woman, was casting my vote for Hillary Clinton. I teared up handing in my ballot, and the amazing group of women running the voting location all understood. One of them even gave me a high-five. -Christina Wolfgram, Video Producer

I really think that Beyonces Lemonade was super empowering, inspiring, and very important because she showed off so many sides to being a woman. She was vulnerable, emotional, strong, confident, and powerful. She just embraced everything about being a woman! -Alyssa Morin, Associate Beauty Editor

Hillary Clintons entire presidential campaign. -Madison Vanderberg, Senior Editor

Hillary Clinton. That is all. #NastyWoman -Anna Gragert, Associate Editor

November 9th, 2016. Though we were mourning the fact that we could have had our first woman president and instead had the complete opposite of a female powerhouse as President-elect, it proved a vital reality: there is much, MUCH more work to be done for women, minorities, and the LGBTQ community. -Anna Buckley, Social Media Producer

Hillary Clinton winning the democratic nomination, though of course that did not go the way that I had hoped. -Shaunna Murphy, Web Culture Writer

Maybe because this is just fresh on my mind, but I thought Michelle Obama screening this movie about women AT the actual White House was a pretty badass thing. -Briana Hansen, Weekend Editor

Michelle Obamas speech about Donald Trumps treatment of women was so powerful, and it centered the conversation around women as people in their own right, not just a mans daughter/wife/sister. The measure of any society is how it treats its women and girls  so right. -Erika Smith, Weekend Editor

The post 13 most empowering moments for women in 2016, from the HelloGiggles editorial team appeared first on HelloGiggles.
ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP)  At least five people were killed over the New Year's weekend in the resort city of Acapulco, including three men found decapitated in a central neighborhood, officials said Sunday.

The three severed heads were found Saturday on a residential street on the roof of a car, with the bodies inside. The killings were confirmed by a law enforcement official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Later the same day, unknown gunmen opened fire at police who were assisting at the scene of a traffic accident in a tourist quarter near the beach, killing one officer. City government spokesman Jose Luis Mendez said it was not clear why the officers were attacked.

Early Sunday, a taxi driver was gunned down in his cab on a road that leads out of the city.

At least 35 people have been killed along Acapulco's touristy beach areas this year, something that rarely happened in the past, as drug gang violence plagues the city and the surrounding state of Guerrero.

Also Sunday, another police officer was shot dead in Atoyac de Alvarez, about 55 miles (90 kilometers) northwest of Acapulco. Municipal police reported the officer was riding a scooter when an unknown attacker approached and shot him several times in the chest.
Frosty relations between Kabul and Islamabad have put a brake on Afghanistan's ambitious plans to boost fruit exports, seen as vital to providing farmers an alternative to poppy cultivation which fuels the Taliban insurgency.

Pomegranates and grapes have long been the pride of Afghan agriculture, but exports from the landlocked country have suffered due to poor air connectivity and frequent border closures by the country's regional nemesis Pakistan.

The sight of hundreds of long-haul trucks stuck along border towns became all too common in 2016, with tonnes of fruits and perishable items going to waste and forcing some farmers to return to the more lucrative cultivation of poppy.

"We invested huge sums of money on growing fresh fruits in our orchards," grape farmer Abdul Samad from Panjwai district in southern Kandahar told AFP.

"We are very frustrated that Pakistan frequently shut the border during harvest season. We have no choice but to return to poppy farming. It will fetch us a lot more money than fruits."

Pakistan sporadically shut the main border crossings as tensions flared due to firing incidents between the troops of both nations.

Pakistan announced last June it was planning more check posts and fencing along the 2,600-kilometre (1,600-mile) frontier to filter the flow of militants.

The move prompted consternation from Afghanistan which does not officially recognise the so-called Durand Line as the international border.

In 2015 around 52,000 tonnes of pomegranates were exported to Pakistan, the UAE and India. Last year the exports dropped to 15,000 tonnes, a small fraction of the total production. Other fruit exports also suffered.

"We were ready and hoping to export up to 40,000 tonnes of grapes from Kandahar, but Pakistan closed the gate for 17 days (in October), not allowing our traders to export their produce," said Nasrullah Zaheer, head of the Afghan chamber of commerce in Kandahar.

Story continues

- 'Determined to grow poppy' -

Agriculture Minister Assadullah Zamir accused Pakistan of using border security as a pretext to sabotage Afghan exports and shield its own farmers from competition.

"This is not the first time that border closures have happened. We had exactly the same issue in 2015 during harvest time," he said, without stating the estimated monetary losses.

"But we are here to support our farmers and the government is willing to cover a part of alternate transportation costs such as air cargo," he added.

New Delhi recently announced it would launch an air-cargo link between Afghanistan and India that will help it bypass its border issues and open new markets for traders.

The plans, however, remain at initial stages, frustrating farmers.

For years, Afghanistan has tried to give farmers alternatives such as fruit crops and saffron to wean them away from poppy farming -- the lifeblood of the Taliban insurgency.

But those efforts are failing and opium remains an economic linchpin for many Afghans.

Farmers need not bother with exports as a sprawling network of drug smugglers picks up opium produce directly from their farms, offering lucrative prices that normally far exceed the income from traditional agriculture.

In 2016, Afghanistan saw a 10 percent jump in opium cultivation compared to the previous year because of bumper harvests, collapsing eradication efforts and declining international aid to combat drugs.

"Even if the government arrests us we are determined to grow poppy," said Kandahar farmer Abdul Shukoor.

"Pakistan closes the border randomly and our government is doing nothing."
The Daily Beast

Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty ImagesDonald Trumps desperate attempts to escape the wrath of the New York Attorney General were halted Thursday when a state judge there took the remarkable step of putting the former presidents company under court supervisionand preventing the billionaire from quietly shifting his money to avoid paying millions in fines.Justice Arthur F. Engoron intervened at the AGs request, ordering the appointment of an independent monitor to ensure that the company cant sec
Dubai (AFP) - Armed men on Sunday attacked a prison in Bahrain where Shiites convicted over anti-government protests are held, killing one policeman and allowing 10 inmates to escape, the interior ministry said.

The security forces launched a manhunt for the attackers and the escapees, the ministry said on Twitter.

The attack took place at Jaw prison south of the capital Manama.

The ministry said four or five members of a "terrorist group" armed with automatic rifles and pistols attacked at 05:30 local time (0230 GMT).

It said one policeman was killed and another wounded in the attack, which allowed 10 prisoners to flee.

Seven had been serving life sentences and three were serving lengthy jail terms for "terrorist acts", the ministry added.

The tiny but strategic Gulf state has been rocked by unrest since its Sunni authorities crushed Shiite-led protests in 2011 demanding a constitutional monarchy and an elected prime minister.

Hundreds of Shiites have been arrested and many have faced trials over their role in the demonstrations.

Police on Sunday set up or reinforced roadblocks near Shiite villages outside the capital, witnesses said.

Despite the crackdown, Shiite protesters have frequently clashed with security forces in these villages.

In June, 17 prisoners broke out of Al-Hadd jail east of Manama, but the authorities recaptured 11 of them the next day.

Bahrain, which is connected to Saudi Arabia by a causeway, lies across the Gulf from Shiite Iran and is home to the US Fifth Fleet.
By Estelle Shirbon

LONDON, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Three film production companies including Netflix are interested in making a warts-and-all screen dramatisation of Nigel Farage's insurgent Brexit campaign, according to an associate of Farage.

This would be another extraordinary twist for Farage, who from the fringes of British politics achieved his life's goal when Britons voted to leave the European Union last June, and has since befriended U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

The project would be based on "The Bad Boys of Brexit", an account of Farage's campaign by Arron Banks, a multi-millionaire British insurance tycoon who bankrolled the campaign, according to Andy Wigmore, a spokesman for Banks.

"We have three interested parties in the rights to the book and we will be meeting representatives from three studios including a Netflix representative on Jan. 19 in Washington DC," Wigmore told Reuters in a text message.

Farage, Banks, Wigmore and others in their circle will travel to Washington for Trump's inauguration as president, which will take place on Jan. 20.

"We have invited all of them (the studio representatives) to our pre-inaugural drinks party ... We have also invited many of Trump's team to the event," said Wigmore.

Netflix did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Sunday Telegraph newspaper earlier reported that Hollywood studio Warner Bros. was also interested, but it was unclear from Wigmore's texts to Reuters whether those who have approached Banks included representatives of Warner Bros.

The subtitle of Banks' book is "Tales of Mischief, Mayhem and Guerrilla Warfare in the EU Referendum Campaign". It is described on its publisher's website as "an honest, uncensored and highly entertaining diary of the campaign that changed the course of history".

Asked whether Farage was likely to appear as himself in any screen adaptation of his campaign, Wigmore said: "Yes we all expect to make a Quentin Tarantino appearance", a reference to the director's cameo appearances in his own movies.

Story continues

Despite handing over the reins of the anti-EU party UKIP to a successor in November, Farage, typically pictured with pint of beer in hand, remains the most prominent face of Brexit in the eyes of many Britons and is rarely out of the headlines.

He spoke at a Trump rally during the U.S. presidential election campaign and visited the president-elect at Trump Tower after his election. A picture of the two men smiling broadly in front of a pair of golden doors circulated widely.

Trump later embarrassed Prime Minister Theresa May's government by tweeting that many people would like to see Farage represent Britain as ambassador to the United States. The government responded that there was no vacancy.

(Editing by Adrian Croft)
By Estelle Shirbon LONDON (Reuters) - Three film production companies including Netflix are interested in making a warts-and-all screen dramatization of Nigel Farage's insurgent Brexit campaign, according to an associate of Farage. This would be another extraordinary twist for Farage, who from the fringes of British politics achieved his life's goal when Britons voted to leave the European Union last June, and has since befriended U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. The project would be based on "The Bad Boys of Brexit", an account of Farage's campaign by Arron Banks, a multi-millionaire British insurance tycoon who bankrolled the campaign, according to Andy Wigmore, a spokesman for Banks. "We have three interested parties in the rights to the book and we will be meeting representatives from three studios including a Netflix representative on Jan. 19 in Washington DC," Wigmore told Reuters in a text message. Farage, Banks, Wigmore and others in their circle will travel to Washington for Trump's inauguration as president, which will take place on Jan. 20. "We have invited all of them (the studio representatives) to our pre-inaugural drinks party ... We have also invited many of Trump's team to the event," said Wigmore. Netflix did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Sunday Telegraph newspaper earlier reported that Hollywood studio Warner Bros. was also interested, but it was unclear from Wigmore's texts to Reuters whether those who have approached Banks included representatives of Warner Bros. The subtitle of Banks' book is "Tales of Mischief, Mayhem and Guerrilla Warfare in the EU Referendum Campaign". It is described on its publisher's website as "an honest, uncensored and highly entertaining diary of the campaign that changed the course of history". Asked whether Farage was likely to appear as himself in any screen adaptation of his campaign, Wigmore said: "Yes we all expect to make a Quentin Tarantino appearance", a reference to the director's cameo appearances in his own movies. Despite handing over the reins of the anti-EU party UKIP to a successor in November, Farage, typically pictured with pint of beer in hand, remains the most prominent face of Brexit in the eyes of many Britons and is rarely out of the headlines. He spoke at a Trump rally during the U.S. presidential election campaign and visited the president-elect at Trump Tower after his election. A picture of the two men smiling broadly in front of a pair of golden doors circulated widely. Trump later embarrassed Prime Minister Theresa May's government by tweeting that many people would like to see Farage represent Britain as ambassador to the United States. The government responded that there was no vacancy. (Editing by Adrian Croft)
Bill Marshall, co-founder of the Toronto International Film Festival, died today, his family announced. He was 77 and suffered a heart attack while in the hospital.

unnamed-1

A Scottish immigrant to Canada, Marshall, who was later awarded the Order of Canada, Marshall co-founded TIFF, originally called Toronto Festival of Festivals, in 1976 with Dusty Cohl and Henk Van der Kolk. Though at first avoided by Hollywood, the festival, which changed to its current name in 1994, would emerge as one of the major annual film industry events. Today considered one of the most influential film festivals  if not the most  TIFF is regarded by many as second only to Cannes in terms of international prestige.

Bill passed away early this morning from a cardiac arrest while in hospital in Toronto, the city where he made such an impact, said his family in a statement released to the media.

He immigrated to Canada from Glasgow, Scotland in 1955 and was a proud Canadian and Member of the Order of Canada, an honour he received for his many contributions to the arts. As much as Bill loved and cherished the arts, he also played a significant role in shaping the political landscape of Toronto, where he served as campaign manager and Chief of Staff for 3 different Toronto Mayors. Bill was a trusted advisor to many senior politicians in Canada and the United States and his legacy continued with his recent support of current Toronto Mayor, John Tory.Bill was a visionary in the Canadian film industry, producing 13 feature films, including the award winning Outrageous, along with hundreds of documentaries. He was an accomplished writer, journalist, novelist and speech writer to royalty and heads of state. He also produced numerous live theatre productions, including the Toronto production of the hit musical Hair. As an industry leader, Bill was a driving force behind the establishment of numerous industry organizations, including the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, The Toronto Film and Television Office, and was past President of the Canadian Association of Motion Picture Producers. In a very real way Bill was in the business of making dreams become reality and he continued doing so to the very end with several new projects in development. Now, as the house lights dim, friends and family will remember and honour Bill as a first rate raconteur, famous for his honesty, keen mind and wry humour. Details for a proper send-off are in process and will be communicated once finalized.

Story continues

The Toronto International Film Festival also paid tribute to Marshall in a statement attributed to Piers Handling, TIFF Director & CEO. We are deeply saddened by the passing of our friend and TIFF Chair Emeritus Bill Marshall, the statement read.

Founder of the Festival of Festivals in 1976 (along with Co-Founders Henk Van der Kolk and Dusty Cohl), Bill was also the organizations Director in its first three years. He was a pioneer in the Canadian film industry and his vision of creating a public Festival that would bring the world to Toronto through the transformative power of cinema stands today as one of his most significant legacies. Without his tenacity and dedication, the Toronto International Film Festival would not be among the most influential public cultural festivals today. We were so fortunate to have Bill serve as one of our greatest champions for forty-one years. Our thoughts are with his wife Sari Ruda, his children Lee, Stephen and Shelagh, his six grandchildren and their family and friends.

Related stories

The Hits And Misses Of The Fall Festivals On The Road To Oscar

Film Movement Goes For 'Glory' -- Toronto

Ewan McGregor & Cast On Bringing Philip Roth's Explosive 'American Pastoral' To The Big Screen - Toronto Studio
It was a happy New Years Eve for Blac Chyna and Rob Kardashian, who spent the evening celebrating together just days after he was rushed to the hospital for a medical emergency caused by complications with his diabetes. But before the couple could ring in 2017, Chyna needed to hit the tanning bed!

Sharing her day on social media, the 28-year-old mother of two worked on her tan on Saturday, showing off her legs as she lay under the lights.

She labelled the pic 2017! on Snapchat, adding a simple caption on Instagram of Blac Chyna.

Afterwards, Chyna got cuddly with her 4-year-old son King Cairo, sharing some smooches with the little boy. He got restless soon thereafter, tangling himself up in her dress in an adorably playful game.

Then it was time for the celebrations! Dressed in a cream halter dress, Chyna showed off her look in a series of car videos.

She accessorized her look with a stunning set of drop-diamond earrings, pink lipstick, and a long blond wig  with blunt bangs perfectly shaping her face.

Kardashian, 29, was by her side soon thereafter  cheering along with Chyna as the clock struck midnight. Champagne classes in their hands and a plate of strawberries in front of them, the couple were all smiles as 2017 began.

Happy New Years woohoo! Kardashian captioned an Instagram video of the two as they played around with Snapchats New Years Eve filter. Hope yall have a great New Years and be safe! Ciaooooo.

Chyna posted a similar video to her social sites, captioning it on Instagram, Happy New Years 2017



from @robkardashian and I!

Its been a tough 2016 for the couple  filled with highs and lows.

They took their relationship public in January 2016, and got engaged just 10 weeks later. In May, they announced they were expecting  and in just 7 weeks ago, their first child together, Dream Kardashian, was born.

But theres been turmoil along the way  much of it captured on their E! reality show, Rob & Chyna, and on Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

Story continues

There were tensions within the Kardashian family. Chyna also used to be very close with Kim Kardashian West, but the two grew apart. Chynas ex (and King Cairos dad) is rapper Tyga  who is now is dating Kylie Jenner.

Then there were the battles between Chyna and Kardashian, mainly over fears he was texting other women. In an effort to keep her fiance loyal, Chyna went ahead and posted Kardashians phone number on Twitter. To ensure your man is not texting no bitches just tweet his number out! Hows that feel Rob? she said on Snapchat.

Things took a turn for the worse before Christmas when a fight nearly ended their engagement. Chyna moved out of their shared home with their newborn in tow  not much of a surprise as the two had spent some time living separately following Dreams birth. Chynas Instagram was allegedly hacked around that time and she claimed in a since-deleted post that Kardashian was behind the hack.

But they reconciled before Christmas, showing off their holiday decorations in snapped videos of their ornament-laden Christmas tree. And Chyna was also by Kardashians side as he was rushed to the hospital.




HAILEY, Idaho (AP)  Actors Bruce Willis and Demi Moore have donated the Liberty Theatre in downtown Hailey to a local theater company.

The Idaho Statesman reports (http://bit.ly/2ir425O ) that the formalized gift gives the Company of Fools a secure, permanent space where the theatrical company has performed since 1996.

The couple, who are now divorced, bought the historic movie house in 1995 with the idea of transforming it into a live-performance space. The next year, they encouraged friends Rusty Wilson and Denise Simone to relocate their theater company to Idaho to perform on the Liberty's thrust stage.

In 2013, Company of Fools merged with the Sun Valley Center for the Arts, creating the largest arts organization in Idaho.

Moore and Willis are longtime supporters of the Wood River Valley.

___

Information from: Idaho Statesman, http://www.idahostatesman.com
A senior Burundi official was killed in the nations capital Bujumbura, police said early Sunday. The assassination is the first of its kind since the nation descended into political turmoil in 2015.

Emmanuel Niyonkuru, Burundis water, environment and planning minister, was killed a little after midnight, police spokesman Pierre Nkurikiye reportedly said.

Minister of water and environment killed by a criminal with a gun on his way home to Rohero, around 00:45 (05:45 p.m. EST Saturday), Nkurikiye tweeted, four hours after the killing.

He added that a woman had been detained for questioning in connection with the murder. Nkurikiye also offered his condolences to the family and all Burundians promising that the murderer would be punished.

Niyonkuru is the first sitting government official killed while still in office since the country descended to chaos. The unrest was sparked by President Pierre Nkurunzizas controversial bid for presidency for a third term, a move criticized by opponents as unconstitutional.

He returned to power for a third term in 2015 winning nearly 70 percent of the total votes despite strong opposition and a turbulent political climate. Several opposition groups refused to participate in the voting process adding to his high margin.

Nkurunziza was the first democratically elected president since Burundis civil war in 1994 and has ruled the country for over a decade. At least 500 people, including senior officials, were killed and over 300,000 people have been displaced since April 2015.

The president has also been accused of curtailing press freedom. New media laws signed by Nkurunziza in July 2013 ban news organizations from reporting on matters that could undermine national security and public order or the economy.

Related Articles
Nairobi (AFP) - Burundi's environment minister was shot dead in the capital Bujumbura early Sunday, police said, the first killing of its kind since the country was plunged into political turmoil two years ago.

Emmanuel Niyonkuru, 54, the country's water, environment and planning minister, was killed shortly after midnight, according to a tweet sent by police spokesman Pierre Nkurikiye.

The murder, the first of a serving government minister since Burundi sank into turmoil over President Pierre Nkurunziza's controversial bid for a third term in 2015, comes after months of relative calm.

"Minister of water and environment killed by a criminal with a gun on his way home to Rohero, around 00:45," Nkurikiye wrote four hours after the incident.

He added that a woman had been arrested following the "assassination" although the motive for the attack was not immediately clear.

Also on Twitter, Nkurunziza offered his condolences "to the family and all Burundians", vowing the crime would be punished.

The murder comes days after Nkurunziza hinted he might seek a constitutional amendment allowing him a fourth term in 2020.

"If the people request it, we won't betray the confidence of the country, we won't betray the confidence of the people," Nkurunziza said Friday.

- Regime figures targeted -

At least 500 people have been killed and 300,000 have fled the country since unrest began in April 2015 as protesters -- and then military coup-plotters -- fought against Nkurunziza's third mandate.

Niyonkuru is the first cabinet minister to be killed but other senior regime figures have been targeted during the months of crisis.

General Adolphe Nshimirimana, considered Nkurunziza's right-hand man, was killed in August 2015. Almost a year later former government minister and spokeswoman Hafsa Mossi was killed by gunmen in her car.

Other attacks have failed, with senior presidential advisor Willy Nyamitwe, a spokesman widely regarded as the public face of the government, escaping an ambush by a group of gunmen as he returned to his Bujumbura home in November.

Story continues

And in April, human rights minister Martin Nivyabandi and his wife were injured in a grenade attack while leaving church.

Burundi has commonly blamed neighbouring Rwanda for the attacks.

The murder of Niyonkuru comes as Nkurunziza shores up his control of the restive nation.

The loyalist parliament has passed a law imposing strict controls on international aid groups that Nkurunziza has accused of backing insurrectionists.

It has also begun the process of withdrawing the country from the International Criminal Court (ICC) which was looking into allegations of government abuses, including murder, torture and rape.

UN and NGO human rights reports have raised fears that Burundi's political crisis might take on an ethnic dimension, warning of the potential for genocide.
Genres : Drama, Biography

Starring : Rachel Weisz, Andrew Scott, Timothy Spall, Tom Wilkinson, Mark Gatiss, Harriet Walter

Director : Mick Jackson

Plot Synopsis

Oscar winner Rachel Weisz stars in this powerful true story based on the acclaimed book, Denial: Holocaust History on Trial. When Deborah Lipstadt (Weisz) speaks out against Holocaust denier David Irving (Timothy Spall) over his falsification of history, she discovers that the stakes are higher than ever in the battle for historical truth. Now faced with a libel lawsuit in British court, Lipstadt and her attorney (Tom Wilkinson) have the heavy burden of proving that the Holocaust actually happened, in a riveting legal fight with stunning consequences.
NAIROBI (Reuters) - A gunman killed Burundi's environment minister early on Sunday, police said, the first murder of a senior government figure in nearly two years of political violence. Emmanuel Niyonkuru, 54, was attacked as he travelled home in the central African nation's capital Bujumbura, police spokesman Pierre Nkurikiye said in a tweet. Violent protests erupted early in 2015 after President Pierre Nkurunziza said he would seek a third term - a move opponents said violated the constitution and a peace deal that ended an ethnically charged civil war. At least 450 people have died in clashes between protesters and security forces, tit-for-tat killings and a failed coup, stoking fears of wider unrest in a region still haunted by the 1994 genocide in neighbouring Rwanda. "The minister of water and environment was shot ... as he was getting home," police spokesman Nkurikiye said. A woman with the minister had been arrested for questioning, he added. President Nkurunziza said on Twitter the minister had been assassinated and offered condolences "to the family and all Burundians". Nkurunziza went on to win re-election in July 2015 in a poll largely boycotted by the opposition. (Writing by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
The Chainsmokers welcomed special guests the Backstreet Boys to the stage during their Los Angeles Convention Center concert Friday night (Dec. 30). At the duo's gig, their biggest to date, the boy band sang late '90s hits "I Want It That Way" and "Larger Than Life."

"Stoked we got to share the stage w/ @thechainsmokers tonight! Congrats on your huge La Convention Center gig... and thx for having us," Backstreet Boys tweeted.

Meanwhile, the Chainsmokers tweeted: "A massive thanks to the Backstreet Boys for smashing it so hard! Yall stole the show!"

Check out a fan's clip of the performance below, as well as video of an appearance by Big Sean. "We were taking notes watching you!" the Chainsmokers tweeted, thanking the rapper for showing up.

The L.A. show also featured the Chainsmokers performing a new song about Paris, which the duo says will be out "soon,"

Stoked we got to share the stage w/ @thechainsmokers tonight! Congrats on your huge La Convention Center gig... and thx for having us pic.twitter.com/PPfd5jhSsW

- backstreetboys (@backstreetboys) December 31, 2016

We were staying in PARIS @TheChainsmokers #LACCdreaming pic.twitter.com/iBDsJKdq2o

- sam -- (@yagirlsv) December 31, 2016
The Chainsmokers welcomed special guests the Backstreet Boys to the stage during their Los Angeles Convention Center concert Friday night (Dec. 30). At the duo's headlining gig, their biggest to date, the boy band sang late '90s hits "I Want It That Way" and "Larger Than Life."

"Stoked we got to share the stage w/ @thechainsmokers tonight! Congrats on your huge La Convention Center gig... and thx for having us," Backstreet Boys tweeted.

Meanwhile, the Chainsmokers tweeted: "A massive thanks to the Backstreet Boys for smashing it so hard! Yall stole the show!"

Check out a fan's clip of the performance below, as well as video of an appearance by Big Sean. "We were taking notes watching you!" the Chainsmokers tweeted, thanking the rapper for showing up.

The L.A. show also featured the Chainsmokers performing a new song about Paris, which the duo says will be out "soon,"

Stoked we got to share the stage w/ @thechainsmokers tonight! Congrats on your huge La Convention Center gig... and thx for having us pic.twitter.com/PPfd5jhSsW

- backstreetboys (@backstreetboys) December 31, 2016

We were staying in PARIS @TheChainsmokers #LACCdreaming pic.twitter.com/iBDsJKdq2o

- sam -- (@yagirlsv) December 31, 2016
Beijing (AFP) - Sixteen people including two surgeons have been jailed for between two and five years in China for trafficking in human organs, a practice still widespread in the country.

The group -- which also included an anaesthesiologist, a nurse and an assistant doctor -- were involved in a vast illegal trade in kidneys, according to the judgement cited by the official Xinhua news agency Saturday.

The court in the city of Jinan in the eastern province of Shandong said several defendants had searched online for people selling kidneys nationwide and arranged for tests and matches between sellers and buyers.

The transplants were secretly performed in the city of Feicheng, according to the court which passed judgement Friday.

Patients were each told to pay 400,000-600,000 yuan ($57,620-86,430) while those selling kidneys received a mere 40,000 yuan.

China in 2007 issued its first regulations on human organ transplants, banning organisations and individuals from trading in organs.

But trafficking cases are still common in China, which suffers a drastic shortage of donated organs.

Chines tradition dictates that a corpse be buried without mutilation.

For decades most transplants used the organs of executed convicts, often without the consent of their families, according to rights groups -- allegations denied by authorities.
BEIJING (Reuters) - A court in the eastern Chinese province of Anhui has handed out sentences of up to 20 years in jail for 67 people involved in a mafia-style gang that engaged in gambling, extortion and violence, state news agency Xinhua reported on Sunday. The leader of the gang, 37-year-old Xing Zhaogang, was released from jail in 2012 after serving time for violent assault, but then returned to a life of crime and became a "gambling lord" in Anhui, Xinhua said, citing the court. Between October 2014 and April 2015, Xing's gang made 20 million yuan ($2.9 million) in profits from their underground gambling operation, and beat up and threatened those seen as rivals, the report added. Gambling is illegal in mainland China. But he and his gang were caught and put on trial in November, Xinhua said. The court found Xing guilty of organizing a mafia-style gang, including using violence against his rivals, and gave him a 20-year jail sentence, the report said. The other 66 members of his gang got sentences ranging from five months to 14 years in jail, it said, without giving other details or saying when the court had reached its verdict. It was not possible to reach legal representatives for Xing or the other convicted people for comment. Such organized crime is rare in China. In 2015, a former mining tycoon was executed after being found guilty of leading a 36-member gang on a crime spree spanning two decades. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Stephen Powell)
Bogota (AFP) - Colombia's National Liberation Army, which has been fighting the government for more than five decades, on Saturday freed a businessman it had held since March.

The ELN released Octavio Figueroa in a rural part of eastern Colombia.

"My father was released by the ELN around midday in La Guajira, a village near Maicao, close to Venezuela," Armando Figueroa, son of the businessman abducted March 16, told AFP.

The leftist ELN confirmed it was holding Figueroa on October 28.

Armando Figueroa said his father, who was released after an undisclosed ransom was paid, was "physically worn out but very happy to be with his family."

The elder Figueroa said he did not eat every day, and was treated cruelly.

"He burst into tears saying 'thank God I am out of that torture,'" the son added.

It is the latest blow to President Juan Manuel Santos's efforts to open peace talks with the ELN.

Proposed talks have stalled even as the government begins implementing a peace deal with a larger rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

Both leftist guerrilla armies launched a war against the government in the 1960s, unleashing a messy, multi-sided conflict that has killed more than 260,000 people.

The ELN and the government have agreed in principle to open peace talks. But they broke down just as they were due to open in October when the rebels failed to release an ex-congressman they are holding hostage.
Rio de Janeiro (AFP) - An evangelical mega-church bishop who once branded Catholics demons was sworn in as Rio de Janeiro's mayor on Sunday, putting a staunch conservative in charge of one of Latin America's most liberal cities.

Marcelo Crivella, from the socially conservative Brazilian Republican Party (PRB), won the mayoral race in October municipal elections.

His election was in keeping with a rightward political shift across Latin America, including in Brazil -- the continent's biggest country -- where the socialist president was recently impeached and where her Workers' Party suffered stark losses.

The Workers' Party in that election lost about two-thirds of the mayoral posts it had won in 2012 elections, including in Brazil's largest city Sao Paulo.

Crivella -- a bishop in the giant Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, founded by his billionaire uncle -- has promised to bring law and order to Rio, a city beset by high crime.

Evangelical politicians are advancing steadily across Brazil, helped by disgust over revelations of systemic corruption among leading politicians and executives during the Workers' Party era.

The scandal-plagued party received another blow in 2016 when President Dilma Rousseff was removed from office on charges that she broke government budget laws.

The evangelical message has taken root among Brazil's poor, who earlier were more inclined to vote along leftist lines.

However, Crivella has had to work hard to distance himself from statements he made in a book he wrote in 1999 in which he described Roman Catholics as "demonic" and claimed that Hindus drank their children's blood.

The 59-year-old has also described homosexuality as evil and African religions as worshiping "evil spirits."
Evertons Kevin Mirallas is in impressive form

Gareth McAuley (West Brom)  14

G-Mac is enjoying his best goal scoring season for club and country. Hes found the back of the net on five occasions already this season, not bad going for the oldest out-field player in the Premier League. The Northern Irishman is a huge threat from set pieces and with his fellow countryman Chris Brunt back in the side to provide top quality service, McAuley will be confident of further returns. The Baggies welcome relegation threatened Hull City to the Hawthorns on Monday and Tony Pulis will be confident of a clean sheet.

[DAILY FANTASY MUST HAVES AND HAVE-NOTS]

Andros Townsend (Crystal Palace)  13

Townsend fell down the pecking order in Alan Pardews final few weeks as manager at Sellhurst Park. The appointment of Big Sam would have been music to his ears. A fresh start under a new manager, watch him to flourish in the coming weeks. Townsend doesnt need an invitation to have a shot and hes comfortable off both feet. Swansea travel to London to take on the Eagles after a woeful performance v Bournemouth. Palace will have plenty of opportunities and Townsend will be central to their attacking forays.

Andros Townsend is one of Palaces talismen

Kevin Mirallas (Everton)  16

The Belgian has impressed in his last two matches, scoring v Leicester and grabbing an assist v Hull. He was unlucky not to have registered more attacking returns in both those fixtures with a lot of chances falling his way. Everton will be glad to see the back of 2016 and Mirallas will be key to changing their fortunes in the new year. The Toffees face Southampton who will be without their defensive rock Virgil Van Dijk through suspension.

Islam Slimani is off to the Africa Cup of Nations so will be out to impress

Islam Slimani (Leicester)  17

Slimani scored a superb header v West Ham which claimed all three points for the Foxes and hell want to leave his mark in Vardys absence before he departs for the African Cup of Nations. Last seasons champions are facing the prospect of a relegation scrap but they have the quality in their ranks to turn things around in 2017. The Algerian will fancy his chances against a Middlesbrough side coming of the back of a crushing defeat at Old Trafford.
January 1 is one of the most noteworthy days in American history, marking President Abraham Lincolns decision to issue the Emancipation Proclamation.

Lincoln altered the course of the Civil War and our society when the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by the President. Although limited in scope, its intent was clear.

That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free, the document read.

And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution, upon military necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment of mankind, and the gracious favor of Almighty God, Lincoln said.

Lincoln has proposed the Proclamation on September 22, 1862. In what became known as the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln made the threat clear, and in public, to the Confederate states that if they didnt return to the Union by January 1, 1863, the President would make a proclamation freeing slaves in those rebellious territories.

Link: National Archives content about the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation

President Lincoln had given the states in rebellion about three months notice to lay down their arms and give up their desire for a separate nation.

Historian Harold Holzer detailed the debate within Lincolns cabinet over the preliminary Proclamation, which had been ongoing for about two months prior to the September 22, 1862 announcement.

Lincoln was persuaded by Secretary of State William Seward to wait until the Union had won a significant battlefield victory. The Union forces had just repulsed an attack by General Robert E. Lees forces at the Battle of Antietam, which Lincoln saw as the sign that the time had come for the Proclamation.

I made a solemn vow with God that if General Lee was driven backI would crown the result with a declaration of freedom for the slaves, Lincoln told his cabinet members.

Story continues

The Proclamation was controversial even in its preliminary form and it only freed slaves in the 10 rebellious states not controlled by Union forces, and let slavery intact in four Union states where it was still legal and several other areas. Lincoln and his advisers understood that an act to free all slaves in the United States would be on shaky constitutional grounds and would most likely require a constitutional amendment.

The 10 states in rebellion as of September 22, 1862 had no intention of returning to the Union, and on January 1, 1863, Lincoln signed the final Emancipation that had several changes, including a provision that allowed freed slaves to fight in the Union army.

Today, the original five-page document resides in the National Archives.
Heres what Disney World looks like on the busiest day of the year  aka New Years Eve

Im about to give you the most important piece of Disney World information you will ever receive: Do not go to Disney World on New Years Eve.

Im serious!! While, yes, it does sound like the best place to be  because who doesnt want to end the year surrounded by Mickey, Minnie, some princesses, a Castle, and a surplus of Dole whips?  New Years Eve is actually the busiest day of the year for the theme park. That means, so many people, so many crowds, so many long lines, and did I mention crowds?? It is a very intense (but, magical) end-of-year celebration.

Dont believe me? Then you need to see some pictures of exactly what the crowds look like on the last day of the year. If you thought visiting during the summer and/or a school vacation week was busy, you havent seen anything yet.

Yesterday, Magic Kingdom actually closed to capacity for a time being  and that means there are SO MANY PEOPLE in the park, no one else is allowed in. Do you realize how many people Magic Kingdom can hold? A LOT. Here are just some of them:

It is packed!!!!! pic.twitter.com/N4qwRBfkuj  ANTHONY TISONE  (@KingTonyTisone) December 31, 2016

Post-fireworks Magic Kingdom isn't the place for folks who hate crowds pic.twitter.com/0EEBPTHg4i  Josh Lasser (@tvandfilmguy) December 31, 2016

2 hr 49 min, good riddance 2016 from WDW pic.twitter.com/P4BDOPzJP8  Gerry Negron (@NegronDoc) January 1, 2017

A photo posted by NVision Productions (@nvisionproductions) on Dec 31, 2016 at 2:51pm PST

A photo posted by the17thman (@thejoelmckenna) on Dec 31, 2016 at 9:20pm PST

A photo posted by NVision Productions (@nvisionproductions) on Dec 31, 2016 at 4:36pm PST

The DJ on the Castle Stage in this video even says it is going to be crazy getting out of here and heed his warning.

Story continues

A video posted by Dian Y. Alarcon (@dyalarcon) on Jan 1, 2017 at 8:44am PST

Magic Kingdom is not the only park with wall-to-wall guests on NYE. Epcot also does a big fireworks show, and that park is actually even BIGGER than Magic Kingdom. Bigger park = way more people.

Crowds at the Italy Isola. Packed but still enough room to move around. #EpcotNYE pic.twitter.com/jjgz8ACZae  Epcot New Year's Eve (@EpcotNYE) December 31, 2016

Epcot United Kingdom at 5:20p New Year's Eve. pic.twitter.com/SsFlmIiDwr  bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct) December 31, 2016

Epcot Italy and Germany on New Year's Eve 9:45p pic.twitter.com/sWE2D5WD95  bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct) January 1, 2017

See? I told you more people. SO many more people. Disney never releases just how many people are in the park on any given day, but for New Years Eve we can all assume that there are more than 100 people there, and less than a million. Whatever the exact number, it is a lot.

As for Hollywood Studios, they do a fireworks celebration but its not as big; there are no fireworks at Animal Kingdom, because the animals have to go to bed.

Now do you believe me now about avoiding Disney World on New Years Eve unless you LIKE crowds? If youre still like YOLO, Ill visit Disney World whenever I want you cant tell me what to do, see you there next NYE  at least hire a VIP Tour Guide. Trust me.

The post Heres what Disney World looks like on the busiest day of the year  aka New Years Eve appeared first on HelloGiggles.
Further details are beginning to emerge regarding a terror attack in Turkey Sunday that killed at least 39 people and injured dozens more after a gunman opened fire in an Istanbul nightclub. Victims have been identified from at least 12 countries, while there is an ongoing manhunt for the shooter.

Early reports indicate most of the dead in the shooting were citizens of other countries. Turkey's state-run news agency, Anadolu, reported that 24 of the 39 victims were foreign nationals, via the Associated Press. The AP also reported, citing a diplomat, that one of the dead and five of the injured were Kuwaiti.

Agence France-Presse (AFP) put together a list of what is known thus far about the victims, citing local news sources and officials from a number of countries. Early reports, via AFP, indicated five Saudis, three Jordanians, three Iraqis, three Lebanese, two Tunisians, two Indians, one Israeli, a Belgian-Turkish dual national, a French-Tunisian dual national, one Libyan and three Moroccans were among the dead. Some 70 others were injured in the attack, many of whom were from the countries listed above.

There were as many as 600 people celebrating New Year's in the Reina nightclub when a lone attacker entered and began shooting at around 1:15 a.m., according to the New York Times. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered his condolences to the victims of the shooting, including "foreign guests."

"Turkey continues its combat against terror and is absolutely determined to do whatever is necessary in the region to ensure its citizens safety and peace," he said in a statement, via Al Jazeera.

Not much was known about the attacker Sunday afternoon, while officials denied reports that the shooter was dressed as Santa Claus. "There is no truth to this. He is an armed terrorist as we know it," Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told reporters, via the Times.

Story continues

turkey

Photo: Reuters/Umit Bektas

Related Articles
Milan (AFP) - From spelling out New Year's resolutions to jotting down designer brainwaves, sometimes only a pen and paper will do, even in the digital era.

And those are the kind of niches that have enabled Italian notebook manufacturer Moleskine to leverage its historically evocative brand into the kind of rapid growth not usually associated with the staid world of stationery.

The Italian group's sales have more than tripled in the last seven years.

Turnover in 2015 was 128 million euros ($134 million); 200 million is the target for 2018 with Asia in the frontline of the company's plans to expand its retail network from 80 outlets to 120 over the same period.

According to business expert Alessandro Brun, the growth has been driven by Moleskine's ability to successfully pitch an "extremely ordinary" item as being an object of desire imbued with history and an essential lifestyle tool for the contemporary creative.

"It is fair to talk about a Moleskine phenomenon," said Brun, professor of company management at Milan Polytechnic.

From its launch as a brand in 1997, under then-owner Milanese publisher Modo & Modo, Moleskine has hammered away at the idea that it has revived the classic notebooks favoured by the likes of Picasso, Van Gogh and Hemingway.

Those now sold under the Moleskine brand are indeed modelled on those once manufactured by a French provincial bookbinder for Paris stationers. But they are made in China, rather than the Loire valley.

- Knowledge workers -

With their rounded edges and distinctive elastic binder, the original notebooks were known as "carnets moleskines" in French, because their smooth black covers were thought to resemble moleskin.

They were a classic of simple design but production stopped in 1986 when their original manufacturer, based in the town of Tours, closed.

Famously, travel writer Bruce Chatwin was so distraught he went round buying up as many as he could find, then wrote a lament to the notebooks in his book "The Songlines" that came out the following year.

Story continues

Inspired by that account, Modo & Modo registered Moleskine as a trademark almost a decade later and the notebooks are still instantly recognisable, even if the new owners have substantially expanded the range of sizes, formats and paper quality on offer.

So who buys them? According to company boss Arrigo Berni the primary market is among so-called "knowledge workers" -- designers, architects, engineers and lawyers.

"Our customers are marked out not so much by their level of income as by their level of education," Berni said.

The advent of the digital era has not reduced the importance of physical experiences, he argues. If anything, the opposite is true, particularly for the 30-something generation.

"Consumers are sometimes a little more astute and intelligent than financial analysts give them credit for," Berni adds.

As with the revival of vinyl in music, an aesthetically-pleasing, robust notebook provides an add-on to what the iPhone or a laptop can do, he argues, citing a survey of 4,000 designers which found 65 percent of them prefer a pen/notebook combination for recording ideas.

- Moleskine Cafes -

So how does he explain Moleskine growing sales at 20 percent a year in a global stationery market expanding at 3-4 percent?

"Beyond having a quality product, it's about selling a brand and a sense of belonging (to a community), which is exactly what Apple does," he said.

That vision has been behind Moleskine's recent diversification with the brand now found on pens, accessories such as backpacks and, less obviously, in cafes.

The first Moleskine Cafe opened at Geneva airport in 2015, the second in July in central Milan.

Customers can enjoy a cup of coffee and light fare surrounded by exhibits such as sketches done in Moleskine notebooks. And of course stock up on Moleskine products.

"The cafes are about creating a link between customers and the brand," said Brun.

Currently listed on the Milan stock exchange, Moleskine is now 95 percent owned by D'Ieteren, a Belgian group best known for its car dealerships.

The new owners are planning to take the company private but Berni is not expecting any other changes. "They have a long term vision," he said.
Hundreds of civilians, including families, have been evacuated from the northern Iraqi city of Mosul since Thursday, December 29, prior to Iraqi forces making a full-on push to retake the city from Islamic State militants.

Islamic State had been threatening to kill civilians who tried to leave, and moving the innocents out of their homes and on to buses resulted in as many as 30 wounded or killed, as well as a Chaldean Christian convent in the center of the city being shelled, according to this report.

Mosul is the last Islamic State stronghold in the country, and its recapture by Iraq forces would likely end the groups dreams of establishing a caliphate. Reports said intensified fighting in Mosul resulted in hundreds of Islamic State casualties and described the militants staging attacks from houses falsely marked as civilian, with white flags on the roofs.

This video, shot by a Mosul television station and dated December 31, shows civilians being loaded aboard buses to be taken to Qayyarah, about 60 km to the south of Mosul. Credit: YouTube/al-Mawsleya TV via Storyful
Hundreds of people were evacuated from a pub that went on fire in Acton, London, during a New Years Eve party.

Six people were rescued by ladder from the first floor above the Aeronaut pub, according to London Fire Brigade.

The fire brigade said it was called at 00:36 and that fire was under control by 04:42.

Metro cited London Ambulance Service as having said five people had been taken to hospital with minor injuries. Credit: Wagtail Productions via Storyful
By Lamin Jahateh BANJUL (Reuters) - Gambian leader Yahya Jammeh accused West African regional body ECOWAS of declaring war, after it said it was putting forces on alert in case he refused to step down at the end of his mandate this month. Jammeh, who has vowed to stay in power despite losing a Dec. 1 election to rival Adama Barrow, also promised to defend Gambia against any outside aggression, in a New Year's speech broadcast on state TV. The veteran leader initially conceded defeat in the vote, then changed his mind days later - raising fears that regional powers might have to intervene to oust him. His mandate runs out on Jan. 19. Marcel de Souza, commission president for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), said last week it had put standby forces on alert. In his speech, Jammeh decried "the resolution of ECOWAS on the current situation to implement the results of Dec 1, 2016 presidential election by whatever means possible," apparently acknowledging again that the poll did not go in his favor. "It is in effect a declaration of war and an insult to our constitution," he said. "Let me make it very clear that we are ready to defend this country against any aggression ... My government will never opt for such confrontation but defending our sovereignty is a sacred duty for all patriotic Gambians." Barrow's surprise victory and Jammeh's initial decision to concede after 22 years in power was initially seen as a moment of hope on continent where autocratic leaders are becoming more entrenched. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has stepped in as an ECOWAS mediator to offer Jammeh an "honorable exit", but Jammeh said the bloc could no longer fulfill that role. "ECOWAS has also disqualified (itself) to provide mediation services as a genuine mediator has to be neutral and impartial and win the trust and confidence of the parties to the conflict," he said. (Writing by Tim Cocks; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
Banjul (Gambia) (AFP) - Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has accused the West African regional bloc ECOWAS of declaring war after demanding that he stand down following his defeat at the ballot box.

Regional leaders warned last month that the 15-member ECOWAS would "take all necessary action to enforce the results" of the December 1 poll.

Jammeh retorted in a New Year's speech on Saturday night that the ECOWAS summit decision was "totally illegal" as it violated the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of member states.

"It is in effect a declaration of war and an insult to our constitution. It is therefore absolutely unacceptable," said Jammeh.

"Let me make very clear that we are ready to defend the country against any aggression and there will be no compromise on this."

Opposition leader Adama Barrow was declared the winner of the ballot in the former British colony and Jammeh -- in power for 22 years -- initially conceded defeat.

But he reversed his decision a week later, condemning "unacceptable errors" by election authorities and calling for a new election.

The Gambia's top court said last month it was adjourning until January 10 a case filed by Jammeh to annul the vote results.

Jammeh's stance has stoked international concerns about the future of the small west African country, with the UN joining African leaders in calling for him to allow Barrow to take the oath of office as scheduled on January 19.

But the 51-year-old strongman has remained defiant.

"Given the unjustifiable and unprecedented anomalies... what we are simply and rightfully asking for is to return to the polls and allow the Gambians to elect who they want to be their president in free and fair elections," he said Saturday.
Every game Giannis Antetokounmpo plays is a gift, a copious bounty of blocks and dunks he bestows upon the eyes despite our flaws and follies. We arent worthy of this man in our lives, and yet he delivers these joys to us in an effort to make us find the path to a better, more fulfilling life.

Let us begin with the blocks. Giannis had already blocked two Bulls in one possession by the time he came across on Dwayne Wade as part of his five first half blocks against the Chicago Bulls on Saturday. Wade thought he had a lane to the hoop after blowing past Malcolm Brogdon on the right arc, but Giannis slid over and timed his leap perfectly to get the block.

And in case you think the Greek Freak is built merely for destruction, heres Giannis using his powers for creation. Watch as Antetokounmpo drops the hammer on a massive dunk thanks to a slick feed from Jason Terry.



Oh, wait. Heres another one. This time Brogdon steps up defensively on Michael Carter-Williams and sends Giannis on an easy fast-break dunk. Look at my large adult Greek son take flight.

This fulfills my one blog post per day quota of Giannis Antetokounmpo doing cool stuff. When he stops turning heads on a daily basis, Ill stop writing about him. I dont expect either of us will grow tired of it.
At least 39 people are believed to be dead and 69 more are being treated in hospital after a gunman opened fire on revellers ringing in the New Year at a nightclub in Turkeys Istanbul last night.

15 or more foreign nationals are among the dead, Turkeys Suleyman Soylu has said, adding that police are still hunting for the terrorist who attacked the Reina nightclub on the banks of the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbuls upscale Ortakoy district just after 1 a.m.

The foreign national dead include citizens from Israel, Belgium, Lebanon, Jordan, France, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia, said officials. The assault began when an assailant shot and killed a police officer near the nightclub entrance, then entered the club and, using some kind of long-barrelled weapon, maybe an assault rifle, sprayed bullets into the crowd. Video footage is said to show an apparent assailant dressed in black. Some people at the nightclub jumped into the water to escape from the attacker.

On vacation in Hawaii, President Barack Obama expressed condolences for the innocent lives lost, directed his team to offer appropriate assistance to the Turkish authorities, as necessary, and keep him updated as warranted, White House spokesman Eric Schultz said in a statement.

Before a ban on local media coverage, part from public statements by Turkish officials, local news channels reported the attacker spoke Arabic.

The outrage is just the latest in a series of attacks in recent months in Turkey by either the Islamic State (IS) or Kurdish militants. 2016 nearly begun with a suicide bomber killing 10 in Sultanahmet Square, Istanbul. Attributed to IS militants, a gun and bomb attack on Ataturk airport in Istanbul killed 41 on June 28.

Some 17,000 police officers were brought in to provide extra security in Turkey this past week as the Turkish armed forces launched an offensive to capture the Northern Syria city of al-Bab from IS.

Related stories

New Arab Movies Tackle Terrorism, War & More Topical Themes

Story continues

Brussels Attacks: How Well Did Broadcasters Cover the Bombings in Belgium?

Director of 'Muhammad' Biographical Movie Condemns Paris Terror Attacks
Berlin (AFP) - Police in the German city of Cologne said Sunday a heavy security presence on New Year's Eve prevented a repeat of last year's mass sexual assaults, while denying accusations of racial profiling.

More than 2,000 police were deployed, over 10 times last year's number, in the western city where a year ago hundreds of women were assaulted and robbed, mostly by men described as of Arab and North African origin.

This year police at the flashpoint central railway station and on trains targeted large groups of men of North African origin, checked the identity papers of over 900 people, and ordered many of them to leave the area, police said.

The focus on people from north African countries sparked protests on social media, as did an overnight police tweet that said checks were ongoing of hundreds of "Nafris" -- police jargon for North Africans.

News site Spiegel Online, in an article headlined "What is a 'Nafri' please?", quoted a police spokesman as saying the term was used in an effort to keep the Twitter message short.

City police chief Juergen Mathies denied social media criticism of "racial profiling", arguing that many of those who were checked had acted in an "aggressive" manner.

"I reject such criticism," he told reporters. "The clear aim ... was to prevent similar events to those of last year."

At the Cologne railway station square, across from the city's iconic cathedral, authorities also banned fireworks, all bags were checked and new high-definition video cameras provided a live feed to police headquarters.

In the capital Berlin, too, police reported a relatively normal New Year's Eve night as thousands of revellers rang in 2017 at the landmark Brandenburg Gate.

Following a December 19 jihadist attack in which a truck ploughed through a Berlin Christmas market and 12 people died, the mass event was shielded by concrete barriers and guarded by police carrying automatic rifles.
In what feels like an extremely fitting and definitely hilarious start to 2017, a presumably pro-marijuana and pro-pun prankster last night somehow managed to sneak onto the mountaintop grounds of Los Angeles iconic Hollywood sign and alter it to read Hollyweed.

Fortunately for Angelenos and for the preservation of historical landmarks, the prank didnt actually damage the sign. The New Years Eve vandal  or, if you prefer, hero (just kidding)  covered the signs two letters O with tarps that made them look like lower case Es. The LAPD has confirmed to other media outlets that the incident was captured by local surveillance cameras and is being investigated as misdemeanor trespassing. Though to be honest it probably should have been classified as a high crime. (Sorry.)

Erected in 1923 and originally reading Hollywoodland, the Hollywood sign advertised a segregated housing project and was intended to stand on the site for 18 months. It quickly became a signature landmark of the city itself, despite poor upkeep and subsequent heavy deterioration. Originally consisting of 30-foot letters, it was restored and repaired over the years, eventually being replaced in 1978 by the current version, consisting of sturdier, 45-foot tall letters a combined 350 feet long.

California voters approved the full state-level legalization of marijuana in November, a fact presumably celebrated by the vandal. But its worth noting this isnt the first time the sign has been altered to celebrate the funky green: the first time happened in January, 1976 after a marijuana decriminalization law was passed.

Story continues

For the curious, other notable alterations to the sign include:

HOLYWOOD  for an Easter sunrise service visible from the Hollywood Bowl in April 1977

GO NAVY  done with permission by a group of Midshipmen for the Army-Navy football games first (and only) West Coast edition in December 1983.

RAFFEYSOD  unauthorized alteration in 1985 by an obscure badn called the Raffeys.

OLLYWOOD  Done by presumably pro-Oliver North vandals in 1987 during the Iran-Contra hearings.

OIL WAR  Done in 1991 by people opposed to the first Gulf War. Later that same year a yellow ribbon was tied around the sign after the war ended.

Related stories

Down By Half, The New York Times Looks To 'Get Inside Moguls' And Rebuild Its LA Staff

Ovitz, Meyer & CAA Treat Themselves To Churchill-Style Selective History Lesson In 'Powerhouse'

Donald Trump: Hollywood Wants Me In White House
Someone in the 213 just turned one of California's most recognizable landmarks into a big endorsement for 420.

Los Angeles residents awoke on New Year's Day after a night of revelry to the sight of the iconic "Hollywood" sign mysteriously transformed into "Hollyweed," the work of an apparent prankster. Social media users quickly noticed the howler, and took to Twitter to express their surprise and bemusement.

A representative for the Los Angeles Police Department's security services division told CNBC that an unknown perpetrator climbed up the sign and used a tarp to create an effect turning both 'O's in the sign to 'E's. He added that the incident was being investigated as an act of trespassing.

For nearly 100 years, the sign has been both a fixture in Hollywood Hills and a touchstone of Tinseltown's popular culture power. Ironically, the "Hollywood" sign, which has been a prime target of mischief-makers over the years, was once defaced in 1976 for a similar purpose.

According to History.com, a group of students at that time also used tarp to turn the 'Os' into 'Es', in order to celebrate a new law that decriminalized possession of small amounts of weed.

In November, the nation's most populous state voted to legalize marijuana for recreational use, instantly becoming the largest market for pot-based products in the country.

Still, not everyone found humor in the defacement. Veteran television personality Montel Williams ripped the act of mischief on Twitter, saying that he hoped the perpetrators were arrested and charged.




LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The iconic hillside sign overlooking Southern California's film-and-television hub was defaced overnight in honor of marijuana. Residents awoke on Sunday to find "Hollyweed" staring down at them in four-story, white letters from Los Angeles' Mount Lee, where a version of the picture-ready "Hollywood" sign was first erected in 1923. City surveillance cameras captured footage of someone dressed in black about 3 a.m. (1100 GMT) whom police believe was behind the conversion, Sgt. Robert Payan of the Los Angeles Police Department said in a phone interview. Material similar to a tarp was placed over the two O's to make them appear as E's, and park rangers were assessing how to remove them, Payan said. There were no suspects, but the person if caught could be charged with misdemeanor trespassing, he said. A ballot measure to make recreational marijuana legal for adults was easily approved by California voters on Nov. 8, opening the most populous U.S. state to the burgeoning commercial cannabis market, although the drug remains illegal under U.S. federal law. Rapper Snoop Dogg, a noted cannabis consumer, tweeted a photo of the sign on Sunday and said: "#hollyweed - that's were I get my mail. #merryjane." The Hollywood sign remains a popular spot for hikers and tourists, who used to be able to walk up to the sign and take a picture. Now, a fence blocks people, and accessing the sign is difficult. The famed vista with the Hollywood sign was nearly spoiled by development in 2010 until a conservation group, with donations from Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner and others, purchased adjacent land to save the view. The sign originally read "Hollywoodland" and was created to promote a housing development. The last several letters deteriorated in the late 1940s, and the part that remained was restored in 1978. (Reporting by Kevork Djansezian; Writing by David Ingram; Editing by Mary Milliken and Phil Berlowitz)
Folks in Los Angeles woke up Sunday to a bit of surprise hanging over their town. The iconic Hollywood sign atop Mt. Lee read "Hollyweed," leaving many to question what exactly happened in the darkness of New Year's Eve.

The Los Angeles Police Department's Hollywood Division told KABC that they were aware of the vandalism and had sent officers to investigate the sign. A hiker named Alvin Kim, meanwhile, told the news station that it was "pretty cool" as he posed Sunday for a photo in front of the altered sign.

A number of people posted pictures of the sign, most questioning if it was the result of some elaborate prank. It isn't the first time the Hollywood sign has been altered in an apparent reference to marijuana, however. In 1976, prankster Danny Finegood and some friends hung curtains to obscure parts of the sign to make it read "Hollyweed" in honor of a new law on pot that made restrictions more lax. A folk song was even written in honor of the prank, the lyrics going, "Hollyweed, USA, now its finally safe to take a little toke."

Finegood would go on to change the letters of the sign three more times, once to "Holywood" to celebrate Easter, again to "Ollywood" to protest Marine Lt. Col. Oliver North during the '87 Iran-Contra hearings and to "Oil War" in 1990 to protest the Persian Gulf War, according to the L.A. Times. Finegood died in 2007.

"An artist's role throughout history has been to create representations of the culture he exists in. By hanging four relatively small pieces of fabric on the landmark, we were able to change people's perception of the Hollywood Sign," he and his collaborators wrote in a letter to the Times to argue against the paper describing the act as vandalism.

Story continues

The "Hollyweed" wordplay is apparently a staple in the L.A. lexicon. Director Kevin Smith wrapped filming in January 2016 on a show titled "Hollyweed" that will be centered on the marijuana industry in L.A. There's also a marijuana dispensary with the same name in L.A.

Whoever altered the sign to help ring in 2017 apparently used a method similar to Finegood's. TMZ reported that tarps were used to block out portions of the sign. The website also reported that there are security cameras at the site, which police plan to use to catch the culprit.

Hollywood Hollyweed

Photo: David Livingston/Getty Images

Related Articles
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  Impeached South Korean President Park Geun-hye vehemently rejected accusations Sunday that she conspired with a longtime friend to extort money and favors from companies, accusing her opponents of framing her.

In a meeting with a selected group of reporters, Park denied that she gave her jailed friend, Choi Soon-sil, extraordinary sway over government decisions and also refuted allegations that her administration blacklisted thousands of artists for their political beliefs.

It was the first time Park spoke to the media since South Korea's opposition-controlled parliament voted on Dec. 9 to impeach her over the scandal, which has seen millions of people protest in Seoul in recent weeks.

Park told the reporters that she was "totally framed."

"The matter is under investigation, so I can't make detailed explanations that might put both sides in trouble, but what I can assure you is that I have never conspired with anyone or did anything to give favors to someone, not even by a bit," said Park, according to the minutes of the meeting provided by her office.

The Constitutional Court has up to six months to decide whether Park should be permanently removed from office or be reinstated. On Friday, the court said Park cannot be forced to testify at her impeachment trial, which is about to enter its argument phase.

Park's downfall came after state prosecutors in November accused her of colluding with her friend to bully companies into giving tens of millions of dollars to foundations controlled by Choi and also allowing Choi to interfere with government decisions from the shadows.

They have now handed over the investigation to a special prosecution team that has been focusing on proving bribery suspicions between Park and the Samsung Group, which is suspected of sponsoring Choi in exchange for government favors.

A former health minister was arrested Saturday over suspicions that he forced the National Pension Service to support a merger between two Samsung affiliates last year.

Story continues

The deal shaved the fund's stake in one of the companies by an estimated hundreds of millions of dollars, but allowed Samsung scion Lee Jae-yong to promote a father-to-son succession of leadership and increase the group's corporate wealth.

Investigators are trying to confirm whether Park instructed government officials to help the merger go through and then had them press Samsung to provide Choi money and favors.

Park on Sunday defended the government's decision to back the deal, saying it was the "right policy decision" to help one of the country's representative companies defend itself against Elliott Management Corp., a U.S. activist hedge found that unsuccessfully tried to stop the merger. Elliott opposed the merger because it saw the deal as unfairly benefiting members of Samsung's founding family while hurting smaller shareholders.

"It was an important issue, and as president, I thought that it would be good for the National Pension Service to respond well to it," Park said.

She also denied helping Choi extort from companies and said she never allowed her friend to interfere with government affairs.

"I have done my job and made judgments as president; how can you frame things to claim that an acquaintance did everything?" Park said, adding that she managed state affairs based on her "own philosophy and beliefs."

Aside from deliberating on the corruption allegations, the court also plans to review accusations in the impeachment bill that Park was responsible for media restrictions and government inaction during a 2014 ferry sinking that killed more than 300 people, mostly South Korean schoolchildren.

Lawmakers have demanded that Park more thoroughly respond to accusations that she was out of contact for seven hours on the day of the ferry disaster, a sensitive issue because the high number of fatalities was blamed on the government's botched rescue operation.

Park told the reporters Sunday that she had performed her duties and monitored the ferry accident, and denied lawmakers' suspicions that she took time out to receive cosmetic treatment. In 2015, a Seoul court acquitted a Japanese reporter of defaming Park by reporting that she was spending time with a man during those seven hours.

While the special prosecution team is also looking into suspicions that Park's administration blacklisted more than 9,000 artists deemed as unfriendly to the government and denied them government support, Park told the reporters that she knows nothing about it.
This Instagram is full of insane animation illusions and we cant stop scrolling

There are tons of beautiful things to feast your eyes on at year end  the glittery ball dropping in Times Square, a kiss-worthy somebody at midnight, firework Instagrams, even a street covered in rainy confetti the next day. Its a feast for the retinas!

Lucky for you, weve dug up this insane Instagram account of animation illusions that offers visual eye-candy all year round.

How to even explain it? Instagrammer Slap Comp describes the animations as Experiments for the eyeballs and sometimes the ear holes, which is pretty apt. We prefer Super Trippy WTF Wowzer Eye Parties, but youll have to witness these optical effect vids and see for yourself.

Check out some of our favorite visual masterpieces below.

They call this making soap bubble film. We call it five hours spent staring at blue orbs.

THIS. What even is this (besides mystical Harry Potter-style light magic)?

This one we call Geometric Rain Diamond Spectacular. We know, we are very good at creating titles.

And this: The Death Star Hovers Over New Mexico.

Straight up, if you told us this what at atom looked like under a microscope, wed just nod and believe you.

Story continues

This one we call The Birth of Disco Island.

Virtual Snow Invites Itself In. Hello, Virtual Snow. Can we take your coat?

This is Square Bubble Sonata or: The Day the Ice Cubes Could Float.

Alas, here is Dancer is Naught but Gatorade.

Finally, we dub thee: What Floor, Ominous Floating Mystic Cube?

Keep these bookmarked for those days where the gifs of cakes getting frosted just arent cutting it. Nothing resets your brain like a few minutes of tranquil yet mystifying visuals, no virtual art museum necessary.

Just imagine falling asleep watching these. Your dreams are about to be next level. Happy scrolling!

The post This Instagram is full of insane animation illusions and we cant stop scrolling appeared first on HelloGiggles.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP)  Iran says Turkmenistan has cut off shipments of heating gas over past debts.

The Iranian Oil Ministry's website reported the dispute Sunday, urging consumers to limit their use to guard against shortages. The website did not provide further details on the amount of the debts.

Turkmenistan has been exporting gas to Iran under an agreement signed two decades ago, but occasionally raises its prices during the winter months. In 2006, it cut off shipments and demanded a nine-fold price increase. Iran eventually accepted the higher prices for a short period.

Gas-rich Iran produces some 700 million cubic meters of gas per day, all of which is consumed by the domestic market. Turkmenistan exports some 10 million cubic meters of gas per day to Iran.
Basakhra (Iraq) (AFP) - Iraqi forces have retaken more than 60 percent of eastern Mosul from the Islamic State group since the battle for the city began in mid-October, a top commander said Sunday.

"From east Mosul... more than 60 percent" has been recaptured from IS, Staff Lieutenant General Abdulwahab al-Saadi, a top commander in Iraq's Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS), told AFP.

He was speaking in an area southeast of Mosul, the city where IS proclaimed a cross-border "caliphate" in June 2014 after overrunning it and swathes of other Iraqi territory.

The eastern side of Mosul, which is split by the Tigris River, is the larger of the two, but more civilians live in the west, he said.

Saadi said the jihadists have reinforced east Mosul, where the fighting has been concentrated so far, even using a crane to lift explosives-rigged vehicles across a destroyed bridge.

"The crane was struck," he said.

Iraq's elite CTS forces are highly trained, well equipped and have spearheaded battle after battle against IS, but the going has been tough since Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the beginning of the operation to retake Mosul on October 17 last year.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians remain inside Iraq's second city, a large urban area that gives IS myriad opportunities for ambushes, forcing Iraqi and allied forces to take precautions and slowing their advance.

CTS and other forces more recently deployed inside the city have been moving house-to-house, dodging sniper fire, suicide car bombs and booby traps to retake one neighbourhood after another.

CTS linked up with members of the Rapid Response Division, another elite Iraqi unit, on the border of the adjoining Al-Intisar and Al-Quds areas in eastern Mosul on Saturday, and a senior officer said the forces would form a joint front to advance.

Iraqi forces have yet to enter west Mosul, which is still completely held by IS.

IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces have since regained much of the territory they lost to the jihadists.

Story continues

Mosul is now the last Iraqi city where IS holds significant territory, but the jihadists also still control parts of western Anbar province, and are able to mount frequent attacks in government-held areas, especially Baghdad.

On Thursday, Iraqi forces announced the "second phase" of the battle for eastern Mosul, marking the start of a new round of intensive fighting after progress had previously slowed to a crawl.

Abadi had pledged that the city would be retaken by the end of 2016, a goal that was not realised.

He more recently stated that the country would need three months to eliminate IS -- still an ambitious timeline given that it would mean retaking Mosul, clearing the jihadists out of Anbar and eliminating sleeper cells in government-controlled areas.
By Isabel Coles and Ali al-Rubaie MOSUL/HILLA, Iraq (Reuters) - Islamic State attacked an Iraqi police checkpoint near the southern city of Najaf on Sunday, killing seven policemen as government forces in the north made more gains against the militants in Mosul, their last major stronghold in the country. The Najaf attack, which involved gunmen and a suicide car bomb, followed blasts a day earlier in Baghdad that left 29 people dead, a reminder of Islamic State's continued ability to operate away from territory under its control. The recapture of Mosul would probably spell the end for the group's self-styled caliphate in the areas it seized in 2014, but the militants would still be capable of fighting a guerrilla-style insurgency in Iraq, and plotting or inspiring attacks on the West. Since the U.S.-backed offensive began on Oct. 17, elite forces have retaken a quarter of Mosul in the biggest ground operation in Iraq since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has said the group would be driven out of the country by April. The second phase of the campaign launched on Thursday following weeks of deadlock has pushed Islamic State out of several more areas despite fierce resistance. The fourth day of the renewed push saw incremental advances on the eastern and southeastern fronts. A military statement said the counter-terrorism forces had retaken part of Karama district. A federal police officer said Iraqi forces had taken near total control of Intisar and Siha neighbourhoods, and were clearing Salam. "For the fourth day in a row, federal police units supported by the army are on the offensive," he told Reuters at a forward base in Intisar. An artillery strike on Sunday by the U.S.-led coalition supporting the Iraqi forces struck a mortar position next to two empty school buildings in eastern Mosul. A U.S. military statement said no civilians were in the area and minimal damage was reported to the buildings, which like hospitals and mosques, are protected under international law. "While the Coalition takes extraordinary effort to protect civilians and strike appropriate military targets, we will continue to strike ISIL wherever and whenever our partner's lives are in danger in accordance with the Law of Armed Conflict," it said, using an acronym for Islamic State. FLEEING CIVILIANS The attack near Najaf, 500 km (310 mile) south of Mosul, happened when two vehicles travelling through the desert were stopped at a police checkpoint around al-Qadisiya town, local police sources said. The driver detonated an explosive load and the second vehicle fled. Police pursued it and killed the two militants inside. In a statement distributed online by supporters, Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, which also wounded 17 people including civilians. It said four gunmen had opened fire before detonating explosive vests and then a fifth assailant launched a suicide car bomb. It was not immediately possible to reconcile those accounts. Although the militants are vastly outnumbered in Mosul, they have embedded themselves among residents, hindering Iraqi forces who are trying to avoid civilian casualties. Despite food and water shortages, most civilians have stayed in their homes rather than fleeing as had been expected. Thousands more people have fled their homes since the military's new push began, many under the cover of darkness to avoid detection by Islamic State. Families leaving Mithaq district on Sunday had to climb over earthen berms the military has built across roads to block car bombs. One resident reached by phone in eastern Mosul said he had never seen such heavy bombardment. Several civilians were wounded when a mortar fell in his street, but they could not be ferried to the hospital on the western side of the city because air strikes have taken all the bridges out of service. "One of them is my friend. His stomach is bleeding badly. We found a doctor in the neighbourhood to treat him but I fear he will die if he stays like this for long," he said. A resident of Karama district said Islamic State had begun forcing residents out of some areas, burning the cars of residents who refused to move. "They want to clear out the neighbourhood before the Iraqi forces enter," he said. (Additional reporting by Ahmed Rasheed in Baghdad and Omar Fahmy in Cairo; Writing by Stephen Kalin; Editing by Gareth Jones and Stephen Powell)
Turkish airstrikes in Syria killed two Islamic State group emirs this week amid ongoing international negotiations over how to end the five-year-old Syrian civil war and halt the militant group also known as ISIS. Abu Ansari and Ebu Hussein Tunusi were both killed in separate airstrikes carried out by the government in Ankara, Turkish media reported Saturday.

Ansari was killed Friday by Turkish warplanes in the northern Syrian town of al-Bab under the government's Euphrates Shield operation that began four months ago. In all, Turkey claimed 12 ISIS militants were killed in the attack that also involved Russian fighter jets providing support to Ankara for the first time in the area, Reuters reported.

Tunusi was killed in an airstrike in the same area Thursday when a vehicle transporting the ISIS leader and his bodyguards was reportedly hit. ISIS had recently directed Tunusi to leave his post in Raqqa, the group's stronghold in Syria, to represent the militants in al-Bab.

Little else was known about Ansari and Tunusi.

Turkey's air campaign in Syria has also resulted in the deaths of dozens of Kurdish fighters in northern Syria in recent months. Turkey seeks to help Syrian rebels unseat the government of President Bashar Assad. The Kurds are a large ethnic minority in Syria and a U.S. ally in the international fight against ISIS, but Turkey views Kurdish fighters as terrorists after decades of conflict in southern Turkey along the Syrian border.

The United Nations Security Council was slated to vote soon on a resolution backed by Russia to end the fighting in Syria. The cease fire calls for talks between the Syrian government and opposition led by Russia and Turkey as a peaceful way to end the war.

Related Articles
Jerusalem (AFP) - Israel on Sunday ruled that it would not release to their families the bodies of Hamas militants killed during attacks on Israelis but would instead bury them, the government said.

The decision by the security cabinet followed the release on Saturday by the Palestinian group of video footage showing a mock birthday party for Israeli soldier Oron Shaul, believed by the army to have been killed in the 2014 Gaza war.

"The political-security cabinet discussed standing policy on treatment of the bodies of Hamas terrorists killed during terror attacks and decided that they will not be returned but will be buried," a statement posted on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's official Twitter account said.

It did not elaborate on the burial plan, but said that the same meeting discussed ways of getting back the remains of soldiers killed in the 2014 Gaza war and obtaining the release of two Israeli civilians missing in Gaza and believed to be held by Hamas.

The statement said ministers adopted a "plan of action", but gave no details.

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum said Sunday's decision on Hamas corpses was "evidence of criminality and barbaric occupation" by Israel.

"These decisions will not give positive results," he told AFP in Arabic, without elaborating on the possible consequences.

In the past, Israel has buried the bodies of slain militants at secret locations in remote parts of the country.

Hamas's military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, said in a New Year's Eve statement that it had posted online "two video clips to mark the 23rd birthday of the Zionist soldier and prisoner Oron Shaul".

The Israeli army believes that another soldier, Hadar Goldin, was killed along with Shaul two years ago and that Hamas holds their bodies as potential bargaining chips.

In September, a senior Israeli official said that Israel had been holding since the 2014 Gaza war 18 Palestinians from the enclave as well as the bodies of 19 others and "offered to swap them for the bodies of the two Israeli soldiers".

But Lior Lotan, who is in charge of prisoners and missing persons, said at the time that Hamas rejected the offer.
Jerusalem (AFP) - An Israeli woman was killed and another injured in the New Year attack at an Istanbul nightclub that left at least 39 people dead, Israel's foreign ministry said Sunday.

"The death of the Israeli woman previously reported missing has been confirmed and a second Israeli woman is injured," a ministry spokesman told AFP.

He named the victim as Lian Nasser, 18, an Arab Israeli from the northern town of Tira.

Israeli media said that the injured woman was one of her friends.

Turkey is a top tourist destination for Israelis, with tens of thousands visiting each year.

A gunman stormed the Reina club, one of Istanbul's most exclusive nightspots, and went on a shooting rampage inside, according to Turkish officials who said the dead included at least 15 foreigners.
2 Jan - James Reid is excited about his upcoming album, especially as it was made in dedication to his relationship with Nadine Lustre.



As reported on Push, the actor, who spoke to the media alongside Lustre recently, agreed that 2016 has been the best year for him and Lustre  which is why he is dedicating their romance into his new album.



"I'm very excited. I composed all the music and helped produced all the music," he said. "Almost all the songs are for Nadine. There's also one song where she is featured."



As for the genre of his album, Reid stated that it will still be Hip-Hop R&B.



As for Lustre, the actress shared that she will be focusing on the expansion of her business in 2017.



(Photo source: facebook.com/JustNadineLustre)
Acclaimed French chef Joel Robuchon holds more Michelin stars than anybody, and he might be looking to pick up a few more, because he just announced the future opening of a brand-new restaurant in Geneva, Switzerland.

According to The Local Switzerland, Robuchon says he will be opening a new version of his LAtelier de Joel Robuchon restaurants in Geneva in 2018. LAtelier means workshop, and the concept takes a more informal, counter-service approach to high-end dining. The newest LAtelier will reportedly be located in Genevas Hotel President Wilson, a five-star hotel that boasts the largest penthouse suite in Europe.

Robuchons restaurant empire has restaurants all over the world and currently possesses a combined 31 Michelin stars. In addition to the upcoming Geneva location, the LAtelier de Joel Robuchon concept has had locations in Paris, London, Las Vegas, New York, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

Robuchon has been called the Chef of the Century and previously announced plans to open his own culinary school in 2018 in western France.
If you live anywhere near the Southern United States, you know it's lucky to have black eyed-peas for dinner on New Year's Day. Like 'em or not, it's a tradition.

"Black-eyed peas, collard green, pork chop and corn bread," Alabama resident Marcerlene Coleman told FOX 10 recently. "My grandmother did it, my mom did it, now I do it ... and my kids do it."

You can make black-eyed peas in a slowcooker, get them frozen or turn the recipe healthy. But if you're looking for a standard Southern recipe, former Food Network hosts Patrick and Gina Neely have got you covered. The now-divorced couple used to own three Tennessee restaurants, so you'll definitely want to check out their recipe.

See it here or read below.

The Neelys' Black-Eyed Peas With Bacon And Pork

1. First, take a pound of dried black-eyed peas and cover them with four inches of water, then let soak overnight. Drain.

2. In a large pot, heat two tablespoons of vegetable oil and add six ounces of pork shoulder cut into small cubes. Sear for about five minutes, then add four strips of cut-up bacon. Toss in four minced cloves of garlic and a diced onion and cook until everything is brown. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and cayenne.

3. Add four cups of chicken stock and three bay leaves. Boil and let simmer for a half hour.

4. Next, add your peas. Let that simmer for another hour and a half, using a spoon to crush some of them.

5. Season again to taste. Pour in a bit of hot-pepper vinegar (if you want), take out the bay leaves and serve your peas. Yum.

May your new year be prosperous (or, at the very least, better than the crazy year that was 2016).

Related Articles
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un brought in the New Year Sunday by bragging about the country's progress toward developing a reliable intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). It's the sort of statement aimed at putting the rest of the world on alert and a common tactic for the dictatorial leader, who has ruled for five years.

Kim said in televised remarks New Year's Day that the country was nearly ready to test its ICBM, which can carry nuclear weapons. "Research and development of the cutting-edge tech weapons are actively progressing and strengthening our defense capabilities, including last stage preparation of tests for Intercontinental Ballistic rocket launch have been continuously succeeding," Kim said.

Kim added that the country would increase preparations for launching a nuclear strike against the U.S. or South Korea if the countries did not stop carrying out joint military exercises. Experts are skeptical of North Korea's nuclear capabilities however, noting that country has struggled with the re-entry technology for long-range missilies that are launched into space.

North Korea did test missiles at extremely high levels in 2016, including two nuclear tests. Kim has regularly provoked the West, which Newsweek argued in December is posturing. "It's unlikely [Kim's] intentions have changed: With another nuclear or missile test, he gets to strut before the home crowd, showing them he's going to poke whoever is in power in Washington; and he's going to signal to the outside world: Don't even think about coming after us," wrote correspondent Bill Powell.

In perhaps the most hermetic country in the world  and a country with growing signs of dissent amid a despondent population  Kim and his surrogates often use highly public speeches to project power. A top general said in 2015 that if the U.S. provoked a war, "there would be no one left to sign a surrender document." In a March 2016 statement aimed at South Korea and the U.S., North Korea said, "If we push the buttons to annihilate the enemies even right now, all bases of provocations will be reduced to seas in flames and ashes in a moment."

Story continues

Those sorts of statement have become common for Kim, in contrast to his father Kim Jong Il, who rarely spoke in public. And while some have argued it's posturing, the threats are indicative of the fact that during Kim's five years of rule after his father's death, the country has focused on its nuclear capabilities  and it wants the West to know.

kim

Photo: KCNA via Reuters

Related Articles
South Korea's impeached President Park Geun-Hye on Sunday repeated denials of involvement in a snowballing corruption scandal and said rumours have been "getting out of hand", Yonhap news agency reported.

"Rumours, stories and broadcasts have been distorted and false information has been getting out of hand," she was quoted as telling reporters at the presidential Blue House.

Parliament voted on December 9 to impeach Park over the scandal. She is accused of colluding with close friend Choi Soon-Sil to strong-arm big companies into handing over tens of millions of dollars to dubious foundations which Choi controlled.

Choi is now on trial for coercion and abuse of power, largely related to the corporate funding of the two foundations which she allegedly plundered.

The impeachment case is being considered by the Constitutional Court -- which has up to six months to reach a ruling -- but hundreds of thousands of South Koreans have joined weekly protests calling for Park's immediate departure from office.

If the impeachment is confirmed, a presidential election will have to be held within 60 days.

Park also allegedly ordered aides to leak state documents to Choi, who has no official title or security clearance, and allowed her to meddle in state affairs including the appointment of top officials.

Since the scandal came to light, Park had apologised several times for her conduct in tearful televised addresses. She admitted seeking advice from Choi on some presidential speeches and PR material at the beginning of her term in 2013.

Media reports have depicted Choi as having a "Rasputin-like" influence over Park, saying she controlled everything from the president's wardrobe to crucial decisions on state affairs -- allegations denied by Park.

"I have known Choi for decades. But that doesn't mean that she has access to everything," Yonhap quoted Park as saying, citing her "duties as president."

Park's rare meeting with reporters was her first public appearance since she was suspended from executive duties. The country has a temporary leader, Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-Ahn.

The constitutional court's first hearing on the impeachment is scheduled for Tuesday.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- The Latest on Dakota Access oil pipeline protesters who unfurled a banner inside U.S. Bank Stadium during a Minnesota Vikings game (all times local):

4:10 p.m.

Minneapolis police have arrested two Dakota Access oil pipeline protesters who unfurled a huge banner inside U.S. Bank Stadium during a Minnesota Vikings game.

The man and woman were arrested Sunday afternoon after climbing into a catwalk just after the Vikings' season finale against the Chicago Bears ended around 3 p.m.

Police spokesman Officer Corey Schmidt says the pair was seen by medical staff but declined treatment. He says they'll be booked into the Hennepin County Jail for trespassing.

Schmidt says police will investigate for possible further charges.

Play continued on the field while the huge banner was unfurled, but rows below were cleared of fans as a precaution. No one was hurt.

The banner urged Minneapolis-based U.S. Bank to divest from the four-state, $3.8 billion pipeline. A U.S. Bank spokesman declined comment.

___

2:20 p.m.

Protesters against the Dakota Access oil pipeline unfurled a banner inside U.S. Bank Stadium during the Minnesota Vikings' season finale against the Chicago Bears.

Play was not interrupted on the field during Sunday's game, but eight rows of fans below the banner were cleared as a precaution.

The banner urged Minneapolis-based U.S. Bank to divest from the four-state, $3.8 billion pipeline. Opponents contend the pipeline could affect drinking water and Native American artifacts. Texas-based developer Energy Transfer Partners says the pipeline will be safe.

In a statement, stadium operator SMG says two people climbed over a guard rail to access the ridge truss. Police are negotiating with the protesters to come down.

Vikings spokesman Lester Bagley says the team's only concern is about the "safety of our fans and guests."
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- The Latest on Dakota Access oil pipeline protesters who unfurled a banner inside U.S. Bank Stadium during a Minnesota Vikings game (all times local):

4:10 p.m.

Minneapolis police have arrested two Dakota Access oil pipeline protesters who unfurled a huge banner inside U.S. Bank Stadium during a Minnesota Vikings game.

The man and woman were arrested Sunday afternoon after climbing into a catwalk just after the Vikings' season finale against the Chicago Bears ended around 3 p.m.

Police spokesman Officer Corey Schmidt says the pair was seen by medical staff but declined treatment. He says they'll be booked into the Hennepin County Jail for trespassing.

Schmidt says police will investigate for possible further charges.

Play continued on the field while the huge banner was unfurled, but rows below were cleared of fans as a precaution. No one was hurt.

The banner urged Minneapolis-based U.S. Bank to divest from the four-state, $3.8 billion pipeline. A U.S. Bank spokesman declined comment.

---

2:20 p.m.

Protesters against the Dakota Access oil pipeline unfurled a banner inside U.S. Bank Stadium during the Minnesota Vikings' season finale against the Chicago Bears.

Play was not interrupted on the field during Sunday's game, but eight rows of fans below the banner were cleared as a precaution.

The banner urged Minneapolis-based U.S. Bank to divest from the four-state, $3.8 billion pipeline. Opponents contend the pipeline could affect drinking water and Native American artifacts. Texas-based developer Energy Transfer Partners says the pipeline will be safe.

In a statement, stadium operator SMG says two people climbed over a guard rail to access the ridge truss. Police are negotiating with the protesters to come down.

Vikings spokesman Lester Bagley says the team's only concern is about the ''safety of our fans and guests.''
From the Hills to one big bump  Lauren Conrad just announced that shes expecting!

On Sunday morning, the star took to Instagram to share the exciting news.

Happy New Year! I have a feeling 2017 is going to be the best year yet, she captioned a photo of her ultrasound.

This will be the first child for the former reality star-turned-fashion designer, 30, and her husband William Tell.

Conrad and Tell were married on Sept. 13, 2014 at a boutique winery in Santa Ynez, California. The nuptials took place before sunset in the company of stunning oak trees, Mediterranean-style buildings, white flowers, and vineyards in every direction. Guests noshed on gourmet eats, enjoyed a photo booth, and even took home a bottle of wine.

Its almost a sure bet that the new babys nursery will have the same laid-back-yet-chic feel that embodies Conrads own signature style. One color that will likely make some kind of big appearance, based on the look of her website and her own Pacific Palisades home? White.

I just like the brightness, Conrad told PEOPLE in an April interview about why she chose the color to feature to heavily in her kitchen. Its sort of the same reason why you want to serve food on a white platter  it serves as such a beautiful backdrop.

RELATED VIDEO: Lauren Conrads Home Is Giving Us Major Kitchen Envy

And though this will be the first child for the entrepreneur and musician  Tell was formerly a member of the band Something Corporate  it seems they already have the whole think outside yourself part down.

The hardest is compromise, Conrad wrote in a blog post shortly before celebrating her first wedding anniversary with Tell. You always want to be considerate of each other. Its not just about you anymore.




Legendary animation artist Tyrus Wong, whose evocative sketches were used to create Disney's groundbreaking "Bambi" cartoon, has died at the age of 106, the company said.

"Tyrus Wong had a gift for evoking incredible feeling in his art with simple, gestural composition," said a statement released by the company, where he spent a brief few years before decamping to nearby rival Warner Brothers.

"Though Tyrus worked at The Walt Disney Studios only three years, between 1938 and 1941, his influence on the artistic composition of the animated feature Bambi cannot be overstated," Disney said.

"Born in Canton, China in 1910, Wong and his father immigrated to America leaving behind his mother and sister, whom they never saw again," according to an homage on Disney's website.

As a young child, Wong's father nurtured his love of art by having him practice calligraphy and painting. Wong later attended the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles (now the Otis College of Art and Design) on a full scholarship.

He took a position at Disney in 1938, an "inbetweener," working on the visual continuity of animations and drawing hundreds of sketches of Mickey Mouse.

When he heard that the studio was in pre-production on the feature film "Bambi," he painted several pictures of a deer in a forest.

The sketches captured the attention of Walt Disney and became the template for the film's visual style, according to the Disney website, which said Wong's work influences films to this day, inspiring and leading contemporary animators.

After his stint at Disney, Wong worked for the next 26 years as a concept and story artist at Warner Brothers, until he retired in 1968.
Becky Brown had a hunch she was in for a long fight when she filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the City of San Diego in December 2014  alleging that the San Diego Police Department mishandled a murder investigation that led her husband, a former crime lab worker, to kill himself.

Two years later, the case still hasnt gone to trial, but thats okay with the retired high school teacher. Brown just wants to clear her dead husband Kevin Browns name  insisting that hes innocent of the grisly 1984 murder of a teenage girl that cold case detectives say he committed.

When we first filed this the judge warned me, You do realize this is going to go on for another year or two? This doesnt happen fast,  Becky tells PEOPLE. And I told him, Thats okay. I just have to do what I have to do. Im in this for as long as Im alive. 

Kevin Brown first made headlines in October 2014 when San Diego police announced that they had used DNA evidence to crack the three-decades-old murder and sexual assault of Claire Hough on a San Diego beach. The only problem was that their suspect  who had worked in the citys crime lab for decades  hanged himself before the authorities claimed they could arrest him.

He knew he was under investigation, San Diego Police Lt. Paul Rorrison told PEOPLE at the time. Unfortunately, he committed suicide before we could take him into custody.

Becky insists her 62-year-old husband, who she describes as nerdy and socially awkward and didnt have a mean bone in his body, is innocent.

They kept pushing Kevin until he killed himself, she told PEOPLE not long after his death. Then they announced, Case closed. 

Any DNA linking her husband to the crime, she contends, came from accidental cross contamination during his work at the crime lab.

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.

Using DNA found on evidence taken from the crime scene, police also identified a second suspect in the murder  convicted rapist Ronald Tatro, who died in a boating accident in 2011.

Story continues

Police have never been able to explain how Brown might have known Tatro, who spent several years in an Arkansas prison for sexually assaulting a woman at knifepoint. Thats one of our mysteries, admits Lt. Rorrison.

Depositions of San Diego police officers and crime lab workers connected with the case are expected to wrap up in mid January and Browns lawsuit is expected to finally go to trial in May 2017.

Its been stressful, says Becky, 62, who recently semi-retired from her longtime teaching because of the strain she felt from the case. But Ive started trying to not talk about it all the time and finally living my again. I cant stay locked up in my bedroom, crying for the rest of my life.




DALLAS, TX / ACCESSWIRE / January 1, 2017 / Despite Texas flourishing real estate industry and an astoundingly diverse range of activities across various sectors of economy, the Lone Star State has been noticeably less affirmative in undertaking effective policy actions to eliminate poverty among the urban population. Marcus Hiles, a prominent developer of affordable luxury housing throughout Texas, is well aware of the more than 1,200 homeless children living on the streets of inner city Dallas, and fights relentlessly to assist these youth plagued by poverty. Most recently, in an effort to protect school children from the approaching winter elements, Hiles donated over 300 coats that will be distributed to those most in need by a church in the Dallas/Fort Worth are.



While the many magnet schools located throughout Dallas affluential suburbs are regarded among the countrys best public high schools, touting world-class instructors and facilities, the inner city district portrays a starkly different image, and reflects what is becoming an epidemic throughout the nations urban communities: an overwhelming majority of children living in dire circumstances. In the Dallas Independent School District (DISD), 86 percent of students qualify for free and reduced-price meal plans, and the state considers 66 percent of the districts students to be at risk for dropping out, according to the New York Times. Furthermore, a report submitted in a recent City Hall Council Meeting concluded that 38 percent of children in the downtown area are either homeless or live in a family that earns a gross income beneath the poverty line, although more than 27,000 of the individuals in these families work full-time jobs.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/marcus_hiles

The non-profit organizations that collect goods to feed, clothe, and equip these children for school, such as the church that will distribute Hiles coats to K-12 grade students, are essential to the growth of the community, and Marcus Hiles urges local businesses and residents to avidly support these causes. By providing spiritual, emotional and academic support, these programs help at-risk youth overcome hardships, placing them onto the right path for success.

Story continues

Marcus Hiles is a renown real estate investor and the Chairman & CEO of Western Rim Property Services with over two and a half decades experience developing residential rental townhomes and apartments throughout Texas. The son of an inner city minister, Hiles has dedicated much of his adult life to alleviating hardships for economically disadvantaged women and children, donating over $2.5 million to public and private K-12 initiatives, childcare programs, university career services, and job placement programs.

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

www.MarcusHiles-News.com

marcus@marcushiles-news.com





Source: Marcus Hiles
When it comes to big news in the marijuana industry, none was bigger than the vote in California to legalize adult recreational pot use. Adding about 25 million new potential customers is a huge deal.

Voters in Massachusetts, Maine, and Nevada also voted to legalize recreational use of marijuana and four more states -- Florida, Arkansas, North Dakota, and Montana -- legalized medicinal marijuana or easier access to medicinal marijuana. Some 20% of all Americans now live in states where recreational use is legal and 60% live in states where medicinal marijuana is legal.

The second-most important story for the industry is the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States and his nomination of Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions to be the next Attorney General of the United States. Trump himself has said little about marijuana but is widely believed to be personally agnostic on the issue. Sessions, however, has been clear in his opposition to legalizing pot in any form. Our own take on this is that Trump will allow Sessions to do as he chooses unless the Attorney General's actions become an embarrassment to Trump personally.

ALSO READ: The Worst Companies to Work For

Marijuana Business Daily has put these two stories at the top of its list of the 10 most notable developments in the marijuana industry in 2016. The website also lists eight more big stories from last year.

The Global Experiment of Marijuana Legalization

In 2016, more countries legalized the use of marijuana for medicinal or recreational purposes.

Marijuana, or cannabis, is "the most widely cultivated, produced, trafficked and consumed drug worldwide," according to the World Drug Report, but its legality has long been a topic of debate worldwide.

In the US, Maine recently confirmed legalized recreational marijuana use, joining seven other states and the District of Columbia. Medical marijuana is now legal in more than half of US states.

This mirrors a global trend. This year, Canadian officials said they aim to introduce legislation in 2017 to legalize and regulate marijuana. Uruguay is the only other country to legalize cannabis. Ireland, Australia, Jamaica and Germany approved measures for its medicinal use this year. Australia granted permission for businesses to apply for licenses to manufacture or cultivate marijuana products for medicinal purposes and to conduct related research. Decisions are still pending in South Africa.

Story continues

ALSO READ: The Best CEOs of 2016

Read more at CNN.

Teens' View on Marijuana Change After Legalization

After marijuana was legalized for adults in the U.S. state of Washington, younger teens there perceived it to be less harmful and reported using it more, a new study found.

States should consider developing evidence-based prevention programs aimed at adolescents before they legalize the recreational use of marijuana, the researchers said today in JAMA Pediatrics.

"Across the country there has been a decreased perception of risk and an increase in marijuana use among adolescents," lead author Magdalena Cerda, of the University of California, Davis School of Medicine in Sacramento, told Reuters Health by email.

She noted that trying marijuana at a young age is tied to an increased risk of regular use later on. Chronic use of marijuana may be tied to negative outcomes, such as psychosis and poor financial status.

Since 1996, 28 states and Washington D.C. have legalized marijuana for medical purposes, and Colorado and Washington state legalized it for recreational purposes in 2012.

Read more at Scientific American.

Over at Alternet, Paul Armentano published a year-end review, "10 Scientific Studies from 2016 Showing Marijuana Is Safe and Effective" that includes a similar study with a diametrically opposed result.

ALSO READ: The Market Is Overbought: 5 Safe Dividend Blue Chip Stocks to Buy for 2017

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker Signs Bill Delaying Marijuana Shop Openings

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker signed a bill Friday aimed at delaying by up to six months the opening of marijuana shops in the state until mid-2018.

An aide to the Republican governor said Baker shares the desire of state lawmakers to thoroughly prepare for the launch of a new industry distributing a controlled substance.

Baker is "committed to adhering to the will of the voters by implementing the new law as effectively and responsibly as possible," the governor's communications director Lizzy Guyton said.

Baker's decision to sign the bill came as a small group of marijuana activists protested outside the Statehouse.

Members of the Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws faulted lawmakers for passing the bill during end-of-year sessions and said the delay "flies in the face of the will of the voters" who approved the ballot question legalizing pot.

ALSO READ: The Next 14 States to Legalize Marijuana

Read more at CBS News.

'These Towns Have Their Head in the Sand': Moratoriums Coming After Maine Voters Legalize Marijuana

Towns and cities around the state are taking a cautious approach to the new Maine marijuana law that legalizes marijuana and are considering moratoriums on the sale of the drug within their limits.

Maine voters approved the referendum in November, and the secretary of state's office signed off on the results Wednesday. But it could be months before the state completes the rule-making process governing the legal cultivation and sale of marijuana.

Meanwhile, the Maine Municipal Association is advising towns and cities to adopt moratoriums to prevent "unwanted developments" with new marijuana businesses until the regulations, including local guidelines, are approved.

Officials in more than 30 municipalities are at least considering local moratoriums and other measures that would ban pot sales. And at least 11 communities, including some of the state's largest cities, such as Portland, South Portland and Bangor, have OK'd six-month moratoriums on marijuana-related businesses.

ALSO READ: Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades: Tesla Motors, Kate Spade, Xilinx, Yandex, Cempra and More

Read more at The Cannabist.

Related Articles
TWIN FALLS  The brown pig perked up its wet snout when it heard Gerald Knutson approach with a gun.

The pig greeted Knutson at its pens barrier. It sniffed the air, grunting softly. A black and white pig noticed, too, and trotted over.

Moments later, the crack of a .22 rifle broke the stillness of the chilly Oct. 31 morning and silenced the grunts forever. The black and white pig was the first to die.

Knutson aimed for the spot between its eyes. That way the pig wouldnt feel anything when he slit its throat. Knutson made the wound quickly, and blood gushed from the hole, like water spurting from a broken pipe.

There were no high-pitched squeals, only the sound of the pigs legs kicking frantically, mixing blood with mud. The brown pig didnt squeal either, as it stood in the back of the pen. Soon, the crack of the gun would seal its fate as well.

It takes a minute, Knutson said, holding the bloody blade. They arent feeling the pain at this point. Thats what I wanted. I didnt want any squealing pigs today.

Knutson, 71, has worked as a butcher for more than 30 years. He started out as a carpenter in North Dakota, but it didnt pay enough, so he went to work cutting meat at his brothers butcher shop.

When Knutson moved to the Magic Valley, he worked as a butcher at Safeway, before the building housed Magic Valley High School. When Safeway left Twin Falls, he opened his own butcher business, Knutsons Kustom Kutting in Filer. He runs it with his wife, Twila; none of their four daughters are in the business anymore.

When my daughters were growing up, they helped me, Knutson said. As soon as they were old enough, they found other jobs.

In the fall, Knutson travels to farms and fields to butcher animals seven to 10 times a week.

Im an artist, Knutson said, instead of a worker.

After the pigs bodies stopped jolting, a hook inserted into their mouths pulled them to the back of Knutsons truck. The front of his yellow and white truck says: Here Comes Killer K, and Give us a call, we kill them all.

Now weve done everything dirty, Knutson said. We got to keep everything clean at this point.

He cut a pig from the slit in its throat up through its snout. Then he cut down the belly and across the front legs.

Not too many mobile butchers when I first started, he said, peeling the skin away with his blade. The muscles in the cheeks and jaw still twitched as he made his way down the rest of the body.

Knutson put two hooks in its back feet and lifted the pig using the pulley system attached to his truck. The pulley squealed under the weight. Blood drained out dark red, almost black, as the animal rose into the air.

Knutson is self-employed, but the Idaho Department of Labor reports butchers make an average of $32,780 a year statewide and an average of $37,248 in south-central Idaho.

Wade Rast, the pigs owner, hires Knutson every year to butcher his pigs.

I know how its raised, Rast said. I know what its being fed. I get the meat cut and done the way I want.

Rast estimated the two pigs are a years worth of meat for him and his family. They started out as runts, but the black and white one ended up weighing 250 pounds, and the brown pig more than 300.

I want someone who cleans the meat well, Rast said. Hes done 50 percent of all my meat.

Though the slaughtering of his pigs is a bloody job, Rast said, its how you get bacon, pork chops and ham.

The drawback to this thing is that people think meat comes from a tray and a gallon of milk comes from a store, he said.

The price to kill a pig on site: $35. The price for cutting it up: $130 to $140. Curing the meat: an additional 50 cents a pound.

Youre going to see him spill his guts, Knutson said, slicing open the pigs belly.

Purple, bloated intestines emerged from the slit. Knutson pulled the entrails from the carcass and flung them without looking toward a blue barrel. The guts landed at the bottom with a wet, heavy splat.

He pulled down the hide the rest of the way. Blood clots spilled out of the carcass in gelatinous clumps; thats what happens when blood gets into the lungs.

Then Knutson powered up his splitting saw and cut the carcass down the middle. He sprayed it down again, bloody water mixing with gravel and grass, as the sun peeked out from behind clouds.

The job comes with occupational hazards. Knutson has cut off the top of a pinkie and sliced into other fingers. He has a scar behind his ear where a bull kicked him in the head; it required stitches.

He typically butchers beef, pigs, lambs and goats but has also done an ostrich, emus, llamas and bison.

And hes not without a sense of humor about his job.

Hell sometimes let little boys chase their sisters with severed cows heads to scare them. Hes even offered eyeballs to onlooking children standing next to their frowning mothers.
Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f333525%2f35ea35c0-0c54-44d2-aa59-74bfbda2fc77

UPDATE (1:45 p.m. ET): The tarps have been removed and the sign is back to its boring old self.

A prankster in Hollywood must be pretty excited about the state's legalization of marijuana, as they altered the world-famous Hollywood sign to read "Hollyweed."

SEE ALSO: The 9 need-to-know takeaways from your 2017 Golden Globe nominees

The incident happened overnight Saturday night into early Sunday morning.

I wonder if Snoop Dogg and his crew were behind the Hollyweed sign? pic.twitter.com/2dHAXFBCy3  Eric Aldridge (@ealdridge1389) January 1, 2017

Sgt. Juneau of the Los Angeles Police Department's Security Services Division told NBC Los Angeles that the vandal, a lone man, was able to alter the two "Os" in the sign using tarps. A closeup photo of the sign showed the tarps used by the DIY vandal.

Prankster alters iconic Hollywood sign to read Hollyweed as new marijuana law begins in California  https://t.co/cZnK5heAxV pic.twitter.com/uuca28SREQ  Joe Morris (@jspeedymorris22) January 1, 2017

Security footage captured the prankster and is currently being reviewed to see if he can be identified.

Mashable has reached out to the Los Angeles Police Department for more information.

The change caused such a stir that CBS Los Angeles even started a Facebook Live video of the sign, because why not?

And perhaps one of the most famous stoners took notice, too.

The Hollywood sign was changed to say Hollyweed today pic.twitter.com/NSWmbgz9aP  Tommy Chong (@tommychong) January 1, 2017

By early afternoon, the sign had returned to normal as the tarps, one of which featured a peace sign, were taken down.

Story continues

Image: CBS LA/Facebook

The reign of "Hollyweed" was fun while it lasted.

BONUS: Firefighters rescue dog that slipped through the ice on Lake Michigan
LONDON (Reuters) - Islamic State militants have aspirations to launch mass-casualty chemical attacks on targets in Britain and elsewhere in Europe, the British security minister said in a newspaper interview published on Sunday. Ben Wallace also said British authorities feared that as the militant group was driven out of strongholds in the Middle East such as the Iraqi city of Mosul, Britons fighting for the group would return home and pose a growing domestic threat. "The ambition of IS or Daesh is definitely mass-casualty attacks," Wallace told the Sunday Times newspaper. "They have no moral objection to using chemical weapons against populations and if they could, they would in this country. The casualty figures that could be involved would be everybody's worst fear." The report said no specific chemical plot had been identified but security services had been carrying out exercises to prepare for the possibility. Islamic State used sulphur mustard gas in an attack on the Syrian town of Marea in August 2015, according to global watchdog the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. Wallace pointed to the dismantlement of an Islamic State cell in Morocco in February as evidence of the group's ambition to carry out chemical attacks elsewhere. "Moroccan authorities dismantled a cell involving chemical weapons. They recovered toxic chemical and biological substances and a large stock of fertiliser. The substances found could have been used to produce home-made explosives and could have been transformed into a deadly toxin," he said. About 800 Britons are thought to have travelled to Syria, many to join Islamic State, since the outbreak of the civil war in that country. Around 100 have been killed. "The big concern is if Mosul collapses and all the other bases of Isis (Islamic State) collapse. We know there are a significant number of [Britons] fighting for IS in Syria. They will probably want to come home," said Wallace. In a separate report, the Sunday Telegraph newspaper quoted the head of Britain's regulator of charities as saying that reports of links between charities and extremism had trebled over the past three years to reach a record high. The Charity Commission made 630 referrals to police in 2015/16 over "allegations made ... about abuse of charities for terrorist or extremist purposes, including concerns about charities operating in Syria and other higher risk areas", the report said. (Reporting by Estelle Shirbon; Editing by Stephen Powell)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  North Korea's development of banned long-range missiles is in "final stages," the country's leader Kim Jong Un was quoted as saying in his New Year's message.

Kim also threatened to boost his country's military capability unless the U.S. ends war games with rival South Korea, according to Seoul's Yonhap news agency, which monitored Kim's address on Sunday.

Under Kim, who rose to power following his father's death in 2011, North Korea has seen steady progress in its nuclear and missile programs, including two nuclear tests this year. It recently claimed a series of technical breakthroughs in its goal of developing a long-range nuclear missile capable of reaching the continental United States.

U.N. resolutions call for an end to North Korea's nuclear and missile tests.
How do you put on a fun New Year's Eve celebration looking back at a year filled with divisive political rhetoric and numerous, surprising deaths of beloved celebrities? By keeping it light.

NBC's annual year-in-review primetime special is back, and this year the Toast to 2016 crew went "all in on the fun."

"Each year we've resolved to get more and more into the spirit of the night," executive producer Liz Cole tells The Hollywood Reporter. "I think we're really in the sweet spot of that this year. At the end of the screening, I said, 'I don't think I've laughed this much all year.'"

That approach led Cole and her team to stay away from some of the year's "heavier topics."

"It's a New Year's Eve show, so it's not a complete review of everything that happened in 2016," she says. "People on New Year's Eve, they're probably watching the show when they're getting ready or in a festive mood, and we really tried to stay in that mood ourselves."

So while there's some political content in the two-hour program, once again emceed by Today co-hosts Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb, there's not "a whole lot," according to Cole, and what is featured is of a lighter tone, in keeping with what's not "a serious program."

Read more: Katie Couric to Return to 'Today' Show for One Week

"To give you a sense of the tone, one of the representatives of politics this year is Ken Bone and his red sweater, so that's kind of the sweet spot of where we're at this year," senior broadcast producer Adam Gorfain adds.

Beyond that, the look at some of the year's most talked-about topics will include coverage of the Chicago Cubs' long-awaited World Series victory, Hamilton fever, dabbing, cupping, prank videos and the mannequin challenge phenomenon. There's even a mannequin challenge on the special, which Gifford and Kotb said was particularly worth watching.

Story continues

"If you are going to watch the special, just watch for that," Kotb says of the segment, which only took two takes to capture.

Gifford teases, "It has a surprise ending."

The Summer Olympics also makes the cut, with athletes like Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky looking back on some of the fun moments from the 2016 Games, such as when Biles met her crush Zac Efron.

The Efron encounter was one of Kotb's favorite Olympic moments, recalling how "the Final Five exploded" and "turned into giggly girls."

Read more: 10 of Vine's Most Memorable Viral Sensations

In addition to the athletes, the special features several other stars, many from the NBCUniversal family, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Buble, Dana Carvey, Jaimie Alexander, Chrissy Metz, Howie Mandel, Harry Connick Jr., Melissa Rivers, Ana Gasteyer, Wanda Sykes, Maria Menounos, Brad Goreski, Taylor Kinney, Frankie Grande, Lisa Lampanelli, Carson Kressley, David Alan Grier, Andrew Rannells, Loni Love, Lester Holt, Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker, Natalie Morales, Willie Geist, Tamron Hall and Dylan Dreyer.

"We really have a diverse group of people who are spot-on and clever and fun and really came to play," Gorfain says of this year's guests, some of whom will be using a Magic 8 Ball to make predictions about 2017.

As for what Gifford and Kotb are looking forward to, they both name-checked Nashville on CMT, with Gifford noting that they have a "little cameo." Kotb also is excited about the return of This Is Us, "because it is too good," she says.

"And music - anything that Bruno Mars happens to spit out in his bathroom when he is bored," she adds. "I will take that, too."

Read more: Watch the Times Square New Year's Eve Live Stream

Gifford, meanwhile, is looking forward to catching up on pop culture after a news-centric 2016.

"This past year I was a news junkie, as so many people were," she says. "So it is going to be fun, now that it is all behind us, just to enjoy so much of the artistic endeavors I missed over the past year."

A Toast to 2016 airs Saturday at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
LAGOS (Reuters) - Nigeria's Lagos state has sold 47 billion naira ($154.50 million) of bonds maturing in 2023 to help finance its efforts to improve basic infrastructure in the country's commercial hub, its governor said on Saturday. Governor Akinwunmi Ambode said in an emailed statement that the debt issue, with a 16.5 percent coupon, was the first tranche of a 500 billion naira debt issuance programme approved by the state's parliament in September. The state had offered 60 billion naira of the bonds. Ambode said "despite the continued challenges in the economy and difficult market conditions ...the state sold some 80 percent of the bonds it offered at a 57 basis points spread to the sovereign." "Lagos state government remains committed to improving the physical and social infrastructure base of the state ...," he said. Lagos state in April agreed to pay off holders of an outstanding 167.5 billion naira bond before maturity to cut its interest payments after a plunge in oil prices slashed government revenues in the OPEC member nation. The state is home to the commercial hub of Africa's most populous nation, a sprawling city of more than 21 million people which badly needs infrastructure upgrades. Lagos is the first state to issue a bond since the country slipped into recession in the second quarter of 2016. It is also rare among Nigeria's 36 states in generating around 70 percent of its revenue internally from taxes. Most of the country's other states rely heavily on their share of federal oil revenues. ($1 = 304.2000 naira) (Reporting by Oludare Mayowa; Editing by Adrian Croft)
By Tony Munroe and Jack Kim SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said on Sunday that the isolated nuclear capable country was close to test-launching an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). North Korea tested ballistic missiles at an unprecedented rate during 2016, although some experts have said it is years away from developing an ICBM fitted with a nuclear warhead capable of reaching the United States. "Research and development of cutting edge arms equipment is actively progressing and ICBM rocket test launch preparation is in its last stage," Kim said during a televised New Year's Day speech. The country has been under U.N. sanctions since 2006 over its nuclear and ballistic missile tests. The sanctions were tightened last month after Pyongyang conducted its fifth and largest nuclear test on Sept. 9. A successful ICBM test launch would mark a significant step forward for secretive Pyongyang's weapons capability. ICBMs have a minimum range of about 5,500 km (3,418 miles), but some are designed to travel 10,000 km or further. The U.S. state of California is roughly 9,000 km from North Korea. Graphics: Interactive package on North Korea's nuclear programme -- http://reut.rs/2hC0yc5 However, North Korea has struggled to reliably deploy its intermediate-range Musudan ballistic missile, succeeding just once in eight attempted launches last year. The Musudan is designed to fly about 3,000 km (1,860 miles), posing a threat to South Korea and Japan, and possibly the U.S. territory of Guam. South Korea's defence ministry declined to comment on whether North Korea would test launch an ICBM soon. TRUMP REQUESTED NORTH KOREA BRIEFING According to a senior U.S. intelligence official, President-elect Donald Trump's first and at that time only request for a special classified intelligence briefing was for one on North Korea and its nuclear weapons programme. North Korea and its nuclear programme has also been of interest to retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, Trump's choice for national security advisor and a former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. An Chan-il, a former North Korean military officer who defected to the South and runs a think tank in Seoul, said Kim will gauge Trump's comments about his country for potential interest in dialogue and determine whether to try and conduct an ICBM test launch. "If Trump comes in and the North does not get a good signal in terms of how the relationship between the two countries is going to go, thatll give them another reason to do it," An said. Kim also said that the North would continue to develop its pre-emptive nuclear strike capability if the United States and South Korea continue to conduct annual joint military exercises. There are 28,500 U.S. troops based in South Korea, and North Korean state media often describes annual joint exercises as preparation for an attack. In February, North Korea launched a satellite into space, which was widely seen as a test of long-range ballistic missile technology. A senior U.S. military official said last month that North Korea appears able to mount a miniaturised nuclear warhead on a missile but is still struggling with missile re-entry technology necessary for longer range strikes. Although it fired a variety of missile types last year, North Korea is not known to have test-launched a ballistic missile since October. (Reporting by Tony Munroe, Jack Kim and Nataly Pak; Additional reporting by John Walcott in WASHINGTON; Editing by Michael Perry)
He made his career in the quarrying business, but Mauro Camusso always had wine in his blood.

Now he has brought the two strands together in the production of a champagne-style sparkling wine that he finishes deep in the bowels of a disused mineral mine.

Located in the foothills of the Italian Alps, some 50 kilometres (30 miles) southwest of Turin, the Val Germanasca mine produced talc, the material used to make talcum powder, up until the mid-1990s.

And now it has found a new role thanks to Camusso deciding to pick up where his winemaker grandfather left off and get into the business.

Camusso, owner of an estate called L'Autin (little vine in local dialect), only planted his first grapes -- including parcels of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir -- in 2010 and made his first wines from grapes harvested in 2013.

In 2015, for the first time, he sent 3,000 bottles of would-be fizz down the mine to undergo the critical stage in their production, the secondary fermentation, deep underground.

That involves adding yeasts and sugar to a base still white wine to trigger the reaction that creates the crucial bubbles, in line with a method pioneered in Champagne and used for most of the world's prestigious sparklers.

Opened in 1937, the mine's tunnels were too small for modern machinery and it closed in 1995, reopening two years later as a museum of its past activity.

"The conditions in the talc mine are very particular," Camusso said.

- New lease of life -

"There's a constant temperature of 10 degrees (Celsius, 50 degrees Fahrenheit) all year round. It is dark and the humidity is nearly 90 percent. In theory the conditions are perfect for making bubbles!"

The bottles are stocked horizontally for between 10 and 12 months and turned delicately from time to time to create as fine a fizz as possible.

They then spend around three weeks suspended upside down so the residue of the yeasts settles in the neck of the bottle.

Story continues

And just like real miners, Mauro and his workers have to wear headlamps to get the job done.

Andrea Peyrot, one of Camusso's workers, says the venture has given the former industrial site a new lease of life in the 21st century.

"If the mines are not looked after they close themselves naturally," he told AFP. "So making this wine here is also a way of keeping the mining tradition alive in the region."

Camusso has been encouraged by early samples.

"The quality seems to be good," he says.

But it will be a few years yet before he knows if the unusual cellar conditions "bring a little something extra" to his underground wine.
GOODING  Tom Edwards was asleep in his home in Wheatland, Calif., when his doorbell rang at 2 a.m. on Dec. 20. When he opened the door, his heart dropped. Standing on his doorstep were deputies from the Yuba County Sheriffs Department.

You just knew it wasnt a good thing, Edwards said.

The deputies delivered the terrible news. Edwards son, 33-year-old Gooding resident Joseph Edwards, was killed in a crash; his wife, Shauna, 33, was in critical condition.

The couple was driving about 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 19 on Interstate 84 in Jerome when Joe lost control of his 2001 Nissan Pathfinder, Idaho State Police said. The SUV crashed into the median on Interstate 84 and caused a four-vehicle chain-reaction crash involving two semitrailers that blocked westbound lanes for nearly four hours.

Joe Edwards died at the scene. Shauna Edwards was taken by ambulance to St. Lukes Magic Valley Medical Center in Twin Falls, then flown to St. Alphonsus Medical Center in Boise. On Friday, nearly two weeks after the crash, she was still listed in critical condition.

One of the troopers who responded to the crash that night was Sgt. Julie Donahue.

We deal with fatalities all the time, Donahue said. But its worse around Christmas.

Donahue and Mike Pohanka, a volunteer chaplain with the ISP, went to work finding Joe Edwards next of kin.

It took me hours to try to notify the family, Donahue said. We had a heck of a time trying.

Finally, she found Tom Edwards in northern California and asked deputies from his local sheriffs department to contact him. Soon, it was clear Joes death and Shaunas critical injuries would have a far-reaching impact  the couple had two daughters together and Joe had a son from another relationship.

Christmas is a time for kids, Donahue said. I cannot imagine, just days before Christmas, losing your dad and having your mom in critical condition.

A visit from Santa, courtesy of ISP and Jerome Rotary Club

Donahue said every year since she was a young girl, her family delivers food and gifts on Christmas Eve to a family who needs extra help. This year, Donahue had yet to find that family in need of help, but as she learned more details about the Edwards family, it became clear they would be the benefactors of her family tradition.

Donahue enlisted the help of other ISP troopers and their families, and also the help of Pohanka, the president-elect of the Jerome Rotary Club.

Our motto is service above self, Pohanka explained. The Rotary Club was already doing Christmas boxes for families, so I told Julie, let me get with the organization, see what we can do.

The Rotary Club didnt bat an eye, Donahue said.

Joe and Shaunas daughters, Shania and Elise, are staying with great-grandparents from Shaunas side of the family in Gooding. The girls were surprised with gift cards from the ISP and Rotary Club, but also had their great-grandparents and others relatives to help brighten the holiday.

Joes son from the other relationship, Gauge, and his sister were a bit more in-need. Pohanka and ISP Lt. Robert Rausch, also a Rotarian, personally delivered their gifts  Star Wars toys for Gauge, princess goodies for his sister and bicycles for both of them  along with a large Turkey dinner.

Theres never a good time to lose your father, Pohanka said. We just wanted to do whatever we could to help maybe take their minds off it for a little while  and help lighten the load.

On Christmas Eve, Tom Edwards sent an email to the Times-News praising Sgt. Donahues outstanding professionalism in the aftermath of his sons death.

Sgt. Julie Donahue I believe reflects greatly the values and dedication of the Idaho State Police, while performing a job that so often is dealing in human tragedy, Edwards wrote. She is a credit to her chosen profession.

In a later phone interview, Edwards said Donahue took the additional time to make sure those kids are alright. And whatever time I needed of hers, she was willing to give.

I cant really explain it to you, the affect that sergeant had on me, Edwards said. She wasnt just doing a job, she cared  She went above and beyond.

Donahue deflected the praise to the Rotary Club, saying she only helped coordinate things.

All of the officers would do anything for people, Donahue said of her fellow District IV troopers. Theyre such a good group, they would love to do more.

Tom Edwards knows the hardship for his grandchildren is only beginning. He and the rest of Joe and Shaunas family members are hoping Shaunas condition will improve, but she suffered major injuries and could end up in a long-term care facility. The children already lost one parent, and their families are holding out hope they dont lose Shauna, too.

Theyve got some bad times ahead in the coming months, Tom Edwards said. But at least they had a good Christmas.
Congressional Republicans, determined to repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with an as-yet undefined alternative, are likely to find themselves wandering through a minefield of difficult policy problems when they return to Washington for the next Congress. These range from the fundamental question of what actually constitutes health insurance coverage to thorny questions about whether refundable tax credits would actually create the necessary incentive to encourage the uninsured to purchase coverage.

While the Republican plan to replace the ACA isnt fully-formed yet, it seems safe to assume that it will abolish the individual mandate that requires all individuals to have health insurance, repeal the expansion of Medicaid, slash minimum coverage requirements for plans sold in the non-group market, and allow insurers to sell policies across state lines.

Related: Obamacare RIP: Republicans Finally Have a Plan

Democrats have been warning for years that the impact of this combination of policies could be disastrous for the health insurance market. The individual mandate creates a risk pool that is much healthier -- and therefore cheaper to insure -- than a market where those least likely to need health care are free to opt out.

Cutting minimum coverage requirements will inspire health insurers to offer bare-bones policies that do little to insulate consumers from financial risk related to major health problems but provide just enough coverage to qualify for the refundable tax credit covering the premiums. Removing state-level regulation of health insurance, experts warn, could accelerate that race to the bottom.

In late December, the Congressional Budget Office issued a warning to Republicans in the form of a post to the agencys blog. In it, authors Susan Yeh Beyer and Jared Maeda noted that the various proposals currently floating around Capitol Hill would be judged by both CBO and the Joint Committee on Taxation, which score legislation for lawmakers as greatly reducing the number of Americans with health insurance.

Story continues

This includes the Empowering Patients First Act, put forward by Georgia Congressman Tom Price, a physician himself and President-elect Donald Trumps nominee to run the Department of Health and Human Services.

Related: Republicans Are Having Second Thoughts About Scrapping Obamacare Taxes

CBO, which scores legislation for lawmakers to estimate costs and benefits, would not count someone as insured unless they had significant protection against major financial risk, they wrote. The proposals being aired by the GOP, by making it possible for companies to issue low-coverage policies, would likely leave many people outside that category.

If there were no clear definition of what type of insurance product people could use their tax credit to purchase, they wrote, some of those insurance products would probably not provide enough financial protection against high medical costs to meet the broad definition of coverage that CBO and JCT have typically used in the pastthat is, a comprehensive major medical policy that, at a minimum, covers high-cost medical events and various services, including those provided by physicians and hospitals.

Bottom line, they said, CBO and JCT would not count those people with limited health benefits as having coverage.

Some Obamacare policies are also on shaky ground in terms of consumers having adequate insurance coverage without exposing them to major financial risk. Insurance premiums are rising an average 25 percent this year and deductibles for silver plans will average $3,572 for individuals, while families will have to cover $7,474 before insurance pays a dime. The cheapest Bronze plans will cost individuals an average $6,000, while families will shell out $12,393 before insurance kicks in.

While this may seem trivial, a finding from CBO and JCT that an Obamacare replacement plan would result in fewer Americans having health insurance would be a political problem for Republicans, from Trump on down, who have promised that their new plan would cover the same number of people, but for less money.

Related: 3 Years to Replace Obamacare? Republicans Are Wading Into a Quagmire

But whether or not particular policies that qualify for a tax refund are actually insurance in the real sense of the word is only one of the questions that would have to be answered under an ACA repeal program. Another is whether refundable tax credits would induce consumers to purchase health coverage in the first place.

In a blistering editorial this month, the editors of the New England Journal of Medicine argued that, at least in the context of Prices Empowering Patients First Act, they would not.

The plan proposes eliminating the ACAs expansion of Medicaid and replacing it with tax credits based on age. For example, people aged 18-to-35 would receive a credit of $1,200 per year, while people 50 and over would receive $3,000. The proposal, according to NJEMs editors, would leave younger consumers paying more than $2,500 out of pocket for the most basic plan, while the bill for older consumers would approach $6,000. Whats more, the tax credits are not scaled to recipients income, meaning that low-earning consumers would pay a much larger share of their disposable income in health insurance costs than high-earners.

The Price tax credits, NJEM argues, are far too meager to encourage mass participation in the individual health insurance market.

Related: GOP and Dem Governors Are Closing Ranks Against Obamacare Repeal

To put the plans subsidies into perspective, consider that in 1992 when per capita health expenditures were just one-third of what they are today, President Bush and HHS Secretary Sullivan proposed a slightly larger individual tax credit ($1,250) for the purchase of insurance than Price proposes today. Even in 1992, analysts reported that the credit would be insufficient to induce most people to buy coverage.

The editorials criticism of the Price plan was not limited to the tax credit. It blasted the plan as a giveaway to doctors at the cost of reducing consumer protections.

In sum, they wrote, Prices replacement proposal would make it much more difficult for low-income Americans to afford health insurance. It would divert federal tax dollars to people who can already buy individual coverage without subsidies and substantially reduce protections for those with preexisting conditions. The end result would be a shaky market dominated by health plans that offer limited coverage and high-cost sharing.

Republican lawmakers have floated the idea of a lengthy phase-in period for their replacement plan, allowing them to symbolically repeal Obamacare while effectively leaving it in place for an indefinite period. They may need all the time they can get.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
Muscat (AFP) - Oman on Sunday said it will need to borrow money from local and international markets as it announced its budget for 2017 with a projected deficit of around $7.7 billion.

A finance ministry statement said the sultanate, which like other oil-producing Gulf states has been hit by a cash crunch because of a sharp drop in oil prices, will also follow a policy of austerity.

It estimated the deficit will be three billion riyals or 12 percent of the country's gross domestic product.

Oman will therefore seek to borrow locally and abroad to finance 84 percent of the deficit, as well as dig into its foreign reserves to cover the remaining 16 percent, the statement said.

It projected revenues of around 8.7 billion riyals while estimated that government spending in 2017 would be 11.7 billion riyals, two percent less than in 2016.

The government will earmark 23 percent of the budget to education, health, social services and sectors that "directly" impact people's daily lives, the statement said.

It warned that public sector job creations in 2017 will be "limited".

A total of 3.34 billion riyals is earmarked for defence and security.

Oman is a member of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council along with Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, but is not a member of the oil-producing OPEC cartel.

But in November non-OPEC states, including Oman, agreed to cut their oil output, teaming up with OPEC in a bid to ease a saturated market and end a price slump that has affected many economies.

The sultanate derives 79 percent of its revenues from oil, of which it produces only about one million barrels per day (bpd).

The finance ministry said on Sunday that oil revenues in 2016 were down by 67 percent compared with 2014, when crude prices began plunging globally.

It also projected two percent growth this year, as oil prices recover.

Oman, like other GCC states, has adopted austerity measures, including imposing taxes on some goods like tobacco and alcohol, and stepping up privatisation of state-held firms, as it seeks to ease its dependence on oil revenues.
Flowers are placed outisde the Reina nightclub Flowers are placed outside the Reina nightclub by the Bosphorus, which was attacked by a gunman, in Istanbul, Turkey, Jan. 1, 2017. (Photo: Huseyin Aldemir/Reuters)

Flowers are placed outside the Reina nightclub by the Bosphorus, which was attacked by a gunman, in Istanbul, Turkey; a reveler braves packed ice while participating in the annual New Years polar bear dip in Charlottetown Harbor on Prince Edward Island; and visitors to the Lincoln Memorial are framed in the columns as they gather at the top of the steps to watch the first sunrise of the new year in Washington D.C. are some of the photos of the day. (AP/EPA/Getty/Reuters)

See more news-related photo galleries and follow us on Yahoo News Photo Tumblr.
Moscow (AFP) - A plane carrying 35 Russian diplomats expelled from the United States over Moscow's alleged interference in the presidential election took off from Washington on Sunday, Russian news agencies reported.

"The plane has taken off, everyone is on board," said the Russian embassy in Washington, quoted by the state-owned RIA Novosti agency.

Relatives of the diplomats are also onboard the plane flown specially from Russia, for a total of 96 passengers onboard.

The expulsions were part of a package of sanctions ordered by President Barack Obama on Thursday in the final weeks of his administration.

"We can confirm that the 35 Russian diplomats declared persona non grata have, along with their family members, departed the United States," a State Department spokesman told AFP.

The diplomats, described as intelligence operatives based at the Russian embassy in Washington and the consulate in San Francisco, had been given 72 hours on Thursday to leave the country.

US intelligence says the Kremlin ordered a hack-and-release of Democratic Party and Hillary Clinton campaign staff emails in a bid to put Donald Trump in the Oval Office.

Obama also ordered the closure of two Russian compounds in New York and Maryland that the United States says were used "for intelligence-related purposes."

Economic sanctions were also announced against Russia's FSB and GRU intelligence agencies. Four GRU officers including agency chief Igor Korobov also face sanctions.

Moscow has repeatedly denied the allegations.

President Vladimir Putin has ruled out sending home US diplomats in retaliation -- a move interpreted as a sign he is looking to Trump to rebuild US-Russian ties after the US inauguration on January 20.

Trump has cast doubt on the US intelligence findings, saying he knows "things that other people don't know" about the situation. The populist billionaire is seeking closer ties with Putin.
Ambulances and police vehicles surrounded the Reina nightclub in the Besiktas area of Istanbul after a gun attack early Sunday, January 1.

NTV, via BBC News, reported two attackers were involved, with CNN Turk reporting they were dressed in Santa costumes.

Several hundred people were in the club at the time of the shooting and reportedly dozens wounded and several people killed.

Istanbul was on high alert for terror attacks, with roughly 17,000 police officers on duty. Credit: Instagram/smadkour via Storyful
MUSCAT (Reuters) - A policeman was killed on Sunday when armed men attacked a prison in Bahrain, freeing several convicted inmates, the interior ministry said, in what it described as a terrorist act. It did not provide an exact number for those who had escaped or identify them but said authorities were searching for them. Thousands of mainly Shi'ite Muslim Bahrainis are in jail on charges ranging from participating in anti-government protests to armed attacks on security forces in the Western-allied Gulf kingdom, where the U.S. Fifth Fleet is based. "An armed attack on the Jau reform and rehabilitation center resulted in the death of policeman Abdul Salam Saif and the escape of a number of inmates convicted of terrorist crimes," the ministry said in a statement posted on its Twitter account. A Bahraini court in January last year sentenced 57 men to 15-year jail terms for taking part in a 2015 riot inside Jau prison, which is located outside the capital Manama. [nL8N159268} Bahraini security forces tear-gassed and beat inmates at the prison while trying to quell clashes that erupted during family visits, local human rights group Bahrain Youth Society for Human rights said at the time. Bahrain crushed mass Arab Spring protests in 2011 but continued to suffer occasional outbursts mostly by majority Shi'ites demanding reforms and a bigger share in running the island state wedged between regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia. Shi'ites complain of discrimination by the Sunni-led monarchy, a charge the government denies. (Reporting by Omar Fahmy, Writing by Tom Finn and Sami Aboudi, Editing by Ruth Pitchford)
Pope Francis used his New Years Day speech to address the latest attacks in Istanbul. The Pope was in Vatican City when he called on his followers to confront the plague of terrorism.

Unfortunately, violence has stricken even in this night of good wishes and hope, the Pope said during his annual Jan. 1 address in St. Peters Square (via Reuters). Pained, I express my closeness to the Turkish people. I pray for the many victims and for the wounded and for the entire nation in mourning.

Istanbul was subjected to another terrorist attack on New Years Eve. As previously reported, a party at a club called Reina ended with at least 39 dead and about 70 injured after a shooting. Turkish police say that they are search for one unidentified attacker. No group has claimed responsibility yet.

Francis, who had earlier led a mass at St. Peters Basilica, added that the world is in a dark time as 2017 begins. I ask the Lord to sustain all men of good will to courageously roll up their sleeves to confront the plague of terrorism and this stain of blood that is covering the world with a shadow of fear and a sense of loss, he said.

Shortly after his speech, the Pope continued to call for peace on Twitter.

Of course, the Pope has many admirers listening to him beyond the roughly 50,000 who watched his speech in person Sunday. He came in third in Gallups Most Admired Man of 2016 poll, behind only President Barack Obama and President-elect Donald Trump.

Pope Francis 2017

Photo: Reuters

Related Articles
TWIN FALLS COUNTY

FELONY SENTENCINGS

Marcell Allen Craig Jr., 19, Detroit, Michigan; criminal possession of a financial transaction card, $245.50 costs, $300 fine, $100 DNA, guilty withheld sentence, attend problem solving court.

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE SENTENCINGS

Bradley Scott Davidson, 59, Jerome; DUI, $500 fine, $300 suspended, $202.50 costs, 90 days jail, 88 suspended, two days credit for time served, 180 days restricted drivers license, 12 months supervised probation, attend victim impact panel and court alcohol school. Use or possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to use, $300 fine, $300 suspended, $197.50 costs, 30 days jail, 28 suspended, state has 30 days to submit restitution.

Ashlee Marie Robinson, 37, Twin Falls; DUI excessive, $1,000 fine, $700 suspended, $202.50 costs, $100 DNA, 180 days jail, 170 suspended, one day credited, guilty withheld sentence, five days work detail, 365 days suspended drivers license, attend victim impact panel and court alcohol school. Possession of a controlled substance marijuana charge dismissed.

Monica Chavez, 48, Filer; DUI, $500 fine, $300 suspended, $202.50 costs, 90 days jail, 88 suspended, 16 hours work detail, 180 days drivers license suspension, 12 months probation with six months to be supervised and run concurrent to other probation, attend victim impact panel and court alcohol school.

Joshua Edward White, 28, Twin Falls; DUI second offense, $202.50 costs, $75 public defender, 180 days jail, balance to be suspended, credit for 92 days served, 365 days jail, 24 months supervised probation, attend victim impact panel and court alcohol school.

Troy Jordan Hardman, 29, Twin Falls; DUI second offense within 10 years, 180 days jail, balance to be suspended, credit for 85 days served, 365 days drivers license suspended, 24 months supervised probation, 365 days interlock device to follow drivers license suspension, attend court alcohol school and victim impact panel.

Sarah Faith Flores, 38, Kuna, DUI, $500 fine, $300 suspended, $202.50 costs, $75 public defender, 60 days jail, 59 suspended, one day credit for time served, 90 days restricted drivers license, six months probation with three months to be supervised, attend victim impact panel and court alcohol school. Possession of a controlled substance marijuana charge dismissed.

Iain Anthony Roubian, 29, Twin Falls; DUI second offense, $1,000 fine, $1,000 suspended, $202.50 costs, $75 public defender, 180 days jail, 175 suspended, two days credited, guilty withheld sentence, 365 days restricted drivers license, 24 months supervised probation, 365 days interlock device, attend court alcohol school and victim impact panel.

DIVORCE CIVIL PROCEEDINGS

Nikola Overacre v. Austin Overacre

Brian Truitt v. Katrina Truitt

Griselda Llamas v. Rigoberto Coronado Lopez

James Peckenpaugh v. Kristina Peckenpaugh

Cortney Croxen v. Michael Croxen

Monica Fuentes v. Gilberto Fuentes
Queen Elizabeth II missed church on New Years Day  a week after canceling her annual trip to Christmas mass for the first time in decades as she battles a heavy cold.

Her Majesty The Queen will not attend Sunday worship at Sandringham today, Buckingham Palace said in a statement released early Sunday.

The Queen does not yet feel ready to attend church as she is still recuperating from a heavy cold.

Still, a palace spokesperson tells PEOPLE that she is up and about in Sandringham House. She is working, taking papers as normal. She is working as normal but shes decided not to go out to church.

Her absence from two consecutive high-profile appearances underscores how seriously doctors are taking the 90-year-old sovereigns illness.

After canceling their annual train trip to Sandringham Estate for Christmas due to heavy colds, the monarch and Prince Philip, 95, were well enough to travel the following day by helicopter. However, the Queen was forced to drop out of the royal familys annual walk to church on Christmas morning as she continued to recover.

Her Majesty The Queen will not attend Church at Sandringham this morning, a Palace spokesperson said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. The Queen continues to recover from a heavy cold and will stay indoors to assist with her recovery. Her Majesty will participate in the Royal Family Christmas celebrations during the day.

The Queens last public appearance was Dec. 9, when she hosted the ambassador of Liberia for a private audience at Buckingham Palace. She also made an appearance across the realm during her pre-recorded Christmas broadcast. It also marked her first outing since she was the victim of a Twitter death hoax last week.

Philip, who was also still under the weather; Prince Harry; Prince Charles; Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall; Sophie, Countess of Wessex; Prince Edward and Princess Eugenie attended a Christmas church service at St. Mary Magdalene church on the Queens Sandringham estate in Norfolk. Typically, the entire royal family walks together to a church service in the late morning but the royals chose to go to an earlier service on Sunday.

Story continues

Elizabeth wasnt the only royal who missed out on the Sandringham Christmas walk  Prince William, Princess Kate and their two children Prince George and Princess Charlotte chose to spend their holidays with Kates parents. The Queens granddaughter Zara Tindall and her family also skipped out on the services after she revealed on Christmas Eve that she had suffered a miscarriage. Zara and her husband Mike Tindall were expecting their second child.

Philip, Princess Anne, and Prince Edward and their families were spotted at the New Years Day service on Sunday.

with reporting by SIMON PERRY




London (AFP) - Queen Elizabeth II missed a New Year's Day church service on Sunday because of a lingering "heavy cold" that also forced her to stay at home on Christmas Day, Buckingham Palace said.

The 90-year-old, the world's longest reigning monarch, is however continuing to receive her red boxes containing official papers and is up and about, a royal source said.

The queen as usual spent Christmas at her private Sandringham estate in Norfolk, eastern England, with members of her family.

The royals normally attend church services at the local St Mary Magdalene church but the queen, who is the supreme governor of the Church of England, missed the Christmas Day ceremony.

Ahead of Sunday's service, the palace said in a statement: "Her Majesty The Queen will not attend Sunday worship at Sandringham today.

"The queen does not yet feel ready to attend church as she is still recuperating from a heavy cold."

The monarch's 95-year-old husband Prince Philip had also been suffering from a cold and the royal couple's journey to Sandringham was delayed by a day because of their illness.

When she failed to appear on Christmas Day, speculation grew about the queen's health, and a fake report on Twitter that she died prompted news stories in some of the tabloid newspapers.

Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, was well enough to attend church both on Christmas Day and on Sunday, when he arrived in a car in pouring rain.

Among the royals attending on Sunday were two of their children, Prince Edward and Princess Anne.

When asked about her mother's health, Anne said she was "better", according to the Daily Mirror.
The Queen sends congratulations to the people of Canada in the 150th anniversary year of Confederation. Full text > https://t.co/YKWIQCM17o pic.twitter.com/1BkaaQ1S9q  The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) January 1, 2017

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

This year marks the 150th anniversary year of Canadas Confederation  and Queen Elizabeth II is ready to celebrate.

In a pre-recorded video message of congratulations to the people of Canada posted on New Years Day and spoken in both English and French, the Queen sent her warmest good wishes  adding that she and her family are with the Canadian people in spirit. (The video appears to have been taped the same time she pre-taped her Christmas message.)

The message comes as the Queen, 90, continues to battle a heavy cold that has forced her to miss the annual New Years Day and Christmas church services for the first time in decades.

I am delighted to offer all Canadians my best wishes and congratulations on the 150th anniversary of Confederation, the Queen said in her message Sunday. Countries throughout the Commonwealth and, indeed, around the world, rejoice with you as you embark on this special year.

Throughout the years, particularly since your Centennial year, I have watched Canada develop into a remarkable nation, she continued. You have earned a reputation as a welcoming, respectful and compassionate country.

The Queen reflected back on the message she sent Canadians fifty years prior  on the even of the Centennial.

I encouraged Canadians to continue to embody the values of equality, freedom and inclusion, she recalled. Today, these values remain deeply rooted in the Canadian experience. Your country, while still young, has the maturity needed to follow its passions. Throughout the coming year, you will have the opportunity to remind the world of the importance of protecting those values and of passing them on to future generations.

Story continues

She ended her speech with a message of prayer.

We pray that God will bless Canada and that, over the next 150 years, Canadians will continue to build a better country and a better world.

The Canadian Confederation took place on July 1, 1867  when the British colonies of Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick were united into one Dominion of Canada. While the new federal state only included the four provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick at the time, there have been a number of territorial changes and expansions since. The current configuration includes 10 providences and 3 territories.

An official celebration of Confederation is being planned for July.




The death toll from a mine collapse in eastern India's Jharkhand state rose to 17 Sunday as rescue workers continued to search for the bodies of six missing miners.

A massive mound of earth caved in late Thursday at Lalmatia open cast mine, around 240 miles (390 kilometres) from the state capital Ranchi.

"We have now taken out 17 bodies and think the toll may go up to 23," Jharkhand police spokesman RK Mallick told AFP by phone.

"Besides the challenging terrain and foggy weather, the cave-in area is spread around 300 metres and it's obviously taking time to clear the debris and search for the unaccounted miners," he added.

Baleshwar Mahato, a bulldozer operator at the mining site whose son died during the incident, said the mine's operators ignored two safety warnings prior to the collapse.

"After that first warning, there was another alert around 6pm (on Thursday), when a bigger chunk of mud slid down," Baleshwar told The Indian Express.

"But work continued where Kuleshwar (his son) was and then, this tragedy struck," he added.

There was no immediate explanation for the collapse, but the government has launched an investigation into the incident.

Jharkhand is one of the richest mineral zones in India, accounting for around 29 percent of the country's coal deposits. However it is also one of India's poorest areas and the epicentre of a Maoist insurgency.

India has maintained a relatively safe record in mining-related accidents compared to neighbour China, which on average reports around 1,000 fatalities every year.

In 2015, India recorded 38 deaths across 570 mining sites.

The last major mining accident in India occurred in 1975, when 372 workers were killed following the flooding of the Chasnala mine in Dhanbad.
Ronda Rousey released a statement to ESPN Saturday saying she needs to reflect and think about the future, after her loss to Amanda Nunes Friday at UFC 207. (Getty Images)

Less than 24 hours after being stopped by Amanda Nunes in 48 seconds in their fight for the womens bantamweight title before a sell-out crowd of 18,533 at T-Mobile Arena in the main event of UFC 207, Ronda Rousey has broken her silence.

In a statement released to ESPN, Rousey said, I need to take some time to reflect and think about the future.

Rousey, the former unbeaten champion, has had a precipitous fall in the last 13 months. She was stopped by Holly Holm in the second round at UFC 193 in a fight in which she was dominated. After more than a year off, she returned Friday but was no match for Nunes powerful strikes.

She took the bout against Nunes after negotiating a deal with UFC president Dana White in which she didnt have to do any media. She did an interview with ESPN the Magazine and appeared on Conan and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. But she did not speak at all before the fight and failed to attend the post-fight news conference.

Rouseys statement:

I want to say thank you to all of my fans who have been there for me in not only the greatest moments but in the most difficult ones. Words cannot convey how much your love and support means to me. Returning to not just fighting, but winning, was my entire focus this past year. However, sometimes  even when you prepare and give everything you have and want something so badly  it doesnt work how you planned. I take pride in seeing how far the womens division has come in the UFC and commend all the other women who have been part of making this possible, including Amanda. I need to take some time to reflect and think about the future. Thank you for believing in me and understanding.

Her mother, former star judoka Ann Maria DeMars, told TMZ on Friday she hoped her daughter would retire, but said it would be Rouseys decision.

DeMars told TMZ that as a parent, she wanted her daughter to retire because she didnt want to see her get injured. But she said Rousey needed to think of it dispassionately after the emotion wears off.

Story continues

I think making snap decisions like that is probably not the best idea, so I dont know, DeMars told TMZ. I would like to see her retire. I would have liked to have seen her retire a long time ago. Who wants to see their kid get hit? Shes got a lot of talent to do other things. Movies, writing, producing. Shes really, really smart. I told her at the very beginning when she started this. I said, Youre smart and beautiful. Let the stupid people get punched in the face. 

If this is it for Rousey, who turns 30 in February, shell leave as the biggest star in the sport. She was 12-2 and won six UFC title fights before losing to Holm.
Istanbul (AFP) - Foreigners including many nationals of Arab countries were among the dead in the New Year shooting rampage at an Istanbul nightclub, officials said on Sunday.

A total of 39 people were killed in the assault at the exclusive Reina club on the shores of the Bosphorus and 65 injured, officials said.

Here is a breakdown of the nationalities of the dead and wounded known so far given by their respective countries:

- Saudi Arabia -

Riyadh's consulate in Istanbul said that Saudis were among the victims, but gave no figures. The Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper however quoted a consulate source as saying that five Saudis including two women had died and 11 other people were injured. Al-Arabiya television also spoke of five dead and nine wounded.

- Jordan -

The foreign ministry in Amman said three Jordanians were killed and four injured, the official Petra news agency reported.

- Iraq -

A spokeman for Iraq's foreign ministry said that three Iraqis died in the attack.

- Lebanon -

The Lebanese foreign ministry announced the death of three Lebanese and said another four were wounded.

"I was saved by my passport which I was carrying right near my heart," one of the injured, Francois al-Asmar, told Lebanese television from his hospital bed.

- Tunisia -

The Tunisian foreign ministry said on its Facebook page that one Tunisian and one Franco-Tunisian had died. Tunisia's ambassador to France named the victims as husband and wife Mohamed Azzabi and Senda Nakaa who leave behind a five-month-old daughter.

- India -

India's external affairs minister said two nationals were among the dead, naming them as Abis Rizvi, the son of a former MP, and a woman, Khushi Shah.

- Morocco -

Foreign ministry confirmed that two Moroccans were killed and four hospitalised.

- Israel -

The Israeli foreign ministry said a young Arab Israeli woman, 18-year-old Lian Nasser, had died.

- Belgium -

Belgium's foreign ministry confirmed that a man in his 20s, a Belgian-Turkish dual national, was killed.

- Libya -

One Libyan was killed and three others hurt in the attack, according to the north African country's foreign ministry.
By Margarita Antidze and Sergei Karazy TBILISI/KIEV (Reuters) - Republican Senator John McCain said on Sunday the United States could only improve its relations with Russia by taking a tough stance with President Putin, calling for stronger sanctions against Moscow. On a tour of the Baltic states, Ukraine and Georgia, McCain and other senators assured the former Soviet-dominated countries that the United States would support them, despite President-elect Donald Trump's praise of Putin and expressions of doubts about NATO. "We will strongly urge our colleagues toward more meaningful and stronger sanctions against Russia because of their attack on the United States of America," McCain told reporters in Georgia's capital Tbilisi. "I believe that we must continue to improve our relations and to understand that Vladimir Putin - unless we stand up to him - will continue his aggression and we must stand up to Vladimir Putin," McCain said. On Thursday, President Barack Obama ordered the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats and imposed sanctions on two Russian intelligence agencies over the hacking of U.S. political groups during the election. [nL1N1EO11O] But Trump signalled during his campaign that he might take a softer line with Moscow, and on Friday congratulated Putin for not retaliating to the expulsions, tweeting: "Great move on delay (by V. Putin) - I always knew he was very smart!" [nL1N1EP0BR] Earlier, in Kiev, McCain vowed continued U.S. support to Ukraine. "I send the message from the American people - we are with you, your fight is our fight and we will win together," McCain was quoted as saying by Ukrainian President Poroshenko's press service. "In 2017 we will defeat the invaders and send them back where they came from. To Vladimir Putin - you will never defeat the Ukrainian people and deprive them of their independence and freedom," McCain said. Reinforcing the line that the U.S. Congress could oppose any move by Trump to take a softer line on Russia, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, travelling with McCain and others, said it was time "to push back against Putin, to be a better friend to our allies here including Georgia." "So 2017 is a year of offence and we're going to tell our colleagues what's at stake if we don't push back," Graham said. (Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
RUPERT  The acrid smell of ammonia mixed with dog feces hangs in the morning air as Minidoka Joint Powers Animal Control officer Ken Mort and his staff arrive at the shelters kennel building to begin their day.

The blended shrieks of a dozen dogs leave the ears ringing and announce the animals frustrations over being cooped up  and their excitement at seeing humans enter.

I have brought in earplugs before because it really does get loud, part-time employee Deanna Byington says Nov. 14.

Colleen  a young female black Lab picked up over the weekend on a road north of Rupert  is taken to the office where Mort weighs her, administers de-wormer medicine and a dose of vaccinations and scans her for an identification chip.

Long-legged and coltish, she dances around the office sticking her nose up to anyone offering a friendly hand.

As Mort finishes the paperwork, his cellphone ringtone asks, Who Let the Dogs Out? Someones border collie-heeler cross went missing over the weekend, so Mort jots down the pertinent information and goes to the kennel building to see if it is there.

The staff begins to move the dogs from the indoor kennels to outside pens so the cages can be cleaned. A slightly aggressive dog is first, lunging and snarling at the dogs it passes.

After the dogs are outside, the excrement is shoveled into pails and the cages sanitized with bleach.

You kind of have to put up with the smell in the morning, especially when you have a large group of dogs. You get some that wont mess in the kennel and others that will play in it, Mort says.

But thats not the hardest part of the job, he says. Having to euthanize a dog is worse.

Last year the facility euthanized only one of 538 dogs. A dog is put down only when it is injured or ill and a vet determines it will not have quality of life, when the cost for treatment is prohibitive, or when the city or county determines a dog is vicious.

Mort must remain certified in euthanasia, so he has to participate in one at the testing site for each three-year credential.

Because the Rupert shelter puts down so few dogs, its phenobarbital tends to expire before it is used; its more cost-efficient to have a veterinarian perform the procedure on the few occasions its needed.

One of the toughest parts of the job is trying to catch them, especially the little ones, said Mort, paid $29,910 a year. And it can be really dangerous. Ive been bit several times.

Once, a serious bite came within a centimeter of piercing his eye.

Even with the bite glove on, he said, you can still get bruised when they bite you.

Mort carries a Glock .45-caliber handgun on duty, taking it out of the holster only at the gun range and to clean; the possibility always remains that it might be needed. Hes also armed with pepper spray, poke sticks and tranquilizing dart guns.

Animal control officers retrieve passenger dogs from crash scenes, clean up the remains of animals hit on public roads, and pick up injured dogs hit by cars.

As Im going out there I try to prepare myself for the worst and pray for the best, Mort said.

Once he picked up a dog with mangled hindquarters. It couldnt be saved.

Calls like that, he said, leave a mark on a person.

On Nov. 14, Byington and employee Debbie Heinze gathered the metal water buckets and food bowls from the indoor kennels to run through the dishwasher.

Some days are rewarding, Heinze said. Other days you just want to go to bed, pull the covers up over your head and forget everything that happened that day.

Getting attached to the animals takes the biggest toll, said Heinze, who can tell which dogs were abused by how they act.

Heinze often takes dogs home with her when the kennels overflow or when a dog requires medication.

As the morning progressed, Byingtons black shirt became marked with muddy paw prints.

I make it worse because I like to get down and play with them, Byington said. Petting and playing with each dog helps the staff determine its temperament.

People often show their worst side when dealing with an animal they no longer want or when their dog, running loose, is brought to the shelter. And Mort has to check an unused facility in Paul because people tie up animals and abandon them at the vacant building without food or water.

Dealing with people, he said, is often the worst part.
By Margarita Antidze and Sergei Karazy TBILISI/KIEV (Reuters) - Republican Senator John McCain said on Sunday the United States could only improve its relations with Russia by taking a tough stance with President Putin, calling for stronger sanctions against Moscow. On a tour of the Baltic states, Ukraine and Georgia, McCain and other senators assured the former Soviet-dominated countries that the United States would support them, despite President-elect Donald Trump's praise of Putin and expressions of doubts about NATO. "We will strongly urge our colleagues toward more meaningful and stronger sanctions against Russia because of their attack on the United States of America," McCain told reporters in Georgia's capital Tbilisi. "I believe that we must continue to improve our relations and to understand that Vladimir Putin - unless we stand up to him - will continue his aggression and we must stand up to Vladimir Putin," McCain said. On Thursday, President Barack Obama ordered the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats and imposed sanctions on two Russian intelligence agencies over the hacking of U.S. political groups during the election. But Trump signalled during his campaign that he might take a softer line with Moscow, and on Friday congratulated Putin for not retaliating to the expulsions, tweeting: "Great move on delay (by V. Putin) - I always knew he was very smart!" Earlier, in Kiev, McCain vowed continued U.S. support to Ukraine. "I send the message from the American people - we are with you, your fight is our fight and we will win together," McCain was quoted as saying by Ukrainian President Poroshenko's press service. "In 2017 we will defeat the invaders and send them back where they came from. To Vladimir Putin - you will never defeat the Ukrainian people and deprive them of their independence and freedom," McCain said. Reinforcing the line that the U.S. Congress could oppose any move by Trump to take a softer line on Russia, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, travelling with McCain and others, said it was time "to push back against Putin, to be a better friend to our allies here including Georgia." "So 2017 is a year of offence and we're going to tell our colleagues what's at stake if we don't push back," Graham said. (Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
By Humeyra Pamuk and Nick Tattersall ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A gunman opened fire on New Year revelers at a packed nightclub on the shores of Istanbul's Bosphorus waterway on Sunday killing at least 39 people, including many foreigners, then fled the scene. Some people jumped into the Bosphorus to save themselves after the attacker began shooting at random in the Reina nightclub just over an hour into the new year. Witnesses described diving under tables as the assailant walked around spraying bullets from an automatic rifle. The attack shook NATO member Turkey as it tries to recover from a failed July coup and a series of deadly bombings in cities including Istanbul and the capital Ankara, some blamed on Islamic State and others claimed by Kurdish militants. Security services had been on alert across Europe for new year celebrations following an attack on a Christmas market in Berlin that killed 12 people. Only days ago, an online message from a pro-Islamic State group called for attacks by "lone wolves" on "celebrations, gatherings and clubs". "At first we thought some men were fighting with each other," said a Lebanese woman who gave her name as Hadeel and who was in the club with her husband and a friend. "Then we heard the sound of the gunfire and ducked under the tables. "We heard the guy screaming Allahu Akbar (God is Greatest), all three of us heard that ... We heard his footsteps crushing the broken glass," she told Reuters. "We got out through the kitchen, there was blood everywhere and bodies." Officials spoke of a single attacker, a "lone wolf" in the parlance of Islamic State, but some reports citing witnesses including on social media suggested there may have been several. The incident bore echoes of an attack by militant Islamists on Paris's Bataclan music hall in November 2015 that, along with assaults on bars and restaurants, killed 130 people. Nationals of Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Lebanon, Libya, Israel, a Turkish-Belgian dual citizen and a Franco-Tunisian woman were among those killed, officials said. Saudi newspaper al-Riyadh said five of the dead were from Saudi Arabia. France said three of its citizens were wounded. A massive security operation unfolded to track down the fugitive assailant or assailants and any conspirators. Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said 15 or 16 of those killed at Reina were foreigners but only 21 bodies had so far been identified. He told reporters 69 people were in hospital, four of them in critical condition. Turkey is part of the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State and launched an incursion into Syria in August to drive the radical Sunni militants from its borders. It also helped broker a fragile ceasefire in Syria with Russia. "As a nation, we will fight to the end against not just the armed attacks of terror groups, but also against their economic, political and social attacks," President Tayyip Erdogan said in a written statement. "They are trying to create chaos, demoralize our people, and destabilize our country ... We will retain our cool-headedness as a nation, standing more closely together, and we will never give ground to such dirty games," he said. Reina is one of Istanbul's best known nightspots, popular with local high society and foreigners. Some 600 people were thought to be inside when the gunman shot dead a policeman and civilian at the door, forced his way in and then opened fire. Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin said the attacker used a "long-range weapon" to "brutally and savagely" fire on people, apparently referring to some form of assault rifle. U.S. President Barack Obama expressed condolences and directed his team to offer help to the Turkish authorities, the White House said. President Vladimir Putin Putin said Russia remained Turkeys reliable partner in fighting terrorism, according to a statement from the Kremlin. "POLICE MOVED IN QUICKLY" Dozens of ambulances and police vehicles were dispatched to the club in Ortakoy, a neighborhood on the city's European side nestled under one of three bridges crossing the Bosphorus and home to nightclubs, restaurants and art galleries. "I didn't see who was shooting but heard the gun shots and people fled. Police moved in quickly," Sefa Boydas, a Turkish soccer player, wrote on Twitter. "My girlfriend was wearing high heels. I lifted her and carried her out on my back," he said. Hurriyet quoted Reina's owner, Mehmet Kocarslan, as saying security measures had been taken over the past 10 days after U.S. intelligence reports suggested a possible attack. Turkey faces multiple threats including spillover from the war in Syria. Beside its cross-border campaign against Islamic State, it is fighting Kurdish militants in its southeast. The New Year's Day attack came five months after a failed military coup, in which more than 240 people were killed, many of them in Istanbul, as rogue soldiers commandeered tanks and fighter jets in a bid to seize power. More than 100,000 people, including soldiers and police officers, have been sacked or suspended in a subsequent crackdown ordered by Erdogan, raising concern both about civic rights and the effectiveness of Turkey's security apparatus. On Dec. 28, the Nashir Media Foundation, which backs Islamic State, urged sympathizers to carry out attacks in Europe during the holiday period and to "replace their fireworks with explosive belts and devices, and turn their singing and clapping into weeping and wailing". A month ago, a spokesman for Islamic State urged supporters to target "the secular, apostate Turkish government". Turkey has seen repeated attacks in recent weeks. On Dec. 10, two bombs claimed by Kurdish militants exploded outside a soccer stadium in Istanbul, killing 44 people. A car bomb killed at least 13 soldiers and wounded 56 when it ripped through a bus carrying off-duty military personnel in the central city of Kayseri a week later, an attack Erdogan also blamed on Kurdish militants. The Russian ambassador to Turkey was shot dead as he gave a speech in Ankara on Dec. 19 by an off-duty police officer who shouted "Don't forget Aleppo" and "Allahu Akbar". In June, around 45 people were killed and hundreds wounded as three suspected Islamic State militants carried out a gun and bomb attack on Istanbul's main Ataturk airport. (Additional reporting by Yesim Dikmen and Daren Butler in Istanbul, Ece Toksabay and Tuvan Gumrukcu in Ankara, Jeffrey Heller in Jerusalem, Jan Strupczewski in Brussels, Laurence Frost in Paris, Maria Kiselyova in Moscow; Writing by Nick Tattersall; Editing by Ralph Boulton)
BOISE, Idaho (AP)  A little-known federal program that avoids publicizing its accomplishments to protect from looters the thousands of Native American sites it's tasked with managing has been caught up in a big net.

The Federal Columbia River System Cultural Resources Program tracks some 4,000 historical sites that also include homesteads and missions in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana.

Now it's contributing information as authorities prepare a court-ordered environmental impact statement concerning struggling salmon and the operation of 14 federal dams in the Columbia River Basin.

A federal judge urged officials to consider breaching four of those dams on the Snake River.

"Because of the scale of the EIS, there's no practical way for us, even if we wanted to, to provide a map of each and every site that we consider," said Sean Hess, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's Pacific Northwest Region archaeologist. "There are some important sites out there that we don't talk about a lot because of concerns about what would happen because of vandalism."

Fish survival, hydropower, irrigation and navigation get the most attention and will be components in the environmental review due out in 2021. But at more than a dozen public meetings in the four states to collect feedback, the cultural resources program has equal billing. Comments are being accepted through Jan. 17.

The review process is being conducted under the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, an umbrella law that covers the well-known Endangered Species Act. Thirteen species of salmon and steelhead on the Columbia and Snake rivers have been listed as federally protected species over the past 25 years.

But NEPA also requires equal weight be given to other laws, including the National Historic Preservation Act, which is where the cultural resources program comes in. Among the 4,000 sites are fishing and hunting processing areas, ancestral village areas and tribal corridors.

Story continues

"People were very mobile, prehistorically," said Kristen Martine, Cultural Recourse Program manager for the Bonneville Power Administration.

Some of the most notable sites with human activity date back thousands of years and are underwater behind dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers. Celilo Falls, a dipnet fishery for thousands of years, is behind The Dalles Dam on the Columbia River. Marmes Rockshelter was occupied 10,000 years ago but now is underwater behind Lower Monumental Dam on the Snake River.

"If we're breaching dams, it would definitely change how we manage resources," said Gail Celmer, an archaeologist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon ordered the environmental review in May after finding that a massive habitat restoration effort to offset the damage that dams in the Columbia River Basin pose to Northwest salmon runs was failing.

Salmon and steelhead runs are a fraction of what they were before modern settlement. Of the salmon and steelhead that now return to spawn each year, experts say, about 70 to 90 percent originate in hatcheries.

Those opposed to breaching the Snake River dams to restore salmon runs say the dams are an important part of the regional economy, providing irrigation, hydropower and shipping benefits.

Meanwhile, several tribes said they are better able to take part in the review process than they once were.

"Tribes have not had much opportunity to participate in these things because they didn't have professional staff or trained people," said Guy Moura of the Colville Confederated Tribes in Washington state, noting the tribe employed four people in its cultural resources program in 1992 but now has 38. "With growth in size, there also came the evolution of what was being done."

The tribe at one time had a large fishery at Kettle Falls, on the upper part of the Columbia River, but it was inundated in the 1940s behind Grand Coulee Dam. Dams farther downstream on the Columbia prevent salmon from reaching the area.

Also among the 4,000 historical sites is Bonneville Dam, one of 14 dams involved in the environmental impact statement. Bonneville Dam is the lowest dam in the system at about 145 miles from the mouth of the Columbia River. It started operating in the 1930s and became a National Historic Landmark in 1987.
Someone just gave the iconic Hollywood sign a very interesting makeover

First and foremost, vandalism is bad. If you are caught performing an act of vandalism, you could be greatly fined and/or sent to jail. So, dont do it. Just, dont. And now with that being said, we cant stop starring/quietly LOLing at the makeover the Los Angeles Hollywood sign got on New Years Day. Please do not attempt to do this yourself. Just look at it with us right now but DO NOT DO THIS.

For a lil Hollywood history, when the sign was first constructed in the 1930s, it said Hollywoodland. Then, the ~land~ part was removed in the 40s, and it has said Hollywood ever since. And now, January 1st, 2017, well it says Hollyweed.

The Iconic Hollywood Sign Gets Changed To Read "Hollyweed"

Once again, seriously do not attempt to ever alter the Hollywood sign yourself, because it is in a restricted area of the Hollywood Hills, and it is a very steep, dangerous hill. But also this is very funny. But dont do this!

According to The Los Angeles Times, Security footage taken around midnight Saturday showed a lone individual climbing up [the hill], scaling the sign using the built-in ladders and hanging tarpaulins over the signs Os to change them to Es. Thus, creating Hollyweed.

The investigation into this incident is still on-going, but many assume this was done to reflect the fact that California recently voted to legalize recreational marijuana. The law has actually been in place since Election Day, but as the LA Times notes, 2017 will be the first full year that the law will be in effect.

And now we have this.

The Iconic Hollywood Sign Gets Changed To Read "Hollyweed"

Oddly enough, this is not the first time the Hollywood sign has been changed to Hollyweed, so wow, is this now like an on-going prank?

This is not the first time the Hollywood Sign became the Hollyweed Sign. -- Happened in Dec. 1983 (Her-Ex) pic.twitter.com/dVxXyHt1bo  Shelby Grad (@shelbygrad) January 1, 2017

It is still a very bad thing to do, and whoever did this will most certainly receive criminal charges (remember that). But in the mean time, join us as we continue to look at all these Hollyweed pictures.

Story continues

The Iconic Hollywood Sign Gets Changed To Read "Hollyweed"

Welp, 2017 is already off to an interesting start.

The post Someone just gave the iconic Hollywood sign a very interesting makeover appeared first on HelloGiggles.
BARCELONA, Spain (AP)  More than 50 Moroccan and Spanish border guards were injured repelling around 1,100 African migrants who attempted to storm a border fence and enter Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta, Spanish authorities said Sunday.

A regional government spokesman told The Associated Press that 50 Moroccan and five Spanish border guards were injured early on Sunday when the large group of migrants tried to enter Spain.

The spokesman said two migrants managed to reach Spanish soil. Both were injured in scaling the six-meter (20-foot) -high border fence and were taken to a hospital by Spanish police. He spoke anonymously in line with government policy.

A further 100 migrants climbed the fence, but Spanish agents sent them directly back to Morocco.

Last month, more than 400 migrants succeeded in breaching Ceuta's fence in one of the biggest crossing attempts of recent years.

Hundreds of sub-Saharan African migrants living illegally in Morocco try to enter Ceuta and Melilla, Spain's other North African enclave, each year in hope of getting to Europe.

Most migrants who try to cross are intercepted on the spot and returned to Morocco. Those that make it over the fences are eventually repatriated or let go.

Thousands more try to reach Europe by crossing the Mediterranean Sea, often in small craft unfit for the open sea.

Also on Sunday, a ship of Spain's maritime rescue service rescued 52 migrants trying to reach Spain's southern coast in a small boat.
Gamers found their own way to salute Carrie Fisher after her death on Tuesday.

Players of Star Wars: The Old Republic gathered their avatars at House Organa on the planet Alderaan in the online realm to pay their respects to the iconic Star Wars actress. According to YouTube user Kerry-Aiden Nobbs, who posted gameplay footage, many were seen sitting and kneeling before a virtual rendering of Princess Leia Organa, Fishers character from Star Wars.

Images were also posted to Reddit, showing snapshots of other gatherings.

Fisher first appeared as Princess Leia in Star Wars: Episode IV  A New Hope in 1977. After George Lucas original trilogy, she reprised the role  now General Organa  in Star Wars: Episode VII  The Force Awakens. She also finished filming scenes in Episode VIII, directed by Rian Johnson.

Fisher suffered a heart attack while on a flight on Friday, Dec. 23, and was rushed to the intensive care unit at a Los Angeles hospital. She died on Dec. 27 at the age of 60.

Her many fans and peers in Hollywood continue to mourn her passing. Many gathered at movie theaters across the country in lightsaber vigils, and Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, and more members of the Star Wars family also paid tribute.
A man is accusing Starbucks of age-based discrimination after he says the coffee chain banned him from the store after he hit on one of its teenage employees.

According to KREM NBC, the 37-year-old man from Spokane, Washington, says that last week he asked out the teenage barista who filled his Starbucks order. He says he knew she was 16 years old at the time, and that he flirted with her and slipped her a note asking her out.

The next day he went back to the Starbucks, and a local police officer told him that he was no longer welcome to patronize that particular coffee shop.

The man took to Facebook to complain about being banned from the Starbucks, because he says he broke no laws. He also said that he maintains a whole webpage devoted to age gap love.

The 37-year-old says that being banned from Starbucks for harassing its teenage employees is age discrimination, and he posted to Facebook to try to get people to complain on his behalf. It seems like his efforts backfired, however, because most of the comments are from people thanking Starbucks for protecting its employees.

Starbucks has come down on the side of the stores management.

We have no tolerance for any such inappropriate behavior or harassment, and we will continue to support our store partners and local authorities investigating the situation, a company spokesperson said.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The State Department is confirming that the 35 Russian diplomats President Barack Obama ordered out of the country have departed the United States.

Obama expelled the diplomats, saying they were really spies, and ordered new sanctions on Russian spy agencies for alleged Russian hacking of political sites during the presidential election. Obama also shuttered two Russian compounds in Maryland and New York.

The State Department said Sunday that the 35 Russian diplomats, along with their family members, have left the United States.
ZURICH (Reuters) - Switzerland's luxury watch sector can profit from a smartwatch boom as more consumers seek high-end versions of the technology, an industry veteran was quoted as saying.

Swiss watchmakers, who once dismissed smartwatches as a fashion accessory, are racing to grab a share of a fast-growing market via technology partnerships and stepping up investments.

"If it is true that Apple (AAPL.O) has sold around 20 million Apple Watches and has a market share of around 50 percent, then the potential is enormous," said Jean-Claude Biver, head of LVMH (LVMH.PA) watch brands including TAG Heuer, Hublot and Zenith.

"A luxury market arises as soon as people want to differentiate themselves from the masses. That is the case here as well. With our know-how, Swiss quality and prestige we have the best preconditions to master this segment too," he told Swiss paper SonntagsBlick.

TAG Heuer, for instance, partnered with U.S. technology firms Google (GOOGL.O) and Intel (INTC.O) for its TAG Heuer Connected watch, whose first units offered at just under 1,400 Swiss francs ($1,375) apiece sold out quickly last year.

The Swiss watch industry, which includes Swatch (UHR.S) and Richemont (CFR.S), may overall be selling fewer timepieces as exports decline 15 months in a row but it is not facing an existential crisis as in the 1970s, Biver said.

He said the industry was instead consolidating as top brands boost market share.

(Reporting by Michael Shields; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)
Genres : Action, Crime, Drama

Starring : Stephen Lang, Michael Carmine, Lauren Holly

Director : Paul Michael Glaser

Plot Synopsis

Welcome to the jungle, Miami-style, where fast cars, dirty deals, hot women, and acid-washed jeans all come with the turf. While serving time in a grueling rehab program in Florida's Everglades, five young felons bond together to form an unlikely union. When they return to Miami's dangerous ghetto, the five former criminals wage a lethal war on the drug kingpins who rule the underworld of murder and mayhem. BAND OF THE HAND goes for the jugular, never once loosening its grip until its heart-stopping climax!
When the chips are down, I have Israels back.

 Barack Obama, AIPAC conference, March 4, 2012

WASHINGTON  The audience  overwhelmingly Jewish, passionately pro-Israel and supremely gullible  applauded wildly. Four years later  his last election behind him, with a month to go in office and with no need to fool Jew or gentile again  Obama took the measure of Israels back and slid a knife into it.

People dont quite understand the damage done to Israel by the U.S. abstention that permitted passage of a Security Council resolution condemning Israel over settlements. The administration pretends this is nothing but a restatement of long-standing U.S. opposition to settlements.

Nonsense. For the last 35 years, every administration, including a re-election-seeking Obama himself in 2011, has protected Israel with the U.S. veto because such a Security Council resolution gives immense legal ammunition to every boycotter, anti-Semite and zealous European prosecutor to penalize and punish Israelis.

An ordinary Israeli who lives or works in the Old City of Jerusalem becomes an international pariah, a potential outlaw. To say nothing of the soldiers of Israels citizen army. Every pilot and every officer and every soldier, said a confidant of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, we are waiting for him at The Hague. I.e., the International Criminal Court.

Moreover, the resolution undermines the very foundation of a half-century of American Middle East policy. What becomes of land for peace if the territories Israel was to have traded for peace are, in advance, declared to be Palestinian land to which Israel has no claim?

The peace parameters enunciated so ostentatiously by Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday are nearly identical to the Clinton parameters that Yasser Arafat was offered and rejected in 2000 and that Abbas was offered by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in 2008. Abbas, too, walked away.

Kerry mentioned none of this because it undermines his blame-Israel narrative. Yet Palestinian rejectionism works. The Security Council just declared the territories legally Palestinian  without the Palestinians having to concede anything, let alone peace.

The administration claims a kind of passive innocence on the text of the resolution, as if it had come upon it at the last moment. We are to believe that the ostensible sponsors  New Zealand, Senegal, Malaysia and a Venezuela that cannot provide its own people with toilet paper, let alone food  had for months been sweating the details of Jewish housing in East Jerusalem.

Nothing new here, protests deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes: When we see the facts on the ground, again deep into the West Bank, beyond the separation barrier, we feel compelled to speak up against those actions.

This is a deception. Everyone knows that remote outposts are not the issue. Under any peace, they will be swept away. Even the right-wing Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who lives in one of these West Bank Settlements, has stated publicly that I even agree to vacate my settlement if there really will be a two-state solution. Wheres the obstacle to peace?

A second category of settlement is the close-in blocs that border 1967 Israel. Here, too, we know in advance how these will be disposed of: Theyll become Israeli territory and, in exchange, Israel will swap over some of its land to a Palestinian state. Wheres the obstacle to peace here?

Its the third category of settlement that is the most contentious and that Security Council resolution 2334 explicitly condemns: East Jerusalem. This is not just scandalous; its absurd. America acquiesces to a declaration that, as a matter of international law, the Jewish state has no claim on the Western Wall, the Temple Mount, indeed the entire Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem. They belong to Palestine.

The Temple Mount is the most sacred site in all of Judaism. That it should be declared foreign to the Jewish people is as if the Security Council declared Mecca and Medina to be territory to which Islam has no claim. Such is the Orwellian universe Israel inhabits.

At the very least, Obama should have insisted that any reference to East Jerusalem be dropped from the resolution or face a U.S. veto. Why did he not? Its incomprehensible  except as a parting shot of personal revenge on Benjamin Netanyahu. Or perhaps as a revelation of a deep-seated antipathy to Israel that simply awaited a safe political interval for public expression.

Another legacy moment for Barack Obama. And his most shameful.
Beirut (AFP) - Fighting in parts of Syria on Sunday threatened a shaky ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey, whose efforts to kickstart talks towards ending the conflict won backing from world powers.

The nationwide truce between the regime and non-jihadist rebels aims to smooth the way for peace talks in Kazakhstan later this month orchestrated by Damascus's allies Moscow and Tehran and rebel backer Ankara.

The UN Security Council on Saturday unanimously approved a resolution supporting the Russian and Turkish initiative aimed at ending the nearly six-year-old war that has killed more than 310,000 people and displaced millions.

Air raids and clashes have continued to shake parts of the country since the ceasefire started at midnight on Thursday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group.

Four civilians, two of them children, and nine rebels have been killed since the truce took effect, said the Britain-based Observatory, which relies on a network of sources in Syria for its information.

In northern Syria, regime air strikes on Sunday targeted the rebel-held town of Atareb, the monitor said.

Regime air strikes also hit the Wadi Barada region near Damascus, where the government says rebels last week deliberately targeted water infrastructure that supplies the capital.

On Saturday night, rebels shelled Fuaa and Kafraya, two besieged Shiite-majority villages in northwestern Syria.

In the rebel bastion of Eastern Ghouta east of Damascus, which the government has waged a months-long offensive to retake, opposition fighters exchanged fire with regime forces.

The truce excludes the Islamic State group and former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front.

Saturday's UN resolution "welcomes and supports the efforts by Russia and Turkey to end violence in Syria and jumpstart a political process", and hails the planned talks in the Kazakh capital Astana as "an important step".

The measure also calls for the "rapid, safe and unhindered" delivery of humanitarian aid in Syria.

Story continues

- 60,000 killed in 2016 -

In Eastern Ghouta's Hammuriyeh area, Syrian activists marked the New Year by decorating a tree with lights and pictures of war victims, an AFP photographer said.

The Observatory says a total of 60,000 people lost their lives in violence across Syria in 2016, more than 13,000 of them civilians.

Syria's conflict began in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests and has since spiralled into a multi-front war involving various sides and international players.

Russia and Turkey say the Astana talks in late January will supplement, not replace, UN-backed peace efforts, including negotiations set to resume on February 8 in Geneva.

Moscow and Ankara have been working increasingly closely on Syria, including on a deal to allow the evacuation of civilians and rebels from the besieged northern city of Aleppo last month.

The fighting in Syria has occasionally spilled over into neighbouring Turkey, with several attacks blamed on IS or Kurdish militants.

In the latest violence, 39 people, including many foreigners, were killed Sunday when a gunman went on a rampage at an exclusive nightclub in Istanbul where revellers were celebrating the New Year.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

Turkey has waged a four-month incursion in Syria that it says is to expel IS and Kurdish fighters from the border area.

Washington has been noticeably absent from the new process to end Syria's conflict, but has called the truce "positive".

Moscow -- which has been supporting Damascus with air strikes since 2015 -- has said it hopes to bring US President-elect Donald Trump's administration on board once he takes office later this month.

On Saturday, in the coastal regime stronghold of Tartus, two suicide bombers blew themselves up at a security roadblock, killing two members of the regime forces.
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian warplanes resumed their bombardment of the rebel-held Wadi Barada valley northwest of Damascus on Sunday after nearly 24 hours with no air raids, a rebel official and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said. Rebels threatened on Saturday to abandon a Russian- and Turkish-backed ceasefire deal, which took effect on Friday, if the Syrian government and its allies continued to violate it. The Observatory and a military news outlet run by Lebanese Hezbollah, a Damascus ally, said hundreds of civilians had left Wadi Barada in the last day for government-controlled areas nearby. (Reporting by John Davison; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
By Fumbuka Ng'wanakilala DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) - Tanzania is in talks with banking giant Credit Suisse for a $300 million loan that would go towards financing infrastructure projects, the country's finance minister said on Saturday. Philip Mpango said Tanzania was also in separate talks with other lenders, including the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, the Abu Dhabi state fund Mubadala Development and the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) for an unspecified amount of loans. "The government has initiated negotiations with Credit Suisse in the United Kingdom for a loan of $300 million following recent improvements in the cost of borrowing in European markets," he said in a statement. Mpango said Tanzania plans to borrow a total of $936m from external non-concessional sources in 2016/17 (July-June) fiscal year to support domestic revenues and finance public spending. The finance and planning ministry said earlier this month Tanzania aims to issue its first Eurobond in the fiscal year 2017/18 to fund new infrastructure projects after repeated delays as the country sought a credit rating. The government has not said how much money it wants to raise in the Eurobond sale. President John Magufuli, a former public works minister, has promised to revamp ageing infrastructure and has also led an aggressive anti-corruption drive since his election a year ago, both aimed at restoring efficiency to public services. The government said last year it had concluded talks with ratings agency Fitch for a sovereign credit rating and also hoped to finalise similar discussions with Moodys Investors Service, paving the way for a possible debut Eurobond issue. (Editing by Elias Biryabarema and Stephen Powell)
A software upgrade for 1,000 cars is not very many, particularly for a manufacturer which sells 15,000 a quarter. But, autopilot software is critical to driver safety and is one of the most talked about aspects of the future of the industry. Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk thought a new upgrade was so important, he tweeted it to his 6.5 million followers on Twitter:

HW2 Autopilot software uploading to 1000 cars this eve. Will then hold to verify no field issues and upload to rest of fleet next week.

Tesla has had both good and bad news about its autopilot. The bad is that a driver was killed in June, which using the service. The Verge reported at the time:

ALSO READ: The Worst Companies to Work For

A Tesla Model S with the Autopilot system activated was involved in a fatal crash, the first known fatality in a Tesla where Autopilot was active. The company revealed the crash in a blog post posted today and says it informed the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the incident, which is now investigating.

Much more recently, just three days ago, the autopilot was described as nothing short of extraordinary. According to CNBC:

Dash cam footage suggests a Tesla on Autopilot may have predicted a nearby freeway crash before it actually happened.

A video uploaded to Twitter shows a Tesla car driving on a highway in the Netherlands behind two cars that collide with each other.

A Tesla representative confirmed with CNBC that the beeping heard in the video just before the accident is the sound of Autopilot's Forward Collision Warning.

ALSO READ: The Best CEOs of 2016

As the product advances there should be many more upgrades. Tesla does this by uploading these upgrades via broadband

Related Articles
Elon Musk

The title of this story is a bit misleading  Tesla faces far more than just three major tests in 2017.

But some major tests are more major than others. And how Tesla and CEO Elon Musk deal with this Big Ones will determine whether Tesla makes it successfully through what will be the most important year in the upstart electric automaker's history.

Even the numerology of the year itself is significant: 2017 is a decade on from 2007 and the period when Musk began to take control of the company, eventually becoming CEO and presiding over the launch of Tesla's first all-original design, the Model S sedan.

In ten years, Tesla has gone from near bankruptcy in 2008 to a $30-billion-plus market cap company. It's one of the greatest triumphs in modern American business, made all the more impressive because the auto industry is so well established and difficult to break into.

Tesla's major tests for 2017 fall into three categories: production, management, and financing. That why I'm arguing that there are only three. Tesla's overriding objective for the year should be relentless focus on passing these tests. A caveat: Musk himself might be thinking hard about how to execute on these fronts, but they aren't necessarily related to his overarching vision for his companies  including SpaceX: push humanity into a fossil-fuel-free, multiplanetary future.

Here are the tests:

Launch the Model 3 on schedule

tesla model 3

Ironically, this is the most important test  and the easiest to pass. Tesla knows how to build a car, and in the second half of 2016  assuming it achieves its goal of delivering 50,000 vehicles  it really started to get its production game together.

Musk has begun to develop some potentially revolutionary new ideas about the future of manufacturing, but in the short term, getting the Model 3 mass-market vehicle, slated to price at $30,000 after tax breaks, rolling off the assembly lines in Fremont, CA by the end of 2017 is all about blocking and tackling.

Story continues

While the Model S was Tesla's first crack at a "real" car, and the Model X SUV that arrived in 2015, years behind schedule, was by Musk's admission overly complicated.

The Model 3 is supposed to be designed and engineered to a price-point. That means sheet metal instead of aluminum for the body panels, a smaller battery than what goes into the high-end S and X, and less fancy interior appointments overall.

Traditional automakers would have no difficulty producing tens of thousands of Model 3-type vehicles on schedule. But there are doubts about whether Tesla can pull it off.

It will be easy to to keep track of Tesla's progress. If the Model 3 starts showing up in the wild, on California roads, being tested in the first or second quarter of 2017, an on-time launch in late 2017 will happen. There shouldn't be any technically difficulties, either, as Tesla is simply taking all its existing and proven tech and putting it in a smaller, cheaper package.

That said, it's vital that Tesla passes the Model 3 test. Nearly 400,000 pre-orders, at $1,000 each, mean that the Model 3 represents a massive amount of future revenue.

Integrate SolarCity with Tesla's other lines of business

elon musk solar roof

Getting the Model 3 rolling on time is a walk in the park compared with this one. Tesla's $2.6-billion deal to merge with SolarCity, whose CEO is Musk's cousin (Musk is the Chairman of the Board), brings with it $3 billion debt. But that's just the impact to Tesla's balance sheet. The larger challenge is yoking together a carmaker and a solar-panel leaser and installer.

While a "green" automaker and solar company might appear to have connections, and while both fall under the general category of "manufacturers" (although SolarCity has been more of a financier and distributor), there's a reason why auto companies stick to building mainly cars and truck  that in itself is hard enough.

Don't forget that Tesla also established, about a year ago, an energy storage business. And Musk and his team are in the process of building a huge battery factory in Nevada, to the tune of about $6 billion.

I didn't like the SolarCity deal because I thought it would weight Tesla down, interfere with the Model 3 launch, and turn Musk into the de facto CEO of the company, making him the chief executive of three enterprises and further stretching his already stretched attention span  which does seem infinitely elastic.

For what it's worth, Tesla has acquired in SolarCity a large but weakened player in the solar market, and one that's going through a fundamental business change. SolarCity's early success in residential rooftop solar was due to its leasing model; it could outfit homes with solar panels and relieve the homeowner of the purchasing burden.

But the company is shifting to a manufacturing-and-sales model, symbolized by the solar roof product that Musk showcased in late 2016. This could ultimately improve the debt-laden aspect of Tesla's SolarCity balance sheet. But it is a new thing. And Musk will probably have to drive it forward.

Failure, however, isn't an option.

Control the cash burn and support the stock price

TSLA Chart

If launching the Model 3 is the easiest test to pass and integrating SolarCity is a the hardest, the financial side of Tesla 2017 is a test that lives somewhere in the middle.

The degree of difficulty here used to be huge, as the company produced less than 100,000 vehicles per year and was unfortunately subject to the belief that it was a Silicon Valley tech startup and not a carmaker  which led to wild ups and downs for the stock price.

The difficulty now involves SolarCity impact on quarterly financials, but that will take most of 2017 to work out. The bigger issue is cash.

Cars are a cash-intensive business. At the moment, Tesla appears to have done a far better job than it expected in managing its cash in 2016. The company will close out the year with about $1.2 billion in cash, plus some extended credit lines that give it additional breathing room. In the past, Tesla's goal has been to have a billion in reserve. It has $200 million more.

Musk and CFO Jason Wheeler point to greatly improved manufacturing efficiency, which enables Tesla to get more out of every dollar spent, with the upshot that the accordingly increased revenue will at some point start to improve Tesla's cash position sort of automatically.

Obviously, it will be expensive to launch the Model 3 in 2017, although a lot of cost may carry over into 2018, when production ramps up. But as far as this test goes, Tesla has kind of "pre-passed."

The stock is another story. As usual heading into a near year, it's primed for a decline. Tesla will likely just make, or narrowly miss, the low end of its 2016 guidance of 80,000-90,000 vehicle deliveries. Shares have been rallying at year end, above $200, so investors may have already priced in the miss. But the 2016 full-year and fourth-quarter financials won't come in until Tesla reports in 2017, and nervousness on Wall Street could send the stock into a swoon

Early this year, it dived from $240 to $140 before recovering.

Tesla would certainly like to maintain shares at or around that $200 mark because it provides the company with a fallback: the opportunity to use Wall Street like and ATM and do a capital raise, as it did in 2015. Musk has said he doesn't want to do this, and given Tesla's cash position, it might not be necessary. But the company won't want to lose it as an option.

Launching the Model 3 and dealing with the financials would be business as usual for a lot of companies. However, those are tough tests for Tesla to pass, albeit far from impossible.

It's the SolarCity piece that's the true major test. And critically, Tesla can't get distracted by it. Otherwise, the two less difficult tests will get a whole lot harder.

NOW WATCH: Tesla reveals how your self-driving car sees the road





More From Business Insider


Hong Kong (AFP) - Thousands of protesters, chanting "Sovereignty belongs to the people!" marched through Hong Kong on New Year's Day to protest at the governments legal bid to unseat some pro-democracy lawmakers.

The four popularly elected legislators, who led the rally, were the latest targets of a government move which pro-democracy parties describe as a witch hunt.

It came after the city's courts ousted two pro-independence lawmakers for failing to swear their oaths of office correctly, a move backed by Beijing.

The Hong Kong government now wants to bar the other four legislators for alleged breaches in their swearing-in ceremony and in their oaths of allegiance.

"We can see that under Hong Kong's rule of law, the government, with its unlimited resources, will use legal procedures to bully leaders and representatives with fewer resources," Joshua Wong, a prominent student leader, told AFP at the rally.

"This has shown that 'One Country, Two Systems' is a failure and we should use the 20th anniversary of the handover to reflect on our political situation."

Britain handed Hong Kong back to China in 1997 under a deal which gives it broad autonomy and preserves its freedoms and the rule of law for 50 years. But there are fears these freedoms are being eroded by Beijing.

"The four lawmakers are genuinely concerned about the future of Hong Kong to ensure that our core values will be maintained," Peggy Ng, a retired civil servant, told AFP at the rally.

"Particularly, that our next generations will enjoy the freedoms that I have enjoyed before."

Court proceedings against the four are scheduled to start in February.

Organisers of the march said 9,150 people attended, while police estimated an maximum attendance of 4,800.

A 1,200-strong pro-Beijing committee will elect Hong Kong's next leader in March.

The current unpopular chief executive Leung Chun-ying has announced he will not seek re-election, citing family reasons.

Story continues

Banners at the march caricatured the likely election candidates and highlighted their pro-establishment positions.

Sunday's rally also sought to raise funds for the four lawmakers to fight the government's challenge in court.

The two ousted pro-independence lawmakers separately announced last week they were making a final legal bid to overturn their exclusion from the legislature.
Turkish authorities are searching for the suspect in a shooting at a nightclub in Istanbul during New Years celebrations that left at least 39 dead and 70 wounded. More here.

President-elect Donald Trump told reporters Saturday night that he knew things that other people dont know about Russian hacking interference in the presidential election, which U.S. intelligence agencies say was ordered by Russias military intelligence unit. Catch up on the news with stories my colleague David Graham, here and here.

Were live-blogging the news stories of the day below. All updates are in Eastern Standard Time (GMT -5).

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
Cuba (2 of 7)

Cuba appears to be in a historical moment.

In early December, Fidel Castro, the countrys long-time leader, died. It had been my assumption that his death was like the sun dropping out of the solar system for the long-stagnating island nation. Things were going to start to come apart, and soon.

I traveled to Cuba two weeks after his death with this in mind  expecting something, but not quite sure what.

Though I was born after the end of the Cold War, Castro was one of the few boogeymen of the era to retain his stature. Even as the Soviet Union disintegrated and Russia reassembled itself, and China underwent rapid economic growth, Cuba and Castro held resolute.

But he gave up power in 2006, to his brother Raul, and there have been shy signs of liberalization since. A series of economic reforms implemented at a snails pace since 2011 has allowed Cubans to open small businesses and invited foreign investment. In 2014, US President Barack Obama and Raul began a reconciliation that has reopened diplomatic relations, made it simpler for Americans  like me  to visit, and lifted some of the economic restrictions between the countries.

All of this was capped off by Obamas limp hand photo with Raul Castro in March and the official commencement of flights from American commercial airlines this fall.

I suppose what I was expecting was the chance to witness change  a nation grinding itself awake to the ways of the majority of the world. That's approximately what I told my taxi driver, Rafael, as he sped out of Havana and onto an empty highway toward the countryside one Sunday morning. He smiled behind his amber-tinted Aviator sunglasses, which were situated over a rectangular pair of prescription glasses.

"Everyone that gets in my car talks about change," he said, glancing back. "But I dont see any change. All I see is more of the same."

The sentiment was one I heard over and over again, even as I witnessed fruits of Cubas liberalization. There wasnt a tourist I met in the country who didnt mention expecting to witness some undefined change or wanting to visit before the change arrived, usually imagined in the form of overweight Americans puffing cigars outside newly built McDonald's and Starbucks.

Story continues

Theres an arrogance to that reason for visiting, which I was as aware of in myself as in others I met along the way. It amounts to a kind of "poverty tourism"  "look at the quaint classic cars," or, "I want to visit before the Havanas buildings are rebuilt."

The Cubans I met seemed to recognize the developments, while also remaining skeptical that after nearly 60 years of Communist rule, any significant change would occur. A middle-aged street sweeper said to me that all the government does is talk, and that hed sooner believe "the sun, the moon, or the ocean" if it told him something than Raul Castro and the Communist Party.

Change in a place like Cuba is almost imperceptibly slow. The entire culture seems predicated on waiting  for the bus to arrive, for the supermarket to open, for an internet card, for the bank. It is so ingrained that if you get on a line, shout "ultimo," and walk away, everyone on the line will vouch for you when you return 20 minutes later.

'Nothing costs what it should'

Cuba (7 of 7)

There are small hints at change.

The prices for things not printed on a menu or dictated by the state seem to have doubled since my guidebook was published six months ago. Everywhere I went, Cubans told me it would be "impossible" to find a room or book a taxi because of how many tourists were around. This was never the case, and it almost always preceded them telling me the price for something was $10 more than I expected.

The most well-off Cubans are those who work in the tourism industry  tour guides, drivers, bed-and-breakfast hosts, and restaurant and bar workers. But for the most part, despite the 17.6% increase in tourism from 2014 to 2015, things are more or less the same for the average Cuban. Only 25% of Cuban workers are in the private sector. The rest still work for the government at meager salaries of 20-40 dollars per month.

"The economy is very bad here," Rafael said. "The worst in the world, I think. Nothing costs what it should. Everything is too expensive."

Rafael had proved to be a straight-talking guide. My girlfriend, Annie, and I had arrived two days earlier in Havana, and found ourselves dazed by the strange, dusty rhythms of the city. It was hard to tell if anyone wasnt trying to sell you something.

We hired Rafael to take us a few hours out to the countryside to Vinales, a popular destination for those looking to hike or see the country's tobacco and coffee fields. When he picked us up in his blue, mid-1980s Russian-made Lada, we found that wed be sharing the car with an Indian couple from London, Jai and Anika. Jai, a logistics manager for a computer-software company, asked Rafael to elaborate on Cubas economic situation. By way of explanation, Rafael tapped the roof of the car.

"Do you know how much it costs to buy a car like this?" he asked. Both Jai and I took a guess  $1,500? $2,000? Rafael laughed.

"$30,000," he said, letting the answer hang without explanation. We both exclaimed surprise at the figure.

"Is that in CUC," I asked, referring to the Cuban convertible peso, the Cuban currency pegged to the US dollar and used primarily by tourists or for Cubans to buy luxury goods. (Cuba has a second currency known as the peso, used almost exclusively by Cubans for basic goods, and worth 1/24 of the CUC.)

"CUC, dollars, euros, whatever you have," he said, before adding, "$30,000 for this!"

He pointed at the interior of the car. It had seen better days. The seats were collapsing, despite having been reupholstered in a cheap, green fabric. The air conditioner blew lukewarm air. The windows were tinted to near black, but one of the handles to roll them down had broken off. The exterior of the car was dented and scratched.

Rafael went on to explain that because of the US's half-century-long (and counting) embargo and Cubas general isolation, there is a massive shortage of cars on the island, which has driven prices to absurd levels. Cuba estimates that the embargo has cost it $753.69 billion since the US implemented it in 1960.

I forgot to ask how he obtained his car, given that the price was so exorbitant and loans are not common. Other taxi drivers provided answers: They were provided cars as part of their previous jobs for the government, were able to buy broken-down ones and then fix them piecemeal as they made enough money, or were handed down by family members who obtained them through similar means.

Every so often, a gleaming new Chinese-manufactured Geely or South Korean-manufactured Kia blew past us on the highway. Jai, a car junky, asked Rafael if Cubans were driving the cars. Rafael shook his head and explained that only government officials receive the new cars. The rest are only there to be rented out to tourists.

Though some are available for purchase to Cuban citizens, the prices, like that of Rafaels Lada, are exorbitant. Prices for the Asian cars top 80,000 CUC, despite the fact that they retail in China or the US for approximately $20,000. The extreme scarcity of the cars is only part of the issue, he said. The government imposes heavy taxes on the vehicles to support public-transportation initiatives.

Essentially, the only people that own cars on the island are government workers, foreigners, and people who make their living from driving. An increase in US tourism is unlikely to change that reality.

The government 'always' gets its cut

Rafael was probably the most pessimistic person we met on the trip. When I asked him about the prospect of Raul Castro stepping down in a year or so, his response was that a Castro  any Castro  would replace him. (Most Cuba experts think it would actually be Miguel Diaz-Canel, a rising star in the party and one of the first of the post-revolutionary generation to gain power.) Change in his mind was impossible, no matter how much US investment or tourists arrive on Cubas shores.

"The people want the changes," Rafael said, "but the government controls everything and it always will. Things may change a little, but the government will always know how to get its money."

He went on to explain that, because of the dual-currency system and the governments tax structure, the prices for most non-essentials are already equivalent to or higher than their prices in the US or Europe, and therefore unaffordable to Cubans. Increased tourism has already driven up prices for many things on the island. And even if there is an influx of capital from US tourists and businesses, Rafael was skeptical any great benefit would come to the average Cuban. Most of the money will flow back to the Cuban government, he said.

It was a strange thing to hear from a man who told us an hour before that he quit his agricultural engineering job for the government because he knew he could make four times his monthly engineering salary in a day driving tourists from Havana to Vinales and back.

But Rafael elaborated his point by talking about the casa particular system, which allows certain Cubans to rent out rooms in their houses or apartments to tourists for 20 to 35 CUC per night in a sort of proto-Airbnb. (In fact, Airbnb has latched onto this system to rapidly expand in the country.) The system has been around officially since 1997, when the government allowed casa hosts to register with the government as legal businesses, though reports say Cubans rented out rooms under the table for years before.

The casa system is like a home-stay, where tourists can stay with and get to know average Cubans. I had assumed that by staying in casas instead of the state-run hotels we were giving money directly to regular Cubans, but the real situation is more murky, Rafael said.

Cuba (4 of 7)

Heres how he put it (paraphrased/translated by my girlfriend, who speaks far better Spanish than I):

"First, the casa particulars are mostly run by the wealthiest Cubans, often former party members, because they are the only ones that can afford the monthly 300 CUC fee for the permit [note: Ive read that its actually somewhere between 150 and 200 CUC] or have a well-kept extra room that they can rent out. Not average Cubans.

"Second, in addition to the the permits, Casa particular hosts have to pay 'monstrous taxes' on each guest, meaning that a high percentage of their proceeds go back to the government. To the governments credit, hosts are provided with many of the supplies they need for guests, like mini-fridges, air-conditioners, and water bottles and other products to sell. Its definitely good for the hosts, but not as good as you might think. The greatest benefits go back to the government.

"The monthly permit fee is constant, regardless of how many guests a casa owner books. In busy months, like December and January, that may seem completely reasonable. In weak months, the permit fee can be crippling. Particularly when you take into account that most Cubans make around 20-40 CUC per month.

"The margins are tight.

"Further, the whole system gives tourists a skewed perception of the country, particularly those that arent savvy enough to look behind the curtain."

"Go outside of the casas and you will see the houses that the rest of Cuba lives in. A strong wind would blow them over," he concluded.

Cuba (5 of 7)

In Vinales, we saw the houses he was talking about. Past the town center and the adjacent streets where the casas lay were tin-roof shacks pushing up out of the ground like unruly weeds. We hired a guide, Luis, to take us through the valley on horseback, and we sat in his two-room house while he saddled the horses. He had clearly built the stable himself and the horses, of which he had five, were unkempt and thin, but he cared for them lovingly. He took us past his house and through tobacco fields, a coffee plantation, and several caves.

A former pork butcher who had been pushed out of the business when the government nationalized the industry several years ago, Luis had even less humor about the plight of Cuba than Rafael.

Annie mentioned that a casa host we stayed with in Havana said that Cubans everywhere "are happy and content." Luis responded bitterly.

"Where? I do not see them," he said.

At the same time, he was far more optimistic than Rafael. He doesn't take for granted that he is now able to live off the income from his ranching business  thanks to the influx of tourists happy to pay for the horseback tour and the liberalization that has allowed private enterprises to exist.

Wasted potential

Cuba (3 of 7)

Everywhere in Cuba we went  Havana, Vinales, Trinidad, and the places in between  the story was the same.

The taxi drivers and tour guides we met are doctors, engineers, and professors who either retired early or quit out of frustration at the low salaries. (In Cuba, such highly regarded professions make barely more than a street sweeper.) Instead, they picked up serving tourists because, as Rafael said, they can make four times in a day what they used to make in a month.

The level of education and potential wasting away behind steering wheels or taking orders at the tourist-oriented restaurants is discouraging. Still, again and again, the same people who lamented the difficulty of their situation and the overbearing nature of the Cuban government would, in the same breath, defend the legitimacy of the revolution due to the education, food, and healthcare provided to the poor.

'The reality is not simple'

Cuba (1 of 7)

On our last day in the country, we spent about 15 minutes standing on Linea Avenue in Vedado, one of the more upscale sections of Havana, waiting to get a ride from a collectivo (think UberPool). After successfully coaxing a rusty red mid-1950s Ford to stop for us, we hopped into the front seat. All the other seats were taken. A stylish-dressed man no more than a few years older than me took a coin from someone in the backseat and introduced himself as Javier.

Like other Cubans we met, he was excited by the prospect of speaking to Americans, who even now rarely visit the island, he said. Javier spoke excellent English and Annie asked him where he learned it. He told us that he learned at the University of Havana, where he was taught by one of the last professors to be educated before the revolution. Prior to the revolution, he explained, many of the classes and books were taught in English. I asked if this meant he studied linguistics, but he shook his head. Like so many of our taxi drivers, he was an engineer. But not anymore.

I asked why.

"I used to work for a company that is controlled by the government, but it wasnt enough," he said. "I got paid 20 CUC per month. I also got a car and a cell phone. So it wasnt all bad. But I didnt want those things handed to me. I wanted to earn them myself. I wanted to make the money myself. There was nowhere to go once you are there. So I left."

He explained that, after quitting, he joined one of Cubas humanitarian missions to Equatorial Guinea to help the country eliminate malaria. He spent five years there working on the project and he loved it, describing it as one of the best and most freeing experiences of his life. He particularly enjoyed when he was able to enter the American compounds of oil conglomerates, which he said were set up like mini-Americas.

Reality came crashing down three years ago, however, when his father died. There was no one left to support his family  his siblings and his two young children  so he returned home. He couldnt bring himself to go back to the IT job, so he scraped together 1,500 CUC to buy the Ford. He qualified the price by saying that the entire vehicle needed to be replaced  it was more or less just a shell. Piece by piece, he put in a new engine, new floorboards, new seats, new clutch. Next on his list was the roof. But it was all worth it.

It didnt seem to occur to him that driving the collectivo, which more or less means following the same bus route day in and day out, might be boring. To him, he was running his own business and thats what was important. For every rider, almost all Cubans, collectivos make 25-50 cents CUC. Collectivos appeared to always be at or near their full capacity of five passengers. It is far more lucrative than his old job, he said.

We spent some time talking about why Annie and I came to Cuba now  the 2014 agreement between Obama and Raul, the desire to see Cuba before and during the change, and the prospect that the US-Cuba thaw could be undone by President-elect Donald Trump, who has taken a more hardline stance against Cuba. Javier laughed.

"The Cuban people have suffered a lot. Weve survived a lot," he said. "We survived Nixon, two Bushes  well survive Donald."

To Javier, the opening of Cuba, the flowering of businesses and industry and so on, is inevitable. Tourism is a big business, and he suggested that he, and many Cubans, are ready for it. Annie commented that because he speaks fluent English, he is a prime candidate to be a tour guide to English-speaking tourists. He smiled and said that hed been looking into getting training from a tour company.

As if assuming the role, he began to point out buildings to us near Paseo de Marti, one of the main strips in Old Havana  the Bacardi building, the national ballet school, Hotel Inglaterra, and finally Capitolio, a near-replica of the US Capitol Building.

"There is so much tradition in Cuba that was inspired by America," he said. "Many Cubans have forgotten, but you can see it in the buildings.

Before we got out at Capitolio, our destination, Javier thanked us for coming to Cuba and told us to encourage more Americans to visit. He said that what we read about on the news is not the "real Cuba" and that we (and other Americans) can only begin to understand by visiting.

"The reality is not simple," he said of Cuba. "There is good and bad here, like every place. It is complicated."

[Editor's note: All names have been changed to protect the identities of those quoted.]

NOW WATCH: Here are some incredible things you didnt know about Putin's life





More From Business Insider


Washington (AFP) - President-elect Donald Trump again cast doubt on a US intelligence finding that Russia meddled in the US election through computer hacking, a conclusion that led to US sanctions against Moscow.

"Well, I just want them to be sure, because it's a pretty serious charge, and I want them to be sure," Trump told reporters at his estate in Mar-a-Lago, Florida.

He noted that US intelligence had erred when it said Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction -- the pretext for the US-led invasion in 2003 -- calling this "a disaster, and they were wrong".

He said it was "unfair" of the United States to accuse Russia of hacking if there was any doubt.

"And I know a lot about hacking. And hacking is a very hard thing to prove. So it could be somebody else. And I also know things that other people don't know, and so they cannot be sure of the situation," Trump said.

Asked what he knew that others did not, Trump said, "Youll find out on Tuesday or Wednesday."

Trump was also asked how important cybersecurity would be to his administration after he takes power on January 20.

Trump said: "It's very important. If you have something really important, write it out and have it delivered by courier, the old fashioned way because I'll tell you what, no computer is safe. I don't care what they say, no computer is safe."
Washington (AFP) - Donald Trump is planning to do "many big things" after being sworn in as president, his communications director said Sunday, adding that his boss has no intention to stop using Twitter.

Asked by ABC News what "one big thing" the public should expect from the president-elect once he takes office on January 20, spokesman Sean Spicer replied: "It's going to be not one big thing. It's going to be many big things."

Spicer said the Republican billionaire would immediately sign a series of executive orders to "repeal a lot of the regulations and actions that have been taken by this administration over the last eight years that have hampered both economic growth and job creation."

He also confirmed that Trump would institute a five-year ban on senior officials leaving government to become lobbyists, and a lifetime ban "on anyone who wants to serve a foreign government."

When ABC interviewer Jonathan Karl asked whether Trump would continue his highly unusual -- and deeply controversial -- approach of making major policy statements over Twitter, Spicer replied, "Sure, why not."

"With all due respect," he continued, "I think it freaks the mainstream media out that he has this following of over 45-plus million people that follow him on social media, that he can have a direct conversation."

Spicer added: "Business as usual is over... There's a new sheriff in town."

Karl asked Spicer repeatedly whether Trump might reverse President Barack Obama's steps -- including the expulsion of 35 Russian agents -- aimed at punishing Moscow for interfering in the US election.

While suggesting that Obama's action might have been "political retribution" and thus too harsh, Spicer would only say that Trump would delay any decision until he receives an intelligence briefing on the matter.

The president-elect, still working to fill out his new administration, was to return Sunday from his Florida resort to his Trump Tower apartment in Manhattan.
My son Joe Edwards was killed in a car crash outside of Jerome. His wife is in critical condition and Im hoping for the best.

The purpose of this letter is to inform you of the outstanding professionalism of Sgt. Julie Donahue and troopers of the Idaho State Patrol that are stationed in Jerome. Julie was my point of contact provided to me by Yuba County Sheriffs Office in California at 2 a.m. on Dec. 20th. She was quick to return my call that morning and was compassionate and showed empathy in regards to my son, daughter-in-law and their young family, while at the same time eliciting contact information of family in the local area. She gave me the contact information for the chapel in Jerome where Joe had been placed. And most importantly when I asked about my grandchildren, called me and informed me that the children had been located and were safe with their great-grandparents in Gooding.

And that I thought was where the story would end. The troopers at the Jerome station took up a collection for the children and delivered $100 gift cards to them. They also planned, I believe, a Santa appearance on Christmas Eve for the children of my son and his wife. So you think it would end there. No, on talking with the great-grandparents I was informed that the Jerome station had put out the word to troopers throughout the state as to the situation my 8- and 10-year-old grandkids were in to help raise money for them.

I called Julie to thank her for her efforts that awful night, as well as her efforts in the days since. I could feel her compassion for the children, my daughter-in-law, Shauna, and son Joe.

Sgt. Julie Donahue, I believe, reflects greatly the values and dedication of the Idaho State Police, while performing a job that so often is dealing in human tragedy. She is a credit to her chosen profession.

Tom Edwards

Wheatland, Calif.
Washington (AFP) - President-elect Donald Trump seemed to rule out Saturday a meeting with the president of Taiwan when she travels to America next month.

Trump angered China and seemed to upend decades of US policy this month when he took a congratulatory phone call from Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen.

Tsai will transit in Houston January 7-8 as she travels to Central America and stops over in San Francisco January 13-14 on her way home.

Beijing has asked Washington to bar Tsai from flying through US airspace.

Trump, speaking to reporters Saturday at his estate in Florida, was asked if he would meet with Tsai if she stopped in the US. He takes office January 20.

"Stops by here?," Trump said.

"In the United States or in Palm Beach? Nobody's ever mentioned that to me. I'm not meeting with anybody until after January 20th because it's a little bit inappropriate. From a protocol standpoint. But we'll see," Trump said. "We'll see."
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has condemned the attack on an Istanbul nightclub that left at least 39 people dead and nearly 70 wounded, saying Turkey will relentlessly continue fighting terror.

Erdogan said in a written statement Sunday: I vehemently condemn the terror attack in Istanbuls Ortakoy neighborhood in the first hours of 2017.

Offering his condolences for those who lost their lives, including foreign guests, Erdogan says Turkey continues its combat against terror and is absolutely determined to do whatever is necessary in the region to ensure its citizens safety and peace.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent Turkeys president a telegram of condolences, denouncing the Istanbul nightclub attack.

It is hard to imagine a more cynical crime than killing innocent people during New Year celebrations, Putin said in the message to Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Kremlin said Sunday.

However, terrorists dont share moral values. Our common duty is to combat terrorists aggression, Putin said.

Nordic and Baltic leaders reacted on Twitter, with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius saying terrorist cowards can kill, but cant win.

Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite sent her heartfelt condolences, while Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven called the attack awful.

In Norway, Prime Minister Erna Solberg said it was a cowardly armed attack toward innocent civilians.

There were no immediate reports of casualties from the region among the foreign victims.
Tehran (AFP) - Turkmenistan halted gas supplies to Iran Sunday amid tensions between the two countries over arrears, the Iranian National Gas Company was quoted by oil ministry news agency Shana as saying.

"The gas company of Turkmenistan has cut gas exports to Iran, contrary to the agreement reached, by demanding immediate payment of arrears," Shana cited an official statement as saying.

The two countries have been holding discussions but have not yet reached agreement on the payment and amount of arrears Iran owes to Turkmenistan.

The Islamic republic uses Turkmen gas in the populated north of the country while its main gas fields are in southern Iran.

The National Iranian Gas Company asked consumers to "pay attention to consumption", but added that with domestic production rising, the country did not need to import gas and could cope by making savings.

Turkmenistan currently exports up to 10 billion cubic meters of gas to Iran, its third largest trading partner after China and Turkey.

Ten years ago, Turkmenistan abruptly stopped its gas exports to Iran in the middle of winter, and demanded a ninefold increase in the price.

According to an oil ministry official, Iran currently produces 700 million cubic meters of gas daily, and imports from Turkmenistan represents only 1.5 percent of domestic consumption.

Turkmenistan's total gas reserves are estimated to be the fourth largest in the world behind Qatar, Russia and Iran.
Istanbul (AFP) - Turkish police were Monday conducting a massive manhunt for a gunman who killed 39 people, mostly foreigners, in a rampage at an upmarket nightclub in Istanbul where revellers were celebrating New Year.

After the latest in a string of deadly attacks to hit the country, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the carnage sought to sow chaos, but vowed Turkey would never bow to the threat.

The shooting spree at the waterside Reina nightclub erupted when 2017 in Turkey was just 75 minutes old, as people were seeing out a year of unprecedented bloodshed that saw hundreds die in strikes blamed on jihadists and Kurdish militants and a failed coup.

The assailant shot dead a policeman and a civilian at the club entrance and then turned his gun on partygoers inside where up to 700 people were ringing in the New Year.

NTV broadcaster said the gunman fired between 120 and 180 rounds in the seven-minute attack, during which many revellers threw themselves into the freezing waters of the Bosphorus to escape death.

- 'Our heart is bleeding' -

One witness spoke of the panic and carnage at the venue, considered one of Istanbul's swankiest.

"Just as we were settling down, by the door there was a lot of dust and smoke. Gunshots rang out," professional footballer Sefa Boydas told AFP.

"People were walking on top of people."

Italian tourist Maximilien said: "We came here to have a good time today but everything was suddenly transformed into chaos and a night of horror."

Television pictures showed party-goers dressed to the nines -- men in suits and women in cocktail dresses -- emerging from the exclusive club in a state of shock.

Albert Farhat recounted to Lebanese TV station LBCI the moment the club came under attack.

"Around 1.15, we heard Kalashnikov fire. We thought it might be people who had drunk too much and were fighting but then people started throwing themselves to the ground," said Farhat.

Story continues

Candles and flowers piled up outside the club in tribute to the victims and its Facebook page has been changed to a black square of mourning.

"Our heart is bleeding," wrote the club's owner Mehmet Kocarslan.

The attack evoked memories of the November 2015 carnage in Paris when Islamic State jihadists unleashed a gun and bombing rampage on nightspots in the French capital, killing 130 people including 90 at the Bataclan concert hall.

- 'Details emerging' -

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the gunman was still at large after slipping away unnoticed after the attack, denying earlier reports a Santa Claus costume had been used as a disguise.

The assailant "left the gun and went away from the scene of the incident," he told reporters in Istanbul. "It was an armed terrorist."

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the gunman had arrived with a gun concealed under an overcoat but subsequently exited the venue wearing a different garment.

Police and intelligence services were beginning to piece together clues about the attack and the public would be informed soon, Yildirim said.

However, he did not pin the blame on any particular group and no one has yet claimed responsibility.

The Firat news agency, seen as close to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), quoted PKK leader Murat Karayilan as saying no Kurdish force was involved in the attack.

The state-run Anadolu news agency, citing justice ministry sources, said 38 of the victims had been identified -- 27 foreigners and 11 Turks with one body still unidentified.

Another 65 people were being treated in hospital.

One survivor, Francois al-Asmar, from Lebanon, told of his lucky escape.

"I was saved by my passport which I was carrying right near my heart," he told Lebanese television.

- 'Sneaky' attack -

The Reina club is a magnet for wealthy foreigners and there were a number of Arabs among the dead and wounded, including Saudis, Jordanians, Iraqis and Tunisians.

France said a dual-national Tunisian-French woman had died along with her Tunisian husband, while India said it had lost two nationals.

A young Arab Israeli woman, 18-year-old Lian Nasser, was killed, according to Israel's foreign ministry.

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed that a Canadian woman was killed, while Tass news agency reported that a Russian woman was also among the dead.

Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin said the attacker "targeted innocent people who had only come here to celebrate the New Year and have fun".

The attack crystallised fears New Year celebrations could present a tempting target for extremists.

From Sydney to Paris, Rio to London, security had been boosted and at least 17,000 police officers were deployed in Istanbul, some dressed themselves as Santa Claus as cover, according to television reports.

World leaders rushed to condemn the attacks, with Russian President Vladimir Putin saying it was "hard to imagine a crime more cynical than the killing of civilians during a New Year's celebration".

German Chancellor Angela Merkel denounced "an inhumane, sneaky attack on people who wanted to celebrate" while Pope Francis condemned the shooting in his New Year message.
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Two suicide bombers detonated their explosives, killing at least two security officers in the Syrian coastal city of Tartous, Syrian state television reported after midnight on Sunday. It said the officers were part of a security patrol that stopped the bombers, who then blew themselves up. Others were injured in the blasts, including civilians, state TV said. It gave no further details. British-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said there had been explosions from suicide bombers in Tartous and that at least two people were killed. Tartous has not been targeted for several months, and has largely escaped the violence that has engulfed other areas of the country. The city is part of President Bashar al-Assad's coastal heartland. The incident took place as a fragile Russian and Turkish-backed ceasefire, welcomed by the United Nations, entered its third day with ongoing violations including clashes and air raids. A series of bombings in May killed scores of people in Tartous and another city on the Mediterranean coast near government-controlled territory that hosts Russian military bases. Russia supports Assad in the nearly six-year conflict, which has killed more than 300,000 people and made more than 11 million homeless. Rebels suffered a major defeat being driven out of their last major urban stronghold in Aleppo this month. (Reporting by John Davison; Editing by Nick Zieminski and Mary Milliken)
By Steve Gorman (Reuters) - A federal judge in Texas on Saturday issued a court order barring enforcement of an Obama administration policy seeking to extend anti-discrimination protections under the Affordable Care Act to transgender health and abortion-related services. The decision sides with Texas, seven other states and three Christian-affiliated healthcare groups challenging a rule that, according to the judge, defines sex bias to include "discrimination on the basis of gender identity and termination of pregnancy." In granting an injunction one day before the new policy was to take effect, U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor held that it violates the Administrative Procedure Act, a federal law governing rule-making practices. The judge also ruled that plaintiffs were likely to prevail in court on their claim that the new policy infringes on the rights of private healthcare providers under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. As explained in O'Connor's 46-page opinion, the plaintiffs argued that the new regulation would "require them to perform and provide insurance coverage for gender transitions and abortions, regardless of their contrary religious beliefs or medical judgment." The same judge issued a similar court order in August blocking a separate Obama administration policy that would have required public schools, over the objections of 13 states, to allow transgender students to use restrooms of their choice. It was not immediately clear whether the Obama administration, which has just 20 days left in office, would seek to appeal the latest injunction. White House spokeswoman Katie Hill decried the ruling. "Today's decision is a setback, but hopefully a temporary one, since all Americans - regardless of their sex, gender identity or sexual orientation - should have access to quality, affordable health care free from discrimination," she said. The Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, was passed in 2010 with an anti-discrimination section designed to prevent insurers from charging customers more or denying coverage based on age, race, national origin, disability or sex. The rule in dispute on Saturday was adopted by the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Department to implement those provisions, including definitions for sex discrimination that encompassed transgender and abortion services. According to the court opinion, gender identity was defined under that rule as "an individual's internal sense of gender, which may be male, female, neither, or a combination of male and female, and which may be different from an individual's sex assigned at birth." The state of Texas has led a string of legal cases brought by Republican-controlled states contesting various social policies advanced by President Barack Obama, most notably his 2014 executive action to protect millions of immigrants in the United States illegally and give them work permits. That plan, challenged by Texas and other states, has been barred by the courts. But the U.S. Supreme Court in 2012 and 2015 issued rulings that kept the Affordable Care Act, his top legislative achievement, intact. (Additional reporting by Jeff Mason in Honolulu; Editing by Mary Milliken)
By John Davison BEIRUT (Reuters) - The United Nations Security Council on Saturday welcomed a ceasefire in the Syrian civil war, but rebel groups threatened to abandon the two-day-old truce if violations persisted. A resolution welcoming the ceasefire, the third truce this year seeking to end nearly six years of war, was adopted unanimously by the 15-member Council, meeting in New York. The deal, brokered by Russia and Turkey, which back opposing sides, reduced violence, but firefights, air strikes and shelling went on in some areas. A twin suicide bombing killed at least two people in the Syrian coastal city of Tartous in an area under government control and in President Bashar al-Assad's coastal heartland shortly after midnight on Sunday, state media and monitors reported. The attack killed at least two security officers and wounded several other people when two suicide bombers blew themselves up after being stopped, Syrian state media reported, in the first targeting of the area for several months. Factions belonging to the Free Syrian Army (FSA) - a loose alliance of militias excluding more radical Islamist groups - said government forces and Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah fighters had been trying to push rebels back in the Wadi Barada valley, northwest of Damascus. "Continued violations by the regime and bombardment and attempts to attack areas under the control of the revolutionary factions will make the agreement null and void," said a statement from the rebel groups. The rebels and political opposition said the government side was massing forces to launch a ground attack in the area. There has been no new announcement by the military since it launched operations in the area last week. FSA factions said in a separate statement that they would abandon the truce deal if Russia, whose air power has helped President Bashar al-Assad to turn the tide of the war, did not use its influence to halt the Wadi Barada attacks by 8 p.m. (1800 GMT). Later, two rebel officials said air raids around Wadi Barada had stopped just before 8 p.m. and that the ceasefire therefore still held, although clashes in the area were continuing. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group confirmed that there had been fighting in the area, source of most of the capital's water, and said there had also been government shelling in the southern provinces of Quneitra and Deraa. PUTIN-ROUHANI CALL Russia's Defence Ministry said on Friday that rebels had violated the truce 12 times in 24 hours. Much of Friday's violence took place along the border between Hama and Idlib provinces in northwest Syria. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani agreed in a telephone call on Saturday to work together to try to end the Syria crisis and make a success of peace talks planned for the Kazakh capital Astana, the Kremlin said in a statement. The British-based Observatory said the level of fighting had fallen on Saturday, and the truce was not currently at risk, although one rebel official said it was "in serious danger". In their statement, the FSA factions said it appeared the government and opposition had signed two different versions of the ceasefire deal, one of which was missing "a number of key and essential points that are non-negotiable", but did not say what those were. The ceasefire deal is the first not to involve the United States or the United Nations. The Security Council welcomed the truce despite being urged by the FSA factions not to endorse the deal until the Syrian government and Russia had shown they would respect it. The resolution also welcomed plans for the talks in Kazakhstan before a resumption of U.N.-brokered talks in Geneva in February. The war has killed more than 300,000 people and made more than 11 million homeless. Even with a successful truce between Assad and the main armed opposition, the multi-sided conflict will continue. In particular, Turkey is trying to push back Kurdish forces and the jihadist Islamic State, both excluded from the deal, from areas south of its border. The position of other Islamist groups such as Jabhat Fateh al-Sham and Ahrar al-Sham with respect to the ceasefire is unclear; both have criticised it. (Reporting by John Davison and Bozorgmehr Sharafedin in Beirut, Polina Devitt in Moscow, Yeganeh Torbati in Washington and Michelle Nichols in New York; Editing by Kevin Liffey, Adrian Croft and Diane Craft)
* Resolution unanimously adopted by Security Council

* Rebels issue ultimatum over fighting near Damascus

* Russian- and Turkish-backed ceasefire shaky since implementation

* Islamist groups' positions unclear

By John Davison

BEIRUT, Jan 1 (Reuters) - The United Nations Security Council on Saturday welcomed a ceasefire in the Syrian civil war, but rebel groups threatened to abandon the two-day-old truce if violations persisted.

A resolution welcoming the ceasefire, the third truce this year seeking to end nearly six years of war, was adopted unanimously by the 15-member Council, meeting in New York.

The deal, brokered by Russia and Turkey, which back opposing sides, reduced violence, but firefights, air strikes and shelling went on in some areas.

A twin suicide bombing killed at least two people in the Syrian coastal city of Tartous in an area under government control and in President Bashar al-Assad's coastal heartland shortly after midnight on Sunday, state media and monitors reported.

The attack killed at least two security officers and wounded several other people when two suicide bombers blew themselves up after being stopped, Syrian state media reported, in the first targeting of the area for several months.

Factions belonging to the Free Syrian Army (FSA) - a loose alliance of militias excluding more radical Islamist groups - said government forces and Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah fighters had been trying to push rebels back in the Wadi Barada valley, northwest of Damascus.

"Continued violations by the regime and bombardment and attempts to attack areas under the control of the revolutionary factions will make the agreement null and void," said a statement from the rebel groups.

The rebels and political opposition said the government side was massing forces to launch a ground attack in the area. There has been no new announcement by the military since it launched operations in the area last week.

FSA factions said in a separate statement that they would abandon the truce deal if Russia, whose air power has helped President Bashar al-Assad to turn the tide of the war, did not use its influence to halt the Wadi Barada attacks by 8 p.m. (1800 GMT).

Story continues

Later, two rebel officials said air raids around Wadi Barada had stopped just before 8 p.m. and that the ceasefire therefore still held, although clashes in the area were continuing.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group confirmed that there had been fighting in the area, source of most of the capital's water, and said there had also been government shelling in the southern provinces of Quneitra and Deraa.

PUTIN-ROUHANI CALL

Russia's Defence Ministry said on Friday that rebels had violated the truce 12 times in 24 hours. Much of Friday's violence took place along the border between Hama and Idlib provinces in northwest Syria.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani agreed in a telephone call on Saturday to work together to try to end the Syria crisis and make a success of peace talks planned for the Kazakh capital Astana, the Kremlin said in a statement.

The British-based Observatory said the level of fighting had fallen on Saturday, and the truce was not currently at risk, although one rebel official said it was "in serious danger".

In their statement, the FSA factions said it appeared the government and opposition had signed two different versions of the ceasefire deal, one of which was missing "a number of key and essential points that are non-negotiable", but did not say what those were.

The ceasefire deal is the first not to involve the United States or the United Nations.

The Security Council welcomed the truce despite being urged by the FSA factions not to endorse the deal until the Syrian government and Russia had shown they would respect it.

The resolution also welcomed plans for the talks in Kazakhstan before a resumption of U.N.-brokered talks in Geneva in February.

The war has killed more than 300,000 people and made more than 11 million homeless.

Even with a successful truce between Assad and the main armed opposition, the multi-sided conflict will continue.

In particular, Turkey is trying to push back Kurdish forces and the jihadist Islamic State, both excluded from the deal, from areas south of its border.

The position of other Islamist groups such as Jabhat Fateh al-Sham and Ahrar al-Sham with respect to the ceasefire is unclear; both have criticised it.

(Reporting by John Davison and Bozorgmehr Sharafedin in Beirut, Polina Devitt in Moscow, Yeganeh Torbati in Washington and Michelle Nichols in New York; Editing by Kevin Liffey, Adrian Croft and Diane Craft)
Washington (AFP) - The United States on Sunday sharply condemned a North Korean plan to test-fire an intercontinental ballistic missile and warned Pyongyang against "provocative actions."

The toughly worded US statement called on "all states" to show the North that any unlawful actions would have "consequences."

It was issued by the Pentagon at a sensitive time -- just weeks before President Barack Obama is due to hand power over to his successor, Donald Trump.

The statement came hours after Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, said his country was close to testing such a missile, which would be capable of reaching American shores.

"We are in the final stages of test-launching the intercontinental ballistic missile," Kim said in a televised New Year's speech, pointing to a string of nuclear and missile tests last year.

He said Pyongyang was now a "military power of the East that cannot be touched by even the strongest enemy."

The Pentagon statement noted that "multiple UN Security Council resolutions explicitly prohibit North Korea's launches using ballistic missile technology."

It urged Pyongyang to "refrain from provocative actions and inflammatory rhetoric that threaten international peace and stability."

The statement reaffirmed Washington's "ironclad commitment" to defend its allies, using "the full spectrum of US extended deterrence capabilities."

Pyongyang has never successfully test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), and analysts are divided over how close it is to doing so.

But all agree it has made enormous strides in that direction since Kim took over as leader from his father Kim Jong-Il, who died in December 2011.
By almost every measure for the incoming Trump administration, Ryan Zinke, the president-elects pick to run the U.S. Department of Interior, has the perfect resume.

Hes a former commander in the Navys Seal Team Six special-forces branch, which among other things took out Osama bin Laden. Hes the lone congressman from Montana, where the Interior Department figures large because it owns significant swaths of land used for grazing and mining. And Zinke is all for developing and exploiting resources on public lands, earning him a lifetime score of just 3 out of 100 from the League of Conservation Voters.

But for those who still embrace the goals of the Sagebrush Rebellion, a loose coalition of ranchers, miners, drillers, hunters, off-road enthusiasts, libertarians and anti-government die-hards, Zinke is a heretic. The reason is that he is an unshakable foe of selling federal lands or transferring them to the states.

Repeatedly, Zinke has joined Democrats in opposing legislation that would require the department he has been named to head to shed its vast real-estate holdings. In July 2015, he voted for an amendment to block funding of extra legal ways to transfer federal lands to private owners. Earlier in the year he voted against a Republican-sponsored budget resolution that would have set up a fund to do the same thing.

As Zinke, 55, explained it at the time, he grew up hunting and fishing in Montana and sees the value in making sure that whats public stays public. This year he voted to block the sale of a couple of million acres of federal forest land for logging.

Zinke has been so at odds with his party on this point that he resigned from the committee that drafted the Republican Party convention platform because, as usual, it included a passage about selling some of the 640 million acres owned by the federal government.

As was reported when Trump nominated him, Zinke was personally vetted for the Interior post by Donald Trump Jr., an avid hunter and angler. And though you cant imagine the president-elect himself in a deer stand, on the campaign trail he said he would work to preserve access for hunters to public land.

The confounding thing about the argument for transferring federal land to the states or selling it to private owners is that those who make it might have the most to lose.

States such as Utah, Idaho and Nevada, where the federal government owns a majority of the land, often say they can do a better job of managing the real estate within their borders.

In Utah, for example, legislation adopted in 2012  and ignored by the federal government  demanding a massive land transfer said the state would benefit because cumbersome federal rules, regulations, processes, and management policies often prevent development of these resources resulting in diminished revenue to the State and its citizens.

Leaving aside the question of whether state employees are any more productive than federal employees, one implication is that the state would get a higher return for use of the land.

That actually wouldnt be hard to do, although ranchers, miners, loggers and others might not like it very much. As a rule, the federal government charges users much less than market rates. The same is true for other uses of federal land: The prices the U.S. government charges are way below market rates. As such, this represents a considerable subsidy to the private sector, particularly in Western states.

Just how big is hard to quantify, partly because federal land ownership is spread among several different agencies. One study estimated that letting cattle graze on federal land cost the U.S. government $261 million a year, while others have placed it as high as $1 billion. The timber industry and hard-rock mining have similar advantages. Miners pay a maximum of $5 an acre for extraction rights under a law adopted in 1872.

Other studies have concluded that the states might rue the day they assumed ownership of federal lands because expenses would outweigh potential sources of revenue. Someone would have to pay for maintaining roads, dams and other infrastructure  not to mention the hefty cost of fighting forest fires or remediating the environmental harm and pollution caused by mining, deforestation and erosion.

If states wind up owning large chunks of what is now federal land, it isnt hard to imagine a time when legislatures see real-estate holdings as an easy asset to sell for closing a budget gap. Once the land is out of the public domain, its gone for good.

There is a lot that conservationists dont like about Zinke, who supports more extraction and exploitation of the natural resources on federal property. But at least he isnt on board with getting rid of the land that all Americans should consider part of their national birthright.
Three US senators, including Republican John McCain, pledged to push for stronger sanctions against Russia in Congress, during a visit to Georgia on January 1.

McCain, along with fellow Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Democrat Senator Amy Klobuchar, told reporters on their arrival in Tbilisi that Russian financial institutions and other industry should be targeted by sanctions.

McCain said, We will be working for much tougher sanctions against Russia. They attacked the United States of America. The hacking was an attack and we should treat is as such.

US President-elect Donald Trump, who has downplayed alleged Russian hacking of the Democratic National Committee emails, praised Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday for holding off on retaliating on US sanctions announced by President Barack Obama the previous day. Credit: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty via Storyful
Victoria Beckham and Mel C performed together, having their own Spice Girls reunion

Happy New Year 90s kids! Spice Girl members Victoria Posh Spice Beckham and Melanie Sporty Spice Chisolm held a mini Spice Girls reunion at Beckhams New Years Eve party. Mel C., who was on tap as a performer sang the Spice Girls 1996 hit 2 become 1 and Beckham couldnt resist joining her friend on stage. Beckham, looking every bit the glamorous hostess, donned a floor length gown (probably of her own design) at her party, co-hosted with longtime friends Gordon and Tana Ramsay in the Maldives. Mel C. looked fabulous as well, wearing a black midi-dress. Though she did the bulk of the singing, Beckham swayed along, with her arms wrapped around her friend.

Candle light and soul forever  A wonderful start to 2017 xxx A photo posted by Melanie C (@melaniecmusic) on Dec 31, 2016 at 11:36pm PST

We all know that Beckham famously hung up her microphone along with her little Gucci dress and become an uber famous fashion designer, so it was so nice to see her up on a stage again. It was the first time anyone from the group performed at the closing ceremony of Londons 2012 Summer Olympics. She even threw up a couple peace signs; a signature gesture from the Spice Girl days. According to UK magazine The Sun, Beckham worked really hard to put the performance together because the two have grown even closer over recent months.

It was a reassuring sight for Spice Girl fans as the two have reportedly declined to join the other Girls, Melanie Scary Spice Brown, Geri Ginger Spice Halliwell Horner and Emma Baby Spice Bunton in a 20th anniversary reunion tour. The remaining three have formed a new version group called Spice Girls GEM (Geri, Emma, Melanie.) They posted a short video on YouTube announcing the change.

So, since Mel C. and Victoria wont join the reunion, well have this clip to look back on. #VivaForever

The post Victoria Beckham and Mel C performed together, having their own Spice Girls reunion appeared first on HelloGiggles.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- Westar Energy is increasing the use of drones for such things as inspecting equipment, navigating remote areas and managing some emergencies, as the utility tries to improve safety and efficiency while also saving money, company officials said.

Westar and Kansas State University's Polytechnic Campus offer an unmanned aircraft systems program and have one of the nation's largest enclosed drone flight facilities on the polytechnic campus in Salina. Now, it has begun deploying unmanned aircraft commercially, The Topeka Capital-Journal reported (http://bit.ly/2iAgWiu ).

"It's absolutely a cost savings at this point," said Jason Klenklen, supervisor of transmission maintenance. "Instead of using manned aircraft, we're using unmanned aircraft."

The drones also can reduce risk for employees and contractors, Klenklen said. For example, fewer employees would need to travel during an ice storm to determine the cause of an outage.

Using drones to inspect boilers also would be safer, said Sam Sharp, a Kansas State Polytechnic USA Laboratory researcher and Westar's primary liaison. The work takes extensive training to fly the aircraft because boilers have no internal lights or GPS signal.

"It allows employees to view the internal components of the boiler through real-time imagery captured by a drone while securely staying on the outside," he said.

The drones are primarily being used in rural areas to gather information about transmission lines, specifically lines that are 69,000 volts and above, Klenklen said. The drones face some airspace restrictions, such as in Wichita and Topeka, and unmanned aircraft are required to be in the operators' line of sight, although waivers are available in some instances.

"Within line of sight, that's still a pretty big restriction on us," Klenklen said. "That being said, there are times we're able to see several miles down the line with one of these."

Drones also can find potential issues that lead to outages more quickly than having somebody drive to find an issue or have somebody walk to the area, he said.

Story continues

The drones help alleviate concerns with landowners who don't want trucks or people on their land. The utility can send drones to areas within its easements but it still contacts landowners before sending a drone in to inspect lines. Westar Energy uses quadcopters or multi-copters, which are four-bladed machines that can fly anywhere from 20 minutes to more than 45 minutes.

"We have a lot of areas our lines traverse that are environmentally sensitive, through wetlands and even through croplands," Klenklen said.

A new federal law passed earlier this year cleared the way for non-pilots to fly unmanned aircraft for commercial purposes with a Remote Pilot in Command certificate. The designation takes significant training and information although the actual flying of a drone isn't difficult, he said.

___

Information from: The Topeka (Kan.) Capital-Journal, http://www.cjonline.com
Washington (AFP) - The White House condemned the "savagery" of at least one gunman in Istanbul who killed at least 35 people and wounded 40 others as they celebrated the New Year, calling the attack "horrific."

The gunman reportedly dressed as Santa Claus shot dead a policeman and a civilian at the entrance to the Reina nightclub, one of the city's most exclusive party venues, before going on a shooting rampage inside, according to the authorities.

NTV television said many party-goers threw themselves into the Bosphorus in panic after the attack and efforts were under way to rescue them from the waters.

"The United States condemns in the strongest terms the horrific terrorist attack at a nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey, which has left dozens dead and many more wounded," National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

"That such an atrocity could be perpetrated upon innocent revelers, many of whom were celebrating New Year's Eve, underscores the savagery of the attackers."

Price added: "We reaffirm the support of the United States for Turkey, our NATO ally, in our shared determination to confront and defeat all forms of terrorism.

State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner said the United States would be "in close touch" with Turkish authorities as they investigate the attack.

"Sadly, this heinous attack is only the latest effort to kill and maim innocent civilians," he added.

"These attacks only reinforce our strong determination to work with the Government of Turkey to counter the scourge of terrorism."
William Christopher, the actor best known as Father Mulcahy on the classic sitcom M.A.S.H., died today following a battle with lung cancer. He was 84, and died in his Pasadena home according to his son, John, who made the news public.

Born in Evanston, Illinois in 1932, Christopher got his start as a stage actor in the 1950s before moving into television and film. Christopher held a variety of guest roles on many 1960s shows including The Andy Griffith Show, The Patty Duke Show, and The Men from Shiloh; he would also land recurring roles on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.  as Private Lester Hummel-, That Girl and Hogans Heroes.

Christopher landed his most famous role in 1972, replacing the actor who portrayed Father Mulcahy in the M.A.S.H. pilot. He would remain a series mainstay throughout the shows 11 season run, and would reprise the character on the short-lived M.A.S.H. spinoff AfterMASH.

Christopher also held guest roles on shows such as The Love Boat, Good Times, Murder, She Wrote, and Mad About You among many others.

Christopher, whose son, Ned, is autistic, was an advocate for people with autism, devoting time to the National Autistic Society and recording public service announcements.

Related stories

Wayne Rogers Dies: 'M.A.S.H.'s Trapper John Was 82

Kim Burrell 'Ellen' Appearance Canceled Following Gospel Singer's Anti-Gay Sermon

'Deadpool's Rob Liefeld In Extreme Universe Pic Pact With Graham King, Fundamental Films, Akiva Goldsman
A Ukrainian woman, who was visiting Istanbul for New Years Eve, witnessed the shooting at the Reina nightclub in the early hours of January 1. At least 39 people were killed when a gunman opened fire on the many people celebrating at the club.

Scores more were injured in the shooting. Istanbuls Gov Vasip Sahin told reporters that the attacker brutally and savagely carried out this incident by firing bullets on innocent people who were there solely to celebrate the New Year and have fun.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the attack, saying the perpetrators were trying to create chaos.

Natasha Volnova, the Ukrainian woman, was on the scene celebrating with friends when the shooting happened. She has told Storyful she witnessed the whole thing and saw an attacker from behind. She said she was not injured, but was shocked and was recovering in Istanbul. She posted this video of the midnight celebrations shortly before the attack began.

Natasha has told Storyful she is willing to do interviews. Her contact details are to the right of this page. Credit: Instagram/volnovanatasha via Storyful
Millions across the globe welcomed 2017 with great joy as they bid adieu to 2016  a year that is being called out by many for not being the greatest.

From revelers at New Yorks Times Square, to families awaiting the pyrotechnics at the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the new year was brought in with song, dance and wishes for a peaceful 2017.

Security was at an all-time high with U.S. and European cities  like Berlin, London, Paris and Rome  stepping up security following incidents, like the truck-ramming in the French city of Nice, of violence targeting masses in the year that passed.

This did not deter the citizens as they flocked to the Champs-Elysees, one of ISIS' reported targets earlier in the year, to watch fireworks at the Arc de Triomphe. London sold out tickets for a elaborate pyrotechnics display above the River Thames, accompanied by a Robbie Williams concert.

The iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia hosted two pyrotechnics, a family display at 9 p.m. and a midnight show, which included a tribute to Prince  as a shower of purple rain  and David Bowie, who died in 2016, in the form of spectacular fireworks .

The celebrations, however, were marred by a deadly attack early New Year's Day at a popular club in Turkey. Security forces across the world remained vigilant to allow the massive crowds to ring in their new year without fear.

We are closely following the developments regarding the night club shooting in #Istanbul #Turkey, the New York Police Departments Counterterrorism Bureau tweeted.

Here are pictures from all around the world, showcasing how different cities in different countries brought in the new year:

egypt new year

Photo: REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

australia new year

Photo: REUTERS/Jason Reed

Story continues

new york new year

Photo: REUTERS/Mark Kauzlarich

athens new year

Photo: REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis

paris new year

Photo: REUTERS/Jacky Naegelen

tokyo new year

Photo: REUTERS/Issei Kato

london new year

Photo: REUTERS/Neil Hall

bangkok new year

Photo: REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom

bondi new year

Photo: REUTERS/Jason Reed

Related Articles
By Frank McGurty

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of merrymakers witnessed the descent of the kaleidoscopic New Year's Eve ball in Times Square at midnight on Sunday, celebrating a century-old New York tradition under an unprecedented umbrella of security.

As many as 2 million people, surrounded by a ring of 40-ton sand trucks and some 7,000 police, gathered in the "Crossroads of the World" to watch the glittering sphere complete its minute-long drop, marking the beginning of 2017.

With the throng counting down the seconds, the crystal-paned ball slid with smooth precision down its pole, mounted on a tower at the head of the plaza. At the stroke of midnight, it touched home, illuminating a giant "2017" sign and sending a shower of fireworks into the sky.

The sights and sounds were experienced by a veritable sea of humanity, sectioned off in block after block of temporary corrals set up to better control the crowd. Millions of others around the world watched the spectacle on television and the internet.

Despite the heavy police presence, or perhaps because of it, thousands of people, many from overseas, arrived early to be dazzled by the flashing signage and entertained by live musical performances by Mariah Carey, Thomas Rhett and Gloria Estefan.

"It's a very special place, to be in the center of everything tonight," said Marta Loygorra, 20, who came to Times Square from Madrid, Spain, with her father, Jose Loygorra, 54.

"I've always wanted to be here for this and it's great to be here with my Dad," she said, cuddling up to him for warmth.

Jess Smith, 22, of Perth, Australia said that when she booked her New York hotel, she didn't realize it was just a few blocks north of Times Square.

"It's crazy. It's crazy good luck," she said with a grin.

In the days before the celebration, city and federal officials said they were not aware of any credible threats, and in the event, the party went off without a hitch.

Story continues

But authorities also said they were taking no chances. A protective perimeter of 65 hulking sanitation trucks filled with sand, as well as about 100 other smaller vehicles, encircled the Times Square area.

Placed in strategic positions, the "blockers" are intended to prevent a repetition of the truck attacks in Berlin and Nice earlier this year, officials said.

CIRCLE OF TRUCKS

It is not the first time that New York has set up a perimeter of heavy trucks at large gatherings. The same strategy helped protect crowds at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in November, after Islamic State militants encouraged followers to target the event, which drew about 3.5 million people.

At times since Donald Trump's election in November, blocker trucks have been positioned near Trump Tower, his Fifth Avenue headquarters and residence, a short distance from Times Square. The president-elect is spending the holidays in Florida.

For New Year's Eve, New York also deployed heavily armed police teams, snipers, bomb-sniffing dogs and helicopters. Coast Guard and police vessels patrolled waterways around Manhattan.

John O'Leary, 57, his wife, Claire, 51, and their two children were passing through Times Square on Saturday afternoon during a visit from their native England.

"It's just amazing," O'Leary said. "I just can't believe how they can manage all this, in terms of security."

U.S. defense and security agencies said they believed the threat of militant attacks inside the United States was low during the New Year's holiday, though the possibility of an attack, no matter how remote, was always present, they said.

Likewise, New York Police Commissioner James O'Neill said at a briefing this week that there were "no direct concerns" related to this year's festivities in Times Square.

Even so, he said, "we are going to have one of the most-policed, best-protected events and one of the safest venues in the entire world given all the assets we deploy here."

(Additional reporting by Chris Francescani in New York, Ian Simpson in Washington; Editing by Nick Zieminski and Richard Pullin)
What used to be considered a kind of travel reserved for senior citizens and retirees will become increasingly popular among an entirely different generation, with more millennials and Generation X travelers booking cruise vacations in 2017. That's one of the predictions from the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) for 2017.

CLIA recently released an industry outlook of cruise trends, which estimates that an estimated 25.3 million passengers will set sail next year, up about 10 million from just a decade ago.

Likewise, next year will see 26 new ocean liners and river cruise ships make their maiden voyage, representing an investment of $6.8 billion in new vessels.

"From technological advancements and deployment of new ships to new ports and destinations around the world, the industry continues to respond to desires of today's travelers resulting in steady growth and strong economic impact around the world," said CLIA president and CEO Cindy D'Aoust in a statement.

And from 2017 to 2026, another 97 new cruise ships worth an estimated $53 billion are expected to hit the water.

Here's a snapshot of some of the cruise trends predicted for 2017:

New generation

Cruising isn't just for grandparents anymore. Citing a recent study which showed that millennials and Generation X travelers rated cruises higher than land-based vacations and all-inclusive resorts, CLIA experts anticipate that younger generations will embrace cruise travel more than ever.

Booking the old-fashioned way

Between 2015 and 2016, the use of travel agents increased nearly 80 percent, according to a report from the American Express Spending & Saving Tracker. CLIA experts expect that more and more cruisers will turn to the matchmaking services of travel agents next year.

River cruises

River cruises have become increasingly popular for offering shorter voyages with more port-of-call options. Next year 13 new river cruise ships are on order, representing an increase of seven percent.

More private islands

This year saw the historic crossing of the world's first luxury cruise ship through the Northwest Passage and the first cruise ship sailing between the US and Cuba in 50 years. In 2017, the cruise industry will try to entice travelers with more ports of call to private islands.

Virgin cruisers

The cruise industry's growth stems from rising demand. In another survey, nearly half of respondents who have never boarded a cruise ship expressed interest in taking a cruise in the next three years, while 85 percent of repeat cruisers said the same.
President Barack Obama's administration is dismantling a homeland security program created to track immigrants from Muslim-majority countries in an attempt to prevent President-elect Donald Trump from fulfilling his campaign promise to create a Muslim registry. As an American Muslim and human rights advocate, I am hoping against hope that retired Gen. John Kelly, the homeland security secretary nominee, will not reassemble the program.

Kelly is not an obvious champion of human rights. As head of U.S. Southern Command, Kelly oversaw Guantanamo, where he frequently dismissed human rights concerns. Dozens of people languished in detention without charge, and many were force-fed after going on hunger strikes. But he could be our best hope in the Trump administration.

While at Southern Command, Kelly invited critiques from human rights groups. Every year, he asked Amnesty International and other organizations to join him for a frank roundtable discussion. After one meeting, he took me aside to explain his point of view and hear me out. Dialogue and decency: In today's hyper-polarized political climate, these are as rare as unicorns.

And they matter. If I could talk to Kelly today, I think he'd listen. I would tell him that people are afraid. Activists worry that if they speak out, the government could retaliate or put them under surveillance. Trump's idle tweets about stripping people of citizenship for flag-burning are eerily reminiscent of foreign dictators threatening to jail people for peaceful dissent.

People like me  ordinary Americans with Muslim names and ancestry from Muslim-majority countries  fear being put on a watchlist, barred entry into the United States, even banned because of who we are. Many people  African-Americans, Jewish-Americans, Muslim-Americans, immigrants who've spent most of their adult lives here  spent the holidays swapping stories of threats, harassment and even violent attacks by fellow Americans who think the election has given them license to act on hatred.

I believe Kelly would listen to me, not because he has ever agreed with me, but because he has been willing to talk. And a top national security official who values dialogue over diatribes is what we need to put the brakes on Trump's most frightening counterterrorism proposals.

Kelly must not revive NSEERS (the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System). He is a smart man  he knows that a special registry would make for bad counterterrorism. Law enforcement officials need people to trust them and tip them off, not fear and avoid them. A special registration would send shockwaves through immigrant communities, inviting uncertainty and anxiety, more fear of law enforcement and less safety.

Unlike some of Trump's other national security advisers, though, Kelly does not appear to be infected with bizarrely virulent anti-Muslim prejudice. And more than anything, the proposed Muslim ban, internment and special registration proposals are about prejudice  not safety. They cater to bigotry and fear, which fly in the face of our country's most precious values. They tear at the seams of our commonality by implying that only some people are included in the ideals of liberty and justice. They drive people even farther apart from each other, after an election that already has left us fragmented.

It may be naive to think that Kelly  or anyone else in the Trump administration  would risk his career to stand in the way of anti-human rights proposals. But many of these proposals, only a short while ago, would have been considered unimaginable. They threaten to return this country to the grimmest chapters of our history, like the mass imprisonment of U.S. citizens and noncitizens of Japanese descent. They are the stuff of dystopic novels, of nightmares.

Kelly could reject the bigotry and irrationality of these proposals, and senators at his confirmation hearing should call on him to do so. The next secretary of homeland security can refuse to carry forward Trump's anti-Muslim policies, and also decline to cooperate with the FBI or any other agency on the surveillance of activists, immigrants or particular communities. Perhaps most important, the general could use his position to counteract advisers who may tell Trump that he needn't listen to the millions of Americans who support human rights and civil liberties.

Kelly was always willing to listen to the human rights community. Now, I'm hoping that the president-elect will listen to him.
This boy is growing his hair out for such a sweet reason, and we are genuinely tearing up right now

2016 wasnt the best year (by far), but there are still some bright spots left in the world. Check out this amazing story about a Tampa Bay, Florida boy growing his hair out for a friend for all the right reasons. In a news segment on ABC Action News, 10-year-old Tyler Boone began growing his hair out two years ago in support of his friend, Gabby Ruiz, who is suffering from alopecia  a hair loss disorder  hoping his donated locks could be made into a wig for her through the nonprofit, Children with Hair Loss.

Is there any better reason to grow your hair out?

Im growing my hair to give to Gabby  I just want to make her happy, he says in the video.

Though little Tyler has been mistaken for a girl with those gloriously shiny 12-inch locks, he doesnt mind, saying, Ive kind of gotten used to it. Seriously, what an amazing kid!

Check it out in the video below (be warned: you may need the tissues)!

Once the hair was long enough and ready to go through the wig transformation process, Tyler reunited with Gabby so she could do the honors of snipping his long ponytail off. Afterwards, he received a 30-minute cut and shape  the first time in two years, leaving with a fresh new do  and its looking good!

If you arent a believer that 2016 held some good things, we suggest you watch this video. Not only does it remind us of all the hidden gems through all the worlds chaos, but it gives us hope that future generations totally have the right attitude: Help others whenever, and however you can. Thank you, Tyler, for being the change to kick off 2017!

The post This boy is growing his hair out for such a sweet reason, and we are genuinely tearing up right now appeared first on HelloGiggles.
French workers just won the right to disconnect and heres what that means

Were so connected in this day and age that work tends to follow us home. We answer emails in the evening, after dinner, and sometimes even in bed before our head hits the pillow.

Its become a problem for the whole world, but France has decided to something about it. The country has issued a new law that gives French employees the right to disconnect from work-related communications on their devices.

This law is meant to reduce how much time people are emailing on phones and tablets for work after-hours, which is a bad habit that has led to health problems, burnout, and issues in employees personal lives.

Now, companies will be required to negotiate with their employees about after-hours emailing.

Workers will get a say in when theyre switched on for work and when theyre not, ensuring they choose how much out-of-office work they take part in.

Labour minister Myriam El Khomri first started speaking about this info-obesity in September 2015. Over a year later, the law is finally going into effect starting January 1, 2017.

Some companies like Volkswagen have already taken steps to reduce the number of emails sent in the evening and on weekends. Others are adopting a feature that will destroy emails automatically when theyre sent to employees on vacation. (Um, so sci-fi and so awesome.)

All of these changes are very much needed.

Especially considering the pressure companies can put on employees to be available at all times, whether its after you go home from from the office or even while youre on vacation.

The French research group Eleas published a study proving that more than a third of French employees used their mobile phones and tablets to do work every day at times when they werent actually meant to be working. 60% of French workers want to have the chance to define their own rights.

Anna Coz, a work-life balance expert from University of College London (UCL), told the Guardian that employees should be given the right to make these boundaries both for their own protection and health, but also so they have the flexibility they need to work efficiently.

Story continues

For some people, they want to work for two hours every evening, but want to be able to switch off between 3 and 5pm when they pick their kids up and are cooking dinner, she said.

Sounds like the French care about the importance of work-life balance, and weve got our fingers crossed that America will take a hint and pick up the conversation where France left off.

The post French workers just won the right to disconnect and heres what that means appeared first on HelloGiggles.
The worlds new highest bridge just opened in China and we cant stop marveling at it

For those of you with an aversion to heights, look away now and spare yourselves a bout of vertigo. As for everyone else, do your eyes a favor join us in staring in awe at this video of the worlds new highest bridge. Located in southwest China, the Beipanjiang Bridge recently opened to traffic in one of the countrys remote mountainous regions and the views are absolutely stunning.

At four lanes wide, the looming structure connects the provinces of Guizhou and Yunnan and stands 1,854 feet above the Beipan River, making it the highest in the world.

To give you an impression of how this bridge has impacted commuting in the region, it has managed to cut travel time between the cities Liupanshui and Xuianwei from five hours to two, according to The Telegraph.

CCTV shared a video of the bridge on YouTube, which offers an overview of the marvelous structure during its construction phase.

Heres a view of the Beipanjiang Bridge from a distance:

Beipanjiang Bridge world's highest bridge china

And an incredible aerial view:

Beinpanjiang Bridge southwest china

And yes, people are actually brave enough to drive across it:

Beinpanjian Bridge opens in southwest China

So, we may or may not need someone to drive us across this bridge while we shiver and cover our eyes from the passengers seat.

In case you didnt already know, China is no strangers to constructing panic attack-inducing bridges. In August, we told you about the countrys 4000-foot high glass bridge that precariously hugs the side of a mountain, so basically building bridges that make you wanna crap your paints is sort of their thing. China is also home to the worlds second and third highest bridges, so theres that as well.

Anyway, should you be planning to a trip to southwest China in the near future, we wont judge you if youre too chicken to cross this bridge to take a pic. A selfie from a distance will do just fine.

The post The worlds new highest bridge just opened in China and we cant stop marveling at it appeared first on HelloGiggles.
WASHINGTON (AP)  As Barack Obama began preparing to leave office, the first smartphone-toting U.S. president ordered his team to upgrade the White House's aging technology for his successor. New computers were purchased and faster internet was installed.

Not included in the modernization plans? A courier service.

But that delivery method of a bygone era may be in for a comeback under Donald Trump. Despite his voracious use of Twitter, the president-elect appears to be leaning toward old tech to ensure the security of sensitive messages.

"It's very important, if you have something really important, write it out and have it delivered by courier, the old-fashioned way because I'll tell you what, no computer is safe," Trump told reporters Saturday in response to questions about Russia's alleged hacking of Democrats during the presidential election. Trump, who doesn't email or surf the internet, said days earlier that computers "have complicated lives very greatly."

Trump's skepticism of some technology marks a sharp contrast from the president he'll replace on Jan. 20. Obama, who was a youthful 47 years old when he took office, carries a specially outfitted Blackberry, emails with a small number of friends and aides, and has received some of his daily security briefings on an iPad. He celebrated technological innovations at an annual science fair, created the job of chief technology officer in the White House and viewed technology as key to making the sprawling federal government more efficient and responsive to the public.

A much less frequent Twitter user than Trump, Obama let loose Sunday with a volley of tweets highlighting some of his accomplishments as president: boosting clean energy, bringing troops home, delivering "the longest streak of job growth in our history," passing a law to make health care affordable, reducing dependence on foreign oil and working "to reaffirm that all are created equal."

Story continues

But technology has also been a burden for Obama. Online sign-ups for his health care law were crippled by massive technical issues, resulting in one of the most embarrassing episodes of his presidency. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden stole classified information that he leaked to journalists, revealing the Obama administration's bulk collection of millions of Americans' phone records, as well as U.S. spying on some friendly foreign leaders.

Trump, 70, rarely uses a computer and sifts through stacks of newspapers, magazines and printed articles to read the news. He panned candidates' reliance on data and technology in presidential campaigns, preferring to make decisions in part based on the reaction from audiences at his rallies. While Trump's tweetstorms are already legendary, he utters some of his messages out loud and leaves the actual typing to aides.

Incoming White House press secretary Sean Spicer said he expects Trump to continue using Twitter and other social media sites as president, casting it as an effective way to communicate with Americans.

"Absolutely, you're going to see Twitter," Spicer said Sunday on ABC's "This Week." ''I think it freaks the mainstream media out  that he has this following of 45-plus million people that follow him on social media" and he "can have a direct conversation" with them.

Trump has shown some interest in technology since winning the White House. Billionaire tech investor Peter Thiel has been working with Trump's transition team and could serve as an adviser to the administration. Trump met with several Silicon Valley executives last month, telling them his administration was "here to help you folks do well."

As Trump heads into the White House, some of the biggest questions surrounding his relationship with technology will involve security. U.S. intelligence agencies say Russia hacked the Democratic National Committee and a top aide to Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton during the election, exposing the vulnerabilities of systems in Washington. Revelations that Clinton used a personal email and private internet server during her four years as Obama's secretary of state highlighted the lax practices that exist in government.

As a candidate, Trump called for an immediate review of U.S. cyber defenses and vulnerabilities, though he has not detailed specific steps he plans to take to bolster cybersecurity and has not publicly accepted the intelligence community's conclusion that Russia was behind the election year hacking. Nor has Trump outlined any changes in the way he expects the White House to use technology for day-to-day work.

Bruce Schneier, a technology security expert, said Trump was right to question the safeguards that exist for protecting his own communications as president.

"If the Russian spies want to get at his data, no computer is probably safe," said Schneier, a fellow at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. "Everything is vulnerable."

Of course, the courier system Trump suggests is hardly foolproof, either. After the U.S. killed 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden, administration officials said they had gleaned crucial information on his whereabouts by tracking the al-Qaida leader's courier.

___

Follow Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC
Samsungs FlexWash and FlexDry washer and dryer should make your life a little easier.

CES 2017, which runs from Jan. 5 to Jan. 8, in Las Vegas, isnt just a place to check out new TVs and virtual reality headsets. But believe it or not, home appliances take up a good amount of floor space at the Las Vegas Convention Center. This year, Samsung is rolling out three surprisingly intriguing new home appliances.

Ill be the first to admit that nothing about washers and dryers remotely interests me. But Samsungs new FlexWash washing machine and FlexDry dryer actually seem worthwhile.

See, besides folding clothes, which feels like slow agonizing torture  thank you for doing that for me all those years, Mom  having to do two separate loads for whites and colors is a huge pain. But Samsung just solved that problem with the dual-loading FlexWash.

FlexWash is a standard front-loading washer with a smaller, separate top-loading washer on top. A single water line feeds into the machine, which then splits off into the two washing tubs. None of the water in the top or bottom tubs touches each other, which means you can wash and bleach your tighty whities and gym socks in one tub and wash your jeans in the other at the same time.

You can also wash clothes in hot water in one tub and more delicate fabrics in the other with cold water. Its a big time saver and should help cut down on your laundry time by a good margin.

Ah, but what about drying items separately? you ask. Thats where the FlexDry comes in. Like the FlexWash, the FlexDry has a large front-loading tub and a smaller top-loading tub, which can be used at the same time for separate types of clothes.

Samsungs new washer and dryer can do two loads at once.

The main, front-loading tub is where youll dry your normal clothes, while you can use the top tub to quickly air-dry things like sneakers, sweaters and anything else you wouldnt normally throw in your dryer.

You dont have to necessarily use the two tubs at the same time, either. The top tub, which uses recirculated air, can be used on its own if you need to dry off your running shoes after a quick jog in the rain. If you just need to dry your best going-out shirt for the evening, you can pop it into the main tub.

Story continues

Im a bit curious as to whether the FlexWash and FlexDry will use more power than standard washers and dryers, but Samsung hasnt gotten back to me with that information quite yet.

Like Samsungs other high-end washer and dryers, the FlexWash and FlexDry both feature Wi-Fi connectivity, so you can receive updates when its time to switch over your laundry or throw in the fabric softener.

Robot vacuums you can order around

In addition to the FlexDry and FlexWash, Samsung has also unveiled a new slimmer version of its Powerbot robot vacuum cleaner. The companys latest automated vacuum is 4 inches tall, which is in line with competing vacuums, meaning this literal sucker can more easily glide under furniture where dust and crumbs typically collect.

Beyond the fact that Samsung says its latest Powerbot has the strongest suction of any robot vacuum, the R7000 series comes complete with Wi-Fi connectivity and, get this, Amazon Alexa and Samsung SmartThings support.

You can command Samsungs new PowerBot Vacuum with Amazons Alexa.

Yes, now you can command your robot vacuum to clean your floors like its some kind of electronic Cinderella. You know, without the whole glass slipper thing.

Samsung says the Powerbots new FullView Sensor 2.0 will help prevent the vacuum from colliding with walls and chairs. When it detects corners, a small nozzle will extend from the devices front edge so it doesnt miss any hard-to-reach dust balls.

The new Powerbots begin shipping in March for $500.

More from Dan:

Email Daniel at dhowley@yahoo-inc.com; follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley.
Nagurski writes, "Tyrus Wong was a brilliant Chinese-American artist who designed the look of the landmark 'Bambi' cartoon for Disney. Due to racial attitudes and at the time, he received limited recognition for his contributions, but was belatedly named a Disney Legend in 2001. He also was an accomplished painter and made fantastic kites, which he flew on the Santa Monica beach, continuing to do so past the age of 100."

Note that Wong  like my own father and grandparents  was technically an "illegal immigrant" whose only path out of a potentially lethal situation in his birth-country was to emigrate under false pretenses, because official immigration policy offered no navigable path to safety.

When they say that they want to "send back" the "illegal immigrants" who "broke the rules," think of this guy: a child who fled a terrible situation, leaving behind his family, to settle in America and contribute his prodigious talents to this country, enriching the lives of literally millions of people and making the bits of America around him truly great.

Wong Gen Yeo (the name is sometimes Romanized Wong Gaing Yoo) was born on Oct. 25, 1910, in a farming village in Guangdong Province. As a young child, he already exhibited a love of drawing and was encouraged by his father. In 1920, seeking better economic prospects, Gen Yeo and his father embarked for the United States, leaving his mother and sister behind. Gen Yeo would never see his mother again. They were obliged to travel under false identities  a state of affairs known among Chinese immigrants as being a "paper son"  in the hope of circumventing the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Signed into law by President Chester A. Arthur, the act, which drastically curtailed the number of Chinese people allowed to enter the country, was among the earliest United States laws to impose severe restrictions on immigration. But in 1906, an unforeseen loophole opened in the form of the San Francisco earthquake and fire. Because a huge number of municipal documents, including birth and immigration records, were destroyed, many newly arrived Chinese capitalized on the loss, maintaining that they had been born in San Francisco before the fire.

Tyrus Wong, 'Bambi' Artist Thwarted by Racial Bias, Dies at 106

[Margalit Fox, NYT]

(Thanks, Nagurski!)
New associates

Brittni Hertz has joined ERA Lambros Real Estate as a sales associate. Hertz is a graduate of Hellgate High School and the University of Montana. She has over 14 years of experience in the property management business, much of it as managing partner of Real Estate Management Group. Hertz and her husband, Adam Hertz, work as a team serving buyers and sellers of residential, land, multifamily, commercial and business opportunities throughout Western Montana. She can be reached at 546-8904 or brittnihertz@eralambros.com.

Paul Marcus has joined Stockman Bank as vice president, operations manager for the Missoula market. He will manage and oversee operations and customer service for the Downtown and Burlington branches. He will also coordinate system support and delivery of eBiz/Cash Management services. Marcus, a graduate of UM, brings over 18 years of banking experience to the position, which includes management of operations, overseeing eBiz setup processes, and implementation of various operational procedures. He earned his bachelor of science degree in business administration with an emphasis in finance from the University of Montana in 1998. Marcus is located at 1243 Burlington Ave. and can be reached at 406-258-1431.

Kylee Watkins has joined First American Title Company as an escrow assistant. Watkins' previous experience was in administrative and child development. She also recently joined Missoula Young Professionals Group.

Stacy Rye has joined ERA Lambros as a sales associate. Rye most recently served as a Missoula County commissioner. Rye also served on the Missoula City Council from 2004 to 2012 and on the Missoula Development Authority from 2013 to 2016. She has also worked for Missoula-area nonprofits for over 15 years, including most recently United Way of Missoula County, where she was the community relations manager and helped start community programs, such as Imagination Library, a free book-gifting program for Missoula County children under age 5. Rye holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Montana. She brings knowledge of residential and multi-family housing in Missoula County, subdivision, zoning, as well as municipal and county tax increment districts. She can be reached at 406-218-1338 or srye@eralambros.com.

Jodie Hooker has joined ERA Lambros as the managing broker in its Polson office. Hooker started her career in real estate in 1999. From 2011 to 2016 she owned Zootown Real Estate as a buyers agent. She has many designations, including Graduate, REALTOR Institute (GRI) designation, Accredited Buyers Representative (ABR), Certified Residential Specialist (CRS), and the Short Sales and Foreclosure Resource (SFR) certification. As the managing broker in Polson she will be building a team of experienced agents that will work with both buyers and sellers. She can be reached at 406-239-7588.

Bill Phelps, long home professional, has returned to Pioneer Log Homes. Phelps has spent the past 35 years in the log home industry working for Rocky Mountain Log Homes, Pioneer Log Homes and Custom Log Homes. During his career, he has worked with builders and homeowners in resort areas such as Jackson Hole, Yellowstone, and Big Sky, as well as throughout Colorado, Montana, Wyoming and across the U.S. Phone 406-961-3273 or visit pioneer-loghomes.com.

Recognition

John Herring, broker owner of RE/MAX All Stars was named the Missoula Organization of Realtors Realtor of the Year for 2017. Herring has been in the real estate business for 27 years and is currently president of the Montana Association of Realtors and is past president of the Missoula Organization in 2005 and 2013. Herring holds the Certified Residential Specialist and Graduate Realtor Institute designations and is an active top producer in the Missoula residential real estate market. He can be reached at RE/MAX All Stars at 406-544-1742.

D.A. Davidson & Co. has named Paul Eichwald of Missoula to its Presidents Club. Eichwald qualified for the distinction based on his integrity, strong business practices and client-first focus and, by earning the honor, can become involved in the direction and philosophy of the company. Eichwald, senior vice president, financial consultant, has been with D.A. Davidson in Missoula since 1976. Besides having earned the Certified Wealth Strategist professional designation, he holds an MBA from the University of Utah and a bachelors degree from the University of Montana.

Olan Bubba Alsup, LUTC, was recognized as one of the top performing agents and brokers in the country by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). This nationwide recognition as a member of the HealthCare.gov Champions Circle goes to agents and brokers for their success during the 2017 Health Insurance Marketplace(sm1) Open Enrollment.
A crowd of hundreds showed up when the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes opened the shiny new $21 million Gray Wolf Peak Casino in Evaro earlier this fall. People already were sitting down and gambling within minutes of the ribbon-cutting ceremony, a signal of how much demand there is for a nice gaming facility in western Montana.

The new 34,000-square-foot facility is replacing the smaller and 10-year-old casino of the same name nearby, also just off U.S. Highway 93.

The new casino has 307 gaming machines, almost three times as many as the old casino. Gaming in state-controlled casinos in Montana is limited to $2 bets and $800 payouts, but the tribes can let people gamble as much as $10 and win over $500,000. One person at the CSKTs KwaTaqNuk Resort and Casino in Polson won almost a million dollars last year.

Vernon Finley, the CSKT chairman, said that a new hotel will be built on top of the new casino within the next three years. The casino employs between 100 and 120 people, way more than the 35 who worked at the old place, which will be torn down.

The tribes are hoping to draw in customers and revenue from Missoula and travelers on Interstate 90.

This is a purposely built facility that was intended to be a casino, restaurant and lounge, with the possibility of a hotel, S&K Gaming CEO Brian Miller told the Missoulian this fall. Its roomier (than KwaTaqNuk) and has state-of-the-art equipment.
The past year was busy and filled with growth for TrailWest Bank in Missoula. In February, a newly constructed branch opened at the corner of West Broadway and Palmer, which President and CEO Rich Zins said has been an extremely busy and popular location.

Then, in July, a TrailWest branch opened downtown on East Main and Washington streets, in a shared building with the Missoula Downtown Association. The bank is also in the midst of constructing a new branch in the Old Fort Road Condominium building on Dearborn and Reserve, which is just west of the Goodwill store by Community Medical Center. The branch will occupy a 4,200 square foot space on the first floor of a mixed-use, commercial and residential condo project.

At a strategic planning meeting in 2015, Zins said it was decided that the bank would rebrand many individual branch bank names under the umbrella of Family of Banks Montana to a single name, TrailWest Bank.

At the same meeting, we also made the commitment to provide true independent, community banking to the city of Missoula, Zins said. With the pending loss of two more independent community Missoula banks to a multi-billion dollar publicly traded bank via acquisition, the time was right for TrailWest Bank to move into Missoula with three branches to complement the existing branch located near the Airway Boulevard exit on I-90.

TrailWest has 16 total locations, including many in Ravalli, Mineral and Flathead counties.

Zins said TrailWest separates itself from other banks by having the ability to move quickly with loan decisions and customizing loan packages to meet the needs of customers.

Larger banks get bogged down going through the loan approval process and are not typically allowed to think outside the box, he said. At TrailWest Bank, we pride ourselves in being able customize business loan packages to fit the needs of our clients and their individual project. We are a small business bank. While big banks dominate almost 90 percent of the deposits in this country, much smaller community banks still make almost 50 percent of the small business loans. There is a reason for that very surprising statistic  its because were really, really good at it.

TrailWest was capitalized with $1 million in 1982 in Lolo as Bitterroot Valley Bank. Today, it is the 9th largest bank in the state with $450 million in total assets, but Zins said they still operate like a much smaller community bank. For more information visit online at trailwest.bank.
Detective Chief Inspector Karen Pirie has always been a workaholic. But now immersion in her work doesn't just give her life structure, it also has become a kind of comfort that allows her to deal with grief in "Out of Bounds," Val McDermid's latest exciting novel about this Scottish police detective.

Pirie, now head of Police Scotland's small Historic Cases Unit in Edinburgh, tackles a decades-old murder after 17-year-old Ross Garvie goes on a high-speed ride with three of his friends. A horrific crash results in the death of the three drunken teens and leaves Garvie in a coma.

Karen and her partner, Detective Constable Jason Murray, become involved when Garvie's DNA is shown to be a familial match to that of a Glasgow hairdresser whose rape and murder has gone unsolved for years. But maneuvering the Scottish legal system to track down Garvie's male relatives is fraught with complications.

Another case also occupies Karen's time  the alleged suicide of Gabriel Abbott, who lived in Kinross. The Abbott case isn't Karen's, but she becomes nearly obsessed with finding out if his death was in any way linked to the death of his mother, who was killed in a plane crash decades earlier.

The caseloads help distract Karen from her grief over the death of Phil Parhatka, a fellow detective who was killed in the line of duty. She loved Phil and longs to discuss every investigation, twist and theory with him. When not at work, she drinks and walks the streets and neighborhoods of Edinburgh at night to ease her insomnia.

Karen is easily the smartest person in the room. She often infuriates her bosses, who grudgingly acknowledge that her insight and intelligence gets the job done.

McDermid balances the intense character studies in "Out of Bounds" with an inside view of the Scottish legal system and again shows her acuity in producing intelligent thrillers.
Wouldn't sex assault victims always try to fight back? Why dont they go to the police right away? What does consent mean? How do you judge what a person was thinking? Has the subject of rape become too politicized, with jurors' biases ingrained before a trial even begins?

Some of the reasons that make prosecuting sexual intercourse without consent  Montanas official charge for rape  more difficult than other violent crimes were highlighted during last month's trial of Jordan Bahr in Missoula County District Court.

Bahr was charged after sexually assaulting a Missoula woman at his home in October 2015. On the trial's fourth day, before the defense was set to present their case to the jury, Bahr chose to plead guilty to an alternative charge of felony sexual assault, and will likely be sentenced in the spring.

His attorney, Mat Stevenson, said after the trial ended that one of the most difficult parts of his job in the case was weeding through potential jurors' opinions about sex and consent to try to make sure his client received a fair trial.

The Missoula County Attorney's Office has a special victims unit, formed shortly after Kirsten Pabst became county attorney in 2015, that focuses on violent crimes including sexual assault and rape. Jennifer Clark and Jordan Kilby  the attorneys who prosecuted Bahrs case are part of that unit.

Clark said part of the difficulty in presenting rape cases to a jury comes from a persistent common belief in rape myths and the fact that peoples assertions of how a victim would or should respond doesnt align with the most common reactions and best research of what actually occurs.

During jury selection for Bahrs trial, several potential jurors said they believed if they were sexual assaulted or raped, they would always fight back, and would expect to see a victim doing the same.

In the Bahr case, the woman said she had frozen when the assault began, and felt unable to do or say anything.

Two women from the jury pool said they would disagree with a person being charged because the victim simply didnt do anything, and either resisted, told Bahr to stop, or left.

I think if youre just laying there, thats not a rejection of sexual activity, one of them added.

Stevenson, Bahr's attorney, said that during jury selection, he was paying special attention to what people said about their views on consent.

Some people think that if your mouth can utter the word no or stop you must do so, or you cant cry victim status later, he said. Other people seem to feel that you don't have to say a word, whether you can or not, and if your body language is non-responsive, a person who continues to touch you sexually must know they are committing a crime.

***

A general lack of knowledge around victim behavior during traumatic events led prosecutors in Bahrs case to bring in Dr. Sheri Vanino, a psychologist from Denver, to testify as an expert witness.

My experience and research shows that the general public does not understand sexual assault, Vanino said.

While many people recognize fight or flight as a response to fear, Vanino said what very few understand is the third outcome, freezing. The brain makes a decision about a perceived threat in a tenth of a millisecond, Vanino said, and dumps a set of chemicals into the system in response. A small amount of those chemicals, from a lower degree of fear, means a person is very likely to fight back or run away.

But when fear reaches a certain threshold, the brain puts out a massive dose and the frontal lobe  responsible for our ability to reason and act logically  shuts down in an uncontrollable physiological reaction that leaves victims feeling paralyzed, unable to move or speak, a process called tonic immobility.

Its not a choice, its not something they do on purpose, Vanino said.

Only 19 percent of sexual assault victims tend to be able to fight back, she said.

For many, it takes a special set of training to push through the chemical reaction in the brain and continuing to function as tonic immobility starts to shut down the body.

A Navy SEAL, for example, they arent going to freeze, Vanino said.

Vanino said she often sends her trauma clients who were victims of sexual assault to self-defense classes that are designed to train people to have a more effective reaction to fear. What stays with many of them who froze during their attack is not just a sense of shame of not being able to do anything, but the worry that they would freeze up if it happened again, Vanino told the jury.

Clark and Kilby said that, more than other types of criminal prosecutions, they have to build in a lot of education  like the testimony Vanino provided  when they take rape cases to trial.

People's awareness that sexual assault victims tend to freeze is improving, Clark said. But there is still a lot of work to be done every time a case comes up to make a jury aware of the science and research, and get jurors past their own preconceived notions, she said.

The topic of sexual assault has become more polarizing in the community in recent years, said Stevenson, Bahr's attorney.

I can say I have discussed these issues with many Missoulians, and I think there is little doubt that attitudes are increasingly polemic, with many people disgusted by the apparent political agenda to demonize young males as presumptive sexual predators on the one hand, and others increasingly disgusted by the perception of a very real epidemic of sexual crime and violence, he said.

Both Vanino and Missoula Police Department Detective Connie Brueckner testified during the Bahr trial that many people also have trouble understanding why a victim doesn't immediately report an assault.

The myth is that if you were sexually assaulted you run to the phone and call 911 immediately, Vanino said.

She said many victims experience shame and humiliation after a sexual assault, and are likely to blame themselves before recognizing they were the victim of a crime.

And quite frankly, our society is very good at blaming victims, she added during her testimony.

After the trial, Kilby repeated an analogy similar to one brought up during jury selection: She compared a victim's response to sexual assault to that of person whose unlocked house was burglarized.

Leaving your house unlocked and making it be easy to come in and steal from you doesnt make it right, she said. Theres a little shame in leaving your door unlocked. Theres a lot of shame involved with letting (Bahr) lay down on the couch with her.

Brueckner, who specializes in investigating sex crimes as a part of the police departments special victims unit, said her experience in Missoula is that its very rare that a person reports a sexual assault immediately after an incident.

***

This summer, the Montana Legislatures Law and Justice Interim Committee worked on a handful of bills that will be introduced during the session starting Monday, including one that would alter how rape cases are developed and prosecuted.

The proposal from Senator Diane Sands, D-Missoula, would change the definition of without consent to remove a need to prove force was used. Instead, it would define consent as meaning that both partners had, with words or overt actions, shown they were willingly engaging in sexual contact.

Clark said while the change isnt a sure-fire fix  still leaving open the ability for the people to disagree on what was said or implied in a situation  it could close the need to show what people were thinking at the time. Under the rape statute, prosecutors have to prove that a defendants knew they lacked consent.

Its so narrowly defined right now. 'No means no' isnt the state of the law, she said. Its come up in other cases where a defendant should know that the person isnt engaged with the sexual act.

Having to tie a rape to the use or threat of force means the Missoula County Attorneys Office hasnt always been able to bring that charge. One of the most difficult parts of Kilbys work as a special victims unit prosecutor is telling victims there isnt enough evidence to meet the requirements of the law.

Ive done it over the past couple of years of having to say, You were raped, but the statute doesnt say that you are, she said. We ethically cant take cases that we dont think there is a reasonable proposition we can win.

***

Stevenson said the idea of consent has always been loosely defined by societal norms, given that under the law, a verbal yes is not a requirement for consensual sexual contact.

There is certainly a vocal political agenda to move the line, making it easier to claim absence of consent, he said.

In hearings before Bahrs trial began, Stevenson challenged the definition of "without consent" that would have been given to the jury.

Jury instructions are ideally supposed to be uniform and beyond argumentation, but nothing could be further from the truth regarding the definition pertaining to sexual assault, he said. Other case decisions and various versions of jury instructions have created a lack of clarity of how to give jurors a framework to make a decision, he said.

In the end, the instruction to the jury would have read "without consent retains its ordinary meaning," which is I think the same as not instructing the jury at all.

***

Sands draft legislation would also change the use of mental incapacitation  one way a person can be considered unable to give consent  which Kilby said often comes up in cases where a reporting victim was highly intoxicated at the time of the incident. The proposed change would relax the standard of how much a persons judgment would have to be impaired by intoxication to make consent impossible. Kilby said if the change goes through, it will help their ability to prosecute cases by making it easier to prove that a defendant knew a person was impaired.

Weve had several where we couldnt prove that she was that drunk because people would describe her as walking around and engaging with people, but shes in a blackout, Kilby said. We have victims that we have to tell them You didnt consent to that, but that doesnt fit the legal statute."
Several people with binoculars and cameras at the ready huddled around a cluster of Russian olive trees at Hells Gate State Park in Lewiston, Idaho, last week.

They watched, whispered and waited for a small, olive-colored bird with a brush of yellow under its wing and a distinctive blue tail to make an appearance.

It soon did, and the birders lifted binoculars to their eyes and snapped photos as the bird flitted about the trees and occasionally landed in the grass just 10 yards from their feet.

For dedicated bird watchers, the small bird is a huge deal. They are now among only a handful of people who have laid eyes on a red-flanked bluetail while standing on North American soil.

This is only the second time its been in the Lower 48 states, said Russ Morgan. This is a very, very rare bird.

So rare that people will travel far and wide to see it. Morgan and his wife Dana Reid drove to Lewiston from La Grande, Ore., for the chance to add the bird to their life lists, the tally of avian species that birders keep.

Scott ODonnell drove to Lewiston from his home in Troy, Ore., to see the bird. He speculated that the pretty little female soon would draw in people from much farther away.

If it stays, people will be flying in from all over the country to see it, said the fishing outfitter and avid birder.

Almost on cue, Jeff Rusinow approached the group holding a pair of binoculars. He flew in from Milwaukee, Wis., solely to see the rare visitor.

Im a lister. I keep a life list so Ill get on a plane to get a new bird, he said. I think this bird will be my 17th new bird this year.

The bird was first spotted Monday by John Hanna of Lewiston during a monthly trip he makes to count raptors. He didnt immediately know what it was but had an inkling it was special.

I knew there was something different about the bird so when I saw it I spent a couple of hours trying to get a photo of it, he said.

It wasnt until he returned home and had a chance to pore over guidebooks that he realized it was a red-flanked bluetail. His posting quickly attracted the attention of local birders and then began radiating outward. On Tuesday, Hanna returned to Hells Gate and was able to meet many of the incoming birders, including one who was in the home stretch of a big year  birders sometimes devote a calendar year to spot as many different species as they can. Hanna said the red-flanked bluetail was the 750th species the big year devotee had tallied.

Im glad a lot of people have gotten to see it, Hanna said. It was fun just to meet a lot of interesting birders and talk with them a bit.

Lewiston resident Keith Carlson, president of the Canyon Birders, spent much of Tuesday photographing the bird. He met people from Boise and Missoula, Mont., who dropped everything and fought through terrible winter driving conditions for the chance to add the bird to their lists.

She is unusual, he said. They are normally in Siberia and other parts of Asia and winter in southeast Asia.

Why the bird is spending time in north central Idaho is anybodys guess.

Its a Siberian bird that winters in Asia and somehow took a wrong turn, Morgan, a wildlife biologist, speculated. Its by far the rarest bird Ive ever seen.

On Wednesday, like the day before, the bird seemed to stay in a small area but often would disappear from sight for several minutes. The birders visited while waiting for it to return.

Patience is a virtue when birding, said Terry OHalloran of Lewiston.

It was in one of its elusive periods when Rusinow arrived and was forced to exercise patience. When it finally reappeared, it did so fleetingly. He spotted the bird, but only briefly.

Youve got to get a satisfying look and Im not there yet, he said.

Perhaps another 20 minutes later the bird was back and this time perched prominently on a branch.

That was a satisfying look, I saw the blue and everything, he said. Awesome.
Prior to the election of the business-worshipping, union-busting, climate denying Wisconsin governor Scott Walker, the state's Department of Natural Resources website was a rich trove of information about climate change  as you'd expect from a state with a lot of fresh water, where resource extraction played an important part in the economy.



For years now, the DNR's website has been systematically, silently flensed of mentions of climate change, even as the governor has publicly contemplated shutting down the DNR altogether.





The latest science to get a political whitewash is the DNR's page on the Great Lakes and climate change, whose rewrite would do Orwell proud.

DNR Censors All Climate Change Info

[Urban Milwaukee]



(Thanks, Genie!)
BOISE  A little-known federal program that avoids publicizing its accomplishments to protect from looters the thousands of Native American sites it's tasked with managing has been caught up in a big net.

The Federal Columbia River System Cultural Resources Program tracks some 4,000 historical sites that also include homesteads and missions in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana.

Now it's contributing information as authorities prepare a court-ordered environmental impact statement concerning struggling salmon and the operation of 14 federal dams in the Columbia River Basin.

A federal judge urged officials to consider breaching four of those dams on the Snake River.

"Because of the scale of the EIS, there's no practical way for us, even if we wanted to, to provide a map of each and every site that we consider," said Sean Hess, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's Pacific Northwest Region archaeologist. "There are some important sites out there that we don't talk about a lot because of concerns about what would happen because of vandalism."

Fish survival, hydropower, irrigation and navigation get the most attention and will be components in the environmental review due out in 2021. But at more than a dozen public meetings in the four states to collect feedback, the cultural resources program has equal billing. Comments are being accepted through Jan. 17.

***

The review process is being conducted under the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, an umbrella law that covers the well-known Endangered Species Act. Thirteen species of salmon and steelhead on the Columbia and Snake rivers have been listed as federally protected species over the past 25 years.

But NEPA also requires equal weight be given to other laws, including the National Historic Preservation Act, which is where the cultural resources program comes in. Among the 4,000 sites are fishing and hunting processing areas, ancestral village areas and tribal corridors.

"People were very mobile, prehistorically," said Kristen Martine, Cultural Recourse Program manager for the Bonneville Power Administration.

Some of the most notable sites with human activity date back thousands of years and are underwater behind dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers. Celilo Falls, a dipnet fishery for thousands of years, is behind The Dalles Dam on the Columbia River. Marmes Rockshelter was occupied 10,000 years ago but now is underwater behind Lower Monumental Dam on the Snake River.

"If we're breaching dams, it would definitely change how we manage resources," said Gail Celmer, an archaeologist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon ordered the environmental review in May after finding that a massive habitat restoration effort to offset the damage that dams in the Columbia River Basin pose to Northwest salmon runs was failing.

Salmon and steelhead runs are a fraction of what they were before modern settlement. Of the salmon and steelhead that now return to spawn each year, experts say, about 70 to 90 percent originate in hatcheries.

Those opposed to breaching the Snake River dams to restore salmon runs say the dams are an important part of the regional economy, providing irrigation, hydropower and shipping benefits.

Meanwhile, several tribes said they are better able to take part in the review process than they once were.

"Tribes have not had much opportunity to participate in these things because they didn't have professional staff or trained people," said Guy Moura of the Colville Confederated Tribes in Washington state, noting the tribe employed four people in its cultural resources program in 1992 but now has 38. "With growth in size, there also came the evolution of what was being done."

The tribe at one time had a large fishery at Kettle Falls, on the upper part of the Columbia River, but it was inundated in the 1940s behind Grand Coulee Dam. Dams farther downstream on the Columbia prevent salmon from reaching the area.

Also among the 4,000 historical sites is Bonneville Dam, one of 14 dams involved in the environmental impact statement. Bonneville Dam is the lowest dam in the system at about 145 miles from the mouth of the Columbia River. It started operating in the 1930s and became a National Historic Landmark in 1987.
But they represent a determination by the 44th president to squeeze in every last Obama-era achievement before Mr. Trump  who has vowed to dismantle those achievements  takes over. That has cheered some of Mr. Obamas liberal allies, who wish he could do even more.

The Republicans are freaking out because all of a sudden Obama is doing a lot of governing, said Matt Bennett, the senior vice president for public affairs at the Third Way, a liberal think tank. They dont like it. I get that. But hes in his right to do it, and he should do it. Is he trying to box Trump in? You bet  and he should.

Mr. Obamas actions have not gone unnoticed by Mr. Trump and the people working frantically to assemble the new administration. A day after Mr. Obama allowed passage of a United Nations Security Council resolution criticizing Israeli settlements, Mr. Trump angrily wrote on Twitter that the move would make it much harder to negotiate peace. Mr. Trump added, optimistically: Too bad, but we will get it done anyway!

Two days later, in a sign of his growing frustration with Mr. Obama, Mr. Trump posted again on Twitter, saying he was doing his best to disregard the many inflammatory President O statements and roadblocks.

He continued, Thought it was going to be a smooth transition  NOT!

That Twitter message apparently prompted a phone call from Mr. Obama the next day, when the president and president-elect tried to re-emphasize their cooperation. Mr. Obamas spokesman issued a statement calling the discussion positive, saying both men had pledged to work together to effectuate a smooth transition of power on January 20th.

That evening, from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Mr. Trump insisted that the transition was going very, very smoothly and said his talk with Mr. Obama had been a very, very nice conversation.

Our staffs have been getting along very well, and Im getting along very well with him other than a couple of statements that I responded to, Mr. Trump said.
MISSOULA  Wouldn't sex assault victims always try to fight back? Why don't they go to the police right away? What does consent mean? How do you judge what a person was thinking? Has the subject of rape become too politicized, with jurors' biases ingrained before a trial even begins?

Some of the reasons that make prosecuting sexual intercourse without consent  Montana's official charge for rape  more difficult than other violent crimes were highlighted during last month's trial of Jordan Bahr in Missoula County District Court.

Bahr was charged after sexually assaulting a Missoula woman at his home in October 2015. On the trial's fourth day, before the defense was set to present their case to the jury, Bahr chose to plead guilty to an alternative charge of felony sexual assault, and will likely be sentenced in the spring.

His attorney, Mat Stevenson, said after the trial ended that one of the most difficult parts of his job in the case was weeding through potential jurors' opinions about sex and consent to try to make sure his client received a fair trial.

The Missoula County Attorney's Office has a special victims unit, formed shortly after Kirsten Pabst became county attorney in 2015, that focuses on violent crimes including sexual assault and rape. Jennifer Clark and Jordan Kilby  the attorneys who prosecuted Bahr's case  are part of that unit.

Clark said part of the difficulty in presenting rape cases to a jury comes from a persistent common belief in "rape myths" and the fact that people's assertions of how a victim would or should respond doesn't align with the most common reactions and best research of what actually occurs.

During jury selection for Bahr's trial, several potential jurors said they believed if they were sexual assaulted or raped, they would always fight back and would expect to see a victim doing the same.

In the Bahr case, the woman said she had frozen when the assault began and felt unable to do or say anything.

Two women from the jury pool said they would disagree with a person being charged because the victim "simply didn't do anything," and either resisted, told Bahr to stop, or left.

"I think if you're just laying there, that's not a rejection of sexual activity," one of them added.

Stevenson, Bahr's attorney, said that during jury selection, he was paying special attention to what people said about their views on consent.

"Some people think that if your mouth can utter the word 'no' or 'stop' you must do so, or you can't cry victim status later," he said. "Other people seem to feel that you don't have to say a word, whether you can or not, and if your body language is non-responsive, a person who continues to touch you sexually must know they are committing a crime."

***

A general lack of knowledge around victim behavior during traumatic events led prosecutors in Bahr's case to bring in Dr. Sheri Vanino, a psychologist from Denver, to testify as an expert witness.

"My experience and research shows that the general public does not understand sexual assault," Vanino said.

While many people recognize "fight or flight" as a response to fear, Vanino said what very few understand is the third outcome, freezing. The brain makes a decision about a perceived threat in a tenth of a millisecond, Vanino said, and dumps a set of chemicals into the system in response. A small amount of those chemicals, from a lower degree of fear, means a person is very likely to fight back or run away.

But when fear reaches a certain threshold, the brain puts out a massive dose and the frontal lobe  responsible for our ability to reason and act logically  shuts down in an uncontrollable physiological reaction that leaves victims feeling paralyzed, unable to move or speak, a process called "tonic immobility."

"It's not a choice, it's not something they do on purpose," Vanino said.

Only 19 percent of sexual assault victims tend to be able to fight back, she said.

For many, it takes a special set of training to push through the chemical reaction in the brain and continuing to function as tonic immobility starts to shut down the body.

"A Navy SEAL, for example, they aren't going to freeze," Vanino said.

Vanino said she often sends her trauma clients who were victims of sexual assault to self-defense classes that are designed to train people to have a more effective reaction to fear. What stays with many of them who froze during their attack is not just a sense of shame of not being able to do anything, but the worry that they would freeze up if it happened again, Vanino told the jury.

Clark and Kilby said that, more than other types of criminal prosecutions, they have to build in a lot of education  like the testimony Vanino provided  when they take rape cases to trial.

People's awareness that sexual assault victims tend to freeze is improving, Clark said. But there is still a lot of work to be done every time a case comes up to make a jury aware of the science and research, and get jurors past their own preconceived notions, she said.

The topic of sexual assault has become more polarizing in the community in recent years, said Stevenson, Bahr's attorney.

"I can say I have discussed these issues with many Missoulians, and I think there is little doubt that attitudes are increasingly polemic, with many people disgusted by the apparent political agenda to demonize young males as presumptive sexual predators on the one hand, and others increasingly disgusted by the perception of a very real epidemic of sexual crime and violence," he said.

Both Vanino and Missoula Police Department Detective Connie Brueckner testified during the Bahr trial that many people also have trouble understanding why a victim doesn't immediately report an assault.

"The myth is that if you were sexually assaulted you run to the phone and call 911 immediately," Vanino said.

She said many victims experience shame and humiliation after a sexual assault and are likely to blame themselves before recognizing they were the victim of a crime.

"And quite frankly, our society is very good at blaming victims," she added during her testimony.

After the trial, Kilby repeated an analogy similar to one brought up during jury selection: She compared a victim's response to sexual assault to that of person whose unlocked house was burglarized.

"Leaving your house unlocked and making it be easy to come in and steal from you doesn't make it right," she said. "There's a little shame in leaving your door unlocked. There's a lot of shame involved with letting (Bahr) lay down on the couch with her."

Brueckner, who specializes in investigating sex crimes as a part of the police department's special victims unit, said her experience in Missoula is that it's very rare that a person reports a sexual assault immediately after an incident.

***

This summer, the Montana Legislature's Law and Justice Interim Committee worked on a handful of bills that will be introduced during the session starting Monday, including one that would alter how rape cases are developed and prosecuted.

The proposal from Senator Diane Sands, D-Missoula, would change the definition of "without consent" to remove a need to prove force was used. Instead, it would define consent as meaning that both partners had, with words or overt actions, shown they were willingly engaging in sexual contact.

Clark said while the change isn't a sure-fire fix  still leaving open the ability for the people to disagree on what was said or implied in a situation  it could close the need to show what people were thinking at the time. Under the rape statute, prosecutors have to prove that a defendant knew they lacked consent.

"It's so narrowly defined right now. 'No means no' isn't the state of the law," she said. "It's come up in other cases where a defendant should know that the person isn't engaged with the sexual act."

Having to tie a rape to the use or threat of force means the Missoula County Attorney's Office hasn't always been able to bring that charge. One of the most difficult parts of Kilby's work as a special victims unit prosecutor is telling victims there isn't enough evidence to meet the requirements of the law.

"I've done it over the past couple of years, of having to say, 'You were raped, but the statute doesn't say that you are,'" she said. "We ethically can't take cases that we don't think there is a reasonable proposition we can win."

***

Stevenson said the idea of consent has "always been loosely defined by societal norms," given that under the law, a verbal yes is not a requirement for consensual sexual contact.

"There is certainly a vocal political agenda to move the line, making it easier to claim absence of consent," he said.

In hearings before Bahr's trial began, Stevenson challenged the definition of "without consent" that would have been given to the jury.

"Jury instructions are ideally supposed to be uniform and beyond argumentation, but nothing could be further from the truth regarding the definition pertaining to sexual assault," he said. Other case decisions and various versions of jury instructions have created a lack of clarity of how to give jurors a framework to make a decision, he said.

"In the end, the instruction to the jury would have read "without consent retains its ordinary meaning," which is I think the same as not instructing the jury at all."

***

Sands's draft legislation would also change the use of mental incapacitation  one way a person can be considered unable to give consent  which Kilby said often comes up in cases where a reporting victim was highly intoxicated at the time of the incident. The proposed change would relax the standard of how much a person's judgment would have to be impaired by intoxication to make consent impossible. Kilby said if the change goes through, it will help their ability to prosecute cases by making it easier to prove that a defendant knew a person was impaired.

"We've had several where we couldn't prove that she was that drunk because people would describe her as walking around and engaging with people, but she's in a blackout," Kilby said. "We have victims that we have to tell them, 'You didn't consent to that, but that doesn't fit the legal statute.'"
Just in case they dont make them themselves, well make the following New Years resolutions for some folks around the state:

EPAs Montana bosses, who live, for some reason, in Helena instead of Butte: Do your job here. Get real about the current inadequate remedy for the Butte Hill. Fund CTEC as promised. Show up in Butte more often. Hold ARCO accountable. Commit to working toward the vision this community provided through Restore Our Creek.

Gov. Steve Bullock: Dont back down on early childhood education and infrastructure. Be the governor known nationally for getting things done despite a hostile Legislature. Keep up the fight here in Butte for a real cleanup. Do something about the fact Montana breaks public-records law on email retention every day.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen: Cut your losses. Get rid of Randy Vogel, the political hack you hired (with no background whatsoever in education) who specialized in offensive social-media posts during the recent campaign. You dont need him or the taint he brings to a department that you campaigned on de-politicizing.

Butte-Silver Bow Chief Executive Dave Palmer: Use your new office as a bully pulpit for economic development here in Butte. Solve the MSE crisis with leadership. And refuse to sign any Butte Priority Soils consent decree that doesnt reflect the real desires of the people of Butte.

Attorney General Tim Fox: Escalate the states response to a worsening methamphetamine crisis. Get the medical examiners office straightened out and functioning economically and correctly. Get those rape kits tested. Use your status as both one of the leading Republican attorneys general in the nation and as a trusted friend of Montanas Native Americans and honorary tribal member to take a leadership role in mediating the bitter Standing Rock situation, one state over but greatly affecting the entire West.

Montana legislators of both parties: Represent the needs and desires of your constituents over and above ideology. Work together and find solutions that help the state. Remember our most vulnerable, including children, the disadvantaged, the elderly, and our veterans. Tough times should make statespeople out of politicians.

Montana environmentalists: Remember mining and ranching are both a part of our heritage and necessary to our future. Stand up and fight when you need to, and compromise when you can. And do all you can to oppose the delisting of the Yellowstone grizzlies.

Montana water-rights holders: Work together to conserve. Realize were in this together, climate change is real, and sacrifices must be made to preserve the Montana way of life and our outdoor economy. Oh, and respect the law on stream access.

Sen. Jon Tester, Sen. Steve Daines, and whoever replaces Rep. Ryan Zinke: Take a Team Montana approach to helping the states economy and its neediest citizens. Together, you have enormous power. In particular, make the federal government do what it is supposed to do for our veterans, our Native Americans, and for our Montana environment.

Northwestern Energy: Continue the admirable diversification of your energy-generation portfolio. (But at the same time, why not acquire Colstrip Units 1 and 2? Ratepayers would support you doing all you can to stabilize cheap power for your largest customers  who create jobs  as well as the smallest.)

If all this should happen to take place, were going to like 2017 a lot more than 2016.
Book Review Policy

I am very interested in receiving review copies from authors and publishers. Each book I complete will receive an honest review from me. If you would be willing to send me a copy of a book, please contact me at ristaut@gmail.com


Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading.

Build your health & fitness knowledge Sign up here to get the latest health & fitness updates in your inbox every week! Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy
Les emplois a Rennes sont abondants et varies. Il y a quelque chose pour tout le monde. Que vous soyez a la recherche dun emploi []
Les blattes ou cafards (Blatta orientalis) sont des insectes qui appartiennent a la famille des Blattoptera. Ils se caracterisent par leur forme allongee, leurs ailes []
News / Africa

by Staff Reporter

CAPE TOWN - It was a "comedy" of errors for bungling burglars in Crossroads, Cape Town, on Thursday night, when one of the hapless criminals accidentally killed his accomplice.According to News24, Police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk said a gang of four had forced its way into a Sonwabile Drive home."The owner of the house was asleep and was woken by footsteps inside the kitchen. He went to check and saw an unknown armed man, whom he fought with," he said."When the owner of the house overpowered the suspect, the culprit called for help and three other suspects appeared. One suspect fired shots, aiming at the owner, but he shot his accomplice who died on the scene," Van Wyk added."Two other suspects were also shot during the struggle and one was unharmed. Two are detained in Nyanga and one is under police guard in hospital."Police recovered two guns from the scene.
News / Local

by Staff Reporter

The Zimbabwe government, desperate for foreign investment is assembling and dispatching a team of top officials to 'beg' Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote to pour his cash into the economy.According to Secretary in the Ministry of Investment Promotion, Desire Sibanda the team drawn from several ministries is expected to jet out in the next two weeks."Government has set up a team to resuscitate the Dangote deals, which will be visiting the Nigerian early next (this) month" state controlled Sunday Mail quoted him saying."We are following up on the investment he promised" he added.He said the promised "investment deals were being stalled by certain assurances the Nigerians had requested which included exemptions from certain legal, all of which we have resolved now".Sibanda said the officials "will appraise him on developments around the investment climate in Zimbabwe, which has changed dramatically since he visited Zimbabwe in 2015".When Dangote visited Zimbabwe in 2015, a state of euphoria gripped the country, as government believed a saviour to deliver the country from the economic crisis had arrived.The Nigerian billionaire said he would spend close to $400 million on the cement plant, which will produce a million and half tons of cement a year, making it the biggest in country.However, a few weeks later, Dangote curiously omitted Zimbabwe from the countries he named as investment destinations.He said his company planned to build cement plants in Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Ivory Coast and Zambia and conspicuously left out Zimbabwe where people were made to believe that he wants to construct a cement plant with a capacity to produce 1,5 million metric tonnes annually.
News / National

by Staff Reporter

A 31-year-old prison officer at Chikurubi Prison and Training School reportedly beat up his wife after she barred his small house from entering their matrimonial bedroom on Christmas eve.The prison officer, Wellington Goteka has since appeared before Harare magistrate Ms Tilda Mazhande accused of contravening the Domestic Violence Act.He was remanded to January 17 on $50 bail.The complainant, Goteka's wife Enia, is also employed by Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services as a prison officer at Chikurubi Female Prison.The prosecutor Mrs Devoted Nyagano-Gwashavanhu alleged that on December 24 at around 7pm Goteka arrived home in the company of his girlfriend and her sister.The trio sat in the dining room and Goteka gave the women T/shirts to wear.It is alleged that the girlfriend went to the bedroom intending to change into the T/shirt, but Goteka's wife blocked her.The court heard that Goteka became angry that his wife was not letting his girlfriend enter the matrimonial bedroom.He started kicking and punching her. Enia cried for help and her husband's friend came to her rescue.She did not sustain visible injuries and was not medically examined.
15:14

Aviation turbine fuel price was today hiked by a steep 8.6 per cent and subsidised LPG rate raised by Rs 2 per cylinder, the 8th increase in cooking gas price in seven months.

ATF or jet fuel price was hiked by Rs 4,161 per kilolitre, or 8.6 per cent, to Rs 52,540.63 per kl in Delhi. The hike comes on back of a 3.7 per cent cut in rates last month.

Also, the rate of subsidised LPG rate was hiked by Rs 2 per 14.2-kg cylinder and it will now cost Rs 434.71 a bottle as against Rs 432.71 previously, according to state-owned Oil companies.

This is the 8th increase in price since July when the government decided to go in for a small hikes of up to Rs 2 per bottle every month to cut down its subsidy outgo.

LPG rates were last hiked on December 1 by Rs 2.07 per cylinder.

The government had last year decided to take the diesel route for eliminating subsidies on LPG and kerosene. Diesel price was deregulated in November 2014 after the previous UPA government effected 50 paise hikes every month to bridge the gap with retail price and its international cost.

The Rs 2 per cylinder hike in LPG every month is also aimed at achieving the same purpose. In case of kerosene, the government has allowed state-owned oil companies to raise the price by 25 paise a litre every fortnight for 10 months. The 10th hike in kerosene, since July, was effected today.

A litre of kerosene now costs Rs 18.28 in Mumbai. Delhi has been declared a kerosene-free state and no subsidised PDS kerosene is sold in the national capital.

The price of non-subsidised cooking gas, which consumers buy after exhausting quota of 12 bottles of 14.2-kg each per household in a year, was hiked by Rs 1 to Rs 585. The hike comes on the back of Rs 54.5 hike on December 1.




Branding demonetisation a "huge scam", Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday sought an independent probe into and a White Paper on the note ban. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader also told the media here that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had become a laughing stock globally after taking out 86 per cent of the currency from the system on November 8. "The world has started making fun of Modi... At least (former Prime Minister) Manmohan Singh had the respect of the world." "Demonetisation is the biggest scandal in independent India," Kejriwal said. "The entire exercise was political and guided by corruption." He claimed that even hardcore BJP and RSS supporters were disappointed by Modi's speech of Saturday because he failed to mention when people could resume withdrawing money from their bank accounts at will. "There should be an independent investigation into the note ban," he said. "There should also be a White Paper on the stated objectives of the demonetisation and what was really achieved." He said the White Paper should detail the fall in GDP growth and in industrial and agricultural production after the November 8 announcement. Kejriwal and the AAP have been among the most vocal critics of the note ban which caused an unprecedented cash crunch in the country. He said after all the hardships that people endured, none of the stated objectives in Modi's November 8 speech were achieved. He said there had been no reduction in corruption, black money had not been wiped out and terror financing had not ended. The AAP leader accused the BJP leaders of converting black money into white before and amid the cash shortage and demanded to know why Modi was promoting Paytm for cashless transactions. "Has he taken bribes from Paytm? Paytm is the biggest gainer from demonetisation." Kejriwal also denounced Delhi Metro's fiat that only Paytm transactions would be considered valid in select metro stations. "They can't do this. They can't promote one single company. I will ask them... Maybe they are under pressure." Later, addressing a rally in Rohtak in Haryana, Kejriwal alleged that Modi's intentions behind demonetisation were neither to fight corruption or eradicate black money. He said what he has been saying in rally after rally that Modi decided to scrap Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes so as to bail out corporate houses who had taken huge loans from banks but had defaulted on repayment. The old money deposited by people in banks would be used to write off the bad loans, he said. --IANS vn-mr/am/vd ( 434 Words) 2017-01-01-18:00:07 (IANS)
Senior police officials attribute the increased number of challans to a stricter vigil and 'zero tolerance attitude' by police.

This time around, a total of 13,260 traffic tickets were issued for various violations including drunk driving and over-speeding as against 6,486 last year.

Interestingly, the proportion of drunk driving has come down this year, and so have the cases of over-speeding.

While last year, police penalised 887 out of total 6,486 people for drunk driving, this time the figure is 889 out of 13,260). Last year, 335 people were penalised for over-speeding but this year, only 78 people.

Two-wheeler users were among the top violators as the maximum number of traffic tickets this year (4,022) were handed out for riding without helmet as against last year's 730, while 414 were issued for triple riding.

"We tried to make the best possible arrangements to curb instances of drunk driving, over speeding and other traffic violations by the revellers. We also made elaborate arrangements to ensure smooth flow of traffic, as the volume of traffic was quite high," Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Ajay Kashyap told IANS.

He said that around 2,500 men were deployed, of whom as many as 1,300 were kept in and around Connaught Place and India Gate.

Police had identified 14 sensitive points in central Delhi where the deployment was high.

--IANS sp-mak/vd

( 263 Words)

2017-01-01-21:56:07 (IANS)
Washington D.C. [USA], Jan 1 (ANI) After the sudden deaths of mother Debbie Reynolds and sister Carrie Fisher, Todd recently opened up about his family's devastating loss. "Debbie did not die of a broken heart," Fisher told ABC News' 2020 in an episode that aired Friday. "She just left to be with Carrie," reports People Magazine. The 58-year-old, who was with his mother at the time of her death, described her final hours as he stated, "Debbie said she really wanted to be with Carrie. In those precise words and within 15 minutes from that conversation she faded out and within 30 minutes, she technically was gone." "She started to have a stroke, and she just effectively went to sleep and didn't wake up. She closed her eyes, peacefully like you're going to sleep, and she literally went to sleep and left. My mother, if anybody, had somehow a way to do that, and I watched it happen in front of my face, Todd told host Elizabeth Vargas, I was on her bed with her, and I watched her leave and go to Carrie." Debbie died within a day of the 'Star Wars' actress, who had suffered a heart attack on December 23. The late actresses will be buried next to each other and among friends, including actress Bette Davis and pianist Liberace, at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in L.A. We're brokenhearted, those of us that are left behind. We also are happy that they're together. It's horrible. It's beautiful. It's magical they're together, Todd admitted. It's beyond words. It's beyond understanding. (ANI)
As soon as the news of Bollywood director and film producer Abis Rizvi's death broke out, rich tributes from the film fraternity poured in who expressed grief at the tragic loss. Venting out his anger against the perpetrators of the terror attack, Bollywood actor Raza Murad on Sunday said Rizvi's death was a loss to the industry. "The perpetrators of this attack should not only be condemned. They should also be shot at. Rizvi, a budding filmmaker, whose film 'Roar' is set to release, what was his fault, why was he shot at. This is extremely unfortunate his death is a loss to this industry," Murad told ANI. Expressing similar sentiments, another Bollywood actor Javed Jaffery, said, 'Devastated by the death of my friend #AbisRizvi in the dastardly terrorist attack this morning in an #Istanbul nightclub (sic)'. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has informed that two Indian nationals have lost their lives in the Istanbul nightclub attack. "I have a bad news from Turkey. We have lost two Indian nationals in the Istanbul attack. Indian Ambassador is on way to Istanbul. The victims are Mr. Abis Rizvi son of former Rajya Sabha MP and Ms. Khushi Shah from Gujarat," Swaraj tweeted. Swaraj further said the government is making arrangements for Rizvi's parents to reach Istanbul. "I have just spoken to Mr.Akhtar Hassan Rizvi father of Abis Rizvi. He and Mrs Rizvi also want to go to Istanbul. We r organising their Visa. I have also spoken to Shri Ashok Shah father of Ms.Khushi Shah and conveyed our condolences (sic)," she tweeted. Swaraj said she has asked Indian Ambassador in Turkey, Rahul Kulshreshth, to receive the families at the airport and make all arrangements. At least 35 people were killed and 40 others injured in an armed attack at an Istanbul nightclub early Sunday. The investigation into the attack is currently underway. The attack comes three weeks after twin bombings in Istanbul killed at least 45 people, mostly police officers. (ANI)
"My warmest greetings and best wishes to all my countrymen in India and abroad on the occasion of New Year," President Mukherjee tweeted.

"May the New Year bring progress and prosperity to our glorious nation," he added.

The President also urged the nation to pledge to make India a beautiful country which is clean and pollution free.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took to Twitter to extend his warm wishes on the occasion saying, "Greetings on the start of 2017. May this year bring good health, happiness and prosperity in everyone's lives."

Joining the beeline, External Minister Sushma Swaraj, also extended New Year greetings to everyone. (ANI)
Describing the Congress' criticism on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech on New Year's Eve as "laughable", Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office (PMO) Jitendra Singh has said the government is only concerned about the verdict of 1.2 billion people and not about a judgment made by "disgruntled" political parties. "It is quite laughable, the Congress spokesperson was heard saying that people of this country were disappointed and when he was saying this disappointment was large written on his face," Singh told ANI. "What matters is the verdict of 125 crore of people of this country and not a judgement made by some of the panellists of some of the disgruntled political parties," he added. The Minister's reaction came in response to Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala's remarks stating that people of the country were disappointed over the Prime Minister's speech who remained silent on withdrawal limits imposed post demonetisation. "We are extremely disappointed with the Prime Minister's speech. Many questions were left unanswered. His decision paralyzed nation's economy. The country can't run this way," he said. "We once again urge the Prime Minister to withdraw the restrictions imposed on withdrawals post demonetisation," he added He also said that it has become a habit of Prime Minister Modi to make headlines and no deadlines. (ANI)
News / National

by Staff Reporter

An unlicensed driver nearly rammed into Acting President Emmerson Mnangagwa's vehicle in Harare on Wednesday.The 28-year-old, Gudza Garyson Gwande, has since appeared before Harare magistrate Ms Tilda Mazhande and was fined $100 for driving without a licence.Failure to pay the fine will earn Gwande 30 days jail time. Gwande pleaded for the court's mercy, saying he was a family man."I was driving without a licence because I was rushing a sick person to hospital. I was trying to avoid potholes when I was involved in the near collision," he said.Ms Mazhande advised Gwande to obtain a driver's licence. The prosecutor Mrs Devoted Nyagano-Gwashavanhu told the court that on December 28, 2016 around 1500hrs, Gwande was driving due east along Josiah Tongogara Avenue.He was driving a Honda CRV registration number ACD 1389. Gwande changed and took the outer lane at the intersection of Josiah Tongogara Avenue and Leopold Takawira Street.He nearly rammed into Acting President Emmerson Mnangagwa's Range Rover. The Acting President was in the vehicle. Gwande failed to produce a driver's licence when it was requested and was subsequently arrested.
There might be varying assessment of the success of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Clean India Mission, but winds of change are certainly blowing in the predominantly Muslim residential locality of Ghaffar Manazil in Jamia Nagar, thanks to its women. Plagued by a dysfunctional men-dominated Resident Welfare Association (RWA), women of Ghaffar Manzil residential area are taking up cudgels against the goonda and status quoist elements, who had so far foiled all attempts for change. Their resolve got further strengthened after around 200 goondas hired by these anti-change elements last week destroyed the greenery planted by them on the garbage site, which was a sore to the eyes of people in the locality. The site was shifted a bit farther from the locality to a wider area on the road, where it was more convenient for the municipality truck to come and lift the garbage. The locality, flanked by green stretches of Jamia University and the UP Irrigation department land on both sides of its main road, was a saving grace for the otherwise jungle of concrete that Jamia Nagar has turned into. The goonda assault on the site chosen by women to begin their cleanliness drive came as a great shock to all the sensible people in the locality, and some male residents were honest enough when they said, ''We have certainly failed the people of the locality all these years. And it was high time that we supported the efforts of these women. ''We have been forced to come out of four homes after we waited for years to see our RWA acting to remove the insanitary conditions prevailing in this locality, which was so beautiful over a decade ago,'' Tehrima Ahmad, Tasneem Jamal and Tarunnum Abdulla said. These women have formed a Gaffar Manzil Women Welfare Association, which is getting full support from local Councillor Ishrat Jahan. The spree of construction in the last one-and-a-half decade has seen a sharp rise in the population of the locality, with every single house turning into a four-storey or five-storey block of flats, but the RWA, to which elections have not been held for last many years, has failed to act accordingly, its working bogged down most of the time by local rivalries. ''Women of the locality are now awakening, and they cannot just be a mute spectator to the dirt and filth, which was threatening public health,'' Tehrima said. ''We have collected some money through our own resources and bought flower pots, dustbins and placed them at everyshop and restaurants so that they do not throw the trash on streets,'' she said. Tarannum Abdullah said the most positive development was the involvement of children who had nothing but a dusty stretch in the name of a park for their recreations. ''It was unfortunate that such a constructive elements was being opposed by some elements who were against any change even if it was for the good of all,'' said another member of the Group Tasneem jamal. But Councillor Israt Jahan said,'' that is how the world is. There is always a resistence when you want to do do some good,but with honest intentions and resolve, we are confident that we would overcome the hurdle.'' UNI NAZ RJ 1128 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0432-1089518.Xml
In continuing special drive against smuggling of liquor during new year celebrations, police seized huge consignment of liquor from an oil tanker near Kanchanpur village under Mufassil police station area in Rohtas district today. Police said here that nearly 3,500 bottles of foreign liquor neatly stacked in 289 cartons were recovered from the oil tanker abandoned on the side of the National Highway 2 near Kanchanpur village. The driver and cleaner of the vehicle made good escape from the spot by dodging the police. The consignment was being smuggled from Jharkhand when it was intercepted by the police. Police have seized the oil tanker and launched a massive manhunt to nab bootleggers. UNI XC-DH AKM 1302 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0213-1089617.Xml
Four new year revellers were killed and as many injured in separate smog related road accidents in Sitamarhi and Katihar districts today. A Sitamrhi report said, three youths were killed on the spot and another sustained serious injuries when their motorcycle was hit by a speeding vehicle on National Highway 77 near Gaighat village under Runni Saidpur police station area in the district. All three youths were going to a nearby picnic spot when their vehicle was hit by the vehicle in the dense fog. The deceased were identified as Vikas Kumar (21) and Abhishek Kumar (23). The injured youth was rushed to Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital in Muzaffarpur after his primary treatment at a local hospital. A Katihar report said, two youths were killed and three others sustained injured when an auto rickshaw turned turtle in dense fog near Hajipur village under Mufassil police station area in the district. Police said that the mishap took place when some people were going to Gedabadi from Katihar for new year celebrations. The deceased were identified as Mohammed Soaib Udder (19) and Mohammed Asraful (30). The injured have been admitted to Katihar Sadar Hospital where their condition was stated to be out of danger. The auto rickshaw driver made good his escape from the spot after abandoning his vehicle. Bodies have been sent for autopsy, police added. UNI XC-DH AKM 1327 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0213-1089639.Xml
One person was arrested after the Chennai Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized 8.7 kg of gold worth Rs 2.44 crore smuggled from Sri Lanka at Mandapam near Rameswaram. Earlier the Coastal Security Group (CSG) had seized gold biscuits, weighing more than 35 kg, smuggled from Sri Lanka by sea, and arrested two persons. Further details are awaited. (ANI)
Police seized 80 litres of country liquor, huge quantity of mahua and liquor manufacturing equipments following a receipt of information from local people. Police arrested the country liquor manufacturer Sachin Choudhary from the spot.

Police have destroyed illegal country liquor and are interrogating the nabbed person to get further details of his modus operandi.

A Sasaram report said, police seized huge consignment of liquor from an oil tanker near Kanchanpur village under Mufassil police station area in Rohtas district.

Police said here that nearly 3,500 bottles of foreign liquor neatly stacked in 289 cartons were recovered from the oil tanker abandoned on the side of the National Highway 2 near Kanchanpur village. The driver and cleaner of the vehicle made good escape from the spot by dodging the police. The consignment was being smuggled from Jharkhand when it was intercepted by the police.

Police have seized the oil tanker and launched a massive manhunt to nab bootleggers. UNI DH AKM 1412

-- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0213-1089699.Xml
Police said here that criminals shot dead 'police mitra' (civil volunteer) Aniruddha Kumar (35) when he was returning to his nave Kedrabada village under Bachhwada police station area in Begusarai district on his motorcycle after visiting a temple on new year`s day.

The motive behind the murder was not immediately known. Body has been sent to local Sadar Hospital for autopsy, police added. UNI XC-DH AKM 1417

-- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0213-1089707.Xml
At least seven people have been injured, three of them critically, in fog induced head on collision between two jeeps near Gorgama village under town police station area in Vaishali district this morning. Police said, a cattle laden pick up van collided head on with a jeep coming from opposite side after its driver failed to sight the vehicle due to fog induced poor visibility. While three critically injured, identified as Devendra Rai, Lagan Rai and Shanker Rai were rushed to Patna, four others were admitted to Sadar hospital here. Drivers of both the vehicle survived the accident and fled from the spot. UNI XC-DH-IS AKM 1458 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0213-1089753.Xml
The government today issued orders appointing Mr Singh belonging to the 1983 batch as the new Chief Secretary in place of Mr Pradip Chandra who had retired yesterday.

Senior IPS official A.K.Khan who retired as Director-General of Anti-Corruption Bureau yesterday has been appointed as Adviser of Minority Welfare, while another IAS officer Arivind Kumar was appointed as Resident Commissioner at Telangana Bhavan in New Delhi.UNI SMS CS 1456

-- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-1089745.Xml
All eyes are on the mega Maha Parvartan rally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this Uttar Pradesh capital tomorrow, to be graced by all senior BJP leaders, including party president Amit Shah and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. Thousands of BJP supporters have started arriving in the City of Nawabs, which has turned saffron with party flags, posters and hoardings covering the entire city and its adjoining areas. Though security for the PM's rally would be stringent, but the party has made several arrangements for smooth conduct of the meeting, which was earlier scheduled for December 24, but postponed later. BJP leaders, including party president Keshav Prasad Maurya, held Bhoomi pujan at rally ground of the Rama Bai Ambedkar ground yesterday. ''Over 10 lakh people are expected to attend this rally. It would be the largest rally ever held in Uttar Pradesh,'' Mr Maurya told UNI here today. He said party workers from each booth will come to Lucknow to attend this mega show. ''There are 1.47 lakh booths in the state and eight people from each booth are expected to attend this rally. Besides, traders, students, professionals and employee associations in different government sectors will be part of this mega show,'' he added. Talking about support BJP got in Parivartan yatras, he said it was clear indication that people have made their mind in favour of the party and BJP will form the next government in UP. ''The response at Parivartan yatras is tremendous. People from all walks of life have been supporting this yatra. A rough estimate suggests that over 1.5 crore people have attended this ongoing yatra at different places,'' Mr Maurya said. PM's rally would be a historic one in many ways including that Narendra Modi might send out message after the 50 days grace period he had sought to bring normalcy post demonetisation in the first public rally after the period came to an end on December 31. Besides the rally will be big also in that top ministers from Modi's cabinet hailing from UP and national BJP chief Amit Shah would be sharing the dais with the PM. Union minsters Rajnath Singh, Kalraj Mishra, Uma Bharati and several others are expected to be present in the rally. As many as 14,000 buses and 50,000 small vehicles will ferry the crowd to and fro the rally ground. There are 41 districts from Awadh, Kanpur and Braj regions from where target is to bring at least two buses each full of booth level workers, a party member said and added that from regions far away from Lucknow, the party is expecting at least one bus from each sector. UP BJP General Secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak said here today that the party supporters from far flung districts have started arriving and the party has made all arrangements for their stay in this chilly weather. He claimed that the PM's rally would be a historic one as more than 10 lakh people would attend it, creating a records of sort of such big rally in the state capital. Meanwhile, according to officials, PM would reach Amausi airport at around 1350 hrs tomorrow and will fly to the spot by a chopper to be nearby Ram Bai Ambedkar ground at 1400 hours. There are also alternative arrangements to take the PM by road to the rally ground. After addressing the rally for around an hour-and-a-half, the PM would leave for New Delhi at around 1530 hrs.UNI MB RJ 1410 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0196-1089631.Xml
Opinion / Columnist

How many times have I been insulted by this very invisible person called Xoxani Ngxoxo. He wrote big English than me and he told me in writing that I am an average person: to be precise, a middle finger! He really shone grammatically in his writing to make the difference between the middle finger and him, just Mugabe perfect English speaker, making the big difference in English language proficiency he has accumulated by staying in the Queens England than the German speaking Nomazulu Thata. How I wish Xoxani and me could sit for a chemistry examination for 45 minutes! Let's not go as far as examining him in Metallurgy engineering. I wonder who is going to pass that exam. We could also try water/waste engineering examinations together and see who is the middle finger between Xoxani and me; Nomazulu Thata.I thank you for this article you have just written Siqhubumthetho. Your article clears so many misconceptions! This Xoxani has been writing very devious articles the past 4 months confusing the people of Mthwakazi left, right, left and centre. It is very obvious that he is indeed a double agent. But we know him: his is masculine and not feminine! He is a HE!This Xoxani Ngxoxo could be either G40 or Lacoste or a double agent of both factions. He survives somehow to feed his big family by selling out either way. He can claim both or more at the same breath, Shona and Ndebele and equally: he is Moyo in pseudo; mind you. When he is in Manicaland he is Nzou, in Mashonaland central he is Ndzobvu, in Mashonaland East he is Zhou and in Masvingo he is Ndlobvu, and when he is in Gwanda he is Ndlovu! That is one person in a whole name! Be careful, please be very careful, and be very careful. Uzakufa amazinyo emhlope nke!When he wrote an article pleading with the people of Mathebeleland to make an alliance with Zanu PF! Zanu PF! Did you understand me well? I challenged that! How can people of Mathebeleland make an alliance with the devil Zanu PF, why not with the people of Mashonalands direct, we need them a thousand times more than the devil Zanu PF. When he failed to win the popular acceptance, he switched his writing agenda automatically to being the most conservative Mthwakazi of our time. He spoke highly about King Zwelithini and how he can change the matrix of South African politics! He speaks highly of Mthwakazi people! But this is a Shona person a Moyo by surname albeit pseudo! You see the confusion!But in his articles there is so much confusion! This Xoxani is all out to confuse the electorate; the people of Mathebeleland must be disorganized come 2018! The people of Mathebeleland should see this poisonous content early before 2018. He commands Ndebele language very well. He uses his identity crisis very well to feed his family. And he knows exactly what to say to please PLEASE PLEASE the reader, the Ndebele people, the Mthwakazi people. Some bought it and praised him to high heavens. I did not respond to his articles curiously enough, but waited for this day! And this day is today when I read your article questioning this persona called Xoxani, a mixture of sell-out!I have always wondered why the readers do not see the poisonous element in our midst! Please collect all Xoxani articles he has written and ask yourself who does this person represent, who is he writing for? U mission wakhe ngowani? In one paragraph he would quote Mthwakazi 10 times, what for? In retrospect I enjoyed MDC-T Comrad Nelson Chamisa when he addressed his electorate in Bulawayo: "Linjani Mthwakazi omuhle?" He said. That was more authentic than Xoxani Ngxoxo' ten articles confusing us with cheap politics with undercurrent of Zanu PF propaganda.I am Ndebele Phaqha! I am not a restorationist, I am not a secessionist, I am for the devolution of power that Zapu's Themba Mthethwa so eloquently elaborated to us so that we can develop Mathebeleland using funding from the central government. Devolution is even enshrined in our constitution. Ask this pseudo Xoxani simple question: who wrote the Zim-Assets? How much did they get in remunerations when they sold that to Zanu PF in cash or in kind? It's not only Magaya confusing the Christians in Zimbabwe but there are smart CIOs out there and are active now that we are approaching the 2018 elections. Those who are on the ground please tell the people to watch out for sell-outs in our electorates.There is no need to speak highly of an ethnic tribe against the other at all. We the people of Mthwakazi need our neighbours the peoples of Mashonalands. We want to make peace with them and learn to live with them peacefully. We want to make Zimbabwe a multi-cultural land that is inclusive to all those who live in it including foreigners from other countries. We shall make Zimbabwe a text book case of ethnic groups living in harmony with one another. We shall make it happen, God willing!
After a month-long family feud and inner bickering, the ruling Samajwadi Party today at last split, when Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav was declared as the new national president of the party, replacing Mulayam Singh Yadav, while Amar Singh was sacked from the party and Shivpal Singh Yadav was removed from the state president's post at a national convention, called by the Akhilesh faction. The emergency national delegate meeting of the SP called by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and his political guru Prof Ram Gopal Yadav has also made Mulayam Singh Yadav as the party's patron. Now, the ball is in the court of the Election Commission (EC) as Prof Ram Gopal Yadav said that they will send the changes of the party to the Commission tomorrow, so that the issue of party symbol and other things could be taken care off. The EC will now decide on the ratification of the organisational post, though there would be move by the Mulayam faction to counter it. Mulayam's close friend Amar Singh, who was sacked in the convention from the party, is rushing to Delhi from London today and Mulayam is expected to meet him at New Delhi tomorrow . But the new change has given again a hope of a SP-Congress-RLD alliance in the coming UP polls, as Akhilesh is said to be a staunch supporter of the grand pre-poll alliance and it has been reported that he had talked to Congress leaders in the past over the issue. Mulayam was resisting the alliance. But, the dispute is not likely to end as now, the Mulayam faction has called for a national convention in Lucknow on January 5. The resolutions to oust Mulayam and Shivpal has shocked the supporters of Shivpal, even as Mulayam had issued a notice to all leaders not to attend the convention. However, political observers believe that withdrawal of expulsion of Akhilesh and Ram Gopal by Mulayam yesterday on the behest of senior UP minister Mohammad Azam Khan was a suicidal move, which had now weakened the Mulayam faction. Surprisingly, Azam Khan was not present in the meeting of Akhilesh today, even when most of the legislators and even several staunch supporters of Mulayam were present. Meanwhile after the convention which ended briefly within an hour, there is a report of Akhilesh going to the residence of Mulayam to seek his blessings while supporters of Shivpal were staging dharna at the state party office, demanding reinstating of Shivpal. On the other hand, supporters of Akhilesh were celebrating on the occasion for their leader being declared as the party's national president. UP police has deployed RAF and a large contingent of police at the state party office and other places to avoid any confrontation between the rival groups. MORE UNI MB RJ 1430 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0196-1089691.Xml
Two workers, including a woman were killed and five others seriously injured in an explosion triggered by an inferno in a private fireworks factory at Keezhanilaikottai village, today. Police said the workers were engaged in making aerial display fireworks, when the accident occurred. The deceased were identified as Vellaiyammal and Arumugham. The injured workers were rushed to the government headquarters hospital, here. Senior police and revenue officials rushed to the factory. It was a licensed factory run by one Gunasekaran. The cause of fire is under investigation. UNI GSM CS 1551 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-1089796.Xml
While 781 bottles of Nepalese liquor were seized in Supaul district, 289 cartons of foreign liquor in Rohtas district, 230 bottles of foreign liquor in Patna district and 127 bottles of foreign liquor in Gopalganj district. Police also busted an illegal liquor manufacturing unit in Nawada district during the special drive.

A Supaul report said, police seized 781 bottles of Nepalese liquor from two motorcyclists near a canal bridge at Samda village under Ratanpura police station area.

The nabbed liquor peddlers were identified as Vinod Mukhiya and Sone Lal Mukhiya and were carrying the consignment in a gunny bag when it was intercepted.

Bootleggers informed the police that they used to smuggle liquor from neighbouring Nepal and use to sell it at high price in grey market.

MORE UNI DH AKM 1620

-- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0213-1089821.Xml
"We dare Ms Mufti to hold enquiry against BJP ministers who were involved into black money case," Ghulam Ahmed Mir, JKPCC President, told reporters here after chairing Legislature Party meeting ahead of month long Assembly session starting here tomorrow.

Mr Mir claimed that the chief minister knows the facts of the case and she should find out whose vehicle it was, used in transporting the black money worth crores.

"Three BJP ministers were reportedly found involved into corruption and black money and a full fledged enquiry should be initiated against them," he demanded.

Meanwhile the Congress chief said that compensation to jawans martyred in September 18 Uri attack will also be raised in the House.

"Martyrs' have equal respect across the country and they should be treated equally. We will demand compensation for them from the government," he added.UNI VBH VS SHK 1622

-- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0440-1089772.Xml
Jammu and Kashmir Congress is set to grill PDP-BJP government in the month long Assembly session starting here tomorrow. "We will play the role of responsible opposition and seek government's reply on the issues to be raised in the House," Ghulam Ahmed Mir, JKPCC Chief, told reporters here after chairing Legislature Party meeting. Mr Mir said that Congress as opposition party has right to ask questions to the government. "There is total failure on part of the government for the past six months," he said adding that there is no existence of the government and official machinery in the state. "Kashmir is on boil. More than 100 people died in unrest, many got injured and handicapped," he added and said that borders are tense, corruption is on rise and total failure is all across the state. He further said that the developmental projects started during NC-Congress government are being carried forward but nothing new started, adding, "state government employees are awaiting implementation of 7th Pay Commission despite chief minister Mehbooba Mufti claim of no shortage of funds." Power supply is worst affected, there is no ration for the people, he said and added that Panchayat institution has been destroyed. On Demonetisation, Mr Mir said that effects were also visible in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. "The poor and needy class living in remote belts of the state was the worst hit by the demonetisation," he added and said that domicile to West Pakistani Refugees will also be discussed in the House. "As opposition we will demand debates and discussions on various issues and now it is upto the government whether they will allow it or force us to disrupt the proceedings," said the Congress stalwart. There are so many issues on which entire opposition including the National Conference will be on same page, he asserted. Mr Mir further said that Congress and NC will also hold joint floor coordination meeting called by NC working president Omar Abdullah to discuss the future course of action in the House.UNI VBH VS SHK 1635 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0440-1089835.Xml
Fourteen tribal children, hailing from Bastar and Narayanpur districts in Chhattisgarh, who had been taken to Karnataka in the name of providing jobs, have been rescued from the clutches of brokers. District Child Protection Officer Shankar Sharma said Bengaluru-based child welfare orgaisation 'Talaash' rescued them in Bengaluru. Ten children belong to Bastar whereas four hail from Narayanpur. A team from the district administration will be dispatched shortly to bring the children back. However, no broker has been arrested. UNI XC-PS RSA SHK 1640 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0044-1089739.Xml
Welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement of various schemes in his last night's address to the nation, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said these will give teeth to the economy and women, poor and the marginalised will benefit from them. Mr Rajnath said the nation will be strengthened by these developmental schemes announced by the PM. The announcements made particularly for pregnant women are appreciable. Mr Rajnath also congratulated the PM for announcing welfare schemes for various sections of the society, peasants, and the middle class. Information and Broadcasting minister Venkaiah Naidu also said PM's announcements will bring major benefits to the poor, women and traders. He even called Mr Modi 'messiah' of the poor. In order to benefit the poor, peasants, small traders, women, senior citizens and middle class from the huge cash deposits during the demonetisation phase, Prime Minister had announced a slew of announcements yesterday. Under the 'Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna', schemes for construction of houses, rebate on interest on loan to farmers for sowing kharif and rabi; extension of credit card guarantee for small traders and merchants and special schemes for pregnant females and senior citizens were included in the announcements. Mr Rajnath appealed to the banks to help in formulation of policies keeping in mind the welfare of the poor, lower middle class and middle class sections of the society. UNI SY SHK 1751 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0093-1089927.Xml
A man was killed when his motorcycle was hit by an unidentified vehicle on the National Highway-69 in Madhya Pradesh's Betul district, police said today. Santosh Patil, who was posted as compounder in the Veterinary Department, was going to his Kundi village on his bike when the incident occurred last night. He died on the spot.UNI XC-PS RSA SHK 1706 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0044-1089850.Xml
Sources close to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said that the showcause notice bearing the signature of Mulayam had major faults as the veteran leader addressed himself as a third person in the letter.

"Honourable Mulayam Singh Yadav has taken herculean efforts to build this party and protect the state from communal forces. Some people are constantly insulting Mulayam Singh Yadav to hide their misdeeds, to escape from the CBI and help the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These are the same people who dared to convene a national executive meet," the letter issued by Mulayam stated.

"This meet was called without consulting the national secretary of the party and the proposal passed in it is illegal. Stringent action will be taken against the people involved in it," it added.

Sources claim that had Mulayam issued the letter then he would have never addressed himself.

Meanwhile, Mulayam has expelled Kiranmoy Nanda and Naresh Agrawal from the Samajwadi Party.

Earlier in the day, Ramgopal called on party leaders and workers to declare Akhilesh as the party president.

In a dramatic turn of events, the Samajwadi Party yesterday revoked the expulsion of the Chief Minister and Ram Gopal, a day after they were ousted from the party for six years over anti-party activities. (ANI)
He replaced Air Marshal C Harikumar, who moved to the Western Air Command.

Air Marshal Khosla, an alumni of the National Defence Academy, was commissioned in the fighter stream of Indian Air Force in Dec 79.

Air officer has to his credit over 4000 hours of accident free flying mainly on different variants of Jaguar, Mig-21 and Kiran aircraft.

He is equally experienced on both Ground attack and Air Defence roles with specialization on maritime role. UNI MK SHK 1823

-- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0440-1089958.Xml
Opinion / Columnist

ZAPU President Dr Dumiso Dabengwa undressed ZANU PF and Mugabe at Adv Senda burial service when he came out guns blazing telling them point blank that they were not sincere mourning Advocate Lot Senda who was buried on Thursday in Bulawayo.Dr Dabengwa, who referred to himself as a prisoner, in reference to his arrest on trumped up treason charges in the early 1980s, was addressing mourners gathered for the late Advocate Lot Senda burial service at Brethren in Christ Church.Against everyone's expectations, Adv Senda was not accorded the national hero status but was infact given a state assisted funeral by a regime that has been on an agenda deleting ZAPU and ZPRA history and legacy of Zimbabwe's liberation in favor of that of ZANU and ZANLA.Dr Dabengwa told a packed Brethren in Christ church, which included ZANU PF politburo and central committee members, ZANU PF MPs, Government officials, the military and Resident Minister how ZANU PF have dispossessed Adv Senda of his farm in Solusi yet they on Thursday shed crocodile tears over his passing on."It is surprising to us how you today come here and pretend you cared so much about Adv Senda. The man was a ZANU PF member yet your very own ZANU PF supporters unlawfully invaded and are occupying his farm which he bought using his hard earned money. What kind of people are you? ", thundered the miffed ZAPU President to a rousing applause from the congregating mourners."To you Hon Malaba, I challenge you here and now, if you are really sincerely mourning this man, go right away from here and remove your supporters who invaded and are occupying Adv Senda's farm. You should not come here and pretend what you are not." said Dabengwa.He also told ZANU PF to stop the lie they were propagating that Adv Senda had been declared a hero by Mugabe's regime, challenging them to tell the people and family the truth that he was merely given a state assisted funeral, as has become the norm whenever former ZAPU/ZPRA heroes pass on. This was in reference to the habitually recurring incidences where former ZAPU/ZPRA liberation heroes are constantly denied national hero status in favor of their little known and insignificant counterparts from ZANU/ZANLA who are lie buried at the national shrine.Dr Dabengwa also highlighted the double standards being practiced by Robert Mugabe, the dictator leader of both ZANU PF and Zimbabwe. He narrated how he was arrested and dragged to trial on trumped up charges of treason in the early 1980s at the behest of dictator Mugabe who felt ZAPU and its leadership were a stumbling block t his ill thought idea and outrightly mad dream of a one party state as he finally achieved in 1987, albeit temporarily.President Dabengwa narrated how Adv Senda represented Dr Dabengwa, Gen Lookout Vumindaba Masuku and others in court, which acquitted them of the frivolous charges. The madness in Mugabe came to unprecedented peaks when he ordered the detention of both Dr Dabengwa and Gen Masuku, even after the courts of law found them innocent and discharged them. This, Dr Dabengwa said, led to Gen Masuku's illness and subsequent death at the hands of the notorious regime of ZANU PF. This happened in the five year detention stint, just as tens of thousands ZAPU supporters were being butchered by the Fifth Brigade in Midlands and Matabeleland Provinces.According to President Dabengwa, what followed was the Unity Accord, whose contents, negotiations and aims he knew nothing of as the whole process of coming up with it was done while he was inside the notorious Chikurubi walls. He said he only got to know and understand the piecemeal arrangement after reading Cephas Msipha memoir released just before his passing on.Dr Dabengwa questioned the sincerity of self contradicting Mugabe who recently was complaining about his and Mandela's arrests at the hands of white minority governments, saying he has no moral standing to complain since he adopted and is practicing the same repression tactics as practiced by Ian Smith. Dr Dabengwa said he found it unbelievably weird and ironic that the minority Rhodesian government never put chains on him and fellow liberation fighters like Masuku, only to be arrested and falsely detained by a majority black government in a country he had just liberated.The rap by President Dabengwa forced ZANU PF to change in the last minute their main speakers from Cl Tshinga Dube to Ms Angeline Masuku. This was after sensing that Cl Dube would not be able to measure up to Dr Dabengwa. However, Masuku did not help matters as she stummered on her speech, resorting to the usual and tired rhetoric of "unity and peace for development", as has become the hymn specially penned for so called Matabeleland leaders in ZANU PF.
Akhilesh supporters laid seige to the party HQ and damaged Shivpal's name plate. Minor skirmishes broke out inside and outside the party office among warring camps. Security was clamped.

Mr Ram Gopal, who took the lead role in the coup in the party along with others, has been expelled from the party by Mulayam Singh who described the delegates meet as illegal.

An unfazed Akhilesh went ahead with formalities and installed a new state President and all other papers were being compiled to face any eventuality of legal tussle.

Furious as senior party leaders attended the national convention where Akhilesh was declared the Samajwadi Party president, Mulayam expelled two Rajya Sabha members Kironmay Nanda and Naresh Agarwal today.

This was the third expulsion of the day by Mulayam after Ram Gopal Yadav.

Party sources said Nanda, party's national vice-president and Agarwal, national general secretary, had attended the meeting of Akhilesh. Nanda presided over the convention.

"We won't spare anyone who violates discipline," Mulayam told reporters.

Meanwhile, Akhilesh appointed Naresh Uttam as the president of the UP unit of the party in place of his uncle Shivpal.

Supporters of Akhilesh thronged the state party HQ and tried to occupy the office of Shivpal. Police intervened and prevented a clash.UNI MB NB RP1840

-- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0440-1089965.Xml
Jammu and Kashmir Police today paid rich tributes to a constable, who was martyred in a militant attack on a naka party at Chogal Handwara in the frontier Kashmir district of Kupwara. A police spokesperson here today said that all ranks of police personnel, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and civil administration officers, paid floral tribute to Constable Abdul Kareem at a wreath-laying ceremony at District Police Line (DPL) Handwara. He said thousands of people, including MLA Abdul Rashid and all ranks of Handwara Police officers and officials also attended martyr's Nimaz-i-Jinaza at Lach Mawar. "The Martyred constable is survived by his mother, pregnant wife and three children," he added. Constable Kareem was critically injured when militants attacked a police naka party at Chogal Handwara in North Kashmir district of Kupwara yesterday. He was immediately taken to a hospital where he was declared brought dead. Meanwhile, a massive search operation was today launched in the area to nab the militants responsible for the attack.UNI ABS QAB SNU 1849 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-1090001.Xml
Mahatma Gandhi and Baba Rao Ambedkar were remembered apart othernational leaders, who contributed to the welfare of people in theirrespective States and the festivals celebrated in each region alsomade it to the themes presented at the two-hour show.

Participants from the host State Karnataka presented a memorableshow, which included contributions of Mysuru Maharajas, Basavannaand Kittur Rani Chennamma, as well as many dance forms includingKolu Kunita.

Children participants from Odisha presented a colourfulpresentation, while Scouts and Guides from Jharkhand presented a bowand arrow presentation, paying tributes to the State's legendarytribal leader Birsa Munda, which got a huge applause from the gathering.

Overall, the outstanding pageant show, provided a rareopportunity to witness cultures of multi-States under one roof.

After a pageant show, a workshop on fire safety measures was heldby experts from Karnataka Fire and Emergency Services Department.The experts, apart from explaining the immediate steps to be takenduring fire breakouts, asked the participants not to get panic and take measures to stop the blaze from spreading.

A book on the life of former Union Minister Kondajji Basappa,which was brought out by the organisers to appreciate hiscontributions towards Scouts and Guides. Basappa hadalso served as State Chief Commissioner of Scouts and Guides for 21years. The book is written by K.N. Nagesh. UNI BSP RS GM CS 1939

-- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0287-1090088.Xml
The Puducherry unit of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) today urged the Lt Governor Kiran Bedi to "drop her authoritarian attitude" and concentrate on protecting the welfare of the people. CPM secretary Rajangam in a statement here today said that the Lt Governor should find a solution to the financial crisis instead of being an "agent implementing the anti-people polices of the Central Government. He demanded that the Lt Governor constitute committees in educational institutions and workplaces to prevent sexual harassment on women, to hold local body elections and to disseminate powers to women. Pointing out several instances of the Lt Governor intruding into the powers of the elected government here and bypassing it, Rajangam said running a "parallel Government" was wrong. Condemning Sivakumar, the registrar of cooperative societies who posted an objectionable video in a Whats app group created by the Lt. Goveror, Mr Rajangam said the Government should have initiated action against him as per rules. But, the Lt Governor, thinking that all powers wrested on her, suspended him. Meanwhile, the PCS officers here reportedly decided not to follow any directions from the Lt Governor and to execute the orders from the secretary. They also decided to exit the whats app group created by the Lt Governor.UNI PAB VS SNU 2122 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0440-1090063.Xml
Swaraj India on Sunday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi seemed to have given up the agenda of black money, and demanded he disclose how much illicit-held funds were recovered post-demonetisation and to whom did it belong. The newly-set up party also accused the PM of not presenting any report on the facts, plans or proposals on countering black money while rehashing schemes already existing as new. Swaraj India's chief spokesperson Anupam also demanded that Modi tell the people by when they will be able to withdraw their own savings from banks. "The most worrying part was that the PM seems to have given up the big agenda of 'war on black money' in his address to nation on 50 days of demonetisation," Anupam told IANS, adding that Modi's New Year's Eve speech reflected a lack of plan or proposal to check corruption, the real reason behind generation of black money. "PM's speech had nothing about political funding, the mother of all corruption and black hole of black money. On November 8, PM said that he wanted to get rid of black money. But on December 31, the PM wants to get rid of the very agenda of black money which is very unfortunate," he said. He asaid that black money was the real issue as announced earlier by Modi, but the Prime Minister made his demonetisation report seem "like a loan mela announcement". The countrymen, who went through so much of pain in the name of national interest, want to know today how much black money has come through the exercise of demonetisation, he said. --IANS sp/vd ( 283 Words) 2017-01-01-23:12:07 (IANS)
Minister of Information & Broadcasting M Venkaiah Naidu today asserted that the relief announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last night to various sections were not political sops. Mr Naidu also attacked the Opposition Congress for objecting to the Prime Minister's new year eve announcements. Talking to reporters here, the Minister said, "The Prime Minister's announcements last night were only a part of the Government's vision to empower the people and the vulnerable sections with entitlements that are due to them and have been denied as a result of subversion of systems and governance by the Congress to promote self-interests." Mr Naidu slammed the Opposition party stating that the oldest party of the country has been shedding crocodile tears over the hardship caused by note withdrawal and when the Prime Minister announced relief to farmers, the poor, the middle class, the small traders and businessmen and senior citizens, Congress was asking "What was the need to do it so quickly and not waiting for the Parliament session to begin?" The minister elaborated that 'sops' are always accompanied by political considerations and there was no such consideration in PM's last night's announcements. He said the Congress was spending sleepless nights ever since the decision of the Prime Minister's address to the Nation was made public over the quantum of black money that he would make public "Rattled by the Prime Minister's last night's outreach to the needy sections of the society, the Opposition party in its wisdom has preferred to question the timing of the announcement of the relief. This is an indication of the Congress continuing with its confusion on remonetisation. It first supported note withdrawal, later harped on the hardship caused by it, then opposed it and now questioning the relief given by PM," Mr Naidu said. He urged the Congress to introspect on its "omissions and commissions" over the last several years and make a new beginning in the New Year playing a constructive role in the nation building. He also dared Congress to clarify if it was opposed to the last night's relief measures announced by PM.UNI NAZ SNU 2329 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0431-1090256.Xml
Afghanistan has invited newly elected Pakistan Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on a visit to the country after the latter called up the top leadership to convey his New Year wishes. While speaking to the leadership, including the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, Gen. Qamar pledged to work together for sustainable peace in the region, reports the Express Tribune. "#COAS called Afg President, CE & Army Chief on tel. Conveyed best wishes for 2017 & pledged to work together for peace in the region. #COAS said that peace in both countries is in greater interest of the Region. Afghan ldrship invited COAS for a visit to Afghanistan," tweeted DG Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor. (ANI)
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has called upon the critics of the quality of education in the country to play a more helpful and frontline role for improvement of education standard rather than just commenting over it. "I would like to tell those who raise a question about the standard of education in the country that all things don't take place overnight and we didn't get what is the explanation of the level of quality," the Daily Star quoted Hasina as saying while inaugurating free textbook distribution programme for the academic year 2017. "I think the critics should come forward with how it (problem) could be solved," she said adding, "We would have become happy if we had got the level of quality of education from those who are critical about the quality of education... We would have become happy if the critics of quality of education visited the areas and spent time there where the standard of education is not right." Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid and Primary and Mass Education Minister Md Mustafizur Rahman also addressed the ceremony. (ANI)
According to newly released Pentagon statistics, suicide and not combat is the leading killer of U.S. troops deployed to the Middle East to fight the Islamic State. USA Today, citing the report, said that U.S. casualties have been relatively low since the U.S.-led war effort began with a bombing campaign in August 2014, reflecting the limited combat exposure for troops. Of the 31 troops who have died as of December 27 in Operation Inherent Resolve, 11 have taken their own lives. Eight died in combat, seven in accidents and four succumbed to illness or injury. The cause of one death is under investigation. According to experts on military suicides, the reasons behind suicide by troops are complex and poorly understood. They likely include mental illnesses that enlistees brought with them to boot camp, post-traumatic stress, multiple combat deployments and heightened anxiety in a military at war for 16 years. "I don't think there's one single cause for it. There are a multitude of factors. They are also picking up on a trend toward more suicide in the U.S. population as a whole. Maybe there's a universal stress on everyone in the military that affects them in profound ways," said Rajeev Ramchand, a senior behavioral scientist. The nature of the fight against ISIL has also limited combat fatalities. Direct fights between U.S. troops and ISIL fighters are uncommon events. U.S.-led airstrikes have been the principal means of attack, and they have been exceptionally lethal. The military estimates bombs and missiles fired by warplanes and drones have killed 50,000 ISIL fighters. The largest loss of life in a single incident in the war against ISIL didn't take place in Iraq or Syria. It occurred in Jordan on November 4, 2016 when three Special Forces soldiers were shot by a guard as they tried to enter an air base. The American commandos were training local forces to fight ISIL militants. The most casualties in a single attack occurred earlier this year when rockets fired by ISIL fighters targeted a Marine artillery base in northern Iraq. The attack on March 19 killed Staff Sgt. Louis Cardin and wounded eight others. By far, 2016 had been the most dangerous for U.S. forces since the war began. Seven of the eight combat deaths occurred in 2016, and 21 of the 26 troops wounded in action suffered their injuries this year. But the military's suicide problem continues. Between 2001 and 2010, the rate of suicide in the military doubled, Ramchand said. The chief spike occurred around 2005 when fighting and combat deaths soared in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the army shouldered most of the war's burden. The army still has the highest percentage among the services for suicide, according to the Pentagon's latest figures. Of the 269 active-duty troops who took their own lives in 2014, 122 were soldiers, or about 28 percent. As a whole, the military's rate of suicide of about 20 per 100,000 troops in 2014 was comparable to the same civilian population. (ANI)
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.

.

..Israel Hayom..30 December '16..The term "suspension of disbelief" refers to the well-intentioned subordination of documented facts and common sense to zeal and wishful thinking, sacrificing long-term realism on the altar of oversimplification and short-term gratification and convenience.U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's Dec. 28 speech was replete with suspension of disbelief and totally inconsistent with the reality in the Middle East. But it was consistent with his 31-year foreign policy track record.Kerry was the top frequent-flying senator to Damascus, allowing his own idyllic vision of the globe and his hosts' duplicitous rhetoric to cloud reality. He contended that first Hafez Assad and then Bashar Assad -- two of the most ferocious, cold-blooded dictators in the world -- were constructive leaders, referring to Bashar Assad as a generous reformer and a man of his word, even while the Syrian president was terrorizing his people and facilitating the infiltration into Iraq of Islamic terrorists whose aim was to murder Americans.In his 1997 book "" Kerry demonstrated an inclination to dismiss the writing on the wall when in conflict with wishful thinking: "Terrorist organizations with specific political agendas may be encouraged and emboldened by Yasser Arafat's transformation from outlaw to statesman."In March 2011, Kerry stated: "My judgment is that Syria will move, Syria will change as it embraces a legitimate relationship with the U.S. and the West." Indeed, Syria has changed. But, contrary to Kerry's assessment, not in a good way, with hundreds of thousands of people killed and millions displaced and made refugees.In 2012, Kerry contended that the Arab Street was transitioning toward democracy, "the most important geo-strategic shift since the fall of the Berlin Wall." He referred to the Arab uprisings as an "Arab Spring" and to the regime changes in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt and Yemen as youth and Facebook revolutions. Kerry supported regime change in Libya, which has transformed Libya into a leading global platform of Islamic terrorism.Kerry's road map to peace has stumbled over some critical pitfalls that he has refused to see.In his latest speech, Kerry maintained that the crux of the failure to conclude a peace agreement has been lack of trust, saying: "Negotiations [between Israel and the Palestinian Authority] did not fail because gaps were too wide, but because the level of trust was too low."Apparently, Kerry takes lightly the failure of the Palestinian leadership to pass any of the crucial tests of its commitment to peaceful coexistence -- in 1993 (Oslo Accords), 2000 (Prime Minister Ehud Barak's unprecedented proposals) and 2005 (the uprooting of all Jewish settlements from Gaza) -- by responding to unparalleled Israeli territorial and diplomatic concessions with a dramatic escalation of hate education and terrorism. The Palestinians' notorious hate education and incitement have resulted in an effective production line of terrorists, and are the most authentic reflection of the Palestinian strategic goal.Contrary to Kerry's observation, the crux of the failure has been the inherent nature of the Palestinian leadership, highlighted by its long-term track record from the 19th century until today: from waves of anti-Jewish terrorism through the collaborations with Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union and East European Communist regimes, Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini, Iraq's Saddam Hussein, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, and Islamic, Asian, African, European and Latin American terror organizations.While Palestinian leaders are welcome by the U.S. State Department with a "red carpet," Arab leaders welcome them with "shabby rugs" in response to the Palestinian violent back-stabbing of Arab hosts (Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and, most painfully, Kuwait in 1990).Kerry stated that "the two-state solution is the only way to achieve a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians" and that the U.N. vote "was about preserving the two-state solution" and was in accordance with U.S. values.However, the track record of the Palestinian leadership certifies that a Palestinian state would be another rogue, violent regime, undermining U.S. values and national security, adding fuel to the regional fire, constituting a lethal threat to the vulnerable pro-U.S. Hashemite regime in Jordan -- with potential spillover into Saudi Arabia and the pro-U.S. Gulf states -- undermining stability in Egypt, upgrading the potential of a pro-ayatollah bloc from Teheran to Ramallah, providing port facilities to the Russian (and possibly Chinese and Iranian) navy in the Eastern Mediterranean, and adding another anti-U.S. vote at the already anti-U.S. United Nations.Once again, Kerry is attempting to scare the Jewish state into reckless concessions, implying that the only way to preserve a Jewish majority is by conceding Jewish geography (the mountain ridges of Judea and Samaria). Once again, he was restating inauthentic, manipulated Palestinian statistics, and ignoring the demographic reality in the combined area of Judea, Samaria and pre-1967 Israel: a growing 66% Jewish majority, unprecedented Westernization of the Arab population, and a robust Jewish demographic (fertility and net-migration).Kerry also misled the public when he claimed that U.N. Security Council Resolution 242 "called for the withdrawal of Israel from territory that it occupied in 1967 in return for peace and secure borders." Kerry failed to indicate that this resolution did not stipulate "all the territories"; that Israel had already complied with the resolution by conceding 90% of the territory when it evacuated the entire Sinai Peninsula; and that Israel fought a pre-emptive defensive war in 1967. He failed to mention that in 1988 Jordan waived its claim to sovereignty over Judea and Samaria (which was recognized only by Britain and Pakistan); and that Israel possesses the best legal title over the area based on Articles 77 and 80 of the U.N. Charter, which upholds the 1922 League of Nations Mandate for Palestine, which aimed to establish a Jewish national home.While Kerry attempts to coax Israel into reliance on security arrangements and guarantees, he fails to indicate that such tools are characterized by non-specificity, non-automaticity and ample escape routes that may doom Israel on a rainy day. The NATO treaty does not commit the U.S. to anything more than considering steps on behalf of an attacked NATO member "as it deems necessary." In 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower concluded a defense treaty with Taiwan, which was annulled by President Jimmy Carter with the support of Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court.The U.S.'s and Israel's national security, and the pursuit of peace, require a long-term, tenacious commitment to realism, not oversimplification, short-term convenience and suspension of disbelief. The critical errors of the past have doomed a litany of well-meaning peace initiatives.
Governor Vasip Sahin described the attack in Ortakoy, Besiktas, as "cruel" and an "act of terror", reports Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu.

"At 1.15 a.m., a terrorist carrying a long-barreled weapon martyred the police officer waiting outside, and then martyred another citizen to enter the club. He then carried out this violent and cruel act by spraying bullets on innocent people who were celebrating the New Year," Sahin said.

The investigation is underway and the governor's office would provide further updates, he added.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed deep sadness over the attack, according to government sources, and received updates from Prime Minister Binali Yildirim and Governor Sahin on the casualties as well as the details of the terrorist act.

The attack comes three weeks after twin bombings in Istanbul killed at least 45 people, mostly police officers.

According to a report by the Guardian, as many as 600 people were thought to have been in the club when the attack happened. Some people jumped into the waters of the Bosphorus to escape and were being rescued by police.

Government officials have said there was one attacker and that he has been killed.

No group has claimed responsibility of the attack so far. (ANI)
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has unanimously passed a resolution in support of the ceasefire in Syria and holding talks in Kazakhstan between Damascus and the opposition. All 15 countries-members of the UN Security Council voted for the document, co-authored by Turkey and Russia, reports TASS news agency. The resolution, approved late on Saturday, called for the "rapid, safe and unhindered" delivery of humanitarian aid throughout the country. In the adopted resolution, the UN Council paid attention to the agreements that were reached and voiced its support to "efforts of Russia and Turkey aimed at stopping violence in Syria and launching a political process." The Security Council members stressed that they look forward to the meeting in the capital of Kazakhstan, and consider it "an important step" before the resumption inter-Syrian talks under UN auspices in Geneva on February 8. The council reaffirmed their commitment to "sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity the Syrian Arab Republic." They stressed that the only way to a sustainable settlement of the conflict in the country is through a comprehensive political process. United States Deputy Representative to the UN Michele J. Sison said that Washington wants to see how the deal will be carried out. She also expressed hope that the ceasefire will operate fully throughout the country. Meanwhile, United Kingdom Deputy Representative to the UN Peter Wilson stressed the need for a neutral monitoring of the truce. This monitoring should be conducted jointly by the UN and ISSG, he said. On December 29, Russian President Putin announced that a cease fire agreement was reached in Syria and the republic's government and the armed opposition were ready to start talks. Three documents were signed. The first one was a cease fire agreement between the Syrian government and the armed opposition. The second document provided for control over observation of the cease fire and the third one was a declaration of the parties' readiness to start talks on the conflict's settlement. The command of the Syrian armed forces declared cease fire on the whole territory of the country from 00:00 local time on December 30. However, the resolution comes against a backdrop of deadlock among members supporting different approaches. (ANI)
China will never allow anyone to "make a great fuss" about its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights, President Xi Jinping said in his New Year's address, while China's top official in charge of Taiwan ties warned of risk ahead in 2017.China's increasingly assertive moves to push its territorial claims in the disputed South China Sea, including building artificial islands, has unnerved its neighbours."We adhere to peaceful development, and resolutely safeguard our territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests," Xi said, in comments carried by state media late on Saturday."Chinese people will never allow anyone to get away with making a great fuss about it," he said, without elaborating.China claims most of the South China Sea. Neighbours Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims.While Xi made no direct mention of self-ruled Taiwan, aside from extending New Year's greetings to them, the head of China's policy-making Taiwan Affairs Office in his New Year's message said that 2017 would see uncertainty."Looking ahead to 2017, the situation in the Taiwan Strait is complex and serious, and the development of relations are facing many uncertain factors and risk," Zhang said, according to the official Xinhua news agency.China hopes that people on both sides can show resolve and courage, to ensure the "correct direction" of the peaceful development of ties and work to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, he added.Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said yesterday that Taiwan will be "calm" when dealing with China, but uncertainties in 2017 will test the island and its national security team, even as she recommitted to maintaining peace.China is deeply suspicious of Tsai, who it thinks wants to push for the formal independence of Taiwan, a self-governing island that Beijing regards as a renegade province.US President-elect Donald Trump angered China last month when he spoke to Tsai in a break with decades of precedent and cast doubt on his incoming administration's commitment to Beijing's "one China" policy.China's military has become alarmed by what it sees as Trump's support of Taiwan and is considering strong measures to prevent the island from moving toward independence, sources with ties to senior military officers said.REUTERS PS 0703 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0421-1089420.Xml
A gunman shot dead Burundi's environment minister early today, police said, the first killing of a senior government figure in nearly two years of political violence.Emmanuel Niyonkuru, 54, was attacked as he travelled home in the capital Bujumbura, police spokesman Pierre Nkurikiye said in a tweet. REUTERS AKC PM1424 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-1089713.Xml
Islamic State militants have aspirations to launch mass-casualty chemical attacks on targets in Britain and elsewhere in Europe, the British security minister said in a newspaper interview published today.Ben Wallace also said British authorities feared that as the militant group was driven out of strongholds in the Middle East such as the Iraqi city of Mosul, Britons fighting for the group would return home and pose a growing domestic threat."The ambition of IS or Daesh is definitely mass-casualty attacks," Wallace told the Sunday Times newspaper."They have no moral objection to using chemical weapons against populations and if they could, they would in this country. The casualty figures that could be involved would be everybody's worst fear."The report said no specific chemical plot had been identified but security services had been carrying out exercises to prepare for the possibility.Islamic State used sulphur mustard gas in an attack on the Syrian town of Marea in August 2015, according to global watchdog the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.Wallace pointed to the dismantlement of an Islamic State cell in Morocco in February as evidence of the group's ambition to carry out chemical attacks elsewhere."Moroccan authorities dismantled a cell involving chemical weapons. They recovered toxic chemical and biological substances and a large stock of fertiliser. The substances found could have been used to produce home-made explosives and could have been transformed into a deadly toxin," he said.About 800 Britons are thought to have travelled to Syria, many to join Islamic State, since the outbreak of the civil war in that country. Around 100 have been killed."The big concern is if Mosul collapses and all the other bases of Isis (Islamic State) collapse. We know there are a significant number of fighting for IS in Syria. They will probably want to come home," said Wallace.In a separate report, the Sunday Telegraph newspaper quoted the head of Britain's regulator of charities as saying that reports of links between charities and extremism had trebled over the past three years to reach a record high.The Charity Commission made 630 referrals to police in 2015/16 over "allegations made ... about abuse of charities for terrorist or extremist purposes, including concerns about charities operating in Syria and other higher risk areas", the report said. REUTERS VS PM1738 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0440-1089908.Xml
British Prime Minister Theresa May pledged in a New Year message today to seek a Brexit deal that would work for all Britons, not just those who voted to leave the European Union in a referendum she said had laid bare the nation's divisions.Britons voted by 52 to 48 per cent last June to leave the EU and the tone of the public debate about what Brexit should look like has remained acrimonious.May said in her televised message that, despite the divisions, Britons shared a desire to live in a stronger, fairer and more secure country."These ambitions unite us, so that we are no longer the 52 per cent who voted Leave and the 48 per cent who voted Remain, but one great union of people and nations with a proud history and a bright future," said May."So when I sit around the negotiating table in Europe this year, it will be with that in mind - the knowledge that I am there to get the right deal, not just for those who voted to leave but for every single person in this country."May has pledged to trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty, the formal step that will launch negotiations on the terms of Britain's exit, by the end of March.The Brexit process will take years and May has given few details about what deal she will be seeking from the remaining 27 EU members.May became prime minister and leader of the ruling Conservative Party in July after her predecessor David Cameron resigned following the referendum. Both he and May had backed the 'Remain' side."PRECIOUS UNION"In her New Year message, May also referred to the "precious union" between the United Kingdom's four constituent parts, which is under strain since England and Wales voted to leave the EU while Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to remain.Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said she will do everything she can to ensure the will of the Scottish people is respected and she has raised the possibility of a future referendum on independence from the UK.In her own New Year message, Sturgeon said: "We are determined that Scotland's vote to remain in the European Union will be respected and that people in Scotland retain as many of the benefits of EU membership as possible, including the freedom to work, travel and study in other member states." REUTERS VS PR1833 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0440-1089994.Xml
At least five Saudi citizens were among 39 people killed in an attack on New Year revellers at a packed nightclub in Istanbul, a Saudi newspaper reported.The state-affiliated al-Riyadh paper also quoted the acting consul general in Istanbul as saying about 10 Saudi citizens were injured, adding that the consulate was following up with Turkish authorities to find out the exact number of casualties. REUTERS SDR BL2019 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0431-1090154.Xml
Photo taken on Dec. 31, 2016, shows the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution endorsing the Syria cease-fire arrangement brokered by Russia and Turkey as well as the new peace talks plan among Syrian conflict parties at the UN headquarters in New York. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Saturday unanimously adopted a resolution supporting the Syria cease-fire arrangement brokered by Russia and Turkey as well as a new peace talks plan among Syrian conflict parties.

The nationwide cease-fire in Syria, agreed upon by the Syrian government and major opposition groups, came into force at midnight local time Thursday, as the latest attempt to end nearly six years of civil war.

Wu Haitao(R, front), China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, votes in favor of a Security Council resolution endorsing the Syria cease-fire arrangement brokered by Russia and Turkey as well as the new peace talks plan among Syrian conflict parties at the UN headquarters in New York, Dec. 31, 2016. The UNSecurity Council on Saturday unanimously adopted a resolution supporting the Syria cease-fire arrangement brokered by Russia and Turkey as well as a new peace talks plan among Syrian conflict parties. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

It aims to pave the way for new peace talks between the parties set to be held in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan next month.

The 15-nation council "welcomes and supports the efforts by Russia and Turkey to end violence in Syria and jumpstart a political process," and looks forward to the Astana meeting, which it called "an important step" ahead of the resumption of negotiations under UN auspices in Geneva.

According to local monitor group, the nationwide cease-fire is holding in most areas in Syria despite sporadic breaches near Damascus and in the countryside of the northern city of Aleppo.

The chronic conflicts in Syria have killed more than 300,000 people and displaced nearly 11 million others.

Vitaly Churkin(front), Russian permanent representative to the United Nations, is pictured after the Security Council adopted a resolution endorsing the Syria cease-fire arrangement brokered by Russia and Turkey as well as the new peace talks plan among Syrian conflict parties at the UN headquarters in New York, Dec. 31, 2016. The UN Security Council on Saturday unanimously adopted a resolution supporting the Syria cease-fire arrangement brokered by Russia and Turkey as well as a new peace talks plan among Syrian conflict parties. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)
Iraqis look at the aftermath following a double bomb attack in a busy market area in Baghdad's central al-Sinek neighbourhood on December 31, 2016. (AFP/Xinhua)

BAGHDAD, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- A total of 30 people were killed and 59 others wounded on Saturday in a wave of bomb explosions which ripped through the Iraqi capital of Baghdad at the eve of the New Year of 2017.

The deadliest attacks occurred in the morning as two suicide bombers attacked a crowded car spare part market in Sinak area in downtown Baghdad, leaving 28 people killed and 43 others injured, an Interior Ministry source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Later in the day, the twin suicide attacks were claimed by the Islamic State (IS) militant group, which frequently claimed responsibility for bloody attacks targeting areas where crowds of people gather, including markets, cafes and mosques across Iraq.

In a separate incident, a booby-trapped car detonated at the sunset near traffic police office at Baghdad al-Jadida neighborhood in southeastern the capital, killing a civilian and wounding nine others, the source said.

Also in the evening, sporadic attacks of five roadside bombs struck the Shiite neighborhood of Shulla in northwestern Baghdad, leaving a civilian killed and seven others wounded, the source added.

The attacks came as security measures were intensified across Baghdad, and the authorities have partially or totally blocked several main thoroughfares in eastern and western parts of the city, where thousands of people are expected to gather to celebrate the New Year event.

Terrorist acts, violence and armed conflicts killed 2,885 Iraqis and wounded 1,380 others in November across Iraq, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq said.

The attacks also came as the Iraqi security forces backed by anti-IS international coalition is carrying out a major offensive to drive out the IS militants from its last major stronghold in and around Mosul.

Many blame the current chronic instability, cycle of violence, and the emergence of extremist groups, such as the IS, on the U.S., which invaded and occupied Iraq in March 2003.




The ride that made a huge impression on me in Disneyland so many years ago was the Jungle Cruise. The memory of that ride lingered on and when I visited the island of Tortuguero in Costa Rica 4 years ago and had boat ride along the canals through the jungles I remembered that Jungle cruise ride on Disneyland. It was an incredible experience, so much so that I wanted to go to Disneys Jungle Cruise ride again.It took longer to realize the dream of going to Jungle Cruise again, but this summer in Florida I fulfilled that dream. The fact that the queue was kilometric told me that the ride is still very popular today as it was some 20 odd years ago.When we finally got to ride it, the whole experience was a bit deflating. Do you know the saying: You cannot go back home again? Yes, it felt like it on this ride. I dont know if its always been this short, but it felt really short to me this time around. After the ride my husband was telling me that my memory had probably played tricks on me. After all I was running on memories from about 20 years ago and I probably also romanticized the ride since it was my first time to ever been on one.Anyway, it was still a fun ride, especially since the guide was incredibly funny throughout the ride.
DAMASCUS, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- Calm prevailed most Syrian cities on Saturday, since a nationwide ceasefire was activated at midnight Friday, despite some clashes, a monitor group reported on Saturday.

The ceasefire, which was reached by Turkey and Russia, and earned the compliance of the Syrian government and most rebel groups, was still holding on Saturday, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Still, the UK-based watchdog group said that clashes took place in the Wadi Barada area northwest of the capital Damascus, as part of an ongoing military showdown for that strategic area, which contains the main spring feeding the capital with drinking water.

The rebels have cut off the water from the capital since Dec. 22 to force the Syrian army into halting the offensive on that area.

The Observatory said clashes were also reported in the southern provinces of Daraa and Qunaitera, without spelling details on casualties.

Meanwhile, a well-informed source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity that the battles in Wadi Barada stopped on Saturday evening, amid speculations that a deal could be struck soon for the evacuation of rebels from that area and the return of the army control over the spring to resume the water pumping into the capital.

Also, a military source told Xinhua that the rebels in the northwestern province of Idlib fired 25 rockets on the Shiite towns of Kafraya and Foa in the countryside of that province, adding that the attack is a violation to the ceasefire.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source said the rebels also fired rockets on a Syrian air defense battalion southwest of the northern city of Aleppo.

The recent ceasefire is the third to take place in Syria after two previous failing ones, the first of which was last February, which lasted for three months before collapsing, and the second was established in September and lasted only for a week.

The Syrian army said in a statement on Thursday that the war on IS and the Nusra Front and their allied militants would continue.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said in an interview Thursday that the new ceasefire is more promising than its predecessors, as the Russian guarantees were stronger.

"We trust the Russian guarantor," he said, adding that the new ceasefire constitutes a chance for establishing a political solution and bring the bloodletting to a curb in Syria.
Syrians walk past a destroyed building in the rebel-held town of Douma, on the eastern outskirts of Damascus, on December 30, 2016, on the first day of a nationwide truce. (AFP/Xinhua)

DAMASCUS, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- Calm prevailed most Syrian cities on Saturday, since a nationwide ceasefire was activated at midnight Friday, despite some clashes, a monitor group reported on Saturday.

The ceasefire, which was reached by Turkey and Russia, and earned the compliance of the Syrian government and most rebel groups, was still holding on Saturday, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Still, the UK-based watchdog group said that clashes took place in the Wadi Barada area northwest of the capital Damascus, as part of an ongoing military showdown for that strategic area, which contains the main spring feeding the capital with drinking water.

The rebels have cut off the water from the capital since Dec. 22 to force the Syrian army into halting the offensive on that area.

The Observatory said clashes were also reported in the southern provinces of Daraa and Qunaitera, without spelling details on casualties.

Meanwhile, a well-informed source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity that the battles in Wadi Barada stopped on Saturday evening, amid speculations that a deal could be struck soon for the evacuation of rebels from that area and the return of the army control over the spring to resume the water pumping into the capital.

Also, a military source told Xinhua that the rebels in the northwestern province of Idlib fired 25 rockets on the Shiite towns of Kafraya and Foa in the countryside of that province, adding that the attack is a violation to the ceasefire.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source said the rebels also fired rockets on a Syrian air defense battalion southwest of the northern city of Aleppo.

The recent ceasefire is the third to take place in Syria after two previous failing ones, the first of which was last February, which lasted for three months before collapsing, and the second was established in September and lasted only for a week.

The Syrian army said in a statement on Thursday that the war on IS and the Nusra Front and their allied militants would continue.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said in an interview Thursday that the new ceasefire is more promising than its predecessors, as the Russian guarantees were stronger.

"We trust the Russian guarantor," he said, adding that the new ceasefire constitutes a chance for establishing a political solution and bring the bloodletting to a curb in Syria.
ANKARA, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Erdogan President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday in his new year message that Turkey will continue to fight terrorist organizations in 2017.

Speaking of the eventful Turkey in 2016, Erdogan mourned the victims killed in attacks by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and Islamic State (IS) militants as well as in the failed coup attempt on July 15.

Turkey is in "a new independence war," Erdogan said, vowing that Turkey will take measures to ensure domestic security and democracy.

The coup attempt was "undoubtedly" the vilest terror act and an invasion attempt within Turkey's republican era, he said.

The Turkish president stressed that Turkey will continue to clear all Gulenists through lawful means in 2017.

He also pledged that all these terrorist activities would not divert Turkey from its path to the 2023 goals, when the country would celebrate the 100th anniversary of its founding.

Turkey is entering the new year with "new hopes and expectations," Erdogan said.

In 2017, Turkey will not only destroy terrorist organizations but also achieve greater economic success, he said.
XI'AN, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- An explosion that occurred in a public toilet in Yulin City, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, on Saturday afternoon killed one person and injured seven others, local authorities said Sunday.

The government of the city's Hengshan District said the explosion triggered the collapse of the toilet, burying eight people. One person was confirmed dead after being pulled out by rescuers from the debris.

An investigation is still underway, but witnesses said a gas pipeline passing through the location might have caused the explosion.
MADRID, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- The creation of the China Global Television Network (CGTN) is a piece of excellent news itself, Xulio Rios, director of the Spanish Observatory of Chinese Politics, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Launched Saturday by the China Central Television as a rebranding of CCTV news, CGTN is designed as a multi-language, multi-platform media group consisting of six TV channels, three overseas branches, a video content provider and a digital media division.

Rios, also the director of the Galician Institute of International Analysis and Documentation, stressed that China needs to provide itself with the most advanced means and strategies of communication with two main goals.

The first one is to improve understanding with the outside world, in order to overcome the cultural gap that separates China from other countries, which is a huge task due to various reasons.

Secondly, the expert said: "It is essential to explain and reaffirm its own national projects and ensure a comprehensive understanding of China's approach to the most important problems of the contemporary society, because the West often tends to manage them without China."

This is of special importance nowadays, when so many uncertainties and changes appear on the horizon. China's increasing global prominence makes it necessary for the world to know China's views and perspectives. The new news provider from China, with its overseas branches, would facilitate the spread of China's stances and will enable global audiences to appreciate them and reach their own conclusions, Rios said.
BEIJING, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- Experts and renowned figures from different countries on Sunday praised Chinese President Xi Jinping's new year greeting, saying it reflects that China is a confident power with a vision of common development.

"It is clear from Xi's words that China is willing to take what it is necessary and encourages other countries to join it in this common effort to preserve peace, stability and progress," said Xulio Rios, director of the Spanish Observatory of Chinese Politics based in Galicia, Spain.

On Saturday, Xi extended new year greetings to all Chinese compatriots and people around the world. He summed up China's achievements so far and urged the international community to work together to build a more peaceful and prosperous world.

The mention of "joint effort" is an invitation for the international community to join actions and consensus to face the difficult challenges of a stagnant economy and a perplexed global society, Rios said.

Stephen Perry, chairman of the 48 Group Club, also spoke highly of "a global community of shared interest" in Xi's speech.

"This is China saying that the emerging multipolar world's success depends on identifying common shared goals which unite nations to maintain peace, develop in a sustainable way and prize collective economic development," said Perry.

"This paints global agendas of good goal-orientated development regionally and globally."

The chairman said it is clear that this concept is linked to Eurasian development as a means to move nations and peoples from conflict to shared development.

Dan Stein, chairman of Muscatine-China Relationship Committee, echoed the above two experts' views that China and the United States "can learn so much from one another," and the two peoples have "a shared destiny".

Ignacio Martinez Cortes, a researcher in the National Autonomous University of Mexico, told Xinhua that Xi's new year greeting reflected China's confidence and style as a major power.

Martin Nguru, a professor at the University of Nairobi, praised Xi's speech for mentioning over 10 million people moved out of poverty in China during the past year.

He said China not only makes efforts to realize self-development, but also cares about war-torn nations and poor countries, which shows China is a responsible power.

Ronnie Lins, CEO of a research and business center on China and Brazil, described Xi's speech as an "exciting report" both for Chinese and people of the world.

Lins said global economic growth rate is predicted at around 3.7 percent in the year of 2017. In contrast, China is expected to sustain its economic development at a growth rate of 6.5 percent to 7 percent, which will continue to take lead in the world.

Lee Chian Siong, senior advisor to chairman of China-ASEAN Business Association, said China is a very important country in the region and that China's stable domestic development is a good thing both to the region and the world.
BEIJING, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- The number of visitors to the Palace Museum in Beijing for 2016 hit 16 million when an 18-year-old student from northeast China's Liaoning Province bought a ticket on Saturday Morning.

The record number of visitors is an increase of 6.19 percent from 2015.

More than 15 million visitors have visited the museum every year since 2012.

On June 13, the museum began an 80,000 visitor daily cap, preventing extreme peaks in number of visitors.

The museum has also held admission free events, during the low season, from Nov. 1 to March 31.
SEOUL, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, who is serving as acting president, sent his New Year's message to troops on Sunday as impeached President Park Geun-hye is suspended.

In a video message, the caretaker president said South Korea's security and people's safety are on the shoulders of troops as the country's security environment is very grave for now.

Hwang said he had a strong faith in the armed forces maintaining a firm defense preparedness and having robust willpower, vowing to spare no resources to support their implementation of duty.

President Park had unveiled her New Year's message on the first day in the past three years, but it was replaced by Prime Minister Hwang as the president was impeached in the parliament on Dec. 9.

Hwang said in a separate New Year's message to the nation that he will make the best efforts to stably manage state affairs by humbly accepting people's voices and considering the country's future.

Over a million people gathered in capital Seoul and other major cities across the country on Saturday night, the last day of 2016 that marked the 10th weekend candlelight vigil.

Organizers said the total number of demonstrators who participated in the 10 protest rallies surpassed 10 million, the largest-ever for a single demonstration.

People on the streets have demanded President Park voluntarily step down, though the constitutional court has up to 180 days to deliberate whether to permanently remove Park from office.

A presidential election must be held within 60 days if the two-thirds of the nine-judge court upholds the motion to impeach President Park.
Police officers stand guard near the site of a terror attack at a night club in Istanbul, Turkey, Jan. 1, 2017. Thirty five people were killed and 40 others wounded in a terror attack on a popular night club in Istanbul early Sunday morning, Istanbul's governor said. (Xinhua/He Canling)

ISTANBUL, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- The death toll rose to 39 in a shooting attack on a night club in central Istanbul early Sunday morning, the Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu told the press.

According to the minister, 20 bodies have been identified, with 15 being foreigners and five Turks. Of the 69 wounded, four are in critical condition.

Earlier Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin described the shooting spree as an act of terrorism, in which a gunman stormed into the popular night club known as Reina in the district of Besiktas, and shot at hundreds of people gathering there for New Year celebration.

A security analyst, who declined to be named, said the gunman, who spoke Arabic, changed his ammunition clips several times in the assault.

The gunman was on the run after slipping out of the night club in chaos. The police were doing their best to catch the attacker.

The roads leading to the scene were closed off, and the authorities have imposed a media blackout on the attack.

Turkey's NTV television said some people trying to escape the shootings jumped into the sea, as the night club is close to the Bosporus Strait, prompting a rescue operation by coast guards.

Sinem Uyanik's husband jumped on her when the shootings occurred and was shot three times. Other people ran over her in panic.

"My husband was full of blood. People were in blood," she was quoted as saying by the Hurriyet daily. "Then we called ambulance and police. Police said 'Don't move or you will be a victim.' We stayed motionless. Then the special operation teams entered inside."

Istanbul and other Turkish cities have come under a spate of deadly attacks over the past year, with the last one also hitting Besiktas on Dec. 10, in which two suicide bombing attacks left 44 dead.

Tight security measures have reportedly been enforced in Ankara and Istanbul for New Year celebrations, including banning entry of trucks, lorries and concrete mixers into some districts.

The U.S. embassy in Ankara, in a message posted on its website on Dec. 23, had advised Americans to stay away from public gatherings for holiday celebrations in Turkey, citing increased security concerns across the country. Enditem
SEOUL, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is expected to test-launch long-range rockets and detonate another nuclear device in 2017, a South korean expert said Sunday analyzing the New Year's address by top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un.

Cheong Seong-chang, a senior researcher at the private Sejong Institute, said in a text message that Pyongyang is forecast to test-launch a long-range rocket as early as this month before a new U.S. administration is launched on Jan. 20 in consideration of Kim's New Year's message.

The DPRK leader said his country's preparation to test-fire an intercontinental ballistic rocket had entered a final stage, citing the recent successful ejection test on the ground of a rocket engine to carry a new type of stationary satellite.

Kim's message, the South Korean expert said, indicated Pyongyang's plan to test-fire long-range rockets multiple times in 2017 to complete its intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) technology before a presidential election in South Korea is held later this year.

An early presidential election is expected to be held in South Korea as early as April as President Park Geun-hye was impeached in the parliament on Dec. 9.

The constitutional court has up to 180 days to deliberate whether to permanently remove Park from office, but expectations are running high for the court's final conclusion as early as February.

A presidential election must be held within 60 days after the conclusion.

The South Korean researcher predicted another atomic device detonation by the DPRK within this year as well as test-launches of Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missiles and submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM).

Pyongyang conducted its fifth nuclear test in September 2016, just six months after detonating its fourth atomic device in January.

Cheong, however, forecast the DPRK would turn its hostile policy toward South Korea to a peace offensive after a new administration comes out in its southern neighbor, considering that the DPRK leader repeatedly put emphasis on the improved inter-Korean relations in his New Year's speech.

Expectations are high for the presidential power in South Korea to be transferred to the opposition bloc from the ruling camp, as support for President Park and her party sank over the influence-peddling scandal involving the president and her longtime confidante.

Major presidential hopefuls from the opposition camp have stressed the importance of dialogue with the DPRK, denouncing the Park government's hardline policy toward Pyongyang.
SHANGHAI, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- From borrowing books from public libraries to borrowing bank loans, personal and enterprise credit records have been increasingly valued in China.

The first demonstration zone of social credit system in China, aimed to promote benefits of good credit, is planned for the Yangtze River Delta region, encompassing Shanghai Municipality, Jiangsu, Anhui and Zhejiang provinces.

The national pilot plan approved by the National Development and Reform Commission is expected to help nurture a sound business and social environment in the region and regulate individual behavior based on credit records.

Under the system, trustworthy entrepreneurs and individuals will be rewarded, while infringers will be discredited.

The Yangtze River Delta region has benefitted from growth in enterprise credit and intellectual property rights (IPR) protection.

Since 2015, provincial-level governments have launched joint campaigns against cross-region and cross-industry IPR infringement and counterfeits.

By using big data, public security departments in the region have been able to work together on Internet business fraud.

Cases of infringement and counterfeit in the region are listed via the government website ipraction.gov.cn, with detailed information open for examination.

"A collaboration on cracking down on fake and shoddy goods has helped mitigate barriers of local protectionism," said Lin Haihan, who is in charge of the trademark division in Shanghai Administration for Industry and Commerce.

In the tourist sector, an online tourist information center was launched on a test run in November, to give updates of bad records of tourist agencies.

Jin Xingming, deputy secretary general of Shanghai municipal government, said the unified credit system of the tourist market in the delta region is a "breakthrough" in the linkage of the overall credit system.

"The credit system can deliver market-oriented penalties through blacklisting discredited entrepreneurs. The system can join the efforts of social, government and market supervision," said Jin.

Zhao Qiang, an entrepreneur from Anhui Province, had a taste of the benefits in 2016. The entrepreneur needed only three days to borrow 7 million yuan (about 1 million U.S dollars) from the Lai'an Rural Commercial Bank, when his stationery manufacturing company was in urgent need of cash.

The bank said the swift loan approval was due to Zhao's credit rating.

In Shanghai, citizens with good social credit now can get a "credit card" in Shanghai Library and borrow books for free.

However, the phenomenon still lack regulation. Without a transparent social credit system, rewards and penalties can not be given fairly.

"The social credit system pilot should break up small-scale credit reward and punishment initiatives in different cities, and provide a systematic and unified measure, which can be extended to a national practice," said Wang Ningjiang, director of the Zhejiang Provincial Credit Center.

He said the pilot should prioritize blacklisting firms with bad records for causing environmental damage or food safety problems.
SEOUL, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- Impeached South Korean President Park Geun-hye held a rare press conference on the first day of the New Year on Sunday, denying all allegations on her involvement in the influence-peddling scandal that led to her impeachment.

The meeting with local journalists was the first since President Park was impeached in the parliament on Dec. 9.

It was rare for Park to meet with the press corps dedicating to the coverage of the presidential Blue House for her four years in office.

During the meeting, the first South Korean female leader actively denied all allegations surrounding her, including the bribery charges to support last year's merger of two affiliates of Samsung Group, South Korea's largest family-run conglomerate.

The merger between Cheil Industries and Samsung C&T to create a de-facto holding company of the group was extremely crucial to Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong to inherit a management control from his father Chairman Lee Kun-hee who has been hospitalized for over two and a half years for heart attack.

Former health and welfare minister Moon Hyung-pyo has been detained by the independent counsel team as he was charged with pressuring the national pension fund into voting for the Samsung merger on the instruction of the presidential office.

Samsung is suspected of having bribed the president and her longtime confidante Choi Soon-sil in exchange for the support in the merger.

It was the biggest donor to two nonprofit foundations controlled by Choi and offered funds for equestrian training of Choi's daughter.

Park told reporters that prosecutors entangled her in the bribery allegation though she had no intention to aid the Samsung merger, saying she had never given any orders to support it.

Despite strong opposition from foreign investors to the merger and pessimistic reports from outside advisors on the unfair merger ratio, the National Pension Service (NPS), then biggest shareholder of Samsung C&T, approved the extremely significant merger for the Samsung heir.

The impeached president emphasized local brokerages having supported the merger, but the local securities firms are suspected of having been pressured by Samsung into issuing positive reports on the merger.

Park also denied rumors on her whereabouts when the Sewol ferry sank in southwestern waters on April 16, 2014, claiming over 300 lives, mostly high school students.

The Park administration has been under fire for its initial bungling of rescue operations in the devastating disaster, stoking speculations that President Park had disappeared for about seven hours after the incident occurred.

The impeached president said she stayed in the presidential residence at the time to normally receive reports on the incident and give necessary orders for rescue operations. Park noted that she had done what she must do.

Touching on the alleged intervention of her decades-long friend in government affairs, Park said it's an impossible story for Choi Soon-sil to pull all government strings behind the scene though Choi is her longtime acquaintance.

The president said she had managed state affairs with her own philosophy and belief as chief executive.

Choi is suspected of editing presidential speeches, including the most important one made in Dresden, Germany in 2014 to outline the Park government's DPRK policy, while receiving secret presidential documents on a regular basis to meddle in state affairs.

Seoul's decision to shut down the inter-Korean factory park in the DPRK's border town of Kaesong is suspected of having been made by Choi's advice.

The shutdown was a retaliation against Pyongyang's fourth nuclear test and a long-range rocket launch in early 2016.

Park expressed her complaint about too many distorted media speculations over the scandal, saying those false accusations have gotten out of control.
SEOUL, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- South Korea on Sunday denounced the New Year's address by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s top leader Kim Jong Un on rocket test-launch.

Seoul's unification ministry issued a short statement, saying the ministry strongly condemns the speech in which Kim said his country had entered a final stage to test-launch an intercontinental ballistic rocket.

The statement also slammed the top DPRK leader's pledge to continue to strengthen its nuclear and pre-emptive strike capabilities, describing the remarks as threats.

It urged Pyongyang to immediately stop shifting responsibility for the strained inter-Korean relations to Seoul and to stop intervening in internal affairs by mentioning the recent candlelit vigils and the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye.

The ministry reiterated its position that the DPRK's nuclear development will never be accepted by South Korea as well as the international community, warning that Pyongyang would face much stronger sanctions and pressure if the country adheres to nuclear development.

It called on the DPRK to return to the denuclearization path with sincerity if the DPRK wants peace on the Korean Peninsula and improved ties with South Korea.
File photo shows South African President Jacob Zuma. (Xinhua)

NAIROBI, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- What are being said in the 2017 New Year messages delivered by African presidents? Let's take a look!

South African President Jacob Zuma

In his New Year message, President Zuma said that South Africans must move forward the economic transformation as a major task in 2017.

"We need to change the commanding heights of the economy, and increase the participation of black people as owners and managers," Zuma said.

One other task should be a heightened fight against racism, according to Zuma.

"All institutions and businesses must promote inclusion and non-racialism. Nobody must be excluded on the basis of colour or race, through subtle and unconstitutional means," Zuma said.

"We are one people. Regardless of the challenges we face, we must continue to work together, to build the South Africa of our dreams," he said.

Zambian President Edgar Lungu

Lungu has urged citizens to embrace innovation for the country to achieve the dream of a prosperous and united nation.

In his New Year message, the Zambian leader said the journey towards a more unified and prosperous nation will remain a pipedream unless citizens embraced positive attitude towards work.

He further urged citizens to show love, respect and tolerance towards one another and to demonstrate intrinsic values in the promotion of social justice.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari

President Buhari said his administration would focus efforts to turn around the economy, create jobs, fight corruption, and transform agriculture to replace oil and gas as a major revenue earner for the nation in 2017.

According to him, the nation's economic recovery and growth plan in 2017 was anchored on optimizing the use of local content and empowering local businesses.

On job creation, the Nigerian leader said his administration would sustain existing programs aimed at lifting a vast number of the youth out of poverty, while at the same time creating the opportunities for people to fend for themselves.

Buhari said his administration's determination to wrestle corruption to the ground remains unshaken.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni

President Museveni in his New Year speech has called for the country's rapid industrialization saying it is losing a lot of money to imports.

"Industrialization is, therefore, both an instrument of liberation and a means of achieving prosperity. Using our comparative advantages, we would also export to other countries, thereby earning even more money and creating even more jobs," he added.

He said Uganda is working with neighboring Kenya to fast track the construction of the Standard Gauge Railway to reduce the cost of transport to and from the seaport of Mombasa.

Namibian President Hage Geingob

Namibia will increase the old age social grants and provide subsidies for ploughing services in 2017, President Hage Geingob has said.

In his New Year's message, Geingob said the old age social grants will be increased by 100 Namibian dollars (about 7 U.S dollars) from 1,100 Namibian dollars per month as from June 2017.

Geingob also said the government will subsidize ploughing services, fertilizers and seeds to communal farmers starting from mid-January 2017.

Geingob said although Namibia has had problems in 2016, the nation can forge ahead if all the people adopt a single-minded resolution to rededicate themselves to fully implement the set goals and objectives.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta

President Kenyatta wishes Kenyans a prosperous year, asks them to shun divisive politics and notes development projects to create more opportunities for businesses and people.
JERUSALEM, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- Israel decided on Sunday not to return bodies of Palestinian assailants associated with Hamas to their families but to bury them in Israel.

A statement released by the Prime Minister's Office said the measure is part of efforts to retrieve the remains of two Israeli soldiers, Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, who were killed in Israel's offensive in Gaza in 2014. The bodies are believed to be held by Hamas, the Islamist organization which controls the Gaza Strip.

The cabinet is also drafting a plan to return two missing civilians, Abera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, who have crossed into Gaza and are believed to be held there.

According to the statement, bodies of Palestinian members of Hamas will be buried in a designated burial site in Israel.

Israel has been using the practice of withholding dozens of bodies of Palestinian attackers during the 16-month-long Palestinian unrest. Following a petition to the Supreme Court, many of the corpses were returned, but a few are still kept in Israel.

Palestinians and human rights organizations have been criticizing the withholding of corpses, saying it violates the rights of the families to bury their loved ones and fans further unrest among Palestinians.
The famous Hollywood sign reads "Hollyweed" after it was vandalized, January 1, 2017. (Xinhua/ AFP PHOTO / Gene Blevins)

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Hollywood Sign, a landmark and American cultural icon located in Los Angeles, was vandalized early Sunday to read "Hollyweed" , celebrating the recent legalization of recreational marijuana in California.

According to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), surveillance footage caught one person dressed in all black sneaking up to the sign around 3 a.m. and spending about an hour and a half transforming the O' s to E' s by two pieces of black trap with graphic of anti-nuclear war and love.

Robert Payan of LAPD was quoted by the Los Angeles Times as saying that it could be a News Year prank or a work of "thrill seeker". So far LAPD was reviewing security footage to try to track down the trespasser but had not any suspect.

Local media believed that the modification could be a reference to Californians voting on Nov. 8 last year to legalize recreational marijuana in the state, which joined six other states and the Distrcit of Columbia from 2017 in allowing the drug's non-medical use.

The incident was not the first time that the sign had been changed to other words.

Danny Finegood, who passed away in 2007, was made famous by changing the sign to "Hollyweed" on Jan. 1, 1976, in celebration of the state's then-more relaxed marijuana laws taking effect.

In 1987, some Caltech students changed it to read the name of their University.
Murder accused found hanging in cell

Pompey, 59, had been charged with the murder of Josiah Martinez, 16, after the teenager was shot during a heated argument at his Upper Seventh Avenue, Barataria home, on December 15, 2016.

The murder accused, a retired employee of the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA), had only recently appeared before Chief Magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar on Thursday in the Portof- Spain Eight Magistrates Court.

His first scheduled appearance in court, recently, was aborted as he was rushed to hospital to undergo medical attention. Before his court appearance, Pompey had complained about experiencing discomfort in one of his legs.

Yesterday, prisons authorities confirmed Pompey was found hanging in his cell in what appeared to be an apparent suicide but offered no further details about the incident.

However, president of the Prisons Officers Association (POA) Ceron Richards said yesterday the incident could have been prevented if there were more manpower on the ground.

He told Sunday Newsday that although some inmates experience a high level of depression, Pompey could have been saved.

When you look at the officer population, they are very shortstaffed and in most instances are under-prepared to treat with all the security needs, Richards said.

The POA has always been expressing over the years, the need to have proper staffing levels and have proper technological monitoring systems so that you can deal with these type of incidents that occur from time to time.

So while no officer will be at fault from this incident, the fact of the matter is that it points to some of the deficiencies in the TT Prisons Service.

If an inmate can just hang himself and when you look at the ratio between officers and inmates, sometimes an officer has to monitor and secure hundreds of inmates and obviously that will tell you that the Service does not have enough resources to have eyes and ears everywhere, he added Insisting that the Prisons Service needed resources to effectively carry out its mandate, Richards predicted the phenomenon will continue if nothing is done to address staff shortages.

In modern correctional systems, technology and other implementation will assist in reducing these types of incidents, he said.

So this is definitely a lesson for the Trinidad and Tobago Prisons Service. It is not the first time that it would have happened. He recalled an inmate had committed suicide about two years after becoming frustrated with the accommodation in the system and the manner in which his matter was being addressed.

These things have happened in the past and we would have been making the same call over and over for years. This is the result of a system that is not properly monitored, a system that is under- prepared on the basis of resources to treat with these type of incidents, Richards said.

Richards complained that issues affecting prisons officers were not being given the attention it deserved.

We have not been seeing the priority been given in such an environment and yet we are expected to perform at an optimum, he said.

Richards said he did not blame any officer for Pompeys death since officers do their best on the job in the interest off the State. An investigation has since been launched into the incident.
Rowley calls 2-day Cabinet retreat

However, the agenda for the event remains unclear.

In a brief statement yesterday, the Office of the Prime Minister said during the two-day event, the Cabinet also will meet with other non-Cabinet members of Government and permanent secretaries.

The statement said following the deliberations, there will be a media briefing, hosted by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, Communications and Public Administration Minister Maxie Cuffie and Minister in the Office of the Attorney General Stuart Young.

The statement provided no further details but followed six killings between Friday night and the early hours of Saturday morning, which pushed the countrys murder toll to 461.

There also were unconfirmed reports the murders prompted an emergency meeting involving top brass of the TT Police Service.

Yesterday, Cuffie described the retreat as merely a planning exercise. Told that the statement was short on details, the minister would only say: There is nothing more that I can add to it. We had a retreat last year. All administrations have retreats. The PNM, which defeated the Peoples Partnership in the September 7, 2015, general election, held a retreat at the Magdalena Grand Hotel, Lowlands, Tobago, on March 4 and 5, 2016, seven months after assuming office.

Ahead of that retreat, Cuffie had told Newsday: I think every Government within the first year goes on a retreat and companies do it as well. On that occasion, he said retreats provided an opportunity to, look at your strategic objectives and you position yourself for the road ahead. Next weeks retreat comes three months after the Prime Minister held a Cabinet reshuffle in which the appointments of two ministers, Nicole Olivierre (Energy and Energy Industries) and Ancil Antoine (Public Utilities) and one senator Sarah Budhu, were revoked.

Former Rural Development Minister Franklin Khan was made Energy Minister, while Fitzgerald Hinds was appointed Public Utilities Minister.

Rowley also had announced the appointment of PNM deputy leader Rohan Sinanan to the Cabinet as a government senator and Minister of Works of Transport while former mayor Kazim Hosein was appointed Minister of Rural Development and Local Government.
Back Off

But the Oilfields Workers Trade Union (OWTU) in reiterating yesterday that strike notice would be served on the company if by Tuesday the zero-zero- zero offer to over 4,450 workers is not resolved, warned the public should brace for a gas shortage.

The refinery produces crude to manufacture gasoline, diesel, kerosene and jet fuel and the OWTUs president Ancel Roget was even more militant yesterday in his condemnation of those who were opposed to oil workers due. Roget, insisting the OWTUs demand of a ten-percent for the 2014-2017 negotiating period is very reasonable, said, I have absolutely no regard for the hypocrisy that can be identified by the Chamber and business groupings. They better back-off and leave Roget and the OWTU alone. Roget explained that whatever reasonable offer Petrotrin is willing to give for the 2011-2014 negotiating period for the workers, OWTU would consider.

Thursdays tripartite talks between officials of the union, Petrotrin, and the Ministry of Labour, broke down, with the company maintaining its zero-zero-zero offer for the 2014-17 period. Roget maintained yesterday that the conciliatory period for negotiations ends on Tuesday and the unions next step is to take strike action, saying that Thursdays talks were the third round of negotiations.

Petrotrin workers have not gotten a wage adjustment in over six years, Roget said, so therefore it is unfair for those who provide a service from which everybody else benefit, to risk their lives and limbs.

Oil workers were being targeted, he added, whilst businessmen are increasing their prices, what with Neal and Massy declaring a profit of $450 million.

Roget explained the breakdown of talks at the ministry, represented negotiations for the second period of 2014-17 for which strike is looming. For that first period (2014- 17), he reiterated, the OWTU is willing to accept ten percent, notwithstanding that workers in other sectors got 14 percent.

Yesterday, president of the Petroleum Dealers Association, Robindranath Naraynsingh, said he would rather not think about the negative fallout of a strike for the new year, saying, We are deeply concerned about the implications of this possible action.

We hope that the matter is resolved and it would not go on to have a shutdown, but let us not start to get into the what if they strike for 90 days. I do not have any contingency plans, because I am very hopeful that this will not escalate to imperil all of us. Chaguanas Chamber of Industry and Commerce president Richie Sookhai stated in a release, that 2017 is not a time for the country to experience any kind of energy shortages, especially vehicular fuels.

He stated, Small and medium enterprises are already barely surviving owing to the rising cost of doing business, and such, potential strike action will further exacerbate the present situation.

This could lead to business closures and the imminent displacement of workers. But Roget did not mince words for the business community, accusing them of double-standards in how workers are to be treated. The union leader said, I have absolutely no regard for the hypocrisy that can be clearly identified with the chambers and these various business groupings in that I did not hear them come out in condemnation of the corruption at Petrotrin, I did not hear them comment or condemn all of the excessive salaries even, to executive presidents, vice presidents, top level personnel in the company (Petrotrin).

I did not hear them come out in condemnation when you had persons being placed in top positions of the company even though those persons could not have done the job. OWTUs education officer Ozzy Warrick, however, offered optimistic words yesterday, saying that if the union gets a call for a meeting with the government, then maybe we would have something to tell the nation. He added, There is nothing more to say; there is absolutely nothing more to say.
Petrotrin braces for strike

The companys top management led by its president Fitzroy Harewood, issued a memo Friday night to senior company managers in all departments, in which he alerted them to brace for strike action and be prepared to solicit the resources of the companys highly- trained technical staff.

In past shut-downs of the refinery due to labour unrest, Petrotrin was been able to run its operations with a skeleton staff, but not for any considerable long period.

And whilst the refinery was able to function, hardest hit was in the distribution of fuels to gas stations throughout the country. In two instances in the past, the government of the day was forced to call out members of the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment to drive gas trucks to gas stations.

Harewoods memo to his top-level technical managers, stated in part that they should brace for strike action, and the notice should be circulated throughout the company and in all of its operation departments. It states in part, Everyone should be apprised of the pending action and that leadership management teams should note that persons who are critically needed for the operations, should be informed. Please have this memorandum finds the widest circulation with the attached message. A senior Petrotrin manager who spoke anonymously to Sunday Newsday yesterday, said the memo meant that whilst the companys bulk of its 5,000 employees may strike, there is sufficient technical staff to man the refinery.

Oilfields Workers Trade Union president Ancel Roget has indicated that if strike action is called by the serving of formal notice to Petrotrin on Wednesday morning, it could last about 90 days if the company refuses to budge on its zero-zero- zero offer for the 2011-14 outstanding collective agreement period.

In a letter to all employees in an effort to give the companys perspective of the situation, Harewood cited fall in oil prices to low revenue earnings in the midst of a $1.2 billion debt payments that has to be made in 2017. Petrotrin, he added, did not have the money to make retroactive increase salary payments for the negotiating 2011-14 period.

The release stated, Any increases in manpower cost will result in increased losses and further exacerbate our cash flow situation, thus exposing Petrotrin to the risk of funds not being available to meet operational requirements. Roget could not be contacted by telephone yesterday for a comment, however, the unions education officer, Ozzy Warrick, said that the public would be kept informed if the company or any member of the government, give notice for further talks to be held in order to stave off strike action.
Kamla: Bleak outlook for 2017

In her New Years message yesterday she wished citizens a happy, healthy and productive New Year, one filled with hope and optimism.

The year that just ended has been an extremely difficult one for all of us. Crime remained a menace, with children and our elders becoming targets of killers and rapists; human trafficking was a disturbing and frightening reality, with women and girls being at greatest risk, she said.

She continued: Our economy experienced its worst performance in our history and everywhere there were signs of a country on a downhill slide. The present regime has led us to a sharp economic decline, and its irresponsible policy of borrowing to fund recurrent expenditure is putting future generations in deep debt. She said added to this was Governments chronic lack of vision and the absence of any economic measure for growth and job creation.

I remain fearful for 2017 in every aspect of national life  the economy, national security, health care and social services.

The forecast for 2017 is bleak and the stresses that so many of our citizens have felt for more than a year will no doubt increase, she predicted.

She however asked citizens to still be optimistic.

Let us reflect on who we are and reaffirm our love and commitment to our country. If we can do that, we will rise again and make Trinidad and Tobago a better place for all of us. We can do it if we all work together, putting country first, she said.

She continued: The divisiveness and political partisanship that is the hallmark of this administration is a cancer and it will only go away when all of us decide this is our country and each of us has a responsibility to help make it the best it can be.

She said that under different political circumstances they would have worked with all stakeholders to navigate these turbulent economic waters to achieve growth and expansion through our green, blue and silver economic models.

Instead we find stagnation and a level of despondency our country has never experienced, she lamented.

She called on citizens to unite and work at nation-building because that is the only way forward and stressed that we cannot build a nation based on hate and political spite.

Today, citizens of this country are forced to carry the burden while those who govern treat you with contempt. The Government has not kept a single promise and there is every indication that they will continue this way in 2017 because they have no idea how to take us out of this crisis they manufactured to conceal their incompetence, she added.

She continued: We are governed by an administration that is handicapped by its arrogance and lack of vision and guided by a small elite that has no concerns for the people. Persad-Bissessar said as this country begins a new year, as was the situation in 2016, unemployment is on the rise, the cost of living is pushing families to starvation, new taxes will erode your shrinking income and the elite they serve will continue to prosper.

So my message as we start 2017 is that while you must be aware of the new circumstances in which we must live, you must also take charge of your destiny and work together as one family to effect the change that is inevitable.

You, the citizens of our nation must know your rights and stand up for them; indeed, you must demand that the government listen to your concerns, she added.

She said that she is resolved to work harder in 2017 to hold the government to account, and to try to push them to work towards enhancing your lives. Nothing is more important for me than the people of TT and my colleagues share this view.

The uncertainties you feel today are natural and the circumstances are real. But let me assure you that we have faced similar circumstances before and we have overcome them.

The darkest night ends with a new dawn that brings freshness and new hope, she added.
Turmoil in and out the House

These included the refusal of the Opposition to support the passage of critical FATCA legislation in Parliament, the outcome of the November 28, 2016 Local Government Elections, and the setting of the date for the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) elections.

Political reporter CLINT CHAN TACK continues a review of these and the other political stories that made the news in 2016.

FATCA stalemate

Utter contempt. This was the position of Leader of Government Business in the House of Representatives, Camille Robinson- Regis, as she strongly condemned the Opposition for choosing to blank debate on the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) legislation on December 12, for the third time. The Opposition MPs had chosen instead to occupy a room outside of the main parliamentary Chamber from where they viewed the one-sided debate on television with the government speaking to empty chairs opposite It is indeed passing strange that on three occasions, those in opposition to us have determined they should not participate in this debate, Robinson-Regis declared. She reminded government MPs that when their counterparts walked out on December 9, they indicated they were doing so in solidarity with Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Naparima MP Rodney Charles when who had openly challenged Speaker Bridgid Annisette- Georges decision to deny their leaders request to adjourn the House as a matter of urgent business to discuss what Persad- Bissessar described as governments failure to address an unprecedented number of murders and missing persons in TT .

Finance Minister Colm Imbert did a sequel of his challenge to the former Peoples Partnership (PP) government to come outside, baiting the Opposition this time to, come inside and debate the Tax Information Exchange Bill 2016 which is critical to TT s FAT CA compliance with the United States. Imbert declared I appeal to them again as I appealed in the past -I appeal to the members opposite again -come downstairs.

Come inside! Government MPs thumped their desks in support as Imbert continued, Come inside! Why are you outside? They should come inside...

This is the peoples house. Dont be cowards. What are you hiding for? Come inside! In 2015, when the then Opposition Peoples National Movement (PNM) walked out on debate on a no-confidence motion against then Opposition Leader, Dr Keith Rowley, Imbert challenged the PP to come outside, and say what they had to say.

While the Government this time around made several amendments to the FAT CA legislation to address the very concerns which the Opposition had raised, the Opposition offered no amendments of its own. Persad- Bissessar maintained the Oppositions demand to send the legislation - the same measures approved by her former administration - to a Joint Select Committee (JSC) of the Parliament.

The Bankers Association and other business groups agreed with the Government that the legislation did not require a JSC.

They also slammed the Opposition for saying the legislation was not important. Imbert, who managed to obtain an extension of the FAT CA deadline, said it was not likely that TT would get a third extension from the US, if the legislation is not passed by February 2017 to allow the country to meet its first FAT CA reporting deadline of September 30.

Imbert also signed the inter- government agreement (IGA) on FAT CA on August 19. The House of Representatives sits on January 6, to resume committee deliberations on the FAT CA legislation.

Local Government Elections The ruling Peoples National Movement (PNM) won the November 28 Local Government Elections, capturing seven of the 14 local government corporations, ceding six to the opposition United National Congress (UNC), with a tie between the two parties for the for the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation.

While various bodies and commentators speculated the voter turnout for the elections was between 17 to 20 percent, the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) eventually revealed an overall voter turnout of 34 percent, prompting the Prime Minister to tell a post-election media briefing that those groups touting the 17 percent turn out as not having reliable data to make a proper assessment of the voter turnout and that the analysis they were doing was, pontification without the data. PNM Public Relations Officer, Stuart Young, observed at that same media briefing that local election turnouts are usually less than those in general elections, adding, This 34 percent is within expected parameters. Rowley also declared at that briefing that the PNM was right to say it controlled the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation. Once the results were clear enough to us and we sought proper legal advice, the Prime Minister said. We got it, and as soon as we got it, we made that advice available to the public. Saying the UNC reacted as expected, Rowley declared, The fact of the matter is that under law, we retain the chairmanship and control of the Sangre Grande Corporation, not by any favour and not by any coalition. The UNC did not share this view. On December 15, the partys councillors and aldermen walked out of the swearing-in ceremony for aldermen of the corporation accusing the PNM of thuggery. The PNM maintained that the law was on its side. The UNC said it would consider whether it would challenge in court the legality of the PNMs Terry Rondon remaining as corporation chairman.

While local government reform was the main issue advanced by the PNM during the campaign, allegations of a wives club under the PNM obtaining lucrative contracts, and revelations of exorbitant and unnecessary expenditure under the former Peoples Partnership (PP) coalition stole the spotlight.

The latter was highlighted in the roti wars which spilled from the political platforms to the floor of the Parliament. On November 18, Prime Minister Rowley revealed his predecessor, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, hosted a Divali function at the Diplomatic Centre in St Anns on October 16, 2014 which cost taxpayers $1,677,719.79. The Prime Minister made this disclosure in response to a question from Persad-Bissessars former aide, Princes Town MP Barry Padarath, about a $350,000 bill for roti. As Rowley gave his answer, Padarath shouted across the floor at him three times, prompting Deputy Speaker Esmond Forde to eject Padarath from the Chamber for 15 minutes.

The PNM subsequently made the invoices for the Divali event public, bringing the issue to a close. The Opposition pondered their next move on FATCA and the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation as the year ended.

Spy bill passed Legislation giving more powers to the Strategic Services Agency (SSA) was passed in the Senate after two Independent Senators  Ian Roach and temporary senator Justin Junkere  broke ranks from their colleagues and supported the measure in a 17  12 division. Passage of the legislation came notwithstanding serious concerns by seven of the nine Independent Senators, two of whom had called for the legislation to be withdrawn. On a night of high drama, Opposition and Independent Senators forced five divisions on normally simple procedural motions which had been tabled by the Government in order to move the legislation closer to a vote. In wrapping up the debate, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi told Senators the Solicitor General, Carol Hernandez, had advised that the legislation did not require a three-fifths majority, but he did not release her opinion prior to the debate. Al-Rawi also said the bill was key to anti-terrorism collaboration with unnamed international bodies.

On November 2, Finance Minister Colm Imbert made it crystal clear he never announced a wage freeze for public servants. Addressing a news conference at the Eric Williams Financial Complex in Port-of-Spain, following the release of a story on CNC3 which stated he made a wage freeze announcement at the 2016 High Level Caribbean Forum at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, earlier in the day, Imbert said, The word I used was wage restraint, not wage freeze.

Wage restraint is a long way away from a wage freeze, the Finance Minister posited.

There is a fine line in all of these things and one has to be very, very careful in interpretation. Telling reporters he was alerted to the erroneous CNC3 story by a member of a major trade union and asked to clarify this statement, Imbert declared, The PNM Government has no policy of a wage freeze. That in any event would have to be a Cabinet decision.

No single minister can make a decision like that without Cabinet agreement. $53 billion Budget In presenting a $53.4 billion 2016/2017 Budget in Parliament on September 30, Finance Minister Colm Imbert rolled out a series of money-making measures which touched both the rich and poor.

Millionaires will face a new 30 percent tax rate, although their yachts will be VAT free.

Consumers of booze and tobacco are likely to have a bad hangover, with import duties going up by 15 and 20 percent respectively.

Measures in the budget included a 15 percent increase in the price of diesel bringing it to $2.30 per litre, up from $1.98. Online shoppers remain stuck with a seven percent internet shopping levy.

At the same time, 120,000 households with electricity bills of $300 or less will receive a 25 percent rebate, and talented entrepreneurs will get a $1 million grant, presumably exempt from the new millionaire tax which applies to persons with incomes of $1 million or more per year.

When he presented the Mid-Year Review in Parliament on April 9, Imbert said TT can no longer operate with Champagne taste and Mauby pocket, and the burden of adjustment must be spread across society. He announced a series of measures designed to increase revenue and curb expenditure.

In addition to the increase in fuel prices and seven per cent levy on online purchases, there were increased taxes on luxury cars, tobacco and alcohol, and steps to amplify collection of taxes from the gaming industry. Imbert also promised public servants half of their arrears by June and outlined options for the outstanding amount during September or 2017.

Politicians have talent Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi, Minister in the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs Stuart Young, Housing Minister Randall Mitchell and government senator Rohan Sinanan in showed off their Bollywood singing talents when they serenaded Divali Queen contestants at a Divali function hosted by the PNM at Constantine Park in Macoya in October. UNC Couva North MP Ramona Ramdial criticised the performance as insulting.

Sign and wine Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and Venezuelas President Nicolas Maduro on December 5 celebrated the signing of a cross-border energy deal by dancing, wining and even being in a conga line with women dressed in bright, colourful clothing at the Miraflores Palace in Caracas.

Maduro and Rowley signed three agreements for: I) A supply of natural gas from Venezuela to TT from Camp Dragon; II) Shell Venezuela and Pdvsa entering in negotiations to evaluate opportunities to reduce gas flaring in northern Monagas state, and; III) Agreement to obtain financing for a joint venture to encourage increased oil production.

Hanging still the law As the country continued to grapple with violent crimes, particularly murders, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi said on December 12, I can guarantee you that the current law of TT is that the death penalty is to be applied for murder and we certainly intend to apply the law and it is something that I have been tracking for one year straight. In making this declaration, Al Rawi also disclosed, There are 32 people on Death Row right now. Those cases, Ive been tracking since I came into office. Of that 32, none of them are in a position to meet the hangman. Underscoring that, under the laws of TT, the punishment for murder...a conviction of murder is that you shall hang until you are dead, Al Rawi cited various reasons why none of these persons can be executed at this time.

Manning not a racist On July 14, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley took offence to claims made by Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha Secretary General, Sat Maharaj that former prime minister Patrick Manning, who died on July 2, was a racist. In dismissing all of Maharajs claims and setting the record straight with the facts as known to him and in the public domain, Rowley said, I do not appoint myself as defender of Patrick Manning but as defender of the public record. Clico report sent to DPP Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Roger Gaspard SC in July advised Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley that no part of the Sir Anthony Colman Report into Clico can be made public. This is due to an investigation by the Office of the DPP into matters referred to in the report, which started under the former Kamla Persad-Bissessar administration.

Speaking on the matter at a post-Cabinet news conference at the Office of the Prime Minister in St Clair on July 28, Minister in the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs Stuart Young reminded reporters that the report was sent by President Anthony Carmona to Rowley on June 23.

He said subsequent deliberations by the Cabinet resulted in the report being sent to the DPP for advice on what can come out of the report into the public and whether there were any investigations undergoing. He explained that the DPP, in a private and confidential manner, has indicated to the Prime Minister that there is an investigation on going. Kids with guns On October 11, amidst Opposition claims that photos exist of persons resembling children of top Government officials holding firearms looking like those commonly used by the Defence Force, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi could not ascertain if those featured in these photos were his children, but admitted members of his family have undergone threat assessment training at Cumuto Army Base as part of security protocols for families of State officials deemed to be at high risk.

Al-Rawi held a news briefing outside Parliament after Oropouche MP Dr Roodal Moonilal told MPs, during the Budget debate in the House of Representatives, that he possessed photographs that he would like to show to Al Rawi to see if he (the AG) recognised anyone. Al Rawi later told reporters Moonilal was reprehensible for bringing youngsters into the political fray. Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley criticised members of the national security services for the leakage of the pictures to the media.

Tobago goes to the polls The Tobago House of Assembly (THA) elections will be held on January 23, a notice issued on December 15 from the Office of the Prime Minister indicated.

The notice said that Nomination Day for the THA election will be on January 3.

In November, THA Chief Secretary, Orville London, issued a statement to correct what he said was false and misleading information being circulated by some political parties in the island that the date for the election was not being released because of influence from Trinidad.

London said contrary to the false information being circulated, under the THA Act, The President, after consultation with the Prime Minister and the Chief Secretary, shall fix the date of a primary election, which date shall not be earlier than expiration of two months after the dissolution of the Assembly nor later than the expiration of three months after that dissolution.

The PNM currently holds all 12 seats in the THA. The main contenders expected to challenge the PNM in the Tobago polls are the Tobago Forwards led by former PP minister Christlyn Moore and the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) led by Public Services Association president Watson Duke.
Spat with Mistry gets Tata global bad press

Delhi,Business/Economy, Sun, 01 Jan 2017 IANS

New Delhi, Jan 1 (IANS) As the Tata-Mistry tussle continues, an unintended consequence for the multi-billion dollar image-conscious group has been the bad press it -- and its "patriarch" Ratan Tata, 78 -- has received globally.

From a piece in The Economist headlined "Ratantrum" and a New York Times report that dwelt on some of the Tata Group's alleged murky deals, to a Financial Times columnist who said "much of the fiasco is Mr Tata's fault", a good bit of the reporting and analysis has been critical of the manner in which Tata's handpicked successor Cyrus Mistry was suddenly ousted from the $100 billion "salt to software" conglomerate -- India's first true multinational.

The Economist of Britain -- where Tata is a familiar name because of its takeover of Corus Steel and Jaguar Land Rover -- bluntly said: "One of Asia's most important firms has descended into chaos. Its patriarch, Ratan Tata, is largely to blame."

Describing the Tata Group as a "rare beacon of good governance in Asia"... "until few months ago", the magazine -- which calls itself a newspaper -- said: "That reputation has now been shredded owing to a brutal fight for control between Ratan Tata... and Cyrus Mistry... The battle is bad for Tata, rotten for its outside investors... and damaging to India."

The Economist said that Mistry, who took over in 2012 when Ratan Tata stepped down after decades at the helm, has been grappling with two problems. One, that the group is "worryingly flabby" thanks to "an expansion binge at home and abroad" during Ratan Tata's reign, with "vast chunks of the group are not making enough money" -- a reference to the UK steel acquisitions and the small-car Nano.

And two, the group's "Byzantine structure", with companies "controlled by a private holding company" which, in turn, is "controlled by murky and secretive charitable trusts set up in 1919 and 1932. Until recently they were widely viewed as benign and passive, but they now appear to be under Mr Tata's sway".

It added: "Mr Mistry may have thought he had a free hand. Far from it. Mr Tata was breathing down his neck from the start. On October 24th Mr Tata, through the trusts, orchestrated the firing of Mr Mistry from the holding company."

It concluded that, "Not long ago he (Ratan Tata) was among the most revered figures in the past half century of Indian public life. Now he is flirting with disgrace."

A long report in The New York Times dwelt on allegations levelled by "crusading" BJP MP Subramanian Swamy that a government report had suggested "that Mr Tata in 2008 used a front company to apply for a telecommunications license, potentially circumventing the limits on the number of licenses one investor could hold". The Tata Group has, however, said it was part of a "bona fide real estate deal" that had nothing at all to do with telecoms licensing.

The NYT report also said that Mistry's ouster was triggered in part because he had "begun reining in some favours that the company had previously extended to Mr Tata's personal friends".

A report in the Financial Times quoted Mistry's warning to shareholders that "we have witnessed an unmatched erosion of ethical values...replaced by whims, fancies and personal agenda", and blamed the "fiasco" on Ratan Tata.

"He either badly misjudged Mr Mistry in the rush to name a successor five years ago, or he could not adjust to a new Tata chairman ditching parts of his legacy. Either way, he fell into the trap he always wanted to avoid," the report said.

The Financial Times report underlined the need to professionalise the group's management, noting that it "urgently needs to outgrow its patriarch... That means a professional chairman being given real power at Tata Group".

Among other reports, The Wall Street Journal said investors have raised questions about whether independent directors at the various Tata companies are playing their proper role.

And Japan's Nikkei Asian Review pointed out that Tata group members have lost a combined $11 billion in market capitalisation since Mistry was sacked as chairman in October.

--IANS

bc/sac
Britons believe fascism on rise post Trump's win: Poll

United Kingdom,Politics,Human Interest/Society, Sun, 01 Jan 2017 IANS

London, Jan 1 (IANS) Majority of British people believe that fascist views are on the rise globally in the wake of Donald Trump's victory, Brexit and the spectre of the far-right in mainland Europe, according to a survey.

There were surges of hate crime in the US following Trump's victory and in Britain after the Brexit vote, not to mention the brutal murder of MP Jo Cox by a man with far-right links, said the study by BMG Research, conducted for the Independent newspaper.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd also recently proscribed a far-right organisation for the first time in Britain, making its membership a criminal offence.

BMG pollsters, who are members of the British Polling Council, asked participants whether they thought "the number of people with fascist views in the US is increasing, decreasing or about the same?"

A majority of 53 per cent said they believed it is growing, just three per cent said they thought the number of people is decreasing, while 20 per cent said it is about the same.

When the same question was put in relation to Britain, some 46 per cent said they believe the number of people with fascist views in Britain is growing, with three per cent saying it is decreasing and around a third believing it is about the same.

Looking at Europe, the figures were broadly similar, with 48 per cent saying they believe the number of people with fascist views is growing, the Independent reported on Sunday.

BMG Research Director Michael Turner said: "With age comes experience, which may explain why our polling shows that it's older Britons who are most likely to feel that fascist views are on the rise, particularly in Europe."

He added: "Remainers are much more likely than Leavers to feel that fascist views are increasing at home. Around six in ten, 59 per cent, of those who voted to stay in the European Union feel that fascism is on the rise in Britain, whereas just four in ten Leavers, 41 per cent, feel the same."

"However, both Remainers and Leavers are much more united on the view that fascism is rising on the continent, with some 57 per cent of Remainers and 52 per cent of Leavers saying so in the poll."

According to reports, some 900 incidents of hate crime occurred in the US in the 10 days following the Tump's shock victory.

Official Home Office statistics have, as in the US, revealed an equally worrying hate-crime spike in Britain since the vote to quit the EU.

In July, there was a 41 per cent increase in the number of racially or religiously aggravated crimes recorded by the police.

They correlated with earlier figures which showed the number of alleged racially or religiously aggravated offences rose by 58 per cent in the week following the June Brexit vote.

--IANS

soni/vt
5 killed, 24 injured in Iraq suicide attack

Iraq,Terrorism, Sun, 01 Jan 2017 IANS

Baghdad, Jan 1 (IANS) At least five people were killed and 24 were injured on Sunday in a suicide attack at a security checkpoint close to the southern Iraqi city of Najaf, a security source said.

A group of armed men attacked a security checkpoint and detonated explosives-laden vests when the officers tried to repel them, Efe news agency reported.

The security source said the armed militants were travelling in a modern vehicle when they carried out the attack on a checkpoint in the district of Al-Qadisiyah, some 70 km southwest of Najaf, a Shiite holy site some 240 km from Baghdad.

The toll could go up, the source said, adding that the attack also caused material damage.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.

However, the Islamic State (IS) terror group, in most cases, is responsible for such suicide bombings targeting Iraqi security forces as well as crowded areas, including markets, cafes and mosques across the country.

--IANS

soni/vt
S.P. Singh Telangana's new Chief Secretary

Andhra Pradesh,National,Politics, Sun, 01 Jan 2017 IANS

Hyderabad, Jan 1 (IANS) Shekhar Prasad Singh on Sunday assumed charge as the new Chief Secretary of Telangana.

He succeeded K. Pradeep Chandra, who retired from service on reaching superannuation.

Earlier in the day the state government issued orders appointing Singh as the new Chief Secretary.

Prior to this appointment, Singh was serving as the Special Chief Secretary, Panchayat Raj department.

His appointment came as no extension was given to Pradeep Chandra, who had assumed office a month ago.

Singh belongs to 1983 batch of Indian Administrative Service.

The names of Singh and M. G. Gopal were under consideration for the top post but the government preferred Singh.

Chandra had taken as the Chief Secretary only a month ago after Rajiv Sharma stepped down on reaching superannuation. Sharma, who served as the first Chief Secretary of the new state since 2014' has been appointed as chief advisor to the government.

Meanwhile, the government has appointed A. K. Khan as the advisor to the government for minority affairs. Khan, an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, retired as Director General of Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and Charu Sinha replaces him in the post.

In another development, the government appointed Arvind Kumar as the new Resident Commissioner in Telangana Bhavan in New Delhi.

--IANS

ms/vd
Over 700 migrants make mass bid to enter Spain's Ceuta

Spain,Immigration/Law/Rights, Sun, 01 Jan 2017 IANS

Madrid, Jan 1 (IANS) Over 700 sub-Saharan migrants on Sunday staged a mass attempt to enter Spain's Ceuta on the north coast of Africa, the police officials said.

The police said the mass attempt to reach the Spanish territory happened around 5 a.m. (local time) when the group tried to breach the border fence with Morocco, Efe news agency reported.

The majority of the group were contained by Moroccan forces deployed in the area.

The incident took place in the same area where 438 migrants had earlier on December 9 managed to reach the Ceuta city upon storming gates in the border fence.

Moroccan officials on Sunday managed to fend off most of the group, but some did reach the top of the double fence, which was six metres high.

More police officers were sent to the scene, while Spain's Red Cross dispatched ambulances to tend to the migrants.

--IANS

soni/vt
Tapas Paul pleads innocence, says Babul Supriyo involved in scam

Orissa,National,Politics,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Sun, 01 Jan 2017 IANS

Bhubaneswar/Kolkata, Jan 1 (IANS) Trinamool Congress MP Tapas Paul, who was arrested by the CBI last Friday for his alleged involvement in the Rose Valley Chit fund scam, on Sunday said his innocence will be proved in due course.

"I am innocent. I am not guilty at all. Everything will be proved later," Paul told the reporters while getting into a car of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Odisha's Bhubaneswar after a health check-up in a hospital.

Asked about the allegations that he took financial advantage from the chit fund company, Paul vehemently denied it.

"I deny all the allegations against me. I know for a fact that I haven't taken any monetary advantage from anyone," he said.

Paul alleged that Union minister Babul Supriyo is involved in the multi-crore Rose Valley chit fund scam.

"Babul Supriyo tricked me into the scam and he is involved in it," he claimed.

"Many other ministers also have links with the multi-crore chit fund scam," Paul added.

The Trinamool Congress leader said that his party stads by him. "My party is with me."

Terming his arrest as "politically motivated", his wife Nandini Paul reiterated his claims, saying the actor-turned-politician was not involved in anything illegal.

"It is definitely politically motivated," Nandini said.

"He hasn't done anything illegal. He worked as a director in a film produced by the Rose Valley and received monthly remuneration by cheque after TDS deduction. I know he hasn't taken any money apart from the remuneration," she said.

Paul was arrested on Friday afternoon by the CBI sleuths from Kolkata after being interrogated for four hours for his alleged links with the ponzy scheme.

He was shifted to Bhubaneswar in the late hours of Friday on transit remand.

The Special Chief Judicial Magistrate's court of the CBI in Bhubaneswar on Saturday allowed the agency to take the Trinamool MP on a three-day remand.

--IANS

mgr-bdc-cd/vt
Kolkata soaks in festivity mood on New Year's Day

West Bengal,National,Business/Economy,Human Interest/Society, Sun, 01 Jan 2017 IANS

Kolkata, Jan 1 (IANS) Piping hot food, warm greetings and a nip in the air formed the backbone of New Year celebrations here on Sunday.

After staying out the entire night on the last day of the year and taking a stroll at the at the hep Park Street, thousands of citizens came out in a celebratory mood on January 1.

City residents, across all age, race and religion, thronged popular tourist spots such as the Victoria Memorial, the Alipore Zoo, Eco and NiccoPark to relax on the first day of a brand new year.

The buzz doubled up as the occasion fell on a Sunday, allowing almost everyone to take the opportunity.

The long lines of cars and public transport almost took the major roads to a standstill for sometime during the afternoon. The trains and metro rails were packed too as people from suburbs came out in large numbers to get the feel of festivity in the city.

The amusement parks like Nicco Park, Millennium Park, Science City as well as the eternal tourist destinations in the city like the Alipore Zoo and the Victoria Memorial clocked massive attendance as usual.

"We celebrate the new year's day in Bangladesh every year with much enthusiasm but the celebrations here are unparalleled. I am loving the mood here," said a Bangladeshi tourist at a city amusement park.

"Introduction of new adventure rides like Sky Diver and discounts at the entry gates have roped in more enthusiasts this year," said another tourist.

After the Saturday night extravaganza on New Year's Eve, the crowd again walked through the iconic Park Street where a heady aroma of baked goodies and confectioneries wafted through the chilly air.

The evening seemed like an extension of the week long celebrations on since Christmas, with office goers relaxing with colleagues ahead of a busy work schedule while many families embarked on weekend getaways to the beaches of Digha and the hills of north Bengal.

Lengthy queues of devotees were seen snaking up to the popular Dakshineshwar Kali Temple at the city's northern suburb since dawn.

Followers of Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa gathered at the ancient Kali temple at Dakshineswar for the Kalpataru Utsav, which is celebrated on this day every year in memory of the spiritual guru.

It is believed that Paramhansa had gone into a trance January 1, 1886, and granted enlightenment to his disciples.

To ensure there is no threat to the city's revelry, police made elaborate security arrangements, such as setting up CCTV cameras at strategic locations.

--IANS

mgr/bdc/vd
39 killed in Istanbul nightclub attack, manhunt on for gunman (Roundup)

Turkey,Defence/Security,Terrorism, Sun, 01 Jan 2017 IANS

Ankara, Jan 1 (IANS) At least 39 persons were killed and 69 injured as a sole gunman opened fire at people celebrating the New Year at a famous nightclub in Istanbul early on Sunday, authorities said, adding a manhunt has been launched for the gunman.

"According to security work and information, the attacker is a single person. Wearing a coat and pants, he entered inside.... There are reports that he tried to get out with a different outfit," said Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu, according to the Hurriyet Daily.

"Work to apprehend the attacker is ongoing," he said.

Soylu also said that 20 of the victims have been identified so far, out of which 15 have been identified as foreign citizens, while five of them were reported to be Turkish.

Family and Social Policies Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya said that Saudi Arabian, Moroccan, Lebanese and Libyan nationals were among those injured in the attack on the high-end Reina nightclub at the busy Besiktas area.

An Israeli woman was among the dead, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said.

Belgium's Foreign Ministry said that it feared one of the deceased may be from Belgium.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the attack and said that the motive for the attack is not clear. He blamed terror groups "trying to create chaos".

"They are trying to demoralise our people and destabilise our country. However, we, as the nation, will never give passage to these dirty games, further uniting together and preserving our calmness," Erdogan said in a statement.

At least 69 people were being treated in hospital, officials said, of which four in a serious condition.

Eyewitnesses described panic and confusion as the attack unfolded.

"We were having fun. All of a sudden people started to run. My husband said don't be afraid, and he jumped on me. People ran over me. My husband was hit in three places," one club-goer told the newspaper.

According to one witness who survived by hiding himself, he did not know how many attackers were there but he saw one gunman at least.

"I got shot in the leg," he said while being taken into an ambulance. "These crazy people came in shooting everything."

"After the gunfire everyone started to run toward the terrace. We ran as well. There was someone next to me who was shot and fell on the floor. We ran away and hid under the sofas," said another eyewitness.

Turkish media said some people jumped into the sea to escape as the nightclub is close to the Bosporus Strait, prompting a rescue operation by the Coast Guard. There were reportedly as many as 700 people in the nightclub at the time of the attack.

The news received a strong international response, as world leaders, including those of Poland, Iran and Greece, condemned the attack.

US President Barack Obama offered to help Turkey with the investigation and "expressed condolences for the innocent lives lost", said the White House in a statement.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also condemned the "cynical" murder of civilians. "Our shared duty is to decisively rebuff terrorist aggression," he said.

Despite no group yet claiming responsibility, Turkish authorities characterised the attack as the work of terrorists.

US officials also called it a terrorist attack, making it the first of 2017.

--IANS

soni/vd
Khosla new chief of Eastern Air Command

Delhi,National,Defence/Security, Sun, 01 Jan 2017 IANS

New Delhi, Jan 1 (IANS) Air Marshal Anil Khosla on Sunday took over charge of the Indian Air Force's Shillong-based Eastern Air Command (EAC), a defence statement said.

A flying instructor and a fighter strike leader with over 4000 hours of accident free flying, Khosla, who was currently Director General (Inspection & Safety) at the Air Headquarters here, succeeds Air Marshal C. Harikumar who has moved to head the Western Air Command.

Commissioned in the fighter stream of Indian Air Force in December 1979, he has flown different variants of Jaguar, Mig-21 and Kiran aircraft and is equally experienced in both ground attack and air defence roles with a specialisation in maritime operations.

Khosla also holds two M. Phil degrees in military studies and has the distinction of standing first in the order of merit in all the courses he attended.

--IANS

rs/vd
Man stabbed to death, 2 others hurt in New Year's Eve clash

Delhi,National,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Sun, 01 Jan 2017 IANS

New Delhi, Jan 1 (IANS) A 22-year-old man was stabbed to death and two others injured by a group of four to five persons during a clash with their group on New Year's Eve, police said on Sunday.

Three persons have been detained in this connection, a senior police officer said.

The incident took place on late Saturday when Vishal, a resident of Sanjay Camp, went along with 10-11 of his friends for the New Year party to the nearby Vivekanand Camp in Chanakyapuri area.

When he, along with his friends, reached the venue, four to five unidentified persons attacked them with sticks and knives. Vishal received multiple knife wounds on his body, while Sahil and his brother Aman were also injured in the incident.

"On being informed, local police rushed to the spot. Vishal was admitted to the Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital, while Sahil was taken to the Safdarjung Hospital, from where he was discharged on Sunday. However, while undergoing treatment, Vishal succumbed to his injuries on Sunday morning," Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police R.P. Meena told IANS.

He said it prima facie seemed a case of old enmity between the groups, adding: "We have identified four to five persons. We have also detained three persons for interrogation, including Aman."

During the interrogation, Sahil and Aman told interrogators that they were trying to rescue Vishal. But owing to contradictions in their statements, their involvement in the killing of Vishal cannot be ruled out, he said.

"Some more persons can be involved in the case. The investigation is on," the officer said.

Meanwhile, hundreds of angry local residents protested with the body of Vishal and blocked the Ring Road at Dhaula Kaun around 4 p.m, demanding immediate arrest of the culprits. This led to traffic disruption on the busy road for at least 30 minutes.

According to police, Vishal, who worked as a sweeper in a local school, was pursuing his graduation from the School of Open Learning (SOL).

--IANS

sp/nir/vd
Man kills 11 at New Year's party in Brazil

Brazil,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Sun, 01 Jan 2017 IANS

Sao Paulo (Brazil), Jan 1 (IANS) A man in Brazil has killed his former wife, son and nine others celebrating the arrival of the New Year, before shooting self, the BBC reported on Sunday.

The unidentified man was carrying several firearms when he stormed the family house in Campinas, around 100 km from Sao Paulo, BBC reported quoting police.

Another three persons were wounded. The murder occurred just before midnight, police said. Neighbours had heard blasts but thought they were fireworks.

They were alerted after one of those injured escaped to a neighbour's house to plead for help.

"When we opened the gate to go into the street to see the fireworks, the celebrations, a wounded person came into our yard. He entered, asking for help," the neighbour, Christiano Machado, said.

The 40-year-old gunman, who refused to accept the divorce proceedings with his wife, shot himself in the head after the shooting spree, Efe news reported.

Nine women, the gunman and the boy were pronounced dead at the scene and one person died while being treated at the hospital.

--IANS

pgh/vd
Modi seems to have given up agenda of black money: Swaraj India

Delhi,National,Politics, Sun, 01 Jan 2017 IANS

New Delhi, Jan 1 (IANS) Swaraj India on Sunday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi seemed to have given up the agenda of black money, and demanded he disclose how much illicit-held funds were recovered post-demonetisation and to whom did it belong.

The newly-set up party also accused the PM of not presenting any report on the facts, plans or proposals on countering black money while rehashing schemes already existing as new.

Swaraj India's chief spokesperson Anupam also demanded that Modi tell the people by when they will be able to withdraw their own savings from banks.

"The most worrying part was that the PM seems to have given up the big agenda of 'war on black money' in his address to nation on 50 days of demonetisation," Anupam told IANS, adding that Modi's New Year's Eve speech reflected a lack of plan or proposal to check corruption, the real reason behind generation of black money.

"PM's speech had nothing about political funding, the mother of all corruption and black hole of black money. On November 8, PM said that he wanted to get rid of black money. But on December 31, the PM wants to get rid of the very agenda of black money which is very unfortunate," he said.

He asaid that black money was the real issue as announced earlier by Modi, but the Prime Minister made his demonetisation report seem "like a loan mela announcement".

The countrymen, who went through so much of pain in the name of national interest, want to know today how much black money has come through the exercise of demonetisation, he said.

--IANS

sp/vd
Chandigarh school kids adding strength to 'Wall of Kindness'

Punjab,National,Education,Features,Human Interest/Society, Sun, 01 Jan 2017 IANS

Chandigarh, Jan 1 (IANS) It is an act of kindness and gratitude, but veiled in anonymity.

Students of private and government schools and other institutions in Chandigarh have adopted a "Wall of Kindness" campaign that was launched recently in the Union Territory with the efforts of an NGO, Yuvsatta.

"While working on our social projects, we realised that there was a segment of society which needed clothes, books and other things. Also, many people don't know what to do with such used things which are still usable otherwise.

"So, we decided to launch this campaign -- 'Wall of Kindness' -- with school children in Chandigarh, so that the gap could be bridged," Yuvsatta coordinator Pramod Sharma told IANS.

The "wall" is marked on the outer facade of participating institutions, so that the givers and the takers can easily leave and pick up things. The clothes and things to be given can simply be hung on hangers or nails on the walls from where the needy can take them away.

Started just a couple of months ago, the campaign has already been adopted by hundreds of students in various schools and institutions across Chandigarh. People in some private houses have also shown initiatives on this front at a smaller level.

"The concept originated in Iran some years back. Over the years, it has been done in Pakistan, parts of China and other countries. The unique thing about this concept is that the giver and the receiver remain anonymous to each other. It has an element of kindness from the giver and gratitude from the receiver," Sharma elaborated.

The "Wall of Kindness" has already been started by leading institutions in Chandigarh, like Carmel Convent School, Dev Samaj College of Education, St Joseph School, St Stephen's School, Dev Samaj School and the Government Girls Model Senior Secondary School in Sector 18, which is one of the biggest all-girls' school in the region.

"This unique initiative equally respects the dignity of donor and recipient, as one doesn't know who is giving and who is receiving and your donation reaches the deserving ones," Prof Devi Sirohi, Chairperson, Chandigarh Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CCPCR), said.

Sharma pointed out that they had not expected such a good response to the campaign. "Many schools and institutions are coming forward to join the campaign," he said.

The success of the campaign can be gauged from the fact that government school authorities want to extend it to individual classes.

"We have planned to assign a 'Wall of Kindness Week' for each section of the school, so that throughout the year, the students get involved in this activity to help the needy.

"This will inculcate the spirit of giving and sacrifice among the young minds. This is so very important in today's materialistic world," Raj Bala, Principal of the Government Girls School in Sector 18, said.

Education Department officials in Chandigarh are also encouraging the campaign.

"This is a good campaign. It becomes more significant during the winters, when many economically poor can't afford good woollens to save themselves from the chill," Education Department Deputy Director Chanchal Singh said.

It shows that people want to give and contribute for a better and just world, Sharma added.

(Jaideep Sarin can be contacted at jaideep.s@ians.in)

--IANS

js/nir/sac
Film on architect Laurie Baker wins rare honour

Kerala,Cinema/Showbiz,Southern Cinema, Sun, 01 Jan 2017 IANS

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 1 (IANS) "Uncommon Sense", a biographical film on architect Laurie Baker became the first Indian documentary ever to be selected to ArchDaily's yearly 'Architecture Documentaries to Watch' for 2017.

Filmed over three and a half years and directed by his grandson, Vineet Radhakrishnan, the social documentary covers Baker's remarkable life story. It also examines his pioneering socially and environmentally relevant building philosophies and how his radical, innovative ideas re-defined the role that an architect and architecture can and should play in society.

The curated ArchDaily documentary list includes a collection of the most critically acclaimed, popular and often under-represented films and documentaries that provoke, intrigue, inform and beguile.

Previous films that were featured include the Oscar-nominated "My Architect" on Louis Kahn, films by the BBC, Al Jazeera, and on some of the most famous architects in the world such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Rem Koolhaas, Norman Foster and Frank Gehry.

Born in Britain and one who did his professional education there, Baker, influenced by Mahatma Gandhi, came to India and worked for two decades trekking the Himalayas and its vicinity, helping the local people. During that time, he met his future wife, a medical professional and a Keralite.

But it was not until he reached the state capital in the early '60s that he turned into full-time architecture and etched a name for himself for low-cost housing till he passed away here at the age of 90 in 2007.

Every year, the prestigious and much anticipated list of 'Architecture Documentaries to Watch' is selected and published by ArchDaily, one of the most visited architecture websites worldwide with over 500,000 daily readers, 60,000 member architects worldwide and 160 million page views per month.

In the latest 2017 edition of the list, the film on Baker wrote itself into record books by becoming the first ever Indian film to find a place in the list.

--IANS

sg/rb/vt
39 die in Istanbul nightclub terror attack (Fourth Lead)

Turkey,National,Defence/Security,Terrorism, Sun, 01 Jan 2017 IANS

Istanbul, Jan 1 (IANS) At least 39 persons were killed and 69 injured as a gunman opened fire at people celebrating new year at a nightclub in Istanbul early on Sunday, authorities said.

The assailant, who has not yet been identified, opened fire inside the high-end Reina nightclub at the busy Besiktas area, Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu reported.

The gunman, dressed as Father Christmas and speaking Arabic, changed his ammunition clip several times during the gory shooting spree, Xinhua news agency reported. The killer escaped.

According to Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin, the man shot dead a police official guarding the club's gate and then attacked as many as 400 people gathered inside to celebrate the new year.

"It was a cruel, cold-blooded act," CNN quoted the Governor as saying.

"We are face to face with a terror attack," Interior minister Suleyman Soylu told the media.

Twenty-one of the dead had been identified, Soylu said. Of these, 16 were foreign nationals and five Turkish.

The US called it a terror attack, making it the first of 2017.

Soylu said: "The efforts to locate the terrorist are ongoing. Security forces have begun the necessary operations. God willing, (the attacker) will be apprehended soon."

No group has claimed responsibility for the massacre.

Witnesses at the club heard a loud noise and then a security official told everyone to get out.

According to one witness who survived by hiding himself, he did not know how many attackers were there but he saw at least one gunman.

"I got shot in the leg, man," he said while being taken into an ambulance. "These crazy people came in shooting everything."

Turkish media said some people jumped into the sea to escape as the night club is close to the Bosporus Strait, prompting a rescue operation by the Coast Guard.

Besiktas is known for its expensive, upper-middle class neighbourhoods. The area had been under heavy police security for new year celebrations.

Reina is one of the first clubs to open in the neighbourhood and remains a touchstone for Istanbul's exclusive nightlife.

Turkey has endured a recent wave of terrorist attacks, leaving many people wary.

"This attack is, of course, a horrible development, but not shocking to many Turks who chose to stay inside this new year eve," said Aykan Erdemir, a former member of the Turkish Parliament.

He said the latest attack seemed similar to what happened at the Bataclan, a Paris concert hall that was attacked by gunmen in 2015.

"This is an attack on Western lifestyle. This is an attack on Turkey's secular, urban way of living. And this will simply fuel the ongoing cultural clashes, the ongoing polarisation in Turkey," Erdemir said.

The US State Department said the attacks on an NATO ally "only reinforce our strong determination to work with the government of Turkey to counter the scourge of terrorism".

The US embassy in Turkey warned citizens to avoid the area where the attack occurred.

Turkey faces numerous battles across different fronts. Not only has the Syrian conflict and refugee crisis spilled over into Turkey, but Ankara is also battling the Islamic State and Kurdish militants.

--IANS

py/mr
Afghanistan leadership invites Pakistan Army chief on visit

Pakistan,Indo-Pak/Pakistan,Politics,Diplomacy, Sun, 01 Jan 2017 IANS

Islamabad, Jan 1 (IANS) Afghanistan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah invited new Pakistani Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa to visit the country, the media wing of the Pakistani military said.

The invitation was extended by the Afghan leadership during a telephone conversation with General Bajwa, according to a statement by Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Major General Asif Ghafoor, Dunya News reported on Saturday.

Gen. Ghafoor added that the call was made by General Bajwa on the eve of the New Year.

"#COAS called Afghan President, Chief Executive Officer & Army Chief on telephone. Conveyed best wishes for 2017 & pledged to work together for peace in the region," Gen. Ghafoor said in a Twitter post.

The latest conversation between the new Pakistani Army chief and the Afghan leaders came as relations between the two countries have been witnessing an all-time low during the recent months.

The Afghan officials have not commented on the report so far.

Afghanistan has long been criticising Pakistan for its reluctance to act against the terrorist groups using its soil to plan and coordinate attacks in the region, including the Taliban and Haqqani terrorist network. The Afghan officials believe these groups have leadership councils based in the main cities of Pakistan.

--IANS

soni/vt
20 killed in Indonesia ferry fire

Indonesia,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Sun, 01 Jan 2017 IANS

Jakarta, Jan 1 (IANS) At least 20 persons were killed and 17 others injured after a passenger ship caught fire in waters off Jakarta on Sunday, officials said.

With nearly 200 persons on board, the Zahro Express ferry heading to Tidung island caught fire in Jakarta Gulf after leaving Muara Angke sea port, spokesman of National Disaster Management Agency told Xinhua news agency.

"A total of about 20 bodies, containing bodies which have been burned, have been removed from the ferry to a police hospital in Kramat Jati (of Jakarta)," acting head of Search and Rescue Office in Jakarta Hendra Sudirman said.

The flames had engulfed all parts of the ferry made from fiber, but it remained floating, he added.

Most of the passengers of the ferry were tourists on way to the Tidung island for recreation, according to him.

The ferry has been pulled back to Jakarta and now is near Muara Angke sea port.

--IANS

sm/vt
Iran welcomes peace talks on Syria

Turkey,Politics,Diplomacy, Mon, 02 Jan 2017 IANS

Tehran, Jan 2 (IANS) Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday welcomed the imminent peace talks on Syria in Kazakhstan.

Rouhani expressed the hope that the upcoming international peace talks on the future of Syria in Astana of Kazakhstan would be a major step towards the resolution of conflicts in the Arab states, Xinhua news agency reported.

Resistance against terrorism and belief in diplomacy are two major criteria in tackling the problems in the region in general and Syria in particular, the Iranian President said in a televised speech on Sunday.

He urged the international community to respect the sovereignty of Syria and its recognised borders, saying that Iran is, in principle, against any change of borders in the Middle East region.

--IANS

lok/
Sportsgambler.com - The Ultimate Sports Betting Guide

Sportsgambler.com is a leading sports betting information website brought to you by a team of industry professionals. Our mission statement has always been simple. To provide you with all the information you need to place informed bets across a wide range of sports and hopefully make a good return on your investment.

The website specialises in free betting tips, predictions, match previews, odds, stats, team news, lineups, injuries, bonus and free bet information. Weve been shortlisted twice for an EGR Operator Award and more recognition is sure to come considering that we provide readers with a first-class service.

Sportsgambler.com has the most popular sports and leagues covered irrespective of where you are based. This includes Premier League and Champions League football, Indian Premier League cricket, while we showcase ATP and WTA tennis all year round. We also focus on American sports including NFL, NBA basketball, NHL ice hockey and MLB Baseball.

Responsible Gambling is Very Important

It nearly goes without saying that Sportsgambler.com is committed to responsible gambling. Several of our team have worked for various bookmakers and understand that sportsbook customers should only bet with money that they can afford to lose. Readers should also know that when the fun stops, they should stop betting.

Every online bookie is now obliged to give bettors the chance to set deposit limits when they open an account. Existing customers can also log into their account and set these limits at any stage, with daily, weekly or monthly limits available and we recommend everyone doing so.

We believe that online gambling should be a fun and entertaining experience. No bettor is going to win with every bet they place, although by following the advice on this website and using the various information and tools at your disposal, you will give yourself a stronger chance of doing well with your online bets.

As youll see from the bottom of our website, we are Gamble Aware and encourage anyone experiencing gambling problems to seek immediate help and ensure that they become self-excluded with any betting site where they hold an account.
"I'm gonna be less self centered this year and make this whole New Years show about me and my feelings."

Reply

Thread

Link

LMAO truly me

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

he's truly an inspiration.

::crying::

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I mean, this

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

amazing

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I did not get drunk at all, was in bed by 11.

Reply

Thread

Link

Not as drunk as don

Reply

Thread

Link

I just smoked a bunch of pot and watched Charlotte's Web because it was on and didn't realize Debbie Reynolds was Charlotte til after I was crying

Reply

Thread

Link

awwww

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

i had a couple of beers and chinese food and have spent the morning barfing / huddled under 5 duvets. yay 2017

Reply

Thread

Link

Omg 5 duvets I would be drenched in sweat. I sleep with rags because I get so hot at night.



Feel better bb <3

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

My son sleeps with like 6 blankets every night. Winter or Summer. Thankfully we have central air in the summer so he's not too warm but it's always crazy to me that he sleeps with so many. I've tried telling him he doesn't need so many but he likes having all of them.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

omg, me too. any chance you have blood sugar issues? apparently that's super common among those that do.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

aw erika <3

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

this is why tequila >>>>>

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

Chinese food sounds delicious right now.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

i love it!

Reply

Thread

Link

We had shitty champagne because I didn't know what to buy at the liquor since I've never bought champagne before. I'm not even sure if it had alcohol in it tbh.

Reply

Thread

Link

Try veuve clicquot

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

didn't it say the % alcohol on the bottle? there are a lot of champange-style sparkling wines that aren't actually from the region of Champagne so they're can't use the name and so are a tonne cheaper (like $20 compared to $70) and are just as good imo like this one

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

well... someone had fun lmao



i didn't drink last night and danced a ton instead

Reply

Thread

Link

this made me like him a little bit lol





Reply

Thread

Link

The 2016 election actually made me like him, he so clearly hates Trump and his supporters and has no time for their bullshit.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Yeah he seems very endearing

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

mte. he's so hot too, how is he 50!?

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

black don't crack

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

WHAT. Holy shit I thought he was mid-30s at most. Also I originally thought his drunkenness was endearing and funny but now it's kind of sad.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

lmaoooo poor Brooke Baldwin, she's trying to stop him and he will not BE STOPPED.



I love Kathy chanting nipple and Anderson going "No. No, Don, no."



I'm such a light-weight I had one shot of vodka early in the night and I got sick. Not drunk, just my stomach was queasy. I think I might be allergic to alcohol? I don't even care, I barely drink anyway, the last time I had a drink was like a year and a half ago at my friend's wedding.

Reply

Thread

Link

Sorry dear. I don't drink because it makes me sick too and puts me in the worst mood. Your probably better off without it!

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

"I love Kathy chanting nipple and Anderson going "No. No, Don, no." "



And Don slurring 'Thank you Anderson that was good advice' lol.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

lol amazing

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

i am the same way with alcohol. it is literally poison, we are better off.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I have the same thing. One drink makes me nauseous, 3 drinks makes me puke. Every time. I kept trying for probably too long before I finally gave up drinking altogether.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

you are lucky, tbh. alcohol is evil.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Maybe it's the type of alcohol too? Vodka is one thing my body doesn't handle well. Tequila, gin, rum, etc are typically a different story.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Yeah. The only thing I can take is wine, pref white, cause everything else makes me nauseous and paranoid. Can't seem to get the rest of my alkie friends to understand this though. They think I'm trying to hamper their "good time". lol dumbasses

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

whenever my stomach reacts badly to even 1 or 2 drinks it usually means I'm dehydrated or haven't eaten?

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

2017 is already giving me laughs! I hope this is just the year of folks making fools of themselves.

Reply

Thread

Link

the Hollywood sign was turned into Hollyweed over night so I hope this means 2017 is gonna be full of good laughs

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

omg it was?! lol love it

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

my friend was belligerently drunk last night. it was not fun babysitting. ugh

Reply

Thread

Link

ugh i hate when your night gets ruined by one of Those friends

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

That's the worst.



At this ~phase in my life when I "party" with friends usually people get like, pleasantly drunk but no one's getting trashed or anything. But once in a while there's that One Person and I just sort of pity them.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

i haven't experienced that shit since first year of university thank god

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

The last time I drank in a party environment with friends was two Halloweens ago. We're all on the other side of 35. I used to be a big sloppy drunk binge drinker, but that quit when I uprooted and changed regions. When I went back and attended this party, several of the husbands got falling down drunk and I was just like, "Aren't we a bit old to be this drunk? This is not normal." It was eye-opening after not being in a drinking culture for a few years.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

I'm a "responsible" drinker by choice so I always end up doing this, it's the worst.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I finally dropped that friend (for other reasons, but glad I no longer have to do that).

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Ugh, that's annoying to deal with. I'm not a fan of having to babysit drunk friends.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

oh my god this is my life every night lol. I need new friends, I'm too old to babysit grown ass people who can't control themselves.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Ugh, I was totally that friend on NYE. But I'm a very very experienced drinker so my one friend took care of me was like, "Yeah I only did it cause I know if you need help cause you drank too much, then you REAALLYYY need help." lol

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

hahahhahahahaha



awesome

Reply

Thread

Link

Last night I ended up not drinking much (though I shouldn't have) because I got food poisoning from a convenience store hamburger. In the end though even though I ended up needing to get off the train halfway to the city and nearly puked all over myself multiple times I still pulled through and had a decent night.

Reply

Thread

Link




spark it up!

Reply

Thread

Link

it has been fixed :( hope this turns into a weed post tho

Reply

Thread

Link

i'm glad Canada's finally legalizing it this year (if trudeau delivers)



i hope it's not just sold at pharmacies or something tho

Reply

Thread

Link

I really doubt we're even close to legalization, sadly.



Edited at 2017-01-01 08:49 pm (UTC)

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I thought it had been legal there for years oop

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Only medical Marijuana is legal here

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

lol people act like it's legal.



I hated when Trudeau was elected because people started smoking it in the open and the smell is so fucking foul.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

tbh i have low expectations

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I think it will take several long years.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Jay Baruchel's going to lose his mind.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

bella thorne doing the most as per usual

Reply

Thread

Link

LOL

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Lmfaooooo

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

lmao

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

LMAO

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Oh so it really happened, I assumed it was a manipulation.

Reply

Thread

Link

this is gonna be a good year

Reply

Thread

Link

The same thing happened on January 1, 1976

So Hollyweed starts the year with yet another remake.



Edited at 2017-01-01 08:46 pm (UTC)

Reply

Thread

Link

LMAO

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

lmaoo

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

lmao

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Awesome observation is awesome. <3

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

lmao

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Lol

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

honestly getting my dispensary card this year really helped me out with my anxiety and seasonal depression, I lahhhhv eet.



lmao also I had no idea about all these different strands and the difference between indica and sativa and that was my big take away from 2016.





Reply

Thread

Link

I'm going on 2 years with my med card (for seizures) and yeah it was like a ~whole new world~ when I went into a dispensary for the first time lol

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

can I ask what strains you've found most helpful for seizures? I'm about to get my card bc I m so tired trying med after med to have no effect. but it's def overwhelming lol.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

what is this bojack horseman

Reply

Thread

Link

hollywoo stars, what do they know, do they know things?

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

also it wasn't vandalized.



they just put a black sheet and a white sheet in the O to make the e. you can see it in the other photos

Reply

Thread

Link

yes

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I came into this post just to make sure this was somewhere on page 1 of the comments, so TY.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

LMAO

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

i was going to make this exact same comment

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link
U.S. refiners continue to expand their footprint, exporting record volumes of product abroad. The U.S. refining complex exported nearly 4 million barrels per day of gasoline, distillates and propane, helped by operational issues in refineries in Latin America.

The high exports are due to the poor refinery operations that were seeing in Mexico and Venezuela, creating a demand for record amount of exports off the Gulf Coast, Andy Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates LLC, told Bloomberg in an interview.

Gasoline exports have doubled since the summer, exceeding 1 million barrels per day in recent weeks. There are a few reasons for this development. Over the past few years, refiners have taken advantage of record U.S. crude oil production to churn out ever more refined petroleum products. Also, the discount that WTI has traded at relative to Brent has made U.S. products more competitive abroad. Refiners purchase cheaper WTI, refine it into gasoline and distillates, and export the products abroad at prices that are more closely linked to higher Brent prices.

But that does not explain the more recent spike in exports. Demand abroad is rising quickly and some refineries have had issues with operations. The decrepit state of Venezuelas oil industry has led to declines in production. Mexico has struggled to increased refined output, even as demand rises. Related: Outlook For Coal Unlikely To Improve

The situation has led the market contango for gasoline futures to flip into a state of backwardation. Contango, in which front-month contracts sell at a discount to futures further out, is an indication of near-term oversupply. Backwardation, the reverse of a contango, is a symptom of market tightness. The front-month premium is inducing more production from U.S. Gulf Coast refiners. Thus, the higher level of exports.

It is not clear that the situation will last. China is increasing its exports to Latin America, a level of competition that could make it difficult for U.S. refiners. As they process more crude and they saturate the Asian markets, I expect that some of their products will make their way over to Central and South America, Lipow told Bloomberg. Also, Mexico just moved to liberalize gasoline prices, which will necessarily lead to price increases. Higher prices at the pump will likely put a dent in demand.

Still, for a year that has not been great for the downstream sector  refining margins have narrowed sharply compared to 2015 levels  U.S. refiners will be glad for the end of the year surge in exports.

(Click to enlarge)

By Charles Kennedy of Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:


Photo caption: one of more than 750 crosses carried in a Chicago rally commemorating homicide victims on New Year's Eve

(Image by Ed Juillard) Details DMCA



This New Year's Eve, 750 heavy wooden crosses were distributed to a gathering of Chicagoans commemorating the victims of gun violence killed in 2016. Rev. Michael Pfleger and the Faith Community of St. Sabina Parish had issued a call to carry crosses constructed by Greg Zanis. The crosses, uniform in size, presented the name and age and, in many cases, a facial photo of the person killed. Some who carried the crosses were relatives of the people killed. As the group assembled, several sobbed upon finding the crosses that bore the names and photos of their loved ones.

Those carrying the heavy crosses along Chicago's "Magnificent Mile" of high end shops and restaurants knew that other arms than theirs were aching"aching with longing for loved ones who would never return. In 2016, more people were killed in Chicago by gun violence than in New York City and Los Angeles combined. The number killed represented a 58% increase over the number killed in 2015. "How could this happen?" -- was the question asked on the front page of the Chicago Tribune.

It was a year of social service program shutdowns driven by the Governor's office in Springfield. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King's description of a triplet of giant evils, each insoluble in isolation from the others, helps us identify an answer to the Tribune's question. King spoke of the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism and militarism. Training for, and the diversion of money to, wars overseas was a crisis inextricable from the race crisis at home, as were policies promoting radical wealth inequality. Representative Danny Davis, of Chicago, whose grandson was killed by gun violence in 2016, insists that "poverty was fueling the city's bloodshed, and that Chicago needed to make investments 'to revamp whole communities.'"

Poverty and racism clearly interact: Blacks and Latinos comprise 56% of the incarcerated population, yet only 30% of the U.S. population. A report documenting the rates of incarceration for whites, African Americans, and Hispanics in the Illinois state prison system notes that over half of this prison population is black. For every 100,000 people in the state, 1,533 black people are imprisoned as compared to 174 white people and 282 Hispanic people. The consequences of incarceration affect entire communities: former prisoners are restricted in terms of employment, their families are disrupted, housing becomes unstable, they become disenfranchised, and stigmas persist.

We must also consider gun violence in relation to U.S. militarism. Gun violence in Chicago is condemned, as it should be, and yet a message to every one of the 9,000 Chicago Public School children participating in U.S. military junior ROTC programs is that killing is acceptable if you are following orders. Killing of civilians by the U.S. military is considered regrettable but acceptable "collateral damage". These killings eliminate "high value targets". The mere suspicion of harboring a targeted person in a home, restaurant, or mosque becomes an excuse for an airborne drone attack to execute whole families or communities. Ironically, this policy enacts an airborne version of a drive-by shooting.

Soldiers who have seen combat are less likely to praise the virtues of military life. "The myth is that the military teaches discipline," say the Chicago area Veterans for Peace, in their 'education not militarization' campaign. "The reality is that the military teaches children to follow orders without question and to use the military solution to conflict resolution -- that is, death and destruction."

President Obama had tears in his eyes in January, 2016, calling for relief from record breaking shootings and killings in the U.S. Yet 2016 became a record breaking year for U.S. export of weapons to other countries. The U.S. is responsible for nearly 33% of worldwide weapon exports--by far the top arms exporter on the planet.

"Arms deals are a way of life in Washington," writes William Hartung. "From the president on down, significant parts of the government are intent on ensuring that American arms will flood the global market and companies like Lockheed and Boeing will live the good life. "American officials regularly act as salespeople for the arms firms. And the Pentagon is their enabler" In its first six years, team Obama entered into agreements to sell more weaponry than any administration since World War II."

Carrying a cross along Michigan Avenue yesterday, I thought of the terrible slaughter in World War I that killed 38 million people. Elites, weapon makers, and war profiteers drove millions of men into the trenches to fight and die in the war that was to end all wars. In 1914, mired in mud, war-weary and miserable, troops on both sides took matters into their own hands. For a brief, yet magnificent time, they enabled the "Christmas truce". One account relates how some German troops began singing one of their carols, and British and other troops then sang a carol from their side. As voices wafted across the no-man's land, troops began calling out to one another.

"Time and again during the course of that day, the Eve of Christmas, there were wafted towards us from the trenches opposite the sounds of singing and merry-making, and occasionally the guttural tones of a German were to be heard shouting out lustily, 'A happy Christmas to you Englishmen!' Only too glad to show that the sentiments were reciprocated, back would go the response from a thick-set Clydesider, 'Same to you, Fritz, but dinna o'er eat yourself wi' they sausages!'"

"The high command on both sides took a dim view of the activities and orders were issued to stop the fraternizing with varying results. In some areas, the truce ended Christmas Day in others the following day and in others it extended into January."

Dr. King said, "Our only hope today lies in our ability to recapture the revolutionary spirit, and go out into a sometimes hostile world declaring eternal hostility to poverty, racism, and militarism." The soldiers in those trenches went out into their no-man's land and showed the world one way to end wars. They should never have had to. It was left to them to venture into the no-man's land, risking exposure to the others' fire and their generals' punishment for disobeying orders.



No matter what gang is issuing the orders to kill, whether a massive military power or a smaller group that has acquired weapons, we can all claim our right not to develop, store, sell or use weapons. We can claim our right not to kill and not to live with the memory of having killed. "Declaring eternal hostility" to the fear, greed and hate which are our real enemies seems to be our true hope. We can lay aside forever the futility of killing. We can be hopeful and determined that our resources and ingenuity are directed toward meeting human needs.


Crowd

(Image by Sundve) Details DMCA



I'm not only referring to Trump's tards (as Democrats would have instantly presumed) but to an equally malignant demographic: the smug, arrogant, pseudo-intellectual. These people think they know what they do not know and are thus rendered incapable of thought, incapacitated, intellectually stunted. Those types make great Nazis, in fact, and are arguably half of the voting population.

They are the Peace Laureate's defenders and cheerleaders, Hillary's people, corporate comedians like Samantha Bee, Zionists like Bill Maher, listeners of NPR, and readers of Alternet. These lobotomized partisans only oppose war when it is convenient, when a Republican is in office. Not when the warmonger is a Democrat, and that is disgusting hypocrisy. They have pushed the nation toward moral bankruptcy, a rampaging duopoly of blustering hypocrites talking around the crimes. They don't notice nor even care about the bombs Barack Obama drops, nor the shiploads of arms he sells to the world's most despicable tyrants.

How to understand such people?

They aren't lacking in a worldview, and that's the problem. Ideology supplants honest analysis, full stop. In this case, their only apparent ideology was revealed to be that they believe themselves to be a "lesser evil" than their opponents; that's all. Clinton offered nothing except that her last name wasn't Trump.

Constantly reinforced with finely streamlined propaganda that omits damning facts while pretending to investigate, this modern propaganda provides the illusion of knowledge, not the real thing. The model here is the 'limited hangout.' The pseudo-intellectual Democrats are permitted to know something about the topics, just enough to be brought to heel. They are manipulated at a slightly higher level than their sworn enemies, the willfully ignorant dumbasses who don't care. A better brand of puppet is thus manufactured via top-shelf propaganda (CIA, NPR, State Department, NY Times, Washington Post, etc.). Few readers are sophisticated enough to challenge the claims of these organs, and so even nonsense can pass as factual and accurate most of the time--often all that is needed is one unnamed source.

The Putin Ate My Baby

As the alleged "Russian hacking" fiasco has shown, no credible evidence is even required to sell a new Cold War to Americans.

It's easy to show that most of the coverage of the 'Russians hacked the DNC' story is propaganda and not journalism at all. Journalistic ethics require a real journalist to print the other side of the story and to present it to readers so that they can determine for themselves what to believe. Julian Assange and Wikileaks are the other side of that story, and they have been clear and consistent that the files they published weren't "hacked" at all but leaked by a "disgusted" DNC insider. Any "news" story that omits that crucial part of the narrative is untrustworthy propaganda, the sort you'd expect living in the Soviet Union (ironically).

"Journalists should... -- Diligently seek subjects of news coverage to allow them to respond to criticism or allegations of wrongdoing. ...

-- Support the open and civil exchange of views, even views they find repugnant."

-Society of Professional Journalists, Code of Ethics

The complete collapse of journalistic ethics across the spectrum, in the rush to demonize Russia in lockstep with the government, is arguably a far more serious concern than whether some Russian hacker found his way to some emails. The complete brainwashing of a superpower is frightening no matter how it is spun. Anti-Russian hysteria has been the norm as Washington surrounds Russia with NATO bases and destabilizes Russia's allies, including Ukraine and Syria. These are provocations with body counts. They are not in the interest of the people parroting the official propaganda. The Great Game of imperial one-upsmanship benefits the war industry, not the common people.

It may end life on earth.

Granted, most of the content that western media provides is accurate but incomplete by design. Omission is the staple technique for those who would present biased narratives. At the large daily papers, omission is a high art form.

As the old propaganda system melts down, to much commotion, everyone needs to stay on top of the story. Western media has been exposed as corrupt, untrustworthy, and in a hostile war to influence the public mind.

No one really knows whom to trust anymore. It is a paranoid age, where even your friends lie to you daily by posting nonsensical memes based on no sourcing whatsoever. Laziness is at the heart of the dissemination: convenience culture (a la Idiocracy). No one bothers to check the veracity of their claims, to take responsibility for the information they put out into the world, although this may be turning around among a few.

We must all be journalists and demand corroboration: multiple credible sources. We must all be skeptical of news organizations, all news sources, trusting nothing without a thorough analysis. The specific phrasing matters. We must stop tolerating obvious gibberish, the fake news flooding Facebook that has no redeeming value. Noise drowns out the truth.

Real journalists back up their claims with extensive sourcing. Do you?


(Image by Gage Skidmore) Details DMCA



Amid rumors of impending Obama retaliation against Russia, the ball is now in Trump's court. Whether Trump realizes it or not he has the power to interrupt a real international disaster that is unfolding: the irrational Obama attack on Russia.



Here are 7 prime factors in this impending catastrophe:



Item 1: President Barack Obama has promised retaliation against Russia over alleged interference in America's presidential election. He has not talked about a physical attack, but has hinted of a cyber and economic assault. This has been a major global news story.



Item: 2 Obama presented no concrete evidence of the claimed Russian interference. Putin denies having played such a role. There is a deficit of facts that mainstream-news coverage generally skips over. See my article "Congressional Cybersecurity Leader Demolishes Obama's Hacking Case Against Russia."





Item 5: If Obama attacks, what do you think the chances are that Putin will retaliate against what he perceives as unprovoked aggression? High, in my opinion.





Next Page 1 | 2

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
PTI will not develop electoral ties with any political party involved in corrupt practices: Imran Khan

KARACHI: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has predicted that his party will come out strong in the next general elections while reiterating that it will not develop electoral ties with any political party involved in corrupt practices.



The PTI is the only party which can hold massive rallies in any city of the country. Well go in the next elections with full preparedness and strength, he said at a press conference at the Insaf House, the partys provincial headquarters, here on Saturday.



Mr Khan said that Karachi was a city of literate and politically aware people where his party had secured 800,000 votes in the 2013 general election. However, he admitted that the PTI could not materialise the astonishing support from the citys areas, which had historically been strongholds of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).



We were not organised then, but now we will take part with full strength in next elections in Karachi, he said.



Mafias rule the city putting it under the mountains of garbage amid continued shortages of water, he said. Sindh police are plagued by political interference, which is why a good inspector general has been thrown out of office.



Everyone here praises A.D. Khowaja. People of Karachi should have stood by him and protested against his removal, he said about the IG sent on forced leave recently.



The provincial government had ruined the police department in Sindh, he alleged and claimed that not a single station house officer in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been appointed on the basis of political considerations.



He said that Rangers did not offer an effective solution to the incessant law and order problem in Sindh. It is as if you treated cancer with Aspirin.



The PTI chief said that he was getting his party ready to launch a protest campaign to solve the problems of Karachi. People will have to come forward to support police for a lasting peace in Karachi.



Mr Khan said that neither of the two major political parties  the Pakistan Peoples Party and the MQM  had taken steps to end water shortages in Karachi.



Mumbai was one of the worst places (to live) in the 1970s, but now it had been turned into a modern city because of a committed political leadership, he said. Similarly, people take to the streets to protest against corruption in Seoul. People and committed political leadership both have the responsibility to divert Karachis fate onto a better path.



Mr Khan said he could not give due attention to Sindh because of his partys campaign against corruption and over the Panama Papers leaks and promised to frequently visit the city once the Panamagate case had come to an end. He expressed the hope that the issue would be resolved soon.



The PTI leader said his party was busy in intra-party elections in 2013, which affected its performance in the general election. However, he warned the opponents that they should not take his party for granted in the next elections.



We are in the process of shortlisting our future candidates and it will require my permission to become the partys candidate, he said, adding that his party would continue to be on streets before the next elections to ensure that the results were not engineered as they had been last time.



He welcomed the formation of a Supreme Court bench to hear the Panamagate case and requested the court to hear it on a daily basis. Well accept the benchs decision. He demanded that the Baldia factory fire case be tried in a military court, which would give confidence to witnesses as well.



Society would have been traumatised had such an incident occurred elsewhere, he said. We should not spare those who were behind the murder of so many innocent factory workers.
The mathematical (and other) thoughts of a (now retired) math teacher,
Lawyers have been reminded of their critical role in the defence of the countrys democracy; rule of law and in attaining the promise of liberty for all regardless of wealth and social status.



A statement from the National President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), Benson Nutsukpui Justin Amenuvor, urged lawyers not to lose sight of the hardships occasioned by the several conflicts and wars in the African continent.

As we take stock of the events in our nation and our continent Africa, we cannot but remind ourselves of the leadership role that lawyers are expected to play in the defence of Democracy, the Rule of Law, and in attaining the promise of liberty for all persons regardless of wealth and social status. We should also not lose sight of the hardships occasioned by the several conflicts and wars on our continent.

The GBA deplores the indiscriminate and rampant pollution of our water bodies and our environment in general by Galamsay operators and reiterates the need for institutions mandated to protect our water bodies to fulfill their mandate in order to curb the danger of a severe water crisis in the near future. The GBA also notes with serious concern the pathetic response of state institutions to deal with illegal foreigners and their Ghanaian accomplices in the small scale (Galamsay) mining activities and urges the relevant institutions to take the needed steps to protect the environment

Read Full Text of Message below:

The GBA notes that while 2016 has been a challenging year in many respects, it ended on a positive note with Ghanaians, once again, demonstrating to Africa and the world, their democratic credentials, love for peace and their resolve to be governed by the rule of law.

As we take stock of the events in our nation and our continent Africa, we cannot but remind ourselves of the leadership role that lawyers are expected to play in the defence of Democracy, the Rule of Law, and in attaining the promise of liberty for all persons regardless of wealth and social status. We should also not lose sight of the hardships occasioned by the several conflicts and wars on our continent.

The GBA deplores the indiscriminate and rampant pollution of our water bodies and our environment in general by Galamsay operators and reiterates the need for institutions mandated to protect our water bodies to fulfill their mandate in order to curb the danger of a severe water crisis in the near future. The GBA also notes with serious concern the pathetic response of state institutions to deal with illegal foreigners and their Ghanaian accomplices in the small scale (Galamsay) mining activities and urges the relevant institutions to take the needed steps to protect the environment.

The GBA calls upon the incoming administration to take a very serious look at the environmental pollution issues facing the nation.

The Ghana Bar Association has noted with concern the strike action of the Association of State Attorneys which has had a crippling effect on the administration of justice in the country, particularly the rights of remand prisoners and other accused persons currently on trial.

As a new government is taking office, the GBA will plead with the Association of State Attorneys to return to work to afford the incoming government the opportunity to acquaint itself with their grievances and concerns.

The GBA is mindful that the issues leading to the strike have been long outstanding and will appeal to the incoming government, which coincidentally is headed by a former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, will deal with these matters expeditiously to bring finality and closure to all matters affecting the terms and conditions of the employment of State Attorneys.

The Ghana Bar Association notes with serious concern the situation in The Gambia where President, Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh who initially conceded defeat and agreed to leave office at the end of his tenure has changed his mind, and has purported to unilaterally annul the election results and has refused to hand over power to the winner of the election, Adama Barrow, at the expiration of his constitutional term.

The GBA unequivocally condemns the actions of President Yahya Jammeh of The Gambia and in solidarity with The Gambia Bar Association, we urge our sub-region and the international community to take all necessary action to stop this brazen constitutional coup detat in The Gambia.

The GBA reminds member states of ECOWAS, of the  constitutional convergence principles embodied in Section 1 of the ECOWAS PROTOCOL A/SP1/12/01 on Democracy and Good Governance Supplementary to the Protocol relating to the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peacekeeping and Security, which affirmed that Every accession to power must be made through free, fair and transparent elections.

The Protocol also affirms the principle that The party and or candidate who loses the elections shall concede defeat to the political party and or candidate finally declared the winner, following the guidelines and within the deadline stipulated by the law

The GBA therefore urges ECOWAS to ensure that the principles enshrined in the Supplementary Protocol are enforced in The Gambia.

The GBA calls on all Judges and lawyers in The Gambia not to be part of any charade or judicial chicanery aimed at perpetuating the stay in power of a defeated candidate against the freely expressed wishes of the people of The Gambia.

The GBA urges countries on our continent to resolve and commit to working towards entrenching democracy, support for the Rule of Law and opening up the governance processes in African countries in the spirit of transparency and accountability.

The GBA finally urges all lawyers and judges to individually sign and commit to the principles of professional integrity and ethical conduct enshrined in the anti-corruption compact agreement, an initiative by the International Bar Association which is aimed at fighting corruption and protecting judicial integrity.

As we enter the New Year, the GBA is encouraged to note that we, as a people have remained committed to the democratic path. However, there is the need for us to continue to take inspiration from the ideals and aspirations in the 1992 Constitution as we seek to assure a better life for the citizens and residents of Ghana. It is the hope of the GBA that the ideals of the 1992 Constitution can inspire us all in our shared journey to build a better future for ourselves, our children and generations yet unborn.

Source: Ultimatefmonline









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video








Vistas de pagina en total

Precio del Brent To get the BRENT oil price, please enable Javascript.

Precio del WTI To get the oil price, please enable Javascript.

Precio del Oro To get the gold price, please enable Javascript.

Dolar USA Vs Euro

Archivo del blog





























PROHIBIDO OLVIDAR



OTAN = Asesinos



OTAN = NATO = Muerte



Mas temprano que tarde los derrotaremos



Hipocresia 3.0



El principe Carlos habla sobre el alto costo de la vida Es un chiste?



Las verdades son simples



Opinar es un peligro



Ejemplo de dignidad



El Nuevo Orden Mundial



Historica foto para el record Guinness







Se pegaron un tiro en el pie



Si palabras



Ya no enganan a nadie



No hacen falta palabras







Lo volvio a hacer



Capitalismo=embuste



Historico Bitcoin



La bateria mas grande de Holanda



El futuro es solar



Nec plus ultra, nec variatur



Fisica y culturalmente



Jamas nos callaran



Sin ellas, no seremos



Deja vu



Nada que celebrar



Hasta cuando?



Colombia Hoy



Para nunca olvidar



'Parasite' painted on a statue of Queen, Elizabeth in Kent, England



Sin palabras



La UE le apunta a la paz



Cada vez mas solo



LULA y su Pueblo



Bye Bye



Homenaje al genial Quino



Fueron ellos



Una imagen que resume



Tan bajo ha caido que se deja tocar el trasero?



Porky y el Nene (archiconocido narcotraficante)



Ladrones al poder



Asi mira el perrito a su amo



Crazy



Clamor popular



La nueva inquisicion



Bolivia



Chile Hoy



Eso es todo amigos!



Piensalo!



Pinerachet



No More Trump



Adios Macri, hasta nunca



La Marioneta se desinfla



Asi o mas cinico



Almugre



Mexico en 1794



Mas arrastrado imposible



Hasta cuando!



La pura verdad



Solidaridad con Palestina



Serie Capitalismo



Espejismos de la clase trabajadora



Asi es!



Comerciantes o delincuentes



No pasaran!



Asi es la vida



USA HOY



01/01/1959



La avaricia no tiene limites



AYUDA HUMANITARIA?



Chile Hoy



Asi son las cosas



Mapa Electoral de Venezuela



Patagonia argentina?



Un aniversario mas del mayor genocidio de la Humanidad



Retrato del franquismo en Espana



Visca Catalunya!



El Chulo de Madrid



Cuando la policia se roba la democracia



Una imagen dice mas que mil palabras



La purita verdad



Asi gobierna la maldita burguesia



Mi pobre clase media



Como Chavez nadie



Comparte La Colmena via twitter Twittear

Programa de la MUD



Asi o mas clarito



Por que Trump no ataco Corea del Norte?



Hace 15 anos Por que la OEA no se pronuncio?



Una verguenza nacional



La luz que nos guia



La Union Europea Premio Nobel de la Paz?



Feudalismo ayer y hoy



Obama, el mentiroso



Curiosa coincidencia



Un mundo de cerdos



No es extrano?



La Marioneta



Los ricos protestan, los pobres celebran



MARICORI Y OBAMA



Cuantas muertes este ano?



USA TODAY



USA HOY 6



USA HOY 5



USA HOY 4



USA HOY 3



USA HOY 2



USA HOY (1)



Insaciable



Cronologia de un agresor



Guarimbear en USA



Mexico hoy



Bolivar y Chavez



Primero Amargado



Dios los cria y ellos se juntan



USA hoy (III)



USA hoy (II)



USA hoy



Mexico hoy



Mexico hoy



Mexico hoy



Obama



La verdad sea dicha



Los ricos



Que no nos vea Obama



Pobre Obama



SOS PALESTINA



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



Archivo del blog Archivo del blog marzo (4) abril (9) mayo (8) junio (10) julio (11) agosto (10) septiembre (17) octubre (11) noviembre (15) diciembre (10) enero (9) febrero (10) marzo (8) abril (5) mayo (6) junio (8) julio (13) agosto (10) septiembre (7) octubre (12) noviembre (8) diciembre (15) enero (17) febrero (11) marzo (11) abril (12) junio (6) julio (11) agosto (15) septiembre (5) octubre (15) noviembre (14) diciembre (11) enero (13) febrero (9) marzo (10) abril (8) mayo (7) junio (12) julio (12) agosto (8) septiembre (8) octubre (4) diciembre (8) enero (35) febrero (20) marzo (29) abril (19) mayo (21) junio (27) julio (21) agosto (28) septiembre (40) octubre (47) noviembre (21) diciembre (34) enero (62) febrero (81) marzo (117) abril (141) mayo (114) junio (111) julio (126) agosto (98) septiembre (160) octubre (234) noviembre (493) diciembre (319) enero (219) febrero (267) marzo (230) abril (291) mayo (347) junio (223) julio (179) agosto (191) septiembre (239) octubre (350) noviembre (406) diciembre (353) enero (284) febrero (202) marzo (274) abril (250) mayo (232) junio (251) julio (188) agosto (249) septiembre (230) octubre (178) noviembre (141) diciembre (164) enero (187) febrero (147) marzo (211) abril (190) mayo (199) junio (164) julio (162) agosto (174) septiembre (182) octubre (225) noviembre (114) diciembre (132) enero (223) febrero (147) marzo (133) abril (108) mayo (387) junio (465) julio (785) agosto (748) septiembre (485) octubre (681) noviembre (754) diciembre (805) enero (708) febrero (896) marzo (735) abril (831) mayo (723) junio (555) julio (658) agosto (619) septiembre (457) octubre (455) noviembre (295) diciembre (269) enero (534) febrero (556) marzo (205) abril (119) mayo (194) junio (255) julio (294) agosto (182) septiembre (207) octubre (340) noviembre (351) diciembre (281) enero (114) febrero (128) marzo (216) abril (195) mayo (116) junio (141) julio (182) agosto (181) septiembre (50) octubre (72) noviembre (104) diciembre (88) enero (168) febrero (102) marzo (151) abril (207) mayo (43) junio (72) julio (35) agosto (146) septiembre (54) octubre (46) noviembre (48) diciembre (57) enero (133) febrero (218) marzo (196) abril (177) mayo (156) junio (158) julio (264) agosto (456) septiembre (524) octubre (473) noviembre (48)

Chavez Cuanto te queremos!



Por culpa de Chavez



Cerveza Polar







Algun dia Colombia volvera a la ideologia de Bolivar







Translate













LOS REVOLUCIONARIOS NO TOMAN CACA-COLA No se trata solamente de un capricho, sino de una sana actitud en todos los sentidos. Desde la solidaridad con el pueblo colombiano donde la empresa Caca-Cola ha cometido los mas grandes abusos contra sus trabajadores incluyendo el presunto secuestro y asesinato de los dirigentes del sindicato, hasta la proteccion de la salud de nuestros hijos, enviciados por ese jarabe de cola y azucar, que les produce obesidad prematura. Pensemos tambien los revolucionarios, que ese dinero que gastamos en los refrescos es utilizado por esas empresas para financiar el terrorismo en nuestro pais. Es cierto, no se trata solo de la Caca-Cola, sino tambien de la cerveza, de los cigarrillos y todos esos articulos innecesarios y mas que eso, daninos para nuestra salud. Podriamos incluso pensar en un dia de parada para cada uno de ellos. Es cuestion de irnos organizando. Pero para empezar, que tal si dejamos de comprar Caca-Cola y sus similares?



























Cuando lo extraordinario se vuelve cotidiano...



Discurso del Acto de Grado en Barinas en 12 de Febrero del 2005 Queridos Graduandos:



Mas que un discurso, quiero dirigirles algunas palabras que escribi anoche, despues de visitar en las clinicas, a los estudiantes heridos, a consecuencia de los enfrentamientos con la policia de hace apenas dos dias.



Me ha tocado por razones del destino, ser la persona que les otorgue el titulo que bien merecieron con sus estudios. Y me siento sumamente orgulloso de serlo. Me consta que la Universidad de Los Llanos Occidentales Ezequiel Zamora, a pesar de lo dicho por los enemigos de esta universidad, es una universidad de primera.



No tendremos la mejor planta fisica, en los salones hace calor. En el comedor hace calor. Pero no es en lo material que las cosas deben valorarse. El mayor capital es el ser humano. Y en eso, nuestra UNELLEZ, lo digo con conocimiento de causa, esta sobrada. Los llaneros venezolanos son nobles, valientes, de coraje.



En la UNELLEZ hacen vida, en este momento, aproximadamente 67000 personas. El 97% de ellas son estudiantes. Jovenes que, como Ustedes hasta el dia de hoy, buscan ese titulo, que constata los anos de dedicacion y de estudio.



Los jovenes son el rio de la vida, ustedes graduados deben ser los capitanes de esos barcos que naveguen por el rio de la vida.



Nuestra Patria atraviesa momentos muy dificiles porque decidio dejar de ser esa matrona de edad vetusta y complaciente, para ser joven, rebelde y altanera. Nuestra imagen ya no es la de una acaudalada ricachona mayamera. En nuestro rostro brilla ahora la sonrisa del Che Guevara, con su diente delantero torcido, su pelo largo y su boina con la estrella.



Entender esto, a mi me ha tomado practicamente toda la vida. Tengo 53 anos, y ya perdi mi oportunidad de derramar sangre joven a causa de un ideal.



Ustedes son jovenes, estan en la flor de la vida. No cometan por favor el error de renunciar a su instinto de rebelion. El Che Guevara fue Ministro de a Economia en Cuba. Los billetes y las monedas se adornaban con su rostro. Nada de eso le importo. Primero fue a Angola donde paso un penoso ano de combate. Despues se fue a Bolivia, donde encontro la muerte. El Che era el ultimo que comia, el que cargaba la mochila mas pesada. Siempre se sacrificaba por los demas en un estoicismo que mas parecia fervor religioso que ideologia marxista.



Si quieren un modelo de vida. Ahi lo tienen.



Dije hace unos momentos que el 97% de la poblacion de la UNELLEZ es estudiante. Se imaginan Ustedes la Universidad que podriamos tener si todos los estudiantes tuvieran la abnegacion, la combatividad del Che?



Los momentos que se avecinan van a requerir de una gran unidad del pueblo venezolano. La alternativa de continuar siendo libres o regresar a la pobreza se nos planteara en los proximos dias de forma enmascarada, o quizas peor, desenmascarada, vestida con uniforme de soldado del Imperio.



Por nuestra parte podemos esperar lo mejor. La macroeconomia no podria ir mejor, la justicia social ha mejorado notablemente. Las misiones ocupan un papel muy importante en el pago de dicha justicia social. Aqui en Barinas ya hemos cumplido con dos de las misiones, la mision Robinson y la mision Sucre. No hay analfabetismo y no hay exclusion en la educacion superior, en estas tierras de Zamora.



Pero ay malhaya! Son precisamente estos exitos los que nos hacen mas antipaticos al Imperio. Para ellos, somos inclusive un mal ejemplo que se esta contagiando al resto del continente y cuidado sino al resto del mundo.



Nunca venceremos al Imperio. Estara siempre ahi, acechando. Por lo menos hasta que el mismo no se autodestruya. Porque, sepanlo senores, el neoliberalismo es canibal. Cuando le ataque el hambre, se devorara a si mismo.



Ustedes, queridos graduandos, a partir de hoy pasan a conformar la elite profesional que debe sostener este pais en los proximos cuarenta o cincuenta anos. Anos decisivos para el logro de nuestra libertad y del rescate de nuestra Soberania.



No se dejen comprar. No se dejen corromper. No se dejen gritar. No se dejen pisar. Que nadie les diga que comer, o que vestirse, o que leer. Sean siempre autenticos, rebeldes, contestatarios. Pero eso si, profundamente patriotas, dignos de ser hijos de Bolivar.



Muchas gracias y que Dios los bendiga.





Alguna duda?



Medio siglo de Holocausto Palestino



Oscar Zanartu Nacio en Caracas en 1960. Ha realizado exposiciones individuales en las galerias Minotauro, Clave y San Francisco, y en salas de Coro, estado Falcon, y Puerto Ordaz, estado Bolivar. En Paris su obra ha sido exhibida en el Centro Cultural Tanagra, en la Exposicion Cite Internationale des Arts, en las galerias De Mars y Arver Space, al igual que en la Galeria Municipal Levallois, en Levallois Perret (Francia). En muestras colectivas, su obra se ha expuesto en Belgica, Francia, Estados Unidos y Venezuela; en Caracas intervino en la exposicion "Del genesis a la memoria", 1995, organizada por la Fundacion La Previsora. En 1982 obtuvo el Premio Nacional Critven y en 1990 la Mencion de Honor Jose Antonio Paez, en la Embajada de Venezuela en Paris. En 1991 se le concedio el primer premio de Pintura Itinerante, en Levallois Perret, Francia.



OZ1



OZ2



OZ3



OZ4



Homenaje a Jason Galarraga



La Victoria de Samotracia



Odalisca



Mas fotos de la nevada del pasado agosto 2008



























La Sierra Nevada de Merida



Nuestro precioso Churum Meru



Homenaje a Picasso



Autoretrato



Sabes lo que bebes en una Coca-Cola?

La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar.

Mi profesion?

Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos.

Sal en la Coca Cola?

A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar.

De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla:

Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gusto

Acido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido)

azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa)

Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantas

Mucha Cafeina

Conservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o Potasio

Dioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebe

Sal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracion

El uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja.

Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos.

Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja.

En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero).

Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma.

La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate.

Bebidas Light?

Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el

Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal.



Publicado por loretahur



En realidad, la formula secreta de la Coca-Cola se puede detallar en 18 segundos en cualquier espectrometro optico, y basicamente la conocen hasta los perros. Lo que ocurre es que no se puede fabricar igual, a no ser que uno disponga de unos cuantos millones de dolares para ganarle la demanda que te metera la Coca-Cola ante la justicia (ellos no perderian).La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar.Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos.A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar.De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla:Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gustoAcido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido)azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa)Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantasMucha CafeinaConservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o PotasioDioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebeSal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracionEl uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja.Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos.Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja.En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero).Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma.La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate.Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el aspartamo , despues de tres semanas mojado, pasa a tener gusto de trapo viejo sucio.Para evitar eso, se agregan una infinidad de otros productos quimicos, uno para alargar la vida del aspartamo, otro para neutralizar el color, otro para mantener el tercer quimico en suspension porque sino el fondo de la gaseosa quedaria oscuro, otro para evitar la cristalizacion del aspartamo, otro para realzar el sabor, dar mas intensidad al acido citrico o fosforito que perderia su sabor por el efecto de los cuatro productos quimicos iniciales... y asi sucesivamente.Un consejo final !!Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal.Publicado por loretahur

MARGARINA o MANTEQUILLA La margarina fue producida originalmente para engordar a los pavos; cuandolo que hizo en realidad fue matarlos.Las personas que habian puesto el dinero para la investigacion quisieronrecobrarlo asi que empezaron a pensar en una forma de hacerlo.Tenian una sustancia blanca, que no tenia ningun atractivo como comestible,asi que le anadieron el color amarillo, para venderselo a lagente en lugar de la mantequilla.Que tal esa?... Ahora han sacado algunos nuevos sabores para vender mas alos incautos como usted y yo.CONOCE USTED la diferencia entre la margarina y la mantequilla?Siga leyendo hasta el final... porque se pone bastante interesante!Comparacion entre mantequilla y margarina:

1.- Ambas tienen la misma cantidad de calorias.

2.- La mantequilla es ligeramente mas alta en grasas saturadas: 8 gramos,comparada con los 5 gramos que tiene la margarina.

3.- Comer margarina en vez de mantequilla puede aumentar en 53% el riesgo deenfermedades coronarias en las mujeres, de acuerdo con un estudiomedico reciente de la Universidad de Harvard.

4.- Comer mantequilla aumenta la absorcion de gran cantidad de nutrientesque se encuentran en otros alimentos.

5.- La mantequilla provee beneficios nutricionales propios mientras lamargarina tiene solo los que le hayan sido anadidos al fabricarla.

6.- La mantequilla sabe mucho mejor que la margarina y mejora el sabor deotros alimentos.7.- La mantequilla ha existido durante siglos mientras que la margarinatiene menos de 100 anos.

Ahora... sobre la margarina:

1.- Es muy alta en acidos grasos trans. (Si, esos que recien ahora loscientificos descubrieron que son malisimos y los gobiernoscomenzaron a prohibirlos) .

2.- Triple riesgo de enfermedades coronarias.

3.- Aumenta el colesterol total y el LDL (el colesterol malo) y disminuye elHDL (el colesterol bueno).

4.- Aumenta en cinco veces el riesgo de cancer.

5.- Disminuye la calidad de la leche materna.

6.- Disminuye la reaccion inmunologica del organismo.

7.- Disminuye la reaccion a la insulina.

Y he aqui el factor mas inquietante (AQUI ESTA LA PARTE MAS INTERESANTE! ):A la margarina le falta UNA MOLECULA para ser PLASTICO...!!Solo este hecho es suficiente para evitar el uso de la margarina de porvida, y de cualquier otra cosa que sea hidrogenada (esto significaque se le anade hidrogeno, lo cual cambia la estructura molecular de lassubstancias).Usted puede ensayar lo siguiente:Compre un poco de margarina y dejela en el garaje o en un sitio sombreado.Dentro de unos dias notara dos cosas:

* No habra moscas; ni siquiera esos molestos bichos se le acercaran (esto yale debe decir a usted algo).

* No se pudre ni huele mal o diferente porque no tiene valor nutritivo; nadacrece en ella. Ni siquiera los diminutos microorganismos puedencrecer en ella.Por que? Porque es casi plastico!!



No a la guerra, Si a la Paz



Misterios de la ciencia...



Los costos de la guerra



medicos y capitalismo...



Capitalismo...



medicos (2)



Quien educa a nuestros hijos?



Los Medios...



Sin Palabras...



Chistes feministas

- Cual es el problema, Eva?

- Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz...

- Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas.

- Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas...

- Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti.

- Que es un hombre?

- Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente.

- Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente.

- Cual es el truco?.

- Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion.

- Cual?

- Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer.





Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas?  Porque todos son unos cerdos

Un dia, en el Paraiso, Eva llamo a Dios: Tengo un problema.- Cual es el problema, Eva?- Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz... - Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas.- Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas...- Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti.- Que es un hombre?- Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente.- Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente.- Cual es el truco?.- Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion.- Cual?- Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer.Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas?  Porque todos son unos cerdos

Ellas...



Ellas (2)...



Tres venganzas femeninas VENGANZA NUMERO 1

Hoy mi hija cumple 21 anos y estoy muy contento porque es el ultimo pago de pension alimenticia que le doy, asi que llame a mi hijita para que viniera a mi casa y cuando llego le dije:

-Hijita, quiero que lleves este cheque a casa de tu mama y que le digas que: Este es el ultimo maldito cheque que va recibir de mi en todo lo que le queda de su puta vida!!! Quiero que me digas la expresion que pone en su rostro.

Asi que mi hija fue a entregar el cheque. Yo estaba ansioso por saber lo que la bruja tenia que decir y que cara pondria.

Cuando mi hijita entro, le pregunte inmediatamente: -Que fue lo que te dijo tu madre?

-Me dijo que justamente estaba esperando este dia para decirte que no eres mi papa!



VENGANZA NUMERO 2

Un hombre que siempre molestaba a su mujer, paso un dia por la casa de unos amigos para que lo acompanaran al aeropuerto a dejar a su esposa que viajaba a Paris.

A la salida de inmigracion, frente a todo el mundo, el le desea buen viaje y en tono burlon le grita:

- Amor, no te olvides de traerme una hermosa francesita Ja ja ja!!

Ella bajo la cabeza y se embarco muy molesta.

La mujer paso quince dias en Francia.

El marido otra vez pidio a sus amigos que lo acompanasen al aeropuerto a recibirla.

Al verla llegar, lo primero que le grita a toda voz es:

- Y amor me trajiste mi francesita??

- Hice todo lo posible, - contesta ella - ahora solo tenemos que rezar para que nazca nina.



VENGANZA NUMERO 3

El marido, en su lecho de muerte, llama a su mujer. Con voz ronca y ya debil, le dice: - Muy bien, llego mi hora, pero antes quiero hacerte una confesion.

- No, no, tranquilo, tu no debes hacer ningun esfuerzo.

- Pero, mujer, es preciso - insiste el marido - Es preciso morir en paz.

Te quiero confesar algo.

- Esta bien, esta bien. Habla!

- He tenido relaciones con tu hermana, tu mama y tu mejor amiga.

- Lo se, lo se Por eso te envenene, hijo de puta!!!



machismo y cibernetica



Chiste machista La NASA ha enviado al espacio una mision experimental tripulada por dos monos y una mujer.Apenas abandona la atmosfera, se establece comunicacion con Houston.

-Atencion, simio 1, verifique sistemas hidraulicos, controle adecuada presion de los propulsores de arranque. A 60.000 pies disminuya un 25% la velocidad.

El simio hace la sena de OK.

-Atencion, simio 2, nivele al cruzar la estratosfera y active sistemas anticongelantes. No olvide monitorear sistemas de comunicacion e indicadores de presion. Comprendido?.

El simio hace la sena de OK.

-Atencion, Houston llamando a mujer: no se olvide.

-Mujer: Si, si, ya se! -interrumpe enojada- que no me olvide darles de comer a estos monos de mierda y que no se me vaya a ocurrir tocar nada!.



.Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti.

Un abogado mantiene un romance con su secretaria.Al poco tiempo, esta queda embarazada y el abogado, que no quiere que su esposa se entere, le da a la secretaria una buena suma de dinero y le pide que se vaya a parir a Italia.Esta pregunta: Y como voy a hacerte saber cuando nazca el bebe ? El abogado responde: Para que mi mujer no se entere, tan solo enviame una postal y escribe por detras: Spaghetti. Y no te preocupes mas, que yo me encargare de todos los gastos.

Pasan los meses y una manana la esposa del abogado lo llama al bufete, algo exaltada: Querido, acabo de recibir el correo y hay una postal muy extrana viene desde Italia. La verdad, no entiendo que significa.El abogado, tratando de ocultar sus nervios, contesta:Espera a que llegue a casa, a ver si yo entiendoCuando el hombre llega a casa y lee la postal, cae al suelo fulminado por un infarto.Llega una ambulancia y se lo lleva. Ya en el hospital, el jefe de cardiologia se queda consolando a la esposa y le pregunta cual ha sido el evento que precipito tan masivo ataque cardiaco.

Entonces la esposa saca la postal y se la muestra diciendole: No me explico, doctor; el solamente leyo esta postal. Vea usted mismo lo que trae escrito.Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti."Tres con salchicha y albondigas y dos con almejas



Gol !!!!



Chistes de Borrachos Entra un borracho a su casa todo manchado con lapiz labial por todos lados hecho un desastre, y la mujer le pregunta:-Hombre que te paso?Y el borracho le responde:-No me vas a creer, me pelee con un payaso!



Este es un borracho que entra en un bar y le dice al camarero:-Me da cinco copas de whisky?Al rato:-Me da cuatro?Al rato:-Me da tres copas?Despues:-Me da dos copas?Luego le dice:-Me da una copa?Y le dice al camarero:-Ves? Cuanto menos bebo, mas borracho estoy!


Credit: Zoological Society of London

The world's fastest land animal, the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus), is sprinting towards the edge of extinction and could soon be lost forever unless urgent, landscape-wide conservation action is taken, according to a study published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Led by Zoological Society of London (ZSL), Panthera and Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), the study reveals that just 7,100 cheetahs remain globally, representing the best available estimate for the species to date. Furthermore, the cheetah has been driven out of 91% of its historic range. Asiatic cheetah populations have been hit hardest, with fewer than 50 individuals remaining in one isolated pocket of Iran.

Due to the species' dramatic decline, the study's authors are calling for the cheetah to be up-listed from 'Vulnerable' to 'Endangered' on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Typically, greater international conservation support, prioritization and attention are granted to wildlife classified as 'Endangered', in efforts to stave off impending extinction.

Dr. Sarah Durant, ZSL/WCS lead author and Project Leader for the Rangewide Conservation Program for Cheetah and African Wild Dog, said: "This study represents the most comprehensive analysis of cheetah status to date. Given the secretive nature of this elusive cat, it has been difficult to gather hard information on the species, leading to its plight being overlooked. Our findings show that the large space requirements for cheetah, coupled with the complex range of threats faced by the species in the wild, mean that it is likely to be much more vulnerable to extinction than was previously thought."

Durant continued, "We have worked with range state governments and the cheetah conservation community to put in place comprehensive frameworks for action to save the species, but funds and resources are needed to implement them. The recent decisions made at the CITES CoP17 meeting in Johannesburg represent a significant breakthrough particularly in terms of stemming the illegal flow of live cats trafficked out of the Horn of Africa region. However, concerted action is needed to reverse ongoing declines in the face of accelerating land use changes across the continent."

While renowned for its speed and spots, the degree of persecution cheetahs face both inside and outside of protected areas is largely unrecognized. Even within guarded parks and reserves, cheetahs rarely escape the pervasive threats of human-wildlife conflict, prey loss due to overhunting by people, habitat loss and the illegal trafficking of cheetah parts and trade as exotic pets.

To make matters worse, as one of the world's most wide-ranging carnivores, 77% of the cheetah's habitat falls outside of protected areas. Unrestricted by boundaries, the species' wide-ranging movements weaken law enforcement protection and greatly amplify its vulnerability to human pressures. Indeed, largely due to pressures on wildlife and their habitat outside of protected areas, Zimbabwe's cheetah population has plummeted from 1,200 to a maximum of 170 animals in just 16 years - representing an astonishing loss of 85% of the country's cheetahs.

Scientists are now calling for an urgent paradigm shift in cheetah conservation, towards landscape-level efforts that transcend national borders and are coordinated by existing regional conservation strategies for the species. A holistic conservation approach, which incentivises protection of cheetahs by local communities and trans-national governments, alongside sustainable human-wildlife coexistence is paramount to the survival of the species.

Panthera's Cheetah Program Director, Dr. Kim Young-Overton, shared, "We've just hit the reset button in our understanding of how close cheetahs are to extinction. The take-away from this pinnacle study is that securing protected areas alone is not enough. We must think bigger, conserving across the mosaic of protected and unprotected landscapes that these far-ranging cats inhabit, if we are to avert the otherwise certain loss of the cheetah forever."

The methodology used for this study will also be relevant to other species, such as African wild dogs, which also require large areas of land to prosper and are therefore similarly vulnerable to increasing threats outside designated protected areas.

More information: The global decline of cheetah Acinonyx jubatus and what it means for conservation, PNAS, www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1611122114 Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
GLENS FALLS  Sally Hayes is ready to hit the post-Christmas clearance sales.

But shes not looking for Hatchimals or hoverboards.

She buys leftover fluffy Christmas stockings, which she then cuts up.

She makes bags out of the top of the stocking to hold soap and a washcloth. She sews together two stocking heels to make a pillow heart.

She buys clearance T-shirts, cuts them into strips and braids them together to make jump ropes.

These items she stuffs into a shoebox and sends to children living in poverty and war-torn countries all over the world.

Hayes is a volunteer with Operation Christmas Child, which she helps run out of the Calvary Assembly of God on Sherman Avenue. Operation Christmas Child is a project of the international relief organization Samaritans Purse, which is an evangelical Christian humanitarian aid organization.

Operation Christmas Childs mission is to provide shoeboxes filled with small toys, hygiene items and school supplies as a means of reaching out to children while spreading Christian beliefs at the same time.

The program started in the United Kingdom in the 1990s, and since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has delivered gift-filled shoeboxes to more than 135 million children in more than 150 countries and territories, according to the charitys website.

They go to the poorest of the poor and the neediest of the needy, said Hayes, who noted that the boxes go to nations of varying religions, not just Christians.

Hayes first heard about the program in the mid-1990s while listening to the radio. She owned a Christian book store at the time and was moved to help. She did her first two shoeboxes that year and made her shop a collection point.

The shoeboxes are often the first and only gifts these children have ever received, she said.

The No. 1 gift by far was a washcloth, Hayes said.

Calvary Assembly of God is a drop off center for the boxes, which can be assembled any time of year. The church invites anyone dropping off a box to stay for fellowship or to help pack more boxes.

Right now her committee is contacting area churches and community groups that participated in the program to thank them and to encourage them to help again. Operation Christmas Child collected 3,411 boxes this year from the southern Adirondack region.

She also works closely with senior groups, scouts, homeschoolers and families willing to help stuff a shoebox.

Its a very nice family activity because you pack a shoebox  and you choose what you put in it, she said, so its personal.

Simply find a shoe box, decide what age and gender you are buying for, fill the box with gifts, pray for the child receiving it and bring it to a drop off location  like Calvary Assembly of God  during the week of Nov. 14-21. Families can include a personal note and photos as well.

Families can also purchase a label for $7 allowing them to track their shoeboxes and see which country received it. Information on and ideas for packing monthly boxes can be found at www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child.

Its a very exciting ministry to be part of, Hayes said.

Hayes said she is happy to speak to or assist anyone interested in the program. Shell help teach someone to knit something. Shell even bring the yarn and needles.

We can go any place and do anything, she said. You just open the door and well walk through it.
GLENS FALLS  The art story of The Hyde Collection on Warren Street has long been told through the fruitful works of the Old Masters like Botticelli, Rembrandt and Rubens.

And such historic pieces are often cherished for their mysterious and storied depth, inviting onlookers into intricate details given breath by burnt umber and raw sienna brush strokes dipped in boiled walnut oil and thickened with chalk or wood ash.

For years The Hyde was described as the hidden gem, lauded for our collections of the Old Masters like Rembrandt, Rubens, and (our) collections of 19th-century art and French paintings  Renoir, Degas, Picasso  and Americans like Winslow Homer and Thomas Eakins, said Erin Coe, the director of The Hyde Collection. The story often stops around 1900, pre-modern art before modernization.

But an $11 million gift  $1 million in cash and a collection of modern artwork valued at $10 million  by Schenectady architects and life partners, Werner Feibes and the late James Schmitt, is changing The Hyde Collections story.

The Hyde is at a turning point and we are at the beginning of writing a new chapter. The museum is publicly embracing contemporary art, Coe said. The Hyde is embracing the art of our time.

According to Coe, with the opening of the new 1,500-square-foot Feibes & Schmitt Gallery, made possible by the gallery namesakes gift and dedicated to modern and contemporary art, there will be regional access to collections previously available only in much larger urban centers.

Were talking about 20th-century, post-war, non-objective art, she said. I am so excited. With this gift, we have become a regional hub for post-war (after World War II) art. It is rare for a museum to have modern art alongside of the Old Masters. You would have to go to New York City.

Non-objective art means wholly abstract, not representing something, Coe said. It challenges those traditions in art and upends them, she added. Non-objective art is a rejection of landscapes or figures.

And this years recently released 2017 exhibition schedule marks the beginning of The Hydes transformation with shows curated to create a dialogue.

The 2017 calendar is where we are headed, putting these different art forms side-by-side and (talking about) how they relate to one another, Coe said. The other day I was in the museum and I sat next to a woman who was on a bench resting. She was from Geneva, New York. And she said she loved the pieces by the Old Masters but said this contemporary art is not for me.

Coe said she enjoyed her conversation with the visitor. I want all visitors to feel as though they got something. They have Degas and Rembrandt and while here they are looking at modern pieces, Coe said. I want people to reflect on it to say, It made me think.

On New Years Eve, The Hydes MHR-80 exhibit closed. And curator Michael Oatman had a similar goal. The way Oatman explained it, as he selected pieces and started thinking about placement, themes and relationships emerged.

It was about creating a dialogue between works, between artists, he said in an earlier interview. I am hoping to start discussion about the artwork, but also about the political implications of the works and the historical value of their display.

The photo murals and montages of New York City artist Lorna Bieber opens The Hydes new season on Jan. 21. Running Biebers show, Forces of Nature, alongside Marking the Moment: The Art of Allen Blagden was intentional in the hopes of inspiring dialogue.

Juxtaposing Blagden with Bieber is evocative, Coe said.

Both artists envision works tied to nature and landscapes, but their interpretation of those subjects is very different. Bieber creates enormous ethereal, often dreamlike photo composites of nature, while the more traditional Blagden paints realistic images of Adirondack wildlife and natural settings.

We live in a world inundated by images they make us question, Coe said while talking about how onlookers might question various works. Do you believe this? What do you see? Questioning the whole idea of what you see. Is Blagden interpreting something? Is that what he really saw?

The scheduled summer show pairs the work of late modern artist Ellsworth Kelly with selections from the Feibes & Schmitt Collection, and what makes it particularly interesting is that Feibes and Schmitt, who were friends with Kelly, have 12 of his works in their collection.

There will be more than 100 works by Kelly  most borrowed from the collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and his family foundation and some from the Feibes and Schmitt gift  which Coe said is very exciting.

Ellsworth Kelly: Slow Curve focuses on his experimentation with curved fields of color, from tight ellipses and shapes with rounded corners to broad arcs and segments. This is a very important show, Coe said, adding that The Hyde will also have 26 lithographs from his plant series drawings of leaves, flowers and fruit. He is considered one of the great abstract artists of the 20th century. He was an avid bird watcher. He lived in nature, he loved nature. And he distills and extracts those curved forms.

Feibes and Schmitt, who had been together for nearly 60 years and married in 2013, so loved Kellys work that they reportedly bartered architectural services, designing Kellys studio in Spencertown, New York, for art.

The Hydes 2017 exhibition schedule ends with a major show, A Shared Legacy: Folk Art in America. This exhibit has traveled to several larger museums, such as the American Folk Art Museum in New York, and will end its tour at The Hyde from October through December.

Coe said the shows 60 pieces  drawn from the collection of Barbara L. Gordon and organized by Art Services International in Alexandria, Virginia  presents paintings, drawings, sculptures, furniture, painted chests and knickknacks made between 1800 and 1920.

Well be ending with a major show, she said.

The Feibes and Schmitt gift is the largest gift The Hyde has received since Charlotte Pruyn Hyde bequeathed her home and artwork to establish the museum in 1952. The gift is also believed to be one of the largest gifts to any Capital Region arts institution in over a decade, Coe said.

The story of the Feibes and Schmitt gift started years ago, and as they came to be friends with The Hyde, their affection grew. In 2015, after Schmitts death, Feibes told Coe that he was bequeathing their entire personal collection of 162 artworks to The Hyde Collection.

We have 60 works of 162 that are coming to us, she said. He lives with the remainder of the promised gift that will come to The Hyde upon his death.

In early 2016, Feibes told Coe he would give a half a million dollars to support The Hyde. He then changed it to $1 million, and in March 2016 they signed the gift agreement.

Coes New Years vision for The Hyde?

That The Hyde is this beautiful hybrid not bound by an ism, she said.
GLENS FALLS  Apparently, Marianna Alicia Ramos was willing to wait for New Years Day, but she wasnt willing to wait much longer.

I wasnt due until Jan. 20, but I started having contractions at 2:30 this morning, Mariannas mother, Sarah Manell, said Sunday afternoon as she held the first baby of the year born at Glens Falls Hospital. My water broke about 10 minutes before 6 a.m., and I woke up my boyfriend and told him we had to go.

Mariannas father, Michael Ramos, was not at the hospital while Manell was telling the story. He had gone home to pick up several items for his girlfriend and their daughter.

We left so quickly that we didnt bring a lot of things, Manell said. We just had to get to the hospital, so there were a lot of things we left at home.

Getting to the hospital quickly turned out to be a terrific idea, because roughly three hours after they arrived at The Snuggery, Marianna was born at 9:13 a.m.

It was very painful, but it was worth it, Manell said. My boyfriend was excited, and he cried. I was scared. I didnt know what to expect or what was going on.

Marianna was sleeping on her mother during an afternoon visit, but she was going to wake up soon and get a meal. She and her mother had been moved from The Snuggery, where births take place, to a post-partum unit, where Manell was also able to rest.

While Marianna was the first baby born at Glens Falls, she missed being the first baby in the Capital Region by slightly more than nine hours.

The first baby in the region was Amanah Santos, who was born at 12:01 a.m. She was born at Bellevue Womens Center in Niskayuna, and her parents are Richard and Maryam Ally Santos of Cohoes.
LAKE GEORGE  One boat slammed into another shortly before 9:30 p.m. the night of July 25, a busy night on Lake George as attendees of the annual Log Bay Day party dispersed from the gathering.

A child was gravely injured, her mother seriously hurt. Their 28-foot antique wooden boat limped to shore with heavy damage, and police said the boat that hit them went right over the victims boat and sped off south to a marina on the lakes south end.

The child, 8-year-old Charlotte McCue, was pronounced dead a short time later. Charlotte, a California resident, was vacationing with family at her grandfathers home on the lake.

With the boat that police blamed for the crash gone from the scene, the fatal collision set in motion the most wide-ranging police investigation the region has seen in years. Warren County sheriffs officers, State Police, Lake George Park Commission and the state Department of Environmental Conservation, as well as many local police agencies in the region, dedicated manpower to it.

The man police believe operated the boat at fault in the crash, Alexander M. West, 24, turned himself in at the Warren County Sheriffs Office about 12 hours later, and gave a court-ordered blood sample.

Four days later, police rounded up the man they believe was piloting the boat that fled, charging him with leaving the scene of a serious accident. Four of his friends were charged with lying to police and/or obstructing the police investigation.

Police determined that West had spent much of the day of the collision at the hedonistic Log Bay Day party on the lakes east shore, and Sheriff Bud York alleged that a blood test showed he had used drugs before the crash.

On Oct. 24, a Warren County grand jury handed up a 12-count indictment against West, charging him with manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, vehicular assault, leaving the scene and boating while ability impaired by alcohol and drugs.

The indictment also alleges he drove a boat while under the influence of illegal drugs, drove recklessly and possessed cocaine. Cocaine was found in the boat he piloted, authorities said.

West has pleaded not guilty, and after spending more than three weeks in jail unable to make bail, he was freed Nov. 14.

Wests lawyer, Cheryl Coleman, lashed out at police and prosecutors after the indictment, alleging that they rushed to judgment and that her client did not commit homicide.

No trial date has been set. At her clients arraignment, Coleman accused police and prosecutors of exploiting every opportunity to poison the potential jury pool and said a motion to move the case out of Warren County would be considered.

Coleman filed pre-trial motions last week seeking to dismiss the charges, alleging insufficient evidence and procedural errors with a search warrant, motions that will be decided by Warren County Judge John Hall later this winter.

West faces up to 22 years in state prison if convicted of the weightiest charges.

York said investigators continue to work on the case as Warren County District Attorney Kate Hogan has questions while getting ready for trial.

This certainly was the biggest one (case) weve had in a long time, the sheriff said. Every police agency in the area helped. It certainly was a lot of work and our people are continuing to work on it.

Log Bay Day

Log Bay Day has long been the bane of police around the region, as social media caused the party  held in the bay by the same name the last Monday of each July  to grow in size and passion. In addition to gathering on boats, hundreds flock to adjacent state land to join the party.

With that growth has come more problems during the event. Before the fatal collision July 25, a young man was paralyzed when he dove into shallow water, and police dealt with numerous other fights, injuries and problems, not to mention the pollution that the lake and surrounding shore endures from the mass gathering.

There is nothing redeeming socially about what goes on there, York said July 27. Too many people are getting hurt and causing trouble. Im for stopping it completely.

The Park Commission convened meetings over the summer, bringing together the agencies that try to keep peace at the party, to discuss an end to it.

A plan was formulated that authorities believe will shut down the event next summer, though details have not been released.

This unsanctioned party has come to a point that it is a public safety issue, the Park Commissions 2016 law enforcement report states. Efforts are underway by the Lake George Park Commission, NYS DEC, NYS Police and the Warren and Washington County Sheriffs Departments to put an end to it.

Charlotte remembered

Charlotte was one of three children in her family of five, and was in the third grade at LaCosta Heights Elementary School in Carlsbad, California. Her family vacationed at her maternal grandparents home each summer.

Her maternal grandfather, Robert Knarr, was at the helm of the boat she was on, slowly returning to shore on the warm summer night when the collision occurred.

The tragedy devastated those who know the family, but it also hit home for parents and those who visit or love the lake as a place to enjoy and treasure.

Charlotte was remembered for her smile, love of gymnastics and love of family and friends.

Charlotte was a ray of sunshine to all who knew her, her family wrote in her obituary. She had an unbridled enthusiasm for life, attacking it with purpose and drive every day, was quick to bring a smile to the faces of those around her and exhibited a level of compassion toward others indicative of someone well beyond her years.

An online fund set up to establish a gymnastics scholarship fund in Charlottes name had raised nearly $121,000 as of Friday. A link can be found at www.youcaring.com/charlotte-m-mccue-612619.

The loved one who started the fund wrote on the funds page that family and friends celebrated what would have been Charlottes ninth birthday on Dec. 13.

A day we faced with the deepest sorrow was transformed into the most joyous celebration of her life  by loving acts of kindness and touching tributes from coast to coast, by people just showing up to be there and clearing their schedules all day just in case, by Charlottes young friends creating precious memorials and celebrations of life, they wrote.
Glens Falls City Assessor Lauren M. Stack made headlines this fall when she pleaded guilty in two DWI-related cases and then was fired from her job.

The Post-Star and WNYT-TV NewsChannel 13 went to court to get a document related to her termination after the city refused to release them. A judge ruled that the Freedom of Information Act clearly showed the document was public.

The document, an eight-page report on whether to fire Stack, revealed that there was far more at issue than just DWI.

In 2011, according to the report, Mayor Jack Diamond wrote her a counseling memo for allegedly using city time for personal business. After that, she had to sign a log book when she left City Hall for field work.

After her arrests, field work became a more serious problem.

Assessors routinely check on new construction and property improvement so they can adjust assessments accordingly. But Stacks license was suspended. The city insurance carrier also deemed her an increased risk.

The report also said that Stack didnt inform her superiors of her arrests. Stack likewise didnt inform them, before she was hired, of her crack cocaine addiction in the late 1990s that led to four burglary convictions and a four-year prison sentence in Florida. She was released in 2001 and was hired in Glens Falls in 2009.

She was paid $62,409 in 2015, her last full year of work.

The report also showed Stacks arguments in favor of keeping her job.

Stacks lawyer argued that Stack did not need to drive. A family member could drive her if needed, and she had done field work in advance, expecting the license suspension that came with her DWI-related plea deal. She pleaded guilty to two counts of reckless endangerment, a misdemeanor, and two counts of driving while ability impaired.

But counting against Stack was her alleged behavior when she was arrested, according to the report.

She told police she had come from a Republican mixer, claimed her boyfriend was the Saratoga County district attorney or public defender, and said, You have no idea how connected I am.

City Clerk Robert Curtis, who wrote the report, recommended that she be fired.

Her actions reflect unfavorably on the character and fitness of the respondent and they bring discredit to the city of Glens Falls, he wrote.
The region continued to deal with a spate of violence toward young children in 2016, with a weeks-old infant dying at the hands of her father and a young girl from Fort Edward suffering severe head injuries from an assault among the more serious cases.

Nicholas D. Jones, 25, will serve at least 22 years in state prison for his Oct. 17 guilty plea in the death of his 22-day-old daughter two days after he allegedly shook and threw her in his Johnsburg home.

The baby, Gabriella Rose Jones, died two days after she was hospitalized with severe head injuries that Nicholas Jones inflicted when she woke up and wouldnt stop crying. He confessed to State Police after his daughter was hospitalized at Albany Medical Center.

Nicholas Jones was indicted on second-degree murder and manslaughter charges and accepted a plea deal that resulted in the murder charge being dropped. He apologized during sentencing, though his apology upset some, as it focused more on the impact the death had on him than on the family of his child.

Washington County sheriffs officers were concerned they had another child homicide to investigate when a 4-year-old Fort Edward girl was critically injured in her home Sept. 21.

Kaiden Starr Rice survived a fractured skull and stroke and has made a miraculous recovery, though she still is enduring rehabilitation and has limitations from her injuries.

The woman who allegedly injured her, her stepmother, Marissa Bickford-Rice, 22, has been charged with a felony count of reckless assault of a child and is being held in Washington County Jail pending further court action.

Bickford-Rice was pregnant at the time of the assault and has since given birth to a son, Landon. The Washington County Department of Social Services filed an emergency removal petition, and the child is in the custody of her husband.
President-elect Donald Trump lost New York and lost the popular vote, but upstate New York mirrored results nationwide. He won the local region despite losing the state.

In Washington County, he crushed his opposition, winning bigger than any other presidential candidate in at least the last three presidential elections. He won by 4,512 votes in official results. By comparison, President George W. Bush won the county with 2,852 votes in 2004.

He also won decisively in Warren County, beating Hillary Clinton by 2,660 votes  almost as much as Bush in 2004, when he won the county.

In Essex County, Trump won by 196 votes. For Essex, thats a squeaker: previous presidential winners have won Essex by about 1,000 votes.

In Saratoga County, Trump won by 3,662 votes.

All four counties went with President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, although it was close in 2012. They also went for Bush in 2004.

In this years election, voters said this wasnt an election about differing governing philosophies. They picked Trump in hopes that he would solve specific problems.

Lester Glass of Fort Edward voted for Obama in 2004, but he chose Trump this year because Obama didnt act more decisively to fight ISIS.

Argyle voter Richard Entwistle went for Trump in hopes of helping businesses stay afloat in the United States.

To make a profit, they have to manufacture elsewhere, he said. I believe taxes have to be reduced for our industries to survive.

Still, some voters stayed home. In 2008, more voters came out for Obamas first election.

In Warren County, 75 percent of registered voters came out in 2016. It was 77 percent in 2008. In Washington County, the voter turnout was 70 percent, down from 71 percent in 2008. Saratoga Countys turnout rate was the only one to stay the same, at 75 percent.

But one town did post a higher turnout rate in 2016. In Cambridge, 79 percent of the voters turned out, up from 77 percent in 2008.
This year in Erie County, 14,102 more people voted in the presidential race than in 2012  a 3.4 percent increase in voter turnout, including absentee ballots, according to official results released in mid-December by the Erie County Board of Elections.

Heres what we learned from those results:

 Hillary Clinton won the county this year, with 50 percent of the vote, a 6 percent margin of victory over Donald Trump. Her margin of victory was a fraction of Barack Obamas 16 percent margin over Mitt Romney four years ago, when Obama won Erie County with 57 percent of the vote.

 Cheektowaga, Evans, Hamburg, the City of Tonawanda and West Seneca all flipped from blue to red this year.

Four years ago, Cheektowaga was the town in Erie County where Obama posted the largest margin of victory  outside of Buffalo and Lackawanna  at 16 percentage points higher than Romney. This year, Trump turned the traditionally blue town red, eking out a 1.4 percent margin of victory there. Democrats lost 3,351 votes compared to four years ago, and Republicans gained 3,463.

Among the local towns that Trump turned red from blue, he recorded the largest margin of victory  17 percent  in Evans.

 Votes for third-party candidates almost tripled in Erie County. This year, 19,087 people voted for one of two third-party candidates, accounting for 4.5 percent of the total votes cast  compared to 1.7 percent of ballots that were cast for one of three third-party candidates four years ago.

 Overall, City of Buffalo residents cast 1,640 fewer ballots in the presidential race this year, a 1.7 percent decline from four years ago. Five of the nine Council Districts in the city had a lower turnout this year than in 2012. The biggest decline in turnout this year was in the Masten District, where 1,232 fewer people voted  a 10 percent decrease.

 Voter turnout increased more than 8 percent in Clarence, Eden, Elma and Lancaster this year. Turnout was up this year in every suburb other than Lackawanna, which saw a 2.5 percent decrease.

 Support for write-in candidates soared this year: 779 Erie County residents this year voted for write-in candidates, compared to 21 four years ago. This year, Erie County residents cast 593 ballots for Evan McMullin, the former CIA operative from Utah who ran as an independent candidate.
According to India Times, Asha left her husband who is a factory workers home in Delhi and started living with Suraj and had a court marriage and a formal temple wedding in June.

Suraj, however is now pleading for the marriage bond to be broken so that he could return to his former wife, Latila.

I have come to realize my foolishness. I admit I have committed the mistake, but will never repeat it in future. Now, I no longer treat her (Devi) as my wife, rather, I have started paying her regard as a mother and an in-law that she is. I am on my knees, Im begging Lalita to take me back home for the sake of our son, Mahto added.
It also urged the GHS service to improve the relationship between health workers and patients through orientation.

In addition, the study emphasised on the need for maternal health workers to be polite to antenatal patients.

The study noted that improving the relationship between maternal health workers and the pregnant women could decrease maternal mortality since they will be willing to visit the hospitals regularly.

The project leader, Mr Bashiru Jumah, said the study was carried out to examine clients satisfaction relating to the delivery of maternal health services at district facilities.

In his presentation, he acknowledged gains Ghana has made in healthcare delivery and maternal health in particular.

 Access to healthcare facilities by pregnant women increased from 1990 to 2015, which saw the reduction of maternal mortality from 780 out of every 100,000 births to 320 of every 100,000 births, Jumah said.

Furthermore, he called for more intervention in the sector like the introduction of the community-based health planning services and the free maternal health policy adopted between 2000 and 2008.

"It is obviously not accepted for any woman to die giving birth because they refused to go for antenatal and be delivered in a health facility due to the fear of being manhandled by some health worker, Jumah said.

About 5,311 respondents sampled in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions.
"We need to look at the merits of those who have been appointed. In this specific case as I understand, the gentleman (Mr Demolovo) stands above board," he told Joy FM.

He added: "I hear he is a very competent gentleman, although I do not know him personally," Mr Cudjoe said adding he is also informed that the new Auditor General is a very serious person."

Mr Domelovo was sworn-in last Friday by president John Mahama at the Flagstaff House.

Prior to his swearing-in, the managing editor of the Ghanaian Observer newspaper, Egbert Faibille Jnr, claiming to be speaking on authority, said Domelovo has rejected the offer to serve as the Auditor General.

But after his sworn-in as the new Auditor General, he told the media that "When the appointment was given me, I thought I had to go back to my previous employers.

He added: "I was with the World Bank. It was not good for them to see on the news that I have been appointed so I sought permission to go back before I come in and accepted."

But the timing of his appointment has generated heat.

READ MORE: President Mahama swears in Auditor General

Nonetheless, he downplayed the timing of his appointment, adding that the timing rather ensures independence.

"I don't think there will be any problems. One of the things about the Auditor-General is his independence. And so if one administration should appoint you for you to work with another administration, it guarantees your independence better", he said.
It is alleged that he has been aiding a gang that robs people of their money after pretending to be selling off their vehicle to them.

In addition, he accused of erasing details of a car that was recently busted by the police from the same syndicate.
Preaching at the 31st Watchnight service at the Glorious Word Ministry International, Rev. Owusu Bempah said if Ghanaians dont pray to change the vision he has seen, a former President and a former First lady will pass away.

"I know those this will happen to but I will not mention their names, but rather intercede on their behalf. Meanwhile I will try and reach out to them in order to pray for them" he said.

Isaac Owusu Bempah has in previous instances prophesied happenings in Ghana - many of which have come to pass. But some Ghanaians, including clergymen, have described him as a prophet of doom and a person who thrives on 'fear and panic'.

He also said outgoing President of Ghana, John Mahama has no chance of being the countrys leader anymore.
"Good morning fellow Ghanaians. Once again weve entered a new year, a year in which our beloved Ghana will turn 60.

"Families and friends have come together to celebrate Gods free gift of life to us; even as we continue to hope and plan for a brighter tomorrow for ourselves and future generations.

"Join me to give thanks and praise to God for a successful election. I congratulate Ghanaians for collectively ensuring the peace and stability of our country. We have every reason to be proud of our achievements.

"In this season of love, sharing, goodwill and reflection, I am thankful for our time together and for what we have accomplished.

"Together we have conceived and nurtured our nations dreams of prosperity for all. Together we have sown the seeds of solid growth and sustainable development, much of which is abundantly evident by the degree of social and economic transformation that has taken place all around us these past four years.

"So here we stand today, having entered 2017, the year in which our beloved Ghana will turn 60. Here we stand today, recognized as the beacon of democracy and socio-economic progress on the African continent.

"We recognize that Ghanas success is our collective success. And, likewise, Ghanas failure is our failure.

"The year 2017 marks our 60th year as a sovereign nation, it is my hope that we look to our past to help guide us into our future. The world around us changing at a very fast pace.

"In order to remain relevant on the world stage, we must keep up with those changes. We must recognize that we can forge ahead in this changing world only by consensual agreement on all the challenges we face, irrespective of our ethnic, religious, or partisan affiliation.

"My brothers and sisters, let us move forward into this New Year as one nation, let us pray for the wellbeing, longevity and prosperity of our nation.

"It has been a blessing serving this great nation as President.I thank you, each and every Ghanaian, and God almighty for the privilege."

The president also wished the president-elect, Nana Akufo-Addo, God's blessings as he prepares to take over on January 7.

He also wished the country well, calling for God's blessing on Ghana.

"I wish you, all, a joyous 2017.

"To the incoming President and his family; my family and I wish you Gods blessings.

"May time continue to be a friend to our nations progress.
Dr Atoko speaks for the minority on Agriculture related issues in Parliament.

The Member of Parliament for Kwadaso, Dr Afriyie Akoto is our spokesperson on agriculture and if the Parliament will pass it, he is likely to be the Minister of Agriculture, Akufo-Addo said.

Last month, the president-elect at with the leadership of the Private Enterprise Federation (PEF) in Accra to outline his governments strategy for the private sector, named Alan Kyerematen as his Trade and Industry Minister.

He said: I came here with Alan Kyerematen because he is the man who is going to be the Minister of Trade and Industry in the Akufo-Addo government, amidst spontaneous applause from the gathering.

President-elect Akufo-Addo has also told Chiefs and Elders of the Mamprugu land that Hajia Alima Mahama will serve as a minister in his government.

She has been highly tipped to serve as the local government minister or the minister of gender and social protection.
The fund, according to the president-elect, is to "help regenerate and review our zongos."

The New Patriotic Party in its manifesto said the fund will be used to invest in education and training and development within the zongos targeting health, sanitation, local businesses and culture and art.

Addressing Zongo Chiefs Saturday at his Nima residence, Nana Akufo-Addo said: In the first budget of the Akufo-Addo Presidency, there will be a line item in our budget that has never been there in any budget since independence in 1957 since today  the Zongo development fund.

The president also rebuffed claims that he dislike persons from the Zongo communiteis.
According to Nana Addo, Mahama has done well in office, especially exhibiting maturity in the face of defeat during the 2016 elections.

"I think all of us in Ghana have to be thankful that we have in him [Mahama] a man who is also devoted to the peace and stability of our country. He has comported himself in a manner to ensure a smooth transition."

Read more: Members of the NDC committee to probe defeat unveiled

Nana Addo made this known when the leadership of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference called on him at his Nima residence.

"We believe that the manner in which he is going about it, is reassuring to our peace especially when you see what is going on in other parts of our continent and we have to be thankful for that," Nana Addo said.

"He [Mahama] came to the office during a delicate moment in the history of our nation and he stepped up to the bench. He has held the state together," he added.

However, President John Mahama has given the assurance that he would hand over a peaceful country to his successor, Nana Akufo-Addo.
Because we care about your vagina, we set out to uncover the things that could turn your super-hot night into a nightmare. Because nobody's got time for that.

Follow these sex experts' tips on five things you should never do when youre in the middle of getting down.

You may think that asking your partner if they've been tested is enough to protect you from contracting something, but it's not, says Leah Millheiser, M.D., ob-gyn, clinical assistant professor at Stanford University School of Medicine. If you're having sex without a condom, youre putting yourself at risk, she says. Yes, you've heard this before. But the reason we're bringing it up again is because you need to be more careful now than evergonorrhea and other STDs are becoming harder to treat, says Millheiser. "Its actually becoming drug-resistant. Gah! Wrap it up.

Not using appropriate lubrication can actually lead to some pretty serious tears that can land you in the emergency room, especially when it comes to anal, says Millheiser. That being said, not all lube is created equal. If youre using a latex condom, do not use an oil-based lubeincluding natural lubricants like olive or coconut oilbecause they break down the latex and the condom becomes ineffective. If youre using a condom, you should be using a water or silicone-based lubricant. (These organic lubes from the should do the trick.)

If youre putting fruits or vegetables inside the vagina, pieces can get stuck and break off in there, says Millheiser. She says she often sees this issue in the emergency room. On a similar note, If youre going to put something in the rectum it should be something thats specifically made for the rectum, she says. Those toys usually have a stopper on them so they cant get lost, she says.

Focusing on the end game too much can be detrimental for your sexual health because it can create tension, says Stephen Snyder, M.D., a sex therapist in New York City. Sometimes it's just not going to happen, which is fine. If your partner can't finish, Snyder says the best way to address it is by making self-stimulation a mutual activity. "You may want to ask if you can hold them, or make out with them while they get busy with themselves," he says. "Otherwise you can enjoy watching their body while they're giving themselves an orgasm," he says. Once you get over the idea that the penis has to be in the vagina when orgasm occurs, you can have a lot more fun.

Check out these fun facts about your big O:
Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected!
The deceased, who was just transferred from Ondo State killed himself at his residence located at Upper Sokponba, Benin City.

Punch News reported that the incident happened on Wednesday, January 28, 2016.

It was also disclosed that Osakue was already recovering from a partial stroke which he has been dealing with for quite some time.

His suicide was perfectly timed, making sure to get rid of a woman and a little boy living with him by sending them on an errand.

ALSO READ: Traditional ruler commits suicide in Delta following allegation

Haliru Gwandu, the Edo State Commissioner of Police confirmed the suicide on Friday, December 31, 2016.
This is following an incident of suffocation of an Imo state indigene, Victor Nnadi, by the Metropolitan Police in Cape Town.

The killing happened on Thursday, December 29, 2016, while the deceased was handcuffed.

Narrating the encounter to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Anyene said, When the people saw what happened, they raised an alarm and confronted the police.

The union`s chapter in Cape Town is already on top of the situation and trying its best to facilitate the release of the detained brother of the deceased."

Anyene also confirmed the abduction of a Nigerian named Austin Agunwa, who was abducted on December 24, 2016, in Rustenburg, North West Province.

According to him, nobody has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of the missing man.
McClellan told investigators he wrestled the Five-year-old stepdaughter to the ground, sat on her hips and stabbed her multiple times in the chest. He then covered the girls dead body with blankets, poured vodka on the pile and set it on fire.

Firefighter Corey Drolett, who found Lunas body, said he knew it was already too late.I knew the victim had expired, he said.

But he handed the girl through a window and asked firefighters to very lightly perform CPR.

Victoria McClellan, the deceaseds mother was said to be at work when fire fighters were called in as flame spread through the ground-level apartment.
According to Vanguard, Ambode said the New Year will bring limitless possibilities for residents of Lagos.

The Lagos state Governor said this while addressing Lagosians at the One Lagos Fiesta, in the early hours of Sunday, January 1, 2016.

He said Our vision remains the same: to create a smart mega city where business and creative opportunity abound; where physical and social amenities are world class; and where lives and property are safe and secured.

Ambode also said 2017 is a special year for Lagos, because the state will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its creation.

Speaking at the event, he said Welcome to 2017, our anniversary year where Lagos is 50. Lagos, the smallest, the oldest, the richest, most populous and most prosperous State in Nigeria.

We are undoubtedly the worlds largest and most celebrated black city state. But we also recognize the need to reflect and be strategic and this is why our approach to governance has been low in hype and flop but high in performance by keeping our promises to you at all times. We promise not to disappoint you in this New Year.
According to Daily Post, the incident occurred on Saturday, December 31, 2016, at midnight, opposite Sanda Kyarimi Primary School.

A police source who spoke on the incident, said that no life was lost, adding that the bomb went off and killed only the attacker.

The source also said that the people in the tea joint noticed the suicide bomber and ran away, before she could get to them.

Meanwhile, Troops have arrested a Boko Haram kingpin in Maiduguri, Borno state, following a tip off from vigilant residents.
According to The Guardian, the Boko Haram kingpin was nabbed in the house of Shettima Lawan Maina, the Chairman of Mafa Local Government on Friday, December 30, 2016.

You will recall that the Nigerian Army had earlier warned that members of the sect who are escaping from Sambisa forest are moving to nearby communities and other states.

ALSO READ:Army has arrested 40 foreigners in Sambisa Forest operation

A military source who spoke to The Guardian said Already, both the top Boko Haram Commander and the Chairman have been detained in a military facility to enable thorough investigation as to how a wanted terrorist will sneak into the house of a council chairman.

This is, knowing fully well, that politicians of such caliber do not usually allow access to their house for abode or to hide.
They said the release of the five months salary owed them, will help reduce the tension in the Niger Delta.

According to Punch, the Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Phase Two, Bayelsa State chapter, Salvation Ibina-Rufus made the call while pleading with angry ex-militants.

Ibina-Rufus also said We equally want to use this medium to appeal President Muhammadu Buhari to instruct the Minister Finance to release the N30bn approved by the Presidency to the Amnesty Office to enable Boroh to perform his work effectively to avoid another round of restiveness in the region.

We are optimistic that President Buhari is aware of the sufferings and pains Christians underwent during the Christmas celebration due to non-release of salaries by the Finance Ministry.

ALSO READ: Militants write open letter to Buhari
According to Vanguard, Duke said this while speaking to HipTv on the state of the nations economy.

Duke said If you look at those who are running the affairs of the country, they have no business running the affairs of the country. So, the current economic recession is the fault of the elites  we the elites. I mean elites in the widest sense of the word irrespective of party affiliation.

We go to the best schools, we send our children to the best schools, we have the exposure but we dont want to benefit the society of all that exposure. All that education, yes, its primarily for you and your family but it also should spread around society.

So the folks who we allow to assume leadership in the country, assume these offices not because they want to uphold and build society but for survival. It shouldnt be that way.

The former Governor also said the elite should encourage people who have ideas that can move Nigeria forward.

He said We have a leadership crisis at various levels  local, state, and national  even in the private sector too. So theres a national leadership crisis, and I say this in the widest sense of the word.

We need to encourage people that have ideas that can move our society forward. But they are uncertain. We need to encourage them that its important that folks who have the exposure and the resource base to come out.

I hope that as our politics matures, more folks with the right pedigree in terms of personal development and public service to come out and seek political office. No one is going to call you, you have to put yourself forward. Thats the challenge that we have.
News of a peace pact between Fulani herdsmen and people of Southern Kaduna was met with excitement by those observing the gruesome killings in the area.

According to reports, over 800 people have lost their lives in series of attacks on Southern Kaduna and properties worth millions of Naira destroyed.

Speaking on the peace pact, the Deputy National Secretary of MACBAN, Ibrahim Abdullahi called on the people of Southern Kaduna to forgive all that happened, Guardian reports.

He said This crisis will never end if you think you would go and revenge what happened to you. So, we are appealing to all parties to sheath their swords and embrace peace. We want to also support the steps so far taken by the government of Kaduna State, and all the security agencies in order to return normalcy to the area. We call on leaders in particular, political, religious and otherwise to desist from making inflammatory speeches that could escalate the situation. There should be no hate speeches  We inherited a peaceful Southern Kaduna and I dont think we are sensible if we bequeath to our children and grandchildren a Southern Kaduna that is fighting itself.

Responding to reports of the ceasefire, the President of Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU), Solomon Musa, described it as a welcome development.

On his part, the Chairman, Nigerian Catholic Diocesan Priests Association, Kafanchan Chapter, Reverend Father Williams Abba wondered why the Federal Government alleged did nothing to save lives in Southern Kaduna.

ALSO READ:SERAP drags FG to UN over Southern Kaduna killings

Abba also said The primary duty of government is the protection of lives and property. The state government has been slow, lackluster and lackadaisical in its response, whenever there is an attack. On many occasions, the governor will not visit the affected areas after the crises.

The victims are internally displaced without adequate relief materials from the state government. They have not been compensated or resettled till date. Their children are still wandering without schools to attend. Their farm produce are being stolen by the herdsmen because our people are too afraid to go to the farms for fear of attacks by the Fulani herdsmen.
Reports say the move is in a bid to forestall further loss of lives and properties in the Southern Kaduna area of the state.

According to Daily Post, Idris, who was on ground to see things for himself, said a panel will also be set up to ascertain the number of lives lost.

This is following a report by a clergyman in Kaduna state, that over 800 lives have been lost in the violence that has engulfed Southern Kaduna.

Idris said From the discussion I had with Kaduna State Governor Malam Nasir El-rufai, we have decided to station a mobile police base in Kafanchan.

We are here to see things for ourselves so that we have a lasting peace in the whole are.

ALSO READ: Asari Dokubo asks Southern Kaduna indigenes to defend themselves

The police boss also added that Some of the community leaders need to be cautioned. They are contributing to creating situation that does not exist.
According to Daily Post, the group, in a statement, passed a vote of no confidence on President Buhari, adding that he is crafty.

MEND had earlier drummed up support for Buhari as preparations for peace talks in the oil rich region was in the works.

According to Vanguard, Without prejudice to the pre- 2015 Presidential election endorsement freely and voluntarily given to President Muhammadu Buhari on January 6, 2015, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) hereby categorically and unequivocally pass a vote of no confidence on the government of President Buhari; specifically with regard to the governments handling of the current Niger Delta crisis.

We hereby demand that President Muhammadu Buhari must put a stop to his cunning, crafty and un-statesman rhetoric about the Niger Delta region as they have only served the purpose of jeopardizing the fragile peace in the region.

Furthermore, notice is hereby given to the Federal Government that all Niger Delta militant commanders and/or individuals, who were tracked and arrested while observing a ceasefire ahead of talks with the federal government, should be treated well.

They should be allowed access to their lawyers, the International Red Cross and a delegation from PANDEF so as to ascertain their wellbeing and ensure they have not been tortured or killed, extra judicially.

MEAN also added that Prior to and after his reluctant meeting with the traditional rulers, opinion leaders and stakeholders of the Niger Delta region, under the auspices of PANDEF on November 1, 2016, President Muhammadu Buhari has been carrying on arrogantly and making controversial, prejudicial, conflicting and contradictory statements about the politics and economy of the oil-rich region.

Since after he assumed the reins, President Muhammadu Buhari has always, for reasons best known to him, held the Niger Delta region in contempt; while accusing and/or blackmailing the leadership of the region of not being ready for dialogue whereas it is the Federal Government who are not ready or willing to name a Team to dialogue with the people.

Prior to the inauguration of PANDEF, the several sessions of dialogue held between representatives of MEND, on the one hand; and those of the Federal Government, on the other hand; where concessions were secured for the release of the Okah brothers and several other political detainees and prisoners of conscience was a grand deception on the part of the Federal Government.

After the MEND/FG dialogue, which was publicly confirmed by no less a person than President Buhari in his farewell remarks to Mr. Michael Zinner, the out-going German Ambassador to Nigeria, President Buhari reneged on the agreements reached at the dialogue.

And following on the heels of the breach of the agreements, President Buhari personally wrote and signed a damaging and prejudicial letter to the Government of South Africa in an attempt to willfully truncate the on-going peace process in Nigeria; sabotage the legal options open to Henry Okah and simultaneously influence the on-going trial of Charles Okah and others, at the Federal High Court in Abuja, in favour of the Federal Government.
Obaseki gave the assurance in his new year broadcast on Sunday in Benin.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that his broadcast was entitled : Message of Hope and Renewal.

The governor, while felicitating with the people, said he would never betray the confidence reposed in him by electing him governor on Sept. 28, 2016.

 I would like to use the occasion to express my profound gratitude and appreciation to you for overwhelmingly entrusting me with the responsibility to take charge and to steer the socio-economic and political destiny of our beloved state in the next four years.

 I am aware of the enormity of the trust and confidence you have reposed in me and by the grace of God Almighty, I will meet your expectations, he said.

Obaseki, who reviewed the socio-economic activities of 2016 and concluded that it was indeed harsh, however, exuded confidence that 2017 would be better for the people of the state.

As we reflect on 2016, we have every reason to be thankful to God Almighty for preserving us and our country; 2016 was a year of challenges, difficulties, excitements and opportunities.

Undoubtedly, the economic recession unleashed unprecedented difficulties on individuals, families and communities as no aspect of our economic and social life was spared the severe economic hardship.

Because of the drop in the price of crude oil and the vandalism of pipelines; we saw the value of our currency decline significantly.

We also saw industries and businesses shut down while people lost their jobs, the level of unemployment has continued to rise; all these have thus led to increase in crime and poverty in the land.

In spite of the difficulties and gloom, 2016 nonetheless experienced some bright moments for us in Edo state for which we are grateful to the Almighty, Obaseki said.

He said Edo people remained the most fortunate in the out-gone year with the coronation of Oba Ewaure and his own election as governor of the state.

The governor noted that the two memorable events would be remembered for a long time in the annals of the state in particular and the nation in general in 2016.

 By providence, we had the opportunity to show the world the rich tradition and culture of Edo civilization.

These were displayed during the coronation of our most revered Royal Majesty Omo NOba NEdo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Eware II, the 40th Oba of the Benin Kingdom.

This generational display of splendour and culture fortuitously coincided with my victory and inauguration as the fifth governor of Edo State, he said.

The governor noted that these challenges and changes in the outgoing year, therefore offer us an opportunity to create a society where we can utilise our historic, cultural and logistic advantages for economic prosperity and social stability.

He said his government would speedily put in place mechanisms, policies and programmes that would galvanise the economy of the state and make it haven for investments.

As we therefore strengthen our democratic and other institutions, they will serve as a bastion to propel our economic revolution.

The advantages which Edo State has in agriculture, the creativity and entrepreneurship of her people and its location and ability to attract industries and develop technical and vocational skills will in no time, pull us out of the current challenges.

In 2017, we will continue to build on the successes achieved over the last eight years at a much faster pace.

Our goal is to attract investments to and make Edo State one of the easiest places to locate businesses and industries in Nigeria.

We have commenced actions to invest in and improve our technical and vocational schools so that we will train and produce highly qualified and employable people.

The development of Gelegele as a port and industrial zone is of high priority to the Government and people of Edo State as it will improve the economic competitiveness of our state.

I have therefore set up a seven- member high powered committee headed by Engineer Gregory Ero, to establish Gelegele as a foremost economic and industrial hub in Nigeria, he said.

Obaseki, who also assured investors and residents of the state of their continued safety and investments, announced the immediate prohibition of private tax collectors in the state.

 I must quickly mention that one issue that continues to agitate Edo people is the lawless activities of some individuals who persist in harassing and extorting innocent citizens under the guise of collecting taxes and levies.

The laws of our country vest the responsibility for collecting taxes exclusively on the three tiers of government, that is the federal, state and local governments.

Consequently, with effect from today, Jan. 1 , 2017, only employees of government can collect taxes and levies in Edo State.

All arrangements to collect taxes or levies entered into by any state or local government agency in Edo state cease to be valid with effect from today, he said.

The governor appealed to the citizens not to heed to any form of intimidation from any quarters, and asked any harassed individuals to call or alert law enforcement agencies if they find anyone involved in such nefarious activities.

We have unflinching faith and confidence that there is a bright light at the end on this dark phase, which by the grace of the Almighty will end soon.

We are optimistic that with the current efforts of the Federal Government of Nigeria and with our efforts in Edo State, there will be sustainable opportunities which will create more jobs and provide greater opportunities for peace and prosperity for Edo State.

My good people of Edo State, as we usher in the New Year, let us always remember to share and show love to one another.

Let us be tolerant and patriotic and to always remember the words of William Shakespeare, the great English poet and dramatist, who said none is happy except all are happy, he said.

ALSO READ: Governor slams oil majors for neglecting host communities
Arashi Lawal, the Vice-Chairman, NUP, Federal Branch, said the banks failed to pay the money which was money was specifically meant to settle December 2016 pensions for the federal retirees.

This is unfair; some of the banks have paid a few pensioners but three big banks have not paid a larger number of the retirees. And we are aware that our money is with them because the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate told us that the money had been released to them.

It is sad to see your colleagues getting paid while you are not paid. This means bleak Christmas and New Year for those not paid, he said.

The Head Corporate Communications, PTAD, Theodora Amechi, said the organisation was engaging with the relevant authorities to ensure a quick resolution of the problem; I urge the pensioners to please bear with us. The 33 per cent arrears will also be paid as soon as funds are available.

Some pensioners who spoke to newsmen lamented the hardship the non-payment has caused them in the yuletide season, slamming the banks for their insensitivity.
The policemen were killed by suspected cultist at Omoku, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers during the Dec. 10 re-run legislative elections.

Maj.-Gen. Kasimu Abdulkarim, the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 6 Division, Port Harcourt, disclosed this to newsmen in Port Harcourt on Sunday.

Abdulkarim said that troops from the Division recovered the items during a raid on four militant camps and cultists hideouts in Ujju community near Omoku.

According to him, troops also recovered assorted types of arms and ammunitions stashed away by bandits in the area.

Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area has over time witnessed criminal acts ranging from attacks on critical national infrastructure and brutal murder which affected economic activities of oil companies and citizens.

The barbaric nature and manner of criminalities led the 6 Division to conduct a raid on December 31 on four suspected criminal camps located across the River, in Ujju community.

In the raid, 6 Division troops in conjunction with Operation Delta Safe Special Boats Service and air component, engaged the suspected criminals in exchange of gunfire.

Troops later arrested some suspects and recovered several weapons, ammunitions and uniforms, including uniforms and rifle belonging DSP Mohammed Alkali and his orderly, Sgt. Urukwu Nwachukwu.

Our forces also recovered one AK47 rifle, two G3 rifles, five Double Barrel guns, two pistols, 31 empty AK47 magazines, 242 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition.

Others are, 322 rounds of other ammunition calibres, bulletproof jackets, seven other police uniforms, 31 handsets, Automated Teller Machine Cards (ATM) and a First Aid box, he said.

Abdulkarim said the clean-up operation was in continuation of efforts by the Division to recover weapons from cultists and militants who refused to embrace Amnesty offered by Rivers government.

He said that in spite of the just concluded amnesty programme offered by government, armed groups had continued to terrorise residents in Omoku town.

The GOC said that 15 persons including a soldier, four Civil Defence Corps personnel; two policemen and eight civilians were brutally murdered while several others kidnapped in the area in December alone.

ALSO READ:

This trend of violence cannot be left unchecked as the Division will sustain operation cleanup to enable oil companies and the people to go about their businesses in peaceful environment, he said.
The sect also told President Buhari to stop beating around the bush and release their leader, Ibraheem El-Zakzaky.

They also slammed the government for not obeying the court order that instructed security agencies to release their leader.

According to Daily Post, the spokesman of the Shiite sect, Ibrahim Musa, also said In his New Year message to Nigerians, President Muhammadu Buhari, made an unusual call to those he termed the Shia community, whom he referred to as his brothers and sisters.

We note the leap in his outlook of the IMN from his infamous state within a state gaffe in his maiden Presidential speech to our brothers and sisters of the Shia Community all within one year. This is a remarkable feat considering the snail speed his administration has come to be characterized with.

Beyond this however, the President actually evaded the points at issue. His call that we must accept the laws of the country we live in should actually have been echoed to him. Have we not challenged all acts of brutality and extra-judicial killing of our members in our law courts peacefully? Even in the face of extreme persecution and provocation, we have followed the laws of the land, not by taking the laws into our hands, or by employing jungle justice or disobeying any legitimate laws of the country, but by seeking redress in law courts, even as we know of the administrations legendary disregard for court orders.

On the contrary, Mr President, you are yet to obey the court order to release our leader, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky, whom you have held in illegal detention, without charges, for more than a year now despite a court order for his release! Mr President, only last week our leading Counsel, Femi Falana (SAN) had written to remind you of that court order through your Chief Law officer, the Attorney-General. Thus, we must ask you to stop begging the question. You should obey the laws of the country you lead by obeying court order to free Sheikh Zakzaky immediately!

Secondly, Mr President, we are not an island by ourselves as your speech portrayed. We are well embedded into all aspects of the society, contributing positively in various ways to its success. We have built bridges across both intra and inter-faith divides. We have been bridging gaps across tribal and regional divides. We have been exposing the evil machination of authorities against its very citizens. Is that not the very reason the authorities seek to curtail what they perceive as our glowing influence and impact on the society? When campaign of blackmail and calumny by government and its protege failed woefully, your government applied maximum and irrational force in attempt to crush us. Again on the contrary, you are more of an island into yourself, detached from reality. You rely on cooked up reports, which you call intelligence based on private prejudices that do not reflect reality to formally crystallize into official resentment and hate for a group and its leadership.

We take your call Mr President that the law enforcement agencies must treat us humanely and according to the rule of law as a confessional statement and an admittance that hitherto, theyve acted inhumanly like beasts. We wish to remind you what our leader said at the inception of your administration, that you should re-constitute and re-orientate the Nigerian Army in order not to inherit an army that sees citizens as enemies. This advice to you to bring change in the way the military operated against civilians and the Movement was widely reported in the media. It is still apt.

Finally, we call on the President to stop beating around the bush. He must release Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky immediately as ruled by the Court of the land. We expect him to also order for the immediate release of all those who are still being held in various places of detention across the country since the brutal attack on us. We expect him to take bold steps against the officers that massively killed citizens in Zaria, Kaduna, Kano, Funtua and Sokoto since the onset of the attacks on us in December of 2015. We expect actions to address the matter of victims secretly buried in mass graves.

We demand for payment of compensation for lives and property destroyed in the ill-conceived attacks. We await his words of condolences in relation to those extra-judicially killed since the pogrom started.

This is coming on the heels of President Buharis call to the sect and Niger Delta militants to sheath their swords and embrace peace.
Afenifere also wondered why the President, who sent a video message to the people of Bauchi, could not comment on the violence in the area.

According to Vanguard, Afenifere leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti said It grieves us that the Federal Government has been quiet on these killings relying on the Governor of the State who has openly confessed that he looked out for the killers to compensate them because they are of the same ethnic stock with him.A state of emergency ought to have been declared in Kaduna as the governor by that claim can no longer be trusted to perform his constitutional duty of protecting the lives and property of all citizens.

We are further embarrassed by the statement credited to the Spokesman of the President, Mr Femi Adesina that our Leader has been quiet on these killings because he cannot speak on every issue.

He also said speak to the people of Southern Kaduna with comforting words as their President on the mindless horrors that have been visited on them.

Set up an inquiry into the killings to identify the remote and immediate causes of the killings and identify the perpetrators of the wanton killings .

Compel the State Governor to disclose all the killers he has interfaced with and compensated so that diplomatic channels can be used to bring them to trial.

ALSO READ: Police deploy officers to Southern Kaduna

Instruct security agencies who have been accused of taking sides in the conflicts to perform their duties without fear and favour. Examples should be made of identifiable officers involved in such acts.

Ensure that the FG fully compensates the victims of these barbaric attacks.
The governor made the statement in a New Year message broadcast in Port Harcourt on Sunday.

Wike said that his administration had enormous political will to embark on projects that would trigger development across the state.

He urged Rivers people to work together to ensure that the state enjoyed peace and development in 2017.

We cannot thank you enough for your consistent prayers, understanding, sacrifices and unconditional support and encouragement throughout 2016.

It is clear that without your support, we could have been vanquished by the political and economic predators who sought to conquer and enslave us, the governor said.

He said: We will hugely need your support to harness the opportunities.

As the New Year beacons with fresh opportunities, ours is to renew our commitment and vigour to serve you and deliver on our reconstruction and development programmes.

We urge Rivers people to be hopeful in the new year, hope for a better state, a better future, more progress and more wellbeing for our people.
In a New Year message to the people, Wike prayed that 2017 would usher in a new hope that the era of vindictiveness has ended and Rivers will be justly treated and accorded its fair share of development projects and attention by the Federal Government."

He said My brothers and sisters, let me take this opportunity to remind us that 2017 is a special year for Rivers.

It is our year of Golden Jubilee and we must roll out the drums and together thank God for His faithfulness unto us and celebrate its historic significance under the theme: I LOVE MY RIVERS STATE, OUR CRADLE, OUR PRIDE.

This theme truly encapsulates and evokes our sense of unity, our values, our love for one another, our struggles, our progress and our hopes for the future, which starts from now, the governor said.

For us, 2016 had been a year of mixed feelings. No doubt, it was a year we made some remarkable progress as we began to fulfill our promises to our people.

We managed to resuscitate our broken economy to drive and sustain our development efforts in the face of a crippling national recession.

We reconstructed existing roads, build new ones and in the process created jobs and empowerment for our people.

We confronted insecurity by providing concrete support to the security agencies to combat and reduce crime across the state.

Furthermore, among several other tangible achievements, we also ensued the regular payment of salaries to our workers and pensioners as well as started the process of restoring quality into our educational and health systems.

Although it is difficult to forget the low and painful moments of 2016, especially the continuing economic difficulties and associated misery being experienced by ordinary people, as a result of the prostrate state of our national economy."

Also, the extreme brutalization, bloodshed and loss that characterised the re-run legislative elections, there is still much progress to look back on over the last 12 months.

And so, as we come to the conclusion of a largely challenging but fruitful year, we wish to assure you that we are right on course and things can only get better for every Rivers person as we strive to consolidate on our achievements and take our State to the next level of development.

ALSO READ: I did not sponsor protest against Federal Government  Wike says
It cannot always be about representation and legislative work, it is also about caring for those around us, those we represent and even those we do not represent.

I urge members of state and national assemblies to reach out and give support to the people they represent so that they can continually feel the presence of government and the impact of democracy, he said on Sunday in Lagos.

Gbajabiamila spoke during a visit to the Maternal and Childcare Centre at Randle General Hospital and the Heart of Gold Childrens Hospice, both in Surulere, Lagos, as part of activities to usher in the New Year.

He said reaching out to the vulnerable in the society would go a long way to improving their lives and give them hope.

This is part of my duties of representation in the National Assembly. We are in a celebration mood and thanking God for our lives, especially the vulnerable ones.

I am here to look out for the baby of the year 2017 in my constituency (Surulere federal constituency) and support the family and also to celebrate with children who have one form of health challenge or the other.

For me, this gesture goes a long way in impacting on their lives," he added.

Gbajabiamila commended the hospital Medicals Director, Dr Olakunle Oni and the Director of the Hospice, Mrs Laja Adedoyin, for their commitment to the care of the needy and children with mental or challenges.

The lawmaker urged Nigerians to be patient with the Federal Government in its effort to put the economy back on track as well as pray for its success.

We are going through difficult times as a nation due to the current economic recession. But we still need to cooperate and support all governments efforts to ameliorate the situation.

There are a lot of potential in this country  human and material  and I believe that when all hands are on deck, we will make this country work by Gods grace, Gbajabiamila said.

ALSO READ: Gbajabiamila says Amendment of CCB Act is unconstitutional

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the New Year baby in Surulere given birth to by Mrs Uchechukwu Chukwuka at about 4.57 a.m., got some gifts from the lawmaker.
According to , Dr. Saraki gave this indication while speaking with State House correspondents after his meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa, Abuja yesterday.

Saraki said: In 2017, our attention will be on the economy because that is really a major issue for us as a country. We want to see some of the economic bills put forward passed, to see that there is greater improvement in the budget process in 2017, and to see that the government implements the budget early.

Also, one of our pet projects is made-in-Nigeria products. We want to see that government continues to support Nigerians in this area so that we can begin to cushion the difficult times Nigerians are going through.

So, next year is very important to us and I think, on the part of National Assembly, we will continue to give our support to ensure that the right things are done, he said.

He further noted that the senators achieved more in the last three months than they did in the entire year, adding that the National Assembly is settling down and, as such, Nigerians would see many more bills passed for the president to assent, as reported by Today.

On the presidents signing of 17 bills into law, Saraki said, It shows, in part, what we have been able to do in the National Assembly and there are many more bills to come and the president is also responding to them. You are going to see more of that in 2017; there are a lot of bills lined up.
The attack took place at Jaw prison south of the capital Manama, it said, but did not give more details on the number of attackers or escapees.

The tiny but strategic Gulf state has been rocked by unrest since its Sunni authorities crushed Shiite-led protests in 2011 demanding a constitutional monarchy and an elected prime minister.

Hundreds of Shiites have been arrested and many have faced trials over their role in the demonstrations.

Police on Sunday set up or reinforced roadblocks near Shiite villages outside the capital, witnesses said.

Despite the crackdown, Shiite protesters have frequently clashed with security forces in these villages.

In June, 17 prisoners broke out of Al-Hadd jail east of Manama, but the authorities recaptured 11 of them the next day.
Emmanuel Niyonkuru, 54, the country's water, environment and planning minister, was killed shortly after midnight, according to a tweet sent by police spokesman Pierre Nkurikiye.

The murder, the first of a serving government minister since Burundi sank into turmoil over President Pierre Nkurunziza's controversial bid for a third term in 2015, comes after months of relative calm.

"Minister of water and environment killed by a criminal with a gun on his way home to Rohero, around 00:45," Nkurikiye wrote four hours after the incident.

He added that a woman had been arrested following the "assassination" although the motive for the attack was not immediately clear.

Also on Twitter, Nkurunziza offered his condolences "to the family and all Burundians", vowing the crime would be punished.

The murder comes days after Nkurunziza hinted he might seek a constitutional amendment allowing him a fourth term in 2020.

"If the people request it, we won't betray the confidence of the country, we won't betray the confidence of the people," Nkurunziza said Friday.

Regime figures targeted

At least 500 people have been killed and 300,000 have fled the country since unrest began in April 2015 as protesters -- and then military coup-plotters -- fought against Nkurunziza's third mandate.

Niyonkuru is the first cabinet minister to be killed but other senior regime figures have been targeted during the months of crisis.

General Adolphe Nshimirimana, considered Nkurunziza's right-hand man, was killed in August 2015. Almost a year later former government minister and spokeswoman Hafsa Mossi was killed by gunmen in her car.

Other attacks have failed, with senior presidential advisor Willy Nyamitwe, a spokesman widely regarded as the public face of the government, escaping an ambush by a group of gunmen as he returned to his Bujumbura home in November.

And in April, human rights minister Martin Nivyabandi and his wife were injured in a grenade attack while leaving church.

Burundi has commonly blamed neighbouring Rwanda for the attacks.

The murder of Niyonkuru comes as Nkurunziza shores up his control of the restive nation.

The loyalist parliament has passed a law imposing strict controls on international aid groups that Nkurunziza has accused of backing insurrectionists.

It has also begun the process of withdrawing the country from the International Criminal Court (ICC) which was looking into allegations of government abuses, including murder, torture and rape.
Morrison, Illinois, police are asking the publics help in finding the person or people who detonated an explosive device in a mailbox at 615 W. Lincolnway early Wednesday morning.

The mailbox was attached to the house, and the resulting explosion damaged the home.

Anyone with information that may be helpful is asked to call the Morrison Police Department at 815-772-7659 or Whiteside County Crime Stoppers at 877-625-7867. Whiteside County Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information that leads to an arrest, and callers can remain anonymous.

The U.S. Postal Service also is offering a reward of $500 for information that leads to an arrest. Destruction of postal boxes is a federal crime that carries a prison sentence of up to three years and a fine of up to $250,000. To give a tip to the Postal Service, call 877-876-2455 and select option 2. All information will be kept confidential.
DES MOINES  In 2011, Republican Gov. Terry Branstad marked his triumphant return to the Statehouse by declaring there was a new sheriff in town.

Now, soon-to-be-installed Senate Majority Leader Bill Dix, R-Shell Rock, says voters delivered a message in 2016 that they expect Republicans in control to kick the door in at the Capitol with a bold conservative agenda that will rein in government while stimulating economic growth and investment. That process is set to begin officially next week.

The winds of change fomenting from the right in Iowa are likely to reshape state policies in multiple areas and recast Iowas political landscape.

Republicans now have majorities of 59-40 and 29-20-1 in the House and Senate, respectively, and are preparing for an expected changing of the guard at Terrace Hill, as Branstad was nominated to be the next U.S. ambassador to China. If he is confirmed, the top executive post in state government will be turned over to his lieutenant, Kim Reynolds, perhaps while the 2017 legislative session is still in process.

The two-year run of GOP control of state government  the first trifecta of both legislative houses and the governorship by one party since Democrats held power in 2007-08  officially begins when the 87th General Assembly convenes Jan. 9.

Conservative expectations are running high  from GOP interest groups to talk radio shows  that there will be action on bills to cut and reform taxes, ease government regulations, revisit voting laws, expand gun rights, restrict abortion, re-examine collective bargaining, consider new education options, ban traffic cameras and tackle a host of other issues repeatedly blocked by Senate Democrats.

Boy, it is clear that Senate Republicans and House Republicans and the governor and lieutenant governor want to act, they want to get something done, and well see what that is, said Mike Ralston, a Statehouse observer who has led the Iowa Association of Business & Industry for a dozen years.

Ralston said GOP lawmakers have been preparing for this opportunity to govern, and theyre ready for it, he said. They want to do something good for Iowa but not over-reach.

Chris Ingstad, president of Muscatine-based Iowans for Tax Relief, agreed Republicans have their best chance to make significant changes at the state level in two decades, but as folks will tell you who were there a number of years ago, just because you get all three  House, Senate and the governors office in Republican control  its no slam dunk that all of these issues can be addressed or addressed to everyones satisfaction.

House Majority Leader Chris Hagenow, R-Windsor Heights, said the new political landscape presents a chance to take big leaps forward now that the Democratic roadblock has been removed. Although there is a sense of urgency in a state of flux at the Capitol, he is taking a longer view with an expectation that the new GOP direction will span more than the next two years.

Among those watching and waiting are minority Democrats who fear the worst and hope for the best.

Outgoing Senate President Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque, said Democrats will work with the new GOP majority on most issues, but they will stand tall and firm in areas where they have a philosophical divide.

If thats what theyre going to pursue, just ideological legislation, it could be a long two years, she said.

Senate Minority Leader Rob Hogg, D-Cedar Rapids, said Democrats will focus on good jobs, good benefits, good education and standing up for Iowans  especially in the roughly 70 counties losing population  to make sure they dont get hurt as Statehouse power shifts and some roles reverse.

There are going to be things that people have taken for granted for decades that could be at risk, he said.

Dix said Republicans hope to make the most of the opportunity theyve been given by focusing on policy changes that will make the biggest difference for Iowans. That will mean recognizing that government has a spending problem rather than a revenue problem in recalibrating a path to growth and investment.

States that are growing the fastest are the ones that are exercising fiscal discipline, making sure that government is there to ensure an environment where success can take place, regulations that make sense but dont punish and put people through a lot of extra hoops that cost money, he said.

Branstad, Reynolds and the new GOP leadership team open their 2017 session work facing a shortfall in the current state budget year of more than $100 million. Eroding revenue growth that has caused three downward adjustments in expected tax collections since March and now requires a significant reduction in state spending by June 30.

Sen. Charles Schneider, R-West Des Moines, who will guide the Senate Appropriations Committee beginning next week, said the need to scale back spending yet this year affords budget-makers the opportunity to begin a line-by-line analysis of areas where the state is duplicating programs or funding services that are outdated or deemed unnecessary.

Everybody knows the budget is tight and revenue is down, he said. People dont expect us or are not really expecting us to approve a lot of additional spending. People have recognized that we do want to reduce the size of government, we do want to create and find efficiencies, and we do want to root out wasteful spending.

Branstad has spent time poring over revenue and budget numbers in preparing a two-year spending plan he intends to submit on Jan. 10 when he delivers what likely is his final Condition of the State address to a joint session of the General Assembly in the House chambers.

The governor has indicated he favors making selective reductions rather than an across-the-board cut to balance this fiscal years budget, but he wants to protect K-12 schools, property tax credits and Medicaid from additional cuts. He also wants to give K-12 schools up to 2 percent growth in state supplemental aid for the next two fiscal years and have lawmakers approve the funding in the sessions first 30 days.

House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, R-Clear Lake, has indicated a willingness to fund K-12 schools early in the session for the fiscal 2018 budget year, but she and others are hesitant about making second-year commitments too far in advance of fiscal 2019. They want a better sense of how state tax collections will look, given Republicans want to find savings to make way for income tax reductions and reforms during the 2017 session.

Legislators also agree with Branstad on current-year spending cuts, which Upmeyer concedes will be no small task to accomplish.

Im not minimizing it. We will have to go in and really search for those opportunities, but I think we can do that, she said.

We need to go in and actually look at some of the things weve done in recent past years and see what is the lowest priority, Upmeyer said. We have a $7.3 billion budget so, while not minimizing the difficulty of finding $100 million, certainly that should be achievable. So were going to go through the process and find some places where we can surgically accomplish that.
It shouldn't just be the big people who have all the fun on New Year's Eve.

That was the thinking Saturday at The Family Museum, which hosted its ninth annual Noon Year's Eve party for kids to get a chance to ring in the new year.

With the anticipation and excitement of New Year's Eve, nearly 1,500 children, parents and grandparents packed the Bettendorf museum for activities, museum play and a countdown to the magic hour of noon. As the clock struck Noon Year's Eve, colorful balloons and mounds of confetti came showering down on the revelers, big and small.

Gabriella Ciriac, 7, of DeWitt scooped up handfuls of confetti to throw all around and keep the fun going while her friend, Mason Hamerlink, 5, of Orion, Illinois, laid on the floor to make snow angels out of confetti.

"This is party one of two for them," said Victoria Ciriac, Gabriella's mom. "We're always here for this, ever since she was little."

While the balloons and confetti marked the finale of Noon Year's Eve, the day also included a morning full of kid-friendly activities and play.

Four-year-old Malayah Rumburg was barely tall enough to reach a craft table, where her mom helped her scoop confetti into a funnel to fill a shaker straw. Dressed in a glittery gold outfit for the occasion, she then was excited to "go play" in the museum.

"I'm going to paint my face," Malayah said.

"She can do her party now, and we can do ours later," said her mom, Michele Rumberg of Moline.

Among the volunteers helping the day go off was Miss Cedar Valley Emily Tinsman of Bettendorf, who donned her crown and sash as she helped paint faces.

"The girls get really excited about the crown,'' said Tinsman, a Drake University student and Bettendorf High School graduate.

Five-year-old Hadley Willis had Tinsman paint a fireworks design on her cheek, while her 3-year-old brother Jude got his own face painted and their baby brother Theo slept in a stroller.

"I saw a lot of friends here," Hadley said.

Their mom, Hillary Willis, said they regularly visit the museum but had never made the Noon Year's Eve party because of work.

"This is exciting," she said, noting the big crowd. "The kids ask to come to the museum all the time."

In the exhibit area, hundreds of children played on their favorite activities: a bridge they could cross, a treehouse, a play river and a farm, where they could drive a combine, plant vegetables in the dirt and send corn up an auger by turning a wheel.

"We do this so the kids have a chance to ring in New Year's with their family in a real cool setting," said Kim Kidwell, the museum's director.

She said volunteers spent a week blowing up balloons, cutting confetti and making improvements to the annual party.

"We're like a Times Square for little kids so they get the experience of a real New Year's Eve party," she said.

Sachiko Brown, of Davenport, held her 14-month-old son Kai in her arms as the confetti and balloons were dropped from the ceiling. As he pointed up to the balloons, she said, "It's the end of the year, and I wanted him to experience some celebration for New Year's Eve. I'm Japanese, so I want him to experience the Japanese celebration someday."
MAQUOKETA, Iowa  Henry George von Maur, Dec. 15, 1934, to Dec. 15, 2016  82 years old. Died in Maquoketa, at the Crestridge Care Center, while in hospice, on the night of his 82nd birthday from complications of Alzheimers. He was born of Russian and German parentage and named after his grandfather. It was a long and unpleasant last few years. As per his request, he was interred at Oakdale Cemetery in Davenport, in a green burial within 24 hours.

Educated at Groton School in Connecticut, class of 1953, Yale University, class of 1957, and the U.S. Army. Henry was personally chosen by Dean Acheson to train at Fort Holabird, Maryland, and work for the U.S. Military (SHAPE).

He led a glamorous and exciting life working for the U.S. Military, Pan American Airways (He was on board the last flying boat across the Pacific and the first jet into Saigon.), The New York Times, CV Starr Company, Investors Overseas Services, and for private investor firms in Paris, New York, Switzerland and Vietnam. He spent considerable time in Madrid, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Florida and Argentina.

In a daring escapade in the summer of 1957, together with three college friends, they traveled overland by car from Paris, France, across most of the Middle East, to Bangkok, Thailand. They were sponsored by The New York Times and Yale University.

Later in life, he settled in Davenport, living in the house his grandfather had built in 1905 overlooking the Mississippi River.

Henry met Susan Frick at a cocktail party in New York in 1964. They married three months later in Baltimore, Maryland. They have whisked away from their friends and family in a helicopter and set off for a life together where they were so very happy. Considering life a hilarious adventure, they moved to a farm village in the wine country of Lake Geneva, Switzerland. Here they raised three children, two dogs and 168 outdoor cats. After his 46th birthday, Henry ran almost every day regardless of the whereabouts or weather, until his defibrillator threw him into the middle of McClellan Boulevard at age 75.

He had many lifelong friends with whom he shared many great moments and stories all through his life in many places around the world. He never wasted a moment.

He liked his family, sunsets, The Wall Street Journal, pretty girls, red wine and Miller Lite.

Henry was preceded in death by his wife, Susan von Maur; his father, George von Maur; and his mother, Antoinette von Maur.

Henry is survived by his three children, Denison (Andrea) of Missoula, Montana, Winslow of Le Vaud, Switzerland, and Ussher (Stephen) of Fontanelle-Dessus, Switzerland.

So it goes. Details, Details 

In lieu of flowers please donate to your local hospice.

A celebration of life will be organized for the spring of 2017 in Davenport, with details to follow.
With the holidays keeping everyone busy, you may have missed some big and interesting stories over the past week. Here's a look at some of them.

1. Elections, elections

You may have thought we were done with elections, but they just keep coming. Iowa state Rep. Jim Lykam, D-Davenport, easily won a special election on Tuesday that will send him to the Iowa Senate on Jan. 9. He will take the seat held by Sen. Joe Seng, who died in September. That means another special election will be held, probably later this month, to fill Lykam's 89th House District seat. Stay tuned for that.

2. Ballot questions

Speaking of elections, it's a bit messy in Moline. First, two candidates for mayor were denied ballot spots because an election board determined they didn't fill out their petitions properly. Incumbent Mayor Scott Raes had challenged the petitions, and it appeared Raes would be the only person on the ballot in the mayor's race. Not so fast. Five people then filed papers to run as write-ins, which forces a primary on Feb. 28. The top two candidates move on to the general election on April 4.

3. Lots of shots

Davenport police responded to fewer shots-fired calls in 2016 than the previous year, but at 150 incidents, police still had their hands full. Still it was down from 168 calls in 2015. Public safety reporter Tara Becker took a look at the numbers and what they mean for a story that dominated our front page on Wednesday.

4. Out of banking

The fallout continues from the demise of Valley Bank in June 2014. Since then, federal investigators have criticized oversight of the bank, some investors have filed lawsuits, and some of the people involved have faced sanctions from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Reporter Alma Gaul has been following the story since the closure, and this week, she reported that the FDIC has banned the bank's CEO, Larry Henson, from working in the banking sector again.

5. Big pot bust

Davenport police scored a big bust Thursday when they found 800 marijuana plants growing in a Davenport warehouse. They said the pot had a value of $2.5 million. Three people now face charges in the case: Lester Jack Monkus II, 31, Shawn Michael Manning, 43, and Jessica Ann Dorsey, 32, all are charged with two counts of a controlled substance violation and one count of failure to affix a drug stamp. Manning also is charged with possession of a firearm by a felon.

6. I-80 work zone

Our road construction focus these days is on Interstate 74 and a new bridge planned over the Mississippi. But Iowa transportation officials are looking a bit farther into the future and making plans for work on I-80 in the Quad-Cities. A new study proposes widening the interstate corridor and altering interchanges at I-280, Northwest Boulevard, U.S. 61, I-74 and Middle Road. Actual construction is years down the road, however.

7. RI development

Rock Island has a new hand at the wheel of its economic development efforts, and Chandler Poole is excited about the possibilities in the city, including the site of the failed Walmart development proposal. Poole became the city's economic development director Dec. 1, replacing Jeff Eder, who left in July for the city administrator job in East Peoria, Illinois. Poole says his attention won't be only on businesses; he's also going to focus on community development.

8. Whiskey and raccoons

A new bar is coming to Davenport, and it really attracted a lot of attention on our website on Thursday and in the print edition Friday. Reporter Jack Cullen wrote his Notes @ Noon piece on Thursday about the Triple Crown Whiskey Bar & Raccoon Motel, which is getting ready to open in the former Musicians Union Local 67 headquarters at East 3rd Street and Pershing Avenue downtown. It will offer live music and comedy acts when it opens in March, but it won't be an upscale place. Still, we're confident raccoons won't be renting rooms there. Speaking of bars and a popular attraction on our website, online news editor Rick Rector celebrated Retro Thursday by putting together a photo gallery of Quad-City bars and taverns that have made their last call. You can see the gallery at bit.ly/2iuFbvg.

9. Why? Why? Why?

Here's another item that drew lots of eyes to our website and our Wednesday print edition: a review of "Why Him?" by our resident film critic Linda Cook. We were puzzled by the review's popularity but figured it was because Linda didn't care for it. In fact, she pretty well trashed it, giving it one out of four stars. "'Why Him?' had me asking 'Why Me?' as its profanity-laden, body-function-centered script trudged on, dropping 'F' bombs in its wake," Linda wrote.

10. What's in a name?

If you named your baby Emma or Jackson in 2016, your child is starting out very popular. Those were the names most often chosen for babies at Genesis BirthCenters in Davenport and Silvis and at Trinity Moline last year. But at Trinity Bettendorf, Ava and Aiden were the most popular baby names for 2016.
Noah Cawiezell of Muscatine and a member of Durant Boy Scouts Troop 153 has achieved the rank of Eagle Scout.

He joined the Durant Cub Scouts in 2005 and became a member of Boy Scout Troop 153 in 2009. He held positions of scribe, chaplain, patrol leader and assistant senior patrol leader. The Order of the Arrow was also achieved prior to becoming an Eagle Scout.

For his Eagle project, he cleaned and repainted all of the fire hydrants in the town of Durant.

Cawiezell graduated from Durant High School in 2016 and is now attending Iowa State University, studying agricultural engineering. He is the son of Jill and Bob Cawiezell of Muscatine.
"When the chips are down, I have Israel's back."

-- Barack Obama, AIPAC conference, March 4, 2012

The audience -- overwhelmingly Jewish, passionately pro-Israel and supremely gullible -- applauded wildly. Four years later -- his last election behind him, with a month to go in office and with no need to fool Jew or gentile again -- Obama took the measure of Israel's back and slid a knife into it.

People don't quite understand the damage done to Israel by the U.S. abstention that permitted passage of a Security Council resolution condemning Israel over settlements. The administration pretends this is nothing but a restatement of long-standing U.S. opposition to settlements.

Nonsense. For the last 35 years, every administration, including a re-election-seeking Obama himself in 2011, has protected Israel with the U.S. veto because such a Security Council resolution gives immense legal ammunition to every boycotter, anti-Semite and zealous European prosecutor to penalize and punish Israelis.

An ordinary Israeli who lives or works in the Old City of Jerusalem becomes an international pariah, a potential outlaw. To say nothing of the soldiers of Israel's citizen army. "Every pilot and every officer and every soldier," said a confidant of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, "we are waiting for him at The Hague." I.e., the International Criminal Court.

Moreover, the resolution undermines the very foundation of a half-century of American Middle East policy. What becomes of "land for peace" if the territories Israel was to have traded for peace are, in advance, declared to be Palestinian land to which Israel has no claim?

The peace parameters enunciated so ostentatiously by Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday are nearly identical to the Clinton parameters that Yasser Arafat was offered and rejected in 2000 and that Abbas was offered by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in 2008. Abbas, too, walked away.

Kerry mentioned none of this because it undermines his blame-Israel narrative. Yet Palestinian rejectionism works. The Security Council just declared the territories legally Palestinian -- without the Palestinians having to concede anything, let alone peace.

The administration claims a kind of passive innocence on the text of the resolution, as if it had come upon it at the last moment. We are to believe that the ostensible sponsors -- New Zealand, Senegal, Malaysia and a Venezuela that cannot provide its own people with toilet paper, let alone food -- had for months been sweating the details of Jewish housing in East Jerusalem.

Nothing new here, protests deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes: "When we see the facts on the ground, again deep into the West Bank, beyond the separation barrier, we feel compelled to speak up against those actions."

This is a deception. Everyone knows that remote outposts are not the issue. Under any peace, they will be swept away. Even the right-wing Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who lives in one of these West Bank Settlements, has stated publicly that "I even agree to vacate my settlement if there really will be a two-state solution." Where's the obstacle to peace?

A second category of settlement is the close-in blocs that border 1967 Israel. Here, too, we know in advance how these will be disposed of: They'll become Israeli territory and, in exchange, Israel will swap over some of its land to a Palestinian state. Where's the obstacle to peace here?

It's the third category of "settlement" that is the most contentious and that Security Council resolution 2334 explicitly condemns: East Jerusalem. This is not just scandalous; it's absurd. America acquiesces to a declaration that, as a matter of international law, the Jewish state has no claim on the Western Wall, the Temple Mount, indeed the entire Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem. They belong to Palestine.

The Temple Mount is the most sacred site in all of Judaism. That it should be declared foreign to the Jewish people is as if the Security Council declared Mecca and Medina to be territory to which Islam has no claim. Such is the Orwellian universe Israel inhabits.

At the very least, Obama should have insisted that any reference to East Jerusalem be dropped from the resolution or face a U.S. veto. Why did he not? It's incomprehensible -- except as a parting shot of personal revenge on Benjamin Netanyahu. Or perhaps as a revelation of a deep-seated antipathy to Israel that simply awaited a safe political interval for public expression.

Another legacy moment for Barack Obama. And his most shameful.
Let's take a look at headlines from just one day in December:

* The state's bill backlog tops $11.3 billion as the political impasse preventing a budget deal dragged on.

* Chicago's murder rate is so freakishly high that it's significantly driving up the national murder rate.

* The state's most effective corporate tax incentive will expire at the end of the month and both parties are blaming each other.

* The Illinois Republican Party, which has not taken any time off since the 2014 election, launched yet another ad against yet another potential Democratic candidate for governor.

* And, of course, the biggest news of the day came when the US Census Bureau reported that Illinois lost more population than any other state.

In response to that last cataclysmic revelation, we got a tweet from the governor about the need for "reforms" and a press release from Rauners office calling on the Democrats to back his pro-business/anti-union reforms so that a budget deal could get done.

But, hey, at least that was something. The Democrats were universally silent.

If you look at the numbers, you'll see that the easy explanations won't cut it. Did a net 114,144 people leave Illinois for other states between July 1, 2015 and July 1, 2016 because of the weather? Some surely did, but Minnesota, which has far colder winters than we do, lost only 1,762 people to other states.

And it's not just taxes, either. Minnesota raised its income tax on the wealthiest not long ago and its lowest state tax rate is 5.35 percent, far above our 3.75 percent, which was lowered from 5 percent two years ago. Minnesotas property taxes are lower, but Wisconsin ranked higher on property taxes as a percentage of home value as Illinois, and yet Illinois' net domestic out-migration rate was over four times as high. Wisconsin's income tax rate is also higher than ours.

Is it our unemployment rate? Well, Pennsylvania, which also has a bitterly divided government and lousy weather, had a higher unemployment rate than we did in October, yet our net domestic out-migration rate was more than twice as high. The equivalent of an entire Illinois House district just fled to other states. In a year.

Our higher education system, which drives prosperity in "normal" states, has been under-funded, over-priced and under-performing for years, and the situation has gotten much worse since Bruce Rauner became governor.

We're in a position where Idaho - yes, Idaho - creates more manufacturing jobs than we do.

When you think about all of those headlines, the only surprise may be that more people aren't leaving

Yes, we've been losing folks to out-migration for decades, pretty much since the advent of air conditioning in the south. But after factoring in international migration, births, deaths, etc., our total net loss was 37,508 people. Those net losses started in 2014, when we lost about 12,000 people. That number more than doubled in 2015, to over 28,000. And then it rose again this year. No other state is experiencing this.

And all we get is either partisan politicking or silence.

At the end of 2014, unemployment was falling here and Illinois was paying all of its appropriated bills in less than 30 days. There were, of course, still serious problems. A Republican promising big change couldn't have been elected governor that year if everything was fine.

The bill payment cycle is now about six months. Schools aren't getting all their promised state money, which puts pressure on our already sky-high property taxes. Some universities just won't survive if this impasse continues. And the poor and defenseless? Well, they're out of luck.

Our state's leaders did essentially the same thing before the last recession. Billions in unpaid bills piled up while House Speaker Michael Madigan waged a two-year war with the thoroughly corrupt Gov. Rod Blagojevich. By the time it was all over, international events had overtaken us and it took six long and painful years to dig out from under the mess.

Yes, Bruce Rauner is a hardheaded enemy of organized labor. He doesn't appear to care about most public universities. His heart is seemingly unmoved by the plight of the defenseless.

But whatever else you can say about him, Bruce Rauner is no Rod Blagojevich. This fight is over policy and politics, not corruption.

Illinois is now in an all too real danger of becoming a failed state, and I don't use that phrase lightly. Throw a couple of victories at the guy and let's move the heck on to our other problems before its too late.
The final swipe at salvaging pieces of the old train depot in Moline was to be completed Thursday, and demolition is next.
Of the countless performances in Milo Winter's music career, the former Rapid City Stevens High School band director still holds a special place in his heart for the band's appearance in the 1987 Tournament of Roses Parade.

And, I too, share that fondness.

As a cub reporter, newly married and working at the Rapid City Journal, I drew the plum assignment of accompanying the band on the trip. I guess it made up for the endless hours I spent back then typing in honor rolls on the education beat.

I have to admit, I have forgotten a lot of the details of the trip, but on a recent afternoon Milo Winter reminisced about it.

Stevens, like other bands in the parade, had to make an application for a spot. Winter said the school received word in the winter of 1986 that representatives from the Tournament of Roses Parade planned to visit the school.

"We wined and dined them. They listened to the band and we got an official invitation after that," he said.

At that time only seven high school bands were offered invites to the parade, Winter said. Stevens would represent the North Central region of the U.S.

The band numbered 165 members. I asked Winter if students flocked to join the band just so they could go on the weeklong trip to the California parade. "We were pretty stable. We pretty much knew what we had," he said.

I remember being fascinated by the logistics of getting 165 band members and their accompanying entourage to California from Rapid City. It became the mission of Trudy LaCroix, wife of former Rapid City Mayor Art LaCroix, to make the trip as seamless as possible.

She took great pride in doing that, Winter said. Trudy worked directly with the Rose Parade committee to secure transportation, both air and on the ground, and housing for the group.

Three planes were needed to ferry the group to California. "We were on three different airlines and three different flight times," Winter said. "It's sort of a miracle that we didn't lose anyone or any equipment."

Logistics were an important part of my planning as well. This was a time before internet or email. We decided I would take photos, have them processed at a one-hour photo lab and then send them next day Fed-Ex to the office in Rapid City.

We knew that I probably wouldn't be able to send the photo of the band actually marching in the parade because, well, it was a holiday and photo labs and the Fed-Ex office would be closed, so we made a special request of the Associated Press to take and send a photo over their wire service of the Stevens band. They obliged and we had our photo for the next day's paper.

I was able to use the Journal's state of the art computer, the TRS-80 Model 100, for my stories. It was one of the first notebook-style computers. Its internal capacity was 24 kilobytes. Here's a reference to how small that truly is: A megabyte is approximately 1,000 kilobytes. Photos you take on your iPhone are about 1 megabyte. There are 1,000 megabytes in a gigabyte, and a thousand gigabytes in a terabyte. I just bought a computer that has a 1 terabyte hard drive. It's mind boggling.

Suffice it to say, the stories I sent couldn't be very long. To send the story I would hook the computer directly into the phone jack in my hotel room, call the Journal's designated computer line then push send. Somehow the two computers would talk to each other. It would give me a signal to tell me when it was finished.

I would call back and talk with a Journal editor to confirm the story made it.

I was able to travel with the band in their buses. But, on the day of the parade, I had to sit on the floor in the bus because the bus was full. And, I had to find my own way home from Pasadena because the buses had to stage at the end of the parade route to pick up the band members while my media seat was at the start.

Imagine me trying to explain a $120 taxi bill to the business manager at the Journal.

My media staging area was at the first corner in the parade at Orange Grove and Colorado Boulevard. I love marching bands and found myself having to keep my emotions in check when I heard and could see the Stevens band take that corner.

It was also a special location for Winter who said his aunt, Lillian "Billie" Deuschle, a southern California resident, surprised him by showing up at the event.

Aunt "Billie" had recently lost her husband and the two frequently attended the Rose Parade. But she told Winter she probably wouldn't attend in 1987.

"She said she just didn't want to go without her husband," Winter recalled. "We got around that corner and I heard someone yelling my name. I recognized her voice. Here it was my aunt. That was very special."

Also special to Winter were the words of a sage veteran who upon hearing the two songs played by the band, "This is My Country," and "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," stood up and announced: "By God, now there's a band."

The band prepared for the rigors of the 6.5-mile parade route with hundreds of practices, including those scheduled on weekends. In California, Winter was proud that every single one of the 165 students marched to the end.

"Marching six miles is like someone taking a hike and breathing once every 16 steps," he said. "It's physically demanding, but they did a good job."

The adrenaline of the packed crowd adds to the stamina, he added.

"It seemed like a short time, because there are no places where there are not people," he said. "I have to tell you that 6.5 miles flies by pretty fast."

Winter says Stevens was the first band to represent South Dakota in the Tournament of Roses Parade. Since then, the South Dakota State University Pride of the Dakotas marching band and the band from Lincoln High School in Sioux Falls have also marched in the Rose Parade.
Construction is set to begin later this year on the first of a planned new complex of reinforced, blast-resistant dormitory buildings at Ellsworth Air Force Base.

On Dec. 19, The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded a $20.5 million federal small business contract to Dean Kurtz Construction of Rapid City for the design and construction of three dorm buildings, all four stories, to replace an existing dormitory at the base in Box Elder.

The combined 59,675-square-foot complex will provide housing for 144 airmen with the building designed to offer protection from a variety of potential attacks.

Dean Kurtz Construction President Brad Kurtz said his company has designed and built other structures at the base, but the dormitory and design of the new buildings is unique in reflecting new federal standards adopted since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. That includes incorporating reinforced exterior walls and laminated glass among other security measures, including intruder detection and fire and smoke detection and suppression systems.

The buildings will all be designed and built according to the new force protection standards, which are relatively new, Kurtz said.

Kurtz is working with a Minneapolis architect to design the four-story buildings in part to withstand initial explosion damage.

It has to be capable of still standing and not collapsing, he said.

According to a Corps of Engineers document on the project, living space plans for each four-person dormitory space will include four bedrooms with bathrooms, a common living room and kitchen area and a laundry closet.

Theyve actually got some space besides just the sleeping quarters in them, Kurtz said.

Kurtz expects breaking ground and starting construction by April 1. The contract calls for completion of the new buildings and demolition of the existing 51,860-square-foot dormitory in less than two years.

Kurtz expects more similar construction projects at the base, which is home to the 28th Bomb Wing and part of the U.S. Air Forces Global Strike Command, B1-B Lancer bombers and the MQ-9 Reaper unmanned drones, along with the Air Forces Powder River Training Complex and Financial Services Center

Its just part of providing a little better life for the military people, he said.
The concept of time is a man-made construct, a way to provide a sense of history and to allow for scheduling and order in what is typically a disorderly world.

And the time frame most people use to christen a chance for a new beginning is the year, a 365-day period that allots enough time for change, growth and improvement  just as it provides a framework to judge failure, or an ending.

As the calendar today turns to a new year, 2017, it's a good time to seek out some local residents who may have a big year ahead of them. Here is a glance at seven Black Hills residents who  for varied reasons  are likely to have a year worth remembering in 2017.

Mary Bordeaux, 40, owner/artistic director of Racing Magpie

What started as a consulting business is looking to become a major outlet for artists and cultural conversation in the new year.

Mary Bordeaux started Racing Magpie with her husband, Peter Strong, last year, transforming the former Aby's Seed and Feed Mill into a space for Native American artists.

"It was going to have just a few artists, but it grew. We added a gallery, a classroom and a work area," Bordeaux said. "I was worried in the beginning about getting artists involved, but they kept coming."

Racing Magpie focuses primarily on contemporary Native art rather than traditional forms.

"Prairie Edge focuses on the more historic view of Lakota people, and that's great," Bordeaux said. "But we have so much to say in this contemporary world, and so people need to see us as contemporary people."

Bordeaux is spearheading that movement by hosting more curated shows, beginning with an exhibit opening in June that will feature female Native artists addressing the phrase "Mitakuye Oyasin."

"It means 'We are all related,' but it's sometimes not addressed the way it was intended historically," Bordeaux said. "It's about relationships with the environment and animals, things like that, as much as with people. And we're not the same, but our relationships with each other should be respectful."

Bordeaux said that connected to Racing Magpie's mission to help create a respectful community, saying that having grown up on Pine Ridge and being the mother of two sons, she didn't want the community to stay divided.

"I feel like Racing Magpie has the opportunity to help the community come together, to push people to be good neighbors," Bordeaux said. "We need to have good conversations about hard topics like race, politics and gender, and art is the place where those conversations can happen.

"That's what Racing Magpie is about: giving voice to Native people and being a space to be respectful and come together."

Benjamin Klinkel, Rapid City chef/restaurateur

Benjamin Klinkel got his start in the restaurant business at the tender age of 8, standing on a milk crate washing dishes for his grandparents at the Shamrock Cafe, then located in Pluma.

When people ask me how I got into the restaurant business, I always say lack of child labor laws, Klinkel said.

In 2010, Klinkel and his mother Barbara revamped Tallys, an iconic downtown Rapid City diner at the corner of Sixth and St. Joseph streets, into a fine dining bistro under the name of Tallys Silver Spoon.

In 2012, he acquired Delmonico Grill, an already successful dinner destination at 609 Main St., where Klinkel freshened the tired decor and added a new competitively priced lunch and dinner menu. Seats have often been full at the stately steakhouse since then.

Now, as 2017 kicks off, hes going for the trifecta with plans to transform yet another downtown spot just a few doors east.

In November, Klinkel acquired the prime Main Street Square restaurant space most recently home to a fast-casual, Italian-themed eatery called Ciao.

Earlier attempts have struggled in the space, but Klinkel will try to put his stamp on a successful restaurant when he opens Klinkel Town, named in homage to his family history in the east-central South Dakota farm town of De Smet.

Klinkel Town will feature gourmet burgers and grilled cheese sandwiches, a revamp of the old Dakota Soda Company, which preceded Ciao.

Klinkel is aiming toward a February opening for Klinkel Town, where patrons will be able to grab a meal to go while attending Main Street Square events, or enjoy a sit-down meal in another part of the restaurant.

Klinkel believes that standing out in the ever-changing Rapid City restaurant scene means specializing in one or two signature menu items and doing them well.

The more specific you are with a concept and with a cuisine the more successful youre going to be, and be something that people think about when theyre going out to eat, Klinkel said.

Local restaurant patrons are becoming more discerning, and visitors are choosing to eschew national chain restaurants and sample local eateries, he said.

People are coming to expect more, and were happy to keep the bar high, he said.

Marty Jackley, 46, attorney general and gubernatorial candidate

South Dakotans will see a lot of Marty Jackley in 2017 before seeing even more of him in 2018.

Jackley, a Sturgis native, is South Dakotas attorney general. His busy 2017 will kick off with his introduction of a package of bills during the state legislative session, which begins this month and runs through March. He will also be active in seeking legislative solutions to the impasse over Initiated Measure 22, an anti-corruption law approved by voters in November that has since been blocked by litigation.

In February, Jackleys office has a criminal trial in the states case against Joop Bollen, the primary figure in a long-running scandal arising from the states participation in a federal immigrant-investor program known as EB-5.

In June, Jackley anticipates a trial date for defendants in the so-called GEAR UP scandal, which involves the alleged misuse of federal funds by state contractors who were administering a program designed to help Native Americans get college educations.

Throughout the year, Jackley will also raise money and build a team of volunteers for his gubernatorial bid in 2018, when he will face at least one opponent, U.S. Rep. Kristi Noem, for the Republican nomination to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Dennis Daugaard.

Jackley said he will manage his schedule by prioritizing.

Im focused, No. 1, on being a dad and a husband, and No. 2 on being attorney general, and No. 3 on running for governor, he said.

Jackley, 46, has several other Black Hills ties despite his job in Pierre. He has an undergraduate degree from the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology in Rapid City, and his wife, Angela, with whom he has two school-age children, is a graduate of Rapid City Central High School. When not at home in Pierre, the Jackleys like to spend time at one of Angelas two family ranches near Rapid City, or Jackleys fathers farm near Vale. Jackleys parents still reside in Sturgis, and his sister, Jocelyn Hafner, is an assistant principal at Rapid City Stevens High School.

Jackley was a partner at the Rapid City law firm of Gunderson, Palmer, Nelson & Ashmore, and he served as U.S. attorney for the District of South Dakota from 2006 to 2009.

His roots in the state are what drive him to seek opportunities for public service, he said.

I love South Dakota, and I want to give my kids the same opportunities that I have had, both in education and in quality of life.

Jeffrey Connolly, incoming 7th Circuit judge

Attorney Jeffrey Connolly will assume his new post as 7th Circuit judge on Jan. 13, taking over most of the case load of Wally Eklund, who has retired.

Like other 7th Circuit judges, Connolly will face a growing number of cases related to methamphetamine offenses and family court issues, said Tony Venhuizen, spokesman for the Governors Office. The 7th Circuit covers the counties of Custer, Fall River, Oglala Lakota and Pennington.

Gov. Daugaard appointed Connolly, of Rapid City, after receiving names of qualified applicants from the states Judicial Qualifications Commission. The seven-person commission submits a short list of names to the governor whenever a judge's post opens in the middle of an election term.

"I am humbled and honored by the confidence Gov. Daugaard has placed in me," Connolly said in the Governor's Office release in November announcing his appointment. Connolly didnt respond to a Journal request for an interview.

Connolly is an attorney at Gunderson, Palmer, Nelson & Ashmore in Rapid City, a firm he has been with since 2007. Before joining the firm, Connolly was a clerk for the U.S. District Court of South Dakota.

Connollys practice includes civil, criminal and family law. His high-profile clients include Seth Jeffs, a South Dakota polygamous group leader who pleaded guilty Wednesday to food-stamp fraud and was released with time served.

Connolly is a 2006 graduate of the University of South Dakota School of Law, where he was an editor of the South Dakota Law Review. He has served as a presiding officer for judicial complaints for the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council and as a special prosecutor for the Rosebud Sioux Tribe.

Lori Simon, 53, new superintendent of Rapid City Area Schools

Lori Simon doesnt do New Year resolutions.

I just set myself up for failure, said the superintendent of the Rapid City school district. So this year I told myself, no big resolutions other than to stay as healthy as possible, so I can be my best everyday.

Simon arrived in the warmer days of summer, coming from a school district near Minneapolis to replace outgoing Superintendent Tim Mitchell.

2016 has been a real year of transitions for me, personally and professionally, she said. Im really enjoying it here in the Black Hills.

Since her arrival, she has busied herself with listening to parents, teachers and students on how to improve the district. In 2017, she hopes to put the best of those suggestions into practice.

As we begin 2017 Im really looking forward to seeing a lot of these recommendations and plans come to fruition, she said.

A new district website and strategic plan are just a few of Simons initiatives that will be realized in the coming months, when the snow begins to melt.

The new year will not be without its challenges, however.

Theres an enormous amount of work ahead of us, Simon said. Theres a lot to think about as we look at the 2017-18 school year and beyond. We need to refocus our efforts on improving school attendance. We need to continue to focus on improving student learning, and put more resources on early interventions. We need to continue to improve our curriculum, and really along with, that develop more pathways for students.

Uncertainty about public education policy under the incoming Trump Administration is another concern, Simon once again reiterated.

For now, shes focused on whats in front of her.

Theres a lot of work ahead, she said. And I know were going to work together.

Mark DiSanto, 51, newly elected Pennington County commissioner

Mark DiSanto ousted two-term commissioner Lyndell Petersen for the District Four representative spot in June. He comes into his first commissioner meeting on Jan. 3 vowing to reign in county spending and bring some decorum to the meetings.

Im hoping to get the commission running a little more professionally, he said last week. Id like to see the meeting being run in a more respectful manner where were focusing on the subject at hand rather than our opinions of each other.

DiSanto, a Rapid City native, has run an insurance company for the Knights of Columbus for the past 19 years and is the husband of state Rep. Lynne DiSanto, R-Rapid City, who represents the 35th House District.

At the first meeting of 2017, DiSanto and newly elected commissioner, Lloyd LaCroix in District Two, who took the place of Nancy Trautman who did not run for re-election, will take their seats alongside Deb Hadcock, George Ferebee and Ron Buskerud. They will have to elect a new chairman, but no matter who it is, DiSanto said he hopes to not only see the meetings focus on county business, but that the commissioners focus on how they spend money.

Id like to see the commission thinking about how theyre spending the taxpayers money, DiSanto said.

The new representative for District Four, which includes an area from Rapid Valley to Wall, said hes not in agreement with most of the spending commissioners have approved in recent years.

Id like to lend my thoughts on why we need to spend in certain areas, he said. There are some areas such as the new addition onto the courthouse, I believe, is wasteful spending and it doesnt benefit our taxpayers.

He said is aware of how challenging the job ahead will be and he is prepared to give it his all.

Im on an uphill learning curve, but frankly I look forward to new challenges and being able to learn the ropes so I can accomplish those goals, DiSanto said. Knowing whats going on and understanding the whole picture is very important to creating an atmosphere where we can get along better and get things accomplished.

Katie Ceroll, 32, director, SD Game, Fish & Parks recreation division

For Katie Ceroll, newly appointed director of the state Game, Fish and Parks Division of Parks and Recreation, 2017 holds the prospect of a controversial new state park in Spearfish Canyon. But Ceroll says shes up to the challenge.

Appointed to her post in late March by Gov. Daugaard, the 10-year veteran of GF&P previously served as a naturalist, park manager, and district and regional supervisor, mostly confined to the northeast portion of South Dakota.

I knew I had a learning curve walking into the post, Ceroll said last week. I knew I had to get acclimated fast to all the other parks in the state because each is so very unique and every community and manager has a passion for their park.

In coming months, the 32-year-old married mother of two young daughters will be keeping a close eye on the U.S. Congress as it considers Gov. Daugaards plan for a state-federal land-swap critical to creating South Dakotas 14th state park in scenic Spearfish Canyon. If approved, she would be charged with leading efforts to create and manage the new preserve.

Spearfish Canyon would be only the second state park established in South Dakota over the past generation, she said. Of course Im excited to work through the master planning process and work with those who are passionate about the canyon.

"At the end of the day, we want a stewardship plan that will be the best out there, and a staff with enhanced abilities to be the best managers they can be.
LAMBERT, Mt. - Snow, cold and feeding cattle continues as winter holds its grip on northeastern Montana/northwestern North Dakota.We've been busy moving lots of snow and of course, feeding cows twice a day, every day, said Whitney Klasna, who operates a Hereford/Black Baldy commercial cow/calf operation with her husband, Dylan, and his parents, Kim and Tim.After a blizzard in December, at least a foot of snow was left that turned to hard ice after Chinook winds melted the snow and refroze. Then another snowstorm and blizzard arrived on Christmas weekend, leaving about of foot of snow on top of the ice.Temperatures were in the single digits on the last weekend of December.The cows seem to be handling the weather well, Whitney said. Their pasture at home, where the cows were brought during the blizzard, splits into two areas with a county road in the middle. Cows can move through the concrete culvert underneath the road and get into an area where there are more hills to block the wind.There are a few cows that don't like to go in the tunnel, and they stay behind, so I'll feed them some extra grain treats, said Whitney, with a laugh. Their windbreaks are set in the pastures to protect from northwest winds, but hills are the main breaks for the cows in the easterly winds, which are more rare.Whitney is hopeful for cattle and crop producers as 2017 arrives.We're hopeful for a better year in 2017. We've had a nice uptick in cattle prices recently, and we are hopeful prices will be better for all commodities, she said.Whitney is on several cattle producer boards, including the Montana Livestock Loss Board. She will be working in 2017 as part of these groups and as an interested livestock producer to monitor the upcoming Montana State Legislature and the new President-Elect Donald Trump administration.Montana has been having budget concerns, and the Montana Livestock Loss Board hopes to at least maintain the same funding level we've had since the 2015 Legislative Session. The funding helps compensate producers dealing with wolf and grizzly bear kills, Whitney said.The ag groups work to find both financial and other support for issues to help sustain and build a future for livestock producers across Montana and the U.S.We are going to be very busy this month, she said.Whitney participated in the U.S. Cattlemen's Association (USCA) Board via teleconference, as she is the national secretary.We defined our 2017 priorities. Our main goal is to gain transparency and true price discovery in the markets for U.S. cattle producers, she said. USCA will also continue to work on opening up markets for U.S. cattle producers and reinstate country of origin labeling.USCA recently launched its cattle market website, a new site that reports what sales barn auction managers are seeing with sale trends. They also post price discovery news, provide USDA price reporting and trade statistics, as well as have weekly reminders of what went on with the markets and the future outlook.In addition, there are links to many cattle producer sites, and a blog called The Beef. The blog has discussions about market conditions and changing times in the beef industry, the reasons for them, and the possible strategies to adapt to survive. For more about the new site, see www.cattlemarketnews.com and follow USCA on Facebook and Twitter.Whitney commented the USCA is planning its 2017 fly-in to Washington, D.C., where they will meet with Congress, the administration, and industry partners. USCA is also actively planning their 2017 Cattlemen's Forum in Billings, Mont., for this September.As president of the Montana Women Involved in Farm Economics (WIFE), Whitney is making plans with the group for their meeting with the 2017 Montana Legislature Jan. 24 to make sure their issues are heard.WIFE is having a social with Montana state legislators and meeting with the Montana Association of Conservation Districts and other industry groups at the same time.We'll be talking about topics of concern, such as water issues, property rights, and others. It is a great opportunity to meet with different groups and have one-on-one conversations with the Legislators, Whitney said.In addition to her work with the Livestock Loss Board, USCA, and WIFE, Whitney has been actively working with other women to plan the 2017 Women Stepping Forward for Agriculture Conference for next September.She is also working with others serving with her on the REAL Montana Leadership program Advisory Committee, to plan the rest of Class II's seminars and set Class III's schedule.Class II of REAL Montana is getting ready to leave on their International Experience to Colombia and will be graduating after two additional seminars in Helena and Kalispell. Applications for Class III are open this spring, she said.For more information about REAL Montana, see www.realmontana.org and follow REAL Montana on Facebook.On the home front, the Klasnas spent Christmas Eve with Dylan's aunt and uncle where they replicated some of their family's Danish traditions during Christmas. Dylan's grandfather came to Montana from Denmark as a small child.They ate some traditional Danish foods, and then they gathered in a circle around the Christmas tree, and danced and sang both traditional and Danish carols.We were the dancing Danes, Whitney laughed.The next day, they invited neighbors and family to their home for Christmas, but warned everyone first about the incoming snowstorm.Everyone had a really good time, even with the blizzard blowing outside, she added. Everyone made it home okay, as well. Whitney was relieved they didn't get any of the freezing rain that some locations in North and South Dakota got.The Klasnas are now finalizing their financial paperwork and doing end of the year accounting and next year planning. They will be ringing in the New Year with Whitney's parents and family at her family's farm and ranch north of Miles City, Mont. The Klasnas wish everyone a joyous and prosperous 2017.
The Bitterroot Public Library celebrated 2016 as its centennial year in its current location.

Library staff and patrons chose 100 Years of Empowering Our Community and celebrated with events, continued services, purchases of educational items and added a roof over the west ramp.

Library Director Mark Wetherington said the centennial year was a fun celebration and a great show of support by The Friends of the Library, the Bitterroot Public Library Foundation, volunteers and the community at large.

It was a great time for people to recognize this is an institution that has been here for 100 years and to know well strive to continue offering needed services for the next 100 years, he said.

A birthday party, a launch of the Little Free Library, Read to 100 Cats and Dogs, the summer reading program and old book displays were popular and well attended. Most of the favorite programs continued and there were some great accomplishments.

Putting a roof over the ramp is not necessarily a centennial project but one we are proud of, Wetherington said.

The ramp provides access for patrons with wheelchairs, walkers, and a desire to avoid stairs. The library staff receives an average of 180 pounds of books five days a week to fill patron needs, and uses the ramp for those deliveries.

When you sign up for a Bitterroot library card it not just the books on our shelves but four million books or more through the Montana Shared Catalog Partner System, Wetherington said.

The Bitterroot Public Library has a goal of providing technology to its patrons. Public access is available to desktop computers and smaller devices thanks to library funding and a grant from the Annie Mclay Leffingwell Foundation. iPads had been limited to use in the library but are now available for two-week take-home checkout.

Technology keeps getting smaller and smaller and connections keep getting bigger and bigger, Wetherington said. Many of the tech devices are personalized; it is different than it used to be.

The library added two additional iPads with the Montana Library to Go e-book app called Overdrive that allows patrons check out e-books.

It is a little more useful, Wetherington said. With an iPad you can take a picture, check your email, search the internet and with the Overdrive app you can read a book of your choice.

Wetherington said one challenge of the library is guessing what patrons want. The library staff and advisory board is gearing up to look at the future direction for the library.

Our Current Strategic Plan is on our website goes 2013 to 2017 and were starting the planning process, Wetherington said. Wed like to have public input. Were in the pre-planning process now.

The Bitterroot Public Library has a documentary and narrative film series coming up in January, with some movies so new they are not even available on DVD. All films will be shown at 7 p.m. in the library meeting room.

Nansu Roddy, adult services librarian, arranges the series each year.

Every year I have to negotiate with a company to purchase the films and what I show depends on what I can get for a good price, she said. The emphasis this year is on documentary and narrative and there is comedy because we need levity in the winter months. It isnt the darkest time of the year, we just celebrated the winter solstice and its getting lighter every day.

Dough directed by John Goldschmidt is a 94 minute comedy about a curmudgeonly bakery owner in Londons east end will be shown Jan. 18. Fever at Dawn is based on a book of the same name about a man freed from a concentration camp and starting over, Jan. 25. Once in a Lifetime was directed by Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar and about a history teacher who chooses to give the best education to underprivileged inner-city pupils, Feb. 1. Hummus! The Movie is about chickpea dishes around the world, Feb. 8. Natasha was written and directed by David Bezmozgis is about life, arranged marriage and forbidden romance, Feb. 15.

These are great films and well be serving popcorn, Roddy said. This time Ill serve organic popcorn with brewers yeast if people wish. It is really good. 

Sally Blevins, youth librarian director, is coordinating January events about dogs. Making toys and tote bags will be the event on Jan. 4 and making treat bags will be Jan. 18.

There will be a Dog Training Demonstration at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 14 with Dog Trainer Sarah Spencer Hall from Sit Happens in Missoula.

We will also be reading to dogs and cats on January 11 at the Bitterroot Humane Association as we continue our monthly program there on the second Wednesday of each month at 3:45 p.m., Blevins said.

Kids can sign up to read to a dog in the library on Saturdays, Jan. 14 and 21. Blevins and her long-haired German Shepherd, Jazzy, are registered as a Pet Therapy Team.

Reading aloud to a dog has been proven to be effective in increasing a childs confidence and reading fluency, Blevins said. After all, dogs are wonderful non-judgmental listeners!
In November, Salim Matt Gras hauled a load of donated food, clothing and other gear to the water protectors at the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation.

Next week, the Hamilton man will join with others from the community who made the same pilgrimage to share their stories and thoughts with the community about the continuing protest in North Dakota.

A panel discussion will be held at the Ravalli County Museum from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Jan. 4.

The event was initially planned to be hosted by the Bitterroot Library, but was moved after people worried there wouldnt be enough room there to accommodate the crowd.

When Gras returned to Hamilton from Standing Rock, he heard from a lot of people who wanted to know what he had seen and learned during his two-and-a-half week stay at the makeshift camp.

Initially, he thought he would host a small gathering to tell folks about his experiences there. But when he started to spread the word about that idea, he discovered there were a fair number of other people from the Bitterroot Valley who had gone or were going to Standing Rock to offer their own support to people gathered there.

I started putting out feelers, he said. We got connected with each other. I found that there are a lot of people here who care passionately about whats happening there.

Most recently, Dustin Monroe of Missoula has offered to take part in the panel.

An enrolled member of the Assiniboine Tribe of Montana and an Iraq War veteran, Monroe served as the Montana United Indian Association executive director and outreach coordinator for Wounded Warriors Brigade at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C.

Monroe made the 11-hour trip to Standing Rock several times to bring supplies to the thousands protesting the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline. He was also part of the 4,000-strong contingent of military veterans who converged on Standing Rock to support the protesters.

Other panel members include Saladin Frank Pelfrey, a Hamilton resident who delivered supplies during one of the recent blizzards and Victor resident Bill Lacroix who brought a truckload of donated supplies to the camp.

Panel members will share their experiences of spending time in the camp.

Its a complex issue, Gras said. The primary goal of Standing Rock is to defeat this particular pipeline. A secondary goal is to defeat all pipelines.

Gras expects there may be discussion of the issue of Native American sovereignty and treaty rights.

We may talk about how those are being violated, he said. Many, many Native Americans told me that whats going on now isnt new for them. They have been dealing with this for 500 years.

Gras expects that the panel will accept written questions.

We want to keep this civil, he said.
Getting nearly naked wasnt enough to keep Catherine Lila Roberts from being arrested Tuesday on drug charges.

Roberts, 39, appeared this week before Ravalli County Justice Jim Bailey on a felony count of possession of methamphetamine and misdemeanor counts of marijuana possession and drug paraphernalia.

According to an affidavit, a sheriffs deputy was dispatched to the home Roberts and Michael Curtis Sullivan on Indian Prairie Loop in Stevensville to serve two active arrest warrants on the woman.

When the deputy pulled into the driveway, he spoke to Sullivan, who said Roberts was inside the house.

At that point, Roberts daughter was sitting inside a nearby vehicle.

When the deputy knocked on the door, Roberts refused to answer. Her daughter then walked up to the house and opened the door for the deputy.

Roberts was located in a back bedroom behind a locked door.

Through the door, the deputy told Roberts about the active warrants and the woman opened the door slightly.

The affidavit said Roberts then began to argue with the deputy and attempted to shut the door. When the deputy pushed back on the door, it broke off.

Roberts then allegedly stripped off her clothes and remained nearly naked for the next 20 to 30 minutes while she argued about the warrants.

The deputy eventually convinced Roberts to put on some clothes and she was transported to the Ravalli County Detention Center.

While inside the home, the deputy saw marijuana and methamphetamine pipes in plain view in the bedroom and a baggy of marijuana in the living room.

The affidavit said Sullivan was questioned about the drugs. He allegedly admitted to owning the marijuana, but denied ownership of the methamphetamine.

After obtaining search warrants, the urine of Roberts and Sullivan was tested.

Roberts urine was positive for buprenorphine. Methamphetamine and marijuana were detected in Sullivans urine.

Sullivan was charged with felony possession of methamphetamine and misdemeanor charges involving the marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

Sullivan was released on his own recognizance with a requirement to wear a drug monitoring device.

Bailey set Roberts bail at $20,000.

This wasnt the first time Roberts had an argument with the law this year that resulted in her arrest.

Roberts was arrested for misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest and obstructing a police officer in April after a confrontation occurred when her 22-year-old son was pulled over on Highway 93.

Charging documents in that case said Roberts was asked to exit the vehicle after her sons arrest on an active warrant. While getting out the car, Roberts tried to remove a bag, backpack and a purse.

When the trooper told her she would have to leave those behind unless she was willing to consent to a search of the items, Roberts refused the search or to put the bag down.

The affidavit in that case said she then became agitated and attempted to take an unknown quantity of unknown medication from a pill bottle in her purse.

After she refused to follow the troopers orders to exit the vehicle and physically resisted, Roberts was pulled from the vehicle and arrested.
Tara Walker Lyons had no idea what to expect when she took the stage at the Poplar High School a few weeks back.

She had traveled across the state to talk to students about a subject that no one wants to consider.

I thought maybe I would look out and see all these little lights as they checked out their cell phones, the Hamilton mother said.

Instead, as she told her story of being sexually abused at the age of six and the challenges she has faced since then, Lyons said that all eyes in that room were fixed on her.

She knew that they felt and understood her pain.

Poplar High School Principal Dwain Haggard wrote Lyons a letter of recommendation after that day.

I dont believe I have ever seen my students so transfixed as Ms. Lyons told of her experiences and struggles as a child abuse survivor, Haggard wrote.

When that talk came to an end, Haggard said several students asked to speak to counselors. One even stepped forward before the presentation was done.

Ms. Lyons story was full of pain and passion and touched us all to our very core, Haggard wrote. Her journey is a lonely journey that so many kids are experiencing and its a journey that Ms. Lyons has had the courage to share for the good of others.

Haggard encouraged other school leaders to provide her a chance to speak in their own communities.

Many of our children are at risk in the very place they should feel the safest, their homes, Haggard wrote. Worst of all, they have no idea how to deal with the abuse. Ms. Lyons message provides the guidance and insight to help our kids deal with this worst of crimes.

Lyons believes there is only way to stop this crime against children that most people want to think is just not possible.

We have to find a way to bring it into the light, Lyons said. We have to provide children with a chance to make it stop.

On Tuesday, Lyons will go to Helena in hopes of finding a champion for that cause.

She will spend the day meeting with state legislators with the hope of convincing at least one to carry a bill that Lyons is certain will change the lives of children destined to cross paths with sexual predators.

In her hand, shell carry a copy of Erins Law.

Named for a childhood sexual assault survivor -- author, speaker and activist Erin Merryn -- the law requires all public schools to implement a prevention-orientated child sexual abuse program that teaches kids that theyre not the ones who are doing something wrong.

The grades K-12 curriculum teaches age-appropriate techniques that help children recognize child sexual abuse and encourages them to reach out to a trusted adult to make it stop.

Montana is one of six states in the country that doesnt have something like Erins Law in place to protect its children from sexual abuse.

There are 26 states that have already implemented the law. Another 17 are working through the process.

Sarah Grande of Rocker believes that had that program been implemented in Montana, her daughter may have been spared the abuse she suffered at the hands of a Hamilton man.

Thats not something that you think is going to happen to your child, Grande said. My daughter told me later that the schools teach you seven ways of saying no to drugs. Why dont they teach how to get help when this happens to you?

She told me if I would have known, I would have talked to someone the first time it happened, Grande said. Children dont know what to do. They have zero life experience in trying to deal with a situation like that.

The girls abuser, Justin Gale Walker of Hamilton, was sentenced to prison in November 2015.

Grandes daughter, Elianah, turned 11 this past November.

She  like Lyons  has decided that she wont be silent about what happened to her. If she gets the chance, Grande said her daughter will stand right alongside Lyons when it comes time to testify in favor of Erins Law.

Grande said the choice of stepping forward was entirely her daughters.

I would have stopped when he went to jail, she said. I thought at that point, it was pretty much done for us. We were all emotionally exhausted.

But Elianah learned about Lyons efforts to bring this crime out of the shadows.

She saw her standing up for people who cant stand up for themselves, Grande said. She wanted to be part of that.

She has already spoken before a legislative committee. Her efforts have earned her an invitation to an ambassador leadership program that will be held in July at Harvard.

She wants to become a judge, Grande said. There is something in her that I believe will change a lot of things in this worldElianah means Gift from God.

Grande saw the impact that Elianahs testimony had on the legislative committee.

When youre an adult, that innocence of childhood is gone, Grande said. People have a hard time seeing you as a child. Elianah knows that she can make a difference if given the chance. Shes told me that if I ever tell anyone no, that she was going to be upset with me. She wants that choice to be hers.

Lyons hopes that she and Elianah will be given the chance to tell to their stories to the Legislature while talking about the need for Erins Law.

Kierstin Schmitt of Emmas House Childrens Advocacy Center knows the chances for children to fully recover from the trauma caused by sexual abuse can be hastened by early disclosures.

We feel like there are a lot of children who come here who express the feeling that if someone had talked to them, they would have disclosed what happened to them sooner, Schmitt said. They would have been able to get help sooner.

There is science that shows that adverse childhood experiences of abuse or neglect can lead to very serious health and emotional impacts later in a persons life.

Childhood sexual abuse has been a taboo subject for a very long time, Schmitt said. Its not spoken about in public very often. If we can just open up that dialogue and get these kids some help early on, theres a better chance of recovery and breaking this cycle.

Lyons has played a key role in taking that first step of breaking down those doors.

She speaks clearly about her experience and the direct impacts that its had on her life, Schmitt said. She is passionate and poised and truly embodies the experience of a sexually abused child who has risen up to become a survivor.

State Attorney General Tim Fox called Lyons his hero on a radio program recently.

Sexual abuse is an atrocity that is far too common in this day and age, Fox said, in a statement. Its an abhorrent crime under any circumstance, but is even worse when it involves children.

Combating sexual abuse is a top priority for the Montana Department of Justice, and the work of individuals like Tara is an invaluable component to the larger effort of preventing kids from enduring such horrendous circumstances, he said. Tara should be commended for the work she does.
Ted Belman

As Newt Gingrich said in 2011, "The Palestinians are an invented people."

In 1964, the Palestine Liberation Organization was formed to liberate Palestine through armed struggle. But it took years for the notion of a Palestinian people to crystalize. In 1967, they were not recognized as such, nor were they considered a party to the conflict. Security Council Resolution 242 passed after the '67 war, made no mention of them.

The US as a matter of policy, promoted the PLO as the representative of the Palestinian people and forced Israel to accept them in peace discussions at the Madrid Conference in 1991.

In 1993, Israel signed along with them the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements (Oslo I) and in 1995 the Interim Agreement on the West Bank (Oslo II) but these Accords made no mention of giving them a state.

Surprisingly, President George W. Bush gave it the first official nod for the first time in his vision speech of 2002. This speech came about in response to enormous pressure from Saudi Arabia which was demanding the creation of such a state. Even so, it was conditioned on the Palestinians fighting terror, not aiding it or abetting it. In fact, there were many other pre-conditions to the creation of the state. But the US and the world quickly forgot about the preconditions and went forward with the idea that the Palestinians were entitled to a state.

Then in 2004, Bush gave a very important letter of assurances to PM Sharon in order to support his plans for disengagement.

"The United States will do its utmost to prevent any attempt by anyone to impose any other plan. Under the roadmap, Palestinians must undertake an immediate cessation of armed activity and all acts of violence against Israelis anywhere, and all official Palestinian institutions must end incitement against Israel. The Palestinian leadership must act decisively against terror, including sustained, targeted, and effective operations to stop terrorism and dismantle terrorist capabilities and infrastructure. Palestinians must undertake a comprehensive and fundamental political reform that includes a strong parliamentary democracy and an empowered prime minister.

"Second, there will be no security for Israelis or Palestinians until they and all states, in the region and beyond, join together to fight terrorism and dismantle terrorist organizations. The United States reiterates its steadfast commitment to Israel's security, including secure, defensible borders, and to preserve and strengthen Israel's capability to deter and defend itself, by itself, against any threat or possible combination of threats.[..]

"As part of a final peace settlement, Israel must have secure and recognized borders, which should emerge from negotiations between the parties in accordance with UNSC Resolutions 242 and 338."

In this letter, which amounted to a contract, Bush committed the US to prevent any other plan being imposed. He also committed the US to Israel's security and reiterated Israel's right to defensible borders. By affirming Res 242, he was affirming that Israel need not vacate 100% of the land.

Within a couple of months of President Obama's inauguration in 2009, he repudiated this contract. In response to this and other indicators, I wrote that Obama intended to impose a solution on Israel. I explained on these pages in 2009 that he had to repudiate it because the contract if allowed to stand, committed the US to oppose the imposition of any other plan.

Obama then forced Netanyahu to recognize a Palestinian right to a state in his Bar Ilan Speech in June 2009 in which Netanyahu said:

"In my vision of peace, in this small land of ours, two peoples live freely, side-by-side, in amity and mutual respect. Each will have its own flag, its own national anthem, its own government. Neither will threaten the security or survival of the other."

He went on to stipulate two demands or preconditions: namely the new state must be demilitarized and must recognize Israel as the State of the Jewish people. This was the first time Netanyahu or his party embraced the two state solution. Obama was satisfied even with all the pre-conditions and stipulations. He got what he wanted. He would ignore the stipulations. And this resolution does just that.

Next, he backed the Arab Peace Initiative, which called for 100% withdrawal, contrary to Res 242, albeit with mutually agreed swaps.

Then he demanded a complete building freeze, even in Jerusalem. Even so he could not get any concessions from either the Arab League or from the PA as compensation. Having no other choice, he backed the PA's demand that, as the price of the PA entering negotiations, Israel should release over 100 Arab prisoners with blood on their hands. Israel agreed, though no one had any expectations that the PA would compromise. This prisoner release was in effect another freebie for them.

After strenuous efforts to achieve an agreement, Obama backed off but demanded that there be a continued freeze and nothing be done to make untenable the two-state solution.

But he hadn't given up. By engineering the passage of Security Council Resolution 2334 declaring "the establishment by Israel of settlements in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, has no legal validity" and demanding 100% withdrawal, he, in effect, was getting the Security Council to back his parameters for a peace agreement, namely '67 lines plus swaps, with a divided Jerusalem.

This, in other words, is a demand by the international community that all lands east of the '67 lines be free of Jews (judenrein, as the Nazis used to put it). That would include the Jewish neighborhoods in the eastern part of Jerusalem. Thus, the lands east of the '67 lines must be ethnically cleansed of the 900,000 Jews that live there. A majority of which Jews were born there.

The Security Council underlined "that it will not recognize any changes to the 4 June 1967 lines, including with regard to Jerusalem, other than those agreed by the parties through negotiations." Thus the Jews were denied the Temple Mount, the Old City, including the Jewish Quarter, the Holy Basin and the Western Wall, otherwise known as the Kotel.

This resolution completely overturned Res 242, which was passed 50 years ago and which was the cornerstone of all subsequent initiatives like the Oslo Accords, the Roadmap and the Bush letter of '04. Throughout this entire period, all US presidents stressed the need for direct negotiations to settle all disputes. Any concessions that Israel made along the way were conditioned on the basis of direct negotiations to come.

This resolution removed from such negotiations, the ultimate borders, the fate of the settlements, the requirement that the borders be defensible and whether to create a state.

In the Oslo Accords, Israel made major concessions to the Palestine Liberation Organization representing the Arabs by inviting them into the territories and granting them autonomy in Areas A and B as demarcated by the Accords, believing that all Israeli safeguards in the Accords would protect her. Keep in mind that the Accords did not promise the Arabs a state nor did they proscribe settlement activity.

Prior to signing these Accords, Israel insisted that the PLO accept Res 242 as binding. This was important to Israel because it stipulated that Israel need only withdraw to "recognized and secure" borders. This new resolution negates all Israeli safeguards but not the concessions made by Israel. To do so is unconscionable.

On the one hand, the UN continually accuses Israel of violating international law and declares the settlements illegal by international law; yet, on the other hand, it ignores salient facts and binding contracts. The resolution thus violates the international legal order itself. The UN should be governed by law not by caprice.

Another example of invoking a law that doesn't exist is the clause which cites "the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by force". Howard Adelman makes short shrift of this proposition. There is no such law.

This resolution is built upon the proposition that the settlements are illegal by international law. But what if they aren't? The UN holds that the lands in question are subject to the Fourth Geneva Convention, which applies whenever a High Contracting Party (HCP) i.e., a country which signed the convention, belligerently occupies the land of another HCP. But in this case the lands in question were not the land of a HCP but were unallocated land under the Palestine Mandate.

PM Netanyahu appointed a commission consisting of one retired High Court Judge and two senior lawyers to study the matter. In 2014, it issued the Levy Report, which concluded that the FGC does not apply. But even if it does apply, it doesn't prevent Jews from voluntarily settling on the lands. And keep in mind that the Palestine Mandate gave Jews the right of close settlement on these lands, which right has never been terminated, nor can it be.

This matter has never been determined by a court of competent jurisdiction and thus the UN has no right to treat it as settled law.

To use the vernacular, Israel is being railroaded into creating a Palestinian state on all the territories captured 50 years ago, contrary to law, the facts, and existing agreements. Everything is twisted to label Israel a violator of law, when in fact it is the UN that is the violator. All this on behalf of an invented people who didn't exist 50 years ago.
TANAHUN, Jan 1: Nepali Congress senior leader Ram Chandra Poudel today said it was wrong that CPN (UML) was viewing the people as 'India'.

At a press conference held by Nepal Press Union, Tanahun Chapter this morning in Damauli, Poudel accused UML of double standards  taking a stand on addressing the Madhesi people's demand by amending the constitution while it lead the government and suddenly opposing amendment after getting out.

Poudel added further that running away from amendment and not allowing the lawmakers to make any movement gave him a feeling as if UML was trying to insult Madhes.

There is no option than for everyone to come together and address the demands of the disgruntled sides in Madhes, leader Poudel shared. He said that Congress, UML and Maoist Centre promulgated the constitution and must forge alliance to amend it.

Stating that the country was moving forward through a different mode, Poudel stressed on holding the local body elections as soon as possible. RSS
Kathmandu, Nepal: CPN UML General Secretary Ishowr Pokhrel has said that his party will not let to discuss in the parliament over the constitution amendment bill.

Speaking at a interaction program in Kathmandu on Sunday Pokhrel also alleged the government allies for inviting confrontations by agreeing with the agitating Madhes based parties to proceed the constitution amendment bill in the parliament.

During a meeting with the Madhesi leaders on Saturday prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal had made an agreement to proceed the constitution amendment bill.
United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee v. LAURA MARIE ELKINS, Defendant-Appellant No. 16-10443 Decided: December 27, 2016

Before HIGGINBOTHAM, PRADO, and HAYNES, Circuit Judges.

Laura Marie Elkins appeals the 16-month sentence imposed on her guilty plea conviction for possession of stolen mail. See 18 U.S.C.  1708. She also received a three-year sentence of supervised release. The sentence is above the six-month high end of the guidelines sentencing range but within the statutory maximum term of five years. See  1708.

Elkins sole issue on appeal is framed as a challenge only to the substantive reasonableness of the sentence. Nonetheless, Elkins argues that the district court: (1) employed an improper procedure by tentatively observing in advance of the sentencing hearing that the guidelines range may be inadequate, (2) determined a sentence without considering all the sentencing factors, and (3) failed to adequately explain the sentence. These arguments would be subject to plain error review, as they were not raised in the district court. See Puckett v. United States, 556 U.S. 129, 135 (2009); United States v. Duhon, 541 F.3d 391, 396 (5th Cir. 2008). Far from being plain error, the district court's arriving at a tentative sentencing decision and announcing it before the sentencing hearing did not offend sound practice, as judges in all cases should make sure that the information provided to the parties in advance of the [sentencing] hearing, and in the hearing itself, has given them an adequate opportunity to confront and debate the relevant issues. Irizarry v. United States, 553 U.S. 708, 713-16 (2008). Here, the district court made clear that it was inviting discussion and argument about the points it raised before the hearing. Thus, her claim is subject to reasonable dispute and cannot be plain error. See Puckett, 556 U.S. at 135; see also United States v. Ellis, 564 F.3d 370, 377-78 (5th Cir. 2009). Further, the district court gave an explanation for its sentence and demonstrated that it considered the relevant factors. Therefore, Elkins has not carried her burden of showing plain error in those respects. See United States v. Sandlin, 589 F.3d 749, 757 (5th Cir. 2009).

We also reject Elkins's claim that her sentence is excessive and therefore substantively unreasonable. We note that Elkins's own counsel suggested a guidelines sentencing range of 10 to 16 months, but we pretermit the question of invited error. See United States v. Baytank (Houston), Inc., 934 F.2d 599, 606-07 (5th Cir. 1991). Elkins cannot prevail even under the more deferential abuse-of-discretion standard of review. See United States v. Rodriguez, 602 F.3d 346, 351 (5th Cir. 2010); United States v. Rodriguez, 523 F.3d 519, 525 (5th Cir. 2008).

Elkins offers no convincing reason for forgoing the deferential review of the district court's choice of sentence that precedent ordains. See Gall v. United States, 552 U.S. 38, 46, 49-50 (2007); see also United States v. Smith, 440 F.3d 704, 707 (5th Cir. 2006). Instead, she stakes her claim of substantive unreasonableness on her contention that procedural error necessarily resulted in the arbitrary selection of her sentence and on her conclusory assertion that justice does not require her to suffer an enhanced sentence. Because she has not demonstrated any procedural error, Elkins cannot prevail on a dependent claim of substantive unreasonableness. Nor has she shown that the district court erred in reasoning that the  3553(a) factors, on the whole, justified the sentence. Gall, 552 U.S. at 59-60. The district court emphasized that Elkins had engaged in extensive criminal activity in addition to but not unrelated to her crime of stealing mail. Even if we agreed with Elkins that a different sentence [is] appropriate, that would be insufficient to justify reversal. Id.

AFFIRMED.

PER CURIAM:*
United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee v. JESUS MANUEL GUEDEA-MARTINEZ, Defendant-Appellant No. 16-50287 Decided: December 28, 2016

Before HIGGINBOTHAM, PRADO, and HAYNES, Circuit Judges.

Jesus Manuel Guedea-Martinez appeals the district court's denial of a sentence reduction under 18 U.S.C.  3582(c)(2). He contends that the court, in finding that he did not warrant a reduction of his sentence, failed to properly apply the applicable sentencing factors and erroneously construed the record.

Section 3582(c)(2) permits a discretionary modification of a defendant's sentence for cases in which the Guidelines sentencing range has subsequently been lowered by the Sentencing Commission.  3582(c)(2); see United States v. Doublin, 572 F.3d 235, 237 (5th Cir. 2009). In the context of a  3582(c)(2) motion for a sentence reduction, the district court must consider the 18 U.S.C.  3553(a) factors, although it need not mention the  3553(a) factors or articulate its reasoning for why the factors support its decision on the motion. United States v. Larry, 632 F.3d 933, 936 (5th Cir. 2011) (internal citation omitted). We review a district court's decision whether to reduce a sentence pursuant to  3582(c)(2) for abuse of discretion. United States v. Henderson, 636 F.3d 713, 717 (5th Cir. 2011).

Guedea-Martinez has not demonstrated that the district court committed any error of law or that its decision was based on a clearly erroneous assessment of the evidence, particularly because at the sentencing hearing the district court quickly corrected its initial misconstruction of the alleged obstruction enhancement. Larry, 632 F.3d at 936. The court's allocution at the hearing indicated several legitimate  3553(a) bases for its denial, including the seriousness of the offense, the nature and circumstances of the offense, and the characteristics of Guedea-Martinez.  3553(a)(1), (2)(A). Because the district court supported its decision by a number of  3553(a) factors and committed no error, there is no basis to disturb the denial of a sentence reduction here.

AFFIRMED.

PER CURIAM:*
United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee v. CHANSAVATH THIPPRACHACK, Defendant-Appellant No. 16-10025 Decided: December 28, 2016

Before KING, DENNIS, and COSTA, Circuit Judges.

Chansavath Thipprachack challenges the sufficiency of the factual basis supporting his guilty plea to the charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in violation of 18 U.S.C.  922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2). He contends that the Supreme Court's decision in McFadden v. United States, 135 S. Ct. 2298 (2015), calls into question our holding in United States v. Dancy, 861 F.2d 77, 81-82 (5th Cir. 1988), that the offense does not require knowledge of a firearm's interstate nexus. Relying on Nat'l Fed'n of Indep. Bus. v. Sebelius, 132 S. Ct. 2566 (2012), Thipprachack additionally contends that  922(g)(1) is unconstitutional because it exceeds the federal government's power under the Commerce Clause.

Because McFadden does not unequivocally direct this court to overrule Dancy, we are not at liberty to overrule our settled precedent. United States v. Alcantar, 733 F.3d 143, 146 (5th Cir. 2013). Moreover, as Thipprachack concedes, his Commerce Clause argument is foreclosed by Alcantar, which rejected a similar challenge to the constitutionality of  922(g)(1). Alcantar, 733 F.3d at 145-46.

The judgment of the district court is AFFIRMED. The Government's motion for summary affirmance is DENIED. See Groendyke Transp., Inc. v. Davis, 406 F.2d 1158, 1162 (5th Cir. 1969). Its alternative motion for an extension of time is DENIED as unnecessary.

PER CURIAM:*
Seguin, TX (78155)

Today

Showers early then scattered thunderstorms developing later in the day. High 84F. Winds S at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Higher wind gusts possible..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms in the evening. Partly cloudy skies overnight. Low 53F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff - Appellee v. DENNIS BARSON, JR.; DARIO JUAREZ, Defendants - Appellants No. 15-20416 Decided: December 28, 2016

Before REAVLEY, DAVIS, and JONES, Circuit Judges.

Defendants appeal their convictions for conspiracy to commit health care fraud and several substantive counts of health care fraud. Defendants primarily challenge the sufficiency of the evidence, the court's deliberate ignorance jury instruction, a number of evidentiary rulings, and the enhancements applied to their sentences. We AFFIRM.

I.

Defendants Dennis Barson, Jr. and Dario Juarez were charged with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud under 18 U.S.C.  1349 (Count 1) and nineteen counts of health care fraud under 18 U.S.C.  1347 (Counts 2 through 20). After a jury trial, both Defendants were convicted on all 20 counts. The district court sentenced Barson and Juarez to 120 and 130 months of imprisonment, respectively, followed by three years of supervised release. The court also ordered forfeiture and restitution.

Defendant-Appellant Barson was recruited by Edgar Shakbazyan to serve as the medical director for a diagnostic clinic under Shakbazyan's control in Houston, Texas. Shakbazyan was the manager of the clinic and handled the financial affairs of the clinic. He was indicted in a multi-count indictment in this case and was convicted pursuant to his plea of guilty.

At Shakbazyan's request, Barson signed a blank form so the clinic could apply for and obtain a Medicare number to be used to bill Medicare for its services. Barson opened a bank account in his name where Medicare reimbursements could be deposited. Barson also signed a number of blank checks and gave them to Shakbazyan so he could draw on the account.

The clinic opened on June 8, 2009. For $7,000 per month, Barson traveled from Austin to Houston every other Saturday to review patient files. The clinic was set up to perform EKGs, ultrasounds, electrocardiograms, spirometer tests, and physical exams performed by a physician's assistant. Medicare was billed for 9,339 procedures for tests performed on 429 beneficiaries using Barson's Medicare number. Hundreds of the claims were for rectal sensation testing and electromyography studies of the anal or urethral sphincter, which the clinic could not and did not perform. At trial, several of the clinic's patients testified they went to the clinic because they were paid to do so and some never received any medical services. Barson testified he never reviewed bank statements, Medicare remittances, or concern himself with any of the financial affairs of the clinic.

Defendant-Appellant Juarez worked at the clinic and claimed to be a physician's assistant working under Barson's supervision. Juarez, who had no formal medical training, held himself out to patients as a physician and was the medical staff member at the clinic.

Barson closed the clinic on July 30, 2009, after he suspected that the clinic was not above board; however he notified no one of his suspicions.

Several suspicious circumstances came to Barson's attention. In the weeks leading up to closing the clinic, Barson made a number of unsuccessful attempts to reach the California doctor who reviewed ultrasounds for the clinic. Barson also learned in July that Shakbazyan was lying about his true identity. On August 4, a Medicare contractor in charge of waste, fraud, and abuse, opened an investigation into the clinic and tried unsuccessfully to contact Barson by phone. On August 11, Barson closed the clinic bank account set up to receive Medicare reimbursements. Upon receiving his 1099 tax form in February 2010, Barson learned that the clinic's bank account in his name received approximately $1.2 million in Medicare reimbursements. In his testimony, he claimed this was his first notice that this large sum had been deposited in his account during the approximately two months the clinic had been open.

II.

Sufficiency of the evidence challenges are reviewed de novo. In doing so, this Court must determine whether any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. The Court should accept all credibility choices and reasonable inferences made by the trier of fact which tend to support the verdict.

III.

Sufficiency of the Evidence

Defendants' primary challenge on appeal is to the sufficiency of the evidence to establish both the conspiracy count and the substantive counts for health care fraud.

To establish a conspiracy to commit health care fraud, the government must show the existence of an agreement between two or more people to pursue the offense of fraud; the defendant knew of the agreement; and the defendant voluntarily participated in the conspiracy. The agreement may be silent and informal between the conspirators. Further, voluntary participation may be inferred from a collection of circumstances, and knowledge may be inferred from surrounding circumstances. The defendants need not have personally submitted the necessary forms requesting reimbursement from Medicare to be guilty of health care fraud or conspiracy to commit health care fraud. The government may use direct or circumstantial evidence to prove each element.

At trial, both Barson and Juarez argued they had no knowledge of the fraudulent activity, let alone an agreement to commit fraud.

Barson based his argument that he had no knowledge of fraudulent activity on his lack of experience. Before taking the job as the medical director for the clinic, Barson was a physician in the Navy and worked a short time in private practice. When he was hired by Shakbazyan to work for the clinic, Barson was working as a neurology resident in Austin, Texas. On a resident's salary, he argued, he needed the extra money the job at the clinic would provide. Barson had no prior experience with Medicare or medical billing practices in any of his prior positions. Barson argued that he had no way of knowing about the fraudulent scheme because he never saw any patient files that included many of the tests the clinic billed Medicare for. Barson testified that the patient files he reviewed included services that the clinic was set up to provide: EKGs, ultrasounds, electrocardiograms, spirometer tests, and physical exams performed by a physician's assistant. Because he was hired in this limited role to review patient files set aside for him twice a month, Barson maintained that he had no way of knowing that the clinic was engaged in fraudulently billing Medicare.

Similarly, Juarez argued that even though he was impersonating a physician's assistant, he had no knowledge of or access to any of the facility's billing systems.

The government presented ample circumstantial evidence to establish both Defendants' knowledge of the ongoing health care fraud. Barson signed documents in blank allowing the clinic to bill under his Medicare identification number and opened a bank account in his name to receive Medicare reimbursements. He signed a number of blank checks to permit Shakbazyan to draw on the account. He allowed the bank statements to be sent to the clinic and never reviewed them. Barson received a significant sum, $7,000 per month, for reviewing patients' charts every other Saturday. Barson admitted to an FBI investigator that despite his suspicions and bad feelings about the clinic, he reported his suspicions to no one. He quietly closed the clinic on July 30. Barson did not monitor the bank account in his name or review any Medicare remittances that went to the clinic. Upon receiving his 1099 tax form showing that the clinic bank account received nearly $1.2 million, Barson again failed to contact Medicare to report his concerns.

The government also established that Juarez was aware he was participating in a scheme to commit Medicare fraud. Juarez held himself out as a doctor at the clinic and falsely claimed to Barson that he was a physician's assistant, the clinic's on-site medical staff member. Juarez saw almost all of the patients and turned a blind eye to the fact that most of the so-called patients had no need for medical care and that many received no medical care. He saw large numbers of patients lining up outside the clinic daily after being delivered to the clinic by the same white van. Juarez had access to the clinic's mail including the bank statements and Medicare remittances. Juarez was paid $20,000 for his work, a large sum for an unlicensed individual to pose as a physician's assistant. He lied to investigators about the payments he received. Juarez also gave conflicting testimony to an FBI investigator about an alleged break in at the clinic and missing patient files.

Barson also argues that the evidence was insufficient to establish an agreement to commit health care fraud. His arguments closely track his arguments on the knowledge element and fails for similar reasons.

The evidence established that Barson and Shakbazyan agreed that (1) Barson would apply for a Medicare number; (2) Barson would allow the clinic to use that number to bill Medicare; and (3) Barson would receive $7,000 per month for reviewing files every other Saturday. The evidence established that Shakbazyan set up the fraudulent scheme and had intimate knowledge of the details of the fraud.

Juarez agreed with Skakbazyan to work at the clinic as the medical staff member and hold himself out as a physician's assistant to Barson and as a physician to the patients.

The jury was also entitled to find that the Defendants committed health care fraud on the substantive counts of the indictment. Each substantive count was based on a separate request for Medicare reimbursements that the government established were not for medical services needed or provided. 18 U.S.C.  1347 sets forth the elements of the offense:

Whoever knowingly and willfully executes, or attempts to execute, a scheme or artifice

(1) to defraud any health care benefit program; or

(2) to obtain, by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises, any of the money or property owned by, or under the custody or control of, any health care benefit program,

in connection with the delivery of or payment for health care benefits, items, or services [commits health care fraud].9

Here, the jury was entitled to convict Defendants pursuant to the Pinkerton doctrine, which imposes criminal liability on all conspirators for the acts of other co-conspirators when those acts are foreseeable. Because the evidence was sufficient to convict Defendants on the conspiracy count, the jury was entitled to convict them on the substantive counts as well. The Defendants were responsible for the acts of co-conspirator Shakbazyan who actually submitted or caused to be submitted the fraudulent claim forms for Medicare reimbursement.

Deliberate Ignorance Instruction

Defendants argue next that the district court erred in giving the deliberate ignorance instruction. The evidence summarized above raised a legitimate issue of whether Barson and Juarez turned a blind eye to the fact that Medicare was being billed large sums for services not performed. Barson's acts in signing blank forms to allow Medicare to be billed for procedures under his number, opening a bank account in his name for the reimbursements, and signing blank checks for Shakbazyan to draw on the account was sufficient to permit the jury to infer that Barson took pains to avoid personal knowledge of incriminating facts. Barson's failure to review any remittances from Medicare or bank statements from his own bank account could have been viewed similarly. Juarez relied on his lack of medical training and his unfamiliarity with the Medicare forms to argue that he suspected no wrongdoing. Our precedent supports submission of a deliberate ignorance instruction when a defendant claims a lack of guilty knowledge and the proof at trial supports an inference of deliberate indifference.  The record clearly authorized the district court to give the instruction and the court did not abuse its discretion in giving it.

Object of the Conspiracy

Next, Defendants argue that the district court abused its discretion by rejecting their proposed instruction on the object of the conspiracy. Defendants complain that the district court did not instruct the jury that the government was required to prove the object of the conspiracy in the exact language of the indictment. The court instructed the jury that the object of the conspiracy was health care fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1347. At Barson's request, the court also charged:

Specifically, as to each defendant under consideration, it was an object of the conspiracy that the defendant and others known and unknown to the grand jury unlawfully enrich themselves by falsely and fraudulently representing to Medicare that certain services and procedures were performed for Medicare beneficiaries when, in fact, the defendant well knew the services and procedures were not being performed.13

The Defendants contend the court erred in failing to instruct the jury that the government was required to prove these facts. We find no abuse of discretion in the district court's instruction. The district court instructed the jury on the object of the conspiracy that tracks the Fifth Circuit pattern jury instructions, which we have approved. The above instruction makes it clear that it is describing an object of the conspiracy. The government is not required to prove all facts alleged in the indictment as long as it proves certain facts which satisfy the elements of the offense.

Evidentiary Rulings

Defendants raise a number of evidentiary objections in brief including: whether the district court erred in admitting the testimony of the executive director of the Texas Medical Board; whether the cross-examination of the FBI Case Agent was appropriately limited to the Agent's direct examination testimony; whether the exclusion of the plea colloquy of Shakbazyan was proper; and whether the exclusion of evidence gathered by a police officer in California from an unindicted co-conspirator was proper. We have reviewed Defendants' arguments and find no abuse of discretion in the evidentiary rulings by the district court.

Sentencing

Barson disputes two enhancements applied to his sentence. Juarez joins Barson in objecting to the first enhancement.

First, Defendants argue that the district court erred in concluding the 429 patients or Medicare beneficiaries for whom the conspirators falsely claimed benefits were victims under the guidelines. We agree with the government that Application Note 4(E) of U.S.S.G.  2B1.1 defines victim in a way that encompasses the Medicare beneficiaries because it includes any individual whose means of identification was used unlawfully or without authority. The district court did not err in applying this enhancement.

Second, Barson argues that the application of a sentencing enhancement for obstruction of justice under U.S.S.G.  3C1.1 was inappropriate. During sentencing, the government argued that Barson's testimony was laden with falsehoods designed to mislead the jury including: Barson's claim that he trusted Shakbazyan so thoroughly he signed forms in blank on the day he met Shakbazyan and failed to ask for information about the Medicare application; Barson opened a bank account to receive reimbursements from Medicare, but did not know where the statements were being sent; and Barson failed to ask Juarez for his credentials or register the supervision of him with the Texas Medical Board. The district court who heard Barson's testimony agreed. Our review of the record satisfies us that the district court, who observed Barson testify, did not abuse its discretion in finding that Barson's testimony lacked credibility and was untruthful in his testimony.

Prosecutorial Misconduct

Defendants allege that several statements made by prosecutors during trial amounted to prosecutorial misconduct. Some statements were objected to during trial and some objections are raised on appeal. We have reviewed these arguments and statements and find no error by the district court in permitting these arguments.

IV.

The district court committed no reversible error and we therefore affirm the Defendants' convictions and sentences.

Although I am pleased to concur in the bulk of this Medicare fraud appeal, I differ with the panel majority's interpretation of the term victim for sentencing enhancement purposes. The majority has embraced an unprecedented and grammatically inexplicable use of the term to, in effect, double count the loss attributable to this unsavory fraudulent patient care operation. The government has commendably stepped up its prosecution of flagrant Medicare and Medicaid frauds, but never have I seen this double counting of the loss to include not only the United States taxpayers who support Medicare payments but also the patients, who paid not a dime, may not have even received treatment, and in a number of cases were co-conspirators paid to lend their names to the treatment center's fictitious files. Defendants have a right to be sentenced according to the plain meaning of the guidelines, not the government's here-concocted abuse of terms. I respectfully dissent.

The defendants here received a six-level sentencing enhancement upon the district court's finding that the 429 Medicare beneficiaries who visited defendants' fraudulent clinic were victims under the United States Sentencing Guidelines. (There was already an enhancement for the loss to the United States Treasury.) The majority's opinion tersely affirms the enhancement. I would vacate the defendants' sentences and remand for resentencing because the Guidelines and relevant Commentary are inapplicable under both the plain meaning of the term victims and the purpose of its 2009 definition.

By way of background, Victim is not defined in the loss section of the Guidelines,  2B1.1, but Note 1 (here inapplicable) and Note 4 of the Commentary define the term. Note 4(E) provides in relevant part:

For purposes of subsection (b)(2), in a case involving means of identification victim means (i) any victim as defined in Application Note 1; or (ii) any individual whose means of identification was used unlawfully or without authority.2

The government argues that since the use of the 429 alleged beneficiaries' Medicare identification information was part of an unlawful conspiracy, the enhancement was proper. The defendants contend, however, that the beneficiaries were participants in the Clinic's kickback scheme rather than victims, and that the 2009 iteration of the Sentencing Guidelines was not intended to treat these beneficiaries as victims.

Guidelines Commentary that interprets or explains a guideline is authoritative unless it violates the Constitution or a federal statute, or is inconsistent with, or a plainly erroneous reading of, that guideline. Stinson v. United States, 508 U.S. 36, 38, 113 S. Ct. 1913, 1915 (1993). Application notes are given controlling weight so long as they are not plainly erroneous or inconsistent with the guidelines. United States v. Rodriguez-Parra, 581 F.3d 227, 229 n.3 (5th Cir. 2009) (citing United States v. Urias-Escobar, 281 F.3d 165, 167 (5th Cir. 2002)).

In my view, the government's reading of the Guidelines is plainly erroneous for two reasons. First, that interpretation is inconsistent with the plain meaning of the term victim. A victim is a person who suffers from a destructive or injurious action or agency. Victim, The Random House Dictionary of the English Language (1966). See also Victim, Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of the English Language, http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/victim, accessed Oct. 26, 2016 (a person who has been attacked, injured, robbed, or killed by someone else). The government, which bore the burden of proof for sentencing purposes, did not establish that any of the 429 purported patients were victims in this definitional sense. On the contrary, as the majority opinion states, At trial, several of the clinic's patients testified they went to the clinic because they were paid to do so and some never received any medical services. Consequently, at least some of the 429 alleged beneficiaries could have been considered co-conspirators. Applying the application of the term victims here verges on the Orwellian.

Second, the majority's interpretation is inconsistent with the purpose of the Guideline's definition of victims. The Guidelines were updated as part of Amendment 726 to the Identity Theft Enforcement and Restitution Act of 2008. The Sentencing Commission explained its reasoning for proposing the amendment that was adopted to create Application Note 4(E): to address more fully the actual harm done by identity theft. Several circuits' interpretation of the pre-2009 Guidelines had broadened the definition of victims to those individuals who suffered considerably more than a small out-of-pocket loss and were not immediately reimbursed by any third party, even if they were later reimbursed. Other circuit precedent held that victims were only those who suffered pecuniary loss from identity theft but were not reimbursed at all. Amendment 726 was intended to resolve this circuit split. Under the 2009 Guidelines, while a victim of identity theft may be reimbursed by a third-party or bank, the Commission explained that such an individual [victim], even if fully reimbursed, must often spend significant time resolving credit problems and related issues, and such lost time may not be adequately accounted for in the loss calculations under the guidelines. According to the Commission, this hassle and lost time justified considering as a victim for sentencing purposes anyone whose identity was stolen. Therefore, the purpose for the definition of victims under Note 4(E) is to capture by an enhancement harms otherwise difficult to measure. This purpose is entirely consistent with the plain meaning of victim in the English language.

This purpose is not fulfilled by applying the definition of victims in this case. The government has not established that the 429 Medicare claimants had to spend significant time, or any time at all, resolving credit or related issues. Even real Medicare beneficiaries are not normally victims of Medicare fraud because Medicare, not the patient, pays the billing provider directly. The real victim is the U.S. taxpayer, through Medicare, and that has been accounted for by the guidelines in this case. There is no proof at all that the purported beneficiaries in this case suffered any harm, pecuniary or otherwise; they cannot be considered victims under Note 4(E).

I respectfully dissent from this portion of the majority opinion.

FOOTNOTES

. United States v. Umawa Oke Imo, 739 F.3d 226, 235 (5th Cir. 2014) (citing United States v. Grant, 683 F.3d 639, 642 (5th Cir. 2012)).

. Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319 (1979); Umawa Oke Imo, 739 F.3d at 235 (quoting United States v. Moreno-Gonzalez, 662 F.3d 369, 372 (5th Cir. 2011)).

. Umawa Oke Imo, 739 F.3d at 235.

. United States v. Delgado, 688 F.3d 219, 226 (5th Cir. 2012).

. United States v. Grant, 683 F.3d 639, 643 (5th Cir. 2012) (citing United States v. Williams-Hendricks, 805 F.2d 496, 502 (5th Cir. 1986)).

. United States v. Stephens, 571 F.3d 401, 404 (5th Cir. 2009).

. Umawa Oke Imo, 739 F.3d at 235.

. Id. (citing Delgado, 668 F.3d at 226).

. 18 U.S.C.  1347(a).

. Pinkerton v. United States, 328 U.S. 640 (1946).

. The district court instructed the jury,The word knowingly, as that term has been used from time to time in these instructions, means that the act was done voluntarily and intentionally, not because of mistake or accident. You may find that a defendant had knowledge of a fact if you find that the defendant deliberately closed his eyes to what would otherwise have been obvious to him. While knowledge on the part of the defendant cannot be established merely by demonstrating that the defendant was negligent, careless, or foolish, knowledge can be inferred if the defendant deliberately blinded himself to the existence of a fact. However, if you find that the defendant actually believed the Medicare claims being filed were not fraudulent, then you must acquit the defendant.See Fifth Circuit Pattern Jury Instructions (Criminal Cases) 1.37A.

. United States v. Vasquez, 677 F.3d 685, 696 (5th Cir. 2012) (quoting United States v. Threadgill, 172 F.3d 357, 368 (5th Cir. 1999)).

. The district court instructed the jury on the following elements of health care fraud:For you to find one or both defendants guilty of this crime, you must be convinced that the government has proved for the defendant then under consideration each of the following beyond a reasonable doubt: First, that two or more persons made an agreement to commit the crime of health care fraud as charged in the indictment. Second: That Dennis B. Barson, Jr. and Dario Juarez knew of the unlawful purpose of the agreement and joined in it willfully, that is, with the intent to further the unlawful purpose.

. United States v. Whitfield, 590 F.3d 325, 354 (5th Cir. 2009) (It is well-settled that a district court does not err by giving a charge that tracks this Circuit's pattern jury instructions and that is a correct statement of the law.) (citing United States v. Turner, 960 F.2d 461, 464 (5th Cir. 1992)).

. See U.S.S.G.  2B1.1(b)(2)C) (2009).

. U.S.S.G.  2B1.1 cmt. n.4(E). The Application Notes were amended in 2009 to include this additional definition of victim. The amended Note reads, For purposes of subsection (b)(2), in a case involving means of identification victim means (i) any victim as defined in Application Note 1; or (ii) any individual whose means of identification was used unlawfully or without authority. Id. Application Note 1 defined victim as (A) any person who sustained any part of the actual loss  ; or (B) any individual who sustained bodily injury as a result of the offense. U.S.S.G.  2B1.1 cmt. n.1 (2008). Shakbazyan, who pleaded guilty on the first day of trial, challenged this application of the six-level sentencing enhancement under the Ex Post Facto Clause because the definition of victim was amended to include the unauthorized use of individuals' information. This same panel determined that Shakbazyan's argument was foreclosed by Fifth Circuit precedent and affirmed the district court's sentence. United States v. Shakbazyan, No. 15-20426, at 4-7, 9.

. The guideline states,If (1) the defendant willfully obstructed or impeded, or attempted to obstruct or impede, the administration of justice with respect to the investigation, prosecution, or sentencing of the instant offense of conviction, and (2) the obstructive conduct related to (A) the defendant's offense of conviction and any relevant conduct; or (B) a closely related offense, increase the offense level by 2 levels.U.S.S.G.  3C1.1.

. The district court stated during sentencing, Well, of course, I was here and listened to [Barson's] testimony. I agree with [the government] that much of it was not credible; and because he testified not credibly or untruthfully, that doesthat is an obstruction of justice.

. The full treatment of the issue in the per curiam opinion is as follows: Defendants argue that the district court erred in concluding the 429 patients or Medicare beneficiaries for whom the conspirators falsely claimed benefits were victims' under the guidelines. We agree with the government that Application Note 4(E) of U.S.S.G.  2B1.1 defines victim in a way that encompasses the Medicare beneficiaries because it includes any individual whose means of identification was used unlawfully or without authority. The district court did not err in applying this enhancement.

. U.S.S.G.  2B.1.1(b)(2)(C), Note 4(E) Cases Involving Means of Identification.

. U.S.S.G. App'x C, Vol. III, Am. 726, p. 308

. Office of General Counsel, Victim Primer ( 2B1.1(b)(2))I, U.S. Sentencing Commission (2013), at 6.

. United States v. Lee, 427 F.3d 881, 895 (11th Cir. 2005) (internal quotation marks omitted). See also United States v. Stepanian, 570 F.3d 51 (1st Cir. 2009); United States v. Abiodun, 536 F.3d 162 (2d Cir. 2008); United States v. Panice, 598 F.3d 426 (7th Cir. 2010); United States v. Pham, 545 F.3d 712 (9th Cir. 2008).

. United States v. Yagar, 404 F.3d 967 (6th Cir. 2005). See also United States v. Kennedy, 554 F.3d 415 (3d Cir. 2009); United States v. Conner, 537 F.3d 480 (5th Cir. 2008); and United States v. Icaza, 492 F.3d 967 (8th Cir. 2007).

. Victim Primer ( 2B1.1(b)(2)) at 8.

. USSG  2B1.1, comment. (n.4); USSG App. C, amend. 726 (eff. Nov. 1, 2009).

PER CURIAM:
A surprise tribute was held for Joyce Mann Wilson at Antioch Primitive Baptist Church, celebrating 54 years of dedicated service as the music director. Ms. Mann has been playing for churches since the age of nine. Her musical foundation began at Cadek Conservatory under the instruction of Mrs. Lillian C. Dame.



She has played for weddings, funerals, and special events.
SIOUX CITY Multiple major expansion projects topped this years list of the biggest business stories in Siouxland in 2016.

Here is the Journals Top 10 list, as selected by the Journal business editor.

1. CF EXPANSION COMPLETE

Three years ago, CF Industries embarked on a $2 billion expansion of its Port Neal fertilizer complex, one of the largest economic development projects in Iowa history. By the end of 2016, the company had finished the work and fired up its new ammonia and urea plants.

As construction wound down, thousands of out-of-state construction workers gradually returned home. At peak construction, more than 5,300 construction were assigned to the site, creating a huge jolt to the local economy while also further straining the already limited supply of temporary housing.

Only a handful of contractors remain to finish up a punch list of tasks that typically need completing at the end of a project such as this one.

Total annual gross ammonia capacity at the CF complex is now 1.2 million tons, more than triple the 380,000 tons previously. The expansion added twin storage tanks that will hold about 30,000 tons of ammonia each. The tanks measure 155 feet in diameter and 106 feet tall.

The urea plant has an annual capacity of 1.4 million tons, allowing the Port Neal site for the first time in two decades to produce granular urea. A giant warehouse, measuring 210 feet wide and 1,702 feet long, or nearly a third of a mile, was erected to warehouse the dry fertilizer. Believed to be the largest of its kind in North America, the warehouse can store up to 154,000 tons of the product.

The mega project created 125 new full-time jobs, doubling the workforce at Port Neal to 270. CF staff has moved into new administrative offices also constructed as part of the expansion, on the east side of the property. The few remaining office construction trailers will soon be removed from the site.

2. PORK PLANT ON TRACK

The proposed Seaboard Triumph Foods pork plant entered a second year of construction in 2016. Work on the $264 million project started in the fall of 2015, and is slightly ahead of schedule, said Irving Jensen, director of communications, community relations, government affairs and purchasing for the company.

July 31 is the target date for hog slaughter and pork processing to begin at the 850,000-square-foot facility, located in the Bridgeport Business Park, bounded roughly by the Missouri River, Sioux Gateway Airport and Interstate 29.

The project is joint venture between Seaboard Foods, a division of Merriam, Kansas-based Seabord Corp., and Triumph Foods, a St. Joseph, Missouri-based company controlled by a group of pork farmers.

The plant will start with one shift and about 1,100 full-time employees, making it one of the largest employers in Sioux City. Hiring for the hourly workers will begin early in 2017.

3. ARGOSY FIGHT ENDS

The Iowa Supreme Court settled a years-long legal fight over the closure of the the former Argosy Sioux City riverboat casino.

In May, the state high court denied a request by the gambling boat's owners, Belle of Sioux City, to review an Iowa Court of Appeals ruling that upheld previous rulings that led to the July 30, 2014 closure.

Belle, a subsidiary of Wyomissing, Pa.-based Penn National Gaming Co., the nation's largest gaming operator, challenged the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission's actions denying the boat a renewal of its state license, which was held by its former nonprofit partner, Missouri River Historical Development.

MRHD now holds the state license for Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City, which opened two days after a state order forced the Argosy to close.

4. PIPELINE ADVANCES

The $3.78 billion Dakota Access Pipeline was source of controversy this year, but its construction provided a financial spark to the areas it runs underneath, which includes parts of Buena Vista, Cherokee, Lyon, OBrien and Sioux counties in Northwest Iowa.

Energy Transfer Partners, the Dallas, Texas-based company that built the 1,172-mile long funnel that will carry crude oil from the Bakken region of western North Dakota to a terminal in Patoka, Illinois, has repeatedly touted the project's economic benefits. In Iowa, the company invested $1.04 billion, which includes labor and supplies. The state also was projected to earn $33.1 million in sales tax during construction and the counties are in line to collect property tax revenues of $27.4 million.

Local leaders in Northwest Iowa reported an increase in economic activity during the construction period, such as lodging, meals and other items purchased by construction workers.

5. SNAKE EYES FOR CASINO BID

A group led by Ho-Chunk Inc. failed in its bid to legalize casinos at horse tracks in Nebraska. In August, Nebraska Secretary of State John Gale announced petitions filed by pro-gaming supporters of an initiative to amend the state constitution did not get enough verified signatures to qualify for the November ballot.

Ho-Chunk, the economic development corporation for the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, had hoped to build a $30 million casino and events center at the site of the former Atokad Park in South Sioux City. Despite the ballot loss, Ho-Chunk reopened the track under the Atokad name and held one live race in September to maintain its state racing license and simulcast races from other tracks.

6. TYSON WORKERS DECISION

In March, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with more than 3,000 current and former employees of the Tyson Foods pork plant in Storm Lake, awarding them more than $5.8 million in overtime pay and damages.

The justices voted 6-2 to reject new limits the meatpacking giant asked them to impose on the ability of workers to band together to challenge pay and workplace issues, and upheld a lower courts ruling.

The workers sued in 2007 in U.S. District Court in Sioux City to collect back pay for the time they spent putting on and taking off protective work clothes and equipment before wielding sharp knives in slaughtering and processing the animals.

The case, which was closely watched by business and union interests nationally, could impact similar litigation around the country, including a case involving its plants in Dakota City and Madison, Nebraska, where the company had prevailed on appeal.

7. PET FOOD EXPANSION

Royal Canin USA in June announced plans to build a $120 million pet food plant in North Sioux City to replacing its current factory at 630 N. Derby Lane.

The modernization projects is scheduled for completion in April 2019. About $60 million will be spent on construction, and another $60 million will go toward state-of-the-art equipment.

The company, a division of Mars Inc., a McLean, Va.-based conglomerate, does not expect to expand it North Sioux City workforce of 185-full-time employees.

8. DALLAS CONNECTION

American Airlines launched a daily non-stop flight between Sioux Gateway Airport and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in May. Since then, the new route has been popular with tri-state travelers, with the 50 seats on the airline's regional jets often 90 percent or more full.

Local leaders say the Dallas connection also has not reduced traffic on the two daily flight American offers to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. The Fort Worth, Texas-based airline is the lone carrier at the Sioux City airport.

9. MORE ICE CREAM

Le Mars-based Wells Enterprises Inc., makers of Blue Bunny ice cream and frozen novelties, moved forward with a $40 million upgrade and modernization project that will include a 6,000-square-foot addition and two new production lines to its south plant.

The expansion will create more than 80 new jobs at the privately-held, family-run business, by far the largest employer in the Plymouth County seat with more than 2,000 workers.

10. HIGH-STAKES ROOM

Things kept rocking and rolling for Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City in 2016, as the two-year-old casino started work on a $5 million expansion.

Expected to be completed in February, the nearly 8,000-square-foot addition to the property at 111 Third St. will add a high-stakes gambling area, a wine bar and a private lounge to the popular destination.
RENWICK, Iowa  Once-bustling Renwick, Iowa, lost its grocery, hardware store, school and Ford dealership years ago, but when its sole bar closed last June, it seemed to some residents there wasn't much of a town left.

So a group of seven friends and spouses who had met for beers at the bar for decades took matters into their own hands. One of them bought the place and the others pooled their money to fix it up, showing up after work to replace floors and walls on steamy summer nights before reopening in September as the Blue Moose Saloon.

It was an impressive achievement but one that is becoming more common as population continues to trickle away from rural America. Residents of some towns are scrambling to hold on to at least a few places where people can still get together. It's not just bars but groceries, cafes and other stores.

They don't expect to turn around their communities' prospects, but after watching so many businesses shuttered, they feel they had to draw the line somewhere.

"There are two places not too far, over in Lu Verne, but it's not our place," said one of the Blue Moose owners, Ron Oberhelman, a 59-year-old farmer who has seen the population fall from about 500 to 235 residents. "It's not our home town.

"When your local place closes up, you're pretty much lost."

Renwick's wide streets are usually empty, apart from a trickle of people who stop at the small post office, do business at the towering silver Gold Eagle grain elevators or work at a seed production plant. But cars and pickups begin pulling up to the Blue Moose not long after it opens each afternoon at 4, offering a refuge from the icy winter wind that blows off the snowy farmland surrounding the community about 90 miles north of Des Moines.

It's a similar situation in the Missouri River village of Decatur, Nebraska, where a dozen people put up money to help the owners rebuild when the Green Lantern Steakhouse burned in 2008. The restaurant, established in 1956, was what brought people into town and served as the main meeting spot in the community of 450 an hour's drive north of Omaha.

"It's not very easy to have a strong, active small town," said Matt Connealy, who lives on a farm just outside town. "You have to do things that don't always make the best sense financially."

Once reopened, the restaurant resumed its place as the community's hub, home to high school graduation parties and baby showers. Near the entrance, notices cram a bulletin board, so as Connealy notes, "If you want to find out what's happening, that's where you go."

U.S. Census figures show more than one-third of rural counties have lower population now than in 1930. In Iowa, about two-thirds of the state's 99 counties have lost population for decades. In addition to fewer potential customers, businesses in rural areas face stiff competition from online shopping and from urban chain stores offering big savings for those willing to drive another 30 or 40 miles.

Charles Fluharty, who heads the Rural Policy Research Institute at the University of Iowa, said he's seen an increase in rural neighbors joining to save local spots. Some create cooperatives or seek government and private grants.

Without gathering places, the residents fear that people in town won't know each other. They won't know who's getting married, who's sick, who needs help.

"There's a sense of, "We've got to take care of ourselves, and that means we've got to take care of one another because we're all we've got," Fluharty said.

In Kiester, Minnesota, the 486 residents went so far as gaining approval from the Legislature for the city to own the local food store. Residents later formed a co-op, and the Kiester Market sign notes, "Proud to be community owned."

Marcia Dahleen, until recently the market manager, said the grocery store relies increasingly on volunteer help. It delivers to elderly people at home and takes special orders for meat.

"We try to bend over backward to help people in town," she said.

Residents of Bowdon, North Dakota, population 135, also created a co-op to save a meat-cutting plant after the owner died. Although it only employed a few people, co-op board member Larry Crowder said it was "the busiest place on Main Street," and that residents feared Bowdon's cafe and co-op grocery could fail if the plant wasn't there to draw people into town. They managed to sell 100 shares at $5,500 apiece to fund a new plant along with grants.

"They did it to save the town," Crowder said.
Sixteen people, mostly medical workers, got jail terms on Friday ranging from two to five years for involvement in the illegal trading of human kidneys, said a local court in east China's Shandong Province.

According to Lixia district court of Jinan city, since November 2014, a number of the defendants had searched online for kidney sellers across the country, arranging for tests and matches between sellers and buyers.

Among the defendants there are two surgeons, one anesthetist, one nurse and one assistant doctor, all from Jining city in Shandong. They secretly carried out kidney transplant surgeries in the city of Feicheng.

The trial lasted for over a year and a half.

Patients were asked to pay 400,000 (about 57,612 U.S. dollars) to 600,000 yuan each, while people selling kidneys only received around 40,000 yuan. The defendants made 700 to 15,000 yuan profit per surgery.

According to Friday's verdict, the 16 defendants were convicted of organizing the selling of human organs. They were also told to pay fines ranging from 40,000 to 10,000 yuan.

In 2007, the Chinese government issued its first regulation on human organ transplants, banning organizations and individuals from any trading in human organs.
DENVER  The older brother of JonBenet Ramsey is suing CBS and others for $750 million, saying his reputation was ruined after a television series that concluded he killed his 6-year-old sister two decades ago.

In the lawsuit filed this week, Burke Ramsey claims that the network, its production company and the experts interviewed in the series on the unsolved murder conspired to defame him for publicity and profit. The series, called "The Case of JonBenet Ramsey," aired in September ahead of the 20th anniversary of JonBenet's death.

The beauty pageant star was found dead in the basement of her family's home in Boulder, Colorado, the day after Christmas in 1996. A prosecutor cleared her parents and brother in 2008 based on DNA evidence. But the district attorney currently overseeing the case has said it was premature to exonerate the Ramseys and ordered additional tests using new DNA testing technology that authorities hope will further the investigation.

Police have collected and studied thousands of pieces of evidence and say the case remains open.

CBS spokesman Dustin Smith declined to comment on the lawsuit, which is the second Burke Ramsey has filed over the television series.

In October, Ramsey, 29, sued a forensic pathologist featured on the show who said he bludgeoned his sister to death. The pathologist is also named in the latest lawsuit, which was filed in Michigan, where Burke Ramsey lives.

The new lawsuit says CBS and its featured experts set out to conduct a "sham reinvestigation" of the murder with "the preconceived the story line" that Ramsey killed his sister and conspired with his parents to cover it up.

"The accusation that Burke Ramsey killed his sister was based on a compilation of lies, half-truths, manufactured information, and the intentional omission and avoidance of truthful information about the murder of JonBenet Ramsey," the lawsuit says.
The Affordable Care Act has provided some 20 million previously uninsured Americans with health insurance coverage, but repealing the ACA is a top priority of President-elect Donald Trump and congressional Republicans come 2017.

Jim FitzPatrick, president and CEO of Mercy Medical Center, said hospitals have long supported health care coverage for those who need it.

"A priority would be to preserve coverage for the millions of people who gained it under the ACA, and if a repeal of the law is where policymakers end up, then a replacement bill would be essential to have in place at the same time," he said. "We also strongly believe that whether the law is repealed, replaced or modified, that hospitals would be part of the discussions before anything is done."

Mari Kaptain-Dahlen, CEO of Siouxland Community Health Center, said policy changes will impact Siouxland Community Health Center and the health care delivery system in Siouxland.

She said the ACA repeal could potentially include Medicaid expansion, cost-sharing and premium subsidies for marketplace plans, as well as individual and employer mandates.

"While action to repeal the ACA may come quickly, the replacement legislation will take significant time and potentially would be divisive," she said.

"Regardless of what happens, patients in Siouxland will need a place to go for primary care. Siouxland Community Health Center will continue to provide care to all those who are in need of primary care and will continue to serve as the medical home for those who are most vulnerable."

In the New Year, UnityPoint Health  St. Luke's, along with regional physician stakeholders, plans to develop a vascular and wound healing center. The clinic will serve as a referral resource for physicians who have patients with peripheral vascular disease and/or difficult wounds.

"The protocols will drive the solution with the best expected outcome, reducing unnecessary and overly aggressive treatments, repeated ineffective treatments and the need for further medical interventions over time," said Lynn Wold, UnityPoint Health  St. Luke's president and CEO.
Todays top picks from our online calendar. Find more events at siouxcityjournal.com/calendar.

First Day Hike

Join the Friends of Stone Park on the Buffalo Run Trail for a 1-mile hike. Hike is appropriate for children approximately 7 years and older. Dress for the weather. Meet at the parking lot near the park office at 10:30 a.m.; 150 yards inside the east entrance from Talbot Road and Memorial Drive.

LaunchPAD Children's Museum

The Children's Museum, 623 Pearl St., will be open this afternoon from 1-5 p.m. Children and adult admission is $8. Visit launchpadmuseum.com for events and additional information.

Norm Waitt Sr. YMCA

Start 2017 out on the right foot-The Norm Waitt Sr. YMCA, 601 Riverview Dr., will be open free to the public today from noon to 6 p.m. Regularly scheduled classes will be in session. Visit nwsymca.org for class schedules and additional information.
SIOUX CITY | Two weeks ago, Sioux City firefighters responded to a call from homeowners whose carbon monoxide alarm had gone off.

When firefighters arrived, the residents had signs and symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. They were administered oxygen and recovered.

That call came just three days after a South Sioux City husband and wife were found dead in their garage, and authorities ruled the cause of their deaths as accidental carbon monoxide poisoning.

Those two calls help show the importance of installing carbon monoxide detectors in homes and businesses and taking other precautions against a gas that's been called "the silent killer," said Sioux City Fire Rescue Capt. Tom Standish.

"You don't smell it. You don't see it. You're just overcome by it," Standish said of the colorless, odorless gas, which he said kills more than 150 people in the United States each year.

Standish said Sioux City Fire Rescue responded to 30 calls for carbon monoxide alarms in 2016, up from 18 in 2015.

"Thirty calls is a lot," Standish said.

In most cases, the alarm was sounding because the batteries needed to be replaced or the alarm was old and outdated. But in the others, an increased level of carbon monoxide was detected. Fortunately, there were no fatalities in Sioux City.

Winter is when the highest risk of carbon monoxide occurs. With the colder temperatures, furnaces, fireplaces and other heaters are running more often, and people are warming up their cars in the garage. Carbon monoxide levels can reach dangerous levels because of leaky appliances. Standish said that even if you have your garage doors open when a vehicle is warming up, carbon monoxide can get into the house.

But carbon monoxide levels can reach dangerous levels at any time of year if a home has natural gas-powered appliances such as stoves and hot water heaters.

Complicating the detection of carbon monoxide is the fact that someone suffering from mild carbon monoxide poisoning exhibits flu-like symptoms: nausea, headaches, fatigue and maybe shortness of breath, said Dr. David Ensz, a family practitioner at Mercy Medical Clinic in South Sioux City.

"A lot of people think they have a little viral syndrome," Ensz said, but without the fever.

Carbon monoxide interrupts the transfer of oxygen from red blood cells to body tissue, which explains the fatigue. Seizures can result in more extreme cases.

Because the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are similar to the flu, Ensz said a couple clues that you may have elevated levels of the gas in your home are if everyone in the house is showing the same signs and if you begin to feel better after you've been out of the house for a while.

The best way to protect against carbon monoxide poisoning, Standish said, is the installation of carbon monoxide detectors in the home. Fire departments across the country continue to educate the public on the importance of the detectors, which can be purchased at just about any home improvement or major department store.

It's a message that appears to be getting through. Standish said one reason for the increased number of carbon monoxide calls in Sioux City is because more people seem to be putting detectors in their homes.

"They're becoming more and more popular. It just takes education," he said.
SIOUX CITY | A woman was killed in a one-vehicle wreck north of Sioux City on the morning of New Year's Day.

The Plymouth County Sheriff's Office in a release reported the wreck occurred on Iowa Highway 12 south of Akron, Iowa.

The sheriff's office responded to the tip by a passerby of a vehicle in a ditch just before 8 a.m. The release said an investigation showed a 2003 Misubishi was northbound on Highway 12, when the driver lost control, rolled and entered the west ditch.

A man was also found injured in the wreck, and was taken to Mercy Medical Center -- Sioux City. The sheriff's office did not immediately release the name of the woman killed.

The sheriff's office said alcohol consumption was suspected to be a factor in the wreck. Law enforcement officials continue to investigate the collision.
Zhang Zhijun, head of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, on Saturday urged people from both sides of the Taiwan Strait to jointly safeguard cross-Strait peace and stability in 2017.

Zhang made the call in his new year's greetings published on the Cross-Strait Relations magazine.

"We sincerely hope compatriots from across the Strait will show solidarity, and display resolution and courage to firmly stick to the correct direction of the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, and safeguard cross-Strait peace and stability," he said.

Zhang said cross-Strait ties face many uncertainties and risks in the new year, as Taiwan's current authorities refuse to acknowledge the 1992 Consensus and disagree that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one China, which has undermined the political foundation for the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations.

He said "Taiwan independence" has proven to be the source of chaos threatening peace and stability of cross-Strait relations, while deepening cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation in all aspects and promoting the economic and social integration benefit compatriots from both sides.

Zhang said the mainland will continue to adhere to the 1992 Consensus and resolutely oppose "Taiwan independence" in the new year to safeguard cross-Strait peace and stability.

The mainland will also continue to promote cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation, share development opportunities with Taiwan compatriots, and resolve practical problems for people from both sides, he added.
WASHINGTON -- The fall of Aleppo just weeks before Barack Obama leaves office is a fitting stamp on his Middle East policy of retreat and withdrawal. The pitiable pictures from the devastated city showed the true cost of Obama's abdication. For which he seems to have few regrets, however. In his end-of-year news conference, Obama defended U.S. inaction with his familiar false choice: it was either stand aside or order a massive Iraq-style ground invasion.

This is a transparent fiction designed to stifle debate. Five years ago, the popular uprising was ascendant. What kept a rough equilibrium was regime control of the skies. At that point, the U.S., at little risk and cost, could have declared Syria a no-fly zone, much as it did Iraqi Kurdistan for a dozen years after the Gulf War of 1991.

The U.S. could easily have destroyed the regime's planes and helicopters on the ground and so cratered its airfields as to make them unusable. That would have altered the strategic equation for the rest of the war.

And would have deterred the Russians from injecting their own air force -- they would have had to challenge ours for air superiority. Facing no U.S. deterrent, Russia stepped in and decisively altered the balance, pounding the rebels in Aleppo to oblivion. The Russians were particularly adept at hitting hospitals and other civilian targets, leaving the rebels with the choice between annihilation and surrender.

They surrendered.

Obama has never appreciated that the role of a superpower in a local conflict is not necessarily to intervene on the ground, but to deter a rival global power from stepping in and altering the course of the war. That's what we did during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, when Moscow threatened to send troops to support Egypt and President Nixon countered by raising America's nuclear alert status to Defcon 3. Russia stood down.

Less dramatically but just as effectively, American threats of retaliation are what kept West Germany, South Korea and Taiwan free and independent through half a century of Cold War.

It's called deterrence. Yet Obama never had the credibility to deter anything or anyone. In the end, the world's greatest power was reduced to bitter speeches at the U.N. "Are you truly incapable of shame?" thundered U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power at the butchers of Aleppo. As if we don't know the answer. Indeed the shame is on us for terminal naivete, sending our secretary of state chasing the Russians to negotiate one humiliating pretend cease-fire after another.

Even now, however, the Syria debate is not encouraging. The tone is anguished and emotional, portrayed exclusively in moral terms. Much less appreciated is the cold strategic cost.

Assad was never a friend. But today he's not even a free agent. He's been effectively restored to his throne, but as the puppet of Iran and Russia. Syria is now a platform, a forward base, from which both these revisionist regimes can project power in the region.

Iran will use Syria to advance its drive to dominate the Arab Middle East. Russia will use its naval and air bases to bully the Sunni Arab states, and to shut out American influence.

It's already happening. The foreign and defense ministers of Russia, Iran and Turkey convened in Moscow recently to begin settling the fate of Syria. Notice who wasn't there. For the first time in four decades, the United States, the once dominant power in the region, is an irrelevance.

With Aleppo gone and the rebels scattered, we have a long road ahead to rebuild the influence squandered over the last eight years. President-elect Donald Trump is talking about creating safe zones. He should tread carefully. It does no good to try to do now what we should have done five years ago. Conditions are much worse. Russia and Iran rule. Maintaining the safety of safe zones will be expensive and dangerous. It will require extensive ground deployments and it risks military confrontation with Russia.

And why? Guilty conscience is not a good reason. Interventions that are purely humanitarian -- from Somalia to Libya -- tend to end badly. We may proclaim a "responsibility to protect," but when no American interests are at stake, the engagement becomes impossible to sustain. At the first losses, we go home.

In Aleppo, the damage is done, the city destroyed, the inhabitants ethnically cleansed. For us, there is no post-facto option. If we are to regain the honor lost in Aleppo, it will have to be on a very different battlefield.
Editor's note: Today, our editorial board offers, in no specific order, five hopes we have for 2017.

Economic development progress

Signs of economic vitality are evident throughout our metro region.

Consider these examples:

- New plants constructed at Port Neal by CF Industries as part of a $2 billion expansion have moved to the startup phase. The project created 125 permanent new jobs, more than doubling total plant employment. The project is forecast to create hundreds of indirect new jobs as a result of increased local and regional economic activity necessary to support the larger complex.

- Merriam, Kan., based Seaboard Foods and St. Joseph, Mo., based Triumph Foods have begun construction of a $264 million pork plant on 250 acres of Sioux City's Bridgeport West Industrial Park. To begin, the plant will employ some 1,100 workers. Completion is scheduled for summer 2017.

- Iowa Department of Transportation commissioners last year allocated $136.6 million in the new five-year DOT plan to finish the $400 million, 12-mile reconstruction of Interstate 29 from Sergeant Bluff to the South Dakota border by 2019.

- Construction is under way on a $30 million, multi-phase, 387,000-square-foot retail shopping complex on 46 acres of land at the intersection of Sunnybrook Drive and Sergeant Road.

- Redevelopment to residential and commercial use by Ho-Chunk Inc. of two former industrial buildings in the 100 block of Virginia Street for the Virginia Square project continues. In December, Ho-Chunk said it will expand the project by purchasing and redeveloping a 50,000-square-foot warehouse located in proximity to those two buildings and constructing a new building on the site of an old industrial building it demolished.

- For the third time in the last four years, the Sioux City metro region ranks first in the nation for economic development activity in areas with populations between 50,000 and 200,000, according to Atlanta-based Site Selection magazine's annual ranking.

Our hope this year is for continued economic momentum.

Trail system expansion

Throughout our community, we see, hear and sense appreciation for what we have with respect to trails and enthusiasm for what can be achieved in the future. To their credit, city leaders understand this is a citizen priority and continue to demonstrate, in words and actions, their support for expansion of the local trail system.

We share community desire for more trail construction, with a focus on connectivity. One day, we hope all of our community's trails will tie together to form one uninterrupted, comprehensive system for the enjoyment of walkers, runners and bikers.

Trails speak to quality of life. They also contribute to Iowa's quest to become America's healthiest state. Simply put, money invested in trails is money well spent.

From the Missouri River to the Big Sioux River to the Floyd River, local trail progress builds.

Our hope this year is for an even-more-aggressive local approach to expansion of trails with the ultimate goal of a system second to none.

Stronger bullying law

Between 2011 and 2015, the issue of bullying moved from the shadows to the spotlight in Iowa.

The documentary film "Bully," in which a former Sioux City student victim of bullying was profiled, drew national interest, including consideration for an Academy Award nomination. Two statewide bullying summits were convened in Des Moines. Governor Terry Branstad hosted a series of bullying forums, including one in Sioux City. Bullying was a priority issue for debate in three consecutive legislative sessions. In September 2015, Branstad issued an executive order through which he established the Governor's Office for Bullying Prevention at the University of Northern Iowa.

However, after three sessions of discussion and near-passage in 2015 of a bill to strengthen state anti-bullying law, the Legislature in 2016 virtually ignored the issue. Branstad didn't direct funds to the Governor's Office for Bullying Prevention in his budget recommendation for this fiscal year and the Legislature budgeted no money for the office.

In response, we urge Branstad, Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds and state lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle and in both chambers to commit to an invigoration of the anti-bullying discussion by moving this issue back to the prominent place on our state's agenda it belongs. Our Northwest Iowa legislators, including the two new local House members elected in November, should be leaders in this effort. Anti-bullying champions outside government should redouble efforts in support of holding state leaders accountable.

Our hope this year is for passage of a stronger anti-bullying law, similar to the 2015 proposal passed in overwhelming fashion by the Senate but denied a floor vote in the House, and state money for the Governor's Office for Bullying Prevention.

Tubing in Cone Park

Thirty-five years after her death, Ruth Cone's dream of a new park in Sioux City is under construction.

In August, ground was broken on the largely winter-themed Cone Park, which will be created on 10 acres of land near the IBP Ice Center and Lewis and Clark Park. In the beginning, amenities will include a day lodge, tubing hill, ice-skating pond (this will be converted to a splash pad for use in summer months) and snow-making equipment. A trail will connect Cone Park to Sertoma Park.

Again today, we commend the city and its Cone Park Design and Construction Advisory Committee for a deliberate, diligent process of study on a new park conducted over 10 years since Cone's gift of money was released to the city of Sioux City. Cone, who died in 1981, willed $200,000 to the city with the stipulation the money be used to build a new park. Through investment, Cone's original gift has grown to more than $2.5 million.

Our hope is the planned December 2017 opening of Cone Park remains on schedule so families can begin enjoying its amenities by next Christmas.

Extension of school tax

We support an extension of the one-cent sales tax for school infrastructure, but only for school infrastructure as was the original intent. We do not support diverting money from an extended school infrastructure tax for other purposes, such as water quality.

Woodbury County was the first county in Iowa to approve a 10-year, local-option sales tax for public school infrastructure (the tax first passed in 1998; county voters approved a 10-year extension in 2005). The benefits of this tax speak for themselves in the form of school improvements across the state, but perhaps no school district in Iowa has benefitted more from the tax than our local system. With revenue from the tax, the Sioux City school district has built new elementary schools, new middle schools and three high school science wings, and it's building or planning to build more elementary schools before the tax is scheduled to expire.

Still, a variety of needs remain, including the need for replacement of additional elementary schools and improvements to the district's three aging high schools or construction of new high schools (by the time the sales tax expires, Sioux City's high schools will be nearly 60 years old).

For purposes of planning and bonding for future infrastructure projects, school districts need an end to uncertainty about the tax's future.

To these ends, our hope this year is for passage by the Legislature and signature by the governor of a school infrastructure sales tax extension, with no strings attached.
John Thomas Kennedy III, 86, of Tall Timbers, MD passed away December 30, 2016 at his daughter's home in Burke, VA surrounded by his loving family. He was born in Washington, D.C. on December 22, 1930 to the late John Thomas Kennedy Jr. and Rachel Elizabeth Fry Kennedy.



John proudly served 4 years in the United States Navy as an Aviation Ordnanceman Third Class. He married his beloved wife, Patricia Eloise Geary with whom he celebrated 32 wonderful years of marriage before her passing in 1986. He was employed as a dedicated police officer for the Montgomery County Police Department for over 20 years when he retired in 1977 as a Lieutenant on the Detective Squad. He later worked as a manager for Suburban Bank in Maryland and retired in 1989.



He always desired to retire in Tall Timbers, MD, where he enjoyed boating and fishing the Potomac. During these wonderful years he enjoyed travel, woodworking, cheering on the Redskins, making and giving stuffed ham and other specialties to friends, and spending time with family and loved ones. John was a great and generous friend to so many. He had a wonderful sense of humor and an amazing outlook on life that enabled him to remain positive in all circumstances.



John is survived by his loving companion of more than 20 years, Ann Rowe, his daughter, Kathleen Clark (James); his grandchildren, Gina and Brandy Kennedy, Kaitlyn, Michael and Adam Clark; his great-grandchild Jason Hoover, his niece, Teresa Foster; and many extended family and friends. In addition to his parents and wife, he is also preceded in death by his son, John Patrick Kennedy and his sister, Mary Kennedy De Moro.



Family will receive friends on John's Life Celebration on Wednesday, January 4, 2017 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., with prayers recited at 3:00 p.m., at Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A., 22955 Hollywood Road, Leonardtown, MD 20650. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated by Reverend Paul Nguyen on Thursday, January 5, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. at St. George Catholic Church, 19199 St. George's Church Road, Valley Lee, MD 20692. Interment will follow at 1:00 p.m. at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, 13801 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20906. Serving as pallbearers will be James Clark, Michael Clark, and friends.



Memorial contributions may be made to either: Fundraising for Second District Volunteer Fire Dept and Rescue Squad, PO Box 1, Valley Lee MD 20692 Or: National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund at http://www.nleomf.org/contribute/. Arrangements by the Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A., Leonardtown, Maryland.
Wed, 26.10.22 - 12:09

Another blast of heat at the end of the month is likely to break the record in Spain With only a few days left in...
It was about 8:15 a.m. on Aug. 17, and Kelso police officer John Johnston was in the back room at the Flying K gas station in West Kelso watching security footage of a shoplifting suspect with some employees. Then screams arose from the front of the store.

Johnston walked out of the back room to find a man holding a long, thin stick above and behind his head. It was like a tree branch, Johnston reported later.

Johnston drew his service .45-caliber Glock handgun and yelled at the man to drop the stick. The man turned. He looked like he was enraged, like, he was, he was definitely coming after me with ill intent, Johnston later recalled.

Then the man sprinted at him. So Johnston, gun still raised, backed around a shelf full of chips, knocking some over in his haste to put distance between him and the man charging him.

I dont remember any swinging or hitting, but next thing I know Im down and Im dazed. And I was thinking, This guys gonna kill me or get my gun and kill the (store) clerks,  Johnston told police investigators in an interview after the event. Then I see him coming around the corner at me, and I start shooting.

The man charging him was 27-year-old Omer Ali, a Sudanese immigrant who lived in Spokane before becoming a transient and a wayward criminal. Ali hit Johnston with his stick and Johnston fell, hitting his knee on the floor. From his position on the floor, Johnston fired six rounds. One struck Ali in the chin. Another pierced his chest.

Ali was pronounced dead at the scene. A month and a half later, Cowlitz County Prosecutor Ryan Jurvakainen decided not to charge Johnston, saying his use of lethal force was appropriate, lawful and clear-cut.

Still, police across the nation have come under increased scrutiny for shooting civilians, especially in cases where the people, like Ali, are black. But, it is easy to forget these decisions are often made instantaneously and are meant to protect the officer or others.

Seven seconds  thats the time between when Ali first hit a store clerk with his stick to the time Johnston shot at him. To Johnston, it felt like one to two seconds, not even enough time, he told investigators, to gauge whether Ali was impaired or out of his mind.

There was absolutely zero time, and if non-lethal force, had I chosen or even considered it, didnt work, I probably wouldnt be here, Johnston later told investigators.

Graham versus Connor

So what doesnt the public understand about an officers decision to use lethal or non-lethal force? Graham versus Connor, Kelso police Sgt. Kevin Tate answers immediately.

The 1989 Supreme Court case defined the legality of every use-of-force decision an officer makes. The case focused on a North Carolina mans civil rights lawsuit alleging officers used excessive force in arresting him on suspicion of stealing from a convenience store (he didnt). In rejecting the suit, the Supreme Court established a legal standard for police use of force called objective reasonableness.

Somebody with your training, your experience, your authority, your responsibility, would they make this decision? Then we can say its objectively reasonable, is how Tate defines it.

That means an officer will be judged by what he knew at the time, Cowlitz County Sheriffs Chief Criminal Deputy Charlie Rosenzweig said.

The Supreme Court decision also made a distinction between reasonable and minimal force.

The problem with minimal force is you dont know its minimal until after the fact, said Deputy Jordan Spencer of the sheriffs office.

A video of a shooting that goes viral can easily spread misinformation about the circumstances, Tate and Rosenzweig say.

Objective reasonableness is not from the point (of view) of a YouTube video watcher who has no context for the encounter, Tate said. So to perpetuate a narrative based on the video clip of people out of context who dont know whats going on and who have no experience is setting us up for failure. Its spanking your children because you heard a rumor that at school they used a bad word and not finding out till later that the bad word was stupid. 

When Johnston shot Ali, he knew a few things about the situation: He knew Kelso police Sgt. Kirk Wiper was on his way to the store; hed seen Ali walking around town; and he knew Ali was armed with a wooden stick, was charging him and had already assaulted a clerk and a customer. (Even today, no one knows why Ali attacked Johnston, the clerk and customer that morning. Though Ali had a history of depression according to a person who once knew him, toxicology tests done after he died came back clean of drugs and alcohol.)

Training for hostile encounters

Officers argue it is wrong to assume every officer would act the same in identical situations. That is because every officer has different skills, strengths and experience levels. I myself found that out when sheriffs deputies put me through four scenarios of lethal/non-lethal force training, similar to what they do.

In my third scenario, sheriffs office Deputy Riley McNeal inched closer and closer to me as I backed closer to a wall inside a training building. I kept ordering him to back up and put his hands behind his back, but he kept coming closer. Within seconds, I was backed close to the wall, he was visibly aggressive and he was closing in on me. So I fired my Taser, and McNeal fell to the ground.

Spencer asked me later why I chose to use the stun gun. Because, I explained, at 5-foot-5 and 125 pounds I could not win a fight with McNeal if it came down to that. However, a stronger officer, like 6-foot-3, 260-pound John Johnston, likely would have a better chance of winning. Perhaps he wouldnt have fired like I had. I also chose not to even engage in a fight, because I didnt want to risk injury.

Officers call the mental process they work through in every situation the OODA loop: observe, orient, decide, act. Spencer estimated that loop can take up to three seconds to work through, and the only things that reduce that time frame are training and experience. Tate estimates his 30 years with the Kelso Police Department would only shave milliseconds off the fastest OODA loop. It takes a novice shooter a third- to a half-second to draw and aim a gun, so milliseconds can make the difference between life and death.

To highlight that point, Rosenzweig showed me bodycam footage from a SWAT team in Kingman, Ariz. With SWAT team members surrounding them, two officers serving a search warrant this September are shot by a man who refuses to drop his gun upon verbal command (one officer was not injured, and the other was hospitalized in serious condition). The officers had demanded and waited for him to drop his gun. He fires so quickly that its not apparent until the video is slowed down.

Rosenzweig says he would have shot the man earlier.

When I saw that gun and I told him to drop it and he didnt drop it, I would have shot him, he said. If law enforcement waits in this kind of scenario, the mathematics are, were going to get shot.

A lot of people ask why police dont simply shoot a person to disarm or disable them. Why didnt, for example, Johnston shoot Ali in the hand, the foot, or the leg?

Because officers, Spencer said, are trained to shoot at a persons center mass. That is, the center of the largest part of the body available. If just a shoulder and arm are available, an officer likely would shoot a persons elbow. If it is the entire, unobstructed body of a suspect, the center mass is the middle of the chest, where two ribs connect. So its not about shooting to kill, its about shooting to hit, Tate explained.

Shot four times

One of Spencers oft-repeated phrases is that officers are only reactionary. A person who has already decided to shoot an officer has a huge, vital time advantage over the officer, Spencer said.

That rang especially true in my first training scenario. Spencer placed me in a patrol car parked behind a truck and told me the scenario would be easy. All I had to do was get out of my car and ask for the drivers license and registration.

I got out of my patrol car and walked calmly to the drivers side window where sheriffs office Reserve Deputy Aaron Park shot me four times before I even touched the airsoft gun hitched to my right hip. He fired four rounds at my chest in about a second.

Shocked (and thoroughly embarrassed)  I turned to Spencer and asked, If that were you doing the traffic stop, would you have been shot, too?

Absolutely, he said. Most officers would have been (though many would have approached from the passenger side and had a better chance).

Just as Spencer said, my expectation was that the traffic stop would go as most do  peacefully. Nothing told me I needed to draw my gun.

As they read news of ambush and sniper shootings of police and news of more police shootings of armed and unarmed civilians, police departments and sheriffs offices are modifying their training.

Recently, Spencer said the sheriffs office put deputies through car ambush training. Sheriff Mark Nelson said his office also is training deputies more in close-quarter shooting scenarios after agencies had seen a rise in situations where suspects pulled guns on officers within talking distance, estimated to be between three and nine feet.

Longview police Captain Robert Huhta said his department puts officers through more scenario-based training than in years past and has placed a particular focus recently on de-escalation techniques to use with people in mental health crises (most departments also go through similar Crisis Intervention Training).

Tate said the increased availability in bodycam, civilian, dashcam and security camera footage have enabled his department to train officers daily in a huge variety of situations that have played out in real life. As a social-media tool, YouTube alone has made much of that new, better, more specific training possible.

Officers, deputies, security guards  theyre not superhuman, Spencer emphasized.

They are only better equipped than your average civilian to make the decision to use lethal force because of their training and experience.

In Johnstons case, his decision to shoot Ali was informed by his military career, police training and 22 years of work as a Kelso patrolman. He spent five years as an Army policeman before joining the Kelso Police Department in August 1994. He had never been in an officer-involved shooting before.

Tate, who declined to talk about the Flying K shooting, said when he has run through different training scenarios with his officers, there is often a healthy debate among them about what they would do in that situation. Different officers respond differently.

And that still can mean their use of force was justifiable. Because when a judge, a prosecutor or a jury are confronted with the question about use of lethal force, they are tasked with answering the most important question: Was the force objectively reasonable based on the facts and circumstances faced by the officer?

I question myself every day. Am I going to be good enough to do what needs to be done? Tate said. Did I ever doubt that I would try to do the right thing? No.